Disclaimer: See Prologue and Chapter 5.

A/N: Hopefully this chapter answers some more questions.

CHAPTER 6

Tac'an woke next to her husband somewhere in the middle of the second day, feeling more complete than she had in years. Sixteen long and lonely years. Of course, they had worn each other out last night. It was only natural. And she strongly doubted that any of the people on this base expected to see either of them for at least forty-eight hours. They were soldiers. They understood.

She opened her eyes to find deep pools of chocolate staring back at her. She smiled. "How long have you been watching me sleep?"

"I do not know. There is no sun this deep within the mountain, and I did not look at the clock."

"So a while, then."

"Yes." He sighed, his arms tightening around her. "I have missed you greatly, beloved."

"Me too. How come you didn't tell them?"

"When DanielJackson's wife was taken to be a host for Apophis's queen, he was forced to speak to a doctor who treats mental illnesses. I did not wish to be forced to speak to a stranger concerning my private emotions."

"You think they would have made you see the shrink for something you'd already been dealing with for years?"

"I did not wish to take that risk."

Tac'an shrugged. It didn't matter now. She changed the subject. "You know, I thought I'd have to break away from the Tok'ra some day, but I didn't think it'd be for this. On the whole, their methods stink. I guess I should have gotten curious when Anise wouldn't let me get to know many of them."

"There are three Tok'ra who are also Tau'ri, one of whom is Major Carter's father."

She snorted. "Well that explains that. She even told me that Apophis had destroyed Chulak's Stargate. That's why I didn't just go find Bra'tac. And she never let me pilot one of their ships. Now I know she was lying and I wish I'd done more than just deck her."

Teal'c nodded. "I doubt she will ever cross our paths intentionally again. She has angered everyone in the mountain, but it is we two she would have to defend herself from."

"Yep." She stretched her legs out, working the muscles a bit. "You ready for a shower?" Teal'c grinned at her. "Ooo, I think he wants to share!"

He chuckled. "I do."

Jack still couldn't believe the kinds of secrets that Teal'c had been keeping from the team, but he could understand not wanting to talk about it. Which didn't mean he had any intention of not peppering the both of them with questions, but he'd let them have at least four days first, two with each other and two with Bra'tac. Once they came back after that, though, he, Danny and Sam were all going to play twenty questions with their favorite Jaffa and his old lady. Pun intended. And wasn't that just a kick in the head!

Still, despite those intentions, he fully expected Teal'c and Tac'an to not get out of bed for at least two days. Instead, when he went to the gym to work out some of the kinks in his back, he found the floor cleared and the two of them sparring, surrounded by soldiers and both looking like they were enjoying themselves immensely.

Daniel and Sam saw him come in and waved him over to where they were seated on a workout bench. It looked like they had gotten the best seats in the house in what had become a standing-room-only event. And it was going to prove very enlightening.

There were no weapons. Teal'c fought in the ic Chulaki , something that Jack had only rarely caught a glimpse of since there was no time for in a battlefield. Tac'an was all over the map, handling the deadly dance with a grace and polish that were quite a sight to see. Her was heavily influenced by the Chulaki Jaffa she had been trained with for most of her life, but she had so many wild cards that she was impossible to predict. Whatever she'd had when she was eighteen-year-old Buffy Summers had blended seamlessly with the Chulaki into a completely unique and fluid hodgepodge. And she was most definitely winning this fight, something that no one on Earth had ever done in hand-to-hand.

Teal'c pinned her at one point, and it looked like he might have gained the upper hand, but he had left himself vulnerable between the legs. It shouldn't have been a weakness, not when it was his wife beneath him. She would never want to injure that particular area of his body. But Tac'an was inventive, and horny to boot. She didn't knee him, as she would have done a soldier, but moved her knee slowly against him, getting an entirely different, if equally effective, reaction. He was distracted enough that she was able to push him off and roll out from under him. Daniel was grinning and blushing as he called out, "Isn't that cheating?"

Without taking her eyes off of her opponent as they circled, Tac'an grinned and said, "Love and war."

Teal'c grinned, having heard this line from her before. "And everything in between."

Jack just laughed. "No wonder he always looked at me funny for the way I talk."

Tac'an shouted back to him as she and Teal'c engaged again. "Oh, it used to be much worse." Teal'c charged her and she stepped aside, throwing him over her shoulder to the mat. "Southern California, remember?" He got out of the way before she could pin him.

Sam said, "And you've lived without the mall for eighty-five years? Must have been horrible for you."

The Slayer ducked under a punch. "Nah." Then she threw one of her own, catching Teal'c in the ribs. "The first few months were murder, though." Teal'c went down, but he swept at her legs as Sam started laughing at the comment.

Daniel popped off. "Yay, another shoe hound."

"Ooo, lookie! (ducking a kick to the head) It's Xander in a nerd suit!" She flipped backwards, catching him in the jaw with her left foot as she went over.

"Xander?"

"Sorry. Sunnydale, of '99."

She'd never missed a beat during the fight, despite the distraction of conversation, but for the most part Teal'c had kept up with her. But she finally got behind him, leaping to his back the moment she could and wrapping her legs tightly around her husband's waist. Then she bent over backwards, quickly enough that her own momentum caused him to bend with her, and before he could stop her, she had her hands on the floor, gripping the mat. She flipped him over her body, sending him flying into a nearby wall. Soldiers had to scatter to avoid being hit by his body. He crumpled to the ground, and after about a second, he could be heard to call "A'gai!" It was the equivalent of saying Uncle. He'd never had to utter it on Earth. But then, only Tac'an and Bra'tac had ever made him say it.

