Mark Arbour

I think what will really be interesting (and telling) is if there are teams who need defensive help, and for whom he would be a natural fit, but they pass on him.

We've flogged the Matt-Will-Tony thing to death in these reviews. Personally, I think that the way Will views sibling relationships makes his actions and expectations understandable. And it's important to note that Will's views on that mirror those of his family, and that would tend to be the defining cultural judge. I think he has every right to be incredibly pissed off at Matt. I think that the people in Will's life would be wise to let him cool down. Forcing a confrontation between two people who aren't ready for it is a really bad idea, and that's what would happen here. It's not just Will who wants a gulf between himself and Matt; Matt wants that too. Instead, you have Stef, who probably means well, but just makes the problems worse with his catty innuendos. Family members trying to help by pushing the issue are just creating problems. Leaving the situation alone is probably the best, and smartest approach at this point. I think this is even more applicable when you consider the personalities of the two key players here: Will and Matt. Neither one of them carries a grudge excessively, and both of them are very forgiving. It would seem to be inevitable that they could work things through, given some time and distance. It is really hard to parse out blame in the Hayes family meltdown. I can see why Frank would grab onto his views of Aaron, because it makes it a lot easier to blame Aaron than to go on hating his father. Not to mention that Frank tends to like things in black-and-white, easy to comprehend pieces. Frank's been able to wrap up his miserable childhood in one nice, neat bundle, blame the problems on Aaron, and move on. And while Frank can be helpful in helping Zach out, he's not the key to Zach dealing with Wally. That job belongs to someone else. ;-) .

Gene, You make excellent points. I probably should have accelerated the pace of the post-9-11 storyline, but I think that was worth microviewing, even if it does require us to remember that time (for us) is moving very slowly.

That's a really interesting question: if Matt is plummeting to the bottom, who would be there to help him out when things get really bad? Not many people left in his life to do that. One of the things I liked about writing Paternity was the different dynamic between Brad and his sons. JJ is rather aloof, but he respects Brad and his authority. I think that Brad will have to take an active approach if he wants to gain admission to JJ's brain.

Thanks Jeremy. A couple of years ago, a relative died, and I went through the same grief cycles as one of my cousin's did. We're very close, and normally I'd consider him to be one of my best friends, but we really clashed at that point. The reasons for that weren't that we were feeling different things, or that we had issues with each other, the reason was that our timing was very different. When he was in anger mode, I was in denial mode, etc. We were distant for a while after that. These are the kinds of things that happen to relationships when grief gets inserted into the equation, and this was just a friendship. I wasn't even fucking this guy. And for the record, Wade didn't yell at Matt at the sorority party. I think that Darius' role as executor is probably a lucky deal for him, because it prevents him from being in denial, but at the same time, it gives him something constructive to do. I was watching this kid, and had the same reaction. I didn't catch his name, because I was in the middle of something, but I kept glancing at the screen thinking: JJ! I mentioned this in the reviews, but I'll chime in again here. I think that Brad is probably going to have a tough time reaching out to Matt, at least as long as Matt remains estranged from both Will and Wade. I think the reasons for Will's influence on Brad are obvious, but the situation with Wade may have an even bigger impact on Brad, even if he doesn't realize it. Brad and Matt were very close when Matt first got to California, but if you think about it, they've been moving apart pretty much since then, while Brad and Wade have gotten much closer. Brad and Wade developed a very deep bond during the Millennium crises, including the issues with Wade's mother, and that culminated in their sexual relationship. I think that was more than symbolic, lining Brad up more on Wade's "side" of things, and Matt more on Robbie's. As Brad struggles with all the people in his life who are trying to deal with this, it is easy to say that he should just figure out that he can help Matt and jump in to save him. That credits Brad with being much more magnanimous than he is, and it also assumes that he's firing on all his emotional cylinders. It would be much more likely for Brad to decide that since Matt had all but divorced him and the rest of the family, he'd focus on those who were around him, needed him, and had sought out his help. And it can't be easy for Brad to see Matt (or Zach) and be reminded of Robbie on a constant basis.

LOL. Not likely on the double hold, but I admire your willingness to scheme. :-) Sometimes a break is useful for not only reflection, but to restore that patience.

Thanks for the review, and those words! It was important for me to take a breather and re-evaluate the story as I'd laid it out. That's a good thing to do around this point anyway. I had a nice, relaxing weekend, so that gave me time to get it done.

Just to be clear, the arguing wasn't what I found disturbing. I generally find that to be interesting. I think that being in New York will not be as traumatic for Frank, because even though his son died there, he wasn't there, and he didn't experience it first hand. Those are the demons that JJ will have to grapple with. I knew going into this story that it would be difficult to write. It took Granger-like research for the actual attacks, and it certainly sapped my psyche at times. But it was like a road block, staring me straight in the face, and there was no avoiding it, so we have to trudge through it. Jeremy likes to give me crap about stupid things (SMILE), and he's been whining about the slow pace of the stories, how they don't really advance in years all that quickly. I've been doing some self-reflection, and wondering if I've done that on purpose, to sub-consciously avoid this event. I'll let you know if I figure it out.

