Disclaimer: I don't own Community, I'm just playing in Dan Harmon's sandbox when he's not looking.

Chapter 18 - Silence Seizes a Cluttered Room

Author's note: the title picture for this story is taken from the opening scene of "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" and works just as well for the opening scene of this chapter. I'm rather happy about that. And once again, I'd like to thank Jeffwik for beta reading this and offering ideas that strengthened the storyline.

Week 25

(It was the last week of the semester, exams were over and Greendale was in party mood. Jeff swaggered onto campus like a rock star, exchanging cheery greetings with professor Whitman, Garrett and even Leonard.)

"Hi, Jeff!" Annie jogged up next to him, smiling broadly. Jeff smiled back and offered her his arm, she took hold of it. "I'll walk with you. I can't believe I made it through my first year of college - I finally get to click send on so many 'I told you so' emails!"

"Yeah, it's pretty great." Jeff was thoroughly amused at such an… Annie-ish concept of revenge. Not only that, but he suddenly realised - exams are out of the way and he's survived, he's walking in the open air on a perfect summer's day, he has a pretty girl who likes him and he likes back on his arm babbling cheerfully about nothing serious and he looks damn good.

"Not much could ruin today." He sighed happily, Annie smiled up at him.

"Hi!" The dean jumped out in front of them.

"Oh, shoot. I forgot saying that summons him." Jeff said, Annie squeezed his arm sympathetically.

"Will you be attending tomorrow's, uh, transfer ceremony to send off all the students leaving for so-called real schools, Jeffrey? There's a formal dance afterward. I suppose Miss Edison could come too." He ended with a snark at Annie. Annie just held even tighter onto Jeff's arm and flashed her best 'I bet you wish you were doing this' smile at the dean. He sniffed, ostentatiously ignored Annie and turned back to Jeff. "I assumed your whole posse would be coming to the dance, having heard the exciting news about Britta..."

XXXXXX

(Library steps)

"This is one time I wish I could be a fly on the wall with your study group, Jeff."

"I'm sorry Edison," Jeff smiled at her. "But look on the bright side - Abed will probably film it for the season finale of 'Community College Chronicles'."

"I suppose - but then I haven't really taken that show seriously since the nerdy brunette with the cardigan fixation and an obsession with the jerkass male model type got promoted to the regular cast instead of just being a recurring guest star." Annie's eyes sparkled with mischievous good humour.

"Hey - it was in response to audience demand, you should be flattered! See you later, Edison." Jeff bent and gave Annie a quick hug.

"And you Jeff," Annie returned the hug. They separated, Jeff bounded up the steps two at a time and swept through the door. He gave Annie a final wave as he disappeared, she waved back and headed off to meet with Joelle and Marcia.

XXXXXX

Jeff walked into the study room with a broad grin on his face.

"Um, everyone has to go to the transfer dance tomorrow." He said.

"I'm going," said Shirley. "My friend Gary's transferring." This news was greeted with derisory glee by the rest of the group, rather to Shirley's dismay.

"More importantly," Jeff resumed speaking, "our very own Britta Perry, it turns out, has been nominated for transfer queen."

"Oh, that's nice!" Shirley was trying to be polite.

"What the hell is a transfer queen?" Britta sounded disgusted.

"It's like a prom queen, apparently." Jeff had taken his seat and was casually resting his feet on the table. "You get a sash, then there's a vote and a crown for the winner. Aren't you excited, Britta? If it helps, Annie was so jealous when she heard you got nominated." Jeff was grinning openly now at his blonde friend's discomfiture.

"No, I'm not! And your little friend knows too? Eeew! How the heck did I get nominated, anyway?"

"Don't let it upset you, Britta." Shirley said. "It's the last day of the semester. Nothing can ruin that."

"Hi!" The dean jumped through the door.

"Amazing!" Said Jeff. "He's like an evil genie."

The dean ignored him. "Just spreading the news. Some folks say "transfer formal" isn't really rolling off the tongue, so we're just going to call it "The Tranny Dance"!"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Much more Greendale."

XXXXXX

(Cafeteria)

"Hi guys!" Annie said cheerily as she walked up with a coffee in her hand to the booth Marcia and Joelle were sitting at. "how are things?"

"Hi Annie," Marcia had a surprisingly nervous smile on her face.

"Is something up, Mar?" Joelle asked.

