"Bricks"
Chapter XI
"There is a line, Hudson, pick already! This is embarrassing," Santana said impatiently at the coffee shop while Finn looked dumbly at the menu.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should just go with hot chocolate?" Finn shrugged.
"You are not twelve; you need something stronger, more manly. Now I get why sometimes you are so..." she paused, "sleepy." The temperamental Latina nodded and looked at the already tired employee with determination. "He's having coffee, the Indian blend, please. No milk. He needs to wake the fuck up."
"Is it good?" Finn asked Santana, unwilling to choose his own beverage and upsetting her by default. He didn't know much about women and relationships but he had learned not to contradict the very dominant Miss Lopez.
"It will rearrange your digestive system. It's THAT good." She replied smiling while taking their order.
"Awesome." He smiled innocently. After all this time he had no clue how to read Santana, not even when she was blatant about what she was doing. In this case, torturing him via breakfast to go. On the other hand, not only was Finn a naturally, submissive person, he had no ability to second guess anyone's intentions when it came to him. Santana and Rachel had once agreed he was the epitome of a good old momma's boy.
"Uh-oh. Finn, Rachel's parental units at two o'clock and they are coming our way. Just follow my lead, ok? They don't know about Sherry, and I think they would flip if you blurt out that we talked to them while their precious princess was playing the role of little spoon while The Schuester was a happy horny big spoon. Try not to talk or do so without saying anything at all, got it?" Santana was serious but Finn laughed at her words. The Latina should actually consider a career in stand up comedy, which, of course, Rachel had suggested time and time again.
"Little spoon..." He laughed. "You are funny, but, ew, San! Don't make me think about them that way." Finn sipped his coffee like it was hot chocolate and once he could taste it he automatically scrunched his face in complete disgust, the Indian blend was the very definition of STRONG.
"Don't be a baby, would you?" She laughed while waving at the Richard and Robert Berry, who were approaching them. "This will teach you not to be a conformist in life." Santana smiled with an air of triumph. She loved training Finn and in her head she was teaching him how to be a real men, even if he was completely unaware about that little meaningful detail.
"This Indonesian coffee tastes like gasoline and pepper. I would know, one time the guys pranked me..." Finn said feeling his tongue burning and as his stomach started to turn. Santana was just smiling about the prank. She would have loved to have been the brains behind it.
"Indian, and zip it! They are almost here!" Rachel's BFF elbowed her maybe boyfriend. "Berry dads! What a surprise to see you!"
"Hello, Santana, Finn. Long time no see." Richard said joyfully, whilst staring at Finn's expression, which was reflecting with accuracy his revolt at the hot beverage he had tasted mere seconds ago.
"Are you having a good day? We just came back from our trip to Vegas and there was no coffee at home" Robert greeted them.
"We are having a blast, yes. I have the day off and Finn's shift starts in a couple of hours, so I decided he needs to start drinking coffee. I'm Vin Diesel-ing the hell out of him. Isn't that hot?" Santana grinned.
"That sounds quite exiting, Santana." Richard smiled, he had a soft spot for his daughter's friend.
"That makes you that Michelle chick." Finn giggled thinking about the wallpaper on his computer.
"Nope, Finn. She's way trashier than I am, and what is that guys find so attractive about her? I'm into girls too and she doesn't take my breath away." Santana thought out loud.
"I'm afraid we wouldn't know how to answer that." Robert said amused.
"I hope you had fun at Vegas, you sure go there often." Santana went back to their original topic of conversation.
"For Rachel the perfect place in this world is New York, for us it's Vegas. We can't get enough of it, oh, and the new shows! You would enjoy their raunchy style. I suggest you go some time, dear." Richard replied holding his husband's hand. "Our Honeymoon was in Vegas."
"That's like... weird and cool." Finn interjected.
"It's not for everyone, I agree." Robert smiled. "So are you two..."
"Together? Well, we kinda are, whatever, but we are not wearing labels. We are just having fun." Santana explained casually while Finn stared at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing he had ever laid his eyes on. A conversation about relationships was not helping him keep the secret locked.
"Have you talked to Rachel? We have called her on several occasions but we haven't been successful trying to reach her." Robert wasn't worried; he was fishing. The truth was they hadn't call her much but they had texted and Rachel hadn't said much of anything, which her dads had cataloged as suspicious behavior.
