Title: Mouseketeers by Debra Hicks
Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: not known
Author Website: not known

Why this must be read:

It's possible I volunteered to rec just so I could recommend this story come crossover day.

The wonderful humour in both DangerMouse and The Professionals vibes like a jazz quartet. Doyle and DM (DangerMouse himself) are on the ball and on the job, while Bodie and Penfold (DM's tweed-suited, timid hamster sidekick) provide the slapstick. Debra Hicks has a warm way with the characters. This one's a gentle and chuckle-filled antidote to my last rec. If you love it as I do you'll be pleased to know there are sequels on The Hatstand.

Mouseketeers

Title by Author: Outside Influences
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch, Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Candy Apple
If Squidge ever comes back up you can read it there, until then, I've linked to her old site at Tripod.

Why this must be read: I blame Candy Apple for dragging me into The Sentinel fandom. I was quite happy in Starsky & Hutch, when I read this zine called Outside Influences and I was hooked into TS fandom after that.

The story is set in the Sentinel universe, when Starsky & Hutch come to Cascade working on a case. They are paired up with Jim and Blair. Starsky and Hutch have been lovers for 20 years, but Jim and Blair are still fumbling through their feelings for each other. There is no cross pairings because, surprise, we find out that Starsky in actually Blair's biological father!

Yes, I know it sounds implausible, but Candy is such a talented writer, she makes this work. Jim and Blair get closer and Starsky and Blair learn how to become father and son. It is very moving as Blair finally realizes he has a father who loves him. Plus, Jim and Blair discover their love for another and the established relationship between Starsky and Hutch is still hot. All around, the story works on all levels in both fandoms, which to me is why I don't read many crossovers. Most writers can write one fandom well, but two? Candy knows The Sentinel and Starsky & Hutch inside and out and it shows in this piece.

The story became so popular, Candy has written quite a number of sequels to it. But the one that began it all is here...

Outside Influences

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Author on LJ: spykeraven
Author Website: Spykenard
Why this story must be read:

I love intelligent stories that make me sob like a baby and laugh like a loon. This story manages to do both.

Spyke's incredible writing talent never fails to blow me away. As one web reviewer has said: Spyke Raven writes poetry cleverly disguised as prose.

Segue is actually three seperate vignettes and yet she does a fantastic job of interconnecting them. This story unfolds slowly, making us appreciate who Jim is and shows us what his fate could have been.

Spyke never talks down to the reader. She assumes you are able to make the connections without having to hammer them home. Yet, she doesn't talk over your head or write so esoteric that you have no clue what is happening.

Spyke's own warning for the story: Be warned, there is blood, there is lots of science, and unusual style.

Segue

Be sure to leave feedback for the author if you enjoyed the story.

Fandom: POPSLASH - NSYNC & BSB
Pairing: JC/Nick, others
Author on LJ: viggorlijah
Author Website: words


Why this really should be read:

I never cry while reading fanfic. Or even really tear up. And then there's this story. This one scene towards the end - oh, Justin. Along with that, it's a disjointed chronological telling which sometimes doesn't work at all and very much does here, wonderful characterization, a fascinating take on PR and the power of the record company. Also, oh, Justin. Sigh.

It Pricks Like A Thorn

uploaded to Dale's site in 2002, but posted in 2001. So, very much OLD SKOOL!

Title: Chaos Theory
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: None.
Author on LJ: pandarus
Author Website: Fayjay's Buffy Fic
Why this must be read:

( It was kissing Xander that did it. Cordelia had given the matter a lot of thought and she'd concluded that this had been the moment when she sent the world hurtling off its axis by screwing with the natural order of things in the worst possible way. From that point on all the other Bad Things unfolded naturally, inevitably. )

Title: Five Other Lies
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Willow
Author on LJ: rliz
Author Website: Rebecca Lizard.net
Why this must be read:

( She's woken at night by the soft creaking of her mattress, the sudden dip of weight at the foot of the bed. Only a week has passed since she crashed the car and broke Dawn's arm, and Willow is still wearing the ring around her wrist-- a present from Anya, from the Magic Box, a thick iron circle that will glow an angry red if she makes any attempt at magic. The ring is cool, now, and heavy on her forearm. She sleeps with her arm above the blankets, exposed to the night air. )

Fandom: CSI
Pairing:  Grissom/Nick
Author on LJ: no
Author Website: EmLand


Why this must be read:

There is a lot of fic out there dealing with episode of Stalker but Canada (and it's alternate version Hell) is one of the few that does more than adding a little comfort on to the ending. Nick tries to cope with Nigel's invasion but comes to the realization that trying to carry on like normal just wasn't working for him. He takes some time off to regain his equilibrium but it's only when he reaches Canada that he realizes that he can't do it alone and that running away never solved anything.

