"They'll never agree to it." The stone-faced man stared at his superior at the NID.
"So." Colonel Harry Maybourne shrugged his shoulders. "We'll get what we want whether they cooperate or not. It's that simple."
The stone-faced man bowed his head in acquiesence. He almost felt sorry for the two people whose lives this decision would affect. "I'll get on it right away, sir." He left to fulfill his orders.
Maybourne smiled. "Yes, we'll get what we want."
***************
"They want us to what?" Colonel Jack O'Neill was stunned.
"Sir, they can't order us to do this, can they?" asked Major Samantha Carter.
"No, Major, they cannot order you to do this," answered General George Hammond.
"Damn right they can't!" O'Neill exclaimed. "It's sick!"
"Well, sir, it may be sick, but it is logical," Carter said. "NID was upset when we didn't secure the Harcesis child. Since the two of us have been 'hosts', even if for only a short while, I suppose they feel it's possible that we could produce a Harcesis, also."
"Exactly, Major. I was told to broach the subject to you, but it is most definitely NOT an order," Hammond reassured them once again.
Somewhat reassured by the general's words, O'Neill and Carter left his office, both still shocked at the request made of them. The NID wanted them to donate eggs and sperm in the hopes of possibly conceiving a Harcesis child. It would be brought to term in a surrogate womb, then raised for its knowledge. It was one of the cruelest, most inhumane things the NID had ever contemplated doing, at least to their knowledge. What would happen to the poor child if it wasn't what they wanted?
O'Neill and Carter stood waiting for the elevator to take them back up to the lab level.
"I can't believe that NID would order General Hammond to relay such a request to us," Carter commented.
"Oh, I can." O'Neill had been on missions for the NID in the past, black ops missions that the government could never and would never admit to. "This is just one thing in a very long line of really perverted shit that bunch has done or contemplated doing." The two of them stepped onto the elevator after it arrived. "And I've got a real bad feeling it's not over yet."
************
Colonel Maybourne received a phone call from his SGC contact.
"So, they've refused. No big surprise there," he said to his contact. "Put the second phase of the plan into action." Hanging up the phone, he smiled to himself in contemplation. 'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'in less than a year we'll have what we want.'
Nothing would stand in the way.
************
SG-1's mission to PX3-411 was as routine as they come, gate to the planet, meet with up with the indigenous population, establish diplomatic ties, gate home. Nothing could have been simpler.
Colonel O'Neill was having his post-mission physical when Dr. Warner handed him a speciman jar.
"Geez, this is the part I hate," Jack groaned. "Do we have to do this every time?"
"Yes," Warner replied. "Every time. Regulations regarding off-world travel-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Jack took the speciman jar. "Don't I even get a magazine?" He trudged into the small room set aside for just such procedures. As he was shutting the door he heard Warner say,
"Just think about a woman who turns you on."
At that moment the image of a blonde major-then-captain dressed in a sweet little tank top and fatigues popped into his mind. He had no problem producing the required speciman.
************
"Well, Sam, everything seems to be just fine." Dr. Janet Fraiser made the notation on the chart. "Don't forget your gynecological exam next Thursday."
Sam rolled her eyes. "As if I could forget. Oh, by the way, I need more birth control pills."
"I can't give you any today. I got some instructions not to give you any until after your exam," Janet informed her. "In fact, I think they're going to give you your next prescription, if I'm reading your chart correctly."
"Oh, okay." Sam shrugged. "It's not like I'm sexually active anyway."
"And whose fault is that?" Janet asked. "I know for a fact that a certain major in SG-10 has asked you out several times."
"I'm just not interested, Janet," Sam said.
Janet snorted her disbelief. It was well-known around the base that Sam Carter had eyes only for her commanding officer. When he'd been stuck on another planet for over three months, she had worked day and night, breaking all the known laws of physics to get him back. Sam had later confided to her that before the Asgard had yanked him away to fight their "terrible enemy", O'Neill had asked her to go on vacation with him. After the incident was over, he hadn't repeated the invitation, and Janet thought that Sam was relieved that she hadn't embarrassed herself herself by saying "yes" to him.
"Okay, we're finished," Janet said. "Want to go to 'Joe's' for a drink after work?"
"Sure, meet you topside at 1800?" Sam asked. At Janet's acquiesence, she left the exam room and headed for the showers.
**************
"Joe's" was a bar frequented by members of the SGC. It wasn't the biggest place, or the fanciest place, but it had what Sam called 'character.' Sam and Janet walked into the place about 6:30 in the evening, and there was already a crowd. Teams tended to congregate together in Joe's so there was an SG-1 booth, an SG-2 table, SG-3's pool table, etc. SG-1's booth was already occupied by Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c. Jack already had four empty beer bottles in front of him and was working on his fifth. You could always tell when something upset Jack by the amount of beer he consumed. Sam accurately guessed that the NID's request of them yesterday had disturbed him deeply.
The two women went up to the bar and ordered drinks, then they went over to SG-1's booth.
"Well, if it isn't the two Doctor-Majors!" Jack's voice wasn't slurred, but by the tone Sam could tell he was on his way to being very drunk. "Sit down, ladies, sit down! Move over Teal'c, Daniel, let the Doc in there beside you." Teal'c and Daniel obligingly slid over and Janet sat down. Jack slid over giving Sam room to sit next to him. "Carter, here," and he patted the bench next to him. She slid in next to him, and his put his arm on the back of the bench behind her. Janet's eyes flickered briefly between the two, then she mentally shrugged.
They all sat there talking, laughing, and drinking. After awhile, Jack challenged Sam to a game of pool, and she agreed. After they left the table, Janet asked Daniel if he knew what was wrong with Jack.
"He told me that the NID had wanted him to do something, but that he had refused," Daniel answered. "Do you have any idea what it was?"
"No, I don't, Daniel," Janet said.
"O'Neill is seriously disturbed about something. It was noticeable during our mission to PX3-411," Teal'c said.
"Yeah, he was a little quieter. Come to think of it, so was Sam." Daniel looked thoughtful. "You don't suppose . . ."
"No," Janet answered. "I know that nothing has happened between them."
"How do you know that?" asked Daniel.
