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Teal'c stood outside the door of one of Stargate Command's many offices, debating the wisdom of his planned course of action. But a perceived obligation was a debt none the less, and such was best dealt with quickly. For that he needed help. With his mind settled, he knocked lightly on the frame. At the occupant's called permission, he entered the cluttered room.
"Daniel Jackson, I have need of your assistance." He watched silently as the young archeologist looked up in surprise, and then hurriedly jumped to his feet.
"Teal'c! How are you doing? Should you be out of the infirmary?"
Genuine amusement lit his eyes at the other's concerned enthusiasm. He had grown used to the man's seemingly-boundless energy, and knew that his recent infestation had caused his entire team great worry. "Dr. Fraiser has released me from the Infirmary, but I may not yet participate in off-world missions. She has not restricted me to the base, however," – he planned to use that argument if there was any protest by the doctor once all this was over – "and that is why I need your assistance."
Daniel blushed slightly as he was brought back to the subject at hand. "Of course, Teal'c. What can I do for you?"
The Jaffa quickly explained his requirements, and despite his obvious misgivings his friend agreed to help. Within minutes they were outside the base (Teal'c's gold tattoo properly concealed) and on their way.
oooooo
He stared at the teeming swarm of people that thronged the narrow passageways and wished for his staff weapon. Over half were under 12, which would not have been a problem on Chulak. There even the youngest of children were more controlled than these screaming, clamoring, wild youngsters. And the adults were not much better. If not yelling orders or requests at the young (which went largely ignored), they were grabbing items from the shelves and arguing with each other. As he stood to one side of the door, he was visibly debating abandoning the field before the battle had begun.
"Daniel Jackson?" His tone carried all his concern at the melee. If this was how Earthers dealt with items of amusement, how much worse would it be for the necessities of life? He silently vowed to never visit a food store.
The smaller man suppressed a laugh, but his eyes danced with amusement. "Don't worry, Teal'c. This isn't some sort of combat training." He looked around and shook his head. "Although I must admit it probably could serve that purpose. Not having the G'oauld restrictions of your world, our people are much freer to react to each other and circumstances." He smiled. "But even during a clearance sale, it is very rarely comes to blows."
Teal'c looked from Daniel to the churning mass skeptically, but followed silently as the archeologist plunged into the crowd. He steeled himself against the incidental contract he received on every side. No one on Chulak or any of the G'oauld worlds would think of touching a First Prime without express permission or an intimate relation, so he was still uncomfortable with that part of Earth behavior. His team members, while not intimate, were trusted, and the others at Stargate Command knew better as well, except for the healers (who were the same as everywhere else). The few times he ventured off the base were always a trial. Despite that, the obligation that had driven him here in the first place drove him on.
After what seemed like a year, and during which time he had restrained himself from asking women if they were trying to create worthless monsters out of their children at least a dozen times, they reached their goal. Daniel stopped in front of the garishly-colored weapons and waited for him to make his choice.
The Jaffa studied the display, comparing the selection against what he would be replacing. For several minutes he could find nothing that was superior, but then he spotted the perfect weapon half-hidden on the top of the shelves. The problem was that even with his greater height the object was still out of reach. He looked around for a way to achieve his goal, and a brief smile lit his eyes as they fell on a bored teammate.
"Daniel Jackson, I have found what I desire to purchase. However, in order to obtain it," he pointed upward at a large green box, "I require your assistance again."
The shaggy-haired man smiled back and looked up. The smile flickered slightly at the height but then steadied bravely. "Oooookay. What do we do now?"
With characteristic straight-forwardness, Teal'c moved behind Daniel, bent slightly to grasp him by the upper legs, and lifted him straight up with a grunt of effort. After a brief wave of his arms and a yelp of surprise, Daniel hurriedly grabbed the item and signaled 'Down'. The big Jaffa set his burden down and took the offered item, breathing deeply for a few moments. Then he nodded for Daniel to precede him, pleased to have achieved success so easily.
Halfway to the front of the store, however, he was brought to a halt by a sudden weight attaching itself to the box he carried. He looked down to find a light-haired boy of approximately eight years holding on with a death grip and a petulant look on his overly-full features.
"Please remove your grip so that I may proceed," Teal'c spoke softly, mindful of the Terran ethics he'd read about when dealing with children. The reply was enough to send him into culture shock.
