I found Todd's proposal even more touching than when Kayla started speaking at her and Steve's 1st wedding ceremony (yacht).

It takes a village! And I hope when Victor finds the lasing love he deserves, that his sweetheart/wife will love and help to raise the babes too.

2 of each flavor! Yum. :-) Marty and Todd deserve them.

Busted! I'm so relieved. None of them deserve mercy. Peter's a demon and Irene and Kiki are just cowardly harpies.

All's well... :-)

Quadruplets! Oy.

Poor Marty. As always, I admire my girl for thinking of Todd and his well-being even as she's going through so much turmoil.

I know - at least I hope! - the nurse is trying to be kind, but I hate to see Marty forced to leave Todd and hope the nurse will keep her word to let Marty come back. :-(

Thanks for continuing your great tales!

I must apologise again for my long, unexplained absence. Work has been very hard lately, and I've been asked to rewrite tons of assignments for a colleague at work who's doing a college degree by internet correspondence.

It's gotten to be way too much - I've edited over 140 essays for her since last October! It's like having a part-time job with long hours, no notice, no salary, no benefits and very little recognition/acknowledgement.

Sigh. I suffer from nice-girl syndrome, and now I don't know how to get out of it. All I can say is that I hope I'm gathering some karma points for all the work in the long run!

Hope you and your family are doing very well!

Quadruple whammy!

Poor Tina. She may have gone along with the Manning evil for too long, but she didn't deserve to die that way. I hope she's at peace now.

Poor Marty! I always admire her bravery - this chapter reminds me of the quote that bravery is not the absence of fear, but coping with and through fear (paraphrase).

I hope Marty is able to keep BOTH Victor and Todd in her life - she's going to need all the help she can get, and Todd certainly needs her very much.

I hope you'll watch the movie "Malice" (1993, Bill Pullman, Nicole Kidman, Alec Baldwin) if you've never seen it. It mentions infertility if that's a trigger alert, and also mentions Pergonal, which made me think of it. But I won't spoil any of it for you if you haven't seen it!

Thanks for all the excellent recent updates - I am gorging myself on them as a treat as my summer vacation (which is only 5 weeks for teachers in Australia, but I shouldn't complain, I've been having a nice break) draws to a close.

Poor Tina! I hope that if she makes it and wakes up, no one will be able to deceive her that it was anyone but Irene who shot her.

And poor Victor - talk about an impossible choice.

And since these are (duh) fictional characters, might I add that I hope with all my heart that Peter is stone dead? Thank you.

I look forward to finding out more about Todd's condition and hope he might get better just being away from that awful prison of a house. Not that those fiends even let him live in the house.

Redrum! Ruh-roh!

Just kidding...this makes me want to reread it again and again. I'm so relieved that Todd can still write - and I hope that Victor isn't somehow involved in the murder plot. Whatever else, I don't think Victor or Todd are evil at all, but victims of circumstance.

I'm so thrilled to see so many recent updates of your tales. Thank you!

I could muse for hours on end and not be able to think up a punishment vile enough for Peter. I hope Marty and Todd with their heads together can figure a way out soon - and as always, I'm smugly proud of my girl's strength and compassion.

I hope karma will truly be hell for Peter.

I feel sorry for the kids and wish Victor would grow a spine and turn on Irene and Peter. Marty would be endlessly grateful to him for helping Todd as well as her. Here's hoping...

Peter's a nightmare that walks like a man! (Line totally stolen from Stephen King's "It" when Bev's girlfriend Kay refers to her abusive husband as the &%$ole that walks like a man." )

The conflict for Marty between V and T reminds me of the S4 scene in "True Blood" where Sookie and Alcide find Eric drunk on fairy blood and skinny-dipping in the lake. Hahahah.

I cannot wait to see Peter and Irene pay and ten pay some more...

Oh Victor, you're being a coward. I truly hope he grows a spine and stands up to Irene and Peter before it's too late for them all.

I love the image of Marty sleeping innocently with Todd, especially in these wretched circumstances. I love this suspenseful story and eagerly await more.

I wonder how Todd came to be this way and why Peter doesn't want him to be able to talk.

I absolutely can't wait for him to start to talk, if only so he can tell Marty what he's been through and so they can formulate a plan for justice. I'm not using the "r" word, because payback against the Mannings is pure karma IM).

This chapter surprised me. I wasn't quite expecting this. Good job.

Oh shut up, Irene. You're a wimp.

I was cheering for Todd when he howled in protest at Peter for hurting Marty. I was so nervous that Todd would think he had done it in his sleep or in a rage. I'm sorry our girl is hurt but am so relieved that Todd knows he hasn't hurt her yet.

Peter must pay. Peter must die. (marching around with picket sign) Peter must pay. Peter must die.

More please? Cannot wait to see what happens when she wakes up.

I like that he's proving Peter wrong. Update soon.

Ssssss. Burn, baby, burn. You deserve it, Peter. :-)

I can't help being glad they're not making her wait to be given to Todd. They're navel lint and don't deserve her company anyway.

What a parting comment for Kiki to call Marty a slut - I hope K ends up on the streets and Marty back in control of the estate.

I hope/think they'll all be such cowards they'll leave Marty and Todd alone. I really look forward to their first interaction.