Title: Anesthetic and Old Lace by Plausible Deniability
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Categories: hurt/comfort, smut
Length: Medium (~6,150)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a

Review:

After Mulder gets attacked by a slime creature in a swamp, he and Scully try to return home in a snowstorm. When the driving gets too dangerous, however, they end up going to the closest safe shelter: Scully's mom's house.

It's been a really, really long time since I regularly read X-Files fic so I've been trying to ease back in. Fortunately I picked a great fic start with, as Anesthetic and Old Lace features all of my favorite parts of the series: Mulder and Scully's friendship and the tension thereof, perpetual hurt/comfort (this time it's Mulder's turn to be the comforted), flashes of humor, and awkward family relationships. I will admit that the sleeping together part came a little out of the blue, but that's a small quibble next to the awesomeness of Mulder and Scully making a return to my computer screen. Ideal for folks who are in the mood for a quick dip in the MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance) pool.

Anesthetic and Old Lace

Title: Anesthetic and Old Lace by Plausible Deniability
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Categories: hurt/comfort, smut
Length: Medium (~6,150)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a

Review:

After Mulder gets attacked by a slime creature in a swamp, he and Scully try to return home in a snowstorm. When the driving gets too dangerous, however, they end up going to the closest safe shelter: Scully's mom's house.

It's been a really, really long time since I regularly read X-Files fic so I've been trying to ease back in. Fortunately I picked a great fic start with, as Anesthetic and Old Lace features all of my favorite parts of the series: Mulder and Scully's friendship and the tension thereof, perpetual hurt/comfort (this time it's Mulder's turn to be the comforted), flashes of humor, and awkward family relationships. I will admit that the sleeping together part came a little out of the blue, but that's a small quibble next to the awesomeness of Mulder and Scully making a return to my computer screen. Ideal for folks who are in the mood for a quick dip in the MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance) pool.

Anesthetic and Old Lace

Title: Anesthetic and Old Lace by Plausible Deniability
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Categories: hurt/comfort, smut
Length: Medium (~6,150)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a

Review:

After Mulder gets attacked by a slime creature in a swamp, he and Scully try to return home in a snowstorm. When the driving gets too dangerous, however, they end up going to the closest safe shelter: Scully's mom's house.

It's been a really, really long time since I regularly read X-Files fic so I've been trying to ease back in. Fortunately I picked a great fic start with, as Anesthetic and Old Lace features all of my favorite parts of the series: Mulder and Scully's friendship and the tension thereof, perpetual hurt/comfort (this time it's Mulder's turn to be the comforted), flashes of humor, and awkward family relationships. I will admit that the sleeping together part came a little out of the blue, but that's a small quibble next to the awesomeness of Mulder and Scully making a return to my computer screen. Ideal for folks who are in the mood for a quick dip in the MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance) pool.

Anesthetic and Old Lace

Title: Anesthetic and Old Lace by Plausible Deniability
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Categories: hurt/comfort, smut
Length: Medium (~6,150)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a

Review:

After Mulder gets attacked by a slime creature in a swamp, he and Scully try to return home in a snowstorm. When the driving gets too dangerous, however, they end up going to the closest safe shelter: Scully's mom's house.

It's been a really, really long time since I regularly read X-Files fic so I've been trying to ease back in. Fortunately I picked a great fic start with, as Anesthetic and Old Lace features all of my favorite parts of the series: Mulder and Scully's friendship and the tension thereof, perpetual hurt/comfort (this time it's Mulder's turn to be the comforted), flashes of humor, and awkward family relationships. I will admit that the sleeping together part came a little out of the blue, but that's a small quibble next to the awesomeness of Mulder and Scully making a return to my computer screen. Ideal for folks who are in the mood for a quick dip in the MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance) pool.

Anesthetic and Old Lace

Title: Anesthetic and Old Lace by Plausible Deniability
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Categories: hurt/comfort, smut
Length: Medium (~6,150)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a

Review:

After Mulder gets attacked by a slime creature in a swamp, he and Scully try to return home in a snowstorm. When the driving gets too dangerous, however, they end up going to the closest safe shelter: Scully's mom's house.

