Valkyrie

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! Here's some neat cake pops to celebrate with

I'm so happy to see these guys again! I really enjoyed this chapter. You have a way of bringing the '80s back to life, and I'm transported right into their world and memories of my own from that area. Although I grew up in the opposite end of the state, I earned my undergrad at a college in the foothills of the Catskills. I still have friends out that way, so I'm pretty familiar with both ends of the state. There was one part I found confusing. I thought Jeff went to the quarry with them in the Bee, but at the end of the chapter he gets into his Camaro and drives off ahead of them. Did I remember it wrong from the beginning? Anyway, great chapter and I look forward to reading more!

Sadly, that is very true. Thanks for the review and your beta input.

My dad used to get a turkey every year and would donate it to the Food Bank since we didn't eat turkey at Christmas. Some of the stores here run promotions in the fall where you earn points which translate into turkey discounts, so you can get turkey as cheap as ten cents a pound. We get gift cards here for Christmas and the amount depends on how long you've worked here. They did Christmas lunches here for the first time ever, but of course the day they offered it at my primary location was a day I was at a different location. lol Oh well.

Thanks so much! I had a lot of fun writing the descriptions, so I'm glad they stood out to you. I also really enjoyed writing Dr. Schmetterling and Alvin's reaction to him. Thanks for the review

Thank you so much for reading and leaving me a review, Wayne. So sorry that you've been there. I'm glad you liked the story.

GAH! How did I miss replying to this? So sorry, Jaro. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, even if it was two years ago...

I imagine it's simply part of cost-cutting. Most companies don't provide the same perks/benefits as in the past. Where I work we've always closed for both Christmas Eve and Christmas as a paid holiday. If they fell on a weekend, we would close on either/both Friday and Monday. This year, because they both fell on a weekend, we remained open with no holiday closures at all. Talk about Scrooge.

Your description of their ride brought me back to when I visited my brother with a good friend of mine and we went on a trail ride into the mountains near Steamboat Springs. It was so beautiful and very different from trail riding in the Northeast. We also rode through a cow herd and stopped at a pond. There were no hot guys along, though. lol Travis and Ben are maddening, but that's what makes this such a good story. They are both afraid of opening up to the other, but I think they both sense that there's something deeper than just a hook-up happening. The beating they gave each other just shows how much passion there is between them. I'm betting that Katy is the reason the reporter showed up. How else would he know where Ben is? Another great chapter, Mac!

That's a very interesting point. You are right, it would be a completely different story if written from Dana's POV. Funny how it makes the answer to the questions easier. I hadn't planned on writing more about these guys, but all these thought-provoking reviews have me wondering about their future. Not sure I'll actually write more about them, though. I'd like to think their future is optimistic, if a bit guarded. Thanks for the great review.

Thanks so much, LitLover. My thought was that other faeries recognized each other's true form, but humans are unable to detect their faery form, which is why Steve didn't see George as a faun and thought Alvin was using again. I am planning on writing more about FA, so there will be more about Alvin and Garin. And possibly George since everyone seemed to like him so much. Thanks for the review!

Thanks for reading! Look for more of these guys in the Spring 2017 anthology.

Thanks for such a thoughtful review. My aim was to get people thinking and your review shows me that I was successful. I agree with you. On the face, these two getting together may be a disaster, but hopefully they are the exception and not the rule. Thanks for reading. I always enjoy reading your thoughts.

Thanks for such a great review, Cole. We all need a place to belong. It's a wonderful feeling when we finally find it.

*happy Snoopy dance* I got Lisa to like a fantasy story! LOL You can edit the follow-up story(ies) then lol I was pretty proud of this story, so it makes me really happy that you liked it. I had so much fun writing it. Thanks for catching the name error. Now I'm paranoid I uploaded the wrong copy because I remember correcting that error, unless I missed one. Ugh. Thanks for the review!

LOL Sorry... you will never see male pregnancy in my stories. It's not my cup of tea. As to the rest, we will definitely see more of these guys. I'm not sure how successful they'd be with changing the way faeries do things. They are an ancient race with deep-seated ways. I do like your idea of their HEA (minus the male preg thing). Thanks for your review! I appreciate your support.

So sad Last I had read, she was in stable condition.

There will definitely be more of this story. I'm planning on at least two more as of right now, where we'll learn more about the waldgeister and the Community and what happens after Matthew moves in with his markwarden family. I'd also like to write Avid and Isaiah's story. Thanks for your review and the interest in this story. I appreciate your support!

I'm glad my story made you think so much. I think a lot of people's first reaction is the same as yours... No, drunk abusers aren't worthy of redemption or second chances. But then look deeper into the cause of the problem... in Ivan's case abusive parents and an undiagnosed mental disorder. Some people can learn from their mistakes and overcome addiction and be educated about their mental illness, while others embrace the addiction and use their past and problems as an excuse. I think Ivan has learned and will his best to give Dana the life he deserves. Will he relapse? I sure as hell hope not. Like you said, I would be wary of someone with Ivan's past, too. I don't think there's an easy answer in this case, but I'd like to think they lived HEA. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the great review. I meant this to be a thought-provoking piece. It goes to the question of 'nature vs. nurture'. Is Ivan inherently a bad person, or did his upbringing make him that way? In his case, I believe it's the latter. He acted out in the only way he knew how, which was compounded by undiagnosed mental illness. You are so right... 'bad parents can cause bad behavior'. Sorry, but I'm not planning on expanding this one. I have too many other stories in the works right now. Thanks for your review and support.

Thanks, Lisa! And thanks for your editing input. I agree with you about second chances, although in some cases they aren't warranted. Hence my question... does Ivan deserve a second chance? I think so. He's made an effort to change through therapy and medication and I think he's genuinely regretful as far as his treatment of Kenny. Thanks for the review!

I agree... I think that Ivan is on the right track and genuinely remorseful. Thanks so much for the review.

Thank you for such an insightful review. Ivan was part of a cycle of violence. Now that he's been educated and received therapy and medication, hopefully it will be enough for him to change. I do think that Ivan has a chance and I hope that he and Dana are able to make it work. Thanks again for the review.