Mark Arbour

I'm glad you liked it. I think you're right about Granger's need to make sure Lady Elgin knows she's not in charge, although I'm not sure that's possible. Granger's relationship with Treadway does not seem that intense. It is reminiscent of his liaison with Somers, although Treadway is not as assertive as Somers was.

I'm very glad that you laughed. I think it must be testing George's manners to the ultimate, dealing with that shrew.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's unfortunate for Granger that people rarely fall overboard.

Yes.

How does fan-fiction fall avoid these pitfalls?

JP has already started to set the stage for his retirement by picking up the mantle as Chairman of the Board of Regents for Claremont Tech. I can see him doing some research, assuming he's not burned out by it. Life as a professor at Stanford would have been one long pressure cooker of publications. He would have had to have been uber-productive in that regard. On the other hand, I can see him pivoting and writing a book, which is an entirely different process.

I think I got an erection when I read this.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I was inspired to write this story by the musical "Hairspray." Things like segregation, and women smoking and drinking while pregnant, seem so outrageous today, but were a reality back then.

Insightful review! I think that Wade actually set the groundwork for him to have a good relationship with JJ when they move to Boston. Wade set himself up as someone who is defending and supporting JJ's career.

OK, now that is depressing.

If you use lyrics, but cite the source, how is that copyright infringement?

Thanks Maarten. While I can certainly understand why someone wouldn't like Alex, I really don't see him as a threat to Matt and Wade's wellbeing. A threat to their relationship, most certainly, but to their actual wellbeing, I think they're safe. Of course, that will depend on how you define wellbeing. ;-) I didn't like Johnny Weir, and always thought he was a big asshole, until I saw him doing the commentary at the Sochi Olympics. Now I'm a fan.

You posted a review! You almost never do that! How exciting! Thanks! With the way Wade handled that (getting irritated, then relenting), it seems he figured out exactly what you said. He was probably remembering his warning to Matt when they were watching Brad and Robbie deal with Will in "Paternity"...it's not usually a good idea to pick a fight with a 14 year old. JJ's about at that level from a maturity standpoint.

That's a really interesting meeting: Nana and Alex. That could be fun. I haven't written that yet, but I'll have to work on it. I think that Nana and Alex would both be very polite...unless there was a problem. In that case, I doubt Nana would give a shit about Alex's breeding or title. It's worth remembering that when the Garretts married their daughter into the Danfield clan, they viewed it as a step up socially.

I'm so sorry to hear about your health problems, but glad to hear you're recovering, and it's great to see you back here. Thanks for the review. With the Bridgemont series, hopefully even if you're not a fan of the era, the characters will appeal to you, but not everyone appreciates that kind of story. Good luck with it. Regarding Alex, it's quite possible we don't have the whole story yet. ;-)

I can see Alex viewing Matt that way, to a degree. I love that expression: "a bit of rough." Too funny!

Thanks for the review! Alex would have descended from Freddie (or George) and Davina.

Thanks! I think that the next chapter should clear up some things. ;-)

I've got to disagree with you on part of this, but I think it comes down to the two different things you're talking about here. One is having a family unit with a partner, etc.; and the other is having a home base, and a support system. You may be right about the former. I'm not sure that I see JJ settling down with one guy or girl, but then again, that may be just what he needs. On the other hand, I think JJ needs his family a lot more than he's willing to admit. I'm not saying that it's a near-obsession (like it is for JP and Will), or that tradition dominates his attitudes (like it does with Darius), but it's still pretty important. Look at how he reacted when the house in Boston wasn't on schedule to be completed. He acknowledges that as his anchor. I think he looks at his family with a jaded and cynical eye, but if you dig deeper, he needs them. A lot. A very good point. It makes sense that failed relationships would warp his thinking about that. On the other hand, it's hard to say what the future will bring. If Darius or Will (and maybe even John or Marie) end up with largely happy, monogamous relationships, that will surely have an impact on his attitudes. As he gets older, and matures, that will also guide him more in that direction. That's not to say that he'll go there, just that he'll feel some internal pressure to do so.

Thanks! Glad you like the story! I'm thinking along the same lines as you are, even as I mentally debate over who should be the father of this baby, and whether it should be a boy or a girl. If the baby is Matt's, you're right, in that it would bond Matt, Wade, and Tiffany together even if Matt and Wade aren't a couple. If it isn't, I'm wondering if they still wouldn't have that bond, since regardless of the parentage, they conceived the baby together (just like they did for Riley).

I appreciate your optimism (and your review). I'm looking at this, and the only thing I see Alex doing wrong is treating Matt and Wade differently when he has sex with them. Beyond that, he seems to be a pretty honorable guy. Matt and Wade weren't a couple when Alex and Wade first got together, and they're still not a couple now. Alex suggested that they leave Matt as a sexual option (although whether that was only for Wade or for both of them is unclear), so it doesn't seem unreasonable for him to hook up with Matt. So, from that standpoint, I'm trying to think about what Alex has done to cause many readers to think he's incredibly evil.

You raise a really interesting question here: what is behind Wade's obviously uncomfortable reaction at Matt and Alex hooking up? It could be any number of things, but it's interesting to go back to "Paternity" and remember how Wade and Matt rectified the nightmare with Carl. Wade told Matt that if they wanted to have a relationship with another guy, they should sleep with him together, that way they would know the dynamic, and it would be less threatening. While this situation is very different (Matt and Wade aren't a couple), it may be that Wade is frustrated that sex is, in fact, so different between Alex and Matt vs. Alex and himself.

Wade's illness certainly comes at a convenient time, and one could certainly accuse the author of using it as a plot device. :-) I think that when we get closer to the birth, I'll post a poll on Tiffany's baby. I usually wait until I have that all written, so I'm not inadvertently swayed by the results.

Well not all chapter can be full of rainbows and sunshine (SMILE). The good news is that with only four more chapters left, you won't have to wait too long to find out what the deal is.

Good to see you here, HS! Tiffany conceived when they were in Boston, doing the home shopping spree. There was no explicit sex scene, just some reminiscing by Matt the next day. I think Matt's nature may seem more lowbrow because of his flirtatious nature and his persona as a very sexual being, so that may have some bearing. On the other hand, in polite society, Matt usually does just fine.