Timothy M.

But at least Troy and the bad guys would KNOW someone had alerted the cops immediately. Of course, the answer to that might be that Mike would kill Troy at once, so nothing gained but guilt for Adam. However, IMO the risk of a bad outcome increased by going with them, which is why I wanted them to fight in the mall. If they both jumped sideways and shouted Help, he has a gun, it would bring a lot of attention to the situation. Adam was holding Tory's hand, so he could yank him along in a run. Every step would lessen the chance of getting shot, because a handgun isn't as accurate as the movies make them out to be. But all of my arguing serves no real purpose, so I'll stop. It's your story and your characters made the choices you consider logical. If that leads them to being beaten up, raped or killed, there's nothing we can do about it.

But none of those have you walking behind someone with a gun held at their back. Mike is clever, because he's calculating on Troy reacting the way it's done in movies. The bad guy always make the victim walk quietly when holding them at gun or knife point. Adam almost gets it right in his analysis. But he should have thought like this instead: I knew I could run as Kyle had said he'd got a knife in my back and he couldn't do much with that if I took off. Even if that would leave Troy on his own and he didn't follow my lead for fear of a bullet in the back, I would be free to raise a stink, call his parents and the cops. I could almost certainly get away, and having both of us in the hands of these two apparent maniacs would be insane. However, it's perfectly understandable he caves to the expected behavior, since he's just a normal teen.

That's why they should duck sideways and run. Even a few steps would bring Troy among other shoppers and reveal the presence of the gun. Mike is not a professional and unless he was close to pulling the trigger, he'd be taken by surprise. Even if he did get a shot off, the chances of getting help and surviving is much higher when surrounded by other people than in a secluded spot somewhere. But it's very human to hope you'll get out of trouble later rather than take a risk now, even if their chances have now decreased dramatically.

LOL, I have no problem with you flaying the failings of women as well as men. In fact I've enjoyed it. I have problems understanding the behavior of most women too. Why do wives get upset if their men have hobbies and friends. What is wrong with spending time apart ? A lot of women seem to think the optimal relationship is being together all the time. Of course, if they get stuck with all the house work and child care, while their husbands have fun, that's wrong. But women should simply demand time for their own pursuits and friends too. This gives the men a chance to bond with their kids who often enjoy the more relaxed companionship. As for women who use sex as a weapon, I have no printable words. But then I feel the same about men who use their power over others to demand sex.

For once I'm glad you're announcing the content of the next chapter. I hope it will start out with Robbie returning home, sore but happy. If so, I'll ignore Nathan's silly behavior. I'm hoping Nathan will eventually stop making their relationship revolve around sex, so they can find out if they have anything else in common. Also they should start spending time with friends like Daniel and Rory. I think both Robbie and Alex need friends more than they need boyfriends. It's interesting how clearly Robbie can see Sue and Don's faults and prejudices, when he's so immature and oblivious in other matters. I'm looking forward to the day he finally gets to call them on their bigotry.

Wow, you finally came up with a sensible mother. And while the teacher could have rejected Asa in a more polite manner, I'm glad he did.

The boys were not thinking rationally, but I guess it's hard to blame them. They would have been much better off kicking up a fuss in the mall. Ducking sideways and jumping behind other people would have done the trick. Not even Mike is stupid enough to fire a gun in a public place, with very little chance of hitting Troy.

If Buddy hadn't given up and gotten high he would have been sitting next to Kyle in class. And Kyle should have told his mother that Melissa is not a nice person which is why he avoids her and have no intention of looking our for her in school. I fail to feel much sympathy for either of them, but the story is well written.

I'm glad the end went according to plan, more or less. I hope the Mages were in an agony of fear and pain before they died.

Thank you, Def. Wonderful to hear from you. Your comment is 'rosinen i pølseenden' - a weird Danish proverb referring to 'a raisin at the end of the sausage' meaning an extra goodie at the end of a satisfying string of nice stuff. I hope I've managed to reply to all comments. Else let me know.

