Summerabbacat

I assumed the turmoil would continue for some time @Paladin, but assumed (hoped anyway) he would ultimately achieve peace, happiness and re-establish a relationship with his children, despite the efforts of the poisonous viper. Natasha conjures up memories of Natasha Stott Despoja.

@Gary L lives in Valencia, Spain, and is a former resident of Blighty, either a Brummy or a Mancunian if I remember correctly @Paladin. I get confused by the dates if both the day and month are 12 or less.

"My marriage breakdown and then the acrimonious divorce proceedings. It was almost straight after that when Mum was diagnosed and I moved in to help look after her. Then her death and funeral. Did I tell you Natasha wouldn’t let the kids come to the funeral? They weren’t allowed to go to their grandmother’s funeral." Natasha, what a bitch. Regardless of the reason for their divorce, which Martin indicates was acrimonious, not allowing their children to go to their grandmother's funeral, presumably out of spite at her ex-husband, is unforgivable. I presume Natasha will play little if any role in this story, if she does I hope it is cut short by tragedy. I assume Martin will be the bigger man and allow their children to go to their mother's funeral, if this is the case. Presumably the trip to London is to inform Martin of an inheritance of some sort. I think @CincyKris and @chris191070 might be onto something. Martin's mother may have had secrets, one being the man whom Martin believed was his biological father was not, a man now deceased who left everything to Martin's mother, whom now deceased has left the entirety of his biological father's substantial estate to Martin. If this is the case, I hope there is an ironclad clause in it that Natasha cannot get her hands on any of the estate. Won't she be spitting chips if this is the case. The title of the story hopefully reflects the status quo at present only @Paladin. Given your comments above I assume Martin is going to have significant self-discovery, possibly aided by Simon in both a professional and personal capacity, which may result in Martin being far happier than he ever was with that spiteful cow, Natasha.

I wonder if it might be Roland? He seemed to be sad that Terry was no longer around and may think Mark had something to do with Terry's alleged absence sowing his wild oats. Or is it Terry who has been observing Mark, unknown to Mark he is still in Phoenix, or perhaps he has Mark's home bugged.

I want to believe Micah has been truthful and completely transparent and his intentions are nothing but noble, but I am not convinced. "He sighed. "Damn. What lousy timing. Or maybe it's perfect timing." "Huh?" "Killian, I've always felt like you've never really gotten over Asher. Now here he is, and he wants to get together with you." "I don't think he meant..." "I think you should do it." "What?" "I think you should go out with him." "What?" "I think you should go out with Asher. Maybe it will help you settle your feelings for him once and for all. I doubt we can move on until you do." It is as if Micah is trying to sabotage his relationship with Killian so he can move to New York "guilt-free", lay all the blame for his failed relationship with Killian, which he may be thinking is a fait accompli, on Killian. Additionally, the more Micah pleads he is not trying to pressure Killian into making a decision, the more disingenuous he appears to be. If Killian does not not move in with Micah and Micah moves to New York, I don't believe it will be because Killian has decided he has not gotten over Asher, but it may be because he has a new love interest in Jacy. I think Fletcher in particular is going to be instrumental in helping Killian accept and manage his gifts. Perhaps acceptance is the integral factor in managing the gifts, and he certainly has not accepted them as yet, viewing them at times as much a curse or at least an inconvenience, as a blessing. Perhaps the new office secretary might be Tad, or perhaps Jacy, or perhaps Killian's mother returned from Pennsylvania (?).

Marshmallow chicks? I shuddered to think what they might be @Odie, but was very pleased to learn they do not contain baby chicks or any part thereof. I cannot envisage Aaron as a Jimmy. I am surprised he has not insisted his brothers, sisters-in-law and others address him as Aaron. Part of me admires him for being chill enough to not let it bother him, but another part of me thinks he should insist as that is his preferred name and the others should respect his wishes. Given Sandi's comments I assume Marie does not know Aaron is gay and is likely to not accept it. If her religious beliefs are such that she cannot accept it then it is her problem not Aaron's.

I have not come across the given name Kilby before @Wombat Bill. Given his mother's drug addiction perhaps she named him after Steve Kilbey of the Church, the Aussie group who had that marvellous international hit Under The Milky Way in 1988 amongst others; or perhaps she named him after the bilby, particularly if she was drugged at the time. It does not appear her drug addiction has had any impact on Kilby's physical growth or mental capacity. Kilby was far better behaved and personable in this chapter. It was pleasing to observe Edward's bullshit metre is fully factional and he is not letting Kilby get away with bad behaviour just because he has had a shitty life. Edward's description of Kilby as "transactional" was brilliant. He is certainly not alone with this behaviour. The colour of the ube cakes above is spectacular. They must take some time to roll so perfectly. At first glance I thought they were beautifully rolled bath towels or hand towels.

