✧IMMER WAISE PT.2✧

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Aria hadn't heard the door knock, but Regulus surely had. He already heard Sirius tease that father was smitten by their sister and would do anything to rectify the situation that he's caused. But the shine of his father's smile caused him to remain silent as Orion left for a moment, feeling as though he was living in the past as the three siblings were sleeping in the same bed with one another.

And while he thought Walburga would've had an epiphany and accept the daughter that was reintroduced. She wasn't, and the door flew open to wake the other two siblings up further.

"HOW INAPPROPRIATE THIS IS ORION. CASSIOPEIA IS MEANT TO BE A PURE AND PROPER LADY OF SOCIETY—"

"I don't appreciate being screamed at when I've just woken up, Mrs.Black. And my name is Aria." Why was it that her supposedly mother being the hardest one her? Sweet merlin she really was a riot. Aria had gotten up and grabbed a robe from her bag and tied the knot.

"HOW DARE YOU—"

"Hm, yes how bloody sorry I should be, that the mother who abandoned me without a second thought...Thinks now is the perfect time to preach edict?" Aria stood up, gods was this what all of their interactions were like?

She wouldn't have enough energy to do this every morning or day, especially when this woman wound up her flat hand. But Aria held up her own to block it. 

"I rather you not test my patience, don't touch me again." Orion had been so shocked that his wife hadn't listened to a word he said the night prior, but went so far as to hit their daughter?

Aria's hair morphed into the beautiful shade of silver yet again, and she was introduced to her bipolar mother who gasp so happily. "Oh what a blessing this is! Orion look, she's a metamorphic!" It wasn't a myth as Rabastan was quick to point out the same thing her mother had, and the woman ran off to do whatever the hell tickled her to leave the room.

"Is that normal...? Because I think I'll only visit if she's out of the house." 

"That can be arranged, though I'm hoping you'll stay for breakfast." 

"Not when I was almost hit and you did nothing to stop her, or is that how my childhood was like as well. No different than the orphanage?" Orion's expression turned dark with realization as he frowned.

That's when Sirius rose up from the bed and went to stand in front of Aria. "You don't have to talk about it Ari, come on...Your hair is matching the bedsheets." She turned to look to the bed and she had her hair return rather quickly.

"Beleive me when I say this, Aria, that your mother will be punished. Perhaps I'll send her to Germany, it'd leave the manor without her here." Sirius snorted beside his brother, and Aria turned back before a yell had sanctioned out throughout the manor.

"ORION! YOU ABSOLUTE LIAR!" It was a male voice, that was for sure. But Orion had let out a breath of air as he excused himself all after telling the children to get dressed.

"Er, who'd that be?"
"Mother's brother, Uncle Alfred. He's actually a Ravenclaw too." Aria's eyes sparked with immense joy that either brother was relieved that she took away from the attack their mother would've given her.

Though it was strange that it was physical and not magical.

Aria ran into the bathroom with her bag and came out within two minutes all dressed, and Sirius was thankful that she was always in proper attire. He didn't have the heart to tell her that breakfast in the Black manor is significantly different than the Crawfords, who all wore pajamas to breakfast.

What a life that sounded like.

"May I escort you to breakfast?" Sirius teased, and Aria rose a brow. "You clean up very nicely, I think it's adorable."

"Merlin I am offended, my gal friends wouldn't call me adorable."
"Yuck Sirius, but then again I suppose Aidan wouldn't say I'm adorable either." His nose went up instantly, but that never an option to think of Aria as anything more than a friend.

He simply just...Didn't. Perhaps deep down he knew it was wrong, or he lucked out with Remus' fancyment to Aria that he didn't dare betray his friend. But then she caught sight of Regulus, and she was eager to his room as well.

He opened the door for her, but truthfully his room wasn't much to talk about. Until her eyes landed on the snitch she gifted him. "Oi he gets a snitch?"

"You got that book Siri, remember?" The bloke hadn't recalled that it was for christmas, and thus the children all come downstairs.

Though that is when the shouts and swears were at it's worse. Followed by a rather hoarse cough coming from what Aria would assume to be Alfred Black.

"A DAMN FOOL, THE BOTH OF YOU! HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU WHAT I SAW?!" So had she shown her magic, just not in front of her parents?

