For Better or For Worse
Kathleen O'Brien had just walked in the door from dropping off her youngest daughter at dance class when the phone rang.
"Hello," she answered slightly distracted as she dropped the mail on the counter along with her keys and purse.
"Hey, Bonnie, it's Jack," came the reply.
She smiled. Only her brother Jack still ever used the nickname her grandfather had bestowed upon her at birth. And only she knew just how to tease him back.
"Jonny! It's good to here from you," she grinned.
She heard Jack groan on the other end of the phone. She knew he hated to be called Jonny. As soon as he was old enough he had insisted on using Jack instead.
"How are things in Chicago, Kath," he asked.
Since she figured he didn't mean the weather, she guessed he was calling to check on the family. She knew that he attempted to call their parents once in a while, but that the conversations were strained. It was only through her that he got any real news.
"Everything's fine here. Mom and Dad each had a nasty case of the flu a month ago, but they've both recovered nicely. We're all getting ready for Sean's high school graduation," she said.
They chatted about her kids, their nephew Sean's college plans, and their other siblings and their kids for a while. Strangely enough, although she and Jack were the furthest apart in age of the five O'Neill siblings, she was the one he called on a regular basis. But they had always been close, even as kids. Kathleen had been a bright, outgoing little girl who adored her oldest brother and had always followed him around. Even though he was 10 years older, he had let her tag along most of the time. At sixteen, when he had made the varsity hockey team, she had been his loudest cheerleader, often sitting in the stands bundled up in a coat and mittens to stay warm.
His parents had never understood it when he joined the airforce, but Kathleen had been proud of him, especially when he had shown up at her own high school graduation in his dress blues, already adorned with quite a few impressive medals. When Charlie had died, Kathleen had been the only one that had not tried to force him talk about it. Back at the house after the funeral she had found him in Charlie's room, and had simply sat next to him in silence, with tears running down her cheeks. His parent's grief had driven another wedge between them and their oldest son, and his divorce a year later had seriously strained his relationship with everyone except for Kathleen. To this day if the folks found out that Kathleen had heard from Jack their first question would be whether he and Sara were back together yet.
In return, she was the only one who kept up with the events in Jack's life. Not that he told her much. But she knew that Sara was happily dating an accountant she had met at work, and that Jack had teammates that he was obviously close to. He occasionally let small things slip. She knew that Daniel's wife had died a few years back and that Daniel himself had 'left them' last year, (whatever that meant) and they had gotten a new team member named Jonas. He regaled her with a few funny stories about Teal'c who was not from the US. His misunderstanding of the culture was often the source of amusement. And Carter was some sort of genius. Suddenly Kathleen remembered something important from their last conversation.
"How's your 2IC?" she inquired.
That had been an odd conversation just over two months ago. She hadn't heard from Jack for quite a while and was getting worried when he finally called and apologized. He'd been out of the country for a month, he said, and on his return had been swamped with work. Plus he'd been spending his downtime at the bedside of his 2IC who was very sick. Kathleen had offered to light a candle for him.
"Her," Jack had replied. "Major Samantha Carter."
That the 'Carter' he had mentioned several times in the past was a female was only the first surprise of the conversation. She had been expecting him to brush off her offer to light a candle, knowing that he had not been inside a church since Charlie's funeral mass. Instead, he had thanked her for the offer, saying Carter could use all the help she could get. Kathleen had been very curious, but it hadn't seemed like a good time to pry. Now she wanted the whole story.
"Sam's doing much better, but she's not my 2IC any more. When she realized that it would be a while before the doc would clear her for active duty, she transferred and took another position here on base," he explained.
"So how come you never told me before that 'Carter' was a woman," Kathleen teased. The pause on the other end of the line really got her curiosity peaked. "Jack?"
"Yeah, well, I wasn't supposed to think of her as a woman Kathleen. She was my 2IC, strictly off limits," he admitted with a sigh.
"And now?" Kathleen encouraged him.
"That's kinda why I called. Sam and I are getting married August 2nd. I'd love for you to come for the wedding, Kath. You, Mike, and the girls," he announced.
Kathleen shook off her shock "Congratulations Jack!" she exclaimed. With her free hand she flipped the calendar and hesitated only long enough to look at the date. "We'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world," she assured him. "So, I need to know all about my future sister-in-law. Obviously she is a Major in the Airforce. And I think you mentioned once that 'Carter' is a scientist. So spill, big brother," she insisted.
He covered the basics. She was smart (two PHD's is areas of science that Kathleen knew nothing about) and beautiful, (he promised to send pictures). Her Dad was a retired General who still did consulting work for the Airforce, and he and her brother and his family in San Diego were the only close relatives that she had. They had acknowledged feelings for each other several years ago, but circumstances had kept them from being able to pursue a relationship until recently.
"So, have you told Mom and Dad?" Kathleen asked.
"Not yet. I'm calling them next. Expect an outraged call from them later today," he sighed.
Kathleen stopped and thought for a moment. "Jack, why don't you and Sam come out for Sean's graduation. We are all going out to dinner afterwards, and we are going to have a barbecue the next day. The whole family could meet Sam. The two of you can stay here. We have a spare room," she suggested.
"I don't know Kath. Sam's under orders to avoid stress, and Mom and Dad are likely to put her through the wringer. Besides, won't one of the Bobbsey twins be staying with you?" he hesitated.
Kathleen laughed. She hadn't heard her twin sisters called that name in ages. They had always hated it, so of course Jack had constantly used the misnomer, no matter how many times they pointed out that the literary characters had each been a brother and sister set of twins, not identical girls. The twins were the only two siblings to still live in Minnesota, each not too far from their parents. Her other brother Patrick, who was Sean's father, had moved to the Chicago area a few years before she and Michael had.
"No, our spare room is free. Mom and Dad and Eileen are staying at Patrick's house. Colleen and her crew are staying at her in-laws so they can get a visit to them in at the same time," she explained.
"Aren't you afraid that your house will be struck by lightening or a plague will strike you down if you let two unmarried people sleep in the same room together? Or worse yet, that it will bring down the wrath of Mom?" he protested.
"I think we'll survive, and I can handle Mom. Just no headboard banging while you are here. The spare room is next to Maggie's and she is old enough to figure it out," she requested.
"No problem. I'll talk to Sam and see what she thinks. Give me the dates, and hold open the spare room. I'll call back in a couple of days," he finally agreed.
As predicted, and hour later Kathleen got a call from her parents. They were not happy campers. Kathleen let them rant and rave for a bit, and then changed the subject to ask what they had gotten Sean as a graduation present. That worked for a bit until they got around to the topic of the party, and the fact that Jack might come and bring 'that woman'. Kathleen sighed. It was going to be a long two weeks.
Three days later Kathleen looked at the ringing phone with indecision. It was probably just Mom or Dad calling again to give her their latest reason why Jack should not be marrying this Sam Carter person. She sighed in resignation and answered the phone, for once actually hoping it was just a salesperson.
"May I speak to Kathleen O'Brien please?" a polite female voice inquired.
"Speaking," Kathleen replied already preparing to her 'We're not interested' response.
"Kathleen, this is Sam Carter, Jack's fiancée," came the unexpected introduction.
"Sam, what a nice surprise," Kathleen answered recovering from her initial shock. "I just got the pictures Jack sent. Tell him thanks."
"I will. Jack told me about your kind invitation. I think it's a great idea for us to come for the weekend. Are you sure we won't be imposing if we stay with you though? We could always get a hotel room," Sam offered.
"Don't be silly. We would love for you two to stay here. It would give me a chance to really visit with Jack, and get to know you," Kathleen insisted.
"I'd like that. So unless there is a crisis that prevents us from coming, we'll see you in a week and a half," Sam confirmed.
"Sam, I should probably warn you," Kathleen paused trying to put this nicely.
"It's ok. Jack told me I wasn't going to be welcomed with open arms," Sam said quietly.
Kathleen's heart went out to the woman. She was pretty brave coming to face them all knowing she was walking into a possibly nasty confrontation. Kathleen tried to ease her mind.
"Mom and Dad can be stubborn fools, and Maureen pretty much goes along with Mom to keep the peace. I talked to Patrick the other day. He was glad to hear that Jack was happy again. And I am thrilled. So you already have the two of us on your side. Colleen is keeping an open mind. I'm sure you can win her over. It'll be fine Sam," Kathleen reassured her.
"Oh, I'm not too worried. It can't be any worse than some of the CO's I've put up with," Sam stated confidently.
"Not Jack, I hope?" Kathleen asked.
"No. We had one bad moment when we first met, but we got along pretty well right from the start," Sam chuckled.
Before they said goodbye Sam gave Kathleen their flight information. They would be flying in late Friday afternoon and leaving very early the following Monday to get back on base for a late morning briefing.
A week later, Sam was checking through her overnight kit making sure that everything was there. She went into the bathroom to gather a few toiletries to add to the bag and nervously checked her watch. Then taking a deep breath she picked up the test she had left on the sink. Positive. It was positive. She sat down on the side of the tub in shock.
