Timothy M.

I'm glad somebody appreciates Jasper's good qualities. He is a great friend and boyfriend.LOL, I wish I'd thought of telling Rob to try on the purple shirt - I bet he would have done it too. Bad boys in the fitting room - sounds like porn to me

In a way this is a difficult chapter to review. Ahmed's declaration of love is poignant and beautiful, yet it fills me with sadness, because why does Junyad not say the words? They have made love for six months and I have the feeling Ahmed has spoken of his love for equally long. Why is Junyad silent? It makes me so sorry for our brave soldier. I can understand Junyad's reluctance to speak of 'when they are free' because he fears it might take their attention away from the moment they are in. He wants them to treasure every 'now' they have together. But does the same apply to declaring his love? Does he fear that if he says 'I love you' to Ahmed, the soldier or fate will mess things up? I cannot fathom Junyad's silence and so I'm lost and don't know what to say or how to rejoice in their mutual affection. It's also difficult to be happy about the new understanding between Lord Lazlo and Louis. It's so fragile and could be destroyed by one look or word in the wrong time and place. The shadow of Lady G. darkens the future of Louis and the two people he loves - and what about Vlad rotting away in his hole and most likely plotting the worst of retributions on those who dared to imprison him? No wonder Junyad warns his lover about even thinking of him!

Thanks Brian, I'm glad you like it. There's not so much about before in the rest of the story but plenty of after, lol. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy getting your reviews and compliments.

aaww Caz, I thought I was the reason you got so much better... JK - but it's true I have a lot less editing to do on your chapters now.

I hadn't thought about it either, but I think you're right. Trevor probably liked Nelson quite a bit, but soon realized it wasn't returned. It is ironic how Nelson completely missed the signs - but maybe not surprising, since he was also clueless about Eric's interest until Rob did his goofy act in ch 1. I think Rob probably means he appreciates watching a nice ass in a more general way - and so far he's been forced to be content with watching and touching since his girlfriend refused any 'dirty stuff'. But this may change now Rob's a free man. Anyway, I'm sure Rob would not be at all shy about publicly praising his brother's looks, including various body parts.

What an interesting chapter, Graeme. And lots of positive development. Neil managed to acknowledge Liam for his birthday present and they even shook hands. I bet Liam wanted to kiss Neil, but he was bright enough to know this would be too much. His mom's idea of cup cakes was clever, my first thought was also that Liam could suggest Neil share them with the girls. I also noted Clarissa is making an impact on Neil concerning Alf, and in addition Neil admitted to himself he feels safer when Liam is around. They both still have a long way to go, but it's not hopeless. The same can be said about Neil's parents. They are doing a good job too at walking the fine line between supportive and stalking. It's quite symmetrical with the Liam case, is this on purpose? In any case, it's working great, storywise, and also in relation to the effect on Neil. He took Tony's (brilliant) advice and called his parents and the reward was a nice talk and perhaps an improved impression of his father in particular. I hvae to say even I am beginning to warm a bit to Phil, but like Liam he has a long way to go to make up for his 'huge fucking mistake.' But you've managed to make me think it may be possible. Who would have thought that ! The whole Ty thing was awesome. Him getting the chance to play and doing well, the Brat keeping his temper for most of the time, in spite of severe provocation, the fact he got a taste of what Jim faces (can makes Dad's decision to be in the closet a lot more understandable), the way Ty reacted in the changing room which was perfectly understandable, but most of all the consequence: once again recruiters get the wrong impression of Ty, which keeps his improvement a secret. This is perfect for the story line, and I'm in awe of you pulling it off, because while I was reading the talk of the two guys observing the players I was thinking, 'Shit, the secret is about to get out.' But now we'll still get to see Ty going with Jim to the Carlton training all unsuspecting. I can't wait. Thanks, Graeme, this may be the best chapter so far.

Ditto

Thanks, makes sense. No, I'm not, and IDK took me a while to work out too.

Thanks for doing the possessive vs plural challenge. Although I did when I first read it and noticed the mix-up. I'm with Lisa on this, Cia. And will somebody kindly explain the meaning of J/K or JK ? I got JK in a story review once, and I have no clue what it means.

Game of chance - such an apt name for a chapter where nothing is certain and you must rely on the luck of the draw - plus the skills of two great doctors, of course. But even they cannot win against the worst scenario. Is it too much to suggest some power took a look at Carson's reformed self and decided he should have the chance to show his son and his wife it isn't a temporary change, but will persist after he gets well? And amongst all the tenseness and sadness I couldn't help laughing at the joke about Carson keeping a functional physical asshole, now he is getting rid of the mental asshole he was. Never 'underestimate the importance of being able to take a good crap.'

Thank you, I'm glad my romantic readers approve. I like to think Nelson and Eric are in tune with each other and provide the support needed. Eric by being proud to be seen as Nelson's boyfriend and Nelson by openly expressing his feelings. I'm glad I'm not the only one to find porn rather stupid at times, no matter how gratifying it can seem at first sight.

Thank you my romantic friend. You pointed out one of my main intentions with this chapter (apart from more Rob fun, lol) and that was to show Nelson and Eric both have issues to fight. Nothing major, after all this a romance not drama, but still. And I think they are perfectly aligned to help each other out: Eric's confidence is boosted by Nelson's all-out love and Nelson will be carried along by Eric's enthusiasm with no time to worry about how and when.

