Five favorite pre-series stories

[rbfvid.livejournal.com]

Five favorite pre-series shorts of the past year, arranged from shortest to longest.

Prodigal Son by dragonyphoenix (or here is AO3 link). Giles, three encounters after Randall's funeral. Three incredibly powerful insights on how young Ripper was turning into Giles.

Custody Battle by aliceinsunnydale (Darla, Drusilla and Spike). Remember "Why We Fight" episode - “Don’t ever go to a “free virgin blood" party. Turns out it’s probably a trap.” So, how did Spike got here anyway?

Crossroads by sparrow2000 (or AO3 link). Ethan/Giles. In the early stages of their relationship, Giles and Ethan take a trip to France. Turns out Ethan has more on his mind than red wine and cheese (although that’s there as well).
Perfect study of the subtle duality of Giles' and Ethan's relationship, that's almost impossible to capture. Almost.

Pointy Horns and Black Hats by baphrosia (or AO3 link). And another look at Giles' early Watcher days. In this one he gets to be a badass. And, of course, it comes at a price.

Someone To Watch Over Me by shapinglight aka Glassdarkly (+ here is AO3 link). Darla/OFC. Paris in 1903 is a cruel place for a woman alone, even when that woman is a centuries old vampire like Darla.
shapinglight here she excelled herself, capturing Darla in all her complexity - so evil, so vulnerable, so cruel and yet so capable of love. The last one is not the most obvious thing about Darla, but once you read the story you can only wonder, how you never noticed it before. Because even in series canon it was always there.

Comments

[rbfvid.livejournal.com]

Oh, Crossroads has unlimited re-reading potential =)