Fandom: GENERATION KILL
Pairing: Nate Fick/Brad Colbert
Length: 34876
Author on LJ: hackthis
Author Website: hackthis,
Why this must be read:

From one Get Some to another! Every fandom has a High School AU - it's another of those cliches. But this one - perhaps one of the best-known fics in the fandom - is absolutely stellar, like all of hackthis' work.

All the gang are there - but Nate and Brad are best friends, co-captains of the football team, absolutely inseparable since childhood. And then there's a realisation, and everything goes to hell in the proverbial handbasket. The characterisation is fantastic - even the guys who only appear briefly or in the background are perfectly drawn - and the OCs are excellent, especially Nate and Brad's mums. The feelings and writing are perfect and intense, and the guys all feel like themselves, like real people - albeit younger. The pacing is great - nothing ever drags, and you're always pulled along and in - I read this in one sitting, staying up to 0300. There's humour and heartwrenching and sweet and smartass and really, everything you need in a fic, never mind an AU.

And in case you were wondering - the sex scenes? Locate the nearest cold shower before you start reading.


( Excerpt... )


Get Some

Fandom: HAWAII FIVE-0 (new)
Pairing: Steve/Danny, Danny/Rachel (past)
Length: ~ 18,984 words
Author on LJ: gyzym
Author Website: fan fiction masterlist on LJ; works on AO3
Why this must be read: Because Danny wakes up in New Jersey. Okay, it takes a terrible day of hating his life and bickering with everyone in Hawaii before it happens, but the fact remains that he wakes up in New Jersey, with Rachel, and his life in Hawaii, his relationship with Steve - all gone in an instant.

Yes, it's about "what would have happened to the people you care about without you there?" but since we know that's a tried and true technique, let's not knock it. It works. Danny still meets Steve, who has come to NJ on the trail of Victor Hesse, but this Steve is thinner, harder, and keeping the world at bay. Danny hates it and can't help but try to do something about it.

I think the thing I like most about this story is that it isn't so much "Danny realizes how much the others need him" as it is "Danny realizes what it means to lose those people who've meant so much to him in Hawaii." It's a subtle difference, but it feels important because Danny has to come to terms with the mistakes he's made. He doesn't know if he's going to be able to get back to his life, so he tries to make the best of the hand he's been dealt, all the while coming face-to-face with the reality of what happens to people when they lose what they've loved. It's an engaging story, with a nice balance of humor and drama, and definitely one of my favourites.

( 'I want to be back in Jersey with actual goddamn seasons and real pizza and sandwiches that don't get you shot at, I want my kid back, I want to never look at another beach or palm tree or fucking pineapple again, and maybe that's not what you expect, McGarrett, but that's what I want, alright?' )

On AO3: Don't Turn Me Home Again

On LJ: Don't Turn Me Home Again

It doesn't matter how old or new or how popular a story is, authors love feedback!

Fandom: HAWAII FIVE-0 (new)
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Length: ~ 15,461 words
Author on LJ: leupagus
Author Website: fan fiction tag on LJ; works on AO3
Why this must be read: We all have a need to define things in our lives, to know where we stand. Danny Williams is no different. He and Steve have been doing something for a little while now, but Danny doesn't know what to call it, and he really wants a name for it.

So, they go on a date ... which lasts approximately 36 hours and 15 minutes. Is that enough to tell Danny what they have and where they're going? Leupagus is funny and prolific, and her Danny is hilarious. (Not to mention the getting together is hot, hot, hot!)

( 'We’re not dating and we’re not fucking but we’re doing something, don’t ask me what, but I just figured it’d be... I don’t know,” he admits. “I like definitions.' )

On AO3: Thirty-Six Hours and Fifteen Minutes

On DW: Thirty-Six Hours and Fifteen Minutes tag (start at bottom)

It doesn't matter how old or new or how popular a story is, authors love feedback!

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: none
Length: 63,166 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Fanfic.net
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: A covert and dangerous assignment tests the bond between Tony and McGee and forces Gibbs to face some unpleasant truths. Can he hold his team together or is it too late?

Laine3112 reigns as one of my queens for casefics in NCIS fandom; the way she's able to spin together action sequences, plot twists, h/c elements, and team-y goodness is something to behold. I had a hard time picking a favorite, but I picked Means to an End as it had a few more elements besides all those previously mention.

Besides an incredibly suspenseful survival story that will leave you biting your nails to the quick, this story provides some insightful illumination on the Tony / McGee friendship and how far they are willing to go for each other. With their snippiness in canon that sometimes makes me grind my teeth in irritation, reading a fic where they have such a deep friendship and keep each other alive in a dangerous situation is a real treat. And then there's the fantastic characterization of Tony. He's portrayed as an incredibly competent agent with a deep knowledge in the background politics of the law enforcement world and how to stay alive in desperate scenarios.

