Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos
Length: about 8000 words, total
Author on LJ: tovalentin
Author Website: Valentin's Stories

Why this must be read: I read the third of these stories, Strip Him and Bathe Him, first and was so delighted I had to read the others. This is Duncan/Methos in the old style, with lots of jousting sex and power struggles between them. "Strip Him and Bathe Him" remainds my favorite, but "By Any Other Name" is totally hot, and "Payback's a Bitch" is delightfully kinky. These are truly adult, but all in fun. Perfect for a Thursday break.

By Any Other Name | Payback's a Bitch | Strip Him and Bathe

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Tim/Kon, Lex/Clark
Length: 9 chapters around 1200-1600 words each
Author on LJ:_angelicorn_
Author Website: just her livejournal
Why this must be read:Kon-El goes into heat and discovers he's not the only Kryptonian to do so. He seeks out his mate and the sex is really, really hot and pretty much never-ending, but then there are some really interesting scientific twists, and Dick and Bruce's reactions are priceless. Plus, there's a sort of innocent and adorable Bart. Lex and Clark are only in this a bit; it's mostly all Tim and Kon all the time.

The link below actually takes you to a calendar page where all nine chapters are linked. It's the easiest way I could figure out to get you all the chapters without a lot of scrolling. Enjoy!

( best last line ever )

Origins

Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Adam/Mohinder
Length: 12,176
Author on LJ: seraphtrevs
Author Website: Fic Masterlist
Why this must be read: Adam/Mohinder (so pretty! so snarky! So fakely British!) is the Best. Pairing. Ever. Seraphtrevs's characterization of Adam as a dashing, devil-may-care charmer with his eyes set on Mohinder is swoon-worthy, and also a perfect way of thinking about what it means to be young, handsome, dangerously charming, and 400 years old. It’s such a shame they never met in canon, because they are perfectly in character and perfect for one another.

Excerpt:

“Adam!” Mohinder yelped. “Watch out!”

Adam just grinned at him. He reached over and ran a hand up Mohinder’s thigh as he steered around another corner with one hand.

“Let me guess – you’re one of those people who think that life’s too short to worry about speed limits,” Mohinder said, slurring his words a little.

“On the contrary,” Adam said. “Life is too agonizingly long – you have to go fast to outrun the tedium of it all because once that sucks you in, there’s no escape.”

Peace On Earth and Good Will Toward Men

Fandom: STARGATE: ATLANTIS
Pairing: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, mention of Michael/Teyla
Length: ~3000 words
Author on LJ: trinityofone
Author Website: tales of an unreal city
Why this must be read:

It's the story of how, post-"Allies", Rodney convinces the Wraith to give up on the culling Earth idea. As the author describes it, it's "kind of what the Season 3 premiere would be like, if it were written by Douglas Adams. And he was on crack". Honestly, isn't that reason enough?

If not, how about gems like: The Wraith blinked at him—it looked like it was having its own mental meteor storm. “You have sex...and live?” or “All right,” said Rodney, “I’m not a human Kama Sutra, you know” ?

Missionary Position

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Gen - Fraser, Caroline Fraser
Length: 2,487 words
Author on LJ: dsudis
Author Website: Words Words Words
Why this must be read:

Pity Caroline Fraser, the first person to stand between the harsh, cold world and Benton Fraser's desire to help.

In this vignette, Dira Sudis presents us with six-year-old Fraser, too young to have anything like a grownup Fraser's competence in navigating an unforgiving frontier life, but already convinced he knows best. The child's POV is spare and unsentimental, and all the more heartbreaking for it, because the seeds of the person Ben will become are all there in plain sight - all the sweetness and determination and absolutely-crazy-makingness of the man.

The Way He Should Go

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski
Length: 6,275 words
Author on LJ: arrow00
Author Website: Artemis-Arrow
Why this must be read:

Sometimes it takes a while to realize how far you've come in your life. And then sometimes, when you do realize, you panic.

