The day seemed to drag on forever. What felt like an eternity was actually just ten hours. Every second Judy spent at work, her mind was dwelling on Nick, and only Nick—what he could've been doing at her apartment, wondering if he was missing her, worrying if he had gotten into trouble, fearing that he would revert back to the angry savage behavior, and most of all praying that the affects had worn off (though she knew that wasn't likely). She somehow managed to convince Bogo that he was at the hospital and that was why he didn't show up to work. Hopefully he would continue to believe that until she could figure out how to bring Nick back to normal.

Judy arrived back at the apartment—with food, as promised—as the city was settling down for the night. Sometimes she was grateful she rarely worked nightshifts, and especially now, since it would be tough without her partner. As she opened the door, she peeked inside first to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. To her relief, the living room looked exactly how she left it, minus the ripped throw pillow from the night before.

She walked in and shut the door behind her, and immediately her ears shot up as she heard the pitter-patter of canine paws darting across the floor. Apparently Nick had heard her come in, and it was painfully clear just how eager he was that she had returned unharmed.

Before she could say anything, Nick leapt toward her and tackled her to the floor, which took her by surprise. But she couldn't help laughing as he held her in place and began to lick her cheeks. She took it as his way of saying just how much he missed her. "Hey there, slick." She giggled, attempting to push him away. "Geez, I don't think you've ever been this excited to see me."

Nick continued to sniff and lick her entire face before he finally let her sit up, stepping back to give her some space. But his tail didn't stop wagging, and the little smile on his face never faded. Judy gently scratched the bottom of his chin, then reached over to grab the bag of takeout food she bought on her way home. "Here, I thought you might be hungry."

The fox's eyes lit up as the bag was opened, revealing a box of chicken tenders and fries. He licked his lips as Judy pulled the food out, setting it on the floor. He didn't waste any time before digging into the meal, and as she watched him munch on it, it occurred to her that he must've been starving. He didn't have the ability to access food all day like he usually would.

Judy smiled while watching him eat, taking it in that even though he wasn't acting the same, at least he was still here with her where he belonged. That's what mattered most for now. She sighed and picked herself up off the floor, making her way down the hall so she could change into something more comfortable.

However, as she passed the doorway to the kitchen, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention and made her stop in her tracks. She squinted her eyes, slowly turning to look into the room. And what she found was a complete mess.

The bags from the store yesterday (that she forgot to put away) were now on the floor, with most of the snacks out of their boxes/bags and spread across the floor. One of the flower vases she had on her countertop was shattered, presumably by accident though since it was right next to the groceries.

"Nick!" She yelled, storming into the kitchen to pick up the trash. "I told you not to make a mess!"

The fox heard her, but just continued to eat and do nothing to acknowledge her scolding. She groaned and grabbed the broom to sweep up the food. She didn't want to blame him for causing such a mess, since he didn't know any better, but on top of everything else that had gone wrong, this was the last thing she felt like dealing with.

While she cleaned up the spilled food and broken glass, Nick had finished off his dinner and began to wander into the living room. A few crumbs fell from his mouth, leaving just a small trail from where he was by the door—yet another thing Judy was going to have to clean. He sniffed around the floor, aimlessly searching for something to entertain him. He had tried this earlier while his companion was still gone, and he found nothing. Maybe this time would be different.

Eventually Judy finally cleared the kitchen of its untidiness. She let out a sigh, relieved that it was clean again and she had nothing else to worry about regarding her apartment (assuming Nick didn't completely destroy her bedroom). She turned her head to look over at the fox, who's head was bent down facing the bottom of the couch.

"Alright, we gotta talk about your behavior when indoors." She said. That was definitely a sentence she never thought she'd ever have to say to someone like him.

The sound of her voice seemed to startle him at first, as proved by how he jolted his head and ears up. That was odd. Why was he so jumpy all of the sudden?

"Nick? What's wrong?" She asked, concerned at first. But then she noticed his jaw clenching, as if he was holding something with his teeth. She also saw how tightly he kept his mouth shut. Now she knew he was up to something, and was afraid of being caught.

She narrowed her eyes, "What do you have in your mouth?"

Nick glanced to the side, not giving any sort of response whatsoever. Apparently feral Nick wasn't as smart or cunning as the real Nick, since right now he basically just gave himself away and did nothing to try and hide the fact he had something in his mouth. The real Nick would've been able to weasel himself out of any interrogation with no trouble.

Before she could ask him again, the fox made a run for it. He bolted down the hallway, immediately being followed by Judy. "Nick! Get back here!" She exclaimed, chasing him into the bedroom at the end of the hall.

Nick quickly crawled under her bed, scooting far beneath it to make it harder for her to reach or even see him. She huffed in frustration, couching down and pulling the covers up to look under. She held out her paw to the fox, "Whatever it is, spit it out!"

He growled at her, but not in a harmful or threatening way. It was more like his way of telling her to leave him alone. Judy still tried to get his compliance, speaking in a much stricter voice, "Spit it out right now."

Nick rolled his eyes and turned away, remaining defiant against her. She groaned in defeat, deciding not to fight him about it. Whatever was in his mouth wasn't worth getting worked up over, and if he wasn't going to listen to her there really wasn't any use in trying.

She sat down and leaned against the bed, holding her head in her paws. "I seriously can't wait until you're normal again."