Silhouettes – Part XIV

Damon's eyes blinked open slowly. Everything was a blur and he felt like he was hit by mac truck. The sluggishness he was feeling told him he was still heavily dosed with vervain and his limbs were so heavy he could barely lift them. Damon lolled his head to the side, and he was able to make out his surroundings. It was dark, and smelt dank and musty. There was a gate he was trapped behind and his arms were chained to a stone wall. The Lockwood cellar. He slowly pulled on the chains shackled around his wrists, and pulled himself up to lean on the wall.

There was a figure laying on the other side of the cellar that was starting to stir, but with his back to him and his blurry vision, Damon was unable to tell who it was. "Hey…" he forced out. "You okay over there?" Talking exerted more energy than he had.

Slowly the man rolled over, blinking in confusion, but as his gaze landed on Damon, recognition washed over him. "Damon?"

The vampire swallowed painfully, as his vision cleared and he made out the mans face. "No…" he whispered. It was Rudy Hopkins; Bonnie's dad. "I'm going to kill her." He grumbled to himself, as his eyes filled with rage.

"I hope you aren't talking about me." The sound of her voice echoed in the cellar as she approached the gate. "Good everyone's awake. I was starting to get bored." She mocked, inspecting her nails.

Damon forced himself to his feet with great effort, glaring her down. "What is he doing here?"

"Ooh…" She started mockingly, ignoring his question. "You don't look so good, Damon. I must have given you more vervain than I meant to. Oh well." She shrugged carelessly.

"Elena, where's Bonnie?" Rudy asked on a wince, sitting up gingerly.

Katherine smirked as Damon's glare never left her. "That's not Elena. What is he doing here, Katherine?" he demanded again, slower and with more malice.

"It's all part of something much bigger, Damon. But if I told you now, it would ruin the surprise." Her eyes darted between them before she rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, what do I care? It might shake things up a bit." She turned and pulled up a small stool, perching on it carefully and crossing her legs. "So…where do I begin?"

…

Bonnie handed Silas the cure with a relieved sigh. "Here. It's done." He grabbed it from her hand, inspecting it in the light, and humming approvingly before tucking it into his back pocket. "Aren't you going to take it? You've only been on my case about it for the last three hours."

His gaze slid to her slyly. "Soon. We have one more task first." He nodded for her to follow him as he headed to the door.

"No." She retorted defiantly, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. Silas stopped dead in his tracks. "We had a deal. I make the cure for you and you move on with your unlife. I don't owe you anything else."

In three long strides, Silas crossed back over to her, hauling her up off the chair and out of the cabin. "I have been uncharacteristically generous to you in the last few weeks, Bonnie, but don't mistake my generosity for weakness." Her feet barely touched the ground as she struggled out of his grasp, but his hold was strong. "You are a tool. A means to an end, and you will do as I say for as long as I say unless you want me to rain hellfire down on you and this town. Because I have no problem doing so." He enforced, ignoring her struggles for freedom. He seemed completely unphased as she glared at him, trying to down him with an aneurysm. "It won't work. I'm impartial to your magic as an immortal, so I'd save your strength if I were you. You're going to need it."

"What more could you possibly want from me?" Bonnie bit out as she desperately tried to keep up with his long strides as he pulled her roughly along. "I've done everything you've asked."

Silas sighed irately. "Magic is a fickle bitch, Bonnie. Sometimes, what you're willing to offer isn't enough. Sometimes…it needs more than that." He turned looking her dead in the eyes. "Sometimes it needs a sacrifice."

Bonnie's eyes widened as fear filled her. "So, was that your plan? This whole time, you were planning on killing me?" her voice wavered as she tried to be brave.

Silas chuckled, pulling her through the dense brush of the forest until they reached a clearing. "Not quite."

"Finally!" Katherine's voice rang out once she saw them, uncrossing her legs and hopping off the tree stump. "I was starting to think you'd stand me up." She smirked at him coyly.

Silas smirked back. "Wouldn't dream of it. Did you do as I asked?"

She scoffed. "Implying that you asked is a bit of an exaggeration. More like demanded with force…but yes." Her eyes flickered to Bonnie's with a secretive smile before she turned back to the SUV and popping the trunk. She carelessly grabbed Damon by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him out, and with how drugged he was on vervain, he could barely put up a fight.

