Author's Note:

Oh man, here we go! Thank you everyone for the wonderful response to my previous two stories, a test of my mettle in the art of Fanfiction. I learned a lot and I made some new friends so I'm back for more! This time however, I might just be here to stay! My Authors Notes will usually NEVER by this long, but I need to lay out some things for those who are dropping in for the first time and want to know what I brought for them. So, here's what you should expect from this series:

· I have downgraded the rating to T as my understanding on what folks expected on this site for an M rated story was... off center? I do not foresee actual intimate encounters being portrayed in this series on since that is frowned upon. Subtext? Stuff happening between the lines? Sure, you can't keep a city populated if no one gets lucky, but I won't be writing anything super detailed about it. I opted for the M rating because some of the stuff people say and refer to might well push the limits of a teen rating, and I want the flexibility. There will also be some violence, but I will not go into gory detail of injuries and the like. I want this story able to be read in its entirety by pretty much any fan. It's not gonna be right to read as a bed time story for little ones, but a mature audience can enjoy it without having to hide it under the mattress.

· This series is intended to be LONG. How long you ask? Well, the title starts with Episode 1 of Season 1. Get used to my fuzzy white face cause it ain't goin anywhere! Alpsie's here for the long haul! Like a TV series, I will generally have an over-arching theme or story for the season, and have a lot of individual stories mixed in.

· My main purpose here is to explore a gorgeous city that was given to us by its creators for us as fans and dreamers to enjoy. It is not my intention to gain anything more from it than the knowledge that for some of us at least, the gift of Zootopia did not end after a bit over a hundred minutes.

· Is WildeHopps gonna be a thing? Did you see what Judy did in the last story? Holy crap! No way the fox is just gonna let something like that slide! But, let's see. I will let the fox and bunny decide however they wish at a pace comfortable to them. There's a lot of ground to cover and some pretty understandable reservations and high hurdles in place, and that is but a single story to tell in a world made of stories!

· Is it going to be fluff? My previous two stories were OMGoodness™ Certified Fluffy. There was a little darkness in there, but that only served as fluff contrasting agent. This new story will have more meat and less sweet, and that means a bit more comedy and action. There's still gonna be drama because that's life, but it won't be the central core to the story like my previous two works.

I do not own Zootopia, I do not have any major stake in Disney, I do not work for Disney and I do not have any personal involvement with the creators of Zootopia or any Disney Staff. The opinions shared in this work of fiction are my own and Disney does not support or profit from this work in any way. I write this series for one very simple reason. In nearly every other story Disney has created, the world must be so large as to hold its story, and, neat and tidy, it's usually just large enough. The end comes, the warm glow of the credits lull us into the sense that this world is satisfied by its story. In Zootopia however, the world was created larger than life to hold endless stories, and I was left with the feeling that this place above so many others would become a home to more dreams and stories than its creators ever imagined. Zootopia need not only be seen, it can be shared.

Guardian Blue: Season One

Episode 1: Four Corners

The soaking wet coyote burst from the watery canal that ran between Marshland and Hill Street used by some of Zootopia's more aquatic citizens. That particular canal was used mostly by hippos. He hooked the pull bar at the exit of the canal and hefted himself over the metal plate and tumbled sloppily onto the street. Out of breath he shook himself off to unload some of the weight of water clinging to his fluffy, shirtless brown-toned form. His dark eyes darted side to side looking for an avenue of escape. He didn't have long. A rapid thumpthumpthump was heard and he looked to see the plastic canopy shaking a bit over the canal. Above the waterline a grey bunny in a custom fit police uniform bounced lightning quick back and forth between either edge of the protective shell that fit over the canal to prevent mammals, especially children, from falling in. Judy wasn't swimming, she was ricocheting back and forth along the heavy duty plastic. The coyote bolted for a row of newsstands set back from the road conveniently for those mammals who would have used those canals and certainly didn't have a newspaper with them when they did. He wedged himself between two of them, earning the stunned shock of a slender, wiry otter working the associated two booths.

The bunny officer never touched the water, bouncing right out of the plastic arch-work and confidently onto the sidewalk, panting heavily as she looked for the coyote. She rolled her eyes as she saw the explosion of water darkening the ground in a sun-flare pattern and the unmistakable trail of droplets that retreated between the booths where an irritated otter looked back at her. Judy looked back to the canal.

