Paladin

A tree representing family with its branches encased in a heart representing love. What's not to like!

A really great revision and a wonderful read. Thanks for revising and posting. It's a beautifully loving story.

I loved this story. Great detective story. I'm just a bit sad that there's no more amazing paranormal sex for Tom. But then maybe . . . .

The point I'm making is that he said "I'm making Stephanie tell them". There are so many other ways he could have said this: "I'm asking . . .". "I'm letting . .","I'm expecting . . .", "I'm waiting for . ." Instead he says "I'm making . ." implying compulsion. I don't see trust. Also he's been cheated on. Trust??

Very true @Zuri. However to me "I'm making Stephanie tell them," sounds more like being vindictive than trusting.

I'm afraid you'll have to wait to see if Ollie finds out about Andre and the abuse. Not a spoiler alert but the teens do continue to bond.

I see a few issues here. Karl says Stephanie had become a "bitch", presumable to him but, he acknowledges that the children will miss her after the divorce. Maybe she's not the perfect mother but Karl is very much the absent father (away 40% of the time) and certainly not perfect. He's "making Stephanie" explain the divorce. The way I see it, they should both have been there to explain it to the children and what would happen with them. Who knows what she would tell them. Maybe even that Daddy was taking them away from her. The most important people in a divorce are the children. They are the innocent victims in divorce. Who has full custody is a technicality. What is important is the relationship the children continue to have (or not have) with their parents.

I agree @Cane23 that it would be excruciatingly painful for parents to hear that their son has been sexually abused and even more painful to be in court and see their son being cross examined about what happened to him, especially if in Andre's case he was asked "did you enjoy it?" The police evidence is building up so let's see.

I always enjoy reading your comments @Summerabbacat and yes you are being very un-Australian about Tim Tams, even if I am using them as a running joke through these stories. I'm also with you regarding dark and darker chocolate. Yes, this chapter is a "life goes on" break in all that is happening to Chris and Andre. There are possibly ways Ollie's mother can harass without direct confrontation.

We finished cooking and plated the meal. With a glass of wine each we sat at the table and continued to chat while eating. Jamie casually asked, “Have you told Beau and Skye.” Andre fell silent and that silence spread to Jamie and me. Telling about Ollie was easy, but it led ultimately to telling about his own history. Was Andre ready to tell Beau and Skye and then, how about his mum and dad? I reached over for Andre’s hand. I held and squeezed it, letting him know he was n

I liked that this chapter was realistic. Therapy doesn't just consist of crisis after crisis. There are periods of time when problems get resolved and things run relatively smoothly. Divorce is particularly bad for the children, especially where the divorce isn't amicable or when one parent breaks off contact with the children. It leaves them feeling so abandoned. Pleased to hear that Jason has moved to be closer to both families. It does seem that this period of calm is about to end.

A very relaxed and enjoyable combined family Christmas leading into New Year. It's nice that both families have accepted that the boys will be lifetime partners. I'm pleased that Devin will "grow" to be a similar height to Mac. Should help him a lot. Enjoyable reading.

Or maybe Franklin is just reeling (red herring) Cal in, to make him look like the killer.

Arrr my head hurts. Franklin has been having sex with Gustav long term and ducks in for a quickie when Gustav returns from a romantic heterosexual weekend. But, honestly officer, he was alive when I left him full of my cum. So now Cal is in the frame along with the elusive Bart. If Cal is jealous of Gustav, why kill Theresa? Is she just collateral damage? Messages typed and encrypted. Why so secret for one and open for the other? And, if the sex with Franklin was consensual, what is it with having paranormal sex with a sleeping Tom? Is it really a clue or is Gustav just horny in the afterlife? I hope @chris191070 has more answers than I do

A great chapter with building tension. Can't wait for the next chapter. The Minister is focused on the situation but can he or Jamie manage to break through the barrier? A real cliffhanger. Love it!

I've become used to surprises from @chris191070 but I admit I was uber-surprised by the dead Gustav having sex with Tom as a clue to the murderer. George must be starting to feel left out, especially as the supernatural sex is so good

A fantastic chapter! We meet some homeless vampires. We see Greg's beast's Alpha strength, showing his power is more than his noble status. We also see Greg's ability to have others trust him. But most importantly we see Josh pull Greg into line and remind him, very forcible, to never let friendship cloud his judgement about someone's actions or motives. That's a friend you want by your side!

Excellently written and full of emotion. Some good advice for Steve.

Well true enough. There aren't many female names that could be shortened to Bart but there are a few, like Barta and possibly Bartha. Mystery writers are renowned for using unusual names to distract. Also Bart could just be a nickname unrelated to the person's real name. Have I mislead enough now?

This chapter was well worth waiting for. The "our room" reference suggests that Liam already sees this as a boyfriend relationship. It could be very hard for them to keep that a secret, especially if Liam wants Mike to join him at basketball "just to watch". Hmmm. Visiting mum should be interesting.

We seem to have a prime suspect and his social security number and so traceable. It all seems too straight forward for @chris191070 so is this just another of his red herrings? A left field observation. Bart doesn't have to be the name or abbreviated name of a male. It could be female. But, maybe that's my red herring.

A really enjoyable chapter taking the boys to Christmas. Loved the use of screeching cats to annoy the nosy neighbour. This interaction was priceless: “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Devin’s used to sharing a room with me.” “Yes, I’m sure he is.”

Did you? Oh, and Thank You.

Quote:Duncan killed himself the Saturday after that meeting. I was very mean to him. Blamed him for getting my father arrested. I was angry and told him to go fuck himself, among other hurtful things. If I was civil to him, he'd still be alive. So far we have seen two examples the way suicide affects the people close to the person who committed suicide. Now think about Duncan's parents. Suicide has an traumatic affect on all those close to that person.

Thank you all for some amazing and insightful comments. @Summerabbacat, @chris191070 and @drsawzall, we need more information about Ollie's mum to form an informed opinion. At present she still has a claim on Oliver as his mother, even thought the authorities are resisting. Yes @drsawzall and @chris191070, becoming foster parents isn't as straight forward as Andre and Chris thought but still they look like a great fit for Ollie. If it happens it could change their lives. And yes @Summerabbacat, @chris191070 and @drsawzall Andre is now facing the "who do I tell" and "why do I tell" reality of the abuse he has experienced. How will he handle that? We do know that he has support. The video not only gives Chris' channel a young voice but also gives Ollie a link to Chris and Andre while the wheels of justice are spinning.