Alt, Uber, Finished
Reviewed by Lariel 29 May 2001/posted June 24 

An evocative tale of soulmates, of chances not taken and regretted. But above all, it's the story of two women who lock eyes on a subway, feel something shift inside themselves and know that this is it. The decision made whether to follow an impulse or not will affect the rest of their lives. And if one of those characters is already near emotional breaking point, how long will she wait for her soulmate to battle her own fears and realise that this is their one chance?

The two lovers' voices are clear, poignant and strike right at the heart. To hear Stash talking of her fears, to hear Lariel talking of giving up...this is poignant writing at its best, and is counterpointed with the most evocative choice of song lyrics.

The central image of the candle, representing the brief flickering hope of love, is strongly held through the piece and lends to the mood of half life and half hope that pervades the story. As the candle burns, the light will begin to die in these people's lives unless they grasp the flame that is flickering in and for each other.

A beautifully soulful story, tender and hopeful and ultimately uplifting. Makes us wonder who our subway soulmate is, and whether we would take the risks that true love demands to be with them.

http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/xg/candle.htm

 ALT Uber/ reincarnation PG-13, Short story 21 pages - complete
Recommended by Rocky (shaunday@connect.ab.ca) 11/17/99

In New York there is a funny little shop filled with unique things that is run by a odd old lady.  A stranger rolls up to her door one day with an item more unusual than anything in her shop ...and a proposition.

I loved this sweet tale of how the best things 'are' really worth waiting for.  For those of you who don't have time for the multi page epics, this is a short story that sweeps over the centuries and leaves lots of room for the future.  Go ahead, read it, your heart will be richer for it.

http://www.xenafiction.net/scrolls/kamouraskan_sonnet.hts

Alt - Classic, Novella, Finished
Reviewed by Anima  8.7.99 

Well, this was a real treat. One of the best treatments of classic Xena and Gabrielle I've come across in some time.

The story picks up at the funeral pyre scene in MATERNAL INSTINCTS and gives us an alternate story line, bypassing the infamous Gab drag and THE BITTER SUITE all together. Instead, Gabrielle makes that dramatic walk, in the opposite direction of Xena, and keeps on walking. Despondent over the deaths of their children and feeling responsible for Solon's death, the bard makes a deal that changes her and Xena's fate.....forever?

Written in a realistic tone, even though part of it takes place in the surreal setting of Charon's Dock, it has a gritty feel that makes the characters flesh and bone. It's appropriately, and honestly, dark at times but never relinquishes the deep love between the two characters. I hate to give too much away but I need to say how much I adored the use of the dead hearing another's loving thoughts of them-it has always been a simply breathtaking notion, and here it is beautifully executed.

http://members.tripod.com/Trag_88/fanfic/nbards/kate/charon1.html

ALT, other - X-over Buffy/XWP, series, unfinished
Recommended by angharad governal 07 Feb 2000

Part of Katrina's Blood and Roses realm (which explores the notion of Gabrielle as Bacchus' Daughter and Xena as Ares' Daughter), Dark Promise is a fun treat for fans of both XWP and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  It is a typical day in Sunnydale (well, as typical as you can get at the edge of Hellmouth anyway,) and a mysterious blue eyed stranger (three guesses) arrives in a limo searching for Willow, Buffy's best friend and computer hacker extraordinare.  From there, things get very interesting for the Scooby Doo Gang, as well as for our Immortal Warrior and Bard. A fun read.

http://bearblue.simplenet.com/STO/brose/buffy/willow.html
http://www.geocities.com/SoHO/Workshop/6715/DPPart1.htm

Alt-Uber-finished
Recommended by odd bird (odd-bird@webtv.net) 10/22/99

Kill Shot left me wanting more and completely satisfied at the same time. It is a thrilling and riveting read involving an assasin and her intended target. To tell more would take all the fun out of it. I enjoyed everything about this story-the writing style, the reversal of uber archetypes, the plot twists, the ending and the fact that I couldn't stop reading until I finished it.

http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/k/killshot1.html

Alt/Uber/Short Story
Review by Viv (lat18@columbia.edu) 10-25-99

On the surface, "Kill Shot" resembles a standard uber thriller: Corey is an embittered, emotionally vulnerable assassin, and Jill-her intended target-is a sweetly naïve bookstore manager.  But before you can scream "couples therapy!"  the story grabs you by the throat, courtesy of a sleek, complex (yet readily understandable and entirely believable) narrative with shifting perspectives and effective flashbacks,  plot twists, great dialogue, and a writing style so tight you could bounce a dime off it-indeed, in the fanfic world, Lela's writing is the Gab's Abs (as opposed to the bee's knees).  Did I just say that? Ignore me now, and go read.or else I'll put a contract out on you.

http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/k/killshot1.html