Timothy M.

Shit, I can't believe Will outed Zach to Carullo. Let's hope it doesn't come back to bite him in the ass. Ruining his football career is the one thing Zach would never forgive Will for. JJ might be pissed now, but I think (hope) he'll come to appreciate Carullo as a great flat mate. And if Will persuades JJ to dress Carullo (with Will paying), it might help too. A car is a must, and I'd love to see Zach's face when his parents bitch about Will giving another guy a car (I'm sure they'll get the gossip from Frank). That'll teach him a lesson. Hmm perhaps Carullo can be the pretend boyfriend. And I'm all at the thought of Will spending money to piss off Brad.

Considering the general destruction of wildlife habitats and the number of species humans have decimated in historic time, it's slightly weird to see this outcry over a single individual.

Tillykke med fødselsdagen wave Danish birthday flags at you

So the piranahs keep circling and in spite of Dr. K.'s attempt to politely scold them, I do not think they will stop speculating. Unfortunately this angle has revived the interest in Jack, and not in a good way either. If Jack running away from more treatment caused Dr. K. crisis of faith, I guess it achieved something good other than meeting Linc. And Mrs. Shaw may not like to hear this, but she needs to know. I found it interesting that she had worked out some of the issues Hamish and Christie have, but fail to see all of the reasons behind or how bad it is. But I guess her narrow focus is part of what has kept her going through Jack's illness. Good thing none of the reporters caught the kissing by the Christmas tree. I guess the glass wall is opague.

Thank you Eagle-eyes, another profound review from you almost makes me blush. It's inspiring and rewarding when readers see things in my story which I wanted to express but didn't know if I'd managed, and then take it one step further. Yes, Jacob has changed the way Russ sees himself and Evan, and this miracle will make the twins closer than ever and with a much better prospect for both of them to be happy. Oh, there are still adjusments to be made, and we can get some drama and fun from it too, but this is the chapter which makes it believable that the corner as been turned. And I didn't see that before you all pointed it out.

LOL, yes I think Jacob will have his hands full when Russ gives him the reward. I promise I'll give you a detailed account of the event. Jacon certainly deserves it after patiently caring for Russ since he arrived. I'm delighted everyone remarks on the growth of Russ and points to different aspects. I love your observation of how it's happened slowly, almost escaping his and our notice, only to appear now, at the moment of tense surprise. Oh, he still wobbles and babbles in his head, but at least he does not hide or refuse to face matters. You're kind to talk of hope for Henry to change and make amends. It's easy to write him off, but he's got good qualities too, if he could only loosen up. Fifty or one hundred years ago he would have been considered an ideal patriarch. Kristin will have her moment in the spotight, too.

How did you know he didn't blush ? No, you're right, Russ has come so far since we first met him, and I think meeting his family has made this clear. He is now interacting with all of them from a new and stronger position. I'm not sure they fully realize yet, but they'll soon find out how much he has improved, not only on the outside. And I think that seeing this change without Jacob being there is important, as LL said the strength stays with Russ even when they are apart. So he truly has evolved, it's not just Jacob controlling him. Good Mums must be treasured.

Yum, those cake descriptions made me drool. You had better be writing recipes too. Loved the puppy tangle of the four boys. Did Lee crop a feel? Poor Denny, but he's on the right track to healing. Sleeping together was cute and I loved Lee sharing his own secret as well as giving his approval of Greg's choice of boyfriend. You've managed to create your own set of awesome bros, CG. Do we get pictures in the forum? Awesome chapter, warmed my heart. Loved the title too.

LOL, I loved this. You're absolutely right. Perhaps the staff had faith in Alex not being stupid enough to stand naked in front of the window with his lover. But even so they should still have warned him. Maybe they liked the drama - or they were busy reading the paper. I'm sure Mark likes all of this ranting we're doing.

Oh AC, I want to hug you when you write reviews like this. What can I add? You're absolutely right. Russ has matured three years in three months. The camping trip didn't just hone his body but also his mind, and it shows now that he is back with his family. His ability to tease Kristin about Christian, to see through his father's ploys, to accept his Mom's compliments, to soothe Evan, and even to bring up the need for professional help to deal with their father. Oh Russ still has issues to deal with, but for the first time I have confidence he will be able to do it. And you just showed me why.

As I was replying to Gary's review I realized you are right, this was a pivotal chapter. Thank you so much for pointing that out. Maybe I should have called it Balance and control, because as the whole family was present we saw the balance shift and the control moved from Henry to Isa. Russ gained insight in the balance in his twin bond with Evan, and for the first time he acknowledged the influence he has on Evan. And influence equals control, but in a beneficial manner. I'm glad you felt Jacob was present in spirit, and that you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. AC suggested I include one, and I knew he was right. I struggled for a bit to find the right one, and your reaction tells me I chose well. And you pinpointed one of my 'writer's tricks' - I aim to show Russ' character and his development via those small trips into the past, as well as his 'aha' moments in the present. Kristin and Christian, yes I look forward to writing their meeting. Your instincts are great.

