~*+*~
The secret of love, I thought I understood
The way it's supposed to be.
I never imagined you could, blow my theory apart.
But now you're running away with my heart.
-Wilson Phillips, Impulsive
~*+*~
The General had been kind enough to give him time to have a shower and get into his uniform. But he had been allowed this time with one strict instruction; to shave. The expression 'three day growth' was one that could easily be applied to Jack in his present condition.
He hadn't thought that he would be going anywhere so he hadn't bothered to make the effort as far as personal hygiene went. Of course he showered, but then again he had to have something to do while he waited for night to fall and for the stars to come out.
Sometimes, he would look up at the sky and think of Daniel. He had often found himself wondering what the kid was doing on Abydos. He wondered if maybe Ra wasn't as dead as everyone thought, or maybe there were more of his kind out there. Of course his brain would kick in right about then and accuse him of being a pessimist, and then he would move onto better, more optimistic thoughts. Like the fact that Daniel was probably alive and living happily with Sha'uri. After all, she had seemed pretty keen when they'd first met her. Okay, so more accurately she had thrown herself at the poor kid. Jack had to smile at that.
So he'd sit and look at the stars and try to find two really bright ones. The ones that looked like they would shine for eternity and he would dedicate one to Charlie and then one to Daniel, who unknowingly changed his life forever.
Naturally, Sara didn't like his new way of life very much. But then again, she had frequently said that the only reason she tolerated it was because she could understand what he was going through when it came to mourning the death of their son.
Charlie had died almost two months before Jack left on his mission to Abydos. He didn't tell Sara where he was going or how long he would be, but he hadn't been in his right mind when he left. . . and that's exactly why they picked him.
Realistically, he knew that he couldn't expect much from Sara. After all, he hadn't really expected to ever return. His mission had been simple, find a threat, send everyone else home and blow it to high hell.
Which he'd done, technically.
When they had finally been allowed to leave and he'd returned, his house had been practically empty, with only what had been his to start with and the bare necessities for living. Although, Sara had been gracious enough to at least leave him a note. Not really a 'dear John' letter, just a brief explanation.
'Dear Jack, by the time you return from your mission, I will be long gone. I don't know where you went, and I don't expect to ever find out, but after everything that happened, I didn't think that I could stay here any longer. If you ever pull you head out of your ass long enough to see what I mean, then give me a call at Frank's. Sara.'
So, he'd called her. It hadn't been a great conversation, not by far, but later they'd met up for coffee on neutral ground, and eventually they had moved back in together.
The house that they had been in when Charlie was alive was just full of way too many memories, and neither of them could bring themselves to go back into it's memory-filled walls. Jack couldn't do it when he returned from Abydos. He had just taken the civvies that he'd had on base and found himself a motel. He'd only been back into the house long enough to see that his wife had moved out and to find her note.
So, rather than face all that those walls held, they bought a new house after their old one had been auctioned. They got a good price, and were able to fix up their new place nicely.
The only provisions that had been given, were that Charlie's things were to be kept and put in boxes so that they couldn't be damaged, and Jack wanted the roof for his telescope.
They were going to be okay, until he got a visitor. Late at night, and after they'd woken Sara up looking for him, they had finally tried the roof.
And he'd been there, just like every other night, when the General's little puppy dogs had come to get him back to Cheyenne Mountain.
After a huge fight with Sara, which included her threatening him with scissors to do a home made castration, he'd stormed out and went to the base, ignoring the curious looks that he was getting from the goons that had been sent to retrieve him, and who had obviously heard the fight.
The first thing that had gone through Jack's mind when they'd arrived at the base was 'Thank god West is gone.' The general had not been one for sarcasm, and therefore, not one who liked Jack.
Although this Hammond seemed alright, once you got past the cranky exterior. After all, the guy had let him take a shower before they had to go to the briefing.
~*+*~
Jack looked down at his notes once more, trying to make sure that he was prepared for this briefing.
"Where's Carter?" Hammond asked, looking at Samuals.
"Just arriving sir." The Major replied, his eyes wide with an expression that clearly showed how glad he was that he hadn't been the one who was late. Punctuality was one thing that General's liked to pride themselves on.
"Carter?" Jack asked, not happy about having someone thrust onto his team. He needed experts and people who had at least *some* clue about what they were doing, not some kid who knew all the right people.
"I'm assigning Sam Carter to this mission" The General clarified.
"I'd prefer to put together my own team," Jack protested, seating himself.
"Not this mission, sorry. Carter's our expert on the Stargate." The General told him, looking anything but apologetic. The General could sympathise with the younger man, he had worked very hard to be on the flip side where he could force others to work together, rather than having people forced onto him.
Jack was definitely not happy about it, but if he had no choice than he was at least going to get some background information on this guy. Not necessarily name, rank and serial number, but just the general information, could he be trusted in a fight and that sort of thing. "Where's he transferring from?" Jack asked, defeated, but not impressed.
"*She* is transferring from the Pentagon." Came a soft voice from the door, with emphasis placed on the gender. A relatively tall woman walked in, with blonde hair falling down to her shoulders, gently framing the soft curves of her face. She was in a black skirt-suit with a white shirt underneath and all of the buttons on the jacket left undone.
She had the biggest blue eyes that Jack had ever seen, and he found himself letting his initial distaste of the issue slip away from him.
"I take it your O'Neill?" She asked. He nodded and figured that he'd let her get the little introduction spiel over with before the briefing began. "Doctor Samantha Carter reporting." She said, a small smile twisting onto her features. "Sir." She added, making a horrible attempt to salute him. Jack could see catastrophe written all over her.
"But of course you go by Sam." Kawalski said sarcastically, his thoughts obviously running along the same lines as Jack.
"You don't have to worry Major, I played with dolls when I was a kid." Carter returned, equal to the task of a sparring match.
"Oh, GI Joe?" He asked, looking at her square in the eye.
"No." Carter said, as though he was the dumbest person in the world for not knowing the answer. "Major Matt Mason." She finished, pleased with herself.
"Oh." Kawalski nodded, and then he turned to Feretti. "Who?" He asked, confused. Sam had the feeling that it would be a look that she would become quite familiar with during this mission.
"Major Matt Mason, Astronaut doll." Feretti clarified. "Did you have that cool little backpack that made him fly?" Carter smiled, she had a kindred soul in this place.
Hammond, up until now, had been sitting at the head of the table watching the exchange between officers. As glad as he was that Sam had a potential friend here, he had to remind himself that although it was nice, this was a briefing not a discussion on who had the better childhood toy.
"Let's get started." Hammond said, bringing the debate to a temporary pause. He had no doubts that as soon as the briefing was over, they would all be back to talking about this topic in no time. "Colonel," He gestured, obviously not prepared to take over this meeting.
"Right. For those of you on your first trip through the Gate-" Jack paused to look at Carter. "You should be prepared for what to expect." He told them, specifically her. They had all been there and done that, she hadn't.
"I've practically memorised you report." She told him. "I'd like to think I've been preparing for this all my life."
Kawalski interrupted the little exchange, "I think what the colonel is saying, have you ever flown in an F-16 at 8 plus G's?" He asked her, eyebrows raised and clearly expecting the answer to be 'no.'
"Yes." Carter replied bluntly, not missing a beat.
Jack was slightly confused, he knew that she would have to be talented to get into the military's top secret facility, but the only way that she could have done jump training was if she had been in the military.
Kawalski looked stunned. "Well it's way worse than that." He said, recovering from his shock.
"It's like you've been through a blizzard. Naked." Feretti exaggerated.
Sam sent him a small, discreetly shown, patronising look, "That's from the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution."
Another scientist? Jack couldn't believe it. Daniel had been a scientist, and although the mission had ended in a relatively successful fashion, there had been a few times that Jack had regretted his agreeing to let Daniel come along. Not that he'd had much of a choice.
Jack was tempted to add a sarcastic remark, but instead decided to approach Hammond. "Another scientist? General, please." He said, gesturing with his hand towards Carter.
"Theoretical Astrophysicist." Carter corrected, sending him a challenging look.
"Which means. . .?" He asked, not really seeing the difference between a scientist and a theoretical whatever.
"Which means she is smarter than you are, Colonel. Especially in matters referring to the Stargate." The General pointed out. Jack winced, that was just plain rubbing salt in the wound. He was already aware that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but Carter even looked smarter than he did.
This was going to be a long mission.
~*+*~
"So were you in the military?" Kawalski asked her as they sat around the campfire on Abydos. They were waiting for a sand storm to pass, and Skarra had said that it would take at least a day to run it's course. So they had decided to camp out in the main chamber where the Stargate was for the night and then head to the Cartouche that Daniel had spoken about, once the violent storm was over.
"Yeah," She answered, taking a bite of some meat that tasted surprisingly like chicken. "I was for a while." she finished.
"Why'd you leave?" He asked, well aware that Jack was listening and very interested.
"Because after the Gulf, I decided that I wanted to concentrate on science as opposed to a career in the military." She replied, casting a brief glance at her CO, having felt his eyes on her since they had sat down.
"Ever think of going back?" Kawalski asked, smiling at the look that Jack was giving her.
"Not really." She shrugged, sipping the water that the Abadonians had given them.
"What'd you go out as?"
"A Major. I just thought that I could achieve better things out of the military, although the way things turned out, I may as well have stayed." She told him, smiling at the officer, her eyes once again returning to Colonel O'Neill.
"Why do you say that?" he inquired, thinking that the least he could do was get to know her.
"Well, even after I left, I was always working with the military. I thought about going into private enterprise, but it just never happened." She told him, watching as the young boy that O'Neill seemed so attached to brought them over a drink.
"Try this." He told Jack, handing him an Abydos form of a cup.
Jack inhaled the incredibly strong scent of the drink, curious as to what it was. He paused for a moment while his brain tried to figure out where he knew that smell from. "Moonshine?" He asked.
"Moonshine." Skarra mimicked, testing out the new word, his eyes shining brightly.
Jack nodded, "Yeah, Moonshine. As in booze, as in. . . Daniel what have you been teaching these kids?" He asked as the man in question smiled and shrugged slightly.
Jack lifted the drink to his lips and took a long sip, instantly regretting it. All eyes were on him as he spat the liquid out and coughed a little. "Smooth, very smooth." He choked out.
"Your little soldiers are all grown up." Kawalski taunted playfully.
"Yeah, I'm so proud." Jack replied, still tying to get his voice to return to a somewhat normal state. Pure alcohol didn't do much for one's vocal cords, Jack mused silently.
"Colonel, we should get some sleep." Ferretti, told him with a smile still on his lips at the reaction of his CO and friend.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Daniel, do you and the kids want some help guarding the 'Gate?" He asked, after his voice had gone down several octaves, as he began collecting his things.
"Thanks, but I think we've got it. Down the back to the left is a tent, you guys can use that to sleep in." He offered, with a smile.
"Thanks" He muttered as everyone said their good nights to the natives and headed towards their designated tent.
~*+*~
"Can't sleep?" He asked, watching as Carter tossed and turned like a restless child.
"Not really, did I wake you?" she asked, looking around and noticing that everyone else was still sleeping peacefully.
"No, feel like a walk to help tire you out?" He asked. Sam nodded and they got up and moved as silently as they could past their sleeping comrades, heading towards the entrance of the tent.
"So, you were a Major huh?" Jack asked, as they walked through the maze of tunnels filling the large chamber.
"Yep. *Were* being the operative word." she replied, casting an inconspicuous glance at him.
"Then I don't get it." He said, stopping to look at her. Sam emulated his actions and stopped, turning to face him also.
"What don't you get?" She asked, wondering what she'd said, or done, to confuse him.
"If you were military, then what's with the crappy salute that you gave me in the briefing room?" He asked, smiling slightly.
"What can I say? It's been a while," she laughed.
"So why'd you leave?"
"I thought you heard what I told Kawalski." She said, almost positive that he had been listening to the conversation that they'd had earlier.
"I did, but I don't buy it."
"Why not?" She asked, certain that what she had told him sounded reasonable.
"Because Carter, I checked you out. Your record, I mean." He ammended at her amused look. "If you had left voluntarily then it would have been on your record, but it wasn't. It didn't give details, but it did say that there was a court martial involved." He told her, truly curious.
"I was kicked out." She said simply, not really wanting to elaborate. In her opinion proving herself to this obviously stubborn man was going to be hard enough without him losing respect for her on the first night of their mission.
"What'd you do, tell some general off because he couldn't understand a word you were saying?" He joked, making her giggle.
"Not exactly." She said.
"Well why 'exactly' were you turfed." He asked, growing more intrigued by the second.
Sam took a deep breath, something that didn't go unnoticed by Jack. "I fell in love with a man under my command." She started, trying to tuck a loose strand of her hair back into the pony tail it was supposed to be in. "He was a captain, and as you know the fraternisation regulations state that the blame of the incident shall rest solely on the superior officer. So I was honourably discharged from the military, but stayed on as a civilian." She told him, seeing the surprise clearly on his face.
"Did the relationship survive?" He asked. Sam nodded and Jack sensed that she didn't want to discuss it further, and he wasn't about to pressure her into talking to him.
Sam shuddered at the memory of her fiancee. Jonas had been wonderful at first, which is why she'd risked her career to be with him. But after she left the military, things began to change. He wasn't as caring and considerate as he used to be. He became possessive and overbearing. Smothering was another good adjective to use to describe how sour their relationship had eventually become.
When she finally decided to break off the engagement, after the first time he finally lost it and hit her, it was the weekend that Jonas had planned for them to go away. Coincidently, it was also the weekend that the first Abydos mission was held. It figures that the one weekend she chose to break up with her psycho' boyfriend from hell, West sent the first team through to Abydos. She should have gone through then, she knew it, West knew it, hell, even Catherine knew it!
"You okay?" Jack asked, placing a hand on her arm. Her continued silence was worrying him, and if the look on her face was anything to go by, she had been reliving some memories. Not necessarily nice ones judging by the expression gracing her features.
"Yeah, just thinking." She replied, smiling at his concern. They sat down together against one of the walls, with their shoulders just barely touching.
"I get the feeling that you do that a lot." He replied, making her giggle again.
"So, Colonel. You get to know about my life, tell me something about yours." She said, resting her head against the wall and closing her eyes.
"What do you wanna know? Name, rank and serial number?" He joked, lightening the mood somewhat.
"No, just. . . something. You have blackmail material on me, I think that you should return the favour." she prodded, feeling the need to get to know this man for some odd reason.
"Well, let's see. I'm a Colonel in the United States Air force. . ." He began, but Sam cut him off.
"Something I *don't* know." She emphasised, shaking her head at him.
"Well, I'm married. I was born in Chicago, but I was raised in Minnesotta. I wasn't a typical student." He told her, thinking back to his youth.
"What was something that you did back in high school, that you wouldn't normally do?" Sam asked, looking up at him.
"When I was sixteen I lied about my age and went and got a tattoo. My mother freaked." He told her laughing at the memory. "What about you? Ever do anything crazy?" He asked, watching as she smiled slightly. "Come on, what'd you do?"
"Alright, when I was in junior high, I was dared to do something really weird to my hair. So, I went to the local hairdressers and had streaks done." She told him.
"That's it?" He asked. "Come on, at least I did something *really* stupid." He said.
"Well, you see, that's the thing. Since it was a dare, I had to do something that would be considered weird, so I had my hair streaked purple and blue." She told him.
"You didn't?" He asked, trying to imagine the blonde hair that sat so delicately on her head blue and purple.
"Yep. My hair was down to my waist then, so it cost me a fortune. My dad was ready to kill me." She laughed, and Jack joined in. He couldn't help but wonder if she had any pictures of that hairstyle.
"So, what do you do when you aren't working on the Stargate?" He asked, recovering from the mental images that came with the description of her hairstyle.
"I've spent the last two and a half years working on this. I have no life outside of the Stargate." She told him, the mood suddenly shifting from light hearted to sombre.
"What about that guy you were with?" He asked, instantly regretting it. It was fairly obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, and yet he pushed.
"I broke it off with him. Which is why I missed out on the first mission. I was away with him when you went through." She told him, remembering the huge fight that Jonas put up when she told him that the engagement was off.
"I'm sorry." He told her, sincerely.
"It's not your fault." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'm here now and that's all that matters."
"Yeah." He muttered, not sure what to say to her.
"So, you're married?" She asked, wondering why she wanted to know so much about this man.
"Yeah. If I had my wallet here I'd show you a picture, but I didn't think that the Abydos kids would accept cash." He joked, thinking about his wife. Ironically, Carter and Sara looked a lot alike. Except Carter had longer hair and bluer eyes. Jack mentally chided himself for even making the comparison.
"Good assumption, shoulda tried Mastercard or American express." She joked. "Got any ankle biters?" Sam asked. She saw Jack stiffen a little at the mention of kids and immediately knew that she'd struck a nerve.
"No." He murmured, standing up. "We should get some sleep. Big day ahead of us." He told her, offering his hand, which she accepted gracefully.
Jack walked back towards their designated tent, wondering why he'd held her hand a few seconds longer than was necessary. He shuddered when he remembered the feel of her soft hand in his. Why did she have to mention kids? It had been over a year since his sons death, and he still couldn't bring himself to talk about it.
Not even to Sara, and she hated that fact. She had always known that there was a part of him that she could never reach. She always thought that she could live with that, and when Charlie was born things had started to slowly change. Jack had opened up a lot more to her, but when Charlie died a part of Jack went with him. Naturally, Sara didn't like his new way of life very much. But then again, she had never liked him being in the Air Force.
Realistically, he knew that he couldn't expect much from Sara. After all, he hadn't really expected to ever return to the 'gate program.
Sam sighed as she thought about the conversation that she'd had with her CO. For some reason, she was sure that she had offended him. Not something that she had hoped to do.
Sam listened to the breathing of her comrades. In particular, Colonel O'Neill. He was breathing heavily and unevenly, indicating that he was nowhere near sleep, and probably wouldn't be for a while.
For some reason, she didn't think that she would be able to manage the bliss that is sleep either tonight.
~*+*~
"So, was it as exciting as you anticipated?" Daniel asked her, sitting in the commissary drinking coffee.
Sam hadn't known Daniel for very long, but since Kawalski fell victim to the Goa'uld, they had all started to band together and become friends relatively quickly.
Sam shrugged. "Yeah I guess, but we didn't exactly go through the Stargate under very good circumstances." She told him, having previously expressed her sincerest apology for his loss.
"I know what you mean. Kawalski was a good guy, he didn't deserve to die like that." Daniel agreed, taking a sip of his steaming beverage.
"I didn't know him all that well. But he seemed nice enough on the mission." She told him, also sipping her drink.
"What do you think of Teal'c?" Daniel asked her after a minute of comfortable silence.
"He doesn't say much, but I think that what he did for us and all of the people that were going to die was really noble and brave. That speaks a lot about his character if you ask me." Sam shrugged. They hadn't exactly had time to sit and chat lately. Between going to Chulak and the attacks from the Goa'uld, there hadn't really been time to socialise. The General had only granted Colonel O'Neill's request to have Teal'c on SG-1 a few days earlier, and everyone had been too busy to commune with people on base.
"I agree. But I have to go, there's one of the artefacts that we brought back from P3X 595 that I want to have a closer look at." Daniel told her, standing and bidding her goodbye.
Sam waved him off and opened up the folder of the MALP's data on their next destination, P3X 797.
"Is this seat taken?" She heard a voice ask from just behind her.
Sam looked up to see her CO standing behind her with a cup of coffee and a bowl of fruit loops. She shook her head and indicated for him to sit down.
"So, how are you?" Jack asked, sitting down and eating a spoonful of his breakfast cereal.
"Fine thank you. I'm pretty sure that I've officially died of embarrassment, but other than that, I'm good." She smiled, remembering their last mission.
Jack smiled and thought about the little strip show that she had tried to put on for every person within a mile's radius. He doubted that he would ever forget that particular performance.
"I'm sure that nobody noticed." He commented, trying in vain to make her feel better.
"Oh, I thought that the table dance would have caught an eye or two." She muttered, her eyes dancing with a mixture of laughter, amusement and embarrassment.
"I wouldn't know. Wasn't really paying all that much attention." He muttered, laughing quietly to himself.
"Uh-huh." Sam laughed. "So what are you going to do for the duration of our down time?" she asked, suddenly feeling the need to shift the conversation to a topic that didn't involve the removal of any of her clothes.
"Well, I was thinking that if I could swing it, I'd get Teal'c a pass to leave base for a while and we could all have dinner at my place. You feel up to it? I promise that there won't be any free tables for you to dance on." He joked, his offer still genuine. Truth be told, he liked Sam, and they could be good friends, and if they were going to be good friends then he felt an unusual need for her to meet Sara. Or, more accurately, Sara to meet Sam.
"Sure." She shrugged, "Why not? Do we have a time for said dinner yet?" She asked, wondering what she was getting herself into.
"I'll let you know." He told her, standing and walking out of the room.
Sam sighed, this was either going to be a great night or it would be a disaster.
Her head hit the table. What was she going to wear?
~*+*~
"What time did you say they were coming?" Sara asked, stirring the pasta. She wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of having strangers in her house, but if they were going to make this marriage work than the least she could do was try and get along with Jack's friends.
"About seven." He told her, looking at the clock and realising that he only had a few minutes until they arrived. "So, I should probably go and get dressed before I start answering the door in your apricot towel." He joked, making his wife smile.
Sara turned back to the meal she was cooking, hoping that Jack's friend's liked pasta. She wondered what they'd be like, of course she knew their names but that was about it. Jack seemed to talk most about Sam, and he sounded like a fairly nice guy. Sara was interrupted from her musings by the sound of the door.
She wiped some bolognaise sauce off her hands and moved to answer the door with a tea towel still in hand. Sara opened the door to be greeted by the sight of a blonde female standing there holding a bottle of wine. She was wearing black jeans, a burgundy neck high top and a black leather jacket.
"Can I help you?" Sara asked. As far as she knew, everyone that was attending tonight were male.
"Hi, you must be Sara?" Sam guessed and held out her hand as Sara nodded. "I'm Sam Carter. Am I early?" She asked ignoring the surprised look on Sara's face regarding her gender. Sam was used to the gender mix-up, it had happened ever since she was a teenager and she had threatened anyone with extreme bodily harm if they dared call her Samantha.
"Ah, no. Come on in, Jack's just getting dressed." Sara told her, stepping back to allow the woman entrance to her house.
"Sure. Um, the Colonel didn't say that we needed to bring anything, so I just brought some wine. I didn't think that a six pack would be appropriate." Sam joked uncomfortably, handing Sara the wine, who was still shell shocked by Sam's gender.
"Hey Carter." Jack called, walking down the stairs, now fully dressed in jeans much like Sam's and a black dress shirt.
"Sir." She nodded, watching as Sara walked into the kitchen, presumably to check on dinner. "How are you?" She asked, hanging her jacket on a coat rack by the door.
"I'm good. You know, I do have a name. You should try using it." He told her with a smile.
"Really?" She asked, "Well, it just so happens that I have a name as well, maybe you should practise what you preach." She suggested, enjoying their exchange. The team had only been on three missions together, excluding Abydos and Chulak, and Sam and Jack had fallen into a habit of sparring matches on a regular basis. Both enjoyed them and Jack was surprised that he got on so well with Carter.
Perhaps she didn't have catastrophe written on her after all.
"Fine I'll make a deal with you, when we aren't on duty we'll lose the 'Carter' and 'Sir' thing, Okay?" He asked moving towards the door, he'd heard a taxi pull up when he was talking to Sam and at best guess, it was Daniel and Teal'c.
"Hey guys, Teal'c, you look . . ." Jack started but couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips from the sight of the big Jaffa wearing a cowboy hat.
"Daniel Jackson, why is O'Neill laughing?" Teal'c asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Jack motioned for them to come in.
Sam walked into view and Teal'c bowed a hello. "Teal'c, I think what Jack means is that you look nice." she explained saying hello to Daniel with a friendly kiss on the cheek.
He held on to her a second longer. "Jack?" He asked, whispering it in her ear to prevent the others from hearing his amused question.
"Later." She muttered back, moving out of his arms. Sam and Daniel had formed an instant friendship, often spending many long hours comparing their respective fields of expertise and theories on the Stargate and it's workings.
"So, did you have any trouble?" Jack asked, remembering the General's initial scepticism about letting Teal'c off-base.
"No, not really." Daniel answered, hanging his and Teal'c's coats on the coat rack by the door.
"Dinner is almost ready, so if anyone want's a drink . . ." Sara asked, walking out from the kitchen.
"Oh, sorry, I'm being rude. Sara, this is Daniel, Teal'c and I guess that you already met *Sam*" Jack introduced, putting emphasis on Carter's name. Sam poked her tongue out at him, a gesture that he quickly returned, accompanied with a smile. An exchange that Sara didn't miss, nor did she appreciate it.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Daniel said, smiling and shaking her hand.
"You too." She returned, sincerely.
"Sara O'Neill, it is a pleasure to meet you." Teal'c said, bowing his head.
"You can call me Sara." She told him, wondering why the other three present felt the need to smile. She decided that she wasn't even going to ask.
Suddenly there was a loud 'ding' heard coming from the general direction of the kitchen. "Dinner's ready." Sara announced, moving away from the group towards the kitchen.
"Come on in and have a seat." Jack told the group that were quickly becoming his good friends.
~*+*~
It's meeting the man of my dreams,
And then meeting his beautiful wife.
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?
-Alanis Morisette, Ironic
~*+*~
In Sam's opinion, dinner had gone well. Sara hadn't really said much and SG-1 had tried to talk about general topics so that she didn't feel left out. After all, it wasn't like they could discuss the Goa'uld.
It probably wasn't a very appropriate topic to talk about in the presence of a civilian. Especially considering that she was Jack's wife and they didn't really want to shoot her just because she had overheard classified information.
Sam thought that the highlight of the evening was when they all saw the look of discomfort on Teal'c's face when he tried pasta. In an attempt to not offend Sara, he had told her that he'd never tried pasta before and it was a unique taste.
She sighed, SG-1 was due to ship out in a few hours and she was tired. Their mission to P3X 797 had been postponed. Someone had somehow managed to double book SG-1 so they were supposed to be on two different planets at the same time. '797 was next on their list of destinations for them to visit.
"Hey Carter, how's it going?" Jack asked, walking into her lab with two cups of steaming hot coffee.
"Good." She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I thought that you might need this." He said handing her the cup, which she accepted gratefully. "When was the last time you took a break?" He asked, looking at the equipment scattered around her lab.
"What time is it?" She asked, yawning again.
"0730." He told her after a brief glance at his watch. Sam made a mental note to get a clock put in her lab. She had a feeling that she'd be spending a fair amount of time in here.
"Then it's been . . ." she paused and thought for a minute, "A while." She finished.
"Take a break." He told her gently. "What are you doing anyway?" He asked, sipping his coffee, and sitting on a stool opposite her. Jack watched as Sam did the same, smiling gratefully at him as she felt the bitter taste of the liquid start to wake her up.
"The planetary shift distance calculator. I'm trying to make it run faster so that we can get more than three destinations a month. Just something to keep me busy. What about you?" She asked, taking another sip of the wakening beverage.
"Well, this morning I took Sara to the airport. Her father isn't doing so well, he's been sick for a while now, so she flew out to be with him." He told her.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Sam replied sincerely, gently touching his hand with her own and squeezing it lightly.
"Yeah." He mumbled, remembering how much Charlie had loved being with his Grandpa. It suddenly occurred to Jack that Sam didn't know about Charlie, and now probably wasn't the right time. He stood and stretched. "We'd better get going, we have a mission in an hour." He told her, leaving the lab.
An hour? Sam sighed, whenever she worked late, she tended to lose track of the time. One hour just seemed to blend into the next and she often found herself wondering if there really were sixty minutes in said hours or if it was just a big plot so that people would believe that there was, but really the day was passing faster than they thought.
She shook her head, and laughed quietly to herself, now she wasn't even making sense in her own mind.
~*+*~
"Where's Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked, looking at the other three members of SG-1 as they collapsed onto the bottom of the ramp.
"He did not make it . . ." Teal'c started, only to stop as he found that his lungs needed more oxygen than he was getting.
"Daniel's dead sir." Jack told his superior. Janet walked over to them and checked their pupils. Teal'c, Sam and Jack vaguely heard her mention something about shock, but she seemed to be so far away and whatever it was she was saying might as well have been French for all they understood.
Jack felt his legs moving towards the infirmary, with the help of one of the airmen, but it felt like he was having an out of body experience. He knew he was moving, but in his mind, he was still back on the planet watching Daniel fall into the volcanic pit of his death.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light shining directly into his eyes. It felt like a thousand fluorescent lights all being turned on at once while he was staring at them. "God! What was that?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and finally realising that he was sitting on one of the beds in the infirmary dressed in a blue surgical gown.
"It's a pen light." Janet informed him. "I'm sorry Colonel, you must be photosensitive." She apologised.
Jack just wished that he could get the image of Daniel's death out of his mind.
~*+*~
Sara paid the cab driver and grabbed her bags from the boot. She hadn't expected Jack to be home yet. She didn't know where he was, didn't really expect to ever find out, but he'd said that he would be a week, give or take a few days.
She wasn't mad. Sara had learnt to deal with Jack's absences over the years that they'd been married. Being in the military was part of who he was, and it would be selfish of her to ask him to give that up. It would be like asking him to cut off a limb. At least these days he was only ever gone for a week or so, as opposed to months at a time, which was how things were before Charlie died.
She unlocked the front door of their house and dropped her keys on the front table, with her bag still in hand and walked down the two steps of the doorway into the lounge room.
When she got home, she'd expected to find the house pitch black and silent. Instead, the house was pitch black but she could hear the sound of Jack's quiet snoring coming from the sofa, and she walked quietly over to the large piece of furniture to wake her husband, quietly flicking on the lamp at the end of the sofa before she woke him from his slumber.
What she hadn't expected to see was the man she loved snuggled up on the couch with Sam, the afghan from the back of the lounge covering them. Sam had her head on Jack's chest, and their arms were around each other with their fingers entwined and resting lightly on his chest.
Sara saw red.
She knew there was a reason why she didn't like Sam. The woman had seemed way too comfortable with her husband for someone whom she had only known for a month and a half.
She dropped her suitcase loudly enough to wake the sleeping couple.
Sam moaned and stretched her legs a little, trying to rid the stiffness that had accumulated in them from being draped over Jack's body for god knows how long. "What time is it?" She mumbled into his chest, trying to rub the sleep out of them. What did it matter anyway? They were probably still red and puffy from all the crying she had done tonight.
Jack looked up towards the wall behind the couch to try and see the clock. Instead, all he saw was his wife standing there with a dumbfounded expression on her face, which quickly turned into pure anger. "Sara?" he asked. Sam turned over to see if Jack was still half asleep or if his wife really was standing there.
Sam's eyes went wide at the sight of the angry woman standing behind them with her arms hanging uselessly by her side.
Sara honestly didn't have a clue what to say. For the first time in her life, she was truly speechless. So, instead of thinking her statement through like any sane person would, she said the first thing that sprang to mind. "The bed would have been more comfortable."
