"Miss Hana!" Gohan leapt through the front door and ran out to meet her as she approached the house. "You're back, you're back!"

Hana lifted him up with some effort and spun him around. "I am, I am!" She put him down and ruffled his mop of hair. "Missed you, kiddo. Good to see you're all better."

"You too," he said, smiling up at her. He took her by the hand and yanked. "Come on, mom made something special for you."

"Something special?"

Gohan led her into the kitchen where his mother was putting the finishing touches on a chocolate cake trimmed in fresh strawberries. Hana's eyes widened at the sight. Was that really on account of her? "Great timing, you two," said Chi-Chi, bringing the cake to the table. Welcome back, Miss Hana! had been written in frosting with the skill of a child, and Hana had a feeling she knew exactly which child was responsible.

"Ohh, this is so nice. You didn't have to go to all the trouble."

"Nonsense! It wasn't any trouble at all." Chi-Chi pulled out a chair for her and started pouring glasses of milk for each of them. "Besides, you're practically a member of the family now, so why shouldn't we celebrate?"

Hana stared at her in bewilderment. A member of the family? Is that really how they thought of her? She'd only been with them for about three months or so, and it surprised her how close she felt to Gohan and his mother already. It was even more surprising that they apparently felt the same. Her ki bloomed a little at the revelation, like a warm fuzzy feeling but so much more tangible. The sensation was still brand new to her and somewhat strange, but not unpleasant.

She dabbed at the corners of her eyes and laughed a bit. "Thank you for this, Miss Chi-Chi, really."

Chi-Chi passed her a slice of cake with a grin. "Of course. Now eat up, all right? And don't take too long. You both have a lot of catching up to do."

Hana laughed harder. "Yes, ma'am."

Half a cake later, teacher and student took their books and papers out into the back yard and spread a blanket over the grass. Gohan laid on his belly and flipped through the history textbook. "I think this is where we left off," he said. "I read all the way through the fall of the Roman Empire while I was sick, though."

Hana laid down beside him. "That far? Well aren't you the little go-getter." She nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "Tell me then, do you remember which emperor was responsible for building the Parthenon?"

"Oh! Trick question!" Gohan's expression went serious for a second as he tried to recall the information. "I remember it took two emperors' reigns to build it, and another one remodeled it. I think the three emperors were called…um, the Flavor dynasty?"

"Flavian," Hana corrected gently. "That's great though, Gohan. I thought I was gonna get you with that one."

He looked rather proud of himself. "Not a chance."

They read through the next chapter on ancient China and Hana had him take notes. More than a couple times she took her eyes off the boy and glanced around the yard. Piccolo was usually close by while they studied, lying in wait, but Hana saw no sign of him anywhere. She hoped he hadn't fallen ill after all. Perhaps he was off meditating somewhere in private and lost track of the hours.

When it was time to begin the next portion of their lesson, Gohan chuckled. "He's not here yet, Miss Hana. He's still like a mile away."

She sat up suddenly and fixed her skirt, face red. "Sorry," she said. "I shouldn't be getting distracted, we have work to do."

"It's all right." Gohan grabbed the math textbook, but he left it closed for a moment. "By the way, Miss Hana, did…did something happen with your ki? It seems, I dunno, more there than usual."

"You noticed?" Hana scratched the back of her neck. Of course he must have noticed. "Piccolo taught me how to feel it out. I think he's going to try and teach me to fly next."

"Bukujutsu? That's hard for a beginner. But if anyone could teach you, it'd be Mr. Piccolo."

Excitement welled up in her heart. "I can't wait."

Gohan's head suddenly snapped up to gaze at something straight above them. Hana looked too just in time to catch the end of Piccolo's descent onto the lawn. She hadn't seen or spoken with him since their night together on the Lookout, and though it had only been two days since then, just being in his presence again was enough to raise her ki in an unexpected surge. The energy fluttered in her fingertips. She was slowly learning that being aware of her ki and keeping it under control were two entirely separate matters.

Gohan grinned from ear to ear. "Hi, Mr. Piccolo. Miss Hana said you're going to teach her bukujutsu."

Piccolo's eyes darted briefly to her and a blush crept up his ears. "I am. Hi, Hana."

"Hi. How have you been?"

"Good." He swallowed. "You?"