"Maybe... maybe she lost her phone. Yes, that! That explains it and makes PERFECT sense. New York is so big she lost it. And that is why she can't talk to you guys." Finn said nervously. The Berry dads exchanged a look. They could smell fear and nervousness in their daughter's ex-boyfriend.
"We've talked. She has been very, very busy; you know how she is." Santana looked at Finn. "She hasn't lost her phone."
"That is our Rachel." Richard smiled proudly. "I bet she's tired. Does she sound happy at least?"
"Yes, she's very tired, like dead tired. You should never call her in the morning or, you know, at night." Finn tried to help but by the look on Santana's face he realized he was making everything worse. "Unless you want to make her mad and stuff." He tried to cover how suspicious he was sounding.
"No one wants that. We love our baby girl to pieces but she's intense." Richard laughed.
"B is doing great and she's adapting; she's making me proud. Don't tell her I said this because I hate inflating her giant ego, but I miss her and her crazy." Santana said smiling, she didn't admit her feelings often.
"We do too. And we know without a single shed of doubt that Rachel is going to be all right. We are preoccupied about her being alone in a city that big, that's all." Robert smiled at his daughter's best friend.
"She's... got a cat now." Finn nodded, then sighed. Santana whispered, "Nice save, Hudson." while Robert and Richard were distracted exchanging looks.
"Is that so?" Robert asked sensing there was something about the pause Finn had made.
"Yes, she loves that kitten." Santana replied taking Finn's hand.
"She has always liked cats. Now I get it, the calendar, the musical... Cats! Funny." Finn laughed at his realization. "And like she said, Rachel really loves this old cat. Like a lot. He sleeps in her bed, so go figure." Finn said smiling while Santana was doing a mental facepalm. She had so much more training to do with him...
"I though she had a kitten." Richard pointed out tilting his head, Finn looked like he was about to break.
"Yes, well, I don't know. Her phone was acting funny; that is why I thought it was broken. I didn't understand much about what she said about the cat." Finn replied starting to sweat.
"You said her phone was lost..." Robert tilted his head as well.
"Don't listen to him. We had sex fifteen minutes ago and he's still sleepy; he doesn't know what he's saying. I'm that good." Santana used her too much information card to deflect.
"Uh, yeah. Tons of sex, like... tons. This is why she's making me drink this Indonesian coffee. I need to wake up. But it's gross." Finn was still sweating. Richard and Robert knew Fanta were definitely hiding something. They wanted to know what it was but at the same time, they were being entertained by Finn's hilarity act. "Anyway, we need to go and do stuff."
"Yes, we do. Have a nice day Berry dads!" Santana said dragging Finn out the door.
"Richard, my love, we need to talk to Rachel." Robert said staring at the couple exiting the shop and getting into Santana's car.
"As soon as we are home, my dear Ro-Ro." Richard smiled.
Meanwhile in New York, Rachel and Will were making out on his couch. It had been a challenging task to convince Rachel not to audition that day, but Will had managed to make her agree by promising her they would have their first date that night, which required her being relaxed, not stressed. She could have argued she could just cut the day in half but the truth was she was feeling a bit of lingering frustration about how the week had started. There was also the fact it was arduous for her to deny him anything when he made her breakfast. Besides, she had recently learned procrastinating was fun when it was a shared activity. Now that Will was laying on top of her devouring her mouth, Rachel knew she had made the right call.
"Just admit it, Will." Rachel said between kisses.
"There's nothing to admit, Rach, drop it." He kissed her neck.
"It's a very graphic song! And you selected it! And I sang it! I nailed it by the way." She giggled.
"You did, naturally, but I don't remember you saying it was inappropriate back then." Will slid his hands from her lower back to her butt, accidentally pressing a few buttons of her phone without either of them noticing.
"Touché. But it's still a very sexual song, boyfriend. Admit it." She looked at him with a winning smile. "Perhaps you chose not to notice back then but that doesn't change reality, and that it is a sexual song. Period."
"I beg to disagree." Will kissed her.
"'He's lovin', he's touchin', he's squeezin' another...'" Rachel sang the verse for him. "Really? You don't think that's adult content? Not to mention we mashed it up with 'anyway you want it, that's the way you need it' ... I have no idea how I manage not to blush through that! You have a very dirty mind, Will," she whispered to his ear.
