Chapter 1

Judy's greeting turned into a muffled babble. Her cheeks were buried too deep in her parents' arms. She loved every second of this moment. Whenever she returned to Bunny Burrow, this was what meant being home for her.

"Welcome home, hon'," her mom's voice came from the left.

"We always love to-" her dad added from the right. "Oh, no, Judy that fox is stealing your luggage!"

A collective gasp came from the few dozens of her younger siblings around them.

She felt her dad trying to break free. But Judy kept him in her hug. "No, dad, he's not. He's just being extra courteous today to make a good first impression."

Feeling the resistance subside, she let go of her parents. Judy took a step back and gave them a smile they didn't return. Her mother looked like she was still waiting for a sign that it was okay to laugh. Her father was outright horrified.

When said fox stepped besides her, both their trunks in his paws, Judy took a deep breath. "Mom, dad, I want you to meet Nick - my boyfriend."

They did not answer. Her mother looked at her husband who obviously saw his worst fears fulfilled. Mouth hanging open, his eyes wandered from his daughter to the fox and back.

Nick laid his arm around Judy's shoulder and held her close to his side. "See, Carrots? Told you they'd be speechless."

At these words, her dad's face turned crimson. Pointing a threatening finger at Nick he stepped forward. "What did you call my daughter?"

"He called me Carrots, dad," Judy intervened. "And if I wanted him to stop I'd tell him."

A stunned silence fell between them, until Nick cleared his throat. Then he put on a smile which Judy knew he thought to be his most charming.

"Mrs. and Mr. Hopps, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nicholas Wilde. I am aware this comes as a shock for you. Please, call me Nick and rest assured that it is a pleasure to meet you."

Then he closed the remaining gap between them and extended his paw,

The buck in front of him recoiled like he had been offered moldy cheese - earning him an elbow to his ribs from his wife.

"Oh, Stu, don't be like that," she hissed. Then she turned to Nick and tried her best to return the smile. "Please excuse my husband, he is just a bit... Surprised."

Nick shrugged. "Your lovely daughter wanted to surprise the two of you, so let's call that a success."

"All right, let's do that," Judy's mom laughed and shook Nick's paw. "I am Bonnie Hopps. And this pigheaded one is my husband, Stu Hopps."

"That's Mr. Hopps to you," the farmer added, crossing his arms.

Before he could answer, he felt something tugging on his pants. As he looked down he saw a brown furred bunny in a green dress. Her wide, brown eyes stared straight at him.

After a stunned moment over the success of her actions, she asked: "Are you really friends with Judy?"

He kneeled down. "I guess you could say that. What is your name, little one?"

"Sally!" she cheered. The moment he had answered her face had lit up. "So, you are a friendly fox, like Giddon?"

"Giddon?" Nick repeated.

Behind him, Judy chuckled. "Gideon. I know him from school. Yes, Sally, Nick is a very nice fox."

At these words, not only Sally started jumping in place. The other kits now swarmed Nick, threatening him to get drowned in bunnies. Then they flooded him with questions.

"How did you meet Judy?"

"Do you make pies, too?"

"Will you play ball with us?"

"What pie do you make?"

"Can we call you uncle Nick?"

"Can we have some pie, uncle Nick?"

"Can I touch your tail, uncle Nick?"

Both Judy and her mother did their best to free Nick from the wad of childish excitement. Picking the kits off an overwhelmed fox proved to be a lot of work, not helped in the least by their own laughter. When they had them finally steered away from him, Bonnie said: "I am so sorry about that, Nick. They are quite an energetic bunch. Maybe we should just get going?"

"Sure," Nick agreed. "And don't worry. I've had worse receptions."

He watched with a wide grin how the mother herded her kits away from him. Judy took his paw in hers and pulled him back up and steered him after them. Followed closely by her father who kept a cautious eye on them.

It wasn't a long walk they had to take, but Nick drank everything in as best as he could. The wide meadows sprinkled with daisies and dandelions. That little pond on the side of the road, which sprouted a brook accompanying them for a while. The stretch of forest bordering on the other side of the path. And above them the ever blue sky, unlimited and free from any metal or concrete. He turned his head so much his neck started to ache.

"Never seen nature before, fox?" Stu grumbled.

"He has a name, dad," Judy replied over her shoulder. "It's Nick, in case you already forgot."

"Or, if that makes it easier for you, it's Mr. Wilde," Nick added. "But Nick would definitely be preferred. Anyways, in fact, I haven't seen nature this close before. I never really had the chance. Just one more reason I am more than grateful to be here."

Stu did not answer. All that came from him was a grunt.

Soon after, Nick's attention was drawn away from the grumpy buck that tried to singe his fur with stares alone. Before them, the Hopps Family Farm – as the huge sign announced – came into view. He had known this place had to be vast for the hundreds of Judy's relatives. Still, what he saw overwhelmed him.

Back in Zootopia, this would have counted as its own block, maybe even a borough. Behind it, he could make out seemingly endless fields of various crops. The buildings looked like multiple earthen homes had grown from the ground, sprouted additional rooms and roofs until they had finally fused into a huge, humpy complex. A complex surrounded by more life than even a lifetime in Zootopia could have prepared him for. Whoever had said life on the country was quiet had never visited a place like this. Nick was sure of that. The area in front of the mansion put any school yard to shame. It was a vast play ground, crowded by multiple busloads of kits.

