NellieBly413672: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Unfortunately this is the last chapter, but look for my next story probably sometime after the new year starts. Enjoy the last chapter!
meadow567: Well, maybe. But maybe not too. To be honest, I don't even know, lol. I wanted to leave it up in the air, but as a possibility. Anyway, thanks for the review and enjoy the last chapter!
justlikewedo: Aw, thanks. Glad you like it.
xcapitalbarbie90: Well, glad you liked it. Sorry you didn't like the twins names. I would have had a poll, but I forgot because originally the last two chapters were supposed to be one. But I'm glad you liked the chapter anyway and thanks for the review. Enjoy the last chapter!
Bluehaven4220: Yeah, lol. I can too. I'm sad the story is over too. I've been working on it so long. But now I get to write my next one, which I have tons of ideas for. Thanks for the review and enjoy the last chapter!
A/N: Wow, sorry for the very long wait. School's tough, what can I say? Anyway, here it is. The long awaited final chapter. And this is the longest chapter I've ever written, so yay for me. (It's 13 pages in word.) Enjoy and please leave one last little review for me! Oh yeah, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Have a nice holiday. I know I'm mainly looking forward to shopping the morning after. :)
Epilogue
October, 1984
Robbie and Laura were really enjoying parenthood. At times, the twins were a handful, and it was especially hard for Laura when Robbie was away, but they managed. One afternoon, Robbie and Laura were relaxing while the babies were sleeping, and taking advantage of having it unusually quiet for a change. It seemed like the twins rarely slept at the same time.
"What should we dress them up as for Halloween?" Laura asked Robbie as she was flipping through a magazine.
"I don't know. It's not like they can go trick-or-treating."
"We still have to dress them up. What were you for your first Halloween?"
"I don't remember. I was a baby."
"So was I, but my mom told me that she made me a pumpkin costume."
"Aw, I bet you were a cute little pumpkin," Robbie said in response. Laura couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or not.
"Are you making fun of me?" Laura asked.
"No, I seriously bet you were a cute pumpkin."
"We could dress the twins as pumpkins."
"How about Kayla is a pumpkin, Cory can be . . . " Robbie thought for a minute.
"He's not being a hockey player. He's being something cute."
"Fine. How about a ghost?"
"That's boring."
"So is a pumpkin."
"Fine. Kayla can be something else."
"How about a bunny? Bunnies are cute, and she has that little stuffed bunny that she likes," Robbie said.
"Okay. Now what about Cory?" Just as Laura said this, Cory began crying.
"Well, he's awake," said Robbie.
"I'll get him," Laura said, standing up.
When Laura came back into the living room with the baby, she noticed Robbie rubbing his wrist.
"Is your wrist bothering you again?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"You should talk to the doctor."
"It's fine, Laura."
"But it's been hurting on and off for over a year now."
"Yeah, but I know that they'll tell me I need surgery. And if I have surgery, I won't be playing hockey any more."
"But you've had a good career. And you won't be able to play forever anyway."
Robbie just looked at Laura for a minute, trying to figure out what she was telling him. "So you don't care if I stop playing?"
"No." Laura waited a minute before responding. "I know how much you love playing Robbie, and don't get me wrong, I love watching you and everything. I love that you play . . . but, well, if you weren't playing you'd be with me and the twins more. And I'd definitely like that. We miss you when you're gone. Don't we Cory?" Laura said, now talking to the baby.
"Well, I like playing too, but I would like to be here more often. You know, see the twins grow up. I don't want to miss important things because I'm away. Plus, my wrist is getting worse and worse. I'll really miss it though," Robbie said, talking about playing hockey.
"Maybe you can coach," Laura said. I'm sure there's a high school team that needs a coach or something."
"Yeah," Robbie said, and was then quiet for a few minutes. "Laura, will we stay in New York after I retire?"
"I don't know. I mean, it's nice here, but our families both live in Minnesota. And I'm not working right now anyway. I could easily get a job at a station somewhere else when I'm ready."
"Would you want to move back to Minnesota?"
