Pain. That was the first thing that Womack registered. A dull throbbing in his head, and his body feeling weighed down. Something had happened. Something bad. What... was it again?

'Breathe, Steve. Don't panic. Remember what Williams taught you. Think.'

Okay okay, uh... eyes first. He could almost hear Paladin Williams' deep voice reciting in his head: '80% of what we learn and perceive is through our vision.' He cracked one eye open (an action which took more effort than he was expecting) and quickly closed it again with a quiet groan when sunshine momentarily increased the ache between his eyes.

'Daylight,' he realized. Okay - he was outside, and it was daytime. That was something. Another thing he'd noticed before his eye had snapped back shut - his power armor helmet's HUD. He was in his power armor.

Shifting his weight gingerly, he tested out his limbs and extremities, wriggling what parts he could move. Stiffness, definitely soreness - but as far as he could tell, nothing felt broken. Five... make that ten fingers... and ten toes. Good. Hmm... he was sprawled out on his side, and his arms were wrapped around something.

A soft, feminine sigh gave him his next clue. A woman? Peeking open an eye again briefly, he caught a glimpse of what looked like... a field scribe uniform?

'...Haylen!' he realized, the day's events suddenly hitting him like a ton of bricks. A research patrol. Gunners. Completing the mission and getting ready to head back to the Prydwen. Raiders... who wanted Nora. An explosion... Nora's power armor. His last thought before he'd lost consciousness was to protect an unarmored Haylen.

Goddamnit... if anything had happened to her because of those motherf-

She began to stir and he forced himself to focus his energy on her, instead of his own problems. After a beat, he managed to open both eyes to small slits and peered down at his chest.

Her eyes were still shut for now, but her brow furrowed slowly. With a quiet grunt she squirmed again, her eyelids attempting to open.

At that moment, the sound of a testy, unfamiliar female voice caught his attention.

"Look, you wanted the stupid woman - now she's yours for the taking. Let's just get her so you can go back to your two weirdos, and we can collect our reward."

As realization set in Womack's mind, his muscles tensed up. 'The raiders from before... they're talking about Nora. We have to get her out of here...'

He cautiously angled his neck around and scanned his surroundings, hoping she wasn't critically injured. A couple raiders were slumped lifelessly on the ground nearby - expressions vacant, eyes staring into nothingness, bodies missing some limbs from the explosion. Holding back the urge to wince, he glanced at the surviving raiders that were still arguing, then spotted Nora on her stomach a short distance away, looking weary - but at least conscious. His eyes widened a bit when he saw red smoke from one of her signal grenades rising from the ground nearby.

'Atta girl... smart plan,' he thought, a glimmer of pride briefly outweighing his discomfort.

"Son of a- ...freaking bitch!" One of the raiders - the unmasked male - yelled out, drawing his rifle and pointing it at Nora.

Womack's breath stopped dead in his chest, but sighed when the masked raider quickly shoved the gun barrel aside.

"No! The other soldiers won't get here in time," he assured the other man. "We have what we came for - let's just take her and go, while we still can."

'There's... nothing I can do...' Womack lamented, his heart sinking. 'I'm too weak to do anything useful, and even if I wasn't - I couldn't just leave Haylen.' He watched the scene unfolding before his eyes helplessly, his armored hands curling into fists.

The three raiders circled Nora, resembling predatory deathclaws about to strike a fatal blow to their prey.

She struggled to her feet and cast her eyes about, then dove for something on the ground nearby - her laser rifle, Womack realized. She pointed it at the masked man directly in front of her.

The other two raiders readied their weapons, but the masked man held his hands up to them, signaling for them to lower theirs.

"That won't be necessary," he said.

"Steve..."

A frail female voice diverted Womack's attention again. He glanced down at his chest to see Haylen squinting up at him, her brow knitted and damp with sweat. He reached upwards with a shaky hand and unfastened his helmet, removing it with a feeble push. The air instantly cooled his now-exposed skin and another brief flicker of pain moved across his forehead. Taking a fresh gulp of air, he gave Haylen a careful, reassuring squeeze before looking back to Nora - who seemed to be having some kind of staredown with the masked raider.

"Who... who are you?" Nora asked.

The man regarded her silently for a few seconds, then made to remove his mask.

'Why the hell are you just standing there, Nora?' Womack wanted to yell. 'You've shot raiders before, in worse odds than this. Blast 'em or get the hell out of here!'