"Rach, you performed 'Push It'." He stated. "Your mind is dirtier than mine." Will looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Granted, adult material, and I acknowledge it. But I was making a statement with that particular song choice and performance. Why can't you admit I'm right?" She slid her hands under his shirt and started to trace idle patterns on his abs, maybe that would make him break.
"Fine, you win. But you didn't say it needed a parental discretion warning." He conceded. Not only she was right, she was using a very successful tactic to make him give in.
"I know, yet I win." She smiled. "Toxic was another envelope-pusher, all the more if we consider you performed that number with us. Oh, and that reminds me, you are definitely not wearing vests to work." Rachel kissed him.
"I got caught with the Britney fever, yes." Will laughed. "And why shouldn't I wear them? I thought you like them." He started to lift her shirt and caress her stomach.
"That's exactly my point. You look astonishing in them, and I don't want your students crushing on you." She stopped his hands. "Don't tickle me just to make me lose my concentration and therefore get me to change the subject. This crossfire of caresses is starting to get dangerous." Rachel smiled.
"What am I supposed to wear, then?" He laughed. "And I love ticking you; your laugh is beautiful."
"I don't know. We need to figure it out. I don't want those tramps to notice your abs and sculpted arms either." She said seriously while cupping his face.
"Rach, don't call them that. You don't know them. But I won't be wearing vests, if that makes you happy." He tickled her.
"Thanks." She said giggling. "And what did I tell you?"
"That these jeans are too uncomfortable and you need me to help you be more comfortable?" He teased in a lower tone. "If you a vetoing my vests, I can do the same with your jeans. When you are with me, that is." Will ran his hands down her legs. His touch explaining the obvious reasoning behind his request.
"Fair enough." She kissed him quickly. Bargaining with him was always great.
"Starting now, Rach." He looked into her eyes, once again he wasn't shy about how much he wanted her.
"Will!" She laughed. "Again?"
"I love your laugh; I can't help it." He kissed her. "Besides, you sang a pretty dangerous verse."
"Oh, so now you are using it in your favor?"
"I'm just reinforcing your point, Rach." Will said raising an eyebrow.
"That is such a turn on..." Rachel giggled before pulling him closer for another kiss.
That was when, luckily, the battery on Rachel's phone died, leaving Robert and Richard Berry perplexed.
"Our little girl is... Richard, how did we miss this?"
"I don't know; maybe we didn't." Richard shrugged.
"What do you mean? They had to have started seeing each other here. Rachel hasn't been in New York long enough to reconnect with him. Did we even know he was there?" Robert was starting to develop a theory and he didn't like it one bit.
"No. I think she has been sneaky. Wow. Rachel and William Schuester ... Now I get why Finn was acting like he was concussed." Richard smiled at the recollection.
"Should we intervene, dear? She sounded ... cheerful." Robert took his glasses off and rubbed his temple.
"He did too. And he said her laugh is beautiful ... I don't hate this." Richard sounded slightly excited. "She's growing up..." He sighed. "And she's right, Will Schuester looks good in vests. A man that looks that yummy wearing them is always a catch."
"But she kept a romantic relationship from us. One with her teacher nonetheless. I do concede he is eye candy, though." Robert was the most serious of Rachel's dads, and ironically, it seemed the whole Berry family had crushed on Will at one point or another.
"She was never in his Spanish class and Glee was an extracurricular activity. Technically, she wasn't his student. He never had to grade her. Plus, Rachel and Finn broke up almost a year ago, she was over sixteen by then, and that's the age of consent in Ohio; they weren't doing anything illegal. Technically. I repeat, I don't hate this."
"However he is TECHNICALLY sleeping with our daughter, so I am BEYOND TECHNICALLY concerned." Robert sounded exactly like Rachel did every time she was upset. "I can't either love it nor hate any of this if our daughter doesn't even bother to inform us she's seeing him."
"We let her date Finn and you are worried about Will Schuester?" Richard threw his hands up in the air, to him it was ridiculous to be that distressed over her and someone mature, when the precedent was a young man that couldn't even pick his own coffee blend. "I think she's in good hands. No pun intended."
"I am worried about everything she doesn't tell us." Robert huffed. "And that sounded as intended as the Bette Midler autographed poster you paid a fortune for."
