centexhairysub

Well, I am so excited about the new story, " St. Vincent "... This was a really well written and delightful chapter to start off a new story with. I am so excited to see a new Bridgemont series story this soon. I cannot believe how much I enjoy the writing and developement of these stories. The are consistently amoung the best that I have ever read for the time frame that they are written in. Thanks for getting another story started even if we do have to wait a little for the chapters...

:worship: Okay, the final chapter is here and damn what a ride from start to finish, not just this chapter but this whole story in the series... I have to say although I didn't care for everything that happened the last two chapters, this is still one of the best stories in this series for me... It actually moved up to # 4 knocking " Bloodlines " down to # 5 for me... Mark your talent is extrodinary. Your ability to draw us into a story and make us care so much about the people that inhabit it. You really do have an extrodinary talent and I hope that I get to enjoy it for years to come... Okay, Mark, you have really done a great job and now need to take a break and recharge your batteries... We will expect the first chapter of your next story in this series on Monday... LOL... :devil:

I disagree about Carson completely... Nothing he has done would be clinically diagnosed that way. He was doing a job that he was paid to do, nothing more or nothing less. Carson's interaction with the kids was much less moderate than anything a bully would have done. The big reaction to Carson was from Brad, which is who it was directed at, not Will... Also, if you read the chapter again, you will see the guy at Dan Church's specifically mentions the man that hired them was having two other hits the next day,; so this on top of what Brad told Robbie means that Brad was behind both of the hits. Now, I acknowledge that killing Alexandra or even Elliot would bring more scrutiny, however a good hit man could get around that and it appears these guys are very good... Plus, as I stated in an earlier posting, if you don't get them, they will just come back after Brad and family again. I cannot of course know what Mark was trying to get across in his writing, but for me at least, Brad took a major step back here... For me he really showed a lack of self control and responsibility... Alexandra, Dan, and their henchmen were trying to take Brad down for something his Bio-Dad and he did in the distant past. I have more issue with Alexandra because Brad really had nothing to do with his Bio-Dad having an affair, he was just the product of it. However, that being said, I can to some extent understand Dan Church. Brad really treated Dan shitty in " Be Rad ", if it comes to that Brad treated several people shitty in that story at one point or another. I had really started to come around and see Brad as a more developed and mature person during this story, but his actions in the last chapter just totally undercut that for me. I am sure all of you that seem to be so in love with Brad will be devestated by my feeling, but try to carry on with your lives... LOL... Well can't wait to see how this turns out in the last chapter....

Sorry, I am not responding to a couple of the previous post, I can't seem to get the system to work tonight to let me respond to the ones that I want. So here goes.... First off, Brian's deciding to do that was all internal, as someone already stated; Brad doesn't know this before he sit his plan in motion. To me Brad is just going after Brian to settle old scores. It is obvious that no one in the family would ever let Brian have access to any of the kids, if he tried to force that, then take action otherwise your just being vindictive... Brad comes off as a total ass here to me. Carson did approach Will and JJ at school and offered a ride, that I agree would freak any parent out, as an Uncle it would freak me out but you don't kill him for it... He never laid a hand on either kid. Yes, he tracked Will down on the beach and talked to him but he did so in my opinion to draw Brad out of the house and mess with Brad's mind. I think Alexandra was using Carson talking to Will to try and through Brad off his game. If Carson had touched Will or JJ in some way, even grabbed their hand or something then Brad would have a better leg to stand on. As someone else stated already, what is Brad gonna do; have anyone that picks on Will or JJ killed for doing so? Brad obviously has the resources and was able to find the talent to go after anyone he wants, so why go after the worker ants and not the Queen??? Instead of having Alexandra arrested kill her, I can promise you even if Omega goes down, she will still have access to millions and can still threaten Brad and his family. Everyone knows if you are gonna kill a snake you cut off it's head. Brad went after Carson and Brian because he was pissed that Carson almost stole Robbie from him and that Brian challenged his position in the family... Nothing that either of them did in the last couple of chapters warranted the action taken. If you want to warn Carson away from the kids, have him raped, beaten, or castrated but you don't take a life when no direct threat is there... Carson was acting on Alexandra's orders, if you don't have the balls to take her out, leave the peons alone.... I understand that those of you that have kids might take this more personally then me, I am an Uncle thirteen times over; but I will say I would kill any adult that ever purposely did something that hurt any of my nieces and nephews. You don't take a life because you think someone might do something, there were a lot of other options that could have been utlilized. I am sorry, for me, Brad comes off as a total ass here on this issue. He used this situation as a way to punish people that he thinks did him wrong in the past.... Isn't that what Alexandra, Dan Church, etc... were doing to him??? He comes off no better then them. As for Brad being under stress, well yea, but he is an adult, we deal with stress on a daily basis, he helps run at least two multi billion dollar business... I understand if he feels his family is threatened that this is a different kind of stress but what is gonna do, everytime someone stresses him out about a family member they end up dead? All of this being said, I think this was a really strong chapter, but under the circumstances that were presented kill Alexandra or Elliot, the leaders... I don't think it would have bothered me nearly as much if he had either of them killed.

