I hear the distinct sound of sniffling on the other end of the phone before, "…Hey Ax…"

Lowering my voice to a whisper, I respond, "Roxas, are you okay? Why are you crying?"

"I… it's… Promise you won't hate me if I tell you?" He sounds so insecure.

"Roxas, I could never hate you." I hate that I have to reassure him of this fact.

"…There's this guy… He wants to date one of my classmates, but because this classmate has a girlfriend, and he says I look like him, he came after me instead… At first I only agreed out of pity for his situation, but… Well, now he's coerced me into a volatile relationship that stands a snowball's chance in Hell of lasting, because I look too much like my classmate. He constantly picks fights with me over nothing, and he's come close to hitting me a couple times, but I just can't leave him because I'm too afraid to be single…" a sob chokes off the rest of his tangent, but I know where he was going with it.

"Did you guys fight tonight?" I whisper solemnly, wondering what could be so great about being with a guy who threatens you.

He quiets momentarily, asking, "Why are you whispering?" He effectively dodged my question too.

"You aren't the only one with a distraction… And he's in the other room, so I have to be quiet."

"…It's Demyx, isn't it?" Was it really that obvious to everyone besides me?

"Yea… It is. And what about your guy?" I counter.

"His… His name is Riku. You may or may not know him from town…" The name sounds familiar to me, but I can't think why. I click the barbell in my tongue against my teeth, a bad habit I've formed.

"What's that sound? I can't tell what it is." Oh. Right. He doesn't know about my piercings yet…

"Uh, well… I um… I decided to be a little impulsive one day, so I got my lip pierced. And on New Year's Eve, I kinda got plastered, and when I woke up I had a piercing in my tongue. I still don't know how it got there, but I kept it anyways…"

"God, Axel," he all but moans to me. I can't help but think how good it is to hear him say my name like that again. "You know what piercings do for me…" The sound of his voice alone makes my heart skip a beat, especially when he talks in that after-crying, somewhat-breathy voice. My breath hitches in my throat for a minute.

I was expecting this conversation to keep following the same route, but then Roxas says, "Hey Axel… The main reason I wanted to call you is… Well, there's a huge snow storm that's going to be hitting here in a couple days, so my parents are flying me home till it passes. And I'm not sure when that will be. So I'll be home for some period of time… And I was wondering… Would you maybe want to grab some lunch when I get back?"

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. He's going to be home? For an undetermined amount of time? This is too good to be true! Isn't it? Emphatically, I start nodding my head, before I realize he's on the phone and can't see me.

"I'd love to, Roxas. What day?" I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.

I hear the smile in his voice as he says, "Tomorrow."

I'm fighting with my urge to scream in joy out my window. Oh, but wait. I need one other little piece of information.

"What restaurant?"

"Lifestream." That little café we went to on our first date. I can't help wondering if he did that on purpose.

"So I'll see you around 11:30 or so?" I ask, trying to confirm our get-together.

"Yea. I'll see you then, Axel," he replies. Before I can say anything else, the line clicks, ending our call. But I can't bring myself to be sad that he hung up, because we can make up for it tomorrow. God, he's coming home tomorrow! Maybe while he's here, I can explain what a mistake I made in ending 'us'.

The next morning couldn't come soon enough. However, when I woke up, my bleary eyes focused on the clock next to my bed. It's 10:00… Holy shit it's ten! I only have an hour and a half before I meet Roxas! Pulling an awesome ninja-move, I'm on my feet instantaneously. I grab my bathroom supplies and rush in for a quick shower. To save a little time, I try to brush my teeth in the shower… It doesn't work quite as effectively as I would've thought. But it still does the job.

Once I'm clean, I step out onto the tiny bathmat. I set to work on drying myself off quickly and wrapping the towel about my waist. I grab a various assortment of hair products (most of which belong to Demyx) to style my hair more efficiently than normal. I use a little bit of mousse, but just enough to add texture while still keeping my hair soft. Plugging in the hair dryer, I grab a brush, just to untangle the still-dripping locks.

