A/N: Well . . . um . . . uh huh . . . I really suck at author's notes don't I?
Thanks go out to: Bite Beccy, Bail's Other Daughter, Steelo, Starryeyes10, Kitty X, martini1988, QueenOfAces, froggy0319, alix33, mjag, moonlight, nursejay80, AnMaDeRoNi, snugglebug, jaggurl, Anne, ficchic, dansingwolf, Radiorox, cbw, wishwaters, Rocket Rain, sgcgirl52, tlk29, JJScottishGirl, Blueangel, aj, French-navy girl, Marge, Jane, Tina Frank, highplainswoman, mac AND harm fan, Ali Baba, super ducky, tumblebuttons, AB, Abigiale, macandharmlover, jazzy, vhosek malacath, Britainy, MartiniMac, HighHeel Shoe Lover, Sirus 745, Fan, Pissed off Poet 1, southernqt, BrittanyLS, sugar230, K, Ilovemyselftoday, eggy weg, xobabygurlxo, Reni-Maniac, Cille, ForensicsFreak1988, HMtogether4ever, MaritzaCarmichael, Lara783, janessab, tizy, June, vrbinkaCZ, Cherise, DD2, Bekka, Lani-LoveNPain, Dessler, mommie, daisymh, Laura, confused, basketball babe8, Strawberry Kittens, rainydays502, S, Broesel, ady, Kristie, writingismything, TV Angel 711, TaTe.ArI.Obsessed.Writers, MiDushiNoSushi, Basketball Babe8, Alex, Angie, Toplesslemon, Jules, prinnie, CJKS, ninjagirl987, Brontesgirl, Jules, Angie Capriatti, lance corporal boils, freezepops, and FoxyWombat for your wonderful reviews!
The Million Dollar Question
2022
Greenhorn Bar
Jake's POV (ain't this new?)
I stare down at the bottle of alcohol in my hands, my head feeling very fuzzy and my vision starting to obscure. The glasses seemed to double as my hand went to my temple, rubbing very gently. I watched as her figure flashed before my eyes, her hand resting on Webb's arm, her smiling lighting up the room unintentionally. I took another long swig. I saw that look in her eyes when she was speaking to him, the intimate air that rested between them. He had won . . .
I slammed down the bottle against the counter, swaying drunkenly at the same time. She was gone . . . out of my life. She was with Webb now. My jaw clenched as Clay's face came into my vision. It was over . . . it was all over. What was the point in living?
I tipped the bottle to my mouth but ended up spilling half down my shirt, my hand was shaking violently. The bottle clattered to the ground, the sound resounding through my ears. I moved off my stool to pick it up but ended up falling, grabbing onto the edge of the counter to steady myself. Through the obscurity that was my eyesight I could see the ground and my feet, which were rapidly doubling in amount. My vision spun.
"Hey," a gruff voice greets me as an arm pulls me up to a standing position. "I think you've had enough."
"Just one more," I rasped, my hand flying up to my forehead. My head was pounding. "Just one."
"Sorry, I can't," the bartender's voice was crisp and echoing in my head. "You got someone to take you home?"
"I'll be fine," I managed to blurt out through slurred vocabulary. I stood up shakily from the stool, grasping onto the counter for support. As I opened the door to the bar I could dimly see snow falling from the sky, the first snowfall of the year. And I stood out on the street there, my head cocked up to the brilliant night sky, studded with stars and snow flakes. Cold wind whipped by my unprotected body as I began to shiver and shake.
I could take the train, head out of town, disappear into the night. She had Webb now, to protect her. My job was done. She didn't need me anymore . . . no one needed me. I wrapped my arm around myself in a sort of self hug. Could I make it to the station by foot? I exhaled softly, my breath billowing out in frozen cloud that hung in the wind. I could try.
I staggered along the road, my head pounding, and my vision blurring. My shirt was thin and the wind was cold, the snowflakes falling upon my already frozen skin. I could feel the pain spreading slowly through my body, heartbreak magnified by the temperature. I had no where to go . . . no one to go to. And for once, I was really alone . . .
My feet carried me, my mind far away. I continually rubbed my hands to keep them from freezing in the cold. A light blanket of snow covered my shoulders and the top of my head. My vision was foggy, colors and shapes all melting into each other. In my mind I could only see her . . . and him. I could feel my insides clench as my heart began to pang painfully within my chest.
