Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 17:23:11 -0400 From: Writer Boy Subject: jc's hitchhiker - part 100 Obligatory warnings and disclaimers: 1) If reading this is in any way illegal where you are or at your age, or you don't want to read about male/male relationships, go away. You shouldn't be here. 2) I don't know any of the celebrities in this story, and this story in no way is meant to imply anything about their sexualities, personalities, or anything else. This is a work of pure fiction. Questions and commentary can be sent to "writerboy69@hotmail.com". I enjoy constructive criticism, praise, and rational discussion. I do not enjoy flames, and will not tolerate them. Back to the story in progress. ***Jack*** I felt Josh shift and sigh against me, and smiled, stroking his hair as he lay against my shoulder, asleep. He hadn't meant to drift off, but we'd been sitting in the airport lounge for almost two hours, and even I was tired. Andrew had gone to look for a snack, making me promise that neither of us would go anywhere, and that I would yell loudly for help if anything out of the ordinary, or even if anything ordinary, happened. Josh and I weren't to split up, and if we wanted to go anywhere other than the bench we were sitting on, we needed to go to the cafe up the concourse and get Andrew to accompany us. I listened to all of this, nodding my head, as Josh snoozed lightly against me, and then I went back to my book. We were supposed to be flying out to Colorado, finally, having finished our tour of the capitol. We'd seen everything we wanted, waiting in line to tour the White House rather than playing the celebrity card to get in, riding around the subways, eating out and shopping, and now we were ready for the second half. We'd spent a little more time bonding with Andrew, getting a better feel for him as he did the same with us, and we were all a lot more comfortable with each other, although we still had some friction about space. We had flown out of Baltimore, and through some sort of airline routing plan that would never make sense to me, had flown into Detroit, on our way to Denver. That's where we ran into trouble. First our plane had some sort of mechanical difficulty, and after we all boarded and sat on the runway for an hour and a half, the plane had taxied back to the gate, and we had all grumpily disembarked. Then, before we could get back onto another plane, there had been some sort of massive fuel spill across one of the runways, and the cleanup crews had been working for a while now. "I bet this isn't how you guys thought you'd spend your honeymoon, is it?" I heard from behind me. I turned wondering who had recognized us. It wouldn't be too hard, since Josh had taken his hat off a while ago, and his sunglasses had slipped while he was sleeping. I still didn't wear disguises in public, to the extent that Josh's accessories could actually be called a disguise, but if you looked at Josh, and saw me sitting next to him in an Nsync concert t- shirt, it wouldn't take a genius to put it all together. The guy looking at us, a small pile of newspapers on the empty seat next to him, was dressed casually. Longer, black hair peeked out the back of his baseball cap in a ponytail, and he had a scruffy little goatee. His brown eyes peered at me from beneath thick eyebrows, and I knew that I knew him from somewhere. I tried to put it together, fighting the nagging voice in my head that told me it should be obvious. "I've met you somewhere," I said, running faces through my head. He smiled. "Only once," he said. "And it was kind of a busy night for you. I met you and JC after the awards show, the night JC came out." "Oh my God, you're Kevin Richardson!" I blurted, and immediately blushed, clapping a hand over my mouth as he laughed. "Ooops. I'm sorry. I never do that." "It's ok," he said, holding out his hand again. I shook it, feeling his firm grip. "I get that a lot, actually." "I can't believe I didn't recognize you," I said, shaking my head. Josh shifted against me, and suddenly I felt a little shiver of panic. "Um, Kevin, are all of the Boys here?" Nick and Howie were the last people I wanted to see, especially on my honeymoon. Mainly I just wanted to grab them and beat them, and God only knew what Josh would think or do if he woke up and found them here. He shifted against me again, and I waited for Kevin to answer as I tried to decide whether or not to wake him. "Oh, no, it's just me," Kevin answered, shrugging. "Well, and my bodyguard over there." I followed his gesture and saw a large bodyguard watching us carefully from a few benches away. Wherever we went, and whoever we saw, bodyguards always looked the same. No matter how much they tried to blend, they always just put out this sort of bodyguard vibe, a kind of subliminal intimidation. I must have been really tired to miss him sitting over there, and I couldn't believe Andrew hadn't mentioned it. I would have expected the two of them to circle each