Author's Note: Thank you so much to Kurt for the 'father' idea and of course thank you to MC. Also, the next few chapters will probably be a bit more sporadic I am in the midst of a school term coming to an end and that means wrapping everything up, lots of reading, writing papers, and studying for finals. But fear not, I'm not abandoning this fic, I'm just way too busy!!

Chapter 16: Father and Son, Father and Daughter

Over the course of the next three days, Clarice Starling and Will Graham remained busy following up on sighting reports provided by a panicky public at the mention of Hannibal Lecter's residence being in the United States however none of them provided any positive leads. After work, because of the possible threat to their safety from Dr. Lecter and for their own piece of mind, they would leave separately in cars driven by other agents and the vehicles would be switched three to four times along different routes before they were dropped off at whatever hotel they were staying at for the night. Their drivers remained alert to any suspicious activities and watched carefully for anyone appearing to follow them, but thus far there had been no incidents of trouble. Will's and Clarice's personal vehicles remained in the FBI parking lot under tight security.

While at work they maintained professional distance from one another so that their intimate relationship would not be discovered and scrutinized. The fact that they both stayed at the same hotel every night was not questioned, it was simply assumed they would be safer together, even if there was a wall between them. But as soon as the other agents had seen them safely to their rooms and the doors closed behind them, Will and Clarice melded into each other, shutting out the fear, shutting out the anxiety, shutting out the stress of the day, making love for hours.

Often in the dead of night one of them would wake from a frightful dream, gasping, drenched in sweat, a scream dying on their lips. The difference was that now there was a warm body lying next to them to hold them as they shook and wept. And the person next to them held them not merely because of the bad dream but because their dreams were haunted by the same specter and they understood.

Will's prediction that Clarice's statements to the press would be less than enthusiastically embraced by the managerial bureaucracy was correct. On the same afternoon after her press conference, Clarice Starling received a phone call from the FBI's executive assistant director, Karl Wegener, requesting her presence in his office at her convenience. Clarice replied that since she was in the middle of a heavy investigation, 'at her convenience' probably would not happen for quite some time. Assistant Director Wegener chuckled, saying he understood, and proceeded to informally question Clarice as to the events regarding both hers and Kendra Mitchell's press conferences. Clarice was truthful about the entire matter, even detailing the conversation she had observed between Agent Graham and Agent Mitchell. The Assistant Director Wegener did not seem overly surprised by the information. He thanked her for her time and cooperation and told Clarice he would be in touch again soon.

The initial media frenzy over the whereabouts of Dr. Hannibal Lecter initially died down as a result of Clarice's press conference however random speculation as to his actual whereabouts still took place. By the afternoon of the third day after the press conference, Friday, the "Lecter sightings" had dwindled to only twenty five for the day with the public gradually returning to its false sense of security that surely he was out of the country.

On Friday, another rain storm struck D.C., making the day gloomy. Will Graham sat in his chair at Clarice's desk head bent studiously over three pages of fax paper, going over the latest three sighting reports. He scanned them, not really seeing them, listening to the rain patter against the window. He closed and rubbed his tired eyes. It had been a long, arduous week and his and Clarice's late nights together were beginning to catch up with him. He smiled as his mind's eye saw her lying naked on the bed, red hair glinting in the candle light. In his mind his eyes roamed over the swell of her breasts to the curve of her hips and down her long legs. He saw her beckon to him with her right forefinger.

The opening door interrupted his reverie and Clarice herself walked in carrying a steaming cup of coffee. Will eyed her luscious legs and thought how delicious it felt to be in between them. She sat down at her desk, rubbed her cold hands together and blew warm air into them in attempts to warm them up. She pushed an errant strand of hair out of her face, looked at Will, and grinned at the look he was giving her.

"What?" she chuckled.

"I was just thinking dirty thoughts about you," he said lasciviously.

Her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Oh really? Well later tonight you'll just have to show me what you've been thinking about."

"Absolutely," he grinned.

Clarice took a sip of coffee and glanced at the fax papers. "Anything interesting there?" she gestured toward them with her chin.

"Not really," he shook his head. "One is the same exact report of one we received yesterday in Montana. One is from an individual at a rave in New York City. And one is from the Oregon coast."

"A rave," she asked incredulous. "Could you just picture Dr. Lecter at a rave?" She grinned and began clacking on her keyboard checking her email.

