One of my all-time favorite XF stories :). I really wish I could reread it without knowing the ending, because I'd love to experience it again, and I usually dislike "twist" endings. I think because those kinds of endings are usually a way for the author to show how clever they are, or make a statement about how little the reader understood the characters (which I find frustrating because a. I read in large part because I like the opportunity to understand characters, and 2. because if an ending is going to surprise me I think I should at least be allowed the opportunity of clues, even if I miss them). The things I like about the twist in Strangers though, is that the hints are there, and the characterization is true. There's no twist for the sake of a twist, it's a story told truly from the point of view of the narrator.

I've discussed Strangers with other fanfic readers more than any other story, I think (okay, not more than Iolokus :). I think it was published slightly before my vintage (I was on atxf and atxc, but not the AOL forum) and I've always enjoyed hearing people's reactions to it. A few people have told me they had the whole thing figured out all along, which I think is pretty impressive. It took me several rereads to work out the clues. I love that when you go back and read them, you think, "Ah! Of course!". It's such a satisfying read.