Deathtouched - Chapter 6

Zoe slowly woke in darkness. She could barely see the room she was in. Her room. Once again she was being spooned with an arm thrown over her stomach. Memories of a previous instance made her freeze and softly call out.

"Judy?" No response.

"Judy?" Zoe asked again, this time gently shaking the paw.

"Mmmffff?" Zoe was relieved to hear that it was Judy's voice that kinda sorta answered her. She took stock of her surroundings. She knew that she was in bed, fortunately still clothed. At least she was. She wasn't sure about Judy and didn't want to reach back to find out that Judy wasn't.

She looked at her clock and saw that it was 5:25 am. She last thing she remembered was Judy holding her just after Billy had crossed over and that bothered her, she'd never passed out before. So, she tapped on Judy's paw with hers and said "Judy."

"Mmmffff?"

She tapped Judy's paw harder "Judy!"

"Wha?"

"What happened? How did I get home and into bed?"

"You passed out so I brought you home and put you in bed. I talked to mom and dad and told them that you needed sleep. That was yesterday." Judy mumbled rather coherently for being half asleep.

Zoe relaxed and started to drift off again when the question that she wanted to ask came up. "Uh, Judy? You are dressed right?"

"Baby, most rabbits sleep in the nude." That answer both delighted Zoe and scared her at the same time as she stiffened at Judy's answer. Judy must have felt it because she answered. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers Z, I'm wearing pajamas. I didn't think you were ready for the whole sleeping nude thing yet. Although, when you do move in with me, I'd prefer it."

Judy's answer mollified Zoe and she found herself falling back asleep even though her mind was awhirl with all of the recent events she'd been subjected to. Her love for Judy was the last thing she thought of before Morpheus pulled her into his arms.

oooOOOooo

When next she woke Zoe was alone. No girlfriend spooning her, no arm thrown across her waist, no gentle breaths blowing against her fur. The time on her alarm clock read 7:47 in the morning. She felt much better, more rested and able to think clearly so she started going over everything in her mind.

She had no idea why she was so attracted to Judy from the first time she saw her. Zoe knew of the concept of soul mates and wondered if it meant that Judy was hers, although her sixth sense kept telling her that there was more to it than that. She wasn't lovesick, with hearts in her eyes, in regards to Judy, but she did love her, that much she couldn't deny.

Moving in with her though. Zoe did want to, it was just what moving in would infer... having sex. Judy said she'd wait, and Zoe knew that here in Zootopia she was considered of age for marriage. Did Judy want to end up marrying her? Did she want to end up marrying Judy? The feeling she got was a bit ambiguous with a tiny positive prompting.

And Candace, what to do about her? Candace had made it very clear what she wanted, which Zoe had to respect her for that. But Judy's warning and story made Zoe very leery of doing anything with Candace, no matter how appealing her offer was. At least not right now. If Zoe trusted anyone it was Judy.

And Sam. It was no lie that Zoe found the buck cute. He also seemed kind and caring, both things she found attractive in him. Judy even joked about marrying him? Would that be possible? Could she marry Judy and Sam? Zoe decided to find out.

Her new family had been wonderful so far. She had been worried that her eyes would horrify people but nothing of the sort had happened so far. Most were just seemed curious or, to a lesser extent, looked at her in pity, probably thinking she was blind. And schooling. From what she had gathered based on comments people had said, she would be in school until she was 16 when she would have to decided what she wanted to do with her life. At least she wasn't required to make any permanent life choices before then.

Zoe's stomach let loose a huge growl that made her stomach feel like it was folding in on itself. Deciding that any other thoughts could wait, Zoe dressed in a pretty dark blue skirt and a light blue blouse. Navigating her way through the hugs, pecks on the cheek, and light strokes on her arm or shoulder fur, Zoe finally made it to the cafeteria. Grabbing a tray, she took a blueberry muffin and some home fries.

Zoe's eyes widened when she saw her all time favorite breakfast item - Biscuits and country gravy. She even poured some gravy on her potatoes. After getting a large glass of her favorite beverage, Zoe sat down in the last spot at the head table with her parents.

"Good morning Mom! Good morning Dad!" Zoe said as she sat.

Both of her parents looked at her with concern. "Zoe dear! We were worried about you!" Bonnie declared.

"Yes, we were very worried" Stu echoed.

"Judy told me that she talked to you both and told you I just needed to rest." Zoe said between bites of her breakfast.

"Oh, that she did! Didn't she Bon Bon?" Stu stated.

"Oh, absolutely! But dear, that was a full day ago, you've been asleep for almost three full days!"

