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ds_noticeboardIt's a real pleasure to share some of my all-time favorite Fraser/Vecchio recs, inspired by the timely (ahem) release of a new smokin' hot F/V story by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
merryish. Since there are a lot of new DS fans lately, many of them making their way through the DVDs in order, it seems appropriate to reward their enthusiastic engagement with these, particularly as many of them have been hiding their light under a bushel for years now.
I encourage those of you who haven't found Vecchio particularly slashworthy to give these a try. The dialogue may win you over. Finding some authors you know and love in this list might be a pleasant surprise, too.
So, I proudly present: 10 Fraser/Vecchio Stories That Don't Suck
1. The Eskimo Thing, bymerryish
In this fandom, it's not the aliens that make you do it. Funny and hot in equal measure.
Like anybody could sleep with all the cricket-chirping and owl-hooting and wolf-howling that was going on all around them. It made Ray miss the ambulances always coming and going to the hospital down the street from his house. Ambulances made noise because they wanted to help you. Canada, Ray was absolutely convinced, made noise because it wanted to eat you.
2. In Your Corner, bykormantic
Ray and Fraser struggle with the emotional aftermath of "The Duel". Rich and complex like a fine wine.
"Thank you kindly, Ray."
"Don't mention it. Thanks for not... getting shot or anything." And what I really mean is I'm glad he's not dead, not shut up in a hearse like the toy Mountie Carver sent me. My heart fell into my shoes when I saw that little red coat and tiny hat... And how morbid is that, anyway? What kind of a kid plays with a toy *hearse*, huh? I bet you an even twenty Carver was that kind of kid. Sick fuck.
While you're there, you can't go wrong with any ofkormantic's DS stories. They're all wonderful, filled with her trademark snarky dialogue.
3. Free Parking, byinapickle (Ethan Nelson/Mallory Klohn, depending...)
My all-time favorite PWP, this is hilarious and squidge-inducing in equal measure. The Vecchio voice is dead on, and Fraser manages to be simultaneously uptight and wanton.
Stripped down to his own long johns and socks, Ray was beginning to feel the cold now, the fire still building strength. He wrapped himself in Ben's quilt and sat down on the bed. Dief had already claimed his place by the fire, the same place Ray and Ben would later argue over. Shame. It could be both of us. Or neither... Ben was busily boiling water, setting out cups, and arranging what looked like a hell of a lot of stuff Ray hoped was not going in his mug. When everything was tidied and retidied to the farthest extreme possible, Ben turned and blessed Ray with his most winning smile.
"Would you like to listen to some music?"
Ray collapsed on the bed. "Yeah, sure, Benny. We'll send out smoke signals to that guy from the jug band on the other side of the forest and have ourselves a hoedown right here in the cabin."
Ben shook his head. "We're not totally primitive, Ray. I bought a small portable stereo."
He grinned. "When you could have donated that money to the Stuttering Foundation of America?"
The Mountie flushed guiltily. "I bought some recordings, too."
"Oh my God. Do you have any idea how many Hail Marys you get for that?"
"If you're just going to make remarks--"
inapickle wrote another F/V story, "One Man's Kink", which is also very much worth reading.
4. Acharnement, by A.C. Chapin
A classic slash story in the grand tradition: awakening desire, frustration, fruition. This story boasts a rare and gorgeous Fraser-POV that is totally believable.
In the months since he'd come home from the hospital, it had happened every few nights. Eventually it had become less and less frequent, but even now, it still came sometimes. This was the first morning the dreams hadn't been about Victoria. He was almost relieved.
