Oh, you did respond to my review! Yes, intimidated! THat's the word. I do get intimidated easily. Tall men are intimidating. Yes, some of us are really short. Not like you. I heard you were 5'9 so you are on the tall side too and if you are wearing some heels Michal T. Weiss wouldn't seem that tall to you. I'm a short short short person. 10 year olds are taller than I am. I don't know what I will do if I see him out and about. Any ideas to make me feel better?

And you don't seem like you would be intimidated by anyone. You aren't intimidated by tall people are you? Because you're a tall person.

I'm grateful that you can be sympathetic and try to understand. Yes, I am defintiely obsessed.I was asking other things... like he doesn't bite? I wasn't clear enough.

Was he nice the times you saw or met him? I just like to know. I don't want to meet people or see them in real life if they aren't good people. I don't want to be disappointed by my crushes. Thank you for answering the question about your acting. That helps. I don't like to think that people choose evil roles because they are evil or want to be evil. I like that you feel it's challenging. That's a good answer.

I love this story and hope you will write a sequel and please update The Return. I love it!

Off for the holidays and came here first and was so pleased to see you here! I love this story and the ending was beautiful. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that in this last chapter Parker put her stamp of approval on Jarod's crime in the first chapter. I freaking HATE rapists and I can tell you don't like them much either.... the alligators tearing one apart gave you away lol. I think you are one of those people who write to try to understand but I remember that in Forces Of Nature, you the narrator said Parker couldn't possibly understand something (her father thinking men will commit rape & incest given enough incentive) that no sane person could understand. But still we try because we want to stop those things from happening and we think if we understand it we can cure it. But some days when the ugliness is too much we think screw it,  it's easier to feed them to alligators... Anyway just random thoughts. Thanks for not having them so cheesy... you do a good job with bringing them closer in a way that is realistic and in keeping with the original tv series and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that because I don't have a talent for writing. You do and I hope you'll share it with us forever. Congrats on completing another bloody fantastic story. 

Best way to start the weekend! An update from mirage! It's reassuring to come on here every month or so and like clockwork find an update from you. Nice to know we can count on some things.

As I have said countless times before ( but it merits repeating ) I love the way you write Miss Parker and Jarod. You keep them alive for us and you write them as well as (if not better) than Craig and Steven.

Please keep them coming (updates as well as stories) and happy holidays!

Oh, God yes. Mirage you a are a virtuoso, a paragon of genius. I love that the answer to the title is 'each other' and that their language is their own, and they communicate love in their own way. Love ...in other words. Thank you. Congratulations on finishing another fabulous fic.

That was an unpredictable twist to say the least. First I have to applaud you for casting light on a crime too often ignored and left in the dark and doing it respectfully and with all the seriousness it deserves. I understand based on real life events and fromfiction you've penned in the past that sex crimes are difficult for all victims, that most or all feel some sense of shame but I think it would be more difficult for a man because it seems to be an attack on masculinity and some people even think the male victim might be gay after that kind of abuse and so men are even more often likely to remain quiet and never speak a word about the abuse.

Somehow I feared you would gloss over the rape and multiple abuses and that Jarod would be fine and behave as if nothing happened. Because in the previous chapter he showed up and sort of tried to take control. But that was an act and Parker saw through it. Jarod isn't fine. He's a human, he's been through hell. He's barely hanging on here and that's plausible, it's reality. Many families reject the victim... most people don't know that. You reveal the horrible aftermath.

This is stunning.

I know you are a rational woman but I also know you aren't a Jarod fan and don't seem to be screaming love for Michael T Weiss either. I get it. You aren't a fan girl and you're cool headed. I get it now. Before I thought you hated Jarod... you let Parker emasculate Jarod in most fics and I always thought maybe you enjoyed it a bit. But I see now that I was wrong. You've been correctly characterizing her ... so I apologize. He's still very capable in this fic even if falling apart. And she tells him to take off his shoes instead of doing it for him...which proves he's capable. Broken but alive and still a man.

