⋆° დ ༄ UNTIL THERE WAS YOU
chapter twenty five. daydream believer.

"Son of a bitch is toying with us" Voight says as he, Erin and Sam walk onto the unit and are met with Jay.

"He knew we were tracking his phone" Sam says, going over to her desk, "He left it in the basement, next to a lighter and nail polish"

"Fin, Ruzek and Amaro are still tearing the house apart" Lindsay states.

"We had eyes on him less than an hour ago, he couldn't have gone far" Jay says, "We have alerts on his car, his IPASS, his credit cards"

"Look, everybody is in on this. Have Nadia set up a civilian hotline" Hank says, turning around towards Nadia's desk with no Nadia at it, "Where is she? Where's Nadia?"

Jay looks at the post it on his computer, "She had to run an errand. She borrowed your car, Erin"

"An errand?" Erin questions, picking up her desk phone.

"She went to pick up your birthday cake" Sam says, "It was supposed to be a surprise"

"Straight to voicemail" Lindsay says and Hank opens a cabinet draw and slams it.

~~~

"Alright, tell me you got something" Voight asks Roman and Burgess, as they walk onto the unit.

"We found Yates' car parked across from the district. CSU is tearing it apart and there was..." Roman starts to say.

"What?" Lindsay asks.

"There was a smashed birthday cake on the ground. No other sign of Nadia" Burgess says.

Now all Sam can think about is how this is all her fault. She agreed to meet with Yates. She was his alibi for the house fire, where another woman was killed and he knew they would find the address for the empty apartment and how he would have enough time to kidnap Nadia and if something happens to her, Sam won't be able to forgive herself.

"Okay, he snatched her right off the street. There's gotta be witnessess" Voight says.

"Patrol is still canvassing" Roman says, "Also checking on traffic and security cams"

"This isn't on you or Erin" Jay tells his girlfriend who is staring blankly into space, as Erin walks over to them.

"I was his alibi and he had enough time to kidnap Nadia when she was vulnerable enough getting Erin's birthday cake"

"We don't know anything yet" Jay states.

"We know she didn't just take off, Jay" Erin says, "She's in trouble, we gotta find her"

"Alright, lets just not panic until we know" Jay says, as Voight interrupts them. "Hey, we know He has her"

"Guys, we may have a hit on Lindsay's plates. East side headed towards Calumet Park" Roman says.

"Did they stop the car?" Erin asks.

"Lost it in traffic. Reported a man driving and a woman in the front seat"

"Come on, lets go" Hank says, as Erin, Sam and Jay grab their coats and leave following after Burgess and Roman.

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Five patrol officer cars plus two intelligence cars pull over Lindsay's car and everyone gets out with their guns drawn walking towards it.

"Get out of the car Yates! Hands up!" Voight yells.

"Suspect is emerging" Roman says.

"Nice and slow, buddy. Nice and slow" Burgess says.

A guy slowly gets out of the vehicle with his hands raised. "What the hell? Hey, don't shoot"

"It's okay, just get down" Sam tells the guy.

"Son of a bitch switched the plates" Lindsay says.

"Got a mom and two kids" Roman states.

"Yeah, otherwise the vehicles clear" Burgess adds.

"Sir, where are you coming from?" Sam asks.

"Uh, Pennsylvania. My mother in laws"

"Okay, when was the last time you stopped?" Hank questions.

"Rest stop in Indiana for dinner. Outside Elkhart"

"Oh my god" Voight says.

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"Jay, I'm going" Sam says, stuffing some of her clothes into her duffle.

"Voight and Lindsay have it under control. You're pregnant, you need to stay here with me"

"What I need to do is help find Nadia" Sam says, going into the bathroom and grabbing her essentials.

"And what if something happens to you and the baby, huh?"

"Nothing is going to happen. It's my fault she was even kidnapped"

"No it wasn't" Jay says, walking over to his girlfriend and wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Sam zips up her duffle and grabs her coat. "I'm going and if you don't understand, then that's not my problem" then said girl leaves the apartment with tears in her eyes, including Jay who wipes his away.

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Abandoned Shipyard
305 West 216th street
Monday April 13th

"Alright, what do we got?" Voight asks Olivia. "We just got here"

"A sanitation truck spotted him. It's not exactly public parking" Amanda Rollins says.

"It's mine" Erin says, as she and Sam look away from the car, while the others search it, hoping there's no body.

"Nothing. No body" Fin states and the two girls turn around and join the others as Sergeant Benson pulls out a bloody scarf.

"I gave her that scarf" Erin states.

"She left it for us to find" Voight says.

"So, she could still be alive" Erin says, hopeful.

"Okay, there's no way he walked out of here" Olivia says, "Okay? We're gonna get more units, K-9s, cadets. Check to see if there's any reports of stolen vehicles. We're gonna get him"

Sam pulls Erin into a hug, when she notices tears in her eyes.

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Sam, Hank and Erin walk over to Olivia and Amanda at a crime scene, where medics are wheeling someone away on a stretcher.

"Was it Yates?" Voight asks.

"Could've been. There were two vics, one DOA, a slender brunette with long hair" Benson answers.

"Was the other one Nadia?" Lindsay asks.

"No. It was a flight attendant sharing an apartment. Brutally beaten. He left behind sap. Cracked their skulls. Both sexually assaulted"

"She a witness?" Voight aks, referring to the lady Carisi and Roxanne ( Sam's cousin) is talking to.

"The perp helped her with her bags as she left the courtyard" Liv answers.

"Time?" Voight asks.

"About half an hour ago. Her apartments across from the girls. Their door was ajar, she called it in" Rollins answers.

"Mind if I help?" Sam asks and Olivia nods her head and Sam walks over to Carisi, her cousin and the older woman.

"It was a nightmare, they were so young"

"Ma'am, you said that the man you saw was white, in his 40s?" Sonny asks, holding up a tablet with multiple pictures on it.

"Him, maybe" the lady says, pointing to a picture, then points to the picture of Yates, "Or him"

"Did you see which way he went?" Sam questions, "Was he on foot? Did he get into a car?"

"I just remember he had the nicest smile"

"Okay, thank you ma'am" Roxanne says as she, Carisi and Sam walk back over to Amanda and Olivia.

"If he did this to these two, where the hell is Nadia?"

"Did she ID him?" Benson asks.

"Sort of" Sonny says.

"Not much else though" Sam adds.

"Okay, so thirty minutes, he could have hopped on the subway, he could've stolen another car" Rollin says.

"Or, there's a reason that he's in this neighborhood" Olivia states, "Find out if there's anything from his past that ties him to Elmhurst"

