Hm. I don't disagree with you entirely, but I'm not sure I would have chosen that particular story with which to make my point- it seems to me actually pretty low on the Stella-bashing scale, especially compared to many other stories I've read. As far as the whole death thing goes, the story is an AU- a "what would have happened if RayK was a widower with kids" thing. And there is a long tradition in literature of all kinds of killing off one or both parents in order to provide children suitable for orphan stories of various sorts.
As far as her parenting skills go, I really don't think that this particular portrayal is all that far divorced from canon. In "Seeing is Believing" we find out that Ray wanted kids and Stella didn't; he had apparently tried to convince her by offering to stay home with them himself, which certainly implies that a large part of her objections involved not wanting to derail her career in order to have children. It is an extrapolation, yes, but not one totally divorced from what we know of Stella's character. In addition, when we see them interacting in canon, it's pretty clear that Ray is being portrayed as the sensitive/emotional one of the pairing, whereas Stella seems to react almost spitefully at times to any advances on his part.
The first instinct, I think, is for a person who loves Ray to take his side, with the resulting Stella-bashing that occurs (and this, I think, is probably more tied to the "ex" side of the equation in many cases than the "woman" side, because you see Ray Vecchio treated much the same way, as Fraser's ex-partner if not ex-lover.)
The thing that people seem to forget or ignore is that Ray was in love with Stella since he was in junior high. Fraser considered Ray Vecchio his best friend. The qualities in them that made Fraser and Ray love them didn't just go away. I've read far too many stories where Vecchio and Stella are cast as the Couple of Evil, out to ruin everyone's life. I just don't see it.
Leaving Vecchio for the moment (since that one has been about done to death), It's important to remember when dealing with Stella that every fight has two sides. Ray did not want to get divorced, it's true, so Stella must have been the instigator, but that doesn't make her evil. I get the impression from canon that Ray was Stella's bad-boy fantasy, and it's obvious (Strange Bedfellows, for example) that she really did love him, and probably still does to some extent. I think that they just wanted different things out of life, and the older they got the harder it was to reconcile. In addition, after the divorce Stella did have justification for being pissed off at Ray- whether or not the Alderman was a crook, Ray was still following her around on her dates, which is creepy and stalkerish even when Ray does it. I really think that most of her animosity towards him later is pre-emptive "don't encourage him or he'll start following me again" maneuvers. Also, we tend to see Stella at times when she'd be at a disadvantage, either when her ex-husband interferes with her current relationship, or when said ex-husband is pulling some stunt in his police work that will make her job as state's attorney more difficult. The sorts of arguments they have are exactly the sorts of arguments that, say, the police have with the DAs on "Law and Order," only with the added tension of their personal history.
On an interesting side note, Stella and Fraser seem to dislike each other from the first time they meet. Stella is just about the only woman on the whole show who never succumbs to Fraser's charms.
To sum up: People don't marry people that they find utterly without merit. Think on it, ficcers!
The Stella
As far as her parenting skills go, I really don't think that this particular portrayal is all that far divorced from canon. In "Seeing is Believing" we find out that Ray wanted kids and Stella didn't; he had apparently tried to convince her by offering to stay home with them himself, which certainly implies that a large part of her objections involved not wanting to derail her career in order to have children. It is an extrapolation, yes, but not one totally divorced from what we know of Stella's character. In addition, when we see them interacting in canon, it's pretty clear that Ray is being portrayed as the sensitive/emotional one of the pairing, whereas Stella seems to react almost spitefully at times to any advances on his part.
The first instinct, I think, is for a person who loves Ray to take his side, with the resulting Stella-bashing that occurs (and this, I think, is probably more tied to the "ex" side of the equation in many cases than the "woman" side, because you see Ray Vecchio treated much the same way, as Fraser's ex-partner if not ex-lover.)
The thing that people seem to forget or ignore is that Ray was in love with Stella since he was in junior high. Fraser considered Ray Vecchio his best friend. The qualities in them that made Fraser and Ray love them didn't just go away. I've read far too many stories where Vecchio and Stella are cast as the Couple of Evil, out to ruin everyone's life. I just don't see it.
Leaving Vecchio for the moment (since that one has been about done to death), It's important to remember when dealing with Stella that every fight has two sides. Ray did not want to get divorced, it's true, so Stella must have been the instigator, but that doesn't make her evil. I get the impression from canon that Ray was Stella's bad-boy fantasy, and it's obvious (Strange Bedfellows, for example) that she really did love him, and probably still does to some extent. I think that they just wanted different things out of life, and the older they got the harder it was to reconcile. In addition, after the divorce Stella did have justification for being pissed off at Ray- whether or not the Alderman was a crook, Ray was still following her around on her dates, which is creepy and stalkerish even when Ray does it. I really think that most of her animosity towards him later is pre-emptive "don't encourage him or he'll start following me again" maneuvers. Also, we tend to see Stella at times when she'd be at a disadvantage, either when her ex-husband interferes with her current relationship, or when said ex-husband is pulling some stunt in his police work that will make her job as state's attorney more difficult. The sorts of arguments they have are exactly the sorts of arguments that, say, the police have with the DAs on "Law and Order," only with the added tension of their personal history.
On an interesting side note, Stella and Fraser seem to dislike each other from the first time they meet. Stella is just about the only woman on the whole show who never succumbs to Fraser's charms.
To sum up: People don't marry people that they find utterly without merit. Think on it, ficcers!