fic: arborvitae
title: Arborvitae
series: Stargate SG-1
rating: PG
word count: ~7,500
notes: for missparker, who is lovely and let me play with this line from Desperation: or Carter’s being a woman set into motion some asinine chain of events that ended with Teal’c having to carry her around a sacred tree nine times before they could gate home.
Thanks to adventurepants for what I would call an above-and-beyond beta, nighttones for equally above-and-beyond cheerleading, and everyone who enjoyed the #sacredtrees tag despite not really knowing what it meant. Now you'll know! :)
They will discover later that the sparkling pink field directly in front of the gate - the one the MALP failed to detect - was a DNA scanner. The slight tingling of their muscles as they passed through it will make sense then, as will Major Carter’s rather casual remarks that she felt “a little strange”. It will no longer be surprising to recall the way her legs crumpled beneath her like wet clay, leaving her face down and deathly still in the grass.
These things will just be pieces already added to the completed puzzle, but Major Carter’s deadpan declaration of, “I can’t move,” will always be the one that doesn’t quite fit, jutting out just enough to unsettle even Teal’c for some time to come.
---
When it starts, it’s just one leg. They take turns slinging her arms over their shoulders as they trek across empty pastures, searching the mountains in the distance for any signs of civilization. The glittering pink field persisted when they tried to turn around and dial out, preventing them from simply heading back through the gate as Colonel O’Neill demanded. There was no other choice but to move forward.
O’Neill and Daniel Jackson remain unaffected, as does Teal’c himself. It’s a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by any of them, least of all by Major Carter. To her credit, she seems unfazed by the situation thus far, facing her sudden affliction with the same calm rationality and cautious optimism Teal’c has grown to admire in her over the years.
“Really, guys, it’s fine,” she insists yet again, methodically massaging her leg in an attempt to ease it back to life. She’s been doing this each time they pause to catch their breath, and so far it’s accomplished nothing.
In his silence, Teal’c keeps a close eye on his teammates. He has a running tally of everything subtle: the tension in O’Neill’s muscles, his tendency to both keep vigilant watch of everything ahead of and behind them while simultaneously hovering around Major Carter. He notes Daniel Jackson’s restlessness, his concern and his yearning to solve this mystery punctuated by the rapid drumming of his fingers against his knee.
As for Major Carter, she discourages O’Neill’s hovering with pointed looks, smirks, and rolls of her eyes. She covers Daniel Jackson’s hand with her own and offers him a smile.
She also makes jokes, frequently. Any other person unfamiliar with her would say she’s taking this in stride (which she is) and leave it at that. But Teal’c knows better: this is what she does when she’s nervous. When she isn’t talking, her thoughts are elsewhere, as far away as her gaze. She appears confident that they will find a way to reverse what the field has done, but he can see her thinking already of what will happen if they don’t, if there is no scientific fact behind these apparently mystical forces.
“We’ll find something,” she says, and Teal’c knows it’s more to reassure herself than anyone else. She flashes him a grin and adds, “Otherwise, I’ll have to sell my bike.”
Their journey continues like this for almost two hours, starting and stopping and starting again, always focused on the mountains for any twitch of humanity. Finally, Daniel Jackson points to a plateau below a huge tree at the peak of one of the smallest mountains, a plateau with a wispy plume of smoke rising from it.
It’s an easy hike up; the rocks are well-worn and flattened into a clear path, and they appreciate this sign that people have lived here for many years. They reach a village in record time and express relief to find it both inhabited and lively. They smell the aromas of cooking meals, hear the laughter of children and do not linger waiting for anything else.
They’re not even past the entrance when Major Carter stumbles, dragging O’Neill down with her for a moment before he catches her. She looks down at her legs, both limp and unmoving behind her, and says, “Guess I lost the other one.” O’Neill swears under his breath and lifts her over his shoulder.
She looks up at Daniel and Teal’c as she bounces against O’Neill’s back and seems entertained by her own remark about a “royal escort”. She smiles just like before, but the corners of her mouth quiver slightly.
Teal’c adds it to his list as he watches the sun’s descent redden the sky.
---
“I am truly, truly sorry for what this has done.”
The head of the village bows deep at the waist. He bears no formal title to indicate his leadership, only introducing himself by his given name: Relkar. Relkar is a strong man with visible, but not overbearing muscles. His hair is white but his bearded chin is hard, and there’s something odd about a man of his stature freely gesturing with such humility.
Every so often he glances at Major Carter, eyeing her warily as if she is an active detonator. The other men in the village (and as far as they can tell, there are no women) do the same as they mill about. Most of the younger ones whisper to each other. Some stop and stare.
Major Carter has long since stopped staring back.
“All right, fine.” O’Neill’s voice is firm, anger vibrating at the edges. “Now tell us how we fix this.”
Relkar straightens, his gaze flitting momentarily to Major Carter again, and he sighs quietly. His is a society wracked by cold war, a cold war completely defined by gender, and his discomfort at gazing into the face of someone who should be his enemy is obvious. His people suffered through years of males versus females, divided only by the space that separated their planets, space easily traversed by the Stargate. Each side was supposed to be in the midst of a truce, but a few years and plenty of bubbling tensions had turned it into more of a stalemate. Each planet now possesses the strange field, effectively forbidding travel between the two worlds. The other planet’s field scans for XY chromosomes, this one’s scans for XX, and they both release a series of electronic pulses into the offending gender’s body, pulses designed to gradually suppress motor neuron activity. It’s a quick way to see through disguises and halt intruders, but it’s just dirty enough to make Teal’c’s jaw tense. Not to mention the implications of a woman as an utterly immobile prisoner in a sea of men is not lost on him.
“The time it takes the paralysis to spread varies,” Relkar says. “But there is a way to reverse the process.”
He points behind them to the tree towering over the village. It is a truly massive testament to nature’s power, its trunk very likely as big around as a small building in a Tau’ri city. It’s as if the whole mountain shaped itself around this one tree, holding it up and letting it grow for thousands of years.
“Not all women are our enemies,” Relkar states, and Teal’c is pleased to see Major Carter look up at this, her expression something between annoyed and half-interested. They’ve certainly been through this before on plenty of other worlds.
“If a man wishes to live in peace with a woman, he must prove their mutual strength of spirit by bringing her here and taking her through the Sacred Triad of Three.”
Daniel Jackson’s brows furrow in puzzlement. “Sacred Triad of Three?”
“Isn’t that a little redundant?” O’Neill asks flatly.
Relkar ignores their remarks and continues. “There are three fields stationed around the tree that must be entered nine times. The man carries his woman through each field, essentially taking her burden onto himself.” He pauses, looking from O’Neill to Daniel Jackson, and then finally Teal’c. “It is not an easy task. It is, in fact, quite painful for the man. You will want to choose wisely.”
“‘Choose?’” O’Neill repeats. “Choose what?”
Relkar looks down at Major Carter. “Choose which one of you will take her through the Sacred Triad.”
O’Neill’s reply is immediate. “We’re all going.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible; only one man is allowed to traverse the fields.”
“I don’t care.”
“Jack.” Daniel Jackson steps forward and turns to Relkar. “What he means to say is, we’d really prefer to stick together on this. We’re a team, that’s what we do.”
“I understand,” Relkar concedes, “but believe me when I say this has been attempted. It has always failed. The fields only allow one man and one woman to pass through.”
“Couldn’t we just take turns? Trade off?”
“There is a field that guards the entrance to the Triad. The four of you together would never make it through that field.” Relkar turns his gaze toward the sky, now dotted with stars in the twilight. “As it is, it will not let you pass until the dawning of the sun. The women are not usually brought through the Stargate until the sun sets so as to prevent… unnecessary risk.”
His hesitation before those last words does not go unnoticed. Daniel Jackson’s eyebrows shoot up just before he asks, “Unnecessary risk?”
Relkar does not immediately meet his gaze. “As I said, the time it takes the paralysis to spread varies.” He steps back, spreading his arms to gesture toward the rest of the village. “The two who will not be going through the Triad are welcome to stay here for the night.” He eyes the group of them seriously before he adds, “You should make your choice as soon as possible.” He bows again. “Good luck.”
Relkar turns to leave, but is stopped by the sound of Major Carter’s voice calling his name. It’s the first word she’s spoken since they arrived.
“You keep talking about the time it takes for the paralysis to spread,” she says once he has turned to face her. “How complete does it get?”
Relkar looks away.
“Complete,” he replies. “If left untreated, it will lead to death.” He finally looks Major Carter in the eye, says, “I’m sorry,” and then he walks away, leaving the four of them alone to stare at each other. The information is icy as it sinks in.
Teal’c breaks the silence along with O’Neill and Daniel Jackson. They say, “I’ll go,” he says, “I will go,” and it all means the same thing. Their eyes lock, almost as if they seek to size each other up.
“I’m going,” O’Neill says, the finality in his voice quite clear.
“Jack-”
“Oh, come on, Daniel. You’re not going.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You really think you’re capable of carrying Carter around a sacred tree nine times?”
