Daniel's eyebrows furrowed a little bit as he looked at the closed door in front of him. He'd knocked twice. He knew they were home...
Teal'c began to rifle through the small keychain he carried – it only held four keys – and moved for the deadbolt.
"Uh, Teal'c, I'm not sure I would do that."
"They may well be too occupied with the child to answer the door, Daniel Jackson."
"Sure. Or they may be occupied with... other things."
"In any case, I believe allowing ourselves in to be the most convenient option," Teal'c decided.
Daniel put a hand over the larger man's to stop him from turning the doorknob. "Unless the thing they're busy with is private," he pressed. And the way Jack had been acting lately, once he snapped... He didn't really want to consider the possibility of finding them naked on the kitchen counter. "Seriously, don't."
One black brow arched at him... and Teal'c walked in anyway.
The house was silent. Daniel couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing, but at least it seemed they weren't... y'know... somewhere nearby. Unless they already had and were asleep. Naked. The thought was disconcerting.
Abruptly, Teal'c stopped at the entrance to the living room, and Daniel, against his better judgment, peered around him. Sam sat on the edge of the couch, her elbows on her knees, staring at... nothing.
"See to O'Neill," the alien ordered softly before starting across the room.
She didn't move, didn't look up as he settled heavily beside her, and he allowed a generous distance between them. "Major Carter," he began softly, "in the weeks since your betrothal, I have noticed a marked decline in your happiness. None of us wish for you to suffer so. If you do not believe that this marriage is for your betterment, then it should be canceled immediately."
"Someone should tell him that," she whispered, her head falling low between her shoulders until she stared intently at her knees.
"I do not believe I understand your meaning."
"He shouldn't marry me, Teal'c."
Movement caught the Jaffa's keen eyes, and he glanced over her bowed head to see Colonel O'Neill standing in the far corner, just inside the door. The two men exchanged a look before Teal'c turned back to the woman beside him. "For what reason?"
"Because I'm broken," she confessed. "Because I'm not the woman he used to flirt with and make eyes at and... Because I'm not sure I can be what he wants from me. What he deserves."
"Major Carter," Teal'c pressed, "as a Jaffa, I was taught that my failings were mine and mine alone to bear. I carried that knowledge throughout my life, through the death of my father and the loss of many things. It was never more true than when I became First Prime, as I had no equals. None whom I could call friend. And even once I left his service, I carried the shame of my betrayal alone. But that was seven years ago," he said softly, "and the Tau'ri have taught me much. I have learned that in times of deepest despair, the only appropriate course of action is often the hardest."
"And what is that, Teal'c?"
"To permit those who love you to carry you through it."
Watery blue eyes turned up to meet his own dark ones, and he gave her a small, reassuring smile. Suddenly, her arms flew around his neck, her face burrowing into his shoulder, and he pulled her close, cushioning the sobs that tore through her thin frame.
From across the room, O'Neill's pained eyes locked onto his. He dipped his head only briefly in a nod before turning and leaving the room.