Thank you! I'm only this productive because I have a team that keeps me chugging along! I'm sorry you're having a crappy time right now. I think that we're already seeing light, what with many of our key family members starting to recover. Yes, Matt is spiraling to the ground like a crashing plane, but the others are getting there. I'm not sure any of your suggestions are viable, and to be honest, I don't usually listen to suggestions anyway. The characters and the story usually drive me, and I usually don't have things thought out that far in advance. A sketchy mental outline is about all I work with.

Sometimes a breather is a good thing. ;-) Brad and Matt were very close, especially when Matt first got to California. You'd think Brad would intervene to help Matt out, but the only real reason for him to do that is to honor Robbie's memory at this point. Why? I think Brad must be really frustrated with Matt, and since Matt has squared off with one of the most important people in Brad's life (Will), and because he's screwed Wade over, as Brad sees it, I'm not sure Brad's in the mood to go out of his way to help Matt. I also think it's important to remember that Brad is fighting his own demons here, so the kind of clear logic that screams "your step son is in trouble" may not really penetrate past his grief and annoyance. Matt is not stupid. He is clearly trying to alienate everyone, and drive them away. He would be very aware of how Brad feels, and I think that at least subconsciously, that was part of his motivation for sleeping with Tony.

First of all, I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. That must have been tough, not just on you, but on your whole family. JJ and Will are very different, but there is a good bond there, and I think they know that when things get tough, the other brother can be relied on. I think their tight relationship makes Will's outrage at Matt just that much more understandable: Will can't fathom a sibling doing that to him because JJ never would. Well, and Darius wouldn't either, but that's not likely anyway. ;-)

One of our Mizzou boys. Feeling Tiger pride!

Thanks for the review, Edward! I appreciate them. I don't really let people's opinion change the course of the story, but I do take the possibility that characters are acting out of character seriously. I think that JJ is in for a tough go, as you say, but I think that before he grapples with things, he has to move beyond denial. I agree with you that the person who will really have a tough time with this is Maddy. That's an awful thing to deal with, to be able to barely remember your mother who was killed in such a tragic attack.

Being nominated for these awards is a huge honor. Thank you to those of you who took the time to nominate, and congrats to my fellow nominated authors.

That's a really intriguing theory: if Aaron had returned to the US and come out, it would have impacted Fred Hayes as badly as his death. I wonder...

Well, if we had non-stop action, we'd all be freaked out. There has to be a lull. It's a natural, biorhythm kind of thing. To speak to the "out of character" concept, I think that a characters natural personality would have to be projected out, based on events, into a completely impossible direction. That's what I had to review. Looking at grief, people have many different responses. I think that Wade's initial response was the healthiest, to seek support from his partner. Matt's is probably the most common: withdrawal. JJ is a classic denier. I think Will, Brad, and Darius get kudos for doing the best job so far.

Sorry about the complicated family tree. Others have tried to craft things, and there are a few reference threads in the forum. I think JJ fits that kind of descriptor: a driven person, who sacrifices diplomacy at times. But there is a bond between him and Will that I think is actually quite touching.

Thanks! Snowflakes landing on the ground, and figure skating on television (Olympics), makes me think of JJ and smile. Especially when I think of all the evil things I can do to him. (LOL).

Thank you for such a nice review!!! I'm glad you have enjoyed the series, and I'm glad you are tolerant when things don't go like you hoped they would. Happy endings are nice, even in a story like this, but all endings can't be happy. In other words, there are bound to be characters whose lives don't conveniently settle out happily at the same time that a story closes. So while I used to try to make universal happy endings, that isn't really possible all the time, so I'm going for mostly happy endings. ;-)

Thanks Sammy. We'll actually have a guest narrator appearance by JJ coming up, so that may be fun. I think that he and Will (and Darius) have a very tight bond, but one that doesn't require that they constantly feed it by being around each other. I think that 9-11, even as it seems to have torn Matt and Wade apart, has brought those three brothers closer.

You're welcome! :-)

November 9, 2001 Escorial I’d gotten up early with a specific task in mind, but even as I stood in front of the door and knocked, I felt nervous about disturbing people so early in the morning. I was a bit relieved when Frank opened the door to their bedroom and was obviously awake and fully dressed. He was normally an early riser, but you never knew. He was pretty surprised to see me there. “You wanted something?” he asked gruffly. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Thanks for that Jeremy. If a review pisses me off, I generally try to avoid responding until I am a bit calmer. As I've noted in the past, I can sometimes replicate Brad with my temper. ;-) In the end, it generally comes down to one of four things: 1. The reviewer had a point, in which case I need to evaluate my story direction. 2. The reviewer was having a bad day, and I was the bearer of their ire. 3. The reviewer is a complete idiot (I usually think this for a while, if for no other reason than ego defense...SMILE) 4. The reviewer was really upset about the direction of the story, and that is a sign of how invested they were/are in the story (as Jack noted in his review).

Thanks Dave. The involvement is flattering, and it is the reason why I keep writing. Well, one of them.

Thanks for your awesome review Jack! There are a few of us academics around here, so what a thrill to hear from a colleague! Sometimes these forums and review boards can be more brutal than peer review, and a bit demoralizing, but then reviews like this come along and really pump me up. Thanks again. But just like peer review, I do listen to all of them, and just like with peer review, I sometimes find myself grumbling under my breath.