Something Sacred by Acidqueen

Genre: Star Trek AOS ('Alternate Original Series'; Star Trek XI)

Rating: Contains explicit content for mature adults only

Summary: Author's Note~Written for this prompt in the ST:XI kink fest: “Kirk has daddy issues. Kirk looks up to McCoy, whom he is totally bangin'... Full-on leather daddy mystique optional but so, SO supported.” With a nod to George Michael and “Father Figure”, title stolen from there.

Where to find the story: I found it here on Acidqueen's blog.

~

So here we go again, down into the dark, up into the light, depending on how you define one or the other. The steps are bathed in grey shadows, the floor dirty. I’m all in dark leather, chaps and open vest, a costume that transforms me. You’re all in white and light blue, which would look innocent if not for the large tears in your jeans, right and left right below your ass. I loosely hook my hand around your waist when we step into the first hall, making it clear to every hungry guy around that you’re mine.

~Acidqueen, Something Sacred

~

Star Trek XI has given us a different take on Kirk and McCoy . . . and Acidqueen takes full advantage of it in this story. I don't know how she managed to write something that's so damn hot and yet so poignant at the same time, but it must have something to do with the fact that she captures both characters perfectly.

McCoy is willing to go far out of his comfort zone for Jim's sake, and that's part of what makes this story so memorable. Yet some slice of him understands just what Jim needs--even if he worries about going to hell for it!

One little warning: this is too orgasm-inducing to read at the work place. Wait till you're home.

AUGUST 1912 by Daylyn

Genre: Sherlock Holmes

Rating: Some content may not be suitable for young children.

Summary: Holmes says good-bye before leaving for America.

Where to find the story: I found it here on Daylyn's blog.

~

I turned to my new patient. “What are you doing here, Holmes?”

“Ah, Watson. My disguises fail me now.”

“I’ve seen this one before, Holmes, as well you know. In my former consulting room. It seems unlikely that you are trying to hide from me. So I ask again, what are you doing here, Holmes?”

His bright grey eyes looked directly into mine. No matter what his disguise, his remarkable eyes were always recognizable. “I’ve come to say good-bye, Watson.”

~ Daylyn, August 1912

This is a short, gut-wrenching piece with a shattering last line. It's somehow appropriate that Holmes comes to take his leave of Watson in disguise--a disguise that Watson sees through immediately--because, as we discover, the need to deceive the outside world is at the root of his goodbye.

Despite the leave-taking, the bond between Holmes and Watson never seemed stronger...and Edwardian mores never seemed so unfair. You might need a handkerchief for this goodbye, but it's worth it.

MANEATER by Anna Amuse

Genre: Star Trek

Rating: Content suitable for most ages.

Summary: Some women change men like outfits. Some ships do the same.

Where to find the story: I found it here at FanFiction.net.

~

It was obvious that Kirk’s sudden appearance had made quite an impression on his team, but Scott himself did not feel his pulse quicken. There was no sense of emergency emanating from Kirk. Scott watched tranquilly as his former commanding officer made his way towards him through the silent room.

“Mr. Scott.”

There was a time when such an intense scrutinizing stare would have made him squirm and look away. At the moment, Scott was looking the Admiral in the eye calmly, feeling absolutely nothing, not even mild curiosity. His tone was flat when he spoke.

“Admiral.”

It was Kirk who lowered his gaze after a while.

“Walk with me, Scotty.”

~ Anna Amuse, Maneater

The story is set when Will Decker is poised to take over the Enterprise. It's not an 'angsty' tale, but it captures Kirk's raw pain as he admits that his ship is now assigned to someone else's command.

We see the story through Scotty's eyes, and he tells it with a touching bluntness that spares neither Kirk's feelings nor the ship's lack of them. Only Scotty could see the relationship between the two so clearly...and maybe only Scotty can understand the depth of the tragedy he's witnessing.

But Kirk's not the only one suffering--and Scotty doesn't let us forget that.

A FISH OUT OF WATER by Pat Foley

Genre: Star Trek

Rating: Content suitable for most ages.

