Chapter Twelve:

Don't Let Me Go

Some things we don't talk about

Rather do without

And just hold a smile

Falling in and out of love

Ashamed and proud of

Together all the while

Picture you're the queen of everything

Far as the eye can see

Under your command

I will be your guardian

When all is crumbling

I'll steady your hand

We can never say never

While we don't know when

But time and time again

Younger now than we were before

Don't let me go

Don't let me go

Don't let me go

We're pulling apart and coming together again and again…

The Fray, Never Say Never

Heero was the type of soldier – and the type of person – who was constantly aware of his surroundings, always knowing exactly where his body was in time and space without having to so much look at a clock. But once he guided his shuttle into the space port on L1, he allowed his mind and body to go on autopilot. Somehow he found himself back at the hotel where the ESUN conference was taking place without remembering quite how he got there. He knew he hadn't been hypnotized or brainwashed and told to go to his "happy place"— an unfortunately necessary part of his brutal training that bordered on torture when he was just a small child. But after allowing the Zero System to infiltrate his thoughts back on the Aventinus hours ago, Heero couldn't help but be reminded of the techniques that had been used on him to make him into the Perfect Soldier. It had been hours since his reunion with Zero, and Heero was still trying to shake off its effects.

He forced his still hazy mind to focus. He remembered Relena's itinerary and knew that there was a banquet being held that night to kick off the first official day of the conference. Relena would have spent most of the day in meetings. Tomorrow she was to give a speech and attend some press conference and PR thing— what it was exactly, he couldn't remember, but it was probably just the usual political spiel.

Heero encountered some difficulty making his way to the banquet hall. Security had been tightened, probably in light of his absence, and it took several forms of identification to prove that he was, in fact, who he said he was. He tried not to let that bother him as he entered the hall and began scanning the room for Relena.

Soft piano music mingled with the din of delegates and press people laughing and chattering along with the clinking of champagne glasses and silverware. Heero zeroed in on Relena, who was sitting at the end of a long table flanked by Quatre and Trowa. It reminded Heero of how he found Relena on her twenty-first birthday, which already felt like ages ago. And while years had not passed since they were last together – in fact, it had been less than 24 hours – Heero felt like he had already lived several lifetimes since he saw her last. Since Zero had taken him through several scenarios in only seconds, it certainly felt as though he had.

He wasted no time making his way toward her, stopping just short of running so as not to attract too much attention; the last thing he needed was security interfering with his agenda. He stopped right behind Relena, breathing hard. Her strapless dress and updo showed off her bare back and shoulders, which he couldn't help but notice. Those shoulders arched as soon as he was behind her, as if she sensed him there. Relena whirled around in her seat.

"Heero?" She sounded bewildered. "What are you doing here? I thought you left. Trowa—"

"I'm back," Heero interrupted curtly. "We need to talk."

She just gaped up at him for a beat before turning her back to him again. "Not now, Heero. I'm busy."

He tried not to get aggravated at her, since she had no idea what he was about to tell her. He was sure that soon, she would feel differently. He cleared his throat but she had gone back to talking to the other delegates seated with her.

Quatre gave Heero a sympathetic smile. "Why don't you join us, Heero? I could find you a chair…"

He shook his head. "I need to talk to Relena. Alone. It's urgent."

Relena waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until after dinner. Which you're interrupting," she added icily under her breath. Heero of course heard her.

"And you're frustrating the hell out of me." He realized too late that he'd spoken the words out loud. But he wouldn't apologize or take it back—and his statement seemed to do the trick. He watched Relena stiffen, then relent, rising to her feet. He knew she couldn't stand the embarrassment of having an argument in front of her fellow world leaders. She would bite her tongue and go along with him, if only for the sake of keeping up appearances.

And so she extended her arm to Heero, even gave him a slight smile. He took her arm in his and escorted her out of the room.

"I'll see you all later," she called to the other politicians over her shoulder. As soon as she and Heero left the room, him steering her toward the elevator, she dropped his arm and hissed, "What is this about?"

He ignored her irritation as he punched in the floor they were staying on. "We'll discuss it in private."

She released an exasperated sigh. "I really don't want to do this again, Heero. I thought we were going to put our differences aside for the time being, so I could focus on this conference. And you were going to take some much-needed time off and rest, remember? I thought you left hours ago."