It's been a really, really long time since I regularly read X-Files fic so I've been trying to ease back in. Fortunately I picked a great fic start with, as Anesthetic and Old Lace features all of my favorite parts of the series: Mulder and Scully's friendship and the tension thereof, perpetual hurt/comfort (this time it's Mulder's turn to be the comforted), flashes of humor, and awkward family relationships. I will admit that the sleeping together part came a little out of the blue, but that's a small quibble next to the awesomeness of Mulder and Scully making a return to my computer screen. Ideal for folks who are in the mood for a quick dip in the MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance) pool.

Anesthetic and Old Lace

Title: Anesthetic and Old Lace by Plausible Deniability
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Categories: hurt/comfort, smut
Length: Medium (~6,150)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a

Review:

After Mulder gets attacked by a slime creature in a swamp, he and Scully try to return home in a snowstorm. When the driving gets too dangerous, however, they end up going to the closest safe shelter: Scully's mom's house.

It's been a really, really long time since I regularly read X-Files fic so I've been trying to ease back in. Fortunately I picked a great fic start with, as Anesthetic and Old Lace features all of my favorite parts of the series: Mulder and Scully's friendship and the tension thereof, perpetual hurt/comfort (this time it's Mulder's turn to be the comforted), flashes of humor, and awkward family relationships. I will admit that the sleeping together part came a little out of the blue, but that's a small quibble next to the awesomeness of Mulder and Scully making a return to my computer screen. Ideal for folks who are in the mood for a quick dip in the MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance) pool.

Anesthetic and Old Lace

I've been waiting for over a year to rec this story for Supernatural/Horror week (we plan our theme weeks waaaaay out:) and I'm so thrilled that I'm finally getting a chance to share this with ya'll!

Title: The Gift of an Enemy by Sylvia (NC-17)
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Categories: supernatural, mystery, casefile, h/c, angst, Harlequin
Length: Very Epic
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: rheasilvia
Website: http://www.sylvia.15th-moon.net

Review:
A new alien race appears on the block, this one aiming to make a deal with Mulder for information. To show that they mean business, they bring a gift to the table: Alex Krycek, pre-possessed by an alien for all of Mulder's questioning needs. Yeah, you can imagine how well that goes over. Turns out, though, that Krycek has a deep-seated fear of alien possession (tragically so, considering some nearby intergalactic bathroom stall clearly has 'Looking for a good time? Check out the body on Alex Krycek! (Usually found on Earth.)' scrawled on the side). This leads to a temporary alliance wherein Krycek agrees to tell the truth and not escape and Mulder keeps the alien possessions down to a minimum.

Oh, and then they get called in to investigate some potential witches in Pennsylvania.

I have two minor quibbles with this story, namely that the ending is more of the 'hopeful for a future happy ending' than of the 'happy ending with rainbows! and sunsets! and puppies and fluffy bunnies!' variety, and that there are a lot of loose threads at the end of the story that I wish had been tied up a bit more neatly. (Of course a sequel would handily take care of both issues. *cough*)

Those issues are minor, however, compared to the sheer awesomeness that is the rest of the story. First and foremost you have the best interpretation of Krycek backstory I've ever seen before or since, one that explains Krycek's behavior through the series and makes him far more sympathetic than I'd ever imagined he could be, yet also shows him to be the most ruthlessly competent character in the entire mythos. This Krycek may be hurting and he may be damaged, but he can hold his own against advesaries that would break most humans and even come out on top more times than not. I've pretty much decided that this version of Krycek is now my own personal canon for the character.

Secondly, you have a great version of Mulder: always thinking, truly brilliant, and yet so focused that his genius is often clouded by what he wants to believe, rather than what is actually there. He's likeable and yet a jerk, intelligent but fucked-up, and quite possibly the only person capable of bringing down the Consortium even if he is so reckless that if he didn't have someone watching his back at all times, he'd be dead within a week.

You also have both Krycek and Mulder demonstrating some (perfectly reasonable, all things considered) psychological issues that help speed up the development of their relationship (which is quite fast, but I can't really quibble about that considering the fact that 99.9% of all fanfic from that era had improbably-paced relationship development). This results in bucket-loads of particularly affecting and well-done hurt/comfort, which always makes me happy.

