I'm posting early - we're having a major snow storm here. It's supposed to last through tomorrow morning - up to nine inches of snow has been predicted, one of the nearby Interstates has already been shut down and there is real concern that we may lose our power. We'll be fine but we may be cut off from the rest of the world for a day or so it that happens.
SMOKE AND ASHES
Gold begins the task of returning two of the acquired scrolls and daggers to the original possessors. He later avails himself of an opportunity to talk to his prospective father-in-law who assures Gold that as long as he intends to love and take care of Belle, he will approve of the marriage. Gold nervously approaches Belle with the intention to propose but is distracted by Belle sharing the story of their ancestors who met under less than auspicious circumstance.
He learns that The Dark One acquired the Light Princess as payment for saving the Princess's people and the Dark and Light mismatched pair eventually fell in love. After the disastrous development of the power-enhancing Curse Dagger resulted in the forced servitude of The Dark One, he had to be rescued by his Light Princess. It was then the two broke The Dagger with a powerful Spell that took away magic. They felt the Spell needed to be preserved although it was also dangerous. They devised the scrolls, each with a part of the Spell.
After hearing the story, Gold makes a sweet, albeit awkward, proposal which Belle graciously accepts. They manage to accommodate the seriously diverse representatives of their relative domains and through marriage find that their minds and talents have further blended.
Middles
Chapter 46
+ + + + + The Plan
Spending a week here and there, one week in Paris, one in Undertown, one in Fairyland and another week in Asheville and then back to Avonleigh – that was their plan for their honeymoon. Time for themselves, then for Gold's people, then for Belle's, then for their past and finally for their future, their new life together – that was their plan.
+ + + + + Paris
This married life . . . he could totally get used to it. A beautiful wife to stand by his side. To share his bed.
Gold stretched. He'd barely left the hotel room during the last week, hell, he'd barely left the bed. Belle had always been responsive, but 'being married' seemed to have diminished any leftover inhibitions that she might have had. She was taking a shower at the moment and he briefly considered joining her but then thought that it would be more pleasant to intercept her when she stepped out of the shower. She would be damp and pliable - and already unclothed. Although he always enjoyed undressing her, he thought of it as unwrapping her as if she were a present to be discovered, engaging her when she was more or less defenseless was eminently satisfying. He would put his stamp on her yet again, his scent, his essence.
Of course, she would be putting her scent on him, marking him as hers.
That was just fine.
He knew people were looking at Belle whenever they went anywhere together. He'd had some small problems with that but then realized that this was his wife, his woman that all these people were looking at. All those people admiring her, well they could admire her all they wanted, he was the one she went home with. It was his bed that she slept in.
They had talked . . . between their extended bouts of expressing their mutual affection. They had talked.
Belle wanted children. He wanted to make Belle happy and he felt that any child of Belle's would be someone he could love. And he could love. He could love now. Belle and Elspeth had taught him that. They would work on having a baby.
Belle wanted to improve the lot of his people. He thought this was an amusing goal, but would nonetheless support her.
Belle wanted her people from Avonleigh to become comfortable around him. He thought this was an unlikely goal, but would try hard to see it through.
Belle wanted the Fae and the Dark One to tolerate and forgive each other. Well, she likely wouldn't get that to happen – at most there might be forbearance, perhaps some level of toleration for each other.
He was reluctant to leave Paris, recognizing this place as a reprieve from all the stressors that would fall upon them both once they left. But he realized that they couldn't hide forever.
+ + + + + + + Undertown
Going to Undertown had proven to be especially interesting. The minions all bowed and scraped to him – his power well known to them, but they clearly did not know what to make of Belle. They flitted around Belle, smelling her, some bold enough to touch her garments, all anxious to meet, or at least see, the woman that their liege lord had married. Such a curiosity she was.
Belle was wearing a dress he'd picked out for her. She looked delicate – ethereal – in the lace and gauze light cream dress and robes dusted with golden sparkles. She wore a golden circlet that he had put on her head and she looked every bit the fairy princess. A very intentional impression that he wanted her to present.
And she was so kind, so nice to his people. Something they were not used to. She spoke to many of his people, going out of her way to greet them, to listen to them, to hold their little ugly demon babies.
