A/N:
So, this took me way too long to post. This was so hard to write that it turned out so crappy, so you can just see it as a filler chapter or something. This was also a bit rushed coz I'm leaving town tomorrow and I wanted to upload a chapter before I left. So apologies for any mistakes because I haven't had time to proof read it. Will try to post a new chapter before school starts again.
Thank you very much to everyone who gave this story a follow. It's reached more than 200 follows and I'm really grateful.
Don't own Orange Is The New Black. Nor Vauseman. Life sucks. Haha.
10
Alex just got home after bringing Piper to work and she instantly felt the missing presence of her girlfriend. It's almost been two weeks after she nearly lost her and Alex could honestly say that if she didn't have the balls to admit to the blonde what she really felt, she would have forever lost the only person left to make her life worth living. But thankfully, she came to her senses and now she could freely, and happily, call Piper her girlfriend.
She still smiled at the memory of when everything about them became official.
Alex decided to visit Piper at Red's unofficially by being a 'customer.' She knew how much that made the blonde uncomfortable because she found it hard to act appropriately when Alex couldn't do much else but tease her. But Alex was bored, and more accurately, she missed Piper, so she went to see her at work anyway.
"Hi," said Tricia, one of the other waitresses at Red's Diner. She was about to take Alex's order when she noticed the raven-haired looking behind her. When she turned towards where Alex was looking at, she could see Piper taking another customer's orders and she knew she was who Alex wanted at the time. "Uhm, do you want to just wait for Blondie instead?"
"She has a name," Alex replied giving Tricia a glare. She was fine with Red and Nicky calling Piper that because she knew it had become something like a term of 'endearment' for both of them, they now treated Piper like family. And this girl in front of her wasn't family. She had no right to refer to Piper as anything other than her name. "It's Piper. If you call her anything other than that again, I'll make sure it'll be your last day with work," she added sharply.
Tricia just raised both her hands skyward in surrender and turned her back on her. She knew not to mess with any of Red's 'kids' if she wanted to keep her job, so she just decided to walk away without saying anything. But it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes when she knew Alex couldn't see her anymore.
Alex knew she had acted harshly but she couldn't help but feel even more protective over Piper after finding out about her story. Sure, it was just a name and there really wasn't any harm done but Piper had gone through so much and the least anyone can do for her was to properly acknowledge who she was. Lost in her thought, she hadn't noticed Piper approach her table.
"Hi, may I take your order?"
Alex's face immediately lit up when she heard Piper's voice. When she looked up at her, she had this smile that Alex knew Piper only had for her. At that moment, all Alex wanted to do was grab Piper and kiss her senseless but even if Red would probably understand, she still didn't want to take the risk of getting the blonde in trouble. "Hm, yes you may," Alex answered, her grin so wide she knew she was starting to look like an idiot, but she didn't care anyway.
She then looked at the menu even though her mind wasn't really on it. She could feel Piper's eyes on her and she fought back the grin that was threatening to come out of her lips. She was taking her time, waiting until Piper finally cracked out of character and she knew that would be any minute now. True enough, only a few minutes later, Piper spoke again.
"You know, I don't really have all day," Piper said, shifting her weight to her other foot.
Alex looked at Piper, faking a surprised look, "My, my, can't say I'm not disappointed. I thought the service here was good." She then shook her head, earning her a reprimanding look from Piper.
"Alex..." hissed the blonde, but Alex could see a ghost of smile on her lips.
"What? Can't I take my time to figure out what I want to eat?"
"Oh bullshit, we both know you didn't really come here for the food."
Alex laughed at Piper's failed attempt to get 'mad' at her. "Oooh, feisty. I like it."
"Alex, there are other custom—"
"And I'm not?"
"I know you're just messing with me. What are you really doing here?" Piper tried to sound annoyed, albeit unsuccessfully.
Alex finally dropped the menu and looked Piper in the eye. "Fine, you got me," she then paused, wondering if she should tell Piper why she's really here. After a while, she decided to just tell her, no matter how lame she would probably sound. "I just missed you, kid."
"What? We've only seen each other two hours ago." Piper tried to sound as if she wasn't affected by it, she really did. But the smile that formed on her lips betrayed her. She could feel the flutters in her stomach, in a really terrifyingly good way.
