FOR CRACK_VAN COLLISIONS DAY!

Fandoms : due South ; A-Team
No Pairings
Author on LJ : ds_tiff
Author Website : on AO3
Why this must be read :

Tiff is a masterful writer of due South gen fic, strong on meticulously detailed plot-lines and spot-on character voicing. Her first foray into cross-over shines with all the same fine skill of story-telling and characterization.


“Pull over B A,” instructed Hannibal. “We don't want to upset the local PD. We need to keep a low profile while we're in this city.” B A growled under his breath and duly brought the van to a stop at the side of the road. He wound down the window as Ray and Fraser approached them.

“Chicago PD,” said Ray, flashing his badge, “my friend here informs me that you went through a stop sign back there. Can I please see your licence and registration.” B A growled at him. Ray's hand went for his gun, but Fraser put a firm hand on his friend's shoulder.

“Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” Fraser introduced himself, with a smile. “We're very sorry to have stopped you Sir,” he continued, “but traffic violations of that nature resulted in fifty-seven deaths or serious injuries on the roads of Chicago in the first quarter of this year alone. We need to ensure that you are aware of the possible consequences of your actions.” B A growled again.

Face slid open the rear door of the van. “We're so sorry officer...oh, nice suit,” he stopped for a moment as he admired Ray's choice of apparel.

“Thanks, it's Armani,” said Ray....

Different Ways of Doing Things

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face
Length: 15K
Author on LJ: stackcats
Author Website: Stackcats’ Story Archive on LJ
Stackcats’ Kink Meme Archive
Why this must be read:

I adore everything stackcats does. Really, honestly, truly adore it all. She has one of the most consistent, IC, strong interpretations of the characters in the fandom, and she infuses so much depth and texture into even simple fics. I just want to rec, oh, everything she does. Really. She’s that good.

This is the story that won out for me here, though. It’s an AU that makes one adjustment to Army rules; in this ‘verse, sex is used as an additional layer of punishment, reward, and authority. The main story revolves around a sex show that Hannibal’s forced to put on with a very young Face, for the benefit of a visiting general. That right there would be juicy enough, but stackcats deftly layers this basic premise with political intrigue and wonderful amounts of unrequited love. Hot and sweet and utterly fascinating, I recommend this story highly. I will warn for dub-con and potential underage (Face is 17 in this story).

Technically, yes, this is against the rules as written, but in the real world it’s practically a requirement, and there are probably whispered conversations being held all over base, those other commanders Morrison mentioned fuming at the fact that as far as anyone can tell, Hannibal hasn’t yet laid claim to his new Private’s ass. They’ll be saying what a waste it is, Hannibal neglecting the boy so, letting such an ass go un-fucked. That’s not how Hannibal sees it at all.

He wants the kid, yes, but he also wanted to wait... never wanted their first time to be here, in this sandy hellhole, as a prelude to his commanding officer’s fucking god-damned sex show...

A Lack of Choice

And this will be my last A-Team entry for the month! Had a great time, thanks all!

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: fem!Face/Murdock
Length: 74K
Author on LJ: somewhatcliche
Author Website: Somewhatcliche on LJ
Why this must be read:

somewhatcliche mostly writes M/F, and it’s all very lovely. What I really love, though, are her gender-swap stories. What’s great about them is that she manages to keep the boys themselves, even as she’s making them distinctly female. It’s an extremely hard thing to do, but she pulls it off every time. It doesn't hurt that her writing style is breezy and gorgeous. Even if you don’t normally like gender!swap, I’d highly encourage you to give her stories a try.

In this story, Face, aka Temperance Peck, falls in love with Chris Sosa. It’s written mainly from Murdock’s point of view, who’s desperately in love with his female teammate and wants nothing more than to see her find happiness, even though he knows that’s not going to be possible with her current boyfriend. Sad and sweet, with the right touch of the humor that characterizes the relationship between Murdock and Face in the best fics, it explores Face's relationship with Sosa from a whole different angle.

