Clancy59

Welcome back! I was just thinking about this storyline over the weekend, wondering if/when we would get an update. I’m very happy to see this! “Anybody home?” Tony’s voice asked loud. “No!” The three of us said at the same time. I laughed when I saw this line. This is so much a response I would give! I’m glad Tony finally shared with Mitch’s family. It’s a very hard thing to do, especially given that there were hard feelings in the past, but Grandma is very wise. She knows Tony and Mitch are going to need a lot of support going through this. Friends are one thing, but family, real family, will be there when you need them. Dad really has done a 180. It was good that the guys were able to hear and see this. Great update. Thanks!

He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again! That’s a perk of controlling the world of the story! And good for him!

I finally have a couple minutes. We have a family crisis here and I am trying to deal with that long distance. We all knew the Epilogue was next, and we truly appreciate you bringing it to us today, instead of making us wait. I have to admit I was a bit surprised that CJ returned to the Embassy and the apartment to wind things up, but I really don’t know why I was. It was typical CJ. He made sure his family was safe and in good hands (I was not surprised by Brett and Cesar showing up when/where they did. Liebe needed the extra support!) and he had to go make sure Infanta was OK. He already knew Linc was OK, if bruised and battered. He had to go for debriefing with Jimmy, etc. The exit visit with the Ambassador was satisfying. She indicated that they have their eyes on him for future assignments and more. Not surprising. I understand Elpidio was desperate, but he had had enough contact with CJ and Oz that he should have realized he only had to ask for help. They would have done anything they could. All he did was bring himself, and his terminal mother, to a sad ending. I second/third/hundredth the wish that we could have seen Northman when he was informed as to exactly why CJ ran from the room. Again, like last week, I had to give him a bit of leeway as he was unaware of the circumstances. However, even after being informed of what happened, he still filed a complaint? What a bozo! Can’t wait to see him in the future when he realizes just how powerful CJ really is! Well, The Incident is now behind us. CJ, Oz and Liebe are safely back in DC with family. This story has been brought to a satisfying conclusion. Now we look forward to the next story with bated breath. Thank you, Carlos, for all these wonderful stories.

I think of that every time I see someone wear one on TV. All they need is a sharpshooter to hit the right spot outside of the vest.

I knew it! I said Elpidio was bad news! I am so mad at you for putting that poor baby through this horrible experience! She’s going to need a lot of cuddling by her daddies and then her extended family. I know his mother has been seriously ill, but that still does not give Elpidio permission to do something like this. At least Liebe was evidently not harmed, except for the emotional fright of the abduction itself. They’ll all, dads and various grandparents, have to spend extra time with her to make sure she knows she is safe and secure. As @Anton_Cloche said, Linc was almost certainly wearing a flack jacket. He wouldn’t be any kind of a decent agent if he didn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that CJ was probably wearing something, also. Thank goodness for Linc and his quick reflexes—he likely saved her life! CJ is excellent at hand-to-hand. He’s had a lot of training with professional warriors, after all, and I’m certain it included weapons practice. Even without our foreknowledge that CJ survives, I am quite sure that it’s Elpidio who has been shot. He’s desperate, he’s untrained, he’s scared. He’s going to panic and make mistakes—-mistakes that CJ is not making because, as scared as he has admitted he is, he is keeping his emotions in control, like the professional he is. WHO WAS THE IDIOT WHO BROKE PROTOCOL!? He needs serious discipline, including demotion, if not being fired outright! He put everyone at risk! Well, now we know The Incident. We know what caused them to unexpectedly flee Mexico. BTW, in this instance, I really can’t blame Northman for his response to CJ’s unexpected disruption of the departmental morning review (I had the impression it was the department and not just him). He didn’t know what happened, and with his history with CJ, I’m sure he just assumed this was more grandstanding. I’m quite sure he was corrected when he tried to complain (again), especially when someone (Jimmy? Linc? Austin?) came to clear CJ’s personal items out of his cubicle to send back with their items from the apartment, cuz I’m quite sure they won’t be returning after this! (A question I had while reading, also. Did the Australian Embassy get involved, at all? I know Oz is, or has, getting/gotten his US citizenship, so I wasn’t sure how much, or if, they would be involved.) I know you’ll bring all this to a satisfying conclusion, but this is hard to wait another week! But we love ya anyway! Happy Memorial Day, everyone! 🇺🇸

