PART FOUR:
"Angel…" Buffy said, her voice husky, her face streaked with tears. She looked up into his eyes, her heart warmed when she saw the happiness there. He was so beautiful. She let out a small laugh and grinned broadly at the man who held her heart. "This has to be a dream."
"It's not." He promised. "But would it be so bad if it were?"
"Yes. Dreams don't last, Angel."
Instead of giving her false promises, he kissed her on the lips. Buffy forgot for a moment that it was Angel kissing her. His lips were warm. It was a new sensation, one that she had no qualms about getting used to. No one kissed her the way Angel did. No one ever could. Buffy deepened the kiss, placing her hands firmly on his back. Angel's hands were placed on either side of her face. He" so less repetitive was the first to pull away, he was laughing, Buffy tried to look offended, but was more curious about what was so funny.
"I ran out of breath." He explained, still laughing. Buffy smiled and almost burst into tears from the happiness spreading through her entire being. Angel rested his forehead against Buffy's; they put their arms around each other and stood silently until Angel spoke again. "You make me breathless."
"I know the feeling." Buffy smiled and placed a light kiss on his lips before pulling away. "I think we should go tell the others we're okay."
"The lack of noise would have already given it away." Pointed out Angel, pulling Buffy back into his arms. "Besides, they're probably too busy arguing."
"What? Arguing about what?"
"You." Angel answered simply, Buffy, however, was shocked.
"Why would they fight about me?"
"I don't know everything that happened while I was gone-"
"You weren't just gone, Angel. You were dead." Buffy said, fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice. Even though he was standing here in front of her, his arms securely around her waist, he had still been dead for seven and a half months. Nothing was ever going to change that.
"I know, Buffy. You've died once or twice yourself."
"The first one doesn't count, I was only dead for like a minute."
"It doesn't matter." Angel looked intently into her eyes. Buffy couldn't have looked away even if she wanted to. "You were gone, you were dead. I couldn't feel you, I couldn't sense you. You were gone in every meaning of the word. That was the most terrifying moment of my life…up until then." He added as an afterthought. Buffy didn't know how to react; they had never discussed her first death, as it had been so brief. Buffy had no idea it had affected him so deeply. "I know what it's like to have to go on without the one person you love more than life itself. You were dead and I had to go on. I had to exist in a world without you in it. I know exactly what you went through."
"No, you don't." Buffy shook her head. He didn't dream every night of a wonderful and impossible future, he wasn't haunted by a life he would never have. Buffy stepped out of his arms; Angel failed to stop her from pulling herself free of his arms.
He looked down for a moment, "You're right." He admitted, Buffy didn't say anything; she knew he had more to say. Angel looked back up. "I didn't dream of a happy future every single night."
Buffy was stunned. How did he know that? "Did the others tell you? Did Dawn tell you about the dreams?"
Angel shook his head. "No, they didn't tell me."
"Then who did? Was it Spike?"
Angel once again shook his head. "I'll explain everything, but not here. Can we go to your home? I want to see where you live."
Buffy looked at him askance, "Are you just trying to get out of telling me?"
Angel actually chuckled, "No."
"Fine. Let's go." Buffy reached out her hand for Angel to take hold. He smiled and reached out with his own.
Hand in hand they walked out of Giles' study, Buffy didn't want to go back into that room. Spike was there, as was Willow, Xander and Giles; she no longer knew the people in that room. Dawn would still be in there, but Buffy saw her frequently, she felt comfortable about her younger sister for the most part. Angel, sensing her discomfort, squeezed her hand gently. She glanced up into his eyes for a moment. She was planning to look away but found she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. They were the same dark brown, same beautiful depths; But they shined with happiness instead of being clouded with guilt. Tears formed in her eyes, she felt a single tear spill down her cheek. Angel wiped it away with the pad of his thumb before kissing her briefly on the forehead.
"No more tears." He whispered before pulling away.
"Promise." Replied Buffy, smiling, knowing full well that a promise like that would never be kept. "Come on, let's just leave. Do we really have to say goodbye?"
Angel frowned. "You really have to tell me exactly what happened here."
"What, no one told you?"
"Bits and pieces. But it was mostly; 'you should talk to Buffy about that.' So I stopped asking."
Buffy nodded numbly, turning her face away from Angel's.
