samandjack.net

Story Notes: EMAIL: the_fourth_dimension@hotmail.com

SPOILERS: Heavy for TBFTGOF and Point of View; A Hundred Days, Secrets, mention of Jolinar.

SEASON: Fourth, but NO season 4 spoilers

CONTENT WARNINGS: m/f, some swearing (a word or two you wouldn't hear on the show)

FEEDBACK: Does anyone ever say no? I'd adore it!

DISCLAIMER 1: I am neither a physicist nor a doctor, so please forgive the millions of technical mistakes that I'm sure exist throughout the story. Just remember: it's fan *fiction*

DISCLAIMER 2: I got the idea for this story from reading a short fanfic around last November (1999) that was a "what if" story -- what if the Sam who had come through the alta-mirror in POV had been pregnant? I couldn't find that story again, so my apologies to the author if (s)he feels I'm ripping him/her off. Also, I recently read another story that was similar to mine, but I *swear* that this was already written and just needed to be typed up.

ARCHIVE: Sure. If you could just let me know where it's going, that would be great.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yeah, I know, 100 Days is way over and done with. This story takes place about ten months later; when I first started writing it, it was still relevant. 100 Days aired in April of 2000 in my area; the start of season 4 doesn't air until October of this year. So those of you who are well into the fourth season -- it's not fair! (Oh -- and the story gets better as it goes on, so if you think the beginning sucks then please just give it a few more pages. Thx)

And finally....


"Incoming traveller."

General Hammond looked over Lieutenant Graham Simmons' shoulder. "No teams are due back yet. Is there a signal?"

"Not yet sir."

"Close the iris."

The two men waited in silence, until -- "Receiving a signal." The young man looked confused. "Sir, it's SG-1, but Colonel O'Neill's the only one off-planet and the planet of origin isn't Edora."

"Open the iris, son. Colonel O'Neill might have needed to travel to another planet before coming home."

Simmons dutifully opened the iris and, moments later, a familiar figure tumbled onto the ramp.



***



//Dr. Carter, Dr. Jackson, please report to the briefing room asap.//

Samantha Carter automatically glanced at the ceiling before shifting her gaze to Daniel Jackson, who had stopped by her lab to get her opinion on something. He returned her look worriedly. "You don't think it's Jack, do you?"

Sam shook her head as she rose, heading for the briefing room. "What trouble could he possibly get into on Edora? He just went back to see... Laira, because she asked for him."

Daniel heard her slight hesitation before Sam spoke the other woman's name, but let it go; the blonde major had had enough heartache the first time Jack had been stuck on that planet, and this time wasn't much easier for her. This time, Jack had gone voluntarily.

Sam Carter entered the briefing room and came face to face with -- Sam Carter.

Sam tilted her head to the side and considered her double. The woman before her appeared to be identical to her except for the chin-length hair and a faint scar on her left cheek. "Alternate universe?" she asked.

The other Sam nodded. "That was my theory. We just found the mirror-like object recently, and we weren't quite sure what it was until now."

Sam looked at General Hammond. "I thought you ordered the mirror destroyed months ago, sir."

"I did, Major. Word from Area 51 is that Colonel Maybourne probably helped with the alta-mirror's 'disappearance' before my orders could be carried out. Major Carter here," he nodded at the alternate version of Sam," appeared on planet P2Y 447. I had Lieutenant Simmons check our database while the major was being examined in the infirmary, and no one from this base has been to that planet."

So this Samantha Carter had also joined the Air Force, Sam mused. It was the first time in three alternate reality encounters that her double was military. "How long have you been in our reality?" she asked her double.

"Almost a day."

"You need to return to your own reality within the day or you'll begin to suffer from entropic cascade failure. We had a visit from another Dr. Carter a little over a year ago who nearly died. From what I saw, you *don't* want to experience that."

Alternate Sam was nodding. "Caused by the increased entropy of having two of the same person in one reality?"

"Right."

"Makes sense. I wish I'd though of that before I started experimenting," she said ruefully.

"We didn't know either, until we witnessed the effects first-hand. At any rate, you need to leave soon."

"That's a problem. The planet where your mirror is, where I ended up, is inhabited. The natives were... let's just say that they were less than hospitable. They took my controller, which I'd brought through with me, and the alta-mirror, as you call it, and locked me in a cell. I escaped and managed to find the remote before they noticed me; I came here in the hopes that it would be similar enough to my reality that I'd be safe. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to find the mirror -- so I can't get home."

Throughout their conversation, the two men had been listening to them with looks of amazement. Now, however, Hammond broke in. "Major Carter." Two blonde heads turned simultaneously in his direction. "Excuse me -- the Major Carter from this reality. I want you to escort our visiting major to your lab; see if you two can't figure out a way to negate the effects of this... entropic cascade failure. Meanwhile, I'm sending SG teams three, five, and six to planet P2Y 447 to see if we can't recover the alta-mirror."

By this point, Daniel and both Carters were starting to look a little confused about to which Sam the general was referring. The major who'd come through the mirror spoke up. "Sir, if I may?"

"By all means, Major."

She turned toward the other Carter. "Do you go by Sam or Samantha?"

"Sam, usually."

"In that case, General, may I suggest that you call me Samantha while I'm here? I'm sure that that will save a lot of confusion."

"Of course, Samantha, if that's what you prefer." He looked around the room. "Dismissed."

"Yes sir."



***



"Ahh!" Sam threw her pen on the table. "We just don't have enough information to work with here. From what I understand, there's very little we can do to eliminate the effects of having two of us in one reality."

"I agree." She thought for a moment. "What if we're making this harder than it needs to be? Instead of looking at how to block entropic cascade failure at the cellular level, what if we consider distance?"

Sam nodded slowly. "If we put enough distance between the two of us, the severity of the seizures might be lessened or delayed, at least temporarily."

Samantha appeared to be on the verge of saying something when she began convulsiving violently. "Daniel!" Sam shouted at the young archeaologist who had just stepped into the lab. "Let Janet know that we're on our way! Go!" Daniel did an about-face and was running down the hall before Sam had even finished her sentence.

As the woman's body relaxed, Sam helped her to her feet and supported her with an arm around her waist. Janet Fraiser was waiting for them when they entered the infirmary.

"Janet, it's the same as last time but twelve hours earlier than we were expecting, and it looks as if it's more severe."

The SGC doctor immediately set about settling Samantha onto a bed and attaching a number of intruments to monitor her heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, and a number of other vital signs. "Do you know what may have accelerated the process?" she asked as she drew a vial of Samantha's blood.

"No. We were just talking in the lab when she collapsed." She looked at the pale woman laying beneath the hospital sheets. "Do you think that it could have something to do with the other Carter? Maybe the effects are cumulative."

"Could be," the other replied. "If your body has somehow become more attuned to the presence of an alternate version of you, maybe there's some kind of reaction."

"Like a defence mechanism."

"Exactly. So as you encounter more and more versions of yourself, the interval between crossing over and cascade tremors should decrease."

Sam made a face. "No offence, but hopefully you'll be the last -- it's kind of strange meeting someone who's me but isn't me. Anyway, I'm sure that General Hammond will ensure that the alta-mirror is destroyed this time."

"Why does he want it destroyed? It seems like a fascinating device to study. I would think it could come in handy."