Heat pressed to the surface of her skin. This felt strangely like making out with a boy at a party one night and then running into him around campus the next day. Sobering. Unpleasant. A little mortifying. "I'm good, yeah."

"That's…good." He cleared his throat and addressed Gohan. "Your training today will be more rigorous than usual. I wanted to give you a warning. Come prepared with the proper mindset."

Gohan nodded. "I will. Thank you."

"I'll be meditating in the valley. Find me when you're finished with your lessons." Piccolo dared another quick glance at Hana but said nothing. He rose back into the air and flew off to the south, and she watched him go until she could no longer perceive his shape in the clouds.

Gohan returned to his math textbook and eagerly flipped it open. "So what chapter were we on? I forget." When Hana failed to answer him he raised his voice to get her attention. "Miss Hana?"

She realized she hadn't taken her eyes off the sky. "Oh. Sorry, what?"

"You okay, Miss Hana?"

"Yeah," she said slowly, her fingers automatically going for the math book and turning the pages. She reminded herself to breathe. Her chest was tight. "Yeah. We were right here. Graphing functions. Get your graph paper out and get ready, this stuff is tough."

.

.

The end of the day finally came and Hana prepared to hike out to the bus stop. She packed up the books and pens and even the tupperware of cake Chi-Chi had given her. Gohan and Piccolo were still training down in the southern valley, and the sun was nearly set. Hana exhaled hard. She had been hoping the two of them would show up before she needed to go. She didn't want that pitifully awkward exchange to be the last conversation she had with Piccolo that day.

"Take care of yourself," said Chi-Chi from the doorway as Hana left the Son house. "Remember to eat all your cake."

"Thank you, it's gonna be my breakfast tomorrow," Hana answered with a laugh.

The dirt road to the bus stop was long and arduous, especially with a heavy backpack on her shoulders. Hana dragged her feet a little. She really could've used that bukujutsu right about then…

Just as she came over one of the final hills, she heard a dreadful sound coming up from behind her. The bus. "No, no, no!" She kicked it into full gear, sprinting as fast as she could in her poor choice of shoes, backpack jabbing her in the spine. The bus rolled onward, headlights looming behind her. It caught up quick and zoomed right past. The stop was just ahead, though. Surely the driver recognized her. Surely he would stop and wait a minute to let her on.

It neared the stop. Hana ran like mad, waving her arms and shouting. And then, in one terrible crushing moment, it drove on into the coming darkness.

"What?!" Hana came to a dead halt, chest heaving. She dropped her bag in disbelief. "You gotta be kidding me." She bent over at the waist to catch her breath. It wasn't the end of the world, she knew. The Son house was only a couple miles back.

She pushed Chi-Chi's number into her cell and waited for her to pick up. "Son residence."

"Miss Chi-Chi, it's Hana."

"Oh, Hana. Are you all right? You sound winded."

"I ran after the bus. Didn't make it."

Chi-Chi didn't skip a beat. "Come on back here, then, and you can stay the night."

"Thanks, Miss Chi-Chi."

Gohan and Piccolo still hadn't ended their training by the time Hana reached the house, and Chi-Chi grumbled about it as she made up the guest bedroom. "—no regard for Gohan being a growing boy," she was saying as she tugged fresh cases over the pillows. "He needs his sleep. And he just got over the flu, too. Piccolo shouldn't be training him so hard just yet."

Hana decided not to let her know that Piccolo was apparently training him extra hard today. The woman looked stressed enough.

With a final smoothing of the duvet, Chi-Chi deemed the room ready for habitation. "Are you sure you don't need a nightgown?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just sleep in my shirt."

"Suit yourself. Well, see you in the morning. I'm going to make a special breakfast for us bright and early. You can save your cake for lunch."

Hana smiled at the promise of food. "Sounds great, Miss Chi-Chi, thanks again for this."

"Of course. And I hope the boys don't wake you whenever they get home. Sleep well."

Sleeping in someone else's house had never come easy to Hana. She had several uncomfortable memories of childhood sleepover parties, lying awake in a sleeping bag on the floor, eyes wide open in the dark. This felt similar. Try as she might, sleep simply wouldn't come.

In the silence of the strange bedroom, she heard the back door open and shut. Feet shuffled on the carpet. Voices shushed each other. Suddenly Chi-Chi was talking, obviously trying to keep her tone soft, but it wasn't working too well.

