"You know Carotts, I'm the one that's supposed to be doing that; being the canine and all." Nick said with an amused grin as he looked at Judy, who had her head sticking out of the car's window as they drove through the countryside towards her home.
"I can't help it, the smell of home is just so comforting to me." Judy answered as she took in a deep inhale of the fragrent country air.
"It smells like crap, literally." Nick replied as he waved his paw in front of his nose.
"Well, we do often mix the excrement of certain mammals with other compounds to create fertilizer for the fields. So it's not an inaccurate statement." Judy replied with a chuckle.
"I knew there was a reason I didn't eat vegetables, they're literally grown from shit." Nick said with a playful gag.
"They're not grown from shit, just nurtured by it." Judy answered with a chuckle.
"Oh that's so much better, I guess I'll start eating carrots from now on. Seeing as they're only nurtured by shit rather than grown from it." Nick replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Uh huh, and what about the bug burgers you love so much? Those things often contain dung beetles due to their large size." Judy informed with a grin.
"Alright, point taken. We're all just secretly eating some form of shit with every meal." Nick replied with a chuckle as he pulled up to Judy's house. "Alright, let's do this. Who's the fox? I'm the fox. Who's the fox? I'm the fox!" Nick yelled as he started psyching himself up for something.
"What are you doing?" Judy asked as she stared at Nick with a confused expression.
"Psyching myself up, I've gotta be ready for the flood." Nick answered as he patted his cheeks.
"Oh yeah, that's right. You have to distract them because I'm still too sore and somewhat broken to get mowed down by my siblings." Judy replied with a chuckle.
"Yep, I'm the defense and you're the Q.B; run it all the way to the goal, Hopps!" Nick said as he got out of the car, followed by Judy.
"I'm not running anywhere, Nick. I'm lucky that I can even walk right now." Judy replied as she stretched a little bit, receiving several loud pops from her back as she did so.
"Well then hobble, hobble like the wind Judy!" Nick shouted as the front door started to open. "Hey hey hey, it's uncle Nick!" Nick yelled as he took a stance similar to a sumo wrestler. A pair of eyes peeked through the slightly opened door, and the further the door opened the more eyes Nick saw staring back at him.
"YAY!" A rumble of cheers echoed as the expected stampede of bunnies barreled towards Nick.
"Come get some!" Nick yelled as he held his ground against the approaching wave of fluff. Nick was consumed under the fluffy wave before he could even grab a single bunny.
"Should I get a life preserver, captain Wilde?" Judy chuckled as she limped towards the door.
"Just remember meeee!" Nick shouted as he reached an arm up out of the pile of bunnies, slowly turning it into a thumbs up before letting it sink beneath the bunny pile once more.
"Ah! What a nice surprise! Hi honey." Bonnie greeted as she ran out of the house and hugged Judy.
"Jude the dude! There she is!" Stu greeted as he also walked out of the house and hugged Judy.
"Ah. Okay, enough hugs." Judy said as she started to squirm with discomfort.
"Sorry. Still sore?" Bonnie asked as she and Stu let go of Judy.
"Very." Judy groaned as she placed an arm over her stomach.
"Come on inside, I'll get a nice hot bath going for you. That always used to help you feel better when you were in pain." Bonnie said with a smile as she lead Judy inside.
"Come on kids, give uncle Nick a chance to catch his breath!" Stu yelled towards the heap of bunnies that had buried Nick.
"Awe!" All of the bunnies whined as they started clambering off of Nick.
"Like a phoenix from the ashes, I rise!" Nick yelled as he slowly stood up in an overly dramatic fashion.
"Well mister phoenix, are ya comin'?" Stu asked as he stared at Nick.
"Yes sir!" Nick answered as he rushed through the front door.
"Alright honey, you relax while I get the bath going." Bonnie said with a smile as she watched Judy plop herself down on the couch.
"Thanks mom." Judy answered as she started closing her eyes. Judy closed her eyes and rested for a moment, but she had this lingering sense like she was being watched. She cracked an eye open and noticed a few of her siblings staring at her from the front doorway. "Hey Peter, Emily, Mandy." Judy greeted with a small smile, the three bunnies just slowly shrunk away and out the front door. "Yeah, that's my new norm I guess." Judy quietly said to herself with a sigh as she closed her eyes again.