"I'm gonna stay on him! Catch up, Nick!" she shot back to the water. She moved in between the booths and looked left and right. She took a moment to listen for him before hearing a deep gasp from the canal. She glanced back as Nick hauled himself somewhat pathetically out of the water. The bounce back and forth thing was not as effective for his larger mass so he did a splendid job nearly keeping up with his swimming alone.

"I'm here, Carrots, clear to engage!" He pulled himself out with some effort and stepped onto the metal plate at the exit. It clicked. Nick looked down, eyes wide. "NnnOOoooooooo!" The powerful fan-driven air dryer used to rapidly de-saturate a fully clothed hippo switched on full blast, roaring to life and sending Nick instantly skyward. Judy had already darted in the direction that she saw some water trailing. At Nick's cry she looked back but didn't see him by the canal. Where did he go? She didn't think to look up at first, but Nick called out over the din of the fan, getting her attention. She stood up straight and looked in shock at her partner hovering, limbs splayed out, tail straight up in a horizontal sky-diving position about thirty feet up.

"Nick?!" she cried.

"He's armed, he's got a broom stick or something at your ten, he's getting away!" called the fox desperately. Judy grinned. It was not flattering for the fox but he had eyes in the sky and that helped. Judy bolted in the direction Nick signaled and she blocked the exit of the coyote as he headed toward the stairs that would take him off the main plaza there and into a shopping area where he'd be able to find easier cover. He gripped the stick, ready to swing at the bunny. The suspect that Judy had been chasing was exhausted from swimming the canal and running even more before that but he snarled and rose up against Judy. She was a bunny! That would be terrifying, a big predator with a weapon suddenly ready to lunge. He seemed unable to mentally parse what happened next.

The bunny didn't look afraid, she looked delighted! It was exactly what she planned for, everything she'd practiced with Nick. The coyote recoiled a bit as it seemed the lapine had gone mad and was too slow to stop the sudden grey furry rocket that launched from her position and planted her shoulder right in his breadbasket, folding the canine in half and taking him off his feet. Judy wrapped her arms around his torso using what remained of their momentum as he fell backwards to brace herself against his chest and, as he landed, kick off, a second impact occurring from behind for the coyote as he hit the ground. Judy skidded to a stop and was on him in a second before the stick even finished clattering on the ground. He whined as he went kind of limp, finding himself so quickly handcuffed on his belly with a rabbit standing on his back. He didn't have to guess what those powerful legs could do to him if he tried to get up.

Judy looked back up at her partner who gave her a thumbs up and seemed to be enjoying the wind in his face a little too much. The fan shut off and Nick flailed a bit in panic, but fortunately it didn't just stop the wind instantly, it died down in a couple of seconds so he descended swiftly but safely enough back to the grate, landing on all fours. He moved over to his partner promptly and helped her get the coyote up to his feet. Judy called in the take down on the radio and requested a stand down for the officer assistance call from before. Nick leaned back against one of the stands as Judy read the canine his rights. Nick spoke up after Judy finished the official reading.

"C'mon Mike, " he helped the mammal in the direction Judy was headed, back to their car a few blocks over. "… I don't suppose you want to tell us where the large bag of Happy Town Black that was in the hat you dropped came from? It would really help us out and if you help us out, we can help you out, it's something we do." Nick smiled encouragingly at the fellow canid.

"Not givin' scat to you, fox, not widdout a lawyer. And I intend to be suin' the city for damages from that manic rabbit. She's outta control!" he barked. Judy didn't say anything as Nick walked with him. Given her size she was not likely to kill her suspects in a takedown but she could not afford to treat them with kid gloves either. If they intended to fight, they would have a real fight.

"Yeah, and you can bring that to the city, but they are gonna weigh that against the big predator with a potentially deadly weapon and laugh at you for getting folded up like origami by a bunny. The poison's coming from somewhere, Mikey. I got enough to have you distributing, but if you just maybe tell us a few places you didn't get it, a hint, if you will, maybe I just say its personal use and you are just a walking one-pup party, huh?" The coyote snarled at Nick, who, while smaller, seemed to have him under control all the same as they approached the car.

