we didn't even try

Crossovers

Chuck/Supernatural

Chuck Versus the Uncanny by rivkat
"Vampires?" he said, because he couldn't not say it. "Seriously?" Adorable Chuck/SPN crossover. Dean walks into the Buy More looking for a Walkman. Chuck flashes. Wackiness ensues.

*

Criminal Minds/Supernatural

When You Are Done by jujuberry136
Enjoyable sequel to "The Time Has Come to Be Gone" (previously recced), in which the Winchesters try to hand a case off to the BAU, but things don't go as smoothly as they'd hoped. I especially enjoyed Dean's and Prentiss's interactions. Oh, and Reid's research into the occult. Heh.

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how can you lie there and think of England

Chuck

Ellie vs. the Skinned Knees by dotfic
Nice look at Ellie growing up.

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Leverage

Spring force by dotfic
It made it feel like she could breathe more easily, knowing she could open every door wherever she was. Really smart backstory for Parker.

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Sports Night

Days and Lists by out_there
Everyone's worried about how Dan will respond to this year's SI list of 100 Most Influential People. Dan would like them to stop. "If this is about the 100 Most Influential People, can I point out yet again that I'm not going to have a breakdown if someone mentions it? This is getting ridiculous. Yes, I reacted badly last year but there were things going on that had nothing to do with Sports Night. It was a one-off thing, not a new precedent." Lovely first time Dan/Casey.

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i'm not the one wasting my time

Big Bang Theory

the god of clockwork & strings by damalur
"I don't believe in a universe so limited it has only enough room for one view of the cosmos." Sheldon and the universe conspire to give Penny a second chance. Very cool story.

Bones

The Him and the Her by siriaeve
"I'm just saying, I don't see why I have to wear the hat," Booth said. The white chef's toque on his head sagged sideways, and he batted at it ineffectually, trying to make it stand upright. / "My dear boy," Gordon replied, "as my grandmother always said—a very wise woman, if somewhat prone to clichés—if something is worth doing, then it's worth doing properly. The hat is traditional. It provides a certain air of gravitas to the proceedings, don't you think?" Booth goes to Gordon Gordon to learn how to make mac and cheese for Brennan. Utterly awesome and adorable.

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The Bourne Identity

Floating Neither Up or Down by seren_ccd
he always catches up with her just when she thinks she's getting over him Nice Nicky POV.

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let's do some living after we die

Firefly

The Tulip That Slept by voleuse
Lovely look at River growing up.

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Harry Potter

19½ First Dates by xylodemon
"Wait, what?" Sirius demanded, shoving his magazine aside. He narrowed his eyes at James, and James flipped him the two-fingered salute. "You weren't having me on?" / "No, I wasn't. I'm meeting her at Puddifoots, at noon." James sighed heavily. "And I'm doomed." / "Oh, Puddifoots isn't all that bad," Peter ventured, taking a long and thoughtful bite of his sandwich. "It's a little stuffy, and that, but the biscuits are all right, and there'll be mistletoe about the place, because it's Christmas." / James waved him off sharply. "That's not what I meant. Just, I've finally got a date with her, and I'll probably ruin it by... oh, I don't know. by saying something stupid, or spilling ruddy biscuits everywhere, or falling down." / "By being yourself, then?" Sirius offered. / "Yes," James said, throwing up his hands. "Exactly!" / Remus coughed like he was trying not to laugh. "You probably shouldn't wear the pirate costume." Absolutely hilarious and adorable James/Lily. ♥♥♥♥♥

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Iron Man

for today or the rest of my life by calicokat
There's no Iron Man without Tony Stark, and no Tony Stark without Pepper Potts, and there's no normal for Pepper Potts – nor can she quite remember, now, why she ever wanted there to be. This takes a typical fic premise - Pepper gets a boyfriend and Tony gets jealous - and plays it out in a mature, logical way with some lovely writing and a satisfying, believable conclusion.

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in the daylight i don't pick up my phone

White Collar

The Notorious B.I.G. (Junior) by innie_darling
Adorable bantery casefile that reads like an episode.

Provenance by tigs
Four years and three days after their arrangement becomes official, Peter and Neal sign their names about fifty different times on the bottoms of a whole ream worth of papers, Jones cuts Neal's ankle tracker for the last time, and Neal is officially a free man. Wistful and lovely and in character.

The Zombie Story by giglet
Peter and Neal fight zombies while El pwns in Brooklyn. Plus, a coda.

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look for lightning in your eyes

Middleman

It's Always the Classics by medie
Wendy has a plan. It involves the Middleman and sex pollen. This is adorable.

Rite of Passage by trascendenza
Adorable Wendy/Lacey/Noser snippet: "But the history books will not forget about us," Lacey said, grinning and ruffling her fingers through the bright green feather boa around Wendy's neck. / "On the contrary," Noser said, turning on his side and fitting his thumb into the hollow of Wendy's hip, "if they burn the books our names will still be writ in smoke."

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it's all stripped away

Star Trek Reboot

Command Decisions by igrockspock
Uhura didn't sign on to be a soldier or a killer. That's not going to stop her from getting her captain back. Uhura will protect the crew, even at Kirk's expense, which is what he'd want her to do. Sharp, tense look at Uhura out of her comfort zone.