Finally, you have something that is far more rare than good characterization or effective hurt/comfort: this story has a *fantastic* plot. The whole witch mystery is layered, well-paced, and beautifully drawn, with intriguing bad guys, complex motivations, and fascinating details that are revealed just quickly enough to keep you interested and still guessing, right up to the end. The ending itself (with regards to the mystery, at any rate) is extremely satisfying, and one that I didn't think was possible and yet was brilliant. Frankly, I think the casefile in this fic is better than about 90% than those that actually appeared on the show, and the resolution is better than nearly all.

The Gift of an Enemy was the first Mulder/Krycek fic I'd ever read and even after reading nearly every M/K fic I could get my hands on, Enemy remains my favorite of the pairing. A fascinating, engrossing, and vastly entertaining novel.

The Gift of an Enemy

I've been waiting for over a year to rec this story for Supernatural/Horror week (we plan our theme weeks waaaaay out:) and I'm so thrilled that I'm finally getting a chance to share this with ya'll!

Title: The Gift of an Enemy by Sylvia (NC-17)
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Categories: supernatural, mystery, casefile, h/c, angst, Harlequin
Length: Very Epic
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: rheasilvia
Website: http://www.sylvia.15th-moon.net

Review:
A new alien race appears on the block, this one aiming to make a deal with Mulder for information. To show that they mean business, they bring a gift to the table: Alex Krycek, pre-possessed by an alien for all of Mulder's questioning needs. Yeah, you can imagine how well that goes over. Turns out, though, that Krycek has a deep-seated fear of alien possession (tragically so, considering some nearby intergalactic bathroom stall clearly has 'Looking for a good time? Check out the body on Alex Krycek! (Usually found on Earth.)' scrawled on the side). This leads to a temporary alliance wherein Krycek agrees to tell the truth and not escape and Mulder keeps the alien possessions down to a minimum.

Oh, and then they get called in to investigate some potential witches in Pennsylvania.

I have two minor quibbles with this story, namely that the ending is more of the 'hopeful for a future happy ending' than of the 'happy ending with rainbows! and sunsets! and puppies and fluffy bunnies!' variety, and that there are a lot of loose threads at the end of the story that I wish had been tied up a bit more neatly. (Of course a sequel would handily take care of both issues. *cough*)

Those issues are minor, however, compared to the sheer awesomeness that is the rest of the story. First and foremost you have the best interpretation of Krycek backstory I've ever seen before or since, one that explains Krycek's behavior through the series and makes him far more sympathetic than I'd ever imagined he could be, yet also shows him to be the most ruthlessly competent character in the entire mythos. This Krycek may be hurting and he may be damaged, but he can hold his own against advesaries that would break most humans and even come out on top more times than not. I've pretty much decided that this version of Krycek is now my own personal canon for the character.

Secondly, you have a great version of Mulder: always thinking, truly brilliant, and yet so focused that his genius is often clouded by what he wants to believe, rather than what is actually there. He's likeable and yet a jerk, intelligent but fucked-up, and quite possibly the only person capable of bringing down the Consortium even if he is so reckless that if he didn't have someone watching his back at all times, he'd be dead within a week.

You also have both Krycek and Mulder demonstrating some (perfectly reasonable, all things considered) psychological issues that help speed up the development of their relationship (which is quite fast, but I can't really quibble about that considering the fact that 99.9% of all fanfic from that era had improbably-paced relationship development). This results in bucket-loads of particularly affecting and well-done hurt/comfort, which always makes me happy.

Finally, you have something that is far more rare than good characterization or effective hurt/comfort: this story has a *fantastic* plot. The whole witch mystery is layered, well-paced, and beautifully drawn, with intriguing bad guys, complex motivations, and fascinating details that are revealed just quickly enough to keep you interested and still guessing, right up to the end. The ending itself (with regards to the mystery, at any rate) is extremely satisfying, and one that I didn't think was possible and yet was brilliant. Frankly, I think the casefile in this fic is better than about 90% than those that actually appeared on the show, and the resolution is better than nearly all.

The Gift of an Enemy was the first Mulder/Krycek fic I'd ever read and even after reading nearly every M/K fic I could get my hands on, Enemy remains my favorite of the pairing. A fascinating, engrossing, and vastly entertaining novel.

The Gift of an Enemy

I've been waiting for over a year to rec this story for Supernatural/Horror week (we plan our theme weeks waaaaay out:) and I'm so thrilled that I'm finally getting a chance to share this with ya'll!

