Fandom: Blakes 7
Pairing: Avon/Blake
Author on LJ no
Author Website: no
Why this must be read:

A post-Gauda Prime story with a positive ending, in which Blake and Avon realise their feelings for each other, sounds like something that's been done many times before, and so it has. But this is Nova doing it, which means one of the best writers in a fandom that has many good ones. It's an early one – she's a better writer now than she was then, which is saying something – and to my mind there are some dodgy minor plot details, but her command of character was always secure. This has alternating Blake/Avon viewpoints, and apart from getting the voices spot-on, she just so knows the characters that she can keep coming up with frighteningly accurate observations like this, in Avon's voice:

"Although I do not fear physical pain, I am afraid of almost everything else. Betrayal. Death. Being alone. Being close to others."

And later, when she pinpoints a moment most people could relate to:
( excerpt )

Body and Soul

i'm baaaack! and just because it reminded me of my trip, here is my next rec. (it's a pdf)

Fandom: PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: not as far as i know
Author Website: no, but lots at Oblique
Why this must be read: yes, i know it's just one of fae m glasgow's aliases, and hasn't she been rec'ed enough? Well, no, not really. ^__^ because she is a very good writer with a deft touch and a great ear for dialogue, and luckily for us, her aliases usually are used for funny stories, which this one is.

it's a PWP, basically, but it has all the elements of a really good time: deaf OAPs, screaming children, an air steward named skippy, flirting galore, lion-eating lambs, 50,000-foot club, jealousy, satisfaction. . .go on now! it's laugh-out-loud fun from ms. glasgow, and really: how often does anyone get to type that?

Flight of Fancy

Fandom: STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES
Pairing: Kirk / Spock
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Foresmutters Project
Why this must be read:While most of my recommendations have been for old stories, this one is definitely the oldest. It was originally published in a print zine (anyone remember those?) in 1981! It’s now available online, with permission from the author, courtesy of the “Foresmutters Project”, which makes old slash stories (primarily Kirk / Spock) available online for the first time. These old stories, and especially the historical commentaries, are well worth reading for a sense of where fanfic, and slash in particular, started out.

“The Prize” is one of my favorites of these old stories, and stands up very well against modern fanfiction. It considers an alternate universe, one in which Surak’s reforms never happened on Vulcan. In this world, the warrior Spock acquires a human slave. It’s a very interesting look at what would happen to the essential characters of Kirk and Spock if they instead lived under very different circumstances. Spock’s characterization, in particular, is carefully drawn and quite consistent with his portrayal on the show. The story is well written, and the evolution of the relationship between Spock and Kirk is excellent and realistic. The universe itself is well-drawn, as well; interesting details such as how Kirk arrived on Vulcan make this a much more well-rounded story than the usual AU tale. My only quibble would be that the age difference between Kirk and Spock is different from on the show, but hey, it’s an AU!

The Prize