Zoe's jaw dropped as she sat there looking at her parents. "Three days?" she asked.

"Yes, that's right!" Stu nodded as he looked at Bonnie.

"Wow. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I don't know why I slept so long."

"Candace told us that none of the records that have been kept on Entries mentioned sleeping patterns so we weren't sure if it was normal or not. But we're happy that you seem okay now." Bonnie mentioned.

"Is Judy around?" Zoe asked. She hadn't planned on trying to keep track of Judy's whereabouts, but the question just seemed to slip out.

"She went to Tri-Burrows Regional Hospital to see if she could find out why you were sleeping so much." Bonnie said.

"Yes, she had bugged Candace something awful about Entry's when you weren't waking up." Stu added.

Zoe hung her head. While she was happy that Judy cared enough about her to try and find out what was wrong, she hated having caused her girlfriend and parents to worry so much. And speaking of girlfriends... "Are you guys okay with me and Judy? Us being together I mean?"

Bonnie smiled while Stu looked around like he was in a panic. He'd mentioned before that he wasn't good with 'this kind of thing' but Zoe thought that, after having over 200 children, he'd be somewhat used to it at least.

"We think you make a very cute couple Zoe." And Bonnie did look happy about it while her dad looked like he was about to faint.

"So," Bonnie said, adopting a more serious mien "to catch you up. You are registered for school starting Monday. Your first day will be placement tests to see what grade you will start in and what you need help with. We've also decided on chores for you. If you don't object, we'd like to have you working in the kitchen for a few hours for two days out of the week as well as four hours on the weekend. We'd also like your help watching the kits on a similar schedule. This should give you time for homework and for leisure. Does that sound okay?"

Chewing another bite of gravy covered potatoes, Zoe nodded her agreement.

Bonnie grinned happily "Okay then. Tonight, you can do the six to eight shift in the nursery. Tomorrow will be the eight to ten shift in the kitchen. You'll start out washing dishes. Don't worry, everyone starts out there. Then you'll have the four to eight shift in the toddler's room. Sunday you'll be off for the week, as well as Monday."

"Sounds great Mom!" Zoe said as she finished off her biscuits and gravy before taking several long swallows of orange juice to wash it all down with.

"If you want, we can get you started on driving lessons. Bunnies usually start learning at ten, so you're a bit behind." Stu offered.

Zoe grinned "I'd love to! Back where I came from, I wouldn't be allowed to start learning until I was 15!"

"Different cultures Dear!" Bonnie commented.

oooOOOooo

Zoe's driving lesson went very well. The hardest thing for Zoe to remember was when to engage the clutch before shifting gears. Even with her excellent rabbit hearing it wasn't easy for her. Still, Stu said she did great for her first time and that, probably by the end of next week, she could attempt to get her license.

Zoe had parked as the final action of her driving lesson and started heading for the front doors with her dad when one of the doors opened followed by a grey blur speeding out and colliding with her. Zoe found herself in a crushing bunny hug by her girlfriend. Stu tried to ignore the couple and hurried inside as fast as he could.

"God's Zoe! I was so worried about you. I tried waking you up, but you wouldn't move! The doctors at the hospital were useless!" Judy expressed as she started kissing Zoe all over her muzzle.

"Mmumky!" Zoe uttered incoherently due to Judy's lips being on hers at the time.

Judy pulled back and asked "What?"

Zoe gasped and said, "I'm okay!"

"I know that now! But I've been worried sick! I didn't know what was happening to you!" It happened again, Zoe just knew what had happened and tried to set her girlfriend at ease. "It was because I hadn't fully adjusted yet. My body was still getting used to itself when everything started happening. So, I shut down for a while so I could finish adapting to my new life."

Judy let out a huge sigh of relief. Before she could do or say anything else, Zoe continued. "On the plus side, I've decided that I'm going to move in with you."

This time it was Zoe who had no chance to continue when Judy squealed, pulled Zoe in close, and gave her a soul searing kiss, her tongue exploring Zoe's mouth. When they finally broke apart, Zoe was able to finish what she wanted to say.

"Judy, I love you. I want you to know that I'm still a little leery about... you know... sex. I'm still not ready for that and I'm not sure when I will be. So, if you're okay with that, I can move in with you tonight after my shift in the nursery."

"What time is that?"

"Six to eight."

Judy grinned "I'll make room for your stuff!" and then kissed Zoe again.

Before much longer and yet, not long enough, the two does' separated and began walking to the burrow paw in paw. As they walked, Zoe started asking questions. "Say if, somewhere down the line we're still together, and I'm pretty sure we will be given the nudges I've been getting, we get married..."

