Equivalent Exchange

Chapter 40: And So It Ends

The sound of sturdy skin boots tramping across the ice caught Mai's attention and she turned to take a quick look. Six Water Tribesmen followed behind Zuko and her, extra guards for the Spirit Oasis.

'Good,' she thought. 'Someone's thinking.'

Guards still stood outside the little wooden door, unharmed and bored looking. Aang and Katara skidded to a stop and waved the guards aside. Momo, who had apparently decided to come along with the new guards, jumped up onto Aang's shoulder and chattered loudly.

"Wait," Zuko called out sharply. "Don't go rushing in there."

Katara pulled open the door slowly and looked inside. Momo, ever curious, left Aang and sailed through the air, landing on one of the small arched bridges that connected the oasis itself with the icy walls that surrounded it. The Spirit Oasis was empty, serene and peaceful, the perfect spot for Aang, the link between the corporeal world and the spirit world to attain the level of intense meditation needed for his spirit to leave his body behind.

"See, Zuko." The waterbender opened the door wider and beckoned for her friend to look inside. "It's empty."

Zuko did look; he stared up the cliffs, wondering if perhaps the admiral was walking around up there. "Zhao might have come in a different entrance. Is there a separate entrance?" He looked to the guards then.

"Yes, there is. A very narrow, tricky path leads from the top of the cliffs down into the oasis. But it's difficult to get to and difficult to traverse. Do you think he'll take that path? No one ever uses it."

"Well, he has a detailed map of your city. I'm sure the path is marked on it. Damn! I think at least half of you need to move inside the oasis and guard the pond. That's where Zhao needs to be to fulfill his plan. We'll do our best to make sure that he never even makes it inside. And you can watch the other entrance from your position inside as well. Does that make sense, Mai?" Zuko looked to his betrothed for confirmation.

"It makes perfect sense. We'll stay around here and look out for him; I'd like to take care of him myself, before he gets anywhere near the oasis." Mai rubbed her hands together, partly because they were cold and partly in anticipation.

Katara, irritated by the delay made an exaggerated show of entering the oasis with Aang. Zuko watched them closely, not taking his eyes off the pair until Aang was seated in the lotus position on the wonderfully green looking grass while Katara stood sentry behind him, arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. Four Water Tribesmen stationed themselves around the pond, looking up occasionally and all about the sanctuary. Satisfied that both the spirits and Aang were well protected, the prince shut the door.

He spoke to the guards still outside next. "Zhao will kill you in a heartbeat. Do you get that?"

The guards nodded. Zuko had their full attention now.

"He's tall; he has huge sideburns, amber eyes and brown hair. He should be wearing full Fire Nation armor but a disguise is not out of the question. Mai and I will be out on the street waiting for him. Should he make it by us somehow, it will be up to you."

"Yes, yes, we understand."

"Let's go, Zuko." Mai tugged on his hand and pulled him forward.

They walked back to the front of Chief Arnook's palace and paced back and forth along the street, watching carefully, bodies tense with the mere thought of an upcoming confrontation with Zhao, a man both despised almost beyond reason.

Aang shifted on the grass and did his best to concentrate. Momo was curled up at his feet, eyes closed as if trying to meditate too. Aang needed help and wasn't afraid to ask for it, but getting to the Spirit World was more of an accident the first time it had happened. He shifted again, making sure that his bottom was comfortable and then tried to clear his mind of everything. That was a difficult task with Katara standing right behind him. The Avatar knew that his priority was to get assistance or at least information, but the waterbender's presence was an all too pleasant distraction.

Sensing his trouble, Katara spoke. "Aang, are you all right? Is something bothering you?"

"No," the boy lied. "I'm fine. I just need to empty my mind."

"You might want to do that a bit faster. People are dying out there, Aang. I'm sorry for putting pressure on you, but ….."

"I know, I know." Aang closed his eyes again and took deep, cleansing breaths. The Spirit World was all that he thought about now. Everything else faded and soon he felt himself leave his body, the strangest sensation that he had ever experienced. Looking back at the cross legged figure on the grass, he smiled. Seconds later, he was in an eerie place full of strange creatures and unearthly sounds. There was where help lay.