“I think I’m just as capable as you are! Bad knees ringing any bells?”
From below, Major Carter lets slip a somewhat derisive snort.
Before their argument can get any pettier (and it’s well on its way), Teal’c calmly interrupts. “I will go.”
O’Neill and Daniel Jackson turn to him as if they’d forgotten he was there.
“I believe I am at an advantage when it comes to physical strength. I will escort Major Carter through the Triad.”
Their silence stretches on longer than is probably necessary. O’Neill stares at him for a moment before turning to Daniel Jackson. “‘An advantage,’ he says.”
“Teal’c would be at an advantage, yes. Quite an advantage.”
“Yes. But let’s not rub it in.”
Another beat of silence passes before Major Carter chimes in. “Sir, I think the choice is pretty clear.”
O’Neill remains silent, drawing in a quiet breath as his eyes pass between Teal’c and Major Carter. They can all see the wheels spinning in his head, see him already working through the frustration of having to stay behind and let them to do this alone. “Yeah, all right,” he finally says. “Just be back at dawn.” He sounds like a parent telling his children to follow a curfew.
“Yes, sir.” Major Carter tosses another tiny smirk in his direction.
Teal’c moves to lift her from the ground and she extends a hand to him, but she does this with her left arm. Her right hangs loosely at her side, fingers half-curled into her palm and alarmingly still.
Their collective pause is inevitable. Major Carter shuts her eyes for a fraction of a second before giving O’Neill a warning look, pleading for his silence.
He nods once, and the only thing he says is, “Go.”
Teal’c easily slings her over his shoulder, gently yet efficiently. He finds himself a little startled by how limp she already feels, like dead weight pressing down upon him.
As he begins to leave, Major Carter lifts her head.
“See you in the morning,” she says, and doesn’t spare another look back.
---
The path to the tree is less traveled than the one into the village. The stones are sharper and more plentiful, little diamond traps just waiting to send clumsier people sprawling. The ground is steeper and more uneven and yet Teal’c’s stride is long as he walks, but his steps are measured and careful. He wants to get to the tree, now a dark shadow towering against the stars, as soon as possible. Even if it’s true that they can’t complete the Triad until dawn, he wants to be ready the moment the first sunbeams peek over the horizon.
For the most part, their journey is quiet. Major Carter remains silent, speaking only when Teal’c prompts her, which makes the first twinges of anxiety bubble within in his chest. He respects her silence and doesn’t pester her with questions, but he wants to keep her talking, keep her mind as far away from her current state as possible. It seems to work: she eventually pipes up with an idea about a generator, and there must be one for the shields near wherever they’re supposed to wait, and if they can find it and she can just look at it, she can probably figure out how to disable it and talk Teal’c through it.
“I’d do it myself,” she says, “but somehow I don’t think trying to pick up control crystals with my teeth is such a good idea.” The sound she makes bears more resemblance to a sigh than it does a laugh.
Teal’c tightens his hold on the backs of her legs and marches on.
The mountain summit grows ever closer. When the tree’s leaves are distinguishable from one another and the trunk appears tall enough to topple right over and crush them both, Teal’c spies a large hole in the rock wall on the side of the path. It looks like a small cavern carved into the mountain, but he doesn’t give it much pause since they’re a stone’s throw away from the tree; just past this one final rise and they’ll be standing under the looming shadow of the dense canopy.
However, it appears the cave wants to be noticed. He takes one step past it and instantly feels as if he’s stepped on the blade of a sword. Grunting in surprise, the searing shot of pain spreads throughout his body like fire and he feels an odd sensation of something pushing against his chest. He attempts to fight it, to break through it and continue on, but the forces are too much and the agony too great. He staggers backwards and as he does, he sees the remnants of sizzling pink veins fading into the darkness.
“Teal’c!” Major Carter exclaims, and what little of her can still move squirms frantically against him. “Teal’c, what happened? Are you all right?”
“I am fine,” he asserts, his thighs still shaking slightly against echoes of pain. “Are you injured?”
“No, I’m fine, I-” She stops, as if searching for words. Finally, she says, “I didn’t really feel anything.”
Teal’c acknowledges this, all too aware of what it probably means, but he puts it aside for the moment. Instead, he glares at the space before him. “It appears Relkar was quite serious about his warnings concerning the shield. We will not be able to pass.”
“Are we close?” Major Carter strains to look around from her awkward vantage point at Teal’c’s back.
“Extremely.” Teal’c gazes up at the tree somewhat bitterly.
“Well, maybe that means a generator’s nearby, too,” Major Carter offers. “Why don’t we try to find it?”
Teal’c agrees and immediately reverses course. Once he makes it past the cavern in the opposite direction, he jerks against another painful onslaught, stepping back a little quicker this time so as to not extend the torment.
“Teal’c,” Major Carter says, her voice tense.
“I do not believe we will be successful in finding a generator.” Teal’c suppresses a frustrated growl, looking from one end of the path to the other. Another rock wall is at their right, making it impossible to find another route to bypass the shields. There’s nowhere else for them to go.
“It appears we are meant to wait inside this cavern.” He pauses for a moment. “Even if it is against our will.”
Major Carter does not reply as Teal’c heads inside the cave.
It’s somewhat bigger on the inside than it initially appeared, and it’s clearly been used before: there are small alcoves in the walls bearing what look to be old candles, the wax now nothing more than pitiful, hardened lumps. Enough light from the planet’s full moon filters in through the entrance, leaving the cave at least slightly illuminated by dim white light. The floor, for the most part, is smooth and clean, although there are a few twigs and scattered patches of dirt that Teal’c brushes away with his foot. All in all, it is a suitable enclosure and as good a place as any to await the sunrise.
Teal’c softly lowers Major Carter to the floor, propping her back up against the wall. She still appears alert and balances herself for a moment with her left hand, and Teal’c takes both these things as good signs.
“You have not eaten since we arrived on this planet,” he says as he procures two Power Bars from a vest pocket, “and I believe we have one Double Chocolate Crisp.”
Major Carter smiles, genuine but somewhat fatigued. “You’re really going to let me have that?”
His lips quirk into a smile as he begins to unwrap it. When he offers it to her, she chuckles softly.
“Okay, but no more special treatment.” She smirks teasingly at him as she lets him hand the bar to her, taking a very measured bite out of it once she has it within her grasp. Teal’c rises from the floor, pocketing the other bar and listening to the quiet thump of the back of Major Carter’s head resting against the wall. She chews slowly and looks off to the side, distracted.
Teal’c knows he can’t stop her from thinking about her current condition, but it is upsetting to see her so tired and discouraged. Again, he pushes his frustration away and focuses on the task before him. He places a hand against the cavern wall; it’s smooth in places, rough in others, but the entire area is cool against his palm. It sounds like a farfetched idea even as he thinks it, but there isn’t anything else to do and it’s entirely possible that a hidden generator switch may exist in some tiny crack in the wall. He has enough faith in his sense of touch that he won’t waste a flashlight battery on this, so he presses his fingers into the stone and gets to work.
He moves slowly, carefully running his hand up and down the wall. The cave is silent aside from his footsteps and the occasional rustle of the Power Bar wrapper.
It doesn’t take long for Major Carter to notice him meandering around the cave. “What are you doing?”
“Attempting to locate a generator,” Teal’c answers, keeping up his steady pace.
“Secret wall panels?” she asks, a hint of amusement in her voice.
He nods. “Although there are none yet.”
Major Carter lets out another soft chuckle, immediately followed by a quiet sigh. “You know, it was probably a stupid idea in the first place.” She shrugs slightly with her good shoulder. “I mean, who’s to say it would even be obvious which crystal powers each shield? We’d probably end up deactivating one of the ones we need instead.”
Teal’c pauses when his fingers brush over a particularly jagged section, but unfortunately, pressing into it does nothing other than leave tiny dents in his fingers. “Is it not more productive to try anyway?” he asks.
He looks back at Major Carter for a moment, and is relieved to find her smiling. “Yeah,” she responds. “Yeah, I guess it is.” She takes another bite of the Power Bar and adds, “But I think this situation is probably-”
She stops abruptly, and a few seconds after she does, Teal’c hears the wrapper rustle. The sound is a bit louder than it previously has been, and it’s accompanied by a small thump. When he turns to Major Carter, he sees her staring at the Power Bar, half-finished and lying on the floor next to her hand. She doesn’t move to grab it, and the way she’s staring blankly at it tells him she can’t.
“A little different,” she finishes, her voice much quieter than it was before.
He knew this was inevitable, knew they both did, and yet Teal’c cannot hold back the icy wave that washes over him. He closes the distance between them quickly and kneels down beside Major Carter, supporting her as she slips sideways down the wall.
“Wow,” she mutters as a disbelieving laugh escapes her. “This is actually… even more humiliating than I thought it would be.”
Teal’c remains silent for now, concentrating on maneuvering them both into positions that might be able to pass as comfortable. Eventually, he settles himself back against the wall and gently lays Major Carter’s head in his lap.
“What did I say about special treatment?” she asks him.