"Is she asleep?" Someone whispered from across the room.
"No Andy, it's her secret killing technique. She pretends to be asleep, then when you get close she springs on you!" Another young voice answered in an overly dramatic fashion.
"Wow, cool!" Andy replied in an astonished tone.
"Big sister Judy was all like, die, die; and the bad guy was all like, uh, oo, ee. Death." Another voice not so quietly whispered, receiving a bunch of oos and ahs from everyone around them.
"I heard the guy was hanging there like a piñata." Another voice whispered from somewhere deep in the house.
"I heard that big sister Judy pushed the guy through a roof." Someone else replied.
"Awe cool, just like a video game." One of the other bunnies replied in an excited tone. Judy did her best to drown out the conversations that her siblings were having, but she just wasn't capable of tuning out that many conversations at once.
"Okay honey, the bath's all ready for you." Bonnie informed as she walked into the living room, but the sight that greeted her caused her to suddenly panic. "Judy!" Bonnie yelled as she rushed over to Judy, who was shaking and hyperventilating. "Judy! Judy what's wrong?! Honey look at me!" Bonnie yelled as she placed her paws over Judy's shoulder.
"M-murderer. They think I'm a murderer." Judy said as she continued to hyperventilate.
"Stu! Stu get in here!" Bonnie screamed as she looked towards the front door.
"What?! What's wrong?!" Stu asked as he and Nick rushed through the front door.
"I don't know what's wrong with her! I-I came in here to tell her that the bath was ready and found her like this!" Bonnie yelled as she squeezed Judy's shoulder.
"I'll call an ambulance!" Stu replied as he started reaching for his phone.
"No. An ambulance won't help, she's having a panic attack." Nick informed as he quickly knelt by Judy.
"How do you know?" Stu asked as he held his finger over the nine on his phone's keypad.
"Because it's happened before." Nick answered as he gently grabbed Judy's paw and squeezed it. "Judy. Judy it's okay, we're here. You're okay, just try and breathe. Close your eyes honey, just listen to me, I'm right here." Nick calmly spoke as he squeezed Judy's paw.
"W-we're here Judy. We're here." Bonnie also said as she she rubbed Judy's back.
"It's okay Judy, we're here for you." Stu said as he gently rubbed Judy's head.
"M-murderer. Th-they...think...I'm...a...m-murderer." Judy wheezed as she continued hyperventilating and shaking.
"No Judy, nobody here thinks that you're a murderer. It's okay baby, it's okay." Bonnie replied as she continued rubbing Judy's back.
"Th-they...s-said it." Judy replied with a gasp as she continued shaking.
"Who said it?" Stu asked in a confused tone.
"A-all of...th-them." Judy wheezed as her breathing continued to worsen. Bonnie and Stu both looked at each other, then they craned their heads to the side and looked at all of the little bunnies that were crowded nearby.
"I told you that we should've talked to them." Stu whispered as he glanced over at Bonnie.
"Not the time or place for an I told you so, dear." Bonnie replied through her teeth. Judy's gasping and frantic breaths quickly pulled her parent's attention back to her.
"What do we do? She's getting worse." Bonnie asked as she looked at Nick.
"Give her to me, there's too much going on right now, it's only making her condition worse." Nick said as he slowly picked Judy up, then carried her towards her room. Everyone heard the door quietly close, followed by Nick's soft voice speaking to Judy.
"C-can't...breathe." Judy wheezed as she clutched her chest.
"Yes you can, Judy. You just need to relax. Close your eyes, focus on my voice, and count to ten. You know that it works, so come on Judy. One. Two. Three." Nick started counting as he stared at Judy.
"F-f-four. F-five. S-six. Sev-en. Eight. Nine. Ten." Judy counted with him.
"Good. Again. One. Two." Nick started counting with a small smile.
"Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten." Judy finished as she finally slowed her breathing and calmed down significantly.
"That's my bunny." Nick said with a smile as he pulled Judy into a gentle hug. Judy sat there with her face buried in Nick's chest, gently crying into it as she did so.
