jellybean

Wow! What a great chapter and a great beginning to a new book!! Thanks, Mark and team. This chapter really took me back to Bloodlines and Be Rad - I loved how true the characters were, but a little more nuanced; a little more mature. Matt the volcano (love it) but with a bit more control, still displaying a real insight into Wade's responses but getting better at reining himself in when frustrated. The boy has started to grow up. Wade showing a little of the denial he did when their relationship was new, letting himself vent on Matt as he would with no one else. He needs Matt, but how much remains to be seen... And most of all Brad, seriously cute with his blushing and hesitancy. It really made me think of when he was working up the nerve to call Robbie to invite him to the concert in (I think) LA. Obviously, Brad has grown up a lot, but that shy teenager is still in there - especially when it might mean something. He can deal with a shark like Chris Mendoza, because it's not important. But the way he's intrigued by Ben could be important. I really can't wait to find out more about this guy and what could happen between them. Of course, he could be an arsehole, but at least Brad is starting to look... You've set up a lot of potential with the way this story has started - the Matt/Wade relationship could go any number of ways, the younger generation in the story could be about to scatter to the four winds, a slight niggle in the Will/Zach relationship that could explode, Brad getting ready to move beyond grief... And who knows what else you might bring into it?! A state of flux indeed. Can't wait to see how this evolves, Thanks again, JB

A beautiful final chapter - thank you Mark, and all the others who help you bring this story to life. A difficult, tragic story has been told with enormous sensitivity, leavened with humour (and spiced up with the odd threesome!), and ends on a note of hope for the future, acknowledging the lessons from the past and the importance of family. A message that really resonates. Truly brilliant.

...and Mark keeps busily planting seeds for the next Chronicle! I wonder how long they will be given to germinate and grow? I was thinking that there would perhaps be a slightly bigger time-shift to the next book than there was between the last couple but now, as usual, I really have no idea what will happen next... Maybe it depends on who the lead narrators are and whether we're left with a bombshell in the final chapter - you seemed to imply that this book wouldn't end on the calmer note of recent chapters?? You sure know how to leave your readers breathless with antici....pation! Thanks, Mark and team, for sharing with us your incredible talents, JB.

Wow. You know how sometimes you really want something and then you get it and it's not as great as you thought it'd be? I really wanted Wade to ditch Matt, for Matt to realise what he had thrown away, but now...? That said, what a fantastic couple of chapters! Some great calmer moments, a really cool turn as narrator from JJ, and Brad sharing just a few of his, no doubt numerous, secrets of anal expertise! Brilliant! A thousand thanks, JB

I've been thinking about Matt, and what some have said regarding his past, and wondering how pertinent it is that he was an only child? He seemed to have a decent relationship with his parents growing up, but who was he really close to? What does family (especially new-found siblings) really mean to him? And how much has he actually come to terms with the idea of his relatively new extended family? He seems to me to be much more peer- (and team-) oriented, but still in a fairly superficial way. He's been much more of a peripheral character - pov-wise - for most of this episode, so it's hard to really tell who he was truly tight with in the family, other than Robbie (and perhaps therein lie his current problems). His relationship with Wade is now the only one of real significance to him, the only one which is a vulnerability - to insulate himself from the potential pain of losing that, he has sabotaged it himself. The rest of the family is a side issue, or at least of much less importance. He can revert to being much more self-sufficient (safer). By contrast, Wade is all about family - expectation, reputation, loyalty (even when they don't deserve it) and a certain feeling of togetherness - which perhaps has enabled them to weather the emotional storm better than solitary Matt. Wade has strong relationships with three generations of his adopted clan (the holy trinity of JP, Brad and Will...), whereas Matt has a sort-of affinity for JJ and Frank? All the other issues aside, I wonder whether this is too much of a gulf for Wade and Matt to bridge - and perhaps always has been. Plus, Matt really needs to learn to keep it in his pants - he's no Stef. The concept of a win-win scenario seems to not have occurred to him. I'm generally wrong, though! Feel free to tell me so... JB

