AN: Thanks for the reviews.

And a thank you to Greg for beta-ing. I personally don't really like this chapter. But we'll see what you guys think.

LXIV.

It took a couple hours to get everything set for the assault. They chose the southwestern side for the infiltration unit to move in. Security seemed lighter on that end of the building, and there was an easily accessible entrance, a frame missing its door, that Ben suggested was how the Skitters moved in and out of the building. Their appendages made doors hard to open.

"Hank and I will go first, clear the hall," Dai instructed, "On our signal, Maggie and Lettie move in. Tom and Ben will bring up the rear."

They shouldered their rifles. Dai and Hank waited for an opening, as a Mech traipsed by, before rushing through the dark towards the entryway. No one breathed until the two men made it inside, disappearing from sight. Maggie and Lettie prepped to move, scouring the dark for Dai's signal.

"You feeling okay?" Tom asked Ben.

"Fine," Ben answered tersely, glanced at his father warily, and softly questioned, "You?"

"I won't be okay until you and your brothers are somewhere safe," Tom returned easily, took a deep breath and joked, "So, I guess that means these days I'm never okay."

"I know that you want to protect me, dad," Ben started carefully, wet his lips and checked the clip in his rifle, "And I know I've given you a hard time about it but…but no one gets a free pass from this war. I'm in the middle of it, and you can't keep me safe."

"Won't stop me from trying," Tom quipped.

"I'm good at this, though, dad. A lot has happened to me while you've been away," Ben persisted, "The things that have happened, they haven't made me weaker. The aliens have taken things from me, yeah, but they haven't taken everything and I've gained a lot, and I'm stronger because of it. I'm strong, and I'm capable. I can do this."

"Okay," Tom whispered, placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "But for my sanity, will you stay close, please?"

Ben rolled his eyes, "Sure, dad."

Dai sent out his signal, three winks from his flashlight, and when the area was clear, Maggie and Lettie moved in. Tom and Ben readied themselves, rifles tucked into their shoulders, breath bated, and attention focused on the doorframe. The signal flashed, and they cut across the field at first opportunity.

The smell hit Ben first. Despite that sense being dampened by the alien harness, the familiar stench, a memory more than reality, overwhelmed him. He staggered through the door, leaned against the wall inside the corridor, and gasped.

Tom was beside him at once, "Son?"

"I'm alright," Ben quickly answered; pushing his father away and meeting Dai's eye, gave a nod. He took the head of the group, lifted his rifle and led the way along the corridor. Every step he took felt like a knot tightening in his chest. He struggled to breath, his vision blearing. He could hear the echoes of screams bouncing off the walls, and attempted to focus on their source, strained for Matt's voice, but nothing. He was silent and it gripped Ben, the very real possibility, they were too late.

…

Jimmy tentatively entered Captain Weaver's tent, stood nervously at the entrance. Weaver sat in a chair, leaned over a table, a glass of amber liquid in front of him untouched. Jimmy made a small noise in the back of his throat, and Weaver stirred, looked up at him.

"Did you have more orders for me, sir?"

Weaver dropped his gaze back to the glass, pushed it away and sat up, leaned back and studied Jimmy.

"No."

Jimmy shifted back a step, fidgeted with his vest, toyed with the bullet and brought it up to his lip momentarily. His use had camp ran its course fast. He wondered, worried, how much longer it would take for the team out at the harnessing facility. He was one of the few fighters not out there, he told himself it made him more valuable at camp, but he'd never been able to believe his own lies.

"There's not much we can do right now, is there?" Weaver continued, motioned to one of the chairs across from him, "Sit down."

Jimmy slowly moved across the tent and took a seat. He noticed Weaver's compass on the table, gaped at it a few seconds, then darted his eyes up to Weaver. The captain was examining his glass, twisting it in circles, trying to decide if he should take a drink or not. To be honest, Jimmy could use a drink right then and he thought to mention it but Weaver spoke up first.

"I've been grounded by my own unit; it's like a joke without a punch-line."

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"Nothing. Musing, is all," Weaver waved it away, and straightened, leered at Jimmy a moment, "We always think we know what's best, give orders without thinking twice about it, it isn't until someone turns our advice back on us that we realize what pompous assholes we really are. It's the same with parenting. That poor sap, Tom, got the three boys, and one giant mistake hanging over his head."

