Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Author on LJ: toomuchfandom
Author Website: Willow's Fanfiction Archive

Why this must be read:

Where You Lead I Will Follow is one of the most beautiful death stories I have ever read. It's a songfic, and Anita uses the lines of the song to perfection in this story. When I first read it I could barely see the screen through my tears. It is painful, bitter sweet, chock full of emotion, both happy and sad; contains love, romance, affection, friendship as well as angst, and the urge to whack Gibbs at times with something very hard. It's utterly moving and totally and utterly believable as it tells the love story, that doesn't always run smoothly, of two men and what death can do to the survivor. It deals with canon issues very well, it looks at their lives together, their love, their affection as well as death, and how some losses are just too much to bear. However, it does have, for me, a happy ending. And Stargate-1 fans will enjoy the passing reference to Jack and Daniel.

( Extract )

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Where You Lead I Will Follow

Fandom: Narnia
Pairing: Lucy/Caspian
Author Website: website

Why this story must be read:

Wonderful story that addresses that favorite question of mine, regarding what the Pevensies remember and what they do not. There is a strong sense of *presence* in this story, and when I read it I feel the lulling of the sea behind it. This is a Lucy who is biding her time, making up her mind, and drawing conclusions with the langour of a sea-voyage behind it all.

"Lucy," Edmund said. "You shouldn't."

"Should has nothing to do with it," she replied.

"You know what will happen."

"Yes," she said.

"You know we always leave, and that we don't always come back."

"Yes," she said again. She knew. The knowledge thundered in her veins, that she could not stay forever, that she should not do this.

Should had nothing to do with it, and Caspian had kissed her doubts away, as if they'd been tears falling from her face.

"I don't want you to be hurt, Lucy." Edmund reached out and stroked her cheek, and she closed her eyes and felt the softness of his love.

"Growing hurts," she whispered.


Stages of Age and Youth (The I Dreamt a Dream Remix)

Fandom: Narnia
Author on LJ: roz_mcclure

Why this story must be read:

This takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia, and thus makes its way into my favorites of Narnian fanfiction. I adore stories about the Pevensies during this time, working to nuture their beloved land into greatness and glory once more. I think it is full of wonderful stories that have yet to be told, and I am absolutely delighted when I find those that do take place during this period. It is also a particularly lovely Yule story.

Peter stood on the dais, holding a tall candle. The golden light glinted off his crown and ring, for the sword of a King is left in the armory at Yule, in hope that it will remain unused for all the next twelvemonth. Susan left Prince Rabadash to stand below her elder brother; Edmund rose and held a hand to his younger sister; Lucy tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and saw that all the Narnians in the Great Hall had gone silent and still, as the four Kings and Queens came together at the top of the room.


They Shouted, Reveling

Fandom: Smallville
Title: Town Mouse, Country Mouse
Pairing: Chlex
Author on LJ: marag
Author Website: Diversions and Digressions
Why this must be read:

marag is, hands down, one of my favorite DCU writers period so when she turns her hand toward Smallville, I KNOW I'm going to get a treat. And lucky me, she usually treats me to a EXCELLENT Smallville story for my birthday. This happens to be one of them and one where, (through no fault of mine, though Mara will argue otherwise *G*), Lex seized control of her fingers and took her and the reader on a wonderful little ride.

Chloe wants to write the insider scoop on the life of the rich and scandalous among Metropolis' elite.

You can imagine how things go from there...

This story provides some *FANTASTIC* looks at Chloe through Lex's eyes and of Lex himself through his own eyes. The man Lex was becoming in Smallville is subtly there in every interaction and when we get to see him moving easily through his own world and it's just perfect.


Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Fandom: Narnia
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: sheldrake
Author Website: website

Why this story must be read:

Perhaps unknowingly, Lewis set up a peculiar dichotomy between the two Pevensie girls: one grown up, practical, destined for someplace other than Narnia; and one clinging to the world of her childhood, a dreamer, always desperately hoping to go back to Narnia. It is not a far cry to think of them not getting on well as they aged in England. If, as Lewis notes, Susan was not a friend of Narnia at the point of her death, how then could Lucy be a friend to her as well--Lucy, so Narnian in every bone and breath and word.

In this story, sheldrake looks more closely at the two sisters, how they differed after Price Caspian, and how they might have been closer than they ever knew.

The other week, Susan took a friend's little girl to the cinema, and they saw a film about twin sisters separated at birth. It made Susan cry, which was unusual, because the film was a comedy, and Susan doesn't cry very often. She felt obliged to invent a summer cold, and sat there, thankful for the darkness, snuffling into her handkerchief and feeling foolish. She felt a fool because had had a sister once, and had taken her for granted, and lost her again. And there would be no loving reunion. No making up for time wasted. She felt cheated and injured, and oh, such a fool. The friend's child laughed, and never noticed a thing.


