The Soul Senses, by Carrie (PG)
Rec Category: Teamy Goodness
Pairing: None
Category: team, Teal'c, gen, angst, action/adventure, episode related
Warnings: some language, general whumping
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Carrie at StargateFan
Link to Story: The Soul Senses
Why This Must Be Read: This teamy story takes place just after Threshold, and addresses some of those pesky inconvenient emotional reactions that Stargate tends to gloss over in the measly forty-minute time frame that the episodes allot. Yes, Teal'c's teammates stood by his side when he underwent the Rite of Mal Sharran, and they welcomed him back when he snapped free of the brainwashing. But there just have to be emotional repercussions to his temporary yet wholehearted role as enemy; and when, in this story, some overly observant natives detect that fractional hesitation in SG-1's trust of Teal'c, the entire team is put to the test as a result.
With the natives unsure that Teal'c is really trustworthy, he is forced to join his teammates on a seemingly impossible quest, sorely hampered by the handicaps imposed on Sam, Jack, and Daniel in order to prove Teal'c's loyalty. Teamy goodness shines through as the four of them struggle to overcome the temporary blindness, deafness, and paralysis, especially as they know that they only have two days to succeed before those handicaps become permanent.
Carrie gives each member of SG-1 a turn at narrative and characterization, but in many ways, the main character of the story is Teal'c. For that fact alone, this fic is a gem - how many good Teal'c fics are out there, after all? In The Soul Senses, Teal'c is solid, supportive, introspective, and wonderfully himself.
By the end of this long and lovely story, SG-1 has not only proved their team loyalty to the Wayzata, but also, most emphatically, to themselves. The lovely ending scene, as they all sneak out of the infirmary to join Teal'c in his quarters, affirms the teamy goodness and will leave you with a smile on your face.
"You have to, Carter. Figure out how to tell us."
She rolled her eyes at him but relinquished her hold on Daniel to move next to Teal'c. Taking his right hand in her left, she turned it palm up and began tracing something on it. The Jaffa frowned at her, and shook his head. After a few moments, she dropped the hand in frustration, rubbing her forehead. She moved back to the archaeologist.
Studying her hands, Jack couldn't figure out what she was trying to say and doubted Daniel could figure it out either. He looked at his own useless limbs and cursed them again. He didn't know how, but it seemed Tomahe had known precisely which body part to infect in each of them. Admittedly clueless on how to read Carter even with her voice, now he didn't even have the means to try.
"H?" Daniel quietly asked, interrupting his internal rant. A shy smile turned the corners of the younger man's mouth upward. "Are you spelling something? When I was little, my mother would trace letters on my back and make me guess them. She'd mix them all up to try and confuse me. When B came I'd call it out, and she'd slap me like there was a bee on me."
Jack grinned at the wistful tone in Daniel's voice and the obvious happiness of the memory. The comments were slightly off track but it didn't matter. He thought he finally understood what Carter needed to communicate, and realized the archaeologist did too. They needed to let her finish, to work out a system of 'talking'. She squeezed Daniel's hand and nodded for the sake of him and Teal'c. She continued tracing letters on the palm, moving faster and faster as the younger man adjusted to reading them.
"H-O...wait, what was that one again?...W-F-A-R-A-C-R-O-S-S," Daniel recited the letters. "A-N-D-H-O-W-F-A-R-D-O-W-N. How far across and how far down? Exactly what I was going to ask, Sam."
Talk about teamwork. Teal'c nodded, rose, and moved to the cliff's edge to peer over. His teammate had already mentioned he could see the floor of the chasm enough to feel confident that was where they needed to be by nightfall, and Jack was sure that was a good thing. Just how good was a Jaffa's eyesight, anyway?
"Your idea has merit, Major Carter," Teal'c announced as he rejoined them. "The depth of the canyon is only slightly longer than the length across. We should be able to climb down the ladder and jump the remainder of the distance without further injury."
Instantly, Jack's brain supplied a hitch in that plan. Both Carter and Teal'c were physically fine and able. Daniel had proven he could make do without his eyes, though it might not be easy. But he couldn't figure out a way to deal with his own very physical handicap.
"Uh, I think we have a problem," he called his team's attention to him. "I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get down two hundred feet without being able to use my hands. That, and I'm slightly concerned at how fun of a time Daniel won't have either."
He looked up from his inspection of his hands to stare into three blank expressions. Double taking, Jack had to remind himself only Daniel was blind. Apparently he was the only one to consider that particular wrench in the works, and he couldn't blame them. It wasn't as if they could feel what he wasn't feeling. Flashing a grimace, he turned away.
Scuffling noises made him turn back, and he saw Carter scrambling to her feet. She was waving her hands at Teal'c, who complied and stood up. She skirted around him, grabbed his shoulders and turned both of them so he could see her. Once she was positioned, she awkwardly wrapped her arms around his torso, gathering his arms to his chest. She mimicked lifting him up. The look on Teal'c's face made him want to laugh out loud but he merely choked back a snicker.
"What?" Daniel asked, blindly seeking out the source for his humor.
Sobering instantaneously, Jack realized her plan would have to work. There wasn't any way he could climb down without some sort of assistance, and pride was the least of his concerns at the moment. He could handle looking completely ridiculous if it meant getting them the hell where they needed to be. Besides, Daniel couldn't see anything and Carter wasn't about to make any comments.
"Nothing, Danny. Teal'c's just going to have to help me out. A lot," he softly said, brushing his knee into the younger man's thigh. "And you're going to let Carter help you."
