Hi guys!

Thanks for all the excellent reviews you left me for the last chapter. It's good to know that you all enjoyed it. And you also appear to be just as sad as me that this story is over. But hey, that just means more, more, more in the future!

Okay, last chapter coming up!

Jeff frowned as he considered the financial implications of the new business transaction. His colleague looked up at him expectantly, seeking advice on how to act in this unexpected situation. Jeff smiled at him and took a deep breath, drumming his fingers on the surface of the shiny wooden table as he bit his lip and weighed out his options. Of course, he needed to make a decision soon, before his opponent withdrew the offer. But he also needed to think his actions through carefully before proceeding. After all, the wrong decision would leave his entire business bankrupt. He had to choose the option that would benefit all areas of his empire.

"Sorry," he stated, shaking his head. "I'm gonna have to turn the offer down."

Gordon grinned and waved a fist-full of pink notes in front of his father's face. "Are you sure, Dad?" he asked. "I mean c'mon, if you don't sell the stations, you're gonna end up losing Oxford Street."

Jeff sighed again, glancing down at Alan, who sat in the chair beside him. "What do you think, Al?" he inquired. "Do you think Gordon's got something else planned?"

Alan nodded his head. "Uh-huh." he stated. "Gordy's always plannin' stuff. And he and Johnny always win when they play this game. Gordy's real good at trickin' people, so maybe he's trying to trick us or something. Right, Daddy?"

Jeff chuckled, patting Alan on the back as the small boy stood up on his chair and leaned over the Monopoly board. "I think he's gonna try and get that hotel off us next." the blond continued. "That's what John and him always does when we're playing."

"That's what he and John always do." Jeff corrected fondly, setting his cards down again. "Nope, sorry Gordo. The deal is off."

Gordon shrugged, picking up the die and rolling them across the board. "If you're sure."

Jeff smiled as Alan leaned over and crawled into his lap, resting his small arms on the table-top as he watched Gordon's silver dog move slowly around the game-board. The Tracy patriarch had learned rather a lot about his five children over the past six weeks. Firstly, they were all good Monopoly players. Apparently, Scott had taught the younger three boys the finer points of ''Monopolying'' as he had called it, and it appeared that the five Tracy sons had participated in weekly games. This had come as rather a surprise to Jeff. Especially as five-year-old Alan seemed to understand the rules almost as much as his older brothers did. Jeff had insisted that they carry on in their tradition of the weekly Monopoly game, with one exception - Jeff would also participate, with Alan on his team as his 'assistent'.

Jeff sighed as Gordon landed on 'GO' and held his hand out to Virgil so that he could collect his cash. Virgil grinned at his 'business partner' and handed the money over.

"I think this one's in the bag, Gordo." he stated, moving his chair closer to the copper-haired boy and whispering the next strategy into his ear.

"What's in the bag?" Alan asked, his face lighting up in interest. Gordon smiled cunningly.

"An Alan-eating machine, Sprout." he informed the younger boy. Virgil guffawed, before composing himself and nodding in agreement.

"That's right." he confirmed. "John didn't like the fact that he wasn't the only blond-haired Tracy in the family, so he ordered an 'Alan-Eating Machine' off the Internet to get rid of you. That's why he and Scotty aren't here today. They went to the mainland to pick it up."

Alan looked momentarily shocked, turning to look up at his father with huge eyes. Jeff hid his grin and looped an arm around Alan's front, squeezing him gently.

"They're just being silly, Alan." he assured the frazzled five-year-old. "You know that's not where John's gone. He and Scott went to pick up Dr. Palmar so that Gordon can have his cast removed, remember?"

Alan nodded, turning back towards his brothers and fixing them with a hard, moody stare. "You're mean." he pouted.

"Aaw, c'mon Sprout!" Virgil smiled. "We were only kidding, weren't we, Gordon?"