He opened his mouth to speak and fought the urge to cough, his throat suddenly tight and dry. "N...Nora..."

She turned towards him as the raider unmasked himself. Womack's eyes briefly darted to the raider, fury sweeping through him. This jerkoff wasn't going to get away with this, if it was the last thing he ever did. He'd hunt him down, if he ever got the chance - even if it took him years. His eyes shifted back to Nora, who looked surprised to see him conscious.

"R-run..." He rasped, hoping she'd find a way to try and escape somehow.

She turned back to look at the man in front of her - but as soon as she saw his face, her posture immediately grew rigid. Her jaw dropped open and tears began pooling in her eyes.

"It... it can't be..." she whispered in a choked voice, starting to tremble.

'She... she knows him...' Womack realized in shock.

The man's stoic expression changed, looking almost... sympathetic.

"I'm sorry about this," he said softly, as the other two raiders approached Nora. "Truly... I am."

Womack's heart hammered in his chest as the female raider pulled a syringe out of a small pack strapped to her waist. She uncapped it and shoved it forcefully into the side of Nora's neck.

"No!" Womack croaked weakly. He struggled to move, wanting nothing more than to race into action and punish these raiders slowly and painfully... but his limbs failed him and pain seared across his forehead once again. He hissed and squeezed his eyes shut. A warm hand gently cupped his cheek.

"Steve... don't move," Haylen's voice ordered him firmly.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to a squint, just in time to see the head raider catch Nora's sinking body and heft her up into his arms bridal style. With a nod to the other two, they all turned and started running in the opposite direction.

He tried to follow them but was overcome by a wave of nausea, the world tilting like a drunken vertibird. He sank back on the ground as his vision dimmed, all sound muffled and distant. The last thing he remembered before everything went dark was the distant roar of a vertibird closing in, and Haylen's voice attempting to reassure him.

"Hang in there, Steve... you're going to be okay..."

Alexa took a deep drag from the cigarette tucked between her fingers, vaguely eyeing the Commonwealth over the Prydwen's flight deck railing. She shook her head with a sigh, the grey plume of smoke from her exhale curling and drifting away in the breeze. It'd been a long time since she'd had one of these, and they tasted stale as all hell... but under the circumstances, she felt entitled. Arthur's electronic memo had gone out to the terminals in the Prydwen and airport earlier - and though he'd stressed the importance of discretion regarding her readmission into the Brotherhood, she'd all but felt every pair of eyes she passed in the metal hallways boring into the back of her skull. She'd finally given up and come outside for a moment or two of peace, away from obvious stares and quiet whispers.

She'd received the occasional "Welcome back, Paladin" from the more seasoned soldiers, while the younger ones had simply gawked at her in awe - no doubt having heard tales of her earlier years working on Project Purity with Sarah Lyons, fighting the Enclave, her time in the Lyons' Pride, or her later missions with Sarah, Richard Cutler, and one Michael Danse.

She frowned, memories floating up in her recollection like her cigarette smoke in the wind, as she reminisced about her earlier Brotherhood life.

"Alexa!"

The redhead looked up from her breakfast tray and smiled at Sarah as her friend took a seat across from her at the table.

"Hiding from the newer recruits, eh?" she asked Alexa, a sly grin on her face. "There's quite a few that are eager to meet 'the hero of the Wasteland', you know."

Alexa snorted and rolled her eyes, shoving another forkful of food into her mouth. She'd tried to quash the nickname as soon as she'd heard a couple Initiates calling her that, but kept hearing it in whispers as she'd passed them in the Citadel corridors.

"We both know that Fawkeswas the one that started the water purifier," she mumbled, "and I hardly took down the Enclave all by myself. I was just one of manyBrotherhood soldiers doing my duty - yourself included."

Sarah nodded. "Maybe... but essentially, he just pushed a button - even if the surroundings weretoo dangerous for you or me. Not that I'm not grateful, that is." She paused, then gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "People don't like to remember that a super mutant helped to save the Wasteland, any more than some of them like that the Brotherhood of Steel were the ones that helped make it mostly believe what they wantto believe, and conveniently forget the rest."

