Major General Jack O'Neill was trying to concentrate on the budget meeting, but wasn't finding it easy. While a necessary evil, the meeting was as dull as they came here in DC, and O'Neill had a lot on his mind.

However grateful he was that the Asgard planned to pass on their vast knowledge and superior technology to what they called the fifth race, he found the idea that they were about to commit mass suicide truly disturbing. It had been playing on his mind ever since he'd received the Odyssey's initial report about their rendezvous with the ancient race.

To Jack, it seemed like the Asgard had been around almost forever, and he liked the little grey guys, particularly Thor. Losing Thor was almost like losing a friend. He knew the Asgard had many failings, and some of their encounters had been frustrating in the extreme. The experience of Loki and his clone was one example that came to mind; the fact that the Asgard hadn't been able to help as often as he would have liked because of Replicator problems was another.

They had saved Earth's butt, however, and his as an individual, many times. Jack could have died eaten by metallic bugs on a Russian sub many years ago; he could have died frozen in Antarctica after his second Ancient download; he could have died from the first download, now he came to think about it. O'Neill owed them a lot on a personal level.

That they would no longer exist just seemed wrong on so many levels. It made Jack feel alone in a vast universe filled with both enemies and friends. They would never find allies that were the like of the Asgard again. He would mourn their passing.

The Asgard were currently helping the SGC fulfill one of its prime objectives in a big way; obtaining alien technologies that would help them to defeat their enemies – cool! No doubt, the Odyssey would return with enough advanced technology to keep the scientists of Earth occupied for years to come. Sam would so love that. She'd probably disappear up her own ass in an effort to learn from what they received. Who knows what that could lead to?

O'Neill had to admit the idea of gaining all that bright shiny technology both pleased and disturbed him, and it wasn't simply because the Asgard had to die and bequeath it to them in their wills for Earth to get hold of it. He wanted big guns, and other advances, as much as the next man, if not more, but humanity were getting a gift that Jack thought might be a double edged sword.

There was something discomforting about the notion of human advances without human effort. Over the years, he'd gained some sympathy for the view that humanity weren't ready for what their allies might provide in terms of technological advance. He fought for years to try and get exactly that, and maybe they deserved it or maybe they didn't, but getting it handed over on a silver platter might have consequences none of them could even imagine. Life on Earth, and in the universe, could change irrevocably as a result and he wasn't certain all change was a good thing.

Could Earth be trusted with such advances? Since he'd been in DC, Jack had become more aware than ever of political power, connivance and machinations. Some guys were good, and some were bad, even when they thought they were good. Humanity was far from perfect, and evil outcomes in use of technology were just as likely as good ones. He'd already known that, of course, but his work in DC had truly brought it home. So, O'Neill had nagging doubts about the trust issue.

But when didn't he have problems with trust? People had to earn trust and he didn't give it lightly. That was a fundamental to the always suspicious Jack O'Neill. The Asgard were trusting that Earth would use their technology wisely, and Jack wasn't sure they were on the money with that one. On the other hand, the little grey guys had little choice. Who else could they bequeath such technology to? Did they just waste all their advances and bury them with their whole dying race?

This was a conundrum for O'Neill and he wondered how much fighting he'd have to do over the coming years to keep humanity from erring towards what could be one heck of a dark side. Wrong hands, right hands. Misuse of Asgard knowledge could destroy them all, even while serving humanity well. Such thoughts made him shudder, and all he could do was his best to mitigate the bad – his idea of bad anyway. And what would make him so right and righteous? Most of his nagging questions and doubts had no easy answers. Crap!

Whatever, he was going to miss the Asgard. So they had been a pain in the ass sometimes - all that getting caught unawares and beamed up in the middle of something important, sheesh! O'Neill smiled to himself at the memories that thought provoked. So many good memories; bad too, but the good ones outweighed the bad right now. He knew more thinking around the subject was required, and he so longed to talk to Sam about it. She'd know what to say; she'd make him feel better.

Jack had to admit he envied her. At least she was getting a chance to say goodbye to their old friends. He figured their passing would sadden her too, and resolved to find a way to cheer her up when she got home – to cheer them both up. They could have a lot of fun with that mutual comfort thing, he thought fondly. Meanwhile, he had to cope with the notion of loss on his own, wishing he was with Landry and SG-1 on the Odyssey to say those goodbyes that would forever remain unspoken.

"What about you, General O'Neill?" a voice said, breaking into his thoughts. Jack turned his steely eyes towards the source, a petty minded bureaucrat who knew all about figures but nothing about reality. His mind turned back to the meeting when he would far rather have been "out there", living an old life and even older dreams. Life could be such a bitch.

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What a lover Teal'c turned out to be, with a tenderness and care Sam might never have guessed from his size and strength. That first time was awkward and tentative, with the mighty Jaffa warrior displaying a shy nervousness that equaled her own, but Teal'c was generous and giving, his large hands soft and gentle, his mouth supple and compliant.

The big man's hands and muscles weren't the only things about the Jaffa that were large. Sam worried she would be unable to accommodate his size, but he took his time, allowing her to get used to his unfamiliar width and length, his lovemaking considerate, slow and loving.

It wouldn't always be thus. Over what became almost a lifetime spent together, their sex lives were very active – or at least in those earlier years before old age and companionable familiarity caught up with Samantha Carter, if not Teal'c - sometimes soft and affectionate, sometimes hard and furious. They were adventurous and got to know each other intimately, both in mind and body.

