"Major Carter, I was wondering if you could assist me?" Sam looked up from the list she was compiling to see Teal'c standing casually in the doorway to her lab. Of course, for a Jaffa, casual is something close to parade rest by human standards.
Sam smiled at her friend. "Sure Teal'c, what do you need?" she asked him, curious as to just what the large Jaffa could need her help with.
Teal'c stepped into the room and stood at her side. "Colonel O'Neill has informed me that Dr. Fraiser has received a promotion to Major and that we shall be celebrating her advancement in rank with a party on Broca."
"That's right," Sam confirmed. "Although the promotion part is a secret. We want to surprise her," she warned.
"I was informed so by Colonel O'Neill. I believe he seemed most eager to 'pull one over on the doc for a change'," Teal'c said, parroting Jack's phrase.
"The colonel loves surprises. Just as long as he's the surpriser not the surprisee," Sam said wryly remembering her CO's fondness for practical jokes.
Teal'c nodded in agreement. "He also informed me you were charged with securing the supplies for this celebration."
Sam nodded as she stood up, putting the cap on her pen and ripping the paper off the pad. "Yeah, lucky me. I don't know what it is with these guys but every time they plan a party, I always get to do the shopping," she said with an ironic tone in her voice.
"Perhaps it is because you possess greater organizational skills than O'Neill or Daniel Jackson," Teal'c suggested.
"Perhaps it's because they're both allergic to grocery stores."
"I was not aware groceries were among Daniel Jackson's list of allergic items."
Sam chuckled. "Teal'c, I've never met a man who likes to shop," she replied.
"The human male's deficiency in shopping skills is precisely why I sought your assistance Major Carter. Since we are going to Broca, I will have the opportunity to visit Drey'ac and Ry'ac. I would like to purchase a gift for Drey'ac. And I wished to seek your assistance in the matter."
Genuinely touched, Sam smiled again. "I'd be honored to help. Do you have anything in mind?" she asked.
Teal'c shook his head. "I have little knowledge of the items available on your world."
"Well, if you were still on Chulak, what would you get her?" Sam asked, trying to find some place to start.
"I would visit the market square and purchase an item from an artisan," Teal'c said.
"I think we're going to have a larger selection here," Sam said. "Tell you what, why don't you and I change into civvies and we'll check out Manitou Springs and see what we can find?" she suggested.
Teal'c nodded. "Will 30 minutes be sufficient for you to change your attire?"
"That'll be fine. I'll meet you by the elevators in half an hour," Sam agreed as they both left her lab, Sam locking the door behind them.

~~~~~

About an hour later, Sam and Teal'c were strolling through the streets of Manitou Springs, mixing with the small pre-Memorial Day crowds of tourists, wandering in and out of the various unique shops that lined the last several blocks of Colorado Blvd. before it joined with the highway that ran out of town. Dotted here and there among the shops and arcades were several of the springs the town was named for. Some sporting fountains and one a wishing well that erupted in a mini geyser every few minutes. There was also a small rushing stream that would join with the Colorado River and eventually make its way to the sea. The appetizing aroma of popcorn and cotton candy wafted out of the arcade which also filled the air with the electronic tings and whistles of the various games.
The springtime sun was warm and the distant vista of Pikes Peak, still frosted with snow, was just beginning to be swathed in the clouds that promised an afternoon thunderstorm in a few hours.
Acting from experience, she'd parked her car on a side street and they walked, planning to go up one side of the avenue and down the other. Literally tucked among the foothills of the Rockies, and in the shadow of the 14,000 foot high summit of Pikes Peak, many of the streets in Manitou Springs were narrow and twisted, quirks of the landscape governing their shape not man. And far more accessible to foot traffic than automobiles.
After they left their third shop, looking past the tourist ensnaring 'Made in Taiwan' knick knacks, and seeking the truly unique items the places had to offer, Sam paused by a street vendor and purchased both of them a drink, Teal'c a bottle of water and her a bottle of soda.
"Teal'c, not that I have a problem browsing, in fact I could easily spend the rest of the day shopping, but we do have a bit of a time constraint. Most of these shops are on limited hours until next week and will close in a couple hours. Do you have anything specific you were looking for?" she asked her friend, taking a seat on a window ledge, the soft breeze ruffling her hair.
"I am seeking a gift for Drey'ac," he said, noticing a group of teenagers across the street, giving the pair quizzical, disapproving looks. Mindful of the need for security he reached up and tugged the ball cap lower on his forehead. Satisfied his tattoo wasn't visible he looked at his attire, reflected in a shop window. The denim pants and blue cotton T-shirt were common enough clothing choices among the Tau'ri. As were the... what did O'Neill call them... yes, sneakers on his feet, though how bright white shoes would aid someone in sneaking he couldn't figure out.
