Mark Arbour

Stef can be such a blast to write, especially when he's being either bitchy or playful.

Thank you. You do get it.

Brad is in therapy? I recall from Millennium that he went to see someone, but I don't think he ever embraced it. I would suspect that he went a few times then blew it off.

I think you aptly described why Will would externalize his rage. I think that it's really hard to generalize this sort of thing; this is truly an individual type of reaction. Will's intervention with JJ's situation is much easier to divine. Even though they're not "spend all our free time together" close, Will loves his brother, even if that love often expresses itself by him being protective of JJ. This would be such a case, where Will is going to intervene because JJ needs him to. Then there's the other issue, the more subtle one, that by defending JJ for being neglected, he's basically making his own case as well. I loved this, especially Rosa's line. Thanks for that feedback! It great to hear from someone who's living that hormonal freak.

Stef said he had an unpleasant conversation with Brad, so I'm assuming he got it during their "talk". I'm so glad you see the true power of Claire's influence. I'm not so sure about Jeanine though. On the one hand, she could be very protective, but on the other, she tends to view Will as being out-of-control anyway, and this would just substantiate that even more.

Thanks LEN. I'm not always big into symbolism, but I thought the Ferrari was a nice touch. ;-)

Teenaged mood swings? True that. Brad and Robbie won't get into any trouble for hiring Martin because they didn't know he was an abusive guy. They just thought he was rigid and strict.

I'm so glad you enjoy this world I've created, with the help of my amazing team and great feedback from readers.

That's the problem with this kind of conflict. Everyone knows which buttons to push.

Soon? I'm doing my best. ;-)

"Had this plot happened before, I could have easily bought in to it, but Brad was walking on glass whenever it was even hinted that he was being a controlling douche. But magically, when Will is involved, that gets retconned." That's exactly right. Because when it's his own son, things are different, and the decisions are tougher. Maybe this is one of those things that you have to experience first-hand to truly understand, I don't know, but it makes complete sense to me (having gone through this myself) that someone who normally makes rational, calm decisions finds himself completely unable to do so when it comes to his son. Unless you get that, you won't get this story. That's OK. As you've noted, I wrote others. :-)

Chapter 33 is still with Wade; we don't get back to Will until Chapter 34. Then there are a few chapters where I break my pattern and combine narration, similar to "Poor Man's Son." Then things go back to normal, to how they are now.

I know, but it has to be a little frustrating. People get pissed off and trash his car. The guy may end up getting just a little paranoid. I visualize JJ throwing one of his hissy fits, and Robbie spending the night sleeping in his car, just to make sure it's safe. ;-)

Writing this series, there are a few characters who are consistently fun to dialog. At the top of the list was Tonto, but Stef's a close second.

JP doesn't have to say anything. I think Stef has things pretty much covered. ;-)

You're welcome for the quick chapter. I wouldn't give up on Brad and Robbie yet. They're smart guys. They can learn from their mistakes.

October 15, 2000 Escorial, CA Wade I sat in the kitchen, eating lunch with Matt. We kept grinning at each other, reliving the awesome day we’d experienced yesterday. Stef came breezing into the room, looking distracted and upset. He saw us and that look vanished beneath his façade. “You two look happy this morning.” “We won our game last night, and then brought Sean back here for one amazing ménage-à-trois,” Matt said. “I’m totally drained.” Stef smiled, but it faded

Welcome back!!! Sometimes I stumble into things and it just looks like good planning. ;-)

Smart boy. ;-)

Will may not be street smart, but he's bright about those things. If you think about it, after the event in Paris, and with an increase in security afterward, it makes sense that he'd know that.

Well, since Will has run away, and no one knows where he is, he's in control of who spends time with him and who doesn't. Tough to control those damn teenagers.

You were a bad boy. You'll have to share your memories with us some time! You also make some very good points. How interesting that I view that father-son bond as being so strong, and you view it as being so much weaker. What a strange dynamic that is! I think your analysis of where Brad and Will are was spot-on. The question is whether Will's assault will force Brad (and Robbie) to have an epiphany, or to just dig in their heels even more.

Thanks Sam. I think that Will's sense of family would have prevented him from embarrassing Brad and Robbie publicly. That kind of revelation may have hurt others (like Stef or JJ), and Will's attack on them was very surgical to avoid that kind of damage. I'm glad you like Will. 14 year old guys don't make for very compelling characters if you write them with the normal angst and moodiness that come with that age, but as I said before, I think he'll grow into one of my better characters. It's reassuring to me that you see that.

You raise some interesting issues that we'll see in future chapters. As for the boyfriend, well, I don't think Will's in an emotional place for that right now, and besides, I already did that with Berto after the Paris thing, and I'd get bitched at if I did it again here. That doesn't mean he can't get laid, though. ;-)

I do try so hard to surprise you. ;-) Right now, I'm working on a Blues win over the Kings. Will that shock you too?