why does everything cost more than I expect?

I had my car at the shop today. I thought it was going to be about $200 and it turned out to be over $400. The quoted price was just for the tires, which makes sense in retrospect since that's what we'd been discussing, but I had thought it included the alignment. In related news, my leaky sink and clogged toilet required a new toilet and a new garbage disposal; MUCH more expensive than I'd assumed. This is getting old fast!

Fic: And If My Love Had Never Let Me Go, chapter 11

Title: And If My Love Had Never Let Me Go 11/15
Fandom: BtVS, The Unwritten
Prompts: demonomania
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: Trekker wrote a series called In Another Life where Rupert went back to the Council but never broke up with Ethan. In the chapter “The Dark Age, Postscript”, Ethan is drawn into a universe where his and Rupert's relationship had ended. It was such a fascinating idea I couldn't help but play with it. This is a remix of that chapter.
Note: The story shifts between the two verses but headers are included to orient the reader.
Note: There wasn’t much happening in this chapter. Luckily Taming the Muse provided a prompt of demonomania, a delusion of being possessed by evil spirits, which sent me into a digression, a crossover with The Unwritten.