1 Year later...

"D-D-D-D-D-DORA!" Anakin winced as the theme song for the dreaded "Dora the Explorer" resounded through the house. Even from his bedroom where he was packing he could hear it clearly. It meant that it was Leia's pick for what was constantly being played on the TV... without the twins actually watching it, of course. Dora was their newest fascination—previously, the kids had been fascinated with Leap Frog, and it drove him so crazy that he began to "accidentally" lose control of the Force and fling the DVDs or the DVR up against the wall. Each time, Luke's cherubic little face -so like his own, his grandmother swore he was Anakin reincarnate - would frown, point at him, and say, "Da!" which would be accompanied by an image of Anakin fixing it through their Force connection. Leia usually just started screaming, her forte since birth.

After the third time of this happening, Padme had put her foot down and threatened to make him watch five hours of the horrible shows if he didn't stop pretending to accidentally destroy the shows with the Force. He'd tried to pretend that wasn't what he was doing, but he'd simply gotten 'The Stare' from his wife, the one he remembered so well from her Galactic Senate days, and he'd ducked his head shamefully. And, to top it off, she had reminded him that she didn't have to be a Jedi to know when he was using his Force abilities inappropriately.

He knew a losing battle when he saw one.

So, with that threat, Anakin did indeed stop, but that didn't keep him from doing his own research, much to Obi-Wan's amusement, for alternatives to replace those dreaded shows with ones that were slightly more tolerable. His twins were a year old, they wouldn't know the difference he reasoned. They just liked the noise and the visuals…when they were sort of paying attention.

Now, however, he regretted bringing Dora into the home.

He tried to tune out the horrible nightmare that was the Dora opening theme song, but to no avail. Finally, he sighed and gave up, leaving the bedroom to go back out into the kitchen area where Padme was busy beginning to prepare dinner. Glancing over into the living room that was littered with toys and blankets, Anakin could see that, sure enough, Luke and Leia were busy playing together with their toys and not actually looking at the TV at all. Jedi was curled up next to them, tail thumping happily against the carpeted floor. "Why turn the TV on when they are clearly focused on something else?" he asked for about the thousandth time, as he leaned back against the countertop.

"Because, it distracts them enough for me to get something done," Padme replied without turning around. She was bent over and searching through all the lower cupboards, seemingly to no avail. "I think Luke might have hidden the pan I need. Again." She finally said with an exasperated sigh.

Anakin couldn't help but laugh. The very moment Luke had learned to crawl, things began to 'mysteriously' go missing in the house. If Luke could drag it, it was surely going to turn up missing. "Threepio is helping Artoo make sure everything is ready out in the garage, but I'll have him search the house for it." Anakin paused, the smile beginning to melt from his face a little.

He had heard men in both galaxies complain about their wives after the stress of having children changed their marital relationship from that of being lovers to one of just being parents. The first time, he had worried so much for the safety of his family, that it had literally driven him to become a totally different person. Now, he chose to view the hard times - and there had been some hard times in the first few months after the twins' birth -as a blessing, a gift from the Force, and a learning experience that he was determined to use to strengthen his relationship with his beautiful wife instead of alienating them.

And, beautiful she was. Gorgeous.

Even on the days when Luke and Leia were impossible for both of them to handle. Even on the days when he came home from school or work and she looked like she was going to drop from sheer exhaustion. In fact, he thought she was more beautiful than ever.

He loved her more now than he ever had.

So, as she hunted around for another suitable pan, he stopped and just watched her. The way she moved. The way curls fell out of the messy bun she'd thrown it up in so the twins wouldn't pull on it. The way her hips, a little bit wider now after giving birth (but in just the right places), swayed sensually as she moved to and fro, muttering under her breath about mischievous little boys who took after their father.

He was going to miss this. Six months in space… the sight of his wife, the sight of his children playing in their living room…if he wasn't so worried about establishing a firm future for them, he might have backed out of this trip altogether. He knew Padme didn't love the idea of him leaving, but she supported it anyway. She knew how important it was to him and for their family, and just as he supported her in her endeavors, she supported him.

Still. He didn't want to leave. Not now. Not ever.

Finally, as Padme failed to find a suitable pan for what she needed, Anakin approached her from behind, sliding his arms snugly around her waist, bringing her close to his body. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, planting wet kisses that he knew would send shivers down her body, and breathing her scent in. "We'll order delivery, Angel," He muttered as he trailed kisses up her neck, pausing to gently nip and suckle her earlobe, and then further across her jawline. "Let's not spend tonight cooking. Let's just…enjoy each other's company." He whispered into her ear, reaching out with his tongue to trace the shell of her ear.

