Reading Room XII - Younger Lads - The Missing Piece by Cassidy Collins

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Title: The Missing Piece
Author: Cassidy Collins (Bluespirit)
Pairing: B/D
Link to Story: The Missing Piece

I know everybody is reading one of the beautiful but long Big Bang stories.
But maybe you have time for something short and sweet for in between? ;-)


It's a story about young soldier Bodie. And his commander says that "Bodie's a good kid and bloody handy in a fight."
Did we expect anything else? ;-)
No, of course not!

And it's enough for me to know of that time! Merc stories aren't really my favourite genre in Pros.

And luckily the crude camp hut somewhere in Angola is in fact just the location for one of the most romantic Pros stories I've read for a long time!

Bodie is fighting for his life. " His temperature's through the roof, Rick...there's no way he's comin' out of this one. Even if we had any bloody penicillin I couldn't give it him - he's allergic, for god's sake!"
So there is not much hope, but nonetheless his commander commands to leave him alone, because he needs every single man for the next fight...

Bodie doesn't even notice that all are gone, that he is alone. He is beyond good and evil. The part where Cassidy Collins describes his health is very well written and quite heartbreaking.
Poor, poor Bodie!

But...

" Then amidst all the crippling agony he suddenly felt a moment of peace. He was sure that a cool hand touched his cheek, leaving a soothing trail as it travelled across his skin. Moving slowly he attempted to open his eyes but was stopped by the same gentle caress now accompanied by a throaty whisper.

"S'okay sunshine. Don't you move...let me do all the work, eh?"

The calm words were quickly followed by the sweep of a moist cloth and Bodie sighed in relief as his sweat-slicked skin felt as if it belonged to him once again. Fingertips lightly skimmed his body and wherever they touched a cleansing balm seemed to be left behind. The fiery ache and intense heat of pain that was muscle deep, cooled and gentled in the wake of those knowing fingers.

Summoning a strength that had previously been beyond him, Bodie carefully opened his eyes. Through long, dusky lashes he caught his first glimpse of the person responsible for easing his nightmare. Sunlight was behind the figure and that, along with a halo of chestnut curls, contrived to give the face the look of an angel...until the man smiled. It was a cheeky grin, warm and yet knowing, that broke across the face transforming angelic features into those of merely a man.

But what a man."

(Sorry! I didn't knew where to cut that..)

Well... And the story develops from this point on.

Bodie recovers. He wakes up refreshed and – happy! It's a bright African morning.

But not for long.

He can't find the man who has saved his life, his lover, - his missing piece.
His commander convinced him that there never could have been anyone. That Bodie was alone all the time...

And so...
"... Bodie cried silent tears and slowly began to rebuild the walls surrounding his aching, empty heart."

*sobs*

" Seven years later --- William Andrew Philip Bodie, newly assigned agent 3-7 in CI5 walked along the corridor at a brisk pace... "

Yay! :-)


Sometimes reality is totally overrated...


That's not from me. Marina (ereini0n) wrote it in rec50 about this story. And I think it fits perfectly.
I like it! Thanks mate! :-)


What do you think?

Comments

[smirra.livejournal.com]

I like it when you are just thrown in on the story and like a detective you have to put together what it's about. Also heartbroken Bodie! I like the styel fo writing, so perfect littele fic on the side. Thank you for the rec!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I totally agree!
Being thrown into a story is the best way to keep my interest! ;-)
And it's a very sweet story, isn't it?

Thank you for dropping by! :-)

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

And luckily the crude camp hut somewhere in Angola is in fact just the location for one of the most romantic Pros stories I've read for a long time!

Despite loving Rogers and Astaire I’ve never really thought of myself as a romantic but if liking this story makes me one then so be it! Or maybe it just means that I’m more prone to believing in visions and such like than I thought I was?


What do you think?

