A/N: I know it's been a while since I updated but both it's a crazy time so close to going back to school, although I have to go to school only 2 days, then have one day off and go to Norway, leaving September 1st. It's coming closer now and that's both exciting and scary, but in the end, I will havea great time there. I'll take my laptop with me so I'll keep writing. I haven't decided yet if I will end this story after this chapter by writing an epilogue or continue. I guess it depends on the idea's I get when writing my new chapter. From the reviews you sent me on the last chapter, which of course I want to thank you all for, I saw that a lot of you want me to continue this story, and it's great to hear that! It feels great to know how much you love my story, there are almost no words to explain.
Then LorelaiAkaCoffeeAddict, thanks again for proofreading and your amazing feedback on this chapter! But, I think I said enough and all you want to read is the chapter, instead of my rambling, so end this note now, but not before I say, don't forget to let me know how you feel about this chapter!
Chapter 41 Time to say goodbye
Rory and Warren walked towards the university after walking Luke and Lorelai back to the hotel. "Your parents are really great."
"You think?"
"Absolutely. You really look like your mom, even more than you described."
"Well, it was just me and my mom for a long time. She met Luke when I was twelve, but they didn't start dating until eight years later."
"Why did it take them so long to get together?" They had talked about this many times but Warren loved the story. His mother died when he was ten and his father remarried a year later. He never liked his stepmother and she didn't like him. She convinced his father into sending him to boarding school a few weeks after the wedding. The only thing his father did for him was to support him financially. He was paying for college and he would pay for Yale next year. He didn't even care that Warren was leaving for a year.
"You already know that story." She too knew how much Warren loved to talk about it, so she told him anyway. "They were secretly in love with each other all those years, but they were both afraid to admit it. It wasn't until the test run of the Dragonfly that Luke kissed my mom and their relationship developed."
Warren smiled. "Thanks for telling me again. It's just that…. the relationship you have with Luke is like he's your real dad you know? I don't have that with my dad, and definitely not with my step-mom."
"I know. It feels like he's my real father. I know Chris is my father but all he ever did was hurting me and my mom. He showed up when he felt like seeing us, but never when we wanted him or needed him. And when he promised to visit me or to call me, more than half the times he just didn't. With Luke it's different. He never had to take care of, care for me, but he did. That's just who he is."
"He seems like a really good guy. Lucan's lucky to have a father like him. I wish I had."
Rory squeezed his hand. She felt sorry for him. Sometimes she thought his father was even worse than Chris, although it was hard to compare them. She was lucky she had her mom, and Luke. He lost his mom when he was so young. "Tell me about your mother."
Warren smiled. He loved talking about his mother. He told Rory about her many times but they both loved talking about her. "My mum was an amazing woman. She was the sweetest woman I've ever met. She was a writer, and very successful too, but she stopped writing when I was born and didn't get back to it until I went to kindergarten. She picked up her career but made sure she was home when I was. And she stopped writing novels and started writing children's books. She read them to me before she got them to a publisher. And she didn't even publish them all. I was the main character in almost all her books. And she loved singing. She taught me all the songs she knew. And dancing. She loved dancing. She was beautiful."
Rory knew this. He showed her pictures of her. "She had beautiful blond hair and perfect blue eyes. I miss her, you know."
"I do. I wish I could have met her."
"She would have loved you."
Rory smiled and squeezed his hand again. They reached her dorm room. "Do you want to come upstairs or do you want to go to your own room?"
"I'd like to come upstairs, if you don't mind."
"Absolutely not."
They walked upstairs. Rory's roommate was out so they had the place to themselves.
"So tonight went really well didn't it?" Warren asked while he took two sodas out of the fridge.
"Yeah. They really seemed to like you."
"I really liked them, too."
"You already said that."
"Well, it's true."
Rory smiled. "So, what are we going to do tomorrow?"
"Whatever you want. We can always spend some more time with your parents. But if you want to hang out with John and the others it's fine by me, too. It's your last day here; you get to say what we're doing."
"But you won't be here much longer."
"Only a few days. I have to go home to get my stuff."
"You sure you don't want to spend the summer with your dad?"
"How many times have we talked about this?
"Mmm…" Rory smiled. "ten maybe? Or was it twenty?"