Blow drying my hair is a bit of a process, because it's super thick and requires patience. Thankfully, it doesn't take more than fifteen minutes today to get it mostly dry. There are still a few sections that are slightly damp, but I'll deal with those later. For the moment, I get a small smattering of hair gel. I style in my trademark spikes and give myself a once over. Looking good so far! I slip on my boxer briefs underneath the towel, not wanting to feel a draft anymore.

I take this moment to head to my closet to figure out what to wear. I should've done this last night… I grab one of my darker pairs of skinny jeans and step into them while simultaneously letting the towel drop to the floor. These particular jeans are still being stretched, so they're a little tighter than my other pairs. They feel like a second skin, hugging my legs, and making my ass look fantastic.

While admiring myself, I come up with an outfit idea. I find my royal blue, tight-fitting thermal t-shirt and throw it on. Then I have to search for my studded red belt, but when it's found, I fasten it over the bottom edge of my shirt. Lastly, I grab my vest from Hot Topic and slip it easily over my thermal. I pull on a pair of no-show socks and get my Chuck Taylors with the British flag on them. Not to brag, but I am oozing sex appeal. Just one thing to kick it up a notch: thick, black kohl liner for my eyes.

Roxas will go crazy when he sees me. I look at the clock again to see how much time I have left before I'm late to our rendezvous (date) if I walk. It's five past eleven. The café is about ten minutes away by foot, so I have a little bit of time. I find a few of my rubber bracelets and a studded cuff that randomly floats around my room and decide at the last minute to put them on. Making sure I have my cell and my keys, I walk out the door, quietly, since Demyx is still sleeping on the couch. What, just because we're dating doesn't mean we share my bed all the time.

Stepping outside, the sunlight blinds me for a moment. Stupid winter sunlight. It's still a little colder than I would like here, but at least it's above freezing. My eyes adjust after standing in the small corner of shade my doorway creates, and I prepare myself for the brisk walk. Yes, I could easily take my car, but I like walking. Even in odd temperatures. I'm weird, so sue me.

I keep a slightly fast pace, to keep my heart rate up and make myself warmer, but not enough to sweat like I would if I ran. Don't wanna ruin all my hard work, right? Right. I'm walking past Cid's at the moment, and I see Seifer inside. His back is turned, and I send him a glare. He still attempts to give me Hell for that night when Demyx flipped the sign over, the few times I actually see him. I don't understand how he still has a job, because he's so negative, and he glares at everyone. I'm surprised he hasn't scared all the customers away. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Because life is about to get a whole lot better.

My route takes me past a few stores and the diner I go to with Demyx all the time. I feel a little guilty when I think about him, because he doesn't know about this meet-up. But he's Demyx, and he always bounces back from things quickly. He's too happy a person not to.

I cross a slightly busy street, almost getting hit by a taxi, before I arrive safely at my destination. I open the door and I'm immediately hit with excessive warmth and the smells of coffee and cinnamon rolls. That's one thing I love about this place. It always smells like something delicious and fresh-baked. The owner, a kind woman who looks to be in her early twenties, greets me and tells me to sit wherever I'd like. A quick glance at her nametag informs me that her name is Aerith.

I walk into the very relaxed dining room and spy an almost secluded corner with a big, puffy, leather couch. I plop down and start to sink in my seat a little bit. After a moment or two, a quiet, blonde waitress named Naminé comes over and asks me if I'd like anything. I order a small coffee for now, just to warm up a little more. She returns soon after with a small, steaming cup of the liquid. I thank her and grab a few of the French vanilla creamers and some sugar to sweeten it. Once thoroughly mixed, I take a small sip, testing the temperature to see if I'll burn my tongue by gulping it or not.

Finding out it's hot enough to warm me up and not scald my mouth, I take a long drink. God, that stuff is good. I don't know how I ever made it through life without coffee. After I had my first cup, I was addicted. I relax a little more and listen to the calming song playing softly over the speakers.

