Bonus Chapter 2: A Christmas Truce

Drip, drip, drip.

The sound of snow falling to the ground.

Thud, thud, thud.

The sound of footsteps in the snow.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

The sound of Abby being done with everything.

This is not how she usually celebrated Christmas Eve. One, she had no gift to give. It would make her look like a terrible person who only goes to the party to eat all the food, get drunk, and steal a few decorations here and there. Hey, don't blame her, everyone does that.

Two, her dad and boyfriend were not able to come with her, so she had no ride, and she had to take herself on ostrichback for two whole miles just to get to the town where the stupid party was at. She had to then keep walking a few more meters to get to the house, which, so lucky for her, was a passage covered in snow. Yeah, she was a fox used to colder environments, but she wasn't arctic, and her feet were not prepared for the freezing pangs each time she took a step. Not to mention her cell didn't have any reception, so she couldn't even text anyone about the amount of needless pain she was enduring. It was official, Abby hated Clementine's town.

Three? She was in no way a sociable person. That's why she usually always went everywhere with Owen and her dad, they were just the people that got her the most. Some friends would be there, but it wasn't the same. Usually, she was always an awkward mess. Not to mention most people were intimidated by her due to her larger-than-normal musculature. It wasn't her fault she liked to go to the gym and gain muscle! They could nail their eyes shut or just look away, it's not like she was trying to make herself an attention-grabbing bitch. That's what Clem was for. No, no, Abby, don't say that, that was mean, she caught herself in the act. She remembered to be nice in front of Clementine. It's not like she hated the vixen, they were just two very different mammals. One was cold, uninviting, and reserved, while the other was preppy, outgoing, and too damn nice. Suddenly, her phone actually gained sentience. It was a text from Owen.

Owen: Are you there yet? You didn't get lost, did you?

Abby: Remind me again why you're not here?

Owen: For the last time, Abby, I had to go visit my pops, you know he has that illness.

Abby: Why couldn't I come with you?

Owen: Because you don't deserve sadness on Christmas. I'll deal with this and you enjoy yourself.

Abby: You know I don't care where I spend Christmas, I'd rather be with you.

Owen: And I'd rather you stay there. Could you at least try to have fun? For my sake, pleeeeaaaasseeeeee? I swear I'll make it up to you, even though I think I'm doing a good thing letting you go there but whatevs. I'll do it anyway cuz I wuv you.

Abby: Stop that, dummy, you know I hate puppy talk. Fine, I will try to enjoy this hellhole.

Owen: Um, honey, it's a foxhole :)

Abby: Shut up. Say hi to dad for me. I'm at the door now.

Owen: Okay, Abs, have fun. We love you.

That last text was most definitely her dad. Owen never used Abs in text. She reacted to the message with a smile and took a deep breath, realizing she was now in the fox's (and rabbit's) den. She rang the doorbell, which made a weird sounding dong, the ones you'd usually hear in church bells. Soon enough, the door was opened.

"Abby! You made it! Merry Christmas!" said the bunny of the household, Judy Wilde. One look at her gave away the fact that she was heavily pregnant, possibly in her last month of pregnancy. It had been quite difficult to believe initially that Judy had managed to successfully conceive with Nick, but the evidence could not be denied. While Abby didn't show it, she was happy for the family and would be there whenever the child was born.

"I made it, despite the crazy journey I had to take to get here, hehe," she said, trying not to sound annoyed. It wasn't Judy's fault, and she certainly was not going to give shit to a pregnant bunny.

"Clementine's been wondering if you would even show up," Judy said, letting her enter the cozy abode, illuminated in red, green, and white, with a huge tree close to the fireplace. Some gifts were already wrapped up and placed below it. Abby could hear some chatter in the kitchen.

"What gave that impression?"

"Well, we heard from Owen that you don't really like going somewhere without him. We would've understood if you couldn't show up because of that."

"Owen would've been really sad if I hadn't come. Plus, you guys invited me, it would've been rude not to come."

"Well, we're glad you're here. Let's go meet everyone."