He starts to arrange her immobile limbs into less awkward positions. “Would you prefer to lie with your head against the cold floor?” There is a teasing challenge in his voice.
She is silent for a moment, and Teal’c wonders if she’s seriously considering it. “No,” she finally says, looking up at him with a somewhat grim smile.
Neither of them says anything for quite a while, which Teal’c thinks is just as well: he spends the time listening carefully for any changes in Major Carter’s breathing. There isn't much of her left to paralyze, so it’s only a matter of time before her more vital muscles start to succumb. The idea of her withering away all night right next to him is… disturbing, at best.
“Hey, Teal’c,” Major Carter murmurs, breaking the silence and, thankfully, his train of thought. She looks up at him again, and yet can’t quite meet his eyes as she says, “I’m really sorry about all this.”
He studies her expression for a moment and is struck by what he finds there: it’s not simply sadness, but instead a more complex mixture of guilt and shame.
“There is no need for apologies,” he says, his voice soft. “You are not at fault.”
Her gaze darts away from him again, like she doesn’t quite believe him. She shakes her head slightly. “The MALP should’ve detected that field. We shouldn’t even be here.”
“The MALP is not a flawless machine,” Teal’c replies. “It cannot be expected to know all things.”
“No,” Major Carter acknowledges quietly. “I guess it can’t.”
They fall silent again. Teal’c observes the moonlight for a while, studying the angle at which it filters into the cave. It’s sharp and straight, and the light is bright. He pictures the moon high in the sky, hovering tauntingly with the stars. There are still many hours ahead of them.
“It really hurt you, didn’t it?”
The question isn’t even a question so much as it is a statement. Teal’c finds it rather puzzling, and he looks down at Major Carter.
“The field, I mean,” she finishes. She’s thinking so much that she appears to be looking through him instead of at him.
Teal’c chooses his words carefully as he returns his attention to the moonlight. “My discomfort is of no concern. You should not trouble yourself on my account.”
“Too late.”
When he looks down at Major Carter again, her expression is so serious, so fraught with inner conflict that he is overcome momentarily by despair. He gently lays his palm against her cheek, turning her to face him, and he stares at her so intently that she does not look away. She seems surprised by the gesture, perhaps frightened by the fact that she cannot break from it, and her widened eyes study him, waiting.
“I will do everything in my power,” he quietly declares, “to ensure you are able to walk through the Stargate tomorrow.” He can’t stop his gaze from softening as he adds, “I can bear no other option.”
Major Carter says nothing, but she swallows hard and nods slowly.
Teal’c’s hand slips away from her face, and he adjusts her arm so that her hand rests in his own. He doesn’t know if she can even feel it, but her eyes don’t leave the spot where her hand is safely enclosed in his.
He squeezes gently, and hears her softly mutter, “Thanks.”
---
He shifts her every so often in the hopes of assisting her blood flow. It becomes comfortably routine after a few hours: he eases her into a new position, asks her if it’s acceptable, and she smiles thankfully and nods.
During hour three, she begins answering verbally, the subtle movements of her head gone. When he looks into her eyes, he sees quiet resignation. She silently stares past him at the ceiling.
It’s in hour four that Teal’c’s question goes unanswered. He waits, and when Major Carter still makes no sound, he repeats himself. He then feels something wet make contact with his skin, and in the dim light, it takes him longer than it should to realize what’s happening.
Her face is streaked by tears, her eyes shining with fear so painfully specific that he could never think to blame her for it. It intertwines randomly with absolutely loathsome anger, and she looks as if she wants to scream and perhaps is already screaming inside her own head, and it wouldn’t be the first time. She knows all too well the horror of being trapped inside herself and Teal’c thinks, just for a fraction of a second and despite everything he knows to be true, that if ever there were a punishment more likely to have been inflicted by the gods themselves, it would surely be this one.
Her face is warm when he touches it, and she refuses to look at him, shutting her eyes tightly as fresh tears spill down her cheeks. Her breaths are short and her chest shudders under the weight of her anguish.
Very slowly and with great care, Teal’c runs his thumbs across her cheeks to dry her tears. He gathers her in his arms, lifting the upper half of her body to bring her closer to him. His fingers thread through her hair as he lets her head rest against his shoulder.
When he speaks, his voice is such a soft, low rumble that were anyone else in the room, Major Carter would still be the only one who could hear him.
“This fear is not yours alone to bear,” he tells her. “I, too, am burdened by distress.”
The quivering of her chest comes to a slow stop. Her breaths grow quieter against his ear.
“However difficult your current state is for you,” he continues, his voice heavy, “know that it is equally difficult for me to be unable to help you.”
He thinks his voice sounds so odd, so nearly broken in his ears. The muscles in his arms tense as he continues to hold her.
“We must endure. We have overcome far too many trials to be defeated by this one.” He pauses, allowing himself a few moments for strength to build in his voice. “We will endure.”
His declaration hangs in the air, an ultimatum against fate. He keeps his arms secure around Major Carter, listening as she draws in a breath.
She exhales shakily against him, but her subsequent breaths are strong and exude determination.
She does not descend into panic again.
---
By the time small hints of orange peek out over the horizon, the only sound echoing off the cavern walls is strained, ragged breathing.
They’re so close, and Major Carter struggles valiantly against her failing lungs, but her breaths are far too short to sustain her. The blank look of exhaustion in her eyes tells Teal’c that she’s hanging on by a thread, a thread now frayed and moments away from snapping.
He attempts to keep her with him for a few more moments, trying to draw out any extra time for her that he possibly can, but her chest rattles and her face pales as her slow suffocation truly takes its hold. She tries so hard to focus on him so she can stay conscious and keep fighting, but her eyes slide away from him with increasing frequency.
Her eyelids flutter shut once, but she forces them open. Twice, and it’s harder.
The third time, not even Teal’c yelling her name can bring her back.
She slips away into unconsciousness just as the dawn finally breaks forth. Teal’c lifts her onto his shoulders again, blinks against the brilliant sunlight as he exits the cave, and runs.
He is more than prepared for the pain of the entrance shield, but it does not come, and he bolts over the rise effortlessly. The morning sunlight filters through the leaves of the gigantic tree, and though it is a small price to pay in exchange for Major Carter’s life, Teal’c steels himself for the agony ahead.
Three stone archways stand equidistant around the tree, tall and gray and draped in dark green moss. Teal’c does not observe them for long and powers through all three of them in a straight run. He notices no pain, just a small burst of pink light and a low hum as he darts through the shields. A dangerous sense of foreboding lurks in his chest; the next eight times will not be so easy.
The dull ache in his muscles begins slowly, like tiny embers blossoming into bright flames. He keeps running and doesn’t stop, counting two, three, four, five passes through all three shields before the pain is enough to slow him. When he exits the third archway for the sixth time, he stumbles. His free hand finds the tree’s massive trunk and he presses his palm hard against the rough bark to steady himself. The only sound he hears is the rustling of leaves in the soft breeze. That, and his own breathing, which sounds much louder and more labored in his ears than it did a few minutes ago.
Major Carter makes no sound. Teal’c does not feel her chest move against his shoulders, nor does he hear even the quietest wisp of air pass her lips.
His jaw tightens, and he pushes himself forward again.
The seventh pass makes his knees buckle and drives a harsh grunt through clenched teeth. He holds onto Major Carter’s body with both hands now, his arms and legs quivering with what is rapidly becoming an unbearable strain. Scorching flame shoots through his legs, up his spine, into his arms, and his symbiote thrashes and jerks within him, completely overwhelmed by the shield’s pulses and suffering helplessly under the constant onslaught. He’s not sure what that means for him, whether it means he’ll be able to make it without his symbiote to fall back on.
But he is sure of one thing: he will not allow Major Carter to die here.
He launches himself forward again and the shields threaten to tear him to shreds. Each step he takes is punctuated by a hard slam of pain, like stepping on a bed of nails while knives stab into his thighs. The sheer force of these hideous sensations makes him sway under a fog of dizziness. He continues to will himself forward, his whole world moments away from spinning out of control.
Teal’c just barely makes it through the third shield for the eighth time, and he cries out in agony as he falls to his knees. His vision swims and his entire body, symbiote pouch and all, is raw and throbbing. He’s so close and he knows it, but his muscles scream in protest every time he tries to move. Any other man surely would have lost consciousness by now.
The growl leaves his throat without his knowledge, growing into an impassioned roar by the time he finally rises up and regains his balance. One more to go. He did not come this far just to fail now.
The shields are relentless, ripping into him like blades carving out his skin. They sizzle ominously in his wake and he unleashes pained yells despite all efforts to force them down and away.
He all but falls through the final shield. There is a flash all around him, and warm, bright pink light seems to spill from the leaves of the trees.
It’s the last thing Teal’c remembers before darkness overtakes him.
---
He is startled and disoriented when he wakes, pain surging through him like lightning as he tries to sit up. Voices reach him and hands find him, and he is gently eased back onto a bed that feels unnaturally soft against his aching muscles.
His memory is a fog, and he struggles against the hands trying to hold him down.