She had first noticed the symptoms a week ago. She had felt really lethargic for several days, and just couldn't seem to get enough sleep. Then her morning coffee hadn't set right. After a couple of days she had changed over to tea first thing in the morning and she'd felt much better. At first she had thought it was nerves. Despite her brave words to Kathleen, she was extremely nervous about meeting her future in-laws. Then another thought had struck her. She was sure for days that it was just wishful thinking. Every doctor since Jolinar had said that her odds of getting pregnant were slim. But the dates had all tracked right, and although it wasn't that unusual for her to be late, the nagging hope would not go away. So she had bought a test, and waited until she was home alone while Jack went out to pick up dinner.
Now she was sitting in the bathroom trying not to jump up and down with joy. She needed to be cautious. These tests were not 100% accurate, and with her altered body chemistry it could be a false positive. She didn't want to get Jack's hopes up until she was sure. So she tucked the wand back in the box, and carefully hid the entire thing away until she could dispose of it later. Then the next morning she headed straight for the infirmary.
"Janet, I need a favor," she began.
Janet rushed the test through as quietly as she could. She knew that Sam was getting her hopes up, and she certainly didn't want rumors to start if it turned out to be a false alarm. And it most likely was. Janet had been helping Sam deal with all of her body's little quirks for five years, and knew that the extra protein marker could easily have thrown the less sophisticated home test off. So she had two separate tests run against Sam's blood sample. Now she was staring at the results in happy disbelief.
"Sam, you're about five weeks pregnant," she confirmed to her now beaming friend.
The two women were both speechless for a minute, and then they both started talking at once.
"I need to find Jack," Sam said.
"You'll need to see Dr. Peterson," Janet stated, referring to the OBGYN that had security clearance to deal with any female problems resulting from off-world injuries or alien diseases.
"Make me an appointment for early next week when we get back," Sam said nodding.
Finally Janet couldn't stand it any longer, and she slipped out of Doctor mode and gathered her friend into a hug.
"Congratulations Sam. I'm so happy for you," she choked out. Then she wiped a tear from her eyes, chuckled and added, "Go find that fiancée of yours. I know one Airforce Colonel who is in for the shock of his life."
Sam made a quick stop be her lab to be sure that everything was shut down and to pick up her laptop. Then she headed down to Jack's office. He needed no encouragement to head for home, just stopping at Hammond's office to let the General know that they were headed out and to remind him that they would be available by cell phone only over the long weekend.
At home they ordered pizza and began to pack their bags for the trip. When the pizza arrived they took a break.
"You want a beer, Sam?" Jack asked.
"No, I'll stick with diet soda," Sam replied. Then as she served up the pizza onto plates she asked him, "Jack, what objectives exactly do your parents have to us getting married?"
"Well, you're not Catholic to start with, plus since Sara and I were married in the Catholic Church, and the marriage was never annulled by the church, they don't really recognize our divorce. Then there is the fact that you are in the military, which in their minds means that you will not be staying home to take care of me and have babies like they think you should. I didn't even bring up the fact that you might not be able to have kids. That would put them over the edge," he explained.
"Jack, do you want kids?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to confirm it before she dropped her little bomb.
"Sam, we discussed this. Sure, I would love to have a baby with you. But the key part is 'with you'. If it doesn't happen then as long as I have you in my life, I'll be happy," Jack reassured her.
"How would your parents react to us having a baby," she inquired.
"I'm sure another grandchild would thrill them," he said with a shrug. "Why?"
"Even if it was conceived before the actual marriage ceremony?" she asked, unable to stop the smile that was now threatening.
"Sam?" Jack questioned, barely able to believe what she was hinting at.
"I'm pregnant," she confirmed with a huge grin.
With a load whoop he swept her up into his arms and twirled her around, causing her to grab onto him as a wave of dizziness washed over her.
"Hey, don't spin the pregnant lady," she warned.
"Sorry! Here, sit," he apologized leading her to a kitchen chair and pulling up a chair close to her. "Sam this is so amazing," he said giving her a long kiss. When they came up for air he asked, "When did you find out?"
"Today. I'm only five weeks along, so it's too early to be announcing it to anyone, but if all goes well we are going to be parents around the first of February," Sam said her eyes growing large as the enormity of it all started to sink in. "I still need to see the OBGYN and get everything checked out though," she added as a warning.
"How are you feeling?" Jack asked concerned.
"Pretty good so far," Sam reassured him. "I've been a little tired, and I've had a couple of bouts of nausea, but it's been pretty mild. So far so good," she said with a grin.
Jack's smile started to grow too. He reached for their plates and handed Sam her pizza.
"Here, eat. You need to keep your strength up. We're going to have a baby Sam. A healthy baby with your brains and good looks," he predicted.
"She'll have your eyes," she corrected nibbling on her pizza.
Jack's own slice paused on its way to his mouth. "She?"
"Just a hunch," Sam shrugged slightly embarrassed at her admission.
Jack was amused. "Mother's intuition?" he teased. "Not very scientific."
"This from a man who won't go on a mission without his lucky hat?" Sam retorted.
She had him there. Besides, he liked the fact that Sam was being kind of maternal already. He finished off his food with a grin, and cleared away the mess. Then he reached down and lifted Sam off of her chair carrying her towards the bedroom.
"Jack, we need to finish packing!" she protested.
"Later. First, we need to celebrate," he stated firmly as he set her on her feet and began to undress her.
As his hands touched her bare skin, any desire to be practical flew out the window and she began to remove his shirt. Soon there were no pesky clothes separating them, and with a passionate kiss, Jack lifted her and laid her on the bed, hovering over her as he began to trail kisses down her body. When he reached her flat stomach he placed a lingering kiss there. Sam was moved to tears. She said a quick prayer to any real God out there to protect their baby. Then she was rendered incapable of any further conscious thought as Jack's lips and hands continued their journey.
Kathleen quickly checked the arrival board. Just great. They had gotten stuck in rush hour traffic, so of course Sam and Jack's flight had been on time. She took note of the baggage carousel number and headed in that direction with her daughters in tow. Scanning the crowd, it was actually Sam that she spotted first, recognizing her from the pictures Jack had sent. She was standing a bit off from the side of the crowd around the carousel, with a carry-on slung over one shoulder and a garment bag at her feet. Kathleen noticed a couple of men eyeing her appreciatively. She could understand why. In black slacks and a red shirt peeking out from under a black leather jacket, her future sister-in-law was stunning.
"Sam, hi!" she greeted as she drew near.
"Kathleen?" Sam answered with a nervous smile.
"Yes," Kathleen said reaching out to shake her hand. "Where's Jack?"
"Rescue mission to snag our other bag," Sam informed her with a grin, nodding towards the carousel.
Just then Jack emerged from the crowd with the missing bad in hand. He spotted Kathleen and the girls with Sam and waved. Dropping the bag at Sam's feet he swept his sister into a hug.
"Bonnie, you look great!" he said.
"You do too, Jack," Kathleen admitted.
Her first thought on seeing him had been to wonder when he had gone so gray. Then he had smiled and she had caught her breath at how fantastic he looked. Tan, relaxed and really hunky in his own leather jacket. She hadn't seen him looking so good since, well since Charlie. She shook off the dark thought to make introductions. Her daughters hadn't seen their Uncle in years, and as a result were both a bit shy around him. But her youngest daughter Anna took an instant liking to Sam, which shocked Kathleen. Anna was the quieter of the two girls, preferring books to people. Kathleen was always trying to find her an outlet where she could make friends. The recent dance classes had been a total flop. Now however she was taking Sam by the hand to lead her outside. Kathleen was relieved to see Sam give Anna a brilliant smile and let herself be guided by the 10-year-old.
Soon they were outside watching for Michael who had circled the airport after dropping Kathleen and the girls off. They all piled into the Minivan when he pulled up, and headed to the O'Brien's house. Jack was up front with Mike happily debating the Cub's chances of not ending up in last place this year, while the two girls were in the back with their headphones already plugged into their CD players. That left Kathleen to chat with Sam.
"First things first. Let me see the ring," Kathleen insisted.
Sam held out her had and Kathleen gave a low whistle. "I didn't think Jack's taste was that good. Or did you pick it out yourself?" she inquired.
"No, he did. He surprised me with it one night. He did the whole romantic dinner, down on one knee thing," Sam confessed.
"Jack did?" Kathleen exclaimed.
"What," Jack questioned from the front seat.
"You are getting soft, brother dear," Kathleen teased.
"And if that information gets around I will know who to come back and torture Bonnie," he threatened.
Kathleen just waved him back to his own conversation and turned back to Sam after making sure her daughters were well occupied and not listening in.
"So are you two living together?" she asked quietly.
Sam nodded. "For over a month now," she admitted.
"Well don't let Mom and Dad know that. They are really old fashioned. You wouldn't believe how much sneaking around I had to do when Michael and I were dating," she admitted rolling her eyes. "What about your family? Have they met Jack?"
"My brother and his family haven't, but my Dad has known him several years. They get along fine," Sam said.
"That's good. So tell me about the wedding plans," Kathleen urged.
They chatted comfortably until they pulled into the drive of the O'Brien's two-story colonial in a pretty subdivision north of the city. They all clambered out of the van and Jack and Michael unloaded their bags and carried then up to the spare room. Sam followed Kathleen through to a large eat-in kitchen. She instantly felt at home in the house that was filled with family photos adorning the walls and evidence of the kids everywhere, including their work displayed on the refrigerator.