Judy walked behind her as she appreciated all of the wholesome decoration spread throughout the house. Hundreds of pictures painted the walls, most of them of Nick, Judy, and Clementine hanging out in all sorts of places. In one of them they seemed to be at a museum, with both Judy and Clementine wearing helmets from space suits. At another one, they were posing in front of a huge dinosaur, with Clementine putting both paws in front of her head and making an angry face at Judy, showing her teeth, all while Judy laughed. Being part of a family like this never really came to Abby. She only ever had her dad. They did stuff together, yeah, but they rarely took pictures when they were alone. When Owen came into their lives, it all changed. They had actually managed to get plenty of pictures where both Abby and her dad were actually visible together. She owed Owen for many things, but that one was very high up on the list.

The walk was brief, since everyone was already in the kitchen, the meal about to be served by Judy before Abby arrived. It was a pretty big table, with another secondary table set up for Judy's brothers and sisters, who were too many to fit at the main table. There was Nick, of course, with his usual joking manner and sassy face, conversing with Stu Hopps, Judy's father. Judy's mother, Bonnie, was actually talking to Skye, Clementine's girlfriend. They had met only a few weeks ago, when Clementine went up to Abby's house to introduce her. She remembered Clementine being very nervous. It was pretty funny. She wondered if at any point she would tell her that she knew she was gay from the moment they met. It wasn't really a secret to anyone with a brain.

To Skye's side was someone she didn't know yet, but had a very good resemblance to Skye, so it was probably her sister. She had a very well-kept physique, not really as muscular as Abby, but it was athletic and maintained. She was also pretty tall. She had a feeling she would like that vixen. She made a point to introduce herself personally as soon as she could.

A fennec sat at a high chair on the main table. While it was definitely degrading for him, he still sat there, having fun with everyone in the group. That was Finnick, a friend of Nick's that had been welcomed back into Nick's life after a few years of resentment. She didn't know the full story, but it probably had to do with Nick's previous wife, who Abby knew had died in a pretty traumatic way. Gideon was to his side, also engaging in funny banter.

Finally, Clementine sat to the right of Nick, already serving herself a leg of chicken with some white rice on the side.

"Look who's here, everyone!" screamed Judy, and everyone looked her way.

"Abby!" Everyone screamed back. Clementine, with a chicken leg still being chewed up, got up and ran to hug her.

"No, wait, Clem, don't-" it was too late to refuse the hug. The vixen had already embiggened herself enough to surround Abby's entire torso with her arms, something she didn't even know anyone could do. She didn't complain about it, and just waited it out until she finally stopped hugging her.

"You're late!" She told Abby.

"I didn't have a ride, didn't Judy tell you?"

"Oh…no, she didn't," Clementine said, looking at her mom for some kind of explanation.

"Guess I forgot to tell you, sorry," Judy said, with an apologetic expression. "But she's here now, and that's all that matters."

"You're right," said Clem. "Come on, Abby, let's eat, and then I can show you some of the Christmas carvings Nick did. They're awesome!"

"Now, now, Clem, don't go telling everyone I can carve," said Nick, feeling pressured by the sudden attention Abby put on him.

"Nonsense, it's a great skill to have, and you do some really cool decorations."

"Hehehe, you do that girly stuff, Nick? Ahahahahahah," mocked Finnick.

"Har har, big guy, let's see you do something artistic or useful."

"I can make trip bombs, does that count?"

"NO!" Everyone at the table told him, and then they laughed.

Abby sat at the table, and Judy kindly served her a decent amount of food. She wasn't going to ask for more out of politeness, but dang, the chicken was incredible. Paired with the rice, it made a magistral meal fit for kings.

"So," she addressed the big arctic vixen beside her, "Are you Skye's sister?" Abby asked.

"Yup. Name's Himmel," she said, only looking briefly at Abby. "Skye told me a lot about you. She forgot to mention you worked out."

"I didn't think that was important," Skye said, defending herself.

"Next time, do tell me if a friend of yours is athletic! You know how much I love to spar."

"I'm not gonna let you spar with my girlfriend's friend, even if she doesn't mind."

"I don't mind," Abby said.

"Me neither," said Clementine. "That actually sounds kinda fun!" Skye facepalmed.

"I'll catch you some other time, then?"

"For sure," Himmel replied, going back to her delicious meal.

