Under a thin layer of covers, Judy's chest rose and fell with each breath as she slept. Her back was toward the edge of the bed, her ears drooped against her head. Resting against a plush pillow, her mouth remained open, her nose twitching. A hint of sunlight shone along the bed through the blinds.

Her eyelids still closed, Judy's eyes began to move. The corners of her lips trembled, until her tongue drew back to rehydrate itself within her mouth. She felt somewhat weary upon waking up, a cloud of fog weighing over her mind. She felt a twinge of soreness between her legs. It wasn't agonizing, not even close, but it was definitely noticeable. The ache of her inner walls brought back the flood of memories from last night, how she and the fox she'd become so fond of gave into their carnal desires. The sentimental warmth of the memory dulled the ailment in her groin for the moment. Judy forced her eyes open to look across from her at Nick, to see if he'd woken up yet.

It seemed he had, long before she did. The space next to her was empty. Judy blinked a few times to make sure her grogginess wasn't playing tricks on her. She reached a paw over and felt the empty space against the mattress. Nick was gone. He'd said he'd be there when she woke up, but he was gone anyway.

A wave of disappointment rushed over Judy. She could hear her mother's voice lecturing her from when she was in high school, about how all men were only after one thing. She didn't want to believe it. Judy just couldn't take the fact that Nick was "one of those guys" that her mother had preached about, at least not with her of all people. Maybe if she could find Nick at home, she could sort things out with him.

Looking at the dark sheets and covers she laid within, a thought suddenly occurred to Judy. She was already at Nick's house, laying in his bed. They'd gone back to his place instead of hers. Judy sat up in bed, holding the sheets in front of her chest. Still feeling a bit groggy, she wondered if it might be best to find Nick before jumping to conclusions.

Judy's left ear shot up at the sound of metal clanging from outside the bedroom. It didn't sound alarming, but it made her curious. She looked over the side of the bed, but noticed her clothes weren't on the floor where she'd left them. Her eyes scanned the room, but she realized there was nothing for her to wear. With no other option, Judy pulled the sheets from the mattress and wrapped them around her form before stepping out of the door of his bedroom.

Judy looked across the way, and saw a red bushy tail poking out from one side of the kitchen. Entering the area, she saw Nick in front of the oven, dressed in a pair of brunette pajamas, fumbling with a yellow box and a measuring cup of water. Pouring the water into a bowl, she could just see something the color of buttermilk rise up to the top. Nick pushed the cup to the side, but noticed that he was being watched. He turned toward Judy with a welcoming smile.

"Hey, morning." Nick said to her. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

His friendly demeanor put Judy's worries at ease. Nick didn't seem detached or in any kind of hurry to get her out the door. Judy shook her head at him, glad that she hadn't gone on her first assumption. Her eyes moved back to the bowl in front of him.

"What are you making?" She asked, keeping the sheets clutched to her as she meandered toward the oven.

"Pancakes." Nick replied as she looked into the mix of powder and water. The fox began stirring them, mixing the two substances as they slowly congealed together. "Went ahead and used the whole box. It might be a little more than we can handle, but we don't have to eat 'em all at once."

Judy was touched. He had given her the most exhilarating and passionate night of her life, and he was also thoughtful enough to make breakfast the morning after.

"That's really nice of you, Nick. Thanks." She said as he continued stirring. Something still puzzled her, as she kept her paws on the sheets keeping herself covered. "Quick question though: where are my clothes?"

"Folded 'em up for ya. Didn't want nice clothes like that to get wrinkled on the floor. They're on the mantle."

"Mantle?" Judy asked with suspicion. That didn't make sense to her. It was nice of him to fold them up for her, but she thought it would make more sense to leave them in his bedroom for when she she woke up. A playful smirk appeared on her face as she thought out the details and stared accusingly at Nick. "You just wanted to see me naked again, didn't you?"

Nick scoffed in a melodramatic manner. "Wha,me?" He asked, turning to her and putting a paw over his chest. "Do you really think I would try to pull a ruse like that?"

"Yes."

"Ouch, just cut my heart in half!" Judy rolled her eyes, as her paws fiddled with the fold of bedsheets at the top of her chest. "You know, I thought last night meant something. I mean, if you still can't trust me after I bore my all to you, it makes me wonder if-!"

Judy found it easy to silence Nick once she dropped the sheets to the floor and stood in front of him with a paw on her hip. He'd gotten plenty an eyeful of her last night, but the light of the kitchen displayed her body much better than the lamps in his darkened bedroom. His eyes traveled down the cotton white of her chest, her pink nipples just poking out from the surface. He noticed that her hips were an inch wider than her chest, full and round, but toned and fit for running across the city at a moment's notice. The fur around her vulva was a bit dark near the center, and he could see that her labia had shrunk considerably, now that she wasn't at the height of her arousal anymore. He could also see just a bit of matted fur between her legs, where some of their fluids had rested overnight.

"... Though, if that was my plan, then I'd say it worked out pretty well." Nick finished, eliciting a playful sneer from Judy. He may have let his walls down for her more than anyone in years, but he still had a charming playfulness within him.

"I'm gonna go shower." Judy said, bending over to pick up the sheets she'd dropped on the floor. She reached up and clutched Nick's shoulder and pulled him down. Judy's lips pecked Nick on the cheek, making his tail swish a few times before she released him.

"I'll lay some pajamas out for you" He called to her, his eyes on the roundness of her buttocks as she sauntered away with the sheets over her shoulders.

"Thanks." She replied. "Put them on the bed this time."

