After what could only be described as the chance of a lifetime (a day that purely went in her favor wasn't something to take for granted nowadays), Audrey couldn't have asked for any better way to end it than a peaceful, calming sleep. Whether it was her medicine or not, she had been out like a light for the entirety of the night, sound asleep without any care for the outside world.

No nightmares, no waking up in the middle of the night, not even a sense of discomfort to bother her—in fact, she felt more comfortable than ever. Any rest was something she was lucky to have, but this one had to be high up on the totem poll.

And even now, in that annoying state of the morning where one was awake enough to know that they were awake but still asleep enough to hardly have any conscious thoughts—or at least, any conscious thoughts that made sense—she still knew that she could open her eyes and be ready to start the day. Not that she wanted to, of course, she was too busy melting into the warm softness of her pillow.

Even with such a perfect sleep resting safely under her belt, she still found it entirely possible for her to fall back asleep—she wasn't sure what it was, but her pillow felt so much better than normal, so soft and warm, it felt like a cloud. She wasn't sure what had happened since the last time she slept, maybe someone washed it yesterday without her realizing it. But of course, she wasn't one to complain. She just tightly hugged her headrest, wrapping her forelegs around it as she sunk her head into its surface while letting out a small, happy whine.

It took who knew how many minutes until she managed to gain a stronger sense of awareness, one that she had fought off for as long as she could until she finally remembered that she had a friend over—she couldn't keep her company waiting forever, as nice as this felt. With a yawn and a bit of convincing herself, she nuzzled against her pillow one last time before raising her head up to face the day.

At first, she was purely convinced that there was nothing in this world that could ruin this for her, and while that certainly had yet to be disproven...that didn't mean that her fuzzy mind wasn't sent into a spiraling confusion the moment that was an option. Once she had finally gotten her eyes open and looked down at the surface below her, she found it to be a mix of grey, black, and orange—very far from the plain white of her pillow.

With her mind now wondering if she had somehow stolen someone's pillow, she kept her legs around the surface as she blinked her eyes awake. Sure enough, it was the same color as before, though now it looked furry—now that was a quality she knew no one was crazy enough to have on their pillow. Having yet to place these pieces together, she tilted her head over, still leaving her head against this "pillow", and almost immediately held contact with a pair of green eyes.

"H-hey, y-you...clearly slept well." Upon hearing a soft, nearly angelic voice speaking to her, the Border Collie's eyes widened in terror, looking around now that she could finally process the reality she was living in. So much for an at peace mind, how was she supposed to not panic when she realized that it was never her pillow she had been hugging and mindlessly nuzzling against? Not unless her pillow had magically turned into an Australian Shepherd overnight.

"Ah! I-I am so sorry," she desperately pleaded, jumping up as she looked down at her friend with shaky breaths, not that the latter looked much calmer herself. The shepherd giggled softly—given what she had just done, Audrey wasn't sure if that was supposed to be comforting or threatening—yawning as she stood up. On the bright side, she didn't look angry, though the slight panic on her face was absolutely understandable.

"Don't be sorry, i-it's totally fine, if I had a problem with it I would've moved you. Besides, I could tell you were tired, a-and you looked peaceful in your sleep," she explained, though her last point in her argument was only muttered to her own ears.

To Audrey, while yes, it was at least relieving that she wasn't being forever judged, it also felt like a punch to the gut—and most certainly an added blow to the butterflies in her stomach that had been present twenty-four-seven since yesterday. She was both amazed and thankful that it apparently hadn't come off as too weird, but still, that wasn't gonna be something she'd be getting out of her head anytime soon. Well...not that she didn't enjoy it or think that the shepherd wasn't an exceptional pillow...again, not that it meant anything!

"U-uhm, w-well, thanks. You didn't have to do that." The Australian Shepherd shrugged and turned her eyes away, stretching her legs as her blanket fell off of her back. She rubbed her eyes as she looked out the window, pushing the blinds open and softly smiling at the sun beaming down at them before turning her head back over to the door.

