I have read many of the stories mentioned here. I think "The Other Man" by Jess Mabe is the one that hits me hardest in the gut. Ouch, that fic. So, so good, but utterly devastating.

I think for me it was "Fugue" but "The Other Man" comes in a close second.

Despite being a shipper through and through, I was never a fan of the white picket fence stories. Domesticity has its place, but I was never drawn to the stories that focused almost solely on it. This isn't necessarily true of fic I read in other fandoms, such as BBC Sherlock, but I could never buy M/S settled down in suburbia raising a passel of kids.

So it's not the genre you object to, it's the characterization?

That said, I also don't like to drown in angst. My favorite stories tend to be more balanced and have a little bit of everything thrown in. And happy endings.

I like happy endings, too, as long as they're right for the story and don't seem forced or rushed. My favorite writer is still Kel. In her best work, she's able to weave elements of dark and light, humor and sadness, together with style and grace. She's a marvelous storyteller.