So I realized last night after posting the chapter that this marks the halfway point of this fic. Maybe not in length, because I feel like the rest of the story will take less words to tell, but certainly in plot. For that reason, I decided to write the next chapter as a sort of "Intermission" --and to give myself a break and mix things up a bit, it's going to be written 100% from Charlie's point of view. Which...I'm a little nervous about because this will be the first time I write f/f but...well, I'm up for the challenge! This story has already challenged me in so many ways and has broken every personal record when it comes to my writing...so what's one more, right? 

Don't have a lot of time this morning, so I'll get right to the good stuff. 

Here's an updated sketch of Dean's apartment--I had to blur out Cas's studio when I posted it before. 

I've been wanting to throw in a scene where Cas sings to Dean since the beginning of this fic. Originally it was meant to be opera--David et Jonathas to be specific, but while it's a great opera the lyrics just didn't fit. So I ended up with Andrea Bocelli's Dell' Amore Non Si Sa. It's opera...adjacent. 

Here's the English translation for what Cas sings: 

"Speak to my heart, tell it that you know
Of my pains that never sleep
Ah, it's so difficult to explain
But you friendly star
Tell me if the love will remain...
 

With love you never know
When it comes or if it goes
With love you never know
When it will be there
Or from where it will arrive
Ah indeed, it is difficult to hope
But you, always and
Only you tell me the truth...
 

With love you never know
When it comes or if it goes
With love you never know
When love arrives,
Everything changes, all around
It shines in the night

Everything changes

Everything will live again with you..."

First, I gotta say that being unemployed for a number of months has done WONDERS for my writing. I'm discovering so much that I feel like I really understand how people can do this full time. (Because let's be real, this story has more-or-less BEEN my full-time gig for the past few months). 

My process therefore, is developing in leaps in bounds. For the first time EVER, I started using a process I like to refer to as "Storyboarding" There is probably an actual term for it in the writing world, but basically I've adapted the term from animation, where artists will draw scenes and post them in order as outlines for an animated film. For me, this process consists of placing ideas or plot points or even just good one-liners on colored index cards and sticking them on my wall. I organize them by chapter, and I can move scenes around as needed when I'm planning the overall plot. I have so much gay on my wall it's HILARIOUS. I cover up the cards with a Destiel wall tapestry when I don't want guests to read my shit because, let's be honest, it looks a little nuts. Course all my GOOD friends love it.

A special shout out to DaddysGracelessAngel for this ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL graphic that they drew for the Halloween Chapter. THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR!!!

Tomorrow is the long-awaited WINCHESTER MONSTER MASH!!! HOLY SHIT I'm so excited. I've got so many fun things planned for you all!!

Here's what you can expect: 

There will be 13 unnamed costumes hidden within the chapter. The game is to try to guess them all! Those who get the most right will get a special prize (to be revealed in tomorrow's post).

I only have a limited number of prizes, so it's first come, first serve. I'll be posting around 1pm EST to give everyone a fair chance. 

I also whipped up a signature Halloween cocktail for the chapter. Here's the recipe in case anyone wants to imbibe along with the party tomorrow ;)

GREEEEEN SCREAAAAM:

1 Oz. Midori

1/2 oz white rum (I used Blue Chair Bay YUM)

1/2 oz. Malibu Coconut Rum

1/2 oz. Tequila

1/4 oz. lime juice (1/2 if you like your drinks tangy)

1/2 oz pineapple juice (more if you like your drinks on the sweeter side)

Mix in shaker with ice. Add more/less pineapple juice/lime juice to taste. Can also cut with lime seltzer if it’s too strong for ya. 

Disclaimer: Please drink responsibly! This drink is hella-strong!!

There's one last surprise in the works. This one is a collaborated effort between me and DaddysGracelessAngel (although they did most of the work). Not sayin' any more than that...you'll find out what it's all about! :3

Chapter 11:

A lot of research went into this chapter. When I was thinking about Cas's date for Dean, it was an obvious choice that it would be centered around good food. It's the quickest way to Dean's heart after all...well, mine too, if I'm honest. XD

A lot of this chapter ended up being drawn from my own memories. I took a walking tour of Chinatown as a kid and remember it vividly. This chapter ended up being strangely nostalgic to write as a result, as a number of the places I remembered from back then have since closed. It was sad to find this out, but I still had a lot of fun writing this chapter...it almost felt like I was reliving it as I tagged along on Cas and Dean's Chinatown Date. ^_^ 

So this chapter is exciting for me for a number of reasons:

1. I get to introduce Castiel's last name. Castiel Gray. What do y'all think? Yea/nay? 

2. Dean moves into his new apartment... which is kind of symbolic...feels like the fic has reached a turning point here and is maturing and progressing into something more. Here's the sketch I did for Dean's new pad:

I've been writing a THING over at AO3 HERE and I've been creating so much behind the scenes stuff I decided it warranted its own special content post. :D

So I'll be updating this as the ideas flow in...basically when I feel like it. 

This first bonus content is a sketch I drew of Cas's apartment. Apologies for the crappy resolution...I don't have photoshop YET.

Here's where Dean brings Cas on their date!! >> The Loeb Boathouse and Wagner Cove.

Also, Patisserie Lenox deserves ALL THE CREDIT for the chocolate cake in chapter 9. Seriously, it's magical. I was eating it when I wrote that bit in...couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for good pastries... kinda like Dean. XD 

A/N: If you haven't read the main story, please check it out HERE. I wrote this back in 2012-2013 back when I was still in college. This epilogue was written largely in thanks to Senna23 (Thank you dear!), who mentioned that this fic needed an R Rated chapter. So despite the long gap in years...and because all I've been doing lately is writing smut... I was happy to write it. What I ended up with qualifies as NC-17. Go big or go home, right? 

The themes in this fic are ones of nostalgia, of second chances, of coming to terms with the people in our lives who have changed and the difficulty of navigating that change. The song that popped into my head when I was writing this was Dave Matthews The Space Between. It more or less inspired the title. 

Sometimes my timing is questionable. 

I haven't really kept up with Arashi in the news or otherwise since college. There's just too much going on in my life and the access I had to all that stuff in school is lacking out here in the real world (where I'm stuck with limited free time and an outdated computer). I didn't have internet for a number of years too, so that was part of it. 

I'm also just terrible at keeping up with fandoms/etc. and if I don't have friends to talk to me and tell me about it, I drop out of the loop. Trying to remember to follow someone else's life while I'm still trying to get a handle on my own is tough.

But with all this extra time on my hands, I've been playing catch-up. I guess it was just a matter of time before I came across THIS. 

Arashi is going on an indefinite hiatus as of 2021.

TT________TT

I used to think this was my worse dream come true, but in all honesty, I can't even be mad about it. I'm a little upset and emotional, but the truth is I haven't been following Arashi for a number of years now. They were part of College!Me. I still love them, I always will. But when I need a fix I have about a terabyte of videos to choose from and...how many hours of music? Ten? Twelve? I don't even know.