"CLOSURES"
                                   by
                             LEE M. WITHERS
=====================================================
 
    "So they found out... I guess it had to happen sometime... but, on
the other hand, count yourself lucky, Buster... the world didn't end,
your friends are still your friends... and I guess life goes on."
Buster Bunny smiled as he sat in his burrow, reflecting on the events
of the most recent past. It wasn't so bad that the world had found
out that he was Bugs Bunny's son, he supposed. Everybody he knew had
suspected it for some time anyway, so it really didn't come as a
surprise to most folks. But still, he wished that it hadn't happened
the way it did, what with Montana Max kidnapping his cousin Clyde and
all. In order to effect a rescue, Buster had to disclose his family
ties to Bugs (unwittingly aided and abetted by one Plucky Duck). No,
the revelation had not happened the way Buster would have wanted it
to. He wasn't ready for it. And he sure as heck wished his mom could
have been around. But even Buster knew that _that_ was impossible.
    He sighed as he sat looking at the contents of a box that Bugs
had given him some time ago; a box of bittersweet memories that Buster
was too young to remember... a newspaper clipping, a birth certificate,
and a picture of a beautiful female rabbit who hadn't lived to see
her son's success as the star and co-host of "Tiny Toon Adventures."
He stared at the box's contents for quite some time.
    "Hopping down memory lane, lover?" The question came from his
fiancee, one Barbara Anne "Babs" Bunny, who came out of the kitchen
with a couple of cold carrot sodas in her paws, condensation just
running down the sides of the bright orange cans.
    "Something like that," Buster smiled wistfully. Babs set the
cans down on the small table in front of him. "Hey!" Buster yelled.
    "Huh?" Babs asked, startled.
    "Watch where you're setting those things, okay?" Buster asked
sharply. "You nearly got those on Mom's picture!"
    Suddenly Babs realized what she'd almost done. "I'm sorry,
Buster, I wasn't even thinking..."
    "Well, just be careful, okay? These are all I have to remember..."
Then Buster stopped and took a closer look at his birth certificate.
From the look on his face, Babs could tell he was seeing something
on it that he'd never seen before. "Hey, Babsie..."
    "What?"
    "Wanna go for a spin... change?"
    Babs shrugged. "Sure... who'd ya have in mind?"
    "Sherlock Holmes."
    "Might I ask why?"
    "I need a magnifying glass," Buster replied simply.
    "No problem!" Within the blink of an eye, Babs had done another
of her ever-so-remarkable spin changes. Most girl toons could do spin
changes to some extent, but Babs had mastered it beyond a mere art
form, and had indeed taken it to a higher level that most toons only
dreamed of. Now equipped in deerstalker cap, cape, and sporting a
pink plastic bubble pipe with the face of Porky Pig on it, she smiled
at Buster. "Ow's this, guv'ner?"
    "Holmes wasn't a cockney," Buster reminded her.
    "Oh... magnifying glass, was it?" she asked, handing it to him.
    "Yep... thanks." Buster took the glass and began his scrutiny of
the birth certificate.
    "Come, Watson, the game's afoot!" Babs quipped. Buster paid her
no attention whatsoever. Whatever it was he was looking for, Babs
thought, he sure was looking for it hard. "Whatcha looking for?"
    "I'm not sure... hold on, why didn't I see _this_ be..." Then 
he stopped, and didn't say anything for several minutes. In fact, he
just sat there, staring off into space. 
    "Buster?... Buster??" Babs was worried. This wasn't funny. It
wasn't like him to just sit and stare for minutes at a time. Then to
her great relief, Buster handed her the magnifying glass and the
certificate.
    "Babs... take a look at the bottom left-hand corner... tell me if
you read what I read on it just now..." 
    "Um, yeah, sure," Babs replied nervously. "What am I supposed to
be looking..." Then she saw it, and it was her turn to be unusually
quiet. Finally, after five minutes had passed, she asked, "Buster,
does this say what I _think_ it says?"
    Buster didn't even look up. "You've got the magnifying glass.
You tell _me_."
    Babs read what she saw aloud, then put the glass and birth
certificate down on the small table. "Buster," she finally asked,
"...what does this mean?" Buster looked grimly at her, and she could
tell right away that he was angry.
    "It means... it means... that for all these years... Bugs has lied
to me."
                                 -0-
    The moon shone bright and clear over Acme Acres, especially over
an unassuming pastel-colored house at 24 Carrot Lane. In the open
doorway of that house, a certain well-known rabbit was tenderly
embracing a pretty gray-and-white fembunny. She was wearing a large
pink bow between her ears, a pink cotton bathrobe, and a cast on her
left foot. As they kissed, they didn't notice that they were being
watched, and wouldn't have cared if they had known. Finally, he
released her from his embrace, kissed her one last time, strolled
to his Cadillac parked in the driveway, waved goodnight, and got
in and drove away, leaving her leaning against the open doorway.
She sighed, turned, and limped back inside the house, closing the
door behind her. Across the street from 24 Carrot Lane were a pair
of shrubs. Some brief movement, and then a blue bunny in a tan
trenchcoat, brown fedora and sunglasses briefly popped out of his
hiding place.
    "You ready, Babs?" he whispered. Babs popped out of the other
shrub in a similar outfit, except she was wearing black-framed
harlequin sunglasses with rhinestones.
    "Whaddya think, is it me?" she grinned.
    Buster shook his head. "You've been listening to that Freberg
album again..."
    "Can't help it. It's funny!" Then Babs's smile vanished. "Buster,
what makes you think she knows anything about your mom?"
    "It's just a feeling I've got. Bugs probably won't tell me the
truth, and you heard what Daffy and Porky told us. Besides, she's got
a reputation for honesty. She finds it impossible to tell a lie. It
goes against everything she believes in. That, and the number of
years she and Dad have been going together. Her and Mom's paths had
to have crossed at some time. So, logically or not, she's the one to
ask. Shall we go?" Buster asked, checking for oncoming traffic before
ducking back into the shrub.
    "Why not?" Babs grinned, ducking back into her shrub. Swiftly,
but cautiously, the two shrubs made their way across the street and
within seconds had made their way to the front porch of their
objective. Buster's left ear reached up from his shrub and rang the
doorbell, which the two bunnies had noticed mingled with some gentle
acoustic guitar playing from inside the house, which happened to be
the same tune the doorbell played, "A Taste of Honey." The guitar
stopped, and the bunnies heard the sound of a rabbit in a cast limping
up to the door.
    The door opened, and Honey Bunny looked out. "Hello? Who's there?"
Looking out and seeing nobody, she muttered, "I've really got to get
a security system installed someday." Then she suddenly saw the two
shrubs. "What the--?"
    "Hi," came a voice from one of the shrubs, "we're the Bushes
from across the street. I'm George Bush..."
    "And I'm Barbara Bush," said the other shrub. Then they both 
added, "No relation!"
