Calufrax

Story: Cover Stories
Author: ChristinaK
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 3266
Author's Summary: Maybe they should have left the party when things started to get strange. (A crossover with Firefly)
Characters/Pairing: Rose, Jack, Firefly crew
Warnings: Mandarin swearing. Captainly nekkidness. Smooching.

Recced because: Anyone who knows me knows I love a good crossover. For some reson, DW and Firefly are perfect together when done right. This? Done right. ChristinaK (butterflykiki on LJ) has a deft touch with dialogue and character. The basic plot is that the crew of Serenity has gone to a ball with Inara in order to steal a painting. Only, it's a defabricator party, and a quarter of the guests (including Mal and Simon) are now naked. And then River (Tam, not Song) runs into a naked, handsome man who has his own agenda, which might just include giving River her first kiss. The author knows how to speak River's language, which makes the story all the more fascinating and hilarious. Take a look at a snippet:

( Unexpected Naked Jack! )

Incidentally, if you like this one, the author does have a follow-up vignette posted on her page which isn't so funny, but is just as gorgeous.

Story: Striking Roots
Author: DameRuth
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 4514
Author's Summary: After the Doctor suffers a terrible shock in the Flowers!verse, it's up to Rose and Jack to comfort him and each other.
Characters/Pairings: Nine/Rose/Jack (in a fashion)
Warnings: Sex, angst

Recced because: This is part of DameRuth's very original and creative Flowers series. The basic premise is that though the Doctor loves Rose deeply, there are way too many biological barriers--physical and chemical--for them to become lovers. Thus, Jack becomes Rose's lover, not just because he loves her himself, but as the Doctor's surrogate. I recommend the whole series for its creativity and sense of melancholy. (Later in the series, Jack, being Jack, finds a way around the biological barriers, but by then, Rose is gone. Thus, Jack and Ten become lovers.)

Anyway, to the story: Our trio come across the horrifying aftermath of a fobwatched Time Lord gone terribly wrong. The Time Lord (unnamed) is long dead, and the fobwatch itself, containing the Time Lord's essence, has become a lethal object of temptation to anyone who finds it. Its discovery sends the Doctor into an emotional tailspin. Jack and Rose can take comfort in each other, but they can't offer the same to him--or can they? The story is told in gorgeous language, the bittersweet dynamic amongst the three of them laid bare as comfort is sought and given.

***

( A snippet or three )

Story: Sooner or Later
Author: Fantastik1973
Rating: Adult
Word Count: 2540
Author's Summary: Nine/Rose. Just after his regeneration, the Ninth Doctor gets some advice from an old friend.
Characters/Pairings: Nine/Rose, the Brig
Warnings: Semi-graphic sex

Recced because: I have a weakness for Nine just-after-the-Time-War fics, especially when he runs into someone who helps him. In this case, he lands right on the Brig's doorstep, quite literally. Scenes of this raw-and-wounded Doctor as the Brig and wife help him out via a place to rest, food and some hard-earned advice are intercut with beautiful, tasteful scenes of the Doctor and Rose making love. If you're not interested in the sex, you can skip over it in favor of some truly lovely interaction between the Doctor and the Brig. If you don't know the Brig, you can still enjoy the story. This is one of my long-time favorites that I come back to over and over. Enjoy!

Eee! My turn to rec! I'll have to get in a few before I leave for Oregon, so here's the first:

Story: Used to Be Fantastic
Author: darclee or Darcie
Rating: All Ages
Word Count: 16163
Author's Summary: The Doctor struggles to help prevent a wide-spread tragedy, but to do so he may have to give up on Rose...
Characters/Pairing: Ten/Rose, OCs
Warnings: None

Recced because: First of all, Darcie's not getting nearly enough love around here. All her stories are fantastic, especially the longer, plotty ones. This is a prime example. The plot, equal parts political intrigue, ecological disaster and personal struggle (Rose is ill, possibly dying while the Doctor's coerced into helping a totalitarian government), rips right along while the author misses nary a beat with the characters. This feels like an episode of DW in every way. In spite of being sidelined by her illness, Rose is hardly a helpless victim; she's very proactive until she literally can't stand up. As for the Doctor, his solution is absolutely ingenious. After reading this one, check out "Royal Blood," which I very nearly recced instead. Don't forget to review!