Before any more words could be exchanged between the two, a tall man with sandy blonde hair strolled up behind Sarah, a cocky smile on his face. " 'Scuse me - you're Knight Howard, correct?" he asked Alexa. Before she could respond, he bent down and leaned towards her, resting his elbows on the table beside Sarah - seemingly oblivious to her presence.

"I've heard a great deal about you around the Citadel," he continued, flashing her a wide, shark-like grin. "Very impressive. The Brotherhood of Steel is quite lucky to have a soldier like you amongst its ranks." His blue-green gaze trailed down her figure, then rose back up to meet her eyes again. "Fierce andbeautiful. Perhaps... we could discuss your accomplishments some more? Somewhere a little more... private?"

Alexa's eyebrows shot upwards, thrown for a loop. She didn't know whether she wanted to laugh out loud at his ridiculous preening or be offended. Sarah, who hadn't moved since their interruption, suddenly cleared her throat with authority.

"And what was yourname again, soldier?" she drawled, fighting to look stern as she turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest.

The man cast a quick, uninterested look her way, then did a double-take and straightened up as if someone had suddenly stuck a pin in him.

"S-Sentinel Lyons!" he gasped. "Uhh... I uhh-"

"Yes, that's myname," she quipped, the corners of her mouth starting to twitch upwards. "But you still haven't identified yourself."

"Er-" he responded feebly.

Alexa bit her bottom lip, trying to hide a smile as the man shifted his weight from foot to foot anxiously. He wasn't hard on the eyes, sure - he had a handsome face, accented by a well-toned body. She had a feeling he was already aware of his own positive features, however - up until Sarah had surprised him, it didn't sound like this was his first time trying to garner a woman's attention. She couldn't help feeling a twinge of pity for him... he seemed to be suffering enough from choosing to use such bold speech in front of the Elder's daughter - a Sentinel herself, no less.

She was about to come to his rescue when someone else beat her to it. Another man suddenly appeared next to him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Alexa's breath momentarily caught in her throat as she stared at him, caught off-guard. This new visitor was... quite handsome. Not that his friend was less so, but... something about this other soldier - whether it was his chestnut-colored eyes, the scruff of his facial hair, or the faded undercut style of his dark hair... something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I'm... very sorry for my friend here, Sentinel," the darker-haired man mumbled, his deep voice sending a slight shiver through Alexa. He looked almost as uncomfortable as the blonde man. "He's not quite used to showing restraint or having superiors to show respect to. Please forgive him for any offense... it was quite unintentional, I'm sure."

He narrowed his eyes at the other man and gently elbowed him in the side. The other man shook his head and seemed to remember himself.

"CUTLER!" he barked out, then cleared his throat as his friend grunted and rolled his eyes. "I mean... Initiate Richard Cutler. Is my name. Ma'am," he finished awkwardly.

Sarah stood up, and Alexa fought another smile as the sentinel was at least a head shorter than the men, but suddenly looked twice as dangerous.

"Well - Initiate - perhaps it's time you learn to properly respect your fellow brothers andsisters-in-steel, if you want to remain a part of the Brotherhood." Though her voice was calm, there was fire in her words. "You would be wise to think before speaking in the future, I imagine... even wiser to avoid using the Brotherhood as your own personal... 'call house'." She narrowed her eyes slowly.

"I... yes sir. MA'AM-" Cutler quickly corrected, his cheeks and ears beginning to turn pink.

Sarah 'hmm'ed and after pursing her lips, gestured to the dark-haired man with her head. "You could probably stand to learn a thing or two from your friend here." Her eyes shifted to the other man. "Your name, soldier?"

The other man straightened up a little, which was surprising as his posture had already appeared ramrod-straight. "Initiate Michael Danse, ma'am," he responded promptly. "If I may say so - the stories about your heroism and great deeds are very impressive, to say the least. It's an honor to be standing in your presence."

Cutler's mouth twitched for a fraction of a second, almost imperceptible, and Alexa had a feeling that he'd be rolling his eyes if he thought he could get away with it. She couldn't help smirking and decided that she kind of liked these two - for different reasons - despite the circumstances. They were nothing if not amusing.

Sarah opened her mouth to reply when a paladin in power armor approached her side.

"Sentinel Lyons? Your father requests your presence in his quarters."

She nodded at the soldier and looked back at the two men. "Initiates. Hopefully our next meeting will go much differently." They saluted her as she turned to Alexa, raising an eyebrow at her questioningly.