"Well, we can call her in a couple of hours and confront her about not telling us but I'm sure Rachel will have a good explanation." Richard stated while avoiding arguing about his latest purchase.
"We should call her now." Robert picked his phone from his lap where he had left it.
"She's... expressing herself at the time being, I presume" Richard was trying not to smile.
"And we are going to let her? You are suggesting we are to schedule when to call our only daughter so she can have sex with her former teacher slash new squeeze?" Robert was outraged at the suggestion.
"If you heard the same piece of information I did, you know she did today already and I don't see how calling now would be helpful. Do you want her to answer to you panting? On a side note, you calling Will her squeeze is endearing." Richard patted his husband's back.
"Helpful or not, I'm calling her right now. And I couldn't help it, she sang that damn song."
"Ro-Ro, we are forgetting her cell is off; so, even if you are dying to yell at her, you can't. Let it be."
"Luckily I think I have his number. I asked for it when they left for Nationals the first time around."
"This is going to be interesting ... We are going to coitus interrupt our daughter..." Richard sighed shaking his head.
"Richard, please! You are not helping!" Robert said while searching for Will's number.
Will had just taken his shirt off when his phone rang on the floor. Since the ringtone was a generic one and not the personalized ones he had for the people he knew, curiosity sparked.
"Yes! I'm sure it's a call back!." Rachel said kissing his hand. Without looking, Will stretched his arm and picked the device.
"Hello?" He answered after clearing his throat.
"Am I speaking to Will Schuester?" Robert asked.
"Yes, this is him. Who am I talking to?" Will said still on top of Rachel and not breaking eye contact with her. She was now smiling widely, convinced her boyfriend was going to be part of a big production soon. In addition, Rachel was mentally picking a dress to wear at his debut.
"Hello, Will. This is Robert Berry. I'm very sorry to be bothering you but I've been calling Rachel and I keep going straight to voice-mail. Would you be kind enough to let me talk to her?" The stubborn Berry asked taking Will by surprise.
"Yes, hold on for just a moment, please." Will covered the phone with his hand and looked at Rachel with concern. "Rach, this is one of your dads. He's been trying to reach you, and somehow he knew you were here." Will sat up and helped her do the same. Rachel was in absolute shock. She took her phone from her jean's back pocket and noticed it was off.
"My battery died." She whispered, "You think he knows?" Rachel's eyes widened in panic.
"I don't know, sweetheart, but since he called me that's very likely, and there was no point in denying anything. You need to talk to him." He handed her the phone.
"I'm putting him on speaker." Rachel informed him.
"Speaker? Again?" Will had a bad feeling.
"Yes, I'm sure dad and daddy are together. Besides, I refuse to do this alone, if they have the slightest suspicion we are an item." She pressed the button. "Hi, Dad? I'm so sorry, my phone was off. I've had such a hectic day I forgot to charge my battery..."
"Hello, Rachel. It's good your phone shot down when it did. You and Will butt-dialed and called us." Robert said dropping the bomb. He wasn't a man known for beating around the bush. Hearing his husband, Richard instantly pressed the speaker button, while Will took Rachel's hand in his. The truth was out. It was damage control time.
"We didn't hear anything you should be embarrassed about, sweet child of mine. I've always liked Will Schuester. He can dance, unlike an ex-football star you used to date..." Richard tried to lighten the mood.
"Oh hi, Daddy. Well, I can explain. He and I were rehearsing a scene for a play." Rachel said squeezing Will's hand strongly. He just closed his eyes, Rachel's dads had heard them; there was no way they would believe that blatant lie.
"Honey that was a good try but you were talking about Glee." Richard laughed. "I'm afraid we caught you with your hand in the cookie jar. Or should I say Will's hand in the Berry jar?"
"Richard!" Robert yelled. He didn't need to picture Will's hand anywhere near his only daughter; hearing part of their interaction had been more than enough for a lifetime.
"We ... I don't know what to say. Are you upset?" Rachel blushed while Will tried to calm himself and her down by placing his hand on her knee.
"You should have told us, Rachel. For how long has this thing between the two of you been going on?" Robert asked solemnly.
"It started about a week ago," Rachel said and then took a deep breath. "However, I think it's safe to say we were ... we had feelings towards one another for longer than that." She smiled at Will affectionately. "We do have some history after all."