"I'm quiet you know, you make a first impression, I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind…"

I space out for a minute, getting lost in the song, and finishing my coffee. I check the time on my phone, and I get excited when I see that it's 11:23 and that Roxas will be here within a couple minutes. A smile finds its way to my face and out of habit, I start playing with my lip ring. My leg starts bouncing quickly and my fingers tap along my arm to the beat of the new song playing. I'm just a little anxious, if you couldn't tell.

I glance up to the counter where I was greeted by Aerith and see an unmistakable blonde head of hair walking inside. My heart damn near stops beating when he looks around and finds me in the dim lighting. I will my leg to stop shaking and remind myself to breathe again. I stand up as soon as he gets over to me.

Before any words are spoken, I wrap my arms around him and hug him to myself tightly. He returns the embrace, and we stand like this for several minutes, which if you ask me, isn't nearly long enough.

"God, Roxy, you don't know how much I've missed you." His nickname rolls off my tongue, and it brings a light flush to his cheeks.

"I bet I can guess," he says, a light chuckle escaping his throat.

Naminé comes back over, offering me a refill for my coffee, and asking Roxas if he wants to order. At his nod, she hands him a menu, and goes to get a glass of water for him. It takes a couple minutes, since she's checking on the other patrons, and it gives us both some time to look over the menu.

Setting the glass down she asks, "Have you decided?"

"I'd like the club sandwich with tomato soup," he tells her.

"And is there anything for you, sir?" she asks, looking at me, pen at the ready for my order.

"Could I get the Monte Cristo* please?"

"Coming right up!" Cheerfully, she takes the order to the kitchen and leaves us alone for the time being.

Just to start a conversation, I ask him, "So, Roxy, how are classes going?"

"Well, so far they're good. I mean, I've got four classes worth three credit hours each and they keep me busy," he explains. He goes on to specify what classes he's taking, but I'm not paying that much attention. I'm too busy taking in his appearance.

His hair has gotten a little longer, somewhat lighter, and his skin looks like it's got a slight tan. What I can see of his skin, that is. He's wearing a pair of slouchy jeans, a black sweater, and a black and white checkered scarf; along with a pair white Chuck Taylors. He looks a little thinner than when I last saw him, but I've learned not to worry, because he spends more time studying than taking care of himself. Though he ends up pigging out during his free time.

A snap by my ear interrupts my reverie and I realize Roxas has stopped talking because he caught me ogling him. Smooth, Axel… Real smooth.

"You were mentally undressing me, weren't you?" He doesn't give me time to answer though, because he laughs and says, "You haven't changed one bit, Ax."

I laugh with him and say, mostly to myself, "No, not really."

"So, what have you been up to while I've been at school?" he questions.

"Well, aside from getting pierced, and these tats," I point to my face, "not a whole lot. I mean, I'm still working at Cid's, and I've gone on several dates with Dem, but I just haven't wanted to do much of anything since you left. I've missed you too much." I feel a light burning in my cheeks, and I know I'm blushing. I start playing with my lip ring again.

"I've missed you too, Axel. More than you could imagine," Roxas informs me. I get the feeling of butterflies in my stomach when he says that. My mouth forms a wholehearted grin and I feel myself leaning closer to him. I want to kiss him so bad… But… That wouldn't be fair to Demyx. Damn it… Of course, now I'm leaning too close for him not to notice, so I just reach my arms around him and pull him into another hug. It's an awkward angle, but I make it work. I swear I could stay like this forever, with Roxas in my arms.

"Um… I don't mean to interrupt, but, well, here's your food." Naminé looks embarrassed at her intrusion, but I mean, we did come here to eat. Pulling away, reluctantly, I mosey back over to my side of the comfy couch we're on.

"It's alright, thank you." I throw a charming smile her way. She nods and sets the plates on the coffee table in front of us.

