And she wasn't there in the morning

James sat up slowly, rested more than he remembered ever being. A true comfort sat in him, and he smiled and looked at the other side of his empty bed. Maybe she had needed water. A quick look at the tub full of water said she did at some point in the night, but she wasn't in it. Keep cool. He breathes slowly, dressing himself and trying to keep calm. As he stepped into the living room he found her in the kitchen.

She stood by the stove, with his tablet playing a video on cooking pancakes. The entire counter was littered in flour, somehow she'd gotten it on her face, and she had egg shells and bits of yolk and white scattered around her workspace. She tried to crack another egg, one handed like the chef on the screen, crushing half of it and sighing helplessly as the shell mingled into her quickly failing batter. An agitated trill left her chest, along with a gentle wave of pale orange.

He couldn't help but chuckle as she grabbed a coffee cup and used it to scoop more flour in. She looked back at him, a light purple fading onto her cheeks. "You weren't supposed to wake up yet..."

"You're trying to cook."

More purple. She paused the video and gave a sad smile. "They all kept saying it was easy..."

James walked over, wrapping his arms around her. "I've got you, now...and I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for you. I don't need pancakes. Let's do something special...I'm taking you and Neb out to eat."

Almost on cue, Nebula spoke up from his doorway. "Nebula is already a nickname you can't shorten a nickname."

Aurora ignored him. "Is that really okay?"

James furrowed his brow. " I would hope so..."

Nebula spoke up again. "Totally. You're here with our alpha's permission, and the council. Any excuses the human authorities had fell through...at least until the court date. I'm sure that'll be soon enough, this isn't the kind of thing they like to wait on. My vote is for somewhere that serves seafood."

James turned, leaving an arm around Aurora's hips. "Wait, court date?"

"Well, yeah, did you think this whole thing was over just because they didn't have an argument? C'mon, even in our system we would still have to prove our case to the council. This is interspecies family units we're introducing, they won't leave that be."

"Well...then just in case, let's make the best of this time."

Aurora and Nebula both nodded in agreement, following James out to his car. The sun seemed more welcoming than before. They smiled together, and as James opened the car doors for them Aurora kissed him on her way in.