Regulus held his sister back as Sirius entered the room first. But that caught sight of Alfred, and his attention settled quickly on the young witch behind the eldest child.

"Rory! Oh you beautiful beautiful girl, look at you! I hear you're a bird as well. Good! Leave those bloody snakes for others I always say." Aria had been damn shocked that this fellow was not only related to her, defended her...But was also a laid back Ravenclaw.

"Er...Hello?" She spoke, slightly nervous as she hid her figure slightly behind Sirius still as it was rather abrupt this meeting. It was hardly ten in the morning and already she had an erratic heartbeat.

"Oh and you sound the same, come here darling I don't bite. Give your uncle a hug." The fellow seemed so happy that she let go of Regulus' hand and made her way cautiously to the man presented before her.

Perhaps it was the previous comments either siblings had shared that they loved their uncle Alffie, but the warmth she felt erupted as he rubbed her back.

"I always knew you'd be a bird with me, you always did love the birds on my shelf. Oh Merlin would you read the day away, you taught Sirius how to read." Alfred was a plethora of knowledge, and it confused her completely.

"You remember?"
"Well I couldn't just forget about my favorite niece on their whim now can I?" So it was a choice to remove memories, and she turned to her father to question it—She was met with another bone crushing hug.

"Oh tell me, what is it you like to do?"
"Um—"
"Alfred I'm sure if you'd sit down at the table you can calmly ask your questions there...And Walburga will be taking her breakfast in her drawing-room, Kreacher." Aria blinked, but the brothers grinned at the fact that their mother was not invited to breakfast.

Though perhaps that was more of her sharing the secret of Aria's return to her almost slapping her. But all Alfred did was lead her to her seat—Which dictated over Walburga's as Alfie took a seat on the other side.

"S-so my memories are—"

"Locked away with most of our families, it was only a few who don't have a clue of your existence. Your brothers, the Carrow twins, Lestrange—" Her father kept listening a few names, but Sirius stilled at hearing that Lestrange was listed.

Had Aria been friends with him back then?

"Perhaps we should pull out that box then, I wouldn't mind seeing the Lestrange boy blush at that nickname you called him...Raba was it? Made your father and I laugh for hours." Aria let her palm connect to her forehead as she shook her head.

This was pure hell.

"Perhaps you can refrain from embarrassing stories when I don't recall a single detail but somehow I still manage to feel the embarrassment." And close to instantly had Aria's hair turned into a blonde, and she made a rather drastic sigh.

"I don't I've ever seen you turn blonde before Ari." Regulus said rather cheekily, and even Sirius was laughing into his plate beside Orion.

It dawned on Orion that all it took was his wife to be absent and his daughter to return that the family reverts back to what it was—What it could be.

However, the solum faces returned when Alfred had let out a cough. And it caused Aria to take out her handkerchief in offering. "Thank you darling, I must apologies. This illness is beating me much quicker than I anticipated."

"May I ask which?"

"Alfie has Dragon Poxs Ari." Regulus said with a frown, his attention down to his plate and she pouted.

"I hope you haven't lost faith in a cure being found, my mentor suggested that I join the team to find a—" Alfred Black had turned readily surprised to his niece and continued to grin.

"Oh I think I just found another reason to believe in faith...Hear that Orion, on a team to find a cure." Sirius didn't mind the attention being on Aria, had she been a normal student then perhaps it wouldn't have been so daunting.

However Aria had to be careful, her immune system was rather weak and when she expressed this to the table. Alfred had turned guilty, at both the hug and otherwise.

"Nono, it's alright. I haven't been sick in ages."
"I don't think I've heard about you being sick, Aria." Sirius said, his eyes flickering up with a slight squint.

"Yes well I think I only told Les—Bennent."

"And who's Bennent? If I may be so bold to ask." Sirius had to bite his tongue, had he or Regulus mentioned a gal it would've been either ignored or told the gal wasn't good enough for the house of Black.

But here Orion was overly cautious in where his daughter was with, though rightfully so if Sirius was being at all honest.

"Clemintine Bennet? She's my best friend here."
"Then I take it you aren't dating Rory?" Alfie said, biting the bullet for Orion.

"Oh, I am. But he's in the states." Now it was Regulus' turn to bit his cheek, surely she was being naive at this point.

