So, here it is. The last chapter to this story. It's so weird to be posting this today and knowing there won't be another update on Saturday. I will really miss posting and interacting with all of you.
The song for this chapter is again the song from the movie. "Gabriella's sång". I said it before, and I'll say it again. If you want to listen to it, please listen to the Swedish version. It is just so much better. I have put the translated lyrics into this chapter though, because as much as I tried, I could not think of any sound explanation for why Sheldon would make Missy perform this song in Swedish.
I have a lot more to say, but I decided to put those notes at the end of the chapter, so you can start reading now.
I hope you will enjoy it!
As It Is In Heaven
Chapter 32 – "Missy's Song" (Reprise)
"Moonpie."
Sheldon blinked his eyes open in confusion.
Everything around him was blurry.
But… that voice.
"Moonpie. Get up."
He tried to focus.
Had he not been sitting on a bathroom floor just now?
How did he get to his meemaw's porch? And that voice. Was that…
"Come over, moonpie. I've been waiting for you."
Yes. Yes, it was her.
He jumped up quickly and sat down next to her on the little bench on her porch.
"Oh, my moonpie. I've missed you.", the old lady told him and kissed his cheek softly.
"Where am I?", his voice sounded off. "Am I in heaven?"
"No. No, moonpie. You're not.", she shook her head.
No of course not. There was no such thing as heaven. If he was dead, then he wouldn't be here anymore. Not even in his imagination.
"I see.", he nodded regretfully. "I guess this the post-mortem, neuron-induced hallucination commonly mistaken as heaven then. It will pass soon."
His meemaw looked at him amused. "Well, if you say so."
It sounded like she thought he was wrong.
"Well, what would you say it is?"
She grinned.
"I'd say you are a bit of a drama queen. You did not die, Sheldon. You could not handle seeing a bit of blood and so you fainted. And this is where your mind chose to go until you will wake up again. Here, have a cookie, my sweet boy."
Well, she did not have to tell him twice.
He got one of meemaw's cookies out of the jar she was holding in her lap. Even if it was just his imagination, who was to say he could not get at least a bit of enjoyment out of this?
"So that means you're not real.", he stated. "You're just a manifestation of my mind."
"Oh, moonpie.", she smiled sadly. "Why don't we just say that I can be anything you want me to be?"
He sighed.
Oh, he wanted this to be real. He wanted to talk to her one last time. Make up for the fact he hadn't gotten to say good-bye to her a year ago.
"So, I am still in Los Angeles?", he asked then.
Meemaw nodded. "I'm afraid so."
He sighed again. Part of him wanted to stay here forever. Sitting beside the woman he was missing so much. Eating cookies. Not thinking about anything else.
But he also did not want to miss the competition. He had worked so hard for it.
Also… he really wanted to get back to…
"Isn't she wonderful?", his meemaw asked him as if she could read his mind.
He smiled. "She is. Oh, meemaw. She's the best. She makes me so happy. Everyday I wake up and cannot believe she's mine. I… I love her. Can you believe it? I am in love. Who would have thought?"
She said nothing, just looked at him and smiled.
"Why are you smiling like that?", he asked.
She chuckled.
"Because I just love it when a plan works out the way it is intended."
"A plan?", he asked shocked. "Are you saying…"
"That I met her and knew instantly that she's the one for you? Of course, darling. Or that I left you the house with her living in it, so you had to talk to her? Yes, that too."
"But… but… why?", he stammered.
"What I did not plan for was to die before I could introduce you two.", the old woman stated sadly. "But you didn't show your face for such a long time. And then it was too late. I knew you'd take your anger out on her for being the one who got to spend my last days with me. And I could not be too forward in my letter to you or you would have just thought I was crazy. So, I had to create a situation where you had no way of getting out of talking to her."
He shook his head. Even if he knew this was all his imagination, he realized, it was true. This was most likely what his meemaw had intended with her actions.
"You left me your house. And your ring. And Amy, in a way. Is that your way of telling me, I am supposed to stay in Medford with her forever? Am I supposed to live in your house forever?"
"Sheldon…", meemaw put a hand on his arm. "No. I only wanted you two to meet and for you to give her a real chance. The rest is up to you two. You need to figure out what makes you happy. Both of you."
"She does make me happy.", he said. "I cannot imagine leaving her. I don't know if I'll be content, staying in Medford forever. But if I leave, then only with her."
