Thank you so much to my followers: bluexaphyre, Chloe0x0, and Guest!
Guest: Isn't that funny when that happens! Glad you're enjoying that one too!
This is likely both the chapter you all have been waiting for, but the one that none of you wanted to happen ;) Enjoy!
In an underground bar with a broken transistor,
the last woman on earth,
who could resist her?
I wanna live in sacrilege, sister
I wanna live in sacrilege, sister
Sacrilege Sister-Quickfix
March 2nd, 2019
Betty paused her motions of zip-locking flour back into the plastic bag, staring through the hallway to the entrance to the house where Sweet Pea was shucking off his clothes for the day. She watched his motions, realizing that he always took his snow-gear off in the same pattern.
First, his scarf, unraveling it from around his nose. It was a Gryffindor scarf, the fucking nerd, (and, if she wanted to trump his nerdiness, she wasn't entirely sure he was a Gryffindor, but that was neither here nor there) from a Hot Topic they'd hit up somewhere in Indiana. He would carefully twine it around his hand into a little snake of a coil, setting it on the stool near the door. Then, his mittens, using his teeth. After was his hat, and he'd always run his fingers through his hair, messing it up before he would use the back of his palm to part it.
After was his boots, shook off and beat against the floor to shake the snow from its soles. Last was his coat, unbuttoned with his fingers.
Sometimes he'd have a sweater on, a thick woolly thing with Nordic designs. He'd first made fun of them until he realized how toasty he felt with it on. He wasn't doing much complaining about that anymore.
On the days he had a sweater on, he'd take that off too, as they kept the main part of the house pretty warm. On those days, sometimes his shirt would begin to ride up too, and Betty was able to catch a glimpse of his chest.
He did all of this while humming whatever song was on his mind that day. Today, she thought it was either Bareilles' 'Brave' or Katy Perry's 'Roar'. She'd never realized how similar they sounded until her mind was switching between the pair of them.
Sweet Pea whistled as he came into the house, spying Betty at the countertop. She looked down quickly, finishing her task she'd started ten minutes ago before she was distracted.
"Betty Cooper," Sweet Pea said, slamming his hands on the counter-top, "You are a liar."
"What?" She blinked rapidly.
"You heard me," He said.
"I was only looking because I-," Betty began, but saw the confusion his face, "What are you talking about?"
"The hot tub. What were you talking about? Checking me out?" He teased.
Yes. "No." She coughed, "Explain...hot tub?"
"Right. Yes. That thing? On our porch?" He asked, waving a hand in the direction of the area that it was currently housed in, "We've been here, what, more than two months?"
"Try more like eight or nine."
"And I said no untruthful statements. More than two months," Sweet Pea responded without missing a beat, "And you said we'd use it and we haven't once. My leg is hardly even a scar now!"
Betty opened her mouth to argue, but in the end, she found no good reasons why not.
"Look, I'll give you a spare solar battery. You gotta do all the work, alright? Clean it, get it warm...all the bells and whistles."
"And you'll join me?"
"Well," Betty laughed, "Even I won't say no to a hot tub, Sweets. I'm just not going to put the energy into it."
"Like you have better things to do."
"Well, I was going to keep looking for my name-,"
"Grease."
"What?"
"Grease. The Musical and fantastic 80s movie. That's a huge jump of a hint. Now, will you help me? Please?" Sweet Pea said, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes. Betty gave a long sigh.
"Fine."
March 5th, 2019
As it turned out, hot tubs weren't ready within a day, even with proper care and maintenance and common use. For a hot tub that had been mostly collecting dust in the corner of a room, it took three days. On usual, Betty would say this was far too much effort for one thing, but it made Sweet Pea so happy she couldn't quite say no to him. If he knew that he was her weakness, it would be all over.
Finally, after hours of tinkering and filling and heating and lots of chlorine, by the time the sky was darkening the stars were popping through the darkness, the hot tub was ready to be used.
Sweet Pea mixed the margaritas. Betty was thrown back to Lodge Lodge, the one where the famous foursome of them went so long ago. But it really wasn't that long ago, was it? It just felt like it.
She remembered the whole 'Veronica and Jughead kiss to make things even' and how that had seemed a little weird and that Veronica was much more into it than she expected. Her best friend could have acted like it was difficult, for God's sake!
