Coastguard

What a GREAT chapter! Absolutely love it when you write about intrigue and manipulation. Can't wait to see if Alexandra will keep her end of the bargain, and ED brought to a hopefully humiliating end! This is delicious!!

For crying out loud Mark! That was a doozy of a cliffhanger. I read the last few paragraphs wondering why on earth you'd kill off Brad, only to find out, thankfully, it ain't so. So...now what? Two chapters left, if I understand you correctly. I find it a bit odd that you would have introduced Buzz, and then supposedly killed him off a few short chapters later. Or was he also not on the flight? It's hard to believe the plane would fly without Brad and Buzz. Can't wait to see what happens!

Wow, Gary! This promises to be a great story that I'm going to enjoy. A good beginning chapter...I dislike this foster brother intensely! Looking forward to more!

Buzz certainly is spreading his largesse around. I don't like him, and I hope whatever he's planning doesn't work out. I'm disappointed at how quickly JJ fell back into the Alex thing again. And now we have the cliffhanger with Mike Carmichael. Your brain must have been working overtime when you were on hiatus! Thanks for another great chapter.

SkinnyD...you write an excellent story. Great chapter promising lots more to come. Is Toph's mother really a dragon? Did she pay Steve off? If so why set the table to include him? Is GRy "the one"? Thanks for writing such a good story!

I'm not totally sure what to think of this chapter. It seems to me that this "thing" with Buzz came out of left field. Why now? Why with JJ? I had sort of imagined him hooking up with Brad. Can't really see Stef misreading Buzz. And then, of course, Alex rears his ugly head. Will JJ exact his well deserved revenge? Well...no matter what to think, the chapter was, as usual, well written and thought provoking. Thanks, Mark! Next?

I really enjoyed this story, Gary. It was warming to read about Jared liking himself more as the relationship with Craig blossomed. I'd be curious to find out if he would ever consider telling Bailey who her biological father really is. Thanks for a good read. Next???

Yes indeed...welcome home. So glad this is not an April Fools prank! It's enjoyable to read that Brad seems to be coming back to his old self. Look out ED....fight's on!

OMG I must be dreaming! Chapter 26 just posted! Puhleez tell me it's not an April Fools joke??

Aaaah, tim! Great chapter, great ending giving me my HEA! Thanks. So....what's next?? And when?

I'm really glad that Tait will be holding Sean to account. I hope Sean will be drained dry! Phil and Tait will, I'm sure, end up with their HEA. Makes my Pollyanna heart happy. Beautiful writing, as always, tim!

What I have to say, Mark, is probably tantamount to GA heresy, but I cannot help but wonder if you are burned out with the actual stories. You have been writing about these characters for so long, is it possible they're boring you? Is it maybe time to bring both series to an end, and start something entirely different? To set the record straight (no pun intended),I'm certainly not bored with reading them, but don't nearly all stories have an ending sooner or later?

So...here it is March 4, 62 days since Mark posted new chapters for Black Widow and Valiant...62 days since he was even on-line. I have now completed reading the stories up to and including Box, which IMHO is the most moving of all the stories. First time I read it I didn't appreciate the pathos because of my admittedly dreadful habit of skimming. This time I drank it all in, sobbing quite openly for Steven, Aaron, Nathan, JP and even Jim. I hope Mark is well and will choose to return soon.

Loved this, tim! A really good chuckle!

I skipped ahead to If it Fits as I couldn't remember how JP and Stef ended up together and this was the story in which it happened. Cody appears on the scene, (adore Cody!) and became involved with Stef. Very poignant when Stef's feelings were hurt when Bruno spurned him, also how hurt Stef was that Marcel took Bruno's side in an argument. I almost cried (again) when Stef discovered that Greg had been cheating on him for six months before he died. So very sad yet sweet to meet Brian...sad because of how he ended up, sweet because of who he was and how and where he'd grown up. Jumping stories like this showed how much Mark's writing style changed, even before Millennium. I haven't yet had reason to think Ace is a jerk...I'll have to keep reading. It's almost as if I haven't read these stories before...I must have skimmed a hell of a lot in my haste to get to the new stuff!

1968 is in the can...a short story consisting of fifteen chapters. I sure got it wrong about Jeff being JP's one true love! How could Jeff destroy his and JP's love for each other? I'd forgotten Stefan had fallen in love with Jeff, who subsequently stole $100,000 from Stefan, and blew it all in Paris. JP buys Escorial, and we meet Sam, JP's new lover. Brad is living with JP, after his mother committed suicide. Jeff, (tragically) died of a heroin overdose...it turned out that Sam and Jason Strubbe were secretly with him when he died. I will probably only write comments on these very early stories...hope you're enjoying them. It's fun for me to renew my own love affair with CAP!

I just finished the first CAP story. Amazing the things I had forgotten: how great and sad to read about Andre; to enjoy Jeff (why don't we hear the snaugh any more?) who, IMHO, I think was JP's true love; and oh yes, of course, there was Stefan (SUCH a little slut!). We were introduced to Tonto, that great lady; and discovered that Bill Hendrickson was JPs biological father. Brad made his debut, JP married Isidore, and adopted Ace. I wonder why, when there was such a fuss made about Ace then, we hear very little about him now. It was also interesting to read some of the reviews, and how disturbed most (including me) were at the couple of chapters depicting torture and forced sex. Interesting also to witness how Mark's writing style has evolved in five years.

Well, I've decided that all my posturing is to no avail, and therefore have decided to re-read CAP from the very beginning. It truly is amazing how much I missed the first time around. I'm really enjoying it, and willing myself to keep skimming at a minimum!

What is it they say, Gary? Revenge is a dish best served cold? What did Craig accomplish? A better life for Bailey for sure, and a future for him and Jared. I feel sorry for his mum, but she knows what Carly is like. I am impatient for more, although I think the end is near. Great story, Gary! Thanks.

Oh how I love this story! How incredibly wonderful that Sean is getting his comeuppance. I realize that he and Cody have a rather vitriolic history, but I predict that they will hook up again.

Oh Gary...what a great chapter! I'm pretty sure we're (you're)moving toward the HEA. Carly is definitely the epitome of bitchdom, but...should we spare a tiny moment of sympathy for her as Bail's mother? Hmmm? Nah! Enjoying your story and the way you write. Cheers!

This was a sweetly written chapter, and I enjoyed it very much! What a novel concept for a restaurant! Thank you.

Love this story, Gary. Don't love Carly...the character, not the way you've portrayed her. I'm pretty sure Craig and Jared will work their way toward each other, and I'm hopeful that there will be a HEA! Keep 'em coming!

Here we go again. I think most of us resort to humour to disguise worry. I notice that Mark has not been online since January 1, and hasn't mentioned a hiatus. Westie, Methodwriter...should we be concerned...yet again?