"Hey, we'll just tell them we're leaving." Said Angel, pulling Buffy towards him. She stepped up in front of him, she wasn't ready to face them again. Buffy nodded numbly, thinking of the hostility she had felt coming off Xander in waves, the disappointment in Willow's eyes, Spike's bitter comments…Buffy stopped nodding and began shaking her head.
"I can't, Angel." She said firmly, leaving no room for discussion. "Please, don't make me do this."
Angel stared into her eyes, they were filled with love and understanding. "Okay. We'll just go."
"Thank you," she breathed, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Shall we?"
"We shall." Hand in hand they walked from the Manor.
Buffy opened her front door for Angel, who was waiting patiently beside her. She smiled at him as she pushed open the door and stepped inside, Angel waited a moment before following.
"No threshold." He said, chuckling, looking back at the door. "That's the first time I've entered a home without being invited. It was Giles who opened the door, he stuttered an invite and I didn't get to…" he said trailing off.
"Okay." Buffy said, jumping in to stop the story. "I'm just glad you got to experience that with me here. I want to be beside you when you get to experience all the new things."
"I want that too."
Buffy looked away and set her keys in a small ceramic bowl that Dawn had bought for her at a local flea market. "Anything in particular you want to do today?"
Angel didn't answer, so Buffy glanced up at his face and was slightly surprised at his expression. It was deadly serious.
"Angel…?"
"Why didn't the others know where you lived?"
Buffy's eyes widened. She didn't want him to be disappointed with her and she couldn't stand the look he was giving her, still serious, but the concern was also clearly evident. Buffy looked away. Her eyes gazing over her furniture, they had suddenly become very fascinating. But Angel wasn't going to let it slide. He followed Buffy to the kitchen, close on her heels. Buffy felt the urge to whirl around and confront him, but as much as she didn't want him to be disappointed, she didn't was his sympathy either. The Slayer just wanted to forget the past seven and a half months ever happened. They had turned her into someone she wanted to forget. But Buffy knew Angel wasn't going to let her.
"Buffy?"
"Don't, okay?" She half begged and half demanded. Buffy walked to the large double-door fridge. She didn't know why she had such a large fridge for one person. Buffy pulled one of the doors open and peered inside. "Do you want something to eat? You could have something fun, or something that tastes really gross…that's sometimes fun too."
"Buffy." He said her name softly. Buffy sighed and looked up at him. Angel was taken aback at her pleading face. He nodded his head once, saying that he would let it go for now. Buffy smiled gratefully and returned her attentions to the fridge and its contents. "Got any chocolate and peanut butter?"
Buffy's face lit up, she smiled at Angel. "How did you know about chocolate and peanut butter?"
Angel didn't answer; instead he stepped up next to her and put one arm around her waist. He pressed his lips against the crown of her head; Buffy leaned into him for a moment, before retrieving the chocolate and peanut butter from the fridge. Together they walked to the small two-seater lounge. Angel sat down first, Buffy slid next to him and pressed herself against his side, his arm went instinctively around her. Buffy took a deep breath and relaxed against his embrace.
"You still haven't told me about how you knew I had dreams." Buffy said, bringing up what has most puzzled her since Angel swore that the others didn't tell him. "Angel?" she prodded when he didn't answer.
"You know about other dimensions right?"
Buffy shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah."
"Well, when I was…dead…I was in another dimension. Another plane of existence I suppose is the better term. I was in a large open space, it wasn't peaceful…it wasn't anything. I was just there. There was these voices, they said they were there to explain to me what was happening." Angel explained, as Buffy stared at him, transfixed. "They said that I was dead, but that I'd be getting my reward. My Shanshu." Buffy reached out and took hold a firm hold of Angel's hand. He smiled his half-smile, Buffy's breath hitched in her throat. She had missed that smile. "But first I had to know some things: Spike had survived the battle and had told you I was dead. I was more shocked to find out Spike had survived than anything else at that point."
"And jealous."
"And jealous." Angel agreed. "They told me you were having dreams of this wonderful future, they said it was about you and I and the family we could have. The family we would have. They said it was a glimpse meant to give you strength and hope."
"Ha." Buffy scoffed.
"Yeah, you weren't taking it like they had hoped."
