Calufrax

Story: The Road to Yes
Author: indiana_j
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 2161
Charcters/Pairings: Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler
Author's Summary: In the in between bits of "Rose", the Doctor finds reasons to ask a second time. And discovers that it's just not Rose who needs to say yes.

Recced because: I'm very fond of stories that take place in those in-between moments of Rose, explaining why the Doctor decided to come back and ask Rose to come with him. This is one of my favourite examples of that sort of story. Indiana_j just gets the Ninth Doctor. And I love how she explores his reactions to Rose.

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Story: Walk in the Dust
Author: hence_the_name
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 800
Charcters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor
Author's Summary: The Doctor thinks about Donna after Journey's End.

Recced because: hence_the_name is one of my favourite authors hands down. She just gets both Donna and the Doctor so very well. Journey's End is a story about endings. But it's also about the Doctor realising just how much he really has. hence_the_name takes the heartbreak of the episode and turns it on its ear, showing the Doctor grieving and learning that the best way he can remember Donna is do as she would've wanted: walked in the dust.

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Story: Tender Moments that Don't Last
Author: cherryfeather
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 793
Author's summary: Missing moment from 4x05, "The Poison Sky," just after the Doctor's return via teleport. Donna just...needs a minute.
Characters/Pairings: Donna Noble, Martha Jones, The Doctor (10th)
Warnings: none

Recced because: Sometimes you come across a missing scene that makes you say 'yes, that happened'. This is one of those stories. After the Doctor comes back from his suicidal run against the Sontarans, Donna needs a moment to process everything that happens and to give him a good talking to for leaving her behind. This story also contains the only sort of romance I can ever see between the Doctor and Donna. It's got the right mix of humour and caring that make it hit just that 'right spot'.

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Story: Living History
Author: MinervaFan
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 9668
Author's summary: Sarah Jane and her gang are entrusted with a priceless legacy.
Characters/Pairings: Sarah Jane Smith
Warnings: none

Recced because: Every once in a while you come across a truly unique story, one that you've never seen before or heard before and really wish you had because it's so completely brilliant. This is one of those stories. Sarah Jane saves an alien from death and then saves him again from that much more. It raises some good questions - what is a culture but a collection of stories? And what happens if that culture, that species, is gone, everyone except for one and they, too, are dying? It's a lovely, bittersweet tale that brought tears to my eyes at the end and, despite that fact, made me smile.

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Series: Emotional Baggage
Author: sensiblecat
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 6924 words (total series)
Author's summary: A series of conversations following Donna and the Doctor through Series 4.
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble
Warnings: none

Recced because: There's just something about Donna that makes the Doctor want to talk in the stories in this series. Every conversation they have reveals a little bit more about the Doctor's deeper character as well as Donna's. This the Donna we see on screen, magnified. It's an absolutely gorgeous series and if you only decide to read one series about the Doctor and Donna, I highly recommend that this be it.

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Story: Mother Knows Best
Author: Wish Wielder
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 26,216
Author's summary: When Jackie makes a flippant comment in the presence of an alien artifact, she wakes up to find her entire world flipped around – and not in the good way. There’s only one man – well, alien – she knows who could possibly fix it, and she’s just wished him out of their lives.
Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, Jackie Tyler, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Pete Tyler, Rose Tyler, The Doctor (10th), The Doctor (9th)
Warnings: none

Recced because: I adore stories that delve into the intricacies of 'what if' and toying with time. This one is a true gem. It starts with the premise of Jackie wishing for one thing, one thing only: That Rose Tyler never met the Doctor. From that moment on, it hits the ground running. It's an engrossing, well-written story and it contains one of my absolute favourite characterisations of Jackie Tyler in fan fiction.

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Series: Illyria
Author: TARDIS_stowaway
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: Three years after Doomsday, Rose finds her new universe's version of the Ninth Doctor. Rose may be running for her life, but she's not the one most in need of rescue. Also, the TARDIS looks like a ticket booth. The title of the series comes from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In the play, a tragic shipwreck leaves Viola stranded in a foreign land, much as Rose is stranded in another universe. Much mistaken identity and unspoken love ensue. Although this series contains significantly less cross-dressing than the play, I thought the tone of mixed angst and humor fit just right. "What country, friends, is this?" "This is Illyria, lady." "And what should I do in Illyria?" Run.
Characters/Pairings: Ninth Doctor, Rose
Warnings: none

Recced because: This is an original take on the "Rose is stuck in an AU and comes across an alternate version of the Doctor". I love TARDIS_stowaway's version of the Ninth Doctor who travels around in a ticket booth. He's crotchety, he's classic oncoming storm, and most of all, he remains quintessentially Nine even though he's not really the Nine we know and love. I also adore Rose in this series. This a stronger older Rose, a Rose that I wish we'd met during her run on DW. Fantastic plotting, exciting storylines, and humour all characterise this series. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves AUs and who loves the Ninth Doctor.

Story: Falls the Shadow
Author: Nemo the Everbeing
Rating: All Ages
Author's summary: It was supposed to be nothing more than a seaside holiday for two old friends to relax and recharge, but something went wrong. Then a lot of things went wrong. Now, as Ace deals with the emotional fallout of a realization that could put an end their decade-long friendship, the Doctor discovers something potentially deadly about the world on which they’ve stopped. And then the darkness falls.
Characters/Pairings: Seventh Doctor, Dorothy (Ace) McShane (Seven/Ace)
Warnings: Swearing

Recced because: I never thought I'd actually like, no love, a Seventh Doctor/Ace story. The Seventh Doctor was my first Doctor, just as Ace was my first companion, and I always thought theirs was more of a mentor/mentee or father/daughter relationship. That is until I read this story. This is an older, wiser Ace and a clever, clever Doctor. Nemo the Everbeing has a great talent to bring these characters to life in such a way that I can say 'yeah, I can see that happening' when it comes to a pairing that I never thought I'd be able to read. The storyline is rich and engaging, with the underlying romance a perfect counterpoint to the angst and entertainment of time going dreadfully wrong. If you are hesitant over the idea of Seven/Ace, do give this a try. I guarantee that it will sway you, because this is a writer whose pairing of these characters I can get behind. Nemo has several fics that are just as brilliant as this one, and I highly recommend them all, but this one has a special place in my heart.

Series: Bless
Author: commodoresexual
Rating: Adult
Author's summary: Every couple has a love story. Some of those are just more messed up than others.
Characters: Other Character(s), The Master (Simm) (Simm!Master/Lucy)
Warnings: none

Recced because: I absolutely adore commodoresexual's take on the Master/Lucy love story. These characters are so dark, so broken, and so terrifyingly right for each other that it's simply fantastic. There are more stories in this series than just the two that are posted on Teaspoon, and I really wish commodoresexual'd post the rest on Teaspoon for everyone to enjoy. But even in this smaller snippet, this series has definitely become part of my personal canon regarding the Master/Lucy relationship. There are some terrifying moments, dark aspects, angst (I do love me some angst), but overall, you can really see how and why the Master fell for Lucy and vice versa. It's an ode to darkness, and I do love it.