Timothy M.

Sorry about keeping you up, but happy to get your review and approval. Glad you saw the victories amid the tension. The visit to the grandparents was a surprise, but Evan insisted and it turned out better than expected. Even I winced a bit at the parting shot. Yeah, Isa has been brought up to look at the surface of things, and Henry did have a very nice surface until the big crack appeared at the start of the story. More is on it's way, I hope.

Yes, Evan does have a bit of an streak at times. I hadn't thought about the visit in those terms, but you're quite right. I'm glad you thought it was funny. My eyes auto-corrected back to endorsement even before I saw your post in the forum. Hopefully, you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter.

Thank you for the kind words. I aplogize for the long wait, and I'm happy it was worth it. I'm already writing on the next chapter, if that's any comfort.

Yep, and thank you for your help.

Thank you, I'm glad my readers haven't given up on me. I think you're right about it being time to solve matters once and for all. I'll do my best.

Thanks, Tim, glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully, you'll see more of them soon.

LOL, at least they didn't have rats, but mice can be very annoying too. Over here you have to call in the professionals by law, if you have rats, but it's supported by the municipality, so the cost is low. The bright side was they got the house cleaned, and they had a nice time in bed.

I can't believe it either, Def, although I have a hard time letting go of any characters I've created. I'm always coming up with new things they might do or experience. Good to know my readers are on board with that. I'm thrilled the missions worked for you and you liked the arguments between Angel and Imp. I had a lot of fun coming up with those discussions, so it's wonderful to know you enjoyed them too. Luckily, no one has objected to the ending so far, but the pitchforks may come out later. Thanks for the review

Oh my, LL, you may just have inspired me to start writing the sequel. Wouldn't it just be too funny to have a higher order team poking those two without them realizing. I'm so glad you could see the slow progression towards friendship - perhaps more. That was exactly what I was aiming for by starting all over again from the beginning. I'm also pleased the missions came out interesting, because that was a huge challenge in both A.I. stories. If I ever run out of other stories to write, I may revisit those missions seen from the humans' perspective. Let's say in ten years time or so...

Yeah, I know what you mean about the gender-neutral pronouns but after reading Carizabeth's stories, I've gotten so used to them, it feels natural. I'm glad the shift felt logical. One of my editors suggested having Angel realize ze was become he, but of course Angel thinks of hirself / himself as I and my, so he won't realize until the moment the gender shift becomes real physically. Then what?

Thank you, both for the review and helping with the story. I wrote it this way partly because the story had to be a stand alone, and partly because someone asked about Angel's POV, and I wanted to try it out. I think the sequel will have to be Imp again, or perhaps a mix. I'm glad the missions came alive again, and of course the Viking one benefited from being more elaborate. It was quite a challenge in both A.I. tales to come up with the small stories-within-the-story and fleshing them out enough without prolonging the main story too much. Hmm, the tendrils meeting - I didn't see it like that, but I think it's a much better image than mine. I can always count on you to see the small romantic details.

Aaaaaaarrrggghhhhhhh I want to kick Emmett's ass for being so stubborn. He's lucky Jian is even more stubborn and patient too. But I guess if you know it's only a matter of time before your mate admits his love, it can be quite fun to tease him while you wait. I'm guessing Em's whole family is enjoying the spectacle too, and I suppose we are too. Anticipation is fun and it's nice to see how perfectly Jian fits into the polar bear's life.

We surfaced from a deep sleep to the sound of Jacob’s cell phone ringing. As he fumbled around on the bedside table trying to find it, I lifted my head to get a glimpse of the time. Wow, it was almost nine in the morning. “Det’ Jacob,” I heard my fiancé mumble sleepily. “Åh, hej Mor,” he continued, and I knew he was talking to Benedicte. “Ja. Det’ OK. Mmm-hmm. Hva’ da?”[1] There was a long pause while his mom talked. I let my eyes close, and my hand was on his chest, relishing the warmth of his

Yay, David met Andy, that's so He'll be thrilled to see Chuck, and I'm sure he'll help fund the hotline.