"You've met him once Rory and it was like we were visiting strangers. I wanted him to get to know you but you saw how he reacted. When my mum was still alive, he was different. Sonia changed him into what he is now. I spent much more time with my mum, because he was always working, but he took me out every Sunday afternoon. After my mum died that stopped and when he met and married Sonia, he started pushing me away. He said I was jealous and that I thought he was replacing my mum, but he never listened to me. That woman hates me, she did from the first moment she met me. She was the jealous one, that's why she sent me away to boarding school. And you know what, it's the best thing she ever did. I had a lot of good friends there and even though it was hard sometimes, I learned a lot. It was a good school and it helped me to become who I am now."
"You did it all by yourself. You're really smart and that's what took you here and takes you to Yale."
"It was my dream to go to a school like that. I always wanted to go to America. My mum's grandfather lived in America. He went to college there. When I was eight my mum took me there and showed me where he lived and where he went to school and ever since I dreamed about going there. The huge campus made such an impression on me. It's the first time my mum saw it too, but she knew the place in her heart from the pictures her grandfather showed her and the stories he told her."
Rory smiled. "Too bad you're not going to the same college he went."
"No. It doesn't matter. My mum loved everything that had to do with history and heritage. She could talk for hours about her ancestors and how they came to England and made a living for themselves. I loved those stories but I don't have to follow their path. That trip made me want to go to America, but I never had to go to that specific university. It's most likely that if I hadn't met you, I would have never gone to America in the first place. Yale is going to be amazing and if it's going to be like I expect it to be, I never have to go back here. I don't have a family I have to go back for, like you have. I have friends I will miss when I'm in America, but they can always come to visit us, and we can come back here to visit them."
"You know, my mom's worried about that. You should tell her this."
"Did she tell you that?
"No, but I know her. You remember when my grandmother got into that accident, we were already dating for two months? I didn't tell my mom about you because I knew she would freak out. It wasn't because of you because I wanted to share that with her, but I didn't want her to think that I wouldn't come home. If it's possible, she missed me even more than I missed her. I was here and made new friends and followed my dream, while she stayed behind and had to learn to be without me. Of course she had Luke, but the first few months were really hard on her. She was pregnant and I wasn't there to share it with her. It's kind of hard to explain, but we used to share everything you know? She's not only my mother but also my best friend."
"I know. And I understand. I have to admit I was hurt at first, but we've talked about this. You explained it. We're good."
Rory leaned in to kiss him. "Good."
"We better get some sleep, unless you want to discuss what you've got in mind for tomorrow?"
"I haven't really thought about it yet. It's hard because I really want to spend time with my mom. She came here to pick me up, but hanging out with our friends sounds like a good idea as well, because who knows if I will ever see them again."
"Let's get some sleep first, then we can decide what to do tomorrow morning. I'm sure we can do both."
"You think?"
"Absolutely."
Warren woke up early while Rory was still asleep. This was usually the case. He woke up before her and watched her sleep until she finally woke up. Today however, he had a plan. He stepped out of bed, carefully not to wake Rory. He smiled as he left her bedroom and walked into the living room.
Susan was already awake and smiled to John. "You're up early."
"I always am, although you don't see it very often."
"Oh, I see."
"Normally I stay in bed until Rory wakes up, but I want to surprise her today. Tonight I want to give her a goodbye party. We can invite all her friends and her parents but I need to get her out of the way today so she won't notice anything."
"Great idea. Can I help?"
"That would be great. I'll call her mum to inform her and ask her to take Rory for the day."
"Good, then I start making a list of everybody we want to invite."
"Sounds like a great plan. Thanks." They were whispering during their conversation, afraid that Rory would hear them. "I'll go outside to make the phone call." He searched the room and was happy to find Rory's cell on the table. He searched for Lorelai's number and wrote it down on a paper. Then he picked up his own phone and stepped into the hallway.
Luke and Lorelai were having breakfast when her cell phone went off. "Who can that be?"
"I don't know, but you better step outside."
"You can't tell me to do that now; we're not in your diner."
"Everybody's looking at you."
"Fine, I'll go." She stood up and walked towards the lobby. There she answered her phone. "Hello?"
"Lorelai, this is Warren. I'm sorry for calling this early but…"
"Is everything okay?" She didn't expect a phone call from him this early and was immediately worried.