The Dance by taraljc
Lovely look at Gaila.

Engagements by loneraven
Spock invites McCoy to a family dinner. Gorgeous and subtle and beautifully wistful.

Get Lifted by boosette
Kirk apologizes to Uhura for groping her boobs, three and a half years after the fact. Brief, but adorable and in character.

The More Adventurous Wanderer by boosette
On the second-to-last night of winter break, Jim Kirk finds himself at a house party in Oakland with not a clue how he got there. Jim is a good guy - he takes care of Gaila when she's vulnerable. Wonderfully evocative in the party scene, and full of telling details and the hovering knowledge we have and Jim doesn't. Lovely.

Sing Me the Ages by tassosss
A fantastic exploration of Uhura and what language and music mean to her. Gorgeous.

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but i don't get what this society wants

Supernatural

All Roads Lead to Where We Stand by kkgee
Lovely look at Sam and Dean through season 1. (Wincest)

Brutally, Terminally by paxlux
Growing up, she thought it was unfair her brother got all the looks while she got all the bones and as she got older, it wasn't just his looks, it was how she sized up every man she came across, taught by Dean to see if she could take them down, see their weaknesses, how they'd fight or back down, but on her own, she sized them up against Dean and though she thought it was unfair, she never shook the habit, more like something deep as instinct or DNA or how they sort of share the same nose. Shivery good Dean/girl!Sam with wonderful tension that ratchets up until it finally breaks. *hearts* I really love this girl!Sam.

Capacity by kalquessa
Nice look at Sam realizing something AWESOME about Dean, with a last line that's really a kick in the gut.

Crack the spine, let the words fall out by paxlux
Sam and Dean and books over the years. funny and sweet and heartbreaking in turns. (Wincest)

Crossbones by baylorsr
Fantastic AU in which Mary tells John about hunting in 1973, and they search for a way to break her deal. I would totally watch this version of the show.

Elsinore by malkingrey
Fantastic fusion of SPN with Hamlet. Sam was at the University at Wittenberg along with Hamlet and Horatio, and the Winchesters get drawn into the intrigue at the Danish court. Really well done.

First Recollection by whereupon
Their lives were no longer cyclical, however. They were linear, straight lines unending, a concept that couldn't exist in reality, though there they were. The double helix of their lives was as eternal as the horizon. Gorgeous, haunting story of Sam and Dean coming to terms with unwanted immortality. (Wincest)

An Honest Mistake by paxlux
And then Dean can't breathe, can't catch his breath because Sam is stealing it, along with everything else, boundaries and rules and all Dean knows, what he understands about his brother and how he loves Dean. Because this was supposed to be Dean, only Dean, his mishap and misunderstanding and hardwired mayhem, but somehow Sam is in on it, like a conspirator, like a reckless partner in crime. Which is what Sam is, what he's always been, so Dean shouldn't be surprised, he's sick of surprise, he's given up on surprise. Utterly gorgeous and haunting season 1 casefile featuring Sam and Dean fumbling around their relationship. (Wincest)

In All Our Bones (So Scared to be Alone) by scorpiod1
Jo/Bela, all sharp edges and missed opportunities. Could use another beta pass (tense issues), but gets the characters right.

Lemon Balm and Sugar by janissa11
It was Belinda who introduced him to the idea of plants as more – as tools, as possible weapons – but it was Julia who taught him the most. Julia, with fewer smiles and a much sharper tongue than either of her sisters, whose long thin fingers caressed her plants like lovers and under whose stern eye Dean began to learn. Teen!Dean learns to garden. Lovely.

Now Wait For Last Year by kellifer_fic
Follow up to "Do Winchesters Dream Of Electric Impalas" (previously recced). Dean's time is running out and Sam is running himself ragged trying to fix things. Heartbreaking, and really gets at canon even from such a strange starting point.

The Only Thing We'll Hit Is Sunset by luzdeestrellas
Warm and schmoopy first kiss for Sam and Dean. (wincest, obviously).

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel by __tiana__
Dean has ALWAYS been Batman, so it only makes sense that Sam is his Boy Wonder. Utterly adorable. *makes tiny toddler fists of glee*

Sammy Winchester's Summer Reading List by debbiel66
If books can show him a way out, Sam doesn't want to miss a single word. wee!Sam and books. Lovely and wistful.

Southern Summer Rain by lemanya
Lovely moment in time, where Dean works on the car and Sam eats ice cream in the summer heat.

Take a Sad Song by scourgeofeurope
She's not twenty-four anymore and she doesn't remember the fight. Vague memories, maybe planted, but she doesn't remember how she got here. She only remembers her sons. The Winchester family, together again for the first time, on the road. *sniffle*

The Vines Around My Heart by little_missmimi
Lovely bit of girl!Sam/Jess.

Welcome to Fog City by candle_beck
"Dean," Sam said, trembling. "How. How did you know?" / Dean shook his head, his brain gibbering and thoughtless because Sam was so close and warm; it had been an experience beyond joy to be pressed flush against him. / "I know you," Dean said. "You--you're what I know best." Lovely, breathless first time Wincest from Dean's POV.

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