From:  Heather Lee 
Title:  The Stalker
Author:  Heather Feather
Classification: Liandra/Palmer < violence, danger>, Liandra/Animal , 
Harm/Mac . 
Rated:  At least PG
Summary:  Liandra testifies against Palmer in a military trial and he promises to get 
even.
Spoilers:  Maybe “The Stalker”; I’m not totally sure.  Any Palmer ep where he tries to 
kill Harm, esp. “The Impostor”
Warning:  Character dies . . .but it ain’t who ya think!  Don’t get out the Kleenex yet!
Author’s notes: The scripture Liandra quotes to herself while on the witness stand is 
2 Timothy 1:7, King James Version.  The songs “Dreams” and “Has Anyone Ever 
Written Anything For You” are written by Stevie Nicks, and can be found on the 
Fleetwood Mac albums Rumours, Greatest Hits, and The Dance,  (Dreams) and 
Stevie’s albums Rock A Little and Timespace. (Has Anyone Ever Written Anything 
For You)
Disclaimer:  The character Liandra Kendall Gracen, LCDR, USN, is mine.  CMDR 
Hugo “Animal” Chikamori belongs to JAG fanfic author Hugo “Animal” Chikamori, 
and is borrowed with permission.  James Carter, Timothy Gilmore and AJ Spears 
are my real friends, and I have placed them in this story without their consent.  I just 
hope they don’t get mad at me. *  Harm, Mac, Palmer, and all the other JAG 
characters you are familiar with belong to Don Bellasario.  Minor mention of Walker 
and Trent from Walker, Texas Ranger and they belong to Top Kick Productions and 
Chuck Norris.  Stevie’s songs are written by and copyrighted to her.  No monetary 
gain is being made, nor any infringement intended.  The only thing I am getting out 
of this is enjoyment of writing.  Oh, yeah.  I also get a big kick out of it when I tell 
Animal about my new story ideas and he says “I like it, I like it!  Can’t wait to read it!”  
Well, Animal, here it is.  One of them, anyway.  And thanks for the translation 
assistance!  P.S.  Can you figure out the date of the epilogue scene?
Dedication: The scenes on board the airplane and right as we’re arriving at the 
house are dedicated to my best friends and “adopted” sisters, Charity and Anna.  I 
hope you like it.  Love always, Heather

*******************************************************************
JAG MAIN COURTROOM
1030 EST (1530 ZULU TIME)
8 JUNE 2005
FALLS CHURCH, VA

“Commander Gracen, I have in my hand your sworn deposition in which you stated 
you could positively identify the man behind the conspiracy to kill CMDRs Carter and 
Gilmore.  Is that still the case?” LCDR Harmon Rabb, Junior asked me.

I glanced over at the defense table where CMDR Alan Mattoni sat with his client, 
former DSD agent and CIA operative Clark Palmer.  Palmer grinned at me.  That 
grin was pure evil, demonic in origin.

I shivered.  Get a grip, Liandra. I scolded myself.  I took a deep breath, quoting 
Scripture to myself as I exhaled.  God hath not given me the spirit of fear, but of 
power . . .and of a sound mind.  I rebuke you, Clark Palmer, in the name of Jesus 
Christ.

I looked up just in time to see my very good friend CMDR Hugo “Animal” Chikamori 
walk into the courtroom.  He smiled at me and gave me a thumbs-up sign.  You can 
do this, he mouthed.

Animal’s right.  I can do this.

“Yes, sir.  I know what I saw and what I heard.  Clark Palmer is the man that ordered 
a hit put out on CMDRs Carter and Gilmore.”  I sat up straighter in the witness chair 
and looked back at Palmer, almost daring him in a look to contradict me.

Admiral Jackson Keller turned to Mattoni.  “Have you any questions for this witness, 
Commander Mattoni?”

“Yes, sir.”  Alan rose and walked over to stand in front of me.

“Commander, what made you come forward?  I mean, it doesn’t make sense.  
CMDRs Carter and Gilmore are stationed at NAS New Orleans, thousands of miles 
from you.  Why?”

Being a lawyer myself, I could tell that this was one instance where CMDR Mattoni 
did not know the answer to his question.  I’m really going to enjoy this, I thought to 
myself.

“I’ve known the CMDRs most of my life.” A genuine smile formed on my face as I 
thought of my old friends.  “I knew JimBob and Tim long before they began wearing 
Navy whites.  We grew up together.  They’re two of my best friends.”

“So you just arbitrarily decided to ‘tattle’ on Mr. Palmer?” Mattoni asked.

“No, I did not ‘arbitrarily’ decide to do anything.  I thought about it.  I prayed about it 
and talked to people I trust.  My uncles, one of whom is a Navy Admiral, and also my 
pastor.”

“Your pastor?” Mattoni asked.

“Yes.  He’s another lifelong friend.  He also grew up with Tim and JimBob and I.”

“No further questions, Your Honor.”  Mattoni stated then returned to sit beside 
Palmer.

Admiral Keller looked over at Harm.  “Redirect, Commander?”

“Yes, sir.”  Harm walked over to me.  “Why did you talk to your pastor and uncle 
instead of the police?”

“Because I had a reasonable suspicion that the police would not believe me.”

“Why is that, Commander?”

“I suppose you could say Mister Palmer and I have a second-hand history.”

“Can you explain what you mean by that, Commander Gracen?”

“Certainly, sir.  Commander Rabb, you and I are friends and have been for many 
years.  It is not uncommon knowledge among those in the JAG office that Mister 
Palmer has, on more than one occasion, tried to kill you.  Even the local police know 
something about it.  Being in the legal profession myself I knew the chances of my 
motives being considered less than pure were a real possibility.  I sat down with A. J. 
Spears, my pastor, and explained everything to him, Palmer’s dealings with you and 
what I’d heard.  I asked him what I should do, what my responsibilities as a Christian 
are, and he said I should go to the authorities.  He also knows my uncle is in military 
law.  He strongly advised me to consult him, and I did.”

“Isn’t your uncle AJ Chegwidden, the Judge Advocate General for the Navy, and our 
boss?”

“Yes, sir.” 

 “What did Admiral Chegwidden say when you told him everything?”

I had to stifle a giggle.  “He was furious.  He ranted and raved for around ten 
minutes, then yelled at Petty Officer Tiner to send you and Commander Mattoni into 
his office.  That’s when he informed you of the circumstances of the newest case to 
hit the office and assigned you both to it.”

