I am so very much in love with this fic-which considering it only has a reference to Spike, albeit a brilliant one, and no Ed or Wordy or Greg-says a lot! From the title, to the subtle, blink-and-you'll-miss-it Sules, to Raf and Sam's convo this was brilliant! The only thing missing is Greg getting a call from the bartender at 4am to come collect his men! :::SNICKER:::

I am so very much in love with this fic-which considering it only has a reference to Spike, albeit a brilliant one, and no Ed or Wordy or Greg-says a lot! From the title, to the subtle, blink-and-you'll-miss-it Sules, to Raf and Sam's convo this was brilliant! The only thing missing is Greg getting a call from the bartender at 4am to come collect his men! :::SNICKER:::

What were you talking about "I hate the execution" thing? I love it. There is a purity in the writing and in the sentiment. Thank you.

Until I read this, I didn't realize how many dysfunctional parent/child relationships were on the show. I think Wordy and his daughters had the only working relationship.

If you ever feel like doing anything about daddy issues again, I'd be up for it. You've got a few to choose from: Spike, Sam, Raf, and Ed and Greg as parents.

And I could use your talent for latching onto those details from the episodes about now. I have to write a paper for a Women and Crime class, using "Planets Aligned" and how Jules being a girl was used. I went back and watched all previous episodes to try to pick up on how she was used by the team and what she did. But hey, I get to watch Flashpoint for a grade, essentially :)

Don't hate the story-it was pretty good!

So I know you have issues with it, but I do quite like this story. I like how Sam points out that different thoughts/emotions send you towards different forms of relief. I like how you gave us Raf's pain, and then you gave us Sam's. And how Sam has to admit things he otherwise wouldn't because he can't just shut Raf down for asking, not when he's this vulnerable. And I really like the line about why they can be good at their jobs, that their flaws let them empathise and connect with their subjects.

You just wanting to wrap up into an ending for it, but I really love so much about your last paragraph: "might as well go all out and get drunk", about them realizing how Spike'd fit "right into the little party they were having", and "shared imperfection". The story may not have gone the direction that you planned, but this alternate route is quite enjoyable.

Hope school is not too insane!

Even if the story was supposed to be different it is stil great, I like how Sam talked with Raf,how they connected although they come from comeplitely different homes. Can't wait for more of Your stories!

I really liked it. I felt their pain. And I love that Spike got included too. And if you had plans for this story to go in another direction, how lovely that there is something brewing in the back of your mind.

Ah why are we always so hard on ourselves? lol This was your usual greatness my dear :D

I wish they'd show a bit more of the personal behind the scenes fall out on the show, really do miss that and of course some personal team bonding. I can see Raf calling Sam first b/c even though Ed is team lead Raf knows that Wordy was Ed's BFF and he's filling his shoes, Sam is well just Sam lol

Loved the angst and tension but the inclusion of spike and how they are always there for each other. Thanks as always for the enjoyable read!

AiP

Yeah! Happy to see your name on the "front" page again... I was just mentioning to someone that I needed to (somehow) give you some free time, so you could write something. I love the way you get into the characters so completely.

The italics have lost their spaces, and keep going in one loooooong line that stretches across several 'pages'.

I'm glad you posted this one-shot, but would have loved to see where you could have taken this as a multi-chapter story as well...

Ah, I'm so happy you posted! I've so been looking forward to this. And it completely lived up to expectations too.

I loved the connections - because in their own way both Sam and Raf had their own kind of dilemna. Theyv'e got their own issues which are really at opposite ends of the spectrum. A father who cares too much - enough to land himself in jail for a decade and a half- and one who cares too little. But they both manifest themselves in the lack of communication. So it's a powerful little circle I guess.

Love the ending - incredibly poetic and beautifully written. The shared experiences, shared pain, shaired imperfection gave me chills. Enjoyed working Spike in there too - lord know's he's got a snootful of daddy issues too. Poor boys.

You've got some formatting problems with the italics. All the spaces are gone meaning it stretches across the page in one REALLY big long line - might want to look into that.

Amazing! Simply put.

Thansk for the marvelous read.

I don't know why you didn't like it because I think it's perfect. It's a snapshot, a brief moment where Sam and Raf are connecting, and I think you pulled it off really well. I hate to admit it, but as much as I miss Wordy and wish he was back and hate how they got rid of him, I like Raf. I've only seen a few of the new eps with him, but I feel like he makes a good SRU officer; he makes me think of a mix between Lew and Wordy, now that I think about it. And as always, any story with Sam and his daddy issues, well, I'm definitely right there! So good job on this, even if it was a bit shorter than your usual fare.

I think my favorite part is when Sam starts drinking kind of hard and Raf is like, "Oops, I got my ride drunk" :) and my favorite line is "He'd seen the counselor, shown appropriate grief, and got back to work but that didn't mean that he wasn't dying beneath the skin." -Very good description!

Lastly, what caught my attention the most was the story title. I know you said it was from a song but seriously-perfect for these guys.

-Illyria13