~~~

"I'm gonna kill this animal" Voight says, walking out from the apartment complex and meeting up with Olivia, Sam and Amanda on the street.

"Any sign of forced entry?" Sergeant Benson asks and Hank shakes his head no, "So he charmed his way in. That's his MO"

"Yes and no. Leaving the door open, the bodies in situ, the weapon" Rollin says.

"Your point?" Hank says.

"He's decompensating. He's getting sloppy or he knows we're closing in on him and this is his final spree"

"Hey Sarg" Sonny says as he and Erin run towards the group, "Yates got a parking ticket back in 2004, three blocks from here"

"Fin and Amaro are on their way there now" Lindsay adds.

"Okay, flood the zone" Olivia says.

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23-54 96th street
East Elmhurst, Queens
Monday April 13th

"Unis canvassed the block" Fin says, as Hank, Sam and Erin follow him to a house with their guns drawn, "Neighbor saw a male, white, Yates' age and height follow a woman into this house"

"Hit it" Amaro says to the ESU team, who slams the door open. "NYPD!"

"Everybody down" Fin shouts.

"You can't just come in here like that" Yates says, as he sits at a table with a brunette woman.

"Where is she?" Voight asks.

"She who? What is this about?"

Voight grabs onto Yates' collar and slams him against the wall, while the others still have their guns drawn at him.

"Where's Nadia?" Voight asks again.

"I don't know"

"Sergeant, back off. We got him. Back off" Amaro says, turning Yates around and handcuffing him.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Lindsay asks.

"I'm fine, we're having lunch. What is this?" She says.