"I did," he answered flatly. "I met up with Une on Aventinus. I…" Heero's dark eyes darted around furtively. "I really can't talk about this now. Let's go somewhere."

Relena raised an eyebrow. "Where? I thought we were going back to the room…"

"We were. But this place makes me nervous. I don't trust it." Heero thought of the very real possibility that their conversation could be bugged. Relena touched his arm, cutting through his rapid-fire thoughts.

"You already checked our room when we first got here, remember? You said it was all clear." Heero felt his heart rate slow down, just a little. She was right. And he could always check it again. Besides, he didn't know where they could go at the late hour to have a private conversation. The only place he would feel truly safe would be his shuttle, or perhaps on the Aventinus, and he knew Relena wouldn't agree to leave the colony— not yet.

She seemed less annoyed with Heero as they walked down the hall together toward their room; her initial annoyance had seemingly been replaced by concern. She cast a few sidelong glances at him as they walked.

"Is… everything all right?" she asked, her voice slightly shaking, although he recognized the tone she used when she was trying to remain calm.

"No," he answered. He could see her eyes widen as he scanned his key card and opened the hotel room door. Relena staggered forward silently and he locked the door behind them. He took a few moments inspecting the room once more before coming back to where Relena stood, completely still. Her face held a vacant expression, as if she were bracing herself for bad news.

"Is it… it my brother?" she whispered. "Have you heard something? Has Une? Is that why—"

Heero took both of her hands in his to refocus her attention. "It's not Zechs. Zechs is fine, as far as I know. Noin, too," he added quickly, and the worried look faded from Relena's face. She let out a labored sigh.

"Then what is it? Judging from that wild look in your eyes, it seems serious." She gazed at him quizzically. "Something happened to you; I can tell. What was it?"

Heero dropped her hands and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly noticing how stiff and sore he felt. He also realized that he had no idea where to begin. How to succinctly tell Relena about everything he saw? What if she just thought he was crazy?

She seemed to read his thoughts again, and whispered, "Just start from the top, Heero. Tell me everything."

She was inside his head; he still didn't know how she did that. As a perfect soldier, he was not supposed to be so easy to read. Either she could see right through his stoic façade, or he had gotten into the habit of dropping his guard around her. It didn't matter anymore— he had become a knight without armor, humbled before his queen. He walked over to one of the couches in the suite's common area and sank into it; she followed suit and plopped down beside him.

He rubbed his eyes wearily before launching into his tale. It was not an easy one to tell.

"Like I said earlier," he began. "I went to see Une on Aventinus. She said she had data that I should see."

"Of what?" Relena interjected, her interest obviously piqued.

"I'm getting to that," he continued, realizing that it was going to take a long time for him to get the story out. "First, you should know that the Preventers have been working to un-encrypt data that was found among Treize's possessions…"

Relena gasped, but clamped her mouth back shut without saying anything. She nodded at Heero to go on.

He almost chuckled, shaking his head. "I haven't even gotten to the good part, Relena. Anyway, it probably wouldn't surprise you to learn that Treize was some mastermind who had information on everyone involved in the Eve Wars. But his knowledge went back well before that. Une told me that this data contained information on my past— my biological parents. My real name."

Relena's eyes grew wider as she listened, hanging on every word.

"I should preface this by telling you that last night, when I was out looking for you, I encountered a woman who said I look like her son, who went missing. She thinks she could be my birth mother."

Now Relena couldn't help but speak, releasing a flurry of questions. "Heero, are you serious? What happened? Who is she? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't get a chance to tell you. We… had other things we were discussing. Remember?" Heero said pointedly. Relena lowered her eyes, likely embarrassed that they had been caught up in a superficial argument while Heero was dealing with a personal crisis— finding potential answers to questions he had been asking his entire life.

"I'm sorry," Relena whispered, touching his arm again. "Tell me now."

Heero took hold of her hand and laced their fingers together. Relena didn't seem to mind. He drew some comfort from the contact, took a deep breath and told her of his brief meeting with Misaki. And how, when he told Une that he had a "family matter" to attend to, she had invited him onboard the Aventinus. He briefly explained the computer system the Preventers had acquired, which was basically the Zero System 2.0, and how it showed Heero glimpses of the past and future. He tried to explain this with as little preamble as possible; he had told Relena about the Zero System before.