Was it a delayed stress reaction? A sign of continuing psychological disturbance? Of course he realized that people in general attached far too much significance to dreams involving recognizable parts of their waking lives, especially dreams with any sexual or symbolically sexual content. Naturally, there was nothing wrong, or even unusual in having such dreams, since dreams were, after all, only the brain's attempt at processing the non-input to the eyes during sleep. All the same, he would have liked to talk to Ray about it; Ray always seemed to be able to fill the odd gaps in his own knowledge, sometimes by providing a perspective so unexpected that it smashed entirely through his confusion. But if it had been hard to imagine broaching the subject before, it was impossible now. The very thought of such a conversation made his throat clutch up and his face go uncomfortably pink.
Check out A.C. Chapin's other DS stories while you're there.
5. Absence bythete1
One of two bitter little F/V stories Te wrote, this vignette proffers a possible reason why Ray took the Langoustini gig.
...You stayed and I got
stupid all over the place. Lost everything
resembling an edge, had my cover blown
everywhere it counted, lost thousands of dollars
and more than a few good dates. For you.
And I just kept doing it, like the fucking chump
my Dad always said I was and you kept
accepting it. I think that's the worst part, and I
honestly don't give one about what that makes
me sound like.
6. Among the Evergreens bybasingstoke
Bas has written a variety of different DS pairings, as you probably know. IMO, this is the best of her F/V stories, which considers what might have happened after the Pilot. Fraser has an unexpected response to the trauma, but fortunately Ray has already traveled hundreds of miles to help.
"I forgot. You're Superman." Ray shook Fraser's shoulder hard enough to rock him back and forth without sending him off-balance. "You don't have to be Superman."
There wasn't any reply Fraser could make to that, so he just looked down at his hat and thought about the day. He didn't think about Ray's hand sliding from his shoulder to the back of his neck, or the accelerated pace of Ray's breathing. He didn't want to think about anything at all. Nothingness. He swept his mind as clean as the snow.
His hat quivered in his hands, and it took him several minutes to realize that it was his hands that were shaking, and not the hat itself, and not the ground. Not the blood-spattered snow.
7. Follow Without Pride by Cara Chapel
Long and densely plotty, this story is a post-Victoria's Secret AU that takes both Ray and Fraser to some very dark places.
"I'm not giving you a leave of absence, Detective." Welsh sat back in his chair, surveying Ray sharply. Ray could almost feel the Lieutenant's sharp gaze touch the dark shadows under his sleepless eyes, the hang of his coat on shoulders that had thinned visibly in the past months. He knew he didn't look like a cop on payola, not unless he was one with a helluva conscience.
"Do I have to turn in my shield, sir?" He heard the obstinate challenge in his own tones. "I'll do it if I have to." He was already reaching into his overcoat pocket. He felt numb, like nothing could touch him now or ever would again.
"You won't find him, Vecchio. He doesn't want you to, and you won't." The voice was unusually quiet, surprisingly compassionate. "He skipped bail for that woman and for all you know he meant to do it all along. You're just lucky that key wasn't where she said it was, or you'd have gone down."
Check out Cara Chapel's other work, too, including the sequel to this story.
8. The Long Way Home bymorgandawn and thevetia
Speaking of dark places, this novel is not for the faint of heart. It's a frightening post-apocalyptic AU in which Fraser and Ray are tested to their very limits. More gen than slash, this story is primarily interested in uncovering the raw stuff that makes us human.
"It'll be fine, Ray." Fraser kept staring into the distance, scanning the dark.
"No, it won't, Benny. We're cut off, we don't know the incubation period, and we don't know if there's any hope of outside contact. Or help."
The silence stretched between them, magnifying the tension. Ray let it build and then forced himself to speak: "I want to go home. I want to see my family and hold them and make them safe." He turned his head toward Fraser's shape. "It's what I do, Fraser. It's what I'm supposed to do."
morgandawn has some other F/V stories that you'll probably enjoy as well.
9. The Vault, byflambeau
This story gets the voices absolutely right, and hey, it's by torch. What more do you need? Oh, I know: bonus appearance by Bob Fraser!
