AUTHOR'S NOTE: i know it's Friday rather than Thursday, but I wanted to post this chapter before the end of the year.

It was eight o'clock in the evening and Haruhi and Kyoya's reception was still in full swing. The only times Haruhi had left Kyoya's side were for her dance with her father and the one with Yuzuru as father of the groom. The newlyweds were currently standing near the doors accepting well-wishes from guests that had to leave.

Just as she finished speaking to Mr. Naruse, Haruhi felt a gentle tug on her dress and looked down into the eager expression of Ren. Putting a hand by his mouth as if telling a secret, he whispered loudly, "Did I do a good job?"

Kneeling down to his height, she opened her arms for a hug and said softly, "You did a wonderful job as ring bearer. Thank you for your effort." Then she pulled him into a gentle hug.

When Ren pulled back from the hug, he looked over his shoulder at his parents who were talking to Kyoya. "We have to go because Ayame is tired and starting to get fussy," Ren confided before yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"You're a good big brother to watch out for her like that," Haruhi assured him. When she stood up, she noticed that Fuyumi was standing by Kosaku and Hibiki Ito, talking to Kyoya. Gently nudging Ren back to his parents, Haruhi listened quietly to figure out the topic of the conversation.

"I feel like there's a piece missing without her here," Fuyumi commented.

Kosaku said, "I remember when Hinansho was first set up. Shima did wonders marshalling Tachibana, Atsuhiro, Kairi, Fuyumi, Hibiki, and me to hire the staff and take care of all the details." He chuckled and picked up Ren who was leaning against his leg. "Sometimes I look back and try to figure out how we did it."

"Shima even included me in everything. I thought I would just be spending time alone in our apartment waiting for Kosaku to come home from work. Shima insisted that there was no place for idle hands, so she trained me as her assistant for the front desk," Hibiki reminisced. When Ayame started to fuss, Hibiki placed a kiss on the top of her head and rubbed her back. The little girl yawned and snuggled into her mother's arms.

"Looks like someone is tired," Fuyumi commented, smiling at the young family.

Ruffling Ren's hair, Kosaku addressed the newlyweds, "Congratulations! We hope you have a long, happy marriage."

"Thank you," Kyoya said sincerely as he wrapped an arm around Haruhi's waist. After the young Ito family walked away, he turned his attention to his sister who had just been joined by her children.

Nudging Kyoya's shoulder with her own, Fuyumi teased, "So, what are your honeymoon plans?"

"Yeah, what are your plans?" Ryoji repeated with his arm wrapped around Shimura's waist. "Are you coming out to Kariuzawa for a couple weeks?"

Haruhi blushed and buried her face in Kyoya's shoulder. "Dad, I love you, but there is no way I want you anywhere near my honeymoon."

Kissing the top of Haruhi's head, Kyoya said with a grin, "We're spending a couple days in our apartment exploring the new dimensions of our relationship before we head to Hawaii for a week or so. There's a resort there we are interested in buying."

Rene gasped loudly. "Business on your honeymoon? How could you do that to Haruhi?"

Chuckling at the horrified expression on Rene's face, Haruhi explained, "By combining business and pleasure, we can extend our honeymoon just as long as we want. I was teasing Kyoya the other day about going around the world in eighty days."

"And I replied that I didn't want to rush around on our honeymoon. She agreed that as long as we're back in time for Christmas, we can take our time seeing the world," Kyoya clarified.

"What about the bar exam and your position at the law firm?" Shimura asked.

Before Haruhi could answer, she noticed that Masaya was tugging on Fuyumi's sleeve, frowning. Fuyumi looked at him and nodded. She said to the group, "You'll have to excuse us. We have a busy week ahead of us getting ready for school. We have an early flight to Okinawa to visit the Nekozawa family and bring Kirimi back with us."

Kyoya addressed Masaya, "Thank you for taking such good care of my sister. I am indebted to you."

Masaya regarded him seriously before bowing formally. "I shall endeavor to fulfill my duties."

Ageha and Hibiki wrapped their arms around Haruhi's waist as Kyoya stepped back to make room. She placed a hand on each of their heads and said, "Thank you for the wonderful job you did as my flower girls today." She bent to give each of them a hug and whispered, "Have a good trip."