The crux of this chapter is the meeting between Loren and Lars, but I just had to comment about the plans from Matt and Seamus. I loved how thought-out they are. They took Jay and Loren into consideration by bringing them even more tightly into their inner circle, not just as friends, but as family. Loren was honored, I think by the business proposal, and blindsided by the personal request, but upon a very quick reflection, admitted that it was something that he actually wanted. Again, more bricks are tumbling from that wall! Loren is realizing, even if it is subconsciously, that he is more of a family person than he thought. The meeting with Lars may just be the final cannonball, or jackhammer, needed to completely destroy the wall. And just in time, with the population explosion among their friends coming! The meeting with Lars was more of a shock than expected. We all wondered what excuse the ‘parents’ gave for running away in the middle of the night and abandoning 7-year-old Loren. But to find out that they maintained that Loren was the runaway…?! And keep up the lie for 20+ years is unbelievable. Lars was 7-years-old. He didn’t understand the lie. Parents don’t lie, after all, do they? They really did a number on him to have him so brainwashed all the way up into college that the story was true, to the point that while they were in prison for 2 years, they had him convinced they were looking for Loren for those 2 years without him. Thank goodness Courtney came along to start opening his eyes. He had to have seen news reports and TV shows of runaways/kidnappings with the heavy involvement of the police. It never truly dawned on him to question their own situation? Sheesh, what a pair of manipulators! And to have blocked Loren’s adoption by his bestie’s family was simply spite. Why? Lars was completely in the dark on that one. Loren gave Lars a lot to think about by pointing out the inconsistencies in the stories. No wonder Lars is mentally swimming. He really does need to discuss things with wife Courtney to start getting things straight in his own mind. The brothers need more time together. Bringing their SOs will help tremendously with the tension of the situation. They’ll be able to talk about other things—kids, jobs, hobbies, trips, homes, etc. They need this non-pressured contact, too, just to get to know each other as people, especially since Loren and Jay are so high-profile. Can hardly wait for the next chapter, Mrs. G., as usual. Love these stories!

Well, that sounds ominous! The boys have made it and have been introduced to their first friend of their own age. They have been taken on a tour to get their bearings, although it will take a while for that to sink in. They have had a chance to get cleaned up and put on clean clothes that are much better quality than anything they currently own. They have been given beds and enough food that, if they stay, they will not ever be hungry again. (Of course they’ll be staying!) They have discovered that many of the stories they have heard of Weyr life are based on rumors and innuendo, to their great relief (maybe). They have had a bit of education into the hierarchy of dragons and recent events. Best of all, they found Kemi! That’s a full day! They are going to be exhausted! And now you give us this ominous comment? Grrrrrrrrr. I really don’t know what to make of that. I guess we’ll find out next chapter when people start making connections, especially knowing Kemi’s story? And where did the previous 2 boys wind up? Are they in the Weyr also?

Parker is understandably concerned, but I think he may find himself with some new friends when they find out he was the one who took the video. I also agree that management will not allow any shenanigans on the property, and will eject whoever the troublemakers are, hopefully not Darius and Parker, who are simply trying to get some lunch. Parker and Dad are rightfully upset with Mom and her blinkers. I liked Parker’s analogy of people calling him names to wake her up. It did for a moment, but not long enough. Will the guys who get expelled blame Parker and try to get revenge? Thank goodness for Natalie and her clear vision and understanding of what is happening. She is going to prove to be an important asset to Parker—and Darius—throughout this entire situation.

Well, you dared us!

I caught the comment, also. I am concerned about it, but I think the parents probably put ideas into Lars’ mind that somehow it was Loren’s fault for all the problems they encountered over the years, especially after Loren started his rise in popularity and wealth. I am glad that Loren seems to have done a background check on him, however. He does seem to have a lot of info about him. Does he know what he does for a living? It wasn’t mentioned here. I am not so concerned about asking Loren to come to Arizona due to work commitments. If he has been following Loren, he knows Loren’s schedule is much more flexible. I agree there will be a breakdown in the defensive wall regarding kids. It will be at least a couple of years, however. Loren may never get comfortable with infants (we’ll have to see when Corey and Isaac’s kids show up), but they could always adopt older kids! Jay indicated he was up for that, too. So, Seamus, you need to back off a bit! Loren is coming around. Give him time! He is obviously getting comfortable with kids he can interact with, which is an improvement from when we first met him.