    Honey Bunny shook her pretty head in amazement, twitched her nose
once, blinked twice, and said to nobunny in particular, "I've really
_got_ to lay off the camomile tea before bedtime. I mean, I've heard
of talking to plants, but I've never heard of plants talking back!"
    Buster popped out from his shrub. "It's us, Honey..."
    Honey giggled. "I _guessed_ as much when I heard your voices.
Park the shrubbery outside and come on in, please."
    "H'okay," Buster replied as he and Babs shed the flora and followed
Honey into her living room. It was rather slow going for Hon, as her
broken foot slowed her down.
    "Gee, Honey, does it hurt much?" a concerned Babs asked.
    Honey shrugged. "I can't kick." She smiled at her little joke, as
Buster and Babs groaned. "I'm sorry, guys, I just couldn't resist."
Placing her guitar off to one side and easing herself down onto the
sofa, she asked "So, what brings you two out at this hour? It's a bit
late for a social call, isn't it?"
    Babs grinned. "So, we're social animals. Zoology books said so."
That was when Honey noticed the box Buster had tucked under his arm.
    "What's in there, Buster?" she asked, her curiosity taking over.
He sat down beside his favorite teacher, and best friend among the Acme
Looniversity faculty.
    "Well, it's... that is... ahem... I guess you heard that... or Bugs
_told_ you that..." Telling Bugs Bunny's longtime girlfriend news like
this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it was, especially if it
turned out that she hadn't known his mother. After all, who knew where
Honey had been when he was born? But Buster had nothing to be concerened
about, as Honey smiled one of her gentlest smiles.
    "...that Bugs is your father? Yes... I heard."
    "It must have come as a shock, I mean, considering how long you two
have been going together and all..." Babs added softly. 
    "Well, guys, to be totally honest, it really wasn't that much of a
shock. You see, I've known Buster's secret for some time now."
    "You _have_?" Buster asked. "For how long?"
    "Long enough," Honey sighed. "I... I hope you aren't mad at me..."
    "At you? Never happen," Buster smiled. "Is there any reason I should
be?" Then Babs noticed Honey's attention was drawn back to Buster's
box.
    "Is there something on your mind, Hon?"
    "Umm... just curious... what's in the box, Buster?" Without answering,
Buster placed the box in her lap and motioned her to open it. She did
as he requested, opening the lid carefully. She stared at the contents
with a bewildered look. "I don't understand, Buster... what _is_ all
this?" Carefully, Buster removed the box's contents, with the birth
certificate and the fembunny's picture being the last items out. Honey
looked at them, puzzled. Finally, she asked, "Why are you showing me
these things?"
    Buster took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Because you've
known Dad for a long time... did you... did you know my mother, too?"
    Honey sighed and bowed her head. "Yes," she finally admitted, "I...
I knew her."
    Buster leaned forward. "Then you must know that the rabbit in this
picture isn't her." Babs was an uncharacteristically silent observer,
seated on the other side of the sweetest fembunny in all toondom, and
watching to see what her reaction would be to this.
    "What makes you think so?" Honey asked quietly.
    "Because," Buster replied, "when I showed this picture to Daffy and
Porky, they said they'd had this same picture for years. It came with
the wallets they'd bought some 40 years ago. And that was way before I
came along." Then he picked up the birth certificate. "And then, there's
this," he said, handing it and the magnifying glass to Honey. "Check
out the lower left-hand corner, and read what it says."
    Honey looked questioningly at him. "Out loud?"
    Buster nodded. "Out loud."
    Being an agreeable girl, Honey did as Buster asked. "Hmmm... it says,
'Another laff-a-minute gag from The Acme Novelty and Joke Shop of Walla
Walla, Washington'?" She blinked and then stared open-mouthed at Babs
and Buster. "Wh... what does it mean?"
    Buster looked determinedly at her. "I think you _know_ what it 
means. I'm going to ask you, and I want an honest answer..."
    "I don't know any other kind, Buster. Go on, ask..." Honey's quiet
demeanor made it impossible for Babs to know what she was thinking.
    Buster stared harder at Honey. "That story... the one about my mom
being killed in a plane crash... that was a lot of malarkey, wasn't it?"
    What could Honey do? She was, as Buster had noted, totally unable
to tell a lie of any kind. "Yes," she admitted, "I'm afraid it is."
    Buster looked deeply into Honey's eyes. "Why? Why did Bugs lie
to me?" Honey's lips began quivering, and Buster sought to reassure
her somehow. "I'm not gonna get mad at you, you aren't the one to
blame, but if you know, please, tell me why?"
    Honey looked forlornly at the blue bunny. "Because... because...
because Bugsy felt you weren't ready for the truth. He felt you
wouldn't understand..."
    Taking a deep breath and placing his paws firmly on Honey's
shoulders, Buster asked, "Hon... I have to know... my mother... is...
is she..." He swallowed hard before continuing, "is she still...
alive?"
    The gray and white fembunny bowed her head, then looked up at
Buster. "Yes," she said quietly, "your mother is still alive." Even
though it was what he wanted to hear, to say Buster was stunned by 
this revelation would have been understating the obvious. Equally
stunned was Babs, who didn't say a thing.
    "You... you've known, all these years?" Buster asked.
    Tears formed in Honey's eyes. "Yes... I'm sorry, Buster... I'm
sorrier than you could ever imagine..." Somehow, Buster gathered his
wits and asked the question he'd never dreamed he'd be able to ask.
    "Honey... do you know where my mother is?" 
    She nodded silently. Buster could hardly believe it. After all
these years, he'd finally... but he had to ask, just to make sure.
    "My mother... where is she?"
    Honey's tears flowed like a river, and her lips quivered like a
9.0 on the Richter scale. "I'm sorry, Buster... I can't tell you."
She shut her eyes tightly and braced herself for the reaction she
knew was coming. A few seconds of silence, and then...
    "You _WHAT_???" Buster shouted in her ears. His sudden anger
didn't take Honey by surprise, but it got Babs's attention in a
hurry.
    "Uh, Buster..." she said nervously; but Buster's anger hadn't
even begun to reach the boiling point, and he directed it at the
closest target, which was Honey.
    "What do you _mean_, you can't tell me? This is my _MOTHER_
you're keeping me from!!" He was practically screaming at her.
"_WHY_ can't you tell me???"
    Honey continued crying. "Because... I made a promise... and I
can't go back on my word... as much as I wish I could, I just 
can't," she sobbed, "Bugsy was right... you wouldn't understand..."
    "No, I _DON'T_ understand!!!" Buster was livid. "All these
years, he's lied to me, told me she was dead, kept me from her,
and you know where she is and you can't tell me because you made a
'promise'???" He was so enraged that what he did next shocked Babs
beyond belief. She couldn't believe what she saw; in all the years
she'd known Buster, she never thought he would ever react like this.
She sat, stunned, unable to come to Honey's defense as Buster slapped
her as hard as he could. The look on Honey's face made Buster regret
his action as quickly as it had come; it was a mixture of shock and
sadness, and immediately Buster broke down and cried. To Babs's
surprise, Honey simply wrapped her arms around Buster and hugged
him tightly. Buster sobbed uncontrollably, "I'm sorry, Honey, I..."
