Chapter 8 – Resting and Ruminations

Jack quickly crossed the open courtyard that led from the government center to the quarters he would be sharing with the rest of the members of the SGC who had come along on this little jaunt across the galaxy. His long strides caused Malem to practically break into a jog just in order to keep up with him. While he had done his best to be polite throughout the tour, Jack was chomping at the bit to get back to his family. Two hours spent discussing the architecture of the building, the history of the Makesh people and their various celebrations had left Jack with the urgent need to escape from the High Chancellor. Citing his desire to rest and clean up before the feast, Jack had made his escape; although not quite alone. The High Chancellor had insisted that Malem see Jack to his quarters and report back to him if the Ambassador found the accommodations pleasing.

Jack had the sneaky suspicion that the High Chancellor had other reasons for sending along his assistant but, since he was able to get back to Sam, he wasn't going to argue the point. Hearing the labored breathing coming from the smaller man, Jack slowed his stride and looked back at him.

"Malem, I think I can make it on my own. Why don't you head back – tell the High Chancellor that everything was more than satisfactory."

Malem flushed at the thought of returning and not reporting to the High Chancellor his own direct observations. Pleadingly, he said, "Please Ambassador, allow me to see you to your quarters, as I have been directed. I will leave you as soon as I am certain that you and your family are comfortable."

Jack stole a glance at the younger man, taking in the look of trepidation in his eyes, and sighed. He remembered what it felt like to be a bit fearful of someone you reported to; he wasn't going to add to this young man's distress. "Fine Malem, but then you leave us, understood?"

Malem gave Jack a look filled with gratitude. "Yes Ambassador."

A few moments later, Jack opened the door to their temporary quarters and stepped into its cool interior. A large main gathering room opened invitingly in front of him. An ornate fireplace was the focal point of the room, and many chairs were arranged around it in a half circle. Sitting in one of the chairs was Jacob Carter. He had pulled up a small table and had several items lying out in front of him in various stages of assembly.

Two hallways led off from the main room, leading to what Jack assumed were the bedrooms. As he stepped further into the room, he peered down one hallway and widened his eyes in surprise as he spotted Teal'c sitting in a chair outside one of the bedroom doors.

Jacob had looked up upon Jack's entrance and followed his gaze down the left hallway. "Sam and JJ are sleeping. Teal'c insisted on keeping watch outside the door," he explained in a matter of fact tone of voice.

Jack smiled slightly at his friend's protectiveness; sometimes Teal'c was worse than Jack when it came to Sam and JJ, he mused. Turning back to Malem, who had quietly followed Jack in, he said, "So, as you can see, the accommodations are just fine; everyone's relaxing before this great feast you're going to throw for us."

Malem nodded absently as he continued to look down the hall at the large man sitting quietly by the bedroom door. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he asked, "Why does your friend guard the door? There is no threat here in these accommodations."

Jack let his eyes return down the hall as well. "Teal'c came along solely to keep my son safe. He takes his duties very seriously, no matter where we are." He looked back at Malem. "Teal'c would kill anyone with his bare hands who would try to harm JJ or Sam. So would I."

Malem paled under the steely gaze of the man before him; he had no doubt that the Ambassador spoke the truth. He ducked his head and began to back away, "I will inform the High Chancellor that your accommodations are satisfactory and will return when the feast is about to start. Thank you, Ambassador." With that, Malem turned and quickly left the house, closing the door quietly behind him.

Jacob stood up, brushing his hands against his legs. "Did you have to scare the kid like that, Jack? He doesn't seem like much of a threat to me."

"No, he's probably not. But he can relay the message should anyone else get any ideas," Jack said.

Jacob looked at him curiously for a moment, before quietly stating, "You still don't trust them, do you?"

Jack took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know, Jacob. Just the idea of JJ being here has me on edge. God, if anything happened to him…"

Jacob laid a hand on his sleeve. "I know how you feel, Jack. Every time I had to leave Sam and Mark, I'd worry about them, hoping nothing would happen while I was gone. They only had their mother to watch over them; JJ's got five of us. He's going to be fine, Jack."

"Yeah, well, circumstances are a little different here, Jacob. Unless you were traveling to other planets back then?"

Jacob chuckled, "Nothing quite so exciting, Jack."

"I thought not," Jack replied before turning and making his way down the hallway.

Teal'c stood as Jack approached. "O'Neill. Samantha and JJ have been sleeping for the past hour. They have not been disturbed."

Jack smiled gratefully and clasped his friend's shoulder. "Thank you, my friend. I feel much better knowing you are here with them." Teal'c bowed slightly, then stepped aside as Jack opened the door quietly. "I'm just going to…" he tilted his head toward the door, indicating he was going in to check on his family. Not that he didn't trust Teal'c, of course; he just needed to see for himself.

Teal'c nodded in understanding. "I will keep Jacob Carter company until it is time for the feast. I will let no one disturb you, O'Neill."

