Some Strange Prophecy

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Fraser/Kowalski Fanfiction
Title: Some Strange Prophecy
Author(s): Speranza
Date(s): 2004-06-15
Length: 52,866 words
Genre: slash
Fandom: due South
External Links: at Speranza's site
on AO3
cover for this story by Heuradys

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Some Strange Prophecy is a Fraser/Kowalski story by Speranza.

Fan Reactions and Reviews

This is a wonderful, long fic, and is yet another example of Speranza's fantastic writing and superb characterization. Victoria is finally arrested (again), and Fraser is called to come to Atlanta to pick her out of a lineup. Vecchio calls Ray from Vegas to tell him to keep on eye on Fraser because of Victoria's propensity to control him. After seeing Victoria, Fraser kind of loses it and decides to go on vacation and have sex with a number of people, including Ray. This includes the requisite crazy situations that mark the show and Speranza's stories, and it's disturbingly hot and fun to watch Fraser lose control and go with his instincts. [1]

You're going to be seeing quite a bit of Speranza's fic reccommended here (though probably not much of her TS fic; sorry). I'm a huge fan of her DS fiction, especially her characterization of Ray K and her ability to make Fraser do things that are totally out of character, while keeping the character itself in character.

This story is a perfect case in point. Victoria's been captured in Atlanta and Fraser goes down to ID her. Ray goes along, after he's informed by everyone from Lt. Walsh to Ray Vecchio (calling in from Vegas) that Fraser doesn't act like himself around Victoria. Not that that prepares Ray for Fraser's sudden mid-life crisis. It's impossible to imagine Fraser driving around the south in a cherry-red convertable and sleeping with any warm body in his path. Then you read this story and it's not so hard to see.

Aside from the fantastically bizarre (and yet suprisingly plausible as you read it) plot, you have a great showing from Ray K and one of my favorite Ray Vecchio characterizations ever. I'm a die-hard Fraser/Ray K shipper, but I love the friendship between Fraser and Vecchio and Speranza gets it just perfectly in his fic. A wonderful, satisfying story. [2]

Not my favourite Speranza fic, but containing some rather marvellous conversation between Vecchio and Kowalski, and between Kowalski and Fraser himself. Vecchio gets in contact after Victoria Metcalf turns up having shot a cop, and someone needs to stop Fraser going off the walls. [3]

The premise is brilliant: Ray Vecchio calls Ray Kowalski to tell him that Victoria Metcalf, Benton Fraser’s very own belle dame sans merci, has been arrested in Georgia for killing a policeman. Fraser, when informed of the situation by Lt. Welsh, agrees to identity and testify against her, then proceeds to drink and sleep his way from Atlanta to New Orleans while a heartsick Kowalski hangs on for dear life.

Speranza does a knockout job of getting inside Fraser’s head—she comes up with an explanation for the Mountie’s sudden interest in wine, women (and men), and song that also makes sense of his previous abstinence. Furthermore, she tells the story from Kowalski’s point of view, and her Ray’s voice is perfect. I particularly liked the sequence in which he and Fraser visit the incarcerated Victoria—from his first impressions of the jail (Damien Kowalski’s son would always know a meat-packing plant when he saw one) and of the woman (he had to admit, Victoria Metcalf had a kind of...light to her--even in prison, which was a place that could suck the light out of almost anybody) to his description of Fraser and Victoria’s reactions when they see each other. And then there’s Ray’s response to Fraser’s near hookup with a man in a hotel bar: “No. No. Forget it, Fraser!...I got dibs!”

As that last quote shows, we also get plenty of the comedy that is one of Speranza’s trademarks. Much of it comes in the increasingly frantic phone conversations between Ray K and long-distance fairy godfather Vecchio, who is tracking the duo’s travels through his Mob contacts. [4]

Related Fanworks

In 2008 trille made a fanvid based on the story called "Do You Love Me?"[5] As of 2021 it appears to be offline.

The story was also podficced by ann ciudad in 2010. It is available at the audiofic archive, AO3, and Speranza's website.

5 hrs... This probably should not be in this [rec] list, because fandom knowledge is probably useful. I didn’t know much, but most people aren’t me so.... But, I can’t not rec it because it is one of my absolute favourites and is superawesome. FEELINGS all over the place. I love the two Rays’ interactions, the phone conversations are so performed with amazing animation. FRASER!!! Fraser has ANGST and I enjoy the shock effect of Fraser's promiscuity, the story handles it really well and I love the complexity the reading brings to him. The reading is perfect! ann_ciudad spins the best narrative and I find this podfic the best podfic for when I want something soothing, but I also want a bit of angst and drama. ann_ciudad if you are out there, please come back to podfic fandom :) [6]

References