The Departure Series

Fanfiction
Title:	The Departure Series
Author(s):	Imajiru
Date(s):	16 August 1998 - 27 August 1999
Length:	138,036 words / 762 KB
Genre:	slash fanfiction
Fandom:	The X-Files
External Links:	Departure I (Imajiru's Fiction) Departure II (Imajiru's Fiction) Departure 2.5 (Imajiru's Fiction) Departure III (Imajiru's Fiction) Departure III (Lisa e Krysa Awards)
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The Departure Series is a series of Mulder/Krycek stories by Imajiru.

Summary from storyteller's campsite: "What if... an act of hostility became something else entirely? Mulder is kidnapped by Alex Krycek."

The Depature Series won the 1999 Lisa e Krysa Awards in the category 'Best Series' and Depature III won in the 'Best Romance' category. It also influences fanfiction beyond the X-Files fandom. From the author's notes of Rogue Trader, a Star Wars TPM story: "The idea for this story is unashamedly filched from Imajiru's extraordinary X Files novella "Departure". Read it, loved it, said "I gotta do this to Qui-Gon!"

Series

Summary: "What if... an act of hostility became something else entirely?"

Departure I - 16 August 1998 - 113 Kb - NC-17 - M/K (20,225 words) ("A departure from the norm. For everyone involved.")

Departure II - 17 August 1998 - 108 Kb - NC-17 - M/K (19,378 words) ("Departing even further from common sense...")

Departure 2.5 - 28 October 1998 - 58 Kb - NC-17 - M/K (10,708 words) ("Leaving home. Coming home.")

Departure III - 27 August 1999 - 483 Kb - NC-17 - M/K (87,725 words) ("What happened next...")

Recs and Reviews

Unknown Date

Departure, by Imajiru -- it definitely starts out as rape... Departure 2 hints at closure, and the third part finally delivers it.

Mulder wakes up to find himself at Krycek's mercy, but the tables soon turn. Starts out with a borderline rape scenario, navigates between the abundant waiting pitfalls with complete confidence and more success than I would have thought possible, and goes on to get better and better.

These are a series of novel length stories that are absolutely wonderful. I'm not sure how to describe the story in a way that won't give away any spoilers for it and yet will tell you how terrific it is. I think I'll just highly suggest you read it and leave it at that. Imajiru is a wonderful writer who can weave a wonderful story. I can't say enough about how good this series is, even though it starts out rough, it ends beautifully. I love her characterization of Alex in this, tough and vulnerable both at the same time. The way she portrays Mulder is beautiful too, he is fragile after certain events occur, but gets stronger as it goes on. I also liked how neither Mulder or Krycek were designated the weak or strong partner, as is with life they both have moments of each and the other is always there to help them through that. Don't think this story is too schmoopy though. It has its moments of real angst, of fights, of hot sex, and some true love thrown in for good measure. It is a truly wonderful story that is one of the best in this fandom and pairing. A must read for M/K fans. This story, especially part 3, has me weeping every time I read it, just as strongly as the first time. So high emotional angst warning there, but it is beautiful. Though, I don't really consider angst a warning.

[Departure 1]: First part of the novel length series. Alex inacts a dangerous plan to seduce Mulder. This story and the series in general in sort of dark and very angsty. It is wonderful though. Imajiru is without a doubt one of the best writers out there in fanfic. This is one of my favorite series. [Departure 2]: Alex and Mulder both face the after effects of the incident that happened in part 1. Wonderful story. Imajiru once again comes up with a beautiful piece of work [Departure 2.5]: Alex helps Mulder heal and the two fall deeper into one another. Made me cry and smile. I still can't say enough about this terrific series. [Departure 3]: Alex and Mulder's secluded, safe world is disrupted when they have to recruit Scully and Skinner into helping them bring down the Consortium. No matter how many times I read this part it never fails to bring me to tears. Alex is so angsty in this part and I just love Imajiru's characterization of him. He is neither a complete bad guy or a perfect good guy. He is somewhere in between and just so sweet and insecure at times that you can't help but love him.

You must read Departure! Must must must! Such a great series. It features Krycek stoned. And Krycek being bad. And the word 'Ratcave.' And lots of delicious smut. And has a really good plot, but doesn't get bogged down in it. The dialogue is out of this world. Why are you still here, when you could be here? Go! And be rewarded with a special recipe for mulderchip cookies:)

2000

I don't even know how to describe this story. I could probably try for years and not even come close. I don't even want to give you a summary, because I want you to find out for yourself what it is about. This story is so good no summary could do it justice anyway. It would only make it seem simplified and there is nothing in this story that is simple.

It is higly emotionally charged to a level where you can feel the emotions vibrating in the room while you read it. That is what I love about this story, the high emotional characterizations of Fox and Alex. I absolutely love Alex in this, how he changes and grows in the story. How he is such a dichotmy between this violent man the rest of the world see and this tender, loving man Mulder only gets to see. The side Mulder sees is who he truly is and eventually that side shows more and more until that is what everyone gets to see. There is such emotional growth in this and it is so subtle as you read it, you hardly realize that is what you are witnessing. Mulder changes to in this, becomes more trusting and goes from being solitary to desperately needing someone. I love Alex and Mulder in this. This story probably represents one of the most inventive and smooth switchs from the violence and animosity that they share to a loving and romantic relationship I have ever seen in an M/K story.

Conviced yet? If not go read it and you will be convinced of just how good the story is. Imajiru is a great writer and her talent is wonderfully displayed in this.

2003

this is a classic! Violent and dark and sizzling in the air are those angst and hate... still there's romance - a love so very twisted and full of pains. And this is Mulder torture at its best.

