Hey Rody,

This is how that whole arc should have gone, even if it was a necessary evil at the time. Michael never would have had a chance to inject his two brain venomous cells into their relationship to separate them, and they would have had a chance to work out their problems in relative privacy. I really loved your take on this! If you ever wanted to pick up the story from here, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to reading it.

HUGS and LOVE,

~Nichelle

You do know that #8 on this list is MINE, right? LOL

HUGS,

~Nichelle

This fits right into a scenario I've already been working on while waiting for some of the others to percolate. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks, Cathy!

HUGS,

~Nichelle

Definitely was MINE for the taking, and now a new series has been born! "Learning to Sleep In the Bed You Made" is actually shaping up quite nicely. So now that Installment #1: CLASH FORWARD is done, I'm trying to figure out where to go next. Originally, I thought it should be to Michael (and maybe it still should be), but there is so much going on. I think it would probably be better to do an intermittent one shot in this case titled, "Learning to Sleep in the Bed You Made 1.5: PLANS" or something like that, so that any full-length installment which comes next in the series won't seem so out of left field.  

WHOO-HOO! This is FUN!

~Nichelle

ADDICTED to this arc! Great job, Char!

HAPPY WRITING and HUGS,

~Chelle

That little mutha... yeah, I'm emotionally charged right now, and wishing like hell that I had a death scene already in the works for Michael. I can't wait until he gets caught! Hopefully, that wonderful hunk of DNA sample he left within the garage will be noticed... and soon!

Looking forward to MORE!

HUGS and LOVE,

~Nichelle

Great chapter. I'm glad that David is wising up and sending Michael home. Although, part of me wishes he was going to take him there personally, I understand his need to be away from the whiny idiot as soon as possible. If it were me, I would have been plotting a hundred and one ways to push Michael into oncoming traffic while making it look like an accident. However, I think Michael being summarily dismissed as a nonentity, and being shown in a way that he's not David's endgame is a really good move. Somehow, I hope those particular medical records/ x-rays find their way to the Pitts P.D. when- not if, but when- Michael gets arrested. Could he possibly be detained by the FAA for causing such a horrific scene on the return flight to Pittsburgh? Hmm... just saying, LOL

Looking forward to more!

HUGS,

~Nichelle

Perfect ending in so many ways, especially with the return of Justin's memory. It was further proof that Michael had NOT won! Ya did good, Kid!

HUGS and LOVE,

~Nichelle

P.S. Thank you so much for the card. Your thoughtful, loving kindness towards me always brings a tear to my eyes. Thank you so much for simply being YOU. 

Great beginning. Can't wait to see where you take this plot. 

HAPPY WRITING and HUGS,

~Nichelle

This is so intriguing, StarBaby! I can't wait to see where you take this. I'm already ready to flay Mel and her minion, Michael alive. I'm almost scared to find out how Jenny developed into an adult with the two of those idiots as parents if we see her. Without some kind of calming influence with SENSE around, I can't imagine it's all that good. 

Anyway, looking forward to MORE of this story!

HAPPY WRITING and HUGS,

~Chelle

This was a great chapter, beginning with Ian and Gus' talk. I LOVE the fact that although they are 12 years apart, Ian treats Gus the same way as Brian treated Justin when it comes to puzzling things out. Ian doesn't handle Gus with kid gloves at all; just lays out the facts, makes his point, and holds Gus while he figures himself out.

I also really liked the meeting with Patrick and Gus. In fact, after the semi-rocky beginning, it went much better than I expected. I loved the way Patrick asked questions to really get Gus to think about his responses. But what I enjoyed most was Gus' reaction to Ian's meal choice. That was just the kind of humor they both needed to break the tension between them.

Ian's visit with Lindsay was both informative and heartbreaking. You almost have the feeling that she wants to remember, but is glad she can't. Mel really did a number on Lindsay, which ultimately caused Lindsay's mental break. And I'm pretty sure that whatever Mel wasn't able to accomplish, Michael was all too happy to take up the cause. What assholes!

Could there be a double wedding in the works? LOL That will certainly chap high-and-mighty Mel's ass! I think Gus and Ian's assessment of her selfishness and need to be obeyed was spot on. I also have a feeling she's going to catch all sorts of hell from Jenny. As Brian said, there's nothing like Karma and it's definitely coming for Melanie Marcus!

Looking forward to MORE!

HAPPY WRITING and HUGS,

~Nichelle

I absolutely LOVED reading about Michael's issues. Karma has come back for him in a HUGE way, especially since he always loved the feeling of control over everyone else. It must absolutely suck for him to know what being beholden to someone else feels like. I don't feel not one bit sorry for the little ingrate! He tried to play with everyone's psyche about him returning to David, only he's the one who's paying the ultimate price for his headgames.