Padme groaned, leaning further into him, reaching up with her right hand to tangle her fingers in his hair. "I am totally okay with that." She murmured before she turned around in his embrace and, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissed him deeply. He was so relieved and thankful that, after her body had healed from the delivery, they had been both willing and able to resume lovemaking on a somewhat normal basis...despite both of them being tired all the time from caring for two newborns. Now, Anakin could feel her desire reflecting his own—and he could also feel her apprehension of him leaving. They had been separated before in this life, but not for this long, and not in such a way that was so completely physically separating. The ship he and Obi-Wan had built was superior, but it didn't match up to what he was used to from their old galaxy. If something happened back home while he was off planet, he couldn't easily turn around and go back to help her or the kids. It drove him mad thinking about it, and if it wasn't for Galen coming in to stay with Padme and the twins right before take off to help Ahsoka protect his family while he was away, he wouldn't have been leaving at all.

So, he enjoyed every moment of that kiss, his hands reaching up to cup both her cheeks, when….

"Da?"

Luke.

They broke apart, a blush covering Padme's face, as they looked down at their son. He had a red Hot Wheels car gripped in one hand, and he was looking at both of his parents expectantly. Anakin glanced at Padme, who shot him a smolderingly suggestive look and mouthed "later." That made Anakin grin ferally and his eyes darken instantly with desire, before he shook his head and gave his son his full attention. "Hey, Buddy, what are you doing?"

A large, goofy smile played out on Luke's face—which was very normal for Luke, and it warmed Anakin's heart every time. An image of food flashed through their Force connection. It was one of the benefits of being Force-sensitive like his children, but now that they were of an age where they needed to start relying on physical speech to communicate what they wanted, Anakin was doing his best to encourage them to speak. "Luke, what have we told you? You need to actually tell us what you want, Buddy. Your mother can't understand you through the Force like I can," Anakin reminded his son.

Padme shot him a grateful look: Often, both of the twins tried to send her their desires through the Force like they did to Anakin, and due to Padme's non-sensitivity to the Force, it was totally lost on her, which had led to quite a few tantrums in recent weeks. Wryly, Anakin acknowledged that the next six months without him there would be a…different experience for his children...and his wife.

Luke frowned, and an image of food flashed through Anakin's head again. "Say 'food,' Luke." Anakin insisted gently.

Luke's little frown deepened, and, assuming that Anakin just didn't understand what he wanted, Luke turned and toddled over to the open pantry where he knew the food was kept, reaching out. "Da!" He said again, his favorite word (much to Anakin's pleasure), and he looked back at his parents expectantly.

"Oh no," Padme began, "He'd better not try…"

She hadn't even finished her sentence before a glass jar of food teetered over the edge of a shelf and went falling towards the floor. Having felt Luke's surge in the Force, Anakin quickly stopped the jar and levitated it to his own hand. Luke giggled, scrunching up his face in delight, having successfully gotten Anakin to play the twins' favorite game: Drop everything and see if Daddy will catch it with the Force.

"...that." Padme finished with a sigh, rolling her eyes. "Y'know, this house is going to get a lot messier without you here to stop them from knocking everything over."

Anakin smirked. "I'll add it to the list of things for Galen to watch out for. He could use practice in spontaneous levitation anyway." That wasn't quite true, but if it helped ease his wife's mind, it would have to do. Giving up on getting Luke to say something close to the word 'food,' Anakin walked over and picked his son up and settled him in his high chair before going into the living room for Leia. Padme took that opportunity to order the two of them a large supreme pizza—with bacon on top of it, of course.

Anakin was going to miss bacon.

"No!" Leia yelled when Anakin picked her up. She immediately began to squirm, kicking her legs and twisting to try and get out of her father's grasp.

"No!" was her favorite word.

"Leia, it's time for dinner. Now, stop squirming, young lady." Anakin said patiently and calmly...but firmly. He had patience for few things and people, but he had quickly learned that Leia was even more stubborn than he'd originally thought, and responding to her with impatience just made it worse.

Still, she stubbornly squirmed until he had managed to get her into her high chair, and he pulled out the jar of food for her to see. She reluctantly calmed down after that and watched as her mother proceeded to place a plastic bowl with some dry Cheerios in it before her and her brother.

