AN: I hate reading on computer screens too, Smokefrost, so I feel your pain. I am astonished, however, that you would read 49 chapters of a fic that your "beginning" to enjoy. I'd have given up a long time ago. xD

Also, Shimmertail, did you really write a NorthxSilver one-shot? Do want to read! .

C h a p t e r 49: Northstar

There was a spring in his step as he headed towards the Peak, despite the worsening of the soreness in his shoulder; he'd just have Blackmoon look at it when he returned.

Finally, finally, Silverstar had shown the spark of a worthy leader. And, she had forgiven him, although he didn't care so much about that.

He entered camp, glancing around quickly, glad that none of the other warriors were awake to see the odd glittering of his eyes. He ducked into the warrior den, curling up in his nest. Silverstar's burning blue eyes rose into his mind, and he smiled; finally, they had a real chance.

He awoke to a tug on his whiskers. His eyes opened immediately, but he didn't bother with a warning growl as he blinked into Rabbitpaw's blue-green eyes. She grinned at him.

"I was wondering if you were ever gonna wake up," she purred. "It's already sunhigh, you know! Way past sleeping time!" She cocked her head to one side. "Have fun with Silverstar last night?"

Her eyes were glowing devilishly, and this time Northstar felt a warning growl was appropriate. Rabbitpaw wasn't scared, and for some reason this irritated him.

I haven't gone as soft as Silverstar, have I? he wondered, the thought popping out, accompanied quickly by the memory of her claws against his throat. Perhaps that's not the best comparison anymore.

"We had a lot to do last night, training-wise," he answered, stretching slowly and wincing slightly as he felt the familiar tug of pain from his shoulder "However, I think our training sessions are over now."

Rabbitpaw grinned. "More time for training with me then, right? Just the two of us?"

Her eyes glittered with admiration, and for a moment, he was warmed by it; it felt good, to be respected, even admired again. It had been a long time since he'd had that deeply felt devotion from another cat.

"Yes," he answered, and Rabbitpaw let out a happy chirp.

"I'll get our prey, and we can eat with Rosedapple!" she purred, bounding away with inexhaustible energy. Northstar smiled, then blinked, realizing that for some reason, he was in a better mood than normal.

The burden's been lifted from your shoulders, he thought. Silverstar actually has a chance now, thanks to you. Of course, she probably couldn't have beaten you if you were at your full strength…which Lion will be…but you've planted the seed of belief in her mind, and shown her the power that remains untapped. The responsibility for victory is no longer yours. For once…you aren't alone in this battle. You have…true allies.

He stared ahead of himself thoughtfully; he wasn't sure how he felt about it, having allies. Could he really count on Silverstar? She'd always been fickle before, weak, and yet the electricity between them during their battle…it was hard to believe that it could fade away.

He heaved himself to his paws, realizing that he was keeping Rabbitpaw waiting; ignoring the dull ache in his shoulder, he padded over to the nursery, lying down next to Rosedapple. She smiled at him, but her blue eyes seemed oddly clouded for a moment, before she blinked the clouds away.

"You haven't eaten yet? It's a little late," he rumbled. Rosedapple shrugged.

"Fawncloud and I shared a little meal together this morning, but I'm still a little hungry," she answered. Northstar blinked in surprise; it was the first time – to his knowledge, anyway – that Rosedapple had shared a meal with anyone besides himself or Rabbitpaw, alone.

"Did that go alright?" Northstar asked. Rosedapple nodded, glancing at Rabbitpaw.

"I learned a few…interesting things about you and your brother," she purred to the apprentice. Idly, Northstar wondered if the "interesting things" included anything about Rabbitpaw running into walls.

"Here," Rabbitpaw meowed, shoving a rabbit towards him, as she nibbled on a little bird of her own. Northstar took the first bite, offering the second to Rosedapple, but she shook her head at him.

Rabbitpaw ate her food like a ravenous fox, and it was apparent that she was bored, her gaze straying to the camp entrance multiple times; she wanted to continue her training. Northstar was ready to nudge the last of the prey towards Rosedapple and begin the day's session, but Rosedapple surprised him by touching his flank with her tail. He blinked into her warm blue eyes for a moment, feeling confused, and she gave him a small smile, before mewing to Rabbitpaw,

"Why don't you see if Sparrowfeather and Sleekfoot will train with you today? I know you've been doing a lot of battle training with Northstar, but they're the best hunters in the Clan."

