Bonus Chapter: Astronaut

Do you have it?" she asked with a hurried expression.

"I don't not have it," he said in his usual joking manner. This wasn't time for jokes.

"Be serious, Nick. Do you have it or not?"

"Relax, hunnybun. I got it, alright?"

"Good, 'cause it might be the only thing that keeps her from having a heart attack when she finds out."

"Carrots, Clementine is not eighty years old, she won't have a heart attack."

"You know what I mean! People get heart attacks all the time from surprising news."

"What could be more surprising than an apocalypse taking over the world?"

"This!"

"You really are overexaggerating."

Their hearty discussion at the Tipsy Boar had gotten, well, tipsier as they kept on downing drinks. A major supply haul had been brought into the town not too many nights ago, and they were definitely taking advantage of their new stock of expensive drinks such as whiskey and cognac, a delicacy they thought was long extinct.

They had arranged to meet with Clementine at night. They told her it was for a fun night of dinner, dessert and a movie. Nick had also managed to find an ice cream bucket that they could all share while watching. Unbeknownst to the vixen, however, they were inviting her to tell her some shocking news. News that Judy was afraid she would take the wrong way.

"I mean, think about it, Nick. It's a big revelation. We don't know how she's gonna react."

Nick sighed, really not seeing the big problem with any of it. "Carrots, if you haven't realized, that girl loves the heck out of the both of us, and whatever we tell her, she will understand."

"It also doesn't help that this is something you did."

"I…thought you already accepted it."

"I did, I did. It was just so sudden, ya know?"

"Yeah…I get it. You still want to do it, right? No cold rabbit's feet?"

Seeing that they were almost the only people there, Judy slid herself from her seat closer to him, rubbing her face on his right shoulder. Having gone on patrol earlier that day, it smelled like smoke and blood, but it still brought comfort to her.

"No cold rabbit's feet whatsoever," she told him, closing her eyes. "Not even by a longshot."

"That's what I love to hear," he said, planting a warm kiss on her forehead.

"What's this about rabbit feet?" They heard a voice behind them. A very recognizable one. A voice they didn't think they'd hear so soon yet. Almost in unison, they turned around to look at their vixen daughter Clementine, looking at them with a knowing smile. She always had that smile whenever she 'caught them in the act' as she so colorfully described it.

"C-Clementine!" Judy said, embarrassed, putting some distance between her and Nick. "Weird to see you here! I thought you'd still be out with Skye and Jesse."

"It was an easy patrol today. Nothing but boring lookout duty and some awkward third-wheeling on the side. Nothing much to it."

"That's good, kiddo," Nick said, taking another sip of his whisky. "Ready for tonight?"

"You bet I am! It's been a while since we've done one of our movie nights. What do we plan on watching?"

"Well, Carrots wanted to go for this musical rom-com from the sixties," he said with a distasteful expression. "Luckily, I convinced her to watch an even better movie with us."

"There was absolutely nothing wrong with watching Hello, Folly," Judy said.

"We can watch it another day, Fluff. We don't want the kiddo to fall asleep on the couch from boredom."

"I'm right here, ya know? Won't you ask me what I'd prefer?"

"Clem, the movie I chose is gonna rock your world. It's one of the coolest movies ever created-"

"-which also has Harrison Boar in it. Your favorite actor," Judy finished for him.

"Who doesn't love him? It'd be crazy if someone didn't," he said defensively. The two girls chuckled.

"Well, whatever movie you decide, I'll still watch it. No exceptions."

"That's good to know, Clem," Judy said, eyeing the fox maliciously, telling him there would be a fight for what movie to play when they got home.

Suddenly, the double door of the bar opened, and another couple walked in through the door. It was an elderly bunny couple, who seven years ago had been deemed dead by Judy. It was quite a shock seeing them back two years ago.

"It's my parents!" Judy said, heading over to them and giving them a strong hug.

"Easy there, sweetie," said Bonnie. "You don't want the buns in the oven to come out sooner than expected."

"Wait, what?" said both Nick and Clementine in unison.

Judy, now broken out of the hug, turned back to her fox family. "Oh, crap. Did I forget to tell you guys? My mom is pregnant again!"

"Is that even possible?" Nick asked out of instinct. Bonnie didn't seem to take any offense to it. She knew it was shocking news.

"Well, it happened, so I'm guessing it's still possible," Bonnie said in a jokeful demeanor.

Clem gasped. "That is so exciting!" Clementine said, heading to her grandmother. "Do you know how many there are yet?"

"Not yet, Clem the clam," said Stuart Hopps, the bunny who paralleled Nick when it came to nicknames and jokes. "Doctor said we will be able to tell next week."