Marcia took a deep breath. "My application to Colorado State has been accepted. I'll be transferring out tomorrow."

"Oh - that's great," Annie sounded shocked. Joelle looked bereft.

"Look guys," Marcia was smiling, but she's got tears in her eyes. "It's only Fort Collins, that's less than two hours away so it'll be easy for you to visit and my family will still be here so I'll be back lots - you'll hardly notice I'm gone. This is a great opportunity for me - be happy for me, please?"

"Of course we are, Marcia!" Annie moved round the table to give her friend a somewhat tear-stained hug.

Joelle joined in from the other side. "Will miss you Mar, it's been fun."

Marcia gripped her friends even tighter. "I'm not dying, silly! Look, we're all going to Abed's party tonight, aren't we? We can drink stupid amounts of weak beer and say goodbye properly."

"What about the transfer ceremony?" Annie asked.

"Sorry - I can only stay for the formal bit then I've got to leave to catch a bus to Texas, I'm spending the summer with my cousins."

"Aw - then it really will be goodbye then." Annie said sadly, and gave her friend another hug.

XXXXXX

Jeff was strutting, for want of a better word, down a Greendale corridor.

"...Hey Jefe, you killed it!"

"No Jorge, you killed it! Are you going to Abed's kegger?" Jorge roared approval. "Sweet."

Jeff's good mood vanished when he saw a certain brunette leaning elaborately casually on the corridor wall.

"You probably don't want to talk to me." she said.

"Well, it's not Junior High. We're mature adults Michelle, we can talk."

"I think I handled our breakup poorly."

"Before I respond to that, I'll have to take an extra-strength vitamin duh." He turned to face her, mimed taking a pill. "Duh!"

"We started getting serious, and I got scared, and it's possible I made a mistake. Maybe we can talk about it sometime." She walked away, swinging her hips.

"Don't hold your breath on that one, Michelle." Jeff muttered under his breath.

XXXXXX

(That night, Abed's keg party)

Annie arrived before Joelle and Marcia and briefly looked around for somebody she recognised. she smiled warmly at the sight of Troy in a Sheriff's hat dancing to a heavy beat.

"Hi Annie!" He came over and smiled when he saw her.

"Hi Troy!" Annie smiled back. "Er, have you seen Jeff?"

"Behind you." Annie turned and saw Jeff's back disappearing into Abed's bedroom. "Oh, and Annie?"

"Yes, Troy?"

"Good luck, kid." He smiled hugely at her, Annie closed in and gave him a grateful hug. "Thanks, Troy."

Annie turned around and weaved her way slowly through the crowd.

XXXXXX

"Thank you." Jeff has handed Britta a cup of beer, and was still trying to persuade her to go to the dance and run for Tranny Queen.

"You know If you don't go to this dance tomorrow, we are not going to see each other for months."

Britta was having none of it. "It's not a Jane Austen novel. We have cell phones."

"Did you ever think it might be fun Britta, in a post-modern, ironic sort of way?" He flashed her his best I'm-too-cute-to-say-no-to smile.

Britta had seen the smile too many times before to give in to it now. "There's nothing post-modern or ironic about parading female flesh for the delectation of males, Jeff."

"You make it sound almost sordid, Britta…"

Before Britta could reply further, she spotted an all too familiar figure approaching. "Oh Professor Slater, hi." She said with all the warmth and friendliness one might use to announce a skunk with it's tail up. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, end of the year, randomly wandering - hi, Jeff!" Slater said, as though she's just seen him.

Britta looked shocked. "Are you two?"

"No!" They both said simultaneously.

"The two of you aren't?" Slater asked.

"No!" They both reply. "Just friends." Britta added.

"Same here." Slater said. "What about the midget with the infinite supply of pastel cardigans?"

"She's behind you." Britta fake whispered. Annie had just arrived.

Jeff gave Annie a far warmer smile than anything he's given Slater so far.

"My name's Annie, and I believe Abed keeps the aspirin in the cabinet above the sink."

"What?" Slater sounds confused.

"Oh, it's just that I heard that name gives you a headache." Annie said with her sweetest fake smile.

Slater threw her a look of cold fury and turned back to the others, only to see them wiping what looked like grins off their faces.

"Will I see you at the dance, Britta?"

