DISCLAIMER – This is it folks, the epilogue! Finally! Wow, I'm done, I'm really done…for now, anyway. I proof read this chapter about nine times, changing things that seemed to drag it down, adding stuff like dialogue, etc… So, with that said, I don't guarantee this chapter as a fitting epilogue, but right now, I'm just glad it's all done! I also apologize for the redundancy of the ending line. I believe in threes, odd numbered items, whether in decorating, planting, or repeated comments. Three's my favorite number, so, be forewarned. :0)
I do have to say there were a few plot bunnies that hopped out of my PC during the writing of this newest episode in Gabby's life. They are currently holing up along side of my desk, waiting for me to feed them a chapter or two. However, I have other ventures that need attending and I want to get back to them.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my missives, whether you reviewed or not. All of you are important, believe that:0) For those that reviewed, my heart-felt thanks for your comments and for pointing out plot holes or incorrect facts concerning Alaska and for pointing out facts just to help me get it 'right'. Pacphys, Ramica, Lunar Ninja, Splinter, TBReader (see, told you I'd get this done before the end of the month. Ah, wait, I said within the first two weeks of the month, didn't I? Shoot, well, at least it's done, now.), Chibi Rose Angel, Gemdrive, Beth Hart, and Pretender Fanatic. Thanks guys:0)
With that said, you know the drill – I only own Gabby, Mindy, Jordan, Marie, and Tricia. All others belong to someone else.
EPILOGUE
Chapter 16 – Reflections and Anticipations
As Gabby took a sip of her morning tea, she turned her face upwards towards the sun and allowed its rays to warm her. Holding her cup close against her and closing her eyes, she basked in the sun's light, swallowing her drink and then letting out a contented sigh. She knew that in just a few short weeks, the weather would be turning cooler as the autumn season began, so she was quite happy that a remnant of summer prevailed. Just the same, with being nearly nine months along, she was quite uncomfortable.
Across from her, with the table in-between them, sat her husband. Seth was currently reading the morning newspaper, taking a swig of coffee from his cup as he read. She watched him read, gently reaching out with her senses to assess his attentiveness. He glanced up once, raising an eye ridge at her and then went back to the newspaper article.
"Definitely doesn't want to be disturbed," she mused to herself, somewhat disappointed.
Gabriella squirmed around a bit in her chair to get more comfortable. After finding a better position, she settled back into her seat once more and looked at the letter that she held in her hand. She pursed her lips, glancing back to her husband again and who still seemed engrossed with his reading.
As the baby she was carrying offered her a well-placed kick, she ran a hand over her swollen abdomen and cooed softly, "Any day, now, sweetie."
"Hmm?" Seth looked up from his reading, "What did you say, dear?"
Gabby shook her head, "Nothing, just talking to the baby."
Seth smiled and asked, "Kicking again?"
"Hmm hmm," she replied, "strong kicks, too."
"Naturally," her husband grinned and then went back to his reading.
Gabby sucked on her bottom lip in indecision, hesitating to say anything. Then, as a scrub jay called out from the forest beyond, she asked, "Seth, do you think that we ought to tell them?"
At first, Seth seemed to be ignoring her, but then, just as she was about to say something, he looked up at her, "What? Tell who what?"
She sighed and then repeated as she held up the letter for him to see, "Do you think we ought to tell the family?" Gabby looked at him imploringly and added as she shrugged, "I mean, you know, considering how things went in Fairbanks."
Seth furrowed his brow a bit and worked the inside of his jaw. He then looked over at his wife. Folding his newspaper in half, he finally replied, "Dunno, maybe we say nothing until she arrives? Might be better." He looked away, wondering if it really would be wise to wait.
Laughing a little, Gabby shook her head, "Might be, but who's going to explain her sudden appearance. It's not like she didn't warn us beforehand." She then placed the letter down on top of the table in front of her, playing with one corner of it as she folded the point of the letter up in nervous agitation.
"True, true," Seth muttered under his breath, "But to forewarn them in advance might be worse. Don and Father were quite overwhelmed with her," he laughed a bit, "I don't think I've ever seen my father so intimidated than he was when Marie challenged him there in that hospital. That was reaallly something." Seth snickered, "I think it was just good fortune the doctor came when he did, otherwise, Father would have swum all the way back to Japan right then and there." He chuckled some more in his recollection and remarked, "Don, though, hearing how Marie talked to him when he went back to the house to wake her, that was the kicker." His reading now forgotten, Seth's momentary mirth erupted into a chuckling fit. "Other than your mother, there aren't very many women who can out-talk my uncle!" Seth snickered lightly.