"It was a stupid thing to do," he told Dief, who just looked at him and then lay down, tongue lolling out. Fraser went to stand by the open window and look out. A bunch of pigeons were holding a party on the fire escape and gave him bright beady glances. He leaned against the window frame and sighed. "Remarkably stupid."
"You're right there, son. Remarkably."
Fraser closed his eyes. "Go away."
"I've got a few things to say to you."
"I'm not listening."
"I'm not saying Ray Vecchio isn't a good man," his father went on unheedingly, "but that's the problem. He's a good *man*."
10. The One That Got Away, by Kellie Matthews and Julia Kosatka
I'll close here with this delightful crossover in which Fraser and Ray encounter Amanda (HL), and wackiness ensues. It's evident that the writers knew the Highlander universe as well as the Due South universe, so it's satisfying for fans of both. Lots of plot, lots of hot. If you love threesomes, this one's for you.
"So, what do you think?" Vecchio asked as Fraser settled himself in the passenger seat and fastened the safety belt.
"I think we should watch her," he said, looking back toward the hotel entrance.
"Me too," Vecchio said. "Something feels funny."
"Agreed," Fraser said, frowning thoughtfully. "Though it seems odd that she didn't seem at all displeased to see us."
"Fraser, with a couple of notable exceptions women are never displeased to see you."
"Now, Ray, that's an exaggeration," Fraser protested.
"No, it's not," Vecchio said, slightly aggrieved. "I swear on my mother's grave."
"Your mother isn't dead, Ray." Fraser pointed out reasonably.
"Right. Well, you know what I meant. Anyway, something tells me she's up to something...
merryish. Since there are a lot of new DS fans lately, many of them making their way through the DVDs in order, it seems appropriate to reward their enthusiastic engagement with these, particularly as many of them have been hiding their light under a bushel for years now.I encourage those of you who haven't found Vecchio particularly slashworthy to give these a try. The dialogue may win you over. Finding some authors you know and love in this list might be a pleasant surprise, too.
So, I proudly present: 10 Fraser/Vecchio Stories That Don't Suck
1. The Eskimo Thing, by
merryishIn this fandom, it's not the aliens that make you do it. Funny and hot in equal measure.
Like anybody could sleep with all the cricket-chirping and owl-hooting and wolf-howling that was going on all around them. It made Ray miss the ambulances always coming and going to the hospital down the street from his house. Ambulances made noise because they wanted to help you. Canada, Ray was absolutely convinced, made noise because it wanted to eat you.
2. In Your Corner, by
kormanticRay and Fraser struggle with the emotional aftermath of "The Duel". Rich and complex like a fine wine.
"Thank you kindly, Ray."
"Don't mention it. Thanks for not... getting shot or anything." And what I really mean is I'm glad he's not dead, not shut up in a hearse like the toy Mountie Carver sent me. My heart fell into my shoes when I saw that little red coat and tiny hat... And how morbid is that, anyway? What kind of a kid plays with a toy *hearse*, huh? I bet you an even twenty Carver was that kind of kid. Sick fuck.
While you're there, you can't go wrong with any of
kormantic's DS stories. They're all wonderful, filled with her trademark snarky dialogue.3. Free Parking, by
inapickle (Ethan Nelson/Mallory Klohn, depending...)My all-time favorite PWP, this is hilarious and squidge-inducing in equal measure. The Vecchio voice is dead on, and Fraser manages to be simultaneously uptight and wanton.
Stripped down to his own long johns and socks, Ray was beginning to feel the cold now, the fire still building strength. He wrapped himself in Ben's quilt and sat down on the bed. Dief had already claimed his place by the fire, the same place Ray and Ben would later argue over. Shame. It could be both of us. Or neither... Ben was busily boiling water, setting out cups, and arranging what looked like a hell of a lot of stuff Ray hoped was not going in his mug. When everything was tidied and retidied to the farthest extreme possible, Ben turned and blessed Ray with his most winning smile.
"Would you like to listen to some music?"
