Dr. John NYC

What a set of twists and turns -- certainly kept me checking Chapter 9 thinking I had missed one, but the "hammering out the corners" quote made it worth while. Now if Michael can just accept that philosophy... Thanks, KC!

How romantic! What a delightful morsel -- if only there would be more some day. I, too, want to know what happens next, with parents, fiancées, and Keef's military command. Plenty of fuel for more! Thanks, Lugh!

OK, so maybe things would not work out so easily in real life, but one of the great feelings from your story, Andrew, is that there is hope that someday it will not be a big deal for less common relationships to form and that they will have the same kinds of supports as more common ones. I have known a few triples, and it is not easy to make them work -- no matter what the gender combination is. Even though it may never be very common, it should be an option. Plus, it gives lawyers more work -- just think about the legal ramifications if it should become more common!

This story was like a long haiku, Lilansui: so much said though with so few words. Elegant! I agree with you that it was the right place to end this story, but maybe one day through the eyes of another story we can learn a little bit of how things went with these delightful characters. Thank you for sharing!

Practically everyone has mentioned the kitten, and indeed the almost spiritual description of Mira holding the kitten and haloed by the sun and the aemfid begs a movie version of this wondrous story. The other bit of "hidden sunlight" in this chapter -- to balance the death of Morgan, the evil of La Tigresse and Klaus, the overwhelming destruction everywhere -- is learning about Esteban. Finally we understand the fascination by Carlos and his hot then cold then hot responses to Shay: in hindsight it so obviously fit the dichotomy of a younger brother relationship. I still wonder, however, if Carlos is not at least a little in love/lust with Shay. I hope we learn some more about Esteban and his relationship with Carlos before the end. Could Shay and Esteban have been related genetically? Hmmm... My heart is both delighted to hear that the end of their quest is coming and dismayed that we will no longer have our boys to read about. I do hope you are already writing or at least planning your next story, Stellar -- be it sequel, another story in the same universe, or a totally new story altogether. Otherwise, the world will be drearier without your elegant prose. John PS: By the way, "le petit frisson" of La Tigresse calling Shay and Mira "mes petits chatons" juxtaposed with them finding the kitten was a magnificently subtle touch. Makes me wonder if their petit chaton will play a bigger part in the denouement than one might expect.

Stellar: your writing is so analytical and yet the emotion you evoke is even more extraordinary. I just re-read chapter 17 in preparation for 18. I knew I was going to be a mess from it, and yet I pushed myself into the re-reading only to find that it struck me even more deeply than before. The parallels to the early days of AIDS were never more poignantly present than in this chapter. Remembering people in those early days who chose Lily's path for many of the same reasons made the authenticity of the discovery of her spreading infection and the choices made by each of the characters glisten with the tears of remembrance. Yet, there was hope. Lily's final words to Shay for Konstantin were the one thing that would resurrect his hope and his faith in their mission. Those few words balanced a great deal of the pain. Thank you.

Powerful! No rocks will be thrown: otherwise we may damage your writing appendage(s) and all of us would lose out. Could be some votes for King of Cliffhangers thrown your way, however. Looking forward to seeing the next step in their relationship. At least I hope that isn't where their relationship stops!

If there are only 2 epilogues left, I hope they are long! I'll miss Micah and all characters around him. John PS: Any chance of Robert and Sam appearing in at least one of the epilogues? That was one story line that I was disappointed not to see more of after they introduced Micah to their Seattle friends.

My heart is breaking after this chapter, Sui -- for both Ryo and Soubi. They are both in such tenuous places right now, individually and as a couple. I'm glad I was delayed in reading this chapter so this cliffhanger at least will be resolved soon. At least they rested first before starting to deal with the mess Tohaku has left them.

To me, Sui, this chapter was the perfect metaphor (if a whole chapter can be a metaphor) for a 4th of July celebration: a few clouds and passing showers to start but then the day clears up to be bright, sunny, and full of (electric) blue skies. Needless to say, I loved the fun, the family, and the fact that Alexi is so relaxed he could fall asleep almost instantly on the beach. Like the others, I loved the John & Vic scenes -- clearly you write them with people you know and love in mind. As for Nonna Marion, how can you not love a grandma who wants to know how Alexi is doing and how is the sex? Thank you: I love all your stories, but this one touches me in particular, and I was missing it!