"I have some ideas," she told him once they were finally alone. They were staying in one of the buildings that his father had used. Gold had sent people ahead to make sure this was not a drug den or sex pen or other purveyor of whatever nasty marginal activity his father might have indulged in. He'd had the compartments cleaned-out, fumigated, deloused and sterilized. The place had been completely refurbished and while it wasn't like his own apartment in The House in Asheville and certainly not like the luxurious apartment they had in Fairyland, it was habitable. They were sitting together having supper.
"Do you now," he responded to her remark keeping his voice as bland as possible. He knew his Belle – always wanting to help people – and he had come to realize that this was one of the manifestations of her Talent . . . and one of the things he loved about her.
"Many of your people have interesting little businesses . . . " she began.
"Porn, drugs, human trafficking, making knock-offs of designer handbags, yeah those are interesting businesses," he told her.
"Well those all need to stop. But some of your people also deal with clothing, specialized clothing," she told him.
"You mean like BDSM stuff?" he asked. "What is that? Kinky boots?"
"Well, it's not illegal," Belle responded, blushing. "And I'm sure if I look hard enough there are some other legitimate businesses that we can help. If there aren't, we need to encourage quality businesses to come into the area by offering tax breaks – you know your people pay crippling taxes. But quality businesses are part of a circle, once you have a store, you have employees, once you have employees you have people who earn money and when people earn money they spend it at stores. You could really use some construction. I think Mother could help you with that. She told me how much cleanup work they had to do in the capital . . . "
Gold listened to his lovely wife as she talked economics and urban renewal and whatever else she was going on about. She had a lot of ideas. She cared about his people. She wanted to make their lives better. He became aware that she was looking at him.
"Yes dear," he responded automatically.
She smiled, "You do know I just asked if you had quit listening to me?"
"Ouch, I'm so sorry. I just got caught up in looking at you and listening to the sound of your voice. What did I ever do to deserve you?"
She reached for his hand, "You took me in when no one else would. You took a chance on me. You recognized and helped me develop my little talents. How could I not fall in love with you?"
+ + + + + Fairyland
Belle watched him interact with the Fairies. They were very suspicious of him, wary around him and cautious in their dealings with him. Well, given their history what else would she expect? Her mother's people had accepted her as their royal princess. They actually seemed in awe of the Empathic powers.
But as for the Dark One. They muttered among themselves and cast him sidelong glances. She knew there were likely rumors that he had put a powerful spell on her, a spell that blinded her to his darkness, a spell that precipitated deep, rapturous passions for himself.
Although they were still officially on their honeymoon, the couple had re-connected with Elspeth – Gold had found he missed his littlest girl.
They'd had breakfast together out in the courtyard.
"They keep expecting you to blow something up," she told him quietly one afternoon as they were walking around the beautiful capital. She kept her voice down, not wanting Elspeth to pick up on her concerns.
"They're going to think what they want to," he responded to Belle and turned his attentions to Elspeth. "What are you thinking about poppet?" he asked the child.
"Miss Belle and daddy, you married now?" Elspeth spoke up to confirm her understanding.
"We are," agreed Belle.
"So you be my mommy now?" Elspeth asked timidly.
Belle bit her lip. "Elspeth, I would love to be your mommy, if that's what you want."
Elspeth nodded and held out her arms for a hug, which Belle promptly gave her.
"I be you little girl now," Elspeth announced.
"Yes, you are my little girl now," Belle agreed.
Gold had watched the exchange. He had a perfect little family now.
Gold kept a low profile while they were in Fairyland. He didn't want to start anything but there were times that he needed to go out and about. It helped when Belle was with him, although he was concerned that his presence might be undermining Belle. Certainly some of the Fae felt she was tainted because of her association with him.
More than anything else, it was Elspeth who helped Rumple be accepted. Fortunately, most of the Fae didn't recognize Elspeth for anything but a potentially talented child. She was pretty and charming and true to Gold's estimation of the race, the Fae were shallow and easily swayed by a lovely face. They adored Elspeth and because the child interacted easily with him, she, along with Belle, became bridges for the Fae to begin to approach him.
Often while they were out walking around the town, Elspeth would turn to her father and complain that her feet were tired. He would reach down and pick her up and she would cling to him. Sometimes she would wave and point to something and he would carry her over to whatever it was that caught her eye and they would examine it together. Sometimes she would want down and she would find some shiny object or another and bring it over for him to see. When they would stop to eat, she would look to her father for assistance and he, in turn, would listen to her preferences before placing her order.
