honor_reid has asked for recommendations of high-quality Nick/Natalie stories with endings that grant the characters, if not a happy-ever-after, at least an "ordinary-ever-after."  So many FK stories conclude sadly, bittersweetly, suddenly, or tucked back into canon that she'd appreciate directions to some more definitively hopeful endgames for her favorite couple.

I can think of some stories (listed below), but I bet that you all can think of many more!  After all, I'm a gen fan at heart; most of you are romance fans.  And where I lean IB and Les Mis, many of you are N&Ners!  So please pitch in, if you can.  And yes, please mention your own work, if it matches.

(I may harvest stories mentioned in comments for future recommendation-of-the-month use, so you know.)

( list with links )

What's Good?  "Happy Anniversary" (1996, ~4K words, PG) by butterflykiki is June's installment in the recommendation-of-the-month project.  In this sharp confrontation, written while third season was still in progress, Natalie drops all her defenses in a bid to save Nick from Lacroix... and himself.  On this side of "Last Knight," the story combines the energy of live canon with a shivery consciousness of last chances.

"Forgive me, doctor."  A smile tugged at the edges of Lacroix's mouth.  "Many women have desired Nicholas.  Some have even cared about him.  Quite a few thought they loved him... but I can't recall the last one who was willing to take such risks for him, knowing all that he is.  No, wait— I do remember.  What a long time ago that was..."

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What's New on FKFic-L?  One new story, "Cuts Deep" (~11K words, PG-13), and one new poem, "Solace" (~300 words, PG), posted to the list in May.  (Both were by me, sorry.)  No new fanfiction has yet posted to the list in June.

I wrote this for odditycollector in the 2010/2011 fandom_stocking event.  My thanks to natmerc for beta-reading.

The idea for this vignette came when Odditycollector's observation that Natalie is "a mad scientist at heart" overlapped the brief history of the science of chirality in The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean, which I was reading at the time.

	•  Title:	"Method in Her Madness" (also on AO3)
	•  Length:	~850 words
	•  Date:	Fandom Stocking 01/06/11, FKFic-L 03/08/11
	•  Rating:	G
	•  Summary:	Natalie has a new theory of Nick's condition, but she needs his help.
	•  Characters:	Natalie, Nick
	•  Quotation:	"'Well, it turns out you were right all along.' Natalie took a deep breath. 'You're dead.'"

What's Good?  Christy S.'s "Little Altar Boy" (2004, G, ~600 words) chimes in on the song challenge by entwining lyrics and story so closely that they merge into a music video.  This reflective gen vignette is sweet and rich with the thematic aspirations of first-season FK, but is set indeterminately on any Christmas Eve after the flashbacks of "Only the Lonely."

(I neglected to get Christy's permission to feature this before she died in 2006, so until I changed the rule about deceased author authorization this year, her one and only FK fanfiction wasn't eligible for the recommendation-of-the-month project.  Now it is.)

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What's New on FKFic-L?  No stories have yet posted in December, but in November the list saw three new stories by three authors: ( list with links )

What's Good?  For October, the recommendation-of-the-month project features Amanda B.'s "Full Circle" (2005, PG), a very short story of inertia and assumptions.  It begins with the most conventional N&N happy ending -- mortality and marriage -- then trips that up and sends it crashing into DK territory.

        Nick came to the couch once more, but instead of sitting beside her, he knelt facing her.  He took her hands in his.  “Natalie.”  Her heart skipped a beat; he very rarely used her full name.  “I never meant to hurt you.”  He leaned down and kissed her hands.  When he raised his head again, the eyes that met hers were golden.

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What's New on FKFic-L?  The email list was very busy with FKFic-L War XIII, so no new non-War stories were posted in September (or October to date).  Hopefully, November will fare better!

These seven miniature stories were my contribution to the "door prizes" for on-time players in the May 2010 fkficfest game.  (You can read the whole slate here, with seven more drabbles by amilyn and one by leela_cat.)

I'd written a drabble -- a 100-word story -- once before, but just the once.  People often compare the discipline of a 100-word story to a haiku.  The goal is to fit an entire, self-sufficient tale into the few words, not just an excerpt of a larger piece; I found it very challenging, and I know that my success varies across these selections.