"—can't have you coming home at all hours—"

A muffled little voice replied followed by a deeper one, but Hana couldn't detect any words.

Chi-Chi kept going. "—and Miss Hana is sleeping, so keep it down or—"

Hana rolled over onto her side, staring at the closed door. Piccolo was out there. It would've been simple enough to just walk out into the hallway and say hello like a normal person. She flopped onto her back again, closed her eyes, and waited for the house to resume its silence.

Hours passed and Hana drifted in and out of restless dreams. The clock showed 4:07 AM as she dragged herself out of bed to get a cup of water from the kitchen. She moved carefully, opening the cabinet and plucking the glass from the shelf with noiseless grace. Once she poured her water and gulped it down, she walked through the house to the backyard, and she took a seat on the porch steps in the hopes of quieting her mind.

The stars were bright and numerous, the moon just a sliver in the sky. The wind felt light on her arms. It felt like being at home, albeit with a different view. She yawned and closed her eyes, resting her cheek on her hand, and when she started to nod off she stood to go back inside and attempt some more sleep.

"Hana." A voice behind her broke the calm. She turned from the door.

"Piccolo."

He stood a few feet shy of the porch steps, his cape curling around his calves in the breeze. His expression was hard to make out in the dark, but she could sense his gaze on her just the same. She yanked her shirt down to cover the tops of her thighs, or at least her underwear. A futile effort.

Piccolo stepped onto the porch and came to stand in front of her, looming over her without intending to. "Chi-Chi said you were sleeping here tonight."

"Yeah, the bus left without me."

"Ah."

Hana waited, hoping he had more to say. She felt strange and stupid in his presence and she hated it. They had gotten so close at the Lookout, made such strides in their friendship. She didn't want to believe they'd fallen back to square one so easily.

She spoke up. "I should put pants on if we're going to keep talking out here." Smooth.

Piccolo's eyes dipped over her for a second before returning to her face. "Oh, you don't have to—I just wanted—" He let his breath go through his nose and the tension of his posture loosened. "Are you still okay?"

"Still okay?"

"With everything that happened. I would understand if you were upset after having some time to think. I lent you my ki without consideration for what it might do to you and you have every right to be—"

"I'm not upset, Piccolo." She couldn't help but crack a smile at his rattled expression. "Did you forget the part where I asked if we could do it again sometime after I've had more training?"

A muscle clenched in his jaw. "You were still coming down from the high."

"Well I haven't changed my mind."

Now it was Piccolo's turn to crack a smile, the rarest of rare sightings. "Good to know."

If Hana concentrated, she could still recall the bewildering rush of joy through her veins, the disorienting frenzy of energy that took hold of her every cell and pushed her to the brink of euphoria. She couldn't wait to feel that again. Next time she would be prepared for it.

She fidgeted with her fingers. "I guess I'll say good night for now. It's getting kinda chilly out here." She didn't want to go. The thought of lying back down in that guest bedroom for the next three hours to toss and turn didn't hold much appeal. Offer me your cape, she thought, hoping that thinking it hard enough might transfer the idea into his head.

"Oh. Right." Piccolo started to retreat but Hana reached out to grab a fistful of the cape to keep him close.

"Wait."

He looked at her hand and she thought she saw a bead of sweat roll down his temple.

She made her move before she could talk herself out of it, curling arms around his middle and giving him an affectionate squeeze. He was solid and secure and unbelievably warm, and she buried her nose in his gi. He smelled of the outdoors itself, of summer night air and flowering trees. A person had no right to naturally smell so wonderful.

A gruff, startled noise left Piccolo's throat. His every fiber went taut like a rubber band pulled too hard. They stood that way for a few seconds but Piccolo finally had to say something. "Th-this is the second time you've done this after telling me you wouldn't."

"Sorry," she said, but then something strong pressed between her shoulder blades—Piccolo's palm, preventing her from letting him go.

"But I never actually said you couldn't."

Her smile erupted into the fabric of his gi. She held him even tighter, earning a strangled gasp, but he made no effort to detach her from his waist. The thud of his heart vibrated in her ear, and she closed her eyes to focus on the deep, sturdy sound.

"Hana, I…"

"Yeah?"