"Does that mean you don't miss me, too?" Alex asked, cocking her head to the side a little, raising an eyebrow at Piper.
Piper took her time to answer, knowing it would make Alex uncomfortable. "Hmmm..." She could see Alex move her gaze away from her, quite uncomfortably, and Piper realized it could be a bad idea to keep her waiting. "Are you kidding me? Of course, I missed you, too," she lightly kicked Alex's foot underneath the table, being the only way she could be affectionate with the raven-haired without catching too much attention from everyone who could see them.
And just like that, they were both smiling like love struck teenagers, Alex trying hard to keep herself from pulling Piper into a tight, long hug and a deep, amazing kiss.
"Hey, uhm, excuse me?" Alex and Piper's moment was broken when a tall, good-looking guy approached Piper. He seemed new in town, judging by the way he walked to Piper, somewhat unsure and unfamiliar. "Hi, I'm Alex."
Alex could see Piper stifle a laugh at the coincidence, barely managing to keep a straight face. "Oh, Alex, that's a nice name. Hi. I'm Piper."
The guy seemed to like how Piper complimented his name, well, he thought 'his' name, coz he looked a bit more confident than when her first approached her. "Thanks," he mumbled before continuing. "Listen," started the guy, shoving his hands inside his pockets, "I don't wanna seem too forward but I really don't wanna miss this opportunity. Uh, would you like to have coffee with me sometimes?"
If Alex didn't find the things going on so amusing, she would've probably dragged the guy out of the diner and beat the crap out of him. But the look of anxiety on the guy, mixed with his apparent surprise that he was able to do what he just did, was enough for Alex to want to see how Piper would handle this and where this would all lead to.
Piper threw her a slight glance, much to the guy's obliviousness, because evidently, his eyes were only for Piper at the time, before she looked back at the guy again. "Uh, that'd be great," Piper replied, a little too enthusiastically for Alex's own liking. She really wasn't expecting this. Her face fell as the guy's face lit up, but before any of them could say anything, Piper opened her mouth to say something again. "But I don't think my Alex would be too happy about that."
A million thoughts raced through Alex's mind, not even registering who Piper was talking about at first until she realized that she was Piper's Alex. Her lips tugged up slightly into a smile, hoping that Piper couldn't see how that little gesture affected her.
"Y-your Alex?" The guy sounded surprised to say the least but at that time, Alex wasn't paying attention to him anymore. She was looking at Piper amusingly, waiting for what else she would say. She could feel her heart race so fast, in a beautiful and surprisingly unfamiliar way.
"Yeah."
The guy then seemed to collect himself as he gave Piper a too-sweet of a smile. "Oh, it's all right," he said as he shrugged. "I just really had to try. He's a lucky guy," he added, sounding genuine.
Alex had to bite her cheek to stop herself from chuckling out loud and throwing a shade at him.
"Hm, yes," Piper nodded. Alex was almost sure she wouldn't correct the guy and just let him be, much to her disappointment. But again, Piper proved her wrong. "But he's a she."
This finally made Alex look back up at the two, wanting to see the guy's reaction at Piper's admission.
That left the guy with his mouth left open before he could speak. "Your Alex is a girl?"
"Yep," Piper nodded, her smile lighting up the whole place, looking too damn proud. "As a matter of fact, she's sitting right now, staring at you."
That was the only time the guy seemed to have noticed Alex's presence. He then looked at her, unsure how to react. "Hi," Alex started, with a small wave. "I'm her, uh, Alex." Alex could see Piper's smile even widen she could almost see all her teeth.
"Yes, Alex," Piper said, addressing the guy. "Meet Alex, my girlfriend."
Alex quickly averted her gaze to Piper, a look of surprise evident on her face at what the blonde just called her. But Piper just shrugged at her before looking back at the guy again. Alex didn't know what else happened, or what the guy or even Piper said after that. She didn't even see the guy leave. All that registered to her was that Piper called her her girlfriend and how much she liked, loved, the sound of it. When she did realize what was going on, though, she was left with Piper alone.
"Your girlfriend?" Alex asked with a smug look on her face, trying to mask her giddiness at what just transpired.
Piper seemed to have finally realized what she just did as her face turned bright red. "I didn't mean it. I mean, it just came out. I don't really know what happened," she rambled, looking at everywhere but Alex.