“No more questions, sir.” Harm said to Admiral Keller.

Harm smiled, satisfied that Palmer would finally pay for something he’d done.  “The 
government rests, Your Honor.”

*******************************************************************

“Will the defense please rise?” Admiral Keller announced.

Mattoni and Palmer rose from their seats and focused their attention on the Admiral.

“Mister Palmer, having waived your rights to a jury trial, I hereby pronounce 
sentence.  Based upon the evidence and testimony presented, I have no choice but 
to sentence you to the maximum allowed by law.  Twenty years without possibility of 
parole.”  Admiral Keller banged his gavel, then nodded at the guards.  “Take him 
away.”  To the rest of those assembled in the courtroom, he said, “Court is 
dismissed.”

Harm grinned and hugged me.  “Congratulations, Commander, and thank you.  
Without you, this case would have been a serious flop.”

“No problem, Harm.  Besides, I couldn’t let Palmer kill two of the best Sunday school 
teachers I’ve ever had,” I grinned myself as the objects of Palmer’s vehemence 
walked up.  “ Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, meet Commanders James 
Carter and Tim Gilmore. Tim, JimBob, this is my friend Harm.”

The three officers shook hands alternately.  “Pleased to meet you both,” Harm said.

“Oh, I think we’re the ones who should be saying that,” JimBob grinned.  “All we ever 
heard about before Lia joined the Navy was her friend Harm, the sensational Tomcat 
pilot.”

Tim laughed.  “Then when you became a lawyer, she changed her tune to ‘Harm, the 
awesome lawyer’.  She sang your praises for years to any and all who’d listen.”

“Having seen you in action, though, I think she was right.” JimBob said.

“Thank you, Commander.”  Harm responded, touched that total strangers could 
compliment him so.

“Oh, Harm, don’t be so formal.” I said, smacking him on the arm.  “I’m certainly not,” 
I  laughed.

“Oh, boy, JimBob, do you see who I see?  At least who I think I see?” Tim elbowed 
Bob and discreetly pointed behind him.

“Yeah, Tim, that looks like CMDR “Animal” Chikamori, of the Black Aces.” JimBob 
replied.  “Hey, he’s coming this way.”

Animal walked over and grinned a trillion watts at me.  “Hiya, beautiful.”  He stepped 
closer and put one arm around me.  “You were great up there.”

“She was, wasn’t she?” Harm agreed.  Tim and JimBob nodded in acknowledgment 
of Animal’s statement.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Animal, this is Commander James Carter and Commander Tim 
Gilmore, out of NAS New Orleans.  Bob, Tim, this is . . .”

“We know,” JimBob said, “Commander Hugo “Animal” Chikamori, lead pilot and 
commanding officer of the VF-41 Black Aces.  We’re pilots ourselves and big fans 
of the Aces, sir.”  Bob stuck out his hand, as did Tim.  The three pilots shook hands.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a man in handcuffs being led away.  Palmer.  
I cringed inwardly.  I never wanted to lay eyes on him again.

Palmer gazed at me with an unnatural look in his eyes.  “This will not be the last time 
you see me,” he said coldly.

Harm looked at the guards angrily.  “Get him out of here!”

Animal’s fist clenched into a tight ball and I could hear him muttering and swearing 
in Japanese.    

I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, which was why Animal normally did not 
speak Japanese around me,  but on the few occasions he did, he willingly translated 
whatever it was he’d said.  For that matter, he almost never swore around me, either, 
because he knew of my aversion to it and did his best to respect my wishes.  
Although, I recognized cussing when I heard it.  His anger also was extremely clear 
and needed no translation.  I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, trying to reassure 
him.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Harm’s wife, Lieutenant Colonel Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie-
Rabb asked as she walked up, my uncle AJ in tow.  “Oh, hey, Animal, I didn’t know 
you were here.”

“Hi, Mac.  Palmer was convicted and sentenced to twenty, without parole, thanks to 
Wonder Woman here.”  Animal grinned and kissed my bright red cheek.

“No, I think what the Colonel was asking was what was  that little scene about just 
now?  Why did you have to order him taken away, Harm?  I thought Keller already 
did that.” Uncle AJ fumed.  “Oh, hello, Commander,” he nodded belatedly at Animal.

“Hello, sir.  To answer your question,” Animal replied,” I don’t think any of us knows 
what that stunt was beyond the fact that that’s just what it was.  A stupid stunt.  A 
little beneath Palmer, considering what I’ve heard of him, but stupid nonetheless.”

“Did he threaten you?” Uncle AJ asked me.

“No, not really.” I told him.

“What does ‘not really’ mean, Commander?” Uncle AJ demanded, turning into 
Admiral Chegwidden on me.  “Either he threatened you or he didn’t.  Which is it?”

“He said ‘This will not be the last time you see me’, sir.  He looked right at Kendall 
when he said it, too.  Had almost a demonic look on his face.” Animal told him.

“Animal!” I protested, elbowing him.  “Really, though, technically, that wasn’t a threat.  
In twenty years, he’ll get out and I probably will see him again.  Heck, we’ll all 
probably see him again, because knowing Palmer, he’ll just be up to his old tricks 
again.”

“I don’t see it that way, Liandra.  From here on out you will be under twenty-four hour 
guard, until I say otherwise.”  Admiral Chegwidden stated sharply.

“That’s not necessary, Uncle AJ, and you know it.  Uncle Cordell  and Trent have 
taught me enough martial arts that I could handle Palmer, if I have to.”

“How much is enough?”  Mac asked.

I grinned.  “Trent says I’m only a few lessons shy of my black belt.”

“Not good enough.”  Animal declared suddenly.  Turning to my uncle, he spoke.  
“Sir, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to be Kendall’s guard.  I have a black belt in martial 
arts, a complete black belt,” Animal tossed the comment lightly to me, but it still 
stung.

As we talked,  we walked, and were now outside the headquarters building.  I 
wrenched away from Animal and started to walk off, but he was quick.  He snatched 
my arm and pulled me around to face him.  