Betty wasn't going to speak ill of the possible dead. Plus, she wanted to remember the good memories over the bad.
She licked the side of her margarita glass in the bedroom, realizing she didn't actually own a swimsuit? On the packing list of what to grab during an apocalypse, cute swimwear (or, really, any at all) somehow hadn't made the list. Shocking.
She threw on an old t-shirt, wrapped her terry-cloth robe around her and came out to the hot tub. Sweet Pea was already lounging, his long arms stretched over the edges, staring off at the winter scene underneath them. There was something picturesque about it; the hot tub on the edge of the world, it felt like, the steam rising up and hissing as it hit the cold air. Below them were white, pristine, untouched. It had just snowed yesterday. It looked like a painting.
He turned as she came in. His eyes were smoldering dark, cataloging her up and down, even with a bathrobe on. It reminded her so much of a moment long ago, at the Wyrm, as she'd been doing the Serpent's dance. She remembered how he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her, a particular brand of curiousness seeping into his expression. Something dark, but not evil, and inexplicably warm.
"I uh...don't have a suit…" She jolted herself from her memory, playing with the ties of her robe, wondering if Sweet Pea was having a similar issue.
"Yeah?" Sweet Pea asked, eyes glimmering, "Neither do I."
"So you're just...in underwear?"
"Why ruin a perfectly good pair in the middle of the apocalypse?" Sweet Pea asked, raising an eyebrow as though it was the most casual thing in the world.
Betty felt her face turn bright scarlet, all the blood rushing upwards. She opened her mouth to speak but found no words. What was she even going to say to that anyway? She honestly couldn't tell if he was trying to get a rise or just stating the facts. She couldn't have been able to tell since males were usually shirtless in the hot tub, but she was pretty sure that Sweet Pea just told her that he was naked in there.
He jaw hung open uselessly as she tried to finagle any sort of intelligent sound.
"I put the bubbles on, Cooper," He said in a low, inviting croon, "Can't see a thing, especially not in this darkness."
"Well, I…" She started to formulate an argument until she asked herself 'why'? Why was she going to argue against this? What was holding her back?
"Look, I'll even close my eyes until you're in," He said, leaning his head back, deep into the water, "It's fantastic here, Betty," He goaded, "You're missing out."
Betty drank two large sips of her margarita, making the choice before she chickened out. She undid her robes, pulling off her shirt and bra in one fell swoop. Then, her underwear. She paused, toying with taking them off or jumping in like this.
But Sweet Pea was right. The Chlorine would totally kill the fabric, and god, who could afford that anymore? It was much more reasonable to go skinny dipping, logistically.
"Still not in!" Betty squeaked as she saw Sweet Pea start to crack an eye open. She grabbed the handle of her drink and jumped in, not allowing herself to acclimate to the heat. It burned over her skin, but nothing was as warm as the full-bodied flush from her mixture of embarrassment and sexual desire.
She gasped out, "My God, are you trying to boil yourself?"
"If you hot tub, you gotta hot tub right," Sweet Pea said, "Can I open my eyes?"
"Yes." She sighed, making sure her body was well-below the water-line. Only her collar-bone and face were bobbing above the ticklish bubbles.
Under the water, she curled her legs under her body, choosing a seat across from Sweet Pea, careful not to be too touchy-feely.
"Relax, Airahnood. You're in a hot tub at the end of the world," He said, spying her jumpy flight-or-flight expression, "We're in a hot tub at the end of the world and we've survived. We even have a margarita and your wits about you. Just...mhh...relax…" He said, drifting down until his chin skimmed the water's surface.
Betty closed her eyes, settling her head against the edge. It was relaxing. Now that she was sitting in the water, it wasn't as hot as she'd first thought. It was incredibly enjoyable and seemed to wash away her aches and worries. They should hot tub more often.
"Aye, I second that," Sweet Pea mumbled, "You said that out loud."
Most of the night they just spent in silence, soaking up the good soothing vibes, Betty was glad that Sweet Pea didn't feel the need to include a lot of mindless chatter. It was enough to just be here, existing in the hot tub, silent. Being naked soon wasn't even a thought in her mind; she sort of forgot she was stripped down.
Until something slimy touched her thigh.
She half-screamed, jumping to the other side of the hot tub.
"You cleaned this thing, right?"