"The Goa'uld pose too much of a threat. In the alternate universe that Daniel visited a while back, a version of us was killed defending the SGC. The Dr. Carter who came through last year was fleeing Apophis, who had just taken over *her* SGC. General Hammond has decided that the possibility of Goa'uld coming through the mirror is too great a risk."

"The Goa'uld are that much of a threat here?"

Daniel, who had been listening to the entire conversation, looked at her curiously. "You mean they're not in your universe?"

"Not especially. There are a handful throughout the galaxy who dominate a number of planets and occasionally cause us trouble, but for the most part the Tok'ra are able to keep them under control."

"The Tok'ra? Here, they're a relatively small rebel faction. They do their best to covertly subvert the Goa'uld when possible, but as of yet they're nowhere near powerful enough to control them."

"All right, you guys, that's enough," Janet broke in. "Samantha here needs to rest; you can check back in a few hours." The solidarity of this particular SG team amazed her. Individually, they each hated to be stuck in the infirmary, but when a team member had to stay there she often had to chase out everyone else. It seemed that the support system extended to alternate versions of SG-1 as well.



***



Sam returned to the infirmary several hours later to find Samanta looking much paler and worn out than when she'd left. Her double was sleeping, so Sam detoured to Janet's office.

"Hey, Janet. How's Samantha doing?"

The doctor looked up from the papers spread across her desk. "Hi Sam." The dark-haired woman looked vaguely apprehensive as she asked the major to close the door and have a seat.

"Samantha's had two more seizures, and they're getting worse. If we don't get her back to her own reality soon...." Janet trailed off. She cleared her throat. "I understand that you were working on a solution?"

Sam shook her head. "We theorized that distance might lessen the effects of entropic cascade failure, but it won't work. The physical distance doesn't seem to make any difference; from what I can tell, it's the fabric of space-time itself that separates our universes which insulates against the problem."

Janet hadn't quite absorbed everything Sam had said, but she understood enough. "So if we don't get her back to her own reality..."

"Then there's nothing we can do here," Sam finished.

"In that case, Samantha has authorized me to tell you something. She's pregnant. Nine weeks."

"Oh," was all Sam said. She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to feel about the news: the baby wasn't hers, but it *did* belong to someone who was, essentially, her. It was confusing.

"So far the fetus has been protected, but I don't think it will survive more than a few days if Samantha keeps seizing."

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

The answer to Sam's question was the part that Janet was hesitant to bring up, not being sure how Sam would react. "Well... there is one thing."

"What, Janet?" The major wondered why Janet was being uncharacteristically quiet about this.

"Allowing for the physical and hormonal differences caused by the pregnancy, you two are virtually identical. If we transferred the fetus to you, it would have a good chance of surviving."

Sam had a rather stunned look on her face. "When would we have to do this?" she asked eventually.

"You'd have to start the hormone therapy immediately, to counteract the effects of the birth control injections you've been given and to prepare your body for the fetus. The actual procedure would have to be performed in a day and a half, two days tops."

Sam nodded slowly. "Let's do it."

"Sam, are you sure about this? You haven't had a chance to really absorb all the implications, to think it through."

"You said yourself that the hormone therapy has to start as soon as possible. We can do that, and I'll have a chance to think it through in the time it will take my body to adjust. For all we know, we'll have the mirror back by then and we can just send Samantha home."

Janet admitted that Sam had a point. As she administered the injections, she filled the major in on what to expect. "You'll likely feel sick for a few days, until your body adjusts to what's being done to it and the hormones are regulated. The most common side effects are fatigue and nausea, so I don't want you going through the Stargate or doing anything dangerous that requires your complete attention. Stay on base. Come and see me if you feel you need to; I'll be staying here for the next few days to monitor Samantha."

"Does General Hammond know about this?" The unreality of the situation was beginning to fade and Sam's practical side was re-emerging. If the procedure actually worked, her life wouldn't be the only one affected; in time, Sam's workload would have to be restricted. She would have to be temporarily replaced on SG-1, as well.

"I've told him of the situation, but we'll have to inform him of your decision."

"We might as well do it now."



***



General Hammond was supportive of Sam's decision and assured her that he and the SGC would help however they could. "Are you sure you've thought all this through, Sam?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure how to explain it, General. I just know that I need to help her, however I can."

"I trust your judgement, Major. I tried to contact the SG teams when Doctor Fraiser first informed me of the situation, but there was no response. We'll try every three hours until the last possible moment, just in case they manage to retrieve the control in time."



***



When Sam returned to the infirmary this time, Samantha was awake. "Doctor Fraiser said that you agreed," she said.

Sam nodded, uncomfortable with the look of sadness, pain, and gratefulness her double gave her. She hesitated, wanting to ask a personal question but not knowing if she should. Curiosity won out. "Who's the father?"

Samantha smiled, wistful but happy. "A man I work with on SG-1, someone I haven't seen here in your reality. Colonel Jack O'Neill."

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sam thought that she really shouldn't be so shocked, especially considering their relationships in the other two alternate universes. Still, the news floored her. "Colonel O'Neill?" she choked out.

Samantha gave her an odd look. "So he does exist here?"

"Oh yeah. Uh... don't you have any fraternization regulations in your reality?"

Her double flushed a bit. "Yes; it's sort of a well-known secret. The rest of SG-1 knows, but officially our General Hammond knows nothing."

"'Officially'?"

"I think he suspects, but as long as he doesn't *know* he doesn't have to do anything about it."

"How long have you two been... together?"

"Almost a year." Samantha's gaze unfocussed as she recalled the events. "He'd been stranded on another planet, Edora, for over three months. When we finally got through to him, he pulled me into this long hug and kissed me in front of everyone." Her eyes locked on Sam. "It wasn't completely out of nowhere," she hastened to explain. "We'd both known for some time that there was *something*, but the regs...." She shrugged helplessly. "After being separated, though, and not knowing if we'd ever see each other again, we decided to risk it." Her face suddenly clouded over. "He doesn't know," she said softly. "About the baby. I never got the chance to tell him before I ended up here."

"You'll get the chance," Sam tried to reassure her.

Samantha's look was somewhat desperate. "If I don't make it," she said, her voice low but intense, "tell him I love him. Tell him I was happy and I never regretted a day."

"I will," Sam promised softly. Samantha, exhausted, drifted back into sleep.



***



The next forty-one hours passed quickly for Sam; tired out as she was by her body's struggle to adjust to the sudden hormone changes, she spent most of the time asleep in her quarters. The rest of the time she spent talking to Daniel about her decision to help Samantha.

"Have you thought about what happens after the baby's born?" he asked seriously. "It was hard enough for me to give up Shau'ri's baby, and that situation doesn't even begin to compare to yours. I didn't carry that baby for seven months and bond with him. He wasn't even mine. After this baby's born, you'll have to send him back to his own reality. Even if Samantha doesn't survive, the baby's father will be there." Sam had revealed the paternity of the fetus to Daniel after swearing him to secrecy.

"This baby's not mine either," she pointed out, ignoring the rest of what he'd said.

"It's close enough that it's not going to make much of a difference. Technically it's not yours, but emotionally it will be and you'll have to give him or her up."

"Do you think that I don't know that? It's the only thing I've been able to think about for the last day and a half!" Sam calmed down and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I know you're just trying to help."

"The mood swings are beginning already," Daniel said in mock horror. Sam burst into laughter, drawing the attention of an airman walking by. She stood up and hugged the archaeologist. "Thank you, Daniel."

