Story 130: "Dance" by Dith
Although participation has been down the past few weeks, we keep adding members. And watchers, and lurkers, too.
Welcome!
"Dance" is a unique story. It is not exactly a casefile, although there is a case, of a sort. It's not exactly a romance, either, but it is about Mulder and Scully, and about their partnership, their friendship. Their unspoken mutual attraction. The setting, bohemian South Street in Philadelphia, plays a big role. The denizens of South Street, the alternative street scene, the gay bars, the clubs, all play their parts to perfection. This story is a vivid snapshot of a particular time and place.
It's near the beginning of season two. The X-Files are shut down. Scully is back doing autopsies and teaching, Mulder is stuck in his cubicle, listening to reel after reel of audio surveillance tape. Out of the blue, Mulder gets a call from an old friend, who wants him to come to South Street to investigate a murder, off the books.
Rattling the car keys again he looked away, then looked back. “Hey, do you want to come? Sleep on the floor? See a few bars? Live the bohemian life?”
“You’re going to Philly to check out the bars?”
“No, a demon. Wooooooo. Spooky, huh? Want to come?”
Of course, at 5:00 on Friday, he takes off to chase his demon. When Scully's weekend plans fall through, she decides a trip to Philadelphia doesn't sound half bad, even if she does have to sleep on the floor. Scully still thinks of herself as Dana. She still thinks she can have a life.
The writing is terrific: concise, even spare yet evocative. I liked this story enough that I spent the better part of a day reformatting it so I could post it to Fugues Fiction Archive. If you love to read text files, of course, you can read it at Dith's Page at Gossamer.
Why have we not heard of "Dance"? I'm just guessing, but perhaps genfic, with subtle ust, was much more common, and dare I say it, more appreciated back in 1995. Yes, you read that right. This story was posted to Gossamer in March, 1995.
Just for a little extra treat, here's an itty-bitty post-IWTB vignette by Voleuse, "The Ignorance of Loving". It's short but sweet, so leave some feedback.
Dith, if by some chance you're reading, thanks for the memories. Early second season Mulder and Scully. Yum.
Read "Dance", then let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open.
Welcome!
"Dance" is a unique story. It is not exactly a casefile, although there is a case, of a sort. It's not exactly a romance, either, but it is about Mulder and Scully, and about their partnership, their friendship. Their unspoken mutual attraction. The setting, bohemian South Street in Philadelphia, plays a big role. The denizens of South Street, the alternative street scene, the gay bars, the clubs, all play their parts to perfection. This story is a vivid snapshot of a particular time and place.
It's near the beginning of season two. The X-Files are shut down. Scully is back doing autopsies and teaching, Mulder is stuck in his cubicle, listening to reel after reel of audio surveillance tape. Out of the blue, Mulder gets a call from an old friend, who wants him to come to South Street to investigate a murder, off the books.
Rattling the car keys again he looked away, then looked back. “Hey, do you want to come? Sleep on the floor? See a few bars? Live the bohemian life?”
“You’re going to Philly to check out the bars?”
“No, a demon. Wooooooo. Spooky, huh? Want to come?”
Of course, at 5:00 on Friday, he takes off to chase his demon. When Scully's weekend plans fall through, she decides a trip to Philadelphia doesn't sound half bad, even if she does have to sleep on the floor. Scully still thinks of herself as Dana. She still thinks she can have a life.
The writing is terrific: concise, even spare yet evocative. I liked this story enough that I spent the better part of a day reformatting it so I could post it to Fugues Fiction Archive. If you love to read text files, of course, you can read it at Dith's Page at Gossamer.
Why have we not heard of "Dance"? I'm just guessing, but perhaps genfic, with subtle ust, was much more common, and dare I say it, more appreciated back in 1995. Yes, you read that right. This story was posted to Gossamer in March, 1995.
Just for a little extra treat, here's an itty-bitty post-IWTB vignette by Voleuse, "The Ignorance of Loving". It's short but sweet, so leave some feedback.
Dith, if by some chance you're reading, thanks for the memories. Early second season Mulder and Scully. Yum.
Read "Dance", then let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open.