There was a tense silence in the room as Bonnie, Stu, and the kits stared at the two foxes in front of them. After a moment, Abby lifted her arms in front of her, offering a hug. Vivian slowly made her way towards her.

"That's your aunt?" Judy quietly asked the foxes, looking stunned.

Nick nodded. "That's her, all right."

"What's she doing here?" Skye asked. "We haven't seen her in years."

Jack shrugged. "Do you think your mom's happy to see-"

His words died in his mouth when Vivian suddenly slapped her sister across the face, the sound echoing throughout the room and sending the younger sibling to the floor.

"…Never mind," the buck said, his voice small.

A beat later, Abby groaned and slowly stood back up. "I guess I deserved that…" she said quietly, rubbing her now stinging cheek.

"You deserve a lot more than that, you rotten bitch," Vivian seethed out, coughing a little at the end. She then faced Bonnie and Stu, the latter of whom withered under her gaze. "What the hell is she doing here?!"

Before either bunny could answer, Abby spoke first. "They didn't invite me out here; they didn't even know I was coming."

"Then how did you find this place?"

Abby snorted, though there was no humor to it. "You know Mother; she has her ways." She then took a small breath. "Look, I just want to talk."

"And what if I don't?" Vivian said, crossing her arms, still angry.

"Then just listen," her sister answered. "We know about the diagnosis." Vivian opened her mouth to speak, but Abby quickly added, "Kii told her mother, and she accidentally let it slip. Mother said she wanted to help."

Vivian scoffed. "Does she, now?"

"Look, you can say no-"

"No."

"You don't even want to hear it?" Abby asked, chagrined.

"…Fine, I'll hear it; what?" Vivian asked.

Abby quickly looked around the room at Bonnie, Stu, and the kits. "Uh, this is more of a private-"

"No, whatever you need to say, you can say it with them here," Vivian interrupted, gesturing towards the others. "So, what is it?"

The other fox looked hesitant before she sighed. "When Mother heard about your diagnosis, she didn't take it well. After what happened to Father, she was a wreck." She then shot a reproachful look at her sister. "Not that you would know, you didn't stay when he died."

"As if I had any reason to stay," Vivian shot back. "Your point?"

"Mother doesn't want to lose any more of the family," Abby said. "After Father's death and with Danny nowhere to be found, she wants to help you and make sure you're OK."

'Danny? Who's Danny?' Bonnie thought, glancing over at Stu, who looked just as confused.

"I'm touched," Vivian said mockingly. "Is that why she's not out here to tell me herself and sent you instead?"

"You know that she just can't come out here."

"Yeah, it's because she's a coward."

"Oh, SHE'S the coward?" Abby asked sarcastically. "Last I checked, she wasn't the one who ran when things weren't going her way and cut ties with her family for years."

"That's not what happened, and you know it!" Vivian accused, pointing a finger at her sister angrily. "Don't try to spin this around and make ME the bad guy here! I may have messed up, but don't act like you were all innocent; this all started because of you. Because of them."

The contemptuous look soon fell from her sister's face. "…You're right, that's not what happened, I'm sorry," Abby said softly. "That was a low blow." She sighed. "Look, I'm not saying you have to forgive her or anything. She's just offering some assistance, whether it be money or anything else. She even offered to look after the kits-"

She was cut off when a low growl rumbled from Vivian, startling everyone in the room. Before Abby could say anything else, the older vixen grabbed her by the suit and pulled her in close, practically snarling and baring her teeth. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Vivvie-"

"I am not letting her anywhere near my children, especially not after what she said about her!" Vivian declared, pointing over to Skye. Bonnie quickly looked over at the white fox for an explanation, but Skye looked just as confused. "And don't think I forgot about what you said, either."

"Um, Vivian-" Bonnie tried to interject to no avail.

"You think that you can crawl back into my life after what happened? That saying 'I'm sorry' will fix everything?!" Vivian seethed out, her face inches away from Abby's, whose ears were pressed back flat against her head.

"Vivian, I'm just telling you what Mother-"

"Well, you can tell that skank-"

"Mom!"

