Mark Arbour

I suspect that you're right, and that George will get some time ashore. His son is now five (or somewhere thereabouts) so he will probably enjoy some time with his father, and I'm sure Granger will enjoy him.

Why thank you!

I think that the Customs Lt. was probably irritated at dealing with smuggling in general, and was probably wondering if this wasn't some brazen attempt by a French merchant to circumvent their systems and the blockade. I thought he saved himself pretty well by being so accommodating to Granger.

Well thank you! I think it was inevitable that Granger figure out that Calvert had someone new; they are too close for him to miss it. The problem with those who gain power and prestige in a setting like that is that it spawns jealousy in others, and that can create some nasty rivals.

Thanks Jim! Sometimes battling storms and politics can be as bad as fighting the French or Spaniards!

Thank you, for the kind words. I have some things to cover now that Granger is back, so we still have a few chapters to go, but I don't know how many.

Thanks for the review! I'm not sure if I'll get another chapter done before Christmas. I'm on vacation now, and won't be back until January 5. Have to head to the Cotton Bowl!

I think that figuring out the exchange will be the tough part. It's not unreasonable to think there are a lot of powerful people who want George to stick around for awhile.

Thanks for the review! Yes, he finally returned!

December 11, 1798 Aboard Corneille “The Santa Clarita, my lord,” Eastwyck said with a smile. “Do you think Captain Calvert is still in command of her?” “We will find out shortly, as soon as it is a little lighter,” Granger said. He could hear the commotion on board the British ship, along with the anxiety and excitement, as dawn found the frigate close in to another vessel, and one that was obviously French. “Ship Ahoy! What ship is that?” came

And that is spot on.

I was going to post damn near the same thing. He can't really learn from his mistake unless he thinks it's a mistake. As smart as he is, that kind of thinking usually requires experience, much as Jeremy says.

I like Tim's comments too, even when I don't agree with him. But he expects that. You're right, that Will is a work in progress, and he definitely has a different view of things than some of the adults in his life. What I'm not convinced about is that he's wrong, and they're right, but we will see.

Hey Meeko!

No. If they did, they'd end up buying someone Gucci shoes, when they should have bought them 9 West and given the balance to charity.

Thanks MDK. I think that the next story will focus more on the changes, and more on the adult world. The story now is largely focusing on getting the family through the immediate aftermath (and setting the stage for the next story).

LOL. Typos hit us all. I'm thinking that I'll have Claire hook up with Tony, just to fry your bi-brain. :-)

Thanks for the review. I agree with you regarding changes in the country, and the adult perspective. Right now, we're dealing with the immediate aftermath. The next story will pick up on those deeper changes we faced.

Thanks for the review! I was going to comment on it, but then again, I'm pretty much with everything you said, so I'll just give you two thumbs up!

I'm glad you brought up those damn color codes. I almost forgot that. Ugh. Yeah..high school drama. I'll bet Will already has limited patience for it, but Marie will probably like it when it's not about her.

It must sound pretty wimpy to Canadians to hear us thin-blooded Americans bitch about temperatures. We're a whiney bunch. No wonder you were thinking about Robbie. ;-) The issue of security and Brad is more about the changes in attitudes after 9-11. There was a general level of paranoia and hysteria that gripped the nation, and fear of different people was part of that.

In your world, right and wrong are evidently much more obvious than in mine. I'm not sure it's fair to bludgeon Will for not doing more for Father Tim and his guys, since his family has done quite a bit for that organization, and Will spent some time volunteering there (we really don't know how much since I didn't delineate his hours). I think he's pretty sensitive to the fate of those guys. You have slotted Will's purchase of a car in for Zach as a charitable act (comparing it to the Mission) and that's really not where Will is at on this. He bought the car for Zach as a present, a gift, for a number of reasons. The primary two would be because he slept with Zach (and Will tends to let his dick lead his heart...and sometimes his head) and because he sees Zach struggling with his parents in a similar way to how he had to struggle with his. To him, he's helping out a friend, and righting an injustice as he sees it. That may very well be wrong, but I don't think the motives are evil. I can see how you can interpret that as a lack of maturity, since Will really didn't factor in Wally and Clara at all, but personally I don't think that's the best descriptor. I think it's sufficient to say that Will has a general lack of respect for Wally and Clara (see comments on that below). I think this is a much better way to look at things, and I think that really is the unspoken issue at this point. There's definitely some socio-economic-education level issues going on here. Will is looking at Wally and Clara as if they're uneducated country bumpkins who don't have a clue about Zach and the world he's living in. Wally is a blue-collar garbage man who probably has a high school education. They're clearly not very sophisticated. I think you can certainly nail Will on being arrogant when it comes to them. That's pretty funny, and pretty astute. Do remember, though, that how easy it is to fire people can vary by state. Regardless, we'll see how that drama unfolds.

Glad to see our frigid temperatures haven't clouded your mind: Great review. As I noted below, Brad has limitations on what he can and can't do as Chairman. But to be in their position, with a huge stake in a defense contractor, is a real boon. Most people can see that, and Stef and Brad are certainly clever enough to figure that out.

You may be disappointed. Brad is the Chairman of the Board, which means that he has enormous influence, but limited executive authority. No matter what he wants to do, the real decisions regarding Bock (and any discussions with him) are most likely going to fall on Jordan's lap.

Re: the 9.11 aftermath: Yep. Thanks for the review, Miles! I think your attitude about Will and Tony is probably a good one. One thing is certain: they are definitely NOT right for each other at this point in their lives.