Sokka was having a fit. All around him people were shouting and screaming in pain. Fireballs were dropping like rain and the Fire Nation troops were tearing through the city on their ugly beasts, sweeping warriors out of the way with fire whips and spears. Track machines, something Sokka had only seen once before, and which, had the situation been different he would have loved to examine, crept their way through the city as well, demolishing everything in their path.

And Yue, the princess he had promised to protect, was in the thick of things, shouting encouragement and helping to pull injured out of the line of fire. No matter how he begged and pleaded, Yue simply would not listen to him. She looked at him stubbornly, her lower lip jutting put slightly, and continued to endanger herself. Short of physically dragging her to safety, Sokka could do nothing but make sure that no fireballs or spears reached her.

"For spirits' sake, Yue, let me take you inside the palace. You can help with the injured when everything is over. No one will think you're a coward. You're the princess. Your people will need you when all of this is over."

"Your father is fighting. My father is fighting. They're both chiefs. I should be helping too. And Zuko is a prince. That isn't stopping him. He's supposed to be the next Fire Lord, our hope for a better world. What if he gets killed?"

"Zuko's trained to fight. You're not. Your father and my father and Mai and Katara can all defend themselves. I'm sorry, I don't want to sound like a jerk, but you can't. Please; I promised your father that I would protect you. I don't want to let him down. I don't want to let you down."

Sokka's hands were clasped together and his eyes were as pleading as his voice.

"All right; I'll take a break. You can accompany me to the palace."

The young warrior looked skyward and mouthed a thank you before taking Yue's arm and guiding her home.

Iroh was sixty, not an old man by any means, but hardly young either. His prime had passed years ago though he sincerely believed and hoped that many good years lay ahead of him. The battle, for all its horrors and the very wrongness of it, invigorated him. Many years had passed since his siege on the great walled city of Ba Sing Se, and even then he was a general, someone who gave orders and strategized more than he actually fought.

He hadn't battled like this for many, many years and this time he was fighting on the right side, fighting to preserve an entire people. He moved with surprising grace and agility for a larger man and his firebending had never been stronger. Together with his friend, Jee, Iroh took out soldier after soldier, maiming some and killing others. This was not a time to show mercy. This was not a time to worry about the ramifications of his actions. This was a time to fight as fiercely as he could. Iroh did.

Hakoda and Bato had faced firebenders a few times, mainly while in their ships. There had never been close to this many, of course. The sheer number of Fire Nation soldiers was overwhelming. They focused on one at a time and did their best to block out the sounds of terror that surrounded them. Hakoda tried not to think about his children and what they were doing. He hated that they were here, so young and maybe not so innocent anymore, caught up in this endless war. He wanted them safe at home; but was it really safe there anyway? He wanted them to live in a safe world. So maybe they needed to fight, to stand up for what was indubitably right. He hated that they fought, but he was so very proud.

Two Water Tribe warriors, serious looks on their faces, strode toward the armory in search of more weapons. The room was empty of both people and equipment.

"Damn it," one cursed. "We'll need to scavenge the ground for weapons. I can't believe that both my spear and my club are gone."

"They're not gone; you lost them. If you weren't such a pathetic fighter, you would still have them. Come on, we're just wasting time in here."

A low, dangerous sounding chuckle made both men look toward the door.

"What are you laughing at?" the first warrior asked. "Can you do any better? I don't see you fighting. I see you standing there and looking at us."

The man's tone was combative and angry. He stepped forward, wondering who the interloper was.

"I can do much better." The man dressed all in blue made a tiny flame in the palm of his hand and showed it off smugly. "The Fire Nation is superior to you Water Tribe vermin."

The flame grew bigger and the men backed away, terrified now. They were trapped inside a room with a firebender. There was no way out and no means of defense save a desperate bodily attack. Out to prove himself, the first Water Tribe warrior shouted some war cry or other and ran at Zhao full speed. The firebender's eyes widened momentarily, but the smug look soon returned. With a quick punch outward, his fist became a raging ball of orange and yellow and he held it to the man's chest, much as Ozai had done to him. Grabbing hold of the man's wolf's tail, Zhao kept him close and maintained the fire until there was a hole where once a heart had been. He let go of the dead man's hair and the body dropped limply to the floor. Wiping his hands off on his Water Tribe parka, Zhao turned to the other man.

