Elementary

some observations on the segregation of the queen by siria
There were no new photographs on the wall of her parents' living room because there were no more straight lines in Joan's life. There were days when Joan was terrified of that—scared by the fact that it was hard to look back over the last two years and see how she'd gotten here from there in large part because there seemed to be no difference between the two points. Some days she found it comforting, how she could mark off the weeks only by the cycle of Mondays through Sundays, not by this prestigious fellowship or that foreign trip or by the addition of a new publication to her CV. Sharp look at Joan and how she got where she is now.

~*~

Harry Potter

i see a darkness by jiggeypokery
"I don't know what that means," he said, again to the flagstones. "To you or me. I don't know whether you'd want me to be that much a part of your life again or not, and frankly I've been too much of a coward to ask. I don't even know..." He trailed off, sighed, and looked into Remus's eyes again. God, Sirius's eyes. "I don't expect anything from you, not at this stage. But there it is."

Remus took a long, slow breath, and let it out again. He waited until he was sure Sirius was done speaking, and then said, "I love you," which was not what he'd expected to say, but it seemed appropriate to the situation once he'd said it. "I always have. I never stopped."

Sirius's hand had gotten pressed across his eyes somewhere in the last three sentences, and he looked wearier than ever. "I'm sorry," he said, with something not entirely unlike a laugh in the middle. Remus and Sirius, during the last year of the first war and then during OotP. Oh my heart. *sobs*

~*~

Harry Potter

Firewhiskey and Baked Bean Soup (The Reunion Mix) by Laura
"Merlin's balls, you always were a maudlin drunk," Remus says. It's gentle, though, almost affectionate. Sirius wonders about that. The fondness. If it's for the boy he was or the man he is, or some better possibility of him Remus held onto. At some point, he should ask about it. Might be a bit awkward, he supposes.

"You never did like talking about that stuff," Sirius says, and that's true. Remus was always secretive, always guarded, even if the secrets he was guarding weren't the ones Sirius imagined they were. Maybe they should have that conversation, too.

"You talked enough for both of us on any subject." Sirius and Remus and those first few days at 12 Grimmauld Place, learning that even though they're both broken, there's still something between them that can grow and heal. Oh, my heart.

For Want of a... (the You Know It's Hard Out There for a Prankster Remix) by xylodemon
"Well, what's this idea of yours, then?"

"Oh, right." James tugged Sirius a bit further down the corridor, stopping beside a statue of Brunhilde the Belligerent. Sirius offered her a polite nod, since she was nine feet tall and armed like a Viking. "Remember that time, with the sneezworts?"

"Which time with the sneezeworts?" Sirius asked. "When Remus, um," he turned to watch Mary MacDonald walk -- no tits, fabulous legs -- and James huffed loudly and smacked him in the shoulder. "Sorry. When Remus lost his eyebrows, or when Peter walked backward and spoke Gaelic for a week?"

"Welsh, wasn't it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really, no," James said, letting his rucksack sag to the floor. James's potion doesn't go exactly according to plan. Hilarity ensues. MWPP at their hilarious best. ♥

A Quiet Interlude (The Standing on a Precipice Remix) by VelvetMouse
Lily and Sirius have a quiet conversation shortly before the Fidelius is cast. Heartbreaking and lovely.

~*~

Harry Potter

Ernie Ecklestein and the Completely Useless Trip by mindabbles
Dumbledore and Moody send Remus and Sirius off on what appears to be a wild goose chase, which would be fine except it's the morning after their first time together and Sirius would have preferred to spend it in bed. Oh, my heart. This made me tear up with happiness and also the knowledge that soon everything is going to change and not for the better. Oh, Remus. Oh, Sirius. *sniffle*

From Yorkshire, With Love by such_heights
Remus gets sent away on a mission for the Order over Christmas, leaving Sirius at loose ends. Lovely and full of awesome Sirius and Lily banter.

In Defiance of the Winds That Blow by inksheddings
A quiet, wistful moment for Remus and Sirius during Christmas at 12 Grimmauld Place.

It Can't All Be Wedding Cake by archduck
Sirius proposes to Remus at James and Lily's wedding. What I really like about this story is how it absolutely nails Remus and Sirius's respective attitudes towards their relationship ('I love you, you lanky git.'

'I know, I know,' said Remus, skin burning from the intensity of Sirius' gaze. 'But I'm not like you.'

Sirius studied Remus' face for a long time before he said, 'you're worried, aren't you? You're worried that I'm going to run off with some flighty thing in a few years when I get bored of you and your threadbare cable knit jumpers, is that it?'

Remus shifted uncomfortably. 'Sort of, yeah.'