"Well, I wanted to let you sleep, so yes, I did. And I don't know about you, but I...uhm, I think I'm ready for breakfast. A-assuming you eat right after you get up, I guess I don't really know your schedule," she nervously suggested, awkwardly laughing as she held the door open—trying to avoid eye contact for reasons that Audrey was only beginning to understand.

"Sure, that's fine, we can grab some. And...would you mind just giving me a quick moment alone?" Without any hesitation or questioning, Emma gave a soft nod of confirmation as she stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Audrey was sort of surprised by how easily she was willing to do that for her, but that was a thought for another day, and all things considered, it was probably obvious what she was doing. But just because the shepherd knew parts of what she was going through didn't mean she needed to see proof to back that up.

A quick sip of water and a few swallowed pills later, she left the containments of her house to rejoin her friend in the rising sunlight. From the looks of it, everyone else was already up—including her cousins that were currently dragging their parents into the yard to play with them.

And yes, they were literally dragging them, pulling on their fur as Chase and Skye could only tell them for the millionth time that pulling fur was something they really needed to grow out of. Even if they were probably used to it by now, she really hoped that she never put her parents through such torture, even if her hyperness was probably scaled up given her situation. How either of them got a wink of sleep in her younger years was a mystery to her.

But in the present, she and her friend happily walked into the elevator and sat against the platform that began to ascend into the air—where Emma continued her trend of looking at the view in awe until they arrived at the top. As per her usual morning routine, the moment she was able to, the collie rushed out the doors and tackled her parents into a hug, and while at first they were both startled by her sudden appearance, happily hugged her back.

"Morning, Audrey, and you too, Emma. Did you two sleep well?" Marshall asked, softly running his paw against the side of her fur. Audrey nervously chuckled and glanced back, seeing Emma who appeared to be doing everything in her power not to laugh, and such effort was nothing short of a blessing. As far as she was concerned, the accidental sleep cuddling was something the outside world didn't need to hear about, that was exactly how false rumors got started.

"Y-yeah, we did. Did y'all?" Despite the small amount of skepticism after hearing his daughter's nervous tone (she could never hide that after all these years, nor could she when she was younger), the Dalmatian mostly shrugged it off, now pondering his answer. While he and Everest had their good rests with plenty of intentional cuddling, he couldn't help but remember the conversation they shared in the late hours of the night, one that would likely come into play soon. Not yet, of course, they didn't dare to harm the pups' fun.

"Yeah, we did. By the way, Ryder set your breakfast out on the counter. Emma, he got you some too, but if you want more you're more than welcome to help yourself." The two thanked him and quickly bounded off for their food, leaving her parents to exchange a worried glance—both of them pained to see how excited she was and how uncertain the odds were that it would last. But they decided to let it slide for the time being, they could burn that bridge when they got to it.

Blissfully unaware of her parents' concerns, Audrey forced herself onto her hind legs, leaning against the kitchen counter as she gripped her bowl with her mouth and somehow managed to grab Emma's without spilling it. After carefully setting them down on the ground, she had to resist the urge to immediately start eating as she looked up at her friend, who (to say the least) didn't look as excited as she was.

"U-uhm...d-do you think the others are gonna come in here?" the shepherd sheepishly asked, looking over her shoulder as if she was expecting someone to be maliciously hovering over her. Now that she actually knew what was wrong, the Border Collie gently placed her paw on her back, also double-checking to make sure that there actually wasn't anyone around them.

"I doubt it. Do you want me to look away?" Although she was well aware that this was something she needed to work on sooner than later, Emma's head drooped as she gave a single, small nod. She hated the fact that she was turning away someone who appeared to genuinely want to help her, especially in her own home that she had been welcomed into, but at this rate, she had almost gotten used to such heavy guilt.

"I-if you don't mind." The collie smiled and agreed without a fight, scooting her bowl around and taking a few steps back. From then on, she had set up an invisible boundary to give them room in between each other, one purely lingering on a line of trust.

The shepherd sighed and carefully brought her head down, only being able to take a few bites before she felt that same voice slowly creeping in, calling out to her and holding her head above her food—refusing to let go and let her eat in peace. It was louder than usual, but deep down, she had a gut feeling she already knew why that was.