"I'm proud of you," he told Sam, knowing that she needed to hear it. "You need anything at all, you come find me, okay?"

She pulled back, her eyes shining with tears. "I will. Thanks Daniel."

Janet knocked lightly and stuck her head into the room. "Sam? If you still want to do this, we have to start right now."

She squeezed Daniel's hand and let go. "I'm coming Janet."



***



Returning from a four-day absence, Jack O'Neill was greeted by George Hammond and Daniel. "Welcome home, son."

Jack nodded. "Thank you, General. Hey, Danny. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

A strange look flitted across Daniel's face as he exchanged looks with the general. "You could say that."

Jack was beginning to feel a little uneasy. "What's going on?"

"Report to the briefing room in fifteen minutes, Colonel; we'll fill you in on everything that's happened in your absence."

He wanted to know what could possibly have happened in the four days he'd been gone, but he merely uttered a "Yes sir" to Hammond's retreating form and headed for the locker room, Daniel at his side.

As he stuffed his jacket into his locker, it occured to Jack to wonder where Sam was. If whatever had taken place in the past few days was important enough to warrant a briefing only fifteen minutes after his return, surely she would be close by. "Where's Carter?" he called over his shoulder.

//Which one?// Daniel wanted to ask, but restrained himself. "Uh... she's in the infirmary."

Jack spun around. "What? Why?"

Daniel looked uncomfortable. "I think General Hammond should be the one to tell you," he deflected the question. Seeing Jack's face pale, he rushed to reassure him. "She's okay. I promise."

"Then what the hell's she doing in the infirmary?!"

"The past few days have been kind of... unusual. You really should let the general explain it all."

Jack was about to protest, then decided that Daniel wasn't going to crack. Instead, he slammed his locker door shut, shot a glare at the archaeologist, and stalked out of the room. Daniel didn't take it personally, knowing that Jack was just upset. The man hated not knowing what was going on, and he was concerned about Sam. How could he blame the colonel for worrying about his friend?

Still, he wondered how Jack would react to Sam's news.



***



General Hammond was already in the briefing room when Jack arrived with an uncharacteristically quiet Daniel in tow. He motioned to the two men to take take their seats and cleared his throat before starting.

"A few hours after your departure for Edora, there was an unscheduled incoming wormhole, followed by SG-1's iris code. Though the planet of origin was not Edora we accepted the code and opened the iris. Major Carter emerged and collapsed on the ramp."

Jack interrupted. "When did Carter go off-world?"

"She didn't."

Jack looked confused, then comprehension slowly flooded his face. "Alternate reality?" he guessed.

"That's right."

"I thought the alta-mirror had been destroyed, sir?"

"From what we can tell, Colonel Maybourne removed it from the Area 51 facility before my orders could be carried out. The alternate--"

"General Hammond, the SG teams have returned from P2Y 447. The found the mirror, sir." Lieutenant Simmons stood at the door to the briefing room, his breathing slightly erratic from his dash up the stairs.

"Call the infirmary and have Doctor Fraiser prep the alternate Major Carter for transportation through the mirror. Have the airmen who are guarding the mirror take it to the infirmary. Doctor Jackson, I want you there to find the correct reality. Jack, we'll have to finish this debriefing later."

"Understood sir."

Hammond and Daniel left quickly for the infirmary and Jack, having nothing else to do, followed. He still didn't know what had happened to Sam, after all, and this seemed to be as good a time as any to find out.

"She's still in a coma," Janet was saying as Jack entered the room. "I've disconnected everything I can, but she'll have to remain on oxygen until the last possible moment. They'll have to be waiting with O-2 on the other side; I have no idea how long she'll remain in this condition, or if she'll even recover at all."

Jack glanced at the pale figure laying so still on the hospital gurney and felt his chest constrict painfully. If not for the longer hair, he would have sworn that it was his Sam laying so close to death.

"I think I've found it," Daniel called out from the corner.

"Already?"

The young man gestured at the slightly hazy image visible through the mirror. On the other side, Jack could see an alternate version of himself, Lieutenant Simmons, Dr. Warner, and an unfamiliar airman. "I'll go through," Daniel offerred. "I can find out if they're missing their Sam, and tell them what to expect if she does belong here." General Hammond agreed, and Daniel stepped up to the alta-mirror. Placing his hand against its surface, he materialized an instant later on the other side.

Jack watched as Daniel spoke to the people gathered in the other reality. His double was anxiously dividing his gaze between the archaeologist and the mirror; at one point, in answer to something Daniel must have said, he raised his hand and gestured at his left cheek. Daniel nodded and moved back to the mirror.

"This is it," he said when he'd returned. "The details of their reality match the description Samantha gave us. Their Jack was even able to tell me where her scar is."

The colonel eyed the woman on the bed and noticed for the first time the faint line that marred her left cheek. He wondered how she'd gotten it.

"They're bringing a gurney and oxygen," Daniel continued. "I'll carry Samantha through once they've arrived." Janet nodded her agreement and stood by, ready to disconnect Sam when the time came.

Several minutes later, Daniel was gently depositing the comatose woman in her own reality. The instant he let her go, her Jack was by her side, holding her limp hand in his own and leaning down to speak in her ear as Dr. Warner put her back on oxygen. Everyone -- on both sides of the mirror -- relaxed slightly when it appeared that Samantha had made it through the transition none the worse for wear.

Jack watched his alternate closely, suspicions growing as he saw how the other man refused to leave Samantha's side; were they together in this universe as well, as they had been in the other two realities they'd encountered? He could see the other Jack wearing fatigues, and the other Carter had been referred to as "Major" -- didn't they have regulations against personal relationships? The more Jack thought about it, though, the more he realized that the other man wasn't acting any differently than he himself had on occasions when *his* Sam had been seriously injured. Jolinar's death came to mind.

Samantha was wheeled out of the room, presumably on her way to the infirmary, and Daniel returned, the mirror flickering off behind him.

"I wonder if we'll ever know what happens to her," Jack mused aloud, and Daniel shot him an unidentifiable look.

"We'll be seeing them sooner or later," he said. Jack was about to ask what he meant by that, but Janet started shooing everyone out of her infirmary. Seeing Daniel moving towards a curtained-off section in the corner rather than the exit, he realized suddenly that he had yet to find out why, exactly, *his* Sam was also in the infirmary.

"Hey Sam, how're you feeling?" he heard Daniel ask as he rounded the white cutain.

"I'm fine, Daniel. How's Samantha?"

Sam looked fine, Jack thought. A little pale and tired, maybe, but mostly she looked bored.

"We just sent her home. She made it through the mirror okay, so Janet thinks that there's a good chance that she'll recover." Daniel watched her carefully as he delivered the news.

A sad look passed over Sam's face. "If only they'd found the mirror two days earlier. This is going to be so hard for her when she wakes up."

Jack idly picked up her hand and started playing with her fingers. "What's going to be hard for her? And what are you doing in here, anyway?"

Sam looked at Daniel, wide-eyed. "He doesn't know?"

"No, he doesn't," Jack answered for the younger man. "And I'm sure he would really appreciate it if someone would tell him why his healthy-looking second in command is in the infirmary."

Sam hesitated a long time before answering. "Sir... I'm pregnant." She winced as his hand convulsively tightened over hers.

"You're..." Jack cleared his throat and opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearing at a loss as to what to say. "Uh... congratulations, Major."

