Drat, I've caught up on all your comments (I think). Thanks for making my day, Sarah.

~ Karynn

I'm completely made up to have you describe my fix-it as a 'little gem.' :) I'm inordinately proud of this one-shot, which went through two (or was it three? lol) major revisions before I was satisfied.

Thanks so much for leaving a comment! :)

~ Karynn

I'm made up by your review, Sally. :)

Justin's reaction in that episode bugged the heck out of me, so I finally had to address it (after thinking about it for a year and a half, lol). Justin might have been a little shocked, but then he should have commisserated with Brian, who had done the right thing - gotten checked out and treated. That he went so overboard made no sense; Justin tricked in LA, and he and Brian tricked together (and perhaps separately) after his return to Pittsburgh. As a gay man, he should have known the possible consequences and been prepared to deal with them.

You're the first to mention Brian's second-rate ass comment, although other readers also responded positively to Brian's way of declaring his love for Justin. :)

I played with the timeline regarding Justin's studio for purposes of this fic, but it also made sense to me that Justin would've wanted a studio as soon as he made arragements with Lindsay to be featured in the emerging artists' show.

Thanks so much for commenting!

~ Karynn

Thanks so much for commenting, Marie-france, and for letting me know you enjoyed this one-shot. :)

We're on the same wavelength regarding Justin's reaction to Brian's announcement. It was hypocritical to the extreme, and it was also an illogical, 180-degree turn in his behavior. Now, it's fixed. :D

~ Karynn

Thanks so much for commenting, Jessica. :) I'm thrilled that you prefer this version to canon.

Hugs back atcha.

~ Karynn

Thanks for reviewing, Phyllis! I'm thrilled you have such a high opinion of this fix-it. :)

~ Karynn

I'm thrilled that you think I've improved on canon, Wendy Dawn. :)

I completely agree that it made no sense for Justin to be so shocked by Brian's announcement that he had syphilis. For one or both of them to have an STD was hardly unlikely, given their lifestyle. That Justin would suddenly eschew that lifestyle because Brian had syphilis was absurd. Even more ridiculous was that he wouldn't consider that he might have been the one to infect Brian.

It didn't make sense to me that Justin suddenly wanted Brian to change, all because of a (treatable) STD. And there was really no indication that he expected that prior to 5x05 and Brian contracting syphilis. He fucked around merrily in LA; he and Brian had fun tricking together; they were in a committed relationship; and they accepted each other.

What a compliment that you want more! I'd been thinking about writing this fic for well over a year, and the clamoring finally got too loud to ignore. :)

For now, though, it's back to working on Tricky Business with my synergy sister, Brynn. We're having a great time writing that AU together. I'd be chuffed to get your opinion of that sotry.

Thanks for your insightful comments.

~ Karynn