Mark Arbour

Actually, that's exactly what happened more or less, and it works in the context of their relationship. They're not committed to each other, so there's no reason Wade can't have an ongoing thing with Alex in Boston. So if you think about it, the only thing Wade really did that was inexcusable was to dump Matt in the middle of their vacation. He came over and apologized for that.

I think Wade and Matt telling each other they're even is actually a very healthy thing. It lets them both put the guilt, and the anger/pain, for the various sins they've committed against each other, in the past. I think that if Wade wouldn't have done what he did with Alex, and hurt Matt like he did, a basic imbalance would have persisted in their relationship.

I think Scott was a good friend when Brad was younger, a shithead when Brad was with Robbie, but now they both seem to have matured, and hopefully they can have a healthy friendship. What is cool about Scott is that he knows Brad well enough to tell him what the deal is: he isn't intimidated by him.

There's always the guy who says "I told you so." :-)

Actually, I can see that with Matt too.

August 2, 2002 Boston Matt I lay in bed, fighting against waking up from my nap, because I was so enjoying feeling Wade next to me. I let my mind drift back to the first time we’d done this, and how awesome it had been. It still was. I gently stroked his back, even as I pulled him closer, relishing the feel of his skin. I’d thought that I’d never be like this with Wade again, I didn’t think we’d ever be together; yet here he was, his body molded to mine. I forced

I think a rarely thought about, but vital component of WWI was the peace process afterwards, and the drawing of arbitrary borders that divided peoples. Much of the violence in the Middle East can be traced back to a total disregard for ethnicity, religion, and cultural ties when dividing the spoils.

To celebrate Bastille Day, Chapter 39 will be uploaded sometime tonight (probably), so check back.

That's a very good point. I think when you have a lot of those 'frozen moments', when it's easy to visualize everyone stopping and gasping as ominous music plays in the background (like you'll find in the clip at 6:50), you're walking into soap opera territory. A blast from the past:

I think that 'forgetting' is a bad way to frame these kinds of relationship problems, because I think you're right, in that it's difficult to truly forget harmful things, but I think it can happen. A better way to say it may be to talk about minimalizing them. Having said that, I tried to remember some of my more hellatious fights in the past, and I'm having a hard time doing it. I think I minimized them to the point where they became irrelevant, and largely vanished from my memory. So I do think it's possible. Only one thing I want to correct here, and that is that Wade has never had an issue with Matt being presentable. Matt can be a classy guy (he's got a prep school background), and he knows which fork to use. Granted, he's not at an "Alex" level, but he's not boorish enough for it to be an issue. I wonder if Wade sees this vastly different Matt as clearly as you think he does? I think that he's starting to, but I'm not sure he's that convinced. We probably saw his evolution on his view of Matt beginning in Claremont on the Fourth of July. He's probably getting a better picture after the deal with Alex, and how Matt jumped in to support them as a couple. Those are all clues, but I don't think Wade has finished putting the puzzle together so he can see the whole picture.

The "Thorpedo" has long been my favorite swimmer. And he's hot. So this is all good news, as far as I'm concerned.

I really like how you referenced JP here, because as you noted, he certainly wasn't infallible, and could be quite vicious when he felt that his family was threatened. I took your point to mean that Wade's actions, which were undeniably selfish and possibly cruel, will blemish his reputation, but it is possible for him to recover. I'd agree with that.

Welcome to the world of reviews (and to GA, since I saw you just joined today)! It's flattering that so many of you have strong reactions to these characters, and what they do. Flux, when it is complete, will contain 45 chapters. Before you write Wade off, I'd wait to see how things develop. You may still end up hating him, but at least you'll get to walk through the struggle with him.

You see Matt reeling from these losses he's experienced, and from the trauma of finding out he's positive, and you feel sorry for him. That's a normal reaction, and one I would expect readers to have. It is easy to go from there and to blame Wade for much of this, then to turn again and blame Matt for his slutty ways, which did so much to ruin their relationship, and are presumably responsible for Matt being HIV positive. I think it is more nuanced than that. Wade has certainly not treated Matt very well over the past few weeks. Then again, he put up with a lot of crap from Matt over the last year or so. Yet even with that, when Matt needs Wade to be there, Wade is there. That has to count for something, in both of their minds.

No one is perfect. See above.

Often (especially in stories) men hit it off sexually before they are able to decide whether they're compatible outside of the bedroom. In this case, the reverse has happened to Wade. I do not think Wade is a more sexual being than Matt; I rather think of Matt (and Stef..and possibly Will) as being more sexual than most other characters. But because of Wade's stoic presence, I think it assumed sex will be less important, and so when it is more than than (perhaps above average), the contrast seems stronger. Will is annoying to some, but he does have a strong moral compass, and a desire to do the right thing.

It really is an intriguing dilemma, and one that is quite common: are you willing to trade an unsatisfying sex life for basically happiness in the other areas of your life? That's really the decision Wade is grappling with. I'm not sure it's such a great idea for Wade to sleep with Matt either. Wade has been drawing Matt in, then pushing him away, then drawing him back in, for a bit now. Unless he plans to draw Matt in and keep him there, I can't see how it could be a good thing.

Too funny. People don't always do what they're supposed to do, or react how they're supposed to react. When a character like Wade, who is so solid and steady, does something completely unexpected and out of character, it doesn't mean it's not plausible, but it does require an explanation. In a serial story, that explanation is sometimes a gradual process, so I don't really mind having to ease readers through that time delayed process.

Kitt, Thanks for the review, especially since it is so insightful. You are absolutely correct, in that it isn't love, but then again, it rarely is (love at first sight). And while JP and Wade are not the same person, it's interesting to flash back to Bloodlines and remember JP observing that he didn't believe in that phenomenon, yet here we have Wade not only believing in it, but acting on it. I think Wade is only now starting to realize what a huge wave of emotion has hit him (and swamped him). A wave is, perhaps, a good analogy. It's a bit like being out in the ocean, and dealing with lots of rough waves, when suddenly a huge tidal wave looms and just overwhelms everything in its path. In this case, Alex was Wade's tidal wave.

You know, it was actually quite easy. I labored over whether to have Wade narrate, as this isn't his story, but I just had an overriding desire to jump in and show the reader what he was thinking. So it was really kind of a relief, to be able to do that.

Thanks for the review, although it was a little confusing. I'm not sure how Robbie and fisting work into this? And I'm not sure what you were referring to with the 80%?

Why thank you! If only I could get men to obsess over me IRL like this. LOL. Matt is a lot different than he was in college...he truly is maturing. Wade is probably grappling with that, and with his own infatuation, so it's no wonder he's handling Matt rather badly. Will has a tendency to tell it like it is. Sometimes, that's a good thing. I think it was here.

I must thank Your Ladyship for your observations and your review. :-) What's really interesting is that if Wade did that - tried to keep two relationships going - he'd basically be doing what he did in college. I"m thinking of Sean. Rather ironic, since he's usually busting Matt's balls about still acting like he's in college.

Thanks Kevin. Chapters have to end somewhere. Next time you'll find out more about them sleeping together.

Thanks Kevin. Well, we can't fit everything in one chapter, so there was some overlap. Next chapter, you get to find out what that's all about. ;-)