Chains (X-Files story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Chains
Author(s):	Kipler
Date(s):	10 March 1997
Length:	85K / 14,035 words
Genre:
Fandom:	The X-Files
External Links:	Chains at AO3 Author: Kipler at Gossamer
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Chains is an X-Files story by Kipler.

Reactions and Reviews

Kipler's name is immediately recognized by almost everyone in X-Files fandom. She's been around since the early season, as both a regular poster on the Usenet groups and a formidable ficwriter. She specialized in tightly-written casefiles with clean, occasionally poetic prose, and solid characterizations. While casefiles are the holy grail for many readers in XF, the truth is that a really good one is hard to pull off, and Kipler's are very good indeed. Chains is set in season 4, after Scully is diagnosed with cancer but before she becomes debilitated by it. The focus is on the case itself, but the subtext of the story shows a deep concern with the partners' relationship.

Casefile/X-files are my favorite kind of fic. “Chains” has a good plot, nuanced characterization, and nimbly navigates the changes in the Mulder/Scully relationship after Scully is diagnosed with cancer. I don’t usually link to Author’s Pages at Gossamer, but their copy is easier to read than the one on her waybacked AOL site. She’s promised to post it to AO3 this weekend.