Pairing: None
Category: team, Teal'c, gen, angst, action/adventure, episode related
Warnings: some language, general whumping
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Carrie at StargateFan
Link to Story: The Soul Senses
Why This Must Be Read: This teamy story takes place just after Threshold, and addresses some of those pesky inconvenient emotional reactions that Stargate tends to gloss over in the measly forty-minute time frame that the episodes allot. Yes, Teal'c's teammates stood by his side when he underwent the Rite of Mal Sharran, and they welcomed him back when he snapped free of the brainwashing. But there just have to be emotional repercussions to his temporary yet wholehearted role as enemy; and when, in this story, some overly observant natives detect that fractional hesitation in SG-1's trust of Teal'c, the entire team is put to the test as a result.
With the natives unsure that Teal'c is really trustworthy, he is forced to join his teammates on a seemingly impossible quest, sorely hampered by the handicaps imposed on Sam, Jack, and Daniel in order to prove Teal'c's loyalty. Teamy goodness shines through as the four of them struggle to overcome the temporary blindness, deafness, and paralysis, especially as they know that they only have two days to succeed before those handicaps become permanent.
Carrie gives each member of SG-1 a turn at narrative and characterization, but in many ways, the main character of the story is Teal'c. For that fact alone, this fic is a gem - how many good Teal'c fics are out there, after all? In The Soul Senses, Teal'c is solid, supportive, introspective, and wonderfully himself.
By the end of this long and lovely story, SG-1 has not only proved their team loyalty to the Wayzata, but also, most emphatically, to themselves. The lovely ending scene, as they all sneak out of the infirmary to join Teal'c in his quarters, affirms the teamy goodness and will leave you with a smile on your face.
"You have to, Carter. Figure out how to tell us."
She rolled her eyes at him but relinquished her hold on Daniel to move next to Teal'c. Taking his right hand in her left, she turned it palm up and began tracing something on it. The Jaffa frowned at her, and shook his head. After a few moments, she dropped the hand in frustration, rubbing her forehead. She moved back to the archaeologist.
Studying her hands, Jack couldn't figure out what she was trying to say and doubted Daniel could figure it out either. He looked at his own useless limbs and cursed them again. He didn't know how, but it seemed Tomahe had known precisely which body part to infect in each of them. Admittedly clueless on how to read Carter even with her voice, now he didn't even have the means to try.
"H?" Daniel quietly asked, interrupting his internal rant. A shy smile turned the corners of the younger man's mouth upward. "Are you spelling something? When I was little, my mother would trace letters on my back and make me guess them. She'd mix them all up to try and confuse me. When B came I'd call it out, and she'd slap me like there was a bee on me."
Jack grinned at the wistful tone in Daniel's voice and the obvious happiness of the memory. The comments were slightly off track but it didn't matter. He thought he finally understood what Carter needed to communicate, and realized the archaeologist did too. They needed to let her finish, to work out a system of 'talking'. She squeezed Daniel's hand and nodded for the sake of him and Teal'c. She continued tracing letters on the palm, moving faster and faster as the younger man adjusted to reading them.
"H-O...wait, what was that one again?...W-F-A-R-A-C-R-O-S-S," Daniel recited the letters. "A-N-D-H-O-W-F-A-R-D-O-W-N. How far across and how far down? Exactly what I was going to ask, Sam."
Talk about teamwork. Teal'c nodded, rose, and moved to the cliff's edge to peer over. His teammate had already mentioned he could see the floor of the chasm enough to feel confident that was where they needed to be by nightfall, and Jack was sure that was a good thing. Just how good was a Jaffa's eyesight, anyway?
"Your idea has merit, Major Carter," Teal'c announced as he rejoined them. "The depth of the canyon is only slightly longer than the length across. We should be able to climb down the ladder and jump the remainder of the distance without further injury."
Instantly, Jack's brain supplied a hitch in that plan. Both Carter and Teal'c were physically fine and able. Daniel had proven he could make do without his eyes, though it might not be easy. But he couldn't figure out a way to deal with his own very physical handicap.
"Uh, I think we have a problem," he called his team's attention to him. "I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get down two hundred feet without being able to use my hands. That, and I'm slightly concerned at how fun of a time Daniel won't have either."
He looked up from his inspection of his hands to stare into three blank expressions. Double taking, Jack had to remind himself only Daniel was blind. Apparently he was the only one to consider that particular wrench in the works, and he couldn't blame them. It wasn't as if they could feel what he wasn't feeling. Flashing a grimace, he turned away.
Scuffling noises made him turn back, and he saw Carter scrambling to her feet. She was waving her hands at Teal'c, who complied and stood up. She skirted around him, grabbed his shoulders and turned both of them so he could see her. Once she was positioned, she awkwardly wrapped her arms around his torso, gathering his arms to his chest. She mimicked lifting him up. The look on Teal'c's face made him want to laugh out loud but he merely choked back a snicker.
"What?" Daniel asked, blindly seeking out the source for his humor.
Sobering instantaneously, Jack realized her plan would have to work. There wasn't any way he could climb down without some sort of assistance, and pride was the least of his concerns at the moment. He could handle looking completely ridiculous if it meant getting them the hell where they needed to be. Besides, Daniel couldn't see anything and Carter wasn't about to make any comments.
"Nothing, Danny. Teal'c's just going to have to help me out. A lot," he softly said, brushing his knee into the younger man's thigh. "And you're going to let Carter help you."