Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG1, nor any of the show's characters or settings. All I own is the plot, and that's currently riddled with so many clichés that even that claim of ownership is somewhat dubious.

A/N –Hello again! First things first; I'm extremely sorry for how long you've had to wait for this chapter. I've had a lot of trouble getting the characters to stay in character- particularly Teal' 'c. Teal'c is a man of few words, so getting inside his head was difficult to say the least. I struggled to find his "voice", and even now, I'm not sure how well I captured him. Second of all, thank you for all your kind words after I posted the last chapter. You're all wonderful people, and I hope you're still interested in this story. If you are, enjoy!


~ Chapter 10 ~

Fight or Flight


As Teal'c continued to stare up at the darkening, yet beautifully clear sky, his mind ran wild with fear and worry, and he found he had to make a concerted effort to keep his thoughts calm, and his heart free. It wasn't often that he was given the opportunity to just…be, and he couldn't help but find it difficult now. From his childhood, all the way to his dark days under Apophis, Teal'c had felt the weight of expectation push down upon him. Be brave, be confident, be strong. In all his years, he had rarely been given the opportunity to just…be.

Until, of course, he had met a grumpy, snarky, aging solider named Jack O'Neill. When O'Neill had first seen Teal'c, with his staff weapon raised, and his armour clearly displaying his questionable loyalties, he had not seen the darkness in Teal'c's soul. Or rather he had seen it, but he had dismissed it as irrelevant. And in that moment, Teal'c had known he would do anything for the strange man from another world, the man he would later come to see as his leader and saviour combined. Teal'c had been considering his future long before he had met SG1, but O'Neill had given him a reason to act. He had given him something to fight for. It was an invaluable gift, one he did not take for granted.

Teal'c knew that he had done unforgivable things in his life, actions that he would never be able to atone for no matter what he did from now on, and yet with O'Neill, he had found forgiveness. And even now, Teal'c considered silently, as he stared up at the stars twinkling in the sky, when he felt expectations pressing against him, he knew that they were of his own creation. O'Neill had never made demands of him, he had just given his forgiveness freely, with no expectations attached.

He had just…trusted him to be loyal.

And so, Teal'c had decided long ago, that loyal he would be.

Silently contemplating this, as he and the now teenage Jack lay there on the slightly wet grass, each appreciating the stars in their own way and with their thoughts miles away from where their physical bodies were, Teal'c finally began to truly appreciate what he had found when he had met SG1 all those years ago. Teal'c knew, as he glanced to the boy lying by his side, that the least he could offer this version of Jack was the same support he had been granted himself.

Seconds, minutes passed as this thought reverberated around Teal'c's mind, but when a chill began to rip through the air, and when Teal'c saw young O'Neill begin to shiver, he knew that it was finally time to go back inside.

"O'Neill," Teal'c began slowly, cautiously. "It is late, and I believe that it is about to rain. We should vacate this area."

"You mean, we should go back inside," O'Neill replied with a roll of his eyes. The boy's voice was hoarse and a little shaky, and he took a deep breath as he took one more wistful look at the stars before sitting up. "Okay, sure. It's not like I have much choice."

"I do not believe that," Teal'c said simply with a shake of his head, offering his hand to help the young boy off the ground. "You are resourceful, O'Neill, that much is clear to me. Had you wanted to leave this base for good, I have no doubt you could have achieved that." Teal'c kept his face blank, and his fears to himself as he continued. "I know we have not given you reason to trust us yet, but I am grateful you chose to stay."

"I do trust you, T," O'Neill mumbled as they began to make their way back inside. "It's just…it's hard, I guess. I'm…not used to having anyone to rely on."

"You may rely on me, if you wish," Teal'c pointed out gently.

"I'm trying," Jack replied quietly, and Teal'c knew not to push it any further.

"Do you wish to return to the Infirmary?" Teal'c asked once they had climbed out of the shaft and back into the corridor. Teal'c could see exhaustion creeping up on Jack's face, but he found that he was reluctant to leave the boy's company so soon.

Jack frowned, and soon a grimace found its way onto his face, clearly thinking about the many tests that were still waiting for him back at the Infirmary. Like the elder O'Neill, this Jack did not like being confined to his bed. Once again, Teal'c found comfort in the reminder that his commander was not completely lost to them.

The teenager shook his head. "Not really. You want to hang out?"

"I would not be opposed to such an idea," Teal'c told him, some relief entering his heart, amid all the darkness that had built up there in the last day or so. The boy was still recovering from the injuries he'd sustained, so Teal'c knew he had to keep a careful eye on him, but he was grateful for the chance to get to know Jack – this Jack – a little better.

"Was that a yes?" the teenager retorted, though Teal'c knew the boy had understood every word he'd spoken. He almost smiled at the response, glad that his commander was still there somewhere in this version as well, but he forced himself to keep a straight face, willing to play along.

"Is that not what I said, O'Neill?" Teal'c replied, his face blank but a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack replied, a small grin growing on his face once more. "Erm, okay then. What've you got in mind?"


"Die! Die!"

Jack pushed the buttons on the game controller harder, and as quickly as he could, half hoping that it would make a difference. He had never seen anything like this, and he felt adrenaline coursing through his body as his excitement grew. Jack jumped when another soldier popped up on the screen, but he managed stay relatively in control of the situation playing out on the screen; God, it was so realistic…

"I do not believe you will conquer them, O'Neill," Teal'c told him, as he watched impassively as Jack tried to defeat the soldiers on the screen. "In fact, I believe the preferable option in this circumstance would be to retreat."