Gordon looked very thoughtful. "Well," he began. "I'm quite sure that I heard Scotty saying something about an-"

When Alan looked as though he were on the verge of tears, Gordon swallowed the rest of his sentence and leaned forward, ruffling the blond hair gently. "Sorry, Allie." he apologised. "I'm only joking. There's no such thing as an Alan-eating machine."

Alan pouted moodily and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know that, Gordy!" he grumbled.

"Aaw, don't be upset, Sprout!" a voice called from the doorway.

"Scotty!" Alan cried delightedly, slipping off his father's knees and running over to where his older brother stood at the other side of the room. Gordon and Virgil also jumped off their chairs, Virgil passing Gordon his crutches before the two of them followed their younger brother at a slower pace.

"Hey, kiddo!" Scott grinned, scooping the boy up into his arms and settling him on his hip. "Did I miss anything exciting?"

Alan nodded. "Gordy's winning at Monop'ly, and Daddy's losing again. He's not as good as you."

Jeff made a noise of mock-protest, before standing up and walking over to give Scott a one-armed hug. "How was the flight? Any problems?"

"Nope." Scott smiled. "Still got a perfect record."

"What d'you mean 'still'?" John asked incredulously, coming up behind Scott and thumping him on the back. "You only got your official licence five weeks ago!"

Scott shrugged. "So? It's still perfect, isn't it?"

"Huh, not for long!"

Jeff grinned as his old friend stepped up behind Scott and poked him in the back. "Move over, Mr. Perfect. There's an 'amazingly wonderful and devilishly handsome' doctor coming through."

"You forgot 'unfailingly modest'." Jeff joked, as he and Thomas clapped each other on the back. "So, how's Georgina doing?"

Thomas sighed and shook his head. His favourite jet, the one that he and Jeff had built together during their free months on earth before Alan had even been born, was officially well-and-truly dead. She had lasted longer than either man had thought possible, so neither was particularly shocked that she had finally kicked the bucket - so to speak.

"Well, she'll make nice scrap metal." Thomas reasoned. "Andy's already begging me to let him tinker with her and fit in a new carbon-syrillium engine, but - well - it just wouldn't be the same as the old model. I'm gonna give her to the airbase near the hospital, see if they can find a use for her parts."

Jeff nodded and smiled, stepping back slightly as Gordon hobbled up to greet the doctor. The copper-haired boy grinned at the older man, his green eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Hey, Dr. Palmar." he said innocently. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Tom, Gordon. It's Tom." he murmured, before patting the young boy on the shoulder and looking down at the cast on his leg. "Wow." he remarked. "That's quite an impressive collection of cartoons you got there, kiddo. That Virgil's handiwork?"

"Yup." Gordon confirmed proudly, pulling the blushing brown-haired boy close to his side. "Virgil's the greatest big brother in the world."

Virgil turned a deeper shade of pink at the praise, looking down at his shoes. Scott cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow when Gordon looked over at him.

"And what about me?" he demanded playfully, setting Alan down again.

"You're more like a fussy nanny than a big brother." Gordon grinned, as Scott's mouth fell open in outrage.

"Why you little-" he began, but stopped as John stomped on his foot sharply. "Aaah! John, what was that for?!"

"Oops." the blond teenager murmured. "Silly me. Sorry, Scott. 'Two left feet' and all that."

Thomas laughed heartily, shaking his head. Then he spotted Alan standing beside Jeff and smiled. "Hey, pal. How're you doin'? You feeling better than you were when I last saw you?"

Alan nodded shyly, gripping onto the fabric of Jeff's pants and hiding slightly behind his father's legs. Jeff chuckled, ruffling the five-year-old's hair gently and putting his arm around Alan's shoulders.

"He's kinda worn himself out today." he said to Thomas, by way of explanation for the boy's uncharacteristic shyness. "We went down to the beach and played baseball for a couple of hours this afternoon. After dinner, I think I'll put him stright to bed. Do you agree, little man?"

