Bad Dreams, by ELG (PG)
Rec Category: Sam and Teal’c friendship
Pairing: none
Categories: Sam and Teal’c friendship, Samantha Carter, Teal’c, gen, episode related
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: elgrey
Author's Website: Bunnyfic.com
Link: Bad Dreams
Why This Must Be Read: This is another enchanting take on those nebulous days after Changeling, when Teal’c had to struggle with his newfound need for sleep after nearly a century of kel’no’reem. In Bad Dreams, Sam offers comfort - not only with a bedtime story, but with the support of her own presence.
There is the intriguing question of whether he has truly awakened; Teal’c and Sam have a fascinating discussion on the subject of reality and the realm of the imagination, and Teal’c tries to comprehend Daniel’s nebulous presence in both his dreams and his waking periods. But the common thread that weaves this story together is friendship - willingly offered, and gratefully taken, and a beautifully-rendered read.
Major Carter glanced up at him, and it occurred to Teal'c that he was very comfortable with her leaning against him in this fashion, and that she seemed equally comfortable with his arm around her shoulders. “Teal'c, would you mind if I stayed here for the rest of the night?”
He blinked in mild surprise then inclined his head. “I would be most gratified by your company, Major Carter.”
“I thought you might find it easier to sleep if there was someone here with you - even if I am a figment of your imagination.”
Knowing she was teasing him, he could not help smiling back, the fears which had seemed so paralyzing earlier appearing a little foolish now. “I do now believe that you are entirely real.”
“Well, that makes two of us, but just in case it should turn out that you are actually somewhere else entirely and I’m just a voice in your head, why don’t I stay here while you sleep and then if I start fading out, I can wake you up, and keep you here…?”
His candle flames were reflected in her eyes, along with a glint of humor she could not suppress. His fears now seemed very foolish, but it was not entirely unpleasant to be mocked by a friend, especially a friend for whom he cared so very much and who clearly cared for him with equal warmth.
“I would be most grateful if you would do so, Major Carter,” he told her, and bowed his head so that their foreheads touched in respect. She showed no surprise at his having done so but laid her head upon his chest as if she needed to hear his heartbeat, her fingers entwined with his so that he could not slip away again - to other lives, or other deaths.
When he slept he dreamed, not of the wailing sirens of fire engines or the spirits of the dead Jaffa taking flight like birds upon the wing, but of himself in a small chamber in a gray concrete bunker buried far beneath a mountain, with a friend sleeping beside him, and another friend watching over him, and this time the words that came back to him brought nothing but comfort.
I promise you this is real. You're just going to have to trust me on that. You go to sleep. When you wake up, everything's gonna be fine.