While most Zootopians in the city still clung to the last hour of sleep before their alarms woke them up, one group of mammals on Padfoot street had been awake for a little over half an hour now. A large plate of blueberry muffins sat on the surface of the coffee table in front of the couch, along with two mugs of coffee, both of them half-empty. With a glass of orange juice in her paw, the rabbit dressed in a pair of red pajamas too big for her looked into the lap of the fox sitting next to her. Resting on her thighs which were covered by her violet robe laid a large photo album, every picture within of a small male fox kit with green eyes.

"Oh my God Olivia, that is so precious!" she exclaimed when she saw the pictures of the tiny fox. The one receiving her focus at the moment was the large picture taking up the left page, which showed a much younger version of Olivia in a violet sweater and maroon skirt, her tiny son in a striped shirt and overalls, looking away from the camera.

"He was just a few weeks old when we took that one, Judy," Olivia said, "The photographer said she wanted to take him home with her. I can't tell you how many times I heard that when the ladies saw little Nick all those years ago." Olivia's paw slid over the laminated surface to the right page, to the picture up in the corner. "I took this one at home, about a week later." Judy's eyes followed the vixen's paw, falling upon a picture of baby Nick in his birthday suit, laying on his belly and looking toward the camera with a joyful laugh.

"Awww," Judy cooed, "What an adorable little tushy."

"Isn't it though?" Olivia said, looking away from the book and to her left, "It was adorable back then, and it still is today."

Tucked away in the corner of the couch, dressed in a pair of boxers and an old t-shirt, Nick himself had his arms wrapped around his knees while his face hid away in his elbows. The only sound coming from him was a muffled groan of frustration, unable to look either woman in the eye as they fawned over his baby pictures.

"Oh, this one's good," Olivia said while her paw moved over the page, "This one was his second time trying spaghetti. He was so excited to eat it, that he decided he didn't need a fork for it." Judy began to bellow with laughter when she looked at the picture of baby Nick in a high chair, covered from mouth to chin in red sauce, along with his paws and the rest of the chair. "And this one is when I first took him to see Santa Claws — he was not very happy to see him for the first time." Judy snorted at the picture of the polar bear dressed in Santa's red suit and long beard, the little fox kit on his lap crying his eyes out as he looked away from the strange mammal looking at him. "Let's see… ah, here's some pictures of him taking a bath — "

"Mom!" Nick exclaimed, lifting his head from his knees, "There's embarrassment, and then there's just torture. Can't you leave me with a little bit of dignity in front of my girlfriend?"

"Nope," Olivia replied, "It's part of the deal when you bring the woman you're so involved with to meet your mother. It's a rite of passage, in a way."

"Well, this rite of passage makes me feel like there's a blender tearing my intestines to shreds."

"If it's making you so uncomfortable, then you can go watch TV in my room until we're done." Olivia suggested. Nick rolled his eyes and groaned as he sat up from the couch.

"It's not gonna be much better, since I'll know what you're doing down here," Nick grumbled while stepping away from the two ladies on the couch.

"Don't worry about it, Nick," Judy called to him as he made his way to the stairs, "I'll bet your mom captured your good side when you were in the bath."

"Not listening!" Nick exclaimed, his paws over his ears while he climbed up the stairs, both women giggling to themselves while he disappeared from view.

"Actually Judy, now that he's gone, there is something else I need to do," Olivia said, her voice lowering when she closed the book and put it on the table in front of them, "It's another 'rite of passage' so to speak. And it's not quite as enjoyable as looking at photos of Nick when he was a little ball of fluff."

Judy felt a bit of apprehension come over her from Olivia's intimidating gaze. The vixen's smile had faded and her eyes remained fixed on the rabbit, gazing at her with a stone expression lacking any warmth or humor. Judy knew what loomed over her; she'd seen her own parents do the same thing whenever her older siblings brought home a bunny they were interested in. They had to put their foot down, stake their claim in their offspring and shake up their date to test their mettle. If her sisters brought home a boy they were dating, Stu would assert his authority over the young male he'd just met. In the case of her brothers bringing home a female, Bonnie would take up the role of the interrogator, seeing if the girl was fit to date her son. Judy had thought the night in bed with Olivia might have given her a pass out of such an ordeal, but she realized now that was not the case. Keeping her back upright, she looked up at the vixen with an attentive stare.