"Yeah, if you do. It would be nice to have the twins grow up near our families. Then our parents would see them all the time, and I'm sure we could get some free babysitting out of it," Laura said, half joking.
"I think Minnesota would be nice too. We could buy a nice house in the suburbs somewhere and we'd have more space than in the apartment here."
Breaking the couple from envisioning their future were more cries, this time from Kayla.
"I'll get her," Robbie offered.
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Robbie ended up retiring in late November of that year. He planned on staying at least until the end of the season, but an injury during a game changed his plans. His wrist was fractured from a check in the boards and he needed surgery. Since he wouldn't be able to play for at least three months, and that would still be with quite a bit of pain, he decided to let it go. It felt really weird to know he was done playing, but the disappointment in the abrupt end to his career didn't last long. Robbie and Laura became busy right away, searching for a house in Minnesota.
The family of four ended up moving just before the twin's first birthday, into a house in Roseville, a suburb of the Twin Cities area. Robbie got a job working at a financial investment firm in St. Paul, and Laura got a position at WCCO news. They both loved it and were happy with the way everything was going.
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March, 1987
"Mommy, Daddy's home," Kayla shouted from the living room, having seen her father pull in the driveway. Laura was in the kitchen, getting dinner ready.
"Daddy!" Cory and Kayla shouted, and ran to the door as Robbie walked in.
"How are my almost three-year-olds today?" Robbie asked, and kissed both of them. Both Cory and Kayla had stories to tell, and they both went on for a few minutes before Robbie could even go to the kitchen to see his wife.
When Robbie went out to the kitchen, the twins continued playing like they had been before.
"Hi honey," Laura said, walking over to greet him.
"Hi. You look happy today," Robbie said, just thinking Laura had a bit of a glow or something.
"Well, I'm happy to see you," she said, pulling him in for a kiss.
"I'm happy to see you too," Robbie said breathlessly, several seconds later. "And dinner smells delicious."
"Thanks. I'm getting pretty good at cooking. Tonight we're having a new pasta dish that I wanted to try."
"I hope you didn't spend your day off slaving over the stove."
"Not really. Don't forget, we have very active twins as well."
"Have they been wild all day?"
"Let's just say I'll sleep good tonight," Laura said, laughing. "They weren't actually that bad, but we were busy. We went to the store, played a few games, went to the doctor's, baked cookies. You know, the usual."
"Who had a doctor's appointment?"
"Me."
"Oh."
"It wasn't really scheduled. I just called today and was able to get in."
"Oh, okay."
After a minute, Laura finally said, "Don't you want to know why I went?"
"Well, I guess. Nothing's wrong or anything, right."
"Nope. But . . . I'm pregnant," Laura squealed, smiling.
Robbie face broke into a big grin. "You are!" He picked her up and spun her around. "How far along?"
"Four weeks. I was a week late, and I thought I might be, so I figured I'd go in today and find out for sure."
"Did you tell the twins?"
"No, I figured we could do that together," Laura said, smiling.
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The twins were very surprised to find out they were getting a baby brother or sister. Since they had each other to play with all the time, the thought of having another sibling never occurred to either of them. They quickly became excited though, especially when Laura got closer and closer to having the baby.
On a very snowy and cold day in November, Laura had the baby. It was a healthy baby girl, Jessica Nicole McClanahan. She was beautiful and everything they could have wanted. With the twins and their new baby, Robbie and Laura both thought their life seemed pretty complete and they decided that Jessica would be the last of the McClanahan children.
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September, 1989
The twins were five now, and starting Kindergarten that year. It was their first day, and they were very excited. Robbie and Laura both took the morning off so they could watch the twins get on the bus.
"Is it coming yet?" Kayla asked about the bus.
"No sweetie," Laura answered.
"You just asked five seconds ago Kay. Shut up already," Cory told her.
"Don't tell me to shut up!" Kayla yelled back and pushed him.
"Don't push me!" Cory yelled pushing Kayla now.
"Both of you stop it!" Robbie said. "Or you won't go to school."
"But we have to Daddy. It's a law," Kayla told him, matter-of-factly.