These exchanges were not lost on the Fae. Their faith in innocence as a force to be reckoned with, capable of withstanding and overcoming the darkest, most potent of powers, worked in his favor now.
Belle left them alone on these excursions feeling that letting the Fae see Gold and little Elspeth did more good than her doing or saying anything.
Although, it should be said, it also helped tremendously when her mother walked along with Gold and Elspeth. Seeing their Queen with the Dark One was a powerful signal and did much to mend the long, deeply painful history between their kind and what he once was.
Before they left Fairyland, Gold did have a debt to pay and, with his mother-in-law's blessing and his new wife, he returned to the high mountain and called out for the Queen of the Sprites.
At first they heard nothing. Belle sat down to wait.
Gold was impatient. "She came fast enough the last time I called her."
"She may be busy now. I doubt she spends all her time just listening for you to give her a call, darling. Give her a little time," Belle counseled him.
"You nice." And they both turned to see the little Queen standing on one of the larger rocks. She was dressed in a skimpy filmy green outfit and carried a bow and quiver of arrows. She had addressed herself to Belle first, but then she turned to Gold, "You look better," she told him.
"Your Majesty," Gold nodded in greeting. "I am feeling better than I did the last time I was here," he agreed.
"You come to honor your agreement?" she asked.
"I am," Gold told her. "You saved my life. You had asked for a place for yourself and your people. Someplace that no one else could come in. A pretty place, a nice place," he reminded her.
"Yes," she nodded.
"I can grant you that on behalf of my husband, the Dark One," Belle told her rising. "His debts are my debts. His agreements are my agreements."
The Sprite Queen smiled. "Thank you Princess." And she turned again to Gold, "I did good trusting you Dark One. There will be peace between you and my people, yes?"
"I think that is an excellent idea," Gold agreed with the little Queen. "We shall be friends. Perhaps do the occasional favor for each other?"
"Yes, I would like that," the little Queen nodded to the couple.
"Now, where would you prefer for your people to live?" Belle asked her.
The little Queen looked around. "We love this place, but Queen Ruel would never allow us to have it," she said mournfully.
"I believe I can help with that," Belle stood.
Gold was curious. He had seen his Belle begin to cast some powerful Light Magic spells, such as when she created the portals, but what she had planned this time, well, he had no idea what she might be up to.
Apparently the Sprite Queen wasn't sure either. "You can make it so?" she asked in wonderment.
"I can. I can create a place that exists simultaneously in this place, with this place, but is different, separate from this place. What is in the seen world and the unseen world – they can exist in the same place but not be in the same place. What happens in one world does not affect what happens in the other world."
Gold knew she was talking powerful magic. He would have had no idea how to go about creating a place between the places, which was what she was talking about. He knew it in theory but . . .
"I will need your help, husband," Belle had turned to him. He stood, waiting for further direction.
"I will need your strength and your understanding of dark places, shadowlands, the spaces between one breath and another," she told him.
He held out his hand to her.
"I will draw on your energies. Don't let me exhaust you," she told him and closed her eyes.
Gold watched her, well able to see the staggering energies that began to swirl around his bride. He could feel her pulling on his darkest, deepest powers, mixing them with her own. He felt as if he were standing in a whirlwind, a maelstrom, the eye of a great storm. Things were breaking apart, separating, some settling in the world that is and some becoming part of another world. Belle kept pulling on his energies. He was getting dizzy but was determined to withstand the trials of the spell, to pay the cost for casting this powerful magic – it was his payback to the Sprite Queen.
Belle released his hand and he watched her as she raised her hands above her head and then slowly, bringing her hands out and away from her body as if she was physically pulling the worlds apart, she brought them down, to her side.
Everything became preternaturally still and quiet. There were no sounds, no birds, no insects, not the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. He couldn't even hear his own breathing.
"It is done," Belle announced. She looked at the little Queen. "Satisfied?"
"Completely." And the little Queen bowed to her and the Dark One.
"Your people will be safe here. Only someone who knows of this place, who knows how to enter, who has your blessing, can enter here."
The little Queen considered. "You and the Dark One, you two may visit any time."
Gold was touched. The little Sprite Queen had just demonstrated her faith in him. "I'm honored, your Majesty," he told her.
