gjtravel2a

I had to chuckle when I read what you said about Brad and Matt for I got the image of former President Carter 'confessing that he was guilty of lusting in his heart'. Brad is no Carter and i believe is smart enough to realize there is no need 'to confess'! Hope that is true anyway. It might slip out and make an interesting turn, but I believe our Brad is smarter than Carter...

Laaws-a-mercy! another fine treat in Chap 28. Not only the rapidity of its arrival but seeing the story move into some nice support for Brad. He deserves some coddleing and Robbie is finally doing it right. It is also nice for Brad to have the humanity to realize what he does about personal revenge and the strength of character he shows not to betray his soul with the 'siren song' of all that attention calling him to just roll back time and forgive and forget. It would be hard for anyone to not want to accept someone back that they love when they are, as I belleve Brad is, exhausted and still hurting. To suddenly find the person they loved and trusted is wrapping them in loving attention and near adoration is sorely tempting to slip back into the past relationship for now it would seem easier for someone so tired and to allow the love to act as a temporary dam to hold all the pain. However, (curses upon the realities of the howevers) like the storm tide, the troubles would likely flood both their lives again and sweep them back into their sea of turmoil with even less strength to survive another round. Brad's wisdom in exploring his feelings and understanding his needs and potential boundaries will be the best for both. Whether Robbie is mature and selfless enough to accept this is going to be a key to their survivabilty. Is it Saint Brad? Hardly, but a wiser Brad and one that is on a path that will help them both survive whatever the future they create

RE: Chap 27 Exquisite

++++++++++++++++ Me thinks me dost smell dissimilation......h'mmmmmm gj

Amazing chapter. When the axes begin to fall, it is like the Vikings have landed! With all the venom of Carson, it would be hard to believe the boy doesn't show up again for retribution. You also have to wonder just what Brandon could have been thinking on how it could have ended on a happy note. The crush of what he did would be overwhelming and having his 'mom' come for him is a fitting end. The relationship between Robbie and Brad does have a very strong and solid quality. Someone mentioned earllier that they coulld be JP/Stef redux.....believable but not certain, eh? Who knows where you shall take us. Lots happened and lots to come even through their evening! Boy, are they going to be exhausted tomorrow... gj

Mark, thank you for being patient with the demands of your fans and getting this to us today (or is it tomorrow in Singpore? ) It is a most enjoyable event. As promised earlier, I shall be finishing the pointy hat and sit in the corner for Robbie did pull it together and moved his life and the possibilities forward. This was a powerful and infinitely believable chapter that moved the story itself forward quite nicely. It was like the streams of their personal events and emotions began to again flow together into the river of the story-line. If the story takes them to the point where they end up together, it won't, in my opinion have any of the 'Dallas - waking up in the shower scene feel', but it instead will feel to me to be authentic occurance (though the dice are still not cast!). Again, kudos to the skill and the time you take in developing these likable (ok, I still find Robbie annoying, sorry Robbietarians...) but it is more obvious why Brad fell for him and is willing to at least entertain recommitting. In some ways, the scene with all the events and the impact of their honest conversation is more of a 'cliffie' than before, but it is a good place for the story to be. A plateau before the fireworks really begin and events unfold in earnest. Thanks again Mark. gj

I really detest it when authors are hurried by thier readers for what you provide is a gift and one such as yourself is really quite generous, but in the case of this 'cliffie' and waiting till Wednesday, I, with respectful timerity, thought I might point out that it is actually Wednesday in Singapore. Are you restricted to just good old US of A timing?

Alas, spoken like a true Robbitarian where I fear myself to be a rabid Bradista. It will be interesting to see just where they end up for Mark has given hints that it could still go either way! Either way, it will be an enjoyable ride!!

What may be considered the inverse may also be true. Whether it is God, god, gods, higher power, Supreme Being, or something that may be considered more tangible, just because we believe in it, does not mean it is real. With specific reference to Millennium, Brad truly believed in his and Robbie's relationship and choose to see evidence of its near eternal nature, and look where it has gotten him. Many people similarly see a surpreme being's hand in virtually any aspect of daily existence; hence, we get the prayer of thanks for the football touchdown. One of the things I admire in Brad's character is his ability to keep forging ahead, growing, and seeking love without the external crux and with just sheer determination and also without a sense of desperation.