Britta struggled with her conscience for a moment, she won. "Kind of obligated, seeing as I'm nominated for queen, so-"

"Oh!" Slater has recovered some of her snark. "I thought you were all into female empowerment."

"What's more empowering than a woman in a crown?" They both fake laughed at each other.

"Well, I'm sure that will be a treat for all of us. See you tomorrow - Britta, Jeff, Annie." She practically spat the last name out.

Annie was genuinely surprised to see the blonde look at her with something close to approval. I may not like the game you've been playing kid, Britta thought to herself, but anybody who can get under Slater's skin like that can't be all bad.

"Jeff, can I speak to you for a moment?" Annie asked. A brief expression of panic crossed Jeff's face as he glanced at Britta. "Go on Jeff," Britta smiled and waved her cup at him. "Your work here is done."

"Thanks Britta, see you later." he said and turned away. Annie gave Britta something close to a genuine smile, but linked arms with Jeff to be on the safe side as they walked away.

Oh, Winger. Britta thought to herself. I bet you think you're the one in charge of that relationship, don't you? I wonder how long that hasn't been true for?

"I can't believe you used the headache thing!" Jeff said in an awed tone of voice.

"I know! You should have seen her face!" Replied Annie happily.

Britta watched the exchange with a sad smile on her face. Has the world closed down to just the two of you yet, Jeff? Do you think you would notice when it did? I bet you thought she was the weaker one, but she's outlasted you hasn't she?

Britta had no answer to any of her questions of course, instead she turned to Shirley with a broad smile as the other woman approached with a triumphant expression on her face.

"Just did my first keg stand! Ha ha!" Her expression changed suddenly. "Can't feel my legs."

XXXXXX

"So Edison, was there something you needed to say to me, or could you just not bear to be away from me for a moment longer?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Jeff -"

Perhaps fortunately, before she could say anything else she was interrupted by a new voice.

"Hiya Annie, Jeff!"

"Hi Marcia, Joelle." Jeff said in an indulgent tone of voice. Annie let go of Jeff to greet her friends with a hug.

"Have you heard Marcia's news yet, Jeff?" Joelle asked.

"Er?" Jeff raised a questioning eyebrow while turning to look at Marcia.

"I'm spending the summer in Texas and transferring to Colorado State in the fall." She said. "I'll be leaving as soon as the formal bit of the transfer ceremony is over tomorrow - this is my last night in Greendale."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Marcia." Jeff was slightly surprised to find he was speaking the truth.

"Thanks Jeff. Look, can I have a private word?" She looked over at Annie.

"I promise not to dance with anyone before you get back, Jeff." Annie said with a sly smile.

Oh, so we're joking about that now, are we? Jeff thought wryly to himself, but limited his outward response to a small smile and a "thank you, Edison" as Marcia dragged him away to a reasonably quiet corner.

"Is this the bit where you tell me that, even though you're leaving, you'll still be keeping an eye on Annie and are still willing and able to inflict grievous bodily harm on me if I hurt her?" Jeff said with a smile.

"Yes." Said Marcia, with no hint of humour.

Jeff turned serious himself. "Look Marcia, I don't know what's going to go down with Annie - she has an opinion too after all - but I can promise you that hurting her is not part of the plan."

"I know you want to believe that Jeff, but let's face it - your track record isn't great."

Jeff was stung. "Marcia - this is Annie we're talking about. It doesn't matter what your track record was before you came to her, she lets you start again with a clean slate. I value that too much to risk losing it."

"Jeff - I want to believe you, but -"

"Marcia - if you don't trust me, trust Annie. She's so much stronger than she looks." Jeff pointed to the brunette, who was happily chatting with Joelle and Abed, who had just walked up.

Marcia looked for a long moment and sighed. "Alright then Jeff, I can do that at least."

Then she smiled slyly up at him.

"Just one more question." Jeff nodded his permission and Marcia continued speaking. "How come we never got drunk, spent the whole night banging each other's brains out and then blamed the booze in the morning, vowing never to talk about it again?"

Jeff looked highly amused at the suggestion. "Team Annie?"

"Probably. It's not just you she does it to, after all. Come here, pretty boy." Marcia pulled him in for an asphyxiating hug. "Be good to my girl, okay?" Jeff nodded seriously.

"Now that's out of the way, is there anything to drink here other than cheap beer?" She asked him.

