I, Nichelle, hold no stake in the any franchise mentioned therein. All known characters, landmarks and canon-related storyline belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. The orginal plot and characters are the sole property of this author.

A few minor announcements:

*To Deb Tanner who spawned this bunny some time ago and to Lorie, THANK YOU both so much for your continued creativity and editing superpower! To the LLLC, the Muskababes and SHINE, thank you all for your encouragement. This work just kept evolving until there was no way NOT to split it up. 

-This work is not only broken up into five different stories but also by "BOOKS." I'll try and give a summary of each 'Book' as they are added. Also, the beginning 'chapter' for each couple will contain their summary in the chapter notes. This is why I outlined the name of their stories on the cover page so it served as an easy reference.

-Although this work is not necessarily Anti-Michael, as always it isn't favorable to him. In fact, there will be moments that it will not be favorable to any of the characters. As you know, I make it a goal to write them 'real' which means they will have emotions, decisions, reactions/responses similar to our own. If you're looking for fluff, ahhh..this ain't it! It will be raw, gritty, dirty, rough at times and whatever else the emotion calls for. That said, I hope that as they are feeling the emotions, so are you!

-Although there are some tags, I AM NOT tagging this to death. We're all adults and can govern ourselves about what we read or don't read. That said, I do not expect to get a whole lot of reviews/ emails about why I didn't tag this or that. Consider me the rebellious one this time. I'm not giving away the plot unduly and although tags can be useful, they can also be harmful. This is one of those times!

*Although it is not a song-fic, the song that inspired this fic is one that I listen to relentlessly. I will post the lyrics with the first chapter of BILG. This time, I recommend that your really read them and absorb them. They say so much of what the characters are feeling.

-Due to my own other WIPs, this will enter a rotation schedule as well BUT much like today, there will be multiple chapters posted at one time. So whereas you'll have to wait for updates, you'll be getting them in bulk and that's a WIN-WIN since I don't believe in putting out junk just to say I put a chapter up. My motto has always been and always will be: Quality NOT Quantity.

I really hope that you enjoy this undertaking. The format is kind of similar to an original novel I've been working on for awhile. Writing work where there is more than one MC is challenging and only one way I continue to cultivate my craft and push myself. I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me! 

Happy Reading and HUGS,

~Nichelle

7/11/2019 ADDENDUM TO THE ABOVE ANNOUNCEMENTS: Because this is such a UNIQUE and AMBITIOUS work, I've decided to separate each "BOOK" with a new banner, which will remain up until the current book is completed. It's also my way of reminding myself where I left off...LOL So I hope you all are continuing to enjoy this massive labor of LIFE and LOVE!

Before I Let Go- Frankie Beverly and Maze

You made me happy/ This you can bet/ You stood right beside me, yeah

And I won't forget / And I really love you/ You should know/ I wanna make sure I'm right {girl}/ Before I let go

Now we've had our good times/ That's what they say/ We're hurtin' each other/ {Girl}, it's a shame/ I won't be foolish, no, no/ I wanna know

I wanna make sure I'm right, {girl}, oh/ Before I let go, yeah, uh

You know I think the sun rises and shines on you/ You know there's nothin', nothin', nothin' I would not do/ Whoa, no

Before I let you go

Oh...

I would never, never, never, never, never, never, never

Never let you go before I know

We were so close/ I love your charm, ooh/ I can’t understand it, no

Where did we go wrong/ I won't be askin', {girl}/ I've got to know

I gotta make sure I'm right/ Before I let go, ha-ha

I wanna know/ I wanna know

I can't, I can't let you go

Cause I know

BEFORE I LET GO: Chapter 1 to follow...