Sanctuary (Professionals story)

Bodie/Doyle Fanfiction
Title:	Sanctuary
Author(s):	Thomas
Date(s):	1990, 2004
Length:	10K, 1,900 words
Genre:	slash, Bodie/Doyle
Fandom:	The Professionals
External Links:	*Story Link on The Circuit Archive *Author on The Circuit Archive *Author on The Hatstand *Story Link on The Hatstand on AO3
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Art by Daphne Hamilton, inside page from British Takeaway #4.

Sanctuary is a The Professionals story by Thomas. It is a slash story with the pairing of Bodie/Doyle. This story was original published in British Takeaway Issue 4 by Kate Nuernberg in 1990. It was posted to The Circuit Archive on December 31, 2003. It was also posted to The Hatstand.

Reviews and Reactions

A story embued with quiet reflectiveness and no action plottiness whatsoever: which makes it the kind of approach that appeals to me more than any other. This story is all about feelings and relationship issues, which for me are the essence of slash. The writing itself is a further plus, Thomas's clean, confident style always a pleasure to read for its own sake.

The tight pov is Bodie's as he ponders a recent upheaval in his life:

That was why he was here. To not think about his partner.

A venture that was increasingly doomed to failure.

He flung all the pebbles into the pond at once; the fun had gone out of that, too. For try as he might, with all his years of successfully shoving out of his mind those facts he found uncomfortable, he could not forget the night he had spent making love to Doyle.

A common theme, with each story of this type acquiring its unique qualities from how it's written. Thomas doesn't put a step wrong. Bodie and Doyle are the self-aware, pragmatic, mature characters I know from the show. They emote without being in the least over-emotive; have feelings without descending to mushiness.

All that and some lovely imagery throughout as well:

Dry twigs crackled and Doyle's face appeared in the pond, as blurry as his memory of that night.

This story is one I savour on two levels: first of all for what happens, how it all plays out, and second for its presentation.

For such a short piece it still seemed to have all the elements required for a satisfying love story.

For some reason, this doesn't really get to me. Is it too short? Is there not enough background? Is there love or only lust? I just don't know.

I'm glad they didn't agonize too long before accepting love.