Alan looked up at Jeff and shook his head adamantly. Jeff laughed. "No, of course you don't. How silly of me to suggest such a thing."

Thomas and Jeff shared a knowing look, as did John and Scott. They all knew that Alan's body would disagree with the boy's stubborn determination, and that he would soon be overcome by fatigue. As the family sat down to dinner, they smiled as Alan's eyelids drooped lower and lower with every passing minute. By the time they had begun their desserts, Alan could barely keep himself upright in the chair, his peacan pie lying untouched on his plate as he battled to stay awake.

"Dad, I think Alan's outta battery." Virgil smiled, leaning towards his father and lowering his voice as the other family members chuckled softly.

"Cool, can we replace him?" Gordon asked, grinning mischievously. Scott frowned and gently smacked him upside the head. Gordon glared at his eldest sibling, rubbing the back of his head and raising his other hand defensively."What? I was only asking!"

"Shh!" John hissed, reaching into his pocket. "Don't wake him up. I've gotta get a picture of this."

Taking out his tiny digital camera, he leveled it in Alan's direction and took a photograph, grinning as it appeared on the small screen. "Okay, I'm good." he stated.

By this time, the rest of the family (other than Alan) had finished their desserts. Smiling, Jeff stood to his feet and rounded the table, stopping next to Alan's chair and gently lifting the boy into his arms.

"Scott, can you organise the clearing of the table?" Jeff asked softly, rubbing Alan's back as the five-year-old draped his arms around Jeff's neck. Scott nodded, eyeing his youngest brother with a fond smile.

"I'll go get my equipment from the plane and set it up in the infirmary." Thomas stated, smiling at the sight of father and son together.

Jeff nodded his agreement, readjusting his grip around Alan's legs and heading out of the dining room. Making his way slowly down the corridor and up the stairs, he arrived at the door to Alan's bedroom. Entering the room backwards, he pushed open the door with his hip, approaching bed and gently setting Alan down on top of the duvet. Grabbing a pair of pyjamas, he sat down on the mattress and maneuvered Alan into a sitting position, smiling at the boy as he blinked up at him groggily.

"Hey, buddy." he murmured. "Let's get you ready for bed, hmm?"

With a great deal of effort, and a lot of assistance from his father, Alan managed to change into the pyjamas, yawning constantly and rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. Dumping the clothes in the small laundry basket, Jeff lifted Alan off the bed and drew back the covers, setting the boy down upon the mattress and tucking him in tenderly.

"Cocoa." Alan murmured, glancing around his bed for the stuffed bear. Smiling, Jeff sat on the edge of the bed and handed his son the soft toy, running his hand over the blond hair gently.

"No bedtime story this evening, kiddo." he said quietly, and Alan didn't even bother to argue as his eyes fluttered closed and he let out a long sigh. Jeff bent close to the boy's head, cupping Alan's cheek as he leaned in to kiss his forehead. "Goodnight, Allie. I love you."

"Love 'ou, Daddy." Alan slurred wearily."G'night."

Standing back up again, Jeff bent down to retrieve a few of Alan's pull-back-and-go racing cars, setting them down in a blue storage box at the end of the bed. Putting the lid back on the box, he gathered up a few loose items of clothing and dropped them into the laundry basket, sighing as he glanced over at the sleeping form of his youngest son. It surprised him just how quickly he had forgotten about the events of the last thirteen months. He could no longer imagine a time when he didn't tuck his baby boy into bed. He couldn't remember the nights where he went without kissing Alan goodnight and reading him a bedtime story. The positive, happy memories of the last six weeks had all but erased the work-filled, painful memories of those thirteen long months he spent without his sons.

Flicking the switch on the rocket shaped night-light that sat on a table at the far side of the room, Jeff walked towards the doorway and stepped out into the corridor, pulling the door towards him but leaving it ajar so that a little of the main light would shine into the room during the night. Then, smiling happily to himelf, he strode of downstairs, ready to indulge his second-youngest in some serious pool-time. After all, it wasn't everyday that you were set free from your restraints and allowed to take part in your life passion, was it? Gordon was in for a treat.