"Stupid disembodied voices." Buffy muttered, but her face bore a playful smile. Angel's heart warmed instantly. He kissed her briefly before continuing his story.
"They said some other stuff about me being a champion, a warrior worthy of my reward, and to live peacefully with the knowledge that I no longer needed to burden myself with the guilt of Angelus' deeds. They wished me luck and suddenly I was standing in the alleyway behind the Hyperion Hotel, wearing the same clothes, they were covered in blood; some mine, some not mine. But I didn't have a scratch on me. The sun was beating down on me and I wasn't bursting into flame. I could feel my heart beating. I was warm. I was human. I found a newspaper stand and discovered out I had been gone for seven and a half months. I made my way here and the rest is pretty self-explanatory."
"That's a hell of a tale."
"Yeah, it is." Agreed Angel, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Buffy."
"Sorry? What for?"
"For being gone so long."
"Oh, Angel." Buffy turned so her body was facing him. "It is not your fault. It's those damn Powers for being so damn stupid. I never blamed you for what happened. I hated you for being gone, but it wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault." She repeated taking Angel into her arms. His own arms wound their way around Buffy's small frame. She buried her face in the crook of Angel's neck. "I love you, Angel." She murmured against his skin, she placed a kiss on his neck and tightened her grip around him. Angel also tightened his hold on Buffy. "This is a dream." She whispered.
Angel moved his head to kiss Buffy's cheek. "Then let's never wake up."
Buffy giggled. "Okay. Sure thing." She reveled in the levity of the conversation. "What do you want to do today?"
"Nothing enters my mind." Replied Angel honestly. He had no plans. Buffy took that in, the inner workings of her mind trying to find something they would both like to do. She blushed at the obvious answer. Angel however didn't notice the redness in Buffy's cheeks. He was busy breaking off the chocolate block into smaller pieces. She tentatively reached out and slowly threaded her fingers threw his hair. "Here." Angel said, scraping a good amount of peanut butter onto the piece of chocolate. Buffy smiled and opened her mouth. Angel placed it just out of reach; Buffy quickly leaned forward and took a bite.
"Mmm. Very nice."
"Yeah." Angel said softly, before taking a bite himself. He closed his eyes, savouring the moment. "You know," he started before opening his eyes. "We have to buy some ice-cream."
"Ice-cream?"
"Yeah. Ice-cream."
"Fine, next time we go shopping we'll get ice-cream." Buffy leaned towards Angel's mouth. This kiss was sweet and careful; it was almost chaste. But Angel's kisses had a power over her like no one ever could. It didn't matter if they were passionate, all consuming, sweet or chaste they blew her mind away.
The pair continued feeding each other chocolate and peanut butter in relative silence. The conversation was filled with smiles, giggles and chuckles, kiss and caresses. To Buffy, this was heaven, a haven from the rest of the world. Her house had become a home. To Angel, this was his reward, his redemption. To finally hold the one he loved in his arms and not worry about the consequences. He had come home.
When they had finally eaten all the chocolate, Buffy threw out the rubbish and put the peanut butter back in the refrigerator. She returned to find Angel lying on his back, his hands folded underneath his head. She grinned at the sight and quietly walked to the lounge and watched him, his eyes were closed and a small smile played on his lips. Buffy smiled a small smile and leant forward to kiss him on the lips. She yelped in surprise when Angel's arms shot up and wrapped themselves around her waist. Angel's eyes were still closed as he pulled Buffy on top of him. Buffy happily complied and rested her head over his chest, their legs intertwined. His heartbeat resonated loudly in her ears. For an instant, she missed the quiet, the peacefulness. But he was human now; there was no curse to keep them apart, no reasons to be fearful of things going too far. His beating heart was a miracle and she wasn't going to diminish that. But she knew that she would sometimes miss the silence.
"Do you know what I dreamed?" Buffy asked suddenly.
"Only what I said before." Answered Angel. "I don't know details. Just you and me with kids, that we were happy. And that you dreamed the same thing every night."