Could you imagine what she'd think of you if she saw you now? Despite the fact that this had happened time and time again, Emma was initially startled. She shot her head up, anxiously looking back to see Audrey still with her back towards her, clearly enjoying her bowl of food (and also very clearly not the source of her voice, hers was too light and soft for that). She shook her head and gently lowered herself closer to her bowl, doing everything she could to not give that stupid voice in her head the attention it was after.

Ignoring it was something she had been forced to grow into over the years, but she could admit, the circumstances of the present weren't doing it any favors. She had gotten out of constantly listening to it, she knew how dangerous it was, she had learned the first-hand—but it was just so tempting. To protect the image her friend held of her, she couldn't taint that. This was her clean slate, someone that didn't have to see her practically stuffing herself. That's...what the Border Collie deserved, right?

"I-I'm done," she muttered, glancing back to see Audrey turning around with a spotless bowl—having done what she could only dream of. The black and white pup stepped over as the shepherd smiled nervously, stepping in between her friend and her bowl before moving closer to the trash can. "I-I'll just go ahead and throw away what's left, you guys don't want my leftovers."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Just as long as you ate." Emma sighed to herself, glancing over her shoulder to see the pure, caring eyes of her friend. She had to bite her tongue, she was mere steps away from disposing of the evidence, and then she could walk away as if nothing happened, no one would ever know. And yet she was hesitating, broken in by her friend's blind trust and hope.

"O-or, actually, I can probably eat more" she softly muttered, immediately hearing the sirens going off in her head as she mentally cursed herself. And as if matters couldn't get worse, when she turned back around, her nearly full food bowl was exposed for the world to see—if she hadn't known better, it could still probably pass off as untouched.

"Emma...you have to eat something. Please? Even just a bit?" Audrey tried to suggest, warmly smiling as the shepherd looked away with her eyes closed. The Border Collie wanted nothing but the best for her, and she was willing to stay here and wait patiently for that time to come—well, maybe not completely patient, but as patient as she could be. But Emma still couldn't bring herself to give a full answer, torn between picking her poisons.

"B-but...I can't," she softly whispered, not sure if she was talking to her friend or her own mind, and either way the voice in her head was taking it as the highest of compliments. Audrey, still trying to be as determined as ever, set her paws against the other's shoulder, taking a deep breath as she tried to figure out the best course of action. She was never the best at things like this, usually she was the one leaning on someone's shoulder, but she had to start somewhere.

"I know it's hard, but you got this. I can do whatever you need me to, and I won't force you either, but I am here for you." Emma pursed her lips and kept her eyes on the ground, knowing for certain that she wouldn't be able to bring herself to look up at the collie. She felt horrible, disgusted even, that she had gotten herself into this position, with no possible way of both of them winning.

"C-can...you look away again?" The Border Collie nodded and turned back around, leaving her with a limited countdown to get this over with (one couldn't simply sit waiting forever, she was already asking for a lot here). With her eyes shut and on the brink of tears, the shepherd lowered her head.

The voice in her head was still doing everything it could to stop her, to tear down the small walls of confidence she had built up. And she had to say, she wanted to personally cut the ribbon and open the gates herself, to let herself listen to its self-claimed advice and push away the rumbling in her stomach. It was almost desperation, but she was hungry, and she needed this—no matter how much she had forced her head into this way of life, her body was an entity she could never best. Believe her, she had tried.

With what little power she had left within her, she managed to hold out long enough for herself to eat about three-quarters of her food, which was about average for her standards. Even once she was done, it took a good few seconds to turn back to her friend with the pressure built up inside. Clearly, Audrey was more understanding than some of the others she had met, but the irrational fear of being so vulnerable wasn't something she wanted to bet against yet.

"A-alright, I-I ate more," she quietly muttered, shockingly loud enough for the collie to hear her and turn around. The black and white pup peered over her shoulder, freezing the shepherd in her place as they held eye contact. 

Was the Border Collie upset with her? Disappointed? Disgusted? All of them felt like valid guesses, and any of them she was willing to believe until her thoughts were pushed away by two furry legs wrapping around her.

