Calufrax

Story: This Bird Has Flown
Author: Helluin
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 6723
Author's Summary: Space tourists, scientists, old friends: the Doctor has not had a rapport with a companion like this since Romana left. (A series of "day in the life" vignettes between Five and Nyssa that roughly parallel their later Big Finish adventures.)
Characters/Pairings: Fifth Doctor/Nyssa of Traken
Warnings: No standard warnings. Mention of (but no actual, on or off-screen) sexual assault.

Recced because: I'm sure many of you are familiar with the rare experience of reading a fic featuring your favorite pairing that just hits all the right notes – their voices are clear and feel true to character, the tone is spot-on, and the inevitable pay-off is exactly how you yourself would've written it, if only you'd known how. That's how I feel about this story. It's more a collection of scenes than one cohesive plot arc, but these brief moments paint a beautiful picture of the Doctor and Nyssa's maturing relationship. The author is particularly adept when it comes to describing locations and has an eye for narrative symmetry that makes the conclusion especially poignant. As a bit of a space-geek, I found the asteroid encounter scene in the middle to be breathtaking. (And yes, there really is such an asteroid in our solar system!)

Familiarity with the Doctor and Nyssa's Big Finish adventures will help, but is not required in order to enjoy this story.