Teal'c followed silently behind O'Neill. He knew his brother was hurting. He also knew that O'Neill would not come straight out and tell anyone why he was hurting so much more then Teal'c or Daniel was. Teal'c knew for a fact that O'Neill was in pain because of how deep the love he had for Major Carter was. He had been in the room when the truth had come out. He had been in the room when it was agreed that it would stay in the room. Teal'c knew why they had decided that but he also knew that it would end up tearing them up inside until there would be nothing left of either of them.
He and O'Neill had spoken of this many times. But O'Neill was a soldier as he was and as a soldier it was his duty to obey his commanders. But that did not mean that Teal'c had to like the situation at all, especially knowing how bad it was hurting his brother in arms and the woman he loved.
Teal'c entered the locker room and watched O'Neill as he throw his cover into his locker. He had watched him glance through the mirror over at Major Carter's locker and he heard the deep groan that escaped his lips. He was in so much pain and there was nothing no one could do to stop the pain.
O'Neill soon acknowledged him and Teal'c made no comment. He knew that O'Neill would soon break the silence and they would talk. And they did. They talked about when O'Neill was lost on the planet with Maybourne and how Major Carter grieved for him. Yes, he admitted he had missed his brother also. Then he told O'Neill about how Major Carter had fought against the scientist trying to make them stay and hunt for him. Told Jacob Carter and Selmak off because they could not get a ship to him fast enough and O'Neill really did not want to know what she called the Asgard when they refused to answer the call for help.
He told O'Neill this because he wanted him to see that even though he had been the one to confess how he felt during the zatarc testing, Major Carter felt the same way about him. She always had. It had been evident to Teal'c the day he met them both how they felt about each other. Why would they not let the ones in command know how they felt and have their chance at happiness?
He watched O'Neill's shoulders sag when Teal'c asked him this question. He knew that O'Neill would give everything he had to be able to hold Major Carter at night as long as he wanted and to wake up next to her every morning for as long as the earth would spin. If only he could help his brother get what his soul so longed for. If it had not been for O'Neill, he would still be following Apophis and doing distasteful things to keep his family alive. He owed O'Neill everything.
'"I am sorry, my friend, that I cannot help you in your situation as you helped me so many years ago. If there were anything I could do to bring her home to you, to your home, I would do it. Know this, my friend." Teal'c knew what he had said registered with O'Neill when he saw his friend slam his fist into the locker door. Teal'c grabbed O'Neill by the shoulders and spun him around. He saw the look on O'Neill's face and knew his friend wanted so bad to allow his emotions to run free. He looked at his brother and knew there was one thing he could do. He pushed O'Neill out of the locker room and took him to the gym. Before O'Neill knew what had happened Teal'c had grabbed a sparring pole and swiftly planted O'Neill's six on the mat.
Anger ran through O'Neill's body like burning blood and he was fighting Teal'c with all he had in him. And Teal' allowed him to hit him as hard as he could – oh he did not make it easy on O'Neill for if he had it would not have done O'Neill any good. He gave as well as he got. Soon he saw the violence being replaced with tears on his brother's face and he was at his side when O'Neill's knees finally gave out on him. He held him like a father would his son while his friend unleashed years of hurt. When the sobs quieted, O'Neill looked at him with gratitude in his eyes.
"You are a good man, my friend." O'Neill stated and Teal'c's reply was the same. "As are you, my friend."