I’m continuing in the Mother’s Day theme – with a twist. This is for all you angst-puppies out there!

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Blair/Jim
Length: 120K
Author on LJ: gardendoor 
Author Website: at the 852 prospect archive  and via Reocities

Why this must be read:  It’s a sensitive treatment of a genre I thought I’d never read, much less recommend. No matter that T.W. is an incredible writer. No matter that dozens of people raved about the story. I just never thought I would read *or* believe in *or* enjoy an mpreg story.  I admit I was dead wrong.

This is not an AU in any usual sense – the guy isn’t an elf, he doesn’t change into a woman, nor does he live in a universe where males can get pregnant. Instead, it’s what I call a “left-turn AU”; something that starts in canon and takes a bit of a detour. Okay, a hell of a detour. It begins after SenToo and continues on past the end of the series, where Blair has started training at the police academy.

If you ignore the impossibility of male pregnancy, you will have an incredibly complex story that covers a whole gamut of angst and love. All the leftover guilts and trust issues concerning Alex and TSbBS. Jim’s continuing issues with being regarded as a freak. How they try to deal with their relationship (they are in the closet) with their colleagues and themselves. And unrevealed secrets of Blair’s past. The phrase “that which does not kill us makes us stronger” would be apt here. And the last scene of the story is so heart-wrenching and hopeful that it gets to me every time I re-read it.

So, even if you thought you’d never read this genre, take a chance on this one. You won’t be sorry.

Problem, Child


--magician’s mantra: make an author’s day. Send feedback if you liked their story!

Okay! After a week of getting-to-know-you/case!fic/team-dynamics fics, let's move onto the other stuff (*cough*porn and angst).

Fandom: THE MENTALIST
Pairing: Jane/Lisbon
Length: 1544
Author on LJ: not_as_we 
Author Website: LJ masterlist here
Why this must be read:  Personally, I have a lot of trouble buying Jane/Lisbon as a ship in the current time frame. By which I mean, I think they'd make a completely indomitable couple in the future, but given Jane's emotional healing (or lack thereof) currently, it takes a lot to make me believe either one of them would choose to initiate something.

This fic makes me believe it. It's short, lyrical, and just as much a character study of Lisbon (and Jane/Lisbon) as it is a hot slice of het.

[Please note that the actual ficlet is untitled. I chose to refer to it as "Teresa Lisbon Over 21 Years" based on the author's summary and for ease of rec'ing.]

How frail the human heart must be - a mirrored pool of thought.

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Methos/Duncan MacLeod
Length: 2,660 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Sundara at HLFiction
Why this must be read:

This story is a little nugget of gold. It brings to life a small town through Methos’ eyes, and while there’s nothing more going on than a stop-off during a road-trip, the reader gets the sense of how Methos manages to blend into his surroundings so well. It’s a calmly told story, rich with details, and the beginning of it sets the reader up for the nuanced conversation between Methos and MacLeod that comes at the end.

Drenched in the scene-equivalent of ‘Americana’, this story is as sweet and rich as the peach pie served at the diner.


Nose Prints on Glass