"Can I help with dinner," Sam offered. "Although I have to tell you that I can turn just about any kitchen into a disaster area in five minutes flat," Sam warned with a grimace.
"Not much of a cook?" Kathleen chuckled.
"If I can manage to focus I'm great. But usually I end up doodling some idea I'm working on and burning whatever I have on the stove," Sam confessed.
"Yeah, Jack said that you were a scientist. What exactly does a Theoretical Astrophysicist do anyway?" Kathleen asked.
"It's somebody who studies the planets and the stars, Mom," Anna chimed in having followed them in unnoticed.
"That's right. And other space phenomenon like supernovas, blackholes and wormholes," Sam explained. "So Anna, are you interested in physics?"
Just then Jack and Michael walked into the kitchen. "Oh no. Not another scientist," Jack complained.
"Don't listen to him, Anna. We scientists have pulled his cute butt out if trouble more than once," Sam said with a grin.
"True," Jack admitted. "Hey, you think I have a cute butt?"
Anna giggled at that, and Kathleen laughed and handed the burgers to Michael. "You two go do the male thing. Make fire. Burn meat," she said shooing them out the back door.
Sam, Anna and Maggie were given the job of setting the table. Kathleen watched as Sam drew out each of the girls about their interests, talking easily to Maggie about sports, and to Anna about science and computers. By the time they sat down to eat Sam had relaxed in their presence and was starting to feel like one of the family. She quizzed them all on the rest of the O'Neill clan trying to correctly match up all of the spouses and kids before coming face to face with them the next day. After the dishes were done, the girls dragged Sam off to their rooms to show her all of their favorite treasures and Kathleen was able to talk to Jack privately.
"She's great Jack. I give a big thumbs up," Kathleen stated.
"Thanks Kath. Your opinion means more to me than Mom and Dad's approval," Jack admitted giving her a hug.
"Good, because I doubt that you are going to get that," Kathleen quipped.
Kathleen and Michael finally shooed the girls to bed at 10:00 and followed quickly behind them. Despite the time difference it had been a long day of traveling and Sam was glad to opt for an early night. Conscious of Maggie on the other side of the wall, they quietly spooned together in bed and it wasn't long before Jack felt Sam's breathing change indicating she was asleep. He lay with her in his arms waiting for sleep himself, savoring the time to just enjoy holding her. As he drifted off, his left hand automatically found it's way to her stomach, instinctively protecting the two most important things in his life. He dreamt of them up at the cabin with a blond toddler riding on his shoulders as they hiked the lakeshore.
The next morning, both Sam and Jack were awake at 6:00am. Sam was feeling slightly nauseous, so Jack slipped downstairs and made her some tea and a slice of toast. Once she had finished them she felt much better and she suggested that they take a quick jog. She had been working very hard to get back in shape and she didn't want to totally lose it now. So they slipped into some comfortable shorts and t-shirts and went out for a light jog around the peaceful neighborhood. By 7:00 they were in the shower, Since nobody else was up yet they decided to risk showering together. By the time they were dressed and back in the kitchen they had worked up quite an appetite.
Jack set about making pancakes while Sam put on the coffee. Darn she really missed the stuff again. She hoped that the morning sickness would let up so she could at least have de-caf soon. By the time Kathleen and Michael were up and moving breakfast was ready.
"Wow, I should hire you two. This is a treat to have breakfast served to me," Kathleen enthused.
"You couldn't afford us. Besides we've been up for hours," Jack chastised.
"Yeah, I heard the shower running," Kathleen said. "Funny how I only heard it go on once though," she teased.
Jack just wagged his eyebrows at her but Sam actually blushed so Kathleen took pity on her and changed the subject.
"We should be on the road in two hours. Do you two need anything?" she asked.
"If we could borrow an iron and an ironing board that would be great," Sam replied.
An hour and a half later they were all finishing up getting dressed. Sam was just about to slip on the small gold earrings that she normally wore with her dress blues when Jack stopped her.
"I thought you might like to wear these," he said handing her a small jewelry box.
Sam opened the box to find a pair of sapphire studs. "Jack they're beautiful," she exclaimed.
"I know you can't wear anything flashy with your uniform, but I thought these might do," he said with a small smile.
"They're perfect," she said, slipping then on. "Thank you," she whispered pulling him in for a kiss.
Soon they were both ready to go, uniforms precise, medals perfectly aligned. They headed down to wait for the others. Michael and Anna were all ready and the young girl stared in awe at her Uncle and Aunt.
"Wow," she said. "You guys have a lot of medals."
Just then Kathleen and Maggie came down the stairs and Kathleen stopped in her tracks. She hadn't realized that the two were going to wear their uniforms, but thought that they certainly looked ready to face the rest of the family. Kind of like they were prepared to go into battle.
"I swear Jack. You're more handsome in that uniform every time I see you in it," she said shaking her head. "And Sam, you look beautiful. You two are going to impress the heck out of everyone there."
And they did. With sentiment still running high in support of U.S. troops in the Middle East, the two highly decorated officers caused heads to turn everywhere they went. Sean's friends and their families all stopped the group after the ceremony and insisted on being introduced. Even Jack's parents, who had never really approved of his decision to join up, couldn't help but be proud. At the restaurant the group was shown to a private room that Patrick had reserved. Alone with whole O'Neill family, Jack was finally able to make more formal introductions than had been possible at the graduation ceremony. And the interrogation began.
Privately, Sam thought that all of the inquisitions she had endured at the hands of the System Lords had merely been preparation for this. Thanks goodness that Kathleen, Patrick and the various spouses were all silent spectators. It was bad enough with the Charles, Maureen, and the twins Eileen and Colleen firing questions in rapid succession. Sam was thankful every time the wait staff interrupted to take drink or food orders. Finally Kathleen got up to accompany Anna to the lady's room and Sam gratefully tagged along.
"How are you holding up?" Kathleen asked in the privacy of the lounge.
"Ok so far," Sam replied. "How do you think it is going?"
"You're doing fine. You look calm and confident. They're starting to run out of steam. I think they expected to have you sweating long before this," Kathleen chuckled.
Sam was running a comb through her hair and touching up her makeup when Kathleen and Anna headed back. She was only going to be a couple of seconds behind them, but it was a couple of seconds too long. While they had all been occupied Maureen O'Neill had slipped into a stall unnoticed, and now she stepped out to confront Sam.
"Samantha, how lovely. Now we can have a private chat," she said with a smile that was obviously forced.
Ambushed, thought Sam with a sigh.
Sam turned to face her future mother-in-law calmly. In a way she was looking forward to seeing what the woman would try. So she smiled a brilliant Sam Carter smile, and met the enemy head on.
"Mrs. O'Neill, how nice. We really haven't gotten to talk have we?" she stated calmly.
"No, and I was really hoping we could. Woman to woman my dear. I feel that there are things that you should know about Jonathan before you leap into marriage. I can't help but feel that you don't really know what you are getting into. My son has had a lot of pain in his life, and he has a lot of regrets. I just don't want you to get hurt when he realizes that he needs to go back and deal with his past. When you realize that he still loves Sara, and always will," she warned.
Wow, she's good, Sam thought. Thank goodness Sara was one of the things Sam had insisted they talk about that week up at the cabin. Despite how right it had felt to be with Jack once the regulations were no longer in the way, she'd still had issues that she felt she needed to deal with if they were going to make the relationship work. One had been the very real possibility that they would never have any children. Another had been the whole Edora debacle. The last had been a need to know just where his relationship with his ex-wife stood.
Luckily Jack had understood. He had admitted that he and Sara had tried to reconcile after the whole crystal entity thing, but after several months had realized that there was no going back. Sara could no longer stand him disappearing for long periods of time. Their mission to Argos had put a major strain on any attempt to get back together. For his part, Jack had realized that whereas before Sara had always been his rock, his piece of normal that helped him get through tough missions, he now found that he didn't want a relationship based on lies. The little unexpected trip to Antarctica had been the last straw. During his long recuperation he had started to realize that he was daydreaming about holding his 2IC in his arms, not Sara, and that while he would always love Sara, it just wasn't enough. They had signed the divorce papers a month later.
So now Sam could look Maureen O'Neill in the eyes and state with total self-confidence, "Jack has moved on Mrs. O'Neill. And so has Sara from what I've heard. I think you can stop worrying about him having regrets. The only thing he will never get over is Charlie."
She saw the older woman blink in surprise. This must have been a tactic she had really thought would work. But Sam had to give her credit. She bounced right back.
"Yes, and that's another thing, dear. Have you and Jack discussed having a family? You're not getting any younger you know," Maureen inquired.
"We both want to start a family right away," Sam confessed with a small smile, again thanking her lucky stars that she had gotten the good news before they left. Otherwise she might not have been able to face down her mother-in-law so confidently.
Whatever Maureen O'Neill was going to say next was interrupted by the arrival of Colleen telling them that the food was being served. She pulled Sam aside on the way back to the table.
"I hope Mom didn't upset you Sam. We didn't mean to leave you alone with her like that," she apologized.
"She didn't upset me. But I have a feeling I might need backup this week-end yet," Sam admitted.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'm officially on your side. It's nice to see Jack looking happy again," Colleen admitted.
