Fandom: STARGATE SG1
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Author on LJ: mandysbitch
Author Website: Mind Games
Why this must be read: Written circa-Season 6, cgb shows a possible future where the Stargate programme has been shut down. Bittersweet, effective, real -- the characterisations in this story are wonderful.

( excerpt )

Light to Dark, Dark to Light

Fandom: STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Author on LJ: gilda_elise
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

Elise Madrid excels at coming up with fascinating plots, and often chooses to set her stories in seldom-explored areas of TOS canon. (More of her work can be found at ksarchive.com).

One of the best things about TOS fan fiction is that there is so much canon covering such a long period of time to play with. In the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage”, later incorporated into the two-part episode “The Menagerie”, one of the plot points is that Spock, serving at this time under Captain Pike, has suffered a leg injury.

In “Family Matters”, Elise takes this incident and explores what happens while a young Lieutenant Spock is convalescing on the Vega Colony. With six weeks of leave, and little to do but regain his health, he finds himself at loose ends until he meets Aurelan Kirk at the local medical center. Shortly thereafter, he is introduced to her husband Sam, and her brother-in-law, Jim Kirk, who has just graduated from the Academy and is on leave, waiting for his first posting.

One of the interesting things about “The Cage” is that Spock seems to occasionally be experimenting with openly showing emotion. A key element in Elise’s story is that Spock is making an awkward attempt to live more as a Human than a Vulcan. He trustingly welcomes his new friends into his life – but he is not yet aware of the dangers that emotions pose, or of the damage that they can cause.

In a devastating scene, Spock’s attempts at living with emotion ends in disaster. He returns to the Enterprise, now determined to be Vulcan in all ways. Years later, Kirk becomes Captain of the Enterprise. The author traces the repercussions of what happened between them against a background of the events of the first season. Then, the Enterprise reaches the planet Deneva where the events from their past must be confronted.

http://ksarchive.com/viewstory.php?sid=45

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Author on LJ: blueraccoon
Author Website: rebecca's fic
Why this must be read:

Intimidation Factor is a series of eight stories in which Gibbs and Tony fall into bed and then quickly discover that their night together is the start of a slippery slope.

I think the thing I like best about the series is that it really seems like it could happen this way for Gibbs and Tony. They haven't been pining after each other, they don't go into it looking for a deep relationship. It just sort of develops while they're not paying attention. Tony's reaction in particular when he realizes just deep in he is is almost painful.

The series gives us everything from the first time to the realization of the seriousness of the relationship to the conflict when they realize how it could impact work, to the discovery of their relationship by the rest of the team. The stories start out short, but by the end they grow longer and longer. There's definitely something for everyone.

The link below leads to the main page of rebecca's NCIS fic index. The Intimidation Factor series starts about 2/3 of the way down the screen.

Intimidation Factor

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Methos/Kronos
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Seventh Dimension
Why this must be read:

The Keening Song is so exquisitely twisted I can't wrap my brain around it. Whenever I read this—which I just did—it leaves my mind blank with awe. Try as I might, I just can't find the words to explain my fascination for this story. Best I can do is a summary and excerpt:

Kronos and Methos are in love, a love expressed through death and pain. As Methos says to Kronos in the story, "If you didn't kill me I would think it meant you didn't love me."

One thing I can express is one particular bit of this story that I really like. In this story—and I've never read this anywhere else—Methos punishes MacLeod for killing Kronos. First of all, I love just the idea of it (I'd like to punish Mac for whacking him too *g*). Second of all, it makes the story more credible. Because no matter how much Methos knew Kronos had to be killed, it doesn't stop the pain. Methos taking his grief and anger out on the one who took his lover's head fits with the characterizations and tone of the story.

( Excerpt )

The Keening Song

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Four/Romana II
Author on LJ: nostalgia_lj
Author Website: nostalgia for an age yet to come
Why this must be read:

This is an absolutely delightful bit of banter between Four and Romana II. It's charming and completely in character, and it never fails to make me smile.

( An excerpt. )


Flowers for Romana

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: bka0711
Author Website: Bunnyfic
Why this must be read:

Continuing along the same lines as my last rec, here's another one set in mid season two. It's a long one, so make sure you leave plenty of time to read it once you start (don't say I didn't warn you!).

Set post-Disharmony, Wes disappears on a trip to a magical bookstore and finds himself in a parallel universe where things aren't quite the same. Meanwhile, Angel, Cordy, and Gunn are are left scrambling to find Wes with the help of the Wesley from the other dimension. In this fic, Brenda does a great job juggling two very different Wesleys in two separate storylines that converge to a very satisfying ending. Also, added bonus, watch for a smattering of Scoobies and a sprinkle of Lorne thrown in the mix.

Yes, I have a kink for season two fics. And yes, I have an even bigger kink for S2 gen fics that feature the four of them, because who doesn't love (or envy) their closeness before the angst-fest that is season three and four? A little action, a little mystery, some h/c, seriously, what's not to love?

As always, enjoy and send feedback please!

Worlds Apart

Fandom: MASTER AND COMMANDER
Pairing: Aubrey/Maturin
Author on LJ: scribblinlenore
Author Website: Lenore's stories
Why this must be read:

So, it was about time to get to the porn, right? :D

Actually, porn is quite difficult in Master and Commander fandom. It's certainly not impossible, but O'Brian's style isn't really conduitive to anything most people might consider the hot smut. An even bigger problem is the actual situation of the people involved. Given that pretty much anybody who might be having sex is going to be, at most, maybe five feet away from other people who can hear and then quite possibly get you hanged for having said sex, it poses certain issues. This'd be why the shack on the beach from the movie gets so much action: it's one of the few places where some actual solitude is possible.

This story, though, managed to get round both of those issues by making a plot about it. This is, needless to state, a solution I'm really very pleased about, and wish more people would do it. By taking Jack and Stephen out of their normal world for a while, the smut somehow doesn't seem out of place at all. Even more impressively, it manages to avoid the incredibly depressing ending I thought was inevitable. It's really very... heartwarming, actually. I also love that the plot involves Jack being really incredibly unsubtle, because there is very little more canonical than that. Hee.

Devil's Deal

Fandom: JUSTICE LEAGUE
Pairing: Diana/Bruce, Lois/Clark
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: JLA Unlimited Profile
Why this must be read:
Every fandom should have a 'fic set in a superhero fetish club called The Hall of Justice. Really. New fandom rule.

This story is hot, and sweet, and very funny. I can't even quote from it without spoiling some of the best lines, but let me repeat: Fetish Club. Superheroes. It's a winning combination.

Under Cover