Authors' Note: Thanks so much to everyone who sent me email and reviews, concerned about the hurricane…the good thing was that we didn't get hit that hard where I live and I truly feel blessed that we made it out okay. On a brighter side, I was able to do some writing and I hope you all like this concluding chapter. At the end, you will see a little teaser note about the sequel…
I want to give a special thank you to the following people who kept me going when I had a tough case of writer's block and didn't think I would get this chapter out! Ash, Muirnin, SummrMagic, Kathryn Mason-Sykes, Enchanted Quill, Sofie, AngelWing, Hallie, BM, ECR Potter (PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THE CROOKSHANKS ERROR!), and everyone else…thanks for the reviews! You guys are great!
Chapter 18
Drop in the Ocean
"Love took me by the hand
Love took me by surprise
Love led me to you
And love opened up my eyes"
"And I was drifting away
like a drop in the ocean
And now I realize that
nothing has been as beautiful
As when I saw heaven's skies
In your eyes"
(Michelle Branch)
"What have you got in here, Hermione?" my dad said, as I tried to help him lug one of my heavy trunks down the stairs.
"This one has all of my books in it, Dad," I said, huffily.
"I wish you could do magic out of school and levitate this thing down the stairs," he said.
"Did I hear you say you wished I could do magic?" I asked, trying to stifle a laugh.
"Yes," he said. "I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. Okay?"
"Whatever you say, Dad," I said, as we finally reached the bottom of the stairs. "Whatever you say."
The front doorbell rang at that very second and my mother quickly came in from the kitchen to go and answer it. A few seconds later, she came back into the room with Kit in tow.
"Hermione!" she exclaimed. "You're home!"
She quickly ran over to me and gave me an enthusiastic hug.
"What's with the trunks?" she asked.
My parents looked at me and I looked back at them.
"Why don't we go upstairs and get the rest of Hermione's things, Robert," my mom said.
My dad nodded. "Right."
I looked at Kit, not really knowing what to say.
"So, what's with the trunks?" she asked again.
"Um, I'm kind of going back to school; my old school, actually," I said grinning at her.
"Oh," she said, smiling half-heartedly at me. "How did you get your parents to finally agree to that?"
"I think the accident knocked some sense into them," I said. "I'll have to remember to get myself in mortal danger the next time they say no to me."
Kit giggled, but then her face turned serious.
"What? What is it?" I asked her.
"Well, I'm happy that you get to go back to school, but I'm going to miss you. You're the only decent person my age in this neighborhood. With you gone, I'll have to hang out with the Carson twins."
"Aren't they newborns?" I asked her.
"Yes, they're far too young to be snobby or pretentious just yet," she said. "You see? If you leave, I'll be forced to hang out with newborns. Next thing you know, I'll be watching Barney and The Teletubbies."
"I'm going to miss you, Kit Reilly," I said, giving her a hug. "You are truly one of a kind."
"Yeah, thank the Lord for that," she said. "So when do you leave for the airport?"
"Airport?" I said.
"Yeah," she said. "Don't tell me you're traveling all the way back to Europe in a boat? Oh, no let me guess, you are going by bus, right? Last time I checked, there wasn't a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean."
"No," I said, walking over to my trunk, and making sure the lock was secure. "You can't get to Europe by bus."
"So, how are you getting there?" she asked me.
"Well," I began, but my voice trailed off. I could tell her the truth, couldn't I? I mean, she was the only real friend that I had here. She'd been there for me when I thought I had no one. She deserved the truth. I never liked lying, especially to someone I considered a good friend. If I told her this, though, would she think I was actually being sent away to some psychiatric home for the criminally insane?
"Well?" she prompted me.
"Kit," I said, taking a deep breath. "Why don't we have a seat?"
"Okay," she said warily. We walked over to the sofa and took a seat.
"I don't really know where to start, actually," I began again. "It's really complicated. I don't have much time, so I guess I'll just give you the Reader's Digest version."
She nodded solemnly at me.
"Okay, here goes," I said. "I'm not like your everyday, run-of-the-mill teenagers. Up until a few months ago, I was going to a school where they didn't teach you normal subjects like biology or algebra or things like that. At my school, we study things like Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Divination."
"Potions?" she asked. "You mean like Magic Potions? You mean like Love Potion Number Nine?"