Rabbitpaw glanced towards Northstar for confirmation; he hesitated, bemused by Rosedapple's behavior, but nodded.

"Having lessons from more than one mentor makes for a more well-rounded apprentice," he said. Rabbitpaw grinned.

"We'll train later, okay?" she asked, springing to her paws and dashing over to the two she-cats, who were sharing a meal of their own. Sparrowfeather and Sleekfoot looked surprised to be approached, but eager, and after polishing off their meal, the three of them left camp together. Northstar turned to Rosedapple, still feeling slightly puzzled.

"What was that about?"

"Rabbitpaw idolizes you; you're everything to her now," Rosedapple said quietly. "You're her father figure; Foxclaw never wanted kits, and she's not his daughter, and while Stonestar loves her, he's too busy to take care of her all the time. But her love for you blinds her to some things…like how tired you are. You're working too hard, Northstar. The battle's coming, you have to be well-rested."

"You're right, the battle is coming, and I want Rabbitpaw to be prepared," Northstar growled. He regretted his gruff tone immediately, as Rosedapple's eyes dropped down to her paws; she was still fragile, he had to remind himself of that. He touched her flank gently with her tail in apology, feeling her warmth.

"I know you want Rabbitpaw to be a warrior before then, to sort of…prove yourself to PeakClan," Rosedapple said, "but I don't want you to…." She trailed off, but he knew what she meant. She didn't want him to die in battle.

If she knew how many lives I had, she'd be even more worried, he thought grimly. "There's no reason to be worried, Rosedapple; I'll be fine. I've survived worse battles than this," he said. It wasn't really a lie, necessarily; if Silverstar did her part, he'd be fine.

Rosedapple rose to her paws. "Can we talk? Please?"

Northstar nodded, taken aback once again; since when did Rosedapple want to leave camp voluntarily? Still, if this was part of her healing process, he didn't want to argue.

He followed her quickly out of camp, and down the Peak. She paused for a moment, opening her mouth to scent for Rabbitpaw, before padding in the opposite direction. It took Northstar a moment to realize that she was following the same path they had walked before, before the great thunderstorm had burst forth and brought new life to the forest.

She stopped in the clearing that they had stopped in previously, and smiled; the green life he'd pointed out to her before had spread, creating what was almost a carpet of new shoots. He reached her side, stopping beside her, and to his bemusement, she leaned against him for a moment, before continuing on and sitting where they had sat, brushing one paw over the ground, a gentle expression on her face. He sat down beside her, and she pressed her pelt against his. He blinked; he could feel her heartbeat through her thick fur, and it seemed almost as if they were beating in sync. He found himself smiling.

"I'm scared, Northstar," she said softly, and he turned to look down at her.

"Scared? Of what? You won't be in the battle, Rosedapple. You and the kits will be safe atop the Peak. We'll make arrangements so that you have both food and water, in case they try to starve you out. You'll be fine, we won't let anything happen to you or the kits."

Rosedapple laughed quietly. "I'm not worried for myself, Northstar. I'm not that selfish…but I am selfish, I guess…I don't want you to fight in the battle."

Northstar's pelt prickled, and he was startled by the intensity of her gaze. "I have to fight, Rosedapple. I'm the best warrior of either Clan when it comes to that."

"I know," she said quietly, brushing her paw over the green shoots again. She seemed to be struggling, grappling inwardly with herself. "I know you're important…but that means you'll be on the front lines, you'll be the one in real danger, while I hide…."

Northstar frowned. "If you're worried because you don't think you're doing your part, then don't be, Rosedapple. The Clan needs you to take care of your kits. They don't expect you to do anything more; those kits are our future."

She shook her head. "I'm not worried about that either!"

Her exclamation worried Northstar; she was acting neurotically, and he didn't understand why.

She isn't slipping back, is she? He thought anxiously, and it felt almost as if his heart was twisting. Not after how hard it was just to get her to smile for the first time….

He reached out with his nose, touching her shoulder. "Just tell me what's wrong, Rosedapple," he meowed. "Allow me to understand what's troubling you, okay? I'll do whatever I can to help, you know I will."