"I don't think he sees it as a mistake, sir."

"No, he doesn't. Was it really? He made a choice, and he's got to answer for it, same as anyone else. But who decides which choices are mistakes and which choices are not? We make decisions based on the information we have at that moment, and if the choice we makes turn out bad, maybe our information was wrong or maybe things just didn't work out, well then, everyone holds us accountable to it, hangs a scarlet letter over our head, we made a mistake," Weaver mumbled, lifted the glass and drained it, set it back on the table, "Daughters aren't much easier. When my girls were little, they practically worshipped me. Daddy's girls, that's what they call them, right?"

"I guess so."

"Yeah. I had two of them. Daddy's girls," Weaver continued, "Everyone tells you little girls are delicate, and vulnerable, emotional. Not my girls, tough as they came, both of them, molded from some kind of hardy steel. Anyone tells you a girl is fragile, never had one, I'll tell you that much for certain. They always wanted to go out hunting with me, fishing, camping. Taught Jeanne to skin a rabbit, gut a fish, when she was…eh…not really sure…five or six, must have been. Thought she'd be squeamish about it, but she insisted, and she did it all without flinching, or making a fuss. She cried later, for the rabbit, not the fish, funny that. But she did it, and she did it again and again, got really good at it. Taught her to rifle hunt, shot a ten point buck when she was twelve, proudest damn day of my whole life."

"Oh," Jimmy murmured, wrinkled his brow, "I don't really know what that is, sir."

"You never been deer hunting?" Weaver asked, surprised.

Jimmy slowly shook his head.

"Not so strange, I guess," Weaver commented, filled his glass again, "Before, there were people never spent a second outside of the city. You'd of been good at it though. Still blows me away you've never touched a gun before the aliens landed, crack shot that you turned out to be. I suppose you still could be good at it. Maybe I'll take you out hunting sometime, you and Jeanne. 2nd Mass needs to eat, right?"

"Sure."

"Rachel used to be a handful," Weaver continued, hand trembling as he lifted the glass to his lip, took another drink, "Mother would get calls, Rachel was getting in fights at school. Boys would say something and she'd beat them up."

"My sister…" Jimmy started, bit his tongue and lowered his eyes. Weaver raised a brow, stared at Jimmy dumbstruck.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. Sorry, I just…um…was going to say that my…my sister was like that. Is all," Jimmy stammered.

"I didn't know you had a sister," Weaver stated.

"Yeah. I don't really…" Jimmy frowned, whispered, "No one really knows. Ben. Now you. And that's all."

"Oh," Weaver murmured, "Is she…?"

"Dead. She's dead," Jimmy confirmed, took a deep breath and continued, "They all are. All of them. I won't ever…like you and Jeanne. That won't ever happen for me. I won't see my family again."

"I'm sorry, son, I didn't mean to…"

"They'll bring her back, sir," Jimmy said firmly, "Professor Mason and Ben. They'll bring her back safe. I know that if anyone can do it, they can. They're good at that."

Weaver nodded, "Thank you, Jimmy."

"Yeah. They're a lot alike, aren't they? Ben and his dad?"

"You mean, arrogant, pig-headed and overbearing?" Weaver wondered.

"Yeah," Jimmy flashed a grin, and then softened the expression into a small smile, "They have to protect everyone. Like it's their job or something. They're all like that, I guess. Except Matt, because he was so young, but he's getting there."

"He'll be safe too, you know," Weaver said.

"I know," Jimmy murmured, smiled and whispered, "Thanks, sir."

…

Lettie took out the first Mech they encountered. Her gunshot echoed through the halls, and the group looked anxiously to one another, waited for an inevitable downpour of enemy. Nothing.

"The other Mech is on its way," Ben supplied, "The kids are being kept down the hall up ahead, but the Skitter has some in the harnessing chamber. Dad," he looked to his father, stark featured, "It has Matt."

"You're sure," Tom demanded, and Ben nodded stiffly.

"I wasn't at first, but…but I heard him talking and…" Ben closed his eyes, "They've already started harnessing them. I can hear the screams…I know those screams, dad."

"We'll split up," Dai decided.

"I'm going for my son. Ben, where are they?" Tom demanded, and Ben didn't hesitate to show the way.