Ray collapsed on the bed. "Yeah, sure, Benny. We'll send out smoke signals to that guy from the jug band on the other side of the forest and have ourselves a hoedown right here in the cabin."
Ben shook his head. "We're not totally primitive, Ray. I bought a small portable stereo."
He grinned. "When you could have donated that money to the Stuttering Foundation of America?"
The Mountie flushed guiltily. "I bought some recordings, too."
"Oh my God. Do you have any idea how many Hail Marys you get for that?"
"If you're just going to make remarks--"
inapickle wrote another F/V story, "One Man's Kink", which is also very much worth reading.4. Acharnement, by A.C. Chapin
A classic slash story in the grand tradition: awakening desire, frustration, fruition. This story boasts a rare and gorgeous Fraser-POV that is totally believable.
In the months since he'd come home from the hospital, it had happened every few nights. Eventually it had become less and less frequent, but even now, it still came sometimes. This was the first morning the dreams hadn't been about Victoria. He was almost relieved.
Was it a delayed stress reaction? A sign of continuing psychological disturbance? Of course he realized that people in general attached far too much significance to dreams involving recognizable parts of their waking lives, especially dreams with any sexual or symbolically sexual content. Naturally, there was nothing wrong, or even unusual in having such dreams, since dreams were, after all, only the brain's attempt at processing the non-input to the eyes during sleep. All the same, he would have liked to talk to Ray about it; Ray always seemed to be able to fill the odd gaps in his own knowledge, sometimes by providing a perspective so unexpected that it smashed entirely through his confusion. But if it had been hard to imagine broaching the subject before, it was impossible now. The very thought of such a conversation made his throat clutch up and his face go uncomfortably pink.
Check out A.C. Chapin's other DS stories while you're there.
5. Absence by
thete1One of two bitter little F/V stories Te wrote, this vignette proffers a possible reason why Ray took the Langoustini gig.
...You stayed and I got
stupid all over the place. Lost everything
resembling an edge, had my cover blown
everywhere it counted, lost thousands of dollars
and more than a few good dates. For you.
And I just kept doing it, like the fucking chump
my Dad always said I was and you kept
accepting it. I think that's the worst part, and I
honestly don't give one about what that makes
me sound like.
6. Among the Evergreens by
basingstokeBas has written a variety of different DS pairings, as you probably know. IMO, this is the best of her F/V stories, which considers what might have happened after the Pilot. Fraser has an unexpected response to the trauma, but fortunately Ray has already traveled hundreds of miles to help.
"I forgot. You're Superman." Ray shook Fraser's shoulder hard enough to rock him back and forth without sending him off-balance. "You don't have to be Superman."
There wasn't any reply Fraser could make to that, so he just looked down at his hat and thought about the day. He didn't think about Ray's hand sliding from his shoulder to the back of his neck, or the accelerated pace of Ray's breathing. He didn't want to think about anything at all. Nothingness. He swept his mind as clean as the snow.
His hat quivered in his hands, and it took him several minutes to realize that it was his hands that were shaking, and not the hat itself, and not the ground. Not the blood-spattered snow.
7. Follow Without Pride by Cara Chapel
Long and densely plotty, this story is a post-Victoria's Secret AU that takes both Ray and Fraser to some very dark places.
"I'm not giving you a leave of absence, Detective." Welsh sat back in his chair, surveying Ray sharply. Ray could almost feel the Lieutenant's sharp gaze touch the dark shadows under his sleepless eyes, the hang of his coat on shoulders that had thinned visibly in the past months. He knew he didn't look like a cop on payola, not unless he was one with a helluva conscience.
"Do I have to turn in my shield, sir?" He heard the obstinate challenge in his own tones. "I'll do it if I have to." He was already reaching into his overcoat pocket. He felt numb, like nothing could touch him now or ever would again.
