jkwsquirrel

Hey thanks, dude! At this point, I can let you in behind the scenes and explain the long wait from a story-editing perspective. Simply, I f'd up. lol! See, I originally had Cold Winter and Broken Boy much closer together, making this part take place four months after Cold Winter. However, I wasn't satisfied with the ages of the boys, so I bumped this story back a year, aging the boys to 15 rather than 14 year olds. The only drawback was that long gap between the park kiss and anything else happening. It did reveal some important characteristics of the boys though, Billy is much more stubborn than he appears and Brett is more patient than Billy gives him credit for, at least when it comes to Billy. These characteristics, particularly Billy's inability to read Brett very well, will become important later. Glad you like the story!

Thank you! As I write this, the boys would all be around thirty-one years old or so. What will they do with the time they have? Well, that's in your hands now. "Then what happened" is up to you. That's one of the best things about writing, I can give you the gift of imagining together what the future might hold. Would they have children? I don't know, but it's fun to explore that together. Would they make the same mistakes? Would they have learned from their own parents' mistakes and do things differently? It's fun to think about what impact an George had in the boys' lives. He was such an important part of the story. He got involved and he cared, and that left an imprint that you could see in the boys in this story. One of the subtexts in DW is that Brett is becoming the next generation's George. He had a troubled past but he's learned from his mistakes, he grew up in a single parent household and had a messy break-up with that parent, he knows everybody, he's dependable, and he's always in the background helping people because he gets involved and he cares. So in a way, Nate has experienced life with George, only he's experienced it through the boys who learned from George directly. I could go on, but I'll just say thanks again! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story!

Thank you! I appreciate the love!

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Thank you! Yes, this one was almost not meant to be, but it wouldn't leave me alone. I think it showed the positive trajectory of the boys' lives. Commencement ended with the bad guys winning for the most part, DW revealed the real winners.

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks! I appreciate the review! I've enjoyed our time together through this story.

Thank you so much! I think they'll be good for each other!

Thank you DQ! You've been so supportive right from the beginning and I've so appreciated your passion and dedication! Thank you for being such an active and involved participant in this thing! And now the story is yours, so wherever it is you want the boys to go, I can't stop you. Imagination is the realm in which we do some of our best living!

Oh, I definitely encourage a re-read now that it's all finished! You get to see all the foreshadowy stuff I threw in there. And when you understand why Billy is the way he is, he's not so obnoxious (well, maybe a little...). Thank you so much for the support!

Don't think of it as losing them, think of it as them going on to do whatever it is that life has prepared them to do! And since the story's told, whatever they decide to do now is up to you! Thank you for the support. It's been my pleasure to share the time with you.

Me too, my friend! Thank you for reading it!

Thank you!

Thank you! I appreciate your kindness. I'm glad we could share the journey together.

Thank you!

Thank you! I almost named this chapter "All Good Things..." but it wouldn't have fit the chapter-naming theme!

Thank you so much! I've enjoyed your comments and support!

It is done!

Dustin Smith awoke to find himself in the arms of Nate Stevens, just as he had every morning since they’d become a couple. They were both naked. Dustin had never slept naked before, but he was getting used to it. They hadn’t even made love the night before, nor did they feel the expectation to do so every single night. When they did have sex, it was fun and playful, and both enjoyed the carefree attitude of the other. Dustin hadn’t yet built up the nerve to bottom, but the fact that he actually

So nine months ago, I got myself into some trouble. It was trouble of my own making. I had cloaked myself in lies and when the lies were exposed I got everything that I deserved. Almost. I should have lost everything, but I didn't. I'm married to the most amazing person I know, and the truth being exposed, while painful, led to a better relationship. She let me tell my story. She didn't have to. And now, with the publishing of the next chapter, that story will be complete. I had to write Dustin's World to tell the whole story. See, the bad guys won in WAR. DW showed the aftermath of those victories, the damage they caused to themselves and their community. DW started with the characters thoroughly soaked in misery. But through the course of the story, the misery has been replaced with hope and the promise of a future. My own journey through the telling of the story has been similar. There's a guy behind the words, a man trying to be the best person he can be, the best husband and father possible in this crazy world of ours. Nine months ago, it all seemed hopeless and I thought I'd fucked things up forever. Today, I've just finished writing the last chapter of WAR, and my misery has become joy as I hold my new daughter in my hands. Out of the misery came my greatest joy. Darkness cannot overcome the light, friends. So in a few days, I hope you'll enjoy the last chapter of WAR/DW - The Light in the Darkness. And afterward, I hope you'll be the light for others, as I hope I can be as well.

Thanks! All good things must come to an end. I only did DW because WAR wasn't complete without it. (Let's face it, the bad guys won in WAR. DW showed the true results of their victories.) But now, I'm very satisfied with the whole thing from start to finish. This particular itch has been successfully scratched! I totally agree about Dustin's speech about Nate. Through Nate, Dustin has achieved something his father never could.

Thank you! I think Dustin got everything he wanted from the situation, and if he never hears his father's voice again, he'd be happy with that.

I can't even imagine Billy with children.

It ends with a bang, of course! Still a few loose ends to wrap up. Billy still doesn't care for Nate, and Dustin could still go to jail for assaulting a police officer.

Frank had so dehumanized his son that anything was possible. It's likely that Dustin would have been killed before he graduated had Frank stuck around in his life. But now he's gone for good!