"But if you two fight, you'll get kicked out," Laura said.
"Momma, look," Jessica said, pointing to a picture she drew with chalk. It was actually just scribbling - a typical picture for a going on two-year-old.
"That's beautiful Jess."
A bus turned down the street, and the twins began arguing again, over whether it was theirs or not. Laura and Robbie just exchanged a glance. They hoped the twins would behave at school and not fight and argue. Luckily they were in different classes though.
When the twins bus finally arrived, the twins got on barely looking back.
"Aren't you going to say good-bye?" Robbie asked.
"Bye," they said, quickly.
"Say bye to your brother and sister," Laura told Jessica.
"Bye bye," she said with a little wave.
A few minutes later, just after Laura left for work, Jessica looked up at Robbie.
"Kay, Cor comin home now?" she asked.
"Not yet sweetie. You're going to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house now tough," Robbie told her. He was dropping her off on his way to work.
"You too?" Jessica asked.
"No, I'm going to work."
"Me go too?"
"No sweetie, you can't go to work with me. I'm sorry. You'll have fun with Grandma though. Maybe she'll take you to the playground."
Jessica's face lit up. "Slide?" she asked, knowing exactly what playground meant. She loved slides.
"Yeah."
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New Year's Eve, 1989
On New Year's Eve, Robbie, Laura, and the kids went to a New's Year's Eve party at their neighbor's house. There were kids around the twins age, and a few younger kids about Jessica's age, so everyone had a lot of fun. After they watched the ball drop on TV, the kids were getting tired and they went home. Robbie and Laura both had a little too much to drink at the party, and were still wide awake and a little drunk as a result.
"I don't think I've had that much to drink since college," Laura said jokingly after they put the kids in bed.
"Yeah, I'll be feeling this tomorrow," Robbie replied.
"Robbie," Laura began, standing in front of him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "The kids are fast asleep. What do you say we start off the new year in a way we won't forget?"
"I say that's an excellent idea," Robbie said smiling, and then leaned down to kiss his wife.
Things began getting a little heated, and they stopped before they got too carried away.
"Let's go in the bedroom," Laura said, and pulled Robbie toward the stairs.
"We should probably lock the door," Robbie told her.
"The kids won't wake up. They're dead tired."
"But with all the noise we might make, I don't want to take a chance," Robbie said, grinning. Laura smiled back.
"I'll try to be quiet."
"Okay, but we're still locking the door."
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Nine months later, the McClanahan's welcomed a new member to their apparently still growing family. Patrick Dylan McClanahan became known as their little surprise. Even though having another baby was very accidental, Robbie and Laura promised to never refer to Patrick as an accident, because although they were surprised and thought they were done having more kids, they loved having a baby around again.
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June, 1992
As the kids got older, the McClanahan's became busier, as did the O'Callahan's. Laura still talked to Maddie all the time, but they hadn't seen each other in about five years. They planned for the O'Callahan's to visit them in June, just after school ended.
"Mom, how do we know these people again?" Kayla, who was now 8, asked.
"Dad played hockey with Jack several years ago."
"But do we know the kids?" Cory asked. He was excited because Robbie and Laura told him they had a boy that played hockey and was the same age as Cory.
"You met them a few years ago, when Jess was a baby, but you probably don't remember them. You were only four."
"Did you two finish cleaning your rooms like I asked?" Robbie asked, walking into the room.
"Almost," they answered in unison.
"Get up there," Robbie said. "The O'Callahan's will be here any minute.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Laura and Robbie answered it.
"Hi Maddie, hi Jack," Laura said, hugging both of them. Robbie said hi too, and invited them inside.
"Oh my god," Laura said, looking at Izzy and Michael. "They're getting so big!"
"I know," Maddie responded. "They're growing up fast on me." Izzy was already 12, and Michael was 8, the same as the twins. They looked the same as Robbie and Laura remembered, just older.