"Maggie, Hank, go get the other kids, take them to our exit point," Dai commanded, as he and Lettie hurried after the retreating Masons.

It wasn't a long trek before they were close enough everyone could hear the screams, and they broke into a sprint towards the tormented sounds. The burst into the room, everything rushing to Ben, as though plucked from his darkest memories, those he'd tried so hard to black out. There were the restraining tables, two kids bore harnessed on their backs, one still screaming as the harness took and the other blank faced, already under its control. Jeanne strapped to one table, sobbing for her lost boys, and Matt, the Skitter poised to place a harness on his bare back. In the center of the room was the giant tank, harnessing creatures swimming in its murky depths singing an eerie song that shuddered through Ben; all at once haunting and beautiful.

First in the room, Ben raised his rifle to kill the Skitter, but when Matt cried out in anguish for their father, it shocked through him and paralyzed him to the spot. The others rushed into the room then and Dai took out the Skitter with a spray of bullets, and Lettie polished off the harness, as it fell squirming to the floor. Tom hurried to Matt, unsheathing a knife at his hip and cutting off the restraints, Matt thrust himself into his father's arms, crying uncontrollably. Ben stared, transfixed by the scene, a hollow ache in his chest.

More gunfire erupted down the halls, another Mech in another hall dropped, and a Skitter scurried into sight. Tom swung his rifle up, obliterated the Skitter in a fury of fire.

"We need to move now," Tom shouted. Dai cut Jeanne free, and they went to retrieve the children that were harnessed.

"I can't leave them," Jeanne cried, hovering over one of the boys, pushing hair from his face and trying to speak to him, get his attention. It wouldn't work; his mind belonged to the slug now.

"We have a way of removing the harness," Dai told her, "But we have to get them back to camp and we'll need to force them there. You'll have to help me."

Together, Dai and Jeanne were able to get the two boys to their feet. Without knowing why, Ben took a step towards the tank, electric shivers racing his spine. Something was happening, he could sense it.

"They know we're here," Ben said, turned to the others, "More Skitter will be coming."

"Then we shouldn't be here when they arrive. Come on, Ben," Tom said, reaching his hand out. Ben glanced at the offering, looked to his brother secure in Tom's arm, set his jaw and brushed coolly passed.

Maggie had the others secure at the corridor. Diego and Jeanne met with a flurry of kisses and Ben smirked at them, instantly thought of getting back to camp, where his own kisses had better be waiting. Diego took over the boy in Dai's charge, and Dai sent out the signal, a series of winks from his flashlight: two, three, two, and one.

It took nearly a full minute for the assault to launch, explosions set off around the entire perimeter. Ben could hear at least three go down, and more trumpeting in every which direction, gunfire and more bombs went off, as the infiltration unit and their rescued group made a break for it. Fighters flanking the children on all sides, they led them back to their vehicles and loaded in.

"Get back to camp," Dai instructed Tom, "I'm going to retrieve the Berserkers."

"Okay," Tom agreed, "Be safe."

"It's good to have you back, Tom," Dai said.

"It's good to be back," Tom returned.

The trip back to camp was mostly silent. Matt slumped against Tom, refused to let go of his father, and Tom asked Ben as to his well-being, which Ben gave a small, non-committal noise of response to, and spent the ride staring out the window at the passing nightscape.

At their return, Weaver met them on the edge of camp. He crushed Jeanne in a hug and together they rushed the two unfortunate boys to Dr. Glass and Lourdes for harness removal. Most of the group followed after, but Tom took Matt back to their tent for rest until their departure, and Ben went in search of Jimmy.

Several minutes later, Hal found Ben stalking the perimeter, on patrol or something like it. He'd had no luck finding Jimmy, resorting to wandering aimlessly instead, wading through the muck of his thoughts.

"We're going to pick up in an hour, Weaver wants at least twenty miles between us and this place by sunrise," Hal said when he first approached.

Ben nodded his understanding, but didn't reply.

"How did things go in there?" Hal asked, biting out the word 'there'.

Ben shrugged, "Matt's home; isn't he?"

"True. But you don't quite seem like you are," Hal pointed out, standing at Ben's shoulder and scouring the gray haze of dusk around camp, "I heard you had a shot but didn't take it."