"So, back to your bar exam and job," Shimura prompted.

"Well, my results from the bar exam won't be available for another four to six weeks," Haruhi explained. "As for my position at the firm, Mr. Naruse insisted that I have been working too hard. He doesn't want to see me back in the office until after the first of the new year. That's why we can take our time with our honeymoon."

Chiharu leaned into Takashi's side. "I'm glad you can have a long, leisurely honeymoon rather than having to rush to get back to work."

Haruhi held a hand to the corner of her mouth as she pretended to whisper conspiratorially, "Why do you think I'm letting Kyoya work on our honeymoon? Do you think we'd have more than a weekend if I tried to keep him away from work?"

Playing along, Kyoya pretended to growl. "You know it's actually because you'll need the reprieve from my voracious appetite." He nibbled on her earlobe, and she caressed his cheek.

"Voracious appetite," Hikaru repeated as he propped an elbow on Kaoru's shoulder. They grinned and waggled their eyebrows. "That makes it sound like you were the Wild type instead of Takashi."

Rather than rise to their bait, Kyoya asked Haruhi, "May I have this dance?"

"But of course, husband," she replied, following him to the dance floor.

It was nearly midnight when the reception finally wound down. Atsuhiro announced that he would be bringing the limousine around since it was too late and cold for the newlyweds to use the carriage to return to the main house.

Haruhi noticed that Rene, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Coco slipped around the ballroom whispering to certain people. She nudged Kyoya and whispered, "I'll bet they're telling everyone about where and when to meet."

He chuckled softly as he replied, "I won't take that bet, but I'm sure they are going to be very surprised when they get to the Hinansho apartment and we're nowhere to be found."

^^^^^FLASHBACK^^^^^

"I was watching this American musical and there was a wedding in it. Apparently, they have this tradition called a shivaree. It's kind of a serenade for a newly married couple by their friends and family," Rene rambled excitedly. "We should do that for Kyoya and Haruhi since they'll be staying at their apartment a couple days before they officially leave for their honeymoon."

"I don't know," Takashi commented, as he blushed thinking about his time with Chiharu right after their wedding. "I think they should be allowed some peace to start their new life together."

"Aw, there's plenty of time for that on their honeymoon," the twins chorused. "They did choose to have a traditional western wedding, so we agree with Rene."

"Are you sure you want to upset Kyoya like that? Or Haruhi for that matter?" Mitsukuni asked anxiously.

"This will help them loosen up and relax," Hikaru assured them.

Haruhi slipped back around the corner before any of them saw her. She hurried to Kyoya's office to let him know what his brothers were planning.

Once Haruhi had relayed what she heard, Kyoya grinned wickedly. "I know just how to thwart their plan. I kept the Tokyo apartment I shared with Rene during University since it's close to my office. Why don't we spend our first few days there?"

Settling into his lap, Haruhi wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately before whispering, "Sounds like a plan."

^^^^^END FLASHBACK^^^^^

Most of the guests had gathered outside the building, lining the pathway to the limousine, to throw birdseed at the newlyweds. Atsuhiro made a big show of holding the door for Haruhi and Kyoya to climb into the limo. He teased them for a moment before closing the door and heading around to the driver's seat.

Using Atsuhiro's closing of the door to mask the sound of the door closing on the other side of the limousine, Haruhi and Kyoya slipped out and climbed into Haruhi's car that Atsuhiro had parked nearby hidden by the limo. The two vehicles drove in tandem until they were beyond view of the building.

After the limousine pulled away, transports arrived to take the guests back to the main house.

Because of the late hour, the roads were practically deserted so Haruhi had no trouble driving while Kyoya closed his eyes and relaxed. As they neared the apartment building, she asked, "How long do you think it will take them to figure out we're not there?"

Keeping his eyes closed, Kyoya responded, "I'd say about an hour. It will probably take them that long to get organized. I checked on Rene's 'source' and found that a shivaree is usually done by banging on pots and pans. As soon as they start making a racket, Fuyumi and Tachibana will surely come out of their apartments and inform them of our absence."

"Fuyumi will probably scold Rene for waking the children," Haruhi commented with a chuckle as she laid a hand on Kyoya's knee.