Vivian's head furiously whipped over towards her daughter, only for her anger to fade slightly at the sight of her and Nick's frightened expressions. She then noticed that Jack and Judy were both there as well, their noses twitching a mile a minute, looking like they were ready to run from a dangerous predator. Realizing that she was scaring the kits, Vivian took a deep breath to calm herself down and let go of her sister, shoving her a little and making her stumble.

It grew extremely quiet until Bonnie softly cleared her throat. "Abigail, I think it might be best if you leave."

Abby nodded, still a little shaken. "Y-Yeah, that might be best." Collecting herself, she turned to leave the room. Before she left, however, she looked over her shoulder at her sister. "Listen, um, I'm staying at the motel in town square in case-"

"'In case' what?" Vivian spat out. "In case I change my mind?"

Abby shook her head. "In case you want to catch up. It's been…way too long."

"Not long enough. Now get out of here!"

The younger vixen's tail drooped behind her as she sighed and slowly made her way to the door. They heard it open and close, and it grew quiet in the room. Bonnie turned and cast a look at Vivian, one that both Jack and Judy immediately recognized.

'Oh, boy…'

"The nerve of her," Vivian grumbled, running her paws down her face. At that, Bonnie strode over to the fox, a determined look on her face. "If I ever see her again, I- YOUCH!"

"Stu, with me!" Bonnie declared, practically dragging Vivian by her ear towards the kitchen. Her husband quickly caught up to her as the kits heard from the kitchen, "Everyone, out!"

Moments later, Judy's siblings quickly left the kitchen, swiftly passing by her and then others. Soon, it was just the four of them alone in the living room. Nick took a breath and broke the silence:

"Woah."

"And that about sums it up," Jack said, nodding his head.

"That was scary," Skye said quietly, her eyes wide. "I don't think I've ever seen Mom that angry."

"You know what's even scarier?" Jack, Nick, and Skye all turned to Judy, noticing the concerned look on her face. "I don't think I've ever seen MY mom that angry, either."

Nick quickly looked at the kitchen door, faintly hearing raised voices coming from there, mainly Bonnie's. "Is…our mom going to be OK?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she'll be fine," Judy reassured, though she sounded unsure herself. "Might be a little deaf in one ear, but…fine."

"Should we listen in on them?"

Almost immediately, they heard Bonnie loudly say from the kitchen, "Not if you know what's best for you, Nicholas! I can hear you all out there!"

They all jumped, and it fell silent among the four of them. Eventually, Nick clasped his paws together and asked, "So, you guys want to head into town?"

"Yeah."

"Definitely."

"Let's get outta here."

They quickly vacated the premises and left the adults to…talk…in the kitchen.


"So, Simon, I heard you asked Kaylee out to homecoming."

"Yeah. I was a little nervous, though; I never really talked to a girl before."

"I was there, dude. I'm pretty sure you still haven't really talked to a girl."

"Hey-"

The sound of the kitchen door bursting open broke through everyone's conversations. They all turned to see an angry Bonnie dragging Vivian by her ear into the kitchen, Stu following behind closely.

"Everyone, out!" Bonnie ordered, snapping her fingers and pointing her thumb over her shoulder.

"Mom, what's-"

"Child, did I stutter?"

Almost immediately, all the kits exited the room, leaving only Bonnie, Stu, and Vivian. The vixen managed to wrangle her way out of the bunny's grip, turning to glare at her. Before she could speak, though, Bonnie demanded, "What was that, Vivian?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say?" the vixen asked sarcastically, cupping the ear that Bonnie had grabbed. "I didn't hear anything through the constant ringing in my ear-"

"Don't get smart with me right now, Vivian, you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"OK, OK," Stu interjected, placing his paws between the two of them. "Let's all calm down for a second; we don't need to start another argument here."

Vivian huffed out a breath and her paws down over her ears. "Just when I thought they were gone for good, when I thought they were finally out of my life and I'd never have to see them again…" she trailed off before slapping her paw on the table in frustration, making the plates and silverware rattle from the impact.

"So…that was your sister?" Bonnie asked.

"Yep," Vivian answered, taking a seat. "Pleasant mammal, huh?"

"Actually, she was," Bonnie retorted, ignoring the sarcasm in the vixen's tone. "Which is why I'm having trouble understanding what happened between you two."