He was still holding her hand. She concentrated on the feeling of her fingers in his, not even noticing that her other hand had moved to rest protectively over her abdomen. "It's not mine, sir."

Jack looked even more lost. "I'm no doctor, but usually when a woman gets pregnant, you can be sure it's hers."

Seeing the sudden fatigue overtaking Sam, Daniel explained the situation for her. "The Samantha Carter who came through the alta-mirror was two months pregnant. She started experiencing the effects of entropic cascade failure after approximately thirty-six hours but she couldn't go home because the natives of P2Y 447, where *our* mirror had been taken, stole her control. She managed to find it and get it back here using SG-1's iris code. General Hammond sent three SG teams to find the mirror, but in the meantime Samantha's seizures were putting the fetus in danger. Janet and Samantha came up with the idea of using our Sam as a kind of surrogate, since they have the same DNA and all, Sam agreed, and --"

"And now I'm pregnant," Sam said softly, running her hand gently over her abdomen. Even though the procedure had been performed over two days ago, it was just now beginning to sink in that she really was carrying a baby.

Jack and Daniel stood uncomfortably, suddenly unsure of their roles during this strangely intimate moment. Sam should have somebody, Jack thought. Times like this should be shared with the baby's father, somebody who loved her and who would love their child.

He wondered suddenly who the father was.

Logically, he knew that the father's identity had nothing to do with the Sam he knew. On the other hand, this newest alternate reality was the most like theirs yet, and from what he'd seen the two Carters had been quite similar. The other Sam was the first of three other realities who had also joined the Air Force, and even held the same rank. Samantha loved a man in her universe enough to conceive a child with him, enough to jeopardize her own life to ensure that the baby would have a chance to be born; what choice made in their own lives changed things so that Sam didn't have the same opportunity?

He squeezed her hand suddenly and she looked up, her wide blue eyes locking with his own brown ones. There was something more she wanted to tell him, he somehow knew, but she was unsure how to bring it up. He wanted to reassure her that she could tell him anything, but Jack found himself strangely reluctant to break the silence.

Janet Fraiser did it for him. "All right, you guys," she said as she arrived to check on Sam, "you should go now; Sam needs to rest. You can come back tomorrow if she's up to it."

"Oh, I'll be up to it," Sam muttered. "I'm bored out of my mind, Janet!"

"I know, Sam, but you have to remain as still as possible for the next few days to ensure that the fetus attaches itself to your uterine wall. If you were to get up now, there's a good chance that you'd miscarry."

"I know," Sam mumbled, suddenly exhausted. She looked at Jack blearily through half-closed eyes. "If you come back tomorrow, bring something interesting."

Quite without his consent, Jack found himself leaning over to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow," he promised. "And I'll see what I can do about the entertainment."

Daniel patted her hand. "'Night, Sam. You just take it easy, okay?" But Sam was already sound asleep.



***



Jack wandered SGC's hallways aimlessly, trying his best to assimilate everything he'd learned in the past four days or so. His brain was racing far too quickly to allow for any rest and he found that he was more unsettled about Sam's "situation" than he felt he ought to be. After all, it was her decision to make, and he supported her.

So why did it upset him so much that she was pregnant with someone else's child?

It made no sense, he knew. It was even *Sam's* child; whomever Samantha conceived this baby with it had nothing to do with his Sam, and in either case he had no right to feel....

And that's when it hit him.

He was jealous.

Jack came to a dead stop in the middle of the thankfully empty hallway as he tried to wrap his brain around this newest information. Could it be true? Could he really be jealous that Sam was having someone else's baby?

Yes. He was.

"Oh, shit," Jack whispered.

"Jack?"

He looked up and to his left and discovered that his restless pacing had brought him to Daniel's office. "Hey, Daniel. What're you up to?"

"Nothing much -- I"m just trying to catch up on a backlog of work. What are you doing here?"

"I was just walking and ended up here." The colonel moved into Daniel's office and dropped into a chair, making himself comfortable. He picked up a small stone figurine and played with it in silence until Daniel cleared his throat.

"So, Jack..." he cleared his throat again. "What did Laira want?"

To his surprise, the older man let out a harsh laugh devoid of any humour. "Would you believe she was pregnant?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh," was all he said. Then: "Are you...?"

"She gave birth two days after I got there, Daniel." About the same time that Sam was getting pregnant, he thought distantly. "I haven't been back in over ten months. I think we can safely say that the baby isn't mine."

"How do you feel about this?"

"Did you get a degree in psychology while I was away?" Jack snapped, then heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, Danny. It's just everything with Laira, then coming home and learning about the alternate reality... and Sam.... I haven't slept in three days. It's all just been too much at once."

"I understand that it must be overwhelming, Jack, but it could be a lot worse. At least the people from this latest alternate reality are friendly; they might even be helpful. Sam will be okay. And Laira... well.... How *do* you feel about that?"

Jack put the stone figure down and picked up an engraved wooden bowl. "I don't know, Daniel. I'm disappointed. I'm a little hurt that Laira found someone else so quickly. Mostly, though, I'm relieved -- Laira had no intention of ever leaving Edora and I wouldn't want to have to make the choice between the Air Force and my child." He inhaled deeply and held it briefly before breathing out. "Doc Fraiser's sure that Carter isn't in any danger?"

Daniel shrugged helplessly. "You know that Janet can't guarantee anything, Jack, but from what I understand, if Sam makes it through this first week then she's no more at risk than any other expectant mother. She'll be okay, Jack."

Jack jumped out of his chair and began pacing Daniel's office restlessly. "Does she have any idea what she's gotten herself into?" he muttered.

Somehow Daniel wasn't surprised that Jack was far more willing to discuss Sam than Laira. "I talked to her, before the procedure. She says that she understands."

"She had about two days to think about it, Daniel. I don't know that she could fully comprehend the ramifications of what she's agreed to do with so little time to think it through."

"It's too late either way. She's decided and it's been done. Just be there for her, Jack; I have a feeling that she's going to need your support most of all."

The archaeologist's words reminded Jack of something he'd meant to ask Sam earlier. "Daniel?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you know who the baby's father is?"

Daniel averted his gaze. "You'll have to ask Sam."

Jack nodded without looking up. "Yeah." He stopped nodding and began shaking his head in something akin to disbelief. "Son of a bitch," he said softly.

"Are you all right, Jack?" Daniel was concerned; Jack's behaviour was becoming increasingly worriesome.

"Me? I"m just peachy, Danny boy." He spun around abruptly and headed for the door. "I'm going to the gym. I'll see you tomorrow Daniel." And then he was gone. Daniel stared after him, wondering if Jack would get worse before he got better.

Hoping that he would get better.



***



Jack and Daniel spent as much of their time as possible with Sam while she was in the infirmary for the week. Though she was by far the most patient of the three when it came to being out of commission, even the major had her limits. Being stuck flat on her back when she was essentially healthy surpassed her -- at times inhuman -- ability to take everything in stride; by the time Sam was able to leave, she was beyond ready.

Janet came in and began disconnecting the major from the various monitors. "Okay Sam, your latest tests check out so you're free to go. You might be a little weak for the next day or so because of your lack of movement, but that should pass soon -- come see me if it doesn't. Stay off your feet for long periods of time. No exercising or working out for now; you can come see me in a few days and we'll devise a list of what you can and can't do. Other than that, you should be fine. I want you to come see me every few days for the next couple of weeks; after that, we'll take it from there."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Am I allowed to do *anything*, Janet? I'm pregnant, not dying."