Meemaw nodded. "I am proud of you, moonpie. And I know Amy feels the same way about you. You two will work this out, so none of you will have to give up on all dreams or aspirations."
He bit his lower lip and looked at her.
"Oh, meemaw, I wish you could be here too. Your house… it's just not the same without you."
The older woman wrapped an arm around him. The familiar smell of roses filled his nose.
"Oh, honey. I know it's not the same. But I promise, good things are about to happen. Very good things."
He looked at her surprised.
"How do you know? What things?"
"You'll learn soon enough.", she smiled. "Just have faith, Sheldon. No matter how complicated things seem to be right now, everything will turn out better than you could ever imagine. You will live a long and happy life. I promise."
He blinked. For a moment, he heard strange voices. Some he recognized, some he did not. A familiar face leaning over him. And then it was gone again.
"It's time to leave, dear.", his meemaw whispered. "Time to go live your life."
"No.", he protested. "No, I want to stay with you a little longer."
"No, Sheldon. It's time.", she said gently. "Your life is waiting for you. Don't waste a minute of it. The best is yet to come."
Again, he heard these voices. Someone was calling his name. Touching his face.
"Wait.", he whispered. "I never got to say good-bye to you. I did not get to tell you how much you mean to me."
His meemaw smiled at him softly. "You did not need to, moonpie. I already knew. And you know what you meant to me."
His lower lip trembled. Yes, it was true, but he wanted to tell her.
"You were always there for me.", he croaked. "You never forgot to call me or write me letters. I was never too much for you. Even when I felt completely alone, I always knew I had you. And I miss you so much."
He could not keep the tears at bay anymore. Meemaw pulled him into her arms and held him as he cried.
"Oh, moonpie. You will always have me. I am a part of you."
He knew she was right. And he also knew it was time to go back to his life.
It was not like he had a choice in this.
Already, he felt like he was being pulled away from the spot he was sitting.
"Good-bye, meemaw.", he said and took one last look at her. "I love you."
"I love you too, moonpie."
Everything got blurry. And out of the blurriness, a face appeared.
Amy.
Sheldon tried to focus on her, but his head was throbbing with pain and his body felt weak and numb.
"Amy?", he asked. "Is that really you?"
She sobbed.
"Oh Sheldon. I am so, so sorry."
"Why would you be sorry?", he asked, trying to make sense of his situation.
He was still lying on the bathroom floor. He could feel the hard, cold tiles under his back, but his head was lying on something soft.
He was confused, until he saw, Amy wasn't wearing her usual cardigan anymore. She must have put it under his head as a pillow. His heart swelled. She always took such good care of him.
He tried to get up, but Amy stopped him.
"Don't move, Sheldon. Leonard is on his way to get help."
"Leonard?", he asked.
In that moment, the door burst open, and a paramedic came running inside, followed by Leonard and Penny.
"Oh, good, you're awake.", his friend exclaimed. "What happened, Sheldon. Did you have another heart attack?"
Sheldon rolled his eyes lightly. He was not a doctor now, was he?
"I do not think so.", he said.
The paramedic had already gotten out a few medical instruments and started examining him.
Sheldon barely registered it.
After fully regaining consciousness, the events of the past two days reentered his mind.
He watched Amy's every move, trying to figure out what she was thinking, but she still sat on her haunches only inches away from him, watching the paramedic like a hawk. It looked like she was about to shoo him away and take over any second.
The man asked him a few questions. About his head wound. And about how he felt before he fainted.
"I don't think it's anything serious.", he finally made his assessment. "You probably had a panic attack. Participants of these kinds of competitions have them all the time. But nevertheless, with your medical history, I would recommend you to make an appointment with your physician in the next few days."
"So…", he whispered. "I can still be in the competition? I can still conduct the choir?"
The paramedic nodded.
"Just be careful. If you start feeling dizzy, please come see me. I'll be here all evening covering the event."
He left then, and Sheldon was still staring at Amy. There was so much he wanted to tell her.
"Amy…", he started and reached out for her hand. "Amy, I am so sorry. I… I did it all wrong. I should have never… I…"
"It does not matter anymore, Sheldon.", she cut him off. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was so scared. I thought you had another… I thought I lost you."
"I… I left you a message.", he suddenly remembered.
