Not With a Bang, by Synecdochic (PG-13)

[figs_sg1_rec]

Rec Category: Jack and Daniel friendship

Pairing: none
Categories: Daniel Jackson, Jack O’Neill, Jack and Daniel friendship, gen, General Hammond, character study
Warnings: adult themes
Author on LJ: synecdochic
Author's Website: venus in furs
Link: Not With a Bang

Why This Must Be Read: The friendship between Jack and Daniel is so complex, so beyond normal understanding, that it’s almost impossible to define. Call it a soul-deep affection, perhaps. So what happens when the people around them mistake that deep friendship and make an assumption – an assumption that, in fact, isn’t remotely based in fact at all?

Set in Season Nine and written with gentle, charming warmth, Not With a Bang is the story of Daniel’s discovery of how their friends have been watching their six all along, even if they didn’t actually need defending. If you love the depth of Jack and Daniel’s friendship, but prefer the focus of that friendship to be strictly gen, then this tender little story – complete with the sweetness of Jack and Daniel’s final exchange – is definitely for you.

George finally sits back and wipes his eyes and sighs, fondly. "He'll do fine," he says. "It's good for them all to have someone to shake them up a little. It was certainly good for me."

Daniel laughs. "Well, I can't deny being responsible for my fair share of that."

"No indeed," George says, and laughs again. "The two of you. If I hadn't already been bald, my hair would have fallen out from stress." He shakes his head, and then his face gets serious. "Although I do have to say, son, I've always been grateful to the two of you for your discretion in certain other matters."

Daniel's mind is already on how he's going to torment Jack with the thing about insulting the First Lady's dress without knowing who she was, so it takes a second for the distracted "hmm?" to slip loose.

George leans across the table, his voice softening, like he doesn't want anyone to overhear. "You boys never rubbed my nose in it, and you never made me make a hard decision, and I thank you for it. I wasn't convinced of the wisdom of things at first, and it took me a while to overcome some of my prejudices, but I'll confess, watching the two of you -- well, it helped with that. I was just glad to see the both of you happy and settled, even though I know you had some hard times getting there."

Daniel can feel his brows drawing together, the lines grooved in his forehead. He can't possibly imagine what George might be talking about, except -- "You think -- me? And Jack?"

George cocks his head. "Of course I couldn't say anything, not until after I'd retired, but --" He stops, as though he's reading Daniel's bafflement, which is entirely possible; Daniel knows he must be telegraphing across the entire restaurant. "You mean --"

Daniel holds up a hand. He's searching through his memories of the past eight years, replaying them back and forth, looking at them through the right set of eyes. "Oh, God," he says, and then bursts out laughing.