I laughed. "Sort of, but not really. They are magic potions, yes. The name of the school is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. It's one of the finest schools of its kind in the world. I was so excited when I got my letter telling me I'd been accepted to go there. You have no idea! It answered so many questions. When I was little, I was able to do certain things and I had no idea how I was able to do it. You know, when I was angry or sad or wanted something, I could make it happen."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, there was this one time when I was staying with a neighbor friend of my parents. I must have been six years old at the time, but she wouldn't let me use my paints in her house. I had this new paint set that my parents had bought me for my birthday and I'd brought it over to her house so I'd have something to play with. Anyway, she took the paint set away from me and I just remember being so angry. She'd placed it at the top of her tallest bookshelf. Somehow, I was able to get the paint set down from there and I proceeded to paint all over her sitting room wall."
"Wow," Kit said, in awe.
"Anyway, I was always doing stuff like that. My mother and father had no idea why it was happening. They were non-magical people, which we in the wizarding world call Muggles. Anyway, when I received my letter, it explained so much. I was so happy."
"Well, when I first started at Hogwarts, I didn't really have any friends. I was such a bossy-boots. It didn't matter to me about friends, or so I thought. I was more interested in getting top marks and being the best student that the school had ever seen."
"And then?" Kit asked me.
"Well, then there was Harry and Ron," I said, smiling as I thought of them. "They didn't like me too much when they met me, I don't think. There was this incident where Ron said some horrible thing that upset me, so I spent the day in the girls' bathroom, crying my eyes out. What I didn't know was that there was a mountain troll loose in the castle. He was headed straight for the girls' bathroom. Well, let me tell you, he nearly finished me off, and probably would have, if it hadn't been for Harry and Ron. After that, we were pretty much inseparable."
"So why did your parents want to take you out of there? I mean, aside from the Mountain Troll, what could possibly go wrong at a place like that?"
"Well," I said, thoughtfully, "They were worried that my friendship with Harry was one day going to get me killed."
"How?" Kit asked.
"Well, you see, in our world, Harry is pretty well-known. His parents died when he was just a baby. They were killed by one of the darkest and most powerful wizards. He tried to kill Harry, but he couldn't do it. He was responsible for vanquishing this dark lord when he was just a baby! He was the savior to so many people."
"He seemed like a regular guy when I met him at the hospital," Kit said.
"He is," I said, proudly. "That's one of the things that are so great about him. He's so important and well-known, but you wouldn't know it by talking to him or by being his friend. He's got such a good heart. He's loyal and funny. He's led such a sad life, but he's so resilient. He's had to face so many things in such a short time, but he's always faced them so courageously and bravely…I could sit here all day and tell you about Harry, but I don't have much time. Anyway, I'll just say that this Dark Lord is always trying to finish him off. This past year, one of his followers killed Harry's godfather. The year before that, the Dark Lord himself killed one of our classmates right in front of Harry. My parents were afraid about what would happen t me if I continued to go to school there. They were worried about what would happen to me if I continued to be Harry's friend."
"Aren't you scared, too?" Kit asked. "It seems like a lot to take on."
"It is," I said. "And, of course, I get scared, but he's my friend. I knew what I was getting into when I became his friend. If I could change anything about it, I wouldn't. I care about him too much to walk away from him because I might get scared or I might be afraid of what could happen. That isn't any way to live, you know?"
She nodded. I couldn't really tell how she felt about anything that I'd just told her. She looked down at the floor and avoided meeting my gaze for a long time.
"You don't have to believe what I said," I told her. "I hope that you do, but I'd understand if you didn't. It does seem half-baked, I'll admit."
She looked up at me, finally, and smiled. "I believe you, Hermione."
"You do?" I asked her in disbelief.
"Yeah," she said. "You're my friend. If you say that this is the way it is, I believe you."
"Thanks," I said, sincerely. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.
"You will be coming back, won't you?" she asked. "I mean, for vacations and holidays, and things?"
"Yes," I said, smiling at her.
"Next time that you come, you have to do some tricks for me," she said. "I mean, you don't have to pull a rabbit out of a hat or anything like that or saw someone in half. I mean, you could do that, if you wanted to. I mean, that would be pretty cool, if you wanted to do that."
