Oh gosh!! How sweet. How sad.

Three years is a long time to be having such a secret crush... a mutual secret crush. I hope that one day one of them gets up the nerves to say something or act on heir attraction.

This was a very nice short, capturing each person's frustrations with being stuck in jobs they hate. Their hopes revolve around their connection to each other. Their desperation of being trapped in unfulfilling jobs is written so clearly.

Thanks for sharing!!!!

Wonderful story!!

You can pick your friends, but must deal with the folks given to you as family, and, help us, they can be a trying lot at times.

Such was the very complicaed relationship between Emogene and Yolanda. And poor Beverly, the perfect ostrich with her head deep in the sand.

The really ironic thing about the dynamics of family, is that despite the tormoil, slights, favoritism, and infigthing, they are still, at times,  the ones we shelve years of animosity to make sacrifices for in a crisis.

What an insightful story. Thanks for sharing, Dronellar.

Happy day giving thanks for those we have and hold dear!!!!

Dear SPAC, that was very sweet, filling, and delicious. The presentation (banner and cast, baby pics) was as enticing as the great flavor... a little sweet, some spicy and definitely HOT!!

What Brian served up to Nicole was far more substantial than leftovers, too. But the man's eyes are bigger than his stomach. Another baby so soon? No way, dude!Practice away, though!!

Little miss "matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match" will not be deterred. I presume Chris and Peyton need a nudge?

I'd love to read a story about Nicole's gung ho efforts trying to set up Jonathan and Peyton. Maybe for Valentine's Day. Hmmm????

I'll graze on other creative gourmet fare until then.

Hey, got any ribs left from the BBQ at Sammy's folk's house??? <Hint, hint> 

;-{)

Wonderfully told!!

Ah, crud! I cried!!

Maybe all the freakin' cold, rain, cold & rain here have gotten to me. It isn't a 100 ft of snow and all, but...

There was something deeply touching and profoundly sad about this chapter. It came in waves... roaring, reaching in and gripping your heart then ebbing, settling in like a hovering fog. Beautiful yet sad. 

Nickolai and Sunshine's last moments together before their trips was sad. Stanislavsky’s tale of losing his son, then losing the light in his late beloved wife's eyes was so honest and raw... and sad. I hope it wasn't a hint of what WILL happen, versus what could happen.

Accounts of Nicholai's estrangement from his parents were always poignant, when Sunny could choax details out of him. The estrangement itself was so tragic and unnecessary. Their attitude and behavior, how they broke Nikki's poor heart, pissed me off. 

So Nicholai's so-called reunion with both, which had potential to be very healing;  was dissappointing and seriously pissed me off.

Was his mother in super hypocrite bitchiness mode or what? And his father? Dying and spewing venom. Thankfully the blackness didn't overcome Nicholai and drive him to put a bed pillow over his father's face and snuff him. I was tempted.

I cheered when Nicholai told him off, called him out on his shit, called him out for disrescting Stanislavsky and told him he'd never meet Sunny.

I'm not certain he should introduce Sunny to his acid-tongued mother either, for that matter. She lives in Russia, but her hear is as cold as Siberia. Brrrr.

I think I've said this before... Two things (continue to)bother me about Sunny... the fact that she never tells Nicholai that she loves him and that she has painted him into a corner by asking him a question that is a lose-lose. He loses her if he lies, as he's promised her never to lie to her... and she will know if he lies. And he loses her or will set her free rather than keep her if the light goes out in her eyes if he tells her the truth.

On a brighter, happier note; I did notice a new peace and gentlenss in Nicholai, reaching out to Kostya as he did. Sunny did ask him, even encouraged him. He complied and ut his heart into it.

I also was moved by how concerned she was about him and his sadness after the visit with his parents.

His reflecting on how she related to him even in the beginning when she should have loathed him, been cold, angry and hostile was touching, repentent.

Ohhhh... pleazzzze don't take Nicholai's Sunshine away!

You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. Youll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my Sunshine away. <sniff>

(shaking head & tsk-tsking in disbelief) So, you're not good with fluff, huh? WRONG!!

This was so beautiful!!

First, what an absolutely perfect setting for a reunion. Paris in a suite with all the perks and a breath-taking view.

Second, I loved that Sunny spent time just talking to Nicholai rather than the expect rush into each other's arms, tear clothes off, etc. And who else would come up with the cocoa butter treatment? If that didn't scream LOVE. I LOVE YOU.

Third, I did hold my breath a bit, waiting for the words. A little. But Sunny seems more entuned to showing Nikki, telling him without actually using those three little potent, often misused words.   

I was moved by Nicholai's interactions with the business associate still mired in the seedier side of the business. He bristled with distaste, perhaps as much embarrassment as he is capable of, to be reminded of the earlier, brutal and dark version of himself.

Someone speculated a while back whether Nicholai would/could go legit in order to be with Sunny. I'm now wondering the same thing.

Sunny is so spectacular with and to Nikki and her devotion, contrasted with his doubts about being worthy is so touching. What would either sacrifice to keep this??

