A/N:

Alright. Finally there it is. The long-awaited second chapter for Gift-Wrapped Heart.
And nooo, I'm not over three months late for Christmas, I'm almost nine months early. That's how it is!
*does an overdone victory pose*

...
*Cough, cough*
Well, alright now. Let me quickly thank my buddy Quakky once more for his services as a beta- and proofreader before I leave you to your readings.

P.S.: In case you didn't see it yet, Gift-Wrapped Heart got a lovely cover art... which is far too small here on FFN to see what it is. If you are curious, why not head over to my AO3 account and see it in all it's glory together with a link to the artist's site?

Silence.

It filled the little space the vixen shared with two other mammals.

Not absolute silence, mind you.
It was broken by the monotonous, mechanical rumbling the train she was traveling in emitted, and the soft breathing of said two mammals, faint enough to be almost inaudible.

Green eyes rose from the pages of a book to gaze out into the darkness beyond the compartment's window. Little snowflakes whirled by, dancing in the draft the moving vehicle created and tapping against the glass every so often before they vanished back into the night.

The traces of a smile played around the female's lips as she was reminded of a very similar evening just one year before.

Her gaze met her reflection's.
Green stared into green.
Her own eyes.
Her son's eyes.

Turning her head a little, she peeked at the tod sitting across from her and her smile widened.

Still out like a light.

The male red fox sat slumped down in his seat, the sound of his slow, deep breaths mixed with the ones of the grey-furred female next to him. His tail wound around both their midsections in his sleep.

And again the vixen was reminded of the past, though last time her son was awake while his mate-to-be had snuggled up against his side, wrapped in the fox's tail, while he had looked at her with love and longing.
Now both painted a perfect picture of content bliss, his head resting atop of hers while each of his breaths ruffled her fur oh so slightly.
Where last time he had merely slung his arm around her, their paws were now intertwined, both reluctant to let go of each other even in their sleep.

A light reflection drew the vixen's attention, and warmth spread throughout her chest.
While the grey bunny-doe had only been a friend to her son back then had that changed the very same evening.

Vivian still remembered her kit's words. Words that had carried his whole heart and soul in an attempt to reach his beloved partner.
And the small, round pendant with the heart-shaped gem he had given her as a sign - a metaphor as much as a promise - that she now wore around her neck was proof that she had heard his plea loud and clear.

And she had answered in kind.
It had been the night when Judy Hopps had accepted her best friend's and partner's feelings, shedding tears that had waited to be shed for too long.

Vivian's gaze shifted by a fraction.
There was another reflection that made a mist raise into her eyes.
Twinkling at her from their paws, there sat two simple golden bands announcing to the world that those two mammals had chosen each other as mates for life.

She observed how the doe shifted a little in her sleep, burrowing her petite nose into her mate's neck-fur before lying still again. Nick's tongue slowly peeked out between his lips, licking her ear for just one stroke before remaining in that position.

A soft chuckle escaped the vixen, and with a smirk that was a perfect mirror of her son's usual lopsided grin, she took out her phone to quickly take a picture. She would enjoy teasing both young mammals later, though was aware at the same time that it would probably not draw more than an amused laugh from the tod. He had inherited her talent for aggravating others, after all, and was able to play the receiving part as well.

Even more than that, it seemed he had lived by her advice not to let others see that they got to him. She had given him those words after an incident with the junior ranger scouts that had left the little fox saddened and disillusioned.

Once Nick had returned, he had needed some time and courage to open up to her. From what her son had told her about his life after he had left their home, it seemed he had taken her words to heart a little too seriously. Instead of using them as a shield to protect himself from harm when need, he had used them to build a wall, shutting out every other mammal.

That made his relationship with the young, bright-eyed bunny even more exceptional in Vivian's opinion. Judy had been the one to drag her son out of his shell, out of his social solitude which he had retreated to in order to never get hurt again.

She had known that something special was going on between them the moment Nick had introduced Judy after showing up at her doorstep again after almost twenty years. And she hadn't missed the way her son had looked at the bunny when she pinned his badge to him during his graduation ceremony.
Joy, pride, and warmth had mixed in his loving gaze back then.

Partners in crime fighting, partners in love.
The thought brought a smile to Vivian's face. Not that both of them looked much like police officers at the moment. More like little kits, dead to the world after a long, eventful day.

She couldn't blame them. Unlike the year before, this season had been a challenging one for the whole ZPD. Crime had spiked in comparison to prior months, and it seemed like a bug was going around, putting mammals out of commission left and right, causing the staff at Precinct One to wear thin.

It was bordering on a miracle that they had even gotten some time off this Christmas to celebrate with the Hopps family again. A miracle or a present from their chief who had thought his two smallest officers, who had pulled their weight and then some... and then some more, deserved some time off before they actually broke down.
A wise decision if she had ever seen one.

During the last couple of days, her son had already looked exhausted enough to play one of the zombies in 'Fawn of the Dead'. And Judy wasn't far behind, her fur looking dull while there were dark rings under her eyes. Dizziness had even forced her to go home earlier one day, visiting a doctor before resting at home.

Vivian had been afraid the energetic doe had caught whatever was going around, but it seemed she really had simply overworked herself.
Even if it was just two days, but this short time-out would hopefully help them recharge their batteries at least partially.

Seeing as how those two slept the sleep of the just, Vivian wondered if she could risk taking a nap as well. A look at her wristwatch told her that she only had about half an hour until they would arrive in Bunnyburrow. At least more or less, since her old watch had a habit of straying from the actual time.
Considering that she would barely get any rest that way, she decided she could just as well stay awake, making sure they wouldn't miss their stop.

Her gaze lingered on the chronometer for a while.
At a first glimpse, it looked like a rather simple one. It was small and unimpressive, held in a silver-optic. A filigree pattern of lines adorned each segment of the watchstrap, worn down by time and barely visible when one didn't take a closer look. It rarely left the vixen's wrist, an assortment of scratches was evidence of that. And for a good reason.

The back of the watch showed what made it so special to her.
An inscription read 'To my beloved wife, who stayed with me for the last ten years. May we count many more'.
Only half a year after that anniversary her Robert had passed away.

The time after that had been grueling, raising a kit all on her own without her lifemate.
Memories blurred her vision for a moment.
The pain would never entirely go away. She knew that.

But she was blessed enough to have a life that was still filled with happiness after everything that had happened. Once more her eyes were drawn to the young mammals in front of her, her muzzle parting in a smile.

Her son.
Her daughter-in-law.
Her extended family that came with it.

She still couldn't believe how much her life had changed through that small-looking bunny.
A thought that she knew had crossed her Nicky's mind often enough as well.

Shaking off the chains of her past, she picked up her book again. It was a classic, one she had read probably about a hundred times throughout her life. But she still loved the story of Robin Hood. Maid Marian's lifemate; an outlaw; a hero for the suppressed and poor.
If not for the fact that he had been a thief, maybe he would have become the patron for all foxes. But the way it was, gentle Marian who protected every mammal under her care, no matter their species, age, or gender was a more positive personality to choose, even if that meant Robin had stayed in the shadows of history for a long time. Though if the stories were right, he probably would have preferred it that way.

Before long the PA system came to life, informing them that they would soon reach Bunnyburrow Station.

Roused by the announcement, Judy and Nick began to move, slowly unraveled from each other's embrace, and stretched to loosen up their muscles.

Judy wiped the sleep from her eyes just before her husband stole a kiss from her, drawing a pleased chirr form the doe.
"G'morning Sweetheart."
"'Morning' is good," she scratched him under the chin, taking a look out the window towards the approaching lights of the train station which sat in the darkness of the late evening.

"Do my two favorite kits feel well rested now?" a voice from across them drew their attention.
"Definitely a lot better than before, though a good night's sleep will be better still," Nick answered while standing up.

He reached into the overhead rack and started to hand out their jackets and scarfs to the two females.
"Still quite tired, but not as exhausted anymore," Judy accepted the garments handed to her and put them on. "What about you, Vivian? Did you get any sleep?"
The vixen shook her head. "But that's alright. By the time I thought about taking a nap we were almost here anyway. I'll make do for now."
"You sure?" Judy asked with a grin. "You know the kits will swarm you once they lay eyes on you."
"And I'm looking forward to it," Vivian smiled back and picked up her luggage, refusing to let her son take it in addition to his and his wife's.

As soon as the train came to a halt and the doors opened to the cold Bunnyburrow air, her smile widened. "Seems it will be sooner rather than later."

Only a handful of mammals stood on the platform.
Six of them approached the little group, though one little bunny broke into a waddling half-run.

"Vivan!" the high pitched, happy yell caused the heads of close-by mammals to turn in their direction, taking in the sight of a little buck running joyfully towards a vixen who had kneeled down with outstretched arms.
With a hop he threw himself at Vivian, laughing when she heaved him up and spun them around once before nuzzling the little bunny's cheek.

"Rupert, my have you grown since I've last seen you." She looked the sand-colored kit up and down.
"I did?" He peered at her with big, shining eyes. "But it was just a week!"
"You sure grow fast," she confirmed with a serious expression, earning her another giggle.

In the meantime, the rest of their welcoming committee had stepped closer.
"Sorry for the raiding party right upon your arrival, Vivi."
Moving the young buck so she could easily hold him in one arm, Vivian turned to face the other five lagomorphs, hugging the dark-brown doe who had addressed her.
"It's quite alright, Ally. I'm happy to see the little rugrabbits again so soon."
She gently ruffled the little female kit's headfur that was held by her mother - snuggling against her - and elicited a small giggle from her. "Hey there Hazel."

The concolorous grey kit looked at Vivian with bright blue eyes, which were only a couple of hues away from Judy's violet ones. With the one paw that wasn't grasping at her mom's parka, she held her stuffed bunny tightly to her chest.
"Come on Hazel, what do you say?" Alicia gently prompted her daughter.
"Hi Vivan," the little one replied meekly but with a smile.
The vixen couldn't help a chuckle. "Still as shy as ever, you sweet thing."

A tug at her scarf drew her attention downwards to the two other kits, one of them still holding the end of the garment in her tiny paw.
"Of course I haven't forgotten about you," she laughed, kneeling once more to pull them into a one-armed hug with her free paw. "How could I forget any of my favorite bunnies, huh, Yasmine? Polly?" She quickly nuzzled both of them around the ears in turn, causing them to squeal happily at the touch of her cold, wet nose.

"We missed you, Vivan," Yasmine - black with only a few white splotches in the fur around one eye - piped up.
"Yeah, we missed you," her sister - of the same brown-yellow color as their brother - agreed.
"But we saw each other just last week," Vivian pointed out what Rupert had loudly emphasized just moments ago.
"That's too long," Yasmine pouted.
"Yeah, too long," Polly followed suit, curling her lips the same way.
"I know, I know. I missed you, too," she couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice entirely.

"They really love you to pieces," the buck next to Alicia noted with a smile.
Giving the slightly chubby, brown male - whose fur was only the barest nuance lighter than his wife's - a hug as well, Vivian returned his smile. "Believe me, Frank, it's mutual. I'm so glad Ally asked me to cubsit them once she and the little ones decided to follow their father and move to Zootopia."
"I'm glad you were willing to help us out," he admitted.

Though he still felt a little ashamed of himself.
His wife had promised that she had never told Vivian of his reservations towards the vixen. Considering that she was a predator - and a fox at that - he had been a little scared to leave his kits alone with her and it had taken his mate no small amount of convincing to get him to the point where he was willing to meet up with the vulpine and get to know her first.
His suspicions had been shattered once he witnessed how his son was almost beside himself with joy upon seeing her.
Again, as his wife reminded him later.
And Vivian herself was kind, if not a little snarky. He couldn't help but like her and agreed that if she were willing to, they would be happy to have her looking after their kits.

He turned towards Nick and Judy, quickly pulling both of them into an embrace as well after Alicia had done the same.
"How is life with your family in the big city treating you?" Judy asked, directing the question at both her sister and brother-in-law.
"If you would call or write a little more often you would know," Alicia shot her a fake frown that soon melted into an amused chuckle. "But I guess between keeping Zootopia save and getting used to the life of a married couple it's easy to lose track of time, eh?" Her last words were laced with a suggestiveness that made the grey doe's ears burn. Though she still leaned against her fox, smiling when he put his arm around her. "I'd say you have no idea, but I guess you pretty much do."

Both couldn't help but giggle like teenagers.
The next moment Alicia's features turned contemplative.
"You haven't yet decided what to do about... well, starting a family of your own?"
"Since we both are different species," Nick spoke up, softly squeezing his mate's shoulder, "it's impossible for us to have kits of our own. But we haven't yet talked about adoption if that's what you mean."
He felt Judy reach up and grab his paw gently with her tiny one, pressing a light kiss to his index finger but saying nothing otherwise.

Alicia saw the warmth in both their expressions, telling her enough about the unspoken agreement both apparently had already come to.
"No matter how many kits you'll have and of whatever species they'll be, I have no doubt they will be loved and cared for like no other."

Surprise crossed their faces, and their eyes were drawn to each others'.
Features softened, and Alicia almost expected the word 'love' to appear on their foreheads in bright neon letters.
"And they will have the most awesome grandma," Vivian interjected, nudging her son with an elbow.
"Yeah, Bonnie is really great," the tod replied without missing a beat which earned him a flick to the ear by his mom and a punch to the shoulder by his wife.

Flinching at the double assault by both females he put on his most convincing innocent act. "What? Are you trying to tell me Bonnie isn't a great mother," he pointedly looked at Judy, "or wouldn't be a great grandmother?"
The doe rolled her eyes and yet an amused huff escaped her lips while Vivian chuckled at her son's false, dignified air.
"Two awesome grandmas." she corrected herself.
"Agreed," he laughed.

A sneeze interrupted their banter, sounding from the little fluffball on Vivian's arm.
The vixen pulled a clean tissue from her pocket and held it to the kit's nose. "Blow your nose, little man."

While Nick watched his mom interacting with Rupert, he felt the by then familiar longing as well as the tiny sting of doubt in his chest.
Being a father... wonder if I would... will be a good one.
At the same time, he felt his bunny softly squeeze his paw again as if she heard his thought and wanted to reassure him.

"I guess we should get moving before one of us catches a cold," Frank suggested, earning him nods from the mammals present.
And none too soon it seemed since the snowfall started to thicken again the moment they reached the parking lot. This time a powder-blue van was waiting for them, the vehicle being big enough to fit in Alicia and Frank's little family as well as their visitors.

Vivian opted to take the seats right behind the driver's together with Rupert who she placed in the safety seat next to her while Alicia did the same with Hazel in the seat adjacent her brother's. Judy and Nick sat in the back row with the remaining duo between them.

"You sure you don't want me to sit with them? They can be quite a pawful," Alicia asked.
"I've been growing up with hundreds of siblings. Do you really think I will despair at two of my nieces now?" Judy placed Polly in the seat, making sure she was secured while Nick did the same with Yasmine. Judy couldn't help but stop in her tracks for a moment, her own seatbelt in paw. Her mate's expression was warm with a soft smile while he handled the little kit. It was captivating to her.

