[Reviews - 719] Liked
Summary:

"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." (Isaiah 40:4)

Single parenthood to a traumatised child, a lingering wrist injury, and a nerve-wracking return to orchestra life - Carol isn't sure she's ready to cope with any of it, especially when someone she hoped was gone from her life makes a re-entry; but she finds unexpected solace in the passageways of the concert hall, in the person of a reticent artist completing a carving across the back of the stage.


Rated: E
Categories: Alternate Universe
Characters: Carol Peletier, Daryl Dixon, Ed Peletier, Sophia Peletier
Genres: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Warnings: Adult Language, Child Abuse, Domestic Abuse (Actual), Domestic Abuse (Implied), Rape (Implied), Sexual Situations
Series: None
Chapters: 87 Completed: Yes
Word count: 388875 Read: 31760
Published: February 26, 2022 Updated: September 07, 2022



Print or Download Story: Printer Microsoft Word ePub eBook
Story Notes:

This story features past and present Ed, as well as Merle, and will as a result contain abusive language as well as behaviour, including homophobia, disability hate speech, and more. Please read with care.

I'm about to finish my first AU and I'm having lots and lots of feelings about it. This is my antidote. Let me know if you think you might be able to get invested in this world, and I'll carry on.

If you'd like to listen to Handel's Messiah, I recommend this version and this version alone: https://open.spotify.com/album/0QV1DgQvZiis3KzaBb1g6m?si=Iwqbhj6jRYOGztqVVLKR3g (The Christopher Hogwood recording with The Academy of Ancient Music)

Here is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus_and_Eurydice

This is the painting Daryl uses as an inspiration for his own design: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Roddam_Spencer_Stanhope_-_Orpheus_and_Eurydice_on_the_Banks_of_the_Styx,_1878.jpg

I am not a doctor of medicine, and I do not know anything about wood carving, so I am relying on research for those elements of this story. I am a musician, so I'm drawing on nostalgia and experience for those sections, but I haven't played in an ensemble for many years and anything that looks like informed musical description is me playing the relevant movement on repeat and writing what it sounds like.

The closest concert hall to Peachtree City is in Atlanta; the one in this story is invented, and most of it is based, visually, on the Cape Town City Hall, because that's the one I know best and I am nothing if not lazy when it comes to research.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

1. Chapter 1 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 34] Liked (4582 words)

I've rated this E as a pre-emptive move because we all know it's going there eventually.

Please note the warnings and assume they apply to every chapter.

Thank you for giving this a try, and please let me know what you think, lovely readers.

2. Chapter 2 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 5] Liked (4245 words)

Thank you for reading the first chapter, and for your lovely reviews - I appreciate you Heart 

I am updating the story description and warnings as I go, because I'm feeling my way somewhat. Please check them before reading, in case you'd like to duck out, and assume warnings apply to every chapter.

3. Chapter 3 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 10] Liked (4540 words)

Thank you for reading, you tiny bunch of faithful people ;) And thank you for reviewing.

TW: use of disability hate speech.

4. Chapter 4 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (3673 words)

I'm so sorry it's taken a while to update this - it has been a WEEK, and there has been no time to write.

Thank you for your lovely reviews, and for reading. I hope to update again soon.

TW for mentions of child abuse.

5. Chapter 5 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4291 words)

Thank you for your reviews, which are like manna from the gods, and for reading. I know this is slow-paced and solemn, but hopefully not to a tedious degree.

Warnings apply to this chapter as they likely will to all of them. 

Thank you for reading, good people Heart

6. Chapter 6 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4333 words)

Please note that the warnings and characters for this story have been updated, and the story notes have also been edited to include new information. Please also note that going forward I will not be posting specific trigger warnings for each chapter; triggers are implied by the overall warnings for the story. If I veer wildly from what's indicated there, I will post a warning at the start of the chapter. For the rest, caveat emptor.


Thank you for reading, and for your reviews, which I receive with lingering gratitude and delight. Buckle up.

7. Chapter 7 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (3857 words)

Thank you for your lovely, thoughtful and thought-provoking reviews Heart And thank you for reading.

8. Chapter 8 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4078 words)

Thank you for reading, and for posting reviews which take me through the full gamut of emotions before breakfast, good folk of Nine Lives.

I'm never sure whether to say "I hope you enjoy this chapter", because it always reminds of the things that aren't at all enjoyable therein; so I will simply say "I hope you keep reading after this chapter".

