samandjack.net

Story Notes: SPOILERS: Point of View, 100 Days, There But for the Grace of God

SEASON / SEQUEL: 3rd Season
CONTENT WARNINGS: Male/Female Relationship AUTHOR'S NOTES: This creative outlet is just a figment of my imagination but definitely happening after "Point of View." Feed back is most welcome.


"Unscheduled incoming traveler!"

The familiar klaxon sounded as members of SG-1 ran to the control center to find out who their unexpected visitor was coming through the wormhole.

"Close the iris!" General Hammond ordered as one of the field techs complied. The familiar grey trinium iris covered the opening of the Stargate.

"I thought all SG teams were accounted for," Colonel Jack O'Neill commented.

"They are," replied Hammond.

The Colonel stood alongside the rest of SG-1. Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c were looking through the blast shields curious of their surprise visitor.

"Sir," Sergeant Harris started, "we're getting an iris code."

"Have we got an ID yet?"

After a moment, the Sergeant looked up at the team in surprise. "Yes, sir. It's SG-1's code."

"What?" both Jack and Sam asked in unison.

The general's brow showed concern. "But SG-1 is right here. Reconfirm the IDC code, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir." After a moment, "The code is affirmative for SG-1, sir."

Hammond looked at Jack. "What do you think?"

"Well, sir, I am very curious how someone would be using our code. I suggest that we open the iris."

Hammond nodded. "Do it." Harris complied.

The guards assembled at the bottom of the ramp with their weapons pointed at the Stargate. As the iris opened to reveal the familiar shiny and fluid-like event horizon, a hooded figure stepped through a moment later carrying a large basket. The figure stopped just at the top of the ramp to lower the basket and notice whom the weapons were specifically aimed at. After a moment, the hood was draped over to reveal a very familiar face.

"Dr. Carter?" Daniel asked as he, along with the rest of SG-1, arrived in the embarkation room. Jack and Sam were visibly shocked to see whom it was as well.

Dr. Samantha Carter, who sported a shorter, shoulder-length hairstyle and was noticably weakened from her travels, smiled faintly at the youthful archaeologist as she recognized the other faces of SG-1. "Hello, Daniel. It is nice to see you again after all this time."

After a moment, Jack finally remembered to tell the guards to lower their weapons. The wormhole disappeared behind Dr. Carter as she picked up the large basket and started to walk slowly down the ramp. There was both a curiosity and an awkwardness among the members of SG-1 as she approached them. Jack had a concerned look on his face while Sam looked impassive. Teal'c stepped forward to offer his assistance in carrying the basket.

"Oh, please be careful, Teal'c. There is a very delicate package in there."

As if on cue, there were gurgling noises emanating from the covered basket.

Jack heard them and looked among his team for confirmation of what he thought the noises sounded like. He finally found his voice. "What's in the basket?"

Dr. Carter smiled at seeing Jack. There was a very telling look from her face that Sam noticed immediately. It was a look of....sadness.

"Hello, Jack. It's really good to see you....all of you," Dr. Carter responded as she peered among the faces of SG-1.

"Sorry to spoil the homecoming, but you still didn't answer the question."

Though Jack's face showed the look of indifference, the tension he radiated was very evident among the people in the room. Even Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the apparent harshness Jack's voice invoked.

"Um, what Jack meant was that we're surprised to see you again, Dr. Carter," Daniel said to help ease the tension in the room.

"Oh, I understand exactly what he meant. I will answer everything for you as soon as I get some rest," Dr. Carter replied with just a hint of sadness. It was very obvious to everyone that she looked very ill.

Just then, Dr. Fraiser entered and saw their latest visitor. "Dr. Carter? It seems like just yesterday I saw you. Are you alright? You don't really look too hot."

Dr. Carter smiled. "I'm a little tired, but I'll fill you in. First, I need to show why I made this trip to see you all again."

As Teal'c held the basket, Dr. Carter pulled aside the blanket to reveal the "very delicate package."

It was a baby, roughly 2 months old.

Jack and Sam gasped, while Teal'c and Daniel looked at each other with raised eyebrows.



******



"I don't understand, Major. We destroyed that quantum mirror almost a year ago. How in the world did Dr. Carter find her way back to our reality?"

Sam understood the concern General Hammond had. She was still recovering from the double shock of seeing her alternate self again as well as finding out that she was a "mother."

"From what I can gather from Dr. Carter's explanation, General, she discovered roughly six weeks after she last saw us that she was pregnant with her husband's baby. During that time, she re-established contact with their Beta Site with the Asgard's help, since they had buried their Stargate."

The conference room was quiet as Sam explained this. Each of them lost in their own thoughts concerning the situation they all found themselves under, especially Jack, who was noticably subdued.

"But that doesn't explain how Dr. Carter was able to get to our reality," General Hammond added.

"She stated that she convinced Major Kawalsky to help her get through the Stargate back to P3R-233, the same planet that Daniel first found the quantum mirror. It appears that Dr. Carter did this without any authorization from their SGC."

"Now why would she do that?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know. She avoided that route of questioning and stated that when she got to '233, she was able to find another quantum mirror. It seems that there are others beyond the one we found. Dr. Carter had rigged up a new dialing device and proceeded to find our reality again. Since the quantum mirror we had was destroyed, she knew that the only way to get to our reality was to go back to '233 and then, use the Stargate to reach us."

"Then it's just pure luck that she found us again," General Hammond commented.

Sam nodded. "Yes, it appears that way, sir. Apparently, the GDO code is the same in her reality, and she used it to open our iris."

