Fathoms Five

Fanfiction
Title:	Fathoms Five
Author(s):	Penumbra
Date(s):	July 17, 2009
Length:	55,000+, 108K
Genre:	MSR
Fandom:	The X-Files
External Links:	at LiveJournal, at Gossamer
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Fathoms Five is an X-Files story by Penumbra.

Author's Summary

- Never is a very long time -

Author's apologetic note: I know, I swore on the soul of Queequeg that I'd never write a babyfic, but this family moved into my head and made me do Tequila shots and it turned out 86 is not my lucky number.

* Author's additional note: Although I hate to give things away as much as I hate scrolling through copious hand-wringing author's notes, I feel it should be mentioned that this story contains one truly disturbing moment of pseudo-suicidal sort-of semi Character Death; however, the whole is wrapped around such a warm, fuzzy, baby cat-type center that just about anyone should be able to handle it.

Author's superfluous note: On second thought, those of a tender constitution can just skip the first little section (about 9 paragraphs), and then on to all those warm, fuzzy Muldery parts!**

** Not those parts, pervs!

Comments from the Author: 2020

However, as the fandom imploded there was understandable backlash against the whole Penumbra thing. The panegyric was just too much, the style definitely overblown. I posted ’Fathoms Five’ as things were melting down, and there was real outrage. People were boycotting it as a political statement. Oh, we were all so raw — the X-Files was ending and IWTB was a heartbreaker. At that point I’d been working on 'Heuvelmans’ for a couple of years and was forced to admit I couldn’t finish it, nor would it be well-accepted if I did. So you can sort of see the baggage I was carrying when I left the fandom, not to mention the creative angst.

Reactions and Reviews

2014

This is a major work by a major writer, and not only is it the best work she's ever done, I think it's one of the best stories written for the fandom. It is also one of the most disturbing stories I have ever read. I think I went into a fugue state after reading the first section. Seriously. "Fathoms Five" is a dark treatment of the possibility raised by the climax of "Tithonus": what if Scully was immortal?... The author has chosen not to warn and I am honoring that here.

2015

FATHOMS FIVE is the best of Penumbra, a rich and challenging examination of how troublesome it is to have eternal live. Starting with a brutal act, it shifts to the cherished though vulnerable family existence Mulder and Scully have established with their adult son. A strong sense of home and friendship and apprehension of the future. Original characters; philosophical depths. The fragile line between being with and being left.

“Fathoms Five” is a dark treatment of the possibility raised by the climax of “Tithonus”: what if Scully was immortal? This a major work, by a major writer in the fandom. It’s also her best work, an outstanding, well-crafted, and unforgettable story that deserved a much wider audience. I cannot recommend this fic more highly. The links are to her livejournal. It’s also archived at Gossamer, where there is a somewhat misleading warning on the post. There was nothing “warm and fuzzy” about this fic, imho. If you have triggers, or even if you don’t, you should know that I found the opening to “Fathoms Five” highly disturbing. If you need more specifics to decide if this is safe for you, leave an anon comment here, along with an email address, and I will get back to you asap. Anon and non-member comments are all screened and your email address will not be revealed. There are spoilers in the comment threads.

2016

Today’s fic is perfection in nearly every sense of the word. The characterization, the plot, the language, the themes, it’s all gorgeous. If you’ve never read Fathom’s Five, be advised that, without giving away too much, it starts off with Scully’s heartbreaking attempt to test the theory of her immortality (an idea which has been coyly hinted at throughout the series), then unfolds as Mulder, et al., deal with the aftermath of Scully’s actions. Over the course of only a few days, Penumbra does an amazing job drawing us into the languid pace of the life Mulder and Scully have built for themselves in southern California years after leaving the FBI, and giving us a brief but lingering snapshot of what it would have been like had they been able to raise William together.