"Damon!" She moved to run to him, but Silas held fast. "Let me go!" His grip lessened and she wrenched away rushing over and helping him back to his feet. Her hands checked him over, lifting his chin and to look him in the eyes. They were heavily lidded but shone with something she's never seen before; defeat. "What did you do to him?" She demanded.

"It's just a bit of vervain." She waved it off with a flick of her wrist. "It'll wear off."

Bonnie spun around to glare at Silas again. "What the hell is this all about?"

He pulled the cure from his back pocket and downed it in one gulp. He let out a heavy breath as he felt the beginning of his magic return to him. "There was a reason why Qetsiyah never completed the spell for the cure. The price was too high." Bonnie frowned. "She didn't tell you? It's just like her to have the last laugh. I guess she didn't like you very much." He sauntered over arrogantly. "The spell to create the cure needed to be blessed with a sacrifice; the life of someone she loved…dearly. And in her case that was me." He chuckled as realization dawn on her and her eyes clouded with tears. "And in your case…" Silas trailed off, glancing passed her to look at Damon, who was swaying slightly on his feet.

"No! No, I won't do it." She exclaimed with a waver in her voice. "Not Damon." she asserted.

Silas shrugged. "Okay. Katherine? What's behind door number two?" As Katherine reached back into the back of the SUV, she pulled another body out, letting his unconscious body hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Dad!" Bonnie ran to his side, dropping to her knees and pulling his head into her lap. "Dad? Dad, wake up!" She cried, sobbing as his eyes fluttered open only to shut again.

Silas hauled her to her feet, standing behind her forcing her to stare at Damon and her father; his hands gripping her shoulders tightly. "Now here's the part where you get to make a choice. Who will it be, Bonnie? Your poor absentee father, or Damon…the only man you've ever loved." He proposed silkily, his tone soft, but still full of menace.

Bonnie's tears fell freely from her eyes as she stared at Damon and when he started to come to, he met her gaze and pain gripped her heart. "I c-can't. I won't do it." She sobbed.

"You have to. It's already in motion." He pressed. "If you don't, the very fabric of this reality will fall apart that the seams."

She shook her head. "There has to be another way, there's always a loophole."

"This is the loophole, Bonnie! If there was another way, I would have shoved off this mortal coil centuries ago. Did you think creating a cure for immortality wouldn't have consequences?" When Bonnie continued to cry, Silas rolled his eyes. "Come on, Bon-bon…the afterlife awaits." His grip tightened, and the witch cried out on pain. Damon tried to lurch forward to help her, but Katherine was quick to hold him back with minimal effort. "Choose. If you don't, I'll be forced to do it for you…or better yet, I'll kill them both, and then I will drop the veil not only in the expression triangle, but I'll let it stretch to the four corners of the earth, and every single dead supernatural being with a vendetta will be able to cross over from the other side." He leaned close to her ear. "And I'll be sure to tell all my friends to swing by Mystic Falls for a visit. How does that sound?"

"Bonnie." Damon's voice was raspy with misuse, as he spoke for the first time. There was a calmness in his eyes, as he spoke through the hazy cloud of sedation. "Listen to me…you can't let that happen. I won't let that happen." Her eyes widened, and he nodded. "You know what you have to do."

"No! Damon, I can't!"

"You have to." He whispered back with resignation. His gaze turned to the man on the ground. "You need him."

Bonnie's face crumbled. "I need you too! H-how am I supposed to do this without you?!" She couldn't imagine living a few days without him let alone the rest of her life.

Damon offered her a weak smile, his blue eyes slanted and heartbroken. "You'll be okay. I'm always going to be with you." He promised, his voice cracking on his words. "A hundred and seventy-five years on this earth and my life didn't really have purpose until I met you."

Her lip trembled. "I love you." Her words barely over a whisper as her breath hitched in her throat.

His heart tightened in his chest. He ached to feel her love flow through him one last time, but there were several feet between them, both, firmly held away from each other. "You've given me everything I've always wanted. And you gave me the chance to love you…" Her eyes squeezed shut as the realization of what was happening slammed into her. This was the last time she was going to see him, and she tried desperately to cling onto the dream of their future. Her eyes snapped open, and he was staring at her with tears in his eyes; like waves crashing in the ocean. "It's gonna be okay, baby." He attempted a reassuring smile but it slipped away seeing her so shattered.

