Three Corners of a Square
Pairings: Teal'c/team friendship
Spoilers: Shades of Grey
Disclaimer: not mine
A/N: Many thanks go to Jack and fallenbelle for betaing this for me. I've put far more effort into this fic than probably anything else I've written, so I hope people enjoy it, or at least appreciate it. Also, I've chosen to split it into 2 halves b/c I think it's more effective that way: second half out tomorrow.
Sam made one last attempt to probe the innards of the device in front of her, only to snag the delicate tool she was holding on a component. She watched in horror as the artifact flew from her hands and soared briefly through the air, before striking the floor and shattering. Biting her lip as a cautionary measure against any stray tears, she bent down and swept the pieces into her hand. She didn't see how she could repair it, but really didn't want to be the one to explain to the scientists at Area 51 that she'd destroyed one of the devices they were waiting for her to ship over. General Hammond had already pulled some strings so that she could keep it for an extra week as it was.
Sam deposited the fragments gently into a tray and settled back into her seat, taking a moment to calm herself. Her neck and head ached, probably from hunching over the damaged device, or maybe just from simple tension. As the droning from her computers seemed to increase in volume the dull ache flared, centering itself behind her ears. Sam stopped trying to work out why she was in pain, merely longing for peace and quiet. On an average day she considered her lab to be as peaceful as anywhere on base, and was more than able block out the whirring of the cooling fans, but today wasn't an average day – even for someone who worked in the SGC.
The aching in her head intensified and she closed her eyes in response, massaging the tight muscles in her neck with one hand. Maybe she should take something for the pain.
"Major Carter, may I be of any assistance?"
Her eyes snapped open. Sam had no idea how long Teal'c had been standing in her doorway, but hoped he hadn't been watching her for too long. She forced her lips to curve upwards, hoping the grimace would pass for a smile. "It's just a headache, but thanks." Teal'c's eyes fell to the tray containing the fragments of what might have been a communication device, or maybe even an alien barometer (she'd never know now), silently questioning her. How was it that he never missed anything?
"I'll fix it," she added. And there was another lie. Abruptly she hated herself: why was it okay for anyone the world over to slip up, except for Sam Carter, theoretical physicist and Major in the US Air Force?
Because if she slipped up then the world would crumble – failure was a luxury for those who didn't defend their planet against a galaxy of potential enemies.
"O'Neill is still being debriefed by General Hammond," Teal'c said. Her thoughts interrupted, Sam automatically glanced down at her watch; the Colonel had been in with the General for hours. Still, he'd just uncovered a huge conspiracy that could have had horrendous consequences for the entire human race. She wryly noted that the paperwork would take weeks to sort out: the Colonel would not be happy.
Suddenly she realised that she'd been sitting in silence, lost in her own thoughts, while Teal'c watched her intently. That was the thing about Teal'c: half the time he spoke bluntly, stating the obvious, but the other half he said just enough to start a conversation or line of thought going and then sat back, carefully observing the results and monitoring people's reactions. Most of the time she didn't mind, but on a bad day he made her feel like a subject of a lab experiment, or a contender on one of those ghastly reality TV shows.
"I wish we could be in there," she replied. And she did. The last few weeks had been filled with worry and speculation as she tried to calculate precisely how she could have misjudged her commanding officer so badly, while frequently reminding herself she'd always been better at working out equations than reading real live people. She needed to feel like they were all part of a team again and found that being excluded from a meeting with one of her teammates wasn't helping, irrational though it might be.
"Indeed." Sam looked at him carefully, trying to see behind the mask of Jaffa opacity. Did he feel as hurt and angry as she did? Did he feel betrayed, even though he understood the Colonel's actions and would have done the same thing in his place? Was he bitter that the Colonel had led them all to believe that he was retiring to a life of peaceful domesticity on Edora with the woman who wanted to bear his child?