Ha! I can just see Jay showing up with makeup. Hysterical! He’s such a girl dad, even if he doesn’t have any himself! Mugget? Is that ‘Mini-nUGGET?’ Cute. Aiden’s reaction is very common. It takes a while, and he didn’t get as much prior contact as a normal pregnancy as if this was his mother. I hope they involved him in all the planning, decorating and setting up for Carson. That would have helped. Loren’s reaction is also not unexpected. He was introduced to Aiden when he was a little more independent. Carson is totally dependent for absolutely everything. Carson even needs to be held a certain way in order for him not to be injured. Of course, Loren is terrified! I feel so sorry for MB. We have a niece who was scheduled for a C-section during Lockdown and then her doctor decided to have her do natural. Why? Who knows. After 27 hours of intense labor and no progress, and with her actually recracking a previously broken hip, they went back to an emergency C-section. Only they didn’t have time for anesthesia, so she had to go through it feeling everything! Bottom line is Mom and Baby are fine and thriving (we just celebrated his 2nd birthday). But she has declared One and Done! No surprise! While I was a bit disappointed to not see the chaos at the hospital, there was so much to cover in this chapter it would have been an overload. It might make a funny recollection story later, however. Now, onto Lars. I find it highly interesting that he changed his name. (I know, I know, another story. It happens when you have a large family.). Believe it or not, we have a grand-nephew who took his wife’s name when they got married. The reason was that the father did so much damage to the family, he wanted to disassociate from the name as much as possible. I can hardly wait to find out what Lars/Larson has to say!

Before commenting, I went back and read the last chapter (I find myself doing this often with this story!), mostly to refresh my memory of the challenge with Shore, but I also wanted to review the interactions between Caleb and Lewis. Once again, I loved the battles and the acknowledgment of the superior capabilities. I also love Caleb’s ability to forgive enough to inform Lewis about Lowe. That’s the thing about babies—they bring everyone together. Tasha’s reaction was anticipated and, actually, lower-keyed than expected. Instead of throwing a pot at him, she only threw a spatula! (Which he caught—I could so easily see that and laughed at the visual!) She must have been relieved to have him back home! However, she wasn’t there to witness the challenge and it’s aftermath, so it’s completely understandable for her to be more reluctant to accept her father’s change as true. She’ll give it a year, until the next Conference, and that’s fair. I also agree with their decision to hold back on introducing Lowe to Lewis for the time being, until things get more settled. Lewis could maybe show some contrition, and start building bridges, by sending some little boy gifts to start with! OK, Dirk. You’ve got your hands full trying to sort out Shaw’s previous cases. I’m glad you were able to get rid of the little nuisance ones (although the people involved may not feel that way!). That allows you to concentrate on the big one, and it looks like you will be overloaded with just that one! That was quite a nightmare, Dirk. Yes, your bear seems to want to return to you, but is lost in that forest. The terrifying thing was that force that seemed to try to blow him away from the area. What was that about? Which of the Seven came to his rescue, although Bear is evidently still separated from Dirk? (Does Dirk have the ring tattoo like Vincent?) What does it mean that Ingles is evidently identifying him as Mate? Dirk’s mind must be swimming right now, just like us! This was quite a cliffie to leave us with! Ugh! I just realized I didn’t even touch upon Heather and her issues! She is with the right people and didn’t even know it! She’s finding a new home, complete with a new job doing something she loves and is good at. It sounds like her coven is being seriously abused. Remis and company will get to the bottom of that and make sure they are taken care of properly. I just wanted to add that I am thoroughly enjoying this story. You may have said this is the third of three books, but there is so much here, I think you have more books here! Keep it up. We love your stories.