"Kayla, Cory, Jessica, come down here." The twins ran down the stairs, with their four-year-old sister following behind. Patrick was taking a nap. After Maddie and Jack commented on how big Robbie and Laura's kids were getting as well, they all went to play while the four adults got to catch up for a while. It was really nice to see them again, and once the O'Callahan's left, they promised that next time it wouldn't be as long between visits.
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The next several years went by and the McClanahan kids were growing up fast. Robbie coached Cory's hockey team for several years, until he moved up to more advanced travel teams, and that's when Robbie switched to coaching Patrick. Kayla and Jessica were both their mother's daughters, and enjoyed watching hockey much more than playing. Kayla loved dancing and volleyball, and Jessica figure skated and played softball. Laura continued working at WCCO news as the daytime reporter, and Robbie still worked at the financial investment firm.
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May, 2000
"Go Cory!" Kayla shouted from the stands, watching her brother as he skated out before the game. He was a center on the St. Paul Flames travel hockey team and they were in Madison, Wisconsin for a tournament that weekend. Even though Kayla didn't play hockey, she loved the sport and watching her twin play. She was so into the game that she didn't even notice a guy sit down next to her.
"So, who do you know out there?" the boy, about Kayla's age asked. He was pretty cute, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, but by his grin Kayla could tell he had a somewhat cocky attitude, like some of the guys on Cory's team.
"Number 11," Kayla replied, doing her best to act like he didn't impress her at all.
"Is he your brother, or boyfriend?"
"Is it any of your business?" Kayla asked, giving him a bit of her attitude.
"No, but I want to know if he's one of those protective older brothers that will kill me for talking to you, or if he's your big, tough, hockey player boyfriend that will . . . well, kill me for talking to you," he said stupidly, then smiling.
"Well, either way, it looks like you're done for," Kayla said with a smile back. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all. "He's my brother," she then answered. "And he's not that much older. We're twins."
"Oh, sorry."
"That's okay. It happens a lot. So why are you here?"
"My team is playing your brother's team next, so I'm scouting the dangerous players."
"Well, I'm not gonna give you any dirt on any of the players. Sorry."
"That's okay. I'm actually really here because I needed something to do between games and figured I could find a cute girl to talk to."
Kayla looked at him and smiled, blushing a little.
"What team do you play for?" she asked.
"Chicago Blues."
"Oh, I've heard your team is pretty good."
"Yeah, I guess," he said shrugging. "So do your parents make you come to your brother's games, or is there another reason you're here?"
"What? You think I would have to be forced to watch hockey? Do I look like one of those girls?" Kayla asked, flirting with the guy a bit. "Or are you just one of those guys that thinks girls only like hockey for the guys?"
"No. My sister used to play, so I know plenty of girls that like it."
"Well, I like watching. I don't play it, because apparently I'm just like my mom, but I love watching it. I guess it's a Minnesota thing though. If you grow up in Minnesota, you don't have a choice. Hockey's part of life."
"You're from Minnesota?"
"St. Paul," Kayla told him. "By the way, my name's Kayla," she said, remembering she never introduced herself.
"I'm Michael."
Kayla and Michael talked during the first period, and once it was over, they decided to get some hot chocolate from the concession stand. Michael bought it, and promised to find Kayla later, because now he had to go to get ready for his game. Kayla went back to watch Cory. By that time, her parents were in the stands too, with her twelve-year-old sister, because her nine-year-old brother's game was over. He was playing in the tournament too, on a team her Dad coached.
"Where did you go?" Laura asked the sixteen-year-old.
"To get hot chocolate," Kayla said with a smile.
"You met a boy, didn't you," Laura said, immediately judging from the expression on her daughter's face.
"Maybe."
"Hey, what did I tell you? No boys," Robbie said.
"He was nice Dad. You'd like him."
"I doubt it."
After the game, Cory played again, against Michael's team. Kayla forgot to find out what number he was, and there were no names on their jersey's, so she had no idea.
"Laura? Robbie?" she heard from someone behind them. Her parents turned around.
"Maddie!" Laura said, immediately getting up and hugging her. After Kayla's parents greeted the lady, they introduced her to Kayla. Kayla knew who she was now, remembering stories she heard over the years. Maddie's husband and daughter came over a minute later. Everyone chatted for several minutes and they sat down together to watch the game.
