Hi everyone, SK here.

So you know what's coming this chapter... so for once I'm just going to say fasten your seatbelts, buckle up, and get ready for this intense ride.

!!! WARNINGS: Bad Language, Violence, Attempted Suicide, Death (Basically if you're easily triggered don't read this chapter because it is DARK.  Skip to the end and I'll give you a recap, I completely understand).

Verity

A couple hours prior...

"Dad, are you ready?" I ask.  All the plans are set.  Everything is in motion.  As I knock on his door, soon to be my door, I think about the stuff I researched in the library.  All the notes I took, the magic I used.  

Everything is going to come together.  

I'm going to save all the fairies' lives today.

"Coming," he says, but there's something off about his voice.  It sounds empty, a lot more empty than it should be.  Mom just died, it's understandable... I miss her too but unlike me, Dad will get to see her again soon.

He opens the door to his room and his tired eyes look at me as I stand out in the hallway.  I hold up the tea tray in my hands.  "Dad, you look tired.  Let's sit down for a bit."  It takes a moment for my words to reach his ears, but eventually he just nods and pushes the door open wider for me to enter.  

I set the tray holding the two steaming tea cups on his desk, adding the appropriate milk and sugar to each cup and swirling it all together slowly with a spoon.  "Verity, do we have time for this...?" he questions, but I'm prepared for that.

"Yes, we can always make a portal if we need to-"

"I told you I wanted to walk there, Verity."

"I know," I'm trying not to lose my patience as I tell him.  "But I think this will help wake up your senses a bit."  Handing him the teacup, I watch his hands tremble as he accepts it.  

He likes his tea sweet, which is why I add more sugar to it.  People always assume that I'm the same, but I actually like my tea with barely any sugar at all.  Maybe that's why I'm more of a coffee person, that drink is much more bitter.  

Still though, I pick up my barely-sweetened tea and take a sip.  Green tea.  I look at Dad, who's thankfully taken his first sip of the beverage, with a great sense of relief.  I never have anything more than green tea, while Dad loves to experiment with flavours (even though he does with all kinds of foods) and goes out to try those exotic kinds that I can't find myself liking.  I envy him for that; green tea for green envy I suppose.

What exactly am I envying him for? 

I know the answer, and it isn't tea.

After a few moments of just the two of us drinking tea I watch with silent delight as Dad puts his now-empty cup on his nightstand.  "Thank you, Verity," he says, giving me a small smile that was probably very hard for him to conjure.  "I'm lucky to have such a good daughter."

I return the gesture, albeit in a bit of a flustered manner.  "No need to thank me, Dad."  I'm not done but I set the cup down anyway.  It's time to go.  I have half an hour minimum, forty-five minutes maximum.

Luckily I don't need to tell him this, he stands up all on his own.  "We should be going now, we wouldn't want to be late."

Giving him a nod in response, I abandon the drink tray and follow him out the door.  The two of us, still in silence, walk through the hallway, down the stairs, and out into the fresh air.  Not wanting to waste time, I pull Dad toward one of the exits to the Colony only to hear footsteps running up behind us.  Turning around, we see that it's August.

"Are you guys going now?" he asks, and he sounds just as empty as Dad does.  Maybe it's because he just kicked his girlfriend out of her home or maybe it's because Mom died, or maybe it's a combination of both.  

Dad nods.  "We'll see you back very soon, August."  He gives my brother a hug, August melting into it like cotton candy melting in your mouth.  

"I love you," he whispers, looking like he's about to cry.  I make a mental note to go talk to him later today, after what's about to happen I need to spend some time with my brother.  Angling his eyes toward me, he continues.  "I love you both.  Stay safe, okay?  You're sure you shouldn't bring any of the Ministers with you?"

I shake my head.  "Red said just us two, I don't want to anger him."

August sighs and lets go of Dad.  "Well, I won't keep you," he says.  Good.  "Safe travels."  He gives us a quick wave then disappears back into the building from which we came.  

Okay, now we really need to get going.  I start briskly walking off toward the exits as a sign to show this thought, and Dad gets the hint and starts following me.  

However, before we can get far, we're stopped by both Ministers.  "Are you both leaving now?" Heliux asks, sounding intrigued as he sips out of his steamy coffee mug.  

