Still by blackmamba_esq (PG)

[gwynevere1.livejournal.com]

Fandom: EUREKA
Pairing: Allison Blake/Nathan Stark, Implied Jack Carter/Allison Blake
Length: 2,172 words
Author on LJ: blackmamba_esq
Author Website: Fiction Master List on Livejournal
Why this must be read: This story is so very good on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin.

I didn't realize it was a Christmas story until I was already into it (although that's why I'm making sure to rec it today), but I love the author's use of the Season. Christmas is supposed to be about family and memories, but the former is denied to Nathan while he's stuck reliving the later.

I admire how blackmamba_esq uses the time-travel element as well. I like how it ties into the fractured nature of the the story-telling, just like how present experiences can make us recall memories in a non-linear way--one situation can make us remember something past which brings forth a completely separate memory, which is paralleled in the way Nathan is travelling through time. The sci-fi/fantasy element becomes a metaphor for a real-world emotion, one that is particularly strong during the holidays, which I think is the best way genre writing can be used.

OK - I'm rambling. Let's just say: It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me think about past mistakes.

Still