"Eeeek! So exciting!" Clementine couldn't contain her giddiness, jumping around in place and flailing her arms around. The entire party of mammals laughed at her reaction. Judy thought about how she might react to the other news this week.

They talked for about an hour, sitting down at the bar having a few drinks (With the exception of Bonnie and Clementine, obviously). They mostly conversed about how things were in the town, talking about the new developments as well as new methods for expansion. Every few months, newer mammals came, needing a home to live in, requiring new houses to be built. All houses were built during the summer to avoid the snow, as well as give time for the hibernators to have their rest.

Clementine was still gushing about the new family members coming soon, expressing her enthusiasm to name some of them, and even play with them when they got older. She would be the greatest aunt a bunny could have. Bonnie obviously had no qualms about this, expressing her excitement for her to meet them as well.

In what seemed to be a matter of minutes, the clock had turned to seven in the afternoon, and it was time for them to get ready for their dinner and movie night. Clementine cordially said her goodbyes to both couples, saying she still needed a shower from today's events. She wouldn't go to Nick and Judy's house without being presentable.

After showering and dressing up, she made her way to the house, excited to spend some time with her favorite mammals in the whole world. Standing at the porch, Clementine proceeded to ring the doorbell, waiting for the door to open. Inspecting the door, she could see a mahogany sign saying 'N & J' with blueberries and carrots painted around it. She wondered when that had been made, and by who.

The door opened in just a few seconds, greeting her with the sight of her surrogate mother, Judy Hopps. She was wearing a beautiful purple blouse and purple jeans, combined with a collar with what seemed to be a green ruby inside. Wow.

"Hey, Clem! Glad you made it!"

"Yeah. It was pretty hard. Had to get past the Malarkeys, and you know how crazy they are," she joked.

"Just one question, though," Judy said, retaining her smile. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"Oh. You don't like it?" she asked the bunny, with a smugness rivaling even Nick.

"Oh, no, no, it's…perfect," Judy said, gritting her teeth. "Come on in."

She hadn't been inside many houses in the town, but she'd bet that none of them would give her the same warm feeling that this house gave her every time she came in. Apart from having both Judy and Nick in it, she could tell just how much work they had done to make it feel uniquely theirs. Paintings of bunnies and foxes swarmed the brown walls, as well as many of the decorations being either carrot-themed or blueberry-themed. It always gave her a sense of normalcy, like this wasn't the pandemic anymore. She was in a normal, lovely home, with two bizarre and lovely mammals.

Nick was in the kitchen, doing last-minute preparations to their meal. When she heard them come in, he turned around to greet her. "Hey, Cle-" he stopped in his tracks, also gasping at the sight of her. "You're wearing it?"

"I should've known you gave her this, Nick."

"It was supposed to be a gag gift, Judy. I didn't think she'd ever wear it."

"Well, as you can see, she did."

The cause for turmoil over the clothes she was wearing was simple. She was sporting a typical blouse and skirt, but there was one caveat to it. They were green, with patterned ferns all around, making it a carbon copy of Nick's infamous Pawaiian shirt.

"And I am so proud of her," Nick said, not hiding that he was actually happy about her clothing choice.

"Well, you did give me an awesome birthday last week, so this was the least I could do."

"You better have purple clothing, because I'm gonna have you strictly wearing those for a week as punishment," Judy said, only half-joking.

"Aw, come on, Judy. His shirt is awesome."

"Oh, no, this can't be," Judy said dramatically. "Look what you did, Nick. You turned her to the Dark Side."

"No spoilers, Carrots. Anyway, how about we stop goofing off and get to eating already?" Nick said, taking off his apron, which revealed a casual green t-shirt and gray sweatpants. The table was already set up with its utensils and napkins, as well as wine glasses. On one side of the table, Nick put a plate of vegetables, and on the other side, mashed potatoes. He carried the big meal on a round lid and put it on the center of the table. "Ready to be amazed, Clem?" She nodded. With a smile, he grabbed the lid and revealed their dinner.

"A turkey? Oh my God, Nick! How?"

"A wild turkey, to be exact," he said, proud of himself. "Killed it myself last week. I found it running away from some savages, so I took the liberty to take it myself."

"Wow. That was one unlucky turkey."

"Foxes gotta eat, right?"

