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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Hathaway/Lewis Length: 2536 words Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: dogpoet on AO3 Why this must be read:What I love about this fic is how it sneaks up on you in its quiet love. No histrionics here, just a slow and gentle recognition of wants and desires. It's just lovely. Read it. The Mobile Mishap | |
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My apologies, gentle Readers, but I only remembered I had forgotten to post sometime around 3 this morning. Chalk it up to overwork (retail during the holidays. Yay.) and housecleaning. Again, my apologies! Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Hathaway/Lewis Length: 8018 words Author on LJ: unknown at this moment (author will be revealed after January 1, 2013) Author Website: unknown at this moment Why this must be read:This fic, written for 2012 Lewis Holiday Challenge, is just exemplary in its depiction of Hathaway's inner world. Oh, and it's hot, and sweet, and just perfect. If you're a Hathaway fan and a Hathaway/Lewis shipper, this fic is definitely the one for you. The End of All Our Exploring | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: James Hathaway/Robbie Lewis Length: 24k Author on LJ:Author Website: Sarren on AO3 Why this must be read:Ah, the classic One Bed fic! On a dark and stormy night Hathaway and Lewis find themselves with only one room left at the Inn. There's a hint of Dark and Needy Hathaway here, which I love, and nervous Lewis - I won't say anything more, save that this story is delicious. Truth Time | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: James Hathaway Length: 19k Author on LJ: unknown Author Website: hedda62 on AO3 Why this must be read: A fabulous crossover featuring many Sergeants across a few fandoms, both written and shown, and featuring our very own Sergeant Hathaway. This fic made me giggle, made me a little sad, and is chock full of the same ambiguity that's in Lewis. And one of my other very favorite Sergeants shows up - to say who would spoil it. But there's a little Sergeant here for everyone, not just Lewis fen. No Time for Sergeants | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Lewis/Hathaway Length: drabble Author on LJ: ComplexLight Author Website: ComplicatedLight on AO3 Why this must be read:ComplicatedLight is new to writing fandom and really, you're going to want them to continue for a very, very, very long time. I realize this is just a drabble, but it is so perfect that I can't not share it. Then go read the rest of their work. I promise, you won't regret it. The Need for Touch | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: PG, Lewis/Hathaway Length: 14k Author on LJ: ariadnes_string Author Website: The Island of Conclusions Why this must be read: Featuring Pathologist Laura Hobson, in this particular tale we get a sneaky peaky into the Lewis/Hathaway relationship. It's a quick peek, and lovely in its simplicity. A Slice of Chocolate Gateau | |
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The most excellent cilla_bean wrote this fabulous review of Lewis, the Inspector Morse spin-off and lovely in its own right. Due to holiday work commitments I'm running a little late this week, but never fear, the fics are coming! In the meantime, check out the fandom review. | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 5k Author on LJ: lamardeuseAuthor Website: Lamardeuse's website, and at the AO3I've had a brilliant time reccing in the small-but-perfectly-formed Lewis fandom this month. And even though it's tiny I've barely scratched the surface of the authors and stories that are available. If I've piqued your interest at all please go and check the fandom out for yourself ( fantastic fandom masterlist, Lewis at the AO3). I'm handing the keys to the van back but hopefully someone else will take Lewis out for a drive soon. Why this must be read:This sublime and humane story seems the perfect way to finish. Lewis slowly lets his grief at Val's death go, and slowly, gently, Hathaway's place in his life grows. Beautifully written, mature, thoughtful, and full of the kindness, insight and compassion that characterizes Lewis and Hathaway. Just very very lovely. The week before Robbie left for the Virgin Islands, he finally went into Val's cupboard and took out her clothes. He saved a couple of pieces – a blouse she'd especially liked that Lyn might want someday, her wedding dress – but everything else had gone to Oxfam. All of her other things – jewelry, books, the half-finished journal of poetry she'd kept in the bedside drawer – had been packed up with the rest of the flat, his possessions mingled with hers as though they were leaving together.Making Room | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis & James Hathaway Length: 2k Author Website: Emungere at the AO3Why this must be read:I've recced the previous stories in this series, and today I saw to my delight there is a third to join them. My excuse for reccing is the same as last time: they work on their own (but together are lovely). This little story picks up in the aftermath of the trial