Edge of Snow by Arrow00 (NC-17)
Edge of Snow by Arrow00 (NC-17)
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Author's Website: arrow00.com
Author on LJ: arrow00
Why this must be read:
There are a few "Steve" fics in this fandom, "Steve" being the name Fraser utters in the episode North, when he and Ray Vecchio crash-land in the Canadian wilderness and Fraser gets a bump on the head. Fandom has long postulated that Steve was a former lover or a childhood friend, and in this story of pain and loss arrow00 goes with the first interpretation, with an added twist.
Fraser and Kowalski are just wrapping up their quest for Franklin, and Steve's cabin is the only logical stopping point where they can board the dogs and unpack from their journey, since Kowalski is due to fly back to Chicago very soon. Fraser's reunion with Steve is awkward and painful and as Arrow reveals the true nature of Fraser's relationship with Steve, she does a delicate balancing act by implying exactly what happened between them long ago (in all its terrible dimensions) without exploiting the situation or turning this story into a soppy h/c fic. Instead she gives us a multi-layered look at the way rape can impact someone's whole life, and she does it without turning Steve into a monster, or Fraser into a traumatized victim.
I really appreciated her take on Fraser's innocence; the way he dealt with (and deals with) past sexual trauma is realistic and, at least for me, helped explain some of Fraser's complicated relationship with sex. The set-up for the story also allows Fraser to emerge as an unreliable narrator. He is absolutely unable to articulate what happened to him, even in his own head, and it takes Ray Kowalski's determination and compassion to help him break through and begin to deal with Steve's actions. Arrow does a great job of setting Kowalski up as someone whom Fraser trusts and loves with absolute devotion, and yet she doesn't allow the story to tip into one of the "healing powers of sexx0rs" fics that trade realism for a happy resolution. Edge of Snow is a sad, romantic, complex and troubling story, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Still not convinced?
He must have heard the dogs approaching, because the door to his cabin opens when we are still some distance out. He stands waiting as we approach, his posture casual. I have ample time to examine him, and am surprised by how unchanged he appears, at a distance, from the object of my youthful adoration. It is only as we draw closer that I see how bitterness has carved the lines of his face. He is thinner, too, but his hair is still as bright, shockingly blond. I remember it as silk between my fingers.
He is still handsome, but I feel none of the desire I once felt, only a gut-clenching wariness and a dull, ancient hurt.
"Steven," I say loudly in greeting over the chorus of the dogs, who have scented Steve's team in the barn.
His face cracks in a lightning-fast grin. "Benton. You look like a wild man." He grabs Dief's halter, but it isn't necessary, of course. Dief is the perfect lead, and has already snapped out at the rest of the dogs, quieting them. Steve lets go.
"I'd like you to meet my partner from Chicago, Ray Kowalski." I wave my arm at Ray, who is extracting himself rather stiffly from the confines of the sled.
"Good to meet ya," Ray says, holding out a hand. Steve takes it and helps haul Ray up, then moves toward me.
I step down, brushing the crust of wake-snow from my legs as an excuse to create a circle of space from his approach. He waits impatiently, and then barrels me into a hug as I straighten. I extricate myself as gracefully as I can. The contact is no more welcome than an advance from Francesca.
It surprises me how little I feel toward him. The last time I saw him, at my father's funeral, in spite of everything, I'd felt an old spark of nostalgic longing.
Of course, that was before I met Ray.
Edge of Snow
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Author's Website: arrow00.com
Author on LJ: arrow00
Why this must be read:
There are a few "Steve" fics in this fandom, "Steve" being the name Fraser utters in the episode North, when he and Ray Vecchio crash-land in the Canadian wilderness and Fraser gets a bump on the head. Fandom has long postulated that Steve was a former lover or a childhood friend, and in this story of pain and loss arrow00 goes with the first interpretation, with an added twist.
Fraser and Kowalski are just wrapping up their quest for Franklin, and Steve's cabin is the only logical stopping point where they can board the dogs and unpack from their journey, since Kowalski is due to fly back to Chicago very soon. Fraser's reunion with Steve is awkward and painful and as Arrow reveals the true nature of Fraser's relationship with Steve, she does a delicate balancing act by implying exactly what happened between them long ago (in all its terrible dimensions) without exploiting the situation or turning this story into a soppy h/c fic. Instead she gives us a multi-layered look at the way rape can impact someone's whole life, and she does it without turning Steve into a monster, or Fraser into a traumatized victim.
I really appreciated her take on Fraser's innocence; the way he dealt with (and deals with) past sexual trauma is realistic and, at least for me, helped explain some of Fraser's complicated relationship with sex. The set-up for the story also allows Fraser to emerge as an unreliable narrator. He is absolutely unable to articulate what happened to him, even in his own head, and it takes Ray Kowalski's determination and compassion to help him break through and begin to deal with Steve's actions. Arrow does a great job of setting Kowalski up as someone whom Fraser trusts and loves with absolute devotion, and yet she doesn't allow the story to tip into one of the "healing powers of sexx0rs" fics that trade realism for a happy resolution. Edge of Snow is a sad, romantic, complex and troubling story, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Still not convinced?
He must have heard the dogs approaching, because the door to his cabin opens when we are still some distance out. He stands waiting as we approach, his posture casual. I have ample time to examine him, and am surprised by how unchanged he appears, at a distance, from the object of my youthful adoration. It is only as we draw closer that I see how bitterness has carved the lines of his face. He is thinner, too, but his hair is still as bright, shockingly blond. I remember it as silk between my fingers.
He is still handsome, but I feel none of the desire I once felt, only a gut-clenching wariness and a dull, ancient hurt.
"Steven," I say loudly in greeting over the chorus of the dogs, who have scented Steve's team in the barn.
His face cracks in a lightning-fast grin. "Benton. You look like a wild man." He grabs Dief's halter, but it isn't necessary, of course. Dief is the perfect lead, and has already snapped out at the rest of the dogs, quieting them. Steve lets go.
"I'd like you to meet my partner from Chicago, Ray Kowalski." I wave my arm at Ray, who is extracting himself rather stiffly from the confines of the sled.
"Good to meet ya," Ray says, holding out a hand. Steve takes it and helps haul Ray up, then moves toward me.
I step down, brushing the crust of wake-snow from my legs as an excuse to create a circle of space from his approach. He waits impatiently, and then barrels me into a hug as I straighten. I extricate myself as gracefully as I can. The contact is no more welcome than an advance from Francesca.
It surprises me how little I feel toward him. The last time I saw him, at my father's funeral, in spite of everything, I'd felt an old spark of nostalgic longing.
Of course, that was before I met Ray.
Edge of Snow