Acafellas - Part 2

My prediction about my sexuality being spread throughout the school was confirmed the next day as I walked into the school building. At least, if the stares and whispers were anything to go by. It didn't bother me really. If they didn't like me because of who I found attractive then it was them that needed to get over themselves, not me.

Case in point, the Mohawk football player, who's name turned out to be Noah Puckerman, sauntered up to me as I shut my locker. Leaning into my personal space, with a look I assume he felt was seductive, said in a voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, "Rumor has it you're a lesbian O'Conner."

His voice dropped an octave in an obvious attempt to sound seductive as he finished his spiel. "I bet I could turn you."

I looked up at him as I let my face shift into an expression to make it look like I was falling for his amateurish efforts. It seemed I was successful as Puckerman's expression changed into a smirk, confident that his charisma affected me. Hey, I was in Musical Theater back in Merrimont Academy after all. I popped his ego bubble when I said, also loud enough for those close by to hear, "Puckerman, the only thing you could turn would be my stomach."

And then I cocked my head to the side and grinned. I tried so hard not to laugh when his face shifted to a dumbfounded expression. I had to give him credit though, when his friends laughed he didn't get angry, but shook it off with a shrug.

He did try to save the tattered remains of his ego by responding with, "Your loss."

I'm not sure if he even fooled himself, much less anyone else. I happened to glance over at some movement that caught my eye and saw Quinn staring at me with a smile on her face. Goddess! I'm trying hard not to crush, but she's not helping matters any! Trying with all my might to tear my eyes away from hers proved impossible. Even with the discipline my training had given me I couldn't do it. I was caught in a net that I couldn't break, even though my heart felt like it would.

All my classes were the same as the day before, nothing new in the material that we were covering. I even looked through my Algebra book and didn't find anything new until I was near the back of it. Almost all of the material I'd already covered in eighth grade. I knew most people had a low opinion of public schools but I didn't think it was true. Naive of me I suppose, but it made me appreciate my old school all the more.

Mr. Schue caught me studying Japanese during his class. When he asked me what I was doing, even though it was obvious, I answered him in Spanish. He told me, also in Spanish, that he understood, but that I needed to pay attention and then went back to the front of the class. I am actually a polyglot. I currently know 6 languages, Spanish, German, French, Mandarin, Latin, and ASL. I was trying to learn Japanese now and since I couldn't learn anything new in Mr. Schue's class, I felt it was a worthwhile use of my time.

I did have a bit of excitement in Home Economics, we started learning measurements and how to read recipes. Be still my beating heart.

Glee Club was, of course, my favorite time of the day. Not only did I get to sing, but I got to watch Quinn. I tried to be circumspect but I wasn't entirely sure if I was successful. The only downside to the club was the Rachel girl. She kept glaring at me, and when she wasn't glaring, she was trying to give me advice, like I didn't know what I was doing. You'd think that having two dads would have taught her some consideration, but no.

When I got home I changed and went into my gym. Our house had a two car garage, but half of it was taken up by my home gym. My parents still couldn't find me a Sifu to teach me, so they gave me my own gym. It was barely big enough, but it would do for now. It was beginning to look like I'd have to travel to a Sifu to get tested when the time came. Until then, I'd have to do my best.

I kept having to restart my forms because as soon as I cleared my mind, the face of my goddess would appear. If she wasn't looking at me like she wanted to ask me something, It was her smile, or the way she tilted her head, or even the way she held herself when talking to her friends. The way her mouth moved when she spoke, the timbre of her voice that poured over me like warm honey. And the way she walked, Goddess! Don't get me started on the body she had!

I groaned as I started working with my weapons but stopped after the second time I hurt myself. I finally gave up, went upstairs, stripped, and paddled the pink canoe while I imagined being with Quinn. Then I took a very cold shower. Supper that night was awkward to say the least.

oooOOOooo

"So, Kayleigh, your dad tells me you have a crush on a girl at school." My mom said with a smirk. I sighed, at least it took 24 hours before dad told her.

"And did he tell you she plays for the wrong team?"

"No. But are you sure about that?"

"Sadly, no. But she has a boyfriend so I don't think I'm going to be able to find out."

"Have you found any other friends yet?" She asked.

"Yeah, a few in Glee Club. But there's this one girl named Rachel that looks at me like I curb stomped her pet."