Then suddenly, Silas' hand slammed to his chest, his palm and fingers stretched out over Damon's heart as his lifeforce drained from his body through Silas' arm into his core with a luminescent glow under his skin. And when it was over, Damon dropped to his knees, eyes lifeless, as Bonnie rushed to him to pull him into her arms before he hit the ground.

The next few moments were a blur. She screamed out in anguish, sobs tearing through her throat painfully as the sky cracked open above her and the heavens opened to pour down rain on them. Now endowed with his own magic, Silas lowered the veil, chanting as he worked on destroying the other side. The realities melted together and Katherine searched frantically for her daughter through the whipping wind.

"NADIA!" She screamed out, spinning around trying to catch sight of her through the trees. There were people fading in and out, as the other side and reality blended into each other, when a grip on her arm caught her attention. And although she'd never seen her, she knew it was her daughter.

"Mother? You found me…" She whispered shell-shocked.

They shared a brief smile. "I have been looking for you all your life. I never stopped trying to find you." Katherine told her through tears, then she held her hand and sped them out of the expression triangle before Silas could destroy the other side.

"Bonnie!" Her dad's voice called out, but she was so lost in her own grief she didn't hear it until he gripped her shoulders. "Bonnie what's happening?!" he yelled over the thunderous crack.

"He's gone." She blinked passed the tears and rain streaming down her face, staring at Damon's motionless body cradled in her arms. Then the rage took over and her face hardened, her eyes darkening to black orbs as she carefully lay her lover down, and stood, walking over to Silas, who panted as he completed his spell.

He chuckled a little to himself, relieved that his goal was finally complete. He turned to Bonnie, watching her walk over with hate in her eyes. "No hard feelings, Bonnie. And look at it this way…you can exact revenge on me for killing the love of your life. Everyone wins." He held his arms out wide, with a big grin.

"That's what you want though, and that's not really revenge then, is it?" Silas eyed her curiously, wondering what her next move was going to be. "No, I have a better idea." Her hand shot out, and Silas dropped to his knees, and when her hand squeezed shut, he clung to his chest painfully. "You made a big mistake teaching me expression magic…" she circled him before grabbing his hair and cranking his head back. "Because now I have the power to make the rest of your life miserable. It's not enough to kill you; I want you to suffer." Bonnie narrowed her eyes and Silas gripped his head in agony.

Blood started to pour from his nose, ears and mouth. "Bonnie, please!" he groaned.

"Begging…that's cute. But it's not going to save you from what's coming." She released her hold on his hair, and he fell forward, writhing on the ground. "Do you feel that? That's your blood boiling in your veins, and this…" he hollered. "This is me paralyzing you from the inside out." She crouched down next to him as his body started to stiffen, but his eyes still moved, staring at her in terror. "I wonder…how long can you live like this before you finally die?" He opened his mouth, but only a choked gasp escaped. "Oh, I'd save my strength if I were you…you're gonna need it." She parroted back to him with a sneer. "Invisique." She incanted with a wave of her hand, and in a blink, Silas' body vanished, cloaked by her magic. She let out a breath, before turning back to her father, her eyes fading back to their usual green. "Help me get him home, please?" her throat tightened, but she did her best to swallow it down. This wasn't the hard part; she had to survive this if she was ever going to survive what was coming next. The loneliness, the emptiness…never hearing his voice, never looking at the blue of his eyes, never feeling his arms around her. Bonnie's eyes squeezed shut. No, this was just the beginning of the pain she'd have to endure, and if she was going to have any chance at getting through it, she'd have to make it through today.

…

Bonnie sat numbly on one couch in the Salvatore boarding house directly across from Damon, who lay cold and grey on the couch opposite her. She watched him for any sign of life, as if he'd wake from slumber and return to her, but as time passed, her hope faded. She didn't even flinch when the front door crashed open and Stefan came rushing in with Elena in tow.

"Bonnie, thank God! We've been looking everywhere for you-" Stefan started, as he walked down the steps.

"Stefan." She cut him off.

He continued, standing before her, hands crossed. "You can't just disappear without telling anyone where you're going-"

"Stefan!" She said louder. "Something happened."