He looked at Major Carter. She was similarly attired in the denim pants she called jeans, sneakers and a bright red blouse. He realized she was speaking to him.
With a guilty start, he noticed he'd become so caught up in his musings he'd ceased to listen to her.
"They don't have electricity so anything electronic's out. I doubt she'd like our clothing. Maybe some kind of dust catcher. Does she like dolphins, dragons, horses or..." Sam trailed off as she noticed a lack of response from her companion. "Teal'c?" she asked, wondering what he was thinking about so intensely.
"My apologies Major Carter. The gift I need is a special one. I..." Teal'c paused as if uncomfortable continuing.
"You don't have to tell me the reason Teal'c," she offered, letting him maintain his privacy if he so desired.
Teal'c recognized his friend's gesture for what it was, not disinterest but respect. "I wish to ask Drey'ac if she desires to renew the bonds of marriage she had dissolved on Chulak."
Realization washed across Sam's face. "You're looking for an engagement gift," she said, smiling.
"Yes. I inquired about the Earth custom for engagement and Daniel Jackson told me of the exchange of adornments of precious metals and stones."
Sam nodded. "Among many cultures anyway, it's symbolized by the man giving the woman a ring, usually of gold and set with diamonds," she said with a tiny inward grimace, remembering the ring she'd left behind when she'd left Jonus.
"Indeed. However, on Chulak such adornment is reserved for the false gods and would not be an appropriate gift."
"OK. What did you do the first time?"
"The first time?" he asked, confused.
"When you asked her to be your wife the first time," Sam clarified.
"I did not ask her," he stated.
"Was it an arranged marriage?"
"Of a sort. Drey'ac was a gift to me, a reward from Apophis for a...successful campaign."
"A gift? You mean he GAVE her to you?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Actually Apophis presented me with a dozen females and bade me to choose one," he stated quietly.
"What is it with you guys? Shau'ri's father gave her to Daniel like...like a welcoming fruit basket and you chose your wife out of a line-up. Is there anywhere in this universe where women AREN'T possessions?" Sam asked in rhetorical mock exasperation.
"Several," he replied. "Earth among them. What I seek for Drey'ac is a gift that has a meaning yet is nothing that is obviously from Earth. I know they are safe on Broca, however I do not wish to call more attention to their different background than I already have."
"I think I have an idea," Sam said. "Come on," she urged her friend. "We just need to find one." She led her friend down the street oblivious to the two elderly ladies shaking their heads and clucking their tongues.

~~~~~

Sam and Teal'c entered the small jewelry shop with a tiny ping of the bell suspended over the door. She led the way past the tables displaying various minerals, crystals and agates to a display of silver jewelry, passing the sales clerk who was assisting two other customers in the store. Sam browsed the velvet lined trays, looking for a specific item. She picked up a ring, tried it on, rejected it then picked up another of the same design. When the second one fit, she held up her hand, displaying the ring to Teal'c.
"It's called cladagh. It's a design that's been around...for centuries. The heart in the middle stands for love, the hands friendship and the crown loyalty." Sam paused for a second, embarrassed by her enthusiasm for the design. She'd always loved the design and owned a couple rings herself. When Teal'c didn't respond, she guessed he didn't care for her choice. She took off the ring and returned it to the tray. "They have other designs or even plain bands or..."
"Major Carter," Teal'c interrupted. "Your choice was most appropriate."
"Really?"
Teal'c turned and saw his companion smiling broadly. He picked up the ring Sam had just taken off. "What is the metal this is constructed of?"
"It's silver. It's sort of a precious metal but not as valued as gold. It's unique in that the more you wear it, the shinier it gets. If you don't wear it, it tarnishes and gets dull."
"This will be an exemplary gift," Teal'c said as he turned to go to the register.
"Wait," Sam said, putting her hand on his arm. "Will that fit?" Teal'c looked at her. "Rings come in different sizes. Will that fit Drey'ac's hand?"
"I am uncertain," he replied as he turned back to her and the display. "It has been some time since I held her hand. I cannot be certain of the size of her fingers."
"Well," Sam held out her hand. "Would this help? How do her hands compare to mine?"
Teal'c took Sam's hands and held them, trying to compare the physical reality before him with months old memories.
Sam looked at the sight of her hands in Teal'c's. She knew her hands were smaller compared to the guys. So were her feet. But they looked absurdly tiny and pale in the Jaffa's large, dark hands. Hands that were oddly gentle as they felt and explored her fingers as he plumbed the depths of his memory.
"You two gonna buy anything or stand there holding hands all day?" a voice intruded.
They looked over and met the annoyed glare of the shop keeper. "We're just trying to figure out what ring size..." Sam started to explain.