other like mongrel dogs in the junkyard, sniffing and trying to outdo each other. "What are you doing here?" I asked, curious. "Same as you, I think," he answered. "I'm waiting for a plane. I've been sitting here, but didn't know if you guys would want to be bothered, so I didn't say anything. I was just reading about you, though, so I figured I'd say hi." "Reading about us?" I asked, glancing at the papers. Kevin handed me the one on top, and I saw that he was reading the gossip columns. There was a blurb about Josh and I being out at that gay club the other night, although it wasn't negative, just a mention that we were out and had been seen dancing and kissing and very much in love. "Oh, one of those. The press just seems to find us everywhere." "I know how you feel," Kevin answered. "I remember when Kristen and I got married it was this big thing for a while to try to get a picture of us in public. Luckily it's more or less worn off." "Yeah, it can be kind of annoying," I agreed. I pointed at his hat, and then at the folded sunglasses in his lap. "Fortunately you all seem to shop at the same disguise store." Both of us laughed, and Josh groaned sleepily against me. He shifted again, his arm sliding up to my shoulder, and he rubbed at his eyes. "Jack? Who are you talking to?" he asked, not opening his eyes yet as he rubbed his face sleepily against my arm. I leaned over, kissing him on the forehead, as he looked up. "Oh, Kevin, hi." "Hi," Kevin said, squinting as he seemed to catch a little of the reservation I heard in Josh's tone. It wasn't unfriendly, just hesitant, and I knew what Josh was thinking. "Kevin's here waiting for a plane," I said quickly. "By himself." "Oh," Josh said, smiling a little wider now. "It's good to see you. How have you been?" "Pretty good, actually," Kevin answered, smiling back. He had really good teeth, and his smile lit up his face. "I've been kind of busy, but, you know, my life hasn't been quite as exciting as yours lately. Congratulations, both of you." "Thanks," we said together. I giggled, and Josh leaned over and kissed me, twining his fingers through mine. "Still enjoying the honeymoon?" Kevin asked. Both of us blushed, and he grinned. "Yeah, I remember that. I saw some shots of the wedding in a magazine. It looked really nice." "It was," I said, squeezing Josh's hand. "Everything was beautiful." "Because Jack was there," Josh added, letting go of my hand to put his arm around me. "So, where are you guys going?" Kevin asked. "I'm heading to LA." "Colorado," Josh answered. "Honeymoon, part two." "Ahhh," Kevin said, nodding. "What are you guys going to do?" Josh looked at me, wondering what he should say, and how much we should share. Kevin seemed nice, but just the thought of his band bothered me, and I could tell Josh was a little uncomfortable, too. Maybe it was a little prejudiced of us both, but he was the third Backstreet Boy I'd met, and the last two hadn't turned out to be anyone I wanted to know. Kevin seemed fairly innocuous, just making idle chatter with an acquaintance, and he and Josh were more or less equals on the celebrity scale, so they had a lot in common. It had taken us long enough to tell our friends about my parentage. I wasn't about to just lay it out for an almost complete stranger in an airport lounge, especially not one who worked so closely with two people who had injured my friends so badly. "We're going to look up some family," I said, shrugging. It wasn't a lie, so I didn't feel too bad. Before we could say anything else, Andrew appeared at our side, holding a cup. He also had a bottled water, which he handed to Josh, and a Mountain Dew, which he held out for me as we both nodded and thanked him. On seeing him approach, Kevin's bodyguard quickly stood, but Kevin motioned him back into his seat, giving a little shake of his head. "Andrew, do you know Kevin Richardson?" Josh asked. "Of the Backstreet Boys?" "Nice to meet you," Andrew said quickly, shaking his hand. He turned back to us, more or less ignoring Kevin. I guess if you meet enough famous people it stops being a thrill. "The girl at the counter says that it's going to be at least another hour or two before they're cleared to fly again." Josh and I both winced at the same time. "Are you sure?" I asked. "I do speak English, yes," Andrew answered, and I blushed a little. "Sorry," I said, smiling. I turned to Josh as Kevin sighed and walked over to his bodyguard. "What do you want to do?" "I'm kind of tired, Jack," Josh answered, frowning a little. "I know this is your half of the trip, so if you want to wait and fly out tonight, I'm ok with that. I mean, it's not like I have trouble sleeping at the airport." "That's true," I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Why don't we go check into the nearest hotel, and fly out tomorrow? We can stop at the desk on our way out and change our tickets over. Do you want to see any of the city?" "I've been here before," Josh said. "I'd really rather just have a