"Well, I'd say that's her problem now isn't it?"

"I agree. And, by the way, did you know that the school doesn't have any metal detectors or cameras in the halls?" I segued.

My mom put her fork down as she looked at me in surprise. "You mean to tell me that they aren't watching the students?!"

"They have teachers standing in the halls but that doesn't help much. Dad told you about the bully I ran into didn't he?"

"No, what happened?"

My mother was in full lawyer mode now so I explained what happened and watched her expression go from angry, to concerned, to deadpan. I'd hate to be in the principals' shoes when my mother got ahold of him at some point during the week.

oooOOOooo

School went pretty much the same as the day before, stares and whispers. Of course, it could have just been my imagination. Gym was just a lecture on the rules of volleyball, so we didn't need to dress out. But, we were given a list of items required for the class which informed us that towels would be provided, but not any other products.

I found myself constantly looking for Quinn wherever I went. I know I was crushing on her, but I've had crushes before. This seemed different for some reason, almost similar to how I felt for Felicity, only stronger. Felicity and I had one last date before I had to leave, but instead of parting after several heated kisses, eagerly awaiting our next date, it was tear-filled and pregnant with deep sadness. She had been my first love and girlfriend, then we had been forced to break up.

Mr. Shue was trying to teach us some pretty lame choreography when Rachel spoke up.

"Can we stop, please?"

"You don't have to ask me every time for permission to go to the bathroom Rachel. You can just go." Mr. Shue replied.

"It's not my bladder. It's the choreography." She replied.

I admit I was very surprised to agree with her. "Yeah Mr. Shue, these moves are pretty lame. I feel like I'm trying out for an elementary school play or something." I told him.

Mr. Shue looked a bit confused, but asked, "Okay, what's wrong with the choreography?"

"We can't compete with Vocal Adrenaline with these steps. You're a great vocal coach, Mr. Shue, But you're not a trained choreographer. That's why we need to be the best. We need Dakota Stanley." She answered.

Okay, who the hell is Dakota Stanley? I thought to myself.

"He's the best show choir choreographer in the Midwest. He works with Vocal Adrenaline. And, he was the understudy to the candelabra in Beauty and the Beast... on Broadway." Rachel said. Okay, that answered my question.

"Rachel, just because he understudied doesn't mean he ever performed." Mr. Shue stated just before Quinn broke in.

"Did you ever perform, Mr. Shuester? After high school? Did you even try?"

I was pretty sure I was in love with Quinn, but that sounded a bit harsh to me. It wasn't so much her words as her tone of voice. Personality also meant something to me as well as good looks. I felt a bit saddened that maybe the pedestal that I'd put her on had a crack or two.

Practice didn't go very well after that.

oooOOOooo

Both of my parents were busy people so I usually was the one that would cook dinner. I would decide what to cook based on what I'd seen earlier in the week on The Pioneer Woman or a similar show and what we had in the house. I've never liked those reality competition based shows, just the ones that showed you how to make different dishes. I must be pretty good at it since my mom and dad never had any complaints. Instead, they were like sharks in a feeding frenzy, but with better table manners.

I studied and practiced like I normally did. It was during my shower when I started feeling my period coming on. Great, I thought, it's going to be a wonderful few days. I grabbed a tampon and got ready to be miserable for a while. After taking a Midol, I lay down and waited for it to take effect before I fell asleep.

oooOOOooo

I woke up cramping of course. I guess the bright side, if you could ever say there was a bright side to periods, was that mine never lasted for more than a few days and were always light. I remember one girl at lunch started and ended up leaving a red stain on the bench seat. I felt sorry for her because of how embarrassing it had to have been.

I guess that my sexuality was old news now since there was a noticeable drop in the glances and whispers. At least when it was girls doing it I could get some enjoyment out of pretending that they were wondering what it would be like to date me.

We were sitting around waiting for Mr. Shue to show up. It wasn't the first time lately that he'd been late, or even failed to show up. Then Rachel came in carrying a platter of cookies.

"He's not coming." She stated.

"What happened?" Finn asked her. Which is probably what most of us were asking ourselves right now.

Rachel explained that she'd baked the cookies for Mr. Shue as an apology for what she'd said about his choreography. I could get why she apologized, hurting Mr. Shue's feelings, but it didn't mean she was wrong either.

