A/N… Please see me at the bottom for a few things. I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 4

BELLA

Sitting down at the kitchen counter in our apartment, I spread out the paper in front of me. Edward had stopped by the auto shop, so I was taking a moment alone to answer my dad's last note. Dad and I hadn't been face-to-face in so long. Months, really. It took time to figure out a way to communicate once he'd joined the raiders. We were probably closer now than we ever had been before. We'd write about things we wouldn't have spoken about in person.

I snorted softly at that, but it was true. Charlie Swan was a quiet man, uncomfortable at showing emotion, but he loved my mother and me. He'd tried everything to protect us before they took me. And now, he fought to make them pay. He did way more behind the walls than just smuggle slaves back into Oz. He'd alert us to a raid, eavesdrop on conversations with the higher-ups, and occasionally steal weapons, ammo, and tech for us.

My worry was that one day they'd figure out he wasn't exactly on their side, that he was playing them all for fools. On the other side of that, I was so very proud of him.

However, I felt like he was missing out on a lot of things – my wedding, for one, and now, his grandchild, who was on the way. He'd definitely be happy about the baby.

I squeezed my eyes closed against the onslaught of emotion with that, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper. I had to be careful how I worded things, so names and places and times were left out.

I wanted to let you know that your three packages arrived and were well received. One was a little damaged, but we're slowly mending it. They have been a huge help. Everyone says thank you.

We have a request for you. We were hoping that you could check on the in-laws. It's quite possible they need a change in scenery. I hope they do, because they don't know about me, about who I am to them now.

And all of you need to know that the family is about to grow. They shouldn't miss this good news; they've missed too much already. Even though grudges are hard to shake, I think it's time they knew everything. Maybe it's time that all family members are on one side of the wall. The wisdom of a grandparent is needed around here.

Miss you. Love you. Please take care of yourself and avoid Thomas for the next week or so.

I reread my note, smirking at the weird way I had to put information, but it worked. There used to be a TV show about a train named Thomas, and apparently, I watched it as a child, because Dad was the one who started calling all the trains Thomas. If anyone knew, I'd be surprised. And my hope that my father finally came back over to our side of the wall wasn't new.

Folding up the note, I tucked it into the pocket of my jacket that was hanging on the back of the front door. The apartment was a little chilly and damp, so I walked over to the fireplace to start a fire.

These apartments had been abandoned long before we started fighting. Everyone in the building had died during the virus outbreak. Sue had moved us all to this one building when Emmett and Rose decided they wanted their own place and Edward and I had exchanged vows. Our apartment was on the top floor, and we pretty much kept it the way the original renters had left it, except for personal items. It was simple, and it was comfortable.

And it had a second bedroom. It was a spare room, but it would need to be something more soon.

Leaning in the doorway of the unused bedroom, I tried to imagine changing it. The walls were beige, which was fine, but we'd need to see if Sector C had anything for babies – cribs, changing tables, toys. We'd need all of it. And even though I should've been thinking about this train we were about to attack, I couldn't help but focus on this new life I was carrying.

The front door opened and then slammed closed, and I smiled when strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

"We'll check out Sector C after the meeting tomorrow," Edward whispered in my ear with a light brush of his lips across sensitive skin. "We'll get ready, love."

Grinning, I nodded, turning to face him. Someone had cleaned the cut above his brow.

"You went to see Tanya?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, I went to see Reverend Weber, but she was there," he answered, shrugging a shoulder. "Sue was afraid it would get infected, so she sent me."

"Hmm," I hummed, rolling my eyes at the mere idea that Tanya – nurse or not – had touched my husband.

Edward's chuckle was nervous, sexy, and amused all rolled into one barely resistible sound. "I told her we were expecting."

I laughed out loud. "I bet she's thrilled."

"Bella," he sighed through a light laugh. "Are you ever gonna let that go?"

"Maybe…maybe not."

He scooped me up, making me squeal into laughter as he carried me down the hallway toward the living room. He set me on the edge of the sofa in front of the fire, taking a knee so we were eye to eye.

"I don't know what the hell you're jealous for, my Bella. I've only ever belonged to you," he said with a tone that just about drove me mad. It had a dangerous edge to it, like he was losing his temper, but he wasn't angry.

"Because she'd steal you if you'd let her."

