Judy stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off before cutting the plastic bag off her leg and finishing up with Nick's fur dryer. She didn't have one at the Grand Pangolin, so having one here at Nick's house was heavenly. Of course, with Nick's longer, thicker fur, she knew it was a necessity for her foxy boyfriend.

A warm smile spread across her face as she remembered their time this afternoon. Not just what happened (and nearly happened) in her bedroom (now that she had calmed down and showered, she was actually feeling grateful for Janette's interruption), but also what happened throughout the day. After learning so much more about her handsome fox, she felt closer to him than ever before. And getting to know Finnick better was a nice surprise. She was definitely introducing him to her sister Amy. Although she didn't want to play matchmaker, they had a lot in common and she knew they'd make great friends. And if something more developed, she'd be happy for them. (It might also make it easier for her dad to accept her relationship with Nick if one of her sisters was also dating a fox. Power in numbers, right?)

As Judy reached for her clothes, she saw the scent masking cream they'd used earlier that morning. Although they had no plans for leaving the house, she wondered if it wouldn't be best if she used it anyways. She still smelled strongly of Nick as he'd ground his scent into her fur. Although she loved his scent and thoroughly enjoyed smelling like him, she wondered if it wouldn't make it harder for both of them to stay focused on the important things and not get all pawsy with each other again. As much as she enjoyed this afternoon, she knew it was still too early to take that final step (as much as her naughty side wanted to).

Besides Nick's fox instincts telling him to take his time, she also wanted to build a solid foundation for their relationship before getting any more intimate (now if she could just convince her hormones of this, she'd be doing good). Her parents were also coming in three days and if she and Nick had any hope of convincing her dad to trust and accept Nick and their relationship, then waiting until they were married (hopefully it wouldn't take Nick long to get the ring) would be best. She really didn't want to give her dad any reason to tase Nick and ban him from coming to Bunnyburrow on the threat of being dragged out to the forest and shot (it hadn't happened in over a century, but it was part of Bunnyburrow's dark past when prey and predators were fighting for equal rights). A lot of mammals disappeared back in those dark, confusing days and although she'd like to think her dad was above all that (not that she seriously thought he'd hurt Nick), but he was very protective of his daughters.

Glancing over in thought at the hummingbird-patterned shower curtain (she was sure Honey picked it out), Judy smiled to think of taking Nick home and showing him her childhood. There were so many parts of her life she wanted to show him once they got there—the town, her favorite hiking and running trails, the lakes and rivers she spent time at thinking or swimming . . . their blueberry patch. With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she pictured Nick's face and exuberantly wagging tail at seeing how many blueberry bushes her family owned.

Taking a deep breath, Judy turned her attention back to the here and now. Picking up the scent-masking cream, she turned it over in her paw. If she could smell Nick's scent on her, then Nick certainly could. And with his heightened sense of smell, would it make it harder to control himself while smelling himself so strongly on her? She didn't want to make things more difficult for him than they already were (she knew her scent drove him crazy).

And she still wasn't sure how Nick felt about what happened this afternoon. Although he seemed fine with it while she was still in the shower, she couldn't shake the guilt that she'd acted too much like the annoying, vindictive vixens who harassed him in the past. If she pushed him too far too quickly, would he start avoiding her, too? She had seen so many hundreds of her siblings dumping or getting dumped for various reasons, and she didn't want to become another statistic. Although she couldn't see Nick walking out on her (he was a red todd and completely committed to her), this was her first relationship and she didn't want to do anything wrong. And with her complete lack of experience—there was so much room for her to mess things up (look how she'd messed up the city and nearly destroyed their relationship once already).

Biting her lip, she finally gave in and opened the jar. Rubbing the conditioning cream into her fur (her back was the hardest to reach and smelled most like Nick), she frowned as Nick's scent slowly disappeared. She hated the fact she had to hide his mark on her, but once they were married it would be a whole new ballgame. And once he graduated the academy, she could proudly wear his mark wherever she went. She wouldn't have to hide the fact she belonged to him, and he to her, nor how crazy in love with him she was.