"Yeah, we don't want to be late," I say, trying to give them both the the hint that I- we need to hurry.  Layra nods at the both of us and I make sure to first calm myself, second hide away my thoughts and third put an anxious expression on my face because I'm nervous for this meeting.

The Dark Minister smiles at both of us.  "It's a shame neither of us can come with you today," she says in a sad voice.  "Both of you make sure to stay safe, and if there is any trouble then contact us with the mirror spell- Ash, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Dad nods slowly, not because he isn't understand but because he's just tired.  Not sleepy, tired.  "Yes, I do.  And thank you, both of you, but like Verity says I don't want to be late.  We'll speak when we return."

"I expect nothing less," sniffs Heliux as he takes a sip of his coffee.  Both of them wish us luck and safety before finally going away.  I tell Dad that we need to start and hurry if we want to be there on time, and both of us once again start briskly walking toward the forest.

I look back toward the Colony, and even though things have changed, and I know that when I return things will stray further from our past norm.

As we leave, I make a mental note to myself.  Five minutes have passed.  Twenty-five to forty minutes left on my clock.

I'm not going to fail.

~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty minutes maximum.  Five minutes minimum.  You need to act fast.

Dad and I have been walking alone in the forest for quite some time; we've gotten a pretty far distance from the Colony, probably because we weren't talking at all and apparently people walk faster when they don't talk.  

"Hey Dad," I say out of the blue.

He glances at me.  "Yes?"

"How do you feel about what happened to Mom?"  

He pauses and for a moment he looks visibly distressed, but he manages to push the grim look away after a few seconds.  "I miss her very much, just like you do," he tells me, his voice raw.  "She is my everything, I love her.  Why..." he glances at me.  "Why do you ask?"

"So you don't feel guilty?" I press.

"Of course I do!" you can just hear his voice break.  "There must've been a way to have prevented her death, but-"

"No."  I'm going to be firm now.  "That's not what I mean."

"Oh."  He calms down.  "What did you mean then?"

I suck in a breath.  "You don't feel guilty that because of you, there's an imbalance?  That because of you, we'll have to perform the Balance Ritual and we'll all die?"

Dad stops walking.  I stop too, this is happening and this is happening now.  He turns to me, a dreadful look in his eyes.  "Verity."  He says my name slowly probably hoping to instill some kind of fear into me, but it's not going to work.  "What are you trying to imply?"

"That Mom is lonely up in the Spirit Realm, and because of the imbalance one of us has to die..."  I look him square in the eyes.  "It's not going to be me."

I can see a panicked look begin to form in his eyes.  Good.  An inner part of me is telling me to stop, but I ignore it.  "Verity, let's calm down now," he says slowly, as if he's speaking to a child.  "Let's just do the meeting with Red and-"

"YOU IDIOT!"  My throat hurts after I scream that.  "There is no meeting!" 

He looks dumbfounded.  "What?"

"I need you out here alone, and you still want to form peace with the humans because it's what Mom wanted, so I used that story to get you out here."

"And you don't?"  He sounds meek now.

I shake my head, how is Dad this bad?  This man is the hero that stopped the original war?  "Why would I?  The humans ruined us all.  They killed Mom... and after they quote-on-quote kill you, everyone is going to join the side of war."

Dad jumps up, his shoulders shaking.  "You've called humans to kill me?"

"No."  I love him, that's the reason I'm doing this, but how dumb can he be?  "I'm going to.  I'm going to take the Necklace."

Instinctively he grips hold of the Necklace with his right hand, pushing it up against his chest.  "No, no you're not."

"Not right now," I say.  "But I wanted to make this fair.  Let's have a Mist Battle.  Curses and I versus you and Greninja.  The winner wins the Necklace and the right to be the Dark Leader.  The loser dies."

"But you've never-"

"Beaten you before?  That is true," I admit, but then give him a sly look.  "But that is why I made this deal, the odds are in your favour, not mine.  Why say no?"

"Why do I need to agree at all?" he pleads, and honestly he just looks pathetic.  This hesitation is a big waste of time.  I'm trying to make his last moments noble, why isn't he accepting?  "Verity, let's talk about this."

"Do you want to see Mom again or no?" I question him, and he falls silent.  "She'll miss you, Dad, the same way that you're missing her.  I know she wants you to join her with the other Spirits... and if you win, then at least she'll get me instead."