"Thanks, Colleen. That's a big relief. I certainly don't want to cause a rift between Jack and his family," Sam confessed.
"You haven't. If anything you've help mend some fences. If Mom and Dad don't come around, it's not your fault," Colleen stated firmly.
They arrived back at the table and Sam reassured a concerned Jack with a smile that told him everything was ok. Then she dived gratefully into her meal, suddenly realizing that she was starved. Maybe there really was something to that eating for two cliché. Later over coffee they all mingled. The kids commandeered one end of the table and were chatting and making plans for the next day. Jack was discussing the Stanley Cup finals with Patrick, Michael and Colleen's husband Joe, while trying to keep an eye on Sam to make sure she was ok. He relaxed as he saw her happily chatting with Kathleen, Colleen and Patrick's wife Erin. They had been admiring her ring, and now it looked like she was trying to explain her various medals to them. Over in the corner he saw his parents and Eileen whispering and glancing in Sam's direction. Deciding they were probably up to no good, he wandered over to talk to them.
"Mom, Dad, Eileen. We haven't had a chance to talk," he said, following their eyes over to where Sam was laughing at something Colleen had said. "I'm glad she's getting along with them," he added.
"Yes, well dear, she seems nice enough, but she's not really your type is she? I mean she's career military. Not exactly good wife material," his mother commented.
"She's right you know, Son. Eileen, why don't you and your mother go over and see what the kids are up to and let me talk to Jack for awhile," his dad said.
"So, Dad. Let's not beat around the bush. You just list out all of the reasons that you think Sam's no good for me. Then I'll tell you why she is," Jack said with a wry grin.
"Jack, seriously. What could you possibly see in a woman like that? I'll admit she's a real looker, but you need a lot more than that in a wife. Sam isn't the type that's going to be happy staying at home and raising a family," Charles warned.
"No, she's not. And I don't want her to. I want her out re-inventing physics, doing what she loves. Heck, I'll probably retire and stay home with the kids. She'll be a fantastic mom though. She has a real way with children. They feel safe with her. Anna and Maggie adore her already," Jack grinned, thinking of how he'd said something similar to her when they first went through the gate.
Charles sighed. What would it take to get through to his son? His contemplation was interrupted by the arrival of the four females fresh from their gossip-fest, all now laughing.
"I'm being ganged up on," Sam explained chuckling.
"Sam refuses to tell us where you two are going on your honeymoon," Kathleen complained.
"It's classified," Jack replied automatically. After all, they were spending the week up at the cabin, just a short two-hour drive from his parent's house. That's all they would need would be to have uninvited guests. It would put a serious crimp in his skinny-dipping plans.
"That's what Sam said," Erin exclaimed in frustration.
Jack and Sam's eyes collided. They had talked about going someplace nice. A resort, or a condo in Hawaii. In the end they had both admitted that what they really wanted was to get away from everyone. Just the two of them. The cabin was perfect. Their last trip had been nice, but Sam had still been recuperating, and the weather had still been pretty chilly, so she had spent a lot of her time sleeping while Jack fished or bundled up as they took walks. This time she had suggested she was only planning on bringing the clothes on her back, and the little black bikini that she hadn't gotten to model last trip, which had sent Jack's imagination into overdrive.
"Whoa, sorry we brought up the honeymoon topic. Would you two like to get a room?" Colleen teased, seeing the steamy looks they were giving each other.
"Colleen!" Charles chastised.
"Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to suggest that two grown adults, one of whom has been married before, might not wait until their wedding night to have sex," Colleen apologized, rolling her eyes.
Sam had to stifle her laughter. Colleen had looked and sounded exactly like Jack O'Neill at his sarcastic best. It was either a family trait or she had picked up the nuances from her big brother. Either way Sam suddenly felt a lot closer to Colleen.
A cell phone ringing eliminated any need for a response to Colleen's comment.
"Saved by the bell," Jack quipped as both he and Sam instinctively reached for their phones.
"It's mine," Sam sighed as she pulled out her phone and opened it up. "Carter."
After a couple of seconds of listening she looked around the room and headed for Michael.
"Hold on a second, Sir. I'm going to move to a more private location to take this," she responded to the person on the other end. To Michael she said, "I'd like to take this someplace quiet. Can I borrow your keys so I can go sit in the van?"
"Do you need me?" Jack asked as he and the others trailed up behind her.
She shook her head as Michael dug out the keys. "Broken DHD," she said cryptically. "They just need me to walk them through fixing it."
As soon as she had left the room Charles turned to Jack. "Do you see what I mean? Her work is more important than family," he admonished.
Jack was trying to decide whether he should even waste his breath trying to argue with his dad when an extremely irate Maureen O'Neill stormed up.
"Maggie just let slip that you and Samantha are *both* sleeping in the spare room. Jonathan O'Neill, I know I raised you better than that. And Kathleen, what kind of example are you setting for your daughters!" she fumed in a stage whisper designed to protect the rest of her grandchildren from such sinfulness.
Jack shut his eyes and prayed that this was just a bad dream. From behind him he heard Colleen quietly comment.
"Busted!"
"Get a grip, Mom," Jack said in exasperation. "We just slept in the same bed. It's not like we had wild monkey sex with Maggie on the other side of the wall. You know, Sam was my 2IC for six years. We slept in tents and a few other really tight quarters together often during that time and nothing ever happened. I think we can restrain ourselves for three nights in Kathleen's spare room."
"It's still not proper," Maureen huffed.
"You are entitled to your opinion. But I will not let you upset Sam with this. Is that clear?" he asked.
"We have to let her know we don't approve, Son," Charles objected.
"No you don't. I don't want either of you to discuss this again. This weekend had been stressful enough for Sam without you attacking her morals," Jack stated firmly. "If you do, I can promise that not only will you not be invited to our wedding, you will not ever hear from us again," he threatened.
At that point Kathleen stepped in. "Jack we need to be leaving soon anyway. Why don't you go out to the van and wait with Sam? Michael, the girls and I will be out in a few minutes. That way everyone can cool off before we see each other tomorrow," she suggested.
Jack nodded curtly, and went over to say goodbye to Patrick and the newly graduated Sean. Then he headed out.
Inside his parents were stunned by his ultimatum. Even Colleen was a bit confused by the outburst.
"What was all of that about," she asked pulling Kathleen aside with a raised eyebrow.
"All I know is that he originally was concerned about bringing Sam here this weekend. He said she was supposed to be avoiding stress. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that about three months ago she was very sick. I got the impression that she almost died," Kathleen told her.
"Shit," Colleen said under her breath. "Ok, well if we have to, we will just make sure that Mom and Dad are not left alone with Sam for the rest of the weekend. Eileen too, just to be safe. We'll make sure that they don't upset her," she vowed.
Kathleen smiled at her sister. Colleen was the best person to have around in a crisis. She would do anything to protest those she was close to and she always came up with good plans. She was a lot like Jack in that way.
"Great idea. Now I'm going to round up my crew. See you tomorrow at around 1:00," Kathleen said giving her sister a big hug.
Sam was just wrapping up her phone call having successfully gotten SG- 6 back through the gate when the O'Brien's converged on the van. Jack assured her that he had said goodbye for her, and if she noticed any tension she was smart enough to let it slide while the girls were in hearing range. Arriving back at the house, they all set off to change, but she was unable to catch Jack alone. Then she and the girls were put to work in the kitchen helping Kathleen do some last minute preparation for the next day's barbecue. Therefore it was several hours before the girls went to bed and Sam could corner Jack in the family room.
"So are you going to tell me what the quick departure was all about?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Jack replied trying to duck out of an explanation.
"Jack…" she warned.
"That's what you get for picking such a smart girlfriend, brother dear. I bet not much gets by her," Kathleen teased entering the room.
Jack sighed and reluctantly explained. "Mom found out we were sharing the spare room and threw a fit. I didn't want you to have to walk back into that," he admitted.
"Crap," Sam swore. "Well now you can officially add 'loose woman' to the list of my many bad qualities," she quipped grinning.
"You don't seem upset," Jack commented in surprise.
"It's not as if they wouldn't eventually figure out that we slept together before the wedding now is it?" she pointed out. "I was just hoping they might get to like me enough to forgive me for my immoral behavior."
"Our immoral behavior," Jack corrected.
"Hey, it's not that bad," Kathleen said. "They only think you shared a bed. They don't need to know about anything else. I'm certainly not going to blab."
Jack looked at Sam to see if she wanted to let Kathleen in on their secret. Sam nodded, feeling like she could trust her future sister-in- law to be happy for them, and keep quiet for now.
"Well, we are assuming that Mom and Dad have not lost their ability to count," Jack broadly hinted.
Kathleen looked at the two in confusion. Then she noticed something she should have before. Sam was positively glowing. And Jack had been sporting a big ass grin on and off all weekend.
"Oh, my god," she exclaimed as she blindly sank into the armchair behind her.
"What?" questioned Michael, who had just walked in.
"Sam's pregnant!"
Michael let the news sink in. Well this was certainly an interesting development. He could just see the looks on his in-law's faces when they learned about this. Jack and Sam didn't seem upset though.
"This is good news, right?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. Great news. Fantastic news," Jack confirmed with a huge smile.
Kathleen couldn't help but smile back. This might cause some major upset later, but she was so happy for her brother.
