Invisible Scars

Amazing words of encouragement as always. I love that even though you guys may not agree with me, you say that you can see where I'm coming from! That is the true sign of intelligent reviewers. Thank you, as always for making my day.

Chapter 7 – These Vows We Make

Hermione had never been a part of a wedding day before, and now that she was, she didn't know if she could ever do it again.

The festivities had started shortly after sun-up, when Fleur had woken her, Ginny and Gabrielle by feverishly pacing the room they were all sharing, muttering about her wedding day having finally arrived.

By the time they had all showered and dressed, the Weasley's extended family had started arriving. Hermione looked around for Ron and Harry, but couldn't find them. She didn't see Fred, George or Charlie, either. Even Percy was suspiciously absent.

When she asked Mrs. Weasley about it, she had been surprised by the terrified look that had come over the woman's face.

"You…you don't think anything happened to them, do you?" Hermione asked, now nervous for their safety. Nothing bad could happen today. That's not how things worked.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head, although the look didn't leave her eyes. "They better pray that they all make it here in their right minds, or something will most definitely happen to them," she said, almost growling as she searched the yard for her husband.

"What's going on, mum?" Ginny asked, joining them in the kitchen. "Aunt Josephine and Uncle Fabrius wanted to say hello to the boys."

Mrs. Weasley sighed in a long-suffering way and gave up searching for her husband. "A long standing Weasley tradition, I'm afraid," she said grudgingly. "The night before a man is about to be married, the other men help him celebrate his last night of 'freedom' by doing who knows what."

"Oh, a bachelor party," Hermione said, finally understanding. "I wouldn't worry too much, Mrs. Weasley. If Mr. Weasley was with them, I'm sure they'll be alright."

Mrs. Weasley grimaced, tossing a dishtowel onto the counter. "I doubt it. He's probably the one who suggested it in the first place."

Ginny giggled, then hid her smile behind her hand when her mother turned to her with a sharp glare. "Sorry," she said, not looking sorry in the slightest.

By the time Fleur put her bridal robes on in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's room, Hermione was thoroughly exhausted. She looked around the small room and wondered how they were all fitting. Ginny and Gabrielle were helping Mrs. Delacour fix the back of the robes so they hung perfectly from Fleur's body, and Hermione was waiting patiently with the tiara Mrs. Weasley's great-auntie Muriel had indeed lent her for the occasion.

When Fleur was ready, Hermione handed the glittering headpiece to her and watched as the beautiful bride to be fastened it to her long, shimmering hair.

"Oh, dear…you look positively stunning," Mrs. Delacour said, weeping openly when her daughter beamed at her praise. Mrs. Weasley joined in, dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

With Fleur ready, Ginny and Hermione left to get dressed themselves. Hermione was just putting the finishing touches on her hair when Ginny called out to her from her window.

"They're back," she said, her voice shaking with mirth. She pointed out onto the lawn and Hermione looked out through the curtains. Mr. Weasley was entertaining members of his family, one arm supporting Fred at his side. Fred looked a little worse for the wear, but seemed to be handling himself generally well. She shifted her eyes to the other patches of red hair she saw on the lawn and spotted Ron and Harry talking with an older red headed couple. Both seemed alright, although a couple of times she saw Ron reach up to rub his temples and whenever they moved, Harry seemed to be a step behind himself.

"As long as Bill is okay, I think mum will let them live," Ginny said, giggling. "At least for today."

Hermione turned to Ginny and gave her a genuine smile of approval. "You look positively lovely," she said. "Harry is going to just about fall out of his chair when he sees you walking down the aisle."

Ginny's eyes lit up for a moment, then she cleared her throat and moved away from the window. "It doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" she asked, suddenly looking incredibly sad.

Hermione wanted to hit herself. Why had she gone and said something so insensitive? "I'm sorry Ginny. I wasn't thinking."

"It's alright. This isn't the day to be worrying about all of that," she said, straightening her shoulders and adopting an air of light optimism. "I have to focus on the positives today."

Hermione smiled at her, marveling at her strength. "That's right," she said, handing Ginny her lip gloss. "You're brother is getting married, your whole family will be here, and you're getting a sister today."

Ginny pulled a face at her as she applied the gloss to her lips. "I said the positives, Hermione."

