Story 170: "Certitude" by Justin Glasser

[wendelah1]

This is picfic, but for that other movie, the one I at least liked a lot better. Still, for all its virtues, Fight the Future did leave a huge plot hole for the fanfiction writers to fill in: what exactly did happen after they escaped from the alien ship? How did they get from Antarctica to Washington DC and what happened in between? "Certitude" tells that story so well, I've probably reread it a half dozen times with pleasure, and recced it, well, everywhere but here.

Besides an absolutely riveting plot, Glasser give us a Mulder-and-Scully who come as close to the characters on screen as any writer before or since. In case you weren't certain of my feelings, I love this story. The link is to Mulder in Jeopardy, where it is broken into two parts, one containing sections 1-5, the other, 6-10.

Certitude Part One

Certitude Part Two

Send feedback to the author, then come back and let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions.

Comments

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

-That Scully's still planning to leave. I've always considered her experience in Antarctica to be the thing which makes leaving seem utterly impossible. Not to mention, I think leaving only seemed possible to her in the first place before she was forced to slow down and think beyond the practicalities of it.

-The development of Mulder and Scully's relationship. It's written well, and I understand why some people are going to like it. I'm just not one of those people. They say too much to each other. They reveal too much, they mutually acknowledge too much. As an AU scenario it would certainly work, but as a gap-filler fic that is supposed to be canon adherent, I find it a significant stretch. If this had really happened, I would then have to readjust how I look at every M/S interaction from then on out. Which is perfectly alright, but I rather like my current perspective, I like that they have yet to mutually acknowledge anything for another year at least, which leaves the fic and I at something of an impasse, though an amicable one.

-The imbalance between Scully's role in the fic and Mulder's. While I will always find it easier to enjoy fics in which Scully is awesome and Mulder takes a backseat to fics in which the reverse is true, I still wish Mulder were a little more appreciated in Certitude. Throughout the fic, Scully is the one who basically accomplishes everything while Mulder flails helplessly. Which I wouldn't mind so much, accept the way Captain Neill thinks about the two of them emphasizes that imbalance. He basically idolizes Scully and thinks Mulder is a sorry SOB. This doesn't make me dislike the fic, and if one wanted to argue that it was a pleasant role reversal from the norm, I would certainly understand where they were coming from. Nonetheless, I would like Certitude even more if Mulder were given a bit more to do, instead of having him stand around like a sacrificial lamb, and angst over Scully leaving him or being taken.

[wendelah1]

-That Scully's still planning to leave. I've always considered her experience in Antarctica to be the thing which makes leaving seem utterly impossible. Not to mention, I think leaving only seemed possible to her in the first place before she was forced to slow down and think beyond the practicalities of it.

I didn't think the leaving was supposed to be voluntary on her part.

"That's not what I meant. Mulder, I'm tired of this.
I'm tired of having to be on my guard every time I
turn the corner, every time I open a car door, every
time I step into a room. I'm tired of having to
wonder what is happening in my life as a result of
the actions of others. I'm tired of wondering what's
going in my *own* body. I hate this, Mulder. I hate
the whole fucking thing."

His hand had stopped moving.

"What are you saying, Scully?"

"I'm saying that when we get back, *if* we ever get
back, maybe I shouldn't fight the transfer. Maybe I
should go to Utah, get some perspective. Maybe I
should leave the X-files."

I think Mulder gets what this is about. Intellectually, anyway. As he says a beat later, they don't even have the X-Files. Scully seems depressed and discouraged at this point and maybe that's understandable, given what's she's been through. Who knows how the exposure to the alien virus may have affected her? What changes her mind forever is what They do next: torture Mulder. Smooth move, Consortium Master Minds!

They say too much to each other. They reveal too much, they mutually acknowledge too much. As an AU scenario it would certainly work, but as a gap-filler fic that is supposed to be canon adherent, I find it a significant stretch. If this had really happened, I would then have to readjust how I look at every M/S interaction from then on out. Which is perfectly alright, but I rather like my current perspective, I like that they have yet to mutually acknowledge anything for another year at least, which leaves the fic and I at something of an impasse, though an amicable one.

I find it impossible to believe with Mulder having gone to Antarctica and back for her, that there could be any doubt in Scully's mind how he feels about her. And I dislike the series once the show moves to LA so I have no problem using this as my emotional canon. I vote the series ends now!

Seriously, what works for me best about this fic is what doesn't work for you: their emotional journey. I'm crying my eyes out at the end of this. I'm crying for Mulder and Scully. I'm even crying for Captain Neill.

But as far as Scully getting to be the only one who does anything heroic here, aside from Captain Neill, of course, doesn't that just balance out the damned movie? She's the one who gets pulled out of the alien ice chest by the unstoppable Super Agent, playing Princess Aurora to his Prince Charming in FTF. So she gets to show her stone cold bitch credentials here. Works for me.

My theory is Captain Neill thinks Mulder's a sorry sob because he's in love with Scully himself. He knows Mulder is in love with her, but Mulder never does anything about it. "Just kiss her dammit," or words to that effect, right? And probably being stuck in that listening post for a year watching Mulder jerk off and have nightmares didn't do anything to improve Neill's opinion of him either.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I find it impossible to believe with Mulder having gone to Antarctica and back for her, that there could be any doubt in Scully's mind how he feels about her. And I dislike the series once the show moves to LA so I have no problem using this as my emotional canon.

I have my issues with S6 and S7, but one thing I've always loved about S6 in particular is that after such a dramatic and harrowing summer, they grab onto plausible deniability and smooth it over the summer with amazing efficiency. I sure would have liked if the FTF mytharc stuff had been dealt with in S6, but I loved that the emotional implications of the movie were utterly ignored. To me, that's the just so Mulder and Scully. It's ridiculous - so crazy you either have to laugh or cry - but it's also how they work with each other, par excellence.

As to Scully knowing or not knowing how Mulder feels, I can absolutely believe she wouldn't know. He's just told her he needs her in order to continue his work. She also knows that he has some serious PTSD issues when it comes to losing the female members of his life (obviously, since he sits by her bed day and night). Both of those are major reasons for him to go to Antarctica to get her back that don't involve him loving her. Even if Scully does suspect Mulder loves her, she may well presume he loves her as a friend, or even simply as a protector. The ambiguity of their feelings for each other mirrors the ambiguity that permeates the rest of their lives, and I love that. I love that it's a more charged ambiguity than ever at the close of FTF.