"Right," she agreed. "Well? What are we waiting for? I'm starving!" She sat at the chair in the middle of the table, with Nick and Judy sitting at either side of the table. For the minutes of them serving each of their portions, there was no talking. Judy opted for more vegetables than meat, being an herbivore since birth. Both Nick and Clementine chose a lot of meat, each one getting a leg and part of the chest. Clementine chose no vegetables, with only a small amount of potatoes. Nick got a balance of potatoes and vegetables. Soon enough, all three were eating quietly, savoring the taste of the turkey. "This is absolutely delicious. Who cooked this?"

"Carrots helped me season it, but I did most of the work."

"Didn't think you'd be such a good cook," Clem said, puting more delicious turkey in her mouth, letting the taste of the seasoning melt in her mouth.

"I got a few pointers from Gideon and Bonnie. They're the true culinary experts."

"You're not so bad yourself, Slick," she complimented the fox.

A few minutes passed with them silently eating until Clementine remembered something, turning to Judy. "Oh yeah, what's up with that cute sign at the door? You hired a carpenter to make it or something?"

"Oh, that was done by me too," said Nick.

"Yeah, right. Stop lying, Nick."

"As much as I love to call out his bluff, he's right."

"What?" Clementine said. "Why have you been keeping this talent from me?"

"Clem, I told you I was a contractor. We built houses."

"Building houses is not the same as making art from wood."

"You'd be surprised. One picks up a lot of skills when working around blueprints and such."

"Wow," she said, with genuine admiration towards the fox. "You need to show me more!"

"Maybe tomorrow. Movie night, remember?"

Clementine pouted, but buried her excitement until tomorrow. She kept eating, and another thought crossed her mind. "It's crazy that Bonnie's pregnant again. You must feel so happy, Judy."

Now suddenly being the center of attention of both Nick and Clementine, Judy put down her fork and looked at them. "Y-yeah. I sure am."

Nick quickly picked up her doubtful tone. "That…wasn't very convincing, Fluff. What's on your mind?"

Judy could never hide anything from Nick. "Okay, I'll say it. Don't take me wrong, I love that I'm having new brothers and sisters."

"But?" Clementine asked.

"I'm getting there," Judy said. "But the last time I had that many brothers and sisters…it didn't end well.

Oh, Clementine thought. She understood completely.

"Judy," Nick said softly, walking over to her side of the table, grabbing one of her paws. "This place is safe. Nothing like that will ever happen again. All your new brothers and sisters will live a long, happy life. If we're lucky, maybe they won't even notice something's wrong."

Judy grinned at the fox, thankful to have such a person in her life. "Thanks, Slick."

"Still here, by the way. Don't, like, start sucking face or anything," said Clementine, who also got up to give Judy a hug.

After their heartwarming moment, the trio decided to finish eating. With a few more bites of the turkey courtesy of Clementine, dinner was over, with over half of the turkey left over. Clementine proceeded to take some of her more casual clothes that she already had in some cabinets of the house, opting for a pink sweatpant and a white long-sleeved shirt. Even though she was full, she couldn't help eyeing the turkey, desiring to eat some more later.

"Hey, Judy, can I take some of the turkey home?"

"Oh, by all means, Clementine," Judy told her as she washed the dishes. "Rabbits above know Nick can't eat too much meat." She of course referred to his weight gain. It wasn't severe, but it was significant enough to be noticed.

"I thought you loved my Nick pudge," shouted Nick, who was setting up the movie in the living room.

"Oh I love it, Slick. Doesn't mean I want you to have it. It's unhealthy."

"Eh, health is overrated," he said, making the bunny sigh again. "Movie's ready, by the way, whenever you girls are ready."

"Yes!" said the still immature eighteen-year-old, running and jumping towards the living room sofa. She waited patiently for Judy to finish washing up, who sat down on the other side of the couch. She nodded at him, which in turn made him nod at her. She didn't know what that was about, but something told her she was about to find out.

"Clementine," Nick started speaking, sitting down in the middle of the couch. "There's something we have to tell you. But first, you said you wanted to see some more of my woodworking, right?"

That instantly lit her up, making her sit up on the couch. "What is it?"

"Well," Nick grabbed a small rectangular box out of one of the gaps in the sofa, handing it to her. "Happy birthday again, kiddo."

With a smile, Clementine grabbed the box and began opening it. The contents inside…she would treasure forever.

"An astronaut?" Clementine said, looking at the wooden statue of a space suit, fully painted to look like the real thing. "This is beautiful."

"It's not just any astronaut, Clem. It's you. Look closely at its face."

She did as Nick mandated, looking closely at the helmet. She could see the contours of a fox. Her, to be specific. It was a complete carbon copy of Clementine, complete with her brow scar. It was incredible. "Holy shit, Nick."

"I helped paint it too," Judy pointed out. "Happy birthday."