"Why aren't they coming to the door?" Rene whined, looking like a kicked puppy. "They said they were spending the first couple days in their apartment." Suddenly his expression shifted. "Maybe they were kidnapped on their way back?

Fuyumi and Tachibana stepped out of their apartments and looked at the gathered brothers in exasperation.

Fuyumi crossed her arms across her chest. "You do realize that they have more than one apartment, right?"

Exasperated, Tachibana added, "Did you really expect them to spend their time here where they would be continually interrupted?"

"But what if they were kidnapped?" Rene insisted.

Tachibana pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off a headache. "They were not kidnapped."

"But how do you know?"

"Because Kyoya left me a note," Tachibana said matter-of-factly.

Takashi and Mitsukuni nodded to Fuyumi and Tachibana as they headed down the hall to their apartments.

Poking Rene, Kaoru teased, "Guess things didn't work out like you planned, huh?"

The twins walked down the hall toward their apartment with their arms wrapped around each other, laughing.

Rene stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled off to his apartment. "Oh well, at least I tried."

Kyoya kicked the apartment door closed with his foot before setting Haruhi back on her feet. "Welcome home, Mrs. Hinan." He gazed into her eyes as she laid a hand on his cheek.

"I like the sound of that," Haruhi purred. She reached up to loosen his tie and unbutton the first button of his shirt. "Why don't we change into something more comfortable?" Sliding her hands up his chest and under the lapels of his suit jacket, she gently pushed it off his shoulders.

As the jacket slid down his arms, he caught it and tossed it over the arm of the sofa, never looking away from her face. He trailed his fingers down her arms before lifting one hand over her head to twirl her around. "Let me help you with all those buttons."

Haruhi sighed softly as Kyoya kissed her shoulder and ran his fingers from her shoulders down the middle of her back to the top edge of her dress. With each button he unfastened, Kyoya kissed his way down her back. She shivered in delight as his lips and fingers teased her skin.

Kyoya stepped back as he unfastened the last button and the dress drifted to the floor, pooling around Haruhi's feet. She stood there in nothing but the bustier and bikini underwear that Kaoru designed with the dress. Because it was so warm in August, there were no hose or stockings. "Stunning. Absolutely stunning," he breathed in awe. "And Kaoru did pretty good work on the dress too."

Shedding her shoes, Haruhi stepped seductively away from the pool of fabric and toward her new husband. "You, my dear, are overdressed. Let me help you with that." One-by-one she teased the buttons from their holes as Kyoya tensed with each touch, clenching and unclenching his hands. "Relax," she breathed as she placed a kiss on his collar bone, pulling his shirt out of the waistband of his pants.

With trembling hands, Kyoya reached for Haruhi, gently grasping her hips. "What did I ever do to deserve such an amazing woman as my wife?"

Slipping the shirt off Kyoya's shoulders, she only pushed it down to his elbows and used it to pull him close. "You are an incredible man, and you deserve the best."

Even though his shirt held his arms close to his sides, Kyoya ran his hands down Haruhi's hips and grasped the back of her thighs. Haruhi squeaked as Kyoya picked her up to wrap her legs around his waist to carry her into the bedroom.

Grinning, he tossed her onto the bed and finished shaking his shirt off. He was about to climb after her when he suddenly paled and turned away, wrapping his arms around himself.

Haruhi sat up and observed his posture. "Kyoya? Is something wrong?" She stood up, walked over, and wrapped her arms around him from the back. Leaning her cheek against his back between his shoulder blades, she started gently massaging his chest.

Capturing her hands to still them, Kyoya sighed. "I'm sorry. I was just having flashbacks to that night in Okinawa." He tried to pull away, but Haruhi kissed his shoulder.

After a pause, Haruhi stepped back and moved around to stand in front of him. "Remember, we talked through that after that day at the mall." She reached up and removed his glasses. He tried to protest, but she folded them carefully and placed them on the desk.

"I need those," Kyoya protested, reaching for them.

"Oh no, you don't," Haruhi breathed as she reached around and grabbed his ass. "I plan to be close enough that you won't have any trouble seeing me." She raked her nails gently over his ass as she slipped her hands up his sides, trailing her fingers to pull his undershirt over his head.