"I know.", Amy told him. "I had my phone turned off for the competition but when Leonard told me he couldn't find you, I turned it on to call you and saw your message. What you said… it's so beautiful, Sheldon and I have a lot to say in response to that. But then we found you and you were lying here on the floor. Was it me who caused your panic attack? I should have stayed with you today. I made a mistake. Please, forgive me."
"I was the one who made a mistake.", he insisted.
"Uhm…", they heard a voice and turned around. Sheldon and Penny were still standing there, watching their exchange with curious glances. "We'll be giving you two some privacy.", Leonard told them and dragged a reluctant Penny with him.
He barely paid attention to them though. Finally, Amy was listening to him. And he would not miss the chance to tell her what was on his mind.
But she beat him to the punch.
"I was so stupid this morning.", she told him and sobbed again. "I talked it over with Penny and Bernadette over brunch and I realized, I don't want to do long distance with you, Sheldon. I don't want to take a step back. If I had to choose between Medford and you, I would always choose you. I don't want to stay there if you are not with me. It would never be the same. So, if you need to return to Pasadena in order to be happy, then I will find a replacement for me at the school and come with you."
Sheldon smiled weakly. "I do not want you to give up your life in Medford just because of me, Amy. Because if I had to choose between you and Pasadena, I would choose you any day. So no, I do not have to return to Pasadena. And if you need to stay in Medford in order to be happy, then I will stay there with you. Because there is no way I will not be living with you for the rest of our lives."
She sobbed.
"Really?", she croaked. "Because I was afraid, after giving it some thought, you would agree with what I said this morning about doing long distance and that I could not take it back anymore. I was so scared of talking to you today."
"That's why you avoided me before.", he realized.
She nodded.
"Yeah…", she admitted. "And don't worry, Penny already told me how stupid that was. And Leonard told me the same thing, but with nicer words. I… I screwed up, Sheldon. I am so sorry for not talking to you."
So, Leonard and Penny had spent the last hour with Amy, apparently trying to get her to talk to him.
Oh, he would really miss the two of them, if he had to leave soon.
"You did not screw up.", he told her and sat up finally, after the dizziness had subsided. "I mean, yes, you should have talked to me. But I sprung my idea on you without even thinking about the possibility that you could not be over the moon about it. I handled this poorly. For that, I am truly sorry. And even if I do not quite understand, I respect your decision to be a High School teacher. I will stop trying to get you back into science. Even if it I think it is a waste of your talent."
Amy gave him a coy smile.
"Actually…", she said sheepishly. "I spent some time with Bernadette today at brunch. Hearing her talk about her research… well… and meeting Dr. Gunderson yesterday, as misguided as your whole plan was, I cannot help thinking that maybe at some point in the future, I do want to pursue Neurobiology again. Just maybe… not so suddenly. I need time to wrap my head around it and figure out what my passion really is."
"That's fine.", he reassured her. "We will stay in Medford for as long as you want to. Until you have figured it out. Even if it might be forever."
"But Sheldon.", she protested. "I don't want you to give up your career. Your friends. Your life here. If you need to get back to your job right away, then I will find a way to come with you."
"I don't have to get back right away.", he said, happy to finally get to the point to tell her about his idea.
She looked at him with furrowed brows. "But, yesterday you said... What do you mean?"
"Well…", he started. "I hate to tell you this, but I did not actually come up with this idea. Leonard did. And despite that, it is the best idea I have heard in a long time."
"Do tell.", she told him expectantly.
"I called President Seibert earlier today. I don't really need more for my work than a whiteboard and a marker. At least for a while, I can work from home. Until we figured out whre to live permanently at least. I might have to participate in some meetings and maybe fundraisers too, so I will have to travel to California every few weeks. Which…", he sighed. "I want to do anyway. If you are okay with it, I want us to spend time in Pasadena too. I don't want to lose the people I love here."
"Of course.", she nodded quickly. "If you want, we can come back here after Jared's wedding and spend the rest of the summer with your friends. But Sheldon, are you sure you are okay with staying in Medford for a while longer?"
He nodded thoughtfully.
"It might not be the perfect solution and I will miss my friends, but Amy, if I had to choose between doing long distance with you or with them… Well. There is not really much of a decision to make. I will always choose you. No matter what. And this way, we can both keep our jobs, we can stay part of the choir and we will be spending time with my friends too. I think it is our best option for now."
He could see tears in her eyes, so he pulled her close.