"Come on, Fleur isn't that bad," Hermione offered. "She really loves Bill, and that's all that's important."

Ginny huffed, but her face gave her away. "I know. But as far as being a sister to me, she'll have to get in line," she said, tossing the lip gloss back to Hermione. "I kind of feel like I already have one."

Hermione stayed silent for a moment, letting Ginny's words penetrate. When they did, she felt a slight stinging behind her eyes. "You do?" she asked, fighting to keep her tone even.

Ginny laughed at the barely controlled expression on Hermione's face. "Of course I do," she said, putting a few extra pins in her hair to keep it still. "Ron has always looked at Harry as a brother…why should it be surprising that I look at you like a sister?"

Hermione sank onto the edge of Ginny's bed and worked hard to keep the tears away. She hated crying in front of Ginny, since Ginny seldom ever cried. She cleared her throat and played with the material of her robes.

Ginny turned to her then, and laughed again at Hermione's expression. "Oh, no you don't. You're not ruining your makeup on account of me," she said, crossing over to her and pulling her off the bed. "Come on, let's go downstairs before my mother sends out a search party."

They hugged quickly and, laughing, descended the stairs together.

Ginny was immediately pulled away by Mrs. Weasley to talk to several other relations, leaving Hermione by herself in the living room. That suited her just fine. She was due to meet Ron any minute, and for some inexplicable reason, she was terribly nervous.

Even though they had spent so much time together over the last few days, talking and…well, not talking…she still looked at this as their first date. It made her hands a bit shaky and her heart a bit fluttery. She reminded herself to breathe, and it helped slightly until she heard his voice coming from the kitchen.

"I will, mum. Just give me five minutes."

He entered the living room then, and when he saw her, he stopped. She allowed herself a moment to really look at him, and found herself smiling instantly. He looked amazing in his robes; even better than he had when she'd first seen him in them. They appeared to be made for him. He looked distinguished and refined, and she noted with some surprise that his usually unruly hair seemed to be behaving itself quite nicely.

"Hi," she said, the wave of nervousness washing over her again. He hadn't said anything since entering the room. Did he not like her new robes? Her hair?

"Hi," he said, his voice barely audible in the room. He took a step toward her, and she could see his eyes more clearly. They didn't look disappointed after all; in fact, his eyes were gliding over her slowly with appreciation in their depths.

She smiled despite herself and met him halfway. "You look wonderful," she said, wanting to reach over and touch his face very badly, but realizing they were in the middle of a living room that could, at any moment, be flooded with people, she refrained.

"So do you," he said, smiling at her. They remained like that, simply staring at each other with silly grins on their faces, until George burst into the room excitedly.

"Ron, you have to see this!" he said, grabbing his brother's arm. "It's a bloody invasion of beautiful women!"

He dragged Ron over to the window facing the backyard and pushed him up against it. "Fleur's friends just arrived," George continued, pointing out to the lawn. Hermione came up behind them and saw six tall, blonde women in flowing, sparkling robes crossing the lawn and approaching the house.

She looked away from the intimidating sight, then down at her own peach-colored robes. She straightened her shoulders, refusing to feel inferior, but wondering what Ron was thinking all the same. She chanced a glance at him, but his face was unreadable as he watched the women approach.

George clapped him on the back. "What do you say we go meet them at the door and welcome them properly into our home?" he asked, fixing his robes unnecessarily and running a hand over his hair.

Ron turned away from the window then. "Can't, George," he said, extending his arm to Hermione. "I'm taking Hermione to her seat."

George stopped dead in his tracks, watching as Hermione slid her hand around Ron's elbow. "Well, I'll be…" he said, giving his brother a look somewhere between pity and pride. "By the way, Hermione," he added, winking boldly at her, "you look positively stunning."

Hermione realized that if she didn't stop smiling soon, her face would probably freeze into a permanent grin. She couldn't seem to help it, though. As George bounded off to rescue six women from a life without the pleasure of his company, she stepped closer up against Ron's side.

"You can go with him, you know," she said. "I won't get mad or anything. One of your jobs today is to welcome the guests."

He shook his head, looking down into her face intently. "I'm fine where I am," he said.

She suddenly didn't care who could come walking into the room. She touched his cheek with her free hand and raised up to kiss him on the cheek, letting her lips linger on his skin for a long while.

