Tall Guys to Fall, by cgb (PG)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Jack and Sam friendship

Pairing: none

Categories: Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, gen, drama, angst, character study

Warnings: some violence and language

Author on LJ: mandysbitch

Author's Website: Mind Games

Link: Tall Guys to Fall

 

Why This Must Be Read: This is my favorite kind of Sam and Jack friendship fic: a story of mutual respect, a leader mentoring a younger subordinate, and a keen eye, on both sides, for the other's reactions and motivations.

 

Cgb gives us two crises on the other side of the Gate in early Season One: one in which Sam is badly shaken, and one in which Jack is bleakly resigned. And then we get the aftermath: the questions asked, and answered, and what remains unsaid. It's all very real, and all very good, and all very Sam and Jack.

 

She opens her locker and throws her bag over her shoulder without bothering to get changed. She turns to leave and finds herself face to face with O'Neill.

"You finished, Carter?"

"All yours, Sir."

"Thanks. Hey - you going home?"

"Uh - yeah, I was just on my way out."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

She pauses, expecting something but not knowing what.

"See you tomorrow, Sir," she says.

Outside the locker room she doesn't get far. She stands in the hallway, unable to move.

And then she turns and heads back into the locker room.

"How do you do it?" she says.

Comments

[callmeri]

The author is mandysbitch on LJ. :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll add it in. :)

[sg-wonderland.livejournal.com]

I rarely read anything labeled Jack/Sam friendship because it almost always creeps into romance. But I did take a chance on this one and was glad I did. Yes, Sam may have flown some bombing missions but it isn't the same thing as face-to-face combat. I liked the author showing Sam fumbling her way through this learning curve.
Nice piece.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Really? I've found almost nothing at all labeled Jack/Sam friendship, which is why it took me so long to put a month's worth of recs together!

Do try my other recs this month. I'm specifically choosing stories that emphasize the friendship and humor, not the romance. That is the category, after all. :)

And yes, I very much liked both sides of the learning curve - Sam not only fumbling through her reactions to danger, but also how to read her CO.