Elena gasped as she spotted Damon, and her hands covered her mouth in horror. "Oh my God…"

Stefan whipped around, and visibly staggered back at the sight of his dead brother. "No…" He rushed over, pulling him into his arms, checking him over. "Damon? Damon, come on, wake up."

Bonnie stood, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's too late…" she said, her voice strained.

He turned glare at her, tears pooling in his eyes. "Then bring him back! Do whatever you have to do, but bring him back, Bonnie!"

"I can't. Trust me, I've tried…but he's not in there anymore. The other side is gone, Stefan…there's no where to bring him back from." Her mouth twisted as she held back the onslaught of tears. "I'm sorry."

Stefan collapsed to the floor, sobbing into Damon's chest as Elena tried to console him. She glanced up to look at Bonnie, worried for her friend. "Bonnie…"

"It's okay." She nodded to Stefan. "He needs you right now. I have something I have to do." With one last look at Damon, she swallowed painfully and headed for the door, ignoring Elena's calls out to her.

…

It didn't take her long to get what she needed in order; it helped that her dad had close connections with the hospital staff. Within a few days, she had Silas moved to the cabin, set up on an IV drip and connected to a vital sign monitor. The consistent beeping seemed to wake Silas from his sleep, and despite his efforts he still wasn't able to move.

"Morning…" Bonnie greeted him coldly from her chair beside the bed. She followed his eyes as they lolled to the machines he was hooked up to. "That's to keep you alive; not enough to give you strength, but just enough that it still hurts. I realized that, leaving you alone in the woods like that without food or water, you'd be dead within a month and…that just didn't seem to be the sufficient amount of torture that you deserve. This way…I can keep you alive for as long as I want." She leaned back in the chair, folding her hands in her lap. "You're so quiet…no smart-ass comments? No witty remarks?" He glared at her, but she could see the fear in his eyes. "You think this is bad?" she leaned forward looking him dead in the eyes. "I'm just getting started." She stood gracefully, her boots clunking across the wooden floor as she headed for the exit. "I'll be back in a week. That drip will last you until tomorrow morning tops. I believe the body begins to starve after three days without food or water so…" she forced a malicious smile. "You have that to look forward to."

Bonnie slammed the door behind her, and leaned on it letting out a shaky breath. She could feel herself start to unravel. All she could focus on was revenge, because the alternative was dealing with the reality, and she wasn't ready for that yet. It was bad enough her phone never stopped ringing; her friends calling her to make sure she was okay, her dad trying to keep her from spinning out of control. She couldn't deal with any of it right now. The only person she wanted to talk to was dead.

…

Bonnie would never forget the day it truly hit her that Damon was gone. She was lying in bed, surrounded by his scent, and she could almost feel his arms around her. Her hand spread out to his spot next to her and found empty sheets, but her sleep addled mind made excuses for her. Maybe he was in the shower. She woke with a stretch, and sat up when suddenly a familiar scent wafted upstairs. Pancakes. Damon's pancakes. She kicked the blankets off her and ran down the stairs in only her bare feet and Damon's black v-neck she loved so much, but when she stood in the doorway, she deflated.

Caroline was flipping pancakes in an apron and greeted her with a hesitant smile. "Good morning. Elena said you haven't really eaten much so…pancakes!" she tried to say cheerfully, but faltered when Bonnie turned and ran back up to Damon's room, slamming the door behind her before Caroline could follow. She threw herself on the bed, muffling her screams in the pillow and the heart wrenching sobs racked her body painfully.

After that day, Bonnie blocked everyone out; she created a barrier around herself that she wouldn't let anyone pass, despite their efforts. She didn't want to feel that kind of pain ever again, and the only way to block it out was to focus on torturing Silas. Sometimes she would just sit silently looking out the window thinking up other ways she could make him pay for what he'd taken from her, other times she thought about ripping his heart out and feeding it to him, but ultimately, she decided that death was too kind.