“Whoa, easy.” The voice is familiar, almost sweet when compared to the pain. It takes him far too long to recognize it as Doctor Fraiser’s.
“It’s us, Teal’c,” Daniel Jackson tells him. “We’re home.”
Home. He breathes in, smells clean sheets and fresh gauze. The infirmary.
He opens his eyes slowly, and three shapes hover around him on both sides.
“‘Bout time.” O’Neill’s voice seems quieter than it should be, and he’s smiling softly when he finally comes into focus, the slight slump of his shoulders radiating relief. Daniel Jackson looks much the same.
And Major Carter… should be here, but isn’t, and Teal’c starts, everything coming back to him in a rush. Again he tries to sit up, his throat raw as he chokes out her name.
“It’s okay.” Doctor Fraiser urges him back to the bed with steady hands against his shoulders. “Sam’s fine. As you will be, just as soon as you stop moving.”
He stops. Three sets of hands drift away from him.
“Where?” is the next word he manages to get out, but then it occurs to him that there’s a bed right next to his. He feels like he has to crane his neck to turn his head, but he sees a flash of golden hair, and tension he didn’t know he was harboring leaves him.
Major Carter appears almost peaceful beside him, her chest rising and falling at a strong, healthy rate as she sleeps. The others have turned to watch her as well, their gazes tired but relieved.
“We were beginning to think you two were just throwing a party up there,” O’Neill remarks. Doctor Fraiser smirks and moves to fiddle with Teal’c’s IVs.
Teal’c searches his memory for any hint of how they came to be here, but finds nothing. He can’t even remember how they descended the mountain. “How did we return to the village?” he asks.
Daniel Jackson’s eyebrows shoot up, then furrow. “You don’t remember?”
“I do not,” he admits. He looks from O’Neill to Daniel Jackson, who both stare at him expectantly, but he still remembers nothing.
“You, uh, carried Sam all the way back to the village,” Daniel Jackson finishes, his tone peppered with hints of astonishment. “Nobody has any idea how you did it, seeing as how you looked like you’d just had the utter living shit beaten out of you.”
A vague memory of passing Major Carter’s limp form to O’Neill pops into Teal’c’s mind, as does a strange feeling of being lifted himself. Everything after that remains dark.
“Relkar was decent enough to give us some kind of cart thing to put you both on before he shooed us all away.” O’Neill scowls at the thought, and Teal’c surmises that it might actually be better that he doesn’t remember any of this.
“The paralysis,” he inquires next.
Doctor Fraiser scribbles on a clipboard and smiles, pleased. “There’s no trace of it in either of you,” she says. “Sam was awake just a few hours ago, actually. She’s pretty sore, but other than that, everything responded like it was supposed to.”
Teal’c is pretty sore himself, to say the least. He looks over at Major Carter again and finds it strangely comforting to be sharing her pain.
He asks a few more questions and gets answers to all of them. He is relieved to hear they will not ever be returning to Relkar’s planet. He greatly enjoys O’Neill’s story of Major Carter regaining consciousness and the “very colorful language” she apparently used upon doing so (“Some of those words weren’t even real,” Daniel Jackson tells him. “She was just making up curses after a while.”)
It’s all more than enough to lull him into a very pleasant fatigue (although he suspects Doctor Fraiser to have given him something to accelerate this process) and finally, he feels as if it’s safe to relax.
He drops off into something resembling sleep without realizing it.
---
The candles in Teal’c’s quarters flicker softly, their flames casting a warm, golden glow on the walls. He breathes in and out in a slow, steady rhythm and his symbiote stills, almost as if it’s curling up to sleep like a Tau’ri feline.
He opens his eyes, a pleased smile on his lips. In the past few days of recovery, he hadn’t realized just how much he missed his usual Kelno’reem environment. He finally feels centered again.
It’s when he stands to extinguish the candles’ flames that he hears three soft knocks at his door. It opens just enough to let a crack of light from the hallway into his room, and then Major Carter pokes her head inside.
“Hey,” she says with a smile. She spots the candles and hesitates slightly. “Am I interrupting?”
Teal’c smiles in return. “You are not,” he replies. “I am finished.” He invites her inside with a slight bow of his head and she enters, softly shutting the door behind her.
“You are looking well,” he tells her when she steps farther into the candlelight, and she does: even in the dimmer light, he can see the color has returned to her face and she stands before him radiating her usual vitality.
“Thanks,” she says, stretching her arms a bit as she releases a relieved sigh. “I’m glad to finally be out of there.”
“As am I.” Teal’c is patient, but even he was beginning to find their stay in the infirmary taxing.
“I don’t know about you,” she continues, “but I feel like I could run five miles without stopping, I’m so restless.” She places a hand on her right shoulder and slowly rolls it.
“I do not doubt your ability to do so,” Teal’c replies, and she grins at him.
He crosses over to his bed and sits, but Major Carter only follows him enough to stand in front of him. She looks down at her hands clasped in front of her and fidgets slightly.
“Got any plans for the weekend?” she asks.
Teal’c considers her question for a moment. The only thing he’s given thought to is more proper Kelno’reem. “I do not,” he finally replies. “Do you have plans?”
She chuckles softly, shrugs and shifts her weight. “Anything involving as much movement as humanly possible. I’ll probably take my bike out for a while. A long while.”
“A pleasant use of two days’ time.”
“Yeah.”
She hasn’t looked up at him since she started speaking, and Teal’c notes that she still makes no move to sit beside him. Her thumbs roll over each other absently and she seems lost in their movement.
“Is there something troubling you, Major Carter?”
She finally looks at him like she’s been caught off-guard. “Oh, uh.” She pauses for a moment, mouth half open with a breath in her chest and words on her tongue, but ultimately she just smiles and shakes her head. “No, I’m fine.”
Teal’c considers pressing her about it for a moment, but she is the one who came to him. Whatever her concerns, she will reveal them in time. He stands from the bed and walks past her, intent on storing a few excess candles. While Major Carter does not move, Teal’c can feel her watching him.
“We didn’t get to see too much of each other in the infirmary,” she says.
“We did not.” Somehow, their schedules of rest hadn’t matched up; when she was asleep, he was awake, and vice-versa. After a while, it became quite frustrating.
Teal’c extinguishes three flames with his candle snuffer. The glow of the other candles continues to illuminate the room. “Have you been able to return home since-”
“I think I woke up.”
Teal’c stops, slightly startled, and turns to face Major Carter. Her interruption is at best odd, but she meets his gaze.
“In fact, I know I did,” she continues. “At some point during the Triad, I woke up.” She takes a breath as if steeling herself for some unseen challenge. “I don’t really remember a lot, so I think I must have passed out again right afterward, but I heard you-…”
She flinches slightly and swallows, and then her eyes dart away and she straightens.
“I’m sorry,” she says. Her words hang in the air between them, and she swallows again.
Teal’c approaches her slowly, afraid, perhaps, that she might scurry away. He suddenly finds it difficult to think of something to say, and can’t seem to decide how upset he is that she still feels guilty about this.
He waits until she looks him in the eye to place his hands on her shoulders, and then he speaks. His voice is softer and more serious than it has been in quite a while.
“I am not,” he tells her. “You are here.”
Major Carter’s shoulders slump under his hands. She breathes out, and Teal’c can almost feel the weight lifting off of her. She shifts hesitantly, stops, then shifts again, and her arms slip around his waist as she buries her face in his shoulder. He returns the gesture, carefully enveloping her just as he had in the cave.
After a while, Teal’c murmurs, “I am glad the Triad worked as we were told.”
Major Carter laughs and more tension leaves her body. “God, me too,” she says, and tightens her hold on him.
They stand still, embracing for what feels like a very long time. Eventually, Major Carter sniffs and pulls away, wiping quickly under her eyes before giving Teal’c a slightly watery smile.
“I should go,” she tells him. “I haven’t been home yet, actually. Hope my plants aren’t dead.”
She turns to leave. Teal’c watches as she opens the door, but she stalls in the doorway.
“I don’t think I feel like going home yet.” She runs her hand along the side of the door before turning back to Teal’c. “And I’m hungry.”
Teal’c allows himself a small smile. He, too, feels as if he could eat what the Tau’ri would consider to be a full meal.
“I think I’m in the mood for pizza,” Major Carter declares. “Want to come with me?”
He comes to stand beside her, gazing out into the hallway before them. “Will we be consuming the pizza at our usual location?”
“Yep.”
They exit his quarters and he shuts the door behind them. “Then I shall accompany you.”
Major Carter grins broadly, and they begin to make their way down the hall.
“Do you possess a sufficient amount of quarters?” Teal’c asks.
“Always.” She glances playfully at him as she answers, already knowing full well what Teal’c will say next.
“Excellent,” he responds. “I believe I am owed a rematch in Cruisin’ USA.” He throws his own playful glance in her direction before adding, “A rematch I am sure to win.”
She gasps in mock offense. “Oh, we’ll just see about that.”
Her hand finds his, and it feels warm as she lightly squeezes his fingers.
