CROSSOVERS

We all fall in love sometimes*

*(I was going to subtitle this page Young bisexual FBI agents in love or, Scully Goes and Gets Some, but I wanted to be inclusive so you'll just have to settle for the picture. Besides, "We All Fall In Love Sometimes" is a really pretty Elton John song).

Thank You for Not Smoking (X-Files/Pretender) by Hth was the first of her stories that I read (in the ScullySlash archive) and I just fell in love. With her Scully, with her Miss Parker, with her writing, everything.

The other Hth crossover that I live for is BtVS/Cruel Intentions--the stories are FAQ and Half an Hour, and they're my favorite Faith-in-jail snapshots.

Scully also gets some in Keepsake by Liz Estrada, a crossover with Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels (Scully/Lucy), which was shot through with sweetness and sadness without being cloying.

And there must be something about Washington D.C. and Miss Parker slash.... Metallic Luster (Pretender/The West Wing) by Ellen Milholland didn't suffer at all from the fact that I have never watched West Wing, although I suspect that if I did I would have a CJ thing (especially if Ellen's characterization of her here is as good the Miss Parker one)... But I'd have enjoyed this protagonist and her uneasy relationship with her identity--identity, period--even if I was unfamiliar with either show because it's a fabulous story.

The Rapture series (X-Files/Highlander) by Wombat -- Mulder/Methos, a cast of thousands, and a kickass plot. What more could you want? How about the Apocalypse?

Chosen Men (Highlander/Sharpe) by Hellblazer – Sharpe/Methos. The idea of Richard Sharpe as an Immortal became part of my personal canon after reading this series. The only problem I have with Chosen Men is the sudden appearance of Sociopath!Methos (someone commented that he basically turns into LaCroix, which more or less sums it up) around part 4, but if you don't mind that or can manage to get through it and keep reading, Amanda's appearance in Chosen Men 6: Diamonds Are Forever makes a satisfying reward, and many of the later stories are flashbacks. And if that weren't enough, there's even an Angel crossover which ends far too soon.

Speaking of LaCroix... Like most of her work, Myth of the Bat (Forever Knight/Batman) by A.C. Chapin is memorable enough to remain in your head (or at least, my head) for years after a single reading. "Consider for a moment how much you know, compared to how much everyone else knows. . ." There's been a lot of ink spilled on this theme, but this is one of the best treatments of the nature of myths in short fiction that I've seen anywhere--and I'm not sure whether it's despite that or because of it, but the story also works so seamlessly as fan fiction that the derivative aspect seems almost incidental.

Juarez by Gemma Files -- This is on my list because she wrote about Todd from One Life to Live. Todd. In a bar with Krycek, not that I even cared that much about Krycek here, because, Todd, and she got him down so well. Just read it. It's entertaining even if you've never watched One Life To Live.

Then there's Whatever (Firing Pin) by Wax Jism -- An X-Men/Highlander crossover featuring a movieverse (but pre-movie) Logan and Tyler King, an Immortal who only appeared in one episode (as so many of them do, given that, well, there can be only one) of Highlander but was played by Callum Keith Rennie of Due South and Hard Core Logo fame.... Bleak, hot, and surprisingly moving.

L'Heure Bleu by Dale Edmonds (Harry Potter/BtVS) -- Can I just say it's Riley/Draco and leave it at that? (Because the pairing is just inspired). Future fic, and the characters have this weary, bitter edge that's perfect for incipient emotional breakdowns and desperate sex in the trenches.

I was dying for good Witchblade, and what I got was MacGeorge's Highlander crossover, Digitabulum Magae; I'm breaking one of my few rules (not that I'm a great believer in such things anyway) to rec this because it's still a WIP, but MacGeorge has been known to finish epic WIPs before and I needed my Witchblade fix.... It's got a plot and sex (both slash and het), and the Witchblade parts are solid even though it's the author's first story in the fandom, and the best part is, it doesn't start off with Duncan and Methos as an already established couple. (Which made me happy because although I like the idea of their getting together by the end, the focus remains on other things and allows other pairings for much of the story (preventing it--at least thus far--from falling into the too much OTPness that I find annoying when it comes to them)). And while I'm continuing to break my own rules & recommending unfinished Highlander crossovers, if you can live with the frustration (which I could, because the smut was so worth it) check out Maygra de Rhema and Melina Clark's unfinished La Femme Nikita crossover Predator.

Matthia (Smallville/BtVS) by Jayne Leitch -- You know Lex Luthor is going to end up being one of the top crossover characters of all time, so I was amused that the author put him with Crossover Queen Faith ('cause if I had to guess the current top crossover characters, Faith would be right up there with Krycek and Methos), but this story made my day. They're both just so hot and hurting and it works so well as part of both characters' backstory that I could easily forget it's not canon.

Hell Money (Smallville/Angel) by FayJay -- Lionel Luthor. Wolfram & Hart. It's short, just go read it. (Ed: And her Smallville/Buffy crossover, No Fury).

Also, Pulp Phantom makes me very happy and now you can be too.