She leaned against him, and his breath caught in his throat as her head fit snugly underneath his muzzle. "I know," she said quietly. "I know you'd like to try…but I don't want your loyalties compromised…I know you want to fight for the Clan and prove yourself to them, prove your loyalty…."

Her scent, like flower petals, wafted up to his nose, and he felt a sudden strange warmness, like a fire had been kindled inside of him.

"What do you want?" he murmured into her fur.

Gently, she pulled away from him, her blue eyes wide and round as she stared up at him. "I don't want you to go."

He blinked down at her. "I'm not leaving, Rosedapple. I'm not deserting PeakClan after the battle. This…this is my home now. This is where I…belong." He turned, gazing at the Peak in the distance, feeling puzzled; just when had his home ceased to be the mountains, wherein he was born and raised? When had PeakClan, the weak, spineless, pathetic Clan, become the Clan he owed his loyalties to?

"I'm not scared you'll desert us," she mewed, her voice trembling. "But, when cats leave…when they leave me…they never come back."

He turned to her again, feeling her sorrow wash over him; she blinked at him for a moment, before staring down at her paws, shame at her weakness written on her face. Northstar felt a surge of pity for the dappled she-cat; she'd had cats leave her time and again, for bigger and better things; Lightstar, Graywing, even Blackmoon turned his back on her as his duties became too much for him to handle, despite his feelings for her. Rosedapple had been left behind by her Clanmates for moons; Northstar suddenly wondered how much he didn't know, what had happened to her before she and Lightstar had even fallen in love. Had she been betrayed then too, as far back as when she was an apprentice?

"I'll never leave you, okay?" Northstar asked quietly, and with his tail he gently pushed her back against him, her muzzle lying alongside his chest. He hesitated, then gently licked her ear. "I'm here for you, Rosedapple."

"What if you die?" she whispered into his fur. "I'll be alone again."

"Blackmoon still cares for you; he's just busy," Northstar meowed. "And you'll have Rabbitpaw, Fawncloud, Hawkpaw…your friends. Your Clanmates. And your kits, too, Rosedapple, never forget them. They'll love you forever." He closed his eyes, and his father rose into his mind, his cold eyes and white fur, the familiar sneer on his face.

Despite all of his faults…he was cruel, he was cold, he never had time for anything but the conquest of the forest Clans…I still loved him, he thought. All I ever wanted when I was an apprentice was for him to accept me as his son, to train me himself…when Brackenheart died, I suppose I got my wish….But then I turned against him, my father, for power…and even then, I still loved him. Kits can't help what they feel for their parents.

But I never knew my father, not really. I didn't know the cat that had managed to unite the mountain cats against the intruders; I never knew the cat that loved my mother so deeply. That was all before my time…by the time I knew him, he was different. He'd changed. He wasn't willing or able to love me.

But Rosedapple loves her kits, despite the pain they brought her. She loves all of them, even Graywing's kits. As long as she has them, she'll never be alone.

He smiled into her fur, his muzzle resting atop her head. Then, his ears flattened; Rosedapple was right to be afraid. There was still a chance that Silverstar would fail in her duty to bring Lion down. If she could injure him enough for Northstar to finish him off, they might have a chance, but he could still die as a result.

He didn't want to die without someone knowing the truth. The entire truth.

"Rosedapple," he said quietly. "There's a lot about me that you don't know."

She shifted to blink up at him. "I s it important?" she asked; his expression seemed to answer the question for him, and she nodded. "I'm listening, Northstar."

And he began to speak, the story unraveling itself word by word, pouring out of his heart where he had kept it hidden, locked away, pouring itself into Rosedapple. She simply stared at him, her expression not changing until he finished with her rescue…she knew everything after that.

"You rescued me…and you used that to get yourself into the Clan," she said slowly. "You were wanting power again."

He nodded, and he could feel his stomach clenching; he didn't want Rosedapple to think badly of him, but it was inevitable with the sort of cat that he was. Now she knew everything; he was no longer in the shadows. Finally, he had told the truth, and it felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"But…I was an outcast to the Clan," Rosedapple said slowly. "There was no reason for you to stay with me beyond that. And yet, you did. You took care of me…and it can't only be because of my kits, you were still here even after they were born, even after Graywing died and you knew that I would be around as long as they needed me. You still tried to help me."

He blinked slowly; it was true, although he didn't remember it like that. There had always been some sort of angle…hadn't there? When had that changed too?