Judy cut in "Do you want to get married?"

"Shush! I'm being hypothetical here. Besides, I just became your girlfriend! Say we got married, what do I do if I wanted to marry say... Sam? Could we do something like that or is there a rule against it?"

"Well, hypothetically, once we've been married, it would depend on all three of us. If we all three agreed to live together then a ceremony would be performed, and Sam would be included in our marriage."

"What about more? How many people would I be able to be married to? Hypothetically."

"Hmmm, largest I've ever heard of was 23. But for rabbits there's really no limit. Again, depending on species."

Zoe stopped in the hallway in shock, looking at Judy. She groaned and then said, "I still have a lot to learn."

oooOOOooo

Judy walked Zoe back to her room and kissed Zoe goodbye so that she could complete her chore. Evidently, Judy drove one of the farms tractors. Zoe packed up her meager belongings and then went to lunch. The right ingredients were there for Zoe to make her favorite salad. A garden salad with potato salad in place of any dressing. She'd seen someone do that in a restaurant and decided to try it.

After lunch, Zoe decided to explore the outside area for a while before heading inside and locating the nursery. There weren't really any stairs in the burrow, just ramps that led up and down. Depending on how much room there was, they could be straight or in a spiral. And, while the burrow was huge, there was always someone helpful around to ask directions of. Zoe loved being in the nursery so much that, even though it was only a little after four, she decided to go ahead and start her shift then. She couldn't help it, the little kits were so adorable! And holding them while feeding them filled a need in Zoe that she didn't know she had, it was just so soul affirming. She began learning their names and who their mothers were.

So wrapped up in caring for the baby bunnies, Zoe failed to notice Judy until said bunny softly cleared her throat. Judy was leaning against the door frame with tender expression on her face. "You're good at that." Judy voiced. Smiling, Zoe just shrugged.

"Ever think about having kits of your own?" The question shocked Zoe a little. She knew that she had never thought about having kids before she died, and she hadn't really had time after she woke up here to consider it.

"Not really. I haven't really had time to think about it since I've been here. Maybe someday?"

Judy walked up to her and, taking care not to squish baby Felicity, kissed her girlfriend.

"I think you'd make a wonderful mother." Zoe blushed. "Anyway, it's almost 8:30 and we need to go if we're going to get some dinner."

Zoe hated leaving the nursery but was appeased when Judy told her that she could always visit in any free time that she had.

"You have kitchen duty tomorrow night 8 to 10, and again Saturday morning from 10 to 12. After your shift, you and I are going out on a date. So be ready by 6." Judy stated as they walked to the cafeteria paw on paw.

Zoe was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't really thought about dating, and she really enjoyed the tingling feeling in her heart when Judy took charge of their relationship. "I'd like that." Zoe said with a smile. Then she continued "There's still some other things we need to talk about... in private."

"I'm guessing it's regarding our relationship?" Judy asked.

"Mostly."

"Anything bad?" Judy asked, slightly concerned.

"No, I wouldn't think so anyway."

"Oh, okay then."

"And how do you know my chore schedule?" Zoe inquired.

Judy smirked "It's posted on the wall of the north entrance by the cafeteria."

"Oh."

Suddenly Judy turned Zoe to face her and pushed her against the hallway wall. No sooner had Zoe's back touched than Judy's lips were on hers and giving her a kiss that made Zoe's toes curl. Judy pulled back from the kiss to look deep in Zoe's eyes and said, "I have to be the luckiest doe in Zootopia."

Her heart still beating fast from all the emotions coursing through her, Zoe raised her paw and caressed her girlfriend's cheek and whispered "So am I."

Wrapping their arms around each other's waist, they began heading to the cafeteria again. And, while it made walking a little difficult, they didn't care. After dinner, Judy helped Zoe moved what few things she had into what was now their room. There they lay in bed and talked.

"So, there were some things you wanted to talk about." Judy said, her face inches from Zoe's. Both had their arms over the others torso, their bodies touching in multiple places.

Zoe sighed in contentment and began asking her questions "I'm still having a little trouble understanding the dynamic of being girlfriends and being intimate with others at the same time. Marriage as well."

Judy winced "Maybe I didn't explain it too well. Okay, I'll try to do better, and I'll use us as an example. If we're not going to be exclusive, then it's okay for us to see other rabbits, sexually. Remember when I said that you could see Candace if you want?" Here Zoe nodded "Well, I gave you permission to do so. If I'd have said I didn't want you to see her, then you wouldn't as I'm your girlfriend. The same goes for you, I'd need your permission if I wanted to sleep with her. We both come first in the others life."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"Now, as far as marriage goes it's similar. Say we were married, the same rule applies. If you wanted to be married to... say, Sam, since you seem to like him" Here Zoe blushed because yeah, she did. "Then we would talk it over and, if I agreed, then we'd discuss it with Sam. If he agreed to it, we would be adding him to our marriage, we'd be a triad."

