You've done a beautiful job here. First, taking such a moving song and then giving us a moving story to go with it. And you hit on something that occurred to me, too. That, as much as Gene wanted to keep Alex with him, the overwhelming fear of one day losing her to Keats made him let go.

Oh, but the regrets and recriminations! And the loneliness! In spite of Gene's reaching out for a bit of temporary company, the other emotions will always be there. Perhaps dulled a little over time, but always there. Will he ever decide that it's his turn to enter Railway Arms? I hope so.

I just read this and there's a lump in my throat! That was incredibly beautiful and really moving. It worked so much better than I'd have imagined, you've done a wonderful job with this x

Oh my god, this was just incredible. I have masses of respect for you for doing this, especially taking into consideration the Latin! This was simply beautiful and heartbreaking; gosh you made me cry - always a good sign! I absolutely loved loved LOVED it. x

Simply beautiful. You manage to capture Gene's inner turmoil and angst over his situation perfectly. And the song (latin or english version) compliments Gene and his thoughts perfectly.

Danielle.

Wow. So tragically beautiful. I'd love to leave a longer review but I can't see the screen properly - it's gone all blurry for some reason... *sob*

Oh my goodness, how stunning, and could there be a song more apt?

I loved it all, and especially the line 'accent as plushy as a cinema seat'

Thank you!

So hopefully gene just asked for another beer and nothing more? Thanks for writing and sharing.

I think you should definitely win the prize for most original songfic that's for sure - and I commend your taste in baritones. Thomas Allen is not only a fabulous singer but also from my home town.

As to the story, I must admit there was another tear in my eye - Nope I'm still not over it yet and you captured Gene's awful angst perfectly.

Well done for rising to what could have been an impossible challenge.

Wow, I was quite frankly, stunned by this. Every single possible unspoken law says this shouldn't work, but bloody hell, it *does*! I'm actually very glad you kept the Latin in, because I ended up finding it quite beautiful to read, strangely, and it added rhythm to the writing parts. This was a brilliant songfic, and I really do have to commend you on making it work so well - I would have either chucked my phone out of the window, or simply done it again, so wow, really, well done! I loved this - Gene's pain seeped through every word and it was just...brilliant! Again, thanks so much for entering!

X D

I gasped when I saw the alert in my inbox, and again when I saw the title, but the real coup de grace was discovering your source. I actually had to round up a couple of versions of "Estuans interius" for a little accompaniment to my reading.

As for the introduction, sometimes I think you're a one-woman supporter of the arts on this website, at least in this genre, though I guess IanFish has also proven helpful in that regard.

As for the story itself, you touched on all the emotions and plot points that there given short shrift in the finale: the absence of warm, nurturing Luigi; the loss (and horrible fate) of steady, reliable Viv; Gene's reticence and emotional distance, the great many things he left unsaid. It's good too that you allow him, via his thoughts, to explain his motivation for sending Bolls in the door of the Railway Arms, and reaffirm his essential loneliness. That the possibility that Alex might find someone else torments him is also fitting.

Just a wonderful story, so appropriate, so suitable for your background and your approach to the characters. Thanks for taking the challenge!

Carmina Burana - brings back memories of being in the county choir, singing something along the lines of 'my rosy red lips want to be kissed' - terribly embarrassing for a young girl, but so was my singing voice!

Had a comforting feeling as you dismissed all their brief goodbyes and gave us more of what we'd have like to have heard Gene say, but you managed to give us another bittersweet ending leaving open the thought of him contemplating solace in the flesh of the blonde barmaid and sloshing back the booze. Really enjoyed. Thanks.

Well when I read your challenge I thought there was no way anyone could pull that off, not even Matthew and Ashley but you've proven me wrong! I don't know why but I always imagine Gene having a stack of classical albums stuck somewhere in his house so this fit with that. Bravo!

It could have been worse, you could have ended up with the Dies irae from Verdi's Requiem!

I love the way Gene sees the faces in his drink and how just as in O Fortuna the phrasing is short and dynamic so to my mind his thoughts are jumping around.

Carl Orff meets Ashes to Ashes - brilliant!

I quite enjoyed reading this songfic, thought it explained Gene's feelings very well