Slowly, my feet stopped in their tracks and I looked up at the building that loomed before me, my body feeling raw and numb. The hospital. I exhaled a cursing breath. Maybe . . . just for a minute or two. To get warm.
I staggered in through the glass doors, shaking myself off as I entered the heated room, my body doing its best to thaw. I swayed dangerously as I took the elevator up to the maternity ward, leaning against Mac's door frame to prevent myself from falling.
"Hey there," Mac's voice is soft and inviting, and it buzzes through my head as I wipe my frozen face exasperatedly with my hand. "Are you okay?" Mac asked, a tinge of worry seeping into her voice.
"Yeah . . . I'll be fine," I muttered, sinking into one of the hospital chairs, looking worn and weary, and I'm sure quite wasted. "Mind if I sleep here tonight?"
"No problem," Mac whispered in reply, "But why don't you go home?"
I was already falling asleep as my eyes drooped dangerously closed. "Won't be able to make it."
"Are you drunk?"
I avoided the question.
"I'm sorry, Mac," I whispered hoarsely, as wet hair fell before my eyes and my arms not having the strength to brush it away. "Sorry for . . . everything."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Jake." Mac's voice is so reassuring that I almost believe her.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there when the kid was born," I muttered in retaliation, the buzzing in my ears growing louder. "And I'm sorry I've been so lousy lately."
"You haven't been lousy."
"I was lying to you," I whispered harshly, my eyes shut firmly and my soggy coat draped around my body as a blanket. "I never told you Harm was back in the country."
There was a pause of thought on Mac's end and then, "But maybe that's for the better, Jake. I don't know what I would have done if I'd found out Harm was back. Maybe things wouldn't have worked out as well as they did. And you thought you were doing what was right. And maybe you were. We'll never know."
Her words cut me to the very core. "I doubt that. I can't do anything right." I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I mess up everything."
"You know that's not true."
Slumber gnawed at me, numbing my very body. "Vera and Clay . . . they're together."
There's hesitation in Mac's voice as she replies feelingly, "I'm sorry, Jake."
"Don't be," I murmured, my head resting finally against the chair. "It wouldn't have worked out between us anyway."
"You don't know that," Mac pointed out. "Who knows? Maybe things will still work out."
"They won't," I said with absolute conviction. "They can't."
"You have no control over destiny," Mac replied, a foreign emotion digging its way into her voice. "Sometimes two people are meant to be together. And no matter how hard they try to fight it, how far away from each other they are, or how stupid they act towards one another . . . things just happen. Destiny."
"You believe in destiny then?" I asked hollowly.
"I guess so," Mac whispered.
"Then I'm destined to love her for all eternity," I whispered back, my body giving way to the aches of sleepiness. "No matter how unreciprocated."
I could feel Mac's eyes on me as my head drifted off into the world of slumber and then – "Vera or Jane?"
Fatigue shot through my veins, numbing my very senses. "I guess that's the million dollar question, ain't it?" I echoed, before drifting off into the muchcraved sleep.
Same Time
28 Belleville Drive
Clay's POV
"I'm out," I whispered hollowly, sitting at the table with a look of incredulity etched into my features. And though technically I've been unemployed for a number of hours now, it takes one very harsh blow of reality to make me admit something's over. "I'm really really out."
"Oh, don't say that," Vera's voice is comforting as she leans a little on my shoulder, her hand covering mine. "We'll catch Abbas, and then Kovac will be the one begging for you to come back to the CIA – not the other way around."
"I lost yours too," I said faintly, not a word of what Vera was saying registering in my mind. "And Jake's . . . I've condemned us all."
"You've done nothing of the sort," Vera retaliated. "It was each our individual choices whether to keep after Abbas or not. And we all chose to. It's as simple as that." She casts me a meaningful look. "None of this is your fault."
"What if we don't get them back?" I whispered. "What if Kovac DOESN'T want us back? What'll we do?"
"We'll find work," Vera insisted. "Don't worry about that, Clay. It'll all be alright."
She wraps one arm around me and holds me closely. I feel her breath on mine as one of my hands entwines itself in her auburn hair and I smile to her as I kiss her very briefly on the lips. "God, I hope so. For our sake . . . and Harm's and Mac's. For everyone's."