'Nonsense! You are my flighty thing. I love you. Even though you are completely crackers,' Sirius said affectionately.) and how passionate Sirius is about having the same rights as others. *sniffle*

A Midnight Clear by onehundredmoons
Remus spent a lot of time trying not to question just how else things were different now, and if they were different for Sirius as well. Thinking about it too much might lead him to do something that would make Sirius get up and leave the couch for good. A year out of school, he missed being with Sirius all the time. His feelings may have been unrequited, but Remus was happy to go on this way if it meant he could wake up in the morning with the person he had wanted to be with for so long. Small, perfectly wrought scene full of UST. *happy sigh*

Sturdy Hiking Boots (and Other Warm Things) by peskywhistpaw
"As an habitual giver of extraordinary gifts," he began in a lofty tone, "I've attempted to best myself each and every year."

Remus rolled his eyes, though he could feel a smile tugging at one of his scars.

"This year, however, is our final year. And as such, I worried that I would have to break tradition, for what could possibly best the presents of yesteryear? Then I was struck." He paused dramatically. "The best thing I could possibly give to you all is, in fact, the gift of me." Sirius gives Remus an awesome gift their last Christmas at Hogwarts. Soft and lovely.

This lovely land is you and yours by lyras
Wonderful look at the Christmases Remus and Sirius spend together (and apart *sniffle*) from Hogwarts through Azkaban and beyond. Oh, my heart.

~*~

Battlestar Galactica

The name of this story is your name by beccatoria
You are a Cylon. Ellen Tigh tries to explain it to you, before she dies, coughing in the smoke of the campfire; weak as Laura Roslin was at the end.

"The Five," she says. "We were born. We grow old. We die. The replacement bodies we made for our own resurrection were just clones. When we made you, we had to start from scratch. Your cells never stop replenishing themselves. I thought I was doing you a favour."

She laughs.

You look at her and don't know whether she is your mother.

You say, "You named all the others. John and Leoben and D'Anna and Simon and Aaron and Daniel and Sharon. Why didn't you name me?"

Ellen coughs in the smoke. "You asked us not to," she says.

You understand that. epic, heartbreaking story of Caprica and human history.

~*~

Fringe

Orphan by rainer76
A series of interviews between Lincoln Lee and Peter Bishop, set between episodes 4:04 and 4:05 "I had a home. I didn't for the longest time and then I did. You wouldn't fight to keep that?" Peter asks, his voice so very low.

Lincoln feels flayed open by his gaze, hard as sapphire, recognition sizzles through him. I know you, Lincoln thinks, amused and startled and close to touching. Something inside of Lincoln realigns.

"I am."

They're never going to see eye-to-eye about which time-line is correct, they're going to be forever opposed, and surprisingly, Lincoln's okay with that. Sharp, smart look at one way Peter's return could (but won't) go.

~*~

The Good Wife

Nothing About Ecstasy by templemarker
Alicia gets drunk and Kalinda takes care of her. Sharp and lovely. "You think I betrayed you," she continued, stating the obvious in that way she used truth as a bludgeon. She used mistruths like a scalpel. Kalinda was a cache of weapons in a miniskirt and a misleading ponytail. "I didn't."

~*~

Harry Potter

Because It Is My Heart by magnetic_pole
Alice is not very pretty, at least not the way Lily is--she's a bit overweight, with a round face and short, coarse hair and a bump on her chin that Petunia secretly thinks of as the hogwart. But she's very bright and quick to learn, and she's absolutely fearless, and she likes Petunia, and that's enough. Actually, that's more than Petunia has ever imagined. Alice always makes Petunia feel as if something wonderful is about to happen to her, and it's a new and heady state of affairs. This is really lovely, bittersweet in the best ways.

~*~

Harry Potter

And On the Third Day by lalaietha
It's ridiculous and weird, Ron thinks, that yesterday they defeated Lord Voldemort, and yesterday they figured it out, figured out it was never either for any one of them, it was always both, and now Hermione's reading a book and Harry's sleeping and he, Ron, can just go over and sit with them. And be part of an us. It probably counted as madness, but it was the best kind. Harry, Ron, and Hermione take a couple days off to deal with what happened in the final battle and also to figure out how to move forward with their relationship. It makes my heart so happy to imagine this future for them, together. ♥

Untarnished by Oparu
"I taught him to fly you know, Tom Riddle."

Minerva knows, but Xiomara's not telling her the story so she'll listen to the words. She's speaking because talking is what makes them human. They have to talk, keep talking, find stories that remind them they are more than silent, suffering warriors facing another long night. Quiet, lovely McGonagall/Hooch in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts.

~*~

Harry Potter

If You Can Not Take the First Step by [anonymous]
Lovely snippet of Luna and Hermione becoming friends during OotP. "It says 'I must not speak out of turn.' But I suspect what Umbridge meant was, 'I must never speak my mind or question anything, ever.' I hate her so much, I feel sick sometimes." She turned to Luna. "What's to become of the school, now? She places no value whatsoever on critical thinking."

