A Time For Killing... and a Time For Healing, by Aelfgyfu (PG-13)

Rec Category: Episode Fix

Pairing: none
Category: episode fix, Daniel Jackson, Janet Frasier, gen, drama, angst
Warning: canon violence
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: The Mead Hall
Link: A Time For Killing and ...and a Time For Healing

Why This Must Be Read: A newly released fic! It's always fun to rec an old and favorite classic, but it's even more fun to invite other readers to share in the joy of a brand-new story.

The best episode-based stories give us a unique perspective on the events that took place on the show. In this wonderful story, Aelfgyfu gives us the POV of a character that many might assume can't be understood - but it turns out that they'd be wrong!

In this fic, we get to see the twists and turns of Menace through Reece's eyes. Aelfgyfu lets us see her motivations, her fears, her anguish and her longing to be part of something again. There's deft weaving of canon events with Reece's perspective, including a clear and logical explanation for the Replicators' final actions in the climatic moments before Reece's death. Her perception of the members of SG-1, as well as the attitudes of the other members on base, is of special interest as well. The use of present tense throughout this section contrast nicely with the past tense in the following story, giving a more child-like immediacy to Reece's voice.

The story continues with a sequel in ...and a Time For Healing, told from Janet's POV. While I didn't find this second half to be as powerful and compelling as Reece's story, there are some excellent insights here, too, including a thoughtful parallel between Reece and Cassie, Charlie-the-Reetou, and Shifu; the insight into Reece's sculpture was particularly poignant. Most importantly, it's a powerful illustration of Janet's role as healer not just of physical wounds, but emotional ones...anyone else miss the Little Doc more and more these days? It was incredibly satisfying to see Janet take Jack to task for his inappropriate line about not liking most of what Daniel said, but resisting the urge to throw him through the wall.

Aelfgyfu calls these two fics a "duology." They're both well worth reading.

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Numerology, by Random (PG)

Rec Category: Episode Fix

Pairing: none
Category: episode fix, Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, gen, angst
Warning: reference to canon character death; some violence
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Author's Website:

Link: Numerology

Why This Must Be Read: I've recced some of Random's fics in the past. Here is an author whose characterization of Jack and Daniel is solid gold. Just about everything Random writes is well worth reading, but this particular story serves as a fascinating character study for both Jack, whose POV tells most of the story, and Daniel, who spends most of this fic off in Omaland.

The premise of this fic is technically simple: at the beginning of Redemption, Sam remarks that they've tried ten different replacements for Daniel, and all of them have failed. In Numerology, Random takes us through those ten attempts and SG-1's struggles to find someone who can fit that Daniel-shaped gap. But it's Jack's churning thoughts that make this story so fascinating, as he pins down exactly what Daniel was and why he's so badly missed.

There are so many parts of this story that are worth highlighting. There's the exact reason why Mathison only managed to last two hours; there's Jack's reluctant realization of how Daniel's all-too-frequent guilt-tripping was actually symptomatic of his essential sense of responsibility. We get Hammond's frustrated efforts to help Jack find a new fourth, and the SGC's surreptitious betting pool on the results - especially Janet's opinion. There's even the reluctant humor of Brown's spectacular failure, when boot polish becomes more important than fixing the DHD. But most importantly, there's Jack's unhappy understanding of just what they're missing, and how impossible it will be to replace Daniel Jackson.

The end of the story shifts from the beginning of Redemption to Fallen, when Daniel is back and Jack expects him to slip effortlessly back into the complicated relationship they once shared. The final section is told from Daniel's POV, and his confusion and self-doubt, as he warily wends his way through the minefield of Jack's expectations, leave him feeling unsure - but we, the readers, are very sure indeed of how happy SG-1 is to have their real fourth back.

If you're a Jonas fan (and I'm sure they exist somewhere <bg>), this is not a Jonas-bashing fic, so don't worry.  Numerology is a wonderfully absorbing and most satisfying story that will leave you not quite sure where canon stops and Random's fanon begins.

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Leap of Faith, by Sunrise (PG-13)

Rec Category: Jack and Daniel Friendship

Pairing: none
Category: Jack and Daniel friendship, drama, angst, hurt/comfort, episode related
Warning: whumpage, some language
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Sunrise's fics at FF.net

Link: Leap of Faith

Why This Must Be Read: Jack surely didn't intend to risk Daniel's safety and undermine his trust when he pulled the batteries out of Teal'c's phone in The Curse, but that's what essentially happened. In this tense story, Jack conspires with Dr. Frasier to get Daniel out of the SGC and do a little friendship-building... but instead of a quiet weekend in the cabin, an accident leaves them struggling on a mountainside for survivial.