Vera sighed, "You should stop putting all this weight on your shoulders." She flashed me an imploring look. "It doesn't do you any good. It only gets you more frustrated than you were before." She exhaled deeply, "I've been there, Clay. And it's terrible. Please don't go down that road . . ."
I stared back at Vera, the implication of what I'm about to say striking me profoundly. "I won't."
Vera grins at me, relaxing a little. "Good, for a minute there I was afraid you were getting all Kovac on me."
"Ah, and we wouldn't want that, would we?"
"Nah," Vera smiled, pulling my arm slightly, "he isn't nearly as much fun in bad."
I withdraw my arm, "And what would you know about Kovac – " I begin but I'm cut off by Harm entering the room.
"Clay, we need to talk." Something in his voice, perhaps the intensity or the urgency, maybe it's the way his eyes mirror despair, but something about him pulls my attention away from Vera and onto Harm. "Can we . . ." he motions to the other room.
"Uh –" I begin but Vera buts in.
"You know what, I was actually just going to go visit Mac at the hospital and see how they're doing so actually you guys go ahead," she said, motioning towards the two of us. "I'll just grab my jacket."
Harm exhales softly. "Will you tell me how she's doing?" And then he immediately corrects himself. "How they're doing?"
"Of course, Harm," Vera whispers gently, as she pulled on her coat over her turtle neck sweater. "Wow," she whispered softly as she walked up to the window. "First snow fall of the year." She smiles to herself, "kinda makes you think about how much time has past since . . . everything began, huh?"
"Nearly fifteen months," Harm replied stiffly. "A year and a quarter."
"It seems so much longer than that though, doesn't it?" Vera asked, her eyes still watching the window as snow flakes fell gently from the sky, covering the ground and settling along tree branches. "So long ago . . ."
"A hundred times that," Harm's voice was layered with traces of bitterness, and I felt my heart go out to the man who had been stripped of his name and his life, and separated from all that he cared about.
"Well," Vera whispered, her voice suddenly snapping out of its reverie. "I've got to go before visiting hours close. I'll be back soon, okay?"
"Yeah," I replied almost robotically. "Sure."
Vera brushed a kiss against my lips before heading out the door, picking her car keys up off the counter and leaving Harm and I alone in the room. We just stood there for a moment before –
"So you and Vera . . ." Harm trailed, his eyebrow shooting up.
"Uh, yeah," I said shifting a little as I moved to take a seat at the table. "Me and Vera."
"Things working out between you two okay?"
"They're . . . great," I finished lamely, taking Harm in through my cool grey eyes. "But I doubt you came in here to talk about my love life."
"No," Harm breathed, also taking a seat. "No, I didn't." He looked away for a second. "Clay, I love Mac. I've always loved Mac. And you've always known that. And that's why I can't put her in any danger, and I can't put my son in any danger, and I can't have him going without a mother." His blue eyes flashed. "When I was a kid it was real tough growing up without a dad, I won't lie to you. But I have no clue what it would have been like without my mother. My kid might never know me – and nothing scares me like that except for thought of losing either him or Mac." He hesitated, "Clay, I want this over with as soon as possible."
My heart goes out to him, "Harm, honestly, we're trying . . ."
"Well try harder!" Harm bit back, the bitter taste of his words reflecting in his eyes. There was a moment of silence and then – "Look, I'm sorry," Harm replied, easing into his words, "but I just really REALLY want to come back home."
"And I'd like nothing more than to get your back," I said firmly, "but you and I both know that you can't go back in with Abbas after you. You're not only endangering yourself but as you said, Mac and your baby boy too. And if we're going to set this up right we do need time. And maybe while we're at it, we can catch the snitch and the boss as well."
Harm exhales wearily, "who the hell would want me dead so much they'd hire a professional assassin?"
I send him a pointed stare.
"I mean, seriously," Harm replied, rolling his eyes. "I haven't ticked anyone off lately . . . how much could I have screwed up in Manila? And why isn't anyone after Beth then? She was with me when the operation went down. It was as much her as it was me. What's this guy got against me?"
"Calm down, Harm," I said firmly, though I could practically see the names reeling through Harm's mind. "We've got a few months now. Why don't you take a rest?"
"Do you have any leads on the snitch?" Harm asked me, ignoring my request completely.
"None except they're pretty far in," I responded wearily. "Vera and Catherine checked everyone a million times over. Zip, nada, zilch – well, except for the fact we caught Don Hildegard stealing pens out of the supplies closet."