Chris tells her he’ll be there when she's back in Bragg. She believes him like she's never believed anybody in her life and for three weeks she is sloppy on the field and cross-eyed behind her sniper's scope and pissing Hannibal off with her flippancy. They get the job done, though, amid hush-hush congratulations and polite slaps on the backs. Face doesn't care. She wants to see Chris again, and she isn't going to bother hiding it.

And he’s there, when she comes back, waiting with a smile from heaven and open arms. That’s when she knows she’s had it. Wrapped up in Chris, surrounded by his smell, his taste, his promises—that’s when Face knows.

From then on, Face loves him fiercely.

The Girl in the War Part One
The Girl in the War Part Two

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face
Length: 1700
Author on LJ: amerasu1013
Author Website: Amerasu1013 on LJ
Amerasu1013 on AO3
Amerasu1013 Kink Meme Filled Prompts

Why this must be read:

There’s a lot of great AU in the A-Team movie!verse. Don’t ask me why, I can’t really explain it, but who cares? A lot of it’s really quite fantastic.

Now, that being said, I love amerasu1013’s stuff. She seems to have two settings, utter crack and mirror!AU, and you know what? Both are a ton of fun. I really, really want to post her current A-Team mirror!AU (you can find it if you follow my link for the kink meme archive, and I’d highly recommend it, too), but I’ve posted plenty of angst this month. Let’s go with a crack fic instead. Where Hannibal spontaneously sprouts tentacles. It’s hilarious and hot, and I just love it.

...the tentacles do have their benefits. Still... ever since Hannibal got them, Face has kinda stayed out of the boss’ way. It’s not that he finds them disgusting or anything, okay, they are kinda weird, but. Well. It’s not every day that your lover suddenly develops tentacles, okay? Tentacles! Tentacles, and what is he supposed to do with them anyway? Just ignore them?

Hannibal’s Eleven Dicks

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face
Length: 40K
Author on LJ: indigo_angels
Author Website: Indigo-Angels’ LJ
Why this must be read:

Dirk Benedict once summed up Templeton Peck in one word: vulnerable, and Bradley Cooper infused this characteristic into the character as well. indigo_angels explores this theme in her stories quite often. Her Hannibal isn’t omnipotent, either, like you see in some other stories. He doesn’t quite always get things right, especially when it comes to his relationship with Face, and sometimes, it gets them both in a lot of trouble.

In this story, the team believes that Face has royally screwed up a mission. Hannibal gets quite upset with him, and Face reacts by pulling a runner. The story deals with the fallout of Face’s decision to leave, and the team’s effort to track him down. It also encompasses another of my favorite themes from indigo_angels’ stories, where Face and Hannibal’s relationship hasn’t quite taken off the ground yet, where they’re both very much in love with each other, but neither man has yet admitted to it yet. Watching the separation eat away at everybody here is riveting stuff. This is the kind of angst you can physically feel. It’s long, almost novel length long, but just the thing for a chilly Thanksgiving weekend.

Face had always been good at sealing little bits of his life or himself away into safety deposit boxes in his head. Any unwanted memory or experience, any unpleasant personality trait, he could easily wrap them up and seal them away. Sometimes they crept out again in his dreams, nightmares, but he could live with that. So that's all he had to do again. He could package up this life he had here, these friends, any thought or memory concerning Tasha Coleman, seal them off and move on. New opportunities, new horizons.

Nowhere Man

And for those of you who, like me, desperately need a sequel when this one’s over, you’re in luck! It’s about the same length as the first.