“Listen to me for a minute, will you?  I can tell I hurt you with what I said about my 
belt, but you can’t stand up to a guy like Palmer without a full armament, and that’s 
something you haven’t got right now.”  He reached up to wipe tears from my cheek.  
“Hey, don’t cry.  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Well, you did.” I said angrily.  “All my life I’ve been told I wasn’t good enough.  I 
wasn’t smart enough or pretty enough---“ 

Animal cut me off with a finger to my lips.  “That’s got to be the biggest load of bull I 
ever heard.”

“It’s true.  When I was ten years old, I was made fun of in school because the other 
kids thought I was ugly.”

“Well, you’re not.”  Animal blushed furiously, so I quickly changed the subject.  
“Then when I was twelve, I went to live with Uncle Cordell for a while and that’s when 
I started learning martial arts.”

“If you started when you were twelve, you should have your belt by now,” Animal 
said, confused.

I grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, well, I didn’t stick to my studies like I should have.”

“Why not?”

“Uncle Cordell’s new student distracted me,” I replied, blushing myself.

“What new student?” Animal asked suspiciously.

“What’s the matter, Commander, you jealous?”  I asked with a grin.

Uncle AJ walked up just then.  I laughed.  “You’re not getting away with this, you 
know.”

“Getting away with what?” Uncle AJ asked.

“Oh, sorry, Uncle AJ, I meant Animal.  What is it?”

Placing his cellular phone in his pocket, my Admiral uncle spoke.  “Commander 
Chikamori, I have decided to honor your request to be my niece’s protector.  I’ve 
already spoken with your CO and you are officially on leave, effective immediately.  
Admiral Klatte says you have plenty of time on the books and you’re welcome to as 
much of it as you need.” {hope you don’t mind having a girl for a boss, Animal!  Go 
easy on him, ok, Kath? }

“Sir, it’ll be easier to protect Lia if I can take her out of Virginia.  Is that alright?”  
Animal asked my uncle.

“Certainly.  I would like to send her to her Uncle Cordell in Dallas, but I know she 
would not willingly go.  Take her wherever you think she will be the most safe, 
Commander, but I want you to do something for me.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“Call me regularly on my cell phone and keep me updated on the situation.  I don’t 
think I need mention that, despite the fact they’re lesser ranking officers, the Rabbs 
will string me up by my toes if I do not keep them informed.”  Uncle AJ permitted 
himself a rare laugh.  “Liandra, you take care of yourself, is that clear?”

“Yes, sir, Admiral, sir,” I said facetiously.

“This is no laughing matter, Commander,” he said, turning all brusque on me again.

“I know that, Uncle AJ, but I just wanted to see you smile.  You don’t smile enough.”  
I told him.

“Admirals aren’t supposed to smile,” he replied, still brusque.

“That’s a pile of horse manure and you know it,” I said, poking him in the chest.

Turning to Animal, I said,” Look, I’m kinda tired.  Could we go now?  I mean, we still 
have to get packed for our trip.”

“Sure, hon.”  Glancing at the Admiral, he asked if there were any more instructions.

“Just one, Commander.  Keep her safe or all the martial arts training in the world will 
not protect you from me.”

“Yes, sir.” Animal nodded his understanding. He knew better than to make a SEAL 
angry.

“Dismissed.”  Uncle AJ barked as we saluted him farewell.

*******************************************************************
LATER THAT EVENING
NORFOLK MARRIOTT
NORFOLF, VA
ROOM 1214 (Get it, Animal? Couldn’t resist! * H.)

I stood before the balcony window, looking out at the lights gleaming across the city.  
Further out, I could see the lights shimmering against the water at the Norfolk Naval 
Base.  I sighed.  I truly hoped it would not be too long before I saw those lights again.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Animal asked as he came up behind me and encircled 
my waist with his strong arms.

I leaned my head back against him and closed my eyes as I let my thoughts wander 
a moment over the past few hours.

(Mini-flashback)

When Animal insisted that we get just one room, my first instinct was to balk, so I 
did.  Modesty demanded it of me, and I just knew it wouldn’t look right.  I’d been 
taught all my life to “flee all appearance of evil” (note: that’s a paraphrase of 1 
Thessalonians 5:22.) and us sharing a room certainly didn’t look proper.  I even told 
him that and we ended up arguing for nearly ten minutes until he pointed something 
out.

“Look, Liandra, would you rather someone  see us enter and leave from the same 
room and think we’re sleeping together or would you rather be dead?  Because that’s 
what you’ll be if Palmer somehow manages to get his hands on you, which he would 
be able to do a lot easier if I’m not in the room with you.”

“Oh, alright” I grumbled, “but the room has to have two beds!”

“Unh-huh.” Animal shook his head negatively.  “I plan on registering us as Mr. & 
Mrs. Chikamori, and don’t you think it’d look a little strange for a married couple to be 
sleeping in separate beds? I’m trying to give us some sort of cover here.”

“So tell them we’re fighting, which, incidentally, we will be doing if you don’t stop 
being so bull-headed.”

“Oh, and you’re not the least bit stubborn?  Geez, you remind me a lot of Mac.  
Shoulda been a Marine.” Animal grumbled affectionately. 

(End flashback)

Animal’s hand caressing my cheek snapped me out of my reverie.  “Oh, I’m sorry, 
what did you say?”

“I said, penny for your thoughts, but I guess it’ll have to be at least a dime.  Where 
were you just now?”

I chuckled.  “Downstairs in the lobby, arguing with you.”

“You still regret sharing a room with me?” he asked.

“No, it’s not that I regret it, it’s just that  . . .well, I’ve never slept in the same bed with 
a man before,” I told him bashfully.

“If you want, I’ll call room service and have them send up an extra blanket and pillow 
and I’ll just sleep on the floor,” he offered.

Now I really was embarrassed.  He meant every word he’d just said, and he really 
would sleep on the floor if he thought it would make me more comfortable. 

Animal reached for the phone beside the bed, but I covered his hand with my much 
smaller one.  “No, that’s okay.”  At his skeptical look, I smiled.  “Really, I’ll be fine.  
As long as you keep to your side of the bed and keep your hands to yourself,” I 
laughed.

“Okay, I think I can manage that.”  Animal grinned as I threw a mock punch at him.

Pulling back the covers on the bed, I crawled in and got comfortable. “Oh, will you 
shut up and get to bed?  We’ve got to be up early tomorrow for the flight to New 
Orleans.”

I felt the bed move as he laid down beside me.  It moved too much,  then I realized 
we had a waterbed.  “Oh, brother.”