@Summerabbacat often thinks the worst of his own species, which invariably proves to be true. Hopefully Kilby will prove me wrong.

If only. A spectacular film with wonderful songs.

This is such a wonderful story @Lee Wilson, another "lite" in your portfolio. This chapter moved me to tears (again) and was very exciting. Michael, with Stephen at his side, continues to shine, his dedication rewarded and recognised. At this rate you are heading for another HEA at the conclusion of this story. LOL.

I am a heathen @Gary L, I don't like beer, rugby league or meat pies either. Stone the flamin' crows. I must be one of those bloody vegetarian poofter bastards.

What a fucked up family life Aaron appears to have experienced growing up, apart from Steve. Carl may not be the total douchebag Aaron thought he was, but he is not far from it. I am not a very forgiving person, not of my fellow humans anyway, so I am still sceptical regarding the reasons Carl offered for his treatment of Aaron.

Louie is playing a dangerous game now. I don't think Mark will take kindly to Louie stepping out on him. He has wealth and I imagine unlimited resources at his finger tips to do whatever he chooses to do to Louie if he wants to "punish" him. Might Sam also be a candidate for blackmailer. It appears Mark is the likely intended victim of blackmail but I have zero sympathy for him. I have to wonder if his twin Terry is really off sowing his wild oats and spending all his inheritance? The desert is a big place, one could likely bury a body fairly easily. I also have to wonder if Mark is really Mark, or is he perhaps Terry and he has murdered Mark? Intrigue plus, a very interesting chapter @chris191070.

“Contacts on her laptop and phone include some that are known to us. Dodgy: organised crime. “Aunt’s husband’s contacts are dodgy. Business on the level, but clients…” The question for me is did Aunt Daphne know these contacts on her laptop and phone were dodgy, organised crime, or was she storing them on her devices at the request of Graham? Methinks she knew, which is why she was reluctant to provide any contact details to Louis. Methinks perhaps she and Graham were drawn together by their nefarious activities. I think Daphne's murder was a warning to Graham from Farouk Georges aka Farouk Joski by way of Thomas Englert aka Fracnk de Leuw. “What are you looking at? Don’t tell me it’s porn!” He laughed. (Thankfully.) “Hardly. I’ve got everything I need, thank you very much.” And he kissed me whilst stroking my groin. “Excuse me!” Then he showed me his phone. “I decided I could happily take or leave Evelyn de Morgan’s pictures. Her brother’s pots are something else, though.” “Aren’t they just?” And we spend a happy hour on pot porn. " Now that was very amusing @Robert Hugill. If I remember correctly @Robert Hugill we have 16 more chapters to go, and the whereabouts of the Nimrud Panther is not revealed until the end or near the end of the story. I must ask, is the manner of Daphne's death uncovered before then or is that a concluding revelation too?

You are far kinder and more reasonable than I am @chris191070. I was looking forward to Kilby's arrival, I even shed a tear or two reminiscing about all the kittens and cats I have fostered over the years and the joy it brought. Unfortunately, Kilby possessed none of the charm or manners of any of the kittens or cats I have fostered. He is an ill-mannered, greedy, obnoxious little twerp. He has had a shitty life, but is that an excuse for his behaviour, no. And if he even thinks of doing something nasty to Peggy I will leap into the story and rip his fucking balls off. I think Edward, Romel, Juanito and Raj, should be very wary of Kilby. I do not trust him at all, and I am concerned if he does not get his own way on something he wants he may pull the "gay panic card" and accuse one of the male members of the household of inappropriate behaviour towards him. I may be paranoid, but I don't trust children any more than I trust adults, and this could all end in tears. I hope my initial impression of Kilby is way off the mark, for if not I think he might bring nothing but trouble and heartache to the household.

The "style" is ghastly @Josh Aterovis and very unsafe, but the colour I do quite like, although not quite burnt orange enough for me. I well and truly fucked up thinking not one year had passed since Never Alone. I am not blonde, but I do have difficulty following if a definitive timeline is not stated.

Mark is despicable and Louie a fool. Mark is a wealthy fraud, a "clone" of Roy Cohn. I will have zero sympathy for him when he is outed by either Jimmy or his twin brother, Terry. In the end Mark will not suffer any, he will have his wealth and his life will continue in much the same vein. Louie however will be cast aside like an unwanted mistress, painted as a whore and I doubt spineless Mark will defend him.

