Nephylim

Sam is often at the hospital, with his job. It's beyond lucky he's here right now. Silver would have gone back to River anyway but it's good for him that River comes to him when he needs him most.

*Evil grin*

I'm not THAT cruel. I must be infecting you with my evilness.

You can see the new Silver. I did a painting of him and he's in the gallery http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/gallery/image/2383-silver-toojpg/ Silver's seizures pop up now and again, sometimes significant, sometimes just a reminder.

Is that all Asher is? A foundation for River? Awww poor Asher. He's so much in love with Silver. And that ring...

Aww don't lose too much beauty sleep over this

Thank you so very much. I feel very humble when I hear things like this. It's an awesome (and I use the word in its true meaning) moment for an author when they hear their writing truly touches their readers.

I can't even remember what went on in this chapter now, but thank you so much anyway. Silver takes a long but powerful journey in this bit, and it's the making of him

Thank you. I'm glad you like Asher. I was worried people might be angry with him because Silver is cheating with him...in a manner of speaking, but I don't think the relationship between Silver and River ever would have worked if not for Asher.

Thank you. Asher is....Asher; a phenomenon and just what Silver needs.

Thank you. Ariel is a little witch, but an angelic one in his way. Lewis is a bitch, but he's in the minority. On the whole the boys are a good bunch. Tony needs to be watched, but that will come in time. River has absolutely no chance of finding Silver so it all turns on Silver finding his way back to River.

It is an act of self awareness and there will be SO many more. It may not seem so but this is absolutely the best thing Silver could have done. And Ariel. Oh Ariel. Next to Silver he's one of my favorite characters ever. Together they are a force to be reckoned with.

It is an act of self awareness and there will be SO many more. It may not seem so but this is absolutely the best thing Silver could have done. And Ariel. Oh Ariel. Next to Silver he's one of my favorite characters ever. Together they are a force to be reckoned with.

In Silver's mind, River is his Master. What other yardstick does he have to judge relationships. Okay, so River didn't buy him and he doesn't overtly control him, but he does. Silver might be free but he doesn't know it, not really. Silver has no idea what freedom is. The lesson River still hasn't learned is that Silver is going to be totally unpredictable in his reactions to everything because their experiences have been so different it's impossible for River to be able to predict. He has to learn to appreciate they BOTH have to learn

River is really getting it wrong, over and over. The piper will be paid and he's going to be collecting soon

yes, there is definitely more to come.

He...kind of failed. We're building up to something here, something that needs to happen and that won't happen unless Silver is forced into a position where he can do nothing but what he does. I really hope people won't turn against River because yes, he is being a coward, nothing I can say to divert from that, but I keep saying this but he is only twenty two, and he's just lost his parents and is terrified of losing his brother and is being almost deliberately blind to how much Silver needs him and how he needs him.

How about both? Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews.

Haha.

He should have gone to see a solicitor right from the start. I don't really know why he didn't. Not that it would have done any good. Trust me, the result would have been exactly the same if a solicitor had been involved. Bear in mind that the Child Protection procedures are executive not legal. The Child Protection Register, is an internal Local Authority list of children they perceive to be at risk. The recomendations made are just that - reacomendations. There is no legal requirement to co operate. Solicitors are not allowed to attend these conferences, other than to support the client and they aren't allowed to speak. River could have refused to attend the conference, walked out at any point and refused to go with any of their recommendations. If he had done that, however, it would be brought up time and time again in the future and would be used against him over and over. The fact is, 'sex' is a huge buzz word for Social Services. They have a blanket policy that if someone is or has been on the sex offender's register they cannot be involved with children under 16. Silver is not on the register, but he was involved in the sex industry, albeit not through choice and they will be all over that and won't let go. The reality is that you have to fall into line with Social Services at this stage. River has absolutely no choice but to play the game, and no one in the 'big mill' will care a toss about Silver. If River goes to see a solicitor he will be told absolutely that he has to keep Silver out of the picture and the more he raises Silver's frailties the worse it will go for him in the end. If Social Services conclude that Silver is so needy he has to have all River's time and energy they will conclude River is not in a position to care for Ben and will remove him. It's a terrible position to be in. I know that River is making a lot of bad choices right about now, and I was very concerned people would lose respect for him, but it was something they had to go through.

Woulda shoulda coulda. Clearly, River can't do this all by himself but we know that because we're looking in. From where River is standing, he has to do it by himself. He has to be strong for everyone and his hitting out is the only release he has. Dont forget, he's very young, too. He should have contacted Dr Marshall himself. He should have stood up and put his foot down at the conference. He should talk to Sam, to take his advice. The fact is he's scared half to death they're going to take Ben away from him, and he can't cope with that. Everything he says and does is coloured by that fear and he's holding on so hard to Ben he simply doesn't realise what he's doing to Silver. River hasn't got to grips yet, with the fact that Silver processes information far differently to everyone else he knows. He honestly doesn't appreciate what Silver's going through. He makes assumptions and yes, sometimes those assumptions are based on what he wants to be true rather than what he knows to be true. I know the terrible pressure Social Services put on a family. I know the horrible fear, the crushing weight of not knowing what to do for the best. River is torn in two and makes the disastrous assumption that Silver, as the 'adult'can cope better than Ben with being separated from river.

I've worked with social services for the best part of 20 years, and I hate them even more now than I did then. I have never come across so much lying, evasions, lack of consideration, compassion, understanding and totally judgemental attitude. It's SO my way or the highway and the image they have sometimes created as mini nazis is an accurate one. I know they are there for the child and the child is the most important but they use that as an excuse to trample over everyone and everything else. And it's THEIR interpretation of what's best for the child that is the only right answer. They ruin families without a care. And yes, they do put young, inexperienced social workers, who have never had children, with families that have many, complex problems. I've seen social workers walk into court looking as if they're about to go down the catwalk. That in itself is going to alienate families. Sorry. My bad. Rant over.

Silver, Jake and Ben are SO the three musketeers. Right through the whole 5 books those three stick together and sometimes drive Daddy River absolutely insane. By the end of the book there will be another musketeer who will do an even better job

I wish Mrs Ward and the police had just gone back and ripped into Sophy and that was it. Unfortunately it's never as easy as that. Pete's story will never be known but he does take Silver's advice.

It is totally, totally the case that Silver is a child. He has clocked up nineteen years chronologically, but as far as life experience is concerned, he has none at all. Whatever experience he had accumulated was wiped from his head at twelve, and the experiences he has accumulated since are absolutely not equipping him to deal with life in the real world. In some ways, Silver is less mature that Ben. Ben and Silver will, of course, be best friends forever. I can give you a glimpse of the future and tell you that Silver and Ben adore each other forever.