I can't tell you enough how honored I was when I found out
that Seshat and Sekhmet had done a review of Lady in
Red and gave it a Gold Star to boot! She told me that it
was "well deserved. Sekhmet and I do sometimes see the Sam/Jack angle
but we rarely run across any that are as realistic and believable as
this one." It is one of my favorite stories to date, besides
GI Sam (my ultimate favorite), and I still get
misty eyed to read the review (as well as the constructive
critisism). Unfortunately the two Goddesses have taken down their
review page due to time restraints or I would have included a link to
their page. A giant Thank You Kindly to Seshat for this review!
What? You're asking yourself. Seshat gave a *gold star* to a relationshipper fic? Yes, I did. There is a reason for that. The simple fact is that "Lady in Red" stands heads and shoulders above the vast pack of Sam-Jack stories. Note that this story carries a rating of NC-17 and therefore should not be read by those who are underage. Do not shy away from this story, however, if you are an adult that does not typically read these kinds of stories. It's well worth a look.
The story is told from Sam's point of view and unlike most stories of this genre, Sam *is* Sam, not some generic imitation. She's spunky, outspoken, funny, and well everything that we see on our television screens. She is not the swooning Sam of so many other stories. She agonizes over her decision to pursue any kind of relationship with Jack, weighing the pros and cons, and driving home a very real and important point that many relationshippers let fly out the window. It is against regulations for a commanding officer and a second in command to have such a relationship and Sam even brings up the point that they could be both court martialed and at the very least Sam would be the one demoted, not Jack. The author has Sam consider what her career means to her.
Jack is also Jack. Not the controlling sex fiend that I've seen in some stories of this genre, not the sappy Jack of others, this Jack is the real thing. Wise cracking one minute, letting down his guard briefly the next. Siegfried dwells on Jack's internal pain and loneliness just enough to actually show his actions and subsequent responses in a very realistic manner.
The love scene is beautifully done. It is realistic yet passionate. (I especially like the comment about building trust between partners.) It is also quite tasteful. It is neither graphic nor obscene and should appeal to those who have shied away from stories of this type before.
The morning after as they deal with the consequences of what happened is heart breaking. Even though you know from the beginning what the ending will be, you still find yourself feeling for them.
I only had the most minor of problems with this story. First, I am not sure that Janet being a military officer would be so quick to encourage Sam to pursue a relationship with Jack. Unfortunately, though, Janet seems to be performing the same function in this story that she does in so many others, pushing the two together. I would have liked her to remind Sam of the consequences of her actions. I also did not buy the part where Jack knows all about Greek myths, especially after all of his ridiculing of Daniel on the show. Also I would not describe Jack's eyes as mahogany, but that is only a minor detail.
I do not wish to give all of the details away. Please go and read this story. If you never read a relationshipper fic before, read this one. If you write in that genre, read this as an example of what you should do. If you have shied away from adult stories in the past, try this one as your first outing. If you're underage, read it as soon as you are of age.