"Has Dr. Carter said anything about why she took her baby with her?" Daniel asked.

Sam shook her head. "She didn't say."

"I'm afraid that I know."

Everyone in the conference room turned towards the voice to see Dr. Fraiser walk into the briefing.

"What did you find out, Doctor?" General Hammond inquired.

"She's dying," Fraiser sadly reported.

Sam was visibly shaken by the news; Hammond, Daniel and Teal'c displayed shock; while Jack retreated further into his dark mood.

"Is there anything we can do for her?" Hammond asked.

Janet shook her head. "Dr. Carter had brought her medical file with her. She has an inoperable brain tumor that has grown steadily over the past few months. It's terminal. We'll run tests, of course, to confirm, but...."

Hammond understood as he grimly nodded.

"How about the baby?" Sam anxiously asked.

"Well, the infant appears to be a healthy 9-week-old girl. Other than slight malnutrition, she should be fine."

"Dr. Carter never received any kind of treatment?" Daniel asked.

Janet shook her head. "Other than painkillers, she refused treatment to ensure that she could carry her baby to term without any risks. In essence, she sacrificed herself for her baby."

The room was quiet again as the realization of her statement sunk in.

"Was she pregnant when she was here last?" Sam asked breaking the silence.

Janet thought for a moment. "It's possible. The time frame sounds right, but pregnancy tests aren't part of our medical SOP when doing a physical. So I never checked at the time."

"So why come to us?" Hammond asked.

"She wouldn't tell me, sir," Janet replied, "but she did say that she wanted to talk to Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter."

Both Jack and Sam looked at each other.

"I gave her a sedative, so she's getting some rest now," Janet continued, "It's amazing that she's been able to stand with the amount of pain that she must be enduring."

Hammond nodded absently. "Thank you, Doctor. Please notify us of any new developments."

Janet nodded as she glanced at Sam.

"Dismissed."

Everyone left the room, except Jack. He turned his chair to view the Stargate below. After awhile, he bent over and buried his head in his hands.



******



Sam held the little baby girl in her lap. She followed Janet to the infirmary after the briefing. Her lab felt like the wrong place to be after hearing the situation her alternate self had to endure the past few months. Sam was also curious as to what kind of offspring she, herself, might have produced with Jack. After all, Samantha was genetically identical in every way to herself. Seeing the wisp of dark blonde hair and large sea blue eyes staring at her, the baby could be hers as much as Dr. Carter's.

"She really likes you."

Sam looked up at Janet's smiling face. "Yes, she seems well-behaved."

"It certainly appears so."

"Does she have a name?"

Janet thought for a second. "You know....Dr. Carter only called her little one. I was too preoccupied with her medical file to ask."

Sam nodded absently as the little girl grabbed her finger and smiled. Sam returned one of her own.

"How are you doing with all of this, Sam?"

She hesitated. "I'm not really sure, Janet. This all feels surreal to me. I'm used to giving too much information, but being on the receiving end of it is definitely different. On top of all that, finding out my alternate self is dying...well...it just seems too much to handle right now."

Janet nodded. "I understand. I have to admit that this is pretty overwhelming for me as well. Though I know that this Samantha isn't you, in a way, she is. So I feel helpless, because I can't help."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's just so bizarre to hear that she's dying. I feel that a part of me is dying. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I think so. This is an entirely unusual experience for anyone to have to handle all at once. I certainly would have no idea what I would do in the same situation."

Sam was peering over at the bed behind Janet. "How is she doing?"

Janet turned around to peer at Dr. Carter. "She's stable. There's not really much else we can do for her. Just make her as comfortable as possible."

"What's her prognosis?"

"Based on her medical file, she shouldn't even be alive, especially since she refused treatment. My best guess is just a matter of days."

"And the temporal entropic cascade failure?"

"I almost forgot about that," Janet answered with a grim look. "It's highly doubtful that she could endure those type of seizures in her present weakened condition."

Sam glumly agreed. She brought her attention back to the baby, who was thoroughly fascinated with her dog tags. "My God, Janet. What are we supposed to do with the baby?"

Her friend wasn't sure how to answer. "I honestly don't know, Sam."



******



Jack was in his office absent-mindedly reading the status report in front of him. It was the only thing he could think of doing to take his mind off the current situation he found himself in. He thought about going to find Sam. After all, she was the other one directly affected by the arrival of her alternate self. On the other hand, he wasn't sure what to say once he did find her. So, he retreated to his office instead.

A part of him still felt confused over the whole situation with the alternate Carter. He had a "special" experience with this particular alternate Carter that was very difficult to forget. He remembered the look his Carter gave him as soon as he finished kissing her alternate self and stepped through the quantum mirror for the last time. She had the look of someone both curious and jealous. Of course, he never had the guts to talk to her about it. The whole situation was too awkward to bring up. Also, he had yet to come up with any legitimate or believeable reason why he kissed her.

Besides, it was certainly no simple peck on the lips like with someone under the mistletoe on Christmas. It was a full, head-on lip lock that had definite undertones of passion. In fact, he was still surprised how easily he responded to her. The familiarity was already there for both of them. Dr. Carter, needing closure, and Jack, curious what it felt like to kiss Carter, whether it was the one in his reality or not.

That was really the answer that he dare not admit to Carter. Jack had always been curious what it was like to kiss those lips. Since the beginning when he first met Sam, he always wondered what they may have felt like. It was something that Jack could never reveal to anyone. Besides being against regulations to have romantic feelings for someone under his command, it was downright embarrassing.

Anyway, Carter would kill me.

