Chapter 13: Severus
No, no, no, no, no! Why was this happening? How did he find him? How could he have possibly known where he was?
Lily was looking at him, horrified. Her skin looked ashen, like she was going to be sick, as the color began to fade from her face. Severus could feel his own mouth gaping open stupidly and thought he was probably doing a pretty good impression of the same look himself.
Oh God, Lily.
He didn't mean to drag her into this. In fact, that had been the complete opposite of what he intended to do. He had been stupid. Stupid and selfish. If something happened to her-
"Mummy? Daddy?" A quavering voice called out timidly from the hallway.
The Muggle-girl.
Loud voices began echoing from the first floor, casting the otherwise peaceful home into complete turmoil. Severus could hear the angry shouts of Mr. and Mrs. Evans as they protested fearfully and he could hear Tobias's rough drunken slurs screaming at them in response. Before he could stop her, Lily had jumped to her feet and ran to the door.
"Tuney! Go back to your room, lock the door and hide!" Lily instructed her sister.
"Lily! But- what's go-"
-"Just do it!" Lily roared. She slammed her door shut and turned the lock. She stood in front of it, her arms outstretched as though she could barricade the door with just her tiny frame. Her eyes desperately searched the room for something, anything, they could use. Severus had also jumped to his feet and ran to the wardrobe.
"Lily, help me with this," he said as he braced his shoulder against one side of the wardrobe and started to shove. Lily didn't need asking twice. She rushed over to him, trying to pull the heavy piece of furniture while he continued to heave it from the other had only moved it about a foot or so, and Severus recognized that it was of no use. They were moving far too slowly. The wardrobe was too heavy, and Tobias was an unstoppable typhoon of fury, and that typhoon would be headed this way, full force, at any moment.
"I KNOW YOU'S UP THERE, BOY," Tobias roared. There came the undeniable sounds of heavy footfalls pounding up the stairs.
"You stay away from there, you great dirty ape!" Mr. Evans voice rose as it approached the stairwell.
There were the unmistakable sounds of a struggle, copious amounts of thudding and scuffling could be heard from the hall. A grunt followed by a loud smack. Mrs. Evans screamed and there came a heavy, rhythmic drumming noise, like a body tumbling helplessly down the stairs.
Lily turned to him in terror. "Sev, you have to hide!" she said desperately. "He's here for you, if he realizes you aren't here-"
-"I c-can't do that," Severus said with determination. "He wants me. If he finds me, he'll let you and yer family alone."
"There's no time to argue," Lily protested angrily-
"SEV!" Tobias barked.
-"If he finds you, he'll kill you." Lily stared at him, her eyes filling with tears. She tried to push him towards the window in her urgency. "Go, please! The roof."
"What about you? I cant- I won't let 'em- it should be me-"
-"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," she insisted still shoving him backwards. "I'll hide." The doorknob started trembling, and Severus knew that they were out of had just tried the door and found himself locked out. The pounding that followed was almost instantaneous.
"DON'T YOU HIDE FROM ME YOU LIL' SHIT." Tobias called from the other side of the door. There came a powerful bang that immediately had the door warping in it's frame and Severus knew it was only a matter of time before it caved in completely.
Lily looked at him with wild, pleading eyes. Severus sneered in frustration, but gave in. There came another loud bang. The wood began to splinter and crack around the knob. He hopped out the window and onto the roof, inching just out of sight, pressing himself stiffly against the side of the house. He didn't want to go too far...just in case.
Lily had started to move away from the window, when with one final blow the door succumbed to the inevitable and flew wide open with such force, it rebounded off the wall and nearly slammed shut again. Tobias stood in the doorway, his face red with rage and his arms flexed at his sides, giving him the appearance of a deranged orangutan. His frantic eyes flitted around the room sporadically, searching for any sign of his son.
"Where is he, girl?" Tobias asked dangerously. Lily said nothing but continued to glare at Tobias with the deepest of loathing, her eyes shooting daggers from across the room. Her hands were balled into tight fists at her sides. Her expression only deepened when Tobias ripped open her wardrobe and flung her things aside, spilling some of the contents onto the floor carelessly. He dropped to his knees and ripped up the bedskirt, thrusting one meaty arm underneath the bed before his eyes even had a chance to catch up with his search.
