Ha. Finally I get around to answering! Thanks so much for this lovely feedback - it really means a lot to me. I think this story is probably the one I'm most proud of, and still have a lot of affection for. I'm particularly thrilled that you thought the orig characters worked, because I loved writing them and making them interact with this not-quite Dom and not-quite Elijah. Writing this story and this world is some of the most fun I've had ever while writing (omg, worst sentence ever but you know what I mean). The scenes and the characters felt completely real to me, in a way I don't think I'd quite experienced before, and I'm so happy to think that they read that way too. Yay!

[here endeth the lame reply]