Title: Written on the Body
Author: Alizarin
Pairing: Mal/Inara
Spoilers: set after "Serenity" (the movie, not the ep)
Summary: Inara discovers the power of permanence.
Link: Written on the Body
Why: This story has a fantastic extended metaphor in Inara's attitude towards writing and how it changes. And I don't want to say more than that lest I ruin it. :-)

Title: Now We Are Free
Author: poisontaster
Pairing: Mal/Zoe friendship
Spoilers: possibly for "Serenity" (the episodes), "The Message" and any other references to the war
Summary: Zoe keeps Mal alive after Serenity Valley.
Link: Now We Are Free
Why: Mal and Zoe are one of my favorite platonic friendships out there, and this is a great look at that bond of loyalty between them and the fires that forged it.

Title: Making New
Author: Tielan
Pairing: none
Spoilers: Serenity (movie)
Summary: Inara does her part to help rebuild Serenity.
Link: Making New
Why: It's a quiet, lovely character study of Inara in the aftermath of Miranda, with just the right amount of Inara/Zoe friendship thrown in.

Title: Unbalanced
Author: Ana
Pairing: none, but you could see Jayne/Inara UST if you wanted to ;-)
Spoilers: Serenity
Summary: Jayne watches--and later helps--Inara practice.
Link: Unbalanced
Why: Ever since Adam Baldwin said at the fan fest that he gave Jayne a thing for Inara, I've had this sortof mild fascination with the idea, and with their interactions. And what better way for them to bond than over a weapon? *grin*

Title: Indistinguishable from Magic
Author: kieyra
Pairing: Zoe/Wash, Mal/Inara UST, Simon/Kaylee
Spoilers: Serenity
Summary: River knows more secrets than she's revealed, and she's going to use one of them to set something right.
Link: Indistinguishable from Magic
Why: The beauty of the Firefly/Serenity 'verse is that it's strikingly realistic in its advances and limitations; the only problem that poses is it makes it harder for fans to go back and "fix" certain canon events, but kieyra found a way that is perfectly in character, both for the 'verse and for River.

Title: Dancing Alone
Author: Peony
Pairing: Simon/Kaylee
Spoilers: nothing major past "Shindig"
Summary: She wanted to wear the dress just one more time.
Link: Dancing Alone
Why: Peony's a Browncoat buddy of mine and a die-hard S/K 'shipper, and the beauty of this fic is it allows you to see them through her devoted eyes while still remaining so beautifully in character that even non-'shippers would recognize them. :-)

Title: Seven Days
Author: Wynn
Pairing: Mal/Inara
Spoilers: Serenity
Summary: All he's ever wanted was to mess a little with her perfection.
Link: Seven Days
Why: It's a lush, gorgeous word picture painted with vivid sensory imagery. And I wasn't the only one who noticed Inara's attire in that particular scene!

Title: Broke
Author: m.jules
Pairing: Mal/Kaylee, Mal/River, teeny hint of Mal/Inara
Spoilers: "Objects in Space"
Summary: Mal thinks about the women in his life.
Link: Broke
Why: To tell the truth, Mal/Kaylee and Mal/River are both pairings that normally weird me out more than a little, but this author made them believable.

Link updated 06/23/07.

Title: Hollow
Author: kurukami
Pairing: none
Spoilers: "War Stories"
Summary: Kaylee has good reason to be afraid.
Link: Hollow
Why: It's a thought-provoking, insightful and realistic peek into Kaylee's head during her moment of panic, making a connection that was never overt on the series but once it's made seems the most obvious thing in the world.

Title: Cheyenne
Author: Seldear
Pairing: nothing overt
Spoilers: nothing specific that I can think of
Summary: Sometimes the most different folks in the 'verse have surprising things in common.
Link:
Part I
Part II
Why: One of my favorite types of crossovers is the AU kind that takes characters from one universe and drops them into another as if they belonged there, to see how they'd be the same and how they'd be different. This one does that to SG-1 with great success, and a twist or two that'll take your breath away if you're paying attention. :-)

Title: Freedom
Author: Settiai
Pairing: Kaylee/various
Spoilers: "Out of Gas"
Summary: Kaylee finds the love of her life.
Link: Freedom
Why: Because Mal ain't the only one in love with that boat, and no, I'm not just talking about the fans. ;-)

Title: Friction Leads to Fire
Author: Mara
Pairing: Mal/Inara
Spoilers: "Safe"
Summary: The last thing Mal needs is to be stuck in a jail cell with Inara next door asking the hard questions.
Link: Friction Leads to Fire
Why: It's an insightful look at Mal, and at why he and Inara need each other despite the outwardly tart (if you'll forgive the pun) face they put on it.

Title: The Watcher
Author: Besterette
Pairing: maybe a teensy hint of Kaylee/Jayne, not sure
Spoilers: if you've seen the series at all, you should be fine
Summary: Someone's spying on Jayne.
Link: The Watcher
Why: Jayne--a teddy bear in spite of himself. To say anything more would spoil it. *g*

Title: Cinderella
Author: Besterette
Pairing: nothing overt
Spoilers: inspired by early descriptions of "Shindig"
Summary: Kaylee cleans up real pretty.
Link: Cinderella
Why: I loved "Shindig" exactly as it aired, but dang, I would've loved to have seen this on-screen too! *giggle*

Title: A Companion's Lot
Author: Mara
Pairing: slight Mal/Inara
Spoilers: "Out of Gas"
Summary: Inara deals with Jayne.
Link: A Companion's Lot
Why: Because you just *know* something like this has to have happened during Inara's first days on Serenity. *grin*