"It's complicated-"

"No, that's not good enough anymore," the bunny interrupted. "For someone who's been our friend for over two years, I feel like we still don't know you! What-" Bonnie suddenly stopped as her ears swiveled towards the door. She then called out, "Not if you know what's best for you, Nicholas! I can hear you all out there!" A beat later, she could faintly hear footsteps quickly hurry away. Bonnie sighed, facing the fox again. "Where was I?"

"You were telling me that my business shouldn't be my business anymore," Vivian replied sarcastically. "Look, I'm sorry that you guys had to see that, OK? But this is my problem, not yours, so-"

"'Not my problem'?" Bonnie asked, incredulously. "Vivian, I wasn't going to pry into any of this, because you're right, it wasn't my business. But when a stranger comes knocking on my door, somehow knowing that you're here, claims to be your sister, and you proceed to have an argument that not only scares your children but MY children as well, then it becomes my problem!"

"Bon, breathe," Stu said as he went over to his wife, placing a paw on her shoulder. He then looked at Vivian. "You're our friend, Vivian; nothing's going to change that. But what happened out there," he pointed at the door leading to the living room, "was unacceptable. Pretty sure everyone in the house heard you."

"Is that what this is about? That I got loud?" Vivian asked, incredulously.

"No, it's the fact that you slapped someone and nearly sank your claws into them in our living room," Stu corrected. "That's not like you, Viv."

Bonnie nodded her head in agreement. "We may not have known each other for that long, in the grand scheme of things, but at this point, you, Nick, and Skye are family to us, Vivian. And family helps family."

Vivian flinched. "Don't-" The vixen cut herself off. "I know what you meant, but don't…don't say it like that."

Both Bonnie and Stu glanced at each other, concerned at how quickly Vivian's attitude changed. Bonnie grabbed a chair and took a seat in front of the vixen. "Have we ever given you a reason to not trust us?"

"…No," Vivian quietly answered.

"So, trust us here." Bonnie fell silent before finally asking, "Vivian, what is going on?"

The vixen looked down at her paws, silent for what felt like an eternity. "OK," she eventually said. "You guys deserve to know, no more secrets. I just don't know where to start, there's just…too much to explain."

"Just the important parts, then," Bonnie said.

It fell silent as Vivian sat in thought. Eventually, she said, "OK, so you know that I'm originally from Foxden."

"Right," Bonnie confirmed, with Stu nodding his head.

"Well, what you might not know is that the name 'Wilde' holds a lot of weight where I'm from," Vivian revealed. "They were one of the first families to settle there, and while they weren't the wealthiest or the most powerful, they had enough of each to have some influence. After they opened the first bank in the area, their influence grew more and more.

"The bank was passed down through the family, from my great-grandfather, to my grandfather, to my father, to…" Vivian paused briefly. "To my older brother, Daniel." She huffed. "Or, at least, that was what was supposed to happen."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"We don't know how or when it happened, but Danny fell in with a bad crowd, and started making some really bad choices. Eventually, it was decided that he was not fit to take over the business, so," the vixen gestured to herself, "it was to go to me." She shook her head. "My parents were…adamant about it."

"'Adamant'?" Stu asked, confused.

Vivian nodded. "My parents were…not the best. Now, they never beat us or anything like that, but they might've been the most selfish and self-centered mammals I've ever seen, and they controlled everything we did. You wore the clothes they told you to wear, you were friends with whom they told you to be friends with, your hobbies had to be approved by them; they controlled EVERYTHING, and you could not say 'No' to them." The vixen scoffed. "Afterall, the family couldn't look bad, right? Oh, and they were great at making what they wanted feel like it was something that you wanted. I've mentioned Matt before, right?" Bonnie nodded her head while Stu looked confused.

"Who?"

"My first boyfriend," Vivian explained. "I tried with him. I really, REALLY tried to love him, and he was a nice guy, but my parents liked him more than I did. I was only with him for as long as I was because he was a safe choice, and I knew that they would approve."

"Geez," Bonnie said, not sure what to say.

"They had that much of a grip over you?" Stu asked, almost in disbelief.

Vivian nodded her head. "Yep. And do you know what the worst part was?"

