Hey mina!

I guess, I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I? I've been gone for the better part of two years now and I'm sorry for it. Really. It's not that I didn't want to write or lost interest in the story or anything. On the contrary. But life kinda hit me hard with work, health issues and a damn lot of pressure. However, I'm gonna have a new employer soon and it's finally time for me to calm down a bit and get back to the things I really love. Like writing and cosplay. So, I haven't given up, and Ashes if gonna get the ending it deserves!

I think I'll need two or three additional chapters to wrap everything up, but we're getting close to the end, folks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the ending would've been quite different *g* All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Warning: BoyXBoy – don't like don't read (and honestly if you made it this far in the story, you should know what's coming, so don't blame me :P)

Chapter 27 The Break-up in the Make-up

Sasuke was livid. Livid and scared and almost too desperate to think straight as he walked up and down the narrow hall. Artificial hospital lights illuminated the white walls and easy-to-clean linoleum floors. The sterile scent of sanitizer filled the air, making it hard to breath.

Behind him, Itachi and Gaara were waiting patiently on plastic chairs lined against the white wall. Neither of them said a word, while Sasuke paced up and down the corridor, hands running through his now messy black hair, leaving the silky strands dishevelled and sticking out in weird angles, but Sasuke didn't care.

All he cared about was that Naruto was still being treated in the trauma room and they hadn't heard any news on his condition since the paramedics had hurriedly rolled him through the glass doors currently blocking Sasuke's path. There was a constant coming and going of nurses and doctors alike, but they always only rushed past Sasuke without answering any of the questions he threw at them.

Even Tsunade had walked past him, pace brisk and lips pressed into a thin line of concern. Her honey coloured eyes hadn't even darted his way as she had hurried down the hall and through the door, barking commands at the first person she met. It was typical Tsunade, but frustrated Sasuke anyway.

His hopes had spiked the moment Sakura had entered the corridor and she even had briefly stopped to talk to him, beautiful green eyes dark with concern.

"I know you're worried. But I don't know more than you do at the moment. Tsunade just called me in from my home time. I promise, I'll tell as soon as I can, okay?", she'd said, only to disappear through the very same door everyone but Sasuke seemed allowed through.

Ever since, Sasuke had done nothing but wait in silence. His nerves gnawing at his every thought. What was going on inside the trauma room? Why did it take so long? What exactly had Orochimaru done to Naruto, to leave him in such bad shape?

It was a good thing the bastard was far out of Sasuke's reach or he might have done something he would later regret. Like break every fucking bone in the guy's body.

Some two or so hours ago, two officers had stopped by to ask them more questions about today's operation. The case would be taken to court as soon as possible (much to Sasuke's delight) and every witness was needed to make sure that Orochimaru would never set a foot outside a prison again.

Sasuke thought that just letting the maniac rot behind bars was still a far too merciful punishment, but he had to play this by the books. Vigilante justice would only get him into jail as well. And that would mean leaving Naruto - something out of the question for Sasuke, especially since he still didn't know if his husband was going to make it.

"Sasuke, sit down. Things will not get better from you pacing up and down the hall, making us even more nervous", Itachi said, rising from his chair with a sigh, hands braced on his tights and shaking his head.

The younger man stopped in his tracks and scowled at his brother. "Easy for you to say. It's not your husband in there fighting for his life".

"No, but he's my brother-in-law and Gaara's best friend. Don't you think we're just as worried as you are?"

Trembling hands ran through black hair. Sasuke was so afraid. He'd never been afraid of anything… well… except for the things his father could do to Naruto's life. All the many reasons why he'd left came rushing back to him. Would things have been different, if he hadn't come back?

Would Gaara have been with Naruto and effectively kept him from going after Orochimaru on his own?

"I know what you're thinking, Ototou. It's not true. Naruto wants you here and nothing would have changed if you'd stayed in Tokyo", Itachi said, making Gaara look up at them for the first time.

"Hn", Sasuke replied, unable to say anything else. There was a lump in his throat that threatened to suffocate him.

He didn't want to talk to his brother; or anyone for the matter. He felt weak and useless. All those times Fugaku had told him that 'nothing is impossible for an Uchiha' felt hollow now. It was a lie. A beautiful lie, his father told himself over and over again to hide his fear of failure.