Sam checked herself before her mind could wander even further astray. She was pretty certain that her last question hadn't occurred to Teal'c, and as for the others, she just couldn't tell. He didn't seem tense or unhappy or filled with some unholy Jaffa need for revenge, he was just Teal'c. Maybe she could see a glimmer of sympathy flickering in his eyes, but maybe she was just imagining it.
She didn't want his concern, and stood up abruptly. "We should go for drinks."
Teal'c merely quirked an eyebrow; Sam wished he would speak but he clearly wasn't going to, so she continued, "The Colonel isn't going to be free for hours and there's no point in waiting around here. We might as well get Daniel and find a bar somewhere."
As Teal'c regarded her steadily, she wondered what he thought of the human reaction to drink alcohol when things were falling apart. Did he feel towards her and her teammates the same mild repugnance that she had when she saw a wino swaying down the street, a brown-bagged bottle in one hand? She didn't want to ask.
"I believe Daniel Jackson is in his laboratory," he announced. "We should look for him there."
Sam felt a faint giddiness of relief. It wasn't that she consciously sought out Teal'c's approval, but his silent censure always chilled her. "Let's go."
It hadn't been until the cab driver asked for their destination that Sam and Daniel realised they hadn't decided on which bar they should go to. Daniel suggested a place he'd been to with Jack a couple of times that had seemed pretty quiet, figuring that they weren't exactly looking for an evening of heavy partying. The only problem was that he'd only been there before on weekdays, and apparently the place came alive on Friday nights.
Teal'c had suggested 'relocating to a less noisy establishment', which seemed a little out of character: since coming to Earth his initial distaste for hectic bars had soon given way to a preference for busier venues, where he could people-watch and gain 'a deeper understanding of Earth culture'. Sam had vetoed moving however, claiming that if they were going to sit around waiting for a cab for an hour or so then they might as well just settle in for the whole evening. Daniel didn't really feel up for any serious conversation and realised that talking would be all but impossible in all the noise, so he'd made a point of agreeing with Sam, and Teal'c backed down when he realised he was outvoted.
Feeling a little fuzzy after a few drinks (or rather, several hours of trying to keep up with Sam), Daniel was slightly concerned that Teal'c was getting a rather one-sided education into Earth recreation. Maybe the next time they all went out as a group, they should all go to the theatre or something – except finding appropriate headwear for Teal'c might be challenging. Still they'd come up with something, and he made a mental note to try and book tickets for some suitably cultural event next time the team had some scheduled leave.
Daniel watched in amusement as yet another man approached Sam, this one spouting some line about angels who'd fallen from heaven. She sent him on his way quickly enough, with a brush-off that was considerably less polite than the ones she'd been using earlier that evening, and stepped closer to Daniel. He felt an arm snake around his waist.
"Sam?"
She shrugged at the tension in his voice. "What? I'm sick of having guys hit on me, aren't you?"
He tried to work out exactly what she meant – he was upset with having guys hit on her? On him? – and then figured it didn't really matter. He could see her point and didn't mind being used as a distraction.
"What about Teal'c?"
She shrugged. "He can take care of himself, and you look more friendly."
Daniel looked at their teammate, who didn't exactly look happy. "True. Teal'c, is everything okay?"
There was a pause, and just when Daniel decided he wasn't going to get an answer Teal'c replied, "Are we not going to contact O'Neill to let him know we are here?"
Daniel looked at Sam and found that she was avoiding his gaze. When she'd found him in his office earlier that day she hadn't suggested inviting Jack out with them, and he hadn't mentioned it either. He'd assumed that Teal'c also felt that they needed some time on their own to adjust to the day's revelations; apparently he didn't.
Sam still didn't look up, so he answered reluctantly. "He has our phone numbers and I'm sure he'd call if he wanted to meet up. He probably wants to crash after his last mission." Daniel winced at the emphasis he'd placed on the word 'his'.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." There was silence.
Sam took a long gulp of her beer, finishing off the bottle. "Anyone want another drink?"