The second Water Tribe warrior's jaw practically unhinged as he stared at the empty spot in his compatriot's chest. The edges were charred and ragged looking and the smell of burned flesh was stomach turning. He vomited then, some of it spraying on Zhao's confiscated black boots. Enraged, the admiral wasted no time with taunts. He lit the man up and listened happily to the horrible screams. Zhao was enjoying himself and the fun was just beginning.

He left the armory, dragging his bespattered boots across the first dead man's coat, and headed toward the Spirit Oasis.

"What's taking him so long?" Zuko's pacing was wearing a subtle groove into the ice beneath his feet. "I feel guilty just waiting here. We should be helping in the fight."

"Stopping Zhao is part of the fight. If he gets his hand on that koi fish, we're all in deep trouble." Mai was as practical as ever, always able to see through to the heart of any matter, and eliminate Zuko's doubts and fears.

"Yeah, you're right. But I still feel useless." He moved further away from Arnook's palace, extending his pacing route by a few feet. "I wonder how it's going."

"Probably not that well. There are hundreds of troops here in the city. I wonder how Aang's doing. He'd better come back from the Spirit World with something that can help us."

They stopped talking then and went back to walking.

"Someone's coming," Mai announced. She watched as the tall, well built man approached. His hood was up and shaded his face, making it difficult to see. "Oh, he's one of the warriors."

Zuko glanced up at the man and then caught Mai's eye. Something about him seemed familiar. Mai looked back at him and nodded. They kept their stances casual, but Mai's hand was in her sleeve and Zuko had a small flame cradled in his palm.

Sucking in his breath, Zhao walked by the man and woman hovering outside the city's most spectacular building, obviously the chief's residence. He knew them, he hated them and he wanted to kill them both. Those damnable pests, Zuko and Mai were both here. Water Tribe clothing could not disguise the scar that dominated the prince's face and his betrothed went wherever he did.

How did they know about his invasion? And did their presence mean that the Avatar was here as well? A tiny trickle of apprehension traveled up his spine. Perhaps he would have a bit more trouble than he had bargained for. But that was alright. The Avatar was a mere boy, incomplete in his training and obviously lacking the instinct to kill. Zuko and Mai posed more of a threat. He would be willing to bet that neither would weep upon his death and would in fact welcome it.

No matter; he would proceed as planned. There were only two possible outcomes; success or failure, survival or death. Turning around, he headed back to where Mai and Zuko stood.

Yue took the opportunity to wash off her hands and face; both stained with blood and ash, and then walked about her home's foyer. Sokka stood by the front door as if preventing her escape.

"There is more than one door, you know?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm sure you've got lots." Sokka raised his head and met Yue's lovely blue eyes.

"Looks like you're trying to stop me from leaving." The princess was smiling and her tone was playful.

"You know how I feel. Yes, I want you stay safe and not just because your father asked me to protect you. I like you."

The young woman fiddled with the sleeve of her parka, looking down and trying to hide her flush. "I'm betrothed, Sokka."

"Yeah, I met the guy and he's a, he's a….I don't like him. You deserve better and I don't mean me. I already met a girl. Her name is Suki and she's a Kyoshi Warrior. She's strong and brave and beautiful and smart. But, I still like you, a lot. And I want you to be happy."

"You're sweet, Sokka, but you don't need to worry. I will be happy as long as I'm here with my people, serving them and helping them."

"You should think about yourself, at least once in a while. This whole self sacrifice thing is a little over the top."

Yue shrugged. "It's who I am. It's the way I was raised. And I do think about myself sometimes. I have hopes and dreams like every other girl."

"Well," the warrior answered. "I hope that all of them come true, or at least some of them."

"Thank you, Sokka. I'm glad that we met. And I like you too."

They stood in awkward silence for a few minutes, the noise from the battle outside a dull, constant thunder. Then Yue jerked as if she were a puppet on strings suddenly being manipulated by its master.

"What is it?' Sokka looked immediately worried.

"Danger is approaching the moon spirit. I can feel it." Yue didn't hesitate, but ran through the majestic building toward the back entrance. She held her skirts in her hands, keeping them out of the way of her speeding feet.

"Hey, wait up," Sokka called. "Let me go out there first." He sighed loudly. "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?"

Yue opened the back door and saw nothing out of place. The guards stood in front of the quaint looking little door and they stared at her with shock, immediately bowing out of respect.

