DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Sam was worried.
She could only assume that the colonel and Daniel had received the same message they had. Connor and Teal'c agreed with her that it made fairly good sense to head for the largest visible landmark...a stone out-cropping shaped rather like one of the statues Daniel kept on his desk. Sam hoped that, sub-consciously or otherwise, their missing teammates would gravitate in the same direction.
Sam had been almost as pleased as Connor that clothing had been provided for them. It seemed the Jaffa uniform chafed in some uncomfortable...and apparently unmentionable...places. Sam had laughed at Connor's obvious, but very welcome, attempt to lighten the mood. She had played along, responding that it explained a lot about Jaffa temperament. Teal'c had merely raised what Sam would swear was an amused eyebrow, offering only that it was an 'acquired talent'. Sam refrained from asking whether Teal'c referred to the uniform or the temperament.
As they walked, Sam worried. She hadn't missed noticing how heavily Daniel had been leaning on the colonel as they'd been marched to Tel'nat's conference room. Her brief examination in the darkened cell, had revealed numerous cuts and bruises, but there hadn't been time for much more than a cursory examination. Sam just hoped that, wherever they were, Daniel and the colonel were okay.
Connor was feeling rather optimistic. In spite of the seemingly hopeless situation, he felt like SG1 would see it through. Didn't they always? Connor had watched Major Carter and Teal'c quickly assess their predicament and formulate a plan based on as much of an advantage as they had ever needed...their knowledge of their teammates.
Connor had been heartened by the major's willingness to join in on his small joke...it proved that she wasn't one of those officers who let command swell their heads, turning them into hard-assed martinets in the blink of an eye. Even Teal'c had joined in, confirming Connor's belief that a very keen wit resided under that gold tattoo.
He hadn't exactly followed the major's line of reasoning, but knowing SG1, he was confident that they knew what they were doing. If he had to be stuck in an apparently hopeless situation, Connor was glad it was with this particular group of people.
Teal'c was certain that O'Neill and Daniel Jackson were well. There was no other alternative; they had been through too much together to allow any other possibility. The resiliency of their missing teammates was well known, and well founded.
O'Neill was one of the most resourceful leaders Teal'c had ever known. The brash colonel's inventiveness and determination had won Teal'c's loyalty long ago. O'Neill's dedication and caring had burst through barriers Teal'c had held since his earliest days as a Jaffa-in-training. Emotional closeness was neither encouraged nor tolerated among the Jaffa ranks. The closeness Teal'c felt for Bra'tac had only begun to prepare him for the open acceptance of O'Neill...as well as the rest of SG1.
Daniel Jackson had confused Teal'c from the very beginning. Knowing what Teal'c had been, Daniel Jackson nonetheless came to accept...and even rely...on the same Jaffa who had cost him so much. Teal'c had learned a valuable lesson from Daniel Jackson...a lesson he would carry all his life; forgiveness. Teal'c had never contemplated the concept until he'd seen it embodied in Daniel Jackson. For all of the pain Daniel Jackson had gone through due to Teal'c's actions...all of the nightmares, the waking horrors, the deep depressions...Teal'c had never seen anger in the young man's eyes. Since Sha'uri's death, Teal'c had seen many emotions pass through his young friend's eyes, but never anger. Teal'c frankly believed that a measure of honest anger might be the best thing for Daniel Jackson, but he could not help but admire the intrinsic strength of the young man that did not allow him to succumb to it.
Teal'c wished that they could rejoin their teammates, and soon. It had become second nature for Teal'c to protect his friends..he could not protect them if they were not together.