Mancunian

They are great pics of good-looking guys, it's nice to be able to visualise characters.

He is a very handsome and distinguished-looking gentleman.

I think everyone was paying more attention to the secret author stories, but that's over now so I'll bet you will begin to see those reactions again.

Aloha Albert

The plot thickens, just what has Dexter got in mind? Whatever it is it doesn't bode well for Carter. And what is Dexter's problem with Elena, his mother who he describes as 'just the woman that opened her legs for his father'? Learning that Dexter is Ethan's brother and feels cheated that Ethan got Jeremy instead of him has me thinking, especially as Carter looks more like Ethan than Dexter. Was Carter adopted, or is it possible that Elena had an affair with Carter's father at some point and Ethan was the result? As they say, the truth will come out in the end so this will be interesting to watch and see. Jeremy enjoyed himself for once, joining in the fun with the twins and Carter, and for a time became the man he used to be and noticed the likeness between Carter and Ethan. He even treated Carter properly for once, speaking to him, not at him and treating Carter as a person, not a thing. I Jeremy wants more of this he needs to pull his head out of his arse and do something positive before Dexter takes the opportunity away from him. This is Dexter's problem, he lost out once to Ethan and has no intention of losing out to 'an Ethan look-a-like', which is how he sees Carter.

Don't worry my friend, I know how busy you have been and the story will still be there for another day. That is the next best thing I've been doing, helping you with your project.

I'm good thanks, I've been getting a few things sorted which kept me busy. The most enjoyable thing was getting a story posted in the secret author anthology, and then responding to all of the comments and reviews. Gary left me a great review for which I am grateful for. Thank you @Headstall for your review, I love it.

That was an exciting chapter with lots going on. I have to wonder why Lanny thought his behaviour was acceptable, what has been happening at his home? Kids either learn from their peers or more often from what goes on in their home life. At least now he knows what not to do. As for the homophobic Karen, she should have been put in her place and not allowed to walk. I doubt she understands how lucky she is and my guess is she will try to cause trouble in the future. It looks like Jack is going to be a good friend, he seems like a decent guy. As for Skylar, well he may be a good guy but he is foolish getting involved with Brendan while assigned to the family as a professional, he could not only be disciplined he could lose his job and cause no end of trouble for Brendan and the kids. He has two sensible options, either don't see Brenan 'socially' or declare an interest and recuse himself from the case, but will he be sensible? Only time will tell.

Nope, there is no forgetting you, Gary, or your stories. I still have some left to read.

In a beautifully bitter-sweet chapter, both couples have enjoyed a night together, but now face the reality of parting ways. At least in Tim and Guy's case, they will see each other again soon. But for Ben and Samantha it will be much longer, can their romance take the pressures of being apart for so long? The reality is that for most, long-distance relationships do not last.

Hiya Gary

Aloha Albert

Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that love does sometimes die, or become one-sided, in a relationship and divorce happens but there was no need for Carter's ex or his ex's family to be so crass and cruel about it. Luckily, Carter has come out the other side of the upheaval and upset but he has gone through hell before doing so and is still learning how to deal with it. I hope that Carter is strong enough to cope with the stressful situation he is in. Jeremy's reactions and behaviour are unpredictable at the moment, we can only hope he continues to try to do the right thing as was trying to do with Carter, but who knows what he's going to do next? Jeff's relief at finding Jeremy safe is palpable and keeping calm about things is the best way to deal with it. Dexter on the other hand is behaving like a spoilt brat who dropped his candy in shit, I'm good with that because he is only digging a hole for himself if he keeps it up and hopefully Jeremy will see through him and kick him to the kerb. Let's see what happens next, whatever it is, it's going to be interesting.

I love this chapter, it's normal life at its best. Brendan and Jack joke about over the BBQ and are accepting of each other's situations and preferences. The CPS visit is intriguing, it was a good visit as far as the kids are concerned, but what about Brendan and Skylar? You made it obvious that if they met under different circumstances there would be a few sparks flying, is that a hint for the future or one of those non-starters?

Has Jeremy finally snapped? He is so engrossed in his grief that he probably doesn't know which way is up right now, this leaves me concerned for how he will behave when he wakes up. Carter has his ghosts from the past to deal with, and this turn of events has brought it crashing down on him, how will he deal with that? I don't know the connection between Carter and Ethan, other than the remarkable similarity in looks, or even if there is one, but I do wonder, what fate has in store for these two tortured souls. What is the connection? Is there one? Why has fate brought these two together? Is there some ethereal/supernatural power that has a hand in this? Whatever the answers to these questions I desperately want to know what happens next. This is brilliant writing and a fascinating story, I'm very definitely hooked.

Thank you for reading and commenting. The surprise of the 'twist' was intentional, I'm happy that you found it interesting enough to continue reading and enjoyed the story. It's my first attempt at Sci-fi, but it may not be my last.

I'm still thinking Jill is pregnant, I wonder when the baby is due?

Just thugs.

What I like is that Brendan is making good memories with the children, they will need them and his love to help them through the bad days.

I think Greg is a shmuck for the way he dumped Brendan, the only good thing to say about it is that he didn't drag it out. What kind of guy puts money before love, he didn't even try to find a new job in the area. So the DA's office have asked their questions but not asked Jill the right ones, that has me worried. I can only guess they have never dealt with a case like this before, so why haven't they sought out help from someone with more knowledge as experience of cases like this? They sound incompetent, and that bothers me. The kids surprised me again by rallying round and supporting Brendan, they obviously have good feelings for him. Eventually it will be love, the healthy love that they should be sharing with an adult, not the sick love their excuses for parents showed them.

I've enjoyed the recap, now I'm waiting for the next chapter.

A great chapter, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything will still be good between these two couples when they next see each other. Though for Tim and Guy, the wait won't be as long as for Ben and Samantha.

Thank you @Cane23 for such a wonderful comment. Look out for the Therans, and maybe, just maybe, another story about Clay and his people.

Thank you for the comments, J. This is my first foray into writing for this genre and I was nervous about posting it. Reading some of the comments, including yours, I'm glad I did. I may post more to this story and if I do I will remember all of the constructive comments to try and help me improve it. Just keep your eyes peeled, you never know where the Terans may be. 👀

Thank you, Gary. Comments like this from an author of your standing mean more than you can imagine. I think I will have to seriously consider writing more to this story.