kdorian

Soseki's Cryptomeria Grove by Katie (kljoyce on LJ)

Links:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight (Mislabeled as Part Seven)

Why I liked it:
It took a while to get into this story - it is not written like a typical fanfic - but by the middle of part two I was hooked. The language usage feels odd at first (I think the author is ESL, but I'm not positive), but starts to really flow later in the story, and the author makes amazing use of integrated quotes by Thoreau, Emerson, and The Song Of Solomon, among others. The timeline is "fluid modernist," to quote the author, and while it generally follows the pair from a time soon after Ian starts pursuing Charlie (in a quiet, indirect manner) to later in their life, the timeline does move back and forth without warning; I found it easy to follow, but YMMV. I found the overall effect of the story quite beautiful.

Very little info on the fandom is necessary. For those unfamiliar, know that Charlie is a genius mathematician and former prodigy, Jewish, with curly black hair, who teaches Math at a fictional university and consults for the FBI; Ian Edgerton is an FBI agent and one of the top snipers in the country (played by Lou Diamond Phillips). They met when Don, Charlie's older brother, called Ian in to consult on a serial sniper killing case (Don is in charge of a Violent Crimes FBI unit in the LA area). Charlie lives with his father, Alan, in the house he grew up in (Charlie now owns the house).

ETA: Changed links, added missing part