Animal began to laugh, so I pulled my extra pillow from behind my head and slugged 
him with it.  “Just shut up and go to sleep, will ya?”  I curled up on my side and felt 
him slide an arm around me.  “What are you doing?” I asked as I put my pillow back.

“Going to sleep, like you told me to,” he retorted, snickering.  “Does this bother you?” 
he asked, being serious for two seconds.

I paused to think about it for a moment then answered.  “No, no, it doesn’t bother 
me.  Doesn’t bother me at all.”

Quieter, so Animal wouldn’t hear me, I whispered, “Actually,  I kind of like it.”

“I heard that,” Animal whispered in my ear as we both closed our eyes for the night.

*******************************************************************
DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WASHINGTON D.C.
0830 EST  (1330 ZULU)

Animal grumbled as he tossed my suitcase onto the baggage carousel.  “What on 
earth do you have in that thing?” he asked.  “A few boulders?”

“No, just my clothes.”

“Yeah, but why’d you have to bring the whole closet?” Animal smirked.

I swatted him in silent answer.  “Actually, no, my uniforms take up nearly half my 
closet.  You know very well I didn’t bring any of those.  How about you?  Why is your 
suitcase so small?”

“I don’t feel the need to bring everything I own on a trip. Just a few pairs of jeans and 
some shirts.  A couple pairs of shoes and my shaving kit.  I figured I’d let you bring 
the kitchen sink, seeing as how you women are apt to pack it,” he joked.

“You are fixing to get smacked, buster,” I told him, waving my fist in his face, which 
he, of course, ignored. Typical man.  That’s okay, I thought to myself.  I think I’ll 
enjoy showing you what Uncle Cordell has taught me.

“What are you grinning at?” Animal interrupted my train of thought.  “You have no 
reason to be smiling, Squid. You dragged me out of a warm bed at five-forty five in 
the morning and you think you’re gonna smile?  I think not.” He glared at me mock 
furiously.  “You know how much I need my beauty sleep.” Animal pouted, and I just 
laughed.

A voice blared over the speakers.  “Ladies and gentlemen, Flight 670 to New 
Orleans is now boarding.  Everyone please proceed to gate 12.  Have a pleasant 
flight and thank you for flying Delta Airlines.”

“That’s us, hon. Better double-time it.” Animal picked up our carry-on bags, grabbed 
my hand and began to run.

“You better be glad I go running with Galen and Sarah every morning, or you’d be in 
big trouble for dragging me around like this.”  I groused as we boarded the plane.

Animal showed the stewardess our tickets and she motioned for us to follow her to 
our seats.  “Here you are, Mr. & Mrs. Chikamori.  Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” I told her. “We will.”

After she left, I looked over at my “husband”.  “You know,” I said with a grin, “I could 
get used to that.”

“What?” Animal asked absentmindedly.

“Being called your wife.  Hey, you’re not listening to me!” I poked him in the arm.  
“What is it?”

“I really hate this part about flying commercial,” he grumbled.

“What else are we supposed to do?  Go up to the cockpit and tell the pilots who we 
are and demand that they let us fly the plane?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well, that’d do for starters,” he replied soberly.  “You know, we should’ve asked 
Harm if we could borrow Sarah,” Animal mused, referring to Harm’s beloved 
Stearman bi-plane that he’d named after his grandmother.

“What, and let Harm do Palmer a favor and kill us right where we stood?  No, 
thanks, dear, I’d rather face Palmer,” I said, leaning over and kissing him on the 
nose.  

“Look, I truly love squabbling with you, but, as you so quaintly pointed out, we did get 
up early this morning, so I’m going back to sleep.” 

 I flagged down our stewardess, who introduced herself as Rachel.

“Can I get you something, ma’am?”

“Please.  Could my husband and I have some blankets?” I asked her.

“Of course,” she smiled.  “I’ll be back in just a second.”

True to her word, she was back shortly with two very comfortable looking blankets in 
tow.  

Taking one from her, I spread it over a now sleeping Animal.  I wanted to slap him.  
Going back to sleep had been my  idea.

Turning back to get my blanket from Rachel, I gasped as I looked into her face for 
the first time.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, concerned.

 “No, it’s just that you look exactly like my best friend’s cousin.  Nah, that’s just a 
coincidence.  She was killed six years ago.” I shook my head.  “Thanks, Rachel.”

I turned toward Animal and settled my head on his shoulder.  “That was just too 
weird.  Man, I do need some more sleep after all.”

*******************************************************************

I awoke five hours later to someone shaking me.  “Come on, sweetheart, wake up.  
We’re almost ready to land.”  It was Animal.

“Huh?” I sat up and stretched.

“We’re gonna land in a few minutes.”

A stewardess walked by, asking for our blankets.  Handing them to her, I asked her 
where Rachel was.  “Rachel?  There isn’t a stewardess named Rachel on this 
flight.”

“But that’s impossible.  She gave us the blankets.”

“No, honey, the blankets were in the luggage shelf.  I had to hand them to you to be 
able to put our bags up there.  You must have been dreaming.”  Animal patted my 
hand.

“Don’t you dare patronize me,” I growled.  “I know what I saw. I have Rachel’s 
picture hanging on the wall at my office.  I know what Rachel looks like!”

“I’m not being patronizing.  Look, just get off the plane.  We can discuss this when 
we get to the hotel.”

We got off the plane and Animal hailed a cab.  “What’s the name of our hotel, 
honey?”

“We’re not staying at a hotel.  We’re staying with Mom and Aunt Barbara.”  I gave 
the driver the address and we were there fifteen minutes later.

*******************************************************************
2329 WILMINGTON AVE.
NEW ORLEANS
1330 CST (1930 ZULU)

I paid the driver while Animal got our baggage from the trunk.  “Where should I put 
these?” he hollered.

“Hang on,” I said as I climbed out of the cab. “I told Mom we were coming, but I told 
her I wasn’t sure when.” 

I reached in my purse for my phone and a sheet of paper fell to the ground.  “What’s 
this?”  Animal picked it up and read it.

“Oh, boy, do I feel like a jerk,” he said as he handed the note to me.  “You better read 
this.”

Pretty girlish script met my eyes as I began to read.  I gasped.  I recognized it as 
Rachel’s handwriting. Tell Charity and Anna I love them and I’ll see them . . 
.someday. There was a smiley face and Rachel’s signature. At the bottom of the 
note was a postscript.  P.S. I can’t wait to meet Chris and Todd.  They’re cute! 
Another smiley face completed the note.