Not a lot, usually..... I think I’m probably better off with answering questions because I can never think of anything original or earth-shattering to explain why I *do* like something other than I just like it and it's managed to hit some chords deep within me……. It’s funny, though, because usually I don’t really go in for hurt/comfort stories but there’s something about basing a story in Africa which appeals to me (must be the prospect of heat and sweat and over-fit men with too much time on their hands..) e.g. On Guard by Gloria Lancaster has similarities to this story though it’s Doyle who’s the sick one and that’s a story I really like. And Lewtan's Welcome to the Jungle. No sickness there but it's jungle and mercenary and I like it……Sorry, where was I? Oh yes, this story is sweet in a touching kind of way and it’s completely satisfying because it’s a bit like one of those lovely dreams you have where you wake up and wish it could carry on (they never do) but this time, for Bodie, it has and his life seems to have almost come full circle, kind of, which reminds me, I really like the title with all that it implies.

Yes, I can honestly say I really liked and enjoyed this story. It was unslushyly (I think I've just invented a new word) romantic and satisfying. Thank you for choosing a story I've actually read quite recently and thank you for your review!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Your 'unslushyly' is the perfect word for this story! :-)

I'm always wary when I hear it's a merc story, because I really don't like - well something like the merc movies LC did.
But I really should trust our female(!) writers, who are much more interested in Bodie than in war and fight scenes!
Thank God!

"...it’s completely satisfying because it’s a bit like one of those lovely dreams you have where you wake up and wish it could carry on (they never do) but this time, for Bodie, it has and his life seems to have almost come full circle, kind of, which reminds me, I really like the title with all that it implies. "
This is a wunderful summary!

Thank you!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I did like this story - but...
It left me a bit unsatisfied. Maybe its the scientific/logical bent to my mind, but I needed some kind of explanation for what happened in Africa. Why was Doyle there - was he there? Was it all a dream.
I know - sometimes reality is over rated *g*, but I like things neatly tied up - its a character flaw of mine :D

The story is well written, the images are great, Bodie's pain and disappointment are touchable. I did like the story. But...

Thanks for a great rec, Firle!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Well... Try to see it this way:

Bodie and Doyle belong together. Full stop!
Deep down inside Bodie knows it and in his darkest hours he dreams that Doyle helps him.
That gives him the strength to survive. (And being Bodie, a lttle bit of sex doesn't hurt! ;-))

How is that? :-)

Thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of this story - that the lads are eternal to each other - but I think I find the writing just slightly overwrought, somehow... the emphasis on how Bodie is such a good "kid", and he's so sick, and he's allergic to penicillin... It might even just be that dark shadows beneath eyes and sunken cheeks swore to the severity of the illness" reminds me too much of his hospital scenes in Klansmen, which make me wince each time I see them... And maybe it's just partly too much about Bodie - even though Doyle is there, and Bodie falls in love with him, I don't quite see Doyle. I read a description of him (which is also rather de-humanised - "the eyes", "a nose", "a pink tongue" - I always find that writing convention hard to read), and Doyle's being nice to Bodie, but the only real glimpse we get of any independent character is The man's smile grew hesitant and his gaze flickered away from Bodie for a moment before returning.... Otherwise he could be anyone... And the scene at the end doesn't sound like him to me either, more as if the author was taking advantage of some physical features to make a man, rather than writing about Doyle... again, that might be partly little things - "sunshine" doesn't, for me, go along with a hesitant smile, the tooth thing, or an "eh?" on the end of a sentence from an English bloke in the 1970s, and I don't think we see Doyle like that in the eps... he (like Bodie) has got the whole alpha-male confidence thing going on... and "sunshine" just wasn't used like that... It's not that I didn't like the story as such, just... the whole ended up feeling a bit soppy for me, somehow... lacking our hard, confident lads, even at the end!

There - now you needn't feel you're the only one who's negative about stories in Reading Room! *g* (And thanks for the rec!)

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

There - now you needn't feel you're the only one who's negative about stories in Reading Room! *g*
Phew! I'm glad! :-)

But hey... let me fight for my story.