"I will always choose you as well, Sheldon.", she promised. "And I will work on a solution that gives us the opportunity to move to Pasadena soon. And to spend some weekends there as well in the meantime. I will ask the principal to let me work part-time, and I will help him look for a second science teacher who could at some point replace me. Just… if we were to move to Pasadena soon, I will still want to spend a lot of time in Medford. Because just as much as you don't want to lose your friends, I also do not want to lose the people I love in Medford."
"I agree.", he said quickly. "I don't want to lose them either. Not the choir or my family. So maybe… we can think of it as having two homes instead of just deciding on one."
"I'd love that. And…", Amy hesitated. "Maybe… I'll call Dr. Gunderson and tell him I'd be interested in doing a consult in his department once in a while if there is an opportunity."
"Only if this makes you happy, Amy.", he insisted. "I don't want you to do this for me. I will love you no matter if you are a teacher or a scientist or a singer."
"I love you too.", she told him and kissed him softly. "Always. No matter what."
They smiled at each other softly. Oh, he was so happy. He had no words. Even if there were still things to decide, he knew, they would love each other for the rest of their lives, and they would always put each other's happiness first.
It was in that moment, he realized, nothing stood in the way anymore of something he wanted to happen so very much.
"So…", she said then. "You still want this? Being my live-in boyfriend?"
He chuckled. Well, if she asked him that directly…
"No.", he shook his head. "I do not want to be that."
And when she opened her mouth, looking concerned, he quickly continued.
"I want to be your husband. I want to marry you, Amy. Preferably as soon as possible."
Her eyes widened in shock. "You… you want to marry me?"
"I do.", he nodded firmly. "Amy, I know what you are going to say. We only just started dating. We are still figuring out how to live our lives together. And that is all true. But you know what is also true? You and I, we belong together. If we had met ten years ago like we should have, we would already be married. We would have children. And judging by how well we worked together for the choir, we might even have gotten a Nobel Prize together. There are many uncertainties in life, Amy. But the fact that you and I will spend the rest of our lives together is not one. At least not for me."
"You... you think we would have children?", she whispered.
"Of course.", he said simply. "And let's not forget about the Nobel Prize."
She giggled. "Alright. That too."
"Good.", he nodded. "Because while I know we cannot just pretend we met ten years ago and there will be steps that we cannot skip, I also don't want the fact we have only been together a month keep us from moving forward. I do not wish to move slowly or think about a future where you and I live apart for a while. I want a life with you. And I do not want there to be any doubt that going forward, we will make all life changing decisions together. I want to marry you, Amy. I want us to be bound together. And everything else? We will figure it out. Please. Marry me."
Her mouth had dropped open as he told her that and for a minute, he was afraid he had made the same mistake again. Dropped a crazy idea on her before she was ready to hear it.
But then she closed her mouth and grinned.
"Did you just propose to me, Sheldon? On the floor of a men's room in the basement of an event center in Los Angeles with dried blood on your forehead?"
It was his turn to stare in shock. Oh no.
"Oh, dear Lord.", he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Amy. You deserve better than that. I don't even have the ring with me."
"You already have a ring?", she screeched, squeezing his hand almost to the point of pain. "When did you buy that?"
"I did not buy it.", he said softly and proceeded to tell her about how meemaw had left him her special ring.
"I will be wearing Connie's ring?", she croaked, her eyes filling with tears again. "Oh my God, Sheldon. I don't even know what to say."
Well…", he smiled. "Don't say anything yet. Because this does not count. I will propose soon. In a more appropriate setting. With the ring."
She leaned in to kiss him again. "I am looking forward to it.", she whispered. "And just so you know: I will say yes. No matter when or how you ask me. Even if it were to be here on this bathroom floor."
"Really?", he asked, his heart full of emotion. "You already know you will say yes?"
"Of course.", she nodded. "You are right. We belong together. I cannot see a future where I am not with you. I love you, Sheldon. I will always love you. And no matter what else our future holds, we will be together through it all."
He pulled her into his lap and wove his fingers through her hair.
Finally, the uncertainty he had felt before was gone. He would get to spend his life with Amy. In Medford for now, but maybe someday soon in Pasadena. Or maybe in a completely different place. It did not matter. As long as they would be together.
He took a moment to look at her.
Amy. His Amy. There were no words that could express how he felt about her. She had not changed him, but she had completely changed the way he felt about everything. Life. Science. Music. Family. Love. And himself.
