The Boy on the Beach by cecily_sass

One moment she was sitting in the chair. Her chin up, her expression ice. And the next moment she was gone.

No one had to tell Mulder something had gone wrong. No one had to tell him the difference between having Scully and lacking Scully. In that distinction he was expert.

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This fic is simply amazing. The Boy on the Beach by cecily_cass is a whole experience—wonderfully plotted, beautifully set up, and gorgeously fleshed out. I’m constantly torn between wanting to know what happens next, while hoping it never ends.

I wish I could write an eloquent and thoughtful comment but I honestly can't think of any words to describe how affected I am by this story.

I knew it would be fantastic as I’m an avid reader of their work so I was looking forward to reading it as soon as the weekend was here. But I didn't expect to get THIS caught up in it.

The build-up in the present timeline (1999), Mulder’s interpretation of the dream and Scully’s role in it, the time jump to 1973 and Scully’s handling of this colourful far-away world — it's all so beautifully set up and plotted. No matter where they take us, I'm equally excited to stare over Mulder’s shoulder at the polaroids, sit (virtually) next to Scully in that 70s Greyhound bus, cower with the Mulder children in a tree, or listen to obsessive, single-minded Mulder and disillusioned Scully after Amor Fati.

All those little moments, the people getting out of 1968 cars and their clothes and hairstyles, overheard conversations that seem to be straight from reality, and all in a delicate timeline woven together to hit all the important dates in the present and the past — how much research did they put into all those details! And it's with all those layers — harmless conversations between random strangers that have a double meaning to Scully and give the whole story another invisible timeline on top.

This story is a whole experience — wonderfully plotted, beautifully set up, gorgeously fleshed out by cecily_sass’ writing style and word choices, breathtakingly action packed, and heartbreakingly paced to keep us readers at the edge of our seats, hoping to learn what happens next while also hoping it never ends.

What more can I say than thank you for taking me on this ride! What a gorgeous piece of writing!

archiveofourown.org/works/38427268