The sound of Alicia's door closing shook her from her thoughts, and she caught her sister's gaze in the rear mirror.
Whoah, deja vu, Judy thought when the dark-brown doe shot her a knowing wink, though admittedly last time the face smirking at her had been white with a chocolate brown splotch of fur around the nose.

Fastening her seatbelt with an affirmative click Judy chanced another glance at Nick. The fox paid rapt attention to Yasmine who happily chittered away at him, describing in as much detail as possible how her day had been, accentuated by her sister verifying every other word she said.

The same happened one row in front of her as well where Vivian was under verbal assault from Ruppert.
It was always a pleasure to the vixen to see with how much fascination young kits looked at the world around them. A walk through the park could be to them like a ride in the most exciting rollercoaster, just because they saw a giraffe.

"She was sooooo big," the buck held his arms apart as far as he could.
"Really, that big?" Vivian asked in feigned surprise.
"Mhm, and she was yellow, and had brown spots, and a long neck, and hooves, and a long tongue, and weird horns. And there was also this elfant who was really loud, like this."
The vixen chuckled at Rupert's mispronunciation. Not that she hadn't 'suffered' from this as well considering how all the little ones had adapted one of Rupert's earliest jumbled up words by calling her 'Vivan'.

The young bunny tried to imitate an elephant's trumpeting by holding his arm to his nose like it was a trunk while blowing through his pursed lips, giving off a sound that was halfway between a whistle and blowing a raspberry.

Vivian couldn't see the laugh Judy trapped behind her paw, being reminded of a certain little 'elephant' and his tooting suit.

While Rupert continued on with his alluring babbling, Vivian's gaze kept wandering back to Hazel who had started to fidget in her seat, her eyes fixated on her mother. Her ears were plastered to her back and the more time passed the closer the little one seemed to get to break into tears. Knowing that Hazel was a more timid kit, Vivian quickly moved her tail so that it came to rest across both kit's laps.
A happy squeal sounded from the little buck as soon as the fluffy appendage was close enough to hug. What he immediately did.
Hazel flinched at first, surprised at the sudden appearance of it. The next moment she had already cuddled into it, snuggling into Vivian's fur.

It didn't take both of them five minutes until they were sound asleep. While cubsitting the four young rabbits, she had soon enough found out that letting them snuggle against her tail worked better than any bedtime story.

"Isn't that uncomfortable," came the low-voiced question from Alicia, having followed the interactions between Vivian and her kits in the rear mirror.
The vixen's gaze traveled from the kits to the doe, a warm smile spreading across her face while she shook her head. "It's fine. I don't mind it, and they don't tug at my fur in their sleep like my Nicky used to when he was younger."

Her ears twitched once upon hearing an amused chuckle from behind her when Judy caught that last comment, as well as an exasperated huff from her son.
"Well, I'm so sorry for the things I did in my sleep, mom."
"Still better than wetti-"
"Alright, I got it," the tod interrupted, feeling his ears heating up while his mate was convulsed with suppressed laughter, trying her hardest to stay quiet and not wake Rupert and Hazel.

In the meantime, Polly and Yasmine had been looking back and forth between the two foxes, not understanding what they were talking about.
"What's so funny?" Yasmine piped up, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
"Yeah, funny?" her shadow followed suit.
"Nothing, nothing. We were just thinking about the time when Nick was as young as you two, cuddling with my tail."
The little does' ears perked up at that.
"We wanna cuddle, too. Not fair!"
"Yeah, not fair!"
Rolling his eyes in faked annoyance, Nick moved his tail as well, mimicking his mom's action by letting it slip into the little ones' laps. Their reactions were immediate and the same as their siblings'.

Alicia's eyes widened a little at seeing this repeated action. "I thought Mellida said that foxes generally disliked it if their tails are being touched?"
Turning her head to look back over her backrest, Vivian followed the doe's gaze.
"That goes not for all mammals," she explained. "Family, mates and young kits are normally an exception. Well, not every kit, but it's not uncommon to be a little more lenient towards them."

Judy's ears perked up at that. "I'm pretty sure a certain fox had told me last year that it was not too uncommon for family and friends you are close to and which are precious to you." She shot her mate an inquiring look, who shrugged nonchalantly in response.
"I had already been in love with you back then, so you have always been more precious to me than a simple friend, Fluff."
The doe shook her head with an unbelieving smile.
"What? It's called-"
"A hustle, Sweetheart. I know." She smirked at him before her expression melted into a warmer smile. "Though I'm not sure it deserves that label, but thank you, you sly fox. That was really sweet of you."
"It's what I'm here for." A smug look crossed his face before he almost yelped in surprise.

Judy had started to tend to the tip of his tail which was just reaching her lap and gently fiddled with it, giving Nick a hard time repressing pleasant shudders so he wouldn't wake up the already asleep sisters between them.
The self-satisfied glee with which Judy regarded him was about on par with his earlier expression, causing both of the females in front of them to chuckle.

"Are they always like that?" Alicia turned to Vivian.
The vixen nodded. "It's almost sickeningly sweet how lovey-dovey they can be at times... but only almost."
Hearing those stage-whispered words they felt heat creeping into their cheeks along with a rising blush.
Not that it stopped Judy from caressing her mate's tail, though she eased up a little her administrations.
Nick started to purr almost inaudibly, closing his eyes while relishing the physical contact with his bunny.
At the sound, Yasmine and Polly fidgeted slightly in their sleep before sitting still again, the former giving off a little huff with the latter following a second later.

Their little bubble of contentment kept driving through the dark, snowy night. Only the occasional mumbling from one of the kits and Nick's soft purring broke the silence every now and then. When the night around them started to retreat, banished by a growing dome of light, the tip of the tod's tail began to wag in Judy's lap, drawing a giggle from her.
"Seems one of the kits can't wait to get back to the warren."

Looking back, Alicia's gaze searched for the one Judy had referred to, only to find her kits still asleep. Though seeing how Nick rolled his eyes at his mate before facing back towards the window was explanation enough.
Shaking her head, Alicia watched the tod flicking his tail, so it brushed against Judy's chin, causing her to flinch in surprise. As a matter of prudence, he quickly bent his tail backward so that it curled around Polly, effectively moving it out of Judy's direct reach to save him from retaliation.
Seeing his pouting bunny reflected in the window, he shot her a playful wink before focusing back on their steadily approaching target.

His eyes grew a little wider when the Hopps' homestead slowly came into view, forcing his smugness to change into an expression of honest anticipation.
Only his ear twitched when Judy gently brushed against his tail once more, and he willingly let it settle into her lap again.
The doe's own gaze was directed at her family's home as well, drinking in every detail that she could.

She had always loved this holiday.
The festive atmosphere. The happy laughter and merry songs that seemed to permeate the whole warren. The myriads of lights. The warmth she could feel even in the coldest of winter nights.
Old, fond memories mingled with fresh, more recent ones.
The voice of a ghost whispered into her ear.
You have my heart. And if you want to keep it, it's all yours.
One of her paws reached up to briefly touch the pendant around her neck.
Her eyes wandered towards the fox.
Her fox.
Her husband.
Her lifemate.

She had kept it. And she had accepted everything else the tod had to offer and gave everything she had to offer in return.
There had been not a single day she regretted it.

Bringing his tail up to her lips, she pressed a delicate kiss to it.
Nick turned around upon the soft sensation and glimpsed the love in Judy's eyes. Whenever it happened, he wondered how he deserved someone as perfect as her in his life, pushing aside his doubts that he didn't.

His eyes remained locked onto hers until the sound of an engine shutting down shook both of them out of their trance. The lights inside the vehicle switched on the moment Alicia opened her door, shortly followed by her husband.

When Vivian and Nick started to unbuckle and gently removed their tails from the little ones' grasps, it was inevitable to wake them up. Small paws rubbed at eyes which squinted in the sudden light, trying to figure out where they were. Once they realized they had arrived, they could barely wait to get out of the car.

Rupert quickly latched onto Vivian's jacket, causing the vixen to chuckle and lift the little buck out of the vehicle.
Watching this, Hazel started to struggle a bit in her seat, little anxious noises leaving her muzzle until her mother picked her up as well.

Yasmine and Polly had carefully followed Judy and Nick out of the car, Polly quickly rounding it to stand next to her sister. Seeing her brother on Vivian's arm again, Yasmine pulled at Nick's jacket, stretching her paws out towards him once he looked at her.
With a soft smile and an exaggerated sigh, he lifted the little doe, scooping up her sister as well just when she was about to protest.

Balancing one small bunny on each hip, he turned towards the hill-shaped main entrance of the Hopps' home. When Judy stepped up next to him, his tail wound around her waist in an improvised hug, considering his paws were already full. The doe leaned against his side, following his gaze.

Nick knew that he was looking at merely a small part of the whole building hiding subterranean. But what he saw was just as dazzling as he remembered it to be.
Though there was something he wanted to see even more than the festively decorated scenery in front of him.

His gaze traveled to the corner of the hill, knowing what was waiting just around it.
A fact Judy didn't miss. Sensing what was going through her reynard's fuzzy, red head, she turned towards her sister. "Why don't you go ahead. Nick and I will stay here a little longer."

Knowing what Judy had done the year prior - as did half Bunnyburrow probably considering how fast rumors spread here - Alicia gave Judy a knowing look, a grin stretching across her face.
"Aren't you a little too young to already reminiscent about old times?"
"Nothing wrong with that, is it?" Judy shot back, shrugging her shoulders embarrassedly.

"Well, come here you two rascals," Frank had approached Nick, attempting to take his daughters from him.
"But we wanna stay with uncle Nick," Yasmine exclaimed.
"Yeah, with uncle Nick," Polly clutched at the tod's jacket.

"Now, now, you'll make your daddy sad if you say you don't want to be carried by him. It's like saying you don't like him anymore," Nick gently berated the two little bunnies, giving the older buck a wink out of the corner of his eye. On cue, Frank let his ears droop and attempted a crestfallen look. Not the best, in Nick's opinion, but his daughters swallowed it hook, line, and sinker, immediately reaching out towards their father.
As soon as he took them, holding one in each arm like Nick did before, they pressed a loud smooch on their daddy's cheeks, Polly as always following her sister's example with a giggle, drawing a laugh from the buck.

Watching those two kits, Nick started to wonder if their current relationship would lead to them being inseparable in the future or one of them getting fed up with it at some point, leading to never ending arguments.

While the rest of their little group headed towards the entrance, Judy grabbed her mate's paw, dragging Nick along with her, a soft, knowing smile on her face.
"Seems the little ones are quite fond of you and your mom."
"What can I say," he slung his arm around her, pulling her closer, "we foxes are irresistible."
Judy gave a tittering laugh. . "I can't argue with that, I guess. This one here might just be a tad," she brought her index finger and thumb close together, "infuriating at times."

Rounding the corner, his eyes grew wide once he stood before them again.
Last year, Nick had found out about a beautiful Christmas tradition the Hopps family maintained.

An array of large fir trees were put up in a circle, with the tallest one in the center.
All the smaller trees were connected to their larger brother by a chain of lights spanning from tip to tip. And all of them wore overly pompous garments of tinsel, lights, and baubles.
Though what made them truly special was the fact that each of the Christmas balls and baubles was unique, made especially for them by a gaffer. Every ball showed an individual member of their family while the other glass-ornaments were shaped to resemble something that was special and dear to someone.

Feeling the warmth from his bunny next to him, he slowly stepped closer to the main tree.
It took him only a moment to find what he was looking for.

There - just a little above his eye level - hang two baubles, one in the shape of a ZPD badge and the other one looking like a pawsicle.
Someone had had the presence of mind to put up both of them next to each other. A fact that made him chuckle and caused his tail to gently swish behind him in a slow wag.

It had been Judy who had ordered the latter, hanging it up the year before, during his first visit to the warren. She had explained that it meant he was very dear - very important - to her.
Looking down at the doe who had snuggled against his side, he was reminded of the moment she had told him that. It was almost like time had reversed.
But there was a significant difference to the year before.

Leaning down, he put a chaste kiss on her lips, relishing the sound of her humming into it and dragging it out as long as possible before they parted again.
He saw the blush creeping into Judy's cheeks, almost hidden by her fur. But her eyes never averted from his, reflecting the lights around them while shining in their own warmth.

Their breaths billowed around their muzzles in small clouds in the crisp, cold air.
The snow had stopped falling before they had reached the farm, leaving behind a crystal clear night sky above them.

Leaning against each other, they remained like that for a while until Judy started to shiver.
"Want to head inside, Sweetheart?"
"Might be better, before I freeze solid," she nodded.
"Hmm, a bunny-flavored pawsicle..." his voice had a musing tone before his long tongue darted out, licking along his lips, "my favorite flavor."
Judy felt her ears heat up at the innuendo.
"You are incorrigible," she gave the tod a shove, an embarrassed smile playing on her lips.
"And you have such a dirty mind, Fluff. I was talking about this." He quickly bent down, giving his bunny's cheek a lick.
"Not like you had ever complained, otherwise," he added, shooting her a wink.

Shaking her head, she quickly grabbed the front of his jacket to pull him into a deeper, more passionate kiss than before.
A soft growl rumbled through the fox's chest as he felt his mate briefly nibble at his lower lip before drawing away again.
"That's all you get for now, buster. And now behave."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll behave... 'for now'." He gave her cheek another lick before straightening up.

Suddenly, the night felt rather warm to the both of them as they walked back around the building and towards its entrance.

Upon entering they were met with the inquiring gazes of two older bunnies.
"Mom! Dad!" Judy drew her parents into a double-hug.
"Hey there, Jude-the-dude," Stu merrily exclaimed once they released each other.

The doe shook her head in mild amusement. "You'll never let go of that nickname, will you?"
"To me, you'll always be the little, rambunctious tomboy who wants to become the first bunny police officer," he shrugged with a smirk.
"Just that I am a police officer now," she shot back with a smile. "Also, I think Nick is slowly rubbing off of you."

"As I told you," the one in question piped up, stepping closer to embrace Bonnie and Stu as well, "we foxes are irresistible."
"Again: incorrigible," she sighed.
"And that's why you married him," Bonnie added with laughter in her voice.
"Mom, not you, too," Judy let her head hang in fake despair, causing the four other mammals to break into laughter.

"Well, Nicholas is one charming fella, that's for sure," the older buck stated.
"Why, thank you, Stuart."
"Oho, is that how it's going to be, Piberius?"

Nick's ears twitched slightly at the use of his middle name.
Eyes darting towards his mate, he smirked with a hint of annoyance. "I take it, Laverne was the one telling you about this?"
"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no! You are not going to call me that! Dad, just call him Nick. Please!"
"Fine, fine. Why don't you and Nick put your jackets away and we go get you something to eat?"
Judy agreed with a tired smile, briefly rubbing her forehead. "That sounds great. I'm starving."