"Don't worry, everything's fine. Rory and I talked about what she wanted to do today but had trouble deciding because she wants to see you and Luke, but also wants to spend some time with her friends."
"She doesn't have to spend time with us. We understand she wants to see her friends once more because who knows when she'll see them again, if ever."
"That's not why I was calling. I'm planning on throwing her a surprise party tonight so all her friends can say goodbye and you can meet them. I'm sure you would like to know who she spent her time with over the past year."
"That's a great plan. She'll love it."
"Thanks. Now, I was wondering if you can invite her over today to show you around town so we can set up everything for the party."
"Do you think she'll come?"
"I'll talk her into it if she has any doubts. You can call her by the time we hung up. She's still asleep but I'm sure she doesn't mind if you wake her up."
"You're talking about Rory here."
"I know." Warren smiled. "Have her here on campus in front of our flat at six tonight. I'll make sure everything else is taken care off and if there is any change in plans, I'll let you know."
"I'll call her right away and ask her to come with us and we'll have her back at her dorm at six tonight."
"Good. Thanks for helping me out."
"No, thank you for everything you did for her. You're a great guy Warren."
"Thanks. See you later."
"Bye." Lorelai hung up with a smile and dialled Rory's number.
"Hello this is Warren."
"Warren? Hi, is Rory there?" She decided to play along with his game.
"She's still asleep, but I can wake her if you want."
"You think she would mind?"
"Well, you're talking about Rory here." He repeated her earlier comment and Lorelai laughed about it. "I'll see what I can do for you."
"Thanks. I'll hold." She glanced into the restaurant and saw Luke staring at her. She waved at him while she waited for Rory to pick up the phone.
"Mom?" Rory's sleepy voice was heard.
"Hey, how are you doing?"
"Tired. Why are you calling me this early?"
"I was wondering if you want to show us around town today. We already saw some of the tourist stuff but you know Luke, he doesn't like it, so I thought that maybe you know some things he would like to see, you know."
"I don't know mom. I haven't talked to Warren about what he wants to do today."
"Oh." Lorelai faked disappointment. "I understand if you rather spend time with him and your friends. But I was really looking forward to this you know. But never mind then."
"I um…." Lorelai heard how Warren said something to Rory and smiled even though she couldn't hear what they were saying to each other. After a while she heard Rory's voice loud and clear again. "Mom?"
"I'm still here."
"Warren convinced me into coming with you. I just have to take a shower and have some breakfast. Let's say I'll be at your hotel in about an hour?"
"An hour sounds perfect."
"Okay. Better go now then. Later mom."
"Later kid." Lorelai hung up and walked back towards Luke.
"What was that all about?"
"Warren asked if we could keep Rory busy for the day. He's throwing her a surprise party tonight at six in her dorm room and he doesn't want her to get suspicious."
"And he asked you?" He smirked.
"Hey, I can keep a surprise."
"Yeah right."
"I didn't tell her we were coming here, did I?"
"No you didn't."
"Plus, you'll be there to keep an eye on everything I'm saying today so I won't accidentally mention anything. That's your duty for today mister."
"I didn't expect anything else."
Lorelai enjoyed having her family complete. Her husband and her two kids spending time together, even though Lucan was still too young to realize where he was or what was happening around him. Rory showed them some great places in London and even though there were some tourist spots, Luke enjoyed seeing them. He would never admit it out loud though.
It was 5.45 now and they were walking towards Rory's dorm room. Lorelai knew they were a little early so she tried going as slow as possible, without Rory noticing it. Rory however, knew her mother too well. "Why are you walking so slow mom?"
"Me, I'm not walking slowly?" She put up her innocent face.
"Yeah right. It looks like your stalling. You don't have to walk me there, you know? You can just go back to the hotel if you'd rather do that."
"No I don't." She stood still now, inwardly smiling that this could buy her some time. "I told you we wanted to come to your dorm room and help you pack. We're leaving tomorrow at noon and you don't want to wake up early to start packing."
"Then why are you stalling?"
"Because I don't like packing?"
"Then don't. I can do it by myself."
"No, I want to help you."
"Then keep walking, will ya? The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can do some fun stuff."
Lorelai checked her watch. 5.51. It was a 10 minute walk from where they were now. "Fine, I'll walk."
"Good."