He laughed hard. "Yeah, well, not letting her, because I can't be 'stolen.' And do I need to remind you about Newton?"

I snorted but stopped, shaking my head. "No, you don't. Damn, I don't miss school. Whole world was falling apart, and the day-to-day drama of being a teenager seemed to overshadow it. No thanks."

My rambling rant made him flash a grin, lean in to kiss me, and whisper against my lips. "None of it mattered until we were seventeen, love."

Love. I smiled his way and nodded a little. When we were seventeen and pretty much out of school and deep into fighting against the Sound, we finally looked at each other like we were right then. Our firsts were all our firsts – kisses, exchanging "I love yous," and our first time making love. It had all changed at seventeen, and it didn't stop.

Placing my hands on either side of his face, I sighed and shook my head a little. He'd been the cutest boy I'd ever seen when I showed up at his apartment in the Sound. He had piercing green eyes, and his hair somewhat reminded me of stories of Peter Pan – wild and wind-blown and carefree. As we grew up, that cuteness hardened and sharpened into a devastating handsomeness that had every girl in Oz after him.

Funnily enough, our friendship and those lovesick girls all boiled over when we were blowing a different railroad bridge. There was a bit of déjà vu in this conversation. Back then, we were seventeen, fearless, and the best of friends, but I loved him. Hell, I think I loved him the minute he led me out of the Sound and back to my father. I just never thought Edward would see me the same way.

But I was wrong, because even at seventeen, Edward told me he'd marry me one day, and he'd kept that promise.

~oOo~

"Okay, we're doing this in pairs," Alistair rambled as he pointed to the map on the table in the auto repair shop.

Rose and I were packing up our weapons and ammo, and while I was listening, my gaze shot over to where Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were grinning at whatever Tanya and Kate were discussing.

I felt a nudge to my arm, and I glanced up at Rose. "What?"

"Why are they here?" she whispered, barely containing her curled lip of hatred for the two girls.

"They need to know where we'll be because Sue wanted them to learn. She's been teaching them basic first aid. If one of us gets seriously hurt, then they'll be the ones to come in to help." Even as I said it, I knew I sounded skeptical and maybe a touch bitter.

Tanya had been eyeing Edward since he'd brought me back into Oz. At first, I thought it was because he was new. However, now it seemed she'd take whichever of the boys would say yes. There was a part of me that didn't want to know if any of them had actually said yes; the thought scared me a little. She and I had once been friends, but she hated me now. Or really, she hated that Edward and I were so close.

Rose's snort was derisive and sharp. "She'd let you and me die. And still sleep just fine at night."

Grinning, I nodded. "No shit."

I finished packing my bag, adding a few things just in case I had to hole up for a few hours – food, water, my own first aid kit, because I could help myself better than Tanya could do it. It wasn't uncommon for missions like this to cause us to hide until things calmed down. Or at the very least until all the raiders had dissipated from the scene. There were plenty of places to hide in the Sound if things went crazy.

"Edward, Bella… You'll take the lead on this," Alistair continued. "I need you fast but accurate. You'll be the ones to set the explosives. We'll go in tonight, set the charges, and lie low until it's time to set it off." He pointed to Rose and then Emmett. "You two will bring back all you can carry from this train. There's a truck waiting for you at the warehouse. Jasper, Mike, and Maria, you'll set up along the route back to the wall to take out anyone following Rose in that truck. Sue and I will meet you at the gate; we'll clear your way back through.

"From what Flash and his dad can tell me, this train is carrying weapons, ammo, food, and slaves. I want some of those weapons and ammo. I'll take the food, but we need to set this trainload of slaves free."

Rose's silent laughter caught my attention, because Tanya looked like she'd just eaten a whole damn lemon at the fact that I'd be paired with Edward. Our team was used to it, but apparently it was news to her.

However, Alistair went on to make her even more sour. "You two. Tanya and Kate. I need you two to be at the ready just in case any of those slaves need medical attention. You ladies will treat them as best you can and then guide them to the hospital."

Rose hid her smile again as I asked Alistair, "If we get pinned down, are we going with the twenty-four-hour rule?"

