Passing For Normal

I'm trying to get back into the habit of reccing stuff occasionally, so here are a couple of wonderful long fics that I've recently read and loved.

I'm not sure why I downloaded this first story to my Kindle. The header info says Ziva/Tony, which is not a pairing that interests me, whether in canon or in fic. But I did, once upon a time, and there it sat forgotten until a few days ago when I stumbled across it while poking around on my Kindle looking for something to read.

Apparently somebody had steered me in the right direction, because this is first rate. It's a long, plotty, and extremely satisfying Ziva-centric crossover between NCIS and Stargate Atlantis. Yes, there's a very minor thread of Ziva/Tony, but it is anything but the focus of the story. Call it 95+ percent gen, with all the emphasis on plot and character exploration. Excellent use of all the main NCIS characters as well as several from SGA, particularly Sheppard and Lorne.

This is the same Ziva I see on the show, but this story takes us deep inside her life and her head and heart in ways that canon hasn't. I already liked Ziva, but after reading this fic, now I feel I truly know her, and now I love her.

Agent Afloat Atlantis (48793 words) by Mhalachai
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis, NCIS
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Characters: Ziva David, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Anthony DiNozzo, Jethro Gibbs, Abby Sciuto, Timothy McGee, Ducky Mallard
Additional Tags: Crossover, Action/Adventure
Summary:

Ziva's new assignment certainly isn't what she expected.

~ * ~

The second is a story I posted a question about not long ago, and since I brought it up in a somewhat querulous context at that time, I am pleased to balance that with a rec now that I've read it.

What the header info doesn't tell you is that the central pairing in this story is Always-a-girl!Lestrade/Mycroft Holmes, and it's framed around the slow and quirky evolution of their relationship, interwoven with all of existing canon. And it's pure delight. The genderflip worked brilliantly for me. Lestrade the woman was both distinctly different from her canon counterpart and entirely recognizable as Lestrade. And Mycroft is entirely as I know and (what's the verb?) enjoy him, in all his complexity. Thumbs up, and all the other digits while I'm at it. I could not love this story more.

By the way, while the author chose not to warn, I would say that if you can handle what canon dishes out, I don't think there's anything in this that requires warnings. And it is absolutely, entirely free of Holmescest. :-)

The Least of All Possible Mistakes (118096 words) by rageprufrock
Chapters: 12/12
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Summary:

If ever a people deserved tasering, it’s Holmeses.