9. Chapter 9 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 11] Liked (5046 words)

Thank you for reading, and for reviewing.

Warnings apply. If you've forgotten them, please check again before reading.

It occurred to me that I could explain musical terms where necessary, so with reference to this chapter and the previous one: vibrato is (primarily) a rapid wrist movement used by string players, predominantly on long notes, to create texture - it's that "wavy" sound you can hear. A trill is what it sounds like, but it is created on a string instrument by lifting and lowering the relevant finger very quickly against the string. 

Carol plays Mozart's violin sonata no. 26 in B-flat major; I'm putting it here instead of in the end notes in case you want to listen to it in real time ;) It's lovely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XoB72n4JB0

10. Chapter 10 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4728 words)

Thank you for sticking with this, and for your reviews on the last chapter, which reassured me enormously. Occasionally I wish I tended more towards lightness and fluff in my writing; but I never have, and likely never will (although I assure you I'm super fun and not remotely grim in person, curiously ;))

TW in the end notes if you would like to check.

11. Chapter 11 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4622 words)

Your reviews are deeply appreciated - thank you for taking the time to comment, whether critically or with compliments and thoughts. There is no other fiction writing experience that I can think of as dynamic as fanfic, where one can get feedback from readers in real time, and it is tremendously invigorating and motivating to do so. Thank you.

I've tried to give everyone a break in this chapter, because the last few have been a lot. Thank you for reading.

12. Chapter 12 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (3866 words)

I really enjoyed writing this one, which is true of many of the previous chapters too, but this one fell nicely between those chapters that just appear on the page almost faster than I can type, and the ones that stubbornly refuse to make themselves known to me. This one made me wait and then at 5am, much like a baby in utero, it decided it was coming.

Thank you so much for reading, and for your kind and considered reviews. I love reading them, which I always do more than once.

13. Chapter 13 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4994 words)

It's a miracle I am getting this out before midnight my time (I've got twenty minutes to go at the time of posting); it has been a day of heavy distraction and family responsibilities. Thank you for your patience!

Thank you also for your reviews Heart

14. Chapter 14 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (3971 words)

I'm having a regrettably heavy work week, and my body has somehow realised that I haven't been sleeping enough - apologies for no chapter yesterday, and apologies in advance for what will likely be a day or so before the next one.

Thank you for reading, and for your considerate and considered reviews. I appreciate them.

15. Chapter 15 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4193 words)

Thank you for your patience on this one; and apologies to those of you who saw, with indignation, that I posted a one shot yesterday when I was allegedly working. It happened by accident Embarrassed

Warnings apply. Thank you for reading, and your reviews make more of a difference than you know - please leave me one if you're enjoying this.

16. Chapter 16 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4673 words)

Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging reviews - they are the highlight of each day.

This is a bit of a monster, but I wanted to deal with a few things. If you did not need trigger warnings outside of the overall story warnings for previous chapters, you will be fine with this one; but otherwise there is a TW in the end notes.

It's late here and I'm posting through bleary eyes - please forgive any lingering errors, as I may fall asleep during my post-posting proof.

17. Chapter 17 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4800 words)

Thank you for your reviews, which always make me think, and keep me motivated. And thank you for reading.

If you're finding this a hard read, there is no harm in taking a break for some fluff. We're in the thick of it right now. Characters keep crying. 

18. Chapter 18 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4676 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews - I feel very fortunate to be reviewed by such generous and insightful readers, and I look forward to your reviews, hopefully, whenever I post.

Rosin, which I have mentioned before without explanation, is liquid resin that has been heated until it solidifies. It is used to allow the horse hair of the violin bow to grip the strings rather than slipping, thereby creating sound. It is enthusiastically applied before every practice or performance, and practice rooms always smell of rosin. It also puffs off your bow in sticky clouds when you first touch the string, and leaves residue on the wood of the violin which needs to be cleaned off it.

19. Chapter 19 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4362 words)

Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm going to reply to reviews tomorrow morning because it's almost midnight here and I have still to do a final proof before posting, but please know I have read each one more than once, and thought about them.

I intended, abstractly, for this to be a lighter chapter, but, well...

20. Chapter 20 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4458 words)

Thank you for reading this far, and for your reviews. When I started this fic, I anticipated it moving faster than this (laughs wildly), but, well, it didn't. I appreciate you sticking with it.