Might be a good time for the Massage guy to come back and bring reinforcements! Oh, is it Wednesday yet????

Robbie's appearance could:>Lead to quite a scene where Brad finally breaks with Robbie (but you do like happy endings you say so it would enevitably lead to some hot make-up sex between Brad/Robbie....)>>though unplanned, be used to help convince Dan they are really over, Brad is quick enough to do this and hopefully, Robbie can either catch on or leave in enough huff that he helps the plan and again, lead to great makeup sex!>>>Robbie ends up in the bathroom and Brad gets Dan to spill all within Robbie's earshot ultimately convincing Robbie that Brad is not just an alarmist/conspiracy theorist on the depth of the plot to destroy them and some penance of listening to Brad causing Robbie to realize what he almost lost.>>>>They end up in a three-way....hope not, just would be tough to believe and still see the carefully laid plan workout.>>>>>Perhaps Carson has figured things out, confronted Robbie, Robbie dispatched him a la Paris, Robbie has come to preen and begins to eye Dan with bloodlust still coursing through his veins. This is the ulltimate act that brings Robbie and Brad together! Does this mean Robbie has to off someone every 14 years?>>>>>Another creative plot twist that moves this incredibly enjoyable tale along! It will be interesting to see how soon they choose to axe the infidels. Carson must surely suspect something (unless Robbie really did off him). Brad's assistant is back on Monday I believe. Will the rest of the industry ever know that Steph/Brad really were intentially driving up the costs and loosing for strategic advantage? The deadline for the collapse of the Dot-Com Bubble is within months, will Millennium go beyond March 10th, 2000 to see Steph's true brilliance and the come-uppance of Dan, et al? The internal dog-fight will be interesting within the enemy camp once it becomes apparent the Brad and Co are not destroyed...Oy, the fun! Great dramatic tension Mark, thanks!

I will admit, that even knowing that a cliffie was coming, it wasn't the one I had anticipated, thanks for the turn! Now, with more reason to look forward to Wednesday! gj

H'mmm, statements like that are hard to respond to....Please Choose the appropriate response: 1. Thanks for getting another up so quickly...like a holiday this week with so many great postings.. 2. Sorry, hope it didn't hurt to badly.... 3. Well durn, sorry to hear that. 4. Be of good chear, hope it feels better soon? 5. Was it good for you? Need a cigarette???

24? Is it posted somewhere yet?

Uh oh....perhaps Robbie has not just been shining that pointy head of his then, eh? Maybe a good thing I look good in hats

Without getting into the 'last word game', I know that my proclivity to be a 'Bradista' verses a 'Robbietarian' is from events in my current state and recent past. Certain projections of those with whom I am currently dealing of course color my views of events detailed in the story. Much as when I was studying theology ( and I am not trying to make Mark the author of a holy writ! He's good, but will the Academic Predator Series be eternal,,,,,we'll see..), the sacred writings tell us more about ourselves and humankind as a whole than about what may or may not be eternal beings. In this case, I am fully aware (at least semi-fully) of my tendancy to run a full defense of Brad and that reveals to me certain things about myself. Still, I appreciate the interchange and the opportunity to see how others see the events. It actually helps me understand why I am so pro-Brad and how that might affect my perceptions of certain people with whom I am dealing in daily life. For a lot of reasons, the Millennium story-line resonates well for me rigth now. I am personally most appreciative for all involved in the fun we are having here! On top of all that, it is also just a good-read... gj