After spending an hour at the cabin, Bonnie was grateful the boarding house was empty when she got back. Stefan and her were like passing ships most days. He was barely holding himself together…but he had Elena to help him through his grief; she understood him, she grounded him...she was his person. Bonnie lost her person. She poured herself a stiff drink before heading up to Damon's room. Her fingertips trailed along the post of the bed, coasting over the soft cotton of the duvet, bringing his discarded shirt to inhale his scent. Bonnie clutched it to her chest, as she moved around the bed slamming the bourbon back and placing it down as she caressing the picture of the two of them perched on his nigh stand. She smiled forlornly, letting her eyes close as a tear trailed down her cheek. I can still smell him here…I can still feel him.

"It's because I never left, Bonnie." Was she dreaming? She could have sworn- "I said I'd always be with you…" She could feel his words whispered in her, but she was sure that if she opened her eyes he'd disappear. "And I never break my promises."

Slowly, Bonnie turned, feeling his body so close to hers, but barely touching, and when her eyes opened, there he was. Clear as day, looking as beautiful as the moment she met him. Her eyes were wide and disbelieving. "Is this real?" It wouldn't be the first time she imagined him.

Damon smiled, and his hand ghosted across her cheek. She felt it, but it felt like wind grazing her skin. "As real as it can be." She threw her arms around him, but all she felt was the cold. "Are you okay?" He whispered, resting his cheek on the side of her temple.

Bonnie blinked, pulling away. "I don't know…how is this happening?"

"I think when I died and the other side collapsed, there was a pocket world I got pulled into. It's just me here…and no one can see me but you." His eyes darted between hers. "Your magic saved me, Bonnie."

Her eyes lit up. "Then maybe I can bring you back."

"No." he shook his head, shooting the idea down immediately. "You can't. That kind of magic will destroy you. I can't let you do that." He asserted firmly.

"So, what, I'm just supposed to leave you trapped over there all alone?" she demanded.

He smiled. "I'm not alone…I have you." She shot him am unconvinced look. "Listen…I died; I can't come back, there's no way around that. But this…this is a gift." He grasped her hands and brought them to his lips, and she shivered. "I'm not going to squander it. I'm here for you, Bonnie. Because of you, so I'm going to protect you any way I still can, okay?"

She nodded, with a watery smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. It took me a while to navigate this place. I hated watching you suffer and not be able to do anything about it. But now all you got to do is think of me and I'll be there. At your service." He joked with a smirk.

Bonnie laughed for the first time in days. "Sounds like you're going to be logging a lot of hours."

"Yeah, well my boss is nice to look at." He winked, and Bonnie melted. It was almost like he never left. His face sobered. "Listen…don't tell anyone about this yet, okay? Stefan is fragile right now; I don't think he'd be able to handle it yet." The truth was, he was worried of what Stefan could be capable of if he thought that Bonnie had a link to him. What he'd try and make her do if he thought there was a chance at bringing him back. It was too soon.

"Okay…it can be our secret." She smiled. "I think I can deal with having you all to myself." For the first time, since he died, Bonnie felt like she might survive it.

…

Days turned into weeks, and Bonnie was getting into a comfortable routine. Most nights she stayed at the boarding house. Her father understood her need to be close to Damon and reluctantly allowed it, but his concern was growing with her odd behavior. She hadn't seemed to grieve at all. She quickly returned to school, and spent a lot of time out of the house for hours at a time.

Bonnie was just walking in the back door of the boarding house when she heard the heated conversation between her friends in the living room.

"Something's not right!" Elena exclaimed. "Did anyone notice how quickly she seemed to move on from Damon dying? I mean, she's acting like it never happened!"

Ric sighed uncomfortably. "'Lena…everyone grieves in their own way."

Elena's gaze shifted to him. "But she's not. Grieving." She emphasized. "Bonnie hasn't mourned him; I haven't seen her cry since the day he died! She hasn't even visited his tomb! That's not suspicious to any of you?" She looked around at Stefan and Caroline.

"Well…yeah, it's not normal, but maybe she doesn't know how to come to terms with it yet." Caroline offered.

Stefan chimed in, looking down at the floor. "She's in denial. Bonnie is refusing to believe that Damon is truly gone because it means she has to move on without him. And because Silas forced her to choose between him and her father, she feels guilty so instead of accepting that, she's burying herself in distractions so she doesn't have to face reality. It's textbook denial, Elena." He was struggling to come to terms with it himself, and even though his humanity switch was teetering on the edge, he held himself together as much as he could.

Elena threw her arms up and let them slap at her sides. "Then what do we do?"