The Long and Winding Road

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Murdock/Hannibal
Length: 15K
Author on LJ: purrslink
Author Website: Author's Live Journal.
Why this must be read: 

There are some intense fics in this fandom, but there are also a lot of witty writers who infuse their stories with a sense of humor, like purrslink. This is one of my favorites of hers. Here, Hannibal takes on the task of getting an incredibly reluctant Murdock to swim. Purrslink writes a close third person, focusing on Murdock's point of view, and she balances the eccentricities of the pilot perfectly - allowing Murdock to be both troubled and a genius and hilarious in most respects. On Murdock jumping into the pool:

For a few moments he was actually ok with it all. Sure, he’d flung himself to an early demise, but at least he still had his balls and could claim man points once it all ended and he was in the after life exchanging bro stories with Houdini and Charles Lindburgh. He’s fairly certain he has Houdini beat on near-death experiences, but he’d been hoping to have a few more flight hours on Lindburgh. Oh well, no sense crying over that now, and besides, he’d flipped a helicopter. That had to be worth a few points at the very least.

She also writes the other characters well, capturing their group dynamic as well as their individual quirks. There's some light Hannibal/Murdock here, as well, though nothing is explicit.

101 Ways to Drown...aka  How H.M. Murdock Learned to Swim

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Face/Murdock
Length: 17K
Author on LJ: sharkgloves
Author Website: Sharkgloves on LJ
Why this must be read:

I adore the writing style sharkgloves uses. It’s almost stream-of-consciousness, and manages to convey the characters’ inner thoughts and interpretation of events perfectly. She writes mostly F/M, and this is one of her strongest pieces with them (although I’d recommend any of her works, really). This is a take on the classic “fuck-or-die” situation, where Face and Murdock are forced into a compromising position with each other. The tension in this is palpable, with the angst ratcheted up by the fact that Face has been in love with Murdock for years. This one sinks in and takes hold. This contains dub-con and angst, and it’s powerful, but it really is wonderful.

Face had allowed himself to imagine what he would do to Murdock if given the chance. How he would spread him out like a banquet and glut himself, take his time, discover all the secrets Murdock was hiding behind his eyes. Find out who Murdock really was and let Murdock see behind Face's mask too. Let him see something in Face that Face wasn't certain was still there.

In all his imaginings, he had never pictured it fast and awkward and forced...

Not Dying Today

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Lynch/Pike, Face/Murdock
Length: 11K
Author on LJ: snack_size
Author Website: Snack-size on LJ
Why this must be read:

One of the great things about the A-Team movie is that the two main villains have this smarmy, sarcastic, hilarious relationship that makes for some wonderful slash. Lynch and Pike are just great together. This story, by snack_size, is one of the funniest I’ve seen with these two. Snacks has a great way of injecting dry, witty humor into all her stories, even the angsty ones, but this one is pure crack, and it is glorious. (I would highly recommend all her stories, especially her M/F series, but you’ll have to friend her for that. In the meantime, please enjoy this offering, which she has graciously made public for everyone’s enjoyment.)

In this story, Brock Pike (who is still alive after the events of the movie) hires the A-Team to break a disgraced Agent Lynch out of a CIA prison in Eastern Europe. He does this, Face and Murdock surmise, because he’s in love with Lynch. He tries to deny it at first, and then... well, just read the story. You won’t be disappointed!

Lynch closed his eyes, took a deep breath. “Pike - Brock Pike - deposed a dictator to get money to break me out of prison because...”

“Like he said,” Face interjected. “You’re his cupcake.” Lynch reddened, put his head in his hands and moaned.

Lynch in a Pinch Part One
Lynch in a Pinch Part Two

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Murdock/BA
Length: 5,500
Author on LJ: tuesdayfic
Author Website: Tuesdayfic on LJ
Every Second Tuesday on LJ
Tuesday on AO3
Why this must be read:

In celebration of one of the other great, albeit somewhat rarer, pairings in the A-Team movie!verse, I offer you this, A Year of Wednesdays by tuesdayfic. She does a lot of really good BA/Murdock, but this is one of my favorites. In it, Murdock gets stuck in a Groundhog Day-esque time loop, where he’s forced to relive the same mission over and over again. It’s also the first day he gets together with BA, for some added frustration. Sometimes the mission fails, sometimes he gets together with BA, but he just can’t seem to make it all come together. It’s great fun watching the pilot’s somewhat fractured take on events. Warnings, here, though. This fic involves character death, with the boys occasionally biting it in the different iterations of the same mission.

