Wonderful chapter. Enjoyed how you crafted it and the action you included. Great flashback to the beginning of Haji's career, and also to how he saved the day with the sword and his ancestor's help. I like the testing of everyone in this chapter. Of course, some caught on sooner than others. So great that Tokio was determined to have a positive relationship with Hajime's old mentor. Poor wolf, separated from his sweetie and going on a nicotine binge. Glad that Tokio sent his old CO over to see him. Great twist with Sano. I also like how Haji is concerned with Sano's future and how Sano had a family he could be proud of. Looking forward to see how Hajime will help Sano find a calling in life. I like the end of the story explaining how Victoria brought Irene into his life to keep him from making more mistakes with women and that she brought her over to his home with Tokio to show him that he was where he belonged now. It was important for him to realize how he had matured and to put his life events in the proper perspective. The past year has been very busy for me as well. My apology for not keeping up with my reviews. I have some partials written and hope to finish them at some point.

This is a nice chapter bringing closure to some things from Tokio's past.
I like that you gave us the 'rest of the story' for some of her friends. I'm glad that Vaz and Jetta called Dania out on her past behavior. They are right, she chose not to admit that she knew the truth about Chris. What a wonderful, understanding, and forgiving letter that Tokio wrote to her two friends. We would expect that from her.

Wow! That was an amazing plot twist with Norma and what she did. Didn't see that coming at all, but it makes perfect sense for her to be the one to do something so horrible for her own gain. (Won't mention what she did, so I won't have a spoiler in my review.) Glad she got to see Vicki's 'true self'. That was a very fitting punishment. Much better than getting to escape through death (for both Norma and Chris). Also very fitting was the way she reacted when she saw her son who came to check on her.

Only one person in the world with the expertise to help his mom? Hm, who is Christ thinking of? I can guess. If it is who I think it might be, he had better be very careful on how he proceeds. Thanks for a chapter that satisfies the readers desire for the 'bad guys'...and girls... to have some serious consequences for how they ruined the lives of others...

(P.S. Wishing you a fun Halloween with your family!)

I really like Chapter 6 and how you've written both Oume and Mai, and the circumstances around the kidnapping. I like the conversation between Oume and Tokio at the beginning of the chapter.

Mai showed she was clever and resourceful and could assess a situation and take action to protect herself (such as noticing the fake Oniwaban uniforms immediately). At her age she did well, but as she acknowledged to herself, she was not as accomplished as Tokio, and that Tokio did have brains. She granted her brother's fiance a lot of credit, vowing to pump her for any information she could get from her. Her arrogance pops up again when she figures that getting info from Tokio should be easy. We can see how Mai is slowly maturing...but is not quite there yet.

It is good for Mai that Night is taking her under his wing. He will help her grow up and bring out the best parts of her personality, while helping her to learn to control her negative impulses. I have sympathy for him, though. Working with Mai is going to be more challenging than mentoring Tokio.

I like that without weapons Victoria and Night were able to take care of all the intruders at her estate.

Very nice scene with Oume and Kamo at Kaiba's party. I really enjoyed how you wrote the actions and interactions of the characters. It was nice to see Kamo come through for her and his family, for once, and help Oume create good impressions on everyone at the party to help his wife up-stage Kaiba. The most wonderful part was that Oume was able to spend so much time with her son, talking to him, getting to know what he thought about things, and even getting to dance with him at his invitation. I would say that seeing Seto and interacting with him was something that deserved to happen to her after what she'd been through that week. I also enjoyed that she could see what he really thought of his adoptive father.

I thought it was neat that Alexis could sense the changes in Hajime, that he seemed stronger and calmer. (All due to his association with Tokio, of course!) I liked the interactions and conversations at the Castle's. Hajime shows his astute power of observation, too, when it comes to the connection between Rick and Kate.

Tokio is such a good friend to Oume, making sure that she was properly taken care of and healed. It was nice that Oume could see the 'work', 'leadership' side of Tokio, and how she thrived in the military environment, much to Oume's pleasant surprise.

