Come What May

Chapter 26

The air had gotten colder over the past month. It was now getting closer to Thanksgiving. The air was dry and chilly.

Kelly was sitting on a train next to Danny. They hadn't spoken the whole time.

She felt a bit awkward talking to him anyway.

His elbow accidentally bumped into hers. "Sorry." He muttered.

"It's okay." She replied softly and continued staring out the window. A moment, later, she turned back to him. "How long is the trip to Scarborough anyway?"

"We'll be there sometime tomorrow afternoon." He responded.

"Alright…" she then looked back to the window.

"Are you not going to talk to me anymore?"

"I'm tired. Not really in the mood for conversation."

"You've barely spoken to me in a month… I would like to apologize for that day at my office. I was out of line."

"I survived one of the worst tragedies to occur recently. I lost somebody I loved, and I'm in a condition. Did you really think it was a good time to make a move on me?" she snapped at him.

"I'm sorry…"

"What made you think I'd even be interested in you anyway?"

"I just thought I felt something… you seem a lot more down to earth than the other women I know. Most first class women I've met are the ones my father has tried to set me up with. I never liked any of them. They're all so fake and obsessed with finding rich men to support them. Love doesn't mean anything to them. That isn't what I'm after. I'd rather have someone who cares about me and who I can care about too. I didn't mean to insult you at all or make you feel uncomfortable. I was just hoping you felt the same way. But now I realize that you don't. My mistake. My apologies."

"Apology accepted." She turned away and rested her head against the window, staring at the forest scenery going by.

Soon it began to get dark. The sun was setting, leaving an orange glow behind the silhouetted hills.

Kelly was shivering slightly, likely because she was sitting next to the window and it was freezing outside. Danny noticed this, but didn't do anything. He wouldn't even speak to her, for fear she'd become annoyed.

She drifted off into a deep sleep.

Waking up a few hours later, she realized that she was warm and comfortable. Danny's long coat was draped over her as a blanket and she was resting her head on his shoulder. He was asleep in the seat beside her. Instead of waking him up and confronting him about it, she left it like this and went back to sleep, still using his shoulder.

---------------

It was the twenty-first of November, and Rebecca was up before Harold. She usually was but this morning she was up even earlier.

They had the house to themselves since Kelly was still away and so Rebecca had every intention of giving her husband a birthday breakfast fit for a king.

She started with biscuits and while they baked in the oven she began to fix eggs and pork.

Rebecca was quite pleased with herself that by the time Harold was finally rising she was just about finished cooking.

He stumbled slowly in.

"Good morning, love." Rebecca greeted cheerfully.

He smiled at her as he settled down at the kitchen table, "Good morning."

She poured some hot coffee into a cup and carried it over to Harold, "Happy birthday."

He made a face like he was cringing, "I'm thirty... Don't remind me!"

Rebecca kissed him, "There is nothing to cringe about."

He shrugged, "Oh, I suppose not...as long as I have my beautiful wife at my side."

She laughed, "Always."

They shared another kiss and then Rebecca went to get his plate. She set it down in front of him and then retrieved her own plate and cup of tea, "I hope you enjoy it. I've been up since six working on it."

Harold looked up at Rebecca, "Anything you cook is good, love."

They ate together, mildly talking about various things. Once they finished eating, Rebecca washed up, changed her clothes, Harold dressed and they went out. The couple did some mild shopping in the market before returning home.

They ate a small lunch together.

After supper that night Harold retreated to the parlor while Rebecca lit the candles on the cake she had made. She pushed the cake in on a metal tray. On the second shelf of the tray were a glass and a crystal decanter of brandy. Beside the brandy was a small wrapped gift.

He smiled at Rebecca as she sang and once she finished Harold blew out the candles on the cake. She was about to cut the cake but Harold pulled her to him and kissed her long and hard. When they parted Rebecca looked at him, "What was that for?"

"For making this the best birthday of my life thus far."

She blushed under his gaze and cut a slice of the cake for her husband. She then cut a slice for herself and together they ate.

Rebecca poured Harold a glass of brandy and then handed him his gift. She watched as he opened it.

Inside was a black velvet box was a shiny pure silver pocket watch. Harold opened it to see she had wound it so the time was right. The clock face was beautiful with a ship in the middle of the face.

