Chapter Two: The Present

Spring, 1088 AD

            Life was coming back in Kyuhyun’s forest. The snow was melting, the trees were quickly sprouting new leaves and the animals were all coming out of their winter homes again. Eunji walked aimlessly through the forest, trying to get her mind off of her love. It has been just a little over two thousand years since she became a demon, yet there were still no signs of Donghae anywhere. Every day, she hoped that she would wake up and feel his presence on Earth, but every morning, her hopes would be crushed. Still, she waited. Donghae was her soul mate and she wasn’t going to give up. No matter how long it took, she would wait until the day he was back at her side again. She sighed again and stared at the babbling river in front of her. The soft sounds of flowing water helped ease some of the pain from her heart away and she smiled.

            The sounds tiny yelps caught Eunji’s attention and she looked in the direction of the noise. Just a few feet in front of her were two fox cubs chasing each other. They playfully fought each other and Eunji felt a sad feeling creep into her heart again. The way that the cubs were playing reminded the demon of her carefree cub days with Donghae. Donghae, Eunji thought as she watched the two cubs play, I miss you… I’ve been waiting for so long… when are you going to be ready to come back? The fox demon sighed and looked away, unable to watch the cubs anymore.

             “NOONA!”

            Eunji turned around, startled. Her alarmed expression quickly melted into a smile when she saw a familiar figure running towards her.

             “Noona!” Luhan called again as he flung himself in Eunji’s arms.

             “Lulu,” Eunji cooed as she hugged him tightly.

            She smiled at the eighteen year old- well, technically, Luhan was about two thousand and eighteen years old now, but he still retained his eighteen year old body- and kissed him on his forehead. When Luhan turned eighteen, Sehun gave him his Soul Key, giving Luhan the ability to have an eternal life as long as Sehun was alive.

             “Has Hyung come back yet?” Luhan asked, referring to Donghae.

            Eunji gave him a sad smile and shook her head. Luhan pouted and snuggled closer against the demon.

             “When will Hyung come back?” he pouted. “Noona has been waiting for him for so long…”

             “I know…”

            The demon hugged the human boy in her arms tighter and a tear leaked out of her eyes. She closed her eyes and she felt a familiar pain ripple through her heart. I miss you so much Donghae, she thought, why is it taking you so long to come back to me?

            Up in the fluffy, white clouds of Heaven, a white fox lay by the set of golden gates and searched the line of incoming souls for his mate, just as he has been doing for the last two thousand years. But for every soul that passed through the gates, the fox was greeted with heartbreak for it was never his mate’s soul that showed up. What’s taking you so long? Donghae whimpered as he rested his head on his paws.  I miss you… I’ve been missing you for so long now… why aren’t you here yet? Don’t you want to see me again? The fox sighed and continued to stare at the golden gate. Jungsoo appeared by the fox’s side and knelt down to brush his soft, white fur.

             “She’s still not here?” the angel asked.

            The fox shook his head, his eyes still focused on the incoming crowd.

             “Maybe it’s time for you to go back to Earth,” Jungsoo suggested. “Maybe she’s waiting for you there.”

            For the first time in two thousand years, the fox shifted his eyes off the gates and he looked at the angel with curious eyes.

             “Of course, you’ll lose all your memories of her and you won’t be able to recognize her anymore,” warned the angel.

            The fox turned his attention back to the gate.

             “But,” added Jungsoo, “you’ll see her again.”

            The fox put his head down on the soft cloud flooring and contemplated his choices. He desperately wanted to see his mate again, but the thought of not being able to remember her tore at his heart. All the memories that they had built up together would be lost to the winds and gone forever.

             “You’ll still be able to find her again,” said the angel. “It’s your choice Donghae. You can wait here for the rest of eternity, and hope that you’ll see her again, or you can go back down there to find her again.”

             “I’ll leave you to think about it on your own,” the angel added as he stood back up again. “Oh, and just to tell you, she’s been waiting for you the last two thousand years.”

            The angel’s last words struck a nerve in Donghae’s body and he snapped. The thought of Eunji being trapped down in that miserable placed called Earth made his blood boil. He jumped to his feet and ran after the angel. His legs were a little unused to being used after two thousand years of not moving, but he quickly regained control of them and rushed to the angel’s side. Donghae rubbed his body against Jungsoo’s leg and looked up the angel. Jungsoo smiled and bent over to pick the fox up in his arms.