"Congratulations you two! This is so exciting," she said getting up and giving Jack a hug, and then turning to give Sam one also. "How far along are you?" she asked.
"Only five weeks. We just found out two days ago, and I haven't even been for an exam, so this is definitely not to be announced to everyone yet," Sam warned.
"I'm certainly not going to be the one to spill," Kathleen admitted with a grimace.
"No, but I so want to be there when you tell Charles and Maureen," Michael said chuckling as Kathleen gave him a playful swat.
"Well we will probably wait until everyone is in for the wedding, although if everything checks out ok next week we might tell a few close friends," Sam explained. "We'll have to play it by ear with our parents."
Kathleen nodded, knowing it was wise to keep things quiet during those first months when anything could easily go wrong. She remembered how worried she had been during that time period with both of the girls.
"Well, don't fret too much about it. We won't let Mom, Dad or Eileen come down on you. The rest of us will all be so thrilled to have another baby to spoil. We had thought that we were all done with having little kids in the family, so this is a lovely surprise," Kathleen assured them.
Soon Sam admitted to being tired and headed to bed. Michael, figuring correctly that Kathleen would like to talk to her brother alone also retreated upstairs.
"Thanks Bonnie, for reassuring her," Jack said sincerely.
"I meant it Jack. This is great news," she said. Then she paused as he seemed to be lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?" she finally asked.
"I'm wondering what the heck I ever did to deserve this. First Sam actually loving me as much as I do her, and now the chance to be a father again. I can't believe how lucky I am," Jack confessed.
"You deserve it all, Jack. Don't ever doubt that," Kathleen said. "Now, how is Sam doing? I know she was really sick a few months ago. Is she going to be ok?"
"She's doing great so far. She's got the normal tiredness and morning sickness but nothing too bad. I have to admit to being a bit anxious though. She gave us all such a scare when she was sick this last time," Jack admitted.
"What exactly was wrong with her?" Kathleen asked.
"It all stems from an old injury. I can't tell you a lot, but it's a stomach problem that basically causes her to not be able to eat. Usually it only lasts a few days, and then she eases back into solid foods slowly. She was injured really badly about 4 months ago, and while she was recuperating the stomach problem flared up. But this time she couldn't keep any food down for six weeks. Finally a specialist was able to help her. But she'll never be cured," Jack explained.
"So this could happen while she's pregnant?" Kathleen inquired slightly shocked.
"Yeah, although it's usually triggered by a severe trauma or stress. So with any luck she should have a normal pregnancy," Jack said hopefully.
"We'll be praying for you all, Jack," Kathleen said putting her hand on his arm. Then she shook a finger at him and warned, "And you had better keep me informed. I'll be worrying."
"Yes, ma'am. Now if we are going to face the folks tomorrow and atone for our immoral ways we had better get some sleep," Jack recommended.
"We're going to 8:00 mass in the morning if you want to join us," Kathleen offered.
"No, I think I'll let Sam sleep and we'll have breakfast ready for you when you get home," Jack replied as they headed off to bed.
The next morning Jack was up before the O'Brien's left for church. He saw them off and then started pottering around in the kitchen making sure he had everything he needed to make a bacon and egg breakfast. As he scrounged around for a couple of frying pans he heard Sam padding down the stairs. He looked up as she entered the kitchen looking a little green. He quickly sat her down and grabbed an empty pot in case she was sick.
"Tea?" he asked, handing her some crackers he had seen in the pantry.
She nodded and then sat quietly letting her stomach settle as she munched on the crackers. By the time she had finished the tea Jack had fixed for her she was feeling much better.
"If I could just skip that first half hour after I wake up, I'd be fine," she quipped as she stood up and put her dishes in sink.
"Let's just hope that it doesn't get any worse than this. In the meantime, I certainly don't mind spoiling you by bringing you tea and toast in bed every morning," Jack replied wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in close.
As she snuggled into him she asked, "How long before they all get back?"
"Plenty of time," Jack said as he claimed her lips in a gentle kiss.
On the plus side, the same raging hormones that were causing Sam to be unsettled first thing in the morning were also causing her to be extremely libidinous. Add that to the fact that she and Jack were still in the 'can't keep their hands off each other' phase of their relationship, and she had become downright wanton. She quickly deepened the kiss and had Jack groaning with the movement of her hips against him. His hands quickly found the hem of her tank top and were just sliding up the smooth skin when the phone rang. He paused for a moment before he realized that it wasn't their house and he should just let the machine pick up. But as he started to resume his previous actions he heard his Mom's voice on the machine.
"Kathleen, its Mom. Please have Jack call me when you get back. I want to apologize for the way we left things last night," she began.
Jack sighed and was about to reach for the kitchen phone just off to his right when Sam grabbed his arm.
"Don't even think about it," she said as her other hand ran down over his chest and stomach until she could cup him through his sweatpants.
"I gather you have something in mind," Jack teased with a grin.
"You betcha. And it involves you begging for mercy," she informed him with a seductive smile and a slight tightening of her hand.
"Bring it on, Major," he taunted.
Sam stepped away from him with a grin. In one swift motion she pulled her tank off over her head and then turned towards the stairs.
"Coming, Sir?" she asked over her shoulder as she climbed towards their room.
"I certainly am," he mumbled as he took the stairs two at a time to get to the sweet torture awaiting him.
By the time Kathleen and her family arrived home and went to change into more casual clothes, Jack was back in the kitchen and was on the phone with his mother. To his surprise she had apologized for her comments the previous evening. He accepted the apology for Sam's sake, hoping that maybe now his parents would take the time to get to know her better this afternoon. As he hung up Sam, fresh from the shower, walked in and wrapped her arms around him.
"Who were you talking to?" she asked
"Mom. She apologized for flying off the handle. I think my threatening to not invite them to the wedding scared her a bit," he acknowledged.
"Jack O'Neill, your parents *will* be invited to our wedding, no matter what they say or do," Sam scolded. "I'll make sure they understand that today," she added.
"I know! And that will go a long way towards making them like you," he agreed giving her a kiss.
"Hey! Break it up you two. You have hungry people here who need to eat!" Kathleen warned as she entered the kitchen.
Soon they were all laughing around the kitchen table. Kathleen couldn't help but notice the way her brother couldn't keep his eyes or hands off of his fiancée while they ate. As the two women cleared the dishes she had to tease Sam.
"What did you two get up to while we were gone. I swear the looks he's giving you couldn't be any steamier," Kathleen commented with a grin.
Sam blushed slightly and then returned the grin. "Let's just say that I made sure there would only be one thing on his mind for the rest of the day," she chuckled.
"Samantha Carter, you are so bad. You two had both better cool off before the rest of the family gets here. As it is you've got Michael and I feeling lascivious just being around you," Kathleen warned.
"So? Jack and I will keep the girls busy. Give us a list of what needs to be done and go surprise your husband. Life's too short Kathleen, believe me," Sam said suddenly serious.
Kathleen was about to protest when she thought about Sam's words. She was right. She couldn't remember the last time she had jumped her husband in the middle of the day. She turned to Sam with a wicked gleam in her eye.
"Actually, we could use a some last minute things from the store. A couple of bags of ice, and few other items. I could make a list and you all could take the van," she suggested hopefully.
"Sounds good. We'll be gone for at least 45 minutes," Sam confirmed with a smirk.
After getting the keys and the list, Sam gathered up Jack, Maggie and Anna, and they set out for the store with a slightly confused Jack at the wheel. He grew even more suspicious when Sam seemed to be dragging out the quick trip by browsing in aisles that they had no need to go down. Finally he impatiently asked if they had everything. Sam carefully checked the list. Then she glanced at her watch. Forty minutes had passed, and it would take at least ten to get back. She herded the girls towards the check-out.
When they arrived back both Kathleen and Michael were in the kitchen preparing food. Michael was whistling off key, and Kathleen looked over at him with an indulgent smile. Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked from one to the other. Then Kathleen looked up and stopped what she was doing to give Sam a hug.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"Anytime," Sam quietly responded.
"Sam?" Jack inquired with a warning note in his voice. "Have you been being a bad influence on my sister?"
Michael actually snorted. "Depends on your point of view. Some would say she's been a very good influence," he answered winking at Sam.
Jack wrapped his arms around Sam with a twinkle in his eye. "What am I going to do with you?"
She looked up at him and gave him one of her brilliant smile. "You're going to love, honor and keep me. For better or for worse, remember?"
The rest of the day had gone extremely well. Perfect weather had allowed them to play softball and it was a close game. Finally the team captained by Sean had won thanks to a last inning double play perfectly executed by Sam and Maggie. The 13-year-old girl who had been playing first base and therefore made the last out was beaming.
"Nice play, Major," Jack whispered in her ear as he slung an arm around her shoulder on the walk back from the park. "You made Maggie's day by throwing her that ball just slow enough to make sure she could catch it. But then making the team look good always was your specialty," he added as he pulled her into a quick hug.
"I didn't realize that you noticed," she blushed.
"Always Sam. You were by far the best 2IC I ever had," he acknowledged.
Everyone was in a relaxed mood by the time dinner was served. Even Charles and Maureen were laughing and happy, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Sam had made a point of telling them that she was in charge of the wedding invitations, and contrary to anything Jack might have said, they could expect to get theirs in the mail by the end of the week.