quiet night with you, unless you want to get a car and go see the city." "I think I'd rather stay in, too," I said, shrugging. "Let's go get checked into the hotel." Andrew stood patiently as Josh and I collected our carryon bags, tucking everything back in. Josh pulled his hat back on, and held his sunglasses as he waited for me to finish. I slung my bag over my shoulder, and we both turned to Kevin. "It was nice meeting you again," I said, shaking his hand. "I'm sure I'll see you somewhere," Josh said, shaking his hand as well. "Yeah, you guys, too," Kevin said. "Congratulations again, and enjoy the rest of the honeymoon." He waved as we walked off hand in hand, Andrew trailing along at Josh's side. We got the tickets transferred over, and took the airport shuttle to the hotel. There was no reclaiming our bags, as the airport insisted it would be easier for us to just get them tomorrow, so we bought some basic supplies at the hotel gift shop and decided that we would just wash our underwear in the sink and wear the same clothes tomorrow. I wondered if we should start carrying spare outfits in our carryons, since the airline could lose your luggage at any time, but Josh didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Josh looked around our hotel room a little dubiously, and I had to agree that it was a little small. "Sorry for the accommodations, Mr. Big Time Celebrity Pop Star," I said, sitting on the painfully hard mattress. "I know that you're used to suites and silk sheets, but, you know, this is the kind of room that us common folk are used to staying in, down below your lofty heights." Josh grinned at me. "You know, Jack," Josh began, standing with his hands on his hips as I sat innocently on the bed. "We stayed in rooms like this when I was little, and back before we were big, huge stars. If you saw some of the places we stayed at in Europe, or back when we were getting started out and playing in malls and stuff, you'd die." "Somehow I doubt that," I said. "I mean, when I was in college and stuff, we stayed in some pretty crappy rooms." "So we're going to fight about who stayed in worse rooms?" Josh asked, kicking off his shoes. "Did you have a better idea?" I asked, untying my shoes. It wasn't really late enough for dinner yet, and I wondered if Josh was thinking what I was thinking. "Actually, I did kind of have an idea," he said, walking toward the bed. Before I could say anything he suddenly leapt up, crashing down on top of me. "Bonzai!" I screamed and laughed, batting playfully at him as he began to tickle me, his hands scrabbling up and down my ribs. We rolled around, almost falling off of the bed, as he continued to tickle me, and I drummed my feet on the mattress as I squirmed and struggled, laughing too hard to get away. I managed to get my hand free to grab one of the pillows, and I clobbered him over the head with it. Before he could recover I rolled over, on top of him, and walloped him with it again. "That's for tackling me!" Whap! Whap! "And that's for tickling me! Who's the boss now, huh? Who's your daddy?" "Jack, stop!" Josh laughed from below me. His voice changed, and he suddenly stopped laughing. "Stop! You're hurting me!" "Am I?" I asked suddenly, pausing. I slid the pillow aside and was about to apologize, but then saw his grinning face below me. "No!" he answered, grabbing my wrists. He bucked, arching his back like a fish flopping on the beach, and rolled me over, ending up on top again. I struggled beneath him, but he had his legs on either side of mine, and he stretched my arms out to either side, holding them to the mattress. His face was right above mine, both of us breathing hard, and he grinned down at me. His eyes were sparkling as his hair hung down, disheveled, over his forehead. "So, you like to hit people with pillows, do you?" Josh asked, licking his lips. "Only people who tickle me," I answered defiantly, still trying to squirm out of his grip. He smiled as if he was effortlessly holding me in place, but I could feel him straining. "And what was that you were saying?" Josh asked, pressing his groin down to mine. On the one hand, he was using it to hold me down, but on the other I could feel his rapidly swelling cock against mine. "I believe you were asking who my daddy was? Was that it? Who's your daddy, Jackson Parker Springer Chasez?" "Not you, Joshua Scott Chasez Springer," I answered, shaking my head. Both of us were right on the verge of laughing again, using matching teasing tones. "That's not what I think," Josh said, leaning in closer. His nose brushed mine as his eyes locked onto my own, right above me. "I think there's only one daddy in here, Jackie, and that's Big Daddy." "Oh yeah?" I asked, almost getting a hand free. "Yeah," Josh answered. "But maybe you need some convincing." Before I could think of another snappy comeback he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I was getting more and more used to the feeling of his smooth chin, and had decided that I liked