"Well, might just be a leaf, damn woman!" Sweet Pea laughed, "We are half-way outside," He teased.
Betty had settled on his upper leg, perching there. It was only as her exhilaration of the fear at the moment eased away from her that she realized that she had fallen almost on his lap.
And he was incredibly hard.
"You sneaked a peek of me," She muttered, fingers reaching out for the offending object. Not his hardness, but the object that had brushed her. And wow, yeah, it literally just was a leaf. She felt stupid.
"What before?" He asked, "Naw. But the idea that I know that I'm here with a naked girl...that's pretty much enough," He said, unabashed. Betty bit her lip, trying to scowl to cover up how all of the heat she'd been collecting had dropped straight between her legs.
Nothing between them. Absolutely nothing. Just water and bubbles and air and that wasn't much at all.
Sweet Pea's fingers were resting on her hip. Slowly, as though he was trying not to spook Betty, he turned her. His wet fingers tracing up her neck, across her cheeks, to the nape of her neck. Betty felt as though their hearts were beating in one, in unison, a frantic fluttering tone.
"Are we about to make a stupid decision?" She asked.
"Stupid? Perhaps. A good one? Absolutely," Sweet Pea mumbled, pulling her down against his lips. Betty moaned, placing her hands on his shoulders to brace herself, trying to figure out where to put her legs. She was currently seated on just one of his legs, but held herself up, unsure if there should be total contact or no contact. She could feel his length press against her stomach, sending shivers up her body, despite the heat of the hot tub.
He tasted like the lemons in the margaritas. As he bit her lip, he licked along the inside of her mouth, trying to delve deeper and deeper in. He was everywhere at once, warmer than the heat of the hot tub, making her wetter than the water. His fingers pulled her up and resituated her onto his lap, her legs pressed around his thighs.
At the brush of his length against her opening, both of them gasped and shuddered. He didn't ask if it were okay, but Betty knew it was because he trusted her to have the autonomy to tell him if he was crossing a line.
But she wanted to cross more.
She ground down, rubbing herself against his cock, teasing him as the head slipped on her folds.
Sweet Pea growled into her mouth, a literal feral growl, clenching down. He lifted her up in the water, where she was weightless, and for one second she was sure he was going to impale her on him in the water, but instead he pulled them both out of the water.
They were dripping all over the floor, making a mess, but Betty couldn't care. The air was chilly, almost uncomfortable, but Betty hardly noticed. She stood on her tiptoes while Sweet Pea leaned down, trying to devour each other through their mouths, pressing against each other as though they were connected by their flesh.
Sweet Pea grabbed Betty's robe in a rumpled ball, throwing it on the floor. He settled both of them to the ground, Betty laying back on the towel, his eyes catching hers.
"Jordan…" She whispered, unable to articulate more.
"I know, babe, I know," He murmured against her lips, one of his fingers going back for her mound. He slipped his fingers up with her juices before plunging three in at once, stretching and easing and preparing. Betty mewled and panted, legs parted for him. Through the daze and the light reflecting off her eyes of the moon, she saw him grasp a little foil packet. He ripped it off with his teeth, using one hand to expertly put the condom on. Betty was seconds away from making a pithy joke about teenage pregnancy and the apocalypse, but all sounds died in her throat as Sweet Pea parted her legs even farther and pulled her to him.
"Last chance-,"
"If you think I'm going to tell you to stop," Betty's throat was parched, dry, "You're crazy."
"I can't...I don't think this is gonna be sweet and soft." He warned, cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
"Who said I wanted that?" Betty asked, blinking up at him.
He grinned, and despite claiming that it wasn't going to be sweet, his kiss was gentle and careful. It was unlike the others he'd given. He was overwhelmingly present, yes, but it was almost kind. Perhaps a teaser of what else he could do, or an apology, before he lined himself up and pushed completely in without pausing.
Betty gasped, letting her body adjust. He was definitely bigger than Jug, she was pretty sure. But, even so, it had been months since she'd had more than just fingers in herself, so this felt substantial. Full, she felt full. Like every inch was being touched deep within her.
"Ah, god, yes," Sweet Pea breathed out, almost a relief.
"What are you waiting for, cowboy? Move," Betty encouraged, wrapping her legs around his back.
Sweet Pea didn't need to be told twice.