             “I knew you’d make the right choice,” said the angel as he started walking again.

            Donghae nodded and rubbed himself against Jungsoo’s face.  The angel smiled and sighed softly.

             “You’ll find her again Donghae,” he said to the fox. “Go.”

            Jungsoo set the fox down on a soft patch of cloud in front of a large hole in the clouds. Donghae looked down and was surprised to find that he would see the world from that hole. Whoa, he thought, so there is a hole in the Heavens…

             “Once you jump in that hole, your body will burn, your memories will be erased and the only thing you’ll be left with is your soul,” warned the angel, snapping Donghae out of his thoughts.

            Donghae nodded and looked at the hole. Eunji, he thought, I’m coming for you, baby.  He closed his eyes and leaped into the hole. A burning sensation surrounded his body but Donghae took no notice of it. Before his body disintegrated, he managed to think one last though as a fox: Eunji, I love you.

            Eunji felt a sharp pain attack her chest and she let out a loud yelp. Her breaths became labored and she fell on her hands and knees.

             “Noona?” he asked with as he knelt down next to her “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

             “Ngh,” moaned the demon as her arms collapsed under her weight.

            Her body immediate turned back into its fox form the second she hit the ground.

             “NOONA!”  Luhan screamed as a bright light was emitted out of Eunji’s body.

             He shielded his eyes from the bright light, not wanting to go blind. As soon as the light faded away, he quickly scooped her body up in his arms. Crap, crap, crap, he panicked. Sehunnie! Noona’s hurt! Come quick! We’re by the river. HURRY! The boy bit his lip and hoped that Sehun would finish his meal and get over here before something worse happened to Eunji.

             “Noona? Lulu?

            Relief washed over Luhan when he heard Sehun’s voice.

             “Lulu, what happened?” Sehun asked as he knelt down by the boy.

             “Noona just fainted!” cried the boy. “I don’t know what happened!”

             “Let’s get her back to Father,” said Sehun as he wrapped his arms around Luhan, teleporting them back to the castle.

            The second they arrived in Eunji’s room, the Demon King had appeared as well. He held his arms without asking the either of the boys anything and Luhan handed him Eunji’s body. Kyuhyun sighed softly as he hugged her close to him and closed his eyes.

             “Father?” Luhan asked in a quiet voice. “Is Noona going to be alright?”

            Kyuhyun nodded and opened his eyes.

             “Donghae’s back,” he explained. “His soul came back.”

            In the village by Kyuhyun’s forest, a loud cry erupted from what as a silent room.

             “It’s a boy!” cried the midwife.

             “Did you hear that Victoria?” smiled the baby’s father as he clutched onto his wife’s hand. “It’s a boy.”

             “I heard, Nichkhun,” whispered his tired wife.

            The midwife wrapped the wailing baby boy up in a fleece blanket and gave him to his father. Nichkhun smiled down at his baby and kissed his forehead.

             “There, there,” he cooed. “Daddy’s got you. Don’t cry.”

            The baby continued to cry and the midwife sighed.

             “Give him to his mother,” she suggested.

            Nichkhun nodded and made his way to his wife’s side.

             “Come here baby,” Victoria cooed as she reached up for her baby. “Momma’s got you.”

            Victoria cradled her baby in her arms and smiled down at him.

             “He’s so cute Nichkhun,” she whispered to her husband.

             “He is,” he agreed. “We made another perfect child.”

            Victoria giggled and nodded.  She looked down at her wide eyed baby and her heart fluttered.

             “What should we name him?” she asked her husband.

             “Let’s name him Donghae,” suggested Nichkhun. “East Sea, where we met.”

             “Perfect.”

            Victoria smiled at her baby and kissed his forehead.

             “Donghae,” she whispered, “our baby.”

            When Eunji woke up, she found herself surrounded by her family. She moaned softly and tried to get up.

             “Daddy? Sehun? Lulu?” she called. “Augh, why does my head hurt much?”

             “NOONA!” yelled Luhan. “Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?”

             “Luhan shut your mouth before I rip it out!” Kyuhyun hissed. “Sehun, control your toy, will you?”

