Al Norris

Since I didn't read it when the story was first posted, I have no idea what is extra. Oh well! Regardless, I can't see much good coming to Rory. Although, if the tales are true, it won't much matter if neither boy is homosexual or not. They will be drawn to each other. That sets up some deliciously dark settings. Most especially if Rory cannot get control of his magic.

Well, this sets up a whole series of things to explore!

Luis is an openly gay firefighter. He is admired and accepted by the crew he works with. What he never expected was to find love at the station. This short story tells how that happened.

Sometimes things go just the right way. The icing on this cake was the immediate acceptance by Big Jake! A very nice short, Chris. You left it open enough to explore, should you decide to continue the storyline and if not, the short was done well enough to leave it as is.

Um, now that I know (mostly) who is Aussie or British among you guys, I just revert to military date format (hint: it's the same)!

Somehow, some way, I think Mike was watching Animal. He t-boned Animal on purpose to prevent him from getting away. There were lots of witnesses to the whole thing, so that's good. Let's hope that Raffa will be OK, but it appears that he has sustained life-threatening injuries. I can only imagine how Grayson feels at the moment. I don't think that calling parents are the first thing on Grayson's mind.

I don't know if they still do, but back in the dark ages, they did when I went to high school. You had to have actually read the student handbook to know you could get your assignments if you were suspended.

Neil is in an entirely different and new environment. He's not at all sure what to make of things. He now knows his Dad is gay and is married to another man. Sammy is on the school bus and Owen sits next to her and tries to explain what happened. Sammy doesn't think much of his explanation. After school, Sammy comes by to drop off homework, for Neil to do, while he is suspended. I think this is all a setup to get Neil more comfortable with who he is. Perhaps life won't be so hard after all. You can never tell for sure with Ron's writing!

I have a brother who retired from the TSA. Some of the stories he has told are beyond belief. So I'm surprised JJ's encounter was so mild. Stef is gonna be a bit miffed when he finds out who CAWS is!

It is often said that any combat plan never survives after the first bullet is fired... Having experienced it firsthand, I tend to agree.

By not notifying anyone of the chain, management assumes all liability for any initial damages. This was a stupid move on their part. Luckily for them, Raffa wasn't injured. If this had been America, Raffa would likely have sued for damages to his bike (compensatory), at the least (and possibly punitive). I have always thought it good that most countries weren't sue happy as we seem to be. So, Animal shows up! This turn of events can not have a good outcome. Not when he intentionally almost runs the boys down! He's up to no good.

Back in the day - before all the electronics, depending upon our parent(s) and how much they trusted us, we used to be gone from the house from dawn to dusk (figuratively, of course). We had loads of fun in empty fields, weed patches, and vacant lots.

Aw cripes! It won't much matter if that is a rope or a chain. If Raffa hits it... It will likely kill him!

Yes. I would have suspected that they would suffer agoraphobia! Yup. Infidelity has arrived. I wonder if jealousy pokes its slimy head up?

Finally! I'm caught up. I'm loving this volume as much as the previous three volumes. However, I do have a couple of critiques to pass on. First, the whole thing about the death of two friends and how Caitlin and Marc are on the outs. Should you ever do a rewrite, some real clues need to be presented to us readers, if you are not going to tell us in this volume. Clues would be handy even if the reveal is in this volume. I know you told @drsawzall that you hadn't even given a thought about how Adam and his father were stranded/crashed on that asteroid. Think about it. Even if we readers don't say anything, we are wondering how that all came about. These are open plot points that are perhaps minor points in your mind, yet they still need consideration. Regardless, I am still enjoying the story!

I've been trying to speed through this to catch up to everyone else. But the finding of the mystery ship causes me to pause. Blue Crystalline Ice, whatever that is, has an unknown ship embedded within it. If I were to apply terrestrial geology (dragonflies in amber), this happened thousands to millions of years ago. Almost backed up by the fact that our good folks haven't seen its type before. The word, Alien, comes to mind. On to chapter 13!

I saw that date and immediately thought you were future casting... Until I realized that I was thinking of American Date format. Silly me!

I'm with @Lee Wilson here. Lucas is "on the lam', so to speak. I know that I wouldn't live with Uncle Franklin. For all his faults, Lucas won't either. I can already see that Neil may not want to go back home when his suspension is up. Living with his Dad and his Dad's husband means a different school. I betcha that idea would be quite enticing. It would be running away from his troubles, but they have a nasty habit of following you. I doubt Neil thinks like that. Yet.

I have to wonder about both Mike and Animal. Is Mike hiding out? Is Animal really behind the bash on Gray? I agree with Uncle Bryan, Gray and Rafa need to keep situational awareness. Hmm, Chase and Bryan? Is that a pair or just a hookup?

Gray and Rafa are in love. Even if Gray is afraid, at the moment, to say that four-letter word. Let's face it, relationships happen in their own time. It can be fast, or slow, or in between. There is no rhyme or reason. It is great to see that Bryan and Richard are repairing their relationship. Only good things can come from that. It is also good that Bryan can be a sort of mentor to Gray as he finds his way in a world he has only dreamed of before. Like some others, I don't think we've seen the last of Animal. Interludes like these last two chapters are the harbinger of conflict.

A new adventure, huh? That sounds exactly like what the boys sorta wanted to do with Ute Skinwalker. Heck, they may end up doing that anyway! You know, adding those 'enhancements' to the polar bear like Mac did, makes me wonder if Gramps and Pop have thought of doing that?

The way this little family BBQ is going, I can't think of a better place or time than for Dad and Bryan to have a talk. I loved the kitchen scene! It shows they were accepted by the family.

It feels so good, doesn't it? Besides, your stories rate that!

Why do I find myself agreeing with you? I'm a hard-core conservative and you appear to be a hard-core liberal... We shouldn't be agreeing with each other like we seem to be doing!

On the one hand that's surely possible. Especially if whatever Mike knows doesn't curb Animal's tendencies. On the other hand, Gray does need to keep situational awareness alive. I just don't think this is over yet. It is good that Raffa wants Gray to experience gay sex to the fullest by offering himself to Gray. If they are going to be together, they need to share themselves with each other, and to find what they both like and want.