So Emeric descends from Lazlo - or does he descend from Ahmed biologically and from Lazlo in name only ?? I can recall speculating on this, when I first read this chapter almost five months ago. As well as how the curse and Vlad fitted into this. And I sent AC this comment at the time: ahh things are coming together now !! Cool. Oh and I'm not surprised Sil was pissed about Em not telling about the raven before now. Should earn him a spanking LOL Reading it now I smile at Em telling Sil over and over again how much he loves him. It's so sweet.

Thank you my Swedish friend. I'm glad others can relate to the insecure feeling. Perhaps I shall let them have a small drama during the Prom, just for you. Accompanied by ABBA of course. But we definitely need some mutual exploring It will probably happen around ch 50 or so, at the rate I'm going. I'm waiting for Jaro to rant at me again, lol.

You're not fooling me, lol. This is before Colt meets Tony, right? (2013) Loved the way you managed to get the rain coat and the statue worked in.

Quite right, just see how Rob has taken over this story, lol. Eric needs all the support he can get.Maria cares about Eric and just like Rob she was concerned about him being alone. If Nelson makes Eric happy, she will approve and like him. Some girls have the right attitude. We did see Carolyn with them at the end of the baseball game. I think she will do fine, after all she gets along with Jasper.

Thank you, dughlas, I love that you have the same ambivalent feeling towards Rob as I do. I have fun making up Rob-style things for him to say and do and at the same time I'm all afterwards, lol.I was worried it would be confusing to have a 1st person POV at times, so I'm relieved you like this. Is does give a better possibility of showing those personal thought and worries, which surely have plagued all of us from time to time.

You're welcome, CG, I'm so glad you liked it. I hope you can see I'm using your Mall help augmented by suggestions from AC.I think Nelson and Eric are boosting each other's confidence with love, and to me this is one of the major advantages of falling in love and being in a relationship. I know we had very little to go on concerning sex and love when we were teens. Supposedly, it's so much better now, with internet etc, but I think teens now can get confused on a more advanced level.

“I never make a promise that I don’t intend to keep.” Eric and I were sitting next to each other sharing a couple of muffins and a hot chocolate. Rob and Jasper had held the table while we ordered, and now they were waiting in line for their brownies etc.; even Jasper couldn’t eat donuts twice on the same day. I had grabbed the chance to ask my boyfriend if he meant what he said when we walked away from Rob’s car. His answer made me melt a little bit inside. “But you know you don’

This was such a heartwrenching chapter in spite of the happy end - including the 'epilogue' in your comment to Lisa's review. Even worse than the father's reaction was that moment where Josh thought all was lost because Billy rejected him. While my rational mind is saying Josh woud have found someone else to love him, my heart was breaking for him. But at least he was spared this disaster, since Billy came to his senses at the last moment. In a way I guess the real journey here wasn't the finding of love, but to acknowledge what he is, to take pride in it and finding the courage to come out and stand up for himself as a Gay man. Hopefully this journey is easier now for most men, but I guess there are still many places where that's not the case, even in the US and in Europe too.

I really thought Nick was the one, but I guess not. Billy was a complete surprise, both to Josh and to us, I suppose. But sometimes love catches you unawares. Hopefully, this time Josh's feelings will be returned in equal measure. And yes Josh was pretty stupid about that sweet boy in his class. Poor guy, I hope he found someone a bit more receptive.

They should go and thank the bartender too for making Nick notice Josh. And Josh saying the ticket was a badge of honor had me grinning. I think we finally saw Josh open up and connect and I'm not surprised he is the one to hold on to Nick and be sure of his feelings. He knows what he wants and that Nick is it. I feel confident Nick will realize too after this last kiss. 'There is no going back.' Oh yes, this love, pure and simple and the forever lasting kind. But I bet the sex will be sorching hot too.

Reading this again I smiled once more at Kendall calling Michael his knight in shining armor, and it made me wonder whether you chose the name Michael with the Archangel in mind, since early Christianity considered him a healing angel. Of course he is also the mightiest of those fighting evil, so perhaps his presence also helps Carson battle his old evil self. Or perhaps I'm overthinking... But anyway that's how this chapter made me feel, in addition to the fact that it was a most appropriate chapter for Easter, which is a time for redemption and forgiving and resurrection. In this case they all did their best to resurrect the Dooley family and I hope they will succeed. I can understand why it was a difficult chapter to write, the tension is hard to take for us as readers, so it must have been ten times worse for you to express by writing. But you succeeded beautifully, my friend.

Interesting how the physical side of gay does not really affect Josh - he stays innocent and his heart is untouched. The physical manifestation is him not coming, even if he does enjoy the sex, but he himself says it as he is making his sandwich: he has not given his real self, not opened up in any meaningful way. And this is why he cannot be hurt by Doug or anyone else who only wants a casual night. So all of this so far has only given him experiences to use for the moment he finds love - and hopefully has it returned.

I guess the somewhat dissatisfied feeling I get from this chapter perfectly fits how Dick and Josh felt after their encounter. I have the feeling Dick was too lazily content after he found Michael and didn't make an effort to keep their relationship flying, just as he had the wants and the means to interest Josh, but couldn't quite follow throught when it became difficult and required some work to be sucessful. But probably not much harm done, and Josh may be able to learn from the experience - if nothing else to stay true to his instincts and inner self.