Island Life, by Tallulah Rasa (PG)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Jack and Daniel friendship

Pairing: none
Categories: Daniel Jackson, Jack O’Neill, Jack and Daniel friendship, team, gen, drama, angst
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: To Explore the Universe and Eat Pie
Link: Island Life

Why This Must Be Read: I may have mentioned, once or twice, that Tallulah Rasa is one of the queens of gen fic. In this fantastic drama, we’re given some great team moments; but it’s mostly Jack and Daniel, stranded together shortly after his descension – and finally confronting one another with their mutual feelings of hurt, loss, and betrayal.

Tallulah Rasa is one of those rare authors who gets Jack and Daniel right. She gives them not only their loyalty and closeness, but also the sharp edges and intensity that make their friendship so unique. And as Jack and Daniel struggle to cope – not only with their current disaster, but the damage inflicted by Daniel’s year-long absence – the reader will be rooting for them every step of the way!

"You – you're really mad at me. You're – what don't you forgive me for?"

Jack doesn't answer for a while, but Daniel's patient, and the drugs really do loosen his tongue.  They'd be great for interrogations.  Who knew?  It turns out the trick isn't to inflict pain, but to ease it.  "You left," Jack finally says. 

"I…left?"  Daniel understood everything at school, so he never learned how to hide confusion.

"You left," Jack says.  "You ascended.  Chose to go away.  Left."

Daniel processes this, visibly, for a minute.  Jack is surprised his eyebrows don't fly right off his face.  "Jack, I was dying."

"You left," Jack insists.

"But I—"

"You.  Left."

"I was…I was dying , Jack." He rubs his head, whether from pain or memory, Jack can't tell. "And I was tired.  God, I was so tired." 

Jack's not buying it.  "It was easy for you, leaving.  As though we didn't matter at all.  Do you care about anything that's not a ruin?" 

Daniel looks at him.  "Maybe I don't," he says. "But then, that works out, doesn't it? Everything I've ever had has fallen apart."

Jack shakes his head.  That's too easy. Life's not that predictable, and Daniel's not that weak. There had to have been another way.  Daniel's a genius, he should have found it.  "You left us!"

 "I DID NOT!" Mount Daniel has finally erupted.  Jack's surprised; he thought that fire burned out long ago "I was the one who was left.  A long time ago.  You left me.  You pulled back.  You pulled away, and you took everyone with you. All of you, you left me, and I was right there.  I couldn't even follow.  I didn't leave!  All I did was go, too." 

Jack stares, mouth open. 

"And I don't forgive you, either," Daniel whispers.  Then he crawls out of the tent and stumbles away.