I couldn't help laughing at her. "You are one of a kind, Kit Reilly."
"This from the teenage witch," she said, giving me another hug. "Like you have room to talk!"
After Kit and I said our goodbyes, my parents came back downstairs to wait with me for Professor Lupin's arrival.
I could hardly wait! All of my trunks and bags were packed and ready to go. Crookshanks was trying in vain to get out of his carry-all.
I was pacing. Every few minutes, I checked my watch. Time seemed to be standing still when all I wanted it to do was speed up.
"Hermione," my mother said from her perch on the couch.
"Yes," I said absently.
"Sweetie," she said softly, "would you please sit down you're starting to make me nervous."
"Sorry," I said. "I can't help it."
"You're about to burst, aren't you?" my father said.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a laugh.
Before my dad could answer, there was a loud "pop" as Professor Lupin apparated right in my living room. My mother nearly jumped out of her skin. My father cursed.
"Professor Lupin," I said. "I thought you were coming by Floo."
"I was," he said, "But I was running late so I thought I'd apparate in. We'll Floo back. Good evening, Dr. Granger. Good evening, Dr. Granger."
"Actually, it's afternoon," my dad said, standing up to shake his hand.
"Oh, yes, you're right," Professor Lupin said. "I guess I'm still on Hogwarts time. It's around seven in the evening back at school."
He turned to face me. "So, are you ready to go?"
I nodded enthusiastically.
"I thought so," he said, giving me a wink. "Well, let's see then. I'll come back for your trunks after we've seen you safely back to school, alright?"
"Great," I said, barely able to contain my smile.
"Oh, sweetheart," my mother said. She stood up from the couch and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. "You promise me that you'll be careful."
"I will," I said. "I'll miss you, Mom."
"I'll miss you, too," she said, giving me another hug. "You take care of yourself and make us proud."
"She always makes us proud, Karen," my dad said, taking his turn to give me a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"I love you, Hermione. I hope you know that."
I nodded. "I do, Daddy."
"Take care of our little girl," my dad said looking sternly at Professor Lupin.
"We will, Dr. Granger. You have my word on that," Lupin said. "Well, Miss Granger, let's get you back to school, then."
(Harry)
Why is it that the last person you want to be around always finds a way of showing up wherever you go? This was the predicament I found myself in with Ron nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It didn't help that we shared a bedroom and nearly all of our classes together, not to mention Quidditch. The truth was that in the past few days, we hadn't spoken more than a few words to each other.
If I could, I would change the way that things had played out. I was sorry about how I'd snuck around behind Ron's back to visit Hermione. I was sorry that I hadn't told him the truth about my own feelings for her. I was sorry for many things, but the one thing I wasn't sorry for was my love for Hermione. It was the one thing in my life that was constant. It was the one thing in my life that I felt like I could count on. I missed her so much.
The downside to all of this drama was that I had neglected my homework. It had continued to pile up as I continued to procrastinate and neglect my studies. If Hermione could see me now, I knew she wouldn't be pleased. The pile of assignments that I now had wouldn't wait any longer. I was in definite danger of falling way behind. That being the case, I made a conscious decision to spend the entire evening doing my homework. As soon as dinner was over, I would head to the Astronomy Tower to work on my star charts that were due to Professor Vector in the morning. I wasn't looking forward to it. The evenings had become increasingly colder and the Astronomy Tower was always much colder than the entire castle. So instead of doing my homework in the comforts of the common room, I'd be freezing in the Astronomy Tower trying to finish star charts. A smashing way to spend an evening, isn't it? I could barely contain my excitement.
Dinner in the Great Hall went about as well as could be expected. I walked in and found Neville and Seamus sitting down beside Lavender Brown and Ginny Weasley. I quickly made my way to the table and took a seat across from Lavender. I'd just put a helping of Shepherd's Pie on my plate when Ron came in and sat down across from me. It was the only empty seat so I knew it hadn't been his choice.
The meal was an uncomfortable one, to say the least. Ron and I kept shooting each other looks that could kill, while the others looked back and forth at us like they were watching a tennis match. Hoping to end this, I tried to eat in a hurry.
"Ginny, could you tell Harry that we have practice tomorrow at one?" Ron said, taking a bite of his Shepherd's Pie.
"Didn't you just tell him?" Ginny asked.