It didn't take long afterwards to get dressed and limp her way back into her room. Curiosity was driving her crazy wondering what Nick had gotten her and what he had planned for tonight. Setting her crutches against the dresser, she climbed onto the bed with its soft, blue-and-green flowered quilt and situated herself back against the headboard. Once she was comfortably sitting on the bed, she reached forward and began slowly taking off her bandage. The wound throbbed slightly as she bent over and slowly unwound the gauze, but as much as she abused it earlier while climbing all over Nick, she really couldn't complain.

She was nearly finished when she heard Nick hurrying up the stairs. As he walked into her room, she couldn't stop her eyes from travel down his bare, fluffy chest before making their way back up to meet his bright emeralds. Briefly touching her tongue to her upper lip, she stated, "You never put your shirt back on."

Nick glanced down a moment, then met her amethyst pools and grinned. Nodding his head towards her dresser, he said, "I left my shirt in here earlier and haven't stopped long enough to put another one on."

She glanced down and fidgeted a moment, then looked up to apologize for her earlier actions, but paused at seeing his expression. His head was cocked and a hungry smirk graced his muzzle, but he wasn't looking at her face. Glancing down, she immediately knew what had caught his attention and her ears flamed red. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she pulled it down, even as Nick said, "Nice view. Baby pink is a good color for you."

"Ni-ick!" Judy whined.

Nick lifted his amused (and slightly hungry) gaze to meet her own, and said, "I don't know why you're embarrassed. It's not like you weren't showing them off earlier while demanding I take them off . . . along with your bra."

Judy's eyes widened and her nose started twitching. "Ni-ick!" Wringing the hem of her shirt in her paws, Judy's gaze and ears dropped as she looked at everything but Nick. "That . . . it was . . . I mean . . ." she stammered, then finally whispered, "I know." Taking a deep breath, she fidgeted a moment longer while taking a careful study of the pattern in the quilt she sat upon, then said, "I'm sorry."

Nick's jaw dropped and his ears perked forward, even as his tail twitched. "You're sorry?" he questioned. "About this afternoon?" This was the last thing he expected to hear from Judy. She was very demanding this afternoon and very much in charge of what happened—and was going to happen. So why was she saying sorry now? Was she reconsidering being with him? That thought had his gut twisting with anxiety, especially since he could no longer smell his scent on her. The worst of their combined scents had dissipated from the room, but she should have still been reeking of his scent (the shower would have washed her scent away, but not his) and yet his sensitive nose picked up nothing from her.

As a canine and a fox, this bothered him greatly as all canines were highly scent-oriented mammals. And once a male canine chose a mate, being able to smell himself on her was soothing to his territorial instincts. And with him being a red todd, it was pretty much a biological imperative that he smell his scent on her as theirs was a lifetime commitment.

But as much as it bothered him that she'd erased his scent, Nick didn't show it. He wanted to focus on their date and so set his worries aside for now. They'd have plenty of time to talk about it later.

Judy took a deep breath and explained, "I know you weren't ready for this afternoon and I still pushed you. You tried to pull back several times, but I wouldn't listen and stubbornly pushed you for more." Wringing the shirt tightly between her paws (and inadvertently giving Nick another peek at pink), she whispered, "And then when you tried to leave, I . . . I . . ." Releasing her shirt, she rubbed her paws over her eyes and lamented, "I acted no differently than all those pushy, sadistic vixens who constantly harassed you while you worked for Mr. Big."

Nick just stood there, dumbfounded. Judy was nothing like those manipulative, hyper-aggressive, heartless vixens and yet she was comparing herself to them? Nick couldn't believe it. And the fact she was worried about it told him just how much she cared about him and what he wanted—which was the complete opposite of what all those heartless vixens cared about.

Rubbing a paw down his face and muzzle, Nick then turned and sat on the bed. With a deep breath, he glanced at Judy and found her staring studiously at her feet while tightly gripping her paws. It was obvious she was steeling herself for rejection or some other unpleasant response—which was silly. As if he could ever be sorry about this afternoon.

