Conner

I, on the other hand, much prefer redemption. There's usually a lot more drama! Of course, we could combine the two outcomes...Brian becomes terminally ill and makes amends before he croaks.

Yes, poor George is ill. The cold and dampness of England in February will do it every time. Hopefully there'll be some respite in the West Indies. I've been preparing myself for a Granger-Calvert separation. A lot of good that did. A rendezvous in the West Indies sounds good, though! Ok, who thinks Caroline is pregnant again? Young Fitzwilliam got himself some! I bet he was proud to tell Granger that he had to get out of Dodge.

2 days? Really? You're suffocating? :wacko: Try following some of the other hosted authors here. You'd be on life support by now...or dead. When it comes to posting chapters, Mark is very much the exception here at GA. Now don't get me wrong. I love GA and the many great authors that are here. But no one, and I mean no one, posts chapters like Mark. Whenever I see the title "Fast and Furious", I think of Mark!

I definitely believed Matt and Cody would not happen. On the one hand, it's a match made in heaven. On the other, it's a recipe for several painful chapters. It seems that this is what we humans like to do. We set ourselves up for failure. Excellent chapter, nevertheless, Mark.

Nice dose of politics in chapter 20. Granger's amazing at court as well. Mind you, sex with the Major and then a long horse ride was not good planning. I liked Fitzwilliam's comment that that his son came home with more cash than he had. So it sounds like the gentry will be sending Granger their sons! That is so ironic. Great chapter, Mark!

Superb chapter, Mark!

Do you have a pool, Eric?

That's great news, CJ! I'm going to have to renew my premium content membership.

So George's maternal grandfather is Govenor of Antigua. Tough job. I could do that job. I'm not certain spoiling Arthur that way was a good idea. He'll want more of that action. I'm totally pleased with the relationship that George has built with his father. That's always cool. Wasn't there something about the Intrepid dropping anchor somewhere near London??? The anchor the Intrepid no longer has???

JP is my second favourite character. By and large, this is his legacy. Beside being sexy as hell, like all 60ish men , his fiercesome loyalty to his "family" is something that I truly admire. A characteristic he passed on to Brad, my fave character.

Great for JJ! It's such a great feeling when you discover something you're good at. Self-confidence soars. Matt knows what he's good at as well! No self-confidence issues there! Cody's become bitchy and emotional! He was due, I guess. JP is at his funniest when he's serious! I'm glad Brad's getting some good lines. Stef is definitely going to get burned with the tech meltdown. But as we all know, Stef is a survivor. JP can lend him a few bucks. I agree. The Matt - Tiffany flirting was hilarious and a lot of fun.

So we'll have to re-christen George to George "I love them all" Granger. It's great when your heart (and ass) can accomodate multiple lovers. I like this angle. I don't think I'll ever be ready for Granger to choose between Travers and Calvert. Then again, Travers and Calvert have to be able to handle that as well. I think Travers could. I'm not at all sure about Calvert. Best line in the chapter, "A threesome!" Anyway, no one is about to retire just yet. And as George said, promotions and re-assignments will no doubt keep them separated for several years to come. Looks like we'll have to give Caroline a nickname as well "Fertile Myrtle"

Matt hasn't figured this out for himself. He wants both and can't decide. Both have their appeal. Especially now, having been exposed to loving relationships and the rewards that go with that. He gets to experience the monogamous love that Brad and Robbie have and the more open love that JP and Stefan have. Then of course, he gets to experience Cody. And now Al. Talk about a boy in a candy shop. On top of all that, it's all very safe and comfortable, everyone's "family". That was one horny-making chapter, I'll tell you.

Chapter 17 was just fantastic! Talk about a roller coaster ride with loops and twists. I had that lump in the throat thing going on when Wilcox ordered Calvert over to the Rattlesnake. I remember thinking, "...so this is how Mark separates Granger from Calvert. Oh well, at least Rattlesnake is heading home to England in two weeks. " Then of course Jackson saves the day and I'm like WOOT! WOOT! all happy again. I need a scotch...or six.