"That means you were not having a forbidden affair with him while you were still in Lima?" Robert was starting to feel relieved. At the same time, Will's heart was racing. Of course his girlfriend's dads were going to suspect they had been previously involved given the narrow time frame since Rachel's departure from Lima to this day. They had accidentally stumbled onto a relationship in full bloom, one that had been kept from them. Will knew how the picture might have looked like to them.
"No, Dad, of course not. We... you will not believe this but we met by chance at the airport. As it turned out, we were on the same flight. It was like a movie. Please don't be upset; he's a wonderful man and I love him." Rachel closed her eyes waiting for the parental preaching to start.
"I love her too." Will spoke up. He wasn't going to wash his hands clean of the situation. "I realize how this all might sound, and I apologize about what you heard on the phone but I'm in love with your daughter." He looked at her and squeezed her knee. Will knew she had no doubts about how strong his feelings were but her dads needed to be privy now. "I would never take advantage of her or any other student ,and I swear on my life that our infatuation stage began on that plane. And I couldn't be happier about it."
"Dad, Daddy, it was unexpected for the both of us, and you taught me love isn't something I should or could run away from." Rachel said locking eyes with Will. What he had said, how he had stood up to her virtually in front of her fathers was making her fall in love with him even more.
"Aw, Ro-Ro! They are in love! I am sincerely over the moon about this; I can see my future grandchildren singing to us already!" Richard beamed at his husband. "I bet you make a very cute couple, Mazel Tov." He then said to Sherry.
"Don't scare him, Daddy." Rachel complained. "But thank you for being understanding. I had planned to tell you, but ... I was waiting for the right occasion." She explained.
"I have to say I am still taken by surprise about this, but I will trust your judgment, Rachel." Robert said sighing.
"It's not like you have a choice, darling." Richard interjected, smiling.
"Exactly." Rachel emphasized. "And you have nothing to worry about; I'm truly happy."
"We heard." Robert said a little more bitterly now.
"Sorry again about that, Mr. Berry." Will needed to apologize. He felt like a teenager caught with a girl hidden under his bed, which curiously, had never happened to him. He wanted to add that they would be more careful next time, but he chose not to make any mention of a next time. Her dads already knew more than they should.
"Passion doesn't need an apology, Will." Rachel said softly, resting her head on his shoulder, making him smile instantly.
"Are you listening to this, Ro-Ro? Aren't they the cutest thing on earth?" Richard couldn't hide his excitement.
"I have to admit you are a very brave man, Will. Dating someone with two overly protective fathers ... dating Rachel, nonetheless ... that requires a lot of confidence and patience, among other things. I'm impressed with the way you are handling yourself right now on the phone. In addition, I have always thought very highly of you. " Robert complimented his daughter's boyfriend. "And yes, Richard, they sound lovely."
"I'm not brave; I'm lucky to have her in my life." Will replied making Rachel melt. "You raised a hell of a women."
"Thanks, Will. We are proud of her and you have our blessing." Robert smiled. Will had won him over. "But if you make her cry..."
"Dad!" Rachel jumped on her seat.
"I was going to say he ought to be cautious with Santana. I'm convinced she was trying to kill Finn with Indian coffee earlier today." Robert shared.
"Or rough sex, I can't make up my mind about it." Richard joked. "What's the deal with them? Is there Fanta?" Richard added.
"I have no idea whatsoever about what is exactly going on with them. And excuse me? She was doing what?" Rachel was confused. All of the sudden the topic had changed and her dads weren't clear enough.
"We ran into her and Finn earlier and she was making him drink very strong coffee. My theory is she is still punishing the poor boy for hurting you. And they also mentioned a lot of sex being had among them." Richard explained, with candor.
"She would do that, of course. However, I don't think this is the case. But you do have a valid point, Finn still doesn't know she and I toilet-papered his house when we broke up." Rachel broke into laughter and Will joined her. "But she likes Will; she even gave us a pet name: Sherry. Doesn't it sound classy?" Rachel shared.
"If you managed to be on Santana's good side, Will, then we have faith in you." Robert laughed too.
"Well, thank you. I wasn't aware she was a menace." Will replied naively; he should have thought about that.