Shifting on the bed so he was facing her, he leaned forward and placed a finger under her chin, then raised it till she was looking at him. She had the look of cornered prey, though he knew she wasn't scared of him, but of his response to her actions. As if she had anything to be scared of. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her softly.

Judy was surprised, but quickly closed her eyes and leaned into the gentle kiss. Reaching up, she slid her paws across his cheeks and rested them under his ears. With her ears drooping to rest comfortably against her back, her tail began vibrating happily.

Pulling back from the soft kiss, Nick said, "I'm not sorry."

"You're not?" Judy whispered a little breathlessly as her paws dropped. Although the kiss had lacked the passion from earlier, it still left Judy's heart beating fiercely as she was overcome with happiness.

Nuzzling her nose, he replied with a warm smile, "Not a bit."

"But I kept pushing you." Touching her tongue to her lip again, she still looked slightly worried.

Nick's smile grew. "Fluff, you can push me anytime you want."

"But I didn't lis—"

Nick placed his thumb over her lips and cut her off. "Did I ever once say I didn't want to be with you?" Judy shook her head and he asked, "Did I ever once say no or stop?" She shook her head again. "Did I try to leave?"

"Yes, and then I . . ." Judy's voice dropped to a pained whisper, ". . . I grabbed you."

With a raised eyebrow, Nick's grin turned to a smirk. "That's the part I regret the most . . ." Nick watched Judy's expression and ears droop, and then added, "about leaving."

Judy's ears perked up again. "Huh?"

Grinning wide enough to show off his white canines, Nick explained, "Feeling your paw on my foxhood felt divine."

"Really?" Judy squeaked. Remembering how he felt in her paw, even through his shorts, had both her nose and tail twitching in remembered pleasure and anticipation.

"Fluff, that had to be the greatest pleasure of my life and running out without letting you finish was more painful than the beating I took when I was twelve."

Judy's eyes widened as her mouth formed a perfect 'O'.

"So, you don't have anything to worry about, Carrots. If not for your gift arriving at 5, I would have pushed everything else to tomorrow and happily dropped my shorts for you." Leaning forward again, he booped her twitching nose, and added, "So, don't you dare feel guilty about this afternoon. It takes two to tango and I was a very, very willing and enthusiastic dance partner."

Judy's tail began twitching wildly again in happiness and joy. Reaching back up, she pulled Nick's lips back down to hers and kissed him enthusiastically.

Nick kissed her back for several moments, then pulled back and grinned. "We're good now about this afternoon, right?" Judy nodded, and Nick continued, "Good, because I need to clean your wound and then jump in the shower while it breathes before I show you your present."

Judy's tail began twitching again while thinking of her present and trying to guess what it was. It didn't take Nick long with her leg and then he disappeared into the bathroom. Judy watched him vanish but wasn't bothered this time by his quick retreat. Leaning back against the mahogany headboard with its intricately carved flower design, she let her mind wonder, with one part fondly remembering this afternoon while the other half was going crazy trying to figure out what Nick had planned for tonight.

With her mind in a muddled mess of one-part pleasured memories and one-part impatient curiosity, Nick exited the bathroom before she even heard the water turn on or off. Glancing at the clock, she realized she'd been daydreaming for nearly thirty minutes. Turning back toward the door, her eyes widened as she watched Nick's fluffy tail disappear into his bedroom with only a towel hiding his hot foxy butt. Taking a deep breath as his door shut, she murmured, "Talk about eye-candy." With a dreamy look on her face while remembering his soft, fluffy tail, Judy brought up her knee, rested her elbow on it, then rested her chin in her open palm. "I have to be the luckiest doe on the planet to catch the eye of such an eligible bachelor." With a squeal of delight, she added, "My sisters are going to be green with envy when they realize how incredible Nick is."

With a giggle, she wondered when Nick was going to take her flying. Could she maybe convince him to take her this weekend? She wouldn't be walking if she was sitting in his gyrocopter, so there would be no strain on her leg at all. And if he did, would it be their first date, or did he have something else in mind? And of course, she still had to come up with a bunch of date ideas herself. It was exciting to realize she'd finally get to go on all those date ideas she'd tossed in a dusty box in her mind as nothing more than wishful thinking.