"I…think I need to say good night now."

Hana let out a little laugh and released him from her arms. Piccolo immediately exhaled and took a step away from her, looking more than a bit sheepish and overwhelmed. He was sweating harder at this point and a dark blush had crept up his ears.

Hana gave his arm a gentle pat, which seemed to calm him somewhat, and he motioned towards the door. "You should get inside before you catch a chill."

Her touch lingered on the ridged pink skin on his forearm. "All right. Good night, Piccolo."

"Good night, Hana," he said, and he watched her fingers drift away as she went to open the door.

.

.

The moment she was inside, Piccolo turned from the closed door and grasped desperately at the wooden porch railing to steady himself. He could still feel the pressure of her body against his, the heat of her on his stomach. He remembered unwittingly her plump, topless form lying prone in her own bed the week previous, that shameful breach of privacy he wasn't ever sure he'd entirely forgive himself for, and his blood ran fast and cold.

His breath shook out of him as he eased down onto that first step, and he dropped his turban and mantle in a pile on the lawn below, letting the breeze get to his neck and shoulders and forehead.

The creak of the door got his attention. "Hana—" But the face peering out was small and framed in shaggy black hair. "Oh. Gohan."

The boy came to sit next to his teacher on the steps.

"You should be asleep, kid."

"I was, but I heard Miss Hana get up. Also I kinda overheard you guys talking. Sorry."

Piccolo went silent and Gohan kept going.

"When are you gonna just tell her how you feel?"

"Gohan." Piccolo wanted to scold him, to deny it, to bark at him to get his ass to bed. But he was exhausted. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. The past two days had been hell. He missed being able to meditate without thoughts of her interrupting. He wished he could ignore her the way he ignored most other people, and it frustrated him that in spite of all his strength training and willpower he was slowly being undone by this woman. "I don't even know what I'd confess to," he said at last, and the boy shot him a look of surprise.

"Well you're in love with her, aren't you? Just say that."

Piccolo rolled his shoulders and sighed. Was everyone on the damn planet intent on deciphering his feelings for Hana before he could? "It's not that simple."

"Why?"

"Because you're six, that's why."

Gohan pulled a face. "I'm gonna be seven in, like, two months."

Piccolo actually chuckled at that and gave his pupil a pat on the head. "You're right, I forgot. You're practically a grown man now." Gohan smiled up at him, giggling, and suddenly Piccolo felt compelled to gather the boy close to him, like a pang in his chest he couldn't ignore. He curled an arm around the tiny Saiyan and pulled him against his side in a hug. "Don't grow up too fast though, okay?"

Gohan hugged him tight in return. "I won't, Mr. Piccolo, I promise."

"Good. Now get back to bed. You're still six in the meantime, and you need your sleep."

"Aw, fine." Gohan slipped out from under Piccolo's arm. "G'night."

"Good night."

Piccolo stared at his turban lying in the grass. He felt the small bare feet plod across the porch to the door, and just as he heard the knob turn he called after him with one more thing.

"Hey, Gohan?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course."

"Even though I don't say so very often?"

"Well, sure. You're better at showing than telling, like when you saved me from Nappa. That was when I really knew."

The memory of that moment was still crystal clear. There hadn't even been a split-second of hesitation, as if the desire to protect were something hardwired into his every atom. His father being who he was, Piccolo never thought it possible to be anything other than power-hungry and malicious, and all it took was one child to correct him.

"You can't wait for another Nappa, though," Gohan said pointedly. "You have to actually tell her." And he went inside and clicked the door shut.

Piccolo sat there and stewed and grumbled. Hearing it from Kami was one thing, but hearing it from Gohan really drove the message home. If even a kid knew how to handle this, Piccolo was definitely worse off than he thought.

.

.

"And here's your keys back, Mrs. Flowers."

"Just 'Ms.', thank you."

Hana accepted her hefty car keys like a priceless treasure. She made certain every one of her keychains were still intact and then thanked the head mechanic with a deep bow.

"I gotta say, Ms. Flowers," said the portly man, "short of a head-on collision, I've never seen a car that needed such extensive replacements and repairs. What the hell happened? You get blasted by some alien laser or something?"

Hana started to open her mouth to explain and then just laughed. "Actually, you're not far off." And she bowed again and left the mechanic scratching his head.

