A Rock and a Hard Place, by Sam Walker (PG-13)

Rec Category: Jack and Daniel Friendship

Pairing: none
Category: Jack and Daniel friendship, gen, drama, hurt/comfort
Warning: original character death offscreen
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Sam Walker at The Grove

Link: A Rock and a Hard Place

Why This Must Be Read: This fic holds a special place in my heart as one of the first Stargate stories I ever read. The author notes that it was inspired by the observation that Sam and Jack got to freeze together in Solitudes, and Teal'c and Jack got to freeze together in Tangent, but Daniel and Jack never got to go through that particular bonding experience. The actual freezing in this story isn't quite on that level, but the friendship vibes are pure satisfaction.

Told entirely from Jack's POV, the story opens with our colonel laid up in the infirmary. When Jack realizes that something has happened to Daniel off-world, he cadges his way onto Ferretti's team and goes to join the search and rescue effort to get Daniel back safely to the SGC. While Sam works on creating a scaffolding to reach Daniel and Teal'c tries to reach him through sheer physical will, Jack remains in constant radio contact with Daniel, offering rock-solid moral support to enable him to hold on until the rescue effort succeeds. There's no real enemy here, except mischance and the inherent dangers of off-world travel. That, in itself, gives an extra sense of realism to the story.

Everyone is perfectly in character here. From Janet to Ferretti to each member of SG-1, the dialogue and reactions flow so smoothly that the reader can easily visualize the story taking place as an episode on the show. The literally fingernail-biting anxiety of the penultimate scene is tense and all too realistic. And with Jack's POV so perfectly portrayed, the story is a delight from start to finish.

( Snippet of fic... )

Effortless, by Kellifer (PG)

Rec Category: Crossover

Pairing: none
Category: crossover, sg-1/sga, sam/daniel friendship, character study
Warning: crossover of SG-1 and SGA
Author on LJ: kellifer_fic
Author's Website: Kellifer's fics at FF.net

Link: Effortless

Why This Must Be Read: Because there aren't enough Sam/Daniel friendship fics out there, darn it. It's not even a category here!

This lovely little fic finds Sam and Daniel standing on the balcony of Atlantis together. It's told from Sam's POV, as she simply revels in seeing Daniel so happy once again with all the "meaning of life stuff." She's right, of course, that we haven't seen that special light in Daniel's eyes for too long.

The final image of Daniel giving Sam a tactile understanding of his awed delight nearly moved me to tears. Kellifer's short stories always pack a powerful punch, and this one is no exception.

( Very short snippet of fic... )

Eurydice Ascending, by C. L. Kamnikar (PG-13)

Rec Category: Episode Fix

Pairing: Daniel/Sha're
Category: episode fix, Daniel Jackson, Daniel/Sha're, friendship
Warning: self (or goa'uld)-inflicted violence
Author on LJ: butterflykiki
Author's Website: ChristinaK at AO3
Link: Eurydice Ascending

Why This Must Be Read: Eurydice Ascending should be read by any Daniel fan who believes that, for once, the poor boy deserves a happy ending. Take the first five minutes of Forever In a Day, then make a sharp left turn into this story. Maybe Teal'c was armed with a zat instead of his staff weapon... the author never gives the specifics, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that this amazing fic gives us the wonderful, fiery Sha're that Daniel fell in love with during the movie and allows her to fight for her freedom.

The story opens on the steps of the Cimmerian Stargate, as Ammonet breaks away from Daniel and Sam just in time to be transported, alone, into the Labyrinth. From there, the story splits into three threads: Sha're's struggle to reach the Hammer and kill Ammonet, Daniel and Sam's journey to get to the Labyrinth in time to help Sha're, and the deft stonewalling taking place at the SGC to give them enough time to accomplish their goals. It's so easy to visualize this story as a gripping two-part episode; and quite frankly, considering subsequent events, how much would the show's direction have to have changed to compensate for allowing Daniel to avoid this final tragedy?

There are so many things about this fic that I love. First and foremost, there's Sha're. I always felt that the show cheated us a little by not giving us a chance to meet the feisty, brave woman who dared to show Daniel the forbidden heiroglyphics and then inspired her brother and his friends to start the rebellion against Ra. Here, we do get a chance to meet that woman, as she fights against Ammonet's control with every means at her disposal, no matter how dangerous. The inner monologue between host and symbiote runs fast and furious, and you'll be cheering for her every step of the way.

The Daniel and Sam sections alternate between their points of view with good effect. Together with Gairwyn (one of my favorite semi-recurring characters), they make the trip to the Labyrinth in agonized worry about what might happen before they get there. There's plenty of angsting about what might happen afterwards - both the risk to Sam's career for her unsanctioned actions and how damaged Sha're might be from her experience - along with some nice references to Jolinar and wonderful teamy support.

The most entertaining aspect of the story is what's busy happening back at the SGC. It becomes clear from the beginning of the story that Sam and Daniel didn't have permission to take Sha're to the Hammer. With Colonel Kennedy of The Enemy Within infamy yapping at their heels, the entire staff of the SGC take matters into their own hands, delaying and obstructing Kennedy's efforts to get the trio back before their mission is completed. At first, the reader assumes that it's only Jack's work; but as the story continues to unfold, it's delightful to realize that everyone, from Makepeace sending his own man AWOL to the techies that deliberately crash the 'gate computers with a multi-player Doom II game, are rooting for Daniel, Sha're, and their happy ending.

By the time the story ends, we're treated to some great cameos from Kasuf and Katherine, Janet at her Napoleonic Warmonger best, and the wistful promise that subsequent storylines like Shifu could have just as easily played out with Sha're still at Daniel's side. This story is an "episode fix" in the true meaning of the term, and how I wish this was what really happened!

( Snippet of fic... )