Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Length: 1200 words
Author on LJ: wax_jism
Author Website: http://www.waxjism.org/fork.html
Why this must be read:

This story is painful, raw, brutal and definitely needs several trigger warnings. It is also beautifully written and Jim's sentinel awareness is at the core of it. I highly recommend the story and the rest of my rec is under the cut along with the trigger warning. Don't click if you'd prefer to be completely unspoiled. ( Read more... )

brainchild

If you need a feel good fic after that, check out my next rec.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Length: 16,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Kalena's Keyhole

Why this must be read:

Jim and Blair are on a road trip to Key West. Being away from home can lift inhibitions and Jim impulsively kisses Blair. Kalena writes with wonderful sensual descriptiveness and the rest of the story is about the two of them exploring each other and what this new possibility means for their relationship. It's a very sweet and hot story.

( Blair wakes Jim up in time to watch the sun rise. )

Leaning and Falling

Last stop, folks! Ending our tour on a fantastic fix-it fic. :)

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: 9,379 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: http://home.comcast.net/~regmoore2005/index.html
Also: Charlotte Frost at the Me and Thee Archive
Why this must be read:

There were several Charlotte Frost stories recently posted online for the first time, thrilling her readers—present company included—to no end. I haven’t actually gotten to these new gems yet (RL, thou art a bitch), but I found an "old" gem that hasn’t been recced here, so *squee*!

And it really is a gem: set immediately after Black and Blue—an ep that, frankly, didn’t live up to its potential—Charlotte smooths out some of the fugly bits of the plot, and gives us the H/C that was so sorely missing on-screen. It’s a satisfying fic that gives me the warm and fuzzies. :)

( And looky, bonus "Shootout" flashback, too; the icing on the cake~ )

Hero

---

So, that's it for this month; hope you’ve enjoyed the ride! Gratuity in the form of comments/feedback to the authors is much appreciated. :) And consider being a crack_van driver! More fun than a barrel of monkeys (pauses for a moment to ponder why a barrel of monkeys is supposed to be funny...). Anyway, sign up here to take your turn at the wheel!

Fandom: BANDOM
Pairing: Pete/Patrick
Length: 4,500 words
Author on LJ: swear_jar
Author Website: author's masterlist of fic
Why this must be read: My theme for these last two recs is "stories that could have gone so, so wrong but were written so, so well". It's always a challenge in bandom to write around - or especially with - the reality of band break-ups or falling-outs. This story cuts between Pete and Patrick last year (when Fall Out Boy went on hiatus and Pete was being quite public about how upset he was), and Pete and Patrick when they were young and touring in the van.

It's a bittersweet story, with all of Pete's insecurities and neediness on full display, but swear_jar - who does a consistently amazing job writing the complexities of his character - makes you really care for him, issues and all. The end result is painful and sexy and kind of hopeful at the same time, and is really worth reading!

( Excerpt )

You're Perfect, Yes, It's True (Go On And Ring My Neck)

Thanks to everyone who drove around in the Bones van with me this month! It’s been a blast! I encourage everyone to sign up for your turn at the wheel!

Fandom: BONES
Pairing: None
Length: 537
Author on LJ: ohladybegood
Author Website: dress without sleeves on FF.net
Why this must be read:

Author’s summary: Booth, Bones, and Sweets at the bowling alley. "You know, it's a statistical impossibility for Booth to be good at everything." Oh, Sweets. That is so untrue.

As much as I don’t care for Sweets, I love the moments when Booth and Brennan lend him a shoulder. This is fun little glimpse of their evening at the bowling alley post-Sweets’ breakup with April, and dress without sleeves manages to pack an impressive amount of characterization into just over 500 words.

fast food and testosterone spills

My final rec today, and I'm going to go out with one of the most-loved stories in Pros fandom - I can't believe it's not been recced here yet!

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Length: Novel
Author on LJ: caffyolay
Author Website: List of and links to Lizzie's stories
Why this must be read: Because it is the most wonderful historical AU story, and gorgeous for its take on Bodie/Doyle. The lads are absolutely the lads, even though they've been pulled back to Edwardian England and given what seem at first glance to be quite unlikely lifestyles - and yet they're not... Bodie is a gentleman living off a comfortable allowance in Cornwall, with a sideline in birdwatching and writing books about birds. Doyle is also a gentleman with a presumably comfortable income who travels the country researching and writing books about ghosts. They meet, of course, and their brilliance as partners is immediately obvious - they complement each other's talents and passions, and their canon-esque natures bring them into trouble and adventure whilst investigating strange goings-on. In the eps, they're both living a comfortable lifestyle, their brilliance as partners is obvious, they complement each other's talents and passions... and so on! *g* Oh, and just as in the eps, they're both hell on wheels - though the "infernal machines" in question are bicycles...