"Rebecca...this is beautiful." He told her.

She grinned, "I'm so glad you like it."

Harold smiled back at her.

"Happy birthday, darling." Rebecca told him, she raised her cup of tea and he raised his brandy, "To many more years."

And then they took a drink.

---------------

Suddenly Kelly felt someone gently shaking her. "Kel, wake up." It was Danny. She opened her eyes and noticed it was morning. People on the train were busy talking, creating a soft hum in the air. "We'll be getting off soon."

In a half hour, the train stopped at the station and they left, going into a car that took them to an idyllic light blue house surrounded by a white fence and a porch.

Danny knocked on the door.

"Is it too late to go back home now?" Kelly asked nervously.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." He replied, smiling slightly.

A tall man came to the door. His hair was dark with grey streaks in random places. His eyes were warm brown like Jim's, and his face looked like Jim's too, only more matured. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Moody. I'm Daniel Banner. I'm the lawyer you hired. I wrote to you last month about arranging a visit with your family and that young lady you heard about."

The man looked at Kelly. She was nervously standing behind Danny. Mr. Moody then smiled and gestured for them to come inside.

Danny and Kelly sat down on the sofa and Mr. Moody sat in a chair across from them.

"I'm John Moody." He held his hand out and shook both of theirs. "Would either of you like some tea?"

They both declined the offer.

"So I understand you were friends with my son James on the Titanic?"

"Yes. I met him on the ship. We were very close…"

"James was always good at making friends. He was always very charming like that."

"Yes, he was. Your son was a very sweet man. I got to know him quite well over those few days. I was even with him in the freezing ocean after the ship went down. I was the last person with him when he died. If only he'd lived a little bit longer, we both could have been rescued." She was nearly crying, "I was with him during the sinking. He worked hard the whole night trying to save the lives of others. He was very brave that night."

"It's hard to believe he's gone." His father said, with tears in his eyes. "It's hard for a man to lose his children. I lost my wife years ago. I tried my best to raise my children right. Looks like James turned out to be a great young man, even up until his death."

"He was the greatest man I've ever met…"

The room fell silent.

Mr. Moody looked at Kelly, and then looked down at her stomach, "Are you expecting, miss?"

"Yes." She replied.

"That's wonderful. What happened to your husband?"

"I'm not married, nor have I ever been married. The father died at sea."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Sir, there is something you should know…"

Mr. Moody stared at her for a moment. "Exactly how close were you to my son, Miss Hoffman?" he asked suspiciously.

She put her hands on her stomach, "Close enough to be carrying your grandchild right now, sir."

The man looked shocked. "My son would be a lot smarter than that… It can't even be possible…"

Kelly took Jim's ring off her finger. "He gave me this. A little before the ship collided with the iceberg. He asked me to marry him. It may sound crazy, but we fell in love. It was all so sudden, but very real."

Mr. Moody reached forward and grabbed the ring from her. He examined it. "This was my late wife, Evelyn's ring. She left it to James. She told him to give it to a woman one day who took his breath away and made him truly happy." He handed it back.

"I loved your son. More than anything. It was love at first sight, and I cared about him more than I ever knew I could possibly care about another person. It tore me apart pretty badly when he died. I couldn't eat. I couldn't function. I was too depressed to live. Then when I found out about the baby, it gave me a reason to live. There's a piece of your son that will live on."

Mr. Moody stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I think I need to lie down for a little bit." He started to walk out of the room, "Christopher, can you come in here and entertain our guests for a bit? I need to lie down." He called down the hall.

A taller gentleman walked into the room just as Mr. Moody left. He looked like Jim, only his face was a bit thinner and instead of having brown eyes like Jim, his were green. "Hello, I'm Christopher Moody. Jim's brother. You must be the lawyer and that woman from the Titanic." He shook their hands. "So what did you say to make my father have to leave?"

Kelly looked down. "I let him know that I'm over 7 months pregnant with his grandchild…."

Chris stopped and stared at her for a minute. His mouth was gaping. Then he smirked. "Looks like little Jimmy got pretty friendly on the Titanic."

"Yea…" she was feeling very nervous. "I shouldn't have come. I should leave now."

