Found - part 6
Hey guys! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far - I love you all! As for Luke ... all will be revealed! But not in this chapter. Sorry. Got a bit more confusing you to do before you get any answers!
"And this is the bridge!" Daniel proclaimed, concluding the tour of the X-307. Sam walked round the consoles, marveling at how far Earth had progressed while she'd been gone. Jack's eyes suddenly lit up, and he made a beeline for the centre chair, sinking into it with a happy sigh.
"Captain Kirk, eat your heart out!" Jack quipped, wriggling to get comfy. Sam laughed and shook her head.
"So where are the crew?" Sam asked, noticing how eerily silent the ship felt.
"We don't have one. As it is we barely got permission to use the ship to come here. Dr. Weir didn't want to spread our resources too thin. We're having problems with a new enemy known as the Ori." Haley explained.
Tally had wandered off, staring out of a window at the stars. She became aware of someone watching her, and turned to see Teal'c standing behind her. He joined her at the window.
"Something is on your mind, Tally O'Neill." He stated.
"Yeah, I guess." She sighed.
"Do you wish to discuss it?" Tally thought for a moment, and then turned to look up at him.
"Teal'c . . . do you ever get scared?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Fear is a warrior's greatest enemy." He answered.
"You didn't answer the question."
Teal'c smiled. "Yes, I have known fear."
"Have you ever been scared of losing . . . everything?" She asked uncertainly. Teal'c frowned.
"To what are you referring?"
Tally took a deep breath. "I'm scared that we'll have to go to Earth, and leave Amdra. I'm scared of losing my home, and everyone I know. I'm scared . . ." She trailed off, not sure whether she should tell him her greatest fear.
"You are afraid of losing someone for whom you care deeply." Teal'c said quietly. Tally looked up at him in surprise. Teal'c smiled.
"I observed you leaving your home late at night. I assume you were visiting this person."
"I thought you went up to the ship?"
"I did not. I chose to take the opportunity of sleeping beneath the stars."
Tally smiled. "Yeah, I was visiting him. And I'm terrified that we'll have to go and I'll never see him again." Her voice shook slightly as she finished speaking, betraying the depth of her fear. Teal'c turned towards her, frowning.
"You are in love with him." He observed. There were tears in Tally's eyes as she answered.
"Yes."
Both Teal'c and Tally were quiet as they all ate their dinner that evening, lost in thought. Teal'c was concerned for the young woman, who was obviously deeply in love with this boy. He knew that if Kennedy managed to persuade O'Neill and Major Carter to leave, their daughter would suffer greatly.
Tally was oblivious to the world around her. She was thinking about the conversation she'd had with Teal'c earlier in the day, and how he had seen right through her, into her heart. She wondered whether he knew her deepest secret, and whether she could trust him enough to tell him. One thing she knew for certain – she couldn't tell her parents yet, about Jase or about her situation.
When she met Jase that night, she talked to him about her fears.
She lay in his arms, warm next to him in his bed with her head resting against his chest, exactly as her parents lay together each night, unbeknown to her. She closed her eyes, struggling for words, but knowing they had to talk about it.
Jase sensed her inner turmoil, and held her closer in his arms, trying to comfort her.
"It'll be OK, Tally." He whispered. Tally sighed.
"I don't know how much longer I can do this."
"What?"
"Pretend. Pretend that I don't love you, that I wouldn't die for you. Pretend that this isn't happening, that I'm not –"
"Shhh." He cut her off, stroking her hair soothingly. "We're gonna be OK. What matters at the end of all this is that we're together, and the love we have. Nothing and no one can change that."
"But what if my parents want to go back to Earth? I'd have to go with them, but it would kill me! It would kill me to have to leave you. And then what would happen when they found out about this?" She was on the verge of tears, terrified of a million different 'what if's.
"Do you want to tell your parents?" Jase asked quietly. Tally sighed again.
"I don't know. It's killing me with them not knowing, but I'm scared of how they'd react. What would they say if they found out I'm sleeping with you?"
"You don't have to tell them everything at once. You could start with the fact that we're in love. That might stop them over-reacting about the rest."
"It's going to be obvious that we've made love if we leave it too much longer." Tally said quietly. Jase let his hand drift down to his lover's stomach, and he caressed her softly.
"What do you want to do?"
Tally thought carefully. "I want to tell Teal'c." Jase started in surprise.
"The jaffa?"
"He already knows how I feel about you, and that I've been visiting you after dark."
"What? How?"
"We talked yesterday. He understands. I never meant to tell him, he just seemed to see right through me. And he saw me coming here yesterday."
"Did he see you tonight?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We can trust him, Jase. He won't betray my trust."
"How do you know? You've only known him two days."
"I just . . . know. I can't explain it. He just seems to understand me, maybe because we're both warriors, I don't know . . . but he's trustworthy – that much I'm sure about." She assured him. Jase nodded – he had faith in Tally's judgment.
"OK. Do you want me to be there when you talk to him?"
"No, I think it would be easier if it was just me. I'll do it tomorrow, the first chance I get." She decided. She sighed in contentment at having released her fears – sharing them with Jase always seemed to make it look better. Jase smiled and gave her a gentle, comforting squeeze, filled again with the blissful peace he always got from holding her in his arms. He smiled into her soft, blonde hair, and they drifted off to sleep together.
Ta da! Please review! Expecially anxious to know what you think of this chapter!
Beka