Story 220: "Fragile" by Ophelia

[wendelah1]

It's too quiet around here, folks.

I just finished reading this next story, nominated by infinitlight. It's a carefully researched casefile, a very good one, if a little on the graphic side for me. (Damn. Why am I such a light-weight?) As it unfolds, it gets better and better, and has memorable climax and denouement. I'm classifying this as gen fic, Teen-for violence.

Title: Fragile
Author: Ophelia
E-Mail: OpheliaMac@aol.com
Rating: R--mature themes
Category: T, A
Spoilers: General Fourth Season, my own fanfic story, "Poison," and a story called "Favorite Child" by Lindsay, which gives an interesting interpretation on the choice the Consortium forced Bill Mulder to make.
Keywords: Mulder/Scully UST
Summary: Mulder and Scully are called in on a case described as an alien abduction, but Mulder suspects something both more commonplace and more sinister. Mulder angst, Scully angst, imaginary small town in Wisconsin angst.

You can try sending feedback to the author, although in my experience, fandom AOL addresses are mostly dead ends. Please let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions.

Read "Fragile"

Comments

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

This author's name stands out to me. I can't recall her other work offhand, but I remember she was really good.

He sat at his desk with his fingers laced together, peering over the rims of his glasses at Scully. In that pose, he looked rather like a disapproving high school teacher, she thought.

Purrrr...

Ahem. Onward.

"I am such a bleeding-heart loser," he said, and bowed his head as if in defeat.

Aw, Mulder, that's why we love you!

After gazing at it a moment, he dug out the case containing his reading glasses from his jacket pocket.

Adorable!

***

I overdosed on fic back in the day and I find it hard to read longer fics these days. It says a lot that this kept me reading all the way through! Random thoughts:

- I loved how it got inside the mind of a disturbed killer, the way the show did in early years.
- I loved Mulder explaining/acting out his theory of what happened to the girl. I'd forgotten how scarily brilliant Mulder could be with things like that.
- At first I wasn't sure I was buying the whole 'Mulder-might-have-violent-tendencies' thing. But as I continued to think about it, I guess if it was during the earlier seasons, we didn't know Mulder that well. And he was in the Violent Crimes Unit and did do the profiling thing, so I guess it's not as big a stretch as I first thought.

Scully had no doubt that he was sincere--he really felt for these people. He was going to bust them, no question, but he felt for them.

I love that about Mulder.

Without all that paraphernalia, and without the customary 2 1/2 inch heels, Scully was a little freckle-faced redhead with round cheeks and big blue eyes.

D'aaaww! That's our girl!

***

I wasn't much buying the 'I'm a loser' / weepy Fox thing, but the story as a whole was a good one. Creepy, funny at times, and full of the early season charm of these two people. I think it would've made a good episode.

Aw, the Scully Report at the end! Such memories. This made me miss our show all over again. And that's always a good thing.

[wendelah1]

Second attempt at commenting here. I think I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. I think she's a good writer, too. I definitely give her kudos for keeping me reading, as I'm far more likely to hit the back button as not these days. I agree, Mulder having violent tendencies is pushing the limit, but I think back when this was posted, writers had more leeway to create their own head canon than we do now after nine seasons and two movies. There's always Scully's reaction to Mulder in Grotesque as canon support. And Weepy Profiler!Mulder must have been a staple item, following in the wake of "Oklahoma."

"... but the story as a whole was a good one. Creepy, funny at times, and full of the early season charm of these two people. I think it would've made a good episode."

Well-said.