"There you go! I knew you could do it," Audrey proudly proclaimed, tightly holding onto her. Eyes widened with shock at the undeniable care being washed upon her, Emma stood there in surprise of such an act, especially one over something that surely did not deserve this level of praise. Regardless, she hugged back since she probably didn't have a choice—an act that may or may not have caused the collie's tail to start wagging, though thankfully she managed to hide it.

"O-oh, uhm, t-thank you?" The Border Collie smiled and nodded, slowly backing away and suddenly looking just a bit embarrassed from the hug that she wasn't even sure she had meant to—at the end of the day, it wouldn't have been the worst accidental physical affection so far.  

The shepherd let out a small laugh and turned her back on the eaten food bowl, letting the voice in her head shrink back down into that annoying whisper it was supposed to stay as.

"No problem. Might as well return the favor from last night. Whatcha wanna do now?" she offered, smiling brightly as they left the dreaded kitchen. Emma honestly wasn't sure, there felt like an endless amount of possibilities now that breakfast was over. She only found her answer when her eyes laid on the clock nailed to the wall—even if it was closer to a chore versus what she actually wanted.

"Oh...I think I need to get going, Katie asked if I could be back around now, I think she just wanted to show me around or something, I'm not sure." Her explanation wasn't something she planned on holding in a very bright light, her own tail had yet to move as the collie's excitement drained out of her face.

"O-oh, well, alright, that's fine. Thank you for coming over, I guess I'll see you later," she answered, her smile only becoming genuine as the shepherd stepped forward and hugged her—something that was apparently a common aspect of their newly crafted friendship. Not that she disliked it, of course, she was always known to be a big hugger, and clearly, that wasn't just her. That was one of the only mysteries of this that she had actually been able to figure out.

"Thank you for letting me, and thank you so much for everything, it's been very nice. Your parents are lucky to have a daughter like you, and I know that I'm very glad to have a friend like you." Emma slowly backed away from the hug, taking one last look at the clock with the slim hope that it had changed while she stepped closer to the elevator.

"Thanks, you're a great friend too, I'm glad you're liking it here. I think you'll really like living with Katie, she's cool, but just let me know if you need anything. See you later!" the collie called out as the gray pup waved, stepping into the elevator and being taken away by the closing doors.

Audrey, now completely alone, let out a soft, dreamy sigh as her tail wagged back and forth against the floor—her mind dancing with the warm feelings inside her. Was this really what it felt like to have a new friend? 

If it was, she would've tried harder when it came to socializing, this had to be high up on the list of her best feelings, but heed the warning, it came with a powerful sense of anxiety too. The only downside was here, now that Emma was gone, those feelings were dialing down a lot now from the curse of loneliness (not that it meant she was alone for long).

"Hey, Audrey, is Emma still here?" The collie jumped, quickly darting around to see both of her parents holding each other's paw—and also a visibly nervous expression on both of their faces, as if they could talk after just scaring her to death. But their nervousness quickly became contagious and spread to her, she was already not liking where this was going.

"N-no, she had to go back to Katie's. Why? Is everything alright?" Once again, the two exchanged a quick glance before refacing her, already making her wonder if she had done something wrong during this sleepover. Was it too short of notice and she had messed up plans? Had they overheard their conversation in the kitchen and were coming to check in? What if...they knew about what happened this morning?! Oh no, she would rather die than face that.

"Uhm, yes, everything is okay. We just need to talk to you, that's all," Everest answered, speaking far too softly for comfort—her whispering about something not secretive was always a bad sign. Now Audrey knew something was up, and while she appreciated certainty, her paws anxiously pressed against one another as she waited for either a stern talking to or even worse...a grounding.

"A-am I in trouble?" she asked, only to see a relieving shake of the head from her father, who seemed just as nervous as she was. While that was definitely a good sign, it still left her worried since now she was still clueless. it wasn't common that they appeared nervous like this. Not in situations like this, at least.

"No, you're not, Princess. It's just that...Mom and I have something very important to tell you about. To tell everyone, actually."