Gabby had to smile a little at her husband's amusing recollection, yet for her, it was a bittersweet memory at best.
Her recovery from her injuries had been a long and painful process. She was grateful for her life, of course, and had finally come around regarding her children's ninjitsu training. Considering that she was stuck in bed and with two legs in casts, no less, she was – simply put – a captive audience, or student, of her father-in-law's teachings.
In a word, Leo took full advantage of Gabriella's infirmed condition, much to her dismay.
As she expected, the tribunal over her actions took place the moment she was at home and when Don determined her to be mentally well enough to endure it. Everyone in the clan had his or her say, too, including Riahna.
It was quite intimidating for Gabby to be on her back in bed, immobile and unable to do anything for herself. Then, to have eight people standing around her who took turns venting and ranting about how she had almost ruined their lives, only worsened how she felt. All the same, considering the kind of insight her near death experience had given her, she was far more prepared than what she would have been otherwise.
For that, she was grateful.
Just the same, to hear from each family member a full, first-person account of what her absence did to them, brought Gabby to tears. She heard about what they sacrificed in order to find her, and about the resulting agony that it caused for all. She tried not to cry, where she wanted to accept the verbal admonishments bravely. She knew she deserved it and gladly accepted it.
Nevertheless, it still deeply affected her. It was one thing learning about it from an ethereal source. Yet, it was an entirely different matter, all together, hearing about it from those she had victimized.
It was also during the tribunal when the clan revealed to Gabby about Don's kidnapping. Each member shared how torn up they were about leaving for Japan, knowing that she was still 'out there', missing and unaccounted for. Leo, most of all, railed on her about the difficult decision he had to make, to leave the search behind while the family took care of business overseas.
"You have no idea how difficult you made things, Gabriella," he told her sternly. "Knowing that someone tried to kill my brother only made it more obvious that there were forces out there in the world that would stop at nothing to bring harm to our family." He looked hard at her then, "And what a prize a young mutant mother with two mutant children would be to such forces."
Gabriella could only nod in agreement, bowing her head in submission and repentance.
"You're just lucky, Gabs, that these same forces didn't know that you had run away," Raph exclaimed angrily, "Otherwise, you might have been found by a more sinister group than your family!" He huffed, "What you did shamed us, but more importantly, it endangered everyone. It would have been far too easy for a skilled adversary to attack our home while we were out looking for you!"
All Gabby could say in response was, "I know, and – I'm…very sorry."
"Sorry? That's it, that's all you can say?" her father growled.
"There's nothing I can say or do to undo what I did, I know that 'sorry' is hardly enough of a word, but, it's all I can offer, other than to try and – well – not be so stubborn anymore, I guess," she said softly.
"You will learn how not to be stubborn, yes," Don declared, "because you will be re-learning what it means to be ninja, whether you end up as one or not."
It was then that Leo told her what her daily lessons would entail, letting her know that once her casts were off and once she was out of physical therapy, she would be resuming a workout routine down in the dojo. "Of course, the extent of what you will do will be based on your physical limitations," he told her.
Yet, the tribunal did not end there. Gabby had to learn about Ramiela's departure and when Devon told her that they believed that Rama had died in a blast while rescuing Don, the news caused his sister to gasp. For a long extended moment, he actually allowed her to believe that Rama had died, if only let her feel the grief that he had gone through himself
Gabby took the news very hard, saying as she cried, "I thought so much over the years about what she did to my mom, what she almost did, and what everyone tried to tell me afterwards. I told Marie a little bit about it, just that Rama sort of went crazy and all. She told me that everyone's allowed one crazy moment in their life and – well – I guess I never really thought of it like that." She looked over at Devon and pleaded, "I'm so sorry, Dev. I wish I could erase every hurtful word I said, but – I can't. I just wish things were different for you."
After getting a nudge from Don, Devon finally admitted to Gabby that Rama had indeed returned to her world alive and, apparently, in the same fashion that she had arrived in theirs. Just the same, he told her that for several weeks they thought that Rama was truly dead. However, recapping that part of his life had been difficult for him. Consequently, Devon requested dismissal from the tribunal and left soon after.