"I know that my son is important to you, as you are to him," Olivia began, retaining her stern gaze while speaking to Judy, "You two have faced quite a lot together, and I can see how well you two click when you're with one another. I just need to make something clear to you: despite his age, Nick is still my little cub. He is my everything. James and I were so excited to have a child in our lives, and even after his passing, I pushed on and brought him into this world vowing I would do his father proud, even if he wasn't alive to see it. There is nothing in this world I won't do for my son."

Olivia took a breath, her paws trembling against her knees as she spoke. Judy felt the weight of her words hang on her heart, confirming what she'd already assumed from what she'd seen of Olivia every time she'd met her. Despite Olivia's usual demeanor of an upbeat and gentle fox, she'd sensed the presence of a beat ready to unleash fury upon whoever did her boy wrong. And now, though she didn't exhibit any hostility toward the rabbit, Olivia was giving her a full view of the imposing protective mother underneath her sweet and loving surface. Steeling her nerves, Judy kept her ears attentive while Nick's mother continued.

"Nick has not had the same glamorous life that a lot of other mammals. I didn't have a lot of money other than what the city gave me as a settlement for James's death, so I couldn't afford to spoil Nick as much as other children his age. He's had his heart broken multiple times throughout his life, both as a cub and an adult. I hate to open up an old wound, but you caused one of those moments."

It felt like a knife twisting within Judy's chest, as she remembered the day at the ZPD's press conference following Mayor Lionheart's arrest. She'd accidentally let her subconscious bigotry bubble to the surface and pitted prey against predator in the city, forcing Nick to leave with a disillusioned view of the rabbit he'd just started considering a friend.

"But, you were also big enough to own up to your mistake, and my son was big enough to forgive you," Olivia continued, "Despite his shady life working the streets, Nick still has a good heart within him. He remains loyal to mammals who prove themselves trustworthy. And there's not a doubt in my mind you're just that: trustworthy. With that said, I just want to give you one warning, Judy. Don't ever break my son's heart again. His heart belongs to you right now, and if you crush it the way it's been crushed more than once now, I will make you regret it. Do you understand me?" Judy gave a sincere nod toward Nick's mother before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Yes, Mrs. Wilde," she replied with a gentle voice,"And I just want to let you know that I respect your concern for him. I won't put myself on your level since I'm not his mother, but I share a part of your mentality in a way. I love your son with all my heart. I don't know if we were brought together by fate or chance, but every moment I spend with him makes me grateful that we bumped into each other my first day on the force. I know I hurt him in the past, and even though I apologized to him, I owe you an apology too. I'm sorry that I hurt your son, Mrs. Wilde. Neither of you deserved that, and you both had every right to stay angry at me for it. I'm lucky that you're both generous enough to forgive me. And I promise you, I want to spend the rest of my days with him, making sure that we never endure the same level of sadness my ignorance caused that day. He means too much for me to let something like that happen again."

Silence hung between the two ladies, Olivia's hazel eyes studying Judy's, scanning her expression and keeping her gaze toward her. A smile spread across the vixen's face, alleviating the tension Judy held in her chest.

"That's what I assumed, dear," Olivia said, scooting closer to Judy, "I just wanted to hear it come from your mouth. Thank you, Judy. I'm glad a woman with your integrity is dating my son."

Olivia wrapped an arm around Judy's shoulders and eased her against her chest with a gentle hug. The rabbit put her own paws against the back of the vixen, grateful that she more than approved of her dating Nick. Lifting her head away to look at Olivia, both of them heard the sound of Nick's footsteps above them, moving toward the staircase. Pulling their arms away, Olivia reached for the photo album and placed it on her lap as she had before, keeping her eyes away from her approaching son.

"Hey, sweetheart, I just saw on the news that there's a car crash causing some traffic buildup," Nick announced, "We might need to leave a little earlier than we thought if we want to get to work on time."

"Just a moment, dear," Olivia said, putting her paw on Judy's shoulder before she could stand up, "I want to show you the next page before you leave; it's right when Nick started potty-training." In the blink of an eye, Nick dashed over the couch from behind and snatched up the book, slamming it shut and staring daggers at his mother while the fur of his tail flared up like a feather-duster. "Oh, fine then," Olivia relented, while Judy fell over the shoulder of the couch from laughter, "Be a spoil-sport. Go get ready for work then." Olivia stood from the couch and picked up the dishes from the coffee table, leaving her son to glare at her while she walked toward the kitchen. A bit of a snort made him turn his head toward Judy, seeing the rabbit's mouth curled in as she held back her laughter.

