It was a perfect day for a wedding. The sun was shining; birds were singing. It was so picturesque it made Anja sick to her stomach. She tried to shake the feeling as she heard the laughter coming from the back room of the cathedral where Pepper and the girls were all getting ready. She was running late, and was already supposed to be back there with them. Anja had a harder time than she cared to admit getting up that morning. She should've stayed at the Avengers Compound with them last night, but she declined and stayed at a hotel. She needed to be alone. Not that she actually needed to be alone with her thoughts right now.

If anything, this was the perfect escape from the hell she had been through.

It had been nearly three months since Thanos' snap brought the world to a screeching halt, wiping out half of the universe's population. Anja knew she wasn't the only one who lost people she loved- hell, not even the only one in their inner circle- but damn, it hurt. Going through her life without both her best friend and the man she loved killed her. Losing both Layla and Loki in one fell swoop was still too much for her to take. Why did she get to live while they turned to dust? It was unfair. Cruel, even.

She thought she had been depressed before, but this? This was a whole new level of hell. Her only solace was that Thor had lost them both too, and that Spencer had lost Bucky again. Solace wasn't even the right word, since she felt absolutely terrible that any other human had to endure this too.

She closed her eyes tightly, fighting back some tears before she continued towards the back room. Anja put on a brave face, trying her best to look happy that two of her friends were getting married today. Weddings were supposed to be happy occasions, after all.

She entered the room to see Pepper standing in front of the large window, the sunlight reflecting off the sparkles on her dress. She made a beautiful bride, and Anja smiled a little at the sight. Spencer was kneeling next to her, adjusting the train on Pepper's dress, while Natasha stood next to her, fixing Pepper's veil. Both of them had already changed into their bridesmaid dresses, so Anja didn't feel weird for having hers on already too. Honestly all three of her friends looked positively perfect. And there she was, feeling much like a potato despite her hair and face being done for the first time in a while.

It was Natasha who had seen her come in first. "Ah, there you are, Anja."

Pepper and Spencer both turned to look at her too, and Anja forced a smile. "Sorry I'm late. I overslept a bit," she apologized sheepishly.

"Oh, you're not late," Pepper insisted. "Late would've been if you missed the wedding."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Anja assured, adjusting her necklace. And then she looked down at it, wondering if she should take it off. While it was gold like their dresses, Anja wasn't sure if the snake design and emeralds clashed with what Pepper wanted.

"Don't you dare take that off," Pepper interrupted, seemingly reading her thoughts.

Anja looked up at her friend. "Are you sure?"

Pepper nodded. "Of course." She smiled, but there was a tinge of sadness in her voice. "I think it's only fair that you get to have a piece of your love with you today."

Anja smiled slightly. "Thank you," she answered quietly.

"Speaking of that," Spencer spoke up, "I think Thor wanted to talk to you before the ceremony, Anja."

Anja raised an eyebrow. "Did he say why?"

Natasha shook her head. "Nope. Just that he needed to see you before the wedding started."

Anja was confused. What could he possibly want to talk to her about? She supposed it could be anything, given the circumstances. Other than for the rehearsal dinner last night, she hadn't seen Thor in a few weeks now. With the way she bounced between New Asgard and the compound, sometimes she went a while without seeing some of her friends, including Thor.

She turned to Pepper. "Do I have time to go talk to him real quick?"

Pepper nodded after a glance at the clock, turning to look at her with a bigger smile on her face. "Of course. He's with the boys down the hall."

"Alright," Anja replied. "I'll be back shortly."

She didn't wait for her friends to reply before she exited the room and made her way slowly down the hall, towards the other room roaring with laughter. Seemed like the guys were having a great time. The door was open, so Anja hesitantly waited in the doorway, watching Tony, Bruce, Thor, and Rhodes standing around laughing about some joke one of them had likely just told. They were all dressed in their tuxedos, and it took Anja off guard. She hadn't seen any of them other than Tony really dressed up before, so it was strange to see them dressed so formally. Thor especially.

"Well damn, Anja! Don't you look lovely this afternoon?" Tony called out, breaking her thoughts. He winked at her, forever a flirt, despite the fact he was about to be married.

Anja smiled a little. This was the first time she had dressed up in some time. Sure, she wore dresses when she stayed in New Asgard, but she didn't bother much with her hair or makeup. Why bother? Anja was fairly sure the last time she had put in the effort was for Thor and Loki's coronation shortly before the snap. "Thanks, Tony," she said quietly. "You all look rather dashing yourselves."