"In the states. And what does this American lad do?"

"He's studying to be a healer."

"And is he older?"

"No, he's my age and the same year at Ilvermorny." Orion was thankful that she answered his questions, especially when dealing with a bloke.

He did just go from having two sons, to having a teenage daughter who's admitted that she's dating.

"He's actually a decent lad, owled me to throw her a party after the adoption."

"Which I didn't condone."

"You liked it Ari knock it off." She crossed her arms over her chest and it caused Sirius to smirk.

Orion supposed if his son's agreed with the lad, then perhaps he wasn't all bad.

"Do I get a name for this American lad?"

"Aidan."
"And his last—"
"I rather you not do a background check on my boyfriend, I've known him forever."

The conversation went longer than they anticipated, and so when Aria had looked at her watched she sighed. "I have to get going soon..." It was clear that those around her didn't want her to leave, but it was probably best not to make her parents worry.

However Kreacher held up her purse and Orion didn't waste a moment in aiding her with her travel cloak. "Oh, before I forget." She said, pulling out two wrapped gifts for Sirius and Regulus, and they grinned ear to ear.

Aria was a very good gift giver.

"Do you need escort darling?" Alfred questioned and she shook her head. "No I'm alright, it's just a quick apparent to the Academy to get my suitcase and then off to the ministry." Orion and Alfred had turned to look in confusion.

"My mistake...I have my license." She said, fumbling into her pocket and holding up the small card. Orion looked to the thing in Alfred's grasp, having never heard of such a rule.

"Will I be able to get your address Rory? I have a few things I'd love to pass down to a Ravenclaw." Aria perked her lips, and her siblings caught why she was confused.

"Er...I thought my name was Cassiopeia?" Alfred had offered her a notepad and pen to have her write her address in America as well as the Academy, but the bloke simply laughed.

"Yes, but you liked your middle much more. Your brothers and I called you Rory, actually...I believe most called you Rory." Understanding rushed over her as she looked to her father. "That's why you call me 'little light'?"

"Hm, though I don't know why you like Aurora more."

Aurora.

It caused the girl to smile fondly, she didn't feel anything for Cassiopeia. But for Aurora, she did have a rather grand feeling of connection. Though not enough to remove Aria Crawford from her title.

She gave final hugs to everyone before hurrying off down the straight and away from any visible muggles in the area she could spot. However the second Aria had left, Alfred turned darkly to Orion.

"You threw away the sweetest bloody girl because you listened to your wife and Lestrange, Merlin you arrogant arse. I swear, if you hurt her in any damn shape or form I will make it my mission to make your life a living hell Orion for as long as I have left to live." Alfred had left soon after his declaration, and to push out of the awkwardness, Regulus turned towards his father.

"Ari made a scrapbook for me, has loads of pictures if you want to take a look father." Orion knew what his son was doing, but he did agree that perhaps it would tone down his anger.

"Sirius, did Aria make you one?" 

"Of course she did, but mine is filled with blood traitors. Wouldn't want your eyes to burn father." The eldest said, hurrying up the stairs to return back to Aria's bedroom.

He couldn't believe it, not a word. Even now he was still trying to get it through his head that Aria—Aurora is his sister. But if he knew Aria like he thought he did, she'd surely have pictures in her room.

Right?

Sirius spent a good while before finding it, and it made his heart twinge seeing that it was unfinished. It wasn't much different to the ones she made now, though there were flatten flowers, much more lavish materials for her to use instead of buttons and twines.

But the ones she made had character, yet it still hurt to see everyone in his family—Everyone so damn young holding Aria, hugging her.

Seeing her laugh and smile at the camera.

Yet it was one picture, one that made his heart stop and stomach drop. Was the one where Rabastan was hugging Aria over her shoulder.

"Had his fangs in her then and still managed to do it now." He said, slamming the book closed and falling back into his sister's bed. It felt strange, but surely nothing could feel stranger than what Aria was battling in her head right now.

*

Aria felt rather relieved in stepping foot back on America soil, sure the drinking age suddenly spiked up to nineteen and she had little less leniency because her parents were here. But it was a blessing to have returned, yet nothing could've prepared her for Aidan to stroll right on up to her with his hands in his jeans.