"Nothin' doing pest," came the heavily used derogatory remark aimed at Judy's partner. The doe gritted her teeth. It was one of her least favorite words used for Nick. "Try and stick what you want to me, I ain't like you. I ain't about to go against my own." Nick shrugged at that and nodded to Judy who opened the back door of their cruiser. The fox helped the coyote in after giving him one more careful pat down for weapons and additional contraband. Nick then hopped into the cruiser. A few mammals had seen the takedown but fortunately the pair's celebrity had died down with a couple months of fluff work so no one appeared to want to make a big deal about seeing the odd partners in action. Judy got into the driver's seat as usual leaving Nick to the passenger seat and she started back toward the precinct.

After a couple of miles the coyote started back up, the fox and bunny quietly listening to him give the not-so-unusual accosting that the officers endured from the back seat.

"So, who did da fox have dirt on t' get through the academy, huh?" he asked. No answer came to him. He paused a moment and growled. "The city must be getting' pretty desperate if they are takin' fox candidates, and that after weaponizing a cute bun with some freaky experiment." He huffed. Still no response. Both officers faced forward, Judy driving quietly and professionally. Mike continued to verbally bite them as they arrived at a stoplight. "If I paid the fox's mum double on my next group session in her boo'dwah, y'think I might still have a chance to git my charges bumped down?" Mike tensed up a bit as Nick jerked forward, reaching into the vehicle's console. Here it came, lawsuit city! He braced for it. Nick suddenly held up a card to his partner.

"Bingo!" he cried with an excited grin as the car stopped at a traffic light. Mike looked dumbfounded. Judy cried out.

"Noooo! I was so close! Two ways, too!" She held up another card for her partner to see. Nick took a little rubber stamp out of the center console and pressed it to the little white card. He held it up to the screen for Mike to see. It was a bingo card. Arranged around the one free space were all kinds of insults. It had everything from 'Judy is actually a buck' to 'Foxes are literally hell spawn' to 'Rabbits are Nature's Candy'. Several of these colorful sayings on Nick's displayed card had cute little blue paw-print shaped stamps on them. The fresh stamp that Nick had just pressed was on the top right corner over 'Nick's mom is a whore', earning him a top row victory.

"Oh you have got to be freakin' kiddin' me." Mike groaned. The pair seemed to ignore him more now that the game was over.

"We are out of cards." Judy stated, rummaging through the center console.

"I will get another pack from my desk after lunch." Nick stated casually. As they pulled into the ZPD, the coyote growled out in a resigned tone,

"I ain't even gonna lie, that's actually kinda tits."

Judy sat on the one high stool at the too-large table in the break room while Nick just stood up in the oversized chair beside her, brushing his tail. The bunny watched him for a bit as she munched on her veggie wrap. He was completely dry again finally and it was all she could do not to tease him about having been soaked but there were several stink insults on the bingo cards and she did not want to load a win for the fox on the way back. She watched him groom for longer than she thought was polite and looked away. Given her own barely tear-drop of a tail, she could not help but be a little transfixed with the red and coal plume of softness that Nick seemed to unconsciously tease her with. It wasn't that she found it particularly attractive, she just could not help but be curious about it, and just grabbing it would be terrible manners so she didn't dare. She took another bite as she heard a deeper growly voice behind her.

"Your buddy decided to clam up way less in the interrogation room after we mentioned the word 'cherry' to him like you suggested, Wilde." Wolford stated calmly, sipping from a white paper cup. The fact that it was a sip and not the sloppy lapping that he might otherwise whole-heartedly commit to made it obvious it was a hot drink, so probably coffee, Judy observed. Nick nodded as he put his silver comb back in his little black case and that back in the slender tote bag he kept in his locker. Judy smiled at the grateful wolf as he leaned against the back of the chair Nick was standing in. The two canids had become pretty good work buddies. Judy was actually very glad to see that. She worried that Nick would experience some push back initially, and while there had been a few holdouts who saw the fox's playful nature as disrespectful, the results he got and his willingness to help everyone had earned him a place. Her partner answered Wolford.

"I figured that might loosen his gums a little." He grinned that typical smug Nick Wilde grin. Judy nodded to Wolford. The wolf tilted his head curiously.