"He's not here!" Lily ground out scathingly.
"Bull-fucking-shit he ain't," Tobias replied darkly. "If I find out yous been hidin' 'im from me girl, I'll wring yer neck, see if I don't. I dun give two shits whose bitch you are."
Tobias's eyes narrowed as he approached her. Lily hadn't gotten far enough away from the window when Tobias entered the room. "Did you help 'im escape, eh?" Lily stood her ground and he stopped directly in front of her, glancing around thoughtfully. He eyed the window, and it was as though something just clicked.
Whether it was from some subtle use of Lily's body language or from Tobias's own powers of deduction that gave it away, Severus couldn't be sure, but it happened anyway. "Is he out there, darlin'?" He asked in a patronizing voice.
He didn't bother to wait for an answer. Tobias threw open the window and leaned half-way out, his beefy palms gripping the window ledge so tightly it was as though he meant to squash it to putty. He spotted Severus immediately.
"Well, well, well," Tobias roared triumphantly. "I been lookin' for you, boy." His hand shot out and grasped Severus by the upper arm. With a cast iron grip he began to force him roughly back through the open window. Severus cried out in pain and alarm, and struggled to shake him off. He tried to scramble away, his bare feet scraping against the shingles that left angry red welts on his skin. He grabbed hold of a nearby window frame, (one that belonged to the Muggle girl?) and used it to brace himself from being pulled back. He held on so tight his fingertips turned white, but Severus felt something pop and a paralyzing pain shot through his arm as it was wrenched at an awkward angle, forcing him to let go. He heard Lily's scream of fury.
CLANG
"What the fuck!?"
Lily had picked up her alarm clock and hurled it as hard as she could at Tobias's head. It bounced off the back of his skull and she took the opportunity to launch herself savagely at his back, trying to bite and scratch and strike any part of him she could reach.
"LILY, DON'T!" Severus cried anxiously.
Tobias turned around angrily and snatched a fistful of Lily's long red hair, the other still gripping Severus's upper arm tightly. Lily yelped and groped for Tobias's fingers to try and relieve some of the pressure yanking at her scalp.
"Meddlesome bitch," Tobias growled. He threw Lily to the ground and pressed one heavy boot against the fingers that were still splayed against the floor, until he was half crushing them under his heel. Lily whimpered. "I suggest you stay down darlin', I dun' wanna have to crush yer fingers like a bug an' risk ruinin' my boots, see?" he jeered.
"No! Stop! dun' hurt her!" Severus begged.
He was eerily reminded of his mother and knew it would be of no use pleading with him, but he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't think straight. The pain in his arm and his panic for Lily mingled together and muffled his thoughts until his brain felt numb. Tobias's cold, black eyes turned to look at him, his lips drawn back from his teeth in a snarl.
"What's the matter Sev, this yer lil' girlfriend?" he taunted. He turned his attention back to Lily at his feet, daggers still shooting from her eyes. He pressed down a little harder against her fingers. Lily winced, biting her lip and fighting back tears as she tried not to cry out in pain. "Now see here missy," Tobias said dangerously. "Sev here, he belongs ter me, 'an I dun share too well with others. You best stay away from 'im, ya hear? I dun wanna have ter come back here and finish the job. You leave 'im be. Trust me, he ain't worth it."
He released his hold on her and Lily immediately wrenched her hand back and held it against herself protectively, the tears starting to slip despite her best effort. Tobias had what he came for, so Severus could only hope that would be enough for him to leave the Evans alone.
His arm felt like it had been set on fire as Tobias dragged him away, pulling him awkwardly behind him and making it difficult for Severus to keep stride. Tobias looked beside him as though just noticing him.
"What the fuck you wearin' boy? You best get yer shit together. I ain't buyin' ya nothin' else." He said as he dragged Severus towards the stairs. The pain together with the angle and height of his arm made keeping up a struggle, and as they descended the staircase, it proved too difficult. He stumbled over his feet, losing balance and coordination, but Tobias didn't bother to stop. He continued to drag him along the rest of the way like a rag doll, Severus hanging grotesquely by one arm. The pain was unbelievable by then, and he wished that Tobias would just let him go so it would stop.
Sent- Sen- Sateri- Sentiron, Sent- S- fuck!
Tears pricked the corners of his eyes hopelessly.