Alexa gestured in the opposite direction with her head and a knowing smile. 'I'll be fine', she tried to convey without words. The corner of Sarah's mouth turned up slightly, and she nodded back as she and the paladin walked off. Alexa's gaze returned to the other two men.

"So..." she drawled, raising an eyebrow at Cutler. "Do you still want to discuss my... 'accomplishments'?"

Cutler laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm uh... sorry about that... ma'am," he added hesitantly. "I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries."

She smiled and shook her head. "Please... Alexa, not 'ma'am'. I'm not great with titles. And I'm sure I'm hardly the first woman that you've... 'propositioned'. I bet I won't be the last."

"I'd be willing to take that bet," Danse muttered, narrowing his eyes at Cutler, who shot him an instantaneous death glare before smiling back at Alexa.

"Is she... always like that?" he asked carefully, gesturing toward where Sarah had just left. Alexa chuckled and shook her head.

"No doubt you've heard how intimidating Sarah Lyons can be - but she can also be very personable, if you get to know her. She just takes her position and the Brotherhood very seriously - hardly surprising considering her father's the Elder." She was quiet for a couple seconds, then gestured to the seats across from her at the table.

Cutler blinked, then grinned as he sat down across from her without further hesitation. Danse paused, causing Alexa to smile softly up at him.

"At ease, soldier," she joked, feeling a little intimidated by the serious brown eyes staring at her curiously. "That invitation extended to you as well."

When he didn't immediately move, Cutler snatched a bit of fabric on Danse's thigh and gave it a sharp tug downwards. "SIT," he hissed at his friend quietly, then grinned at Alexa again.

Danse frowned at Cutler, but slowly sat in the chair in front of Alexa. She cleared her throat, which felt like it was tightening somewhat under his penetrating gaze. An awkward silence followed between the three soldiers for a moment before Danse decided to speak first.

"We'd heard that you and Sentinel Lyons were instrumental in procuring fresh water for the Capital Wasteland via Project Purity. Quite a remarkable undertaking. Many people - the Brotherhood and Wastelanders alike - owe you their lives."

Cutler, who'd glanced over at Danse when he'd begun speaking, snorted and looked to Alexa. He jerked a thumb in Danse's direction.

"Don't mind the 'walking thesaurus' over here," he quipped (to which Danse narrowed his eyes at him again), "but he's right - what you guys did was... amazing. You're like the biggest heroes I've ever met."

Alexa was torn between wincing at the term 'hero' and blushing a little at the praise. She inadvertently did a bit of both and shook her head. "I can't speak for Sarah, but... I'm not a hero," she murmured. "We were just doing our duty to the Brotherhood and the Capital Wasteland. Anyone with half a conscience or a sense of responsibility would've done the same thing." Attempting to get the topic of conversation away from herself, she quickly glanced from Cutler to Danse. "You guys didn't just meet, did you? You seem like you know each other pretty well."

Both men shook their heads.

"We've known each other for at least a few years now," Cutler replied. "Worked together in Rivet City until the Brotherhood came around to recruit people." He turned his head to Danse and smiled, then reached up and ruffled his hair, ignoring Danse's grunt and attempt to swat him away. "What can I say? We're like an old married couple," he laughed.

"Hardly," Danse grumbled. "I've lost count of how many times I've had to keep you out of trouble - or getyou out of trouble."

"You love me," Cutler teased. "You'd have no fun if it wasn't for me."

"I'd have no stressif it wasn't for you," Danse shot back.

Alexa giggled at their exchange, which seemed to please Cutler and at least placate Danse. "Who're you guys training under?" she asked.

"Paladin Ford," Cutler replied. Alexa gritted her teeth and drew in a breath quickly, causing him to laugh. "...That bad, huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's a good man, and an excellent soldier - just a bit stubborn and rough around the edges," she explained. "He's definitely tough on his recruits. I heard he made an Aspirant cry once - and that was just because he accidentally knocked over his dinner tray."

Cutler grimaced. "He sounds like he'll be really strict-"

"He sounds like he'll be perfectfor you," Danse interrupted, a smile growing on his face. Alexa had to admit - while he was already attractive, she found him veryhandsome when he smiled. She swallowed hard, not used to being swayed by a man - especially considering how many she already knew in the Brotherhood.

