Rules

Bodie/Doyle Fanfiction
Title:	Rules (The Professionals fanfiction)
Author(s):	PFL
Date(s):	October, 1999
Length:	80K, 22 printed pages, 14,000 words
Genre:	slash, Bodie/Doyle
Fandom:	The Professionals
External Links:	The Professionals Circuit Archive, The Hatstand; Archive of Our Own
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"Rules" by PFL was originally published in the zine Roses and Lavender by Allamagoosa Press in October, 1999. It was posted to The Circuit Archive on October 8, 2004. It is also available on The Hatstand.

The story sometimes appears on fans' Desert Island lists.

Summary

From The Hatstand's list of Professionals zines: "Rules" by PFL is a relationship-centric story that follows the events of Wild Justice (an episode).

Reactions and Reviews

A lovely, long, meaty story tracing Bodie and Doyle's becoming lovers post-Wild Justice. They learn mutual trust and commitment through a series of traumatic events, including part of Bodie's past rearing up in solid form. PFL's intricate plotting and stylistic skills are on display in this tale, and her Bodie and Doyle always resonate for me. I adore the whole business with Bodie's old mercenary mate and the misunderstanding over "take care of him"--oi! And then there's the icehouse scene, all the mingled pain and Doyle's trust and Bodie's anger and Bodie's love and Doyle's. The emotion is many-layered, the payoff for the preceding angstiness exquisite...and we still haven't reached the end. This story charms me as well as satisfying my major angst kink, with a wonderful dash of hurt/comfort for seasoning.

PFL is one of my favourite top authors in Pros fandom. What I especially like in all her stories is that I have to read them two, three times to catch all the subtle turns of phrase, all the subtext, since each and every single page of her stories is like an arabesque, perfectly and beautifully crafted. This story is a coda to the episode Wild Justice: it has all that you want in a story, characterisation, plotting, sex...it's a pleasure to read and re-read :)

Another twisty little tale. This one is set during the time of Wild Justice. Doyle is angry and concerned because of Bodie's performance during assessments. When Doyle shows up at Bodie's door wanting to have it out, Bodie sidesteps his partner's more probing questions by seducing him. After the showdown with King Billy, Doyle realizes how he has been used and can't help but distance himself from his partner. Bodie doesn't fully realize the damage he's done until it all goes horribly wrong one night in the field. Terrific, angsty little story that shows both men so deeply connected even when they're at odds. I could read it (and have!) over and over again.

I'm biased about this author - I like her style, her restraint, her economical use of language - so bear that in mind when I say how satisfying I found "Rules". I've rarely come across a really convincing explanation for the way Doyle (as well as Bodie) acts in "Wild Justice" but this, to my mind, hit the nail on the head. Let's face it, it's comparatively easy to come up with eight different explanations for what Bodie does - we're given a lot of clues in the episode, what with his confusion, his distress and so forth - but why is Doyle standing back? Why is Doyle, of all people, so damned diffident? PFL writes a truly thoughtful story around that question; then she takes it further. The part set in and around "Wild Justice" is only the first half of the tale.

I've loved PFL's work ever since I found the little charmer "Christmas Snow" on the disks last year when I was new to the fandom. None of her stories that I've read since has disappointed - quite the contrary - and "Rules" is one of the longest and meatiest yet. It's set during and after "Wild Justice," a fascinating episode that doesn't have nearly enough stories written about it, and especially about the strains and oddities in Bodies and Doyle's relationship throughout the ep. PFL excels at writing relationship stories, and this one is utterly satisfying on every level, both as a fictive look at the episode and as a delving into their evolving relationship. It's got action, gritty angst, great writing, and a number of truly memorable incidents. I found the portrait of Bodie especially endearing as he moves from smug overconfidence to an ever-deepening awareness of his own true feelings.