it a lot more than the beard. His tongue, warm and soft, slid over my lips, and then gently inside, probing my mouth. I blinked, but his eyes stayed open the entire time, watching me. He pulled back, but then leaned down, pressing his mouth more firmly to mine, and I felt his teeth through his lips, pushing against my own. His tongue snaked into my mouth again, more insistently, exploring every hollow, tasting me, and when he finally pulled back again I felt empty, staring up at him in need. "How was that?" he asked, his voice low and husky. "I think I might need some more convincing," I said. I stretched my tongue out, sliding it over his bottom lip, and he nipped at it playfully, trying to catch it with his mouth. Giving up, he brought his mouth down to mine again, and our tongues fought in the closed space, both of us moaning a little. Our mouths vibrated against each other, our tongues sliding smoothly over each other like eels, and I savored the unique taste of Josh's mouth, inhaling his scent, luxuriating in the feeling of his soft lips gently massaging my own. He pulled back, purring, letting out that low, contented sound he made when he was turned on, a noise that wasn't quite a moan. It was a sound I loved to hear, especially knowing that I helped create it. He let go of my wrists and sat up. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt with both hands, he rolled it up over his head in the smooth, torso baring motion that I'd seen a thousand times in sex scenes in movies. When his head slid out from under the fabric, framed by his upraised tanned arms, he smiled at me again, but it wasn't his playful, mischievous smile. Now it was a glazed, flushed smile of lust and want, and he reached down and grabbed my shirt. I leaned up a little from the mattress, letting him slide it over my head, and then he threw it to the floor with his. Dropping back down, his hot, hard chest scraped against mine as he began to kiss me again. He held my head with his hands, turning my face toward his, his fingers on my jaw, pressing at my cheeks to keep my mouth open. My eyes were closed, and I felt his nose brushing mine as he lifted off my mouth again and buried his face under my chin. There were parts of Josh's body that I loved, his hands, his nipples, the muscles of his back, and it was safe to say that he was in love with my neck. Any time we started kissing Josh's head ended up below my chin, and some days it seemed like I was carrying more hickeys around than a squad of junior high cheerleaders. Josh liked to run his lips up and down my skin, and he would scrape his teeth along my jugular, nipping at my neck like a vampire. When I moaned and sighed, my neck vibrating, he got even more turned on, and would respond with more fervor, sucking and licking and almost biting at me. He would turn my chin back and forth, diving from one side of my neck to the other, and all I could do was twine my fingers through his hair and pull him against me, groaning. When he was done consuming and orally worshipping my neck Josh began to slowly slide down my body, dragging his mouth across my collarbones. He grabbed my arm and jerked it up, burying his face in my armpit. I'd never done this to him, and hadn't ever had any inclination to, but it felt incredibly hot as he sucked and licked at me there, running his tongue around the edges of the patch of hair, mouthing the entire area with his wide, wet lips. He slid over, across my pec, and brought his mouth to my nipple. He sucked hard at it, swiping his tongue over the tip at the same time, bringing another high pitched whine from me as I replaced my hand on his head. He caught the tip in his teeth and nibbled at it lightly as he continued to suck, his lips in a tight ring around it. I groaned as he sucked and licked his way across my chest to the other nipple, sighing his name as I writhed beneath him. Josh began to lick his way lower, opening his mouth wide and caressing my abs with his lips. He was leaving a spit trail all over my chest, guided on by my moans and sighs, and I felt his hands at my belt. He undid it, running the tip of his tongue in a circle around my navel, almost tickling me, and then he began to wash his tongue up and down my abs as he unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. I lifted my ass as he began to tug them down, hooking his fingers in the tops of my boxers, dragging his tongue down the little trail of dark hair below my navel until he came to the head of my cock, dripping and wet. His hands continued to tug at my pants, sliding them down my legs, as he inhaled deeply and then slid his mouth all the way down my cock, pulling it into his throat. My fingers clenched tightly in his hair pulling and twisting it, and my hips bucked up, pressing my pubes against his face. I gasped as he pulled off of me, the air in the room cold against my spit soaked cock, and he began to slide back up my body as he tossed my pants and boxers aside. His hands slid up my chest, his