"Dad couldn't wait for his 'I told you so', could he?" Ben scowled.

"Dai told me," Hal corrected, "Dad's been too preoccupied with Matt to tell anyone much of anything. Ben, what the hell happened? You haven't frozen in battle since, hell, ever, really."

"Nothing happened. I froze, end of story. It was a onetime thing, though, it won't happen again."

Hal shifted, turned his face towards camp. There was a lot of motion going on, people finishing up the last of their packing. The image of that Skitter, holding the harnessing device over Matt, stained Ben's vision, and he closed his eyes, tried to shake it away.

"How are those kids? The ones with the harnesses?" Ben spoke up.

"One didn't make it," Hal answered.

Ben lowered his head, remained silent. Another dead, and he couldn't move past the feeling that the blood was on his hands. Doubt lingered more readily in his mind than ever. A huge chunk of his day was missing and those kids hideout was hit? Was it just coincidence? Where did he go and what did he do during those blackouts? Was there truth to what people said? Could he not be trusted? Were the aliens still in control?

"Diego and his people are going to travel with us for a while. They plan on taking off when we reach the new location. We should get there in a few days," Hal continued to explain, "From there, who know where we're going. We're running out of places to run."

"Maybe we need to stop running," Ben said.

Hal nodded, folded his arms over his chest and kicked at the ground.

"We need to talk about…about what happened before," Hal started, cleared his throat and clarified, "When you attacked me."

"That was…you were being…" Ben stumbled for an excuse, shook his head angrily. His brother really had to choose now, right now of all times, to ask about that.

"I know something is going on with you. You can't tell me that it's nothing, Ben. Whether it's stress from everything that's happening or if it's something that has to do with what the aliens have done to you, I don't care, Ben, but you need to tell someone," Hal persisted.

Ben walked away a few paces, walked back a step, turned his back to his brother, took a deep breath, "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just stress, but the harness, what it did to me, makes it worse, I guess. But I'm getting it under control."

"Are you?"

"Yes. I'm figuring it out. Jimmy knows how to calm me down when it happens," Ben partially lied. He hadn't been entirely convinced that Jimmy was being upfront about how everything went down.

"Jimmy knows."

"Yeah, Jimmy," Ben confirmed.

"At what point did you plan on telling someone who actually needs to know, like Dr. Glass, or me, or Weaver?" Hal wondered.

"Jimmy is someone who needs to know," Ben muttered, "I spend most of my time with him and it's already affected him more than anyone else."

"You need to tell dad," Hal said.

"Yeah, right," Ben grumbled sarcastically.

"Ben, I know you haven't been dealing with his return too well…"

"Look who's talking!"

"Fine, neither of us have," Hal snapped, "But dad is still dad. He's still got the more level head on his shoulders. He needs to know about this, he'll have a better idea of what to do about it, how to handle it. Besides, he's worried about you. He already knows something is up, that you've been acting different. He keeps asking me about it."

"I am different."

"I know that, Ben, but he needs to know that, and he needs to know why," Hal said plainly, sighed and went on, "It's not the only thing he keeps asking about. He wants to know who you're hanging out with, who you've been talking to, what friends you're making."

"Why couldn't he be one of those parents that doesn't give a damn about our lives?" Ben groaned.

"He's trying to figure out who I meant the other day, when we were talking about that confession you gave, and all I can come up with is Jimmy. I can't cover for you like this for much longer. He's going to start figuring something out. When are you going to tell him?" Hal asked.

"I'm waiting on Jimmy," Ben sighed.

"Since we're on the topic, that Roman kid," Hal started and Ben bristled, scowled, "Has he been hassling you like that a lot lately?"

"No. I can handle him," Ben said sharply. He wasn't twelve anymore, he didn't need Hal to deal with his bullies.

"So…uh…what he said about Jimmy then? He's like, what, your competition or something?"

"Something. Maybe. I don't know," Ben mumbled, blinked away the unsettling emotions swarming his eyes, "Roman has a thing for Jimmy, and he's been getting worse about pursuing it. Jimmy says it's nothing, that he doesn't care about Roman, but sometimes, I don't know, it seems like he could…could care about Roman."

"Damn. I didn't know Jimmy was so popular," Hal stated in a light-hearted tone, "Listen, Ben, if Jimmy decides to go for this Roman guy, he's an idiot. For starters, Roman's a way bigger jerk than you."