Murdock acquired a gas mask; a suave hat, shiny goggles, and a trench coat; and knock-out gas. The beauty of this plan was that if it didn't work, it wasn't like they would remember it or see it coming the next time.

A Year of Wednesdays

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face
Length: 13,600
Author on LJ: torncorpse
Author Website: Torncorpse on AO3
Torncorpse on LJ
Torncorpse’s A-Team fics
Why this must be read:

This was one of the first stories I read in this fandom, and still, to this day, I can’t stop thinking about it. torncorpse puts an intensity into her work that’s both subtle and unique. It’s hot and angsty and gorgeous, worms under your skin and takes over, and I adore the somewhat haunting quality of it.

This is a post-movie mission, where Face has to pretend to be Hannibal’s lover for a job. The “going gay for the mission” trope seems to be a favorite, from what I’ve read in the tv!verse, but this one doesn’t end in the same way as any I’ve seen before.

"What're you doing?" Face hisses it against Hannibal's ear, because it's the only thing he's able to do. He's crowded in against the wall -and that alone is making him twitchy, and Hannibal's right there, with his mouth pressing along Face's neck.

"Change in plan," Hannibal's voice is muffled against Face's skin, and Face absently tips his head so he can hear what Hannibal is saying rather than just feel it. "They think you're my boy. Just go with it."

One for the Crowd

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face, Murdock/Face, Morrison/Face
Length: 4700
Author on LJ: niektete
Author Website: Froggy’s Fiction
Why this must be read:

I love the angst - probably a little too much - but there’s some hilarity to be had in this fandom as well. So I offer you an AU from one of my favorite crack writers, niektete.

After Hannibal catches his lieutenant in a compromising position, Face is forced to admit his secret; he's a spermpire. Like the logical human being he is, Hannibal’s not buying a word of it, so Face decides to prove it to him. It’s one of the funniest stories I’ve read with these two, and even though their pairing isn’t the primary focus, the interaction between the two of them is wonderful.

Interview with a Spermpire

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE VERSE 
Pairing: Face/Murdock
Length: 25k, divided in seven parts 
Author on LJ: danang1970
Author Website:  Danang 1970 - personal archive
Why this must be read:
Another dynamic extrapolated from the tv canon to the movie canon is the friendship between Face and Murdock. Often fics with this pairing are based on the bromance between the two of them - a deep friendship that not only features banter and the normal dude teasing but also one where the two turn to each other to deal with their deeper issues.

Danang's fiction, in general, portrays this relationship perfectly - these are two incredibly tough men who have been in multiple positions where they would have died for one another. She manages to capture this aspect, as well as the humor and occasional silliness that comes with their relationship. Her writing is incredibly witty, and she often stays close to a character in third person in a way that really makes the story rich - and she has an amazing grasp on both Face and Murdock, maintaining the humorous dynamic between the two while dealing with the fallout of their actions.

Here, while drunk, Face begins to harass Murdock about the fact that he never talks about sex - and Murdock finally breaks, grabbing Face, taking him to his bedroom, and giving him the best sex of his life. It's the way that Danang handles the aftermath of this that I find brilliant, as she perfectly captures the reactions of Hannibal and B.A. to this development and manages to write in two serious "talks" that explore the team's emotions and bonds in a realistic, authentic way. 

And the slash? Really hot.

Prove It

Hi, all. This is the fandom post for the A-Team movie!verse. The A-Team started as a television show in the 1980s and is largely remembered in pop culture consciousness as being the show that brought us Mr. T. A movie remake was released in the summer of 2010. The fandoms for the two aren't divided, per se, but there are some significant differences that do need to be highlighted in order to fully enjoy the movie!verse fics.