"Yes. Guys, this will be really close to the station, and it'll be heavily guarded, so you'll go underground until they clear…or until you can find a safe passage back over the wall. We won't start to even worry until twenty-four hours from when we blow the bridge." He tapped the map on the table. "It's pushing midnight, so go get into position. You know what to do."

I tugged on my black hoodie, pulling the hood up and shouldering my backpack. I glanced over to Edward, who was doing the same as Tanya babbled away at him. I sighed when whatever she said made him smile a little and nod.

She had always been a pretty girl, but ever since she'd turned sixteen, she filled out way faster than the rest of us – well, not faster than Rose, but certainly faster than me. And it seemed everyone noticed.

The fact that Edward was damned good at fighting, that he always stayed so serious, and that he tended to carry a sense of aloofness about him made him all the more unattainable, which, of course, made her try that much harder.

"Ready?" I heard him ask from my side.

I simply nodded, giving a glance back at everyone we were leaving behind. I kept my expression blank, but Tanya's was anything but stoic.

Following Edward and Emmett out into the night, Rose and I stayed quiet. Jasper, Mike, and Maria whispered softly from behind us. We were going in at a different point in the wall than the usual place, so we needed to be as silent as possible. As we neared our entry point, the whispers eventually died away.

Edward and Emmett walked ahead as we followed the train tracks through what used to be an industrial area. There was a part of the wall that went over a drainage ditch, and that left a space from the bottom of the wall to the bottom of that ditch. They'd installed a grate, but it was loose, which basically acted like a door for us. We slipped through, dodging between an old gas station and what was once a car dealership.

Jasper and Maria went into the old gas station's building, and Mike darted across the street to set up in the back of a truck on the dealership lot. Those three were Rose's cover as she drove that truck toward the gate.

The four of us continued on farther into the Sound. Warehouses loomed up around us and were falling into disrepair. It was in those warehouses we'd have to hide when we'd done what we'd set out to do.

Emmett and Edward led us along the tracks and then took a left between two old buildings.

"He doesn't like her like that, you know," Rose piped up in a whisper.

I raised an eyebrow her way. "It doesn't matter, you know."

Her grin was big and amused, but it fell just as quickly. "I know. But he doesn't. I hear them talking about her. They think… She's weak, Bells. She'll always be weak. And with what we do, there's no room for weakness."

I nodded that I heard her, but I didn't say anything to that. I didn't know what to feel about Tanya's flirting. Edward and I were best friends, but something about her awakened in me feelings I wasn't sure I should share.

We crept through a broken warehouse door, going completely silent as we quickly ran from one side of the giant building to the other. Sitting at one of the roll-up bay doors was a rather large box truck. It was backed in and probably gassed up enough for us to get it through the Sound and back to Oz. The rest of the space was empty, and the walls were covered in graffiti. However, it was the small, broken window we needed.

It faced one of the train stations that used to be for people - Amtrak. Now, it was the raiders' unloading docks. Overhead was our target – a concrete bridge that was a part of the highway. We wanted to bring down the bridge in order to render this particular station useless. We'd also take out as many raiders as we could so that Rose and Emmett could load up the truck behind us with as much as they could take.

Edward dropped to a knee by the window, carefully peeking out toward the station. It was quiet. It was dark. And from what little I could see from behind him, there were only a few guards on duty.

"Perfect," he barely whispered aloud, turning to me. "You and I are going back out and around. We'll work our way to those piers from up top." He pointed to the warehouse across the street. "Then we'll dig in on that warehouse roof in order to take our shot."

Emmett set his bag down, handing over the two bricks of plastic explosive. Alistair had wanted to rig a timer for them, but Edward had told him that we'd set it off ourselves when the timing was right.

I took one brick and Edward took the other. We both tucked them into our bags.

"Ready, Bella?" he asked me, his eyes dark and intense.

"Yeah. Let's go."

I gave Emmett and Rose high-fives before we walked back toward the door we'd entered. It didn't take long to work our way out, around, and up to the highway's overpass. It was empty and dark up there, but we stayed low against the railing as we worked our way to the middle just over the large piers that held the bridge up.

"On you, Bella," Edward said, setting his pack down to grab the rope.

"Don't drop me," I told him, and his cocky grin flashed in the night.

"You barely weigh anything. I got you. Just make sure you attach it where it'll do the most damage," he whispered back, still looking a little smug.