Yes, the cocky Colonel O'Neill admitted that his Major would easily cold-cock him if he ever stepped out of line. Jack truly liked that about her. She was no-nonsense, and he was nothing but nonsense. Polar opposites in that regard, but both driven to succeed. Of course, there was that issue where her intellect far exceeded his.

At least I outrank her.

The phone rang startling him out of his thoughts. "Yes?"



******



Jack arrived at the infirmary a few minutes later. Sam was already there along with Dr. Fraiser talking to her alternate self.

"Jack!" Dr. Carter stated with a beaming smile.

"Oh...hello, um, Dr. Carter."

"Please! Jack, it's Samantha, remember?"

Jack feigned a smile. "Of course, how could I forget?"

"Well, I'll leave you three alone then," Janet said. "Remember, Dr. Carter, don't overdo it. I'll be in my office if you need me."

She left noticing Jack looking *really* uncomfortable. "Um...I love the new 'do, by the way," he said to offset his obvious nervousness.

Samantha smiled. "Thanks, Jack. It's not as short as Sam's, but I admit that she definitely influenced the change."

Jack nodded. "So...um...what did you want to see us about?"

"That's so like you, Jack. You're always straight to the point. Diplomacy was never your strong suit."

Sam smiled at that remark.

"I was catching up with some of the events of the past few months with the Major and Dr. Fraiser before you arrived."

The room became noticably quiet as only the machines monitoring Samantha's vital signs were the only audible sounds emanating in the room.

"Okay, enough beating around the bush. You both know my condition. There's no silver lining other than for my baby being born in the middle of all this."

"She's really sweet," Sam commented. "I kept her company while you were sleeping."

"Thank you, Sam. I appreciate that...which brings me to the real reason I came."

Again, another hush fell in the room. Jack and Sam peered at each other.

"Knowing that my days are numbered and having no family to fall back on to take care of my little girl, I decided that the best route of action is to give her a chance to get to know her parents."

Jack and Sam again looked at each other with the same questioning looks on their faces.

"My last wish before I die is also a huge favor to ask of you two. I want both of you to be the surrogate parents to my baby girl."

Jack was noticably stunned, while Sam looked surprisingly calm.

"As Sam already knows, she is my exact genetic match. While Jack is the genetic match of my Jack. So in essence, the baby can be just as much your's as it is mine. No questions would be raised regarding the baby's parentage, because any test would prove that you two are the parents. Since my Jack is already dead, and I won't be around to see her grow up, I wanted my baby to have a chance to know who her parents are."

Jack finally found his voice. "Sounds like you thought this through pretty well."

Samantha nodded. "Yes, I have. Also, since I know that you two don't have a child together, there is no worry about the entropic cascade failure. Though I understand that you and Sam have a different situation than I did with my Jack, I know that this is the right thing to do."

"I was wondering..." Sam interjected. "Does the baby have a name?"

Samantha smiled at her alternate. "Actually, I hadn't picked a name. I felt that I would leave that priviledge up to you two."

Sam peered over at Jack, whose face was currently unreadable.

Samantha continued, "I know that this is a huge favor to ask of the both of you..."

"Yes, this is rather huge," Jack commented.

Samantha smiled. "But I felt that this was in the best interest of the baby. It just felt....right."

Jack and Sam both nodded. Neither had a clue on how to respond.

"Now, if you don't mind, I want to spend some time with my baby while I still have some energy."

Both Jack and Sam left the room. There was much to discuss between the two. Jack peered back at Samantha holding her baby. She wore a smile that did not hide the sadness of knowing her days spending time with her baby were her last.



******



"So how do you two feel about all this?" General Hammond asked his two officers seated in front of him. Jack and Sam thought it best to tell the General what transpired in their meeting with Samantha.

"Well, sir," Sam began, "It is an incredibly huge responsibility. Yet, I feel as though I owe it to her. I know that if I was in the same position, I would probably do the same thing. Losing a parent is bad enough, I lost my own mother when I was young. In this situation, the baby never truly loses her parents."

Hammond nodded at her comments. "Jack?"

He had been lost in his own thoughts. "Um...can I get back to you on that, sir?"

Sam gave him an annoyed look.

"Obviously, this is highly unorthodox," Hammond said. "I can only imagine what that woman sacrificed to ensure that her baby would make it to us safely. However, I will have to discuss this situation with the President. I don't want to even try to come up with an explanation on how two of my best officers ended up with a baby."

Sam nodded. "I understand, sir."

"Don't worry, Major. The fewer people who know about this situation, the better. Besides helping to carry out a dying woman's last wish, we also need to ensure your baby's privacy."

Hearing it said for the first time, "your baby," made it more realistic for Sam. She had never imagined that a child would be in her immediate future, particularly with her career choice. Yet, a baby was literally dropped on her lap.

"Thank you, sir," she said. "I think Samantha would appreciate that as well. She doesn't want her baby to ever think her real parents died. Having the Colonel and I literally *replace* them, in a way, makes any kind of transition almost seamless. The baby is too young to remember any difference."

"I see what you mean, Major. I guess if anyone understands her way of thinking, it would be you. Sometimes, I forget that."

"So what now?" Jack finally broke out of his own thoughts to join in.

"Well, first things first...I need to discuss the situation with the President. Then, I guess we need to ensure we leave a paper trail to cover that this baby is yours without bringing up any suspicions otherwise."

"Um, sir...how exactly are we going to cover up the fact that the Major and I had a baby when we're not even involved?"

Sam felt hurt by Jack's comment. Is it that bad to think we might be involved?