Nice talk between Mai and her mom about the timing and reasoning for giving Hajime the little box. Laughed when Mai told her mom that she hadn't been able to talk to Hajime because of the 'Aoshi-shaped shadow'.

Wonderful talk between Hajime and Oume at the end of the chapter. Hajime would have protected Seto as his duty to family, since the boy is a Shinomori, and Oume is Tokio's friend, even if Oume hadn't shown him the ashes in the box. The time was right for her to show him that she burned it, because it was a wonderful way to thank him for what he was going to do for her son. Plus, as she and Mai discussed, if she had given it to him at any other time he would have wondered, knowing her, what she wanted as a favor in return. This way that wouldn't be an issue. Also, nice to see that Hajime told her that he would have to share the information about Seto with Tokio. I don't see there ever being secrets kept from the other. And what a surprise for Hajime to see that the album was written in Goaul'd. Bet that got him wondering. Hajime and Tokio were the best and only people she could trust with Seto's safety and well-being.

I'm glad that you have shown the different sides of Oume's character, especially the loving side that would sacrifice everything for the happiness of her children. I like how Hajime remembers Tokio's words about Oume, that understanding breeds compassion, try to understand her and you might like her, too. Mai had her normal superior attitude at the beginning, but finally got a bit of a reality check that perhaps she still had a few things to learn.

I like how you incorporated characters from Hajime's and Tokio's life into this chapter to come to Mai's rescue and protection. I've had most of this review written since you posted this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to finish up and post.

Sounds like your mother-in-law was a wonderful person at heart. I'm glad that you could see the side of her that nurtured you and your family. You are right about there being other angles that we often neglect to see.

Whoa...I can see Vicki's hand in this one! Senator Peters calling Col. Maybourne was a very good way for Peters to do at least something to help Tokio after all the torture his family heaped upon her in the past. I suspect that making that call was a very bitter pill for him to swallow, and that Victoria was holding an 'axe' over his head so that he would do the right thing for Tokio at Vicki's bidding.

I really like how Tokio continues to learn to overcome the way the traumas from her past cause her to react to what happens in her present life. She is realizing how the things in her past life affect the way she handles the anger and fear caused by difficult situations in her present life.

She is learning to take care of problems when they arise rather than suppressing how she really feels about a situation. Being able to deal with and resolve things completely is the only way she can truly put them, and the hurt they cause her, behind her and move on.

She is able change the way she reacts to the anger and fear she experiences. Instead of suppressing the way she feels and running from it, she is able to confront it, talk about it and resolve it.

Leave it to Hajime to help her figure all of this out, and help her to realize that she needs to 'be herself' in all situations. What a guy! Due to Haji's encouragement and challenge to her, she is able to figure out and understand why she reacted the way she did to Maybourne's actions.

Haji helped her deal with her habit of either bottling up her true feelings of anger and fear, or letting them out in the wrong place, instead of being honest and directing her feelings towards those who earned her anger by their actions.

Really enjoyed this statement of Haji's. It does a great job summing up how he feels:

"No buts Tokio! I can't stand you having to swallow who you are just to please other people! It's not fair to you and I hate it! You already did that for years and it was horrible for you! It almost turned you into a demon remember? Please, make me a new promise. Promise me that you won't be anyone but yourself! That is what I really need from you,"

He also reassured her that she was not the type of person who would attack someone without justification

I enjoyed the banter between Sam, Tokio, Jack, Teal'c, and Daniel at Sam's house in the morning where they spill the beans about Hajime having the day off.

Using Victoria's perspective, having her comment about Tokio when she was helping Haji with breakfast, was a nice way to demonstrate how much Tokio has grown and matured in such a short period of time.

Leave it to Victoria to set things up for Tokio, knowing that Tokio needed to be on a home court and that she needed to put to rest all the anger from her past. Vicki knew this was a more appropriate place for the kind of meeting Tokio needed to have with Lisa and Kelly. She needed to be on what was her 'home turf, bur she also needed to put to rest all that anger from the past for good. (Much, if not all, of the anger stemming from what happened at the estate with her grandmother and the Peters.)