Well read the chapter this morning but wanted to wait, read it again, think about it, and then put something down. I can't say I am sorry about Carson, he actually seemed to be targeting Will; although I am sure he was doing this at the order of Alexandra or one of the people right below her. This being said, I think this killing and Brian's death will come back to haunt Brad. Now I know someone already made a comment about Brian saying something about John, Claire and Jack's son but he didn't say anything about doing anything in the near future, as a matter of fact Brian had just been thinking that he could stay hidden for years. Even Carson didn't actually physically threaten Will, you could assume that what he did was a threat but you know what assume means, it makes an " ASS out of U and ME both ". I understand killing either of them if they were actually threatening the kids but neither came out and actually did so, I re-read this and the last couple of chapters several times. It seem to me that Brad was using this more as an excuse to settle old scores than to really protect himself or his family. If he wanted to do that, he should have had Alexandra or Elliot killed, as they were the ones orchestrating this. While I can see Brad's side if he was really doing this to protect his family, there is nothing in the last few chapters to indicate that was really the case. I don't think that Brad is as strong as JP or even Robbie for that matter. When JP had people killed in the past, he did so after family was physically attacked and threatened; JP did it to save another life. Even Robbie when he killed Neil did it to stop a direct threat to Brad's life, neither of these scenarios are here for Brad to fall back on and justify what he did. I know that all the Bradophilles will go crazy when I say this but for me Brad has taken a real step back in the last few chapters. I think Robbie was probably right and Brad may have lost some of his soul in this battle and I really do think it would come back to haunt any normal person. Of course, Mark can write the outcome anyway he likes so Brad maybe completely okay after all... LOL... Well no matter how anyone felt about it chapter 74 was an explosive set up for the last chapter in this story.... I can't wait to see what Mark comes up with for the final chapter in this story and can't wait to see where he takes this series next... :2hands: :wacko:

Congragulations to all the Winners!!!!!!!!!! This site is great and all the authors that post on here should be commended and applauded. Hope that this year is a good as last year....

Well things did heat up in Chapter 73. I can't wait for the last two chapters in this story. I think this story has moved up to either number three or four in the CAP series for me. I keep waffling between three and four but will decide for sure after the last two chapters. For me, nothing will ever touch " Chronicles of an Academic Predator " it was the first and for me the best. I loved when Brad confronted Carson about talking to Will and then Will showed that he was so much like his dad it was scary. Will is such and interesting character for me to watch develop. I still want to know what is going on between Will and John but I sort of bet we don't know until the next story in the series and I will be okay with that... I can't wait for the final battle, I just know it is gonna be so good... Mark congragulations about this being the best hosted story on Gay Authors, it is well deserved.