“Hey, are you okay?  You’re crying.” Animal sounded worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I swiped at my cheek.  “Wow.” I whispered.  “That was Rachel.  I’ve 
got to save this and give it to Che and Murry.”  I folded the note carefully and tucked 
it in my purse.  

“What have I got this out for?” I asked, putting my cell phone back inside the bag 
hanging from my shoulder.  Pulling a keyring from my pocket, I said,” I don’t need a 
phone. I have a key.  Duh!” I laughed.

Animal reached for my shoulder.  “Wait a sec.  If you’d just pulled your keys from 
your pocket, you’d have never found the note.  It fell out when you took out your 
phone.”

“You know, you do have your moments.  Not many, but you do have them.” I grinned 
at Animal as I put the key in the lock. {I know, I know.  Wrong universe, but it fits! *}

“Mom, Barbara, you home?” I called out.  To Animal, I said, “Just set those down 
anywhere.  We can put them in my old room in a minute.”

“In here, Lia June!”  Aunt Barbara called back.

I held out my hand to Animal.  “Come on, sounds like they’re in the wash room.”

As we walked down the hall, I could hear the familiar sounds of Mom and Aunt 
Barbara’s comical bickering.  “Oh, will you hush, Lizard Lips?”  “No, I most certainly 
will not.  And who are you calling Lizard Lips, you heathen heifer?”  “Well, if I’m a 
heathen heifer, you’re a heathen heifer huzzy!”

I giggled.  “Those two will never change.”

Then I heard Aunt Barbara sing out her apology. “I love you, Maria June!”

“Huh?  What’s with June?  She called you that, too.”

“Oh, she calls all her friends that.”  I burst out laughing as I heard Barbara’s voice in 
my head saying,” Animal June.”

“What’s so funny?” Animal growled.

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Aunt Barbara said as she rounded the corner out of 
her bedroom, Mom on her heels.

“HI, honey!”  Aunt Barbara said happily.  “How are you?”

Mom came over and hugged me.  “Are you okay?”

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Who is this handsome fellow?” Aunt Barbara asked, gesturing to Animal.

“Mimi, stop it,” I scolded my aunt, using my cousin Hayley’s nickname for her.  
“You’re embarrassing him.  Mom, Aunt Barbara, this is Commander Hugo “Animal” 
Chikamori, flight leader and commanding officer for the VF-41 Black Aces, out of 
Oceana. Animal, this is my mom, Maria Gracen and her sister, Barbara Yeager.”

Talking his hand, I pulled him out to the living room, with Mom and Barbara 
following.

“Mom, did you tell Mimi?” I asked her, as Animal and I sat down.

“Tell me what?” Aunt Barbara asked warily.

“I have to lay low here for a while.  I just testified against Palmer, Mom.”

“What?  You mean, he’s finally going to go to prison?” Mom said excitedly.

“Yeah, but here’s the thing.  He got mouthy as the guards were taking him out of the 
courtroom, so Uncle AJ wants me under 24 hour guard until he says otherwise.”

“That’s where this young fellow comes in?” Aunt Barbara asked shrewdly.

I grinned.  “Uh-huh.  Our cover, in case Palmer actually does try something, is that 
I’m his wife.  Animal figures since Palmer doesn’t know him, he won’t think to check 
out his “wife”.  Pretty smart for a fighter jock, huh?”  I smiled winningly at Animal.  
He just glared at me.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“ ‘Pretty smart for a fighter jock’? Look who’s talking, Lieutenant Commander 
“Feather” Gracen,” Animal retorted.

“I’m not flying now, Squid. I have better sense than that.”

“Who’re you calling ‘Squid’, Jarhead?” Animal said stubbornly.

There was a knock on the door.  I was closest to it so I said,” I’ll get it.  Who is it?” I 
asked.

Stupid, Animal mouthed silently at me.  That could have been Palmer.  I made a 
face at him.  It’s Harm.  I know what his voice sounds like, I mouthed back.

“Mrs. Chikamori, it’s LCDR Harmon Rabb, JAG Corps.  May I come in?” Harm 
asked formally.

Animal grabbed my arm.  “Wait a minute,” he whispered.  “Palmer can imitate 
Harm’s voice.  He’s done it before.  Let me answer the door.”

Animal walked over to the door.  

Harm knocked again.  “Mrs. Chikamori?”

“What do you want with my wife, legal weenie?” Animal hollered, using the fighter 
pilot’s nickname for JAG officers.

“Well, since you ask, I’d rather have my own wife, but the boss says he needs her 
more than I do at the moment, so I figured I’d come down and borrow yours for a 
while.  That is, if she doesn’t mind.”

Animal chuckled softly.  “I’d recognize that sarcasm anywhere.”  He opened the door 
to let Harm in.  After Harm had cleared the doorway, Animal spoke.  “As a matter of 
fact, my wife does mind.”

“I do?” I asked, mystified at Animal’s behavior.

“Yes, you do.”  Turning to Harm, he asked, “You got something for us, flyboy?”

“Yes, sir, Commander Chikamori, sir!” Harm answered, sarcastically saluting 
Animal.

“Will you two cut it out?  Hand over the goods, Harm.  I’m starting to get nervous.”

“Goods?” my mother asked.

“Yeah, Mom.  There’s a very good chance that Palmer may try and escape and come 
after me.  In case he does, Animal and I are gonna be ready for him,” I said, taking 
the military issue M9 Beretta Harm offered and checking it for ammo. 

“Mine’s perfect, how about yours?” I asked, looking over at Animal while I tightened 
the straps on the shoulder holster Harm had also somehow procured for me.

The Beretta in his hand looked fine to me, identical to the one in my hands, yet 
Animal was obviously upset about something.  I tucked the gun in the holster and 
walked over to Animal.  Reaching out, I laid my hand on his shoulder.  “What’s 
wrong?”

“Yours is prettier than mine,” Animal pouted, letting his bottom lip poke out for effect.

Harm and I laughed.  “I’m a girl, Squid, I’m supposed to have a pretty gun.  It’s 
regulations.”  I told him.

“What regulations, Jarhead?”  Animal asked, raising an eyebrow.