"Thank goodness. Everything is all right?"

"Yes, Princess Yue. No one has even attempted to enter the oasis."

They heard a commotion then, out front, and Yue went to investigate, Sokka too far behind her.

Aang was on his way back to his body now. He had encountered many spirits, some more terrifying than others, and had even encountered Avatar Roku, his previous incarnation. The Spirit World was a tricky place to navigate with strange rules of its own, a misty surreal sort of place, where one did not want to get trapped. But he hadn't gotten trapped and he knew what to do now; the Ocean Spirit, swimming there in the pond alongside the Moon Spirit, would help him. All he had to do was immerse his body in the water. That's what Koh, the terrifying face stealer, had suggested anyway, and Aang decided to trust him.

"He's headed this way," Mai breathed out softly. "It's him, Zuko. It's Zhao."

The man didn't bother trying to hide his identity any longer. He threw back his hood and smirked at the young couple. "So we meet again."

"Let's make sure it's the last time," Mai retorted.

She wasn't going to wait for the admiral to make the first move. From inside the wide sleeve of her parka, she pulled a blade and whipped it in his direction. He didn't move aside quite quickly enough, and the knife nicked his throat. She had gone for the kill.

A patch of red marred the pretty pale blue of his parka. Snarling with rage now, Zhao shot fire at Mai but Zuko was ready. He moved in front of his betrothed and with a graceful sweeping motion of his hands, made Zhao's fire sputter out as if it had been doused with water.

The prince had no intention of sitting back either. He was going to take the fight to Zhao and finish the miserable excuse for a human being off once and for all. What followed was intense and furious, both Zhao and Zuko fighting for their lives, both ready and eager to kill. Mai could do nothing but stand back. The heat from the flames was tremendous and the fire almost blinded her. If somehow she could move around to Zhao's back she could end it all.

Mai edged her way around the battle, not wanting to attract Zhao's attention now. Zuko's latest blast of fire had knocked the man down, but he kicked out a vicious stream of fire with his feet. The prince jumped up nimbly, avoiding the flames. His betrothed continued to move stealthily toward Zhao and then beyond where his body still lay.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching from the oasis. The white hair was impossible to miss. The admiral saw her too and, knowing his end was near, decided to do one last bit of damage.

"Zuko, behind you!" Mai screamed. It was something Zuko had never heard before and the sound chilled his blood.

He turned to look and saw Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, standing there with wide eyes, rooted to the spot. It all happened so quickly, in the space of mere seconds. Zhao still prone, shot a blast of fire first at Zuko, and then at Yue. While the Prince deflected the first blast, the second hit the princess full on.

As Mai watched her fall to the ground, Sokka shrieking and running to her, she approached Zhao from behind, pulled out another blade and with cold precision severed the artery in the admiral's neck. He was dead within seconds, blood pooling beneath his shoulders and staining the ice.

Mai stepped back and away from the encroaching blood. She trembled and took several deep breaths to try and calm down. Then Zuko was there, his arm wrapped protectively around her, holding her impossibly close. They went to Yue and Sokka, but there was nothing to be done. The guards hovered around her too but Sokka shooed them back. "Go inside the oasis. Get Katara. She can heal."

"No!" Yue's voice was surprisingly strong. "It's too late for that."

Yue was their superior. The guards stopped.

"Why?" Sokka implored. "Why won't you let Katara try?"

"Just, it's meant to be, and I can feel myself slipping. It's over and I'm okay with that."

The young warrior held the princess's hand and stroked her fingers gently. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He repeated the words like a chant. "I should have taken that fire. I should have caught up to you. I should have stopped you."

Yue smiled up at him. "It's not your fault." Her words came out in a faint, strangled sort of gasp now and her hand felt very cold in his. "I knew that I would die today."

"What are you talking about? How could you know that?" Sokka was furious and he kicked at the ice beneath him with one foot.

"I've had the same dream since I was a little girl, a dream that told me I would die trying to protect the Moon Spirit." Yue stopped and took a big gulp of air. "And when I'm gone, my spirit will join with the moon. I'll be happy then, Sokka, I promise you. And I'll watch over you, all of you." Her glassy gaze took in Mai and Zuko now too.

"This is stupid." Sokka yelled. "Why are you just accepting it? Why aren't you fighting? What is wrong with you?"