"Oh?" Alex asked, her tone mocking, her lips tugged up in a smile, her eyes filled with hope.
"Yeah. Coz' that'd be really weird, you know?"
"Totally weird." Alex grabbed the menu again, reading everything out loud. "You know, I think I might go for pancakes and bacon today, I mean, it's not like I haven't eaten them in a long while but—" She was suddenly cut off by Piper sitting just across her, as she stared at her knowingly. "Uhh, Pipes? Aren't you not allowed to sit while working?"
"Alex?" Piper said softly, ignoring Alex's question.
"Yeah?" Alex was losing her control over what emotion she was showing Piper. Her smile was starting to get too wide, and the butterflies in her stomach were too much it felt like she had an entire zoo inside, coz she thought she knew where this conversation was finally going.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Alex laughed out loud as she put down the menu, looking straight at Piper's eyes. The shy look on Piper's face that made her look like such a cute little puppy made Alex's heart swell, and she could suddenly feel her overwhelming love for this woman grow exponentially stronger, something she never thought was still possible until now. "Yes," she then replied without even batting an eye, her answer already made even before Piper voiced out the question.
"Yes?!" Piper's face was a mix of surprise and relief and utter joy and Alex swore she could kiss her right there and then.
"Yes, you idiot."
"She said, 'Yes!'" Piper exclaimed to everyone who was suddenly paying attention at them at the time, looking like a little child who just got what she wanted. She didn't even care anymore that she was supposed to be working right now and Red's probably gonna kill her if she saw her right now. All that mattered was that Alex was now her girlfriend.
Alex could see smiles at some of the customer's faces but at the time, Alex didn't wanna pay any more attention to any of them. Instead, she stood up and sat next to Piper, her hands reaching for the blonde's face. She then kissed her passionately, hoping that it was enough to make Piper feel just how much she loved her. She then pulled away slightly, only to pepper Piper with small kisses again, realizing that she needed to say it out loud, not wanting to make any more of her past mistakes. "I love you, Pipes."
"I love you, too, Al," answered Piper, pulling Alex closer to hers as she returned her kisses, her smile brighter than any smile she had ever had, all the while thinking at how good it felt to finally be able to call Alex hers.
When Alex realized she's been smiling like an idiot for minutes now, she shook her head at how much she has fallen in love with the blonde. She really never thought she'd ever feel this way again but she was glad she did, because somehow, it was helping with her ability to ignore the still gnawing guilt in her chest about Diane and about Ashley. It was still there, Alex knew it always would, but at least now, she had Piper to think about, too. And she was more than thankful for that.
She then decided to call Nicky, not having anything else to do today, just like any other day she's had since she's come home.
"Oh, the giant is alive!" greeted Nicky through phone.
"And so is the midget," answered Alex back. "Hey, come over. I'm bored the fuck outta my mind."
"I would love to, but Lorna and I are meeting in about half an hour."
"Shit. What am I supposed to do now? I can't go bother Piper again, Red's so close to killing me."
"This is where I again tell you about finally finding a job, you know. You can't just stay inside your house reading everything or act as Piper's driver when you're out. I know you're loaded, but at least have something else to do, other than you girlfriend."
"Ugh, I hate to admit this, but for once you're actually right," Alex huffed, knowing she really had to find something else to do eventually. It didn't even need to be something she had to do for money, at least just something to keep her busy whenever Piper wasn't around.
"You know I'm always right, Vause."
"Don't flatter yourself too much. Anyway, how about tonight? Don't tell me you'd still be with Lorna. Coz I'm pretty sure she has someone else she needs to go home to." Alex did not want to rub it in Nicky's face but sooner or later, Nicky's gonna have to wake up and realize she couldn't be with Lorna, no matter how perfect the brunette was at her. They both knew Nicky was just setting herself up for something that had the potential of ruining her someday and Alex did not want that for her best friend.
"Uh, thank you for that. Also, and I say this in the nicest way possible, fuck you." Alex laughed at the other end of the line. "You're right, we don't have anything planned for tonight."
"So, you and me, then?"
"I said Lorna and I don't have any plans. But, I do."
"What? With whom?"
"With Piper. And you're not invited."
