~~~~~
Epilogue
~~~~~

Jessica was jerked from her position against the wall and pulled into a tight embrace.  Everyone was chanting her name.  She was boxed in, getting squished to death.  "Don't forget Soo!" the Ice Princess reminded the girls in a selfish attempt to escape their affectionate hold. The girls gave her some air and jumped Sooyoung, who squealed in terror at all the suffocating hugs being forced upon her.

"Enjoy your moment!" Yoona exclaimed, embracing the girl in a bear hug.  Sooyoung looked absolutely mortified, her face redder than ever.

Jessica giggled as she watched from the sidelines.

"You're really something, you know that?"

Jessica's head snapped around to Taeyeon, who was squeezing through the crowd and shaking her head in wonderment.  "Of course I know that. I'm surprised you're not lashing me with a whip right now, actually."  Despite her words, Jessica was pleasant, her hands folded delicately in front of her.

"How could I? You delivered Yoona and Sunny back to us."  Their eyes automatically flew to Yoona, who was currently, dramatically describing with flailing hands her thought process of when she jumped in front of the gun and what it felt like to get shot by a mini paintball between the shoulder blades.  "Of course, I now thoroughly believe you're insane—yet not as dumb and clueless as you put on."  Taeyeon playfully nudged Jessica in the side.

"Well, I accomplished what I set out to do," the girl replied absently, wringing her mask in her hands, listening vaguely to Sooyoung's explanation of how she set up her disappearance and manipulated her handwriting to be unrecognizable.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack.  When I thought you were kidnapped, and possibly dead…" Taeyeon confessed barely above a whisper, her bottom lip trembling.  Jessica looked down at her out of the corner of her eye.  "I honestly didn't know what to do.  I wouldn't allow myself to believe I had lost you."  She wiped away a tear that was sliding down her cheek.

Jessica was silent for a moment.  "Sorry, Unnie."

Taeyeon picked at some of Jessica's curls and fluffed them, finding it a way of distracting herself.  "I didn't contact anybody partly because I wanted to avenge you. Whoever had done that to you was going to suffer a thousand times over."

"Because you're just that awesome."  Jessica opened her arms and the two embraced.

"I'm happy I didn't have to chop heads."

Jessica hugged her tighter.

All good things must come to an end, and it was then that Yoona inadvertently ruined the beautiful moment.  "Tae-Tae, we'll have our old rooming arrangements again tonight?" she asked, blankets and pillows bundled in her arms.

"Um, yeah."

Yoona nodded, grinning, and bounced toward the bedroom.

"I guess we all should be turning in," Jessica said, forcing a fake yawn.  "I think my stuff's still in—"

"Oww!"  

The girls shared a glance, becoming aware that they had left Yoona's hundred-ton chest in the middle of the floor, and Yoona had in all likelihood just walked into the displaced trunk.  It was with the upmost difficulty that Jessica fought to hold back a smile.  

Taeyeon actually laughed, shaking her head.  "Oh goodness.  I better go attend to that.  Goodnight, dear.  Thanks for everything."  She pecked Jessica on the cheek before disappearing around the doorframe.

Face burning, teeth bared in an insuppressible cheesy grin of sheer ecstasy, Jessica waltzed into her own bedroom, finally feeling acknowledged and appreciated.

O~o~O

Tiffany had just about fallen asleep with her light on, until a creak of the bedroom door and the thud of an exhausted girl hitting her bed with a grunt met her ears.  

"Hi."

"Ugh, we're a group again," Sooyoung grumbled groggily.  "I can't chew on Yoona anymore…can I?"

"What happened now?" Tiffany asked, sitting upright in bed.

"The mistake of trying to move that trunk.  Yoona ended up whimpering on her bed, holding her foot, while all the rest of us broke our backs trying to move her fu—"

"Choi." 

"…freaking trunk for her.  I swear….  Everything's back to normal and I'm not sure I like it."

"I do," Tiffany affirmed sincerely.  "I have you back.  My eight sisters."

Sooyoung said nothing, and rolled over so her back was to Tiffany.  A hand went to a spot of her face where her eyes would be.

"Girls! I forgot to tell you something!" Yoona exclaimed, throwing their door open, hopping up and down on her miraculously healed foot.  Sooyoung's head jerked up, but before she could confront her, Yoona had already dashed off, calling for everyone to join her in the hall and listen to her urgent announcement.

It took effort to enter the hallway and not strangle the girl, seeing that she was calling a meeting at the ungodly hour of three in the morning.  "Girls, I have amazing news," Yoona eagerly declared, waving a hand for the others to hush themselves.  "The co-hosting gig went beautifully and you're now looking at the permanent installment—I am an official co-host and will be hosting beside Key!"  Applause was given by everyone, even Sooyoung, in hopes it'd please Yoona and they could all get some rest.  "Our next show is this coming week, and you're all welcome to come visit."  

A wretched choking sound infiltrated the gaiety of the atmosphere.  Sooyoung cleared loudly.  "Don't mind me," she said in a terribly hoarse voice before erupting into a coughing spasm.

"Oh no! Are you coming down with something?" Hyoyeon asked concernedly, secretly knowing that it was all an act.

"Naw, I'm fibe," Sooyoung muttered, sounding congested.

"Fibe?" Tiffany repeated.

"Just exhaust—"  She coughed a few more times.

Hyoyeon jumped back.  "Don't contaminate me!"  And with that she dashed off, followed in hot pursuit by Sunny.  

"Oh dear," Taeyeon uttered.  "Perhaps you should sleep elsewhere, Fany."

"No, I should be fine," Tiffany rejoined, perfectly certain.

"Yeah, I'm sure if it was too conta