Buffy nodded, she felt her hair scrape against his shirt. "We had two kids. I was heavily pregnant with the third. The oldest was Liam, he was three and Kathy was eleven months. They were so beautiful. So smart…it was wonderful." Buffy swallowed back tears. "But it wasn't real. I would wake up and you were dead. I wasn't happy, I was numb, and when I wasn't numb I was in so much pain it hurt to breathe. Dawn helped so much; I don't think she'll ever realise how much. I stopped talking to people; I stopped hanging out with Willow and Xander. I stopped patrolling; I stopped training the new Slayers. I didn't want to live, I didn't want to function. I just wanted it to stop." Buffy began to sob, Angel's arms tightened around her. She felt his lips brush the crown of her head.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"No. I have to." Buffy admitted. "You need answers-"
"I can wait, Buffy."
"You shouldn't have to." Said Buffy, failing to keep the bitterness from her voice. She was angry with herself. Angry for letting it get so bad. So out of hand. "I-I…let it happen. I let myself turn into this reclusive, depressed person. I didn't try to move on with my life, I didn't try to see the dreams as a gift. They were a gift, Angel. And I just wanted them to go away. But as the months past and I realised you weren't coming to back to me…I welcomed the dreams. They ruined my life; they kept me up at night. Sometimes I would cry myself to sleep because I wanted to see you so badly it hurt. It physically hurt." She bit her lower lip to fight back the sob that so badly wanted to come out. "I would wake up every morning after the dream and not get back to sleep, I couldn't, there was too much stuff in my head. So I would train until the sun came up, I would eat breakfast, I would tidy up, I would read books and watch TV. If Dawn came over, we would hang out. If I needed to go shopping for food and other things, I would. Dawn would take me shopping in the local markets; we would eat at cafés in the sun. I would feel like a person for a few hours," she sighed. Sometimes it seemed as though she was always sighing for some reason or another. Buffy freed herself from Angel's arms, once standing she faced the love of her life, waiting for him to respond, to do anything. He didn't fail her. Frowning, Angel slowly sat up.
"Buffy…"
"I'm a person again, Angel. You being here, talking with you…I'm Buffy. Whoever she is." Buffy added as an afterthought, remembering her conversation with Dawn the day before. Had it really had only been one day ago? "You make me Buffy. I might not make a lot of sense in a minute, so just bear with me." Buffy looked down at her hands clenched tightly in front of her. "I don't want to stop being Buffy. And I'm not saying I want you around just so I can be a person again, but if you go away…I don't know what will happen to me. Please…just please tell me you're not going to leave me."
Angel swallowed hard, not taking his eyes off Buffy's. She needed to understand that he could never promise her that; he could never tell her that he would never leave her. That was out of his control, they couldn't know what was going to happen and they definitely couldn't control it. Angel finally looked away. "I can't, Buffy. You know I can't make that promise."
Buffy's eyes widened in shock. He was going to leave her. She wanted to run from her house – her home – as fast as she could, but Angel made her stay with nothing more than a few simple words.
"I love you. I don't want to leave you. Ever again. But I can't-"
Buffy stepped up and kneeled in front of him. "Shh…" Buffy took his hands in hers, she lightly kissed his knuckles. "I love you, Angel. I know you don't want to leave me. Just be here with me, put your arms around me and whisper in my ear. That'll be more than enough."
Angel half-smiled. How he could make her feel so much with such a small smile she would never understand. Angel gently pulled his hands from Buffy's and put his arms around her instead, together they got to their feet. Angel's head resting on her shoulder, Buffy wound her arms around Angel's waist and rested her head on his chest.
He began whispering in her ear. Saying he was going to make her happy, that he was going to do everything in his power to create the future she saw. Buffy knew it wasn't the smart thing to do, but she believed him. He held her in his arms and whispered in her ear and it was more than enough.
Knock! Knock! Knock!"Guys! Guys, are you there?" yelled Dawn from the other side. Buffy let out a sigh and pulled away from Angel, furious that her sister had ruined a perfectly perfect moment.
"Coming!" she yelled as she walked towards the entryway. Buffy unlocked the door, twisted open the doorknob and was abruptly shoved back as Dawn stormed into the small villa. She wasn't exactly happy. But than neither was Buffy.
"You could have told us you were leaving, Buffy. I mean, I had to take Xander's car to get here. Don't really appreciate you taking my car." Dawn's hands were placed firmly on her hips, eyes glaring relentlessly. Buffy held her gaze.
"I couldn't face them. I'm sorry if I've let you down."
