I woke up the next morning before dawn as usual and started my day by brushing my teeth, having an extremely quick shower, dressing myself, and leaving from the door.

It took me a good five minutes (from the time I awakened until now) to realize I wasn't at home, and I definitely had no idea where the kitchen was located. I wandered around, seemingly aimlessly, then bumped into Zaire when I wasn't watching.

He glared at me. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm looking for the kitchen. May I know which direction to go, Zaire?"

His eyelids shut and I watched him tremble for a moment, then squeaked when he hissed at me. "It's next to the living room, which is the set of double-doors after the kitchen door."

I beamed. "Thank you! Oh, and is anyone allergic to blueberries?"

Zaire's dark eyebrows scrunched together. "No, not that I'm aware of."

"Mmkay, thank you so much, Zaire!" I exclaimed, then bounced back the way I came. I was filled with happiness because I got to talk to Zaire.

When I arrived at the door for the kitchen, I was in awe of the shiny appliances, pots and pans hanging off the the ceiling on a rack, spotless countertops, a large refrigerator, and as I explored, I saw that there was a big pantry, too.

It occurred to me that someone may be gluten-intolerant, so I searched around in the pantry for clues. I found what I was looking for. There was a bag of gluten-free flour that was measure by measure like regular flour, so I didn't have to add any extra ingredients.

I pulled out the salt, sugar, baking powder, and the special flour, then put them on the counter top. Thankfully it wasn't too much of a stretch for me, so I could flip pancakes from my height and I wouldn't have to use a step-stool.

Once I found a bowl, I quickly found measuring spoons, and got to work. Once the dry ingredients were thoroughly mixed, I went over the the fridge to retrieve the milk. There was unsweetened almond milk in there alongside the regular whole milk. Now that I think about it, I hope no one's dairy-intolerant. Maybe I'll make another batch.

I cracked an egg into a bowl and used a fork to whip it up after I tossed the eggshell away. I poured the whole milk by eyeballing the amount. I had made pancakes so many times that it was easy to me. I put the milk away and used a fork to mix the two, then carefully dumped the mixture into the bigger mixing bowl.

I put the eggy bowl off to the side, because I'd reuse that later after I washed it out. I hummed as I began mixing the pancake batter, half-wondering how I'd be able to reach a pan.

A clank next to me made me squeak in fright, my tail puffing out to maximum fluffiness to protect me. A short laugh made me turn as a large pan was set on the stove. Ambrose stood next to me with a small smile on his face.

"O-oh, Rose, you scared me." I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest in an effort to calm my raging heart. "Thank you for the pan, though."

"You are as quiet as a mouse, Anwyll. What are you up to this early?" he asked, looking over the few ingredients I had out.

"I'm making pancakes." I grinned, my tail wagging behind me.

"You don't have to, Anwyll. We have a cook who comes in here three times a week."

My smile faded a bit. "A-am I not allowed to c-cook?"

Ambrose's silver gaze held my face, then another small smile appeared. He placed his big hand on my head and petted me, making me purr with delight. His fingertips scrubbed over my scalp, causing shivers to roll through my body.

"You can do what you want here, little pup. If you want to cook, go ahead and do it." uttered Ambrose, his tone soft and lilting with a bit of amusement.

I giggled happily. "Thank you, Rose!"

Ambrose rubbed the base of my skull, at the start of my nape, and I almost collapsed. He held me up with a chuckle on his lips as he massaged that wonderful spot that made my knees weak. I peeled my eyelids open to look at Ambrose again, who appeared to be pleased with what he was doing. I mewled softly when he moved my head to the crook of his arm. Ambrose paused, then leaned down to kiss my forehead. I purred, nuzzling his side.

"I will stay with you here, if you don't mind." said Ambrose, so I nodded with a broad smile.

"Please do what you want, Rose."

He chuckled at the nickname I gave him while I found my feet again. He leaned on the counter behind me and watched me prepare the pan, then followed me with his eyes when I went to retrieve blueberries and strawberries from the freezer.

"I asked Zaire earlier, but I just want to be sure I won't hurt anyone or cause problems. No one is allergic to blueberries, right?" I asked, looking back at Ambrose.

He shook his head. "No, and strawberries are good to go."

I grinned. "Thank you very much."

I left the strawberries to thaw, and put the bag of blueberries on the counter. I put four quarter cups of batter into the pan, since I lowered the heat earlier once it was hot. I opened the bag of blueberries and dumped some into a measuring cup. I carefully sprinkled them over the top of the pancakes, then stepped back.

The prep for the strawberries was simple and easy, so it didn't take me long to have a bowl of diced strawberries and whole blueberries to put into the pancakes. I came back to the pan and checked to see if they were ready to flip. They were, so I flipped them and admired the golden brown color for a moment.

As for finding a plate, Ambrose pulled down two, but I asked for a third. I thanked him verbally and with a happy smile. He petted my head in return, making my tail curl up.

It was silent between us while I worked through the first gluten-free batch, the stack of pancakes growing large on one plate. When I began working on the second one, Ambrose asked why.

"Um, well I think someone is either lactose-intolerant or they just don't like dairy milk, because there's almond milk in the fridge. Besides, I doubt one stack of pancakes could feed everyone." I giggled, my tail swishing behind me.

Ambrose didn't say anything, but he did rub that spot again and held me to him for physical support, since I couldn't really stand when he pushed his fingers into that part of my neck and head. It felt too good to be real.

He let me get back to work a few moments later, and soon I had a new batch ready to go, although I added a bit of vanilla to change the flavor a bit more. Once the pan was prepared, I began the process again.

