Another chapter! Perhaps, it will contain revelations. Or, possibly a development or two. Potentially, a realization? Maybe all of those and a dose of actual plot movement are in store! Read to find out.

Cheers!

If there was a word to describe Judy's mood it was jazzed. She was ecstatic! The farce with Stripepaw's club and the endless jokes at her expense from her coworkers were worth the recognition of her results. She got them when no one else had managed it. Her methods were… unusual, perhaps, but effective. The feeling of getting a three-day leave was worth the casual inquiries about what else she got up to in that club with Wilde.

Naturally, she played it off and much more smoothly than she would have been able to a couple of months ago. She really was coming back. Her old fire was returning, as were a few other things. She was laughing more. Even going out for drinks with coworkers on occasion. It felt weird. The closest thing she could equate it to was getting a cast off a broken limb. Everything felt odd, but good; alien, yet familiar.

Among the things that were strange and distant, but making a comeback was an old tradition that she had abandoned when a certain buck rabbit had come into her life. He'd been a lot of fun in some ways and seemed like a decent mammal at the time. However, her ex-husband was in no way whatsoever a dancer. He'd hated it. While they were together she'd given it up for the sake of not making him uncomfortable, or feel neglected.

Those days were over.

Tonight was a revival of her tradition for closing a case: dress up, go out and dance until the world spun. It had been too long and she was practically humming with excitement. She was also feeling a little guilty pleasure. None of her coworkers knew about her plans. They'd get an invite to the next one and it'd be her first real return to her old self as far as they were concerned.

This one was for her and her partner. Their first case together had been successfully concluded and the District Attorney was confident of making a strong case. They needed this. They deserved it. She needed to dance and finally shake off the idiotic idea that she couldn't enjoy herself anymore, while he just needed the break. A night of dancing and wild destressing would do him a world of good.

Nick was feeling ambivalent. This was the first time he was doing anything quite so social in a long, long time. Under normal circumstances he would have declined, citing his work, and be completely honest about it. His duty to the city was always humming at the back of his mind. The places his attention was needed never stopped and only grew louder the longer he evaded them. This evening, however, was an anomaly in his experience. For some reason, She was being less demanding. The sense that Her needs could wait was very clear; almost demanding. It was a bizarre feeling to think that the city was encouraging his personal life.

Almost as odd was Judy's request for the evening. He didn't think they'd be going to a risqué club of any kind, but she had still asked him to wear something like what he wore to Stripepaw's. "Just maybe with a shirt and no collar? We wouldn't want mammals getting the wrong idea, would we?", was all the input she'd given him. It had increased his uncertainty, rather than allay it. Looking at himself in the mirror, he had to wonder which wrong idea she was talking about, exactly?

Her reaction to his kink club outfit had certainly been strong. In fact, the whole evening had been a series of strong reactions. He still regretted upsetting her with that illusion, but he was so rusty at teaching. If he was honest, he was rusty at most things outside of magic. Like behaving normally in public, interacting with mammals other than short order cooks, flirting. Though, she certainly seemed to appreciate his attempts.

After stepping through a shadow, Nick stood on the street across from the club in the RD Judy had selected for their evening's frivolities. He'd never had much interest in such places. Jungle Beatz was a repurposed warehouse, sitting in a largely former-industrial area. It was perfect as a location for a nightclub, as there were no neighbors to disturb with the pounding bass that rippled through the air and echoed through the streets. Moments after he arrived, Judy found him and hauled him to the doors of the club. A cover charge and a pat down later, they were inside. Nick felt totally out of his depth.

Judy could feel the music pounding in her bones before they even made it inside. It was the sort of dark, heady mix of dance and pop music put together by a DJ who knew their stuff. Once she was off the bus, it was a quick matter to find her companion for the evening. That was significant for some reason, but she didn't think about it. There were more important things to focus on, like shaking her tail!

As soon as they were in the door her hips were moving to the beat and she was letting her being meld with the music. There wasn't room left in her mind for much other than how much she had missed this. They hit the coat check and then made straight to the bar with Judy in the lead at every step. Judy grabbed the bartender's attention and two pairs of shots appeared. The first one burned on its way down.

Grinning, Judy asked, "Aren't you glad you decided to become my partner?"

"Making me your partner was your idea, Carrots. I was iffy before. Still am."

"Why?"

"I wasn't expecting my first paycheck to disappear into liver abuse in one evening, for one thing."

"Don't be a spoilsport. You've got another coming in a week and it'll be bigger. And we aren't drinking it all. Just a quick one now then a follow-up. We might get one to nurse, later. I'm here to dance, not get sloppy."