I like the scene in the cemetery. It was cleansing for Tokio to finally vent the anger she felt towards her family members, especially grandma. It was their actions that resulted in the horrific life she experienced. Venting her anger helped her to get it out of her system, and therefore be able to heal. She also acknowledged that it was her mother who was the one who was truly strong.

Wacking her grandma's gravestone into pieces with a sledge hammer was also a great way to finally symbolically separate herself from her family legacy and the bad memories from the past.

I like the scene where Dak tells Tokio to stop it, and not let what happened poison her, reminding her that she and her cousins were now free from the shady things her ancestors did in the past. I'm glad that Tokio could realize and acknowledge that what her grandma did to her could have happened to Dak. Tokio shows that she understands Dak's position when she says, "What was done to me could've easily been done to you…in fact I think my grandmother meant to do it to you but you derailed her by becoming scandalously famous"

I like how Dak admits that it was 'her boy' Hajime who 'schooled' him in the importance of having back-ups to back-up plans.

Dealing with her anger, finally allowed Tokio to realize that her actions on base were foolish and that there were other ways to handle people like Maybourne.

It was very fitting that Jetta and Emily, old friends of Tokio's, did all they could to help her by calling attention to the wrong doings of the Peters, and by making sure, as best they could, that the fact that Tokio had no contact with the Peters after she left Aspen was well documented, therefore protecting Tokio from the repercussions of what was still in store for the Peter's family. It is good that Hajime knows this. He can explain to Tokio the importance of leaving her old life behind.

Tokio defending her old home from the divas was great. It was a 'coming of age' incident of sorts where she is finally able to defend herself and her home from a bunch of interlopers who were giving her (and Hajime) a hard time.

Tori, Shuura and Jessie are Tokio's true friends. I like how they gave Tokio their quick and strong support. I love how Tokio confronted Lisa and Kelly, giving them the dressing down that they deserved. Those two really needed to hear the reality of what they did to Tokio and how it made her feel. The fact that they missed another opportunity, there in the kitchen, to defend Tokio was proof that they really needed to think seriously about their actions (or inaction in this case) and change their behavior if they were ever to truly have a positive relationship with both Tokio and Hajime. Jesse is so determined to help them with the pre-nup. She along with Tori and Shuura are faithful and supportive friends.

Nice interactions between Haji and Tokio in the last section. She essentially tells him to chill and enjoy being treated to dinners, etc., since it was the least that the people of Aspen could do to make up just a bit for what she suffered.

She has a great attitude towards her counseling session, realizing that continuing to go for a while is a good way to help her completely resolve her past issues. Plus her sense of what is right comes through, when she chooses to complete her punishment, rather than returning to work early.

I like their discussions about who would pay for things. Being the 'man of the house', it is no surprise that he wants to be the one to do it, but because of the pre-nup, her argument is quite valid. She has more money at the moment, and should something happen to him, she only gets to keep what she paid for. Of course, neither know the of gift that Oume gave them.

I wonder where Hajime went when his stubborn wolf (as she called it) side kicked in and he left. I would say that he was a man who wanted to provide for his family but was being thwarted by circumstances which he had no control over... resulting in anger and frustration for him.

I like how Tokio's instincts kicked, calling Aoshi to tell him that he should check on his aunt. Poor Mai. I'm interested to see what you have in store for her. I can almost guess what her brother will do when he finds out that she is missing.

I really enjoyed this update!

Last night I realized that I hadn't posted a review of the Intermission chapter that you wrote last fall. So instead of reading the new chapter of TPWWB, I wrote a review, only to discover this morning that I wrote one last fall and forgot to post it. So, I am doing something I've never done before, posting two different reviews for the same chapter. I can't decide which to use, and I would rather read the next new chapter of TPWWB than try to combine the two reviews, laughs.