Luna nodded and offered the back of her hand as evidence. "Or imagination." The words scraped into Luna's skin read, 'I must not wonder or wander.' "It's almost as if she were attempting humor."

Hermione's brow twitched and she was ashamed of herself for ever thinking poorly of Luna for her distant expressions and bizarre conversations. She swore to herself that, from now on, all enemies of Dolores Umbridge would be her friends.

Lost And Found by rosie_writes
An AU where Remus never went to Hogwarts, so he meets Sirius one day after rescuing Harry, who's lost in the subway. This is so soft and gentle and lovely, and Sirius and Remus and Harry are so happy with their little family. *happy sigh*

~*~

Harry Potter

Mors Revelatus by lilith_morgana
Luna has always spoken to the dead. In all the books she eventually reads on the subject it is described as difficult on the verge of being impossible, a branch of magic as hushed up as the day is long. It's her mother who teaches her, but she does it with a half-smile and a this is our secret, my princess so Luna understands it's quite a rare thing that should be kept from others. Lovely.

shift by yeats
"Everybody's got secrets."

"You think so?" Sirius sounds skeptical.

Remus nods. Chances a smile. "I think that's one of those things that happens when you get older. Or something." Sniffly AU set early on during Sirius and Remus's schooldays.

***

Calvin & Hobbes

Stupendous Man and Pretty Cool Dude (for an old guy) Join Forces by mjules
Adorable story of Calvin finding out his Uncle Max is gay.

*
Firefly

Something from Nothing (The Gratitude Sings in Me Chorale) by Laura
"This is what I have to be doing," River says. He's wary of her, and that's going to have to change now.

"Well, you can't just go on staring at me. Makes a man nervous after a time. That time, you understand, being now."

She smiles, and says, "I could help you. You can't cook, you know."

"There ain't nothing wrong with my cooking," he says. But he scratches the back of his neck and looks away. "And 'sides, it don't seem like the best idea to be letting you loose with all the boiling water and the knives and such."

She sighs and reaches across the table to pull the carrots and the knife toward her. The knife feels right in her hand, another kind of dancing when she lets herself feel the rhythm of it. When she looks back at Mal, there's a pile of finely chopped carrot in front of her, and he's staring at her, mouth open. Wonderful Mal and River voices, as River begins to fit herself into the crew after Ariel.

*

Friday Night Lights

We're Glad For What We've Done, Done With What We've Lost: The Sing Me Anything Remix by zulu
Sharp, melancholy AU where Matt and Tyra don't get out of Dillon as quickly as they'd hoped.

*

Harry Potter

Several Ways to Apologize by Aria
After Sirius sent Snivellus down the Willow, James didn't talk to him for a week. Sirius thought this was particularly unfair, considering that he had a month's worth of detention and meanwhile Professor Dumbledore was acting like the sun shone out of James' arse. He started saying so, loudly, until James hauled off and hexed him. The shouting match that followed happened with legumes growing out of Sirius' ears. And after that everything was back to normal between them.

Remus, on the other hand, acted like nothing had happened at all, and that was much worse. Nicely done prank-aftermath story.

*

Firefly

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

~*~

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. ♥♥♥♥♥

~*~

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.

~*~

Harry Potter

Along the Way by edenfalling
The world is still so far from perfect, but there are other things you care about now, things you should have paid more attention to all along. Somebody still has to change the world. But you don't have to do it all, and you don't have to do it alone. Wonderful look at Hermione over the years, after the war.

Anatomy of a Prank by xylodemon
Their first proper prank had taken place in their fourth month of school. Remus considered it proper because it had been a collective effort and marginally successful. It had also been a premeditated attack, rather than a random act brought on by boredom, circumstance, and Sirius' chronic inability to behave normally. On that landmark occasion, Remus had learned three rather important things: Sirius was madder than a cupboard full of Jarveys, James' sense of adventure was really just a death wish in a nice set of robes, and no good could possibly come from messing with two bags of itching powder, a breeding pair of Bowtruckles, and an impossibly large brassiere in the same afternoon. SO FREAKING AWESOME AND HILARIOUS! Totally nails James & Sirius's gleeful anarchy, and Remus & Peter's slightly stealthier penchant for mischief. I love the running gags that are never explained, and the many and varied descriptions of James's hair. *hearts*

Caesura by shadowenangel
Oh, Fred. Oh, George.... Professor McGonagall did not see the ghost until more than a year after his first appearance. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared, horrified, as he came drifting past. / "It can't be," she whispered, voice low and rough with grief and disbelief.

Reservoirs by rosemaryandrue
This was written over the month of August for dogdaysofsummer and it takes place the summer before the Marauders' final year at Hogwarts. Sirius gets disinherited, Dumbledore is missing, and MWPP+Lily go on a quest to find him, and have adventures along the way. With many lovely Remus/Sirius and James/Lily moments. (This links to the last part, which has links to all previous parts at the top.)

~*~