Mai put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Sokka, you need to let her go."

He pushed her hand off forcefully and shot her a dark glare. "Shut up! Why didn't you kill Zhao before he could do this? Why didn't you, Zuko? Maybe you wanted her to die? Is that it? Maybe it was part of your Fire Nation plan."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sokka. Why would we want Yue to die?" Zuko, oblivious as he sometimes was, actually thought that Sokka was asking that question rationally.

"He's upset, Zuko; he doesn't mean it. Let's leave them alone, okay?" Mai guided Zuko away from the pair and they watched as Yue closed her eyes for the final time and her new friend, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, wept.

Mai felt tears prickle at her own eyes and she wiped them away before they could fall.

"I didn't realize she was there until it was too late; I couldn't get in front of her, Mai. I feel so terrible."

"I know. I feel terrible too."

Sokka picked Yue up then and cradled her tenderly in his arms. "I'm taking her inside, inside her home." His cheeks were streaked with tears and it was obvious that the young man was fighting back sobs. "I'll do it alone."

"I'm sorry, Sokka; I really am sorry." Zuko's voice cracked. He reached out hesitantly and then withdrew his hand.

Mai took it in hers. As they moved back out into the street, giving Zhao's corpse a wide berth, and not even a second glance, something otherworldly, huge and glowing, emerged from the Spirit Oasis.

"Aang," both Mai and Zuko declared.

The Avatar gave Katara a bright smile and Momo a pat, then without a word, entered the pond.

"Aang, what are you doing?" The waterbender sounded exasperated. She strode to the water's edge and tried to grab hold of her friend's collar, but it was already out of reach. "What happened in the Spirit World?"

He didn't answer and Katara huffed with even more irritation. She watched as Aang's arrow began to glow; he was in the Avatar state now and almost unreachable. For a moment, he vanished beneath the water's surface and Katara panicked. When the water glowed white like the boy's arrow and what looked like a giant koi fish with Aang inside emerged, she realized what was happening. Aang and the Ocean Spirit were one, working together to end this invasion once and for all.

It was a humbling sight and the girl stood back, awe struck as the spirit, taller than any building the Northern Water Tribe had, left the oasis and headed out into the thick of the battle. The ocean, giver of life and so very important to her tribe was alive before her, and it was wondrous, a moment that she would never forget no matter how many years she lived.

Once Aang and the spirit were gone from the oasis and out in the city, she left too, almost tripping over the dead body of Admiral Zhao. With a shudder at the congealing pool of blood, the waterbender immediately thought 'Mai' and then wondered exactly where she and Zuko were.

She discovered them a few minutes later, standing among the prostrating Water Tribe people, watching in wonder as the Ocean Spirit, guided by Aang's hand, scattered soldiers and tanks and rhinos like a toddler would throw his toys in a fit of anger. The soldiers were terrified and ran for their lives, ducking into alleys and running across bridges. There was no escape, though, and as the Ocean Spirit made its way out into the sea, it left behind many dead. The ships, row upon row of hulking metal monsters, were but more toys, tossed about in the waves, broken in two, ground into nothing more than bits of steel.

Tanaka gave the word to abandon ship and some of his men made it, paddling away in canoes or escaping in the much smaller engine powered boats that were stored down below deck. Many more died, however, and Tanaka, the final one to leave his ship was horrified. Part of him wondered, however, whether this defeat might give the Fire Lord some pause. He wondered where Zhao was; obviously, his mission had not succeeded and that was something to be grateful for. As he joined three other men on one of the small boats he heaved a sigh. It was going to be a long journey home.

When it was over and the Fire Nation completely gone from the Northern Water Tribe, well except for the carcasses of both machine and man, and the Ocean Spirit back safely in the pond, within its physical body of the koi fish, and Aang no longer in the Avatar state, Katara asked Mai and Zuko where Sokka was.

"Oh, he took Yue inside the palace. She's dead, Katara. Zhao killed her and Sokka's really upset." Mai gave the girl a sympathetic look, while Zuko sputtered, wanting to explain further.

"And you killed Zhao, didn't you, Mai?"

The black haired girl nodded.

"I don't blame you, Zuko, or you, Mai. Oh, Sokka; it was his job to protect her. He's going to hate himself. I need to find him."