Abby did the same, making sure to enjoy every single part of the dinner that Judy probably painstakingly made for the entire family, including her. While she was closed off, it felt nice to belong and be accepted in another group; another pack.

After finishing her food in nearly minutes, she waited until everyone was done and engaged in banter with everyone at the table, except for Judy, who seemed awfully quiet and, dare she say distant? She didn't know what was going on, but she tried not to make Judy notice she was staring, so she focused on something else. Despite looking away, she still felt the eyes of the doe focused on her. She also noticed Judy hadn't taken a single bite. It was giving her the creeps.

After everyone was finished at the table, Abby was the first one to offer to wash the dishes, while Nick insisted he should do it. In the end, both decided to do it together, giving Abby the perfect moment to speak to him.

"Hey, Nick, can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing," he said, scrubbing one of the plates and rinsing it on the sink.

"Is Judy…mad at me for something?"

Nick immediately stopped scrubbing. His paws softly let go of the plate. "Excuse me?"

"She was looking at me weird when we were at the dinner table. Did I do something to offend her?"

"You? Offend Judy? Nahh. She probably felt uncomfortable, what with little Ellie and everything."

"Oh, that's the name you're gonna give your child? It's cute," Abby said.

"It is, isn't it? Clementine actually picked it for us. As soon as she said that name, we instantly knew that was going to be the perfect name for her. She is the light of our lives," Nick looked far, nowhere in particular, just seemingly admiring the memories coming his way. "Listen…if it's not discomfort she's feeling, maybe she's just a bit put off by your name."

"My…name?" Abby asked, puzzled.

"Yeah. Remember when I told you about my…previous wife and daughter?"

"I do. They passed away in a car accident, right?"

"...right. Anyways, my daughter's name was Abby, and when I told Judy that, she felt weird about you, like you somehow would make me upset just because you had my dead daughter's name, heh," he gave a soft chuckle, but his frown was apparent.

"Well…do you?" Abby asked softly.

"Of course not. You are you and my daughter was my daughter. It makes no sense to feel anything. Don't think about it too much, alright? I'm sure she'll stop feeling weird soon."

She was about to say something else when the freezing chill of a paw rested on her shoulder. "Who will stop feeling weird?" asked Judy behind Abby, smiling like there was nothing wrong.

"I was talking to Abby about how Clementine feels weird about showing affection to Skye while we're here. She doesn't have to hide who she is." Nick lied quite efficiently. It puzzled Abby why she couldn't just tell the truth and ask Judy about it right there, but Nick's intentions were clear that she should not tell her about what they had talked about.. It must've been a private matter that he wasn't allowed to discuss with anyone else.

"I don't know why she's so embarrassed," Judy replied, believing the lie. "I always catch her stealing kisses with Skye everytime they're around. They never realize I can see them."

It was her cue to distance herself from Nick, making sure she had watched her batch of dishes and hurried along somewhere else to see who she could talk to next or what she could do to pass the time before Owen and her father picked her up, which would be sometime around midnight. Passing beyond the dining room where they had all congregated for their dinner, Abby stole a glance at a staircase going down to a white door. Interestingly enough, she heard sounds inside it.

"End it. Now" She heard a voice say. What?, Abby thought. For a moment, she could have sworn it was the voice of Owen.

"Nick…get up," Now it was Clementine, crying. "Nick, fucking get up!"

Her legs moved on her own, her heart beating erratically. She started descending the stairs to the door, and she kept hearing cries, and screams, and more cries. It didn't take long for her to hear her own voice, accompanied by the sound of a blunt object hitting against skin.

"Nooooo!" The horrified sound chilled Abby to the bone, and tears escaped her before she could even hope to contain them. Someone was suffering there, someone needed to be rescued. She tried opening the door, but it was locked. She kept on turning it and tugging it and pushing it but it didn't give. She was starting to panic. She was starting to feel the pain of the people inside that room.

She was starting to feel my pain.

"Abby!" Judy told her, touching her shoulder again. "What are you doing?"

"I-I heard screams, and I-I wanted to help," she was trembling beyond belief and all she could do was back away from the cursed door. The screams had subsided, now only a memory inside Abby, but one that felt too real to just be imagination.

"You couldn't have heard anything," Judy told her. "No one ever comes in here, it's off limits. Come here."