I used the rope the way Alistair taught us, and Edward braced himself as the pulley system. I stepped over the overpass railing, glancing down to make sure I was going to be in the right spot. When I looked back to Edward, he nodded for me to go ahead.

He lowered me down until I was at the top of the pier where it met the underside of the bridge. I attached the first brick of C4, giving a tug and a whispered, "Okay," up to Edward, who pulled me back up to the railing. We repeated the process on the other side.

Once we were done, we rolled up the rope and worked our way back to the warehouse across from the one in which Emmett and Rose were waiting. A rusty old ladder led up to the roof, and Edward stopped beneath it because the first couple of rungs were missing.

"C'mere," he whispered, reaching for me and spinning me around to face the ladder. He hoisted me up high enough so I could get a grip and a toe hold.

I started climbing, only stopping once to make sure he was following. He'd had to jump a little to reach the rung, but he was way taller than when we'd first started doing this shit. The rooftop was dark, and Edward and I crouched low as we made our way to the far corner that faced the bridge.

Edward pulled his backpack off and opened it, and I did the same. Inside were the pieces of disassembled rifles. We quietly went to work putting them together. He would be taking the shot to set off the plastic explosive; I would be aiming for raiders in order to cover for Emmett and Rose. One bomb would trigger the other. The whole bridge would collapse on the station, the raiders, and the train's engine.

I sat down on the rooftop, leaning back against the raised-up barrier that went all the way around. Edward, though, attached the sight to his weapon and aimed it toward the bridge.

"Good job, Bella. I have a perfect line of sight," he praised in a whisper as he sat down next to me.

Nodding, I toyed with the hole in the knee of my jeans. Now it was the waiting game. The train was expected – according to the information Flash was able to get for us – just before dawn. It would still be dark, and that was going to be in our favor.

Edward's leg bumped against mine. "You okay? You're awfully quiet."

"Aren't we supposed to be quiet?" I snarked back in a whisper.

Edward's eye roll was exaggerated and frustrated at the same time, and I couldn't stop the snort of laughter that I had to tamp down. When I didn't really answer him, he sighed deeply but let it go.

Pulling my bag to me, I opened it to sort through my stuff just to have something to do. Rolled up in an extra shirt were three grenades my dad had left for me the last note exchange we'd had. I set them gently down on the rooftop.

"For the tracks?" he whispered.

I turned to answer him, and his face was so close I could see the stubble from not shaving.

"Yeah. And the engine." I met his intense gaze, adding, "I brought them for you. You probably throw better than me."

He smiled a little and shook his head. "Maybe. But I have faith in you."

Something about the way he was looking at me made my face heat. I was extremely grateful for the darkness.

He nudged me. "Relax. We got this."

We didn't say much for the next hour or so. I was getting antsy and restless by the time we finally heard the unmistakable sound of the inbound train.

Edward bent to my ear. "Ready, Bella?"

I nodded, and we both shifted at the same time to peer over the edge of the roof. Edward and I readied our weapons. And I steadied my nerves with a long inhale and exhalation of breath. His shot would break the silence we'd been maintaining all night.

The only noise was the engine as the train slowly came to a stop at the station, and it was sitting so pretty underneath that bridge.

"Okay, Edward. Whenever you're ready," I whispered, glancing over at him as he gazed through the sight of his rifle.

Through my own sight, I could see why he was hesitating – more raiders were joining the few who had already been on the station platform. He was going to take out as many as he could in one fell swoop.

"On me… Three, two, one…" he whispered, pulling the trigger.

The explosion was massive, and it was followed by another one when the fire hit the other brick of C4 on the far side of the bridge. I wasn't sure if the collapse of the concrete highway falling down was even louder than the explosion, though, because the train engine was crushed.

I fired off a few shots, giving a quick glance back down the train to make sure that Rose and Emmett were on the move. They were slamming open train cars as fast as they could. Slaves were guided into the warehouse.

"Bella, grenade," Edward said, holding out a hand.

I picked up two and handed him one, and we pulled the pins and tossed them at the same time. His landed perfectly in the middle of the loading platform. Mine took out a group of guards hiding behind what was left of the train's engine. It was chaos down below us, but one face happened to glance up.

"Shit, Demetri," I hissed, pulling Edward back from the edge as bullets pinged around us.