Well, chapter 72 was another bridge for me on the way to taking down Omega. I can't wait to see what Elizabeth comes up with to get at Alexandra and Omega by default. I doubt we will truly see the end of Omega but they maybe so crippled that they truly can't ever compete with the big boys again. Even with Elliot's $300,000,000.00 in their coffers I am not sure that is nearly enough to overcome the close to a billion dollars worth of loses in the tech market that is heading their way. The Go Chang deal was $250,000,000.00 and I know at least a couple of the other deals mentioned were nine figure deals then they had tons of eight figure deals. When you are looking at those kinds of losses coming on top of the loss of some key defense contracts, I am not sure that Elliot's money is nearly enough to overcome those losses. RU-486 while avaliable overseas was not avaliable in the US for abortions until September of 2000, so it wasn't something that really could have been suggested when the condom broke. I agree that with Ella still nomially under Wally and Clara's roof neither Brad/Robbie or Darius should be suggesting anything like that without input from them. Just because the condom broke doesn't mean that she will get pregnate anyway. Why buy trouble before there is anything to worry about? I still think the story line with Will, John, and Zach will prove very interesting... You know that John must be a heartbreaker because any child of Claire and Jack's would have to be. I wonder if maybe Will and John didn't have a little something something going on and Zach is coming between them in some way??? While the idea of Brad and Robbie losing one of their kids might be a good storyline, it would be hard to take. I still think losing Billy the way he did still haunts Brad to this day. Well, I guess with the 2001 situation coming up Darius or JJ could be on a plane heading west that is hijacked and is one that crashes. I think losing a child is something that a parent really never gets over, not even time can really heal that wound. You learn to deal with it and go on but you never get over it. I am sure that this is just me, but the sex in this story is so secondary to me. This story is so damn good that it doesn't need the sex to hold anyones interest. I am not saying that sex scenes aren't nice every so often but with a story this good, you just don't really need them...

Chapter 71 was a good bridge chapter. It is moving from the family to the final battle to destroy Omega. I think the rest of this story will be great and can't wait for the last few chapters to come down the pike. I am so tired of people bagging on Cody. I agree he isn't one of the more developed personalities in the stories but he is what Mark created. I don't see him as nearly as selfish as Brad. As I have stated before, this is the first story that got me to actually like Brad; although he is still far from one of my favorites. That being said however, I don't think Cody is that bad. He is a really handsome man with money, power, and charisma. If Brad and Robbie are so weak willed that Cody can just lead them down the path to their doom, then they are doomed anyway. Cody didn't put a gun to anyone's head and force them to have sex with someone else, although Brad sort of questioned the choice, neither he nor Robbie offered up any real objections to it. In the end, if they didn't want to they just had to say NO... It is a two letter word that isn't that hard to form. I think that Cody cares deeply about the people he truly has feelings for, I will say I think that is probably a short list but part of that maybe more his job than anything else. Hollywood is the kind of place that makes it very hard to develop feelings or close friendships with anyone, especially when you get to the level of power that I think Cody probably has because of his association with Robbie and Steph and working for Jackie in a lesser extent. You never know when someone likes you for you or because you might be able to do something for them. I do agree that JJ is turning into a bit of a prima donna and something will need to be done about that; I don't think you could be in a family like theirs and survive and flourish with that attitude. Will's issue with his cousins will be the intersting one to me, I bet this gets carried over to the next story. I just can't see Mark having Ella and Darius repeat what already happened with Claire and Jack all those years ago, those few chapters were among the best of " Be Rad " in my opinion. Mark, as always, great job on the writing and keep up the wonderful work...

Well, Chapter 70 was excellent... I loved how the board meeting went, you could just tell that old man Pfinster had no idea that anyone was really going to stand up and stop him, he thought he was gonna be able to stay in control. I can't believe someone that ran a company for decades didn't know better, wonder if there is some dementia there. On top of that, if he already bought into Omega but was still doing business at Triton, there are certain SEC and other organizations that would have a fit about that. I love how much Brad and Robbie mean to each other now, they just seem so much more solid than ever before. I agree with some of the comments from Mark's yahoo group that the last scene was excellent as well... I really like this story line of corporate life incorporated into the story. This is really the first time since " The Land Whore " that we had a full dose of the business life that some in the family has excelled at. Keep up the great work, Mark...

