Lately I've gotten quite a few comments declaring my Halo character to be a "Mary Sue" type character, basically saying that she was too good to be true. That was never the impression I wanted to give, and I'm a little upset by that. This is my response to all those who said that my character was too good, and also a farewell: with this story, the "Blade Chronicles" have come to an end. If anyone wants to pick it up, just ask first. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.

Epilogue: Face Behind The Mask

"Liz! Liz, wake up!"

"Huh? What?" Elizabeth Masters started suddenly to meet the gaze of her boyfriend, Dan Howard.

"You spaced out on me again," Dan muttered, leaning across the counter and rumpling her brown curls. Okay, technically her hair wasn't curly, but it still had enough of a wave to it to cause problems occasionally.

"Sorry, didn't mean to. I was just thinking."

"About?" Persistent today, aren't we? She smiled—that was one thing she loved about him, the fact that he was so determined to pry answers when she had a problem.

"I just had a rough day again, is all," she answered, pushing her glasses back up on her nose—they had a tendency to slide down a lot. "A pretty bad one."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough that I ran and hid again," she admitted. He frowned, and she knew he wasn't happy about her alter-ego. She'd told him about BLADE and her other characters, and at first he'd only shaken his head and told her that she "was going to die a nerd." Now that he understood the reality of the Halo character she'd created, he wasn't nearly as thrilled.

"Hiding in Halo isn't doing you any good. I still don't understand why this BLADE person is so special."

"She helps me cope," Elizabeth defended herself. "She's basically everything I'm not: confident, strong, smart, not to mention sexy as hell. Add to it that almost nothing can stop her when she sets her mind to it…compare that to me and I'm sure you'd see the appeal at once."

Dan got up from his chair and joined her in the kitchen, where only minutes before she'd been keeping an eye on a boiling pan full of pasta. "You know I don't like it when you hide like that. You need to learn to let her go."

"I…I don't think I can," she started to say, but he cut her off.

"So what, you're going to spend the rest of your life being BLADE instead of Liz Masters? You can't live that way, and you can't spend the rest of your life hiding in some fictional character!"

"Damn it, Dan, will you let me finish!" She wasn't really mad at him, since she knew he was worried about her, but being interrupted was one thing that was guaranteed to set her off.

"I know I'm not BLADE, that I'm not a SPARTAN-II, and that I'm not some ultra-sexy and deadly chick who's not afraid to stand up for herself. And I know that I'll have to let BLADE go eventually, that I can't keep escaping through her. You think I enjoy hiding from real life all the time?" Elizabeth paused and took a breath, trying to control her outburst. "I know all that, but I just…I can't let go yet. I'm not ready to let go."

"When?" he asked. Elizabeth looked at him and smiled.

"I don't know when. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a month, I don't know. But someday—hopefully soon—I'll be able to let BLADE go. Just not yet."

She watched his face, hoping he understood. Dan simply stood there and nodded, right before pulling her closer for a hug. She returned the favor, resting her head against his chest and simply enjoying just being there. Unfortunately the moment was cut short by a loud hissing noise.

"Shit, it's boiling over!" Elizabeth yelled, darting to the stove to try and save their dinner. Grabbing the handles, she lifted the hissing pot off the burner long enough for the boiling to subside while Dan turned the burner's heat down.

"Nice save," he snickered. Elizabeth glared at him briefly before turning back to the stove. Once she'd judged the pasta to be done, she drained it and returned the pot to the stovetop once again.

"Make yourself useful and work on the biscuits, why don't ya?" she grumbled. Reaching for a plate of crumbled Italian sausage and a jar of spaghetti sauce, she dumped each item into the pot and stirred thoroughly with a long spoon.

Dan smiled as he watched her "throw some dinner together", as she called it, a small smile on her face. Cooking was fun for her, and one of the few times he saw the real Liz Masters come through; life had dealt her a rough hand and she was still learning to deal with it. She tried not to let it show, but unfortunately for her she had an absolutely horrible poker face. She's come a long way, though, he reminded himself.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Elizabeth asked, poking him lightly in the shoulder.

"Just thinking how lucky I am," he answered, kissing her cheek. A faint blush lit her face as she shook her head.

"I feel bad for you, you have no idea what you're getting into," she deadpanned, setting a plate of what she called "creole" in front of him.

"I could say the same," he smiled.

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Elizabeth sat in the living room, taking care not to make much noise. Dan had passed out a while ago, but she was too keyed up to sleep at the moment. Something Dan had said earlier kept rolling around in her head.

"You need to learn to let her go."

If only I could, she thought sadly. If only I were strong enough to let her go. She was a little afraid to be herself—and in all honesty didn't know who her real self was sometimes—so she lived her life through fictional characters, idealized images of who she wished she could be. BLADE was one of her favorites: a misfit SPARTAN-II overcoming impossible odds and eventually finding peace.

Still, Dan was right: she couldn't live through BLADE forever, and needed to let her go. What he didn't know was that it was getting easier to live in real life, thanks to him. He made her feel confident about herself, confident to live life and take chances. In short, he made her want to be better, and gave her the courage to try.

"I can't let her go yet. I'm not ready to let her go."

She still needed BLADE, yes, but maybe it was time for a fresh start. But at the same time, it wasn't enough to simply "let her go" and move on. No, BLADE had become something tangible, something real, and at times Elizabeth could see her alter-ego actually living the life she had created in her mind. I just can't throw her away like she was nothing. But how…A small half-smile crept across her face as she reached for her Macbook; opening the case, she pulled up Microsoft Word, pushed up her glasses, and opened a new document.

Now, where should I begin? She thought a moment, allowed the beginnings of an idea to take form, and typed:

HALO: THE SECRET SPARTAN