"I learned," Heero said slowly, "that this woman in the café isn't my birth mother. She couldn't be. My birth mother's name was Aoi Clark. That was her married name, but her husband wasn't my father. My father was Odin Lowe."

He said it so casually, and yet Relena gasped. He knew she recognized his father's name from the little he had told her about his childhood, or what he could remember of it.

"So… your name really is 'Odin Lowe Junior,' then?" Relena whispered. Heero stroked her hand with his thumb.

"No. He and my mother never married, and had broken up before she gave birth to me. I don't think he knew about me; not at first. She married a man named Seis Clark. Then they were killed, and Odin came back for me. Took me under his wing." Heero laughed drily. "He called me 'Junior' as a joke. I doubt he knew I was really his son; I think he just thought I was his ex-girlfriend's kid, so he felt somewhat obligated to look after me." Heero shrugged. "It's confusing. And it gets more complicated…"

Relena sucked in a breath, waiting for him to go on.

Heero realized that, from Relena's perspective, he had probably come to the most relevant part. He paused before delivering his revelation.

"My name is Heero Yuy."

Relena titled her head at him quizzically. "But…"

He repeated it, feeling a thrill he didn't quite yet understand. "My name," he added the emphasis, "is Heero Yuy."

She shook her head. "I don't understand… Your mother's name was Clark; your father's name was Lowe…"

"Apparently I was named after the colonial leader, Heero Yuy. And that's where Zero seems to have a glitch— it didn't tell me what, if any, relationship I have to the original Heero Yuy. But I can infer from other things I saw that he was either my grandfather or great uncle. Which would make Treize my cousin, or something."

"Treize… was related to Heero Yuy, too?" Relena looked confused, trying to piece it all together.

"I'm not sure, but it appears that way. What's more," Heero lowered his voice. "My father – Odin – is the assassin who killed Heero Yuy."

Relena bolted up straight in her seat. "That can't be."

"Yeah." Heero didn't know what else to say about it; despite the fact that he was talking about his own kin, it didn't seem real to him. They could have been talking about anyone.

"I saw it happen," Heero continued in a cold, detached manner. "Zero showed me, so I know it was Odin." He shrugged. "It's a page in a history book now."

Relena shook her head, still stunned.

"I saw some of your family members as well," he continued. Relena looked back up at him, intrigued. "Your grandmother apparently had a relationship with Heero Yuy. They were involved, I don't know for how long. It doesn't appear that they ever married. Otherwise you and I would be related, too."

Relena's mouth dropped open; her cheeks flushed. "I…" she whispered.

Heero couldn't help but smirk. "I don't care if you're my cousin. Aren't royal lines always incestuous?"

Relena gasped and swatted him on the arm. "Heero!"

"Relax," he said, taking hold of her other hand. "We're not related. I was teasing. Also, your grandmother piloted a mobile suit. I thought you might want to know that."

"Really?" Relena's eyes shone. "That's incredible. I know so little about my grandmother, or most of my family, actually. I would love to find out more…" Her voice trailed off and she regarded Heero curiously.

"Heero, so far the things you're telling me… while I understand the importance of this information… why the urgency? You rushed all the way back here from the Aventinus to tell me about this? And why would you even want to tell me, after the fight we had earlier?"

"That's only part of what I needed to tell you," Heero answered, "so you would understand the rest. I told you Zero can show you the past; it can also show you the future. Possible futures."

Relena nodded. "So I've heard. Well… what did you see?"

This was the part he was dreading; the words struggled to escape his lips. But little by little, the story tumbled out. It was beyond his control. His mouth managed to form words and lace together the images he had seen. Relena's eyes kept widening, blinking madly as Heero painted pictures with his words. And the pictures were far from pretty.

"I saw your death," he said at last. His mouth felt dry. "I'm going to do my utmost to prevent it, which is why I'm here."

Relena squirmed uneasily. "What is it? You can tell me."

Heero paused. His hands and hers were still joined; he took the opportunity to pull her into his arms. She didn't resist him, but rested her head on his shoulder, tilting her face so that she was looking up at him.

"Heero, what is it?" she repeated. "Tell me."