"What?"

"For the longest time, I never saw anything wrong with it." Bonnie and Stu looked shocked at that. "I mean, when you grow up with it and it's all you know, you don't tend to question it."

"So, what happened?" Stu asked. "What made you question it?"

To their surprise, Vivian gave a small smile. "I met Jon." She then laughed a little. "It's funny, I used to think Kii was the most obnoxious mammal I ever met, and I say that as her friend, but Jon was on a whole other level. He really drove me crazy; I had no idea why the workers at the foster home put up with him or gave him so much freedom."

Her smile fell slightly. "But the more I helped out there, the more I realized that despite all that sarcasm and mischief, Jon was a good kit, and they knew that. They would have him run errands for them, watch the other kits when they couldn't, but what surprised me the most was that they would let him make his own decisions on things. He was always given a choice, and they always treated him like he was his own mammal." Vivian gripped her forearm, an action Bonnie immediately noticed. "I had never experienced that. Eventually, it made me realize that everything I was doing up to that point wasn't because I wanted to, but because I was told I wanted to. I was never given a choice in the matter. Not. Once. I felt like I was living a lie." Her grip tightened, her claws threatening to come out. "I didn't know who I was."

"Vivian," the vixen looked up at Bonnie, "watch your claws."

She looked at her paws and realized what she was doing. Instead of letting go of her arm, Vivian sighed and said, "No secrets, right?"

"What're you-"

Vivian rolled up her sleeve, and the bunny couldn't hold back her gasp, Stu's ears falling behind him. Running across the vixen's forearm and wrist were scars, once hidden by her fur, but due to her treatment, were now out on display for all to see. It was quiet for several moments until Vivian softly looked at Bonnie, who was trying not to cry. "That night I stayed late to help? I wasn't planning on going home."

It fell silent in the room as the bunnies tried to process everything Vivian told them. Bonnie broke the silence, sounding heartbroken. "Viv, I…"

Vivian took a breath, trying to stay composed herself. "I was going to do it after story time. I don't know how he knew, but Karma bless him, Jon found me and stopped me before…" she trailed off before adding, "He didn't let me out of his sight for the rest of the evening, even walked me home. Before he left, he said," she choked back tears, "he said that despite how I might feel about him, he would always be there for me if I needed him."

"Did anyone else know?" Stu asked.

The vixen shook her head. "My parents never knew about it; as far as they knew, I was just being a 'moody teenager.' I never told Kii, either; Jon was the only one." She smiled a little. "He always seemed to know when I wasn't at my best, and he would stop everything to make sure I was OK. He became my rock. It was after he told me he was changing his name that I realized that I loved him, so I broke things off with Matt and finally asked him out. We claimed each other shortly after."

"How'd your parents take it?" Bonnie asked.

Vivian snorted. "About as well as you'd expect. They said I was throwing my life away by being with Jon, and that I needed to end things with him. But by that point, I was finally done with letting them control my life. Being with him was my decision, and mine alone to make." She picked at her claws. "Like I mentioned earlier, you did not say 'No' to them, so they tried everything they could to break us apart: telling lies about him to me, telling lies about me to the foster home workers, anything and everything. They were more concerned about their reputation and their image than their child's happiness. That was the point of no return for me.

"To make a long story short, the second we were both eighteen, and with a little help from some friends, we got on a plane and left for the city. When we arrived, things were a little rough at first, but eventually we each found a job and rented an apartment together. After about five years, we ran into Kii by chance and got married at the courthouse. Then the kits were born, and everything was perfect. I found my mate, I had our children, I was happy." She then shook her head. "I should've known that they wouldn't have stayed away forever."

No one said anything for a minute until Bonnie said, "You mentioned something about them and Skye. What was it? What happened?"

Vivian sighed. "Five years ago, I got a call from Kii. She told me that according to her mother, my father was very sick, and that he wanted to see me one more time. I wasn't going to go, but Jon somehow convinced me. So, the kits, Jon, and I took a trip out there." She let out a breath. "It was the first time we saw each other in almost twenty years; the kits met their family for the first time on that trip. Everyone was there, even Danny. It was…nice, at first.