"Are you alright?"
Judy let her paw fall at her mother's question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. And hungry, so let's hurry."

While heading down the stairs towards the actual warren, Nick's ears started to flick back and forth. About halfway down, he wondered out loud: "Is that music I'm hearing?"
"Oh, right, last year our PA system had conked out when you were here," Stu mused. "Yes, we keep some Christmas songs running throughout the main parts and living rooms in the afternoon. If it gets too much, you can always retreat to your room or one of the smaller living rooms or the library. And the music stops entirely at eight."

While Stu talked, a soft smile stole across Nick's face.
The outside is a winter wonderland. The inside looks like Santa's workshop, his eyes darted around, taking in the decorations and the small hills of fake snow here and there, and Christmas carols are played. This family is crazy about these holidays... and I love it.

His tail had started to wag as he hummed along to the tune of 'Coming Home for Christmas'.
Meanwhile, Judy had started to swing their intertwined paws, giggling at her husband's cheerful, kitlike demeanor.

To see how much he enjoyed the season made her happy. But more than that, she felt proud. His cynical shell had slowly started to crumble over the last years, and he had made it clear that she was the reason for this. She had shown him that this world was more than speciesism and greed; that there were still mammals with values and morals. That he could still find meaning in it.

Maybe he hadn't used those exact words, but she still knew.
She knew from every look, every touch, every word he gave her.

Or I'm just ridiculously corny, she mentally chided herself.

But feeling his paw gently squeezing hers and glimpsing the warm laughter in his eyes while he gazed into hers right then made it hard not to believe it was true.

Though should he ever tell her that, she would deny it. She felt it was wrong to think it was just her doing when she was aware it actually had been his own strength that helped him to open up to the world once more after everything that had happened in his life. She only had given a little push.

On their way towards the dining hall, they passed by numerous bunnies singing along. Many of them waved at the newcomers, bright smiles causing Nick and Vivian to feel welcome again right from the start.

When they entered the large room, Nick's eyes widened by a fraction and he shook his head in mild disbelief.
"You really pulled it off, Stu. I didn't think you would get it finished in time."
With a wide grin, the buck hooked his thumbs under the straps of his overall, satisfied that he had been able to surprise his son-in-law.

"Yep, it wasn't easy, but this year the whole family can eat together."
He gestured with one paw, including the whole renovated dining hall that was roughly twice the size compared to the year before.

"The whole family?" Judy's voice was neutral, but Nick still sensed the hurt it carried.
As did her parents.

With a sigh, her mom absentmindedly scratched behind one of her ears.
"Pop-pop didn't promise anything, but he said he might join us this time. I'm not really sure if he has come around yet, but I'm convinced he will. Give him some time."

Judy hadn't realized it until one of her siblings had mentioned that their grandfather had actively avoided meeting Nick and Vivian whenever they had visited Bunnyburrow.

While she was aware of the old buck's opinion when it came to foxes, Judy had still hoped he would come to understand that her mate wasn't anything like what the prejudices implied.

It seemed she had been wrong, and it hurt to know.

"Luckily, not everyone is as thickheaded as pop-pop, sis."
The voice jostled Judy out of her thoughts and her raising gaze was met by a pair of dark-blue eyes.

"Jake!" With a happy outcry, she pulled her littermate into her arms, drawing a surprised yelp from the reddish-brown buck before he returned the hug with an amused huff.

"Come 'ere you big lump," he turned to Nick, pulling the tod into an embrace as well.
"Oof, it's good to see you, too, little boy blue."

Jake groaned over the sound of his guffawing sister.
"I really 'owe' you for telling him about this, Melly," he grumbled and turned around, glaring at the doe who had been waiting behind him patiently.
"You are welcome," she grinned at her brother while glomping the fox next.

"Sheesh, what is it with you bunnies and your need for physical contact?" Nick remarked.
With a gasp Mellida let go of him immediately. "Ah, I'm so sorry, Nick. I always forget to take into account that you might dislike stuff like that."

The doe's ears were drooping only to perk up the next moment when her headfur was ruffled by the tod.
"Seriously, Dips. You should know by now that I love yanking your chain."

Turning halfway around she looked at Judy in annoyance. "Why again did you marry that guy?"
"Because nobody else wanted him?" she shrugged, a wide grin plastered over her face.
"Ouch, Fluff. You know you love me."
"Haven't heard that one in a while," she chortled in reply.
"Maybe because you keep telling me every day," he pulled her into a sidelong hug, affectionately rubbing a thumb over her cheek which drew a happy chirr from the doe.

"And here they go again," Vivian quickly interrupted the couple's banter.
Judy smoothed back her reddening ears with a bashful smile while her husband blithely shot her a wink.

"So what is the story behind that nickname?"
The vixen's question roused a groan from Jake who had believed the attention had shifted away from him.

A false hope, it seemed.

"Ah, yeah," Nick smirked at the pouting buck. "I really have to commend you for coming up with that one, Dips. You see, mom, when this guy here was a teenager he tried to cop out on helping paint a barn. So he hid in a hay bale. Bad luck for him - or karma, if you will - they had temporarily stored the paint cans in the exact barn his little hiding place was in. One of his older siblings was fetching some of those unfortunately not well-sealed cans, stumbled and dropped a couple of them over the hay bale. The paint soaked through until he was as blue as his eyes."

His smirk had grown equally to the buck's deepening frown.
"Alright, laugh it off, will you? I swear, how Judy can possibly refrain from sometimes kicking your butt from Zootopia to here and back is beyond me."
The tod chuckled, giving Jake a half-lidded grin. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know more about my butt?"

The buck's eyes grew wide at those words. "How d-"
With an audible 'clack' his mouth fell shut, trapping the words inside. But the same moment he knew that it was already too late. Deflating, he averted his eyes from the mammals in front of him, his ears dropping behind his back in uncertainty.

Nick's expression had turned serious as the fox understood his mistake.

"Alright, what have I just missed."
The question caused everyone to turn towards Mellida who looked at them flabbergasted.

Nick couldn't help rolling his eyes, unwittingly mirroring his mate's action.

A fragile smile appeared on Jake's face.
"How about we go somewhere more comfortable," he suggested quietly, earning some nods and an even more quizzical look from his clueless sister.

A lively fire was crackling in the fireplace of one of the smaller above-ground living rooms which were strewn all over the warren. The little group had retreated there in order to give Jake some space and a feeling of privacy, sensing that the buck felt the need to not announce what he planned to in front of a larger audience than necessary.

He looked deep in thought, nervously kneading a spot between the index finger and thumb of his left paw.

Meanwhile, Nick wore an unusually sober expression that furrowed his brows slightly.

Vivian had taken a seat close to the fire, enjoying the warmth seeping into her fur.
Her eyes slowly moved from each of the present mammals to the next. She knew what was bothering her son. And it was easy to guess what was going through the head of the younger buck.

Stu's mouth had occasionally opened and closed again after a moment of no word leaving it.
She guessed there were things he wanted to tell his son, but either he didn't know where to begin or changed his mind, waiting for Jake to start talking whenever he felt ready.
Though she assumed that wouldn't be the case until Judy and Bonnie showed up.

After the former's stomach had started to growl - much to the grey doe's chagrin - Bonnie had put her foot down stating that she would quickly get her as well as Nick and Vivian something to eat and fetch some beverages for all of them, asking Judy to lend her a paw.
Both Nick and Judy had tried to protest, but the matriarch had been resolute, making it clear that she wouldn't let their guests go hungry for longer than needed.

As for Mellida... the young, white bunny's gaze was going back and forth between her brother and brother-in-law, still trying to figure out what had transpired in the dining hall minutes ago.

Vivian's first impression of the young female had been one of a sharp bunny. Though now she was wondering if she hadn't had to revise that. Or maybe the doe was just too close to her brother, missing the obvious.
As the saying goes: to miss the forest for the trees.
The vixen gave a mental shrug. Mellida would find out soon enough and Jake would see that he had been setting his own teeth on edge over nothing.

Just when Stu opened his muzzle once again, Bonnie and Judy reappeared. The older of the two grey lagomorphs held a tablet with multiple steaming cups on it while the younger carried three plates and sets of flatware.
After she had handed one out to Vivian, moving another in front of Nick's face drew his unfocused gaze back to the present.

He took the offered food - a savory-smelling vegetable lasagna - with a soft-spoken thanks.
The expression he glimpsed on his mate's face gave him pause.
Her ears were folded back behind her head in a relaxed manner. Her features were soft and there was a coy little smile playing around her lips. And for some reason she had trouble holding his gaze, her eyes darting away for just a split-second before focusing back on him.

His instincts told him something had happened, though considering that his bunny didn't look distressed he decided to leave her be for now and concentrate on the matter at paw.

Before he was able to gather his thoughts, another grey-furred paw appeared before him, this one holding one of the steaming cups.
"It's hot cider. I hope you enjoy it, we made this ourselves."

He took a nip from the hot liquid, relishing the fruity flavor that ran down his throat.
"It's delicious, Bonnie."
The doe nodded with a smile and continued to hand out the beverages.

Nick watched as Jake was drawn out of his musings.
He had been chewing on his lower lip until his mother addressed him.
With a soft hum, he accepted one of the cups as well, finally easing up after sipping from it.

When Bonnie sat down, silence filled the room once more, interrupted only by the still cackling flames.

Some minutes passed that way until Nick set his cup down on the coffee table in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Jake."

The buck looked up from his own cider, meeting the fox's gaze.
As he shook his head the corners of his lips curled slightly upward. "Don't be."
Nick tried to object, but the rabbit continued without giving him the chance to.
"I mean, I'm kinda upset that you did that. But thinking about it, I guess that just means it was so obvious that you and everybody else knew anyway, huh? I don't take you for the kind of guy who would hawk other mammals' secrets around."

The tod's weak, lopsided grin was a mirror of Jake's as he nodded.
"Still, I should have paid closer attention. Even when everybody else knew I should have realized that you tried not to act the part. It should have been you who decided when and whom to tell about it."
"Nah," Jake shrugged it off, "I'm actually glad that happened. I was trying to work up the nerve to come clean for a while now but always chickened out in the end. It feels... nice to finally admit it."

"Alright! Would you kindly stop speaking in riddles and tell me what in the name of roasted radish is going on here?"

All heads turned towards Mellida who looked frazzled from trying to follow the conversation. Her ears stood out in different directions as if they weren't sure what the proper position to adopt was.

Nick took up his cup once more, mumbling that it wasn't his place to explain this time before he took a gulp and turned towards his food, now that he didn't feel as guilty anymore.

Jake chuckled at his sister's expression before a sigh left his lips.
He kneaded his paws nervously, though hesitated only a moment before starting to talk.
"I'm gay, Melli. And I'm also an inter... or, well, more precisely, I-I'm interested in predators."
His gaze briefly flickered towards Nick before returning to the white-furred bunny.

"Irresistible," Nick mumbled with a smirk.
"Incorrigible," his mate muttered under her breath.

Jake's nose started to twitch slowly now that he had said it out loud for the first time and he grabbed his forearm with the opposite paw.
The next moment he felt someone softly rubbing a spot between his ears, causing his tightly wound shoulders to relax.
With a turn of his head, he was met by the soft expression on his mom's face.

Deflating a little, he chuckled and shook his head.
"You really already knew, huh?"
Bonnie continued her gentle caressing as she looked at her insecure kit. "For a long time, we wondered if you were interested in anyone, to be honest. You never seemed to care about other bunnies, so we thought that maybe you were just, well, asexual. I feel a little bit ashamed that the thought of you being an inter never crossed my mind."

Leaning back in his seat, Jake scratched at his cheek.
"Same here."

His statement caused some surprised stares.
"What? Before Judy came here with Nick, I never considered being with someone from a different species. I'm sure I'm not the only one who found a new perspective or at least a bit of needed courage last year. Heck, look at how many of us have started dating outside of our species. Sure, some might only try it out since it's 'new and exciting,' but there are also some who I could easily see getting married soon."
The buck took a deep breath, realizing he was rambling.
"Well, I'm one of those who finally understood," he concluded with a weak grin.

"So, that's all?" The somewhat disappointed question drew all eyes back to Mellida.
"I mean," she jerked a little at the sudden attention, "it was obvious, wasn't it? And here I thought it was something big that I missed."

Vivian chuckled silently.
I still can't tell if that bunny is sharp or not.

"What I'd like to know is," Bonnie took a small sip from her cider, "if there already is someone."
Her voice raised subtly at the end of her sentence, turning it into a question while she directed a curious gaze at her son.
Since Jake had turned to his own beverage in the meantime, he almost choked on it.

Coughing he felt his cheeks heat up.
"W-well, no, I'm not, you know... seeing anyone."
"Buuut?" Judy pressed on with a grin.
A bashful smile appeared on the buck's face as he turned his cup in his paws.
"There is that black-footed ferret working at Murray's Garage. His name's Steve Polcatton. He moved to Bunnyburrow about four months ago and I met him when I was bringing one of our cars over there for a checkup. We got to talk while he worked on it and he is just so bubbly and c-cute." Jake blushed a little at his last words and took another nip from his cup.

"He asked if I didn't want to go drink a beer with him sometimes. So we did and, I don't know, it just clicked for me, I guess."
"Not for the both of you?" Mellida leaned forward on the table. "I mean, it sounds like you two hit it off quite well."

Jake simply shook his head. "He told me how glad he was to have met someone so quickly who didn't seem to mind that he was a predator. Probably we just became fast friends in his eyes and nothing more."

"Did someone give him a hard time since he arrived here?"
It was the first time Stu had spoken up for a while, concern coloring his voice.
"I don't think so. But you know how Murray is. It's hard to tell if that old grump likes anyone. And it takes folks around here a little to get used to someone new, so that might have been part of it, too."

Finished with his lasagna, Nick placed the plate in front of him, letting his long tongue trace his chops, removing the remaining crumbs sticking to his muzzle.
"That doesn't set anything in stone. He is not aware of your feelings and hasn't turned you down." The reynard's eyes flickered towards his wife.

Jake remembered how one year ago Nick had confessed his feelings towards Judy, not only in front of the whole Hopps family but also without knowing what her answer would be.
The message was clear to him.

With a sigh, the buck made his decision. "Would it be alright if I invite Steve over tomorrow to celebrate with us?"
"Sure," Bonnie answered with an uncertain smile, "if you think he hasn't made plans with his family already."

"I don't think so."
The older doe faced her husband upon his unexpected statement.
"The boy has no family. At least not here. He came to Bunnyburrow alone to start a new life."
"How do you know about this, dad?"
The puzzled look on his son's face wrestled a sad smile from Stu.
"Murray might be an old grump, but he does care."

Hearing those words Judy was reminded of a certain bovine someone whom that description fit as well, and judging from her fox's soft smirk he had the same thought.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him," Bonnie clapped her paws together once, smiling at her son.
He returned it, sighing the next moment. "Really, I have worried so much for nothing."
"Tell me about it," Nick laughed, earning him an amused snort by the buck.