"Hmmm...good point, Colonel. I'll have to think about that one. For now, SG-1 will be on standdown for at least four weeks until we get this all sorted out."

"Yes, sir," both Jack and Sam replied.

"Dismissed."



******



"I hate to do this to you, little one. But I know that you will like your new mommy and daddy. They'll love you as much I do, sweetie."

Janet felt as though she was invading Dr. Carter's privacy. Though, she was just checking on her vitals, Janet witnessed one of the most private moments between mother and daughter. She started to miss Cassandra.

"Before the end comes, Dr. Fraiser. I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done."

Janet felt tears welling up. "Please...call me Janet. You're practically my best friend, if you know what I mean."

Samantha smiled. "Yes, I understand, Janet. Though I'm afraid your alternate died in the Goa'uld attack in my reality. The new doctor is not as warm as you are."

Janet returned the smile. "Well, I think I try to always put my patients' best interests ahead of any personal agenda."

"Yes, my Janet was the same way."

"Was she in the Air Force, too?"

"Do you think the military would want to pay for a civilian doctor?"

Janet laughed. "Yeah, you're right. I just thought because of the difference between you and Sam with the military...."

"I know. I told Sam that I could never imagine myself in the military. But that's not true. I just never considered it. My dad was always gone on some secret military mission when I was growing up. I resented the military because of that."

"Yeah, Sam mentioned that her father did the same thing. She said that her mother died, because her dad never picked her up when he was supposed to. I never really asked the details."

"That's okay. The same thing happened to my mother, too. It seems that part of our history is intact in both realities. However, I never got over my resentment of the military, while she apparently did."

Janet nodded. "Sam's dad is now with the Tok'ra. He was dying of cancer, and she came up with the idea that he be a new host to one of their symbiotes."

Samantha had a grim look. "Unfortunately, that never happened in my reality. My dad died of cancer."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Samantha. I didn't know."

"Of course not. Don't worry about it, Janet."

There was an awkward silence between the two women. The baby did not notice such things as her delight of being held by her mother excited her. Samantha played some more with her daughter, while Janet decided to leave for her office.

Just then, Sam walked in and almost bumped into Janet, who still showed unshed tears. "Janet? Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm just being silly. This whole situation is a lot harder to handle than I imagined."

"Why do you say that?"

Janet peered back at Samantha and her baby. "That could be you, Sam."

She followed her gaze back to the mother and daughter. Janet doesn't realize how true that statement is.

"Listen...I need to head back to my office. If you want to spend time with them, it's okay for now. Just don't overdo it."

Sam nodded as she headed towards the bed. "Hey, you two. It looks like all that traveling didn't wear out this little one."

Samantha suddenly started crying.

"Samantha? God! What's wrong?"

She sobbed. "I'm...sorry, Sam. It's just that you said little one for the first time in front of me. That really hit home."

Sam nodded her understanding. "I...didn't realize that I even said it."

"It's okay. I'm glad you did. It just means that you'll love her as much as I did."

Sam smiled. "I don't think that will be much of a problem. She really seems to like me. You must have done a wonderful job of raising her."

"She's a great baby. I had to admit that I thought about not keeping her."

"Really?" Sam asked in a more shocking manner than she intended.

"Yes. At first, I was just so shocked that Jack left a part of himself. It didn't seem right to have a baby without him. But then, I realized that he would have wanted me to have his child even without him being around. We had talked about having a large family after we left the SGA."

"You two were planning to quit?"

Samantha nodded. "Yes. We wanted to ensure that the Goa'uld threat was diminished before we left. Both of us felt it was our duty to ensure that Earth was safe for not only our children but everyone's."

"That must have been a tough choice...quitting."

Samantha shook her head. "Not really. Both Jack and I were ready to leave. We wanted to start a family as soon as possible. I was thinking of spending the time at home writing about wormhole physics and other theories I had while in the Stargate program."

Sam found this difficult to fathom. She had never even *thought* of leaving the program much less quitting to start a family. On the other hand, she didn't have another person to consider like her alternate did.

"Have you and Jack come up with a name yet?"

"A name?"

"For the baby."

"Oh...no. We hadn't talked about that yet."

Samantha smiled. "Don't wait too long, Sam. I may not have much time left, but I am curious what my little girl's name will be."

"Well...I haven't really thought about it yet. And the Colonel....well, I'm not really sure what he has in mind."

"You really need to talk to him, Sam. I think you need it as much as he does."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you have yet to tell him that you love him."

Sam was so stunned at the statement that she didn't know what to say.

"It's no surprise to me. I saw the *chemistry* you two had the first time I came here. It's an unspoken trust and admiration that can only produce one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Love, silly. What else?"

Sam still wasn't sure how to respond. "I....I just don't know."

"Is it that you're afraid that Jack doesn't have the same feelings for you that you have for him?"

Sam didn't answer. She started to blush instead.

Samantha laughed. "Incredible that my Jack and I ever got together! Sam....he loves you. Believe me, I see the same wonderous, loving look your Jack gives you like mine gave to me. It's there. Trust me on this."

"But our working relationship prohibits..."

"Oh, forget stupid regulations! Besides the fact that you have to explain how you and Jack had a baby, I think you'll have to throw regulations out the window."

Sam laughed. "Yeah...I guess I never thought of that."

"Find him, Sam. I think he really needs you."

She nodded and looked at the little baby girl sleeping peacefully in her mother's lap. "I hope she does that for me, too."

Samantha smiled. "Girl! We need to talk...."



******



"Hey! Whatcha doing?"

Daniel looked up from his reference book to see Jack standing in his doorway. "Jack? Something wrong?"