It took me awhile, and I was tired, but I managed to finish the pancakes and put another foil cover over the new stack. I put everything away, then began to clean up while the pancake pan had a bit of water in it to help the fruit bits loosen off the bottom. I hummed happily, my tail setting an easy rhythm while I washed each and every item I used. When it came to the pan, Ambrose washed it for me. I thanked him with a quick hug.

I hurried back to the fridge and pulled out the maple syrup. I deposited it next to the plate with the half stick of butter left over from the cooking. I held the plate up and out to him.

"Let's eat first, 'kay?" I grinned. "Otherwise we might not get any!"

Ambrose was silent, but amusement danced in his eyes as he took hold of the plate. He forked one each of the gluten-free almond milk pancake kinds, then three from the gluten-free plate. He took the butter and spread it over all five, then drizzled the syrup over it all. It looked perfect, really. It made me wonder if he had done this professionally, but that'd be kind of silly.

He reached into the drawer for two forks, handing over the smaller one to me. I thanked him with a giggle. Ambrose leaned over and kissed my head, then waited for some reason.

"May we eat together?" I asked, inching my fork over to the gluten-free blueberry pancake.

"Of course, pup." answered Ambrose, making me beam as I cut into the pancake.

I led the fork to my mouth and took a bite, humming happily while I chewed. It was yummy. I noticed movement next to me and eyed Ambrose as he took a bite from the same pancake. I wondered why, but I guess he was just curious and decided to follow my lead.

I dared to try the strawberry one, then sighed with relief when it tasted really good. I hadn't made strawberry pancakes in a long time, so I was a bit worried. Ambrose paused in eating, asking me what that was about. When I told him, he merely chuckled under his breath and went back to work. I really liked the almond milk pancake, so I hoped others would, too.

When I was absolutely stuffed, I had taken ten bites; two from each pancake. I backed off and licked the fork. I quickly washed it and put it in the rack, then wandered around to find a junk drawer. I pulled out two sticky notes and a pen, then wrote down what each plate was and had in them. I plopped the two notes onto the foil and went back to watch Ambrose eat.

He eyed me with a cautious silver gaze. "What is it?"

"You're so handsome, Rose. Like the 'dangerously sexy' category." I grinned, my tail wagging as his eyes widened. "And I like watching you eat. It makes me happy."

"And why is that?"

"I don't know. I guess it's a nice change from the usual." I rested my chin on my arms.

Ambrose stiffened, but kept eating. "What is the usual?"

"Mm, Mom would beat me if I burned even just a bit of the pancakes. If she didn't like the kind she'd ordered me to make, she would often push my hand into the hot pan. Not long enough to cause serious damage, but enough to cause me pain for several days." I explained, turning over my hands to look at the small scars from various kitchen-related punishments. "So I'm happy I don't have to worry about all that anymore."

Fingers pressed into that good spot and I moaned, hanging onto the countertop while he rubbed my scalp. My body trembled with pleasurable shocks and tingles throughout my body.

"Nn, Rose..."

Ambrose paused, then patted my head between my wolf ears. I smiled sleepily as I straightened again, hugged his waist in return, and wandered over to the door on the left side if the kitchen, when I faced the door to the hallway. I opened it and found myself in the living room, as expected, then slipped over to the corner and curled up with a pillow. It was time for a nap.

_____________________

"Is he asleep?" asked Blaine in a relatively loud voice.

"Yes, for now, and he will continue to be if you aren't such a loud piece of—!" snapped Damon, but I interrupted with a disgruntled noise.

"No swearing, Day." I muttered sleepily, slowly stretching from my curled position. "Blaine, you need to learn to lower your voice. You did wake me up."

Blaine apologized alongside Damon, so I smiled at them both while I rubbed my eyes. I yawned and sat up, feeling better than before. I guess I'm still recovering from yesterday.

"Did you make these?" asked Waltz, while he bounced in with two pancakes in hand.

I nodded, taking hold of my tail to hug it. "Mhm, so I hope everyone likes them. I tried to be inclusive, so everyone could eat some."

"Aw, you're so sweet." cooed Gavin, coming round with a plate in hand. "Zaire disappeared with four almond milk pancakes; two blueberry and two strawberry. I thought that was cute. I guess he liked them."

"R-really? I'm glad." I beamed, then felt someone kiss my head. I tilted my head back and saw Angel with another plate. "You got some, too?"

Angel nodded. "Have you eaten?"

"Mhm, Rose and I shared a plateful."

Everyone frowned. "Rose? Who's that?"

"Oh," I blushed, fiddling with my tail. "I meant Ambrose."

"What!" exclaimed almost everyone.

My blush deepened and I hid my face behind my tail. "He helped me get the pan down, 'cause I was too short to reach it and he washed it for me afterwards, too. He's really kind."

Angel ruffled my hair. "Aw, sweetheart, you're so precious." he cooed, pressing a kiss to my cheek, his stubble creating pleasurable tingles with each gentle scrape.

His horn moved into my line of sight, the beautiful pale gold color over the slightly bumpy surface making me want to stroke it. It was so shiny and pretty. I held myself back, though. Angel told me he wouldn't be able to "hold back" something if I touched his horn. I didn't want to cause trouble.

Angel moved away and I was thanked by Dian and Briar for the pancakes. Once everyone had a plate and was sitting down, I hugged my tail and bent over. I'm so happy. My heart feels like it might burst.

I spotted Alexandre walking out with a plate, but he sent a smile off my way. I knew, right then and there, that I would do my best to eventually return all of the happiness he and the others had given me.