I know it's been forever, but on the off chance that you read this, have you happened to read/see that Meg Cabot is revisiting the Mediator Series? The excerpt from her upcoming Mediator #7 book sounds right up your alley. It features Paul blackmailing Suze in a way that's quite similar to this. I read it and thought of you.

I read all of your works during high school, and loved them all, even the ones with more serious content. It was brilliant, and to this day still is. You set the bar high for me back then, and cultivated a taste for darker romance in me that holds true to this day. I wanted to thank you for that, and express how much I appreciated looking forward to your updates back then. Wherever you are now, I hope you're still writing, because you clearly had a huge talent for it back then. I hope to read something else from you someday.

Best,
Dana

*takes a breath*

Wow.

Back when I originally read this, waaay back in high school, I was so freaked out by the rapes that I stopped reading. It was just too intense. Now that I'm a married lady with a child, I can handle Paul and all that he dishes out. I'm so, so glad I decided to revisit your story. Some highlights:

1. I've always thought that you captured Suze's voice masterfully. Her snark, her vulnerabilities, her tendency to fly off the handle...it's all there. I enjoy reading your Suze more than Meg Cabot's.

2. The slowing rising tension was gripping. I stayed up way too late reading this story last night.

3. I applaud your decision to make Paul a complex villain, almost a tragic one, instead of a one-dimensional rapist/abuser. Paul's certainly not a nice guy, but it was refreshing to see something other than his usual portrayal. It made the story more poignant.

4. Your Jesse is hot. What else is new?

5. I liked that the rape scenes were appropriately tense, terse, and as awful as the deed. No creepy rape porn here.

Some critiques:

1. I felt that the introduction of Gabriel changed the tone of the story enough that it warrants a mention in the description. I'm not normally a fan of high supernatural (angels and demons, as opposed to just ghosts) and I like to be warned.

2. I had a hard time following the timeline of events after a while. When Suze referred to her scar later on in the story as a white line, and referred to the night she received it as "so long ago", I was confused because it hadn't seemed like all that long had passed. A few weeks, maybe.

I do hope to see more from you in the future.

I really love this story! Hopefully another update?

I don't care how bad she felt. If that man raped me repeatedly, I would not be visiting him in a hospital. That is some fucked up patriarchal bullshit. But I do like your story. Women die from rape everything. This aspect is just disgusting.

Lolly please come back to fanfiction! I'm so deeply in love with your writing and it is horribly missed here in the PaulXSuze loving dimension.

So, i've been following up on all the fanfics I used to read before I left college myself. Needless to say this first week of freedom is goign to be filled with reading a lot of your works again. Which I'm totally ecstatic about! :) But I would love to see the summation or something. Because regardless of the crappiness (understatement) he put Suze through, I wanna know what happens to him. If there is a glimmer of hope at all. Call me hopelessly optimistic, I don't know. But pleaseeeeee? :)

(sorry for the double post)

PS. it's completely adorable that Jesse's had three milkshakes. It reminds of the bon bon line from Twilight(Mediator series, of course).

So, i've been following up on all the fanfics I used to read before I left college myself. Needless to say this first week of freedom is goign to be filled with reading a lot of your works again. Which I'm totally ecstatic about! :) But I would love to see the summation or something. Because regardless of the crappiness (understatement) he put Suze through, I wanna know what happens to him. If there is a glimmer of hope at all. Call me hopelessly optimistic, I don't know. But pleaseeeeee? :)

OH MY GOSH! Thats all i can say... u r a genius. r u sure meg cabot didnt ask u 2 write dis or gave u dis idea OR u stole this frm her? cuz its lyk amaxing... awesome! U ROCK!

It's sooooo good to see updates from you in 2011! I was just going back to relive my teenage years by rereadin (you probably don't remember me reviewing back then because I was a lowly lurker at that point, haha) when I stumbled upon the fact that you had updated stories recently.

Oh, how I love your writing. You never fail to draw me into your storytelling. I really do hope that you are pursuing this talent because I know without a doubt that you would make it as a writer. You've got that "it" factor :)

I love how this ended right here. Beautiful, and I love how Dr Slaski still made Suze and Jesse annoyed from beyond the grave, so typical of him.

Love the story and all your work. I'm currently making my way through your stories as they're just amazing :)

Nice :) Can't wait for what's coming next! :D

I can't believe you came back and finished this! I never thought it would happen! Never! I loved this story SO much when you wrote it and always thought you would make a great author, I hope that's what your doing now. thank-you for this amazing piece of writing.

My God Girl-you still rock out!

I have not gotten to Afterglow yet-this has been the shittiest 2 months of my life. What a lovely surprise, however, to open my email and find, not the threat of legal action from my brother that I was expecting, but a fantastic chapter to a legendary story.

You're the best!

Well, I musr say I am absolutely flattered that I got a mention on one of my favourtie Mediator stories OF ALL TIME :)

I understand how hard it must have been to come back after such a long time and write this but I thank you all the same. Nothing like a bit of closure to make you smile throughout the day ;)

I look forward to hearing more form you if you post it but if not, Thank you for the wonderful journey you've taken us all one and I wish you all the best :)

Melcangel :)

WOOOOT and here I thought Fire and Ice was done with! of course you'd give it a proper ending! has to be wrapped up perfectly! though after all you've put Suze and Jesse through, they do so deserve it! ;)

I actually met Meg Cabot a few days ago at a signing and I think she'd love your suze and jess and paul. oh damn, she'd love all of em. just like we all do! (even slaski, that old...disturbed man)

As Meg Cabot signed on my book (which I do regret wasn't a Mediator book), Believe!

erm, ok, i think it's a bit too much sap. see what your story turns me into!

hope we get another chapter soon!

and yes, this is my way of guilting you into another chapter

toodles :)