Timothy M.

Me too

I loved the way Devyn's trouble with understanding human behavior was portrayed. I need to finish reading this story.

I'm surprised that Caroline would be with someone who is described as 'a brutish bore' but perhaps it makes it less likely that her feelings are engaged, which would be a larger danger to her marriage than an affair only for sex. Hopefully Doctor Jackson will be able to save the Norwegian. Poor Winkler and the other staff having to work all night to clean clothes and repack. Surely they could wait another day - although I don't know how long the journey to London takes.

Thanks, it's fun to do a bit of fanfic writing, although it can be a challenge too.

Since everyone else is going with Zach or Curtis, I'll vote for the douche friend who spies on him. I can't recall his name, but I'm sure you know who I mean. Not that I really think he's got the gumption to hit Travis or would be able to win a fight, the way Zach would. But it's fun coming up with other options, and the guy might be annoyed at Travis avoiding him.

LOL, glad you liked it.

Sorry, only three chapters in the Fire prompt series, but I'm glad you liked them.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for leaving a comment. It's always great when readers find an old story.

Tillykke fra Danmark

Yeah, it's sad, because they wrote great stories. Even if the admin team know more, it may not be possible to share it. But I think mostly people just stop visiting.

It was difficult to read at times, but that's because Dodger knows how to grip your heart and twist your guts. No pulling the punches, but if you stick it out, it's a rewarding and thought-provoking tale. Should be mandatory reading in the military.

It's good for Will to learn about other coping strategies, even if they are not something he can employ. In addition, now that he knows how Travis reacts, he'll be able to take that into account. It's one of the things I like about Will, he never forgets important information like that, and he always tries to work through his issues intelligently once he cools down. Calling JP was an example of that. I hope for Stef's sake he did not know about the phone tracking and neglected to inform JP. Otherwise, I think they may have a major argument. Hopefully, only Brad will be in trouble, he's used to it.

I've read this chapter several times, and I simply don't get Zach. Why does he ruin the best thing in his life this way? I'm not just talking about his relationship with Will, but his inclusion in the family. They would have had his back in the fight with Curtis. Stef actually helped Will find a solution which would have benefitted Zach, and he would have brought Curtis down. He may still do that, but now Travis will be the one to benefit, so if he prefers to deal with his father discreetly, then Zach is still on his own against Curtis. I feel very sorry for Will. Losing Zach, and in such an awful and permanent manner, is bound to hurt him for a long time. Right now his anger sustains him, but he has invested a lot of his energy and emotions in keeping his relationship with Zach going. Until now it was worth it, because they were good for each other, but their special bond is shattered now. I have to hope Travis can take on that role in the future, since I despise Tony and don't want Will to spend more time with him. I'm glad Stef is there, but I hope Will gets a chance to talk with JP too, once his emotions are less volatile, and he want to think rationally about how to proceed. The main issue may be Brad, because on one hand keeping him in the dark about this development is sure to piss him off, but on the other hand he's likely to go ballistic about Zach hurting Will, both physically and emotionally. Sigh, all this drama is too much for me.

I have to admit I like Daventry more as we get to know him, not just for being a good and loyal friend to Granger, but for his kind actions to people like Ansom and Penelope. He may be a rake, but he does have a core of honour. Granger should trust his wife to be sensible, I don't think she would jeopardise her position and relationship with him again. If nothing else, her children's future will be a powerful motivation. I hope Granger get the doctor to look at the wounded Norwegian at once. Even if he must lose the leg, he might survive, and I'm sure Granger would help him find a way to live.

It's a good thing Will had that useful conversation with Stef before he was confronted with Zach in his bed. I think a threesome is a good way to work it out, and in addition both Zach and Travis have to deal with Curtis. It would be nice if they got him off their backs together.

This is a story which needs to be read slowly and attentively. Partly because there are important details and subtle hints, which - if missed due to a hurried pace of reading - will lessen the potential enjoyment and appreciation of this superbly crafted tale. Partly - and more importantly - because the story itself can evoke emotions and thoughts about both the past and the present. Especially of how love is always beautiful and rewarding, even if thwarted and not accepted by the rigid rules of religion and society. As penned by Tennyson: ''Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never to have loved at all.' I will not list all the various ways you may enjoy this tale, but let you discover them for yourself. Except for one matter, which only struck me after a while: all the main characters in the story were someone I could like and emphasize with - even if we don't meet them directly. The not so nice people are kept at a distance, with only indirect influence, even the grumpy grandmother . I wonder if this was on purpose, but it sure was delightful.

Reading this once more brings tears to my eyes again, mainly for the tragedy of Kim losing his mother, so he never knew her love and acceptance. But at least his father loved him well, perhaps as the only part left of the young wife he may have adored. She was 'lost' to Malden in any case, but I can understand why her death was an even harder blow to his young heart. But I admire how Malden did not grow bitter or 'grumpy' but let the beauty of nature soothe him, and his art of photography fill his life. I loved how you left subtle hints leading up to the revelation, and how her ghost appeared to him in the dark room where photos also become slowly visible as if by a miracle. Tess may have watched over her son for all these years, but he is almost ready to leave the safety of home and embark on the adventure of life together with his beloved. It's a nice symmetry that Malden will end his long journey at the same time. It's even sadder to think that in many places society has not progressed much from the bigotry which back then forced young (and older) men like Kim and Ritter to leave their home town and hide their love for each other. One final note: I didn't think about this when I edited, but it worked really well the way you shifted from first to third person perspective between the sections.

At least Will doesn't immediately explode all over people who treat him badly. He got a nice reward for holding back his emotions in front of Travis. Poor guy, he really needs friends like Will and Stef, and I look forward to them taking down Curtis. I guess it won't be long before I have to add Travis to the 'who fucked Will' list.

Yeah, August and September are always very busy, and I didn't check my email for a while. Sorry about that. If you send me a message here on GA, I'll usually see it within a week, and then I can check my mail. But actually you didn't need my help, because the story was without any typos as far as I could see, unless the Anthology team found anything.

The reviews of the readers before me have already described perfectly why you should plunge into this wonderful story of Virgil Pruitt who embodies all the qualities we want to find in our best friend and the love of our life. Beautifully written, as always, Gary.

No surprise that Virgil is respectful of Wyatt's feelings and doubts, even as he does his best to persuade Wyatt to go with him. The earlier openness about how men can like men and what intimacy should be like paved the way for this talk of what they want and how they feel. Larkspur will be the perfect place for them, especially if certain other guys live there at this time or a few years from now. Wonderful story, Gary, I'm a great fan of your cowboy tales, as you know.

Oh yes, Virgil is a clever one, indeed. He would be great as a sheriff in a town what would appreciate an observant man like him. But he and Wyatt could also make a good living as cowboys for a while and then perhaps get a small farm somewhere. It would be less risky than being a lawman.

Virgil shows he has more kindness and integrity than the whole town put together, even with the barkeep included. I was glad to see him already considering taking Wyatt with him, and I hope he'll get his thoughts sorted out soon. Even if Wyatt is proud, surely he's also clever enough to understand this would be a unique chance for a new life.

Virgil has good instincts, a clever mind and an honorable heart. I hope he can find a way to take Wyatt with him when he leaves.

I loved that you chose this excerpt from the story, because Adi totally nailed how badly Sablo messed up this conversation. And that lead to us having a lot of fun coming up with ideas of what he had to do to make amends.