Mealtime with the twins was always eventful, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As usual, Jedi left his spot on the living room floor, planted himself beneath the dual high chairs, and stared intently, waiting for the inevitable rain of food to come crashing down to the floor for him to quickly mop up with his tongue. The twins ate as they usually did—extremely messily.

Luke would sit there enjoying each moment the food was in his mouth…which only ended up dripping down his chin and onto his bib. Leia was always a battle, from putting on her bib to actually getting food into her mouth. Anakin had fought easier lightsaber duels compared to getting Leia to eat. She liked food, but no one would know it by the way she acted. She would try to hit the spoon, grab the spoon to throw it, and if she was really feisty, she sometimes lashed out with the Force, sending her little plate and fork flying across the kitchen to splatter in a heap on the floor. It was a big game to her, and it didn't help that her behavior made Luke giggle, thus encouraging his daughter to continue to act out. Dinner usually ended in the twins needing baths and both parents taking showers.

This night was no exception, but tonight, Anakin was content, even while he was splattered with baby food. It was a night when he basked in the overall peacefulness of this life. Sure, he and his family were constantly on the alert—Palpatine was still on the loose, and he had thwarted two assassination attempts against himself by nameless assassins over the last year. But overall, this life was so much calmer than in his previous galaxy.

He wondered, like he often did in calm moments like this, how he was so lucky to have a life like this one. He didn't need power. It had brought him nothing but trouble and misery. What he needed, what he'd always needed, was his family. Moments like this—his wife waiting for their pizza delivery, his twins together and happy, his friends and his mother just a phone call away—this was true happiness.

"You have that look on your face again," Padme suddenly said, distracting him. Leia used that opportunity to lash out with the Force, orange goop from her strained carrots hitting him in the face.

Leia and Luke giggled.

"What look?" He asked, trying to feed Leia again. He couldn't wait to properly teach them how to use their abilities…

"That look that tells me that you're wondering if this is all too good to be true. If this is actually real." She motioned around them with her hand, indicating the whole of this life, this world.

Anakin took a moment to think about her comment and about all they had experienced over the last year. So many memories. Good memories. He remembered the various milestones they'd both been blessed to be there for this time in the twins' lives: Learning to sit up, roll over, and to crawl, their first teeth, first words, and first steps, Padme's first Mother's Day, his first Father's Day, and the twins' first birthday. He thought about how his relationship with his in-laws had improved somewhat over the last year because of the twins, whom Ruwee and Jobal simply adored. He thought about the twice a month dates he took his wife on to ensure they had some romantic time alone just for them.

Yes, all in all, this second chance was worth it.

Anakin smiled softly as he managed to get Leia to take a bite. Success! "Y'know, it's sort of comical to imagine myself sitting here as Darth Vader, in that suit, trying to feed these two little squirts." He paused, really considering that. "It's also a terrifying thought, too. I'm…I'm really glad I didn't know they existed at this age when I was…" he trailed off, looking at his children's innocent, currently very messy, faces. As he always did when he thought about this, he felt a fierce need to protect that innocence for as long as possible.

Suddenly, Padme was at his side, her fingers finding his chin to tilt his face up so that his eyes met her deep brown ones. "I'm going to miss you, Ani, while you're gone," She paused, looking at the twins. "They'll miss you, too."

Oh, Anakin was aware of that. Too aware. He was worried about his wife, but he was also very worried about his children. They had never been separated from him for more than a few hours at a time. He worried that his leaving would awaken some slumbering separation complex ingrained in them from their past life, and that, by leaving, he would be awakening that.

It was not a good thought.

"Maybe it won't be too bad, Angel. They're still so young." He didn't really believe the words, but he wanted to be positive minded for his worried wife…and, truthfully, for himself.

He could tell she didn't buy it either. "Okay." She said on a sigh, wiping off baby food from his cheek with her thumb. "You're a mess, by the way."

Anakin grinned, wiped more baby food off of himself, and smeared it on Padme's nose. "Now you are, too." Laughing, Padme pulled away, the doorbell ringing just at that moment for their pizza delivery. "I'm sure you'll miss getting messy," she called over her shoulder, her voice full of playful sarcasm. As he watched her saunter out of the room, Anakin's smile softened.

"Yes, I will."