"... the emphasis on how Bodie is such a good kid""
Well his commander is surely a n 'old', experienced warrior. For him Bodie is nothing more than a kid, though 'quite handy in a fight'.

"...and he's so sick, and he's allergic to penicillin... It might even just be that dark shadows beneath eyes and sunken cheeks swore to the severity of the illness" reminds me too much of his hospital scenes in Klansmen, which make me wince each time I see them..."
That scene makes me wince as well! But I don't see it that way in any other hurt-scene in stories. So why should I do it here?

"And maybe it's just partly too much about Bodie -"
What's would be wrong with that? There are Doyle stories as well.

"...even though Doyle is there, and Bodie falls in love with him, I don't quite see Doyle. I read a description of him (which is also rather de-humanised - "the eyes", "a nose", "a pink tongue" - I always find that writing convention hard to read), and Doyle's being nice to Bodie, but the only real glimpse we get of any independent character is The man's smile grew hesitant and his gaze flickered away from Bodie for a moment before returning.... Otherwise he could be anyone..."
But it's all just a dream of a very sick Bodie. How could he know Doyle better? 'Ray' is just a 'feeling' of the real appearance and character of the real Doyle. Everything that is important for Bodie are his hands, a smile... It would be quite overdone to describe Doyle more accurately the way we know him in the show.

"And the scene at the end doesn't sound like him to me either, more as if the author was taking advantage of some physical features to make a man, rather than writing about Doyle...the whole ended up feeling a bit soppy for me, somehow... lacking our hard, confident lads, even at the end!"
???
Hej, it's their first encounter as real people. Bodie sees his dream for the first time. Doyle could wear pink tights and Bodie wouldn't notice it. ;-)

"...again, that might be partly little things...It's not that I didn't like the story as such, just... "
No, I understand that. If I stumble over things in a story I become pricky(?) as well! ;-)
And there is no way to come over it at that moment. Maybe later?


Thank you for your thoughts!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - you don't need to fight, it's all just different opinions, right?! But we can discuss... *g*

Well his commander is surely a n 'old', experienced warrior. For him Bodie is nothing more than a kid, though 'quite handy in a fight'.
Oh yes, him saying "a good kid" is understandable - I meant more that it was the emphasis on Bodie being a young hero already, but so sick and hurt. It just read as slightly over-egging the description to me, on the verge of portraying him as "perfect", with no glimpse of an imperfection. Everyone thinks he's so great, worries for him etc.

But I don't see it that way in any other hurt-scene in stories. So why should I do it here?
For me, because of the way it was written - the language it was written in.

What's would be wrong with that? There are Doyle stories as well.
Nothing's wrong with it, in and of itself - I just prefer stories where they're both there equally in some way.

But it's all just a dream of a very sick Bodie. How could he know Doyle better? 'Ray' is just a 'feeling' of the real appearance and character of the real Doyle. Everything that is important for Bodie are his hands, a smile... It would be quite overdone to describe Doyle more accurately the way we know him in the show.
You could as easily say "how could he know what Doyle looks like at all?" It's part of the fantasy that future-Doyle is coming to Bodie in a fever-induced dream, which is fun. But you can't use it as a reason for Doyle to be characterless, if he's being described physically, because both are equally unknowable by Bodie!

Hej, it's their first encounter as real people. Bodie sees his dream for the first time. Doyle could wear pink tights and Bodie wouldn't notice it. ;-)
No! People are people - we notice more than just physical things, there's atmosphere, and our own psychological reactions, and all sorts... But it's Doyle's behaviour that seems wrong to me anyway - "sunshine" used in that context just doesn't sound right!

become pricky(?)
"picky", because you're picking up little things that you don't like. *g*

I actually liked this story very much when I originally read it - some stories seem to stand up to re-reading more than others, or differently than others. I suppose it depends what you're concentrating on - in my first rush of B/D, different types and styles of writing and emphasis bugged me much less than they do now... *g*