"It's okay Judy, everything's gonna be okay." Nick whispered as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Come on you dirty bunny, let's get you out of those sweaty clothes and get you in the bath before it gets cold." Nick said with a smile as he picked Judy up and carried her towards the bathroom.
"Nick." Judy quietly said with a sniffle as she nuzzled her face into the crook of Nick's neck.
"So emotional." Nick chuckled as he set Judy down in the bathroom. "Alright Carrots, you soak in the tub and flush all of those icky feelings down the drain. I'll give you some privacy in the meantime." Nick said with a smile as he closed the bathroom door. Judy let out a small breath before undressing and getting into the tub, happy to find that the water was still nice and warm. Her aching muscles immediately started to loosen as the hot water enveloped her body. Judy took in a deep inhale and held it for a moment, then she released a slow and deep exhale, which further melted the tension from her body.
"Thank you Nick, you're my rock in life." Judy said to herself as she closed her eyes, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in days. Judy soaked in the tub for so long that Bonnie eventually came into the bathroom to make sure she was even still alive.
"Judy?" Bonnie asked as she opened the door a crack.
"Mmm." Judy quietly answered as she lazily waved a paw at her mother.
"Good, you didn't drown or anything. I was starting to worry, you've been in that tub for a good three hours." Bonnie said with a smile as she sat down on the toilet across from the tub.
"Comfy." Judy mumbled as she took in a deep breath.
"You're gonna shrivel up if you soak in there any longer." Bonnie said with a giggle.
"Don't care, comfy." Judy mumbled again as she sank a little deeper into the water.
"Do you wanna talk about anything?" Bonnie asked with a sad expression. Judy slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her mother. "You don't have to if you're not ready, but what happened out there earlier, it scared me. I've never seen you like that, thank God Nick was here. Your father and I were completely clueless as to what was even wrong, let alone how to help you." Bonnie quietly said in a sad tone. Judy downcast her eyes slightly, she felt bad about scaring her parents like she had. Even if she didn't have any control over her attack, she still felt guilty about causing her family so much concern. "Nick said that it's happened before. Is that true?" Bonnie asked in a nervous tone.
"Yeah, it's happened once or twice before. I started seeing the department's psychiatrist to try and help me work through everything, but the process is slow going. I've only seen her once or twice so far. It also doesn't help that new traumas keep getting piled onto the old ones, I'm really struggling, mom. I'm struggling so much right now." Judy answered as she started to cry.
"Awe baby." Bonnie whispered as she knelt by the tub and hugged Judy. "I know it seems like this will never end, but everything's gonna get better. The fact that you can even admit that you're struggling shows a certain level of recovery; it'll get eaiser Judy, just don't give up. I'm so proud of you, we all are." Bonnie whispered as she gave Judy a kiss on her cheek.
"I love you mom." Judy quietly said with a sniffle as she snuggled her face against her mother's chest.
"I love you too Judy." Bonnie replied as she hugged Judy a little tighter. "Now get yourself towled off and put your pajamas on, dinner's almost ready." Bonnie informed as she stood up.
"Okay, thank you mom." Judy thanked with a smile, as Bonnie stepped out of the bathroom and gently closed the door behind her. Judy let out a sigh before pulling the plug on the drain, then with a grunt, she slowly hoisted herself up and out of the tub. While Judy dried and combed her fur, Nick was helping to set the dinner table with Stu and the kids.
"Okay, I reckon we're all set here Bon." Stu said with a grin as he dusted his paws together and looked over their handy work.
"Thanks everyone. Nick, I know you're not much of a vegetable guy, so I threw together a few cricket patties for you." Bonnie informed as she grabbed a package of buns from the pantry.
"Thank you misses Hopps, but you didn't need to go out of your way for me." Nick thanked as he dug a jug of carrot juice out of the refrigerator.
"It was no trouble at all dear, we already had the patties thawed out and ready. If they stayed out of the freezer and in the refrigerator much longer they would've spoiled, so I hope you're hungry, because there're like twelve of them." Bonnie chuckled as she moved the last patty from the stovetop griddle to a plate.
"Twelve? Are you guys trying to fatten me up or something, planning on throwing me on that griddle later on?" Nick asked with a smirk.
