5 Magnificent 7 and Without a Trace fanfic recs
Without A Trace
1) A Long Time Coming by aesc.
Pairing/Rating: Danny/Martin, PG-13?
Summary: A multi-chaptered AU set a few years in the future. Danny's left the FBI to become a lawyer, but he's pulled into a dangerous investigation when Martin is the victim of a botched kidnapping. aesc is a fantastic author who really understands the characters. They come alive as complex, three-dimensional people who make mistakes, suffer regrets, and struggle with conflicting desires.
The plot is gripping, and the relationship between Danny and Martin is developed realistically. Nevertheless, she writes with a lot of heart. Her Victor Fitzgerald is real and feeling -- which I appreciate considering how most of fandom is happy to relegate him to "two-dimensional bastard". In her sequels to "A Long Time Coming", we also meet Martin's mother, and see more of Danny's family, who are all terrific.
Highly recommend aesc's sequels as well.
2) Two Step by leopardchic79/rlt79.
Pairing/Rating: Danny/Martin established relationship, NC-17
Summary: Danny takes Martin on vacation to Florida, but the past comes back to haunt him. It's all about Danny struggling to let Martin in, and -- okay, you might think it's overly angsty, I don't know what you consider OTT. But let me just tell you that I CRIED LIKE A BABY. Like an itty bitty baby.
Most of the time, Danny comes across as pretty happy-go-lucky. But this is a kid who was abused by his alcoholic father, lost both parents at a young age, got shuffled into foster care because his druggie, ex-con brother couldn't care for him, became an alcoholic himself, got sober, and went into the FBI to do better for the world, and himself. The boy has issues. This fic reminds us of that fact.
The Magnificent Seven
3) Runners by Gil Hale (is she on LJ?)
Rating: R, maybe? Gen, no pairing
Summary: An ATF alternate universe in which Vin, Ezra, and JD are runaways from the foster care system. After a bust goes bad, Chris and his team find themselves taking custody of three kids who are key witnesses to their investigation. Vin and Ezra learn to deal with authority after years on the streets, while Chris learns to open his home again.
Considering the sheer volume of ATF and M7-as-kids fics out there, it'd be difficult to name just one story as the best ever. But this one stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. Gil Hale writes novel-length stories that keep delivering, chapter after chapter, and "Runners" is no exception with its complicated plot and host of characters. Not to spoil it, what I like best is that it's not the action-oriented climax that closes out the story, but the domestic/custodial arc. In the end, it's a story about not having to run any more and finally coming home.
4) Wind Change by Blackbird
Pairing/Rating: Chris/Vin, R
Summary: Ezra starts acting out of character when he befriends a woman and her husband who are new in town, while Chris and Vin's friendship slowly evolves into something more intimate. Just a simple, slice-of-life fic set in the Old West. Deals with the question of how gays and lesbians might've lived back then. Thoughtfully and beautifully written.
5) The Hour of Separation by true_enough
Pairing/Rating: Chris/Vin, R
Summary: After a close call with a bounty hunter, Vin decides to leave Four Corners for good. A lush, gorgeous, sprawling epic about loss and near misses, fate, and saying goodbye and saying hello, spanning the territories to Texas to the coast of Brazil.
true_enough opens with a quote from Kahlil Gibran: And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. Vin's decision to leave is not an easy one, but it feels almost inevitable, and his journey, and Chris's, wouldn't have happened if they'd never parted in the first place. If you don't like Chris or Vin, you might not have the patience for this story. But if you love them like I do, you'll fall in love with this story and true_enough's vision. There's a dream-like quality to her writing, heightened and sensual, that ensnares you. She's one of the most powerful writers in M7 fandom, IMHO.
Tomorrow's going to be interesting. Our English pastor will announce his resignation to the congregation during morning service. Better duck and cover.
1) A Long Time Coming by aesc.
Pairing/Rating: Danny/Martin, PG-13?
Summary: A multi-chaptered AU set a few years in the future. Danny's left the FBI to become a lawyer, but he's pulled into a dangerous investigation when Martin is the victim of a botched kidnapping. aesc is a fantastic author who really understands the characters. They come alive as complex, three-dimensional people who make mistakes, suffer regrets, and struggle with conflicting desires.
The plot is gripping, and the relationship between Danny and Martin is developed realistically. Nevertheless, she writes with a lot of heart. Her Victor Fitzgerald is real and feeling -- which I appreciate considering how most of fandom is happy to relegate him to "two-dimensional bastard". In her sequels to "A Long Time Coming", we also meet Martin's mother, and see more of Danny's family, who are all terrific.
Highly recommend aesc's sequels as well.
2) Two Step by leopardchic79/rlt79.
Pairing/Rating: Danny/Martin established relationship, NC-17
Summary: Danny takes Martin on vacation to Florida, but the past comes back to haunt him. It's all about Danny struggling to let Martin in, and -- okay, you might think it's overly angsty, I don't know what you consider OTT. But let me just tell you that I CRIED LIKE A BABY. Like an itty bitty baby.
Most of the time, Danny comes across as pretty happy-go-lucky. But this is a kid who was abused by his alcoholic father, lost both parents at a young age, got shuffled into foster care because his druggie, ex-con brother couldn't care for him, became an alcoholic himself, got sober, and went into the FBI to do better for the world, and himself. The boy has issues. This fic reminds us of that fact.
The Magnificent Seven
3) Runners by Gil Hale (is she on LJ?)
Rating: R, maybe? Gen, no pairing
Summary: An ATF alternate universe in which Vin, Ezra, and JD are runaways from the foster care system. After a bust goes bad, Chris and his team find themselves taking custody of three kids who are key witnesses to their investigation. Vin and Ezra learn to deal with authority after years on the streets, while Chris learns to open his home again.
Considering the sheer volume of ATF and M7-as-kids fics out there, it'd be difficult to name just one story as the best ever. But this one stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. Gil Hale writes novel-length stories that keep delivering, chapter after chapter, and "Runners" is no exception with its complicated plot and host of characters. Not to spoil it, what I like best is that it's not the action-oriented climax that closes out the story, but the domestic/custodial arc. In the end, it's a story about not having to run any more and finally coming home.
4) Wind Change by Blackbird
Pairing/Rating: Chris/Vin, R
Summary: Ezra starts acting out of character when he befriends a woman and her husband who are new in town, while Chris and Vin's friendship slowly evolves into something more intimate. Just a simple, slice-of-life fic set in the Old West. Deals with the question of how gays and lesbians might've lived back then. Thoughtfully and beautifully written.
5) The Hour of Separation by true_enough
Pairing/Rating: Chris/Vin, R
Summary: After a close call with a bounty hunter, Vin decides to leave Four Corners for good. A lush, gorgeous, sprawling epic about loss and near misses, fate, and saying goodbye and saying hello, spanning the territories to Texas to the coast of Brazil.
true_enough opens with a quote from Kahlil Gibran: And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. Vin's decision to leave is not an easy one, but it feels almost inevitable, and his journey, and Chris's, wouldn't have happened if they'd never parted in the first place. If you don't like Chris or Vin, you might not have the patience for this story. But if you love them like I do, you'll fall in love with this story and true_enough's vision. There's a dream-like quality to her writing, heightened and sensual, that ensnares you. She's one of the most powerful writers in M7 fandom, IMHO.
Tomorrow's going to be interesting. Our English pastor will announce his resignation to the congregation during morning service. Better duck and cover.