Will laughed at the image of the Good Doctor grooving with a bunch of wasted young people in tacky clothes. He glanced at the reports again and his eyes lingered on the one from Oregon. His thoughts instantly turned to his son Josh who was living with Molly at her parents' home on the Oregon coast. They owned a ranch nestled in the rolling ever green hills of Astoria. When Josh had been a boy they had owned a horse named Lightning that he had pined for whenever he was not in Oregon. Will smiled as he recalled the time the horse had followed Josh around the ranch like a puppy dog after he had slipped the animal a few sugar cubes. Will remembered the vacations they had all spent there and how happy that time in their lives had been. Undoubtedly the ranch had been a good place for Josh to have grown up and Will wondered if perhaps Lightning was still alive. He just wished he could have been a part of it.

He shook his head and forced his thoughts back to the present and to the problems at hand. He read the Oregon sighting report in depth and noticed that it was from Warrenton which was just a few miles west of Astoria. It had been called in to the local sheriff station yesterday morning and had been forwarded to the field office in Portland. The caller reported that they had seen the individual in question exiting the passenger side of a truck at a truck stop in Warrenton. The man was elderly, Caucasian, in his mid-sixties, balding, maybe standing five feet nine inches tall, with a broad upper body. He had been wearing jeans, a red plaid shirt, and a University of Oregon baseball hat, hardly the clothing of choice of the doctor.

The problem was, mused Will, that Lecter's general description could fit any number of men just in the United States alone, Oregon was on the other side of the country, and drifters were hardly unheard of along the Pacific coast. Will sighed. The idea that Dr. Lecter might actually go after his son had not even occurred to him. Then he shook his head. There was no way Dr. Lecter would take a risk like that given the fact that his face had been all over the news this week.

'Still,' he thought, 'maybe I should just give Josh and Molly a call.'

He leaned over and reached out to pluck the telephone receiver from its cradle. As he did, it buzzed and he drew his hand back, startled.

Clarice glanced up from her monitor, brow furrowed. "Isn't it eerie when that happens?"

Will nodded absently and picked up the phone. "Graham."

"Agent Graham this is Agent Mitchell. I need to meet with you. I want to discuss the tape."

Kendra Mitchell had been noticeably absent for the remainder of the week and now Will noticed that she was speaking in short, quipped sentences, as if she were nervous. "Sure, Kendra, are you in your office now?"

"No, I do not want to discuss this in the building," she replied curtly.

Will sighed and looked out at the falling rain. He did not feel much like venturing out in it. "Where then?"

"Meet me at the National Aquarium just inside the entrance."

"When," he asked dismally.

"As soon as you can."

Will sighed again. "Alright, I'll be there within the half hour." He hung up the phone and stood up, pulling his suit coat off the back of the chair and putting it on. He strode to the coat rack, pulled his black trench coat off and shrugged into it.

Clarice glanced up from her monitor again. "Where are you off to?"

"Kendra wants to meet with me regarding the tape I don't really have. But she wants me to meet her at the National Aquarium."

Clarice's brow furrowed. "The Aquarium? Why there?"

"I don't know," Will shrugged. "Maybe she thinks the walls here have ears or some other such nonsense." He paused and looked at her. "Hey, I know it isn't too close to quitting time but how about when I get back we call it a day?"

Clarice stretched her arms up above her head and yawned. "Actually I was thinking of calling it quits when I'm done going through these emails."

"Sounds good," Will smiled. "Meet you back at the hotel then?"

Clarice nodded, leaned back in her chair and eyed him amusedly. "You know what the only thing I want to do this weekend is?"

Will cocked one eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Just stay in bed and fuck."

"God you know I love it when you talk like that, Agent Starling," Will smiled again and walked to the door. "I had the exact same plans."

"Two great minds think alike," Clarice beamed. "But don't take too long with Kendra. I'll be waiting naked in bed for you Agent Graham," she purred.

Will's grin increased. "Don't worry. With an incentive like that, I won't be long." He turned the handle, walked through the door, and closed it behind him.

Clarice smiled contentedly to herself as she watched him weave his way through the department to the elevators. She continued to watch until the doors slipped closed, shutting him off from view. She turned back to her keyboard and resumed responding to emails.

The phone buzzed again a moment later. She picked it up distractedly. "Starling."

"Agent Starling," replied a woman's voice shakily. "I was told I could reach Will Graham at this number. Is he available?"

"I'm sorry but he's just stepped out of the office," Clarice continued clacking on her keyboard. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"No," the woman sounded near tears. "Listen, do you know of a way I could get a hold of him right now? This is an emergency."