Summary: A trip to Earth creates some problems for Sarek and Amanda.

Where to find the story: I found it here on FanFiction.net. The author's homepage is here.

~

“Amanda,” he said with the excessive patience Vulcans have for dimwitted human wives. “It doesn’t have any water.”

“Water,” I repeated. And I blinked. I couldn’t have been more stupefied if he had said it didn’t have any air. “Do you mean there’s something wrong with the plumbing?” I reached over and turned on a tap, which released an obedient flow of clean cool water. I tried the hot tap. The same, except for the temperature.

“I’m not speaking of plumbing,” Sarek said, that trace of leashed impatience in his voice that always made his aides scurry to do his bidding. “It doesn’t have water.”

Okay, I get that to a Vulcan, humans can be a little dense at times, but I was mystified here. Clearly he was saying something I wasn't hearing...

~Pat Foley, A Fish Out of Water

This is a delightful story about Spock's parents, set when Spock is about three years old. Sarek accepts a diplomatic mission on earth, and Amanda records the trials and tribulations their stay on terra entails. She makes it impossible not to smile sympathetically as she tries to adjust to her husband's Vulcan criteria on everything from housing to barn cats.

Somehow it's impossible not to identify with Amanda too--true, most of us won't marry a Vulcan anytime soon, but we all know what family life can be like. And as we confront the daily problems and dilemmas, I'm guessing that most of us could use a bit of Amanda's charm and humor!

MARC & CLIFF: BEAUTIFUL LOVE by LeatherBee

Aw--a short, sweet fanvid dedicated to the improbable but endearing relationship between Ugly Betty's Marc and Cliff. The song is Beautiful Love by The Afters:

CRIES IN THE NIGHT by Igiveup

Genre: Sherlock Holmes

Rating: Contains content not suitable for children.

Summary: One of Watson's experiences in Afghanistan.

Where to find the story: I found it here on FanFiction.net

~

People were crying out in pain. "Oh, God, oh God, Mama, Mama," Over and over again. Sometimes there was just wordless cries of agony, then the poor souls would again cry out to God, and for their mothers. Watson ached to help them, but he was no longer a doctor but a patient himself...

~ Igiveup, Cries in the Night

This is a haunting glimpse into Watson's past and the horrors he must have experienced during the war. We get a sense of how helpless and frustrated he must have felt as he struggled to recover from his injury, unable to be the least use to the other injured men around him. This is an excellent--and very brief--look at Watson before the events of A Study in Scarlet.

OUT OF THE BLUE by Mayuko-Chan

Genre: Ugly Betty

Rating: Contains content not suitable for children.

Summary: Amanda-Hilda femslash pairing. Five drabbles arranged in chronological order.

Where to find the story: I found it here on FanFiction.net.

~

“Um, Amanda? Are you… nervous, about something?” asked Marc, anxiously.

“No. What makes you say that?”

“Well, you showed up at my apartment with no notice, emptied my refrigerator of its contents, then ordered…” He shuddered, “ fast food. Seriously, what if the grease vapor gets stuck in the walls? Think of the property values.”

“Burger?” offered Amanda.

“Er, no thanks. Really, no.”

~Mayuko-Chan, Out of the Blue

Amanda and Hilda? Ok, I never even considered this pairing! But it has potential...and this series of drabbles makes a good case for it. And why not? They've got a lot in common. They're both strong-willed, bitchy, loyal to those they love and stylish. Ok, they have vastly different styles, but that just makes for better chemistry, right?

What I especially like about these drabbles is the fact that Hilda's son Justin and Amanda's BFF Marc both get to add their two cents to the budding relationship--which helps flesh it out. If the damn story had just lasted a little longer I'd have been sold on the pairing...

USED SOULS by ColorOfAngels

Genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Rating: Content suitable for most ages.

Summary: Spike just wants to go to bed, but Buffy can't sleep with one of life's great mysteries on her mind... Just a bit of slice of life fluff and fun...