"What's that, you want me to put them on the mantle?" Nick asked, pouring some pancake batter into the sizzling pan in front of him.

"Bed!"

"Mantle?"

"BED."

"Okay, mantle it is."

Judy chuckled as she closed the door to his bedroom. She didn't care where he decided to put her clothing; he'd already seen her naked twice. She could just as easily stroll out into his living room with her towel wrapped around her ears, and it wouldn't make a difference. Tossing the sheets back onto the bed, Judy waltzed into the bathroom, hoping she could figure out how the lavish knobs of Nick's shower functioned.

Several minutes passed, and Judy stepped out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam following her. Her fur was just a bit damp, but refreshed and rejuvenated as the cool air met her body. Looking at Nick's bed, she noticed the sheets and blankets had been made. On top was a pair of cerulean pajamas, made of the same quality that Nick wore. Judy felt a sense of disappointment; she'd almost been looking forward to strutting out into his living room stark naked, just to see his reaction. Nonetheless, she appreciated his civility and got herself dressed.

Judy walked out into the living room and saw Nick placing two plates on the coffee table in front of the couch. Each of them had a thick stack of pancakes with syrup, and a helping of blueberries she'd shared with Nick about a week ago. Next to the plates were two cups of coffee, still piping hot and billowing with steam.

"Hey, so, I know it's supposed to be our day off and all." Nick began as he sat back with his plate in his lap. "I was hoping you'd help me with something."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Judy asked.

"I was thinking about what you said a few days ago, and you're right." Judy eyebrows furrowed, unsure of what he was referring to. "I really do need to brush up on my cop knowledge. I've been kind of skating by for a while, but if Bogo figures out I'm forgetting how much fines are worth in front of suspects, that's gonna look bad for the force."

Judy was taken aback. Nick had pushed himself to get into ZPD, to prove to everyone else that he was capable of more than they expected of him. Once he'd been accepted, he'd become complacent, like his position was secured and he had no reason to push himself anymore. Judy was proud that he was showing some resolve to improve himself.

"Okay. I'll help you study if you want." Judy replied. "But, let's save it for later. I want to finish watching that movie before we crack open the books."

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, let's do that. Why do it now, when you can do it later?" He said, making Judy snort. He pressed the buttons on the remote control to wake the movie player, and Judy pulled her plate onto her lap. She cut herself a portion of the stack and plopped it into her mouth.

They tasted good. Not amazing; pre-packaged pancakes could only do so much. But Judy had still not found pancakes she wouldn't eat, and she wasn't about to start with Nick's generous offer. Still, she thought about how much better her own mother's recipe was, and how long it had been since she'd woken up to that heavenly scent filling up their barn. She wagered that if she could get Nick to taste them for himself, he'd notice the difference as well. She could just imagine him sitting in her parents kitchen, taking one bite and seeing his face freeze as his taste buds processed what wonderful delights they bathed in.

Judy paused. The thought that had just gone through her mind had taken her by surprise. She had imagined Nick, the fox she had just shared a bed with, in her parents home as they enjoyed each other's company. As delightful as the image was, she wondered if such a thing was possible. Of course her parents had met Nick before; they'd attended his induction ceremony, though Judy suspected they'd done it more on her behalf than his. Did they still have their reservations toward foxes? Would they approve of her relationship with Nick? Now that she thought about it, what kind of relationship did she have with Nick? Would they even get to a point where they'd need to win her parents over?

"Nick?" Judy asked as Nick played the movie. He pressed the pause button before a sentence had been uttered on screen.

"Yeah?" Nick asked.

"So… what are we now?" Judy asked hesitantly. A heavy silence filled the air for several seconds. Nick took a breath and laid back against the couch, thinking hard on the right way to respond.

"Well… we're a we." He began. "That's something."

"We?" Judy asked with confusion. "What were we before?"

"We weren't a we; We were a you and I."

"We were? Wait, wait, so, if I asked this question last week, you would have said…"

"I would have said 'you and I are a you and I.'" Nick explained.

"But, you have referred to us as we before."

"It was an implied you and I."

Judy wanted to respond, but the back and forth over semantics was making her head spin. "Okay, well, we-wha- whatever; what does that mean for us though?"

Nick's eyes looked up toward the ceiling. "I don't know." He admitted. Judy remained silent, looking down at her pancakes. "I do know that I really enjoyed last night. All of it, not just what happened in there." Nick said, nodding his head toward the bedroom. He turned to face Judy head on as she looked up at him. "And I know I want it to do it again, because it's probably the most relaxed I've ever felt in a while."

"Yeah?" Judy asked, finding more heart to cut another piece of her pancakes for herself. "What do you want to do again?"

"Spend days off with you, share meals, watch movies. Hang out here, just to get away from everything. Drop our shields for a little bit." Judy lifted her fork to her mouth and bit off the syrup soaked morsel, mulling over his response. "Tell you what;" Nick continued. "How about we watch the movie, and then talk about it a little more afterwards, after we've woken up a little bit."

Judy chewed over what she'd just put in her mouth. Looking at Nick, a sense of tenderness filled her heart. It had been a different answer than what she'd been expecting, but she was satisfied with it for the moment.

"Works for me." She said after swallowing. Judy readjusted her seat and leaned her head against Nick as he pressed the play button. Nick reached his arm around her shoulders and gave her a nurturing squeeze. His touch warmed her heart. She was joyful that she'd burrowed her way past the emotional wall he'd hidden behind for so long. Placing her paw on his thigh, Judy watched the characters onscreen, unafraid of what the future might bring for them.