That does make sense to me - and it does speak highly of Shaun and Georgia that everyone does stay.

I love how clearly they all adored Georgia. (Oh gosh, that moment right towards the end of Deadline, when Alaric's last words to Shaun are to say hi to Georgia for him... ;_;)

you feel that there are complex relationships between all members, like a spider's web, rather than just a wheel radiating out

YES. The whole ATET team has such a found-family vibe to me. I just love them all so much.

if you're open to seeing it then the clues are absolutely everywhere

They really, really are. wildpear reread Feed ages ago, and she emailed me after only the first couple of chapters to comment on the very beginning, when Georgia makes Shaun get on the bike in Santa Cruz, and how aware Georgia is of Shaun snuggling into her. wildpear said something about how on her first read it made her uncomfortable, like "Does she really have to be THAT aware of it? Well, yes. But does she really have to describe it THAT way...?" Georgia is so non-tactile, but she talks about Shaun touching her a LOT--and I think it's clearly him initiating it more of the time and her appreciating it--and also, in places it's really stark how much more/how much differently they touch each other when they're alone (or feeling vulnerable). (One person in the Mark Reads discussion IDed the sexual component of the relationship from the way Shaun touches Georgia's back at Rebecca Ryman's funeral, for heaven's sake.)

Blackout is SO GOOD. Just throwin' that out there. ^_-