"I WANT IT! IT'S MINE! GIVE IT TO ME!" The demands were delivered in a pitch and volume guaranteed to cause any Jaffa pain. When those demands were not met immediately, his boy's screams somehow increased. "MOMMIE! MOMMIE! MAKE HIM GIVE IT TO ME!" The words disintegrated into an incoherent scream.
By this time, the scene had attracted other interested parties. Daniel returned to flank him, seeking to calm the child with soft words as well. A woman who must have been the mother appeared out of the crowd, a look of annoyance and arrogance on her thin face. The other bystanders simply watched in fascination.
"What is going on here?!" The mother's voice was a match for her son's. "What are you doing to my poor Timothy? Give him back that toy this instant or I'll call the cops!"
Daniel stood up with the polite smile that Teal'c had seen melt more than one woman's reserve, but this time it bounced off the enraged mother's heart without effect. "Madam, we didn't do…." His attempted explanation was drowned by continued tirade.
"What is this, two grown men ganging up on one defenseless little boy?" She swung her purse, a large flowered bag that looked like it held at least one large brick, at Daniel, who had to jump back to avoid bodily injury. Then she turned her attention to the man in direct contact with her precious child, swinging her weapon again.
Teal'c had had enough. He had patiently endured the noise and crowds, but a direct attack on a teammate and himself crossed the line. His free hand flashed up, stopping the bag in mid-swing with ease. He stared at the surprised female with all the cold distain of a First Prime. "Woman, if you attempt to strike my friend or myself again, you shall regret it." Shock silenced her and froze her in her tracks. "Your son has no claim on this item; we obtained it through our own efforts." He raised his other hand, lifting both the box and child up to eye level with little effort. The sudden movement stilled the boy's wail, and Teal'c met his wide eyes with all his innate authority. "Release your hold...now." His voice hadn't risen above its normal soft tones, but the youngster dropped to the ground immediately and scurried behind his mother. Teal'c released her purse and lowered both arms. The woman clutched the bag to her chest and practically cowered away as he met her eyes again. "If you have any control at all, you would do well to teach it to your child. He will have need of it." Without another word, he turned and continued toward the checkout lines, the crowd parting before him like the Red Sea before Moses. Here and there he saw a few thumbs up, and a brief scattering of applause followed in his wake, along with a grinning Daniel.
The smiling clerk rang up the purchase with alacrity and handed him the bag with more than normal enthusiasm. The two men exited the store with sighs of relief. As Daniel got behind the wheel of the car, Teal'c heard him snicker under his breath. "Jack is going to be sorry he missed this." The big man merely smiled as they headed back to the base.
oooooo
The two men entered the abandoned warehouse in search of Teal'c's quarry. His sharp ears caught the sound of her darting movements, and he easily positioned them at a point where she came leaping around a corner to face them.
Her face lit up when she saw him. "Teal'c!" She ran up to him happily. "Hi!"
"Greetings, Allie." He could only smile at her youthful cheer and enthusiasm.
Surprise was evident in her tone. "You're okay?"
"Thanks to you, I am feeling much better." He reassured her and acknowledged his obligation with a short bow.
She waved it off. "Aw naw, it was no sweat." She studied him for a second. "You look way better. I guess you can't really tell me what happened – all that top-secret James Bond stuff." Her voice started out resigned, but then turned hopefully. "Right?"
"That is correct." To offset her blatant disappointment, he held out his present. "To show my gratitude, I have brought you a new weapon, one with increased range and firepower."
Her eyes widened in total surprise at the sight of gigantic water rifle. Then her face blazed with joy as she handed him her old toy in exchange for the new. "Wicked! This is SO cool." Her gaze lifted to his. "Have any time to play?"
"Uh, actually we..." Daniel was interrupted by a stream of water that caught Teal'c in the chest. With a challenging laugh, the young girl disappeared around the corner. The archeologist looked at his friend smugly. "Guess we shouldn't have loaded it."
Teal'c calmly put on his sunglasses. "How else could she defend herself?" With equal dispassion he hefted Allie's discarded weapon and turned toward his teammate. Without a flicker of emotion he pulled the trigger, hitting Daniel in the chest as well. Then, with a grin the equal of his opponent's, he took off in pursuit of her.
Daniel stood there, his calm overlaying shocked surprise. "How else?" He shook out his soaked shirt and sighed. Somehow he had the feeling he was in for a long wait.
* * fini * *
Payment Page 4 of 4 JoLynn Horvath