"You know this guy?" Fin asks, pointing at Yates.

"Greg? He's my fiance"

Everyone stares at each other in shock.

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Back at the unit, Sam and Amaro interrogate Yates' fiance, Susie.

"Greg and I have been involved, on and off, for nineteen years. We met while he was at medical school"

"Right. At Duke" Nick states.

"Yes, I was a freshman. We moved to New York together"

"That's a long time. When did you two get engaged?" Sam asks.

"Just today, actually"

Amaro and Sam give each other a look then put their attention back on Susie.

"He never wanted to commit, he's a bit of a rolling stone, but that kind of worked for me too"

"Did you ever live together?" Sam asks.

"No, I guess we both needed our space"

"You ever wonder why he needed his space?" Nick questions.

"He's a doctor. He's busy with his practice. He needs to unwind. He likes to take hikes, he rides his bike, he goes rock climbing.."

"Alright, Susie...uh, Greg Yates is not who you think he is" Nick says, opening up a file and taking out photos of the victims and showing them to Susie, "Look, these girls went missing at Duke, and New York, New Orleans, Chicago. Girls who were raped, bludgeoned, burned, all while Greg was living in those cities" Nick then shows Susie photos of his latest victims.

"No, no that is not possible" Susie says, standing up.

"This is where he was right before he came to your apartment. Look at it. He bludgeoned this girl to death and that one's brain damaged"

"You're lying to me"

"Am I?"

"Susie, why do you think I'm here? He kidnapped a girl from Chicago and we tracked him here"

"No"

Sam takes out a photo of Nadia from a file and shows it to the brunette, "Nadia. He has her. She's my friend" Sam takes out another photo to show her and a receipt, "On the drive here, he bought an ice pick and a shovel at a rest stop with a stolen credit card"

"We found this in his car" Amaro says, showing Susie a photo of all the things that were in his trunk, "Along with her blood and his DNA"

"Now, I know you're lying" Susie says, "He was at the beach. A special place he likes to go, he told me so. He had sand in his shoes, that's why I asked him about it. He said he'd gone there to meditate. He decided he was going to ask me to marry him, while sitting on that beach"

"What beach, Susie" Sam asks, with tears in her eyes.

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Pelham Bay Park
Bronx
Monday April 13th

Sergeant Benson gathered half of the NYPD just to search the beach, looking for Nadia or anything they can find.

"Susie said Yates sometimes took her to the main beach in the summer" Carisi says.

"There's no bodies out here. It's to public" Voight states.

"You're right. This place is mobbed in the summer" Nick agrees.

"Yates did speculate that the killer liked to come back and visit" Rollins says.

"Maybe they're both playing us" Lindsay suggests.

"'Someplace sacred' search the woods" Benson says and the team follows her.

~~~

"Hey Sarg!" Jay yells and the team walks over to Jay and Amaro, who found a body.

Sams heart completely falls to her stomach and she can't hold back the tears anymore and they fall down her face as Jay pulls his girlfriend into a hug.

'Nadia is dead and it's all my fault' Sam thinks to herself.

"This is not your fault, baby" Jay says and Sam looks up at him,"You didn't have to say it. I already know what you're thinking"

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Two days later...

Sam steps out of the hotel bathroom and wraps a towel around herself and looks into the mirror after wiping away the fogginess, then there's a knock at the door, which she ignores.

"Sammy" Jay says, opening the door, "Want to get some breakfast before court?"

"No, I'm fine"

"Sam, you haven't eaten in two days, that can't be good for the baby"

"Hey, here's three words for you. I don't care" Sam says, leaving the bathroom and over to her bed to pick out something to wear for court.

"Sam, come on, I know your upset about Nadia, so am I, but our baby needs to come first, no matter what"

"You wanna know who comes first right now, Nadia. Because she's dead Jay and it's all my fault"

"It's not your fault. It's Greg Yates' fault. You know that right?" Jay asks.

"What I do know is that, maybe if I had gone with Nadia to get the cake, when she asked me to before meeting with Yates then none of this would be happening"

Jay pulls his crying girlfriend into a hug and kisses her head. "Shh, this is not your fault, okay? We're going to catch his son of a bitch and he will get what he deserves"

"I'm so sorry, Jay"

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Supreme Court
Part 21
Wednesday April 15th

Hank, Jay, Sam along with the SVU team is sat in the court, listening to the trial beginning.

"As those autopsy and crime scene photos show. Nadia Decotis had been struck repeatedly by a heavy object in the head and chest suffering traumatic wounds pre mortem" Dr Warner explains, "She was strangled. There were also ligature marks on her wrists and ankles indicating she had been bound"

"Were there any signs of sexual assault?" Barba questions.

"Wounds and tears to her vagina and rectum indicating violent penetration"

"I see. Thank you" Barba says, then sits back in his seat as Yates stands up to question Doctor Warner -telling the judge earlier how he wanted to represent himself-.

"Doctor, forgive me, I-I'm new at this. Um, but those wounds of the vagina and rectum are those the kind of things you might see in the body of an active prostitute?"

"To some extent, but not..." Warner says, but Yates interrupts her. "To some extent. Nothing further"

