FIC: Things That Can't Go On Forever, Don't - 4/5
Title: Things That Can't Go On Forever, Don't - But That's Okay - 4/5 (G)
Summary: The war is over and some more big changes are coming for our heroes. Here, Teal'c reflects on some of those changes in a tranquil setting (Cabin!fic with Pic!).
Word Count: ~880 Spoilers: Reckoning, Threads
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, just having a little fun.
Notes: Though this is part 4 of a longer S/J piece, it is VERY, VERY light on the S/J and stands alone as long as you know the basic premise of Reckoning, Threads and The Cabin.
However, the first three parts, are linked in this post. It would delight me beyond measure if you chose to peruse those as well. Each of the five chapters is a different style with different POV's. They'll range from serious to sweet to, hopefully, hilarious and have a mixture of character, team and S/J focus. Thanks to erinm_4600 for her input.
Part 1 - Jack
Part 2 - Daniel
Part 3 - Sam
One more thing, there is a longer version linked here. In it, I take a little more liberty with Teal'c's backstory.
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The hardwood forests of the upper mid-west were not as spectacular as the Colorado Rocky Mountains, or as unique as the Antarctic tundra in summer, or as colorful as the vast pruned garden on the planet where SG-1 had been imprisoned in virtual reality devices. But Teal’c found that Northern Minnesota could hold its own as one of the most peaceful places in the galaxy to sit with one’s back against a tree and contemplate.
The forest behind him was similar to what he had wandered through as a boy on Chulak. And in front of him was a stand of white birch trees beyond which one could look out over the expanse of the ten-acre kettle lake that was found on the property of his like-a-brother friend.
It was early in the morning and as the sun rose higher, the light fog that had hung over the water minutes ago was now burning off. On the opposite shore nearly half a kilometer away, Teal’c could see the cabin where he had just spent the night.
He also saw the two light-haired figures that he knew to be O’Neill and SamanthaCarter sitting on the dock near the water’s edge. They sat very close and he smiled to himself. It seemed to him that their time had finally come.
Teal'cs View (See what he sees on the other side of the water)
Teal’c didn’t need kel-noreem anymore, but he still often found the desire to meditate peacefully and let his mind rest from the increasingly chaotic events and worries of his present and future reality.
The sounds of the morning seemed pure and sweet. There was the whisper of the breeze in the trees over his head. The birds in this forest seemed both more plentiful and more melodious that he had remembered in Colorado, and certainly more so than on Chulak. He wasn’t even sure if there were birds on Dakara.
Dakara. The new homeworld of the Free Jaffa Nation. He sighed a little as this tiny reminder of the difficult time ahead seeped into his mind. But he tried to push it back out of his meditation, knowing there would be time to dwell on it later. But it was difficult, even though he was here to rest his mind and his feelings and to spend time with his Tau’ri family before setting off to lead a whole new life as a whole new sort of person.
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For fifteen years, Teal’c had longed for and then fought for the freedom of the Jaffa from Goa’uld oppression. But only a few days into their victory, various factions had already formed within the hastily assembled leadership. Thousands of years as a culture of warriors left them ill-prepared to form an independent, self-supporting nation.
Grasps for power and lack of expertise prevented any sort of efficient organization of necessary economic and legal frameworks. Food distribution and medical needs were not being seen to. The need for leadership was urgent, but it seemed to be a universal truth that all fledgling societies would need to make many mistakes before they could learn how to fly.
Teal’c knew he did not have the heart of a statesman, though he had tried. But whenever he attempted to offer direction, his ideas were shot down from many directions, not based on lack of merit but simply because they came from someone who was so heavily influenced by the Tau’ri.
Despite the role that Earth had played in securing the Jaffa freedom, the Council was deeply suspicious of the intentions of any group who would purport to know better than them how to run their new nation. A majority of members of the Council were blinded by pride, believing that acknowledging needs would show weakness and threaten their hard-fought sovereignty.
So, although he had been marginalized by his own people, Teal’c had come to a restless peace about leaving the Free Jaffa Nation to its natural political evolution. He had done his part. He had helped to give them a chance. He would still help when he could and advise those who would listen. But he would leave the politics to those who had the patience for it and trust that the cause of freedom would win out over the division and chaos.
Teal’c of Chulak had become Teal’c of the Tau’ri. Yes, he would visit Dakara and Chulak to keep up with things. But he would keep his fish tank at the SGC and plan to tend it himself at least twice a month, although Sgt. Harriman had offered to at least keep the fish fed in between his visits. O’Neill had assured him he would always have a home there; he knew he could always help out other teams even if he was no longer a member of SG-1.
In the meantime, he might try to find Ishta and get away for a few days. He could even visit DanielJackson in the Pegasus galaxy for a while, if the opportunity presented itself. Teal’c had won a lot of freedom for himself as well and now he was seeking his own path.
This morning, he had discovered a walking path that led from O’Neill’s cabin to this tree on the other side of the lake and he knew there was nowhere else in the galaxy he would rather be.
Teal'c is sitting right under that white pine in the center, next to the birch tree.