    "No, Buster," she whispered, "I don't blame you for being angry,
only... please... promise me you will _never_, _ever_ raise a hand in
anger to any woman ever again... please..."
    Honey's capacity for forgiveness was well-known among the toons
in Acme Acres, but even Babs couldn't believe what she'd just seen,
although she really shouldn't have been surprised. Buster looked
sadly at Honey. "I promise," he whispered. Regaining some of his
composure, he asked, "but, why can't you tell me?" 
    The reddish outline of Buster's paw was beginning to show on
Honey's face, but that didn't matter to her, not at the moment.
"Because... because..." Finding it hard to continue, Honey slowly
raised herself off the couch and limped to a nearby desk. Taking a
key from a gold chain she wore around her neck, she unlocked the
top left-hand drawer and removed a sealed manila envelope. Limping
back to Buster and Babs, she eased herself back down on the couch
and handed the envelope to Buster. Taking a deep breath, she said
softly, "In here you'll get some of the answers... I hope they're
the ones you've been looking for." Cautiously, Buster slowly began
opening the envelope while Babs took the opportunity to get a wet
washcloth for Honey's face. To her surprise, Honey refused it. She
was more interested in Buster's reaction to what was inside the
envelope. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he withdrew its contents: a
large golden heart-shaped locket, and a handwritten letter that was
yellowed with age. Buster looked questioningly at Honey Bunny.
    "Am I supposed to read this?" he asked.
    Honey nodded. "Yes, I believe so."
    "Out loud?"
    Honey nodded again. "Out loud." Buster cleared his throat, and
Babs leaned in closely as he read the letter:

    "My dear son,
     If you're reading this letter now, then the word about
     your being Bugs Bunny's son has somehow gotten out. It
     also means that you've learned that I'm alive. I know
     you must have a million questions about me, and why I
     have had to remain in hiding all these years, and why
     your father thought it was for the best to keep me out
     of the spotlight, and so on. I wish the answers would
     come as easy as your questions, but they can't... not
     for me.
     Bugs doesn't know I'm writing this letter. I've left it
     in someone's care, in anticipation of this day. You may
     be tempted to ask her about me, and where I am now. I
     beg you, please don't. It may wind up doing more harm
     than good. And please don't be angry with her..."
    "It's a little _late_ for that, isn't it?" Babs asked sharply.
    "Babs, please," Honey cautioned softly. "Go on, Buster." He
resumed reading:
     "...please don't be angry with her. She is only keeping
     a very difficult promise.
     Someday, when the time is right, I _will_ make myself
     known... to you, and the rest of the world. But not now.
     I can only imagine what has happened to you since the
     word has gotten out. But if you have the strength of
     character that your father has, I believe you will be
     able to handle it well; or at least, better than I
     ever could. I'm afraid I'm just not that strong.
     It was never my intention for you to be kept in the
     dark about me this way, but Bugs thought it was for
     the best; and I've believed his reasons make sense.
     Someday, you will understand _why_ it had to be done
     this way.
     I close, hoping--no, knowing--that when the time
     comes, that we _will_ be together, as a mother and
     child should be. That time, I pray, will be soon. 
     I leave with a prayer that you can find it in your
     heart to somehow forgive us. And if you're the least
     bit curious as to what I looked like when you were
     born, you will find out when you open the locket.
     All my love always,
     Your mother." 

    Buster set the letter down and stared at the locket. Without
so much as saying a word, Honey could tell that he was, at the very
least, disappointed.
    "I'm... I'm sorry, Buster," she finally said, "I guess they're 
not much of a lot of answers, are they?"
    "They're not much of _any_ answers," he replied flatly, slowly
fingering the locket for several anxious minutes.
    "Buster," Babs asked, "aren't you going to open it?"
    He sighed. "I... I don't know, Babs. I've spent a lot of time in
the last few years, ever since Bugs gave me the box, wondering what
my mom was really like. Now I know even less about her than I did
before... and what I knew _then_ turned out to be a lie. I thought
at least here I could get somewhere. Now, seeing this, I'm not so
sure I wanna know anymore. I... I feel like she abandoned me..."
    "No, she didn't, Buster; not really," Honey said quietly, tears
rolling gently down her face and off her whiskers. "Don't judge your
mother too hard. She... was very young when she had you. She wasn't
ready for motherhood... she didn't _want_ to be apart from you, but
she really had no choice in the..."
    Buster suddenly turned and exploded at Honey. "What would _YOU_
know? Is _that_ the truth, or is it just that she didn't want the
world to know she'd produced Bugs Bunny's b@s#*~d kid?!?"
    Honey trembled, the tears rolling even faster. "Buster, please,
you _don't_ understand..."
    "Oh, I _understand_, all right! I understand that the great Bugs
Bunny lied to me all these years, that my real mom is in hiding, and
all she left as an apology is this sob story and a locket from a
Jacker Crack box??? And _you_, Miss Honesty, made a promise to keep
this lie going???" Buster was this close to flying into a totally
uncontrollable rage. Instinctively, Honey cowered into a trembling
ball, sobbing hysterically.
    "Buster!" Babs shouted, remembering what he'd done earlier.
    He turned and glared at her. "Don't worry, Babs, I'm not gonna
hit her... she wouldn't be worth the energy." Then he turned and
faced a very scared Honey Bunny. "And I thought you were my 
friend."
    "B-B-Buster... sob... please..." she pleaded.
    But Honey's pleading was of no use to him. Still glaring at 
her, he growled firmly, "...I hate you."
    Buster's words stung her more than the slap had. Wailing like
a baby, Honey collapsed in a heap across the couch, her body racked
with loud, heaving sobs.
    Babs sprang to Honey's side, holding her tightly while the gray
and white fembunny let loose with an anguished series of cries that 
Babs had never heard from anyone before, and hoped she'd never hear 
again. The pink bunny returned Buster's angry glare. "I think you'd
better go," she said firmly.
    "Huh? _Me_??"
    "Yes, _YOU_!" Now it was Babs's turn to get mad. "What in the
world is _wrong_ with you, anyway? In case you forgot, it was
_your_ idea to come here and grill Honey about your mom, remember?
You asked her, and she answered you the only way she could, and 
_this_ is the thanks she gets? I don't believe what I've seen
tonight! I... I don't think I _know_ you anymore, Buster!"
    Buster became defensive. "Has the whole world gone crazy or is
it just me? I came here because I needed answers, Babs..."
    "And you _got_ them! They just weren't the ones you wanted to
hear!" snapped Babs, who returned her attention to the still-
sobbing Honey. "Hon..." she whispered, trying to comfort her.
    "He doesn't understand... Bugsy was right... he just doesn't
understand..." Honey kept repeating through her tears. Babs gave
her a reassuring hug, then stared hard at Buster, tears forming in
her own blue eyes.
    "Like I said... I think you'd better go," Babs repeated.