The O'Neill's had been relieved and as the day progressed they had gradually relaxed their disapproval of Sam. Anna and Maggie obviously adored her and Kathleen, Colleen and Erin had all put in a good word. By the time Patrick and his family were ready to leave with Jack's parents and Eileen in tow, Maureen had unbent enough to give Sam a hug and assure her that they would be out for the wedding. Sam however had been thinking ahead to telling them about the baby, and so she made another invitation.
"We would love it if you could come out for a weekend before then. Bring photo albums so I can see pictures of Jack growing up, and you can tell me all his most embarrassing moments," she suggested. "Otherwise we won't have time to really talk in the middle of all of the wedding chaos."
Maureen laughed. "And there are so many good stories," she admitted. "We'll call you when we get back home and try to find a date that works. I think it's a good idea."
After they had left, and Colleen and her family had cleared out, Kathleen and Jack both looked at Sam for an explanation.
"Sam, I'm assuming you had a good reason for inviting my parents out so they can find out we are living in sin?" Jack teased.
"Yeah. I was thinking, and don't roll your eyes at me Jack. If we wait until the wedding to tell your parents about the baby they might be upset and I don't want anything but smiling faces at my wedding. This way we can tell them and hopefully they will be over the shock and dismay in time to come to the wedding in the mood to celebrate," she explained.
Jack had to admit that she was right. Other people at the ceremony would know about the baby by then so there wasn't much hope of keeping it from his folks until after the big day. They would need to tell them beforehand, and as much as he would like to just do it over the phone, Sam's way was probably better.
On Monday it was a relatively cheerful Jack and Sam who checked into the base. The weekend had gone better than expected and Sam felt that she had really started to bond with a couple of her future sister-in- laws as well as two of her new nieces. And Jack's parents had been civil at the end. So while Jack went of to his debriefing, Sam went to report in at the infirmary.
Janet of course wanted to know all of the details, so they agreed to meet up for lunch. They spent an hour going over the weekend blow by blow. Janet also let Sam know that Dr. Peterson was going to stop by later in the day to give Sam a full exam. After lunch, Sam retreated to her lab to try to get caught up. She hadn't been there 15 minutes when Jack showed up.
"Hey," he said giving her swift kiss. They might have agreed to keep it professional on base, but he still never could resist pushing the definition of that agreement, especially when there was no one to see except some airman in security.
"Hey yourself. How's your day been?" she asked.
"Ok, Jonas went out with SG4 this morning to look at some ruins and help translate, so we won't be going out anywhere until he gets back," he explained.
"So you can be here for my appointment with Dr. Peterson this afternoon?" she asked hopefully.
"You betcha," he agreed.
"Good," Sam said relieved. She hadn't realized just how nervous she was about a simple exam. But then there was so much riding on getting good news.
When the doctor arrived, Janet called down to Sam's lab, and ten minutes later Jack and Sam walked into the infirmary holding hands and looking anxious.
"So you are determined to make a liar out of me, aren't you Major. Not that I mind being wrong in this case," Susan Peterson said with a grin.
Sam grinned back, the tension broken. "You know me. Always trying to do the impossible," she answered.
An hour later, Sam and Jack left the infirmary with huge grins on their faces. Dr. Peterson had confirmed that Sam was five weeks into what was so far a very normal pregnancy. To be on the safe side, Sam was scheduled for exams every two weeks instead of every four, and they had decided to do an ultrasound just before the wedding when she would be at about 13 weeks. Janet had told them that she would now be required to pass along the results to General Hammond, and they had asked if they could tell him personally. Now they were on their way down to his office to give him the good news.
Hammond was happily shocked by the announcement. After Jolinar, Fraiser had given him a full report on the after effects of Sam's encounter, and he knew that this was something that the Major had thought would probably never happen. Now, the couple in front of him was beaming with joy. And his grin almost matched theirs. First the wedding and now this. He could only hope that things continued to go well for the officers who so deserved some happiness. After hugging Sam and shaking Jack's hand, he promised to keep the news under wraps until the SGC reception when they were planning on announcing it
That night, Sam insisted on calling Kathleen herself with the update that everything was looking good. Her future sister-in-law was relieved, and told Sam that she expected regular reports. They even exchanged e-mail addresses, something Anna had thought to ask for after Sam had left. Sam immediately sent a message off to each of the girl's mailboxes letting them know how much she had enjoyed the weekend. Then a few days later Maureen O'Neill called and had a nice chat with Jack. They decided on a date three weeks before the wedding for Charles and Maureen to come visit. Little did anyone know how much would occur in that next month.
It all started with Daniel appearing to Jack in an elevator. Suddenly the SGC was in the middle of trying to stop Anubis from gaining a powerful weapon. Then Abydos was destroyed, and Daniel was back, and they were embroiled in a joint effort with the Tok'ra and even the other System Lords to stop Anubis from gaining control of a large part of the universe. Through it all, Sam was stuck on base, frantically awaiting word of what was occurring. She gained a whole new respect for General Hammond. The not knowing was so much harder than being out there doing the fighting.
She struggled to maintain calm, but her hormones were in overdrive, and her morning sickness, whether through stress or just the timing of the pregnancy, kicked in with a vengeance. Thank goodness it was still not so bad that it was a health risk, and at least after noon each day she could pretty much eat anything she wanted. The mornings were a crapshoot though, with every day bringing a new food or smell that set her stomach on edge. She had learned to stick to crackers and water, and stay away from the commissary each day until she knew she had it under control. Thankfully the couple of times she had actually been sick on base there had been no one around to witness her mad dash to the toilet.
By the day the O'Neill's were due to arrive things had finally settled down a bit. Jonas had left for Kelowna three days earlier. Sam and Jack had taken the opportunity before he left to tell him along with Teal'c and Daniel the good news about the baby. They had all been so excited for their friends, even Daniel, who although his memory was still a bit fuzzy, instinctively knew that this was great news. They made Jonas promise that he would be back for the wedding before sadly sending him off.
Sam and Jack had also been able to sit down and tell Jacob the news amidst all of the other excitement. He had been surprised that Sam was still banned from gate travel until they told him why. Then he had been so excited about the prospect of another grandchild that he had forgotten to threaten Jack with bodily harm for getting Sam pregnant before he'd put a ring on her finger. Not that he really cared he admitted to his daughter later, but he really would have enjoyed scaring the crap out of Jack.
As it turned out, Sam ended up going to meet the O'Neill's at the airport by herself as Jack was stuck in a conference call with Hammond, Davis and General Jumper. He had also had to miss her doctor's appointment that day. Hammond had generously offered her a car and driver for the day, so that when she got to the airport she wouldn't have to worry about parking. Charles and Maureen were disappointed that Jack wasn't waiting for them at the airport, but were suitably impressed by the young airman respectfully taking orders from their future daughter-in-law. When they got in the car Charles sat up front so that the women could sit in back and chat.
"So how are the wedding plans going?" Maureen asked politely.
"Well, I have a dress," Sam commented sarcastically. "I'm glad that we decided on a small wedding, as the entire universe seems to be conspiring against me getting anything done. Luckily, Jack and I have the next four days off. Hopefully we can spend Monday and Tuesday getting the last of the details taken care of. At the very least we should be able to finally get our license."
Sam also was grateful that Hammond's new Chief of Staff, Major Connors, had eagerly taken over the planning of the SGC reception. He saw it as an opportunity to get to know some of the areas under his command better and had enlisted help from each area. He had been impressed with how many people had volunteered. Obviously Major Carter was well liked, along with her fiancée. Several members of the SG teams had come to him to offer help in organizing the arrival of the "Special Guests".
Sam was relieved when they arrived at the house and she could show Maureen and Charles to the guest room. She was about to try calling the base to see if Jack had left yet, when he walked in the door. She enthusiastically threw herself into his arms.
"I'm glad to see you too," he chuckled coming up for air. "Did Mom and Dad get in ok?"
"Yeah. They are upstairs getting settled in," she answered. "I was just running through my options for entertaining them until you got home. They were all about as appealing as being tortured by a System Lord."
"And I thought you just missed me," he teased.
"Don't be a smart ass, Jack. I *always* miss you," she said with a twinkle in her eye that told him she would be doing more than greeting him with a kiss if they were alone in the house.
"I'd better get upstairs and say hi to the folks and get changed for dinner," he commented giving her a heated glance that let her know he wished that they were truly alone.
A half hour later they headed out to a little Italian restaurant that was quiet enough that they could sit and get caught up. Maureen and Charles filled them in on the latest from the O'Neill clan, and Jack and Sam told them a little about their friends that they would meet over the weekend. The next day Sam was taking Maureen shopping in Denver with Janet and Cassie. Sam was on a quest to find shoes to go with her wedding dress, and Janet and Cassie had found their dresses in a boutique in Denver and were going to have final fittings. Charles and Jack were going with Daniel and Teal'c to a Rockies game. Then they were all going to meet up for dinner.
"Mrs. O'Neill, remember you promised me some good Jack stories. Janet and Cassie are dying to hear them too. Poor Cass needs ammunition for when Jack terrorizes her prospective boyfriends," Sam laughed.
