The Unchanged Equation / Engineered for Your Safety (PG-15)

Title: The Unchanged Equation
Author: Engineered-for-Your-Safety 
Fandom: Eureka
Pairings: Jo Lupo/Zane Donovan
Genre: Romance
Length:  Medium (Words: ~77k)

Author's Summary:
What if the new timeline was the original and only timeline? Here's how Season Four would have gone.

Review:
This Zane is spot on for Season 4's altered timeline - casually criminal but solidly a good guy, funny and really very clever.  Jo's spot on too, and seriously BAMF.  The dynamic between them is just awesome.  This fic also captures the style of storytelling from canon very well - even the silly-science.  And I like the enforced continuity with the removal of the alternate timeline - I never liked that about canon - the whole suddenly-unexplained backstory and the Retcon of a bunch of relationships - especially from a fanfic perspective where the best fics actually have to earn their breaks with canon reality.

The Unchanged Equation (on ff.net)

A Girl in Black / by mrstater (R)

Title: A Girl in Black
Author: mrstater 
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Pairings: Lady Mary/Richard Carlisle
Genre: Romance
Length:  Long (Words: 136,375 and counting)

Author's Summary:
I'm not as sad as I should be. That's what makes me sad. The Titanic sinks, Patrick dies, and rather than wait at home to meet the new heir of Downton, Mary tries her luck in London, where she meets Sir Richard Carlisle instead. [Alternate S1]

Review:
Okay, as much as I like Downton Abbey, I'm not such a fan of Mary/Matthew.  I just think Mary/Richard was so much more interesting to watch.  Yeah, he's got a darkside, but so does she.  With him, she was a much different character too, more dynamic, we saw her differently through her relationship with Carson and stronger in her own right whereas with Matthew, she's gone very flat.  There was a lot of potential for drama there with Richard and this fic seizes that and runs with it.

A Girl in Black (on AO3)

The Abbey / by Frea_O (PG-15)

Title: The Abbey
Author: Frea_O 
Fandom: Downton Abbey
Pairings: Mary/Matthew, Bates/Anna
Genre: Spy Thriller
Length:  Medium (Words: 54,367)

Author's Summary:
Perseus was always supposed to rescue Andromeda, but when the fair maiden's not such a damsel in distress, and the valiant hero's deep in over his head, things might just go a little differently this time. Modern Spy AU.

Review:
This is seriously one creative fic.  The way canon is twisted to fit the spy thriller is impressive.  You might not be able to imagine it now, but Frea_O certainly brings it to life.  I don't want to spoil anything about it, but you really have to give this fic a chance.

The Abbey (on AO3)