"And Rabbitpaw…you brought her back to the Clan, but you didn't have to visit her. But you did, you tried to take care of her too." Rosedapple was smiling now. "And now you're her mentor, trying to prepare her for the battle, trying to keep her safe." She let out a low purr, and Northstar was more confused than ever before; how could she be smiling at him, purring as though he wasn't a monster? He had killed his own father.

Then, she moved forward, pressing her muzzle against his chest. Northstar pulled away, and Rosedapple glanced up at him, puzzled.

"How can you…how can you pretend that what I told you doesn't matter?" he growled. "I killed cats, plenty of good cats. I had medicine cats killed, and I allowed my own father to be killed as well. It was my lust for power that led to Lion gaining it. I'm the true cause of the coming battle, not Silverstar. And you…you act like a few kind acts over the past two moons erase all of that."

"Of course they don't," Rosedapple meowed, "but StarClan is there to judge that, not I. All I know of you is what I've seen, and…you saved me, Northstar, more times than I can count. You saved me on the cliff, and you saved me time and time again from making the final choice. I would have killed myself a moon ago, if you hadn't been here for me. And you saved Rabbitpaw, too; Dapplefern was a dark influence on her. She's got a certain…twisted feeling to her, one that I can't quite explain, but everyone feels it. Rabbitpaw could have become the same thing, but you're her mentor now, and you saved her too. What you did before coming here…that doesn't matter. The only cat I can judge is the one I see before me right now, staring at me, confused…lonely. Because you're lonely, just like me. But, just like me, you can change, and you have changed and…."She trailed off, and Northstar felt hot underneath his fur from her gaze, her blue eyes twinkling at him with a emotion he didn't quite recognize, but felt, thrumming at the core of him.

I've been trying to save Rosedapple from herself, the entire time I've been here, he thought. But…at the same time…she was saving me too.

"I love you, Northstar," Rosedapple whispered. "And that's why I'm afraid to let you go…because the cats I love, they don't…they don't come back to me. They leave me alone, and I have to pick up the pieces, and…." Her voice was trembling, so badly that it was difficult to make out the words she was trying to speak. "I'm not strong enough to pick them up again."

Northstar was moving forward before he knew what he was doing, and suddenly Rosedapple was against his side, as he curled around her, and he could feel her heart thudding wildly against his chest, and for a moment he saw it, that wild, fierce joy he had seen during the thunderstorm. He let out a low, rumbling purr, and he could feel her purring too as she let herself go, melting against him, letting go of her fear of being lost as he finally – finally – let go of the guilt and loneliness that he'd been holding within himself ever since Brackenheart's death.

He didn't speak a word, but he didn't need to; Rosedapple knew his heart as surely as she knew her own, and for a moment, he smiled; they were both broken in different ways, but it didn't matter.

Between the two of us, we've got one whole heart.

. . .

They entered camp the next day, together; Northstar could feel the Clan's curiosity, wondering at the closeness of their pelts, of their obvious absence the night before. However, it was not the suspicious, sneering curiosity that Northstar had come to expect from the Clan towards Rosedapple; it was simply open curiosity, and he smiled; things were changing still, within the Clan, for the better.

He escorted Rosedapple to the nursery, promising to return with prey, only to find himself stopped by both Sparrowfeather and Sleekfoot at the fresh-kill pile.

"We trained with Rabbitpaw for most of yesterday," Sparrowfeather mewed.

"Stonestar wanted to know how well she was doing, so we made it sort of an assessment," Sleekfoot said.

"Suffice to say, Stonestar is very impressed with her training," Sparrowfeather continued.

"He thinks she is ready to become a warrior," Sleekfoot finished.

Northstar blinked with surprise; he hadn't thought that Rabbitpaw would be made into a warrior so quickly. "When will the ceremony be?"

"Today, I think he said?" Sparrowfeather meowed, glancing at Sleekfoot for confirmation. The blue-gray warrior nodded.

"Today," she affirmed, and smiled at Northstar. "Congratulations."

Northstar felt as though part of his mind had been left behind. "Does Rabbitpaw know?"

Sparrowfeather purred. "Of course not."

"It's always best to keep it a surprise for them, right?" Sleekfoot asked, eyes sparkling.

