Hello everyone,

To start with: NOT ABANDONED! Repeat: NOT ABANDONED!

I am so extremely sorry for the silence and long absence from this story. Shit went sideways in my home life and is only very recently returning to some form of (new) normal. To compound everything, I also got a new computer because my last one finally bit the proverbial dust-and took quite a bit of work with it. Got a new one now and am in the process of getting an external hard drive for it (should be arriving by next week) so have been writing chapters in a notebook.

Good news: next set of chapters are done.

Bad news: hand cramps like an old arthritic granny over the hill, have to transfer chapters to computer, still have to edit chapters (cuz it sucks monkey butt to do on paper, not enough room!), then upload/post them. And they are long so it will take a little while for each step, especially editing because I have a tendency to ramble.

However! Please rest assured that there are more chapters coming and this story is not being left to die. I promised I wouldn't do that and I will stick by that promise. For those of you still toughing it out and following this story: Thank you so very, very much! Again, sorry for the long delay but, as they say, when it rains it pours-and I ended up with a flood. But hey, the end is in sight if you don't mind waiting just a bit longer. End of this month should (finally) have a new chapter up with another following soon after.

Thank you for patience and hope the eventual update(s) make it worth the wait.