"You need to take it easy, Sam. I don't know what the consequences could be when you're carrying a fetus from another dimension. As far as I know, it's never been done before. Better safe than sorry, right?"

The major sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Can I work in my lab?" Ignoring her teammates' proferred hands she slid off the bed, finding herself lightheaded. Two sets of hands shot out to keep her upright, and Janet glared at her from across the gurney.

"If you aren't going to listen to me, you're not leaving the infirmary! *If* you decide to heed my advice, then you can work for a few hours at a time -- none of your twelve hours at a time deals." She fixed her glare on the two men standing on either side of Sam. "You two make sure that she eats and sleeps or you'll be in here for your next physicals a lot sooner than you planned."

"Gotcha Doc. You hear that, Major? If I catch you overworking, Daniel and I will personally haul you back in here."

"Whatever you say, sir." She shook off their hands. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a tonne of work to catch up on." With that, she left.

"This is going to be a helluva long seven months," Jack observed.

Daniel looked at him. "Ya think?"



***



As it turned out, Sam tired easily and so did not have to be forced out of her lab in the first few days; she left of her own accord to eat and nap. As she gradually settled into her old routine, however, her habits of long work hours reasserted themselves. Her teammates made it a point to stop in every few hours to take her to the commissary or force her topside for some fresh air.

Teal'c, who had gone off-world soon after Samantha's arrival at the SGC, returned from Chulack six days after Sam's release from the infirmary. He took her news with his usual unflappable calm, then instantly became as protective of her as Jack and Daniel had been for the past two weeks.

The three men took it upon themselves to look after Sam, whether she wanted it or not. Every time she turned around it seemed that one of them was nearby, having "just happened" to be in the area or needing her opinion on something or asking a question that "couldn't wait" until later. Depending on her mood, Sam was either deeply touched or highly annoyed.

Irritation was beginning to dominate.

"Look, Colonel," she began, exasperated, when Jack came into her lab for the third time that morning. "I appreciate what you're doing. Really. But I don't need to be babysat by you and Teal'c and Daniel. Janet says I'm fine; I'm even cleared to go on missions next week." They'd learned from the alternate Samantha that 'gate travel wasn't dangerous to the fetus; the Tok'ra from her world had done extensive studies. "So you can all stop checking up on me every ten minutes."

"Actually, Carter, I just came to tell you that tomorrow's briefing has been moved to this afternoon."

She looked slightly abashed, but then narrowed her eyes at him. "That doesn't change what I said. You three have to stop hovering."

He looked at her in wide-eyed innocence, his hand going to his chest. "'Hovering'? I'll have you know that I do not 'hover', Major."

Even as she turned back to her work she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Of course not, sir."

He smiled affectionately at the back of her head. "See you at 1330 hours, Carter."



***



Jack was awakened by someone's thrashing arm smacking him in the head. It wasn't Daniel, he knew; the archaeologist was sound asleep on his left and the arm had come from his right.

That meant his second in command.

Beside him, Sam seemed to be caught in the midst of a nightmare; she was moaning, and every few seconds an arm or leg jerked spasmodically.

"Carter." Jack tried shaking her, then hitting her cheeks lightly; that only appeared to upset her more. "Carter!" Afraid that she'd hurt herself -- or him -- he wrapped himself around Sam, restraining her as best he could. "Sam, wake up."

She continued to struggle in his grasp for a few minutes before eventually settling. She didn't wake, but instead shifted into a peaceful sleep. Jack loosened his hold but still cradled her gently, wanting to be sure that she was over her restlessness. He looked up as Teal'c's deep voice floated through the dark silence, the Jaffa missing nothing. "Is Major Carter well?"

Jack glanced over to where the other man sat keeping watch. "Just a nightmare, Teal'c. She'll be fine."

"In four years, I have never witnessed Major Carter's sleep disturbed by such distress."

The colonel looked back at the woman curled beside him, facing his direction. "I know." With surprising tenderness, he trailed his hand through her soft hair. "She's going through a lot right now, physically and emotionally; this is part of the way she's coping. It's healthy for her, Teal'c."

The other man nodded in understanding and returned his attenion to their surroundings. Jack lay back down, watching his major, and allowed the soft sounds of her breathing to lull him to sleep.



***



The next morning Jack pulled Sam aside and asked how she was feeling. She looked at him, confused by the question. "Fine sir."

"You seemed to be having a pretty bad nightmare last night," he said by way of explanation, and comprehension filled her eyes. "Have you been having a lot of them?"

She nodded slowly. "For about a week. One of Jolinar's previous hosts was pregnant and this... connection, for lack of a better term, seems to have triggered some new memories -- not all of them pleasant."

He watched her carefully. "Is this a problem?"

Sam jerked, startled by the question; word for word, it matched what Janet had asked her a year ago. Now, she gave the same answer. "Of course not."

He nodded, seemingly accepting her answer at face value, and started to turn away. "If you need to talk, you can come see me any time," he offerred awkwardly.

Genuinely touched, she reached out to touch his arm and he turned back to her. "Thank you sir," she said, smiling brilliantly.

An answering smile spread slowly across his face, one of his rare grins that carried no trace of sarcasm or cynacism. He patted her hand, which still rested on his arm. "Anytime, Sam."



***



The nausea hit Sam with a vengeance about a month later. Since the baby had made it through the first trimester, even though Sam herself had only been pregnant seven weeks, she'd been hoping to escape this particular part of the experience... but no such luck.

During the early morning hours and most evenings, Sam could usually be found within running distance of a toilet. Luckily, her nausea subsided during the day, allowing her to work; she was, however, restricted from 'gate-travel.

Jack came across the rest of his team in one of the base's rec rooms late one Friday evening, the three of them sprawled comfortably about the room as they watched TV, injecting comments between the bouts of canned laughter that emanated from the set.

"Hey kids," he called from the doorway; they all looked up as they greeted him and he dropped onto the couch next to Sam. Her face paled a bit as the couch bounced slightly. "How're you feeling?" he asked.

She made a face. "As long as I don't eat, see, smell, or think about food, I'm okay. Usually."

He considered her face for a moment. "Know what used to help Sarah?" he began, but Sam interrupted.

"If one more person suggests soda crackers or dry toast, I won't be held responsible for my actions," she warned, only half joking. He fought back a grin.

"I was thinking more along the lines of lemon tea with honey."

Sam considered his suggestion and was pleased to note that her stomach didn't roil at the thought. "You know, that sounds good." She started to get to her feet, but Jack motioned for her to relax.

"I got it, Carter. Daniel?" he called. The archaeologist looked up. "You want some coffee?"

Daniel nodded. "Sure."

"Good. You just volunteered to help." Jack grinned as Daniel scowled at him, both men getting up. "You want anything Teal'c?"

"A glass of water will suffice, O'Neill."

"Water it is. C'mon, Danny. Let's move."

Daniel glanced at his companion as they headed for the commissary. "You seem to be in a better mood lately," he observed.

"Better than what?"

Daniel took a moment to phrase his response. "You were pretty... upset when you returned from Edora. When you learned that Sam was pregnant."

Jack's face didn't betray anything as he wondered what to tell his friend. How could he explain the confusion he'd felt when he'd first heard that his second in command was pregnant? He'd already supressed his realizations of jealousy along with the other feelings, feelings he knew could never amount to anything. For Sam's sake -- and his own -- he couldn't acknowledge the conclusion he'd slowly come to in the past two months.