"Well, look. We close in a few minutes," the man said, cutting off Sam's explanation.
Teal'c let go of Sam's hands. He turned back to the display and returned the ring. He instead picked up a cladagh pendant. "This will suffice and eliminate the problem of obtaining the right size," he stated evenly as he brought his purchase to the register. The clerk rang it up and handed Teal'c the small bag.
"We'd like a gift box," Sam said. The clerk gave her an odd look but didn't move. "A gift box," she insisted. He reached under the counter, pulled out a small box and set it on the counter. Sam picked it up and followed Teal'c out of the store. "What a waste." she heard the man mutter as he locked the door behind them.

~~~~~

Sam and Teal'c ran the last block back to her car, vainly trying to dodge fat rain drops. Sam hurriedly unlocked the doors and threw herself into the drivers seat, laughing.
"I guess I can skip my shower tonight," she said as Teal'c got in. She started the car and turned the defrosters on full blast to eliminate the steam that was starting to form on the windows.
"Indeed," Teal'c replied as he pulled up his T-shirt to wipe off his face.
"You in the mood to tackle a grocery store?" Sam asked. "I could use some help."
"Of course," Teal'c replied. "Although I do not understand the Tau'ri reasoning behind separating your market squares into several fragmented locations and types of merchandise."
"That...sounds like a lecture on economics you should ask Daniel about," Sam said with a grin, imagining Daniel getting cornered by Teal'c and struggling through a long talk on world wide economics. That would teach him to leave the shopping up to her.
Sam put the car in gear and navigated the evening traffic to the nearest grocery.

~~~~~

Teal'c followed his friend across the parking lot and into the grocery store. During his years on Earth, his team mates had taken him to several of the area's entertainment facilities, clothing stores, eating and drinking establishments and once to one of their shopping malls. This however was the first time he'd been to a food store. He had noticed Colonel O'Neill much preferred having his food delivered already prepared.
He trailed Major Carter as she walked up aisle after aisle, ignoring much of the proffered items, apparently searching for specific substances for the feast. As he followed her, he studied shelf after shelf of cans, jars and bottles all decorated with colorful pictures of the food ostensibly contained within.
With the exception of the produce department, nothing in this grocery store reminded him of the food market on Chulak, There were no pens of wild fowl, no racks of smoked beast or fish. No pottery jars of herbs or oils. No aromas of fresh baked bread. No cries from sellers advertising their wares.
Every thing here was sterile and clean. The refrigerated air smelled instead of a false manufactured scent and Teal'c heard what O'Neill called elevator music, playing through concealed speakers. Though the name made no sense. He knew from observing the exterior of the structure it was only one story tall and could not contain an elevator. Sam paused to load cases of beer and pop into their cart. "This is how humans obtain their food?"
"Some," Sam answered as Teal'c helped her. "Though there are still areas where people shop in markets like you've described."
"And these?" he asked, picking up a bottle of ketchup and indicating the red label on the plastic container.
"Labels," she supplied.
"Labels tell you what is in the containers."
Sam nodded. "And all the ingredients," Sam said, picking up a bag of chips and pointing out the list of ingredients.
"I can not pronounce these words," Teal'c complained.
"That's OK. Neither can I," Sam reassured as she pushed the cart towards the meat department.
As Sam loaded up the packages of hot dogs, Teal'c picked up a Styrofoam tray of steaks. He looked at it quizzically. "This is how you purchase your meat?"
"Yeah."
"How do you tell what it was? If it was healthy or killed properly? How do you even know if it is fresh?"
"We...just trust that it is," Sam replied. Teal'c raised his eyebrows and returned the steaks to the cooler. He picked up one of the packages of hot dogs and read the label as Sam headed toward the front of the store.
"Major Carter," Sam turned to see Teal'c stopped in the middle of the aisle. "I can not eat this," he said, holding up the package of hot dogs.
"Why not?"
"The ingredients of these meat sticks...are disgusting."
Sam tried not to laugh. "Teal'c, hot dogs are like bologna. The less you know about what's in it, the better."
"This...on Chulak this would not be fit to feed our dogs. I can not eat this," he stated quietly.
Slightly taken aback, Sam thought a moment. "OK...is ground beef all right with you?"
"Ground beef?"
"Beef...cow. The meat is coarsely ground and shaped into patties. I think the colonel's made hamburgers before."
"Yes. That is acceptable."
"Cool. We'll do hamburgers too." Sam turned the cart around and replaced some of the hot dogs for hamburgers.
She and Teal'c then made their way to the front of the store where the food was rung up and paid for with a credit card given to her by General Hammond. They loaded the groceries into her car and Teal'c returned the empty cart back to the front of the store. As he made his way back to where Sam's car was parked, two men walked by. "Why can't they stick to their own kind." he heard one of the men mutter as he got into Sam's car.