Her voice sounded far away to him as he felt swept up in the image once more.

"A virus," he choked. "That's how it starts. You're going to be injected with it, along with millions of people. Then you're assassinated. A… a bomb," he managed, his stomach sick over the gruesome image. "And those millions die with you. You're the trigger to unleashing the virus on the populace, somehow. I don't fully understand the technology, but it's a method of biochemical warfare that's been developed over the past few decades. All told, one billion people will die as a result." He squeezed Relena tightly against his chest. "One billion… and one."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Heero ran a hand through Relena's long hair, something he secretly cherished doing. He wanted to enjoy the simple action while he had the chance.

"How can this be?" Relena finally whispered. "I don't see how it's possible."

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out. And I'll make sure that nothing like this can ever happen. Not to you," he growled, resolute.

Relena sat up, breaking their contact. "You said the Zero System shows you possible futures, Heero, right?"

"Yeah…" he answered slowly.

"So, it's possible that this won't happen at all?"

Heero scratched the back of his head. "It's possible. But if no one does anything to change the outcome, then, no. Which is why I need to do something."

"Hmm." Relena's eyebrows knit together as she contemplated something. "Has anyone verified the accuracy of this Zero System?"

Heero frowned. "What are you getting at, Relena? You don't think any of this is true?"

"I'm not saying any, Heero, just maybe not all of it. I mean, we have to consider that it could be false information. A mirage. Maybe the system made you hallucinate. You did tell me that people went crazy from the Zero System before."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "So you think I'm crazy now?"

"No," Relena placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not you. But maybe this machine, or whatever it is, had a hallucinogenic effect on you. I—"

"I've had every hallucinogen in existence, Relena," Heero cut her off. "I've been drugged, brainwashed, hypnotized, you name it. This is not the same thing, trust me."

"I'm sorry. I know this is emotional for you, Heero. I just… I can't believe things could happen like that."

"You doubt the Zero System, which is known for its flawless battle calculations," Heero spat. "A marvel of modern science and technology. But if this came to you from some deity in a vision or whatever, would you doubt the veracity of it then?"

Relena's shoulders sagged. "I don't know. I've never experienced anything like that. Please understand; it's difficult to take all of this. Maybe I just need to see it."

"We'll head to the Aventinus first thing tomorrow. You can see for yourself."

Relena shook her head. "I can't tomorrow. I've got a full schedule— I can't slip away so easily."

Heero's mind clicked over to Relena's schedule, the itinerary he'd memorized. Delegate breakfast; advisory meeting; budget hearing; lunch; press conference; photo op. And that's when it hit him— something he'd been trying to think of earlier. The press conference. Relena was going to answer questions about a new vaccine. So far the information had been classified; they had nicknamed it "Project Aurora." Its less flowery name was the PPP vaccine.

Heero's heart slammed into his stomach.

Then, Relena was going to do a photo op— as the first person to take the vaccine.

Unless he stopped her.

He gripped Relena's shoulders suddenly, desperate to hold onto her.

"What is it now?" she gasped at his sudden change in demeanor.

"Change of plans," he said gruffly.

"Heero—" Relena tried to wriggle out of his grasp but couldn't. "Don't be ridiculous. I have work to do… I need to be here."

"You need to cancel your photo op." He glowered at her, trying to communicate with his eyes. Please don't do this, Relena.

"Now you're just jumping to conclusions," Relena said in her "trying to stay calm" voice. "You're saying this vaccine is the same as the virus? That's quite a leap in logic, don't you think? I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

Heero shook his head firmly. "I know they're the same thing— Une told me. She knows all about it."

Relena looked surprised. "Une?"

"You can ask her to elaborate if you don't believe me. Just do me this one favor, Relena." He tightened his hold on her. "Don't take the vaccine— not yet."

"But Heero, people are depending on me," Relena sputtered, growing visibly emotional.

"Don't you get it? People will die," Heero said harshly. "You'll die. You're not seeing the big picture."

"You have to understand how hard all of this is to believe. And your behavior has been quite erratic over the past few days. I mean," Relena continued gently, "you haven't been sleeping or taking care of yourself. I saw the mess you made this morning, breaking the bathroom mirror… And the way you ran around after me all night, driving yourself crazy with unnecessary anxiety…" She lowered her eyes. "The way… the way you almost made love to me, but then told me you didn't love me at all…"

"I shouldn't have done that," he stammered. "I'm sorry. I… I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, Relena. But give me a chance to explain."