"A girlfriend of his?" Wolford asked after the info was not immediately volunteered.

"Yep, but it's not what you think." Nick offered. "He's not tryin' to protect the gal." He leaned back, seeming to feel better about his carefully maintained foxy appearance. Judy would certainly tease him about his vanity in the car later, maybe lick a finger and push a bit of fur out of place. That always made him frantic.

"Then why did it look like we were about to take the most valuable thing in his life away from him when we said it?" asked the lupine. Nick grinned.

"Cherry's not his girl, she's his ex, and she is not… entirely stable. He's not protecting Cherry, he's hiding from her." Nick admitted. Judy winced. She did not really approve of holding something like that over someone, as he might well have good reason to hide, but she would just have to trust her partner on this one. Wolford cackled however, seeming to feel far less sorry for Mike. The coyote had been to the precinct plenty of times, so most folks knew him well enough to know he was not likely to change his ways by this afternoon. Judy had even tried to give an inspirational talk to him, but he was not like Nick. He didn't choose his life out of surrender to an idea, he chose it because for him it was easy, and doing things right was hard. So far the bunny had not seen an easy way to fix that. Wolford strode away and Nick leaned back, sipping his own drink. It was water, but he was not as loud about it as the wolf would have been.

"Nick…" Judy leaned forward, elbows on the table in her stool. The fox gazed over to her happily with his bright green eyes fixed on hers. She appreciated that as a con artist he knew the importance of meeting someone's gaze when they looked at you. It made her feel more certain that he was listening. "The other day Bogo told me I have a short time to use some of my vacation days…" she rubbed the back of her head a bit.

"Oh! By all means, use them! I don't want to keep you from resting. By moonlight, you've earned it." He gestured to her.

"Actually, I was not very comfortable with just leaving you in the lurch. You know what will happen to you while I am gone, right?" she asked.

"I will be assigned someone else, since I'm the wet pelt?" he asked.

"Please don't say it like that, it's gross." Judy murmured. "You are a rookie, but no, Bogo's gonna probably put you on parking duty for the weekend." She frowned to her partner both because he used a derogatory remark for himself, and he would be terribly inconvenienced in her absence. Nick cringed at parking duty. Fortunately he had only endured it a couple of times, but it seemed to be the go-to for mammals whose partners were out sick, away on vacation, or otherwise indisposed, often with court or other duties. The fox sighed.

"No, I … I still feel like you earned it. I will suffer the wrath of the inappropriately parked for a while; I want you to get to rest. I don't want your rest days to go away, Judy, that's what happens if you just don't take them." He noted. The bunny sighed and looked at her partner. Why was this so hard to ask? It was a simple request, and it felt like she was asking to borrow organs from him that she did not intend to return. She inhaled deeply and spoke again.

"Actually, I was thinking… there's a way around you getting stuck with parking duty, and I think I can probably convince Bogo since he felt bad about not telling me how close I was on my days, making me lose at least a few." Nick perked up. Not having to do the least favored duty in Zootopia was easily priority to him.

"Go on." He rested his chin on his palms, standing in his chair leaning forward and wagging his thick freshly manicured tail slowly. It was never like wolves or coyotes wagged, it was always something flowing, as if made to distract, not to convey emotion.

"See, I am gonna go back home from Friday through Monday, come back on Tuesday." The bunny explained, putting her index fingers together, bridging them as if in thought.

"Sounds fun, I know you miss your family. Bunnies tend to be real close-knit, I hear." He nodded. Judy blushed a little at Nick's words, since 'I hear' probably meant he looked it up. Some of the things he knew about her were text-book things, leading the doe to think her partner likely researched bunnies on his spare time to make it easier to work with her and it embarrassed her because she had not really done the same for him. He seemed to be the one making all the concessions. Still, he did not seem unhappy, and after the incident with her bringing his mother back to him from new Reynard, she wanted to let him get away with doing some special things in return. She feared otherwise he might feel indebted for that. After a few seconds passed, he added, "So, how are you going to get me out of generating revenue instead of racking up a bill?" he asked. Judy looked down.

"You have accrued four days of vacation, I checked. I'm taking you with me." She answered. She flinched a little internally at realizing how she said it. She meant she would like to take him with her. Her possessiveness might have been rearing its head again.