Nov. 2014

I got really excited when I started reading and realized that we were probably going to find out what happened to Norma and company. I figured that we would get to see Victoria give them a very well deserved and satisfying payback for what they did to Tokio. (And boy did she do it in a spectacular way!) I really loved how you used both Dak and Richard to expose their treachery.

It was fun to see Victoria exercise her magic and give some payback for the torture Tokio suffered. Norma's thought process just shows how warped the woman was. (Blaming poor Tokio for the beatings that Tokio suffered at the hands of Chris, and feeling that Tokio deserved every thing she got.)

Wow...love how you used Michael being the mc for Richard's old movie and photos to take down Norma and Chris Sr. Nice touch that Chris Jr.'s fiancee broke up with him. (Who would want to stay with a monster like that!) I enjoyed seeing Agent Gibbs and company deal the final judgment to the Peter's family. He had wanted so much to protect and help Tokio, and he was finally able to do that by dishing out the final blow to her tormentors.

I thought it was great how Michael was able to reveal the truth about Aspen's despicable elite through his brother's photography. It is very fitting that the photographic legacy of the late Richard, along with his brother's (and also Victoria's help), vindicated his daughter and exposed her tormentors for the people they were. I am glad that he did what he did (take the movies and other photos). There was no way that he could know that what he did at the time would expose the people, who had mentally and physically tortured his daughter, for the type of people they really were. I can't help but think that he would be glad that they got payback for what they did to her.

April 2015 Intermission

I have to say that what happened was a very well-deserved (and satisfying) payback for what happened in the past. I thought it very appropriate that it was through the photography of her father that Tokio's tormentors were exposed for the wretched people that they were and still are. (I'm sure that Rick would be pleased that he could set the record straight, vindicating his daughter.)

Using Dak's on stage reminiscing about the past, and his verbal quips, along with the photographic evidence was a great way to show everyone the truth. Agent Gibb's appearance was the 'frosting on the cake', making complete the public humiliation of Norma and Chris, Sr. It was an epic, Victoria-style take down that they both long deserved.

Dak certainly did his best to make up for all the years he neglected Tokio. But from his past and what he suffered at the hands of his mother, he also needed to do some healing and growing up before he would be emotionally ready to help his niece. Of course, it was Hajime who helped him realize he needed to accept the responsibility for his actions, and reconcile with Tokio.

I like how Tokio's friends exposed Chris Jr.'s lies about her with video of their own, as they posed as caterers at the party for his fiancee. It is nice to see that Norma is going to have to fend for herself.

Sighs. I felt really sorry for the wolf when Lisa and Kelly showed up, interrupting his sorely needed rest. However, I really like how he took charge and had a talk with both of them, determined to have them truly understand what they did. He did a masterful job. His talk with them very effectively caused them to realize the error of their ways, that they had repaid Tokio's trust in them with a stab in the back. I really like how Haji lead the two women to realize how much they owe an apology to Tokio. Wow...that man really has Tokio's back. As you mentioned, his need to protect stems from his 'territorial' nature.

I also like the depth of Lisa's understanding of the situation. She realizes that even though Tokio is treating the girls in a positive way, they have lost her trust. Kudos to Lisa for her determination to win that trust back. I am looking forward to how that will happen, if it does happen.

Ah, we get to see the beginnings of Victoria's retribution on Tokio's foster family. Nice touch to have Emi and Agent Gibbs and his team involved. I also like how you let us know what happened with Emi's book. I enjoyed seeing that so many team members were gushing over it, too.

I had to laugh when Hajime employed one of the most common tricks males use to spend time with a woman...do what she wants to do. He wanted to spend time with her...so he neatly folded all the laundry, etc. Once you wind up with a guy on a permanent basis you often discover the reality that he really doesn't want to continue doing some of the things that he used to do when he was trying to capture your heart. In Tokio's case it was that her husband to be couldn't care less about whether the clothes were folded as long as they were clean. (Same thing happens at my house, but if the clothes aren't neatly folded they won't fit on the shelves, laughs.)