"I'm her doctor, Daniel. Figure it out." Janet picked up her drink and finished it. "Well, guys, I'm out of here. Bye." Janet slid out of the booth and headed over to where Sam and Jack were playing pool. "Kiddo, I'll see you tomorrow, I'm heading on home." She nodded to Jack. "Bye, Colonel."
"Bye, Janet." Sam bent over to line up her shot. Janet noticed Jack looking at Sam's jeans clad rear end.
"Bye, Doc," he said distractedly. He lifted his beer and took a swig. Sam took her shot and sank the 8-ball.
"I win again," she said. "Pay up, colonel." She smiled at Janet. "See you tomorrow." With a wave Janet left.
"How about double or nothing," Jack said. "Winner takes all." He gave her an evil-looking grin.
'He's got something up his sleeve,' she thought. But she couldn't resist the challenge. "Okay," she agreed. "You're on."
Jack racked up the balls. "Ladies first." He backed away to allow her to break.
Sam eyed him as she walked around the table to set up her shot to break. Jack was in a strange mood tonight, and she was a little wary. She hadn't seen him in this type of mood since right after he'd come back from Edora. A little wreckless and edgy. It made her nervous. She lined up her shot and broke, then set about knocking the balls in the pockets. His stare was disconcerting, and she missed a shot, giving him an opportunity. In just a few minutes he had taken the game.
"Well, major, looks like I win this one." He walked around the table to stand in front of her. "Time to pay up."
Mentally she kicked herself. She'd fallen right into his trap. "I left my purse in my car. I'll have to go out to get it." She pulled her keys out of her pocket.
"I'll go with you." He followed her to the parking lot.
Sam paused by her car, put her key into the door, and unlocked it, but before she could open it, she was swung around and backed up against the car.
Jack's face was close to hers, his arms on either side of her, resting on the roof of the car. "I might be willing to consider an alternative form of payment."
"And what would that be, sir?" she asked.
"This." Jack leaned forward, pressing her back against the car, placing his lips on hers. Stunned, Sam stood there for a few seconds, her hands coming up to his chest to push him away, then they slid around his neck, burying themselves in his hair. Her lips parted, allowing his tongue to gain entrance to her mouth. How long they stood that way, it was hard to tell, but when the kiss finally ended, she was still pressed back against her car, their arms tightly around each other, her legs wrapped around his waist. They stared shocked into each other's eyes, then pulled apart.
"Carter-" Jack was at a loss for words. "I'm sorry- I mean, I didn't mean- Shit!"
"Yes, sir," Sam whispered. She raised her hand to her lips.
Jack ran his hands through his hair. "Major, I didn't mean for that to happen."
"I know, sir." Sam still stood there with her hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry. If you want to report me, I don't blame you." Jack really did look sorry.
"I'm not hurt, sir," she assured him. "Alcohol probably caused this situation. We'll put it down that and forget about it."
"Thanks, Major, but that's no excuse."
"It's already forgotten, sir." Well, maybe not forgotten, but definitely forgiven. "It never happened."
"If that's what you want, Major." He definitely didn't look happy.
"Yes, sir." Sam opened her car door and got in. "I think it's time for me to go, sir."
"That's a good idea, Major." He watched as she started her car and left. He had planned just to tease her, play with her mind a little, but it backfired. When his lips touched hers, every other thought went out of his head. The bitch of it all was that he could still feel her body against him and taste her on his mouth. Slowly, he walked back into the bar.
*************
Dr. Warner went to the refrigeration unit used to store blood and tissue samples to retrieve Colonel O'Neill's semen sample. Looking through the items stored in the unit, he couldn't find the Colonel's sample. That was odd, he remembered telling the nursing tech yesterday to put it in here, but it's not there. The tech was a new one, and it was possible that the sample could have been mislaid or Dr. Fraiser could have taken it to have the tests run. He searched her out.
"Dr. Fraiser, have you seen Colonel O'Neill's semen sample?" Warner asked. "I need to run a test, and it's not in the refrigeration unit."
"No, I haven't seen it. Are you sure it's not in there?" Janet went to the unit herself and searched through it. There were several vials, but the one labeled with the colonel's name wasn't in there.
"The nursing tech must have mislaid it. Should I have O'Neill give us another sample?" he asked.
"Do you honestly want to ask him for another one?" Janet asked.
"No, not really." Warner almost shuddered at the thought, imagining the wrath of Jack O'Neill coming down on his head.
"Don't worry about it," Janet told him. "It's not really that important." She went back to writing up her charts. Warner just shrugged his shoulders, and went about doing tests on the other samples. If Dr. Fraiser wasn't worried, then neither was he.
************
In the days that followed the incident in the parking lot outside Joe's Bar, Sam and Jack had studiously avoided each other when not engaged in official business. After she'd gone home that night, she'd had difficulty falling asleep. She kept reliving the kiss, her mind probably embellishing it, because it couldn't have been as good as she remembered it.
When Thursday rolled around, she was relieved to not have to go in to work that day. She was scheduled for her gynecological exam at the Air Force Academy Hospital, which according to the information the hospital had supplied to Janet, would take longer than normal. They were going to run more tests to try and determine what stargate travel did to the human reproductive system. Ordinarily, she wouldn't be too thrilled about this, but it gave her a good excuse not to have to put up a front for the Colonel. Everytime she saw him, she would remember the feel of his mouth on hers, his arms around her, the feel of his body pressed against hers.
"You just haven't been getting any, Sam, that's the problem." She determined that the next time Major Bishop asked her out, she would go.
Sam arrived at the hospital at the appointed time, and was directed to a cubicle to strip and put on the backless hospital gown. She was sitting up on the examining table waiting for the doctor to arrive, when a nurse came in and handed her a pill and a cup of water.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"The doctor says you need to take it for one of the tests," the nurse informed her.
"Oh." She'd never had to take a pill before a pap smear before, but since there were going to be a lot of other tests done, she figured it was for one of them. She popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it down with the water. The nurse then directed her to lie down and left the room. She lay there staring up at the ceiling, then she drifted off to sleep.
"Major Carter." Sam heard the nurse call her name. "Major Carter."
Sam opened her eyes and saw the nurse beside her. "Yes."
"Major, I think you dozed off."
