Calufrax

Story: Chance and a Grey Sky
Author: rivendellrose
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2154
Author's Summary: Susan Ivanova meets a strange woman on an isolated planet. (Crossover with Babylon 5, post "Sleeping in Light.")
Characters/Pairings: Romana II, Susan Ivanova
Warnings: None

Recced because: If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, odds are good that you’d love Babyon 5 (give it a try if you haven’t already!). If you’re not familiar with it, some background will help: B5’s five-year plot ultimately centers around an epic war between two ancient, powerful races who were originally charged to be the protectors and guiders of lesser species (i.e. humans) but differed so widely about how to go about doing this that they ended up using us all as pawns in a war stretching for millenia – first a Cold War, but then a very hot one indeed.

Or to put it another way: Babyon 5 is what would happen if someone set a sci-fi series during the Time War from the point of view of the species who are caught in the crossfire, asked to choose sides, destroyed by whichever side they rebuff, and in all cases fundamentally unprepared to choose between two races who don’t actaully look that different from our limited point of view. Cass from “Night of the Doctor” would be the main character.

All of that aside, this alas-too-short fic is set post-series for B5 and centers on Susan Ivanova in the twilight of her career (arguably the character who walked away with the most scars), setting her up with Romana (also fresh from the Time War) in a character-driven piece that is both achingly sweet and inexpressibly sad. The fic doesn’t flinch from any of the realities of what the characters have been through but still manages to end on a believably hopeful note. Comforting without being saccharine, it’s exactly what I need after all the tragedy. Give it your time and you won’t be disappointed.