            Luhan shivered at the Demon King’s threat and his eyes started to get watery.

             “Daddy,” Eunji sighed. “Don’t be mean to Lulu. He’s just a child.”

            Turning to the human boy, she added, “Come here Lulu. Noona won’t let anyone hurt you.”

            Luhan ran over to Eunji and buried his head in her chest. Sehun just rolled his eyes and growled.

             “If she didn’t love him so much, and if he didn’t help complete her transformation, I’d eat his heart right now,” hissed the Demon King. “Seriously, Sehun, we need to get you a new toy to play with. That ‘thing’ right there isn’t good enough for you. There are plenty of girls out there. Why are you still attracted to this, this ‘human.”

            Kyuhyun pat out the last word like he wouldn’t stand its vile taste in his mouth.

             “But Father,” said Sehun with a low, sad voice, “he’s the only one who makes me feel complete, like Hyung makes Noona feel complete. He makes me happy.”

            The demon king nodded, understanding how Sehun felt. Love was precious and after living over ten millenniums without a mate, Kyuhyun finally understood its importance. Even Sehun’s mother was just another fling. When Seohyun died in order to give birth to Sehun, the Demon King didn’t even give her a second glance. The only person he ever loved was Eunji, but he wasn’t her mate. Her soul belonged to Donghae, something even he, the Demon King, couldn’t change.  The Fates decided their destinies in the Otherworld and there was no way to change it.

            Kyuhyun gave Sehun a weak smile and left the room without another word. He walked out into the cool spring air and sighed. Forever alone, he thought with a sarcastic smile.

            Back in Eunji’s room, Luhan was still holding on to the fox demon like his life depended on it. Sehun sighed and frowned. Eunji noticed Sehun’s upset expression and ruffled Luhan’s hair.

             “Lulu?” she called. “Sehun can protect you too. You don’t always have to go to Noona.”

             “But I like Noona’s arms better,” protested Luhan as he hugged Eunji tighter. “Noona’s warmer than Sehunnie.”

            Sehun’s eyes grew wide and Eunji swore she could see tears forming.

             “Sehun, wait!” she called.

            But it was too late; Sehun already disappeared.

             “Luhan!” she scolded, frowning at the boy. “You shouldn’t have said that!”

             “But it’s true,” pouted Luhan. “Noona’s a lot warmer than Sehunnie. And softer, and better to sleep with and—”

             “But how could you say that Lulu?” interrupted Eunji as she stared into the boy’s eyes. “Sehun loves you, maybe even more than I do, baby. It took you ten years to thaw out his heart and an additional two thousand for him to love you. But you just broke his heart like it was nothing, baby.”

             “I-I did?” asked Luhan, his eyes tearing up. “No… what should I do Noona? Does Sehunnie hate me now?”

            Luhan hugged Eunji tighter and bawled his eyes out on her shirt.

             “No, Sehun doesn’t hate you,” comforted the demon as she Luhan’s hair. “He’s just upset that you said I warmer than he was.”

             “But it’s true…”

            Eunji sighed and kissed Luhan’s forehead.

             “You’re too innocent Lulu,” she whispered. “After two thousand and ten years, I’d guess that you’d lose your purity…”

             “Is that a bad thing?” asked Luhan in a quiet voice.

            The demon smiled and kissed Luhan’s forehead again.

             “Go call Sehun, baby,” she whispered. “He’ll understand.”

            Luhan nodded and raised his head to kiss Eunji on the cheek.

             “I love you Noona,” he whispered as he pulled back.

             “I love you too Lulu,” whispered the demon. “Now go call Sehun.”

            Luhan nodded and gave Eunji one last kiss before he walked out of the room. Sehunnie, he thought as he walked into Sehun’s room, please come back. I’m sorry. With a soft pop, Sehun appeared in front of him. His eyes were bloodshot like he had just been crying.

             “What do you want?” he growled at Luhan.

             “I’m sorry Sehunnie,” Luhan apologized as he tackled the Demon Prince to his bed.  “I didn’t mean to break your heart. I wasn’t thinking.”

             “YA!” yelled Sehun as he pushed Luhan away. “Who said anything breaking my heart?”

            Luhan pulled away and pouted.