"Yue was stubborn and she was determined to help today. Sokka did everything he could. Make sure you tell him that." Mai recalled Sokka's face and a fresh wave of both sympathy and sorrow struck her.

"Thank you, Mai. I will."

Two days later, they were all prepared to leave the Northern Water Tribe. It had been a place of discovery and a place of loss. Sokka was better but something about him was irreparably altered. That light in his eyes, the one that sparkled with life and humor shone a little less brightly. No matter how many times Chief Arnook insisted that his daughter's death was not the young warrior's fault, Sokka bore the burden of guilt. Dream or no dream, predestined or not predestined, he couldn't help but think he could have done something different, something huge that would have changed the princess's future.

He clung to his father, eager for the man's love and guidance. Hakoda, of course, the good father and decent man that he was, gave both freely and willingly. It would be several weeks before Sokka really let go of Yue and even after that, he communed with the moon every night, positive that she could somehow hear him.

Pakku, along with several waterbenders, left for the Southern Water Tribe. He was excited about seeing Kanna again and eager to help rebuild the decimated little village at the bottom of the world. Of course, the Northern Water Tribe needed extensive rebuilding too and the loss of life it suffered affected nearly every member either directly or indirectly. Without Aang's help, the tribe would surely have been destroyed. That knowledge was as humbling as their encounter with the Ocean Spirit had been.

Farewells were subdued; no dinners, no meetings, just simple words and gestures of gratitude. Everyone had much work to get to. One battle was over but there were more ahead, battles of many kinds.

Epilogue

Zuko and Mai sat on the floor in the galley of Hakoda's ship and watched as Jee and Iroh played a competitive game of pai sho.

"You shouldn't have done that, my friend." Iroh winked at the lieutenant and moved his own piece.

Jee slammed a hand into his forehead and groaned. "That's why you were the general and I was the lieutenant."

"Nonsense, your game has improved greatly. One day soon, I'm sure that you'll defeat me. My nephew, on the other hand, should be playing more."

"I don't care about pai sho, Uncle." Zuko sighed with exaggerated irritation.

"Oh, but you should. It's a wonderful teaching tool. Your lovely betrothed certainly plays a good game."

"Yeah, she's good at that kind of stuff." With a proud look, Zuko put his arm around Mai's shoulders and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Wanna take a walk?" she whispered.

He stood up and reached for his parka. "We're going up on deck for awhile."

"Certainly, Zuko; enjoy the fresh air."

Mai slipped into her parka too and they climbed the stairs to the deck and walked until they reached the ship's prow. Hakoda gave them a friendly smile and Aang, who was training intensely with Katara, gave them a wave. Sokka sat with one of the men and mindlessly sharpened his boomerang. His smile was tight and sad, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"So, here we are again," Zuko began. "We're not sure where we're going or what we're going to do."

"Well, Zhao may be dead, but your father will send someone else after Aang and us. I have a strong feeling that someone will be Azula. We'll be busy evading her. I think the two groups need to separate again, Zuko."

"Yeah, it's harder to track different groups. And we've already done Gaoling. Uncle mentioned something about Ba Sing Se. There are a few Order of the White Lotus members there. We would be safe, I guess and we could train more. They could meet us there in few months. Maybe by then Aang will be ready to learn firebending."

"I don't think Ba Sing Se is the best place for that. We'll have to find somewhere quieter. Right now, I'm too tried to even think about it."

"Mai, are you okay, really, I mean? You killed a man." The prince pulled her body in closer, shielding it from the cold wind.

She buried her head into his chest, nothing but thick, black hair exposed now. "Haven't given it a thought," she lied.

He kissed her head then and ran a hand slowly through the silky mane. "Okay, but if you want to talk about anything…."

"I know, Zuko."

Mai wasn't ready to talk quite yet, but when she was, Zuko would be there, steady and sure, the one person in her life whom she could depend on, the one person she could really open up to, the one person with whom she was free. And she would be there for him. Always.

A/N: I believe that's it folks. I don't have the ambition or desire right now to continue this story any further. It's been exhausting. I need a break.

I see much shorter stories in my future, some of which I've already begun.

I did my best to give it an 'ending' ending, one that would wrap things up enough. I hope everyone's satisfied. If not, my apologies.

Thank you very much to all my readers and many thanks to my reviewers.