of the man responsible for Lewis's wife's death. Like the others it has two precisely written character portraits, and reveals a view of Lewis and Hathaway's relationship that is deep and perceptive. The author creates a world that's full of detail, emotion and beauty, and yet somehow the writing is clean and sparse. I'm not doing it justice, please go read. He presents facets of himself to people at work, to people in the band, to people he knows from church. The thing about facets is that they're flat. They're reflective. Not indicative of the whole. When one looks at a flat, reflective surface, generally one sees oneself, and James encourages that.My Working Week and My Sunday RestThe 'Hathaway's Heart' Series | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 38k Author on LJ: wendymrAuthor Website: Lewis fic on LJ, and Wendymr at the AO3Why this must be read:This is a new fic in the fandom, and it's long, lovely and satisfying. Something happens to James and it breaks Robbie open. And once it's done that it threatens to tear their partnership asunder too. The author has selected 'Author chose not to use archive warnings' on the AO3, but I cannot recommend this story strongly enough – even if you're of a more faint-hearted fic reading persuasion. This is such a good story, and such a good love story. “It’s not as simple as that.” James takes a jerky drag of his cigarette, sitting now with shoulders hunched, and something about his posture just twists at Robbie’s heart, though he doesn’t know why. “If I accepted, it’d be under false pretences. I haven’t been completely honest with you, and please don’t ask me what about, because I can’t tell you-”Love Knows Not Its Own Depth | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 7k Author on LJ: dracofiendAuthor Website: LJ Memories, AO3Why this must be read:This is a deceptively gentle story about Hathaway stepping in to help when Lewis needs him. It contains many lovely moments – deliberately underplayed, but resonant and powerful. There is a big vein of emotion running right through it, and it rewards re-reading. I loved it. “Go on then,” Lewis says, very softly. “Quick as you like.”Quick As You Like | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 12k Author on LJ: sarren Author Website: Sarren at the AO3
Why this must be read: This is a highly enjoyable story with a lighthearted tone and a deep affection for the characters. The author takes on a fandom cliche (undercover as gay) and has heaps of fun with it. It's also extremely hot – one of those stories that really truly works to convince readers of the viablility of a pairing.
"You should probably call me Robbie now, since we're sleeping together and all." There's a pause. "Yes, sir."
His Awkward Sod | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 57k Author on LJ: garryowenAuthor Website: dogpoet at the AO3Why this must be read:Somebody writes Lewis a poem. I'm back, and I bring a rec for a long, wonderful series. Punctuation is one of my favorite 'this is how it happens' stories in Lewis fandom. The author has such an insightful and enjoyable take on both Lewis and Hathaway, going all the way from heartache and Lewis's soul searching, to the practicalities of falling in love, to a series of hilariously filthy text messages, to the creation of an internal voice for Hathaway that is lyrical, ardent, and unforgettable. The first time he and James had met, James had brought him here. He’d waited at the airport with a sign in his hands. He’d offered himself after the case. He’d said, Take me. I’m yours if you want me. Punctuation | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis & James Hathaway Length: 3k Author Website: Emungere at the AO3Why this must be read:This is a stunning story that explores Hathaway's emotional state post Life Born of Fire. It's beautifully and thoughtfully written but somehow also matter-of-fact and understated. So much is seething below Hathaway's surface here, and it's funny too—with great Hathaway/Lewis banter. All this and it finishes with an emotional kick that left me heart-sore and happy. (There is another short fic in this series that comes before, also totally wonderful. There may be more to come in the series but the stories both read as complete in themselves, hence the rec.) He's Lewis's sergeant. It's a peculiar thing to be, simultaneously less and more than a friend, sometimes little more than an extra body for Lewis to command, sometimes half of a whole.Hathaway's Heart, Third Declension Nouns, and Other Oddities | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 11k Author on LJ: berevetteAuthor Website: Berevette at the AO3Why this must be read:Hathaway knows he's in love, Lewis doesn't yet. This is gorgeous. It's sweet and genuinely domestic, but has enough realism to give it some grit. It gets to the heart of the way they care for each other, and it's a slow, sustained build. It's also extremely hot. It's hot because of the words they use to define what they are to each other; talking almost dispassionately, like solving a case. And then it's hot because of Hathaway's voice. Want to wake up next to you, have you pressed against my back while I make