Parker shines in this chapter. Her compassion was beautiful to read. She came through for him as we know she's capable of but rarely saw in the series. You handled this skillfully. You handled the topic with delicacy.

More, please? Until next time Mirage...

Ahhhh I love it. Parker is being humane. They are saving each other so to speak. Magical. Your writing is magical. She's right. It doesn't matter now. They've come to the end of tragedy to find that the petty crap, chase and lies never mattered.

Finally.

This is shaping up to be my favorite show ending.

Thank you Mirage. Thank you from all of my heart.

Thank GOD you're back! This was just... I have no words. Beyond amazing.

When Parker says 'your mother believes you're dead' and Jarod replies 'she isn't wrong' I nearly died for him. I thought at first that Cox had infected him with HIV or something like that and he was dying. But he was talking about what rape does to a person. It kills something inside.

It's a sensitive topic rape is and you always bring the facts to life. What Parker says and does for Jarod is what every victim needs to hear. I don't know how you know all of that, how you knew to have her say what he needed to hear but you knew and I love you for writing respectfully about this topic. And you did it despite not being a Jarod fan or a follower of Michael's work or whatever. Parker knew she couldn't let him leave. She pulled a Jarod on him really, did what Jarod does.

What is really poignant and profound is that he'd had just enough strength left in him to try to save her. He wanted to save someone and thought it should be her because she can't talk about Luc still. He used it all up trying to save her if I'm not mistaken here. Had he gone to help anyone else in 'savior mode' he might have died 'drowned' doing it. But because it was Parker, she saw and she's trying to save him. Oh god. You're not a shipper?!

It is heartbreaking and beautiful.

If you were writing the novels I'd buy them and that's all I'll say because I don't want you to be pissed at me. I'm not insulting the creators. I'm telling the truth and trying to help sales.

More please?

Don't have time to leave a large review but this was fabulous Mirage. Just wanted to let you know and please keep going. So glad you are back. Missed you so much. Beautiful work here.

Can you please please please update this soon Mirage? I'm dying to know what will happen now? Jarod taking Miss Parker home is a thought that is driving me nuts. I hope you're ok and I know you're busy but I love your writing, your voice, your ability to flesh out the characters and breathe life into them and plausibility. You are missed big time.  :( Please come back.

Fabulous story and eloquetly written. You're a wordsmith Mirage. I love how unforced it all seems. Please update soon.

LOVE this chapter and the entire story. Amazing. Tell me something, Mirage. Do you think specifically about these actors when you're writing because to most if not all of us in the fandom we view Michael T. Weiss and Andrea Parker as Jarod and Miss Parker. There can be no other Jarod and Miss Parker, no other actor/ress could fill those shoes. When I read you I see Michael and Andrea fleshed out as Jarod and Miss Parker. Do you like hold Michael in your mind when you write about Jarod for instance? Or do you watch reruns? I want to know what drives you to write and how you are able to so perfectly capture the characterizations of not just Jarod and Miss Parker but the other characters? Now I think about it I know you write and create original characters and flesh out beautifully too. I am curious if you consider the actors, their feelings and thoughts or if it's all limited to the characters. I know in the past you seem uncomfortable talking about the actors and maybe that's changed? I don't know how you separate them or if you do. Like I said I am curious about you. You are a mirage Mirage.

I enjoy your responses and I haven't emailed you in a while. Please respond to this and be as lengthy as you want in your response. Please continue with this story and all of your stories. You are the reason I check in here. I love your work.

You are a breath of fresh air Mirage. Please continue.

'someone' should NEVER complain about how long it takes you to update because unlike most author's on this site you DO update. Also, they should keep in mind that you have several open stories (five by last count) which cements you as the most prolific writer on missing pieces.

With every story you write you keep The Pretender alive and I thank you for that!

This chapter was heartbreaking. So much history and emotion between Miss Parker and Jarod. They never seem to catch a break ( in this as in the series).

But I'll be awaiting the next chapter no matter how long it takes!

As always thank you for writing and updating!