Of Hunters and their Prey (6/?)
Title: Of Hunters and their Prey (6/?)
Author: motschekiebchen
Disclaimer/Summary: see Part 1
The honour for the title goes to MJ.
Thank you goes as always to my Betas MJ and RHR who sacrificed part of their holidays to correct my mistakes. Any remaining ones are my own.
6. My dessert was Spiked
They were back in the conference room and Xander insisted on staying in the corner closest to the door, yet farthest away from Teal’c. They could do anything they wanted but he was not getting anywhere near that creature as long as there was a possibility that something would try to undress, pet, mate, torture, eat or kill him. He was sick and tired of being the demon-magnet. And when they cleared this points up, they could also tell him, at the same time, if Teal’c was a man or a woman. This whole he/she - thing was making his head hurt.
*###*###*###*
General Hammond sighed. Thanks to Junior’s hyperactivity it seemed they wouldn’t be able to avoid explaining aliens to their visitors. He could try to play it off as a demon but he was afraid of his star team’s reaction and feared that it would do little to help Xander calm down. Not to mention that Spike would know he lied and the vampire had never had any problems with calling him on his lies in the past, especially when the vampire’s curiosity was aroused. He was worse than any cat, never letting anything go till he was happy.
“Everyone sit down, please. Xander, we’ll explain everything in a minute but let me reassure you that you’re safe here. Nobody will hurt you.” Hammond started the explanations. “Teal’c will sit at the far end of the table until we have convinced you that there’s nothing dangerous about him. Is that acceptable?”
He let Daniel do his usual lecture on the history of the Stargate and the Goa’ulds. Then they came to the demonstration portion of the lecture. “Teal’c is a Jaffa. The Goa’ulds use some of their slaves as incubators and implante them with symbiotes. The infant Goa’uld replaces the immune system, giving them faster healing and longer lives while increasing their dependency on their ‘Gods’. They are also stronger and faster. They serve as both foot soldiers and guards. Teal'c was the First Prime of Apophis. He helped us escape the first time we faced Apophis, a Goa'uld system lord with delusions of godhood." Xander and Spike exchanged worried glances. This situation seemed awfully familiar. Daniel continued his speech without noticing the brief exchange in contrast to Jack and Teal'c who had observed the reaction of the two. "Since then Teal'c fights with us against the Goa'ulds. He still has his symbiote. Teal’c, if you would…” Daniel motioned to the alien’s shirt.
*###*###*###*
Xander’s first shock had come when Teal’c took off his shirt. He had a well-built upper body… if you ignored his stomach and the opening there, as well as the reason for Xander’s second shock: the symbiote seemed to fixate on him. Everywhere Xander moved it seemed to sniff him out. Hadn’t Doctor Jackson said the thing couldn’t do anything without a host? Seemed to him it was doing it’s best to get a new host, him! But nope, not him! No thank you, mister!
Xander didn’t know what to do. He really needed to tell his brain to close his mouth before he said something Teal’c would misunderstand. He didn’t want to insult the very big man. No, not him. He still had a lot to live for. But that thing was just so… he wasn’t sure how to describe it but it had some similarities with the worms from the “Tremors” movies. And they could say what they wanted - that was surely a bad sign. Xander knew how most of the people in those movies faired. Not to mention the symbiote was giving him Graduation flashbacks, to the Mayor in all his demony, Snyder eating, evil. After graduation Xander had never looked at snakes, caterpillars, earthworms and eels in the same way again. He had to agree with Spike who had said, after the first glance at the Goa’uld larva, “Ugly bugger you have there.” Teal’c may be a nice guy, but this thing sure seemed demon-y to him. Hey, it liked him, so he knew it was at least a little evil. He remembered when Spike stayed with him, the first nights in the basement after he got chipped and exiled from Giles’. One night Spike got drunk and told him the same thing, that the vampire liked him, Xander. So, there was ample evidence of evil liking him just a little too much. After all the vampire was once one fourth of the Scourge of Europe, that meant evil vampire, evil MALE vampire, which in turn meant not only evil women liked him. Evil men did too. If he remembered right Doctor Jackson had said that the Goa’uld larvae didn’t have a gender. Which meant they were female and male, that meant he was doomed!
