Hi, I'm Clio. I'll be your X-Files driver for the month of February. Mulder/Krycek is the only pairing I've ever read in this fandom so that's what you can expect from me pairing wise. I plan on rec'ing some 'old school' M/K recs this month. So without further ado, let's get to it.

Fandom : X-FILES
Pairing : Mulder/Krycek
Author on LJ: logane
Author Website:Hegal Place
Why this must be read:

This is the story that prompted me to want to take a turn as the X-Files driver here at crack_van. It seemed so very wrong that this story had been looked over recs wise. It ranks as one of my all time favorite pieces of fanfiction ever, across all fandoms. The writing is so extraordinary that I could never heap enough praise on it. I adore it beyond words.

One of the things that makes Krycek such an interesting character to read and write is he has very little back story. We don't know a great deal about him. So a writer is free to speculate as to the how's and why's of Alex's life. He could hail from absolutely anywhere. His family life is open to many interpretations. The writer is free to decide what his past was like.

The back story that logane gives Krycek is so amazing. The family he creates for Alex isn't perfect, but it's very real. He explains their ties to the Consortium and how Alex ended up being recruited into it. He built a world for Alex to return to. His return isn't easy, there are many obstacles in the way, but in the end it's worth it.

This story made me smile and weep in equal turns. No matter how I try I don't think I could express how much it touched me. It's a truly beautiful story that I am proud to get the chance to rec here on crack_van. I'm also delighted that logane decided to return to fandom. I hope this rec is a nice welcome back for him. I for one missed him.

Second Grace Book 1
Second Grace Book 2
Second Grace Book 3
Second Grace Book 4

Fandom : X-FILES
Pairing : Mulder/Krycek
Author on LJ: imajiru
Author Website:imajiru
Why this must be read:

This is another of those stories that I was truly amazed no one had rec'd before. It had been taken offline for a some time though, so it was somewhat understandable. This story is so damn good it hurts. It has been one of my favorite M/K stories since the first time I read it and remains so to this day. This story has it's romantic moments, but they are all tinged with a razor sharp edge.

In the first story the lines between Stockholm Syndrome, rape, consent, and passion are blurred so badly you can't even see them.

Krycek breaks and heals Mulder in turns during the course of these stories. Though he never really intends to hurt him it's almost unavoidable. It's not with pain or torture that he destroys him, but with love, desire, and passion. A love so strong it damn near kills them. A passion that remakes, rebuilds, and heals them both. Not to mention they get to save the world.

It's an amazing story that takes you on one hell of a wild ride through the darker sides of love and passion. I don't mean to scare anyone off though. I'll admit to being a wuss when it comes to physical torture, you won't find that here. All the pain stems from a love and desire you shouldn't want, but can't even begin to resist. This is a story no M/K fan should miss.

Departure 1
Departure 2
Departure 2.5
Departure 3

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: Josh/Donna (plus added Amy)
Author on LJ: Don't Think So
Author Website: Josh and Donna Smut by Bramble
Why this must be read:

I'm your WW Driver for February. Emergency exits are located... heck, you know the drill by now.

I began my love affair with TWW back when Season One was on first-run: since then, a lot of the fic writers I enjoyed in those early days have stopped writing, or moved onto new Fandoms. As I'm not adverse to het, slash, or indeed anything else, I'm going to try and provide a good mix of styles and pairings this time out, and highlight a few gems which you may never have seen. Thanks to the Internet, fic rarely disappears, it just moves URL's. You just need to know where to look...

Bramble is a good example of a writer who was at her most productive during the Sorkin Era, but as the site hasn't been updated for nearly 3 years, I'm assuming she's moved on, which is a shame, because she wrote some very entertaining Josh/Donna in her time. This tale is one of my favourites, because any excuse for a dream sequence (in my book) is worth a look. As fluffy as a duck-down pillow, it's still quite dreamy...

Hot & Dreamy Girl-fight #12

Fandom: THE OC
Pairing: Ryan/Theresa, Theresa/Eddie
Author on LJ: kate_monster
Author Website: N/A but other fanfic is located here
Why this must be read: I tend to end up clinging onto certain ships and when Theresa entered the picture on “The O.C” I was particular intrigued by her presence and history with Ryan. I believed that their history could’ve been explored more. In the fandom a large majority of people disliked Theresa for causing an eruption on the show because Ryan still had obvious feeling for her. I always felt that Theresa was and is the kind of character that could be explored the most if only because there are only a few things we know about her. In fanfic the opportunity to dig deeper into the character is a viable option.

