Swinging with the old stars

[ardvari]

Title: Swinging with the old stars
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Set after Moebius, Jack and General Hammond meet in Washington. Dusty bar, whiskey, heart-to-hearts.

Comments

[kedd]

This was fantastic! I love the relationship between Jack and Hammond, there's so many layers to it (commander-subordinate, father-son, friends, confessional), and I think you captured them really well.

The line that got me was:

Missed opportunities, his life is so full of them, choking him sometimes when he’s in bed at night staring up at the ceiling.

And the way you described Hammond's voice, as "both hard and full of regret" is perfect - because I think we fans sometimes forget Hammond is a USAF General, who can and has made the difficult calls. There's iron under that grandfatherly appearance!

Thanks for writing!

[ardvari]

No no no, thank you for reading.
I quite love Hammond's and Jack's relationship, too. Especially since Hammond definitely always did turn a blind eye on certain things. He's very human, yet tough. He was a great character.

Again, thanks for reading and leaving a comment! :)

[majorsamfan]

"I think it’s my time to need her,” Jack says, grimacing again....

Hammond nods thoughtfully, then smiles.

“I think you’re right,” he says simply.

Oh, yeah, baby!

“We needed her more than you did,” he says and his voice is both hard and full of regret.

Everyone's commenting on the first half, but it's the second half that kicks me in the gut - Hammie!!!

[ardvari]

This fic was literally stuck in my head for a week and a half while I was on vacation and it kept kicking me in the gut repeatedly with all these lines that kept popping into my head. :p

Glad you liked it and yes, Hammie! I miss him. :(

[thothmes]

Oh, I miss George Hammond. There were depths to him that we really didn't get to see played out often enough, and I always liked getting a chance to see Jack-the-leader being led. There are such layers and nuances to this relationship: superior and subordinate, leaders in conference, friends over time, father and son, and sometimes the sense that the roles have reversed, and the old dog Hammond has learned a new trick from his semi-domesticated lone wolf. You manage to ring most of the changes here so very plausibly.

[deltachild]

Ouch. This fic really captures the sadness of Sam/Jack, capturing some of the fallout of putting themselves on hold for so many years.

Hammond's honesty is heartbreaking to read, because it is all true. Sam & Jack both know/knew that everything out there was bigger than just the two of them, but that it will never feel like the right decision even though it was.

Maybe the only good way to drink whiskey was to taste it on her lips, to feel the burn on her tongue. - Um, guh? :)