Lifting her chin, she rubbed it thoughtfully while thinking of her past date ideas. She always wanted to go ice skating and build snowbunnies in the wintertime. Maybe they could build a snow fort and have a snowball fight. That would be fun. Maybe they could even do a double date with Finnick and Amy. They could build forts and have snowball fight against Finn and her sister. That sounded like a lot of fun. Or even a doe vs todd fight. With a wild grin of glee, she squealed happily again. Oh, the possibilities.

Calming down a bit, she tilted her head slightly and thought of Autumn. Building huge leaf piles and jumping in was always fun, so building one with her boyfriend would be twice as nice. She also enjoyed hiking through the hills with the leaves turning brilliant colors of red, orange, and yellow, then stopping for a picnic—so going with Nick would be something special.

Before she could think of any summer ideas, Nick's door opened and he walked out wearing black slacks that looked expensive, but no shirt. With a raised eyebrow as he stepped into her room, she asked, "Is this a new thing for you? Going around topless?"

Nick chuckled, then asked, "Are you complaining about the view?"

Judy's eyes traveled over his fluffy chest as she 'hmmed' in appreciation. "Nope. No complaints. You are the sweetest eye-candy I've ever laid eyes on."

Nick chuckled again as his tail wagged happily. "I'm glad you approve." Grabbing the antibiotic spray and bandages off the dresser, he sat on her bed and said, "But no. I just don't want to ruin the surprise."

Judy folded her arms and pouted as Nick sprayed the medicine on her leg and began wrapping her leg. Even now, he was making her wait. She hated waiting.

Nick merely laughed quietly at her cute, pouty expression. But once he was done, he quickly leaned forward and kissed the fur between her ears. Pulling back, a huge grin spread across his face as he asked excitedly, "Are you ready for your present?"

"Nick, I've been ready."

With an even wider grin, Nick hopped off her bed and sprinted into his room, then returned a moment later holding a shimmering dress that flared at the waist and was the color of shifting amethyst.

Judy's jaw dropped. This had to be the most gorgeous dress she'd ever seen—and she didn't even want to think about the price. "Nick, where did you get this?" she asked in awe as Nick stepped up to the bed so she could touch it. Feeling the soft (and expensive, she was sure) fabric, she doubted any of her sisters owned such an exquisite dress.

Many of them owned beautiful dresses, but nothing on this scale—even of the ones made in a similar style. The outer part of the dress was made of a light, shimmering, see-through amethyst fabric, with the under-fabric made of a soft, darker amethyst material that slid through her fingers like flowing water. This darker amethyst fabric also made up the short sleeves and was slightly ruffled as it traveled around the back and front of the dress to make up the collar, with the fabric in the front dipping slightly towards her heart with three small, fabric roses of the same darker amethyst with the same shimmering fabric covering the petals, which made them flicker between light and dark amethyst as they shifted in the bright light just like the rest of the dress.

"This is why we couldn't finish this afternoon. Fru-Fru was having this dress delivered at 5 and I needed to be outside beforehand to meet her courier."

"Fru-Fru had this delivered!?" Looking up with wide eyes to see Nick's happy, teasing grin, she added, "How much did it cost?"

Nick shook his head. "Nothing. The Big's own an exclusive clothing store that specializes in suits, tuxes, and dresses for special occasions. They have a lot of different styles you can walk in and buy off the rack, or you can have something specially made. I offered to buy the dress if Fru-Fru was willing to have it delivered, but she said it'd be a gift from her to you."

"But this dress has to be expensive. Why would Fru-Fru just give it to me?" Coming from such a large family, giving expensive gifts rarely happened, and never to just one individual. Expensive gifts, when they were given at all, were to be shared by all. So, hearing Fru-Fru was just giving her (what she assumed was a small fortune by farmer or cop standards) such an expensive gift was mind boggling.