Where to find the story: I found it here on FanFiction.net.

~

“Spike,” Buffy asked softly as she absently drew designs on the vampire’s bare chest that was currently doubling as her pillow, “are you awake?”

“No,” he replied shortly, not opening his eyes.

“Liar,” she retorted, readjusting her head so that her chin rested on his shoulder and she could look up into his face.

Spike sighed, releasing air he didn’t even need in the first place. It was really only half a lie as he has been in that special floaty place you go when you’re hovering between sleep and consciousness, when his lover’s voice brought him back to the land of the living.

“Well now m’ awake,” he relented, opening one eye when he felt her gaze boring into his cranium. “Question is pet, why’re you?”

~ ColorOfAngels, Used Souls

Thus begins a charming conversation about life, souls, heaven, hell and everything inbetween. Buffy finally starts asking the questions we've all been asking since we got our first taste of the Buffyverse...and even Spike gets caught up in the possibilities she considers.

This is an adorable and thought-provoking read. And make sure you hang on till the end--Spike's willing to go to impressive lengths to find the answers for his pet...

PRIDE & PREJUDICE--HARRY POTTER STYLE by KarliMeaghan

Here's a wickedly clever fanvid: the preview of Pride and Prejudice (2005)--but with Harry Potter clips instead of clips from the actual film! Prepare for Hermione as Elizabeth and Ron as Darcy...

THE SHATTERING by Joyce Tullock

Genre: Star Trek

Rating: Not rated by the author; I'd say contains content not suitable for children. (T or PG-13).

Summary: No summary from the author. My Summary: In the aftermath of The Empath, Kirk and Spock must force McCoy to confront his memories and nightmares in order to help him heal--but the price will be high for all three men.

Where to find the story: It's not easy to find--it was contained in a fanzine titled "There Are Three" by Odyssey Press. But if you can get your hands on this story, please do!

~

Leonard McCoy was an alien. He was the physical manifestation of all those things Mr. Spock did not understand. Aside from his professional life, he seldom acted out of logic. Even his medical genius had little to do with textbooks and discipline.

And yet, so very often, his emotional decisions lead to astoundingly logical conclusions. At times Spock felt as though McCoy's sole purpose in life was to be a living contradiction of all things Vulcan. Logic, discipline, forebearance, were mere tools for this man, to be cast aside when unneeded as a juggler tosses his delicate toys to the air.

Until now, Leonard McCoyhad handled emotion with a finesse that made Spock envious. With a graceful, charming eagerness, he had gone about his life in a way that secretly 1eft Spock in awe. He made being human look easy. Until now, he had been a very successful man.

So the Vulcan sat in the darkness, as might an apprentice before his beloved but unrelenting master, astounded that one of such magical powers could fail. What shook Spock most of all was not that McCoy's emotions had brought him down, but rather that because of it, he cherished the man all the more...

~ Joyce Tullock, The Shattering

In the aftermath of The Empath, Kirk, Spock and Bones are still trying to come to grips with the hell the Vians put them through. McCoy has the worst of it--and he's not ready to face all the anger and fear he's experiencing. But while he might be content to ignore his memories, his subconscious has other ideas. It's not going to let him off the hook that easily.

This story gives us an intriguing look at the friendship between all three men. I had a slight bone to pick with Tullock's characterization of McCoy: I don't think Bones was ever quite as illogical as she would have us believe. But apart from that, I think she slipped right into his skin. Spock and Kirk, meanwhile, are spot-on. And she makes good use of characters like Scotty and M'Benga. She also paints a compelling and realistic picture of day-to-day life aboard the Enterprise.

A large part of this story is focused on Spock's struggle with his increasingly irrational friend. McCoy's going to strain Spock's Vulcan logic to the breaking point and force him to a gut-wrenching choice.

This isn't a violent story--well, excepting a self-inflicted injury and memories of the Vians. But it still isn't pretty and it's one hell of an emotional roller coaster. Remember, I warned you that it's high-angst: have some handkerchiefs ready.