Teal’c squeezes back. They continue to walk.
series: Stargate SG-1
rating: PG
word count: ~7,500
notes: for missparker, who is lovely and let me play with this line from Desperation: or Carter’s being a woman set into motion some asinine chain of events that ended with Teal’c having to carry her around a sacred tree nine times before they could gate home.
Thanks to adventurepants for what I would call an above-and-beyond beta, nighttones for equally above-and-beyond cheerleading, and everyone who enjoyed the #sacredtrees tag despite not really knowing what it meant. Now you'll know! :)
They will discover later that the sparkling pink field directly in front of the gate - the one the MALP failed to detect - was a DNA scanner. The slight tingling of their muscles as they passed through it will make sense then, as will Major Carter’s rather casual remarks that she felt “a little strange”. It will no longer be surprising to recall the way her legs crumpled beneath her like wet clay, leaving her face down and deathly still in the grass.
These things will just be pieces already added to the completed puzzle, but Major Carter’s deadpan declaration of, “I can’t move,” will always be the one that doesn’t quite fit, jutting out just enough to unsettle even Teal’c for some time to come.
---
When it starts, it’s just one leg. They take turns slinging her arms over their shoulders as they trek across empty pastures, searching the mountains in the distance for any signs of civilization. The glittering pink field persisted when they tried to turn around and dial out, preventing them from simply heading back through the gate as Colonel O’Neill demanded. There was no other choice but to move forward.
O’Neill and Daniel Jackson remain unaffected, as does Teal’c himself. It’s a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by any of them, least of all by Major Carter. To her credit, she seems unfazed by the situation thus far, facing her sudden affliction with the same calm rationality and cautious optimism Teal’c has grown to admire in her over the years.
“Really, guys, it’s fine,” she insists yet again, methodically massaging her leg in an attempt to ease it back to life. She’s been doing this each time they pause to catch their breath, and so far it’s accomplished nothing.
In his silence, Teal’c keeps a close eye on his teammates. He has a running tally of everything subtle: the tension in O’Neill’s muscles, his tendency to both keep vigilant watch of everything ahead of and behind them while simultaneously hovering around Major Carter. He notes Daniel Jackson’s restlessness, his concern and his yearning to solve this mystery punctuated by the rapid drumming of his fingers against his knee.
As for Major Carter, she discourages O’Neill’s hovering with pointed looks, smirks, and rolls of her eyes. She covers Daniel Jackson’s hand with her own and offers him a smile.
She also makes jokes, frequently. Any other person unfamiliar with her would say she’s taking this in stride (which she is) and leave it at that. But Teal’c knows better: this is what she does when she’s nervous. When she isn’t talking, her thoughts are elsewhere, as far away as her gaze. She appears confident that they will find a way to reverse what the field has done, but he can see her thinking already of what will happen if they don’t, if there is no scientific fact behind these apparently mystical forces.
“We’ll find something,” she says, and Teal’c knows it’s more to reassure herself than anyone else. She flashes him a grin and adds, “Otherwise, I’ll have to sell my bike.”
Their journey continues like this for almost two hours, starting and stopping and starting again, always focused on the mountains for any twitch of humanity. Finally, Daniel Jackson points to a plateau below a huge tree at the peak of one of the smallest mountains, a plateau with a wispy plume of smoke rising from it.
It’s an easy hike up; the rocks are well-worn and flattened into a clear path, and they appreciate this sign that people have lived here for many years. They reach a village in record time and express relief to find it both inhabited and lively. They smell the aromas of cooking meals, hear the laughter of children and do not linger waiting for anything else.
They’re not even past the entrance when Major Carter stumbles, dragging O’Neill down with her for a moment before he catches her. She looks down at her legs, both limp and unmoving behind her, and says, “Guess I lost the other one.” O’Neill swears under his breath and lifts her over his shoulder.
She looks up at Daniel and Teal’c as she bounces against O’Neill’s back and seems entertained by her own remark about a “royal escort”. She smiles just like before, but the corners of her mouth quiver slightly.
Teal’c adds it to his list as he watches the sun’s descent redden the sky.
---
“I am truly, truly sorry for what this has done.”
The head of the village bows deep at the waist. He bears no formal title to indicate his leadership, only introducing himself by his given name: Relkar. Relkar is a strong man with visible, but not overbearing muscles. His hair is white but his bearded chin is hard, and there’s something odd about a man of his stature freely gesturing with such humility.
Every so often he glances at Major Carter, eyeing her warily as if she is an active detonator. The other men in the village (and as far as they can tell, there are no women) do the same as they mill about. Most of the younger ones whisper to each other. Some stop and stare.
Major Carter has long since stopped staring back.
“All right, fine.” O’Neill’s voice is firm, anger vibrating at the edges. “Now tell us how we fix this.”
Relkar straightens, his gaze flitting momentarily to Major Carter again, and he sighs quietly. His is a society wracked by cold war, a cold war completely defined by gender, and his discomfort at gazing into the face of someone who should be his enemy is obvious. His people suffered through years of males versus females, divided only by the space that separated their planets, space easily traversed by the Stargate. Each side was supposed to be in the midst of a truce, but a few years and plenty of bubbling tensions had turned it into more of a stalemate. Each planet now possesses the strange field, effectively forbidding travel between the two worlds. The other planet’s field scans for XY chromosomes, this one’s scans for XX, and they both release a series of electronic pulses into the offending gender’s body, pulses designed to gradually suppress motor neuron activity. It’s a quick way to see through disguises and halt intruders, but it’s just dirty enough to make Teal’c’s jaw tense. Not to mention the implications of a woman as an utterly immobile prisoner in a sea of men is not lost on him.
“The time it takes the paralysis to spread varies,” Relkar says. “But there is a way to reverse the process.”
He points behind them to the tree towering over the village. It is a truly massive testament to nature’s power, its trunk very likely as big around as a small building in a Tau’ri city. It’s as if the whole mountain shaped itself around this one tree, holding it up and letting it grow for thousands of years.
“Not all women are our enemies,” Relkar states, and Teal’c is pleased to see Major Carter look up at this, her expression something between annoyed and half-interested. They’ve certainly been through this before on plenty of other worlds.
“If a man wishes to live in peace with a woman, he must prove their mutual strength of spirit by bringing her here and taking her through the Sacred Triad of Three.”
Daniel Jackson’s brows furrow in puzzlement. “Sacred Triad of Three?”
“Isn’t that a little redundant?” O’Neill asks flatly.
Relkar ignores their remarks and continues. “There are three fields stationed around the tree that must be entered nine times. The man carries his woman through each field, essentially taking her burden onto himself.” He pauses, looking from O’Neill to Daniel Jackson, and then finally Teal’c. “It is not an easy task. It is, in fact, quite painful for the man. You will want to choose wisely.”
“‘Choose?’” O’Neill repeats. “Choose what?”
Relkar looks down at Major Carter. “Choose which one of you will take her through the Sacred Triad.”
O’Neill’s reply is immediate. “We’re all going.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible; only one man is allowed to traverse the fields.”
“I don’t care.”
“Jack.” Daniel Jackson steps forward and turns to Relkar. “What he means to say is, we’d really prefer to stick together on this. We’re a team, that’s what we do.”
“I understand,” Relkar concedes, “but believe me when I say this has been attempted. It has always failed. The fields only allow one man and one woman to pass through.”
“Couldn’t we just take turns? Trade off?”
“There is a field that guards the entrance to the Triad. The four of you together would never make it through that field.” Relkar turns his gaze toward the sky, now dotted with stars in the twilight. “As it is, it will not let you pass until the dawning of the sun. The women are not usually brought through the Stargate until the sun sets so as to prevent… unnecessary risk.”
His hesitation before those last words does not go unnoticed. Daniel Jackson’s eyebrows shoot up just before he asks, “Unnecessary risk?”
Relkar does not immediately meet his gaze. “As I said, the time it takes the paralysis to spread varies.” He steps back, spreading his arms to gesture toward the rest of the village. “The two who will not be going through the Triad are welcome to stay here for the night.” He eyes the group of them seriously before he adds, “You should make your choice as soon as possible.” He bows again. “Good luck.”
Relkar turns to leave, but is stopped by the sound of Major Carter’s voice calling his name. It’s the first word she’s spoken since they arrived.
“You keep talking about the time it takes for the paralysis to spread,” she says once he has turned to face her. “How complete does it get?”
Relkar looks away.
“Complete,” he replies. “If left untreated, it will lead to death.” He finally looks Major Carter in the eye, says, “I’m sorry,” and then he walks away, leaving the four of them alone to stare at each other. The information is icy as it sinks in.
Teal’c breaks the silence along with O’Neill and Daniel Jackson. They say, “I’ll go,” he says, “I will go,” and it all means the same thing. Their eyes lock, almost as if they seek to size each other up.
“I’m going,” O’Neill says, the finality in his voice quite clear.
“Jack-”
“Oh, come on, Daniel. You’re not going.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You really think you’re capable of carrying Carter around a sacred tree nine times?”
“I think I’m just as capable as you are! Bad knees ringing any bells?”