Chapter 69 was so good... I think Brad helping out Elizabeth Danfield is going to give them just all kinds of extra benefits that they are just starting to realize. I know that the Tech Bubble begin to burst in March of 2000 and then accelerated with the US vs. Microsoft decision in mid April of that year. I believe the Tech stockes lost almost half their value by the end of 2000. They made a brief rally in early 2001 then fell in June, July, and August of 2001, the tech market actually fell more that year befor Sept 11, 2001 then afterward. Keep up the great work...

Well Chapter 58 didn't take long to post and was wonderful as always.... I really like the interplay between Brad and Will and then with all the kids at supper. It was nice to just have a family moment with no plotting or hidden agendas. I really like seeing the next generation and seeing how they are developing. I don't know that I see JJ's actions as being jealous of Gathan so much as being protective of Stef. I think that JJ seems to be the kind of person that is probably pretty secure in his position and family. I thought that when Brad and Stef met with Jordan Pfinster and his father that Stef agreed to buy the father out? Even if the old man stayed as chairman as a courtesy without any stocks to back him up, wouldn't his power be severally limited to really effect anything? Most boards are majority votes rule and since Brad and Stef are now on the board it doesn't seem like he would have the votes to do much damage. I really like how Robbie responded to Brad's news that he might be delayed. While I think that both Brad and Robbie have grown during this story, Robbie has matured and grown so much more than Brad to me. Brad still seems to be floundering in some ways but Robbie has really grounded himself well, maybe because he knows that he and Brad are secure and Brad is his rock in so many ways... Keep up the great work Mark, I just love how this story is going....

I agree, it seems to me that Will is much more his own person and isn't as worried about what other people think about him. He is trying to come to terms with his own life and trying to find out what life has in store for him. Will can come of age and be anything he wants, I do like the idea of him being a marine biologist too... I have actually read both " The Land Whore " and " Be Rad " today trying to find any indication on who besides JP would have any of the stock in Crampton Construction, still can't find anything, howver I don't see any example of a power struggle between Brad and Billy. Billy was too young and really to immature to seriously challenge Brad or Ace or even Claire. Billy seemed to be more angry at being in Brad and Ace's shadow rather than really wanting to challenge them, or that is how it came off to me. When all the problems started in " Be Rad " it seems to be more Billy striking back for being ignored than anything else. He seemed to be the forgotten child. It was like when Brad and Ace and friends were going out, you could tell he wanted to go but just didn't feel he could ask. Billy always seemed to be in the shadows, maybe part of this was because Sam was the parent he bonded and identifyed with and Sam was on his way out in this story. I agree there doesn't seem to be an obvious heir apparent in this generation but some of them aren't even in high school yet, so maybe we should have patients and give Mark time to develop their storylines fully before we make any determinations. Keep up the great work Mark....

:lmao: I loved the last chapter in this story. I really felt it set Granger up for his next big adventure, I know it takes a lot of time to research and write this type of story and I can't wait to see what you do next. This is one of my favorite series, I really love anything historical and appreciate all the research that you do in getting the settings right. I realize that I do get impatient but then I have to think about the fact you do have a life away from the keyboard. I want to say a true thank you for taking the time and having the talent to put something this good on paper and bringing it to life so wonderfully. I look forward to the next story in the Bridgemont series... :worship:

