Author's Note: No, Andrew isn't Jack's son. (This time I mean it!) and I
spelled Miyra's name wrong in the first chapter – and none of you caught
it! – but I did, so I'll use the correct spelling now.
...
There were very few things that could floor a Jaffa. Especially Teal'c, who was the epitome of calm and cool – even for a Jaffa – but this innocent seeming question literally stunned him. So much so that his jaw actually dropped. Something that Jack had never seen, or any of the other SGC members, even with all the crazy things that they'd done and said around him. Andrew caught the look immediately, of course. Teal'c was always so hard to read –emotions-wise – that it was almost comical to see how obvious his surprise was at that particular moment.
"You have, haven't you?" Andrew asked, putting his sundae down, and looking at his much larger friend.
"What..." Teal'c cleared his throat, aware that he was giving away far more in his expression than he intended, and schooled his emotions as well as he could. Andrew saw the wall go up, immediately. "What do you know of the Asgard, Andrew?" Teal'c asked. "More importantly; HOW do you know of them?"
Andrew shrugged. "I've been having dreams, Teal'c," he said, softly. "They're bad, mostly. About the... avalanche. But in a lot of them I hear a voice – Jack's, it must be, because I know it isn't yours – and he's talking to me, telling me I have to stay awake, and telling me to hang on... stuff like that. But other stuff, too... About Asgards, and Tok'ra – whatever that is – and something about snakes in the head, and Stargates, and all sorts of weird things."
"Colonel O'Neill told you these things?"
Andrew nodded. "My mom thought I was imagining things, and it was being caused by some kind of post traumatic something or the other, so she took me to see a psychologist, who suggested I'd get over the dreams if I kept a journal of what I was dreaming. But it didn't work. I still have the dreams, and they get clearer and clearer all the time."
"A journal?"
"Like a diary."
"I know what it is, Andrew," Teal'c said, still stunned that O'Neill would divulge any such information to the boy. Of course, he remembered just how badly injured the Colonel had been, so perhaps it hadn't been intentional. Of course it had not. "May I see this journal?"
"It's at home." Andrew told him. "I looked up some of the things on the Internet. The Asgard, for example. But it said that Asgard was a planet or something, where these warrior gods lived, and Jack wasn't talking about a planet. He was talking about people...."
Andrew trailed off, aware that Teal'c was looking very uncomfortable. He was also aware that Jack had managed to get his nose stuck in the ice cream cone he'd been licking the ice cream out of – the yellow lab puppy hadn't figured out that the cone could be eaten.
"Teal'c?"
"I do not know what to tell you Andrew," Teal'c said, honestly. Boy, that was an understatement! He didn't have a clue. And he was well aware that he was bad at lying. Far too bad at it to try and think of a cover story. However, he knew he had to get this information to the others. What if-
"They are people, aren't they?" The boy asked. "The Asgards, I mean."
Suddenly Teal'c understood what O'Neill meant when he sometimes used the expression that he wished he were anywhere but where he was just then. The Jaffa was completely lost as to what to do.
Andrew took the silence as a yes, knowing that Teal'c had never lied to him, and that he wouldn't. Which meant yes.
"What's a Tok'ra?" Andrew asked. "What's a Stargate?"
"I cannot tell you any of the things you wish to know, Andrew," Teal'c said, abruptly, knowing he was losing control of this conversation and trying to regain it.
"Is it secret stuff?" Andrew asked, eagerly. He was at the perfect age to be awed by cloak and dagger things, and knew that Jack and Teal'c were both in the Military – which was a fount for spy stuff. It was in all the movies and books, after all.
"Indeed." Teal'c stood up, then reached down and scooped up Jack, who was finally starting to eat the cone and had it sticking out of his mouth like a stumpy cigar. "I would like to see this journal you have made, Andrew. Will you show it to me?"
"Sure, Teal'c."
Andrew stood up as well, and they headed for the car.
...