When she broke away, she could see that same desire in his eyes that she had seen last night. It was taking some getting used to…seeing her best friend look at her like that, but she liked it. She liked it a lot.

His eyes focused on her mouth and his head began dipping toward hers, but he straightened quickly and cleared his throat.

"Come on," he said, his voice sounding funny. "I have to get you settled so I can go see what my mum needs now."

He walked her across the lawn, stopping at the row of seats Harry was seated in. She released his arm and turned to face him squarely. "See you after the ceremony," she said, wanting nothing more than to kiss him soundly before he went off again. She looked around her and realized that would be an impossibility, what with all of the family and friends now taking their own seats. Harry, himself, was looking at them with a knowing grin on his face.

"Kind of like being under a microscope, huh," she said laughing. Ron gave her a funny look, and she laughed again. "It's a muggle piece of machinery that…well, nevermind."

Lupin and Tonks arrived, waving at them and taking seats on the other side of Harry. "Go ahead," Ron said, gesturing toward the seats. "I'll meet up with you after the pictures and stuff. Bill said last night that it shouldn't take too long."

With one last look at her, he turned resolutely and crossed the lawn back toward the house. Hermione watched him go, then took the empty seat next to Harry.

"You look great, Hermione," Tonks said, leaning across Harry and smiling at her openly. "Ron could barely take his eyes off you," she added, letting her voice drop. Harry laughed, then looked at Hermione in alarm.

"I wasn't laughing at you," he explained quickly. "You do look nice…It's just, I'm sitting right here," he said, turning now to Tonks, who shrugged sheepishly then folded her hand in Lupin's.

Lupin looked over at them and dropped his own voice. "By the way, we have some information on what we were discussing the other day," he said. "Now is obviously not the time, but maybe later, after everyone leaves, we can talk." Harry nodded, and Lupin turned his attention to Tonks, who was fussing with the collar of his robes.

Hermione tugged on the arm of Harry's robes and leaned toward him. "So, what did you guys do last night?"

Harry grinned, then wiped it away just as quickly. "Nothing much," he said, looking incredibly interested in the guests taking their seats in front of them. "We all decided to sleep at Fred and George's…you know, give you guys the house to get ready."

"That was very thoughtful of all of you," Hermione muttered, looking thoroughly amused.

"So, how was Ginny this morning?" he asked, clearly not so much changing the subject as he was really wondering how she was doing. "She was so thrown by Percy coming home last night that she barely wanted to talk about it. I thought that maybe after she slept on things a bit, she'd feel better."

Hermione nodded. "I think she's fine. She didn't mention anything to me this morning about it, and she seemed to be in a good mood." Harry looked relieved at the information, and Hermione put a hand on his arm. "Wait until you see her, Harry. She looks fantastic."

"No doubt," he said, a far away look coming into his eyes. "She could wear a paper sack and look fantastic." He suddenly blushed, remembering that Hermione was sitting there, looking embarrassed at his outburst. Then he cleared his throat and his face became as impassive as before.

Hermione wondered how Harry could do it…turn his emotions on and off like that. She had only been at this for a few days now, but she knew that to turn off how she felt about Ron would be near impossible. She sighed, feeling sorry for her friends. She wished that there was something that could be done to make things easier on both of them.

Music suddenly drifted to them through the air, and Hermione turned in her seat to see the Weasley men walking across the lawn. Hermione had to admit, the entire family certainly cut dashing figures. Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Percy and Ron walked single file down the aisle, and when Ron passed her he flashed her a quick grin. She smiled in return and watched as Bill and Charlie stood in front of the elderly wizard that would be performing the ceremony as the others took seats in the front row.

Next came Mrs. Delacour, then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione smiled at the look of barely contained emotion on Mrs. Weasley's face. She would consider it a great feat of strength indeed if Mrs. Weasley made it through the ceremony without completely breaking down.

The song changed to a much softer tune, and Fleur's friends practically glided down the aisle, taking their seats gracefully. Hermione watched George shove Fred in the side and nod his head toward the women, who were looking across the aisle at the Weasley men as if they had never seen anything quite like them.

