"For Now" by Uther Pendragon (anon584c@nyx.du.edu). It was almost exactly six months ago that I reviewed "Forever," the first story in the Bob and Jeanette Brennan saga. I astutely said it was a good story, expressed a wish that the author would post more stories, and rated it 9.5, 9, 10. I was also pleased as punch that I had recognized Uther Pendragon as the name of the king who established the Round Table on Merlin's advice and who subsequently found his true heir (King Arthur) through the ole sword-in-the-stone test.

Since that time, this author has not only reposted a revised version of that story - cleaning up the imperfections and earning a 10, 10, 10 rating; he has also posted six more stories in this series, in addition to a half dozen unrelated stories. At the present time I am going to say that this is the best story in the series; but I think that may be comparable to my daughter's annual statement that "This is my best birthday ever!" which is invariably followed a few months later by "This is the best Christmas ever!" What I mean is that each successive story (a) is excellent itself and (b) makes the whole series better. As I read this story I saw Bob and Jeanette in a completely new setting, and I learned things about them that made sense, but which I had not thought about before.

The present story is only indirectly about Bob and Jeanette. It's told through the eyes of Bob's sister, Vi, a bright 16-year-old who wants to be a psychoanalyst some day but who is at the present time overwhelmed with her own problems with her boyfriend. The sexual activity is equally indirect: we infer only what we can learn from Vi's descriptions of Bob and Jeanette, while she listens in the room next door while her hot brother and sister-in-law go at it in his old bedroom.

This is an excellent Christmas story. I loved "The Gathering" episode of the Waltons, and this is the sexually explicit version of it - except, of course, that the Brennans are a smaller family and that Bob is Bob's first name rather than the ubiquitous Walton middle name. The interpersonal and family relationships ring true in this story; and even the non-sexual details contribute to the sexuality that Vi observes in Bob and Jeanette. If this author does not have a degree in psychology, I hereby bestow an honorary degree upon him.

If you have not read the previous stories in this series, do a favor for yourself or a loved one this Christmas. Log onto DejaNews on the Web (www.dejanews.com) and punch in the search words "alt.sex.stories pendragon." Download all the stories you find there. The ones that begin with "For" are the Bob and Jeanette stories. They'll give you a warm feeling on a cold winter's night.