He grabbed the skin of her thigh, pulling her leg up so that as he moved, he went deeper and harder than that first thrust. Betty gasped out loud, trying to angle her hips to hit that sweet spot that just teetered on the edge of pleasure and pain. She wasn't sure if it was just because she was so accustomed to this, and after a few more far-reaching movements, she found the place that felt best.
Sweet Pea held onto her skull, keeping her head from being ground into the uncomfortable floor. This certainly wasn't a good position to have sex, and her hip bones would likely ache in the morning, but it felt right. It felt satisfying that they couldn't have even made it to their bed.
"Elizabeth." She was pretty sure she head Sweet Pea mumble this, so quietly she nearly missed it. He'd never used her full name before. It sounded almost melodic when he said it, as he drew out the first sound and breathed the last.
He kissed her as much as he could manage as he moved within her. Despite his quiet, almost gentle tones, he was going hard. It was a juxtaposition; he spoke to her with a reverence that someone would give the most important person in the world, but he moved as he may never have sex again.
Betty was overwhelmed in the best way by this unusual combination. Something about the two sides of this was thrilling to her, to see that he was not altogether one way or the other.
As she started moving to meet his movements, fingers digging into his roots, she considered that she was so lucky for this. For this moment, here with Jordan, when everything else was shit. She considered how unlikely, how many variables had to have matched up for this, and for them to work so well together.
Betty was unsure if she believed in fate, but this felt a little like kismet.
Sweet Pea slid his hand between them, pinching her clit and rubbing it, causing Betty to buck up in a bolt of pleasure. She moaned, digging her face into his shoulder. She bit down, not necessarily to keep quiet, but more because of how Sweet Pea shuddered when she did so. The harder she bit down, the harder he moved, and thus the more pleasure for her. And by the time she was sure to leave imprints of her mouth against his collar-bone, she was finishing on his fingers and around him.
Sweet Pea didn't announce his completion. She could feel it, even though the condom. His hips slowed. As he gave one last hard, jerked movement, he leaned forward. His hands warmed her cheeks, holding her face as he melted into a deep kiss with her, perfectly in time with his movements. As his body stilled, his lips moved softly upward, planting a long, intimate kiss upon her forehead, something unexpected. Betty closed her eyes, already replaying that over, and over, and over. Forehead kisses were something given to loved ones, it was a sign of comfort and reassurance. It had to mean something, didn't it?
Or was that just her aching, wishing heart?
They didn't move, not at first. Betty held her breath, sure this was a dream. Sweet Pea's eyes were deep and brown, staring at Betty like his heart was breaking.
You should tell him.
"I...we...maybe sleep," Sweet Pea said, breaking his gaze, detaching himself from her.
Betty realized, as he spoke, how exhausted she was. The combination of the alcohol, the heat from the hot tub, and the physical exertion of sex was making her drowsy. She stifled a yawn, and Sweet Pea chuckled softly at her motion. As Betty stood up, he placed his robe over her shoulder like a gentleman offering a coat, warming her skin.
Betty couldn't hold back her second yawn, stretching and blinking wearily and fighting the quietness settling over her. Sweet Pea grabbed his sports shorts from the ground, pulling them up as he pulled her to the bedroom.
"Sweets, I…" Betty began, unsure of how to begin.
"Hmm?"
"Uhm. Nothing." She said, "Just that the cover to the hot tub. We should…" It seemed stupid, and it was a cop-out, but that was a thought. She wanted time to talk about this. She wanted to wait until they were both under the covers.
Sweet Pea snorted, "Yeah, yeah. I'll do it anyway. Gotta go to the bathroom." He said, a hint of nervousness present from the fidgeting of his hands.
Betty nodded, pulling the blankets to her chin. She heard the heavy 'thump' as Sweet Pea closed the hot tub.
Her eyes drooped. She fought to stay awake.
As she drifted off, she had one thought…
For sure, tomorrow. When we're both maybe more awake…
XXxxXX
Sweet Pea stared at the reflection in the mirror, feeling as though he was being pulled apart by two different sides of him. There was the side that was giddy like a boy on Christmas. He'd just had sex with Betty, the girl he'd been over the moon about for months. It hadn't just been okay sex, and maybe it was because both hadn't gotten laid in a while, but he thought it had been sublime. And fuck, he couldn't wait to do it again. He was already getting half-hard, imagining her laid out before him, not a stitch of clothes on her. He was entirely ready to go at it again if she wanted.