"Um, yes, I did." Sam sat up and yawned.
"I'm sorry, but Dr. Hamilton can't do your exam today. She's delivering a baby right now," the nurse said. "We'll have to reschedule your appointment. We'll contact Dr. Fraiser and she'll let you know when your appointment will be."
"Okay," Sam said, and she yawned again. "At least I got a nap out of it." She laughed.
"Yes, ma'am," the nurse smiled.
Sam went back to the cubicle and got dressed again. Well, she had the rest of the day off, so she decided to go to the mall. Anticipating a day of shopping, something which she hadn't done in a while, she headed out of the hospital.
************
Two months later . . .
SG-1 walked through the event horizon of the stargate on P3H-289.
"Ah, trees, trees, and- yes, I believe it is- more trees!" Jack said sarcastically. He turned to Sam who had entered the stargate behind him. "Carter, you and Teal'c- CARTER!" he exclaimed, rushing over to catch her before she hit the stone platform of the stargate. He lifted her up and carried her over to the grassy area beside the stargate. "Daniel, dial us home!" Daniel quickly complied, then sent the GDO code through, letting the SGC know to open the iris of the stargate back there. The event horizon swooshed open then stabilized, and SG-1 gated back home.
"What's the matter, Colonel?" General Hammond asked concernedly when his premiere team returned from their mission so quickly.
"It's Carter, sir, she fainted as soon as we stepped out of the stargate," Jack answered, gently laying Sam on the gurney brought by the medical team that was always on stand by for emergencies. At that moment Sam's eyes opened.
"What?" she asked confusedly. "What happened?"
"You fainted on us, Sam," Daniel said, taking her hand. "Do you remember what happened?"
"I stepped out of the event horizon and felt really dizzy, and the next thing I know we're back here." She frowned. "Is there something wrong with me?"
Janet came to Sam's side. "That's what we're going to find out, kiddo." Nodding to the EMT's to take Sam to the infirmary, Janet followed closely behind.
"SG-1, until we know what's wrong with Major Carter, you are all on down time. Dismissed." General Hammond nodded to Jack, and left the gate room.
Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c waited outside the examining room waiting for some word on Sam's condition, Jack and Daniel pacing, and Teal'c meditating.
Inside the room, Janet was examining Sam, taking some tests, and basically questioning her about how she felt.
"Well, I haven't been feeling too great first thing in the morning, but it passes in a little while. By the time I get to work, I feel fine," Sam told her. "A little dizziness when I stand up too quickly, that's all."
Janet had a suspicion about what was wrong with Sam, but she wanted to take one more test to confirm it. When the test came back, her suspicions were confirmed.
"Sam, I know what's wrong with you." Janet paused then continued. "You're pregnant."
"WHAT!" Sam exclaimed. "That's impossible!"
"How do you know it's impossible, Sam?" Janet asked.
"Because you have to DO something to get pregnant. It's been so long since I've DONE anything like that, that I don't know if I remember HOW to do it." Sam was adamant. "There has to be a mistake, Janet."
"Well, I'll take a blood test. It'll be a couple of days, but if it comes out positive, you're going to have to make some decisions," Janet said. She took a syringe and drew a sample of blood for the test.
"Janet, it's got to be something else. There is no possible way I could be pregnant." Sam crossed her arms in front of herself when Janet had finished. "The closest I've even been to-" She stopped herself then. Nothing had happened but a kiss, so she knew it definitely wasn't possible.
"The closest you've been . . .?" Janet asked.
"It doesn't matter, Janet. The only bodily fluid exchanged was saliva, and I don't think that causes pregnancy." Sam jumped down off the bed. "See, I'm fine now. Can I go?"
"Yes, but if you feel sick or dizzy, let me know." Janet patted her friend on the arm. "We'll find out for sure what is wrong and take care of it."
"I know." Sam smiled at her friend, then opened the door. The anxious faces of her teammates greeted her. "Hi, guys. I'm okay now." The three men walked into the examining room.
"What's wrong with her Doc?" Jack asked.
"We won't know until we finished the bloodwork. But she seems to be fine for now. She just needs to take it easy," Janet cautioned.
"We'll make sure she does just that," Daniel said.
Janet smothered a smile. 'Sam's protectors,' she thought. "I'll be in touch tomorrow, Sam, about the rest of the test results."
"Okay, Janet. Thanks," Sam said gratefully, glad the doctor hadn't voiced her suspicions in front of the guys. They would tease her unmercifully. They all left together.
Janet stood in the hallway watching the four walked down the hallway, the three men protectively surrounding Sam. Whatever happened, at least Sam had her friends. Janet went back into her office and called the lab. She told them to put a rush on Major Carter's blood test. That was one worry she could remove from Sam's mind.
*************
Sam waited impatiently in Janet's office. Janet had told her it would take a couple of days before the blood tests were finished, but she'd gotten a call this morning that Janet wanted to see her, so she figured she'd put a rush on the blood tests.
Janet walked into her office carrying a folder, an unreadable look on her face. "Sam, the results of the blood test are back." Janet looked seriously at her friend. "They're positive."
"But, Janet, that's impossible! I can't possibly be pregnant." Sam kept shaking her head. "No, no, NO!"
"Sam, I had them run the test twice, just to be sure. There's no mistake. You're approximately two months pregnant. I won't know more than that until I give you a physical. Needless to say, there'll be no more stargate travel. We don't know the effects it may have on the fetus." Janet launched into the limitations and restrictions she would have to live under until the baby was born.
Sam was having trouble taking it in. There was no possible way she could be pregnant, unless-
"Oh, my God!" she gasped.
"What, Sam, what's wrong." Janet knelt down by her friend's chair.
"Did the hospital ever call you about rescheduling the gynecological exam?" Sam asked.
"No, they didn't. Didn't you already have that examination?" Janet was confused now.
"No, the doctor was delivering a baby and couldn't do it. At least that's what I was told." Sam paused, remembering what had happened. "They gave me a pill, and I went to sleep. When I woke up, the nurse told me that they couldn't do the exam because the doctor was delivering a baby." Sam clutched at Janet's arm. "Janet, I'm going to tell you something in confidence that General Hammond told me and Colonel O'Neill. Please, I'm asking you as my doctor not to tell anyone else."