"Thanks again, T," Jack said with meaning, before entering the room and closing the door softly behind him.

His heart lightened considerably as he took in the scene before him. Sam lay on her side in the middle of a large bed, one arm under her head, the other curled protectively around JJ. His son was lying facing Sam, one little hand curled under his chin, the other with its thumb placed firmly in his little mouth. The only sounds came from their shared breathing and the sporadic sucking noises coming from JJ's mouth. Jack had a feeling of Déjà vu, recalling how he had found Sam and AU JJ cuddled up this way in the infirmary several years ago.

Smiling at the sight, Jack bent to remove his boots and climbed in the bed on the other side of JJ. He let his arm reach across his son to rest on Sam's hip, drawing her a bit closer and cocooning JJ between them. Jack had no intention of sleeping; his mind was too active for that. Frankly, he was surprised that Sam could sleep; she was usually the one who couldn't stop thinking long enough to rest. But she had been up late the night before, making sure they had everything they needed for this mission. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance as far as her son was concerned, so she had spent hours packing and repacking. Not to mention the added time she had spent in her lab with Jacob, looking over a few of the items he had brought back from his mission.

Jack smiled fondly as he gazed at the two of them; they were his life and he would do anything to keep them safe. Lifting himself up on one elbow, Jack leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss on Sam's head, then on JJ's, before lying back once more against the pillows. He would relax and enjoy this peaceful time with his family before the feast, when he would have to be vigilant once again.

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Daniel rushed into the house they were sharing, covered with dust and sweat but with a shine in his eyes that told everyone present that he had found something exciting. "You are never going to guess what I've seen!" he exclaimed without preamble.

Jack looked him up and down while he held JJ on his lap. Sam and JJ had woken up not 20 minutes ago and the little boy was sleepily drinking from his bottle; his blue eyes watching his Uncle Danny with quiet curiosity.

"By the looks of you, I'd say a lot of dust and rocks," Jack quipped.

Daniel looked down at himself before shrugging his shoulders, "Well, yeah, a bit of that. But those ruins the High Chancellor mentioned to us? They're incredible! The temple is in tact as far as I could see and the pillars surrounding the outside are filled with inscriptions. And you'll never guess in what language!"

"Let me guess…Ancient?" Jack asked lightly.

Daniel seemed to deflate before their eyes. "Yeah…how did you guess?"

Sam laughed at him as she took a seat next to Jack. "Daniel, you only get really excited anymore when the language is Ancient. You've run across so many other languages countless times, but Ancient is still relatively novel for you."

"I guess that's true," he grinned ruefully as he tried to brush some of the dust from his clothing. He just proceeded to make a bigger mess on the floor where he stood.

"Uh, Danny, why don't you go and get cleaned up. Malem will be here soon to lead us to the big brouhaha they're throwing. You can tell us more when you've stopped choking the air with dust." He waved his hand back and forth, as if to make a point that there were way too many dust particles floating around.

"Ok Jack, but then I do need to tell you about the ruins. I think there could be something significant within the temple. The writing alluded to…"

"Ack, Daniel! Clean now, talk later."

"Fine, fine," Daniel mumbled as he trudged down the hall after Teal'c, who was showing him to the bathroom.

Jack looked at Sam, a glint in his eyes. "And you think JJ gets messy?"

Sam laughed as she stood up to take JJ from Jack and get him ready. "Well, JJ usually has some help in the matter!"

There were a few seconds of silence, followed by a loud, "Hey!" as Jack caught the implication behind her words. He followed her out of the room, intent on carrying their conversation a bit further, as well as needing to get himself ready for the big event.

Jacob watched them fondly as they left the room. While he had had reservations about this relationship at the beginning, he had to admit that Jack and Sam were perfect for each other. He remembered watching them with each other when they had taken care of the other JJ three years ago. He had felt a sense of premonition at the time…and eventually things had turned out just as he thought they might. He smiled as he thought of the little boy who was now his grandson for real, not just in some other reality, and chuckled out loud when he heard the shriek of laughter that came flowing down the hallway.

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Sam held up the blue and green necklace and eyed it with interest. She had taken it off JJ before she laid him down for his nap so that he wouldn't choke himself. It was made of a material with which she had no previous experience and this intrigued her. It also made her a bit nervous.

She glanced up when Jack entered the main room and smiled at the sight of him. Shakena had provided them all with clothing deemed appropriate for the Sacred Feast that was to begin in less than an hour. Jack was wearing an outfit similar to that worn by the High Chancellor, except that his colors were different. The golden chain he had been given when they arrived lay against his chest and a deep green stole was draped around his shoulders. By taking in his frown, she could tell he wasn't entirely enamored of the idea of wearing a long tunic and leggings. But Sam thought he looked wonderful and told him so, to which she received a muffled, "Damn cultures and their dresses," in reply.