Kyoya moaned involuntarily as Haruhi tossed the item over her shoulder. "I'm just getting started," she purred, running her hands down his chest then shifting to his sides as she squatted down. Gently, she untied his shoes and slipped them from his feet, setting them out of the way.

Standing up slowly, Haruhi trailed her fingers up the outside of his legs while her thumbs rubbed the inseam. When she reached the junction of his thighs, she cupped his erection for a moment before reaching for his belt buckle.

"Haruhi…" Kyoya whined breathlessly, closing his eyes to lose himself in the sensation of her touch.

"Shh, just relax and enjoy," Haruhi whispered as she placed several light kisses along his collarbone. She finished unbuckling his belt, unfastened, and unzipped his pants. She pushed them off his hips, allowing them to slide to the floor, leaving him clad in only his boxers.

Gently, she pushed him until the back of his knees were against the bed. Sitting him down, Haruhi ordered softly, "Look at me."

Panting lightly from the arousal of his new wife's ministrations, Kyoya opened his eyes, drinking in the sight of Haruhi. "Beautiful," he murmured in awe.

Watching Kyoya's expression, Haruhi reached and slowly pushed the bikini underwear down until they were able to slip to the floor on their own. Next, she let out a breath and pressed the two sides of the front of the bustier together, releasing the hooks. After unfastening the last hooks, Haruhi allowed the bustier to fall to the floor. Standing there in her naked glory, she moved toward Kyoya and pushed him back onto the bed.

Keeping his eyes on Haruhi, Kyoya worked with his elbows and heels to maneuver himself up the bed to the pillows. Haruhi crawled after him like a panther stalking its prey. "You can't get away from me that easily," she purred as she rubbed her naked body against his nearly naked one.

Recovering from his daze, Kyoya smirked. Lifting his hips, he divested himself of his boxers and tossed them aside. "Why would I ever want to get away?" he growled as he pulled her close and kissed her passionately.

Pulling back after a moment to allow them to catch their breath, Kyoya whispered, "I'm right where I want to be. I look forward to exploring all the possibilities of our relationship."

OHSHC

Fuyumi sat at the dining room table contemplating the course and seminar packets scattered all over it. Turning her thoughts from the mess, she looked over at Hibiki and Ageha playing Doki Doki Memorial, a video game the twins have given the girls. Apparently, the company had sent several copies along with the affidavits giving Hikaru's cosplay division permission to produce costumes based on the characters. "I can't believe Renge actually thought that Kyoya was that character from the video game." She chuckled, remembering how Haruhi described that episode of the Host Club's history.

Looking toward Masaya's bedroom door, she could make out the sound of him playing the handheld video game that Seiji had given him for Christmas two years ago. "I can't help wondering if he started playing it again as a way to stay close to his father."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She answered it to find Yuzuru. "Good morning, Yuzuru. Can I help you?"

Smiling, he replied, "If you have some time, I'd like to run an idea by you."

Fuyumi gestured for him to enter. "Let's sit at the dining room table." Before she sat down, she asked, "Would you like a cup of tea? The kettle is still hot."

"That would be delightful." Settling in the chair across from where Fuyumi had been sitting, he looked at the papers scattered around the table.

When Fuyumi returned, he gestured to the packets. "Thinking of going to university?"

Shrugging, she replied, "My therapist suggested that I expand my horizons." Waving at the mess, she continued, "I've been looking through available offerings to see if anything piques my interest."

Turning his teacup back and forth in his hands, he said tentatively, "What would you think about working as my assistant at Ouran two days a week?"

"Is something wrong with your secretary?" Fuyumi asked, sipping her tea.

Holding up his hands, he said, "No, no. Nothing's wrong." Drumming the fingers of his left hand on the table, he continued, "I don't mean as a secretary. I want to train you to be my replacement as Chairman."

"Me?" Fuyumi squeaked, setting down her cup and looking at him incredulously. "Why would you need a replacement? And why me?"

Yuzuru sipped his tea before he answered. "I will eventually need a replacement because of my medical condition. I want to start training someone now so the transition will go smoothly, no matter how slowly or quickly the onset of my symptoms."

"That still doesn't answer my second question," she prompted.

Looking her in the eye, he responded, "Because I know you care. You already fought to get a better board for the school and stabilize its financial position." Yuzuru reached over and patted her hand. "At least think about it?"

