Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser

Why this must be read:

Most of the stories I've rec'ed so far have been classics in the fandom, stories that are well known and regularly recommended. But one of the wonderful things about this fandom is its depth - there are so many fantastic, high-quality fics from less well known or less prolific authors. What We Talk About When We Talk About Wolves is one of those. Though it's by no means obscure, it's not as well known as the others I've rec'ed, and though the author has written more in other fandoms (Sentinel, for example), as far as I know this is her only dS fic.

The "story," such as it is, is simple: it's Ray and Fraser on a series of semingly endless night stakeouts, with nothing to do but talk. They muse about Dief in particular: whether he loves Ray, what it means that he licks Ray's ears but not Fraser's, whether wolves can wish. But though they may not be entirely aware of it, at least at the beginning, they're not really talking about wolves at all - and as the stakeout progresses and their somewhat free-ranging conversation continues, they make a number of life-changing discoveries about themselves, each other - and about love.

Much of the story is dialogue, and it works so well because the author has an incredibly accurate ear for the crazy banter that Ray and Fraser often exchanged on the show. She's got a great feel for Fraser's deadpan sense of humor and occasional snarkiness, while still managing to reveal a bit of his well-hidden softer side, and her Ray voice is exceptional, perfectly capturing his often crazy logic and inimitable Kowalski-isms while conveying his unique combination of prickliness and vulnerability:

"Why this sudden concern over being loved?"

"It's a normal human need, Fraser. Like the need for food. Shelter. Sleep."

Fraser yawned.

"Even you, Fraser. Even you have basic human needs. And now that I don't have Stella any more, my basic human love need--"

"But, Ray, strictly speaking, you haven't had Stella for a long time."

"That's where you're wrong. You are so wrong. I might not a had her in person after the divorce, but, until yesterday, I--sorta--I had her in my mind."

Fraser rubbed his forehead hard.

"I'm sorry, but I'm having difficulty grasping how Stella could be in your mind yesterday but not today when obviously you're thinking about her right now, so she must--"

"You are so--so--so...literal. I'm talking flavors here, Fraser. Yesterday she was there like a sweet ache, like a song that makes you want to cry. Something like that. Today she's there like a picture you see when you're flipping through a magazine--sorta 'hey, lookit that'--nothing more."

"Mmm."

"Hmm what?"

"Apparently, it's a matter of emotion one day, no emotion the next. Is this accurate?"

"Yes. No. I don't know, Fraser. It was more like an enlightenment after a serious endarkenment.

This exchange gives a good sense of the tone of the story: it's clever and witty and at times laugh-out-loud funny, but it's poignant, too. There's an undercurrent of pain as they discuss love and loss, and a fragile, tentative, almost painful awakening of hope as the veils fall away and they face what they mean to each other. But though the depth of emotion is obvious, and it's really quite a romantic story, it's also subtle - there's no doubt that these are guys we're dealing with here. The expressions of love are oblique (though not less profound for that) - these are guys who can only talk about their feelings in the guise of talking about the wolf, guys for whom a jelly donut is a symbol of commitment. It's incredibly skillfully done, another excellent example of showing not telling.

What We Talk About is a feel-good fic - it's charming and sweet and funny and tender all at once. But like all my favorite dS fics, it's not cookie-cutter and it's not just fluff - it's slightly (and delightfully) quirky, incredibly clever, unusually well executed, and deeper than it may at first appear (it's also amazingly well titled!!). It's one of those fics that leaves a much more lasting impact than you might expect - it sneaks in when you're not looking, gets under your skin, and sticks with you in the best kind of way.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Wolves

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing:  John/Aeryn
Author on LJ:
Author Website:KoddiakeMax
Why this must be read:

Reccing Max is kind of a no brainer in Farscape fandom. You can't go wrong with her prose, with her plotting, with the sense of richness and completion that every story brings with it. But, frankly, she's just too good a writer. Everyone has a favorite piece, or set of favorite pieces and this is one of mine.

 
Down Along the Barrel of a Gun is first season, John and Aeryn and so much between them, culture and history and background and it's really just about a moment or two. How difference can be bypassed, understanding forged through small acts.

