As Jack paced restlessly outside, the others continued with their work, Teal'c helping Daniel with the translation and Carter studying the 'glowy doohickey' they'd discovered. Daniel came out of the stuffy room for some air and Jack looked up. Daniel gave him an inquisitive look.
"Sometimes I worry about you Daniel." He said.
"Excuse me?"
"For someone so intelligent, you can be pretty darn stupid. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked staring at him with hard eyes. Daniel shrugged.
"She asked me not to."
"She asked you not to? What kind of reason is that?" he demanded. "For cryin' out loud Daniel, didn't you think I might be able to do something about it other than running away?"
"Like what?" Daniel asked.
"I would have come up with something. I know these people Daniel."
"Is that because you used to be one of these people?" Daniel questioned, Jack glared at him and avoided the question.
"I can't believe her, going to you instead of me." He resumed pacing and began to gesture wildly. "I'm gonna' kill Chris when I find him." He hissed menacingly, so menacingly in fact that Daniel feared for this man Chris's life.
"Who?" Daniel asked but didn't receive an answer as Tal chose that moment to storm back into the temple. In the few seconds of silence before she spoke Daniel noticed the sounds of Sam and Teal'c working in the other room had ceased. Eavesdropping. Jack wouldn't be pleased.
"I just thought," Tal began, "Why should I be the one hiding outside? I've saved all your arses at the cost of a few bruises, and I'm running away? What's that about?" she said and came to a stop near Daniel and Jack.
"That's about you hiding the fact that that slimy, cowardly, back stabbing, two faced, weasley little bast-"
"And you're wondering why I didn't tell you?" she interrupted.
"If I'd know I could have-"
"Beat him into a coma? Again?" she questioned. Jack glanced at Daniel who was frowning at him.
"You what!" he demanded, as he spoke he heard footsteps behind him, Sam and Teal'c had joined the party.
"It's not how it sounds."
"It's exactly how it sounds Jack." Tal growled.
"I, well, yeah . . ."
"Two months!" she added.
"You beat a person into a two month coma?" Daniel asked disgustedly.
"It's not like he didn't deserve it!" Jack defended.
"I won't argue with that, but I also won't provide you with your alibi, again." Tal said.
"Yeah well, it wouldn't have been like that this time." Jack shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other under the scrutinising stares of his team. "I would have just . . . talked to him." Tal looked incredulous and pulled of her jacket and held out her arms in front of him. There were dark painful looking, hand shaped, purple bruises around her wrists. She pushed up her sleeves to reveal similar looking bruises on her upper arms.
"Tell me you wouldn't have hurt him." She said quietly. He looked away and stared at his boots, his silence all the answer they needed. "Don't blame Daniel, if you have to blame someone blame me. But I was only trying to protect you." She said. He looked up at her and met her emerald green eyes with his.
"And who was protecting you?"
Apologies for shortness, but I wanted to do something to make up for my shameful lack of posting recently . . . Please read and review! x