It took a valiant effort by Judy and her parents to keep the reinforced swarm of kits from taking Nick captive once more. Though Nick certainly could have done without Mr. Hopps admonishing his children to 'keep a safe distance.'

Once inside, they all settled down in the kitchen - though Nick would have called it a mess hall. His whole flat could have fit inside this room at least twice. Long tables stretched from end to end, flanked by equally long benches. A wall-to-wall array of ovens was lined up on one of the longer sides. On the adjacent shorter side, a line of fridges stood like soldiers awaiting orders.

Bonnie didn't waste any time to provide some cake and tea. If Nick had to be honest, he would have preferred coffee, but didn't say anything. For one, because he didn't want to be impolite. But also, after all he had seen so far, the thought of bunnies close to caffeine scared him a little.

"So, Mr. Wilde," Stu said, sitting exactly opposite to Nick. "Where did you intend to stay? I heard the town is booked up this time of year."

"Oh, I was under the assumption I'd be staying at the farm."

"And whatever gave you that idea?"

Judy crossed her arms. "I did, presumably when I invited him."

"Maybe you should have told us ahead of time, hon'," Bonnie said.

"A surprise doesn't work that way," Judy stated.

"Yes, I know. But we should have prepared for this." When Bonnie saw her daughter's eyes narrowing, she added: "Prepared a guest room, I mean."

Stu nodded with a stern face. "Yes, exactly, Judy. We don't have a room for him, so he-"

"-will stay in my room," Judy completed the sentence. "As we planned anyway."

Even Nick stared at her with wide eyes. Though he had assumed the same, they never had actually planned anything. Hearing her tell her parents this felt awkward, but he couldn't say he minded.

Those parents, on the other hand, looked like they minded a lot. Forcing a grin, Stu said: "Please Judy, we're serious here. We're trying to-"

"So am I," Judy interrupted him again, her expression unchanged. "And I was when I introduced him to you as my boyfriend."

Seeing her father go through different stages of processing what his daughter has just said, Nick almost felt sorry for him. The buck opened his mouth again and again, like a fish gasping for air.

But before any sound came from him, Judy said flat out: "Dad, I am 26. Just in case you forgot. Don't you act like you think I'm still-"

"We don't need to talk about that." He held up his arms like they could shield him from her words. "But, since you brought this up, you and, you know, I mean... With a fox?"

"Yes, dad, with a fox. Gosh, why are you so unreasonable about this? Did anything happen about Gideon while I was away?"

"Gideon is a different matter. That is business. This is-"

"-my business. I don't even see why you distrust him like that. He is a cop and my partner at the force. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"He is?" both her parents asked.

Judy fought for self-control. "I sent you the newspaper article. About the ZPD's first fox, remember? They even had a photo of him!"

Bonnie covered her mouth with her paw "Oh, I remember you did that. But I didn't remember the name. But now that you mention the photo... Stu, don't you remember?"

Not even looking at Nick, he mumbled: "All foxes look the same to me."

"Dad!" Judy's fists slammed on the table. Even Nick jumped in his seat. "Seriously, are we back to square one again?"

"Stu," Bonnie said. "The children seem to already like him. Why don't you just try to get to know him?"

The farmer looked from his wife to his daughter, then his eyes lingered on Nick for a moment. "I... I...I need to see how the harvest is coming."

After that, he stood up and left without looking back.

Bonnie shook her head. "I am so sorry, Nick. He has a bad habit of overreacting."

"I don't get this," Judy said. "I had honestly thought he'd be more open minded, after everything."

Nick shrugged and smiled with all his routine. "Meeting the parents is always a bit awkward.

But this is the first one who ran out on me. I'll just take your word and assume he'll calm down."

"He'll come around, you'll see," Bonnie assured him. "Until then, just make yourself at home. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

"In that case, all I would ask for would be your delicious blueberries. If you could spare some for me, I'd be a happy fox."

"Oh, you do eat fruits? I thought you only ate, um, well..."

Nick laughed: "Don't be shy about that. True, predators eat bugs. We need those. But there are quite a few, like us foxes, who can and like to eat fruits and veggies, too."

"Oh, I did not know that," Bonnie admitted.

"Most preys don't. So, don't worry, I won't eat you or any of your children."

"What? No, that is not what I meant!"

Judy rolled her eyes. "Mom, Nick is just messing with you."

Nick put a paw over his heart and drew an exaggerated breath. "I would never do that, Officer Hopps."

"Oh, stop it, Cadet Wilde."

"Hey, I'm a real officer now,"

"Then start acting that way."

Bonnie chuckled. "Sounds like you're already as good as married."

Judy and Nick looked at each other. Even Nick couldn't keep from blushing. They both forced a laugh, and Judy said: "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're perfectly glad with what we have now."

"And we don't want to risk any heart attacks for your husband," Nick added.

"Very considerate of you, Nick," Bonnie laughed. "But even with that at risk, why don't you show him around the farm, Judy? I'd love to, but we'll have to start preparing dinner soon."

"Already? But it's not even..." Nick's voice faded as he looked down the rows of tables dwarfing the cafeteria at the academy. "Oh. Yeah, I see. Um, let me know if I can be of any help."

"Oh no, no guest of ours will ever have to prepare their own meals. But, speaking of meals, I'm afraid we don't have anything suitable for a predatory taste."

"Don't worry about that," Nick answered.

"We prepared for that," Judy added. "It's enough for dinner and breakfast. We'll go shopping when I show Nick the town."

A/N:

Thank you very much for reading up until this point. The next chapter will be out soon.

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