Ginny came down the aisle next, and Hermione smiled at her friend. She looked absolutely stunning as she joined her brothers in the first row. Hermione felt Harry go still next to her, and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at Ginny as if there wasn't another single person out here on the lawn with them, and she saw his hands clench into fists in his lap. She reached over and laid a hand over one of his fists supportively, feeling him relax slightly at the contact after a moment.

Gabrielle preceded her older sister, walking very quickly and keeping her eyes trained on the ground in front of her feet. She stood on the other side of the wizard, her face glowing red from all the eyes trained on her. Bill gave her an encouraging smile, and Gabrielle's whole face lit up. It was obvious she was crazy about her soon to be brother-in-law.

Hermione saw everyone stand up, and as she got to her feet she saw Fleur and her father at the head of the aisle.

"Wow," she heard Harry say quietly next to her. She had to agree. She'd seen Fleur get ready for the day, but now, standing there with all eyes on her, she looked positively ethereal. Her own gaze was trained down the aisle, on her future husband. The smile that crossed her face then further transformed her beauty, and Hermione felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. She had made a promise to herself not to cry…not to turn into the typical cliché woman who broke down at weddings, but she found that she couldn't help it.

Fleur and Mr. Delacour walked slowly down the aisle toward Bill, who looked as if he was going to pass out cold where he stood. His face was stark white, his eyes glued to Fleur. When she finally reached him, Charlie had to nudge him forward to get him to move.

Bill shook Mr. Delacour's hand, then turned to Fleur. They stared at each other for a quiet moment, completely absorbed, before turning as one to face the wizard.

"Friends and family, we come here today to celebrate the joining of two lives; William Arthur Weasley and Fleur Lienne Delacour…"

Ron had to hand it to his parents – they knew how to throw one hell of a party. Even from where he stood, taking pictures with his family and the new bride and groom, he could see the guests thoroughly enjoying themselves.

He spotted Hermione among the crowd, laughing at something Harry had just said. His chest constricted tightly at the sight of her. She looked unbelievable today. When he'd come into the living room and saw her waiting for him, his initial reaction was to grab her and kiss her until she couldn't stand up properly. His common sense had taken over, of course, but that hadn't erased the feeling. In fact, all throughout the ceremony, he had to keep himself from turning around just to look at her again.

When his father announced that the pictures were now finished, he began making his way directly toward her. Before he got to her, however, he was grabbed by another one of his aunts who wanted to exclaim over how tall he had gotten. By the time she released him, his mother was signaling for everyone to take their seats and enjoy their dinners.

Ron caught Hermione's eye across the distance that separated them, and he shrugged helplessly. She smiled at him and waved him off, joining Harry, Lupin, Tonks, and two friends of Bill's at a table. Ron sighed and joined his sister and brothers at their own designated table.

He tried to eat, but his stomach wasn't cooperating. It started to scare him, actually, because he'd never had food in front of him and not been able to eat it. It plagued him all throughout dinner, as he listened to his brothers laughing over this and that and taking turns teasing Ginny, who was simply beaming at all of the attention.

He looked over at the small table that Bill and Fleur were sitting at, and noticed that neither of them were eating either. They were talking quietly, their heads bent towards each other's intimately. Ron felt his chest tightening again and looked away, his eyes falling on his parents. They, too, were talking quietly to each other, and when his mother laughed and swatted at his father's arm playfully, the tightness in his chest increased almost painfully.

After the dishes were whisked away and the tables in the middle were moved to the side, the music came on again as if from nowhere and couples began moving onto the makeshift dance floor. By now, Ron didn't feel so good. He knew he wasn't sick, but for the life of him, he couldn't move his legs.

He saw his entire family, immediate and extended, take to the floor and begin celebrating the day properly. He saw Lupin and Tonks laughing at each other as they clumsily moved about the other couples, doing their best not to trample anyone else. He watched closely as Ginny approached Harry and silently held out her hand to him. Hermione was grabbed up by Fred, who tugged her onto the floor. She looked over at him, almost as if for permission, and he nodded once. Whatever had a hold on him was not letting up, and he could do little more than watch everyone as they set about celebrating the day.

Figuring he could use a bit of a drink, he finally got his legs to work and made his way to the table that was loaded down with them. He grabbed a butterbeer and stood on the edge of the crowd, his eyes taking in everything before him. He took a sip of his drink, swallowing it down with great difficulty. What the hell is wrong with me? he wondered in frustration, setting the bottle down with a thump. His parents danced by just then, laughing together and waving at him as they passed.