Sam rather liked her own outfit. It was a light blue robe, much like Shakena's in style, with a pair of dark blue leggings worn underneath. The robe was loose enough to allow her to move freely, unlike that monstrosity she had to wear years ago for the Shavadi people. She, too, had placed the necklace she was given around her neck and the colors shone brightly against the light cloth of her outfit.

JJ sat on Jacob's lap, leaning forward and trying to pull off the beads that were sewn onto the little moccasins on his feet. He also wore a light tan tunic that reached just below his knees and a tiny pair of tan leggings that stretched over his diaper encased bottom. Jacob had opted to wear a ceremonial outfit of the Tok'ra, which was very similar in fashion to that of the Makesh.

Daniel entered the room, clean from his bath, wearing clothing similar to Jack's except that this stole was a deep purple that appeared almost black upon first glance. "Well, you cleaned up nice, Danny. No more dust clouds following you around, I see," Jack teased his friend.

"Very funny, Jack. I must say, you look rather debonair, yourself. I think that look is really you."

"Cute, Daniel."

Daniel just grinned back before looking at Sam. "You look wonderful, as usual Sam. And JJ, what a chip off the old block, little man!" JJ grinned happily up at his uncle, not sure what his uncle had said, but happy all the same athis light tone of voice. He reached his hands up as Daniel came over to him and Daniel happily complied with the unspoken request. Instantly, the deep purple stole was crushed between JJ's little hands and stuffed into the little boy's mouth.

"You didn't stay clean for long, did you Space Monkey?" Jack laughed as he tried to pry the stole out of JJ's hands.

"A little baby drool never hurt anyone, Jack. Besides, if the High Chancellor didn't mind, why should I?"

Jack's smile disappeared as he remembered the High Chancellor holding JJ, just yesterday. Something about that episode still bothered him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. His ruminations were interrupted by Daniel's next question. "Sam, aren't you going to put that necklace on JJ? I think the Makesh will be offended if he's not wearing it at the ceremony."

Sam once again looked at the necklace in her hands before glancing over at Jack. Even though they had been assured the material was safe, both were reluctant to place it around their son's neck. He did, after all, have a penchant for chewing on things!

"I'm sure it will be all right, Sam," Jacob interjected. "If you tuck it down JJ's shirt, he won't be able to get at it. And it's only for a little while; hopefully we'll be back here within a few hours," he tried to assure them.

Sam finally nodded, not wanting to offend the High Chancellor, and stepped over to place the necklace over JJ's head. He instantly reached to grab it, but his efforts were in vain as Sam tucked it quickly into his tunic. JJ screwed up his face in protest, but Jack took him from Daniel and distracted him with the deep green stole around his own neck. Hey, if Daniel could go to the feast with baby drool, so could he!

They all turned at the knock that sounded at the door. Daniel went to open it, revealing the figure of Malem, who had also changed clothing for the ceremony. "The High Chancellor requests your presence, Ambassador. I have come to escort all of you to the Great Hall." He bowed respectfully as he waited for a reply.

"We're just waiting on Teal'c, Malem. Hey, T! You ready yet?" Jack turned and yelled into the house.

"Indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c replied as he entered the room.

Everyone looked at each other in puzzlement before Daniel turned to the Jaffa. "Ah, Teal'c? You're not wearing the ceremonial garb of the Makesh," he offered needlessly.

"I am not, Daniel Jackson. Nor will I wear such clothing as they provided," he replied shortly.

Jack came closer, "But T, you're more used to wearing a dress-type thing than I am…what's the problem?"

"The tunic that was provided is not of adequate size, O'Neill. As such, it does not allow me to carry those items that I deem necessary to bring to this function. I will wear the uniform of the SGC, and I will wear it with pride." His tone brokered no arguments, and he wouldn't receive any from his friends. If Teal'c wanted to wear his SGC uniform in order to carry in his carefully concealed Zat and a knife, far be it for them to object.

Jack turned to Malem. "You guys going to have a problem with that?"

Malem's face paled a bit as he took in the penetrating stare the large Jaffa was sending his was. Gulping audibly, he replied, "No Ambassador. Your friend may wear what he wishes to the ceremony."

"Good, then I guess we're all set. Lead the way, Malem."

As they followed Malem across the courtyard to the Government building where the feast would be held, many of the villagers came out to watch them walk by. There were murmurs of interest and smiles at JJ as they passed by the long houses. Daniel, Teal'c and Jacob followed behind Jack and Sam; all three of them keeping a careful eye on the villagers as the passed. Several people whispered quietly to each other as they took in the sight of Teal'c tailing the group; wearing not the ceremonial clothing of the Makesh, but the working clothes of the Tauri. Teal'c took no notice of their quiet conversations; he just kept his eyes and ears open for any signs of danger.

When they entered the large double doors of the building, Daniel looked up at the pillars as he passed. Noting the inscription on the smooth surface, he cursed under his breath; in all the frantic activity of getting ready, he had not had the chance to tell everyone what he had discovered about the writings at the ruins. Before the night was out, he would have to do just that, for there were some very interesting prophecies written on the old stone pillars.