( The Breakdown )

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face
Length: 43K
Author on LJ: karenjd
Author Website: BlueLotus on AO3
Why this must be read:

One of the ideas that gets bandied about often, in regards to Face, is that he had to grow up pretty fast in order to survive his childhood. We take the canon from the show - Face is an orphan, abandoned to a Catholic church/orphanage as a little kid by a mother he can’t quite remember. This is a lot to play with, and often manifests in everything from child abuse in a foster home or in the orphanage, to sex slavery. This story is the best exploration I’ve seen yet of what Face’s early life could have been like.

karenjd imbues this with a sense of realism in both the characters and events of the plot that’s just heart-rending. Face is forced to face a past he thought he left behind when a client hires them to retrieve his son from the red-light district in New York. He’s never talked to the team about his life, and when the job gets rough, Hannibal becomes increasingly confused about what’s happening with his lover. The tension between them is as great as the story itself, which weaves in some of the classic characteristics of the tv!verse missions in a modern way. It’s really long, but utterly worth it.

This one does come with warnings, though. There’s violence, child sexual abuse and prostitution (mentioned, not described) and both physical and mental torture. That being said, it’s still a fantastic, engrossing read.

Fractured Memories

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: H/F/M/BA (or as we’ve taken to calling it, H-BAMF)
Length: 13,500
Author on LJ: napalmedsteak
Author Website: Napalmedsteak's LJ
Why this must be read:

I love the angst with the boys - and believe me, we’re going to see quite a bit of it this month! - but I also love the lighter side of the team, where they’re acting like big kids, pulling pranks on each other, making mistakes or just generally having a good time. And of course, I do love me some sweaty, hot, grinding smut as well. And there are a few very special stories somehow manage to combine all three of those elements.

This one by napalmedsteak is a great example of that. Hannibal gets quite sad after a less than ideal performance at a nightclub, and Face and Murdock decide to cheer him up. With Viagra. I think you can see where this is going, and believe me, it gets there in spectacular style. I swear, I’m addicted to her stuff; she writes some amazingly hot stories that somehow rarely seem to descend into PWPs. Totally, totally worth it!

Hard Day’s Night Part One

Hard Day’s Night Part Two

Hi, all! I’m going to be co-driving the A-Team van for November. We're doing movie!verse this month, so expect some differences from the tv!verse in setting and supporting characters, but our core team is still as awesome as ever. My OTP is Hannibal/Face, so we're gonna start with that, but I love just about every combination you can find in this fandom, so we'll have a bit of everything!

Fandom: A-TEAM MOVIE!VERSE
Pairing: Hannibal/Face
Length: 5700
Author on LJ: johnnywalkerblu
Author Website: No personal archive, but her stuff can all be found here
Why this must be read:

This story was written for the 2010 A-Team Secret Santa exchange by one of my favorite H/F writers, johnnywalkerblu. She focuses on a long-term, loving relationship between Hannibal and Face without compromising any of their canon characteristics - ie, badass Army Rangers. It’s often difficult to find A-Team slash that can achieve this balance between sweet and tough, but she pulls it off beautifully.

This particular story is a cut scene from the movie, set between when Hannibal breaks Face out of prison in Florida, and when the two of them rescue BA from the transport van in California. For those of you who’ve seen the movie, Hannibal and Face clearly have some things to work out after the events of the jailbreak, and how better to do that than in a sleeping bag under a starry sky? Enjoy!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Amy Allen/Templeton 'Faceman' Peck
Length: 23, 021
Author on LJ: raine_wynd
Author Website: Raine Wynd.com
Why this must be read: Now, I'm generally not a Amy/Face pairing type of person but Raine pulled me in with this beautifully written story

The story opens with Amy still with the team before she leaves and then what she's done since she left the boys.

It's a slow build of the relationship between the two and the team is taken along for the ride. The story spans almost over a decade and you watch as Amy and Face dance between one another.

( Fic Excerpt )


Reasons Why

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: Nothing I could find, if someone does find the author, please link and I'll add it here. :)
Author Website: beautifulside on AO3
Why this must be read: Written for yuletide 2009 as a giftfic for laceymcbain, this Three Times Fic, is a wonderful insight into Colonel Decker on one of his pursuits of the A-Team and how he tries to use Murdock to find the other three.

