Fandom: SPORTS NIGHT
Pairing: Casey McCall, Dan Rydell
Author on LJ: soupytwist
Author Website: None known

Why this must be read: It's not listed in the credits, but the show would not be the same without it: New York is a vital part of what makes Sports Night - both our show, and the show within it – the thing we love. Dan loves it too, as well we know. Casey? Casey sometimes needs convincing. That's just one of the things that Dan's there to do for him.

A collection of vignettes, witty and warm and wise and filled with unforgettable images (Spamalot, opening night on Broadway, Dan and Casey in the audience and, at the other end of the scale, Dan and Casey on a sticky bus ride to nowhere much) and lines (Danny's grin was now such that the canary was probably toast, and even the dog was feeling kind of nervous) and, at one point, a half-hour spent defrosting Jeremy who had apparently risked too much in the name of quality toasted bagels. New York can be cold; but the boys know its warm, beating heart.

Some Time Spent in New York

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: http://sjames-centre.livejournal.com/
Author Website: http://shslash.kassidyrae.com/fiction.html
http://starskyhutch.kassidyrae.com/shgen_fiction.html
Why this must be read: First of all, it’s by Susan.

That’s not enough? Then read it for Hutch’s vigil over comatose Starsky, a desperate and heart-breaking time. But while in many ways, he spends it alone, there are a multitude of other people helping him hang on.

And forty days? While it may or may not be intended, you only gotta read the Bible, Koran and the Torah to see the possible symbolism of that period of time.

Forty Days of Rain

Fandom: XENA
Pairing: Xena / Gabrielle
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Novel Expectations, but her Xena stories aren't there. You can see her 2 other Xena stories at the Bard's Corner (scroll down to Dartt).
Why this must be read:
This story and its sequel (Enemy Ours) are by one of my favorite Star Trek fanfic authors, who fortunately has also written a few Xena stories. Enemy Mine takes place during the series, after the story arc in which Xena's nemesis Callisto becomes an immortal, helps defeat the crazed Amazon queen Valasqua, brings Xena back to life, kills Gabrielle's husband(!), and eventually is trapped in quicksand. (This illustrates a typically crazy episode arc on Xena, but don't worry - the important bits are summarized in the story).

In Enemy Mine, Callisto has been brought back to Earth by the Goddess Artemis as a protector for Gabrielle. However, she's not quite the crazed nemesis that we're used to from previous appearances, and Xena makes an uneasy truce with Callisto as she must rely on the immortal's help to save Gabrielle. Callisto's character growth in this story is well-done, and there's a great payoff at the end for Xena and Gabrielle as well who finally admit their true feelings for each other. The sequel, Enemy Ours, continues the story of a redeemed Callisto who finally finds love (after helping Xena and Gabrielle on an interesting quest to once again defeat Valasqua, and dying a couple times along the way).

Enemy Mine and Enemy Ours