Poor Tokio. She had endured so much during her life at the hands of some very cruel people. Just when she thought that part of her life was over and done with, in comes another jerk in the form of Col. Maybourne. He seems determined to make her the scapegoat for his frustration over his own shortcomings and poor decisions, probably not only because she is the only one within his official reach, but also because he thinks that she is an easy target.

It was chilling for Haji to see her in her 'demon mode', and not be able to snap her out of it. I'm glad he gave her that kiss when she did recover before he left. It was an action that told her that regardless of what happened, he still loved her.

It will be interesting to see where her rage really came from. Perhaps in retrospect, she will consider her reaction to the situation with the Tollans, and realize that in the future, if something similar happens, she needs to stop and think things through. She needs to consider both the capabilities of people such as the Tollans (how they can just walk through walls), and the actions that friends like Daniel might take (calling in the Nox). She needs to take advice from those who love her to heart (like when Haji told her not to do anything reckless).

She needs to realize that people she respects are probably trying to find a solution, too, so she needs to reach out to them. But reaching out and depending on others is something that she has not done very often due to what has happened to her in the past. Tokio is becoming more confident and trusting of others, but it is an on going process with steps forward, and back slides at times, too.

The end almost broken my heart. The only reason that it didn't was because I know that Hajime will be there for her, doing all he can to protect her. Not only being covered by a blanket in a dark room, but also having her Star Wars tape in the VCR was telltale regarding her emotional state. I like how Hajime did a preemptive strike by mentally developing a plan of action, and even going so far as intending to enlist the help of Victoria or his JAG attorney friend if necessary.

Thank you for another wonderful read! I'm looking forward to seeing how things go from here and what the wolf does and says to make his sweetie feel better.

I like how "in tune" the guys are to their surroundings, all of them getting an apprehensive feeling when they entered Chimaka's camp, thinking things were not quite right. Being the very observant warriors that they are, they would naturally pick up on the negative undercurrents.

It was fun to see Tokio thank Sam for giving she and Haji a "make-out minute" when they first arrived, only to find out that Sam being so focused on her friend, Nya, was the real reason why she took off in such a hurry. (As I mentioned, I had the same impression as Tokio when I read Chapter 1, that Sam left quickly to give the two of them some alone time.)

Leave it to the girls to pick up on bad vibes, too. Tokio was super prepared. Not only did she have an alert system to let her know there were nighttime intruders, but she also had her pepper spray ready. I would expect nothing less from her, considering her mentor was Night, and her past history of finding herself in dangerous situations.

The result of the pepper spray helped enhance her reputation as a person with strong, supernatural powers. I had to cheer when that guy got such a good dose on his face and some in his mouth. I thought, "That will teach him he'd better not try to kidnap anyone." Sam and her trusty knife under the pillow were right there with Tokio to join in the action. (I enjoyed Sam's quip to Turghan later on that she'd been the one to take down the guy who was unconscious.)

I thought the scene where Tokio gives Tirek a dressing down and demonstrates her powers with the help of Daniel and AC was well crafted. The sorceress demanding to know where her husband was added a sharp edge to the whole business. One should never underestimate the wrath of a woman sorceress when she learns her spouse has been given a reason to worry about her safety. It was a good strategic move on Tokio's part to turn Tirek over to Turghan's judgment after he arrived on the scene at just the right moment, along with Hajime.

Nice touch to have old Hajime let his sprout know he was there, and that he was *always* there, eventually sending Haji off to run much needed interference for Tokio, even giving young Hajime just the right advice to calm down a very upset Chimaka. I also liked that Tokio was aware of Haji's need to be close to her so he could keep his promise to protect her.

I thought it was nice that Tokio showed the villagers some basic care skills, and used the herbs available to help in the healing process. It was an intervention that helped them, but didn't expose them to technology above their evolutionary level.

