Mark Arbour

Thanks Kevin! I think you're right, in that it's a good lesson for all of them. This was, if I recall correctly, the generation that began to think of HIV as a more benign disease. For Brad, Stef, and the cadre 35 and older, it's about like the Black Plague. For the younger set, it's not as bad.

Thanks Gary! I don't think that Cody has shown himself to be unsafe when it comes to sex. Obviously he must have, to have contracted HIV, but up until then, he's been pretty good about it. Wade isn't coming down from his Alex high, but he is noting that not everything is perfect, and that lack of perfection focuses on sex, at least for right now. As far as Cody and Brad go, I can see Brad disregarding Cody's positive status if they opted to have a relationship with each other.

The only stable thing in CAP is that place at Escorial where they keep the horses. ;-) I don't think any of these guys thought about Tiffany, but that may change. I think they have to deal with their own drama before inflicting it onto her. For Jeanine's parents to make an issue out of it, they'd have to find out. That may not be easy for them.

I realized that I hadn't really dealt with HIV since the mid-1980s, so it was time to bring that dreaded disease back into the storyline.

Such a profound review, because I have to try and figure out what it said. (SMILE).

Bah. The Fourth of July merely promotes and exacerbates that insidious force: nationalism. :-) I'm glad you liked the drama. I told you it was coming. I'm not sure if this will change anyone's attitudes about barebacking with trusted friends. That's worked well up until now. We'll see.

As I've said elsewhere, I think Kevin is just as much a possibility as Cody.

Damn it: no more swallowing.

I think it's really unfair to come down hard on Cody, Kevin, or Alex until/unless we know the details. The only thing that was problematic, IMHO, was Kevin sleeping with Brad without telling him. The way Kevin reacted after sex with Brad makes me think that his feelings for Brad are pretty developed, and he probably knew that he'd blown it. That, or he may just have been in denial. We've seen the immediate family members struggle with the post-9.11 world, but we haven't really seen how it impacted the peripheral figures like Cody and Kevin...until now. I haven't done as much research on this as I need to, but at this juncture, HIV wasn't like it was when Brad was in college. We also have the new phenomenon of the bug chasers. I can see how Cody and Kevin would let their struggles with what happened on 9-11 impact their attitudes. It would be really easy, in their situation, to just say fuck it. I also think that it's unfair to blame this on Cody. Cody is a top (with a few exceptions), so the chances that he would get it in the first place are smaller. It's quite possible that neither Kevin nor Cody knows how they got it (from whom), or that they will.

Or for chapter 38. :-)

July 30, 2002 Paris Brad I was frustrated, because our travel plans had changed about fifty times, and I needed a little more certainty in my life. “How is this working?” My irritation was evident in my tone. “You were not paying attention?” Stef asked. “The last version I heard, JP was going back to Escorial on your plane, and the rest of us were going back on my plane,” I said. “That was two versions ago,” Will

Your suggesting that Alex is especially attractive to Wade because he gives Wade a tool to push Matt away, just when they're becoming dangerously close. That idea has merit.

I think that Wade's impulsiveness has been extreme in this situation. I guess the issue that I have is with the concept that this cannot happen to Wade, that he would never do something so irresponsible and probably cruel. Based on what? People like Wade, who are wound up pretty tight, can snap every once in a while. In this case, Wade encountered a pretty potent cocktail. Regardless of how this turns out with Alex, I can see Wade spending a lot of time with David Sizemore, beating the shit out of himself for being this impulsive, and for letting his emotions completely override his logic.

Good points! FYI, this forum is just fine for this discussion as well. I really can't envision Matt and Wade not being at an at least benign level with each other: they don't have the luxury of having a big, ugly, break-up feud that goes on indefinitely. The stuff they went through after 9-11 was probably tolerated by other family members because it was all so ugly and rough, with the losses, but beyond that, it would be tough. Those two are both too integrated into the overall family structure, and they have a son together, whether Matt wants to admit it or not.

I understand what you're saying. I think those things matter, but I don't think that's the key thing at work here. When Wade looks at Alex, he sees Prince Charming. He sees a guy who is so much like him it's probably creepy, and he is probably thinking that Alex is a lot calmer and easier to deal with than Matt (the roller coaster ride).