    "So," Buster sighed resignedly, "you're against me, too."
    "Oh, get _over_ yourself, Buster! Nobody's 'against' you, it's
just that... oh, what's the use? I give up!" Babs had had enough of
Buster for one night; in the morning, she told herself, she might
have to reconsider their relationship entirely, based on this one
tragic incident.
    Buster sighed and slowly picked up his trench coat and hat.
As he made his way to the door, he could be heard mumbling, "If
this is how it's gonna be, fine. I don't need Honey's 'help.' I
don't need _anybody's_ help. I'll find my mom all by myself... no
matter how long it takes..."
    Babs wiped the tears from her eyes and called gently after
him, hoping that his bad behavior had only been temporary. "Um,
Buster... aren't you... forgetting something?"
    The blue bunny stopped in his tracks. "Oh, yeah..." He walked
back to the couch, but instead of apologizing to Honey, as Babs
had hoped, he picked up the letter and locket. "There must be a
private eye somewhere that can use these to find her..." he said,
looking half-heartedly at the only tangible things he had that
were hers... if they were _really_ hers.
    Babs let out a disappointed sigh. "Buster, that isn't _quite_
what I meant..."
    But he wasn't listening; not to Babs, and not to the still-crying
Honey Bunny. He wasn't listening to anybody. Instead, he
sat down on the couch and began re-reading the letter to himself,
over and over, trying to find some sort of indication or clue to
his mom's identity. Finally, he fingered the locket again, and 
unable to resist any longer, opened it. It clicked open easily,
a tiny music box mechanism playing a familiar lullaby. He looked
at the picture inside. It was a baby blue bunny, safely nestled
in the arms of a young rabbit. She was blonde, with a handful of
long, white fur combed down in bangs between her lop ears. Well,
Honey'd been right about one thing, Buster thought. If this girl 
_was_ indeed his mother, then she really was young when she had
him... maybe no older than Babs, give or take a couple of years.
He pondered the picture for a while; what could it have been like
for her, having a baby at that age? And Bugs Bunny's baby, to
boot. No wonder she couldn't come forward. Then, something inside
Buster's memory clicked. He _remembered_ her... just barely, he
thought, because she suddenly vanished from his life before he
was... how old had he been? 2, maybe? No matter, he thought; the
mere stigma attached to something like this _alone_ must have been 
devastating. He sighed, a single, solitary tear rolling down his
furry white cheek. "Oh, Mom," he said quietly, staring at the
picture.
    Without thinking, Honey raised her head and said, "Yes?"
Then she drew in a sharp breath and quickly brought her gloved
paws to her face, realizing all too late what she'd just done.
    The silence that filled the room was deafening.
    Babs stared open-mouthed at her. "Oh... my... gawd.. ._YOU_?"
    Honey shook uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Buster, I'm sorry,
I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she cried repeatedly.
    Buster looked at her, then back at the locket picture, then
back at the sorrowful fembunny on the couch, then back at the
locket. "This... is _you_? _YOU'RE_ my... no, it can't be. I don't
believe it. I... I don't even remember seeing you when I was a
kid... I just _barely_ remember this blonde bunny..." Then, all
at once, something else clicked inside Buster's memory, taking
him back to the start of this past school year, when Lola had 
arrived and Plucky had been griping about Honey not looking
consistent from one decade to the next. He'd rudely pointed out
that Honey'd started out as a blonde lop-eared kid... could it be
that Plucky had been doing his homework after all? Naaah, Buster
thought; _that_ would be harder to believe than what he was
being asked to accept right now.
    "You... sniff... don't believe ...sniff... do you?" Honey asked
finally. Seeing that he didn't, she reached for her guitar.
Wiping away her tears as best she could, she began softly picking
out the melody from the locket and began gently singing, her
voice shaky at first, but then gaining strength as she went on:
            
              "Hush, little Buster, don't you cry,
               Let me sing you a lullaby,
               A song just for my baby blue,
               That says I hope your dreams come true.
               A wish that love will guide your way,
               Every night and every day,
               Dream on the stars, and wish on the moon,
               My wonderful baby Tiny Toon..."

    Without even realizing he'd been doing it, Buster had quietly
begun singing along with Honey at the third line. He stared at her
and said nothing for quite some time. Babs finally shook his
shoulder gently. "Buster... what is it?"
    "I... I haven't heard that song since I was a baby... there's
only _one_ rabbit in the entire world who'd know those words...
that voice... that guitar... oh, my... Honey... you... you really _ARE_
my mother..." Buster said quietly.
    Honey nodded slowly. "Yes..."
    "But... I don't understand... this picture..."
    Honey smiled sadly. "I wasn't _always_ a gray hare, Buster..."
She began sobbing softly again. "I... I think I owe you an
explanation, Buster..."
    "I'll say," Babs quipped.
    "Sh!" Buster replied. "Go on..."
    "All... all right..." Honey breathed in deeply. This was going
to be hard. She bit her lip, and began speaking in a quivering
voice. "All my life, I've heard the expression 'dumb bunny.' I
was determined not to be one, so when I went to school I studied
as hard as I could..."
    "I don't get it," a puzzled Buster said. "What has that got
to do with me?"
    "I'm getting to that. When I was growing up, I idolized your
father. I thought he was the funniest rabbit I'd ever seen, and
when I finally got to meet him, it was..."
    "Like you'd known him forever? You told me," Buster said. "But
what's that got to do with me?"
    "Oh, well, Bugsy'd always encouraged me to go for whatever I
wanted, no matter how farfetched my dream might seem. And, my dream
was to go to college... a pretty silly notion for a rabbit, I guess,
but it was what I wanted. I wanted to be something more than just
a 'dumb bunny,' so I kept studying, kept getting good marks, and
Bugsy kept encouraging me..." Honey stopped to sigh momentarily.
"And then, before I knew it, on the eve of my 16th birthday, I got
two letters of acceptance from two different colleges."
    "At 16?" Babs asked.
    Honey smiled briefly. "Yeah... I guess I overdid the smart stuff."
    "Excuse me, Honey, but..."
    "What has that got to do with you, Buster? As it turns out, plenty.
One of the colleges was on the East coast, and the other was in
Europe. Two of the biggest, in fact. I'd come to depend on Bugsy and
put great faith in his opinions by that time... I'd... lost my parents
the year before, and Bugsy was all I had to lean on... (sniff)...
so, when Bugsy threw a private little celebration at his estate, just
the two of us, it should have been the happiest time of my life... but
it wasn't."
    "Why not?" Babs and Buster asked.
    "Well, it suddenly hit me, that to go to either college would've
meant leaving Bugsy behind for at least four years... and that was
just about the time that I realized that I'd fallen in love with him.
And that also happened to be about the same time that Bugsy realized
that he'd fallen in love with me, too... I guess it was because we'd
spent so much time together in the past few years, you know? And so,
there we were, two rabbits trying to celebrate what was supposed to
be a happy occasion, and feeling darned unhappy beneath the surface.