"Okay, remind me what you got?"

"It's called the Monte Cristo. Basically, they take ham, turkey, cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses, make a sandwich, then dip the sandwich in some kind of batter and deep fry it. Every place that has it serves different kinds of jam with it, and here they have it with raspberry preserves. It's like the best sex you've ever had, happening in your mouth." I explain to him. It's my favorite kind of sandwich in the world.

His mouth is slightly watering as he asks, "Can I try a bite?"

Trying my hardest not to laugh, I scoot my plate over to him. He lifts one of the fourths and dips a corner into the preserves before taking a huge bite. His face shifts into pure ecstasy. That makes me want to laugh even more. But it's like I told him, best sex you've ever had, happening in your mouth.

"Having an orgasm there, Rox?" I tease.

"Oh my God, Axel, why have you never told me to try that before now?" He ignores my quip.

"I'm really not quite sure. But you love it, right?"

"What do you think, smartass?" He smacks my arm as he says this, a smile playing on his lips.

Our banter continues like this as we eat our lunch, catching up on the last several months. Even though we've not seen each other for a while, it feels like he never left. Looking at the two of us, you'd think it was just yesterday that we saw each other.

We finish eating, and our bill is brought out. After a little bit of arguing, Roxas has convinced me to let him pay. Even though I think we should just split it. But whatever. That was something we could never actually agree on.

Opening the door for Roxas, I ask, "Hey, have you got any other plans for today, Roxy?"

"Well, my parents have decided to feast for the entire time I'm here, so they're grocery shopping right now… And I didn't really have anything else I wanted to do besides catching up with you and them. So… No, I don't."

"Well, would you like some company?" I question, hopeful.

"Sure! But first, lean down for a second. I think you have something in your teeth."

"Are you sur-" I'm cut off by a pair of lips pressing against mine. Caught slightly off guard, I gasp. He takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. My arms automatically reach around his skinny waist. I feel him shudder against me as his tongue plays with the barbell in mine. His hands fist in the hair at the nape of my neck, and I fight to suppress a groan. We are in public after all. Suddenly, an idea strikes me.

Reluctantly, I pull back, and gaze into his half-lidded eyes. "You said your parents are grocery shopping, right?"

He nods his head, and immediately catches my drift. Another thing I missed about him, he always knows my thought processes. Old habits die hard, they say, because our fingers thread themselves together, the action natural and fluid. We set a brisk pace to his parents' house, deciding it's cold enough to walk fast, and not have people wonder why we're really in a hurry.

Halfway to the home, we pass a secluded doorway, and I can't hold myself back. I push him into the doorway, against the wall of the building. My mouth connects to his immediately, my arms reaching to lift his legs up to my waist. Once he's effectively pinned between me and the wall, he takes my bottom lip between his teeth and starts sucking on it. This time, I allow myself to moan, not particularly caring if anyone hears besides Roxas. I'm not sure where his dominating side came from, but I like it.

Before lets my lip go, he toys with the ring in it. When it's no longer captive, I kiss the tip of his nose, and swiftly move to ravish what I can of his neck. I alternate between nipping and licking, working my way up to the shell of his ear. He's on the verge of panting by this point, and I run my tongue along his skin.

"…Nnngh, Axel… Fucking tease," he utters, breath hitched.

Nibbling on his earlobe, I respond, "What, you don't like teasing?"

I can tell he's getting too turned on to stay where we are, and for that matter, so am I. I set him down fast, but keep a tight grip on his hand to make sure he doesn't fall. We run the rest of the way to his house, and I'm grateful his parents didn't lock the door this time.

As soon as the door is shut, we're on each other again. Our kisses become more passionate, more sensual, and filled with feverish desire. God, I missed this. While Demyx and I just fuck around with each other, Roxas and I make love and there is a definite difference.

