Mark Arbour

Granger and Calvert are a passionate but volatile couple. There are bound to be spats and tantrums (albeit muted ones) along the way. Their love is deep enough now to endure those, I should think.

Calvert is reasonable, but he's also emotional, much more emotional than Granger. He figures things out. I'm not sure that Granger's complaining against these obnoxious governors will have all that much effect, but in this case, I think the governor will truly be embarrassed. That's a problem for a governor.

I think that the conversation between Calvert and Granger shows the inherent conflicts that arise when the boss has a relationship with a subordinate. Granger loves Calvert enough to take off his captain's coat and explain things to him as a lover.

October, 1797 “George, please come back,” he heard Calvert plead. “You’ll make a scene.” That one sentence froze Granger in his tracks. He glanced up and noticed that the other officers were looking over at them. If he had continued to storm off, he would have indeed made a spectacle out of himself. He tried to appear thoughtful, to make it look as if he had just turned away to think of something, then turned back to face Calvert. “How can you t

You make great points, but then again, you usually do. I don't think that David and Robbie will talk about this unless Robbie finds out they didn't do it. Otherwise, I think he'd leave it alone, unless he's talking about it in the context of working things out with JJ.

Nope. This one's not working for me. He's too wholesome, and his features are rounder than I envision Ryan's.

When they talked about not doing something without discussing it, they were talking about the overall action, not the details. I don't think Will, or any of them, planned to micro-manage how it was done. It was simply that they all agreed to off the coach that was the key decision.

This is an outrage! You're suggesting that the IOC is corrupt, and is governed for the benefit of it's governors? How can you possibly, in good conscience, criticize such a venerable organization?! How can you possibly suggest malfeasance?! (Someone in the crowd says: Salt Lake City) Oh.

i was actually teaching at a large state university during the years Will does his undergrad years. My experience was similar to the school you're at now. I have a feeling that the culture we're referring to (cookie-cutter animal house) is probably prevalent in state universities in the Midwest, South, and Southwest. MIT is always attractive.

I try to be interesting. I'm glad it worked! Thanks. I really see Matt's point of view on this one. The guy has taken a pretty big ego hit with this whole thing.

Thanks Andy. Good guess on the next chapter. For someone like Will, who sees things in a much starker right and wrong than his father, this has to be tough to deal with.

First you agree with Tim, and now you're defending him? We'll have to send you off with Jeanine. Interestingly enough, on this issue, I think I'm actually sympathetic to both points of view. Stunning. I suspect that JP's reaction was visible to Wade, but not noticeable to people who didn't really know him.

Your reviews are just so pithy! (SMILE). These things need edit functions.

What a tangled web indeed! That is the big question now: was the accident an accident? And if it wasn't, who planned it? Will I tell you? Do I even know at this point? Wait, that's more than one question. :-)

Glad you liked the chapter! I think that Wade and Matt need, at the very least, a bed with bondage restraints.

Glad you liked it! I think that Calvert gets all that, but he's just letting his emotions play out. It's kind of rough, because he should be able to do that with his lover, but not with his Captain. When they're the same, it's probably a little confusing.

I know. WTF? Where have you been? :-) Matt & Wade: I think that once Wade realized how hard this had hit Matt's ego, that's when he really lost it. I'm sure that's not what he intended, but it was really inevitable. JJ: Will ran because he was overwhelmed, and he needed to find a place to just be by himself and work things through. Or at least start to. As for the therapist, well, Robbie already made that pledge (with Will) when they voted to off the guy. Christmas: Awesome coat of arms!

It's a lot easier to eradicate people when you don't have to look them in they eye. (Think: drones)

You raise an excellent point. I'll bet Matt didn't push that envelope too far because he knows what Wade went through with his abuse. In this case, I'll bet that's been a restraint on anything more assertive he might have done. Until now.

Or did he? :-) With Wade, I think he's not all that into verbal dominance, he's into physical dominance. He wants a guy to wrestle him to the ground and assert his dominance. But he definitely doesn't want to be demeaned.

That had to freak them out pretty badly. I think that Wade and Matt have to learn how to do it first. They're two neophytes exploring a new land.

I think what will be interesting is how they all handle it, as you've noted. Brad and JP will have no problems, as disposing of those who transgress against their family is a no brainer for them. But Stef and Robbie may have some twinges of guilt, and Will definitely has his own opinions on things. ;-)

I don't think I said he had to go from absolutes; from being in control to being submissive. What was implied was that he found being submissive intensely erotic, pleasurable, and satisfying. That doesn't mean he'll do it all the time. Where did I box him in? Where did I say that he was locked in to one kind of sexual experience? (Answer, I didn't). I haven't written every single time Wade had sex in the past six months, so we don't really know if he's bottomed in that proportion, but I would reiterate that whether he bottoms or not is irrelevant. That has nothing to do with being submissive. They are separate constructs that overlap. You seem to think that being submissive is a sign of weakness. That's the subtext I'm getting, in that Wade has somehow survived the horrors of abuse and now he's 'relapsing' into a submissive kink scenario. I would once again recommend that you do some research on the topic before engaging in forum discussions. You will find, as I have said, that submission is all about control. Wade is an incredibly controlled individual, and he's suddenly discovered an outlet (besides hockey) where he can let it go. That's not a weakness, and it's not a setback. In fact, it's probably pretty healthy, in that it will help him stay on an even keel, something he values.

Lets make this a learning moment. You incorrectly assume that being submissive and being a bottom are synonymous. If that were the case, if penetration were required for a man to be submissive, then does that mean there are no heterosexual submissive men? And if there are, does that mean that their dominatrix must use a strap-on or a dildo to truly dominate them? In fact, being submissive has nothing to do with bottoming, and everything to do with control. I actually did a reasonable amount of research on this, talking to various people, including a dominatrix. She described how she had to carefully push the envelope with her subs, using pain, bondage, whatever, to make them realize that she was in control, not them. Only then could they really let themselves go. You incorrectly assume that this has something to do with Wade's abuse by his father. It doesn't. Here's a link to an interesting blog article on kink and child abuse. An excerpt: Wade is enjoying being submissive because it forces him to give up control, to truly let go of himself. As a guy who prides himself on his stoicism, and his calm and rational demeanor, he's got a lot bottle up inside. This is a way for him to let that out sexually. I am so glad Matt didn't react the way you did. Can you imagine how Wade would have handled that? If he had said: "What is this Wade, some fucked-up way for you to get off on what your dad did to you?" And I think that makes Matt the real hero in this chapter, the way he was not only able to understand and accept that part of Wade, but to embrace it.

December 29, 2000 Escorial, CA Wade I waited on the front portico for my psychologist to arrive. I’d called him yesterday to set up an appointment, and even though I tried to hide it, he must have sensed my desperation. He’d talked about trying to schedule something around his grandsons, who were visiting, and sounded pretty annoyed. The older one was eleven, while the younger one was almost nine. Then I’d had an inspiration, and suggested that he bring them up to Escorial. There