Nevertheless, the fact that he would never see the kunoichi again pained Gabby deeply. She knew that Devon loved Rama very much and that the girl was probably his only hope for a normal life. It mattered little how Gabriella felt about the kunoichi. The fact of the matter was, her brother cared for Ramiela and with a passion that surprised her. Sadly, though, Gabby knew that Devon would now never be able to consummate it.
When they finished with her, all but Don, Leo, and Seth left the room.
"There is still one more thing to discuss with you, Gabriella," Don announced softly.
Leo then went on to explain, "When you are well again and walking on your own, you will wear a proximity bracelet around your ankle."
"Why?" she asked, a bit of trepidation growing within her.
"Why, indeed, my dear," Don smiled thinly. "Despite your misgivings and contrite attitude, we simply do not trust you." He cocked his head and remarked, "You managed to elude us for five years; that is a feat that few people can do. With that said, we want to make sure that you will never again be able to take off the way that you did."
"Then, I'm a prisoner, here?" she challenged lightly, looking at Seth and her two uncles.
"In a word, you will have 'restricted freedom', until sufficient time has accumulated and certain behavioral changes made that convince us that you have reformed your attitude about – certain things." Don explained evenly.
"I have no desire to run away, ever again. As I said in the hospital, I wanted to return home many times, but – was afraid to." Gabby remarked. "I missed all of you very much."
Nodding and then smiling, Don commented, "And we missed you, as well, but my decision stands. You will wear the bracelet the moment the casts come off."
Gabby sighed deeply and simply replied, "Hai."
Several weeks later and as promised, when she had her casts removed, the moment she returned home from the doctor's office, Don clipped the proximity bracelet around Gabby's ankle. It wasn't the typical bulky type that she imagined, but daintier and almost jewelry-like in style. If not for what it implied, it was easy for her to wear.
Then, to prove to her how it functioned, Don had her demonstrate that fact when he drove her out to the front gate of Mike's estate. With Don and Seth assisting her, the moment she attempted to hobble past the opened barrier, a subtle buzz vibrated around her ankle and lights flashed along the top of the fence. "The lights are telling you that an alarm went off back at the house. Both houses, in fact." Don explained evenly. "You won't be able to get half-way to the main road before one of us catches up to you."
"As I said when you told me about this the first time, Uncle, I have no desire to leave ever again." Gabby stated sourly, rubbing her ankle a bit as Don drove the car back to Mike's garage.
"And, as I said at the time, despite your words, we just don't trust you!"
As the months went by and even after aggressive physical therapy sessions, Gabby discovered that she was not as mobile as she once was. Although there wasn't any breakage, her spinal cord did suffer enough damage to impair her gate. The most she could do was to walk at a shuffled pace. Ninjitsu lessons were, now, out of the question, except for some light training that Leo insisted she do. He was determined that, even if she could not become fully ninja through the harder physical aspects of it, she would be one in the mental sense.
"It's the least you can expect from yourself and the least that I will expect you to be," he had told her one night after an arduous session in the dojo.
"I don't know why I need to do any of this; it's not like I can use it!" she had complained.
Gabby had been sore and tired. Moreover, she was unable to see any point to the physical exercises was he putting her through. The routines were minimal at best, compared to what Leo would have had her do had she full use of her body. Consequently, she felt it was mute point and it made a bit angry, too.
"Gabby, the mental aspect of ninjitsu is just as viable, if not more so, than being able to do split-kicks or back flips. Your ability to use your environment is based on your understanding of it, the manipulation of it, the embracing of it!"
"I thought I did that already when I was out on my own for five years!" she had griped sullenly. Gabby had truly been tired. Had she not been, more than likely she probably would not have said what she did to Leo.
That was not the case, however, and in a rare moment of anger, he had brought her up short. Standing a few centimeters from her, his snout almost touching hers and his eyes narrowed to slits, he had whispered through clenched teeth, "Do not think that because we have forgiven you, that we have forgotten what you did, Gabriella Angelo! I, for one, will never let you forget it, if only to ensure that you will never do something so foolish again!"
It was a contrite moment for her and one that cemented Leo's authority over her. Gabby apologized profusely, using a more formal form of Japanese to do so, and explained about being tired, but – as always – Leo refused to let her slide. In the end, she endured a few more history sessions with him, covering the effects that her past actions had on the family.
