I must say, as lengthy as this story is, it's a surprisingly quick and entertaining read. I admire how you show how no one is a perfect saint but there's still something to like about them. You can't help loving them at the same time you want to choke them. 

"He didn’t want to start a fight over this, and he knew that he and Clare were like gunpowder and flame when it came to Libby. One wrong word and there’d be an explosion." Reminds me of the way I describe certain scenarios in my own stories, that "lit match in a closet full of dynamite" thing. 

"It made him feel sick. He couldn't bear the thought of her being with another man, even if it was only to have dinner and drinks." Makes perfect sense to me. So much sense it's almost scary. 

I love your portrayal of Chris and hope you start including him at least a little more often. 

As for Clare and JC, it's about time they got that sucker into the open. I don't hate Clare, not yet; I still see a silver lining in that dark cloud. And I will say this does add a touch of amazing realism. 

oh, clare clare clare. jc finally got it all out and that's your response? she's being so rough on him about going back to alyson and the way he handled all of that. he handled it poorly to be sure (but he is a guy, and sometimes they don't think things through well), but like chris said, they weren't together. and a shared kiss and some flirting does not a committment make. 

all that said, i'm still in her corner. do i think she's being mulish and kind of a little ridiculous? yes, totally. but at the same time, after everything that happened with libby, and how traumatic and scary that time was, i can also see how, emotionally, she's not in a necessarily stable place. and she feels like jc deserted her. i also figure there could be some backstory explanation for why she is the way she is, which could totally tie in to how she's being with jc. i really hope he has enough fire and steel in himself to continue to pursue her and not to let her continue to shut him out.

poor libby. i hope her migraines aren't a sign of a bigger issue. and will the mystery of lisa's illness ever be revealed? good stuff, hon! i'm looking forward (as always!) to more!