Guardian Blue - Season 1

Episode 22 - Gathering

Judy’s eyes fluttered open.  She groggily stretched a bit and then froze.  She was wrapped in Nick’s arms again.  Her eyes opened and she gazed forward.  Cream-colored fur was all she saw.  He was not wearing a shirt.  Judy shifted a bit.  She wasn’t on the couch.  She was in Nick’s bed.  How the heck did that happen?!  She looked up, seeing her partner’s peacefully slumbering face.  Judy could not pull her gaze away.  He looked so harmless and sweet, despite all the mischief he could get up to.  This was, she decided, why she liked seeing him asleep.  It felt like it was the only time he wasn’t really hiding behind that smugness and playful and sometimes irritating banter.  She cupped her muzzle as she considered that.  Sure, he was just shirtless as he slept there beside her, but when she got right down to it, when he was asleep he was vulnerable to her.  More naked than he could be in the Mystic Springs Oasis. 

Judy took a deeper breath and leaned back.  “I’m sorry Nick, I really need to get myself under control with this.  I’m gonna really mess things up…” she barely whispered to herself, and began to pull away.  Nick tightened his grip on her, his eyes opening slowly.

“Are you ashamed of this?  Of me?” he asked with a sad face, looking down to her.

“Of course not, Nick!” Judy said, exasperated.  “But you know what kind of trouble this would cause.  Just like with Jack and Skye, remember?  I cause you so much trouble already.”  Judy sighed softly, looking down as she placed a hand on Nick’s chest.  He wrapped his tail around her as if to snare her more with it.  She ran her fingers through the fur of it.  His tail, as always, was just inexcusably soft.  Her heart soared just touching him.  That… probably was not a healthy sign.

Nick spoke again, sounding a little lost.  “Is it just because of what Sammie said?  About the Security Attachment stuff?  Are you worried that something’s wrong with you, Judy?  You know that’s not real, right?”  Judy looked up, startled.  How the hell did he know about that?

“Of course I know that, I’m not that slow!”  Nick placed a hand on her back, claw-tips drawing along the middle and caressing over a thin nightshirt.  It sent chills through her entire body.  Her heart hammered hard in her chest as she realized she wanted to be touched.  She wanted him to hold her, touch her, to be close.  They just couldn’t.  It’s wasn’t either of their fault.

Nick spoke again in his softening tone.  “Then what is this, if it’s not that?” the fox asked with a sadness to his voice.

Judy sighed softly.  “Nick, please don’t make me answer that right now.”  Judy closed her eyes and could not help but put her head against his chest and draw in a deep, long breath.  His scent was so comforting and alluring to her.  Was it really supposed to be?  What kind of bunny wanted this?  She spoke into his warm fur quietly.  “You know how some mammals act about this, and not even with the kind of differences that we have.”

The fox clutched her close to him, not letting go.  “Okay then, which of those mammals do you wish was holding you right now instead?” he asked.  Judy jerked a little, startled at that.  No one.  No one else was ever going to hold her like this.

“I shouldn’t even have asked this of you, Nick, it’s not fair to you.”  She gave a long, deep sigh.  Nick pulled her even tighter to his front, and Judy felt herself practically melt in his embrace.  She could push away, she could say no, but she wouldn’t.  She wanted this.  She could not deny for a second how much she wanted this.

Nick spoke in his gentle, honest tone that he seemed to only ever share with her.  “There you go again, looking for excuses to make sure you’re never really happy.  Why do you do that?  What in the world makes you think I don’t enjoy this every bit as much as you?” he asked.  Judy curled up a little tighter against this fox.