"No, because I'm not speaking to the Great Harry Potter, remember?" Ron said angrily.
I had to resist the urge to throw a spoonful of potatoes in his face.
Ginny looked over at Ron, rolled her eyes at him, and in exasperation asked him if he wanted a piece of pumpkin pie.
"No, thanks," Ron said. "I don't like pumpkin pie."
"Yes, you do," Ginny said. "When Mum makes it at home you always have at minimum two pieces. What is this sudden aversion to pumpkin pie?"
"I just don't want any," Ron said, grumpily. "In fact, I think I've lost my appetite. See you, Ginny."
With that, he arose from his seat and stomped out of the Great Hall. Ginny looked at me sympathetically.
"He'll get over this, Harry," she said. "Just give him time."
"I could give him all the time in the world and he still wouldn't get over it."
"This is so stupid," she said. "You know that you both are behaving like children. He's too stubborn and you're too proud."
"I didn't say anything to him!" I protested.
"That's the problem," she said. "Neither of you are talking to each other! Hermione wouldn't want this. The friendship that the three of you had was very important to her. It is important to her. When she comes back, what do you think she's going to do to find that her two best friends aren't even on speaking terms?"
"We'll never know, Ginny," I said. "We'll never know because she isn't coming back, okay?"
"You're not giving up on her, are you?" Ginny asked.
"No," I said. "I will never give up on her, but I have to face the fact that her parents aren't going to budge on this one. She's there and I'm here. It hurts like hell, but there's nothing I can do about it. There's nothing she can do about it. We're stuck."
"You don't believe that, Harry," Ginny said. "You have to have faith."
"No, I have to be logical," I said. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Ginny, but it's no use. I've got to head to the Astronomy Tower. See you later."
With that, I gathered up my bag and walked out of the Great Hall. Never before had I ever felt so alone.
(Hermione)
It took only a few minutes to travel on the Floo Network to Professor Lupin's office.
"You know," I said, as I dusted myself off from the soot and ash, "I'll be so glad to learn how to apparate and not have to travel like that again."
Lupin chuckled as he, too, dusted himself off. "Well, Miss Granger. Welcome home. How does it feel to be back?"
"I don't know a word that could come close to describing it," I said. "I can't believe I'm actually here."
"Well, you are actually here," he said, "just a little late, but actually here."
"So, what happens now?" I asked, looking around.
"Well, Professor Dumbledore wanted to see you before you go to your dormitory. You know his office is just down the corridor here."
I nodded.
"I'm going to go back and get your trunks and Crookshanks," he said. "Oh, yeah, the password for Dumbledore's office is 'M & M'. You know he had a bag of them when he was in America to see about you and must have brought back about sixty packs with him."
I giggled. "They are pretty good."
"Off with you, now," Lupin said.
"Okay," I said, "Thanks, Professor Lupin."
A few moments later, I found myself waiting in Dumbledore's office. The office was empty, save for Fawkes the Phoenix. I took a seat in one of the cushy chairs directly across from Dumbledore's desk.
Within moments, I heard the sound of voices on Dumbledore's spiral staircase and saw to my delight he'd brought Professor McGonagall with him.
"Hermione Granger," Dumbledore said. "Welcome home."
"Thanks," I said, standing up. "It's good to be home, finally."
"It's good to have you back, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said beaming at me. "We sure have missed you here."
"Well, I know that you probably want to go see your friends, but there are a few things we need to discuss before you go back to your dorm room," Dumbledore said. "So, let's have a nice, quick chat."
(Harry)
Constellations. Ursa Major. Ursa Minor. They'd already been taken care of. I had yet to see Orion's Belt. Of course, it would help if I was actually concentrating. It was hard to do an assignment, or anything else, when your mind was on so many other things.
It didn't help that I was tired and had to keep trying to make myself focus on the telescopes and the night sky. The wind kept blowing my parchment across the tower and more than once I had to run after the scraps of paper as they blew around in the room.
As I looked into the telescope at the night sky, I couldn't help but remember the last time I'd spent a fall evening under the starry skies. When I closed my eyes, I could hear the music. I could see the gleam in her eyes as she looked up at me as we danced.