"Eventually, my father asked to speak with each of us individually. When it was just the two of us, all he did was apologize for pushing me away, and…" Vivian trailed before adding, "and that he knew that Skye wasn't his blood, but that he still accepted her as his grandchild." Noticing Bonnie and Stu's questioning look, she said, "Blood relations are everything for old fox families. If you're not directly related, you're nothing to them."

"But your family accepted her?" Bonnie asked.

"…Just my father." The bunnies' ears fell. "My mother loved Nick; oh, she adored him, kept going on and on about how he was the perfect grandson." She scoffed. "Barely spared a glance at Skye. In fact, I believe the words she used to describe her were 'embarrassment,' 'charity case,' 'dirty blood'." Vivian couldn't hold back her snarl. "'Dirty blood,' she said that about my daughter, about my little girl! She knew about what happened to Sara and all the pain we went through!" She took a breath to calm down. "We were supposed to stay for three days; we left that night. Jon didn't even try to stop me. That was the last time I saw them."

"And now, they're back," Stu said quietly.

The vixen nodded. "And now, they're back. They're like roaches," she growled out. "They just. Don't. Go. Away. And if I never see them or hear from them again, I can die happy."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't die at all," Bonnie said.

Vivian snorted at that before she sighed. "And the fact that Abby thought that I would actually agree to what my mother has to offer is the worst part. The fact that she's STILL doing what she says. Even after all this time, she still hasn't stood up to her."

Bonnie noticed the sad tone in her voice and asked, "How old is Abby?"

Vivian stopped and gave it some thought. "Well, she's seven years younger than I am, so I'd reckon she's about thirty-three now."

"Were you two close?"

The vixen nodded her head. "She was always clinging to my side when we were growing up. It was annoying at times, but we used to have a lot of fun together."

Bonnie looked at Stu before facing Vivian again. "Listen, I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if I were you, I'd go talk to her before she leaves."

"Bon-"

"Life's too short to hold a grudge, Vivian. Especially with ones we were close to." Vivian had no response to that. "Like I said, it's your choice, and Stu and I will respect whichever one you make." She looked at her husband. "Right, Stu?"

"Absolutely," he said, nodding his head.

"…Can I think about it?" Vivian asked.

"Of course," Bonnie immediately answered, holding up her paws. "Take all the time you need. We'll just be in the living room."

With that, both Bonnie and Stu stood and made their way to the door, leaving Vivian sitting by herself. She sighed as she ran her paws through her ears and down the back of her neck. On one paw, she definitely wanted to talk to her little sister again, this time in a more civilized manner, but on the other paw, this was the same sister who sided with their mother all those years ago.

'What should I do, Jon?'

After taking a few minutes to think it over, Vivian came to her decision.


MEANWHILE…


"OK, 240?"

"Um, that one's assault," Judy answered.

"Yep," Nick answered, looking through her book for another code. The two of them were sitting at a bench table in town square, waiting for Jack, Skye, and Josie to return from the ice cream shop. Before they left, however, Judy had quickly grabbed her police code book, so now she and Nick were going over them, quizzing the bunny. "How about 586?"

"Illegal parking."

"10-97?"

"Available for assignment."

"Oooh, close, but no," Nick said, smiling a bit.

"What?!" Judy quickly grabbed the book, looking through the different codes before she groaned. "'Arrived at the scene,' right; I was thinking of 10-98."

"Hey, you still got a lot of them," Nick said, taking the book back from her and closing it. "Besides, it's pretty cute to see you when-"

"It is very important for your future that you do not finish that sentence," Judy interrupted, giving him an unamused look.

"OK, fine," Nick relented, setting the book down on the table. After a beat, he smirked and quietly said, "It's pretty adorable when you get indignant." At that, Judy glared at him and gave him a shove, which made him laugh. "Just proving my point, Carrots!"

"You're an asshole, you know that?" she said, though there wasn't any real heat behind her words.

"Hey, did I call you cute?"

"You-"

"Did I call you cute?" Nick repeated, emphasizing each word.

"The implication was there!"

"Y'know, I feel like, as your boyfriend, I should be allowed to compliment my girlfriend on her appearance without any repercussions," the todd said.