Thank you Gary, it was worth waiting for this review. I hadn't thought about it, but you're absolutely right. Henry is lurking around like a shark, trying to isolate the weaker prey and get his teeth into her. What a surprise it must have been to find Isa strong and resistant, and able to ignore him. You know my guts ached while I worked on that scene, it was so tense. I'm glad my readers feel the same, that I managed to convey the feeling. As to what he'll do next, well I don't know right now, but I think you're right. We have not heard the last of him. I love that you see Russ as stronger than Evan in this chapter, he was and even more important: he realized it. It's been a goal ever since I wrote the first scene of Russell describing Evan, to get to a point where both twins feel a balance, an equality in their bond. For Russ to actually admit that they can achieve that is a major step forward.

Thank you. I try not to think about how many chapters I'll need to write before we get to the weddings. Yes, one solution is for Henry to be gone, but perhaps a better one would be for him to change and be forgiven. But I have no idea yet whether that can or will happen.

Thnak you CG, I'm delighted you think the chapter show an improvement in Russ. AS stated in the story description one of the main themes is exactly his journey from a shy and almost self-hating boy to a man who stands proud and knows how to love and be loved. There is still some way to go, but he took a significant step forward here. Isa's marriage was probably fine, but she realized Henry was not as good a father as a husband. Or perhaps she woke up to the fact that standing up to her husband more would have been a good idea in order to protect her kids. I can give you the chocolate cake recipe, but everything is in grams, and I have no idea how to convert it into oz.

Damn - I've had that happen to me a few times. If you want to do a long review, writing it in Notepad or some other program can be safest. I'll look forward to your contribution in the story forum. I'm glad you like the story.

You're welcome.

Thank you so much, I'd almost given up waiting for reviews and gone to bed sulking. JK I'm glad Henry comes across as a 'real' person, it's rather hard to write a man with those traits, when I don't know anyone like that. So interesting to hear about your experience. And you certainly nailed the meaning and importance of the flashback. AC urged me to do a memory and it took me a while to come up with a good one, so it's nice to know it worked.

Interesting. I simply assumed Alex had given strict orders to his staff that no one should disturb him in his bedroom (to avoid them barging in on him and JJ), and this misfired - plus they didn't think to call him either.

Yep, finding a good beta and / or editor is like winning the Lottery. So make sure you treat them right, when you get one.

LOL, Gary, I think I'm a bad influence on you: Gambles and Greed is something I would have loved to come up with for a title or chapter note, and now you've caught the alliteration bug. And so apt, Candy is greedy so she tries to hold out for more, but we all hope her greed will be her downfall. Even better it served to bring Michael and Kendall still closer in their support and understanding of each other. I loved how Kendall made sure to tell Michael he was there for him, even when at work. Michael should learn how to send a text 'Call me when convenient' Mr. Snuggles, sigh, you're so hard on Lanny, I almost feel sorry for him. I think he must be one of the most surprisingly reformed characters in a GA story. Who would have thought it. And Queen of Spades, is this a hint of Candy having a Black Heart with two horns attached? Anyway, I have faith in you and all the good COTT people, and the lawyer will soon put the QS in her place. Although I know from my cousin that prolonged morning sickness is awful, so maybe we should spare her a small dose of sympathy. Now we're waiting for their 'date.'

I liked that you added this to the story itself, so it's available to readers who don't visit the story discussion topic. I was fascinated about the new understanding of the 'Dark Ages' as a lot more enlightened than more recent times.

When Chris, Evan and I got to the airport, Mom and Kristin’s flight had landed ten minutes earlier, but there were still five minutes until baggage arrival started. We took up positions in the same place where Jacob and I had waited for Evan and Chris, and this time my twin was the jittery one. I saw Chris put a calming hand on the back of Evan’s neck, which lessened the fierce grip he had on my hand. As the minutes went by I noticed Chris developing a tense cast to his shoulders and face.

except when they were planning to kill JJ's coach for molesting him, Will had a huge moral crisis after the guy died, and he told the others that they couldn't do this sort of thing any more. So I doubt there will be any murders going on, unless JP can get Will to agree. And Will usually wants to see his victims suffer remorse and make amends, before he evetually forgives them. In any case, I think he'll say that JJ should be the one to decide what sort of revenge he wants. In addition, ME doesn't deserve to be killed - she did her best to warn JJ, and why wouldn't she want to break up him and Alex? Lady Di hated Camilla. We only think it's bad, because we're on JJ side, and we know she's evil. (I don't care about Alex.) Plus it's boring to use the same solution again, I have faith in Mark being able to come up wth something much better.

LOL, it almost filled the whole screen of my laptop. No problem ... for me. I like spider and snakes and most other critters. Except wasps. I hate them.