Mark Arbour

There are multiple ways to look at this whole issue, so I didn't quote your entire post, but I think it's important to point out that we really don't know how long Will tried to get their attention, or what efforts he made before he broke in.

June 13, 1799 Cowes, England “George, this place you have created is just wonderful,” Caroline said, as they strolled down to the cutter. “I love these basins, and those fountains from Italy are simply magnificent.” “I’m glad you like it,” Granger said with a smile. Caroline had come down here yesterday and brought the children, so they would be able to spend more time together as he fitted Valiant out. Having them here was wonderful, but it reminded Granger

I think that if they would have said "it's none of your business what we do," Will would have raised an eyebrow, shut down on them, and then had a long talk with JP and Stef. That's a good reason for them to engage with Will instead. You mention the term "moral compass", which is apt here. As I said in response to the reviews, Will is deriving his moral code internally, and from the influence of his family members, especially JP, Stef, Brad, and Wade. When Brad breaks the rule he so vehemently argued for when he was young, and he does the same thing to Matt that he and Wade were outraged with Matt for doing to Will, it decays their moral authority, and his respect for them. I think that's a reasonable response. That plays into what you addressed in your last paragraph. I don't think Will's planning to run out and fuck Matt, or Cody, or Scott Slater, or Lou. I think he was trying to lay it out to Wade and Brad that if they aren't going to play by the 'rules', he doesn't have to either, and those are the kinds of things he could feasibly do.

Actually, I think this situation damn near parallels the Matt/Tony and Jake/Sam deal. Will is probably thinking not just of his Dad and Wade, but of Matt, and how this will impact him. That's actually a pretty compassionate thing to do. And there's nothing that says that Wade and Brad couldn't become more significant partners. Wade and Brad may have saved themselves, but they're going to hurt Matt really badly with this, and they've thrown the whole moral code they preached into the air. I think that warrants some outrage from Will, and I suspect that JP and Stef will be less-than-happy about it.

I think that the one mitigating factor in this thing is the relative stress and emotional chaos that must permeate Brad and Wade. I can see how two men like that, who are hurting and alone, would rediscover each other in this situation. The fact that they kept their relationship hidden (even from Brad's shrink) shows they knew it was wrong, but then again, they were both probably so overwrought, that level of 'wrongness' wasn't enough to deter them. It's interesting that as soon as they're outed, so to speak, they both realize it's over, even though they don't want it to be.

Brad is going to feel way too guilty about this to have blazing guns. It's not about "support nookie", it's about Brad playing by different rules. When he brought a guy home, and Sam fucked him, Brad went ballistic (Be Rad) and basically established the rule that it was not OK for other family members to poach guys away from another family member. And keep in mind that in this family, 'blood relation' is no requirement for membership. Will bought into this concept, which is why he was so pissed off at Matt. So suddenly it's OK for Brad to change the rules and bang Matt's ex-boyfriend? At the same time, as I noted, you could see him mellowing in the limo when he realized that this was an important relationship for both Brad and Wade. But, one might ask, could they not have had a supportive relationship without fucking?

"I am one very confused person." *steps away from the keyboard...resists the temptation* :-) I think that the dramatic device is certainly that, but it has some plausibility. I have not provided a description of Brad's room, but presumably it is fairly large, so it's not like the door was next to the bed. I doubt a cell phone or phone call would have interrupted what was a pretty animalistic fuck. I sure as hell wouldn't have stopped to answer it. I think that the interesting thing about this situation is that there are valid points on both sides. As I said below, from Will's perspective, he's seeing these two men who he holds up in high esteem, basically crap on the rules they help establish in his mind. I don't think it's so much the sexual aspect of things that bothers him, but the hypocrisy of the situation, especially as regards his father.

Will is like the family conscience. Outrage is a requirement for that job. ;-)

This breaks so many rules. If you think about this from Will's perspective, the poor kid is probably trying (as most teens do) to develop a moral code, something to live by. I think most of us get that from our parents, or families. In this situation, he got the rules on this issue down pretty well from his father (his experience with Jake and Sam) and Wade (both of them outraged with him at Matt and Tony). Then he finds out that neither one of these guys are playing by the same code. His legs were figuratively cut out from under him. His rant about 'no rules' and how he's going to go screw all these other guys is a cover for his frustration with this moral code being a moving target.

