Hi all!
I just wanted to let you know I did not, in fact, fall off of the face of the Earth. I've just been inundated with work between my day-to-day and side jobs, plus my computer died a horrible, smoking death and I've yet to have time to replace it. For now, I'll plan to pick up my story after the new year once everything settles a bit. Sorry for the longer wait, but I will finish this one soon; I promise!