"Okay. Everything is in place," Obi-Wan announced, as he entered the cockpit of the shuttle.

"Good," Anakin said, running his final check of the systems. Everything looked in place—perfect, actually. That didn't surprise him, since he was confident that the ship would work as they'd built it to. The NASA engineers who had visited the ship two days ago, having been notified of their plans by Stanford when Anakin had submitted his ship plans for his final exam, didn't seem too enthused about its chances, but that was because Anakin had used materials that NASA believed to be "too reckless" for space. Still, NASA had agreed to follow the ship's progress over the next six months, which Anakin was pleased to hear.

But, when the media had gotten wind of the trip six months ago, there had been a huge uproar and a particularly nasty debate raging on the nightly news talk shows, not to mention online on Twitter, for weeks on whether or not it was safe for "droid builders" to build a ship and take it to Mars, let alone outer space.

Obi-Wan had soothed Anakin multiple times over to keep him from marching down to each and every news station to not only explain why the ship would work, but also rave about how, out of everyone on the planet, he and Obi-Wan were the most qualified to complete a mission like this.

Thankfully, cooler heads had prevailed.

No. Doing that would have exposed too much of their past, revealed too much about the Jedi Order to media scrutiny - not to mention the prying eyes of the government - so, Anakin had let Obi-Wan do the talking to the media, while he focused on building the ship.

Now, outside of the ship, there were hundreds of reporters behind a blocked off barricade, guarded by federal officers, cameras ready, waiting for the chance to see whether or not Anakin's ship would crash and burn as NASA had publicly predicted. Also waiting outside, in a closed private tent protecting them from public scrutiny, because the media had gone nuts about Anakin bringing his children onto the 'dangerous' ship, were his and Obi-Wan's families and closest friends.

When the media had openly accused Anakin of being a bad parent for bringing the twins aboard with Padme to show them the completed product, it was the only time Obi-Wan had not been able to convince Anakin it would be better if he addressed the media. Obi-Wan did, in the hours leading up to that particular press conference, outline a strict statement for Anakin to follow, and Padme, calling on all her years of senatorial experience, had coached Anakin on keeping a diplomatic face even while boiling mad on the inside. In the end, the 'diplomatic' solution was to keep the twins off of the ship until he could prove that it was, indeed, safe.

"Artoo," Anakin asked, trying to keep his mind from thinking about the less than favorable arrangement too much. He wanted so badly to show his children, even if they were too small to understand it yet, the legacy they'd been born into. He wanted them to know that if he could do what this world deemed impossible, they could, too. "Are the systems fully functional?"

Artoo was plugged into one of the many ports that Anakin had built into the ship. A high pitched whistle of agreement reached his ears, causing Anakin to relax a little. "Alright. Then we're ready to launch." He got up from his seat, turning to Obi-Wan. "Let's go say goodbye and get this show on the road."

"You know," Obi-Wan said on a sigh, as he followed Anakin out of the ship and back out onto the launch pad, "I'm starting to remember that I really, really hate space travel, and that it's better suited to droids. Almost six months in space does not sound fun."

Anakin grinned at that. "You're making history, my friend...on this planet anyway. Think of it that way. What did Neil Armstrong say when landing on the moon? One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind?"

"Yeah, but that's the moon. The moon is a lot closer...and not nearly as red as Mars is. Need I remind you I'm not fond of red?" Obi-Wan sighed. "Just don't fly too wildly. I know you, Anakin. Remember, you have a wife and kids to live for now, and I have a wife to live for as well. I would like to actually come back in one piece and not die on this mission."

Anakin laughed. Of course, Obi-Wan would remember his hatred of space travel right before takeoff. "Come on, Obi-Wan, surely you're not too...chicken...to go?," Anakin smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

If looks could kill, Anakin was sure he would have been one plucked bird, as Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes and huffed at his friend. Laughing at his expression, Anakin slapped his copilot good-naturedly on the shoulder.

"Well. Too late now. You're stuck with me. For six whole months. I promise I'll do my best not to kill us both." He shot another grin at Obi-Wan, who scowled in response.

They reached their families in their private tent. Padme stood with Leia in her arms, while Galen, who had arrived in the States early that morning with Peter, awkwardly held Luke. Galen had created a pretty good relationship with the twins over the summer, but it was clear that he didn't generally hang out with toddlers in his spare time back in Nepal. Threepio also stood at Padme's side. His mother and stepfather, Shmi and Cliegg, his in-laws, Jobal and Ruwee, Mindy, and Ashoka were also present to wish them well and say their goodbyes.

