Nero Wolfe: Lost Boys by Nancy

Lost Boys (Wolfe/Archie | PG | 11,771 words) is a version of the story of how Archie and Wolfe met. I like all the little touches that connect this story to the characters' counterparts in the books.

Excerpt:
I entered. To my right was a large brown desk. Behind it was a large brown man. Saul Panzer was in a red chair facing the desk. The man behind the desk, who could only be Nero Wolfe, looked me over and then spoke indignantly to Panzer, "Nonsense, Saul. What is this, flummery?"

If Panzer was offended by Wolfe's tone, he didn't show it. If anything he looked amused, "No sir. This is Archie Goodwin."

Wolfe turned back to me. "Bah, this is farcical. Mr. Goodwin, sit down. I prefer eyes at a level."

I took a yellow chair near Panzer. Wolfe regarded me, not happily.

"How old are you, Mr. Goodwin?"

I cocked a glance at Panzer, who had got me into this, but he was no help. "Look, Panzer asked me to come here, so here I am when I should be sleeping. And right away you start with personal questions. Do I ask you how much you weigh?"

Wolfe's eyes narrowed at me. "Saul?" he snapped.

"Archie Goodwin is 19 years old. Born and raised in Chillicothe, Ohio. Came to New York in September of last year. Has been working at the South Street docks ever since then."

I suppose my jaw dropped. Before I could work up a reply, Wolfe beat me to it.

"Good heavens. Nineteen. Are you quite sure about him, Saul? No, never mind, of course you are, you asked him to come. Mr. Goodwin, you are here because I am desperate. I'm at an impasse and I need your assistance. Mr. Panzer informed me that you were acquainted with the young woman whose body was recovered last night."

DC Universe: The Color of Straw by David Hines

The Color of Straw (Scarecrow/Harlequin | R | 845 words) is Scarecrow/Harlequin. It is nice and wonderfully twisted. I'll admit that I know very little about the DC universe, but the story makes sense without much knowledge.

Excerpt:
He avoided women, if he could. He didn't like them much.

The first woman who'd seen him naked had laughed.

This woman wasn't laughing, he realized. She was crying.

He squinted at the woman through the steam. Crane's glasses were by the entrance to the showers. All he could make out was a blur. But her sobs had a strange, hiccuping quality to them, almost like a cartoon -- she'd sounded familiar -- "Harley?" he said. "Harley Quinn?"

"Hiya, Dr. Crane," she said.

Hitchhiker's Guide: Party Aliens by Daegaer

Party Aliens (Ford/Arthur | R | 2,599 words) has Ford and Arthur attending a Guide office party. This is funny and oddly cute.

Excerpt:
'What? No one on Earth ever even kissed someone in public?' Ford said, giggling.

'Not me,' Arthur said, trying to ignore the incredulous laughter beside him. 'And if I did, it was different.'

'Ah,' Ford said solemnly, 'because it involved members of your own species or because they were female?'

'Er,' Arthur said, suddenly aware he was quite close to being rather rude to Ford. 'No, er. It was just different, all right?'

He took a deep drink to cover his confusion, and Ford smiled widely. Arthur lowered his glass suspiciously. Ford's smiles were usually crazy and worrying. This one was crazy, worrying and calculating.

Static Shock: Paradox by Mouse

Paradox (Richie, Virgil/Richie | PG13 | 12,427 words) is about what Richie did in the episode where Virgil was sent to the future. This has a fantastic Richie characterization, and I love all the realistic touches about Virgil and Richie's lives. There are so many details and connections and consequences of things that are all so well thought out.

Excerpt:
Richie sighed. "To put it simply, the math is bad, we can't retrieve him using the same formulas that sent him to the future in the first place, and this machine," Richie thumped it for emphasis, "was never designed to actually bring people back. It's a one-way ticket."

The room became deathly silent, Richie final words echoing off into the distance. Robin slumped down in his chair, looking distinctly unhappy. Batman, however, stared intently at Richie.

"Can you fix it?" he asked, his voice breaking the heavy silence around them.

Richie closed his eyes, letting himself dive fully into the math. He calculated future probabilities, using theoretical math barely touched upon by any of the most advanced researchers in the world. The numbers felt chaotic at first, then, slowly they resolved themselves. After several minutes, Richie opened his eyes, looking seriously at Batman.

"I can," he said, "but I need a few things." He stood up, stretching briefly, then put a hand on his hip. "Do you think Radio Shack is still open?"

Harry Potter: Watching the Clock by Aspen

Watching the Clock (Ron/Harry | ? | ?) is a short, little thing with Harry checking Ron's watch. It's sweet and adorable.

Excerpt:
Harry grabbed Ron's wrist for the umpteenth time so he could turn Ron's hand and see what time it was, placing his fingers in Ron's palm to keep his hand flat on the table while he squinted at the weird magical dials.