Dawn faltered, "Let me down? I was worried about you. I didn't know what happened, I didn't know if you welcomed back Angel with open arms or if you'd ran off."
"Angel's here."
Dawn nodded; her eyes shined with unshed tears. "Good. That's good, Buffy." She took a breath and glanced at her surroundings. "You okay?"
Buffy smiled at the image of Angel eating chocolate and peanut butter, the way his eyes closed as he savoured the taste. The way his eyes lit up when he smiled, laughed, chuckled or even smirked. The sound of his heart beating loudly in her ear. She would miss the silence, but her life could always use a little bit more noise. Their life. "I'm fine." She truly was. There were still issues that needed to be resolved, bridges that needed mending, but for the most part, for the important part, Buffy was fine. She was more than fine.
Dawn studied her older sister for a moment, taking note of the smile that reached her eyes. "Your eyes are green." Whispered Dawn, she stepped forward and took her sister into her arms. "Your eyes are green."
Eight Years Later…
Buffy dusted the vampire ash off her light blue jacket. "Damn it." She muttered under her breath. This was the second vampire she had killed in the past week. Either the vamps had taken a sudden and renewed interest in the former Slayer or it was just a coincidence. And Buffy didn't believe in those.
Once they found out Buffy was pregnant with their first child, both Buffy and Angel hung up theirs stakes and retired. That was over four years ago, and with all the other Slayers running about, the demons stopped coming after them and the Slayer and former vampire were able to have a pretty normal life. There were the occasional dustings and attacks, but they were always because Buffy and/or Angel just happened to be there. They agreed that if they saw a demon they would not ignore it.
Tonight, Buffy went to the local store to pick up some milk and bread. A vamp was hanging around outside waiting for the perfect victim and Buffy was happy to play the part. He was an easy kill, obviously a newbie, but since he was the second vampire Buffy had killed in the past few days she was very concerned.
She dusted the remainder of the ash off and walked back to her car, the grocery bag still in her hand. She hadn't been exaggerating when she said it had been an easy kill.
Once home, Buffy didn't waste any time telling Angel what had happened. "I walked past the alley he was lurking in, he made to grab me and I spun round and dusted him. I didn't even have to put the bag down. Poof! Deader vampire." Buffy glanced down at her clothes. "And then of course a gust of wind had to blow what was rest of him all over me. Yuck." She looked back at Angel, who hadn't spoken since she began her tale. "Awfully quiet there. What's wrong?"
"I killed a vampire last night."
Buffy was floored by this revelation. "Why didn't you tell me? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I didn't want to worry you." He assured her. Angel left his seat and began to slowly pace the kitchen. "It doesn't mean anything-"
"Only that they seem to have remembered who we are. I'm not going to do it again, Angel." She said, meeting his eyes. Angel stopped pacing and gave her a look of understanding. Their three children were asleep upstairs in their beds. Liam, Kathy and Ashling were too young to understand what the world was like and Buffy and Angel were determined to keep the real truth from them for, hopefully, their whole lives.
"I know. Do you want to ask Giles to send a Slayer here?" he suggested, taking a seat next to his wife. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"Okay. I'll ring him tomorrow." Buffy snaked her arms around Angel's neck and grinned appreciatively. "You know, you're pretty smart when you want to be."
"What are you talking about? I'm always smart."
Buffy giggled as Angel began kissing her neck.
"Hey, do you think Giles will want to come and visit?"
"Can we not talk about Giles while I'm trying to kiss you?" Angel asked halting the kissing, which didn't make Buffy very happy. She pouted, knowing Angel's greatest weakness. "Don't look at me like that."
"Why not?" she asked as she continued to pout. Angel eyes were pleading with her to stop this unfair torture, Buffy relented. "Fine. Just kiss me."
"Only if you don't bring up Giles." Insisted Angel.
Buffy smiled and gave a slight nod. "I promise to only say your name."
"Well that was a given."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really? Don't think you're being a but sure of yourself there, mister?"
"It's a fact." Angel said, pulling Buffy onto his lap. She happily put her arms around his neck. "I love you, Buffy." He said losing all playfulness. He never said he loved her without being serious as though Angel thought she needed to know he was being serious. She knew.