Jack laughed, unable to stop himself. "Never!"

It was at that exact moment, of course, that yet another enemy soldier came onto the screen, and though he tried in vain to overcome them all, it was too much. Before Jack knew it, and before he could do anything to stop it, his character's head was blown off in glorified detail right in front of his eyes.

With 'game-over' flashing all over the screen, Jack slowly put the controller down, his heart still racing. He'd never seen anything like that. The games he'd played in the arcades back home had been nowhere near the quality of this, and Jack couldn't help but wonder where they had got hold of such a thing; just who the hell were these people…?

"I am afraid I did tell you so," Teal'c told him, interrupting his thoughts, and in that moment, Jack made a decision. As confused and suspicious as he was, Jack decided to let it go for now. Teal'c had been…good to him, and the truth was, Jack wasn't altogether sure he wanted to know the truth just yet…

"Hey, you almost got that right that time," Jack he said instead, grinning as he turned to Teal'c.

Teal'c simply bowed his head, before reaching forward to take the controller himself. Jack leant back on his chair as he watched Teal'c master the enemy on the screen as gracefully and effectively as Jack imagined he could do in real life. At that thought though, the smile fell from the teenager's face, and instead anxiousness filled his heart. Jack bowed his head and clenched his fists, hating himself for finding it so difficult, and yet still not able to find the courage to just…

"You may ask, O'Neill," Teal'c said quietly, his eyes still fixed on the game. Clearly, Teal'c had noticed his internal struggle. Once again, Jack, in spite of his insecurities, marvelled at nice it was to have someone who noticed.

Jack sighed, but didn't try to put up any pretence. "Are you really a warrior?"

"I am," Teal'c replied, bowing his head.

Jack clenched his hands again. "So you can fight? You can…defend yourself?"

Teal'c paused the game, and put his controller down, perhaps sensing the seriousness of the conversation. "I can."

Jack took a deep breath. "Can you…teach me, you know…how to defend myself…?"

Teal'c stared at him for a long moment, but Jack had no idea what was running through the man's mind. Jack felt desperation tap at his heart as he waited for Teal'c to make his decision, because this was important. Jack hadn't wanted much growing up – he hadn't had the luxury for dreams – but his one wish, the thing he had wanted more than anything else, was to be strong – to be able to defend himself…

"If you wish," Teal'c replied, and Jack felt relief run through him.

This time, Jack could see that Teal'c was curious about Jack's request, but oddly he didn't seem like he was going to push it, and more than anything else, that small fact made Jack want to speak.

Jack swallowed deeply. "I…I'd like to learn how to defend myself. I've wanted to learn for…a long time."

"Who do you wish to defend yourself from, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked quietly. There was no judgement on the larger man's face, no pity, even though Jack had a feeling that Teal'c knew more about his life than he was letting on.

"Enemies," Jack shrugged, his heart thudding slightly in his chest. He hadn't spoken about this to anyone, and he wasn't even sure why he was talking about it now. All he knew was that Teal'c cared. He still didn't know why, but now it was enough…

Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow, and Jack sighed.

"My…step-dad," Jack said quietly. "Look, I know you said I won't have to go back, but I just…"

"Your step-father is the one who hurt you," Teal'c said, and Jack caught a brief flash of anger on his face. It warmed him, that Teal'c was angry on his behalf.

"My dad died when I was a little kid," Jack told him. "My mom…she didn't cope too well, and when she remarried…she lost interest in the world, I guess. He…my step-dad didn't have any experience in raising a kid. At first it was okay, but the older I got, the more I…annoyed him…"

"That is no excuse," Teal'c said firmly. "He should not have hurt you."

"He didn't at first," Jack replied shakily. "He was just a bit rough with me. But then he started drinking more and more, and getting more out of control." Jack ran a shaky hand through his hair. "There was never a lot I could do to stop him."

"You were but a child," Teal'c said softly. "The blame lies with him. You did nothing wrong."

"I ran away," Jack admitted, desperately willing the tears not to escape his eyes. "I just…he was getting more and more violent, and I just…I ran away."

"Sometimes the hardest battle a man has to face is the decision to retreat," Teal'c said, nodding significantly over to the game they had been playing. "To run away took more courage than most men would be able find within themselves. You saved yourself. Had you not run away, I fear you would not be with us now. And for that, O'Neill I am grateful beyond measure."

"It's 'Jack', T," Jack replied, shaky as Teal'c's words began to sink in.

"I will teach you how to fight, O'Neill," Teal'c said, ignoring Jack's last statement, but holding his gaze nonetheless. "But know this; until you are adequately able to protect yourself, I will be by your side to keep you safe from harm. I give you my word, as a warrior."

Jack was sure exactly what he was feeling, but it made him feel ten feet tall. "And as a…friend?"

"Indeed, O'Neill" Teal'c replied. "As a friend."


A/N - So, this wasn't the world's longest chapter, but this felt a good place to leave it. Daniel and Sam will be back in the next chapter (hopefully the General and Janet too), but I just wanted to have a little more Jack and Teal'c time to get me back into the swing of this story. I hope to get the next chapter written much more quickly, but I know better than to promise. For now, I hope you enjoyed this, and if you can take the time to leave me your thoughts, I would greatly appreciate it. This story is reaching its conclusion now, so if there's anything you want to see, now is the time to tell me. For now though, and always, until next time of course, thanks for reading!