The image I had of Chandar from your description of him was Pythonesque @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Eric Idle hunched over and very ancient looking, with a face suggesting one possessing infinite patience and wisdom, with the brief appearance of a very slight smirk suggesting occasional mischief. I must say you had me concerned the intruder following Chandar meant him harm, someone intent on doing so before the arrival of Luther, Garrett, Jamal and Han. And I thought the steel blade at the throat of the intruder meant one thing only, a visit from Sweeney Todd. I was relieved the intruder meant no harm and came to no harm. Clearly Chandar's hearing has not declined with age as he obviously knew someone followed him deep into the cave which is his home. His reflexes are still very sharp too as he was able to hold Christos captive with little effort so it seemed. The arrival of Luther, Garrett, Jamal and Han was welcomed by Chandar and the villagers alike. I dare say the village will now become a hive of activity as the remaining Knights of the Order of the Dragon start preparing themselves for battle.

Ruby is "entertaining" the troops being the generous woman she is. Judayah returns for seconds, which on this occasion are definitely "sloppy seconds" as Ruby has done a lot of entertaining. Judayah takes Ruby by force and she decides to teach him a lesson. As she sits on his face and suffocates and "drowns" him, one of his fellow "soldiers" impales him with a red hot spear as he is not popular with his fellow "soldiers", and they despise him for raping Ruby.

strangulation between Ruby's thighs ala Xenia Onatopp in James Bond's GoldenEye suffocation and "drowning" when an excited Ruby sits on his face whilst Tobias double fists him roasted alive when he has Katarina bent over a kitchen table fucking her senseless, unaware the nameless buxom, raven-haired beauty that walked with a slight limp, was standing behind him with a hot poker which she shoves up his arse

I have assumed this is the case too @Mark Ponyboy Peters.

Mark and Louie experienced what your fellow Brit describes perfectly in this disco hit from the late 1970's @chris191070. She was very popular here in Australia too, at a time when our two nations often aligned in pop music tastes. You were just a wee lad so you may not be that familiar with her, although I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance) was a hit in the UK again in 1986.

A new arrival at the Williamson/Campos household? Rajine or Rajetta? A foster child? A younger "sibling" for Peggy? I hope it is the latter, but assume it may well be a foster child. If I may be so bold as to offer a solution to Lucas' problem @Wombat Bill; is it really a problem though, he can probably reload in next to no time and be ready for action again? If he can feel himself becoming too excited too quickly, he should think of their English teacher, Miss, naked and sprawled out on a rug waiting for some afternoon delight with him, reading a "novel" by Dame Barbara Cartland. Caleb is almost too good to be true. His concern for Lucas' self-esteem, both his appearance and his apparent "problem" with premature ejaculation, remarkably unselfish, particularly for one so young.

"He smiled again. "That's great. Classes are out for me too, so I'm home for the summer. I'm...single." Smooth, real smooth Asher. About as subtle as a blow to the head with a sledgehammer. I know he was young when he and Killian were together, but Asher was an arsehole at the end of their relationship and I am not a forgiving person. So, back off bitch. "There was just enough room for my L-shaped desk, two hideous orange Naugahyde chairs, and a dusty artificial plant." I must ask @Josh Aterovis, are the chairs burnt orange in colour? If so, I think they sound fabulous. And although vinyl is not attractive, at least it is not made from a dead cow or two or more. Nikki's current appearance made me think of Persis Khambatta, Grace Jones and Dee Dee Bridgewater. All three were/are able to pull off the bald look and still look hot, especially the latter two. Nikki's outfit only added to her allure. Jacy was 16 years of age in Never Alone @weinerdog. I assume he is now 17 years of age at most, whereas Killian is 19. I guess a relationship between the two is possible, but it would likely be fraught with danger. I know neither is a clairvoyant per se, but they do seem to have a sixth sense for bullshit. Would they ever be able to conceal the truth from each other, telling a little white lie for the sake of maintaining a cordial relationship e.g. "you're looking a little pale at the moment" instead of "you look like shit" when asked by one of the other, or "that outfit makes you look robust" instead of "you look like a porker lard-arse" when one asks of the other if he looks fat at the moment. I too am very pleased Fletcher survived the attack on him and his subsequent heart attack. Intriguing already @Josh Aterovis and we are only three chapters in.

I grew up on this food too in rural Australia @Odie. I am a vegetarian now and have not eaten red meat for over 40 years, never eat white bread and the thought of eating gravy makes me feel nauseous. The overcooked green vegetables were awfully familiar too.