"What." Nick's response seemed less a question and more a blunt response, like he dropped a dish or something.

"C'mon Nick, it's no big deal, and I think the fresh air and a little time out of the busy city will do you some good!" Judy stated brightly. The fox deadpanned back at her.

"Judy, your grandfather thinks I am literally made of fire and brimstone. Half your siblings I think agree. Some place names out there include 'Foxblood', 'Broken Claw', and, my favorite, 'Toddsgrave'. There's actually a statue of a dead fox in Bunnyburrow Arboretum. I do not think I would be very relaxed there." Judy looked a bit stunned at her partner, almost beyond words. How did he know any of that, much less commit them to memory? How did he know about the Hungry Todd statue? Had he studied her home town? Why? The doe waved her hand dismissively.

"That fox statue is of a fox who starved out of reverence to the bunnies who saved his life, it's a beautiful story, it's not like they executed him!" Judy explained. Nick lowered his body a little, chin over his crossed arms, looking as if he were chatting with Judy at a sleepover.

"Did you know I could eat every single thing on your farm? All of it. Nothing there would make me ill." Nick stated calmly. "Why didn't they feed their poor rescued fox, Fluff? Why did he starve?" Judy's eyes widened. "Uh-huh." Nick nodded.

"I… I think it's just symbolic, Nick, and that was like... a hundred years ago, and besides, you won't even have to deal with my grandfather, he's in a retirement community, he is hardly ever over. Come on Nick, I would like to get out of here for a bit. How long has it been since you were away from the city?" she asked. Nick sighed a bit.

"Okay, you got me there. I haven't been out of Zootopia since I was 12 or 13 or so. It's been so long. If you can promise me I won't get strung up by angry rabbits, I will come and check out your home town, fluff." He chuckled. Judy gave an excited squeak and cupped her muzzle. She did not mean to let that out. Nick arched an eyebrow. She sucked in a sudden breath and murmured,

"Sorry, just, I really did not expect you to be okay with it. I want to show you some of my favorite places, introduce you to friends, and let you see how I spent my days before I became the nosy cop friend you know now." She grinned excitedly, her teeth showing which was a little rare for the bunny even as cheerful as she was. Nick looked dumbfounded a moment, and then the smug swept over his face. The bunny braced for it.

"Honestly?" Nick asked. "I had always imagined you spent the summers of your youth solving mysteries like some Nancy Shrew junior mystery book." Judy held stark still. Okay, so maybe she did try to solve the occasional mystery in her youth, but the boys in her town who played baseball practiced for baseball by playing baseball how else was she supposed to practice to be a cop? Playing is the thing you do to prepare yourself and hone the skills of the real world, and that was how she played. He didn't have to… Oh wait, his smile was tender now; it meant he was being playful. She gave a nervous chuckle instead.

"Well, not far off. I certainly never shrank way from an opportunity to help some mammal if I could. Sharla and a few of my other friends never seemed to have a hard time coming up with problems for me to solve, and I had a reputation for it ever since I was ten, so I guess that fits." She shrugged, letting the fox know he was right again. At least he was not one to rub her wiggling little nose in it. Nick packed his empty container which had held a variety of pickled veggies and rice in his bag and smiled.

"Well what weekend are you planning? I have plans not this weekend, but next with my mom. I was going to take her to see a play. She loves stuff like that and I do not mind the horrible vacuuming noises in my savings account right now to let her live a little. She likes making Annie at the dinner jealous." He laughed. Judy smirked at that, having met Annie and knowing very well how pleased she had been to find out what Nick had become. That he was giving his mother so much attention was likely a joyful tale for the dark-furred vixen as well.

"Well, fortunately, it's this weekend. I already talked to Bogo, he's okay with me taking the time off on short notice, and I might have told him that I was concerned about you being kind of overwhelmed with things since you went active duty and he's okay with me taking you with me." As she said it, Judy felt like maybe this was a little too invasive, but it was too late to change gears.