"So, Michael's playing in the tournament?" Laura asked.
"Yeah, he's number 13."
"Cory's number 11," Laura said.
Both Cory and Michael played well, and Robbie made a comment about how he liked Michael better than Jack.
"It doesn't look like he takes after you."
"No. He doesn't fight nearly as much."
After the game, which Michael's team won, the O'Callahan's and the McClanahan's decided to meet at a restaurant down the street so they could all see each other for a while. Kayla was disappointed she had to leave without seeing Michael, but hoped that she might see him the next day.
The McClanahan's got to the restaurant second, and saw Jack waving them over to the table.
"Hi," Jack said. He began introducing everyone, since the boys had been playing before. Just before he introduced his son to Kayla though, he realized they looked like the two already knew each other. Laura also noticed, and realized that the boy Kayla met earlier must have been Michael.
"Hi," Michael said to everyone, though only looking at Kayla.
"Hi," Kayla said back. Cory quickly picked up what was going on too.
"Oh boy," he commented, under his breath.
Laura turned to Jack. "I think they met before the game," she whispered.
While they were waiting to order, Laura said how nice it was to see everyone again. "And it's so nice that you come to your brother's games, even though you're 20 now and probably have a lot to do," she told Izzy.
"I love watching," Izzy said. Then she whispered, "And I like the assistant coach, but don't tell my dad."
"Everyone knows you like Justin," Michael said loudly. Izzy glared at him.
"Izzy doesn't like Justin," Jack said, completely oblivious. "Besides, he's 24. Way too old for Isabelle." Izzy just rolled her eyes.
"My dad does the same thing to me," Kayla told her with a sympathetic expression.
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Over the next several months, the McClanahan's tried to really keep in touch with the O'Callahan's, including Kayla and Michael. The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were coming up and Herb was coaching the team. The 1980 team was also having a reunion and lighting the torch in the opening ceremony. All of the guys families were going, and everyone was excited because with a few exceptions, most of the guys didn't meet each other's wives and kids.
Kayla was really excited because she was going to see Michael again. He was nice, and she really liked him. And Kayla also knew that her Dad liked Michael. Robbie of course wasn't aware that Kayla was developing a slight crush, so if he ever found out, Kayla knew his opinion of Michael O'Callahan would quickly change.
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February, 2002
Robbie and Laura arrived in Salt Lake City two days before the opening ceremony with their four kids. The rest of Robbie's old teammates were also arriving that day if they were not there already. That night, the guys were getting together to catch up, and after the opening ceremonies, there was a big party for the guys and their families.
Robbie recognized most of the guys right away, because they all looked the same.
"How have you been Rizzo?"
"Hey, Mac. Long time no see. I've been good. You?"
"Yeah, everything's going great."
"How's Laura?"
"Good."
"I heard you were busy for a while there," Silky chimed in. "Four kids?"
"Cory, Kayla, Jessica, and Patrick."
"Wow, I and think raising two is tough," said Rizzo about his two boys.
"Yeah," Silky agreed.
"You have two girls, right?" Robbie asked Silky.
"Yeah. And they're getting to be at that typical teenage girl age. Sometimes I consider moving out until they're in their twenties and the hormones die down a bit," Silky joked.
"You haven't really changed that much, have you?" Mark said, walking up.
"Well, I am happily married now. And I have been for 15 years."
"How did she steal your heart?" Bah asked, who joined them with Mark.
"Well, it's a funny story actually. I sort of stole her . . . from a guy on my team." The guys all laughed, thinking about how that was a typical Silky thing to do.
"What are we discussing over here?" Verchota asked, walking up to the group.
"How some people never change," responded Robbie.
"I like to think I've changed in the last 22 years." After thinking about it he said, "Wow, it's actually been 22 years."
"Yeah. I still remember it like it was yesterday," said Mark. "Oh, and for the record, I think Verchota's changed the most out of everyone."
