Chapter 16: Little Miss (Im)perfect

Gym-Room, Stargate Command

One…Two…

One…Two…

Noa Williams repeated those words in her head as she threw the common 'One-Two' punch at the man before her, that following morning. Only three minutes into the sparring match and she could already feel the sweat forming inside her gloves. Her hair became drenched inside her helmet and her mouth full with the mouth-piece. A fist was headed her direction and she ducked, keeping her hands close to her face for protection. In retaliation, Williams threw a jab punch into the center mass of the man. At this point, for her at least, aiming for the head became too difficult, too tiresome.

"You show a strong determination, Private Williams," Teal'c complimented. "But you seem hasty in the execution of your attacks,"

The woman snorted, throwing another punch at her partner, who in turn seamlessly dodged it.

"I gotta get on top of my A-game, sir," She replied, throwing another punch. "If I can't take down the target before he does the same, what good am I?"

The man said nothing, protecting himself from the strikes the Canadian threw.

"Look," She replied, irritated by the man's silence. "I screwed up yesterday and I'd be dead if it weren't for you, so thanks,"

No response.

"Damn it, sir, why are we doing all this if you won't even speak to me,"

Another strike, another doge. Noa was beginning to wonder if this alien she was sparring could see into the future.

"Colonel Alexeyeva has asked me to speak with you about what happened," Teal'c finally replied.

Noa stopped and placed her hands down, only to be knocked to the floor.

"Ah what the hell man!" She said, getting back up. "I thought I stopped the fight."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied. "But I have not,"

"A-hole," Noa mumbled, wiping a thin line of blood from her lip.

"Are you alright, Private Williams," Teal'c asked, concerned about the Canadian's bleeding lip.

Williams ignored the man's concern, feeling that it would show weakness if she didn't.

"Look big guy," She began, placing her left hand in front of her to distance herself from the Alien. "I don't need the Colonel to have you watch my back nor does she have to herself…I just need time to get over it,"

"Do you think that is all it takes, Private Williams," Teal'c asked.

Noa didn't reply. She didn't because she already knew what the answer was and so did Teal'c, these was no need to waste her breath.

"You can't ignore what has happened to you," The alien warrior added. "You have done what you were supposed to,"

"Yeah right," Noa retorted. "Up until that SOB gotten the advantage I should have been able to avoid,"

"It was misfortune, nothing more,"

"I should have seen him coming…I should have been able to take him down even if he had me at gun point, I should have–"

"Done something?" Teal'c asked, filling in the Private's unfilled sentence. "You most certainly would have been killed,"

Noa didn't say anything.

"You work as a team, not alone, Private Williams," Teal'c continued. "A wise Jaffa once told me: 'We do battle as one but we never fight alone',"

Noa tasted her lip to check for any more blood. There was none.

"Must have been a smart guy," She replied. "And he does have a point,"

"Now do you see why you must rely on your allies to work together?" The man asked.

Noa didn't want to vain the man's efforts to make her feel better, despite already seeing herself as a screw up. It was a feeling she thought she buried long ago. A feeling…well, she wouldn't openly talk about, not until now. She gestured another round in sparring and they resumed.

"Yes sir," She replied, unsure of how the man would take it. She threw another punch and missed. "I get it…loose our individuality so we feel better if we mess up and just blame the entire team,"

The man raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Like it or not, sir," Noa clarified. "I take responsibility for every mistake I make and no one else,"

"Then you fail to see my point," Teal'c replied, striking once more.

Noa dodged and thrown another 'One-Two' punch.

"Or maybe I'm not cut out for this job," She replied.

Teal'c became confused. He wasn't sure what Williams had meant and so he inquired.

"What I mean," Williams began, explaining herself to the alien. "Is that I will never be good enough like the rest of you,"

She then threw another punch and missed entirely, so much that the momentum threw her forward and off her feet. She found her self on the floor with her hands and knees as support.

"See what I mean," She mumbled quietly.

Teal'c looked down the Canadian, not understanding the soldier's tone.

"All that is required is practice, Private Williams," The Alien told her. "Then you'll get better,"

"I've been telling myself that for seven years," Williams replied, still with her hands and knees on the floor. "You have no idea what it's like to try so damn hard…and it all just collapses on you,"

She stood up, albeit slowly.

Staring at the man she was sparring against, Williams backed away until her legs bumped into the side of the bench. Falling onto the seat, Williams ripped her helmet off her head and tossed into onto the floor in anger.

"Would you like to rest, Private Williams," Teal'c asked.

The Canadian nodded.

"I would, sir," She replied, grabbing her water bottle off the floor.

She took a sip before placing the bottle back to where she found it then placed her elbows on her knees and sat there, staring at the floor. Her hair was soaked while fatigue kept her breathing for air. Teal'c also sat on the bench, sitting straight, eyeing the room they sat it.

"Have you tried to do something, which you worked so hard for, only for it to not go anywhere and everyone blamed you for being the weak link?" Noa asked the man sitting next to her.

The man said nothing, as expected by the Canadian.

She shook her head, yet she laughed and half-smiled.

"Then you are deserted, alone in a vast emptiness and no gives a rat's ass," She added.

Reluctantly, Noa twisted her left arm for Teal'c to see, as an illustration.

It was covered with scars.

"It doesn't help much when there's a sharp object sitting right in front of you either," She told him.

Teal'c tilted his head slightly, confused and curious at what the woman was trying to tell him.

"Thankfully," She continued, ignoring the man's confusion. "It stopped after I graduated high-school,"

She then turned her arm back to its regular position.

"A clean slate, a new day…a new life,"

She shook her head.

"Clearing up bomb sites defiantly seemed to fit the bill, at least right up until they brought me here,"

Tears began to form in her eyes as she continued.

"When I met the Colonel and the team…I thought my prayers were answered,"

Teal'c stayed silent, allowing the Canadian to continue.

"To be accepted, to be appreciated…when the Colonel came to my room and asked me if I'd like to join her,"

She then turned her head to Teal'c.

"She's Special Forces and yet she was willing to bring me with her, and then you saved my sorry ass when I almost got shot out there," Noa added. "Now I know that I want to be here, with people who don't discriminate,"

"I would have done the same for anyone, Private Williams, any of us would," Teal'c replied. "We are all working together for a cause,"

"That," Noa replied. "And we kick alien butt in style while traveling the galaxy, the final frontier,"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied. "We all have a purpose in doing so,"

Williams stood back up, this time smiling.

"I want you to know," She said to the alien. "This doesn't change my attitude about what happened…but I'm glad I was to get something off my chest,"

Her tears began to trickle down yet her smile did not fade away.

"And at least I know everyone here is willing to look out for one other, and that's good enough for me,"

Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"I'm sure Colonel Alexeyeva will be pleased to hear that," He stated.

Noa nodded, crying yet smiling with joy. She placed her hands on her hips and looked around the room.

"I'm hungry," She commented. "And I'd go for anything they got in the mess hall,"

She turned on her heel, grabbing her things.

As she left for the exit, rubbing her towel over her head, she looked back to see the man still sitting where he was.

"It was nice sparring with you, Sir," She said.

Then Noa was gone.