:2hands: :2hands: :2hands: Chapter 67 was great!!! I love how Mark is able to pull things from other stories in this series and work them into the current one. I believe that is one of the strengths of this series is the continued development of the different people in different stories over generations. I thought the situation with Ella was handled really well, mostly because Claire was there and kept everything on a more even keel. I do think that with Gathan going to Stanford and Ella moving to Palo Alto, they will add a lot to the next stories in the series. I loved the scene at Crampton Construction, but felt that once again Brad showed his immaturity to some extent. I think once again, Claire really stood out in that situation. I believe if the chapter that I read back in The Land Whore is correct that JP should own 7.5 percent of the stock, he gave up half of his 15% to help break Isidore away from Crampton Construction without causing a war back then. I would assume that Claire and Ace own the other 7.5 percent that is being referred to but can't find anything in any of the previous stories that says who owns what. I am assuming that Ace and Claire inherited the shares when JP's parents died. I would assume that Brad would not have received any of the shares since he already had a sizeable inheiretance from Tonto. Could someone confirm if this is correct or advise what story the information is in so I can go back and find it?!?! I am going to put this out there again and I am sure it will be blasted as it has been in the past, but I really think that Claire should be either a sole narrator or a co-narrator on a story. I am sure that in the end, Brad will grow up and assume the position as head of the family when JP passes but right now if something happened to JP, Stef, and Isidore; Claire seems to me to be the one person that the rest of the family actually listens too. I know that because Stef will leave all or most of his fortune to Brad that he will be the one with the most material wealth but he just doesn't seem to be able to keep a lid on his temper or emotions enough to hold the family together at this time. Claire is always there to smooth things over or to make sure that everything gets handled in a way that doesn't tear something else apart. Now I realie that usually with a narrator we get quite a few glimpses of their sex life and even though Jack would be involved, I am not sure how much hetero sex I really want. Maybe that is why she would be better as a co-narrator, she could handle other aspects of the story besides the sex... LOL... Well once again, Mark has turned out a great chapter... Can't wait for the next one, I just love this story...

Chapter 66 was great... I loved the scene between Darius and Brad. I agree with earlier comments that Brad's introduction to Darius was special... It was one of the few times in any of the early stories that I thought Brad had any potential. I do wonder how anything between Darius and Ella would play out more because of the distance than anything else, plus when in your teen years two or three years age difference can be major. Darius getting into Annapolis and then into the Navy could pave the way for some major stories over the next decade. Just look at all of the issues that could rise up from him being in the Navy, it was a decade when all the military was tested so often. Brad and Robbie have grown a lot in this story but they still cannot keep their mouths closed... Neither of them are the ones that should be spilling any beans about Ella's parentage and certainly not in the manner it is about to come out. As much as they have both grown in this story, it is things like this that shows how immature they both are in some regards. Clarie in Claremont, hot damn.... Keep up the great work Mark, can't wait for the next chapter of this great story.

:pickaxe: :pickaxe: :pickaxe: I loved Chapter 43 of HMS Belvidera. I just so enjoy this story and it has pulled me in like few others stories ever have. I so love when Granger is home and on land but when he gets there, I so miss him being on board the ship. I wonder what Granger and Caroline will have to do about that sister-in-law. I wonder if a tragic accident isn't somewhere in her future. I am not sure I would ever want to cross Caroling as much as she seems to be doing. Can't wait for the next chapter in this story and the next story in this series... Mark please keep up the great work...

:blink: I can't believe someone suggested JP's death... I have to say this story has brought be from disliking Brad to thinking he may have the capability to eventually lead the family but that is a long way off... Right now, I would say that Stef, Isidore, and Claire are all ahead of Brad in the line of succession if something was to happen to JP... I hate the thought of any of the kids going so I don't have a problem with them not being on the list. I ended up making a couple of picks more to just take part in the poll rather with any real conviction they any should actually die. I think that Alexandra would suffer more alive and knowing that she had failed then just dying. I actually pity Brian, he could have had so much but just could not rise above his demons.

:music: I thought we might need some dueling banjo music from the movie Deliverance... I am glad that Brian is getting his commeupance because I do believe that he has done way to many things to hurt members of the family, however I am still not sold on doing nothing while he is killed. Having said that, it is clearly time that this battle between Brad and Brian end for the good of all. Losing that contract to Triton is just the first in a string of reversals that Alexandera is about to start suffering, I wonder how much she will be willing to lose before she cuts and runs. Are we going to see more of Mike and his family? He seemed like a pretty decent guy. I hope this is truly a new start for Wade and his family, a way for them to come together and move forward as a family. Some people never get over what they as a group have put each other through but I hope they do. Great work Mark, keep those postings coming...