Judy's eyes widened and she immediately felt her cheeks heat up. "Technically, you're not my boyfriend yet; we haven't gone on our date."

Nick sighed playfully. "OK, fine: I feel like, as your boy friend – with a space in the middle – I should be allowed to compliment my girl friend – with a space in the middle – on her appearance without any repercussions. That better?"

"Much better, thank you."

Nick smirked before seriously asking, "So, am I ever going to find out why you don't like being called cute?"

"I dunno," Judy answered, giving a shrug. "Am I ever going to find out what caused your obsessions with blueberries?"

"It's the best berry out there! What more is there to explain?"

Judy just shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

"Says the bunny who won't let me call her the 'C' word," Nick shot back, which made her roll her eyes, though she wore a small smile. "You didn't answer my question, though."

Judy sighed as she crossed her arms. "That's a bit of a touchy topic, Slick."

Nick's head tilted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The doe didn't say anything for a beat before she said, "Let's have our date first, then ask me that again." Before the fox could ask what she meant by that, Judy then asked, "How do you think the talk with your mom is going?"

Nick sighed, saying, "I hope it's going well. Even when Mom got angry in the past, it was never…that."

"What do you think happened between her and your aunt and grandma?" Judy asked.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't good." The fox paused before adding, "Mom had mentioned something about Skye, though…"

Before they could dwell on that, the two of them heard a familiar voice call out, "Yo, lovebirds!" Both Nick and Judy looked over and saw Josie, holding two ice cream cones and wearing a smirk. "Got these for ya," she said, holding them out. Nick took one, pushing the discussion to the back of his mind for now.

"Thanks," Judy said, taking the other cone. She took a lick before asking, "Where're Jack and Skye?"

"Still in line," the brown bunny answered. "They took a while to decide on what to get, and the line in there is killer."

"Ouch."

"Speaking of killer," Nick interjected, already almost done with his cone, "these are great!"

"Yeah," Judy agreed. She then smirked and added, "Millie really outdid herself here."

"Who?" Nick asked, mouthful of ice cream.

Judy gave a subtle wink to Josie, who immediately caught on and said, "Oh, she's the cow that provides the milk."

The fox's paw stopped just inches from his mouth. "…What?"

"Wait, did you seriously not know?" Judy asked, feigning surprise.

"Know what?" Nick asked, sounding a little concerned.

Judy made a show of rolling her eyes. "Slick, what's the main ingredient for ice cream?"

"Milk…"

"SO," Josie continued, "where do you think that milk comes from?"

The look of realization on Nick's face nearly made both bunnies laugh, and he glanced at his nearly gone ice cream cone, slowly holding it out away from him. Judy and Josie quickly glanced at each other before they both finally broke down laughing.

"Holy fuck, you should see your face right now!" Josie exclaimed, hunched over and laughing hysterically. Confused, Nick looked over at Judy, who was also laughing.

"It's not cow's milk, Nick," Judy reassured, placing a paw on his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"It's soy milk," the gray doe revealed. "They use soy milk to make these."

Nick's shoulders relaxed and he sighed in relief, placing his paw over his heart before shooting a soft glare at both of them. "You guys suck," he declared, both annoyed and a little proud of how they tricked him like that. 'Sly bunnies.' His comment only made Josie laugh even harder. "OK, you hyena, calm down before you pass out."

With some effort, Josie stood straight up and took a deep breath, still giggling. "OK, OK, I'm good."

Nick just shook his head and looked back at Judy, only to stifle a laugh. "What?" she asked.

"You, uh, got a little, uh," the todd then pointed to a spot on her face.

Judy reached up to where he was pointing and felt some ice cream there. She looked at Josie. "Did you get any napkins?" she asked.

Josie held up her paws, smirking. "Do you see more than two paws?"

The gray doe rolled her eyes and turned to Nick. "I'll be right back."

With that, Judy got up and walked towards the ice cream shop, leaving Nick and Josie alone at the table. The brown bunny went and took a seat next to the todd. "So, soy milk, huh?" Nick asked.

Josie snickered and nodded her head. "Yeah, soy milk."

"Good, 'cause you nearly ruined ice cream for me," Nick said, finishing his cone. "I would've never eaten any again."