He felt a soft sensation against his side, and looking down found his mate leaning against him, eyes almost completely closed.
The next moment Judy jerked awake again.
"Still tired, Carrots?"
The doe nodded, her muzzle opening into a massive yawn.

When she looked at Nick, she found him gazing at her bemusedly.
She rolled her eyes. "Just say it."
"You are incredibly cute when you do this." His words were accompanied by a wide grin.
Placing a short kiss on his lips, she hummed approvingly. "Be grateful that I know you mean it."
"I'm always."

He checked the time.
The evening had advanced while they had been talking so he suggested that they should go to bed.
"Sounds fine," the doe agreed. "I'm sorry that we head off so soon after arriving."
Her parents shook their heads in unison. "Don't be. Make sure to get some rest so you are fit for tomorrow. Oh, before I forget it..."
Bonnie shot her husband a quick glance prompting him to continue.
"We have prepared guest room eleven for you. Or to be more precise, it's not a guest room anymore."

Judy looked at her dad quizzically.
"What your father is trying to say is, we have decided it would be nice if you two had your own room here whenever you visit us since you don't live in the Burrows. So that room is now furnished for two mammals. Of course, if you want to change something, go ahead. It's yours now."

The young doe shot her parents a grateful smile. "Thank you, guys."
"Thank you, Bonnie. Stu." Nick added.
"It's nothing, really. We can't expect a married couple to always sleep in separate beds when staying here," Stu shrugged it off.

Judy felt a blush creep into her ears and let them quickly drop behind her.
With a bashful smile, she grabbed her mate's paw.
Wishing everyone a good night, the two young mammals headed towards the stairs, Nick carrying their luggage which he had dragged along since their arrival.

Reaching the floor below, Judy suddenly started to giggle. At her fox's inquiring look, she pointed over her shoulder back to where they came from, whispering just loud enough that he could hear her. "My mom is just trying to convince Jake to call his crush right now before he 'forgets' it. And it seems your mom is backing her up quite enthusiastically."
"So, my plan had worked perfectly."
"Plan?"
Nick gave her one of his best, lopsided grins. "Why, my plan to show Jake that he had nothing to worry about and that he would be supported by everyone, of course."

The doe's half-lidded expression showed how much she believed in his words.
"Yeah, you messed up and luckily my family is open-minded enough to take something like this without any problems," she deadpanned.
"I wouldn't be blessed with such an incredible mate and have their support as well, otherwise," he admitted, his smirk easing into a more genuine smile.
"There is that silver tongue again," Judy chuckled, but still rewarded him with another kiss.

It was just a short trip towards their new, own room.
Nick had found out that the guest rooms were located relatively close to the entrance of the warren in one of the peripheral hallways. Though during his first visit they had headed directly for the dining hall, which had a somewhat central location. From there to the showers, to Judy's room and finally to his guest room had made for a round trip causing him to slightly lose his sense of direction. But he had internalized the layout for the top floors and was finding his way around rather easily by now.

That still didn't stop him from reaching for his bunny's paw, earning him a gentle smile.

Opening the door to their personal, private area revealed a small but comfy room.
The furniture was a little spartan.
Along one wall there stood a drawer with a mirror hanging above it, while a set of two chairs and a side table occupied a corner. Additionally there were two nightstands, one on either side of the double bed that was slightly bigger than their own at home.

Not that they needed a large one.
Snuggling against each other as they did every night led to an abundance of excess space.

Everything showed the same Christmasy flair the whole warren radiated.
The duvet covers were held in green and red, the pillows sported a design of snowflakes, and the drawer and side table were draped with white tablecloths embroidered with simple shapes of Christmas trees. The finishing touch was an advent wreath hanging on the wall above the bed as well as a couple of fake fir twigs bound to the bedposts with red and golden silk ribbons.

Since it was a former guest room, one of the amenities was an integrated bathroom, sparing them the tour through the warren to take a shower.

As soon as they had entered their room, Judy closed the door behind them.
Nick's ears perked up at the sound of the lock snapping into place, and he turned to his mate with a curious expression. She leaned with her back against the wood for a moment before pushing herself off, slowly moving towards the bed.

While passing it by she took off her sweater, shirt, and pants deliberately slow, observing her husband swallow at the sight out of the corner of her eye.

Dressed only in her panties she continued towards the bathroom and stopped right under the threshold.

Looking back over her shoulder, she shot her mate a suggestive look.
"I don't know about you, Slick, but I'm going to take a nice, hot shower now."
The tod tried hard not to pant when he thought about what his lovely wife might have planned. "Are you sure about this, Fluff? I mean, we are not alone here, surrounded by your family and their superpowered ears."
Chuckling at his usual foolery she shook her head.
"Every bedroom is soundproof. A big family tends to be noisy, even when everyone is just sleeping. And considering that rarely everyone is just sleeping but someone always sneaks someone in... let's say, it's definitely safe to take a shower here. Though, if you rather want to go to sleep right away..." With a shrug, she vanished inside the room, her undergarments sailing back into the main room just a moment later.

Before the piece of fabric even hit the floor, a red-furred blur had whooshed past, following the grey bunny who's surprised eek could be heard the next instant, followed by a warm, tinkling laugh.

The next morning came silently.

It snuck into the day like a thief, giving no sign of its arrival or presence.

When Nick cracked open an eye, there was darkness all around him.
Not absolute blackness, though. On the nightstand next to Judy's side of the bed stood a digital clock, its red numbers lightening the room marginally. And his own night vision helped distinguish his surroundings.

Moving his head a little, he barely saw the rim of a grey-furred head at the lower edge of his vision. Not that it was possible for him to discern colors at the moment, but he didn't need to. Judy was the only mammal who could be there, lying snug against his front, bare fur against bare fur as their body warmth mingled.

His arms were wrapped around the doe, and gently he moved one of his paws down her back. Under her soft, velvety fur he felt trained and toned muscles.
Such strength mixed with a certain delicacy, both in body and soul. A thought that, if not every day, still often crossed his mind while waking up next to the mammal he loved.

A petite nose nuzzled into his chest fur.
"Ah, sorry, did I wake you up?" His whispered question barely broke the silence in their room.
"Mm-mm," the doe hummed in negation, though Nick was sure her being asleep hadn't been an act.

Smiling softly, he continued to caress her back, one of his paws reaching up a little further to do the same with her neck while one clawed thumb scratched at the back of her head. In return, she started to tooth purr at her mate's tender loving care.
The sound caused the tip of his tail - which was loosely draped over her legs - to wag, brushing against her own, cottony tuft of fur. With a giggle at the sudden sensation, she pulled herself tighter against the fox.

The action showed no signs of lust, just the need to feel closer.
A notion which Nick returned.

He affectionately nuzzled Judy between her ears, inhaling the scent of his beloved bunny deeply.
"Have I told you that I love the perfume you wear?" he asked, nuzzling her again.
He could hear the smile in her answer. "Not yet, no."
"Well, I do. I never knew you even use something like this."
"I wanted to try something new," she rubbed her forehead lovingly against his chest. "And I'm glad. I hoped that you would like it. So, this one is a keeper?"
He quickly placed a lick and kiss to the base of one of her ears. "Mhh, most definitely. And the perfume as well."

He heard and felt the amused snort that escaped Judy at his corny statement before she drew away a little from him to be able to sneak a kiss from his lips.

They remained in their shared embrace for a little longer, almost feeling ready to drift back to slumber. Before that could happen, Judy cast a glance at the clock behind her.
Surprised she realized that it was after nine in the morning.
"We have slept for almost twelve hours."

Nick's eyes opened again at her statement, realizing he wouldn't get the chance to fall asleep again. Propping himself up on one arm, he looked over his mate to see for himself.
"Seems we needed that, then. Not that I'm surprised. We had a rough couple of weeks. And yesterday was quite draining as well."

Judy didn't need to see his smirk for she could detect it in his voice well enough.
A blush heated up her ears as she gave the reynard a playful slap to his chest.
"We should get up, or there will be no breakfast left for us."

She swung her legs over the bed's edge when she heard rustling and the soft whisper of the sheets and mattress as Nick moved. A soft sensation on her shoulder elicited a happy chitter from her as he pressed his lips against it. She answered by placing a paw on his snout, scratching the ridge of it while kissing the side of his muzzle.

"Get up now," she commanded, finally rising and heading for her still unpacked luggage to find some clothes.
Her fox followed suit with a chipper "Yes, ma'am."

Dressed and freshly brushed, they were about to leave their room, but Nick held her back just beneath the door.
When Judy opened her mouth to protest, his upward-pointing claw interrupted her.
Following it with her eyes, she saw something they had seemingly missed the night before. Above their heads hang a mistletoe just inside the room.

Eyes falling back down, she caught Nick's approaching muzzle with both paws, much to his surprise. His wide-eyed expression drew a laugh from her before she released him only to place a deeper, more passionate kiss on his lips, creating a strong, rumbling purr in his chest.

Since they stood halfway out in the hallway, multiple bunnies passed them by, whistling at the couple.
"So active already in the morning?" one of Judy's sisters - a brown and black doe with golden eyes - teased.

Judy's ears dropped bashfully behind her while Nick grew a self-satisfied smirk that was close to reaching the red end of the scale.
She could feel his paw, that had somehow found its way to the small of her back without her noticing, drawing her closer.

A loud grumble erupted from the doe's midsection as if snarling at the offending sibling.
"I slowly get the impression that your stomach has a mind of its own, Carrots."
"Not yet. But if I don't get something to eat soon, I might start gnawing on you."
"Again."

An elbow found its way into the tod's site, making him exhale in a sudden 'oof'.
"Alright, alright, I'll behave. Geez, talk about domestic violence," he over-dramatically rubbed the spot his wife had hit.
Judy who was already heading towards the dining hall shot back over her shoulder with a smirk. "At least you know who wears the pants in this relationship."
"Yesterday, none of us d-" the doe threateningly raised her arm again, her mate foolishly having closed the distance between them.
"Nevermind."

With a satisfied nod, she grabbed his paw and pulled him along.
Nick chuckled at his bunny's eagerness.

Vivian chuckled at the little bunny's eagerness.

She had joined Alicia and her family for breakfast and sat after his passionately voiced demand right next to Rupert.
The young buck's attention had wandered from his pancakes to the vixen and back to his food. Unfortunately, it had ended with him leaving traces of syrup all over his small face.

After they had finished, Vivan attempted to clean him off with a handkerchief only for Rupert to state he was able to do it alone. She now watched him swiping away at his face, managing only to spread the sticky, viscous liquid even more across his fur and causing it to stick out in spikes in some spots.

With a sigh, Alicia stood up. "I'll go get some water to clean up this little punk."
"Why not just groom him? Oh, do rabbits even groom their kits or each other?" Vivian wracked her brain trying to remember if her son, his mate or any other of the bunnies she knew had mentioned something about this.

The dark-brown doe had stopped in her tracks upon the question.
"Well, we do. Sometimes. But considering our small tongues, something like the mess Rupert has created here would probably take close to an hour, not taking into account that he would probably struggle against it all the time." She considered it for a moment before shaking her head.

"I guess it's my turn then," the vixen smirked before drawing her long tongue over the top of the kit's head. The action drew a surprised laugh from him before he attempted to pull away as Vivian repeated it.

Smirking, Alicia sat down once more. "You will just have to bear with it, Sweety."
She watched as her son kept struggling while Vivian drew him closer, starting to work on all the clotty lumps of fur that he had managed to create.
He kept up his resistance for some minutes before finally accepting that he wouldn't get away that easily. Just like when his mommy wanted him to take a bath and he wouldn't get out before he was squeaky clean.
So he settled for pouting.

Crossing his arms, his ears laid back in defiance, while he stoically waited for Vivian to finish. Though she made it rather difficult for him to keep this act up, her tongue often enough stroking over rather ticklish spots, eliciting a giggle or a laugh every now and then before he returned to his former sulking.

"Uncle Nick!"

The vixen was just about finished when an outcry - followed by another one just a second later, making it all too clear which two little does had caught sight of her son - drew her attention to the newcomers entering the dining hall.

Spotting his mom and her entourage, Nick and Judy sauntered over to their table.
"Well, if it isn't two of my favorite little bunnies. Lightning and Thunder."
He briefly ruffled their headfur while greeting the rest of the present mammals.

"But those are not our names," Yasmine protested with a giggle.
"Yeah, not our names," her sister parroted.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mate shaking her head.
"Oh, but I think they suit you quite well. You," he softly booped the black-furred kit's nose, drawing another chuckle from her while she cross-eyed tried to bring his digit into focus," always speak first. You are the lightning."
He turned towards the sand-colored bunny-girl.
"And you..."
Boop
"well, what follows after every lightning?"

The two sisters looked at each other, their little faces scrunched up contemplatively.
Polly's ears shot up as a broad smile spread over her features.
"Thunder!" she loudly exclaimed.
"Yeah, thunder!" Yasmine's ears followed her sister's example.

The sudden reversal of roles left the tod slack-jawed for a split-second before he laughed out loud.
Did those little pipsqueaks just do that on purpose? he wondered, shaking his head while the remnants of a smile still adorned his face.

"I see you get it. Cool, isn't it?" He leaned back in his seat, waiting for their answers with a half-lidded grin.

Both nodded in unison.
"Yeah, cool," the usual one started.
"Mhm, cool."
Phew, normality restored.

Being focused on the sisters, Nick entirely missed the warm smiles that had spread across the faces of the mammals around him as well as the grins and smirks directed at his mate.
The latter wore an expression that made it evident how affected she was from witnessing her husband interacting with her little nieces in such a heartwarming way.

She was pulled out of her little dreamworld when a stack of pancakes appeared in front of her. Attached to the plate was a grey paw, belonging to her mother who gave her a knowing smile that made the younger doe's ears burn.
"Thanks, mom. I'm starving."

The words drew Nick's attention back from observing the two young girls chuckling and laughing while addressing each other with their new names.
Bonnie stood next to them, placing her second plate in front of him and presenting him with another stack of pancakes, these ones topped with a tremendous load of blueberries that made his maw water just from the sight.

"Bonnie, you are a lifesaver." He watched his mate dig in with gusto before he even had a chance to grab his own fork and knife.
"Though more her life than mine, I guess," he added with a smirk, earning him the brief sight of the doe's small pink tongue poking out at him before she continued annihilating her meal.

"Nothing is better than a good breakfast against exhaustion."
Nick didn't miss the inflection in Bonnie's words. His ears started to heat up.

Didn't Carrots say that the rooms here are soundproof!?
A glance at her showed a wide-eyed doe, almost choking on her food while her laid-back ears were turning as red as his fur.
"Mom!" Judy's voice was a little rough after barely being able to swallow the bite she had forced down.
"What? I didn't say anything, did I?" Judging from the teasing in the older bunny's voice it was clear that she knew. It didn't matter how, or if it was just a fluke they had confirmed with their reactions. The poorly suppressed laughter from the other's didn't help them regain their composure in any way.

Only the four small kits wore similar expressions of confusion, wondering about the adults acting strange again. But since they always did that, they simply shrugged it off. Grown-ups were weird, after all.

Bonnie sat down next to Vivian and a still pouting Rupert, taking in the little one's headfur that was - now clean - partly sticking out in different directions. Giving the self-satisfied smirking vixen an inquiring look, Vivian provided a quick summary, earning her a chuckle from the Hopps matriarch as well as an annoyed huff from the small buck.

"So, what are your plans for today?" the older doe asked, her eyes skimming over the present mammals.
"Actually," Alicia spoke up," the McFleeces have invited us. You know how Maggie and I used to have this little book-club of ours before I moved to Zootopia? And Frank and Harry endlessly discussed their baseball stuff when they had the chance to. We wondered if you could maybe look after the kits while we go there and catch up a little on old times?"
"Hmm, I'll have to prepare dinner for later. You know that this is a Sisyphean challenge even with so many paws helping me. But I'm sure one of your siblings would love to look after them."

A short cough drew their attention to Vivian who gave Alicia an inquiring look.
"Or I could just ask their favorite vixen if she would look after them?"
"I think I'll be able to somehow squeeze them in despite my cramped schedule."
Vivian regarded the little ones with a smile, a happy wagging tail being proof she was looking forward to spending time with them.

Rupert, who had entirely forgotten about being in the sulks, was beaming at her as were Yasmine and Polly. Only Hazel looked like she wasn't sure how to feel about her parents going somewhere without her.

"Can we go play in the snow, Vivan?" the young buck asked with a shine in his eyes.
"Yeah, we wanna play in the snow. Please?" Yasmine pleaded.
"Please?" Polly made big, round eyes at her.
Even Hazel's ears perked up at the outlook of playing in the white surrounding the warren.

"Alright, alright, turn off the adorableness." Laughter colored the vixen's words. "I think as long as your parents aren't against it, we can go out and play."
All four little heads simultaneously turned towards the older bunnies.
"Sure. We'll show you where their jackets, gloves and so on are, and you can get started." Alicia stood up to do just that, handing Hazel over to her husband.
"Though, I would advise you to find someone to help you look after them. The four of them out in the snow might be a bit much to handle for just one mammal alone," Frank added, briefly ruffling his daughter's headfur gently.

"We can do that." Judy licked the remaining syrup from her plate, a satisfied expression on her face while she offered their help. Nick gave an approving hum while he chewed on his last morsel of pancake.
The kits squealed happily, seeing as their aunt and uncle would also play with them.
Nick didn't even have a chance to tell the little rascals to get going when two small paws grasped his, and Yasmine and Polly dragged him along after their mother. Rupert had, as always, latched onto Vivian while Frank let Hazel down so she could take Judy's paw, following the others.

"Have fun," Bonnie called after them, getting barely a wave from her daughter before they all vanished through the door and out of the dining hall.
"They'll both make great parents one day," Frank mused, getting up himself to help his mother-in-law carry all the plates back to the kitchen.
"Too bad they won't be able to have kits of themselves. Have they thought about adoption yet?"

Placing the dishes in the dishwasher, he didn't realize the delay before the doe answered.
"No, that topic never came up." She turned to face him, a warm smile on her face. "Now, hadn't you and Alicia plans? Get going and thanks for your help."
"You're welcome, Bonnie."

While Nick put a scarf on Polly, Vivian tried to suppress her laughter, watching as Rupert attempted to force the left glove on his right paw, unwilling to let someone help him.
Yasmine who had realized what her brother was doing wrong couldn't keep herself from giggling, though.

Surprisingly it was Hazel - who had stood next to Judy the whole time, still holding her paw - who walked over to Rupert, took the glove from him and handed him the other one instead.
The buck looked at it for a moment before it dawned on him what his mistake had been. With a mumbled 'thanks' that charmed the softest smile from his shy sister, he put on his gloves just as his Frank entered the foyer.

"Seems you guys are ready," he exclaimed with a smile.
A collective, happy shout of confirmation was the answer he got.
With a chuckle, his wife walked over to him to hand him his jacket.
"You are the only one who isn't ready to go, Honey."
Putting it on he turned towards his kits.
"We won't stay away for too long. Maybe two or three hours."
They nodded in unison, three of them visibly eager to get out and into the snow.
"You lot behave while we are away, you hear?" Alicia added, doorhandle already in paw.
"Yes, mom," again almost in unison if not for Hazel's slightly delayed, almost inaudible "Yes, mommy."

After Frank and Alicia had left, Vivian drew the kits' attention to herself.
"Okay, before we go outside you have to promise me some things. First, you stay close to the warren. No running to the woods or into the fields. Second, you stay in sight of at least one of us. Third, if you have to go to the toilet or want to go back inside, you don't just sneak away but tell us. Can you promise me that?"
"Yes, Vivan," came Rupert's quick like a shot reply, followed shortly by Yasmine and Polly. Only Hazel was nodding silently, pressing her stuffed bunny to her chest with one paw while the other grasped Judy's paw.

Somehow seeing the stuffed toy reminded Nick of Rupert and he needed a moment to remember why.
"Isn't that the stuffed bunny Rupert was dragging around last year?" he asked his mate in a hushed voice while his mom was still speaking.
Leaning over to him Judy answered with a grin. "You mean the one he whacked you in the nose with? Yes, that was his. But when your mom started cubsitting them, Rupert got fractious whenever she left. So I decided it was time to part ways with my old fox plushie and I gave it to him. And Hazel all too willingly adopted his bunny."

"As sweet as that is, I can't believe you just gave away plushie-Nick." He shot his wife a smirk seeing how her ears turned a light shade of pink.
"What makes you believe that it was a plushie-you?"
"Well," he held up one paw, starting to count his reasons on his claws, "because of four little whoopsies you might have overlooked. First of all, when we moved in together you had tried to keep it a secret from me. There would be no reason for hiding that one but not your other bunny plushies unless it was embarrassing for you if I would see that specific one."
"Circumstantial evidence."
"Also," his second claw went up, his smirk widening while he kept on talking, "I saw the tag on which it was written that this specific little guy was made the same year you started working as a police officer. The same year we met for the first time."
"Still not very convincing, Officer Wilde."
"I'm not done yet, Officer Wilde-Hopps." He shot her a wink before raising his third claw.
"Whoopsy number three, he wore a green shirt-"
"Plain green without a pattern," she interjected, slowly realizing where he was probably going with his last reason.
"-which leads to whoopsy number foursy," he kept rattling on without letting the doe interrupt him, "a crumbled up ZPD badge sticker was stuck to his chest. The same one I threw away after the press conference."

Ears beet red, Judy ran out of arguments against her husband's reasoning.
"Alright. You got me, okay? I found that little guy after the whole mess with the press conference. I just... I lost a very dear and important friend, and it reminded me of you. I thought I would never see you again."

Nick put a paw on the crestfallen looking doe's shoulder, taking her into a gentle embrace the next moment. Pulled from her memories, she reciprocated his gesture with a low, pleased chirr.
"So, why giving that memory away if it meant so much to you?"
Tightening their hug, Judy briefly nuzzled against the reynard's chest.
"Because the real Nick came back to me. Because I fell in love with him. Because he told me he loves me. And because I became lifemates with him. There is no need for a stand-in anymore since I can cuddle up to the real one whenever I want now."

"You see, Rupert," Vivian's voice jerked them from their conversation as both mammals noted with dread that four young bunnies and one adult vixen watched them intensely, "that plushy your aunt Judy gave you is really precious to her. You should always treat it well."
"I promise," the buck smiled widely at his still blushing aunt.
"Can we go play now?" Yasmine impatiently tugged at Nick's pants.
"Can we?" Polly tugged on his other side as well.

Smoothing back his ears in a faint show of embarrassment he let loose a low chuckle before taking both girls by their paws. "Alright, let's go then."
Hazel, who had latched onto her aunt's jacket while she had hugged her uncle Nick, reached for Judy's paw once more.
"You really want to take your bunny with you outside? It might get wet from the snow."
The meek doe simply pressed her plushy more tightly to her chest.
"I see. We just have to be careful then, right?"
Nod, nod

While they weren't greeted by a clear blue sky once they stepped through the door, only splotches of white clouds awaited them, bigger brothers of the ones their billowing breaths created in the cold, fresh air.

They walked around the small hill that made up the foyer until they reached a roofed porch on the side with two benches standing there, more or less sheltered from the snow that fell thinly in little flakes.

"Why don't we put Mr. bunny here so he can watch us and you can keep an eye on him? Would that be okay for you, Hazel?" Judy had squatted down to be at eye level with her niece, pointing over to the porch and its benches.
Contemplating her words for a moment Hazel nodded, and they walked over, placing the stuffed toy on one of the benches after checking that it wasn't wet from the snow.
"Stay here," the young doe ordered in a soft voice before walking back with Judy into the crunchy snow.

Her siblings in the meantime had started a snowball fight against Vivian and Nick, the latter just ducking out of the way, so that the cold projectile missed his head by a hair's breadth.
Sailing over him it hit Judy square in the cheek, part of it breaking off and slipping under her jacket's collar, causing her to squeal in double surprise.
With a grin she quickly scooped up a pawfull of snow herself, pressing it into form before storming towards the other mammals with laughter.

While his mate whizzed past him, Nick watched Hazel standing apart from them, her little face almost hidden between her scarf and wool cap.

She looked a little forlorn.

Approaching her, Nick saw her eyes widening by a fraction before he was getting down on his haunches. "You don't want to throw snowballs, eh little Carrots?" he asked her in a soft voice, earning him a shy nod.
"Something else you want to do then?"
Another nod.
"And are you telling me what it is?" a smile played around his lips.
He knew he should probably not let her see his fangs. Hazel was already a rather timid kit, so adding in some sharp teeth on top of this fox she barely knew might be a bad idea.
"I wanna build a snowmammal."
"A snowmammal? That sounds like a great idea," he exclaimed softly.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Would it be okay if I help you a little?"
Her smile spread further while Hazel nodded, causing his tail to start wagging at the fact that the shy little kit was warming up to him.

Giggling, Hazel pointed past him at the appendage. "Why does it do that, uncle Nick?"
Her voice was still very soft, almost too much so to hear.
"It does that when I'm really happy. Like now that you allowed me to help you."
His explanation earned him another short giggle and a smile.

"Alright, so what do we need?" Nick looked around like he was thinking hard, scratching his head.
"A big ball of snow," she helped him out after a moment.
Face brightening up at the enlightenment, he shot her another smile.
"You are right. Smart little bunny. That means we need another one to put it on top, right?"
"Mhm," she nodded more vigorously than before.
"Do you want to start on that one and I make the bigger one or...?"
This time she shook her head.
"You want to make the bigger one?"
Another nod.
Gee, that she doesn't have problems with her neck already, he thought in jest, silently chuckling to himself.

Taking a couple of steps to get away from the direct hit zone of the snowball fight, both mammals began to form their own, rolling them over the ground to make them grow in size.
When Nick was finished he saw that Hazel was struggling with hers after it was about two-thirds of her size - nearly half the size of his. So he silently snuck closer to the doe which tried to push the frozen orb, holding her head low.

When he was close enough, he secretly started to shove too so that it moved again.
He kept doing this until it was big enough, only drawing away whenever the little doe looked up to inspect her work and carefully tap the snow, so it was firm.

Determining that it was the right size, he stopped pushing.
"Wow, you really are good at this," he told her, now standing next to his own ball again, drawing Hazel's attention.
A tiny, shy smile was her answer to that.
"Now we have to get this one on top of yours. Can you help me with that?"
Nodding she came closer and put her paws on one side of the ball in an attempt to lift it.

Reaching beneath it Nick was the one who pretty much carried the whole weight of it, but seeing how serious Hazel was and how her little face lit up when the snow globe was balancing above her head like she was the one holding it all on her own was rewarding and send his tail into another wag.

When they put the ball on top of hers, the little doe kept on stretching as far as she could despite the fact that at one point it wasn't touching her paws anymore.

Once it was firmly placed, Nick gently patted the kit's head.
"You know, you are pretty strong, little Carrots."
His praise drew a giggle from her, and he had to admit, it was fun seeing this usually timid kit happily play like that without any fear of him.

"Okay, all that's left is another small ball for the head and some branches and twigs. You wanna look for those or do you wanna make the last ball?"
Thinking about it for a moment Hazel looked around before scooping up another pawful of snow to create a small ball.
"Alright, I'll look for the other stuff then," Nick chuckled at the doe's eagerness.

Since some trees stood close to the warren's entrance, Nick only needed to walk away a couple of steps. He was close enough to keep an eye on his niece, and she could still see where he was.

Just when he was looking back at her, she faced in his direction.
He waved at her which she returned before going back to her task.

After digging through the snow for several minutes, Nick found a couple of branches which were not rotten and whose shape gave him an idea.
Smirking he grabbed them together with some smaller, thinner twigs and headed back to Hazel.

The doe had just finished by the time he stepped up next to her and was now gazing up at their half-finished snowmammal, seemingly wondering how she would get her ball up on top of it.
Concluding that she simply wouldn't, she turned towards the tod. "Uncle Nick. Can you put it on top, please?"
"Of course. But only if you help me decorating afterward. Deal?"
Nodding enthusiastically, Hazel stepped aside so Nick could lift her frozen work.

After he had connected it to the rest of their snowy figure, he lifted the doe up next, holding her in the crook of one arm while taking one of the longer twigs with his other paw.

Hazel watched him while he bent the twig until it kept a slightly curved form. Breaking it in the middle while both halves stayed attached to each other he folded them until he got a pointy, flat oval that was open to one side.

Holding it in front of her with the pointed tip upwards and the open side downwards he asked her what she thought it was.
After regarding it for a moment, the kit simply shook her head.
Nick placed his construct on top of the snowmammal's head, slanted to one side.
"And now?"

Again Hazel took a moment to think it over before looking at her uncle.
"Bunny ear?"
"That's exactly right. Do you want to make the other one?"
Coyly, she reached for the second twig Nick handed her, mimicking his actions from before.

When she was about to break it as well, she paused to think, looking at the fox.
Guessing her question from her contemplatively moving the twig back and forth in her paws, Nick told her "Try to break it as close to the middle as possible."
Doing as she had been told, she presented the result to him.

Giving Hazel an approving nod, he lifted her up until she could reach the snowmammal's head and placed the second ear there.
"Okay, what else does our snowbunny need?"
"Eyes."
"Right."

He reached into his pockets, producing two shiny, violet wrappers.
'Canid's Delight' was written on them, marking their former content as one of the favorite chocolate brands of every fox, wolf, and the likes - all free of theobromine, of course, though that wasn't nearly as toxic to canids anymore as it used to be for their ancestors.
Wadding both wrappers up into tight balls, he handed one over to the little doe and placed one on the figure's face himself.

"Aunt Judy?"
He couldn't help the short laugh escaping his muzzle at her question.
"You really are a clever bunny, little Carrots. Yep, that's going to be her."
Another, smaller twig became the snow Judy's mouth when he placed it slightly askew, making it appear as if she was smirking.
"Nose!"
"True, we still need a nose for her," Nick agreed with Hazel's soft-spoken reminder.

Mentally skimming through his pockets, he wondered what he could use for that. Realizing that his options were limited, he reached into his pants pocket, fishing out some loose coins and handing one of the smaller ones over to his niece.
"Would you do me the honor?"
Taking the coin, Hazel placed it beneath the eyes, giving snow Judy a 'cute' little button nose.

"Perfect. We are almost done now."
Placing the young bunny back on the ground, he took one of the branches and stuck it into the snowmammal's right side. Through the branch's shape it looked like a bent arm, it's 'paw' placed sassily on the figure's hip.
The second branch had a couple of shorter twigs protruding from its end, and with the angle Nick placed it in, it looked like snow Judy was demanding to get something. Or as if she would be holding something.

"Now for my last trick."
Reaching into his jacket once more Nick pulled out a particular, orange device he had precautionary removed from his beloved's belongings.
Placing the carrot pen into snow Judy's paw he only had a moment to admire his work before something hit him in the head, drawing a surprised yelp from the reynard.

"Ah, I'm sorry Nicky. That one missed its target."
Vivian quickly walked over to them, Judy and the rest of the gang directly behind her.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Brushing the snow from his cap, he shot her a smile. "Don't worry, mom. I'm used to far worse things from my sparring matches with Officer Fluff here."

"Speaking of which," Judy took a closer look at the snowmammal in front of her, taking in the pen and purple wrapper-eyes.
"Quite the artistic work Hazel and I did here, I'd like to say." The fox gently padded the bashfully beaming kit's head.
"Does it remind you of a certain moment, maybe?"

Imitating the figure's pose, Judy gave her husband her best lopsided, half-lidded grin.
"If you are talking about when a smart bunny outwitted a dumb fox in regard to his felony- no, what did you call it last year? A slight..."
"A minor administrative misconception," he helped his bunny out.
"That. A minor administrative misconception about his taxes. Well, if you were talking about that time then... nope, don't remember it."
"See, that's what this true-to-life model is made for. Though, honestly, little Carrots here did almost all the work. I was merely helping out."

Abandoning her cocky pose, Judy bent down. "Wow, you really did a good job there Hazel. Also," she stood up again to look her mate in the eyes, "don't think I missed the fact that you obviously swiped my pen when I wasn't looking."
"Oh, no inquiring about the 'little Carrots' part?"
"That one is obvious, I think. Don't try to change the... oh my."

From one moment to the other, she grasped for her fox, leaning against him.
"Whoah there. Everything okay, Judy?"
"Yeah, just... just a little dizzy." Straightening up she patted his arm that Nick had supportively slung around her.
"You sure? You seemed a little unwell for a while now, even before we arrived here."
"I think it's still the exhaustion. Maybe I shouldn't have been romping around so much with the kits."
"Maybe you two should take a break then. I can keep the rugrabbits busy," Vivian offered, worry seeping into her expression.
"That's probably a good idea. Come on, Sweetheart, let's sit down for a moment."

Leading his wife over to the porch he could almost feel the concerned gaze of his mom and the little ones following them, and he definitely understood it. He was quite worried himself, especially since Judy seemed unwilling to tell him what was really going on.

As they sat down on the bench, Nick felt a tug at his jacket.
Moving his gaze from the grey doe next to him he was met with another, smaller one, looking at him expectantly.
"Hey there, little Carrots. What's the matter."

Instead of answering Hazel lifted her arms, indicating that she wanted to be picked up again.
"Oh, you want to sit with us instead of playing with your siblings?"
Nod, nod
"Well, okay then." With that, he picked Hazel up, placing her in his lap, so she wasn't sitting on the cold wood of the bench.

Following her gaze, Judy reached for the stuffed bunny they had left there before, handing it over to her.
"See, your friend waited here for you."
Tooth purring, the young doe hugged her plushie to her chest before leaning against Nick's front. At the same time, another doe leaned against his side, a content sigh leaving her lips.
Putting his arm around her he pulled Judy closer, enjoying the feeling of holding her like this.
Something he never imagined to happen just a little over a year ago.

"One of these days you will have to tell me what is actually going on, you know," he interrupted the peaceful silence after a moment.
Mauve eyes turned towards him, a light sparkle to them.
"Nick, I promise you everything is fine. Can you trust me on this?"

Searching her gaze he found no reason to not believe his bunny's words, so he nodded his agreement.
"Thanks." He was rewarded with a quick, chaste kiss that drew a happy hum from him and a soft giggle from Hazel.
"What are you giggling about, pipsqueak," Nick blithely inquired, nuzzling the kit's nose with his own, drawing a surprised laugh from her as well as from his mate.

"You make for such a lovely little family." A voice caused the three of them to look up, finding that Vivian was standing in front of the porch, phone in hand and a wide grin on her face.
"Did you just take a picture of us?" her son asked, his voice laced with amusement.
"Would I ever? No! ... I took a couple of pictures."
"You are undoubtedly your son's mother, Vivian." Shaking her head, Judy couldn't help but state the obvious.

Pocketing the device, the vixen was about to reply when not one but three snowballs hit her in the back at the same time.
"Hey, we had a timeout!" Her protest was lacking any real annoyance and mirth was coloring her words. "You little rascals are in for it now."
With surprised yelps the kits scattered, laughing happily about the vixen who chased them.

Pulling his own phone from his pocket, Nick inspected the message he got while his mom had still been talking. Opening the file she had sent him he found one of the pictures she had shot. It had captured the moment of Nick teasing Hazel with a laughing Judy watching them warmly.

"Mom is right, we do look like a family," he admitted, wearing a contemplative look while his mate nodded along.
"We are a family." Hazel's words surprised them, drawing their gazes towards the little doe.
"What do you mean? We are neither your mommy nor your daddy," Judy pointed out.
"But you are my aunt Judy, and you are my uncle Nick. We are family."
Two pairs of ears sprang up in amazement.
"You are one clever bunny, little Carrots."

They were not allowed to enjoy this moment for more than a mere couple of minutes before the wind picked up and the sky darkened, sending more, bigger flakes of snow down to earth along with a chill that caused the bunnies shivers, their shorter fur offering them less resistance against the cold.

"How about we head back inside? We don't want anyone to get sick now."
Vivian's suggestion was accepted with supportive murmuring from the exhausted kits standing around her.

"Yeah, I would prefer a hot chocolate over catching a cold anytime," Nick added, rewarding him with multiple happy outcries from the little bunnies who started to hurry back around the hill towards the entrance while the outlook on a sweet treat quickened their steps.

Only Hazel remained with him, clutching to him so he would carry her.
It seemed the little one was quite a bit tired after the almost two hours they had spent in the snow, her eyelids hanging at half mast.

"You know we probably don't have any theobromine free drinking chocolate here, right?" Judy whispered while they made their way through the snow, squinting their eyes shut every now and then at the snowflakes battering their faces.
"I'll brave the stomachache I might get from it," he answered with a wink. "Though I have to admit, I kinda envy you bunnies. Evolution was kind enough to allow you eating stuff like this without any drawbacks."

Judy chuckled at her fox's slightly annoyed look.
"Well, we can eat some without any problems, that's true. But too much is still not good. Especially young kits can easily get the runs from it."
"So only little cups for the little bunnies now. Got it."

Watching Judy out of the corner of his eye he was tempted to ask her if she was feeling better but refrained from it. He already knew her answer, and she would probably get irritated if he kept asking her.
Just have to watch out for her and if anything happens again, I'll not stop poking at her until she finally tells me the truth, he decided.

When the little group entered the foyer and stowed their garments away, a black and brown buck came up the stairs.
"Ah, perfect. Mom asked me to send you guys her way. She's waiting for you in the kitchen."

Thanking her brother, who vanished with a smile and a nod back into the depths of the warren, Judy led the way back to the dining hall and from there into the vast, adjacent room that was the Hopps family's canteen kitchen.
It took them some seconds to spot the grey doe in one corner of the sizeable room amongst the hordes of bunnies flitting back and forth.

"Ah, there you are," she greeted the little group with a smile.
"Yeah, Marv send us your way just when we came back."
"Perfect. Now" she pulled a nearby tray closer that held multiple steaming cups, "who wants some hot chocolate?"
A collective outcry of me's from four tiny bunnies was the answer to that, charming a chuckle from the doe.

"You have to teach me how to scry like that, Bonnie. We had just the same idea."
Nick shook his head while watching his mother-in-law handing out the sweet beverages.
"Oh, there is no need for psychic powers to understand that a hot cup of chocolate is the perfect thing after playing in the snow. I used to be a kit as well, you know? And for you," she reached for two more cups after Judy had received hers and handed them to the vulpines.

While Nick took his with a thanks, Vivian was hesitant.
"Don't you worry, there is no theobromine in there," Bonnie assured her.
"You really shouldn't have bothered. I would have survived without any sweets for a while." The vixen shot her a smile nevertheless.
"I have a huge family whose various allergies I have to take into account every day. Do you really think it's a bother to care about two of my favorite foxes as well?"
"You are a gem, Bonnie," Vivian laughed.

Taking a sip from her cup a satisfied hum rose from her lips.
"That really is perfect. I'm surprised you know about canids and our intolerance towards chocolate."
"What kind of host would I be if I accidentally poisoned my guests or worse, my family?"
"'Poisoning' might be a bit overstated," Nick disagreed, "but we would feel unwell for a while."
He made a show of scrunching up his face in pain.

Just in time, he saw that Hazel's grip on her cup was loosening and caught it before it could slip from her paw entirely.
"Seems somebunny could need a nap right now." He regarded the kit with a warm amusement, her eyes already shut and her breathing even.
"She's not the only one," Judy pointed out, taking in the yawning little lagomorphs next to them.

"Alright, let's take you to your room so you can get a snatch of sleep."
Halfhearted protests were raised at Vivian's words.
"Now, now, you don't want to be too tired when presents are handed out this evening, right?"
Suddenly more willing to take a nap Yasmine, Polly, and Rupert let themselves willingly be led away by the vixen who took the already fast asleep Hazel from Nick's arm while passing him by.

"You know the way?" Bonnie asked before she came too far.
"Yes, don't worry. Rupert wanted to be tugged in by me yesterday, so I know which room it is."
With that she left, three tired bunnies shuffling after her.

When Nick placed the two cups he held back onto the tray, a loud clatter followed by a surprised yelp sounded through the kitchen. Just a couple of feet away from them one of Judy's siblings had tripped and sent his load of clean dishes to the floor, covering quite a bit of ground with shards of porcelain and glass.
"Well, three days without anything getting broken was a record. It had to happen at some point," Bonnie shrugged.

Questions if somebody got hurt flew around the room and were answered in the negative.
"I'll lend a paw cleaning up," Nick offered, starting to follow the bunny responsible for the crash.
"Me too."
"You," he turned towards his mate who was about to follow them as well, "stay put. Please."
The last word he added in a soft voice.
He didn't want to order Judy around. But he was still concerned and unwilling to see her hurt herself.

Guessing a good deal of her mate's thoughts the doe nodded, leaning back against the counter she stood next to.
"Thanks."

When Nick was out of earshot, Bonnie couldn't keep her curiosity down any longer.
"Has something happened while you were outside?"
Fiddling with the tip of one ear absentmindedly, Judy looked slightly uncomfortable.
"I got a little dizzy after playing and running around with the kits too much."
"Yes, something like this can happen. Especially considering how stressed you - both of you - had been the last couple of weeks. Especially you, though." The older doe gently squeezed her daughter's shoulder.
"Yeah, maybe. But it's troubling Nick." Guilt crossed her features.
"Of course it does. He loves you, Sweety. It's just natural to become anxious when something is wrong with your significant other."

Silence settled over them for a moment before Bonnie pressed her on.
"Are you still sure you want to wait and not just tell him?"
Determined, her daughter nodded.
"You know me. Once I'm set on something I don't change my mind that easily."
"One of your greatest strengths and weaknesses at the same time," she admitted, eliciting a chuckle from Judy.
"Alright, I won't tell him anything if that's what you want."
"Thanks, mom."

The younger doe pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek mere moments before her husband and brother reappeared, both carrying a dustpan and brush.
Together they made short work of the mess, and after the buck had thanked Nick for his help, he and Judy decided to leave the kitchen.

They wanted to take a short stroll through the warren, seeing if they would find someone to talk with or maybe they would make a short side-trip to the library and see if they found some indulgence in a book.
Their last option would be to go to one of the living rooms with a TV to laze around in front of.

Though they didn't come far.
After walking down only one hallway, they heard aggravated voices locked in a heated discussion. When they drew closer, Judy was overcome by the realization whom the voices belonged to.

Rounding a corner, they were met with the sight of Alicia and Frank, who had returned from their visit. Standing opposite to them was an old buck leaning on a walking cane, his eyes behind his large glasses shone with anger, the same anger that knitted his bushy eyebrows.
"I can't understand how you can trust a fox - a fox - with your kits. Not only that, I saw her heading towards your room. Frith knows what lies she is feeding them and what she will steal while you are away, foolishly believing in whatever she told you."

Nick was glad his mom wasn't nearby to hear those words, feeling them cut into the old, familiar wounds countless mammals had inflicted on him over the years.

His ears perked up at the sound of teeth grinding and a glance at his mate presented him with a bunny shaking with fury.
He quickly put his paws on her shoulders to prevent her from going ballistic, knowing she would most likely regret whatever words she would throw at her grandfather.
Reaching up she took one of his paws in hers, squeezing it a little harder than necessary. But it helped her calm down a bit.
It didn't stop her from stepping up to the trio.

Alicia was the first to spot her sister, her eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and pain.
Following her gaze, Otto Hopps turned around. His questioning expression quickly morphed into surprise and switched back to anger.
"And you. How dare you let those shifty creatures into our family? Into our warren? Aren't you a deputy? You should know-"
"I'm a police officer for the ZPD. And yes, I know very well what prejudices and speciesism feel like, having faced them myself. And I saw how it hurt my mate and his mother. Two wonderful mammals who got treated like criminals just for their species. I know that mammals like you don't care about what they have been through, who they truly are, and what they actually did and didn't do."

The old buck's ears had been plastered back against his head while his granddaughter's voice had gradually grown louder. Now they stood back up agitatedly as his burning gaze traveled from Judy to Nick.
"This is all your fault. You turned Trudy against me, somehow making her believe you are a good, honest-"
"Don't you dare!"
"It's your own fault, pop-pop."
Both Alicia and Judy interrupted him at the same time.

"They are right. You can't blame anybody but yourself for this." A sudden voice interjected.
Bonnie stepped around the same corner Nick and Judy had rounded before.
Following right behind her came Stu and after him Vivian.
The latter wore a look of calm sadness, her ears not actually lying against her head but already halfway down.

"Oh, wonderful. Now you are all siding with them against your own family."
"They are just as much our family as Frank is or as you are," Stu stated, a rare look of steely determination hardening his gaze.
"But we are not going to discuss this any further while standing here in the hallway. Let's get to one of the living rooms." Bonnie's words allowed no protest.

With an angry growl, Otto's grip on his cane tightened, but he followed his daughter when the group began to move.

It was the second time in just as many days that Nick and Judy entered that particular living room with the intention of discussing something rather difficult.
Sinking into the comfortable chairs and sofas should have been relaxing, but the atmosphere was tense.

"So, you want to convince me that those... foxes," he spat the word out as if it was an insult, "are actually good, upstanding citizens?"
"Exactly." Bonnie agreed, nodding along solemnly.
"Pshaw!"
"Have you ever actually met a fox and talked with them?" his daughter challenged him.
"Why should I? So they can get a chance to pull me over the barrel? I'm no idiot."
"So how come you know that they all are bad mammals?" his son-in-law kept pressing on.
"Because everyone knows! I'm not going to make the same mistakes other mammals already made before me."

"You are just repeating the same mistakes instead of avoiding them. Those stupid rumors and prejudices are based on old stories and behavioral studies of our primitive ancestors. Using those as reasons to shun all foxes or any evolved species is simply wrong. Those are just subterfuges mammals use so they don't have to admit they had been wrong all the time." For just a second it seemed as if Judy's words gave the old buck pause.

But the next moment his contemplatively downcasted gaze hardened again.
"No 'rumors' are based entirely on sand and lies. There is always a reason for them. Just look at the news. There are statistically more crimes committed by foxes, weasels, and hyenas then by any other species. I've looked it up. How do you explain that?"
Taken aback silence befell those present.

Only Judy wore a small, sad smile.
"That's easy. What do you do when no one ever believes in you or gives you a chance? Who do you turn to when you already have a hard time getting a job and whichever one you get you lose again shortly after because you are always the one who gets blamed for whatever is going wrong? What are your options when money is running low, but you still have to eat and need a place to live? Would you just watch your kits or loved ones get sick when you don't have the money to get them treated in a hospital? When you are perceived as a criminal for your whole life, at some point turning towards stealing and becoming exactly what you have always been accused to be is one of the few options you have left besides living in the streets and begging for money or... simply dying."

Her words had left all of them with consternation.
Most affected were the two vulpines present.
Vivian's ears were plastered back against her head, and her eyes had gotten glassy. Nick felt dark memories rise back to the surface. Memories he had wished to forget.

A soft paw took his and drew him back from that gloomy place.
He shot his mate a grateful smile, squeezing her paw gently.

It seemed even Otto wasn't immune to what he had been told. The angry lines on his face had softened marginally while he took in the expressions of the foxes.
"It can't be that bad. You are overexaggerating. If they would do their work the way they are supposed to, then no one would give them a hard time."

A dry laugh bare of any amusement was the vixen's reaction to his words.
"Let me tell you a little about me and my husband's life, Mr. Hopps."
Dread overcame Nick, knowing pretty well where this was going.
A familiar pain spread throughout his chest.

"Over the course of my life, I had more than two dozen jobs. Many of them were low salary ones like server in greasy diners or stock clerk. And I lost each of them for reasons that were absolute nonsense. For example, I got fired from a shop when the daily settlement didn't add up. That was during a vacation when I wasn't even in town. Another time I was accused of ignoring a fire that had broken out in the kitchen of a burger joint I was working in. I was held responsible despite me being out serving the customers while two mammals were supposed to be in the kitchen. The chef was out the back taking a break to smoke, and his trainee panicked and threw water on the fat fire. It had always been like this. Something went wrong or missing? Blame the fox, the weasel, the hyena. No one would ask questions if one of them was there, even if they weren't there at the time. And that is only what I had been through." Her voice, which had gotten a little more agitated, fell almost silent at her last words.
The mist from before rose back into her eyes.

"Mom, you don't have to-"
"I know, Nicky. But I want him to understand what our family has been through. Just because we were born foxes."
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Vivian raised her downcast eyes back up to face the mammals around her, though her gaze was far away.

"My husband, Robert, was a tailor. He owned a shop which he had taken over from his father who had sold their house to make enough money to afford it. That house had been in his family's possession for many generations, built by one of his ancestors with their own paws. Robert's father though had this dream. He wanted to go to this big, promising city where anyone could be anything, no matter their size and species. He wanted to make suits for mammals of all sizes and species. Surprise, though, it hadn't been that easy."
Her eyes met Judy's, knowing that her daughter-in-law had big dreams as well when she moved to the city. Dreams which had almost gotten run into the ground instantly.

"The shop he had gotten was at the border of Zootopia's slums, and foxes were still treated like scum there. But he never gave up. Somehow he got enough customers to barely keep it running. And when Robert took over, he did everything he could to keep the business alive. Then one day..."
The words got stuck in her throat, and a tear made its way down her cheek.
Nick was up and walked over to her before anybody else could raise a paw, embracing his mom and trying to comfort her.

While the vixen silently wept into her son's arms, he took up where she had left.
"My dad never had any real enemies. He never crossed someone or had anything to do with the criminal underworld. And yet, even in Happytown - the absolute worst part of Zootopia - there were mammals who thought foxes were somehow worse than any other mammal and they should get rid of us. So they did. With fire."
His feature scrunched up in pain at the memory of his dad's shop, blackened and smoldering.

"Afterward they said it was some kind of technical defect caused by one of the sockets. That was bull! I heard mammals whispering on the quiet that someone had thrown something through the glass front of the store right before the fire broke out. But when the police came to investigate, no one wanted to have seen anything. And of course, the insurance claimed to not cover that kind of event even if we were to go with the technical defect. Mom couldn't believe that my dad had lacked the foresight to not include something like this, but sadly the insurance papers were in the shop at that time, burnt to ashes. And the company didn't want to allow us insight in their copies of it. Of course," he continued just when Stu was about to ask something, "we thought about sueing them or report them to the police. But the police had already proved that they didn't really care about our case. And what lawyer would take the case of two foxes trying to sue an insurance company? They knew they would lose. So instead we lost. We lost a husband, a father. We lost our shop and money we could have needed. And we lost a good deal of trust into mammalkind."
Vivian had caught herself by the time her son had finished but still looked very fragile, the gossamer of painful memories clinging to her.

A paw still on her shoulder, Nick turned to face the mammals around him.
His extended family.
"It was not until I met my mate - until I met Judy - that I found some of that trust I lost back then. She was the first mammal who actually wanted to make a difference. To actually aim to overcome those prejudices. She believed in me, trusted in me. She was suffering when she realized she hurt me. She cared and shed tears. Something no one but my family did before. She saved me, in more ways but one."

The grey doe, whose tears had flown freely while listening to the tod's words, hurried over to him to pull him into a tight embrace, hiding her face against his front.
"And more than that, without her my life would still be empty instead of being filled with purpose, love, and so many mammals who see us for who we are instead of what we are."
The first traces of a smile came back to Nick while he regarded those mammals who smiled and nodded at him in return, their eyes filled with warm compassion.

"You gave us a lot as well," Bonnie was the first to respond to the fox's words.
"We know that without you, our Judy might have not only lost her dream but also her life. You have saved and protected her so she can still be here and still be herself. And it's easy to see that since she met you, she is happier than I have ever seen her before. And that last part is not only going for her but many of our kits. Since you two started dating, you have proven that interspecies relationships like yours can work. Quite some of our sons and daughters who had never considered searching outside of their own species found the love that always eluded them."

"We have to thank you as well," Alicia's words caught everyone's attention.
"Without meeting you and Vivian, who knows what would have become of our family." She gave her husband an apologetical look before turning back towards Nick.
"Maybe your mom told you, but we didn't just move to Zootopia. Frank was already living there because of his job. But me? I had always been scared of this place. A huge city with equally huge mammals who could easily step on me or the kits. And predators. I know compared to the number of prey mammals in the city, predators were a minority. But just the idea of those fangs and claws... what kind of damage they could do. It was enough to make me sick. I was scared, and Frank was forced to live there alone while I stayed here, safe with the kits."

For a moment she was lost in thought before her features softened.
"And then I met Vivian and Nick. Rupert was the first to approach them. He wasn't afraid at all but instantly in love with you." She shot the vixen a lopsided grin.
"And not only him. When you guys visited the next time, Yasmine, Polly, and even our shy little Hazel were attached to her. Nick and Judy had already started dating by then and all in all, it showed me that predators were anything but dangerous. Vivian was so careful when interacting with the little ones, and she never harmed a hair on their heads. And Nick... just as my mom said, if not for him I would have lost a sister. And he was a police officer just like her, protecting the city, the mammals there, and Judy as her partner. And if a bunny and a fox officer weren't swallowed whole by the city so far, I started to wonder if maybe my husband had been right with what he said about Zootopia not being as dangerous as I thought it to be. So I moved there. The beginning was rough, getting used to this place. The kits loved it, though. And Vivi... really, you always help us so much. Since we both work we often need a cubsitter and we appreciate you looking after the little ones whenever you have time. And they love you just so much. I mean, just look at this."
She pulled her phone from her pocket, swiping away at it for a moment before showing the screen to Vivian, Nick, and Judy.

The tod couldn't help the laugh that escaped him when he saw the picture, and delighted cries rose from Judy and her parents who had come closer to take a look as well.
It showed a fast-asleep Vivian on the couch of what Nick assumed was Alicia and Frank's apartment. Next to her, four little bunnies lay, all of them sleeping as well, cuddling with the vixen's tail while they were covered with a blanket.

"I can't believe you took a picture of that... and didn't share it with me."
At the sight of the serene moment her friend had captured, warmth shone from Vivian's eyes. Her tears had dried, but some moisture still stuck to the fur around them.
A smirk appeared on her face.
"I even have something to trade."
"And I have a sense of foreboding," Nick exclaimed with a deadpan expression.

Sure enough, when his mom showed them a picture from her own phone, it was the same one she had taken just a little over an hour ago.
"Is that Hazel? I can't believe she looks that comfortable. Usually, she has a hard time getting used to new mammals. Even if she knows Nick, she had never really interacted with him much. This is... wow. You have to send this one to me."

A harrumph behind them reminded them of the presence of Otto Hopps who had gotten up to take a look at those pictures as well. The old buck was still frowning, but his whole body language was missing the vast disapproval and repulsion from before.
"So you have been able to blind my family with your sweet words and careful actions, huh?" His words though lacked the ire they had radiated in the hallway.
If anything, he seemed tired.

"Bunnies are weak, and dumb."
"How dare you-" Nick's unexpected words reignited his anger.
"That's what you pretty much are saying."
He looked at the old rabbit seriously with an even gaze.
"You think my mom and I were able to deceive every single member of your family. That just with our words we made them believe we are kind, friendly mammals when we are actually villains with ulterior motives. You don't have faith in even one of them to realize the truth hidden behind our lies. Or maybe you think we threatened them without anyone standing up to us? That covers pretty much all the prejudices mammals have about bunnies."

Slumping back down in his chair, Otto couldn't deny that the fox's words stung.
They stung because there was a truth in them he couldn't dispute.
He had thought himself to be the only one who was able to see through their deceits.
But that also meant he looked down on all the mammals he cared about
A heavy silence had settled over the room after Nick had finished.

All eyes were trained on the buck sitting in his chair, his face hidden in one paw.
"It's true what they say about foxes and their silver tongues."
His words caused every mammal in the room to deflate in defeat.
"But I'll be damned, they work even on me."

Letting his paw fall down the old lagomorph met Nick's gaze with a stern stare.
"One chance," his words were silent but carried a sense of finality, "I'll give you one chance to prove yourself to me, Rick. Should you ever hurt my granddaughter or anybody else in this family or do anything that convinces me you have lied to me, I'll beat you out of this warren with my cane."

A careful smile appeared on the reynard's face.
"One chance is all I ever asked for. Thank you, sir."
"Yes, well, if you all will excuse me now," he raised out of his chair with a grunt, "I think there is a cup with chamomile tea waiting for me as well as a good book that calls my name from the library."

Before he could even take one step, three female bunnies had rushed and embraced him.
The one who was likely the most affectionate and grateful was Judy, nuzzling her grandpa's neck, but all three of them thanked him excessively.

While he was stuck in this group hug with his daughter and granddaughters, Vivian made eye contact with him.
"Thank you, sir."
Nodding, he finally got free and walked over to the stairs.

After the first two, he paused.
"I know it's probably no help to you, but you have my deepest sympathies for your loss."
With that, he vanished.

"I can't believe my dad saw reason. That's almost unheard of."
A couple of nods followed Bonnie's words before uneasy silence settled over the room.

As the minutes ticked away, Vivian felt the aftermath of the emotional turmoil she had put herself through, exhaustion starting to set in.
"I think I'll retreat for now and take a nap. All that was more demanding than I expected."

A paw on her lower arm stopped her in her tracks.
The dark brown doe it belonged to gazed into her eyes with concern.
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah, I'll... I'll be fine. I just need a little time to myself, that's all."
"Okay. I just... I wanted to say, I'm glad you shared this and you should know that you will always have a family with us, no matter what."
"Thank you, Ally. That means the world to me."

Before she knew it, the female had hugged her, followed shortly by Judy, Bonnie, Frank, and Stu, all confirming Alicia's statement.
"Now look what you did," Vivian exclaimed in a soft voice laced with laughter while fresh tears started to trickle down her face.

Feeling a touch on her back, she looked up to see her son smiling at her.
She mouthed him a silent 'thank you', not even sure herself what for.
Maybe for supporting her when she talked about Robert.
Maybe for coming back to her and just being there.
Maybe for falling in love with Judy and leading her to her new, wonderful family.
Maybe a little bit of everything.

After all the bunnies had detached from her, she wiped at her moist eyes.
"Really, you can't make an old lady cry like this."
Though she wore a bright smile while saying these words.
"Tell me about it." Bonnie pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, the fur around her cheeks showing wet traces as well.

After Vivian took her leave, Frank turned towards Nick and Judy, looking for a way to stop the silence from returning.
"So everything went well with the kits?"
Alicia's ears perked up at that, curiosity demanding her attention.
"We had no problems at all. They had a lot of fun, I think. Especially Hazel seemed to enjoy herself while building a snowmammal with Nick." Judy shot her husband a smirk.
"What can I say," he replied, a lopsided grin spreading over his features, "we foxes are-"
"Don't say irresistible. That's really getting old by now."
"I wanted to say 'good with kits', but irresistible is just as accurate."
A groan fled Judy's lips as she let her head hang in fake annoyance.

"And they are sleeping now?" Alicia inquired after chuckling at the two mammals' antics.
"They were rather tired when we got back. Hazel was already falling asleep on Nick's arm, and Vivian led the drowsy gang back to your room, so I assume yes, they are asleep. Though that was over an hour ago."
"In that case," the brown doe turned towards her husband, "we should maybe go wake them up, or they won't be able to sleep tonight."
Nodding his agreement, they left together.

"Since it's getting rather late, I will go back to the kitchen now. I don't think there will be any major problems, but you never know," Bonnie gave her daughter and son-in-law a quick hug before heading down the stairs as well, shortly followed by her mate who stated he needed to figure out if they had to make some room in the dining hall after dinner or if they could just leave it the way it was.

Suddenly all alone in the now empty living room, Nick slumped down in one of the chairs, all strength fleeing from him.
"Mom was right, that was really demanding."

He opened his eyes when a weight landed in his lap and found his mate cuddling against his front, arms slung tightly around his torso.

"You are amazing."
His ears shot up at the surprising declaration of his bunny.
"Where did that come from?"
She leaned her head against him, her cheek resting against his chest.
"Whenever I learn something new about your past I'm more and more astounded that you don't hate every mammal. But no, you are a police officer, protecting a whole city which had disappointed and let you down. You are the most wonderful mammal I know."
Nick nuzzled his beloved between her ears, pressing a kiss at the same spot while returning her embrace.

"It wasn't easy overcoming those feelings. It still isn't. But if I would just give in to those, it would mean letting down the young, bright-eyed kit who wanted to be a junior ranger scout. I want to be a part of the solution, improving the situation for others instead of becoming a part of the problem. Otherwise, I might disappoint you. Something I hope I never will since without you I wouldn't be here."

Judy had started to tooth purr while her mate had been talking.
"See, that's why you are amazing. And why I love you."
She stole a quick kiss from his lips.
A gesture which he immediately repeated.

"What about you, Sweetheart?"
"Me?" the doe looked up in confusion.
"Do you want to take a quick nap before dinner?"
She contemplated his suggestion for a moment.
"That does sound tempting. But before that, let's stay here for a little longer."

So they did.

Dinner was even more of a challenge for Bonnie and her helpers than breakfast had been.
Feeding every mammal inside the warren at the same time without the small break between the two rounds of dinner they had the years before left them with less time to prepare everything while providing the same amount of food.

Nevertheless, everything was ready without any delay when the hungry mob swarmed the large hall.
Nick and Judy - the latter had carried the same jute sack as last year - had snatched a place right next to Vivian who looked a lot more lively than before.

Of course, wherever the vixen was the 'rugrabbits' were not far.
When Hazel saw her aunt and uncle approach, she gave them a small wave, hugging her stuffed bunny tighter to her.
Seeing that, Alicia - who's lap the little kit was sitting on - asked her if she wanted to sit with her uncle Nick during dinner.
A question Hazel answered with a coy nod much to the tod's pleasant surprise.

Dinner itself was loud.
It was no wonder, bearing in mind how many mammals had gathered in that room. Especially so considering how many of them were young, excited kits which couldn't wait to unwrap their presents.

When every belly was filled and the time drew closer, the dining hall emptied out.
Mammals hurried to their rooms to fetch their gifts.
"I'll be right back," Judy excused herself as well.
"Hey, I thought we didn't want to exchange presents this year," Nick called after her, assuming what the doe had planned.
"I need to go to the bathroom."

Bolting down the hallways, she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard two voices approaching her from the far end. Peeking around the corner, Judy saw that one of the voices belonged - as she had thought - to her brother Jake.
The other one she couldn't put a name on came from a ferret walking next to him.

Just as she wondered if Jake had found the nerve to confess, they stopped under one of the few mistletoes spread over the warren.

While Jake's gaze was moving upwards to follow his friend's, the ferret quickly pressed a kiss on his cheek, giggling at the surprised buck's wide-eyed expression before it turned into a smile.
Grabbing the hob's paw, Jake drew him along towards the dining hall.

Even over that distance, Judy could still see that her brother's ears were turning bright red before she continued towards her room.
A wide smile spread across her face.

"So, no present for Judy this year?" Vivian inquired.
"I was originally messing around, stating how Christmas has gotten too centered around profit over the years and that it was meant to be about family and stuff. Though Carrots instantly agreed. She liked the idea of just spending time together instead of worrying about gifts. She already does this for her littermates, after all."

"And you haven't secretly planned anything for her?" the surprise in the vixen's voice was evident, even more so as her son simply shook his head.
"Well, I wasn't just messing around when I said that. But..." his voice trailed off while he looked in the direction his mate had vanished in.
He had the feeling that the bunny had something in petto.

Minutes passed, and the room filled once more, Judy almost being amongst the last to flit back in. Nick eyed her suspiciously but saw nothing that confirmed his hunch.

When every mammal was present, Stu started his yearly speech, stating how happy he was to see a large part of his family gathered in one spot like this and how nice it was to be able to sit comfortably together instead of dragging the tables and benches out.
The way he patted himself on the back earned him a couple of chuckles and laughs as well as some teasing shouts of 'Hear ye!'

When he ended, the usual chaos broke loose, with littermates looking for each other, and little kits frantically tearing wrapping paper off of presents.

Judy had once again vanished to look for her own brothers and sisters.

Using the chance, Nick produced a small, flat, black box from his pocket.
"Merry Christmas, mom."
"And here I thought we had the same agreement as you and Judy have," she gently scolded while opening it, revealing nothing but a business card lying inside.
"Yes, we did. But since this is not costing any money, I think you'll forgive me," he smirked watching his mother's confused expression.

"Alright, you got me. What is this?"
She examined the card but found nothing besides a name and a number written on it.
"It's the number of an old acquaintance of mine who owes me a favor. He is extremely versed in repairing watches, you see."

Before he knew it, Vivian had pulled him into an embrace.
"Thank you, Nicky. Watching your dad's gift slowly stop working properly was painful, and repairs aren't cheap."

When she let go, she found a little group of bunnies patiently waiting next to them.
Bonnie and Stu approached Nick with a small box in paw which they handed him.
Uncertain what to expect he slowly opened it.

"Since you and our Jude-the-dude are married now, we thought it is the right moment for you to get this."
Inside he found, resting in a bed of soft cloth, a red Christmas ball sporting his face.

He knew what it meant. It would hang on one of the Hopps' Christmas trees, next to his mate's, showing that he was indeed a part of their family.

Speechless he hugged his parents-in-law, needing a moment to find his voice again.
"Thank you, Bonnie. Thank you, Stu. That's a really wonderful gift."
He shot them a grateful smile which they returned just as brightly.

"Maybe you two can hang your presents up together then," Alicia's words drew the attention to the other mammals standing next to them.
"Come on, and careful now," she gently prompted her kits forward.

Rupert carried a similar but larger package, holding it out for Vivian to take.
Delicately taking it from the little buck, a happy, slightly wobbly laugh escaped her when she saw the ball and bauble resting inside.

The former was pretty much the same as her son's, though where his image wore a lopsided grin, hers simply smiled brightly. The latter was shaped like a fox's tail, waving elegantly and curling a little at the end.
The meaning of both those unexpected items was clear. The vixen was not only seen as a part of the family, she was also a very precious and special mammal to them.
Going down on one knee she hugged all of the kits, pressing kisses to their foreheads.

"And we got one more thing for you, if you want it," Frank added.
Wondering how much more her heart would be able to take this Christmas, she raised again and prepared herself for whatever came next.

Alicia and Frank Leapsky exchanged a quick glance and nod before the doe gave Vivian a serious look. "Vivi, we would like you to become the godmother of our little ones."
A paw to her muzzle, Vivian couldn't stop the gasp at the offer she had just been given.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. We have no doubts about this. So, what do you say?"
"Of course I'll say yes. Come here you two."
She couldn't remember ever hugging so many mammals in such a short amount of time as she had done throughout this Christmas.

"Ugh, not again." Letting go of the two lagomorphs she wiped her eyes and attempted to stop fresh tears from flowing yet again. In vain.

While Vivian tried to deal with the emotional gifts she had gotten, Judy had returned and approached her husband. Even with the mass of mammals around them, Nick smelled her before turning around.
Her scent though made him somewhat uncomfortable.
His bunny was clearly stressed.

"What's the matter, Fluff? Are you not feeling well?"
Wordlessly she took out a present from behind her back, handing it over to him.
Unsure how to react he took it, noticing that it was something soft simply wrapped in brightly colored paper that sported dancing snowmammals of all kinds.
"And here I thought we didn't want to give something to each other."
She shrugged.
"Where did you even hide that? I saw you packing that jute sack." An insecure smile played on his lips, though his mate's behavior instilled nervousness in him.
"Secret of the trade," was her short, serious reply.

Swallowing, he started to tear through the tape with a claw, slowly unwrapping the gift's content.
What he found was a light blue, folded fabric that, as he took it out of its wrapping, revealed another, pink one beneath. More confused than before he unfolded them and after a moment realized that what he was holding in his paws were tiny…

"... onesies?"

His brain was drawing a blank as he wide-eyed stared at his mate, maw hanging open without any word leaving it.

Nick's reaction caused Judy to feel even more distressed than before, not knowing if it was a positive one or not. Fidgeting on her spot, she had difficulties holding his gaze while explaining.
"I... I don't know yet how many there will be. I-it's still too early to say, yet. The same goes for, youknow, if they aregoingtobeboysorgirlsorbothor-"
Her rambling was interrupted by a collective of surprised calls that drew her averted eyes back to her mate.

The tod was being held by a couple of her siblings, slowly letting him down to the ground.
Otherwise, it seemed he would have crumpled, his legs having given in.
"Despite us being different species? You are not pulling my leg, are you?" His voice was barely more than a croaky whisper as he looked up at Judy.

The room had grown silent.

She shook her head with the beginning of a smile playing around her lips, mirroring her mate's. A surprised yelp escaped her as she felt herself being drawn for- and downward into her fox's open arms, happy laughter sounding from him while he embraced his wife.

His pregnant wife.

Finding her bearings, Judy joined in his undiluted bliss, her own tears of relieve joining Nick's.
The cheers that broke out throughout the room were even louder than the year before when they had shared their first kiss after Nick's unexpected confession.
Lips met again in passion and unbridled joy, the news still making Nick's head reel.

When they parted, he voiced his disbelief.
"I'm really going to be a father?"
Judy nodded, and he finally understood.
Her exhaustion.
The times she felt dizzy.
His weird hunches that she was keeping something from him.
Bonnie's hint this morning and Judy's reaction to it.
Her…

He facepalmed.
"You don't wear any perfume, do you?" he asked the confused looking doe.
"Nope, never have, never will," she confirmed laughingly.
"I'm such a..."
"... dumb fox?" his mate provided.
He nodded.

Another question popped into his mind.
"Say, how long did your mom know about it, Fluff?"
"You picked up on that, huh?" She shot him a guilty grin. "I didn't tell her on purpose. I wanted you to be the first one to find out. Also wanted to get back at you for letting me wait for your confession until last year," she added in a hushed voice, the barest trace of a smirk on her lips. "But yesterday, when I helped her fetch the food and cider, she asked me straight about it while no one was nearby. Said she knew it the moment we entered the warren."

The tod shook his head in mild disbelief.
Not scrying, eh?

"And what about you?" he inquired.
Suddenly appearing rather bashful the doe helped her mate up to his feet.
"Do you remember when I was sent home because I felt dizzy at work? I had gone to see a doctor, and he said nothing was wrong with me besides a little exhaustion. But he also found something else, and after I told him my husband is a fox, he sent me to see another doctor. She is a specialist for cross-species conception sitting in the Rainforest District - a really sweet red panda - and guess what she told me? Surprise."
Another tear slowly traveled down her cheek, passing by the upturned corner of her lips before it fell from her chin down onto the tod's paw.

"Keeping secrets from your husband. You are such a bad bunny."
"Your bad bunny."
He stole another kiss from the one he loved, one of his paws unwittingly caressing her belly.
And while he did, he thought to himself that this was the best, emotionally draining, most tear-jerking Christmas he ever had.

A loud 'Thud' behind him caused Nick to turn around.
Noticing that the eyes of quite some of the present bunnies were casted downwards he followed their gazes, finding that his father-in-law had apparently fainted while Bonnie stood next to him, shaking her head in mild disbelief.
"And again. It's always the same with him."

Facing the parents-to-be, she pulled them into a hug, the first of many they would receive over the next hour. And every single one of them would stoke the warm flame burning inside them, making them feel like they were far up in the clouds.

The feeling persisted still when they already sat in the train heading back towards the city, making it all seem almost unreal.

"Hope you have braced yourself, Fluff."
Nick's words drew Judy back from her ruminating on the last two days.
Two days that had yet again changed her life.
"Huh? Braced for what?"
She snuggled closer to her mate, head turning so she could look into his eyes.
"We do have to inform Bogo about you being an expecting mother now. That means you will be pulled from active duty."
"I can deal with some weeks of paperwork. Seriously, you are more annoyed by deskwork than me, Slick."

Shaking his head with a growing smirk, he let his index finger tick from side to side.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's not what I'm getting at, Sweetheart."
She gave him a puzzled look, waiting for the tod to elaborate.
"What I mean is, mammals will realize what this is about at some point even if ol' buffalo butt doesn't spell it out. And that would mean…" he gestured for her to continue.
"... Benji will hear about it, too," she finished his sentence, finally realizing what he meant by bracing herself.

As much as she loved the portly cheetah, her ears wilted at the idea of him finding out about her pregnancy. At least about the first reaction he would most likely have.
"I need hearing protection."

Vivian - again sitting across from them - chuckled at Judy's resigned exclamation.
"From what you two told me about him, he supported you even before you became mates. So leave him that little moment of joy."
"I guess." A smile played around Judy's lips. "Though he already was Nick's best man during our wedding. Is it asked too much that I want to keep my hearing intact?"
Laughter was the answer she got, with her joining in after a moment.

When they calmed down again, Judy settled back against her fox, feeling his arm slung around her and the warmth from his body seeping into hers.

A new chapter of our life is going to start.
The thought was almost scary, but the excitement and happiness outweighed it by far. Especially since she wasn't alone in this. Closing her eyes, she felt slumber approach her with quick steps.

And many more to come, her continued musings slowly changed into the beginnings of a dream about their future as she drifted asleep.
Safe in the arms of her fox.

A/N:

A couple of things at the end.
No, these last paragraphs are not a hint that more chapters are coming. I don't have any continuation planned.

And yeah, that part with Pop-pop was quite a bit darker than I would have expected it to turn out.
I mean, I knew the confrontation would come (unlike with the part with Jake's coming out which I totally didn't see coming until it happened), though I wouldn't have expected that thickheaded old mammal to be that hard to convince nor did I expect Robert's fate to be such a tragic one. I know this is not really supposed to be happening in a fluffy Christmas story, but... well, it did happen :-(