curled fingers scratching lightly over my skin, and then they grabbed my face, turning my mouth toward his again. He draped his body on top of me, writhing against me, and I opened my legs a little, letting him slide between. He groaned against me, pressing his fabric covered cock to my naked, hard one. I slid my hands down between us as Josh ground against me in a slow, dry hump and undid his button and zipper. I tried to tug his pants down, but the angle was all wrong, and he didn't seem interested in helping. Instead he just kept driving his tongue into my mouth as his hands slid all over my chest and shoulders. My legs were hooked around him, my socked feet scraping up and down the back of his calves, and I slid my hands down his back and into his pants. Pressing my fingers beneath the waist of his boxer briefs, I cupped his ass, feeling the smooth muscle shift beneath my palms as I pulled him against me. Josh pulled off of my mouth again, biting at my neck again as I gasped for air, and then he leaned back, holding himself up with one arm. I rested my hands on his shoulders, clutching at him, digging my fingers in as I tried to pull him back down to me. He gazed down at me, his face flushed, spit glistening around the edges of his mouth, which hung open, and he used his other hand to tug his pants and boxer briefs down. His whole body twisted as he clawed his own clothes off, and his hard cock sprang out, slapping against his abs as he kicked his pants away. They got hung up on one foot, but Josh wasn't interested in getting them all the way off. He just wanted them out of the way, and when they were he grunted and dropped back down on top of me, his throbbing cock grinding against mine, both of them leaking sticky streamers of precum against each other. Josh's body was hot against me, his skin warm velvet, his muscles shifting beneath as I ran my hands possessively over him, and his hands crawled over me in the same way. Josh pulled off of my mouth again, catching my bottom lip between his lips and sucking at it before kissing his way over my chin, across my adam's apple, and through the hollow of my throat. He slid down the center of my breastbone, mouthing my chest, and then over my abs, dropping down toward my cock again. He ran his tongue over and around the head, licking and caressing it, and then began to lick up and down my shaft. My hands crawled up from his shoulders to his strong neck, clutching at it, and then I was twining my fingers through his hair again, feeling the sweaty strands slip through my fingers and tangle around them. Josh opened his mouth and began to slide the tight circle of his mouth down my shaft, massaging it with his tongue as he swallowed me again. I pressed my head back into the mattress, my eyes closed, as I gasped his name, feeling my head slide down into his throat. I realized that I wanted him, too, right now, the same way he had me, and I let go of his hair, tugging at his shoulders again. "Josh," I whispered. "Turn, baby." He understood, and slid back off of my cock as he shifted his body, being careful to keep himself raised above me and not crushing me. I guided his legs as they went past me, figuring that getting kicked in the face would probably kill the mood, and Josh raised himself onto all fours, supporting himself with his arms and legs to keep from suffocating me. I looked up and saw Josh's cock above me, hard and throbbing, and I curled my tongue out, scooping up a drop of salty precum from his slit. Josh let out a high pitched sigh, and then returned his mouth to my cock, sucking just the head in now, washing his tongue around it. I did the same, mirroring his action, swirling my tongue over the spongy dome, tasting his salty lube. As Josh began to slide down my shaft I again followed him, rolling my lips down his, feeling him stretching my jaw open. At the angle we were both at, we easily speared into each other's throats, and I relaxed, feeling Josh slide inside of me. He began to bob up and down on my cock, and I grabbed the backs of his thighs, pulling him toward me in time to his movements. Because I was on the bottom, I couldn't really move my head much, so I had to pull at Josh, guiding him, silently urging him to go faster with my clutching hands. Even as I did, he began to work harder and more urgently at my cock, coating it with spit, sucking hard at it. I massaged his shaft with my tongue, sucking in my cheeks around him to create a tight, wet tunnel, and even as I felt him moaning around my cock I realized that I was groaning, too. Josh's chest danced over me, brushing the tops of my abs, and his legs flexed as he thrust in and out of my mouth. Both of us were gasping for breath, loudly sucking in air each time a cock slid far enough out for us to breath, and I could feel that I was close. I knew I would go soon, and I wanted Josh to go with me. I slid my hands further in, my fingers sliding into his ass crack, and I brushed his hole with my fingertip. He yelped