Sheldon Cooper. Physicist. Genius. One of a kind. Brother. Friend. Lover. Boyfriend. Fiancé?
He smiled.
Yes. Soon.
Finally, he could not wait any longer.
Without a word, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers softly. Their kiss was tentative at first, a hesitant exploration of each other's mouth, now that they had finally cleared the air again.
But as they continued, their passion grew, their bodies pressing together as they lost themselves in this moment, knowing they would hold on to each other for the rest of their lives.
Even though he had kissed her so often, it was nothing he had ever experienced before. A mix of tenderness, longing and raw passion all rolled into one.
Sheldon completely lost track of time and when his tongue darted out to explore the depths of her mouth, she pressed her body even closer to his and responded with equal fervor, her own tongue meeting his in a dance that was both fierce and sweet.
Finally, they pulled away from each other, breathless and flushed.
Sheldon leaned his forehead against Amy's, his eyes closed as he tried to process the intensity of the emotions that were coursing through him.
He felt both exhilarated and a little bit dizzy – in a good way this time.
Amy, too, seemed to be struggling to catch her breath as a soft smile spread across her face.
He loved this smile. It made his heart swell with infinite love for her.
"I love you so much.", he whispered, and her eyes shone with happiness, as she leaned in for another kiss.
But then the door was slung open again, interrupting their private moment.
"What's taking you so long? The competition is starting any second now. You should be… Oh no, not this again. How will I ever get used to seeing you like this, Sheldon?"
Sheldon chuckled as Leonard stood there, shaking his head at him and Amy.
"You better get used to it quickly, pal.", Amy replied before he could think of a retort. "'Cause you'll be seeing a lot more of it over the summer."
With that, she got up and pulled Sheldon with her.
They walked right past Leonard who was still staring at them open mouthed.
And then, finally, it was time.
Sheldon's heart beat almost out of his chest, as he walked onto the stage.
He stopped in the front and let his eyes roam over the audience.
There they were. In the front row. His second family. Five people he loved with all his heart. Leonard, Raj and Howard who had let him experience for the first time, what it was like, being part of a group of similar people. Penny who could not be more different to him but was – after Leonard – the best friend he had ever had. And Bernadette who – even if he had never spent much time with her – somehow had accepted him from the first day she had met him. These five people had not been part of his life for much too long. They all were looking at him, smiling. He knew it must look strange to them, seeing him conducting a choir in a competition.
He turned around then and looked at the members of the choir. His other second family. People who had accompanied him through a year that had been the most exciting, life changing and in a way also the most difficult year in his life. People who were not really similar to him, but who loved and accepted, maybe even admired him just the way he was. A supportive group of true friends who had helped him open his heart after isolating himself for too long.
And Missy. Finally, after all these years when they were estranged, he had her back in his life, which was something he did not even know he wanted. When he thought back to a year ago, he felt elated, watching her right now. No more baggy clothes covering up bruises. No more darkness surrounding her. Her eyes glowing with excitement and happiness.
And Amy. The woman who had both stolen his heart and healed his soul. His heart beat rapidly when he thought about the future that was lying in front of them.
His attention turned to the host of the evening who was announcing them right now.
"And now on to our seventh contestant. The Medford Church choir, conducted by CalTech Physicist Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper. They will start their performance with a song, written by Dr. Cooper himself for his sister who will sing it for the first time publicly here on stage."
Sheldon looked back at his friends in the audience again.
'That's right. I wrote this song.', he wanted to tell them, as they stared at him dumbfounded.
Amy took her seat at the harp that had been brought onto the stage. Missy stepped forward. And finally, Sheldon was ready to raise the baton and give the signal to start.
It is now that my life is mine
I only have this short time on earth
And my longing has brought me here
All I lacked and all I gained
He could hear Amy's harp as she strummed it with her fingers. Her gentle fingers that had touched him so often, making him feel alive and wanted.
And yet it's the way that I chose
My trust was far beyond words
That has shown me a little bit
Of the heaven I've never found
Missy's voice filled the whole room. Bright and clear, like the voice of an angel. More confident with every word. The choir resounding loud and gentle at the same time.
I want to feel I'm alive
All my living days
I will live as I desire
I want to feel I'm alive
Knowing I was good enough
He smiled. All this time, he had thought he had only composed it for Missy. It was Missy's song. But it was his, just as much. And oh, how alive he had felt, this past year.