For some reason, she just knew that she was going to regret saying that for a very long time to come. Of all the idiotic things that could have possibly come out of her mouth, she had to pick something as stupid as that.
"I'll just go and use the bathroom." Sam stuttered, pointing towards the hall. She scrambled off Jack and all but ran towards the bathroom, and shut the door quickly, letting her face fall into her hands as she began to cry again.
Why did she have to lose it when she was at the wake? Why couldn't she have waited for another hour or so until she was in the safety of her own home where she could cry in peace? Why did Jack have to find her sobbing in his bathroom? Why did she let him hold her on the couch when she needed comfort the most?
Why?
Jack looked at his wife, who was breathing very fast and he was sure that there was steam coming out of her ears. "How's your Dad?" He asked, cringing. This time could have been better spent trying to explain to her what had happened.
"He's going to be fine." She said calmly. Jack was certain that that serene air surrounding her wouldn't last. It never did. "What, no kiss hello?" She asked bitterly.
"I thought that you might bring up the scissors thing again." He joked lamely, referring to when Hammond had sent his puppy dogs to fetch him to come back to the Stargate program.
"Probably would have." Sara replied, unable to stop her teeth from grinding together, making what she said sound very hostile. "I'm still considering that as an option."
"I can explain." He told her.
"Really?" She asked, sceptically. "Am I going to believe you or should I just go and get the scissors now, and save myself some time?" She suggested, sarcasm lacing her tone. Jack knew that tone, he'd used it many times before. Especially with superior officers who had their heads up their asses. Sometimes he wondered how the hell he even made Colonel in the first place.
Sam sat on the edge of the bath, trying to determine if the yelling had started yet. She listened for a second and figured that it hadn't, so now would be a good time for her to make her escape. It was a shame that she couldn't open the window and just flee.
She tentatively opened the door and stepped outside, turning off the light as she left.
As Sam walked down the hallway, she felt more apprehensive than she ever had in her life. When she finally emerged out of the hall after what had seemed like forever, she could see Jack and Sara standing on opposite sides of the lounge that she had, not minutes before, been sleeping on.
The couple were standing there, not talking, and appeared to be having a staring match. Sam really wished that she wasn't here. Why couldn't the Earth open up and swallow her when she wanted it to?
"Um . . ." She started, trying to quietly clear her throat, in the hopes of finding her voice. Instead, she settled for swallowing hard. "I . . . um, should go." She said slowly, afraid that the words wouldn't come out sounding like they had in her mind.
"Wouldn't you like to stay for coffee?" Sara asked, bitter and sarcastic enough to make Sam flinch.
"Sara . . ." Jack warned, desperately trying not to get Sam dragged into this any further than she already was.
"No, really. We should do this again some time. I always loved sleepovers." Sara spat out at Sam.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow, so that we can . . .um. . ." She started, not really wanting to say it and make the situation harder than it already was.
"Yeah. I'll see you at 0900 tomorrow." Jack nodded, understanding her discomfort at not only the present situation, but what had happened in the last few days. He knew that Sam was reluctant to mention their task of packing up Daniel's apartment the following morning, and he could only imagine how guilty that made them look to his wife.
Sam let herself out and the house fell silent. While Sam was walking to her car, Sara and Jack were staring at each other, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't be misinterpreted and turned into ammunition.
"So . . ." Sara started, trying to determine what Sam's last comment had meant, aware that Jack was looking at the door that Sam had just walked out of. "You had an explanation?" She asked, trying to get her husband's attention.
Two words.
Two words were all that he needed to explain everything that had just happened, and what Sara had walked in on. "Daniel died." He said simply, and laid back down on the couch to try and get some sleep.
~*+*~
Sara was mortified.
Truly and utterly mortified. She had just won the prize for being the world's biggest ass, and the way she had treated Jack, and Sam for that matter, was inexcusable.
She rolled over in bed and looked at the cold and empty side of the mattress where Jack should be. She'd tried to talk to him, and apologise profoundly, but Jack had waved her off and said that he was tired.
She should have trusted him, and she should have listened to what he had to say before she started to rip him to shreds. Okay, so granted, she hadn't exactly ripped him to shreds, but her insensitivity was immature and she was acting as though she had something to be jealous of.
She scrubbed her hands over her face and sighed. There was no way that sleep was going to come easily tonight. Tomorrow morning she had some serious grovelling to do, and even then, she had the feeling that she'd still feel guilty for a while.
God, what was she going to say to Sam?
~*+*~
Pain.
That's all that Sam could feel. She was vaguely aware that there was someone who was talking to her, telling her to stay awake. But all she wanted to do was go to sleep.
There were lots of noises all around her and it felt like they were all invading her brain at once. Why wouldn't someone make the noises stop? She felt like screaming, but all she could feel was the pain.
Pain.
~*+*~
There was an annoying noise trying to wake him from his sleep.
Jack sighed and tried to bury his head further into the pillows. He was tired and exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep. He was worried about Sam, and he just wanted to wake up tomorrow and find that this was all some really strange dream.
There was that noise again.
The very small portion of Jack's brain that was awake kept telling him that it was the phone and that he should get his butt in gear and answer the damn thing and then the noise would stop and he could go back to sleep.
He reached over his head to try and find the offending noise maker that was disturbing his sleep. "O'Neill." He mumbled into the receiver.
"Is this Colonel Jack O'Neill?" A female voice asked him.
"Yes." He muttered, still very much asleep.
"This is Nurse Bates from Colorado Medical. I'm calling in regards to Samantha Carter." The woman, Bates, told him.
It took a moment for Jack to register what the woman was saying, and as soon as his brain processed Sam's name, he sat straight up, now very much awake. "Sam?" He asked, fear suddenly clutching him.
"Yes, there was an accident and Miss Carter was injured. You were listed as one of the people to call." She told him.
"I'll be there a.s.a.p." He told her, hanging up the phone and bursting upstairs to get his jacket and keys, for once thankful that he hadn't bothered to take off his clothes from the day before.
Sara rolled over as she heard the door to her and Jack's room open. She looked around and noticed that he was running around like a headless chicken. "Jack?" She muttered.
"There's been an accident. Sam was hurt. I'll call you when I know more." He told her curtly, running out of the room like a bat out of hell. Sara sat up and felt guilt wash over her.
This was all her fault.
~*+*~
Jack looked around frantically. He had no idea where he was going, and he was too panic stricken to think of any semi-intelligent solution to his location problem.
Black ops training finally kicked in and he calmed down enough find the reception desk.
"I'm looking for Samantha Carter." He told the nurse at the desk.
"And you are . . .?" She asked, eyeing the man suspiciously.
"I'm Jack O'Neill. Nurse Bates called me, is Sam here or not?" He asked, growing frustrated. He wanted to see her and he wanted to see her now.
"Of course, I called you." The woman told him, standing and moving from behind the desk to escort Jack to Sam's room. The nurse paused as she reached a door not far from the reception desk. "A doctor will be here shortly to explain what happened." She told him gently, leaving him alone to look at the door and wonder what lay beyond.
He opened the door, attempting to be as quiet as possible. Jack sucked in a sharp breath when he saw Sam. She had a bandage wrapped around her head that had a tiny stain of blood on it. She was hooked up to a heart monitor, and if you asked him, the white sheets of the hospital bed looked like they had more colour in them than she did.
He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, holding her hand in his and he immediately noticed that she was cold and clammy. "You have to get better Sammy." He whispered.
The door behind him opened and Jack turned to see a man in a white doctor's coat enter the room carrying a chart and walking over towards him.
"Mr O'Neill?" The man asked. Jack nodded. "I'm Dr Windsor," He introduced, shaking Jack's hand. "Has someone explained to you what happened?" He asked.
"No, the nurse said that you would." He told him, looking back to Sam and wiping a loose strand of hair away from her bandaged head.
The doctor pulled up a chair and spoke quietly. "As far as we can tell, she was driving, and either something distracted her or she was upset." The doctor started, and Jack felt an instant and unstoppable stream of rage run towards Sara.
"She was crying. One of our best friends recently died." He told the Doctor.
"I'm sorry." He told Jack sincerely. "She hit a pole. Now, I know that it looks bad but she's very lucky. Most people don't survive something like that. She has a concussion, two broken ribs and because of the angle she struck the pole there were some problems with her spine."
"Her spine?" Jack repeated, stunned beyond words. Was she paralysed?
"Yes. She is also very lucky that she isn't a paraplegic. She woke up for a few minutes after she was brought in, and was calling for a Jack, we assume that it's you. She tried to get up, but was in a considerable amount of pain". The doctor told Jack, now remembering that this was one of the worst parts of the job.
"How long has she been here?" Jack asked.
"Almost two hours. Our main priority is to make sure that the patient survives, then we start to find out who to call."
"I understand." Jack muttered, his thumb absently stroking Sam's hand.
"As far as we can tell from the CT scans, her spine is inflamed and it's putting a great deal of pressure on her Sciatic nerve. Now, this won't cause her to loose the ability to walk, but it will seriously limit her mobility. It will probably cause her a great deal of pain to do anything and we'll get her started on physiotherapy as soon as possible. Now, she isn't in a coma, just sleeping. It shouldn't be long before she wakes up. When she does, call the nurse if she's in any pain or if you need anything." Dr Windsor stood and put the chair back in it's place.
"Thank you very much Doc." Jack said, shaking the other man's hand again.
"Your welcome. Ah, one more thing, does she live alone?" The Doctor asked.
"Yeah." Jack nodded, wondering where this was going.
"Does she have any stairs in her home?" He asked, glancing down at Sam's chart that he held in his hand. Jack nodded again. "Then I suggest that she move in with a friend or relative. Like I said, mobility is going to be a problem and judging by previous cases that I've seen, stairs will be virtually impossible. She'll have a limp for a while, but it should get better over time." He told Jack watching as concern crossed his features.
"Sure. She can move in with me." He said and watched as the doctor left the room. He kept his eyes focused on the door for a while before slowly turning back to the bed to look into the large blue eyes of Sam, who was staring at him.
"Does she get a say in these new living arrangements?" Sam asked playfully, her voice still a little croaky.
"No." He said, shaking his head and aware that he had an unbelievably goofy grin on his face.
"What about Sara? Surely she wouldn't be too happy about you just deciding that you're going to have a house guest?" Sam asked, really not wanting to go back there.
"Don't worry about that. How long have you been awake?" He asked.
"Since you came in. I wanted to hear what the Doctor had to say. And by the way, don't call me Sammy." She said, smiling.
"Whatever you say Sammy. How do you feel?" He asked. Sam sighed.
"Like I tried to hug a pole with my car." She joked, laughing. Suddenly she winced as the laughter caused her ribs to shake and cause great pain. "Ooh, okay. No laughing." She decided.
"Then you're in the company of the wrong person, I'll go get Teal'c." He smiled.
"Daniel." She murmured.
"Sam? Don't you remember what happened?" He asked, concerned about any amnesia that she may have got because of the crash. He looked at her with worried eyes.
"No, Daniel." She muttered, nodding towards the door.
Jack turned to see Daniel, his wife, Teal'c and Hammond standing at the door to her room. "Danny?" He asked, wondering if he was hallucinating.
"Hey, I'll explain later." Daniel told them, discreetly gesturing towards Sara, a gesture which thankfully the person in question missed. Jack nodded, understanding what he meant.
~*+*~
Jack walked out of the room with his wife to let the others have a moment with Sam. He turned to Sara, his thoughts still resting with the woman laying in a hospital bed.
"What happened?" Sara asked quietly, still worried that the whole thing was her fault, self absorbed as that feeling may be, she couldn't help it.
"She was crying while she was driving and she hit a pole." Jack told her, and then briefly explained what the doctor had told him, wanting to get back to Sam as quickly as possible.
"Oh god!" Sara exclaimed as she listened to her husband describe what had happened and what the side effects were. "She can still walk, can't she?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, but it's going to be a problem. She has to move in with someone who can hep her get around. Her house has stairs and I get the feeling that she may need to be checked on every now and then. Without her knowing about it. She'd probably try and break my arm if she knew that she was being looked after." Jack told her, just about to bring up his invitation to come and stay with them, wondering how Sara would react to that.
"She can move in with us." Sara immediately announced. "It's my fault that she was that upset, so I think that it's the least we can do." She told him.
"Thanks. Look, why don't you go home and get some sleep and then make up the guest bed. I'll stick around here for a while and see when they'll release her." He told his wife, surprised by the admittance that it probably was partially her fault.
"Yeah. Tell her I said 'bye, and I hope she can leave here soon, okay?" Sara asked. Jack nodded and turned to go back into the room. "Jack." Sara said, just as he was about to enter Sam's room. He turned to look at his wife. "I am sorry." she told him. Jack didn't need to hear the words, he could tell from the expression on her face how sorry she was.
"I know." He said, lightly touching her arm.
Sara watched as her husband walked back into the hospital room before she turned and headed out towards her car.
~*+*~
"So, tell us oh great escape artist, just how did you manage to come back from being dead?" Jack asked, once again taking the seat next to Sam's bed.
"It was a false memory that you had, of me dying. Teal'c figured it out and he and SG-2 came and found me. There was a laboratory underwater, and if I'd been there under better circumstances then it would have be very interesting." He told them, glad to be back on dry land and with his friends once more.
"I'm glad you're back Daniel." Sam smiled at him, a yawn escaping her lips.
"We should take our leave of you and let your injuries heal." Teal'c announced, and everyone except Jack said their goodbye's and promised to visit later that day, before leaving the hospital to head back to base.
"Aren't you going home?" Sam asked, once everyone had left.
"Is that a hint?" Jack joked.
"No, I just thought that you'd want to get home." She told him.
"Nah, I told Sara that I was going to look after all the paperwork, and at the very least with all of my training you'd think that I could find a way to bust you out of here. Do you know when you'll be able to come home?" He asked and Sam shook her head. She was asleep, or that place that's very close to it, so Jack decided to go and find a doctor to see when she could be released. "Sleep well Sammy." He whispered, lightly stroking her forehead before walking to the door.
Just before he left the room, Jack could have sworn that he heard "Don't call me Sammy." coming from the bed. He smiled before exiting the room and closing the door quietly before going in search of Dr Windsor.
~*+*~
"Are you almost ready to come home?" Jack asked, walking into Sam's hospital room.
"After a week of nothing but hospital food that I'm pretty sure is more poisonous than the mess hall on base, yeah. I'm fairly certain that I'm ready to leave." She joked.
"You know how they're letting you go a few days early?" He asked.
"You mean because you threatened to break Dr Windsor's arm." She taunted, smiling.
"Well, that too. Anyway, they're only letting you go on the condition that you use this thing for a few days." He told her, bringing in a wheelchair. Sam sighed, she'd been expecting this to come up for some time now. She shrugged, if it meant getting out of this place then she'd crawl if they asked her to.
"Let's get out of here before they change their minds about letting me go." She said, not bothering to protest when Jack picked her up and put her in the chair with her bag resting on her lap.
They walked along the corridor of the hospital, with Jack pushing Sam in her wheelchair.
Sara had come and visited Sam twice in the week that she'd been stuck in here. They found out that they actually did have a lot in common and Sam wasn't as nervous about moving in with the O'Neill's as she first was when Jack all but told her that she had no choice in the matter.
"Sara wanted me to ask you what you felt like for dinner." Jack told her as he helped her into the front seat of his jeep.
Jack walked around to his side of the car and put the now folded wheelchair on the back seat before getting in the driver's side and starting the car.
Sam stared out the window not really seeing anything. "So, any thoughts on dinner?" He asked, growing concerned about her silence. "Sam?" he tried again.
Sam jumped. She hadn't even realised that he was in the car yet. "Did you say something?" She asked, still distracted.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.
"Yeah, it's just . . ." Sam started, but obviously decided not to finish voicing her thoughts, because she returned to staring out the window
"What is it?" Jack asked gently, keeping both eyes on the road while trying to look at Sam, not something that he managed to achieve.
"The last time that I was in a car . . ." She trailed off, and without a conscious thought to his wife or what people might think, Jack reached over and grabbed Sam's hand and held onto it until he reached his driveway.
She only turned briefly to look at him, just long enough to smile gratefully at him for the silent support that he was offering. She would never admit it, but Sam was enjoying the comfort.
~*+*~
When she first arrived, Sam couldn't help but notice how beautiful the guestroom was. It had a double bed in the centre of the room, with bedside tables on either side. There was a built-in closet, with mirrored doors making the room feel larger than it really was. And there was a dressing table, with six big draws, by the window
It was nice.
Daniel had gone over to her house a few days earlier and got some of her personal things and some clothes. At her request, of course. So now the room essentially looked like it was in her house, the only difference being the lack of ensuite. But Sam could live with that.
On the right of her room was the bathroom, which was just for her because there was an ensuite in the master bedroom, and across the hall was Sara and Jack's room. There were only two steps in the entire place so it was ideal for Sam's current condition.
After repeatedly telling Jack and Sara that she was fine, she was glad for the chance to be able to just collapse into bed. Luckily she'd had a shower at the hospital, where she could get help from someone who didn't know her. Jack kept insisting on carrying her everywhere for a while, and she didn't think that having him carry her into a shower would be a wise move. Not that she didn't trust him, but there are some things that Sam felt she should keep to herself.
The pain in her head and ribs were nothing compared to what she felt in her leg, hip and back. The constant throbbing and pulsating was becoming almost . . .annoying. It was driving her crazy, and after a quick look at the clock which told her that it was after eleven, she realised that she'd slept all day.
There was a glass of water by her bed, but she wanted to go and take a few of the pain killers that Dr Windsor has given her. Which she'd typically forgot about and left in the kitchen. Sighing, she attempted to get up without too much pain.
Not an easy thing to do, but eventually Sam found that if she kind of dragged her leg along behind her and held on to anything in sight than she'd probably be able to make it to the kitchen and back without too many problems.
~*+*~
Bookends.
That's how they were sleeping. And in the two nights that Jack had been home since Sam had her accident, they had slept like this too. There was no contact, and it was like there was a wall separating them, and Jack seemed to be in no hurry to rectify the situation.
Suddenly Sara heard a loud bang coming from the general direction of the lounge room. She reached over and shook Jack's shoulder until she finally managed to rouse him from sleep.
"What's wrong?" He asked, immediately worried.
"I think I heard a noise coming from the lounge room." She told him, momentarily forgetting that Sam was here and that there was a big chance that she was trying to get something from the kitchen.
"I'll be back here in a minute." He told his wife, standing and walking out of the room and gently closing the door behind him.
Jack's first stop was to check on Sam, and when he opened the door to her room and saw that she wasn't there, he began to worry. Quietly walking down the hall in nothing but his sweat pants, he rounded the corner and saw Sam lying on the floor of the lounge room, huddled up in the foetal position.
"Sam!" He cried, running to her side faster than he thought his legs would carry him. "What are you doing out of bed, Sammy?" He asked her, lightly stroking back the blonde strands of her hair that never seemed to stay in place.
"I wanted some pain killers." she told him, smiling through her pain induced tears. "And don't call me Sammy." She told him, knowing that he would just pretend he didn't hear what she said and continue to call her that anyway.
"Let's get you back to bed and then we'll do the medication thing, okay?" He offered as a compromise.
"Fine." She nodded, letting him pick her up and carry her back to her room.
After making sure that Sam was propped up with pillows that had all been thoroughly fluffed, Jack went to get the pain killers and tell Sara what happened.
"So were we being robbed?" Sara asked, hearing her husband enter their room.
"No," He smiled, shaking his head slightly. "Sam tried to walk down to the kitchen to get the pain med's, and I'm pretty sure that she collapsed. I'll ask her in a minute." He told her.
"You should sit with her until she falls asleep." Sara told him.
"Are you sure?" He asked, wondering why his wife was being so considerate. Not that she wasn't a generous person, but it had been obvious to all that Sara didn't really like Sam all that much.
"It's the right thing to do Jack. And besides, if you didn't, then you'd just lay here all night wondering if she's alright." Sara shrugged. Jack nodded, she had a point. He was still amazed that he'd been able to get to sleep the first time.
Jack walked over and kissed his wife on the forehead. "You're a good person." He told her.
Sara smiled. "So are you Jack." He nodded and walked out of the room. That was the first display of affection that had passed between them in over a week, maybe having Sam here was a good thing for all of them.
Jack walked back into Sam's room, bottle of pills in hand. She looked up and smiled at him. Instead of walking over to her side of the bed, as Sam had anticipated, he walked over to the unoccupied half and sat down with his legs outstretched.
He handed her the bottle and waited until Sam had swallowed the tablets before he began to speak. "You should have called me." He told her, gently scolding.
"I thought that I could do it, and besides, you've spent the last three days straight sleeping in a hospital chair." She told him, only now noticing his lack of shirt. Sam knew that she was getting way too attached to this man, and yet she found herself not caring.
"That doesn't mean anything. You need to get better so that we can go back to work." He told her, shivering slightly as he realised that he didn't have a top on.
Sam pulled the blanket off from the end of the bed and handed it to him. "It's nice to know that they miss me at work . . .hey, what do you mean we?" She asked once her brain finally realised that his statement was plural.
"General Hammond gave me some time off to help look after you." Jack said, snuggling into the warm comforts of the blanket.
"I don't need looking after." She protested, but knew that there was no point in even trying to argue with him.
"Yes you do, Sammy." He told her, ignoring her annoyed look at her new nickname. "What happened tonight?" He asked, letting himself move a little closer to her on the bed.
"I was in the living room and suddenly my leg gave way and I hit the ground, go figure. The position you found me in seems to be the only comfortable position for me to be in at the moment." She told him.
"You should get some sleep." He told her, watching as she closed her eyes and then he followed her example and closed his eyes too.
~*+*~
Sara woke up and quickly realised that she was alone in the bed, and that it was after eight O'clock. She rolled over and got out of bed. She then heard the doorbell chime and realised that the ringing of the bell was what had disturbed her sleep.
She sighed as she walked out of her room and down the hall towards the door. She looked at the couch to see if Jack was there, and when she saw that it was empty she shook her head and opened the door to be greeted by Daniel.
"Hi Sara." He said, she gestured for him to come in, her brain screaming for him to leave so that she could go back to bed.
"Daniel. How are you feeling?" She asked, referring to the whole 'dead' thing that he went through. Not that she knew the full story, and probably never would.
"I'm good. Is Sam up yet?" He asked, looking around the living room for signs of other people awake.
"Yeah." Sara lied, "I'll just go get her." She smiled and headed back towards Sam's room, expecting to see her husband sitting in a chair by her bed asleep. After all, that's what he'd done for five days.
The chair thing was not quite what she got.
They were snuggled up on the bed together, sleeping peacefully. Sara couldn't help the pang of jealousy that ran through her. She and Jack had hardly touched each other for the past week, and now here he was, cuddled up, together with Sam.
Sara sniffed a bit and blinked back the tears. Her heart jumped into her throat and she walked over and shook Jack's shoulder. He jumped awake, and consequently woke Sam.
"We fell asleep, didn't we?" Sam asked, cringing at the look gracing Sara's features.
She nodded, not really trusting her own voice at the moment. Finally, Sara realised that she was staring and she would have to eventually speak. "Daniel's here." She told them, and quickly walked out of the room.
Sam looked at Jack with an apologetic expression in her eyes. Jack read the look and was quick to reassure her. "It's not your fault." He told her, getting out of bed, but not before briefly wondering how he'd managed to get under the covers.
Sam sat up and put her long satin robe on, and got up and into the wheelchair, in no hurry to repeat the previous night's fiasco.
Jack walked out of the room and when he came back he was wearing a shirt. He walked behind Sam and started to wheel her towards the living room.
"Daniel." She smiled as he walked over and kissed her cheek. "How are you?" Sam asked, accepting Jack's help to get her out of the chair and onto the couch. Daniel and Sara followed suit and sat in the chairs next to the couch.
"I'm fine, keeping busy. What about you?" He asked, concerned for his friend.
"I'm good. I have my first physiotherapy appointment tomorrow, so I should know more by then." She told him, accepting the mug of coffee that Jack gave her gratefully. He gave Daniel and Sara a cup too, and noticed that his wife refused to return the smile that he offered.
When the phone rang, Sara immediately took the opportunity to leave the room to answer it, leaving the three friends time to talk alone.
"Actually," Daniel started, taking a sip of his drink before continuing. "Teal'c and I are going on a mission with SG-2 and SG-3 in a few days." He told them, watching the door for any signs of Sara returning.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked, also sipping her drink.
"P3X 797, the one that we were supposed to go to." He replied.
"Good luck." Sam said, smiling ruefully. She wished that she'd never had the stupid accident so that she could go with them.
"Don't worry Sammy, we'll be back there soon enough." Jack told her, grinning at the use of her new name.
Daniel shook his head. They were getting very close and he couldn't help but feel sorry for Sara. It must be hard for her, seeing a bond develop between her husband and another woman, even though he was sure that Jack would never cheat on her, you didn't need to be intimate with someone for it to classify as infidelity.
"I'd better get going, I still have some things to look at in my office." He told them, noticing that Sara had walked back into the room.
"Bye Daniel, thanks for stopping by. Good luck with the stuff you have to do." Sam told him, also noticing Sara's presence in the room.
After Daniel had said his goodbye's to Jack and Sara, Sam decided that she would take a bath to attempt to rid her of the aches and pains that her body was currently experiencing.
Jack lifted her into the chair and pushed her into the bathroom, and after making sure that she would be alright to do the rest herself, he left, closing the door behind him.
~*+*~
Sara stood at the sink, washing up the dishes from the previous night's dinner. She didn't hear Jack enter the room, and she jumped when he lightly touched her shoulder.
"Hey." He said, picking up a tea towel to help with the washing up. "I'm sorry about last night." He told her gently, waiting for the inevitable fight to come.
"It's fine. I understand." She told him, shrugging.
"You do?" He asked, shocked.
"Yeah." Sara smiled, "You did the right thing by staying with her Jack. I'm not upset." She lied, still unable to get the image of them cuddled up together out of her mind. "You should go and make sure Sam's okay." She told him.
Sara watched as her husband practically ran out of the room to check on Sam. She wasn't worried about their relationship, she knew that he'd never cheat on her, but something about Sam and Jack's friendship bothered her.
She just couldn't put her finger on it.
~*+*~
Jack showed his and Sam's pass to the security guard at the front gate. He'd protested when Sam had said that she wanted to come in to work, it had only been a few days since she came back from hospital. Physiotherapy seemed to be going well and Tony, her physiotherapist, had given her some exercises to do until he saw her next.
Sam had taken the liberty of ditching her wheelchair, and opted to start using crutches instead. Tony agreed, but was eager to get her off them as soon as possible, in an attempt to keep her from becoming too dependent on them.
"Dr Carter." The guard acknowledged, "It's good to see you." He smiled.
"Thanks." She replied, smiling in return. She shouldn't be surprised that most of the people on base knew about the accident already. The SGC had only been re-opened for about two months, but the base's grapevine was almost fully established.
Jack drove into the car park and went around to help Sam get out of the car. "So, I know why I needed to come here, why did you?" Jack asked, swiping his ID card in the slot so that the elevator doors would open.
"I wanted to get my lap top and a few things from my quarters." She told him, hopping into the elevator cart.
When the elevator reached level 28, they both stepped out. Jack turned to Sam. "I have to go to my office and the locker room, so I'll meet you in your lab, okay?" He asked.
Sam nodded. "Sure." She smiled.
She started on the path towards her lab. It wasn't that far away, and she was confident that she wouldn't have any difficulties making the short journey.
She was halfway to her destination when she saw two guards practically dragging Lt. Johnson towards the elevator. He looked up and saw her.
Sam's eyes went wide as the young Lieutenant broke free of the two airmen and ran at her. He pounced on her and she hit the ground with a loud thud. It took a moment for the guards to act, but they managed to drag him off her.
One of the nearby airmen ran over to Sam and helped her up. "What was that?" She asked readjusting her clothes.
"I'm not sure ma'am." He answered honestly. "Are you alright?" He asked, picking up her crutches and handing them to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine thanks." She told him, resuming her journey to her lab.
Sam stopped. She suddenly had an overwhelming urge to find Jack. She threw down her crutches and ran towards the locker room, determined to find him.
~*+*~
Jack placed the personal items that he needed into a bag. He put the last item, his favourite razor, into the bag and closed the door. When he turned, Sam was standing next to his locker dressed in a tank top and the jeans that she'd had on. She was standing without the benefit of the crutches, which didn't go unnoticed by Jack despite her lack of top or sweater.
"Carter?" He asked, well aware that they weren't alone in the room.
Sam didn't respond, she just grabbed him and kissed him roughly. Jack was surprised to say the least, but when his hands went to push her away, she roughly threw him down onto one of the benches and resumed kissing him.
She pulled back for some air, and he gasped. "Carter! What's gotten into you?" He asked, fighting for air.
"I want you." She told him, grinding her hips into his and resumed kissing him.
"Why? Carter, I didn't know." He murmured, with her lips still firmly pressed to his.
"Don't you want me?" She asked, pulling back to breathe again and try to find an easier angle to resume kissing him.
"No!" He cried, brief images of his wife filling his mind. "Not like this." He ammended as she continued to roughly kiss him.
Sam moved from his lips to his neck and bit down hard enough to draw blood. She removed her lips from his neck long enough to bite down on her own wrist and draw blood, once she'd done that, she returned her lips to his.
She brought her wrist up to his neck and mixed their blood, and she knew that Jack would be hers.
Jack knew that he should fight her off. He was married and she wasn't strong enough for this, but as he felt some of her blood mix with his, he knew that he couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to.
~*+*~
We're gonna love one another 'till morning comes
Seek the sweet salvation for what we've done
We'll give up resisting one by one
One by one
He gives a new kind of meaning to what I am
I know that I could never love any other man
One of these days you'll understand
Understand
-One by one, Cher
~*+*~
Pain.
That was all Sam could feel as she felt herself regaining consciousness. Why did she hurt so much? And where was she?
"Hey." A voice said softly. Sam opened one eye and saw the base doctor, Janet Fraser, looking down at her.
"It's bright." she muttered, closing her eyes against the blinding light obstructing her vision.
"I know, how do you feel?" Fraser asked, checking Sam's vitals.
"Like I tried to hug another pole with my car." Sam joked lamely, finally managing to open her eyes without too much trouble.
"Well that's to be expected. Do you remember what happened?" she asked, smiling at the woman.
"I remember coming to base to get my lap top. I was on my way to my lab and Johnson jumped on me, everything after that is a little hazy." Sam said, confusion evident on her face.
"That explains it then." Janet murmured, more to herself than to Sam.
"That explains what?" Sam asked, wondering why the doctor looked as though she'd had an epiphany.
"When SG-2 returned from P3X 797, they were infected with some kind of virus. It fed on histamines and when we gave each infected victim a strong dose of anti-histamines they went back to normal." Janet told her, sitting in the chair next to her bed.
"Normal?" Sam asked, wondering exactly what the side effects of this virus were. God only knows what people had done while they were infected.
"It released a primal instinct in everyone except Teal'c, Daniel and I. Teal'c had his symbiont to protect him and Daniel and I both have strong allergies, so we both take the same anti-histamines on a daily basis. SG-2 have gone back to the planet to give all of the touched men and woman a tranquilliser shot filled with the antidote. Everyone else has recovered, except for you. I think that when you were touched, you must have banged your leg out of place and that's why you were out cold for longer than everyone else." Janet told her, waiting for the obvious question to come.
