The Other Side by Ailcia (PG)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Length: Short story
Author on LJ: ailcia
Author Website: Ailcia's storylist at palelyloitering.com
Why this must be read: Ailcia writes Bodie/Doyle with a deft touch - they're real lads, they might be in love but they're neither soft nor soppy, and if there's the odd modernism that makes me blink, I'm so very quickly sucked back into the heart-tangling immediacy of the story that it's a very quick blink indeed. The Other Side tells the story of a Bodie who's trying to live through Doyle's disappearance and month-long captivity before finally being found again - and through Bodie, of course we watch Doyle. Just like the eps, Ailcia doesn't scruple to show us the world as it really is, and how our lads cope their best with it - with each other, of course... *g*

Excerpt: Waking up without him was the worst. That tantalizing moment of sleepy forgetfulness, just before reality hit. Sometimes he even thought he could feel him beside him, and he kept his eyes closed for a little longer on those mornings, indulging in his ignorance. After all, he had no clue what had happened, so who was to say Doyle couldn't just march back into the flat, complaining about the traffic, and slip into bed without waking him?

The Other Side