Growing Up

Fandom: Narnia
Pairing: Lucy/Caspian (in one part)
Author on LJ: chaos_pockets
Author Website: website

Why this story must be read:

More a set of collected vignettes, this story looks at a number of threads of Narnia in turn, bringing out gloriously full stories in surprisingly small packages. Read together, The Wastelands reads more like a slide-show of images than a total coherent story, but each one packs a powerful punch. Particularly the first one. I very much reccomend this story.

Edmund watched, and couldn't deny it, that Caspian wanted his sister.

And so, nonchalantly, one day, on the deck, hands behind his back, he came up to the other king and said, in a pleasant tone, "If you dishonour her, I'll kill you where you stand."

Caspian started and stared.

"That said, if you love her, it would please me. But remember that we never stay."

Caspian looked at Edmund and wondered when his face began to be older than Caspian's own--or at least his eyes.

"Do you understand? To love us is to lose us. It will be no different this time."

"It might be," he said, finally, and in that admitting everything.

Edmund closed his eyes and breathed in Narnia and wept inside for what he knew would happen.


The Wastelands

Drivers are needed for May an beyond in the Battlestar Galactica, Horatio Hornblower, LOTRIPS, U.N.C.L.E., Pirates of the Caribbean, and Star Wars fandoms.

Go here to sign up!

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: aka "Jake"'s site
Why this must be read: It's the story of a casefile--literally. While waiting for a meeting with Kersh, Scully indulges Mulder by telling him a story, a "bawdy tale" about the X-File of all X-Files--the return of the Blob. But except for the frame story at the beginning and the end, and a few interruptions, it's written much like a regular casefile story.

It just happens to be funny as hell. It's a casefile, which I love; it's got well-written Mulder/Scully sex, which I also love; and despite the utterly ridiculous premise, it's relatively plausible, just like the funny episodes of the series. Definitely a great read.

( Excerpt )

The Case of the Exuberant G-Man

Fandom: HOUSE
Pairing: Gen; Chase and House.
Author on LJ: npkedit
Author Website: Nothing obvious.
Why this must be read:

As with my last rec, I'll start by disclaiming that Chase is my third-favourite fellow. Nothing against the poor boy, but I'm not a fan of the power dynamics in most Chase/anyone fic (namely, the part where Chase is everyone's bitch).

What that means, however, is that when I find Chasefic I like, I tend to like it a lot. With "Playing for Position", too, there was the double barrier of a second person POV. Nevertheless, the story drew me in and kept me in, with enough humour to balance the fact that it's mostly structured as internal monologue. Here's Chase as House's first fellow, challenged to put up or shut up. He puts up with a hell of a lot, and he earns some respect doing it; and that's the kind of character I like to read about.

Plus, the ending is very cute.

Playing For Position

I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not posting as I should have, but work decided to kick my ass and the latest bout of extreme weather has hit my parts hard with thunder storms and such, which makes electricity very unreliable, so in order to save the pc I have it switched off. I'll just run along now to catch up.

Fandom: STAR WARS: TPM
Pairing: Preslash
Author on LJ: ?
Author Website: http://www.geocities.com/padawanben or at Master Apprentice
Why this must be read: First of all preslash? Gods, I didn't know such things existed! (well not really, I do. but I don't read them all that often).
Secondly, it's a fix, a fix that I like a lot. TPM happens as we know it, by Obi-Wan wants his old life back, his own Universe, in other words, Qui-Gon.
He has taken Anakin as his Padawan and tries to go on, but it's not easy. They both suffer from it, Obi from missing his Master, his guilt, his pain and Anakin from not really getting enough from his new Master.
I think that Obi-Wan being appointed to train Anakin right after the end of TPM, when he is not even a knight yet, was a mistake (and we all know where that mistake led). He is way too young and hurt to be able to act as a Master to Anakin and that damn boy needs someone strong.
So Obi-Wan is not dealing well with his Master's death. He would like to leave this life, but the Force has other plans for him.
I love this story cause it's sweet and strong and sensitive and Qbi-Wan just screams to have someone to look after him. His hurt is emotional and doesn't stop when he is faced with new possibilities, a world that is so alike, but so different from the one he just left behind.

And yes another AU, don't you love them? :) I think that the authors planned for a sequel that was to be slash, but that never came, still the story stands on it's own. It's also a tiny bit long....

In the Prism of Time & Eternity by Padawan Ben & Qwi

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: cesario
Author Website: Here, but only two of her Who stories are currently posted. Others can be found in her LJ under the "fic" tag, here.
Why this must be read: The premise is that the Seventh Doctor has written a children's book. Right away, you have a potentially winning concept, and the story fulfills that promise. Some of the "Enemies of Gallifrey and Peculiar Dangers to the Race of Time Lords" are Daleks, Sontarans, and Cybermen, but "critical K-9 units" and "boring lectures" also receive their share of space. The Doctor even gives humorous advice about why students should attend the Prydonian Academy ("Not because it's any better than the rest, but because if you're clever, there's a way to get into the kitchens after closing."). Finally, there's a bittersweet, though appropriate, ending concerning humans.


Tea Time Terror for Time Tots