*###*###*###*
Teal’c was perplexed. Not that anyone could see it when they looked at him. But Teal’c was indeed perplexed. He had never seen his symbiote reacting to anyone in the manner it reacted to Xander Harris. As soon has Teal’c had taken his shirt off, his symbiote had leaned out as far as it could without falling out. A freaked out Xander had taken to hiding behind the numerous people in the room as he moved about, trying to get away from it. The young man went from the vampire to O’Neill, from there to Daniel Jackson, then Samantha Carter, General Hammond and back to Spike… without success! For a wormlike being without ears or a nose, that lived most of his life in the dark and hence shouldn’t be able to see or smell very well because of this, it sure knew where Xander was hiding.
Also new were the mental impressions he got from the larva. Never before had Teal’c gotten such strong impressions and feelings from it. At the moment he was bombarded with feelings of possessiveness and ownership. Teal’c got the impression that his symbiote wanted Xander not as his host but as his possession in a “catch him and never let go” - kind of way. Not so different from his intentions, if you ignored the feelings of domination. His symbiote wanted Xander Harris as his submissive mate, servant and slave. Teal’c wanted him as his equal. Xander Harris wore the scars of many fights and was strong willed. Teal’c could not imagine the man submitting to anyone for any length of time. But for the time being maybe they could work toward the same goal. Teal’c had the feeling that the next attempt by their guests to get back home would also have minimal success. That meant with patience he would have enough time to convince Xander his symbiote wouldn’t jump him and take over his body.
Teal’c’s musing was interrupted by General Hammond. Apparently the base commander had acknowledged the futility of the continuing their meeting and decided on concluding the explanations. “Gentlemen, your flight leaves in two hours. We should finish this meeting. I must remind you that the new information also falls under the nondisclosure agreement you previously signed. I hope this time you get to stay with your family. Good voyage,” and he quieter he added, “or welcome back in a several hours. Try not to land on any one next time”.
*###*###*###*
It was disappointing. Xander and Spike didn’t even reach Los Angeles this time. They disappeared only one hour into the flight. Thankfully, they did not have to explain their disappearance out of a flying plane. Xander was more than willing to let the General guy deal with the explanations.
Spike’s return was met with a loud rant from Jack “No, no, no! Not only do I have a headache from your constant attempts to give me a concussion by landing right on top of me, but now you also have to ruin my dessert. That’s a horrible waste of perfectly good jello!” The vampire was sitting on a table in the base cafeteria, surrounded by Jack, Daniel and Sam. His clothes were a mess of cake and jello. He was still a bit stunned by the rapid change of location and the unexpected landing place (wasn’t he a good little vampire who deserved to land in his favourite lap?), but Jack’s complaint needed an answer immediately. Why waste a perfect opportunity?
“Nothing is lost yet, you know. You could lick me clean.” Holding out an arm to Jack, he leered.
“Not with the clothes on!”
“If that’s your only objection…” Spike looked at Daniel. “Hey Doc, make yourself useful. Get a new jello.” The vampire turned back to Jack and started to undress.
Jack moaned, looked for a clean corner of the table and banged his head repeatedly on it. Ouch, BAD idea! Now he was to blame for his own headache.
*###*###*###*
Xander was really starting to get annoyed, and was planning on introducing whoever kept transporting him (and presumably, Spike) back to the base to his favourite battle axe. He had landed in Teal’c’s lap, who was meditating or something. The alien had his eyes closed but opened them moments after Xander’s landing and wrapped his arms around the one-eyed man. Xander would swear the big guy was lewdly smirking at him behind his unemotional mask. The worm sure seemed happy to see him if the movement under Teal’c’s shirt was anything to go by. “Hello, how are you? Long time no seen. Could you let me go please? I need to call Willow and the gang… again?” Xander babbled. His feelings at the moment swayed between freaking out and getting bored. You only could have the same thing happen to you again and again before it lost its excitement. Fortunately Teal’c led him to the General’s office without complaint nor delay. They met his lost travelling companion there and Xander really didn’t want to know why Spike was covered in what looked like jello and cake, or why the Colonel sat collapsed in a chair with his hands over his eyes and wailing “I’m blind!”
7. Play with me