-o-o-o-
Alex was lying on her back, reading a book that Piper recommended when she heard her door open. Surely, she was supposed to be used to this by now, with Nicky and Piper going in and out of her house all the time, but she still couldn't help but flinch at the sound, almost dropping the book she was holding. She could feel her heart beat fast, and not in a good way, and was about to get up when Piper poked her head at her bedroom door. Alex suddenly let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding out of relief.
The blonde must have noticed because her smile was suddenly gone from her face. "Oh, hey. Sorry. Did I scare you?" Piper said worriedly, as she approached Alex on her bed.
"No, I just— No, you didn't." Alex shook her head, not wanting to worry Piper. "I missed you," she then added, immediately changing the topic, not only because she didn't want to discuss what just happened, but also because she just suddenly realized how much she really did miss her girlfriend. "How'd it go with Nicky?"
Piper then climbed on the bed and as Alex was about to get up, she locked her hips with her legs before hovering over the raven-haired, her weight on her arms resting on both sides of Alex's face. "First of all, hi," Piper said as she smiled widely at her girlfriend, before pressing a soft kiss on her lips.
"Hi," Alex smiled into the kiss, pulling Piper towards her until Piper's full weight was on her body. She groaned at the sudden impact, causing the blonde to laugh wholeheartedly at her. "I think you just broke my ribs."
"I did, didn't I?" asked Piper, as she finally decided to just settle herself on top of Alex. "I'm sorry, baby." She then kissed the middle of Alex's chest bringing her lips upwards by leaving traces of little kisses on Alex's collarbones to her neck then to her jaw until their lips finally met. "You okay now?" Piper then asked, as she rested her head on Alex's shoulder, just the right place to be able to see her face and catch Alex's beautiful scent.
"Yeah, all better now," Alex replied with a chuckle before kissing the top of Piper's head. "So?" she asked again reminding Piper of her previous question, wanting to know all about her girlfriend's night out with her best friend.
"It was amazing!" Piper answered, her grin growing wider. She then started telling Alex about her day with Nicky, what they did, where they went, what they talked about. She didn't leave a single detail, knowing it pleased Alex that she was now getting along really well with her best friend. Piper was pleased as well, because she never really thought she and Nicky would ever be this close. She knew how uncomfortable Nicky was around her before, but now, everything was great and Piper could only be happy about it. "We really had a great time, Al. I think she loves me more than she loves you now."
Alex chuckled, genuinely happy that Nicky and Piper were finally in really good terms. Before, she really thought she'd have to deal with them not being comfortable around each other, especially Nicky. She didn't like the idea of the two most important people in her life not liking each other but now, their closeness was more than what Alex had always hoped for, and she was more than happy about it. "Meh. It's okay. As long as you still love me more than you love her."
"Hm," Piper said thoughtfully, causing Alex to drop her arm that was wrapped around her waist to the bed. This earned a soft chuckle from Piper as the blonde took Alex's arms back and wrapped it around her. Her hold of Alex also got tighter, wanting to feel as much of her girlfriend as possible. If she was being honest, this position, Alex as her mattress was more comfortable than any other mattresses she had ever had. "You know I'd never love anyone more than I love you, you big baby."
Alex's face lit up at her girlfriend's words. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Piper said truthfully as she burrowed her face further in Alex's neck. "Hm, this is so comfortable," she added.
Alex jokingly sighed before saying, "To you maybe, but not to me. You're heavy as fuck," she said, wanting to get a rile out of Piper.
"You didn't!" said Piper, untangling herself from Alex as she looked at her with mock-hurt on her face.
Alex threw her head back laughing. "I was kidding, babe. Please come back to my arms?" she said too sweetly, extending her arms towards Piper.
Piper rolled her eyes, as she went back to her previous position. "So, how about you? How was your day?"
"Apart from being left alone by my girlfriend to spend the night with my best friend? Everything was great!" Alex answered jokingly. Her hand had by now crept into Piper's shirt, making soothing circles on the blonde's waist.
"Aww, baby. You know I didn't wanna leave you. But you also know that this was needed for Nicky and I to bond, right?"
"I do. And I was kidding. I'm actually really happy you spent today with Nicky. There's nothing better than seeing the two most important people in my life getting along," Alex said truthfully. But suddenly, she had gone quiet, being reminded of something that she'd never witness.
"Hey," Piper looked up at her, immediately sensing that something was troubling Alex. "What's wrong?"