Dad averts his gaze to the ground, staring at his feet for what feels like eternity.  "And what if I say no?"

"You can't," I tell him.  "I've set a timer."  And it's running... it's running out of time... tick tock... tick tock... tick tock... time is running out for you time is running out for you time is running out.

"Then fine," he spits out, a dark look in his eyes.  "If this is what you want, then so be it."  Putting both hands against his Necklace's pendant, he pulls out a bright blue light which subsequently transforms into Greninja.  I shortly follow up by summoning Curses, the Dragapult coming to life with its signature sparkle.

Beginning to pace back to allow our Mist Pokemon space to battle, I have some doubts.  Curses, we just need to last long enough until the timer runs out.  If you can, make Greninja faint, otherwise just keep dodging all of its attacks.  Luckily it doesn't know a Dark-type move but still, that's Dad's Greninja we're talking about.  Be on your guard and don't faint, okay?

"Of course," drawls Curses's wispy voice.  "I've never failed you before, Verity."

And you won't start.  I trust you, Curses.

"And I you."

Suddenly Dad calls out to me from the other side of our makeshift 'arena'.  "Last chance."

"Nope, I'm ready," I say.  I love Dad, that's why I'm doing this.  I'm reuniting my parents.  They'll be together again, I get to become the Leader, and the imbalance will end.  Happy endings for everyone... when I win of course.  And when we win the war against those wretched humans.

"Aerial Ace!" shouts Dad from the other side.  Greninja instantly darts forward.

"Sucker Punch," I command calmly. 

Curses, before Greninja can land its attack, hits the Ninja Pokemon hard with its plane-shaped head which causes it to stumble back.  

Dad looks a little disgruntled by this, making a tch noise.  "Use Cut," he commands, throwing his hand forward.

I know instantly what he's up to; he's trying to catch me off guard with an attack that Curses is immune to so he can get close and launch a Water Shuriken or something.  "If Dad's going to act idiotically when this is a matter of life and death, then use Dragon Dance to gain some power."

"Got it!" answers Curses, increasing its power and its speed as it dances high up in the air, far away from Greninja's Cut.  

"Use Water Shuriken," Dad orders, but Curses is smart and does things on his own sometimes.  He promptly uses Phantom Force as soon as Dad announces this, disappearing into the void before Greninja can make the move.  

Smart as ever, I think, praising my Mist Pokemon.  Dad, however, doesn't looks so happy but is clearly not willing to waste an opportunity.  "Double Team!"

Instantly hundreds of Greninja clones form a circle around the spot where Curses originally disappeared... but I know this isn't going to work.  I don't know how it works exactly, but when Curses uses Phantom Force it puts almost like a target on the opposing Mist Pokemon so Curses knows where to return to when he exits the void... and that sees right through Double Team strategies.

Just like I said, Curses pops out of a portal behind what I can only assume is the real Greninja and strikes.  The clones all fall as Greninja falls to its knees from the hit.  Five minutes have definitely passed, I tell myself.  Any time now, everything will be up for Dad.

"Don't get too cocky just because you landed a second hit," Dad warns.  "This isn't over yet."

I didn't think I was acting cocky.  "I know it isn't," I shout to him evenly.  "Because Curses and Greninja are still alive... well not for long, because Curses is going to use-"

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Dad yells, cutting me off.  

I think fast.  "Dragon Dance to dodge!"

Curses begins dancing in the air as Greninja tosses the spinning stars at it, only for them to land in the nearby trees and not my Dragapult... and Curses is only getting stronger.  Maybe I won't need the timer after all, I think, but remind myself that, like Dad said, I shouldn't get too cocky.  Meanwhile, Curses has levitated high up in the air while Greninja is still attempting to hit it.

"Jump on the Water Shurikens and once you get up there, use Aerial Ace!" commands Dad.  In slight awe I watch as Greninja jumps across the platforms it created for itself, watching as it gets higher and higher... toward Curses.

"SUCKER PUNCH!" I scream, hoping my voice reaches him in time.  It does... kind of.  From down below I see Greninja take the final leap and transition into an Aerial Ace attack while Curses readies its Sucker Punch.  Both attacks hit, and both Pokemon fall down to the forest floor and land with a thud.

I wince.  "Curses, are you okay?" I check.