We both realized that we'd be miserable without the other. Anyway,
it was a warm spring night, full moon, starry sky, the fragrance of the
blooming flowers filled the air..."
    Babs and Buster looked at each other. "Uh-oh..." they said.
    "'Uh-oh' is right; understand, we were both realizing just how much
in love with each other that we really were.  One thing led to another,
and, well, we are rabbits and..."  Honey bowed her head, feeling very
awkward as she tried to continue her story.
    "Don't tell us..." Babs said softly. Buster said nothing.
    Honey felt compelled to fully explain the events of that night,
however, if for no other reason than to try to explain as best she
could what had transpired that evening. "Bugsy told me that he'd
not felt like he did then since his wife had died all those years ago,
and I had never felt that way in my whole life, and..." She
looked up at the toonsters for the first time since she'd started
her explanation. "Do... do I really have to tell you the rest?"
    "No," Buster replied. "We get the idea."
    Honey bowed her head again, looking directly at the carpeted
floor. "So, when I found out later that I was going to have a baby,
I knew I couldn't go to college; not with Buster on the way. Back
then, that sort of thing just wasn't done. But, Bugsy knew I'd had my
heart set on college, so he pulled some strings and got me into
Ivy College... I was the first, last, and ONLY rabbit ever to
graduate from there..." 
    "So, how did you explain Buster to folks? They must have asked
questions..." Babs interrupted.
    "That's where 'the story' came in..." Honey's tears began 
going into overdrive as she told her tale. "Bugsy kept me out of
sight during the time I was having Buster. If anybody asked him,
he told them I was on vacation. And, after he was born and I began
going to Ivy, Bugsy introduced Buster to folks as a 'distant
relative' who'd been left in his care. Bugsy has so many relatives
to begin with that noone really noticed one more... but then, he
figured that sooner or later, people would begin to pry... and so,
knowing human nature the way he did, that led to 'the story.'"
    "The one about Buster's mom being killed in a plane crash and
all? Why?" Babs asked, more curious than bewildered.
    Honey sighed heavily. "Consider the circumstances, Babs. I was
16, single, and carrying Bugs Bunny's child... do you know what the
scandal sheets would have _done_ if they'd gotten hold of a story
like that?"
    "I can only imagine," Babs replied. Buster still said nothing.
    "It would have ruined Bugsy's career... he'd have never worked
in cartoons again!" Honey cried, burying her head in her paws.
    "I get it now," Babs said quietly. "Bugs cooked up that whole
story to save his career..."
    "Not quite, Babs," Honey replied, still crying. "That was the
purpose of the story, and to keep people from asking about Buster,
but, Bugsy wasn't the one who 'cooked it up'... _I_ was..." 
    "And Bugs went along with it, of course," Buster said with
disgust.
    "Yes, but for a different reason... see, I wasn't concerned
with what folks thought of me, I mean, most folks then didn't know
me from Eve... most folks _still_ don't... but Bugsy was a star! He
had an image to maintain... and I didn't want folks making the
connection between Bugs and Buster... if you think the tabloids
are vicious now, you should've seen the stuff they were printing
back then. So, I came up with a story to protect you and Bugsy...
but what I didn't know at the time, was that he only went along
with it, to protect you... and me." A hurt smile crossed Honey's
face. "Ironic, isn't it? Bugsy was concerned about what folks would
think about _me_... I was worried about _his_ reputation... and we
_both_ wanted to keep Buster out of the spotlight for as long as
we could..."
    "And _nobody_ caught on?" Babs asked.
    Honey shook her head. "Nobody. Of course, I didn't know about
the box... I just gave him the idea for 'the story', and told him
he could elaborate on it any way that he saw fit... so, my curiosity
about it was genuine... I really didn't know how far he'd taken the
thing..." She stared at the box through her tears. "I wish he had
told me..."
    "Speaking of telling," Babs continued, "why didn't you tell
Buster you were his mom?"
    The look on Honey's face was an indescribable kind of hurt. 
"Don't you think I _wanted_ to?" she cried. "Do you know how it's
been eating me up inside, all these years, wanting to tell him and
not being able to?"
    "What do you mean, 'not being able to'?" Buster asked.
    Honey looked directly at him. "In... in order to keep your
secret, and Bugsy's reputation, I... I had to... forgive me, Buster,
I had no choice... (sob)... I..." She paused, then finally blurted
out the most painful part, "...I had to give you up... I couldn't
see you after your second birthday!"
    The word "stunned" didn't even come close to Buster and Babs's
reaction. They sat silently, not daring to say a word while Honey
slid off the couch and sat on the floor, wailing her anguish to
the walls of her living room. Finally, she stopped crying long
enough to continue.
    "I... (sniff) (sob)... I could see Bugsy all I wanted to, I just
couldn't have any contact with Buster... at the time, Bugsy told
me it was the only way to ward off suspicion... and I believed it...
(sniff)... and I'm sure he believed it, too... so, when Buster 
turned 2, I left him completely in Bugsy's care... I slipped very
quietly out of Buster's life... and from then on, up until last
year... I just very quietly... went through hell... all because I'd
made a promise..." She looked up to the heavens and cried, "Dear
God in Heaven, what did I do?" Then she collpased on the floor.
Buster and Babs looked on helplessly, as the years of keeping her
tortured secret finally took their complete emotional toll. Honey
was reduced to a very fragile state, shamed by her youthful
indiscretion, and tormented by a promise she never should have
made. Buster couldn't help feeling... no, "sorry" wasn't the word;
neither was "pity"; what he felt was something even deeper. For
most of his young life, Buster had gotten used to the idea of being
without a mother, but as he and Babs were seeing, Honey had never
come to terms with being without a son. 
    "Buster, I'm gonna call a doctor," Babs whispered; but at that
moment, Honey suddenly stopped her crying jag, and slowly sat up.
She took several deep breaths, determined not to hyperventilate.
Wiping her eyes, she spoke quietly.
    "No, Babs... I'll... I'll be all right... in a while..."
    "Oh-kayyyy," Babs replied, unconvinced. "But... why didn't you
at least confront Bugs with what you were going through?"
    Honey looked wanly at the pink bunny. "Who, me? I'm... I'm not
the confrontational type, Babs... I just wasn't that strong...
maybe I'm still not..."
    Buster approached her slowly. "So, if you had to give me up,
and you couldn't have any contact with me, why did you come to
Acme Acres?"
    Taking another deep breath, Honey looked at Buster. "Because
even though I hadn't said anything to him, I think Bugsy finally
realized what I was going through... but by that time, you'd 
already been told 'the story'... and apparently believed it... so,
rather than throw you into complete shock, he decided that he'd
gradually let me re-introduce myself into your life..."
    "He'd _let_ you? Oh, that was mighty white of him," Babs
grumbled.
    "Well, what was I _supposed_ to do, Babs? Just walk right up
to Buster and say 'Hi, my name is Honey Bunny and, oh yes, by the
way, I'm your mother'? After all that time? It couldn't be done!"