I'm sorry you didn't like the chapter. I knew it would evoke varied responses. My hope is that, as these characters get to more fully explain (and explore) their actions, you'll have a better understanding of why this is all happening. Yes. I cannot agree with you here. That sort of thing still really matters. I'm going to go out on a limb here and speculate that almost everyone reading this got a job (if not their 'career job) from some sort of job referral from a contact. That's because who you know is very important, maybe even more important that what you know. If you are wealthy and influential, you and your children will have more valuable contacts, etc. My point here is that where you land in the socio-economic scale is very important. I think you're being a little hard on Wade. He's doing that now, but he doesn't have a history of doing that. In fact, I'd say that for most of the time we've seen him, he's been an honorable guy. I think Wade was cowardly, selfish, and incredibly rude during this whole deal with Alex. I can also see how, if he was already burdened by the guilt of treating Matt like shit, he'd have had a really hard time facing everyone and explaining (and answering for) his actions. In essence, he was avoiding a potential trial. I think it's a sign of Matt's maturity, to a degree, and also the phenomenon that as he gets older, he is able to control his reactions and his feelings more. Matt hasn't given up on Wade, so all of his thoughts, at this point, are focused on achieving that goal, in some shape or form. He's forcing himself to be as calm as he can, and as logical as he can, so he doesn't ruin his chances with Wade. I think you'll find that when there's a lot of guilt in a relationship, and a lot of love, the kind of self-sacrifice that Matt may have made here is pretty common. For some people, that's exactly what it takes. It isn't a stereotype at all, it's very real. And quite frankly, if something isn't working out, you should go on to the next one. I don't always chuckle, but I am pretty happy after a blow job. Just sayin' I'm glad you told me how you felt. Part of me is glad that you feel this way, because much of what you expressed is exactly how I want you to see it. But as I said before, we're not done with the story, so I hope you'll withhold judgment until the end.

Thanks Ricky. There's a lot of damage control to do here, but the Duke gave Granger a very good game plan. I think that if it works out as the Duke envisions, then Caroline will be able to save her rep. She, George, and their allies will simply portray this whole issue as malicious gossip among servants. I cannot imagine that anyone would believe a footman (or other servant) over the statements of the gentlemen (important distinction!) who were purportedly involved.

Thanks for the review! You're tracking pretty well with what is going through Wade's mind, but it's not the relative similarities in their backgrounds that is so compelling to Wade, even though he may think it is. Remember, Matt isn't exactly a poor child. He grew up in an old money household. He's not quite at Wade's level, but he's not so far down the socio-economic scale that he'd be out of place. Wade has been struggling with the same conflict Brad has battled: whether to stay in a relationship with Matt, who is fun and exciting, but prone to drama; or to pursue this new relationship with Alex. Alex offers Wade (as far as we know) a very stable, drama-free relationship. That's really been Wade's dream, and what he's been hoping for. It's understandable (IMHO) that when Wade is hit with that kind of option with Alex...someone who is refined, cultured, and quite frankly, like him...he would fall head over heels like a 7th grade girl.

You're both right: Wade is acting totally out of character. He's normally, as Henson said, deliberate and collected. And the reason for that, as Jeremy noted, was that he's giddy with new love. For some reason, Alex has totally blown Wade away and swept him off his feet. He's making compromises, and decisions, that defy his normal, rational behavior. So while I think it's out of character, I would note that it's supposed to be, and the fact that Wade is acting so strangely is supposed to be significant. I see Wade, working to deal with Matt and his unresolved feelings, only suddenly this new guy comes in and rocks his world. If you met a guy, and he was pretty much everything you ever wanted and ever dreamed about, and you two managed to get together as a couple, wouldn't you be just a little flighty, and wouldn't you be willing to do things and make compromises that wouldn't otherwise seem logical for you to do? Wade is smart, he's caring, he's logical, and he's organized. But he's not perfect.

That's a good closing line: I didn't think heartbreak was in the package. Wade is crushing hard and fast on Alex. Doesn't happen all that often (and never to Wade), so this must really be freaking him out, meeting a guy who seems so perfect for him.

I'm sorry your review didn't take. There must be something funky going on with the system.

That's a really interesting portrayal of Alex. You haven't really seen much of him, so it's hard to evaluate whether or not he's evil. But if he is, that's a good way for him to show us.

Every once in a while, you and I clash on characters. I actually expected you to say something, because of all the characters in this latest chapter, the only one who's really acting completely out of character is Wade. I've only shown you what others see and hear about Wade, not what Wade thinks himself. Regardless, the fact that Wade is acting strangely should tell you about the kind of inner turmoil he's dealing with.

Sorry about that. Hang in there. I'm all about happy endings.

I'm sorry you didn't get to say what you wanted to say. You can always post in the forums too.