His hands fumble with the buttons on my vest and he pulls me, backwards, towards his bedroom, never breaking our lips. I reach up to his checkered scarf and pull it off his neck, leaving it on the floor alongside my vest. Deciding to make things easier for both of us, I pick him up bridal style and walk us to his room, before almost throwing him down on the queen size bed. At some point, he kicked his shoes and socks off, so before I join him, I do the same.

I crawl up on top of him, putting my hands on either side of his face and looking into eyes again. They're filled with so much desire and love and animalistic need. How could I have ever let him go? His lips find mine again, and we set a slow pace. I feel warm fingers reaching up under my shirt and exploring my chest. When they pinch my nipples, I cry out, "Ah, Roxy!" I'm short of breath as I mumble, "Who's the tease now?"

My belt comes off, and my thermal follows shortly after. When I look back to his face, he's wide-eyed, looking at my arm. Shit.

"Axel… What did you do?" His fingers trace the scars, like he's trying to figure out how many there are.

I hang my head in shame, feeling like I've betrayed him. I can't find my voice.

"Did you do this when we… you know…?" He trails off, lifting my face to look at his. I nod, feeling so small and insignificant. I move off of him, and he sits up, wrapping his arms around me, whispering in my ear, "I thought you were over that phase. I thought you beat your depression. But you know what? It doesn't matter. I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he leans back, moving his sapphire eyes to look into my emerald ones. "Because I love you. So much. And I don't want you to feel like you have to go through that any more. Alright?"

"I… I love you too, Roxas. And I'm… sorry," I tell him, wishing I had never cut myself like that.

Looking over my scars, Roxas tenderly presses his lips to each one. His love fills me up, and I know he's forgiven me. He trails kisses all the way up my arm, over my shoulder, on my collarbone, up my neck, on my face, and finally back to my lips. Our fingers lace together, connecting us again.

He pulls back, huskily whispering, "I missed you so much, Axel." When he lies back down, I follow, keeping our hands together. Against his lips, I say, "Missed you too." I let go of one of his hands to snake up his sweater. Why it's still on is a mystery to me.

I reach as far up as I can with the fabric restricting me. Roxas realizes it's not far enough and sits up enough for me to lift the sweater over his head. It lands somewhere on the floor. My lips attack his neck and exposed chest. I give some attention to the rosy nubs, taking one in my mouth, and teasing the other with my hand. He cries out, "Oh, God, Axel… Nngh… I love you… So… ohhhh… so m-much…!"

Our eyes connect for a moment, and I respond to him in an almost-whisper, "Love you too, babe." My mouth and hand alternate sides, playing with his nipples. His fingers tangle in my hair, and he's starting to writhe beneath me. I work my way down lower, dipping my tongue in his belly button for a moment, and leaving chaste kisses in a random pattern over his stomach and across his pelvis, the bones almost jutting out.

There's a very noticeable bulge in his pants, despite them being slouchy. My hand cups his growing erection through the thin denim, eliciting a gasp from him.

"Mmm, Roxas… You're turning me on so much…" I start stroking him, and he lets out a sound somewhere between a moan, and a growl. I can feel myself hardening, and it's painfully tight in my skinny jeans. I falter in my ministrations when I feel his knee grinding against my member. As I look up at his face again, I see him smirking at me, despite the lust in his expression.

I saunter my way back up to his face and capture his lips again. As we're kissing, I feel my jeans being unbuttoned, and then Roxas slides his hands inside them. He's grasping my length through the cotton of my underwear, and it makes me arch my back and moan into his mouth. We break apart just long enough for me to work my jeans off, my underwear riding down low on my hips.

"Nuh-uh," I say, as his nimble fingers try to pull the waistband of the material down further. I slide a hand underneath his back and lift him up, tugging on his jeans with the other hand. They slide easily off his small form, and I'm surprised at what I see.

"…Since when do you go commando, Roxas?" He flushes even darker, and I think it's so adorable on him. He's probably the only guy I know who can get away with blushing like he does.