She paused slightly. "Although, even though I'd made a promise,
I _almost_ told Buster, once..."
    "You did? When?" Buster asked, part out of curiousity but
mostly out of surprise. 
    Honey fixed her sorrowful gaze at him. "Last August... in
Gower Gulch." She could see by his reaction that Buster was
trying to pinpoint the moment when that would have been. Then,
he suddenly stood stock still.
    Babs approached him nervously. "Buster... what is it?"
    He spoke slowly. "Last year, when we had that trouble with
those goons that shot Honey... when I thought she was dying, she
said there was something important she had to tell me that I
had a right to know..."
    "What was it?"
    "That's just it, Babs. She passed out before she could say..."
The realization of that moment finally hit Buster full-force. "This
was it, wasn't it, Honey? You were gonna tell me..."
    Honey nodded silently, then broke down again. "The... most
important thing in my life... and I blew it... all the years I was
cheated out of; years that I can never get back... all because I
made a promise... and kept it..." The sorrow she felt was 
overwhelming her completely, and it was affecting Buster and Babs,
who watched as she hyperventilated and collapsed again on the
floor.
    Finally, Babs couldn't stand it anymore. With tears running
down her face, in a trembling voice she pleaded with Buster,
"Please... make her stop, Buster..." Silently, Buster helped Honey
sit up; but it didn't stop her from crying.
    "The... the _worst_ part is, I can never make it up to you...
ever..." Honey said in as small a voice as possible.
    Taking a handkerchief and wiping her eyes, Buster looked at
her and said, "Mom?"
    "Sniff... y-y-yes... son?" 
    That last word was the one Buster had wanted to hear. With
tears filling his eyes, he smiled and said, "You just did." He
wrapped his arms around her heaving shoulders and gave her the
biggest bunny hug she had ever had in her life. 
    All at once, Honey realized what was happening, but couldn't
quite accept that it was happening like this. She slowly returned
Buster's embrace, almost hesitantly, as if she was afraid that
doing so would undo what was going on; then, sensing that this was
really happening, increased her hold to match his, and burst into
tears once more. But these were no longer tears of shame, anger,
confusion or bitterness; and a wave of peace suddenly swept over
her for the first time in years...but she had to be sure.
    "B... Buster... son... I... (sniff)..."
    He smiled and wiped away his own tears. "It's okay, Mom... I
finally understand... you did what you had to do at the time...
the way you went about it may have been flawed, but I can't 
fault your reasons. You wanted to protect me and Bugs, and Bugs
wanted to protect you and me... I'm still not clear on some of
the angles of the thing, but it doesn't matter anymore. What
you did, you did out of love. And there's nothing wrong with
that at all."
    "I... I'm so sorry that I had to... have you ever heard the
expression, 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we
practice to deceive'?" Honey asked.
    "No," Buster replied. "How does it go?"
    "That was it," Honey answered. "Son... I realize that it's
going to take some getting used to... on _both_ of our parts.
I... never really got the chance to know what being a mother is
all about... there's a lot of years to make up for... and I'm
not sure I'll be able to... well, that is, if you have any
expectations..."
    Buster gave her a reassuring smile and another bunny hug.
"Hey, no problem. _You're_ the one who told me life was a
non-stop learning experience, so, we'll both be starting at
square one. Besides, we're both still young, so we'll have
lots of time together... Mom..." Buster smiled. He liked the
sound of that word. And he finally had someone he could say it
to. And when all was said and done, he couldn't have picked a
sweeter lady to hang that three-letter word on than Honey.
"Anyway," he continued, "if you find it rough going at first,
then simply go to plan 'B'."
    Honey blinked, bewildered. "'Plan 'B''? What's _that_?"
    Buster grinned warmly. "Simple... ease into the job. And
you start by simply being my friend, and we'll take it from 
there."
    Honey blinked again. "But... I thought I already _was_
your friend."
    Buster smiled. "See? You're halfway there! The rest'll be 
a snap!"
    "You... you're so understanding..." Honey said quietly.
    "I know," the blue bunny replied. "I get that from my mom."
    As Buster and Honey embraced one more time, Babs told herself
that she might have to rethink the rethinking of her relationship
with him. As she wiped away some of her own tears, she said, "Oh, 
this is _such_ a Kodiak moment..."
    Buster and Honey looked at her. "Umm, Babsie," Buster asked,
"don't you mean 'a _Kodak_ moment'?"
    Babs grinned. "No, I mean a Kodiak moment--I'm gonna head on
up to Alaska and take up with a brown bear. Bye-eee!" And with that,
she disappeared out the front door, leaving Buster and Honey staring
and wondering. Then, Honey began giggling slowly, and finally burst
out laughing at the sheer silliness of that line. Buster shook his
head, then joined her as the sheer silliness of that line, not to
mention the very odd mental image it suggested, got to him as well.
    "Get back in here, Babs!" Buster laughed. The front door opened
quickly, and Babs stepped back inside.
    "Hi, gang!" she grinned broadly. "Have I still got it, or what?"
    "I'd say 'what'," Honey answered between giggles, trying to
regain her composure. "Thanks, Babs, I needed that."
    "My pleasure," the pink bunny replied as she sat next to her on
the couch and gave her a bunny hug of her own. "There, do you feel
better now?"
    Honey smiled; but it was a smile that was still tinged with
regret. "I... I guess so, Babs. This... this hasn't exactly been the
easiest thing I've ever had to go through..."
    Hopping off the couch and going into a spin-change, finally
emerging as Shirley the Loon, Babs said, "Like, it's over, 'kay?
You can lose the excess guilt baggage. You're, like, free from
all this... or some junk!"
    "She's right, Mom," Buster said as Babs changed back. "Like
it or not, and I know you _didn't_, you don't have to carry the
weight of the world on your shoulders anymore. Like she said, it's
over!"
    Honey sighed and slumped forward slightly. "I... I wish it were
so... it would be so _nice_ if it were that easy... but it's not...
not for me. I... I'm no saint, Buster, and I never claimed to ever
be one..."
    "Who'd _wanna_ be? Saints don't have any fun!" Babs smiled,
then stopped when she saw how serious Honey was. "Sorry."
    Honey sighed sadly. "No, Babs, don't be. _I'm_ the one who's 
got a lot to be sorry for."
    Buster wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her
cheek. "S'okay. I'm sorry, too. I went over the line when I...
when I..." Now Buster found it hard to continue as he remembered
the way he'd acted towards Honey tonight. How could he have done
what he did? His lower lip began quivering slightly, and then
tears began rolling freely down his face. But Honey simply took
him in her arms and cradled his head on her shoulder; after all,
she thought, isn't that what moms are supposed to do?
    "It's all right, son, I forgive you," she whispered softly.
    Buster raised his head slowly. "Th... thanks, Mom," he said.
Then, after a brief moment to regather his cheerful demeanor, he
sat up straight, wiped his eyes and said, "So... are you free
tomorrow?"