Their affair continued for many years without the others ever knowing. Perhaps they might have suspected, but the pair showed no outward public signs of their entanglement. They came together secretly, appearing to be simply close friends. It was unlikely the others gave Sam and Teal'c that much thought as nothing appeared unusual on the surface.

As it happened, the affair finally came out by accident. Hank Landry was ill and they all thought he would die. Sure, they could deal with emergencies - they knew first aid and could treat injuries incurred on a battlefield, but none of them had proper medical training or knew how to combat illness or disease.

The general had a fever, high temperature, was wildly rambling, off his head. None of them knew for sure what was wrong with him. All they could do was treat him with antibiotics, care for him, mop his fevered brow, and hope. But hope was something that was in short supply by then.

They looked to Sam to cure him. Out of all of them, she had more experience, had worked closely with SGC doctors many times, so they seemed to think she could manage it. The weight, the guilt, rested heavily on her shoulders. If she could have found a way home, this wouldn't be happening in the first place. She hadn't done that and now they expected her to work a miracle and cure the general.

Sam was fully aware they were all aging and the general was older then the rest of them, excluding Teal'c, who you couldn't really count in this context. The likelihood was that they would all die here, marooned on the ship with no hope of escape or assistance. All things being equal, Landry was likely to be the first loss. His illness brought that home to them in no uncertain terms, and no one knew or felt it as keenly as Sam. When this had started, none of them had conceived they might become trapped and isolated in a twilight zone betwixt death and living, and she was responsible for that predicament.

As it turned out, Landry didn't die then. More by good luck than good management, Sam stumbled on a cure and he would go on to live for many more years. But during those days when he seemed closer to dying than living, Sam and Teal'c's secret relationship was revealed.

Frustrated and upset by her efforts, which didn't seem to be helping the general, Sam cursed, throwing her cup at the wall of their communal living quarters in a fit of pique. Coffee splattered everywhere, the dark brown liquid running down the dull grey wall, and she got up and began to pace, raging at herself. The colloquial language she used was like nothing the others could recall hearing from her lips before, and her anger was worsening rather than abating as she stomped around the room, seemingly oblivious of their presence.

The others stared at her in shock and amazement, unsure how to handle such a situation with Sam - all except for Teal'c. He rose from his chair and took hold of her. For a while, she beat at him with her fists, calling him all kinds of names that surprised the rest – all except for Teal'c. Their companions weren't aware of it, but he and Sam had been down this road before, many times. Teal'c knew what to do, allowing her to vent her anger on him, all the while stoically still and silent and waiting for her fury to die.

"Oh, Teal'c," she cried, suddenly going limp in his arms, her head sinking to his chest and sobbing against it as his arms enfolded her comfortingly; just as they had so many times over the years. The Jaffa warrior caressed her back, his eyes filled with deep affection that could so easily be read as more than that. He whispered soothing words in her ear until she had calmed and stilled, although her shoulders still shook slightly as she continued to sob almost silently.

Daniel Jackson stared at them with mouth agog. The flash of realization was so blindingly obvious that he wondered how he could have failed to miss the signs. Sam and Teal'c might have guessed he would be the one to both realize the implications and to say something.

"Is there something going on that we don't know about?" he asked bluntly, his tone slightly irate. Daniel was still in denial with disbelief, not wanting to believe, but the evidence of his eyes told him the truth without asking. However, he needed confirmation of his fears, not wishing to accuse his friends if he was wrong.

Teal'c pressed Sam to him tighter and eyed his old friend. "Of what do you speak, Daniel?" After all this time, Daniel Jackson was also deserving of having his forename spoken as a friend.

Daniel peered at Teal'c and Sam kept her head buried, her tears stopped short by the surprise of his probing question. She didn't dare pull away to observe the exchange.

"Y-you two. You seem, I don't know, you seem…" he shrugged helplessly, uncertain of his ground and unwilling to make an accusation that might not be true.

"I think what Daniel is trying to say is that you two look pretty close, like more than friends might look," Vala intervened on behalf of her partner, catching on quickly.

Sam pulled away from Teal'c then, hastily, shaking her head as if refuting such a notion, and to her lover it felt like a rejection of all they had become to each other. Although he was aware of their pact to remain silent about the relationship, the rebuff didn't hurt any the less because of that knowledge. Never having wanted to lie to their friends outright, and never having needed to until this day, he believed the time had come to embrace the truth and reveal their secret. Nevertheless, his own words were those of denial, supportive of Sam's obvious desire to keep up the pretence.

"You have a vivid imagination," he asserted, trying to dismiss the pain of her emphatic denial without success. Until today, Teal'c hadn't realized how much such a rejection might hurt. He hadn't needed to think about it. His gut knotted disconcertingly, and his heart quickened within his broad chest.

Bolstered by Vala's intervention, Daniel narrowed his eyes at Teal'c suspiciously and came right out with it. "I don't think so. There's just something… something in your eyes, your stance, your body language."

Sam looking towards Teal'c, and they met each other's eyes with a mutual question. Did they admit to this affair? Both were reluctant to lie, but they had made a pact, and Sam did not wish to be the one to break it. They had made the promise for Teal'c's sake, and Jack's, but that had been long ago.

In Sam's eyes, Teal'c read her answer with a small amount of relief, the unpleasant and disturbing feeling that had grabbed his gut easing slightly. He had learned to read her well during their years together. She said it was his choice, his decision. Deciding not to compound his lie, he took a deep breath to steel himself for their reaction.

tbc