Lovely!

What a story. I think my stomach was almost as knotted up as Logan's...he can be such a wuss where it comes to his relatives, and we know they've been getting under his skin since he was a small boy (remember the lyrical penscratchings scene?). For some reason, the way you wrote this made me feel he was keenly vulnerable in the chair -- having to look up at Margo, not able to just _grab_ the locket if it came to that -- in a way I haven't felt before. He usually handles his situation with such poise, but something about this piece made him seem achingly vulnerable to me, both emotionally and physically, even though he was being strong. I liked that.

Ah, I love Logan Cale, Man of Action, even if he does have to wrestle his demons first. I particularly like the mix of humor and sadness and your wonderful way with words. Having dealt with the Cales myself (Uncle Jonas and the Giant Bunny Outfit), it's always good to see how some one else handles them. Nicely done.

Very enjoyable.

An amazing story, and a wonderful writing style.

I am kicking myself right now for not reading it sooner.

I'm terribly late in reviewing this, but I had no intention of never doing so. I absolutely LOVED this fic and it seemed important to give it the attention it deserves.

Right away, this fic sets a brooding tone, focusing on Logan's dread and the grayness of his mood as well as the weather outside. His memories only serve to darken it further. The flashback socks us with the incredible injustice and callousness of his aunt's behavior.

I can't tell you how much that flashback affects me. My heart aches for young Logan. To have to go through his mother's death is painful enough, but to realize that his aunt has done what she has makes it so much worse. I'm very glad that at least Mary was there to give him some comfort.

"I love you, remember me, I will always be with you. "
Would you believe I actually get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when I read this line?

I'm so glad to see S1 Max again. Her attitude and demeanor changed so much in S2 that it was almost painful. *This* is the real Max.

Heh, I would loooove to see Logan looking very Brook Brothers. Yum. Thanks for that image.

"At their last meeting, Max had left no doubt as to the pecking order in the cat kingdom, and seeing Margo temporarily declawed had almost been worth the embarrassment of the whole encounter. But today the battlefield was his."
I just love this imagery--the cat comparisons as well as the thought that Logan is preparing for battle.

I really like the character that you've created in Mary--both the way she's grown as a person since her arrival at the Cale household and the dynamic between her and Logan. If at any time you happen to feel like writing a young-Logan-and-Mary fic, or even an adult-Logan-and-Mary fic, I'll be all for it.

You really make me feel for Nora and young Mary. That makes it all the more satisfying when Margo receives her comeuppance...twice.

I love the images of Logan playing in the kitchen!

Margo bending down to air-kiss Logan must really hurt--that locket would be dangling in his face.

--Otherwise we'd almost believe he was adopted.
--Well, that would be too much to hope for.
I like this. With just one sentence, you've managed to give Daphne a personality (more than the one given her in Art Attack), and a likeable one at that. Further sentences about Daphne in this fic have the same effect.

By the way, as I reread this, I can see the humor that you're now showcasing in TMNSW. I mean, I liked the humor when I read this the first time, but now I recognize your distinct style.

I really love your characterization of Logan's mother. The love she had for him, the lessons she taught him, and the way she stood up to Margo all make me wish she were still around. I can really see how she molded Logan.

The very fact that Logan rescued other classmates from Billy Baxter's bullying demonstrates the same personality & sense of altruism that would come into play later in his life, with Eyes Only. The same goes for the way he "beat the snot" out of Billy when he had roughed up Daphne. Hmmm...just as later in life, in childhood Logan avoided violence but didn't hesitate to use it when he felt it necessary.

Somehow I never got the feeling, in Art Attack, that Margo would be so vicious as she is here. I got the feeling that snide remarks and selfish behavior were more her thing. But given the assumption that she is indeed this...vicious (tried to think of another word but failed), I love what you do with it.

Can I tell you how sexy Logan is when he barks out Margo's name and hauls her into the library? Something about him coming to the aid of the girl, and being all manly and assertive...

Oops, I think I just reinforced a bunch of stereotypes there. I don't mean to imply that all men should be all assertive all the time; I just love it when Logan takes charge. We didn't get to see it often enough on the show, anyway.

The connection between Logan's Margo-faceoff and his mother's is great. I just love the way you write it, mixing flashback with reality, and having Logan draw on the memory for strength while wondering how exactly it happened.

--"There had been no magic, just the gift of his mother’s love to give her the strength to believe in herself. It wasn’t protection his mother had offered her but power; the power to see who she really was, not just the maid, but a person to be valued and cherished."
--"In his hand he saw, not a trinket, but a perfect gift, a gift of love: offered and accepted."
I love these lines.

--"Not a figure of power and authority but a bitter, lonely woman with a husband who found his companionship in a bottle, children who dreaded being around her, and a circle of gossiping friends who hardly waited until she was out of earshot to start gossiping about her."
--"He weighed his choices—public humiliation would doubtlessly be the most effective—he could name his price"--and then he chooses the other one.
These two lines demonstrate why I love Logan's character so much. He's human, and is tempted by the easy, vengeful solution, but he chooses instead to go with the kinder option because he sees her humanity.

"He heard the chain rip as she snatched it from around her neck before throwing it at him, followed by the clink as it connected with the pendant in his upraised hand."
What great imagery--I can just see this, and I can imagine the triumphant sound as mother and son connect once more.

Thank you.

I loved the story. It was something new, not the 'usual' stuff you get to read around here. Some things were a bit out of character, but nothing dramatically. You did a great job.

Wow, so much imagination went into all the detail about life at the Cale mansion. I especially loved the picture of young Logan playing in the kitchen with GI Joes! The insight into the dark side of Margo's life is a new twist on the character, and I love the Max-Logan role reversal -- Logan gets the necklace back while Max takes care of the people. And Logan's solution for getting the locket back is very, very clever. Thanks for a new and interesting take on an old familiar story.

Nice work. I love this alternative look at the the Locket. Very funny stuff. Logan getting the better of Margo is a treat. Why was he so hesitant to deal with his relatives in this way? Wonderful. Write more please (although not on this story of course).

Max in a skirt. That is just about as hard to imagine as her wearing a dress. I liked it keep writing.

Woo-hoo! I am so happy to see first-time ff.net posters like you and Rajana continue to write. You seem to be becoming more comfortable with yourself and you writing style - it really shows in your attention to detail and flair for descriptive and fun sentences.

This one reminds me of catherder's 'Giant Bunny Outfit' - just because they are both really fun reads, well written, and both give us a wonderfully dysfunctional picture of the Cales. =)

I have a bit of a hard time thinking that Logan would blackmail his aunt into giving him the locket. I would think that he might go the more direct give-it-to-me route. But who knows? And if he did, makes sense that he would do his homework, doing thorough research as we know he can do.

In any case, I really appreciate your sharing this with us. After all the writing *I* do, I'm really glad to have dependably good M/L writers like you and several others to turn to and enjoy myself.

Well now...this is decidedly delicious to read! I like the way that you handled this story, and frankly I think that you have put my work to shame! SNICKER!! Well done!

Darwin

Lovely story - beautifully written! I liked your vision of Logan's family and their history. I will look for more of your work eagerly.

that was amazing...very visual and descriptive (which is basically the same thing..heh)
I was there in that room, it read like a page out of a novel. The details were so vivid I could hear Margo talking (no doubtly wearing something pristinely white and costing more then buying India's nuclear weapons on the Black Market)
And Mary was a great character, had great dimensions.

keep writing...you're great.

that was great, thanks for sharing, it is good when someone writes a fic based on that time line becuase IMO thats when the show was at its greatest.

Please write more fics, just to keep us m/l shippers out there happy :D