Thanks Maarten. I think that Brad and Wade found each other in a moment of desperation. Struggling to deal with the 9-11 losses, they probably didn't think the whole thing through, they just went with it because when they were together, they weren't in pain. I'm willing to give them some wiggle-room for that. Are you suggesting that Will is actually showing some signs of maturity? ;-)

I think that Will has a right to be pretty pissed off about this. There are so many factors involved, but the one that really has him going is they hypocrisy of the thing. As for sleuthiness, you're right, but since it isn't even a real word, I'm going to give myself a pass. ;-)

Totally agree with you. Props to Will for doing better, but his drama is still fun.

I really think that this situation is a conundrum because there are arguments on both sides of the situation. I agree with you that Will is growing as a person, and I think he has every right to be upset about this. There was a vignette in there, though, where he saw how his father and Wade interacted in the limo. That gave him some clarity on how important they were to helping each other heal, and that's probably going to give Will a way out of his moral box on this thing.

No come on Kevin. Will going over the top? ;-) I suspect that ultimately a calm head will try to make sense out of all this.

I don't see Will trying to be self-righteous about this, even though he probably is. I think his outrage is justified. He's seeing his father and Wade hurt Matt as badly as Matt hurt him. He understands that pain. I think if anything, he's being compassionate.

Thanks Edward. That period of closure after you lose a loved one is really traumatic. Brad isn't known for calm thinking when he's emotionally stressed, so I was trying to show that.

June 14, 2002 Escorial, CA It was a beautiful day, and the longer I sat out on the patio, the more I enjoyed it. It was 70 degrees, and even though it was a little windy, the massive bulk of Escorial shielded me from most of it, turning it into a nice breeze. I did a couple of one hits, not enough to impair my judgment, but just enough to relax me. I leaned back into the chaise lounge and gazed up at the sunny skies, letting my sunglasses block the glaring light. I felt strangely

As Westie has also noted, this is a relatively dull time in naval history. So we'll have to work with what we can.

I'm glad you're enjoying it. I think fitting out is important when we have such a unique ship.

We'll see if Granger taps this one. Things are getting organized!

Good point about Wade and Matt. The deal with Will is a little more serious than teasing. It's a core trust issue. Brad came back from the date and told everyone what happened, with the expectation that they wouldn't pass that information on, especially to Ben. If Brad had done that to Will, Will would be one big ball of rage. It may have been an innocent error, but it was still wrong, especially when we're talking about Will, who has busted everyone else's balls for any violations of his privacy (Think Stef in 9-11).

I think it's way too soon to think about this. We haven't seen how the younger generation evolves. With the Duponts, the head of the family had the company to hold over the heads of the others, much as the Cramptons did. But there is no company at this point, and JP is not nearly as wealthy as Stefan. In fact, I would hazard a guess that, based on how they've done their estate planning, JP's children are much richer than he is, courtesy of legacies set up by Stefan and their other relatives. With that as a preface, I think that JP's role has largely been a result of the respect people have for him, not because of any formal authority. If he names a Dauphin, that person will only be effective to the degree that they can show his level of judgement and gravitas. That will be even more true of the next generation. It makes sense that Darius is the logical candidate, since he is the oldest, and arguably the most mature. But he's also not the brightest, and that's important in a family like this. I can see that giving the edge to John, Marie, and Will. In addition, there's nothing that says more fringe members couldn't fill that role. Right now, if I had to pick someone, I'd be pointing at Wade. Matt is pretty spastic right now, but even he could feasibly get his shit together.

You'll get to stay confused for just a little bit longer. :-)

OK...confession time. I really hate those kinds of kisses, where the guys have their mouths open and their tongues are flicking at each other like snakes. Just me. But since I'm the author, I get to make them sound gross. ;-)

I'm glad you liked the chapter! Jeremy commented in the forums that the family may not end up with another supreme leader a la JP. I'm not sure about that, but it is possible. In that case, I think that different family members would serve different roles. I think it's much too soon to evaluate this next generation. They're not even out of high school yet; they have a lot of development to do. Will was definitely out of line when he meddled with Brad's love life. He's not perfect, but then again, no one is.