Finn wasn't so understanding, "Of course he doesn't want anything to do with us after you kicked him in the nads!"

Well, metaphorically speaking, yeah, she did.

"Then why did he thank me?" Rachel pointed out.

"The goal is to win." Santana broke in. "And now that Mr. Shuester has agreed to let us hire Dakota Stanley, we can."

"But he doesn't want us to. He just doesn't have the confidence to coach us anymore. Guys are real sensitive when it comes to this kind of stuff." Finn argued.

"And that's MY fault?" Rachel shot back.

"Do you see anyone else in here with a plate of 'I'm sorry' cookies? I don't, just you!" Finn snapped back at her.

I decided to voice my opinion. "Guys, I don't really know who this Dakota Stanley person is or what he can do, but what I'm concerned about is the money he's asking for. I mean, eight thousand dollars? How are we going to get that kind of money?"

"A bake sale?" Brittany piped up.

I turned and smiled at her, which got Santana's back up. "I wish it were that easy, but eight thousand dollars is an awful lot of cupcakes."

Quinn stood up and stated, "I'm bored. All those in favor of hiring Dakota Stanley?"

Everyone but Finn raised their hand. I just shrugged and raised mine as well. If Quinn wanted to lead, I'd be happy to follow her.

I passed Rachel and Finn arguing about Mr. Shuester and Dakota Stanley and, I admit, I slowed down a little to hear what they were saying. It galled me to admit, once again, that Rachel seemed to be right. Hearing Finn's responses made me reassess my original 'void behind the eyes' thought from when I'd first seen him, but I didn't seem to be too far off.

I was talking to Kurt as we walked to his locker and saw Mercedes standing at hers. She was looking at Santana and Puck making out in the hall, which confused me for a few seconds because I thought that her and Brittany had a thing. Maybe she was Bi?

"Have you ever kissed anybody?" She asked, still watching Santana and Puck.

"Yes. If by someone you mean the tender crook of my elbow. No, I haven't, but I want to." Kurt replied. While I answered, "Yes. My girlfriend Felicity."

Mercedes kept staring and sighed.

"All right, stop it right there Mercedes. We are in Glee club, that means that we are at the bottom of the social heap. Special ed kids will get more play than we will. The only thing that gets me by is my knowledge that we are superior to all of them. What are the both of you wearing on our Operation Dakota Stanley field trip?"

"Jeans, shoes, tee shirt." I answered at the same time Mercedes asked, "Is there a dress code?"

Kurt looked at me with a horrified expression on his face, clutching at his chest. "No, but every moment of your life is an opportunity for fashion. We'll hit the mall after school. Meet me at lunch."

I was suddenly very afraid.

oooOOOooo

Shopping wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Spending time with Mercedes and Kurt was actually fun and I even broke down and let Kurt pick out some amazing outfits that I ended up buying. Including a very nice cocktail dress that I made Kurt and Mercedes promise to never reveal that I bought. But I could see myself wearing it on a date with Quinn. At least, if she ever realized that Finn wasn't really the one for her.

It was fortunate that Kurt owned a Lincoln Navigator. I knew his dad owned a mechanics shop, but I didn't know he was that successful at it.

I praised my goddess when I got to sit next to Quinn on the way to go see this Dakota Stanley person. I tried to keep from looking at her, but I would out of the corner of my eyes, pretending to be following along with Kurt and Mercedes talking, but the truth is, I couldn't make out a word they were saying. I was too busy feeling her body heat next to mine, and every time our knees would accidentally touch, my breath would hitch and my heartbeat would speed up. I could smell her body wash mixed with her natural scent and it sent my senses whirling so much I couldn't think straight. Whenever I did look over at her, after our knees would touch, mumbling an apology, she would have this slight smile on her face and I had to tear gaze away from those gorgeous hazel eyes.

When we got out of the car, I held my hand out to help her and, when she placed her hand in mine, my heart sped up. And the melodious tone of her voice thanking me warmed me all over. I probably held onto that tender hand of hers longer that was actually proper, but she just smiled again as she slipped it away from my slack grip.

Such actions made me hope for something more, but it also made my heart twist in a not so good way thinking that I might be reading too much into her expressions.

