Texture of Memory, by Rowan Darkstar (PG)

[figs_sg1_rec]

Rec Category: Sam and Daniel friendship

Pairing: none
Categories: Sam and Daniel friendship, Samantha Carter, gen, angst, episode related, character study
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: rowan_d
Author's Website: rowan's inner sanctum
Link: Texture of Memory

Why This Must Be Read: We almost never get to see the repercussions to the harsher experiences that our beloved characters undergo. In this bleakly, beautifully written ficlet, Sam struggles with the aftermath of her torture by Fifth in New Order. And while Daniel recognizes her distress and tries to help her overcome it, her panicked revulsion to anything metal isn't so easy to dismiss.

Read this one for the wincingly good feel of Sam's shuddering efforts to get back to some semblance of normalcy. And couldn't we all use a good friend like Daniel, even if he can't quite do enough?

 Sam Carter runs her hand over the smooth countertop in her laboratory, traces the lines of marble pattern with her fingernail. She can't recall the last time she tended to her own nails, isn't sure she owns any polish that hasn't thickened into sluggish paste.

The countertop turns from marble to the silver-grey lip of a sink and she snatches her hand away. She harbors an aversion to metals. The sensation crawls over her skin like mechanical spiders. She remembers enjoying the sleek shine of the fenders on her Indy, gravitating to the cool planes against her shoulder blades when she leaned against the security doors of the SGC. She can't fathom these things, now.