It was exactly six o'clock when they reached the gate of the university. They heard some noise coming from campus, but Rory didn't think much about it. Noise was usual on the weekends. It wasn't until they were close to her building, that she realized there was a party going on. People were eating and drinking, and a band was playing. It wasn't until she saw the big sheet with the words 'Goodbye Rory' that she realized it was a party for her.
"Did you know this?" Rory looked at her mother.
"Yeah I did."
Rory hugged her mother. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me, thank Warren. He's behind all this."
They walked closer to the party and there were a lot of people. Almost everyone she had a class with the past year was there, and almost all of her teachers showed up as well. In the middle of all the people was Warren, a big smile on his face as he saw Rory's eyes tearing up. He stepped out of the cheering crowd towards his girlfriend. "Hey."
"Hey." She took a few steps towards him and when they were standing in front of each other, she put his arms around him. "Thank you."
"You don't have to say that. I know how you wanted to spend time with them and with your parents so I figured this was the best way to accomplish that."
"It's amazing. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I have a pretty good idea." He leaned back a little so he could wipe away her tears. "No crying tonight. This is about celebrating the past year."
"Okay." Rory smiled and leaned in to kiss Warren.
From a distance Luke and Lorelai were watching the interaction between Rory and Warren. Luke put his arm around Lorelai's shoulder. They didn't say anything but both knew how the other one was feeling. When Warren and Rory pulled apart they walked towards them and together they walked towards the crowd.
"Now, introduce me to all your friends." Lorelai put her arm around her daughter.
"All of them?"
"Well, this morning Warren called me and said this party was about you saying goodbye to all your friends, and me meeting them."
"He did huh." Rory looked at all the people and knew it was impossible to introduce them all to her mother. She did the only things she could do. She stood still and yelled. "Can I have your attention please?" Slowly the crowd got quiet and they all put their attention to Rory. "Normally when I have to give a speech, I spend weeks preparing. Since this is a surprise party I couldn't prepare anything so you just have to take what comes into my mind first. Yesterday I talked to Warren and he asked me how I wanted to spend my last day here. I told him I had no idea, and that was the truth. I wanted to spend time with my family because I have really missed them over the last year, but I wanted to spend time with you because I don't know if and when I'll see you again. Thanks to Warren I didn't have to choose and he gave me all.
The past year has been amazing. I learned a lot, I had a lot of new experiences. I made new friends. I really had a great time. You were all there for me in your own special way. Working with me, teaching me, being my friends, being there for me when I missed my mom. There are no words to thank you for everything you did for me." She had to wipe away a few tears. "Warren just said today is about celebrating, but that's really hard, because saying goodbye is kind of a sad thing. Tomorrow I'm going home. Back to my family and friends in Stars Hallow and in September I will be going back to Yale. It will be different but good in its own way. But that doesn't mean that I will not miss you and this place, because I had an amazing year. And even though it was hard sometimes, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. So this may be a goodbye, but Warren is right, it's a celebration as well. Let's not think about what will come tomorrow, but let's celebrate the great year we all had." The crowd started yelling and applauding. Rory waited until they calmed down a little before she continued.
"I wasn't done just yet. Besides thanking you all, I want to thank my mom for supporting me and pushing me to come here over and over again when I had doubts. I know I missed you like crazy the past year and I know you felt the same way about me." Lorelai had tears in her eyes while she smiled at her daughter and felt Luke squeezing her hand. "I couldn't have done it without you. So thank you mom. And Luke, thank you for making me be a part of your and mom's new life even though I was here, on a different continent, far away from you. You made sure I didn't miss anything. Your proposal to mom and your wedding, the most important days of your and mom's lives. Thank you for that." Luke had to blink away a few tears himself now. "Now, to all of you, I want you to meet my parents. Come here for a second guys." Luke and Lorelai walked towards Rory. "These are my mom and dad." Rory hugged Luke and kissed his cheek, then turned to her mother and did the same. The crowd was still quiet and watched the interaction between Rory and her parents.
"Warren come here, please." Warren stepped forwards and kissed Rory and hugged both Luke and Lorelai. "So, this is my family, although you haven't seen my little brother yet. He's asleep right now but I'm sure you will see him later tonight. His name is Lucan and he's only four months old. When I told a few of you about him, you asked me if it wasn't weird to be so much older than my brother. To tell you the truth, no. Of course it's not common that you're twenty years older than your brother, but then again, nothing in my family is common, and that's what I love about them. I've never been more proud in my life, than the day I first held my brother. And that's all I wanted to say, really. I see there's a lot of food and drinks so I say let's party. Let's celebrate." The crowd started cheering again before they all walked away and went back to what they were doing before.