( The silence in the tent is like a heavy black blanket pushing against Ray's chest. Fraser even breathes quietly, and Ray finds it annoying, just like most things that are perfect about Fraser. Like the way he sleeps on his back with his hands placed just so on his stomach. Or the way his hair, in spite of the lack of showers and haircuts and combs, even, still lies perfectly above his forehead in longer curls. Like the way he never says what he doesn't mean to, or does what he shouldn't. )

Too Far

Fandom: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Pairing:none; Margaret Edmondson and Laura Roslin
Length: about 2500
Author on LJ: larsfarm77
Author Website: on LJ
Why this must be read: I loved the original story (The Small Moments, by runawaynun) and this extension of it works so well. Racetrack remembers her interactions with President Roslin, and those experiences range from tragic to tender. It goes past the endpoint of the first story (written in 2007) and uses information from the series finale to create a bittersweet yet hopeful ending for a secondary character who is often overlooked.

The Small Moments II

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Size: 6K
Author on LJ: callistosh65
Author Website: http://www.callizz.org/S&H/S&H_stories.htm
Why this must be read:

Callisto wrote one of my favorite lines in the Starsky/Hutch slash fandom:

"Such devotion, Blondie. Wish I was a Boston fern."

It’s from her story Drenched, which, to my great sadness, has already been recced here.

Therefore, because I’m not supposed to recommend a fic that’s already listed on the van, I’m going to have to recommend another of her fics that always gives me a smile: Atrocities Perpetrated by Kenneth Hutchinson (The Abridged List) As Compiled and Edited by Det. David Starsky.

I would love to read the atrocities perpetrated by David Starsky (poke, poke, Callisto).

Please don’t forget to send feedback to the author!

Atrocities Perpetrated by Kenneth Hutchinson (The Abridged List) As Compiled and Edited by Det. David Starsky

Fandom: Xena Warrior Princess
Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle, super-light Xena/Ares and super light Gabrielle/OC
Length: 6,525 words
Author LJ: n/a
Author Website: http://www.academyorbards.org/fanfic/t/temora

Why This Must Be Read:

Because it is the funniest thing ever written for the Xena-verse. Seriously.
The author does their own take of a regular day for Xena and Gabrielle, the warlord they encounter, the village they must save and every other cliched/repetitive thing that occurred on the show itself.
And it is so accurate in its snark, that you know this author absolutely loves Xena Warrior Princess like no other.


( a bit of the story )


Fighting the Good Fight by Temora

Fandom: STAR WARS [AU]
Pairing: Han Solo/Leia Organa
Length: 2,836
Author on LJ: -
Author Website: skywalker05 @ ffn
Why this must be read: So, the premise of this story is simple: Han Solo is Force-sensitive.

Yes, I am aware that there are multiple levels of irony associated with that statement -- Han, the self-proclaimed skeptic of Luke's "hokey religion", an actual adherent of the religion itself? Well, yes, actually. And not only does skywalker05 actually acknowledge this irony in the context of the OT, she expands on it, using it to add to and explain Han's own character and actions in the films in a way that doesn't, actually, contradict canon. In fact, this fic could almost be canon. Why did Han Solo manage to survive so long before joining the Alliance? How did he know that he had to turn back and save Luke at Yavin? In what way did he manage never to die, no matter how many shootouts were involved? Simple. If Anakin Skywalker would race pods while unaware of his own abilities, then damn it, Han Solo could survive the OT. And he did.

Han's voice is down perfectly in Array, and skyawlker05 creates an excellent portrayal of Han Solo as you know and love him -- only this Han Solo's a lot more conflicted, in a perpetual state of denial, and has a lot more emotional baggage to boot. And critics, there's no reason to start calling Stu on us: Han's not even that strong in the Force, and Vader even goes as far as to make an offhand comment about his relative weakness in it while torturing him on Bespin. So, no fear, there's no "second chosen one" in this. In keeping with the IC Han Solo that we know and love, he doesn't even become a Jedi willingly, or, indeed, a true Jedi at all.

The story is intelligently and powerfully structured as a series of single paragraphs each based on a common theme: that of the face of a Sabaac card (very fitting for a certain Captain Solo, eh?). And it's also angsty and introspective, with a perfect glance at the psyche of Han Solo, canon or not, Force-sensitive or not.

If Han knew how, he would command you to read this. So, you will.

Idiot's Array @ ffn