"Shut. Up," Nick said, his scowl unmoving from his face.

"I didn't say anything, Nick," Judy replied, her voice shaking from her laughter struggling to escape her throat.

"I don't care. I know you're thinking it. So shut your mind up." Judy remained silent even when she followed Nick into the guest bathroom, both of them standing at the sink and opening the pack of toothbrushes Nick pulled from the counter. "I swear, if you say anything even a little bit related to babies and pictures, I'm making you sleep on the couch tonight."

"What!?" Judy exclaimed as she squirted a line of toothpaste on the bristles of her toothbrush, "You can't do that to me!"

"I sure as heck can," Nick said, even with the foam of his toothpaste building up on his lips, "It's my apartment, I'm the one who owns the renter's contract. So I can kick you out of my bed whenever I want."

"Yeah, but I'm your girlfriend."

"So?" he asked, before dipping down to the sink to rinse his mouth out.

"So…" Judy said as she brushed her teeth as well, "I'm the one who's supposed to decide if you sleep on the couch or not."

"Nope, you don't get to pull the gender card on me. It's still my apartment, and I'm the one who sets the etiquette for living there. That's why I enforce the 'seat up' policy for the toilet." After an exaggerated groan, Judy spit out her own toothpaste and rinsed her own mouth.

"Fine, I won't say anything about it," Judy replied before drying her mouth on a towel, "You big baby."

"I could count that as a disqualifier, you know. You're lucky I'm willing to forgive you." Judy's eyes looked upon Nick, reaching for his clothes that his mother had folded out for him along with her own. Her thoughts returned to the conversation she'd had with Olivia away from Nick, about the fondness they both shared for him and their devotion to make their lives all the more enjoyable together. Keeping their past experiences in mind, Judy looked on at him with a warm smile.

"Yeah," she uttered, as Nick pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor, "I am lucky that you're so forgiving."

"Hm?" Nick asked, caught off guard by her sincere tone. He stood still while she stepped forward, embracing him with a hug around his waist and brushed her head against the red fur of his back. "Okay? Where'd this come from?"

"From me," Judy replied, kissing his back before releasing him, untying the sash around her waist and letting her big red pajama pants fall to the floor. Nick gave a dismissive shrug, while Judy reached for her own pair of clothes.

A few minutes passed, and the pair emerged from the bathroom, Nick dressed back in his black shirt and jeans, Judy in her pink and purple striped sweater and blue pants. Toward the front door where their coats hung waiting for them, still in her robe, Olivia stepped out of the kitchen, standing in front of them while they bundled up for the cold outside.

"Nick, Judy, thank you both for coming over," Olivia said to both of them, "I know it felt a little nerve-wracking for us at first, but I can't tell you how happy it makes me to finally see you two in front of me as a couple."

"It feels good to open up, Olivia," Judy replied, all bundled up in her large purple coat, "Right now just a few of our friends know. We're still keeping it under wraps because of work, and just the public in general."

"I understand. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but I know you can't force a big change like that overnight. Still, I wish you two nothing but the best lives together."

"Thanks, mom," Nick said before he slipped his indigo scarf over the shoulder of his brown coat, "That really means a lot."

Olivia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, stroking the base of his tail while her midsection pressed against his. She leaned her face forward, and the two pressed their lips together, before opening their mouths for a deep and passionate kiss. Judy watched with intrigue as mother and son let their tongues caress one another, taking delight at the sounds of their wet surfaces sliding around in their mouths. A moment passed, and Olivia pulled herself away, looking down at Nick's pants. Judy's eyes wandered down as well, unsurprised to see the slight tent building underneath his coat. A bit of movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see the vixen stepping toward her with a lustful gaze.

"You didn't think I would leave you out, did you?" Olivia asked, placing a paw behind Judy's head and crouching to her level.