"Nah, I hear fox meat is tough and chewy." Stu replied with his own smirk.
"Tough, yes. Chewy, no way. I'm a grade A and marbled chunk of meat, you would all be lucky to be eating burgers made from this fox." Nick boasted with a grin.
"Is that an offer to give you a little nibble?" Judy asked with a giggle as she slowly made her way into the dining room.
"Come on now Judy, not in front of the kids." Nick said with a smirk as he looked down at her. "Feeling a little better?" Nick asked in softer and more serious tone.
"Somewhat, I'm still sore and slightly unstable upstairs. But the bath definitely helped." Judy answered with a small sigh.
"That's good, and I appreciate the honesty." Nick quietly said as he knelt down and hugged Judy.
"Mmm. My fox." Judy whispered as she snuggled against Nick.
"Awe, now that's cute." Bonnie said with a soft smile as she sat down next to Stu.
"Judy loves Nick! Judy loves Nick!" A group of bunnies started teasing with giggles.
"You bet your tails I do, and don't any of you forget it." Judy replied as she gave Nick a quick kiss.
"Eeew!" All of the little bunnies said with disgusted expression, all except Molly, who just giggled at the sight.
"Alright Carrots, let's sit down and eat before we ruin everyone's appetites with our gross goo goo eyes and kissy faces." Nick chuckled as he pulled Judy's chair out for her.
"Such a gentlemammal." Judy giggled as she sat down and allowed Nick to push her in.
"Well everyone, dig in." Bonnie encouraged as she took a bite of her meal. Everyone followed her lead and dug into their meals, chatting and laughing as they did so. It was a wonderful and loving family dinner, and just what Judy needed after such long and draining week.
"Oh my God, if I eat any more food I'm gonna burst out of my p.js." Judy said with a content sigh as she patted her stomach.
"Exactly how much more food is that going take?" Nick asked as he held a forkful of vegetables out to her.
"Nice try Nick, but you're missing a few keys to this temple. Keep trying though, you might open it someday." Judy replied with a grin.
"Challenge accepted." Nick said with a small smirk as he scratched Judy's ear, causing her foot to start thumping against the floor.
"Alright everyone, let's get this kitchen cleaned up, then it's off to bed with the lot of you. Especially you, it sounds like you really need a good night's sleep." Bonnie instructed as she pointed an accusing finger at Judy.
"That I do." Judy replied as continued reveling in the feeling of Nick scratching her ear.
"Then head to bed Carrots, let me help out around here in your place. Just for tonight." Nick suggested as he removed his paw from Judy's head.
"I don't think so, you're not done yet." Judy replied as she leaned her head towards Nick.
"You're so needy." Nick chuckled as he resumed scratching Judy's ears.
"Don't worry about it you two, get some rest. We've got this, right everyone?" Bonnie asked as she looked at the rest of her children.
"Yes mom." They all answered with smiles.
"Thanks guys." Judy thanked with a soft smile. "Now come on Nick, take me to bed." Judy ordered as she held her arms up.
"What's the magic word?" Nick teased with a grin.
"Share the bed with me?" Judy asked with a smirk.
"Close enough." Nick answered as he picked Judy up and carried her to her room.
"There are children in the house remember!" Stu shouted after them.
"Oh look at them, don't they remind you of anyone?" Bonnie asked with a smile.
"Yeah. Your sister and every man she comes into contact with." Stu answered with a straight face. Bonnie just groaned at that response, though she didn't deny it either. "Did I fail the test? Am I sleepin' on the couch tonight?" Stu asked as Bonnie walked away. While her parents and siblings cleaned up the kitchen, Judy was snuggling herself as close as she could to her favorite fox.
"Goodnight Nick, I love you." Judy whispered as she pressed herself into Nick's torso.
"I love you too Judy." Nick whispered as he wrapped his arms around her in a securing hug, then they each closed their eyes and enjoyed a peaceful slumber in each other's warm embrace.
The End
(Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed my first Zootopia fan fiction, there'll be an eventual sequel that will likely be titled Flames Of Passion. Thank you for reading my story. Sincerely, SailorGuardians9)