Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Author on LJ: mmmchelle
Author Website: Chelle's Nightstand
Why this must be read: Ahhh, Aliens Made Them Do It. You can never, ever get enough of that. Also? Porn!

Teyla was in deep conversation with two of the natives, who didn't appear that formidable, except for the nasty looking weapons they carried. The swords-Rodney figured they were probably technically called something else, but they were long and pointy and that made them swords as far as he was concerned-had curved blades that seemed to be designed for the express purpose of separating heads from bodies. Rodney had never fancied the idea of being beheaded so he took another deep breath and tried to keep his annoyance from showing.

Virgin Sacrifice in the Mid-Afternoon

Fandom: Smallville
Direct Link: The Lionel in Winter
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Rating: PG
Author on LJ: trienne_hovus
Author Website: N/A

The second of three recs that highlight the Lionel/Lex relationship in some way.

Why this must be read: Oh, it's just a delightfully madcap, long romp of a read, with the kind of snappy repartee and hijinks you see in the old screwball comedies. After a heart attack reminds Lionel of his mortality, he goes all Hallmark in the mending fences department, not to mention the matter of which of his two sons will get LuthorCorp. So he calls everyone together for a big Luthor family Christmas, an ensemble cast that includes the married Lex and Clark, the feckless Lucas and his equally feckless wife, the Kents, and introducing the wonderfully dry and ironic Arielle, a relative of Lillian's, who has come to make sure Lionel does right by Lillian's son.

The story takes place after the war between Lex and Lionel is over, and as he's looking back to understand the past, Lionel hits on this insight into his relationship with Lex that really sums up for me what we see on screen every week:

( Excerpt )

But as I said, the war is over now, and there's a definite move toward understanding and reconciliation, with an exchange of Christmas presents that's just incredibly touching. Included among scenes of stampeding federal agents, moonshiners, drunken servants, cookie-stealing dogs, and all the rest of the fun.

The Lionel in Winter

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya, Illya/OMC
Author on LJ: leethet
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

There’s a slippery slope between surveillance and voyeurism, as Napoleon discovers when he impulsively listens in on a meeting between his partner and Damien, a British courier who, on Waverly’s orders, is subject to sound-only monitoring.

( Just hand the data over, you bastard. What are you doing? )

Then Illya learns from a third party that Napoleon had been listening, but before they can talk about it the agents depart for the opposite ends of the country. As Illya is settling into a funk, Napoleon’s unexpected arrival gives them a chance to work things out — provided they can live through the night...

( I thought you said they wanted you alive. )

Action! Angst! And yes, we do find out why Damien was oh so conveniently bugged (and bear witness to Illya’s priceless reaction to the explanation).

Liaison

Note: This story is formatted so that all the paragraphs are centered, which is mildly annoying.

ETA: When I wrote up “Liaison” I was unaware that it had a sequel, “Safe,” in which Napoleon and Illya are assigned as bodyguards to none other than the alluring and infuriating Damien. Can they get through the mission without kissing or killing the courier?

Fandom:QAF:US
Pairing:Brian/Justin
Author on LJ:Jane2005
Author Website:Not Known

Why this must be read:Jane crafts an extremely enjoyable, and somewhat prescient a/u set around the beginning of the 4th season, in which is takes a life and death situation to make Brian accept his feelings for Justin. I love fic that explores the relationship between Brian and Jennifer, and Jane does a great job with that, but primarily this is a terrific view of Brian in a time of turmoil.




Crisis

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: morganlogan
Author Website: Molo's Place
Why this must be read: There are three stories in this series: Big Front, Feeling Big, and Welcome to the Bigs. Each story has it's own voice, and each has a great mixture of hurt, comfort, angst, humor, and hot sex... all so wonderfully written, you hate for them to end.

To summarize: The Big One -a 6.0 earthquake- has thrown the boys together... literally. (I'm dying to know the details, but neither guy is telling, damn it!)And while this is a good thing, we all know that the road to true love between these two is rarely smooth. In spite of their closeness, or maybe because of it, they tend not to talk about feelings. They have an understanding, a kind of psychic connection, that makes communication unnecessary. Except not really. Because though that silent communication stuff works quite well in the streets, it's hell when it comes to matters of the heart. These three stories take you down the bumpy road to love and understanding, and it's a great ride.

Molo, who's still relatively new to S&H (she's only been writing in the fandom for a year), writes them like a seasoned veteran. The tone is just right, the humor is uh, hilarious, and the characterizations are nearly flawless. And the sex is hot. Really, really hot. But it's more than that. These stories are just damned good. Corny, cliched synopsis by me aside, I hope you'll agree.

Read and enjoy. Don't forget to send feedback.

The Big Series

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: arsenicjade
Author Website: Every Rose Has A Thorn
Why this must be read: For the record: I can't stand Cassanda. That said, I'm recommending this anyway because it manages to makes me like Cassandra for the duration of the story, and for a while after that. Hell, this makes me sympathize with her, and feel sorry for her, and agree with her, and enjoy reading about her. All of which, to my mind, constitutes a minor miracle.

The author's summary is "Halloween at a witch's house." How could I resist reading that the first time? And once I'd read it, it lingered in the back of my mind, even years later. I hope you enjoy it, too.


It had started with the oak tree.

The tree, which had seen far more centuries than most humans and far fewer than she, had grown into the house. The roots curled around the foundation's structure and strangled the cement.

The house itself was old, at least for an American habitation. It was located on a quiet back street in a small Rhode Island neighborhood, blue and white with a porch and glass windows that had curved, twisting everything on either side. The wooden floors creaked and the upstairs was drafty. Fireplaces graced near to every room and there was only one bathroom. Cassandra had fallen in love with the tree. Neither the country where the house resided, the supposed discomforts nor the rather plain appearance of the house could change her mind once she had seen the leaves that dressed the roof and the "veins" that crawled out of the steps in the front.

It was only later that she remembered why she had avoided neighborhoods and apartment buildings for so long.


Whisper of a Ghost, Scream of an Angel

Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Author on LJ: tradescant
Author Website: (forbidden) forest fire

Why this must be read: I'm a big fan of short stories. The kind where every word is in its place, the kind that is really hard to write just because of that reason.

I have great respect for authors who master the art of showing just a moment of the characters' lives and giving the reader a clear picture of their minds without the benefit of a few hundred pages leading up to it.

There are three HP stories in this category that I love especially, and two of them are Fidelius and Secret-Keeper. Harry is under the Fidelius-charm, and Severus is his Secret-Keeper. Severus is the only one who can touch Harry, Harry is the only one who can take Severus's anger away.

Brilliant writing, awesome stories.

But he wakes over and over in the night just the same, sweaty, teeth clenched and grinding and muscles so tight he can't move to reach for his wand, for light and security. A stiffened corpse, embalmed by the fear and fury in his veins, and he can lie in the dark for hours before he feels the blood flowing again. Eventually it will reach his arms and legs and he will be able to move, he knows this as the rational man he knows himself to be, but each time he opens his eyes to the oppressive dungeon blackness, no matter how many times it happens, no matter for how long it will continue to happen, he stares blindly out into the world, and feels as though the night will never end.

Fidelius and Secret-Keeper