In fact, being an Uchiha didn't mean anything at all. Uchihas were just as powerless when it came to protecting those you love as anyone else. Being rich and influential didn't mean a thing, when a maniac decided to experiment on the love of your life.

Sasuke had learned that lesson the hard way. Nothing, not his father nor their stupid family legacy, nor his uncle Madara or anyone else would ever keep Sasuke from Naruto.

"Sa-", Itachi began, only to stop mid-word and blink. He wasn't looking at his brother, but rather over Sasuke's shoulder towards the other end of the corridor, staring for a second, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips. It was such a foreign sight on Itachi that Sasuke couldn't fight the urge to turn around and see for himself what made his brother lose his words.

The surprise however, wasn't at all pleasant. There, at the other end of the bright hospital hall stood a young woman with long, slightly messy, dark red hair and eyes the colour of ripe berries. "Karin…", Sasuke breathed, the sight of her painfully reminding him that indeed his fiancé (or whatever she really was) was scheduled to arrive some of these days.

But how had she known where to find him? Neither he nor Itachi had told their father about going to the hospital. Officially they were still negotiating terms with possible new clients.

Sasuke furrowed his brows as the woman across from him started to walk towards them. He could feel the pressure of Itachi's hand suddenly resting on his right shoulder to calm him. His brother knew what turmoil Sasuke must be going through now.

And Gaara, now also getting up from his chair as he noticed the change of atmosphere in the room, looked confused, but took a stand next to Itachi anyway. It seemed they all had a common enemy, even if Gaara didn't know her yet.

The echoing sound of heels hitting the hard floor filled the air as Karin walked towards them, dressed in simple jeans and a blue cotton shirt. Everything about her screamed confidence and her arms were already crossed in front of her chest.

"Sasuke…", she said upon coming to a halt in front of him, her heels clicking for one finally time before she stopped.

Sasuke licked his lips. With Konohamaru's abduction and Naruto falling into Orochimaru's hands as well, he had totally forgotten about his father's threat to send Karin to Konoha. But here she was, expecting him to work for the good of the bank, when in reality he's fixing his broken relationship with his husband. "Karin…", he choked, his voice thick with a new fear.

He's not ready to face his father, not with Naruto still in that trauma room and his life on the line.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here? Your father send me your location on Line, but I don't understand what you're doing in a hospital", she said, her words like buckets of ice water spilling down Sasuke's back.

So, Fugaku knew where he was. Meaning he'd probably known the entire time. But why had he waited this long until sending Karin when he'd known all along that neither Itachi nor Sasuke were working with any clients?

"Sasuke?", Karin's voice roused him from his musings and made him blink a little owlishly.

He opened his mouth to finally answer her when the glass door suddenly opened behind him and a nurse stepped into their corridor. Sensing the tense atmosphere, she stopped in her tracks and looked at the four facing each other off.

Sasuke immediately turned towards her, thoroughly ignoring Karin and her question. Naruto was more important right now. Sasuke could deal with his feisty fiancé later. "How is he? Any news?", he asked, voice higher than expected.

The nurse sighed. "He's alive. For now. But we don't know for how long. The substance is still in his system and we have no idea what it is", she explained, sounding tired and worried. "The police is still trying to make Orochimaru tell what he injected into him, but so far there no news".

"But Tsunade and Sakura are some of the best doctors in the country", Sasuke said unable to stifle his desperation.

"Yes, but none of them is a specialist when it comes to chemical substances and drugs", the nurse replied.

"Chemical substances and drugs?", Karin suddenly asked, taking a half step towards the nurse.

"Yes, we would need a specialist to detect which substances were used exactly. But, may I ask who you are?", the nurse said. It's obvious that she thought Karin was some sort of friend or relative of Naruto's because everyone else in the corridor obviously was.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Uzumaki Karin", Karin said only to have Sasuke, Itachi and Gaara simultaneously take in a sharp breath and exchange shocked glances. "And above all, I might be able to help you".

"What do you mean?", Sasuke snapped, not knowing if he meant her claim that she could help Naruto or the fact that her name was Uzumaki.

"I majored in chemistry and medicine. Before my father decided that I should marry an appropriate man, I wanted to work on antibiotics or antidotes. Stuff like that. I never did, obviously, but I still know my fair share of the topic. Maybe I can help, if this is really about a poisoning with an unknown chemical substance", she explained with a shrug.