The past eight years have been a dream; she even experienced the morning she dreamed about for seven and a half months. The Powers were showing her the future; they were showing her that everything was going to be just fine. Why they couldn't have just told her in actual words, Buffy didn't know. They liked to be cryptic, just like Angel. He had lost some of his cryptic ways over the past few years. Buffy sometimes found she missed the mystery. Her husband wasn't a mystery to her anymore. Buffy of course didn't know every detail of his life or unlife, she didn't want to know a lot of them, he had lost most of his mystery, but none of his appeal. Eight years as a human had done wonders for the body and the soul.
"I love you, Angel." She replied kissing him softly on the lips. They were warm to touch. Buffy remember the first time she kissed the human Angel. It was a new sensation and took all of three seconds to get used to. "You're all I've ever loved."
"I know the feeling." He said returning a soft kiss of his own. Buffy smiled and rested against Angel's chest, his arms secure around her small frame. "We'll get a Slayer here and the demons will leave us alone."
"I feel bad dumping it all on a Slayer just because I can."
Angel didn't respond. He agreed. Killing the vampire the night before hadn't awoken a primal need, but it made him realize that no matter how hard the ex-vampire tried to deny it, that was what he will always be: an ex-vampire. Just as Buffy will always be a Vampire Slayer, she was just better at forgetting.
"Then we can ask Giles to send two."
"I love you." She said again, Angel smiled and rested his head on her shoulder. "You know that, right?"
"I know, Buffy, I know."
Buffy noticed the desperation in his voice. "Honey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
But Buffy wasn't going to give up easily. "You have 'something' face. Angel, what is it?"
"The past is hard to escape." He said, lifting his head of Buffy's shoulder. Buffy wasn't sure she understood. "I know what goes bump in the night. I can't ignore it-"
"We both said we wouldn't ignore it. That we couldn't." Buffy reasoned as she lifted her head to look Angel in the eyes. "But we have a family now, Angel. Their safety comes first."
"I know it does." He sighed. "It's still hard."
Buffy stared at her husband for a moment, not sure of what to say. She smiled sadly at him. "You'll always be someone who has to help people, you'll always be different. And that's why I'll always love you. Remember, I didn't fall in love with a normal guy. I fell in love with you. And I love that you can't turn away, that you have to help. It's what makes you who you are. You're a champion, Angel." She kissed him soundly on the lips, his hands pressed hard against her back, keeping her lips upon his.
The next day…
"Liam, sweetie. Stop that." Scolded Buffy.
"You know," said Angel, as he walked into the kitchen. Buffy looked up from where she was standing next to Liam as he sat down eating his breakfast, Kathy was her arms. The four year-old wasn't sure he wanted his breakfast and was swirling his cereal around the bowl with his spoon. "You can't call him 'sweetie' and scold him at the same time. It'll confuse him." Angel grinned at Buffy's glare. "Did you call Giles?"
Buffy nodded once. "Sure did." She smiled, "he's sending two Slayers next week-" Angel let out a sigh of relief. "-Willow and Xander are coming with them, something about needed a break. I for one don't believe them, I think they miss us. But they'll all be here next week."
He and Buffy shared a small smile before returning to their lives together. Kathy began to squirm in her mother's embrace. Angel was at Buffy's side in an instant, taking the little girl into his arms. "Hey, there gorgeous."
"I thought I was the only one you called gorgeous?" joked Buffy.
"Well how about," Angel began, bouncing Kathy on his waist. "I only call my girls gorgeous, is that okay?"
Buffy looked at her daughter laughing in Angel's arms and then at Ashling as she sat in her highchair, doing nothing but playing with her bib. Liam, suddenly realizing that he wasn't the center of attention, began talking loudly. Buffy smiled to herself. She reached out and took Angel's hand in her own. He squeezed it tightly and returned a smile. "That's just perfect."
THE END
Wow, so that's the end. I want to extend a special thank you to everyone who followed this story from start to finish. Your reviews were so wonderful and I fully appreciate it. Thank you very much. You guys know the drill, this is the part where you review. Remember, I always reply if given some way to contact you.
I wasn't going to have the 'Eigth years later...' part in at first, but decided, what the hell and kept it in. I hope I conveyed the emotions correctly and kept those characters in character. Lol. This fic is very special to me and I couldn't be happier with how it's been recieved.
Till next time, Maddy.