"I stashed a decent bottle of Scotch under Abed's bed yesterday."

"You're a star, Jeff."

XXXXXX

(Day of the Tranny Dance)

Jeff and Annie have just had a coffee in the cafeteria. Jeff was tidying up his stuff and was ready to leave.

"So Edison, will I see you at the dance tonight?" He said with a cheery smile.

Annie suddenly straightened with resolve. Don't be afraid Annie, you have to do this.

No Jeff." She said. Jeff looked stunned.

"I don't want to 'see you there' Jeff." She continued. "I want to go there with you, as a couple."

"Whaaa -"

"We've been dancing around this for weeks now Jeff - we've had dinners that definitely weren't dates, hugs that were most definitely platonic, we have lunch or a coffee break almost every day and you spend more 'study time' with me than you do with your study group! Seriously Jeff, we're a couple or we're not!"

Jeff was flailing around desperately now. "It's semantics, really, isn't it?" He attempted a laugh. Annie was utterly unamused.

"Did you hear a word of what I just said, Jeff? If we're not a couple, what have we been doing? What would you describe us as?"

"Best friends ever?" Jeff was starting to panic now, and he doesn't react well when he's panicking.

"Oh!" Said Annie, bitterly. "Well, I guess I've had the wrong idea about us. But you know what? This is good. I'd be better off dating an adult - somebody who isn't afraid to use the word! See you around, Jeff."

"Edison - Annie - it's more complicated than that!" He grabbed her arm to prevent her leaving. The last time I allowed myself to think I could have a proper relationship was Slater, and she almost broke me. You were there remember? But somehow Jeff couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"No it isn't Jeff! Make your mind up and let me know, or we're done!"

Annie pulled herself free, turned around and stormed out. I am not going to cry. She said furiously to herself.

Jeff watched her depart until she disappeared from view.

XXXXXX

(Night of the Tranny Dance)

Jeff was feeling stressed out. He wasn't sure why he'd come to the dance - whether to apologise to Annie or to show her he was fine without her - but being there meant dealing with the other women in his life. Slater was still trying to make up to him, but Britta was determined not to let her have a free run, with the result that he was subjected to a truly awesome display of bitchcraft.

"Britta, you look great - such a stunning improvement!" Slater had said with a brilliant smile on her face.

"Thank you - God, you look gorgeous. It must've taken all day!" Britta had replied with equal enthusiasm. Then they had both tried to wipe imaginary smears off his face. Thankfully, Duncan had managed to repulse both of them long enough to allow Jeff to make his escape and join Troy and Abed. They were talking about shark jumping for some reason.

"Hi guys." Annie, Joelle and Marcia had turned up, they were all wearing coats. "Jeff." This said with frigid politeness.

"Annie." Jeff replied just as coldly.

"We're taking Marcia to the bus station," Annie explained.

"You be good, okay?" Jeff said to Marcia, ostentatiously ignoring Annie.

"I will, Jeff. This is something I need to do." She hugged him, and whispered in his ear. "Don't be an ass, Jeff - this girl is the best thing that's ever happened to you and you know it. Don't let her get away because you're too much of a jerk to let her know that." She looked hard into his eyes as she pulled away, Jeff looked right back at her, not flinching. Marcia sighed slightly and moved on.

"Troy, you never did buy me that drink."

Troy had the slight look of panic back on his face. "Erm, let me know the next time you're back in town okay?"

"Of course I will," he got a hug too.

Marcia then hugged Abed, whispering something in his ear. He nodded.

She backed off and waved. "Bye guys, see you around."

"Bye Marcia." Jeff.

"Bye." Troy.

"I will see you again, but not yet." Abed.

As the girls waved and left, Jeff turned to Abed. "Gladiator?"

Abed didn't answer him directly.

"There are only two timelines left for you now, Jeff."He said instead. "There's a bright timeline - the one with her in it where you stand a chance of being happy, and there's a dark timeline - the one where she isn't and you die lost and alone without anybody to lay flowers on your grave."

"What the heck, Abed?"

Abed ignored the protest. "And here's the thing Jeff - you think you're in control. But you're not - not anymore. The dark timeline is the default now and it'll happen if you make the wrong decision or no decision at all. You have to fight for the bright timeline now, you can't just assume it'll fall into your lap. And you don't have much time - if you haven't sorted it out before this night is over you will go on summer break and you will never see her again."