Emotionally captivating first chapter: looking forward to the coming chapters, especially to see how/when Micah first gets to play a violin! I do hope that Micah is able to accept finally that he did not cause Poppa M's stroke and that he is able to keep connected with them.

Thanks -- through my tears. It was very touching. The only bright spot is knowing that he will end up at the Triple J at some point.

Do I ever love this story: wow again, Sui! I was worried that Alexi's concern about leaving Josh at the end of the summer was going to prevent him from enjoying the summer that they have to share. I'm so glad that he did not respond that way although I still worry that he will resist whatever is proposed about how they can be together after August. After what Joshua is able to do to calm Alexi, however, even to the point of starting him back towards being on a stage, I hope there will be a way. We've only heard a little about Joshua's academic focus: could there be a way to combine his academic quest for tenure into a project that has him traveling with Alexi? Guess we'll have to just wait for your muse and your time to let them tell us. One question: Joshua speaks at least some Japanese, but we have not seen any evidence of his ability to interact in the Japanese language and culture. Perhaps that is also going to change at the July 4th reunion. Oh, and I'm with the others who think Alexi needs to sign those restraining orders. Both to protect himself and to help sunder the remaining connection (addiction?) to his catnip, Alexi needs to sign those papers!!! Just wish they could add a restraint against Adrian interacting with Joshua: I would not put it past Adrian to hurt Alexi by hurting someone he loves -- although THAT action I think WOULD sunder any remaining connection. Thanks so much for sharing the lives of Alexi and Joshua with us!

So glad that they are learning to communicate better: it wasn't a big fight and they both pulled back from the death-spiral effect. So great to see the boys learning to communicate! By the way, I love how Kaito seems to love them both so much and work to temper their tempers. Although I cannot imagine Rin will not still be something of a "catnip" issue in the future, we have Ryo's brother looming larger in the immediate future as the key element that will try to screw up their relationship. Maybe it will be Soubi who fixes Ryo's problems this time. I suspect Sasha has a few "interesting" connections to add to the equation, too. John PS: Speaking of catnip, I could use some more EB&C.

I agree with the other comments: the picture was a big surprise after the smooth transition with the trust. I wonder if Mr. Alvarez got wind that CJ had learned how things had been mishandled by his uncle (and his father, too? -- wasn't quite clear on that one). It could explain him letting the trust confirmation go smoothly so that he can then blackmail CJ and Danny with the picture to preempt further legal issues. If so, I hope that they do not back down. Anyway, a milestone will be reached in the next chapter (you will finish that segment in the next chapter, or will you leave us with another cliffhanger...). Looking forward to getting some more resolution. Thanks, Andrew!

I love these characters, and I so want them to work out together for the long haul. I know that there will be more angst with Rin somewhere out there and looking to try to mess Soubi up again, so I hope that their commitment in Chapter 8 to always talk it out survives this stress. They are both so in love -- and so jealous -- that I fear there are going to be some hurtful words from one or both before they can settle down. Take care of them, Sui, and keep the chapters coming! PS: How you juggle so many enjoyable stories I cannot imagine. I have a difficult time just keeping the characters sorted out in my head when I am reading them. I am glad you do manage them all so well!

Shorter chapter instead of longer wait is good: keeps full withdrawal at bay. Exciting to start to get some insight into why Akama is so connected with Wirrin although I still wonder if they are biologically connected as well. I'm surprised actually that Wirrin has never compared their DNA to see if there is a deeper connection. Hope the holdup has been put in its place now so that today's Attunga fix will hold out until the next chapter! Cheers, Iarwain, and Thanks!

As often the case, there are lots of questions raised -- and to be fair, also a few answered -- but who is watching them is clearly the one that has dwelt in my mind since I got to read the chapter yesterday (finally). I'm not sure I've felt the cards stacked so against Trevor (and now Shane) since the pirate attack and its aftermath until he reached Australia. That boy has got some serious black clouds following him (flash to L'il Abner for those who knew and remember that comic). I do hope that Trevor, Shane, and most if not all the others close to them survive for a future potential sequel -- just not Bridget: I want that beeyatch to die slowly, painfully, and in a manner where she has to experience all the torments she has caused.

