A short epilogue. Thank you to everyone who followed this story and who reviewed. I know it wasn't my usual J/S ship but I hope you enjoyed!
"There aren't any fish, are there?"
Jack grinned and cast his line into his pond. He didn't answer.
"Tal'rek. – you must know. Does Jack have any fish in his pond?" Ferretti asked. He was seated in a lawn chair beside the Colonel.
"I am afraid you will have to get O'Neill to tell you that," the symbiote replied. "I do not know. Jack would not tell me."
"Hey, it doesn't work that way," Ferretti argued. "You know everything about me, so you have to have found out everything about Jack, including whether there are fish."
Jack took a deep relaxedbreath, reeled in his line and set his fishing rod down. "I didn't tell the snake everything," he commented.
"You didn't have to. He can rifle through your brain," Louis commented, although at that moment he reached down and picked up his beer and took a swig. He was obviously not fussed by the fact that Tal'rek knew everything about him.
"My mind is a steel trap," O'Neill told him. "Special Ops training."
Ferretti made a rude noise and took another swig. "By the way, O'Neill, I have a bone to pick with you."
Jack's eyebrows went up and he looked at his friend. "What?"
"Tal'rek is constantly bugging me to order nachos, and I don't even like Mexican food! I keep telling him that pizza is way better but all he wants are the damned nachos."
Jack grinned once more. "Cause he learned from the best," he commented. "I mean, pizza is good, but a good nacho with melted cheese and guacamole …. Mmmm."
"That reminds me," Tal'rek commented. "Is it not time for lunch?"
"And he's always hungry," Louis said. Then he got a devilish grin. "But at least I can eat whatever I want and won't get fat. On the other hand you, Jack, have to be careful."
Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. He then chuckled and took a sip of his own beer. He was enjoying the time spent with his friends at his cabin. It had been a while since he'd seen Ferretti/Tal'rek, as the two had been off working with the Tok'ra for the past year.
He was pleased to see that they were obviously doing well together. After they'd blended he'd gone through a lot of guilt, worried that he'd convinced Louis to take the symbiote when he was in no state to understand what he was doing.
Even when Louis regained consciousness and told Jack that he was glad to have been given the chance to live, he, O'Neill, had worried. All year long he'd wondered how the two were getting along or whether they wanted to kill one another.
Based on what he'd seen for the last few days, it was a good match.
Although Jack didn't regret what he had done – either blending with Tal'rek, or then unblending with him and letting him go to Ferretti, there was still a part of him that had missed the symbiote. It had taken him months before he felt whole once more and there were times he still found himself wanting to tell the snake something.
But now there were other things that compensated for the loss of the symbiote – or in reality there was one thing that did. He smiled slowly and stared off over his pond, ruminating on the change a year had brought.
"Time for lunch," Jacob Carter called from the cabin.
Jack stood up quickly. "I'd better hurry, so that the resident Tok'ra don't eat my food," he commented. Jack and Ferretti/Tal'rek began walking back to the cabin.
"We do not eat that much O'Neill," Tal'rek commented.
"Yes you do," he answered. "It's a good thing we bought a lot of food. Between you and Jacob and Sel'mak – and Teal'c, we almost bought the entire grocery store."
Jack opened the front door to his cabin, to see Teal'c and Daniel already at the table. Jacob was helping serve, and Sam was finishing off making the salad.
She looked up at him and smiled. "Catch anything?" she asked.
"There aren't any fish in there," Louis complained.
Sam chuckled and carried the salad to the table. As she walked by Jack she leaned over and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "You had better go wash your hands. Lunch is served."
Jacob was frowning at Jack as he headed to the bathroom to wash, but then he caught Daniel's eye and had the grace to smile. "Okay – so it's hard to get used to the two of them together. It still feels weird."
"You think it's weird," Daniel replied. "At least you don't have to be around them all the time."
"I heard that Daniel," Sam commented calmly. "Jack and I behave perfectly normally," she told them.
"You do not," Teal'c interjected. "What is the expression? You are smelling of May and June!"
"Uh – that's April and May, Teal'c," Jack said as he reentered the living room. "And we don't. We're very circumspect."
It was Ferretti, walking a couple of steps behind Jack, who made a rude noise. "Circumspect? You make Tal'rek blush!"
"Tal'rek doesn't blush," Jack answered calmly, as he sat down at the table. "Tal'rek is not upset at a little – a tiny bit of affection shown between people in love. Isn't that right?" he asked the symbiote
"I don't know, O'Neill. What I have seen between you and Samantha Carter ….!" He stopped speaking and looked sternly at Jack.
"Don't give me that, snake!" Jack came back at him. "Why I could tell some stories about your escapades that would have us all blushing."
