"Storms" by Merry Lynne (G)

[fhartman.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson
Pairing: None
Category: Angst, Friendship
Warning: None
Author on LJ: merryish
Author's Website: http://anyroad.org
Link: http://www.squidge.org/~jdarchive/jdarchive/archive/10/storms.html

Why This Must Be Read: I'm such a sucker for stories where Daniel learns the meaning of the word "family," and this one does it better than most. Set post Torment of Tantalus, Daniel comes face to face with the inevitable conflict between his personal quests, and his path with SG-1. What's a man to do when those paths diverge?

Stories of Daniel in his early days with SG-1 often portray him as a very conflicted individual, but this piece explores a personal issue that, surprisingly, is rarely touched on. We often forget that when you come right down to it, there was really only one reason why Daniel joined the SGC - to find his wife. And because of that agenda, he did some pretty dumb things. Like it or not, some of those choices must have made Jack ask some tough questions, both of himself and Daniel. The author does a beautiful job exploring the anger, disappointment, and struggle for understanding on both sides of some thorny emotional issues. We get a nice look at a flawed, human Daniel, rather than the infallible avenging angel we usually see; a conflicted yet still militarily responsible Jack, rather than the sarcastic, morally flexible part-time commander we usually get; and a quick glimpse at the early Hammond that wasn't so sure about this Jackson guy in the first place. Very nice character work, and a confrontation and resolution made even more powerful for being so understated.

Comments

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

Yup, merryish is on LJ and she has a website called any road (http://anyroad.org/). She's also been writing Atlantis fic :)

[fhartman.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Thank you, and I will update accordingly. You da best!

--Fran

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

Hee! Always happy to help!

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

Thanks for recommending this fic. I loved it. I love anything Jack & Daniel, but this was a really good story that explored Daniel's past and his emotions without making him seem babyish or weak.