2004

The four parts of this story are best read together, although Part 1 could be read in isolation. This is one of the earliest slash stories that I ever read and it holds up amazingly well, despite the minor errors - especially those of punctuation - that I now find rather irritating. The series is told in present tense, which might annoy some readers, and the text might be a little too mushy for others, but I love this story and come back to it again and again with enjoyment.

Part 1: Mulder wakes to find that he is lying on a cold stone floor - naked, chained and helpless in the hands of Alex Krycek.

[excerpt snipped]

This story is pretty mild in the "torturefic" stakes now that I've read some of the more horrifying exampless out there, but at the time I felt quite nervous about reading it. Told from Mulder's POV, it depicts the psychological journey Mulder goes through during his period of captivity. Despite the subject matter, this is quite a sweet story with a strongly developed emotional storyline.

Part 2: Mulder goes back to his normal life after his encounter with Krycek but he finds it hard to come to terms with his increasingly fractured life: the "normal" one with Scully and the X Files, and the memories of his sexual encounters with Krycek. When his two lives collide, Mulder's reaction shocks everybody.

[excerpt snipped]

The story is told from Mulder's POV, with a small prologue at the beginning from Krycek's POV. This one is pretty dark in places but the emerging emotional relationship between the two is handled really well and it ends on a hopeful note.

Part 2b: Krycek's flight to the rat cave with Mulder is harrowing for both men.

[excerpt snipped]

This is a companion piece to Part 2 and the viewpoint alternates between Mulder and Krycek. It gives a lot of detail about the emotional state of both men as they make this momentous decision.

Part 3: Krycek is happy but he knows he can't keep Mulder to himself forever. When he discovers a way to destroy the Consortium for good, he knows it's the beginning of the end.

[excerpt snipped]

This very long story encompasses a great deal of plot as the good guys - including Scully and Skinner - take on the Consortium with the final fate of the world at stake. Despite what could have been a plot-driven story, "Departure" continues to be essentially about the emotional lives of its characters and the relationships between all 4 characters are central to the story.

This story is told from Krycek's POV throughout, apart from a short, effective prologue from Scully's POV. I love the way Krycek is presented here. He's not totally white-washed but you can see how and why he became the untrustworthy triple agent of canon. This is essentially a story that explores Krycek's emotional journey to personal salvation but it's a lot of fun as well. I especially enjoyed his interaction with Scully - for example, Krycek's comment on his growing friendship with Scully:

First Mulder, now this...too much of this relentless camaraderie, and I might forget how to be a calculating, soulless bastard, and what will become of me then?

I keep coming back to read this story and I always enjoy it. I'd recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately, it's one of only a few slash stories by Imajiru - she's mostly known for her het and now no longer writes fanfiction at all, as far as I know.

2005

This is another of those stories that I was truly amazed no one had rec'd [at Crack Van] before. It had been taken offline for a some time though, so it was somewhat understandable. This story is so damn good it hurts. It has been one of my favorite M/K stories since the first time I read it and remains so to this day. This story has it's romantic moments, but they are all tinged with a razor sharp edge.

In the first story the lines between Stockholm Syndrome, rape, consent, and passion are blurred so badly you can't even see them.

Krycek breaks and heals Mulder in turns during the course of these stories. Though he never really intends to hurt him it's almost unavoidable. It's not with pain or torture that he destroys him, but with love, desire, and passion. A love so strong it damn near kills them. A passion that remakes, rebuilds, and heals them both. Not to mention they get to save the world.

It's an amazing story that takes you on one hell of a wild ride through the darker sides of love and passion. I don't mean to scare anyone off though. I'll admit to being a wuss when it comes to physical torture, you won't find that here. All the pain stems from a love and desire you shouldn't want, but can't even begin to resist. This is a story no M/K fan should miss.... I love this story so much. I hope you enjoy it. I so want more people to read it. Send Imajiru some feedback too, so she'll keep it online.

Oh, man, that is one of my favourite stories ever.

2006

Oh, I love that story. I think I still have it saved on my hardrive.

Imajiru's "Departure" series has always held an unparalleled fascination for me. Part of me is horrified at the storyline, how Mulder falls victim to the Stockholm Syndrome, loses his independence, his life, part of me is utterly captivated by the insight into his and Krycek's feelings and the pure, unmitigated need that drives them together. No, this is not an easy, comfortable story, but it still has a surprising sweetness, especially since Imajiru manages to turn her protagonists' lives full circle again and lets them return to the beginning in a plot twist of fairy tale proportions. This story is disquieting and deeply addictive; once you've started you won't be able to stop reading. Don't miss this.

I almost had a cardiac arrest when her stories went back on line! I was all mourning her and all and she came back! So here's to stunning narration and lovely evolution of the M/K dynamic, and to the hottest story ever! This series really touched me, marked me, it's honestly the hottest thing I've ever read in my life, which is saying something [laughs] To tell the truth, when I first read this, I was well and truly shocked, almost disturbed, but it rapidly sucked me in. It has a way of possessing you =P See for yourself, Imajiru's just brilliant.

2010

Departure by Imajiru is almost a four part PWP, but really it is much more than that (link is to website). It starts off as a very heavy confrontation between Mulder and Krycek, with Krycek having the upper hand. The slow cessation of hostilities between them makes for an intriguing read, and the eventual discovery of the relationship by Scully renders it gripping. I really enjoyed all four parts, but Departure3 is absolutely fantastic. It's as romantic as hell, sexy as hell, angsty as hell, shows Scully in a wonderful light yet manages to remain just short of being too sugary for consumption. A wonderful series. Go and read Quicksand as well.