"Gee, thanks," Ben muttered sarcastically, trying to ignore the sting of Hal's words, the verbalized possibility that Jimmy could decide to go for Roman.

"And you know, I know the seas gotten a lot smaller lately, but clearly, there are still plenty of options out here," Hal went on, "Jimmy's not all there is and you're both still so young. I know you love him, but if it doesn't work out, you need to know that you'll find someone else."

Ben swallowed down the heartache. Hal was talking about it like he and Jimmy were doomed, there was no hope that Jimmy would choose Ben, and Ben couldn't rationalize an argument in his head to the contrary. Jimmy didn't love Ben back, was reluctant to accept the future Ben wanted to give him, and despite all his protests that he didn't care about Roman, didn't even like Roman, he found himself around the older boy an awful lot. Hell, Ben determined bitterly, that was probably where Jimmy was at the moment, hanging out with Roman.

"The things he said about Karen," Ben spoke up, coughing into his fist to hide the quake in his words.

"Like I said, he's a jerk."

"He's not wrong," Ben murmured, "You guys came for me and left her. I know it wasn't your choice, Hal…"

"No, it wasn't. I had every intention of going back for her," Hal verified, "It was dad convinced me not to. Said we had no clue where they took her or what waited for us there. Promised we'd get her back one day, but…"

"We will, Hal. I'll help you," Ben vowed, sniffled and admitted, "It was my fault she was taken."

Hal lightly slapped Ben's shoulder to get his attention. He looked to his older brother confused and Hal nodded towards camp. Ben turned, a mixture of emotions erupting in his chest, as Jimmy hesitated a few yards from them, keeping a respectful distance, waiting for the brothers to finish.

"I'll come get you when we're ready to move," Hal said, smirked at Ben and added, "Make sure dad doesn't walk in on something."

"Thanks, Hal," Ben replied.

Hal stalked away, grunting a greeting to Jimmy in passing. Jimmy smiled slightly at the elder brother, and then slowly moved towards the younger. He slipped his arms around Ben's waist, and Ben caught Jimmy at the base of his neck, drew him into a fierce kiss. They rest their foreheads together, and Ben studied Jimmy, as Jimmy stared, entranced by Ben's shirt collar, fingers curling at his sides.

"You okay?" Ben asked.

"I should be asking you that question," Jimmy smiled, rolled his up to meet Ben's, "I heard about what happened, that you froze."

Ben pulled back and paced away a few steps, "From who? Dai's not known for having a big mouth."

"I don't know the source. A few people are talking about it in camp," Jimmy supplied, shrugged, "Does it matter? So you froze. We all have. It's not a big deal. I just need to hear from you that you're okay."

"Fine. I'm okay," Ben grouched.

Jimmy took a few steps towards Ben, paused half-way, hands in his pockets, tipped forward and searched Ben's face. Ben sighed, looked away.

"I want to talk about it," Jimmy said.

"All you said you wanted was to hear I'm okay. I'm okay. Drop it," Ben muttered.

"Not what happened out there, Ben. I mean it. I mean…" he reached out a hand, fingertips brushing along Ben's spine.

Ben yanked away, reeled on Jimmy, "Fine, so long as I get to pull out the list of shit you don't ever want to talk about. We'll start with Roman."

Jimmy pursed his lips, expression firm and unflinching, his arms stiff at his sides and shoulders only giving a slight tremble. Ben released the breath he didn't know he was holding. He took a step forward, and rest his forehead on Jimmy's shoulder a moment, rolled away and walked a few steps towards camp, paused, sighed.

"You know, you always think you know what you're afraid of, until you're facing something truly frightening," Ben whispered, shuddered, and ran his hand over his face, "When they took me, I didn't fight. I didn't run away. I stood there, and let myself be taken. Not because I was trying to be brave, or anything, but because I was so scared, I couldn't move. I couldn't think. All I could do was exactly what those things wanted me to do. Even before I had that harness on, I was under their control."

Jimmy moved to Ben, stood near enough he could touch Ben, but he didn't.