Despite Judy's height, she did her best to put her arms around Abby's waist in a hug-like manner. "It's okay, you're okay now. You're safe here with us. With me, okay? Don't you ever feel like a stranger."

"That's not what I-"

"It's okay, Abby, it's okay. You probably didn't know how much your actions would affect everyone. It must've been painful to you too, right?"

"What?" Abby asked. What was she talking about?

"Go and have some fun with Clementine outside, I hear she's playing some music for Skye. You might enjoy it!" With that, Judy stopped hugging the vixen and climbed the stairs back up to go somewhere. She thought she might hear something else beyond the door now that Judy was gone, but no. It was now exactly as she had first seen it. no sound to speak of. However, she couldn't help but be unnerved by it, and she slowly backed away from it before it was finally out of view. Mental note: Stay away from Judy's haunted basement, she thought.

She spent some time with Bonnie and Stu on the porch. Being seasoned parents, they gave praise to Abby's dad for being so brave to raise her alone and to make her such a fine, young woman. She blushed at the compliments, also throwing some of her own at them, saying how cool it was that they were still raising children and being able to be part of every single one of their lives. She knew it was probably no easy work.

Next on the hangout list was Finnick, a short fuse that actually got along very well with Abby, due to them both enjoying movie talk, especially the classics like Goodmammals and Taxi Driver. They stayed talking about the nuance of The King of Comedy for about thirty minutes before moving on to the very controversial cannibal movie where an actual cannibalism was filmed on camera. Or the terrifying behind the scenes footage of the three people being decapitated by helicopter helices on the set of Moonlight Zone. She'd had enough morbidity after about an hour, so she moved on.

At that point, she actually listened to Judy and sat by the makeshift campfire that Clementine had prepared for both Skye and Himmel, sitting around and enjoying Clem's singing and guitar playing. Having picked up the instrument only a year ago, she was already pretty good at it. Skye was busy being in love with Clementine, watching her play like it was the most beautiful concert she'd ever seen. It might as well be, to be fair. It reminded her of how much she enjoyed every little thing Owen did, and how her heart would skip a beat every single time, no matter how small the gesture. Himmel was bored, so Abby offered to arm wrestle with her. She accepted, and Abby won only once out of the five times they sparred. Abby swore to get stronger and get revenge on the arctic vixen. Himmel smiled, intent on taking her word for it and making sure to remind her every time they met.

After a brief conversation with Nick about the many uses of hydroelectric plants, it was now midnight, and she hoped to be picked up by Owen as the family began to get ready for opening presents. They weren't really the type to wait until morning.

She didn't need to text Owen, because he had a new text prepared for her.

Owen: Bad news, babe. My car broke down and we're stranded. We already called for a tow truck but it's gonna take an hour. I suggest you stay there for the night and we'll come pick you up in the morning.

Abby: What!? Do you need help? I can do something about this, maybe Nick can drive up to where you are.

Owen: Abby, we've got it. No one's Christmas is ruined, alright? We'll get the tow truck, fix the car, and pick you up tomorrow, and then we can celebrate the whole day together. Sound good?

She sighed, once again having to wait longer until she could see Owen and her dad again, but it seemed like they knew what they were doing, and she really wasn't gonna have a fight on Christmas.

Abby: ok

She sighed again and slumped on the couch, closing her eyes for a second. When they next opened, Judy was there. "Shit!" she backed down into the couch, startled. "Sorry, Judy, you just scared me."

"Owen told me what happened," she said.

"He did, huh?" Abby asked, not even surprised anymore.

"I unfortunately don't have an additional bed for you, but you're welcome to sleep on the couch for the night."

"That will do, Judy, don't even sweat it. I just wish I could help Owen."

"I think the best thing you can do is make sure you're safe, for his sake. He really cares about you."

"It's annoying how much he cares, but it's my cross to bear."

"I'd say you're pretty lucky to have him," Judy said. "I'll bring you a pillow and something to warm you after we open the gifts. You're welcome to sit around with us if you don't feel like sleeping."

Abby nodded, appreciating all that Judy did for her.

