I've been thinking further about the relationship between Paul and Ed. And it's complicated.

I can go with Paul seeing Ed as a father-figure. That scene in Sub-Smash', where Paul admits to Ed that he's scared, supports it, as does his (almost indignant) reaction in the shooting gallery when he shouts at Ed: 'You could have killed me!'

But I don't think Ed sees Paul in quite the same way. Ed's experience of fatherhood has been disastrous, ending with the loss of his son. It's way too early for him to look for a 'stand-in' son, and I'm not sure he ever would. But I can see him wanting a surrogate brother. In Chris Bentley's book (yes I got my copy!!!) Ed is given as the only son of John Charles Straker, which suggests a number of possibilities.

And there's room for both viewpoints.

So I've made Marion Knight as Ed's stepmother. And she has (or had?) a son of around Paul's age, who will have an, er, interesting history.

Watch this space.

One of the beauties of fanfiction, especially with UFO which left so many things unsaid and nebulous, we all see and write the characters differently because we see them through the lenses of our own experiences and our interpretations of that world.

Is Straker an only child? Is Foster? The UFO writers never said. But I know what it's like to be the older sister of a kid with a stratospheric IQ, therefore my version of Straker has many attributes of my kid brother - including an older sister.

I did figure after I mentioned it that Ed would be more a brother figure. I don't think he's that old to be Paul's father to begin with. And this is funny with what you're insinuating because I've wondered if anyone would come up with the idea that they could be related in some form or another. It's happened with the Stargate SG-1 fiction I've written or read. Making Daniel Jackson either a son or kid brother to Col. Jack O'Neill and he had no idea about it. Oh, I can't wait to read your take on this one. Sounds like it's going to be a good story, SnowLeopard!

Hi SnowLeopard,
Boy this is the most I've replied or responded on this site. LOL!
Anyway, since I write in The BBC version of the Musketeers I so loved your comparison of Ed (Athos) to Paul's (d'Artagnan). Because in many ways that's what it is. It was never mentioned, except in certain fan fics that Paul was being groomed to take over from Ed eventually. As d'Artagnan would eventually take over being one of the finest swordsmen in all of France. Plus becoming the captain of the Musketeers. In the BBC show Athos is made captain and then by the end of the series d'Art takes his place.

It's developing, if I'm not careful I'll be overrun by plot bunnies!

They have forced me to write bits out of sequence, so I will have to connect them all together later. At the moment I know what happens to Paul, and how Ed is involved at his machiavellian best, and where Moonbase Alpha comes in. Oh, and the aliens, let's not forget them....

Foster says it in Kill Straker not Subsmash. The thing about getting older is in subsmash.
I found many things interesting in that you could have killed me scene. Straker touches Paul briefly in what I interpreted as father/comforter. Foster underestimated Straker yet again (but understandably I suppose  . ) and once again Straker pulls a plot bunny out of his hat. Foster goes to pieces . He was convinced Straker was shooting blindly. He finds out Straker is a marksman. So the weaker older guy (harumph! ) with the will power outwitted him and saved his butt again. (Sorry Debbie  ) btw you say forever Foster but you have Bruce Wayne pic lol.  Wait maybe Paul could be Robin? 
Do you just like the char or do you like Billington? I started off being intrigued by and drooling over Straker then I got involved with Ed over the years. Straker was a father figure to me while as a kid to young woman I was being abused. Bishop became a hero to me and a rare individual. Bishop brought that to Straker.

Hi Write Rat,
When I was new to this website and was creating my info unless I missed it I didn't see any icon to use for Foster and I have been a comic's fan since way back in the day, loving Batman and yes, mostly Robin. LOL! So I picked the Batman icon. But I loved Paul Foster's character from the get go. Okay, probably because he was a handsome guy. I wasn't really crazy about his womanizing ways though. In real life I wouldn't put up with that. He'd be out on his ear. Now as for Straker, my mom and I both really liked him. With that hair, though I told her it was a wig, and those eyes. She liked his air of command, even though she didn't watch the show like I did. I have all the dvds and bring them out to watch both delightful men at work. And sometimes TV characters can actually help us in real life as Straker's character did for you. If acted out correctly, some characters can leap off the screen and last with you a lifetime. Sometimes I wish there was a Straker in my life to help out with life's difficult moments for me too. I only say that because, after I lost my mom unexpectedly to a stroke late 2009, I am by myself now as we lived together like two Musketeers. But I've muddled through okay I think. I will say one thing on Foster that I've noticed on the stories posted here. Usually they leave him out or when they write about him he sounds like a spoiled brat. LOL! That's why I enjoy reading more positive stories with him in it and am looking forward to see what SnowLeopard does with hers. If they create a Paul Foster icon I'll change it to that. Ha ha ha! Nice talking with you.

Thanks Shado Librarian. But I don't have any avatars. So that leaves me with Batman. LOL! I'm okay with that though.