Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Doctor/Master (One/Koschei)
Length: 2,357
Author on LJ: tula_peiwa
Author Website: LJ fic tag
Why this must be read:

It's a quiet, bittersweet little fic that reads like a vignette, but shows a pivotal moment in two of the big mysteries of Doctor Who. Why did the Doctor and Susan leave Gallifrey? And how did the boy who was the Doctor's best friend become his best enemy?

( After a falling out as violent and public as theirs had been, it was expected that Gallifrey's second most infamous duo would be putting as much physical and temporal distance between each other as possible, while respecting the Laws of Time. )

It's rare to find a pre-series fic where the Doctor really seems like the First Doctor, that cranky, fearful, old/young man. This fic succeeds with flying colors.

Away

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Doctor/Master (Five/Ainley!Master)
Length: 70,783
Author on LJ: x_los
Author Website: LJ fic masterlist or at Teaspoon
Why this must be read:

For Valentine's Day, I bring you epic AU slavefic! ...Wait, where are you going? Come back!

No, but really, it's brilliant. The premise: the Doctor was brought up on Earth instead of Gallifrey, and despite growing up to be, well, the Doctor, complete with a stolen TARDIS, has never met any Time Lords outside his family. That is, until he stumbles into a slave market while loopy with regeneration sickness. The Master, who in the absence of a lifelong nemesis has restricted his megalomania to a little beneficent galactic dictatorship, finds him there and decides he must have him...as his new scientific advisor. Shenanigans, obviously, ensue.

( 'If it’s not too terribly cliché, could we go through the traditional questions?' 'Ah.' The other man had what seemed to be an almost-perpetual warm smirk. 'I trust you refer to ‘where am I?’ ‘Who are you?’' 'The classics,' the Doctor agreed, “beloved of those recently restored to consciousness the universe over.'' )

What x_los has done here is nothing short of amazing: she's taken one of the sketchiest old fanfic cliches and simultaneously subverted it - both plotwise, because the Master wants the Doctor for science before sex and because the Doctor is far from helpless, and tonally, because this fic is frequently laugh-out-loud funny (there are even some Hitchhiker's Guide crossover bits) - and also written the heck out of it in a serious way, with equal attention given to the hotness and the inherent screwed-up-ness of the trope. The Whoniverse presented is lively and chock-full of classic characters, the plot is engagingly plotty, and the AU is curiously effective in examining both characters and who they are at their core.

(I do feel I should warn for dub-con; it's somewhat inherent in the premise, and the author doesn't pull punches with that. It's not depicted as being without consequence, but there are one or two scenes that could be triggering. Fair warning.)

The Crane Wife

I didn't realise my first offering was locked so here's another bit of Valentine's goodness in place of it.

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Length: 1,726 words
Author on LJ: erushi
Author Website: http://hatstandfic.net/viewuser.php?uid=24
Why this must be read:


Erushi is not a well known Pros writer but I adore her style. She tends to write little one offs, but believe me when I say, even her little one offs are bits of pure pleasure. She has this special way of turning words into a musical experience which makes me smile and smile. It's truly a special treat when she posts. This is a short story she wrote for Valentine's Day in a Discovered in a Live Journal challenge.

They get so drunk that they begin tossing chocolates into each other’s mouths.

They get so drunk that, when Doyle nearly loses a tooth, Bodie offers to feed them straight into his mouth.

Bodie unwraps foils of silver and of gold with an earnestness only the inebriated can ever achieve before tipping sugar-laden confection after confection past parted lips, dark chocolate and milk chocolate and (oh, vile misnomer) white. His thumb is warm, soft, gentle, and each breath of laughter is a playful huff against Doyle’s ear.

Doyle allows himself to pretend that he is drunk enough that he can catch the pad of Bodie’s thumb with a pink dart of his tongue without either of them noticing. It tastes sweet and milky and perhaps just a little bitter, chocolate-like, and Bodie’s thumb lingers each time on the curve of his lower lip before sweeping softly over its outline and away.

Six Moments of Valentine's

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES
Pairing: Buffy/Angel, Angel/Cordelia
Length: Eight chapters of 3K+ words
Author on LJ: yahtzee63 
Author Website: yahtzee!

Why this must be read: I always debate whether or not to rec this piece. It's a crossover of the insert-these-characters-into-that-setting variety, which I normally avoid, and it's as much Angel/Cordelia, which squicks me, as it is Buffy/Angel. But here it is. The overall premise--the story of "Casablanca" set in the Hyperion Hotel--works seamlessly in the Angel universe, and the characterizations are spot-on. I still don't agree with the Angel/Cordelia foundations, but I appreciate the treatment here. As for the Buffy/Angel relationship, it's darker and more pragmatic than it might otherwise be, but then, the world built here may demand that. Yahtzee doesn't diminish the importance of the relationship, though, and instead hones in on their connection as warriors and on their mutual reliance in something like that capacity.
( The Hyperion Hotel is again accepting guests.  )
As Time Goes By

Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing: Ian/Nikki/Charlie
Length: 4,221
Author on LJ: emmademarais
Author Website: http://emmademarais.livejournal.com
Why this must be read:

( The Internet is for… )

Jet Black

Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing: Charlie/Ian
Length: 6,000
Author on LJ: ladygray99
Author Website: http://ladygray99.livejournal.com
Why this must be read:

Ian stirred the stove fire. Charlie was asleep. He’d been asleep for almost three days. On the second day he’d run a fever and thrashed with nightmares. Ian only woke him to pour fluids down his throat. He let the fever burn itself out.