I am, thank you. I am out of isolation and only had basic flu symptoms. The worst part was that I did get that antiviral prescription and I got the aftereffect of that awful metallic taste for the duration. Thank goodness that’s gone! The only way I could cut it was to drink iced tea or munch Ritz! Even brushing didn’t help! 😝

Alec had to get out of that town, and maybe Iowa, in order to establish himself as his own person. His mother would have done everything possible to destroy him. He had to get as far away from her as possible. Finn felt he had an obligation to stay and help his family when Milo was so severely injured. No one can say either one was right or wrong. Alec has now had the opportunity to get the psychological help he so desperately needed after a lifetime of dealing with his mother. He has learned self-control and how to recognize ‘dangerous’ situations so that he can set up the protections he needs to survive. He has been able to establish himself successfully professionally and, luckily, it’s the kind of career that he is able to take anywhere. He really could bring it back to Iowa, if he decided to do so. Once his mother is gone, it could be a good thing to do in order to reestablish relationships with Finn and Henry. The only question is River. His career is also rather portable, but how solid is the relationship with Ken? Does River want to come back and resume contact with his mother? They were not in as bad a state as Alec and his parents. Would Ken follow? I know I am jumping the gun here, but a lot of questions come to mind with just a few details from these last 2 chapters. Possibilities are widespread and endless. No wonder Alec gets so introspective!

I missed this chapter when it was posted. Evidently it came out the day I tested positive for Covid and I spent the next couple of days sleeping! Yay! Alec told his mother in a calm, cool way exactly what she needed to hear. Her selfish, vindictive actions in the past have serious ramifications for her present situation. She thinks she is so right and so superior, especially because she thinks she has the ‘church’s’ backing (I put it in quotes because any ‘church’ that espouses hatred like that is no true church), but she doesn’t seem to notice that none of her ‘church friends’ are there supporting her through her health crisis. Henry has finally gotten a backbone enough to stand up to his wife’s pettiness. Good for him! I felt all along that he hasn’t agreed with her and her ‘church.’ He may have not known enough about what being LGBT is that he considered agreeing to the conversion camp for Alec when he was a teen, but I have the distinct feeling he has been doing his homework since then. He is now pleading for another chance with his son. Alec should definitely consider doing so, with the caveat that if there are any shenanigans and he’s gone, at least until the relationship is steady and solid. That probably won’t happen until his mother is gone. Now, Finn wants a ‘talk.’ That chapter will be read in a moment. I am looking forward to that one! @Philippe, thank you for this lovely tribute. As a Children’s Librarian, Dr. Seuss has a special place in my heart. I know there has been a lot of controversy with some of his books lately, but you do have to understand the times, as well. No one can deny his creativity and imagination.

What? No concert tickets for Steven?

@RyGuy, Welcome! You’re going to love this group. This particular group is great with the back-and-forth bantering, but there are a lot of other groups on various other stories that can get into some great banters, also. Hope you find a lot of stories to satisfy you. Medical school is extremely stressful and reading is a fantastic way to escape for a while and relax. Good luck on your exams! I think you can see by the responses and welcomes you have received that people are looking forward to hearing more from you. Now that that has been said, let’s get back to Baby Carson! He’s on his way! It looks like Seamus is taking this fairly calmly. Good for him. Although that may change by the time they get to the hospital. How is Matt handling things? Where is Aiden going to be while all this is going on, because there is no way Matt is going to miss this! And I don’t care what he says, Loren is definitely softening in the kiddie department. It will still take a while, but I still think he’ll fold. I can hardly wait for Monday. And when does Lars make his appearance?

They made it! What a relief! Now comes the assimilation and the attendant confusion. How long will it take for Kemi to find them? I also wonder if H’Rek will help them with their acclimation to the Weyr, considering they are all about the same age. If so, that will help them understand D’gar’s upset and eventually forgive him and become friends, hopefully. I hadn’t realized they came after Lessa’s Journey. It makes sense, considering she made it something like 3 days into the New Pass. (Why was Vikkel so afraid of information. Was he aware of this and kept it secret from his hold?) However, I didn’t remember D’Gar being a Wingleader that fast. I thought it took a bit longer before that happened, with his battles with the nameless one. (Ooh, do the boys get caught up in that?) Manora proved to be the nurturing mother figure I knew she was. The boys won’t know what hit them! It’s exactly what they need after what they’ve gone through the past few months. Merida did what she could, but she was thwarted by Vikkel. The best she could do was send them away for their protection. Hopefully, the 3 of them will be able to get word back to her at some point. Who knows, maybe she and her girls could eventually join them in the future, if Vikkel is not overthrown! So many possibilities! Great chapter, as usual, Mawgrim. I am looking forward to next Thursday already!