Northstar nodded slowly, and then blinked, realizing they were waiting for something. "This is, ah, great news," he meowed. "Thank you both very much."

They both nodded, before padding away; Northstar quickly grabbed a pigeon, padding back to Rosedapple.

"What did they want?" she asked with a quiet purr, resting her head against his shoulder as he lied down; he started plucking the feathers, his mind still elsewhere.

She nudged his shoulder, and he blinked, coming out of his reverie. "What?"

"What did Sparrowfeather and Sleekfoot want?"

"Oh…Rabbitpaw's going to be made a warrior, today," he answered. Rosedapple's face lit up.

"That's great! She really deserves it."

"Yeah…I wish I could have been there for her assessment, though…." He trailed off, realizing what he was implying. "Not that I wasn't happy to be with you, of course," he added quickly, and Rosedapple nuzzled his shoulder.

"I know," she meowed; her blue eyes seemed to sparkle, and it was like her entire face was glowing as she looked at him; his gaze softened slightly, but he let out a quiet sigh, pushing the pigeon away.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy. You want her to be a warrior, don't you?"

"Of course, but…the battle's almost here, and as a warrior, she'll be in a lot more danger than she would be if she was just an apprentice…we'll need every warrior on our side, you know?"

"You'll keep her safe," Rosedapple said. "You won't let anything bad happen to her."

"I'll be making sure Silverstar doesn't fail in her duty, that's what I'll be doing," Northstar growled, and Rosedapple smiled.

"Exactly. Once you or Silverstar or whoever kills Lion, the rest of his forces won't know what to do. And we'll win."

He glanced at her. "You seem a lot more certain than you were yesterday."

She gave him a little shrug. "Everything seems…brighter this morning."

Northstar's gaze traced over her dappled form, her shimmering fur, and a slight smile curled his muzzle. "They certainly do."

"Hey!" Rabbitpaw's bright chirp made him turn. He and Rosedapple exchanged glances, and Rabbitpaw frowned at the two of them suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" she asked slowly. "You're looking all…close. Closer. Than usual, I mean. You know. What's up?"

"Nothing," Northstar growled quickly, wanting to head her off, but Rabbitpaw smelled the figurative prey, and her eyes lit up.

"You guys were both gone last night, right? Together?"

"We were not—" Northstar protested, earning him an amused glance from Rosedapple and an even wider grin from Rabbitpaw.

"You were! You are! Oh, StarClan, wait until Dapplefern hears this, right? She'll absolutely freak! You know what that means, right? You're Brackenkit and Birdkit's daddy now!" Rabbitpaw could hardly contain her excitement.

Northstar swallowed; that particular thought hadn't hit him just yet. He glanced over his shoulder, hearing the kits inside; it sounded like they were fighting.

I'm their…father? He thought slowly. Lightstar's kits…both litters of them.

His ears flattened, and he stared down at his black paws. This is one thing I'm not ready for. I can't be their father. I'm hardly the best role model, considering my relationship with my own father….

Rabbitpaw's face fell. "I said something wrong, didn't I? Jeez, I'm sorry. Was I wrong? Aren't you…?"

"We are," Rosedapple said quietly. Rabbitpaw smiled again, but she still looked worried.

"I just don't think the whole father-thing had quite hit yet," Rosedapple said, glancing at Northstar again. "You don't have to be, if you don't want to, you know. They aren't really your kits, not your responsibility—"

Northstar was silent.

"Um…I'll go and, uh, hunt," Rabbitpaw said quickly. "Hawkpaw and I were gonna go anyway."

She quickly slipped away; Northstar pulled the pigeon towards him and slowly began plucking the feathers, still feeling uneasy.

"Are you okay?" Rosedapple asked. "I didn't want to spring this on you, but Rabbitpaw sort of…."

"I don't know how to be a father," he said quietly.

She let out a quiet purr. "Just do for them what you do for Rabbitpaw; she's turned out just fine, remember?"

"But how do I tell them? They haven't known a father for the first two moons of their life, and then I stroll up and tell them that they have one now?"

Rosedapple flushed. "That might not be a problem, actually…you see, they can hear us talking, and since I talk to Fawncloud sometimes now, they kind of have the basic idea of what a father is…and you're the only tom they've seen, besides Hawkpaw…and maybe they subconsciously remember your scent from their kitting, I don't know, but they already kind of see you as…."