"Oh bloody hell Aidan, I wanted to at least freshen up before I came and—" He silenced her with an ever-loving kiss. He hadn't a care in the world if she smelled like a freshly brewed cauldron or a florist's dream creation.

"You didn't respond to five letters Ari, I had to owl them to Sirius. Hell, I think I talked to Sirius more." Aria stilled, she thought that perhaps she could put her actions behind her for at least an hour, but of course Aidan had managed to resurrect them rather instantly.

"I promise I'll explain, could we...Go somewhere?" 

"You mean somewhere with tea?" She perked her lips into a pout, having her boyfriend read her so well was beginning to be a mess of communication.

But he simply leaned in again and hummed in delight while taking her satchel. Apparently he had taken his car so it wasn't that much of a ride back home, but they stopped on the way with Omen comfortably sleeping in the car with a charmed heated blanket and snacks to accompany her while they were parked onto of cliff. Sitting on the car's hood with a blanket underneath and surrounding them as they sipped their warm beverages away.

Thankfully the snow had melted just yesterday.

"I don't miss New England weather...Not one bit."

"We've had all four seasons so far this week Sunshine, but you've avoided it long enough Aria. Why didn't you owl back?" She squeezed her eyes closed and tried to find the right words.

"I need you to promise me something Aidan, that if I'm in the wrong you tell me."
"Ari—"
"Please. Please just promise me." It was strange to hear her begging, but his heart began pumping...Had Lestrange done something to her?

We're they breaking up?

Aria licked her lips and reached into her coat's pocket, fumbling with a piece of parchment before handing it off. Aidan had taken it instantly but stopped from opening it once he heard her voice again.

"I found it in the box that the Orphanage kept, dad picked it up thinking there'd be something in there I'd want. And there was, it was an answer." She said with a tear slipping down her cheek but she hadn't dared looked back towards Aidan, instead he scanned the letter and the simply few sentences.

"Orion Black...Is he—"

"Father to Sirius and Regulus Black. My brothers." She said, her eyes searching over the town as though it'd aid her and her emotions. But instead she cried into her hand further.

"Oh Sunshine, I'm sorry...and here I've been a complete asshole thinking that we were going to break up or—" 

"I'm not making that mistake and losing you again Aidan. I was bloody dumb. And I'm even dumber going to see them before coming home, what was I expecting? They're pureblood fanatics, my biological mother is a complete and utter loon, she had already ingrained it into her head on who I'm going to marry and produce the next heirs for." Aidan closed his eyes for a moment, his own emotion betraying his as he readily felt her pain.

So he pulled over his own blanket to secure over her shoulder and it allowed her to fall into his hold and cry. "I betrayed Eli a-and Chrissy...But I needed—I needed to know." 

"I know Sunshine, I know. And I know what Sirius and Regulus always meant to you. It makes sense, please don't cry sweetheart." 

"They're going to hate me." That made Aidan scoff.

"Aria you could burn down Hogwarts and your dad would still love you." 

"But I crossed a line. Orion has a picture of me on his desk but his memories of me are forgotten, and then my uncle is a Ravenclaw. It's a bloody fucking mess and I've just made a hundred times worse." Aidan attempted to lull her to calm down, but it was obvious that she was working herself up to a panic attack.

And he did the next best thing, he stopped talking entirely and laid down onto the hood of the car and allowed her to conform into his hold.

Ultimately falling asleep.

His sunshine was exhausted, and rightfully so. All he did was simply lay down and she followed in pursuit. Though after the clock struck four-thirty, he knew she needed to get home.

"Hey, come on sunshine. You can sleep on the ride home." She mumbled this and that but still managed to her into the car, though she curled up in the seat and returned back into a light slumber.

Yet she woke up a few minutes down the road from the Crawford manor.

"I don't think you're an asshole Aria." She snorted, wiping her eyes and trying to fix herself before seeing her family. "Yeah, I just made a shitty choice?" 

"No. You made a choice for you, and I'll never fault you for doing that Sunshine. You wanted to see Sirius and Regulus and tell them you're their sister, you did that. I know you're not going to join that family over the Crawfords because there's no connection to your biological parents other than blood. And blood has nothing to do with. It never does." 

"Over there it does." 