Hmm... What on earth will JP do, all alone for the weekend (assuming Wade is at the hotel with Klip)? If only there were someone he could spend a little time with - someone in dire need of his sage advice and support... Thanks for the great chapter! JB

Would someone pull his wig off, already?? And what about poor old Lump? I'm really enjoying this story so far and glad we've got maybe ten years to look forward to!! What is going to happen with those pesky nuclear devices? So many questions but I know that CJ has all the answers and will - all too slowly for my liking - reveal all. Can't wait! JB

I'm gutted that the story is on hold but don't blame Mark for wanting a little vacation - he's been posting these chapters pretty quickly and must be feeling a bit burnt out. Go outside and enjoy the...snow? I'll go outside and enjoy the rain and keep trying to work out what's next for Wade and Matt in particular... I've spent many, many hours of my life reading CAP and Bridgmont and just have to thank Mark and his team for providing so much enjoyment. No matter where the stories go, I know that I'm in the hands of a gifted writer who can make me really care (sometimes too much?) about the characters and what they are experiencing. So I'm eagerly awaiting the conclusion of 9.11 and, indeed, the start of a new chapter. I like being kept on edge as much as the next guy but hope that Mark returns to finish us off soon... Thanks again, JB (unashamedly Team Will)

Billy, anyone? I hope not, if only for Will and Wade's sake. In any case, it's hard to see Matt coming back from this. Maybe he'll be more of a Marcel - his role here is done and he can sod off to Canada... I don't really get how Matt can go from jumping up from the dinner table saying "I have to do something" to moving in with Tony. Maybe he is all over the place but I for one have run out of sympathy for him. Get a grip! I can kind of see Matt and Wade's relationship mirroring Brad and Robbie's - split up for college/grad school, then end up back together so that one of them can be a douche with a cute grin for the next 20 years... But I can't really see Matt on the campaign trail. Anyway, loving this, as always and can't wait for the next chapter, as always... JB

She'll be back... I'm pretty sure she's no match for Nana these days! And even if she is, JP can surely make her disappear?! A great transition chapter, helping your readers get to the acceptance phase... Oh, but it's still tough... About to start Be Rad again and can't wait to meet Robbie once more.

Cushy Robbie is gone! You've made me very sad, but you did such a great job with these chapters - the goodbye phone call was heartbreaking... I really want to see how this progresses but can't imagine how you can handle it all - Frank, Matt and Wade as well as the central characters of this chapter. I admit I've gone back to the beginning yet again and am enjoying the interactions with Frank - maybe there's hope for some Hayes men?! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks, Mark.

Oh Mark, you really are doing a great job with the set-up for what's to come - its getting agonising now! There are so many different scenarios running through my head, and not many of them happy... I recently remembered that the survival rate of JP's partners is a pretty grim statistic, so I'm most worried about Stef right now! If things turn out badly for any of my favourite characters, it's going to be a wrench - but it was a horrific event and I know you might have to bring that into the lives of these guys we love so much. However it goes, we can trust you to bring to life the confusion, shock, fear and heroism that marked that day.

I could really do with a chapter with Brad as narrator just to try and understand what is going on in his head! How many times does he have to make the same mistakes with Will? And Stef has turned into an idiot. Maybe they are concerned that Will has gone off the rails, but if JP is showing such faith in him, surely that should give them pause for thought? I really do love the drama but this is getting frustrating. Brad's relationship with his children is hanging by a thread and it's actually really sad to see... We need Wade to come back and cut through the crap and give Will a bit more support. And Tony, just to add a bit more drama to Will's life

Great chapter, as ever. I'm glad that Will is keeping his cool and learning lessons from the past - the scene in the car is a perfect example of how he can get better results by holding it together; Marie ends up missing the first day! I'm curious about Noah and if he's really just pussy-whipped - he seemed like a better guy than that but maybe he'd been yearning to be with Marie for too long... I hope he wakes up.