Additionally, even though Seth was the one who would carry her downstairs to her lessons, Leo always insisted that Gabby make her own way back up the long set of steps to the family room. It was painful, it was difficult, and it was slow, but it was something from which Leo refused to back down. In the end, climbing the steps up to the family room from the basement did help to improve Gabriella's recovery, where it gradually strengthened her legs and her back, yet she hated every part of it. Her snail-like pace only reminded her of the accident and what prompted it, and, more than likely, that was one reason why Leo made her do it in the first place.
Now, as Gabby sat there in the chair on the patio and considered all of what had transpired, she thought of Marie. She missed her terribly, where in only a few short months, the woman had become a good friend and confidant. In fact, a month after the accident when the family was preparing to leave for California with Gabby, Marie threw her usual fit.
"I don't understand why I cannot go with you," she lamented angrily. "Gabby has become like a daughter to me, her children like grandchildren."
Marie had put them in a very difficult situation. Here was a woman, who had literally opened her home and heart up to Gabby, giving her and the children a place to stay. It was obvious that Marie was lonely. It was also obvious that they could not bring her into their family in the way that she expected them to.
"Marie, truly we appreciate all that you did for me, but our ways are different and – well – it just won't work the way you think it might," Gabby tried to tell her. She was still in the hospital and moments away from the wheelchair that would take her out to the waiting car. Don and Seth were there, as was Leo, while Cassie had took the children out to the suburban to get them fastened in and ready for the drive out to the airport.
"I can adjust, I can, Gabby," Marie pouted. She was still clueless to the ninjitsu aspect of Gabby and her family, believing that it was the differences in their species that her friend was eluding to.
"I promise you, that once I'm settled and once I'm recovered, you can come for a visit," the girl said. Right then, she realized she probably should not have said that, as a very distinctive ripple in her subconscious alerted her to a difference of opinion. She looked up at Don and saw a most pained expression on his face, although it was far too subtle for Marie to detect. "Isn't that right, Don?" Gabby asked, trying not to smile at his discomfort.
"Um…yeah, sure. I guess. Might take a few years to recover, though, so…might take a while." He swallowed nervously then, saying, "Well, we need to get this show on the road. Marie, you are welcomed to come out to the airport and see us off, maybe see the kids one last time. Thomas will drive you and Tricia over."
"So long as I can come to visit, I guess that will do. Where I don't have any children of my own, you have become like family to me!" the woman sniffed. Marie then suddenly grabbed Don in a hug and, as best she could, given his shell, embraced him affectionately as she whispered to him, "You better not punish my panik too hard, otherwise I will visit regardless…!"
Once at the airport, Marie cried almost uncontrollably next to Tricia, as Seth carried an equally tearful Gabby aboard the plane. Mindy and Jordan gave sorrowful goodbyes of their own before Leo and Cassie led them up the ramp to the awaiting jet.
For Tricia, the parting was temporary, where Mike had offered her a job in Carmel at his studio. He had a need for a sound technician and where she seemed familiar enough with music, he told her that he would have Devon train her into the job. It was only a matter for her to gather her things and drive the long road south to the lower forty-eight and to California.
Before the jet departed, however, Don remained behind on the tarmac to talk with Marie. She was still dabbing at her eyes and sniffing remorsefully, allowing Don to hug her as he said, "We truly appreciate your caring for my niece and her children while they were here."
"What else was I to do? She needed a friend. It was the least I could offer." Marie had replied through her tears.
"Hmm…yes, I guess that is true." Don mused, "Nevertheless, I have purchased the house you were sharing with Gabby, and you may reside there for as long as you wish – free of charge as our way of expressing appreciatoun for all that you have done."
Marie tried to argue the point, not wanting to take advantage of the situation, but this time, Don won the argument, "No, no questions, and no refusing my offer. It is yours for as long as you live there. You may bring in a border to keep you company, if you like."
"You are too kind, Mr. Tello, and after I yelled at you and all? I am so ashamed that I treated you so poorly."
"Marie, we broke into your house…you had every right to yell at us." Don smiled.
"And drugged me, don't forget about that! I certainly won't," Marie huffed, and then she admitted, "But, I have to say it was the best sleep I had in a long time." And then she laughed, slapping Don on the back in jest.
