Choices Made, by Elyse Dickenson (PG)

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson

Pairing: none
Categories: Daniel Jackson, gen, angst, hurt/comfort, drama, humor, team
Warnings: Daniel-whumping
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Elyse at StargateFan
Link: Choices Made 

Why This Must Be Read: A story that can twist perception on its ear is always fun. In Choices Made, Elyse manages this not once, but twice.

The story seems, at first, to be a typical "Danny-whumping" fic – the team comes tumbling back into the SGC, with Daniel in need of serious medical attention, the only one singled out by the bizarre aliens. There's the team's worry over his health, and Hammond's concern that Daniel's torture might have resulted in spilled secrets crucial to the safety of the SGC - especially as Daniel has no memory of what he endured. But events tilt sideways when the real underlying cause for his illness is diagnosed, and we're well into black humor when the SGC technicians manage to salvage Daniel's filming of events to find out what actually happened. 

And then, just when you think it's over, the story makes another left turn when an ally shows up with a belated warning – and the complete truth of what happened on PL4-6Z9, and the horror that they narrowly evaded, is finally fully revealed.

My favorite highlights include Teal'c's delightfully smug and accurate assessment of Daniel's accomplishment, Janet's sputtered realization of the ultimate cliché, and Daniel's attempts at a codicil for his will. Cassie, I'm sure, would have been touched!
 

( Snippet of fic... )