             “Please don’t be mad at me,” he whispered. “I really am sorry…”

            Sehun sighed and nodded. He pulled Luhan back into his arms and breathed in his scent of warm blood. His canines came in and he Luhan’s neck.

             “Can I have a bite?” the demon whispered. “I didn’t get to finish my meal because of your call earlier.”

            The boy nodded and pulled down his collar, revealing the throbbing vein in his neck. Sehun grabbed him and easily pierced Luhan’s neck with his razor sharp teeth. A moan escaped his lips as Luhan’s delicious blood poured into his mouth. In the last three thousand, six hundred years of his life, he has never tasted anything as sweet and delectable as Luhan’s blood. To him, even the hearts of new born babies didn’t taste as good. Lust clouded Sehun’s mind as he harder on Luhan’s neck, wanting more of Luhan’s sweet nectar. Luhan moaned softly and Sehun’s hair as he on his neck. When he thought Sehun had taken enough blood, he gently shook the demon.

             “Sehunnie,” Luhan whispered, “that’s enough.”

            Reluctantly, Sehun removed his teeth from Luhan’s neck, the wound shut and pulled away.

             “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Your blood is too addictive.”

            Luhan smiled and lay down on the demon’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. 

             “I want to stay with you forever Sehunnie,” Luhan whispered as he traced swirls on Sehun’s clothed chest.

             “We’ll be together, forever,” nodded Sehun. “You’re my soul mate and I’m sure as hell not going to let you go.”

            Eunji had walked over to make sure everything would work out between Luhan and her brother and overhead Sehun’s heartwarming words. She smiled to herself and made her way back to her room, waiting to leave the boys some room. So cute, she thought as she walked. They’re meant to be, just like Donghae and I… She let out a sigh and sat down on her bed again. She slipped off her shoes and brought her legs to her chest, curling up in a little ball on the bed as she thought about Donghae. When are you coming back? she whimpered. I miss you so much. A tear rolled down her face as she thought more about her mate and more soon followed. How much longer do I have to wait? she asked herself.

             “You won’t have to wait much longer,” a voice said.

            The fox demon froze, startled. She soon relaxed as the Demon King’s scent reached her nose. Kyuhyun wrapped his firm arms around Eunji’s body and rested his chin on her shoulder.

             “He’s back,” he whispered in her ear.

             “What?”

            Eunji immediately turned around and stared at her father with big eyes.

             “H-he’s back?” she stammered.

            The Demon King nodded and hugged his daughter tighter.

             “He’s back,” he repeated.

            Eunji’s heart pounded hard inside her chest as she tried to comprehend the situation. Donghae’s back, she repeated. Donghae’s back… Donghae’s back!

             “C-can I go see him?” she asked as the realization struck her, “like right now?”

            Kyuhyun shook his head and gave her a solemn look.

             “He’s only a few hours old right now,” he reminded as he held Eunji’s hand. “But you’ll see him soon, I promise.”

            Eunji nodded and leaned against the Demon King, closing her eyes as she did so. Her heart started to ache as she thought about Donghae. So close, but so far away, she pouted.

             “When can I see him then?” she whimpered.

             “When he’s old enough to be alone for a while,” Kyuhyun answered.

            The fox demon nodded, not even bothering to ask Kyuhyun to be more specific. Her mate was back and that was the only thing that mattered.

             “Be patient and wait a few more years, alright?” continued the Demon King. 

            Eunji nodded and snuggled up against Kyuhyun.

             “Yes Daddy,” she whispered. “I’ll be patient.”

             “That’s my baby girl,” smiled Kyuhyun as he planted a kiss on her forehead. “Now go rest, alright? You’ve had a rough day.”

            Again, Eunji nodded and closed her eyes as she felt her father’s arms around her. Thank you, she thought as she drifted to sleep. Thank you for coming back to me Donghae…

             “Don’t go far, ok?” Donghwa, Donghae’s twelve year old brother, instructed. “I’ll be right back.”

            The four year old nodded and gave his brother a toothy grin. Donghwa smiled back and ruffled Donghae’s puffy hair.

             “Stay out of trouble,” he warned. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

            Then, with a wave, Donghwa ran off to hang out with his friends, leaving Donghae all alone. The four year old looked in the direction his brother ran off in and pouted. He had wanted to play with Donghwa today, but his brother had other things to do. Oh well, sighed Donghae. I’ll play by myself. He hugged the little fish plushie his umma made for him for his fourth birthday tight and smiled again.