"A mere fall wouldn't kill me," he points out, and if he were human he'd have a smirk on his face.  Unfortunately for us, Greninja also seems to be standing.

"It seems," pants Dad, "that Greninja and I need to use our full powers."  Yes, this is what I wanted!

"What?" I question, making sure I heard him right.  Nothing wrong in being extra cautious, right?

He sighs.  "Verity, I didn't want to do this to you, but you're scaring me.  You need to be stopped, and I can only stop you now that Greninja and I are in sync."

"Don't you dare."  My warning sounds feeble as I deliberately make my voice sound nervous to taunt him in to doing just that.

"Oh, I dare," he smirks.  A column of water surrounds him and Greninja and I can just barely see through it to see said Mist Pokemon transforming.  The water breaks, and Ash-Greninja now stands on the battlefield.  We just need to last a little longer, and once the time is up, my victory will now 100% be sealed.  Thanks for using your trump card Dad, I just turned it into my own.

"Try and stop us now," he says in a taunting manner.

Oh boy do I love a good challenge.  "Bring it on," I say coldly.  "Curses, Dragon Darts!"

"Water Shuriken!"

The two attacks collide and create a cloud of smoke that fills the forest.  "Dragon Dance, get rid of the smoke!" I tell Curses.  Due to the smoke it's hard to see the Dragapult, but I can see part of its wispy tail wiggling back and forth as it keeps using the move.  The smoke clears a little bit, but not by much.  "Keep using Dragon Dance to clear the smoke!"  Dad says something but I don't catch it.

When Curses has used the move a couple times the smoke clears... and reveals a couple hundred Greninja clones surrounding him.  

"Water Shuriken," Dad commands, thrusting out his arm.  Instantly the clones start firing off the attacks at Curses, hundreds of shurikens flying toward him at once.

"Dragon Darts-" I start to say, but Curses has already obeyed the order before I even gave it.  Due to the previous Dragon Dances he's fast as lighting, swiftly flying around the battlefield and firing off Dreepy to deflect the shurikens.  Not only do they help Curses not get hit from the now-powered up Greninja, but they also strike through the clones and subsequently destroy them.  

Ten minutes passed.  Ten minutes maximum left to go.

Just as I'm counting the time I look up to see the real Greninja successfully fire off a powered-up Water Shuriken at Curses, who's exhausted a lot of its energy dodging the clones' attacks.  The Dragapult takes the hit, Dad's face showing no expression while I just gape at it. 

"Curses!" I cry out as he falls once again to the ground, clearly exhausted and in pain.  I bite my lip; did I not plan properly?  Did I underestimate what would go down here?  Am I... going to die?

No, no I'm not going to die.  

And just as I think that, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Curses begins to levitate once more off the ground looking as determined as ever.  I smile, knowing that Curses and I've got this.  I'm going to reunite my parents again.  They're going to be together again, and they'll be happy, together!  They'll be together again!  Together!  I can't lose, I don't care if Dad doesn't see it, I can't lose, he has to be with Mom.  He has to!

I'm about to call for Curses to use Sucker Punch, but Greninja has frozen in place.  I look to Dad, who's also frozen in place.  I breath out a mental sigh of relief; my timer is up.

"Verity," Dad stutters out, "I can't move."

"I know," I say pleasantly.  "I know you can't."  If you wanted to be able to move, Dad, maybe you should've just told me that you weren't thirsty when I gave you that tea.

He looks confused, and then the realization hits him.  "The Bond Phenomenon-"

"Exactly.  It works both ways, doesn't it?"  I grin.  I'm going to win, I'm going to win!  "Because you can't move, Greninja can't either, which means..." I glance at Curses.  "Dragon Darts.  Finish this."

Because of all the Dragon Dances, Curses easily takes out Greninja in a single attack.  The dual Water and Dark-type faints which causes Dad to fall to his knees.  He still can't move, and he won't be able to for a long time now.  Thanking Curses, I slowly walk over to my father.  When he looks up at me there's fear in his eyes.  

"You lost," I tell him squarely.

"You cheated."

"I just said you had to win.  I never ruled out cheating."

"Verity, you do know that the other Dark Leaders have to decide to let you stay in charge, right?" Dad's eyes look uncertain now.  "They will look at this as-"

"An act that is saving all the fairies."  I finish his sentence, wanting to get this over with.  "Give me the Necklace, Dad.  Please.  Don't you want to see Mom again?"

