Chapter One: The Beginning
Page One3, July 1999 Saturday 2:32 AM Stepping out of the Stargate and onto the ramp, Teal'c paused a moment to allow the automatic second of
disorientation to pass without incident.
He had relished his visit with Rya'c, glad his son had a safe place in which to grow stronger and wiser.
His time avoiding Drey'auc had been made
difficult by her obvious desire to spend quality moments with him, dampening some of the enjoyment he might have otherwise had.
He still desired her, but even knowing she had done what she
felt necessary to protect their son did not dull his mental images of her lying with his former friend.
He could not bear to touch her without wishing it had not been O'Neill who had ended the
traitor's life.
Teal'c walked steadily, anger twisting inside him as he tried to force out the evil thoughts.
His feet clanked loudly on the metal as he relinquished his staff weapon to the
Airman on duty.
Heading toward the shower room, Teal'c was forced to admit, if only to himself, that he couldn't stand the guilt he felt at having put his wife in such a position as to have
made the choices she'd been forced to make.
It did not cheapen her in his eyes, merely highlighting the pride and strength he had first noticed in her when Apophis had presented her as first
choice.
He had abandoned her and could not ask her to forgive him, yet.
He knew Drey'auc's patience was wearing thin, and she'd never been one to quietly sit by when she felt action was
needed, but he wasn't ready to make a new life with her.
Not until he had resolved his own emotions and priorities.
Not until he was worthy again. 3:39 AM Teal'c settled in to meditate
for the night, glad to have some time to himself, when alarms went off, blaring away any chance he'd had at decent concentration.
Annoyed and concerned, he was out the door, inquiring of
passersby, but no one knew exactly what had happened.
A quick, curt call to the control room answered the puzzle, revealing that someone had sabotaged half of the supply rooms.
Storage on
the base had been cut by two-thirds due to strategic fires that all seemed to go off simultaneously.
Resigning himself to a night of work, Teal'c mentally shrugged off the fatigue and went in
search of the nearest area of damage to help. * * * * * * 4:15 AM Jack must die.
He was the one responsible for providing Cassandra with a loving, sloppy dog.
Therefore, he should be
here now, in this bed…forced to endure slobbery kisses.
The bed shifted beside Janet and she turned onto her other side, knowing that blasted dog had snuck into her bed during the night.
Again.
He missed Cassie, too, so she was trying not to get angry.
In a way, he did give a sense of the house actually being occupied, but still…
Janet stretched and smiled in spite of
her ire at being woken up a mere three hours after finally having gotten to sleep when a furry warmth lined her back before settling into his own warm spot to go back to sleep.
Two hours left
before the alarm would go off, signaling the start of her day.
Resolutely, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind of everything, relaxing each muscle in her body.
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