""Nothing, I just..." Alex paused, her chest tightening. "I just wish you'd met my Mom. She would've loved you," she said quietly.
Piper suddenly felt as if someone stabbed her in the chest, knowing how difficult this must be for Alex. She knew how much she loved her Mom, and there were a lot of times when Piper wished that she'd met Diane. She would have probably made her feel what it felt like to have a mother who loved you. "Oh, Alex," Piper said as she got off of Alex and sat beside her, wanting to look her straight in the eyes. "I know I would have loved her, too." She caressed Alex's face, and it hurt her seeing the pain in Alex's eyes.
Piper suddenly hated herself for not knowing what to say. She knew she should be comforting Alex with words right now. She should be telling her the things that Diane would be saying to Alex right now if she was still alive. But she did not know what those things were. Because all she knew was what her own mother used to tell her and those weren't the things that Alex would've wanted to hear right now.
"I miss her so much, Pipes," Alex said as her voice cracked. She decided to sit against her bed's headboard, Piper sitting beside her afterwards as she enveloped her hand with hers. "If only I had spent more time with her. If only I had told her more how much I loved her and how thankful I was for everything she'd done for me."
"I'm sure she knew all that, Al. I know she knew how much you loved her. Stop beating yourself up over it, okay? You were a goddamned good daughter and I know your Mom is looking down on you right now, so proud of the person you've become."
Alex laughed at this but it was so hollow that it almost crushed Piper. "I don't think she'd be proud that her daughter is a fucked up former drug smuggler and the fucking reason hundreds or maybe even thousands of people had died." Alex shook her head, feeling her throat close up as tears started to build in her eyes.
"Al, that's not true," Piper shifted her body so she was now facing Alex. The raven-haired had her head down and she refused to look at Piper so the blonde brought her hands to Alex's face, guiding it to look at her. "Please look at me." When Alex did, Piper felt her heart shatter as she once again saw the broken Alex she thought was already gone. Her eyes were so full of pain and Piper was suddenly afraid that Alex would start retreating from her again. "It's not your fault. Those people, it was their own choice to do that to themselves. You didn't force them to take the drugs, you didn't shove those things into their systems." Piper then pressed her forehead against Alex's. "Baby, it's not your fault."
"How about Fahri's death? Ashley's death. I'm the whole fucking reason they're both dead."
"No," Piper kept shaking her head, feeling Alex slowly pulling herself from her again. "No, you're not. Al, you didn't pull the trigger on both times. All you did was care for them and love them. Last time I checked those are things that you should be proud of." Piper didn't realize she was already crying until she felt something wet streaming down her face, feeling terribly sorry that she didn't know how to make things better for the woman she loved so much. "Please stop blaming yourself. None of it was your fault, Al."
Alex had to shut her eyes to keep her own tears from flowing, trying to keep her sanity despite the pain of losing her mom, the guilt about Fahri and Ashley's death, the hurt that was radiating off of Piper, all at the same time crashing at her. So as hard as it was, she forced those feelings deep, deep down again, hoping they wouldn't come back out anytime soon, as she nodded her head. "I'm sorry. Please stop crying. I'm sorry." Alex kept apologizing as she kissed Piper all over her face. She wiped the tears that were quickly falling from her girlfriend's eyes, hoping that as she wiped them away, the pain would go with them, too. "I'm sorry."
Piper then kissed Alex, so softly but yet full of emotions. Here they were, both broken and wounded, and yet Piper felt as if they fit so perfectly together. She didn't know how it happened, or when it started, but she felt so connected to Alex. Alex's happiness had become Piper's, and all her wounds had made Piper bled. Alex's pain was also Piper's and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing because they were able to share the pain, or if it was bad because it meant they also felt them twice as much. What Piper was sure of, though, was the fact that whatever this meant for her and Alex, she was ready to take all of it with open arms, even if she died doing so.
"I love you so much, Al. You know I'm just here, right?"
Alex just nodded, knowing no words would ever tell Piper how much it meant for her that she said that, knowing Piper was going through so much, too. Alex hated it because Piper did not deserve any of this. And instead of helping her get through it, she was only adding to the blonde's burden.
But she was too weak to let go. She was too coward to leave Piper and let her live her life. She was too damn scared to go through all of this alone again that she was willing to pull Piper into the mess of a life she had created for herself. She needed Piper. And she needed her badly.