Obi-Wan immediately went to Satine, enveloping her protectively in his arms. Satine had been calm and supportive the whole time they had been building the ship, and she had even used her lawyer skills to help Obi-Wan in addressing the media during the height of the scandal. However, Anakin suspected that behind that calm façade, she, too, was apprehensive about her husband leaving for six , they had arranged for Peter to come over from Nepal with Galen, and he and Ashoka would be staying with Satine while Obi-Wan was away, to protect her from any of Palpatine's plots.

Anakin turned his full attention to his own family, leaving his friend to his. "Angel," He whispered lovingly, one hand going to her waist, pulling her close, as he leaned in and kissed her deeply, his other hand twining in her chestnut curls. The night before, after they put the twins to bed, they had intimately expressed to each other again and again, long into the night, just how much they were going to miss one another, and even now, as he kissed her and breathed in her familiar scent, he felt that doubt of leaving her.

He would have continued to kiss her forever, but Leia's little hand began to push at his face. He pulled away, their lips making a soft smacking sound, laughing a little as he took Leia in his arms and held her close, dropping a gentle kiss on her forehead. For once, she didn't squirm. She was quiet, as if sensing that something was changing. She looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes, so much like her mother's. "I won't forget about you, my Princess. Please don't forget me, ok? I love you, Leia. So much." He promised, kissing the top of her head. She whimpered, but didn't cry or yell. Yes, he suspected she knew something was amiss.

He looked back at Padme, meeting her eyes. "I double and triple checked the communication systems. They are functional. Call me everyday so that I know everything is okay." His throat tightened. Force, this was hard. If he didn't believe in what he was doing so much, he would call everything off. But, one look at his family, and he knew he needed to do this, even if he hated leaving them for so long.

"I will, Ani," Padme promised. To anyone who didn't know her, they would think she was calm, but Anakin knew it was her senatorial face, the face she was using to keep the media from coming up with some ridiculous story about how he had left his sobbing wife to go die in space, or something similarly stupid. Still, he could feel her distress rolling off of her in waves, and he kissed her, fiercely, once more…and was again pushed by Leia.

"Okay, okay," He said, pulling away, giving Leia another kiss on her forehead. "You be good for your mother, Princess, while I'm away, understood?" He said, using their Force connection to make sure that she fully understood. "Be nice to her and your brother. And the dog. Oh, and Galen, too."

"And Threepio!" Threepio reminded him. Leia had a habit of throwing her toys at Threepio whenever she saw him for some reason. They weren't sure why, but maybe it was because she took after Ryoo and Pooja, who called him, 'The Stiff.'

Anakin chuckled. "Yes and Threepio, unless he isn't doing his job." That caused Threepio to start to protest, but Padme quickly waved him off. Leia looked at her dad, her eyes as serious as he'd ever seen them.

"Da," she whispered, and he smiled for her, kissed her forehead a third time, and handed her back to Padme, where she continued to remain eerily calm.

Anakin faced his Padawan. "You understand that I'm leaving the safety of my family in your hands."

Galen nodded soberly. "Yes, Master."

"This is not a small task to be taken lightly. You need to be constantly on your guard. I am certain Palpatine will try to take advantage of the fact that we're not on planet to hurt them. Ahsoka and Peter will help you as well, but when they aren't around, be extra careful, and always vigilant. Do not hesitate to contact me if there's a problem. I'll have my comlink with me at all times."

Galen nodded again. "It will be done, Master."

Somewhat satisfied, Anakin nodded. "Good." He turned his attention to Luke, who, abnormally, was squirming in Galen's arms. "Luke," Anakin sighed, taking his son into his arms. Immediately, Luke calmed, though Anakin could sense that his son was still struggling with inner turmoil. "Luke, look at me, Buddy." He ordered, using the Force to get Luke to understand. Luke looked at him, tears welling up in his bright blue eyes.

Anakin's heart practically broke.

Like Leia somehow knew, Luke did as well, and he was not taking it as calmly. "I'll be home before you know it, Buddy. I need you to be the man of the house for me, okay?"

Anakin tried to calm him with the Force, but it seemed to only make Luke even more upset. He began to openly bawl. "No, Da! No!" He blubbered, and it was accompanied by an image of Anakin at home playing with Luke and Leia. Anakin had to fight back tears of his own.

