Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

I sit my watch, finding peace and tranquility in the alien dawn I am witnessing. This planet's sun is a red giant and it paints the sky in colors far more vivid than I have witnessed on Earth.

It is rare that I am given the last watch, however I feel that O'Neill has done it in deference to my recent health crisis. It is likely the same reason he gifted Major Carter with first watch, taking the dreaded midwatch upon himself.

I run my hand across my belly, still not quite accustomed to not encountering the presence of another. Doctor Fraiser says that my womb is closing, the skin healing, no doubt aided by the tretonin I am now required to consume on a regular basis.

The absence of my symbiote has wrought many changes upon my life. I have noticed that I feel different. I now have the need for sleep in addition to my meditations. Doctor Fraiser has theorized that any wounds I suffer may not heal as quickly as they did when I carried my primta.

There is much she cannot tell me, her experience with Jaffa and with the tretonin too limited for her to make any conclusive diagnosis.

I have long desired to lose my symbiote, yet now that it is gone, I find that I miss it. In recent days, I have woken in the early hours of the night feeling my primta squirm within me, yet I know that it is not there.

I hear a sound and look to see the front flap of one of the small tents open. Major Carter crawls out, taking a moment to stretch before walking my way. "Morning," she says softly.

I incline my head as I watch her pour some water from her canteen, setting it to heat beside the fire. The coffee started, she will now excuse herself, seeking privacy to complete her morning ablutions.

I find this predictability in my friend's actions comforting. It provides some consistency in our lives. Major Carter leaves and I take a moment to gain my feet, also stretching my muscles, preparing myself for the short hike back to the Stargate.

It is only Major Carter, O'Neill and myself on this mission; Jonas Quinn is still recuperating from his surgery. General Hammond had suggested a replacement, however I am aware that O'Neill refused the man's offer. I am not sure why he has done this, but I do confess that I do not mind not having the presence of a stranger to deal with.

Major Carter returns, her face slightly damp and joins me by the fire. She dumps a packet of instant coffee into the warming water and reaches into her pocket, pulling out the small nutrition bar that serves as breakfast. "Wow, he's still asleep," she says, motioning towards O'Neill's tent.

"Indeed."

"That's what he gets for taking second watch," she said. "I know he spent some time with Jonas before we left, teaching him how to play chess."

I am aware that the two men have been spending time together. I am glad to note that O'Neill has finally accepted Jonas Quinn not only onto his team, but into that tiny circle of people he calls friends.

Major Carter pours herself a cup of the coffee, barely waiting for it to finish brewing. She often does this, so impatient for her morning stimulant that she consumes it premature to it being ready. She blows on it to cool the beverage, and then takes a sip, closing her eyes in pleasure. She takes a second sip, and then sets the cup down, pouring another.

She gets to her feet, making her way over to O'Neill's tent. "Colonel, if you don't get up, I'm gonna drink all the coffee," she says, shooting a mischievous look over her shoulder. "Colonel?" Her smile fades when she gets no response.

She sets down the cups and pulls her pistol from its holster. I gain my feet, picking up and arming my staff weapon. She looks to me then reaches down and flings back the tent flap. "Aargh!" I hear her cry as she quickly takes aim and fires. There is a flurry of activity and O'Neill's tent collapses. "Teal'c!" Major Carter cries as she reaches in to pull the tent off of O'Neill.

Still unsure as to what is wrong, I hurry to aid her. I can hear O'Neill cursing and see the tent material bucking as he strives to free himself. His head appears and Major Carter reaches in, digging her fingers into his shirt to pull him to his feet.

He falls backwards, clearly unable to hold his balance. "Where is it?" he demands.

"I don't know."

"Find the goddamn thing!" he orders.

"I am not sticking my hand in there," she retorts, standing by him, her weapon still drawn.

"What has happened?" I ask them, unsure what could generate such a response from them.

"The colonel had a date," Major Carter says, smiling slightly as she lowered her weapon.

"Carter," he growls, shooting her a dark look.

"There was a snake, Teal'c," she explains, unfazed by O'Neill's ire. "It was curled up on his leg."

"It was one hell of a rude awakening," he says, moving to stand up. He has removed his boots and jacket, evidentially finding the warmth of the night enough to compensate for his lack of clothing. He staggers and reaches out, grabbing Major Carter's arm to keep his balance. "Crap," he mutters.

"Sir?"

"I think the bastard bit me."

She immediately helps him sit back down, instantly reaching for his feet. He leans back and lets her peel back the pants leg, revealing two small puncture wounds. "He bit you all right," she says hurrying back to her tent. "Teal'c," she says as she returned with the first aid kit. "We need to find the snake and take it back with us." She holds out a plastic bag and I take it. "I think I got it, so chances are it's dead."

I begin to gingerly explore the remains of O'Neill's tent with my staff weapon, knowing that, should the snake be alive, it would not do for two of us to get bitten.

I find the corpse, or rather what is left of it. Major Carter's bullet has neatly severed it in two. This is perhaps fortunate. If it is poisonous then having access to its head and fangs may aid Doctor Fraiser. By the time I have collected the gory specimen Major Carter has finished with the limited first aid she is capable of given the fact that we are on an alien planet. "Did you find his boots?" she asks, bandaging the wound.