The writing is visceral but never excessive. You wince at the description of the bones grinding in Aeryn's hand because it reads perfectly, makes the skin ache to read the words. And when John figures out how to at least try and meet her on her terms, it's a relief for everyone, the characters and the reader:


He slowly sank beside her, bracing his back against the wall, angled towards her. Turned her broken hand palm down, still massaging her wrist with his thumb. Warmed her fingers with his, careful not to twist the bones.

Her fingers twitched, stretched. He could feel her flesh pulp and bulge underneath his, and tried not to grab her, make her stop. "You probably shouldn't."

"I can't -- I can't help it." She didn't look directly at him, but he could hear remnants of the dream in her voice. Suddenly had a vision of her in her room, staring down at the floor and the pulse pistol that slipped so easily through her hands. What had that felt like, that moment of realization? This was Aeryn, the woman with the way of the gun. Who was she if she couldn't even hold her own pulse pistol?

"Teddy bear," he whispered aloud.

"What?"

"It's a--" He bit down on the word toy just in time. That concept would translate all too easily. "It's like . . . it's like my p-suit. I don't need it on a lot of the worlds we go on, but I still keep it. Wear it. Reminds me of who I am."

"A Peacekeeper is never without her weapon."

"From what I've seen, a Peacekeeper is a weapon. The gun? It's just an accessory."

She smiled at that, and he felt good. It was her first smile since she'd been hurt, two days ago.

Down Along the Barrel of a Gun by KoddiakeMax

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairings: some Kate/Lindsey
Author's website: Palimpset
Author on LJ: rheanna27

Why this must be read:
Vivere - "to be alive." What does that mean, in any sense other than the biological? As Cordelia says in this, "God knows there are plenty of people with heartbeats who make the journey from maternity ward to funeral parlour without ever really being alive." Rheanna fastforwards eight years after the events of S2's "Epiphany" to the future Angel Investigations, where everyone involved is still learning family, belonging, identity - living.

Five chapters. Five different POVs (and one surprise sixth for the epilogue). People getting through the day, moving forward, learning to be themselves, to be part of something, to be family. Rheanna does amazing work adjusting the language of each chapter very subtly, so that each person's voice is unmistakable and true. This one will stick with you.

Vivere

Fandom: X-Men Movieverse
Pairing: Logan/Marie
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: The Sandbox

Why this must be read: Rec #1 of "Lachlanrose Day" here in the X-Men Movieverse crack_van. (All of my recs today will be stories by the wonderful Heather!)

I love her work more than a hot grilled cheese sandwich during a thunderstorm, and that's an awful lot! Her writing is just sooooo good. It flows. When I read her stories, it seems to me that it was effortless for her to write them. She is one of the few folks in this fandom that I consider a great author, not just a great fan fic writer.

And this story in particular is not only my favorite of hers, but probably my absolute, all-time favorite Logan/Marie fic. It's become a comfort fic for me. I will never tire of re-reading it!

Logan is snowbound in his cabin (a recurrent theme in Logan/Marie fic is that he has a cabin in the far Canadian north) and starts a internet relationship with Marie, only she doesn't know it's him. Most of the story is told through emails and instant messages and the dialog is terrific!

Things start out innocently enough. He just wants a chance for her to get to know "Logan, the man," without her believing that he's the hero that saved her life. But as time passes, and their correspondence begins to get more and more intimate, Logan realizes that he needs to get home and fess up about his little ruse before he ends up hurting Marie, and loosing any chance to carry what they have started online into real life.

His homecoming is spectacular and the smut payoff is well worth the wait!

Go... read it now!!!!!

No More Words

Fandom: X-Men Movieverse
Pairing: Scott/Jean (and a bit of Logan/Marie)
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: The Sandbox

Why this must be read: Just like I said in my rec for Victoria P.'s "Circle of Life:"
"... even though I'd call myself a diehard Logan/Marie shipper, I really like the character of Jean Grey; I really like the character of Scott Summers; and I really like them paired together. (I don't mind seeing them deeply in love and having sex!)"

Well, here is another wonderful example of exactly that! In this story, Lachlanrose builds a back story for this line from the great Terri story, "Good Girl."