            Suddenly, he heard a rustle in the tall reeds nearby. Curious, he walked over and parted the reeds, wanting to find out what had caused the noise.

             “A KITTY!” he squealed.

            He dropped his plushie on the ground and bent over to pick the cat up. What the four year old didn’t know was that what he had picked up wasn’t a cat, but a fox.

             “You’re so fluffy!” Donghae gushed as he buried his face in the fox’s soft, white fur, “and you smell so good!”

            The fox stayed perfectly still as Donghae sat down and continued to rub his face in her fur. A part of her wanted to change into her human form and just take him back to the castle with her, but the rational part of her wouldn’t let her do that. There was no way Donghae could survive living with them, as he needed human food to live. He wasn’t like Luhan, who was blood-bond to her and Sehun. Luhan didn’t need to eat anytime; he technically didn’t even need to breathe as long as Sehun was alive.

            Oh well, Eunji thought as Donghae petted her head, at least I’m able to be with him again.  The demon raised her head and rubbed it against Donghae’s neck, earning a giggle from the little boy.

             “Stop that!” he laughed. “That tickles!”

            Donghae pushed Eunji’s head away from his neck and continued laughing.

             “I’m going to take you home with me!” he declared as soon as he got control of himself again. “You don’t have an owner right?”

            He searched Eunji’s neck for a collar, and to his delight, he found none.

             “YEAY!” he squealed. “I’m going to keep you forever and ever and ever!”

            Donghae hugged Eunji tightly against him and rocked her in his arms. He smiled and pressed his face in her back, breathing in her delicious scent. Eunji smiled and a tear of happiness leaked out of her eye. After over two thousand years of waiting, she was finally back in Donghae’s arms again. She closed her eyes and leaned back against Donghae, feeling his warmth all around her. Please don’t let this feeling go away, she prayed. I want to stay in his arms forever. She arched her neck and Donghae’s face.

            The little boy giggled and rubbed his nose against the fox’s. A strange feeling blossomed in his chest and he hugged the fox closer to him, never wanting to let her go. He planted a kiss on her forehead and closed his eyes as he rubbed his cheek against her soft fur.

             “We need a name for you,” he commented as he ran his fingers through her white fur.

            Donghae frowned as tried to think of an appropriate name for his new pet. Hmmm, he thought, what’s a good name for a kitty? He pondered the question for several minutes, but still couldn’t think of a good name. Frowning, he looked down at Eunji and sighed.

             “What should I name you?” he asked her. “Help me.”

            Eunji used her tail to caress Donghae’s face in response. The little boy laughed and shook his head.  Suddenly, his eyes light up and he smiled down at the fox.

             “Dongji!” he cried.

            Eunji looked up at Donghae with curious eyes, not understanding what he was talking about.

             “Dongji,” he repeated, “Dong for Donghae, and Ji because it sounds pretty. Do you like it?”

            At that moment, Eunji’s heart melted and she felt tears come to her eyes. To the little boy, Dongji was just a name he’d come up on at the spur of the moment, but to her, the name meant so much more. It meant that somewhere inside the little boy was her Donghae, the Donghae that she fell in love with and was destined to be with. Tears of happiness leaked out of her eyes as she curled up in her soul mate’s arms.

             “Donghae!” called a voice, starling both the human and the demon.

             “Hyung!” Donghae called back as he got to his feet. “Look at what I found!”

            The boy quickly ran to his brother with Eunji in his arms and smiled at Donghwa.

             “Can we keep her?” he asked in a sweet voice.

            Donghwa’s eyes grew wide when he saw what was in his dongsaeng’s arm.

             “Donghae,” he said in a careful voice. “Put that thing down.”

             “Why?” pouted the little boy as he hugged Eunji tighter, “Hyung, I wanna keep her!”

             “Donghae,” warned Donghwa. “Put. That. Thing. Down.”

             “NO!”

            Donghae shook his head as he backed away from his brother.

             “Donghae!” yelled Donghwa. “That thing’s dangerous!”

             “Dongji’s not dangerous!” the little boy argued.

