December 13, 2004
Guest Ghost Title
Guest Ghost

Having lived in the forest my entire life, it's what I know best. Trees, the woods, and forests all play important roles in all the following classic stories, which makes these good stories great. The new stories don't have the same focus on my home, but I promise that they are all still very enjoyable. Don't forget to write the authors of stories you love, or this Beast Woman will hurt you!

New Stories
Butterfly
By Oracle (apollostemple@yahoo.com)
"I can still see it, Mulder. Every detail was perfect, as though we'd never left that place."
(SRA ** PG-13 ** 32K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Thank goodness that Oracle wanted a post-ep for the season 2 episode "Excelsis Dei" and couldn't find one because it led to her writing this gorgeous, crafty story. Scully and Mulder are both perfectly characterized as Scully wades through dreams and reality involving the conspiracy and her partnership with Mulder.
Dead Fish
By Rachel Wilder (rachel_wilder@hotmail.com)
Another death makes it hard for Scully to move on.
(Post This Is Not Happening ** PG ** 9K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: In this great melancholic story, Rachel does a wonderful job of capturing how pained and lost Scully is without Mulder but with his child. Focusing on something small like his fish seems just like something practical Scully would focus on when she's so personally distraught.
First Flight
By Ellie (windblownellie@yahoo.com)
Mulder and Scully meet a woman who may provide answers about the origins of Scully's cancer.
(X, M/S UST, AU ** PG-13 ** 144K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: If you're looking for a well-characterized, nicely-paced, mytharc-laced, sinister story with traces of angst and intrigue, then this story is for you. It's a decidedly Alternate Universe take on the cancer arc, but it's entirely gripping.
Goodbye Utah
By Bonetree (Bonetree@aol.com)
Virginia to Utah, a familiar face, and a terrible choice to make.
(X-File, Angst, MSR ** NC-17 ** 50K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: If you've read any of Bonetree's stories before, you know that her words paint marvelous pictures and stir deep emotions, and this story is no different. It's also fascinating with Mulder and Scully reuniting with Kurt Crawford for a dire, scary trip. Just read it.
Night Song
By Zuffy (zuffynuffy@yahoo.com)
A woman awakens on a couch.
(V, MSR ** PG-13 ** 12K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Zuffy beautifully captures the languid, romantic tone at the end of the episode "all things" and continues Mulder's and Scully's journey toward each other in this enchanting story. There's even some supernatural style humor about Mulder's bedroom thrown into the sweet romantic mix.
Nights of Shining Armor
By Gina Rain (ginarain@aol.com)
A tale of shared dreams, fractured fairy tales and great expectations gone awry. In short, Mulder and Scully investigate a serial kidnapping case.
(Casefile, MSR ** R ** 104K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: This story is another of Gina's casefiles that are always appealing and feature very likeable versions of Mulder and Scully, but this story includes an Internet mailing list aspect that makes it particularly interesting to read because it's something that most readers of fic can identify with.
Something In Between
By Rain (rainfall@magma.ca)
What happened between "Three Words" and "Empedocles"? Changing graveyards, a kicking baby, death, resurrection, and flirting over pizza, among other things.
(MSR, A, Doggett ** PG-13 ** 72K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Mulder and Scully were getting to know each other again in many ways at this point in season eight, and Rain does a marvelous job of capturing their confusion, fears, and hope. Mulder in particular is terrific in this story with his quirky humor, odd theories, and sweet streaks.
Under Construction
By Amanda Wilde (MaybeAmanda) (maybe_a@rocketmail.com)
Alternate post season 8.
(MSR, AU, A, S ** PG-13 ** 76K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Mulder and Scully are both having a difficult time adjusting to William and their new life, but this story is primarily Mulder's. It's packed full of angst, confusion, and sorrow, but that helps make it feel more real for these wonderfully flawed characters and is what ultimately provides the story's payoff.
White Ink
By Bonetree (Bonetree@aol.com)
In December 2012, a battered Mulder, Scully and William know there's much more at stake than just the end of the world.
