Calufrax

Story:  Shadow Self
Author:  LizBee
Rating:  Teen
Word Count: 870
Author's Summary: Fifth Axis interrogations stir up things best left quiet in Braxiatel's mind. Or, The One Where Brax Has A Head!Pandora.
Characters: Irving Braxiatel
Warnings: None specifically

In the 90's, when "Doctor Who" was off the air, the void was filled with a series of books published by Virgin.  Those books lost their license around 1997 or so, but they began publishing a series of books around Bernice Summerfield, a character in many of the seventh Doctor books.  Later, Big Finish acquired a license to produce new material based upon both "Doctor Who" and the Bernice Summerfield line.  Irving Braxiatel is one of the characters who pops up in books and audios from time to time, mostly in the Benny line.

This story takes place between a short story, "Midrash" and an audio "Death and the Daleks."  This post by lizbee sums up some of the backstory (but there are spoilers for the Benny audios).  She does an awesome job of capturing a complex character, yet still making him sympathetic to the reader.

Braxiatel opened his eyes and found that he was not alone.

But then, he never had been.

The pain of the Special Inquisitor's work was beginning to recede at last -- he was almost able to meditate on the irony, that the effort to shield himself from a telepath should prove as painful as any torture. That the headache was self-inflicted only completed the absurdity. He rested his head on the back of his chair, and looked up at his companion.

Story:  Somnambulists
Author:  ClocketPatch
Rating:  All Ages
Word Count: 15259
Author's Summary:  "We live to survive our paradoxes."--The Tragically Hip
Characters: The Doctor
Warnings: None

This fic is delightfully trippy, but if you hang with it, you'll be rewarded.  It takes what the Cartmel Masterplan intended and combines it with the New Who mythos surrounding the Doctor.  ClocketPatch captures just how alien the Academy and Time Lords are.

( Snippet of the first chapter behind the cut. )

Hello!  I'm recommending fics this week!  I grew up watching Doctor Who on WTTW northwest of Chicago (about 40 minutes away from where John Barrowman was doing the same.)  I've got a nifty assortment of new Who, old Who, and Big Finish inspired fic to share.

Story:  To Have and not to Hold
Author:  mtemplar_fic
Author's Summary:  The Sacred Flame of the Sisterhood of Karn has failed. Will the Doctor once again be able to put things right? Rose soon finds herself in over her head as she learns a few secrets about her traveling companion.
Characters/Pairings:  Rose/Ten
Warnings:  Adult, sex, violence. 

Recommended because:  I love the way mtemplar_fic combines old Who, new Who, and book elements.  She takes one of my favorite stories ("The Brain of Morbius"), and writes a sequel to it.  In true old Who fashion, the Doctor and Rose find themselves in a benign situation that quickly goes south.  I think the rating is a bit conservative, although things get steamy.  If you're not a Rose fan (like me), give it a try.  You won't be disappointed.  It takes so many twists and turns in the plot, I'm reluctant to quote an entire section, for fear of giving something away. 

"Do you mind?" Rose snapped irritably. "I'm just brushing my teeth. It's really nothing exciting...do you have to stare?"