He swung his gaze away from them and it landed, as if drawn by an invisible force, on Hermione. She was being twirled rapidly under Fred's arm over and over again, and she was laughing almost hysterically. She was red faced but clearly having the time of her life as Fred launched them into an impromptu dance somewhere between a tango and a waltz.

His head grew fuzzy and he wondered then if he really might be sick. He couldn't seem to get a hold of himself, and he couldn't figure out why. He felt completely…overcome.

That was it. As soon as he thought it, he knew that was it. Everyone he loved was in the same place, happy, healthy, safe, enjoying themselves and each other. Tonight, thoughts of war and what could happen seemed so far away. Tonight, none of that could touch them.

It was all a bit too much. He sank down into the nearest chair and tried to get a hold over himself. Thoughts and images were running through his brain at such an alarming speed that he felt as if he was going to pass out. He heard Hermione laugh again, and it was almost his undoing. He looked over to her and found her extracting herself from Fred's arms, waving off his invitation to continue their dance.

Her eyes scanned the yard quickly, and when they found him, the most beautiful smile crossed her face. Without realizing it, he had gotten to his feet. She made her way over to him, her eyes dancing merrily as she approached.

"You've got to save me from your brother," she said, laughing all the while. "I don't think I can take much more and get out of it alive."

He stared at her as she reached past him for a bottle of butterbeer. Her face was glowing with happiness. In fact, he had never seen her look more breathtaking.

"Are you okay?" she asked, offering him the bottle. He shook his head at her offer, but couldn't find his voice to answer her question. The merriment left her eyes and was replaced with concern. "Ron, are you feeling alright?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind it registered that the music had changed to a slower song, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to have Hermione in his arms.

"Do you want to dance with me?" he asked, extending a hand to her. She studied him carefully for a moment before sliding her smaller hand into his.

"Yes," she said, the look of happiness returning to her face.

He led them out among the crowd, not even noticing who was around them. When he turned to face her, they came together almost effortlessly. She fit against him as if she belonged there, and he wrapped one arm around her securely, gently guiding her around.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, looking up into his eyes. "You've had this look on your face all night. I could see it all throughout dinner."

"I'm fine," he answered, and he meant it. In fact, he couldn't remember a time he'd ever felt this alright about anything.

She seemed satisfied, if not by his words than by the look on his face, because she smiled up at him softly. "I'm having an absolutely wonderful time, by the way," she said.

"Me too." He pulled her closer, not really caring at this point who was watching and who wasn't. He wanted to hold her, and that's just what he was going to do. They moved together, as if they'd danced a million dances together before tonight, and eventually she dropped her cheek to his chest. He knew she could hear his heart racing a mile a minute, but he didn't care. He just didn't care about any of that stuff any longer. She was here, in his arms. What did he care if she knew just how crazy he was about her? She had a right to know. She deserved to know…

Then he stopped in his tracks. Did she know? He knew they had been making small steps with each other over the last few days, and he had assumed that because they were now kissing each other, mostly whenever they felt like it, that she knew how he felt.

But did she really know?

Suddenly it was the most important thing he could think of. If she didn't know how he felt about her, she sure as hell was about to find out. He pulled away from her and grabbed her hand. "Come with me," he said, nodding his head toward the house.

"Al…alright," she stammered, looking thoroughly confused by his behavior. She allowed herself to be pulled along beside him, and he tried to be as careful as possible to keep his strides short so she could keep up.

He pushed through the kitchen door and once they were both inside, he placed her in front of him against the counter. She now looked downright concerned for him.

"Ron, what's going on?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm. "You're behaving so strangely…"

"Hermione, I need to tell you something, and I don't want you to interrupt," he said, cutting her off. She looked taken aback at his abruptness, but he continued all the same. It was as if he'd pushed a button in his head that wouldn't allow him to stop until he'd said what he needed to say.

"I've been acting funny all night because I realized how lucky I am. My family is all here, and although Percy still has a lot of explaining to do, it seems like all that happened doesn't really matter compared to all of this. Bill's married, my parents are happy, Ginny and Harry are…well, they're figuring stuff out, Fred and George are hitting on beautiful women…" he trailed off, knowing that he was sounding more and more imbecilic by the minute. Still, he didn't care.