The other side of him was frustrated. Frustrated because she didn't know, because of how he was as a person.
As much as Sweet Pea just wanted to let the matter drop, to enjoy this new change in their relationship, he knew he'd never be able to.
Everyone always thought he'd be a guy down for friends with benefits or a side-call. Sweet Pea just wasn't built like that. He liked relationships, stability, and defined agreements. If he was having sex with you on the regular, he expected something a bit more solid. Because, if Sweet Pea was sleeping with you more than once, he was probably half-way to loving you as it was.
So, while it might completely bite him in the ass, Sweet Pea did not think he could let himself sleep with Betty again if he didn't say what he needed to say.
That being that if they took the plunge again, he'd be a goner. He sorta was now, but he'd truly be lost in her. Not just a survival partner, but a life partner. If they were going to do this, there was no turning back for him.
And she could say she didn't see him that way. Once again, fine.
But she had to know. And he had to get an answer.
"Betty, honestly, I think I'm in love with you," He murmured to his reflection, practicing it. He said it four times until it felt easy to say before he came to the bedroom.
Betty was fast asleep, halfway on his side, face buried into his pillow. He thought about waking her but decided against it.
He may not know how much time they had remaining, but he knew they'd have at least tomorrow. So, it could wait.
As he shuffled her to her side so he could lay down, he paused.
Then, he pulled her back, cradling her head to it rested against his still-fluttering heartbeat.
March 6th, 2019
In the morning light, Betty woke suddenly.
I have to tell him.
She shot up, padding around the bed for Sweet Pea, as though pressed by some unforeseen hand to guide her to him.
The bed was empty and sunlight poured into the curtained room.
She threw on a sweatshirt chilling at the edge of the bed, slipping into her slippers, and she walked to the kitchen. There was the remainder of breakfast left out for her with a note. She grabbed it, reading it out loud.
"Thought I'd let you sleep. Last night was fantastic. Let's talk later, Jordan."
Betty felt a giddy smile rise to her face as she pressed the paper against her lips, easing on her feet. She didn't even consider, for a second, that the 'let's talk' could be anything bad. She, in her heart of hearts, knew what she wanted it to be.
She remembered that Sweet Pea was fixing upon of the half-dilapidated structures on the land in preparation for the crops the next year, and since it was such a beautiful day and relatively warm (above 0 degrees), there was little reason for him to stay inside. Betty ate her food, savoring it, as she imagined Sweet Pea cooking it with care and love.
She felt like there was so much to say and at the same time, so few words that could properly express it.
She found things to do for the morning, though she was bursting and anxious to have this talk with him. Or to have a repeat of last night. Preferably both. It was only when it hit about noon that she realized she didn't even have a hangover, which surprised her. Sex really was magic, eh?
She heard the front door slam open at approximately 1:30. Betty, now dressed in jeans and a sweater, popped her head out of the room she was in.
"Sweets? Is it lunchtime or-oh my god!" She said, running over to him, from where his hand was bleeding profusely.
"Fucking...fucker...little…" Sweet Pea was cussing, his left hand clenched tight as blood poured between his digits. He fished around their emergency first-aid kit with one hand.
"Jesus, let me!" Betty demanded, opening it much more efficiently and dumping it in the foyer. She opened his palm, seeing a deep gash. Fear shot down her spine immediately.
"It's not a-,"
"No, not walkers," Sweet Pea growled through gritted teeth, "Thank god."
"Yeah," She repeated a tad confused, "What was it?" She asked as she began to dab antiseptic on the wound, holding his palm tight as he flinched and hissed.
"Fucking raccoon. Really took a bite out of me, didn't it?" He gave a low, throaty laugh, "Killed it, though, so...damn this really hurts."
"Raccoons?" Betty echoed, her voice pitching.
"Yeah? You know, trash pandas."
"I know what a raccoon is...I just…" The fear that had vanished that it wasn't a walker returned, thudding deep in her heart, "Sweets, are you fully vaccinated?"
Raccoons carry rabies and rabies, if not treated, were incredibly deadly, even in a functioning world. In a near-dead one, the chances of death were likely higher.
"Well," Sweet Pea muttered, "As you can imagine, most of the needles in the South Side weren't for our safety, but for other activities."