:2hands: :2hands: :2hands: Off to battle they all go, this is getting so good. Chapter 64 was very well done. I loved how Brad handled everything with Elizabeth Danfield. I do question his showing the DVD to that many people, eventually someone will blab... I think you are all very naive if you don't believe that when billions of dollars are at stake, that there is not corporate espionage or even murder. My involvement with big business through family isn't nearly at the level of the people in this story and I can tell you; even on a much smaller scale it comes close to that. I was so hoping that Robbie was going to be at the hotel when Brad arrived, it was just a nice suprise. I do think that maybe finally the two boys in men's bodies have finally become two men growing into their own. Can't wait for the next chapter, keep up the great work...

Well, didn't have to wait even a minute to reply to this one, Chapter 42 is wonderful... I just love this story, the detail in the writing to the time and place it was placed is beyond excellent. I so enjoy this story and can't wait for the next one....

I wanted to wait a little bit to really think about this latest chapter before putting my two cents in. I have read it a couple of times now and given it a lot of thought. I do like how this is playing out, I do believe that what goes around comes around. Having said that, Brad needs to be really careful about what he does. I do think that Elizabeth Danfield will take this and utterly destroy Alexandra, as she should. However, I am not sure that Brad will really handle it that well if this gets someone killed. I am not sure that Brad is really that tough. JP dealt with this before but it was always to protect someone, not get back at someone. JP has been and in my opinion will always be stronger than Brad mentally, I just think that this will come back to haunt Brad in someway that he doesn't see now. I do think that Brian deserves to live a miserable live for what he put everyone through, however " live " is the operable word. I am not sure that anything Brian has done is truly worth being killed for. Now I realize if Brian ends up being dead, it will be Alexandra that is primarily responsible but Brad will be significantly to blame as well. I am not sure that Brad really understands how he will feel if Brian ends up dead because of something that he put in motion. Having said all of the above, I do have to say that both Brad and Robbie have matured a great deal through this story. This is the first time I have ever really like Brad. I have always sort of viewed Brad as almost a bully in some of the previous stories. I can't say I ever really disliked him, but just never warmed up to him. He is now someone that I would probably actually like to be around. I do think that Brad is a strong man that will do what is needed to protect his loved ones, I just am not sure that he is as strong as JP in some regards in dealing with the consequences of his actions. I can't wait to see how this plays out... I do truly believe that what goes around comes around and it isn't someones job to punish those that have hurt them, the universe will sort it out...

Well Damn, just didn't see part of that coming... I knew that Alexadra had something on Elizabeth but didn't see a black lover coming at all, that would be really hard to recover from in 2000 unless it was maybe Vernon Jordan, LOL..... I totally did not even think about Elizabeth having an affair with Brad's Bio-dad... I just never even thought of that as a possibility. Wade's showdown with his father was very well written. You can tell that although Wade has worked to overcome how he feels, he still is not over everything that his father did to him. I am not sure that even with counseling and everything else you ever get over that really... You can tell that the Senator really does love his son and is truly terrified of losing him forever, you can almost feel sorry for him... This was damn fine writting and I can't wait to see how it plays out... Chapter 62 was GREAT!!!!!! :2thumbs:

0:) I am gonna say a little prayer for Mark because he must have sold his soul to have come up with a story this good... I loved Chapter 61, The Wedding, it was just the perfect way to end the week. I loved the scene with JP and Brad by themselves and the one with Will and Brad was great as well. I guess Sir Elton John was the perfect person to play the beginning and ending song and his song " The Bitch is Back " for Stef was great. I loved that Robbie and the kids sang Robbie's song for Brad. I am sort of suprised about Brad choosing Beyoncé Knowles. I am for Texas were they started and they really weren't that big in early 2000 yet. Destiny's Child had been around a while but their first album self titled in 1998 only got to about 70 or so on Billboards album list and only the remix version of " No No No " did anything on the single chart from that album. Their breakthrough album " The Writing on the Wall ", while released in 1999, did not really even hit it big until later in 2000. That being said, I do appreciate the choice of song that Brad made for Robbie. I like how Mark has incorporated the story of the shelter and the runaways into this story, even if it is a small sub-plot. The plight of gay teens is something that is still a major problem and one that needs all the attention it can be given. I was lucky to come out with the support of my family when I was very young and can say that I never really had any significant issues in doing so but that is often not the case. Keep up the great work Mark...