"Get up, get out, get away from these liars
'Cause they don't get your soul or your fire
Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine
And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time"

-'Open Your Eyes', Snow Patrol

"Oh my god." I breathed. "I cannot believe you did this."

"I'm guessing you like it." Dustin grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

"I love it." I spun around slowly taking everything in.

We were standing in the middle of a glass paneled gazebo. Hundreds of candles of multiple shades lined the octagonal walls, reflecting against the glass in an array of constellations greater than any man had ever seen. There was a small fire pit in the center, the flames glowed gently calling us forward.

"How did you manage this?" I asked, slipping down onto the floor. I could feel the heat of the fire. It was a slow burn, singeing the tips of my hair and nose.

"It's my uncle's. I used to come here all the time when I was younger. Aliana and Mark used to gang up on me, and this is where I would come to get away from them." He explained, laying out next to me.

The candles cast his silhouette dramatically making him seem unreal. The orange glow of the fire reflected off of his gray eyes turning them an indescribable shade of amber. A sudden pang of longing shot through me, and instead of holding myself back I gave in. I moved towards him, straddling him gently.

"Thank you." I whispered, moving my face closer to his. "For everything, for all of this."

"Don't mention it Gumdrop." He chuckled softly, his hand pushing an errant strand of hair out of my eyes.

It was easy to sink into him as his lips met mine, a touch so tender it caused my eyes to burn. I pressed myself into him wishing there was some way I could fuse myself to him permanently. Losing myself in that moment became easy, like diving into a pool for the first time during the summer it was a perfect balance of the unexpected chill you got once you were submerged and the delicious sensation of perfectly quiet peace. And as his tongue slipped into my mouth, or his teeth bit my lips I knew there was nothing greater than this. Than what I had with him.

I gave myself away at that moment, maybe for the first time. My walls dropped completely and instead of feeling exposed I felt stronger. My heart swelled as if it had been released from a life long tourniquet, whatever constriction, whatever pain I had once felt was gone.

I pulled away from him gently, the air whooshing out of my lungs rapidly. His eyes held strong to mine as his long fingers felt their way down the side of my body before settling on the swell of my hips. My own hands ran lightly over his face rediscovering everything that he was.

For a while we didn't say anything.

And for a while it didn't matter.

-o-

Unfortunately my brief reprieve with Dustin didn't last. Before I knew it February, along with the beginning of March had passed and I was packing up my things to go back home for spring break.

"Do you always pack this much?" Dustin groaned as he hoisted my suitcase into the car.

"Don't be an ass." I snapped lightly.

"You know I don't mean it." He smiled, pulling me into him and burying his face in my hair. "God, I'm going to miss you."

I tilted my head up and pressed my lips firmly to his, an action that I would have hesitated to do only a week ago. "I'll miss you too." I sighed, pressing my face into his chest.

His hands slid along my waist before gripping my hips firmly. "Can't you just stay here?"

I looked up at him, pulling him down to eye level. "There are things that I have to do. You know that."

I wasn't quite sure how to explain to him that I didn't want to leave. That I would give anything and everything to stay here with him. More than anything I just wanted to let him know that he was all I needed.

Dustin closed his eyes. "Just don't go back to him." His gaze locked on mine in a flash. "Promise me you won't."

"You know it's not like that" I let my fingers run gently over his face. "I have to fix things, put them back in place."

He chuckled now, a pained hollow sound. "I know you do Gumdrop, I know you do."

-o-

The minute I stepped off the airplane I was assaulted with waves of hot humid air. The effect was instantaneous, my shirt clung to my body, my hair turned into a wild frizzy mess, and a thin sheen of sweat dotted my forehead. I walked faster, not because I had to but because I needed to. To get away from the shadow that loomed over me whenever I came home.

Here I wasn't strong. I wasn't the girl that I had become back in Detroit. Old demons flared to life suddenly, taking life in my vulnerable mind, their pain burned fresh through my veins. I bit my lip, closed my eyes, and took in a deep breath. I could do this now, I would do this. I wouldn't slip back into my old shell, I would face things head on, and I wouldn't break down.

I collected myself and walked outside. The sun burned my eyes, I slipped my sunglasses on, straightened my shoulders, and ignored it. I was going to conquer this once and for all.

