Fitz

Very close, but you'll have to wait to see the exact connection. If Scott and Noah can survive the hearing unscathed, I'm sure they can handle whatever the detective throws their way!

Oooh Closer, but not quite! Hehehe, I'm loving that this has become a guessing game! It does have to do with Steve's death in a way, but Scott and Jason share a special connection. Like always, glad you enjoyed it!

You shall see soon enough! Glad you're enjoying!

Oh so close, but not quite on Jason! Noah will just have to deal with the lack of go-go boys, too!

The wait for the judge's return seemed indefinite, but finally the bailiff announced the return of Judge Gould. I felt like a prisoner awaiting his execution as she took her seat. In a calm, measured voice, she began to issue her ruling. "I will admit I was a bit hasty and rushed to judgment based upon what young Zach said to me. I am human, and spent much of the past thirty minutes examining my own prejudices regarding homosexuals. The world in which we live is not black and white, and the more

I guess my 'big city' mentality kinda bites me a little on this one. Macon is actually a pretty decent size, so she probably has heard a little of everything. It's still a conservative town in a very conservative state. Despite gay-friendly Atlanta, there's a LOT of homophobia and bigotry rampant in the state. Sometimes cooler heads don't always prevail.

but remember, it is entirely within the judge's discretion to do pretty much whatever she pleases, even if it's a result of jumping to conclusions. (of course they can probably appeal, and hope that someone overturns the ruling, but still!)

You'll just have to wait and see. All relationships (even those that stand the test of time) are filled with ups and downs, and you never know what might be a breaking point for a relationship. For many years, I've been interested in writing a love story, but never had any idea where to even begin. While reading a fairly depressing story, I began to dwell on what I would go through if something happened to my husband. As thoughts kept coming to me, I kept wondering if I'd ever be able to be happy again, and ideas of what that life might be like kept coming to me. All that said, things can change in a heartbeat, as Scott's already found out. Just because things are happy now, it doesn't mean that Scott's story has a happy ending. (so you'll just have to keep reading and hope for the best!)

I'm glad you're certain! You'll find out next chapter if you're right or not! (sorry, couldn't resist!)

I knew! *looks around innocently* why do you think he insisted on taking pictures Yeah, the lawyer is a douche. Actually, Zach jumping to Scott's defense wasn't expected on my part. The brat even interrupts me! hehe

My mind was numb at the thought that Zach may not be Noah's biological son. He had just come into my life, and I'd fallen so hard for the little boy. I was on the verge of a panic attack at the thought of him being placed in the foster system when Noah and I were more than capable of taking care of him, and he viewed himself as ours anyway. What difference should DNA make? My eyes were filling with tears when Richard spoke. "Of course we can prove paternity, Your Honor. First, I have a photocop

HAHAHA 'that ho probably slept with all of Georgia' made me laugh SOOOO hard! As far as the lawyer, he certainly doesn't do himself any favors, and the deck is already stacked against him. I kinda seem him just throwing one pile of mud after another, hoping that something will stick. I actually had to go back and look up the judge's last name, since I'd forgotten it. I really have no idea how I ended up settling on 'Gould'. The only person with that name that I can think of is Elliott Gould, but I can't imagine why I would've thought of him. Of course her first name is a little more obvious where I got it from!

Honestly, I'm not sure about the laws in Georgia. I'd like to think that sexual orientation wouldn't play an explicit factor, but biases may cloud the judge's judgment it's possible that she could read more into situations than she would in other circumstances. As for the lawyer, he has his reasons, which Noah, Richard, and Scott will discuss a possibility after the trial

Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to cliffhangers!! O:-) Remember, Scott wasn't there for the planning session. It's possible that Richard and Noah are more prepared than Scott believes

Scott, Noah, and Richard are wondering the same thing. Maybe he has a vested interest that she not 'tell all' about her exploits?

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO THE HEARING Five in the morning came far too early for my taste. Noah and I climbed into the shower together, but we were, however, far too tired to consider doing more than fondling each other's genitals briefly. We were awake enough to take turns washing each other, and we both enjoyed the intimacy. Once dried off, we got dressed. While I opted to go ahead and get fully dressed, Noah just threw on a pair of dress pants and an undershirt for the moment. It was quite a lo

Glad you're enjoying. Not only does Tom have Scott, but he also has Noah and Zach. Even though the rest of the cast is fairly limited, there are others out there who are able to look out for Tom as well

Even though she was generous with Scott, it wasn't her money she was spending. It was either Scott's or Chris's (her husband at the time). Her story as to why she left Chris changed at least three times over the course of the story, and I always felt there was a lot more to it than she ever let on. If you look back to the first time her and Tom go out, she's gushing over how he's taking her to an fancy restaurant, then they're staying in a high-end hotel for the night (neither of which are cheap). He's a little put off, but goes along because he's smitten. Tom is 29, but he's never really dated before. Scott mentioned in chapter 5 that Tom's never been in love before. I'm sure he's had a few minor relationships before, but nothing where he's felt a strong emotional connection to the other person. Two more weeks until the hearing starts!!

I've decided that I should stop outlining and planning my stories out...the input people give me is usually better than anything I come up with on my own. At the same time, I can't (and won't) exactly say that you're wrong either.

Yeah, she's a little more manipulative than Scott gave her credit for. I'm sure if he went back and actually looked at the grocery receipts from when she did his shopping (back in chapter 3 and 4), he'd discover that he was actually buying her groceries as well! Also, her story as to why she left Chris changed so many times, I'm sure there's more to it than she let on. I think Tom looked like a much richer sucker in her eyes!

I was awoken by tiny fingers poking at my face. As I opened my eyes, I was about to grumble, but the look of happiness in Zach's eyes made it hard to stay irritated. "Yay! You're awake, Papa," he told me. "Daddy, Papa's awake! Can I eat now?!" Zach yelled downstairs. "Zacharias Hollin, there will be no yelling in my house! Come down here to talk to your father!" Lydia hollered back. "Ok, Grandma! Sorry!" So much for not yelling. I got out of bed, and Zach took off like a flash, while I grabb

I make it a point to always reply to reviews, but I honestly don't know what to say here, since all I see is blank space. So thank you for reading the story, and I hope you enjoyed!

Of course if people read the reviews for chapter one, they're getting a bit of a spoiler!! Hmm... I wasn't supposed to make it seem like they weren't worried, just that I didn't feel the need to dwell on the fact that they don't know anything. He's not answering his cell phone, neither is sarah, no one is answering her house phone (or Scott's, which shouldn't be a big surprise). They've also learned that there were no accidents along the way, and he didn't seem to be in any hospital or police station that Richard could find. At that point, what can they do? Answers are coming in the next chapter! For once, there's not a wait for multiple chapters because other things dragged out longer than I expected!! Hope that answers your question, and for those of you who are reading the reviews, she's talking about events in Chapter 30

I had to REALLY turn on Zach's cuteness this chapter. Don't get me wrong, he's usually adorable, but I he had a lot of ice to melt from Lydia. I had an idea in outline to have Richard suggest abiding by Steve's last wishes and ordering his body exhumed and cremated, but it turned an emotional scene into a creepy one, and that part was axed. Actually, I got an email from someone demanding that I was dead wrong with the dates, because 'surely' it hasn't been a week since they got Zach, and two weeks since they started dating. I responded with the exact calendar dates of the events, and haven't heard back from him! lol As always, thank you!

Well we'll see both of them again in the next chapter, and there'll be a better sense of any progress made as the custody hearing unfolds! Thanks for the review. Always good to hear from you!