Caravans
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Caravans |
| Author(s): | Mandragora |
| Date(s): | 2001 |
| Length: | |
| Genre(s): | slash, Bodie/Doyle |
| Fandom(s): | The Professionals |
| Relationship(s): | Bodie/Doyle |
| External Links: | online here |
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"Caravans" by Mandragora is a The Professionals slash Bodie/Doyle story.
It was originally published in The Bisto Kids in 2001 and is online.
Reactions and Reviews
'Caravans' by Mandragora - 27pp. Another first time story. Bodie and Doyle are on their way, in the car, to Yorkshire to see an informer who is ex-IRA. Bodie has been in a bad mood for a while and Doyle, ever tenacious, is determined to find out just what is wrong with his partner. It is set post 'No Stone'.The story weaves through the journey, the motorway, and the countryside all the way dealing with the relationship between the partners. Tempers get frayed, and more often than not it is Doyle who ends up being conciliatory, and trying to calm Bodie down/cheer him up. They meet the informer, he gives them information and they start their return journey to London.
We finally find out what is wrong with Bodie, and it's not what the reader necessarily thinks. Finally Ray gets Bodie to pull over on the hard shoulder of the motorway, and after yet more misunderstanding, there follows is an interesting little sex scene, where Ray ends up giving Bodie a blow job in daylight by the side of the motorway. I actually found that I did not have to suspend disbelief for this scene. Mandragora had captured the mood so well, the balance, the feelings, and the tension, that you really could believe that they would take this risk. In fact she has Bodie totally incredulous after the event, and I see Bodie as representing the reader's feelings at this point. A nice happy ever after in a committed relationship.
Well written, well balanced, humour, love, partnership, friendship, good characterisation, good dialogue.
The dichotomous Doyle is particularly well shown, I feel. Because we see both the hard, tough agent and the insecure, oft time vulnerable man. A lovely line is, 'Hardened CI5 man though he was, Doyle was unable to prevent himself from sinking into his seat at the note of derision in Bodie's voice.' An all round very nice story.[1]
"Caravans" takes place almost entirely in a car, as Bodie and Doyle drive from London to and then back from the home of a "former" IRA member to question him about some current goings-on. The purpose of their trip is fairly irrelevant, though, except as a backdrop, because really this story is a voyage through the workings of Doyle's mind as he attempts to understand and come to terms with some important truths about himself and Bodie. The author takes us along on this inner journey while not neglecting the outer one - it's very internal, which makes it all the more remarkable that the author manages so unobtrusively to paint an evocative and lovely picture of the external environment in which it's taking place, and to make it clear how the external and internal are so inextricably linked - Bodie and Doyle are the products of their environment. She's incredibly effective at capturing Britishness, or perhaps Englishness, and the story has a very authentic feel.The characterization also feels quite authentic - I can very much buy into her portrayal of Doyle's thought processes and Bodie's reactions, and the interaction between the two of them. They snark realistically, but Doyle's confusion and Bodie's pain and feeling of betrayal, and their deep connection to each other, are never far from the surface. I love how they never stop being guys - blokes!; their difficulty saying what they actually feel, and their obliqueness when they do, the way seemingly throw-away comments are actually imbued with meaning, ring true and are a testament to the author's ability to "show not tell." And the resolution, while perhaps a trifle abrupt, is satisfying and uplifting (this will become a theme with me - I like good, happy endings), with even a nice bit of fairly hot smut (also a favorite of mine! *g*) thrown in for good measure. This is an understated and yet moving and effective story, one that bears up to repeated re-reading.
This is Mandragora's only story, which is a shame, because it's lovely.[2]
What a lovely story! I, too, like good, happy endings and this certainly delivers. Her Bodie and Doyle are very believable, in both their anger and joy. It being her only story I probably wouldn't have read it anytime soon, if at all.[3]
I'm so glad you liked it, and that you hadn't seen it before and wouldn't have read it without the rec! I too found her Bodie and Doyle felt really authentic - the story always leaves me with a nice feeling.[4]
That is one of the best Professionals fics I have ever read; a top recommendation. The characterisation is spot on, the attention to detail is admirable and the sex - WOW! Sometimes, less is more.[5]
Epiphanies abound in this fic, which is set just after No Stone when Cookie was killed. The strangest things can remind us of why we're living our lives… And being stuck in a car together gives us a beautifully intimate look at the lads and their relationship.[6]
I like this story alot, and I've never thought of it as romantic even though it's quite a relationship-y story. The lads are on a car journey north to find a Real IRA informer, and as they drive Doyle muses on their relationship, and Bodie reacts as Bodie does! I love that the author shows us how the lads are both introspective men, though in very different ways, and for me they're very much in canon-character all the way through. I also love the background to all this - the motorway, and the people of Britain off on their Bank Holiday weekend. And there's a smattering of mission-y type stuff in there too, for people who like that sort of thing... *g* [7]
It's relationship focussed, but not at all soppy - they think and behave like blokes, but not emotionally crippled blokes, which is the opposite end of the spectrum. Like real people, even *g*.[8]
This is one of my favourites, for its sense of place and time and the lovely descriptions of the members of the GBP (Great British Public) that they encounter during their journey. It is a lovely portrayal of their relationship and that very bloke-y (is that a word? *g*) reluctance to think too much about the emotional side of things - even from Doyle. I wouldn't call it romantic at all, and is all the better for that, as far as I'm concerned.[9]