"How'd you catch that through files?" Harm asked, his eyebrow cocked up to the sky.
"We didn't," I grinned, shaking my head. "I went into the supplies closet to get a few highlighters FOR the files and caught Don at it." I shrugged my shoulders, "it was fun, and I think I scared the shit out of him."
"Glad to see your social life hasn't been suffering since this case," Harm replied, shaking his head. "But honestly, you let Catherine at the files? Webb, you know she's not . . ." Harm gestured with his hands, "you know," he dropped his voice, "not the best person for the job."
I laughed. "She's a ditz, Harm. And what you ever saw in her, I don't know."
Harm cast me an irritated look. "That was a one time thing."
"Sure."
Harm glared at me.
"Look, Vera went over every file that Catherine did. I told you we checked it a million times over. There's nothing there, Harm. Whoever it is . . ." I stared off, "has us good."
A long silence fell between the two of us. I looked over at Harm to find him staring at the ground, a smile lighting his face. "You know, Clay, when I saw him – you know, for the first time. He was bloody and slimy and he was screaming his lungs off and the only thing I could think about was that he was absolutely perfect. He looked like . . . Mac. I mean, there's no other way to describe it. And . . . I love him. I mean, it happened all at once. I didn't even need to THINK about it, and believe me – with Mac it seemed that all I ever DID was think – but this happened right away, instantaneously." He hung his head, "and now I'm wondering if I'll ever see his first birthday."
"You'll see it, Harm," I whispered strongly, catching Harm's eye with strengthening emotion. "And every birthday after that. We're going to catch Abbas. Or . . ." and then I stopped.
"Or die trying?" Harm whispered hollowly. His eyes were far away. "I know, Webb," he whispered. "I know."
Same Time
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Vera's POV
"Knock, knock," I whispered, wrapping against the open door with my knuckles, and entered when Mac waved me in.
"Hey," Mac greeted me cheerfully, putting down the magazine she had been reading to look at me.
"Hi," I returned, casting a long look at the bundle of clothes that had settled itself in one of Mac's chairs. I looked over at it, and then noticed a scruffy brown head sticking out of the top near the coat, and I asked in disbelief, "is that Jake?"
"Yeah," Mac sighed. "He's a bit . . . wasted."
I walked over to the chair and began to remove his water drenched coat from his shivering form. His eyes remained firmly shut but he shook as I pulled one of the hospital blankets down from a shelf in the corner and covered him. Slowly, I ran my hands through his hair as he calmed down a bit, settling into his dream-like state.
"I'll, um, take him home with me . . ." I sighed, feeling almost strangely exhilarated. "You know, it's kind of funny – in all the years I've ever known Jake, I've never seen him drunk." I laughed a little. "No, Jake's always been in control of everything . . . his work, his life, himself. Seeing him like this . . ." I shrugged, "it makes him seem just a little more human."
"Jake's nothing if not human," Mac whispered, her eyes also falling upon the sleeping hero. "He's just one of the really good kinds." She grinned, "The elite."
I raised an eyebrow. "Like Harm?"
"You said it."
I grinned, casting a look down the hallway where the babies slept. "You got any idea what you're going to name the kid?"
Mac smiled at me. "Yeah, a pretty good one." I nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Hunter Ashton Mackenzie."
I stared at Mac. "It's a nice name . . . but how come I feel there's something more to it?"
Mac shrugged, "there is, but if I told you you'd tell Clay."
"And telling Clay would be a . . . bad thing?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.
"He'd think it a little unorthodox," I replied.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Elaborate."
"I know I can't put his name in," Mac replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I knew I couldn't . . . it's my own little tribute."
"Uh huh." I'm still not getting this.
"Hunter Ashton Mackenzie," Mac repeated. "H.A.M."
"Ham?"
Mac rolled her eyes. "Hunter Ashton Rabb Mackenzie – H.A.R.M."
I eyed her for a minute, "ah, the world needs more women like you, Sarah Mackenzie. There are just not enough intelligent ones out there."
Mac sighed, "I know I can't keep it in –"
"But it's something nice to think about," I finished for her, nodding. "I know what you mean."
I sat next to Jake, my hand still unconsciously fingering his hair as he slept on, my thoughts flying through my mind at lightning speed. Mac watched me –
"Now how come I feel there's something more to you wanting to come visit me?" Mac asked quietly.
