Dodger

The moment I climbed into the back of his mom’s truck Conner pounced on me, throwing his arms around my neck and pulling me across the seat to lick my face like a giant cat. It was an unorthodox welcome, and not what I was expecting from a boy who was usually so well-behaved. “Ok-ay, so are you a tiger now?” “Ah-ha,” he nodded and licked under my chin, making me giggle until his mom reached between the seats to swat him on the back of his head. “Stoppit, Conner, and put your seatbelt

Thank you for reading and commenting. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Thank goodness for Londe.

I was talked into doing drag once, but fortunately the changes were only cosmetic with a bit of stuffing here and there.

“Nothing could go wrong there,” Londe muttered. I can see plenty of things that could go wrong when attempting to rob a vampire. I loved the way you described walking through the sewer; I was nearly heaving.

An enjoyable story to read. Bas almost messed things up by jumping to conclusions. It made me laugh when he said Colin was his brother.

I was hoping Jack would walk away from Alyssa when she gave him her ultimatum. It will be difficult now to make things better with Damon, who I suspect won't be very forgiving. I don't blame him either. What jack did to his friend was horrible, even if he was led by religion. Maybe Deidra will help Jack understand his feelings better and make him realize he's made a big mistake.

Thank @Gary L Robbie is a kind soul at heart. He wanted to knows Jo wasn't going to be on her own over the holidays. Thanks for reading and commenting.

The changes I'm making are mostly errors in grammar, either that someone has pointed out to me or I've read myself and felt the need to change. I've also removed a few extra wordy paragraphs but nothing that affects or changes the story in any way. It's just to make it easier to read.

I gotta get myself a guitar.

I don't think Mark has to worry too much about Jimmy blowing his cover. Mickey must be well aware by now of Mark's interest.

Mark is a smooth operator, but I think Mickey is a little naive by offering so much information so soon. He can afford to play a little harder to get. I like the characters though.

You're right @Arran, we are very close tio the end now. It was my intention to post the final chapters over the holiday period, but it may have to stretch into the new year.

The story is set in 2010, before the pensions scandal broke and when Sears still had department stores all over Canada.

Well summed up, Steve. I thought Robbie needed a break from the Alex saga and bitterness generated by Don and his religious accomplices. Jamie seems to have struck a chord with Robbie and is able to bring out the best in him. His illness plays a big part, of course, and Robbie's attempts to try to help may well stem from his inability to prevent his mother's untimely death. There is no doubt Robbie genuinely cares about this kid, but he also admits to learning from him and walking away a better person, so it's a relationship which benefits both boys. There are others who have a habit of bringing out the best in him, and two of these, Rory and Conner, are together in the next chapter, so things are looking up for Robbie.

Just when Robbie is beginning to get it together.

Religious tithings I like that. Robbie won't be happy if he discovers he's been contributing to Mr Symmonds wages. Like paying for your own hit man. Don is an extraordinarily selfish man and a control freak. I doubt if he even believes he has done anything wrong. He will probably blame Sue for his extra-marital affairs Totally agree with this. Jamie and Amy tend to bring out the best in him and he knows it. He is fascinated by Jamie's resilience, which he can't quite understand. He also admires the way Jamie handles and understands his illness, rather than leave it to the doctors, and feel sorry for himself. The fact that Robbie wants to learn about it too, shows he's willing take on some responsibility and be more hands-on. This may prove to be more helpful than throwing money at him and taking him to England. We never really know what's going on in Tom's head, and and we only see things from Robbie's perspective. However, it seems like he dropped his guard a little after the beer. I think we can safely assume that Tom is gay.

Okay, I caught up and it was well worth it. Thanks @MrM. Great chapter. I love the advice from Chandler. Perfectly put and so true. I like him a lot, in fact I like the all of the Cross family and feel a little sorry for Marie. She seems to have invested a lot in Brandon, who only has eyes for Billy. A nice ending to the chapter, as the boys share a longer than necessary hug, even if it was our of sadness.

I was wondering when this would happen. A serious chapter to sober us up a little after the previous ones.

"Do any other guys ever look at each other like that and not be Gay?" It's unlikely. Time to take a deep breath, cross your fingers, and go for it, Brandon.

A real feelgood chapter. Brandon really is smiling. The dance did him good even if Billy wasn't there, and the next morning was funny.

Don is the sole trustee of Robbie's trust fund. It's his job to make sure the money is invested wisely and keep Robbie informed of the value of the investments and any income generated by the rent of property he owns. He has so far neglected to do this.

Don only sees what he wants to see and he wants to portray Robbie as the aggressor, even though it's difficult for anyone else to believe. Robbie is happy to start afresh with Conner and forgive him because it also lets him off the hook. He's feeling guilty because of what happened with Stephanie. Also, while he likes Conner, he doesn't think of him as a partner yet, maybe that will change soon.

I enjoyed this story, Gary. Religion always gets my back up. I've witnessed what it can do to people first-hand and seen families destroyed by people like Hilda. Fortunately, Daniel was strong enough to resist. It was a brave sermon and I glad he got the support of most of the congregation.

“You should’ve said something, Robbie. How am I to know if you don’t tell me?” Sue circled the kitchen, but her eyes stayed on me the whole time. “I didn’t think you’d believe me.” “I know you're telling the truth, honey. I don’t think even you would invent a story like that.” She sat down opposite me and reached across the table to hold my hand. “I just wish you could have told me sooner, it wasn’t nice having to hear it from the police.” I pulled my hand away and stood up, shaking