Story 185: "Through the Fire" by Jordan

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Our second Halloween fic this year is "Through the Fire," a very distinctive AU that basically incorporates a little bit of everything into the mix.

In this universe Mulder has been imprisoned for several years on false charges, and Scully has continued their work in his absence. Now she must cope with a dangerous case - an MoTW with its roots at the heart of the mytharc - while also coping with a sudden change in Mulder's circumstances. It's a tense, unusual, and downright creepy fic with an M/S dynamic that's intense and quite lovely. Diana, Jeffrey Spender, and Skinner also have parts to play.

Through the Fire

Oh my god, you guys, I'm SO SORRY! Anyone who downloaded the text file of the fic missed chapter 6! My face is literally in my palms. I read the whole fic and didn't even realize I'd missed an entire chapter, and from the looks of things an important one. I only just realized it now.

That is, from what I can tell, the only place the fic is posted. If the format (which is seasonally cute, but also rather visually loud) bothers you, I've uploaded the fic as one complete Word file, which you can download here.

Happy Halloween, everyone! And season's greetings to anyone who doesn't celebrate.

Comments

[write-out.livejournal.com]

I did lose power, but my main excuse for not posting so far has been homework. School has been kicking my ass something fierce this week, hence my silence. I have read this story and I liked it enough, but that's about the limit of my critique. I read fairly quickly to get the gist, so I'm sure I missed a lot. My feelings run neutral-positive. I don't remember any strong reactions other than that I am glad M/S seemed to have figured it out by the end (eternal shipper that I am).

estella_c, I think Mulder's anger stems from being wrongly locked up for years and not knowing where he stands once he is released. He's missed so much, especially Scully since she never saw him in prison (right? am I remembering that correctly?). Then again, I did skim, so maybe I'm missing something myself. Because I definitely don't remember anything about cucumbers. Yikes.

[wendelah1]

I agree with you, Mulder is angry because he's been locked up away from the world, and away from Scully. She's always been his human credential so he's gone downhill since he's been shut away. It was his decision to keep her from visiting, and who knows except Jordan whether it was the right one. It damaged him, POOR BASTARD. Lucky for him, he got to have MAGIC HEALING SEX!

This was a good sex scene to have skimmed over quickly. I'll just leave it at that.

Edited to say, as much as I disliked the sex scene overall, she does give us this line at the end:

"How could I have never realized before, she wonders dreamily afterwards, with her chin tucked in his collarbone and her hand feather light on his sweating chest, that even falling is a form of flight?"

Now I'm swooning.

[write-out.livejournal.com]

YES. I love that line about flight too (I'm typing this on my phone so can't copy it).

I just read your other comments and when I am home and have access to LJ (stupid work filter), I want to respond to them.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

I agree that Jordan is capable of bad lines and also great lines, in this specific case. We know what she's capable of.

I can accept certain self-supplied reasons for Mulder's totally evil reception of Scully. I just wish they had been at least *hinted at* by the writer. Except maybe they were, because close reading of fanfic is HARD. Which is why I revere amyhit. (Hey, she's young and at leisure.)

Cucumbers are nothing. Visit Gossamer and find fics about salami and--stop there. (Didn't SeinfeldGeorge talk about salami as the "most erotic of processed meats"? Or it might have been pepperoni. I guess it depends on your cultural history.)

[wendelah1]

Although I think she had the bones (forgive the pun) of a great story here, the rush to post interfered with the end result. Well, that's my theory. Or maybe she was just having with her friends for Halloween? Which is fine, too. It's still an entertaining holiday read, even with the Mulder cucumber-penis. The website is a hoot, too.