The three men in front of her exchanged disbelieving looks again. They were all thinking the same. It was too much of a coincidence if Karin's last name really was Uzumaki.

But the nurse beat them to their words, motioning for Karin to follow her and soon the three were alone in the hall again, with Karin off to maybe save the life of a man she didn't even know.

Gaara was the first of them to speak into their shared silence. "Uzumaki?", he asked, voice hard and accusing. "Who the hell is she?"

"That's Karin… my fiancé…", said Sasuke, staring down the corridor without really seeing it. He was shocked. Not because by some strange miracle the woman his father wanted him to marry had a degree in medicine and chemistry and might save his husband, but because she shared the same last name as Naruto.

"Your fiancé's last name is Uzumaki?", Gaara repeated. There was anger in his eyes and his voice. Sasuke couldn't blame him though. "What kind of sick game are you playing, Uchiha?".

"I had no idea. I never asked her last name", Sasuke replied, raising both his hands in defense. It was true. Sasuke hadn't even been interested enough in Karin to ask for her last name. Knowing that she was the daughter of some friend of his father's had already set him on edge. He'd been so reluctant to acknowledge her that asking for her last name had slipped his mind.

But he couldn't ignore it now that he knew. Karin was an Uzumaki and his father had chosen her for him. There must be a reason to that. Questions kept piling up in Sasuke's mind to which he had no answers.

His father had known that Sasuke wasn't working with a client all along, but had done almost nothing and now it turned out that he'd chosen a girl with the same name as Naruto, while exactly knowing what Naruto's last name was. It didn't make fucking sense.

"She's your fiancé and you don't know her last name?", Gaara asked, both hairless eyebrows raised.

"Sasuke never cared for her. When father asked him to marry her, he agreed because our father still threatened to destroy Naruto's life", explained Itachi. It was however obvious that he was thinking something along the same lines as Sasuke and wondered what had driven Fugaku to choose Karin.

Did he want to mock Sasuke even further? He couldn't have believed that Sasuke had already divorced Naruto, like he'd claimed to have. Not when he obviously tracked every step his son took.

Gaara looked thoughtful, musing over what he'd just heard. He had never met Uchiha Fugaku personally, but from what he'd been told about the man, he wasn't one to make a mistake like that. Making Sasuke marry Karin served a purpose. But which one?

"Speculating about father's motives won't get us anywhere at this point", Sasuke said, clenching and unclenching his fists at the side of his body. He was tense enough to lose his temper any moment. "I think it's even more interesting to know if Karin is by some means related to Naruto. I mean Uzumaki isn't exactly a common name".

Itachi agreed with a nod. "No, it's not. What do you know about Naruto's parents, Sasuke?"

"Not much, to be honest. Not one of Naruto's favourite topics. He avoids talking about them, if possible. They were young when they had him and died in a car accident. Naruto was with them when it happened and the sole survivor. The guy who caused the crash was never caught", answered Sasuke.

He had never pushed Naruto into talking about his parents. Firstly because it was a painful thing to do when all you ever had were semi interested foster families and secondly because Naruto didn't know much about them in the first place.

Maybe he could have gone to the town hall and demand information on who they were, but maybe he'd been scared to finally know what he'd missed out on. What had been taken from him the moment that drunk driver had pushed them off the road.

"That means there is the possibly of them being related", Gaara pointed out.

"Of course there is. We don't know shit about them", said Sasuke, unhelpful but still too riled up to give a better reply.

"No need to be cranky, little brother. Gaara just voiced what we're all thinking".

"Hn".

"That still isn't a word", Gaara muttered, rubbing his temples. Maybe Sasuke wasn't the only one suffering from a headache tonight.

"Well, my brother has never been very talkative, especially when under pressure. How about I go and get all of us some coffee? It's gonna be a long night", Itachi suggested.

"Coffee's fine. Thank you", Gaara's words were nothing but polite, his features as still as always. But Itachi smiled at him nonetheless and Sasuke wondered for the nth time that day how their relationship would develop without all that stress.