~~~

"Nadia loved her job. She had really turned her life around, she was studying criminology to become a police officer. That was her dream" Lindsay says, now on the stand.

"Her dream. Did she ever tell you she wanted to throw it away and move to new york?" Barba asks.

"Absolutely not. When she disappeared, I knew something had happened to her" Lindsay answers.

"Objection" Yates says, "What the witness thinks she knows can't be evidence..."

"Sustained" Judge Elana Barth says.

"Detective Lindsay, when did you next see Miss Decotis?" Barba questions.

"When we found her body in a shallow grave"

Sam wipes her tears from her eyes, and when Jay sees this he intertwined his fingers with his girlfriend's and squeezes his hand to insure her that he's here for her.

"So something had happened to her. I'm very sorry" Barba says, then sits down so Yates can cross examine the detective.

"Detective Lindsay, did you meet miss Decotis through friends, at a party, a police benefit for widows and orphans?" Yates asks, sarcastically.

"Your honor.." Barba says.

"Ask your questions, Dr. Yates"

"Well, how did you meet Miss Decotis?"

"I arrested her"

"For what?" Yates questions.

"She was working as an escort"

"As a prostitute. Was she on drugs?"

"She was addicted to heroin when I arrested her. She really struggled for a time, but when she was ready she called and I brought her to rehab. She had been clean and sober ever since"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. We became roommates. I saw her everyday for a year"

"You sound very committed to her recovery. I can see how you'd hate to think that your little rescue project failed"

"Objection"

"Sustained. You're done, Dr. Yates"

~~~

"A forensic exam found DNA from miss Decotis and from the defendant in detective Lindsay's car. There was also blood from miss Decotis" Olivia says, now on the stand.

"When you questioned the defendant about that car, what did he say?" Barba asks.

"He claimed that miss decotis invited him to drive her here from Chicago"

"Did he offer any explanation for the presence of blood in her car?"

"No, he did not. Uh, he did, however, say he was sure that she must have suffered"

"No doubt. Thank you Sergeant Benson" Barba says, before returning to his seat.

"You don't like me, do you Sergeant?" Yates asks, getting up from his seat.

"Objection. Relevance"

"Sustained. Dr. Yates confine your questions to the case" Judge Barth orders.

"Okay, the case. Sergeant Benson you recently went to Chicago to investigate another rape, murder, and arson, didn't you?" Yates asks.

"Yes, I did"

"A murder similar to a case of yours from a dozen years ago in New York?"

"That's correct"

"And you were looking for one suspect in both of these murders?" Yates asks.

"Yes. You were that suspect"

"Well, you say that today, Sergeant. But before I was arrested you had another suspect in mind, didn't you?"

"I was consulting with Chicago PD. We were pursuing many leads"

"I see and from your investigative notes, was one of these leads a Dr. Will Halstead?" Yates questions.

"His name did come up"

"Really? Well, why did SVU speak with him?"

"Because he knew another woman who had gone missing"

"And did you suspect that the murderer you were looking for was involved in that case?" Yates questions.

"Yes"

"And then Dr. Halstead shows up in Chicago right before that murder, he even works in the same hospital as the Chicago victim"

"Yes, that's why I went and spoke with Dr. Halstead. He was ruled out by alibi"

"I see and that alibi was confirmed not by you, but by the intelligence unit of the chicago police, isn't that right?" Yates asks.

"Yes"

"A unit of the chicago police that includes Detective Jay Halstead who just so happens to be the brother of Dr. Will Halstead"

"Yes"

Jay's grip around Sam's hand tightens and said girl places a kiss on his shoulder.

"The suspects brother conveniently cleared your prime suspect and you let him go on his merry way while looking for someone else to charge with murder"

"Dr. Halstead was cleared because he didn't do it"

"Interesting. Did you ask him where he was at the time when Nadia Decotis went missing?" Yates asks.

"No we did not"

"I guess you didn't want to know"

"Objection" Barba says.

"Withdrawn. No more questions"