The silence settled comfortably between them as they sipped their tea. Fuyumi considered the offer and the uncertainty that had been bubbling in the back of her mind all summer seemed to settle.

After a few minutes, she took a deep breath. "I'd like to try it for a year. How about I train with you two days a week and take classes or seminars two or three days a week to broaden my horizons?"

"Excellent idea!" Yuzuru grinned. "You don't know how much this means to me. Now, why don't we look through these and see which ones will be the most useful for you."

OHSHC

Four days after the wedding, Kyoya waited by the door to the apartment as Haruhi led one of the apartment security detail into the kitchen to pack up the leftover food from the newlywed's stay. He could hear her explaining, "We don't know how long we'll be away and it would be such a waste to just leave it here when you could get some use out of it."

Their luggage sat to the right of the door and the garment bags with their wedding attire were on the left. As soon as the rest of the security detail arrived, they would take the formalwear to the special cleaning service to be processed and sealed before shipment to Hinansho. Kyoya and Haruhi would carry their own luggage down to Haruhi's car so they could head to the airport to board their charter flight to Hawaii.

"Thank you so much for taking care of this," Haruhi said over her shoulder as the security officer followed her out of the kitchen carrying a large box of apparently heavy food stuff. Before Haruhi finished speaking, there was a knock on the apartment door.

Kyoya opened the door and gestured for the remaining two members of the security detail to enter. "You have your instructions," Kyoya reminded them as they each picked up a garment bag. "If there are any problems, contact Tachibana at Hinansho." The pair nodded in acknowledgement and followed the one arrying the box of food out of the apartment.

Kyoya closed the door behind them and drew Haruhi into his arms. "Well, Mrs. Hinan, are you ready to head out on our honeymoon?" He smiled at her lovingly.

"I thought we were already on our honeymoon," she replied coyly as she pushed up on her toes, slipped the fingers of one hand into his hair and caressed the back of his neck with the other hand as she pulled his head down and kissed him passionately.

Pulling back reluctantly, Kyoya rested his forehead against hers. "Hold that thought until we get on the plane. We'll have plenty of time during the flight to follow that train."

Giving him a quick peck before releasing him, Haruhi stepped back and winked. "Duly noted." She picked up her luggage and stepped back so he could grab his own.

"Mind if I drive your car?" Kyoya asked.

Pulling the keys out of her pocket and tossing them to him, she replied, "Of course, you can drive OUR car."

OHSHC

A week after the wedding, the twins and the Beringar sisters lounged in the gazebo of the formal garden enjoying the sun and discussing their final year of University. "So, any ideas about our final projects?" Estee asked as she lazily carded her fingers through Hikaru's hair where his head lay on her lap.

Coco leaned back against Kaoru's chest and suggested, "Why don't we do a combined project like last year?"

Hikaru sat up and kissed Estee before pulling her into his lap so they could discuss the topic with fewer distractions. "Our professors probably won't allow it since we used Kaoru's line last year."

The quartet pondered in silence for a few minutes before Kaoru asked tentatively, "What if the Spiral Cats give us permission to use their contract as our project this year? I mean, it's enough different from last year that our professors should okay it."

Estee and Hikaru exchanged a glance. She said, "That could work. It involves obtaining legal permission from the anime and manga copyright owners, innovating the fantasy elements, constructing the costumes and accessories, as well as the publicity shots."

"Let's see. We already have affidavits for the Final Fantasy, Azur Lane, and Overwatch. We're just waiting for a response for Fire Emblem. We have a list of the character choices for each of the Spiral Cats as well as their scheduled appearance dates," Hikaru listed as he counted them off on his fingers.

Coco jumped up and tugged on Kaoru's arm. "Then let's go send a request off to the Spiral Cats and draft a plan for our project proposal."

Laughing, he stood up and gestured to the other two. "Shall we get this out of the way before we have to start packing to move back to our university apartments?"

Hikaru and Estee chorused, "No time like the present." Hikaru continued, "We can even submit it to our professors before classes start, just in case they deny our proposal and we need to brainstorm something else."

OHSHC

The sun was high in the sky when Haruhi stretched languidly. Rolling over, she laid her head on Kyoya's shoulder. He turned and kissed her forehead.