"Fru-Fru does have one condition, but the bottom line is . . . you are now family. And to Mr. Big, Family is everything. Money means nothing when it comes to taking care of family, and Fru-Fru is the same way. There's nothing in this city you could possibly buy Fru-Fru that she couldn't buy twenty or more of herself, but material goods have never been important to the Big family. They have money, so they buy things for convenience, but what they value is family. In saving Fru-Fru, you not only saved Mr. Big's daughter but all the grandchildren she would give him." Cupping Judy's cheek, Nick added, "In essence, you saved not only his daughter, but his own life and legacy, for if Fru-Fru had died, Mr. Big's light and life would have died with her, leaving him a shell of the shrew he is today. That's not something you can put a price tag on."

Nick watched Judy nod, then glance the dress over again in thought. With a soft smile, he continued, "Fru-Fru said you'd become the sister she never had, and as her sister, buying you a dress or two . . . or six . . . is nothing. As long as you're happy, she's happy."

Judy started to nod, then froze a second and then looked up sharply to stare at Nick. "Wait. Did you just say six dresses? How—"

Nick placed his thumb over her mouth again, then said, "Don't worry about the others. Tonight, you just need to focus on this dress. We'll get to the other ones later."

Judy twitched an ear, but then sighed in defeat. "Fine, I won't question you about the others—yet." Nick merely grinned and Judy asked, "So what condition does she have for gifting me this dress?"

Nick's grin couldn't get any bigger. "We just have to send her pictures of you in it . . . while on a date . . . with me."

Judy's breath caught as she tried to make sense of his words. Looking the dazzling dress over, she then looked at Nick's expensive slacks, then back at the dress, then up to meet Nick's burning emeralds. "That means . . . you mean . . . we're having . . . ?"

Chuckling lightly at Judy's dumbfounded expression and stuttering words, he asked, "Judy, my Love, will you join me on a date tonight?"

It took a moment for her brain to reboot at the unexpected question, but then she snapped her mouth shut for a moment before exclaiming, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Grinning happily, Nick set the dress on the blue-flowered quilt and reached forward to help Judy down. As she slipped her paws in his and hopped off the bed, he then bent down slightly to pick her up from the waist and carry her over to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall behind the door. Setting her down, he spun her around to face the mirror, then wrapped his tail around her hips to help stabilize her, then reached down to grab the hem of her hot-pink shirt.

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed while grabbing her shirt.

Nick lifted an eyebrow and said, "You want the dress on, don't you?" At Judy's slight nod, he added, "And, correct me if I'm wrong, but it was you who was demanding I take your clothes off just 2 hours ago. So, what's the problem now?"

Judy nibbled on her lower lip as she realized Nick was right. But she couldn't help her initial reaction to a male trying to take her clothes off. "I know you're right, and a part of me is more than happy to have you take my clothes off . . ." My naughty side, she added to herself.

Nick flicked his ear as he watched her in the mirror in front of them. "But . . . ?"

Judy took a deep breath. "I've spent my whole life avoiding males seeing me and so my first reaction is to deny you." Her hormones were no longer screaming at her, so her natural inhibitions returned.

Nick's ears perked up and he tilted his head as he looked down at his honeybun. "So, your insistence this afternoon?" From their earlier discussions, he didn't think she was one to run around in skimpy clothes like a lot of females were doing nowadays, but he hadn't been completely sure. He wanted his honeybun to clarify what she meant, as well as work through her needless (to him) embarrassment. She'd already showed off her underwear to him, so what was the point of being embarrassed now? He was only helping her change into her dress, it wasn't like he was asking her to wander around the house in her underwear—as enjoyable as that would be, he knew it would put way too many ideas in his head that he'd be hard-pressed not to act on.

With a grin, Judy reached over her shoulder and lightly punched Nick's arm. "That's because I had a ton of hormones flooding my system making it hard to think straight as my rational side was nowhere to be found."

Knowing he was the first male to see so much of her soft fur and hot body had Nick grinning happily as he stated, "Do you know how sexy that makes you?"

Judy's eyes widened and she tilted her head up to look at him. "Huh?"

