SF or not SF? Not sure it fits anywhere.

I've finished a story I've been working on for a little while, mostly just because I wanted to pursue an idea and I liked the characters. It turned out to be better than I expected, though, and I'd like to market it. The problem is, while the basic premise depends on an SF idea (which, if taken out, would completely destroy the story), it's only a means to an end and the story is about the characters' relationship and not the idea.

Does this story have a market? I can't think of any SF magazines that would consider it, but I always get the impression that any story with any SF element in it at all is anathema to non-SF markets. Any suggestions would be fantastic, thanks!

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I appreciate the suggestions!

I'm also intrigued, now that I think about it, about what really constitutes science fiction/fantasy. I mostly write fantasy, and lately I've been writing much more SF. I like both genres and feel I'm pretty familiar with them. But then I've got this story I've written, and my gut reaction is that it isn't really SF--but then again, as Birol said above, if the science is integral to the story, it's SF.

The story involves two characters that meet as a result of one of them experimenting with time travel--which sounds cheesy, but it really is only a vehicle for the characters' meeting, then separating and meeting again after the time traveler has actually lived through the intervening years (and this has probably been done before, but I've never read a story quite like it). Time travel is a tricky thing to pull off, I know, but I just wanted to explore the "what if" possibilities for my characters. The reason I don't feel the story is SF is that I don't even try and explain how the time travel was done and I don't address any other issues that would crop up as a result of time travel being possible. I suppose it's a sloppy story as a result (certainly sloppy if it's considered SF), but all that seemed outside of what I wanted to say. Anyway, I'm writing way too much about it here, sorry. I get talky when I'm tired!

write4details said:

It could just as easily be a confrontation between magic and technology. Can a spell block a ray gun?

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I used to work in a used book store and one of the sections I shelved was fantasy. I have seen books that introduced technology into a magical realm, but I don't think any of them were very successful. They all ran along the lines of: fantasy world is visited by humans from the future/a parallel world, who act in a superior manner and wreak havoc socially until a small band of misfits shows the intruders the strengths of the so-called primitive magical culture. I was always disappointed with this plot because it seemed so predictable but it held such promise in the hands of someone who really wanted to explore the idea.

I don't immediately recall anything I've read that has the opposite introduction--a spellcaster coming to a technological world--but I'm absolutely sure it exists. Hmm. Now in addition to The Time Traveller's Wife (which sounds really good, thanks katiemac!), I'll have to go digging around in the library looking for SF/fantasy crossover stuff.