"Oh, the door swings both ways, Dark One," she blinked her large expressive eyes at him. "This also means I may visit you any time too."
"Wait a minute?" he had just had a sudden insight. "Does that mean . . . ? Can you just pop in anywhere I am?"
"Bye now," she flapped her tiny, translucent wings and flew off.
"Can she contact me whenever, wherever she wants to?" he demanded of Belle.
"I believe there at the end, the Queen may have added some of her own magic to the spell," Belle told him, nearly laughing.
And they were suddenly back in the real world or as real as anywhere in Fairyland got. He could feel the breeze and smell the summer flowers and new grass.
"Great. You know the sprites. For little bloody creatures they can be big bloody nuisances," he groused.
"It never hurts to have more friends," Belle told him.
He snorted, "Depends what you mean by 'friends,'" he complained.
+ + + + + Asheville
Their next to the last stop was Asheville. Back at The House, Emma and Jefferson had settled in. Gold was curious about the new Guardian and came with Belle and Elspeth one evening to visit with his former proteges. Knowing Elspeth's history with Lovecraft, Gold tried to prepare the child about the new kitten.
Elspeth had listen solemnly and nodded. She would not run or squeal around the little kitten. She would 'make nice' when she petted her.
"It a girl kitty?" she asked him.
"That's what your Uncle Jefferson said."
"Her name Smokey?"
"It is. They said she's a soft grey with touches of white on some of her fur."
"Pretty," Elspeth said.
The moment they walked into the shop, the fluffy little kitten came, almost skipping, out to greet them. Elspeth, in a moment of supreme self-control, stood still and allowed the kitten to approach her. The kitten came right up to the child and trilled a greeting. Elspeth broke into a big smile and reached down to pet the kitten, who rubbed up against her hand.
"She likes me!" Elspeth told her father.
"She does," and Gold, keeping an eye on her, walked over to see Jefferson who was behind the counter.
"How's married life?" Jefferson asked him.
"Wonderful, I can wholeheartedly recommend it," Gold told him. "How are things going here?"
"All's quiet. We've settled into a routine. Archie drives around the perimeter of the city once in the morning and again in the evening and reports that everything is quiet. Emma keeps an eye on Carolina Lane and I'm on the look–out for new talent. It's really kinda boring."
"Boring is good," Gold told him. "How's it going with you and Emma?"
Jefferson grimaced, "I've made more headway with the kitten."
Gold glanced over and Elspeth had picked up the kitten and was lugging her over to the window. The kitten seemed quite happy being carried and had no objections to Elspeth's attentions.
"Emma's strengths are also her weaknesses," Gold counseled him. "She's strong and stubborn, but once she commits, she's a hundred percent. Be patient."
"As I recall you got pissed with her and nearly killed her, trying to get her to commit to her talents," Jefferson reminded him.
"Totally different. I was trying to get her to acknowledge herself and her talents, not to acknowledge me and my talents," Gold waved him off. Gold looked around the shop, "This is changing."
"Yeah, neither Emma nor I are into antiques," Jefferson told him. "I don't know what's happening to the nicer pieces but things seem to be disappearing."
"So what is happening?"
"I think we may end up with a nice little pub. Emma and I could both go for something like that. We wouldn't be into running a restaurant, especially since neither of us can cook but I can serve liquor. I think The House is feeling us out and hasn't made a decision yet."
"Trust The House, Jefferson. It took me a couple of decades but once I did, everything got easier."
"You do know that your apartments on the top floor have disappeared?"
"I thought they might. I had the loft apartment cleaned and completely remodeled. I suspect I'll find many of the missing pieces over there. Belle and I will stay there tonight. I'll hang onto that place for anytime we're in town."
"Sounds perfect."
+ + + + + The Loft
They had left Elspeth to spend the night with her favorite uncle. They planned to reconnect in the morning for breakfast. Gold and Belle had walked up the street to the disreputable loft that had once belonged to Gold's father.
Belle was astonished at the changes she found in the loft apartment. It began with the stairs up to the apartment, which had been refreshed with a thorough cleaning, then paint, carpet and plentiful lighting. She went to the door to the apartment which was now a varnished solid oak affair. She glanced at Gold who shrugged.
"I haven't been inside either. Just made a couple of suggestions."
