Charles26

Human beings are indeed complex; so much so that basic impulses, instincts and needs lead to a wide range of responses, and open relationships are perhaps especially complex and, often, unstable. Definitely walking on a knife edge, at risk of falling on either side. I guess all open relationship couples have their own rules. For one such couple that I know of, hooking up on grindr and inviting a guy home is fine but having a drink with him before or after is totally unacceptable. I believe it's the difference between anonymous physical sex and a nascent relationship that makes the difference for them. But the story explores Alex and Brick's relationship with great finesse. Good job.

So, great. To recap: Jamie has a proper foster home with people who understand and care for him and Levi has a younger brother. Casey is in trouble. Zack remains inscrutable - no new information on this one. All in all, such a lot of good things happening - definitely a feel-good chapter. Of course there is a serpent in every Eden, as the saying has it. Jamie has an interest in Levi which is very wisely being discouraged. He needs a friend (potential boyfriend) in addition to his new older brother. Definitely better not to confuse the two rôles. Levi needs (probably) a boyfriend or (just possibly) a girlfriend; but definitely not Jamie. I suspect Zack needs something but we don't know enough to say what. Casey needs a very hard kick up the backside and seems likely to be getting one. However, once he decides he can't avoid trouble we can be pretty sure that he will do his damnedest to drag down with him Levi and anyone else he can, especially anyone he thinks might have shopped him. I simply can't imagine him honourably saying nothing... Omertà is unlikely to be his style when things get tough.

An impressive story. Also a lot of comments - and I'm not surprised. After reading the story and the comments, and the replies to the comments, I'm still left wondering both what Nate has decided, if indeed he has actually decided anything, and also what I might have done in such a situation. 😕

What can I say ? Just plain delightful ! Great chapter.

Developments, lots of developments, but nothing even approaching a resolution - which is fortunate or the remaining chapters might be a tad anticlimactic! But by and large everything seems to be going in a good direction. Except Casey, and the most obvious good direction for him is out of town and never coming back. Not that I expect the Casey problem to be sorted out quite that simply. Purely practically, I wonder what the guys will do about full-time accommodation for Jamie, if (when, surely) he becomes part of the household. Quite apart from anything else I should think having his own room would be a condition for approving the fostering arrangement. I hope it goes through since it would be good for Jamie, for Levi and even, if to a lesser extent, for Matt and Luke and probably Guy and Tim. Some nice biblical references, though Levi must know his bible pretty well, given his life with his grandfather. What is not so clear is whether Jamie and Levi will end up as brothers or boyfriends. It could go either way at the moment. I think that what Jamie really needs is a brother, but that's just my opinion. Zack's situation is just as unclear as ever, only more explicitly so. I'm not even 100% certain about where he lives. All in all a great chapter and one which leaves me looking forward to the next one. Generally a good sign😉

Impressive. Very hot; very intimate - maybe even loving. Certainly their relationship can hardly be the same after this but we are left with the question "was Matteo the kind of man who could cross this line without meaning to stay on the other side of it?" No answer to that question in Season 1; that's for sure. But a great story, well told. Season 2 should be good!

He was certainly hoping 🤪

Whew. Complicated - but fascinating and well written. I have no idea how this will work itself out but I look forward to discovering.

Well. Well, well. Poor Steven. But it looks as though things are moving enough that Casey is heading for a serious fall, while Levi's star is in the ascendant. We can only hope. And Brooke - who I don't think is as bad as some comments have suggested - has come up with some valuable information. Meanwhile it does seem that Levi and Jamie could well become good friends as well as, possibly, foster brothers. (Maybe even more.) That would be good. Good for everyone, I suspect. Zack, on the other hand, remains as inscrutable as ever ! All in all another excellent chapter.

And another fascinating chapter. Where has the rumour naming Casey come from? Not from Levi or Matt, that's for sure. So, who? Shane we know quite well from the MGM. Constable Leggatt is a relative unknown. The same person, ultimately, of course; but he has grown up and been trained and has quite likely had some experiences as a police officer that we know nothing about. So his personality as a teenager will have been tempered and it is hard to guess exactly how he will react (though I'm sure he will do well). At the least I don't suppose he would care for Casey and his goons making life difficult for others and I'm certain he would want to put an end to that. Zack is now present and getting involved but he remains a bit of a mystery. He's "easy in his own skin" in chapter 28 - which is good - but he seems to be quite solitary and it is interesting that on the beach he seems to identify, or at least spend time, as much with the youngsters as with the adults. (Not that anyone is exactly old😉).

Gosh. A week away and so much happens! It's a lovely chapter. Levi is finding his feet after having screwed up badly with Casey. But what particularly strikes me is that his compassion is not, in fact, new: "Levi felt the old protective surge rise in his chest – the same instinct that once made him want to fix everything for people he cared about." His desire to comfort and help Jamie is not (entirely) the result of personal growth. It seems that it is the re-emergence of an important, pre-existing aspect of his character. It was part of his relationship with his mother when she was ill, no doubt.

