A huge but inevitably still inadequate apology to my GND30 readers. I screwed up incredibly badly with this story; took it somewhere it shouldn't EVER have been headed for and, what's even worse, didn't notice until almost too late.
Entirely my bad. Pretty dumb of me not to have had it read by anyone else past Chapter 20. Trouble is, it's taken me six months, what with everything else that's been going on in my life, to get all the stupid parts removed and substituted with something more worthwhile. Continuity has been an absolute bitch - yes, I had fouled up THAT thoroughly. Chapter 30 onwards is completely rewritten, and I'll be back to posting regularly.
A big 'thank you' to those who have kindly expressed concern, and who have patiently waited so long for me to continue my tale. I hope you enjoy the rest of it. Memo to self: Don't be in such a hurry to post a story before it's completely finished ever again!