Fandom: LotRiPS
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando, some Sean A/Elijah
Author on LJ: cimness/cimorene111
Author Website: Cimorene's Sordid Fancy
Why this must be read:

This is the sequel/prequel to a fic that was recced here back in February, 2004, Cimorene's Burn. Road-trips are my bulletproof fic kink because they take the characters out of familiar, easy-to-write settings and put them together in a confined space. Here, the result is, at turns, hot, funny, angsty and beautiful. In the first part, Viggo, Elijah and Sean take a New Year's trip and Viggo acquires a cat. In the second part, Viggo and Orlando take two very different road trips for two very different reasons.

If Viggo tried to define it, he was forced to guessing himself, because the truth was that it was very lopsided and changeable and ambiguous. He didn't try, for the most part, though. He looked for Orli sometimes, and sometimes they fucked twice and woke in the middle of the night and fucked again, long and slow, and woke up wrapped around each other, early, and tried again, but found out they were too tired and laughed and just made out instead. Sometimes he walked beside Orli in the forest talking, and sometimes they walked together on the set or between scenes not talking. Sometimes they went almost a week without seeing each other. Viggo went days without giving it a thought.

Then sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night alone, agonizingly hard, thirsting for Orli so much he murmured his name out loud.

In the Mountains
Chattanooga

 

Fandom: Man From Uncle
Pairing: Ilya/Napoleon
Author on LJ: Not as far as I know
Author Website: This story is in File 40

Why this must be read:
This is very different from the previous rec. It is slash, quite graphic and fairly kinky. The author suggests that it is BDSM, I think thats a little strong (and am not generally a fan) but heed the rating.

This story is another good character study, much lighter in tone than my previous rec and a first time story as well. I also like the fact that Ilya takes the lead, in my view too much MFU fiction shows him as a victim needing rescuing by Napoleon. This probably if anything goes a little too far the other way but not enough to worry me. Most importantly I think its sexy and fun!

The morning passed with agonizing slowness. Every time he thought about what was going to happen, a frisson of mingled apprehension and anticipation ran down his spine. He was in trouble now, and he knew it. There was a tingle in his groin at the thought, and he hastily made himself think about girls. Right now, they were less distracting than the alternatives.

Quid Pro Quo

Fandom: ALIAS
Pairing: Sydney Bristow/[The Agent Formely Known As] Michael Vaughn
Author on LJ: randombtchchick, storydivagirl
Author Website: The White Room
Why this must be read:

Though many of us may want to close our eyes and pretend that the third season of Alias never happened, one thing we can probably agree on is that, if nothing else, those episodes provided fodder for some great Syd/Vaughn angst. "Nothing to Talk About" takes place mid-season three, before the characters learn of Lauren's betrayal. It's a short, single conversation between Syd and Vaughn, when Syd still feels like she's falling apart. Hearing her inner dialogue during the conversation, though, you can see her gathering her strength. She's slowly piecing herself back together; summoning that incredible resilience she possesses that's seen her through Danny's death, her mother's treachery and getting her teeth ripped from her mouth one by one.

Another thing I like about this fic is that TommyGirl showcases some of the selfishness that Vaughn exhibits the whole season, and has Sydney calling him on it. As a fan, it took a long time to reconcile Vaughn's behavior with the behavior of the Vaughn I had already came to know, and honestly I still haven't completely managed it. This fic, however, is a good start. For example, this moment:

( Excerpt )

It reminds me of that glorious scene in the second episode of the third season when she tells Vaughn that she would have waited for him, and that he gave up too easily. Anyway, it's a short, angsty ficlet that's also a great look into Sydney's mind during that time.

Nothing to Talk About