Thor smiled and approached her. Anja noticed he was looking a little rough compared to usual. His hair and beard had grown out a bit more than he had been keeping it, and his normally shining eyes seemed dull. He still looked nice enough for the wedding, but she knew better. He was probably feeling just as horrible as she was without Layla and Loki. They were both great at faking being okay.

"My dear sister," he greeted before pulling her into a tight hug.

Anja still wasn't used to Thor referring to her as his sister. Until Loki's untimely death, Thor had never called her that before. Now he used it more than her actual name. She hugged him back for a moment before she spoke up. "I heard you wanted to speak with me?"

Thor pulled away from her, nodding. He looked at the other three men for a moment. "If you'll excuse us."

Thor didn't wait for the guys to reply to him as he led Anja into the hallway, shutting the door to the room behind him. Whatever he was about to say he didn't want an audience for. Anja looked up at Thor, waiting for him to say something, anything.

"I see that look on your face," he started. "I'll try to make this quick. I just wanted to give you something."

Thor reached into his jacket and pulled out something that was wrapped in a thin silky fabric, likely a spare handkerchief. He slowly unwrapped the object, revealing the gold and emerald tiara Loki had gifted her the day he told her the plans for him and Thor to share the throne. She wore it when she visited New Asgard, but she always felt strange about it now. The promises the tiara stood for would never come to fruition, and it killed her inside.

"You forgot something the last time you visited home," he continued, raising the tiara carefully in his hand. "As a queen, you deserve a crown."

Anja felt her eyes swell with tears instantaneously. "Thor, I'm... I'm not a queen. Hell, I was barely even a consort. Loki and I were only together for a few months. We were never wed."

Thor shook his head. "I don't care about that, and neither does Asgard. My brother loved you, and I know had he not... you know... he would've made you his bride. Therefore, as far as any of us are concerned, you are queen."

Anja felt a warm tear run down her cheek. "You don't know that," she said quietly.

"I do know that. He told me as much," Thor reiterated. "I never saw Loki gravitate towards someone like he did to you. He told you things he would've never told anyone, not even me." Thor paused, taking a deep breath. "Heimdall once told me he believed Loki would've destroyed the universe for you, and he damn sure tried."

Heimdall... another unfortunate casualty in the snap. It was strange without the gatekeeper around too, and Anja frowned at the mention of his name.

Thor looked to the ceiling for a moment before looking back at her. "Honestly, I never imagined it would be you who would break through Loki's hard outer shell. You were always the quiet one, the reserved one. When we got to the tower, and I saw you eye him up and down, I knew that something had changed," he went on, laughing a bit. "You then went on to show him compassion and understanding that I don't think anyone else had ever given him. So no. I have no doubts that he would've wed you. In a heartbeat."

By this point, a few more tears had streaked down Anja's face. She reached up to wipe them away, but it only made more fall. "But that will never happen now," she replied. She took a shaky breath, debating how she wanted to word her next statement. "Thor, I... I need to tell you something. Something I haven't really disclosed to anyone else yet."

Thor lowered his hands, still clutching the tiara, and his voice was more solemn when he spoke next. "What is it, Anja?"

She crossed her arms, looking anywhere but at Thor when she spoke next, the tears streaming from her eyes now. Anja silently hoped that the setting spray she had used on her face was holding her makeup relatively in place or she was going to look like a disaster come picture time. She shook the thought from her mind as she took a deep breath before she answered Thor.

"Four weeks ago, I lost your brother's baby," she admitted, almost in a whisper. "I was about ten or eleven weeks into the pregnancy. I'm... I'm not sure why it happened- if it was because we were genetically incompatible or if it was the stress and depression or-"

Anja didn't get to finish her statement before Thor pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close. Anja hugged him back, tears still flowing from her eyes. The two of them stood there in relative silence- other than Anja's sobs and the distant sound of guests in the chapel not far away- for a few moments before Thor spoke again.

"It's not your fault," he said quietly. His voice shook a little, and Anja knew he was crying now too. She had never seen Thor cry, and that just made it all the worse. "Please do not be hard on yourself."

Anja barely nodded. "I know, it's just... What if I could've done something different?"