Lizzie's love of both the lads and her native Cornwall floods through this story, so that you feel every breath of wind, see every turn of a street, and hear every word the lads speak. She is also a complete mistress of the hot and steamy, which is yet another reason to love these stories so totally.

( Excerpt )

The first five stories are archived online in a couple of places, but the final story is currently not archived with the others, though it is available online. The link below takes you to a list of all six stories, with links to each online source including one for the final story.

A Birdwatcher's Guide to Cornish Ghosts

I started this month with a Spyke story and I'm going to close with another. I've had a fun time exploring the possibilities in Jim's heightened senses and I hope you've found my recs interesting.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Length: 10,500 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Spyke at 852 Prospect

Why this must be read:

It's Blair's first day as a detective in Major Crimes and Jim is searching for a gift. He comes across a beautiful glass sculpture of a fish created by an artist with hyper acute vision. Jim feels a connection with the artist and his own vision begins to flash in and out of microscopic depths. He's seeing too clearly, especially Megan and Blair's growing interest in each other. This is a slow, quiet story as Jim becomes aware of his own feelings and tries to do the decent thing. ( Read more... )

Glass Fish

Fandom: Star Trek: Reboot
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Length: 18,500
Author on LJ: green_postit
Why this must be read: I'm not a fan of mafia type stories and rarely read them at all, but this story...is a real masterpiece of the genre.

The AU, set more or less present day, starts when McCoy is invited to LA to work at a hospital with one of his heroes. It isn't long before he meets Kirk who is DA by day and Crime boss at all other times. There's an inevitability about their attraction to each other, and Bones' gradual entry into The Family.

The author provides a wonderfully atmostpheric story that definitely draws the reader in, and the depiction of the other characters as crime figures is awesome. I love Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu and Spock. Jim is gorgeously bad, but still Jim and Leonard is so brave and strong. Check out the character rap sheets for a better perspective of them; and then read

Knives in the water

Okay, my last rec for the month! I appreciate all of you being kind on my first time out, even though it was a bit of a bumpy ride! For my last rec I come bearing the first RPF fic to ever fully move me. As an RPF pairing Simon Pegg/Nick Frost is deceptively rare - their epic bromance well charted to the point where they actively ship themselves. But, from within this very small sub-genre I have found a piece based on an actual story that they tell on chatshows that epitomizes them as best friends and for those like me (with slash goggles firmly implanted) their unique relationship.

Fandom: RPF (British Comedy
Pairing: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
Length: ~1,000
Author on LJ: kindkit
Author Website: On AO3
Why this must be read:

Sadly, very few people write RPF for Simon & Nick... fortunately it allows this amazing slice of life piece to be a shining example of what can be done. This short (but amazingly sweet) piece is a take on the story Simon has told many times about sleeping (as in actual sleeping, not sex) together one last time the night before Simon's wedding. This is gen, but the guys do fall into a very homosocial arena in real life as well as fiction.

When I came up to rec for the fandom, this was the one I knew I had to close with. A story of doors closing and opening, and everything changing while remaining delightfully the same. It is the first RPF fic that moved me to the point of tearing up. Honestly, it's well worth the first read - and every one after. Absolutely amazing work.

Best Man

Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Naruto/Gaara/Sasuke
Length: Medium - 2 parts
Author on LJ: Thursday_Kat@LJ
Author Website: Kat Fic Master List
Why this must be read:

Wow, somehow, this didn't go through last week so I'm trying again. Alibi is a lovely threesome pwp that develops a plot, almost in spite of itself. On a trip to Suna, Naruto comes up with a ridiculous plan, just to provide Susuke an alibi. Gaara is glad to help. heh!

Thursday_Kat has the most lovely turn of a phrase that makes all her work addictive but there is something special here. Taken from Sasuke's POV, the story should be dark and oppressive. Instead, Sasuke has a charming sense of bewilderment that draws you in while Gaara and Naruto delight.

Enjoy Alibi.

Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Naruto/Sasuke
Length: 12,865 Words
Author on LJ: Rosalui's LJ
Author Website: Rosalui@FF.net
Why this must be read:

As my last rec, please read my favorite Naruto Post-Series adventure And Time Runs Out. Konoha is threatened by the overwhelming forces of the Samuri Nation and war is on the horizon. Naruto has never known the meaning of quit but with even the 'way of the ninja' threatened and all chakra suppressed, the Seventh Hokage must prove he has tricks not even Iruka has imagined. Sasuke & the other Kages decide they 'may' help.

Rosalui's story is a slick, fast-paced adventure Masashi Kishimoto would be envious of taking his characters on, it's a great read no matter how much of the series you may know. With the added bonus of some smexy art on one of the sites, And Time Runs Out is a delicious treat for any Naruto fan. Don't forget to feed the author. She is a wonderful addition to the fandom.

And Time Runs Out

Thanks for letting me drive all these months. Hope someone else will grab the keys.