"Given that he's already offered me the company psychiatrist, I can believe that he was okay with it, but I will bet more that he feels that you, Carrots, are my only filter and he is not ready for Wilde in the raw yet." He laughed, wringing his paws like he had plans for the Cape buffalo. Judy felt a little more relaxed and laughed at that. It seemed like Nick was going to accompany her home after all. This made her feel better because the life that she had in Zootopia was now her real life and the one waiting for her at home had reason to feel a little more alien, a little more unfamiliar because there she was not in full control of who she was, who she was expected to be around, and how they saw her. She had plenty of history there and her history had not always been a pleasant one. Nick would help as a buffer to remind her who she was now, and who she had been was just a preparation for what she brought home. She was a cop now, she was successful. Judy Hopps was appreciated in the city of Zootopia, not just one of many bunnies trying to make their place in the world. No more was she that bunny who mammals shook their heads at as she jogged along the road in training for her weird dream, seen as so eccentric. The fox by her side would remind her that she got what she came for and laugh as they may, she was Officer Judy Hopps and they were exactly the way they were when she left that town over a year ago.

"You will need a few days packing, clothes for at least three days, though we do have a washer and dryer. It's as far to there as it is to New Reynard so we will take an early train out. While I do have a few things I want to do in Bunnyburrow, there is really not a ton to do there, so I stress that this is a do nothing holiday. We are heading out there to relax, so be prepared to stare at green hills and embrace the laziest feeling you can dig from within." Judy boasted. Nick inhaled deeply, leaning back.

"Are you demanding I be lazy? Is it a thing that can be asked for seriously? I have worked very hard these last 18 months. I think I can say without a doubt, harder than ever in my life." Nick admitted. "I won't shy away from the thought of being in a place where the general expectation is that I do nothing. Is there anything I should be aware of? Your parents met me briefly at the benefit concert back right after I started at the ZPD, but I don't think they even registered I was your partner, they were so alarmed at the crowds and the lights and the noise of the big city." The fox laughed.

"Honestly, I don't know how they feel about you, but they are okay with foxes in general now, I mean, they work with Gideon." She explained.

"That's the fox that mentioned Nighthowlers and ruined my life, right?" Nick teased. Judy slugged him in the arm playfully for it.

"Yeah, the same. You'll be meeting him I bet. You are not allowed to leave without sampling some of his confections. He specializes in berries… the very same that you love from my family's farm." She nodded. Nick sighed softly, rubbing his upper arm where Judy 'tapped' him.

"Alright, Carrots, you win. I will go home with you, but for the record I am nervous. You will protect me from all the scary bunnies, right?" he asked. Judy kicked in his general direction as he laughed and retreated. The fox went to wash up from lunch and she leaned back in her stool. That went better than expected. In a few days' time she would get to take a vacation and she could reward the hard working fox with some rest and relaxation.

The bunny sat in the middle of her bed, legs crossed, pillow over her lap in the cuddly position she found herself in the habit of doing every time she decided to do Muzzle Time with her parents. The phone rang a few times, and it was her mom that picked up. The broader, softer curves of the older lady lapine filled the screen as she held it up, holding, in her opposite arm, one of the police doe's many nephews. Judy shamefully did not think she could actually name which one. She had been out of the loop a lot with everything going on, but she bet she would be better with it after the weekend. She beamed at her mother and greeted her sunnily.

"Hi mom! Hands full for another evening of kit duty huh? Who's out bouncing around unburdened tonight?" she asked. Her mother gave a reproachful click of her tongue.

"It's a joy to care for my grandkits from time to time, I miss having you guys around when you were this tiny. So much easier to handle than when you are all pushing boys out of windows and needing to borrow cash for bills." She laughed.

"Neither thing have I ever done!" Judy reminded. Her mother grinned.

"I'm glad to hear from my most independent daughter however. How's the beat, bunny cop?" she asked. Judy perked her ears and beamed with pride. After the Nighthowler case her father had been a bit less happy about her being a cop, but her mother had been more proud, and a little more understanding with it so she felt she had someone in her corner at least. Her dad was just scared, she understood that.

"It goes well. We had a rather entertaining chase today, one of our regulars." Judy laughed. Her mom looked slightly concerned.

"It went safe and sound I hope?" she asked.

"Nick got blown up." Judy answered bluntly. Her mom looked horrified.

