Jack was still on the terrace, musing.
Well, musing wasn't the correct word.
Jack was drowning his guilt in another Champagne flute that a waiter had brought (the waiter had also taken the empty flute away). The general turned and jumped, seeing Teal'c just beside him, on his right side. The man was wearing a classy suit and a hat to hide his Jaffa mark.
"Teal'c! You scared me!" Jack said, the flute still in his right hand.
"I'm sorry, O'Neill." Teal'c apologized, joining his hands behind his back.
"That's fine… What's up?" Jack asked and drank, in an attempt to hide his current mood.
Teal'c answered stoically, "I saw Samantha leaving the reception. She looked upset."
"Hum..." Jack cleared his throat. "She wanted to go home. She was..."
For some reason, Jack hesitated between giving Sam's version and telling the truth. Maybe because Teal'c was so intimidating?
"Did you have an argument with your wife, O'Neill?" the big guy queried, while his eyebrow raised.
The general was surprised that the Jaffa understood it so fast. Did he suddenly have the ability to read people's mind? Or were Jack's face and voice betraying him so easily? To be honest, Jack wanted to keep this matter private and have nobody meddle in this. But Teal'c had figured it out, so, no need to pretend that everything was okay. Moreover, it was Teal'c, not some random guy, and Jack himself gave him the opportunity to guess that something was awry.
"Indeed, Teal'c." Jack confirmed. He looked away for a few seconds. When he looked back at Teal'c, he felt like confessing, "I may have not supported my wife the way I should have."
Jack stopped. Teal'c remained silent, hands still behind his back. The general couldn't tell if his words made sense to his friend or if his friend understood and was just staying still.
"It is certain that you are having a happy life, O'Neill. However, be careful to not lose Samantha's soul." the Jaffa calmly warned, with an almost threatening look, though.
Jack stared at his friend. The man had just perfectly summarized the situation. There was just a detail that the man from Chulak was missing.
"I'm afraid it's too late, Teal'c." Jack confided, deflated, with another sip of Champagne.
The black man cocked his head, perplex. Jack moved his lips to develop, but he got interrupted by a "Sir!" coming from the entrance of the terrace. Jack and Teal'c turned towards the entrance.
Cameron Mitchell had just arrived. He was out of breath, as if he had ran all over the building.
However, that wasn't the strangest thing about him.
The colonel was frightened.
He said, staring at Jack, "Sir, it's about Sam."
Jack's heart started to beat like hell. He totally forgot the argument.
Mitchell's face left no doubt: something terrible had just happened to Sam.