Bonnie walked in, eying them all. "Hey guys…what's going on?" She asked, knowing full well that this was an intervention.

Elena spun around, surprised before letting out a drawn-out sigh. "Bonnie, we're worried about you."

"Why? I'm fine." She answered flatly.

Caroline stood, coming to stand next to Elena. "Exactly. Damon died…and you're fine."

Bonnie winced, avoiding their gaze, and in that moment, Damon walked up beside her, slipping his hand in hers. She sighed in relief letting her eyes close. "Okay…maybe I'm not fine. But I'm dealing."

"Are you?" Stefan eyed her curiously. "Because it seems like you're just ignoring the inevitable." He snapped. "Damon is dead, Bonnie. And the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner you can start to heal! But you can't just pretend it never happened!"

"That's not what I'm doing, Stefan!" she yelled.

"Then what is this? Why are you acting like nothing is wrong? Why aren't you grieving him like the rest of us?!" he demanded passionately.

Bonnie's mouth dropped open, lost for words, and then she slowly looked up to Damon, who looked heartbroken for his little brother. He nodded at her. "Go ahead…" he said.

"Because he's here. With me." They stared at her like she lost her mind, and she cleared her throat before continuing. "When Silas destroyed the other side, in my pain of losing Damon, I created this pocket dimension…another other side, and I'm the only one that can see him." She finished, watching Stefan try and make sense of it.

There was silence for a moment as everyone looked at each other. "Is he…" Stefan started with a hard swallow. "Is he here now?"

"Mhm." She smiled. "He says he misses you, and he wishes he could have had the chance to say goodbye. And tell you how proud he was to call you his brother." Tears pooled in her eyes as she reiterated Damon's words. Stefan visibly let the weight fall off his shoulders and he sucked back a sob.

Damon smiled at his brother. "And tell him that, even though he can't see me, or hear me…I'm always here…and if he talks, I'll listen." He watched the emotion pull on his face as Bonnie spoke for him.

Bonnie choked back her tears. "He said he's sorry for all the times he let you down. He says, he should have been a better big brother." She swiped away a tear.

Stefan's mouth twisted in a frown. "You never let me down, Damon. Not when it counted. I couldn't have asked for a better brother."

Bonnie sniffled, nodding at Damon, before look at Stefan again. "He says he loves you."

It wasn't often that they said that too each other, and it was enough to crack the shield Stefan was struggling to keep up. Elena wrapped her around him as he let the tears fall. "I love you too, brother."

Damon felt relief at being able to say goodbye to his brother, and took this moment to give them all closure. "Tell Elena to look after him for me, or I'll haunt her forever." He joked.

Bonnie scoffed a laugh. "I'm not saying that last part." She spoke for him, and Elena nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks as she rested her head on Stefan's shoulder.

"And tell Caroline I'm sorry for what I did to her." He added genuinely.

Bonnie repeated for him and listened when he continued. "He says you deserved better than that, and he should have told you that when he had the chance."

Caroline wiped her tears. "I forgive you, Damon."

Bonnie chuckled when she turned to Ric. "He says he knows you've been drinking his good scotch, but he'll let it slide on the account of him being dead." Everyone let out a little laugh. "And he asked you to save a seat for him at the bar."

Ric choked back his tears. "You know I will, buddy."

Damon wrapped an arm around her. "They needed this. I needed this. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She whispered to him.

This was the beginning of healing for all of them.

…

AN: Hey everyone! So, this is technically the last chapter of the Silhouettes Saga, but I have one more chapter as sort of an epilogue, with another song that I felt goes really well with this storyline. I know some people might be mad that I killed off Damon, but he's still there with her and not every story has to have a happy ending. I enjoy writing stories that are unpredictable and take you on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I know I had a hard time writing some parts myself.

Bonnie is young and Damon taught her so much about herself, and love and strength and I think that losing him is a part of that process. But that he'll always be there guiding her through her hard times and setting her on her right path, is sort of poetic. Like she was always his purpose. Thank you all for reading this one, and I hope you come back for the epilogue because it will be a bit more lighthearted, with some sweet moments between them. Then I'll be moving on to other song fics, and probably a full-length story that's been brewing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I'll be back soon with the epilogue.

Vanessa