From below, Major Carter lets slip a somewhat derisive snort.
Before their argument can get any pettier (and it’s well on its way), Teal’c calmly interrupts. “I will go.”
O’Neill and Daniel Jackson turn to him as if they’d forgotten he was there.
“I believe I am at an advantage when it comes to physical strength. I will escort Major Carter through the Triad.”
Their silence stretches on longer than is probably necessary. O’Neill stares at him for a moment before turning to Daniel Jackson. “‘An advantage,’ he says.”
“Teal’c would be at an advantage, yes. Quite an advantage.”
“Yes. But let’s not rub it in.”
Another beat of silence passes before Major Carter chimes in. “Sir, I think the choice is pretty clear.”
O’Neill remains silent, drawing in a quiet breath as his eyes pass between Teal’c and Major Carter. They can all see the wheels spinning in his head, see him already working through the frustration of having to stay behind and let them to do this alone. “Yeah, all right,” he finally says. “Just be back at dawn.” He sounds like a parent telling his children to follow a curfew.
“Yes, sir.” Major Carter tosses another tiny smirk in his direction.
Teal’c moves to lift her from the ground and she extends a hand to him, but she does this with her left arm. Her right hangs loosely at her side, fingers half-curled into her palm and alarmingly still.
Their collective pause is inevitable. Major Carter shuts her eyes for a fraction of a second before giving O’Neill a warning look, pleading for his silence.
He nods once, and the only thing he says is, “Go.”
Teal’c easily slings her over his shoulder, gently yet efficiently. He finds himself a little startled by how limp she already feels, like dead weight pressing down upon him.
As he begins to leave, Major Carter lifts her head.
“See you in the morning,” she says, and doesn’t spare another look back.
---
The path to the tree is less traveled than the one into the village. The stones are sharper and more plentiful, little diamond traps just waiting to send clumsier people sprawling. The ground is steeper and more uneven and yet Teal’c’s stride is long as he walks, but his steps are measured and careful. He wants to get to the tree, now a dark shadow towering against the stars, as soon as possible. Even if it’s true that they can’t complete the Triad until dawn, he wants to be ready the moment the first sunbeams peek over the horizon.
For the most part, their journey is quiet. Major Carter remains silent, speaking only when Teal’c prompts her, which makes the first twinges of anxiety bubble within in his chest. He respects her silence and doesn’t pester her with questions, but he wants to keep her talking, keep her mind as far away from her current state as possible. It seems to work: she eventually pipes up with an idea about a generator, and there must be one for the shields near wherever they’re supposed to wait, and if they can find it and she can just look at it, she can probably figure out how to disable it and talk Teal’c through it.
“I’d do it myself,” she says, “but somehow I don’t think trying to pick up control crystals with my teeth is such a good idea.” The sound she makes bears more resemblance to a sigh than it does a laugh.
Teal’c tightens his hold on the backs of her legs and marches on.
The mountain summit grows ever closer. When the tree’s leaves are distinguishable from one another and the trunk appears tall enough to topple right over and crush them both, Teal’c spies a large hole in the rock wall on the side of the path. It looks like a small cavern carved into the mountain, but he doesn’t give it much pause since they’re a stone’s throw away from the tree; just past this one final rise and they’ll be standing under the looming shadow of the dense canopy.
However, it appears the cave wants to be noticed. He takes one step past it and instantly feels as if he’s stepped on the blade of a sword. Grunting in surprise, the searing shot of pain spreads throughout his body like fire and he feels an odd sensation of something pushing against his chest. He attempts to fight it, to break through it and continue on, but the forces are too much and the agony too great. He staggers backwards and as he does, he sees the remnants of sizzling pink veins fading into the darkness.
“Teal’c!” Major Carter exclaims, and what little of her can still move squirms frantically against him. “Teal’c, what happened? Are you all right?”
“I am fine,” he asserts, his thighs still shaking slightly against echoes of pain. “Are you injured?”
“No, I’m fine, I-” She stops, as if searching for words. Finally, she says, “I didn’t really feel anything.”
Teal’c acknowledges this, all too aware of what it probably means, but he puts it aside for the moment. Instead, he glares at the space before him. “It appears Relkar was quite serious about his warnings concerning the shield. We will not be able to pass.”
“Are we close?” Major Carter strains to look around from her awkward vantage point at Teal’c’s back.
“Extremely.” Teal’c gazes up at the tree somewhat bitterly.
“Well, maybe that means a generator’s nearby, too,” Major Carter offers. “Why don’t we try to find it?”
Teal’c agrees and immediately reverses course. Once he makes it past the cavern in the opposite direction, he jerks against another painful onslaught, stepping back a little quicker this time so as to not extend the torment.
“Teal’c,” Major Carter says, her voice tense.
“I do not believe we will be successful in finding a generator.” Teal’c suppresses a frustrated growl, looking from one end of the path to the other. Another rock wall is at their right, making it impossible to find another route to bypass the shields. There’s nowhere else for them to go.
“It appears we are meant to wait inside this cavern.” He pauses for a moment. “Even if it is against our will.”
Major Carter does not reply as Teal’c heads inside the cave.
It’s somewhat bigger on the inside than it initially appeared, and it’s clearly been used before: there are small alcoves in the walls bearing what look to be old candles, the wax now nothing more than pitiful, hardened lumps. Enough light from the planet’s full moon filters in through the entrance, leaving the cave at least slightly illuminated by dim white light. The floor, for the most part, is smooth and clean, although there are a few twigs and scattered patches of dirt that Teal’c brushes away with his foot. All in all, it is a suitable enclosure and as good a place as any to await the sunrise.
Teal’c softly lowers Major Carter to the floor, propping her back up against the wall. She still appears alert and balances herself for a moment with her left hand, and Teal’c takes both these things as good signs.
“You have not eaten since we arrived on this planet,” he says as he procures two Power Bars from a vest pocket, “and I believe we have one Double Chocolate Crisp.”
Major Carter smiles, genuine but somewhat fatigued. “You’re really going to let me have that?”
His lips quirk into a smile as he begins to unwrap it. When he offers it to her, she chuckles softly.
“Okay, but no more special treatment.” She smirks teasingly at him as she lets him hand the bar to her, taking a very measured bite out of it once she has it within her grasp. Teal’c rises from the floor, pocketing the other bar and listening to the quiet thump of the back of Major Carter’s head resting against the wall. She chews slowly and looks off to the side, distracted.
Teal’c knows he can’t stop her from thinking about her current condition, but it is upsetting to see her so tired and discouraged. Again, he pushes his frustration away and focuses on the task before him. He places a hand against the cavern wall; it’s smooth in places, rough in others, but the entire area is cool against his palm. It sounds like a farfetched idea even as he thinks it, but there isn’t anything else to do and it’s entirely possible that a hidden generator switch may exist in some tiny crack in the wall. He has enough faith in his sense of touch that he won’t waste a flashlight battery on this, so he presses his fingers into the stone and gets to work.
He moves slowly, carefully running his hand up and down the wall. The cave is silent aside from his footsteps and the occasional rustle of the Power Bar wrapper.
It doesn’t take long for Major Carter to notice him meandering around the cave. “What are you doing?”
“Attempting to locate a generator,” Teal’c answers, keeping up his steady pace.
“Secret wall panels?” she asks, a hint of amusement in her voice.
He nods. “Although there are none yet.”
Major Carter lets out another soft chuckle, immediately followed by a quiet sigh. “You know, it was probably a stupid idea in the first place.” She shrugs slightly with her good shoulder. “I mean, who’s to say it would even be obvious which crystal powers each shield? We’d probably end up deactivating one of the ones we need instead.”
Teal’c pauses when his fingers brush over a particularly jagged section, but unfortunately, pressing into it does nothing other than leave tiny dents in his fingers. “Is it not more productive to try anyway?” he asks.
He looks back at Major Carter for a moment, and is relieved to find her smiling. “Yeah,” she responds. “Yeah, I guess it is.” She takes another bite of the Power Bar and adds, “But I think this situation is probably-”
She stops abruptly, and a few seconds after she does, Teal’c hears the wrapper rustle. The sound is a bit louder than it previously has been, and it’s accompanied by a small thump. When he turns to Major Carter, he sees her staring at the Power Bar, half-finished and lying on the floor next to her hand. She doesn’t move to grab it, and the way she’s staring blankly at it tells him she can’t.
“A little different,” she finishes, her voice much quieter than it was before.
He knew this was inevitable, knew they both did, and yet Teal’c cannot hold back the icy wave that washes over him. He closes the distance between them quickly and kneels down beside Major Carter, supporting her as she slips sideways down the wall.
“Wow,” she mutters as a disbelieving laugh escapes her. “This is actually… even more humiliating than I thought it would be.”
Teal’c remains silent for now, concentrating on maneuvering them both into positions that might be able to pass as comfortable. Eventually, he settles himself back against the wall and gently lays Major Carter’s head in his lap.
“What did I say about special treatment?” she asks him.