Canada

Title: Chiaroscuro by Eliza
Pairing: Lucas Wolenczak/Caspian
Author on LJ: elizacake
Author Website: Sticky Fingers
Why this must be read:

Caspianslash is a rare beast, which is probably good, because if it were more common, it would probably take the edge off the character, and at least half the point of Caspian is that he is edges. This story captures that aspect of his personality perfectly. What's more, it connects that aspect to Lucas' struggle for independence, for his own edges as an adult, and for recognition that he is becoming an adult. Plus, there's scarring and bloodplay. So be warned, or be enticed, your choice.

Chiaroscuro

I'm a day late with this crossover rec, for which I apologize. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Fandom: THE O.C.
Pairing: Ryan/Seth
Author on LJ: misserin
Author Website: None
Why this must be read: Because car sex is always hot. Ryan starts to doubt that he means anything to Seth, now that he’s balancing romances with Anna and Summer. Seth proves that he still cares about Ryan.

An excerpt:

If he were being honest, Ryan thinks that Seth thinks of him like some new toy that Sandy brought home one day for Seth's amusement. Of course, parents usually bring home a stray from the pound, not the prison, but everything else in Newport happens on a bigger scale, that maybe bringing home a kid instead of a kitten isn't that strange. The look on Sandy's face when Ryan had made some comment about how, yeah, Seth was a cool kid, it was enough to break your heart. Even if everything went to hell and back, Ryan would always have time for Sandy, have a debt that he was sure he'd never be able to repay. Even in Chino, where people had a lot less to lose, you didn't invite felonious strangers into your home like that.

It wasn't smart.

Seth, though he doesn't know it, is just like the rest of Newport, constantly on the lookout for a better gig. Ryan's not so stupid as to think otherwise, now that the novel glow of having a friend has worn off, now that Seth has girls aplenty. Ryan is like one of the old Final Fantasy games in a box in Seth's room, superseded and no longer worth his time. Ryan had been expecting it, had known not to get too close, had known that kids like him and kids like Seth were never, ever friends. But Seth could suck you in with his dork powers, and when Ryan had surfaced for air, fought his battles and declared his allegiances in the battlefield of Harbor, Seth had already set him aside for greener pastures.


Drive

Title: After
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Dawn, Tara
Author on LJ: lyrajane
Author Website: Fanfic by Lyra Jane
Why this must be read:

( The last thing you steal is her ring, an amethyst in a silver band with delicate vines carved around the ring, endless. Though, when you hold it in your hand or twist it, idly, on your thumb, you wonder if it counts as stealing if the owner's ghost tells you to take something. )

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: refers to John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Leviathan
Why this must be read:

I like this one because it illustrates a rather level-headed John going through the process of dealing with Scorpius being on Moya. He knows Scorpy is up to something, doesn't trust him, and seeks out the proof that he's correct in his thinking. This story also illustrates the friendship he has with D'Argo and a more sympathic reason for John's continued use of the lakka to help him with his feelings for Aeryn.

Play Ball

Fandom: KNIGHT RIDER
Pairing: None.
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: Knight Rider's Knightwatchers

Why this must be read:

I told you Gryph's "Fire & Ice" AU series was a trend-setter, didn't I? Oh yes, heh. Because "Trust" is Vega's take on the universe of the neural link, and she does it so darn well.

"Trust" is a story of angst, faith, and of course, trust. Trust in one's self, trust in your partner, trust in fate. It has one of the best plots Vega's ever conceived of; action, drama, suspense, emotion, angst, hurt/comfort... you name it, she packs it in.

It's also a bit unusal, in so far as Vega's own work goes. Vega is well known about the fandom as a canon writer. Most of her stories are set strictly in canon, with only canon-recognized characterizations. "Trust", automatically, is different. It is a story built in the fanon world of the F&I AU -- and yet, Vega stil manages to keep a canonical feel to it. Which is impressive in and of itself, if you think about it. :P

Link to Story: Trust by Vega