"Are we even sure they're rehearsing today?" Quinn asked as I tried to get myself together, stumbling after her. I was so gone for her and I knew it.

"Vocal Adrenaline rehearses every day from 2:30 until midnight." Rachel replied in a somewhat superior tone.

"I'm just so nervous these Vocal Adrenaline kids are gonna laugh at us. They're so cool and popular, and we look like we just stepped off the short bus." Mercedes admitted.

"Those sweaty Nazis have just had more time to practice. We have more heart. And you don't look touched in the head. That outfit is amazing." Kurt said supportingly. He was right, Mercedes outfit did look great on her.

I almost tripped over my own feet when Mercedes seemed to ask Kurt out and the boy invited her to watch Liza Minnelli. Did Mercedes even realize that Kurt was gay? Or, maybe, I was reading too much into that as well.

"Guys! That's Andrea Cohen. She won Outstanding Soloist last year at 'Absolutely Tampastic'." Rachel practically gushed letting us know who the girl was. I just wasn't sure which one was her. Of the two girls outside the auditorium, one was throwing up while the other in a neck brace was holding her hair back.

"You can't leave rehearsals for any reason. That includes heat exhaustion or Crohn's disease." Said neck brace girl.

Of course, that didn't dissuade Rachel at all. "Are you guys Vocal Adrenaline? We'd like to talk to Dakota Stanley about choreography for our glee club." She said in that fangirl tone.

The one throwing up looked up at Rachel with a horrified look on her face and said, "Don't! He's a monster."

We went inside anyway and sat down to watch. I had to admit, even though they weren't professional and I pointed out several late moves, they were light years beyond what Mr. Shue had been teaching us. After Mr. Stanley yelled at the kids, he left backstage before we could catch him, so we went outside to try and find him. And find him we did. Of course, Rachel went total fangirl once again.

"Mr. Stanley! We're the McKinley High glee club." Rachel gushed gushed as Mr. Stanley climbed into his Corvette Convertible. The blond in the passenger seat was pretty, but I was getting air head vibes from her.

"We'd like you to choreograph for us." Tina interjected, surprisingly without a stutter.

"Look, my fee is $8,000 per number, plus a $10,000 bonus if you place in the top three. And with Dakota Stanley at the wheel, You will place in the top three. Move it." He said before speeding his Corvette out of the parking lot.

Okay, Dakota Stanley was an ass.

"How are we gonna get $8,000?" Rachel asked. I was thinking the same thing. A bake sale wasn't going to cut it.

I was changing my books out at my locker when Rachel and Tina came up and started talking to me. I was kind of surprised because I was pretty sure that Rachel didn't like me. I have to admit I thought about kissing her just to see how much she would freak out, but I didn't want a sexual assault charge filed against me.

"K… K… Kayleigh, w… we n… need your help." Tina said.

"Yeah, since you're gay, we need your perspective. Mercedes seems to have developed an attachment to Kurt that goes beyond the normal boy/girl friendship one. I should know, I have two gay dads." Rachel declared.

I don't know why she felt it was necessary to keep mentioning that she had two gay dads. What if one or both of them were just Bi? Or, only one was gay?

"Okay, what do you mean?" I asked.

Rachel answered, probably because if she let Tina do it, we'd be late for our next class. "Do you think that Mercedes knows Kurt is gay?"

I didn't have to think very long. I mean, I had been thinking the exact same thing after our little field trip. "Personally, I think that she knows, but is in denial about it. She just wants to know how it feels to have someone that is interested in her in that way. Kurt probably just sees it as them being best friends."

Tina nodded and Rachel then asked. "Then would you like to do a gay-vention with Mercedes. We don't want to see her get hurt."

Okay, that was a surprise to me. I didn't think that Rachel cared about anything other than her getting all the solos. Well, except for Finn maybe. And that was probably only because he could sing really well.

"Sure. Just let me know when."

Tina looked happy and Rachel seemed to be vindicated.

That afternoon, the three of us approached Mercedes at the locker. Of course, Rachel took the lead before I could even open my mouth.

"We need to have a gay-vention. That's a gay intervention."

"It's K-K-Kurt. He's lady fabulous." Tina stammered.

I had to put in my own viewpoint. "Mercedes, sweetie, Kurt's gay."

"It's obvious you like him. We just don't want you to get hurt by feelings He can't reciprocate." Rachel added.