A knock at the door prevented me from answering.  Animal stuck his tongue out at 
me as Harm turned to answer the door.  “Beltway Burgers, may I take your order?” 
Harm called out to whoever was on the other side.

“What on earth?” Aunt Barbara wondered aloud, and I waved a hand to silence her.  

“Some kind of pre-arranged code, I bet,” Animal said softly in my ear.  I just nodded.

A familiar female voice answered.  “Yes, I’ll have a double Beltway burger with 
cheese, bacon and extra pickles, please.”

Harm, Animal and I looked at each other and grinned.  Harm opened the door and 
said, “That’s my jarhead.”

Sarah MacKenzie-Rabb walked in and took one look at Animal and me and 
quizzically raised an eyebrow.  “Just what do you think you’re doing, Lieutenant 
Commander Gracen?” Sarah asked.

By this time both Animal and I had our shoulder holsters in place and guns tucked 
neatly away.  He stood behind me and had his arms wrapped loosely around my 
waist.  My arms were crossed and resting on top of his and my hands were relaxed 
in the crooks of his arms.  

I looked up at Animal innocently.  “What do I think I’m doing, Commander 
Chikamori?”

“You’re resting, Commander Gracen,” he replied, a smirk starting to form on his lips.

I turned back to Mac and said, “I’m resting, ma’am.” I had to bite my lip to keep from 
laughing, because, even though none of us were in uniform and were in such an 
informal setting, Mac still outranked me.

Mac leaned over to gaze into my face.  “That’s not what I meant, Liandra, and you 
know it.”  Straightening up, she looked right at Animal.  “You should know better, 
Commander.”

“What is she talking about, Lia?” Aunt Barbara asked.

“Mom, you already know Sarah,” I said to my mother.  Mom and Sarah nodded at 
one another.  “Aunt Barbara, this is my friend Sarah MacKenzie-Rabb, a Marine 
Lieutenant Colonel at JAG.  Everybody just calls her Mac most of the time, though.”  
Turning to Mac, I said, “Sarah, this is my Aunt Barbara.”  They shook hands.  

“Aunt Barbara, that Squid with the big knot on his head over there is Sarah’s 
husband, Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Junior, also stationed at JAG with 
Sarah and me.”

Aunt Barbara had a funny look on her face.  “You called him a squid, Lia.  Why?”

I laughed.  “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot for a minute that you’re not Navy.  Squid is Navy 
and Marine slang for someone in the Navy.  Jarhead is slang for someone in the 
Marines.”

“Okay, my turn.” Mom spoke up.  “CMDR Chikamori called you a jarhead earlier, and 
you’re Navy.  What gives?”

I looked over at Animal and grinned.  “However, there are some exceptions.”

Harm and Sarah exchanged glances.  “You two have been calling each other “squid” 
and “jarhead”?  Harm asked me.

“Yeah, why?”

Harm said nothing, but the ear-to-ear grin he bestowed on his wife, and the one she 
gave back to him, said plenty.

Aunt Barbara asked, “Is anybody hungry?”

My friends and I looked at one another and laughed.  “Yeah, we’re starved!  I don’t 
know about Harm and Mac, but all Animal and I have eaten today was airplane food.”

“Yuck.”  Mac winced in sympathy.

Just then the phone rang.  Mimi picked it up and answered.  “Okay, will do.  Sure.  
Okay, on our way.”

Barbara put the phone back in the charger and turned to Mom.  “We need to go over 
to Suzie’s and pick up Hayley.  She got called in unexpectedly to work.  I guess 
someone called in sick or something.”

“Okay,” Mom said. “Let’s roll.”

Aunt Barbara pointed to the stove.  “There’s some chicken spaghetti cooking on the 
stove.  The noodles are done.  You’ll just have to drain them.  The chicken and 
sauce is in the other pan, simmering.”

“Okay, Mimi. I got it.  You two just go get Hayley,” I told her.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Mom said, turning to Aunt Barbara.  “Rhetta called earlier and 
said she’s free to re-do your perm this afternoon if you want.”

“Okay, so after we go get Hayley, we’ll stop over there for a couple hours so she can 
perm my hair.  Liandra, will you be okay here?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.  Besides, I’ve got two of the Navy’s finest plus the best Marine in 
the Corps to play bodyguard.  Go on and get Hayley and have fun with the perm.  
Give Rhetta a hug for me, okay?”  

Mom and Aunt Barbara walked out the door.

*******************************************************************
“Okay, Harm.  You’re in charge of the food,” Animal ordered facetiously.

“Ha, ha.  Have you ever tasted his cooking?” Mac kidded her husband.

“Hey, Marine, watch your mouth. I have tasted his cooking.  He makes a mean 
Fettuccine Alfredo, you know.”  I grinned.  “Hey, Harm,” I giggled, “can you teach 
Animal how to make Fettucine?”

“Ugh, no thanks.” Animal made a yuck face.  “I’ll stick to Beltway burgers.”  He and 
Mac exchanged a high five.

“What’d your aunt say this is?” Harm asked.

“Chicken spaghetti.  Don’t worry, Hammer, the chicken’s big enough to pick out.”

I glanced at Animal and Sarah.  “Vegetarians!” Animal rolled his eyes and grinned.  
“You said it!”

*******************************************************************
TWO HOURS LATER

“That was good, Lia.”  Harm said, sitting back in his chair.

“Sure was,” Sarah agreed with her husband.

I looked at Animal.  “Okay, flyboy.  Let’s have it.”

“What?”

“What’d you think of my aunt’s spaghetti?”

Harm, Sarah and I all looked at Animal until he put his hands up in surrender.  
“Okay, okay, it was good.  I liked it.”  He turned to me.  “Happy now?”

“I will be once I take a bath.”  I told him.

“Oh, me, too.  What about you, Harm?” Sarah asked Harm.

“You two go first.  Animal and I’ll catch up.”

Sarah and I walked down the hall.  She looked over at me and grinned.  “Yeah, catch 
up on all the pilot gossip.”  Our laughter echoed in the small hallway.

“I heard that, Kendall!” Animal hollered.

“You were supposed to,” I told him with a snicker.

One by one all four of us eventually washed away the aches and troubles of the day.  
Aah, what a long soak in a hot tub won’t fix.

“Your mom and aunt still aren’t home,” Mac said.  “It’s a quarter after nine,” she 
stated confidently.