"You won't find him, Vecchio. He doesn't want you to, and you won't." The voice was unusually quiet, surprisingly compassionate. "He skipped bail for that woman and for all you know he meant to do it all along. You're just lucky that key wasn't where she said it was, or you'd have gone down."
Check out Cara Chapel's other work, too, including the sequel to this story.
8. The Long Way Home by
morgandawn and thevetiaSpeaking of dark places, this novel is not for the faint of heart. It's a frightening post-apocalyptic AU in which Fraser and Ray are tested to their very limits. More gen than slash, this story is primarily interested in uncovering the raw stuff that makes us human.
"It'll be fine, Ray." Fraser kept staring into the distance, scanning the dark.
"No, it won't, Benny. We're cut off, we don't know the incubation period, and we don't know if there's any hope of outside contact. Or help."
The silence stretched between them, magnifying the tension. Ray let it build and then forced himself to speak: "I want to go home. I want to see my family and hold them and make them safe." He turned his head toward Fraser's shape. "It's what I do, Fraser. It's what I'm supposed to do."
morgandawn has some other F/V stories that you'll probably enjoy as well.9. The Vault, by
flambeauThis story gets the voices absolutely right, and hey, it's by torch. What more do you need? Oh, I know: bonus appearance by Bob Fraser!
"It was a stupid thing to do," he told Dief, who just looked at him and then lay down, tongue lolling out. Fraser went to stand by the open window and look out. A bunch of pigeons were holding a party on the fire escape and gave him bright beady glances. He leaned against the window frame and sighed. "Remarkably stupid."
"You're right there, son. Remarkably."
Fraser closed his eyes. "Go away."
"I've got a few things to say to you."
"I'm not listening."
"I'm not saying Ray Vecchio isn't a good man," his father went on unheedingly, "but that's the problem. He's a good *man*."
10. The One That Got Away, by Kellie Matthews and Julia Kosatka
I'll close here with this delightful crossover in which Fraser and Ray encounter Amanda (HL), and wackiness ensues. It's evident that the writers knew the Highlander universe as well as the Due South universe, so it's satisfying for fans of both. Lots of plot, lots of hot. If you love threesomes, this one's for you.
"So, what do you think?" Vecchio asked as Fraser settled himself in the passenger seat and fastened the safety belt.
"I think we should watch her," he said, looking back toward the hotel entrance.
"Me too," Vecchio said. "Something feels funny."
"Agreed," Fraser said, frowning thoughtfully. "Though it seems odd that she didn't seem at all displeased to see us."
"Fraser, with a couple of notable exceptions women are never displeased to see you."
"Now, Ray, that's an exaggeration," Fraser protested.
"No, it's not," Vecchio said, slightly aggrieved. "I swear on my mother's grave."
"Your mother isn't dead, Ray." Fraser pointed out reasonably.
"Right. Well, you know what I meant. Anyway, something tells me she's up to something...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 08:25 pm (UTC)*wanders off to read*
(this rambling is provided by migraine medication)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 10:44 pm (UTC)THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
And also?
THANK YOU!
I'd only seen two of these ("In Your Corner" and "Follow Without Pride"). All this wonderful Vecchio and F/V adoration and goodness recently ... I am just dead from happy. DEAD. FROM HAPPY.
*runs off to read*
no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 11:16 pm (UTC)Don't miss the other stories by these fine authors.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 02:29 am (UTC)Oy.
Sigh.
(This is hard, ya know, for an F/K girl!)
Must go lie down now.
(great recs, btw) :)
Hee!
Date: 2005-12-31 05:59 am (UTC)Re: Hee!
Date: 2005-12-31 06:16 am (UTC)But if you see an email from me...
(And isn't that new story by
I love you.
Date: 2005-12-31 03:27 am (UTC)And mmm, Free Parking. And again, Follow Without Pride. Excellent taste. I think I feel the need to reread some old favorites again.
Re: I love you.