"Good to hear."

That was her usual MO, once upon a time. A quick burn and a chaser shot to loosen her up and then onto the dance floor. The first was always a single. The second, a double. Later, she'd get something to sip as she rested between bouts on the dancefloor. It was a tried and true method to keep her evenings relaxed and flowing, without getting too drunk. She'd kept to it religiously then. Now was no different. Except for the sip she stole from Wilde's glass.

Nick pretended not to see her filch from his drink. She deserved a little extra fun and he didn't usually drink, so he wouldn't miss the loss. That said, he also wanted to enjoy what he paid for, so he shot the rest of his double. No sooner had the glass met the bar top than Judy had his paw and was dragging him onto the floor. She didn't stand on ceremony. Nick watched as she turned into a being of movement.

It was miraculous. To his Sorcerer's sight, more than just the shaking of hips and rhythmic movements were going on. He watched as years of stress and emotion welled up from her being and poured out of her, burning away like fog on a sunny day. When they'd first met, he had thought she had shone like the sun. Now, she was coming back to it. Not the bright giddy gleeful brilliance of her younger years. This was deeper, richer. More intense. Less childlike joy, but with so much more potency to it, it stole his breath. It was like comparing apple juice and a rare red wine. She blazed like the sun when he met her. Tonight, she blazed again; a dark sun and a dervish of released emotion.

Dancing was obviously important to her. She had missed it. He had to encourage her.

Dancing was not unfamiliar to the fox. He'd never been good at it, but he'd never had a reason to care until now. He mimicked the movements of those around him and felt ridiculous; until he saw his partner grinning at him. Some of the tension and discomfort fell away. Dancing got easier. He followed her lead.

They'd dance away and then back together. Every return brought them closer. Then, he felt her paws on him. He didn't mind. He wasn't surprised. He even enjoyed it. The alcohol lowering his inhibitions was partly to blame he mused. Her paws traced along his arms as they danced together. Closer and closer until they were grinding to the music.

About halfway through the night an old remix of 'Try Everything' came on. It had been years since Judy had heard Gazelle. A few months ago, she'd have rolled her eyes and ignored it. That wasn't her anymore. The optimist and the hopeless romantic in her were dead. This remix, though, was darker and more ragged. Grittier. Hard-bitten. Feral. Primal. Almost cruel; it's lighthearted message of hope turned commanding, driving, compelling. This was much more who she was, now. She liked its new incarnation.

Try everything.

She went for broke. So far, they'd danced face to face. With a neat cross-ankle spin and a sleek dipping of her hip, her back was to his front and her hips were against his. She continued moving as if it were as natural as breathing. She kept at it until Nick fell into the new rhythm. It didn't take along. A few minutes later, his paws were on her hips, if lightly, and her hands were waving in the air as they found their rhythm, shed their uncertainty and lost themselves in the music, again.

Another song came on that was less booming power and more hungry seduction. Judy's hips slowed and rolled with the new beat, a set of slow, narcotic, undulating waves. Nick's body stiffened in reaction to the change in her, but he didn't try to move away. That gave Judy a wonderful idea. It was too good a chance and she needed him to not be such a self-containing stick in the mud. She needed the release dancing gave her and her dance partner needed to be on the same wavelength. She decided, Nick needed to disconnect from his brain.

If she remembered right, the best way to stop a mammal, particularly a male mammal, from thinking was to distract as only a female could. She planted her hips back against him without stopping her gyrations and arched her back. She was just into the song as far as he'd know. Right up to her tilting her head up to run the tip of her nose from his chin down to his throat, releasing a sighed breath into his fur.

Nick reacted. His paws popped off her hips and clenched, fingers extended. He had to fight not to make fists, or bring his paws down on her again and grip. If he did that, he wouldn't be able to stop them from roaming. That would be bad, for some reason. He was sure of it. If only he could get his mind working around the alcohol.

That was until he felt her silk-soft paws thread into his and guide them back down to her waist. Once his paws arrived where she wanted them, they had minds of their own and slid across her belly. She grinned to herself and rewarded him with another long slow grind back against his hips.

All this happened without missing a beat or losing their place in the song. As the mix bled faster and the tempo climbed again, Judy took another risk. She turned her head and raised her paw up to stroke his cheek and side of his muzzle. He obligingly leaned into it and she struck. She half turned, brought her lips up and slid the side of her muzzle along his; whiskers barely brushing in passing as she finished the turn.