Some answers… more questions. Not that I'm surprised, Renee -- and I know that you will answer the remaining and future questions by the end. All the questions do make me hungry for more chapters soon, however! So my initial thought about Blues and Peacemakers having some special connection could still be true, but then again it could be Blues and Whites (Peacemakers never having known a Blue) or Warriors and Peacemakers or Blue Warriors and Peacemakers. Ouch, my head hurts thinking about the multitude of scenarios -- but in a good way. I do wonder if the "Mated Warriors and Peacemakers" losing their dragons is only a part of the story, and why if that happens could the 2 groups ever have lived together. With their names, it seems like the two castes/clans are meant to be complementary or even synergistic together, not completely separated. I'll look forward to hearing answers to these and other questions in future chapters. One question I will ask: up until this chapter I do not remember hearing that there were same sex mates. In his dream, however, Cyan refers to the mate in his dream as "him". Is there a proscription against same-sex couples among Warriors (or Peacemakers)? John

It's a good start for the boys, Sui. I just hope that they can continue pushing forward long enough to get to a stable plateau in their relationship. Not that I suspect this talk will solve all their problems, but they do need to get far enough through the drama and communication barriers that they can survive the next challenge. I get captured by all your stories and their characters, but Ryo and Soubi are by far the most frustrating. John

Very enlightening chapter, James. Although I'm not personally a fan of painful sex, it fits Siggi and the flow of the story in a way that did not seem gratuitous at all. I must say Siggi does push a lot of buttons: annoyance, frustration, disgust and yet also pity, concern, and even a touch of admiration for his attempts at managing some very painful parts of his life -- perhaps not as maturely as he should, but then again I'm guessing from various comments that he is at most in his early 20's. Like Stephen, I look forward to Gunni's debut, but I'm even more curious about Arnar (?) and his relationship with Siggi that has so affected every aspect of Siggi's life. Waiting more or less patiently to see how these characters evolve...

So many possibilities just opened up, Sui -- I'm already anxiously waiting to see which direction our boys go with their lives and their love! I agree with Stephen that the worrying about complications can get in the way of the love blossoming more fully. Of course, it doesn't have to: I'm living proof although we were not trying to commute between continents although on grad student salaries it was almost as daunting. At least Alexi got to see Joshua interacting with his family and feel the love amongst them wrapping him up in the family as well. Good luck taming the beast and writing the next chapter soon!

Fabulous epiphany of their lives, Sean. It's like a hologram: complete and yet you know there is so much more if you could only see more clearly the details. Thank you!

Loved Daddydavek's comment: "Nice ending, but not really a cliff-hanger!" It perfectly expressed my thought although I actually was guessing that Mr. Jones would first take CJ on as a partner or perhaps let him start a rescue operation at the ranch. It will make Mattie's life more difficult once CJ gets his trust, I expect. Something tells me that their father will not allow Mattie to come to the ranch once everything hits the fan. Perhaps it will be the catalyst for Sra. Alvarez to stand up to her macho marido. Along with others, my bet is on "Danny" being the skulker in Zak's neighborhood. Hmmm... could Danny be the biological brother or half-brother that Zak was always wanting? If not, they certainly sound like they could be clones! In any case, I'm looking forward to the next chapter in the lives of our boys! Thanks, Andrew, for your stories!

Phenomenal chapter on so many fronts! It is exciting learning more about what is known -- and not known -- about Lucere. Plus, I love the fact that the boys physical expression of their deep, abiding, soul-searing love is progressing: go Shay! It really is an incredible story and one that is so different from others that it is in a rare class that includes only a handful of other stories. As for the delay, the clear perfection of your writing comes through like messages from Mira to Shay, and such perfection cannot come easily. I can only imagine how much time, energy, and intense concentration must be required. So thanks again for your story! May your holidays be fabulous, and whenever the next chapter comes, it will be appreciated! John