I love how you unravel Alex. Your understanding of and skill with him is amazing beyond words. I loved the way Mark tried, and I thought you did a beautiful job depicting his actions and some of what might lie beneath them.

You really are good at making angst angsty but staying real. And your prose, as ever, is fantastic.

Gorgeous, painful stuff. And the last paragraph is just . . . guh, and so beautifully in character.

PS: I've only got one Alex icon, but I flatter myself it's a nice one :)