Dog in the Manger

Bodie/Doyle Fanfiction
Title:	Dog in the Manger
Author(s):	Meg Lewtan
Date(s):	1986
Length:	125kb
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	The Professionals
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Dog in the Manger is a Bodie/Doyle story by Meg Lewtan.

It was published in The Hatstand Express #8.

Summaries

"D hears that B and Murphy are lovers and he is upset, confronts B. Self-conscious about his image and as a consequence behaving extremely straight, D doesnt know that he is not just a dog in the manger, but plain jealous. On his part, B is upset because what he really wants is D and Murphy is a substitute. D flirts with B to control him and not to lose a good working partner - so he tells himself - but when B makes a move on him, D is scared of his own response and pushes B away. B guesses D's trick and is enraged, thinking that D's motive is homophobia; D is shamed and regretful, and realizes his real feelings. Tension and hurt follow, till a confrontation with the IRA and D's getting wounded to protect B make them come together at last. Happily ever after."

Reactions and Reviews

I always like Meg's Bodie/Murphy stories. My only niggling point is that I don't like to see Doyle at odds with Murphy as I prefer seeing them all getting along well with each other. But as always Meg spins a good yarn. I love her use of songs, and the way Doyle doesn't realize he's jealous. And, of course, all the angst before they finally sort themselves out.

I enjoyed "Dog in the Manger" as well. Being an avowed Murphy fan I enjoy stories where he's part of the action, though I feel sorry that he's always going to be the loser because Bodie will always pick Doyle over him. Any thoughts on a Murphy/Doyle story where Bodie is the 'outsider' - doesn't seen right somehow does it?

"Dog in the Manger" presented a Doyle I can fully believe--being a total bastard (and remember, Ray's my favorite!), but I'm a sucker for happy endings, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Now "Dog in the Manger"... I've been needing a jealous Ray story for a long time. One with a great ending too! You made my day, my night, my week and month with this one, Meg. Keep up the great work!

This story has a very real feel to it. I can imagine Doyle reacting the way he does in this story; afraid of losing his partner to Murphy, he would try almost anything to keep him. Doyle is uncaring and selfish in his need for Bodie. He won't even give the proper name to his feelings for his partner until it is almost too late. The added bonus to this story is that it has a strong IRA plot-line to go with the love story angle. As with most of Meg Lewtan's work, an entertaining read.