"Time to go," he sang, grabbing his backpack.

I pulled on my own pack, and we ran at a crouch toward the ladder. Just before we reached the side, the roof beneath me crumbled just enough to make me fall, twisting my ankle in the process.

"Edward!" I called out.

He ran back to me, kneeling down at my feet to check my leg. "Can you walk?" he asked nervously.

"I don't know," I grunted out through gritted teeth as I tried to stand.

Wincing at the pain, I limped toward the ladder, which now looked terrifying with an ankle that may or may not hold me.

"Turn around," Edward stated, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Ready?"

I nodded, and he lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Despite the circumstances, something about this position – face to face, chest to chest – felt kind of perfect. It felt like more than it should when we were trying to get away.

"You hold on to me. I'll get us down. There's a safe room not far from here. Okay?" he verified, handing me his handgun.

Edward took us both down the ladder, grunting a little when he had to drop from the last rung to the ground. Sticking to the shadows, he maneuvered us through a few more warehouses.

"You watch my back, Bella. Shoot anyone who follows," Edward whispered, his breath right at my ear.

"Okay."

He took another few turns, and after a few more blocks, he ducked into an alleyway between a warehouse and a brick building that was approximately four stories tall. I heard him shift something, but my eyes stayed locked on the street behind us.

Edward carried me up three flights of stairs before going through a door at the end of a hallway.

"I'm gonna set you down, okay?"

I nodded because his intense gaze was different, warmer, and a little dark. Though that last thing could be because we were in a room that had been boarded up a bit. There wasn't much light at all.

I found myself planted on a mattress that had been put on the floor as a makeshift pallet. Edward shrugged out of his backpack, and I did the same. He walked around securing doors and windows.

When he stepped back in front of me, he sat down on the floor. "Let me see, Bella."

He tugged my foot to his lap and pushed up my jeans. "No broken skin. And you can move it okay. So…sprain. Maybe?"

"Yeah. Probably."

"Well, you can let Tanya wrap it when we—"

I jerked my foot back, snorting a little at that suggestion. "Yeah, no. I'm pretty sure she'd amputate it just for shits and giggles, Edward. I can wrap it myself."

A dangerous grin flashed across his features, but he didn't say anything as I focused on my pack. I found my own first aid kit and pulled out a long, rolled-up bandage.

He tsked a bit when I struggled with my sneaker and sock, so he reached for my foot again. "No amputation, Bella. I promise. She'd have to come through me."

I laughed bitterly. "I promise you, she'd prefer to go through you. Repeatedly."

He grimaced a little and shrugged his shoulder, but his hands were gentle as he started to wrap my foot and ankle with that bandage.

"I know, but…I'm good. She's…" He trailed off.

"Desperate," I finished for him.

He shook his head. "Not who I want."

When he met my gaze, there was no green in his eyes. None. They were dark and heated, but they seemed nervous and hopeful.

"Kate?"

"No."

"Rose?"

"Shut up, Bella," he grunted. "No. It's you, okay? I've… It's always been you. I don't know when it changed. It just did." He focused on my foot, fidgeting with the wrap. "I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but… I felt more with this mission than any other. I can handle Newton's drooling over you, but…" He lifted my leg. "This shit scared me a little."

I waved away his comment about Mike because he was kind of pitiful in his attempts to get my attention, and they were so bad that it was an endless joke in the auto shop.

"I felt it, too," I admitted in a whisper. "I think I've always… Like since we met."

"Yeah?" he asked, and I nodded. "You still scared the shit outta me."

I wrinkled my nose. "Sorry. I didn't see that the roof was weak in that sp—"

He shook his head, pulling me close and finally to his lap. "It's not your fault. You did everything right. But this proves anything could go wrong when we're on this side of the fucking walls, Bella."

He placed his hands on either side of my face, pulling my forehead gently to his. "I can't let anything happen to you," he whispered, squeezing his eyes closed. "You're the reason I'm here, the reason I fight. I love you, and I'm going to marry you one day."

Grinning, I let out a little laugh. "Have you got it all planned, Edward?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed, a wickedly alluring smile curling up his lips that brushed over mine.

"I saw you smiling with Tanya before we left Oz, and I just…" I grumped, rolling my eyes at how I'd let her get to me.