I hesitated, silently debating internally. I looked up at her. "Well, yeah, I kind of had a question . . ."
"Shoot," Mac urged.
I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I closed my eyes for a second, and then lifted them up to meet Mac's gaze. "I was kind of wondering . . . um, how do you know if you're . . . pregnant?"
A/N: Wow, it's official – I think this is the first chapter I've ever written in POV form without one of Harm's or Mac's. Very interesting . . . I'm branching out. It's also a little scary. Okay – on to review replies (is it true that we can't write them any more? Does it say it somewhere on the website?)
FoxyWombat: LOL, I didn't know you hadn't read Full Throttle! I remember writing your name down to my reviewer's list and now I realize it was for TLWL but I didn't know you hadn't read FT! Oh, I hope you didn't feel obligated to read it or anything. Anyways – I'm very glad you updated!
Sarah: Thanks, I debated sooo long on the name. Honestly, I think naming my own future kid will be less trouble.
Freezepops: I was like thinking the entire time I was writing this 'if it's a boy I HAVE to name it after Harm somehow . . .' and I was racking my brains trying to think about it – and I had it down to another possibility and then it struck me, Rabb and Mackenzie – RM. And I was like, "yes!"
TV Angel 711: Abbas leave Harm alone . . . lol, over his dead body (quite literally). Glad you like the name, it took me forever to come up with one. I got so many good suggestions, and I was bouncing around so much.
Alix33: I have no idea if you can get babies with freckles . . . I just made it up on the spot. Hey, maybe you can! Who knows? Not me . . . I write fiction. LOL, would be cute though. And yeah, totally Mac to name him Harm but NOT name him Harm at the same time. Way too JAG-y. As for the RAB – Regulus thing, it says in the fifth book that Regulus had an uncle named . . . Alphard, I think, that left them some gold – and it's very popular in the UK to have your kids middle names after a relative (just look at Ginny, her middle name's Molly – I think) so . . . yeah, definitely a possibility. However, I personally believe that it's some all together new character. But then again, I have the tendency to be weird.
Lani: You run half a mile? God, I have no idea how much I run . . . probably not very much seeing as I spend all day on this computer writing up chapters . . . lol, but I play soccer – that should count for something. Ah, DJE . . . puts all us young people to shame.
Toplesslemon: Bruce Almighty has Catherine Bell in it! Sorry, you probably know that seeing as you just watched it, but still – thought I'd add that in. Ah well, don't worry about the ending – I start predicting my "endings" like fifteen chapters before they ever happen. I know what's GOING to happen in this story, but I'm taking forever to get around to writing it. I guess I don't want it to end either. And I don't – which is why I'm plotting my sequel . . .
Brontesgirl: thanks, and I hoped people would like the name. It's a bit unusual, but I can totally see Mac going for a non mainstream name. So . . . hope you liked this chapter.
Jamie L: omg, when I got your review saying you should name him Hunter (and I'd already planned on the name being Hunter) I was like jumping up and down cuz my main fear was that no one would like the name because it is sort of unsual – so the first thing I did was forward your review to my friend titled 'Someone's gonna like the name!' LOL, I just couldn't decide on the middle name though – had to flip a coin. I'm rather hopeless . . . but I so love the name Hunter. It's just so cool. I love kinda non mainstream names like that. I'm madly in love with the name Skyler too – and that's not exactly common.
Jaggurl: thanks, and I hope you liked this chapter.
MiDushiNoSushi: ah, don't you just hate it when a writer makes you warm up to a character you're supposed to hate? I'm telling you, all through the ninth season I hated Clay, I hated his guts, but when I started writing fanfic, I realized he's too good a character to waste as a villain. I can create my own villains. LOL
Snugglebug: omg, it took me soooooo long to pick out the name. I debated against myself for days. I drove all my friends up the wall. I had it down to two names – one was Hunter for the acronym, and the other was Cassidy for the whole Butch Cassidy thing. In the end, I do what I always do, I flipped a coin (did that for the middle name too).
Lance corporal boils: ah yes, the initials . . . a spur of the moment act of inspiration.
Abigaile: thanks, lol – acronyms rock. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter.
TaTe.ArI.Obsessed.Writers: no, she can't put the Rabb down . . . shame, too – ah well, (smiles guiltily) it actually sounds better without the Rabb. But it's all about the thought!