With a happy, slightly predatory smile, Nick explained, "Knowing that I'm the only male to see you like this makes you even hotter in my eyes." Slipping his paws under her shirt, he rubbed his paws and claws over and through the soft fur of her sides, back, and belly. "I mean, I knew I was the first male to touch you." He leaned down and lightly rubbed his nose along the edge of her ear and grinned at her slight shiver. "And the first male to taste you." Nick nibbled on the end of her ear, which brought a gasp from Judy. "But knowing I'm the only one to see so much of your hot body, to know that everything under this shirt is for my eyes only—you have no idea how hot and sexy that makes you."

Judy stood stunned for a moment as she remembered many of her brothers and sisters teasing her for being such a prude. Jude the Prude was one of her most hated nicknames they gave her. At the time, she didn't have anyone she wanted to impress, nor did she want to give any of the dumb bucks the idea that she was interested—but now—with Nick's approval and appreciation, she was doubly glad she'd never caved to her sisters' taunts or dares to wear more revealing clothes.

Reaching up, she ran her paw along Nick's muzzle, then gently pulled his muzzle down to hers as she leaned back against his chest while tilting her head and lips up to meet his. As his lips neared her own, she murmured, "I think quite a few of my siblings would argue that point with you."

"Mmm," he murmured as he brushed his lips against hers, then pulled back slightly to say, "Your siblings are idiots whose opinions don't matter, so why give them a second thought?"

"Good point." Tugging his mouth back down to hers, she kissed him again, then felt him gently turn her around on her good foot before pulling her up against his fluffy chest as he deepened the kiss. Melting into the kiss, Judy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. After getting her fill of her wonderful fox, she pulled back and grinned, saying, "Now let's get that dress on me."

With a matching grin, Nick answered, "Yes, Ma'am," then pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it on the bed behind him. Taking a step back while keeping his paws around her waist to steady her, he let his eyes rove over her body in appreciation. "Baby pink definitely suits you," he murmured quietly while enjoying the contrast of her light pink bra and panties against her white and grey fur.

Judy's ears turned a shade darker, but she wasn't embarrassed, nor did she try and hide herself from the warm gaze of her mate (after this afternoon, she couldn't see Nick as anything less). "I'm glad you approve," she simply replied. "Now can I see my dress? I'm sure I look even better in that particular shade of purple."

Nick chuckled as he turned around to carefully pick up her dress, saying over his shoulder, "I'm sure you do." Returning to her side, he had her turn back around to face the mirror, then unzipped the back and dropped the dress in front of her. After she grabbed the dress at the shoulders, Nick gripped her waist and easily picked her up so she could slip her feet in the dress. As he set her down, Judy pulled the dress up and slipped her paws in the sleeves. As the dress settled around her lithe form, Nick zipped up the back and they both stared in awe at the way the dress hugged her tight, muscular curves and then flowed down around her thighs and knees while shimmering in the light as it shifted around her. The front of the dress came down to her knees, while the dress was several inches longer in the back which effectively framed her slender, yet powerful legs.

"It's beautiful, Nick," she whispered almost reverently. She'd never owned a dress that looked so stunning before, and the way Nick was looking at her had her heart beating fiercely with joy and happiness, while at the same time feeling like she was a princess of some faraway kingdom or a magical fairy. This beat any daydream she ever had about dating—and they hadn't even started the date!

Nick shook his head and said, "You're not beautiful, Judy, that word is much too tame to describe how you look." Tilting his head, he studied her figure in the mirror a moment, then said, "You're exquisite, Judy, and you completely take my breath away."

Judy grinned even as her ears turned several shades darker. Remembering how she'd overheard a lot of bucks talking about wanting to have a helping of this doe or that doe who was wearing a hot dress, she asked, "Do I look good enough to eat?"

