Thank you, glad you liked my take on post-canon Rousseau (who didn't allow herself to be toned down, plain and simple. :) ) As for the compromise between her and Ben, I tried to aim for a resolution that still had enough of an emotional punch, yet didn't sound either too easy or overly dramatic. In the end, I just went for the understatement again. And I think, from Danielle's perspective, simply bringing herself to let Alex call Ben "dad" and spend any amount of time alone with him, at that point, is a huge step for her. A step she never would have taken if not for the fact that Alex is the person she loves most in her life and whose happiness she values above her own. (I'm not a mother myself, but I imagine this would be the type of situation that couples with kids go through after a bitter divorce - the clash of "I hate your guts" with the need to just see their children happy, no matter what. And I like to think that Danielle is the type of woman who would get over the hatred, or at least set it aside, for the sake of her child.)
Man from Tallahassee: It is a glorious exchange, especially how in the midst of that gigantic clash of egos, between all the bluff and manipulation, they not only get the other's motivations (Ben being envious, Locke being scared) exactly right, but neither of them even tries to deny it! I don't remember exactly when I first went from liking to loving Ben and Locke, apart or together, but this time that was definitely the moment. Also, while I don't have an urge to ship Ben, in particular, with anyone in the physical sense, Locke is probably the only one I could start to see it with. Because, outlandish as it may sound, of all the relationships Ben has in his adult life, the one with Locke might just be the least dysfunctional - not in terms of actions, obviously, but in terms of sentiment. As in: there's respect, understanding, and a brutal kind of honesty in the things that matter, which neither Ben nor Locke seem to be able to find in anyone else. If that makes any sense. (And I blame this show entirely for causing me to make statements like "having a less-than-dysfunctional relationship" about a man who killed another man after stopping him from killing himself! Clearly, the Lost DVDs should come with a label: Caution! Screws up one's perspective on morality! *g* )
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Man from Tallahassee: It is a glorious exchange, especially how in the midst of that gigantic clash of egos, between all the bluff and manipulation, they not only get the other's motivations (Ben being envious, Locke being scared) exactly right, but neither of them even tries to deny it! I don't remember exactly when I first went from liking to loving Ben and Locke, apart or together, but this time that was definitely the moment. Also, while I don't have an urge to ship Ben, in particular, with anyone in the physical sense, Locke is probably the only one I could start to see it with. Because, outlandish as it may sound, of all the relationships Ben has in his adult life, the one with Locke might just be the least dysfunctional - not in terms of actions, obviously, but in terms of sentiment. As in: there's respect, understanding, and a brutal kind of honesty in the things that matter, which neither Ben nor Locke seem to be able to find in anyone else. If that makes any sense. (And I blame this show entirely for causing me to make statements like "having a less-than-dysfunctional relationship" about a man who killed another man after stopping him from killing himself! Clearly, the Lost DVDs should come with a label: Caution! Screws up one's perspective on morality! *g* )