Thor placed his hand under her chin, gently forcing her to look up at him. Anja stared into his tear filled eyes, trying her hardest to stop crying herself. It felt better to no longer hold the tears in, but it hurt all the same. It was an unexplainable pain, losing a child, one Anja had always hoped she would never have to endure. Let alone all the while mourning the child's father and her best friend. She suffered in silence, afraid she had done something wrong and brought this upon herself, afraid that her friends would judge her or not understand- especially since she never told anyone about the baby in the first place. It was a lonely kind of pain, one that had been swallowing her whole for the last month.

"No, you did everything in your power right; I know you did," Thor broke her thoughts. "You are a strong woman, Anja. I cannot imagine what pain you have endured. You have been through much, and I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Thor," Anja answered, pulling away from him, looking anywhere but at him. "Just... keep this between us, please. I don't want to worry them more than I already am. I'm sure Spencer has realized I'm more depressed than I was a few weeks ago, and I'm just... I'm not ready to talk about it. Not today."

Thor nodded, taking his hand and wiping the tears off her face, doing his best to not smear her makeup with his rough fingers. "I won't tell a soul, and I will listen when you are ready to talk about it- if you ever are," he promised. Anja had forgotten all about the tiara until she felt Thor place it on her head, nestling it gently between her curls. "You are worthy."

Anja barely smiled as she wiped her eyes some more. "We should probably get back to the others. Not much longer before the ceremony starts."

Thor nodded solemnly. "Then I will see you shortly."

"See you then." The young woman hugged him briefly before turning on her heel and walking slowly back down the hallway.

Anja took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before she got back to the girls. The last thing she wanted to do was have them start asking questions, and for her emotions to get the better of her again. Anja made it back to the room a few moments later, as composed as she was going to be after her chat with Thor. It had made her feel better, yet worse all at the same time. But she didn't want to dwell on it and ruin Tony and Pepper's big day.

So she smiled.

"Did you find him?" Pepper asked, breaking her thoughts.

Anja merely nodded. "He just wanted me to have my tiara," she answered. "I won't wear it if you think it's too much."

Pepper shook her head. "If I thought it was too much, I wouldn't have asked the Queen of Asgard to be one of my bridesmaids."

Anja wanted to protest, but she knew it was a losing battle- one she didn't need to have twice in less than twenty minutes' time. Instead of speaking, she nodded again, the weight of the tiara feeling much more pronounced. She took a quick glance in the mirror, making sure her makeup hadn't smeared. Somehow, it had held, and she was silently thankful for that.

No one else had time to add to the discussion before there was a knock at the door. A moment later, Pepper's mom appeared in the doorway. Anja could tell she had been crying too- although hers were probably happy tears.

"You ready, Pep?" she asked. "The guys are lining up."

"I'm ready," Pepper assured with a smile. She glanced between Anja, Spencer, and Natasha. "Go line up. I'll see you all shortly."

The girls grabbed their bouquets from the side table and slowly left the room, heading to where they had rehearsed the night before. Each of them paired off with one of the groomsmen; Natasha joined Bruce in front of her and Thor, while Spencer and Rhodes stood behind them. Anja turned around to look at her friends just in time to see Pepper and her dad come to stand at the end of the line.

Anja felt something nudge her arm. She glanced over to see Thor offering her his arm. She gingerly looped her arm through his, admittedly hating how it felt. It felt strange to link arms with the brother of the love of her life.

"Are you okay?" he asked

"No. Not at all," she admitted.

Thor didn't get a chance to reply. Music began playing from the chapel. The wedding had officially begun. Anja held onto Thor's arm as Natasha and Bruce moved forward, entering the chapel. Once they had made it to the altar and separated to their respective sides, Thor and Anja started their walk down the same path. Anja could feel all the eyes in the room staring, boring a hole into her. She tried to focus on Tony, who stood at the end of the aisle, smiling widely. It wasn't enough.

As they reached the end, Anja let go of Thor's arm and joined Natasha off to the left. Anja held the bouquet in her hands, watching as Spencer and Rhodes walked down the aisle as well. Once they were in place, the music faded out and a new song began playing. Everyone's eyes went to the door again, this time to watch Pepper's dad escort her down the aisle to her soon to be husband. It was truly a beautiful sight; Pepper truly made a perfect bride. Anja reached up with one hand, wiping away a tear before placing it back on the bouquet. If only it remained one stray tear.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

Anja watched the ceremony unfold, doing her best to hold back conflicting tears. On one hand, she was so happy for Tony and Pepper. They'd get to live happily ever after with the love of their life, and have a future together. Yet on the other hand, she was insanely jealous. The man she loved was dead; she would never experience walking down the aisle, seeing his smiling face staring back at her. She wouldn't have a future with him, and this was all a dark reminder of how it all was snatched away from her. When this year started, she had pictured everything so differently. She never imagined she would be left so devoid.