Animal looked over at Harm, whose long body was sprawled on the couch.  “How 
does she do that?”

“I have no idea, but, Lia, Mac’s right.  What do you want to do?”

“Go to sleep, but okay, I’ll call Rhetta.”  I got up and picked up the phone and dialed 
my cousin’s number.  “Rhette?  Yeah, this is Lia.  Hey, girl.  Yeah, I’m fine.  Do 
what?  Aunt Barbara told you what?”  I felt myself blushing from head to toe.  Aunt 
Barbara must have told her something about Animal.  

“Rhetta, it’s nothing like that.  He’s been assigned by the Judge Advocate General’s 
office to protect me until that kooky Palmer is history.”  I would not look at the others, 
because I knew what would happen if I did.  I could already feel Sarah’s gaze 
penetrating my defenses and I knew before long the guys would add their two cents 
in.

“Look, Rhette, I gotta go.  Yeah, give Hayley a hug for me, okay? Mom and Barbara 
spending the night with you, too?  Okay.  Yeah, love you, too. Bye.”   I hung up the 
phone and prepared to face the Inquisition.

But no one said anything.  I pointed at Animal.  “You ready to catch some down 
time?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on then.  We’re in my old room, end of the hall on the right.  Harm and Mac’ll 
have to sleep out here.”  I turned to my best friend and his wife.  “Extra pillows and 
blankets are in the hall closet.  ‘Night.”

Harm and Sarah wished us both a good night, and Animal and I headed for my old 
room.

“Oh, man, am I beat!” Animal yawned and stretched.

I saw my opportunity and took it.  While his arms were still in the air, I pounced on 
him, fingers aiming for his ribcage.  He never knew what hit him.

“Hey, what the . ..” Animal sputtered indignantly as he lost his balance, and, being 
taller than me, caused us both to fall on the waterbed.  We hit the water mattress 
with a soft whoosh.  I landed on my back and Animal was leaning above me on one 
elbow.

Suddenly there was an electric charge to the air.  An odd thought ran through the 
dark corners of my mind.  I never knew what all those romance novels I read 
growing up meant by that kind of talk.  Now, however . . .  

Animal’s eyes had changed color from a warm cinnamon to a burnished mahogany.  
“Commander, do you have any idea what the Navy’s punishment is for pulling a stunt 
like that on a senior officer?” he asked, his voice husky.

I could not look away from his face for anything in the world.  It was if there were 
magnets in both our heads, and something was holding me perfectly still.  “No,” I 
whispered.

He smiled radiantly.  “Neither do I.”  Animal leaned in closer, although I could not see 
how he could get any closer to me, yet, at that moment, he wasn’t close enough.  
“But I’m very good at making things up as I go along,” he said.  Then, he kissed me.

It was everything I’d ever wanted in a kiss . . .and more.  It was soft and sweet.  
Animal’s touch was gentle and patient.  He didn’t push me or try to pressure me into 
something I didn’t want.  He was tender, and, dare I say it?  Loving.

I suddenly realized how good it felt to be held in his arms.  His hand was rubbing my 
back, massaging it in circular-type motions.  I had missed being held like this.  You 
missed it because you never had it, a voice in my head corrected me.  Yeah, but do 
I have it now? I asked the voice.  Well, you tell me.  A man doesn’t kiss like that 
unless he’s in love.

 When Animal ended the kiss, it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him why he’d 
stopped.  The little voice in my head, otherwise known as my conscience, answered 
the question anyway.  Don’t go there, you.  You know where that road would lead.  
Can you honestly say you’re ready to take that trip?  No.  I’m not.  Right.  You’re 
not.  You always told me you wanted to wait.  What if he’s not the one you’re 
supposed to be waiting on?  Yeah, I know.  If he’s the right one for you, you’ll find 
out.  You have this Palmer creep to deal with first.

 I turned over on my side and curled up next to Animal.  My head was right up 
against his chest, so I heard and felt it when he chuckled.  “I take it you liked that?”

“Ummm hmmm.”  I sighed contentedly.  Scooting closer to Animal, I slid my arm 
around him.  “If I had known you were capable of making me feel like this,” I grinned, 
“I would have testified against Palmer a long time ago.”  Animal laughed.  “You would 
have, huh?”

I nodded.

He reached over and picked up some of my hair.  Rolling it over in his hands, he 
asked, “You know what I think?”

“What do you think?”

“I think . . .do you believe in fate?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, no, you don’t.  Don’t you change the subject on me.”

“I’m not.  Answer the question.  Do you?”

“No.  I believe in God, who wrote the book that is my life long before I was ever born.  
Why?”

“Okay.  Do you think that somewhere in that book God wrote about you he put a 
chapter in there where you . . .maybe . . .”

“Maybe what?”

Animal blushed, his cheeks darkening.  “Do you think, maybe, you might . . “

I leaned up on one elbow and looked down into his handsome face.  “What?  Spit it 
out, sailor.”

Animal grinned at me.  “I think I like you a lot, Liandra.”

Now it was my turn to blush scarlet.  “You do?”

“I know how you feel about a man saying ‘I love you’ and there not being any 
meaning behind it, so that’s about as strong as I want to get for the moment.  Is that 
okay with you?”

I nodded mutely, tears beginning to fall down my cheeks.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” he asked, leaning down and kissing the tears away.

“Nothing.”

At his disbelieving look, I smiled and touched his cheek.  “I promise.  Nothing’s 
wrong.  In fact, I can’t remember a time when everything felt more right.”

“Good.”  Animal pulled me down next to him and drew the covers over both of us.  
“Get some sleep,” he ordered, a touch of amusement coloring his words.  “We’ll talk 
more about this later.”

“Okay.”  Underneath  the covers, I reached for his hand.  Lacing his fingers with 
mine, I smiled and went to sleep.

*******************************************************************
300 CST (900 ZULU)

Opening my eyes, I looked around the room.  My old room in my old house in New 
Orleans.  Mom and Aunt Barbara’s house.

Turning over onto my side, I saw the sleeping form of the man I loved.  Okay, I admit 
it, I said to the voice in my head. I love him.  There, I said it.  Now I just hope I don’t 
get my heart smashed to little bitty pieces for it.

Wrapping my arms around Animal, I snuggled up next to him.

He turned over and spoke.  “Oh, gosh, Commander Gracen, I didn’t know you 
cared.” 