Ginny was right. I had to have faith that everything would work out. With each passing day, though, faith seemed to be failing me. I couldn't give up on Hermione, though. I couldn't give up on her after all that she'd done for me. She had never given up on me. I couldn't give up on her when she needed me.
It was hard to do, though. She was a thousand miles away. I couldn't help wondering if she was possibly looking up at the same sky as I was. I berated myself silently for thinking something like that. Where she was, it was still daylight.
Focus, I tried to tell myself. Think about your assignment.
I couldn't shake the feeling, though, that Hermione was somehow near to me. It was almost as if I could feel her close to me. Again, I berated myself for thinking something so stupid. She wasn't here. I chalked it up to wishful thinking and went back to trying to find Orion's Belt.
(Hermione)
I had no idea what I would find when I climbed through that Portrait Hall with Professor McGonagall. To my surprise, a number of people descended upon me the moment I walked into the room. Colin Creevey ran over to me and nearly blinded me with the flash of his camera.
Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil nearly smothered me with hugs. I couldn't believe this. They'd never really treated me as anything but a roommate in the six years I'd known them.
Neville, Dean and Seamus all gave me pats on the back and hand shakes.
Ginny screamed with glee when she saw me. She inundated with me with a number of questions.
"What are you doing here? How did you get back? Are you feeling okay? We were so worried about you, did you know that? Are you back for good? This isn't just a visit, is it?"
"Ginny," I said, laughing. "Take a breath. They don't have this many questions on Jeopardy."
"On what?" she asked me confused.
"It's a game show," I said.
"A what?" she asked me.
"Never mind," I said, scanning the room for Harry and Ron. They were not in sight.
"Where's Harry? Where's Ron?" I asked Ginny.
"Ron's upstairs," she said. "And I haven't seen Harry since dinner."
"Oh," I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
"I'll go get Ron," she said. "Don't go anywhere."
"Okay," I said.
A few second year girls came up to me to welcome me back and I thanked them for their concern. I still kept an eye out for Harry, but he was still nowhere to be seen. Where on earth could he be?"
A few seconds later, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"You are sooooo late," came a familiar voice from behind me.
I turned around to see that familiar grin of one Mr. Ron Weasley. I couldn't help laughing as I saw him give me a look of mock disdain. "They've corrupted you in America, haven't they?"
"They tried," I said, giving him a big hug.
"So you're back, then?" he asked me, finally letting me go.
"Yeah," I said. "My parents finally caved in. Can you believe it?"
He shook his head. "It's so good to see you again!"
"It's great to see you, too!" I said, giving him another hug. "Where's Harry?"
I could feel Ron tense up at the mention of Harry's name. He let go of me, and I could see he was angry.
"What is it?" I asked him. "Is something wrong with Harry?"
"You want to know where Harry is?" he asked me.
"Yeah," I said. "He's okay isn't he?"
"Why don't you go see for yourself," he said angrily. "I'm not his keeper, you know? I don't know where he is!"
To my utter shock, he turned on his heel and angrily walked back upstairs, presumably to his room. What on earth was that all about? I gave Ginny a look of utter confusion and she shook her head.
"Don't worry about him, right now," she said. "He'll get over this eventually."
"Get over what?" I asked her.
"Oh, come on, Hermione," she said. "You have to know."
"Know what?" I asked her, not understanding what was going on.
"You know that Ron has liked you for practically forever. He was really hurt when he found out that Harry had been sneaking out to see you. Harry never told Ron what he was doing. He was really hurt when he found out," she said.
"Harry never said he hadn't told Ron anything about this," I said. "He never mentioned it."
"Therein lies the problem," Ginny said. "They've barely spoken since this happened."
"Oh, no," I said, feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach. "This can't be happening."
"Well, it is," she said. "But, don't worry about that now. You need to go find Harry. He's going to be so happy to see you. He's had a tough time of it the past couple of days. He got into detention for punching Malfoy in the nose."
"He what???" I asked.
"He was defending your honor, Hermione," Ginny said. "I'll tell you all about it later. Go find Harry. Colin Creevey said he'd seen him heading up to the Astronomy Tower to work on his homework. Go!"
I wanted to hear more about what was going on with Harry and Ron and everything else that had been happening while I was away, but I did so desperately want to see Harry.
"Okay," I said. "I guess I'll see you later, then."
Ginny nodded and squeezed my hand.