    "Huh?" Honey asked. "Free for _what_?"
    Buster smiled. "Well, it's not every day that a guy gets to
get reacquainted with his mom, and I'm not gonna be doing anything
tomorrow..."
    Babs frowned and whispered, "Buster, you promised me that we'd
have..." Then, seeing that Buster was serious about this, and how
happy something like that would make Honey, she relented. "Oh, okay,
go ahead, you two deserve a day together," she smiled.
    "Well, Mom?" Buster asked. "We got a date or what?"
    Honey blinked twice, twitched her nose three times, and then
smiled. "Oh... well... all right, we got a date!" The gray and white
fembunny then looked at her watch. "I don't wish to seem like a
lousy hostess or anything, but the hour is late, this evening has
taken a lot out of me, and it's _way_ past this Honey Bunny's
bedtime." And before Buster and Babs got off the couch, she smiled
at him and hugged him tightly. "Did I say this evening took a lot
out of me? Well, it's nothing compared to what I got back."
    "Aw, shucks," Buster laughed good-naturedly. "I guess we have
kept you up late. Come on, Babs, we'd better split." As he and Babs
began to leave, the pink bunny stopped and paused at the door, and
looked questioningly at Honey.
    "Honey, do you mind if I ask you something?" 
    Buster tapped Babs on the shoulder. "Um, Babs," he cautioned,
"don't you think she's been through enough for one lifetime?"
    "No, son, it's okay," Honey answered. "What do you want to know?"
    "Three things. One, you and Bugs are gonna get married soon
anyway. Why didn't you..."
    But Honey anticipated her question. "If given the choice between
having Buster think of me as either his mom or his step-mom, well,
call it ego or pride or whatever you wish, I'd really rather have
him think of me as his mom."
    "That's understandable," Buster smiled agreeably.
    "All right, Babs, what's your next question?" Honey asked.
    "Well, if I understand this, you were blonde when Buster was
born, and of course, Bugs has always been gray, so," Babs said,
pointing to Buster, "why is this guy blue?"
    Honey blinked slightly. "Atmospheric conditions, the way that
the sun's light refracts off the ozone layer..."
    Buster and Babs stared at her and said, "HUH???"
    Honey suddenly raised her paws to her face and gave an 
embarrassed giggle. "Oh, I'm sorry, Babs, I thought you asked me
'why is the sky blue?'" She did her best to avoid the somewhat
bemused stares of the two young bunnies. "Why is Buster blue?
That one's easy to explain, Babs. How many brothers and sisters do
you have?"
    Babs scratched her head with her ears. "Hmmm... too many,
sometimes, why?"
    "And are they all pink?" Honey waited while Babs considered the
question.
    "No," she finally answered. "But what's _that_ got to do with...
Oooohhhhh," she said, finally getting Honey's point. "It's a random
thing, right?"
    "Right," Honey smiled. "But I'd love Buster no matter what
color he was."
    "Come to think of it, so would I," Babs giggled. "Okay, last
question..."
    "It'd _better_ be," Buster grinned. Babs ignored him and plowed
on ahead.
    "Well, it's been something I've been meaning to ask you for 
the last few days..."
    "Yes, Babs, what?"
    "Well, you're probably gonna think I'm ignorant or something..."
    "Oh, don't worry about that, Babsie... we think that about you
anyway!" Buster kidded. Babs turned and growled at him.
    "Now, now, none of that," Honey cautioned with a smile. "What's
your question, Babs?"
    "I'm just curious..." The pink bunny paused, then said, "what 
the heck _happened_ to your foot, anyway?"
    Honey looked down at the cast on her left foot. "Oh, _that_!
Were you attending Daffy's class last week on how to take pratfalls
gracefully for fun and profit, but mostly for profit?"
    "Gee, I can't say, all of Daffy's classes are just _soooooooo_
interesting," Babs said with obvious insincerity. The three bunnies
giggled at that.
    "Now, Babs, be nice," Honey said. "Anyway, if you did, then
you saw all those props he had on the floor. Did you two see
that huge banana peel?"
    "Yeah," they replied.
    Honey bowed her pretty head sheepishly. "Well, I _didn't_...
I really wish Daffy'd clean up after class..." She looked again at
her watch. Buster noticed this immediately.
    "Well, if that's not a signal to get out while the door's 
still open, I don't know what is!" he grinned, then ran back to
Honey's side and gave her one last parting hug. "Get some shuteye,
Mom, okay? You could use it!"
    Honey smiled softly. "Okay. See you tomorrow."
    Buster smiled right back. "Sure thing." He kissed her cheek,
and then joined a waiting Babs at the door. They waved their
goodbyes, and then were on their way.
    Honey sat back on the couch, sighed, smiled to herself, and
picked up her guitar and began gently playing an old Beatles
tune, singing as she finger-picked the melody. "Who knows how
long I've loved you," she sang softly, playing "I Will" to
completion; then she looked out her front window. Buster and Babs
had discovered the newly-installed porch swing, and were now
happily swinging slowly, cuddling each other in the moonlight.
Honey smiled knowingly, placed her guitar in its case, and dimmed
the living room lights. She didn't need to intrude on their private
moment, she told herself, and besides, she didn't need to remind
herself what love felt like. She _knew_. She felt it every time she
and Bugs were together. Oh, sure, he could be impossible at times,
and she didn't always understand everything he did, but... and that
reminded her. As she limped to her bedroom, she paused by a sliding
hall closet door. With her back to it, she knocked twice and said
softly, "You can come out now, they're out of earshot."
    The door seemed stuck on its track for a minute, then it
suddenly opened, and a mountain of formerly neatly-hung dresses
cascaded out; and after a few seconds, Bugs Bunny's head finally
emerged.
    "Poisonally," Bugs said nonchalantly, I don't see what da
big deal is about comin' outta closets. It's a wonder anyone
can even get _in_ 'em, what wit' all da clothes you goils wear!"
    "Oh, Bugsy," Honey sighed, as she helped him up and casually
rehung her vast wardrobe.
    Bugs stood by her side, chomping on his ever-present carrot,
before he stopped and said, "Hey, _wait_ a minute! How'd you know
I was in dere, anyways?"
    Sliding the closet door closed, Honey turned and half-smiled
at him. "Because I know _you_. I knew that you just couldn't resist
sticking around to see what Buster would do." She sighed. "And, you
were absolutely right. He didn't take it well at first. But, I can't
exactly say that I blame him... Bugsy," she said, looking up at him
with sorrow-filled eyes, "wasn't there really any other way that
this could've been done? I mean, I feel like we handled this so
badly, what with 'the story,' and me being kept apart from him for
so long..."
    Bugs sighed and held her in a loving embrace. "I know, Baby
Doll, I know. I guess you're right, we _coulda_ handled dis
diff'rently, but at da time, we... no, _I_ didn't have any udder
ideas. I jus' wish I'da known how much it was hoitin' ya; but den,
you ain't always been open wit' some o' yer feelin's. I... guess I
shoulda got da hint right away when ya had to give Buster up an'
ya toined gray overnight right after..." He stopped for a brief
while. Being serious was something that always made him feel uneasy;
but then, this had been a serious matter, and it _had_ been at his
insistence that Honey go along with this long-running... deception;
there just wasn't any other word for it, and he knew it. He sighed
again and looked deeply into Honey's darker-than-dark brown eyes.
