Ironically, I think she gets to be more of a character in the sequel even though she's dead. I went back to read the chapter. In a pro novel, I think your criticism would be entirely valid, not that it isn't anyway, but I think in fanfiction introducing original characters is risky anyway. I think she weighed the delightful prospect of getting Mulder laid against the possibility of breaking up the Mulder-Scully-Ethan triangle that's she's developing. For my money, I think Syntax6 could have pulled it off, if anyone could. She's better than a lot of pro writers in my opinion.

Perhaps it's just a little disappointment on my part because, at that point, I would have found a fling between them quite believable.

In this universe, I'm not sure Mulder is a quick fling kind of guy, though, is he? Assuming she was interested, and from the perspective of this reader, why wouldn't she be, I think he would have ended up dating Melinda for the remainder of the fic, which would have complicated the ending of this story and the emotional terrain of the next one, too. No, the more I think about it, as a writer I can see better and better reasons to keep them out of bed. So a sexy plot device she remains...





Do you think you'd feel the same way if he'd slept with her first, then got out of her bed to go rescue Scully?