Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth

The Professionals Fanfiction
Title:	Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
Author(s):	Kate Nuernberg
Date(s):	1985
Length:
Genre:
Fandom:	The Professionals
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Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth is a slash (sort of) Pros story by Kate Nuernberg. It was printed in 1985 in the first issue of British Takeaway.

Author's Comments

The first and only B/D story I ever wrote was "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth." I did it when a non-slash friend said "I will if you will." (She never did.) I think it rings false because I never quite believed in the situation. I'd like to rewrite it now and take the slash out, just to see what would happen. Or leave the slash in and write a sequel. Or give better reasons for the sex scene. I'm not sure Doyle would react to Richard the way he did and then turn around and bed Bodie.... "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" stirred up the most controversy. It's definitely one of my early pieces and could use a lot of work. It think it deserves a sequel, as well.

Reactions and Reviews

I haven't read all that many stories from the circuit, to maybe there was a story that dealt with [Doyle and Bodie becoming lovers and then changing their mind and abandoning that kind of relationship], but what brought this question to my mind was the ending of the story "Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth." I can't recall a story ending that was so "measured, weighed, and found wanting" (JUST MY OPINION, folks!). Up to that point, I'd fairly enjoyed the story, too, for all the interesting and unexpected "family background" we were given on Bodie, but then the ending was such a disappointment. It just seemed TOO "cut-and'dried", too "pat" — I could understand why Ray was scared of being "possessed" by Bodie, and how he was frightened that they'd never have an 'equal' relationship, but their "business-as-usual" decision just seemed TOO quickly arrived at — and agreed upon — to be realistic, or practical. I know that countless people have "one-offs", and never think about it again, but I'd always like to think that B&D had more "depth" to their relationship than that; also, most people don't work so closely together in life-and-death situations as they do every day, either, or depend on their "one-stand lover" to protect him, cover him, keep his life safe. After all they'd been through in that story together, this casual dismissal at the end seemed a terribly naive and impractical resolution to the question of their being lovers. They'd have a clear choice to make -- stay lovers, and work out the "rough edges" between them — or deny what had happened between them, and just hope that the resulting tension between them wouldn't get one or both of them killed on the job one day. I'm sorry, but I can't see them experiencing what they did together, and then NOT having some kind of long-term stress result between them from their "denial." Real life just doesn't work that way. I'd be interested to see what anyone else thought about the ending of that story, and if anyone feels as I do about it. And not just that story in particular, but the whole question of BD having a "one-off", and how it would realistically affect them and their working relationship.

If [the author] doesn't believe in the / relationship in her writing, why include it - however fleetingly - in "Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth"? I'm sorry she doesn't wish to consider it, because her B&D stories I have read incline that way.

Just a quick comment to say that I admired "Serpent's Tooth" as it was, partly because it does not opt for the easy (in fandom) route of assuming that once Bodie and Doyle consider a sexual relationship, they will take it up enthusiastically. Okay, maybe your point about rushing the ending is valid — maintaining a partnership after they've tried and rejected sex must involve almost as many problems as redefining a working partnership to include sex, and a serious treatment of it would be more than a story wrap-up. However, your choice to exmaine their relationship as it might be without the ongoing sexual element was your prerogative, and your treatment was clearly meant to handle the subject meaningfully and in accordance with one interpretation of the series characters.

SERPENT'S TOOTH did have a rather sudden ending. I have had comment on this from others (after the story appeared). I felt that the issues raised would take each character a good deal of rethink and reevaluation to be peaceably settled within himself. My point as author was that they would come to the same conclusions, and I felt the story would be dragged out if I explored further. I don't think that anymore, given time to be more objective about what I have written. I have learned something from the story, and from feed back from other people, and I think that is exciting. Time will tell if I decide to do anything else with this story, but I think I would like to try. I, also, would like to see someone tackle the idea you mention. Perhaps it would be easier if that issue were the focus of the plot, and not merely a part of it, as in SERPENT'S TOOTH. Perhaps I just bit off too much.

I enjoyed "Serpent's Tooth" greatly, especially for characterization and writing. I would very much enjoy reading other stories set in the same time-line.

Too Many Chipmunks

A fan, pointing out Americanisms in Pros stories, complains of the chipmunks, an animal that doesn't live in England, in this story.