The author shows Murdock in an array of characters and 'how crazy' the pilot can be.

It hooks you in within the first paragraph and you lose yourself within the story immediately. I know I read it and re-read it at least five times when I first found it.

( Fic Excerpt )

Three Times Colonel Decker Interrogated Captain Murdock (and the One Time He Didn’t)

Fandom: THE A-TEAM/RIPTIDE
Pairing: Murdock/Face, Nick/Cody, mild Murray/Murdock, Murray/Nick/Cody (no explicit content)
Length: 4,191 Words
Author on LJ: catyah
Author Website: Fic can be found on the Author's livejournal.
Why this must be read:

I've found it's hard to find completed, good fics of The A-Team crossed over in any fandom. I'm sure there are tons of good crossover A-Team fanfic out there, but I've only stumbled across a few.

For a first time writer of The A-Team, Catyah writes the team dynamic in such a way, you're wondering if the tv show was planted onto the screen in written form. A long-time writer of the Riptide fandom, she brings the two shows together in a typical A-Team fashion you can't help but wonder what kind of crazy stunts are going to happen with two teams of trouble magnets.

( Fic Excerpt )

Five Times Murdock Kissed Murray

So, I'm about a week late and I deeply apologize about that! I've been busy with a personal project and haven't had much time for lj and just finally noticed that I got tagged to drive The A-Team Van!

I'd ask BA to give me the keys, but you really don't want to mess with BA and his Van. :D So I'll just sit in the Van as a passenger.

It's been a couple of years since this fandom was rec'd and I'd like to get things started with a quick fandom overview posted by the wonderful laceymcbain that she wrote up a long time ago and a Murdock far away.

The A-Team Fandom Overview - Please be aware this only covers the tv verse and not the movie verse

Now! Onto the fic!

Fandom: THE A-TEAM, MOVIE VERSE
Pairing: No Pairing, but mostly a Team Centric Fic
Length: 7,500 Words
Author on LJ: No LJ
Author Website: Author Profile on FF.net
Why this must be read: It is a movie verse fic, but it was also one of the first few Movie verse fics I read about The A-Team Movie and it caught me up completely into it. I believed it all! The characterizations are amazing and it shows the team bonding after they escape from Mexico in the first 10-20 minutes of the film. They're all testing the waters of who each other are and what they can do, but you can see The A-Team in them, just very new.

The fic opens up with Hannibal defending his actions on picking these three men for his Alpha Response Unit, when he could have anyone he wants from a very long list. While the defending is going on, Face, BA and Murdock are under guard, bored and decide they need something to eat, it only acclerates from there with much anticipated glee in wondering what the boys are going to do.

I won't spoil the fic too much, but it's definately worth a read and a re-read, especially near the end.

( Fic Excerpt )

Running Up Eight & Eighty

Enjoy!

Title: Five Card Stud by Creed Cascade and MajorBrat
Pairing: Lieutenant Myron Goldman/Lieutenant Johnny McKay; Lieutenant Templeton “Face” Peck/Captain H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock
Length:  9392 words
Author on LJ: creedcascade, majorbrat
Author Website:  Notes from the Underground 

Why this must be read:                           

This is the only completed cross-over written in the Tour of Duty fandom of which I’m aware.  Pairing characters from Tour of Duty with those from The A-Team is a natural, given that the A-Team first met one another during the Vietnam War.  Creed Cascade and MajorBrat nicely mesh four of the major characters in a lighthearted tale that begins when two young lieutenants (McKay and Peck), fancying themselves quite the conmen, get themselves into trouble.  Goldman and Murdock come to the rescue.  The authors do a fine job of bringing these disparate characters together in a very plausible way.  The pairs also generate a lot of sexual heat in an impromptu competition of sorts.  