"Um...no. I just couldn't figure out where to go."

Daniel was more confused than ever. "What's the matter?"

Jack hesitated. "I have some good news and some bad news."

Daniel could feel the tension dripping off Jack. "Yes?"

"The good news is that SG-1 has the next four weeks off."

"That's the good news?"

"Yep. Want to hear the bad news?"

Daniel nodded.

"Well...the bad news is that Carter and I are new parents."

Daniel thought he heard Jack wrong. "Excuse me?"

"Parents. Carter and me."

"That's the bad news?"

"Yep."

"I...uh...had no idea that you and Sam were involved."

"We're not."

Daniel did a double take. "Run that by me again?"

"You didn't hear wrong, Daniel. Carter and I aren't involved."

"Then...how?"

"You forgot the *other* Carter? Remember that package she brought with her?"

Daniel nodded.

"She wants Carter and me to be the surrogate parents after she...um..."

"Dies?"

Jack nodded.

"Oh, Jack...I...um...how do you feel about all this?"

"Strange comes to mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

Daniel smiled. "Um..no, Jack."

"Oh...well, like I said, this is all too strange."

"Why is this strange?"

"I guess it's confusing. I mean...Carter and I have a relationship that seems to do well the way it is....professional....friendly...."

"Platonic?"

"Yes! That's right...platonic. Then, your curiosity had to get the best of you, and you went to another reality and found out that Carter and I were engaged.

"Well, Jack, it wasn't like I planned to do that, you know."

"Right, you told me. Anyway...that kind of laid the seed in my head that maybe I'm looking at Carter the wrong way or something. Then, an alternate Carter and Kowalsky go through that quantum mirror-thing, and I find out that Carter and I are married in their reality! That was more shocking to me than knowing my alternate was dead."

Daniel smiled. "Well, it didn't seem to stop you enough to not kiss her goodbye."

Jack gave him a nasty look. "Anyway...I thought that would be the last of these alternate reality things. Now, she shows up in our lives again, and we not only find out that she had my alternate's baby, but that she's dying. It just seems overwhelming to me."

"Jack...you find our *debriefings* overwhelming...."

He ignored Daniel's remark. "And even though I know that isn't the Samantha Carter of my reality laying in the infirmary dying....it's still...Carter...to me."

Daniel grimly nodded. "I understand. That could very well be Sam laying in that bed."

"Yeah."

"Sir?"

Jack and Daniel turned towards the door to see Sam standing there.

"Carter? Is something wrong?"

Sam tried not to cry, but her eyes betrayed her sadness. "Sir...Samantha..."

Jack understood immediately and walked towards Sam. Once he reached her, his arms pulled her towards him. "Shhhh. You don't have to say it..."

Daniel got up from his seat and came closer to the two. "I'm so sorry, Sam."

Sam nodded. A few moments passed while Jack held her in his arms as she quietly sobbed on his shoulder.

She started to say a few things in between sobs. "Samantha and I....were talking...laughing...just enjoying the time....when she just gasped...all of a sudden...with the baby still in her lap."

Daniel and Jack looked at each other. Shock was evident in their faces.

"Samantha had a massive brain embolism," Sam continued. "Janet tried everything, but....it was too late."



******



Two days passed and the mood in the SGC was still very somber. The news of the alternate Samantha Carter's death affected everyone as though they lost one of their own. Per her instructions to Janet, Samantha's body was cremated and her ashes released to the winds of the mountains near the base. General Hammond gave a eulogy that was surprisingly emotional and tender in scope regarding a person that he hardly knew. Yet, it was poignant to Samantha that someone she admired as a surrogate father in her reality was ensuring her memory would not be forgotten. In the midst of all this, Jack and Sam were now responsible for a 9-week-old baby girl. Janet kept her for observation in the infirmary to ensure that she was not suffering from any long-term effects from the different reality. Fortunately, she was too young to notice that her mother was dead. For appearance sake, Sam visited her at least three times a day. The baby did not know the difference and enjoyed spending time with Sam as much as Samantha.

General Hammond received the go-ahead from the President to fulfill Samantha's last wish. The true identity of the little girl will be buried except for a select few. As far as the tricky situation with the involvement of two officers in the same chain-of-command...

"I'm sorry, sir?" Sam asked with a befuddled look that was usually customary on Jack's face.

"After discussing it with the President, we came up with three possible solutions to explain your relationship in regards to the baby," Hammond stated.

"And they are...?" Jack queried.

"The first is that one of you transfers out of the SGC, resigns or retires."

"Is that really necessary, sir?" Jack loudly protested.

Hammond raised his hand. "Both the President and I agreed that you two are much too valuable to this program to consider that option."

Jack and Sam both nodded their agreement.

"The second option is a formal reprimand for disobeying regulations."

"What?!?!?" Jack and Sam stated in unison.

Hammond smiled. "Again, not feasible. Technically, this baby is not really yours so that type of punishment is unwarranted. It would also jeopardize both of your chances for further career advancement because of the limited number of people aware of your unique circumstances. After all, I'm not going to be around forever."

"Oh, come on, General! Just watch the red meat intake and run some laps with me, and you never know..." Jack quipped.

Hammond shook his head. This is going to be more fun than I thought.

"The third option is a little more sticky."

"Define sticky, sir," Sam interjected.

"In reviewing SGC regulations, it appears there is a little known minor reference to relationships between SGC personnel."

"There is?" Jack asked.

"Yes, it was originally designed for Ernest and Katherine back in the early infancy of the Stargate program, so they would be able to work together. Basically, a relationship between two SGC members is allowed as long as it does not interfere with their daily duties."