Somewhere in the middle of the ceremony as Tony and Pepper exchanged vows, the tears began flowing from her eyes once more. Anja couldn't help it. She had been doing so well holding it together, but she just couldn't anymore. At the very least, she could play it off as being incredibly happy for her friends, even if it wasn't entirely the truth. She was happy for Tony and Pepper. But knowing a happily ever after was never going to be in the cards for her absolutely gutted her. It was hard to pretend it didn't.

She felt a nudge from her right side, causing her to look over. Through tear-drenched eyes, she saw Natasha handing her a tissue. Anja took it, dabbing her eyes and cheeks ever so carefully as Natasha put her hand on Anja's back, rubbing it gently for a moment. Anja folded the tissue, tucking it between her hand and the bouquet as she took a steadying breath. The ceremony was coming to an end and soon she would be able to lower her guard and have a good cry without the eyes of hundreds of people on her.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Anja shook her thoughts away, putting her focus back on the ceremony. Tony lifted Pepper's veil, pulling her in for a very passionate kiss as the guests clapped. After a few moments, Tony pulled away from her, and the officiant made one final announcement as Tony and Pepper turned to face the audience.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and... aliens, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Edward Stark!"

Tony and Pepper both smiled exuberantly as Tony held her hand, raising it into the air in triumph briefly before the two of them made their way down the aisle and out to the receiving area. Spencer and Rhodes met in the middle and then followed suit. Once they were halfway down the aisle, Thor and Anja did the same and followed their friends outside to the receiving line where they'd spend some time greeting guests.

As Bruce and Natasha came to stand next to her, she felt Thor place his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him, squinting slightly in the bright sunlight. "Hm?"

"You alright?" he asked.

Anja shook her head before answering him quietly, "Admittedly, no."

"Me neither," he confessed, removing his arm from her shoulder. "Just have to get through this line and the reception..."

Honestly, the receiving line and the reception terrified Anja just as badly as the wedding itself, perhaps even moreso. Greeting old friends was one thing, but seeing strangers had her on edge. She knew Steve, Brunnhilde, Happy, and the others would know what happened and wouldn't ask or make assumptions. Anja hadn't seen the wedding programs, so she had no idea if Pepper and Tony listed her and Thor with their proper titles or anything, but if they had, she knew there would be people assuming "King" and "Queen" meant they were together, and she really didn't want to have the "well, actually" conversation several times. And then after the line, there would be photos and then the dreaded reception...

Anja didn't have time to dwell on it before people started filing out of the church, stopping to talk with them all along the way. Some people didn't say much of anything, yet some had full on conversations with some of the bridal party. Things had been going well for a while; most people just said a few short words and moved on. That was, until someone who looked similar to Pepper's mother approached her and Thor. Anja assumed she must be one of Pepper's aunts.

"Oh! You must be Thor and Anastasia!" the woman greeted. "King and Queen of Asgard. Pepper has told me much about you."

"Has she now?" Thor asked skeptically.

"She has. You'll have to give her and Anthony some marriage tips," the woman rattled on. Anja was then thoroughly convinced Pepper told this woman nothing, as Pepper would've never let anyone assume Anja and Thor were a thing. The big difference between Pepper and Tony was that Pepper had been willing to accept Anja's relationship with Loki- even though she had never met the man or seen them together other than in pictures. Anja knew her friend would've never let anyone believe for even a second Anja was with anyone other than Loki, even if he was technically dead.

"Actually, we aren't together. I was married to his brother, Loki, before the Snap," Anja corrected, her voice sounding snarkier than she intended. It wasn't the full truth, as she and Loki weren't married, but the woman in front of her didn't need to know that.

The woman hastily moved away from the two of them, looking rather sheepish as she continued down the line. Anja huffed and turned to look at Thor just as Steve Rogers filled the void where the woman had been standing. Anja was happy to finally see a familiar face.

"Yikes," Steve started. "She's lucky Loki wasn't here to hear that, or she probably would've been stabbed."

"You're probably right," Thor agreed with a small laugh.