"What did I do?" Sam asked, cringing at the thought of some of the possible things that she could have done. "Did I hurt anyone?" she asked.
"You bit Colonel O'Neill on the neck, but he'll be fine." Janet told her, knowing that with that small piece of information, Sam could figure out the rest.
"I think I remember now." she told the doctor, creasing her brow in concentration. "I was in the locker room, and I was trying to get him to . . .um . . ." she trailed off in embarrassment. Janet nodded and smiled knowingly. "Anyway, when he wouldn't co-operate, I bit his neck and then my wrist. I think that I mixed our blood." she told her.
"You did." Janet confirmed. "You were trying to get him infected too, so that he would . . .participate in your plans." she said tactfully. "You didn't need to though. The virus was spread through touch, which is how you became infected. Johnson got it from one of the natives and then he passed it on to you, and the airmen that subdued him. After he infected you three, more people became infected and that's all it took." She shrugged, waiting for Sam to realise that she had succeeded in doing what she wanted to do.
"We did, didn't we?" She finally asked, closing her eyes again in shame.
"Yeah." Janet nodded, not really sure what to say.
"Is he alright?" Sam asked, looking around the infirmary.
"He's fine." A very masculine voice replied from the doorway. Sam looked over to see Jack standing at the entrance to her room. He looked well, except for the fact that he had scratch marks down the side of his neck and he had obviously had stitches put in on his forehead.
"I'll leave you two alone." Janet muttered, leaving the room. Sam could kill the doctor for leaving her. She wasn't sure that she could face Jack after what she'd done. Not to mention the fact that she was currently living with him and his wife.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, cautiously walking to sit where Janet had just been.
"Um . . .okay, I guess." She replied, finally looking at his neck where he not only had scratch marks, but also the bite mark that she'd left on him. "Are you okay?" She asked, indicating towards his neck.
He gingerly touched his neck, and winced at the pain. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He replied.
They both broke eye contact then. Jack sighed, this conversation wasn't exactly going very well.
"Wow, this is awkward." She joked, making him smile.
"Yeah," he agreed, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked, not sure if he should bring it up or not.
"Ah . . .yeah. I do." She replied, biting her lower lip. Sam cleared her throat, what could she say to him? "I'm sorry about what I did." She told him, looking genuinely apologetic.
"It wasn't your fault. Doc Fraser explained the touched virus thing to me. You couldn't have stopped yourself, neither could I." He told her, trying to be careful with the words he chose. "Did I . . .hurt you?" He asked, worried about what they had done. There was no way that she was strong enough to come out of this .. .situation unscarred. He had at least three injuries to show for it, and he had no idea what he was going to tell Sara.
"Um . . .no, not really." she lied, ignoring the pain in her side. The memories of what had happened making her recall that at some point during their encounter they had rolled off the bench and into a set of lockers. "I think that we pretty much did mutual damage." She said, giving him a small smile.
"Yeah . . ." He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.
"I think that it would probably be best if I moved out." she told him, knowing that continuing to live with him would be virtually impossible. Sam was now regretting giving up her house. Even though it had stairs in it, anything would be better than her current living status.
"You don't have to do that." He replied honestly. Despite what had happened, he still liked the idea of her living with him. And Sara, his brain supplied.
"Jack, we slept together. Things are really weird and uncomfortable now, do you honestly think that things will go back to the way they were?" She asked quietly, knowing that despite the fact she was in a private room, there were still guards outside the door that could easily hear their conversation.
"Yes I do. Sam, we can put this behind us. I know we can." He tried, desperately wanting her to stay.
She sighed heavily. "What are you going to tell Sara?" She asked, hating to be the one to bring it up. Sam really wanted to stay with the O'Neill's, but if they were going to put this behind them, then Sara factored into their 'put it all behind us' plan.
"How much of the truth do you think I could tell her?" He asked, thinking mostly of security and his wife's feelings.
"Not much." Sam told him.
"So, I'll tell her that most of it's classified, but we were attacked." He tried.
After a moment of thought, Sam finally relented. "Alright. But if things get really weird then I'm gone." She told him, offering a compromise.
"If things get that weird, then I'll help you look for a place with no stairs myself." He agreed, hoping that it didn't come to that.
Sam nodded. "We're going to be okay then?" She asked, swallowing hard.
Jack took her hand in his and smiled. "We're going to be just fine Sammy." He told her, glad that she was going to stay and enjoying the look that graced her features at the use of her nickname.
"Don't call me Sammy." She ordered, closing her eyes as sleep and exhaustion overtook her once more.
Janet quietly closed the door behind her, glad that they had sorted this thing out. Even though they weren't the only ones that had said, or done, things that they weren't proud of, Carter and O'Neill seemed to be the ones who were most affected by the virus.
But they were all going to be okay.
~*+*~
Sam and Jack walked into the quiet house. It was late and they assumed that Sara was asleep. So, trying not to wake her, they quickly and quietly moved throughout the house and went to their respective rooms to get some much needed sleep.
Janet had wanted Sam to stay in the infirmary a little longer, but she agreed to let her go only if Sam promised nothing but rest for a few days.
Sam collapsed into bed with an audible sigh. She and Jack hadn't spoken about what happened since he came into the infirmary, and they planned to keep it that way. But no matter how hard she tried, Sam couldn't get the memory of what it was like to be with Jack out of her mind.
Even if they had been under the influence of an alien virus.
~*+*~
Jack crawled into bed and held his wife close. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt the need to have someone to hold tonight.
The memory of what it was like to be with Sam just wouldn't leave him alone and every time he closed his eyes, all he could think about was how he felt when they were together.
Sara rolled over. "Jack?" She murmured, pleased that he was home.
"Yeah, it's me." He told her. She sighed and snuggled further into his arms.
The moonlight was shining through their bedroom window giving Sara enough light to see the marks on his neck. "What happened?" she asked, immediately concerned. She reached over and flicked on a light, which was how she noticed the small tape covering his eyebrow, indicating that he'd had stitches.
"Sam and I were attacked." He told her, closing his eyes against the light.
"On the way home, or is it a classified thing?" Sara asked, not really expecting him to be able to give out much information about it.
"It a classified thing." He told her.
Sara switched off the light. "As long as you and Sam are okay." She said, worried about Sam, considering how weak she was at the moment.
"We're fine." Jack told her, closing his eyes and letting a dream filled sleep overcome him. The pictures of a naked Sam flashing in his head.
~*+*~
She growled in frustration again.
Why couldn't she get to sleep? This was ridiculous, she was an ex fly- girl, had a doctorate in astrophysics, and was almost thirty-six years old and she couldn't get to sleep?
And all because she'd just had the most amazing sex of her life. With a happily married man.
When did things ever become this screwed up? Things used to be easier, and there was once a time when Sam knew exactly what was happening in her life. And now, she just had no idea what the hell was going on.
~*+*~
Jack awoke early in the morning. If he couldn't get any sleep than the least he could do was find something productive to occupy his time until the rest of the house was up.
He'd finally managed to get the thoughts of his encounter with Sam out of his mind around three this morning, of course by that time he had gone past tired, way beyond exhausted and he'd hit wide-awake.
So what else was there to do but clean?
He couldn't lay in bed, because every time he looked at his trusting wife he thought of his betrayal. He couldn't go in and try to clear the air with Sam again, because chances are that he'd fall asleep and he wasn't sure that Sara could handle finding the two of them in bed together for a third time.
At least if he put his head phones on and went around the house with a duster, then his troubles were bound to be drowned out by the pulsating sounds of Meatloaf ringing through his ears.
Although a few of the songs on the album were starting to make him think. Whoever sang lines like, "I want you, I need you. But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you." anyway? What kind of sappiness was that.
Jack sighed and decided to change the CD. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. That'd do. He smiled as he inserted the CD into his discman. He had fond memories of that particular album. Okay, so more accurately, he had fond memories of things that he used to *do* listening to that album.
"You used to get stoned to that too, huh?" Sam asked, amused, standing at the door to his study.
Jack looked up to see her standing there smiling, she was holding a glass of water and he assumed that's why she'd gotten out of bed in the first place, she had her crutches perched underneath her arms.
"I'm not sure I should answer that." He joked, making her smile.
"Come on, if I can admit that I rolled a few joints then you can admit that you got stoned listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Everybody got stoned to that album!" She exclaimed, lowering herself onto the sofa that was near the door to his study, her crutches leaning against the arm of the couch.
"I never thought of you as the joint rolling type." He admitted, sitting next to her, their thighs almost touching.
"Thank god you only have to be young and stupid once!" She exclaimed, laughing with Jack.
"Hate to rain on the parade." Sara started from the doorway, "But it's not even daylight yet. Don't you think that you should get some sleep considering the attack yesterday." She told them, watching as they both visibly tensed at the mention of their attack.
"Yeah, I just needed to get a glass of water." Sam said, standing and using her crutches to hop back to her room. She was getting better at walking, it was still a challenge, but Sam didn't feel like she was relying on them too much.
Jack watched as Sam smiled at them before entering her room and gently closing the door behind her. He stared at the door for a moment until he realised that his wife was getting a little annoyed at his continued silence.
He mentally shook himself and crawled into bed and allowed Sara to snuggle up to him, the whole time he couldn't stop his thoughts from returning to his and Sam's 'attack.'
~*+*~
"Morning." Jack greeted his friends. When he had finally fallen asleep this morning, he had slept for a lot longer than anticipated, which would explain why Daniel, Teal'c, Sam and Sara were all sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.
"O'Neill." Teal'c returned, nodding his head slightly. "I trust that you are well?" He asked, all bar Sara understanding the double meaning to his words.
"I'm fine thanks. Hows life at the mountain?" He asked, sitting down next to Sam and trying to ignore the spark he felt when her thigh lightly brushed his under the table.
"It is pleasant, thank you O'Neill." He nodded and Jack soon found himself engaged in a conversation with Daniel and Sam, about the young archaeologist's new apartment.
Sara sighed as she looked at the clock. She was due to meet a friend of her's in an hour, and it would take her half of that just to get to where she had to be. She rose from the table and then emptied the last of her coffee cup's contents into the sink before walking back to the table to bid farewell to the close knit group.
"Are you going out?" Jack asked, wondering what the chances were that she'd already told him about her plans for today and he hadn't been listening.
"Yeah, I have to meet Sandra for lunch and some shopping." She told him, leaving the room to finish getting prepared.
Sara's paranoia had finally died down and she realised that it was ridiculous for her to worry about her relationship with Jack. She should have learnt to trust him by now.
"What about this?" Sara asked, holding up a tight fitting purple sweater. They'd been shopping for over three hours now, and still were yet to purchase anything. Sam had vowed that as soon as she got her leg back to normal that she would start running again. She was beginning to put on a little weight and it was making some of her outfits look a little inappropriate.
"Okay." Sam shrugged, taking the garment and heading towards the change rooms. She pulled off her jumper and put the sweater on. As expected, it was too small for her. Sam sighed, everything was too small these days. She was getting sick of it.
"Well?" Sara called out from the other side of the change room door.
"Nope." Sam called back. "It's too small." She admitted, taking the indecently small top and putting her own, more comfortable, one on. She hung the store's top back on the coat hanger and opened the door to see Sara smiling at her.
"Doesn't matter. Want to blow off this shopping thing and go get something to eat?" She asked. Sam nodded, and after returning the top to it's place the two women left the store and went to find the nearest food court.
~*+*~
It wasn't possible.
Sam looked at it again. They weren't always accurate, right? She sighed, she'd known that there was a big possibility that she was pregnant for a few weeks now. She just hadn't been ready to accept it yet. And after looking at the little white stick, Sam wasn't sure that she was ready to accept it now either.
This just wasn't possible.
What was she going to do? What was she going to tell Jack? Sam took a sharp breath, what was she going to tell Sara? The woman had been really good to her for the past five or so months that they'd known each other and aside from Janet, who was usually working, Sara was the only real female friend that Sam had.
And she'd betrayed her.
Sam laughed a little. At least she knew why her clothes had stopped fitting her. Now that it was obvious that this wasn't something that she could work off, Sam figured that she could start buying clothes that would fit her more comfortably than the ones she currently owned.
Sam placed a protective hand over her stomach, she needed to get out of here, and fast. They were all supposed to be going out to dinner tonight to celebrate Sam's progress in physiotherapy. It had been going fairly well, and she was off the crutches. Although she still had a fairly obvious limp, and stairs were still impossible, things were getting easier to do and she was slowly starting to get back to work.
"Sammy, you okay?" Jack called through the door. Sam had been in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes now, and their restaurant booking was at eight, which meant that they had to leave now or they'd miss their table.
She opened the door, hoping that the foundation would cover the bags under her eyes. Janet had mentioned about the possibility of her being pregnant almost a week ago, and she'd hardly got any sleep since.
Sam smiled at Jack, and hoped like hell that she looked sincere. "Ready?" She asked, walking past him to get her coat from her room.
Jack nodded and walked towards her room and watched as she limped around getting her things together.
~*+*~
"Would you like a drink?" Jack asked the two women once they were seated. Thankfully, they'd made it to the restaurant on time.
"I'll have a water thanks." Sam replied, not sure what alcohol would do to the baby. She smiled a little, she had a life growing inside of her!
"Water?" Jack repeated, "Don't you want a real drink?" He joked.
"Um, the new drug that I'm on, Naprasyn, doesn't go very well with alcohol." She told them, thankful to her GP for putting her on the drug to try and get the swelling of her back to go down.
"Okay, Sara?" He asked, watching as Sam looked uncomfortable.
"Ah, white wine, thanks." Sara told her husband, smiling as he left to go to the bar. "So, Sam, do you want to talk about it?" She asked, smiling at the younger woman.
Sam blinked a few times. "Ah . . .talk about what?" She asked, trying to will Jack to hurry up.
"Whatever it is that's bothering you." Sara leaned in a little closer to Sam. "We're friends Sam, you can talk to me." She told her.
"I know." Sam smiled and nodded. "I just feel a little down, that's all." She replied, absently keeping a hand over her stomach while playing with the corner of her napkin.
"Are you sure?" Sara asked, worried about her friend.
Sam nodded, and watched as Jack walked back towards their table with their drinks in hand. She was thankful that she didn't have to evade Sara's questions for the time being. Although, realistically, she knew that Sara would try and figure out what was wrong, Sam was only just getting used to the idea of being pregnant herself, and she didn't think that she was ready to share this latest revelation.
~*+*~
Dinner had gone well in Sam's opinion. She remembered thinking those very same thoughts just over five short months ago when she hadn't known Sara all that well, and the bond between SG-1, which was now very solid, had yet to be formed.
Teal'c and Daniel still went on missions with SG-2, but every time they were Earth side they'd come and visit Sam and Jack. Sometimes they'd sit and talk, or they'd go on picnics or to the movies. Sara didn't accompany them very often, but occasionally she went out with them.
Daniel was supposed to be coming over to take Sam out to lunch today. She had decided that she'd tell him about the baby and see what he had to say.
"Sammy, Daniel's here." Jack called, he and Sara were going to visit someone called Charlie today. Sam didn't know who he was, but every time they mentioned him, it seemed like they had suddenly become depressed.
Sam got all of her things together and left her room, gently closing the door behind her. "Bye." She waved before leaving the house to go and get in the car with Daniel.
"So how are you?" He asked, kissing her cheek and starting the car before making the short drive to the park.
"Okay." she replied quietly.
"Sam?" Daniel asked, pulling into the parking lot.
Sam didn't say anything, she just got out of the car and limped towards the spot that they always sat at. It was just under a tree, and they had taken to coming here regularly.
Daniel laid down their blanket and placed the picnic basket on the ground before helping Sam to sit down. "What's wrong?" He asked gently, pulling out a thermos of coffee.
"Nothing." She lied, knowing that Daniel could see through her bad attempt at sincerity.
"Don't lie." He smiled encouragingly. "I know you Sam, I can tell that there's something wrong. What is it?" He asked, placing a comforting hand on her's.
"I'm in love with Jack." She admitted, lowering her head in shame. She'd never meant for anything like this to happen.
"I thought so." Daniel nodded. It was obvious to him that there was chemistry between his two friends and since Sam had her accident Jack seemed almost reluctant to leave her side.
"There's more." She told him, taking a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh." Daniel muttered. Not at all surprised. "What are you going to do?" He asked, concerned.
"I don't know." She admitted, looking at the children playing in the park.
"Have you told Jack?" He asked quietly, not sure how Sam felt about the situation.
Sam shook her head negatively "No one needs to know right now." She told him. Daniel nodded, content with the knowledge that Sam knew what she was doing.
He hoped.
~*+*~
I got my heart set,
My feet wet
But he don't even know yet
And no one needs to know right now
I'll tell him someday
Someway, somehow
But I'm gonna keep it a secret
For now.
We'll have a little girl,
Or a little boy
A little Benji we call Leroy
And no one needs to know right now.
Am I dreaming?
Or stupid?
But boy I've been hit by Cupid
And no one needs to know right now.
No one needs to know - Shania Twain
~*+*~
The day at the park with Daniel had been exactly what Sam needed. They had spent the remainder of the day talking about things in general and he somehow managed to let Sam allow herself to stop thinking about the situation and just relax.
She'd even joked about what she was going to do about the baby. It was too late for a termination, and Sam didn't think that she could do that anyway. She'd always thought of it as inhuman, even though she knew that some people were in a situation where they had no choice, she still couldn't do it.
Jack still had no idea, but he hadn't really been speaking much over the past week. Sam had accidentally overheard a conversation that Sara was having on the phone one day and she'd mentioned that the visit to see Charlie hadn't gone well.
Sam knew that she was starting to show, and it worried her a little. She had to tell Jack and Sara sooner or later, but she wanted to do that on her own terms, not have them find out because of her protruding stomach.
What was she going to do?
~*+*~
Jack took a long sip of his beer and looked up at the night sky. It was beautiful and he found himself slipping back into his old ways and dedicating the two stars, except this time he found one for Sam as well.
Sara wasn't home and wouldn't be for a few days so Jack had grabbed a six pack and headed straight for the roof. He wasn't even sure if Sam was home yet.
He finished the last of the beer and sat up for another, only to find that he had emptied the six pack already. He looked around just to confirm that there were five other empty bottles surrounding him. Jack sighed, now he'd have to go back into the house.
"Need some more?" He heard Sam ask as she stepped over the railing of the deck on his roof, beer in hand.
"Thanks." He nodded, smiling at her. "How'd you get up here?" Jack asked, remembering that Tony had told her not to do any unnecessary exercises.
"I used those funny things that we call legs." She replied, twisting the cap off a beer and handing it to him, while doing the same for herself. She knew that she shouldn't be drinking, but if she was going to have this conversation than she was damn sure that she would be numb enough first.
"I thought that you were supposed to rest those things that we call legs?" He asked, pulling back a long sip of his beer.
"I am, but I thought that we could have a chat." She started, before sitting down next to him on the ground and wondering why she brought this up after only a few mouth fulls of her drink.
"Okay." He shrugged.
"Jack, are you alright?" Sam asked, looking at her friend.
"Not really. Sara's gone back to her father. It really doesn't look good for him at the moment." He told her and it only just occurred to Sam that she wasn't home.
"I'm really sorry about that." Sam said honestly, she knew all too well what it was like to have a parent die. Even though her mother had died instantly, and Sara's father had contracted cancer, the pain was still very much the same.
"I know, so am I." He replied, nodding his head.
"So do you want to talk about it?" Sam asked, looking up at the sky. She had travelled to many of those stars, and it only just occurred to her that there was a big possibility that she'd be taken off duty for a while.
"Talk about what, Charlie?" He asked, knowing that he was yet to tell Sam about his son and the family that he'd had and lost.
"If that's what's bothering you, then yeah." She replied, wondering about this Charlie.
Jack sighed, he should have a few more beers before he even attempted to have this conversation, but he might as well get it over with now. "Charlie was our son, but he died."
Sam gasped in horror. "I'm so sorry." She told him, eyes wide with her mind on her baby.
Jack continued after taking a deep breath "It was my gun. I'd put it away and Charlie found it, he was playing with it while Sara and I were out the front and all of a sudden there was this loud bang. I will never forget what it was like to see the life of my child slumped on the floor with blood seeping from him." Jack stopped to compose himself and settled for finishing the last of his beer and opening another for himself.
Sam sighed. That had to be the most horrifying story that she had ever heard. But she had to give Jack and Sara credit for staying together through the ordeal. No doubt it would have been hard, they must really love each other if they could survive that, Sam decided.
"I had no idea." She admitted, finishing off the last of her beer.
"I know you didn't. I didn't want anyone to know. It's not the kind of thing that you talk about at dinner time." He joked, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.
"So I take it that it was the anniversary last weekend, when I went to the park with Daniel?" Sam asked and Jack nodded. "Any other kids?" Sam couldn't help but ask and she knew that she'd be slapping herself on the forehead over that question for a while to come.
"No, Sara had a lot of trouble with the pregnancy and so we decided that one was enough. She had a hysterectomy shortly after Charlie's first birthday." He said, sipping more of his beer.
"Did you want more children?" Sam found herself asking as she opened another beer.
"Oh yeah!" He replied with feeling. "Especially now considering Charlie's gone, but it's a little late for me." He told her.
Sam nodded and smiled. At least she knew that Jack wanted children. Before tonight she wasn't even sure how he felt about being a father.
Sam was thankful for small mercies.
Morning came soon enough but Sam and Jack lay entwined on the roof, both slumbering peacefully. Which was exactly what they both needed.
Jack needed the chance to forget about the pain caused by what had happened to Charlie and Sam just needed to feel the arms of someone around her. Someone that wouldn't lie and say that 'everything would be alright.'
~*+*~
You can say it's alright,
But I know that you're breaking up inside
I see it in your eyes
Even you face the night afraid and alone
That's why I'll be there
You can sleep in my arms
You don't have to explain
When your hearts crying out
Baby, whisper my name
When the storm rises up
When the shadows descend
Every beat of my heart
Every day without end I will stand like a rock I will bend till I break. Till there's no more to give, If that's what it takes.
I will risk everything
I will fight I will bleed
I will lay down my life
If that's what you need
Every second I live,
That's the promise I make
Baby that's what I'll give
If that's what it takes.
-Celine Dion, If that's what it takes
~*+*~
Jack was the first one awake, which wasn't unusual for him. He was used to getting up reasonably early and pottering around until everyone else had awoken. But today, he looked at his watch, and realised that it was well after eight. Unusual for him to be asleep so long. He must have needed it.
He looked down at Sam and smiled. She looked so peaceful when she slept, like an innocent child. Of course, if she knew that he thought that then she'd probably do some serious damage to his vital organs.
But she really did look amazing lying on his chest like this, her hair was everywhere and for not the first time in his life, he was glad that Sara had always kept her hair short. He didn't know how Sam could stand the long strands always in her face. She was continuously pushing the side bits behind her ears, well aware that they would fall back around her face sooner or later. Sara never had that problem with her short hair.
Jack sighed and shook his head, there he went comparing them again. Why did he keep doing that? It's not like he had any unprofessional feelings towards Carter, was it?
Sam moved on his chest and groaned, her back couldn't handle nights on the floor like it used to. And not to mention the baby.
"Morning." Jack whispered, well aware that their alcohol consumption the night before had been well above her recommended intake with this new medication. Jack smiled when she groaned and tried to bury her face in his chest.
"You have to get up sooner or later." He told her, laughing at her attempts to snuggle further into his body.
"Is it really morning already?" She asked, rolling off him and falling back on the blanket that they had been sharing.
"Yep. 'Fraid so." He yawned, looking at her messed up appearance. Jack couldn't help but admire how the 'just woken up and haven't brushed my hair' appearance suited Sam.
"I didn't get that memo." She joked, stretching. Judging by the pain in her stomach, Sam guessed that the baby was already accustomed to a bed.
"You okay?" Jack asked, watching as she winced at the action of stretching. He knew that she shouldn't have stayed up here last night, it wasn't any good for her back.
"Yeah, just a little sore." She lied, biting her lip to keep from screaming. Sam shook her head and made a mental note not to voluntarily sleep on the ground for a while.
"Come on, I'll run you a hot bath." Jack offered and Sam was up like a flash at the prospect of a nice warm bath to relax in.
~*+*~
Sam slowly slid back into the water and moaned. This was heavenly, it had been a long time since Sam could honestly say that she was comfortable, but now was one of those times. The feel of the water caressing her skin from head to toe was amazing, and she wondered why she hadn't just layed back in a bath before.
"You still breathing in there Sammy?" Jack called through the bathroom door, he'd heard Sam moan and wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Oh yeah, I'm good!" She called back, moving her right leg until it was bent and in a more comfortable position.
"Need anything?" He asked, smiling at the relaxed tone of her voice.
"About four more months in this tub!" she joked, closing her eyes.
"I'll see what I can do." He returned. "Just call if you need anything." Jack said before moving away from the door. It was too tempting to just open the door and go in and join her.
Sam placed her hands over her abdomen and looked at the bump that had formed there. She still wasn't used to seeing it and it was still very surreal, in a nauseating kind of way.
Morning sickness hadn't been a very big thing in Sam's pregnancy so far, although she was sure that it would kick in sooner or later, it was yet to rear it's ugly head. For that she was very thankful.
She had managed to avoid telling Jack or Sara so far, but if she was vomiting every morning than the cat would be out of the bag sooner than she was ready for.
Daniel had promised to keep his mouth shut as long as she promised that she would tell people eventually. Although, he had made an offer that Sam was now seriously considering.
She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Sam realised that the water had gone stone cold and her toes were wrinkled up, indicating that she'd fallen asleep.
"Great." She muttered, standing and quickly drying herself off before throwing on her long silk robe. Sam pulled the bath plug out and headed out to the kitchen to get some much needed coffee.
Jack was sitting at the breakfast bar eating fruit loops. He was dressed in grey sweat pants and a black T-shirt, with nothing on his feet. He looked up when he heard someone emerging from the bathroom, and his heart nearly stopped at the sight of Sam dressed in a long purple silk robe, still slightly damp from her bath.
"Enjoy the water?" He asked, knowing that it must have been cold by now. She'd been in there for almost an hour.
"Yes thank you." She replied, moving to pour herself a cup of coffee. "What are you up to today?" Sam asked, staring out the kitchen window with her coffee in hand.
Jack shrugged, "Not sure really. I think I should probably cut the grass . . . After I get the door." He answered, hearing the bell ring and moving to get the door.
Jack opened his front door to find a strange man standing there. He was a little shorter than Jack, he had a beard and was wearing Jeans and a cream shirt.
"Can I help you?" Jack asked, scrutinising the man standing before him.
"I'm looking for Samantha." He replied, looking past Jack and into the house as though he wasn't even there.
It was at that moment that Sam came into the lounge room from the kitchen to find out who was at the door. "Who is it, Jack?" She asked, walking up behind him. It took a minute for her to register who owned the face that she was currently staring at.
"Jonas." She acknowledged, smiling thinly and making sure that her body was completely covered by her robe.
"Samantha, aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked, giving her a look that he had frequently used to try and control her with in the past.
"No." She replied firmly.
"Sammy, why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?" Jonas asked, and Jack noted what the other man had called Sam.
"Because you might as well be dead for all I care." She replied harshly.
"Can we talk?" He asked and glanced at Jack and added, "Privately."
Sam could tell that Jonas felt threatened by Jack, but why was beyond her. As far as she knew, the two men hadn't met yet. "No." She repeated, not willing to let herself get into what could be an ugly situation with this man.
"Sam, you know I still love you, right?" He asked.
"No." She shook her head.
Jonas growled in frustration. "Is 'no' the only word that you know these days?" He asked, menacingly.
Sam smiled coldly, and shook her head. "No."
"Don't you want to talk?" He asked
Sam shook her head again. Part of her was glad that Jack was here and the anther part of her really wished he didn't have to be here for this. "Not really. Why are you here?"
"I've been reassigned." He told her.
"To where?" Sam asked, sipping her coffee and widening her stance for a fight, not that she was up to it in her present condition, not just the baby but her back as well.
"The SGC." He replied with an evil smile on his face. He knew that she was working there, and he knew about all of her previous missions. That's how he'd found out where she was living and about the car accident that she'd had.
"Deep space radar telemetry?" Jack asked, diverting Jonas' attention from an appraisal of Sam's scantly clad body, back to him.
"You're Colonel O'Neill, you know what's really going on there." Jonas dead panned. Jack sighed. Was this guy as crazy as he seemed? Had he never heard of classified before?
"Excuse me." Sam said, walking to her bedroom and changing her clothes quickly. She didn't like the look that Jonas had given her, so she threw on the most baggy pair of pants and jumper that she could find in the space of thirty seconds, ignoring the pain in her back and leg caused by the quick movements. She glanced in the mirror and smiled, for someone who was hardly walking, she could get dressed in a hurry when she had to.
When Sam walked back out into the living room no one had moved. Jack was still standing at the door, holding it open, but ready to fight if he had to, and Jonas was still standing at the entrance to the house waiting for an invitation that he was never going to get. "Are you here for any specific reason, or are you just here to try and frighten me?" Sam asked bluntly as she limped back into the room.
Jonas looked at her with pleading eyes that Sam had seen many a time before. "I wanted to work things out between us. It was all a misunderstanding." He told her.
"I don't think so. I'm stronger than you think I am, and if you come near me again, you will be sorry." She told him, glad that she had suddenly tapped into this new found strength.
"What are you going to do? Hit me with a walking stick?" He asked, taunting her.
"Since you're working at the SCG, I assume you know who Teal'c is?" Sam asked, and when Jonas nodded she continued. "Right, he happens to be a very close friend of mine who would gladly hurt you if you hurt me. Leave." She told him, folding her arms, with a determined look on her face.
"Yeah, go back to screwing O'Neill, it's the only way you could get into the SGC." He muttered as he walked down the driveway towards his car.
~*+*~
I don't need your sympathy,
There's nothing you could say or do for me
And I don't want a miracle
You'll never change for no one
So you feel misunderstood
Baby have I got news for you
On being used, I could write the book
But you don't wanna hear about it
Come hell or waters high
You'll never see me cry
This is our last goodbye
It's true
Now I'm telling you
Now I'm strong enough
To live without you
Strong enough
And I've quit cryin' long enough
Now I'm strong enough to know
You've gotta go.
There's no more to say, so
Save your breath and walk away
No matter what I hear you say
I'm strong enough
To know, you gotta go
-Cher, Strong enough
~*+*~
Jack closed the door and took a deep breath. He honestly had no idea what that was about, but his instincts had told him that this guy was untrustworthy and he should be prepared for a fight, which he was. And judging by the last comment that Jonas had made on the way to his car, Jack's instincts were right.
He turned around to find Sam staring at the door, her eyes rooted to the spot where Jonas had just been. "You okay?" Jack asked, concern lacing his tone.
Sam didn't respond, and Jack took a few steps closer to her and tried again. "Sam?" She still didn't appear to hear him, and by now he was standing directly in front of her. "Sam!" He shouted.
