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 Title: Enduring Time Author: Su Freund Email: su_freund@ficwithfins.com Category: Angst, romance, friendship, drama Content Level: Age 13+ Content Warnings: Major character death, mild language, sexual situations Pairings: Jack/Sam, Sam/Teal'c, Daniel/Vala Season: Future Spoilers: Up to and including "Unending" Summary: Teal'c felt sure she would see his emotions all too openly if he exposed those dark eyes to her... Sequel/Series Info: Continuation from Chapter 8 of Enduring Time and sequel series to Unending Time Status: Continuing Series Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Copyright 2008 Su Freund Author's notes: I am once again grateful to ImmerRDA for her thoughts and suggestions when beta reading this story. Thanks my friend! Also, the feedback sent to me by you folk who are reading this continues to thrill me. You keep my muse alive, and wanting to write more. Enduring Time: Chapter 9 Previously: Sam squeezed his hand encouragingly. "You're not so old for a Jaffa, are you?" "Old enough that I feel it, Samantha," he replied seriously and, much to his surprise, she chuckled. "So we're both a couple of old codgers who should probably be living in a retirement home, huh?" she retorted with the laughter still on her lips. A wry smile came to Teal'c's face. "Indeed." She beamed at him and he found his heart leaping again, admonishing himself that old men should not have the kind of thoughts that sprang to his mind. Those days were gone, were they not? Undoubtedly, Samantha would think so. As she rested her head against his chest once again, Teal'c wished it was otherwise. However, he was virile no longer; only fit to welcome peace and death, which he believed would not be too long coming. The old Jaffa welcomed this respite, the chance to enjoy the pleasing company of Samantha once again before he died, and would content himself with that. The story continues: The early-summer sun beat down on them from a bright blue sky that had turned virtually cloudless, the previously large fluffy shapes now thin wisps of white. Welcoming Samantha's suggestion that he show her around, at her insistence the pair leisurely walked arm in arm through the dry warmth while they surveyed his small holding. Teal'c's apparent enthusiasm about what he grew and how he occupied his time with bringing new life to this world warmed Sam's heart. She could not recall having seen him quite as animated before. So human and not at all like the stern and stoic Jaffa she had first met many years ago. How things had changed for all of them in that time. Sam had a hat perched upon her head and wore sunglasses for protection against the powerful rays. She'd had the forethought to pack sunscreen, much needed on such a gloriously warm and sun drenched day. Unlike his companion, Teal'c did not wear the protection of headgear, or sunscreen, but the sunglasses he had acquired on his last visit to Earth covered his eyes. Months ago, Sam had bought him those very sunglasses. One day after Jack's funeral many light years away, she took him shopping in a small town close to the cabin in Minnesota. Teal'c expressed a desire for sunglasses, a practical Earth accessory he had missed, but he had no Tauri money with which to purchase them. She got half a dozen pairs for him to take home, so Teal'c had back-up after back-up, just in case. Her action amused him greatly. He was not, after all, Daniel Jackson, who broke pairs of spectacles with regular monotony. At first, Teal'c was hesitant to accept the gifts but, in Minnesota, they did not use the barter system of his adopted home. So, he had little choice but to take her offer if he wanted a pair. On such a dazzling day, he was grateful she had persuaded him. They not only provided him with protection from the glare, but also from her penetrating gaze. Teal'c felt sure she would see his emotions all too openly if he exposed those dark eyes to her. Sam was more than happy to allow Teal'c to barter with her over the sunglasses, and he found ways to repay her kindness by undertaking chores around her cabin and its surrounding land. Before he would let her purchase the glasses he had persisted in making this arrangement. She had agreed, knowing Teal'c wished to preserve his pride rather than accept the intended gifts without payment. The landscape surrounding Teal'c's cabin was a cornucopia of vivid color with every shade of green one could imagine, and plants and flowers of varying hues and beauty. From scanning her surroundings right up to the horizon, Sam could see that each smallholding, including Teal'c's, grew practical vegetables and fruits in abundance, but were also festooned by less practical, but pretty, flowers. A rainbow of color, clearly cultivated and cared for. Wild flowers and grasses grew on the uncultivated land, some of which appeared familiar, similar to poppies and daisies, and some not, but no less decorative and wild. Sam's escort accompanied them at a discreet distance, despite protestations that there was nothing to fear. The men had their orders and knew what would happen to them if General Carter came to harm. So, they remained alert with their weapons at rest but ready to press into use at a moment's notice. When they saw someone approaching them from a distance, the watchful men looked wary, cautiously tightening their hands around the guns. Sam was amused. Even from this distance, and with ageing eyes, she could see the man who walked toward them was unarmed. "Ry'ac!" she exclaimed