Title: The Gift of an Enemy by Sylvia (NC-17)
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Categories: supernatural, mystery, casefile, h/c, angst, Harlequin
Length: Very Epic
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: rheasilvia
Website: http://www.sylvia.15th-moon.net

Review:
A new alien race appears on the block, this one aiming to make a deal with Mulder for information. To show that they mean business, they bring a gift to the table: Alex Krycek, pre-possessed by an alien for all of Mulder's questioning needs. Yeah, you can imagine how well that goes over. Turns out, though, that Krycek has a deep-seated fear of alien possession (tragically so, considering some nearby intergalactic bathroom stall clearly has 'Looking for a good time? Check out the body on Alex Krycek! (Usually found on Earth.)' scrawled on the side). This leads to a temporary alliance wherein Krycek agrees to tell the truth and not escape and Mulder keeps the alien possessions down to a minimum.

Oh, and then they get called in to investigate some potential witches in Pennsylvania.

I have two minor quibbles with this story, namely that the ending is more of the 'hopeful for a future happy ending' than of the 'happy ending with rainbows! and sunsets! and puppies and fluffy bunnies!' variety, and that there are a lot of loose threads at the end of the story that I wish had been tied up a bit more neatly. (Of course a sequel would handily take care of both issues. *cough*)

Those issues are minor, however, compared to the sheer awesomeness that is the rest of the story. First and foremost you have the best interpretation of Krycek backstory I've ever seen before or since, one that explains Krycek's behavior through the series and makes him far more sympathetic than I'd ever imagined he could be, yet also shows him to be the most ruthlessly competent character in the entire mythos. This Krycek may be hurting and he may be damaged, but he can hold his own against advesaries that would break most humans and even come out on top more times than not. I've pretty much decided that this version of Krycek is now my own personal canon for the character.

Secondly, you have a great version of Mulder: always thinking, truly brilliant, and yet so focused that his genius is often clouded by what he wants to believe, rather than what is actually there. He's likeable and yet a jerk, intelligent but fucked-up, and quite possibly the only person capable of bringing down the Consortium even if he is so reckless that if he didn't have someone watching his back at all times, he'd be dead within a week.

You also have both Krycek and Mulder demonstrating some (perfectly reasonable, all things considered) psychological issues that help speed up the development of their relationship (which is quite fast, but I can't really quibble about that considering the fact that 99.9% of all fanfic from that era had improbably-paced relationship development). This results in bucket-loads of particularly affecting and well-done hurt/comfort, which always makes me happy.

Finally, you have something that is far more rare than good characterization or effective hurt/comfort: this story has a *fantastic* plot. The whole witch mystery is layered, well-paced, and beautifully drawn, with intriguing bad guys, complex motivations, and fascinating details that are revealed just quickly enough to keep you interested and still guessing, right up to the end. The ending itself (with regards to the mystery, at any rate) is extremely satisfying, and one that I didn't think was possible and yet was brilliant. Frankly, I think the casefile in this fic is better than about 90% than those that actually appeared on the show, and the resolution is better than nearly all.

The Gift of an Enemy was the first Mulder/Krycek fic I'd ever read and even after reading nearly every M/K fic I could get my hands on, Enemy remains my favorite of the pairing. A fascinating, engrossing, and vastly entertaining novel.

The Gift of an Enemy

I've been waiting for over a year to rec this story for Supernatural/Horror week (we plan our theme weeks waaaaay out:) and I'm so thrilled that I'm finally getting a chance to share this with ya'll!

Title: The Gift of an Enemy by Sylvia (NC-17)
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Categories: supernatural, mystery, casefile, h/c, angst, Harlequin
Length: Very Epic
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: rheasilvia
Website: http://www.sylvia.15th-moon.net

Review:
A new alien race appears on the block, this one aiming to make a deal with Mulder for information. To show that they mean business, they bring a gift to the table: Alex Krycek, pre-possessed by an alien for all of Mulder's questioning needs. Yeah, you can imagine how well that goes over. Turns out, though, that Krycek has a deep-seated fear of alien possession (tragically so, considering some nearby intergalactic bathroom stall clearly has 'Looking for a good time? Check out the body on Alex Krycek! (Usually found on Earth.)' scrawled on the side). This leads to a temporary alliance wherein Krycek agrees to tell the truth and not escape and Mulder keeps the alien possessions down to a minimum.