Wow, that was a really huge step forward in St. John's road to a better mental state of mind. He starts out with being depressed and ends up with a positive affirmation of having gotten to a better place in his life. A place with friends, a good job, potential writing, a life which may not be normal but so much better than what he's had before. He still has plenty of issues to work through - his relationship with Bobby being a huge one - but he's finally in a place where he can deal with them. For a chapter with so much angst and anger this was surprisingly positive, almost happy at the end.

I think the best indication of how far Corey has come is the fact he doesn't even have a moment of jealous doubt when he sees Jason and Liam together in the Café. He doesn't even say anything to Jason, but patiently waits for the surprise. A great one too I'm sorry for Liam, but it was probably for the best, if his boyfriend was still in the closet after so long. A wonderful story, we've all enjoyed the ride.

Quite a few truths revealed in this chapter and as you say that's not such a bad thing. We all chuckled as Tilly tried to find out the truth about why Kellar and Tobyn weren't at home. Their banter revealed how good friends they are, and I bet Tobyn had a hard time hiding the truth from her too. Another big truth revealed was of course the existence of Adelin's mate, including who and what he was. I don't blame Kellar for his stumbling, the reactions of both girls had me and wanting to tell Adelin to calm down and shut up. Give the poor guy a chance to explain instead of mauling him and peltering him with silly questions. Jeez. I think it was unfair to accuse Kellar of being overprotective and underestimating Adelin. He would have acted the same way if it had been his foster-sister who was the mate of a male shifter. He has good reasons to be worried about Warren as a potential danger to the pack, and he still needs to deal with his personal dislike - and his guilt, as Tobyn reveals later. Add to that, the fact Warren is human, something which the girls also had to get used to, and maybe not in the best shape physically, and I think the girls should have cut Kellar some slack - especially when they should be able to see how uncomfortable he feels during his explanation. When they stop acting like giddy chicks and act rationally, they can demand respect. The final and probably most important truth was the light Tobyn shed on the rage Kellar felt during his first shift. Suddenly, he learns that rather than being out of control and unreasonably cruel, he was actually showing great restrain when he didn't kill Warren. I think Tobyn was absolutely right about the healer influence, because I can recall how Kellar felt more disgusted at the idea of killing Warren than he was pissed off at him. We may at times sigh over Tobyn's need to think deeply on stuff, but in this case it's definitely not such a bad thing. He helped his mate gain insight and see the whole truth about that initial encounter which set this story off with an almighty bang ! My favorite quote of this chapter: “You know this mate thing works really well. So well that I can tell when you’re full of shit.”

It may have been an interlude in all the other stuff going on, but the bonding taking place was essential. And I'm not talking about the hot sorting, though that was perfect too. No, it's all the little things too, holding hands as they walk, kissing in the middle of the road, talking about their mating and how they want to proceed with the steps of joining, running together as wolves and sharing the beauty of Tobyn's special place. They are so new as a couple, that any time spent alone together must be cherished. I understand Tobyn's need to hold on to his free will, to hold on to the part of him which is uniquely human, while at the same time keeping his wolf happy. The primal urges to mate surely comes from their wolves, because that's their link to the earth mother and the magic which makes them shifters. It's interesting that the urges don't seem to be overwhelming when they are in wolf form, but I guess their human minds are still in control. Perhaps their wolves are simply happy to play and touch and run, and in fact their first bonding probably happened on their initial run together.

I'm glad Corey's brain finally got through to him and kicked his irrational fear in the ass with some facts. It may have taken the text from Jason to open the door, but his memory was banging on it all the time shouting: 'Dude, take a second look and think about what you're seeing and not the spectre your fear is holding up.' I chuckled a bit when Corey told Jason he was pissing him off when he began harping on the cheating in the past. I didn't think of it at the time, but I get what you mean about Jason needing to forgive himself and let it go. Corey saying he trusts him and apologizing for taking off might finally do the trick. It would be nice if they had time to meet those two friends Jason actually feels close to, and maybe Paul too. I bet they noticed Jason taking off in a panic the night before, and maybe even the intermezzo with Luc.