Jeff looked stunned. "This isn't one of your movies, Abed!"

"I know Jeff. Movies have heroes who get the girl in the final act. Movies have happy endings. Real life has this." He gestured briefly around him. "Real life has you."

Jeff looked at Abed as though he was about to punch him. Instead he turned around and stormed off.

XXXXXX

Duncan was trying to hit on Slater and getting nowhere.

"I think I'm probably leaving here with Jeff." She said in response to a particularly crude chat up line.

"Really? I'm sorry, I just assumed that you two were done." She gave him a look that said better than words 'even if we were, you wouldn't stand a chance.' It seemed to sink in.

"You do realise you're fighting the wrong enemy, don't you?"

"What?"

"Britta's never got anywhere with him, and she probably doesn't even want to anymore. She's just doing this because she really doesn't like you. You should be worrying about somebody else."

"Who? You're not talking about the sweater girl, are you?"

"Haven't you noticed, Michelle?" Duncan had a particularly vicious smirk on his face. "She doesn't wear the sweaters and pinned back hair anymore - it's sensible dresses and hair hanging loose. She's looking much more grown up these days, almost as if she's sending a message to somebody."

"You're a pervert, Duncan."

"Sadly, this is true. I'm also extremely drunk." He staggers into a cake stand and then totters away.

XXXXXX

(Greendale Bus Station)

"Bus Number 2341 to Dallas, Texas departing in five minutes." The tannoy announced.

"Well, this is it." Marcia said with a sad smile on her face. Joelle gathered her in for a big hug. Marcia separated again, and looked her in the face. Joelle looked devastated. "Hey you -" Marcia said. "I need you to hold it together for our girl here. No tears, alright? If that oversized streak of hair product and imported fabric doesn't come to his senses you do know it's your responsibility now to make sure he meets a horrible end?"

Joelle actually smiled and nodded. "Don't be a stranger, Mar."

"Never! And you, come here." She pulled Annie in. "Keep an eye on Jo, okay?" She whispered. "She's more fragile than she looks."

"Of course I will. Now you go and have an amazing summer."

"I'm going to Texas, not Paris." She went serious again for a moment. "And Annie - if he doesn't come to his senses he doesn't deserve you. I don't want to hear about you crying over him, okay?"

"It's a deal, Marcia." Annie managed to smile.

Marcia nodded. "Bye for now, guys." She said, finally boarding the bus.

Annie and Joelle waited for the bus to pull out, then waved until they couldn't see it any more. As they walked back to Annie's car, Joelle was checking her phone. There were five messages from Abed.

"I think we need to get back to the dance," she said.

"Joelle, I really don't -"

"For me, Annie. Really want to see Abed now."

"Of course, Jo. I'm sorry." She smiled apologetically at her friend.

XXXXXX

The Tranny Queen nominees were all lined up waiting for the dean to start making his announcement. Britta was looking surprisingly nervous.

"Okay, we finished tallying all 36 votes, so everyone get ready!" The dean desperately tried to whip up some enthusiasm.

Slater however was on the warpath. She marched up to Britta. "Yo, Goldilocks! Drop the smirk. I don't know what you think you're doing here, but you never got anywhere with him and you never will. All you ever had were dreams, I have something real!"

"Really Michelle? Sure, you're smart, driven, have shoulder length dark hair and… everything else." Britta stumbled slightly, then recovered. "But you know who else that describes?" Slater's eyes flared with anger.

"That's right, Michelle - you're just the acceptable substitute for what he really wants. And you know it too, don't you? That's why you have a headache every time he says her name, isn't it?"

"Miiiiiissss Britta Perry!" The dean called out.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Britta grinned. "I have to go - I just won a contest for being hot!" She stormed up on to the stage.

She grabbed the microphone off the dean. "This is a huge honour. This may come as a surprise to you, but I've never actually won anything before -"

"Okay, well, you still haven't." The dean grabbed the microphone back. Britta's face fell. "I'm just listing the nominees, so not a great time to get cocky." He turned back to the crowd and started reading names.

Slater walked over to Jeff and sat down next to him. "Hello again, Jeff."

Jeff looked at her for a moment. It's not as if my life could get any worse, he said to himself.

"Hi Michelle." He said with a half smile.

