Mark Arbour

Whatever you do, get the hell out of there. Seriously.

I bolded your sentence above, because I think it is very true of Will. On the other hand, Will isn't at a point where he can look at this totally through Zach's eyes, and I think he'd have to do that to factor in the 'love'. I think all that Will sees is Wally and Clara exerting control, and that must frustrate him well beyond what he's expressing here. If you think about it, Zach is used to making sacrifices to get what he wants. He's probably had to do that for most of his life, and he's definitely had to do that for football. That's a big part of being an athlete. Will, on the other hand, has only done that with some of his more dramatic moments, but even then, it has been more of a forced thing than a voluntary trade-off.

What constitutes "straight" and 100% heterosexuality? Is it the actual sex acts of fucking around with someone, or it is the underlying preference where a totally straight man is aroused by women? I think, personally, that we can classify Ace into that category. He messed around with Brad when he was a young teen (probably 15ish) by letting Brad suck his dick. I'm willing to write that off as typical adolescent curiosity linked with horniness. Frank's a bit tougher, because we have to take the adolescent and teen mentality out of it, but he let JP blow him just for a release, as far as we know. And Frank's been happily with Isidore (with no gay field trips) for a long time now. I'd probably slot Frank into that category too, but with less conviction than Ace.

I would imagine that anyone who has been "dumped" in a relationship can sympathize with Matt's feelings. I personally think it is so much harder being the one who has been dumped than the dumper, but both have their stresses.

I think Wade having a crush on Alex is a given at this point. That kind of crush can range from intense and lasting (where it builds into a relationship), to one that is mild and short (where it can lead to friendship), to bitter and hateful.

We saw signs of Matt growing up in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, when he was a real stalwart for Wade. Then 9-11 fully impacted him and really fucked him up. Now, like the rest of them, he's pulling his head out of his ass. After what he's been through, it's no wonder he's come out of this with a different perspective.

Thanks for the review, Kitt! I'll settle one issue for you: JP had nothing to do with Wade being there. I definitely think it's blackmail on Wally and Clara's part. In a way, I can almost see their point. Their son all but vanished last August when he moved to NJ, and they've lost almost complete control of him since then. And who says that Will has just accepted this? :-)

I'm glad I was able to brighten your day! Bloodlines is still one of my favorite CAP stories.

5000 words? Child's play.

July 24, 2002 Paris Matt I was used to hotels, so it was a little strange to find myself here in this strange city, walking into an apartment building. I was pretty much planning to head straight up to their apartment, but there was a man there, presumably the concierge, who stopped me. “May I help you?” he asked in French. My French wasn’t horrible, but I could only understand it if people spoke slowly, and I usually had to build my sentences bef

Thanks for the kudos! I'm not sure about Caroline joining George and Cavendish, or Treadway. He is pretty pissed off at her, and he won't want to spark any nasty rumors.

I think you're being a little hard on Wade here (I'm not sure I see this as despicable), but I generally agree with you. In a future chapter, JP will delineate this all very nicely for us. ;-) I would make this observation, though. Wade is almost always reliable and steadfast. The only time he's really been this erratic is when he first fell for Matt. That should tell you the depth of his crush on Alex.

Thanks for the review, as always. I'm going to address Wade's behavior in the review above, but let me comment on the other two things you mentioned. Cody wouldn't have been the guy who offered to invest 50% in the company for two reasons. First of all, Kevin and Cody aren't even on speaking terms, more or less. In addition to that, Kevin is currently living with the guy who offered him the money. It must be something else. ;-) Zach and Will are supposed to be boring right now. They are support characters at this point.

Things are, indeed, picking up a bit. There is another possibility with Will and Zach: they may not explode.

I do try to deliver when I make commitments. I'll have to keep Brighton in mind.

They had classes in catfighting at UCSB?

Thanks for the review! You make some good points. Ponder that the fact that Wade rarely loses his cool in situations like this, so that could mean that Alex is pretty important to him.

Definitely an ominous chapter, in so many ways. Thanks for the review!

Thanks. Matt is handling everything really well on the outside, but on the inside, he's struggling. So far, Wade hasn't picked up on that, or it hasn't mattered.

I can totally see your point, but at the same time, it's really hard to write off a guy you love.

So what happens when you find a man that you think you love, but you also have a man who you know you love, who you've had problems with? Tough decision.

Yes.Far. Undetermined. :-)

July 20, 2002 Malibu, CA Brad “That was a great way to wake up,” I said to Kevin, even as I lay on the bed panting, having just had yet another amazing orgasm with him. “I thought so too,” he said. He curled up next to me, fitting against me so perfectly it was hard to tell where he ended and I began. We lay there, enjoying the afterglow for a few minutes, savoring this time. “So what do you have planned for today?” I asked. My

Because rich kids are different, and the middle class values you attempt to push off on them won't stick.

Thanks West. We had this discussion in a different thread, and that's exactly the rationale I used when adjusting those numbers.