The gift-giving was not as impressive or grandiose, to her surprise. It was modest and humble, with everyone having very meaningful gifts that didn't need to be too expensive to really matter. Nick carved another statue for Clem, this time of Robin Hood, the hero that stole from the rich and gave to the poor. After reading the story, it seemed to be important to the vixen. Clementine gave Skye a pendant, decorated with snowdrops, a specific type of plant important to both of them, particularly because it reminded Clementine of her girlfriend. Skye gave Himmel a weight lifting book and an egg-themed keychain. Apparently, she was feeling sad due to her boyfriend, Greg, having to work thirty days on a building project away from the town. That way, her Egg would always be beside her, no matter what. Nick would give Judy a present in private, and Judy would do so as well. They were lovey dovey like that so it was usual for them to pull that stuff. Personal stuff definitely needed to be away from prying eyes. Bonnie and Stu gave Judy even more baby clothes for the upcoming Ellie, and Judy gave them more baby clothes for the upcoming kits growing in Bonnie's belly. All the other gifts were mostly practical and/or forgettable (looking at you, Finnick), but curiously, a gift had yet to be opened. It was deeply under the tree, as if someone had most carefully placed it there so that it would be the last on the pile to acquire.

Everyone seemed happy with their gifts, not even noticing there was a present ripe for the picking. With her keen eyes, she noticed it had a message.

'For Abby'

For her? No one had told her about this. Why was there a gift for her under the tree? She didn't have a single gift to give! Why would anyone take the time to give her a surprise present? The two suspects she was currently thinking of were Clementine and Judy. Both of them knew she was coming, but it seemed like something Judy would come up with the most. After all, Clementine was probably busy buying her girlfriend a gift. Well, since it was for her, she might as well take it. It would be rude to reject it.

The box was a few inches long, and very thin. It was carrying something not exactly heavy, but light enough for a small child to be able to carry it. She began to unwrap it, actually excited to see what would be inside it. On the underside of the box, she felt some liquid brush on her fur and underneath one of her claws. When she went to take a look…

"Ahh!" she screamed, letting the box fall down into the hardwood floor. It was blood. It wasn't some kinda prank where someone puts red paint in there as a joke, no. The metallic smell was present, and it didn't feel like paint at all. No one had heard her scream. They were still smiling, happily looking at each other like they were entranced. She tried to scream at them, to let them know something fucked up was in that box. But they didn't listen. She got reminded of the sounds she heard in the basement. Clementine was begging someone to stop, screaming at them to not do what they were about to do. If her screams were of any indication, they didn't listen to her. With trembling paws and shivering lips, she took the box back, and grabbed the object inside. She took it, and everything went black.

"Please don't!" When everything turned to light again, she heard someone behind her. No, not just someone, it was Clementine!

"What?" she asked, confused. She was still holding the bloodied golf club, but she was somewhere else entirely. She hadn't even felt like she moved. Why was she there now? It's supposed to be night, why is there light coming through the windows? "Clementine, what's going on?"

"Please don't do this!" Clementine was screaming at her to please stop. Stop what? What was there to stop? Who had she hit? Why were all of his friends there? Why were they pinning Judy and Clementine to the floor?

"Carrots…"

She heard someone below her feet, and then she saw it, gasping and hoping that whatever she was seeing wasn't true. It was Nick, with his head completely caved in. He was still alive, but there was so much blood around him that it didn't seem like he had any possibility of staying like that for at least the next few minutes. It was her. She had done this. Why…why did she do this? This was too real to be a dream. This had actually happened. But why couldn't she remember? She tried all she could but none of this rang any bells.

"You're wrong about one thing," I said, still pinned to the ground. "This is a dream. Just not yours. It never was."

"Judy?" She turns her head back to me. "W-what do you mean?"

"It means, Abby, that this is my dream. You did this to me, and now you're forced to relive it."

"I-I did this? Why would I do such a thing?" Abby asked me, as if I had any answers for her. Frankly, I had no way of truly knowing if she actually felt bad about killing Nick, but it sure felt satisfying to do it.

"It doesn't matter. Just do it."

Out of the blue, Abby's body began to move. "W-what is this? I'm not moving!"

"Oh, no, you clearly are. What are you gonna do to Nick?!"

"No! No! I don't wanna do this!" Abby screamed, crying.