"Look, just because he wears nice clothes, doesn't mean he's on the down-low." Mercedes objected.

"He wore a corset to second period today." Rachel pointed out.

"You can do better, Mercedes." Tina said clearly. I was beginning to have my suspicions about her stutter.

"Really? Well, what if I can't? There's not a lot of guys around here knocking down my door for a date. Or yours, for that matter. Nobody notices us. Hello? We're in glee club. And I'm tired of being lonely. Aren't you? But Kurt… Kurt is sweet to me, and he likes who I am, And I like how I feel when I'm with him. And he's in our group, he understands what I'm going through. Now, maybe that's not enough for you guys, but it's enough for me."

"That's a great thing Mercedes, but you just need to understand that what you and Kurt have can't go beyond the best friends level." I told her. But I did agree with her about being tired of being lonely. The pieces of my heart seemed to resonate with those words.

Mercedes just closed her locker, turned, and left us standing there, each with our own thoughts of the conversation.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when we found out that Coach Sylvester had volunteered the Cheerio's to help us with the car wash fundraiser. I was wearing a pair of Daisy Dukes, flip flops, and a bikini under a tee shirt. With my pale skin tone, I had to be careful to not get too much sun. I couldn't rock the lobster look. When I caught sight of Quinn in her Cheerios skirt with a matching bikini top, my heart stopped. Then I felt sick inside. I wanted to be with her and I felt that I had no chance for it to happen.

I had been washing cars with Finn and Rachel when Rachel got my attention. "Hey Kayleigh? Are you crying?"

I hadn't realized that I was but when she pointed it out, I knew that I was. Thinking fast, I just replied, "Allergies."

Everything continued in that vein until we all heard the sound of glass breaking. Looking up over the hood of the car we were cleaning at the time, we saw Mercedes standing on the other side of Kurt's Navigator, which now had fist-sized hole in the windshield. We all heard Kurt loudly proclaim, "You busted my window. How could you do that? You busted my window!"

To which Mercedes replied, "Well, you busted my heart. HM!"

Rachel and I looked at each other, concern on both of our faces. We had tried to warn her.

We'd finally raised enough money to hire Dakota Stanley. We had lined up in the Glee Club practice room as he started handing out folders, telling us they were our personalized menus. However, Artie, Santana, Quinn, Brittany, and I didn't get one and we glanced at each other. Then he started going down the line, where he cut Artie because he couldn't walk. When he got to me and the Cheerio's, he said we were perfect, but I didn't care, I was boiling at this point. Then Finn protested and Stanley went off on him, saying that he thought we wanted someone who would tell us the truth. That's when I lost it.

"Bullshit!" I exclaimed. "Telling someone that they're not trying hard enough at walking when they're paralyzed, maligning someone because of their hair or otherwise how they look, including their height, isn't telling someone the truth, it's just being insulting! You are just being a dick!"

"Screw this! I quit!" Finn stated.

"Me t… t… t… too! Let's roll Artie!" Tina exclaimed.

"I agree!" I said, already starting to turn and leave

Then Rachel, Mercedes, Artie, and Finn mentioned people who overcame difficulties in their careers to go on and become successful. When Stanley asked what the point was, Rachel said the point was that he was fired, and that she was taller than him. I'd have liked that last bit more if she wasn't taller than me as well.

I kept dinner simple after school. Cheeseburgers, fries, and soda. But, when I say simple, that doesn't mean I slacked on the prep. Lettuce, tomatoes, sauteed onions, regular and jalapeno pickles, along with Cheddar and Swiss cheese. The tomatoes and pickles were for my mom and dad. In my opinion, tomatoes should only be eaten as part of a BLT sandwich. As for pickles, I might eat one once a year.

My parents got home as I was setting the table, complimenting me on the wonderful aroma's floating around the kitchen.

"So, how have things been going, Sweetheart?" My dad asked me.

I sat back and swallowed the bite I already had in my mouth. Then I told them how my sexuality was no longer the talk of the school. Everything that happened with Dakota Stanley and us firing him, after raising the eight thousand dollars, which he got to keep. I explained what happened between Mercedes and Kurt and how she broke his windshield. I also threw in how I wondered where she got the rock she used, given that we held the car wash in a parking lot.

"What about that girl that you like?" My mom asked.

