Title: Remember You Have Chance and Possibility
Fandom: Prison Break
Pairing: Alex Mahone/Michael Scofield, Alex Mahone/Pam Mahone
Categories: AU, pre-canon
Length: Long (24,606 words)
Warnings: Infidelity (more emotional than physical)

Author on LJ: out_there
Author Website: Author @ AO3

Summary:
"Let me spell this out in terms you'll understand," Alex says, pushing a hand through his hair and taking a grounding breath. "If. I. Can't. Find. Shales. There's no way in hell some kid with no experience stands a chance."

Review:
This is a wonderful AU that is pre-canon but still weaves in the premise of the show Prison Break and gives us a wonderful “what-if” scenario. In this story Michael didn’t become an engineer, instead he joined the FBI and is eventually assigned to Mahone’s team. His very presence in the Shales investigation and apprehension changes things fundamentally which then sets up a different series of events for Michael and his brother, Linc, after Linc is accused of murder.

The story is told from Mahone’s POV and it’s fantastic. Mahone is fundamentally a good man and the author does a great job balancing what Mahone knows is right and that edge that he dances upon and sometimes crosses. I liked the symmetry between Mahone’s actions at the end of the story and what he doesn’t do when confronting Shales earlier in the narrative. The author does a great job building a scenario where even though Mahone doesn’t cross the line with Shales, it’s believable that he would go over for Michael.

I really enjoy AU stories that stick within the same universe but just change the outcome ever so slightly by imagining different choices being made and the resulting actions. (There’s a reason Sliding Doors is a favorite movie of mine! :D) This is a fantastic example of that genre. I think part of what makes this resonate so much is that Mahone ponders the “what ifs” in their situation and the reader can’t help but recall the TV series and how things played out. I can’t say that either track is better, they’re both two plausible scenarios dictated by different choices, but both the show and this story are entertaining as hell and fun to compare.

Remember You Have Chance and Possibility