Five Card Stud

Tags: fanfic, tour of duty 

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: gen
Length: 11 sections ranging from 1000 to 7600 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: The Vietnam Chronicles Community
Why this must be read: This is a great little series - don't let fanfiction.net scare you away. I have some minor quibbles (mostly with BA's dialogue), but not enough to take away from the enjoyment of the stories. The series hasn't been updated since 2005, so I think it's safe to consider it "finished" for the time being, but it's also not the type that leaves you hanging. The authors have alternated writing the sections, and each story is pretty self-contained although there are repeating original characters. It's essentially the story of how the team comes together in Vietnam, and there really can't be enough of those stories, can there?

( BA made his way to the command post, still breathing hard. )

You'll find all eleven stories here. Just check the summaries for reading order: The Vietnam Chronicles Community

Decker's hot on our trail, but we've got the van, a plan and a whole month of recs!

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: gen
Length: 20,000+ words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Tee's Fics on the A-Team Fan Fiction Archive
Why this must be read: Ever wonder where the team learned some of those skills? How Face became the consummate con man and safe-cracker? Well, this may not answer all the questions, but it gives a good glimpse of what life might've been like for the team just back from Vietnam and trying to figure out what to do to survive. Murdock's not really in this one, but considering he's my favourite character on the show, I still love this fic even without him, which is a testament to the engaging quality of the story. It shows exactly the kind of gotta-help-people mentality that always ends up getting the team into trouble, and the friendship and affection for one another that always ends up getting them out of trouble.

( Colonel, I'm in trouble. )

Read the story and feedback the author: Break-in in Belmont

Here the past can come back to bite you on the kneecaps, even when it isn't yours. . .

Title: The Parallel Lives Affair by Anne Higgins
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin, various m/m non-con
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Anne's Fiction

Why this must be read:

Because Mr. T. gets kneecapped!

Okay, as a descendant of Belfast Irish, I admit it's not exactly a kneecapping. However, for anyone who felt that B.A. Baracus AKA Mr.T.'s fighting style was too WWF to work in the real world (c’mon, I can’t be the only one), prepare to be entertained.

( I pity the fool who doesn’t click here. )

The Parallel Lives Affair

Title: Alpha Males by Meg Tipper
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: Not known
Author Website: Meg's Fanfic
Why this must be read:

Mag7 has all manner of crossovers; there's the usual suspects such as The Sentinel, but this one stood out as being very creative and very well executed. My first thought was that this would be crackfic, but it is so much better than that and fully deserves the award it received. The A-team boys are given the Au treatment to bring them into the Old West on the Mag7 boys. They're still wanted men, but they also have a history with Ezra, and when the two 'teams' are forced together it boils down to trust. As the author herself puts it "Besides the usual action, this is story that concerns Chris and Ezra primarily and that whole trust issue problem."


Alpha Males

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Face/Murdock
Author on LJ: emmastark
Author Website: Her A-Team fics can be found here and here
Why this must be read: I started this month's recs with emmastark and I'm going to end with her as well. Since we're a small fandom and we've only had a month, I've tried to introduce you to a number of resources and authors who will give you reading pleasure. That being said, there are definitely more good A-Team authors out there that I didn't have a chance to rec, but hopefully we'll get another crack at the van sometime. In the meantime, feel free to come and play with us in the fandom because: “Some people get mummies and daddies and teddies and puppies and white picket fences. Others get jazzed Colonels and angry mudsuckas and a big ugly black van with lots of guns in it. I think we’re lucky, myself.” Very lucky!

There are two things that I especially like about this story. First, it has a Face that's slightly on edge after the events of "Family Reunion" ... he's reckless, calculating, and overtly sexual. He's looking for trouble. The team may call it "the jazz", but sometimes they're all flirting with that need for a dangerous life, for excitement, adrenaline. Second, it gives us a glimpse into a private moment between Face and Murdock - a moment no one is meant to see, and what that reveals about both the observer and the observed is something that's at the heart of the A-Team. Above all else, the four men have always been a team, a family of sorts, and they protect one another no matter what. Frankie wants to be part of that, but at best, he'll only ever be on the outside looking in. It's a lovely portrayal of the interaction between the five men told in multiple POV, and even if you don't care for Frankie, you can't help but appreciate his position in this fic.

