I spent 6 hours reading today on this page. I'm new to fanfic but not all that new to the Pretender. I haven't seen the shows in some long while but this is so familiar to me. In my mind I would think Jarod would be the most difficult character to write. Somehow you bring that man to life too as you do with the other characters. Michael will always be the only Jarod for me. What a beautiful man. You go deeper than skin and flesh him out properly. It's true what they say about you. All I know is that I am enjoying your writing more than I enjoy most novels today and that you aren't fond of the attention. You're talented and intelligent Mirage. You should get used to the attention because more is coming.  I will go back and review what I've read but I do hope you will finish the story. I searched around and I see you have complete stories.  That's important. It's hard to keep my interest. I think it will be very hard for me lose interest in your stories. Please update this soon.

Without twitter I wouldn't have known you had updated. I know how you feel about social media but I'm just saying.

Your writing is vivid and the characters... wow. I've never seen Sydney written so accurately. Reading your work is like watching the series. I see the story unfold, the characters faces. I feel like I'm there with them. Uhh Magical. I'm seriously terrified for Sydney.

So love all the forensics stuff. Great chapter! I want more and more. You rule this fandom. Keep going. Please. And update your other stories too. I need more!

YES! I lurked around after being offline for a while and hoped you'd still be around. You are! It's so wonderful too. This was a very short chapter but quality is better than quality. You always give us quality. I don't think I'll be offline again anytime soon so please I beg you update your stories.

Ok got it. She had come in through the back door which leads into the kitchen and the stain was on the other side so she only saw as she was leaving through that same back/kitchen door. Make sense. That's the door Jarod would choose because the front might be monitored. Sydney is so gardeny and you mentioned gardens and the back door would be obscured by the gardens and trees so yeah. I have to get this straight. You write so clear that it's easy to understand.

Hell of an entrance Jarod made. My favorite part was probably the "abort button for Jarod" part. Parker and her snark. lol.

So Jarod is following the wrong lead?

Wow. Very tense.

I can't wait to see where you, Sydney, Jarod and Parker go next but I definitely want to tag along.

Mirage! Wow!

I am so incoherent.

YES YES YES YES! A longer chapter. YES oh oooh. The way my heart sputters up fast when they meet --- you replicate the intensity and tension from the tv series. I love that feeling. My God GIRL how the hell do you do that? You are like amazing. Do you marathon watch their interactions and study them? Whoa baby. Jarod came barging on in and I could see Parker stumbling backwards to avoid him running into her but that would have been ok. They can run into each other ;). LOVE LOVE LOVE all of it. He could hvae taken the gun forcefully, but all that time he had her mobile and she didn't know? So she couldn't call for help or call the Centre? But he knew she wouldn't kill him. God. I love that. I love the subtleties. oh ooooh It's so like Parker to carry on with work like she isn't bothered after he's gone. Need to know what happened on that weekend. Soon please. I know you won't disappoint. You never have. That's why I'm your biggest fan!!

Oh wow. First chapter is a quick read and so intense! Thank you!

Impressive like always Mirage. What the heck happened between Jarod and MP wait.. you like MP and Jarod... I try to remember that you give her top billing lol and I understand... she cries very well so she earns that top billing. :) I want to know what happened during that time they spent together... did they have sex? You are going to tell us aren't you? Anyway very plausible story and plot and dialog. Jarod is desperate to find Sydney and I don't blame him for suspecting the Centre or the process of eliminating Parker from hurting Sydney. His hair wasn't perfect and he hadn't shave and it told a different tale than him being completely together and if she's taking orders from Lyle then ...yeah, I could see it all happening. Especially since he loves Sydney so dearly. And she would be taking orders from Lyle if Raines was dead or Raines had put Lyle in charge of her...she even seemed surprised and really devastated at the end of IOTH like she knew what would happen next and that what would happen was going to be really ugly stuff. Wow. Your attention to the details are so perfect. J's submissive comment  hurt and so did the accusation and 'not the first you shot him.' Ouch Mirage. But Miss Parker deserves it in a way. But in a way she doesn't. You captured the essence of the original series and that's what I'm hungry for always. Thank you thank you thank you. Give us more and please hurry.

They spent a weekend together sometime after Carthis. OMFG! Details please!!!! Thanks for giving us shippers a little something though you didn't have to. Your writing and characterisations are always solid Mirage and even without the treat you dangled for this shipper I would have read this to the end with bated breath I swear to you.

So I love Jarod's reference to Bob Dylan's song and I'm glad the times are changing. The way you wrote Jarod and MP's entrance into this, their introductions was brilliant. She had to walk backward to avoid him colliding with her and he finally knows that she won't shoot him but thinks her reason is her mother's work.

Her snark is present. I love how she is impassive and cool. Her remark about waterboarding and the "Broots soiling Sydney's polished floors" is amazing.

So much to take in and I will reread this another 50 times to see what I missed. You are amazing. I mean honestly I know anyone who bothers to deliver this quality of writing on par or even better than the tv series. Seriously keep going. I'd buy this if you were selling it. It makes me love you more that you think highly enough and respect readers enough to give us top notch writing.

More please?

This was unexpected and perfect. You know we all want only Jarod and Miss Parker stories but I know how well you write and I will try this. So far I'm intrigued. Never cared much for the old guy. It's all about Jarod and Miss Parker for me. You write them all so well though even Sydney is the way he is on the series tv. I'm interested to see where you take this. Very enthralling beginning and really scary.

Oh MY GOD! Mirage, Mirage. I didn't know you had gifted us a new story. I love it. SOoo dark. Please give me more. Will Jarod help? I can't wait to find out where you will take us but I'm buckled in.

Author's Response:

Mm. Will Jarod help? I'm sure eventually he will. Thank you for reading and reviewing, Christoph.

Oh Mirage I do love the way you write. I am a little disappointed that you didn't update The Return for Christmas. I still think Jarod should help her but not so much that you have to abandon the story. I hope that's not the reason you haven't updated it in a while. This is quite a mystery here you're writing and I have faith you will finally update The Return. You have a way with words, you have my attention. Merry Christmas Mirage. Until next time...

Author's Response:

I will update The Return. I'm in thrall to the Muses; they wanted to do something different- and that's the only reason it hasn't been updated. I haven't abandoned that, or any, story. Yet. Also: the Muses don't seem to mind topics that are taboo or deeply entwined with stigma (obviously). That said, I still believe this is something Jarod cannot help her with. She will have to help herself, save herself; she already has. I'm sure they'll eventually have a conversation- that seems inevitable. Thanks for reading and reviewing.