Mr. Evans was knocked out cold at the bottom of the staircase with blood pouring down the side of his face. Mrs. Evans was frantically trying to wake him up, saying his name over and over. She held a dish towel, which she pressed firmly against the rush of blood flowing freely from Mr. Evans head. It was clear to Severus that she had been unable to move for fear that Mr. Evans would lose too much blood, the cloth was already soaked through. She watched Tobias approaching with Severus and somehow managed to look both frightened and repulsed at the same time.
"You filthy, disgusting man," Mrs. Evans shouted, venom dripping off of every syllable. "If you touch either one of my daughters, or if you put your hands on Severus again, I'll-"
-"What was that, darlin'? You'll what?" Tobias asked menacingly, bending closer as though to hear her better. "Call the police?" Mrs. Evans expression darkened. He scoffed and stepped over them. He ripped the nearby telephone from the wall and threw it hard at Mrs. Evans who ducked trying to shield herself and her husband at the same time. "Have at 'em," Tobias spat. "I would maybe think about how yer gonna explain to 'em why Sev was here without me knowin' about it though. Seems to me that might be somethin' they's be interested in knowin' about." Mrs. Evans was seething with anger, but she did not move.
"Go get yer things, boy." Tobias said shoving Severus away from him and meeting Mrs. Evans hateful stare with a cold smirk.
"I-I dunno where-" Severus began.
"What?" Tobias said impatiently.
Severus was standing in the middle of the room, gripping his injured shoulder and looking lost. The panic started to bubble over into a full on anxiety attack. What was he going to do? This was all his fault. Lily, Mr. Evans...even the damages to the house. How was he supposed to apologize for something like this? For bringing a monster like Tobias here and unleashing him like a rabid dog onto a family that had only ever shown him kindness? His best friend's family. Not only his best friend, but his only friend. They would never want him over here again, and to be honest, Severus couldn't blame them. Would Lily even still be there after all this? He somehow doubted it.
"-In the laundry room Severus, dear!" Mrs. Evans cut in hastily. "The end of the hall on your right."
"Well? Ya heard the woman, git goin'!" Tobias yelled.
Severus did as he was told, still cradling his shoulder as he stumbled down the hallway. It looked so far away. He felt sick, and disoriented, like someone had slipped him a sedative when he wasn't looking. The edges of his vision were getting blurry and he started to see color that wasn't there. The contents of his heavy meal flipped over threateningly in his stomach. He swallowed it back, forcing his muddled brain to work properly. He needed to leave the house. He needed to leave so Lily and her family would be safe.
It felt like he should have reached the end of the hallway about three times before he finally made it there. He glanced inside, leaning heavily on the door frame for some much needed support, his forehead freckled with tiny pearls of sweat. The laundry room was simple. Just the machines set against a clean white wall with a single shelf overtop that held bottles of detergent. On top of one of the machines sat a laundry basket full of clothes that hadn't been washed yet. Severus's neatly folded pile was resting right on top of it. He grabbed them up and hurried back up the hallway, eager to leave and afraid of what might happen if he delayed for too long.
"Lily! Go back upstairs!" Mrs. Evans shouted suddenly from up ahead.
Lily had appeared at the top of the stairs, her face still wearing that annoying look of sheer determination. Tobias's arm was suspended in midair waiting for him. He seized Severus by the back of the neck as he came near, and pushed him towards the front door.
Lily! Stay there! you stupid girl!
"If you do call the police," Tobias started in a bored voice. "I hope they sees it yer way, cause if they don't…" he paused dramatically for effect. "I'mma be comin' after you and yers first. That's a goddamn promise. An' I always keep my promises, dun I Sev?" Severus said nothing but stared at the ground hatefully. He couldn't bring himself to look at any of them as Tobias lead him outside.
"Lily!" Mrs. Evans shouted angrily. Lily, having apparently ignored her mother's orders, was now descending the staircase as fast as she could. She attempted to grab at her daughter as she flew passed but she jumped nimbly away from her shaky grasp. Mrs. Evans slammed her hand against the floor in frustration. "LILY! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"
Mr. Evans began to stir, groaning loudly, roused back to consciousness by his wife's frantic shouting.