And of course there was THE reunion. These two sizzle whereever they are. But again, that has never been their problem.

Great work!!! Can't wait for part 2.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Ominosity!!!

This is so late, but...

Sometimes I really believe that Nicholai and Sunshine are so in love with each other. Under "normal" or usual circumstances, his would be suc a sweet, beautiful love story between two unique, different people who seem to compliment each other if only by one being the other's bright light of goodness and hope.

However, we already know that that equation did not work for Jasmine and Jacob. Jasmine could not love the darkness out of Jacob's soul. All she did was bless him with two beautiful children, to whom he has brought pain, suffering and a misguided hopeful heart (Sunshine) and bitterness and hate (Benjamin) instead of changing to honor her or her memory.

I'm worried about exactly where Nicholai and Sunny will end up. Nicholai wants marriage. Sergei wans to wait for Sunny. What does Sunny want???

Sunshine definitely deserves better than to repeat her mother's life. She is smarter and better than that.

She definitely needs to keep her distance from her father. How in tarnations could he ever dream of cooking up another scheme with that mangy hood rat Peanut who ran off with the money and left him holding the bag last time???

But damn! Peter/Peanut stuck Jacob!! Wow!!! Just as he finally freaking gets it!!! ARG!!! For Sunny's sake, I hope he is okay. Peanut??? Peanut is as good as DEAD. In his twisted sense of justice, Nikki will track him down and eliminate him, just for causing Sunny pain.

What a chilling turn of events.

Luv, luiv, luv this story!!!!

On to the latest update!!!

You brought ears to my eyes.

I have to go now. Need to prepare for the day, reflect. Will review tonight.

Either way, you and your muse are safe with me.

Luv and Sunshine.

Sheri

No, a million "Thank yous" to you!!! I'm bawling my eyes out!!!

Yes, this wasn't a fairy tale. It was a love story. And love is the strangest, most wonderful, mysterious, powerful thing that we as humans have at our disposal. Yet so few of us do it right or find it in it's truest form, especially with the most unlikely of people. We seem to lack the tenacity and dedication to be a Sunshine to a Nicholai. The sun trumping the star.

More later.

WTF???? Noooooooooooooooo. NO! NO! NO!

Oh, no, you didn't pull a stray bullet thingy!!! And a cliffhanger, too?!!? 

I am soooo not speakin' to you right now, wicked one. You and your Pink Lady sippin' muse.

Later!!!

The new banner is absolutely beautiful. Perfect.

For a character I confess not liking from the beginning of this story, Jacob's end, be it cowardice or bravery, disturbs me, so I re-read the end of the chapter.

REDEMPTION: salvation, release, rescue, deliverance, liberation, emancipation.

Jacob knew that the "itch" to gamble was deep in his soul. He would continue to gamble and rack up debt and Sunny would continue to serve his sentence with Nicholai. And because Sunny is Jasmine's own daughter, she would suffer the same fate as Jazz did, die young trying to save a man unworthy of her efforts or her love and devotion.

Jacob's act was meant as a liberation, an emancipation of Sunny and Benji, but mostly Sunny and the only means of releasing himself from his weakness. A lifetime of failure and regret is redeemed by this one self-sacrificing act.

This is a far more sympathetic view. It by no means suggests that all is forgiven of Jacob, just better understood. He was still a patethic misguided soul.

Oops. I was wrong about poor Royce. I was projecting too. LOL. And it was Adu.

Sunny and Royce's conversation was very, very enlightening. Sunny has been pondering this dilemma a while now. What more does she really need to make a decision??

We can learn from the mistakes of others; but we must still live our own lives, make or own mistakes, hopefully, take that wisdom and move on... live and LOVE wiser, stronger.

I was glad to hear her fin-a-freak-in'-ly admit that her little flight of fancy was a wee bit too dangerous. In essence she put Nikki and Ben under undue stress and worry all in an effort to capture or express something that she already possessed.

Whew!! The box of tissue is untouched through another chapter. Good deeds and all, that trip to Africa couldn't be over soon enough for me. Thank you idiot interns who are too arrogant to respect imminent danger.

Bring on gay Paris in the summertime!! Bring on the fluffery and lots of hot reunion monkey sex!!!!

Ah yes, I have to commend you on what a superb job you do on writing Nicholai's POV.

Since he has discovered love, been getting in touch with his feelings, his range of emotions is so vast, complicated, raw, and almost torturous to read.

This is the fourth time that you have given us Nikki in all his depth and complexity. A man who is so untouched by love but profoundly affected by it's purity in Sunshine.

The first time was his conflict with wanting to ask her to marry him. His fear of losing her. His desperation to keep her. His playing with that ring was hard to read, even for me who realized that they had to break and start again clean as equals.

The second time was when Sunshine actually left him.

The third was when she decided to go on this trip.

And recently, the crisis from Nikki's perspective. It was far worse that the feelings that bubbled to the surface during that awful visit with the retched parents.

Hell, he even cried. That's profound... great writing skills.

Just had to give it to you for developing the man with such depth that what he does for a living for once is not the focus of why he deserves or doesn't deserve a chance with Sunny.