A reminder that the warnings for this story are in the story notes, and apply throughout.

21. Chapter 21 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (3970 words)

Your reviews, and the fact of your reading, continue to bring me great joy and encouragement - thank you all for being lovely people.

22. Chapter 22 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4038 words)

Praise be for Saturday mornings with no plans, when I can write without moving for hours. Thank you for reading, and for your reviews. I know it's hard, in a story this slow moving, in which you have to wait for installments, to trust that I know where I'm going; but I do - at least I know where I'm headed, and I'm letting my lizard brain piece the rest together from research and contemplation and the one or two future plot points which I do actually know. That's probably not reassuring at all, but I'm only here to tell a story, not soothe you.

23. Chapter 23 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 10] Liked (4669 words)

Thank you for reading and reviewing. This chapter came out of nowhere (my lizard brain, actually, let's give it credit), and I enjoyed writing it with the kind of dizzy, intense enjoyment that comes along once in a fortunate while. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Warnings apply as always.

24. Chapter 24 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4736 words)

There was a delay on this one, because regrettably I had to work my actual job for a bit, with great resentment. 

Thank you for reading the slowest burn in history (we're 100k words in, I see). I will make it worth your while. In the mean time, your reviews are helpful and encouraging and motivating. Thank you.

Lots of movement here, which I don't usually enjoy writing, but this time I did :) I hope you enjoy reading it.

25. Chapter 25 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (3868 words)

Trigger warning in the end notes for an issue not covered by the story warnings. Its appearance is minor, and brief, and expresses potential rather than actuality, but I am including the TW to be safe. Likely, if you've made it this far, you won't need it.

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews. I have a one-shot brewing, and may write that tomorrow if it's ready, so forgive me if there's a short delay before the next chapter of this.

26. Chapter 26 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (3907 words)

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, and for sharing your thoughts about pacing and the emotional trajectory here Heart

This chapter TRIED me, because I thought it was going one way and it went another.

27. Chapter 27 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4521 words)

Thank you for reading and reviewing, lovely people.

I'd like to take a moment to say I am aware, increasingly, of the utter stupidity of naming chapters after movements of The Messiah, but I am COMMITTED to it, by gum, and I can justify every choice if you give me a minute. 

Warnings apply.

28. Chapter 28 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4572 words)

Thank you for reading, and please write a review if you're here and enjoying this :) Or if you need to cuss me out for something, that's okay too.

29. Chapter 29 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 12] Liked (4809 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your kind and thought-provoking reviews. I appreciate them greatly, and will answer them tomorrow, as I am proofing this chapter for a final time before bedtime with a headache :)

This chapter nearly killed me, took HOURS longer than it should have to write, and by the time I finally finished it, I could not remember how it had started, which made editing it quite thrilling. Please have mercy in your reviews.

30. Chapter 30 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4424 words)

Reviewers, I salute you and I thank you - there was a sudden influx of reviews for the last chapter, which was exactly what I needed to recover from writing it ;) And I cannot adequately express what a difference your one or two encouraging sentences make. Thank you.

You'll know by now how much I love subordinate clauses, and the opening sentence of this chapter is a masterwork of subordination. Somehow I couldn't bring myself to improve it Wink

31. Chapter 31 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4448 words)

Thank you for your reviews, which read increasingly like therapy for my anxiety. I shall endeavour to be less needy, but in the mean time I appreciate very much both your patience and your consideration.

This is not an easy chapter, but the Christmas good times which I'm hoping I will be capable of writing next have to be earned with relentless angst.

32. Chapter 32 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4378 words)

This was supposed to be the Christmas chapter, but it's Christmas Eve instead. I'm hoping to post Christmas later today, but otherwise tomorrow. Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter - some of them made me go back and reread it with fresh eyes, which is always a lovely thing to be able to do. 

I made a conscious effort to hold back the angst here (this is me trying, I promise), even though my brain kept throwing random, terrible thoughts at me.  

33. Chapter 33 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (3801 words)

Thank you for your reviews, which are wonderful and reassuring and brighten my day endlessly. And thank you for reading. Merry Christmas.

34. Chapter 34 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4276 words)

Thank you for reading, and for the lovely reviews - new reviewers keep popping out of the woodwork and each time one does I squawk excitedly. I appreciate for different reasons both the reviewers who post consistently (I rely on them at this stage, unhealthily, no doubt...) and those who appear in flashes to leave lovely comments, always perfectly timed for my bad days. So thank you, all of you, and also the silent readers Heart

Writing this chapter was like coming home. I don't think festive holidays are my forte.