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Gordon gazed down at his pale and skinny left leg, which looked positively alien in comparison with the tanned shade of his right leg. Glancing up at Thomas, who was sitting on a chair in front of the infirmary bed, he frowned worriedly.

"Are you sure it's supposed to look like this?" he asked the doctor. Thomas smiled and nodded, packing the equipment back into it's protective casing.

"It's only so skinny because you haven't used it in six weeks." he explained. "And it's pale because the cast has been blocking out the light. Don't worry, in a week or so it'll be good as new."

Gordon smiled, satisfied, and looked up at his father, who sat on the bed beside him, an arm around his shoulders. "Can we go now, Dad?" he asked excitedly. "Please?"

Jeff chuckled softly, hopping off the bed and picking up Gordon crutches. "C'mon then." he smiled, handing them to the young boy. Gordon took them and frowned.

"But - but Dad, I don't need to use these anymore." he stated in confusion, glancing at the doctor for confirmation.

"Sorry, buddy." Thomas smiled sympathetically. "But I'm afraid that you'll have to use them on and off for another week or so, depending on how quickly your muscles strengthen. Trust me, you're gonna be a little unsteady for a few days at least. And your leg's gonna feel really weird."

Gordon nodded, sliding off the bed and landing on his right foot, before tentatively placing his left upon the floor and putting some weight on it. Frowning at the sensation - which was almost as alien to him as the leg itself - he took a small step without the crutches, almost collapsing onto Thomas as his weak limb wavered underneath him. Jeff caught him just in time, shaking his head.

"Gordon, use the crutches." he instructed. "We'll try some more walking after you've had a dip in the pool."

Gordon's face lit up at the mention of the word 'pool', and he swiftly made his way to the door, a grin plastered across his face. "I'll go change." he stated, before disappearing off down the corridor.

Jeff smiled and clapped Thomas on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming out here to do it, Tom." he said sincerely.

Thomas waved off the apology and grinned. "Ah, it was nothing." he smiled. "I wanted an excuse to come and see you guys, anyway. Plus, as you may recall, you had a certain amount of trouble with the media the last time you visited the hospital. I figured that this was the easiest way to get around that problem."

Jeff nodded as Thomas stood to his feet, and together they made their way down the corridor and towards the front of the house. Jeff caught his friend's arm and brought them to a halt.

"Hey Tom, I was just thinking." he began casually.

"Uh-oh." Thomas deadpanned. "We're all doomed."

Jeff frowned at him, before smirking and continuing on down the corridor. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to spend the night in one of the guest bedrooms. I mean, Scotty will be more than happy to fly you back to the mainland, I'm sure. I just wondered if you'd like to spend some more time with the boys, that's all."

Thomas' face fell slightly. "Wish I could, Jeff." he said sadly. "But I have the early morning shift tomorrow. Andy's already covering for me today, and I can't ask him to do it again. Besides, I'm chief consultant. Days off are hard to come by."

Jeff nodded in understanding. "I'll call you later in the week, then. There are a few things I've been thinking about recently. You'll probably think I'm mad, but hey! Who cares? You already think that anyway."

Thomas grinned and nodded. "Yup, I do."

Jeff clapped his friend on the back. "Have a safe flight home, Tom." he smiled. "And don't let Scott drink any more coke. Two glasses is the absolute maximum. I've found that that a combination of caffeine and sugar is never a good thing when it enters his metabolism. Keep him off the caffeine, or he'll be doing nose-dives into the Pacific."

"Ah, don't sweat it." Thomas smiled, walking towards the west wing of the house, where the passageway to the airplane hangers was situated. "I taught him everything I know!"