             “Dongji?! YA! Lee Donghae, what’s wrong with you?” demanded his brother. “That’s a fox you’re holding! You know, the animal that can rip your flesh to pieces? Put it down! It’s probably diseased!”

             “NO!” refused Donghae as he hugged Eunji closer to his chest. “I don’t care what she is! I’m keeping her and that’s final!”

            Donghwa growled in frustration and advanced towards Donghae, his arms outstretched to yank the fox from Donghae’s arms. Eunji’s eyes grew wide in alarm. She didn’t want Donghae to get hurt because of her. Sehun, she called, please come. I need you.

             “Get me that fox,” Donghwa warned one last time as he towered over Donghae. “Give it to me now!”

             “NO!”

            Donghae shielded his arms around Eunji and glared at his brother. He started backing away and quickly turned around, running as fast as he could away from Donghwa.

             “YA! LEE DONGHAE!” yelled Donghwa. “Come here you brat!”

            Donghae started running faster but suddenly collided with something hard. He fell to the ground but his arms were still wrapped protectively around Eunji’s body as if shielding her from harm. The boy looked up and saw that he’d ran into a very good looking teenager.

             “Hyung,” Donghae whined as he got to his feet. “Protect me.”

            He ducked behind Sehun, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He didn’t want to let his Dongji go, no matter what his brother said. Dongji was special.

             “LEE DONGHAE!” Donghwa fumed as he caught up with Donghae. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT!”

             “Chill,” Sehun told the twelve year old. “What happened?”

             “That brat’s got a fox in his arms!” yelled Donghwa. “Do you know how dangerous foxes are?!”

             “Of course I do, moron,” commented Sehun. “I’m not as stupid as you are.”

            Donghwa glared at the demon and rolled his eyes.

             “Give me my dongsaeng,” he spat. “Mind your own business.”

             “I am,” said Sehun in an amused voice. “Your dongsaeng is holding my fox.”

            The twelve year old stared at Sehun with a confused look.

             “What?” he demanded.

             “Your dongsaeng is holding my fox,” the Demon Prince repeated, his expression unchanging. “I’ve been looking for her all day and now, I’d appreciate it if you gave her back.”

             Sehun turned around and knelt down so he was Donghae’s height.

             “May I have my fox back?” he asked.

             Donghae hugged Eunji closer against him and shook his head.

             “N-no,” he stuttered. “Finders, keepers, losers, weepers!”

             The demon Prince smiled and shook his head.

             “Eunji belongs to me,” he reasoned. “She’s my fox.”

             No.”

             This time, Donghae’s voice seemed smaller and Sehun could see tears riming the boy’s eyes.

             “Give her back to me,” he said gently. “She belongs with me.”

             Come with me Noona, he added in his head, knowing Eunji would be able to hear him. Eunji nodded and used her nose to nudge Donghae’s arm.

             “Y-you want to go?” Donghae asked in a broken voice.

             Waves of pain stabbed his heart as Eunji kept nudging at his arm and he reluctantly loosened his arms around her. The fox immediately leaped into Sehun’s arms and curled up in his embrace. She didn’t want to leave Donghae either, but she knew she had to. As she watched the tears stream down Donghae’s face, she felt her own heart break into a million pieces. It felt like she was losing him all over again. Sehun sensed his sister’s pain as patted her head, trying to comfort her. He was never good at these things and knew that only Luhan would be able to consol her. The demon Prince let out a sigh and stood back up.

             “Thank you for finding my fox,” he said to the crying four year old.

            With that being said, Sehun walked around Donghae and started his way down the road to the forest. Eunji poked her head over Sehun’s shoulder and watched as Donghae grow smaller and smaller, tears rolling down her face as she did so. Donghae continued to cry as Sehun walked further and further away. Sighing, Donghwa made his way to his brother and hugged him.

             “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

            He picked up the crying child in his arms and started home. That night, Donghae couldn’t sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, the only he saw was his Dongji.

             “Why did you have to go?” he whimpered as tears leaked out of his eyes. “Now I’ll never see you again…”

            Eunji sat by her window and sighed as tears dripped off her chin. Donghae, she thought, I’m sorry. But we’ll meet again. And when we do, I won’t be that Dongji you met today, but the Eunji you met two thousand and four years ago. She closed her eyes and smiled. Until then, I’ll be watching you, keeping you out of harm’s way…