"No, please don't." Chris said. "My father is just a bit shocked. He'll be fine soon. He was very excited to meet you today. He wanted to talk to the one person who could tell us about James's last few days. I actually don't think it's a bad thing at all that you're having my brother's kid. Especially since you're very beautiful. The child will be very good-looking."

"Thank you." She smiled slightly.

"Your welcome." He grinned at her. "Would either of you like something to drink?"

"Could I have a glass of water?" Kelly asked.

"Of course." Chris left for a moment to get it.

Danny stared at him as he walked away. "I don't like him."

"Why not? He seems very sweet."

"I guess…."

Chris came back with a glass of water. "My sister should be coming soon. She's down the road at a piano lesson with one of the women from our church. She'll probably want to meet you as well."

A minute later the front door opened and in walked a short girl who looked about Kelly's age. She had the same dark hair as the rest of the family, and it went down to her shoulders in curls. "Hello?" she looked at Danny and Kelly sitting on the couch.

"Maggie, this is Daniel Banner, the lawyer our father hired to take care of Jim's stuff, and… Miss, I don't think I ever got your name."

"Kelly Hoffman."

"And this is Kelly. She was the girl who was friends with Jim on the Titanic. Well, actually, more than friends I suppose." He gestured to her stomach.

Kelly looked embarrassed.

"You mean…." Maggie froze for a moment, "What?"

"I'm pregnant." Kelly stated. "With your brother's child. Anybody else I need to explain this to or is this it?" she said sounding annoyed.

"I'm sorry." Chris said, looking apologetic.

"Well this is very surprising…" Maggie stated, sitting down.

"Believe me, it was a surprise to me too." Kelly said.

Kelly went on to describe to them some of the events on the Titanic. Danny, Chris, and Maggie seemed fascinated by this. She tried not to let herself cry, but she did. Chris put an arm around her, trying to be nice. Danny glared at him.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Henry stood up and held out his hand to Kelly. "Would you like to help me make dinner?"

"Sure." She wiped her eyes and walked into the kitchen with him.

Maggie moved closer to Danny on the couch. "So…. I hear you're a very good lawyer? Is that a hard job?"

"Not if you know what you're doing."

"I'm twenty." She said suddenly. "Just saying. How old are you?" she moved an inch closer.

"I'm twenty six."

"Oh. You're Chris's age. But he's a bit of a bum. He doesn't have a nice job like you do." She smiled. "You look strong. Are you strong?"

"Uhh… I suppose so." He then saw Kelly peeking through the kitchen door that was cracked open a bit. "Want to feel my muscle?" he turned to Maggie.

"Sure." She gently squeezed his arm. "Oooh. You must be pretty strong. That's a pretty appealing quality in a man."

"Well, thank you." He smiled at her. He then noticed the kitchen door shut again.

"So, I was wondering, Danny, if maybe you'd like to get together sometime."

He kept looking at the kitchen door. "No, sorry. I don't think that'd work well."

She pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I have feelings for somebody else and I'm not sure if spending time with you would be the best thing to do."

"I understand…" she got up. "I guess I'll just go help with dinner…" she disappeared into the kitchen. Danny stayed on the couch and sighed.

Later on, sitting around the dining room table, everyone was a bit quiet as Mr. Moody came into the room and sat down.

"Miss Hoffman," he looked at her and she looked over at him, "I just wanted to say that I think you are a sweet young lady and that I'm very glad that James met you. However, it would look very bad for our family to know about your condition. When the child is born, you may send us a letter to let us know. But I'd prefer very little contact. I don't want to besmirch my family's name. My son's reputation is that he died as a hero and an honorable man. If it got around that he conceived a child with a woman he'd only known for 4 days out of wedlock, then it would be a bad situation for everyone. I'm sorry."

Kelly had tears in her eyes. "No, I'm sorry, sir. Excuse me." She got up and walked out into the cold.

Danny got up from the table, "Thank you, but I think that Miss Hoffman and I will be leaving."

Outside he saw her, sitting on a swing under a large oak tree in the Moody's front yard. Her cheeks were red from the freezing November air.

"Kelly…" he walked towards her slowly.

"What do you want?" she snapped. Then she sniffled. A few tears escaped from her eyes and rolled down her cheek.

