Timothy M.

So Dawn's 'prophecy' to Mrs Shaw has come true: Lincoln would never leave Jack's side unless dragged away. And once again you set up the two extremes of good and evil: the proposal and declaration of love and hope for the future cruelly interrupted by the bigoted outside world trying to destroy what they do not understand or approve of. It is not Linc and Jack who need to be ashamed, but the hypocrites trampling all over Young Love - literally in case of the media sharks. Bastards! But I trusted you - and Jackson - even the first time I read this, although I had no idea what would happen. Jack needs his fiancé back asap.

I think what I liked most about this chapter is that Kendall was in charge all the way. He made Ace confess what he was imagining, he told him he wanted to go first, he kissed him senseless on arrival, he told him to keep going, to give him more. I could go on and on, but I think you know what I mean. Michael may have been the one topping, but he was doing everything for Kendall and giving him everything he wanted. And at the same time Kendall gave himself to the man he loves and who loves him back with his whole being. It was beautiful - and hot as hell too. I keep expecting my laptop to catch fire every time I read this chapter. But maybe all the drooling and stuff prevent that... Jackpot - oh yeah, you can say that again !

Thanks for all the nice comments, I'm glad you approve of the family so far (apart from Henry). Eventually we'll see other family members, I hope, I've already had to make a spread sheet to keep track of them. Isa may have lost a husband, but she has gained two great sons-in-law and the future happiness of her boys. I think she made the right choice, but it probably wasn't easy.

I'm glad you like the slow reveal as there is a lot more of it to come. Russell has suppressed and ignored so many things and not surprisingly they now emerge and needs to be dealt with. Not all of them are sad memories, but he still needs to see them in a new light. Yes, Chris and Jacob are very supportive and understanding, but I bet they would tell you the rewards are worth it.

Russ and Evan used to share everything, but then their lives split apart and for four years they have been out of step. But now they are working their way back to intimacy - to mental, spiritual and physical closeness. But not sexual of course, apart from talking about their hot boyfriends and how to please them. I'm sure Jacob won't mind that at all.

Now I have to catch up with your reviews. Maybe they'll inspire me to get back to the twins. I think we'll be looking forward to the next step of twinness for a while to come.

Not my cup of tea, but I admire your ability to touch our Hearts and pluck the strings with this short but evocative story.

Don't know what I can say apart from Ditto! to AC's review. But the whole dude funk scene had me chuckling, even as I wondered about Micah not being sensitive to male pheromones, since he's gay. But perhaps it's not that kind of hormones, lol. Jo-C is great, and I hope Micah will pay extra attention to him. Not sexually but as a friend and bro, who cares enough to talk with him and spend time with him. Playing tag should be a good start. Oh and I look forward to the moment the want for Denn grabs Micah. Can you have nut sex and energy sex at the same time?

Ah yes I think Dawn is slowly being pulled in by the famed Oliver charm, but she will not let it happen yet. I'm not happy with the notion that she is a 'closet romantic', I think that is an insult to the amazing girl who refuses to conform to the stereotypes pushed on teens / us by adults and our surroundings. It is the same instinct which has her calling BS on Mrs Shaw ignoring the eternal love of Jack and Lincoln. Romeo and Juliet were no more than teens either, but none deny their devotion and true love. It's rare but it happens and to doubt it, particularly in this situation, is cruel. Is this what has prevented her from showing more sympathy to Lincoln and Jack's wishes of togetherness? And knowing what I do about the story, I see a special significance in one of Dawn's statements. But I shall stay until later.

I'm shaking my head over Ben. How could he get the situation so badly wrong? Clay needs a father, and Rush is best suited of all the options. I'd have thought Ben would admire Rush and support him in this. But instead his insecurities make him come to all the wrong concluions. I see no signs of Clay having a crush on Rush, just a need for stability and a caring dad. Oh well, even if Ben disappointed me, I'm glad we got another chapter in this story.

That may be the hottest and sweetest dark room scene I've ever read. and the best part was Calvin telling Benny exactly what he needed and us knowing Benny had already told himself he would do anything for his Callie. I have the feeling Calvin will end up topping his love first, but Benny will be the one to make love to his man most often, giving Calvin the wanting and caring he craves. Beautiful - you really are a master of showing how physical loving can express deep emotional bonds in teens. I hope we'll encounter C&B in the dark room again, maybe developing the photos Calvin will be taking of Benny from now on. Will we get to see any of them ? I agree that Jay and Miles are awesome in their determination to help their friends, I have the feeling Jay's parents would approve. But you can get very dirty from dust in a hay loft, if you sweat too much (experience from my grandparents' hayloft speaking here). And inhaling the dust can be bad, too. Didn't Miles have a touch of asthma? Or am I confusing this with something else? In any case, haylofts can certainly be fun and romantic, so no objection there - but showers may be needed to get squeeky clean.

I agree. Lisa and Gary (Headstall) are my favorite role models, but there is a whole gang of brilliant reviewers out there. You can learn a lot about reviewing by reading their comments.