"Sure, Sam, anything you tell me stays between us," Janet assured her.
Sam then explained to Janet what the NID had wanted her and Jack to do. As the story progressed, Janet's eyes grew wider and wider.
"That's sick!" she exclaimed when Sam had finally finished telling her. "I didn't think even the NID could sink that low."
"Any organization that Harry Maybourne works for could sink that low," Sam commented. Noticing the look on Janet's face, Sam asked in alarm, "What is it Janet?"
"Sam, Colonel O'Neill's semen sample was missing just a few days before you were scheduled for that gynecological exam." A look of disgust came over Janet's face. "They inseminated you with Colonel O'Neill's sperm against your will, Sam." Sam's face paled, and Janet forced her head between her knees until the faintness passed. "Are you okay to go talk to the general?" At Sam's nod of affirmation, Janet called the general asking if he could see them, "And you'd better have Colonel O'Neill there. This concerns him, too."
**************
"Dr. Fraiser, I'm assuming this meeting you've requested has something to do with Major Carter's illness," General Hammond said.
"Yes, sir," Janet answered. "But Major Carter isn't ill. She's pregnant."
"What!" Jack exclaimed, throwing an accusing glance at Sam who buried her face in her hands.
"Just a minute, Colonel, let's hear Dr. Fraiser out," the general ordered. "Go on, doctor."
"As I was saying, Major Carter is pregnant and I have reason to believe that Colonel O'Neill is the father." To say that you could hear the proverbial pin drop in the room after that announcement would be an understatement.
"There's no way I could be the father. We haven't- I mean- Major, did you tell Dr. Fraiser that?" Jack demanded.
"Hear me out, Colonel," Janet said. She looked at General Hammond. "Sir, Sam told me about what NID wanted her and Colonel O'Neill to do. It's my belief that they are responsible for this pregnancy."
"What do you mean?" General Hammond asked.
"A few days before Sam was scheduled to have a gynecological examination at the Air Force Academy Hospital, Colonel O'Neill's semen sample that was taken in a post-mission physical was discovered to be missing. When she went for this exam, she was given a drug that knocked her out. Sir, I think that Sam was artificially inseminated with the Colonel's sperm," Janet concluded.
"Major Carter, is it possible that someone else could have fathered this child?" the general asked.
"No, sir," she said in a small voice, gazing down at her hands. "I'm not exactly sexually active." She could feel Jack's eyes boring into her.
"Dr. Fraiser, can we do a paternity test to confirm what you are saying?" General Hammond wanted to know.
"Yes, sir. Since I already have DNA samples from both Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill, I only need to obtain a sample from the fetus." She answered him.
"It can be obtained safely?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. I only need Major Carter's permission, and we can do it right away." Janet looked over at Sam, who nodded her assent. "Good, the sooner we do it, the sooner we know."
"About how long will this take?" Jack asked.
"I'll put a rush on it, the results should be back within a week." Janet stood. "Permission for Major Carter and myself to leave, sir."
"Permission granted." The general stood for the two women to leave the room, then he looked at O'Neill. "Colonel, I know that this has been as much of a shock for you as for Major Carter. When we get the evidence, we'll have something to go on. NID will not get away with this."
Jack looked the general in the eyes. "No disrespect sir, but they already have."
************
Janet got the DNA samples she needed, and the process of analysis began. While they were waiting for the results, Sam and Jack hardly spoke to each other. Sam spent most of her time sequestered in the lab, while Jack divided his time between working out with Teal'c in the gym and "helping" Daniel with his artifacts. Every time the phone rang both of them jumped. By the time the test results came back, both of them were nervous and on edge.
When the test results arrived, Janet informed the general, who then called Jack and Sam into his office to hear the results. They came separately and sat on opposite sides of the room. Then Janet came carrying the envelope containing the results. She opened it and scanned it.
"Well, this has confirmed my suspicions. The biological father of the fetus is Colonel O'Neill." Janet passed the results to General Hammond.
"It's a baby." Three pairs of eyes turned toward Sam. She looked back at them. "It's a baby, not a 'fetus'." She jumped up and ran out of the general's office. Jack jumped up and ran after her, forgetting the protocol of asking permission to leave. Hammond let it pass. Two of his best officers were trying to deal with a shock that they hadn't anticipated, becoming parents without their consent.
"Sir, Major Carter does have some options," Janet told him.
"Have you acquainted her with them?" He asked.
"I have talked to her about them. I don't think she's made up her mind yet, but she has to, and soon. She'll soon be in the second trimester." Janet picked up the report and slid it back into it's folder.
************
Jack stood outside the door to Sam's quarters. He hesitated for a moment, then knocked. A muffled "come in" came through the door, and he went inside.
There was only one small light burning and her quarters were very dim. After allowing his eyes to adjust to the gloom, he saw her lying on her bed. He walked over and sat on the edge and touched her shoulder. She turned and looked at him. He'd been afraid that she was crying, but her eyes were dry. Her hand was lying protectively over her abdomen.
"I can't do it," she said.
"You don't have to," he said. "You can have an abortion."
"That's not what I mean. I can't have an abortion. Janet has been talking about it." She sat up and looked him in the eyes. "I know that we didn't choose this, but neither did this baby. I can't kill it just because it's inconvenient for me. Besides, who knows, this child may be our chance to save our world." She reached out and touched his hand. "I know that you have a right to a say-so in this, you didn't choose this either."
Jack turned his hand over, grasping hers. "I feel the same way you do."
She smiled at him, her first smile in days, and he smiled back. The decision was made.
************
SG-1, General Hammond, and Dr. Frasier met in the briefing room. Jack and Sam had decided that Daniel and Teal'c deserved to know what had been going on. This situation affected them, too.
"That's sick," Daniel said, once the whole situation had been laid before him and Teal'c. "It's even low for the NID."
"I concur with Daniel Jackson. This is a most reprehensible plot," Teal'c said.
"If I know Maybourne and his buddies, they know everything that we know about this pregnancy," Jack said. "They're gonna do anything they can to get Sam, even as far as kidnapping her. And after the baby is born, she's gonna be considered expendable."
"We could send Major Carter to the Tok'ra. That way both she and the child would be protected." General Hammond made this suggestion.
