AUTHORS NOTES – MAJOR SPOILERS

Here are some of the things I was debating on doing throughout the story, just so you know what I was thinking.

K.I.A. – I honestly didn't mean to kill off so many characters. I won't have many left for part 3 at this rate! Still, I enjoyed writing it and am glad to have received so many wonderful reviews. I won't promise everyone will survive next time, but hopefully it won't be as bloody!

Ripcord – I considered actually making him a traitor instead of "The Impostor" (I bet you can guess which Cobra agent I based The Impostor off of). However I already did have a traitor in their midst in AFW1, my first story. And even though the whole Ripcord/Scarlett thing stunk in the movie Rise of Cobra, that's not why I killed him off here, it just worked out that way.

Grand Slam – You have no idea how badly I did not want to kill him. I liked the way the story was going with him and Cover Girl, but that's the way it goes I guess. Everything pointed to him getting blown up so I went with it. Do I regret it? Yes, but again that's the direction I felt the story should have went.

Barbecue – This was the opposite of Grand Slam. I figured he would have died, but again as the story flowed it seemed that letting him live would have been in accordance with the storyline I had laid out.

Clutch – Ah yes. Clutch. I included him in a random epilogue. I thought he had an interesting story that I couldn't pass up. On a personal note – real life we're talking for a moment – I am serving in the military but have only seen combat from the air. Sometimes I can't imagine some of the stuff the guys on the ground have to deal with… much different and frightening than what I've had to deal with. I guess you could say the epilogue is something of a tribute to those scarred soldiers who have to fight different battles when they get home. His short story might have been the one that I took the most seriously and tried not to mess up.

Snake-Eyes – And of course our hero. Believe it or not I considered having him go off the edge of the cliff. I didn't want to, but again it was a realistic option I did not rule out believe it or not. I know, I can hear you booing me right now! To be honest, I'm glad I didn't. But tell me…. Have you ever wondered if Snake-Eyes would end up retiring and marrying Scarlett, OR… would he end up going down fighting? We'll see what happens if/when I write AFW3…..!

Scarlett – My biggest regret was I couldn't have more Snake-Eyes/Scarlett time in the story. Really I only had at the beginning and the end. I'm afraid so far AFW3 looks to be the same way, but we'll see (especially since I don't have the entire storyline written out yet).

Scalpel – He's still out there, isn't he….?

Snake-Eyes AND Scarlett – Well, this is the main reason I started writing. I love the pairing of these two characters; it has a poetic beauty and the beast ring to it. Not to mention the characters are just so interesting and exciting; I tip my hat to Larry Hama for this one. I think I've told a few people that the young Scarlett and old Snake-Eyes relationship, especially in AFW1, was inspired by the movie Sin City (Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba… don't remember the characters names). Some day I hope to write other takes on Snake and Scarlett; I have quite a few ideas in my mind but not sure if they will ever make it to paper.

The Story Itself – Again, the core of the story is supposed to be Snake and Scarlett, though it was hard to pull off in AFW2. Not to mention filling it with typical military action as well as their romance, not to mention regular character development. Just so you know where I was trying to go…!

Thanks again for reading! If I think of anything else to add in the creation of the story, I'll repost and add it here…