"Oh Andrew, thank goodness, here hold this here, hold it tight." Mrs. Evans said soothingly. She had thrust the towel into Mr. Evans hand and placed it back against his wound before shooting to her feet and pursuing their daughter out the front door.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM," Lily shouted after Tobias. Mrs. Evans scrambled after her and grabbed Lily by the arm, using it to rein her in. She wrapped her arms tightly around her middle in a desperate attempt to restrain her. Lily was going berserk.
"SEV, SEVERUS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? RUN, SEV! DON'T LET HIM DO THIS! YOU CAN'T LET HIM DO THIS!"
Lily...I have to.
Tobias was ignoring her, clearly not thinking her a threat at all. He steered them toward his rusty old truck which he almost never drove, but apparently made an exception for, in this case. Just another thing he would have to pay for later, Severus thought miserably. He loaded Severus into the truck, slamming the door shut with too much force.
"YOU FUCKING CUNT! YOU FILTHY CHILD BEATING MONSTER! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! Lily roared, the profanities spilling from her mouth uncontrollably. She was kicking and squirming like crazy, trying to break free of her mother's grasp. Mrs. Evans looked terrified. By the look of it, she wouldn't be able to hold onto her flailing daughter for too much longer.
Lily. stay there. It's for your own good.
The tears were threatening to escape him now, as he tried to sit calmly through Lily's hysteria. But he wouldn't look at her. He couldn't look at her. If he did, it would only encourage her more, he tried to reason with himself. Tobias got in the driver's side.
Lily had become so frantic by this point that her magic was suddenly sparking all around her like currents of electricity. A living live-wire that looked far too dangerous to approach, let alone hold onto. Mrs. Evans released Lily at once as though she had been stung, and Severus knew there was nothing she could have done for it.
Don't come, don't come, don't come, Severus begged.
Lily ran down the walkway and approached the truck, slamming into it when she couldn't slow down enough to stop. She slapped a hand, hard, against the window. She was bawling and screaming his name, over and over and over again. Though it was muffled from the outside of the truck, he could understand her perfectly. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will himself not to react, not to look. But he couldn't help himself. He saw her. Looked into those fierce green eyes, and he shook his head at her ever so slightly. His brow furrowed, and his lip trembled, as he tried to hold back his own stinging tears. He had tried to communicate in that brief moment that this was for the best. This was what needed to happen if he was going to keep her safe. And he needed to keep her safe.
After a few failed attempts that resulted in the high pitched whines of protest from the engine and a few choice words from Tobias, the engine roared into life. The truck peeled away, squealing horribly just as Lily had her hand on the door handle and tried to rip it open. She released it at once, but started running after them trying to keep up with the truck's momentum.
He heard one more word pierce across the night sky like thunder as Lily finally realized she was running a losing battle and fell to her knees in the middle of the street. One more word that tore through her throat with so much force it didn't sound human.
"SEVERUS!"
Severus was crying freely now, he had turned around in his seat to watch her. And watch her he did. He watched her silhouette shrink against the horizon. Until the darkness swallowed her. Until the darkness swallowed them both.
Severus was tossed haphazardly through the front door, crashing into his mother who looked as though she had aged another five years in the short time he had been away from her. Her eyes were red and, if it were possible, the lines of worry appeared to have carved themselves deeper into her face. Clearly, she had been waiting for them.
Tobias stormed in after him. He took half a second to survey them both before he tore a wrinkled envelope out of his coat pocket and threw it onto the kitchen table.
"Won't be needin' this no more, Eileen," he said gruffly.
Severus glanced at it. It looked like his Hogwarts letter. His Hogwarts letter? What would Tobias need that for? Unless-
His jaw dropped open with dawning realization and he snatched the letter off the table and flipped it over to validate his suspicions. His eyes quickly scanned the backside of the parchment.
Miss L. Evans
The window over the roof
94 Rosland RD
Cokeworth, England
"Severus, I-"
-"YOU BITCH!" Severus roared suddenly. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"You don't talk that way to me Severus Snape, I'm still your Mother!" Eileen said shrilly
"You're the only other person who would have seen this," he said brandishing the letter at her angrily.
