Story 208 : "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" by Politic X

[wendelah1]

"Night Ride Across the Caucasus" is a haunting retelling of the Ninth Season's "4D" as a Scully/Reyes romance but with a twist. Thanks to infinitlight for the suggestion.

Category: Episode rewrite, Slash (Scully/Reyes

Comments

[infinitlight]

I was going to pull quotes (I hurt my back and can't sit at the computer for too long, so I didn't). The first two excerpts you mentioned were top of my list :). The "Dying was always water" line is amazing. The whole first chapter (prologue?) is very effective.

And I always thought our Reyes might have a thing for Scully. Hey, that means it's a doomed ship!

This is exactly what I like about them as a couple to be honest, and why I think this AU version of a relationship works so well. They could never be happy together as we see them on screen. Scully seems moderately fond of Reyes as a friend ("stop-hitting-on-me-while-I'm-giving-birth" glares aside), Monica--I agree--always seems to have kind of a crush on Scully (whether you want to interpret that as a romantic/sexual crush or a kind of wow-she's-awesome-we-should-be-friends thing. I think either interpretation is valid). I don't think a straightforward romance story would really work for these characters. Of course, I don't think a straightforward romance story really works for M/S, either.

[wendelah1]

This is exactly what I like about them as a couple to be honest, and why I think this AU version of a relationship works so well.

The ending breaks my heart. Scully from the other universe is dead, which is bad beyond belief. My mind keeps running through all of the ramifications of it for the other universe. The other Monica has lost her lover, Atl!William has lost his mother, Alt!Maggie has lost another daughter. And who's the heck going to save Alt!Mulder's ass? Who's going to save their world now? Without their Scully, they're doomed. Don't you want fanfiction for the fanfiction? Our Monica has realized she's in love with Scully--who isn't ever going to reciprocate those feelings. It's a gut-wrencher of an ending, although I think the author tries to be more upbeat than I am.

Doomed ships ahoy! At this point I only like couples who are doomed. The last one was from Fringe, Alt!Lincoln and Alt!livia. That one hurt but good. I also had this fantasy going that Astrid and Olivia from the 4th season might be more than friends. Yeah, right. I think Astrid might have had the same fantasy. OT: All of the ships from Doctor Who are doomed I noticed, which s making me very happy.

There was a really good Scully/Reyes/Doggett story, can't remember title or author. They were both in love with Scully and of course, she's still hung up on you know who. Everyone was miserable and I loved it. Do you remember the name of it? I guess I'm twisted but I truly don't get why people want to write or want to read these happy-go-lucky threesome stories that keep coming up on my flist for the Avengers fandom. Haven't they heard of the eternal triangle?

Of course, I don't think a straightforward romance story really works for M/S, either.

As I said in another forum, I think I could make an excellent case that the UST worked brilliantly but that the MSR ruined the series.

I know, it is a canon ship. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

[infinitlight]

This is the great thing about alternate universes and something that wasn't explored in 4D (or in Fringe, that I recall). Those guys in 4D are unhappy as hell, but meanwhile in a universe right next door they're all lying on couches and eating bon bons all day. Or whatever true happiness is, I don't know. And there's an infinite number of futures in which things can get better, or worse. Another big shipment of bon bons, a dead sibling, or an alien invasion.

Is the story you're thinking of "The Truer Lie"?

http://sophia-helix.livejournal.com/501568.html#cutid1

I can think of at least one other, but that's he first one that came to mind. I like my threesomes unhappy.

I found Paphian Dreams here:

http://mindseye.tcjahn.com/otherfanfic/paphian.htm

But the formatting is messed up so I had to c/p. I think Politic X has rewritten that story which would explain why it's hard to find. I think it was rewritten as a Scully/Reyes story (I'm sure I've read it, but don't remember which one it is).

I'm still mad that Chris Carter specifically denied in interviews that Mulder and Scully would get together. He said it would NEVER HAPPEN. My first fandom experience that you can trust no one.

[wendelah1]

Paphian Dreams is at Gossamer. Thank goodness. But I know it's somewhere else, too. The rewrite of it is "Reverie." Yeah that formatting is borked. Plus purple!

Yeah, I wish he'd stuck to his original plan. Although until IWTB, I think I could still make the argument that it wasn't necessarily Mulder's baby. I had this theory that it was the CSM's. And until "The Truth" I could argue that they weren't really together that way.

"The Truer Lie" is it, yes. Thank you. I'd love to have been around to see what people's response to it was. She called it a "mind-fuck." It's definitely that. It's very messed up, but it feels real to me, and most threesome stories aren't at all believable. I get that they aren't meant to be, and hey, whatever gets people through this life is fine by me, but I personally get no pleasure from easy polyamourous porn.

[infinitlight]

By the time I went to see IWTB I'd retconned the relationship in my head so thoroughly that I was genuinely a little surprised to see them kissing.

Yeah, I agree that there's enough in "The Truer Lie" that's believable to make the story work. It's a good story.

On the Avengers threesomes, I wonder if they tend to be happy because the movie is relatively angst-free and most fans are meeting the characters through the movie (or Thor, or Iron Man, or Captain America:TFA). There's definitely enough angst in the comic books to go around.

[bmerb]

Ok had to read the truer lie and found a fiver sick and twisted and somehow very very juicy nonetheless. Guilty enjoyment, guess I too love a doomed ship and what could be better than THREE doomed ships?

[bmerb]

Fiver? Sheesh thanks autocorrect and not paying attention

[wendelah1]

I hope your backs gets better!

[infinitlight]

Thanks :). Better today. It's given me the opportunity to watch more TV than I've done in months. Not quite sure if that's a good thing.

[wendelah1]

I guess it depends on what you're watching. (;