"Oh my goodness, Judy how can you say it like that, is he okay?" she asked. The bunny was secretly delighted in how much her mom seemed to care about the fate of her partner. It was in part why she called. She wanted to feel out their general mood about her working alongside a fox since she had never just come right out and asked about it.

"No, I mean, blown, like… he got caught up in one of the hippo air driers coming out of the transit canal. He was blown by fans like… twenty feet up or higher and got to hover there, it was hilarious." She remarked. Her mother did not laugh, seeming a little put off about the dark humor. Judy shook her head. "It's okay mom, we are always as safe as we can be, and they don't send us on anything they feel we can't handle. And that gives us a lot of leeway since we can handle way more than the dispatcher thinks we can. It's fine mom." She assured the worried-looking motherly lapine. She sighed.

"Judy, we all miss you here and you say it's not that dangerous but we hear things, you know? Things about how dangerous that job can be and even about what you have already done for the city there. When the video of the bear thing was shown on the news there your father had the car packed and ready to come drag you back before I even knew he was out of the house." The younger doe gave a nervous chuckle at that. Her dad could certainly over-react but it was not the first time he threatened to drag her home by force. She had been injured after the Nighthowler case, tripping on a display in the museum and that had nearly been enough for Stu Hopps. Her reflection on this was interrupted by her mom. "Judy, when are you coming home to visit? It would make everyone feel better to see you." Her mother asked. Judy grinned.

"I'll be there Friday, as a matter of fact." She chirped. Her mother nearly dropped the phone, making the grey-toned younger rabbit grin.

"Wh-what? Judy did you say Friday? Like, this Friday?!" she asked incredulously.

"Yep!" Judy chimed brightly. Her mother was so flustered that she had to put the kit down in his playpen temporarily put up in the dining room.

"Oh! Oh that's wonderful dear! I will let everyone know! I… Oh my goodness, we haven't seen you since the concert, it's been so long. It's been nearly … what..six months? Eight? We've all missed you so much!" she said with some exasperation.

"It's gonna be great to be home. I will be there until Monday afternoon." She began to feel anxious about the next part of this as her mother cheered for the good news. It was not just a day trip and Bonnie Hopps was flying high.

"Your old room's still put together like you left it, I will just vacuum and dust a bit and burn a nice candle, it'll be ready for you just fine!" she laughed. Her mother was in a great mood, and that's exactly what Judy wanted.

"Can you get the guest room upstairs ready as well, mom?" she asked.

"What? The one with the big bed? Have you gotten used to sleeping in one in the city?" she asked. Judy smiled meekly.

"Not for me, I will sleep in my own bed, it's for Nick. I'm gonna bring him with me." She grinned.

"Nick? Nick's coming here?" she asked incredulously.

"Sure! It's a holiday for us both, we have been working really hard and unlike me, he didn't get a month long break after getting out of the academy, he went right to work! He doesn't complain but I can tell he needs it." The younger bunny murmured. Her mom looked uneasy. Judy felt a bit more anxious. Was it really a problem?

"Well, okay dear, but I need to warn you…" Bonnie looked side to side a bit, as if worried someone else was listening. Judy's ears flattened.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked.

"Pop-Pop will be here for dinner on Saturday. Your father already made plans with him. I… I think you understand where that creates… something of a dilemma…" Judy's heart sank. She loved her grandfather dearly but never in the history of long ears was there a rabbit who disliked foxes more than that old codger. Judy rubbed her face. She would figure it out later. She would have Nick out that evening or… or something. Having them together, with his hatred of foxes and Nick's playful and teasing nature would be a disaster. She put on a smile for her mother.

"It's alright, mom, we will figure something out. That aside it's gonna be a great visit and I am hoping to get to catch up with all of you as much as possible. Hey… Do me a big favor… If the hammock that we keep in the little orchard is down, can you have dad put it up? Nick's actually never been in a hammock and it's gonna be serious hammock weather. I bragged about it and I want him to know what it's like." Bonnie nodded at that but furrowed her brow a bit curiously. Judy figured that it just sounded as odd to her mother as it had to the younger doe that Nick had never been in a hammock.

"I will tell him dear. Don't worry about Pop-Pop, I am sure there is something for Nick to do while he's here that can keep him occupied until nine or so when your father takes him back." Judy smiled at her mom. It would be okay, what's the worst that could even happen?