Daniel stood up quickly. "I'll get it. Teal'c, you want anything?"
Teal'c didn't say anything so Daniel took that as a no and walked over to the bar, eager to escape all the tension. He understood Teal'c's distaste for having a 'team night' without their team leader – he felt it as well – but things were still so raw between them all. No matter how heartfelt Jack's apology had been and how little choice he'd had over his actions, Daniel couldn't deny that the comments he'd made still rankled. Maybe he was being petulant but he wanted just one evening to vent his feelings – things could go back to normal the next day.
On impulse he ordered two tequila shots instead of beers and carried them carefully back to his table, ignoring Teal'c's raised eyebrow.
The alcohol stung the back of his throat and Daniel blinked hard, trying not to sputter. He watched jealously as Sam didn't flinch at all – her only reaction was a deepening of the colour in her cheeks. To a casual observer she looked like just another carefree woman out for the night with her friends, but a casual observer wouldn't know of the rigid self-control she maintained at all times and how unusual it was for her to drink so purposefully. It was obvious that she was as frustrated with the happenings of the past few weeks as he was – possibly more so. Still, Daniel had no doubt that she'd be back to acting like the perfect second-in-command the following day, and would carefully conceal any signs of a hangover.
That said, he was still a little surprised when she stood up and announced that she was going to the bar to get another round of shots. As she walked off, not swaying but definitely lacking her usual grace, Daniel caught Teal'c's eye and suffered another rush of discomfort. Suddenly it wasn't just his relationship with Jack that felt precarious.
"She wouldn't be able to relax if Jack were here," Daniel said, finding himself compelled to defend his teammate even though he knew that Sam would have resented the interference.
"Indeed."
Abruptly Daniel felt guilty, because he and Sam had chosen to obscure their hurt one way and had just dragged Teal'c along, not thinking about what the Jaffa wanted or even how he really felt. They'd just assumed that he needed some space, as they did. Maybe he didn't. Maybe the years Teal'c had spent putting his personal feelings aside in the service of his 'god' meant that he could understood Jack's behaviour much better than Sam and Daniel himself were able to. Maybe the disapproval he sensed from his friend was deserved.
He didn't like those thoughts and didn't really want to deal with them, so when Sam returned with their shots – unsurprisingly, she'd been served far more quickly that he had – he downed the tequila eagerly. This time he couldn't suppress his grimace, and was surprised to realise that his cheeks were numb and that he was more drunk than he had thought. He was ashamed.
"Sam, how about we head back?"
"Already?" she replied.
"We can go to mine – I've got drinks there." Several bottles of rather expensive wine and some twenty year old brandy that had been a gift, but he was happy to share it with Sam if it would reconcile her to leaving. He just wanted to forget about the whole evening and what he now melodramatically perceived as his 'betrayal', and it would be easier to pretend things were 'normal' in his own home .
For a minute Sam looked annoyed and Daniel wondered whether he'd have to argue, and then she shrugged. "Fine, why not?"
It was late enough that there were a couple of cabs waiting outside the bar and the three teammates took the first one. Daniel looked at Teal'c in silent apology, sorry for the whole night and sorry that they hadn't called Jack earlier. He considered phoning Jack right then, but both he and Sam were drunk and he wasn't sure how happy Sam would be about talking to her CO in such a state. The idea certainly didn't fill him with joy.
Finally they pulled up outside his flat and Daniel handed the cab driver some notes. He helped Sam out of the cab – she was swaying a little now – only to realise that Teal'c hadn't moved. "Teal'c, are you coming?"
Teal'c looked at him impassively. "Not tonight, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel considered arguing, or protesting, or doing something, but decided to let it go. What would he say anyway: it's a team night and you should come up? Not a very convincing argument, given the circumstances. He closed the door behind him and concentrated on helping Sam up the steps to his door. They'd sort out everything the next day.
TBC