"Surprise!"

I open the door, and am greeted by thirty or forty some odd people, all in party decor, all cheering. It takes me nearly 30 seconds to realize that the surprise party is for me. Thirty seconds after that, when I realize why there is a party for me, I want to bury my head in my hands and sob. Instead, I am swept up into the arms of some gorgeous military man, like a maiden in some bad romance holo.

"Happy 50th birthday Mahalia!" He says says as he spins me around. Now I really am crying, not because I'm 50, but because the man who is holding me is Gellert, and I that means that everything is finally going to be very, very okay.

He puts me down and almost instantly I am surrounded. Friends and strangers alike converge on me, all of them wishing me happiness on a birthday that I shouldn't be having for another 18 years. I want to scream out, "But I'm only 32!" Then I feel Gellert's hand on my ass, and recklessness takes the better part of me. I grab him, swing him over backwards and kiss him passionately with every fiber of my being. 8 years of pent up passions, partially released in a single, juicy moment. Who cares if my chronological age is 50, as long as I can still fuck like I'm 30?

The crowd cheers then bursts into a terrible off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday." I can see that Linaeve and Frayne are even taking part, already splitting off to catch up with old friends. Gellert simply grins and whispers in my ear, "Come on, let's go eat some cake, then we can dine on the finer things." His words are sweet, sweet music.

Yeah, I can handle this.

Fin.