"Would you allow me a couple hours today to check emails and voicemails?" he said huskily.

Tapping her lip, Haruhi finally answered, "I will grant you three hours, but only on the condition that we actually leave the hotel room to take in some of the cultural events like a luau."

"I thought you were rather enjoying our events right here in the room," Kyoya responded with a smirk.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Dad is expecting pictures from our trip and there is nothing that we have done so far that I would remotely consider taking pictures of to share with anyone."

"If we had thought of it, we could have taken pictures of our meals and post those like Americans are so fond of doing," Kyoya suggested teasingly. When Haruhi glared at him, he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, I concede. I will book us for a luau dinner this evening while I am on the computer."

"Acceptable. I'm going to take a shower and then head down to the lobby to pick up some brochures of the available tours," Haruhi said as she rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Kyoya followed her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "We can look all that up on the computer. Why bother with the brochures?"

She kissed his nose playfully. "Shimura is thinking of taking Dad on a trip next year for their anniversary. She asked me to pick up brochures and pamphlets during our 'around-the-world-in-however-many-days.' I just figured I could do that while you're on the computer." She stood up and stretched, leaning to each side.

As she walked toward the bathroom, she looked over her shoulder, purring seductively, "Are you going to join me?"

Kyoya hopped up and strided across the floor before she had time to close the door. "How could I resist such an enticing offer?"

When Haruhi returned to the room three hours later, Kyoya was staring at the computer with a wrinkled brow. "Problem?" she asked as she stepped up behind him and started massaging his shoulders.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he sighed. "There were multiple messages from Rene, Hikaru, and Kaoru asking us to post pictures from our trip every day. It may be nothing, but I get the feeling that they want to use the pictures to find us on our honeymoon and give us the shivaree we tricked them out of on the wedding night."

Chuckling, Haruhi kissed his ear. "I wouldn't put it past that trio." She paused for a moment. "Chiharu wants pictures from our trip to post in the hall like she did for Fuyumi and the twins' trips, but I'd rather not give them the clues they need to pop up on us unannounced."

"I'd rather not have my brothers crashing my honeymoon either," Kyoya replied, pulling her around into his lap. "Balancing privacy and family can be tricky at times."

"Well, I may have found a solution in the hotel gift shop." She pulled a small stack out of her bag and started showing them to Kyoya. "Postcards could be the solution. We could write on them during our stay but not mail them until we check out to leave."

Kyoya closed his eyes and contemplated the idea. When he opened them, he smiled at her. "That could be just the ticket. They get photos of where we've been but not enough information to catch up with us."

OHSHC

Chiharu was sorting through the mail when she noticed a small stack of postcards from Hawaii addressed to Hinansho. She started laughing as she read the messages from Kyoya and Haruhi. "Clever. That's one way to thwart nosy brothers," she thought as she laid the postcards aside to hang up later.

OHSHC

Hikaru, Estee, Kaoru, and Coco were laughing and teasing as they moved back into their university apartments for their final year.

"I am so relieved our professors approved our final project proposal," Estee commented as she placed the box of groceries on the kitchen counter. "I really didn't have any other ideas."

"Same here," Hikaru added, setting suitcases by the bedroom door for the ladies to sort out later. "It's great that all of the affidavits have already arrived as well. I have a good start on the designs. They should be ready for final fittings around Christmas."

Coco waved her hands to get everyone's attention. "We should invite them all to Hinansho for the Hinan Family Christmas. That way the final fittings could get done and they can relax and everyone else can meet them as well."

Kaoru shrugged. "It's worth making the offer. I've already invited the Asahina family after working with them on the promotional costumes for the last video game release."

OHSHC

Chiharu smiled as she pinned up the latest set of postcards from Kyoya and Haruhi. These were from Chicago. There was also a packet of information to be forwarded to Hikaru about the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. "Even on their honeymoon and 'hiding' from their brothers, they care enough to make business contacts for them," she thought as she looked at the previously posted sets from Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Spokane, Washington for the Rose City, Emerald City, and Lilac City Comicons, respectively. "I can only guess where the next batch will come from," she pondered happily as she returned to her duties at the front desk.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have not abandoned this story. December has been incredibly busy with some unexpected challenges. I have at least four more chapters planned (that number could grow if my plot bunnies get overactive).