Jack gently shook her shoulders and only then did he get her attention and when she looked at him, he saw the tears in her eyes and pulled her into a hug without a conscious thought to his wife, whom he didn't notice was standing in the doorway.
The first thing that Sara noticed was that this was getting to be a habit. She'd go to her father who would be virtually dead, just still breathing, and then he'd get better and when she'd return Sam and Jack would be hugging or cuddled up on the sofa.
Sara looked on as the couple embraced, and said nothing. She wasn't as insecure as she was when she'd first met Sam and was now used to the displays of affection that passed between her husband and this woman.
Sam glanced up, desperate for her tears to remain in her eyes and off Jack's shoulder, and she noticed Sara standing by the door, with her bags still in hand.
"Hey." Sam said, looking at her friend and moving out of Jack's embrace, much to his disappointment.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sara asked, hugging Sam briefly.
"Yeah." Sam replied. "Can we talk?" She asked, only loud enough for Sara to hear her.
Sara glanced at her husband who hadn't said anything yet, and nodded at Sam. She grabbed her bags and indicated for Sam to head down to their room. "Jack." Sara called, once she had his attention, he walked over and gave his wife a chaste kiss. "I'm going to have a chat with Sam while I unpack my things." Sara told him, and after he nodded his head she walked down to her room to find Sam sitting on her bed.
"Okay, so what's wrong?" Sara asked, concerned for her friend.
Sam looked up at the older woman and took a deep breath. She didn't want to lie to her friend but what she had come up with was as close to the truth as she dared go. "I fell in love with a guy from the base." Sam told her, looking downwards.
"Well, that's great. Isn't it?" Sara asked.
"He's with someone else." Sam admitted, biting her bottom lip in concentration.
"Married?" Sara asked, her thoughts running in directions that she didn't want to think about. She trusted Jack, and she trusted Sam.
"I'm not sure, I'm pretty certain he's married. Although it could be defacto, I didn't ask." Sam lied "But I didn't know he was involved with anyone when I first met him." She finished, pleased that she had told at least part of the truth. After all, when she and Jack had first met, she didn't know he was married.
Sara cursed herself for being so insecure. "So what's the problem? Unrequited love?" She asked, putting a few sweaters back into their place.
"Well that's just it. We sort of got involved." Sam answered, hanging up one of Sara's shirts for her.
"And he doesn't want it to continue?" Sara asked, putting her first, now empty, suitcase under the bed.
"He's happy with his wife, it's just that I'm completely in love with him." Sam replied, moving to help Sara with the second bag.
"Are you prepared to break up their marriage?" She asked, wondering if her friend was in fact Susie home wrecker in disguise.
"No!" Sam answered quickly. She and Sara had become good friends and Sam wouldn't jeopardise her and Jack's marriage for the sake of her own happiness. "It's just that . . .I don't want to break up their marriage, or get in the middle of it, but I found out that I'm pregnant." Sam confessed, smiling ruefully.
Sara's eyes went wide as she looked at the younger woman in shock. "Really?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah, really." Sam replied. Sara covered her mouth with her hands and let out an excited squeal and Sam let out a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding.
"Oh my god! This is so wonderful!" Sara exclaimed, hugging Sam. "Isn't it?" She asked, looking at Sam's depressed face.
"I guess." She replied. "I am happy about the baby, but you and Daniel are the only one's who know. I haven't even told the father yet." She shrugged, wondering if she should have told Jack first.
"Ooh. That could get messy." Sara told her, confirming what Sam had already figured out. "How far along are you?" She asked.
Sam hesitated. This was the question that she didn't want to answer. She had always been told that the trick with lying is telling as much of the truth as you possibly can, so with that in mind she replied. "Four months. I didn't know until a week ago." She told her.
"You didn't notice?" Sara asked, a little surprised that Sam hadn't seen the signals.
"No, since the accident, my body hasn't been behaving as it should, so there wasn't exactly a way for me to keep track of fertile times." She joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Sara nodded and thought for a moment. "Hey, four months ago you were only barely out of hospital, right?" She asked, wondering why Sam was engaging in those sort of activities so soon after coming out of hospital.
Jack chose that moment to knock lightly before opening his bedroom door. "Sara, you have a phone call." He told her. Sara nodded and left the room before mouthing 'tell him' to Sam.
"Jack, can I have a word?" Sam asked, wondering if he'd buy the same story that Sara did. Not likely.
Jack sat down next to Sam on his bed "Sure, what's up?" He asked, wondering why it seemed so natural for Sam to be on his bed.
"I met someone." She lied, hearing her heart break in her chest.
Jack felt his own heart break in that instant. Once he'd taken a deep breath and realised that he was being selfish, after all he was married, and he finally found enough of his voice to respond. "That's great. When do we get to meet him?"
"You don't. It was a one time thing and it was four months ago." She shrugged, hating the fact that she was lying to her best friend and the father of her baby.
"So, why are you bringing it up now?" he asked, confused.
"Because I'm pregnant Jack." She told him, looking at the bedspread as opposed to his face.
Jack's head shot up and his eyes mysteriously found hers. "Are you serious?" He asked, the broken pieces of his heart sitting in his throat.
"Yeah." Sam nodded.
"Congratulations are in order I guess." Jack said, shrugging, unsure of what to say or do.
"Not really. I'm four months pregnant, there is nothing that I can do about it. I don't have a choice here." Sam admitted, knowing very well that she couldn't get rid of Jack's child even if she had to.
He was just contemplating a reply when Jack heard his wife call out to him. "Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are here!" Sara called from the kitchen.
Jack had forgotten that Daniel and Teal'c were coming over for a drink this afternoon.
"I told Daniel yesterday." Sam told him, answering the unasked question obviously burning in his mind.
Jack nodded and stood, leaving the room and Sam to sit on the bed and stare after him wishing she could tell him the truth. Daniel stuck his head around the door a moment later, only to find Sam still sitting on the edge of the bed, unmoving.
"Sam?" He asked, walking into the room.
"Hey Daniel. How are you?" She asked.
"Good. You?" He replied.
"I told them." She admitted, smiling a small and sad smile.
"How'd they take it?" Daniel asked, walking further into the room to sit on the bed next to her.
"I told them that I had an affair with a married man and it's over. I went into a little more detail with Sara, but they know about the baby." She told him.
"Why don't you think about my offer?" Daniel asked.
"Thanks Daniel, but I couldn't live with you. Not with a baby on the way. It's going to be hard enough looking for a nice place as it is." She told him, swinging her good leg back and forth.
"You're definitely moving out?" Daniel asked.
"Like hell she is." Came a voice from the doorway. Sam and Daniel looked up to see Jack standing there, with his arms folded across his chest.
"I'll leave you to it." Daniel muttered, aware that neither of his friends were paying any attention to him. It was amazing how these two could phase out the entire world in the company of each other.
"Jack, I'm going to have a baby, you and Sara don't need the extra hassle." She told him, silently glad that he didn't appear to want her to leave. It was nice to feel wanted.
"So? We love having you here, and besides, if you move out, then whose going to teach the little guy to play hockey?" Jack asked, placing a gentle hand on Sam's small stomach, and she was thankful that he didn't notice her jump at the contact of his soft hands.
"I can't do that to you and Sara." Sam shook her head, the pictures of her giving birth with Jack holding her hand were not helping the situation.
Jack plainly ignored the comment. "Thought of any names yet?" He asked, diverting her attention.
"Not really." Sam shrugged. She'd love to name the baby after his father. Assuming of course it was a boy. She hadn't exactly been having regular ultrasounds to find out.
"Call him Jack. It's a good strong name." He told her, smiling.
"Okay." Sam agreed, pleased that she had the chance to name her baby after his father. That's it, Sam decided, she was definitely having a boy.
"Sammy, I was kidding." Jack hurriedly told her.
"No, you're right. Jack is a good name. If I have a boy then I'll call him Jack." Sam nodded, her mind made up.
Jack sat up from his position hunched over her stomach and smiled at her. He was pleased that she wanted to give her child his name. He briefly wondered who the father was, but quickly realised that it didn't matter, this was Sam's child and the paternity wasn't important.
He suddenly found himself leaning towards Sam, and she to him. It was only now that his brain caught up to the present situation and allowed him to realise that he was about to kiss Sam.
Her lips felt wonderful beneath his. More than that, they felt . . .right. Something that he hadn't experienced for a long time. And never with Sara.
For the first time in years Sam felt truly at home, she felt safe and was content to lose herself in Jack's kiss, no matter how wrong it was.
~*+*~
I don't wanna think about it.
Don't wanna think clear
And don't analyse, What I'm doing here
Wanna be impulsive.
Reckless.
And loose myself in your kiss
You're giving me feeling
It's a sudden rush
Acting on a moment
Spontanious
I'm gonna be impulsive.
Reckless.
And loose myself in your kiss.
-Wilson Philips, Impulsive
~*+*~
"Sam told me that you know about the baby." Sara mentioned to Daniel as she sat at the kitchen table, waiting for her husband to finish talking to Sam. Teal'c was using the bathroom, an act which Daniel seemed to find amusing for reasons unknown to Sara.
"Yeah." Daniel nodded, not willing to divulge too much information. After all, he wasn't sure exactly what Sara had been told.
"Do you know the father?" She asked, sipping her coffee.
Daniel followed her lead and took a drink from his own beverage while he tried to decide how best to answer her. "I met him once or twice." He admitted.
"Is he a nice guy?" Sara asked, trying to find out *something* about the father of Sam's baby.
"Sam obviously likes him." Daniel shrugged, not wanting to say much more. He was planning to diplomatically stay out of this situation.
"Obviously." Sara repeated, wondering if everything was aright between Sam and her husband. "I'm going to go and see what's taking them so long." She muttered, standing and walking towards her bedroom door, which was currently shut. She opened the door and gasped at the sight that greeted her.
Sam and Jack were locked in a passionate embrace, with their lips firmly locked together, and Sara was having a hard time trying to determine where one began and the other ended.
Sara had no idea what to say or do, and a screaming match between her husband and herself at this moment would not be a good thing. Given the fact that they had company, and she had no clue what she was going to say. Although the scissors option was looking very good at the moment.
She backed out of the room slowly and quietly closed the door, only mildly surprised that neither of the pair had heard her entrance. But they were presently very occupied, her brain supplied.
Sara took a deep breath and knocked loudly on the door frame, praying that the couple had heard her. When she opened the door again, she quickly realised that they had, Jack was pacing around the window and Sam was looking at the floor.
Sara had to force herself to be civil. "Everything alright?" she asked politely, smiling at the two.
"Sure, we were just on our way out." Jack muttered, brushing past her with a guilty expression gracing his features.
"Yeah, sure." Sara mumbled, following her husband out of the room and back to the chair that she had vacated a minute ago.
"So Jack, any plans on your return to full-time work?" Daniel was asking as Sam walked out of the room. She briefly considered going to use the bathroom before rejoining them to ensure that she looked presentable, but saw that it was occupied so she hoped that she looked decent.
"I don't know." Jack shrugged, moving to make himself a coffee.
Daniel smiled at Sam, and began to worry about her when she didn't return the gesture. He made a mental note to ask her if she was alright later. He didn't know what she and Jack had spoken about in the bedroom, and he probably never would, but whatever it was, it had certainly upset her.
"Do you guys want to go out for lunch?" Daniel asked, downing the last of his coffee.
"Okay." Sam shrugged.
"I think I'll pass. But you kids have fun." Jack told them, trying to regain a somewhat normal breathing pattern.
"Sara?" Daniel tried.
"No thanks, Daniel. Maybe next time." Sara replied, glad for the chance to spend some time with her husband. After all, there was an argument that was bound to come between them.
~*+*~
Sam and Daniel left almost immediately, sensing the tension between the couple. Even though Daniel didn't really know what was going on, he was smart enough to flee and attempt to be left out of the situation. He didn't want to be involved if he didn't have to be.
Sam had been in a pensive mood ever since they left the house and she was completely silent for the drive to the small cafe in the centre of town. Daniel was beginning to worry about her, but he chose to let her get lost in her thoughts.
It wasn't until after he had parked the car that he realised that Sam had probably barely even registered that they had been driving. "Sam?" He finally asked.
She jerked out of her thoughts and turned to face her friend. "Sorry, I was miles away." She smiled, trying to put on a reassuring face.
"You wanna go inside?" Daniel asked, gesturing towards the cafe.
Sam nodded and a few lone tears that had been held in her eyes fell onto her lap. The tiny droplets of moisture made stains on her white jeans and she quickly wiped her eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, putting a hand on her arm.
"We kissed." She admitted and Daniel didn't have to ask to know who she was talking about, it was fairly obvious.
"Oh." He muttered, not sure what to say.
"I'm in love with him Daniel. And I have no idea what to do." She cried, letting him wrap his arms around her. It was awkward given their current seating position, but he managed to do it with minimal difficulties.
"It'll be alright." He whispered, stroking her hair lightly. In the time that they had known each other Sam and Daniel had formed a close bond, and had become like brother and sister.
"I want to tell him that this is his baby. We talked the other night and he sounded so desperate for another child, and I can give that to him!" She told him, her voice pleading with him to understand.
"I know Sam, but are you prepared to destroy Sara in the process?" He asked, hating to be the one to play devil's advocate. He knew that there was a very real chance that Sam couldn't deal with the thought of Sara at the moment, but he had to bring it up.
Sam pulled out of his arms and looked out the window. "No, I couldn't do that. Not to her, she's been so good to me." Sam decided after a moment's silence.
"Then you're stuck." Daniel shrugged.
"I know." Sam agreed tearfully and the two friends spent the remainder of the afternoon in the car eating take-out near the lake.
~*+*~
Sara sighed. They had been alone for an hour and all attempts to get Jack engaged in a conversation had failed. As soon as Sam and Daniel had left, Jack had gone out into the garden to do a bit of work that he hadn't gotten around to earlier in the month.
Jack walked back into the house to get a drink of water. He knew that he should talk to Sara, and he wanted to, but every time he went to say something, nothing came out.
"Jack?" Sara called, walking into the kitchen. She had to talk to him about what she'd seen this morning. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling that what she walked in on this morning wasn't their first kiss. They looked too comfortable in each other's arms.
"We need to talk." He said, mimicking the words that she'd had planned.
"You want to sit down?" She asked her husband and then followed him to the dining room table. At least they were starting out civil, she thought gratefully. How it would end was another matter.
"You wanna go first?" He asked, not looking forward to this conversation. He'd been expecting it for a while. He hadn't meant to fall in love with Sam, even though he was sure that she didn't feel the same way.
"I saw you kissing Sam this morning." Sara told him, calmly.
Jack's head shot up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen." He replied, looking at the tabletop. Jack briefly wondered why she wasn't screaming at this point, it was usually how all of their other fights had progressed, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"I know. And for some reason, I'm not mad." She laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh, more like an ironic one.
"You're not?" Jack asked, surprised. He'd expected yelling, screaming, tears and maybe the mention of scissors. Not a calm woman who caught her husband kissing another woman.
"No. You can't help who you fall in love with." Sara shrugged. She didn't want to fight. They had done enough of that throughout their marriage, and Sara was sick of it.
"Wait a minute," Jack started, holding up his hands. "I never said that I was in love with Sam."
"You don't have to, Jack." Sara told him, wondering why he was so reluctant to admit what she could plainly see.
"How'd you know?" He asked, dumbstruck.
"Because you used to look at me the way you look at Sam, and I know you." She told him, wondering why this was such an easy conversation for her to have.
"So what happens now?" He asked, saddened at the thought that he'd hurt Sara.
"I'm going to move out, find a place and get on with my life." She shrugged, what more was there for her to do?
"I think I should go for a walk." Jack told her, standing.
"Good idea." Sara agreed. "Dinner is at seven, don't be late." She told him, watching as he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.
Sara stood and walked towards the bedroom, to pack some of her things. She leaned against the wall near the entrance to the room and slowly slid down until she hit the ground. All of the emotions that she had ignored for the past five months came flooding back to her and she cried into her hands.
~*+*~
Close the door,
Shut the world away
All the fight's gone from this wounded heart
Across the floor
Dreams and shadows play
Like wind blown refugees
Call the man
Who deals in love beyond repair
He can heal the world
Of hearts in need of care
Shine a light ahead
When the next step is unclear
Call the man
He's needed here
I close my eyes
I remember when
Your sweet love filled this empty room
The tears I cry won't bring it back again
Unless the lonely star should fall
-Celine Dion, Call the man
~*+*~
Jack walked along the streets of his neighbourhood, his mind going a million miles per hour. He couldn't stop his thoughts racing. There were so many questions running through his mind.
Did Sam feel the same way? Who was the father of her baby? Would she want to stay with him or move out and try and win the father of her baby over? Why did he have to fall in love with her?
He just continued to walk, not really seeing where he was going, and he didn't notice Sam and Daniel drive by.
"Stop the car!" Sam told her friend.
"What?" He asked. Daniel had been concentrating on the road, and therefore hadn't seen Jack walking passed.
"Ah . . .I think I'm going to walk home." She lied, hoping that Jack didn't get too far ahead of her.
"Okay, are you sure?" He asked, brotherly concern showing through his words.
"Yeah, it may help clear my head." She told him, kissing his cheek goodbye and grabbing her bag before jumping out of the car.
Sam walked, or limped, as fast as she could to catch up with Jack. It took her a few minutes, and she knew that her body would be sore in the morning, but she finally managed to get to him. "Hey, stranger." She muttered, surprising him from behind. Jack turned around and was shocked to see Sam standing there, smiling at him.
"Hey, what's a girl like you doing out on these streets?" He teased, smiling.
Sam returned the gesture as they started walking together "Picking up strange men." She laughed, and Jack thought that it was a good sound, one that he wished he heard more often. "What's wrong?" She asked, looking at the scenery passing them by as they walked.
"Sara and I split up." He told her, trying to gauge her reaction.
"Really? I'm sorry, do you want to talk about it?" She offered, looking at him intently. Sam was unsure if she has happy about this for her own selfish reasons, or sad for Jack.
"Not really much to say. We split, and she's going to move out." He told her, shrugging his shoulders.
"What are you going to do?" Sam asked, studying his handsome eyes.
"Go back to work. Get a dog?"
"I can't see you with a dog." She laughed, and Sam noticed that they had turned onto their street and were almost home.
"Never know. Your little Jack needs a pet." He told her, smiling.
"You still want me to stay?" She asked, shocked to say the least.
"Of course. Did you think that I wanted you to move out?" He asked, worried about what sort of impression he'd given her.
"I don't know. But could you handle having little Jack running around?" She joked, making him smile.
"I think I can live with that." He murmured, pulling her into a hug.
Sara watched from the window as they embraced and picked up the phone to call a cab. She had to get out of there before her calm exterior faded and she lost it completely. At least Sam and Jack would be happy.
~*+*~
They sat together at the table, eating the Lasagne that Sara had left. Although this time there was no note to inform Jack where she was, at a friend's more than likely.
He was concerned for her, knowing that she would be upset, but he had no idea where to start looking, and if he admitted it to himself, he was enjoying the time alone with Sam. Even though she wasn't saying much, caught up in her own thoughts no doubt, her company was enough to soothe his confused heart.
"Do you want some more?" Sam asked, still feeling hungry herself.
"Sure. I'll get it." He told her, taking both of their plates into the kitchen to get some more food.
The phone rang while Jack was still in the kitchen, so Sam moved to answer it. "Hello?"
"Sam, it's Sara." A voice replied.
"How are you?" Sam asked, concerned for her friend.
"I'm okay. I will be. I just wanted to let you guys know that I've found a motel, and I'll let you know when I find a place to stay." The other woman told her.
"Okay. I'm glad you called, I was worried. If you need anything, I'm here for you." Sam replied sincerely.
"Thanks, bye." She muttered, hanging the phone up before Sam could offer to put Jack on.
"Who was it?" He asked, walking back with two full plates in his hands.
"Sara. She's got a motel room." Sam told him, studying his face for a reaction, one that she didn't get from his impassive features.
"Is she alright?" He asked, taking a mouthful of his dinner.
"I'd imagine that she's been better." Sam replied, looking at the tabletop in the hopes that it would give her the answers that her heart, and brain, were desperately seeking.
Jack nodded his head and offered nothing more in the way of conversation until he said goodnight, when she went to bed, after they had sat quietly on the couch watching television for the remainder of the evening.
~*+*~
Sam awoke from her peaceful dreams a little after midnight. Her body was still tired, but her bladder was telling her otherwise.
Sighing, she walked out of her room and went in to use the bathroom. Once she had finished, Sam had planned to return to bed but she saw the illumination coming from the lounge room and assumed that Jack either couldn't sleep, or was yet to go to bed.
She walked down the hall, her hand instinctively holding onto her sore back. Sam was unsure if it was because of the baby, or from her injuries, which were yet to fully heal.
"Jack?" She called quietly, her hand remaining on her back. She found him sprawled on the couch watching Letterman.
"Sam? What are you doing out of bed?" He asked, sitting up from his reclined position so that she could sit down.
"I had to pee. Again." She laughed, the hand that wasn't occupied with her back absently moving to her stomach almost protectively.
"Ah, one of the joys of pregnancy." Jack smirked, watching as she started to rub her back more forcefully. "Back pain?" he queried, remembering how much pain Sara had been in throughout her pregnancy with Charlie.
"Yeah, I think it's the baby, although it could be from the accident." She shrugged, Sam didn't really care where it was coming from. She just wanted to alleviate it.
"Turn around and face the end of the lounge." Jack instructed and she complied, trusting him completely.
He moved up behind her, his legs going either side of her body while her back was almost touching his front. Soft, warm hands began to caress the tense muscles of her back and Sam couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips at his touch. He was amazing at this, she decided.
"Like that?" Jack murmured in her ear and Sam could only moan and nod blindly in response.
"A little ... a little to the left." She managed to groan out.
Jack followed her directions and moved his hands a little to the left, loving the purring sound she made, resembling a cat getting it's back stroked. "Better?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah!" She groaned happily.
The massage continued for another twenty minutes or so, and both were enjoying the contact, even if it wasn't overtly sexual, the closeness was what they both needed.
"Feel better?" He asked, stopping the caress, but he left his hands on the small of her back.
"Definitely. I wish I knew that you could give massages, I would have been hounding you months ago." She laughed, surprised at his hidden talent.
"Anytime Sammy." He shrugged, wrapping her in his arms. Sam leaned back to rest against him, closing her eyes in contentment.
The couple laid there, enjoying the time that they were spending together, when suddenly Sam gave a startled yelp.
Jack immediately released her, fearing that he'd done something wrong. "What is it?" He asked, panic stricken.
Sam grabbed his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. It was then that the two parents, despite Jack's ignorance to the paternity of the baby, felt the tiny life move in Sam. "Little Jack wanted to say hello." She whispered, mesmerised at the feeling of their baby kicking. She contemplated telling him that he was the father of the active baby growing inside her at that moment, but decided against it in case he decided to 'do the right thing.' In Sam's opinion, Jack needed time to get over his break up with Sara, and he didn't need to be told just yet, but she promised herself that she would tell him.
"Wow, this is amazing. I've never felt a baby kick for the first time before." He admitted, smiling at the woman in his arms.
"What about Charlie?" Sam asked, reluctant to bring such a painful topic up, but curious none the less.
"I was away when he kicked for the first time. I felt him kick after that but all of the parenting books I read said that the first kick was special." He explained.
"Got any of those parenting books handy?" She asked, relaxing in his arms.
"I'll have a look for you." He promised, smiling at her. "You should think about bed." He told her, smiling fondly.
"No, I'm comfortable here." She murmured sleepily.
"Night Sammy." He whispered, pulling the afghan over them and resting his hands on her stomach, much like a protective father would.
Turning the television off by remote, Jack happily followed Sam's lead and fell into a deep sleep with the woman he loved in his arms, even if he didn't think his feelings were reciprocated, he was happy with whatever Sam offered him.
~*+*~
In this life we're just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
I'm not afraid anymore.
Ooh baby do you know what that's worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on Earth
They say in heaven, love comes first
Who makes heaven a place on Earth?
Ooh heaven is a place on Earth.
-Belinda Carlisle, Heaven is a place on Earth
~*+*~
Sam woke from the best sleep she'd had in a long time, feeling safe, relaxed, happy and in desperate need of a bathroom. She tried to move, but Jack's sleep soaked brain obviously decided that she should stay here on the couch with him.
"'Morning." He murmured into her ear and Sam shivered as his warm breath tickled her cool lobe.
"I have to pee again." She laughed, and Jack let her get up and go to the bathroom.
When she finally emerged he was waiting for her with a cup of steaming hot coffee. "Thank you." She told him gratefully, accepting the mug.
"What are you up to for the day?" He asked, joining her on the couch once more.
"I have a doctor's appointment for my first ultrasound." She smiled. "I was kind of hoping you'd come with me?" She asked, hoping that he agreed.
"I'd be honoured." He nodded, returning her smile affectionately.
"Great, well it's at ten so what do you say to going out to lunch afterwards?" She offered.
Jack nodded and they both went to their respective rooms to get dressed so that they wouldn't be late for the appointment, they'd only realised the time after Sam had come out of the bathroom after having a shower. A look at the clock in the hall telling them that it was after nine and they needed to hurry.
~*+*~
Jack held Sam's hand while the doctor raised her shirt and lowered her stretch pants a little, revealing her stomach that was slowly getting larger, making all aware of her pregnancy.
"This'll be cold." Dr Janelle Peterson warned, applying the cool gel to her swelling abdomen. "Okay, now if you watch the screen, you should see your baby in just a sec . . . " The doctor's words were cut short as she stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Doc?" Jack asked, feeling Sam grip his hand harder in fear.
"I'll be back in a minute. Don't worry Sam, nothing's wrong." She reassured, but Sam wasn't convinced as she saw the doctor rush out of the room.
"Jack?" She asked, her voice shaky with tears in her eyes.
"It'll be alright Sammy, don't fret." He told her, his deep brown eyes comforting her through her fear.
Before Sam could respond, Doctor Peterson re-entered the room with another Doctor in tow. "Sam, this is Doctor Larry Wielder, he's just going to have a look at your ultrasound, okay? You have nothing to worry about." The young woman smiled, her long auburn hair falling around her face.
Sam nodded, unable to make her voice work. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but no sounds would come out. Jack squeezed her hand reassuringly.
The two doctor's started talking to each other, in what Jack could only describe as doctor-talk which confused and worried both him and Sam. Finally, Dr Peterson turned to address Sam, a smile on her face. "You're having twins." She exclaimed.
"Twins?" Jack mimicked, shocked.
The Doctor nodded. "Yep, look here is one little head, and another there. There's two different vertebrae's. Four legs and arms." She told them, pointing to various points on the monitor. "There is definitely two little babies in there. Do you want to know the sexes?" She asked.
Sam shook her head. "No, I want to be surprised. It doesn't matter anyway, as long as they're healthy." She smiled and looked at Jack, "Twins!" She cried, overwhelmed. Jack pulled her into a hug and they both were aware of the goofy grins plastered over their faces, but neither cared.
"Two little Jack's!" He exclaimed happily, as if they were his own children.
~*+*~
Daniel opened the door, letting General Hammond, Teal'c and Janet in behind him. They were all getting together at Sam and Jack's for a barbecue. Teal'c and Janet still didn't know about the baby, as Daniel had been sworn to secrecy, but the General had been told when it became apparent that Sam would be off work longer than anticipated.
"Hey guys!" Sam called, coming out of her room. "Jack, they're here!" She called out at the general direction of the kitchen.
"How are you, Sam?" Daniel asked, kissing her cheek and giving her a quick hug before Sam exchanged hugs with the others.
"Are you feeling well Doctor Carter?" Teal'c asked after they shared a brief hug.
Sam smiled at the concern in his eyes. "Yes thank you, Teal'c. How about you all sit down while Jack get's us a drink, I have something to tell you all." She nodded towards the couch and chairs and everyone grabbed a seat.
General Hammond took the chair closest to the door, Daniel and Janet, who had been dating for a little over a month now chose to cuddle up in the other chair and Teal'c chose to sit on the floor near the couch, while Sam sat and waited for Jack to return.
When he emerged from the kitchen, he said hello to all of his friends and passed out glasses of lemonade before sitting with Sam on the lounge, her feet resting on his lap.
"Well, as some of you know, and some of you don't, I'm pregnant." She told them.
"Pregnant?" Janet exclaimed, eyes wide. "This is wonderful!" She quickly left Daniel to go and hug Sam and feel the baby move within her.
"There's more." Sam continued. "I found out, yesterday actually, that I'm having twins!" She finished, a huge smile gracing her features and Jack smiled at the happy expression.
Everyone in the room congratulated her, and no one seemed to want to ask the obvious question. Was Jack the father? It was Teal'c who eventually spoke up.
"Are you and Colonel O'Neill romantically involved?" He asked, his deep voice sounding uncommonly loud in the silent room.
"No Teal'c. And you can call us Sam and Jack. We're just friends." Jack answered, with a twinge of sadness, or regret, lacing his tone. No one could help but smile at the bluntness of their friend's words.
Their talking continued well into the night and the paternity of Sam's baby was never questioned. Janet had a fair idea, given that it was her who first suggested the prospect of Sam being pregnant, but the other seemed oblivious. Of course, Daniel already knew, and General Hammond was fairly certain, but nothing he could prove. Teal'c had been back on P3X 797 trying to get a sample of the natives' blood when Sam and Jack's encounter had taken place, so he knew nothing, just snippets of conversations that he'd overheard but he chose not to judge or comment.
It was well after eleven when they finally left, promising to all get together next weekend for another lunch. Sam had fallen asleep about half an hour before everyone departed, and once the house was empty, Jack locked up and went into her room to pull back the covers of her bed.
He walked back into the lounge room and picked Sam up, carrying her into her room and laying her on the bed. He slipped off her shoes and pulled the sheet and comforter over her, to ensure that she was warm through the night. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning and preparing to leave the room.
"Jack?" Came a soft voice from the bed.
He walked back over to her side and brushed the hair from her face. "Hey Sammy, go back to sleep." He commanded softly, stroking her hair gently.
"Stay with me?" She asked, afraid that he'd say no.
"Forever." He whispered, walking around to the other side of the bed before shedding his clothes, down to his boxers, and climbed into bed with her.
Sam wriggled back against him and they melded together in the spoon position, his arms resting with hers over the place where her two little babies were growing.
The two best friends fell asleep in each other's arms. An activity that was becoming very common to both, only now there was no third party involved to protest to this action.
~*+*~
The next few weeks passed by relatively quickly for Sam and Jack. They had both gone back to work for a couple of days a week. Sam figured that if she could get some work done before the babies arrived then she'd have something accomplished by the time they were born.
Sam and Jack had taken to sleeping together every night, usually in Jack's bed, but together no less. Nothing had happened, and no declaration of love had been made, much to Daniel and Janet's disappointment, but the comfort was enough to give them each a good night's sleep.
Jack had been keeping Sam occupied for the past three days, she knew that he had been doing it, and they'd stayed on base all three nights, although she didn't know why. Daniel and Teal'c hadn't been on base for the duration of their stay, Sam was told that they were on a mission, but in truth they were helping Jack with the surprise that he had planned.