~~~

"My brother was in Chicago that day. We can fly in a dozen witnesses" Jay says, holding onto Sam's hand, as them, Lindsay, Fin, Amanda, Roxanne and Voight walk down the hall of the courthouse to the elevator.

"Then the trial becomes about Will and not Yates" Sam says.

"He's smart" Fin says.

"He's scum" Voight says.

"He knows what he's doing" Rollins says, as the group gets onto the elevator, "He gets off on the torture. Even in court"

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Supreme Court
Part 21
Thursday April 16th

"I ran into Nadia outside the police station" Yates says, now in the hot seat, "She warned me about the chicago pd. She said they were looking for a patsy"

"And that's when you decided to drive to New York with miss decotis?" Attorney Crane asks.

"No, I made that decision when she told me what they were doing to her"

"Which was what?"

"Her boss there, Sergeant Voight, was making her have sex with him"

"Objection. Hearsay" Barba says.

"It's key to my defense, your honor. I wasn't kidnapping her. I was trying to help her escape"

"What goes to your state of mind, I'll allow. Your testimony can only affect what you saw or experienced" Judge barth says.

"Why did you get into the car with Nadia Decotis, Dr. Yates?" Crane questions.

"I believed Sergeant Voight was raping her. She wanted to get away. I helped her drive. She was distraught at the abuse that she had suffered. She wanted to get high. I-I tried to talk her out of it"

"Did you succeed?"

"Oh, I wish, but as soon as we got to New York, she said that she was going to get a fix"

"Objection, hearsay"

"Sustained. Jury will disregard"

"What was your last impression on Nadia Decotis based on what you witnessed?" Crane asks and Yates looks at the jury. "She had a look in her eyes. A look I recognized from my medical practice. She was jonesing. I was afraid that she would prostitute herself to get the money to buy heroin. After all that is the life she knew. She got out of the car. I never saw her again"

"Thank you, sir" Crane says, taking her seat.

Sam and Erin look at each other in disbelief.

"So, uhm...Nadia Decotis told you she decided to flee Chicago?" Barba asks.

"That's right"

"Did she happen to tell you why she decided to go at that very moment, leaving behind two thousand dollars in a savings account, all her clothes and other belongings, her new friends she'd made, the narcotics anonymous group that she'd been attending faithfully?"

"She was desperate to get out. She didn't have her own car"

"That's not the question"

"She was supposed to go to a birthday party, but she knew..."

"Your honor"

"Jury will disregard. Dr. Yates, limit your testimony to answering only the questions you are asked" Judge Barth says.

"Did Miss decotis knows that the cpd considered you it's main suspect in a series of brutal rapes and murders?" Barba asks.

"Yes, but she also..."

"She knew her entire squad was looking for you? And yet she asked you, of all people to drive halfway across the country with her?" Barba asks, but before Yates could answer, Barba says, "Actually withdrawn. Nothing further"

"Redirect your honor" Yates asks.

"I'll allow"

"Dr. Yates, do you have anything more to add?" Crane asks.

"Yes, my impression of Nadia Decotis' emotional state when I got into the car with her was that she was under Sergeant Voights command. She was traumatized by him tying her..."

