Let's be honest: 2016 has been an especially rough year. Crude, mean, hate-filled rants seemed to become the song of many souls. The rest of us stagger about, badly beaten and in shock from the high-fever nightmares that seem to have stricken those around us. And we dare not think of the coming consequences. So, this holiday time, let's hope for -- and maybe do a small part to create -- a Sanctuary for broken hearts. And generously respond to the prompt, please!

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Wow! What great literary nods! Jane Austin and Shakespeare and even an alluded fairy tale! GGO: Of all of the team, I always thought Tiny was the most looked over of the five -- it's nice to see the big guy getting some attention! And poor Mark -- still as clueless as ever in the romantic department in both stories!

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, so we'll just shelve this problem until later," Red Impulse decided. "But I need to get my bike back," Jun insisted. "And we will get it back, just not in the immediate next few hours," Red Impulse countered. "We'll worry about that after we've gotten what we need out of Reading." The idea chafed, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Arguing would only make him dig in his heels further and besides, he was right about them being marked if they returned there now. The blonde woman and her cohorts were no doubt watching the place, possibly waiting for them to return. They could potentially be walking right into a trap and then all of this would have been for nothing. Better to wait, she tried to convince herself. Finish this out and then go back when everything is said and done. At least she still had her own clothes on and could change into uniform if she had to do so. Just thinking about, Jun tipped on one hip and touched her pocket through the layers of fabric, reassuring herself when she felt the hard flatness of her communicator. Her bike would wait for her; of course it could. She only just wished she had it with her, but it was safe enough and she doubted anyone would touch it. And if they did ... well .... "So where are we going then?" Jun challenged, pushing the problem of her bike aside for the moment. "Martinsville," Red Impulse answered faster than she would have thought he could. "Just one town over, probably just a handful of buildings and one road, but we can at least hide out there until it's time to meet Masaki and Oniishi." Masaki and Oniishi. Never 'the guys' or 'the crew' or any other familiar term. Always their full names, always said together. Jun couldn't help but wonder why he stood on such formality with them, especially considering how much the pair of them did for him. And speaking of people doing things for him .... A smile tugged at the corners of Jun's mouth. "You know, Madge is going to be heartbroken not to see you again." Red Impulse scowled at her. "She'll have to get over it." Jun laughed lightly. "But what about you? Will you get over her?" "I think I'll manage," Red Impulse said dryly, then clicked his tongue inside a wistful sigh. "The woman could cook though, I'll give her that." Jun rolled her eyes at his statement. "I didn't think you could be so easily swayed by your stomach." "Oh, I'm not," Red Impulse replied with a grin, "but good food is still good food and it should be appreciated, especially when it appears on the plate in front of you." Jun pressed her lips together, suppressing a laugh. He had no idea how enthusiastically he had said that and, she guessed, he probably didn't have someone like Madge to fuss over him all the time. She, herself, had seen first hand what they ate on that island of theirs and it was strictly your basic fare, no frills, bland, and solely meant to nourish with not much else to recommend it. A sanctuary for food lovers that island most definitely was not. Which reminded her ....

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EW: All too true, and *hugs* GGO: Hehe, poor Anderson and hopefully Tiny will either find someone or rekindle things later. I also loved Jason's observation that the deck was kind of stacked against poor Mark through parentage and mentorage (is that a word? ). Also I like that hopefully they've both realized that they're both at fault. Ebonyswanne: LOL maybe if Jason wasn't constantly distracting him. And the throwing the boomerang with no one noticing ... hehe ... KT: Looks like everyone's happy?

Chris: Well, Nambu is anyway