Oh, thank you so, so much! I'm glad Douglas' voice felt true, that's wonderful to hear. :D At heart, I think Douglas is a true romantic - the brown sauce purchase, of course, but then all those marriages - who else but a romantic would marry three times? They must think 'it's going to work out THIS time!' and I tend to think foreplay is a natural extension of romanticism, and in his way, I think Martin's romantic, too, so hopefully it all works out. :) I had a lot of fun dreaming up the AU beginning of MJN, and though it wasn't detailed, hopefully the implications were clear.

I'm pleased to bits that you enjoyed it, thank you SO much for your nice feedback! It was work, sure, but the best kind, and you're right, pure pleasure. Thanks again. :)