Oh, and then they get called in to investigate some potential witches in Pennsylvania.

I have two minor quibbles with this story, namely that the ending is more of the 'hopeful for a future happy ending' than of the 'happy ending with rainbows! and sunsets! and puppies and fluffy bunnies!' variety, and that there are a lot of loose threads at the end of the story that I wish had been tied up a bit more neatly. (Of course a sequel would handily take care of both issues. *cough*)

Those issues are minor, however, compared to the sheer awesomeness that is the rest of the story. First and foremost you have the best interpretation of Krycek backstory I've ever seen before or since, one that explains Krycek's behavior through the series and makes him far more sympathetic than I'd ever imagined he could be, yet also shows him to be the most ruthlessly competent character in the entire mythos. This Krycek may be hurting and he may be damaged, but he can hold his own against advesaries that would break most humans and even come out on top more times than not. I've pretty much decided that this version of Krycek is now my own personal canon for the character.

Secondly, you have a great version of Mulder: always thinking, truly brilliant, and yet so focused that his genius is often clouded by what he wants to believe, rather than what is actually there. He's likeable and yet a jerk, intelligent but fucked-up, and quite possibly the only person capable of bringing down the Consortium even if he is so reckless that if he didn't have someone watching his back at all times, he'd be dead within a week.

You also have both Krycek and Mulder demonstrating some (perfectly reasonable, all things considered) psychological issues that help speed up the development of their relationship (which is quite fast, but I can't really quibble about that considering the fact that 99.9% of all fanfic from that era had improbably-paced relationship development). This results in bucket-loads of particularly affecting and well-done hurt/comfort, which always makes me happy.

Finally, you have something that is far more rare than good characterization or effective hurt/comfort: this story has a *fantastic* plot. The whole witch mystery is layered, well-paced, and beautifully drawn, with intriguing bad guys, complex motivations, and fascinating details that are revealed just quickly enough to keep you interested and still guessing, right up to the end. The ending itself (with regards to the mystery, at any rate) is extremely satisfying, and one that I didn't think was possible and yet was brilliant. Frankly, I think the casefile in this fic is better than about 90% than those that actually appeared on the show, and the resolution is better than nearly all.

The Gift of an Enemy was the first Mulder/Krycek fic I'd ever read and even after reading nearly every M/K fic I could get my hands on, Enemy remains my favorite of the pairing. A fascinating, engrossing, and vastly entertaining novel.

The Gift of an Enemy

I've been waiting for over a year to rec this story for Supernatural/Horror week (we plan our theme weeks waaaaay out:) and I'm so thrilled that I'm finally getting a chance to share this with ya'll!

Title: The Gift of an Enemy by Sylvia (NC-17)
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Categories: supernatural, mystery, casefile, h/c, angst, Harlequin
Length: Very Epic
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: rheasilvia
Website: http://www.sylvia.15th-moon.net

Review:
A new alien race appears on the block, this one aiming to make a deal with Mulder for information. To show that they mean business, they bring a gift to the table: Alex Krycek, pre-possessed by an alien for all of Mulder's questioning needs. Yeah, you can imagine how well that goes over. Turns out, though, that Krycek has a deep-seated fear of alien possession (tragically so, considering some nearby intergalactic bathroom stall clearly has 'Looking for a good time? Check out the body on Alex Krycek! (Usually found on Earth.)' scrawled on the side). This leads to a temporary alliance wherein Krycek agrees to tell the truth and not escape and Mulder keeps the alien possessions down to a minimum.

Oh, and then they get called in to investigate some potential witches in Pennsylvania.

I have two minor quibbles with this story, namely that the ending is more of the 'hopeful for a future happy ending' than of the 'happy ending with rainbows! and sunsets! and puppies and fluffy bunnies!' variety, and that there are a lot of loose threads at the end of the story that I wish had been tied up a bit more neatly. (Of course a sequel would handily take care of both issues. *cough*)

Those issues are minor, however, compared to the sheer awesomeness that is the rest of the story. First and foremost you have the best interpretation of Krycek backstory I've ever seen before or since, one that explains Krycek's behavior through the series and makes him far more sympathetic than I'd ever imagined he could be, yet also shows him to be the most ruthlessly competent character in the entire mythos. This Krycek may be hurting and he may be damaged, but he can hold his own against advesaries that would break most humans and even come out on top more times than not. I've pretty much decided that this version of Krycek is now my own personal canon for the character.