'It's good to have you home, Hermione."
You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are anticipating something wonderful as it's about to happen. Well, you could take that and magnify it by about one thousand to get an idea of how I was feeling as I made my way to the Astronomy Tower. I nearly ran the entire way from our common room to the tower.
I had seen Harry loads of times in my life. Seeing him again shouldn't make me all nervous and squidgy should it? It must be love, I couldn't help thinking. I was making up words. Squidgy?
My heart seemed to be beating about a mile a minute. I took a deep breath before I began to climb the stairs. I wanted to surprise him, not scare him half to death. I couldn't just run up there and scream "Boo", now could I? I quietly climbed the stairs, praying that he couldn't hear me coming.
When I made it to the top of the stairs, I looked around for him, but didn't see him at first. My heart leapt as I saw him at the end of the tower. His back was to me and he was looking into one of the telescopes. He was diligently working on something, which I guessed must have been a star chart or something like that. He was absolutely…adorable. I know it sounds odd…here I was describing "The Boy Who Lived" as adorable, but looking at him now, that's what I thought. He was absolutely, positively adorable.
"Excuse me; are you going to be long with that? Because I am so behind on my homework, and I'm going to need that as soon as possible," I said, trying not to laugh as I said it.
"What?" he asked a touch of annoyance in his voice. He turned around and looked like he was going to tell whomever it was off who had just interrupted him, but when he saw it was me, he just stared at me.
We didn't say anything for what seemed like a long time. He looked at me as if he didn't really believe that I was here.
"What is it?" I asked him softly.
"Is that really you, Hermione?" he finally asked me.
"I think so," I said smiling at him broadly.
"What-how-who, um, where-, I," he said, stumbling on every word.
"Anyone ever tell you that you have quite a way with words?" I said cheekily. "I think it's one of your finer qualities. It makes a girl want to swoon."
He looked down, laughing in spite of himself. "Are you really here?"
"There's one way to find out," I said, stepping closer to him.
Within seconds, he bridged the gap between us, he tenderly stroked my face. I felt as if I would jump out of my skin at the touch of his hands on my cheek.
"If you don't kiss me soon, I will never speak to you again," I said, staring into his eyes.
"Well, in that case," he said, and he leaned in and softly kissed me. I felt like I was finally at home. When we broke apart, he enveloped me in an embrace. We stood like that for the longest time, just taking each other in. Words weren't necessary. They couldn't have done justice to this perfect moment.
(Harry)
We'd decided to take a walk on the grounds. Although it was cold, I took off my cloak and gave it to her and she gladly accepted it. We walked along the grounds of the castle, holding hands and talking. She'd told me about the events that had led up to her parents changing their minds. I told her about what had happened with Ron. She'd been upset to hear about it, but said that we'd work it out.
"He'll come around, Harry," she told me. "He just needs time to get used to the idea."
"What idea is that?" I asked her coyly.
"Well that you and I are," she said, thoughtfully, "Well, that you and I are, girlfriend and boyfriend, you know? That we're a couple."
"That's what we are?" I asked her.
"Oh," she said, stopping in her tracks. "I'm sorry. Did I speak out of turn? You don't think of me in that way, do you? I shouldn't have done that, put a label on this. It's too soon. You know how I am, always jumping ahead of myself and everyone else."
"Take a breath," I said, smiling at her. I put my hand up to her face. "I don't think of you as my girlfriend, Hermione."
She looked crestfallen.
"Shhh," I said, putting my finger to her lips. "I think of you as much more than my girlfriend. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You know that I've never had a family that I could call my own. I've never had a home. When I realized how I felt about you, I found all that and more. You, Hermione Granger, are my home."
A tear fell down her cheek.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," I said and again leaned in and softly kissed her.
For the first time in a long time, everything seemed right. Everything seemed perfect. I prayed it would last. I knew that because of who I was it wouldn't always be perfect. I couldn't guarantee that things would be alright. The truth was that I didn't know. What I did know was that I loved this girl who was walking beside me, holding my hand. I knew that she loved me. Right now, that was all that I really needed to know.
Sequel Sneak Peek: It will take a place sometime in the future…with flashbacks…etc. I know it's not much, but it'll have to do…you didn't want me to end on a cliffhanger, did ya?