recs to warm you on a cold February day

Brrr... it's cold, so what better way to warm up than with fic?

Firefly
Air by ana_grrl
Deft, lovely, sweet post-movie Kaylee/Inara. Inara's changed, and Kaylee reaps the benefits.

The Best Combination by luzdeestrellas
Sweet, tender, hot Mal/Kaylee. "You don't need to make yourself what anyone wants. Only an idiot wouldn't want you the way you are." "Shouldn't speak about yourself that way, Cap'n."

Best of All by jengrrrl
A tender, in character conversation between Mal and Kaylee as they share a drink. The last lines kill me.

Bronze Star Heart by voleuse
Serenity's crew begins to heal. Lyrical and lovely.

Happy Ruttin' Valentine's Day! by Slipstream
Absolutely hilarious story in which some information about Jayne's past comes to light. Some minor spelling errors, but worth overlooking for the hilarity of it all. Cracktastic.

I Fall by Kass
Lovely, in character Mal/River. Sweet and hot, with Mal's reluctance slowly melting away.

Liao Xiao by Molly
Wonderful Mal/River story that starts with sadness and ends in hope, with River figuring out what she wants and Mal tangling himself up in need and want and should.

No Shoes, No Coat, No Pair of Socks by bound by spells
River's thoughts on coming naked out of the box. Sharp and lovely.

Unwholesome Thoughts by srichard
Mal talks to Kaylee after Objects in Space. Lovely and poignant. I especially like River's insight and Mal's maturity here.

Of Minor Chords by Amy
River, and how she loves. Sweet, hot, in character River as she examines her relationships with her shipmates, and their relationships with each other.

What My Heart Will Be Is a Tower by alizarin_nyc
Kaylee is kidnapped and Inara and River rescue her. Excellent River POV, and it's great to see the three women who usually get left out of the action get in on it.

You Will Know When You Get There by _astralis
Long, lovely Mal/Kaylee story with a really well done slow realization of their feelings, and Kaylee's voice is spot on. I love this story.

***

Read, love, send feedback.

~victoria

Lewis & Tolkien

Lord of the Rings
Seawrack by hossgal
Beautifully evocative story of Legolas, longing for the sea, and Gimli, worrying about losing him. hg gets Gimli, and his relationship with Legolas, in the way most people don't, and her Gimli is a joy to read.

***

Narnia
Skies of Couple-Colour by brown_betty
Lovely fic about Peter learning how to become a king, and his relationship with Oreius, the centaur general of his army, and the narration is brilliantly true to the books.

***

BtVS + HP

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Five Lovers Cordelia Chase Could Have Totally Had, If She'd Wanted Them by starlet2367
Wonderful Five Things story for Cordelia. I especially like the Mulder and Doyle sections.

Haunts Me Night and Day: Five Non-Kisses by KindKit
Heartbreaking, delicate and beautiful. Five times Xander and Oz thought about kissing, but didn't. Hurts in the best way.

It blew her to Anytown, USA and that's my middle name by pene
Smart, gritty, post-Chosen Faith/Buffy with a dead on Faith voice and a Buffy I'd like to imagine is canon.

***

Crossovers

BtVS/HP
Trust the Morning by dorrie6
Lovely, soft, in character Neville/Oz.

***

HP

Harry Potter
Elegy by Sionnain
Lyrical, incisive, aching Sirius/Bellatrix.

Faith in the Face of Doubt by krabapple
Poignant, lovely, in character Bring Back Black fic. Luna believes, even if Remus doesn't.

Say Goodnight and Go by Shanalle
Adorably boyish Remus/Sirius.

This Life One Leaf by glossing
Beautiful look at Neville, finding himself.

Waterworld by Rhoddlet (story) and Glockgal (artwork)
Exquisitely painful Ron/Harry. Ron knows it's excruciating to be in love with your best friend.

When the Window Again Opens by cjmarlowe
Subtle, poignant story of Dean Thomas painting the official version of the final battle with Voldemort, and how it helps him come to grips with his own part in it. Lovely.

***

BSG

Battlestar Galactica
Every Good Mother's Son by Nifra Idril
The story of Billy Keikeya and his two mothers. Gorgeous, elegiac, heartbreaking. Major spoilers for "Sacrifice."

Worth It by Jennifer-Oksana
Roslin has a little chat with Dee in the ladies' room after the events of "Sacrifice." Sharp and smart and so very Roslin.

***

Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy
Something Better by Amy
Because it's George/Izzie and there are Muppet references and it's utterly adorable.

One Thing That Didn't Happen by annakovsky
AU. George helps Bailey after the baby is born. Just. Read it. It's awesome. George!

***

Rome, West Wing, O11, Star Wars

Ocean's 11
Five Danny/Rusty kisses by luzdeestrellas
Hot, sweet, poignant - this runs the gamut. Wonderful.

***

Rome
The First Prayers of Man by destina
Heartbreakingly sad and beautiful, this story captures Vorenus and Pullo's relationship after the events of "The Kalends of February" perfectly.

***

Star Wars
What Remains by bwinter
A series of short vignettes in which people from the original trilogy reflect on people from the prequels. Subtle and nicely done.

***

West Wing
The Age of Aquarius by Speranza
Season three Josh/Donna hijinks. Sweet and funny, and damn, I wish the show had done this.

***