Whether it killed me or not.

-o-

It happened so unexpectedly that I didn't even have a chance to collect myself.

It was a couple of days after my arrival. I was grocery shopping when I saw her. Paul's girlfriend, the one I met over Thanksgiving was walking towards me, she was wearing a look that I was all to familiar with. The dazed eyes, her listless skin had lost its luster from being covered up by multiple shades of foundation and powder in an attempt to cover what I already knew was there.

"Are you ok?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

Her eyes darted to mine, startled and afraid. She wasn't sure what to do, no one was supposed know her secret, our secret. I reached out to her, the cover up on her arms smearing, black and blue smudges appeared along with a contorted wince on her face.

"Where is he?" I growled, anger pumping through my veins like some sort of energizing force.

I spun around and he was there. Despite all his golden glory, his good boy looks, all I could see was a monster. The boy that I had once been friends with, that I shared my first kiss, lost my virginity to was no longer there. Somewhere along the way he lost himself and never returned. He had taken apart of me that I would never be able to recover. Because of him I would never get a chance to fall in love without second guessing myself, I would never trust my judgment. He made me turn against myself, an internal on going conflict that hadn't ended since prom. I wished I could be sad, or that I could rise above it, but now, seeing him there I couldn't quite comprehend the unadulterated rush of anger I felt.

"What did you do to her?" I hissed, walking towards him.

He sent me a shaky smile. "I don't know what you're talking about Liss."

The way he said my name sent a slick shiver down my spine. I unnerved me, that he could still access the deepest recesses of my soul without my permission. He knew exactly what he was doing, how it would effect me. He was like a snake in the grass toying with its prey, but today I didn't want to be played with. Today I wouldn't stand for it.

I pushed him hard not caring what he would do. "You're sick you know." I spat. "I hope you get what you deserve."

I turned to leave, barely making it half a step before an explosion of pain hit my right temple. I was on the ground, stunned. I went to get up, but got a swift kick to the ribs. I didn't have to look up to see Paul's face. I already knew what it would look like. He eyes would be wild, void of any human emotion, his muscles tight with the practiced force his body was used to.

I managed to stand up, my knees shook from exertion and shock. I faced him head on. I would not fall this time. I would not go down, crumble or relent without a fight. Now that I knew what he was I wasn't scared. He looked smaller, shakeable. So when he punched my face, hitting the lower corner of my eye and my upper lip, I couldn't help but laugh as I spit up blood, its tangy metallic taste causing rapid flashbacks of prom night. He seemed surprised by my reaction. He couldn't fathom that anyone would ever fight back. So when I attacked he was caught off guard, surprised and unsteady.

I knew he would over power me, but that wasn't the point. This time I had to fight. This was my second chance, my shot at redemption. This time I wouldn't let the moment pass. I would do what I should have long ago. I fought back ignoring the pain. It was for me and for her, and for any other girl he had ever laid his hands on. Some how I managed to get him on the floor. His face bloodied and bruised to match mine, and as I was about to deliver the final blow I was pulled back.

"Stop Lissa." Jerome whispered into my ear, he held my arms tight behind my back. "You're ok now. You're going to be ok."

All the adrenaline left my body immediately and I collapsed in his arms. I could hear the sirens of the police, the ambulance, everyone around us watching our little bubble like the Greek tragedy that we were. There was blood on my hands, smeared through my hair, over my face, onto Jerome's shirt. Everything I had been running from over the past two years crashed into me at that moment, and just like two years ago Jerome was holding me, his arms wrapped like a lifesaver around my frail body.

I sobbed into his chest not caring who saw.

-o-

My mom, dad, Anjali, Drew and Jerome sat around me in the hospital room.

I couldn't bear to look at any of them. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, that this whole mess was just some nightmare that I would wake up from any second.

But it wasn't. I was stuck, pinned in place by the spider web I had woven over the past two years.

I clutched the hospital sheets tighter and bit my lip. I wanted to sob, lash out, anything except keeping the silence I had held over the past two years. The words banged against my throat like a bunch of caged wild animals, they clawed against my teeth desperate to get out. I clamped my teeth together and took in a shaky breath before listening to the conversation going on around me.

"Did you know about this Andrew?" My mom asked. She sounded tired, older than she was, her voice riddled with an emotion I couldn't identify.