He had never seen his brother interested in anyone and while Fugaku had been set on having Sasuke continue the family line, he'd never bothered Itachi with it. At some point Sasuke had even wondered if his brother might be aromantic. But now he seemed to have a thing for silent redheads.

As soon as Itachi had disappeared around the corner, Sasuke took the free seat next to Gaara. If all he could do was wait, he might as well spend his time talking to the man his brother had taken a liking to.

"He's never brought anyone home, you know?", Sasuke said, forearms resting on his knees and not looking at Gaara.

"And why are you telling me this?", Gaara replied, unimpressed.

"Because he obviously likes you", there was a small sigh in Sasuke's voice. He'd always thought that, should Itachi ever bring anyone home, it would be someone Sasuke liked. Just the way Itachi appreciated Naruto. But Sasuke's relationship with Gaara was tense at best. They had a lot of things to disagree about and neither of the two liked the other close to Naruto.

"Does he now?", Gaara raised one hairless brow. He was still suspicious of Sasuke. A man who just left the love of his life in a heartbeat was hard to be trusted and even if Naruto claimed that Sasuke had had his reasons, Gaara couldn't simply forget the pain this man had put his best friend through. "Listen, Uchiha, I have no idea what you hope to gain by this conversation. Why are you telling me about your brother's feelings?"

"Because I love him. He might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he's still my brother. It's obvious to me that he likes you and even if I don't approve of his choice, I won't be able to talk him out of it. I want to see him happy and maybe he's not mistaken and you are the right guy for him", explained Sasuke with a sigh. He usually wasn't this talkative, but if he wanted to be his brother's wingman in this, he needed to make an exception.

"So you're telling me to become your brother's boyfriend?"

Sasuke moistened his lips and shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm telling you. It's your decision to make. But I'm telling you that, if you let him, he'll hang the stars into the sky for you. But if you hurt him, I'll hang you".

Gaara laughed at his words, but there was no happiness in the sound. No humour. "So now you are giving me the talk? That's funny. But thanks. I'll keep it in mind".

There was no telling whether Gaara was or wasn't interested in Itachi and Sasuke was probably the last person on the planet he'd tell his secrets to. So instead of answering, he just nodded.

Itachi was a grown man, he would figure things out once everything had settled down and Sasuke intended to be supportive even if he and Gaara would never be best friends.

It took another three hours and some more coffee bought by each of them in turn, before an exhausted looking Tsunade finally pushed open the glass doors and stepped into the corridor Sasuke, Itachi and Gaara were waiting in.

There were deep bags under her eyes and some strands of blond hair had fallen into her face, now sticking to a sweat sheened forehead.

Sasuke immediately shot up from his chair, dashing towards her to make sure she wouldn't just disappear again without giving him answers.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as Tsunade ran the back of her hand over her forehead. "He's stable", she breathed and watched Sasuke's eyes grow wide at the words. "The girl you sent us - Karin - she's worth her weight in gold".

"She could help him?", Sasuke asked, a bone-crushing relief sinking into his chest, flooding his entire being with a kind of hope he'd never felt before.

"She could, and she did", Tsunade nodded and the smallest of smiles settled on her red lips. Honey coloured eyes seemed happy for the first time today.

"I want to see him", Sasuke said, not caring that the words were bold and maybe even rude, but he desperately wanted to see his husband.

"He's being transferred to another ward right now. Once he's all settled, you can go visit him".

Sasuke nodded, impatience already burning beneath his skin like wildfire. After days of not knowing if Naruto was alright - if he was even alive - he couldn't bear the thought of staying away from him any longer. "When?", he asked, eyes narrowed at Tsunade and drawing a deep sigh from her.

"He should be all settled in about fifteen minutes. But I would advise you to talk to Karin first. I don't know who she is, but it looks like she deserves an explanation", she said and Sasuke could tell that she wasn't reproachful, but just giving advice, which was something Sasuke appreciated a lot.

"I will", he agreed, watching Tsunade nod.

"Good. I'll leave you to it then. Make sure not to bring too much commotion into the room later. Gaara and Itachi are welcome, but all of you should keep quiet. Naruto will still be sleeping".

"I see. We'll make sure not to disturb him".

Tsunade gave Sasuke another quick nod before finally walking down the corridor and leaving the three men to their thoughts.