He couldn't acknowledge that he was falling hard for his major.

"It's like I told you," he said finally. "It was a lot to take in at once." He saw Daniel watching him from the corner of his eye.

"Whatever you say, Jack." The colonel could hear the disbelief in Daniel's voice. A part of him -- a part buried very deep in his psyche -- wanted to confess everything, but that little voice was no match for years of military training. To let the truth out of his unconscious could mean the end of his or Sam's career. He couldn't allow that.

They collected the drinks and returned to the rec room, where they found Teal'c gone and Sam sound asleep, her head tilted back against the couch. Jack put her tea and his own coffee down on the table and moved beside her. Slipping one arm beneath her knees and the other around her shoulders, he manoeuvered his major so that she was laying curled up on her side. He picked up his coffee and made himself comfortable by her feet, flicking through the stations until he found the sports channel. Teal'c returned a few minutes later.

"Hey Teal'c, where've you been?" Daniel asked, already bored with the hockey game.

"Airman Stadi required my assistance in the control room."

Jack focussed his attention on the Jaffa. "Anything I need to know about?"

"There is not."

Jack relaxed; if it were anything serious, Teal'c would let him know. At Daniel's insistence he put the TV on the Discovery Channel and resigned himself to learning about the religious history of the Aztec, his hand absently caressing Sam's leg.



***



Sam shifted in her chair, trying to make herself more comfortable. Five months pregnant, her abdomen was noticably swollen and she was finding it more difficult to sit still for long periods of time. She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting herself drift as she listened to the comfortingly familiar tones of Jack's voice from where he delivered his report beside her.

"In short, General, P4Y 381 seems to be worth investigating. Daniel thinks that--" He broke off as he felt Sam stiffen, a small gasp escaping her mouth. He turned to face her. "Carter?"

A look of wonder rested on her face, her hand moving to the swell of her stomach. "I'm okay, sir. She just kicked."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "'She'?"

Sam nodded decisively. "She," the major repeated firmly. "It's the first time she's moved."

He looked at her a little hesitantly. "Can I...?" he started, gesturing at her abdomen, a little unsure of himself. She grabbed his hand from midair and placed it on her stomach, resting her own hand over his. A moment later a similar look of wonder crossed Jack's features. "Woah," he breathed, barely audible.

Daniel watched the two of them from across the briefing room table, wondering if they realized how much they resembled a couple expecting their first child. Sam's eyes had slid shut once more; looking content, her fingers remained wrapped around Jack's as both hands rested against her abdomen. As for Jack, Daniel wasn't sure he'd ever seen the man so... peaceful. That was it, the archeaologist thought. He'd never seen Jack so at peace with himself.

The irony of the situation didn't fail to escape him. Sam was having their baby, only... it wasn't *theirs*. This baby belonged to a Sam and Jack who had moved beyond the safety of flirting and had admitted to their feelings, unlike the pair before him now. As he watched them together, though, as he watched them becoming closer and sharing the wonder of Sam's pregnancy, he knew that it was only a matter of time before they could no longer deny how they felt -- to themselves or each other.

In a profession as dangerous as theirs, Daniel just hoped that Sam and Jack admitted to it sooner rather than later.



***



Sam flinched as Doctor Fraiser squirted the clear gel onto her bare stomach. "That's *cold* Janet. Couldn't you have warmed it up a bit?" But the doctor merely smiled as she flicked on the ultrasound's monitor. She moved the device around, spreading the gel and getting an idea of where the baby was positioned.

"There's her heartbeat," Sam whispered, looking awed. She unknowingly reached out a hand and Jack took it without thinking, sandwiching it between both of his.

Janet watched, concerned. On the one hand, she knew that Sam needed the support of her friends and the colonel had, without question, been there for her every step of the way. What worried her, however, was what Sam's reaction would be when Jack realized how he'd been acting the past several months and started to pull back. She didn't think either of them realized exactly how close Sam's unexpected pregnancy had brought them, and how everyone on base could see what they refused to admit to themselves.

But here and now -- in front of an audience -- was not the time to bring it up. "Are you sure you don't want me to tell you the baby's sex?" was all she asked.

Daniel snorted. "Sam's already sure it's a girl."

She mock-glared at him. "It is," she insisted. She turned her attention back to Janet. "I don't want you to tell me."

"All right, it's up to you." Janet began to wipe the gel from Sam's stomach. "The fetus looks healthy and is developing as it should at thirty weeks. Its heart rate is normal." She looked at Sam as she moved the bed to an upright position. "But you, Sam, need to keep an eye on your glucose levels; your blood tests indicate that they're a little low. If you're not hungry drink some juice, but you need to pay more attention and be sure that you and the baby are getting enough nutrients. It's not dangerous now, but could easily become serious if you let it slide."

Sam self-consciously avoided Jack and Janet's eyes as she allowed Teal'c to help her off the bed. "I'll watch it Janet. Anything else?"

"I want you to cut back a bit on your physical activity, just to be safe. Other than that, everything seems to be just fine. How about you? Do you have any questions?"

Sam's hands went to the small of her back, massaging lightly. "I don't think so."

"In that case, I'll see you next week."



***



Jack was speaking even before Sam had fully opened the door to her quarters. "Carter, I really need that report on --" He broke off as he got a look at her face. "Sam?"

She turned away, trying to scrub the tear tracks from her cheeks as he followed her in, uninvited. "The report on what, sir?"

"Forget that. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she tried to protest, even as her eyes filled with fresh tears. She wiped them away angrily. "Damn hormones," she muttered, sitting heavily on her bed. He sat beside her.

"What's wrong?" he repeated quietly. For a long time she was silent, and he considered letting the whole thing go. Just as he opened his mouth to ask about the report, she began speaking in low tones, her hands resting protectively over her unborn child.

"I was thinking about how in less than four weeks I'm going to have a baby, and how I'm going to have to give her up. In the back of my mind I think I always assumed that I'd have a family someday, but until now I just... I never realized how much I wanted it. It's going to be so much harder than I thought it would be."

By now her voice was trembling and the tears were coursing freely down her face. He reached out for her tentatively and she launched herself into his arms, burying her face in his neck and crying silently. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her gently.

A long while later he realized that her breathing had slowed and she was no longer shaking. He loosened his hold enough to lean back to see her face; she was half asleep in his arms. "Why don't you lay down?" Jack suggested quietly. "I'll stay with you until you're asleep."

Sam stiffened slightly, suddenly aware that she had just allowed herself to cry in her commanding officer's arms; it went against everything she'd ever learned as a military brat and Air Force officer. "Colonel..." she started to protest half-heartedly, suddenly unsure of herself.

"Dammit, Sam," he exploded softly, exasperated. "Just once, would you let someone help? You don't always have to handle everything yourself, you know."

She needed this tonight, she thought. For the first time in a long time, she needed someone to look after her. Without looking at Jack, Sam slid under the covers and lay on her side, facing away from him. He settled himself against her headboard and began rubbing her back. Emotionally exhausted, comforted by the soothing rhythm of Jack's fingers, Sam fell asleep quickly.

When she awoke late the next morning, he was gone.



***



//Dr. Carter to the embarkation room.//

Sam scowled at the speaker in the ceiling as she slid awkwardly off her stool. Less than three weeks remained until her delivery date and she found it more difficult getting places; whatever required her attention eight floors below her had better be worth the effort.