Cutler looked annoyed, and she had to smile at the childlike pout on his face. "I can be disciplined," he protested. "I can be veryprofessional when I want to be."

"Oh, like brazenly hitting on a woman that - since you know who I am - you're very aware is technically your superior?" she retorted coyly. "Because if you're so professional, then you'd already know that if I was so inclined, I could have you performing drills at 4am every single morning for a month." She crossed her arms over her chest for effect. "Does that sound disciplined enough for you - 'Dick' Cutler, was it?"

A mischievous smile appeared on her face as the men's eyebrows shot upwards. Cutler's jaw dropped open in shock, and there was a period of silence. Finally, both Alexa and Cutler were surprised when a deep, rumbling laugh erupted from Danse's mouth. It gave Alexa a tiny thrill to know that she had caused 'Mr. Serious' to crack up - and it helped that he didn't look half-bad doing so, either.

After a few stunned seconds, Cutler recovered from his surprise and began to laugh as well.

"Ohhh, I like you," he grinned, wiggling his pointer finger at her. "I have a feeling we're gonna get along juuust fine."

With a final exhale, Alexa flicked the cigarette butt over the deck's railing, watching it tumble away in the wind. She was so lost in thought, she didn't hear the sound of approaching bootsteps behind her.

"Alexa..."

She jumped slightly and turned to see Danse standing a small distance behind her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Michael?" she asked. "What are you doing out here? You didn't go with Nora?"

He shook his head and stepped closer to her. "She just had a small research mission to run. Before she left, she suggested that my attention might be better spent... elsewhere today." He cleared his throat and looked somewhat sheepish.

Alexa smiled knowingly as she looked down at the ground, her face heating up a little. She might not have known Nora for very long, but... she knew her well enough to suspect her new friend might've had ulterior motives in mind for her and Michael. She chuckled softly and shook her head, then looked up at him.

"How... are you holding up?" he asked her gently.

She was silent for a few seconds, contemplating the question, then turned to look back out over the railing at the Commonwealth below.

"It's... almost strange... being aboard the Prydwen again," she said softly. Danse appeared at her side in her peripheral vision as she continued. "It brings back a lot of memories." She bit her bottom lip, fighting back sudden tears. She closed her eyes, silently cursing as one escaped and slowly ran down her cheek. "I... I miss them," she admitted, her voice nearly a whisper. "Sarah... and Richard. I wish... they were here with us."

She drew in a shaky breath and started getting lost in thought again, when she unexpectedly felt a strong pair of arms gently wrap around her waist. She opened her eyes and realized Danse had moved to hug her from behind. She reflexively stiffened, but relaxed after a few seconds and wrapped her arms tightly around his, reveling in the feeling of having him so close.

"They... they would have been proud of us, I think," he replied quietly, his voice strained. "Of what we're working towards here in the Commonwealth."

Another tear ran down her cheek. She sniffled softly and turned to face him, her heart clenching at the sadness she saw in his expression. He slowly raised a hand to her face, his fingertips outstretched towards her cheek, then hesitated. She didn't break eye contact, finding herself getting lost in his brown eyes... those eyes that had captivated her all those years ago as well. After another second's pause, he tenderly brushed his thumb against her cheek, wiping away her tears.

Her eyes closed at the physical contact, and a small sigh escaped her lips. When she opened them again, her heart skipped a beat at the intense way he was staring down at her. She took a deep breath and raised her own hands to cup his cheeks, her stomach doing a small flip at the way his eyes also briefly slid closed at her contact. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing from the action.

"Alexa..." he murmured.

The sound of vertibird rotors started approaching the Prydwen, but both soldiers barely noticed. As Alexa studied Danse's face, she noticed a few small scars that hadn't caught her attention the last few times she had seen him. She made a mental note to ask him about them later, curious about just how much she had missed out on during her absence from the Brotherhood. She realized he was still staring at her and blushed, heat rising to her cheeks.

A period of silence followed. She watched his eyes dip down toward her lips and then meet hers again. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was starting to tilt towards her. She swallowed nervously but leaned forward as well, slowly closing the distance between them.

Their lips were fractions of an inch apart when a shout stopped them both in their tracks.

"DANSE!"

Danse blinked, shaken from his trance. He reflexively turned back towards the shout, which had come from the newly docked vertibird.

'Ohhhh... someone's gonna die for that...' Alexa thought, a flash of annoyance racing through her at their interruption.