"Thank you Doctor. Nothing further" Crane says, trying to stop her client from talking anymore.

"...and brutally forcing himself inside her again and again.."

"Thank you doctor. Nothing further"

And there it is again. That look in Yates' eyes. The one Sam noticed when her and Amaro were interrogating him back in Chicago.

~~~

"Dr. Warner, I just have a few more questions about Miss Decotis' injuries" Barba says.

"Your honor, we've already heard from this M.E. The state concluded its case" Crane states.

"The defendant alleged the victim was a prostitute. I'm entitled to refute"

"Yes, you are. Proceed" Judge Barth says.

"Uhm, did you find evidence in Miss Decotis' body of multiple sexual partners" Barba asks, laying out the autopsy photos on his table for Yates to see on purpose.

"No. There was no DNA, and the condom lubricant I found in her vagina and rectum was the same brand"

"So, she was assaulted in both places by the same man?" Barba asks, leaving the table with the photos still fanned out on it.

"It's likely. Judging from the healing process, both penetrations occurred around the same time"

"Did you make a full catalog of miss Dicotis' injuries as shown in these autopsy photos"

"Yes, it was quite extensive"

"Thank you, doctor" Barba says, sitting down at his seat.

"Cross examine?" Barth asks.

"No" Crane says as Yates says. "Yes"

"Which is it?"

"Uh, yes, your honor. I, uh..." Yates clears his throat and standing from his seat, "I do have a few questions. May I examine those photos?"

"Absolutely" Barba says, handing the photos to Yates, who just stares at them.

"Dr. Yates, your questions" Barth asks.

"Yes, uh, doctor, could miss decotis' injuries have been caused by her prostitution?"

"It's unlikely. She was savaged"

"Savaged, you say? How so?" Yates asks.

"In addition to blunt trauma and strangulation there were cuts on her nipples and external genitalia"

"And her sphincter, was that torn?"

"Yes it was"

"Are these injuries, though not fatal, they would have been painful?"

"Very, she died a slow death" Warner says and Sam looks at the ground and Jay puts his arm around her.

"How long did she survive after the first attack started?" Yates asks.

"Thirty minutes. Maybe longer"

"And she would have been in agony all through it?"

"Mr Barba, not to put words in your mouth, but I'm willing to entertain an objection if you have one" Judge Barth asks.

"I'm fine, your honor"

Yates goes back over to the defendant's table and grabs the autopsy photos. "Doctor, was she in a lot of pain?"

"Yes, I'm sure she was" Warner answers then looks at the judge confused.

"Were there signs of a struggle?" Yates asks.

"Yes. The skin was torn around the ligature marks"

"What goes through a victim's head in their final moments?"

"Your honor, may I please speak with my client?" Crane asks.

"No, I'm not done here"

"A short recess"

"Sit down...back to Nadia. Would terror, the fear flooded her with adrenaline"

"I can't answer that"

"Would she have awareness for what was going on? Would she understand that these were the final moments for her life?" Yates smiles for a second and Warner doesn't answer, "Come on, Doctor, we are both medical people. Use your knowledge" Yates turns to look at the jury, "Or-or don't"

~~~

"Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" Judge Barth asks.

"We have your honor" A red headed lady says, standing up from her seat, "On the charge of rape and sodomy in the first degree, we find the defendant, Gregory Yates, guilty"

Sam sighs in relief.

"On the charge of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant, guilty"

Jay pulls Sam into a hug. "We got him"

"Dr. Yates, you will remain in custody pending sentencing"

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Both Intelligence and SVU head to a bar and celebrate Nadia's life.

"Nadia was family. We'll miss her" Jay says, as they take a moment of silence for her.

"To Nadia" Lindsay says, raising her glass.

"To Nadia" everyone says, clinking their glasses together.

Sam takes a sip of her water and lays her head on Jays shoulder and he wraps an arm around her and kisses the top of her head.

a/n;

To Nadia Decotis;

Everyone who watches Chicago PD misses you! 7 seasons is a long time without your wit and smile and you deserved so much better! 💘
&
There's only four more chapters left of the book :)) so buckle up and get ready for the time of your lives! lol