A/N:
Many apologies for posting this later than I had originally planned. In order to confirm one word in this scene, I needed to nail down Chapter Six of The Trouble with Daniel first. Which has proved somewhat problematic... I'm not exaggerating when I tell you Chapter Five is on it's fifth complete rewrite! I actually finished the fourth fic in this series last week, between my third and fourth attempts at Chapter Five, and it was a delightful doddle in comparison.
Fortunately, just as I was despairing, a review by BotticellisMuse on Twisting the Hellmouth inspired me to approach the scene from a different direction, and I'm happy to report Chapter Five is now well on it's way to being done. I'm even almost as happy with it as I was with the original version. Which means that at last, a decent replacement version is complete enough to be certain of the relevant word, so I can finally post this chapter!
Merit points for correctly guessing which word it is.
The Trouble with Daniel...
Chapter Three: Designated Driver
When it's time to leave the mountain for O'Neill's house, Teal'c finds Daniel Jackson in his office, scribbling notes at his crowded desk, oblivious to his surroundings as he often is whilst working. Conscious of O'Neill's words, the Jaffa takes a moment to silently observe his teammate before disturbing him. To the casual observer, everything might appear normal, but Teal'c notes that Daniel Jackson's hair is even more rumpled than usual; infers that the lack of any used coffee mugs means his friend has not taken a break in some time; notices that the photograph of Sha're is on the cluttered desk, close to hand, rather than in its usual place on the wall. Teal'c therefore concludes that O'Neill is correct – Daniel Jackson is troubled.
"Daniel Jackson, we must leave," he announces from the doorway.
"Huh?" Daniel Jackson asks before he looks up. "Teal'c! Good to see you." Teal'c inclines his head in response, but the other man is still speaking, rummaging through the journals that surround him as he does so, "Listen, I'm trying to track down a Goa'uld who would have disappeared a year or two before we first met, and I'm hoping you can help me out."
"I will tell you all I know," promises Teal'c. "In the car."
"Car?" Daniel Jackson looks over at him, clearly confused. "What?"
"Movie night," Teal'c enlightens him. "I believe O'Neill has chosen The Princess Bride."
"What?"
"He has stated that it is not a basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum fairy tale."
"Uh…." Daniel Jackson stares blankly at him. "Okay…"
"We must go now lest we be late."
"Right, yeah," agrees Daniel Jackson, glancing at the books strewn over his desk. He begins sorting through them, selecting some and leaving others, "Let me just-"
Teal'c waits patiently for him to gather what he needs. He knows that any attempts to hurry Daniel Jackson will only delay them further. This is not the first time he has been responsible for ensuring that Daniel Jackson arrives in time for one of SG1's team nights. It's for this reason that the other man knows Teal'c will not answer any further questions on the subject until they have left the SGC. Instead, they speak of Teal'c's visit with Ishta and the Hak'tyl, of Ry'ac and his new wife, of anything other than the subject Daniel Jackson desperately wishes to speak of. As is their custom, it is not until they are driving away from the final checkpoint that Teal'c tells him what he wants to know.
"After the disappearance of Ra, the Goa'uld were thrown into turmoil as they warred over the pieces his vast territories. Alliances were forged and broken as the false Gods scrambled for supremacy. Several Goa'uld were killed or presumed killed at this time."
"Yeah," Daniel Jackson sighs, slumping into his seat. "I had a feeling you were gonna say something like that."
"Is this research regarding Vala the Space Pirate?" Teal'c asks, using his peripheral vision to observe the other man closely.
Daniel Jackson huffs a little, most likely at the name O'Neill has bestowed on the woman they are discussing, and nods. "I'm trying to figure out which Goa'uld…" his explanation trails off and he shrugs. "Stupid, I know."
"Describe her," instructs Teal'c, who has yet to review his copy of the Prometheus' deleted security footage.
"What?" Daniel Jackson is startled, then suspicious, "Why?"
"As Apophis' First Prime, I met many Goa'uld," Teal'c reminds him. "It is possible she was one such."
"Right, yeah," Daniel Jackson is attempting to appear enthused about the idea. "Okay… she's tall, maybe five-eight, five-nine. Long black hair, with a lock of white," he touches his head, "Just here. Thin. Too thin, but still…" his hands sketch a shape in the air, then he tenses and glances over at Teal'c.
Teal'c's eyes remain on the road. Daniel Jackson cannot see it from this angle, but one of his eyebrows is raised.
Daniel Jackson clears his throat and continues, "Grey eyes. Pale skin. Deep voice, but soft, not harsh." Head tilted back against the headrest of his seat, he frowns at the car roof and tells Teal'c, "She's not beautiful."
Teal'c's other eyebrow climbs to join the first, high on his forehead.
"At least, she shouldn't be," Daniel Jackson continues, oblivious, "Her jaw is too strong, her nose is too long and hooked, her mouth is too wide, and I'd swear she has too many teeth. But she's got the kind of face you can't look away from."
The steering wheel creaks as Teal'c's hands tighten. He knows whose face Daniel Jackson speaks of. Deliberately, he loosens his grip and scans their surroundings.
"It's not beauty," Daniel Jackson muses. "It's something stronger than that."
"Qetesh," Teal'c tells him through gritted teeth, flicking the indicator switch.
"Qetesh?" asks Daniel Jackson. "Consort of Resheph, goddess of sacred ecstasy, Mistress of the Gods, Qetesh?"
"Indeed."
"That… actually explains a lot," says Daniel Jackson, sagging in his seat. "Wait, why are we stopping?"
"We require beer." Much beer.
Daniel Jackson purchases a six-pack of Budweiser. Teal'c buys four. It is a measure of Daniel Jackson's distraction that he does not question the purchase. As soon as they are back in the car, he turns eagerly to Teal'c.
"So, Qetesh?"
"She was a minor Goa'uld of some influence and much cunning, who was in service to Ra at the time of his death. It was widely presumed that he had some sort of hold over her as Qetesh more typically allied herself with Goa'uld of equal or lesser status. However, Apophis believed it more probable that Ra had something she wanted as Qetesh possessed the knack of convincing her fellow Goa'uld to assist her in achieving her goals despite almost always betraying them."
"Sounds familiar," comments Daniel Jackson.
"Soon after word of Ra's death began to spread, there was an uprising on his homeworld," Teal'c continues. "Qetesh was killed, and her body dragged through the streets."
"Wait, what?" Daniel Jackson bolts upright, his eyes wide as he stares at Teal'c.
"The System Lords decreed the inhabitants of that world put to death in punishment for their crime." As First Prime to Apophis, Teal'c had participated in the slaughter. "As far as I was aware, both Qetesh and her Host died that day."
"She said the Tok'ra saved her," remembers Daniel Jackson. "They must've used a sarcophagus."
"Indeed."
"Do you know when Qetesh took Vala as a host?" he asks.
The steering wheel creaks again. Teal'c wishes Daniel Jackson had not asked this question.
"I do not know precisely how long-"
"Teal'c?" pushes Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c knows he must tell him.
"It was whilst I was an apprentice to Bra'tac."
Daniel Jackson is silent for a long moment before he says quietly, "That was fifty years ago, Teal'c."
"Indeed."
Daniel Jackson appears lost in thought, and Teal'c is thankful for the reprieve. He knows that as soon as his friend has assimilated the information, he will have more questions than Teal'c can answer. Consequently, Teal'c makes the decision to slightly exceed the speed limit for the remainder of their journey. Fortunately it isn't much further, and the sight of O'Neill's house is a welcome one. Daniel Jackson requires beer. Teal'c would prefer something stronger. Alas, he is the designated driver.