Janet shook her head. "We don't know the effect of stargate travel on an unborn fetus. We don't dare risk it."
"Then, we'll have to do it ourselves. Major Carter will move into my house," Jack announced.
"No, she will not," Sam said. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Carter, you don't understand these people. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want. I think that's already been proven." Jack was adamant. "There's safety in numbers. If we leave you alone, it just makes it easier for them to get you and the baby."
"Jack's right, Sam," Daniel said. "If you live alone, it just makes you too much of a target. Living with Jack is the best solution."
"Major Carter, I have to agree with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson," General Hammond said. "This is the best option."
Sam looked at the four men. They were right, she thought, though she hated to admit it. It was for the best. She sighed.
"All right," she said. "I'll move into the Colonel's house. But I'm not quitting work. That is not an option in my book. Even if I can't go on missions, there's plenty in the lab to keep me busy." Sam challenged them to contradict her.
"Fine," Jack said. "We can go to work together, and go home together."
"Excellent," said General Hammond. "That's all settled. You're dismissed." The general returned to his office, followed by Janet who was going back to the infirmary. Sam started to leave, but Jack caught her.
"We'll go back to your place tonight and get some of your stuff," he said. He saw her mouth tighten, and knew that she hated to give up her independence. "Please, Sam."
It was the change of tone, from one of command to one of entreaty that caused her to concede to him. She smiled slightly, and nodded. He smiled back and squeezed her shoulder. She left the conference room feeling a little less like she was being swept away by a hurricane. She giggled. A hurricane named Jack.
************
So, Sam moved into Jack's house. It wasn't the easiest of moves. Though she'd been there before, she had been a guest then. Now she was actually living there, in a place that really wasn't hers. It kind of bothered her.
Another thing she was having trouble with was the pull of attraction she felt toward the Colonel. She had long been attracted to the man. The night he had kissed her (hell, she might as well admit it, they'd kissed each other) in the parking at Joe's had been the result of too much alcohol and attraction, a deadly combination. Well, the alcohol wasn't a problem anymore. But that pesky attraction was there, even stronger now. It was as if her body knew that the child it carried was his. Sam just hoped that she'd make it through this pregnancy without embarrassing herself. She surreptitiously glanced at the man sitting in the chair across from her, engrossed in a hockey game. She sighed. It wasn't going to be easy.
Jack was going through something similar. His 2IC was a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman who was now pregnant with his child and living under his roof. Hell, he thought, we should have gone ahead and done the deed that night in Joe's parking lot. At least then we'd have gotten some satisfaction out of Sam's getting pregnant. Not this limbo type deal. She was only three months pregnant, but her body was filling out. Seeing her that way, was driving him nuts. He thought back to when Sara had been pregnant with Charlie. It had turned him on, knowing she was carrying his child inside her body. He was feeling the same things now with Sam. He glanced at her surreptitiously. She was reading some book on astrophysics, looking absolutely gorgeous. It was going to be a long six months.
************
One month later. . .
Jack stood beside Sam as she lay on the examining table in the SGC infirmary. The ultrasound that was normally used to scan for goa'uld infestation was being used so that Sam and Jack could get a look at their unborn child. Daniel and Teal'c stood just behind Jack, lending their support, and trying to get a look at the baby, too.
"Come on, little baby," Janet crooned. "Turn around so mommy and daddy can see what you're going to be." The baby obstinately refused to turn around. "Just as stubborn as your parents, I see," Janet commented.
"The child has the O'Neill temperament," Teal'c said. Jack, Sam and Janet all turned to look at Teal'c. Every time he made a joke, it still amazed them. Daniel burst out laughing at the looks on their faces.
"The poor kid doesn't stand a chance, with Sam and Jack as his parents," Daniel said, still chuckling.
All of a sudden the baby rolled over.
"Now there's my boy!" Jack said. Sam rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Colonel, it does appear to be a boy," Janet said. "From what I can tell, he appears to be perfectly normal." Janet switched off the ultrasound machine and handed Sam a cloth to wipe the gel off of her stomach. "Well, mama, things look good. Come on guys, let's let her get dressed." Janet led the three men out of the room.
Out in the hall, Jack hovered beside the room anxiously until Sam came out. He got nervous when she was out of his sight. He knew that she wasn't really safe anywhere, even in the SGC. When she came out fully dressed, he breathed a silent sigh of relief. He followed her into Janet's office.
Sam turned to him at the door. "Sir, you don't have to come in for this."
"It's my baby, too, Major," he said. "I want to hear what the Doc has to say."
"Yes, sir," she said quietly.
They had decided that Janet should manage Sam's pregnancy, since they didn't trust any other doctors not to be working for the NID. The two of them sat across from her as she told them what to expect in the next month, and tests that would be performed at the next visit. If Janet was surprised that Jack was participating in the pre-natal visits, she didn't show it.
After Sam's doctor visit was over, she went back to the lab, with Jack following along behind. She sighed. She understood his concern, she had her own concerns, but it was starting to get annoying. It wasn't that he got in her way, he tried to remain unobtrusive, but she could feel him staring at her while she worked. He seemed to be afraid to take his eyes off of her. He was paranoid about the NID.
Finally, Sam gave up trying to work. She straightened up her workspace, and then looked over at Jack.
"We can go home now," she told him.
"You're finished?" he asked, surprised.
"No, but I can't concentrate on this now," she said. 'Yeah,' she thought, 'your staring at me like you think I'm going to disappear in a puff of smoke tends to break my concentration.' "Let's go home."
Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. She'd called his house 'home.' That was the first time she'd done that in the month she'd been staying with him. "Okay."
When they got home, Sam kicked her shoes off and lay down on the sofa. The ride had made her sleepy. Hell, everything made her sleepy. As she drifted off, she felt a hand brush her hair back, and a light blanket was laid over her. When she woke up, it was dark outside. Sitting up, she pushed back the blanket, then she stopped suddenly, her hand going to her now slightly rounded abdomen.
"Oh, my God," she said. Jack must have heard her, because he came rushing into the living room.
"What is it? What's wrong, Sam?" he asked anxiously. "Is it the baby?"
She reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him down next to her, placing his hand on her abdomen. "Feel that."
