Methos had thrown his dice. Now he had to wait to find out how they rolled. Hopefully, it all ended in his favor.
As Methos and the others filed out of the general's office and back into the briefing room, the Tok'ra all turned to face them expectantly. Before anyone else could say anything, Gethen stepped forward with a slight smile.
"You're staying here, aren't you, Hebron?" she asked, though it really wasn't a question at all.
Methos glanced back towards General Landry with a querying look.
"That has yet to be decided," the general replied neutrally. To Methos's eye, it seemed like he would rather decide pretty much anything but that at the moment.
"General Landry, if we may speak…" Gethen said politely.
"Of course." Landry gestured for her to continue as he retook his accustomed chair at the head of the conference table. Daniel Jackson sat to his right, while Agent Bates took the seat next to Daniel. Methos grabbed his now-lukewarm coffee as Gethen gathered herself to speak.
"Time travel notwithstanding, we have known Hebron the longest of any of us here. As Hebron mentioned earlier, Jalen and I were the ones who brought him to the Tok'ra from Paraval. Ever since we first met on that world, Hebron has always been haunted by his past, by not knowing who he is or where he came from. You say that he is a doctor, a healer. We already know this. Please, give him the chance to know himself. It has been my experience that when the universe provides such happy coincidences as we have experienced today, one should not deny them."
Not such happy coincidences for Malcolm McCaffrey, Methos mused darkly, but he felt a quiet but definite surge of affection for Gethen. Completely unprompted, she had given quite the character reference for him.
"General Landry," Malek cut in, "While I do not share Gethen's sentimental interpretation regarding the circumstances, I also support Hebron's petition. And know that no matter what has happened in the past, the Tok'ra still count him as one of our own, and he will always be welcome among us." The senior Tok'ra scientist and councilor shifted his gaze to Methos, who stared impassively back at him. "What happened to Hebron has been both a grief and a stain on our conscience."
Methos barely resisted blinking in surprise bordering on shock. It was one thing for the Tok'ra to know how they colossally screwed up. It was quite another thing for them to admit it openly in such a frank manner, especially in front of the Tau'ri. Likely, the rest of the Tok'ra High Council would not appreciate Malek's honesty, especially Per'sus and probably Garshaw.
The confession definitely had an effect on Landry, who leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. Daniel Jackson seemed visibly pleased, a good sign that Methos had already won him over - which was a good thing as far as Methos was concerned. Both Sydyk's and Malcolm McCaffrey's memories gave Methos a good idea about how much influence Daniel had around here. By contrast, Agent Bates did not look happy, but remained mercifully silent.
"General Landry, I also wish that you would consider Hebron's - Benjamin's - petition," added the normally-taciturn Adrastos. "He was born into a freedom on this world that we of the Tok'ra are only now beginning to experience. It was a terrible thing that this was taken from him. I beg that you do not perpetuate his pain by refusing him."
Gethen was practically beaming now, and her eyes were shining with emotion. "Bent, but not broken. Broken, but not beyond mending."
Ah, nice use of the old Paravalan proverb, Methos silently congratulated her. Gethen and Jalen made quite the team - he was fairly certain the idea to quote the proverb was Jalen's. She was sneaky like that in a way Gethen wasn't.
"Thank you all for your testimony. It'll all be taken into account. And thank you for coming to our assistance earlier with the matter of Sydyk," General Landry nodded.
"Oh, I'll second that," Daniel piped in, raising his hand slightly.
"It is a small enough gesture after all the Tau'ri have done for us by destroying the System Lords," replied Malek. "Despite any tensions that exist between our two peoples, know that you still have our eternal gratitude."
"I'm glad to hear it, Malek. I'll be sure to pass that along to General O'Neill and the President," Landry said gravely.
"We should return home and report these developments." Malek gestured towards the Stargate with a slight dip of his head.
"Of course." The general stood, the meeting clearly over. "Again, thank you for your assistance."
Methos stood next to Jalen and Gethen in the Gateroom as the Stargate spun hypnotically. The other Tok'ra stood a short distance away, giving them a final moment together in relative privacy before they left.
"What?" he asked as he noticed the expression on her face.
"Gethen lives in hope. But I know we will never see you again," Jalen replied, her dark brows coming together seriously. "There is too much pain for you among us. What the Tok'ra did to you was unforgivable. I wish it were otherwise, because despite what happened, we still care for you and will miss you greatly."
Methos felt a sudden stabbing in his heart that felt almost like guilt.
"You've seen me, Jalen, you and Gethen," he said, switching to Paravalan. It was a very lyrical, Welsh-like language, and it hadn't taken him very long at all to learn its nuances. "The others, especially the good Doctor Jackson, they only see an innocent victim. But you know that while I'm a lot of things, innocent isn't one of them."
Jalen and Gethen had seen it in his eyes back on Paraval, he was sure of it. Before he had even remembered who he was, they had recognized the look of Death when he had arrived at their little hideout covered in the blood of the Jaffa he had slaughtered in retribution. And they'd helped him anyway, taking him away from Paraval. What happened next, with Tanith, was not their doing. Jalen dipped her head momentarily, and Gethen took over.
"Who among us is innocent?" she said sadly, her fingers almost touching Methos's cheek before falling away. "But I will say this: you could have railed against the universe for what had happened, cursed everyone and everything. Instead, you became a healer and helped people who you didn't know or have any reason to care for."
It wasn't altruism that drove him to it, not by a long shot. But before he could formulate a reply, the wormhole burst into existence with a whoosh before settling into its placid pool-like event horizon.
"Hwyl fawr, fy nghyfaill, Benjamin Adams of the Tau'ri," Gethen said, kissing him softly on the cheek.
"Bydded i'r gwynt fod ar eich cefn, Gethen and Jalen of the Tok'ra," replied Methos, gently returning the kiss.
With a last smile, she and the other Tok'ra vanished through the Stargate with serene ripples to mark their passage, leaving Methos behind on Earth. He wasn't out of the woods yet by any means, but he was a lot closer than he was an hour ago.
Author's Note: Once again, I apologize for the potentially terrible translations. Any issues shall be put down to the fact that Paravalan is not actually Welsh! (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!) I do wish to offer my deepest thanks to Amrywiol at AO3 for some advice regarding the translation.
Hwyl fawr, fy nghyfaill: Goodbye, my friend
Bydded yr haul bob amser fod tu ôl i chi.: May the sun be always behind you.