Great story and I think Seth and Erik made the right choice about giving up the throne. But I hope they will be there to support the new King. Maybe they can act as ambassadors to the barbarian King, who was innocent of the crimes laid at his door.

Oh ! I hadn't seen that coming at all ! I wonder if Harry and Waldo went to visit Santa Land the Bear would have someone else inside? No wonder Geraldo felt familiar - and knew Harry liked hot chocolate. The talk the boys had about regrets and Twiligth Zone stories about going back to change the past took on a whole other significance with this final chapter. I think Ian was being a great friend to all of them, and I'm glad they had time to congratulate him on the school part before the surprise. He invited the girl York liked, and this meant Harry and Waldo had the opportunity to spend time together again. Harry will deftly suggest to York that he should drive the girls home, and Ian will make sure he drops off him and his sister first. If this gets him a date and perhaps a quick kiss, he'll cherish his friends forever. I loved this story, also because I'm sensing a lot of you in Harry, which is probably not a surprise. Oh and I almost forgot to say how much I enjoyed the mention of Bruce and Naomi. So cool to know they're doing well.

Ohhh, Zoltar - that reminds me of the film Big with Tom Hanks. I thought they had invented the wish-fulfilling machine for the movie, but maybe not? It sounds quite familiar and the two slips of paper held great advice. I liked how Harry gradually worked his way towards sussing Waldo out, throwing out careful feelers, noticing the blushes, and immediately reinforcing Waldo's final brave GSA comment. I hope later on they'll consider this their first date. Now we know why Kevin's name hurt Harry, but as I see it York has not defected from his group of friends. He still hangs out with them. And what he told them the first day about not having the guts to ask a girl for a date is something you only dare to tell trusted friends. Plus I wondered if he felt a bit the same about Waldo arriving and taking Harry's attention away? The part about Jon was sad, but interesting how Waldo immediately did what he could to comfort Harry - and in the next moment expressed his faith and trust in his friend. A very defining moment for these two, I think.

There is something weird about this bear. He knows Harry's name before he's told it at the end, and Harry can't shake the feeling he's familiar. They bond over liking beautiful buildings, and Harry even asks the guy to read his story. Do any of his friends get to see his stories? Why does he trust the Bear - enough to meet him without knowing who he is? Maybe it's because he represents Famous-Barr and thus a place deeply entrenched in Harry's childhood dreams? Another interesting point was Harry noticing the rainbow sticker and knowing what it means. Does that indicate he's gay too? What does that mean for Waldo's chances? I noticed he blushed in the previous chapter at the idea of sharing a room with Harry. Will the bear's regrets about not telling his friend about liking him be a prod for Harry not to lose his chance? Those were the questions going through my head as I read this.

I have no problem with people having faith, no matter their religion, as long as they don't shove it in my face or give it higher value than common decency or human rights. I do have a problem with religion influencing politics and education, because I have yet to see an example of this being a good idea in modern times. To me religion = organized faith, and I have problems pointing to a single religion which has any relevance in a civilized world, including my own. In fact, one study showed that kids brought up in homes where their parents said they were not religious, were actually kinder and more tolerant than kids from the two main religions studied (Christianity and Islam). And there ae plenty of stories here on GA to show you the devastaing consequences of religion for LGBT kids. Your story is an extreme example of the evil done in the name of religion, and it's not so important which one. Right now suicide bombs is the favorite of one particular group, but you could have found equally despicable pratices from the history of other religions. The main message of the story to me is how each individual must make a decision on how to act in the face of evil., how to keep faith with what is good and right and human.

OK 160 is a bit high, but at least the 80 is right in the middle of the recommended score, as far as I know. Someone once said the upper score should be 100 plus your age, so I guess you could say you have a higher body age than time-line age. And that's perhaps understandable with everything you have been through. I wouldn't worry too much, as you're already focused on healthy living. Stress also causes high blood pressure, and I bet pain will push it up too. Hopefully, once your surgery is over and you feel better, everything else will fall into place too. Please ask Mike to give you lots of and on my behalf.