Thanks to AJ for your review! Good to know you are still with me!

To all those who wonder about Jack's new assignment – you will need some more patience, sorry.

~o0o~

The next morning there was a polite knock on Jack's front door. He got up and opened it with his eyebrows raised. The young lieutenant saluted him.

"Sir, I was asked to deliver this to you."

He held out a white envelope with no writing on it. Jack thanked the airman and dismissed him. Anticipating something unusual he closed his door before he sat down on his couch and opened the envelope. There was one sheet of paper in it, the text was hand-written, and the person who had written it was obviously not used to it. He didn't recognize the handwriting, so his eyes dropped to the bottom of the page. He swallowed once when he read the name – 'Teal'c'.

Sam found him still seated on the couch and the letter still in his hand. She immediately knew there was trouble.

"Jack?"

"T wrote me a letter."

"He did?"

"Apparently since we aren't talking he figured that would be the best way to get through to me."

"What's he saying?"

Instead of an answer he held out the letter to her, and she sat down and started to read.

When she was finished she dropped the letter to her lap.

"What are you going to do?"

"I think I'll adopt his proposal. He's my friend, for cryin' out loud. This can't go on any longer."

"He mentions you have the right to pick someone to escort you..."

"Would you?"

She put the letter on the coffee table. Then she turned to him and touched his face.

"Always, Jack."

~o0o~

"Daniel, I need you to do your anthropology thing."

"Huh?"

Daniel Jackson looked up from the artifact in his hands completely unable to believe that those words had just been uttered by Jack O'Neill.

"Uhm, sure! What do you need?"

"Teal'c wants to perform some ritual on me, "lower neck" or something? Something about reinstalling my honor?"

Understanding dawned on the linguist. His face lit up.

"You're talking about 'Lo'renek'! That's actually quite smart!"

"Hey, you can't just assume that you and Carter are the only geniuses around here!"

Underneath his casualness Daniel sensed Jack's tension, so he didn't accept the challenge and simply started to explain.

"On Chulak the Jaffa perform this ritual when somebody had been falsely accused or unjustly removed from an honorable position. It is meant to reinstall the person into their function and to give the community the opportunity to show their respect. I assume Teal'c wants to use it to assure you of his continued respect. Who will be your escort?"

"Carter."

"That's good. Though I'd sure love to be there – this is rarely ever performed anywhere else than in a Jaffa dwelling...but probably not the place and time for me to get all anthropological, is it?"

Jack simply gave him The Look and turned to the door. Before he had reached it he turned back to look at Daniel, and that look was uncharacteristically insecure.

"You believe this is a good idea?"

Daniel smiled and nodded.

"Yes Jack, I do."

~o0o~

When Sam knocked on Teal'c's door she was nervous. She shouldn't be, this was Teal'c after all, but Jack's fear had rubbed off on her. She heard him answer and opened the door.

"MajorCarter", he greeted her. He was seated on the floor cross-legged, maybe he had been in kel'no'reem.

"Hi Teal'c, am I disturbing you?"

"No. Are you here on behalf of ColonelO'Neill?"

"Yes. He says to tell you that he will – accept your offer."

"That is most pleasant. Did he set a time?"

"Uh, actually he said he'd like to have it over with as soon as possible. How much preparation time do you need?"

"30 minutes should be sufficient, MajorCarter."

Precisely half an hour later there was a very polite rap at the door to Jack's quarters. Sam went to open it and stepped back to let Teal'c enter. Jack felt the well known panic rise in his chest, but when Sam took position beside his chair it got a little easier to breathe. Teal'c wore his robes and carried a staff weapon – probably why he had needed 30 minutes. He had to get permission to get the weapon out of the armory. Sam wondered briefly how he might have justified that...before she could elaborate on it Teal'c spoke. He kept his eyes on the floor and his voice low:

"I am Teal'c of Chulak. I have come to perform Lo'renek in favor of Colonel Jack O'Neill of the Tau'ri. This man is a leader of his people, a great warrior and an honorable man. I will gladly follow his lead as I have before."

He looked up to meet Jack's eye, but his posture was still respectful, almost submissive. And yet Jack felt uneasy and off balance. Sam moved closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. He remembered the conversation he had had about Teal'c with Dr. Shen and tried his best. 'Trust', he thought. 'This is the strongest, proudest man I know, and he has just surrendered to my lead. And he's my friend!'

He felt his shoulders relax and took a deep breath. T seemed to have read his mind, because he went on:

"O'Neill, I consider you my brother and my friend. You have and always will have my respect."

He made one step forward and lowered himself down on one knee, placing down his staff weapon on the floor in front of Jack. The colonel drew one shuddering breath and, his voice hoarse, he said:

"Get up, T. You shouldn't kneel before anyone ever again."

When the Jaffa was back on his feet, tall and strong, but still trying to look as non-threatening as possible, Jack stood as well. They locked eyes, and after an instant the colonel extended his right arm to Teal'c who took it in a firm grip and then lowered his head in one slow nod. When he looked up again there was the smallest of smiles on his face.

~o0o~

Jack went to see Dr. Shen for what was supposed to be the last time.

She asked about his team, and he told her how he had talked to Daniel and it hadn't been awkward any more.

"Well not unusually awkward that is."

The doc knew her patient well enough to be pleased by the return of his dry wit.

"What about T?"

"He – where he is from they have a ritual. I wasn't sure about it first, but it worked. I'm not scared any more. I trust him, and we are good."

"That leaves Sam then."

Jack hesitated for a moment, and then he allowed himself a wide smile.

"Well, I'd say things look good with Sam."

"You're not telling me more than that, colonel?"

The twinkle in her eye belied the implied reproach. His smile got even wider.

"Nope."

She couldn't help but grin, too. Leaning back in her chair she changed the subject:

"And have you made a decision about the job?"

"Yes, I have. And my CO has already approved it, provided you declare me fit."

"So I guess this is it than, Jack. Do you feel you are up to it?"

There was a rare sincerity on the colonel's face when he said:

"Yes ma'am, I do."

~o0o~

"Today I got Dr. Shen's report, Jack."

The colonel tensed and looked at his CO expectantly.

"Yes, sir?"

"It seems there is no reason for you not to go back on active duty, colonel."

Jack relaxed back into his chair.

"Thank you, sir."

"I guess it's not me you have to thank. I'm glad to have you back, Jack. So, now how about you get to work, colonel?"

~o0o~

I made "Lo'renek" up from scratch, so I'm eager to read what you think of it.