"Please stop! Nick, get up!" Clementine kept screaming, not really hearing me talking to Abby, nor hearing Abby's pleas.

She got ready to swing the club. "Judy, stop this! I don't want to do this!"

"I wish I could, Abby!" I tell her, angrily. "But Jordan over here smashed my face. I was nearly unconscious when you did this. Now stop dilly dallying and take his life."

She had no choice, obviously. No matter how much she begged, this was her fault. This was something she did, and something she and Judy would have to bear for the rest of their lives. She didn't get to be happy.

"Nooo!" she screamed once again, crying her heart out as quickly as she took mine, regaining control of herself when club struck head with killing excellence. She dropped to her knees and started sobbing. Everything went dark again, and I was free from the oppressing arms that held me. All that remained was a sobbing vixen, and a heartbroken bunny. Staring at her now, she didn't look too different from me. I don't think I had ever cried as much before, not even when my brothers and sisters died. To lose them felt useless. To lose Nick felt hopeless. I had the means to not let that happen. I mistrusted them from the start, Abby the most. When that shotgun hit his leg, time stopped for me. All I could do was slash her and punch her a little.

But in here?

In here, I can do whatever. I. Want.

I slowly walk towards Abby. "Hey. It's okay, honey. Its all passed now. You're safe here now. Nothing will get you here." I hug her, and she hugs me back. "You're not a stranger anymore. To me, you're family."

I plunge the knife into her back, and she gasps. Then I do it again, and again, and again. She gasps every time, yet she doesn't defend herself. She still hangs onto me like it's the only thing keeping her alive.

"Judy…" she began saying, weakly. "You know he deserved it. Stop lying to yourself."

"What?" Judy replied. Abby shouldn't have autonomy to say that, this wasn't her dream, it was mine!

"Deeeep deep down in that fucking head of yours, you know he deserved everything that he got. All the pain he caused you, all the worries he made you feel. The man you married was a monster, and we did us both a favor."

"No, stop it!" I tell her. "Don't say anything else!"

"I helped you, Jude. I helped you take revenge on him. The world's better off with him gone, and honestly, it's kinda better off without you too."

"Shut up! Shut up, you insolent bitch!"

"Stop dancing around the issue and accept it, goddamnit!"

"Die!" I scream at her, stabbing her as many times as I could. She was just an illusion. Just an illusion! "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Dieeeeeee!"

"die…die…die…"

For about ten minutes, that was all Judy had been repeating. Skye was busy examining the radios for any unusual activity when she heard ruckus in the room where Judy was at. With her gun at the ready, she prepared to protect the doe from any attacker. However, no one was there. Judy had somehow managed to fall out of the sofa she was laying in, her wound opening once again. She was crying, but she was still not awake. Now, die was her favorite word.

Skye fucked up and she knew it. She didn't need to slash Clementine's face like that. But her anger flared up again when she saw the sorry state of Judy, whom Skye now truly considered a mother. For a moment, she had believed that was it. That Judy, like Nick, would die. It would devastate Clementine for sure, but she should've taken better care of her, not allow her to go out when she was pregnant, keep her away from dangerous areas. She feels sorry for even thinking about it, but Clem should've taken the bullet instead. She'd give her life to have her mom and sister back. She'd give it all up just to feel their touch again. And for Clementine to take that for granted, it boiled her blood. She wanted to be away from her for at least the rest of the day. Maybe later, she would consider forgiving her.

"Die…die…die," Judy kept repeating. Skye wanted all of her pain to go away. All she could do now was be there for her. She caressed her face and her dropped ears.

"One day, Judy. One day this will just be a dream. The next time you wake up, we'll be on the farm. The one we've been talking about, remember? We'll raise some birds there, some carrots, some blueberries. We'll run around the grass with your babies and trot along the fields with Clem. Everyday will feel like a dream turned reality," her eyes began to water, and her tears fell down on Judy's face. "I love you. Come back to us whenever you can. Clementine needs you. Your mom and dad need you. I need you."

Skye gives Judy a kiss on the forehead, and sits down beside her. If she does wake up, she would like it to be when someone is around to comfort her. So Skye will sit there, and wait on Judy.

For as long as it takes.