Her car, her sweet little blue car, sat out front freshly washed and shining in the morning sun. It was like nothing had ever happened to it. Like Piccolo never happened to it. She got in the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel, flexing her fingers around it, retrieving the muscle memory. After so many weeks of being without a car she'd nearly forgotten the feeling.

She pulled out onto the city streets and began to make her way in the direction of the Son house. Chi-Chi would be happy to see her there so early. As long as she could avoid morning traffic she'd make good time.

Her stomach grumbled. Hana hoped Chi-Chi had something yummy cooked up in the kitchen, maybe a pan of sweet rolls or some rice cakes with fruit filling. She lamented rushing in the morning to catch the bus to the mechanic's and skipping out on breakfast.

She turned a corner and immediately had to slam on the brakes. Cars were sitting bumper to bumper out in front of her, a sea of red brake lights that stretched on for blocks. A courier on a bike rode up the sidewalk towards her, and Hana rolled down the window. "What's going on up there?" she called to him.

"Huge wreck," he said as he passed by.

Hana watched him speed off and then her eye caught the pink scalloped sign of a café just off the street. A sign in the window read Breakfast Served Until Noon in swooping calligraphy. Her eyes widened. The clock in the car showed 10:27 AM. She was actually fairly ahead of schedule, and it wasn't as if traffic would be clearing any time soon. With some careful maneuvering and only two instances of getting honked at, she wriggled her car out of line and into a nearby parking spot.

The scents of cinnamon and sugar and vanilla greeted Hana as she entered the café. She took a seat by the window to keep an eye on the gridlock. The waitress, a girl just out of high school, came to take her order. "Any coffee for you? Orange juice? Grapefruit juice?"

"Orange juice would be great, thanks."

The girl left to let her peruse the menu. French toast sounded amazing, especially since the description promised powdered sugar. She could never have enough powdered sugar. Or maybe an omelet would be a healthier choice. Her clothes were starting to feel a touch snug lately, and she had a suspicion all of Chi-Chi's delicious cooking was to blame.

"Hana?" came a man's voice.

Hana looked up from the menu to see Tien and Krillin headed her way. "Krillin, Tien, hey. What are you guys up to this morning?"

"Getting cupcakes for Maron," said Krillin, holding up the pink box he carried.

"Well that's sweet of you. Is it her birthday or something?"

"Uh, no." Krillin shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "We're in a fight and I'm, uh, trying to apologize. With cupcakes. Do you think it'll work?"

There was desperation hiding just beneath his voice. Hana hoped the fight hadn't been too serious. "It would probably work on me, truth be told," she said, and Krillin grinned.

"Oh good. I just pray she's not in the middle of one of her juice cleanses or I'm gonna get an earful."

They chatted pleasantly for another couple of minutes, Krillin filling her in on various bits of news. Chiaotzu had placed third in his martial arts tournament. She had apparently also missed quite the row between Vegeta and Yamcha, and now Yamcha sported two black eyes and a chipped tooth. Hana had a feeling she knew the exact reason for the altercation, but she kept her mouth shut.

As they continued to speak, she noticed that Tien's third eye never strayed from her, and his hands were plunged firmly into the pockets of his linen pants. She felt a little guilty for the state of him. Putting him down gently hadn't been easy for her, and it hadn't been easy for him either from the looks of it.

"Well," said Krillin eventually, "we better let you order your food now, but it was nice to see y—"

"Are you feeling better, Hana?" Tien asked suddenly, and immediately his face went as pink as the cupcake box. "Y-you look better."

"Thanks," she said, smiling up at him. "I got to recover at Kami's Lookout, actually, so yeah, I'm doing a lot better."

"Piccolo took you." It hadn't been a question. Tien's eyebrows pinched together in the middle for a second, a struggle evident in his features. "That sounds nice. I'm glad Kami was able to help."

"Okay, Tien, time to go." Krillin put a hand against his friend's back and shoved him towards the door. Tien tried to protest but ultimately allowed himself to be led to the exit as Hana offered a small goodbye wave in his direction.

The waitress returned a minute later to take her order and Hana settled on the French toast, extra powdered sugar, and a side of fresh fruit to balance things out. She looked out the window onto the street to see how traffic fared, but everything was still ground to a halt. A few other people seemed to have the same idea as her and came in to escape their cars for a while and have a coffee.