Secondly, you have a great version of Mulder: always thinking, truly brilliant, and yet so focused that his genius is often clouded by what he wants to believe, rather than what is actually there. He's likeable and yet a jerk, intelligent but fucked-up, and quite possibly the only person capable of bringing down the Consortium even if he is so reckless that if he didn't have someone watching his back at all times, he'd be dead within a week.

You also have both Krycek and Mulder demonstrating some (perfectly reasonable, all things considered) psychological issues that help speed up the development of their relationship (which is quite fast, but I can't really quibble about that considering the fact that 99.9% of all fanfic from that era had improbably-paced relationship development). This results in bucket-loads of particularly affecting and well-done hurt/comfort, which always makes me happy.

Finally, you have something that is far more rare than good characterization or effective hurt/comfort: this story has a *fantastic* plot. The whole witch mystery is layered, well-paced, and beautifully drawn, with intriguing bad guys, complex motivations, and fascinating details that are revealed just quickly enough to keep you interested and still guessing, right up to the end. The ending itself (with regards to the mystery, at any rate) is extremely satisfying, and one that I didn't think was possible and yet was brilliant. Frankly, I think the casefile in this fic is better than about 90% than those that actually appeared on the show, and the resolution is better than nearly all.

The Gift of an Enemy was the first Mulder/Krycek fic I'd ever read and even after reading nearly every M/K fic I could get my hands on, Enemy remains my favorite of the pairing. A fascinating, engrossing, and vastly entertaining novel.

The Gift of an Enemy

I've been waiting for over a year to rec this story for Supernatural/Horror week (we plan our theme weeks waaaaay out:) and I'm so thrilled that I'm finally getting a chance to share this with ya'll!

Title: The Gift of an Enemy by Sylvia (NC-17)
Fandom: The X-Files
Pairing: Mulder/Krycek
Categories: supernatural, mystery, casefile, h/c, angst, Harlequin
Length: Very Epic
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: rheasilvia
Website: http://www.sylvia.15th-moon.net

Review:
A new alien race appears on the block, this one aiming to make a deal with Mulder for information. To show that they mean business, they bring a gift to the table: Alex Krycek, pre-possessed by an alien for all of Mulder's questioning needs. Yeah, you can imagine how well that goes over. Turns out, though, that Krycek has a deep-seated fear of alien possession (tragically so, considering some nearby intergalactic bathroom stall clearly has 'Looking for a good time? Check out the body on Alex Krycek! (Usually found on Earth.)' scrawled on the side). This leads to a temporary alliance wherein Krycek agrees to tell the truth and not escape and Mulder keeps the alien possessions down to a minimum.

Oh, and then they get called in to investigate some potential witches in Pennsylvania.

I have two minor quibbles with this story, namely that the ending is more of the 'hopeful for a future happy ending' than of the 'happy ending with rainbows! and sunsets! and puppies and fluffy bunnies!' variety, and that there are a lot of loose threads at the end of the story that I wish had been tied up a bit more neatly. (Of course a sequel would handily take care of both issues. *cough*)

Those issues are minor, however, compared to the sheer awesomeness that is the rest of the story. First and foremost you have the best interpretation of Krycek backstory I've ever seen before or since, one that explains Krycek's behavior through the series and makes him far more sympathetic than I'd ever imagined he could be, yet also shows him to be the most ruthlessly competent character in the entire mythos. This Krycek may be hurting and he may be damaged, but he can hold his own against advesaries that would break most humans and even come out on top more times than not. I've pretty much decided that this version of Krycek is now my own personal canon for the character.

Secondly, you have a great version of Mulder: always thinking, truly brilliant, and yet so focused that his genius is often clouded by what he wants to believe, rather than what is actually there. He's likeable and yet a jerk, intelligent but fucked-up, and quite possibly the only person capable of bringing down the Consortium even if he is so reckless that if he didn't have someone watching his back at all times, he'd be dead within a week.