"She isn't one so far, in fact, she's thrilled." Rachel reassured Will.
"All the better, but the only one whose opinion I care about is you, Rach." Will kissed her cheek, for a second he forgot her dads were participants of this four way conversation. He was in the Sherry bubble once again.
"Do you see now why I am head over hills about him?" Rachel asked her dads staring into Will's eyes lovingly. She just wanted to end the conversation and join him in the aforementioned bubble.
"He's a keeper." Richard said sighing. "Ro-Ro, we should leave these two alone now. We know what we wanted to know."
"Your daddy is right Rachel. Have a nice day. And Will, please take good care of her." Robert said about to hang up.
"I will Mr. Berry."
"Goodbye Dad. Goodbye, Daddy. I love you." Rachel said smiling happily.
"Send us a pic of you and Will to show the neighbors, sweat pea." Richard requested. "I bet you two look like a Hallmark couple."
"I will, and we obviously do." Rachel nodded smiling. "Talk to you soon." Rachel replied finally ending the conversation. "Wow. Did we just ace a 'meet the parents' kind of situation?" She hugged Will. "We are good!"
"I think so, your daddy mentioned grandchildren." Will snorted wrapping his arms around her.
"He did have a point; our future children will sing all the time, and they will sing beautifully." Rachel nodded.
"Rach..." Will was starting to have a panic attack.
"Don't freak out. I'm not talking about the immediate future." She laughed. "You were such a charmer. You don't fail to impress me, boyfriend." She added proudly.
"That's a goal of mine." Will winked. "But to be fair, your dads were very understanding."
"They are the best! And I can't believe they heard us..." Rachel buried her face on his chest.
"Me neither." Will chuckled. "That is another reason for you not to wear pants." He tried to act innocently.
"Hmmm, that is true. I love you, Will." Rachel looked up and into his eyes.
"I love you more." He kissed her quickly.
"Don't make a competition out of this, Sir!" Rachel playfully slapped him in the chest.
"Are you afraid you would lose?" Will teased.
"No, but I am not sure if I would want to win or lose." Rachel smiled. "Let's make an exception and call it a tie."
"Perfect." Will kissed her once again. He couldn't believe they were so officially together, or that things with her dads had gone so smoothly. It could actually have been a disaster.
"I must admit I am relieved my dads know, boyfriend. We hadn't discussed this but I had a plan about how to approach them, yet this worked out in our favor." Rachel sat on Will's lap. "Everyone I care about is on the same page now."
"It went well." Will enveloped her in his arms. "But I'm curious as to what your course of action would have been. If I'm not wrong, that's what you were going to say next."
"Precisely." Rachel nodded. "I would have planted seeds." She smiled. "First I would have told them I met a wonderful men. Then I would have described your most impressive qualities so they would warm up to you before knowing I was talking about you. And then I would have revealed your identity." Rachel laughed. "It was a good plan."
"You are a mastermind, sweetheart." Will kissed her.
"Well, yes, and I have to credit San for some of that. Speaking of her, I should tell her my dads know."
"Now?" Will was sensing another multiple-way conversation was about to take place.
"Yes." Rachel nodded smiling. "But I will just text her, don't worry. You've had enough craziness for the day." Rachel kissed his nose and stood up as Will stared at her going through her purse where she had a spare battery. Rachel Berry was always prepared. She put the new battery on her phone and smiled when she saw she had a text from her BFF.
"You are smiling dangerously, what is it?" Will had to ask. She walked towards him and sat on his lap again.
"You need to see this." She showed him the text and both burst into laughter.
"BERRY! THE CAT MIGHT BE OUT OF THE BAG, FINN'S FAULT! BE CAREFUL WITH THE PARENTAL UNITS. TELL ME IF I HAVE TO MAKE FLAN FOR THEM. LOVE YA."
Rachel replied to the text and her and Will cuddled in the couch, both in awe about the outcome of their confrontation with her dads. Sometimes, planets actually seemed to be aligned for Sherry. At least for now...
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AN: As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed the story, it really means a lot that you took the time, plus, I like to know if you like the path I'm taking. Second of all, a shoutout to Buffy Anne who is kind enough to edit this fic! And last but not least, this week is going to be crazy for me at work so there might be a slight delay until the next chapter, please be patient, it's not going to be over a week, I promise!