++++++++++++++ Reductive eh, should I blush in embarrassment or say ouch? Lol, I stand by my 'facile' interpretation, for in my experience, people like Robbie, and lord knows there are lots in this world, are held back by events in their lives and are to often coddled by those around them. Brad, though a 'bit' undisciplined, works consciously and unconsciously, to be better than what his life would naturally make him. There was a lot of risk in Robbie's little plan. Just what did Carson think sitting in jail? He must know Robbie did not come to his aid and might even have figured out he was set-up. It was self-indulgent in my opinion in that it allowed Robbie to act out his rage, but it could have put the whole plan at risk. Once he got his little revenge, he has apparently just sat in the house and counted the number of hairs dropping from his increasingly shiny head. Robbie is also the one trying to sell being trapped in the house. Sounds good to say, but is he working on his company's problems? Keeping informed by his Assistant of company business? Making plans on how to recover from the damage his actions have wrought upon the company? All he claims to be doing is working out and laying in bed....if true, then I think my view of his persona is accurate. If, however, he has been working away madly behind the scenes, created a great master plan to re-take his company and reclaim the heart of the one who truly loves him, then I shall sit in the corner and wear a pointed hat with the words 'Reductivist' on it... h'mmm, might do it anyway, it might be fun! gj

Nicely done in Chap 23. Protected the company and showed Brad's inner strength to do what is necesary to protect his family...How JP of him! When facing the same type of information and challenges, Robbie manages a petulant, 'lets get our enemy in jail so I can feel better' and then goes sullen. Brad is so very much more mature and capable of responding to the challenges of their very complex life. Nice way also to protect the business from potential ruin (reputationally, financially, and possibly legally) through the clever alliance. The one thought on the Dan Church interlude was, "What if Dan is a cleverly placed canard and is really getting screwed over in more ways than just in the bed?" If so, a casualty of war....and this is very much war.

There is a lot being said about Robbie's past that is true as far as why he may be what he has become, but if this is justification for Brad having to stay in the relationship, I would exclaim 'Pish-Posh' (or some other dire invective). They came together and supported each other through a series of traumas (blanketed by insane amounts of cash, but traumas none the less), but Brad seems to me to be maturing and accepting more and more responsibility. Robbie, not so much. The critical ways that Robbie is not maturing are the ways that Brad needs support and finds his relationship with Robbie now unfulfilling. Like so many, Robbie is stuck with the past being an unmanaged force shaping his behaviour. I am one who believes that to some extent, we can move beyond the trajectory of our past. Not totally, but at least we can be less destructive to ourselves and others who may be affected by our own actions/attitudes/responses that our past has naturally thrust upon our psyches. Considering what Brad went through, he has, in my opinion, not allowed the negative to be the strongest forces in shaping who he is and who he is becoming but has tried to respond to life in a more postive manner than one might expect for such a traumatic early childhood. Your comment Mark about fearing that you have taken to much time in developing this part of the plot-line is a sensitive one you express, but I can not imagine how you could have taken less time in presenting this key relationship and what they are experiencing. For me, this is an extremely enjoyable and well-paced read. One of the joys of reading your stories is the detail and sensitivity with which you develop your plots and characters. Again, thanks!

As to be expected, I think you set up and handled the Brad/Matt 'Event' beautifully. It had a very nice level or eroticism, played out most of their needed emotions/fantasies, and yet kept them from having to face the whole morality issue. I suspect that Matt was on the phone before the limo was out the driveway, however, pushing Wade to seduce Brad.....could be a nice way for Matt to live vicariously through his fantasy. After all the sturm and drang, it was a nice conclusion to their current level of lust. gj

It was a great quote, in Chap 22, I thought the following fit the category as well: “Yeah, well you didn’t dig below the bitchiness to find the worry,” I teased. The doorbell rang. It was 9:30. “I have to go. I ordered a snack.” For whatever reasons, I laughed my ass off on that one! Thanks! gj

The Chapter had a nice feel to it in that it provided some great psychological insights and challenges and moved the story along quite nicely. With all the emotional drain that Robbie has been, it will be hard to see December 3rd as a hard decision date for positive resolution. Seems like Brad is maturing and stepping up nicely to his familial duties but that may also confirm that he is growing beyond what he had with Robbie. Thanks again for getting this to us!

LOL, well, yes I suppose so.....but only ot the things we enjoy, eh? Looking forward to 21, thanks!

Hell, just 21 and 22? If we could get a cool dozen, we might even get more about Jeanine! But then the discovery over time can be fun as well. Lets just be thankful the Chapters are not monthly installments, that would be the killer....