"No." Drew rasped out, the sound of his voice made my heart break. "I didn't, she never told me."

My mom let out a soft strangled sound, my dad continued in her place. "What about you Li? Jerome?"

"She just told me when I went to go see her back in January." Anjali replied, her voice was strong as usual. "I didn't think that it would be a problem when she came back home. I mean, her and Paul broke up a while ago, so I don't understand why he would do this to her now."

"It's what Paul does." Jerome sighed wearily. "The same thing happened the night of prom. Except he was more careful, he didn't want anyone to see what he did."

The room fell silent for a minute, tension becoming palpable with each passing second. I could hear my family processing, taking in the information, trying to figure out what had gone horribly wrong.

"Wake her up." My dad said breaking the silence. "We need to know what happened."

I was forced then to open my eyes and face what I had been putting off for the past couple of years. I looked at each one of them carefully. My mom and dad held each other's hands tightly, their faces mirrored expressions of concern. Anjali sat next to Drew, her arm tightly gripping his bicep, and his hand resting on her thigh. Drew's own face looked ashen despite Anjali's desperate attempts to console him. Next to me there was Jerome, holding my hand and helping me face my greatest fears as he had always done.

"The doctor said that you'll be ok Melissa." My mom started, her voice taking on a calm soothing tone. "Your face will be swollen for the next couple of days, and the cut on your forehead had to be stitched up. They're still waiting on your chest x-rays to come back, and then we'll know whether or not you cracked a rib."

I nodded, trying not to show how scared I was. My face would probably never look the same, more finite scars could be added to the list of it's imperfections and judging from the amount of pain it took to breath I could add a cracked rib to the list of my injuries. I never wanted to cry so much in my life.

"What happened sweetheart?" My dad asked finally, stating the question that had been on everyone's mind no doubt.

"He hit me." I paused, taking in a deep breath. "Just like he used to."

I let the story that I had held inside myself for the past two years spill out. I told them all about the abuse that had gone out during the four years of high school. How it started off slow, the first year was filled with snide remarks here and there, each one designed to cut me where it would hurt most. After that it escalated slowly over the next two years. A push here, a shove there, he yanked limbs, slammed me into lockers. The summer before senior year is when the real hitting started. He would slap, kick and bite, careful to keep his abuse to my arms, legs or back, all areas that I kept covered.

"Why didn't you say anything?" My mom asked once I was finished.

I wasn't quite sure what to tell her, or any of them. How could I explain that I still loved Paul, that it was only at the end that I felt some sort of animosity towards him. At the time I couldn't quite bring myself to destroy something that I had once loved so much. More than anything it was hard for me to admit that I was wrong, that I needed help. I couldn't explain to them how much easier it had been to lean on Jerome for support, let him bear the burden of what I had experienced.

So I didn't say anything at all. I turned away from them, ashamed that I had kept something so big from them. I knew what their faces would say, the hurt that would linger there. They didn't know why I hadn't been able to trust in them, that they would have come to my rescue if I had only asked.

My parents informed me that they would be pressing charges before they left. My mom brushed the hair off my face and kissed my forehead, and my dad crushed me into his chest. I bit my tongue to keep from crying and clutching to them like a needy child.

The room felt empty once they left. The space between Drew, Anjali, Jerome, and I felt vast. We were all separate islands floating tentatively around each other, afraid to get too close. The tears I had been hold back all day bubbled to the surface. My eyes burned furiously and I bit my tongue to hold them back but it was no use. They finally spilled like a ruptured dam, streaming down my cheeks in a gushing torrent of emotion. Before I could stop myself I was sobbing. My body shook and shivered as tortured sounds left my mouth in rapid succession. The weight shifted on my bed forcing me to fall into the person who sat down. I buried my face into there chest and let go.

"Shh. Shh." Drew murmured, running his hands up and down my back. "I've got you Lissa." His arms wrapped tighter around me. "It'll be ok. It'll be ok."

I cried harder into his chest, unable to stop.

"You're fine." He soothed, allowing me to collapse into him now. "You're going to be alright." He kissed my forehead. "You're going to be just fine.

-o-

The week that followed my run in with Paul was difficult. I wanted nothing more than to sink into my bed and wallow in pity. I didn't allow myself the chance, and with the help of Drew, and Anjali was kept occupied.