Not what I was wanting to talk about. My chest was suddenly hurting again and I lost my appetite. But, maybe my parents could help me figure it out.

"I don't know. I mean, I can't stop looking at her. When I'm not looking at her, I'm thinking about her. When we went on our Dakota Stanley field trip, I sat next to her, and I could feel her body heat, smell her scent, and hear her breath. Sometimes our knees would touch and she would just smile while I mumbled an apology. She smiled when I held her hand helping her out of the car.

But I keep thinking that I won't ever be as close to her as I'd like to be and it makes me feel like I have the flu, or a stomach virus, combined with my period. My chest hurts like someone is squeezing my heart in their hand. There are nights I can't sleep because I keep thinking about her. And I'm having a hard time concentrating on my school work or when I'm doing my forms."

My mom and dad looked at each other and I asked, "What?"

My dad faced me and said, "Sweetheart, what you're describing makes it sound like you're lovesick."

Me, being my normal articulate self went, "Huh?"

"Baby, you're in love." My mom stated with a soft voice.

"Bu… But it doesn't feel like what I had with Felicity!"

"Sweetie," My dad said, "maybe you only liked Felicity, maybe even a whole lot, but now you are actually in love with this girl…"

"Quinn."

"Quinn. It's also possible that you've grown up some and you are better able to discern between just being close to someone and actually being in love with them."

I sat there stunned. Yeah, I was in love with Quinn, but that only made me feel worse. "But, if I can't be with her, then what's the use? What should I do?"

"Give yourself time. Understand that you may not be able to be with her in the way you want. Maybe just start out as friends and see if anything develops. Look around and see if you can find any other girl you might be interested in."

"I guess." I said, not really feeling like taking my mom's advice.

The next day I was talking to Kurt when Mercedes walked up.

"Hey, Kurt. I just wanted to say I'm really sorry I did that to your car. I'll pay for it to get fixed."

"It's okay. My dad took my baby away after he found my tiara collection in my hope chest."

"And I just wanted to say I hope it works out between you and Rachel. You'll have really cute, loud babies."

When she said that, it literally made my jaw drop.

"Mercedes, I lied to you. I don't like Rachel. I'm gay." Kurt said as he looked at both of us.

Mercedes seemed confused, and maybe a little hurt. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I've never told anyone before."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are, Kurt. Just look at Kayleigh here, she's a lesbian and proud of it. You should just tell people, especially the kids in glee. The whole point of the club is about expressing what's really inside you, remember?" Mercedes told him.

"I can't. I'm just not that confident, I guess." Kurt said in a dejected manner. It made me feel bad for him.

After Glee practice, which was so much better than it had been lately because Mr. Schuester was back and was teaching us a new, much better, dance routine. I was at my locker changing out my books and grabbing the ones I'd need for homework when I saw Brittany come bouncing up to me. And I mean that literally, she'd bounce with every step she took, her ponytail swinging back and forth.

"Hey Kayleigh!" She said when she stopped right next to me. I glanced around looking to see where Santana was just to be safe.

"Uh," I said, still looking around, "Are you sure you're supposed to be talking to me?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She replied, answering my question with one of her own.

"Um, because you're a Cheerio and I'm a geek. Because Santana might think I'm hitting on you because I'm gay."

"Why would Santana be worried? I just wanted to invite you over to my house. I have an internet talk show called Fondue for Two and I'd like to have you over for it."

I looked into her eyes and I couldn't see any sign of deception, just innocence in those pretty blue eyes of hers and I wondered if she was unaware of Santana's feelings for her. I mean, I thought that they were in a relationship with each other. I never felt like Brittany was the brightest crayon in the box but maybe she was just oblivious.

Remembering my parent's advice, I decided to accept. "I'll tell you what, if you make the fondue chocolate, with strawberries, banana's, and marshmallows, then I accept. I'm a sucker for chocolate."

Her face lit up and she grinned before saying, "Great! How about this Saturday?"

I smiled back at her and said, "Okay, it's a date!"

"I'll see you then!" She said before she turned, and bounced away. All without realizing that I had tried to make a joke.

A/N: Second chapter down. Up next, The Interview. I'm not sure when I'll have that one done. I'm almost done with the next chapter of Deathtouched and about half way through chapters on Fate's Chew Toy and Project Gateway.