(Standalone S, Angst, X-File, MSR, Post-Series. Implied CD. ** NC-17 ** 54K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: It's sad, but it's also fitting for the end of the world to be a very desperate, emotionally draining time for these characters who lived such unusual, chaotic lives. Bonetree conjures up wild emotions with ease which gives the story a sense of calm that wonderfully contrasts with its foreboding nature.
Year's End
By Thea (thassalia@yahoo.com)
No summary
(No classifications ** PG-13 ** 12K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Thea writes pitch-perfect season four cancer arc angst in this dark, sad story that finds Mulder and Scully off on an investigation they're not very invested in even as it vaguely, ominously parallels their own lives.
Zero Gravity
By aka "Jake" (nejake@tds.net)
One down-to-earth woman. One man with his head in the clouds. A romance made in heaven? Fate is in the stars.
(MSR; RST; Post-Ep for "Space"; AU ** NC-17 ** 20K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: It is quite a feat to redeem the episode "Space" in any way, but this story does with a wedding, a dance, and a kiss that leads to more.


Classic Stories
Antidote
By Rachel Howard (greatfuldane@yahoo.com) and Karen Rasch (kmrasch@hotmail.com)
Strange doings in a tiny western town bring Mulder and Scully out to investigate. Once there, they uncover a deadly experiment that may cost both of them their lives.
(XRA ** NC-17 ** 412K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: There isn't much that this story doesn't have going for it: high adventure, surprising twists, dastardly deeds, and tantalizing romance. It has all that plus marvelous writing. You cannot lose with this one!
Blood Ties 3: A Nice Trip to the Forest
By Dawn (sunrise83@comcast.net)
Something is causing an epidemic of missing persons in the Smoky Mountains. When his good friend attempts to investigate and subsequently disappears, Grey enlists Mulder and Scully's help to search for him. What they find is an X-File.
(X, A, AU, MSR, M/S/Sk friendship ** PG ** 120K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Dawn has a marvelous grasp of interaction between people, and the characters hold this story together. Although that's not to say that the casefile isn't well worth reading the story for too, because it is, mixing a personal element into the already spooky mystery. While this story begins with a short summary of the first two Blood Ties stories, before reading part 3 you may want to read the first and second stories, which you can find on Dawn's Blood Ties page along with the other stories in this long, fascinating series.
Bonsai
By Lydia Harkness (magenta1013@prodigy.net)
Scully point-of-view as she deals with another birthday.
(S ** PG ** 16K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Scully's not having the greatest birthday in this story and isn't very happy with the present from her mother, but her melancholy is our enjoyment. The interaction between Mulder and Scully is particularly good here with Scully's annoyance blinding her to Mulder's understanding of her. (You may also want to read the sequel to this story, also recommended in this update, Great Wall.)
Camping
By Amperage (Amperage@aol.com) and Livengoo (livengoo@tiac.net)
Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have survived abductions, serial killers, mutants and aliens but the Partner Cooperation Program Wilderness Encounter may finally do them in. After poison ivy and catfish, who wouldn't long for a nice, safe killer mutant?
(TH ** PG ** 149K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: The pitfalls (and rain) keep finding Mulder and Scully with unfortunate but very amusing frequency in this entertaining story. Amperage and Livengoo's back and forth ping-pong writing helps keep this story fast paced, and the way they both write Mulder and Scully brings the best out of the characters, showing how much they care for each other even in the midst of the other's frustrating traits and ill-timed humor.
Circumnavigation
By Suzanne Schramm
Sometimes you don't know where you're going until you get there.
(No classifications ** NC-17 ** 38K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: It doesn't have to rain sleeping bags in this story for Mulder and Scully to get lucky in the woods. When they're annoyed, lost, and thinking too much as they are in this story, Mulder and Scully don't get any more entertaining.