That was nearly two years ago and now, expecting her third child, Gabby was anticipating Marie's impending visit. It had been too long since she had last seen her, which was when she had left Fairbanks after the accident. Between countless phone calls and a slew of letters, however, they had kept in touch. Yet, with Gabby's impending birth of child number three, Marie had become more insistent about flying down to see the new baby when it arrived. In fact, she wanted to be present at its birth!
Accordingly, Gabby and Seth both decided that, once the baby was born, they would put aside clan business for a week in order to allow Marie the chance to see everyone again.
That had been their plan anyway, until receiving Marie's letter the day before.
Gabby had cringed when she read the note, remembering one particular phone call when Marie had threatened, permission or not, that she would come down. She had stated hotly to her, "…and what would you do with me then?"
Now, it seemed that, based on the letter, she had waited long enough for an invite. Marie wrote that she had purchased tickets and would arrive by a certain date. As it turned out, by the time the letter arrived, Gabby was shocked to find that Marie was to arrive by the next morning. Although she tried to call her to delay Marie's arrival, Gabby was unsuccessful in contacting her. Now, they had to find away of picking her up at the airport in San Jose without causing pandemonium in the family.
Either way, Gabby and Seth both knew that one of them would have to tell someone in the clan, sooner, rather than later, too. It was only a matter of choosing which one would do the honors.
"Well, Seth," Gabby refused to let the matter alone, "Which one of us is going to do it?"
Seth looked at Gabby and smirked, "You're expecting, so there's not much that they can do to you."
Narrowing her eyes and cocking up one eyebrow, she retorted, "I've made enough trouble, okay? You're due."
"Nuh ah, not me, Wife. I have to keep up appearances. Perfection takes work," Seth grinned at her.
"Perfection?" she laughed, "Not on my watch, you're not." She giggled a little more when she saw the crestfallen look that Seth gave her. She then laughed, "Well, maybe once in a while, you are."
"Who's perfect?" a voice came from behind them, "I hope it's me you're talking about."
Turning around, Seth immediately saw Don and Cassie descend the steps to the patio from the main house. "Ah, no, actually, we were just kidding," he explained.
"About what, about me being perfect?" Don stopped suddenly, slapping a hand against his chest in mock surprise, and looked truly hurt, although it was safe to say that he was far from being offended.
Laughing at him, Gabby remarked, "No, about Seth being perfect."
"Oh, well," her stepfather commented, continuing down towards the patio area where the two were seated, "That I understand."
"Hey, I take exception to that remark!" Seth exclaimed indignantly, but smiling, too.
"Hi, honey," Cassie walked over and leaned down to give Gabby a kiss on her cheek, "How're the twins coming?"
"Oh mom, you know that the doctor said it might be twins, but he's not certain, yet," her daughter replied defensively.
"Well, in the next day or two or three, we'll know for sure," Don remarked cheerily, taking a seat on one of the vacant chairs next to Gabby. He noticed the letter lying there on the table and, out of curiosity, snatched it up before Gabby could claim it.
"Hey, Don, come on, give me that," Gabby asked, trying to reach for it but finding her stepfather a little more playful than normal.
"Why? Is it from your secret admirer?" Don teased, holding the letter just beyond her reach while winking at Seth. Unfortunately, Seth did not respond, in fact, he became a bit nervous and hunkered back into his chair a little more. As Don noticed Seth's tail wrap insecurely around his legs, he looked over at Gabby and asked, "Hey, what's going on here," He saw a similar expression on her face, as well, which only encouraged him to really looked at the letter a little more closely.
"Please, Don, give it back; we haven't had time to…" Gabby tried to grab at the letter. Unfortunately, Don kept the paper well out of her reach as he read it.
Suddenly, he nearly erupted, "The HELL!" he looked over at Gabriella and almost yelled, "She's coming HERE? No, no, no, not here, not Marie. She'll turn this place completely…"
Just then, Mike came trotting out with a tray of food when he suddenly heard an all too familiar name.
"Marie? Marie who?" he asked worriedly, as he came down to where everyone was. Setting the tray of food on the table and noticing Don's face contorted in shock and alarm, Mike knew then exactly whom he meant. "Nuh ah, no way, not here, not Marie. Tell me this is a joke, Don."