35. Chapter 35 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 11] Liked (4178 words)

Don't read this until you've finished your Easter celebrations, as the holiness of the festival will be soiled by what follows ;) Thank you for your lovely reviews, and for reading this far, and waiting so very long for there to be any satisfying development. I'm really enjoying having reached this point, and I hope you are too.

Warnings apply. 

36. Chapter 36 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4399 words)

Thank you so much for the lovely reviews on the last chapter, which was a joy to write. I appreciate all the feedback more than I can say Heart

Thank you for reading.

37. Chapter 37 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4578 words)

TW in the end notes for the opening section of this chapter. If you would like to skip it, read from the first row of xxxx.

Thank you for reading and reviewing Heart

38. Chapter 38 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4298 words)

Thank you for reading this far, and for your reviews. I love hearing what you're enjoying, or what you're worried about.

39. Chapter 39 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4262 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews Heart

40. Chapter 40 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 13] Liked (4331 words)

Thank you for your encouraging and kind reviews. I appreciate them immensely, and I eat them for breakfast.

Not a day goes by that I do not regret this ridiculous chapter naming system, and the day is coming when I will change them all to numbers. It may be tomorrow, in fact.

41. Chapter 41 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 15] Liked (4487 words)

Your reviews on the last chapter will feed me for days - thank you so much for posting them, and for being invested enough in this story for a twist to matter. And thank you for reading Heart

42. Chapter 42 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 12] Liked (4143 words)

Your reviews on the last chapter moved and encouraged me. Thank you for so freely providing feedback and support.

 

43. Chapter 43 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4504 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews on the last chapter, and my apologies if you were freshly upset by it but I could only fit so much in ;) Here - take this one Heart

44. Chapter 44 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 13] Liked (4436 words)

I'm sorry about the delay before this chapter, and for not having the means to let you know that I had not abandoned this story - the shoutbox on this site is (rightly) not allowed to be used for private fic announcements. More in the end notes.

I wrote this in fragments, feeling like a whole different person, so if the writing is stilted and awkward in places, please forgive me.

45. Chapter 45 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4495 words)

Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, and for sharing your heartbreak with me as well as your enthusiasm for continuing to read fanfic here Heart

46. Chapter 46 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4177 words)

It has been a week (*laughs hysterically*). I am sorry for the wait for this one. 

Thank you for your reviews, and shout out to everyone else who was on Twitter last weekend making waves.

47. Chapter 47 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 11] Liked (6128 words)

This nearly went up yesterday, but it turned into a whopper and I ran out of time, so here it is today instead. Thank you for your reviews and encouragement, which I appreciate more than ever at the moment.

I haven't reminded you for a while, but story warnings always apply.

48. Chapter 48 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 10] Liked (4084 words)

Thank you so much for reading, and for the lovely and kind reviews here and on other platforms. You, and they, are much appreciated.

I am posting this through a thick fog of sinus stuffiness, and will answer reviews tomorrow or whenever I next post (possibly not tomorrow because I have to work my actual job - the audacity).

49. Chapter 49 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4744 words)

This chapter has been edited to within an inch of its life and then a section was rewritten during the proofing stage, so please forgive any lingering errors, as well as the delay in posting, which was due to illness and work.

Onwards and upwards, or else lie down and cry - I support you in either.

50. Chapter 50 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (5329 words)

Thank you so much for your patience, and for your encouragement to keep writing this. This is me blowing a little party horn for Chapter 50. I appreciate you all more than I can say.

51. Chapter 51 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] (4044 words)

Thank you for your reviews, lovely Carylers, and for reading. 

52. Chapter 52 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4738 words)

Thank you for your lovely and thoughtful reviews. They are my crack during a time sadly lacking in sources of crack.

This chapter would have been up sooner, but I had a small crisis and repeatedly deleted sections of it. More on that in the end notes.

53. Chapter 53 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4383 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your considerate feedback on the last chapter - it helped, and though I struggled to get going with this one, it came easily once I started.

54. Chapter 54 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 5] (3928 words)

Thank you for reboarding the angst train with me, and for your reviews, which unfailingly delight and entertain me.