Her food came quicker than she anticipated and she ate it even quicker than that. The thick slices of toast were crunchy on the outside but still fluffy on the inside and were blanketed in the thickest layer of powdered sugar she'd ever seen, and the maple syrup was so light and sweet. The fresh fruit turned out to be watermelon and strawberries, her favorites. She caught herself several times smiling around her fork.

The waitress brought her the check and a peppermint. "You can take care of this at the front counter whenever you're ready."

Hana thanked the girl and eventually stood to go and pay. She heard the kitchen door swing open somewhere behind her and then there came a voice, "Hana!"

She paused before turning around, the familiarity of that voice seizing her around the heart.

"Hana," the cook said again, smiling as he wiped his hands off on his apron. He fixed his messy black hair and accidentally streaked it in flour. "I thought that was you when I heard you come in earlier."

He was still just as tall as she remembered, still just as handsome, that crooked grin of his lighting up his face. The sight of him brought back so many varied memories that picking an emotion to display proved too difficult to manage. It had been a year since she last saw him. "Danny," she said, the name just falling stupidly out of her mouth.

"Well?" He held his arms out. "Don't I get a hug?"

Hana gave him one. He smelled of caramelized sugar, which was new. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You're a cook here now?"

"Yeah, I'm one of the pastry chefs. I do a lot of desserts and stuff, too. I made your French toast." Danny laughed. "Once I saw the order come in I knew for sure it had to be you. Extra powdered sugar. Did you like the watermelon and the strawberries? I remember those're your faves."

She nodded, too overwhelmed to give a proper response. "Yeah."

Danny stepped back to take in the sight of her. "You look good, Hana. What've you been up to?"

"Working," she said at last. "I'm tutoring a 6-year-old right now. He's really smart and hard-working so it's been a lot of fun."

"That's pretty cool."

Hana smiled. "Yeah, it is. He's a cool kid." She adjusted her purse on her shoulder, hoping to drop the hint that she had places to be and couldn't standing around talking forever. But Danny had never been all that great at recognizing a hint.

"Oh hey, seeing you again reminds me—did I leave clothes behind at the house?"

"You did," she said, thinking of that evening Piccolo needed to spend the night on her couch. Why she ever thought Piccolo would fit into Danny's old clothes was a mystery to her now. The size difference between them was so much more obvious with Danny standing in front of her. "You left a couple pairs of jeans, some shirts, and those sweatpants you used to take to the gym."

"Aw, those! I've been missing those. Would it be okay if I stopped by next week to grab 'em real quick?"

"I guess so," she said. "Just text me or something the day before so I can make sure the place isn't a mess."

"Sweet, will do." Danny grabbed her up in another hug and kissed the side of her head. "I gotta get back to work, but it was real nice to see you, Hana."

"You too, Danny."

He waved as he disappeared through the swinging kitchen door. Hana paid at the counter and went to her car. She sat there, hands on the wheel, every nerve popping and sizzling. Did she really just tell her ex-boyfriend it was okay for him to come over? Oh boy. That really was the last thing she needed. Even if he promised to be in and out, she had the strangest feeling she'd just invited trouble.

She took a deep breath, popped the peppermint into her mouth, and backed the car out of the parking lot.

.

.

Wow, so. Yeah. A year and a half between this chapter and the last one. I want to say thank you and send my boundless love both to those who decided to give this story another shot after so long away, and also to those who sent me kind messages and reviews hoping for more. I always intended to return to this story, but life, man...

I think it was only a couple days after the last update when my grandma passed, and a month after that it was my grandpa's turn. So I honestly didn't feel like doing much of anything for a while. By the time I felt up to writing again I had taken a second job, and then from October-January I was working probably 65+ hours a week. THAT was fun, lemme tell ya. After that I was like "damn it's been a year, it's probably too late to keep going with this story" but I kept plugging away with a few lines here and there, and now, finally, I have a full chapter's worth. _

ANYWAY, cutting to the chase - if you're coming back to this story, welcome back, I hope you're not too terribly disappointed. If you're new, welcome! And I promise the next update will NOT being happening in 2017 hahaha... I already have the first part of the next chapter done, so...finger's crossed.