I have never lost who I was
I have only left it sleeping
Maybe I never had a choice
Just the will to stay alive
It was Amy's song too. And Jared's. Ruth's and Daniel's. Olivia's. All of them. And as this realization hit him, his soul nearly burst with love and pride for these extraordinary people.
All I want is to be happy being who I am
To be strong and to be free
To see day arise from night
I am here and my life is only mine
And the heaven I thought was there
I'll discover it there somewhere
I want to feel that I have lived my life.
As soon as Missy had sung the last words, the audience erupted in thundering applause.
Sheldon felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes as he looked over at his friends, who were grinning at him with pride and excitement.
And then he looked at Amy who was wiping tears from her face.
Missy walked over to him and hugged him tightly and the applause got even louder. It did not seem to stop.
They had done this. Together. All of them.
Sheldon felt a warmth in his chest. A joy he had rarely felt before.
The host came over, asking him if he wanted to say a few words.
Sheldon nodded, even if he had never enjoyed speaking in front of such a big audience.
Maybe it was the euphoria that made him do this, but he had an urge to share his epiphany with the world.
He accepted the microphone and the audience quieted down, waiting for him to speak.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice.
"It is true.", he said, his voice still shaking slightly. "I did write this song. I wrote it for my sister, one of the strongest people I know, who was going through a rough time. But it is not just her song. Or mine. It is for all of us. It is for everyone who has ever felt lost or unsure. For everyone who ever needed a reminder that they are not alone. That they are okay. Just the way they are. And that they deserve to be happy. To live the life, they desire. And…" he looked over to Amy. "To be loved and accepted. For exactly who they are."
Another wave of loud applause filled the room before Sheldon handed back the microphone and turned around to lead the choir through the rest of the program.
It was easy, now that the nervousness was gone. The choir probably did not even need him to conduct. They had practiced so much, they knew the songs by heart.
So, he allowed himself to look at Amy. Just Amy. And she was looking back at him just the same, her gaze never shifting.
Their eyes locked, just like the first time he had seen her, when she was singing at meemaw's funeral.
Just like then, the rest of the world disappeared. Just like then, he felt this insane, inexplicable connection to her.
And unlike then, he knew, this connection would be there forever. He would spend the rest of his life, loving this woman. Making the most of his time with her.
And when the last verse of the last song was sung, it did not even matter to Sheldon, which place they would come in tonight.
It did not matter if they would be first or last or anything in between.
Because looking at the people he loved, he knew, they had already won.
All of them.
And particularly him.
He could not wait to see the next chapter of his life unfold.
So, this is it. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think, this is so far the story that was the most emotional for me to write. Because it was inspired by my all-time favorite movie, but also because I poured a lot of myself into it.
To me, music is only a hobby, but a very important one and I grew up singing in choirs and playing various instruments in local wind orchestras and marching bands. The idea to make Sheldon a conductor actually came from a conversation I had with one of the members of the wind band I performed with a while ago (and by the way, coincidentally my brother is the conductor of said group). The member I talked to is 92(!) years old and he used to work in physics. He is an adorable old man and as we were waiting to play our concert, he told me his life story and how he moved from physics to music (through which he met his wife of over 50 years) and back again and how, while those things are very different, they are at the same time similar in some ways – he explained in detail how, but honestly, most of it went right over my head. But if I had to pinpoint the moment when this story was born, even though I started writing it much later, and there was a lot more that inspired it in the end, this might have been it.
By the way, I already have a few ideas written down for the sequel and the first four chapters are finished in my head. I have a good feeling about it, but if at any point I decide against posting it, I promise I will post the epilogue then instead, so you get to know how Sheldon and Amy chose to live their lives. If I go through with writing the sequel, it might take a few months. Maybe I will be posting another short story in between though, I am not sure yet.
On another note: It has been a little bit more than two years now since I have posted my first fanfiction (To know that, I only have to look at my youngest daughter who was only days old and sleeping in my arms when I hit the 'Publish New Story'-button for the first time). I cannot thank all of you enough for your continued support. During these two years, so much has happened in my life. Most of it was good, some of it was really hard and at times, waking up to your lovely reviews just gave me exactly the strength I needed. Some of you have been reading and reviewing my stories almost since the beginning. Please know, that your kind words and positive feedback are the main reason I am still writing today. So, I guess this is a very long way to say thanks to all of you and I hope you will still be here when I will be posting my next story!