breakfast. Want everything, everything.Inclined to Domesticity | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 4k Author on LJ: dsudisAuthor Website: AO3, and personal websiteWhy this must be read:It's striking how confident Lewis is here, confident and demanding. He strides towards Hathaway at the beginning of the story and he never lets up. There's so much heat in this story, and I think it's born of that confidence too. Not that I don't love the more hesitant or gentle stories in this fandom (oh, I do) but this one is notable for its different erotic tone. "Then you should come home with me anyway," James said quietly, feeling the rush of the words like a drug, making him almost giddy.Raised with the Fume of Sighs | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 800 words Author on LJ: jenwrynAuthor Website: Jenwryn at the AO3Why this must be read:Best read at midnight: this graceful, atmospheric story captures a humid night, a tender Lewis, and a sublime Hathaway. He could protest that it’s the heat, that it’s the push of the air against him, this boiler air, this unreasonable air, too hot to make sense of anything else, let alone the lovely creature who shares his space. Home to the rain | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 2k Author on LJ: lindenharpAuthor Website: Lindenharp at the AO3 and also here. Why this must be read:One of the things I love about Lewis fandom (bless its literary heart) is that there are lots of stories with titles like 'The Martyrdom of St Sebastian'. This one is short, perceptive, and packed full of the depth, care, and love that is between these characters. Lewis draws Hathaway out, expertly. James is only a little less restless once he finishes smoking a fag. He walks with hands in pockets, eyes fixed on the ground. Yeah, something’s festering inside him. Robbie may not be able to read Greek or Latin, but he’s A-Level fluent in Hathaway. The Martyrdom of St Sebastian | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis & James Hathaway Length: 21k (for 6 stories) Author on LJ: wendymrAuthor Website: Wendymr at the AO3 or LJ masterlistWhy this must be read:These stories are glimpses into Lewis and Hathaway's lives beginning with a coda to Life Born of Fire and moving through the series. They are all complete in themselves but together add up to something more. (There is more to come in this series, but I'm reccing as each story is self-contained and satisfying as is.) But enough explaining! The stories are warm, witty, and perfectly in character. They show us the ebb and flow of a working relationship and a deep friendship. Highs, lows, work, home, fights, reconciliations. There is a relaxed feeling running through them: I have the heart of a slasher but I neither know nor care in what direction the relationship is going, because they're just so enjoyable to read. It's Lewis & Hathaway—believable, kind, striking the edges off each other, catching each other—in a whole lot of scenes canon should or could have included. “You know what I think?” James says, breaking the silence that’s fallen.“What?”“I think we should go back to yours and pick up a change of clothes, then head to mine and get stinking drunk.”The Ashes Series | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 16k Author on LJ: lamardeuseAuthor Website: Lamardeuse's website, and at the AO3Why this must be read:This fic deals head on with the 20+ year age difference between Lewis and Hathaway. The author not only deals with it, she convinces me utterly. This is another gorgeously written take on a fandom cliché—the fake relationship—which could have been cloying, but instead is humane, respectful of the past, fully in tune with the characters, and hot. The doubts Lewis has, the honest descriptions of his and James's physicality, the way he and James understand and complement each other: it's all believably and beautifully done. Our Lyn just gave us her blessing,” Robbie said, figuring it was like ripping off a plaster and best done quickly. Hathaway stared at him. “Oh, you win,” he said.And We'll Talk in Present Tenses | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway (also Hobson/Lewis, and Hathaway/Lewis unrequited) Length: 9k (for the 3 stories) Author on LJ: dracofiendAuthor Website: dracofiend at the AO3Why this must be read:To explain, Word and Deed, Looked Forward Long, and The Exhortation of St. Paul are three linked stories. They go together, but the order you read them in will affect the arc. I have listed them in order of publication. Another way of explaining them could be that there is one story with two sequels: parallel, not co-existing. What I know for certain is that they are beautifully written, sharp, heady and painful. It's the kind of writing that makes my heart pound. The stories map with utmost delicacy Hathaway's emotional state: in regard to Lewis, himself, and Laura. The dialogue is perfection, completely in character and unexpectedly funny. My heart aches for Hathaway, my heart rises when his does. ( excerpt )Word and DeedLooked Forward LongThe Exhortation of St. Paul | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 3k Author on LJ: sarrenAuthor Website: Sarren on