He mumbles something under his breath that sounds a lot like 'did it for today.' I let out a chuckle, and say against his lips, "Thinking ahead, were we?" He pulls back slightly, sticking his tongue out at me in a playful manner. Before he knows it, I grab the muscle with my teeth, making him squeak in surprise. I use the barbell in my tongue to run along the tip of his, before letting it go.

His length twitches in anticipation. We share one more sensual, slow-paced kiss before I ask him, "You ready?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Ax," he replies in a throaty voice.

In one swift motion, Roxas pulls open the small drawer of his nightstand, grabbing for the chocolate-strawberry lube we got the last time we slept together.

He looks at me with confusion written in his expression when I hold up a finger, signaling for him to wait a moment. "Not yet," I explain, getting ready to tease him some more. Before he can ask me what I mean, I take the head of his erection in my mouth, and he gasps, obviously surprised. I swirl my tongue around it, making him moan when I lick the slit.

"Hnng… Axel…! Fu- Aah!" he groans. He's losing his breath and starting to pant now, which makes me harder. I take more of him in, using one hand to cup his balls. I can tell he's trying not to buck his hips up so I don't choke, just by how hard he's gripping the sheet beneath us. His eyes are screwed shut, and he looks like he might get close to losing it soon.

I go down as far as I can on him and suck, hard. "Oh, fuck, Axel! Hahn…" he gasps. "I'm… So close… I… Oooooh!" I glance up at his face again, and I can tell he's about to come. I start bobbing my head, grazing my teeth along his shaft. One last hard suck is all it takes for him to release his load into my mouth, and I milk every drop out.

"Ahhhh… God, Ax… Holy shit…" Freeing him from my mouth with a slightly audible 'pop,' I grin. I stretch myself back up to look into his eyes before we're at it again.

"Have I told you how much I love you, Roxas?" He gazes right back at me, and all I can think of is how like an ocean his eyes are. "I think you've mentioned it a few times, yea. But I'm okay with you saying it again… And again, and again, and again. Because I love you too… And I can never tire of hearing you say it." Our lips connect in what has to be our most innocent kiss tonight. "In that case," I reply, "I love you, more than words could ever explain."

"I love you more," Roxas laughs. Trying to get things back on track, I lean down to whisper in his ear, "We'll see about that…" With a slight shiver of anticipation, I'm caught off guard by his teeth, lightly biting the conjunction between my neck and shoulder. I feel myself throb painfully, ready to receive some attention. As if reading my mind, Roxas thrusts his member, already hard again, against mine.

"Oh fuck! Nng… Damn that felt good… But I'm ready to really get this going. Are you?"

Rolling his oh-so-blue eyes, he says, "As if you even need to ask. Come on, less talking, more sex."

"Your wish is my command, Roxy." At that statement, I pick up the bottle of lube, pop the cap open, and squirt a generous amount onto my fingers, and my hand. I look up again, for confirmation, and he nods. Setting myself to work, I push one finger inside his entrance, circling inside to make it slick. Using my other fingers, I spread the lube thoroughly around the sensitive ring of skin. Feeling it loosen just a bit, I slide another finger in to join the first.

"Mm, Roxy, you're tighter than I remember. Almost like the first time I took you…" I pull my fingers out almost all the way, and thrust them in again, scissoring his entrance, and soon after, adding another finger. I change my angle just enough to make him—

"Haaaah!"

—see stars. My trademark grin makes another appearance here, as I use my other hand to start pumping his erection. He releases the sheets beneath us, and instead, weaves his fingers through my hair, begging me to get on with it already! A few more thrusts and barely suppressed groans later, I completely remove my fingers, using the rest of the lube and adding more, to spread on my (much neglected) member.

Making sure we're both prepped, I align myself with his hole and begin to penetrate. I can't believe how hot and tight and perfect Roxas is around me. Somehow, I manage to hold back on thrusting into him again and again, so he can adjust to the intrusion. After a minute or so, he pulls back and slams down on me to tell me to move. I can only comply.