55. Chapter 55 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] (5782 words)

I am so so sorry it has taken me so long to update this. My work life is a nightmare at the moment, and I hate that I have so little time to write. The nightmare will only last 2-3 weeks, but in the mean time thank you for sticking with this, and please don't give up on me. I know a lot of the appeal of this story is the relatively fast updates, and I am sorry to rob you of those for a time.

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews Heart This chapter has some awkward spots, but if I do another edit it's going to take even longer to post, so...

56. Chapter 56 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] (4757 words)

I have regained my mojo, just in time to lose it again next week! ;) Thank you for your lovely reviews, and for reading what was a ridiculously long chapter. Here's the next one.

57. Chapter 57 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] (4279 words)

Thank you so much for your reviews, and for reading Heart I managed to get most of this written yesterday, which is how I'm posting on a Monday :) 

This is a good time to remind you that story warnings apply, although if you've read this far you're so jaded that you're not even blinking any more at the horror.

58. Chapter 58 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4128 words)

Thank you if you're still around for this chapter, after an endless wait. I hate not having time to write in the week, and when I wrote today I realised I'd lost momentum and it took time to regain that if only for the day. Not too much longer before I'll have more time though. Thank you, too, for your reviews on the last chapter, which were, as always, very much appreciated.

59. Chapter 59 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] (4455 words)

Thank you for your reviews, and your patience, and the lovely, thoughtful dms. I appreciate you all, and this week has been relentlessly rubbish because I have not been able to write.

When you read this chapter, please consider it a kind of warm-up - I have lost momentum and my writing muscles are stiff and cold, and this is the less than amazing product. I'll be warmed up in a day or two. *cracks knuckles*

As always, thank you for reading.

60. Chapter 60 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (5075 words)

My intentions to update more quickly this week were thwarted by clients, but it is with IMMENSE delight that I post this chapter. Thank you for reading, and please review - Nine Lives feels like a desolate and lonely place at the moment (I say, well aware that I've been somewhat absent myself...)

61. Chapter 61 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4192 words)

Hell month at work concluded this morning, so here's hoping I can once more find a routine for writing. Thank you for your reviews, and your patience Heart

62. Chapter 62 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (5142 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews. It's been lovely knowing there are still readers here, and also seeing more writers posting this week Heart Onwards and upwards, or at least onwards.

63. Chapter 63 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4438 words)

Your random reminder that WARNINGS APPLY.

I keep thinking this will be the chapter without any smut and then...it's not. It took a long time to get here, and they've earned it and I'm inflicting it on you.

We're entering the legal section of this fic, and while I can assure you I am doing detailed research (and thanks to @gunmetal-ring for her help with this), there are very likely to be simplifications or outright errors in my representation of all things legal. If you're a lawyer or just someone who knows these things, please suspend your disbelief and forgive the errors, which are all mine.

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews Heart

64. Chapter 64 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4459 words)

Thank you for reading and for your reviews. We're boarding the angst train again. 

65. Chapter 65 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 5] Liked (4194 words)

Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, which absolutely delighted me Heart Warnings for much, uh, intimacy in this one.

66. Chapter 66 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (5211 words)

Thank you for your reviews, which are always and forever appreciated, and which still excite me no end when they arrive in my inbox.

A reminder, again, that I know nothing except what the internet has told me about how American courts run, and how the law works, and a plea to suspend your disbelief if I misapply legal terms or their relevance. I've read a lot of legal websites this week, but, you know, that's a kind of very bare minimum.

67. Chapter 67 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] (4993 words)

Thank you for your rich and generous reviews on the first trial chapter, and thank you for the necessary suspension of disbelief. I ask you to exercise it again here as regards my knowledge of the US legal system and the courts.

Trigger Warning for this chapter for mention of sexual assault, and more specifically for courtroom testimony and cross examination of a sexual assault victim.

68. Chapter 68 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4974 words)

Thank you for reading, and for your reviews, which I appreciate more than I can say. I know this is hard going at the moment, and I'm sorry for that, particularly given the state of the fandom; but it's to get us somewhere better ultimately. Thank you for sticking with me, and if you can't right now, then I hope you come back eventually Heart

69. Chapter 69 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4325 words)

Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter, which I appreciated immensely. This one is all in pieces, which has made me twitchy, but here it is nonetheless. Thank you for reading.