Coming Back 1 and 2
By Karen Rasch (kmrasch@hotmail.com)
1: Mulder gets a call from Mrs. Scully, who fears for Dana's safety. Following her instructions, he tracks his partner to a cabin in the mountains where he finds that she does indeed need his help. Memories of her time away have come back with a vengeance. 2: Scully tries to come to terms with her own vulnerability and her feelings towards Mulder.
(SRA ** PG, R ** 94K, 75K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Mulder taking care of a curiously impaired Scully is a beautiful thing, especially when it's Karen telling the story. She writes Mulder and Scully at their flawed, romantic best.
Dark Water
By Suzanne Schramm
Prehistoric insects. Mothmen. Now it's a publicity-shy tribe of murderers. Just another nice trip to the forest with Mulder.
(XRA, UST ** PG-13 ** 101K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: This story's plot twists and turns almost as much as Mulder's and Scully's emotions do in this harrowing trek through a forest. The UST in this story crackles in the best way possible, and once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until you ride the rollercoaster tale all the way to the end.
Great Wall
By Lydia Harkness (magenta1013@prodigy.net)
Mulder makes good on his promised birthday gift to Scully.
(S ** PG-13 ** 29K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: A sequel to Bonsai (also recommended by me in this update), it's Mulder's time to ruminate on Scully's birthday. He's an amusing mix of clumsy, clueless, and adorable, which is what makes this story fun to read.
Grimm
By Alien Girl (comixgirl@hotmail.com)
The disappearances of several children send Mulder and Scully into a case where fairy tales are more than just tales...
(Case-File and Poetry ** PG ** 79K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: It's incredible that Alien Girl was not only able to write a case file entirely in rhyming couplet format but that she was able to write it with an interesting plot, credible characterization, and a lot of humor. One of a kind!
If a Frog had Wings...
By Dlynn (dlynn1550@my-deja.com)
Mulder and Scully get pulled into a manhunt looking for alleged bomber Eric Rudolph.
(Story, UST, Slight MSR ** PG ** 48K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: There's adventure, there's mystery-solving, there's introspective thoughts about partners, there's sudden injury, and there's a whole lot of purposeful talking in cliches. What's not to love?!
Images
By Dreamshaper (dreamshpr@aol.com)
Mulder and Scully face the woods again--and it's dangerous as usual...but in an unusual way
(MSR ** R ** 20K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: This story is satisfying like a warm, comfortable bed on a chilly winter morning. Mulder and Scully are both so adorably sweet with their secrets and in the way they share a sleeping bag.
Layers
By PD (syzygial@sbcglobal.net)
Smut - thinly veiled as a first person character study.
(VHR MSR ** NC-17 ** 24K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Nobody writes Mulder and Scully getting to know each other (smut or no smut) like PD writes them. This time, they don't spend much time outside by the trees because they have much better things to do inside.
Linked
By Barbara Nice-Miller (agtspooky@aol.com)
Routine survival training turns into more than either agent bargained for.
(Mulder/Scully Romance ** NC-17 ** 66K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: The idea of Mulder and Scully being alone and able to realize and act upon their true feelings for each other may not be the most original fanfic idea out there, but this story has a somewhat sinister presence lurking in the background that makes it particularly mysterious.
Night Camp
By J.S. Michel (jsm25@hotmail.com)
It was a dark and stormy night.
(S, Mulder/Scully UST ** G ** 23K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: It's a simple premise, Mulder and Scully out camping when rain causes unexpectedly close quarters, but this story feels unique because its season two setting perfectly captures the sweet, respectful, tentative nature of Mulder and Scully's relationship.
Phoenix
By Sarah Stegall (munchkyn@munchkyn.com)
Mulder and Scully are in to investigate what may be a man made of fire.
(XR, Scully/other romance ** NC-17 ** 120K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Don't let the /other part of the story scare you away from it - leave that to the fire. Sarah writes about forest fires like they're a character in their own right, which in a way they sort of are in this spooky X-File where a bit of MSR creeps into the mix. It's especially fun to read this story thinking about its season two context, where the canon in season one's "Darkness Falls" and "Fire" play large roles.
Playing Goddess
By Shalimar
We're never too old for fairy tales.