He felt a faint fluttering under his hand. He paled. "Is that . . .?"
"Yes, it is." Sam sat very still, still feeling the flutterings under his hand. "That's our son." Her eyes met his, then he leaned forward to place his lips on hers. Her hand came up around his neck and slid into his hair, holding him closer. His tongue probed her lips, seeking entrance to her mouth and she complied. It was a slow, leisurely kiss, sensual and erotic. They were slipping deeper and deeper into the kiss, when a sound intruded into their little world. Pulling back, they stared at each other. There was that sound again. The doorbell. Jack took a deep breath and stood, running his hands through his hair, trying to gain control. He looked through the peephole. It was Daniel.
"Hi, Jack," Daniel said when Jack opened the door. "How's Sam?"
"I'm fine," she said, standing up.
"You don't need to get up, Sam," Jack said.
"Yes, I do." She grimaced. "I have to go to the bathroom. I feel like I live in there half the time," she grumbled as she headed that way.
When she came back, she found the two men in the kitchen talking. "I'm hungry," she announced. They both looked at her blankly. "As in starving. For tacos."
"Tacos?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, with lots of refried beans and sour cream." She turned and walked to the sofa. Sitting down, she slipped on her shoes, then she walked to the closet and got her jacket. She turned and looked at Jack and Daniel who had followed her. "Let's go." Opening the door, she marched out of the house, the two men scrambling after her.
Sam not only ate tacos, she also had a craving for mint chocolate chip ice cream. "But, Sam, you don't even like mint chocolate chip ice cream," Daniel said.
She looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Well, I like it now." She got mint chocolate chip ice cream. When they got back to Jack's house, she was exhausted, so she went on to bed. Jack and Daniel sat up talking.
"We felt the baby move," Jack told Daniel. "Just before you came by."
"Really?" He had noticed little looks passing between Jack and Sam. It must be strange to be having a baby with a someone you'd never had sex with. At least he assumed they'd never had sex, but he wasn't about to ask.
"Yeah." Jack smiled. "Seeing the ultrasound today, then feeling the baby move makes it real."
Daniel thought about the image he'd seen on that screen. Would their child be a Harcesis? Only time would tell, but he hoped not. Both of them were already attached to the child, and it wasn't even born yet. He couldn't see NID giving up on getting the baby away from them and he couldn't see either one of them letting it go.
"Sam's looking really good. I guess now that she's not sick all the time, pregnancy agrees with her," Daniel said.
"Yeah, it does." Jack changed the subject. "So, how did your and Teal'c's mission with SG-2 go?" They talked about the mission for a while, then Daniel left.
Jack picked up the book Sam had been reading. It was on astrophysics. He looked through it and understood about one word in ten. He quickly put it down. Hopefully, the kid would have her IQ.
"Hi." He turned at the sound of Sam's voice. "Daniel left?" She blinked sleepily.
"Yeah, about an hour ago," Jack said. "What's wrong?"
"Um, nothing, just thirsty," she answered.
He got up. "Sit down, I'll get you some milk."
"Milk? Yuck." She shuddered. "I'll take some coffee if you have it."
"Milk's better for you," Jack said, going into the kitchen. He came back with a glass of the nasty stuff. "Drink it, it's good for the baby."
She took the glass from him and contemplated pouring it over his head, then thought better of it. And, he was right, milk was better for the baby. She sighed, and took a drink. At least it was cold.
Jack sat down beside her on the sofa. Picking up the remote, he clicked on the stereo and the sound of soft jazz filled the room. Beside him Sam put her empty glass on the coffee table and then leaned her head against the back of the sofa.
"I think he's asleep," she said. "He stopped moving."
"Ya think?" Jack asked. He reached over and laid his hand on her abdomen. Sam turned her head and smiled at him. It was all the invitation he needed. He leaned over and kissed her, then, when she didn't pull away, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Sam's arms slid around him, her hands stroking his back. Finally, they came up for air.
Jack rested his forehead against hers. "We've got a problem, Sam."
"Yes, we do," she said, pulling his mouth back down to hers.
************
The realization that she was snuggled tightly against a very warm, very naked male body hit Sam the moment she woke up. She smiled, remembering the night before. Pressing her back even closer against him, she felt the arms around her tighten even more and a pair of warm lips nuzzle her ear.
"Good morning." Jack's hand stroked the slight curve of her stomach. "How do you feel?" he asked.
She turned in his arms and wrapped her own arms around his neck. "Wonderful." They leaned in for a kiss, then Jack rolled her over onto her back and settled himself on top of her.
"Good," he said.
************
On base, Colonel O'Neill's and Major Carter's relationship remained much the same as it had always been, professional and friendly. Off base, however, Jack's and Sam's relationship was reaching a whole new level. If the NID hadn't been so determined to get what they wanted from the two of them, their relationship would have remained as it was. But they were forced into a situation neither of them had ever even envisioned, a bond and connection between them had been forged that in the normal course of events would have never happened. That they would end up drawn together because of that situation was a given.
They went to work together everyday, calling each other Colonel and Major, Sir and Carter. Then they went home together and became Jack and Sam, friends and lovers, sharing quiet dinners either alone or with their friends, watching a game or a video, or just talking quietly.
One night after dinner, the two of them were sitting on the sofa looking through a book of baby names. Sam was well into her sixth month of pregnancy and Jack felt that it was time that the baby had a name. They flipped through the book of boys' names, discussing the different names and their meanings.
"You know, Jack, I've always thought that, if I ever had a son, I'd name him after my father," Sam said. "Jacob Carter-O'Neill sounds nice, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it does sound kinda nice. Is that what you want, Sam?" If it was what Sam wanted, it was fine with Jack.
"Yes, it is," she said. "I think Dad'll be pleased, too." It was a sure bet that he WOULDN'T be pleased about the way she'd gotten pregnant. It sometimes made her a little sad that this baby hadn't been conceived in the old-fashioned way. But, that probably never would have happened, so maybe they had something to thank the sneaky NID for. Their actions had brought her and Jack together. Just then the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be at this time of night?" Jack asked. It was well after 10 p.m. He went to the door and opened it. The person who stood there smirked at him.
