Apr
09.
The Professionals
If you’ve never heard of The Professionals, then…I can’t help you. I know absolutely nothing about this fandom. But it doesn’t matter, because this is an AU. It borrows a bit heavily from the Sheik Romance genre of Harlequin novels, but it’s still enjoyable. The rape is kind of glossed over, but I’m willing to excuse it, somewhat, in the context of the story. And I realize this isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but…read it anyway. It’s a lot of fun.
AU // Explicit // Historical // Rape // Romance
Certainly this is a lovely story, and a nice enjoyably long read. The characters and plot are both well developed and well executed. Unlike many other works of Fanfiction you need not have any familiarity with the show in order to enjoy the story, and enjoy it you will. I certainly did. Definantly something I would recommend if you’re in the mood for a good against-all-odds love story. My only problem is that the “odds” they’re against come mostly from the characters themselves. I have nothing against angst but the levels in this story kinda went off the charts. It kept getting harder and harder to buy, after all there’s only so much, “I love him with all my heart but I’m to proud to let him know/ go back to him/ forgive him/ forgive myself” before you throw up your hands and go “Really? Do you?” I personally prefer a little more happy in my love stories but if you kink for really high levels of angst and abnegation then dig in. This ones for you.
You’re right, this story is definitely an angst-fest. Of all the slash fanfic that I’ve read, this is the one that comes closest to het romance novels, although it’s better-written and better-characterized than most. I’m not the biggest fan of angst, but I was interested enough in the plot to enjoy the story anyway.
This story is one of my all time favourites, there are alot more like it in “The Circuit Archive”. Another all time favourite is ” Reposession” by Lazuli Xander/Spike .
Thank you so much for the recommendation! Repossession looks long and good, and if you’ve checked out the Buffy & Angel section I’m sure you’ve noticed how much I love Spike/Xander, so it’s great to hear about an award-winning S/X fic I haven’t read.
Yes, there seem to be a lot of high-quality fics at TCA, but I’ve found it a hard fandom to get into. I’ve never seen the show, and while that doesn’t usually inhibit me from diving into a fandom, it has in this case, though I’m not sure why.