He pauses.  "Yes... but not now-"

"You're being selfish."  My words cause him to flinch and my voice is sharp as I continue to step closer to the man who is about to die.  "The fairies, your friends, are going to die just because you can't accept the fact that you need to die right now.  Give me the Necklace, and they won't have to.  August and I won't have to either."

Once again, Dad looks confused.  "What do you mean...?"

"If you keep that Necklace, you and August will need to perform the Balance Ritual.  You'll both die, because there is no Queen to reset the balance.  Valerie is gone and Alara is powerless.  And, if the Balance Ritual happens, I'll die too remember?"  I pull out a silver knife from one of the pockets on my romper.  "Or, I could use this to end my life right now.  After all, there'll continue to be one Dark Leader and everything will be fine."

"Are you crazy-"

"Am I crazy?  Say it again," I tell him.

"Are you crazy?"

"Again."

"Are you... c-crazy?"

I lean in close to his face, grinning as I grip the knife tightly in my right hand.  "Yes, you could call me crazy, but I'm doing this for the greater good.  August is already grieving, you dying won't change that.  The rest of the fairies will be able to avoid the Balance Ritual and they'll be able to have a new pair of Leaders which will start the renewal process in the Colony.  Mom will get to be with her 'true love' again.  All you have to do is give me your Necklace... because you lost, Dad.  You lost."

He's still defiant after all this time.  "I refuse to die today, Verity."

"Fine.  Because I love you I'm willing to void the terms of the battle.  Forget it even happened," I spit out, running my fingertip over the sharp edge of the knife.  "Because you're too much of a coward to realize that you, in fact, need to die today, I'm going to die instead.  Bye, Dad."  I'm not even hesitating, I stretch out both of my arms with the blade pointed toward me.

"Verity, no-"

"Goodbye."

I shiver slightly as I feel the tip of the blade brush against my chest.  Taking a deep breath, I begin to push it deep into my chest and a small red blur begins to form on my poncho-

"STOP!" Dad screams, nearly in tears.  I knew you would get me to stop.  I didn't even get very deep, maybe half a centimeter.  "Verity, stop.  Put the knife down.  Alright.  You win."  

He puts his hands on the Necklace.

"You win!"

Dropping the not-even-crimson-stained blade, I stare unflinchingly at my father.  "Take it off.  Take it off and join Mom."

"I will, I will, but first I want to ask you a question."  Dad sounds frantic, trying to make his last moments worth while.  "Why force me like this?  Why-"

"Because would you have done it otherwise?" My voice is cold, cold like a winter's wind, as I speak the truth.  Dad is silent, he doesn't know how to respond.  He can't respond.  He knows the answer and that answer is no.  

No one wants to die, but death is inevitable.  Sometimes there's a moment when you realize it; a flash, a realization... that there's no point anymore.  The world would be far better with you gone.  You dying would solve problems... and if you cared anything about the fate of the world, you'd at least consider it.  

Here's the thing, people are cowards.  They don't like doing things themselves.  Get someone else to clean for them.  To cook for them.  To kill them.  They need someone else's hands to be covered in their blood.  Unless they truly seek out the grim reaper and their crimson-stained scythe, people don't want their own hands to do the deed... 

"Verity, what are you saying?" Dad sounds mortified, his voice small.  It takes me a moment to realize that I've been voicing my thoughts out loud.

"I'm doing you a favour, Dad."  I approach him, moving closer and closer, Dad's about-to-be-dead body pushed against a tall oak by my hands.  "You don't want to hurt yourself, but you know you have to die.  So I'll do it for you.  You don't have to do a thing!"

I smile at him, my expression countered by his shaking frown.  "Dad, you want to see Mom again!  That problem is solved by you dying.  I don't want the fairies to do a Balance Ritual, again, that problem is solved by you dying.  You and I don't want neither August or I do die, that problem is solved by you dying.  Don't you see?"  My voice pitches a key higher.  "You need to die!"

"Verity, you're scaring me."  Somehow, his voice is smaller.  "What happened to my sweet baby girl...?  Where did we go wrong...?"