"I didn't cry. When they took us to the facility. Not once. Others did, everyone did. Not me," Ben continued, swallowed hard and closed his eyes, "I kept telling myself, my dad would come for me. Any minute now. He wouldn't let them hurt me, he wouldn't let them keep me. It seemed impossible, and everyone else saw there was no hope, but I kept believing he'd find a way. Time passed so slowly and so quickly. Kids were taken. New kids were brought in. We could hear screaming sometimes. That door would open and we'd all cower in the back of the room, pushing others forward, offering them up so that we wouldn't be taken.

"The day they took me to be harnessed, I let them take me. I didn't fight. I didn't struggle. I just followed them. What was I going to do? There was nowhere to go. They removed my shirt, strapped me to that table. I kept telling myself, my dad would come. Any minute now. He would burst through that door, he would save me. He wouldn't let anything bad ever happen to me."

Jimmy slipped his hand in Ben's, set his chin on Ben's shoulder and turned his eyes up, staring at Ben.

"When they put the harness on my back, that's when I started crying," Ben whispered, dropped his head, "The pain of that thing ripping through my flesh and drilling into my spine was nothing compared to the realization my dad wasn't coming for me."

Ben closed his eyes, tightened his hand on Jimmy's, and Jimmy nestled his head against Ben's neck, breathed soft, warm, against his skin.

"And that was it. That was the moment, when I knew…I knew I couldn't rely on him. That I had only myself. No one else."

"You know that your dad never gave up looking for you," Jimmy whispered, insistent, "He spent months searching for you. Him and Hal, that's all they cared about, was finding you, saving you, getting you back."

"I know it," Ben murmured, "But knowing and feeling it are two different things. This'll sound awful, it is horrible and wrong, but when I stood in that room, watched them cut Matt free, I knew I should've felt glad, happy he was safe, but my first thought, my only thought, was 'why him'? Why him and not me?"

Ben looked at Jimmy, tears damp on his cheeks.

"You hate me for that?"

Jimmy shook his head, rest his mouth against Ben's shoulder, eyes locked on Ben's face.

"Being harnessed…I don't know how to describe it," Ben said, sniffled and stared out at the blossoming sunrise; spoke as if in a daze, "It wasn't scary or bad. It was like life, life before, except stripped free of all the bad things that make life hard and complicated, bad memories and emotions. You never felt scared, afraid, alone, ashamed, foolish, stupid, awkward, ugly; none of that. Everything was just…calm, peaceful…perfect."

"You almost sound like you miss it," Jimmy noted distantly, brow heavily drawn with worry.

Ben couldn't blame Jimmy for being concerned. Rick had missed it, when his harness was first removed, and he made attempts to rejoin the aliens. He learned the hard way that he couldn't escape reality so easy.

"Sometimes," Ben mumbled, smiled at Jimmy and said, "But I would never want to go back."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I would never want a life that didn't have you in it," Ben explained, turned and dragged Jimmy into a kiss.

.

.

.

AN: Things kind of rushed through in this chapter. Oh well. God, I'm tired. School just started, I recently got a new car, work is moving into the heavy season, and on top of that, I'm in the process of moving. My stress levels are ridiculously high, so I apologize in advance for being grumpy.

I do want to note that I hated in the series how that episode when they went to the harnessing facility (last full episode of the series I watched, actually) was mostly about how Matt wanted to be a fighter and is still just a little kid that needs his daddy. The whole time they're going in to rescue the kids, I'm sitting there thinking, oh my God, Ben went through this, sitting in a cell waiting, waking up to have that thing painfully drilled into his back. I had hoped they would sort of address his emotions on that past traumatizing event, but they didn't. Of course not.

Right. Um...let me know what you think please.