I have no doubt at all that he will be a hit😄

Nice one. Shayna has now fully blown what little cover she had left - and good riddance. But Jo gets a bit more time in the spotlight, and that's great. I'm sure he'll do well.

Of course he will. But that's OK. Father Costas gives good advice.

"To every thing there is a season, he thought, the old words rising unbidden. And a time to every purpose under the heaven." An interesting reference. In my view it comes from one of the most attractive passages in the Old Testament. It is a reflection on change, to be sure, but in the examples it offers it focuses very much on the cycle of life, starting with "a time to be born, and a time to die". In many ways it looks towards Indian philosophy, notably towards Buddhism. (I was going to say it looks eastwards, but that's from a European perspective🙃) If Levi is subconsciously reflecting on this passage then he really is considering the possibility of, perhaps the need for, some deep changes in his own life and beliefs. We shall see.

Great. Matt is OK. Well, he will be once his leg has healed up but that is seemingly only a matter of time and patience. And Levi's major contribution towards calling for help has gone a long way towards mending the breach in his relationship with his dad. It will probably never be quite the same again but it may be a case of "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger". (Actually I have my doubts about that as a general principle, but it may be true here!) I hope that Levi tests himself by walking through both doors. Working with Zack shouldn't cause any problems and ought at least to give him another friend. Helping out at the charity would require much more adjustment. He would inevitably hear things about neglect, mistreatment and outright abuse that would distress him greatly and give him furiously to think about prejudice and hatred, whether condoned by religion or otherwise. But I think he would grow enormously as a result. And, who knows, he might well find new friends there as well. Another great chapter - quite often those without obvious drama can be especially satisfying to read.

It's certainly not a conventional happy ending; but then not much of the story is all that conventional. But it is great fun and it surely digs deep into teenage angst. When you're at the bottom of a deep pit, clawing your way up to ground level is a real achievement and Richard has done that even if he still has to choose a hill to climb for whatever he wants to do and be in his life. So well done, Richard. And Harriet and Vicky, who have helped him so much. I guess a bunch of date-expired fireworks giving "one small bang and one burst of colour" is the perfect metaphor for this ending. Congratulations to @Richie Tennyson for a story that has been a delight to read.

A subtle and sometimes intricate tale of nearly two thousand years of repeated rediscovery and loss, as two souls linked in love try to be together over the centuries, watched by a third whose role and intentions only gradually become clear. It is a search for happiness repeatedly thwarted by fate and a quest for a way to escape. Beautifully written, highly evocative, well judged. If you like urban fantasy you should definitely read it. If you're not so sure, this should convert you.

Well, well, well. Matteo hasn't quite consummated the new relationship but unless he backs out suddenly he's pretty much committed himself. Or recognised a key truth about himself. Or both. Definitely intense - well written.

Credo illum ad istum iam redisse, so he doesn't need to return to him ever again, or so we may hope. A very gentle ending - the calm after the storm. Fairly literally in this case. But that calm seems to have provided Christopher and Marco with everything they could have hoped for even if Marco is struggling a bit with modern technology. A normal, mostly happy life together, almost two millennia after their first attempt. Good fortune to both of them. And thank you and congratulations to @andy cannon

Both true, I think. But perhaps they have been left with more than that. Perhaps, like Pandora, they have been left with hope, or at least some reason for hope. Christopher's memories of past lives are still there but "They no longer pressed against the present. They stood quietly behind it." That's a profound change in itself. And their moods have shifted. For Marco, "[his]} expression softened into a smile that Christopher had never seen before. It carried affection without longing, hope without desperation." For Christopher, "[he] considered the question. Once, the answer would have seemed inevitable. Now he found himself thinking about [other possibilities]". He has freedom of choice, and with that freedom of choice he chooses to spend his time with Marco: "He smiled. "Yes," he said. "I'd like that."" Perhaps they have been left with the possibility of a lifetime together whose ending they will accept when it comes, and so be truly set free. I hope so. Moving and well written. Thank you, @andy cannon

I don't suppose either Matt or Luke will forget it in a hurry, either ! But for Levi it should be a positive memory, once Matt is safe and is recovering from his injury and there is no further need for concern. As we all hope😌

It is, isn't it. For the first time in his life (I guess) Levi has taken on a task which is both important - Matt was depending on him - and genuinely difficult; and he has succeeded. That's something in which he can and I hope will take some fair measure of pride. It should boost his self-esteem which has been rather shaken of late,

Phew. Great stuff. No-one would want Matt to break his leg but it did give Levi a chance to "give something back". Their relationship should be the stonger for it. I hope Matt recovers quickly, cleanly and fully.

This chapter is extremely funny and it manages to be funny without losing its grip on the serious issues that lie beneath - so well done. Vicky definitely has principles and the backbone to stand up for them: she deserves her triumph over Mr Jane and the School Board. It is true that very often the most effective way to get something done is to work with rather than against the system. It's certainly been the case when dealing with any bureaucracy that I've ever had to cope with🤢 And Mrs Hansen is, inevitably, thrilled. Quelle surprise...