A new story - Free of body, free of soul.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I have finished the above story. For those who like some idea of what might be coming, I would describe it as a Gen story, set in the early years of the partnership; nothing too extreme in the way of violence, but a bit of how's your father in the first part involving our blond friend and someone you may know. Here's a bit to start you off; if you want to, you can find it on AO3, at least the first part. I have finished the whole lot, but didn't want to overwhelm anybody, so will be publishing the other six parts over the next few days . . . if anyone is still reading by then.

Thanks to spikesgirl for invaluable advice and well, for just cheering me on to the end, really! Anyway, here's the start ..

He could see, when he allowed himself a moment to glance up, that dawn was approaching rapidly. Light deftly pierced the cretaceous gloom of the swamp, a slight wind making the moss among the trees appear like dense, soft hair hanging from the boughs of the cypress looming into view ahead of him. The ground felt spongy in the meadow, the broken down shack he knew so intimately now suddenly passing into his field of vision as he crashed on past a line of oak trees, the empty swinging of its splintered door momentarily surprising him before, with head down, he forced himself forward towards the nodding moss and the lake.

The small rowing boat swayed gently in the water as he approached, his heart pounding but still daring to hope that he could sustain the energy which had driven him thus far. He stopped, dragging in a few lungfuls of damp, warm air, before with a sigh he knelt down on the wooden planks of the boat dock and began to edge his body towards the boat below.

A sudden, blinding light froze him in its beam like a large trapped animal, his body illuminated easily for the two men who seemed to have appeared out of the dense gloom as if by magic and within seconds, to have him in their grasp. He felt the cold fingers of the larger man on his neck, tugging his collar until he was forced upwards between them.

‘Kneel before your master.’

With a shuddering breath, he dropped to his knees as two familiar feet appeared below his head.

‘Landry. Ah wasn’t aware you were a free man, to go and do as ya will.’ There was a silence between them, only punctuated by the odd, desperate squawk of a long distant bird and the smooth lapping of the lake under their feet. Landry allowed himself to look up for the time it took him to re-acquaint himself with the other man’s cruel, supercilious stare.

‘My soul is free, whatever you may do to my body, Houghton’ he managed to murmur, before, with a thud, his body crashed to the ground under the baton’s vicious and final lash.

The three men stood over the body for a short while, before Houghton turned away, a slow smile illuminating his lips as he heard the splash behind him.

If you want to go on, you can read the rest here:
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1370998