Well, well, seems the cynical DC has a kind heart as well as high morals and a conscience. He's trying to help Spenser, and the Eugene scene shed some interesting light on his past, both for us and Chase's green sidekick. Impressive. Did Chase just come out to Caceda? I have the feeling that his comment here together with the dance yesterday confirmed his orientation for her. Good for him, since she's even more likely to trust him now. They could go far together, career-wise. And I loved how you made us see (with so few words) that Felix is the perfect antidote to all the shit Chase sees as a policeman. As long as he has Felix to come home to, Dorian will not lose his humanity or his instinct to help the innocent, the unfortunate, and the abused. And he'll always do his best to put the bad guys away. More, please !

Is this a hint that I'm behind with my reviewing, Lisa? (JK ) Anyway, I love getting reviews and replying to them. I also enjoy writing reviews, but I have to admit that if the author never responds to any of them, I give up commenting. I always read the reviews left before me, and I sometimes remark on them. I'll often try to focus on aspects which haven't been covered yet, or I comment on those parts of the story which touched me or thrilled me. Once I get to know the author, and I know he or she doesn't mind, I'll occasionally do some ranting or teasing, but often it's even better to do this in a story discussion forum, since you can then interact with other readers as well as the author.

I think this may be my favorite of your stories, and the one I'd like a sequel to, if possible. Even if it made me feel sad about Noel having so much destroyed by that bastard (Lyle), it was so wonderful to follow how Leigh and Chris rescued him and started him on the path to love and happiness. I wanted to Chris for being so respectful and considerate and patient. I can see why Leigh worships him - and Noel too. Those two good guys deserve each other.

Oh great, I can come out of the closet and admit I love Elton John and his songs too. Wonderful story, and I'm glad he stood up to his bastard of a father. I know he and Ron will be a couple now, it made me smile so much. And Mikey is awsome.

I hope you're right.

My guts hurt, and I'm looking for a tissue, but at least there was some hope at the end.

The dangerous family trio getting drunk and hugging it out. Hilarious.

I was all resigned to the Leopards doing well but losing, so it was a wonderful surprise to have them winning. And with Charlie scoring the winning goal after a spectacular move, just like him to calculate the odds and cooly decide to carry it out, only to be all 'Sh*t' as he looks down. Hopefully he didn't land on his bad shoulder - although if it's fully healed but still taped, it might have been the best choice. Others have already commented on the nerve wrecking game, so I'll just say I enjoyed it a lot. Including the moment when Steven had to slightly revise his opinion of Neil. Ollie's interaction with the banner guys was fun, and I'm glad to see he's admitting to seriously dating Helena. Of course Ty got the best player medal, and I'm not surprised Patrick is worried about other teams becoming interested. I think he should approach Ty and tell him the Blues want him and urge him to keep discouraging other teams. Or perhaps he's not allowed to do that ? In any case, I'm sure this ploy will be a major part of the next book (can't wait). Good job on working more on Mary and her misconceptions about gay couples. It was a clever move to have Neil's parents meet Sam and Marcus, and good point about Sam having messed up in his past, in relation to his family. And I had to laugh about Liam's dad teasing the boys. I hope they are right about having plenty of time to be together, but I'd like them to take the first steps tonight. Looking and touching should do the trick. Great speeches by Peter, and he was absolutely right about this being the best team. I'm sure many of the players will tell him that he was an important factor in bringing this about. He deserved being sent off with a win and a blast of a party. So did we, but I liked the fact you ended with a lead on the start of the next book: the brat pushing Dad and Deon to work their chances of being drafted. But surely Ty should be recuperating longer than just a day? Or at least have the physio monitoring and telling him what exercises to do. Did I remember everything? Else I can do a story review...

Thanks Drew, I'd not thought about the anniversary, but I since I managed to post ch. 12 one year and eight days after the first chapter, I suppose I can claim a posting schedule of once a month. But don't expect me to keep up with that. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, including the interaction between Russ and Evan. The story has progressed so far since this moment, it's almost strange to think back on how tense and tentative the situation was then.

I'm not going to repeat all the praise, I'll do a Lisa and say Ditto! But I'll say that you once again did a great job of choosing a title and introduction line. M&K had a peek into the future the Cards hold for them. Kendall gets to do his saintly bit (hope he doesn't faint at the sight of blood), and Michael gets to keep his distance to Candy without having to feel bad about it, since it respects her wishes too. I think they should be grateful that Candy tries to detach herself from the child, because there have been cases where the surrogate has refused to give up the baby. At least she has the added incentive of hoping for a relationship with her childhood sweetheart. She may have to tell him of the child (depending on her blood type), but she could say it was a favor to her friends. Oh and of course a Family of three is better than two - in some ways at least. But I could have wished for them that they had a longer time to be a couple before having to deal with a kid. But they would probably have been ready for children fairly soon anyway, considering the leaps of love they've taken so far. Of course, we all waiting for the one they discussed. (I hope Colleen never has to use their bathroom, can you imagine the embarassment of having to explain this gadget?! )

Not to worry, we worked out what you meant.

Me neither. Except I know people who get very grumpy with no coffee.