Sighing, Jeff shook his head and smiled. "That's what I'm worried about, Tommy-boy."

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Gordon pushed off the side of the pool with his good leg, kicking gently as he swam beneath the water, circling his father's legs. Grinning slightly, the ten-year-old positioned himself behind his dad's back, before breaking through to the surface with a loud gasp and a splash. Jeff jumped, startled, and spun around quickly. Catching site of Gordon, he powered through the water towards him, grabbing him around the middle and dragging him over to the side. He then proceeded to tickle the exposed ribcage with skilled digits, chuckling as Gordon screamed with laughter.

"Hey John! Dad's taken Gordon captive!" Virgil yelled, swimming towards the struggling pair. "Let's get him!"

Jeff released his hold on the giggling copper-haired boy, diving back under the water and pushing himself away from the wall. He swam as close to the bottom of the pool as he could, avoiding John's long legs as the teenager began treading water beside Gordon. Escaping to the far corner of the pool, Jeff broke to the surface, sucking in a huge breath and running a hand over his wet hair to keep the water from dripping in his eyes.

"Over here, boys!" Jeff yelled, grinning as three heads turned in his direction. "You'll have to try harder than that to capture your old man!"

Jeff immediately regretted saying this, as he suddenly found himself being attacked on all sides. John's arms grabbed him around the shoulders, trying to dunk him under as the other two boys splashed at him mercilessly. Spluttering and grinning, Jeff fought them off as best he could. After a while, he held up his hands in surrender and allowed himself to be dunked under the water, knowing that his sons would eventually beat him anyway. He may have had the advantage in height, weight and strength, but they were young and energetic. Plus there were three of them, and only one of Jeff. His defeat had been inevitable.

Pulling himself out of the pool, Jeff grabbed a towel and dried himself off quickly. Dropping down onto the sun-lounger closest to the poolside, he watched as Gordon happily swam about the pool, his strong and confident strokes allowing him to cut through the water with ease. Considering the fact that he hadn't used his left leg in six weeks, he was doing rather well for himself.

Sighing, Jeff lay back on the lounger, gazing up into the orange-yellow sky. For several minutes, he admired the mixtures of colours that seemed to swirl around in a deep haze above him. Virgil's picture had looked almost exactly like this sunset, only better. Somehow, Virgil had managed to put the joy and happiness into the pastel lines, showing a whole different interpretation of the sun setting. Before, Jeff had merely thought of it as the mark of the end of another day. But now he knew just how much more there was to this simple lanscape view. The beauty, the passion, the love that concealed itself within the endless skies, waiting to be sought out and captured. Serving as a reminder of the joys experienced in the day, a celebration of all that had taken place.

Suddenly, Jeff's brain registered the fact that the sun was actually setting. Realising that a greater amount of time had passed than he first thought, he glanced down at his watch, shaking the water-droplets off the plastic screen and peering at the numbers beneath. It's 21:13 already? Man, time really does fly when you're having fun. Hmm, I'd better get Gordon off to bed, it's way past his bedtime.

"Gordon." Jeff called, standing up and walking to the edge of the pool. "It's time to come out now, kiddo. I hadn't realised how much time had passed. You should have been in bed a while ago."

Gordon looked up at him, his copper hair plastered to his head as droplets of water trailed down his face, and nodded in submission. Jeff could see that the young boy had worn himself out from all the activity, his movements as he swam towards the edge of the pool being far slower than before.

Once Gordon had heaved himself up to sit on the edge of the pool, Jeff helped him to stand to his feet, handing him his crutches and wrapping a towel around his shoulders. Guiding him up the steps, he reminded Virgil that he was also due to go to bed within the next fifteen minutes. Virgil nodded and heaved himself out of the pool, chatting happily to John as he dried himself off. Smiling, Jeff lead Gordon into the house and towards his bedroom. After leaving the boy to change into his pyjamas, he peered into Alan's bedroom to make sure that the five-year-old was sleeping peacefully. Thankfully, it appeared that he had not been plagued by nightmares so far this evening.