"What Mr. Moody said was surely upsetting to you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. They don't want to have anything to do with me. That's understandable." She sniffled again and wiped at her eyes, "I just feel really horrible that I'm nothing but shame to them."

"You're not shame. They just don't know what to do. This is a big situation. Mr. Moody is just getting over the death of his son and he wanted to know information about him, but he got a bit more information than he bargained for. Information he wasn't quite ready for. Perhaps they'll change their minds."

She stood up. "I doubt it. I'm just that Titanic slut. The unwed mother. The young girl with no morals. The girl who threw away her future. Although I didn't have much of a future in the first place, I suppose."

"You do have a future."

"No, I don't. I'm a mother to a sailor's bastard, as everyone so insensitively puts it. I'm living with my sister and her husband. I'm a burden to everybody around me. It's going to be this way forever."

"You're going to have your baby and then you'll get married to a guy who will care about you always and you'll live with him and be happy for the rest of your life."

"You don't know that."

"It can happen."

"Not to me. I'm not supposed to be happy. The happiest days I've ever had were destroyed. They ended in tragedy. And the best person I ever met was taken away from me."

"You can be happy again. You have to let yourself. I know it hurts, but moving on would be better for you. Jim's gone and he can't come back. You know he loved you, and he'd most likely want you to be happy. If you let go of him, you're not forgetting him. You're just moving on and being happy. He wanted you to live that night, and I think he'd want you to live your life to the fullest. Not walk about missing him for the rest of your life."

"You're right… But my heart is torn to the point where I don't think it can be any more broken. I'm not sure if I have it in me to fall in love again and get hurt."

"I wouldn't hurt you…" he put his hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "I'd never hurt someone as sweet and caring and wonderful as you…"

She didn't know what to say to him. Another tear rolled down her face. Danny gently brushed it away with his thumb.

"I…" she wasn't sure how to respond.

"Shhh…" he leaned in towards her and met her lips with his, and this time, she didn't fight back.

They parted, and Kelly smiled slightly, "I'm not sure if I'm ready for this right now. But I can give you hope."

"That's all I need for now." He smiled at her.

She shivered and rubbed at her arms. Danny took off his coat and lent it too her. Then, placing his hand on her back, he led her to the edge of the property where they flagged down a man driving a carriage. "May we get a ride as close to the train station as possible?"

The man nodded and they left on their way towards home in London.

---------------

They bought a new house. One that was large enough to fit them all very well and many more.

On December 14th, Kelly turned 18 years old. Not much was done except for a few wishes. They were waiting three more days until Rebecca's 20th birthday so they could celebrate it all together. A cake was made with the words "Happy Birthday Kelly & Rebecca" on it in pink icing. Harold and Danny were singing to them both (not well one might note). Then after cake and tea, Harold handed Rebecca a small box. Inside was a golden chain with a heart shaped ruby on it. "Honey, this is beautiful." She kissed him and he placed it around her neck.

"Kelly." Danny said and she looked at him. He pulled out something from his pocket. It was an envelope. He handed it to her and she looked at it carefully.

"What is this?"

"It's something I asked Chris Moody for when we were in Scarborough."

Kelly opened the envelope and found a few pictures of Jim inside. A few of him as a child and two of him recently. She places her fingertips on the picture and tears came to her eyes.

"Something you could show your child one day when she asks about her father. Also so you can remember his face."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you so much."

He chuckled and smiled. "You're welcome. Happy birthday."

---------------

Christmas time was soon upon them. Rebecca delighted in being able to hire a few men to help her decorate the new home. Nothing much had changed about them even though they were now wealthy enough to be a part of London society.

They had a bigger home yes, but even if they were invited to parties or anything, they politely declined.

Between decorating for the holiday, Rebecca and Kelly were busy decorating the nursery for the babies.

Christmas Eve arrived and Rebecca noticed touchiness in Harold. He was nervous about his parents coming. He hadn't seen them since he was fourteen but Rebecca had persuaded him to invite them. She just wanted to meet them. If they still disapproved of Harold's life or anything then they were definitely better off without.

At quarter to five on Christmas Eve there was a knock at the door. Rebecca straightened out her dress and removed the apron she was wearing. Then she went to the door, glancing briefly at Harold who had stiffened a bit.

