But For The One by PhoenixE (G)

[morena-evensong.livejournal.com]

Show: SG-1

Rec Category: Alternate Universe
Characters: Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter, Catherine Langford, General Hammond, Danial Jackson
Pairings: Jack O'Neill/Sam Carter, pre-Jack O'Neill/Daniel Jackson
Categories: Het, pre-slash
Warnings: some Sam-bashing (from Jack's POV in the context of a failing relationship)
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author's Website: JD Divas profile, Area 52 profile or The Alpha Gate profile
Link: on JD-Divas or The Alpha Gate

Why This Must Be Read: I seriously cannot believe this story has not been recced here! Or maybe it has, just not in this category. If there's any Jack/Daniel fan out there who hasn't read this story yet, you really, really should. While originally written as a sort of preview for a much longer story (that will sadly probably never get written at this point), it stands on its own quite nicely.

There are a lot of stories out there that deal with the idea of an alternate universe where Daniel didn't join the Stargate Program when Doctor Langford tried to recruit him. Heck, the show itself has done it a few times. PhoenixE has taken this pretext and gone with a different approach than most people, who assume that somehow Sam and her crew would've eventually figured out how to work the gate even if it took them longer to do so. If you're interested in her actual thought process, PhoenixE says it best herself in her extra-long author's note. And so we start this story with a failing Portal Command and a failing relationship between Colonel Jack O'Neill and Doctor Samantha Carter -- if you're a fan of the pairing you might want to skip this story, although to be clear Sam isn't actually being vilified here as such.

Enough talk. This is an interesting look at a 'what if' scenario, told from Jack's point of view with all the sarcastic inner dialogue you'd expect from the guy. Also, it's Phoenix E.

( snippet of fic )