AO3Why this must be read:Because... well... Roses are red Violets are blue I love solving crimes With youThe author describes this as fluff, and though I'm not usually a fan of fluff I really enjoyed this. It's short, sweet, and rather lovely. Roses are Red | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 16k Author on LJ: jenwrynAuthor Website: Jenwryn at the AO3Why this must be read:Robbie can’t be held accountable for the warmth that fills him at the sight of the man; specs a bit askew and his hair all up in angles, t-shirt crumpled. It’s one of Hathaway’s own, the t-shirt, Robbie knows, because he’s seen him in it before. He is beautiful, Robbie thinks. Robbie knows. Robbie acknowledges. Beautiful, here, in the soft light and the gentle tick of the heating. Always, yes, but here.each to each is a fascinating case fic, an elegant take on a fandom trope, and a love story. There are passages so lovely I kept going back to them again and again as I read. It's wonderfully good to read, and it truly convinced me of Lewis/Hathaway back when I needed convincing. each to each | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 6k Author on LJ: garryowenAuthor Website: Dogpoet at the AO3Why this must be read:Because it's warm and thoughtful and believable. Six months in, Lewis is still adjusting to Hathaway: his needs, his silences, his physical presence, his love. Lewis doesn't know how to not be himself —honest and straightforward —and this fic is a sharp-sweet take on what that means as he slowly but surely collides with the bewitching, cerebral, yearning Hathaway. Oh heart. James had never been very good at hiding his emotions, even at work. And when they’d begun this, Lewis had seen just how fragile he could be.The Hermit Crab | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: (as the author says) sort of Lewis/Hathaway, sort of Lewis&Hathaway, thoroughly Lewis^Hathaway Length: 5k Author on LJ: allheadybooksAuthor Website: allheadybooks at the AO3Why this must be read:It's Sunday morning in my part of the world and this is the perfect Sunday morning fic. It's warm, funny, domestic, real. Hathaway sneaks in under Lewis's radar and it's all over for Lewis (and us). There should be a warning for goodness. James grins. It's a small grin, granted—he's still Hathaway, who won't even mug for the camera at the office Christmas party—but it's there. Reminds him of the case years back with Will and Zoe Kenneth, James on that hospital bed looking puny and about nine years old and smiling just because Lewis had done his job and carried him out of there, bad back or no.Semi-Skimmed | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis^James Hathaway (explanation below) Length: 37k Author on LJ: catwalksaloneAuthor Website: catwalksalone at the AO3Why this must be read:"No one else understood. We faced the world down together. I think...I think if we'd tried to untangle ourselves then we may have come out of it missing a limb or an organ or two."When Two Go Together Along the Way is a series of four linked stories. The first three are beautifully crafted glimpses of Lewis and Hathaway negotiating and simultaneously inventing their relationship. The author has a lovely take on it, describing it as a non-sexual romantic relationship, and saying that ^ is somewhere between / and &. The fourth story is a brilliant case fic. It's long, emotionally satisfying, and it feels as though you're watching the show. The quote above is from one of the original characters involved in the case, but I feel it stands for the theme of the whole series. The stories are about family; finding it and recognizing it in whatever shape or form it comes. How Lewis and Hathaway come to acknowledge what they are to each other is quietly and beautifully done. When Two Go Together Along The Way | |
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Fandom: LEWIS Pairing: Robbie Lewis/James Hathaway Length: 3k Author on LJ: halotolerantAuthor Website: halotolerant at AO3Why this must be read:Such a complicated thing, the relationship between Inspector and Sergeant. Probably seeing more of each other than the average person did a spouse, and yet within that the range for intimacy was... wide.This deceptively gentle story begins with Hathaway helping Lewis clear out his mother-in-law's house. It calls back to Morse, and back to Lewis's wife Val, and made me feel the ordinariness of grief. I felt a strange pleasure of shock and sadness coming upon lines like: A TV Times lay open on a coffee table, pen put down in the act of circling programmes for the coming week. The story moves from that universality into a beautifully specific coming together of Lewis and Hathaway that could only be written about them. I'm explaining it all wrong. Please go read. Every Purpose Under Heaven | |
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With a great big thank you to lamardeuse and tehomet for their thoughtful beta, canon insights, additions and suggestions. Any mistakes are new and have been introduced by me. Spoilers throughout this overview for both Inspector Morse and Lewis. ( onwards to the Lewis goodness... ) | |
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