Clarice stopped typing and gave the phone call her entire attention. "I'm sorry but no. I'm his partner and I'd be happy to help you in any way I can. At the very least I can certainly take a message and give it to him as soon as he returns."

The woman on the other end sighed heavily. "Alright," she said finally. "Please tell him that Molly, his ex-wife, called." She paused and Clarice felt a twang of jealousy jolt through her. "I need him to call me as soon as possible. His son is missing."
Will Graham parked his silver 1995 Toyota 4-Runner in a parking space in the parking garage adjacent to the Ronald Reagan building across the street from the National Aquarium. He exited the structure and bounded across 14th street in the steady rain. He made his way passed the brightly colored sign that proclaimed the Aquarium, hurried up the entrance ramp, and stopped just inside. He shook his head slightly and rain water splattered to the floor. He glanced around and spied Kendra Mitchell leaning against the wall opposite the ticket booths. He noted that she was wearing a black scarf over her blonde hair and despite the gloomy day, a large pair of black sunglasses. In her hand she clutched a folded black umbrella. She glanced up, saw him, and strode over.

'She certainly is acting oddly,' Will mused. "Alright, Kendra, all I need to know is if you're leaving Behavioral Science. The week is up," he said quietly once she reached him.

"Let's talk about this outside," she said quickly, glancing around.

"Cut the bullshit," he hissed. "Are you leaving Behavioral Science? Yes or no?"

Kendra shook her head. "Not in here. There are a lot more people here than I thought there would be on a rainy day." She strode toward the entrance and walked through the door, opening her umbrella as she went.

"Dammit, Kendra," he said loudly but followed her outside. "You really think anyone here gives a shit what we're talking about?"

Kendra strode to the sidewalk, turned left and walked briskly past a clump of bushes outside the building. Will walked to the sidewalk, paused, and angrily shrugged his shoulders. He was pissed off that she was playing games with him like this. And to make his mood worse, he was now getting drenched.

"Kendra," he called after her, shielding his face from the rain. She stopped and turned back to look at him. "Either you speak your piece now or I go get in my car and drive straight over to the D.A.'s office."

In an instant, two strong arms wrapped around Will just under his arms and pulled him down backwards. A hand clamped a cloth over his mouth and nose as he was dragged backward into the bushes.

"Just like old times, eh Will?" a voice hissed in his ear.

That phrase spoken by that voice echoed in his memory, heard once so many years ago, now heard only in his dreams, and he panicked. As he struggled against the tight grip, he inhaled the sweet scent that permeated the cloth and his throat began to burn.

'Chloroform,' Will's mind registered before his vision swam and then went black.

Kendra Mitchell turned and began her brisk pace back up the sidewalk.
Clarice Starling hung up the phone from speaking with special agent Candace Larsen of the Portland, Oregon FBI field office. She had called the Portland office the moment she had hung up the phone with Molly Graham. According to her, the Astoria Police Department was treating Josh Graham's disappearance as a runaway situation but after speaking with Molly and given the fact that there had been a Dr. Lecter sighting mere miles from their home, Clarice had called the Violent Crimes division, which investigates kidnappings, in the Portland office to ask for their assistance. Agent Larsen had answered the phone call and once Clarice had explained to her who Joshua Graham's father was and what case he was working on, she had been more than willing to speak with the chief of police in Astoria and then to get in touch with Molly Graham herself.

Clarice stared out her office window at the falling rain and thought about her conversation with Molly. She had said that the police department's theory of Josh having run away did not fit the boy's disposition in the slightest. Joshua Graham was a happy, healthy, vibrant, well adjusted 17 year old high school senior. Well at least he was as well adjusted as a young person could be who had had a shard of glass held to his face as a young boy by a serial killer while his own father had hurled insults at him in an attempt to throw off the killer's concentration. His grades in school were good. He was the starting point guard for his high school basketball team just like his father had been. He was the opinion editor of the school paper. He was popular and well liked, with many friends. He had been accepted to UCLA next fall on a basketball scholarship. And he had a beautiful cheerleader girlfriend. All in all, his life was going very well and running away did not make much sense.