"What more is there to explain?" she sighed. Relena tried to reach for him, despite his hold on her shoulders. He relaxed his grip a little, expecting her to back away, but she moved closer into his arms.

"Looks like we still have a lot of things to sort out," she murmured into his chest.

"Hn." He breathed in the floral scent of her hair.

"But not tonight." She jabbed a finger into his chest. "You need to sleep. And so do I. We're not going to get into all of this, all over again. We'll be going around in circles all night."

He couldn't disagree with her. His body and mind were shattered. For now he focused on holding her; at least she let him do that.

"Come on." Relena untangled herself from his grasp and rose to her feet. She held out her hand, which he took without question. She led him toward her bedroom.

Now he was awake.

"What are you doing?" he stopped at her door.

"Trowa's staying here tonight, remember? I gave him your room; I didn't know you'd be back so soon. So you can stay with me. On one condition," she held up a finger.

Heero's mind spun. "What?"

"You keep your hands to yourself. And stay on your side of the bed. You're on probation."

She flounced into her room and flicked on the bedside lamp, then rummaged through her suitcase before pulling out a nightgown. She padded over to the bathroom to change.

Heero just gaped after her. "I thought I was fired?"

"You are," she called from the bathroom. It sounded like she was brushing her teeth. "This is relationship probation," she continued. "Not professional probation. Professionally, you're still fired."

"What the hell does that mean?" Heero went back to the common area to retrieve his duffel bag. He yanked off his Preventer uniform and changed into a pair of gray pajama pants and a worn white t-shirt. He grabbed his toothbrush and waited by the bathroom door.

"It means no sex," Relena answered, emerging from the bathroom in her pink silk chemise, which hugged her every curve. "No nothing. Not until we sort things out."

Heero watched her saunter over to the bed. "So you wore that," he muttered. "Figures." He went to the bathroom sink to brush his teeth, muttering curses on the way. He finished, switched off the light, and slowly climbed into bed next to Relena, despite his puzzlement over the entire situation.

"So what do I need to do to get my job back?" he asked her in the darkness. He was hyper-aware of her presence, her warm body, only inches away from him. It was maddening.

"Honestly, I don't know if I want to hire you back, Heero." Her soft voice held a teasing lilt. "You're quite insubordinate. Not to mention you tried to seduce your boss. I ought to report you to HR."

"Fine," Heero glowered. "I don't think I want to work for you ever again, anyway."

"Oh, really?"

"No. You said it yourself— our working together is far too inappropriate. I don't want you suing me for sexual harassment."

Relena giggled.

"And if this is a relationship, as you suggested, then that would mean we both have a major conflict of interest," he added, inching just a little closer to her. "So if you hadn't fired me, I'd have no choice but to resign."

"Heero." She whispered his name. Even in the darkness he knew she was looking right at him, her lips mere inches from his. He moved his face closer.

"Relena," he began. "I…"

He felt her finger on his lips. "Not so fast," she scolded. "Probation means probation, Heero Yuy."

His heartbeat quickened when she spoke his full name; his real name. Now that he knew it was his, it finally meant something to him. "Say that again," he whispered urgently.

"Probation?"

"No— say… Say my name."

Relena was quiet for a moment. Then he felt her wrap her arms around his neck in a tight squeeze. His arms did the rest, enveloping her in his strong embrace. He didn't want to ever let her go.

She was waiting for the right moment to say it, he realized. She must have realized the weight of those two simple words. All this time, he had been her "hero," she had said. She had told him in the past that it didn't matter what his given name was; he would always be "Heero" to her. Now she knew that she would never have to call him anything different. He had heard her speak his name far more frequently than anyone else; to others, he was often someone else entirely, still using codenames. But she had never known him as anything, or anyone, else.

Relena's face was buried in his shoulder as they held one another tightly. But at last she lifted her head so that they were face to face. She leaned her forehead against his, their noses touching. He could feel her heartbeat, her every breath.

She whispered before finally pressing her lips against his. "Heero Yuy."