"I know, Luke, but right now, I have to go on an important business trip. I'll come back home, I promise." He kissed Luke's forehead, sending calming feelings through their bond. It did little to calm him down, though.

"Da! No, Da!" An image of Anakin buckling Luke into his car seat in the SUV flashed through his head. The message from his son was clear: If you aren't coming home, Daddy, I want to go with you.

Anakin's heart nearly shattered. If only.

Even if he could have taken him and Leia without the media going into a frenzy, not to mention child protective services getting involved, he still would have been too young to be cooped up on a space shuttle for six months. Actually, Luke may have been okay, but Leia…Leia was not meant to be cooped up in a place like that. Ever. Anakin could only imagine the tantrums she would throw. It was a terrifying thought.

"Not today, Squirt. Maybe next time. Ok? I love you, Buddy. Very much. I'm going to miss you, Luke. Be a good boy for your mother. Remember, she can't use use the Force. And, don't fight with your sister." He ruffled his son's blonde hair and bent to gently kiss his forehead, sending as much comfort as he could through their Force bond, before handing Luke back to Galen.

He met Galen's eyes and said through their Force bond: He's going to have a hard time with this. Help Padme when she needs it. Galen nodded in understanding as Luke began to squirm and wail. It tore Anakin up. Each cry was like a lightsaber being shoved into his chest, and suddenly Anakin realized that if leaving Luke for a comparatively brief time period of six months caused his son so much pain, Anakin could never fathom the pain he went through growing up without the father he had always wanted. It took all of Anakin's strength to look away from Luke and back to Padme. "I love you, Angel. Always." He managed to choke out.

Padme nodded, and he noticed her bottom lip quiver just a little. "I love you, too, my Jedi." He looked at her, taking her in, memorizing every detail of this moment, leaning over to kiss his wife one last time, before he turned to hug his parents, his in-laws, Mindy, Peter, and Ahsoka goodbye, pausing to give Snips some last minute instructions for the Order, as she would be in charge stateside, with Nejaa in charge in Nepal, while he and Obi-Wan were away. He then headed back to the shuttle where Obi-Wan stood, waiting.

"I'll be sure to take good care of them, Master Anakin!" Threepio called out, and Anakin smiled just a bit, more amused than anything else.

Threepio never changed.

Each step he took, Luke's wails seemed to get louder, and by the time he reached Obi-Wan, Anakin himself was practically going mad with the pain he could feel through his Force bond with Luke. "We have to go," He choked out, "Now."

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding, turning and heading up the ramp with Anakin. "The twins will be okay," Obi-Wan assured his friend, as the ramp rose up and they entered the cockpit. "Even at this age, they're stronger in ways that you and I could never fathom."

Anakin nodded, no longer able to speak. Instead, he sat down in his pilot's chair and began powering up the system. Obi-Wan sat next to him in the copilot seat, buckling up. "Are you sure about this, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.

Anakin sighed. "You know I'm sure. Maybe someday I'll figure out a way to use this world's resources to create a ship that will be faster than this one, but I have to start somewhere. We both know that."

"I understand." Obi-Wan said. "Well. It's now or never. I've got your back, my old friend. Punch it."

Anakin smiled a little, letting out a pent up breath and taking the steering mechanism in his hands. The ship beneath them shook slightly and then lifted up off of the ground, and he began to maneuver the ship into takeoff position. "Ready, Artoo?" He called to his droid, and received a whistle of confirmation from the astromech. "Here we go then," He said, and pushed the ship into take off, shooting towards the atmosphere, and out into space.


So...I clearly haven't updated in a while, and I sincerely apologize for that. For whatever reason, after school ended, I got randomly depressed and writing was hard for me. I started this chapter back then, but I couldn't finish it. Then when depression phase was over, our company took on a major client and I was told last minute that I needed to create a massive training program and that is still not completely figured out, even though it was an overall success. Point is, I'm hoping that things will get easier from here on out.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know some of you are concerned with time skips, but bear with me. I know exactly where this story is going, and my Beta knows exactly where this story is going. Everything I do is for a purpose, unless I specifically state that it's a fluff chapter...which I think happened like once or twice, since I'm not very patient with those chapters lol.

Thank you for your continued support, it does mean a lot to me. I just needed a break, and I am back on the writing horse and ready to go now. I again apologize for the wait.

Review!

Love always,

Sarah