"Wow! It almost seems too good to be true," Sam commented.

"Yes it does. However..."

"Carter! You spoke too soon!" Jack complained.

"The two SGC members have to be...um...how should I put this?...married."

"WHAT?!?!?"



******



"Run that by me again?" Janet asked incredulously.

Sam wanted to check on the baby after her meeting with General Hammond. Also, she needed to sort out the many thoughts racing around in her head. "To make sure the baby's true parentage is never revealed, the Colonel and I have to get married," Sam explained.

"Married? And the General has no problem with this?"

"He's the one who suggested it."

"Oh my..."

"Yeah, you can say that again."

"So you and Colonel O'Neill can still work together?"

"From what was explained to me, Ernest and Katherine set up the original SGC regulations regarding personnel romantically involved with each other. The Colonel and I can still work together provided our team members won't object. Also, no relations while on-duty or on off-world missions."

Janet laughed. "So no hanky-panky, huh?"

"Yep."

"I thought Ernest and Katherine were just engaged before he disappeared to Heliopolis."

"Yeah, they were, but the SGC regs were amended to ensure that only married couples were involved to avoid any kind of unwarranted favoritism from a secret relationship between two SGC members."

"Hmmm...then there shouldn't be anything to worry about then."

"What do you mean?"

"You and the Colonel...you know...hanky-panky."

Sam didn't answer, and Janet noticed.

"Sam? What is in that twisted, genius mind of yours?"

"Well, I was thinking..."

"Yes?"

"Isn't it rather strange that in the other alternate realities we've encountered has the Colonel and I together?"

"Hmmm...I didn't realize."

"And the main difference between them and myself is my being in the military."

Janet nodded. "Yeah, that's true."

"Now it almost seems that I've literally been handed a gift with this situation."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the facts...Jack O'Neill fell in love with Samantha Carter in those other realities. Those alternate versions of myself weren't in the military for one reason or another. In this reality, he isn't involved with me, because *I* am in the military. So we can't be involved because military regulations prohibit such relationships within a chain-of-command."

"So you're saying...."

"I'm saying that this situation and the special circumstances set by Ernest and Katherine for SGC personnel make the military regulations a moot point. They don't apply to this particular chain-of-command anymore."

Janet hesitated. "I see..."

"Don't beat around the bush, Janet. What are you thinking?"

"Well, I was just wondering...how do you think Colonel O'Neill feels about all of this?"

It was Sam's turn to hesitate. "I honestly don't know. He's been acting rather strangely, even for him."

"How so?"

"He barely said anything during Samantha's eulogy. Then, he disappeared without letting anyone know where he went."

"Oh...well, he came....here."

"What?" Sam asked with a very surprised look on her face.

"Yeah, I didn't get a chance to go to the eulogy, because I felt that I needed to keep her baby company while most everyone was gone. I just didn't really feel like going."

Sam was even more surprised. "Why is that?"

"Like I told you before, Sam. That woman who died on that bed could have easily been you. In essence, it *was* you."

She nodded. "I understand. I guess that I thought of Samantha as a kind of sister in a way. Yet, my mind was occupied with taking care of her baby."

"I know. I think that was the same thought that the Colonel felt, too. He didn't know I was in my office, but he came in and held the baby for a little while. I don't think I ever saw him with such a sad look on his face. He must have taken Samantha's death rather hard."

Sam didn't say anything in response but kept Janet's words very much in her mind.



******



"Hello, sir."

Jack looked up from his cup of coffee to peer into deep sea blue eyes. "Hello, Carter."

"May I join you?"

Jack waved to offer the chair next to him.

"I hope I wasn't disturbing you, sir."

"Well, you know my schedule, Carter. I just planned to do another few hours of...something."

Sam smiled. "I understand. Listen, with all this talk about our situation, one thing hasn't been discussed between us yet."

"Oh? What's that?"

"We still have to come up with a name for the baby, sir."

"Oh yeah..."

"Did you have any thoughts on a name, sir?"

"To be honest with you, Carter, I hadn't been thinking about it."

Sam felt disappointed but did not reveal it to him. "The General asked me earlier today about it, because of the paperwork. She needs one for the birth certificate and other papers indicating our custody."

"Okay then...let's talk about it."

"I had some names in mind."

Jack waited. "Well don't leave me in suspense, Carter!"

"How about Ashley or Justine?"

Jack made a face. "Um...no offense, Carter, but they do nothing for me."

Sam felt hurt but again hid that from Jack. "Well, do you have any names in mind?"

"Um, I've always been partial to Rebecca."

It was Sam's turn to make a face this time. "Um...it's a pretty name, sir."

"Spit it out, Carter."

"I kind of like Becca more than Rebecca."

"That could be her nickname."

"If you say so, sir."

Jack shook his head. "Never mind, then. Um...how about Christa?"

"No good."

"And why not?"

"I knew a Christa in college. The name is synonomous to me with bitch."

"Oh, for crying out loud..."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Oh and another thing..."

"Yes, sir?"

"I know we're in the commissary, but we're on downtime. I think it's okay for you to call me Jack."

Sam nodded. "Um...if you say so, sir...er, Jack."

"Okay...now that we got that out of the way...let's get back to the baby's name."

"How about Cheyenne?"

Jack considered this. "Cheyenne? Hmmm...I kind of like that. It sort of dedicates this base where I assume she was born in her reality."

"Yeah, I think so, too."

"Okay, we'll hold that one in reserve."

"Alright. How about Gwen?"