Edward chuckled. "She called me out on ignoring her. I found it funny."

I studied him, my brow wrinkling at the honesty I could see on that handsome face. "I love you, too. And that scares me because now, I'll shatter if something happens to you."

"We got this, love. You and me. It's always been you and me. Only now, I get to kiss you," he said, grinning beautifully at my laugh.

And he kissed me until I could barely see straight. I'd never felt anything like it. It felt then like I'd finally found a missing piece to just…me.

Eventually, he set me down on the pallet. "Get some rest, Bella. I'll take the first watch. When shit dies down, we'll make our way back to Oz."

~oOo~

"Tanya would still amputate my foot," I stated wryly.

Edward laughed hard. "Nah, love. She's over me, I think."

"You think?"

"Maybe. Don't care."

I'm glad he didn't bring up Mike Newton. We lost him that mission. The raiders gave chase to Rose in that box truck filled with weapons, food, and slaves. Mike's position in the car dealership lot ended up way too open, and he took a bullet in the leg. Rose had said the last thing she saw was them loading him up in one of their transports. We never saw him again. Not even my father could locate him.

"Now, I believe we were talking earlier about pages of dirty novels."

"Edward, I swear. No, you were talking dirty. I need to leave my note for my dad," I told him with a chastising tone to my voice, but I loved the way he never stopped wanting me. It wasn't long after we'd said we loved each other before things really heated up between us.

"Fine, love. Note, then dirty things," he stated firmly with that aggressiveness I loved. He stood up in front of me, offering me his hand. "C'mon. That'll be as far over the wall as you can go. And I'll go with you."

Edward helped me with my jacket, and we headed downstairs to the street. Only Sue and Alistair knew where the drop-off point was for my father's notes. There was a reason we were all told never to go into the door of the building that sat next to the broken portion of the wall. My father used that building for storage, to leave my notes, and to leave us anything he felt we could use. Slaves were hidden in one place, but everything else he found for us came to the old building just inside the Sound.

Edward stepped up to the crooked part of the wall, peeking out. He waited a beat or two before slipping through to the other side. He held out his hand to help me do the same. We didn't go in the back door or the front. It was a cellar door we used.

Edward unlocked it and led me inside. There wasn't much light down there due to small windows and an overcast day. Several shelves were lined with a few boxes of random things we stashed here in case we needed them – spare clothes, blankets, ammunition. However, it wasn't any of those shelves I needed.

There was an old red toolbox in the corner of the room under the decaying coil of a water hose. The bottom drawer of that toolbox was our "mailbox." I yanked open the drawer to see another folded note and a thumb drive. I traded my note for those things, and Edward ran upstairs to the first floor of the house to leave a signal for my dad.

A white angel statue sat on the windowsill facing the street – the same street the raiders cruised all day, every day. We'd move the angel from one side of the window to the other to signal my dad. He'd shift it back when he picked up whatever we'd left for him. It was simple, and no one knew because no one was that observant.

I tucked the folded piece of paper and the thumb drive into my pocket, following Edward back to the wall once the way was clear. When we were on the other side, safely back in Oz, I pulled out his note.

I think you will find this interesting. And it may be a way to end it all. – C

Edward read over my shoulder and then plucked the drive from my fingers. "So much for dirty novels. Better take this to Flash, huh?"

I laughed a little at the way he put that. "You've been oh so patient, Edward. When we're done, I promise to make it up to you."

His grin was deadly as his tongue swept slowly across his bottom lip. "I'm holding you to that, you know."

I simply shook my head and walked toward the auto shop, saying, "I'm sure, Edward."

~oOo~

A/N… A little more background. And Tanya might have been the catalyst for those two to get together.

Announcement! JenRar and I are releasing a book this December 20. All the info and links are on FB and X (Twitter). However, you can always search Amazon for Deb Rotuno or Jenny Rarden. You'll remember that we wrote under the name Sarge's Girls. The ebook for In Pursuit of Safety is available to pre-order; it's the first of a trilogy. On FB and X there are sign-up sheets for signed copies, a video preview of the book, and the links to all the things. The fanfic version will come down on December 19.

Okay, see you guys next week. There have been pic teases going up somewhere around Thursday/Friday for each chapter on FB and X. So until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)