We start out slow, both of us enjoying the sensations before things speed up. His eyes are closed in ecstasy, and his skin, as well as mine, is coated in a light sheen of sweat. God, how I missed this, the feeling of his heat surrounding me, pulling me in further, rocking my hips and knowing exactly where to hit each time.

"Oh God, right… aaah, right there…!" he cries, writhing uncontrollably beneath me. Aiming for that bundle of nerves, I ram into him. I'd say I hit just right by his screams of pleasure. In turn, his walls close around me tighter, building my pressure almost to the edge.

We both give up stifling our voices now, letting them fill the room, and consequently arouse us even further. I'm so close now, and I know Roxas isn't far behind me. He connects our hands, clasping our fingers together, just in time to fall over the edge together.

"Ax! Axel! Iloveyou!"

With my vision white, I take in every word and release my seed into him, groaning out, "Love you… too, Roxas!"

We ride out our orgasms intensely. Completely spent, I can no longer support myself above him, and collapse, our hands still joined. Slowly, I pull out, not ready to give up the heat around me, but knowing I have to before I'm too overly-sensitized to everything. At that point, it'd be absolutely painful to do so.

"Hey Axel…" Roxas whispers to me, "think you could try things my way now? Come out to Radiant Garden with me?"

Barely able to find my voice, I reply, "Yea, I think I could… I don't know what I was thinking before. But I will say that those last six months were the worst of my life. And I never want to experience that again… I love you." Closing my eyes, I place my lips lightly on his forehead.

Before we both drift off to sleep, I hear, "Love you too…"

A/N: HAPPY AKUROKU DAY GUYS! I know this was a long time coming, and if you were patient enough to wait for it, I commend you. Please, please, forgive me for making you wait that long. However, those of you who check my profile will see that the circumstances are mostly not my fault. On Sunday, May 22nd, my hometown of Joplin, Missouri was hit with a multi-vortex EF5 tornado, ranked to be the eighth worst in the history of the U.S. and the worst in Missouri history. I came very close to being in it. I was in Walmart, buying groceries with my mom. We finished checking out at 5:28 p.m. The tornado hit at approximately 5:41 p.m. When we left the store, the sirens were going off. So we rushed home, got the refrigerated groceries put away, and when the news showed the tornado, live, we went straight to my neighbor's house, which is always open in severe weather. It has a door from the outside connected to the basement, and if we looked out, we could actually see everything, and the tornado was headed straight for us. But I did some serious praying right then, and within a half-mile of my neighborhood, it veered south. To say that I'm lucky, is a severe understatement. However, there are those that were not so lucky, some who lost all they owned, some who lost their lives that day. But we are nothing if not resilient. We didn't wait around for people to come and help. We picked ourselves up and got straight to work, giving shelter and food and clothing to those who needed it. Even now, almost three months later, there are still people from all around town, and the country here, volunteering for debris clean-up projects, rebuilding homes and places of business. It's given me so much hope, and though it will be years down the road before we're even close to what we were before, we're making due with what we have.

Now that I've rambled on about that, I also want to apologize for not even attempting to seriously write lately. Between both of my part time jobs, I'm getting about 45 - 50 hours a week, and usually by the time I get home from whatever I work on any given day, I don't feel like doing anything except getting off my feet and resting. So any time I would sit down to write, I would usually get out a paragraph, maybe two if I was lucky. However, this time I was able to sit down and get it done. Granted it took me all day. Even so, I'm glad to say I finally finished what I said I would finish, and now, I'm about to write an epilogue, to truly bring this story to a close. I hope you guys have enjoyed what I've written up to this point, and though I ask this every time, please, leave me a review, so I know what to improve on (besides updating in a timely manner). I love you guys so much, and your reviews are what keep me going when I don't feel like it.

Thank you for everything, for your patience, taking the time to review, or favorite this story, or subscribe to me, or whatever. I hope you know how much I appreciate it all.