Clarice had carefully asked Molly if over the last few weeks he had become quiet and withdrawn or had acted strangely in any way, thinking that drugs might have become a factor. Molly had answered that no, he had behaved normally as of late and that the Astoria police had already asked her that same question. Molly had been near tears during the entire conversation but had held them back somehow. Clarice could only imagine the anxiety the other woman was feeling right now, not knowing where her child was. Clarice had then told Molly that she would contact the Portland, Oregon field office and request their assistance on the case. Molly had been overjoyed and had thanked Clarice profusely, who had become embarrassed and had attempted to get off the phone quickly. Then suddenly and quietly Molly had asked about Will. She had asked how and why he had come back to the FBI and how long he had been clean. Clarice had sighed softly, put her head in her free hand, and shook it slowly, eyes closed. She had finally told Molly that those were questions better poised to Will himself. Molly had agreed, thanked her profusely again for her help and they had hung up with Clarice promising to have Will call her the moment he returned.

Clarice sighed again now and chewed absently on the end of her pen as she watched the rain fall. Apparently Molly had not bothered to change her last name back to her maiden name after the divorce. Clarice pursed her lips in contemplation.

'Maybe it's just easier that way,' she mused and frowned.

The pang of jealousy that she had felt earlier had slowly worked its way into full blown insecurity and she hated herself for it. She knew how Will felt about her, after all how many times a night did he whisper his feelings to her. Still, there was something daunting about facing an ex- wife. After all, Molly and Will had once built a life together, they had shared memories together, and they had a child together. Clarice knew that she and Will had none of that together. And she knew how much Will had loved her and how it had nearly killed him when Molly had left and taken Josh.

She rubbed her tired eyes and decided to call it a day. She had done all she could do at this point. She wished that Will had not gone to meet Kendra. Suddenly, Clarice felt helpless. She was helpless to change the situation and helpless to get in touch with Will to tell him about his son. She contemplated driving to the Aquarium to see if she could find him. She glanced at the clock, it was almost 3 pm. Will had left nearly an hour ago and he had said he would not be long. He was probably on his way back right now. Still, Clarice wished she could get in contact with him.

'Dammit,' she thought. 'Why can't he buy a cell phone and join the rest of us here in the 21st century?'

But Will adamantly detested cell phones. He hated the idea of being tethered to a phone and available twenty four hours a day. Clarice shook her head and yawned. She was tired and it was time to go. She called Seth Williams and asked him to meet her in the parking lot. Seth had volunteered earlier in the week to be Clarice's escort, much to her appreciation. It gave the two of them a chance to reconnect as friends and besides Will and Ardelia, Seth had become the only other person she felt she could confide in. The evening rides had become a time that both agents looked forward to and were usually full of laughter, but not tonight.

Half an hour later, after having switched to their fourth and final car and on the last leg of the drive to the latest hotel, Clarice sat back in the passenger seat, her right elbow leaning on the doorframe, fingers rubbing her right temple. She could feel a monster headache brewing. The ride had been relatively quiet and Seth could tell there was something bothering her, but he knew better than to pester her. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him. Clarice yawned and glanced sideways at Seth.

"Did Agent Vega say if Will had called or come in when you left?" She asked, speaking of Will's driver for the week.

"He didn't say," Seth shook his head and looked over at her for a moment. "Why?"

"There's a matter that requires his immediate attention," she paused. "His son has gone missing."

Seth glanced at her again before looking back at the road. "Really? Runaway?"

Clarice shrugged and watched the buildings outside roll by. "Hopefully," was all she said.

"Why hopefully?" Seth's brow furrowed in puzzlement.

"Because there was a Lecter sighting near his home a couple of days ago," she said quietly.

"You don't think Lecter would be that careless do you? To snatch Will's kid in the same week that his picture and name have been all over the news?" Seth asked incredulous.

Clarice just shrugged and continued to stare out the window, listening to the windshield wipers moved hypnotically.

Seth looked at her and then looked back to the road. "But why would he stay in the country? Why would he nab Will's son?"

"Revenge," she whispered.

"Against Will?" Seth was puzzled.

"Possibly," Clarice closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Seth turned the car into the hotel parking lot, found a parking space, put the transmission in park, and turned to face Clarice. "Okay, stop speaking in one word sentences," he said quietly. "There's something you're not telling me."

Clarice opened her eyes but could not look at him. She stared out the window toward the hotel pool, watching the rain bounce off the surface. They were both silent for a time, listening to the rain pound against the roof, the tick of the engine as it cooled, and the traffic whizzing by on the highway. Seth watched her but did not press her to speak.

"Will and I are sleeping together," she finally said, still unable to meet his gaze.

Seth inhaled sharply but said nothing. He turned his head and watched the rain run down the windshield. "How long," he asked finally.