"He must realize exactly how mortified I am. There was that story about him and Jean being caught a few years ago - the one that has him with his pants down around his ankles and moaning like crazy with Jean in front of him on her knees - maybe he empathizes...." (Marie's thoughts)

The greatest thing about "In Flagrante Delecto" is that we end up with a wonderful character portrait of Scott. The poor guy gets kicked around so much in Logan-centric fics. But in this one, while I wouldn't say that they are exactly friends, Logan certainly comes to respect Scott, not only for the very hard and excellent job he does as the field leader of the X-Men, but also as a man who knows how to take care of his "mate" (Jean).

An excerpt from a conversation between Logan and Jubilee:

Logan took a slow sip from his beer and crossed his arms over his chest. "What the hell are you doin' here at this hour, kid?" He watched her dark, intelligent eyes take in his measure and then, just like that, he was firmly ensconced in the Adult-In-Authority category and her body language shifted accordingly.

She waved the paper in her hand at him. "Dude, I'm here 'cause Mr. Summers is an equal opportunity flunker."

Logan looked nonplussed. He raised an eyebrow at her and tried to keep the smile off his face as he followed her down the hall.

"See, he has this policy for exams. The paper was due today in class, but we're allowed to turn them in late, just so long as they're on his desk before he starts class tomorrow." She sighed and popped her gum again. "You'd think he'd cut us a little more slack, what with Magnet Head trying to mutate the Big Apple, but no." She rolled her eyes at him.

Now it wasn't so hard to keep that smile off his face. This is the kind of respect they taught here at the school? Damn. This kid definitely needed a lesson in pack dynamics. Shit flows down the chain of command. Not up. He gave her a hard look. "Christ, kid. You think he really gives a shit about that stupid test?"

Jubilee blinked at him in shock. Language aside, she'd never even considered that possibility. She opened her mouth to say something. Exactly what, she wasn't sure.

Logan, however, had other ideas. "Quit runnin' your mouth and listen up. It ain't your place to badmouth Cyke. He's got enough shit to deal with already. He doesn't need your crap ontoppa that." Now that he had her attention, it was time to really open her eyes. "Look around you, kid. Don't let all this-" he waved his hand, indicating the opulence surrounding them, "Blind you to the truth. The war ain't comin'. It's already here - and he's on the front line." His eyes narrowed. "Protectin' your asses so you kids can be students instead of somebody's science project." He subconsciously fingered the tags at his neck.

Jubilee's eyes were wide and her mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out.

Good. The kids around here could use a little dose of reality, not to mention a good kick in the ass. He pointed a long, blunt finger at her. "How'd ya like to have the life of every last human in the city restin' on your shoulders, huh? One fuck up on your part and millions of people die." Logan grunted. "Maybe ya oughta think 'bout that the next time you feel like shootin' your mouth off."

Jubilee was stunned for a few moments as her brain tried to wrap itself around Logan's unexpected words, and then, to his surprise, she smiled at him. "Wow, dude. You don't pull any punches, do you?"

His facial expression didn't change. "Nope." He never had before. There was no reason to start now.

Then, later on...

He [Scott] was too close to the edge. Her [Jean] words burned through his consciousness and something inside him snapped. His fingers tightened in her hair, and instead of pushing her away from him, he pulled her closer and turned his face towards the door, towards Logan. He bared his teeth and made a noise in his throat that stopped just short of becoming a full-fledged snarl.

Though it all happened in a split second, the meaning wasn't lost on Logan. It was quite clearly a gesture that said 'this woman is mine' in the most base way possible.

Logan glanced at Jubilee who was gaping at Scott. "Shit." He took a step forward, pulled the paper from Jubilee's hand and threw it in the general direction of Scott's desk as he grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her from the room. A telekinetic slam of the door quickly followed, as did the sound of the lock engaging.

It's a little late for that, darlin'. Logan grunted and pushed Jubilee down the hall toward the elevator.

"OhMyGod. Oh. My. God! Did you see that?"

"Yeah, I saw it, kid." His intelligent gaze had missed nothing. Not the glass on the floor. Not the vivid bite mark on the side of Jean's neck. Not the rivulet of pearly fluid running down the inside of her thigh. And most especially not the look on Scott's face. He knew what Jubilee thought she'd seen. A simple blowjob.

