Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Mohinder/Sylar
Author on LJ: perdiccas
Author Website: -
Why this must be read: As a writer, perdiccas is quite rightly known for her scorching smut fics. This, however, is of a lower rating. It's a missing scene from Mohinder and Sylar's roadtrip of S1, and Sylar's POV is excellently done.

( Excerpt )

Point of No Return

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Gen
Length: 871 words
Author on LJ: slipstream_chan
Author Website: fanart at Fanart Central Account
Why this must be read: This is a tiny slice of character study that goes to some unexpected and intriguing places in an impressively concise fashion. Slipstream takes two characters, Inara and Jayne, who seemingly have very little in common and are rarely seen interacting in either canon or fanon, yet she manages to find a real and meaningful point of convergence between them that reveals much about their inner selves. Canon Inara's strength is a polished, self-controlled, serene sort of power; it's very interesting to see that tested and explored here. And canon Jayne appears to be a simple man on the surface, but it is always fascinating to me that he shows surprising depths in his widely varied relationships with the women around him; it's great to see that element at work here, too.

Naked

Fandom: STAR TREK VOYAGER
Pairing: Paris/Torres
Length: medium
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Dave's Voyager Fan Fiction
Why this must be read: In "Someone To Watch Over Me," we learn that Seven has been observing Paris and Torres in a study of human mating behavior. This fic does a nice job filling in the blanks before the episode, and brings us up to date on everything that happened before the incendiary entry of Stardate 52648 0300 hours: intimate relations resume.

Human Mating Behavior

Fandom: POPSLASH
Pairing: JC/Justin
Length: 3,400 words
Author on LJ: pensnest
Author Website:
Why this must be read: Because I don't remember ever reading anything else from the bodyguards' perspective. Mostly though I loved it because it felt like someone watching naughty kids they adore - full of glee and mocking with love. And face it - it's JuC and has no Chris and I still like it so it has to be amazing...

( Excerpt )

World Tour: The Let's Go By Vegas Mix

Fandom: SUPERNATURAL
Pairing: none
Length: ~30K words
Author on LJ: hansbekhart
Author Website: Curtailed of Fair Proportion
Why this must be read:

Set late in season one, this is a fabulous, tense, creepy, emotionally true, and just plain gripping story about Sam and Dean coming to Santa Cruz on what they think is a routine hunt (if it's not just a serial killer, and therefore, not their job) and getting in way over their heads.

( an excerpt )

Wonderful characterization, with both Sam and Dean still working to fit back together again after Sam's years at Stanford, and going through rough patches that come along with that, though their love for each other is never in doubt, even when they're fighting; plus a strong, sure, evocative sense of place, with Santa Cruz itself a major character in the story. Well worth reading.

If you enjoy the story, please let the author know.

Beach Blanket Poltergeist by hansbekhart

***

Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Daniel/Charlotte, Daniel/Juliet
Length: 5636
Author on LJ: toestastegood
Author Website: fic_flail or Lost fic list.

Why this must be read:
Among the new characters, I find Daniel's fascinating. And his intelligence and social awkwardness make him adorable.
This fic deals with Daniel's actions post-s4 finale. He desperately tries to find a way to make it back to the island. Only, when he gets there, things are not as he expected.
This is a sweet, melancholy story, with Daniel acting out of his comfort zone and yet very in character.

excerpt:
His strangled tie drags over the bottom of the boat, starting to soak up the water that has pooled there after being sprayed over the side. Everything he can think of is written down – there's more than that, he's sure there was more but he just can't remember it – before he looks up as if breaking out of a deep trance.

The others on the small boat are watching him intensely, in the same way that they'd watch a skilled magician.

Science and magic

Fandom: HOUSE, M.D.
Pairing: House/Wilson
Length: 1,500 words
Author on LJ: hwshipper
Author Website: Fic by HWshipper

Why this must be read: I could just say because HWshipper wrote it and, trust me, that would be a good enough reason. But let's add because it's funny, poignant, sexy and, yeah, written by HWshipper.


House shuddered, and reflected that whatever the consequences of SWS with Wilson, pregnancy was not one of them

Fandom: STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
Pairing: Worf/Jadzia Dax, Bashir/Jadzia Dax
Length: 17,000 words
Author on LJ: thesnowleopard 
Author Website: The Snowleopard's Lair
Why this must be read:

Back in the first season episode "The Passenger," Bashir's body got hijacked by a fugitive consciousness (if you don't know, don't ask), and actor Siddig El Fadil had to do a really terrible Evol accent. The episode was not one of DS9's finest. Quite possibly the opposite. Yet from the lemons of suckitude, Paula Stiles wrote a great little story.

"Split Personality" finds the DS9 crew trying to prevent a mad scientist from unleashing, well, mad science, upon a whole lot of people. The  success of the story lies in Paula's ability to make the crisis and the conflict personal.   "Split Personality" it's the rare story which really captures the complexity of Julian Bashir's character  Bashir's backstory is full of fascinating but often contradictory elements: his genetic engineering, his teddy bear, his penchant for baiting admirals, his stubborn idealism, and his inconvenient habit of getting kidnapped, possessed, or stranded in war zones.  Somehow, Paula weaves all of these layers into a coherent story, and the result is a fascinating and compassionate exploration of a guy who alternates between escaping from Dominion prisons and sleeping with his teddy bear.

I feel obligated to note that you don't need to have seen "The Passenger" to enjoy this story, and Paula's excellent Bashir story Triage was also recommended on crack_van a couple of years ago.

Split Personality

Fandom: SWORDSPOINT
Pairing: Alec/Richard
Length: circa 1K
Author on LJ: elysian_stars 
Author Website: Mostly on LJ, but her fanfiction.net profile is here.
Why this must be read:

( Spoilers for Privilege of the Sword )

Unveiled

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski preslash, Kowalski/Stella
Length: 3800 words
Author on LJ: jasmasson
Why this must be read: This is a high school AU that totally makes sense. Bob Fraser came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of his wife, and Ray Kowalski meets Benton Fraser at school. When the story opens, they're both in detention together. The story shows how cruel the world of teenage kids can be: Ray has managed to fit in, but it costs him, and being seen with a dork like Fraser isn't going to help his status at school. I love the way Ray's awareness of the social rules is shown, and also the undercurrent of attraction between them.

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