Sam had often gone looking for Jack throughout the days and he had been nowhere to be found, but he'd still return at night's to hold her as they slept.
"Oh, Sammy!" Jack called, coming into her lab. Today was the day that Sam finally got to see what he had been doing for the past three days, but she hadn't been made aware of that fact yet.
"What's up?" She asked brightly.
"We're going home tonight. I have a surprise for you." He told her, smiling. He just hoped that she liked what he had done.
"Really?" She asked excitedly. "What is it?"
"Something that you need." He returned cryptically.
The drive home was filled with Sam pestering Jack as to what the surprise was, complaining that she hated surprises but Jack refused to give her any hints other than what he had said in the lab.
When they arrived home, Sam was grateful to be out of the mountain. The first thing that Jack had done when they stepped, or limped, up to the door was place a blindfold on her and told her to 'trust him.'
He led her through the house and if Sam wasn't mistaken, they were approaching her room. Jack opened the door that led to what used to be her room and ushered her in, nodding at Daniel and Teal'c to let them know that they had done a good job. He removed the blind fold and Sam gasped at what lay before her.
A nursery.
There were two cots by the window, with a change table between them. The room had been repainted a soft green with teddy bears around the skirting boards, the cots were made, with soft toys in each. They had mobiles above them and all of the things that Jack thought he and Sam would need to take care of her babies. Everything from nappies and bottles, to wet wipes and powder. Including a few parenting books lying on the change table. There was a bed on the other side of the room, in case Sam wanted to stay close to her children.
"Oh Jack!" She cried. "This is so amazing! Did you do this all yourselves?" She asked hugging Daniel and Teal'c in way of thanks. They nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind them and leaving Sam and Jack alone.
"This is why we've been staying on base?" She asked and he grinned sheepishly. "And I take it my stuff is in your room?"
Jack nodded. "If you don't mind." He looked at her uncertainly.
Sam shook her head negatively and moved to kiss him. At first it was just a soft meeting of lips but when Jack didn't pull back, Sam deepened the kiss. Neither knew how long they stood there, just kissing but both broke off with laughter when the twins started kicking them. "Thank you", Sam whispered.
"I think the twins like it." Jack commented, his arms going around her waist. Sam smiled, and briefly wondered if now was a good time to tell him about the paternity of her children, but decided against it before the words could leave her mouth. Chicken, her brain taunted.
"I know that their mother loves it!" Sam commented, hugging him once more before they moved out of the room to join their friends for a celebratory dinner.
~*+*~
"So," Sam started, taking a bite of her steak, one of her many cravings that the mess hall hadn't been able to cater for. "I take it that you haven't been on a mission these past few days?" Sam asked, sipping her juice.
"That is correct Samantha." Teal'c replied, and everyone smiled. He had plainly refused to call her Sam, but the use of her full name was a compromise.
"And how did you manage to keep anyone from letting it slip?"
"General Hammond threatened everyone with cleaning duty if they told." Daniel supplied, finishing off the last of his salad.
"He was in on this too?" Sam asked, surprised. She'd always known that the General had a soft spot, he'd been a character witness at her court martial when she was still with Jonas, and he'd served with her father so they'd known each other for the majority of Sam's life.
"He was in on it." Jack answer, "Where do you think we got the chest of drawers by the bed from? His grandaughter's didn't need it any more, so he thought you might like it." He finished, also digesting the remainder of his meal.
Sam smiled. "Thank you all. I really appreciate it." She finished, touched at their thoughtfulness.
"There's a few other people you should thank as well." Jack told her, refilling her empty glass.
"Who?" Sam asked.
"Well," Daniel started, taking a deep breath. "Colonel Makepeace donated one of the cots, Feretti gave the other one. They both helped us set it up, and as for the paint job . . ." Daniel paused and Jack smiled.
"Let's just say that none of us have any artistic talents what so ever, so the Doc pitched in with the teddy bears." Jack finished for him and Sam was touched at the amount of people who had pitched in to help them get the nursery finished.
"I'll call her later to say thank you." Sam nodded, moving to put everyone's plates in the sink.
A few hours later, Daniel and Teal'c decided that they'd better head off given the fact that they had a real mission the following day. Sam and Jack decided to just go to bed. She'd had a big day and was fairly tired, and Jack claimed that he had another surprise for her the following day.
~*+*~
"Hey Janet." Sam greeted as her friend opened the door. They'd spoken briefly the previous night and decided that Sam would come around to Janet's in the morning before going back home. Thus giving Jack the time he needed to prepare her surprise.
"Hey Sam." She returned, stepping aside to allow the blonde entrance to her house. "How are the twins?" She asked, smiling. No one could get over this latest news.
"Good, always hungry and they seem to have decided that my bladder makes a good punching bag." Sam laughed and Janet joined her, pleased at her friends happy mood.
"Want a coffee?" Janet offered and Sam nodded, following her into the kitchen to make the drinks. "So, how are things at home?" Janet asked, sitting down at the breakfast bench with Sam.
"Good." Sam smiled, sipping her coffee.
"And any progress with Jack?" Janet pressed, hoping that the sharing of feelings had already taken place.
"No, we're just friends." She replied, exasperated. Why did everyone insist on getting them together?
"Does he know that he's the father of the twins?" She asked, finishing the last of the coffee.
"No. God Janet, he and Sara only split up a week and a half ago. I'm not going to dump this in his lap on top of everything." She told her friend.
"But you're sleeping together?"
"No, we share a bed." Sam clarified. "Big difference."
"You two might as well be married. You spend all of your time together, you do everything together, and you're going to have two babies, even if he doesn't know it and you share a bed!" Janet exclaimed.
"We aren't like a married couple, we still like each other." Sam joked, standing. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll call you tonight." She promised, quickly giving her a hug before going back out to Jack's car.
~*+*~
"Sam, is that you?" Jack called from the bedroom. He heard the front door open and then close again.
"Yeah! Is it safe to come in?" She asked, dropping Jack's keys and her bag on the table by the door.
"Yep! Are you ready to go out again?" He asked, emerging from the room, carrying a backpack with him.
"Bathroom break first." She replied, walking towards the hall. It was then that Sam noticed his bag. "Are you taking me hiking?" She asked, a little worried.
"No! Go use the bathroom and then we can leave." He instructed, giving her a gentle shove towards the end of the hall.
Sam returned a moment later, and they walked out of the house and got in the car and Jack started the short drive to their destination.
"The park?" Sam questioned, looking at the familiar grounds of the local park.
"Yep." He nodded, helping her out of the car and grabbing the picnic basket from the boot.
They set up their blanket and laid the food out. Sam sipped the apple juice that Jack had given her and leaned back into his arms. "So, why the park?" she asked, curious.
"We've never been here together before, so I thought it might be a good idea." He shrugged
"I think it's lovely." She replied, glad that she had Jack in her life.
They laid together in the park for the remainder of the afternoon until some very ugly storm clouds came up. Jack suggested they go home where it would be warmer, concerned for Sam and the twins.
~*+*~
Over the next two weeks they settled into a comfortable routine. They'd go into the base for three days a week, and SG-1 plus Janet would come over on Saturday's for what had now become their weekly barbecue.
General Hammond had joined them twice, but he'd had a lot of paperwork to do the previous weekend so he couldn't make it. But he had arranged the 'Gate travelling schedule so that Daniel and Teal'c were always back by Saturday.
They usually spent most of their BBQ's watching Sam and Jack argue over baby names, occasionally contributing more potential names that they could argue over.
"You can't name a kid Paige, that's just cruel." Jack protested, sitting out in the back yard with his friends surrounding him. Sam was laying down with her head on his lap, and her feet on Teal'c's.
"No it's not. Hey, you are the one who brought up the name Anne, and you thing Paige is cruel?" She laughed, sitting up.
Daniel and Janet were sitting together on one of their deck chairs, laughing at the exchange between their friends.
"They're a married couple without the rings." Janet laughed quietly to Daniel. "Yeah." He agreed, also laughing.
"Something funny?" Jack asked, watching as the two lovers laughed at some kind of private joke.
"No." They both replied.
"May I make a suggestion?" Teal'c asked, looking directly at Sam.
"Sure." She nodded, eager to hear what he had to say. Teal'c rarely said much, but when he did, it was usually something that surprised them all.
"Should your child be female, perhaps you should consider the name Heidi." He offered, cocking his head a little.
"I like that name!" Sam exclaimed and Jack nodded in agreement. "Where did you get that from?" She asked.
"Daniel Jackson gave me some of your Earth books so that I may better understand your culture. One of these books was the story of a girl called Heidi." He explained.
"Thank you Teal'c. Okay, so Jack for a boy and Heidi for a girl." Sam nodded, the decision finally made.
"Did you ever consider the possibility of two boys?" Janet asked.
"Or two girls?" Daniel added, anticipating a new round of names to be thrown around.
"Why don't we leave this one to another time?" Jack suggested, moving into the house to get Sam another drink.
Morning sickness had finally kicked in for her and now the only thing that she seemed to drink was juice. Usually Orange Passion Nectar or apple juice. So, when she had first declared that fact, Jack had gone to the local supermarket and bought all the juice that he could carry. Now it seemed to be the only liquid inhabiting their fridge.
"Any missions this week?" Sam asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had encompassed them.
"We have a mission with SG-2 on Monday. Just a mineral survey." Daniel shrugged, his fingers entwining with Janet's.
"Good luck." Sam offered, accepting the glass that Jack offered.
"Are you planning to come back to the SGC full-time when your children are born, Samantha?" Teal'c asked.
Sam snuggled back up with Jack and thought about her answer. "I haven't really thought about it yet. But probably not for a while. I want my kids to grow up knowing who their mother is. Not just as the nice lady who stops by every now and then." She explained, touching her stomach.
Janet noticed that Sam winced a little, and was immediately concerned. "Sam?" She asked, sitting up from her comfortable position next to Daniel.
"They've been pretty active today." Sam explained, feeling her little babies kick. "Teal'c?" She asked, watching his perplexed look.
"Are your children ready to be born?" He asked.
Sam smiled and shook her head. "No Teal'c they've just decided to start kicking me a lot more lately." She explained, taking his hand in her's. "Here." She said, placing his hand over the spot where her children were kicking.
Teal'c felt the movement and looked up at Sam, tilting his head a little. "Is this painful?" He asked, intrigued.
"Sometimes. But I don't really feel it. All I feel are my two little babies moving inside of me and I don't notice the pain. Except when they start kicking my bladder." She laughed, and Teal'c almost smiled.
"I am pleased that you feel no pain, Samantha." He told her sincerely. The others simply watched on, smiling at the exchange.
"Just don't ask me that when I'm in labour." She laughed again, and everyone smiled.
~*+*~
The rest of the day had been spent with the five friends laughing and joking about everything and nothing. Something that Sam and Jack did often.
Sam wound her arms around Jack and sighed. She was getting confused over the status of their relationship. She was pregnant with his children, even though he was unaware of that fact, and they got along wonderfully. They were happy living together, and had managed to grow accustomed to all of each other's habits. But she still wasn't sure where they stood. Every so often, they'd share a kiss and most of the places that they went together were done holding hands, or linking arms. They could quite easily be mistaken as a happily married couple, which Janet had frequently pointed out to Sam.
"Sammy?" Jack asked, rolling over to look at her. "Why aren't you asleep, it's after one." He told her, running his fingers through her long silky blonde hair that had grown a few inches since he'd met her.
"I was just thinking." She shrugged. Sam was tired, but her brain was far too active to allow her any rest.
"About?"
"Us." She replied, not sure if now was a good time to be bringing this subject up.
"What about us?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.
"What are we?" She asked, and at his confused look she continued. "Are we friends who occasionally kiss or are we something else?"
"I don't know what we are Sammy. I wish I could answer that for you, but I can't. What do you want us to be?"
"I don't know." She sighed, moving out of his embrace and out of bed. "I'm going to go and do some thinking." She told him, grabbing her robe and limping towards the door.
"Sam!" He called, but she chose to ignore him.
Sam walked down to the lounge room and flopped on the couch. She turned the radio on and listened as a new song came on, her thoughts resting on her unborn children.
~*+*~
We have eyes like twins
Where your last thought ends
My next begins always
Just one heart beat away
Everything I need to say- Oh
Catch me I'm falling like you
Wish for me, I'll come running to save you
Touch me I'm calling for you
Remember me,
I will never betray you
We have eyes like twins.
-Wilson Philips, Eyes like twins.
~*+*~
Jack awoke in the morning, hopeful that he would find Sam had come back to bed. When he looked over at her side and saw that it was empty, he sighed and got out of bed, walking down the hall to find that she had fallen asleep on the couch.
Jack leaned down and gently touched her face. "Morning." Sam groaned.
"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah." She muttered, sitting up and twisting her neck in circular motions, still stiff from an uncomfortable night on the couch.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, moving to take his place on the couch with her.
"Not really. I still don't know what we are, but I don't want to fight about it." She shrugged, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Sammy, I'm happy with whatever you want." He told her gently, taking her hand and stroking her palm. "With whatever you're willing to give me." He finished quietly.
"And that's all well and good, and don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you'll accept anything that I want to give, but what do *you* want?" She asked.
"I just want you to be happy." He told her and Sam allowed him to wrap his arms around her.
Sam sighed. Now was a good time to bring up the subject of their children, but every time she opened her mouth it felt as though her throat had suddenly dried up.
~*+*~
Jack looked around the store. A lot had changed since he'd been shopping for baby things. Everything had become more advanced in a decade, it was amazing. The fun that Charlie could have had with some of the new inventions . . .
"Can I help you?" A woman asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. She was fairly short with brown hair and blonde streaks.
"Hi, I'm looking for teddy bears." He told her, looking at the wide selection of stuffed toys that were on sale.
"Having a baby?" She asked, gesturing for him to follow her.
"Twins." He nodded.
"Wow. Okay, do you know the sexes, makes it easier to choose." She explained.
"No, not yet. So maybe something that could be used either way." He asked, his eyes still fixated on all of the teddy bears that were available.
"Well then, here you have two bears that are identical except for the colour." She told him.
The saleswoman handed him two bears, both with big brown eyes and little black noses. One was brown, one cream.
"They're perfect. I'll take them." He nodded, thanking the woman for her assistance before moving towards the front counter to pay for the bears, hoping that Sam would like them.
~*+*~
"Sam?" Jack called, walking into the house with the two teddy bears in a shopping bag.
"I'm in the bathroom!" she called, and Jack walked up to the door.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, come on in." She called and Jack opened the door to see Sam lying in the bath completely submerged in water and bubbles, looking very peaceful and relaxed.
"Hey, you look comfortable." He told her, moving to sit on the side of the bathtub.
"I am. Been shopping?" She asked, noticing the bag in his hand.
"Yeah, I bought the twins a present." He told her, holding up each teddy bear in turn, watching the smile on her face grow until it threatened to split her features.
"They are so cute!" She squealed. "Thank you." She told him, sitting up in the bath to kiss him.
Daniel knocked on the door, Sam's hamburger in hand. She'd called him about ten minutes ago complaining of severe cravings for a hamburger, so he'd picked one up for her, Jack and himself to have for lunch. "Sam?" He called.
"In the bathroom!" She called back. "Come on up!"
Daniel walked into the bathroom to see Sam enjoying a bubble bath with Jack sitting next to her, with his hand on her stomach, which seemed to be the only part of her that wasn't in the water. "Am I interrupting something?" He joked.
"Daniel I'm almost seven months pregnant with twins, and I feel like I'm bigger than this house, what could you possibly be interrupting?" She laughed.
"Good point. Hey Jack."
"Danny", He nodded, smiling at Sam's comment.
"I'll wait outside. I've got your lunch." He told her, holding up the bag before leaving the room and gently shutting the door behind him.
Sam and Jack emerged from the bathroom, this time she was dressed in her robe and Jack looked suspiciously wet.
"Water fight?" Daniel asked amused, laying out the three hamburgers that he'd picked up.
"Something like that." Jack responded smiling, sending Sam a distinguished look.
"Food!" Sam cried, sitting down at the table and began devouring her lunch. "Thank you so much for getting these."
"No problems." Daniel shrugged as Jack went into the kitchen to get them all a drink. "Have you told him?" He asked in a whisper.
Sam shook her head. "Not yet. I will though."
"Will what?" Jack asked, walking over to the chair next to Sam with their drinks in hand.
"Will get around to reading those parenting books that you got for me." She lied, smiling, and accepting the drink.
A few minutes later, Sam had finished her lunch and was eating half of Jack's, while he watched on, amusement and tenderness plainly displayed on his face.
"Danny, next time you get us lunch, buy two lots for Sam. It's amazing that there's any food left in the house." He laughed as she sent him a glare.
"I'm not that bad!" She protested.
"Yeah, you are Sammy. You finished yours, are working on mine and if Danny hadn't eaten his then you'd probably be after that as well."
Sam looked at the last bite of the hamburger that was in her hand. "Want it back?" She offered, smiling, something that all noticed she did a lot lately.
Jack took the offered bite of what *was* his hamburger and held it back out to her. She leaned forward and ate the last bite from Jack's fingers and Daniel noticed Jack's breathing increased a little.
They look so happy together, he thought to himself.
~*+*~
"Okay, the important thing is to remember your breathing exercises." The teacher instructed.
Sam and Jack had only just started coming to parenting classes, but their teacher had welcomed them and they'd immediately made friends with another couple, Sarah and Brian, who were having their first child.
They sat together, with Sam lying in between Jack's legs while all of the pregnant women in the class practiced their breathing while their husbands, boyfriends or partners coached them through it.
"You know," Sam started while their teacher, Kylie, had her back turned. "I think you're better at this breathing thing than I am. Maybe you should have the twins." She suggested, smiling.
"I'd love to, but I think I'll pass." He laughed.
"I need to talk to you later." She mumbled, attempting to look like she was doing the exercise as opposed to just trying to suck oxygen into her air deprived lungs.
"What about?" He asked, gently rubbing her stomach as instructed.
"The twins." She replied, deciding that she would have to tell him soon. If he didn't want to be their father then she needed to find a place to live before they were born.
"Everything alright?" He asked, worried.
"No. The twins are fine but we need to talk." She told him, praying that she would get some courage between now and when she and Jack talked.
~*+*~
"Sammy? What's wrong? You've hardly said a word since the class." Jack asked, sitting on the lounge with her. She'd been lost in her thoughts all afternoon and he hadn't attempted to force her to talk.
"We need to have a conversation. One that I've avoided for a while now." She told him, turning on the lounge to face him. Where was the courage that she'd been praying for earlier?
Jack turned off the television and turned to face her also. "What's wrong?" He asked, gently taking her hand in his.
Their fingers entwined and Sam couldn't take her eyes off their joined hands. "It's about the father of the babies." She replied, gently touching her stomach with the hand that wasn't holding Jack's.
"You don't have to talk about that if you don't want to." He told her.
"Yeah, I do." She nodded.
"Do you want to go back to him?" He asked.
"Yes."
"I won't stop you." He told her.
"I know." She agreed.
"Does he love you?"
"I hope." She shrugged. They had never talked about love, so there was no honest way she could answer that.
"Do you love him?" Jack asked, his throat drying up.
"With all of my heart."
"He'd be an idiot not to want to be with you." Jack told her, forcing his breaking heart to leave his throat and go back down into his chest.
"He was married."
"But he slept with you? How great could the relationship have been if he slept with another woman?" He asked, still unaware that they were talking about him.
"We weren't ourselves." She defended.
"That's not an excuse, Sam." Jack shook his head. "Does he know about the twins?"
Sam stared at him for a minute. She couldn't lie. "Yes." She nodded, her voice quiet.
"And he hasn't declared his undying love and devotion for you yet? Can I hit this guy?" He asked, smiling.
Sam laughed in spite of herself. "I'd like to see that."
"I'll do my best." He shrugged, just happy that she was smiling.
"So, don't you want to know who it is?" She asked, looking at their joined hands.
"Admittedly, yes. But I'm not going to push." He told her.
"Why are you so good to me?" Sam wondered aloud, staring at him intently.
Jack took a deep breath. "Promise me that no matter what I tell you, it won't affect your decision about the babies father?" He asked.
"I promise." She nodded, her curiosity piqued.
"I'm in love with you." He admitted, looking down. "But that doesn't mean I'm asking you for anything and I . . . " He started, but Sam cut him off by launching herself into his arms and hugging him until Jack was sure she'd broken a few ribs.
She finally pulled back after several moments and looked into his deep brown eyes, finally seeing the love that had been there all along and she pulled him into the most passionate kiss that he had ever received.
They continued to stay locked in their embrace before Sam re- positioned them so that she was lying on her side, trying to keep her lips locked onto his while not squashing her babies until they came out.
There was a knock at the door and Sam thought about answering it, but at the last minute decided against it. It was probably Daniel, she guessed.
Neither of them heard the door open, but Sam faintly heard it being closed behind their friend. "Go away." Sam muttered, not pulling back from Jack long enough to look at Sara, who was standing at the entrance to her old home.
"I just came to get some things." She muttered and both Sam and Jack shot up looking as guilty as two teenagers who had been caught on the back seat of a car, doing *much* more than just kissing.
"Sara!" Jack exclaimed, standing and then helping Sam to her feet.
"I found an apartment, and I just came to get some more of my stuff." She explained, moving towards the attic where she had stored the majority of her things before she left.
"It took you three months to find an apartment?" Sam asked, surprised. Sara stopped at the entrance to the hall and turned to look at her friend.
"I was staying with a friend. I only decided to start looking last month. I'll just go and get my stuff." She told them, turning back towards her destination.
"Jack, go and help her." Sam commanded quietly.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
Sam nodded and moving to give her a quick kiss before he left, Jack followed the footsteps of his ex-wife.
"Need a hand?" He asked, taking the steps up to the attic.
"You don't have to." Sara told him and then glanced at all of the boxes. "Please." She smiled.
"How are you?" He asked, opening one of the many boxes to make sure that it was all of her stuff.
"Good. You look well." She told him.
"I am." He agreed.
"Have you told Sam that you love her yet?" She asked.
"Yeah, about five minutes before you came in." He laughed.
"And did she tell you that she feels the same?"
"Didn't really have a chance to say anything." He told her.
"I'm pleased for you both. I hope you, Sam and your baby are very happy." Sara told him sincerely. She had tried to hate Sam when they first met and failed, and she'd tried to hate her when she realised that Jack was in love with her, but she'd still had no luck. Sam was just a very likeable person.
"Sara. . .I didn't cheat on you when we were together . . ." Jack started, but stopped as his brain caught up with him. He thought back to what Sam had said, 'He was married, we weren't ourselves.' Her comment when he said that he should hit the guy, 'I'd like to see that.' And suddenly a light was turned on inside his head and it finally hit him, the twins could be his.
"So, do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Sara asked, leaving what he'd said alone. She had been fairly certain that he wouldn't cheat on her, but she'd always had her suspicions, even if she liked Sam.
"Actually, Sam's having twins." He told her, distracted.
"I'm happy for you. Well, these two boxes will do for now, I'll bring Sandra's truck over in a few days to get the rest of my stuff." She told him, leaving her ex-husband to sit on the floor of the attic in a daze.
~*+*~
Jack didn't know how long he sat there, but when he heard Sam call out that dinner was ready, he finally snapped out of his reverie and went downstairs to eat. He pushed the ladder to the attic back up into the roof and walked out to where Sam had set the table and had cooked some kind of casserole.
"Thanks." He muttered, taking the plate that she offered.
Sam smiled, but Jack wasn't even paying attention to her. He'd always had trouble with math, but how hard was it for his brain to try and work out if the timing of the conception of the twins coincided with the virus that they'd had?
Sam watched as Jack pushed bits of his dinner around the plate. It almost looked like he was trying to draw something, but upon closer inspection, Sam realised that he was lost in thought.
"Jack?" She asked, gently taking his fork. He didn't seem to notice that Sam had removed the object from his hand until she lightly shook his shoulder. "Jack? What is it?" Sam tried again.
"There's something that I want to know, but I need your word that you'll be honest with me."
"Okay." Sam nodded.
Jack took a deep gulp of oxygen and unconsciously crossed his fingers under the table. "Do you love me?"
Sam stared, her heart in her throat. "With all my heart."
Jack nodded. "And when we slept together . . . ?" He asked, knowing that Sam would understand the question.
"We weren't ourselves." She defended, and Jack knew exactly what she meant.
"I thought so." Jack nodded. "Why didn't you tell me that the twins were mine?" He asked.
"You and Sara seemed happy, I wasn't going to destroy your relationship because I'd fallen in love with you." She shrugged. "Look, there is no way for me to justify not telling you, but I was scared." Sam admitted.
"Scared of what?" Jack asked, confused.
"Scared that you wouldn't want me, of what your reaction would be. Scared that I couldn't be a good mother." Sam shook her head, she had no idea what to say.
"You should have told me when you found out." He told her, trying to stop from getting angry.
"You were married! What was I supposed to do? Did you want me to totally destroy Sara because I was stupid enough to fall for my CO?" She yelled, limping towards the nursery and slamming the door behind her.
Jack stared after her, aware that a lot of her anger had come from hormones, but it had to have originated from somewhere. He shouldn't have gotten angry with her over this, but he'd wanted to be a father again since long before he'd met Sam, and now she was giving him the chance to rectify his past mistakes, and she hadn't even told him.
Sam slumped on the bed in her children's room, the tears already falling down her cheeks. She shouldn't have yelled at him, this wasn't his fault, she was the one who didn't tell him the truth about the twins.
What the hell was she going to do now?
~*+*~
Jack had sat on the lounge until three in the morning, wondering what he should do. Several times throughout the night, he had contemplated going to Sam and apologising, but he couldn't bear to wake her. Finally he decided that he'd had enough. It was time that they talked about this once and for all, and if that meant waking her then so be it.
He opened the door and saw that she was sleeping curled up in the foetal position with her arms holding her stomach. Jack sat down next to the bed and noticed that her eyes were red and puffy, presumably from crying, and she looked cold.
Without a thought to their fight, or the fact that he was still mad at her, Jack lifted Sam into his arms and carried her into their room. He pulled back the blankets and gently laid her down, pulling the covers back up to cover her, and after making sure that all of the lights were out, he climbed into bed with her and pulled Sam into his arms.
"Jack?" She asked, opening her eyes.
"It's me." He told her, and Sam remembered another, happier time when his warm breath had been tickling her cool ear lobe.
"I'm sorry." She told him, the tears once again starting to fall.
Jack brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped the tears away, smiling tenderly at her. "You don't need to apologise." He replied quietly. "You know that I love you." He murmured, still stroking her cheek.
"And I love you." She confirmed, leaning into his touch.
"We'll raise our babies together, if you'll have me?" He asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.
"I should be asking you that question." She replied.
"Then I'll have you if you'll have me." He offered, smiling as she wrapped her arms tighter around him and entwined their legs and fingers.
"Deal." She agreed, and their entwined hands came to rest over the spot where their babies were growing and Sam was pleased that things looked like they'd be okay.
~*+*~
Sam and Janet sat on the beach, lying on a very large blanket. They'd all come down to the beach this weekend after Sam had declared that it was far too nice a day to just stay at home.
Jack and Daniel were trying to teach Teal'c how to surf, and the girls had decided to sunbake for a while.
"I told Jack." Sam said, keeping her eyes on the boys who were busy falling off the boards and into the waves.
"How'd it go?" Janet asked, trying to see her friends eyes through her sunglasses.
"It was different." Sam replied enigmatically, smiling as Janet gave her a confused look.
"Different how?" She pressed, using her elbow's to prop her up.
"Just . . .different." Sam shrugged.
"Did you tell him that you loved him?" Janet asked, smiling slightly at she saw Teal'c fall off the board and into the water.
"Yes." She confirmed, nodding her head slightly, her face impartial.
"And did he return the sentiment?"
"Yes." Sam said, trying to look neutral, but failing miserably. She couldn't keep the smile off her face.
"What are you going to do now?" Janet smiled, pleased that her friends had finally admitted what the rest of them had known all along.
"We are going to raise our babies." Sam told her adamantly.
"Are you two ladies talking about me?" Jack asked with a boyish grin on his face. He walked over to Sam and after giving her a quick kiss he sat down on the blanket with his arms going around her.
"We are indeed Colonel." Janet replied, smiling.
"All good things, I hope?" He asked, his eyes never leaving Sam's.
"You know they are." Sam replied and for a minute Janet thought she was going to be sick from looking at the sappy faces of her friends, they hadn't taken their eyes off each other since he sat down.
"I'm going for a swim." She muttered, aware that neither had heard her, even though Sam waved goodbye to her.
"Did you tell her?" Jack asked quietly.
Sam nodded, "Yeah, but no details. She knows that you love me." She told him.
"Apparently everyone knows that." He laughed, remembering the day he'd walked in on two gossiping airmen who were laying bets as to when he and Sam would get together. She smiled and cuddled up on his chest, closing her eyes and yawning. "Do you want to go home?" He asked, stroking her hair.
She placed her head over his heart and felt it beat. "I am home." She whispered, feeling her eyelids getting heavy.
Sam and Jack laid on the beach for a while before they all decided to go home. Sam hadn't woken in the two hours that they'd been lying there, so Jack just picked her up and gently, with Teal'c's help, placed her in the car and instructed the others to follow him home.
Sam jerked out of her peaceful dreams as she felt the vibrations of the car beneath her. "Jack?" She asked, looking at the scenery passing them.
"Hey Sammy, you fell asleep." He explained.
"Oh, I'm always tired these days. I can't be much company." She smiled, her hand lightly resting on his thigh.
"Ah, you know I love you." He told her.
"And I you." She replied and he lightly squeezed her hand before moving it back to the steering wheel.
~*+*~
"So, any thoughts on dinner?" Janet asked as they all sat around Sam and Jack's living room.
"Pizza!" Sam and Jack replied in perfect unison, smiling at each other.
"Samantha, what is 'pizza'?" Teal'c asked. He'd been on Earth for a while now, but a lot of the culinary delights that the world had to offer were yet to be experienced by the Jaffa.
"You haven't had pizza yet?" Sam asked, surprised.
"I have not." He answered.
"Well then, I guess that settles it. We're having pizza." Jack told them, and Sam leaned over to kiss his cheek by way of a thank you. Daniel smiled. Jack seemed to be prepared to cater for all of Sam's cravings these days, and he was glad that she had him to lean on.
An hour later the pizza had arrived, and Jack had ordered a whole one for Sam. When he handed it to her, she stared at him. "Are you implying anything here?" She asked, her face alight with happiness.
"Not at all Sammy, but this way what you don't eat, you can have tomorrow." He told her, opening the other three varieties that they had ordered. No one would touch Sam's, she just had ham and cheese, so it was a safe bet that the others would leave that one alone.
"What I don't eat?" She repeated. "Jack, I'm eating for three, you'll be lucky if I don't eat yours!" She laughed and everyone else joined in.
Sam managed to finish all of her pizza and eat some of the others. Teal'c found that he enjoyed this new meal greatly and agreed that it was something he should have tried a long time ago. Daniel and Janet had watched on, amused, as Sam started to steal bites of Jack's pizza just before it reached his mouth.
"Are you getting tired?" Jack asked as Sam yawned and nodded.