You also have both Krycek and Mulder demonstrating some (perfectly reasonable, all things considered) psychological issues that help speed up the development of their relationship (which is quite fast, but I can't really quibble about that considering the fact that 99.9% of all fanfic from that era had improbably-paced relationship development). This results in bucket-loads of particularly affecting and well-done hurt/comfort, which always makes me happy.

Finally, you have something that is far more rare than good characterization or effective hurt/comfort: this story has a *fantastic* plot. The whole witch mystery is layered, well-paced, and beautifully drawn, with intriguing bad guys, complex motivations, and fascinating details that are revealed just quickly enough to keep you interested and still guessing, right up to the end. The ending itself (with regards to the mystery, at any rate) is extremely satisfying, and one that I didn't think was possible and yet was brilliant. Frankly, I think the casefile in this fic is better than about 90% than those that actually appeared on the show, and the resolution is better than nearly all.

The Gift of an Enemy was the first Mulder/Krycek fic I'd ever read and even after reading nearly every M/K fic I could get my hands on, Enemy remains my favorite of the pairing. A fascinating, engrossing, and vastly entertaining novel.

The Gift of an Enemy

Title: Double the Fun Series
Fandom: Once a Thief, X-Files
Pairing: Krycek/Victor, Krycek/Victor/Mac, Krycek/Victor/Mac/Mulder
Categories: Romance, Crossover, Angst, Drama, AU
Length: Super Epic
Warnings: The pairings should say it all.

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: Infinitum

Review:
What happens when a Consortium assassin spots his doppelganger?

An incredible amount, according to these authors. The Double the Fun series is one of the first and, incidentally, one of the few series to ever make me appreciate a multiple-partner relationship. This is saying a lot for me since I tend to avoid those kinds of fics as I find them a little on the unbelievable side. Even so, Double the Fun is equal parts fun and incredibly smutty – no lie, I would say 75% if this story consists of a sex scene – and also boasts an intriguing premise and crossover.

Despite the fact that I found the initial getting together of Alex and Vic a little, well, contrived since it happens almost immediately with little to no supposition beforehand, the rest of the fic and eventual inclusion of others in the relationship wasn’t forced and made me happy to see them so open and willing to share, love, and be together. While I wouldn’t say that this is, necessarily, the definitive Once a Thief/X-Files crossover, it does make a run for the finish line and made me scour the ‘net for more crossovers like it.

Double the Fun Series

Title: Double the Fun Series
Fandom: Once a Thief, X-Files
Pairing: Krycek/Victor, Krycek/Victor/Mac, Krycek/Victor/Mac/Mulder
Categories: Romance, Crossover, Angst, Drama, AU
Length: Super Epic
Warnings: The pairings should say it all.

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: Infinitum

Review:
What happens when a Consortium assassin spots his doppelganger?

An incredible amount, according to these authors. The Double the Fun series is one of the first and, incidentally, one of the few series to ever make me appreciate a multiple-partner relationship. This is saying a lot for me since I tend to avoid those kinds of fics as I find them a little on the unbelievable side. Even so, Double the Fun is equal parts fun and incredibly smutty – no lie, I would say 75% if this story consists of a sex scene – and also boasts an intriguing premise and crossover.

Despite the fact that I found the initial getting together of Alex and Vic a little, well, contrived since it happens almost immediately with little to no supposition beforehand, the rest of the fic and eventual inclusion of others in the relationship wasn’t forced and made me happy to see them so open and willing to share, love, and be together. While I wouldn’t say that this is, necessarily, the definitive Once a Thief/X-Files crossover, it does make a run for the finish line and made me scour the ‘net for more crossovers like it.

Double the Fun Series

Title: Double the Fun Series
Fandom: Once a Thief, X-Files
Pairing: Krycek/Victor, Krycek/Victor/Mac, Krycek/Victor/Mac/Mulder
Categories: Romance, Crossover, Angst, Drama, AU
Length: Super Epic
Warnings: The pairings should say it all.

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: Infinitum

Review:
What happens when a Consortium assassin spots his doppelganger?

An incredible amount, according to these authors. The Double the Fun series is one of the first and, incidentally, one of the few series to ever make me appreciate a multiple-partner relationship. This is saying a lot for me since I tend to avoid those kinds of fics as I find them a little on the unbelievable side. Even so, Double the Fun is equal parts fun and incredibly smutty – no lie, I would say 75% if this story consists of a sex scene – and also boasts an intriguing premise and crossover.