Oh yeah. It was all there, all right. Andrew had an excellent memory, that was certain, Teal'c realized with a grimace as he flipped through the pages of the boy's journal. Tok'ra. Asgard. Thor. Stargate. Various planet designations that Teal'c didn't even know Jack knew – and probably couldn't have come up with if someone had asked him when he was in his right mind. There was even a lot of various other information. Jaffa. Bra'tac. Selmak. Weapons of all sorts. (Misspelled, but only because Andrew had never heard of them before) it was all there. Even information about the SGC.
"May I keep this, Andrew?"
The boy hesitated, but only for a moment. He had it all on his computer, anyways, although he didn't tell Teal'c that. Besides, Teal'c was his friend. He nodded.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I am going to take it to Colonel O'Neill and ask him what he remembers of this."
"Ask him about the pony he mentioned, too, Teal'c."
"You must not tell your parents of this." Even Shawn Adams' folks didn't know about the boy and his lessons with the Asgard. There was no way Teal'c could allow Miyra and David to learn of the Aliens. Not if he could help it.
"They already know." Andrew told him.
"But they believe it is your imagination?"
"Yeah."
"You must allow them to continue that belief. I will call you tomorrow once I have spoken to Colonel O'Neill." And General Hammond, but he didn't think Andrew needed to know that.
"Tomorrow's school," Andrew reminded him.
"I will call after that." Teal'c said, still aware that he was handling this badly, and wishing for O'Neill, who could have handled this far better. Probably. "You will keep this conversation from your parents?"
Andrew nodded. "If you want me to."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Teal'c looked at his watch and stood up. It was probably early enough that O'Neill would be awake, so he'd try to contact him.
"I must depart." He looked down at the boy, who he'd grown so fond of, and scooped him up into a hug. It wasn't Andrew's fault that he was remembering things, after all, and Teal'c wasn't going to let the boy think he was angry with him – since he wasn't! "You be good."
"I always am." Andrew told him, hugging Teal'c back. "I'll walk out with you." He said when Teal'c put him down, imitating the way his folks always walked out whatever guest they'd had over.
Teal'c nodded, and said his goodbyes to Andrew's folks, then got into his car and headed for Jack O'Neill's house. This was very bad, indeed.
...
There were very few things that could floor a Jaffa. Especially Teal'c, who was the epitome of calm and cool – even for a Jaffa – but this innocent seeming question literally stunned him. So much so that his jaw actually dropped. Something that Jack had never seen, or any of the other SGC members, even with all the crazy things that they'd done and said around him. Andrew caught the look immediately, of course. Teal'c was always so hard to read –emotions-wise – that it was almost comical to see how obvious his surprise was at that particular moment.
"You have, haven't you?" Andrew asked, putting his sundae down, and looking at his much larger friend.
"What..." Teal'c cleared his throat, aware that he was giving away far more in his expression than he intended, and schooled his emotions as well as he could. Andrew saw the wall go up, immediately. "What do you know of the Asgard, Andrew?" Teal'c asked. "More importantly; HOW do you know of them?"
Andrew shrugged. "I've been having dreams, Teal'c," he said, softly. "They're bad, mostly. About the... avalanche. But in a lot of them I hear a voice – Jack's, it must be, because I know it isn't yours – and he's talking to me, telling me I have to stay awake, and telling me to hang on... stuff like that. But other stuff, too... About Asgards, and Tok'ra – whatever that is – and something about snakes in the head, and Stargates, and all sorts of weird things."
"Colonel O'Neill told you these things?"
Andrew nodded. "My mom thought I was imagining things, and it was being caused by some kind of post traumatic something or the other, so she took me to see a psychologist, who suggested I'd get over the dreams if I kept a journal of what I was dreaming. But it didn't work. I still have the dreams, and they get clearer and clearer all the time."
"A journal?"
"Like a diary."
"I know what it is, Andrew," Teal'c said, still stunned that O'Neill would divulge any such information to the boy. Of course, he remembered just how badly injured the Colonel had been, so perhaps it hadn't been intentional. Of course it had not. "May I see this journal?"