Jack mimicked someone who wanted to vomit.

"Okay. We'll try another one then."



******



"Caitlan Cheyenne O'Neill."

"That's right, General," Jack beamed brightly.

"Very pretty name, indeed. I like the Cheyenne reference, too. It kind of makes her part of SGC as well. Colonel, you and the Major did very well."

"Thank you, sir," Sam replied with a big smile herself.

"The formal documents that will grant the two of you custody of Caitlan should be arriving sometime tomorrow. I understand that Dr. Fraiser has okayed her to leave the infirmary. So I suggest that you two get settled in with your new baby."

"That sounds great!" Jack said excitedly.

"Um...sir?" Sam interjected.

"Yes, Major?"

"Well, I was wondering about something that hasn't been fully discussed yet."

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"The...um...wedding..."

Jack and Hammond looked at each other.

"I...uh...thought that we would just get the paperwork signed, Carter. I didn't realize that you wanted any kind of fancy wedding or anything. I mean...this is a marriage of convenience, right?"

Sam felt her heart crushed. "Um...right, sir. Sure."

Jack noticed Sam's distraught look but decided not to say anything in front of the General.

"Okay, then...let's get little Caitlan and get her ready to go home."

"Have you two decided where she'll stay?" Hammond asked.

Sam and Jack looked at each other.

"Um...we'll figure it out, sir," Jack finally replied.

Sam was visibly blushing.

The General noticed but didn't comment. "Dismissed."



******



After discussing it further, they decided that Jack's house was the best place to raise Caitlan. Though Sam had a roomy townhouse of her own, they knew that Jack's house had even more room to include Sam's belongings as well.

"Is this okay with you, Sam?"

"It's fine, sir...er, Jack."

He smiled. "You'll get used to it. Just keep practicing."

Sam returned his smile. She had been sitting in the makeshift nursery in the spare bedroom that Jack had set up for Caitlan. The little baby was sleeping peacefully on her lap just like she did that day with...

Jack had noticed Sam's sudden mood change. "Sam? Is something wrong?"

She looked up at Jack. "No...not really. I was just...remembering."

"About Samantha?"

Sam nodded.

It was Jack's turn to feel sad. "I know what you mean. Though I really didn't know her, she was still...you."

Sam smiled. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't feel like it, Jack."

"It's okay. We probably would have wandered over to that conversation eventually."

"She left us a gift that I can't even begin to fathom."

"Caitlan?"

"Well, yes..but something more I think."

Jack thought this was a good time as any to mention his observations in General Hammond's office. "Um...I wanted to talk to you about something, Sam."

Sam raised her eyebrows in a questioning look.

"Well...I just noticed that you weren't too happy to find out that we weren't going to have a wedding and all that."

"No, that's not it, Jack."

"It isn't?"

Sam shook her head. "It was what you said that bothered me."

"What was that?"

"You asked me if this was a marriage of convenience."

Jack hesitated. Why do I feel like I'm going to have my head chewed off in a second here?

"Jack? Isn't that what you said?"

"Um...yeah, I did. I just didn't realize..."

Sam's anger boiled over, and her self-control was lost. "Realize what? That you hurt me? That you thought it was only you and Caitlan that would be affected by all this? That I would just go along with everything, because it's what was planned? That I didn't believe this to be a marriage of convenience? What, Jack? What didn't you realize?"

Jack was silent. His shock was unhidden but still masked his own anger.

"You hurt me, Jack. After all we've been through, I didn't think that you would just blow me off as an inconvenience to be dealt with."

"That's not what I meant..."

"Well, what did you mean? I have yet to hear you tell me how you feel about any of this. You didn't talk to me about Samantha's death or how her death even affected you. No, it's much easier for you to shut me out of your heart, because that's what you do."

Jack noticed Sam look away. Tears were starting to fall, and she didn't want him to see her that way.

"Sam..."

"Jack...could you please leave me alone right now? I...I need to be alone....please."

He wanted to say something else but thought better of it. After a moment, he left Sam with Caitlan, who was still sleeping soundly on her lap and closed the door behind him.



******



Sam woke up with a start. She looked around as her unfamiliar surroundings started to take shape in her mind and through the apparent darkness outside. It's dark outside? What time is it?

She looked at her watch. (7:48pm) It has been roughly five hours since she had laid her down on the bed in the nursery. Caitlan was quietly playing in her crib as her own toes had been a focus of fascination to the little baby. Sam smiled at the image. She wasn't sure how long it had been that Caitlan was awake, but she didn't make any loud enough noise to wake Sam up.

There was a knock at the door followed by the slow creaking of it opening as the light from the hallway started to permeate the darkness in the room. "Sam? Are you awake?"

"Yes, Jack. I just woke up. Why didn't you get me up earlier?"

"There really wasn't any need to. You and Caitlan were sleeping peacefully, so I didn't want to disturb either of you. I thought I heard Caitlan and brought up a newly warmed bottle of milk. I'm sure she must be hungry." With that, he went over to the crib and picked up his daughter.

Jack was about ready to start feeding her when he stopped and looked at Sam. "Did you want to do the honors?" he asked as he offered her the bottle.

Sam smiled. "No...I'll get my turn. Go ahead. She sounds like she's starving."

Jack nodded and gave Caitlan the nipple end of the bottle, which she hungrily took and let the milk flow into her mouth. "Don't take it in too fast, sweetie. You don't want to get an upset stomach later. Mommy wouldn't be happy having to clean up a dirty bottom."

Sam almost laughed. "Gee, thanks!"