(No classifications ** NC-17 ** 29K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Anybody who has read X-Files fanfiction for any measurable amount of time has probably already read this story set mostly in a lake in the middle of the woods, but it's always worth reading again. Mulder and Scully's fairy tale conversation of metaphors and the ensuing smut is classic.
Rosetti's Goblins
By Jess (snarkypup@mindspring.com)
Mulder and Scully (who else?) investigate the mysterious deaths of people in the Olympic National Forest and a lot of orange goop.
(UST, almost MSR, X-File ** PG ** 77K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: The orange goop premise sounds ridiculous, but soon this charming story will suck you in with its intense romanticism and mystery.
Queen of the World
By Nynaeve (nynaeve1723@dnafan.com)
A 'missing scene' from "Detour", in which Scully continues singing to Mulder.
(V, post-ep, implied MSR ** R ** 5K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: I like this interpretation of why Scully chose the song she sang to Mulder when they were stranded in the woods. I also like how much promise and hope there is between Mulder and Scully in this story.
Rebirth: On a Clear Night
By Meredith (meredith_elsewhere@yahoo.com)
Scully ponders how quickly she's fallen back into the same old routine -- and yet realizes things are far from being the same. Set post-"Detour."
(V,UST ** Not rated ** 8K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Meredith wonderfully captures Scully's voice in this quiet, introspective story that comes back to tried and true X-Files themes, desire and hope. (You may also want to read the other terrific stories in this too-short series, which you can find here at Meredith's site.)
Star
By bardsmaid (bardsmaid@imagesmithstudio.com)
She can feel more than see it: a warm place, a tree brought in from the outdoors, a boy.
(Christmas vignette ** PG ** 3K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: Think about the episode "Herrenvolk" as you read this short story that's both touching and spooky.
Tam Lin
By Pequod
Myth and murder combine in a remote Scottish village, and Mulder and Scully investigate.
(XRA ** NC-17 ** 232K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: This casefile involving fairies is well-developed and interesting, but it's insight into Scully's thoughts and the fiery back-and-forth between Mulder and Scully that drives this story home. Pequod writes a very smart, quick-witted, and charming Mulder and an equally smart, skeptical, and warm Scully, and they're perfect together.
Tangible I, II, and III
By Blueswirl (cleojones3@yahoo.com) and Meredith (meredith_elsewhere@yahoo.com)
Sometimes, to have anything, one must be willing to risk everything.
(T,R,A ** NC-17 ** 85K, 73K, 70K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: It's not until parts II and III that a forest becomes an essential part of the story, but that shouldn't stop you from reading (or rereading) all three stories. It's probably been said before that post-colonization, angst, and romance can hardly be done better than they're all done in this series, but it's worth repeating because it's true.
The Tiger Complex
By LoneGunGuy (lonegunguy@aol.com)
While investigating a gruesome catastrophe in the Amazon rain forest, Mulder and Scully struggle against a mysterious killer, their own suspicions and the unforgiving jungle itself.
(Story ** R ** 355K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: There are some, but few, stories that when you read them, you think they would make a good X-Files episode, and then there are stories like this one that you can picture so well as an episode that you forget that it's only a fic. This story is layered, involved, and fascinating, and it's wonderfully constructed from start to finish.
Waiting In Motion
By mountainphile (mountainphile@yahoo.com)
After leaving the hot spring (in Miraculous Manifestation), Scully and Mulder take an unexpected detour on the way home. Dark secrets emerge when they seek shelter in a raging storm...and an intriguing X-file rears its head...
(MSR, case-file ** NC-17 ** 196K)
The Jersey Devil's Rec: While primarily a story about Mulder and Scully adjusting to their new intimate relationship (with plenty of excellent NC-17 material), this story also involves a strange scientific X-File in and around a mountain forest. It's hard to say which is more enjoyable in the story, but together they make for one fantastic and unforgettable story! (While you could read and understand this story without reading its prequel or sequel, both Miraculous Manifestation and Signs Of Life are well worth reading.)


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