Harmony1440: thanks – it took me ever so long to decide on the name. As you can imagine, I ran between names back and forth.
Daisymh: thanks, and don't worry – the Harm and Mac thing is definitely on . . . the right path now. That's all I'll say cuz I don't want to give away the ending.
Radiorox: ah, I hate long names too. And I would, considering I have an ungodly long name. Picture this: two middle names AND a twelve letter last name. My parents were just setting me up for torture. Yup, time for some serious Abbas-ass-kicking.
Froggy0319: ah, and believe me – Harm would have loved to take credit for the kid. Omg, it was soooo hard finding a Harm name. I swear, I went through the whole 'H' baby name book and I was like 'none of them are working, none of them are working . . .' and then I got this review from Tizy and she suggested the name Hunter and it was like a light bulb had been turned on and I was like 'that's a really cool name . . .' Hunter Rabb (ahem – actually, Hunter Mackenzie . . . for now). As for Webb – I despised him all through the ninth season. And then when I sat down to writing fanfic I tried to express my hatred for him as best as I could (you can see this is in the early chapters of EL) and then realized, much to my dismay, that Webb is too valuable a character to lose.
Sugar230: ah, in the end I could not decide between Adam and Ashton so I did what I did for the gender of the kid too, I flipped a coin. Sad, I know . . . my inability to decide on things. Lucky for me I always have a nickel on me.
Pissed off Poet 1: yeah, I named Bud and Harriet's twins early on. You wanna know the irony of it? They named the boy Harmon after their 'deceased' friend. Ah, I can't believe I wrote myself into that trap . . . LOL, but I got out of it. Slimly, but still out of it. Oh yes, and I've got this whole idea for a sequel . . . I mean it, I've got the plot brewing and everything. I just want to see how this ending goes first. Yes, my sequel craving has gotten so bad I've got a name picked out even . . . I'm impossible. This always happens to me when I feel a story's ending. I reach out immediately for another.
Tizy: to be very honest, Tizy, I completely love the name Hunter and I would have used it for a girl but when I flipped my coin to decide the gender (I did this for the middle name too) it came out as a boy. I would have named either Hunter (yes, I like the name THAT much). But I love non mainstream names. I'm kind of weird that way. I love unusual first names but I not surnames. I like common surnames. I guess that's cuz I have a normal first name and a funky last name. LOL – ain't it terrible when the weather affects your hair? God, I hate that. When I was in Greece, it wasn't terribly hot and not cold at all – but for some reason my hair just became dry. I don't know what it was about the place, but no matter how many times I washed it a day, it was firm and dry. It was soooo annoying.
Maritza Carmichael: lol, not a Webbie, are you? Anyways, hope you liked this chapter.
Bite Beccy: I love the name Hunter . . . actually, I love a lot of guy names. Not so many girl names . . . lol, I love gender neutral names (as you can see by Hunter). I love neutral names especially for girls. Don't hate me but I love the name Jordan – girl or boy. Hunter – girl or boy. And I might have even named the kid Jordan cuz I like the name so much – only I'd be verbally assaulted by all shippers out there. Honestly, it's not MY fault that was Harm's ex-girlfriend's name . . . lol – I'm not like a GIGANTIC fan of Ashton, I don't really dig a lot of boy A names, but I like the abbreviation Ash. I don't know why . . . but it's kind of . . . I don't know. I just like it. I also like the name Alex for a boy but then people get picky on Alexander and then the kid would have had a REALLY long name.
JamieAKAaclassyone: shoot, back to adding the classy one on your name now. Ah, you're quite right . . . two Jamies. Wow, that's confusing as heck . . . lol, cuz you used to go under just Jamie, and then the other Jamie went under that too, and then you took up you 'a classy one' . . . and you guys never reviewed on the same chapter (save the last one). LOL, but you must share one mind cuz you were both right about the gender, and you were the only ones. Ah, you're too the same . . . LOL, must be freaky to know that somewhere out there you've got a cyber twin . . . actually, that's pretty neat. Hey, maybe you're clones . . . or no, the other one's an alien hacking into our internet from earth's twin planet! Yeah, that's it . . . that would be cool (actually, I'm not a sci-fi freak so I have no interest in it – but whatever) And how the heck would I be able to change Shaniqua into a boy's name? Actually, some things are better left unthought about (yes, I'm aware unthought it not a word)