Icy chills ran down my spine.  It wasn’t Animal.  It was Palmer.  My first thought was 
to wrap my hands around his skinny neck and choke the life right out of him.  I just 
knew he’d done something to Animal, and for that he would pay.

I heard the refrigerator door close.  Peering cautiously at Palmer, I realized that he 
hadn’t heard it.  Of course he didn’t, my conscience said to me.   He’s not familiar 
with this house and its sounds like you are.  Now hurry up and kill the idiot so you 
can run off with your handsome sailor for about the next seventy-five years.

Palmer pulled a gun from beneath his coat.  He pointed it at me and gestured with 
his free hand.  “Get up.”

I did as I was told, only because I had an ace up my sleeve, a special one.  A VF-41 
Black Ace, to be precise.  The best one of them all.  Palmer was such a fool.  He 
didn’t know that during dinner, Animal, Harm, Mac and I had discussed what we’d 
do if Palmer managed to break in and come after me.  Animal taught me the 
Japanese word for help and told me to scream it at the top of my lungs if Palmer 
came anywhere near me.

So I did.  As we made our way toward the kitchen, I screamed and screamed and 
screamed.  Animal, Harm and Mac came tearing around the corner of the living 
room, guns drawn and pointed at Palmer.  Palmer snatched me up next to him, one 
arm nearly choking me as he held his gun to my head.  “Drop it, Palmer,” Animal 
snarled.  His face was a picture in viciousness and uncontrolled rage.  Animal had 
told me of the circumstances of how he’d won the Medal of Honor, and I almost 
wanted to clue Palmer in.  Almost.

“No, you drop it, you gook,” Palmer replied, pressing his gun tighter against my skull.

That did it.  I could take anything Palmer could dish out any day of the week, except 
racial insults.  I grabbed his gun arm, wrenched it down and backwards, then flung 
him into the wall behind me.  Ripping my gun from its holster, I snapped the safety 
off and fired four shots into Palmer’s worthless hide as he was aiming at me.

When he finally stopped twitching, I kicked him.  “The least you could do, Palmer, if 
you’re going to use a racial slur, use the right one!  Animal’s Japanese, not 
Vietnamese.”

“He won’t be saying anything to anybody . . .ever again.” Mac said, as she checked 
him for a pulse. She turned to her husband.  “Harm . . .”

“Already on it,” Harm said, calling the police.

I ran to Animal, who threw his arms around me.  Sobbing, I asked him, “Is it over?”

“Yeah, baby, it’s finally over.”

*******************************************************************
EPILOGUE
TWO DAYS LATER
NORFOLK MARRIOTT
ROOM 1214
NORFOLK VA
2200 HRS EST (300 ZULU)

Once more I stood looking out the balcony window at the lights of the Norfolk Naval 
Base in the distance.  Three and a half days ago I silently wondered if I would ever 
see those lights again in this lifetime.

Animal walked over to me, and just like he had before, wrapped his arms around my 
waist.  “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I was just getting a sense of déjà vu.”

“Well, come on, time for bed.  We have to drive down to your uncle’s office in the 
morning and give him the full report.”

This time Animal offered to book us two rooms, with a connecting door.  I refused, 
though, because I was still shaken and frightened from the whole ordeal.  I told him I 
didn’t want to be in a room alone.  

As we crawled into bed, he pulled me into his arms and began to sing to me.  He 
said he hoped it would help me sleep.

So here you go again, you say you want your freedom
Well who am I to keep you down
It’s only right that you should play it the way you feel it
But listen carefully to the sounds 

“Animal, I hate to interrupt, but could you pick something else, please?”

“Sure.  Mind if I ask why, though?”

“Nah.  “Dreams” is a break-up song.  Stevie wrote that right after she and Lindsey 
broke up, in ’76.”

“You sound like you heard the story first-hand.”  Animal chuckled.

“I did.  From my cousin.”  I waited for that to sink in.

“Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me . . .”

“Yup.  My cousin Stephanie that I was telling you about on the plane ride back here 
is none other than Stevie Nicks.”

“No way,” Animal breathed in amazement.

“I’ll prove it to you.  She’s got a concert in D.C. in three weeks.  I’ve got tickets.  
Come with me.  I’ve got backstage passes, too.  You can come back with me and 
meet her and she’ll verify everything I just told you.”

“Okay.  Now where was I?”

“You were gonna sing me something else besides ‘Dreams’,” I reminded him.

“Oh, okay, here goes.”

Has anyone ever written anything for you
In all your darkest hours 
Have you ever heard me sing
Listen to me now
You know I’d rather be alone 
Than be without you
Don’t you know

I do now, I thought to myself.  I do now.

Animal kept singing.

Has anyone ever given anything to you
In your darkest hours
Did you ever give it back
Well, I have
I have given that to you
If it’s all I ever do . . .

 I felt wetness on my cheek, and I knew I hadn’t been crying.  “Animal, honey, what 
is it?”

“Nothing.  I just listened to that last verse, and . . .”

“What?”

“Has anyone ever given anything to you?  Yes, you did.  You’ve given me your heart.  
Did you ever give it back? Well, I’m about to.”  He sat up, took both of my hands in 
his, and said the most beautiful words I have ever heard.  “Liandra Kendall Gracen, I 
love you.” He placed his left hand on my right cheek, as if to seal his words, like the 
symbol of a promise.

“And I love you, Hugo Haruo Chikamori, with all my heart.” I placed my left hand on 
his right cheek.

Pulling my face toward his, Animal kissed me like I had never been kissed before.  
You’re right. I told the voice in my head.  About what?  He does love me.  

Curling up beside the man I love, the man that loves me, I drifted off into a peaceful 
sleep, never to be haunted by dreams of Clark Palmer again.

THE END.

*******************************************************************
Okay, okay, feedback, please.  This is my first completed  fanfic, so please, be kind.  
I’m sorry if I offended any Palmer fans out there by killing him, but that’s what’s so 
wonderful about our little world of fanfic.  One of y’all can write one where he isn’t 
dead.  You can pretend my story never existed.  Hey, it worked for me, didn’t it?  
That’s exactly what I did in reference to Animal’s stories where he’s married to Meg 
Austin.   I didn’t want to kill her off, so the best course for me was to pretend 
she didn’t exist in that context.

Hey, Animal, I definitely want feedback from you, okay?

    Source: geocities.com/mrs_hchikamori