Mark Arbour

You may be right. Matt is clearly bouncing up and down on this ride to grapple with changes in his life. I think that his moving out is a clear signal that he's given up. That should worry all of them, but instead, they're pissed off.

I appreciate your observations, and I think that the teamwork thing really is a big factor in this, but I think Wade summed things up pretty well. Matt's reaction to 9-11 is scorched earth, and while that's devastating, it happens. I really think Matt could have worked the team thing out with Wade with some better communication. Explaining that he'd change his ways, but at the same time telling Wade how he felt about quitting the team, and fulfilling his leadership role, would have resonated. I agree with you on Will as well, but I'm also going to give him the 9-11 crisis bye, and acknowledge that, rational or not, this thing with Matt and Tony is an open wound. For Will, Matt's action is like a big "fuck you" to him, and makes Matt's original apology seem as meaningless as he feared it was.

What happened to the Matt of three years ago? Two things: 9-11, and college graduation. Two hugely traumatic events, with a major impact on Matt's psyche.

Ah, the incredibly incomprehensible family tree. LOL. I don't think this is the easy way out for Matt.

I think George is more likely to have a Bedford crop than a mullet. :-)

I think Matt's mercurial behavior shows how badly he's handling his post-911 life. Wade really did a nice summary of things, and clearly knows how Matt thinks. Matt is subconsciously (or consciously) burning all of his bridges, and thus eliminating people from his life that he loves. If they're gone, he won't have to worry about them, and he won't have pain like he did when Robbie died.

Frank has never been very tuned in to Escorial politics, so it makes sense that he'd flub things up completely. He probably had a nice bonding weekend with Matt, listened to Matt whine about giving up the team (see Jason's review, above), and rethought things with Matt. In this situation, Matt swayed Frank more than the other way around.

Thanks for the review. A couple of points: Matt came from an upper class family, so he doesn't have the rags-to-riches deal hanging there. I honestly don't think Will would have an issue with Wade and Brad, if Wade and Matt are truly over. His issue with Tony and Matt was a situation where he and Tony weren't over. Will had lined Tony up as a key person in his life, and then Tony betrayed him (as Will saw it). But then again, you never know. I think in this situation, Will understood clearly what his relationship was with Matt and with Tony; that's why he's so pissed off.

Sometimes you can love someone, but it isn't enough, and you're just not compatible. That's the risk Matt is taking with Wade: that Wade decides that's the case. Or maybe Matt has already figured that out, and he's made the call?

Thanks for you comments! I don't do pay novels; this is a hobby. Plus I have real issues with people who publish part of a story for free, then to find out the sequel or the prequel you have to pay for it. Don't know why...just my deal. Hard to visualize Will hooking up with Matt at this point.

I don't think the age difference would be an issue for Brad and Wade, but I think the family ties are. Will has thrown down the morality line on family members sleeping with people other family members are involved in, and that will resonate with both Brad and Wade.

That's a shame. You missed another dinner at Escorial. Wade understands Matt better than any of them. He still doesn't like him, but he understands him.

There's an idea!

Actually, Matt didn't meet his half-brother and half-sister in Bloodlines. It was in Chapter 4, and he just heard about them from Laura and Charlie. I don't think he actually "met" Caleb until the scene I referenced in "The Box". So this author stands on his previous statement, until it is found to be wrong.

November 7, 2001 Escorial I drove up the drive slowly, appreciating this beautiful property, this spot that I’d grown to love so much. I was surprised to see Matt’s GMC parked out back at this time of day, and even more surprised to see him loading things into it. He and I hadn’t talked at all since Sunday. It was actually pretty easy to do, since we were both pretty busy, but this avoidance seemed to be conscious on both our parts. I hopped out of my car an

It doesn't bother me when you're right and I'm wrong. It only bothers me when Tim is right and I'm wrong. At least I think it would. Hasn't happened yet.

I wouldn't call Will immature for peeing all over someone's clothes; I think that's probably more in the realm of mildly psychotic. Then again, maybe he gets off on doing that? Then it's just a kink. An immature kink.

An update for all of you: I've finished the drafting of 9-11, and it ran to 78 chapters. The next chapter should post sometime tomorrow.

That would probably send Will into an apocalyptic meltdown. Then everyone would bitch about how immature he was. It is so tempting, but then I'd get jealous and bitchy. We haven't seen Hot Jeff for a while. I'm not sure he's even been in this book. Matt meets his half-siblings at the beginning of "The Box."

You missed one!!!

Thank you for your plaudits. I'm not sure exactly where and how the next tale will evolve, but it is almost certain that Granger won't stray too far from home. I would think that Granger would want to have his exchange accomplished long before Napoleon comes to power: exchanges during his regime were much rarer. I'm not sure about fatalities in Granger's family, but I do think that, despite the dangerous climes of the East Indies, the fact that Bertie has been there and survived so long makes his longevity less uncertain.

A nice summation, Sandrewn! Thanks for all your support, and for being such an enthusiastic cheerleader. You motivated me at times when I had none, and I do appreciate it.

That's nice of you to say, although there are some here who probably don't think it's such a blessing. (SMILE).

Why thank you! I plan to press on, but there will be a bit of a delay in the sequel to Odyssey. I want to think it out a bit before I write and publish then next one.

I really appreciate you mentioning my team; I don't think I thank them enough for all the hard work they do. They get paid merely in our collective gratitude, so thank you for passing that on to them.