So all those elements including more delicious tidbits like the trust issues that arose in the mid seasons between Tony and Gibbs, just as one example, make this fic a wonderful way to kill a few hours. It will suck you in and keep you enthralled through Laine3112's storytelling and characterization skills.

Means to an End

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: short
Author on LJ: not known
Author Website: HERE
Why this must be read: The sole reason I could give would be that it’s Suzan Lovett’s story and that would be enough said. However, it’s a wonderful story about the future of the partnership that is being decided about just after the tag in Sweet Revenge. And it’s simply beautiful!

"What next, Starsk?"

Next, I was gonna fall asleep, I knew, as I realized those shots hadn't only been painkillers. It bothers the hell outta me that they never tell you exactly what they're doin' to you at the hospital. Anyway, though, I knew that wasn't what Hutch was askin'.

"I don't know yet. First I wanna get outta here, then the rehab. This time I may not have much choice. I'll have to wait and see what can be repaired and what's permanent."

He got huffy at my choice of words. Guess I should know better, but I also have my quirks. Comes from being a loner until I ran into this urban cowboy. I can give easier than I can take, and it bothers Hutch that he's got to offer instead of me takin' it granted as my god-given right.

He set me straight very unsubtly. "As far as we have a choice, what are we choosing?"

ENCORE by Suzan Lovett (R)

Fandom: LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: Sam/Gene
Length: 2,981
Author on LJ: severinne
Author Website: Fic index
Why this must be read:
For many of the same reasons you should read everything by severinne: she has the show's combination of humor and angst and UST (which here becomes gloriously resolved) down. Her Sam and Gene banter, fight, and sleep together in a wonderful range of places, but they also express their feelings for one another in a way that's their own. Severinne's Sam and Gene aren't off doing Lady and the Tramp routines in restaurants, but neither are they running scared at the idea of using the L-word. It's just there, and it's just them. 

This fic in particular has gorgeous details, from the description of Sam wearing Gene's boots to the way Gene imagines tending to Sam's bruises after he's taken him roughly against the wall. There's amazing dirty talk, role play, understated but real emotion, and fabulous insight into how Sam and Gene work. 

( Excerpt )
One Year

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Length: 21,418 words
Author on LJ:xanateria
Author's website: her LJ


Why this must be read:

Summary:
They say life is what happens when you make other plans. After leaving a stressful job in Cascade, former detective Jim Ellison never intended to work in canine search and rescue. But he finds that he likes the solitude his new life offers. When graduate student Blair Sandburg goes missing, Jim learns that sometimes we find exactly what we need when we run away from what we can't handle, and just because you rescue someone doesn't mean they won't rescue you right back. A story that teaches us that when it comes to destiny, no matter how complicated it seems, man's best friend really does know best.

What if Jim hadn't met Blair in Cascade and hadn't gotten his senses under control with Blair's help? In this AU, Jim makes a decision to leave the P.D. to try to reduce the stress on his senses living in a big city entails. He moves to a small town near the mountains and finds help from an unexpected quarter – and no, it's not Blair.

Blair does enter the story but after Jim has regained most of the control over his life, thanks to his friend, Amiga.

Blair's hurt and lost on the mountain, and with bad weather on the way, it's a race against time to find him.

This was a 2011 sentinelbigbang story, and stargatesg1971, the artist paired with xanateria, went above and beyond because she also created a story trailer that leaves you breathless with anxiety and eager to read the story. The traditional artwork of story banners and icons are lovely also, and the story itself is well-written, exciting, and has a light touch with the mystical sentinel/guide connection. The building of trust between Jim and Blair, giving first aid for hypothermia(I admit, I love me some good hypothermia scenes), and the tension as the storm hits are some examples of why I enjoyed this story.

( Search and Rescue is activated )

Link to the trailer “We Have a Situation”

Lost and Found by Xanateria

Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Pairing: Chris/Vin
Length: 3391
Author on LJ: maygra
Author Website: Maygra at AO3
Why this must be read: In this ATF fic, the opening catalyst is very simple and action-oriented: A bust goes bad, and there is a hostage situation. The focus of the fic, however, is all about emotional fallout when you have an ongoing relationship with an officemate and you both work in a dangerous environment. Add fear and anger, agitate well, and you have a volatile reaction waiting to happen. My favourite thing about this fic is it's not sweet or sappy, and the L word isn't said at all. Bonus: The replacement phrase for I♥U is perfect, something Maygra cleverly attributes to The Princess Bride.

( Excerpt: )

Face-off on AO3