Jeff was glad of this small blessing. A week or so following the incident with the storm, Alan had begun to experience nightmares. At first, they were just simple 'bad dreams' which required nothing more than gentle reassurances and soft words of comfort. But two weeks ago, there had been another storm over the island. It had not been a tropical storm, just a mild thunderstorm. However, the claps of thunder and the sound of the rain as it fell upon the island had awoken the fears and the memories of that dreadful night. Consequently, Jeff had been awakened in the middle of the night by Virgil, who had been sent by Scott to fetch him. The eldest Tracy child had, in turn, been awakened by the terrified cries of his younger brother. Thankfully, Scott had managed to calm Alan down enough before the boy hyperventilated. But still, it had been a frightening experience for all of them. Jeff had insisted that Alan sleep in his bed for the following few nights, just in case another nightmare occurred. But it appeared that, despite all the trauma and worry, Alan was recovering just fine on his own. And, with Scott's bedroom only two doors away, Jeff was confident that Alan was in safe hands.

Walking back into Gordon's room, he smiled to see the copper-haired boy already getting into bed, his crutches propped up against the bedside table. Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, he patted his son's left leg gently.

"How does it feel?" he asked, pulling the duvet up and over the ten-year-old's body. Gordon shifted slightly and frowned up at him.

"Weird." he stated. "It feels so light. And everything that touches it feels odd, too."

Jeff smiled as he tucked the covers around the small form. "It will do, for a while." he sympathised. "But that'll change soon. In a few days, you won't be able to tell the difference."

Gordon sighed and snuggled down into the pillows, smiling as Jeff ran a hand over his slightly damp hair. "Did you brush you teeth?" the father asked. Gordon nodded and grinned, revealing a neat row of white teeth.

"Good boy. Alright, kiddo. Sleepy time." Jeff murmured, rubbing Gordon's back gently. The copper-haired boy smiled up at him sleepily.

"Yes, commander." he mumbled, his eyelids drooping. Jeff chuckled, leaning down and planting a soft kiss on Gordon's brow.

"Goodnight, little fish." he said fondly. "I love you."

Gordon sighed in content, closing his eyes and relaxing into his father's touch. "Love you too, Dad. 'Night."

Standing up, Jeff made his way towards the door, pausing as he had done before to glance back at Gordon as he lay quietly beneath the duvet, the pull of sleep winning its battle to overcome him. Smiling, Jeff pulled the door closed behind him, knowing that his second-youngest preferred sleeping in the dim light. Suddenly, the sound of Tracy One's jet engines could be heard faintly as they approached the island. Walking to the set of double doors at the far end of the hallway, Jeff slid one open and stepped out onto the balcony, closing it softly behind him. Putting his hands on the rail, he leaned against it and sighed, his eyes gazing far out across the expanse of ocean in the distance.

He watched as Tracy One arrived at the island, descending steadily before it made a perfect touch-down on the runway. Satisfied that his eldest child was once again safe at home, Jeff allowed every inch of himself to relax, closing his eyes and inhaling the rich, sweet smells of the jungle. His eyes began to grow heavy, and he let out a soft chuckle.

I'm getting tired in my old age. But the years are going by so quickly. I mean, Alan turns six in a few weeks. And after that, the older three are going back off to boarding school for the new semester. They've been taking the home-schooling lessons with Ms. Young for the past six weeks, but it can't continue that way forever. However much I want them to stay with me on the island, I have to make sure that they get a decent education in a good school. Besides, Scott wants to join a soccer team like he did before, John will probably run track, and Virgil - well, Virgil's a kid of many talents. I'm sure there'll be plenty of activities to amuse himself with at Wharton's.