"Oh? I didn't, uh — o-okay," Judy stammered, before feeling the vixen's lips pecking at her own. Just like she had last night, Judy reveled in the comfort of Olivia's mouth, even more so when she felt their tongues connect. She hummed into the fox's mouth, feeling a bit of vibration she she giggled into Judy's in response. Feeling a bit adventurous, Judy let her paws wander to Olivia's back, then roam down past her waist to give her buttocks a bit of a squeeze. She could feel the underside of Olivia's tail swish over her knuckles, wagging with signs of her appreciation before she pulled her mouth back.

"Both of you are welcome to visit me anytime," Olivia said, looking between Judy and Nick, "Together, or on your own; whatever you're in the mood for."

Judy felt a bit of surprise at Mrs. Wilde's offer. She'd thought that in the event that they ever did something like this again in the future, that it would remain a package deal: that she'd have to bring Nick along for Olivia to be comfortable with such a thing. While she would have been fine with such an arrangement, she felt somewhat intrigued at the idea of having a one-on-one session with Nick's mother.

"Nick… how do you feel about that?" Judy asked, turning to see her boyfriend who wore his own look of surprise.

"I approve," Nick replied with a grin, "I'll approve even more if you send pictures." The two females looked at each other, nodding without a moment's hesitance.

"Sure," Judy said, "Same goes for you, if you decide to come over by yourself."

"Fine with me."

"Speaking of pictures," Olivia interjected, "I'll have to show Judy even more of the album; we didn't even make it to when you first started kindergarten."

"... Not fine with me," Nick said with discontent, "Not at all." The fox shot a raised eyebrow at Judy, who responded with a gesture of her paw across her face, miming the act of zipping her mouth closed.

"Well, you two better get going then, before traffic makes you tardy for work. Have a wonderful day on patrol, you two."

"Thanks. Bye, mom."

"Bye Olivia! Thank you so much for having us!"

The vixen waved her paw through the air, keeping the door open and watching them as they made their way to Nick's Furarri. After he started the ignition, both he and Judy gave a final wave goodbye to Nick's mother, before pulling away from the curb and down the street toward the heart of Savanna Central.

"What'd I tell you, Judy?" Nick said while he drove down the lane, "Nothing to worry about, right?"

"Ye — " Judy paused for a moment, her eyes looking upward before shaking her head, "Yeah, you were right. Nothing to worry about."

"She gave you the 'I'm his mother and don't you dare hurt my little boy, or I'll unleash Hell's wrath on you' speech, didn't she?" Nick asked with a smirk.

"Kind of…" Judy replied with uneasiness.

"I knew it. What did she say?"

"Nothing hostile, I swear. She just reaffirmed how important you were to her and that she wanted me to, you know… treat you right."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Nick said with a nod, "Well, I know it doesn't need saying, but you do more than treat me right. Neither of you have anything to worry about in that area." he assured her, reaching over and patting her left thigh.

"Thank you, Nick."

"No, thank you," the fox insisted, "For being so cool about me and my mom's connection. I know you already explained your reasoning, but seriously, that's a big deal to me. I'm glad that you not only didn't freak out, but that you were bold enough to suggest all three of us do it. That was a great idea." Judy reached down and grabbed Nick's paw, giving it a gentle squeeze against the top of her thigh.

"Of course, Nick," Judy said, looking over at him in the driver's seat as he pulled to a stop in the face of traffic slowing in front of him, "Anything for you." Nick turned to face her, his green eyes carrying the loving glimmer she'd come to adore over the months they'd spent together. She knew full well that he wanted to lean over and kiss her to show how much he adored her. The surrounding cars in the sea of traffic made him hold back, worried that one of the neighboring cars might notice and spread gossip faster than Judy could run across town. She didn't hold it against him; feeling his paw against her was more than enough for now.

"While we're on the subject though, and since we've got time on our paws," Nick said, his car creeping forward a few inches every ten seconds, "When do I get to meet your parents in return?" Judy's mouth curled in thought, her eyes looking toward her feet while she wiggled her toes.

"I'll get back to you on that," she said in a low voice.

"Alrighty," Nick said with a dismissive shrug. His response hit a nerve in Judy, one that made her feel somewhat guilty. While Nick had kept their relationship from his mother to surprise her, Judy had kept it a secret for a very different reason. It had to do with her upbringing, the way that Bunnyburrow viewed the state of marriage between species, and how she worried about their reactions to the fact that the mammal she was dating wasn't a rabbit.