The brown doe shot him a quizzical look. "In all seriousness, what did you think it was made of?"

"I dunno," Nick shrugged. "I guess I never really thought about it, and I will continue to not think about it, thank you very much."

Josie snorted. The two sat in silence until she said, "So, I was kinda joking about it earlier, but I heard through the grapevine that you and Judy are, y'know…" She trailed off, but the todd knew what she meant.

"Yeah," Nick confirmed, nodding his head, "she asked me out yesterday."

"Nice!" Josie said, softly punching his arm. "About time, too." Nick rolled his eyes but smiled a little. "So, what're you guys doing?"

"Don't know," Nick answered, leaning back against the table. "Probably something in the city, but nothing set in stone yet."

"OK." Josie paused before tentatively asking, "You nervous about going on a date with your best friend?"

"…Were you?"

The brown bunny didn't answer for some time. Eventually, she said, "Yeah. I was scared that if it didn't work out, things would be weird between us, and that Jack would stop being my friend. But everything turned out fine between us, and things will be fine with you and Judy."

"Wish I could share your confidence," Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck. He let out a sigh. "I guess I'm just scared that something's going to screw this up. And let's be real, if anyone's going to screw this up, it's going to be me."

"I don't think you will," Josie said. At the todd's dubious look, she added, "Really! I mean, OK, you might make some mistakes, but so will she. And you'll learn from them. You'll both screw up together."

Nick snorted. "Thanks," he muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, you know what I mean," the doe said, lightly shoving him. She paused before adding, "My dad always said the most important part of a relationship is just talking to each other. You guys talk every day, so as long as you keep that up, everything should be fine."

Nick thought about it and nodded his head. "OK, thanks."

Josie smiled as Judy returned to them, this time with Jack and Skye in tow. Judging by the lack of ice cream and the pout on the vixen's face, it was safe to assume that they had given up on the line. After promising her that they would try again later, the kits soon got started on a more important topic:

"So, any ideas on what we should call the song?" Jack asked.

Nick opened his mouth to speak before Skye cut him off. "We are not calling it that, Slick!"

"Aw, come on!" the todd protested. "Why not? It's memorable, it's unique, it's funny; it would be perfect!"

"Or, they would see that it's called, 'AUGH! BEES!', think it's incredibly stupid, and not listen to it," Judy interjected.

"See?! It's not just me!" Skye exclaimed. "Right, Jack?" A guilty look slowly started to appear on the buck's face. "Jack."

"…I mean," he shrugged his shoulders, "he kinda has a point."

"Told ya!" Nick said triumphantly.

Judy leaned forward, rubbing her paws up and down her face. "OK, we're not getting anywhere with this." She huffed and clasped her paws together. "How about a vote: all in favor of naming the song, 'AUGH! BEES!'?" Nick and Jack's paws went up. "All opposed?" Hers and Skye's went up. A moment passed before they realized that it was a draw, meaning that one of them hadn't gone for either. Nick was the first to speak up.

"Josie, you didn't vote," he said, looking at the brown bunny. She didn't answer, instead looking at something past him. "Jo?"

"That sheep has been staring at you and Skye ever since we got here," Joise murmured, gesturing past the foxes. The todd turned and saw the mammal in question, who was talking on her phone while looking at them.

"What?" Skye turned and saw her. "Why?"

"That's a good question," Josie said sotto voce, before raising her voice to address the sheep. "Can we help you, ma'am?"

The ewe quickly said something into her phone before she hung up. "Yes, you can. What do you think you're doing?!"

The group of kits looked around at each other, confused. After a beat, Josie replied, "Uh, coming up with a name for a song?" She then quickly looked at the others. "By the way, I vote for the name."

"Yes!" Nick whispered, doing a fist pump.

"No, I mean, what are you three doing around those pelts?!"

Any joy Nick was feeling evaporated instantly as Skye's ears pressed tightly against her head. Before either one could say anything, Josie shot to her feet. "Excuse me?" she asked, an icy tone in her voice.

"You heard me! Those foxes are a danger to you and your friends!" the sheep declared, practically spitting out each word. "Everyone knows how untrustworthy their kind is! What would your parents think?"