He starts to arrange her immobile limbs into less awkward positions. “Would you prefer to lie with your head against the cold floor?” There is a teasing challenge in his voice.
She is silent for a moment, and Teal’c wonders if she’s seriously considering it. “No,” she finally says, looking up at him with a somewhat grim smile.
Neither of them says anything for quite a while, which Teal’c thinks is just as well: he spends the time listening carefully for any changes in Major Carter’s breathing. There isn't much of her left to paralyze, so it’s only a matter of time before her more vital muscles start to succumb. The idea of her withering away all night right next to him is… disturbing, at best.
“Hey, Teal’c,” Major Carter murmurs, breaking the silence and, thankfully, his train of thought. She looks up at him again, and yet can’t quite meet his eyes as she says, “I’m really sorry about all this.”
He studies her expression for a moment and is struck by what he finds there: it’s not simply sadness, but instead a more complex mixture of guilt and shame.
“There is no need for apologies,” he says, his voice soft. “You are not at fault.”
Her gaze darts away from him again, like she doesn’t quite believe him. She shakes her head slightly. “The MALP should’ve detected that field. We shouldn’t even be here.”
“The MALP is not a flawless machine,” Teal’c replies. “It cannot be expected to know all things.”
“No,” Major Carter acknowledges quietly. “I guess it can’t.”
They fall silent again. Teal’c observes the moonlight for a while, studying the angle at which it filters into the cave. It’s sharp and straight, and the light is bright. He pictures the moon high in the sky, hovering tauntingly with the stars. There are still many hours ahead of them.
“It really hurt you, didn’t it?”
The question isn’t even a question so much as it is a statement. Teal’c finds it rather puzzling, and he looks down at Major Carter.
“The field, I mean,” she finishes. She’s thinking so much that she appears to be looking through him instead of at him.
Teal’c chooses his words carefully as he returns his attention to the moonlight. “My discomfort is of no concern. You should not trouble yourself on my account.”
“Too late.”
When he looks down at Major Carter again, her expression is so serious, so fraught with inner conflict that he is overcome momentarily by despair. He gently lays his palm against her cheek, turning her to face him, and he stares at her so intently that she does not look away. She seems surprised by the gesture, perhaps frightened by the fact that she cannot break from it, and her widened eyes study him, waiting.
“I will do everything in my power,” he quietly declares, “to ensure you are able to walk through the Stargate tomorrow.” He can’t stop his gaze from softening as he adds, “I can bear no other option.”
Major Carter says nothing, but she swallows hard and nods slowly.
Teal’c’s hand slips away from her face, and he adjusts her arm so that her hand rests in his own. He doesn’t know if she can even feel it, but her eyes don’t leave the spot where her hand is safely enclosed in his.
He squeezes gently, and hears her softly mutter, “Thanks.”
---
He shifts her every so often in the hopes of assisting her blood flow. It becomes comfortably routine after a few hours: he eases her into a new position, asks her if it’s acceptable, and she smiles thankfully and nods.
During hour three, she begins answering verbally, the subtle movements of her head gone. When he looks into her eyes, he sees quiet resignation. She silently stares past him at the ceiling.
It’s in hour four that Teal’c’s question goes unanswered. He waits, and when Major Carter still makes no sound, he repeats himself. He then feels something wet make contact with his skin, and in the dim light, it takes him longer than it should to realize what’s happening.
Her face is streaked by tears, her eyes shining with fear so painfully specific that he could never think to blame her for it. It intertwines randomly with absolutely loathsome anger, and she looks as if she wants to scream and perhaps is already screaming inside her own head, and it wouldn’t be the first time. She knows all too well the horror of being trapped inside herself and Teal’c thinks, just for a fraction of a second and despite everything he knows to be true, that if ever there were a punishment more likely to have been inflicted by the gods themselves, it would surely be this one.
Her face is warm when he touches it, and she refuses to look at him, shutting her eyes tightly as fresh tears spill down her cheeks. Her breaths are short and her chest shudders under the weight of her anguish.
Very slowly and with great care, Teal’c runs his thumbs across her cheeks to dry her tears. He gathers her in his arms, lifting the upper half of her body to bring her closer to him. His fingers thread through her hair as he lets her head rest against his shoulder.
When he speaks, his voice is such a soft, low rumble that were anyone else in the room, Major Carter would still be the only one who could hear him.
“This fear is not yours alone to bear,” he tells her. “I, too, am burdened by distress.”
The quivering of her chest comes to a slow stop. Her breaths grow quieter against his ear.
“However difficult your current state is for you,” he continues, his voice heavy, “know that it is equally difficult for me to be unable to help you.”
He thinks his voice sounds so odd, so nearly broken in his ears. The muscles in his arms tense as he continues to hold her.
“We must endure. We have overcome far too many trials to be defeated by this one.” He pauses, allowing himself a few moments for strength to build in his voice. “We will endure.”
His declaration hangs in the air, an ultimatum against fate. He keeps his arms secure around Major Carter, listening as she draws in a breath.
She exhales shakily against him, but her subsequent breaths are strong and exude determination.
She does not descend into panic again.
---
By the time small hints of orange peek out over the horizon, the only sound echoing off the cavern walls is strained, ragged breathing.
They’re so close, and Major Carter struggles valiantly against her failing lungs, but her breaths are far too short to sustain her. The blank look of exhaustion in her eyes tells Teal’c that she’s hanging on by a thread, a thread now frayed and moments away from snapping.
He attempts to keep her with him for a few more moments, trying to draw out any extra time for her that he possibly can, but her chest rattles and her face pales as her slow suffocation truly takes its hold. She tries so hard to focus on him so she can stay conscious and keep fighting, but her eyes slide away from him with increasing frequency.
Her eyelids flutter shut once, but she forces them open. Twice, and it’s harder.
The third time, not even Teal’c yelling her name can bring her back.
She slips away into unconsciousness just as the dawn finally breaks forth. Teal’c lifts her onto his shoulders again, blinks against the brilliant sunlight as he exits the cave, and runs.
He is more than prepared for the pain of the entrance shield, but it does not come, and he bolts over the rise effortlessly. The morning sunlight filters through the leaves of the gigantic tree, and though it is a small price to pay in exchange for Major Carter’s life, Teal’c steels himself for the agony ahead.
Three stone archways stand equidistant around the tree, tall and gray and draped in dark green moss. Teal’c does not observe them for long and powers through all three of them in a straight run. He notices no pain, just a small burst of pink light and a low hum as he darts through the shields. A dangerous sense of foreboding lurks in his chest; the next eight times will not be so easy.
The dull ache in his muscles begins slowly, like tiny embers blossoming into bright flames. He keeps running and doesn’t stop, counting two, three, four, five passes through all three shields before the pain is enough to slow him. When he exits the third archway for the sixth time, he stumbles. His free hand finds the tree’s massive trunk and he presses his palm hard against the rough bark to steady himself. The only sound he hears is the rustling of leaves in the soft breeze. That, and his own breathing, which sounds much louder and more labored in his ears than it did a few minutes ago.
Major Carter makes no sound. Teal’c does not feel her chest move against his shoulders, nor does he hear even the quietest wisp of air pass her lips.
His jaw tightens, and he pushes himself forward again.
The seventh pass makes his knees buckle and drives a harsh grunt through clenched teeth. He holds onto Major Carter’s body with both hands now, his arms and legs quivering with what is rapidly becoming an unbearable strain. Scorching flame shoots through his legs, up his spine, into his arms, and his symbiote thrashes and jerks within him, completely overwhelmed by the shield’s pulses and suffering helplessly under the constant onslaught. He’s not sure what that means for him, whether it means he’ll be able to make it without his symbiote to fall back on.
But he is sure of one thing: he will not allow Major Carter to die here.
He launches himself forward again and the shields threaten to tear him to shreds. Each step he takes is punctuated by a hard slam of pain, like stepping on a bed of nails while knives stab into his thighs. The sheer force of these hideous sensations makes him sway under a fog of dizziness. He continues to will himself forward, his whole world moments away from spinning out of control.
Teal’c just barely makes it through the third shield for the eighth time, and he cries out in agony as he falls to his knees. His vision swims and his entire body, symbiote pouch and all, is raw and throbbing. He’s so close and he knows it, but his muscles scream in protest every time he tries to move. Any other man surely would have lost consciousness by now.
The growl leaves his throat without his knowledge, growing into an impassioned roar by the time he finally rises up and regains his balance. One more to go. He did not come this far just to fail now.
The shields are relentless, ripping into him like blades carving out his skin. They sizzle ominously in his wake and he unleashes pained yells despite all efforts to force them down and away.
He all but falls through the final shield. There is a flash all around him, and warm, bright pink light seems to spill from the leaves of the trees.
It’s the last thing Teal’c remembers before darkness overtakes him.
---
He is startled and disoriented when he wakes, pain surging through him like lightning as he tries to sit up. Voices reach him and hands find him, and he is gently eased back onto a bed that feels unnaturally soft against his aching muscles.
His memory is a fog, and he struggles against the hands trying to hold him down.
