(This page contains just a few author's notes.)

Hello there! Welcome back.

It's been a while since I had anything with multiple chapters to post, but here it is finally, the first part of The Brides!

Suffice it to say, it's not been an easy six months since I began writing again. The longer this story gets, the harder it is to keep it going without completely destroying the story line. It takes days of re-reading, research and note-taking to get the ideas flowing again and inevitably, real life interferes just as I get a good flow going and I have to start the whole process all over again. Then there are those days that I just need to say "NO!" to everything!

As I started writing The Brides, and thinking ahead to The Battle, I began to add a lot of things to the story that weren't in my plans before. I've tried my best to make everything fit seamlessly, but there's only so much I can do with working full time and having a life outside of fanfiction. I appreciate constructive criticism, always, but a nice word goes a very long way to keeping the creative juices (and motivation) flowing too.

Particulars about the story...

Because it's been mentioned in the past and it's been on my mind, I just want to address the relationship progression between HG and Myka before moving onto the next chapter. Even if it's not explicit, it is assumed that they have the usual ups and downs that couples have and deal with those in whatever way suits them on those days, including bickering and the occasional cold shoulder. Keeping in mind that (as mentioned in The Bering Strait) their sessions with Abigail are ongoing, I'm not the type of person who enjoys reading or writing about emotional conflict so I refuse to throw Myka and HG into pointless back and forth 'arguments': they use the strategies they've learned as much as they can.

Screaming matches, slamming doors and holding a grudge for days on end might be reality for some people but I prefer methods that actually help and don't just pour oil on the fire for the hell of it. That said, I still want to hear your opinions – I don't want to make the characters too insipid. I hope there's enough drama and intrigue in the rest of the story to hold your attention too. If not, thank you at least for showing an interest.

Claudia's island fortress will be explored in more depth in the final instalment of this saga (The Battle). It is important for the overall story, but not so much for The Brides. All will be revealed in time.

Events in Part One of The Brides coincide with the end of Behind Secrets and Sacrifice, a compliment piece that I posted a few weeks ago. I recommend reading that at some point as it will explain things that I won't necessarily repeat here.

Warehouse 14 is up and running, with new agents overlooking all of the usual agent stuff. Claudia occasionally bypasses the 'ping' system though and asks her friends to find something for her. For the most part, our ex-agents/unofficial regents are living normal lives while keeping a vigilant eye out for disturbances in the force. The Big Battle, that I've been alluding to for a while now, is still many years away (for the characters at least), but I'm hoping to tie up a few loose ends by the end of The Brides... and perhaps unravel a couple of new ones.

I may add more notes to the ends of chapters, but I think this is all for now!

A massive thank you to Duvetsnuggler for her story covers, amazing reviews and, recently, beta-ing services!

As always, I hope you enjoy the next part of the journey...