"Hello, Jack. Long time, no see," said Colonel Harry Maybourne.
Enfuriated, Jack grabbed Maybourne by the throat and lifted him off the ground. "You sorry son of a bitch! You low-life, two-bit asshole, I'm gonna kill you." Sam came rushing over to the door.
"Jack, put him down! Please, put him down," she pleaded. "You're only going to get yourself into trouble." She stepped up beside him and put her hand on his arm. "Please, Jack, think about the baby."
Jack looked into Sam's pleading eyes, then into Maybourne's glazed-over ones. He shook Maybourne one more time, like a dog shakes a rat, then dropped him. "If she wasn't here, you'd be dead now, Maybourne," Jack spat.
Maybourne looked at Jack with hatred in his eyes. "One day, O'Neill, you'll pay for what you've done to me. As for right now, I've come to make a little proposition."
"Whatever you've got, Maybourne, we don't want it." Jack crossed his arms, and stared Maybourne down. Maybourne looked away first, then he held out an envelope he'd been carrying. "I think you'll want to look at this before you turn me down." Jack wouldn't take the envelope, so Maybourne dropped it on the floor. "Be seeing you, O'Neill, Carter." With that Maybourne turned and walked out. Jack slammed the door shut behind him.
Sam bent down and picked the envelope up off of the floor. Turning it around, she undid the clasps and pulled out a large photograph. She looked at the picture and gasped. "Jack, look at this."
He quickly walked to her side and took the photograph from her. It was a large color picture of Sam and himself in the parking lot at Joe's Bar, kissing each other like there was no tomorrow. He turned it over and read the caption, "There's more where this came from."
"Now I know how he thinks he's going to get what he wants." Sam looked anxiously at Jack. "Blackmail."
************
The next morning, Sam and Jack took the highly incriminating photograph to General Hammond. They had discussed it at length and had decided that they should tell the general about that kiss, and the developments in their relationship since Sam's pregnancy.
The general was not pleased. He was, however, not surprised either. He was far from stupid or oblivious to what went on around him. He had noticed the tension in the air whenever Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were in a room together. At their first meeting, they'd hardly been able to take their eyes off of each other. It had been obvious to him that they were strongly attracted to each other. He had known it would only be a matter of time before they realized that themselves. It had been pushed ahead by the major's pregnancy. He could hardly blame Jack for the way he felt. Samantha Carter was a wonderful woman, beautiful, strong, smart, and she was going to have his baby, even if it didn't get started in the "normal" way. If they weren't both military, they would probably have been married years ago, and already have children.
"Colonel O'Neill, the only thing keeping me from reporting this is the fact that it probably would never have happened if NID hadn't intervened in the way it did," Hammond said. "Circumstances being what they are, I'm not surprised by this development. I'm going to call the President and let him know about this situation and Maybourne's blackmail scheme, and I'm also going to tell him about this development in your personal relationship. Dismissed."
Once they were alone in the lab, Jack spoke. "Well, that could have gone worse."
"Ya think?" Sam said. Jack looked at her and burst out laughing, just as she had intended. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"Ah, Sam, I couldn't do without you!" he said, then he kissed her.
************
Colonel Harry Maybourne was pissed. O'Neill and Carter had gone straight to Hammond, damn it! And Hammond, true to form, had gone straight to the President who was appalled at what NID had wanted to do and what they did do. Maybourne had hatched this scheme in hopes of regaining his old footing at the NID. Since O'Neill had brought down his little technology "import" business, he was little more than a cypher there. Well, it was time to take off the gloves and play rough.
************
That night Jack lay in bed holding a sleeping Sam in his arms. She was exhausted, what with not sleeping much the night before, and the emotional upheaval and worry of Maybourne's little blackmail plot. If he ever got his hands around Maybourne's neck, he wouldn't stop squeezing until Maybourne stopped breathing.
He would make sure that son-of-a-bitch didn't get within a mile of Sam and the baby again, even if he had to take her away. With that thought, Jack started making plans.
************
Daniel crossed the park toward where Jack was standing staring out at the pond. He turned just as Daniel reached his side.
"Jack," Daniel greeted him. "Why did you want to meet me out here? Where's Sam?"
"She's with Teal'c." Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. "I need you to help me with something." Jack outlined what he wanted Daniel to do.
"You're kidding, right?" Daniel asked.
"No, I'm not," Jack answered. "I've cleared it with Hammond. Maybourne came to the house the other night. Made us an offer he thought we shouldn't refuse. We refused it."
"So, you think he's going to do something to Sam," Daniel deduced.
"Yeah. I know how those NID creeps work. The first opportunity they get, they'll grab Sam, and make sure she disappears permanently after the baby's born," Jack said. "I'm gonna make sure they never get the chance. We'll stay away until after the baby's born, then we'll come back. He wouldn't dare touch her or the baby after that. Too public."
"And, hopefully, the NID's theory that the baby could be Harcesis is wrong," Daniel said. "You've never really said anything about that Jack. What do you think about it?"
"I think the he's just gonna be a normal baby. I wanta make sure he grows up a normal kid." Jack stared out at the ducks swimming on the lake. "I wanta bring him here and show him how to feed the ducks, and play ball." He smiled. "I wanta to see him grow up to be as smart as his mom."
"Have you told her how you feel about her?" Daniel asked.
"She knows that I respect her as an officer and as a scientist-" Jack began. Daniel cut him off.
"Have you told her you love her yet?" Daniel rephrased his question. "You need to. I think she needs to hear it."
"Daniel," Jack said warningly. "Don't go there."
"Why, Jack?" Daniel asked. "What are you afraid of? That she might actually love you back?"
"NO!" Jack said, frustrated. "No. I'm afraid that she might not." He sighed. "Go ahead and do what I asked Daniel. We'll be ready to move tomorrow."
"Okay, Jack. Good luck." Daniel left to put his part of Jack's plan in motion.
************
The next morning Jack and Sam left for work at their normal time. Jack checked in the rearview mirror for their NID escort. Yep, there it was, the same as it had been since Sam had moved into his house. Now was his time to act. He accelerated the car.
