Fandom: Star Trek: VOYAGER
Pairing: Janeway/Admiral Janeway
Author on LJ: projectjulie
Author Website: babelicious.net
Why this must be read:

And now for something completely different -- porn!!! This must be read because it's kinky and perverse, lusty and vicious and utterly in character. It's set mid-"Endgame," the series finale wherein Admiral Janeway returns from 26 years in the future in order to, among other things, prevent a series of events that would cause Seven of Nine's death. It's spoileriffic, but, honestly, it's so damned HOT, who CARES. Here's a Captain Janeway admitting to herself, finally, that she's in love with Seven, and an Admiral Janeway who has always been so. And so, with tools and sex toys and Borg-style accoutrements, they take each other's familiar bodies and get a little more, er, familiar. Seriously, LOOK:

*

"You're in my fantasies," Admiral Janeway was saying, "I don't dream of myself anymore, only you, doing the things I never allowed to happen. I imagine you making love, being in love, so that things might have turned out differently." The Admiral's hands were becoming more insistent, one slipping into her hair to hold her as the other reached for the zipper of her jacket. "You think of yourself as old, unattractive, finished, but to me your body is ripe with possibilities. It's glowing with all the chances I never took, ready to be opened in all the ways I never was."

*

Eating It Too

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: huzzlewhat
Author's Webpage: Unknown

Why this story must be read:

This is one of my favorite post-reunion stories out there. It's quiet and almost leisurely, allowing us a look into the mind's of John and Aeryn in the aftermath of TalynJohn's death. Huzzlewhat shows how this death is affecting both characters in very different ways. It's John POV but we're able to get a feel for what it's been like for Aeryn through John's thoughts and words.

Huzzlewhat also uses Crais, a character mostly neglected in the majority of fic, very well and as a catalyst for the events in the story. This would've been a good story without the Crais factor but I love when authors use all the characters and use them in more ways than the token appearance.

The John/Aeryn pairing here is almost a red herring. They're together but they're not. They're painted as very broken people, hurting each other because it's the only thing they really have left to do. Aeryn, in particular, is written very well. She's cold and quiet but not overly so. I can see Aeryn trying to be something she's not but Huzzlewhat doesn't take it overboard.

The ending is not forced nor does it tie up the strings opened by the show's canon. It's there and it's a start and it could've easily been an offscreen moment for the two characters.

Scars

Fandom: STAR WARS PREQUEL
Pairing: Amidala/Corde
Author on LJ:monkeycrackmary
Author Website: http://muse.inkstigmata.net
Why this must be read: Beautiful, real Amidala who isn't a part of Anakin, but is a political leader with hard realities.

The Worst Part

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Pairing: Warren/Xander (mentions Xander/Anya)
Author on LJ: longersleeves
Author Website: ?
Why this must be read:

Usually if Xander is in a fic I run a mile, and that's why it took me so long to get around to reading this one. I'm very glad I finally did. This story is set just as Season 6 begins and gives a very new take on why Warren wants to take on the Slayer just after she comes back from the dead. Warren is twisted up tight in his little world with Xander as his one release (one reason for the title), but, of course, nothing runs smoothly.

Watch out for the subtle and extremely effective comparison between Xander and Buffy in this fic. Knowing Season 6 and knowing what is to come with Buffy and Spike makes it so much more sad to read.

Both Warren and Xander are perfectly in character in this fic, and it is written with just the right amount of desperation and need. There's also some smut. ;) All in all, an exceptionally well-written fic with a pairing that Alison really makes work.

( An excerpt )

( Another, in case you're not sold )

Release

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read: location, voyeurism, tedium, agents, discovery.

The Anniversary