Am I Penny?” I say. “From Sand on Our Beach? And Austin, and Sheila.… Am I them? Are they me?” He pauses, and then: “They’re them. And you’re you. But I wouldn’t have them if I didn’t have you.” A beat. “You know, the thing about fic is that it comes from love. Characters you love so much, that you feel so deeply for, you’ll watch them fall in love a thousand different ways, over and over. “I’ve never loved any of my characters that much,” he says. “But I love you that much. So maybe … so that’s where I went. That’s what I went with.