A/N: Just a conversation I can imagine between Teal'c and Jack concerning their favorite archaeologist. Set mid episode.
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Best Friend - A Beast of Burden Tag
Midday was quiet on the forests of this planet. The birds were sparse, and the sun was heavy where it fell through the trees. Teal'c thought it might be the suppression of light that kept any insects so still.
They had made camp a short distance back from the ridge above town, in a grove of massive yellow-barked trees and mottled grass well away from any footpath. Rations were distributed and then Colonel O'Neill proposed they take turns resting in preparation for the night's raid. He had volunteered himself and Teal'c for first watch, and Teal'c had gone to walk their perimeter, wary of being cut off from the Stargate or surrounded in a moment when their guard was down.
He returned to find Major Carter asleep, curled between the roots of two trees, and Daniel Jackson shifting under the jacket he used as a blanket. His eyes were closed, glasses off, and he lay where he was, even as Teal'c approached, but the Jaffa knew he'd had no true rest. Through the trees he could see that O'Neill had taken position on the ridge, squatting with his rifle in one hand and a rope of beef jerky in the other. Teal'c headed in his direction.
"All quiet on the western front?" Jack asked as Teal'c reached him. Teal'c bent down as well, balancing on the balls of his feet. He set his staff weapon on the ground.
"The town itself is to the west, O'Neill. I did not patrol in that direction."
Jack winced. "Yeah—it's more of an expression. Never actually read the book, though, so…"
He took a large bite of beef jerky and chewed with determination, his mouth working underneath the skin of his cheeks. Teal'c decided that O'Neill had answered his own question and turned away, looking out over the town and the countryside beyond. From here, activities in the town were only flashes of moving color. There was no hint of the behavior that had so upset Daniel Jackson.
Reminded of something he had wanted to say, Teal'c turned back to his superior officer, head cocked in curiosity. "O'Neill. May I inquire about something?"
"Sure. Why not," Jack replied. He finished his beef jerky and crushed the wrapper in his hand, the crackle of red and gold plastic surrounding them. He stuffed it into a pocket on his vest.
"Do you consider Daniel Jackson to be your best friend?" Teal'c asked.
O'Neill stared at him, narrowing his eyes. "Daniel? I'd have to go with a big fat 'no' on that one today—and he's not bucking for the job with missions like this. Besides," he added, reaching out to shake Teal'c's shoulder in that way the Jaffa had observed from time to time, "you're my best friend. I've told you that."
"You and I are fellow warriors—brothers in arms," Teal'c corrected him. "I acknowledge and honor that bond. However, I have observed that among the Tau'ri, the relationship with one you call a best friend is unlike ours. It seems to be a person you seek out for enjoyment and relaxation, with whom you share certain interests or have a particular rapport, such as Major Carter has with Doctor Frasier, or you have with—"
"With Daniel," O'Neill finished for him, nodding, though he looked unsatisfied. The colonel ran his tongue along the line of his teeth. "Uh huh. Okay. Well, let's say that Daniel is… not totally unlike my best friend. What's your point?"
Teal'c looked out over the trees again, shifting in his crouch to pull a stick out from under his boot. He could feel the depression it left in the dirt through his thick sole. "It is strange to me—your attitude toward the retrieval of this Unas," he said.
"Why?" Jack asked.
"It is clear that Daniel Jackson cares a great deal about the fate of this Unas—even considers him a friend. And yet you do not share his concern. As his friend, it is strange that you care so little about a creature for which he cares so much."
Jack pulled at his lip with his teeth, reaching up to adjust the brim of his cap. "Wow—were all those words in there the whole time, just waiting to come out?" Teal'c said nothing, only kept his gaze steady on his commanding officer's face, and after a moment O'Neill relented, leaning back on his heels with a sigh. Jack picked at his ear with a dirty fingernail. "Look, it's like this. There are about a million things in the world—our world—well, any world, really—to get upset about, and Daniel cares about all of them. He cares about the Unas and the Asgard and the Tok'ra and that woman… Oh-me-oh-my, whatever…"
"Oma DeSala?" Teal'c ventured. O'Neill snapped his fingers.
"That's the one. My point is, anything in the universe you might care about, he's on that train. It's like Daniel's brain is this big…" He gestured vaguely before them. "I don't know—this big Snickers bar. But instead of peanuts and caramel and all that good stuff, it's packed with dead languages and morality and a whole bunch of meaning-of-life, fate-of-the-world type stuff. And it will run away with him if I let it." Jack paused, kicking a rock away from him down the slope. "So, no—I don't care. And hey—who would want to hang out with an Unas, anyway? Those things reek."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow, watching the path of O'Neill's rock as it disappeared into the undergrowth. Then he nodded and stood up, retrieving his staff weapon. "Then I am satisfied," he said. "It is good to know that you care after all."
Jack squinted up at him from beneath the brim of the hat. "Teal'c, what did I just say?"
"That you care nothing for the Unas," Teal'c replied, shouldering his weapon. "But that on the contrary, you care a great deal for Daniel Jackson." Then he turned and reentered the forest, a small smile on his face.