The two men shook hands and bumped shoulders before Steve turned to Anja to pull her into a hug. Anja wasn't sure the last time she had hugged Steve; it must've been before the airport fight, maybe even before Ultron. Regardless, Anja hugged him back tightly for a few moments before he pulled away from her.

"You guys did great," Steve continued. "I'm glad you both could stand up there for Tony and Pep, and I'm sure they are too. I'll chat with you more at the reception; I don't want to hold up the line."

Anja nodded. "See you then."

Steve smiled and left without another word. The receiving line kept moving, and luckily no one else made things awkward for Anja and Thor. Steve was only the first of their friends and acquaintances not in the wedding party to pass through. Brunnhilde, Korg, Miek, Rocket, Nebula, and a few others all passed through the line at some point. It made it a bit easier to push through the crowd and clear her thoughts a bit.

Once the last of the guests had been greeted and sent on their way to the reception hall, the wedding party all filed back into the church for photos before filing into a limo to take them to a local park for more photos before heading to the reception. The photos seemed to drag on forever, and once the bridal party was dismissed so Tony and Pepper could do solo pictures, Anja was more than happy to sit on a park bench and decompress a bit before the reception. The sounds of the birds and the warm summer breeze relaxed her more than she thought it would, but whether or not it was enough to get her through the reception without more tears remained to be seen.

The ride back to the reception hall was relatively uneventful, largely due to the fact all six of the members of the bridal party were not the friends known for partying. Tony was, of course, doing his best to make it a party. Of course he got some laughs and smiles from his friends, but this was by far a more tame group than what Anja assumed most bridal parties were like. Granted, all of her knowledge of weddings and what they were supposed to be like came from before the Snap.

By the time they arrived at the hall, did the intros, and sat down at the head table, Anja was beyond starving. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and even then, it wasn't much. When the food was finally served, she was almost ashamed how quickly she dove into it. She hadn't had something this fancy since the coronation dinner, and before that it was probably something during one of her last visits to Las Vegas to visit Spencer. She kept her focus on the meal, although she had to admit the tapping on glasses and ringing of bells for Tony and Pepper to kiss all the time was starting to grate her nerves. She couldn't speak for them, of course, but she imagined being commanded to kiss constantly while trying to enjoy their first meal since the morning would drive anyone crazy.

Dinner wrapped up, and then it was time for the speeches. Anja sat and listened intently to Rhodes and Spencer make their speeches about Tony and Pepper respectively, nodding and laughing along when it was appropriate. Both were wonderful speeches- funny and heartfelt like any good best man or maid of honor speech should be. Anja was, however, grateful she didn't have to make one. She had never been good with public speaking, and surely would've broken down more than once trying to spit words out.

Once Spencer had concluded her speech, Tony motioned for her to pass him the microphone. She handed it to him, and he cleared his throat before he started speaking.

"Thank you both, Spence and Rhodey, for those lovely speeches. You're the best, and we love ya," he started. "I figured since we have everyone's attention already, now is as good a time as any to make an announcement of our own."

That got Anja's attention. What could he possibly want to announce?

"Pepper and I would like to announce we're having a baby!" he exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.

The guests had all erupted in cheers and clapping, but Anja suddenly felt sick. She had nowhere to hide as the DJ brought the party back on track, and had started Tony and Pepper's first dance. Anja stared at her friends spinning around the dancefloor while her stomach churned, a pain aching in her chest. She wanted to run, to hide somewhere while she tried to sort out all the conflicting emotions, but she couldn't. If she got up now, it would only draw attention away from Tony and Pepper and cause a scene. So instead, she sat in silence, going between watching her friends' first dance and literally anywhere but them. Anja downed the remaining wine in her glass from dinner, trying her best to numb some of the pain.

When the song dwindled to an end and they moved onto the bouquet toss, Anja took this as her cue to slowly stand and sneak out of the hall, heading outside. As far as she was concerned, she was not a single woman, and her presence wouldn't be missed. She found a bench away from the main entrance underneath a tree, hopefully far enough away that she could have a moment of privacy. She glanced around briefly, ensuring no one was around.

She broke down.

Her elbows rested on her knees, her head in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. She truly hated how the wedding was making her feel. It was supposed to be a good thing, seeing two of her friends officially start their lives and family together- but all it had done is serve as a grim reminder that life was terribly cruel and unfair. Why did they get to live happily ever after while she had to suffer? What had she done to deserve this? The love of her life and their baby snatched away from her... It was a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. There were reminders everywhere; she couldn't escape. It wasn't Tony's or Pepper's fault, and she hated how their big day was going to be forever tainted with these feelings of emptiness and longing.