Yes please LadyDe, say it as often as you like. And hints about more A.I. stories are welcome too, I want to write more about them and prods from fans are good motivation. I'm looking forward to meeting Kim too. I'm still trying to flesh out his character, and then I'll have fun with the surprise for Peter. You're absolutely right about Michael wrapping everyone around his little finger. Big blue eyes and a small whine work every time.

Awww, thank you, guys. I struggled with this chapter, so it's wonderful to be told you enjoyed it and want more. Your praise made my day - or week. I'm glad I have another fan of hunky blond Vikings @JackL And it's fun to get comments in Danish. You've been a steadfast supporter of my story @ReaderPaul so I'm glad you haven't given up on me. I'm grateful for all the readers sticking with my stories. Thank @Albert1434 for another kind and supportive comment. Visits from the A.I. team are always fun.

Thank you, Gary - I love making you smile, even through tears. I guess you know the worry of a father for his child, and we can all relate to the relief of knowing a loved one will be OK. Patrick's mother did indeed have her own talent, one of soothing pain and hurt. Unfortunately, she never got around to talk to her son about this, perhaps because his abilities most manifested when he set up his card shop.

Thank you. It's a wonderful compliment to be told the story is interesting, and that you like the interactions. I've tried to improve the show-don't-tell aspects of my writing so your comment is encouraging.

I'm very grateful for all your help, cristal. Both with the detail and the general feel of the post-surgery part of this chapter. It was a huge hurdle for me and I don't think I could have gotten past it without you. It sounds like the dads may have to smuggle in some comfort food if the pancakes do not arrive.

In some ways I think children are more resilient than adults, and recent research seems to corroborate this. Children up to the age of ten do not get tired the same way teens or adult do. They can keep going and bounce back faster from exhaustion. But yes, the Guardian Angel was probably helpful too.

I've felt quite bad about leaving Michael in the middle of heart surgery, so I'm just as relieved as you are to have him safely through the ordeal. I never wanted to make this story a huge hospital drama, but on the other hand it is an important part of the story, apart from being the reason Patrick and Peter met. I'm very pleased my A.I. team continues to amuse my readers, I have fun coming up with stuff for them to say and do. Thank you for leaving comments, they are a huge part of my motivation.

Thank you to all of my patient readers, I'm glad you haven't abandoned the story, even though I'm so bad at getting chapters posted. Having you tell me it was a good chapter made me very happy, because it means I was able to get back into the flow of the story.

Thank you, jp. You're right about the love surrounding Michael. Patrick has so much love to give, and Peter is happy to receive. um, I mean... Story expansion may be good, once I've resolved all the current plot lines. Same goes for Angel and Imp, but I'm happy my readers enjoy them popping in.

Selv tak, min elskelige ven. It was a relief to get Michael out of surgery, now I need to get him home. He's going to be so spoiled, lol. Patrick begetting a child was a bomb shell Peter dropped on me as I was writing. But I can see both of them wanting more kids, and they make great dads. I'm glad my A.I. team still sparks interest, I'm hoping to be inspired to another sequel, but I really should focus on my main stories.

I'm rather surprised you interpret Patrick behavior as playing hard to get. That certainly wasn't my intention. I'll have to read the chapter with this in mind and see if I can tweak a line here and there. To me Patrick is coming out of the shell his parents' death caused him to build around himself. He may question his fortune in meeting Peter, but he's not questioning his feelings. Thank you for reading and commenting, and your compliment to my writing made my day.

The plot thickens. Hopefully , they'll have plenty of cuddle time too.

It's a long time since I read this story, but your review evoked some of the emotions I felt and makes me want to read Button again. As @spikey582 said, welcome to the review team, jp.

Uhm, why would Brad blame Kyle ? It was Buddy who saw them. And as we know Buddy is too shy to talk to Kyle. although he didn't promise not to tell anyone...

Kyle doesn't have a horrible life, apart from being lonely right now. In fact, almost the only advantage Buddy has over Kyle, is a good friend. But if the two of them don't start talking soon I may do one of my infamous rants.