She opened the door and smiled. On the other side stood an older couple; George and Harriet Lowe. Rebecca offered a smile to her in laws, "Hello, please come in." She stepped to the side and they came in.

"Harold!" Mrs. Lowe exclaimed at the site of her son.

"Hello, mother." Harold said as he allowed his mother to hug him.

She almost instantly pulled out of his arms and looked to Kelly who was standing off to the side, "You must be Rebecca... My Harold's wife. How pretty you are too!"

Mrs. Lowe was going to hug Kelly, but Harold stopped her, "No, mother. That's not Rebecca."

Mrs. Lowe looked to her son then over to Rebecca who was smiling still, "Oh dear. How silly of me!" She went over to Rebecca and hugged her.

"It's very lovely to meet you, Mrs. Lowe." Rebecca said politely.

She laughed, "Please call me Harriet. It'll get confusing, don't you think? We're both Mrs. Lowe now."

Rebecca smiled, "Of course."

"Hello, son." Mr. Lowe said.

"Hello, father." Harold said politely.

"I see you have a very nice home." Mr. Lowe took a step, looking around at the high ceiling.

"No thanks to you." Harold murmured before going to join Rebecca at her side.

His father gave him a look and Rebecca quickly spoke, "Anyways, this is my dear sister Kelly."
"It's lovely to meet you." Harriet greeted.

Kelly smiled politely, "It's nice to meet you too."

"And you're also expecting, I see." Mr. Lowe said.

Kelly's hand went over her round stomach, "Yes, sir, I am."

"Where is your husband?"

Kelly looked down, "My fiancé died on the Titanic, sir."

"But not after I see you became with his child."

"Now, George… I think that's enough." Harriet interrupted, she went over to Kelly, "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Kelly murmured.

"Would you like anything? Dinner won't be ready for another thirty minutes or so. But I could fix tea or something."

Tea would be lovely. Thank you, Rebecca."

"Kelly, would you show them into the parlor?" Rebecca asked.

Kelly nodded, rolling her eyes at how proper this was. But she knew Rebecca loved to host guests.

Harold kissed Rebecca on the cheek and she went to the kitchen.

Rebecca returned a moment later and she set the tray of tea down on the table. She poured cups for her in laws and handed a cup to Kelly, to Harold, and then fixed one for herself.

"So when is our grandchild set to arrive?" Mrs. Lowe inquired, smiling.

"In the mid-summer." Rebecca answered.

"So how did you two meet again?" Mr. Lowe asked.

"We met on the Titanic, father." Harold replied.

"How... interesting," Mr. Lowe sounded almost bored, "And you fell in love in such a short amount of time?"

"Yes, sir, we did." Rebecca spoke up.

He looked at his daughter-in-law, "And your parents approved of this?"

Rebecca frowned slightly, "My father died sir...on the Titanic. As for my mother no she did not approve but I chose to follow my heart instead of listen to her and her rules of society."

Mr. Lowe seemed to be frowning at this but Mrs. Lowe just smiled.

"So you both ran away from your proper places. I see now that you two are perfect for each other." His father snipped.

Rebecca seemed a bit uncomfortable now.

Mrs. Lowe seemed embarrassed now.

Yes father I'd like to think we are perfect for each other," Harold snapped.

"And how did you come to be able to buy this home? No sailor's wage could pay for this."

"I inherited money sir...my sister and I both." Rebecca said softly.

"Humph." Was all George could manage.

An awkward silence fell.

"So have you discussed names yet for the baby?" Mrs. Lowe asked next.

Rebecca looked to Harold and they nodded, "Yes we have. If it's a girl then Aeron with the Welsh spelling and if it's a boy then we'll name him for Rebecca's father Thomas."

"Nothing for anyone in our family?" Mr. Lowe asked.

Harold shook his head, "No father...I haven't had contact with anyone in our family for years. Rebecca's father was a true man who went down with the ship...if we have a son then we want him named for a true man."

"Alright…" George Lowe looked slightly hurt.

"When did you two get married?" Mrs. Lowe asked.

"May 8th." Rebecca replied. "After Harold rescued me from my other wedding."

"Other wedding?" Harriet Lowe's eyes widened.