"We should go." Daniel told his friends as he, Janet and Teal'c stood. "Thanks for a great day. Will we see you at the base on Monday?" He asked, gathering the empty pizza boxes.
"Probably. It depends how Sam is." Jack replied quietly, seeing her start to fall asleep again.
Daniel nodded and after saying goodbye to Jack, and Janet promising to call Sam in the morning, the three friends left to return home.
"Come on Angel, time for bed." Jack whispered, picking Sam up. A task that was beginning to be very difficult given Sam's growing size.
He placed her in bed and managed to pull off her sundress and get her into her pyjamas, a pair of his sweats and one of his old T-shirts, without waking her. He stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed into bed with her, pulling her into his arms before following her into a sleep filled with dreams of babies and happy families.
~*+*~
I can't believe you're with me
And now it's seems my world's complete
And I never want this moment to end
So hold me close and don't let go,
'Cause this is love, boy don't you know?
And we're gonna be together for eternity
I prayed so many night that you would come my way
An angel from above to light my darkest day
I think it's time for you to heed these lines
Cause there's something I wanna say.
I finally found what I've been looking for
And now I know, I wanna love you more,
Hold me tight 'cause it's always been you
It's always been you
To think that you were always here
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Hold me tight, 'Cause it's always been you
Some times you don't expect that friends
Can become lovers in the end
Only God knows what the future will bring
So hold me close and don't let go
Cause this is love, boy don't you know
And we're gonna be together for eternity
I finally found what I've been looking for
And now I know, I wanna love you more,
Hold me tight "cause it's always been you
It's always been you
To think that you were always here
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Hold me tight, 'Cause it's always been you
This time, This time
I'm gonna make sure it turns out alright.
I'm gonna be by you're side for the rest of my life.
This love, this love
Feels the way that love should be
Look in my eyes, there's no disguise
'Cause I'm in love with you.
I finally found what I've been looking for
And now I know, I wanna love you more,
Hold me tight 'cause it's always been you
It's always been you
To think that you were always here
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Hold me tight, 'Cause it's always been you
-Honeyz, Finally found
~*+*~
Sam had been pottering around the house all day. Jack had left early and she was in what he called her 'nesting' phase. Sam didn't understand her sudden fetish for everything in the house to be absolutely spotless, but wasn't going to argue.
She was just getting out the vacuum cleaner when she heard the front door open. "Sam?" Jack called out, closing the door behind him.
"I'm in the hall!" She called back and Jack followed the sound of her voice until he saw her standing in the entrance to the babies room with the vacuum next to her.
"You had better not be considering using that thing." He told her, gesturing to the machine at her feet.
"I was, actually." She replied, kissing him soundly on the lips to stop any further argument he was considering.
"I bought you a present." He told her, watching her eyes light up.
"Really?" She asked, smiling.
Jack nodded and handed her a small gift bag, which she opened to find a black velvet box inside. Sam pulled out the large box and opened it to see a gold chain that had three small links and then one big one with a gold pendant, an inverted V with a circle above it. It was the symbol for Earth's point of origin.
"Oh, Jack! It's beautiful!" She exclaimed happily, hugging him before turning and lifting her hair out of the way so that he could put it on.
"I'm glad you like it. I tried to get it a month ago, but they had to make it." He explained.
"What's the occasion?" She asked.
"Well, you only have a few weeks until these little babies are ready to come out, and I thought you'd like it." He told her, a hand absently rubbing her stomach while the other rubbed her tired back.
Sam moaned at his touch and leaned into him, enjoying the caress his warm hand offered. Jack's massages had become a regular occurrence now, and Sam was glad that he'd learnt how to do them.
"How are you feeling?" He whispered, kissing the top of her head.
"Tired. Sore, and exhausted. Can we sit down before I fall down?" She asked, gesturing towards the living room.
Jack nodded and followed her to their couch. Sam laid down with her head in his lap and Jack's hands started to rub her pulsating temples.
Sam rarely mentioned the pain that her back and hip caused her, but Jack knew that she felt it and that it would be worse because of the babies. She still had her limp and her physiotherapist was reluctant to do too much work on her until she'd had the twins.
"Feel good?" Jack asked as she moaned again.
"Yep. I think the kids are way too active today, they've been giving me hell." She commented, rubbing her swollen stomach tenderly.
"False labour?" Jack wondered aloud, his thoughts returning to the birth classes that they'd been to.
"Doubt it." Sam answered. "From what I've been told, the pain I'm in now is nothing compared to what I'll feel throughout the labour." She finished, sighing heavily.
"Having second thoughts about rejecting the caesarean option?" He asked, remembering their long and in depth discussion that they'd had about whether or not Sam wanted a natural birth.
"No, I just wish that I didn't have to deal with the ramifications of the accident as well as being pregnant." She admitted.
"I know it can't be easy for you Sammy, but trust me, when you hold our little babies in your arms, the pain won't even register." He told her, memories of Sara's wonder filled expression when she'd first held their son. Sam noticed the barely audible catch in his voice, it was usually present whenever he spoke of his experiences as a father.
"I know, but I have to admit, I am a little scared." She confessed, opening her eyes to look into his loving brown ones.
"I'll be there every step of the way, you know that." He reassured her, smiling.
"I love you." She whispered.
"And I you." He told her, mimicking her words. It had become a standard reply to the reaffirming of love between the two, and Sam was glad that Jack would be there for her.
~*+*~
Sam tossed and turned. She'd been in more pain in the last week then when she'd first come out of hospital and it was getting to the point where she had a hard time getting out of bed.
Jack hadn't gone into the base at all throughout the week, opting instead to stay at home with Sam just in case she needed anything, and she was grateful that he was around.
They'd taken to showering together lately, so that Jack could help Sam stand upright. The dizzy spells that she'd only ever had on rare occasions were becoming more frequent and they seemed to occur most when she was in the shower, making Jack's presence very welcome.
Hearing a noise, he rolled over and saw that it was almost three in the morning. "Sammy?" Jack asked as she crawled out of bed.
"I have to use the bathroom." She explained, switching on her bedside lamp, illuminating the room.
"Need a hand?"
Sam shook her head and suddenly felt a wave of pain overcome her and she nodded her head vehemently and Jack jumped out of bed and rushed to her side.
He put his arms around her and supported her as they started to walk towards the ensuite. Sam abruptly stopped and felt a stronger wave of pain overcome her body. "Jack!" She moaned as she crumpled against him, his arms the only thing holding her upright.
"How long have you had these pains?" Jack asked, moving her towards the bed.
"Since yesterday." She admitted.
"Yesterday! Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, gently rubbing her stomach.
"Jack, if I told you about every little pain I felt, then I'd never shut up." She laughed.
"This isn't little." He told her. "I think it's baby time."
"Jack I'm not in . . . oh god!" She cried. "I think my water just broke!" Sam exclaimed and he helped her up and carried her out to the car, before getting her overnight bag that had been pre-packed, just in case, and starting off towards the local hospital.
~*+*~
Janet and Daniel laid together in bed, just talking. Even though it was a Monday, they had both managed to get the day off and were planning to make the most of it.
"What do you want to do toda . . ." She started, but stopped as the shrilling noise of the phone began to ring. She glanced at Daniel.
"If that's the base, then ignore it." He told her and she rolled over and picked up the receiver.
"Fraiser." She answered, smiling at her lover.
"Janet, it's Jack." A voice told her.
"Oh, hey Jack. What's wrong?" She asked, immediately worried.
"Nothing, Sam had the twins!" He exclaimed proudly, his voice indicating that he was smiling.
Janet let out a small squeal and Daniel looked at her, worriedly. "Are they up for visitors?" She asked.
"Yeah, Sammy said to come down and you can meet the newest addition to our family and do the girl talk thing. She said something about you wanting to know the weight and all of that." He told her.
Janet smiled. "Okay, we'll be there in twenty minutes." She told him hanging up the phone before turning to Daniel, "Sam had the twins!" She exclaimed, happy for her friends.
Daniel smiled and kissed his lover before they both bounded out of bed in a hurry to go and see Sam and the twins.
~*+*~
Teal'c and General Hammond had also been called and were on their way in from the base, both excited at seeing the newest additions to the family that SG-1 had formed.
Daniel and Janet had arrived there first and after they made a quick stop at the gift shop to buy a big balloon that said "It's twins!" they finally found Sam's room.
Walking in, they saw Sam and Jack both sitting up on the bed, arms around each other, staring at two tiny little cribs that the babies had been given for the duration of their stay in the hospital.
They walked in and gave Sam and Jack a hug and congratulations, and her balloon, was passed around before Janet demanded to know everything. Sam smiled at Jack, and he wheeled the two cribs closer to the bed.
Sam carefully lifted one bundle into her arms. The baby was sound asleep and wrapped in a yellow blanket, not revealing the gender. "Uncle Daniel, Aunty Janet, I'd like you to meet Jack O'Neill junior, who was born at 3:24 this morning after almost twenty four hours of labour. He was eight pounds, nine and a half ounces," Sam told them, smiling as she saw Hammond and Teal'c standing at the entrance to her room with a big bunch of flowers in each of their hands.
They each said their hello's and Jack Jr was passed to Janet for the first hold while Jack lifted the other bundle, who was wrapped in a green blanket, into his arms and began the introduction. "And this is Heidi Leigh-anne O'Neill who was born at 4:52 this morning and weighed in at eight pounds, three ounces." He announced proudly, handing his daughter to Daniel, while Janet passed little Jack to the General.
"May your children grow strong and make you proud." Teal'c bowed, accepting Heidi into his arms, rocking the little child. He looked like a very large teddy bear at this moment and Sam smiled at Jack.
"Thanks T." Jack told him, smiling from ear to ear.
The four stayed for a while and kept the happy and proud new parents company, until the nurse came in, telling them that visiting hours were over and they could come back later.
They all departed, promising to visit the next day and help them get settled into their new home. Sam and Jack waved goodbye to their friends and cuddled up on the small hospital bed together, content to watch their children.
"How do you feel now?" Jack asked, smiling.
"Sore. Very sore, your massaging techniques will come in handy later. But I am unbelievably happy." She told him, pulling his arms tighter around her.
"Thank you." Jack murmured.
"For what?" Sam asked.
"For giving me two new children, for loving me, for wanting to be with me." He replied, nuzzling her neck.
"Then I should thank you as well." She told him, sighing happily as she watched her children sleep.
Sam was almost asleep herself when she heard a knock on the door and turned to see Dr Windsor standing there.
"Hey Doc." Jack greeted, not bothering to move from Sam's side.
"Hi." He returned. "I heard that you had just had twins so I though I'd come and offer my congratulations." He smiled, shaking Jack's hand before turning to look at the two new children.
Dr Windsor couldn't stay long as he was paged over the hospital intercom, but he wished both of them the best of luck with raising their children before leaving to let Sam and Jack both get some well deserved rest.
~*+*~
Jack stood at the doorway to the nursery, watching as Sam sang a soft tune to try and put their children to sleep.
He was amazed at how well behaved they were. Especially considering the fact that they had only been at their new home for two days. As promised, Janet, Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond had come over the day after their birth to help get them settled, and Sam had taken the opportunity to get some sleep.
Come stop you're crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you, from all around you
I will be here don't you cry.
Jack watched as she gently rocked Heidi in her arms. It had become quickly apparent that little Jack was just like his father, he could sleep anywhere, but Heidi seemed to like being sung to sleep. Both of the children seemed to love the teddy bears that Jack had brought them, and he was pleased that he hadn't lost his touch.
For one so small
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm
This bond between us can't be broken
Sam hummed the tune to her daughter as she smiled. She couldn't believe that she was a mother. It was all very surreal to her, but she knew that it would soon sink in when she was getting up in the early hours of the morning to feed them.
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always.
A nurse had come in to see them while they were still in hospital, she'd given them a brief crash course on bathing the twins, just to make sure that they were comfortable and confident in their actions.
Jack knew that as soon as she had held their children, Sam's maternal instinct had taken over and she'd immediately moved into 'mother mode' as he fondly called it.
Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust,
What they can't explain
I know we're different but
Deep inside us
We're not that different at all
And you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always.
Sam finished her song and gently put her daughter back into her crib, quietly pulling up a blanket to cover her tiny body.
"Hey." Jack murmured quietly, mindful of their slumbering children.
Sam smiled as she turned around to see him standing at the doorway. She quickly turned on the baby monitor before leaving the room with him. "Hi." She whispered, switching on the receiver so that she could hear any noises that the twins made.
"We should get some sleep." He told her. "They'll be up in a few hours looking for a feed, so you should get some rest while you can."
"Mmm." Sam agreed, feeling her eyes begin to close.
Jack led them into their room, leaving the door open. Sam placed the receiver on her bedside table before Jack pulled her to him and they both fell into a light sleep, keeping an ear out for any signs of life from their children.
~*+*~
"Are you going to ask her?" Daniel prodded, sitting in the small bar with Jack.
The twins were almost six months old now, and Sam and Jack had been happily living together with the children, both sharing in the responsibility that came with being parents.
"I don't know Danny, I want to but . . . " Jack paused as he took a sip of his drink and sighed.
"She loves you." Daniel told him reassuringly. Jack knew that Sam loved him, but he just didn't know where she stood on this particular topic.
"I know that, but she's never mentioned marriage before. I don't even know if she wants to get married." He exclaimed, wondering why he was so confused.
"So why don't you ask her and if she's unsure, then you can go for a long engagement?" He suggested.
"That might be a good idea Danny boy. But I have to head home." He finished, throwing some money on the table to pay for their drinks before saying goodbye and leaving the bar to return to his family.
~*+*~
Jack drove home the long way, hoping that the sight of the city would help clear his mind. It was only when the fuel light on his car came on that he realised he'd been driving for over an hour. Pulling into the driveway, he stepped out into the cool night air.
Sam opened the door before Jack had the chance to fish around for his keys. Smiling, she stepped back and took his coat.
"Hi." He greeted, kissing her soundly on the lips.
"Mmm, Hi indeed." She replied, smiling mischievously.
"How are the kids?" He asked, hugging her tightly.
Sam shrugged. "They were fine, a little restless without their daddy, but they slept long enough for me to get the housework done." She smiled.
"I'm sorry that I was gone longer than expected, but I caught up with Daniel and we chatted for a while. Forgive me?" He asked, kissing her neck.
Sam moaned and then growled. "Smooth." She told him, lightly hitting his shoulder. "But yes, you're forgiven." She mumbled as he gently nipped on her pulse point.
The high pitched sound of wailing began to emerge from the twins' bedroom and Sam and Jack both simultaneously groaned at being interrupted.
"Come on daddy." Sam laughed and they both walked towards their crying children.
Jack smiled and followed her into the twins' room. He carefully picked his son up while Sam attended to their daughter. "Hey little Jack." He started, rocking the bundle gently. "I'm Jack, your dad, yeah, you were named after me. Sorry about that, but your mum's pretty stubborn." He laughed as Sam sent him an affectionate glare.
"I'm not stubborn, just . . .determined." She protested smiling.
"Sammy, you are stubborn. It's one of the things I love about you." He told her, his eyes dancing with amusement. Sam lightly kissed him before moving back towards the change table to attend to Heidi.
Jack watched as Sam's maternal instincts took over as she changed their daughter. "I'm gonna marry that woman." He whispered to his son, an expression of tenderness on his face.
~*+*~
Sam looked at the mess that she'd just cleaned up from breakfast, dreading the time when her children would undoubtedly be making as much mess as Jack. She smiled to herself, no one was a bigger slob than Jack.
The kitchen looked presentable again and Sam decided to sit down and enjoy a peaceful cup of tea before she went to feed the kids.
Sam was happy being a house bound person for now. She still continued to read the science and astrophysics journals that were delivered every week, it was some stimulation for her brain. Not that she was bored, but even when she had been pregnant with the twins', she and Jack had gone into the base at least twice a week. Being a mother was incredibly fulfilling for Sam, but her brain needed to be more active.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Sam moved from the kitchen towards the door. She opened it to see an older looking woman standing there. "Can I help you?" Sam asked, wondering what someone was trying to sell her now.
"I'm looking for Jack O'Neill." The woman explained curtly.
"And you are . . .?" She asked.
"His mother."
Sam stared at the woman. "His mother?" She repeated, curious. Jack had never really mentioned much about his family before, but then again, neither had she. It was just something that never really came up between them.
"Yes. My name is Rose O'Neill, who are you?" She asked. "Where's Sara?" She continued, looking past Sam into the house.
"She doesn't live here any more." Sam explained, eyeing the woman suspiciously.
"Oh, who are you, the maid?" She asked, and Sam swallowed roughly, her eyes wide.
"No, I'm not the maid. Could you wait here for a minute please?" She asked, closing the door before getting an answer. She walked straight over to the phone and dialled Jack's office. One of the joys of working at the SGC, was that she didn't have to talk to several people just to track down someone.
"O'Neill." Jack answered, and Sam imagined him with his feet on the desk playing the Gameboy she'd given him.
"Hey Jack." She smiled.
"Sammy! How are things?" He asked, pleased at the welcome distraction. The adventures of Mario weren't going so well for him.
"Things are fine and currently sleeping happily while their mother is cleaning. But there is a visitor here for you, she claims to be your mother." Sam replied, hearing his surprised intake of breath.
Jack groaned quietly. "I'll be home in twenty." He told her. "I love you." He murmured, fishing around for his keys. Why did these damn BDU's have so many pockets?
"And I you." She replied, hanging up the phone. Sam was about to go back to the door, and the woman who was no doubt severely irritated, but the sound of Heidi crying brought her attention towards the hall.
She moved as quickly as she could, picking up her daughter so she didn't wake little Jack, and returning to the door with Heidi in her arms. "Sorry about that, Jack's on his way back and his daughter decided to start crying. Please, come in." Sam rambled, breathless.
Rose followed her and took a seat on the lounge. "So . . ." she started, twisting her wedding ring around her finger. "Are you the nanny then?" she asked.
Sam sighed, forcing her tone to sound polite. "No, I'm not the nanny. Would you like some tea?" She asked, shifting Heidi to a more comfortable position.
"Please." She nodded, dropping her handbag on the floor next to her feet.
Walking into the kitchen with her daughter in her arms, Sam made two cups of tea, carrying one in for Mrs O'Neill and then returning to the kitchen to retrieve her's.
The two women sat at opposite ends of the lounge, in an uncomfortable silence until the door swung open and Jack walked in, still in his BDU's.
"Mum." He greeted.
"Don't I get a hug?" She asked. Jack nervously bit his lip and bent down to give his mother a brief hug before walking over to Sam.
"Hey." He smiled, dropping a kiss on her hair. "How's my two favourite girls?" He asked, sitting in between his mother and the loves of his life.
"Fine. She's only just woken up." Sam replied, handing Heidi to Jack.
"So . . .why are you here?" Jack asked his mother, rocking his daughter gently.
"Is it a crime to want to visit my son and my daughter in law?"
"You mean Sara?" Jack asked, glancing at Sam, who just smiled reassuringly.
"Yes. This woman tells me that she doesn't live here any more." Rose explained, looking at her son disapprovingly.
"Mum, her name is Sam. And no, Sara doesn't live here any more. She moved out almost a year ago." He explained, giving his mother a clear look that told her he demanded respect for Sam.
"I'll leave you two alone to talk." Sam told them, standing and walking down to her son's room. She didn't think it would be appropriate for her to be there, her presence obviously made Jack's mother uncomfortable.
"Why did Sara move out?" Rose asked the minute Sam was out of earshot.
"Because we don't love each other any more." Jack told her.
"What? You two were made for each other!" She exclaimed, standing and pacing around the room. "You were going to make things work, try to grieve for Charlie together."
"We did grieve mum, we still do, but we couldn't live together for much longer. Things weren't the same . . .not after everything that happened." He explained, standing to face his mother with Heidi still in his arms.
"Everything?" She repeated. "You mean that 'Sam?' Is she why you didn't try to work it out with Sara?" She asked.
"That 'Sam' happens to be the love of my life and the mother of my children!" Jack told her, slightly glad that his father wasn't here as well. His mother was hard enough to deal with on her own.
"The mother of your child was Sara!" Rose declared, sitting back down on the couch.
"Was being the operative word, mum. I will never forget Charlie, but I have a new family now. Sam, Jack and Heidi." He explained.
"Don't talk about yourself in the third person, dear." Rose reminded him. Jack sighed, always correcting him, that was his mother.
"I'm not. My son's name is Jack." He declared, smiling proudly. "And this is Heidi." He added, nodding his head towards the bundle in his arms.
"You have two children?" She asked disbelievingly. Rose's mind raced, surely she would have been called if she was a grandmother again? Although, she and Jack had hardly been on speaking terms for a while so . . .who knew what had happened in his life.
"Yes, mum. Twins." He replied.
"And Sara left the two children with you? I didn't think she'd do something like that, I mean she always loved . . ."
Jack interrupted her, "Sara isn't the twins' mother, Sam is."
Rose stared at her son. Sara was the only woman in her eyes that was fit to be the mother of her grandchildren. Not some woman who didn't even look old enough to drink. "Why?" She whispered, confused.
"Because I love her, mum. Sara knows that. She's the one who pointed it out to me for crying out loud!" He exclaimed. Jack looked at his daughter with tenderness, his voice softening. "Do you want to meet your grandchildren?" He asked quietly.
Rose looked at the child in her son's arms. "No, I should go." She told him, standing and walking out of the house before Jack had the chance to say anything.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked, walking out with little Jack in her arms. She'd heard what had been said between mother and son, even with the door to the nursery closed.
"Yeah, she'll be back." Jack sighed. "She always comes back." He murmured, kissing her forehead.
"Why don't you help me put the kids back to bed and then come with me?" She asked, smiling.
"Where to?" He asked, following her in the general direction of the nursery, his curiosity piqued.
"Bed, for a 'nap'." She replied, smiling mischievously.
~*+*~
Jack woke a few hours later, surprised that he'd been able to sleep during the day. Hammond probably wouldn't appreciate him leaving work, but since the birth of their children, the big teddy bear of a General had been very lenient when it came to his disappearances throughout the day.
Sam moaned and snuggled closer to him, if that was possible. Jack listened as there was a knock at the door. Sighing, he extracted himself from Sam's embrace, much to his disappointment, and pulled on a pair of sweat pants.
Closing the door behind him, he walked down the hall and opened the door to see Sara standing there, his mother behind her. Jack smiled and stepped back, allowing the two women entrance. Rose sat in one of the armchairs, gesturing for Jack and Sara to sit as well.
"How are you?" Jack asked his ex-wife, briefly ignoring his mother.
"Good. You?" She returned.
"I'm great. Haven't seen you in a while." He remarked.
"I met someone." Sara admitted, looking downwards and smiling.
"Good for you." Jack told her, surprised. He was pleased for her, pleased that she had moved on. If he could, then she deserved a chance at the happiness that he had found with Sam.
"Thanks, I saw the twins, they're beautiful."
Jack smiled proudly. "They get their look's from their mother. Sam mentioned that you stopped by, sorry I missed you." He shrugged, Sara understood that he worked, she should be used to that by now.
"It's okay. Is she here?" Sara asked, looking around the living room.
"Yeah, I'll go and see if she's awake." He replied, standing and walking towards their bedroom.
"What's this about, Rose?" Sara asked as Jack walked out of the room. "Why did you insist that I come over here?"
"You and my son belong together, you must see that. Whoever he's with now can't be good enough for him." Rose told the younger woman.
"You don't even know Sam. Just try talking to her . . .I know you'll like her. I do, she's a great person and, most importantly, she's good for him. And he loves her." Sara explained quietly.
Rose was prohibited from replying as Sam and Jack walked into the lounge room, hand in hand. "Sara!" Sam cried and the two women hugged under the scornful eye of Jack's mother.
"Where are the twins'? I want to see them." Sara exclaimed.
Jack smiled and led his former wife towards his sleeping children, giving Sam and his mother a chance to talk.
"I don't think I've actually introduced myself . . ." Sam started but the older woman sent her an icy glare, silencing any further words she was going to say.
Rose sighed, Sara was right. She should give this woman a chance. "What's your name?" She asked.
"Doctor Samantha Carter." She replied, sitting on the couch.
"A doctor?" Rose asked, surprised. Her initial 'dumb blonde' thoughts about Sam flying out the window.
"Of Astrophysics. I'm a scientist." She explained.
"Enjoy it?" The older woman pressed, deciding to try and get to know her, if only to keep Jack on side.
"Very much. I love my work." Sam replied, smiling fondly at the memories of stepping through the Stargate and coming out onto another planet, not that she could ever tell anyone that.
"Do you plan to go back to work?" Rose asked.
"Not for a while. I've been a scientist for almost fifteen years, but now I want to be a mother. My children are very important to me." She answered honestly.
"Then I think we should go so that I can meet my grandchildren." Rose returned, smiling. She was satisfied that Sam was good enough for her son, and she was content that Sara was happy as well.
Sam smiled and led her, hopefully, future mother in law, towards the nursery where Jack and Sara were arguing over a Colorado Hockey jersey that Jack had bought for his son.
Sam hugged Jack and knew that things would be alright.
~*+*~
Teal'c walked through the long halls of the SGC. An airman had come and informed him that Sam, Jack and their children were at the base, and he was looking forward to seeing them again. Turning a corner he spotted the four, and ran up to Jack to help with some of the bags.
"Greetings O'Neill, Samantha. Are your children well?" He asked, bowing his head.
"Hey T, the kids are great. How are you doing? We missed you and Danny last Saturday, everything alright?" Jack answered as Sam lifted Heidi and handed her to Teal'c.
"We were on a mission to help my son." Teal'c replied, gently rocking the child in his arms.
"You have a son?" Jack asked, surprised. Teal'c had never mentioned anything about a family before. But he wasn't exactly forthcoming with any information.
"His name is Ry'ac. It was time for his first primta to be implanted and I endeavoured to stop the ceremony." He explained.
"Did you stop it?" Sam asked, cursing the Goa'uld for all of their countless atrocities.
"I did. My wife, Drey'ac and our son are here at the SGC." He replied.
"Really? Are they staying?" Jack asked, pleased that Teal'c had gotten there in time to stop his son from becoming dependant on a snake.
"General Hammond has not yet decided. I would be honoured if you would like to meet them." Teal'c bowed.
Sam and Jack both nodded and they all headed off to the infirmary with Teal'c still gently rocking Heidi. They entered the infirmary to see a young boy sleeping in one of the beds with, they assumed, Teal'c's wife sitting in the chair next to him.
"Teal'c." Drey'ac acknowledged, staring at the small bundle that her husband held in his arms.
"I wish for you to meet my friends. This is O'Neill, a warrior of great strength and cunning and this is Samantha, O'Neill's mate. She is intelligent and wise with a strength that I have not before seen." Sam blushed as Teal'c continued to list qualities that he seemed to think she had. "And their children, Heidi Leigh-anne and Jack." He finished.
"I am honoured to meet you." Drey'ac bowed and smiled.
"It's good to meet you too. Is your son alright?" Sam asked, looking at the small boy who appeared to have a rash covering the majority of his face.
"Ry'ac is strong. Janet tells me that he has what is known to you as 'scarlet fever,' but she will help to heal him without a primta." Drey'ac explained
"I hope he gets better soon." Sam wished, trying to smile reassuringly.
"He will." Janet answered, walking into the room, carrying a chart in her hands. "He just needs to rest for a while, the antibiotics will help, we just have to be patient." She smiled.
"I thank you for your help." Drey'ac told her, glad that her son had a chance to live without the larval Goa'uld.
"Your welcome." Janet returned. "General Hammond called to say that he'd like to see you in his office. I think he's reached a decision." She told them.
Teal'c nodded and all of them walked out of the infirmary, towards Hammond's office. Sam and Jack decided to accompany them, for moral support if nothing else.
Jack gently knocked on the door and waited for the General's call for them to come in before opening it.
"Jack!" Hammond stood, surprised at seeing his 2IC on base.
"Hey Sir, thought you might like a visit from the twins." Jack smiled, pushing the double pram over to the General's desk. He grinned as he watched his CO dote over Jack and Heidi.
"Thank you for bringing them for a visit, would you all like to have a seat?" He asked, letting Heidi latch onto his little finger and play with it.
"Have you reached a decision General Hammond?" Teal'c asked, standing behind his wife's chair as Jack did the same.
"Yes. You are both welcome to stay here, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be much of a life. You'd be a virtual prisoner in this mountain and that's no way for a child to live. However, Tuplo has offered you a place among his people." Hammond explained, trying to extract his finger from Heidi's mouth.
"Tuplo?" Both Sam and Jack asked, staring at each other, then Hammond, in confusion.
"He is an inhabitant of the Land of Light." Teal'c explained. "His world was the one we rid of the 'touched' virus." He finished.
"Oh." Sam muttered, blushing at the memory.
~*+*~
Is everything alright?" Jack answered as Sam lifted Heidi and handed her to Teal'c.
Jack grinned. "Is it safe for them to go there? With the virus and all?" He asked.
Hammond nodded. "Yes, SG-2 went back after the SGC had taken care of all the infected members. Major Ferretti tells me that they were able to administer the antidote to all of the infected people on that planet, and they left some behind just in case. It's perfectly safe." He replied.
Drey'ac looked at her husband. "You would not leave this world to come with us?" She asked, fairly certain of the answer.
"It is my duty as a warrior to stay among the Tau'ri until the threat that is the Goa'uld has been eliminated. I will, however, be honoured to visit you on your new world." Teal'c answered.
"Very well." Drey'ac nodded. "I wish to take our son to this world." She smiled.
Hammond smiled in return. "I'll make the arrangements."
~*+*~
"Is Teal'c happy?" Sam asked, laying back against Jack. After they had seen Drey'ac and Ry'ac off, the couple had returned home and put their children to bed, content to have some alone time.
"I think so. His son doesn't have a snake and his wife will be safe." Jack sighed, wrapping his arm's around Sam.
"Wanna talk about it?" Sam asked, and Jack shook his head. "What's wrong?" She pressed, concerned about him.
"I was just thinking that they must have had a pretty strong marriage if they can stand to live on separate planets. Marriage creates such a strong bond between two people." He shrugged.
Sam held her breath. Was he reminiscing about Sara? Did he want to go back to her? "I guess." She said, tentatively.
Jack kissed the top of her head and Sam cursed herself for her insecurity. They were happy together, they had two beautiful children together.
"Will you marry me?" He asked, hopefully.
Sam whipped her head around to stare at him, trying to determine if he was serious or not. She saw the love plainly displayed in his eyes, and knew that it was also in her's.
Without thinking, Sam breathed her answer. "Yes."
~*+*~
Sam looked at all of the expensive garments that lined the walls of the small bridal shop. She and Janet had decided to go shopping for a wedding dress, and make it a girl's day out. So far they'd been walking throughout the large shopping mall and had yet to see anything that either of them liked.
Jack had proposed two months earlier, but they had decided to wait for a little while before getting married. They agreed on the middle of June, and ever since they had started planning the wedding, time had literally flown by. In fact they hadn't realised how little time they had left until Jack had booked the civil celebrant the previous night.
If Sam and Janet didn't find a dress today, then Sam was beginning to fear that she would be walking down the aisle, or garden path as it happened to be, in jeans.