Anja felt a hand rest on her shoulder, causing her to freeze up for a moment before carefully wiping her eyes and looking up at the source. She was relieved to see it was only Spencer; she wouldn't have to pretend everything was fine.

"I'd ask you if you were okay, but I know you're not," Spencer said quietly before sitting next to her on the bench. "You've been off all day. Understandably so."

Anja shook her head. "No. I'm not okay. Not at all."

Spencer was quiet for a few moments. "It's not just the wedding, is it?"

Anja had a suspicion Spencer likely knew something else was troubling her. She hadn't exactly been blocking her friend from accessing her thoughts if she really wanted to, not to mention it was obvious Anja was not in her best mindset when she arrived at the chapel that morning. Any one of her close friends could see she wasn't all there, so Anja wasn't surprised at all Spencer was finally addressing it.

"No," was all she answered.

Spencer nodded knowingly. "I'm sorry, Anja." She paused for a moment. "I know there are no words that will really make this pain go away, but for what it's worth, please know that you did everything right. All they ever knew was love and warmth."

"Thank you," Anja replied quietly. "I just... I needed a moment."

Spencer nodded again, shifting in her seat before taking her hand in hers. "Yeah. Me too." She paused for a moment, thinking her words over carefully. "It's weird to be here celebrating without them."

Anja didn't doubt Spencer needed a break from all the love and togetherness too. It was hard dealing with an event that celebrated love when the person you loved most was gone, and that was something the two of them understood all too well.

"It is," Anja said. "Layla especially would be mad she's missing this."

"She would've been the life of this party," Spencer agreed. "And I know Bucky and Loki would be shaking their heads right along with us at her antics."

Anja barely nodded. "Yeah." It was nice to acknowledge their loved ones. Sure, Tony and Pepper had placed pictures of them on a table at both the reception and ceremony, but other than that, no one had really said anything about their absence. Anja understood, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

The two friends sat in comfortable silence for what felt like only a few moments and an eternity all at the same time, the only noise coming from birds singing, the cars that passed by, and the faint sounds of the music coming from the hall. Eventually, Spencer sighed and looked over at Anja.

"We should probably get back inside before someone notices we're gone. I'm sure we missed the cake cutting," she said, relinquishing Anja's hand from hers as she stood. "You want to dance with me, pretending everything is fine and nothing hurts?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Anja replied quietly.

She stood, taking a deep breath before she started the walk back to the hall with Spencer. When they arrived, the party was truly in full swing, music thumping through the hall. Most of the guests were on the dancefloor, dancing along to the music, some of them with drinks in hand. Anja sighed, exchanging a glance with Spencer before the two of them slowly began dancing too. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, tried to enjoy the music for what it was, but her mind wouldn't shut up.

Every song reminded her of him. The upbeat ones brought back memories of the New Year's party on the ship. The slow love songs reminded her of the coronation and their many quiet and not so quiet nights alone. Every single one caused Loki's face to drown her thoughts, smothering them until he was all she could think about. Anja opened her eyes, glancing around the room, trying to shake the thoughts, but they wouldn't leave. Ultimately, she ended up closing her eyes again even though they were swelling with tears again, continuing to sway along with the music, oblivious to the world around her.

At least she could still see him in her mind.

*****

Hello again everyone! I was finally able to get this finished! I was nearly done about two weeks ago, and then well... life got the better of me for a minute there. I wish I had more to report; life's just been busy between work, the kids, and well... everything. I know I say this every time I update, but I am hoping to get really back into the swing of things and make my updates more regularly again. I don't like going months without them. It doesn't feel good as a writer.

That being said, I will try to start the next chapter ASAP. I have a relatively free schedule between now and December. One weekend of work, getting the oldest kid to school Monday-Friday, and Thanksgiving obligations are about all I have to contend with for the next few weeks. Other than a hockey game I'll be attending next week (my favorite player got inducted into the Hall of Fame, and they are celebrating that night; I will not shut up about this so I am sorry for anyone who knows me in my real life), I should have most of my evenings free to write- although some of that time will be allotted to writing a little side project with my best friend.

I hope all of you are doing well, and as always, I thank you for your patience! You guys are the best!

~arty_writes