"I would have introduced you to them all, but I'm sure they'll introduce themselves to you when they feel like it."
"That's okay hon." They hugged again. "So you said something about food?"
"Yeah I did. Let's go."
Later that evening Luke and Lorelai were talking to some of Rory's friends, while Rory was looking for Warren. She found him at the bar. "Hey."
"Hey." He kissed her. "Enjoying your party?"
"Absolutely. How long have you been planning this?"
"I woke up with the plan this morning."
"What? How did you manage to put all this together on such a short notice?"
"I had help."
"Who?"
"Mostly Susan and John. Susan took care of inviting everybody while John and I took care of the food and the drinks and everything. Officially you're not allowed to drink alcohol on school property but Susan arranged this. She pulled some strings with the teachers and got approval as she invited them as well. We thought that it wouldn't be a problem if we did. A lot more people showed up than we intended in the first place, I'm sure you don't know them all by name."
"That's what you get when you throw a party when booze is involved."
He just smiled and looked up when John approached.
"Hey."
Rory turned around to look at on of her best friends here. "Hey."
"So, are you enjoying your party?"
"You're kidding right? Warren said you, Susan and he put all this together. It's amazing."
"It's nothing. The past year has been amazing for all of us and you deserve a party like this."
"Thanks."
"I'm going to miss you Rory."
"I'm going to miss you, too. You have to promise me you'll come visit me in Stars Hallow one day."
"I promise. And you have to promise you'll come back here one day."
"I will. I definitely will."
"Good. Now we've got that over with, you want to dance?"
"I would love too! How did you arrange the band this fast?"
"My neighbour at home is in the band. When I was younger we played together, but he was much better than I was and I was just holding him back so I supported him to go further. Now they play at parties all the time and they're going on a tour next year. We were lucky they were free tonight."
"My best friend at home plays in a band. She's touring as well."
"A rock band right? What was her name, Lane?"
"Yeah Lane. She's really good, but so is your neighbour."
"Tell him that later. He loves to hear that."
"I will. But let's dance now."
"Let's dance."
Around midnight the party started to calm down. A lot of people left, some to go out, some just to go to bed because they too were about to go home. Rory said goodbye to everybody and now there were only about twenty people left, including Warren, her parents, Susan and John. They put chairs together in a circle and went to get some more drinks. They didn't know how long they stayed like that, talking about the past year and sharing anecdotes with Luke and Lorelai. Lorelai had been smiling all night getting to know all of Rory's friends and the stories they told her gave her a good view on everything Rory did the past year.
About an hour later Lucan started to wake up. Rory picked her little brother out of the stroller and asked Lorelai to warm his bottle. They talked more while Rory fed her baby brother, enjoying having him in her arms. She couldn't believe this was her last night here. A night she wouldn't forget anytime soon. She didn't know what she expected for her last night, but this was something she couldn't even hope for. She didn't realize how many friends she had made until they were all together and it made it hard for her, knowing she had to go home. The mixed feelings were back again. She really wanted to go home. She missed everybody there but now she would miss all these people, especially the ones that were still at the party. These people became really close to her the past year, and she knows how much she'll miss them.
Slowly they started saying goodbye as well, leaving Rory, Warren, John, Susan, Luke and Lorelai alone. Lucan was back asleep in his stroller. It was 2.30 now and they could still sleep for a few hours until they had to get to the airport.
"What time do you have to leave tomorrow?" John asked.
"Noon. Our flight leaves at 3.30."
"How are you getting to the airport?"
"We're taking a cab."
"I can ask my dad if he'll drive you. He's not working tomorrow, but he has a private van and that way we can come to say goodbye at the airport. But only if you want of course."
Rory looked at her mother who nodded. "I would love that."
"Good. I'll call him first thing in the morning. I'll tell him to be here at 11.30 so we can pick up your parents at the hotel at noon."
"That's not necessary. We have to check-out before ten so we're leaving here at noon."
"Oh, of course, I forgot about that. But how do you get here from the hotel?"