"What about this one?" Janet asked, holding up a long white gown. It had spaghetti straps, and was designed to cling to every curve of the body.
"Janet, I had twins, I'd be lucky if I could put that outfit on without breaking something!" Sam laughed, shaking her head.
"Okay." Janet mumbled, looking through another rack of gowns. "Are you sure that you want to wear white?" She asked, turning her nose up at the sight of a bright pink dress.
"I wasn't going to, but I figure that I could get away with it." She shrugged, pulling out another gown. Sam studied the dress. It wasn't quite white, it had a small tinge of blue through it. With spaghetti straps, the front was low cut enough to reveal a nice expanse of cleavage, but still look dignified. There were tiny embroidered blue roses lining the skirt. The torso of the dress was tight, but the skirt flowed and Sam couldn't help but admire the beauty of it.
"It's divine!" Janet admired. "You have to try it on." She declared, pushing Sam towards the back of the store, where the changing rooms were.
Janet sat on a chair just outside the room that Sam was in, her feet begging to be let out of the tight and uncomfortable shoes that she wore. God only knew how painful Sam's back was, they'd been walking for the better part of the day.
Sam walked out of the change room, smiling. The dress fit like a glove, accentuating her breasts and making her look a little taller. Janet's jaw dropped as she looked at her friend. "You like?" Sam asked, grinning.
"Oh, yeah!" She replied with enthusiasm. "Definitely. What do you think?" Janet asked, convinced that they may have found the perfect dress for Sam.
"I love it!" She squealed excitedly, her face alight with happiness.
"Sam?" Sara called, walking into the store. She'd seen her friend exit the change room in a lovely pale blue wedding dress, and decided to be polite and say hello.
"Sara. How are you?" Sam asked, briefly hugging her friend.
"Great. Hey Janet." Sara nodded, having previously met the Doctor on numerous occasions, Janet smiled in return. "Are you and Jack finally getting married now?" She asked.
Sam nodded, a little uncomfortable. "Yeah." She grinned.
"Sam, he and I signed the divorce papers over three months ago. I'm really happy for you." She told her friend, sincerely.
"Thanks." Sam smiled. "I'm just going to take this dress off." She said, stepping back into the small stall.
"I'd better go too. You look lovely Sam." She told her friend, exiting the shop.
Sam slipped out of the ethereal garment and put her own jeans and sweater back on. Hanging her new wedding dress back on the hanger, she walked out of the change room and over to the cash register, Jack's credit card in hand and Janet in tow.
"I'll take it." She smiled.
~*+*~
Jack groaned and rolled over, glancing at the clock. He and Sam were planning to go to the SGC today, and talk to Hammond about them returning to work an a semi-permanent basis. They both loved the joys that came with being parents, but Sam had wanted some extra stimulation for months now, and Jack agreed that they could use a change of routine.
"Come on baby, up and at 'em." He grinned, kissing the tip of her nose. Jack laughed as she tried to swat his face away from her.
"Jack, we don't have to be up for another half an hour." She groaned, turning to bury her face in the pillow.
"Sammy, that was before we had to bathe, change and pack a bag for twins." He smiled. After mumbling something incoherent into her pillow she flipped onto her back and looked up at him.
"Happy?" She asked, unable to stop smiling.
"Yep." He grinned, helping her out of bed.
An hour later the twins were fed, bathed, they had a change of clothes and there were enough bags packed for them to last a week. They'd packed Heidi and little Jack into the car, and were heading towards the mountain, just idly talking.
~*+*~
Sam and Jack had left the twins in the infirmary with Janet who had assigned a nurse to keep an eye on them. After making sure that their children were alright, they made their way towards the control room.
Hammond turned towards the stairs leading to the 'Gate room, to see Colonel O'Neill and Dr Carter, soon to also be O'Neill. He smiled, he didn't realise it but they would be getting married in just under two weeks.
"Sir." Jack acknowledged, following Sam towards the General's side. He studied the older man for a moment, and could immediately see that something was wrong with his superior. "What's going on?" He asked.
"SG teams 2 and 6 are in trouble. The DHD won't establish a wormhole from their side. We can dial P3X 881, or Nasya as it's known to the locals, but our teams can't dial in." He explained, sighing. "They've been trapped there for almost 48 hours." He rubbed his forehead wearily.
Sam stared at the dormant Stargate. She dropped Jack's hand and sat down at one of the computer terminals. "Do you have any data on the planet?" She asked, hurriedly typing up a program from the computer.
The technician pointed out all of the data that they had on Nasya, everything from the landscape to the climate. Jack watched as Sam nodded her head for a few minutes, mumbling something to herself. Suddenly, she twirled the chair around and stood up, facing Hammond. "Sir, I can fix this." She announced, and the room fell silent as the other occupants wondered how she could solve a problem in ten minutes that they couldn't solve in two days.
"When can you have the plans written out so that I can send them through to our people?" He asked, relief flooding through him.
"No, Sir. You don't understand. *I* can fix this, but I need to see the inside of the DHD to do it accurately." She replied, shaking her head.
"Doctor, what exactly do you mean accurately? Can you fix this or not?" He asked, his voice showing irritation and sleeplessness.
"Yes Sir, I can fix this but unless I see the inside of the DHD, then we don't have a chance. If I were to make out plans without looking at all of the components then I could easily give someone directions on how to electrocute themselves. I *need* to see it." She told him, briefly noticing that Jack was smiling at her.
Hammond sighed. "Are the twins here?" He asked, quietly.
"There's a nurse with them. They won't be left alone." Sam replied without missing a beat.
"And you're confident that you can fix the DHD and get everyone home in one piece?" He pressed, not willing to let her go unless he was sure that she would come back to her children.
"Twenty minutes and I'll be done, sir." She returned.
"Very well." He relented. "Go and suit up, get all of your gear and take an MP5 just in case. I assume that you want to go with her, Colonel?" Hammond asked, rhetorically. He knew the answer to that question before his mind had even formed the words.
"Someone has to watch her six Sir, and I'd prefer it was me." He agreed, smiling at his fiance. She was glowing again and her eyes were alight with a passion that he'd missed for a while.
"You leave in half an hour." He watched as they ran off to get changed, much like excited school children.
~*+*~
Sam and Jack walked up the ramp, both in their fatigues with a backpack full of any tool that Sam could possibly need to fix the DHD. They'd said goodbye to their children and were now just in front of the Stargate's event horizon.
Jack smiled at the look of wonder on Sam's face. "Want me to push you again?" He joked and she ignored him, stepping into the rippling blue surface she let the feelings that came with 'Gate travel wash over her like a tsunami.
Stepping out of the other side, Sam looked around the fairly peaceful planet. There was a body of water on her left, and a village on her right. The planet's population appeared to be fairly small, and not very technologically advanced. In front of her was the DHD, with Daniel and Teal'c standing in front of it.
Sam smiled as Jack exited behind her and she walked over to her friends and hugged them. "How are you?" Daniel asked.
"Good." Sam nodded, un-clipping her backpack and setting it on the ground.
"Um. . .what are you doing here?" Daniel wondered aloud, tilting his head to the side a little.
"Getting you back home so that you can attend our wedding. You two are Jack's best men! At the rate that these military people work, you wouldn't have made it back for our first anniversary." She laughed, lightly kissing Jack.
"You have the knowledge needed to repair the Dial Home Device?" Teal'c asked.
"Yep, she does. Where's the rest of the SG units?" Jack asked, looking around the village. There were native people pottering around their houses, completing their daily chores.
"They are helping some of the native men carry some fallen trees so that they can use them to build houses." Daniel explained and Sam sat down in front of the DHD, removing the covering.
~*+*~
Jack sat few a meters away from Sam, far enough away not to disturb her, but close enough to help her in a hurry if the situation called for it. He enjoyed watching her work, she was always concentrating on what she was doing that the rest of the world didn't seem to matter.
Sam gave a small cheer and stood up. She punched in the seven symbols for Earth, and the Stargate engaged. Jack walked over and hugged her. "I knew you could do it." He whispered, claiming her lips.
"Save it for the honeymoon!" Feretti taunted, walking up to the embracing couple. "Got the DHD fixed, doc?" He asked, looking at the established wormhole.
"Fixed and ready to go." She agreed, tilting her head up to look at Jack. She happened to glance over his shoulder, and looked at the sky. "Jack." She cried, pointing towards the heavens.
He turned and saw what she was looking at- Goa'uld Death gliders. Four of them, all heading towards the village, weapons aimed and ready. "Crap." He muttered. "Daniel start evacuating the villagers through the 'Gate. Jamerson, send the GDO code and go through to tell Hammond what to expect. Teal'c you help Daniel and any wounded, Feretti your the fastest runner here, go and make sure that all of the natives are prepared, they don't need to bring anything. Rest of you, help with the evac. Sam I want you to. . ." Jack started, but Sam cut him off.
"Go and help Daniel?" She supplied and he nodded, quickly kissing her before they all ran to do what was needed and the gliders began firing.
~*+*~
"Sam those gliders are coming back around." Jack called, running past her with an infant in his arms.
"This man's alive!" She called back. He was alive, but only just.
"We can *not* wait!" He yelled, thrusting the infant into Teal'c's waiting arms, before turning and running back towards his fiance.
Sam sank to her knees, throwing her gun to the side. She felt the man for a pulse. It was thready and weak, but he wasn't breathing. He was badly burnt, but not heavily bleeding. She tilted his head back, holding his nose. Sam took a deep breath and lowered her mouth to his, blowing in air.
Once she had emptied the air from her lungs into his, Sam began to pull away, only to find a hand had clamped down on the back of her head. She struggled, unable to keep from panicking.
Sam gathered all of her strength and fought to pull back, feeling her own mouth fill with his blood. She briefly worried about asphyxiation, but suddenly she had been released and she shot up, spiting out the blood. It was then that she noticed that something unnatural had passed between them.
She looked straight ahead of her, with glowing eyes.
"You alright?" Jack asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.
Her eyes went back to normal and Sam looked around, a little disorientated. "Yeah." She muttered, wiping the other man's blood from her mouth, using her sleeve.
"Come on, let's get out of here." Jack told her, reaching to pull the man into his arms.
"No!" Sam cried. "He . . .ah, had some kind of seizure, bit his own tongue." She told him, standing.
He got up and they both ran towards the Stargate, falling through the surface onto the ramp at the SGC. Standing up and looking around, Jack figured that there had to be at least two hundred people crowded in the 'Gate room, all frightened.
Janet and several of her nurses were trying to move through the sea of people, in search of anyone that was injured. Most of them were fine, the majority of people who were hurt were still on Nasya.
Jack turned to Sam. "We should check on Heidi and Jack." He told her, grasping her hand with tenderness, aware that she could be hurt.
Sam stared at him blankly, resisting the urge to remove her hand from his. She fought the urge to fight him, instead, she tried to sort through the memories in her mind and found the information she needed. "Heidi, Jack, right. Sorry, I had a mental blank." She told him, forcing a smile.
He returned the smile and they headed towards the infirmary to see their children. The room that the twins' were being kept in was small, but big enough for one nurse to be with them constantly. It was originally the CMO's office, but one of the bigger storage room's had been converted for Janet so the old office could be kept aside in cases of emergency.
"Colonel, Doctor." Nurse Sanderson greeted, standing with Heidi in her arms.
"How've they been?" He asked, gently picking little Jack up.
"Perfect Sir. They were a dream to look after." She replied, smiling.
Jack turned around to speak to Sam, only to find that she was no longer in the room. He looked back to the nurse, but she just shrugged. Putting his son down, Jack left the room in search of his missing fiance.
~*+*~
Jack had searched everywhere for her, even Janet was looking for her. Apparently she had missed her post mission physical, and no one else had seen her. He'd been prepared to search the entire base but Hammond had ordered that the original SG-1 come to the briefing room so that he could get an account of what had happened.
Walking into the room, Jack was surprised to see Sam already sitting at the table, giving Hammond her version of what had happened on Nasya. Throughout the duration of her recount of events, even when she was rudely telling Teal'c that he was 'just a Jaffa', she remained completely insouciant, which had Jack worried.
The briefing ended and she didn't even acknowledge him, simply standing and collecting her notes. Jack decided to approach her. "Ah, Sam, I don't mean to be a nag but ole' Doc Fraiser says that you haven't been checked out yet." He tried, giving her a small and hesitant smile.
"I'll go right now Colonel. Wouldn't want to break post mission protocol now, would I?" She returned, punching him on the arm.
Jack stared after her, concerned. She'd punched him on the arm like a military comrade, and she'd called him by his rank, something that she hardly ever did, and when she did she was usually just teasing.
He continued to stare at the door that she had just exited, something wasn't right.
~*+*~
Janet gently probed Sam's throat, checking her glands through the soft skin. "I'm sorry to have to do this." She murmured, continuing to feel around her friend's throat. Sam swallowed and looked around. "Jack's been looking for you." Janet told her.
"Jack. . ." Sam repeated, testing the name out. "Jack, yeah. I've had some stuff to do." She replied, smiling slightly.
"He understands. Open wide." The Doctor ordered, shining a pen light into Sam's mouth. "Have you had a bit of a sore throat lately?" Janet asked, squinting her eyes a little to get a better look at the inside of her friend's mouth.
"Ah. . .A little. Why?"
"There's a small abrasion, I'm going to have to do a swab." She smiled, pulling out the long cotton bud from a sealed container. "Open." She commanded softly and Janet carefully inserted the instrument into Sam's mouth. She gently took a sample off the back of her throat, where the abrasion was.
"Is that all?" Sam asked impatiently.
"No, I got a call from the physiotherapist and he wants you to have an MRI done, to check out your spine. I told him that I'd do it here, hopefully save you some trouble. So put this gown on and then we'll get this over with." Janet told her, handing Sam the hospital gown. Or 'see my butt gown' as Jack had named it.
Sam sighed, but nodded and closed the curtain around the gurney so that she could get changed.
~*+*~
Janet studied the MRI with tears in her eyes. How had this happened? How could they have missed the personality change? She shook her head, there had been no glowing eyes or distorted voices, no evidence.
No evidence that Sam had been infested with a Goa'uld.
She pushed her emotional side away and tried to focus on her professional exterior. She glanced in the mirror and lightly dabbed under her eyes, wiping away the tiny trail of mascara that had dripped onto her cheek. How was she supposed to handle this? Janet hadn't been there when Kawalski had been infected, and even though she'd read the report, and seen video footage, nothing compared to knowing that your best friend wasn't herself any more.
Walking back into the room where the MRI machine was situated, Janet wordlessly helped Sam to sit up. She smiled at her friend, while her insides twisted themselves into painful knots. "Well, everything looks normal." She lied, "But I'll send the results to Tony." She smiled.
Sam nodded and stood up. "Can I go now?" She asked.
Janet nodded, unsure of what to do. "Yeah, just go and get changed." She pointed towards the room that Sam had been in for her exam.
Sam walked out of the room and Janet reached for the nearest phone. "General Hammond, sir. I need some SF's in the infirmary, Doctor Carter has been infested with a Goa'uld." She mumbled.
"I'll send them down immediately." Hammond replied, hanging up and dialling the security office.
"This is Hammond. You are under orders to restrain Doctor Carter using any means necessary, but keep her alive." He sighed, leaving his office and heading towards the infirmary.
~*+*~
Jack walked through the corridors of the SGC, infirmary bound. He thought it was strange that all of the people that he saw on the way were giving him sympathetic looks, but considering their day job, he tried not to question things too much.
Entering the infirmary, he headed to Janet's office. He knocked quietly and opened the door, surprised to see his friend slumped in her chair with her head in her hands. "Janet?" He asked, walking over to her.
"Jack?" She asked, and he nodded, concerned. Lightly touching her shoulder, Jack was incredibly surprised when Janet launched herself into his arms.
"Janet?" He asked, confused. "What's wrong?"
"You don't know?" She asked, pulling back from him to look in his eyes. Jack shook his head. "Where were you?"
"Up on the clearing next to the entrance. I took the kids up while I waited for Sam to be finished with her exam." He explained.
"Jack, I sent someone to find you." She shook her head, wondering where the airman that she'd sent was. "Sam's become infested with a Goa'uld." She whispered, hating to be the one to tell him the awful news.
Jack stared at the doctor for a moment, blinking furiously. "Where is she?" He demanded, standing.
"Holding cell 3." She replied, watching as her friend ran out of the room.
~*+*~
Jack listened as the snake inside of the woman he loved told him, or lied to him, about the Tok'ra and how they fought against the Goa'uld. They believed in freedom, and never taking an unwilling host. He snorted, there was no way that his Sammy had been a willing host. He took one last longing look at Sam and headed towards the door.
"Oh god Jack!" Sam called, her voice now sounding like her own. "He's telling you the truth!" She yelled. "Please Jack, please. Don't leave me, give me a chance." She begged. Jack looked at Sam, his heart breaking. He had no idea what to do.
Banging the door, Jack cursed himself for fleeing like a coward, but that was all he could do. Showing Jolinar, if that really was it's name, any signs of weakness wouldn't help them get it out of Sam.
~*+*~
The Ashrak was dead, Teal'c had shot Daniel with a Zat gun, Sam was alive, but not doing so well emotionally, and the Tok'ra, Jolinar, had died to save her life.
Janet said that she would be alright, that all Sam really needed was love and support, but no matter how hard any of them tried, she was non-responsive. Janet said that it was a form of post traumatic stress syndrome, but Jack just wanted his fiance back.
They'd all tried talking to her, about mundane things and Siler had even tried to help by talking to her about a problem that they were having with the Stargate, nothing seemed to help. Jack had read to her, sung to her, serenaded her with the most romantic love poems that he could find, but none of it was doing any good.
It was late at night when he'd gotten the idea, about midnight. Sam still hadn't moved from her position staring at the wall, her eyes had remained open, and Jack had seen nothing in them, no life, no innocence. Which was what gave him the idea.
He'd walked through the SGC, waking several people, trying to decide if he was doing the right thing. When he'd gotten back to the infirmary, he walked past Sam and into his children's temporary room. The nurse on duty had understood why he was there instantly, and she'd helped him pick his sleeping children up without saying a word.
Walking back into Sam's room, the twins in his arms, Jack sat back down, staring into the virtually lifeless eyes of his love, and he began to speak in hushed tones. "Hey Sammy. I know that you aren't feeling so hot at the moment, but the twins need their mum. I need you." He whispered.
Jack watched, delighted, as Sam's eyes filled with tears, the first sign of any recognition of anything in the last day and a half. Her blue pupils scanned the room and finally came to rest on the two babies that Jack held in his arms. She stared at her children and the man she loved, and began to let her senses work again. "Jack." She murmured, her voice hoarse.
"Sammy." He smiled, the first real smile that had touched his lips in almost two days.
"Love you." She whispered, closing her eyes in exhaustion.
"And we you." He replied, taking his children back to the nursery and coming back to sit in the chair next to her bed, determined to keep a vigil by her side until she was ready to come home with him.
"Share bed with me." She muttered, moving over to allow Jack enough room to slide onto the gurney with her.
Sam instinctively curled up to him, most of her body over his. Jack kissed her head and followed his soon-to-be wife into a peaceful sleep, both happy to be reunited.
~*+*~
"You know," Jack started, sitting up in Sam's bed with her. She'd come out of her catatonic like state almost two days ago and Jack had hardly moved from her side. "Today is our wedding day." He told her.
"Yeah, it is." Sam agreed, leaning back into his safe and warm embrace. "Although I can't say this is how I imagined it." She sighed.
"We'll get there, just a little later than planned." He reassured, kissing the top of her head. Janet refused to release Sam for at least another day, and in turn, Jack had refused to leave her side for another day.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, sniffling a little.
"Hey, it's not your fault." He told her, grasping her hand and lightly squeezing it.
Sam knew that it wasn't her fault that they'd missed their wedding, but for some reason, blaming herself seemed only natural. She should have listened to Jack when he told her that they couldn't wait for her to help the dying man. And that's what seemed so ironic to her; she knew that the man was going to die, but she couldn't walk away, and it had gotten her into trouble.
"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty." She replied.
"*You* feel guilty?" Jack asked, incredulously, without thought. He cursed himself, knowing that Sam would ask the inevitable question.
"Why do you feel guilty, Jack?" She asked softly, and he couldn't help but breathe deeply. Even when the inevitable came, it still surprised you, he thought wryly to himself.
"Because I walked out on you." He replied, his voice as soft as her's. Jack couldn't shake the image of her behind bars and calling for him out of his head, probably another visual to haunt him for the rest of his life.
"I wasn't me. And I think you did the right thing." She replied, kissing him to prohibit any further protests he may have had.
"Hey." Janet interrupted, clearing her throat until they stopped their examination of each other's tonsils, and turned their attention to her. Janet walked further into the room, carrying two little bundles who missed their parents. "They wanted to come and say hello." Janet explained, handing the children over to their parents.
"They specifically asked to come and visit?" Jack asked, his tone playful.
"Oh yeah. There were demands, threatening, I feared for my life." She laughed, taking a seat next to Sam's bed.
"That's our kids." Jack laughed, smiling down at his daughter.
"That's our kids." Sam agreed, feeling much happier than she had for a few days.
She smiled at her son and decided there and then that she had to get out of the infirmary as soon as possible; she had a wedding to organise.
~*+*~
Sam sat on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand and a sample book from the florist in the other. Jack was still at the base, finishing his post mission report. Hammond had let him get out of writing the report for the duration of her stay in the infirmary, but after she had been released, Jack had been ordered to catch up on the paperwork.
While he was at the SGC, Sam had decided to read through the pamphlet she'd picked up from the local florist, in the hopes that she could decide on a flower for the wreath that would sit in her hair for the wedding.
She turned a page and turned her nose up at the sight of a rather ugly flower on display. Sighing, Sam noticed that she was nearing the end of the book, and was yet to find anything that she liked. She flipped through a few pages until she noticed something that she liked.
The wreath was made of pale blue roses, that had obviously been dyed to change the colour, the small swirls of white on the blue petal indicating that fact in a tasteful way. Sam smiled, content that she had found the perfect flower for their wedding. The roses matched her dress, and she could have a bouquet of the same flower. Janet had told her not to worry about shoes, she would take care of that and Sam was grateful that it was one less thing for her to worry about.
Jack had been wonderful with the plans, most of the time that they'd spent in the infirmary was put to use discussing the rescheduling of their big day. It had helped Sam to forget about her ordeal with Jolinar, a task that was proving to be difficult. Although the twin's had helped to aid her with distractions.
The front door opened and Jack walked in, keys in one hand, and a rather large bunch of flowers in the other. He smiled at Sam and she returned the sentiment, standing to accept the gift that he offered to her.
"They're beautiful." She whispered, raising the bunch to inhale the scent of the white carnations that he'd bought for her, the card reading 'I love you.'
"You're beautiful." He returned, hugging her. "How are the kids?" He asked, his arms still protectively around her.
"Heidi's been crying a lot, but otherwise they are both perfect." She told him, walking into the kitchen to retrieve a vase and place her flowers in water.
"Any luck with the flowers?" He asked, flipping through the open book on the couch.
"Yeah, I found the one I want." She called. Walking back into the lounge room, Sam placed the vase on the coffee table and sat back on the couch, snuggling up to Jack.
"Does it match your dress?" He asked, staring at the page she had opened. Jack liked the look of the blue and white wreath that she'd been looking at when he came in, but he had no idea if that was the one she had chosen.
"Jack, I keep telling you that you are not going to hear anything about the dress until the wedding day, stop fishing for hints!" She laughed. Jack had been insisting that she tell him something about her dress, but Sam had plainly refused, even though she enjoyed taunting him.
"Can't blame a guy for trying." He replied.
"Mmm." She agreed, closing her eyes.
Jack let Sam fall asleep on his shoulder, while he flipped through the pictures of all the possible wreath's that were available, unknowingly turning his nose up at the same one that Sam hadn't liked.
Placing the book on the table, Jack gently lifted Sam into his arms and carried her into their bedroom, placing her under the covers. He walked into Heidi and Jack's room to make sure that they were still sleeping, before shutting off the lights and climbing into bed with his fiance, Jack followed her into a peaceful sleep.
~*+*~
"What do you want to do for the reception?" Sam asked Jack, putting her hand into the stream of water coming from the bath's tap.
"I don't know, we could have it at the mountain, but then half of the people invited wouldn't be able to attend." He joked, gently undressing Heidi.
Sam stared at the stream of water, the flow of the clear liquid seemingly sending her into a trance. Her mind was filled with images of places that she'd never been to, and people that she had never met before. Everything seemed so alien, and yet so familiar. It was like she had been there, and seen all of these things with her own eyes. Like she had spoken to the people who were in her memories, interacted with them, and made friends with them. But nothing that Sam saw as she continued to stare into the stream of water was real, not to her.
"Sam?" Jack called, carrying his now naked son and daughter towards their bath. "Sammy?" He tried again, watching as her eyes remained transfixed on the water, which was beginning to flow out of the bath.
Jack rested his children on his knee, using only one of his arms, and used the other to reach over and shut off the taps. Submerging his hand in the water, Jack pulled the plug out and let most of the water drain, before putting the plug back in, leaving enough liquid in the large tub to bathe the twin's. "Sam?" Jack asked, shifting Heidi into a more comfortable position.
Sam heard him call her name and she took a sharp intake of breath, her brain coming back to reality after experiencing a few graphic images of a man with blue eyes. "Sorry, I guess I got caught up in my own thoughts." She explained, giving him an apologetic look.
"It's alright." He told her, smiling. Jack handed little Jack over to Sam and she gently laid him in the bath, one hand under his head, supporting him and the other hand supporting his body. Jack followed her lead and did the same with Heidi, one hand drizzling water over her body as she squealed and laughed at him.
"I can't believe how much they love water." Sam commented, watching as Heidi and Jack decided to kick their legs around and splash their parents with water.
Jack laughed and wiped his face with a towel. "What gave you *that* idea?" He shook his head.
Sam smiled and pushed the memory of making love to a man named Martouf out of her mind, instead trying to focus on the present, and her own family.
~*+*~
Sam looked at the grey door before her, apprehension and trepidation flowing through her body. She took a deep breath and scolded herself for feeling so uneasy, she was only coming to talk to a friend. Raising her hand, Sam lightly knocked on the cool surface of the door three times.
The sound of Teal'c's monotone voice filled her ears after only a few short seconds. "Enter."
Unconsciously smoothing her hair down with her fingers, Sam opened the door to the Jaffa's room and stepped in, quietly closing the door behind her. "Hi Teal'c." She greeted, looking around the small room. There must have been over a hundred candles illuminating the room, Sam guessed. Teal'c was sitting on a mat on the floor, his legs crossed.
"Samantha." He bowed.
"Can I talk to you?" She asked tentatively, willing her hands to stop shaking. Teal'c nodded and Sam sat down on the ground, imitating his position.
"Are you unwell?" He asked, concerned. Most of the people on base found his mannerisms to be unnerving, but Sam found comfort in his actions.
"No, I'm okay. I just wanted to know a little more about the Goa'uld." She explained.
"The Goa'uld monopolise any planet that they are able to. They wish to dominate less advanced races and they rule without mercy." He told her.
Sam shivered a little, her heart going out to all of the cultures that had been traumatised by the Goa'uld. "What about their knowledge? How do they pass on what they learn to the next generation?" She asked, pleased to note that her hands had stopped shaking.
"The Goa'uld possess genetic memory. Each new symbiont that is born contains all the knowledge of those that came before it." He answered, curious as to why she was asking these questions.
Sam nodded slowly, processing her thoughts and pondering her next question. "What about the Tok'ra? Do they have the same ability?"
"They do." He replied.
"Thank you. I'll let you get back to your meditation." She smiled, standing and heading towards the door.
"Samantha, if you should require any more information, then I would be pleased to be of service." He told her as she reached the door.
"I know." She smiled, leaving the room and heading towards the infirmary.
~*+*~
Sam walked towards her destination, her thoughts running in very unsettling directions. She knew that she had to talk to someone, and under usual circumstances she would have talked to Jack, but in this case she didn't think that he would be able to understand what she was trying to explain. At least Janet had her medical knowledge to help her comprehend what Sam was talking about. And Teal'c had his erudition of the Goa'uld to help him.
Walking into the infirmary, Sam was glad to find that for the most part it was deserted. She spotted a few of the usual nurses walking around and tending to the very few wounded occupants of the beds, but she couldn't spot Janet.
"May I help you, Doctor Carter?" One of the nurses asked her.
"Do you know where Janet is?" She asked, looking around the large room.
"She's in her office ma'am." The nurse told her, nodding towards one of the rooms slightly off-set from the rest of the infirmary.
Sam smiled her thanks at the woman and headed towards Janet's office, lightly knocking on the door before entering.
"Hey Sam." Janet welcomed, smiling as Sam returned the gesture and sat in the chair opposite Janet's.
"Are you busy?" Sam asked, looking at the numerous medical folders scattered over the doctor's desk, making the metal surface unable to be seen.
Janet shrugged. "No, not really. Where are the twins'?"
"Next door, in their makeshift nursery." Sam replied, smiling fondly at the thought of her children.
She'd decided to start coming back to work on a part time basis. Jack still had work to do in his office, although he was on a mission with SG-2 at the moment, and Sam had plenty of things to keep herself occupied with. It gave her something to do throughout the day and the twin's had been assigned a nurse to be their permanent carer when Sam was working.
"Are you alright, Sam?" Janet asked. "You look. . . distracted, for lack of a better word."
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
Janet nodded. "We're friends, of course you can."
Sam took a deep breath. "Have you ever fantasised about being with one man while you were with another?" She asked, her cheeks colouring sightly.
"You mean like being with a normal guy and fantasising about Harrison Ford?" Janet joked, making Sam giggle a little.
"No I mean more like being with the man that you love and fantasising about a man that you've never met." She explained, her cheeks colouring even more.
"No, I can't say that I have. Why?" Janet asked, more than a little confused.
"I think it has something to do with the Tok'ra that I was blended with. I keep seeing images of places that I've never been to and people that I've never met. But there is one man. . .I think his name is Martouf, but he keeps popping up in my dreams, and part of me cares for him more than I've ever cared for anyone else." Sam looked down, not sure if her friend understood what she was trying to say.
"More than Jack?" Janet asked.
Sam looked up and held Janet's gaze. "More than Jack." She admitted, feeling very guilty
Janet chewed the inside of her mouth, thinking. "Have you told him?"
"How can I Janet? I love him with all of my heart but whatever I feel for Martouf is deeper." She replied. "This is absurd, I've never even met the man for crying out loud!" She exclaimed, shaking her head.
Janet smiled, despite the situation. "What are you going to do?" She asked.
Sam took a deep breath. "Try and forget about Martouf and hope that I don't call his name out at an inappropriate time." She sighed.
"Good luck." Janet replied, bidding her friend goodbye as she left her office.
~*+*~
Sam sat in her lab, typing furiously on her lap top. After talking with Teal'c and Janet, she'd begun to feel better. When Teal'c told her about the genetic memory that every symbiont possessed, Sam came to the realisation that what she was feeling for Martouf was nothing more than what Jolinar had felt for him.
"Doctor Carter?" Feretti called, walking into her lab.
