Some things unerringly stay the same, thought Major General Jack O'Neill as he paused in the doorway to Teal'c's quarters. The room before him was filled with the flickering light of dozens of candles, like adornments on a monstrous birthday cake, just waiting to be blown out. The big man sat serenely amid them, on the floor, knees bent, hands resting loosely on his thighs, eyes closed. He reminded Jack of an ebony Buddha, with bulging muscles rather than a bulging pot belly, but still a Buddha.
A suddenly, disconcertingly, old Buddha, who had aged incredibly in the few weeks since Jack had seen him last. Sure, the Jaffa warrior still had the powerful frame and the massive muscles and all his hair, though some of it was now gray. Not nearly as gray as his own, though, Jack thought ruefully.
Fifty years worth of aging, the general knew from reading SG-1's mission reports.
Equal to almost his entire life, at least, pretty much all of it that he could remember.
Even with the gray, Teal'c didn't look 140 years old. Then again, since he'd never before met a 140 year old man, er, Jaffa, he didn't know what that age was supposed to look like though it had to be all wrinkledy and bent and old, for sure. He'd once been about a hundred years old himself, Jack recalled. Wrinkledy and bent and old was about the best he could say about being an old codger.
But had T's great age robbed the alien warrior of his hearing? Jack had never before been able to just walk up to the Jaffa's door and take Teal'c by surprise.
Jack shifted his weight, waiting silently to be acknowledged. He was just wondering if he should knock or clear his throat or something when Teal'c, eyes still closed, said, "You may enter whenever you wish, O'Neill. You do not need to remain such a long time in my doorway."
Ah, hearing question answered, thought Jack with a smile that was half embarrassment, half amusement, and completely filled with relief.
"I did not know you were visiting the SGC."
"It's not a visit. It's business," Jack answered, stepping into the room.
"Is this not an unusual hour for business?"
"I'm an unusual business man." O'Neill answered and waved a dismissing hand in the air. "Besides, some business is best done at unusual hours."
William Compton dropped his pen onto his desk a yawn consuming him as he had almost finished his fan fiction, he was getting super excited, rubbing his hands together he and his best friend James Brannings had been working together on this fan fiction to present to a world wide website based on various types of Sci-Fi fan fiction to be chosen as the winner for a special prize that was rewarded every month to the best and he knew that he and James would win this month's prize. A trip to the set to meet the stars of their mot favorite show, he could almost imagine meeting his one true love - Samantha Carter.
Spinning around in his chair, his bedroom was decorated with hundreds of pictures of her and the other members of the cast, he could hardly wait, a man in love. William Compton was the average 22 year old boy, to all his class mates he was the 'dork' the 'geek' the 'nerd' of the class, he had no friends except for James, he never had a girlfriend, heck, he had never kissed a girl. But there was other girl for him, other than Samantha Carter, with his thick black glasses that had thick white tape holding them together. His black matted hair clung to his head in a sheet of grease.
"Colonel Compton are you there?"
William rose from his chair and sped across his room to answer his walkie talkie that was plugged in its charger.
"I am here General Brannings" William replied into his walkie talkie.
"I have finished my last chapter...Have you finished yours?"
"Almost, we gonna send it in tonight?"
"Yes General"
"Synchronize watches for twenty three hundred hours. Over and out" James said again through the walkie talkie. William placed the walkie back into the charger and then strode across the room to his computer, sitting down he began to type, all that crossed his mind was the prize....And of course Samantha Carter.
A suddenly, disconcertingly, old Buddha, who had aged incredibly in the few weeks since Jack had seen him last. Sure, the Jaffa warrior still had the powerful frame and the massive muscles and all his hair, though some of it was now gray. Not nearly as gray as his own, though, Jack thought ruefully.
Fifty years worth of aging, the general knew from reading SG-1's mission reports.
Equal to almost his entire life, at least, pretty much all of it that he could remember.
Even with the gray, Teal'c didn't look 140 years old. Then again, since he'd never before met a 140 year old man, er, Jaffa, he didn't know what that age was supposed to look like though it had to be all wrinkledy and bent and old, for sure. He'd once been about a hundred years old himself, Jack recalled. Wrinkledy and bent and old was about the best he could say about being an old codger.
But had T's great age robbed the alien warrior of his hearing? Jack had never before been able to just walk up to the Jaffa's door and take Teal'c by surprise.
Jack shifted his weight, waiting silently to be acknowledged. He was just wondering if he should knock or clear his throat or something when Teal'c, eyes still closed, said, "You may enter whenever you wish, O'Neill. You do not need to remain such a long time in my doorway."
Ah, hearing question answered, thought Jack with a smile that was half embarrassment, half amusement, and completely filled with relief.
"I did not know you were visiting the SGC."
"It's not a visit. It's business," Jack answered, stepping into the room.
"Is this not an unusual hour for business?"
"I'm an unusual business man." O'Neill answered and waved a dismissing hand in the air. "Besides, some business is best done at unusual hours."
William Compton dropped his pen onto his desk a yawn consuming him as he had almost finished his fan fiction, he was getting super excited, rubbing his hands together he and his best friend James Brannings had been working together on this fan fiction to present to a world wide website based on various types of Sci-Fi fan fiction to be chosen as the winner for a special prize that was rewarded every month to the best and he knew that he and James would win this month's prize. A trip to the set to meet the stars of their mot favorite show, he could almost imagine meeting his one true love - Samantha Carter.
Spinning around in his chair, his bedroom was decorated with hundreds of pictures of her and the other members of the cast, he could hardly wait, a man in love. William Compton was the average 22 year old boy, to all his class mates he was the 'dork' the 'geek' the 'nerd' of the class, he had no friends except for James, he never had a girlfriend, heck, he had never kissed a girl. But there was other girl for him, other than Samantha Carter, with his thick black glasses that had thick white tape holding them together. His black matted hair clung to his head in a sheet of grease.
"Colonel Compton are you there?"
William rose from his chair and sped across his room to answer his walkie talkie that was plugged in its charger.
"I am here General Brannings" William replied into his walkie talkie.
"I have finished my last chapter...Have you finished yours?"
"Almost, we gonna send it in tonight?"
"Yes General"
"Synchronize watches for twenty three hundred hours. Over and out" James said again through the walkie talkie. William placed the walkie back into the charger and then strode across the room to his computer, sitting down he began to type, all that crossed his mind was the prize....And of course Samantha Carter.