Jack smiled but kept his attention to Caitlan. After awhile, the only sound from the room was the baby happily feeding from the bottle.

Sam loved the image she saw in front of her. She knew that Jack had experience being a father but never realized how comfortable he was at doing it. There was a familiarity with children that was so evident in his constant attention to Caitlan. He was a true natural, and Sam could not help but feel happy at that thought. She had been worried that her own inexperience with children would be too overwhelming for her. Now, with Jack's help, she wasn't as anxiety ridden as before.

"Penny for your thoughts, Sam?"

Sam broke out of her reverie. "Oh, nothing...I was just thinking about how good Caitlan has been. She is an amazing baby."

"Well, she had an amazing mom," Jack said while giving Sam a smile.

She started to feel her cheeks become warm but didn't reply.

"Um..look, Sam...about earlier..."

Sam raised her hand. "It's okay, Jack. I understand that my outburst was uncalled for. I guess I felt rather overwhelmed with this whole situation and just took it out on you."

Jack shook his head. "No, it's more than that. I've had a few hours to think about what you said and realized just how much of an ass I've been to you."

Sam listened intently as her gaze never left Jack's.

"You're right. I didn't talk to you about how any of this affected me. It's mainly because I was still grappling with...Samantha...and what happened the last time I saw her."

"You mean...?"

Jack tore his gaze away from Sam and concentrated on Caitlan. "Yeah...I know that I never talked to you about that...um...situation. It was embarrassing to say the least."

"Embarrassing? To see my CO kiss an alternate version of myself? Shocked and dismayed comes more to mind."

"Yeah, well I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing either. It just...happened. I thought I was helping, but even she realized that I wasn't who she hoped it would be."

Sam nodded. "I understand, Jack. She was grieving."

"Anyway, I just wanted to forget it. Since we destroyed the quantum mirror, I never really thought about it. Then, she just all of a sudden appears to us again. Once I got over that uncomfortable feeling, Samantha drops this bomb on us about her terminal illness and then this.." Jack said indicating Caitlan, who was starting to slowly fall asleep with the bottle still in her mouth.

"I knew it was bothering you, Jack. I wished you would have talked about it."

Jack nodded to her. "I know...I've been an ass through all this. I was hiding behind this facade that nothing was bothering me when the entire time, I was screaming in agony."

"You were?"

"Yeah...I mean, in my mind, Samantha was you in a way. Like I told Daniel that day she died, she could have easily been you laying in that bed dying. It was more than I could take sometimes."

Sam felt her heart flinch. She knew that seeing Samantha and all that it entailed would affect Jack but never realized just how extensive it truly was.

"I can understand that, Jack. I've gone through it with you before."

"Really?"

Sam nodded. "You weren't around for three months, Jack. Remember? That whole time you were on Edora, I got very little sleep trying to come up with that particle beam generator. Janet almost forced me to go rest by threatening to take me off-duty. But I couldn't help it. I felt that it was my responsibility to get you home."

Jack listened as the back of his mind knew what was coming.

"When we finally got through and was able to re-establish a wormhole again, you looked as though you didn't want to come back with us. I saw that look you gave Laira. It was painful to me, though I didn't admit it to anyone. Daniel made the comment that you didn't expect to come home, so that's why you were trying to make a life for yourself on Edora."

"I acted like an ass back then, too, huh?"

Sam smiled but nodded in agreement.

Jack noticed that Caitlan was asleep, so he took the bottle out of her mouth and laid her gently back in her crib. "I know. Daniel filled me in on what happened. He said that he never saw you more determined to be a miracle worker than that situation. I didn't know what to say."

"It's okay. I got over it. I understood that you were going through some emotional trauma yourself."

Jack sat on the bed next to Sam. "Do you know why I felt that way?"

Sam shook her head.

"I didn't think I would ever see any of you again. I denied that truth to myself for awhile, but after a few weeks, I just gave up. Laira helped me in realizing that Edora was my home and to embrace it as well as the love she offered."

Sam felt slightly embarrassed to have such an intimate heart-to-heart with her CO, but a part of her was glad that it was happening.

"Anyway, it wasn't long after that when I knew that Edora wasn't where I wanted to be. It was with the SGC...and with you."

Sam's heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. Did he just say what I thought he said?

"Sam, like I told you earlier, I thought about what you said. I didn't want to make a big deal with us getting married, because I thought you didn't think of it as a traditional marriage. But I know that I can't deny my feelings for you anymore."

Sam hesitated but finally found her voice. "What...what are you trying to say, Jack?"

"I'm saying that I wasn't sure how you felt about me, but I get the distinct impression that you might not mind us having a traditional marriage."

Sam visibly blushed, and she wasn't sure how to reply.

Jack smiled. "I thought so. I took it upon myself to talk to General Hammond about all this, and he agreed to have a semi-formal wedding on base later this week."

"What?" Sam blurted as her mind went numb.

"Sam, I know that this is asking kind of late, but....will you marry me?"

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh, Jack..."

He smiled and moved closer to give her a sweet, tender kiss.

Sam broke free from the kiss and began to cry.

"Oh, don't cry..." Jack said fondly as he wiped the tears with his hand.

Sam smiled through her tears. "I was hoping you would stop being an ass long enough to see that I would marry you. You just had to ask..."

"So I take it that you don't see this as a marriage of convenience?"

"Oh shut up, Jack!" Sam took his head in her hands and kissed him with all the love and tenderness that she had kept within herself for almost four years.

Jack had to pull away to catch his breath. "I'll take that as a yes."

Sam smiled. "You think?"



******

FIN




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