Season 7 Episode 4 – Orpheus

Episode Summary: Teal'c is wounded and has a long road to recovery, during which it becomes apparent that he is suffering a serious crisis of confidence - he feels that the Tretonin has made him weak, a failing which in jaffa culture is akin to being dead. Daniel begins to remember seeing Rya'c and Bra'tac in danger while he was ascended, and eventually figures out where they are. They mount a rescue, and Teal's is captured and tortured, while SG-1 are forced to wait nearby and do nothing. SG-1 execute a daring rescue plan, and Teal'c gets his mojo back as he fights with his mentor and son to overthrow the prison camp's commander.

Daniel stared with narrowed eyes at Jack and Sam, perched side by side at the bar ordering the next round of drinks for the four of them. He had that niggling feeling again, that he'd forgotten something important.

The last time he'd had that feeling he'd been trying to remember that Rya'c and Bra'tac were in mortal danger, so he was taking it very seriously.

Teal'c, who after his brief vacation with his son and mentor was in the highest spirits Daniel had seen in his friend in months, leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, entering Daniel's field of vision as he stared bar-wards.

"Is something troubling you, my friend?"

Daniel sighed and frowned, still staring at their team mates. "I've got that feeling that I've forgotten something important again."

"Another memory from your time as an ascended being?" Teal'c asked.

"Maybe." Daniel cocked his head and squinted. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about the sight of Jack and Sam talking with each other while they waited at the bar. He couldn't put his finger on it.

"Perhaps you should join me again in meditation." Teal'c suggested. "The method seemed to help when you were endeavouring to remember seeing Rya'c and Bra'tac."

"Yeah. Thanks, maybe I will."

He watched them for another long moment, and then something occurred to him.

"They're very … comfortable, around each other these days, aren't they?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and said nothing, conveying perfectly that he wished Daniel to elaborate.

"I mean, from what I remember of them before I ascended, they were always kind of … tense with each other. Friendly enough, but, they never really 'socialised'. It was always very professional between them."

"They are still professional."

"Oh, no, no, I know, that's not what I meant. I just mean that it seems like now – in addition to their professional relationship – they're also close friends in a way they never were before."

Teal'c turned to look at them, taking a deep breath. "Their friendship had been growing for some time before you ascended." He said after a moment.

Daniel's eyebrows rose as he looked at his friend. "Oh?"

"I believe something changed in their relationship, around the time that O'Neill was forced to kill Major Carter with a zatnikatel when she was taken over by the alien entity attempting to infiltrate the base computer system."

Daniel gaped at Teal'c. "Really? What do you think changed?"

"I am uncertain, but in retrospect I believe they reached an understanding in regards to their feelings for one another."

Daniel's head whipped back around to look at the pair at the bar. Feelings … they have feelings for each other. Feelings they can't act on because of their military ranks and positions on SG-1.

"Maybe that's what I was trying to remember." He mused, not entirely convinced.

"We do not usually discuss it." Teal'c said, almost reproachfully.

"Right. Yeah."

Jack drummed his fingers on the bar while he and Sam waited on their drinks.

"Teal'c seems happier." Sam said.

"He's got his mojo back." Jack agreed. "I think spending some time with his kid and Bra'tac did him a lot of good. He's got his perspective back."

Sam nodded. "Sir … are you worried about Daniel?"

Jack blinked at the abrupt change of topic. "What? No. Should I be?"

"If he remembered Rya'c and Bra'tac being in that camp …" Sam raised her eyebrows significantly.

"Oh! Oh." He glanced at her, grimacing. "You think he's going to remember what I told him in Ba'al's pleasure-dome about our trip to the future."

"Aren't you worried it's at least a possibility?"

"If he remembers, he remembers." Jack said philosophically. "There's not a great deal we can do about it either way."

"He's not supposed to know." Sam persisted. "If he does remember, he's going to have a thousand questions, and he won't let it go until we tell him everything. It will mess up the timeline."

"What do you want me to do, Carter? I can't stop him remembering."

Sam sighed. "I know. I'm just worried about it."

"We'll keep an eye on him. Maybe his remembering Rya'c and Bra'tac was a one-off. He hasn't remembered anything else from being ascended in the months he's been back."

"I hope you're right." Sam said fervently.

The bartender deposited two beers, a diet coke and a ginger ale in front of them, and they carried them back to the table.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Jack and Sam looked nervously at Daniel, and Daniel and Teal'c looked at Jack and Sam a bit more intently than they usually would.

"What were you guys talking about?" Daniel asked Jack.

"Nothing. What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing."

Jack and Daniel stared at each other with narrowed eyes for a long moment.

Sam cleared her throat. "So Teal'c, how was your vacation?" She said, obviously trying to break the stalemate.

Teal'c smiled at her knowingly.

Carter's right, thought Jack. Daniel doesn't know – he'd be peppering me with questions if he did.

We just need to hope he never remembers.