It took all of Heero's self-control not to deepen the kiss much more. He had to keep a tight lid on his desires in order to comply with her request. He broke away from her before his hands – and the rest of his body – could start acting of their own accord.

"Now what was that other thing you said, about probation?" he smirked.

She reached up to ruffle his unruly hair. "You're on probation," she teased. "I'm not."

"That hardly seems fair," he growled, snatching her by the waist and pulling her against him once more.

She squealed and tried to break free. "I think it's fair, considering all you've put me through these past few days. So, I get to set the pace now."

"You're still my boss, then," Heero teased. "Is this some legal loophole that I don't know about?"

"No…" she started to say, but he was kissing her neck. "Stop it," she said breathlessly. "You don't get to be off the hook that easily."

"Sorry," he said, summoning a mighty effort to back away. "I can't help it."

"I'm not helping either, I know." Relena fell back against her pillows. "But the truth is, I'm still confused about… whatever is going on between us. I just didn't want to discuss it tonight, not when neither one of us has had a good night's sleep in days, and neither of us is thinking rationally, not to mention everything you're dealing with, and…"

"I love you."

Even Heero was surprised as the words escaped his lips. They'd been held inside for far too long. Between their explosive exchange last night, their bitter argument the following morning, and his revelation on the Aventinus, Heero had planned to say the words eventually. But he was hoping the right moment would present itself. He realized as he said it that this was probably not that moment.

Silence hung in the air between them for what felt like several minutes. Heero couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

Instead, he reached out tentatively and touched Relena's shoulder, mesmerized by the softness of her skin. His touch seemed to shake her out of a daze.

"Heero…" she whispered. "I don't know."

"What?" he murmured, caressing her shoulder. She sighed.

"I want to just let go of all of this anxiety, these fears and hurt feelings," she whispered sadly. "But I don't know if I can. It's just… it's too much, Heero. I don't know if my heart can bear it."

He felt a weight crushing his soul, but didn't want to say anything else. He had done irreparable damage to their relationship, he knew. He wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"But you already know that I love you," she added softy. "I still do. Nothing you could ever say or do could change how I feel."

That was enough for him. He trailed his fingers down her shoulder, grazing the rest of her arm until his hand reached hers. She in turn gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. It seemed to be the right thing to say, given his behavior over the past few days. "Let me start over."

"I am letting you," she said, her tone rising to a teasing lilt again. "That's why I haven't kicked you out yet."

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, encircling her from behind. "I'll try not to disappoint you," he spoke softly into her ear.

"And I'm holding you to that." She turned her head toward his, and he took the opportunity to kiss her lips.

"There's no one else," he said abruptly as he ended their kiss. "There's never been anyone. The things I said last night—"

Relena shook her head fervently. "It's all right, Heero, you don't have to do this…"

"I need you to know," he interjected. "I did lie to you, about my… experience, and I'm sorry; you were right about my reasons for lying, too. Trying to protect you from me. But I didn't want to hurt you."

"Stop," she whispered. "We don't have to discuss this now. Maybe someday, if you really want to. I think you need to know that I don't care."

"What?" Confusion clouded his thoughts.

"I don't care if there was ever anyone else; you're human, too, Heero. I only care about what happens now. And moving forward." She kissed him in reassurance. "I trust you. I believe in you. That's all that matters."

"Relena…"

"You're my only one, Heero. You always will be."

He tightened his embrace. "And you're mine."

She sighed happily. "All right. I think we can go to sleep now."

"Hn," came his response. Heero was fine with that; finally, he felt at peace. He shut his eyes, still holding Relena close, and prepared to drift off to sleep.

"Heero?" Relena sat up suddenly, her voice sounding worried.

"Yeah?"

"For the record…" she paused. "You… you really are a virgin?"

Heero would have laughed if he thought it was remotely funny. She couldn't tell?

"Yeah," he answered flatly.

"Good." Relena sighed and settled back against him, humming softly as she made herself comfortable. "Well, goodnight."

Heero got the sense that his troubles were just beginning. "Hn," he glowered. "Goodnight."

A/N:

This was a long one! Whew! I thought seriously about splitting this chapter in two, but didn't want to deprive you, dear readers. You've waited long enough. This might seem like a good place to end the story… but it's not! Still a few loose ends to tie up. Thanks for reading and reviewing!