"No joke, Mike," Don declared, as he looked over at him and waved the letter in the air for emphasis, "Marie's coming here – and based on the date she wrote here, tomorrow, no less!" He then looked over at Gabby and asked as he glared at her, "And when was it going to be a 'good time' to tell us? She's coming TOMORROW, Gabriella!"
Gabby sighed and rolled her eyes, looking over at her husband with an 'I told you so' expression.
"Who's coming tomorrow?" Raph asked as he and Leo came out from inside the house, both starting down the steps towards the patio area. Mindy and Jordan came scampering after them, whipping around the pair as they raced down the steps. With their kata lessons completed for the day, they headed for the main house, running and screaming, "Last one in the pool's a rotten egg!"
"Marie, from Fairbanks, that's who!" Mike huffed as he glared at Gabby, "She's coming here, no less!"
Almost as if in duel synchronization, Raph and Leo maneuvered a neat about face and headed back up towards the house, with Leo announcing, "Gabby, lessons are off – indefinitely. I'm bunking with Raph," with his brother stating almost immediately thereafter, "And I'm moving to Japan – tonight."
Don looked over at Gabby and with a truly amazed look, asked her, "How could you not tell anyone, Gabriella? I mean, the woman is a force unto herself; she's the most intimidating person I've ever met."
Cassie looked over at her husband and declared as she smirked, "And you call yourself ninja?"
"This has nothing to do with ninjitsu. The woman thinks she owns the world and everything in it," he snapped.
"Sort of like you, dear?" Cassie remarked casually.
"I don't go on the way THAT woman does, Cassie." Don replied defensively as he looked at her in challenge.
"No, you just muster up that ol' ninja look and scare them half out of their minds, is all," his wife replied evenly, smiling coyly at him and wiggling her eyebrows.
"Business is business, but that woman, she, she…" Don sputtered, "Oh forget it." He then stood up and made for the steps to the house, "I'm rooming with Raph and Leo. You four can entertain Attila of the Frozen North by yourselves."
Don then scaled the steps, moving faster than his two brothers did moments earlier, with Mike following from behind, "What d'ya mean 'we four'? I am not staying around here by my self with Marie and Rahab going at it. Besides…" he looked back at Gabby and scowled, "the last two years have been relatively blissful, and I'm not going to do anything that'll land me back in that den." All three then disappeared into the house, just as Rahab came out from inside.
"Mike, where're you going?" she asked, stopping shortly to watch him rush through the house.
From deep within, one could hear a faint but familiar voice, "I'll be down at the studio, Rahab, with Devon – for the next week. I take NO responsibility for tomorrow or the next day, or the next, or the…" and then Mike's voice faded out with the sound of a door shutting hard into its framework.
Rahab shrugged and began to make her way down to where her son and daughter-in-law were, waving to Cassie as she did, "Hey, didn't hear you come in."
"Yeah, but it looks like Don's checking out, though," Cassie exclaimed.
As Rahab sat herself down in one of the chairs, she asked, "How come they're all leaving?"
"Marie's coming tomorrow." Seth said.
"Marie? Oh, Marie – from Fairbanks!" Rahab looked over at Gabby and asked her, "I didn't know you invited her."
"I didn't invite her, she just sort of invited herself. She's kind of like that, I'm afraid. She's very sweet, Rahab, but – she's not shy either." Gabby declared, shrugging a little.
"Well, considering how Mike talked about her, I'm anxious to meet her."
"You are?" Seth sat up straighter in his chair, somewhat amazed.
Rahab remarked with a grin, "Well, I figure if she's able to rattle Don the way Mike said, she's worth the visit," which then had everyone, but Seth, giggling.
He sighed and then looked over and noticed Mindy and Jordan as they came out of their smaller home. Seth watched his children make their way over to the pool, running as if in a race, and as he did, he commented, "Might be kind of nice for you, Gabs. Just you, your mom, my mom, Riahna, the kids – and Marie. No husbands around, no one to get in the way." What'dya think about that, eh?" He turned an expectant face towards his wife, with a small genuine and hopeful smile spreading along his muzzle.
"I think you're pipe-dreaming, Seth, because you're not going anywhere. I need someone to drive out and fetch her. Plus, she'll be hurt and if there's one thing you do not want to do to Marie, it's…"
Seth finished for her, grumbling under his breath, "Yeah, I know, get Marie mad."
It was then that Seth realized he was going to be all alone, among women, with Marie, by himself, for an entire week.