It turned out that I had to stay in the hospital for an extra day or two to be monitored. Drew, Anjali and Jerome visited me constantly. So much that most of the nurses knew them by name after the first evening. The nurses were immediately charmed Drew and Jerome, it was Anjali who unnerved them. She would snap at them constantly, quizzing each one on my condition each time they entered my room, and almost reducing a younger looking nurse to tears when she insisted that someone more qualified should be my nurse.

"God." Anjali huffed sometime the next afternoon. "Can't they do their job! I mean you're in pain, and they're just putzing around like it's no big deal."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine Li, really."

Her face turned serious. "How are you really doing?"

"Fine." I sighed. "I'm good. I promise."

"Good." She nodded, understanding not to push me further. "Well I've got to get going." She got up and placed a quick kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you later."

Drew visited later. He stood tentatively at the door unsure as to whether or not he wanted to come in. We hadn't talked since he had held me while I cried causing a stressed tension to exist between us. I wanted to tell him that I was ok. That he didn't have to worry so much, that everything would be fine now. We had survived the storm, it was ok for him to come out. He finally decided to come in and sat tentatively at the edge of my bed. The furrow in his brow, and how he pursed his lips told me that he had something on his mind. I waited patiently for him to speak.

"I'm sorry." He breathed out finally. "I suck as a brother. I should have known something was going on, something bigger, but I was just caught up in myself and it was stupid."

He looked broken in that moment. Slumped over, his hands in his lap clenching and unclenching as a calming mechanism. We were too much alike he took the weight of the world onto his shoulders just like I did. It wasn't his fault, this thing between Paul and I wasn't anyone's fault. I should have asked for help. I should have been strong enough, but I wasn't.

I moved towards him, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

He bit his lip and looked down.

I turned his face towards mine. "It wasn't your fault." I repeated. "You have to know, understand that this had nothing to do with you or anyone else. This was all me and my mistakes."

He shook his head. "I should have known." His voice was hoarse and his eyes shone with unshed tears. "I'm your twin. I should have been paying more attention."

"It was not your fault." I stated again. "It was never your fault."

Drew didn't say anything, settling on pressing his face into my shoulder. He let out a strangled gasp and before I could move to comfort him he pulled away, turning his back towards me. I gripped his shoulder, pulling him back into a hug. The warmth of his tears seeped through my hospital grown, breaking my heart.

"Shhh. Shhh." I soothed, stroking his hair. It was something I hadn't done since we were twelve, and I couldn't help but wonder when and why we had lost touch.

"It'll be fine Drew." I pulled him closer. "I promise."

-o-

I left the hospital the next day, hobbling out the front door, each step a reminder of what happened. I took it slow not bothering to acknowledge the looks that people around us were sending me. I pushed my shoulders back and stood tall. I had nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide.

"Do you want to go home?" Drew asked once we were on the road. "Or did you want to go somewhere else?"

"Can you drop me off at the field?" I turned towards him. "There's something I have to do."

After Drew dropped me off I walked to the center of the field. I knew he would be waiting there for me. This had always been where we met. All the pivotal moments of our relationship had happened here. It seem only fitting that this would be the place where we decided the end of what we had.

"Hey." Jerome sighed once he caught sight of me. "How are you doing?"

"Good." I moved towards him, resting my forehead in the crook of his shoulder.

In the hospital I had planned out exactly what I wanted to say him. How I would express exactly what he had meant to me over the past three years. But being here in front of him whatever I had in my mind before escaped me and I was left with nothing. I couldn't put into words the gratitude I felt towards him, how much I appreciated everything that he had done, or even how I wished that I could go back and make everything right with us again.

"I can't, I don't know how to thank you." I began. "You swooped in and saved me, and I never got a chance to say it." I forced myself to look up at him. "I took advantage of our situation. I took you for granted when I shouldn't have, and for that more than anything I'm sorry."

He tilted my chin up towards him. "You know it was never like that. I was pining away at you for years and after prom I finally had my opportunity." He pushed our foreheads together. "I should have thought of you first, you needed a friend. Not someone who was trying to get into your pants."

I let out a laugh and pressed my face into his chest. "You know I love you, right?"

I could feel his smile. "I know."