Belle opened the door and flipped on the light. The brown mushy carpet had been replaced with polished pecan wooden floors. Belle was greeted by a soft, long trilling meow.
"Lovecraft!" she crouched down to pet the big black cat. He meowed several times and then padded off.
Belle began to look the apartment over. Instead of being one large open room, there were now walls which had been painted a soft white and framed with pecan molding along the door frames, the ceiling and the floor. She began to explore the new rooms finding two bedrooms, a kitchen area and a living room. There were windows letting in light along the ceiling in the kitchen and living area and, on the wall opposite the windows in the living room were floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Much of the furniture had come directly from Gold's apartment at The House, as had the books from the library at The House. Everything fit well into the new setting.
Belle hesitantly peeked into the bathroom.
It had been gutted and completely re-done with shining floor tiles and a lovely marble counter-top with a bowl sink. She glanced up. The shower still had the pulsating shower head. Belle blushed, remembering well what Gold and she had experienced here before.
"This is delightful!" Belle told him coming back into the kitchen.
"I'm pretty pleased," Gold nodded. "The contractors had been sending me pictures as the work progressed. This place looks a lot better now."
"A lot better! It doesn't look like the same place. It's lovely."
"Well, I figured The House was ready for me to go and I would need to find a new place here in town to stay."
"Why . . . why did you think The House wanted you to go?" Belle asked.
"I didn't say The House wanted me to go. It was ready for me to go." He turned a moment looking out the windows onto the street. "The House serves a purpose, its own purpose. We needed each other so long ago but now . . . "
"You and The House have moved on from each other?" Belle asked.
"Something like that. We had learned as much as we could from each other and . . . and . . . other things had resolved." They had walked into the living room and settled onto Gold's plush burgundy sofa, Belle sitting next to Lovecraft who had curled up on one of the pillows.
"it's a bit sad," Belle said. "You two have been together for a long time, supporting each other."
"It was a haven for me," Gold agreed. "When I desperately needed one. It was a place of refuge, of safety. It likely restored my sanity. For the longest time, Lovecraft was the closest thing I had to a friend."
Belle smiled generously at the cat who looked from her to Gold with his big golden eyes. "And a good friend he was, I'm sure."
Lovecraft responded with a trilling meow.
"Why does he sometimes just meow like a cat?" Belle asked, "and other times, like when we were in the tower of the palace, I could hear him talk in my mind."
Gold looked at her. "You don't know? You don't really know?"
"Know what?" Belle asked.
"Lovecraft, is it all right if I tell her . . . ?" he stopped.
And Belle caught a movement from the corner of her eye. When she turned, sitting where Lovecraft had been was a slight young man, with black hair and golden eyes. His skin was the color of copper and there was a slant on his eyes. He was clothed in soft wrappings of black leather.
"Lovecraft?" she asked.
"I've had many names, madame," the young man said. "Although, I confess, I like Lovecraft the best." He spoke with an accent of uncertain origin. And when Belle looked into his eyes, she knew instinctively that despite his appearance of a young man, he was very old.
"Is this your true form?" she asked.
Lovecraft shrugged and stretched. "I don't quite know what you mean by that, Princess," he replied. "Just as I've had many names, I've had many forms." He smiled at her.
"Wait a minute," Belle suddenly remembered something. "You've been in the bedroom when Rum and I . . . when we . . . ." Belle was scandalized.
"Princess, I have always bowed out to allow you two privacy, I assure you."
Belle looked at Gold.
"Did you know about this? You knew about this!"
"I did, more or less. I knew Lovecraft was no cat and sometimes I would catch a glimpse of this form. There's also a falcon and . . . what is that other thing?"
"An otter," Lovecraft told him. "I can manage any animal, but those three are my favorites."
"But you would let Elspeth terrorize you," Belle reminded him. "Why would you . . . why would you do that?"
"Because when I'm in the cat form, Elspeth is pretty terrifying."
"I'd agree with that," Gold muttered.
"Can I get you anything?" Belle asked him. "I mean, I've never seen you eat or drink. Do you?"
"I can, but I don't have to," Lovecraft told her. "Why don't you get me a saucer of milk?" he asked.
Belle started up, but Gold interrupted. "He doesn't really want milk. He's teasing you. I believe he might prefer something stronger – how about a glass of Blue? I think there should be some here." Gold got up and went over to a closed cabinet. He opened it up and found it had been well-stocked with his own favorite liquors. He selected a bottle of Johnny Walker and poured two glasses. "Belle, can I get you anything?" he asked while he was up.