Teal'c sat there in silence for a second as Sam negotiated her way out of the parking lot and pulled into traffic.
"Major Carter?"
"Yes Teal'c," she answered distractedly.
"Several times this afternoon I have witnessed odd behavior. Individuals staring at us or a change in attitude when speaking to us. The shop keeper where I purchased the cladagh was most courteous to his other customers, yet rude to us. And just now two men made a comment about my sticking to my own kind. Since they are not aware that my kind even exists, can they be referring to something else?"
Sam shot her friend an apologetic look. "You noticed it?" she asked, indicating she had been aware of events but perhaps was hoping he was not.
"I found it difficult not to," Teal'c replied as Sam turned off Colorado Blvd. onto a narrow road. He noted the change in direction. She was driving to the Garden of the Gods park, which was not on the way back to the SGC. "We have another stop to make?" he asked.
"Sort of," Sam replied as she found a parking space and turned off the engine. "This just isn't a topic that's suited for tearing down the highway at 70 mph.," she said as she got out of the car, indicating for Teal'c to follow her. She sat on an empty picnic table and Teal'c sat beside her. Sam thought for a second, then took a deep breath. "You've been studying Earth cultures with Daniel?" she asked.
"Yes. We have been looking for correlations between Earth cultures and off-world cultures I am familiar with."
Sam nodded. "And during those studies, you've probably noticed the large number of different races...ethnic groups we have."
"Yes."
"Some are very similar, like many eastern peoples, the Viet Namese, Chinese, Japanese, they all share many physical characteristics. Others are very different. My skin and coloring is very fair. My ancestors most likely came from Scandinavia...centuries ago. The colonel with his dark eyes and darker skin most likely came from a more southerly region. And Captain Connor, he's African-American. His ancestors probably lived in Africa generations ago. Tech. Davis...I think her mother is Egyptian. The point is certain physical characteristics belong to certain races.
A few centuries ago, people would live their whole lives within a very close proximity of their birth place. They rarely saw people who looked different.
But as our technology got better, we began to explore this world. As we explored, we learned..."
"And conquered," Teal'c interjected.
Sam nodded. "And conquered. And, like in any conflict, the victors wrote the history. Some people began to think they were better than others. And, actually sort of like the Goa'uld look upon humans, one race began to think they were better suited to rule others...Superior to others. That other races were less human because they were different. And since the other races were less human..."
"They could be subjugated."
"Yeah. Just a little over a hundred years ago, most African-Americans in America were owned by the Caucasians."
"It was the cause of your Civil War. Daniel Jackson has spoken of this."
"Yes. Thousands and thousands of people died, on both sides. It created such a gulf... Teal'c some people, even today, cannot look past the color of a person's skin and judge them accordingly. Some people believe individuals of differing races should not mix."
"A similar reason to why some of the Brocans refuse to let their children play with Ry'ac."
"Probably," Sam answered.
"That is why several individuals expressed their negative opinions."
"I think so."
"We were not seeking their approval. Why do they believe they have the right to judge us?"
Sam shrugged. "Why do people think just because I'm blond I'm stupid? Or that because I'm a woman I'm not as capable of doing the same job as a man? They take one look at me and judge me."
"And you do not like this behavior?"
"No. I find it irritating as hell," Sam replied.
"Yet you do it," he stated astutely.
"You're right. I do. When we see an alien for the first time, I'm trying to figure out if he'll kill us BEFORE he starts to shoot. When I first saw you in that cell, I was... afraid of you. I mean, I just knew you were going to kill me...us. And then after you saved us...I did trust you more. Honestly, I thought the colonel was more than a little cracked to want you on SG-1. But after I got to know you, I realized I was wrong. That you are someone I can literally trust with my life," Sam said earnestly.
"Then the behavior of the people today did not bother you?"
"Not really. I mean, it bothers me that they may have offended you, which is why I ignored it in the first place. I've discovered that all confronting people like that does is make things worse. I ignored it like I ignore the rumors that Daniel and I are a couple or that the colonel and I are sleeping together, or that I got promoted to Major because my father and General Hammond are old friends. Little minds and big mouths are a dangerous combination," Sam said. Teal'c nodded. "Honestly Teal'c, behavior like you saw today...it was more the exception than the rule. Fortunately, most people keep their judgments to themselves."
He nodded again. "This world...the more I learn of it, the more I find there is to learn."
"Yeah, it's pretty big...but it's not all bad," she said, pointing towards a tiny rustle in the brush. They both watched as a doe and fawn slowly stepped into the open, eating the damp grass, illuminated by the last sunbeams of the day.

~fin~

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