"So where do we go from here?" I asked.

"We move on." He sighed. "We can't hold onto each other forever."

I gripped his shirt. "I'll be lost without you."

"You won't." He chuckled, pulling me closer. "You'll find someone better, someone who gets you, but for right now this has to be goodbye."

He tilted my face towards his and kissed me. He took his time, we both did, knowing that this was our last chance. All too soon he seemed to let me go.

"You have to know that this isn't the end." He pressed his forehead to mine. "One day we'll be able to be friends again, maybe something more, but for now this has to be it."

I nodded, wrapping my arms around him one last time. "I'll miss you." I bit back a sob. "So much."

"I'll miss you too Lissa." He sighed. "But one day we'll be right back here, where it all began."

-o-

"So what now?" Anjali asked.

We were in our bikinis, laying out on her deck. My body had been soaking up the sun for the past hour and was quickly becoming the color of caramel. This is how we had been spending the past week, not doing anything productive, and lazing around each other's houses. A process which caused me to heal faster than expected. The bruises that Paul had given me were only memories now, something I was thankful for.

"I'll be back in May for the trial." I pushed my sunglasses up onto my forehead. "And then I guess we'll go from there."

"Are you going to tell Dustin?"

She had voiced the question I had been asking myself all week. I had my doubts. I wondered how he would take it, and if after I told him he would look at me differently. Would he look at me with sympathy, would our relationship be tampered by what happened.

I turned towards her. "What do you think I should do?"

"You should tell him." She declared, her gaze piercing through mine. "He deserves to know, but more than that I think you owe to both him and yourself." He gaze softened now. "He needs to know that you trust him, and you Lissa, you need to finally take that leap of faith and let him meet you at the other side."

I nodded, knowing that she was right. I couldn't help the nervousness that I felt. When I finally went back to Detroit I would have to face my fears. It was the only way my relationship with Dustin would work.

"Now," Anjali sighed, sending me a sly smirk. "What are we going to do about your hair?"

I hadn't dyed my hair at all over the past month and coupled with this week I now had a full inch of black roots peeking out of my fire engine red tresses. I fingered them wondering what color would look good.

"I have an idea for it." Anjali continued. "I think it's just what you need."

-o-

As I walked out of the airport I looked for Dustin. I saw him before he saw me. He was easy to spot, towering above everyone around him even though he was leaning against his car. My heart swelled making me realize for the first time just how much I needed him around me. His eyes flitted around catching mine briefly before looking away, his head snapped back and his eyes widened as he took me in. Unable to stop myself I ran up to him and threw my arms around his waist.

"I missed you." I murmured into his chest.

"I missed you to." He pulled me closer. "I almost didn't recognize you with the hair."

I had to agree with him. I looked different with my natural black hair. I didn't look normal, I was too tall, almost too thin, my eyebrows were too thick and my chin was large, but I had finally grown into my looks and embraced them. I finally had what I had always envied Anjali of, a confidence that made me appear striking. I loved how I somehow came out looking exotic with my green eyes, tanned skin and black hair, and I couldn't help but wonder how this had all happened when less than a month ago I had had no confidence within myself.

The drive to my apartment was short, and I couldn't help but wish that it was longer. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to pull Dustin close and never let him go. I knew as we pulled into the parking structure that our peace would be shattered once I told him my secret. But I had no choice. From the beginning he had trusted me with everything, and let me in no questions asked. It was as if he knew already what we would become for each other, and now it was my turn to return the favor.

He dropped me and my bags off at my front door, giving me a chaste kiss before turning to leave. I latched onto his arm and pulled him back, unlocking the door and letting us both tumble inside. It was the first time I had asked or even wanted him to stay over. My apartment had always been my sanctuary, the one place I could come to get away from it all, but now more than anything I wanted to share it with him. I wanted to share everything with him. I wanted him to know me and still love me for it.

I kissed him hard, clutching at his shirt desperately trying to get as close as possible. His hands settled on my waist before moving down to my hips. I could sense his hesitation in the gesture as if he was unsure that this was what I really wanted. I pushed him towards my bedroom, knowing now more than anything that this was what I wanted.

"Take off your clothes." I said once we were inside.