Right at that moment, Seth was certain that if it was true for Don, it was definitely true for himself.
It really sucked to be him.
The End
COMMENTS –
CHIBI ROSE ANGEL – Well, it does mean that, if I understood what they wrote. And, yes, it means no more song fics. You know, I kept thinking about a lot of writers who have written song fics and thought that to have their entire account taken down because of them, thereby losing their other 'legal' stories, would be a shame. So, just don't thank me, pay it forward, do likewise, be considerate of this fandom and those that contribute. If we treat each other as family and point out the pot holes and wrong turns, we keep Fan Fiction for what it is – a viable forum for creativity.
Oh, and thanks for the perks:0) I'm looking forward to the epi, too…wait, this is it, right. Wow, it all happened so fast, too. Thanks for reading (faithfully) and for reviewing (equally as faithfully). Be blessed.
LUNAR-NINJA – Yes'm, update already. With my husband and son back to their regular schedule, I can now write. It was a tough 5.5 days, believe me. I felt as if I was in withdrawal! I tried to write while they were home, but they don't seem to think that when they talk to me or ask me to get them something for them, or have me find something for them, that this is disturbing my creativity. Actually, push comes to shove, as much as I love Fan Fiction and all of you and writing stories, my family has to come first. I spent a very nice day with my husband at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles Friday, a rarified treat for me where he's usually too tired to go anywhere. One has to strike while the iron is hot, at least that's what I think they say. Don was more than shocked, methinks. Sorry about dropping out of Tatsu Morph. I think at the time I was reading it, Ramica and I were deep into finishing RR. Once one drops out of a story, it's usually very hard to get back into it. However, I do plan on getting back to it, which means don't give up hope in getting a review from me:0) Thanks for reading (faithfully) and reviewing (faithfully). Be blessed.
PACPHYS – Ah, yes, I had hoped to have it all up by now, but…well…family schedules changed on me a bit. Anyway, yeah, Gabby did a no-no in creating a bit of fear in her children about their father, and I wanted to explain that in this chapter, but it was already getting too long. So, maybe another time, eh? I enjoyed writing about the kids meeting their dad again, and for the first time. And, of course, I had to resurrect Raph's nickname, since the April Fools Folly happened just before the trip down to the music shop in RR. It would be the last thing that Mindy would remember to relate to her grandfather. Not sure what it was that Don was doing, but – then again, all these chapters are blurring together on me by now. LOL Now I remember, Seth felt that Don was keeping information from him. SIGHS…it's all so blurry…. Wow, no deployment, eh? Not good, and I don't even want to know what it takes to get it to do it, either. My husband was in a five car pileup on the freeway here. He totaled his Vette because of it. Not his fault, but insurance companies all sue one another with accidents like what he was in. Think, falling dominos. Wow, your review is so long, I don't think I can cover everything here, but – yeah – I'm hoping to soften up the anti-Gabby crowd with sincere regrets on her part. How can she not be, eh? Anyway, I love your 'sorry meter'! LOL My headache lasted for a day and a half and I think it was hormonal. Menopause is the pits, believe me. Either that, or I ate something that triggered it. Food related headaches last a while. Jen is my adventurer. She loves repelling (doesn't go that often, thankfully), drove nonstop except for potty breaks and gas from California to Colorado with friends, snow-boards when she's never had a lesson or any experience (and I'm talking about the top-of-the-hill trail, too), and is just non stoppable for adventure. Scares me silly. It's why I color-weave my hair! HA! Thanks for reading and reviewing and for being faithful on all accounts through this story! I really appreciate all of your help, too, on Alaska. I learned too late that one Inuit woman is called an Inuk, or something like that. Oh well. Be blessed.
RAMICA – Well, that's a relief that you're not tired of this story. But, too bad, because now it's over. Finally. Yeah, someone had to hear about her experience and, although I think it should have been Leo to do what Don did, I chose Don only because of his new relationship with her. Being her step-dad makes it more personal. As I said in an earlier comment, I loved writing the scene with Seth and the kids. I wanted to write more on it, but I wanted to finish this story, too. And Raph will never leave Spungebob behind, it will always be with him, and it's just the way it is. I had to refer to it; just too funny not to. LOL Goodness, it's about time to get Rama a boyfriend. I better tell Devon he's good to go, now. Thanks so much for your faithful reading and reviewing. I truly appreciated it! Be blessed.