Date: 2005-12-31 06:00 am (UTC)Mmm, Free Parking, indeed. I never get tired of that one.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 07:32 am (UTC)Thank you!!!
I just read Free Parking last week, and I adored it. Then ESKIMOS!!!
And now there's more to read! And a WHOLE THREE DAY WEEKEND in which to do so!!!
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 03:30 pm (UTC)Yay Vecchio! Yay three day weekends!
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 04:39 pm (UTC)However as someone who also writes F/V I'd like to think my fic and the fic of other F/V authors (and you have written some good F/V) doesn't suck.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 05:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 06:56 pm (UTC)Probably another Bristish/American English difference I am sure, as
I am very happy to see some good F/V recs.
It makes a nice change.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 06:50 pm (UTC)Thank you for clarifying.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 05:26 pm (UTC)With great respect, however, one thing does bother me slightly and I'm sure that you never intended it this way at all. However, your choice of '10 F/V stories that don't suck', kind of implies that the rest of the stories do.
As I said I'm sure that you don't mean that, and that it was made tongue in cheek, but that is kind of how it comes over.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 05:50 pm (UTC)Methinks it just might be one of those 'language' barriers, we live with. British vs American English?? As certainly I wouldn't take it the way you clearly meant it, and have explained it. To me it certainly does imply that everything else does suck.
Thanks for taking the time to explain.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 06:32 pm (UTC)Happy New Year to you.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-03 02:45 am (UTC)And I love, love Morgan Dawn's Long Way Home. It is a great example of a fic that doesn't suck.
Um...
Date: 2006-01-03 03:10 am (UTC)I would just like to put in this two cents that although there's not that much sex in Long Way Home, it seemed total slash to me.
I'm making that small quibble 'cause for the most part I don't read gen and had I not already read the fic, the mostly gen label might have made me put it at the very bottom of my list(especially considering the length)or not read it at all (I know my bias)
but LWH struck me as the best kind of love story
Re: Um...
Date: 2006-01-03 04:31 am (UTC)::shrug::
To each her own.
Re: Um...
Date: 2006-01-03 10:33 am (UTC)I don't know that I know anyone else who has read the story so it never occurred to me that it might read as gen. It's cool to hear other takes. Since you're pretty much the only person I've ever had any 'conversation' with about the story, so I'm gonna indulge for a sec.
Spoiler space spoiler space spoiler space spoiler space spoiler space spoiler space
For me it read as a love story because it seemed to me that Fraser knew that Ray would have a terrible time making the transition, had a terrfiying suspicion that Ray might not and so he carried the weight until Ray could get it together. And to me that seemed an act of love. He essentially built or was instrumental in making that community run well, but had Ray not been with him, I don't think he would have necessarily been as tenacious or stayed. Because Fraser knew or sensed how devastating it would be for Ray when reality of no Ma, no Frannie, loss of status etc hit him, Fraser helped sustain a cocoon, a sense of not normalcy exactly (cause well the world had kind of ended) but at least a sense of the familiar. I guess I thought of Fraser as less a stranger than an Uber Fraser.
In real life Ray seemed his conduit to social interaction with others and without him Fraser might have done his duty, but not engaged, if that makes sense.
Since I do see Fraser as essentially a loner or maybe just tightly self-contained, I'm not sure he would have stayed in the community for as long as he did or have been as involved as he was, not exactly crazy, but maybe kind of like that guy who lived in the woods that they ended up having to put down. I don't know that an apocalypse would changed that per se.
Hey maybe it's a platonic love story, because I think in reality if any of us found ourselves in similar circumstances with a close friend, we would do what was required to help get them through if they weren't able to do it on their own.
Thanks for the indulgence and thank you again for the recs. I read most of the male slash pairings in this fandom, so I like to be pointed in the direction of stuff I haven't seen yet.
See this is what happens when it's slow at work and I've been away from slash for a few weeks. Lots of yakking.
Cheers