70. Chapter 70 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4089 words)

Thank you so much for the feedback via reviews here and comments on other platforms--it makes a world of difference to my motivation, and I know how hard it can be to think of something to say, so those of you who've been reviewing for 69 chapters, you have my awe and respect as well as my gratitude ;)

This chapter involved a fair bit of wrestling, and I fear some bruising remains--hoping the next one will cohere better.

71. Chapter 71 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 5] Liked (4758 words)

Writing courtroom scenes feels increasingly like walking a tightrope and asking you all to follow me (the tightrope is your disbelief, suspended very high above the hard ground of reality...). Thank you for doing so, and thank you for your reviews, which feeeeed me.

72. Chapter 72 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] (4135 words)

Thank you for reading and reviewing. Here's a brief interlude out of court.

73. Chapter 73 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4290 words)

Thank you for your patience for this one. Every time there is a fandom event of any kind--in this case, SDCC--my writing is disrupted because I lose sleep and time and find myself wandering outside of my own fic world, confused and out of sync with it. This chapter will reflect that, alas, but I'll warm up again.

Thank you for your lovely, encouraging reviews, and your kindness on every platform regarding this story Heart

74. Chapter 74 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4225 words)

Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, and for reading. I intended this to be out on Monday, but I've got a(nother) head cold and it feels like I have narcolepsy--every time I try to focus on words I nod off.

 

75. Chapter 75 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] (4785 words)

Not the most structurally sound of chapters, but I'd rather post it now than spend another day fiddling. We're nearly through the courtcase. Thank you for reading, and for your reviews, which are hugely appreciated. 

76. Chapter 76 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4343 words)

Thank you for your reviews, and for reading, and for your patience. I appreciate you all. This chapter make require more suspension of courtroom disbelief than usual.

77. Chapter 77 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (5026 words)

Thank you for your reviews, which continue, particularly at this very advanced stage, to be hugely appreciated and the highlight of my days.

78. Chapter 78 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4560 words)

Your reviews are sustaining me--thank you, particularly if you've been posting them for 77 chapters already. I appreciate them so very much.

79. Chapter 79 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 9] Liked (4246 words)

Thank you for your therapy-via-review, kind readers. Thank you Heart

Warnings apply to this chapter.

80. Chapter 80 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4326 words)

I had such lovely reviews on the last chapter, including some from readers who hadn't reviewed before, and it made my entire week--thank you so so much Heart 

81. Chapter 81 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 6] Liked (4334 words)

Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter. I want to reassure you that we are moving forward, and towards the end, and not looping back into some kind of trauma hellscape.

Not a lot of actual plot in this one, soz... 

82. Chapter 82 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4131 words)

Thank you for still being here 81 chapters in and if you aren't, I hope you left after a chapter that ended happily Laughing Thank you, too, for your reviews, which continue to bring me great joy and also much food for thought.

83. Chapter 83 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (7282 words)

This is a whopper--I wanted the whole opening in a single chapter. You'll see I've labelled the artworks, but those labels are an approximation of actual labels at a show--I have not listed size (because that was a step too far for me...) or price. The descriptions of the artworks differ in length/content too, depending on what's been covered earlier in the story.

Daryl's year of birth and the year of the exhibition are, you will see, different to the show, because I had to take into account everything else about their context (technology, for example) when figuring this out.

Thank you for your reviews, which keep me fed, and for your kindness and generosity on other platforms too Heart

84. Chapter 84 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 8] Liked (4727 words)

The end is nigh, friends. I don't know exactly how many more chapters, but not many. Thank you for reading and for your wonderful reviews on the last chapter--I loved them.

Warnings apply, lest you somehow got to this point without realising that ;)

85. Chapter 85 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 7] Liked (4067 words)

Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, and for your patience for this one Heart

86. Chapter 86 by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 5] Liked (3986 words)

This would have been up sooner, but it turned from one chapter into two, and then life kept getting in the way, and I wanted to make sure I was covering everything I needed to. This is the last full chapter of The Rough Places, and it will be followed a little later today by the Epilogue.

Thank you for your reviews on the previous chapter Heart

87. Epilogue by Lighteneverything [Reviews - 16] Liked (3090 words)

I posted two chapters today--this is the second. If you haven't read chapter 86 yet, please read that first x

Thank you for reaching this point with me. I hope you feel I've done the characters and the story justice. And thank you to @pob61 for some wildlife inspiration in this epilogue.

I borrowed some quotes about violin playing (in italics) from assorted reviews of Nigel Kennedy, the links for which I failed to note down--my apologies.