He sent me a bewildered look and stood as still as a statue. My hands moved on their own accord, undoing each button before pushing the shirt off his broad shoulders. My eyes ran greedily over him before settling on his tattoos. Roses and skulls in deep indigo called to me. I ran my fingers over them gently, feeling out the scars that laid beneath. It was amazing to me that he had survived something so traumatic. That he hadn't been irreparable after, and that he stood in front of me now with his heart wide open.

I kissed my way down his shoulder, to his bicep, before moving towards his scarred up ribcage. I stopped finally at his hipbone, licking the indentation and shooting upwards to meet his lips with mine. His hands moved to my shirt, pulling it up over my head and deftly undoing my bra. I felt so full in that moment that I could hardly breath. I pushed him towards the bed, the rest of our clothes slipping off with each step.

"I think I like you too much." I whispered.

He chuckled and eased us down onto the bed.

It was different this time, everything was. The last time we had been together like this was after Norah's funeral. Both of us had been hiding from each other, trying to escape the shadows of our past. Now it was different. We were different, open to each other finally at last. My heart soared along with his, and when we finally came down together I felt a sense of peace that had been escaping me for far too long.

I told him then about what happened over spring break, about Paul, about everything. Not once did he flinch away. Instead he held me strong, not caring that our sweaty bodies were sticking together, or that I had kept this from him the whole time that we had been together. And when I started to cry he held me close, whispering sweet nothings in my ear and rubbing soothing circles up and down my back. When I was done he kissed me, his lips strong and true, his feeling for me displayed unabashed in that moment.

I asked him if he was upset and he turned towards me his gaze steady and clear. "How could I ever be upset with you Lissa?"

I buried my face in his chest so he wouldn't see my ridiculous smile. I felt whole. I felt complete. For the first time I knew what it was to be loved.

-o-

"Lissa!"

The air pushed out of my lungs in a rapid "oof" as Lucy greeted me the next week at dinner.

"I missed you!" She laced her fingers through mine, pulling me away from Dustin and leading me towards her sisters. "I can't believe that you haven't been here in over a month!"

"Hey kiddo." Aliana sent me a soft smile. "We were wondering when you'd finally show up."

"I knew Dustin wouldn't be able to let you go." Bridget added smugly.

I sat down next to Sonia and basked in there acceptance of me. I never thought it would happen.

Sonia leaned over and squeezed my hand. "Welcome to the family." She whispered, grinning.

-o-

I liked to watch Dustin when he slept. His face was unclouded and open. I like to think that it was the way that he looked before everything between him and Norah disintegrated, before he lost himself. In looking at him I marveled at how far we had come. How finally after months of agony, of hiding who we were from each other, that we had finally found a way to trust one another.

I kissed his forehead and slipped out of bed, pulling on one of his shirts and heading to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Not long after Dustin came in, clad in only his sweatpants with sleep lingering around his eyes. He pulled my back into his chest and nuzzled my neck. I let out a sigh and turned around to meet his gaze before pressing my lips to his. The three words I had been longing to say since the end of spring break perched themselves on the tip of my tongue, and this time I didn't hold myself back. I finally said what I wanted to tell him from the very beginning.

"I love you."

There was nothing momentous about the delivery of these words. They were a truth that I had acknowledged. He had me in a way that no one ever had. He took care of me, but more than anything he understood everything that I was and why I had become exactly what I am. There was nothing uncomplicated about this truth, only that it existed and I was helpless to deny it.

He let out a soft chuckle, kissing me soundly before pressing his forehead to mine.

"I know Lissa." His lips hovered above mine. "I know."

AN: AHHHHH! It's been so long since I updated! I'm so sorry about the wait, but school just kind of took over my life for a while. Anyways this is the last chapter, which makes me feel like crying and laughing at the same time. All that's left now is the epilogue which I should have up by the end of the year. As always a BIG thanks to all my readers and my especially great reviewers: CLwNsB, Nyleve, xxTunstall Chickxx, Ngoc1231, TinyMusicalShore, jenny-tay, SmashedIce.X, hush-hush, Madz95, I Muder on Impulse. You guys are the best, and thank you so much for sticking with this story!

In other news: I will start updating my other stories after I wrap this one up, starting with 10RIHDH, then Mail Order Model. I also have a story for Jerome planned, but I'm not sure about where it's heading yet.

Review if you feel the urge!

: )