Despite the fact that I found the initial getting together of Alex and Vic a little, well, contrived since it happens almost immediately with little to no supposition beforehand, the rest of the fic and eventual inclusion of others in the relationship wasn’t forced and made me happy to see them so open and willing to share, love, and be together. While I wouldn’t say that this is, necessarily, the definitive Once a Thief/X-Files crossover, it does make a run for the finish line and made me scour the ‘net for more crossovers like it.

Double the Fun Series

Title: Double the Fun Series
Fandom: Once a Thief, X-Files
Pairing: Krycek/Victor, Krycek/Victor/Mac, Krycek/Victor/Mac/Mulder
Categories: Romance, Crossover, Angst, Drama, AU
Length: Super Epic
Warnings: The pairings should say it all.

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: Infinitum

Review:
What happens when a Consortium assassin spots his doppelganger?

An incredible amount, according to these authors. The Double the Fun series is one of the first and, incidentally, one of the few series to ever make me appreciate a multiple-partner relationship. This is saying a lot for me since I tend to avoid those kinds of fics as I find them a little on the unbelievable side. Even so, Double the Fun is equal parts fun and incredibly smutty – no lie, I would say 75% if this story consists of a sex scene – and also boasts an intriguing premise and crossover.

Despite the fact that I found the initial getting together of Alex and Vic a little, well, contrived since it happens almost immediately with little to no supposition beforehand, the rest of the fic and eventual inclusion of others in the relationship wasn’t forced and made me happy to see them so open and willing to share, love, and be together. While I wouldn’t say that this is, necessarily, the definitive Once a Thief/X-Files crossover, it does make a run for the finish line and made me scour the ‘net for more crossovers like it.

Double the Fun Series

Title: Double the Fun Series
Fandom: Once a Thief, X-Files
Pairing: Krycek/Victor, Krycek/Victor/Mac, Krycek/Victor/Mac/Mulder
Categories: Romance, Crossover, Angst, Drama, AU
Length: Super Epic
Warnings: The pairings should say it all.

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: Infinitum

Review:
What happens when a Consortium assassin spots his doppelganger?

An incredible amount, according to these authors. The Double the Fun series is one of the first and, incidentally, one of the few series to ever make me appreciate a multiple-partner relationship. This is saying a lot for me since I tend to avoid those kinds of fics as I find them a little on the unbelievable side. Even so, Double the Fun is equal parts fun and incredibly smutty – no lie, I would say 75% if this story consists of a sex scene – and also boasts an intriguing premise and crossover.

Despite the fact that I found the initial getting together of Alex and Vic a little, well, contrived since it happens almost immediately with little to no supposition beforehand, the rest of the fic and eventual inclusion of others in the relationship wasn’t forced and made me happy to see them so open and willing to share, love, and be together. While I wouldn’t say that this is, necessarily, the definitive Once a Thief/X-Files crossover, it does make a run for the finish line and made me scour the ‘net for more crossovers like it.

Double the Fun Series

Title: Double the Fun Series
Fandom: Once a Thief, X-Files
Pairing: Krycek/Victor, Krycek/Victor/Mac, Krycek/Victor/Mac/Mulder
Categories: Romance, Crossover, Angst, Drama, AU
Length: Super Epic
Warnings: The pairings should say it all.

Author on LJ: n/a
Website: Infinitum

Review:
What happens when a Consortium assassin spots his doppelganger?

An incredible amount, according to these authors. The Double the Fun series is one of the first and, incidentally, one of the few series to ever make me appreciate a multiple-partner relationship. This is saying a lot for me since I tend to avoid those kinds of fics as I find them a little on the unbelievable side. Even so, Double the Fun is equal parts fun and incredibly smutty – no lie, I would say 75% if this story consists of a sex scene – and also boasts an intriguing premise and crossover.

Despite the fact that I found the initial getting together of Alex and Vic a little, well, contrived since it happens almost immediately with little to no supposition beforehand, the rest of the fic and eventual inclusion of others in the relationship wasn’t forced and made me happy to see them so open and willing to share, love, and be together. While I wouldn’t say that this is, necessarily, the definitive Once a Thief/X-Files crossover, it does make a run for the finish line and made me scour the ‘net for more crossovers like it.

Double the Fun Series