All this seems pretty run-of-the-mill, but Sunrise adds a strong element of the supernatural to give this story a fascinating twist. Is Daniel, and later Jack, really hallucinating? Or is a certain badly-missed young man out there on the mountainside with them, helping them survive and ultimately get rescued? There's never a clear yes or no answer to this, although other readers might draw a different conclusion. What is clear, however, is the strong mutual affection and support that Jack and Daniel share as they deal with the multiple crises of staying alive and confronting the pain of their pasts.

There's great characterization in this story, including the frame of light humor in both the opening and closing scenes. Is Daniel all that easy when he's on pain meds? It seems that all his friends think so and shamelessly take advantage of it. :)

Sunrise has written many great Jack and Daniel friendship fics. Besides this one, I would strongly recommend Salvage and The Widowing Field. But it's well worth it to browse through all her fics. You'll surely find plenty of favorites of your own.

The snippet of fic I've included here isn't my favorite part of the story, but most of my favorite bits would reveal too much of the story in advance.

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Siege, by Seanchaidh (PG)

Rec Category: Jack and Daniel Friendship

Pairing: none
Category: Jack and Daniel friendship, gen, drama, angst
Warning: none
Author on LJ: Seanchaidh
Author's Website: The Home of Seanchaidh

Link: Siege

Why This Must Be Read: A very literal exploration of the closeness of Jack and Daniel's friendship, Siege puts the two men on a different planet, with different names and personalities. Seanchaidh leads us through a fascinating dance of memory and the essential sense of self that insists on creeping to the surface, no matter what influences might be imposed upon them.

Two brothers, Mladen and Aksel, lead a quiet life on their mother's farm. Aksel is used to watching not only the sheep, but his younger brother, who is not quite right in the head. But there are hints of something that neither can quite understand: their dreams, Aksel's automatic use of similies and expressions no one else has ever heard, Mladen's bizarre ability to read when neither brother has ever been taught, and, perhaps most poignantly, Mladen's "made-up word" for the heroes in the stories that Aksel tells him - "Jack."

The two men struggle to discover the reality of their lives, peeling back layer after layer to try and understand. Despite the overwriting of who they are, their essential characters still remain. This "leakage" proves dangerous, particularly to Mladen, for whom rescue might be too late.

The truth behind the manipulation of their memories is creepily plausible, considering that character's actions onscreen. And when the two of them finally return to themselves, their reactions toward the woman who had taken on the role of their mother is both heartbreaking and perfectly in character.

Seanchaidh gives us a satisfying epilogue back at the SGC, as Daniel and Jack revert to blessed normalcy, sheep jokes notwithstanding. Slinky therapy: if that's not Jack and Daniel friendship, I don't know what is!

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Moving On Up, by Tiv'ester (PG)

Moving On Up, by Tiv'ester (PG)
Rec Category: Episode Fix

Pairing: none
Category: episode fix, Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, gen, humor
Warning: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Lion's Lair

Link: Moving On Up

Why This Must Be Read: You don't have to be an obsessed Daniel fan to think that our resident archeologist deserves some formal recognition for his work at the SGC. Jack and Sam have both been promoted twice; Teal'c and Bra'tac were awarded the status of "Brother" to all fellow Jaffa and were granted seats on the Jaffa Council. Daniel...? Well, he's probably gotten an increase or two in salary over the years.

Tiv'ester, who is unquestionably a shamelessly obsessed Daniel fan, does something about that in the delightful Moving On Up.

The twist in the episode is simple enough: at the end of New Order, Jack honors Daniel and saves Sam's promotion for a later date. Tiv'ester isn't the first person to write an award ceremony for Dr. Jackson, of course; the real fun of the fic is the subsequent revelation of Daniel's status at the SGC under Jack's command. Tiv'ester has a talent for snatching a single moment in canon and building a story around it - I challenge anyone to read her Nondisclosure Agreement and ever look at Thor's correction of "Supreme Commander" in Full Disclosure the same way ever again. In Moving On Up, Tiv'ester seizes upon the scene in Daniel's office, when Weir picks up a red phone to receive information. The second half of this fic is based on that scene, and it makes a lot of sense. After all, Weir, as presented in SG-1 (I don't follow Atlantis) is essentially Daniel-lite; Daniel speaks four times as many languages as she has and has brokered agreements and treaties of interplanetary significance. With Kinsey's politics finally out of the way, Tiv'ester allows things to take their natural course.

My recs make it pretty clear that I'm as shamelessly obsessed about Daniel as Tiv'ester, but you don't need to be as enthusiastic about Daniel as I am in order to thoroughly enjoy this entertaining fic.

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