Fandom: HOUSE
Pairing: N/A
Length: 1,032
Author on LJ: supacat
Author Website: supacat
Why this must be read:

This story takes 6 quick moments in time to give us a look at both Chase and the relationship he has with House. The author comes in, forces you to look at Chase in a way you probably haven't before, then drops you right in to the next scene. It's a truly in-character look at a sometimes hard-to-write character, and it's just written so elegantly. Even if you're not really a Chase fan, this fic is pretty short and very well-written, so you should give it a try. You might come out liking the character a little more.

Six Ways of Looking at Chase

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Length: Novel-length
Author on LJ: jlmfromnyc   
Author Website: Fic available at above LJ.

Why this must be read:

Longer stories are getting rarer and rarer in the XF fandom. This may be a consequence of LJ--the format is friendlier to shorter, vignette-style pieces.  JL bucks the trend here with a long, semi-casefile story that takes place after the events of The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

This is one wild ride. It's got everything you could ask for in a story: paranormal elements, angst galore, romance, fascinating glimpses into Mulder and Scully's youths, ancient legends and an exotic locale. Read it on a rainy afternoon when you have the time to immerse yourself in the whole story. It will take you on a journey that you won't soon forget.


Sandcastles for Pele:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Length: Short story
Author on LJ: carenejeans
Author Website:  website: The Garret and on Highlander Fiction Archive; also on her LJ
Why this must be read:

Could have sworn I'd recced this before, but I can't find it here. The title says it all. This is a remix of A Scene in Five Ratings by merriman, which in the tradition of Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style took a single scene and presented it in 5 different versions, rated from G to NC-17. Carene does the same, but following five different warnings.

If you know the author's work, you know that she's clever, painstaking, funny, and ultimately romantic. This is one of my favorites of her meta fic.

Read the warnings, read the fic. To give a sample is to spoil.

Read the Warnings

Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: some Jon/Patrick and Jon/Spencer
Length: ~4600 words
Author on LJ: joker_and_thief
Author Website: none

Why this must be read:

Nine snapshots from the life of Always-Been-a-Girl Jon Walker, with editorial commentary by William Beckett. I adore the format of this story. The quasi-storytelling style offers glimpses into key moments in Jon's life, but also a great perspective on how the guys of first The Academy Is... and then Panic at the Disco see and relate to Jon somewhat differently as a girl. Being the token girl in an otherwise all-male friend group can be both freeing and stifling in turn, and Joker and Thief does a great job of capturing that dichotomy here, and the way Jon has to balance the guys' protectiveness towards her with her own independence and desire to take care of herself.

Four Strings, Nine Lives, One Heart: The Jonnie Walker Story, As Told By Master Storyteller William Beckett

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Methos (Adam Pierson)/Joe
Length: short story
Author on LJ: lannamichaels
Author Website: none, for Highlander fic; check listings for the author in hl_flash monthly (2008) and annual (2005-2007) lists of fiction posted on LJ
Why this must be read:

Aw, the Methos/Joe! This is a charming little dance during Adam Pierson's first year with the Watchers, when a gifted newcomer catches the veteran's eye. It's lighter than some of the author's other Adam Pierson stories, but still has a bite.

Read and enjoy.

( a little taste )

Hide and Seek (PG)

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Methos/Joe implied
Length: 3k+
Author on LJ: maygra
Author Website: Maygra's Musings
Why this must be read:

This story is a nice complement to the Joe/Methos of the last rec. It looks backward and forward from the far end of their acquaintance, when a retired Joe sets up a new bar in Atlanta. You know who wanders in on a warm evening.

This unspools like silk, unwinds like whisky. Nice to read a new one from Maygra.

( a little taste )

Worth Having 

Fandom: STARGATE ATLANTIS
Pairing: None gen
Length: 37,512
Rating: T
Author on LJ: Not  Sure
Author Website: http://megtipper.tripod.com/fanfiction6.htm

Why this must be read:
 I apologies for the lack of rec RL has been horrendous.  Just a quick rec focusing on Keller and Mckay told though Keller POV.  Tipper is one of the best gen writers out there.  Plus Rodney whumping.

Story

Fandom: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Pairing: Elizabeth/Darcy
Length: 35K
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Firthness (scroll down the alphabetical author list)
Why this must be read:

I tend to think of stories like this one as sequels, even though technically they aren’t. Engagement fics actually occur within the bounds of the novel, which makes them more like ‘missing scene’ fics in film or television fandoms. Mr Darcy Steals a Kiss is a playful look at Lizzy and Darcy’s pre-wedding courtship. Kerry writes witty banter between our hero and heroine, as Darcy devises a cheeky plot in order to finally kiss his fiancée, with some unfortunate (though amusing) consequences for himself and Lizzy. There’s a wedding and a wedding breakfast and then a wedding night. Well, you get the idea. Hijinks ensue. All I will say is: poor Jane.