"I think I'll just get a soda, ginger ale if we've got it" she told him.
"Your wish," Gold handed off one of the drinks to Lovecraft and set his own on the table. He then stepped away to the kitchen to pull a ginger ale from the fridge.
"They stocked the fridge?" Belle asked.
"I gave them a list," Gold told her handing her the drink.
"So at The House, the little kitten, Smokey?" Belle began. "Is she . . .?"
"Like me. My baby sister," Lovecraft explained. "It was time for me to move on also and since I'd rather bonded with Rumplestiltskin, when he left, I left too."
"So are you like his protector now?" Belle asked.
"Sort of." Lovecraft agreed. "I have another mission also," he added.
"Which is?"
"To be revealed at the proper time," Lovecraft answered slowly.
+ + + + + Avonleigh
Belle, Gold and Elspeth (and likely Lovecraft) were back in Avonleigh. Belle's father had called them in to have a supper with himself and Belle's mother.
They had eaten on one of the spacious open porches of the palace.
"I'm thinking of sort of retiring," Maurice told his daughter. "Miranda and I have a lot of catching up to do. Places we want to go together and things we want to do. It will require you to take on more of my duties here," Maurice looked at Belle. "Would you be up for that?"
"Oh daddy, whatever I need to do," Belle answered him.
"It's mostly official stuff. Opening the parliament in the fall, being there for the dedication of a new children's hospital, that type of stuff. Cogsworth keeps the schedule."
"I can do those things for you," Belle told him. "I'll be happy to."
"Well, there is something else," Miranda-Ruel began, looking over at Maurice.
"What is it?" Belle asked.
"You tell them darling," Miranda-Ruel urged her husband.
Maurice paused a moment, hesitating. "It's come to my attention that there are a lot of people here in Avonleigh that are . . . well . . . different. A lot of our people are special. We were thinking it might be worth our while to identify them, help them understand themselves and give them some training. They would be a great asset to our little country." Maurice paused again. "We were thinking that it would be nice if there were only someone around who knew about that type of thing. Someone who'd had experience nurturing young minds, young talented minds."
Miranda-Ruel, Maurice and Belle all turned to look at Gold. "If only we knew someone who was qualified for that type of thing," Belle said.
Gold had stopped with a forkful of tiramisu midway between the plate and his mouth. He looked at the three. "Yeah, if only we knew someone," he repeated and popped the coffee-flavored desert into his mouth.
"You know you'd be perfect," Belle told him.
"I've done it already for about fifty years! It's not as much fun as you think it is. You get some, like Emma, who refuse to believe they're talented even if it's spiking out of every pore. You get some, like Belle, who have talents you can't begin to understand. You get some, who are just bloody dangerous like Cora. And then there are those that are just stone stupid." He dug back into his desert.
"So you'll do it?" Maurice asked him.
Gold looked up. He looked at Belle. He sighed. "Only until you get someone better to take my place," he told them.
"It's a deal," Maurice told him.
Elspeth had watched the exchange. "Daddy gonna teach?" she asked.
"Yeah, Elspeth," Gold confirmed. "Mommy's gonna be a princess and Daddy's gonna teach."
"How does that sound?" Maurice asked the little girl.
"Niiicccce," she answered slowly, her little face skewed into an expression of concern.
"Is there something you want?" Belle asked her.
Elspeth nodded her head.
"And what might that be?" she asked the little girl who had become her daughter.
"I want a baby brother," Elspeth told them.
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on the proposal in the last chapter. I worked a while to get it both sweet and awkward to fit where I felt this character was. Many of you were most kind and generous with your comments (appreciate the kind feedback so much).
Thanks to my wonderful, supportive reviewers: crazykat77, Robin4, MyraValhallah, Grace5231973, AnneElliotsCat (Chapters 44 & 45), cynicsquest, Erik'sTrueAngel, deweymay, CharlotteAshmore, jewel415, Aletta-Feather (Chapters 44 & 45) and Anne Andrews (Guest): (so glad you liked the proposal)
NEXT: I anticipate the next chapter being the last chapter - more like an epilogue - it will tie up all the loose ends and tell what happens to everyone - twyla