Nick took a step back and spun her around to face him (with the dress flaring out around her hips before falling back down around her legs). Looking her over with a critical eye, he answered, "Nope. There is no way I could eat you while you're wearing that dress." Judy's ears drooped, but then he said, "You are way too good to eat." Letting his eyes travel down and then up her body, he explained, "There's no way I can have an indecent thought about you when you're dressed as beautifully as you are now. You look like an angel or a fairy princess—someone to worship, not eat." Meeting her gaze again, he added, "All we're missing is a glowing halo or some sparkly fairy wings."

Judy giggled as she felt her eyes start to mist. Even now, when a lot of males she'd met would want to objectify her to something to use for their own personal pleasure (bucko last night being a prime example), Nick was still seeing her as a mammal worthy of respect, someone to cherish. Stop, she told herself as tears threatened to leak. You're Nick's family now and this is just how he is, so just accept it and stop crying over every little thing he does or says. After her little pep talk, Judy took a deep breath and the tears dried up. Accepting his words with love, affection, and appreciation, she gave him a wide, happy smile, then took a limping step forward. Running her paws down his creamy chest, she looked up into his warm, emerald gaze and said in a soft, silky voice, "Well, if you won't eat me, then maybe I should eat you."

Nick chuckled. "I'm more than happy to let you eat me, but you'll have to take that dress off first." Leaning down to boop her nose, he added, "I'm serious. It's hard to have indecent thoughts about you while you continue to take my breath away."

Judy's warm smile widened, then she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "You'll have to help me with the dress, but that'll have to wait. I'm really excited about this date you have planned." Booping his nose, she added, "Now hurry up and finished getting dressed so we can start."

"Yes, Ma'am," Nick said with a happy, dopy grin. Picking her up, he set her on the bed, then reached into his pocket and pulled out several cloth items, saying, "But first, these came with the dress." Stooping down, he slipped a ring of roses around her ankle that matched the shimmering roses at the top of her dress. Standing back up, he then slipped a rose belt around her middle that highlighted her slender waist and finished with a ring of roses around the base of one of her ears.

Stepping back with his ears perked forward, he looked her over and said, "Wow. I didn't think these accessories would make much of a difference with how stunning you already look, but those extra roses really make everything pop."

Judy smiled brightly at him, but then Nick's phone chimed to let him know he had a text message. As he fished it out of his back pocket, he grinned widely. "It looks like the last piece of our date just arrived, and right on time as always."

"There's more!?" Judy's eyes widened in surprise as it showed, once again, how much thought and effort Nick put into everything he did for her.

Nick simply grinned. "The second most important part." With a cheeky grin, he continued, "At first I thought it was the most important part, but seeing you in that dress has regulated it to number two." Judy blushed slightly at the obvious compliment, and Nick fished the small makeup kit out of his other front pocket of his slacks. Handing it over, he said, "Fru-Fru sent this with the dresses. I don't know if you wear any, but I thought I'd give you the option." As Judy opened the black case and glanced over the eyeshadow and lip gloss, he added, "Either way, you look beautiful tonight." Leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the lips then stepped back. "I need to get the door and then finish getting dressed, so I'll see you in a few minutes." Judy nodded and watched his tail disappear out the door, but as he rounded the staircase and started downstairs, he hollered to her, "Oh, and if you wear the lip gloss, I'll have a hard time keeping my lips to myself."

"What? Why?" she asked curiously.

With a laugh, Nick added, "Put some on and you'll find out." Then he was gone.

Looking down at the small makeup kit, Judy picked up one of the lip glosses and turned it over to read what it was, then laughed herself. "Blueberry! Of course, it had to be blueberry!" Setting it back down, she picked up the purple colored one and promptly put some on. Rubbing her lips together afterwards, she smacked her lips and grinned. "Let's see if he doesn't eat me now . . . or at least nibble on me. I'd be content with that."


WingedKatt here. I hope you guys are staying safe and that this story brightens your day a bit. Next chapter, Nick will hear Willie's take on their relationship and what he thinks about Officer Hopps. We'll also get a glimpse at what is happening to some of the predators in the city. Then Nick and Judy will have an interesting conversation as their date officially kicks off. Expect some fluff.

Ch. 55: Fairies and Demons, will post on Friday, April 10. Have a great weekend, stay home, and stay safe.

If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.