"Just a few days."

"And Dr. Lecter knows."

It was a statement, not a question but Clarice nodded anyway. The silence resumed for a moment, both agents lost in thought.

"It just happened," Clarice said quietly in defense.

Seth turned back to her. "Clarice, I'm not judging you," he said simply. "Besides I know you and with you sex doesn't just happen. You don't just hop into bed with anyone. It's probably something you'd been thinking about for awhile."

Clarice nodded and a single tear slipped down her cheek. She was relieved that he understood for she had fervently hoped that he would. She glanced down at her clasped hands in her lap and he put his hand over both of hers.

"To be honest I'm not all that surprised about you and Will."

Clarice looked up at him. "Why?"

"From everything I'd heard about him before he became your partner, he just sounded so much like you. Then after you first met him you told me yourself that he reminded you of you," Seth grinned. "And now that I've met him and spent time with him, I can see it for myself. The two of you seem to just fit together, I can't explain it. You're both so similar that sometimes it's scary."

Clarice managed a small smile. She'd had those same thoughts herself.

"But now you're afraid that your relationship with Will has caused his son to become a victim," Seth finished and gripped her hands tightly.

Clarice closed her eyes and nodded. Seth always seemed to be able to put into words what she was thinking. "This is all my fault. It is because of Dr. Lecter's obsession with me. I will never forgive myself if anything happens to Josh," her voice was husky with choked tears. "And I know that Will won't be able to forgive me either."

"First of all," Seth said gently, "you don't know for sure what has happened to his son. Secondly, Will's reaction is up to him and I can't imagine he would blame you for this. After all, last time I checked, it takes two to tango and I think he would blame himself before you."

Clarice nodded again and opened her eyes. "You're probably right. What I need to do right now is go get checked in and wait for Will to show up. I need to be strong for him now. I have a feeling it's going to be a very long night."
Clarice was correct, it did indeed turn out to be a very long night but not because of the reason she initially thought it would be. For four hours after Seth saw her to her room, Clarice paced, bit her nails, flipped through the TV channels not really watching, phoned Will's home number, phoned the office to see if he had called or come in, and just plain fretted.

Now she lay down on the bed. She was utterly exhausted but she knew that sleep would not come. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to think of anything other than obsessing over Will's whereabouts. Her thoughts turned to the conversation they had had last night. It had been late. They had been in bed and they had talked for an hour after making love about everything and nothing, it did not matter what. Then Will had given her a goodnight kiss and rolled over onto his stomach. Clarice had lain wide eyed and watched the shadows on the ceiling, contemplative. She had known that Will was dozing, she heard his breathing deepen. She had decided she needed to talk with him.

"Will," she had whispered into the dark.

He had stirred at the sound of her voice but did not open his eyes. "Hmm?" He had replied sleepily.

"Don't leave me okay?" She had said quietly.

He had rolled over on his side to face her and opened his eyes. "Baby, I'm not going anywhere," he paused and stroked the hair away from her face. "What brought this on?"

Clarice had turned her head to look at him and reached up to absently stroke the stubble that had begun on his cheeks. "It's just that besides you I've only ever put my trust in two other men and both of them left me in their own way. I trusted them completely, I was vulnerable around them completely, I opened up to them completely, I shared a strong connection with them completely, and they left me. Now if it's possible, I feel an even stronger connection with you than I did with either of them and I'm scared. My father left me...Dr. Lecter left me...I could not bear it if you left me too."

As she had talked, tears had begun to streak from her eyes to the pillow below. Will had taken her in his arms and held her tightly, whispering her name over and over again in comfort.

"Clarice, oh Clarice, it's alright."

She had cried freely and unabashedly for some time. When she had finished he had kissed away her tears and made love to her so tenderly that she had felt whole and complete and safe, both of them whispering how much they cared for the other. Afterward, exhausted, they had slept entangled in each other's arms and they had both slept soundly that night with no demons running through their dreams.

Years ago Clarice Starling had come to realize that she had major issues stemming from the death of her father that she had not even begun to explore or work through. She attributed her general attraction to older men to the fact that she had lost her father at such a young age. The two of them had been so close, he had been her whole world, she had absolutely adored him and he had been taken from her. She supposed she looked to other men to help fill the void left by her father's murder, attempting to reclaim the closeness with him that had been stolen from her. Now, with Will, she felt as if the hole that had been inside her since she was ten was finally beginning to close.

'I miss you so much Daddy,' she thought. 'But I'm finally happy again.'