"We'll take a cab, but don't worry about it. If your dad's here at noon, or a little before that because we have to take the entire luggage in, we're fine."
"Great. I'll tell him."
"Thanks."
"I'm going to bed then; otherwise I won't be up early enough to give him the call."
"Okay. Thanks for everything and see you tomorrow." Rory stood up to hug her friend.
"See you tomorrow."
"Well, I better go upstairs, because I still have to pack."
"You're just like your mother." Luke sighed.
"Hey, it's in the genes, I can't help it." She tried to look innocent.
"Yeah yeah. Well, let's go upstairs then so we can get this over with fast."
"You don't have to help me. You can just go back to the hotel and get some sleep. I can do it myself."
"Nah, we'll help." They all went upstairs to help Rory and after a little more than an hour, all her stuff was packed.
"We better go back to the hotel then. See you all in a few hours."
"Bye." Both Warren and Susan said.
"Goodnight mom, Luke."
"Goodnight kid."
"Goodnight Rory." They hugged and then left towards the elevator. They looked back and saw Rory and Warren standing in the door opening. It was hard to believe that after almost a year, Rory was finally going home with them.
"Well this is it." They were standing at the airport, ready to check-in.
"Don't say that." John smiled. "We made a deal yesterday, right?"
"Absolutely. And I'm looking forward to it."
"Me too. Take care Rory, and call me when you're home."
"I will." They hugged each other tight. Then Rory turned to Susan. "You were a great roommate."
"You too. The best I ever had."
"Absolutely. I'll miss you next year."
"I'll miss you too. Have a save flight home, and we'll keep in touch."
"Absolutely. Don't forget to visit me one day."
"I won't. I'm looking forward to it."
"Good, me too." The two girls hugged too.
She looked at Warren. "I'll miss you."
"We'll see each other again in a few days." He smiled.
"I know, but I'll miss you anyway."
"I'll miss you too." He took Rory in his arms and kissed her. "See you soon."
"I love you." A big smile was seen through her tears.
"I love you too, Rory." He kissed her again.
"I'll pick you up from the airport when you arrive."
"I know. We've been through this. Have a safe flight home and call me okay?"
"I will." One last kiss and a big hug before Warren turned to Luke and Lorelai, hugging them.
"See you soon."
The three friends watched how the family walked to the check-in desk. They kept watching until they were ready to go to the gate. They waved at each other once more before they all turned around into their own direction.
Rory got the window seat in the airplane. Lorelai wanted it too so Luke thought about a number below ten and Rory guessed right first. It was a big plane, so they had three seats next to each other. Lorelai was sitting in the middle, with Lucan in her lap. She looked to her left and to her right and then to the baby in her arms. Her family was complete and they were finally going home.
The plane started to roll to the runway. Luke was just as nervous as he had been a few days ago so Lorelai took his hand in hers again. Lucan had his pacifier in his mouth so the take-off wouldn't bother him too much, plus, he was asleep anyway. The airplane stopped, waiting for its turn. It didn't take long before they were first in line. The engines started to make a lot of noise and the plane started driving fast. Lorelai looked at her daughter who had tears in her eyes.
"You okay hon?"
"I will be. I'm going to miss this place though."
"I know you will." She wanted to take Rory's hand as well, but couldn't because she had to hold Lucan.
Before they knew it the airplane had his wheels of the ground and they were flying. "This is it." Rory stated for the second time that day.
Luke looked at Lorelai and let go of her hand so she could use it to hold Lucan while using the other to take Rory's. She squeezed her hand. "Don't say that kid. You'll come back here."
"I know, but it will be different. It's weird you know, because I'm really happy about going home."
"I know. I do know."
They watched how the landscape below them got tinier. It was a clear day so they had a good view. "Goodbye London." Rory whispered.
Soon there was no land below them anymore, and all that was left to see was the ocean. The big Atlantic Ocean they would spend the next few hours above, taking them back home. They were all lost in their own thoughts, although they all thought the same thing. They were back together, as a family. And they didn't know that the next year would bring them, but in the end it didn't matter either. Last year they didn't know what this year would bring them. There were much more good memories than there were bad ones. And they knew the next year would be the same, filled with good and with bad things. And in the end it didn't matter what those things were, as long as they were together, they were happy.