Entering the 'gate room she was delighted to see a familiar face talking with Jack and General Hammond. "Dad!" she called out happily, her voice echoing in the large room. He looked up with a smile.

"Sam!" Seeing her, he did a double-take. "Holy Hannah!"

She blushed. "A lot's happened since your last visit," she said needlessly, rubbing the small of her back. "But maybe we could sit down while I explain?"

"Of course," her father said hastily as they moved toward the briefing room. "Uh, Sam, can I ask whose...?" Jacob's gaze slid to Jack's face for just a moment before returning his attention to his daughter.

Sam sank gratefully into a chair. "About six months ago an alternate version of me was trapped here; she was two months pregnant. When she started to experience cascade tremors, Dr. Fraiser determined that the fetus was at risk. Rather than chance a miscarriage, Janet transplanted the child into me, and... well, here I am."

Jacob sat back, a little stunned. "I wish you'd told me sooner."

Sam shrugged helplessly. "We didn't know where you were, Dad. We had no way of getting in touch with you."

Her father conceded the point. "How are you doing, Sam? When's your due date?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Really. Dr. Fraiser monitors everything, and I go in for check-ups regularly." She patted her stomach gently. "She's due in eighteen days."

"She? It's a girl?"

Sam smiled. "I wouldn't let Janet tell me, but I know it's a girl."

Jacob regarded his daughter fondly, a faraway look in his eyes as he recalled the past. "Your mother was the same way with you and your brother. She wouldn't let the doctor tell her, but she called it right both times. Mother's instincts, she said." He shook his head slightly, bringing himself back to the present. "I wish I could stick around, kid, but I have to leave in two days. I'll try to make it back before you have to send my surrogate granddaughter home." He reached over and took her hand. "You take it easy, Sam. Don't overdo it, okay?"

"Dad, I've been handling this for almost seven months; you're a little late to be handing out fatherly advice."

"I'm an old man, Sam. Humour me."



***



Jack decided to take advantage of the few minutes he had before he was due to leave on their latest mission. Sam was with the rest of SG-1 in the embarkation room; even though she hadn't been through the Stargate in four months, she still saw them off every time. "Sam?"

"Yes Colonel?"

"Do you know who the baby's father is?"

Her eyes flicked away, darting around the room and landing on everything but him. "No, sir."

He watched her for a long moment and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Carter?"

"Sir?"

To her surprise, a satisfied smile creased his face. "You're a lousy liar." He turned away as the event horizon formed in the giant stone ring, Daniel and Teal'c already striding up the ramp. "I'll see you in a few days, Carter." And then he was gone, halfway across the galaxy.

Sam stared after him, wondering if he'd guessed the truth.

Not sure if she wanted to hide it from him any longer.



***



Sam braced herself in the corner of the elevator, moaning softly as another contraction rippled across her lower abdomen. She looked up hopefully as the elevator slowed, but she wasn't on the right floor for the infirmary; someone else was getting on.

"Sam?" she heard dimly, as if from far away. "What is it?"

"Contraction," she forced out through clenched teeth. "Oh god." Eventually the pain passed, and she focussed on the other person with her in the elevator.

Jack was repeatedly jabbing the button for thetwenty-first floor, watching impatiently as the doors slid shut before turning back to her, plainly worried. "I thought you weren't due for another four days."

Sam leaned weakly against the wall, her strength drained already. "I'm not. I thought at first it was false labour, but now I"m pretty sure it's not. I was -- Oh!"

Without warning, the elevator jerked to a stop and the lights went out, the dim red emergency lighting coming on after a few seconds of complete blackness. Jack hit a few buttons, then tried the phone. Nothing worked.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sam said incredulously. "Four years without a single problem and it chooses *now* to malfunction?"

Jack looked around the small space. He opened his mouth to say something -- what, exactly, he wasn't quite sure -- when she doubled over in pain. "Sam!" He didn't know what to do. She straightened up after a few minutes, breathing heavily.

The colonel forced himself to calm down and focus. Although Sam had chosen Daniel as her Lamaze partner -- involving her commanding officer too much in her private life still made her uncomfortable -- he'd attended the classes with Sarah when she'd been pregnant with Charlie, so he wasn't completely useless here.

Jack pressed his back against one of the elevator walls and motioned Sam over. She eyed him, uncertain. "Sir?"

"Trust me." She nodded once and moved to stand before him. He turned her so that her back was pressed to his chest and told her, "Now, we're going to slide down until we're sitting. Can you manage that?" She nodded again and he helped her down so that she rested in the V of his legs, his knees bent up on either side of her. He rubbed her shoulders. "You okay?"

She made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort. "Yeah, I'm just great," she muttered under her breath, and Jack couldn't help but laugh.

"You're right; stupid question." He continued his massage and she gradually relaxed, leaning back against him, until another contraction jerked her forward. Her hands gripped his legs tightly as she moaned, and Jack slid his hands around to her stomach, rubbing gently in an attempt to relieve her pain, murmuring to her all the while.

"Take long, deep breaths Sam. In through your nose, out through your mouth; just focus on your breathing."

She straightened slowly as the pain passed once more and sank back against him in exhaustion, resting her head on his shoulder and breathing a bit erratically. He left his arms around her waist, still gently caressing her abdomen. "Colonel?" she asked eventually, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Yeah Sam."

"I'm scared."

Jack tightened his hold on her instinctively, hugging her from behind and lowering his head to rest next to hers. She had to be terrified to even admit such a thing to him, and he understood what it cost her to tell him. "I know you are Sam, but I promise that everthing will be okay. Trust me."

"I do," she whispered. She squeezed his leg, trying to convey how much she appreciated everything he had done for her in the past seven months; he had certainly risen above and beyond the basic requirements of a commanding officer and had offerred her far more support than she'd had any right to expect. Frankly, she wasn't sure if she could have made it without his support. She only wished she could find the words to thank him.

She let herself relax in Jack's arms as he cradled her in silence and had even managed to doze off for a few minutes when the lights suddenly came back on and the elevator began moving with a jerk and a whine.

Sam moved from Jack's protective embrace somewhat reluctantly; irrational as it seemed, she felt safer in the darkness. Now, she was being forced to return to reality, a place where she was no longer free to touch her commanding officer or to be touched by him. Now, military regulations reminded them of who they were.

Jack helped Sam to her feet as the elevator slowed to a stop and escorted her down the hall to the infirmary, where he settled her onto a gurney before searching out Janet. He waited outside as the doctor performed a pelvic exam, then stuck his head in. "Is there anyone you want me to call?"

Sam shook her head and he was turning to leave when she held out a slightly trembling hand. "Stay?" she asked quietly, not quite meeting his eyes. He hesitated, uncertain.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, finally meeting his eyes. "Please. I need you here."

His gaze softened as he brought a chair to her side, picking up her hand and pressing it to his lips. With his other hand, he brushed her hair back from her face. "Of course I'll stay Sam. Whatever you want."

Several responses occurred to her, most of which violated the fraternization regs, but instead she closed her eyes and lay back. "What I want right now is for Janet to bring me drugs."

Though she couldn't see it, she felt Jack's smile as he patted her hand and left to find the doctor.



***



"One more push, Sam. On your next contraction I need you to bear down just one more time."