"He's going to make it…", Sasuke breathed. Itachi placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. For a moment the three of them remained in silence, all of them lost in their own musings and relief.

It was only a few minutes later that the glass door opened again and Karin stepped into the corridor. She too looked worn and tired after what had been a difficult treatment. She had exchanged her street wear for sterile nurse clothing and kept rubbing her wrists where the rubber gloves had left marks on her skin.

Her dark eyes fell onto Sasuke the moment she raised her head and he could read in her features that she was far from pleased. Her lips formed a thin line and her brows were furrowed above narrowed eyes. She stopped dead in front of Sasuke. "You owe me a good explanation", she said, voice hard and demanding.

Well, she had a right to be mad at him. He had played her and lied to her for weeks after all. He had left and gone to reconcile with his husband while she had been at home planning a wedding that would never happen. Sasuke wouldn't blame her if he tried to rip off his head. But he was too relieved to actually care.

"You are right, I do", he began, breathing in deeply while trying to structure his thoughts. "First of all, thank you for your help. Thank you for saving his life". No matter what unpleasantries Sasuke was about to reveal to her, he needed to express his gratitude first, for she had done what no one else had been able to do, she had saved Naruto.

"Don't mention it. I did what little I could do", she replied, the smallest of smiles tugging at her lips. "Still, I want to know what's going on".

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, you have a right to know. Karin… the man you just saved is Naruto. My husband". He paused to let the words sink in. It didn't make sense to just overwhelm her with all the information. Instead, Sasuke had to make her understand.

"Y – Your husband?", she repeated, her voice shaking and her eyes wide in shock.

"Yes, my husband. I've been married for eight years. Five years ago my father forced me to leave Naruto and come to Tokyo to work for the family. He threatened me with Naruto's life to make me agree and I cut off all ties I had to him. But we stayed married", Sasuke explained further. He could practically see the gears turn behind Karin's forehead as she tried to make sense of what she had just been told.

"So… when he asked you to marry me… you… why the hell did you agree?", she demanded, shock being replaced by anger.

"I thought I had to if I wanted to keep Naruto safe. I went back to Konoha to divorce him, but I couldn't do it. I – Karin, I'm not going to marry you. I'm sorry", Sasuke finished. Guilt washed over him as the last words left his lips. She was a nice girl, capable and strong and fierce. She deserved better than to be lied at.

There was silence for the longest time as Karin seemed to think about all this new information. Sasuke half expected her to slap him or yell at him or call him a cheating bastard, but she didn't. Instead she turned her head towards Itachi and said: "Fugaku doesn't know they're still married?".

Itachi shook his head. If he considered her behavior strange, he didn't show it. "We thought so, too. But with you being here, things have changed. He must have known about Sasuke and Naruto all along if he was well informed enough to send you here. And… there's something else…"

Karin raised one eyebrow in question. Itachi could only assume what she was thinking right now. The whole situation was surreal and would get even worse soon. "I don't know if you had the time to take a look at name of the man you just saved", he began, nodding, as Karin shook her head. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto".

"Uzumaki… Wh-". Karin blinked from Itachi to Sasuke, demanding an explanation.

"I didn't know you were an Uzumaki, too", Sasuke said truthfully. Had he known about Karin's last name, he might have gone about this entire situation differently. But he hadn't. "But now I'm sure my father knew. He knew about the connection all the time and he chose you for a reason".

"So, you lied to me and your father played me?", Karin asked, anger darkening her voice and her gaze. She had every right to be furious. She was a victim of Fugaku's games just as much as Naruto was. They both had to pay the price for Sasuke's legacy.

"Yes", Sasuke admitted. He didn't see any reason to sugarcoat the truth. Karin was strong woman and she deserved to not be lied to any longer.

"Wow. That's fucking fantastic… And you did the same with your husband? You lied to him and let your father ruin his life?".

"Yes"

Karin huffed and shook her head in disbelieve. "He must be one special guy, if he took you back after all the crap you put him through".

"He's an idiot for taking him back", Gaara said. He'd remained silent during the entire conversation and Sasuke had almost forgotten about him. Well, pleasant way to make a comeback.

"Yeah, I guess he is. Well, I hope you don't mind if I take my leave. I'm done with all this shit – at least for now", Karin said. Sasuke thought it to be only natural for her to need some space and time to think now. He'd dropped a major bomb just now.