It wasn't a kiss and it wasn't a nuzzle. It was, however, enough to leave Nick disoriented for the intoxicating rush it sparked in him. So intoxicating, in fact, he didn't notice when she slid and dipped to bring them once more front-to-front, molding herself to him as they moved. His paws found their way unerringly to the small of her back and the rest of the night passed much the same way. Brief touches became long caresses, feathered breaths teasing each other's fur, and music pounding in their bones.

Later, Judy was at home, flopped onto her lumpy mattress and feeling better than she had in ages. She felt strong, powerful and more relaxed than she'd been in forever. It was a good night. Very good. Her satisfied smile turned rapacious at the thought of how most of the evening had gone. She almost felt bad for her partner, but almost was as far as it got.

She'd been merciless in teasing him. It had started out all in good fun. A little payback for all the patience she'd had to exercise. By now, she was sure he would ask her out formally and not just to fulfill his promise. No one reacted like he had and didn't feel anything. His self-restraint had been so cute. Testing it to just shy of the breaking point had been delightful. Playing with Nick was just a little fun. A little tease. It was good to loosen him up a little and gods did it feel good to feel really attractive to a male after all this time. His interest had been rather difficult to miss at the end.

As she settled into her bed, she nibbled her lip and grinned into the darkness like a giddy school kit. She didn't know exactly how she felt about him, but he was a good friend and a good partner. That was good enough. Judy fell asleep smiling, her spirit lighter than she'd felt in years. A huge weight was gone and tranquilized felines would envy her rest.

Her waking was another matter.

Her city dreams were the same as ever, but they took a turn she hadn't expected. The dreams themselves were the same as usual, but there was a sense of urgency to them and somehow kept coming back to Nick. Him working, fighting; pretty much the same as he had been the whole time, but there were some appreciable differences.

Now, he actually looked a bit like he used to. She liked to think that the meals she got him and the semi-regular infusion-of-power-by-hug were helping. He wasn't strung out as much. There was more meat on him; muscle, not fat. His expression was less the long-suffering survivor and more steadfast warrior. It looked good on him, as did his dark and deadly attire. Even more so when he played with fire and lightning, or bent reality around his fingertips.

Lean muscle. Easy grin. Bedroom eyes. Luscious, glossy fur mussed from their celebrating. He looked like he just rolled out of bed, but not in the rumpled I-slept-late kind of way. More in the "I had to pry her little grey paws off of me so I could get to work" way.

Wait. What?

That mental left-hand turn was enough to snap Judy out of her dream. She shot into wakefulness with bright red ears and a tightness in her belly she knew only too well. She didn't move. She had to take a moment or fifty to process what she just thought. Then a few more to comprehend the implications.

She thought he was attractive, of a sort. She'd admitted as much, already. This was something else. She was experiencing all the telltale signs of overt lapin desire. She supposed it was only to be expected. All the things she had set aside or neglected since the divorce were coming back around and making themselves known. It was only a matter of time before desire had its turn.

Judy had always had a hang-up about males. She needed an emotional connection to really want them physically. Nick had proved he was a good mammal and he'd had that scruffy glamour going for him for a long time. Now, some weeks of good care and lapidae support later, he actually looked a bit like he used to. Her support, magically and elsewise, were having an effect for the better. The consulting with the ZPD would help more. More cash would see him healthier and maybe help rehabilitate his gawpingly awful wardrobe. Gods knew it had already created more opportunities for infusions. She had to finally admit she looked forward to those a lot. It probably contributed to her current state of fox-centric distraction.

He was attractive. No. That she knew. She'd admitted he was attractive already. Repratedly. It was clear her desire was back and she had picked a target without being aware of it.

Now, she didn't have a choice, really. Not without tipping herself into the flat-out denial she'd been dancing on the edge of all this time. The fox looked good to her eyes and a few other bits of her anatomy. She wasn't in love with him, but she was certainly in lust and that was enough for now. It was a very satisfying admission to make.

Then, she made the mistake of lifting her head.

Reality suddenly had layers. They just happened to be in a blender. It felt like her senses were squirrels at a rave and somehow she had an extra dozen, to boot. Everything felt more. It was as though the city had followed her out of her dreams. Then, it hit her. It had.

She still felt the electric grid sparking in her nerve endings. The pipes still tickled, traffic flowed and smog blew while she felt it all, right down to the mechanical drone of the climate walls in her bones. There was also a hum at the back of her mind. It felt like someone was in the room and they were having a conversation, but not facing each other. Half-heard, half-perceived thoughts rattled around her mind and Judy realized it was what Nick had called the voice of the city. She also felt oddly pulled on an instinctive level to different places and drives to do things she wasn't familiar with. She was confused as hell, but that feeling took a back seat to the familiar presence she felt was heading her way, fast.