"Well, seeing as our parents have known them and their family for over two years now, I'd say they'd be just fine with it," Jack interjected, looking angry.

The sheep looked aghast. "You're FRIENDS with them?! You can't trust them! They'll scam you out of everything you own!"

"Wow, really? I didn't know that!" Judy said sarcastically. She then turned to Nick. "Is it true, Nick? You're going to scam me out of everything I own?"

"Only your heart," the fox responded.

This only seemed to make the sheep angrier. "You're letting him make those lewd comments towards you? Don't tell me you actually like that chomper!"

"OK, now THAT one was uncalled for," Nick said, turning to face her.

"I wasn't talking to you, pelt!" she shouted as she glared at the foxes, contemptuously. "Go back to the forest!"

"You first!" Josie shot back.

"I was born and raised here!"

"Oh, so you're an anchor baby?"

It took all Nick had not to crack a smile at the indignant look that appeared on the ewe's face. "Ma'am, with no due respect, we have every right to be here as you do. Leave us alone," he said.

The ewe glared spitefully at them before she rose to her hooves and started to leave. Before she got too far, Judy called out, "Oh, and ma'am?" The sheep turned and faced her. "I am very much into him."

Before Nick could say anything, she grabbed him and kissed him fully. After a few seconds, she broke it off and glared defiantly at the now disgusted sheep, now walking away even more quickly. Nick, for his part, just leaned back against the table, arms crossed behind his head. Once the hateful mammal was out of sight and earshot, he turned to the bunny, whose ears were now a vibrant red.

"So," he started, "does this mean I get to call you my girlfriend now?"

"Holy Frith, I can't believe I just did that," Judy mumbled, pulling her ears over her eyes, embarrassed.

"Jude, it's OK," Jack said, chuckling a bit. "You showed that bitch who's boss."

"Oh, yeah," Josie agreed.

Nick nodded his head and turned back around to the table. He was about to speak when he noticed Skye's posture and the look on her face; a look that clearly showed how hurt she was about the whole ordeal. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her in a one-armed hug. She sighed and laid her head against his shoulder. "Hey."

"Yeah?" she asked quietly.

"Love you."

He heard her sniff. "Love you, too."

"Are you OK, Skye?" Jack asked, now noticing how upset she was.

The vixen nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just…" She trailed off before she sighed. "It's been a while since I heard stuff like that…"

"…Yeah," Nick said, nodding his head in agreement.

It fell quiet until Judy said, "Well, what was it that your dad always said?"

"'Fuck 'em'?"

"'Never let them see that they got to you'?"

Nick and Skye both stared at each other before they started giggling at each other's answer, with the bunnies soon joining in. "Yes, that," Judy said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Thanks, Carrots," Nick said.

Judy shrugged. "Well, anything for my favorite foxes."

Nick smiled at that before he faced everyone at the table. "OK, so, we discussed a name for the song, but what about one for the band-"

His words were cut short when a flashing light caught his attention, and the kits turned to see a police cruiser pulling up to them. Coming to a halt, a ram stepped out and made his way towards them, his gaze fixated on Nick and Skye specifically. Nick then noticed the ewe from earlier standing in the distance, looking satisfied. The todd sighed as his shoulders slumped.

"Ah, hell."


"OK, yeah, that's fine, I'll be back tomorrow. Love you, too, honey." With that, Abby hung up her phone and gently tossed it onto the motel room bed. "Glad your day was great; MINE could've gone better," she muttered to herself, running her paws down her face. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen when she saw her sister again, but the vixen should've known that Vivian wouldn't have been happy to see her. After all, with what happened the last time they saw each other, it was nothing short of a miracle that all Vivian did was slap her.

Abby shook her head as she sat down and checked her schedule one more time. Her flight back home was early the next morning, so she had the rest of the day to herself. The problem was, with a town as small as Bunnyburrow, there wasn't much to do there. 'Maybe there's a bar-'

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Abby's ears stood up and she glanced at the door. She stood and made her way towards it and opened it, saying, "Can I help-"

Her question died on her tongue when she saw Vivian standing on the other side of the door frame. Neither one said anything for what felt like a small eternity. Finally, the older vixen spoke:

"Can I come in?"