"Sweet Pea," Betty clapped her hands, "This is no time to make little remarks. Are you vaccinated or are you not."
"I don't fucking know, okay?" Sweet Pea said, finally picking up on the tone of panic in her voice, "I don't remember and all I know is that it's been a really long time, so probably not!"
Betty got up immediately, "Get in the car. We're going to a hospital. Now!"
She cursed for not having the vaccine on hand. It seemed obvious and useful now, but hindsight was twenty-twenty. She would take it home with them so that if this issue came up again, they'd be square.
"What?"
"You heard me. Car. Now." Betty said, nervously playing with the bottom hem of her sweater.
"How do we know it had rabies? Maybe it's just a nasty-looking bite?" Sweet Pea said, looking at his half-wrapped hand.
"We don't," Betty whispered, "We can't know. But if you...die…" She swallowed, "Dying from rabies sucks. We're not going to have that happen. Get in the car."
The ride to the nearest hospital was deadly silent. There was a part of Betty that felt as though she should tell him now, but she refused to imagine him dying from this. Plus, in a car speeding down the road, it seemed like a bad place to express her most ardent affections. Sweet Pea was busy anyway, wrapping and dressing his wound, cleaning it out, cursing as he made sure that it was as best sanitized as he could.
"Postexposure Prophylaxis," Betty said, "That's what it's called, that's what we need. PEP. One dose today, and then one in three days, another on seven, and then fourteen. God, you probably need a tetanus shot too…"
"How do you just know this stuff?" Sweet Pea asked, frowning like he was committing this to memory.
"Because our lives depend on it. So I do." Betty couldn't explain how she did. She just knew. Rabies and wild animal bites were not uncommon in Riverdale. It was information she'd learned at first-aid lessons long ago, to be honest, and it was coming in handy now.
"PEP," Sweet Pea echoed, "You think we'll find it?"
"We gotta." Betty said.
She did the worst parking job that she'd ever done in her life, covering three spaces, but she didn't care. There were three walkers milling at the door and it felt like second nature taking them out. Sweet Pea jumped down to follow her into the care center.
Flashbacks of the last time they'd been here swirled in her head. She swallowed hard, pushing them back.
"We find it, we get out. I'll administer it right away, but let's not stay."
"Agreed. This place gives me the heebies," Sweet Pea said, but Betty wasn't in the mood for his jokes right now.
"Maybe we should-,"
"Split up? Naw, fuck that," Sweet Pea shook his head firmly, "We do things together."
"But Sweets-," Betty motioned to his hand helplessly.
"I'm not gunna keel over and die right now. Together, Betty," He insisted, kissing her forehead. Betty's mouth went momentarily dry, thinking about that note and last night, but she shook it away. Once he was safe and had the vaccine, then they'd talk. Soon.
They began to dig through cabinets. She could hear Sweet Pea muttering the name of the medicine under his breath as he rifled through the cabinets, knocking other items noisily to the ground.
If they both weren't so concerned, so focused on their task, perhaps they would have noticed sooner. Noticed a trail of footprints in the dust settled around them, about a door cracked open, about a newly-killed walker near the left stairwell. They may have heard the creaking of the elevator doors, the faint and quickly hushed whisper, or the car backfiring outside.
But they didn't.
"Nothing here! You?" Betty ground out, brushing off her pants.
"Still got another cabinet to my left," Sweet Pea said, his voice echoing as he stuck his head into the cabinet to rifle, "Got tetanus, but no PEP yet!"
"There's a nurse's cart by the door. I'm going to check it."
Sweet Pea sent a look back to see it right in his vision and nodded firmly.
Betty leaped up, fingers fishing around the nurse's cart. She threw bandages and sutures left and right, digging as her heart grew colder and colder. She would not lose Sweet Pea to rabies, not today, not like this. It was so unfair. She would not lose him right when she felt like she might have him, not like Jughead. Or Archie. Or Veronica. She had to find this.
A pair of strong hands wrapped around her. She didn't even have time to cry out as a cloth was pressed firmly to her lips.
She reached for the back of Sweet Pea's figure, trying with all her might to make sound or to punch backward, but the world faded into black around her.
How evil am I you all? Do you all hate me right now lol? If you do, I get it ;) We can't have everything go smoothly, especially since it's been so long since there have been actual 'others' around! What sort of predictions do y'all have?