"I love you, too, Pipes. Please don't ever leave me," Alex pleaded like a child, unsure how a night that was supposedly a great night for her and her girlfriend, turned into this. But it already happened, and she didn't know how else to stop it. "It'll kill me if you do."
Piper felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, realizing how all of Alex's loss had made her carry the fear of always being left behind. But Piper wasn't going to do that. She was all in and there was no way she was taking anything back. "Alex, I won't ever leave you. I promise."
And that's how Piper and Alex spent the night, muttering whispers of how much they loved each other, silent pleas for the other to stay no matter what, beautiful promises that they wouldn't let anything pull them apart.
It was them from now on. They were no longer two individual persons. Their pains and wounds have bound them into one. Their love had sealed the bubble they had chosen to wrap themselves with.
They weren't Alex or Piper anymore.
They have become Alex and Piper.
And nothing, not even death, could ever change that.
Ever.
SHOUTOUTS:
izzielg, Yes, they are. And you're right about them having a long road ahead of them and that's what I'm gonna have to dive into in the future chapters so hopefully you'll stick with me and this story for a while. Thank you! =)
pitterpat87, I'm so relieved that Piper's story wasn't confusing to you. I was a bit unsure about it but seeing your review gave me so much assurance, so thank you very much! And fab review as well, I love it! =)
moanzs, Thank you for that review! It gave me so much more confidence about the previous chapter. I'm glad you loved the way I did it and yes, you're right. They still have a lot of things to talk about, about themselves as a couple and as individuals. Again, thank you! =)
valevauseman, Thank you! I was a little scared to post that chapter but seeing your reactions, I'm glad I did. And you're an amazing writer, too! Thank you for that RS update, I've been waiting for it. =)
vausegasm, Girl, I don't even know how to reply to your review anymore. I just want to pull you and hug you to show my gratitude! Your reviews always make me smile and most of the time, laugh, You're really funny and sweet and I love how much my story affects you. Thank you, it's really heartwarming =) You're so awesome! Love you! =))
VauseSearch, I hope you've read Chapter 9. Thank you for your review on Chapter 8 =)
Guest (best chapter), I didn't think anyone would ever consider this as the best chapter, but I'm really happy you think so. Thank you very much! =)
elliellie1, Awww thank you for the brownie points! Haha. And thank you for your review, it's very much appreciated. =)
ManveerlovesVauseman, I hope you were satisfied with Piper's story. Here's a new chapter for you =)
Phantomjazz, I'm glad you did. Thank you! =)
VonZeppy, Thank you! I'm happy you don't think Piper and Alex in my story are too OOC. Your review is amazing, I can't thank you enough. And yes, long live vauseman indeed! =)
FFChik, Thank you so much! I'm so happy you think so. =)
sara lance, I love angst! And I'm glad you do, too! Haha. Yeah, well we all know that it's the perfect way to describe Vauseman so I had to grab the opportunity to use it. Thanks again for still leaving reviews even if we're already talking through PM =)
TinyGuitarist, That's a really nice thing for you to say, thank you very much! =)
Vausemaniac, Yes! But I have to warn you, all is not yet well. Haha! You're welcome by the way, And thank you, too! For the review. I love it! =)
Al, I'm glad the previous chapter made you happy! Hope you stick with this story whatever happens. Thank you for your review. =)
IloveSweden, Aww, your review is too nice! Thank you very much! I'm glad you feel so strongly about this story and thank you for letting me know. You're awesome =)
Marijn, Hi again! I'm sorry, uhm about your question, you can read my comment below you so you can understand me a bit. Haha! But thank you so much for your review coz it's helping me believe in myself just a little bit more. I don't really know how many chapters are still left but I do know there are still a lot that I'm planning to do with this story so there. Haha. I'm glad that you're loving this as much as you loved HLWILY that really means a lot to me. Thank you again! And looking forward to talking to you more through PM =)
huggerguest, I'm glad you think so! I'm sorry, I can be a bit of a pessimist so it's hard for me to compliment myself a lot. Haha. But thank you for that compliment, sure as hell made me blush. =)
orange621, Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes, there are still more to come. =)
SheriLovey, OMG thank you! Your review was so amazing. I'm glad this story is making you feel that way. =)