"Sorry I seemed to be so dense about it."

Judy gave Zoe a quick peck on the lips and said "Don't worry about it. Circumstances being what they have been."

Judy waited for minute, allowing her paw to slide up under Zoe's shirt and rub the fur on her girlfriends back, and then asked "So, have you given more thought about whether or not you wanted to be exclusive?"

Zoe had been thinking about that really hard because she hadn't gotten any nudges to help her make her decision. Apparently, it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, Judy and her would be together, maybe even married. That was a rock that Zoe could count on. The expected jealousy from thinking about Judy being with other rabbits never really raised its green-eyed head. A thought did occur to her, one she'd never considered before. "I think... that I'd prefer it if we weren't exclusive. Mainly because it would be cruel of me to make you wait until I'm ready, but also because I find I like the idea of maybe being with Sam, or some other male. But, maybe, at some point, we could both sleep with someone else, together?"

Judy's eyes lit up like the amethyst gems they resembled, and she grinned "I like the way you think Love." and then she kissed Zoe, hard. Judy's and Zoe's tongues clashed together, and their paws stroked the others fur lovingly. After a while, their caresses became gentle, comforting strokes and Judy had the pleasure of watching Zoe's eyes slowly close, her breathing evening out, and watching her body relax in sleep.

Judy lay gazing at Zoe, this doe that had dropped so unexpectedly into her life. She had captured Judy's heart from the moment Judy had laid eyes on her. She wasn't sure what the future held but there were two things that Judy was sure of; She was still going to be a cop, and that she was going to be with Zoe.

Judy didn't like the idea of leaving Zoe here when she went into Zootopia to become a cop, but she couldn't ask her to come with her because she wasn't sure what her life would be like when she got there and had to find a place to live. Maybe after she'd settled she could get Zoe to come with her.

Judy realized that she would feel better about everything if her and Zoe were married. That thought comforted her so much that her last thought was she would ask Zoe before she left home.

The next few days passed happily as Zoe settled into a routine. The two favorite parts of her day was working in the nursery and falling asleep cuddled up to her girlfriend.

Friday dawned and her dad kept his promise and took Zoe for her driver's test and even let her drive home after she'd passed. She basked in the praise that Judy gave her, making her feel like she could fly, and it made her love Judy even more.

The night for their date arrived and Zoe was nervous. It was her first ever date after all and she wished she had that zen calm that would sometimes cover her like a shield. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work on a personal interaction level when dealing with aspects of her relationships.

Zoe took a shower and brushed her fur until shown like the finest silk. She buffed and painted her nails, ensured her teeth were blindingly white. She picked out her clothes for later, a dusky rose skirt and a white blouse. When Judy saw Zoe dressed and ready to go, she stopped and just stared. Her heart felt so warm and full of love for her girlfriend that she almost dropped to one knee and proposed to her right there and then.

As for Zoe, seeing her girlfriend dressed in a pair of tan cargo pants and a rose colored long sleeved shirt, made her heart beat faster. She just wanted to run to Judy, throw herself into her arms, and rain kisses over her face and neck.

Judy drove them to a restaurant called Pearls Pasta Palace in the downtown Tri-burrows area. Judy went with the spaghetti while Zoe ordered the stuffed bell peppers.

Afterwards, they watched a movie at the theater and then stopped at their spot by the lake where they cuddled, made out a little, and then cuddled some more.

They arrived home and walked in the door leaning heavily against one another, stumbling slightly as if drunk on their emotions. That night, as they got ready for bed, Zoe knew that she was ready for the next level of their relationship. Not sex, but an increase in their intimacy. As they got ready for bed, Judy was pleasantly surprised as Zoe undressed and then climbed into bed. Judy joined her and asked, "No sex?"

Zoe replied, "Not yet Love, just hold me."

And Judy did, even after both of them had slipped into slumber.

A/N: There it is. Next chapter will have more supernatural elements in it as well as an old adversary.

There will be time jumps for a few chapters. The ultimate goal is to have both Judy and Zoe in Zootopia. I've decided that I'll have Zoe in college while Judy goes through ZPD Academy.

I've also been reading more of the stories I follower here on FF and feel a little more comfortable with writing sex scenes. So, the sex scenes in this story will be a little more graphic, but not detailed until Zoe goes to college.