"Yeah, but Doc doesn't need anything more on me. The woman already scares me with those huge needles every time she gives me a physical," Jack complained.
Back at the house Maureen and Charles were enjoying sharing pictures of young Jack with Sam. They were all having such a nice time that Sam really hated to spoil it. But eventually certain things were bound to come up.
"Jack, your place is really nice," Maureen said as she came back from the washroom. "I can't believe how many books you have though," she commented looking at the overflowing bookcases.
"Most of them are Sam's," Jack explained.
"So you've started moving your things in? That's probably a good idea, so you don't have so much to do after the honeymoon," Charles acknowledged.
"Actually I am totally moved in except for some furniture we haven't decided what to do with," Sam announced.
A moment of silence followed her statement as the O'Neill's tried to decide just what that meant.
"Mom, Dad, Sam and I have been living together for more than two months now," Jack admitted.
Maureen was tightlipped. It was obvious that she wanted to say something, but Charles had put a hand on her arm as if to caution her.
"Well, we can't say that we approve, but what's done is done. And you are at least getting married soon, so we'll leave it at that," he said looking at his wife pointedly. They were obviously making an effort to not alienate their eldest son and his future wife with harsh words. Sam really appreciated their restraint.
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "We knew that you would not approve, but we wanted to be honest with you. That's one of the reasons we asked you to come visit us."
The older couple decided to excuse themselves for bed before they made any further comments, and thus didn't think to question what the other reason was. And Sam and Jack didn't want to push it. Tomorrow would be soon enough to give them the other piece of news.
"Well round one went better than I expected," Jack sighed as he snagged a beer for himself and a bottle of Snapple for Sam. "Come on, it's really nice out, let's go outside and talk."
Soon they were curled up together in a lawn chair on the deck, looking up at the stars.
"So how did your exam go?" Jack asked setting down his beer bottle and wrapping his arms around her.
"Fine. The only thing Dr. Peterson said was that my hormone levels were on the high side of normal. She said that's probably why my morning sickness got worse. And why I've been so darn libidinous," she explained with a chuckle.
"Well, I hate to see you suffering though the nausea, but as for the other, you are definitely not going to get any complaints out of me," he teased earning him a small punch in the arm for being such a guy.
"So how was the meeting? Anything important going on?" she asked in reply.
"Well, Hammond and Jumper have had this new position for the SGC in mind for over a year, but they are very specific about who they want to fill it. Up until now the candidate hasn't been interested, but now he's told them he's ready to take it," he told her.
"Really? What's the position?" she inquired.
"It would be a strategic advisor and training coordinator position. The person would be in charge of forming new SG teams as needed, and training new recruits. Also they would have an advisory function on treaties and negotiations with other planets. A lot of oversight for the alpha and beta sites too," he explained.
"That's a lot of the work you do outside of leading SG1," she protested.
"Yeah, and they think that they need someone filling that role full time. I think the last time I was missing on that moon for a month emphasized the need," he pointed out.
"So who do they have in mind?" she asked suspiciously.
"They told me a year ago that they wanted me to consider it. I just haven't been ready to give up command of SG1," he admitted.
"And now you are? Because you had better not be doing this because you think I want you to," she warned him.
"Don't you?" he asked.
"Not if you won't be totally happy. I would be miserable if you gave up the job you loved to try to keep me from worrying about you," she said truthfully.
"Well, I won't lie to you. That's a part of it. But only a part. I realized several things over the course of the last month. One is that I really am getting too old to be running around the universe trying to be the hero. The other was that for the first time in a long time I was really scared of dying. I have so much to look forward to now. Then I had a little chat with Teal'c. Turns out he is getting pressure from Bra'tac to come help him out with leading the rebel Jaffa, and Teal'c is feeling a bit torn too. Since we never have found a good replacement for you, and Jonas has left, that only leaves Daniel. Hammond would love to have him fill more of a research role, which is what he was originally brought on board to do. Once he gets his feet back under him, Hammond is thinking of letting him put a science team together to go out and study the things the other teams find that warrant a closer look. Daniel certainly has enough field experience, plus Hammond would find a military guy who likes rocks to lead the team. So put that all together and I suddenly realized that this is the perfect chance for me to make a change and still be able to contribute without riding a desk. I'd still be going off-world, just not as much or into such dangerous situations." he concluded.
Sam was silent for a minute taking everything he had said in. "You've really thought about this, haven't you? And you are sure this is what *you* want?" she asked looking him in the eye. His eyes could never lie to her.
"Yeah, it really is Sam," he said with a smile. One that reached his eyes letting her know that he really meant it.
"Then I am all for it," she beamed. She would never have asked him to take a less dangerous assignment, but she was so glad that he was. She let her hands start to roam and added with a gleam in her eyes "I think we should go inside and celebrate this new position," she added.
"With my folks right upstairs?" he asked pretending to be shocked.
"You can practice all of that Special Ops stealthy stuff," she said.
"Oh, I'm not worried about me," he said as he stood up and reached a hand out to help her up. "I just think they are going to know something's up when you scream my name."
"We'll see who does the screaming, flyboy," she challenged.
Luckily, the master bedroom wasn't directly underneath the upstairs guestroom, and with both bedroom doors closed the sound didn't really travel that well. Otherwise Charles and Maureen would not have gotten much sleep that night.
Despite all of the previous night's activity, Jack had actually slept very well. Now that he had talked over his decision with Sam and it was all settled, he felt as if a weight had been lifted, and with Sam wrapped firmly in his arms he had drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep. Until Sam had stirred and gotten up to use the washroom at 2:30. When she had snuggled back into bed round two of their celebration had begun. He'd managed to get another two hours sleep after that though, and then his body clock had woken him at 05:30. He'd quietly slipped from the bed letting Sam get some much-needed extra sleep, and had gone for a run. After he showered he had put the coffee on and was starting to get together the ingredients for breakfast when his Dad joined him in the kitchen.
"Sleep well?" Jack asked passing Charles a coffee mug and grabbing the pot to fill it up.
"Yes I did. Your mother's just starting to stir. I imagine she'll be down soon," his Dad responded. "Where's Sam?"
"Still sound asleep. She's had a tough week. I figured I'd let her be for a bit," Jack told him. "How do pancakes sound for breakfast?"
"Great. I don't suppose you have any sausages too, do you?" Charles inquired.
"No sorry. Besides the smell would make Sam ill for the rest of the morning. Bacon and sausage still set her off," he apologized.
"I didn't realize she was still having problems. Colleen seemed to think she was over whatever it was she had," Charles commented sincerely concerned.
"She is. This is just good old fashioned morning sickness," Jack informed him.
Charles looked at his son in dismay. Pregnant. That explained a lot. He had wondered what had possessed his son to propose to a woman like Sam, too young and independent for him by far. Still, Sam didn't seem the type to need to trap a man into marrying him. He was about to make a comment to that effect when he noticed something. His son was smiling. Really smiling.
"You're happy about this?" he asked in surprise.
"Over the moon, Dad," Jack replied with a grin.
"Jack, I know you want to do what's right by her, but this is no way to start a marriage. You should be marrying her because you love her not because you got her pregnant," Charles protested.
"Dad, stop right there. I've been in love with Sam Carter for years. I proposed because once she was no longer under my command, I couldn't imagine a life without her by my side. This baby is the result of that love, not the reason for it. We didn't even know she was pregnant until after we had set the wedding date," Jack explained.
Charles was relieved to hear this. He regarded Jack for a minute and compared the man he saw in front of him to the man his son had become after Charlie's death. This Jack was older, wiser, and grayer. He was also happy. The twinkle was back in his eye and the spring was back in his step. His son had a life to look forward to again.
"Congratulations," Charles said sincerely.
"Thanks, Dad," Jack replied.
Just then a half-asleep Sam slipped into the kitchen on a quest to grab some crackers.
"Congratulations to you too, Mom," Charles grinned.
Sam paused with the box of crackers in her hands and looked at Jack in surprise.
"I told him," he confirmed with a grin.
"You're not upset?" Sam questioned Charles.
"I was until I was sure you two weren't getting married just because of this," Charles acknowledged.
"Gosh, no," Sam declared. "I love your son, Mr. O'Neill," she assured him. Then added with a chuckle as she shook the empty cracker box in her hand, "Although don't ask me why right now. Jack you put an empty box away?"
"Oops, sorry," Jack apologized handing her a fresh box from the pantry.
Sam opened the box and started munching to calm down her stomach as she asked the next question. "Does your Mom know too?"
"Not yet," Jack admitted.
Sam turned to Charles and asked, "How do you think she will take the news?"
Charles paused. His wife was a lot more rigid in her beliefs of right and wrong than he was, and he was pretty sure that just like he'd momentarily done, she would cast Sam in the role of Jezebel. He already regretted jumping to that conclusion himself. He took a minute to study his future daughter-in-law. He remembered back to when Maureen had been pregnant and saw the same look now on Sam. She was tired and pale, but she already had that quiet maternal glow. This baby was truly wanted and loved.
"She'll probably be upset at first, but she'll come around," he assured Sam.
Sam sighed. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. You *could* tell her while I'm in there," she suggested to Jack hopefully.
"I *could*. But I think I'll wait so we can do it together," he teased.
"Coward," she pouted as she grabbed the cracker box and headed off to the bathroom.
