so much more - never can get enough from all the parts you write too complete a episode - this is a perfect one - emotional with the toughts that they judge is dead and with christy a very nice lady - nice from mark to have a party for the judge with his friends and all what can go wrong when this two are out only for a short visit - my english is sure to poor to give all the credit your stories deserve all stories deserve. thanks

Great story.

Hardcastle's unhappy response to the party and his not wanting to deal with his feelings over wha happened in Clarence were captured beutifully. As were Mark's apprehension over the judge's response to the party, and his lingering apprehensions over the judge's near death.

Frank was wonderful as the voice of reason to help Hardcastle realize what Mark was thinking, and to acknowledge that and his motives. His protectiveness and astonishment that Hardcastle did not grasp what Mark had been through as well was a true testament to the friendship he had developed with the ex-con. It was a good thing he was there to give Hardastle the lowdown and some advice.

Thanks for sharing.

Well, I, for one, am certainly glad you wrote the forum challenge; this is a wonderful response to it. HC dealing with-or, in his case, _not_ dealing with- the lingering feelings from Clarence in the back of his mind, and poor McC always trying to do the right thing by the judge, even when it wears him to a nub and just might get him 'in trouble'.

I love the judge's admission that he wasn't going to yell at the kid "much"; an admission only dragged out of him by my favorite friendly cop, Frank. Frank's always got the low-down, and his advice should always be heeded, so I'm always glad to see him there as the voice of reason.

And, as an added bonus, I couldn't for the life of me remember what reference came from Time After Time, so I got to go back and read that one again, too!

Thanks for a very nice St. Pat's party.

I loved was a very nice caringas well.

JeanneZ84

Well first I want to thank you for mentioning my idea at the beginning of this story. You are one of my favorite writers and this story was another one of your greats. I loved the part with Frank at the end when he is trying to get Hardcastle to understand how Mark felt when he thought he was dead. This whole story was just great. Thank you.

Poor Mark! Trying not to get yelled at for a suprise party! You did a good job with Frank protecting Mark and Hardcastle opening up about not yelling at Mark and trusting him more. I'll be looking forward for your next one.

Oh, my, where to begin. You had me guessing throughout this one, wondering where Mark went, wondering if he was out of his mind with the surprise party, then almost tearing up when Frank came to the rescue.

Favorite bits? Hm, definitely the scene outside between Frank and Milt. Especially this part...

/“And that whole time he thought you were dead? He thought he’d let them kill you?”

Hardcastle gave him a mildly confused look. “‘Let ‘em’?” He broke out of jail and came after them with a shotgun to try and stop it. That’s what Christie said. Then he went down in that reservoir till he was half-drowned himself, looking for me.”

“But he thought you were dead.” Frank looked over his shoulder at the house. “He thought he hadn’t stopped it.” He turned back to face Hardcastle. “No wonder he looked like he’d been through the wringer.”/

And the level of concern from Mattie, related through Frank was also sweet.

Well I seem to love everything that you write and this is no exception. I do love the way you so easily convey emotion without becoming overly sentimental. So this is just lovely in the way you delicately communicate all the nuances of the relationship.

And I have to add a big round of applause for your depiction of my man Frank: solid, low-key, dependable, and smart. A great advisor and a great sounding board.

I also have to say I loved the line about astonishing McC being just as much fun as yelling at him! Yup, it's a toss-up all right.

Thank you so much for posting. I found three new stories here today! Darn it, I have work to do.

This is just a wonderful explication of the characters of the two men. McCormick's setting up of a congratulatory party for the judge, the whole reservoir thing, his being so anxious about Hardcastle's reactions, all underline his protective instincts toward and deep regard for the judge.

Hardcastle, on the other hand, is stubbornly refusing to let his emotions come to the fore. He's defiantly ignoring all of that buddy stuff and it takes Frank's in-your-face approach to force him to recognize and acknowledge (even to himself) that a relationship goes two ways.

This is a beautiful example of how to write a story with depth and emotion in an elegant, polished style. Thank you for sharing your version of the forum challenge with us.

(And thanks for the nod; it's extremely flattering when an author of your caliber takes a line from me and makes it into more and better.)