I hold out the footwear and O'Neill puts them on. "Leave anything we don't need. We'll come back for it later," she orders, moving to retrieve her pack from her tent.

"Don't I have anything to say about it?" O'Neill grouses, accepting his pack which I pull from the wreckage of his tent.

"No," she says. "The gate's an hour's walk away, sir. What we should do is make a travois or stretcher and carry you."

"You are not carrying me," he says, getting to his feet.

"Which is why I figure the sooner we start walking, the further we can get before you're effected by the venom. Assuming of course it has any venom and it's not just a plain old snake bite," she says.

He frowns at her, taking a few experimental steps. "When did you get to be so pushy?"

"Must have picked it up from someone I hang around with," she quips back. "Teal'c, you ready to go?"

I nod and take one last glance around, insuring that we are not abandoning anything important and that the campfire is out.

It takes us a little over the appointed hour to reach the Stargate. By the time we arrive, O'Neill is limping heavily, his injury obviously paining him. I move to support O'Neill as Major Carter dials the Stargate. "I wish to apologize, O'Neill," I tell him.

"What for?"

"The creature must have entered your tent while I stood watch. I should have noticed its presence and prevented it from doing so," I tell him, knowing in my heart that his injuries are my fault. I was charged with the duty of watch and I neglected that duty.

"For crying out loud, Teal'c," he growls. "You're only human," he says as the Stargate opens.

Automatically, I aid him in walking through the gate and returning to Earth. Once there, Major Carter accompanies O'Neill to the infirmary after retrieving the snake from me with a rueful look.

I am left alone in the gateroom, O'Neill's words echoing in my brain. Only human. He is right. I am only human. And he may die because of it.

<><><><><>

I hear the footfalls of another and I fight the temptation to gain my feet and find another refuge. I remain upon my perch and tell myself that I must tolerate the presence of others, this is not my mountain, indeed many members of the SGC seek refuge up here, under the stars.

I remain still, hoping that the person will pass by and leave me to my solitude. "There you are." I close my eyes and smother a groan. "I've been looking all over for you," Major Carter says as she comes to sit beside me. "Janet said the colonel's going to be fine. The snake apparently wasn't poisonous. She's going to keep him overnight for observation. She may regret it once he and Jonas get into another marathon chess match though," she says. I nod, hoping that she will get the silent message. She does not, instead shifting her position a bit to be more comfortable. "You vanished right after we got back," she says after a few minutes.

"My presence was not required."

"What's wrong, Teal'c?" she asks, laying her hand on my arm. "You've been quiet the last few weeks…quieter than usual. Is something wrong?"

I remain silent, part of me wishing to maintain my privacy, yet another part of me desiring to share my burden. "I am no longer Jaffa," I say, almost before I realize I am saying anything.

"Yeah," she says after a moment. "For about six years now."

I sigh. "That is not of which I speak."

"Oh. You mean because of Junior?"

"Indeed."

"Teal'c. I thought…all you've ever talked about is ending the Jaffa's dependence on the Goa'uld."

"I am still dependant on the goa'uld," I tell her. "The tretonin is merely a different form."

"True," she admits after a moment. "Do you want us to see if we can find you another symbiote?" she asks me. "I mean, they're rare, but not impossible to find. We could even ask General Hammond to tell the other SG teams if they run across some Jaffa in battle to…"

"No," I interrupt her. "I do not wish for another Jaffa to die so that I may live. My life is not that valuable."

"It is to us." I do not respond and neither does she. We sit quietly on the mountaintop, taking comfort in the simple presence of each other. "You know, I can't sense you anymore," she says softly.

"Of that I am aware," I answer her. That is one of the first things I noticed upon my release from the infirmary, that I could no longer feel her presence. I had never realized how much I depended upon that, how much I'd taken comfort in having that connection with a member of my team.

"I miss it," she confesses. "It freaked me out at first…right after Jolinar. But…once I got used to it, it was nice. " She turns to face me. "Teal'c, things have changed. Maybe they'll be good, maybe they won't be. Things changed for me right after Jolinar. And I know that I was so afraid nobody'd like me or want to be near me anymore. But you guys didn't do that. I changed and you accepted the changes. We don't care if you can't sense symbiotes anymore. Or if you need to sleep, or…if you can't hear one tiny little snake on an alien planet. You're still alive. You're still here. And that's what we care about." She gets to her feet and lays her hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to hit the bakery and bring in some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. 0630 in the infirmary if you want to join us," she says. I listen to her walk away, as quietly as she arrived.

I crane my head back, studying the stars above my adopted home. They are so different from the heavens of my home planet, yet so similar. I take comfort in their presence, in their inexorable march across the heavens. Orion's yearly appearance in the night sky as predictable as the rising of the sun or the ebb and flow of the tide. I take comfort in that predictability, as I take comfort in the knowledge that it makes no difference if I am human or Jaffa. I will not be judged by my weaknesses or my failings. My friends will accept me, even if I am now only human.

~Fin~

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