"Well, you see, I was engaged to another man, Michael Sullivan, who was very wealthy. But I didn't care for him. My mother arranged the engagement. Then Harold came up to the alter during the ceremony and took me away with him. Then we got married, helped my sister leave my mother, and came here to London."

"Sounds like you've all had a very eventful last few months."

Kelly spoke up, "Things have been crazy. And somehow we've survived it all. Right now I should be dead. I should be at the bottom of the Atlantic with my fiancé. If it hadn't been for your son, I'd have frozen to death."

"Oh yes, we heard Harold was the only one to command his boat back to go save people."

"He's a hero. You and your husband should be very proud, and thankful to have a son like him."

Harriet placed her hand on Harold's shoulder and smiled at him. Then she looked at her husband.

"I'm proud of you, son." George Lowe said quickly and softly.

"That's rubbish…" Harold muttered under his breath.

"What was that, boy?" Mr. Lowe snapped angrily.

"I said that's rubbish. You're not proud of me, sir. Never have been…"

"Well, Harold, perhaps if you hadn't run away from home and defied me fifteen years ago, I would be proud of you."

"Maybe if you had believed in me then, I wouldn't have run away in the first place."

"I just wanted what was best for you, son. We could all see you had a talent as a sailor and a love of the sea. I wanted you to start an apprenticeship."

"But you never listened to me. I didn't want to be an apprentice. I didn't want to work for nothing. Look at me now, dad. I was the fifth officer on the grandest ship in the world. I did my duty well and I saved people." He glanced over at Kelly for a moment, and then back to his father, "I have a beautiful wife, a child on the way, a nice home. My life turned out fine. When will you stop being bitter and actually be proud of me? When?!"

"When you apologize to your mother and I for breaking our hearts when you left. When you understand that you hurt the whole family. I'll stop being bitter when you stop being bitter."

"I was fourteen. I had no idea I'd hurt the family. Believe me, it was never my intention. I left in order to control my own future, and you didn't seem to miss me or want me home. So I never did."

Harriet Lowe stood up with glistening eyes, "Harold, I miss you every single day. So did your father. I can't remember how many times I saw him staring at an old photograph of you with tears in his eyes. I was always so worried about if you were warm, fed, or safe. I wanted my little boy to come back home."

Harold came forward and brought his mother into an embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

Harold's father spoke, "It was selfish of you to leave, son."

"I understand that, and I'm apologizing. But that was years ago. And to tell the truth, if given the chance I wouldn't change a thing. I'm happy with my life now, dad."

"Then I suppose I have no choice but to support that."

Harold crossed his arms. "Yes, I suppose so."

There was an intensely silent moment. Rebecca got up, announcing "I think dinner is ready. I'll go check. Harold, will you come with me?"

He followed her into the kitchen.

"Dear, could you please try to be civil and end this argument?"

He places his arm around her waist, "Yes. I'm sorry about this. Things between my parents and I has never been peaceful. Last time I ever saw them before now was five years ago. There was a huge fight and my older brother had to drag me out of the house."

"I wish you and your father could just put it all in the past and move on. You can't change the past. The only thing you can do anything about now is the present."

"You're right…" he moves his arm up to her shoulders, "let's go back in there. I'll settle this whole thing."

They entered the room together and saw Harriet discussing motherhood with Kelly.

"Dad," Harold said and his father looked at him. "I am sorry that I ran away. But what's done is done. Nothing, not even all the apologies in the world, can change it. What's the use of being bitter and angry? Let's just move on…" he looked at his wife for a moment, and then back to his father.

George Lowe stood up and sighed. "Fine with me." He held out his hand towards his son.

Harold stared at his father's hand for a moment, and then shook it. George Lowe then unexpectedly pulled his son into a hug. "I love you, son."

Smiling slightly, he replied, "I love you too, dad."

Rebecca was grinning. "I think dinner is ready by now. Who's hungry?"

Everybody started talking to each other as they entered the dining room and sat for a family dinner.

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Hopefully this chapter is alright. We wrote scenes a bit out of order and then placed them in. And I really wanted to get this up by the weekend. Please review. We wanna know people are still readnig this. Let us know what you think. Thanks. =] Chapter 27 will be out as soon as we can write it. And perhaps you can guess what that one will be about....