"This is…this is incredible, you guys," she sniffed, trying really hard not to cry.

"Don't cry yet, Clem, that's not all we're giving you," Nick stated.

"Huh?" She asked, confused. She'd had plenty back at the museum, and even this gift felt too luxurious to have. But now she would get something else? "What more could you possibly-"

Nick took out another small box from his pocket. "You are getting a reenactment," he said, getting up from the sofa and kneeling on one knee.

"Wait, wait, wait, don't tell me!" she said in a panicked tone.

Nick didn't stop, addressing himself to Judy. "Judith Laverne Hopps. We have been through thick and thin together. Now more thick than thin," he joked. Clementine was losing her mind. "We have fought, and we have loved. We have cried, and we have lied. But despite all of that, I can't imagine someone else by my side. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, will you marry me?"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Clementine screamed at the top of her lungs. During this fit of happiness, Judy said yes and let her fiance put the ring on her left paw. "I think I'm gonna faint."

The duo laughed at the vixen, happy that she had received the news relatively well. Before they told her anything else, she launched herself at them both and hugged them tightly.

"So, I'm gonna go ahead and guess you're happy for us," Nick said.

"I'm more than happy, I'm elated! About time you two got married!"

"Sunflower, it's only been two years since we met," Judy reasoned, laughing warmly.

"Two years too late," she retorted. "So when's the ceremony?" She asked, still hugged tightly to them.

"We're thinking next week. We don't want it to be too crazy," said Judy.

Clementine had so many more questions, but she had a lot of time to ask them. Although she was happy about the astronaut gift and the crazy wedding revelation, she also loved movie night, and was more than anxious to start already.

"Alright then, are we ready to watch Paw Wars now?" Nick asked. Clementine and Judy nodded.

He was glad everything went so well. After the gift and the marriage reveal, Nick was ready to not think of anything else and watch one of his favorite movies: Paw Wars, A New Hop. Clem and Judy were sitting next to him on the sofa, while he sat in the middle. All three of them had large spoons which they used to scoop up the vanilla ice cream currently on Nick's lap.

Surprisingly to Nick, Judy had already seen this movie in her childhood. She mentioned it was a favorite of a lot of her brothers and sisters. She had failed to watch all the other ones, so Nick was going to make sure she watched them all. That would be his first duty as her husband.

He was finally reaching his favorite part of this movie, where the main character is able to use a near-impossible move to destroy the gigantic world-destroying ship. He always snickered when the girl supposed to be his sister kissed him on the lips at the end of the film. By the time the credits rolled, Nick realized just how quiet everything was. Looking to his left and to his right, all he could see was slumped bodies and closed eyes. Both Judy and Clementine had fallen asleep.

He hadn't even realized he was the only one eating ice cream for the last half hour of the movie, or that his fur below his ears stopped getting caressed by Judy. The movie had entranced him, just like it always did when he was a kid. He smiled, looking at them both, sleeping soundly and on top of him. It was quite a sight to see.

He would take Judy to their bed first. He could try and carry them both, but he didn't want to drop any of them by accident. One by one was the safest bet. Pushing Judy off of his shoulder, he gently grabbed her back with a paw and lifted her legs with the other, carrying her bridal style (ironically). Their room was upstairs, but thankfully Nick could carry his bunny with barely any difficulty. Without breaking a sweat, they were in their bedroom. Putting her in the side of the bed closest to the door, he took a moment to admire her, giving her a kiss on the forehead and blowing on her fur, inspecting the movement of her gray hairs.

He felt like crying. His eyes watered. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve so much happiness. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve to be forgiven for his past mistakes. He didn't deserve her. But yet, she had accepted. Despite everything, she wanted to marry him. She loved him that much. Nick was so, so grateful, but it didn't stop him from feeling like trash. He would take care of his wife for as long as he lived. It was the least he could do for giving him a new purpose. A fresh start. She kissed her again and went back down to grab Clementine.

The guest room was on the first floor, and having her sleep there so far away from them made Nick very uneasy. He went back to the time at dinner where he reassured Judy that this place was completely safe, calming his heart with his own words. This time, he was here for his daughter, and he'd sleep the entire night and see her bright smile the next morning. History would not repeat itself. His wife and child would be with him forever.

The window next to the guest room bed made Clementine look even more angelic, her fur glistening with the moon's light. He wished she could stop aging and just stay a kid, away from all the terrible adult responsibilities, but for her it was too late. She had been through so much. He knew she had so much pain in her heart, and he would do his best to mend it.

With one last look before heading to bed, he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, babygirl."