Well, we had a jump in time if the bookstore is about to reopen. So what’s taking so long with Mikey’s house, huh? Whatever, I can just imagine the improvements they could install, now that that they’ve been given the chance in both places. New shelves, new seating, new colors, new displays…oh, my mind is just spinning! I would love to have that opportunity! I just want to know who this creep is so he can be captured and locked away from civilized people! He knows he is doing something wrong, but he continues. That is a sign of a psychotic personality. I know it’s too much to hope for, but I still hope that his next victims aren’t any of our guys!

I was thinking the same thing. Vincent and I behave in much the same way. We trust completely, until someone does us dirt, then it takes a hell of a lot of groveling and making up for it for total forgiveness, no matter who that person is. I think Vincent may be more forgiving than me in that respect! Hopefully, when presented with the information from all the witnesses, Tasha may be willing to, perhaps, attend next years Conference with Caleb and see her father and they can introduce him to Lowe. Wagner is in a tough spot. He is doing secret surveillance work in a world where he has to hide his true (wolfish) identity. He has to continue to pretend that he has been ostracized by his Alpha in order to do so, and therefore suffer the abuse from the clown who wound up taking his previous position. Yes, there is at least one ‘lady’ interested in him, but only for a fling, and he’s not looking for that. He wants a real relationship, and he really can’t get into something like that while working undercover. Now he discovers, via an EC agent, that he is under surveillance in his own apartment! The only good thing about this undercover assignment is that he is using his own identity. He doesn’t have to make a fake one with a fake background/name/problem/etc. that he has to remember. Everyone witnessed his ‘shaming’ at the meeting where Cyrus took his place as Alpha. He doesn’t have to set up a secret story—Cyrus basically did it for him. Now, with what Kaplan has dug up, hopefully, this will be coming to an end for Wagner, and the truth can come out for him. Then he will be able to honorably receive his accolades. I am concerned, however, that Stefan may have his hands in this somehow (I know—I’m paranoid). I am concerned that Wagner may have to move somewhere and start fresh, like maybe a smaller community in, say, Kentucky. It took me until this morning to read this chapter, and I’m glad! I wouldn’t have been able to truly appreciate the battles last night!

Loving brother banter! Sorry, Waukesha is not that innocent a city! I, also, was quite relieved to discover that the severity of Jay’s injuries were Benadryl, or medication, induced. Hopefully, he can still have a relatively successful final season. When I realized his parents were walking in on them, the entire scene popped into my head, especially the scramble at the door with her turning around with her hand hiding her red face so she couldn’t see anything else and Dad still coming forward, not understanding what the problem was. When she kept pushing him out and he realized what was happening, I could see Dad turning beet-red and not know where to turn, then looking left and right, but not into the kitchen, for an escape route. Great chapter. I can hardly wait to find out what Lars has to tell!

I can understand the idea of the accents. That hadn’t occurred to me. I guess there would just be some local colloquialisms that he and Oz would have to have been made aware of before they put their feet in their mouths. Heaven knows, it can be tricky moving from one English-speaking area to another due to local terminologies. I came up against that when I moved from Wisconsin to New England. My students would ask me to say this number, holding up four fingers. When I confusedly did, they laughed uproariously. Another teacher finally explained that I actually pronounce my ‘R’s’, which are rarely heard around here, so ‘four’ becomes ‘fowah’ and pronounced with 2 syllables. Other people would pin me down within just a few words as coming from the Midwest, based on my accent. As far as the bad day, it didn’t get much better, but my pup came, crawled n my lap and cuddled under my chin for quite a while tonight. Cuddles are always good. She knows when Mommy needs an especially long one!

How could his Spanish lessons be a rush job? Isn’t he a native speaker, having spoken it since childhood? Or maybe I am misunderstanding what you mean. It’s been a hard day here.

That’s my 22nd anniversary weekend! They’ll have fun!