This must be read because it’s probably the best thing ladygray99 has ever written and she’s written some pretty cool shit.

It’s a drabble series (20x300) that looks at what might happen if Charlie ever took a life.

It’s an idea that has been written by other people but this one feels the most right. Even with the slash it’s the way you’d hope the characters would react in cannon if the show had ever gone there.

It reads quickly, moves well and is very beautiful.

Someplace Safe

Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing: Megan/Larry
Length: 4,888
Author on LJ: valeriev84
Author Website: http://valeriev84.livejournal.com/
Why this must be read:

Megan cried out as pain lanced through her, slamming into her mind. She fought the urge to black out and instead kept still, simply riding it out. When the pain had finally lessened somewhat, she took stock of her injuries. Most of the pain seemed to be emanating from her left side, all the way from her shoulder and arm, right down to her leg which felt like it was being squeezed by a vice. Her head was also pounding.

This is a story that makes you work for the ending (worth it).

It’s from Megan’s POV as she wakes in the wreckage of her car and is not a simple read.

Her mind jumps around trying to put her world together through the pain. The title comes from Megan’s scattered mind associating colors with people and feelings (white is good, Larry likes white, Red bad, too much red).

It’s not a casual read but it’s a story that’ll get stuck in your head, in a good way.

Venéra in Silence and Color

Fandom: THE X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Length: 55k
Author on LJ: Not to my knowledge.
Author Website: Gossamer page

Why this must be read: Looking over my selections for the month, I've realized that they're biased toward angst. That isn't really surprising: like a good product of the '90s, The X-Files was an angsty, angsty show. And although I vastly prefer, and am mostly reccing, fics that don't end too unhappily, I thought Valentine's Day might be a good occasion for a little break from all the sturm und drang.

"The Airport" is a post-ep for "The Goldberg Variation" - yes, I do have some vague acquaintance with season 7! The premise is that Mulder and Scully, who have not yet gotten their act together, get storm-stranded at O'Hare for approximately a million years (or, okay, many hours, but delays feel longer). Eventually, they're reduced to seeking sustenance in an airport restaurant. And things progress from there. This is a well-observed but light-hearted, affectionate take on the characters, and a fun, sexy, one-shot fic.


( excerpt )


You can find the entire thing toward the top of her Gossamer listing.

Tomorrow is the 15th of the month, which means Crack Van Collisions, a.k.a. cross-over day.

Drivers, you may rec one fic that crosses over your fandom with another (no, this does not count against your maximum). Please post crossovers in the following format:

Subject: Fandom/Fandom (Rating)

Title: Title by Author
Pairing: (no abbreviations, please)
Author on LJ:
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

(link to story)

tags: fanfic, crossover, fandom, fandom, etc.



Thanks, all!

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: Chris and Buck
Length: 556 words
Author on LJ: http://hardboiledbaby.livejournal.com/
Author Website: at AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/hardboiledbaby/works)
Why this must be read: Just in time for Valentine's Day, brand new awesome M7 story.Very rough and tumble Chris and Buck with just the right amount of the L word thrown in.

Never the Easy Way

Fandom: GILMORE GIRLS
Pairing: Luke/Rachel, Luke/Lorelai
Length: 3039 words
Author on LJ: fairy_tale_echo 
Author Website: LJ fic tag, fairy_tale_echo at Black & White & Read 

Why this must be read: I liked Rachel, Luke's globe-trotting, photographer former girlfriend. I could see what attracted Luke to her. Aside from being beautiful she had an effortless grace about her. There was no drama with Rachel and she jelled nicely with Luke's low-key nature. I also loved that she took Luke at face value. With Luke what you see is what you got and Rachel understood that. However, despite all that, by the time Rachel made her appearance/re-appearance in Stars Hollow in late season one Luke was clearly a man with different needs. Does he welcome the familiar that is Rachel or does he wait for the possibility of Lorelai?  With this wonderful introspective fic, Luke examines his relationship with both women. First, there's Rachel, on the morning after her return. Their encounter is juxtaposed with Luke and Lorelai's first night together a few years later. The prose in this fic is beautiful and lyrical. There's a tiny amount of angst with a nice dose of luvin' thrown in for good measure.



( Excerpt )

We Shine Like a Burning Star by fairy_tale_echo