around my cock, his hips bucking against me, and before he could recover I jammed a finger inside, pushing toward his prostate. Josh's hips jerked against me, and I tried my best to pull back, and taste as much of his seed as I could. I felt his cock jumping in my mouth, felt it throb each time he shot another jet down my throat. He was covered with sweat, and his body trembled above me as he shot. As he recovered, his hips not jerking anymore, he remembered that my cock was still in his mouth, and he redoubled his efforts, sucking and bobbing. He grabbed my balls with one hand and squeezed them, not too hard, but just enough, and I felt myself spasm over the edge. I shot into Josh's mouth as he milked me with his throat, swallowing again and again around my cock. When I finished, Josh pulled off of me, and I felt his softening cock slide out of my mouth. He rolled off of me, and then turned, collapsing next to me on the other pillow. "Hey," I said, rolling onto my side. My fingers danced lightly over his sweaty chest as he smiled at me. "That was intense," he panted, smiling. "Sure was, Big Daddy," I said, laughing. I took his hand, tugging him gently off the bed with me. "Let's go rinse some of this sweat off, and then maybe see about getting some dinner." "Where do you want to eat?" Josh asked, following me into the tight confines of the tiny bathroom. "There's a restaurant downstairs," I said, turning on the shower. "Why don't we just go there, get something quick, and then come back here and watch TV, or play chess, or something." "Sure," Josh agreed, holding the curtain aside for me and then following me into the shower. "I have an idea." "Yeah?" I asked, ducking my head under the spray. "Let's sneak out to the restaurant," Josh said. "It's just the two of us, and we're staying inside the hotel. As long as we don't split up, we won't be in any danger. Let's not call Andrew." "Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked, a little worried. "Andrew will be pissed if he finds out." "Jack, we pay him," Josh said. "I feel like having a nice quiet dinner with you, outside of a hotel room, without having Andrew at our table or the next table, hovering over us. I know we need a bodyguard, but I want some time with you, just being normal." "OK," I said. When we were done in the shower we dressed again, and then went down to the restaurant. It was a little more crowded than I thought it would be, and the little bar attached to it was packed with people. Josh asked the hostess to please sit us in the back, away from everyone if possible, and pressed some money into her hand. She happily led us to the rear of the restaurant, and left us at the table with our menus. As we looked them over, I thought back to the airport earlier. "You know, Kevin seemed pretty nice," I said. "Yeah, he always does when I talk to him," Josh said, shrugging, as both of us perused the selections. "He makes me feel a little, I don't know, unsettled, I guess. I mean, I know it's wrong, but I just feel a little unsure of him, because of the others." "I know what you mean," I agreed. "He seems ok with us, though." "Well, Howie did say that Kevin was ok with him being gay," Josh said, shrugging again. "It was mostly just for the band that they agreed that Howie needed to keep it quiet." "I guess it makes sense, kind of," I said. "I'm glad you don't have to live that way, though. Maybe if Howie could be more free, more himself, he wouldn't be like he was. It's really kind of sad." "I know," Josh said, reaching out to pat my hand. We finished looking over the menus, and gave our orders to the waitress as she came back over. She brought us our drinks, and told us that my soup and Josh's salad would be right out. As she walked away I glanced up, and was surprised to see Kevin approaching our table, apparently also having given his bodyguard the slip. "Hey guys," he said, smiling. "I decided to wait for tomorrow, too. I came to grab some dinner, and just thought I'd say hi again, since I keep running into you." "Hi," we both said. I looked at Josh, raising my eyebrow questioningly, and he gave me a little shrug. I turned back to Kevin. "Kevin, do you want to eat with us?" I asked. "I mean, rather than sitting at a table alone?" "Are you sure I won't be imposing?" he asked. "I mean, it is your honeymoon." "No, really," Josh said, pushing out one of the other chairs with his foot as I motioned for the waitress to come back over. "Have a seat, hang out, order something scary." "Thanks, guys," Kevin said, sitting down. He smiled at us, and I smiled at Josh. The Backstreet Boys couldn't all be evil, could they? *** To be continued. Side note: 100 chapters??? Oh my God! I never thought I'd get this far. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, both through e-mails and in the BBSA's, and to those who have read but never written to me. (No time like the present.) For those who haven't been so supportive, thanks for at least reading, even if you didn't like it.