"I never shoulda made ya keep dat promise. A boy needs his mudder,
an' I took dat away from ya, an'... well... I'm sorry." He stroked
her ears tenderly and gently kissed her closed eyelids. "I realize
it's prob'ly too late ta ask dis, but, is dere any way I can make
dis up to ya?"
    Honey leaned against him and thought to herself how surprised
the rest of the world would be if they ever saw this side of the 
world's most famous rascally rabbit. 
    Bugs kissed her again and held her tighter. "It's okay, Hon,
ya don't have ta answer. Anyways, in spite of our 'good intentions'
an' all, Buster toined out pretty good, didn't he?"
    Honey smiled warmly. "Yes, he did... I _know_ he did..."
    "Still," Bugs continued, "I wish da kid hadn't gone ballistic
on ya da way he did. I was almost ready to break down da closet
door when he did dat..."
    Honey raised her head slightly. "No, Bugsy, that only would've
made a bad situation worse. And there's been enough of that, don't
you think?" She leaned against him once more.
    Bugs had to marvel at this girl. So many complex emotions, yet
so easy to love. She would make any bunny a wonderful lifetime
companion. How he happened to be the one she'd chosen... or did it
happen the other way around? ...he guessed he'd never really know.
He stroked her ears again. "Anyways, Duchess, da kids are right.
It's over. You're free, an' ya don't have ta be ashamed o' what ya
did. An' now dat Buster knows everyt'ing..." Honey suddenly
released herself from his embrace and stared vacantly toward the
view from the front porch window, where Buster and Babs could
still be seen, happily seated in the front porch swing. This made
Bugs curious.
    "Eh... he _does_ know everyt'ing... _doesn't_ he?"
    Honey shook her head sadly.
    Bugs approached her and gently held her. "Ya... didn't tell
him... did ya?"
    Tears filled Honey's eyes and spilled down onto the plush
carpeting. "I just couldn't, Bugsy... there are some secrets that
are best kept forever..." She instinctively looked again toward
the window. "Look at him, Bugsy... he's as happy as I've ever
seen him... maybe happier..."
    Bugs followed her view. "Yeah, he _does_ seem ta be tapdancin'
on Cloud 9 and a half Triple E, all right; but den again, why
_shouldn't_ he be? He's finally got his mudder, which is what I
guess he's really wanted to have all along..."
    "Yes," Honey agreed, tears still flowing, "and I don't want 
to do or say _anything_ to destroy that happiness... and if I were
to tell him... that he was the only one of the six babies I gave
birth to prematurely that survived... and that because it was a
difficult birth... and what it did to me..."
    "Hon," Bugs said softly. He knew where she was heading with
this. It was the greatest sorrow any fembunny would ever know, and
it made Bugs sad to think of it happening to Honey, a girl who
loved children so much. "Ya don't have ta..."
    But she continued just the same. "And... (sniff)... and if I
were to tell him, that because of that, I can never have any more
children again... ever... it would only make him sad... he'd spend
the rest of his life blaming himself for something that isn't
his fault... I _know_ he would... and I can't lay that on him...
I just couldn't... not my own son..." She looked up at Bugs with
pleading eyes. "Do... do you understand? He must _never_ know...
not _ever_. Please, promise me..."
    Bugs didn't even bat an eye. "Still t'inkin' of somebody else
instead o' yerself... don't ever change, Honey." He smiled. "I
promise. He'll _never_ hear it from me." He thought to himself how
cruel fate could be sometimes, and always it seemed to be its
cruelest to the ones who, like Honey, least deserved it; and how
unfair it seemed to him that the one thing Honey Bunny wanted the
most in all this world--a large family of her very own--would be
the one thing in life she would be forever denied. And he also
thought of how unfair he'd been to her... especially making her
give up Buster all those years ago. He promised himself, then and
there, that if there indeed could be a way to make things right
for her, whatever it took, he would find it. He owed her at least
that much, and no doubt a whole lot more. She'd given up so much
for Buster and him, without questioning it. He sighed, and kissed
her for a very long time. "I love you, Honey Bunny," he whispered.
    "I know... me, too," she replied quietly, then slowly fell
asleep in his arms. This day had taken a lot out of her, in more
ways than one. Tenderly, Bugs picked her up and carried her to
her bedroom. He peeled back the red satin quilt, quietly lay her
down without so much as disturbing her, making sure her head was
resting on the matching red satin pillowcase, and covered her with
the quilt. He kissed her one more time, softly, so as not to wake
her. He smiled as he gazed on her.
    "Sleep well, my beautiful Honey Bunny," Bugs whispered. He
looked at her bedside clock and yawned. He hadn't realized how
late it really was until now. Well, it was too late to go home,
he thought. So, he went back to the hall closet and removed a
blue satin quilt. She wouldn't mind if he sacked out on the
couch, he told himself. As he prepared the couch, he looked out
the front window. Buster and Babs were long gone by now. Then,
looking at the small coffee table beside the couch, he noticed
the box that Buster had brought with him, and made a mental note
to get together with Buster later to decide what to do with it
and its' contents, although Bugs already had a pretty good idea
what his son would say about it. As he began to sack out, though,
Bugs's attention was caught by something else, sticking through
the mail slot in Honey's front door. He went over and removed the
folded piece of paper, and saw it was addressed to Honey. He knew
he shouldn't, but Bugs's curiosity got the better of him, and he 
unfolded and read the note to himself. A broad smile appeared on
his face as he read it; then, folding the note back over, he
walked quietly into Honey's bedroom and slipped the note into her
paws. It would be the first thing she'd see when she woke up in
the morning, and he didn't want her to miss it.
    "Dat's our boy," Bugs mused quietly, as he smiled and returned
to the couch for a good night's sleep, the note that said "Mom--
have I told you lately that I love you? Your loving son, Buster,"
in Honey's sleepy care. Yes, Bugs told himself, there was a lot
to make up for, but time would take care of that. And, as Buster
himself had said, he and his mom were still young.
    They'd have time, and plenty to spare.
 
 
 
                            THE END.
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Story (c)1996, 1997, Lee M. Withers.
"Special thanks to Kevin Mickel for invalauable editorial assistance."
TINY TOON ADVENTURES, LOONEY TUNES, Babs, Buster, Bugs and Honey
Bunny, and all related characters, slogans and indicia are (c)
1996, 1997, Warner Bros. Inc., a Time-Warner Company. All rights
reserved. This story is an original work of fan fiction and is 
not meant to be taken as canon; no claims are made by the author
on the copyrights held by Warner Bros., Inc., and Amblin 
Entertainment, Inc., a unit of "Look at me! I'm RICH!".