I really proud of Deb here, for so many reasons. The first is that she's letting Michael face the consequences of his own actions. It's funny that he is seeing just how selfish and controlling he is from the otherside, and that Deb is not doing ANYTHING to bully David into letting Michael go as she might have done in the past. It shows major character growth on her part. Secondly, I LOVE that she's not expecting Brian to clean up the mess with Jenny that Mel is making. Deb, in turn, told Jenny the entire truth as she knows it instead of trying to sugarcoat the misdeeds that began this mess in the first place. She didn't try to force her opinion of the situation on Jenny, but gave her the fact so she could draw her own conclusions. 

But what I was largely impressed with was that Deb didn't yell at Brian for keeping Lindsay's situation a secret from her. She didn't allow her inherent need to know everything get in the way of accepting Brian and Justin's reasoning in not telling her. Sure she would have wanted to help Lindsay, but Brian's right in that it would have broken Debbie's heart not to have been able to do so. 

I LOVE EMMETT!!! That's all I can say about him. His and Patrick's banter was so adorable, and Brian sounding like a father was hilarious. But what I really love is that Em will have the up close and personal chance to see Gus and Patrick build their own dynamic separately from the circumstances of how they met. And not only that, but as rare as it was on the show, I've always loved to see Em in protective mode. I'm sure with Melanie coming, he's going to have plenty use for that awesome verbal sword he has.

EXCELLENT chapter, StarBaby and looking forward to MORE!

HAPPY WRITING and HUGS,

~Nichelle

Fabulous chapter! Gus' visit with Lindsay had be actually near bawling at my screen. My heart really went out to both of them, and yet I think somehow they each made progress in their own ways. I believe that Gus is right in that it was cathartic for him in a major way. I also liked that Lindsay asked him about his relationship with Ian, and when Gus mentioned how Ian's friends treated him, Lindsay made the connection to the bet everyone was placing on Brian and Justin's happiness. Lindsay's comments to Justin definitely provided a new perspective in revisiting that particular scene.

YAY!! Mel is getting her eyes pried opened about a lot of things about herself and her motivations. The backstory on her bulljive throughout the years was extremely enlightening. While I hate David and all he stands for in this fic, I can actually be happy that he's thwarted her visions of having him for an ally while quarantining the human plague that is Michael Novotny. That's a major coup for him... and a well-deserved kick in his ears and brain since he has to wake up to that incessant whine everyday. You just CANNOT un-hear that constant cross between Evil Mickey Mouse and Pee Wee Herman. That damn voice could peel paint and singe eyebrows!

As far as Mel trying to throw her 'weight' around, that skinny ass chick better take several seats, open up her ears, and inhale a large dose of STFU! I'm so glad that Gus shut her down first with that VERY blunt text message, and then Deb with a whole lot of hard truths for her selfish ass. I have to wonder though... with Gus being 21 (or is it 23? I have to look again), shouldn't Jenny be somewhere close to 18? Or if not, at least near 16? If it's a case of the latter- and I was in Jenny's shoes- I would already be looking for ways to emanicipate myself away from the loose cannon that is Melanie. I believe the core requirements that Jenny would need is a life-sustaining job- preferably one that would offer benefits, even at a part-time status (ie: the local cable company), a place to live, and be willing to continue her education. It might be worth looking into for Jenny's peace of mind, because I can only see her life with that trouble-seeking missile Melanie getting worse as she's once again prevented from getting her way.

A little more about Jenny: I do actually feel a little sorry for Jenny, mainly because in that little bastard's spite and ignorance, he's taken the ONE person in Jenny's life that would have loved her unconditionally. Michael couldn't take the fact that Ben had found a reward in a new main squeeze after enduring the sufferance of Michael, so he punishes his own daughter for him not being able to keep a man (David doesn't count; he's just a controlling toddler with MAN parts). In all honesty, I STILL feel that Ben should be in line for sainthood in the Great Beyond simply for his charitable works in dating Michael! But I digress.

Anyway, it's really sad that Mel is not thinking of Jenny's feelings at all; only the money she would be losing by doing what's best for her daughter. I wish that particular tidbit of information had come out when she was confronted by Deb. But I have to say, good for Patrick showing his maturity- and also biting back- when Jenny made the snide comments so reminscent of those her mother would have made. Regardless that he may look like Sam, he is definitely Brian and Justin's son!

Looking forward to MORE!!

HAPPY WRITING and HUGS,

~Chelle