He couldn't believe his foul luck. When he hung out with Lily at Pine Peak the day they got their Hogwarts letters, he must have grabbed her letter by mistake. Only his mother would have known that it wasn't his, and she must have put two and two together. Which means, she not only knew that he was seeing someone, but she knew exactly who he was seeing and where she lived. Didn't take her long to go snitching to Tobias when Severus didn't come home though, did it? He didn't think he had ever been so angry in his life. Aunt Vesta was one thing, but this, this took the cake.
"Come 'ere boy," Tobias said spinning him around to face him. "You dun' talk to yer Mum like that, ya hear? She was only doin' what she been told, which is more'n I can say for you! You caused yer Mum an' me a lot of trouble, see?"
Severus glared at Tobias, his dark eyes filled with a hatred so strong he looked downright evil. He didn't even care. He was so mad it didn't even occur to him to be afraid. All this was for nothing. All the pain and trouble that Tobias caused for Lily and her family was because Eileen couldn't keep her cock-trap shut. He could easily have blamed himself for not noticing they had switched up the letters, but this came so much easier.
"I. Don't. Care." Severus ground out slowly. This was the wrong thing to say to Tobias Snape, especially when he'd been drinking, which was pretty much always.
"What did you say to me, boy?" Tobias said dangerously. "You dun' care? Oh well, how's 'bout I make it somethin' worth carin' about?" He said, as he started unfastening his belt. He grabbed Severus by his injured arm and dragged him to the middle of the floor.
"Tobi! Tobi! Stop!"
Eileen's usual protests began right on cue.
"SHUT IT EILEEN! I'MMA TEACH 'IM SOME FUCKING RESPECT!"
Severus was rendered useless as the pain in his arm was once again launched into full swing. He was tossed down at Tobias's feet and heard the leather strap slide through the belt loops with a swift ttthhwwwip. Severus's arms shot up to protect his head, driven by pure instinct, bracing himself for what he knew was coming.
Tobias wound back and whipped the long piece of leather against the curled up ball at his feet that was his flesh and blood. Again. And again. And again. Any part of Severus he could reach, fast succession and brutality his only goal. His anger and combined drunkenness didn't do much for his aim though, and Severus thought it was lucky, because a few of the hits only grazed him or missed him entirely.
"TOBI, ENOUGH! LET HIM UP!"
"You disobeyed me!" Tobias roared, slowing down to strike out at full force with every statement. "You worried yer Mum!" Strike. "You made me chase after ya!" Strike. "Wasted gas!" Strike. "Waste o' time!" Strike. Waste o' space!"
Strike.
Strike.
Strike.
"FUCK SAKE'S TOBI! STOP! YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM!" Eileen wailed.
Tobias ceased the vicious assault, turning back around to look at Eileen who was standing with her hands wound together tightly over her mouth and her eyes swimming with tears. There were a few welts that broke open across the back of Severus's hands while they shielded his head and face, which were bleeding freely. One strike had ricocheted off the floor and collided with his jaw, the metal clacking painfully against his front teeth. Most of the others landed across his back. Some opened on impact, most had not. Tobias turned back to Severus, his face contorted with renewed anger.
"You stay away from that little whore o' yers, Severus, ya hear? People like her, looks down on people like us, an' I dun' need the likes o' them stickin' their noses up when we's the ones who work harder than any of 'em."
Recognizing that the beating had ended and it was safe to do so, Severus withdrew from his position on the floor and stood up, shaking. Though it was true he received a rather harsh beating tonight, it still did nothing to abate his anger.
"They're not like that," Severus said, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm to check to see if he was bleeding. Tobias scoffed in disbelief.
"You think so, do ya? Listen to yer Da, boy, a girl like that dun' want nothin' to do with a good fer nothin' like you less she wants somethin' from ya. She prolly jus' feels sorry for you. Thinks she's doin' some great service. Charity, tha's all that is. She dun' give a flyin' fuck about you. You best cut it off now an' save yerself the trouble."
Severus was nearing the end of his patience. His magic began to buzz and crackle inside of him as he thought of all the vengeful things he'd like to do to the wretched man in front of him. How dare he talk about Lily that way. It wasn't true. She didn't just feel sorry for him, did she? She was his best friend.
Catching the look on Severus's face he added, "Ohh, but maybe yer hopin' fer somethin' else. Maybe yer thinkin' o' stickin' yer lil' pecker in her, hey son? Givin' her the ole' lethal injection?" Tobias laughed viciously.