Great great chapter! Well, Brian got his just desserts, I suppose. It's just that it didn't happen on its own. Matt decided that there should be payback. Matt, of course, was making himself feel better, taking his revenge on both Brian and Cody. Mind you, Justin played along willingly. So I must declare that there was no bad guy in this chapter. They are all victims of each other. I was most impressed with Matt's insight into Cody's behaviour. So was Cody! I'm not buying Matt's "I almost fell in love with you" line to Cody. Relief was in fact his most honest emotion in talking with Cody. Then there was the sweet scene between Matt and Robbie, I just loved that scene. So, yeah, I find Matt kind of confusing right now. :wacko:

Congrats, Mark! Actually, I was stunned reading your post. You have accomplished so much in only a year. Truly amazing! What I want to know is are you ever going to let Sharon take a holiday!

What a coincidence that this poll should appear. I was watching the movie "Australia" last night. Let me first say that Hugh Jackman is the only reason for watching this movie. It has no other redeeming qualities. There's a scene early in the movie where Hugh bears his chest....his beautiful hairy chest. <gulps for hair> Need I say more.

Brad's been my fave character ever since he narrated one of the stories. Don't ask me which one.

I must admit that I'm hoping Bertie is good as well. Mark has set it up pretty tight though. We'll see if Mark can weasal his way out of it. I'm sure this is one instance where Georgie would love to be wrong.

Quite an ingenious plot really, given the war with the French. Bertie may well walk away from all this, although he will never be able to look George in the eye again. I wonder if George will speak of Bertie's treachery to their father. I think not. George would want to save his father that disappointment and sorrow. Oh to see Wilcox's face when Granger shows up with the Rattlesnake, her crew and having sunk the Bon Frere! Ah! But the greatest news in that chapter was indeed that Calvert is back...with his back to Granger this time! Excellent chapter, Mark!

Mark wouldn't mislead us, would he? If there's been any misdirection, then it's been that Matt and Cody won't be together in a romantic relationship. They definitely connected, but as friends, maybe even as great friends....with benefits. Cody just got out of a relationship with Brian. The distance between them proved too much. Brian fell in love with someone else. Cody's not about to start the same kind of long distance relationship with an 18 year old. As for Matt, I just don't get that he wants a relationship right now. He's still got to deal with the kidney thing, mind you that's looking pretty good right now with Robbie being so cool. Actually, we should all be wondering if Matt will let go of his JP - Stefan thing. I mean he is focusing on his "education" right now, isn't he. Matt's going to be living at Escorial. What about Brian and his boyfriend? A Matt - Cody thing could happen down the road, maybe the next story in this saga. Or maybe 2 stories from now.

Granger shows us even more cunning! Barney's help was invaluable in this instance that's for sure. So the young French midshipman didn't want to hang from his own yard arm? No surprise there. Although, that may well be his fate anyway...hanging that is. I'm hoping it's Wilcox who's in cahoots with the French privateers. But Bertie would have to have known about it as well with French ships right there in Madras. Wilcozzzx and Bertie working together would seem an oddity given their family "feud". Mind you, next to lust, greed is a very motivating factor...two of my favourite deadly sins. Did Wilcox already know that the Rattlesnake had been captured or had he guessed at its fate. I'm just hoping Bertie didn't send his brother off to a would be slaughter. Maybe we'll see Wilcox and Bertie hang together.

That was an excellent chapter! A lot of things got sorted out, and yeah, it felt really comfortable....which, of course, makes me think Mark is definitely setting us up. So Cody can't read Matt. That's interesting. It was sweet how Matt got Cody talking about his relationship with Brian. Cody and Matt will be good for each other, not on a romantic level, just good for each other. There's a lot to look forward to.

That chapter was everything I thought it was going to be. I think you could write 24 pages and I'd still find it short. I know I didn't want this chapter to end. But end it must. Robbie is still in "stunned" mode right now. Who wouldn't be! I'm looking forward to seeing how his relationship with Matt develops. Matt was cool during the whole conversation. Not once did he throw out an apology for his ever-so-slutty behaviour. Nor did he expect apologies from anyone else. Of course, we still have to deal with the issue of, "Oh, btw, dad, could I have one of your kidneys?" Well, Matt's now "family" with all the rights and priveledges of being in the JP-Stefan clan. Actually, no gay boy could asked for better.

Thank you again for your birthday wishes.