However, he was aware what they'd witnessed was a great deal more than that. Logan knew mate bonding when he saw it. Honestly, it surprised him a little. He hadn't been too sure about Scott, he might be a little green tactically speaking, but it was obvious he knew how to treat his woman. How to show her his dominance and mark his mate properly to bind her to him. Strangely enough, it made him feel better about leaving Marie here. Especially after Scott had bared his teeth at him. He hadn't been expecting that. Well, well. It would seem Slim had some balls after all.

Logan swallowed a chuckle. He respected a good show of strength.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that this story has all kinds of good smut!!!

(If those bits weren't enough to get you to go read the goodness... I don't know what would be! ;) )

In Flagrante Delecto

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: liviapenn
Author’s Website:Livia’s Library
Why this must be read:


The thing about TS fic is that it’s kind of easy to get bogged down in the deep, angsty stories: the episode fixes, the heavy, relationship-repairing conversations that really need to occur in the light of TSbBS and S2. That’s why it’s such a treat to read a story that’s good, that’s well characterized, and that doesn’t drag you through three miles of angst. Uphill. In the mud.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with “In Your Dreams.” The author herself categorizes it as “goofball romantic first times,” and I can’t honestly think of a more apt description. As the story opens, our boys are cleaning up the kitchen of the loft after a MC poker game, and discussing why they get along as well as they do. Conversation meanders a bit, until they get to this memorable exchange:

"Oh, we'll see you in a police uniform yet." Jim teased, turning into the kitchen.

"Yeah, right, man," I said, picking up some glasses. "Not in your wildest dreams."

"Nah." Jim called. "In my wildest dreams, you're usually naked."

It’s light and witty and sharp and tender and romantic and guy-like all at the same time; she gets these guys. Her Jim is a little more accessible, a little less reticent than most Jim-characterizations you’ll read, but I don’t find that a bad thing. The guy’s not a mute caveman, after all.

It’s written from Blair’s POV and Livia does a hell of a job capturing his speech patterns and his upbeat outlook on life. She keeps it up, too, when they finally do get together – the story doesn’t disintegrate into soppy, longing gazes and hushed reverence. They have fun in bed, just like they have fun almost everywhere else. I mean, c'mon - can't you just hear Blair saying this: “Foreplay had never been so much fun -- I could hardly stop grinning to lick Jim's nipples.”

I don’t know about my fellow crack_van reccers, but I usually have to write two or three drafts of these recs before I post them. I mention this because if I’d let this particular entry go in first draft form you wouldn’t have needed to read this story - I’d have quoted the whole darn piece. Matter of fact, that’s another one of the things I adore about this one; I could sit and quote from it all day. Livia has a way with the snappy sentiments, and her style makes both the characters and the situations quite real in a wonderful way.

“In Your Dreams” also has the distinction of having one of my absolute favorite “I love you” professions in all of TS fandom – goofiness aside, it’s so goddamn sweet and tender and perfect, it chokes me up every time.

Also, for those of you who are interested in such matters? The sex is just incredible. In. Cred. I. Ble.

In Your Dreams

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: lots of innuendo in various ways, no actual pairings
Author's website: Jennifer-Oksana's
Author on LJ: jennyo

Why this must be read:

A taut mystery/thriller with rotating POVs and flashbacks, Odds features an Angel gone Angelus on doximal, Darla and Drusilla holding hostages in the Hyperion, a mysterious bomber, a suspicious police detective, and Wolfram & Hart at the bottom of it all. JennyO has a good ear (pen?) for noirish stylings, and Odds is no exception - there's a lot of bruises, screwed-up relationships, and unresolved problems to go around the mystery, which is reconstructed (with the aid of some audio tapes) as we read, by the aforementioned detective.

Odds is technically one in the middle of JennyO's "Old Movie Series," but it stands firmly on its own, and is my favorite of the set. Like a good mystery novel, it keeps you searching for clues, and vaguely unsettled the whole way. Nothing is what it seems.

Odds Against Tomorrow

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Author's Website: http://ardent.mrks.org/
Author on LJ: ardent_muses

Why this must be read:

Continuing in the trend of rec'ing less-well-known authors and fics, today's story is one that to the best of my knowlege has never been rec'ed anywhere else (other than on my own website) - a fact which never fails to amaze and baffle me, because it is just so wonderful. I've always thought it deserves to be far more widely known than it is - and it occurred to me that I am in a position to make that happen!