Tokio's medical treatment of Nya and Danaa; the theatrics and mediation skills of AC and Daniel; and the very strong contingent of Stargate warriors all working together in this off-planet adventure helped to facilitate more peaceful future relations between the formerly warring factions. All this made for a very entertaining read.

I thought you handled the transition from being on planet to being back at Stargate Command very well. As you mentioned, all the action was finished on the planet and we knew everything ended well there. To jump to the staff report about the mission was a great way to go because it gave you, the author, an opportunity give the reader anything additional that happened on planet as part of their staff report.

Even though she is capable, Hajime can't help but worry about his sweetie's safety, that is just his nature. His feeling of foreboding about her going back is telltale. I look forward to what you might have planned for that. As Turghan said, Tokio is a valuable prize.

I loved TPWIB and I was so happy that you were able to finish it. When one of my favorite stories is complete, I have two feelings...one sad because it is over, and the other so happy that there is a complete story to read many times over. Therefore, I am delighted that you are continuing their life story in a new story. The first saga ended where it should...and this one has so many possibilities...following them through further courtship, more work situations, marriage, home and family, etc. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your writing!

Thanks for posting your new story so soon after finishing TPWIB! I like the title you chose for the continuing story. It is very appropriate! This chapter was a great way to start their adventures together as a couple.

I liked the discussion the girls had on the probable real reason that Tokio was attracted to Baharavia and the prince...because she was physically and mentally removed from everything that hurt her. It was a refuge where she could relax and feel free and unthreatened, far removed from her life of fear and disappointment, rather than a love for Marco, that attracted her. It makes perfect sense, and I'd never considered that. (Thanks for pointing that out via the girl's discussion.) Of course it was Hajime, as it should have been, who made her face her past, rather than escape from it, so she could let it go and heal...another reason why the two of them belong together.

Tokio not wanting to talk to Lisa and Kelly without first talking to Hajime goes along with their promise at the end of The Place Where I Belong to do things together and consider the other in whatever decision was made.

It is fun to see the two of them on an off-world assignment together. Poor wolf. I had to feel a little sorry for him when he though how this trip promised to be nothing but constant stress for him due to Tokio being in constant danger, and being determined to keep her safe, no matter what.

I thought it was really nice of Carter and Martelli to depart the gate first, leaving Tokio and Hajime to have a few minutes of private time together to talk and be affectionate. ( I wouldn't be surprised if at some point...maybe after the mission is over...that Carter points this out to Tokio just to tease her in a friendly way.) On this off-world assignment with all the others around, and their duties to perform, there won't be much, if any, time for them to be alone, and they wouldn't allow their relationship to interfere with their SG duties.

I like how O'Neill, Reynolds, and Hajime intervened to calm Abu and Mughal, and assure them that things would be fine in Tokio's capable hands. Then after Carter's angry confrontation with Turghan, it was the wolf to the rescue, being the diplomat, protecting Tokio by trying to diffuse a tense, potentially dangerous situation with Nya's emotionally charged father and brothers. I like how Mughal also came to Tokio's defense, finally getting Turghan to listen to reason.

I'm not surprised that when Tokio finally met Turghan, her firm, but gracious manner won him over. (Of course, she had the help of Haji and the others running interference for her beforehand. Nothing like a group of helpful people supporting you!)

I think Night would be proud of the show that Tokio put on in order to circumvent the opposition in Shevadia so she would be free to do the work she needed to do (deliver the baby).

I caught the warning Turghan gave to Hajime about Tokio being an attractive, intelligent woman, and therefore, at risk for being kidnapped (no doubt adding to the stress he was already feeling about keeping her safe).

Good thing her fiancé is off-world with her. She might need his protection or even rescuing. (Nothing like a fierce and protective wolf to keep his pack safe.) It even crossed my mind that he might even have to go so far as claiming her as his wife off-world to keep her completely safe in this particular environment.

Then there is Hajime. What type of situation is he, Teal'c and Martelli riding into? Will Tokio have to come to their rescue? So many fun possibilities. I'll just have to wait and see what the author has in store for us! Looking forward to what comes next!