"It's at home." Andrew told him. "I looked up some of the things on the Internet. The Asgard, for example. But it said that Asgard was a planet or something, where these warrior gods lived, and Jack wasn't talking about a planet. He was talking about people...."
Andrew trailed off, aware that Teal'c was looking very uncomfortable. He was also aware that Jack had managed to get his nose stuck in the ice cream cone he'd been licking the ice cream out of – the yellow lab puppy hadn't figured out that the cone could be eaten.
"Teal'c?"
"I do not know what to tell you Andrew," Teal'c said, honestly. Boy, that was an understatement! He didn't have a clue. And he was well aware that he was bad at lying. Far too bad at it to try and think of a cover story. However, he knew he had to get this information to the others. What if-
"They are people, aren't they?" The boy asked. "The Asgards, I mean."
Suddenly Teal'c understood what O'Neill meant when he sometimes used the expression that he wished he were anywhere but where he was just then. The Jaffa was completely lost as to what to do.
Andrew took the silence as a yes, knowing that Teal'c had never lied to him, and that he wouldn't. Which meant yes.
"What's a Tok'ra?" Andrew asked. "What's a Stargate?"
"I cannot tell you any of the things you wish to know, Andrew," Teal'c said, abruptly, knowing he was losing control of this conversation and trying to regain it.
"Is it secret stuff?" Andrew asked, eagerly. He was at the perfect age to be awed by cloak and dagger things, and knew that Jack and Teal'c were both in the Military – which was a fount for spy stuff. It was in all the movies and books, after all.
"Indeed." Teal'c stood up, then reached down and scooped up Jack, who was finally starting to eat the cone and had it sticking out of his mouth like a stumpy cigar. "I would like to see this journal you have made, Andrew. Will you show it to me?"
"Sure, Teal'c."
Andrew stood up as well, and they headed for the car.
...
Oh yeah. It was all there, all right. Andrew had an excellent memory, that was certain, Teal'c realized with a grimace as he flipped through the pages of the boy's journal. Tok'ra. Asgard. Thor. Stargate. Various planet designations that Teal'c didn't even know Jack knew – and probably couldn't have come up with if someone had asked him when he was in his right mind. There was even a lot of various other information. Jaffa. Bra'tac. Selmak. Weapons of all sorts. (Misspelled, but only because Andrew had never heard of them before) it was all there. Even information about the SGC.
"May I keep this, Andrew?"
The boy hesitated, but only for a moment. He had it all on his computer, anyways, although he didn't tell Teal'c that. Besides, Teal'c was his friend. He nodded.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I am going to take it to Colonel O'Neill and ask him what he remembers of this."
"Ask him about the pony he mentioned, too, Teal'c."
"You must not tell your parents of this." Even Shawn Adams' folks didn't know about the boy and his lessons with the Asgard. There was no way Teal'c could allow Miyra and David to learn of the Aliens. Not if he could help it.
"They already know." Andrew told him.
"But they believe it is your imagination?"
"Yeah."
"You must allow them to continue that belief. I will call you tomorrow once I have spoken to Colonel O'Neill." And General Hammond, but he didn't think Andrew needed to know that.
"Tomorrow's school," Andrew reminded him.
"I will call after that." Teal'c said, still aware that he was handling this badly, and wishing for O'Neill, who could have handled this far better. Probably. "You will keep this conversation from your parents?"
Andrew nodded. "If you want me to."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Teal'c looked at his watch and stood up. It was probably early enough that O'Neill would be awake, so he'd try to contact him.
"I must depart." He looked down at the boy, who he'd grown so fond of, and scooped him up into a hug. It wasn't Andrew's fault that he was remembering things, after all, and Teal'c wasn't going to let the boy think he was angry with him – since he wasn't! "You be good."
"I always am." Andrew told him, hugging Teal'c back. "I'll walk out with you." He said when Teal'c put him down, imitating the way his folks always walked out whatever guest they'd had over.
Teal'c nodded, and said his goodbyes to Andrew's folks, then got into his car and headed for Jack O'Neill's house. This was very bad, indeed.