Mr Darcy Steals a Kiss

Fandom: TOUR OF DUTY
Pairing: Lieutenant Myron Goldman/Lieutenant John J. McKay
Length: 843 words
Author on LJ: sassyinkpen
Author website: Notes From the Underground, Sassy's Smut Emporium

Why this must be read:

Goldman and Anderson are considered the OTP in this fandom, but then there is the fire and clash of Goldman and McKay that can't be resisted. And no one captures it better than Sassy. There is a very well known canon scene that has these two men in the shower with Goldman smoking. It's fascinating and you can't help wondering how he can shower and smoke at the same time. After all, who the hell smokes in the shower?

Sassy takes us for a fun romp with these two men in the shower, in broad daylight in the middle of an Army camp in Vietnam. Why Myron, like no one else, can make smoking look so incredibly sexy.

Excerpt:

He turned back to McKay. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering any longer. He groaned inwardly as his gaze traveled down McKay's wet body. *God*, he was so fucking clueless. Goldman was tired of fighting and pretending...and it just pissed him off.

"...Goldman? Are you even listening to me?"

Goldman blinked back to McKay's face as McKay cocked his head to reinforce the question. He looked at McKay and felt something click over in his brain. He *was* damn tired of fighting...

Smoking in the Shower by SassyInkPen

Tags: fanfic, tour of duty

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Tony DiNozzo/Abby Sciuto/Penelope Garcia/Derek Morgan (crossover with Criminal Minds)
Length: Around 2200
Author on LJ: sandersyager
Author Website: N/A

Why this Must be read: It's time for some kink, a story that will make you sweat in the best way possible.

This is a very hot foursome fic featuring our favorite goth girl, the very sexual and adventurous Tony, and their friends. Read the warnings then read the story, because Sanders always delivers a treat that packs a punch.


Tony sighs, pushing himself up to sitting. "You know, you could skip all of this and just make out with Garcia," he says. "Derek and I wouldn't mind a little girl-on-girl."

"Only if you skip right to making out with Derek," Abby counters, smiling sweetly.

"I definitely wouldn't mind seeing that," Garcia says, her fingers steadily rubbing the back of Derek's neck again and reducing his ability to think coherently. "Or would you rather have Abby, sweetness?"

Derek swallows, ducking his head against Garcia's shoulder and giving the only truly acceptable answer. "I'd rather have you, baby girl."















Story

Title: Invitation to the Dance
Fandom: The Man From UNCLE
Pairing: gen (I know, the title's misleading)
Author on LJ: lcorn
Author Website: Linda's MFU Fic Page
Why this must be read:

Want to convert a newbie to this fandom? Have her read Linda Cornett, who fearlessly experiments with points of view and tells a story so well that she leaves most published authors in the dust. Her words folds so effortlessly that you almost forget that there must have been an incredible amount of thought behind writing prose that smooth. You become totally immersed in her world, not realizing until you're done reading that you're not actually in the room with the characters witnessing the action as it unfolds. Her Angelique, who makes a guest appearance here, is one of the best in the fandom, and considering that we've been around since the 60's that's saying quite a bit!

Despite the romantic implications of the title, this story's more about passing on the torch while continuing to run a different leg of the race. A retired Illya finds himself guarded by a paternalistic UNCLE, only to realize that the times have changed less than he thinks they have. The dry humor her older, Napoleon-less Illya displays in this story belies the steely resolve that made him such an invaluable agent - think of the Maze Affair, where he finishes the mission with ruthless efficiency just after he believes his partner to be dead. That determination, as Thrush knows all to well, is his Achilles heel as obvious as the target painted on his back in the Virtue Affair; he refuses to give into threats or renounce his personal dignity even when it would be better to give in, as much as he enjoys fooling his captors with his apparent physical weaknesses. Like his predecessor, Linda's roguishly winsome OMC knows how to take advantage of the chink in the armor to everyone's benefit. It's a beautifully unsentimental perspective of what essential things about UNCLE stay true as the years pass.

Oh, and have I mentioned that writes the best ending sentences I've ever read anywhere? I don't think my review can pay tribute enough to her work, so just start reading this already!

Invitation to the Dance