"And you," he said, holding her gaze steadily with his own. "I don't know if you realize just how crazy I am about you. I think about you all the time…when we're not together I'm wondering what you're doing and when I'll see you again, and when we're in the same room I can't focus on anything else but you."

Hermione's eyes were growing wider with each word he uttered, a look of shock on her lovely face. He knew it was a lot to take in, but still, he didn't care. She needed to hear this, finally, once and for all. No more of this in between stuff where they were more than friends but not quite anything else. No more.

"I'm happy with you," he continued, reaching down for her hand. "I just want you to know that. I'm happier than I've ever been and that's because of you."

When he'd finished speaking, he was met with silence. Her eyes were very bright, and she looked as if she was struggling with what to say to him. There was the briefest of moments in which Ron felt that maybe she didn't feel the same way, but when she squeezed his hand, all doubts disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place.

"I – I don't know what to say," Hermione whispered finally, shaking her head slowly from side to side.

"Well, you could say that you're happy with me, too," he offered, raising her hand to his lips and trailing kisses along her knuckles. She watched the movement in mild fascination, shaking her head again.

"I can't do that, because happy doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling right now," she said, closing her eyes as his mouth moved to her wrist. He could feel her pulse racing against his lips, and he sighed when she brought her free hand up to cradle his cheek.

Their eyes met then, locking onto each other's with an intensity that neither of them were quite prepared for. Ron closed the last inch of space between them, trapping Hermione against the counter. He dropped her hand and wound his arms around her back, pulling her flush against him.

Their lips came together then, softly at first. It was not enough for either of them any more though, and their kiss deepened – the intensity building slowly but steadily, until both were practically leaning on the other for some semblance of support.

Ron could feel himself spiraling out of control, and somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind he knew they had to stop. If they didn't stop soon…

His body was reacting to her in ways that were not necessarily new to him, but nevertheless unsafe. He pulled away, his breathing ragged, and he smiled to himself when he heard how labored her own was.

She leaned her forehead against his, taking a moment to compose herself. He closed his eyes, moving his head slightly so their cheeks brushed against each other's softly, before burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"So I take it this means we're officially together," she said.

He laughed, the sound muffled against her skin, causing her to laugh, too.

He pulled back and kissed the tip of her nose. "I think snogging in my parents' kitchen definitely means we're officially together," he answered.

She smiled up at him. "Do you think anyone's noticed we're gone?"

"Who cares?"

She laughed then, the sound reverberating through him like music. "Weren't you the one so worried about me being painted as a scarlet woman years ago?"

"Point taken," he said, grabbing her hand again. "Alright, we can go back outside, but you have to promise me you won't go off dancing with all my brothers and leave me sitting at a table by myself all night."

"I think your brothers have enough distractions in the form of Fleur's friends," she said, as they pushed open the back door and moved across the lawn. Sure enough, when they were close enough to see the crowd again, Fred was dancing with an incredibly leggy blonde, and Charlie was holding court at a table, rolling up his sleeves to show off his scars.

As they neared the dancing couples, Hermione's hand began to slip away from his, but he wouldn't let it. She caught his meaning quite clearly, and kept it where it was, safe inside his own.

They moved together silently, dancing a bit too slow for the music that was currently playing. Neither of them cared. Ron smiled down at her, and when she smiled back, she looked so serene and lovely that Ron couldn't help wanting to kiss her again.

This time, he lowered his lips to hers, regardless of the dozens of people surrounding them. He wasn't going to hold back any longer when it came to Hermione, and whoever felt the need to stare in surprise was free to do so.

Very hard chapter to write! Very fluffy, but had to be done. Weddings aren't the greatest place for angst and severe plot twists. I also wanted to move Ron and Hermione to the next level. The next chapter or two coming up will be more than worth it, though. I have some really good ideas. I'm excited to write them, it's just finding the time to do so that will be the slight problem!

As always, I thank you for sticking with this. I'm thinking it will be 10 chapters total. Nice round number. I also want to thank you for your detailed reviews. They truly help me keep this focused. Now I know to keep it dialog centered, keep them in character, balance the fluff and actual plot, do my research…all of the things that make this story solid are because of you guys. You keep it on the right track by letting me know what you appreciate. Thanks!