Northstar glanced over his shoulder; the kit-fighting sounds had stopped, and he wondered if the kits were listening in at that very moment. The fur around his shoulders ruffled slightly.

"I don't want them to know a father, and just lose him," Northstar said quietly.

"Then just don't risk yourself, okay? Just stay safe for us."

Northstar looked away. "I can't do that, Rosedapple. I'm going to be an important part of this battle. And if I have to die to make sure that we win, I'll do it."

He blinked slowly, remembering his last conversation with Brackenheart.

"Would you be prepared to lose your own life for hers?"

Northstar had said no; at that moment he had treasured his life more than hers, held himself far above her. But as he turned his head, watching her leave camp with the brown apprentice at her side, he knew that he would do it now in an instant. She was his Clanmate, his apprentice. And Rosedapple was his mate, and her kits were his kits, and he would do anything for them.

Change, he thought grimly. Was this StarClan's plan all along? Did they know it would happen? Or did I just change myself?

He took the first bite of the pigeon, before nudging towards her. She took a bite as well, still watching him anxiously.

"If I die, there's always StarClan," he said quietly, and she nodded, eyes still slightly downcast.

Although I'll probably never make it there, he thought silently, but how could he tell her that?

. . .

The Clan waited for Rabbitpaw to return for her ceremony, but she was oblivious, taking her sweet time to hunt with Hawkpaw. She finally returned with several decent catches, much to Northstar's pleasure, before blinking with confusion at seeing everyone already gathered together; word had spread quickly that young Rabbitpaw was to become a warrior.

Mousepaw peeked out of the apprentice den, then bounced towards his sister quickly. She gave him a little purr, and a quick, puzzled look around camp.

Stonestar came out of his den, letting out a loud yowl, calling the Clan together.

"Today, as many of you know, we are here to make two apprentices into warriors," he meowed. Delight quickly spread over Rabbitpaw's face, while apprehension grew on Mousepaw's.

"Rabbitpaw, Mousepaw, come here please," he continued. Rabbitpaw hastened to obey, with Mousepaw trailing behind her.

"I, leader of PeakClan,call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turns." He turned to Rabbitpaw.

"Rabbitpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Rabbitpaw raised her muzzle. "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Rabbitpaw, from this day forward you will be known as Rabbitleap. StarClan honors your energy and spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of PeakClan."

He turned to Mousepaw, repeating the question. Mousepaw swallowed, glancing up at the sky as if for courage, before mewing,

"I do."

Rabbitleap let out a purr despite herself, for the lack of a stutter in Mousepaw's voice. Stonestar glanced at her quickly, and she flushed with embarrassment, looking down at her paws.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Mousepaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Mousestep. StarClan honors your loyalty and swiftness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of PeakClan."

"Rabbitleap!"Northstar yowled. "Mousestep!"

"Rabbitleap! Mousestep! Rabbitleap! Mousestep!" the Clan yowled with him. Rabbitleap's face glowed with happiness, and even Mousestep quirked a little smile, although Northstar noticed his legs were trembling.

"Tonight, Rabbitleap and Mousestep will sit vigil for the Clan," Stonestar announced. At this, PeakClan murmured to one another for a moment; Rabbitleap and Mousestep both looked surprised, although they remained silent, padding together to sit at the entrance of the camp.

"That ritual hasn't been used here in a long time, since Lightstar's own vigil," Rosedapple said quietly.

"Why not?"

Rosedapple shrugged. "Why deprive them of sleep?"

Northstar smiled slightly. "To prove that they're warriors, warriors of a strong Clan…one who is still in tune with StarClan." He glanced up at the sky, where the first stars of the night were appearing. "Perhaps PeakClan is returning to their faith."

AN: If I gave the chapters titles like I used to, this one would be "Finally". For a number of obvious reasons.

By FF's standards, this is the 50th chappy, so it had to be kinda special. By my standards, next chapter is the 50th, so it's gotta be…well, you'll see. We are so close to the end, though, we've only got…maybe four chappies? Five? And they'll probably fly by….*sniffle*

Also, today I'm going to Cincinnati, so I wanted to get this to you before I leave. I'm spoiling you, I know, but I just can't hold onto chappies once they're done. Anywho, I might even have another done by the time I'm back, if I can bring the computer. Who knows?