"Please don't," Tal'rek asked. "In fact – you and Major Carter have been acting very circumspectly!"
"You're a coward, Tal'rek," Ferretti told him. "Although I admit to being rather intrigued. Let me see – what interesting things have you been up to!"
That caused a laugh and the discussion at the table became more general. Everyone was having a great time at the cabin – relaxing and not worrying about the Goa'uld or Earth's defenses, but just spending time with friends.
Jack looked around the table and couldn't help but smile. He was with the people closest to him in the entire universe.
After Tal'rek had left him, he'd gone back to working with Sg1 and going through the gate. After a near disaster – and once again saving the world – the President had asked him to name whatever he wanted as a reward.
He looked at Sam and smiled. She was his reward! They'd been given special dispensation to be together. While they were no longer on the same team, the fact that they could have a relationship more than made up for that.
Jacob had had a hard time accepting it at first, but had finally come around. He rather thought that Tal'rek had had a conversation with him – which may have helped pave the way. Tal'rek knew Jack – literally – inside and out, and he must have told Jacob he could trust him not to harm his daughter.
So, in the end, things had worked out for the best. His friends – all of them including the snake and Ferretti, were doing well. He was in love with an amazing woman, who loved him back – and her father tolerated him.
Life couldn't be better.
Later that evening, after everyone had gone to sleep, he heard the front door open. Frowning, he carefully got out of bed, leaving a soundly snoozing Sam, He padded his way out to the front room, where Daniel and Teal'c were sleeping on air mattresses, and then quietly opened the front door.
Ferretti/Tal'rek was standing on the balcony, staring off into the night.
"You okay?" he asked.
His friend turned to look at him. "I am," answered Tal'rek. "Louis is asleep, but I was having trouble and decided to come for some night air. It is beautiful here."
"It is," Jack nodded, standing beside his friend and leaned against the railing. "I'm glad you could come back for a visit."
"As am I. This is one of the most beautiful places I have even seen."
"Really?" Jack looked at him in surprise. He loved his cabin and the land around it, but he knew there were more spectacular places out there.
"Yes – for it was here that I truly got to know you – and to realize that I had the opportunity to experience things in a new way. You taught me that."
Jack's eyebrows went up although he was unsure what to say. "Uh – backatcha," he finally replied.
"Tal'rek laughed. "It must have been very hard for you to admit that, O'Neill."
"What?"
"That you learned something from a "snake"."
Jack chuckled. "Well, you're an interesting one, that I must say."
"Backatcha!" Tal'rek grinned. Suddenly he grew serious. "I do miss you my friend."
"But things are good – with Louis?" Jack asked worriedly.
"Yes indeed. Ferretti and I get along well. He has a good sense of humor. In many ways he reminds me of you."
"So then, you're a lucky snake!"
"I am," Tal'rek nodded. "But I will also say that you were the best host I ever had." When Jack looked at him in surprise, he continued. "Do not worry – Ferretti is sleeping. And I do like him – a lot. We get along well, and he is an asset to the Tok'ra. I also believe that Jacob enjoys having another human from Earth to speak with."
"Yeah, he said as much." Jack took a deep breath and turned to face Tal'rek. "I owe you my thanks. You really did change my life and for that I will be eternally grateful."
Tal'rek looked at him with a question on his face. "How?"
"Well," Jack looked slightly embarrassed. "I finally let Sam know how I felt about her. She came to see me after you left me – we didn't do anything, because we couldn't. But once we got permission – then things fell into place and here we are."
"I am happy for you, my friend, although it did take you long enough!" Tal'rek grinned. "You suit one another. However I was afraid Jacob was going to give you a hard time."
"Thank you for that as well. Sel'mak confessed to me that you'd spoken to him."
"I did," he nodded. "I told him there was no better man in the universe for his daughter than you. It took some convincing …"
" – I'm sure it did!"
" – but I believe he knew it all along. He is now quite pleased."
Jack snorted. "He tries really hard not to show it!"
This time Tal'rek chuckled, and for the next little while the two were silent. It was finally Tal'rek who broke the silence.
"What are you doing here with me when you have a beautiful woman waiting for you in your bed."
"You know – that's a good question!" Jack stepped back from the railing and went to head back to bed. At the last second he stopped and turned towards Tal'rek.
"Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you for being such a good friend – and for showing me the way to – well – to being happy once more."
"You are welcome, O'Neill," he said. "And thank you – for my life, for being my friend – and for showing me the joys of Mexican food. Now go and cuddle with that woman of yours."
Jack nodded, and with a smile, headed back to bed.
A few minutes later Tal'rek, a smile on his face as well, turned and headed to his own bed. Tomorrow was another day of fishing and friendship.
He realized, once again, that the day he'd met Jack O'Neill was the best day of his long life.