"But there isn't here, and here isn't there. Aria, fuck—Britain isn't normal. I can't explain that enough, it's toxic and I'm starting to think it's better if you moved here instead." Aria gawked as she looked at Aidan, who slammed his hand against the steering wheel in having blurted out something he wanted to suggest and not demand.

He road up the Crawford's long driveway and while he was about to apologize, Aria was already unbuckled with half her foot out of the car. "Sorry if I don't want to hear that I'm bloody toxic, I don't want to hear another word of it, you're starting to sound just like Lestrange." She said, slamming the car door and throwing her satchel over her head.

"Aria I'm sorry!"
"Well be sorry elsewhere! Was I meant to just readily agree to that?!"
"No. I wanted to talk about it thoroughly and it slipped out."
"Slipped out?! Aidan, I respect you a lot more than you realize but you think before you speak. So goddess knows you meant every bloody word that came out...So excuse me before I say something I truly regret." It was clear that either of riled up was going to come crashing down sooner or later, and he sighed in defeat before returning to his car and driving off.

Though it was clear Michael was peeking out the living room window, all prepared to intervene if need be.

"Bubbles! You're home!"
"Michael, I know you saw and heard everything anyways so if you could please—" He ignored her and tackled her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"We saved you a few ordainments to put on the tree, come on." He grabbed her hand and dragged her to an activity, and then another—And before she knew it the troubles with Aidan and all the troubles that came with being in Britain vanished.

Was Britain political? Yes. A very stern clean and hard yes.

When Christmas came, Aidan and Aria apologized to one another. And when he asked calmly for her to rethink her plans into moving to America when she was finished, she simply replied with 'no'.

He followed up with, "Then I guess I'm moving to you." And it settled the argument from there, Michael knew it hadn't been that bad of a fight. But he did silently warn Aidan from afar of what would happen if he did end up breaking her heart.

After the Holiday, in the middle ground past Christmas but before New Years. Aria decided that it was best to come clean to her dad of what happened, she needed to be truthful and explain herself properly.

But that didn't make her any less guilty.

"Well that's a rather glum walk of shame." Emma teased, and that caused Aria to pull her attention from the floor beneath her to her sister in sheer shock. "Aidan's not the stealthiest Pukwudgie." Her elbow connected to the table as she just let her head lean on down in utter defeat.

"Good goddess, what did you say to poor bubbles already to have her check out?" Michael said, and Aria shot a pleading glare to her sisters in an attempt to shut them up.

And thankfully they listened.

"Bubbles?" "Hm? Yeah? Nothing, they said nothing. I'm just tired." She said, wiping her eyes as Emma poured her a cup of steaming tea as an apology.

The rest of the day went by rather normally, the house was empty mindful of Eli and Aria since they were on holiday—But that didn't mean everyone in the house was off.

So this was the best time she could conjure up.

"Dad?"
"Hm, I would've thought you'd go and hang out with your girls, Bubbles." Her cheeks blushed, she was truly predictable wasn't she?

"N-no...Are you busy?" He chuckled, putting his quill down and rising to his feet. "Not at all, I'm actually bored. Did you want to do something?" She did, she wanted to. But this was much more important to get through.

"Y-yeah..." He smiled, going to reach for his coat as he was about to tell her to get ready. But she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Daddy?" She whispered, and he stopped red-handed, knowing that when her voice cut that she was trying to stop herself from crying or her hair from shifting.

"Sweetheart what—"
"I've done something bad." Eli ditched his coat instantly and pulled her into his embrace, but it wasn't a sob, it wasn't a cry. It was just simple tears.

And that truly sent him to question what happened.

"Oh bubbles, I can promise you that Michael and Ben were a whole lot worse in Ilvernmorny than you were. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad." Reaching into her pocket did she produce the letter from Orion, the one from when she was abandoned.

Eli had to produce his glasses from his shirt before reading the fine script. And his eyes too began to tear up, Aria had found her birth parents.

But to him it wasn't new information, he knew it was one of the top tiers. Or else it would've made much more of stink in the papers or worse.

He didn't know a name for the person he hated most in this lifetime, but now he did. And Orion sat right next to Mrs.Blanchard and whatever the hell Mrs.Black's name is.