In this story the author takes the background the show offers and makes it her own. Exploring the relationship that Ryan and Theresa had before he left Chino. The relationship results in an emotional roller coaster ride for Theresa who is always discarded when Ryan no longer feels a need for her. But every scene they are in together is quickly pulled together by the history they share together. Theresa must force herself to get over Ryan while still feeling tremendous amounts of love for him. Ryan is exceptionally messed up as his life takes tragic, twisted turns and although he could quite possibly be capable of loving Theresa the way she loves him he doesn’t know how to handle a girl who doesn’t constantly need his help.

( Excerpt  )

Last Summer

Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: None explicit. Natalie, Jeremy, Dan, Casey.
Author on LJ: minervacat
Author Website: when the floods roll back
Why this must be read:

'Cause it's got a healthy swack of Natalie being the Natalie we love: passionate and passionate about sports ("...And The Crowd Goes Wild" anyone?). 'Cause it's got Dan and Casey being bored and irritated by a slow news day. 'Cause it has Jeremy, and what the world needs now is more Jeremy.

It's set this very season: Grinnell's men's basketball team has a stellar record of 0 and 24. Dana has ordered the fiercesome foursome to craft a feature on "freak show teams in college basketball." And Dan has told the Athletic Director of another school in question (Savannah State) that it won't be a negative story.

( Excerpt. )

How, oh how, will our heroes save the day this time?

A bit short, but it feels like the first big scene in the A-plot of a great episode.

For Love of the Game by minervacat. Originally read at inthetallgrass.

ps: I am bj, allcanadiangirl on lj, and I shall be driving the SN van this month. Um. I love Dan/Casey and Natalie/Jeremy, but I also have a healthy affection for "unconventional" pairings (though, in a fandom with so few characters, it's hard to really consider Natalie/Dan or Jeremy slash unconventional, y'know?). Yes. Fear my candy!

pps: Feedback. C'mon. It's an lj entry, for heaven's sake. Click the link, type some stuff, press the button. Puddin'!

I'm Rhi and I'll be driving crack_van for QaF USA for the month of February!

Fandom: QUEER AS FOLK, US
Pairing: Brian/Justin, Michael/Ben
Author on LJ: mojokitten
Author Website: Darling, Your Head's Not Right
Why this must be read:

I've been waiting for forever to rec this fic because it is my all-time favorite fic in the QaFUS fandom. It is a poignant and beautiful with bits that will make you hold your breath and bring tears to your eyes. Not sad tears, but the tears from being touched to the quick by something wise and true. This is also the best written Michael that I've ever seen in this fandom. Don't let the Michael POV put you off. If you don't like Michael, you'll like this fic. If you love Michael, then you'll adore this fic until you drool. Also, the final paragraphs knock my socks off to this day and I've read it a million times over.

This fic captures everything about the relationships on QaF that make fans love it so. It captures the family, the love, the home of it all. Do yourself a favor and read this fic with some hot cocoa and be warm, fuzzy, and comforted by it.

This is one of those stories that is canon to me. This happened on-screen as far as I'm concerned. In short, I can't rec it highly enough and I'm so glad that I didn't write it so that I can love it purely and without my self-censoring madness. Did I mention it is my favorite QaF fic ever? Seriously.

Thank you, Mojokitten for writing this fic!!!

Go! Read! Send feedback!! Because feedback is love!!!

Maps by Mojokitten

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: unknown, though a few stories are at Redbeard's Archive
Why this must be read:

This is one of those stories that'll throw you for a loop, knock the breath out of you, make shivers run down your spine. It's almost five years old now, and it was talked about a lot at first, but not so much anymore.

This is one of those stories where the voice is so strong I actually like the first-person POV, and don't think it could be told any other way. (Normally first-person POV unsettles me a little, at least at first.)

In the olden days of the Farscape fandom, there were a lot of stories about various crewmembers being locked up in hospitals or labs back on Earth, and this is by far the best of them. This was back before Terra Firma aired, when Moya's crew was welcomed on Earth, if not exactly with open arms. This was back around the time of A Human Reaction, when we all remembered that Earth could be a scary place, and humans a scary species. It was before other parts of the storyline took a darker turn, and the fandom turned into itself looking for the darkness we all know and just can't get enough of.

( excerpt: I made it all up, didn't I? )

In One of These Dreams by Silver

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: unknown
Why this must be read:

This is actually the fourth of a series of retellings of the first four Harry Potter stories from Hermione’s POV. HQOTW, Book Four is The Goblet of Fire retold in a series of journal entries.

Hermione came to Hogwarts as a lonely and misfit little girl. Her only friend was her magical diary. (Hermione was not at all pleased when she found out about Ginny and Tom Riddle’s diary—-she immediately asked her diary where it keeps its brain.)

The frame story shouldn’t work, but it really does. The diary’s “voice” is that of an older, wiser woman who consistently helps Hermione sort through growing up, having two infuriating friends who are such boys, and living in the magical world. Arabella offers wonderful insight into Hermione’s character.

Hermione, Queen of the Witches, Book Four