Not long after they heard the shower start Maureen O'Neill came downstairs and joined her husband and son in the kitchen. Jack quickly served up pancakes for the three of them and they were just clearing the dishes when Sam poked her still damp head into the room.
"Food all put away?" she quizzed cautiously before entering.
"Yep, you're safe," Jack confirmed.
Charles chuckled remembering again back to the days when his wife had been pregnant. He had made every mistake in the book that first time, including a thoughtful attempt to serve Maureen breakfast in bed that had ended disastrously.
"Aren't you going to eat, Sam?" Maureen asked politely.
Sam shook her head. "Bubba doesn't let me do breakfast," she said by way of explanation.
"Bubba?" Charles inquired, now grinning outright.
"I tried to break Jack of the ridiculous name, but it stuck. Even though I think it's a girl," Sam admitted.
"Bubbette?" Jack suggested causing his Dad to laugh as Sam rolled her eyes.
Charles turned to his now very confused wife to let her in on the joke. "We're going to be grandparents again, Mo," he said with a smile.
It was pretty much the last thing she had been expecting, so it didn't register at first. Then she looked at her husband in surprise. Why was he looking so happy? She looked over at her son who had moved to stand behind his fiancée, and had wrapped his arms around her. Now they were standing with her hands over his protectively on her stomach. He had leaned down to whisper something in her ear that had made her smile and his grin was just as big.
"When?" she finally managed to ask. The wedding was in three weeks. Maybe not everyone would need to know about this. Lots of babies were early.
"I'm about 10 weeks along," Sam answered causing Maureen's heart to sink. No mistaking this baby for just a bit early.
She looked at Jack and Sam and shook her head in dismay. Then she excused herself, and went back to the spare room.
Charles saw a flash of pain cross Sam's face before it was quickly masked. Darn, they really should have told his wife without Sam being there. But maybe he could still fix this before it got out of hand, he thought.
"I'll go talk to her," he offered.
Upstairs he found his wife sitting on the edge of the bed. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his.
"Earlier, when Jack told me, I was thinking back to when you were expecting him. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday," he commented.
Maureen just nodded in agreement.
"Do you remember how scared we were? We didn't have a clue," he reminded her.
"I was on the phone every day to my mom panicking," she said with a small smile.
"Sam's mom died when she was thirteen. I wonder who she talks to," he suggested gently, then patted his wife's hand and got up to let her think about that. If he knew Maureen, her maternal instincts would take over from there. He only hoped that poor Sam would appreciated the motherly advice she was about to start getting.
It only took five minutes for Maureen O'Neill to come back downstairs in a slightly different frame of mind.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It was something of a shock, and I can't say that I approve of this situation wholeheartedly, but you two are going to have a baby, and that is a blessing from above. Now, Sam, how are you feeling? Is everything alright?" she asked.
As the two women settled in to trade stories of morning sickness, out of control hormones and other first trimester symptoms, Charles and Jack retreated to the family room.
"I don't know what you said to Mom, but thanks Dad," Jack said gratefully.
"I just reminded her of what it was like that first time when she was pregnant with you. It was enough to make her realize that Sam would need all the support she could get," Charles explained.
Soon Teal'c and Daniel arrived, and after introductions were made the four men got ready to leave for the game. Before they headed out Jack pulled Sam into the kitchen.
"Will you be all right alone with my Mom until Janet and Cassie get here?" he asked.
"Jack, please. I've dealt with system lords and CO's like Uterell. I think I can cope with your mother for a bit," Sam replied amused at his concern.
"Oh, I wasn't worried about you. Although I think Mom makes a pretty worthy opponent, I was more concerned about you taking her out," Jack laughed pulling her in for a kiss.
Of course Daniel picked that moment to poke his head into the kitchen. "Give it a rest you two. We need to get going, Jack," he warned.
Jack pulled away with a sigh. "Coming Daniel. You know, your timing is even worse now than before you died if that's possible," he complained.
After they left, Sam carried two glasses of iced tea out to the family room and resumed her conversation with Mrs. O'Neill. After a bit, Maureen brought up the question of what Sam was going to do after the baby was born.
"So, my dear, are you planning on leaving the Airforce?" she asked.
"No, although I am planning on taking a lengthy leave. Jack has just been offered a new position on base that will mean less traveling for him, so he will be around a lot more and we are planning on getting someone to come to the house to sit. We are actually hoping to get the woman that used to care for our goddaughter Cassie, as the people that she is currently working for are moving in a few months," Sam explained.
"You modern women. Erin and Colleen both work too, and it is so hard on them to only be part time moms," Maureen lamented.
"They are still full time mothers, Mrs. O'Neill. They just have other needs that they can only fulfill outside their homes. I can't imagine ever giving up the research I do. It is as much a part of me as this child is," Sam admitted.
Thankfully, Janet and Cassie arrived then and soon the house was full of Cassie's excited chatter.
"How are you and Bubba doing today, Sam?" she asked giving Sam a hug.
"You have been hanging out with the Colonel too much," her mother scolded as she shook hands with Mrs. O'Neill.
The four women headed into Denver and stopped first at a favorite restaurant of Janet's so Sam could eat. When Sam ordered iced tea Cassie quickly jumped in and asked if they had decaf, which they did.
"You *have* been hanging out with the Colonel too much," Sam complained.
"Hey. I have a vested interest in you having a healthy baby. Caffeine is bad for you," Cassie proclaimed.
Later, when Sam and Cassie headed off to use the ladies room, Maureen asked Janet what Cassie had meant. Janet thought for a moment about how to explain.
"Sam and Cassie both have a similar blood anomaly. It's what made Sam so sick six months ago. Both had been told that their chances of conceiving a baby were slim. I'm not sure who was happier when Sam found out she was pregnant, Sam, Jack, or Cassie. When Sam gives birth to a healthy baby, it will mean that Cassie can someday too," she explained.
"So this baby was a big surprise?" Maureen asked.
"Huge. There are some pretty embarrassed doctors out there, including me. We all thought it was unlikely given the disorder. Thank god it was Sam who proved us wrong and not Cassie," Janet said with a shudder. "You should have seen Sam the day she got the news. She had been having symptoms for a week and trying not to get her hopes up. When the results came in she was beaming."
"A little miracle," Maureen commented.
"Yeah, and if anyone deserved it, it was those two. They both have been through so much, just in the last six years. Now maybe it's finally their turn to be happy," Janet said.
The rest of the day was a huge success. Janet's comments to Maureen had helped the older woman to see the situation in a different light, and she was able to join in and help Sam plan for the big day with enthusiasm. They had found her shoes, and then after Sam had blushingly admitted that she was quickly outgrowing all of her bras, they had gone lingerie shopping. That stop had ended in a lot of laughter as Janet kept finding more risqué items for Sam to try on.
"Sam, really you are going on your honeymoon. You need something to wow the man," Janet insisted.
"Mom, Sam could wow the Colonel in BDU's covered in mud," Cassie said in her defense.
"Janet honestly, this is Jack we are talking about. If I want to wow him, I need to get a Minnesota Wild jersey to wear to bed," Sam had protested which had actually gotten a chuckle out of her future mother-in-law.
By the time they had met back up with the men for dinner, everyone was in a good mood, as the Cubs had beaten the Rockies. Dinner was a fun ending to the day, and by the time the O'Neill's were ready to leave the next day the parting at the airport was full of hugs and promises to call. Plans for Charles and Maureen's trip back for the wedding were finalized, and Sam and Jack promised to call the rest of his siblings to give them the baby news. That night as Jack held Sam in his arms after getting in bed, he admitted that having his parents out had ended up being a good idea.
"I do have them now and again," Sam reminded him.
"Yeah, but they always start out seeming slightly crazy," Jack teased. "Not too many people propose blowing up a sun or riding an asteroid through Earth and have it be a *good* idea."
"True, but not too many people have saving the planet in their job descriptions, either," she pointed out.
"We lead a very strange life," Jack conceded.
"And we are going to have to figure out how to fit a baby into this very strange life," Sam pointed out in concern.
"Don't worry. You'll think of something," Jack assured her. "Besides, kids don't realize that their lives are strange. Whatever they have is normal to them. Bubba won't even think twice about Uncle Teal'c or crazy ol' cousin Thor."
"Bubbette," Sam corrected automatically, and then realized that Jack had her doing it now. She looked at him to see that sure enough, he had that self satisfied little grin going.
"Jack?" she inquired.
"What hon?" he replied starting to nuzzle her neck.
"I am so naming this baby myself," she told him as turned in his arms to kiss him.
The end
Story Notes: Note: This is NOT part of the In Demand Series (I'm not abandoning it – honest… just got inspired elsewhere!)
Sequel to: In Sickness and in Health, To Have and To Hold
Author's Notes: Gotta love those in-laws. Totally inspired by own mother-in-law from hell. And dedicated to my sister-in-laws whom I love dearly.
As always feed back craved!
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com
Sequel to: In Sickness and in Health, To Have and To Hold
Author's Notes: Gotta love those in-laws. Totally inspired by own mother-in-law from hell. And dedicated to my sister-in-laws whom I love dearly.
As always feed back craved!
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com
End Notes: To be continued in "With This Ring" coming later this summer!
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]