Severus had had enough, he burned with a rage so raw and powerful that he had no control over what happened next. He wished Tobias would shut the fuck up already. He wanted him to shut his fucking mouth just once!
Tobias started to splutter, drawing in a high-pitched breath like a balloon that had sprung a slow leak. He clawed at his throat, his eyes popping, and his face purpling.
He hated the hootch.
Tobias took a deep gasping breath of air as something released and he could breathe again. But as soon as he had inhaled that first sweet breath of oxygen, his stomach seized and he began to vomit violently all over himself and onto the floor in front of him, as though his body were trying to purge itself of the liquor. He vomited so violently that even when there was no more left to dispel, his stomach still seized in a constant contraction.
He hated his ugly face.
Boils began to surface all over Tobias's face and neck. The little pustules rose suddenly underneath his skin in what Severus imagined must have been quite a painful sensation. Tobias looked panic-stricken as he gingerly tested one of the continually inflating ulcers with a fingertip which had it bursting on impact.
"SEVERUS SNAPE!"
His mother must have realized what was happening, because when he finally managed to tear his eyes away and look at her, she had her wand in her hand and he felt suddenly blocked as though his magic were enclosed in cellophane. He glared at her, and she immediately began muttering spells and counter jinxes under her breath. Tobias had fallen unconscious and she was muttering over the boils that took over her husband's face. He approached her and watched what she was doing, secretly hoping that it wouldn't work and she couldn't fix him. He hoped he was stuck looking as ugly on the outside that he was on the inside so everyone would know and be warned. He hoped the pain stayed too, even if the boils didn't.
"You best hope he don't remember any of this come tomorrow," she said softly, not looking at him. Already he could tell that this was likely not going to be a permanent transformation. The boils had stopped rising at least, and they didn't look as angry and red as they did only moments ago.
Shit.
"Go to bed, Severus, now" Eileen said cooly. "I'll prolly be up all night cleanin' up this mess."
Severus was only too happy to oblige. He raced upstairs to the attic, slamming his fist into the wall angrily as he passed.
How dare Tobias talk about Lily that way. He didn't know her. Not the way Severus knew her. She was too good and pure for any of the filthy accusations that crawled their way out of his fucking rotten mouth. He hoped that his mother wouldn't be able to reverse the spell damage either, but he knew, even as he thought it, that it was an unrealistic expectation. From what he witnessed downstairs it was damn-near impossible.
Well, he would need to change that then, wouldn't he? Severus couldn't deny that watching what he did downstairs, watching Tobias turn purple and gasp for air, the pain he must have caused from the thick, pulsating boils to accelerate so quickly under his skin, and the fear. Yes, the fear. Tobias had been afraid. Come to think of it he looked downright terrified. Well, it all just felt so fucking satisfying! He knew that he should have been afraid of what he had done, or ashamed or guilty or something along those lines, but...he didn't. He was glad it happened, and he was glad that he got to be the one to do it.
Even though the incident was purely accidental, Eileen had said that she would be 'working all night' to fix it, did she not? If he could do that just on accident, think of what he may be able to accomplish if he studied hard and trained himself up? He didn't want to wait for Hogwarts. If he was going to be forced to stay here until he went to school in September and do nothing he may not make it. He needed to take matters into his own hands, he needed to start now. Immediately.
He crossed the room and pulled one of the worn-out, dusty boxes roughly towards him. He began to rummage through it, pulling out old texts and quills and tossing them aside in order to get to the bottom of the pile. He had read most of these books cover to cover, but there were a few that he had been told were too advanced for him and what they contained had dark consequences. He didn't care anymore. He would learn to defend himself against Tobias properly if it killed him, and he wouldn't need Sentirinon to do it. He would make sure that he never laid a hand on him, or Lily, or her family ever again. At last, he found what he'd been searching for. He carried the book over to his mattress and flopped down with it.
Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch your Friends and Befuddle your Enemies with the Latest Revenges)
Severus propped open the book, and began to read.
A/N: I couldn't help myself. I had to continue, this was a huge plot point and it was a very action-packed chapter. Maybe you weren't expecting another update so soon, well surprise! Happy weekend. Same copyright mumbo jumbo inserted here. Thanks for sticking with us this far. We're about halfway through the story. Leave a review if you feel so inclined. Sev and I appreciate them so much.