"God dammit Janet!" the major gasped out between pants. "*You* try doing it 'just one more time'!" Sam could see the doctor's eyes crinkle as she smiled beneath her mask.

"I know you're tired, honey, but we're almost there. One more push and this part's all done."

Jack increased the pressure of his arm around her shoulders and she focussed on him fleetingly. "C'mon, Sam. You can do this."

She glared at him weakly before her entire body clenched around another contraction. Strangely enough, the thought going through her mind at this moment was that she never even got to enjoy the sex that usually led to this particular type of pain.



***



Through the ringing in her ears, Sam heard the high-pitched cries of an infant and Janet's triumphant voice informing her that she'd been right; it was a girl. After a few moments, the doctor brought the blanket-wrapped bundle over to the exhausted major. "Here she is," Janet announced, and Sam forced her eyes open.

"She's so tiny," Sam breathed as she stared down at the red, scrunched up face. The baby, recognizing her voice, quieted. Still at her side, Jack watched the two with no small measure of pride. He pressed his lips to the side of her head and reached out a finger to touch the newborn girl's cheek with a gentleness that Sam would have only guessed at months ago but which she'd almost come to expect from him lately. She'd come to see sides of her commanding officer she had never known existed -- and it would be very hard, she knew, to go back to a predominantly military relationship with him now that she knew how it could be.

"You did it Sam," he whispered to her, awe colouring his tone. "You did it. I'm so proud of you." She smiled up at him, exhaustion and pure joy warring for dominance, and had opened her mouth so respond when Janet reappeared at her side.

"Sam, I need to take the baby now, to check her over. There are several people waiting outside to see you, if you're up to it?" Sam nodded and Janet allowed the visitors into her room, warning them not to overstay their welcome.

"Dad!" Sam cried out when she spotted her father among the people crowding into her room. "How long have you been here?"

Jacob moved to his daughter's side and kissed her forehead in greeting. "I got here a few hours ago. One of the nurses informed George when you came into the infirmary in labour and George thought it best to call me."

Sam shifted her gaze to the general, who was standing at the end of her bed along with Daniel and Teal'c. "Thank you sir," she said sincerely.

General Hammond smiled at her. "It was the least I could do, Sam. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired and sore, but I'm okay. I just need to sleep for about a week and I'll be back on duty before you know it."

The group took the hint and offerred their congratulations as they left the room. Jack was the last to leave. He traced her sleeping features wistfully, wishing for things that could never be. With a whispered good night he turned and left the room, shutting the light off on his way out.



***



Sam wrinkled her nose at the wheelchair Janet brought in but didn't argue; as much as she hated to admit it, she probably did need to use it. She wasn't sure if she had the strength to make it through the day.

After three days, Janet had declared that the infant was not only in perfect health but ready to return to her own reality. General Hammond had ordered the mirror to be brought out of storage once again and the baby would be returned home as soon as her universe could be found. Sam was amazed at the level of bonding that had taken place over the past seven months -- and especially the past few days -- and had been dreading this moment for longer than she cared to admit. Though, as she'd told Daniel so long ago, she'd understood intellectually what she'd been getting into, Sam now knew that there was no way she could have fully comprehended what she had agreed to do. Daniel had been right -- technically this little girl wasn't hers, but in every other way Sam felt herself to be this child's mother.

And now she had to let her go.

Sam shifted carefully to the wheelchair and took the baby from Janet, who left them alone so that the major could have a chance to say goodbye. Sam stared down at the tiny form in her arms, memorizing her features as she gently stroked the infant's face. Sam smiled through the start of tears when the baby reached out and grasped her finger with a questing hand, her small face split with a wide yawn as wide blue eyes regarded her solemnly. She felt her heart breaking.

Sam looked up when her father entered the room quietly. "Sam honey, they've found her reality and her parents are waiting. It's time to send her home." Sam said nothing, merely biting her lip and nodding as her father wheeled her from the room.

Gathered around the alta-mirror were the rest of her team, Janet, and General Hammond. Through the slightly misty surface of the mirror Sam could see herself and behind her another Jack, his hands on his Sam's shoulders; in the background, Dr. Warner was barely visible.

Daniel knelt before her, watching Sam compassionately as she brushed a feather-light kiss to the infant's cheek and another to the crown of her head. He squeezed Sam's upper arm lightly before carefully taking the baby from her and through the mirror. He exchanged only a few words with the couple on the other side as he delivered the bundle to a beaming Samantha, then returned home. The mirror flickered off behind him.

Daniel leaned over and hugged Sam tightly, whispering his message into her ear. "She says that there's no way she can possibly thank or repay you for what you've done, but she wants you to know how very much she appreciates it all. She wishes for you to be as happy as she is." Sam managed a watery smile in his direction, mouthing a thank you. Turning to Jacob she asked him to take her back to her room, a single tear making its way down her face. Her friends and colleagues watched in concern as she was wheeled out.

Sam stood, but instead of moving back to her bed she took a halting step towards her father. He held her as she trembled, but she still didn't cry. When she finally gave into the fatigue he helped her into her bed and watched until she fell asleep, his heart breaking for his own little girl.



***



Sam threw herself back into her work after being cleared for active duty, but her teammates noticed a change in her attitude; she was much quieter and smiled less often than she used to. They knew that she needed time to grieve, but they weren't sure how much time to give her or how to broach the subject; and so they treated her as normally as possible, making sure that she knew they were there to help when she was ready to accept it.

SG-1 had gathered in the rec room to relax after a long mission about two months after Sam's return to the team; by this late hour, only Sam and Jack remained. He thought she was watching TV, but as he watched her he noticed that she was staring at nothing, a disturbing habit she'd picked up recently. He jostled her shoulder lightly and she blinked, turning in his direction. "Colonel?"

"Sam..." he hesitated, not sure if he should push the issue, but decided that her behaviour had gone on long enough. "Have you let yourself cry at all over this?" She glanced away, looking somewhat guilty and embarrassed, but didn't answer. He kept talking. "It's okay to cry, Sam. I know that right now it seems easier to just push it all away, to ignore it, but in the long run it just eats away at you from the inside. You have to let yourself feel the pain, Sam. It'll hurt like hell but you don't have to face it alone. We're all here for you Sam. Believe me on this." When she still didn't seem to respond he reached out and gripped her chin firmly, forcing her to look at him. His touch gentled and turned into a caress when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"It's so hard," she choked out as the tears finally overflowed. Jack reached for her, pulling her into his lap and cradling her against his chest as she cried for her loss. A long while later, after her sobs had all but subsided, he spoke.

"Tell you what," he said quietly. "If you're not with anyone in, say, five years, how about you and I make our own baby?" The offer came out a little more seriously than he intended.

Sam pulled back just enough to look at him in shock. "Are you serious?"

He was, he realized. "Why not? They did it in a parallel universe, Sam; why couldn't we do the same?" He meant every word of what he said. Up until a year and a half ago this most recent Sam and Jack had had the same relationship that he and Sam shared. That alternate reality couple had the same regulations to contend with, but they'd come together anyway. What was stopping him and Sam except their fear?

Jack became increasingly more uncomfortable as Sam continued to gape at him without saying a word. Finally she settled back against his chest, her cheek resting on his shoulder. "You've got yourself a deal," she agreed softly. Jack hugged her tightly.

"Deal," he repeated. And though he was content to spend forever sitting here with Sam in his arms, he was suddenly anxious to know what the next five years would bring.



The End.




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