"Where's your little friend, Jeff?" She said, unconsciously imitating Britta. Jeff smiled further when he noticed this.

"Gone." He said bluntly. "Apparently we're on a break."

Slater looked surprised. "I didn't realise you were together."

"Neither did I, but she seemed to think we were." Slater had no trouble noticing the raw bitterness in his voice.

"You know what you need, Jeff?" Jeff raised an eyebrow.

Slater looked over to Britta to make sure she was watching, then slowly leaned in to Jeff. Jeff turned to face her, his expression carefully neutral, as though he was daring her to kiss him without giving her any excuse whatsoever to say he asked for it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Britta saw movement by the door. It was Annie and Joelle returning.

Oh, crap. Britta said to herself. One of these days Winger you're going to realise what an amazing friend I am.

She grabbed the microphone back off the dean. "Jeff Winger! Don't let Slater manipulate you! I - I love you!" Britta stood still and waited for the ground to swallow her up. The entire auditorium went quiet. Jeff whipped round to look at Britta. Then he looked up at Slater, and looked down at his hands and saw they were shaking. "Hey man, everybody at this dance is kind of waiting for your reaction to all this." Troy called out.

"I know, I need time to think, okay." He takes a deep breath, gets up and slowly walks towards Britta. "Jeff, I love you!" Slater called as he walked away.

"Oh, I wonder where she got that from!" Britta sneered.

Jeff comes to a halt a couple of feet from Britta. "First of all -"

"Nobody can hear you." The dean said, thrusting a microphone into his hand.

"I'm flattered," he said. "You love me?" Britta seemed to be speechless. Her brain is horrified at her - Perry! It screams. Of all the things you could have said to distract him, why did you have to pick THAT? You'll never live this down!

Jeff's brain, which usually worked so quickly, seemed to be stuck in glue. The audience, losing patience, started chanting for him to choose Britta or Slater.

"Look over your left shoulder, Jeff." Britta whispered under the noise as she recovered somewhat from her mortification.

Jeff turned around. He saw one person who wasn't joining in the chanting. Annie had moved forward until she was standing in the centre of a small patch of empty floor. She had her hands held in front of her, and she was looking straight at him. As the chanting continued and he stayed silent though, she turned around and started to walk back to the door.

You have to fight for the bright timeline now, you can't just assume it'll fall into your lap.

"Okay -" He started.

"Who are you going to pick?" Leonard shouted.

Jeff took in a deep breath and stepped out onto the high wire.

"Annie." He got out. "I pick my Annie, if she'll have me." Annie froze on the spot, but didn't turn around. He gave the microphone back to the dean as everybody in the room started shouting at once and then he started walking towards Annie.

"Finally!" He thought he heard Britta say behind him, but he really wasn't listening to anything but his own heartbeat now.

He came to a stop a couple of feet from Annie. She still had her back to him.

"Milady?" Annie turned around. The expression on her face was cool and controlled. Suddenly, Jeff thought he'd never seen her look more beautiful.

"Do you have something to say to me Jeff?" The room had started to go quiet.

If you haven't sorted it out before this night is over you will go on summer break and you will never see her again.

"That question you asked me in the park - I think I know what the answer is now." Annie's eyes opened slightly wider, though her expression didn't otherwise shift.

Jeff took a deep breath and jumped off the high wire. I can't believe I'm about to do something so corny.

"Annie Edison," he said in his best courtroom voice, projecting to fill the whole room. "Will you do me the very great honour of agreeing to be my girlfriend?"

A huge smile spread across Annie's face. She squealed suddenly and leapt at Jeff. He staggered slightly under the impact, but caught her and took her weight easily. Their lips found each other and it seemed like the kiss drew all the remaining noise out of the room as everybody turned to watch.

XXXXXX

Abed had worked his way around to Joelle, everyone else was still looking at Jeff and Annie, Annie's feet still hadn't touched the ground.

"Endgame." Abed said.

Joelle took his hand and smiled. "Endgame." She agreed.

XXXXXX

Author's Note:the title for this chapter, like for the story as a whole, is taken from "Hollow Talk" by Choir of Young Believers. If you haven't listened to it yet, you should.

Also, as Abed said, we're in the endgame now. There are only about four chapters left before I hit the end point I plotted when I first started writing this thing, and at the current rate of progress we should get there by the end of next week. Thanks for your patience, everybody!