Small Lives Awake

Fanfiction
Title:	Small Lives Awake
Author(s):	Jesemie's Evil Twin
Date(s):	December 2000
Length:	78K
Genre(s):	M/S, Rated NC-17
Fandom(s):	The X-Files
Relationship(s):
External Links:	Small Lives Awake
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Small Lives Awake is an X-Files story by Jesemie's Evil Twin.

Reactions and Reviews

Unknown Date

Canon teased us with glimpses of how the agents spent their holidays when they weren’t trapped in haunted houses, but it didn’t give us nearly enough. Perhaps that’s for the best, however, because over the years fanfic authors have taken it upon themselves to fill in the blanks in endlessly creative ways. One such example is Jesemie’s Evil Twin, whose lovely Season 7-era story “Small Lives Awake” centers on Scully inviting Mulder to spend Thanksgiving with her and her younger brother Charlie’s family. Now, I enjoy Mulder’s fractious interactions with Maggie and Bill Scully Jr. (that jerk) as much as the next person, but it’s undeniably sweet to see him get a clean slate with another set of Scullys who welcome him into their home wholeheartedly. The whole fic, in fact, is sweet and gentle, a well-deserved respite for two people who rarely catch a break.

How fluffy are we talking here, you ask? Brace yourself for incredibly mild hurt/comfort (Scully gets a migraine and her partner’s Very Concerned), a low-stakes mystery involving a haunted antique, Charlie discovering a “love letter” from Mulder to Scully in an old book, adorable moments with Charlie’s kids, Mulder and Scully finishing each other’s sentences, lots of casual touches that underline their UST, and a temporary misunderstanding about what that new intimacy means (or doesn’t mean). Most of all, fortify your heart for soulful lines like: “You are my favorite storyteller, Mulder, she thinks, allowing herself the sentiment. You are my most treasured tale.”

2001

There's really nothing that can be said to describe the immense talent of this writer. Such a lovely, angsty holiday story...I can't do it justice with a lone paragraph.

2003

What happens when Mulder and Scully head to small-town Illinois for the long Thanksgiving weekend at her brother's house? Not much - a little baking, a little mystery, a little banter - but that's precisely the point. I absolutely adore JET's take on Charlie Scully & family, and this particular story is a seasonal comfort read for me. This M&S are wonderfully relaxed, but still prickly enough to feel authentic, and it has terrific small details that stick with the reader long after the story is finished. Besides, who can resist JET's signature talent, her wonderfully evocative language: "She wants to maneuver all the quiet places with him now, all the uncharted tracks of water, all the carnival trails." And, as a special holiday bonus, check out the author's fanfic journal at www.livejournal.com/~jetfic for "Imagination," a snippet of the sequel-in-progress. Edited to add: The sequel is now up! "Kept Joy" can be found at the same URL. ::Aud does happy dance:

2006

Most any story by JET is comfort fic for me (no matter how strange spooky it might be). This story is at the top of the list. Set at Thanksgiving in the small, Midwestern town where Charlie Scully makes his home and featuring the whimsical touches and delightful description JET is famous for, this story gives Mulder and Scully some badly needed down time. In turn, it gives the reader multiple delights, including snappy M&S dialogue, a fond portrait of Small Town U.S.A. at both its most down-to-earth and eccentric and a delicate examination of what makes a family, and how Mulder and Scully deal with that exotic phenomenon.

2011

Because it is Thanksgiving week here in the USA, I have decided to rec a lovely piece of holiday fic, "Small Lives Awake" by JET (her fic journal is [livejournal.com profile] jetfic). With good reason, this is one of her most popular stories. It is AU, MSR, NC-17, with spoilers for everything through "Je Souhaite." Mulder and Scully go to visit her brother Charlie and his family for the holiday. There is a gentle, non-threatening little x-file, flurries of tiny snowflakes, bread baking and pie eating, and love all around. The link is to a defunct archive, courtesy of geocities' demise, but you can find this on her fic journal, too, if you want to poke a around a little. I believe it's at Gossamer, too. Happy Thanksgiving!

2015

Picking a favorite of JET's work is incredibly hard, and part of me balks at choosing one that is almost entirely domestic/relationship based, with very little of the actual X-Files in it. But Small Lives Awake simply cannot be denied. It's just...just wonderful, it's so lovely, such a sweet, tender, nuanced, luxurious joy of a story.

2016

We don’t know about you, Philes, but with the way this week has been going, we were in dire need of some feel good fluff. The kind that makes you ‘aww’ every so often, and gives you that warm butterfly feeling in your belly. Something with a little bit of that sweet MSR, a gentle and non-scary casefile, and enough family goodness that makes us want to curl up in a ball and purr with delight. Luckily for us (and you), JET totally delivered.