"I'm sorry!"
"Oh goddess, Aria, sweetheart don't cry. Please, it hurts me so much to see you like this."
"But I went looking for them and I promised I never would, but in seeing that—In seeing the name I...My best friends are my brothers, daddy." Eli released a damned breath, he couldn't blame her one bit for looking for them.

Was he hurt? Yes. But for all different reasons than what Aria initially thought.

"Sweetheart, what is your name?"
"C-cassiopeia A-aurora Bl—"
"No. That is not your name. Try again."
"No, he told me that—"

"And I'm telling you, that that is no longer who you are. You've worked so hard to establish a name, this name. Who is Cassiopeia Black? Because all I see in front of me in my daughter, and she might've started out with a different last name. But now she holds mine. And until you marry someone else I don't want to see it changed, and maybe even then I'd be alright if you kept it. I am not mad sweetheart, I would've done the same and we've been doing the same since you walked through the doors of Salem school. Orion is a fool, he nor the rest of the family deserve you back or your forgiveness."

"He keeps a picture of me on his desk...He reads in my old bedroom. Daddy I was born in a family of pureblood Slytherins, but my uncle's a Ravenclaw too. And he hasn't lost his memory of me, he fought to keep me and I...I needed to know that." Eli shook his head, while his eyes were clearly crying he still managed a smile.

"I know bubbles, you did need to know...Suppose that explains this then? I thought it was from that Lestrange fellow but it's a different address." The package came this morning, and Aria opened it with a slight bit of cation.

But then smiled when she saw a rather older version of the Ravenclaw symbol. Aria never had the reason for rejoining the family, Eli knew that. He also knew how much she's grown to care for those two Black sons, and to find out that they were related was heartwrenching to think of.

"You're not mad?"

"For endangering yourself? Yes I am a little angry with that part. But I am happy you found the answer sweetheart, no matter what it means from here." 

"I don't think I'll really find myself there anyway, it was...Sort of creepy, they had previous elf heads on display." Eli shivered, he didn't know what was worse. The orphanage or her parent's home.

"Now you have four brothers." 

"Yeah and Sirius and Michael are right beside one another with being overprotective arses." Speaking of which, Michael had left early for the day as he wanted to do something with his sister...Knowing in the back of his mind that she wouldn't be coming home in the summer for much of the time.

However he stopped in the doorway, feeling like his own heart was going to burst in hearing what happened.

Aria had found her old family.

Eli closed his eyes when he caught Michael gaping in the doorway, perhaps he himself wasn't angry. But he couldn't speak for the rest of his family.

"You found...Your family?" The color drained from Aria's face as she simply wanted to tell Eli and ask what he thought on telling everyone else.

"Michael it's—" 

"Who is it." He said, curling his fist at the thought of Aria being at all lied to. But then the thoughts of being overall neglected came barreling in.

The Fountain of Angels was nothing but a lie with a fancy title.

"Son, let your sister explain why she did it." Eli said, prompting Aria to take the floor. And she simply took out her wallet in her pocket and took out the picture, handing it over to Michael and he frowned.

"Isn't this Sirius and Er—Reg?" 

"Regulus. Yes. They're my brothers." Michael's surprise was almost as dear as what Aria had first figured out, no longer was Michael angry at the idea of her leaving.

She did it because of her brothers, not her parents.

"Bubbles..." Aria offered him a smile, but it was clear she was hurting more than she let on. And a firm hand was placed onto her shoulder as Eli gave her a comforting squeeze.

"Orion does anything you don't like Aria, you owl me within the moment." 

"If anything I think Walburga will be the biggest issue, she was writing parcels to reintroduce me to their 'clan' or whatever that really means. Baby Death Eaters I'm assuming." It was a mumble but it was enough for either wizard to get the gist of it.

So the three decided to go out, leaving the mess and tears that happened in Eli's office for another day. Though Aria couldn't help but smile at Uncle Alfie's promise being fulfilled.

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Date Posted: 08-10-2020

Time: 9:29

Words: 5363

Sorry about the delay! I live on the East Coast and Hurricane Isaias was much worse than we thought. I just got power back last night from not having it since last week. I would like to thank my impuslive thrift store book purchasing for making my time less miserable. Specifically the 'After' Series by Anna Todd, I don't know how I found that book there but I read it in the time span of two days.

But I'm back, sort of, lots of clean up. So here's the next chapter--And maybe an extra one tomorrow:)