“Whoa, easy.” The voice is familiar, almost sweet when compared to the pain. It takes him far too long to recognize it as Doctor Fraiser’s.
“It’s us, Teal’c,” Daniel Jackson tells him. “We’re home.”
Home. He breathes in, smells clean sheets and fresh gauze. The infirmary.
He opens his eyes slowly, and three shapes hover around him on both sides.
“‘Bout time.” O’Neill’s voice seems quieter than it should be, and he’s smiling softly when he finally comes into focus, the slight slump of his shoulders radiating relief. Daniel Jackson looks much the same.
And Major Carter… should be here, but isn’t, and Teal’c starts, everything coming back to him in a rush. Again he tries to sit up, his throat raw as he chokes out her name.
“It’s okay.” Doctor Fraiser urges him back to the bed with steady hands against his shoulders. “Sam’s fine. As you will be, just as soon as you stop moving.”
He stops. Three sets of hands drift away from him.
“Where?” is the next word he manages to get out, but then it occurs to him that there’s a bed right next to his. He feels like he has to crane his neck to turn his head, but he sees a flash of golden hair, and tension he didn’t know he was harboring leaves him.
Major Carter appears almost peaceful beside him, her chest rising and falling at a strong, healthy rate as she sleeps. The others have turned to watch her as well, their gazes tired but relieved.
“We were beginning to think you two were just throwing a party up there,” O’Neill remarks. Doctor Fraiser smirks and moves to fiddle with Teal’c’s IVs.
Teal’c searches his memory for any hint of how they came to be here, but finds nothing. He can’t even remember how they descended the mountain. “How did we return to the village?” he asks.
Daniel Jackson’s eyebrows shoot up, then furrow. “You don’t remember?”
“I do not,” he admits. He looks from O’Neill to Daniel Jackson, who both stare at him expectantly, but he still remembers nothing.
“You, uh, carried Sam all the way back to the village,” Daniel Jackson finishes, his tone peppered with hints of astonishment. “Nobody has any idea how you did it, seeing as how you looked like you’d just had the utter living shit beaten out of you.”
A vague memory of passing Major Carter’s limp form to O’Neill pops into Teal’c’s mind, as does a strange feeling of being lifted himself. Everything after that remains dark.
“Relkar was decent enough to give us some kind of cart thing to put you both on before he shooed us all away.” O’Neill scowls at the thought, and Teal’c surmises that it might actually be better that he doesn’t remember any of this.
“The paralysis,” he inquires next.
Doctor Fraiser scribbles on a clipboard and smiles, pleased. “There’s no trace of it in either of you,” she says. “Sam was awake just a few hours ago, actually. She’s pretty sore, but other than that, everything responded like it was supposed to.”
Teal’c is pretty sore himself, to say the least. He looks over at Major Carter again and finds it strangely comforting to be sharing her pain.
He asks a few more questions and gets answers to all of them. He is relieved to hear they will not ever be returning to Relkar’s planet. He greatly enjoys O’Neill’s story of Major Carter regaining consciousness and the “very colorful language” she apparently used upon doing so (“Some of those words weren’t even real,” Daniel Jackson tells him. “She was just making up curses after a while.”)
It’s all more than enough to lull him into a very pleasant fatigue (although he suspects Doctor Fraiser to have given him something to accelerate this process) and finally, he feels as if it’s safe to relax.
He drops off into something resembling sleep without realizing it.
---
The candles in Teal’c’s quarters flicker softly, their flames casting a warm, golden glow on the walls. He breathes in and out in a slow, steady rhythm and his symbiote stills, almost as if it’s curling up to sleep like a Tau’ri feline.
He opens his eyes, a pleased smile on his lips. In the past few days of recovery, he hadn’t realized just how much he missed his usual Kelno’reem environment. He finally feels centered again.
It’s when he stands to extinguish the candles’ flames that he hears three soft knocks at his door. It opens just enough to let a crack of light from the hallway into his room, and then Major Carter pokes her head inside.
“Hey,” she says with a smile. She spots the candles and hesitates slightly. “Am I interrupting?”
Teal’c smiles in return. “You are not,” he replies. “I am finished.” He invites her inside with a slight bow of his head and she enters, softly shutting the door behind her.
“You are looking well,” he tells her when she steps farther into the candlelight, and she does: even in the dimmer light, he can see the color has returned to her face and she stands before him radiating her usual vitality.
“Thanks,” she says, stretching her arms a bit as she releases a relieved sigh. “I’m glad to finally be out of there.”
“As am I.” Teal’c is patient, but even he was beginning to find their stay in the infirmary taxing.
“I don’t know about you,” she continues, “but I feel like I could run five miles without stopping, I’m so restless.” She places a hand on her right shoulder and slowly rolls it.
“I do not doubt your ability to do so,” Teal’c replies, and she grins at him.
He crosses over to his bed and sits, but Major Carter only follows him enough to stand in front of him. She looks down at her hands clasped in front of her and fidgets slightly.
“Got any plans for the weekend?” she asks.
Teal’c considers her question for a moment. The only thing he’s given thought to is more proper Kelno’reem. “I do not,” he finally replies. “Do you have plans?”
She chuckles softly, shrugs and shifts her weight. “Anything involving as much movement as humanly possible. I’ll probably take my bike out for a while. A long while.”
“A pleasant use of two days’ time.”
“Yeah.”
She hasn’t looked up at him since she started speaking, and Teal’c notes that she still makes no move to sit beside him. Her thumbs roll over each other absently and she seems lost in their movement.
“Is there something troubling you, Major Carter?”
She finally looks at him like she’s been caught off-guard. “Oh, uh.” She pauses for a moment, mouth half open with a breath in her chest and words on her tongue, but ultimately she just smiles and shakes her head. “No, I’m fine.”
Teal’c considers pressing her about it for a moment, but she is the one who came to him. Whatever her concerns, she will reveal them in time. He stands from the bed and walks past her, intent on storing a few excess candles. While Major Carter does not move, Teal’c can feel her watching him.
“We didn’t get to see too much of each other in the infirmary,” she says.
“We did not.” Somehow, their schedules of rest hadn’t matched up; when she was asleep, he was awake, and vice-versa. After a while, it became quite frustrating.
Teal’c extinguishes three flames with his candle snuffer. The glow of the other candles continues to illuminate the room. “Have you been able to return home since-”
“I think I woke up.”
Teal’c stops, slightly startled, and turns to face Major Carter. Her interruption is at best odd, but she meets his gaze.
“In fact, I know I did,” she continues. “At some point during the Triad, I woke up.” She takes a breath as if steeling herself for some unseen challenge. “I don’t really remember a lot, so I think I must have passed out again right afterward, but I heard you-…”
She flinches slightly and swallows, and then her eyes dart away and she straightens.
“I’m sorry,” she says. Her words hang in the air between them, and she swallows again.
Teal’c approaches her slowly, afraid, perhaps, that she might scurry away. He suddenly finds it difficult to think of something to say, and can’t seem to decide how upset he is that she still feels guilty about this.
He waits until she looks him in the eye to place his hands on her shoulders, and then he speaks. His voice is softer and more serious than it has been in quite a while.
“I am not,” he tells her. “You are here.”
Major Carter’s shoulders slump under his hands. She breathes out, and Teal’c can almost feel the weight lifting off of her. She shifts hesitantly, stops, then shifts again, and her arms slip around his waist as she buries her face in his shoulder. He returns the gesture, carefully enveloping her just as he had in the cave.
After a while, Teal’c murmurs, “I am glad the Triad worked as we were told.”
Major Carter laughs and more tension leaves her body. “God, me too,” she says, and tightens her hold on him.
They stand still, embracing for what feels like a very long time. Eventually, Major Carter sniffs and pulls away, wiping quickly under her eyes before giving Teal’c a slightly watery smile.
“I should go,” she tells him. “I haven’t been home yet, actually. Hope my plants aren’t dead.”
She turns to leave. Teal’c watches as she opens the door, but she stalls in the doorway.
“I don’t think I feel like going home yet.” She runs her hand along the side of the door before turning back to Teal’c. “And I’m hungry.”
Teal’c allows himself a small smile. He, too, feels as if he could eat what the Tau’ri would consider to be a full meal.
“I think I’m in the mood for pizza,” Major Carter declares. “Want to come with me?”
He comes to stand beside her, gazing out into the hallway before them. “Will we be consuming the pizza at our usual location?”
“Yep.”
They exit his quarters and he shuts the door behind them. “Then I shall accompany you.”
Major Carter grins broadly, and they begin to make their way down the hall.
“Do you possess a sufficient amount of quarters?” Teal’c asks.
“Always.” She glances playfully at him as she answers, already knowing full well what Teal’c will say next.
“Excellent,” he responds. “I believe I am owed a rematch in Cruisin’ USA.” He throws his own playful glance in her direction before adding, “A rematch I am sure to win.”
She gasps in mock offense. “Oh, we’ll just see about that.”
Her hand finds his, and it feels warm as she lightly squeezes his fingers.
Teal’c squeezes back. They continue to walk.