Yes she was happy again. But she had come to care so intensely for Will in such a relatively short period of time and the intensity of her feelings scared her immensely. Now she attempted to push the words from her mind that hovered just under her subconscious, for to admit them to herself would be to open up to the possibility of being hurt again and she had worked her entire adult life to protect herself from that possibility. But stubbornly, the words would not go.

"Dear God," she whispered, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling, "I'm falling in love with him."

That explained her lighter-than-air feelings, that explained her concerns for his well being before her own, that explained her ever growing desire to just be around him, and that explained her intense feelings of insecurity over Molly Graham's phone call.

Clarice knew that Will had his own insecurities as well regarding her feelings for Dr. Lecter, especially after last night when she had talked of him having left her. Will had not pressed her for details about how exactly Clarice felt that Dr. Lecter had left her, but she could tell that the mention of his name had bothered Will. A few weeks ago, she had told him her true feelings for the doctor, feelings that she had barely even admitted to herself, and he had understood them. But now that they had become lovers, Clarice knew that Will held some reservations that perhaps one day Dr. Lecter would come along and steal her heart away although she knew that could never happen. Clarice decided that she would be sure and clear the air regarding Dr. Lecter with Will once the present crisis had been solved.

'The present crisis,' she thought and her mind returned to the problem at hand.

Clarice glanced at her watch with weary eyes. It was just after 7:30pm. Will had been gone far too long for a simple meeting. She swallowed heavily and sat up. She had to do something, just sitting here was killing her. She picked up the phone and dialed Ardelia's number. When 'Delia answered, Clarice was nearing panic.

"Claire," 'Delia asked, concerned. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Will hasn't shown up yet. I'm worried sick."

"Alright," she replied calmly. "Sit tight. Seth and I will be right there."

Fifteen minutes later, they were speeding toward downtown D.C., silence abounding within the car. Clarice sat in back, chewing on her nails, staring out her window and watching the rain. Ardelia turned around to watch her friend but said nothing. She could only imagine the thoughts that were running through her best friend's mind.

They drove around the block that housed the Aquarium first but detected nothing out of the ordinary. The building was dark and deserted, well after regular business hours. Seth turned into the parking lot of the Ronald Reagan building and drove slowly, all three agents scanning the area for Will's car. On the third level, Clarice spied it.

"Look! Right there!" She exclaimed, leaning over the front seat and pointing.

Seth nodded and drove in that direction but had to stop as a Cadillac Seville driven by an old woman pulled slowly out from her parking space. Clarice groaned in frustration and could wait no longer. She bounded from the car and raced toward the 4-Runner.

"Clarice," Ardelia called after her.

Clarice reached the vehicle and peered through the tinted rear windows. She saw nothing. She looked into the front seat, empty. Then she spied the piece of paper on the windshield, tucked under one of the wipers. She pulled it out carefully as Seth and 'Delia walked up behind her. When she opened it, she instantly recognized Dr. Lecter's neat scrawl and her heart dropped. There was one simple line.

"Tag, you're it, Clarice."
To be continued. Please review!

guber: Thank you so much for your kind review. I'm so happy to know you are enjoying the story. And no, you'll just have to wait until the end to find out who (if anyone) Clarice ends up with! Thanks again.

ducki: LOL, yes, they are getting cozy! Thank you for reading and reviewing.

ar-men66: Oh thank you so much for your kind words. Don't worry, I will not stop this story, I will keep writing until it's done! I'm having too much fun with it to stop! Thanks again for reviewing.

DevilsQT: Aww, don't die on me!! Thank you for reading and reviewing. It's great that you are enjoying the story so much. Yes, I think we all know a good psychiatrist to help you if needed!

Kurt: Yes, Zachary was a bit rude, he's certainly not as cultured as his mentor is he? As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.

Shattered: Well my Price of Infamy junkie, I'm glad that you are sticking around despite the absence of H/C mush! LOL, yeah, horny teenage boys are irritating as hell! I will do my best to see to it that you get your regular fix although if you read my author's note at the beginning, there may be some lapses. But I will not let you go through withdrawl, don't worry!! LOL! Thanks for reviewing and see you next time around.

LoT: With regards to Zachary, let me quote the GD from RD, "we must not judge him too harshly." LOL! But I'll let you in on a secret: I'm setting the stage for the sequel a bit here and there. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Nan: Yep, they are in even more trouble now! Thank you for your wonderful review, you're always so kind. See you next time.