"Things started to go wrong the moment Mom fell down to the ground and died," I say coldly, my face now inches away from his.  "And now we're here.  There's no way back.  I love you, Dad."  I smile at him, a sweet smile, a candied smile, a bitter smile, a sickly, oh-so sickly sweet smile.

"I love you too, but-"

"I love you," I repeat.  "I'm doing this because I love you."

Dad's silent.

"I'm doing this for you.  You and Mom will be happy again."

His eyes light up with a certain what-if.  "Is there any way that-"

"We can change this outcome?" I ask pleasantly.  "No, now, goodbye."

"Verity-"

"I said," I say, ripping the Necklace off of his neck, watching as his body disappears and his wings break apart and shatter.  "GOODBYE."

I pause for a moment, reveling in what just happened.

Dad's dead.

I killed him.

I killed my own-

What-

What is wrong with me?

Nothing.

Everything.

Nothing.

I did it for the greater good.

I fixed the Balance.

I'm a hero.

And yet... why do I feel so empty?

"Curses," I say, calling the Dragapult over.  Ripping off my gold choker, now to be lost forever just like the happy life we just gave up, I hold the Necklace right above my chest.  "Are you ready?"

"Always."  I like Curses.  He always keeps my grounded when we get up to mischief.

I put on the Necklace, and find myself slipping into a dark void.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Verity Yvonne-Ketchum.  Welcome to the Realm of Darkness."

I blink my eyes open, marveling at my new surroundings.  I've never been here before but I can only assume this is the Spirit Realm... well that's the only logical explanation as to where I am.  I stand up, Curses beside me, and greet a wise-looking man.  This is Zagan, I've read enough history books to know his face.

"Greetings Zagan," I say, doing a small bow.  I don't dare to try and spot Dad in the masses of past Dark Leaders.  "What's going to happen now?"

"Now is the time where we judge if a new Necklace holder is deemed worthy to wear it," responds the oldest Dark Leader.  "And all of the Leaders have voted already; your fate is decided."

My eyes light up in surprise.  "Really?  This quickly?"

"Of course.  Time moves slower here."  Though kind, Zagan is surprisingly stone-faced.  Instead of telling me himself, he gestures to a spiky-blonde-haired fairy to come forth to deliver the news.

His brown eyes sparkle.  "I'm Rin," he says, extending his hand for a shake.  I take him up on his offer, returning his greeting.

"So Verity, it seems that while some of your actions were questionable..."

"... the majority have voted for you to be deemed fit to rule."

I can't say that I'm not shocked; I even came prepared with evidence to counter them with should they have made a different decision.  "Really?"

"Don't act so shocked.  While your actions were definitely wrong morally, they were for the greater good."  Rin gets closer and whispers in my ear.  "I voted for you to rule."  He leans back and winks.  

I'm about to roll my eyes at the silly fairy but I spot Dad at the back of the crowd, clearly not-making eye-contact with me for a deliberate reason.  "What way did he vote?" I ask the fairy.

"What do you think?"  That tells me everything I need to know.

Zagan comes back up.  "There is nothing else we need from you now, Verity, but we are all excited to welcome you to the Necklace."  He smiles.  "You're free to go."

I'm about to say thank you but a wave of magic washes over me, putting me to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

I prowl through the forest, figuring out a way to handle this when I get back to the Colony.  I already know my story.  The humans killed him.  The humans killed Dad.

Not me.

The humans did it.

The fairies need to be fired up for this war, considering there are a chunk that want peace, and this is the way to do it.

Later today, I remind myself, you need to make Lin your new Advisor.  Lin is the only one I want beside me as I rule... well besides my brother of course.

I make a portal to the center of the Colony, knowing it'll look more natural that way.  I walk through, and several fairies spot me as I walk through alone.  August and Clemont run up to me, and I can see the dread pooling on August's face.

There's not much to tell, I know he knows already.

"Looks like you and I are equals again," I say.

Ooh so yes this was a very intense chapter... now for that summary I promised.  Basically, Verity's head hasn't been right since Serena died.  To become Leader herself she's convinced herself that killing Ash would be for the greater good... so she did in a very clever plan.  The past Dark Leaders still accepted her despite her actions.  So basically all you need to know is that Verity killed Ash and became the new Leader.

I've been saying this a lot but things are only ramping up from here.  Still, I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for next week! :)