"Before you go, could I talk to you in private for a moment?", Itachi asked, giving Karin a small smile that made her nod. "Thank you. Ototou, Gaara, go ahead to Naruto's room, please. I'll catch up to you soon".

Sasuke furrowed his brows, but he knew better than to interfere with his brother's business. There was something Itachi wanted to be said in private and he would get it – on way or another.

Something was warm. And soft. And safe. Was this what death felt like? Probably not. Naruto tried to remember what had happened, but all he came up with was burning pain and darkness. Still... he did feel better. Not great. Far from it, to be honest. But the burning was gone and the cold, too.

Naruto hadn't opened his eyes yet though. He wasn't ready. Or couldn't. Maybe both. A groan escaped his chapped, dry lips. He needed water, but to find water he had to open his eyes. By now he was pretty sure that he was no longer in Orochimaru's hideout, so his chances of actually finding something to drink, weren't that bad.

Slowly, very slowly, Naruto opened he eyes. There was light in the room. Not the unpleasant kind, but rather the warm rays of the rising sun bathing him in soft orange. Naruto's favourite colour.

He blinked once – twice – before his eyes had adjusted to his bright surroundings. He'd been taken to a hospital that much was for sure now. There were monitors around him and he could feel where the needle for the infusion pierced through his skin. Painkillers he guessed. That would at least explain the dull feeling in his head and chest. The pain was still there, he just couldn't feel it anymore.

Finally able to turn his head, Naruto resumed his search for water only to be disrupted yet again. This time by the man sleeping with his head on the edge of the narrow hospital bed, the rest of his body seated in the chair next to the bed.

Sasuke.

Naruto took a deep, rattling breath. He'd thought he'd never see him again. Unbidden tears came to his eyes and he tried to blink them away. In his darkest moment, he had thought about Sasuke. Had wished to see him one more time to tell him how much he loved him. Looked like he'd get the opportunity to still do that.

Smiling softly, Naruto raised his left hand. It took him a considerable amount of energy to do even that, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. So after what felt like ages and left Naruto pretty exhausted, he finally ran his fingers through soft black hair. The sensation made his heart flutter a little.

He didn't mean to wake him, but it didn't take long before Sasuke's eyelids opened and he blinked at Naruto, pupils delating the moment he saw his husband awake and… not kicking but at least breathing.

"Naruto…", he whispered, only barely stopping himself from bringing the other man in for a tight hug. God, he wanted to touch Naruto so badly.

"Hey there", Naruto said, his voice hoarse and thin. They both winced at the sound.

Sasuke smiled and reached up to take Naruto's hand from his head and in between is palms instead, soft lips now gliding over tanned knuckles.

"Sasuke… I'm so sorry", Naruto said, enjoying the soft sensation of Sasuke's mouth against his hand.

"Don't be. It's alright. We'll be alright", Sasuke whispered, his voice half muffled as he spoke into Naruto's skin. His scent and warmth slowly filled the other man's senses.

"But – "

"No! No 'but'! Just…". His voice broke as Sasuke put his index finger on Naruto's lips to stop him from uttering any other implication of guilt. He didn't want to hear it. Naruto had tried to help and he's probably saved Konohamaru's life by being there and putting his own on the line. There was no need to feel guilty for anything. "You did great…".

Naruto swallowed hard and nodded. Without words he understood what Sasuke wanted to tell him: That he'd protected Konohamaru until the end. "How is he?".

"Stop talking so much, dobe. Your throat is still sore. And don't worry, he's fine. In shock, yeah, but otherwise unharmed. Thanks to you", Sasuke explained. He was still holding Naruto's left hand in a vice grip, unable to let got.

Naruto nodded and smiled a little. "One last thing though", he began, earning himself an annoyed glance from his husband. "Would you… kiss me?".

That was definitely something Sasuke needn't be told twice. He smiled and got up from his chair to lean over the narrow bed and finally, after so many long days without him, he pressed his lips to Naruto's and felt the world slip away beneath him.

Nothing and no one would ever take this man from him again.

To be continued…

Thank you for reading! Thank you to each and every one stuck with this all the time or came back to it or just started! I love you guys! You are the best readers a girl can wish for! I hope to see you all soon for the next chapter!