( Face had found what was probably the only shitkicker bar in Florida, but Frankie wasn’t really surprised. The guys were kind of old. But there was something reckless about them under everything else. Something dangerous, even. )

Read the fic: What Frankie Saw, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Thanks for riding in the van with me this month! It's been a blast.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: A-team Fan Fiction by Junkfoodmonkey
Why this must be read: In Season 5 of the show, everything changed with the introduction of General Hunt Stockwell and Frankie Santana. Fics that effectively use Stockwell as anything other than a somewhat one-dimensional puppet master are few and far between, but this one is intriguing. It's the second fic in a series, but I read it as a stand-alone. Stockwell's disappeared, and the team has to go after him. They've got their own issues with the man, but they're not about to leave him in the hands of the enemy. The story creates a complicated plot with an intriguing original character, and best of all has the team acting like a team, which was not always the case in season 5 show canon. It's a good solid read with cliff-hanger style short chapters that keep you interested to see what happens. Check out this author's other fiction as well!

( 'You know,' Face was using his 'long suffering' voice. 'It's at times like this, when I'm freezing my ass off in the mountains of Afghanistan, waiting to ambush crack Red Army troops, just to rescue a man I despise, that I begin to wish I'd never met any of you people.' )

Read the story: Sympathy for the Devil, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Murdock/Decker
Author on LJ: stealthlamb
Author Website: Stealthlamb's Slash
Why this must be read: Because I tend to be a Face/Murdock girl, it's sometimes hard for me to warm to other pairings, but I'm trying. This is one of the few that has Colonel Decker in a role where he's not either chasing the team or torturing them somehow. Although I have some quibbles with the characterization in the story, I find it strangely plausible in some way ... Decker is trying to woo Murdock and attracting the team's skepticism. Is it all part of an evil plan to catch the team, or is Roderick Decker just a man in love? It's a little over the top in places, but sometimes you want something not quite so dark, and this might be just the thing.

( Hannibal straightened up in his chair and turned completely around to face the captain. 'Let me get this straight. Decker--Colonel Roderick Decker, just stopped by on a whim to see how you were doing and take you out for pizza.' )

Read the fic: Where There Is Smoke, There's Fire, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: Face/Murdock
Author on LJ: lamardeuse
Author Website: where the world is puddle wonderful
Why this must be read: Lamardeuse entered A-Team fandom about the same time I did and in much the same way. We keep running into one another in various fandoms, and I'm always pleased with what she writes. She's got an easy style that moves the story along, but still packs a lot of emotional impact; she also doesn't pull punches when it comes to the hard stuff, especially the Vietnam stories. This one in particular goes back to a week in Saigon where Face and Murdock found some solace in one another. Eighteen years later, they're both still thinking about it, but as usual they've got regrets for all the wrong reasons. (Men!) This technically is part of a series of connected stories, but it can be read as a stand alone, although I certainly recommend reading anything this author writes.

( The rain pounded on the tin roof all week, not that it mattered since they rarely ventured outside the confines of the hotel room. )

Read the story: Broken Wing, and let the author know you enjoyed it.

Fandom: THE A-TEAM
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: closetfan
Author Website: Closetfan's Fics on the A-Team Fan Fic Archive
Why this must be read: I have a particular affection for a good drunken ramblings fic, especially when it's covering up emotional angst. Here B.A., Face, and Murdock are getting drunk in Vietnam, trying to drown out the pain of losing a fellow soldier. (It's not Hannibal, so don't worry.) The dialogue feels real here, and I like the genuine comraderie that shines through. It's a short fic, but a nice character piece.

( 'Geez, Face!' Murdock grimaced. 'I thought this stuff was bad when we started drinkin' it, and I gotta say it ain't gettin' any better. Where'd you get this? Out of a radiator?' )

Read the story: Empty Chair, and let the author know you enjoyed it!