While Judy dreamed, Nick worked. It was easier work than he'd done in a very long time.

He had seen her to her apartment building through the shadows and left her outside her door in the wee hours of the morning. They had danced and drunk to the point where he lost his shirt and didn't notice until they were leaving the club. It had been an experience he wouldn't trade for all the money in the world and not just because of the diversion.

Spells came easier and cantrips tumbled from his lips or fingertips with the barest thought. "Things which satisfy us renew our strength." Gods help him, but that was true. Finnick had claimed the words had been passed to him from his mentor. Whoever said them first didn't matter, really. They were fact for sorcerers and any other magic users that relied on any of their own power to cast spells. That night, he had found more satisfaction than he had ever dreamed of.

He had a job to do and fighting his distraction was causing him more harm than good. Sort of.

In Tundratown, he was drawn to another pair of muggers, yaks this time, lurking in an alleyway. In order to pluck a weed like that, he had his preferred methods. Usually, the quickest method of extermination was how he would address anything of the kind. It was brutal and required the least expenditure of power. He never had enough anyway, so whatever he could do to stretch it was his default response.

Tonight, he chose differently. He had the strength to spare tonight and elected to be kinder, but no less ruthless. He reached out into the hotbeds of the desert and rainforest areas, where the warmth was so thick you could see it in waves and drew them to him. Quietly and so slowly that not a ripple was felt, Nick sent the waves of heat across the ground and into their clothing. Before long, both would be criminals were struggling against heat exhaustion. In desperation, they shambled out of their hiding spot and lurched off in pursuit of cooler locations. They'd hurt for a while, but they'd live.

As he walked, Nick saw a homeless teenager slumped against a building, shaking under the effects of whatever street drug he was hooked on. A small burst of power saw the shaking ease and the strained expression on the kit's face soften. The withdraw symptoms would be gentler for a few hours. Casting his senses into the air, he called up and snatched a flier for a nearby detox center out of the breeze. Sparing a spark of power, Nick cast a cantrip on the grimy paper to help the kit fight the withdrawal once he looked at the flier. Hopefully, until he could get to the clinic. Not long ago, he couldn't have spared the power for such a small thing, but now he couldn't ignore it.

She had changed him; changed the nature of his reality. Gods only knew what she would do when she finally woke up to the City and felt Her in her conscious mind. It was an eventuality that Nick had dreamed about for a long, long time and every day was closer. The anticipation was agonizing.

Just before dawn, when Nick was taking a breather in the Alpine District it finally happened. For so many years it had been only his one heartbeat in time with the pulse of the city. His steady, strong rhythm marching along in a dull monotone. Suddenly, there was another rhythm rippling through his senses. It was staccato and brisk, full of feminine character. She was Awake. She had finally brought her connection to the city into the waking world.

He wasn't alone. His boring, metronomic pulse wasn't the only thread of music in the ether. He had a counterpoint. The world felt like a samba!

He had made many mistakes in handling the rabbit's introduction to magic, but this part he remembered well. Waking up with a whole new set of senses and things to interpret was a hell of a way to start a new part of a mammal's life. The last thing she would need was him bursting out of a shadow. He needed to take a little time and let her feel him coming.

The turn of phrase made him giggle sophomorically.

He couldn't help it. This was too good. Too perfect. He was finally not alone!

Nick reached out to the wires that covered the city and felt the currents of power as they flowed. It would be fitting, he decided, to approach her in the way she had shown such interest in. He would run the wires. In a moment's inspiration, he reconsidered. He wouldn't run. With the music now humming through his world, he would dance them.

Just like he had at the dance club earlier that evening, he listened to the flow of the music, lost himself in it and slipped into the lightning's embrace. His presence had an impact, as did his joy, despite his attempts to contain the bleed-over. The warp and weft of the power grid reflected the tempo he danced to and it looked like the city was having a rave.

Judy knew something was coming and had a very good guess who it was. Then, the lighting went haywire and she didn't need to guess at all. She barely had time to pull pajama pants on over her meager sleepwear before he arrived, pouring out of a light socket; a massive form of electric power that slowly resolved itself into the familiar shape of the fox.

Judy managed a half-smirk at his dramatic entrance for half a second, then she found it very hard to breathe at all. To her new sight, he was not just a fox she'd finally admitted she had the hots for. He was a hot fox with power beating off him in waves while lightning crackled around him, and his presence felt strong enough to warp the world around him. It was like seeing him for the first time all over again and sweet Gaia did she like what she saw.

"So, Carrots, you ready to start learning?"

She had to fight not to request a paws-on lesson right then and there.