Passion (due South story)
| Fraser/Kowalski Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Passion |
| Author(s): | Speranza |
| Date(s): | 2003-12-17 |
| Length: | 30,476 words |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | due South |
| External Links: | at Speranza's site on AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Passion is a Fraser/Kowalski story by Speranza.
It was podficced by Zabira in 2007.
Reactions and Reviews
I have a secret thing (which perhaps, in the bastardised words of Doris Day, is no secret any more) for fics which have flashbacks to the characters much younger teenage selves, and their first forays into the experimentation stages of love and life. This is one of those fics that fills that gap with not space for anything else. It's Fraser's history, his childhood and his movements into adulthood - the ghosts of his past and the troubled relationships that take him right up into Chicago, when he sees Kowalski being stabbed. Fraser and Kowalski are brilliantly written, Fraser's history is heartbreakingly good and the relationship impeccable. The changing characterisation as their relationship becomes more established is perfect. A joy. [1]
As justacat said nearly two years ago, rec’ing a cesperanza fic to the due South fandom is almost redundant. Because...duh. She’s Ces! Her middle name might as well be “master of heartbreakingly well-observed character work.” She’s written the book on long angsty thinky-type fic. And, um, her stuff is also hot. But even the best of the best still have stories that are underappreciated, under-rec’ed, or just plain ignored. And I’d like to bring your collective attention to the stunningly beautiful and potentially polarizing story Passion.Ces warns in her story notes that this fic isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. She cites adult themes (and no, those "adult themes" aren't of the NC-17 so-hot-your-screen-will-melt Fraser/RayK variety, although manporn is certainly present and accounted for) but that other kind of “adult themes”. Death plays a big role in this story – we get a glimpse of Fraser’s grandfather’s sudden heart attack, and then a long, extremely painful look at Fraser’s relationship with his grandmother as she battles cancer. Very few fic authors have looked at this part of canon - poor Fraser, who’d already lost a mother and never really had a father, is left alone to nurse his grandmother through her final illness. Ces shapes and polishes the fuzzy edges of Fraser’s personal history into a sharp, clear portrait of a man so profoundly isolated and hungry for love, family and connection that it makes you see Fraser in a completely new light. It’s a must-read for those of you tired of seeing Our Favorite Mountie portrayed as the embodiment of self-sufficiency. He’s one lonely, fucked-up guy in this fic, and it’s excellent stuff. If, err, you like that kind of thing. Which you will if you read this story. *nods*
Ces tackles a lot of Deep Dark Issues in this fic. Parenthood, death and sexual confusion are handled with her patented combination of humor, sorrow and bittersweet joy, and it makes for a rich and humane reading experience. The first half of the story deals with Fraser’s few brushes with passion, supplying him with an experimental first love, a disastrous second sexual encounter borne out of grief and compassion, and the inevitable (but expertly-recounted) Victoria debacle. Ces does amazing things with this tired material, infusing it with new relevancy and fresh description. And then RayK enters the picture. Fraser is thirty-eight, lonely, haunted and deathly afraid of the passion he senses within himself. Ray is also a troubled figure – he’s recovering from the aftereffects of a brutal stabbing by a delusional homeless man, and he can’t seem to forgive himself for whatever part he played in the collapse of his marriage. There’s a very sad section in which we are made to feel how alone Ray really is – even more alone than Fraser, in some ways – because even when Ray’s been stabbed and hovers near death he has no next of kin, no one to take care of him. The Vecchio family put in an appearance and Frannie is given a great line, but there’s an underlying melancholy to it all. Ray’s only a place-holder, and in some ways even more of an outsider than Fraser. As Fraser observes: ”He had to remember that Ray Kowalski was only nominally a member of the 27th precinct, and that he hadn't, strictly speaking, been wounded in the line of duty. Ray was among the 2-7 but not really of the 2-7 -- like himself, really. If anything, [Fraser] himself had deeper roots in the precinct.” Ouch.
So it’s a sad story. But it is blessed with a truly romantic ending, and Ces does marvelous things with the Fraser/RayK relationship in between all the h/c stuff and the haunting backstories she gives Ray and Fraser. I think this has to be one of my very favorite examinations of how Fraser and RayK function as a couple – how they love one another, and how they need one another, and how each man really isn’t whole, isn’t complete, unless he’s with the other. It’s remarkably gratifying to see these two lost souls, who come through so much over the course of the story, together and happy at the end. Passion ain’t a fluff piece; it’s a challenging and satisfying read that’ll restore your faith in the potential of love. And hot mansex. [2]
Fraser and his experiences of passion during his early life, and how they shape him. In its archaic sense, 'passion' meant 'extremity,' so be advised that this is not an easy read. Some of the best depictions of emotional pain I've read. Wonderful. Highly recommended. [3]