with a grin, when he got close enough for her to recognize him, although he was much changed. "It's good to see you," she said. Ry'ac smiled, stepping up his pace and, when he was upon her, took her into his arms for a brief hug. The younger man glanced at his father, wondering what he was thinking. Although they had never discussed it, he knew Teal'c had grieved for someone or something, and had speculated a guess that he had greatly missed his Tauri friends. He had no inkling about Teal'c's true feelings for this woman, but realized the pair had been close and welcomed an impromptu visit from her. "You also, General Carter." "Please call me Sam," she said insistently. "I will, Sam, thank you," he replied with a slight bow that was reminiscent of his father. "Samantha!" his father said sharply. "You should call General Carter Samantha." His reaction took Sam aback. "Teal'c!" she exclaimed, not able to fathom his uncharacteristic churlishness. "We should not dishonor the memory of O'Neill by utilizing his name for you." Sam smiled at him indulgently, starting to understand, but wondering about his reasoning. Many people apart from Jack called her Sam. She commonly went by the name. "He called me many names, Teal'c, and not all of them pretty ones sometimes," she retorted humorously. "Don't be so old fashioned." Noticing he bristled at that remark, she took his hand and squeezed it, not wishing to slight him. "That's kind of sweet," she added in a placating tone, "but not necessary." "It is indeed necessary," Teal'c persisted peevishly, and Sam gave Ry'ac a helpless look. "Then, Samantha," Ry'ac started, acceding to his father's wishes, "you shall come to dinner tonight with my father and our family. Kar'yn suggested I ask father, and you must come too." "I would love to meet everyone, Ry'ac. Teal'c tells me you have quite a family now. I find it hard to believe you're a grandfather. You look way too young." He was, of course, many years older than she remembered him. When Ry'ac had married Kar'yn, he had still appeared to be but a boy, but that boy had now matured into a handsome man, and filled out like his father. Muscles rippled under his plain, homespun tunic, his torso and legs had thickened and he had grown a dark thick beard and moustache. Although he looked so different, he remained recognizably Ry'ac. "Many years have passed, Samantha," Ry'ac commented. "Although the children are still very young." The latter remark appeared to be slightly whimsical and the wry smile on his face reminded her of Teal'c, although his features resembled those of Drey'auc more than his father. Sam figured that, had the universe remained the same, his forehead might have shone with the gold of a First Prime rather than the black of his Jaffa tattoo. She was glad Ry'ac did not have to live in such a universe anymore. "And a great joy," Teal'c inserted with a smile, his earlier snit apparently forgotten. "Then you will come?" Ry'ac asked. "Indeed," Teal'c agreed, glancing at Samantha to ensure acquiescence. Happily agreeable, she gave him a look that clearly meant "of course". "And what of your men, Samantha?" Ry'ac queried, eyeing her escort who remained guardedly quiet, watching attentively from a short distance away. Sam grinned at the suggestion that these two strapping youngsters were her men and turned to face them. "This is Mike and Denis," she said as introduction, indicating each man appropriately. "They are here to protect me, although quite what sin they committed to get stuck with that dubious babysitting honor, I have no idea." Her thoughts wandered to Jack and how frustrated he would get about the assignment of such a seemingly lowly and dull mission. Mike and Denis, on the other hand, seemed honored to accompany her, showing no outward signs of irritation. But then they would not show it, would they? Not like her older, more experienced and skeptical husband probably would have. The notion that they felt honored by the assignment was just an impression she had gleaned from their earlier conversation and their demeanor, and Sam thought she should take an opportunity to get to know the two men better. "What about you guys?" she asked. "Do you want to put on your glad rags and party, Jaffa style?" Realizing that her tongue was firmly in her cheek, Mike Andrews suppressed an amused smirk and schooled his features into a neutral military mask. The notion of dining with Jaffa in their home excited him. It would make quite a tale for his friends and family back home, and for his children and grandchildren too one day, he thought. In fact, in his opinion, this whole trip was a buzz. These people had made history and were the living embodiment of a glorious past he envied. Mike wished he had lived back then when the Stargate Program had truly meant something - courage and heroism, fighting for causes that no longer existed. These people had conquered dangerous enemies and worlds and made important allies and lasting friendships with the unusual and wonderful races of the universe. They were the first true space explorers and that was pretty wild, and courageous beyond almost anything else he could imagine. "We cannot intrude," he replied, wishing he did not feel obliged to decline. "We're here to do a job, ma'am." "Well, back in the day, doing my job never stopped me from being sociable when the time was right," she retorted. "You must join us," Ry'ac insisted. "Any friends of Samantha Carter are welcome in my home, and I will not have you standing watch like two members of the Palace