Rubbing a hand wearily across his face, Jeff sighed again, thinking of his two youngest children as they slept peacefully in their beds, safe and sound for the time being.Who would've thought that I'd ever be at peace like I am now? The pain's still there, I won't deny it, but the other emotions - the happiness and the love - have coated it in a warm outer shell. I don't think it will ever leave, but I think that this coating will continue to thicken as time goes on. Maybe - just maybe - one day it'll get to the stage when I don't even feel it anymore. I'll be conscious of it's presence, but it won't affect me as it does now - as it has done in the past. I won't allow myself to get to that stage again. I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. My children have seen to that.

Watching as the huge orange orb sank into the dark haze where ocean met sky far, far in the distance, Jeff inhaled deeply. I've got to be the luckiest man in the world. I've been given a second chance that I don't deserve. I've been blessed with five wonderful children, each of which is so precious to me, I can't put it into words. But above all, I've been given such a sense of inner peace. A peace that I thought I would never be able to find after the accident occurred. After all that pain and loss. But, I did, thank God. I was saved from falling over the edge, and for that I will always be grateful.

Straightening up, Jeff pushed himself away from the railing, staring out at the reddy-orange sky. He smiled softly, walking towards the doors and resting a had on the handle. Glancing back up at the sunset, he sighed in content.

"Goodnight, Lucy." he whispered, before turning around slowly and stepping back into the house, the door sliding closed behind him.

Far out to sea, where the technicolour ocean met the orange of the sky in a hazy line, the bright yellow sphere sank beneath the horizon and out of sight, signalling not only the end of another day, but the happiness and hope of the next morning. Though the storm may come, and the forces of Mother Nature may battle against the light for dominance, no force is strong enough to contain the sunrise. In the same way, although troubles and difficult times may fall upon a family such as the Tracys, no known force could ever be powerful enough to contain the one thing that binds the six family members together;

Love.

- THE END -

And thus ends 'The Price of Paradise'. Did you enjoy it? I hope you did. It's always hard to finish off a story, so I hope the ending was alright.

I want to say a big thanks to all of you for continuing to read my work and support my writing endeavors! You're constant encouragement was a great help, and it was wonderful to know that my work was appreciated by so many people. Okay, as there are quite a few reviewers this time, and you're all so wonderful, I will just pick out a couple to thank personally.

Lissysue85 - for being a wonderful friend and a great help through all the tough times, even when you were having troubles of your own. I really appreciated our daily chats, and this end chapter is dedicated to you as further proof of the point I made earlier. They're always there for you. Thank you for being such a great help, you're the best!

criminally charmed- for being a great critic throughout the whole of this story. I loved our little banters and 'arguments' over spelling issues and typos. I'm glad you paid close enough attention to notice them, you certainly do a better job than my useless brother (who I have now sacked). Lol. Thanks, buddy! You rule!

My big brothers - for being generally awesome, even when you do steal my laptop. Thanks for the chapters that you did beta-read for me, even when you did miss all the major typos. It's the thought that counts, right? And furthermore, you guys are my inspiration. A girl couldn't ask for better siblings. Love you guys!

The rest of the reviewers - I wish I could write a personal thank you for each of you, but there just isn't enough time. I want to get this posted before tomorrow. Lol. So thank you - all of you - for being such great reviewers. The comments you left me were always encouraging and positive and I owe you guys for pushing my lazy butt into updating early. Hee hee. Thanks, guys!

As a note, my next story will be posted on Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest. It takes place shortly after my first fic 'Smothered By Your Brothers', and is a tale involving the 'devilishly handsome' Dr. Palmar, and all of our favourite characters. I won't give too much away, but yes, it's another hurt/comfort/family fic. I've gathered that people quite enjoy these, and it's what I love to write best. So, I'll see you in a few days, guys!

PLEASE REVIEW! You know the drill. Make me smile. If you make me cry (for negative reasons) I will not post the next story. Lol, just kidding. Who cares what you write! (well, I do actually. Never mind, ignore me. I'm tired.)

Love you, guys!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox