"Nick, will you just tell me where we're going already?"

Judy crossed her arms and stared accusingly at the red fox in the driver's seat, reflective aviators shading his brilliant green eyes from the growing glare of the rising sun as he focused on the road ahead. He'd hinted a month ago that he was planning something big, and while she usually had little trouble getting answers out of him, this time had been trying to get apple juice from a lemon. All he'd said was that they'd be going somewhere warm, and the weekend before had taken her to buy several new swimsuits, a few of which she wouldn't have dreamt of wearing before she'd met him.

I'm starting to think he wants every other male around staring at me, she glanced over at him again, that light smirk planted on his lips like always. He'd gotten a few things for himself on that spree, one of them being the semi-loose blue button up he wore now, the color complimenting his fur perfectly. Her gaze darted to his ring when he shifted his paws on the wheel, the GT hugging the curve of the road, smiling when she looked down to its match on hers. She couldn't believe it had already been ten years since they'd met, almost seven since they'd married, and she was still as hopelessly in love with him as the day she'd first realized it.

There were times before and after that day that she didn't like thinking about: being abducted by mammals who'd been trying to create more hybrids like them, then again when Nick's cousin had decided no one was good enough for him, and to prove the system was still biased toward certain species. But the pain from all that was pinpricks compared to her family, how they'd been so obsessed with seeing her married to a buck that they'd gone completely against rabbit law, arranging it entirely behind her back and making sure she'd had no way to escape.

Darwin had been sweet and supportive, willing to wait until she'd sorted out her feelings, at least at first, and she'd thought she could eventually learn to love him. But all being with him had done was make her realize just how important Nick was to her, that she saw him as more than just her best friend. The last nail in the coffin had been when she'd overheard him arguing with Chief Bogo, demanding that Nick be fired for coming on to her, or he'd make sure she quit. She'd confronted him just outside the office, throwing her ring in his face when he'd refused to see reason, then afterward had cleaned everything she'd owned out of their apartment, running right to the fox that had stolen her heart.

She'd been overjoyed to learn that he felt the same way, and he'd promised to do whatever it took to get her free of Darwin, including paying for her divorce lawyer. He'd ended up not having to keep it, though, as the buck had shown up the next morning and shot him. Her parents had come to the hospital after he'd woken up from surgery, and she'd given them an ultimatum: either they annul her complete sham of a marriage, or she'd go to prison a DIY widow.

But the peace had only lasted until she and Nick had announced their engagement, and then her family had started sending bucks her way almost by the dozen. Once again, it had taken the threat of police involvement to make them back off, and she'd all but completely cut off contact with them. That had happened later, when they'd tried blaming Nick for all the pain his cousin had caused, saying she'd be better off divorcing him and that there were still plenty of bucks waiting for her.

Bucks that would never appreciate me or accept my dreams, she thought bitterly, clutching her left paw tightly to her chest. And they sure as hell would never have accepted Terry, whether he was a full bunny or not!

She'd grown up hearing that being a divorced parent was almost as bad as having kits out of wedlock, and with some judges was still enough to make a bunny lose their parental rights. Just another of the psycho rules she would never subject her own kids to. She couldn't believe Terry was already six, or that they'd celebrated the quadruplets' fifth birthday just before they'd left on this trip. Ben and Stephanie had practically begged to watch the kids for the two weeks they'd be gone, even with already having their paws full with two-year-old triplets.

"We're here, Fluff," Nick's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to the windshield, gasping when she saw the enormous white ship, the railing already lined with mammals of all sizes and species, waving and cheering back at the crowd that filled the dock.

"Oh, Nick!" she unbuckled and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "This is incredible!"

He chuckled, tilted her head back and kissed her deeply, his tail draping warmly over her hips. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt, dragging herself up and returning it eagerly.

"Work's been so crazy lately," he said, referring to their last case, a county-wide Ponzi scheme. The ZBI had been in charge of the investigation, since one of their Most Wanted had been behind it, but that hadn't made it any easier on the ZPD. They'd still barely managed to catch the guy, and only because he'd gotten cocky and slipped up while trying to escape. Nick nuzzled his wife's forehead before kissing her again, then got out, his tail lightly waving as he went to the trunk to get their bags. Judy followed him, beaming when she turned back to look at the massive ship, the white hull gleaming in the sun, blue-striped smokestacks snoozing as the engines idled beneath the glimmering, shifting ocean surface.

"I've always dreamed of going on a cruise," she sighed dreamily, leaning against her husband's side when he finished with their things. He hit the lock on the fob and stuffed it in his pocket, grabbing the handle of his suitcase, chuckling when he saw her scowl at hers.

"I don't know why you always make me pack this thing," she looked up at him, still pouting. "My old duffle bag would've worked just fine."

He chuckled again, taking her paw as he bent to kiss the top of her head.

"One, because it's about to fall apart," he tugged her gently forward, excited to get their trip started. "And two, last time I let you use it, you had to buy that suitcase just to fit everything else you'd bought, anyway."

Her eyes widened, her ears flaring red before snapping flat against her back. They'd gone to Willow for his uncle's birthday, and since she'd also won a nice cash prize from a sweepstakes she'd entered, she'd admittedly gone a bit crazy in the buying department.

"It was my first time in that part of the state, Nick," she reminded him, letting go of his paw to put on her own sunglasses, squeezing a bit too hard when she grabbed it again. "I'd also just found out I was pregnant with the litter, and from what I remember, you weren't exactly Mr. Cool and Collected."

Nick opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut, vividly remembering the fool he'd made of himself when she'd told him. He hadn't been allowed back in Vince's Old-Fashioned Sugar Rush since. He couldn't believe Jasmine, Finnick, Gypsy and Julian were already in preschool, their eldest, Terrance, in first grade.

"They're getting so big," he mused quietly, a bit of sadness streaking through him as always. He'd always wanted kits, but he'd never realized just how much he'd love being a dad until Terry had been born. The stress that came with a newborn, and later four more with a toddler, was absolute heaven for him, made even better by the fact the love of his life was right by his side. He knew they wouldn't stay little forever, that all too soon there'd come a time where they would go off on their own, where they no longer needed him.

"They'll always need you, Slick," Judy comforted, smiling tenderly up at him. "No matter how old they get, no matter where their lives take them, they'll always depend on the amazing mammal that raised them."

He grinned faintly back.

"We both know you're better than me, fluff," he said. "It makes sense they'll always come to you for advice…"

He sighed, giving a weak shrug before his shoulders went limp.

"But the best I'll probably ever do is teach them what no decent mammal has any reason to know."

He stumbled a bit when she suddenly stopped, turning to see her glaring at him.

"You can just stop right there, Nicolas Wilde," she snapped in her cop voice, a tone even kits knew not to question. Letting her suitcase fall, she grabbed his collar and hoisted herself up, planting her feet on his thighs to keep her in his face. "You are the most selfless, courageous and intelligent mammal I know. You're also kind, generous and loyal, and I will not allow you to degrade yourself in front of me. Do I make myself clear?"

He could only stare at her, his tail frizzed and twitching. She growled, yanking him forward until his lips were pressed against hers, his arms wrapping quickly around her when she let herself start to slip.

"I said, do I make myself clear, Captain?" she repeated, her tone softer. He nodded, pulling her into a warm, tight hug.

"Perfectly, Captain," he smiled at her, then set her down, grabbing his bag again as she righted hers. He held out a paw, his smile growing when he saw the glint of gold and silver on hers as she took it. "Now let's get this vacation started."