Bonus, bonus rec!

Title: Thicker Than Water by Ossian
Fandom: Alias
Pairing: gen
Categories: family, drama
Length: Epic (~43,000 words)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: ossiannic 
Website: n/a

Review:
Shortly after Sydney disappears and while Sark is in CIA custody, Jack Bristow learns that Stephen Sark is his son. And you thought the Bristow family was disfunctional *before*...

Apparently lots of people in fandom were anticipating (or dreading, depending on the person) that Sark and Sydney would prove to be siblings. I, on the other hand, had never considered the possibility and wasn't quite sure what I thought about it. Fortunately I gave the fic a try anyway, because it is *fabulous*.

I like so many things about this story, from the way that it manages to stay close to canon, to the phenomenally well-done characterizations, to the very slow-moving acceptance of Sark into the Spy Family. This is not an insta-family fic and it is far the better for it.

My favorite aspect of the story, however, is the way that the revelation of Sark's parentage gradually impacts all of the Spy Family's internal relationships in a way that I wouldn't have anticipated, but which make total sense. The changes are so plausible (not to mention so very in character) that I didn't quite realize until the end how much the changes added up. The result is an ending that's guaranteed to make you smile.

Thicker Than Water