Despite her fear, she knew it was unfair to Nick. He had shared something he was afraid of with her, something even his mother had feared. Though they felt no shame in what they'd done, they'd still harbored some dread of how she'd react, and told her the truth regardless. Judy knew that if she kept the truth from her parents in fear of their reactions, she wouldn't be keeping her promise to Nick's mother.

"Spring," Judy replied, making Nick turn his head, "Sometime early in the spring, before the crops on the farm come back to life. That way they're not caught up in work and have time to get to know you." Despite the silence in the air, Nick responded with an appreciative smile toward Judy, who returned the same expression, despite her nerves underneath.

"Sounds like a plan," Nick replied with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Nick, I just want to warn you: meeting them might not go as smooth as me meeting your mother."

"I know that, Judy, I'm not stupid," he replied, "I've heard about what the mammals in Bunnyburrow are like. I know the climate there, I know the risks." With traffic still unmoving, Nick turned to face her head on. "Still, it's a rock we've got to turn over, even if there's a scorpion hiding underneath it. Know what I mean?"

Looking up at Nick, she could see the sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't trying to act tough or put on a brave face for her sake. He knew that both of them visiting her parents in Bunnyburrow as an interspecies couple could stir up a mess of trouble for themselves, her family and anyone connected to them. Still, like Nick said, they had to do it at some point.

"You're right, Nick," Judy said, before unbuckling her seatbelt. She grabbed the fluff of Nick's neck and pushed her lips against him in a firm kiss, breaking away a full three seconds after she'd made contact.

"Whoa," Nick said, looking at the cars around him as Judy refastened herself into her seat, "Somebunny grew more daring all of a sudden."

"It's good practice," she replied, keeping her head forward without concern for any of the cars around them, "We're gonna have to be daring if we want to make this work, right?" Nick lifted his eyebrows and gave her a grin of approval.

"You got that right," Nick said with a nod, "But you never know, your parents might surprise you by being more open-minded than you think. They might even want to get to know me as intimately as mom got to know you."

The instant he suggested it, Judy's eyes widened, and she pleaded her brain not to conjure any mental images of what he'd suggested. Against her will, the sight of her portly mother and father buck naked entered her mind, both of them laying in bed in provocative poses that showed their flab hanging from their arms and stomach.

"Eugh!" Judy gagged, pushing Nick's paw off of her thigh, "No. No. No. Absolutely not. Not happening." Nick began to roar with laughter, slamming the back of his head against the car seat.

"Aw, why not?" he asked in a teasing tone, "You don't think they'd be up for it?"

"First of all, no, they're not 'up for' having incestuous sex with ANY of their children, thank you. Second of all, even if they were into it — " God, I hope they're not into it, Judy prayed as she struggled to shake the image of her naked parents from her mind, "I most certainly am not into it; not with them anyway."

"But you're into it if it's my mom?"

"Your mom is hot, Nick," Judy replied, "My parents? Not hot."

"I dunno," Nick said in a jaunty tone, "I mean, have you seen the caboose on your mother? Mm-mm, I can see where you get it from."

"Hey, you know that thing that you told me at your mom's house that you don't want me to talk about?" Nick's grin faded before he emitted a yielding sigh.

"Alright, fair enough," he said with a defeated resonance, before turning forward to see the cars ahead of him driving faster than a crawl. "If it makes you uncomfortable, I won't tease you too hard about it."

"Nick eased his foot onto the gas pedal and picked up speed along the road, while Judy looked out the window at the buildings of Zootopia whizzing by her. The dread in the pit of her stomach about her parents views began to subside for a number of reasons. For starters, there still remained a few more weeks of winter before the temperature would start to rise and usher in spring. That gave her plenty of time to gear herself up for the meeting, to practice their initial introductions and potential responses to how events unfolded.

Second, even in the worst case scenario, she knew her connection with Nick didn't depend on their blessing. What mattered was that Nick remained happy with her, like she was with him. Looking to Nick again, she saw him glance at her out of his peripheral vision and offer her a reassuring smile. His expression filled her heart with warmth, the feeling accentuated even more knowing that she would see the same smile on another fox; the same one that had welcomed Judy into her home and her bed with an open heart, just as Nick had done so many months ago.