Jack summed the whole thing up rather nicely. "Sweet!"

Tac'an took a deep breath of the desert air as they walked into the city, the scent spelling "home" to her in a way no other ever had. Teal'c smelled like that, too. Bra'tac was there to greet them. She ran up to him and flung her arms around him. "Papai!"

Bra'tac hugged her back, remembering the first time she had called him that, so uncharacteristically shy. He had missed his daughter greatly, and now she had been delivered home to him. "Tac'an! I am very relieved that you are safe!" He just held her for a moment, then held her away from himself, looking at her. "Come! We celebrate tonight!" He hugged her again briefely, then turned to go into the city, Teal'c following and putting his arm around his wife."

That night, as the party wound down, the family sat around the fire, talking about Tac'an's long absence. Bra'tac said, "But why did you not return to Chulak on your own?"

"Anise told me the Gate was destroyed, and they do not allow humans to pilot their ships. And Anise can be very persuasive. I was a fool and believed everything she told me until I saw direct proof of her lies." Angry with her self, Tac'an growled. "God, I was such an idiot!" Teal'c put his arm around her shoulders, silently comforting her.

"Are all the Tok'ra like her?"

"No, but their methods still stink. They sneak around too much. I mean, a lot of Jaffa in the rebellion sneak around, but they aren't so..." She searched for the right word.

Teal'c said, "DanielJackson calls them Machiavellian."

"Yeah, that's it. They don't care who they hurt as long as they get what they want. I mean, their goals are good and right, but they just mow people over on the way to accomplishing them."

Bra'tac sat back thoughtfully. After a moment, he said, "They are in danger of becoming that which they hate."

Teal'c nodded. "So it would seem. But the Tau'ri may not be able to afford the risk of loosing their alliance. They are far too strong an ally. Earth needs the technology that the Tok'ra have. Otherwise, they may die if another System Lord tries to take Earth."

Tac'an thought about it for a moment. "I know it's that way right now, but I doubt it always will be. Humans have a habit of surprising other races. Hell, they surprise other humans most of the time! The human race has, in just the last century and a half, improved their technology more than in the previous ten thousand. Everything else has been left in the dust. I'm willing to bet that they'll figure out hyperdrive within the next fifty years if they have an example. You told me that you and Colonel O'Neill almost died when someone tried to hybridize American and Goa'uld planes. But that was just because Apophis had booby-trapped the glider. That won't be there when Earth science figures out the engine for itself, and you'll have a fully functioning fleet on your hands just a decade or so later. Within the next century, Earth will stand on its own in this fight."

Bra'tac nodded. "I have read some of their history, which DanielJackson generously translated for me. I believe that you are right. But they must survive until that time. They still need the Tok'ra for now."

She sighed. "You're right. I just wish Hammond could afford to tell Anise just to stuff it."

Teal'c rubbed her arm. "I believe that General Hammond will forbid Anise herself from returning to Earth, but not the rest of the Tok'ra. Indeed, I believe Major Carter would miss her father if he could not come to Earth."

"You're right. It's just frustrating."

"Colonel O'Neill often says the same thing."

Tac'an grinned. "Yeah, he doesn't seem like the type to take much of their shit. He's a straight-forward kind of guy."

"So he is."

When they got back to Earth, Tac'an was indulging the Buffy side of her personality with Sam. Dr. Frasier had wanted to join them with her daughter, Cassie, but she was dealing with some major injuries in SG-15 and 16, so they would have to be on the next trip.

Her fashion sense wasn't too out of date, despite the fact that she had missed five years of fashion changes, so she just bought what she liked. They hit a Denver mall like a freight train, buying clothes and shoes and makeup for when she was on Earth. Chocolate was also high on the list of things to grab. They looked around a knife shop, but when Tac'an saw a knife that looked like the one the Mayor had given to Faith, she had shivered and had to leave the shop. Sam looked at her questioningly. "Bad memories."

They spent a lot in the gourmet coffee shop, as well, including a package of seeds. The plants didn't like a lot of different kinds of soil, so it was a long shot, but if she could get the beans to grow on Chulak, she would never have to worry about running out of coffee again, not to mention that it would make her very popular around the city. She wouldn't have to import seed for too long either if they liked the sandy soil around the river.

She knew that she was preparing for the worst, but she was nervous about her upcoming meeting with the President. She was afraid that he wouldn't let her stay on Earth, so she would have to go back to Chulak. Teal'c couldn't be expected to leave SG-1 just for her, so she was close to panicking.

Sam noticed. "don't worry, Tac'an. I sincerely doubt that the President would kick you out. You would be a valuable addition to our team."

"They won't let me be on Teal'c's team, will they."

"I don't know." Her thoughts turned to Jack, sadly. "You're both technically civilians, so they might not care."

Tac'an didn't live to be a hundred and three years old and not learn to read people, well, humans and Jaffa, anyway. "Jack?"

Sam grimaced and nodded. Well if GW lets me stay, maybe I can talk to him about that.

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