"Yeah, I finally took Maddie's advice on women and suddenly, all sorts of girls liked me. I felt like Rizzo for a while though," he said laughing.
"Hey! Was that an insult?"
"Not really. Girls always liked you though. I think mainly because you're just an all around nice guy. After I tried some new approaches to women, they all thought I was great. Lisa really was the one for me though," Verchota said, speaking about his wife.
"Well, I'm really glad that everyone was able to get together," said Jimmy. "It's really nice to see all of you again." By this time, most of the other guys had migrated over to join the group as well.
"Remember what it was like when we beat the Soviets?" Rizzo asked everyone, just reminiscing.
"How could anyone forget that? That was the most amazing feeling," said OC.
"All that hard work over those seven months was worth, huh?" said Bah.
"It sure was," a few of the guys answered together.
"Remember Norway?" Mark asked.
"Again, something I don't think anyone could forget," said Silky.
"I thought I was going to die," said Verchota.
"I can still hear Herb saying 'Again' over and over," said Jimmy with a laugh.
"Speaking of Herb," Rizzo began. "I have a little something." He pulled a notebook out of his pocket and opened it. He began reading, "You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone . . . The legs feed the wolf . . . My personal favorite, you're playing worse and worse everyday, and right now you're playing like the middle of next week."
"Are those the Herbisms we wrote down?" Robbie asked.
"Yep." The guys laughed and started talking about them a little. Rizzo read a few more.
"I still don't know what half that stuff means," said Verchota. The rest of the guys agreed.
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During the opening ceremonies, the guys were reminded of the feelings they had during the opening ceremonies and Olympics 22 years ago. After lighting the torch and once everything was finished, the guys met their families for the party. It was impossible for everyone to really get to know everyone else, because there were so many people there. Cory and Kayla mostly hung out with Michael, Cory because he already knew Michael, and Kayla because she liked him. Cory began getting the impression that Michael may like his sister back.
Izzy was by far the most popular person at the party. All of the guys were eager to see what a beautiful woman their 'team mascot' had become.
"I can't believe how old you are now!" said Mark, who hadn't seen Izzy in several years. It was the same for Mark as it was for almost all of the guys though. "We all remember you when you were born."
"And even though you weren't born until December, you were really like the center of the team for the entire seven months. Well, your mom was actually. But you really made everything go the way it did and without you . . . " Verchota stopped, not wanting to let something stupid slip out. He didn't know how much Izzy had heard about what went on leading up the Olympics.
"I know, my dad was a stupid jerk for a while and almost ruined everything," Izzy said with a smile.
"Well, I wasn't going to say that, but yeah, he was."
The guys and their families enjoyed their time together, and they even got to catch up with Herb, Craig, and Doc as well. They ended their night with a toast and hoped they would all see each other again before another 22 years passed.
"As captain," Rizzo started, "It's my duty to make sure we never go 22 years without a reunion again. Maybe we can figure out a way to get together again next year. I really think everyone enjoyed being together again."
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As everyone knows, the team did get together the following year, but it wasn't as happy an occasion as they had hoped. Herb Brooks was in a car crash and died on August 11, 2003. The guys from the gold medal team got together in Herb's honor at his funeral. Although Herb died tragically, his memory will always live on for what he did for the country in giving Americans a chance to hope and believe, and giving 20 guys the chance to live a dream come true.
The story of the 'Miracle on Ice' will continue to be remembered through history, and it will continue to give people everywhere the chance to believe that miracles really do happen and dreams can come true.
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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed. I just want to say thank you again to everyone that reviewed throughout the story. I really, really appreciated the feedback. You have no idea how much they mean to me and how helpful they are (unless of course, you write stories yourself, then you have an idea how much their appreciated). So thanks again!
Oh yeah, my next story will be about Mark and it's in the works now. I'd like to start posting just after Christmas, but it probably won't be up until after the new year begins. I don't have a title yet, but it will be a Mark story so look for that. I wanted to leave a little section as a preview sort of thing, but I couldn't decide what to put in. So you'll just have to wait until it comes out. Until then, have a nice holiday season!