Sam smiled and looked up to see the commanding officer of SG-2 carrying a large container. "Hey Feretti. Can I help you?" She asked politely.
"Yeah. We found these on our last mission, General Hammond thought that you might like to take a look." He explained, placing the container on the corner of her work bench.
"What are they?" She asked, opening the lid.
"Don't know." Feretti replied. "That's your area of expertise." He smiled.
Sam nodded. "I'll take a look at them. Does the General want me to backwards engineer them for reproduction or just figure out what they are?" She asked, picking up one of the devices. She recognised one of them as a Goa'uld hand device, she'd seen Apophis use it when they were on Chulak. The other device, a circular object with a large red crystal in it was completely foreign to her.
"I think he just wants to know what they are." Feretti shrugged. "By the way, Colonel O'Neill said that he'd come and visit you after his post mission physical." He smiled, leaving the room.
Sam muttered a goodbye, her attention focused on the Hand device. She unconsciously slipped her hand into the metal, placing the tips on each of her fingers, she looked at her wrist, the gold metal wrapped around her arm. Turning her hand so that it was palm up, she watched as the red crystal glowed and shot out a short stream of yellow energy.
Jack watched from the door as she stared at the energy being emitted from the hand device. "Sam?" He called, walking slowly towards her.
Hearing someone call her name, Sam's head shot up, her hands instinctively turning to face the person entering her lab. Before she could stop it, a large quantity of energy shot out and hit Jack, knocking him against the wall before he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
"Doctor Carter?" An airman called, walking into her lab.
Lt. James looked up at Sam, surprised. He stared at her, watching as her eyes remained fixated on the unconscious body on the floor, her hand outstretched. The Hand device was still active, but the energy being discharged from it was no more than three inches long.
"Doctor Carter?" He tried again and she seemed to snap out of her daze. She turned to stare at him and Lt. James slowly bent down to feel for Jack's pulse.
"Jack?" Sam asked, her voice trembling. "What happened?" She demanded, looking at the young airman who still had his fingers on Jack's neck.
"I don't know ma'am. I came in and you had your hand up with that thing on it." He replied, looking at the Hand device still woven around her hand.
Sam stared at the device, shocked. She knew that there was a very big chance that she had done this to Jack, but somehow, it didn't seem real. The last thing she remembered was Feretti bringing Goa'uld technology into her lab for her to study. Sam stood up and walked over to her phone, removing the hand device as she went. Dialling the infirmary, she waited until one of the nurses answered before speaking. "This is Doctor Carter, we need a medical team to my lab, Colonel O'Neill's hurt."
~*+*~
"How do you feel?" Janet asked, shining a pen light into Jack's eyes. He had regained consciousness shortly after a medical team had brought him into the infirmary, and no one had seen or heard from Sam since she'd called for the med's.
"Fine. Where's Sam?" Jack asked and Janet couldn't help but cringe. He hadn't been told what had happened yet. The airman that had found Jack had probably already formed his own theories, and Janet had ordered the security tape from Sam's lab to be brought into the infirmary.
"I'm not sure, Colonel." Janet replied, pleased that it was the truth.
"What happened to me?" He asked. Janet ignored his question for a minute as she placed a cold stethoscope under his shirt to listen to his heart beat.
Janet sighed. "I don't know yet, what's the last thing that you remember?"
"I was going to see Sam. You were busy with Jefferson, I think he broke his ankle or something." Jack shrugged and Janet nodded. "You said that I could go and have a shower and then come back for my physical. Figured that I'd go and tell Sam that I came back with all my bit's and pieces still in place before I got cleaned up. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in here."
"Ma'am, I have the video you requested." Lt. James told her, handing her the tape of Sam's lab. Janet nodded and thanked him before turning back to the Colonel.
"I'll be back in a minute. I'll see if someone can find Sam for you, okay?" She asked, hoping that the chance to see Sam would provide an adequate distraction so that she could make him ignore the video in her hands.
"Thanks doc." Jack smiled and Janet left his bedside and retreated back into her office to, hopefully, find out what happened.
~*+*~
Janet shivered a little as the rush of cold air hit her, wishing that she'd brought a jacket with her. Pulling her lab coat tighter around her body, she walked off the road leading into the mountain and headed to a small clearing. She had a feeling that Sam would be by the boulder that was at the clearing, she often came up to that particular spot to think.
Walking over towards the boulder, Janet wasn't surprised to see Sam sitting there with her knees drawn up to her chest, her head resting on them. "Sam?" Janet called, alerting the other woman of her presence.
"I wondered how long you'd take to come and find me." Sam smiled, raising her head to look at her friend.
Janet sat down next to Sam. "Jack's asking for you." She told her.
"Does he know what happened?" Sam asked.
Janet chewed her bottom lip, a habit that she'd picked up from Sam, and thought about her answer. "Yeah, he knows. And he doesn't blame you, but he is very worried." She replied.
"Is he alright?" Sam asked, trepidation lacing her tone.
"He had the wind knocked out of him, but he'll be fine in a few days. As long as you drive, he can go home tonight." Janet answered. Reaching over, she gently took Sam's hand. "He loves you, Sam. And he's not mad at you, despite what you may think. He's worried about you. I think you should go down and see him and just explain what happened. I saw the video Sam, and I don't think it was your fault." She told her, squeezing her hand.
"Thank you." Sam replied, standing and heading into the mountain.
~*+*~
Jack laid in the infirmary, quietly singing '99 bottle's of beer on the wall' to himself. He was bored. Janet had said that she was going to find Sam, but that was almost half an hour ago. He knew what had happened, and even though he didn't understand it, he didn't blame Sam. Janet had said something about Jolinar's memories enticing her to put the hand device on.
"Hey." Sam called, walking into the infirmary. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up to his bedside, sitting down and grasping his hand. "I'm sorry." She told him, tears in her eyes.
"It's not your fault. And if you promise to get me the hell out of here then we'll call it even." He joked and was pleased when she smiled in reply.
"Deal." She agreed. "I don't know what happened. I saw the hand device and put it on, it was almost like I wasn't in control of my actions. When you came in, I was so surprised to see you that my hand just shot out. You hit the ground and then Lt. James was in my lab, checking your pulse." Sam explained, her brow creasing in confusion.
"It's okay, Sammy. You don't need to explain, just get me out of here." He smiled.
Sam nodded and stood up. Leaning over to give him a brief kiss, she left his side to go and get Heidi and little Jack and to check with Janet to see if she had any instructions for taking care of Jack for the night.
~*+*~
Jack laid back on the lounge and sighed, happy to be home. Sam had started fussing over him the minute they walked in the door. She'd sat him on the lounge, ordered him to stay there, and then taken the twins down to their room to put them to bed. When she'd finished with them, she'd briefly come back into the lounge room before moving towards the kitchen to get Jack a drink. It was cute, in Jack's opinion, but he knew that she was feeling guilty for what had happened earlier. He tried to reassure her but she'd brushed him off and said that everything was fine.
"Jack, are you alright? Do you need anything?" Sam asked, bringing in a glass of coke for him.
"I'm fine, Sam. Why don't you sit down for a while." He told her, patting the space next to him. Sam smiled and sat down next to him, trying, and failing, to look natural. As soon as Jack grasped her hand, she went rigid. "Sam?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, guess I'm just tired." She lied.
"What's wrong?"
"I want to contact the other Tok'ra." She blurted, instantly regretting it. Sam had been planning to talk to Jack for some time now, and she'd wanted to be a little more tactful about it.
"Um. . .okay." Jack nodded, trying to comprehend what she was saying. He couldn't understand why she would want to meet them, but on the other hand, it seemed only natural that she seek them out.
"Okay?" Sam repeated, surprised. She'd anticipated many things from Jack. Confusion being one of the main reactions she'd expected, but complete understanding wasn't one of them.
"If you feel you need to do it, then I'll support you." He told her.
"There's something else." Sam started, unsure of how to phrase her next statement. "I want to do it before the wedding."
Jack thought for a moment. They hadn't set a firm date for the wedding, especially after the Jolinar incident, but he thought that she would want to get married before any other unexpected turbulence was thrown their way. "I'll still support you, but why?" He asked.
"There's someone that I need to talk to, from the Tok'ra and I have to sort out that situation before I can do anything." She told him.
"Situation?" Jack repeated, confused.
"I have all of Jolinar's memories and feelings running through my mind. All of her thoughts going through my head. It's like she's another part of my personality, one that I only just realised that I had, and everything that she's seen or done throughout her life, I know about. But I only see certain things, not all of her life, just scattered flashes." Sam told him, desperately trying to explain.
"So, she's like a part of you now?" He asked, hoping that he was understanding what she was saying the way that she so obviously wanted him too.
"Yes. But some of the things that I remember about her life are stronger than others." She replied.
"Sounds confusing." He commented, silently glad that he hadn't been through it, although he would happily have let it happen to him if it could have saved Sam some pain.
"It is." She nodded, trying to find some courage to explain the rest of it to him. "Jolinar had a mate." She told him.
Jack thought for a moment, deciding on the best reply possible. "And because you have some of her feelings inside of you, it makes it seem like you know her mate and have feelings for him?" He asked.
Sam smiled, amazed that he was being so calm. "Sort of. *I* don't have feelings for him, *she* did, and I have some of her left over feelings. I haven't even met him, but I remember things about him. I remember things that Jolinar and Martouf did together, and I can't explain it but I need to meet him. I have too."
"I understand, but how do we contact them?"
Sam smiled, he was always thinking of the practical side of things. "I had a dream the other night, and I saw a set of co- ordinates, that I hope lead to their current home world, but they're by nature a nomadic people, so we have to move quickly."
"Well, why don't we get a good night's sleep and then we can go and see Hammond in the morning." He offered.
Sam nodded and got up, helping Jack to his feet before moving down the hall towards their room.
~*+*~
Jack looked up at the spinning Stargate, surprised that Hammond had agreed to let SG-1 try and find the Tok'ra. Jack still wasn't sure if there was a difference between the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld. In his opinion, they may draw the line between their way of life, but a snake was always going to be a snake.
Watching as the wormhole shot out and then retracted back into itself, SG-1 walked up the ramp and stepped through the event horizon.
Stepping out on the other side, Sam looked around at the desert planet that they had arrived on. Sand dunes were accentuating the planet's terrain. "No welcoming committee?" Jack quipped, leading his team, in what he thought, looked like a good direction.
Sam looked around the planet, and started to head east, as opposed to Jack's chosen direction of north. "Sam?" He asked, watching her wandering off in another direction.
"This way." She muttered, and Jack signalled the other's to follow her.
Suddenly a man stood up, a Zat gun aimed at Sam. She immediately raised her MP5 and aimed it at the strangers throat. Jack fought the urge to laugh at the tunic that he wore, but as a dozen or so other men came out of hiding, he raised his own weapon and eyed the others carefully.
"Who are you?" One of them asked, his Zat moving from Sam to Jack and then Daniel and Teal'c.
"We're from the Tau'ri and we're looking for the Tok'ra." Sam replied.
"What makes you think that they are here?"
"I'm certain that they are here. And I think that you are the Tok'ra." Sam told them, still keeping her eyes fixated on the man in front of her, his blue eyes sending a spark of recognition through her.
"And if we are not who you seek?" The blue eyed man asked.
"Then I guess we all start shooting, there's blood, death, hard feelings, it'd suck." Jack quipped.
"Martouf?" Sam asked, looking the blue eyed man up and down.
"I do not know this woman." He told one of the other men to answer his questioning look.
"But I'm right though, that is your name, isn't it?"
"It is. How do you know me?" He asked, looking confused.
"I don't, but I know someone who did. His name was Jolinar." She replied simply.
"You know Jolinar of Malkshur?" Another man, who appeared to be their leader, asked her.
"I did. I carried him for a short time." Sam answered.
"Will you tell us of her?" Martouf asked, and she smiled.
~*+*~
Sam leant up against one of the tunnel walls, sighing. She kept berating herself for wanting to seek out the Tok'ra. Why couldn't she just leave it alone? She had two beautiful children, a man who wanted to marry her and a lovely home, and she had to go in search of an alien race who decided that they were going to keep SG-1 until they moved planet's again, hoping that everyone else on Earth would think that they were dead and wouldn't come looking for the Tok'ra any time soon.
So, until they decided to move, SG-1 were stuck here. On the bright side though, after she'd spoken to Martouf, Sam was quite adamant that she had no feelings for him herself.
"Would you like to take a walk on the surface?" Martouf asked, entering their makeshift 'cell.' Sam figured that they didn't get many visitors, given the fact that they had no doors on the cell. They obviously trusted each other very much.
"Sure, that'd be great." Jack replied, smiling.
"I am only inviting Doctor Carter. What we have to discuss is ... private. I hope you understand." Martouf informed him curtly. Sam smiled at Jack, trying to reassure him.
"Actually, no, I don't." Jack returned.
"Jack, I need to do this." Sam pleaded.
"I assure you that she will be safe with me." Martouf offered, and Sam watched as Jack thought it over for a moment.
Jack nodded and covered up his worry with sarcasm, a trick that had served him well over the years. "Alright son, but I want you to have her back by eleven o'clock." He told him, impersonating an Over-protective father and watching as Martouf's face showed confusion.
~*+*~
Sam sat on the small hill, staring at the two moons rising in the sky. She looked at Martouf, unsure if it was him controlling the body or the symbiont, Lantash. She listened as he explained his relationship with Jolinar and Rosha. Telling her that host and symbiont lived as one, and they loved as one.
"I have some pretty deep feelings left over from Jolinar, feelings towards you. I don't know how to explain it." She shrugged.
"Maybe you can communicate it, in a way other than words." He suggested and Sam instinctively reached out to entwine her fingers with his, as though it was a natural thing to do.
"You look much like Rosha did, you would make an excellent new host for Selmak." He told her and Sam immediately retracted her hand. The Tok'ra had introduced SG-1 to Selmak almost immediately on arrival. When they'd met the high council the prospect of one of them becoming a host for the symbiont had been brought up. Sam had found the idea repulsive, and of course failed to hide it.
"I'm sorry, I can't go through that again." Sam stuttered, standing and running back towards the ring transporters.
Martouf joined her a moment later and activated the rings to take them back to the Tok'ra tunnels, neither saying a word. Sam was glad that she had the chance to learn more about the relationship between host and symbiont, as well as the relationship between Jolinar and Martouf, but she wasn't willing to leave her family to live with them. Jack and her children were too important to her. She ignored Martouf's attempts to apologise, and walked back into the room where Daniel, Jack and Teal'c were waiting.
Sam walked to the back of the room and sat down, the others leaving her to her own thoughts, for which she was grateful. Garshaw walked in a few minutes later, with SG-3 in tow.
"What's going on?" Jack asked, glaring at Makepeace. Sam knew that flyboy's and jarhead's had always had a natural rivalry, but Jack and Robert Makepeace's dislike of each other seemed to run deeper than just an average Airforce/Marine duel.
"We were sent to retrieve Doctor Carter. Her father needs her." He explained and Sam stood up, walking over to him.
"What's wrong with my father?" She asked.
"He has cancer, and he took a turn for the worse." Makepeace explained. "I'm sorry. They didn't give me details, just said that we should get you back to him."
Sam's eyes immediately filled with tears and Jack wrapped his arms around her. She pulled back and ran a shaky hand through her hair. "I have to go back, Jack." She whispered.
"I know, I'll get you there." He promised and turned to Garshaw, hoping to appeal to her humanity.
~*+*~
Jacob Carter lay in his hospital bed, listening as the nurse wrote his latest vital signs on his chart. He hadn't told his daughter about the cancer, their relationship was shaky at best, and he didn't want her worrying about him before the wedding. And he'd promised himself that he would still be able to stand when it came time to give her away.
"Hey dad." Sam greeted, walking into his room. General Hammond, who was behind her, ushered the nurses out of the room.
"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked his daughter. When she shrugged, he tilted his head to look at Hammond. "George, I told you not to recall her." He scowled, silently glad that she was here, even if he wouldn't admit that to her.
"I wanted to be here, Dad." She told him.
"We thought that you might like to know what Doctor Carter does for a living." Hammond told him, sitting in chair. Jacob had asked his old friend to grant his one last wish; to know what his daughter was doing that was more important that getting into NASA. Reluctantly, he had accepted that it was all 'classified' but still wanted to know.
"I thought it was classified." Jacob commented.
"Well, you just got clearance." Hammond informed him, smiling slightly.
"We actually need you to do something for us." Sam told him, grasping his hand. She felt Jack rest a hand on her shoulder in silent support, and was grateful for what he offered.
"What? The Pentagon want's me to deliver a message to God?" Jacob asked, laughing.
"Not exactly." Jack replied.
"Well, I don't plan on seeing the other guy." He joked, coughing.
Jacob Carter laid in the hospital bed, stunned, as the three people tried to convince him that his daughter went to other planets for a living, when she wasn't at home with the twins. He was dumbfounded as she told him that she'd been to at least ten different worlds, and that there were hundreds of other's out there.
~*+*~
Sam stood in the 'Gate room, hugging her father before he left to go and live with his new people. At least she knew that they were on their side now. When Jacob had blended with Selmak, he'd also gained all of the knowledge that the Tok'ra had passed through each generation, so he was able to honestly tell them that they were the 'good guys.'
"I'll be back for the wedding." Jacob promised, kissing the top of his daughter's hair.
"I know." Sam nodded. She knew that her father wouldn't let her down. After so many missed Christmas's and birthday's, Sam had learned when a promise that he made was one that he would keep, and when it was an empty promise.
"Look after my little girl, Colonel." Jacob ordered, giving the younger man a manly hug before turning to Hammond.
"I got all of Selmak's knowledge, right?" He asked.
"That's how we understand it." Hammond agreed, nodding his head.
"Then you made the right choice in trusting them, old friend." He smiled. The Stargate engaged and after Garshaw and Martouf said goodbye, the three Tok'ra walked up the ramp.
Jacob paused and turned to face his daughter. "When we get settled, I'll contact you, see if you have a date for the wedding." He smiled, holding up the GDO that he'd been given.
Sam nodded and smiled, watching as her father stepped through the 'Gate before turning to face Jack. "Let's go and see our children." She smiled, and they walked hand in hand out of the room.
~*+*~
Picking up the phone, Sam wondered who would be calling her at this hour of the morning. "Hello."
"Sam!" Janet exclaimed. "I found the perfect shoes!" She told her friend proudly. Janet had been searching for Sam's wedding shoes since they had found her dress.
"Janet, I'm really glad, but it's just gone six, don't you think it's a little early?" She groaned, watching as Jack shifted in his sleep and rolled onto his back.
"I'm sorry, but I got the shoes yesterday and when I got home it was too late to call, and I'm on duty in a few minutes so I just wanted to call and let you know that I got them and you don't need to worry about it." Janet explained.
"Thank you. I wanted to ask if you and Daniel would come over on Saturday for a get together?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, we'd love to. Is there an occasion that we've forgotten?" Janet wondered.
Sam smiled. "It's Heidi and Jack's birthday." She announced proudly, hardly believing that a year had gone by already.
"Oh my God, is it really September already?" Janet asked.
Grinning, Sam replied. "Yep, I was really disappointed when I realised that I'd forgotten, but things have been kind of unsettled lately." She explained, shuddering a little at the memory of her encounter with Jolinar.
"So, are we planning a party?" Janet pressed.
"I think so, but we'll have to wait and see." Sam shrugged, even though she knew Janet couldn't see the action.
"Daniel and I will be there, what time?"
"Midday. I'll let you go, your shift should be starting soon. Have a good day and I'll see you in a few days." She told her, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.
Jack rolled over to face Sam, reluctantly opening one eye to look at her. He'd heard her conversation with Janet, and had relished the chance to lay in bed for a few moments. "Hi." He whispered.
Flipping onto her side, Sam smiled at him. "Hi yourself. Sleep well?" She asked, moving a little closer to him.
"Not too bad." He replied, smiling. "Are we going into the SGC today?"
"I thought we could take the kids down to the park and spend the day with them." She suggested.
Jack grinned. "I'll give Hammond a call while you wake the kids." He offered, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Sam nodded and gave him a brief kiss before moving towards Heidi and Jack's room to get her children ready for their day out.
~*+*~
Sam's heart filled with pride as she watched Heidi attempt to walk, only to take three steps and fall back onto her butt, clapping her hands and giggling with happiness.
"Is giggling a thing that run's in your family?" Jack asked, laughing as little Jack attempted the same thing, only to have the same result as his sister.
"Must be." Sam murmured, a smile touching her lips.
Heidi looked at her hands and pulled herself up, attempting to walk again. Both of the Twins had taken their first steps a few months earlier, and Sam was glad that she was there to video tape the experience. Jack had been making lunch at the time, but he'd caught glimpses of his children walking for the first time.
"Mama." Little Jack called and Sam smiled, moving over to her son, she picked him up. Making sure that his feet were on the ground, she held onto his hips as he began to walk towards his father.
Jack opened his arms as his son took another few steps and fell into his father's arms. Laughing, Jack turned to Sam. "Have you thought about the wedding?" He asked. He'd decided that whenever Sam wanted to get married was fine with him.
Sam thought for a moment as she watched Heidi reach for the teddy bear that her father had brought before she was born. "Yeah, what do you think about running to Vegas and eloping?" She joked.
Smiling, he replied. "I'm just glad that I have you in my life Sammy, whenever you want to get married is fine by me."
Heidi got to her feet once again and walked over to her teddy. Picking it up, she sat down and began to chew on the cream ear. "How about the 29th?" She asked.
"Okay. Think the kids will be willing to be the ring bearer's?" He quipped, making her smile even more.
"I'd be more worried about them trying to eat the rings." She laughed. "So, are you going to call everybody?"
"Yeah. Getting the venue isn't a problem, is it?" He asked. Neither of them were very fussed on getting married in a church, and the alternative that Sam had come up with seemed to suit them both.
"Nope, I have friends in high places." She replied mysteriously.
"So the owner is a family friend, huh?" He returned, grinning.
Sam nodded and set about getting their lunch ready while Jack spoke to the twins. Shaking her head at his futile attempts to hold a conversation, Sam couldn't hold back a laugh as he tried to convince them to say 'Dadda' and all he got in return was 'Mama.'
~*+*~
"Apple pie?" He suggested, blowing up another balloon. Jack had taken the day off to help prepare for the twins' first birthday party. Although Sam suspected that it was just so that he could suck the Helium out of the balloons.
"I don't think the kids would eat that." Sam replied, standing on a chair so that she could hang some streamers over the door.
"Strawberry Barbarian?"
"You want to clean that out of our *beige* carpet when they start throwing it at everyone?" Sam asked, and Jack nodded in agreement. They already had a stain in the carpet from when Heidi had objected to being fed mashed pumpkin.
"Point taken. Mud cake?" He tried. Their argument over the cake had been going on for almost half an hour now, and it served to entertain them while they set everything up.
"Carpet!" Sam repeated, her tone playful. Stepping down off the chair, she moved the piece of furniture over a few paces so that she could continue hanging the brightly coloured streamers.
Jack grinned and made sure that she was concentrating on hanging the streamers around a picture frame. Filling another balloon with Helium, Jack sucked in as much of the gas as he could in one breath, and then walked up behind her. Throwing his arms around her waist, Jack picked her up and then threw her on the lounge.
Ignoring Sam's squeal of protest, he landed on top of her. "What do you suggest then, Sammy?" He asked, his high pitched voice making her laugh.
"You sound like a Chipmunk!" She complained, smiling.
"Ever kissed a Chipmunk?" He asked playfully, leaning down until her lips mere millimetres from his own.
Sam looked up at him. "No, but there's a first time for everything." She replied, and raised her head to meet his lips.
Just as they began to get lost in their passion, the doorbell sounded and Jack pulled back from Sam and groaned at the unwelcome interruption. "Come in!" He called exasperated, silently glad that he had a normal sounding voice once more.
Daniel and Janet walked into their friends house, carrying a present each. "Are we interrupting something?" Janet asked, amused.
"Yes." Jack replied bluntly, reluctantly moving off Sam to accept the gift's that they held out. "Thanks, come on Danny, we need to get some ice." He told his friend, grabbing his car keys. Jack briefly kissed Sam before heading out the door.
"So. . .want some help?" Janet asked, looking at the balloons that were scattered around the room.
"Please. Jack has a habit of not finishing what he started." Sam laughed, picking up three balloons and some twine.
Janet cut of a piece of the string and wound it around the ties on the balloon's before tying the string together to hold them in place. "So, have we decided when the wedding bell's shall ring?" She asked, taking the balloon's from Sam to tie them to the cabinet near the door.
"The 29th." Sam replied. "Which means that we should pull our fingers out and get you a maid of honour's dress."
Janet smiled and nodded, returning to the task of tying the balloon's together. "Still at the same place?" She queried, cutting off more twine.
"Yep." Sam nodded, holding out another three balloons for Janet to tie.
"Good thing your dress doesn't have a trail." The doctor laughed, thinking about the possible disaster that would have become of her dress if Sam had decided that she wanted a trail, given the chosen location for the ceremony.
Sam said nothing, but simply smiled at her friend.
~*+*~
Jack watched as the twins crawled, and occasionally walked, around the lounge room, inspecting all of the guests at their party. Heidi seemed fascinated with Teal'c's tattoo, and Jack couldn't help but think that she was going to grow up to be a scientist like her mother. Little Jack, however, seemed more interested in the food.
"Teal'c, do you want me to take her?" Sam asked, watching as Heidi tried to crawl onto the large man's lap. Once she'd succeeded, the child seemed to enjoy playing the drum's on his chest.
"I am fine, thank you Samantha." He replied, bowing. Sam smiled at him and walked out to the kitchen to open another bottle of wine for her and Janet.
"So. . .wedding bells." Daniel stated, looking pointedly at Sam and Jack, both of whom seemed too wrapped up in each other to notice their friend.
Not getting any form of reaction from either of them, Daniel loudly cleared his throat. "What Daniel?" Jack asked, tearing his gaze away from Sam.
"Wedding bells." He repeated. Jack stared blankly at him for a moment. "When are they going to be ringing?" He elaborated.
"The 29th." Sam replied, carrying the bottle back over to Janet.
"I'll get a message to your father straight away then." General Hammond, who could only stay for a few hours, promised.
"Thank you sir." Sam smiled, snuggling up to Jack on the couch as they watched Heidi, who was still engrossed in Teal'c.
The rest of the party continued without incident, while the twins' showed off their walking skills to all of the proud adults.
~*+*~
"She'll be here." Daniel reassured, watching as Jack paced the small room. He was certain that by the time they left, there'd be a long divot in the grass.
"She's late." Jack replied, continuing his pacing.
"Jack, it's your wedding day, she's supposed to be late." Daniel told him, and Jack had to agree. Sara hadn't been late for their wedding, although they may as well have been married in Vegas, considering the lack of love that was present at the start of their marriage.
"I do not believe that Samantha would miss this day for the world." Teal'c told him, using the phrase that Jack had taught him.
"Colonel, we're ready." The Celebrant informed him, gesturing towards the top of the path.
Sam readjusted her dress again, and checked her hair, pleased with the result of her wreath and matching bouquet. Closing the car door behind her, she waited for her father, who was in full dress uniform, to join her and Janet. "Where are the twins?" Sam asked, looking around.
"They are with their Grandpa George." Jacob replied, tucking a loose strand of Sam's hair back into place. "Stop worrying. Now let's go before Jack has a heart attack." He smiled.
Sam giggled and took her father's arm as Janet stood in front of her. The trio walked up to the start of the red carpet, that had rose petal's scattered over it, and waited for their cue.
The Celebrant pressed 'play' on the small stereo system that had been set up and the sounds of "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers filled the garden. Janet began her walk down the aisle, heading toward Jack who had Daniel and Teal'c by his side.
Sam and Jacob followed a few paces behind her, both unable to keep the smile from their faces. All of the guests present for the ceremony, Sara and her significant other included, rose to their feet as the bride walked towards her future husband.
As soon as Janet reached the altar and stepped aside, Jack got his first view of Sam in her wedding dress. "Sweet Jesus." He breathed at the ethereal sight that greeted him, the setting sun behind her making her whole body glow.
"Amen." Daniel agreed, looking at Janet.
As Sam and her father joined them at the altar, Jack had to remind himself to breathe. Jacob presented his daughter, kissing her cheek before moving to stand beside Daniel and Teal'c.
Sam smiled and locked eyes with Jack as the Celebrant began the service. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Samantha Elizabeth Carter and Jonathan Charles O'Neill."
Jack barely heard what was being said, his eyes focused only on the beauty in front of him. He couldn't hold back a grin, despite all of the trial's and tribulations that they had faced, they were finally here, getting married.
Getting ready to spend the rest of their lives together.
~*+*~
The End
Story Notes: Category: AU, romance, perhaps a little angst. Challenge response, 1, 457 & 1, 371
Content Warnings: swearing, sexual situations, angst, cuddling. Mention of possible bad things to do to Jack.
Pairings: Sam/Jack, Jack/other, tiny bit of Daniel/Janet mention of Daniel/Sha'uri
Season/sequel: Set just before COTG and it goes from there
Spoilers: COTG, Fire and water. the first commandment, Broca divide.
Author's notes: I feel the need to point out that I am an Australian, meaning the name by which I call my mother is 'mum' not 'Mom.' Sorry if this, or any of my other spelling choices, confuses anyone. Also, I have never been to parenting classes, so any inaccuracies are completely my fault.
Challenge #1,371
Hi everybody! I'd like to see a story with Jack's parents. We never saw them! They could try to reconcile Jack and his wife. And so, it could be a Jack and Sara romance. But it could also be a Sam and Jack romance...you make the choice! And please, don't make Sara cry! She doesn't deserve that! Thanks!
Submitted by jewell64@hotmail.com
Challenge #1,457
I'd like to see another story where Samantha gets pregnant ( how is up to you!).There must be a lot of romance and humour in it! Maybe also adventure and angst ! I want to see a S/J story. Oh yes, and I prefer long stories. Thanks, hope I see such a story soon.
Content Warnings: swearing, sexual situations, angst, cuddling. Mention of possible bad things to do to Jack.
Pairings: Sam/Jack, Jack/other, tiny bit of Daniel/Janet mention of Daniel/Sha'uri
Season/sequel: Set just before COTG and it goes from there
Spoilers: COTG, Fire and water. the first commandment, Broca divide.
Author's notes: I feel the need to point out that I am an Australian, meaning the name by which I call my mother is 'mum' not 'Mom.' Sorry if this, or any of my other spelling choices, confuses anyone. Also, I have never been to parenting classes, so any inaccuracies are completely my fault.
Challenge #1,371
Hi everybody! I'd like to see a story with Jack's parents. We never saw them! They could try to reconcile Jack and his wife. And so, it could be a Jack and Sara romance. But it could also be a Sam and Jack romance...you make the choice! And please, don't make Sara cry! She doesn't deserve that! Thanks!
Submitted by jewell64@hotmail.com
Challenge #1,457
I'd like to see another story where Samantha gets pregnant ( how is up to you!).There must be a lot of romance and humour in it! Maybe also adventure and angst ! I want to see a S/J story. Oh yes, and I prefer long stories. Thanks, hope I see such a story soon.
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 ]