FANDOM: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL: THE SERIES
PAIRING: Buffy/Angel, very brief mentions of others
LENGTH: One-shot, <1,000 words
AUTHOR ON LJ: trixiefirecra
AUTHOR WEBSITE: this girl's a FIRECRACKER

Why this must be read: This fic illustrates the ever-present strom und drang of the B/A relationship, while capturing a several key moments in that relationship, which are also key moments in their lives. The angst is ever-present, but, as in canon, it doesn't preclude love or a small moment of (imperfect) happiness. The first paragraph in particular always gets me.

 

( “We’d never survive.” “I always do.” “Don’t sound so sad about that.”  )

Five Times Buffy Kissed Angel (and once when she didn't)

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Length: 45,913 words
Author on LJ: dawnebeth
Author Website: http://dawnebeth.livejournal.com/profile
Why this must be read:

Dawn has given me one of my "kinks" in this story where Doyle is frantic after Bodie disappears on an undercover operation. Doyle is determined to find his partner and in order to do so, he joins the criminal band of aristocrat Edward Daniels, a group whose members are all tattooed with the image of a black and red snake running down their arm. This is a gripping and exciting story from one of my favourite writers.

Doyle watched the black ink tracing over his skin, completely detached from the proceedings. He barely felt the burr of the needle imbedding the design into his flesh, the dark line curving up and over his bicep. If this is what he had to do to keep Bodie safe, so be it. He'd tattoo his face like a Maori native to get the information—he just couldn't let on why he was doing so.

Maintaining the cold, neutral expression that he'd worn for the last few days, Doyle raised his eyes to the four men witnessing his initiation. The tattoo artist didn't count, he was only there to do the work, someone who would be paid well to keep his eyes and ears closed. The other three were men were on a completely different level; cruel, heartless and violent.

All three wore identical black and red serpents on their arms, the symbol of their brotherhood.

"What's next?" Doyle asked boldly. "Out for a pint to let the ink dry?"

"He's funny." Mosby snickered, showing his crooked teeth.

"He's cocky," Daniels said, his flat brown eyes flicking from the snake forming on Doyle's arm down to his groin and back again. There was no trace of emotion on his face but Doyle felt a wave of malevolence from the man, the one who had grabbed Bodie four days earlier. Doyle just had to find his partner before he was killed. If he wasn't dead already.

Indelibly Marked

Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing: Don/Kim, Charlie/Susan, Amita/Pemberton (Lots of others.)
Length: Novella
Author on LJ: emmademarais
Author Website: http://emmademarais.livejournal.com
Why this must be read:

The blood pumping sequel to Vice. The Eppes Empire is under attack from the law (some with fewer morals than them) and other master criminals who would love to take their place in the LA underworld.

There are gun battles, chases, double crossed lovers, angst and people going completely bat shit crazy. It’s like a movie you’d buy extra popcorn to see but way better than any Hollywood schlock.

Virtue goes Het as Don and Charlie find women who are willing to love them in spite of who they are, what they do, and the body count.

You have to read this because you know you need to find out what happened after Vice.

Virtue (scroll to bottom of the post to find the chapter links)

Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing: Megan, Lots of others, mostly het.
Length: Novella (but shorter than the first two)
Author on LJ: emmademarais
Author Website: http://emmademarais.livejournal.com
Why this must be read:

The follow up to Vice and Virtue, Sin gives us a taste of Megan's reign as head of a criminal empire now that the boys have done their bit to raise L.A.'s annual body count.

Megan is trying to expand her empire while fighting off pressure from other master criminals and the law.

Like its predecessors, Sin is exciting and part of a richly detailed world that leaves your blood pumping and you cheering for the bad guys.

And you want to read it because nothing is better than watching Megan be a total B.A.M.F.

Sin

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Anakin/Obi-Wan
Length: 7,114
Author on LJ: imadra_blue
Author Website: Profile at Archive of Our Own
Why this must be read:

Because no matter how hard Obi-Wan Kenobi tries to keep his emotional distance from Anakin Skywalker he just can't help but become attached. imadra_blue is one of the best writers in the fandom and she does an excellent job here characterizing Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship and the unwillingness of both men in the last days of the Clone Wars to let down their barriers and just talk.

( Excerpt )

Not Necessarily Sacred

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Scully/Skinner, Mulder/Scully
Length: ~23,000 words
Author on LJ: rivkat
Author Website: In addition to the fic tag at her LJ and her Dreamwidth account, there's a Gossamer page, a slot at AO3, and a personal archive.

Why this must be read: In general, I'm wary of fics that are case files or similarly long and plot-intensive, simply because it can be so hard to pull off well. This is one of a couple of exceptions that I'll be recommending this month. The plot is not exactly like one that might occur in canon; it's both a little darker and a little brighter. 

And it's the plot itself that's a big part of the draw. "Blood and Breath" is a post-"Gethsemane" fic; in it, Scully really does believe that Mulder has committed suicide, and she works through the immediate aftermath of that only to go on what's effectively a suicide mission of her own, preferring to die fighting rather than of her cancer. Needless to say, things go pear-shaped, leading Mulder et al. to their own erroneous conclusions, and what follows is one of the best myth-arc fics I've ever encountered. The writing is strong, the characterizations are spot-on, and the brutality that the characters confront, like its consequences for them, is neither glossed over nor pushed over the line into character torture. It's also a story that does a satisfying, subtle job of dealing with the moral and emotional implications of the situations that it presents, without losing a sense of hope. Additional props are due for an excellent supporting cast as well.


( Excerpt )


Read the whole thing on AO3, RivkaT, or Gossamer, and do leave feedback if you get the chance!

Fandom: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
Characters/Pairing: Anna-centric, Katherine, Anna/Jeremy, one-sided Anna/Ben
Length: 3300 words
Author on LJ: perfectlystill
Author Website: incoherent_muse, Fic Masterlist
Why this must be read: Fantastic characterization of my favourite non-regular, who does not appear in nearly enough fanfiction? (Anna is a tiny, adorable vampire who befriends cute boys for the purpose of using their blood to resurrect her vampire mom. She refers to herself as a stalker and is comfortable with that. Plus she's surprisingly stable! WHY IS THERE NOT MORE FIC?! /rant) This fic gives a plausible evolution of her character, from that giggling, innocent-looking girl in white we see in the flashbacks to the cunning, morally ambiguous, lonely girl we see in the current timeline. I especially love her complex relationship with Katherine, something referred to but not properly explored in canon. The recurring themes of love and control are especially appropriate with these characters (and really, the series as a whole).

Like the Burning End of a Midnight Cigarette

Fandom: STAR TREK REBOOT
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy (Spock/Uhura and KirkPrime/SpockPrime discussed)
Length: 10, 093
Author on LJ: anne_higgins
Author Website: http://anne-higgins.livejournal.com/
Why this must be read: This was one of the first Kirk/McCoy fic's I ever read and it is still one of the best. The author takes them as friends and then to a whole new level in a completely believable and heartrending way. It show both of their weaknesses and how they bring out the best in each other. Go read it. Oh, and did I mention there are sequels?
( intrigueing snippet )

No-Win Scenario