Reviewers: NoxOne, hehe, I'm glad you loved the interactions. I don't think anyone liked the Roman/Ben interaction, except maybe Greg, but he always kind of hopes that the aggression between Ben and Rome will turn into hot boy-on-boy, and I keep telling him it's not going to happen. Sigh, can't please everyone I guess. Hope this chapter held up to expectations! TyphoonBoom08, lol, you're not alone on wanting Rome dead right now. Killing him would be too easy, though. Yes, I was sort of hoping the Tom/Weaver/Jimmy interaction would soothe the burn of the Ben/Rome interaction, and I guess I was right. So yay! Yeah, Jimmy has no clue that Weaver is really worried about losing his 'adopted son' shortly after losing his daughter. Maybe one day he'll get it. And there's how long it took for Jimmy and Ben to talk about it. Dee, wow, that was one heck of a rant! I was taken aback at first. You really do hate Rome. I hope you don't hate me for creating him? You do have his standpoint in the argument a bit off, though, he's not advocating they start saving more harnessed kids, he's advocating they leave Diego, Jeanne, Matt, and the others behind the way they do all the other harnessed kids. I know, I know, infinitely better (sarcastic emphasis on infinite). I think it's interesting how no one has wondered about Roman's current state of mind, if perhaps he might have a bit of a death wish at the moment. I mean, think about it, what does he have to potentially gain by goading Ben into a fight (he could possibly beat Ben, or at least throw Ben off enough off his game to get Ben killed as you said, maybe become the resident go to super soldier, and possibly, win over Jimmy) and what does he have to lose (basically just his life) which is so awesome right now, right? I will say that, at this point in time, Rome isn't entirely sure if he really has feelings for Jimmy, or if he's doing it to piss Ben off. Also, remember, what changed Roman's attitude towards Jimmy was the fight they had, when Jimmy beat Roman, and that Roman was "subordinate" to Kelsey. Keep that in mind, because it's actually more telling about Roman's personality, than his fight with Ben. Roman is more or less a wild dog right now. Jimmy, yes, Jimmy, Jimmy. He's going to put himself through a lot for Ben. He may not be able to say that he loves Ben, but he certainly shows it in spades. I thought you might like the Jimmy/Weaver/Tom stuff. Yeah, I don't know if Weaver would ever be so forward in getting that point across to Jimmy, and I don't know if Jimmy is capable of ever figuring it out. Ah, like star-crossed lovers, they're a star-crossed make-shift family. This story has a long ways to go though. Promises to keep. Miles to go before I sleep. LuckyDreamer91, awww, you're so sweet. I always feel I have a long ways to go from being a good writer, so it really makes me happy to know you like this story so much. Thank you so much for getting me that info. I know exactly how Denny is going to fit into the dark future fic, though I'm still going to fret that fans of her character won't like my interpretation, it's always the risk you run with any fanfic you write. Right? Terminator85, no. RandomGuy, your mental state worries me. FallingSkiesFan, you missed a lot of the story, obviously. Txultra, I understood why people drew a parallel between Rome and Franklin at first, because both were antagonistic characters towards Ben, but at this point, I think it should be obvious that Rome poses a much more significant challenge to Ben and Jimmy's relationship than Franklin ever could or would have. And much of your comments are non-sequiter. Uk Boy, I also worry about your mental state.

So, directed at those last four or five reviewers, they know who they are, (and I could be completely wrong on this, but I have a strange suspicion that at least two or three of those are the same person spam reviewing), first of all, I don't have a problem with negative comments in reviews, I don't expect everything I write to be well-received by everyone, I do, however, have a problem with people who lurk and then only come out to bitch about things. And saying you "like the story but bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch" is no different. Furthermore, zeroing in on one aspect of a story in the one review you've ever given and just complaining about it doesn't demonstrate to me that you're paying attention to any of the story or even someone whose opinion I should take credence in. Second, this is an "M" rated story, you should be able to demonstrate maturity in your reviews, and an ability to grasp the complicated structure of the story at large. Drenching your review in obscenities and unnecessary vulgarities, and speaking as though you don't understand that Roman is a character in a story with a role to play, worrisome in and of itself, is evidence that you shouldn't be here. If the character is that disturbing to you that you can't move past it, you are more than welcome to find another story to read. Leave, and leave it unsaid, because disliking a character is not actually a valid complaint, especially if that character is designed to be an antagonistic and rival love interest to a main character (translation: you're supposed to hate him a little). Third and last, I hate to do this, because I think it's stupid that I should have to and isn't fair to those reviewers who are mature and spend a great deal of time writing well-thought out reviews, but I'm going to be filtering reviews for unnecessarily obscene content and lack of substance. So, if your reviews don't show up immediately, don't panic, I just have to take time out of my day to approve them. I hate doing it because I don't want people to feel like they may need to censor their reviews to get them through, and I don't want people thinking they can't give me criticisms, but unfortunately, someone always has to ruin it for everyone.

Thanks for stopping in everyone, and I'll see you all next Sunday.