	•	Title:	"Party Favors" (also on AO3)
	•	Length:	7 x 100 words
	•	Date:	Posted to fkficfest on May 30, 2010; not yet posted to FKFic-L
	•	Rating:	Assorted
	•	Quotation:	"The little camera on the patrol car's dashboard ensured that Vachon had to take it like a human."

What's Good?  I'm happy to get to kick off the new year in the recommendation-of-the-month project with pj1228's 2008 novella "Disclosures" (which I had the privilege of beta-reading).  This episode-like story puts both Natalie and Schanke on a collision course with things Nick never wanted to tell them.  Cop plot plus Nick/Janette, Nick/Natalie, Lacroix/Natalie (PG-13).

     [Natalie] covered her mouth with her hand and was about to stumble backwards into the elevator, when Nick raised his head and fixed her with an amber stare. Janette turned in his arms and regarded her curiously. ... “Nat, wait,” he called her back and she watched in fascination as his fangs retracted and his eyes changed to blue. “What’s wrong?”
     “Lacroix is at my apartment,” she blurted.

What's New?  In December, fkfic-l saw a new ficlet by Kristen F., "Comfort and Joy" (one post, 3KB), and a multi-part story started posting, concluding in January (so to be listed next time).  The list has seen two new stories in January so far.

It's still November where I am, honest!

What's Good?  November's recommendation was "Soaring" (2005) by Kristen F., a canon-careful N&N friendship interlude, and a broad-brush illustration of the storytelling efficacy of the right perspective.

        Natalie blushed, her heart rate increased, and she dropped her eyes before she gave him an evasive, "Oh, just meeting up with a friend."  She started shuffling papers, refusing to meet his eyes.
        Nick frowned...

What's New?  In October, fkfic-l saw three new stories by three different authors:  ( list with links )

Sekrit Message to tv_elf: A year already. Miss you.

What's good?  I'm proud to begin the new year of the recommendation-of-the-month project with amilyn's novella "Slippery" (2003).  Undeniably harsh, the story dramatically explores what might happen if, one of the times he tells Natalie to get away and she doesn't, a blood-stoked Nick unintentionally lashes out -- with his muscles (rather than his fangs).

   "How long before someone in your department ends up with you as one of their cases -- just like you had to cut up Maggie Dwyer and God only knows how many others like her?"
   "That is enough!" Natalie interjected, her voice sharp. "That was very different. This... this was an accident. He did not mean to hurt me. I know that, and he knows that."
   "Oh, really?" Tracy caught Natalie's eyes. "Then why is he scared silly he's going to do it again?" Tracy paused, looking for a long moment at Nat, then added carefully, "And why are you?"

What's new?  In December, fkfic-l saw three new stories, a filk, and one piece identified as a repost (which is technically against the list rules without permission, so I wouldn't advise it as a trend).

• "Disclosures" (6 posts) by pj1228
• "Dashing Through the Snow (Vampire Style)" (filk) (1 post) by Kristen F.
• "Birthdays" (1 post) by Walt D.
• "Snowy Knight" (1 post) by J.L.K.
• "Milepost" (1 post) by me

There is also a six-post story that began in December, and has finished in January.  So this month so far is not empty, but not crowded.

I began posting my oldschoolfic ficathon story to fkfic-l today.  I'm grateful to amilyn for the ficathon prompt, and her enthusiastic reception of the story!  And I'm obliged to my generous beta-readers (see the story's end note) as always.  This is the longest piece I've yet written solely from Natalie's perspective.

	•	Title:	"A Delicate Balance"
	•	Length:	~9,900 words
	•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L July 27-29, 2008
	•	Rating:	PG (gen)
	•	Summary:	Natalie takes a break from a murder investigation to attend an unusual memorial for her brother, while considering a new approach to Nick's condition.
	•	Setting:	After "1966."  Flashbacks to Natalie's childhood.
	•	Characters:	Natalie, Nick, Schanke, Richard, Sara, Nana, Janette, Grace, Stonetree, Tracy and others.
	•	Quotation:	"The mesmerism-enforced lie that had covered Richie's vampirism curdled on Natalie's tongue."

Addendum:  By the way, the fkfic-l "ACK" states that the posts are reaching 279 recipients.  (I presume that is "mail" and "digest," not "nomail," but I don't know for sure.)  Those of you who have FK fanfic you've posted on LJ but not the list, please do consider sharing with the biggest FK audience still assembled.  We miss you.