Great story. Glad they bought the new house with the stable in the back. Time to go horse shopping!

It wasn't hard to imagine that Smyth was"running the show". But I want to thank you for portraying Joe in a more favorable light than I've seen in previous stories from other authors. It's also true to canon. Amanda couldn't have married him, stay married to him for at least 8 years, have an amicable divorce, and still love him as a friend. Ready for the "phoenix" to rise from the ashes once again.

A riveting suspense thriller with a side of horror; that being the evil torture perpetrated against Lee, plus Amanda's pain and heartbreak believing Lee was dead for 3 long, lonely weeks. Then, you really stick the knife in with a double-edged sword at the close. Ding dong the wicked Dr. Smyth is dead, but alas no time to celebrate with two Phoenix evil-doers still at large. Colonel Mooo installed as head of the Agency and his Senator Mooo walking dead cousin lurking. Hoping for happier times in the next installment.

Hi Mary,

Wow! I am so enthralled with these stories. I have read every one at least once, most of them twice. Your interpretation of the characters, the clever dialogue and intelligent stories are just ... the adjectives I know wouldn't do justice to how your stories made me feel.

I don't often get the "feels" when reading stories but your stories absolutely captivated me. I wanted more and more and more!

Thank you so much for writing and sharing these fantastic stories.

An amazing story. .love it.

That was sssooo awesome! I loved the twist at the end! Fantastic! Is there a part 2?

Great cliffhanger! I love the story but the formatting makes it a bit difficult to read.

I adore your stories! Can you tell me where to find story #4 in the With or Without you series?

Hello. I really loved our story! It was very well written. I really loved when she got the scarecrow and what the guy said!

Is it possible to pm me with the correct reading order for this series? Is see stories 1-3 and it seems to skip to 5. Please let me know where I can find number 4. Thanks!

Wow! This story is absolutely incredible. I only discovered SMK recently and after finishing the series about a week ago was feeling sad about the way it ended - particularly with the lack of Amanda (though I know and understand why that happened, it still makes me sad from a Lee/Amanda standpoint). This fic was EXACTLY what I needed. You explained the things that bothered me and took these two further than I could have ever dreamed in such a wonderfully thrilling and perfect way.

I read this whole thing in one go and my gosh what an emotional roller coaster. I cried when she got the news from Billy and I just wanted to hug Amanda forever and ever. You dealt with the aftermath incredibly well though - I'm very, very impressed. I love the way you managed to finally bring everything back together and move them forward.

Their marriage becoming public, at the very least to Amanda's family, was something I had really hoped to see on the show and you have done that in such a delightfully angsty and wonderful way - I love that Amanda just blurts it out with no preamble and leaves everyone gaping in her wake. (I laughed aloud at Francine's reaction - so perfect!).

This was a perfect continuation of the series and I enjoyed it so, so, so much. Thank you for writing it!

Mary, I don't think I can find the right words to express how much I enjoy your stories and your writing. I really loved the WOWY stories-you blend the right about of drama, suspense, angst, humor, jealousy, realism, blending family relationships, and anxiety. I could feel Amanda's pain and confusion over losing Lee and I just loved the tension of the scene with Joe and Amanda. Wonderful, wonderful stories. I hope to see more in the future. Anne

You did a great job with the confrontation between Joe and Amanda at the cabin. She needed to "share" how she felt and he needed to know. You showed how their relationship could handle this kind of honesty. Joe needed to know that Lee was the reason she had changed for the better and that they were married. Great stuff. And the scarecrow from the man in the red hat. How great was that! You keep me coming back! )

Awesome! Perfect characterization and an excellent plot and story line. Could have been an episode, it was that well structured. I knew Lee couldn't be dead, but I still got a shiver down my spine. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series!

Excellent. Very exciting story.