I really think you *cough* mastered that balance - I know you got some flack for it being so dark but I think that there are... well, readers who don't want the same thing out of a fic that say, an English professor wants from a novel or paper or something. Readers who just want to hear their own thoughts echoed back, something along the lines of Jack and Ianto's relationship being as easy and simple as the kind of relationships in kid's shows. Love becomes a label that you can pin on the characters that doesn't need effort, is never questioned, and the sex is always a perfect reflection of those things. I've always preferred things to be a little more complicated, I just can't stay interested in a show or a fic when everyone's dialogue is so cheesey and just plain unnatural. In other words, I wouldn't have changed the darkness in your story for anything, because that was what set it apart from other series - the characterizations were consistent, the way people spoke to each other didn't seem like people were reading from a romance novel or a comic book, instead it was more like it touched an emotion or a moment that even if I hadn't experienced, could *feel* in the story really deeply. Along with all that, there was a PLOT and general development that kept things dynamic and interesting. Okay sorry I'm getting off topic too. Sometime I'll have to discuss my 'ships with you, I'm curious to see how much of your perspective I can glean from the story and how much you've kept hidden. LOL