Guard." Mike glanced briefly at his comrade, and shrugged, his face lighting up with a smile as he turned back to face the younger Jaffa. He found it difficult to grasp that this man was a grandfather. What they said about Jaffa must be true. He wanted to learn more. "We would be honored, sir," he responded, bowing in the Jaffa manner he had been taught. "And you shall honor us by attending," Ry'ac replied, meeting the bow with a similar one of his own. "Then it is settled," he added, turning back to face Sam and his father. "I shall leave you in peace and look forward to the opportunity to converse with you later. I must go home and inform Kar'yn we have additional guests for dinner, although she always makes enough food to feed a small army so there would likely be a sufficiency." Once again, his droll smile reminded Sam of Teal'c, and she began to see his father's image in that face alongside his mother's. The young Jaffa had that all-knowing, serene look about him, just like his dear old pa. Giving Sam a peck on the check, Ry'ac smiled at his father, reaching out a hand to squeeze his shoulder and give him a short bow. A Jaffa gesture of respect. "Later, then," he said, turning and striding away purposefully. Sam sighed and looked at Teal'c. "You must be proud of him." "Indeed. He is a good man, a good husband and father." "He looks so much like Drey'auc, although I see you in him too." Teal'c sighed wistfully at the reminder of his late wife. "Yes, Drey'auc gave him much to commend him. His daughter, Sha'lok, is very much in her image, and his son, Bra'tac, resembles me." "They named their son for Bra'tac? I bet he was thrilled." "It gave him much pleasure before he passed on." He glanced at her. "Although it has been many years, I still miss him." "Losing someone you love is hard, Teal'c." "Indeed," he agreed, and her expression told him that her thoughts had turned back to O'Neill and that unbearable loss. Although he knew that such a loss became more tolerable with time, he also realized that it was probably still too soon for that. "Shall we walk on, Samantha?" he suggested, hoping to occupy her mind with pleasant thoughts. "Yes, let's. I want to see everything." "You have time enough for that. I do not wish for you to tire yourself." "I'm too excited to be tired, Teal'c. This trip is like a breath of fresh air. It felt good to walk through the gate again. I feel fitter and younger than I have for months." "I understand." Sam linked her arm through his again. "Okay, so what's that over there?" she asked, pointing to a crop she didn't recognize, and their tour started again. When they finally reached the lake, some way off, the pair sat down on a large log to rest their weary old bones, leaning their backs against a tree. Sam's silent escort seated themselves in ready watchfulness close by, but at a respectful distance to protect the privacy of the two friends. The shimmering sun on the lake made its surface flicker and dance with light. Their position provided a closer view of the cultivated forest land Sam had seen from a distance before, and the conifer like trees swayed in the light breeze. The lake was large, stretching in front of them into the distance. A good way off she could see what appeared to be small boats bobbing in the water. The only sounds, however, were the rustling greenery, the blue water lapping on the shore and birdsong. "It's really beautiful and peaceful here, Teal'c, just like you told me," Sam said as she looked this way and that, taking in their surroundings. "It pleases me that you think so, Samantha," he replied and, glancing at him, she glimpsed a self-satisfied smile. "You fish somewhere around here?" "I do." "Nice spot. Jack would have loved it. Are those boats I see in the distance?" "Some of my brothers fish these waters and trade the fish for other goods," he explained, "although some merely do it for pleasure, as do the Tauri." "The place seems almost idyllic." "It is not always an easy life, but it can be satisfying." Sam wondered about the easy life comment, supposing working the land had never been a life of ease, but she did not probe. "Don't you ever miss the hubbub of life on Chulak or Earth?" she asked instead. "Rarely. I enjoy this life, Samantha." "But you're alone. Don't you get lonely?" She peered at him closely and he turned toward her, steadily meeting her gaze. "You are alone too." "Not by choice." "Indeed not." When Teal'c said nothing further about his aloneness, Sam did not press. Instead, the pair sat in quiet contemplation looking at the view. After a while, she rested her head on his shoulder. At first, Teal'c did not react, at least outwardly. Once again, inside his feelings were a confusion of complex mixed thoughts and feelings. Samantha Carter still had the ability to make his heart race and his blood quicken. Then, he moved his arm to wrap around her and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled up to him. This was something she had wished for from this trip - the strong and comforting arms of the serene Teal'c around her in a gesture of enduring friendship. "This is nice," she commented in a low tone. Teal'c said nothing, and she did not expect or need him to. Words were not important. "Tomorrow, we should come here to fish," she suggested. Unsurprisingly, the thought raised the specter of her late husband. But Teal'c's presence made the memories bearable in a way that they were not when she brooded alone. Samantha Carter was very pleased she had made this journey - very pleased indeed. TBC |