A female scribe had exited the vertibird and was waving an arm frantically at Danse, signaling him to come over. Alexa's frustration quickly evaporated when she saw the scribe's panicked face and sensed that something was very wrong. Sure enough, a couple medical scribes came rushing out of the door to the main deck and raced toward the vertibird. Danse's eyebrows rose with recognition.

"...Haylen?" he wondered aloud. He turned to Alexa, his expression both concerned and apologetic. "One of my former subordinates," he explained. She nodded and followed behind him as he hurried over to the vertibird.

"Haylen, what-" His eyes widened when the medical scribes lifted an unconscious male soldier out of the vertibird behind Haylen, rushing him back towards the main deck. "Knight Womack?" he asked, then turned to the female scribe - Haylen, he had called her. "What happened to him?" he demanded, authority ringing in his tone.

Haylen wrung her hands, not looking much better herself. "We were both on a mission with Nora-"

"Nora?" Danse and Alexa asked in unison. They both leaned forward to peer into the vertibird, which was now empty - other than the pilot (who was finishing the vertibird's docking procedures), one damaged but intact set of power armor, and one pile of miscellaneous beat-up armor pieces on the floor of the vertibird. Both of their gazes snapped back towards Haylen almost violently.

"Where is she, Haylen?" Danse barked, his hands finding the scribe's shoulders and inadvertently squeezing her a bit too hard. "Where's Nora?"

Haylen winced and took a deep breath, then hurried past them - motioning for Danse and Alexa to follow her. "Come on," she replied, heading for the main deck door. "I'll tell you all about it along the way."

...Five months? It's been FIVE FREAKIN' MONTHS since I last updated this fic? ...OmG, I can't even tell you guys how very sorry I am! Seriously, I feel terrible, I really do. Motherhood, work, and life have made my free time very limited, and I (somewhat) recently started a new 'Far Cry 5' fanfic (which I am very excited about), so getting THAT going has used up a bit of my free time, too. I truly had no idea it's been that long, so much has been happening in my personal life.

I HAVE already started writing the NEXT chapter for this fic, and I swear I will TRY not to keep you guys waiting so long for it. Gah, I'm still in shock. Time really gets away from you when you're busy!

Anyway, exciting things are happening in this fic (as you can see), and I hope you guys will enjoy the things to come. I know this was a 'shorter' chapter (compared to my usual), but hopefully the story will make up for it.

As a side note, I noticed/remembered something when discussing this fic w/ my beta:
So if one is going STRICTLY with the FO3/FO4 lore - FO3 and its DLCs take place (roughly) 10 years before FO4.
Apparently, when the battle at Adams Air Force Base happens ('Broken Steel' DLC), Danse is supposed to be a Paladin and leader of his own squad (acc. to the FO wiki). By that logic, if Danse was ALREADY a Paladin with his own team around 10 YEARS AGO, and assuming it took TIME for him to BECOME a Paladin (not rising through ranks as quickly as Arthur did), you'd think SOMEone in the BoS would be like, 'Hmm... you know... that guy has looked almost EXACTLY the same age for like... the last 15 years... that's kinda odd.' ...I know it DOES happen to people sometimes (in that they barely seem to age in over 10 years - just look at some celebrities, like Anne Hathaway), but even SO...

I mention this because in THIS fic, the flashback scene in which Alexa first meets Cutler and Danse happens AFTER the 'Broken Steel' events have happened - and obviously Danse and Cutler are Initiates in my fic at this point, not Paladins (or Danse, anyway).

Like any fanfic, my story will break canon at times (it'd be hard to write a fanfic that didn't, really), and I ask you... 'leniency' with the story when this happens. In the 'grand scheme of things' with my fic, it's not that important to the story (in that much bigger things are/will be going on that affect the story's direction), so please don't think I'm doing this to be 'lazy' or anything. There is a method to my madness, and hopefully you will enjoy it (and if not... well, I can't please EVERYone, lol).

Thank you SO much to those who have stuck with me thus far with patience, I hope you will continue to read my fic, and I hope you will continue to enjoy it! 3

PS: Over TWO YEARS since I first started writing this fic! I only just realized that tonight, too! TWO FREAKING YEARS! HOLY GOD! I wouldn't have lasted this long without my fans, thank you guys SO much! 3 3 3