Chapter Four: Friendship

He was due on Chulak within the hour. He wished he could stay. Given the circumstances, there was no doubt his Taur'i friends needed him more than anyone on his home planet.

And so the normally efficient Jaffa leader took his time. Making his way through his usual SGC haunts he gathered his belongings for the trip home and made it a point to seek out his younger teammate on the way. Sure enough, he found Daniel Jackson in his office, immersed in a pile of manuscripts that threatened to topple off his work table at the slightest provocation.

Teal'c stood in the doorway a full two minutes before Daniel noticed him.

"Teal'c!" the once geeky scholar finally exclaimed, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You can come in you know. It's not like Sam's lab. Nothing's going to blow up in here."

Teal'c smiled in spite of his dour mood. He was fortunate to have such good friends on his adopted world. He belonged here in ways he never imagined he would. It was most certainly one of fate's most treasured blessings.

"What's up?" Daniel asked. Then without waiting for an answer, he went on, "Jack's not answering his phone."

"No, he is not," Teal'c responded. "That is why I wanted to see you. As I am going to Chulak, I will depend on you to rest your eyes on Colonel Carter."

"Okaaaay," Daniel hissed thoughtfully, pondering his good friend's use of earth-based colloquialisms. "What's going on? Why does Sam need … watching?"

Daniel was yet another friend who'd chosen to deny the obvious signs of emotional distress Jack O'Neill had shown over the past few weeks. This left him in a state of blissful ignorance when it came to his friends' distress. In many ways it did not surprise Teal'c. Like himself, O'Neill had made suppressing his emotions an art form, one at which he normally excelled.

"O'Neill has left," Teal'c pronounced flatly.

"I know, he was scheduled to leave for Washington this morning," Daniel said blithely. "It's great how quickly he's back to his old self, ready to go back to work like nothing happened."

Teal'c hung his head for a moment and then recovered to fix his younger friend with a wilting look.

"On the contrary, Daniel Jackson," he said, "a great deal of something has happened."

Daniel looked at him as though he truly were from another planet. Before Teal'c could say more, Daniel's puzzlement was compounded by Sam's sudden arrival.

Sam tried her hardest to enter Daniel's office at a controlled pace, as if it were any other day at the mountain. She was good at pretending. Much like her husband, she'd kept her emotions in control long enough to know all the tricks. But today was harder than usual. He'd left her; in her mind, Jack had walked out on her when she'd needed him the most. The heartache was much worse than she could have expected. Though she might not admit it, she wanted her friends to help bring him back. To that end, she'd followed Teal'c to Daniel. What their loyal friend had shared with her moments earlier in her lab was nowhere near enough. Now, standing in the doorway, she reached deep inside for the mask of military discipline, hoping to hide the turmoil she felt in her heart.

"I thought I'd find you here," Sam said in her best command tone. No one was fooled as tears pooled in her eyes. It was no use hiding it; like it or not she was an emotional wreck. "I have to know where he is," she insisted softly. She looked directly at Teal'c, barely acknowledging Daniel's presence.

Teal'c kept his silence.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Daniel asked. "Would someone tell me what's going on?"

Sam turned to Daniel, startled by the sound of his obviously concerned voice. Unbidden, the tears began to fall.

"Jack left me," she said curtly. "Teal'c knows where he is, but won't tell me."

Daniel shot Teal'c a piercing look of accusation. If he knew where Jack was, why wouldn't he tell her?

"She has a right to know where her husband is," Daniel insisted.

"Perhaps," the older man answered tentatively. With a bit more thought, Teal'c continued as gently as he could, "But that is why O'Neill has left his whereabouts with me, Daniel Jackson. At the moment, he does not wish to be found."

As he spoke, Teal'c realized Sam wasn't the only one hurt by Jack's mysterious disappearance. All three of them cared about the former SG1 leader and Sam loved him more than anything. Of that Teal'c had no doubt. He only wished his floundering friend shared his certainty.

"What is that supposed to mean, he doesn't want to be found?" Sam asked. Her pleading tone of voice could barely mask her outrage.

"It means O'Neill loves you very much and wants the best for you," Teal'c said. As he spoke he knew his words made little sense. He'd tried to convince Jack of that very contradiction but was unsuccessful. "He has decided this is his only course of action and does not want you to worry unnecessarily. Therefore he will remain in contact with me during his absence."

"That makes no sense," Daniel argued, as if reading Teal'c mind. Sam stood beside him, clearly puzzled and hurt by Jack's actions and Teal'c's complicity.

Teal'c merely raised his eyebrow, nodding imperceptibly.

"I did not say I agreed with his reasoning," Teal'c clarified, "only that I respect his wishes."

"I love him, Teal'c," Sam said simply.

"Of that I have no doubt, Samantha."

"Then stop it!" Sam insisted. "Tell me where he is so I can go to him. He's in trouble or he wouldn't have left like this."

"Yes, our friend, the man you love is in trouble," he agreed. "But he must come to terms with himself before he can come to terms with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am only saying that there is much to be done before the two of you truly understand each other."

His tone on top of his words earlier in her lab left little doubt in Sam's mind.

"He knows, doesn't he?"

"Indeed."

OoOoOo

Moments after confirming Sam's suspicions that Jack had learned of the miscarriage, Teal'c was summoned to the gateroom where he was scheduled to leave for Chulak. No sooner had he left than Sam found herself crying in Daniel's arms.

"What have I done?"

Daniel had no answer. In fact, Teal'c sudden visitation and the surprising exchange that followed had left him speechless and feeling woefully inadequate.

"It's okay," he muttered soothingly as his friend cried her eyes out. But even Daniel knew it was far from "okay". As Teal'c had suggested, he would "rest his eyes" on his friend for as long as was needed. Whatever was going on, Sam wouldn't have to walk through it alone.

TBC


A/N: Thanks to all for the encouraging reviews. Please continue, they make all the difference!