I love stories that show the growth of the relationship from something the guys think - or fear - might be just casual or temporary or convenient into something real and deep and permanent, and First is a gorgeous example of the genre. It's a series of vignettes, from Ray's POV, each describing a number of his "first times" with Fraser and ordered in a way that illustrates the evolution of their relationship from friendly but casual sex to something much deeper: it begins with the first time they kiss, moves through a variety of other firsts, like the first time they have sex and the first time Ray sees Fraser cry, and ends with the first time they make love. Each scene is sparely written and yet chock full of wonderful little touches and images that bring the characters to life and illustrate their feelings without any unnecessary exposition. (In that aspect it's reminiscent of some of Resonant's fic.)

The tone is wonderful. Many of the scenes are deeply moving, and some are incredibly tender. I particularly love the description of Ray's efforts to convey his feelings to Fraser, after an incident earlier in the day brings home to him how important Fraser is to him and how much is at stake here:

That night, Ray put a little more effort into everything he did. He made Fraser a cup of tea just the way he liked it, without bitching about how tea bags were so much easier. He called the take-out place and ordered the weird Chinese food Fraser liked -- the stuff that had ingredients Ray couldn't identify. And hey, if you didn't look too closely, it wasn't half bad.

Then he took Fraser into the bedroom and pushed him back on the bed and unlaced the boots all by himself. It took a while, and Fraser was practically asleep by the time he was finished, but he didn't give up and ask for help.

He crawled up and finished undressing them both, and then he kissed Fraser for a long time, the way Fraser really liked it....

Passages like these (and it gets even better from there) hit me where it hurts - but the interjection of bits of gentle humor throughout lightens the tone and keeps the story from ever getting sappy or mawkish or bogging down in sentimentality. One of my favorite of these lighter bits is the giraffe documentary they're watching the first time they have sex:

The giraffe show was still on, and when the narrator started explaining about the giraffe gently nudging, sniffing and licking his mate before mounting, a crazy part of Ray's brain wondered whether Fraser had done this before or whether he was taking instructions from the Discovery Channel.

Who really cared, though, when Fraser had moved up to Ray's mouth again and was kissing him with his flexible upper lip and prehensile tongue?

That's just so Ray - and so Fraser, for that matter, watching a giraffe documentary while they're having sex! These lighter bits are interwoven with the deeper stuff in an incredibly effective way, so the emotion never gets cloying and the story never feels heavy-handed.

Another wonderful thing about First is its rhythm: it flows seamlessly, organically, from one scene to the next in a way that feels easy and almost inevitable, without any indication of the effort that goes into structuring a story like this, into making a series of vignettes come together into a coherent whole. It's deceptively simple (another way in which it reminds me of some of Resonant's writing). The progression of the relationship seems similarly inevitable, and the ending turns me into a big mushball. Yet the guys are always definitely guys, which is very important to me; in the first passage above, for example, Ray shows Fraser the depth of his feelings in such a very guy-like way, without ever saying a word.

First is a relatively short fic, only 5 pages or so. I tend to prefer length and depth, so it's not all that often that I'm blown away by a story like this. But First blows me away; I've never been able to resist it from the first time I read it, and it amazes me how the author manages to put so much feeling into such a little story. It's sweet and achingly romantic but in a good guy-ish, non-cloying way; it's humorous and touching and insightful and - of course! - a little bit hot, and it never fails to make me feel warm and happy inside. It's just a gem, and it deserves to be more widely acclaimed. I'm glad to have the opportunity to share the joy.

First

Fandom: GUNDAM WING
Pairing: Heero/Duo and Quatre/Trowa (nothing explicit)
Author on LJ: katsudon
Author Website: katsudon.net
Why this must be read:

because it's one of the best GW AUs that have been written.

When Heero comes back from the dead after Duo kisses his corpse, Duo begins to see that the supernatural element of the world is alive and well.

The story, told from Duo's pov, is a crossover with the Anita Blake universe. It has wonderful characterizations (especially Duo) and great plot, and is one of the GW classics.

Acherontia Atropos, Pyractomena Borealis