By the time he got to the four-lane road that led to the Cheyenne Mountain complex, he had managed to pretty much elude the NID guys. Just as they passed exit 7, two cars, identical to his, right down to the license plate got between him and the surveillance car, throwing them off. At the overpass of exit 10, Jack decided to put his vehicle's four-wheel-drive to the test. He pulled the car up in a copse of trees to wait. Ah, there they were, the NID surveillance car went right past them. Stopping the car, Sam and Jack got out of his car, bringing the bags they'd packed and put into the car while it was garaged the night before. They hiked for a few minutes until they came to the car Daniel had stashed away for them. They got in the car and departed the Colorado Springs area, not intending to return for at least three months.
************
Sam looked out the door, watching Jack split wood. She rubbed her lower back, which in the last month had started to really feel the strain of pregnancy. She was eight months pregnant now. Janet had visited them a week ago, her second visit since she and Jack had gone into hiding. Sam laughed when she thought about the circuitous route Janet had had to take to visit them. She'd flown to St. Louis, then to Seattle, then to Helena, Montana, where a friend of Jack's, Adrian Roberts, had picked her up. He was an old buddy of Jack's from his black ops days, and he hated NID just as much as Jack did. He'd brought her here to this fairly remote spot so she could check on the progress of Sam's pregnancy. Adrian's second cousin's wife's brother owned this house where they had been staying for the past two months. The connection was so convoluted even she had trouble getting it straight. Hopefully, that idiot Maybourne wouldn't figure it out at all.
Jack straightened from stacking the wood and looked over at Sam standing in the doorway. He knew that she was really getting uncomfortable. Well, it wouldn't be much longer now. Janet would be returning in a couple of weeks to stay with them in order to deliver the baby, then as soon as Sam and the baby were able to travel, they would return to the SGC. Once the baby was born and the birth was registered, Maybourne wouldn't dare touch either one of them. If he did, Jack would make sure that he'd never see the light of day again. Also, there was also the chance that the baby wouldn't be a Harcesis at all. That was only a theory, an unproven one at that. The genetic sample that Janet had taken to prove paternity had been too small to test, and Janet wasn't exactly sure what she should test for. So they would have to wait until after little Jake's birth to find out.
Sam smiled at Jack and walked to the woodpile he was making. He looked so handsome standing there shirtless in the still warm autumn afternoon. She looked down at her own huge belly.
"I look like a beached whale," she said ruefully.
"A beached whale should look so good then," Jack replied. He pulled off the gloves he was wearing and pulled her into his arms. "You're beautiful and you know it." She was too. When people talked about the glow of pregnancy, they could have been talking about Sam.
She put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. It made her feel good to be held in his arms. Although sex was out of the question now (Janet had cautioned them against it), he still held her close every night. She knew he slept with one eye open. As she rested against him, she felt their son kick. Jack bent down to talk to the baby, something he was doing with more and more frequency the closer she came to her due date.
"Hey, Jake," he said. "Take it easy on the old man, okay? That one got me right in the stomach."
Sam giggled when the baby kicked again, as if in answer. "He's been really active today. Kicking and squirming."
"Hey, kid, its Dad again. Take it easy on your mom, too." Jack stroked her abdomen. Standing up right, he pressed a kiss to Sam's lips. He still hadn't been able to tell her how he felt about her, but he tried to show her. He was a man of action, not words. "Come on, let's go inside." He looked up at the Montana sky. "Looks like we might get a little rain tonight."
Sam looked in the direction of Jack's gaze. "Yes, it does." They walked back into the house, their arms around each other.
************
The peaceful sound of the falling rain lulled Sam to sleep that night, but a few hours later she was awakened by the pain in her back. Shifting around to find a comfortable position, she woke Jack.
"What's wrong, Sam?" he asked.
"My back is hurting again," she answered.
"Turn over, I'll rub it." Sam obeyed his order, and he started to firmly massage her back. The pain started to ease.
"That's better," she sighed. She felt a pressure in her lower abdomen. "I need to go to the bathroom." She started sliding to the edge of the bed, then stopped, gasping.
"What's wrong, Sam?" Jack said with some concern.
"I just had a strong pain," she said, then she sucked in her breath, panting until the pain passed. "There it was again."
Jack nearly panicked, but he managed to hold on to his composure. "It's nothing to worry about, probably false labor. Lots of pregnant women have it."
"Yes, that's probably what it is." She sucked in another breath a minute later. "Jack, I don't think this is false labor." Sam managed to get out of the bed, and Jack was beside her two seconds later. "I need to go to the bathroom." He helped her to the bathroom, then waited outside the door listening when she wouldn't let him go in with her. A couple of minutes later, she came out and headed back toward the bed, when her water broke. "Jack, my water broke." Jack immediately swung her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.
"Don't worry, Sam," he reassured her. "I've delivered babies before." Yeah, he thought, but not my own. Oh, God, he prayed, please let me do this right. "I need to get a few things, I'll be right back." He rushed to the kitchen and gathered together what he would need, a large pair of kitchen shears and some string. Bringing them back to the bedroom, he then went into the bathroom and got towels and alcohol to sterilize his hands, the scissors, and the string. He poured some of the alcohol on his hands, then instructed Sam to lie back with her knees bent. Pushing back her nightgown, he felt to see how far dilated she was. Three fingers, pretty far. Okay, Jack, it's really happening. Making sure Sam was as comfortable as he could make her, he decided to take a risk and call Janet. Thankfully, NID couldn't trace them through the cell phone call, Adrian had gotten it for them in his name as a precaution.
Jack listened as the phone rang. "Please, Janet, pick up," he said. When she finally did, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Janet, it's me." Jack tried to make sure his voice wasn't shaking as badly as his knees. "We've got a problem."
"I figured that if you called me at this time of night," she answered. "Don't tell me, false labor."
"It's not the false kind," Jack answered her. "I checked, and she's dilated. It's the real thing."
"I was afraid this would happen, but there were no signs when I examined her a week ago, so I figured she was all right until I came back," Janet said. "How far apart of are her pains?"
"How far apart?" Jack repeated. "How the hell should I know?"
"Time them," she told him patiently. Although he was trying to hide it for Sam's sake, Jack was on the verge of panic. She could hear it in his voice. After a couple of minutes, Jack came back.
"They're about a minute and a half apart," he told her. "That's not good."
"Well, depends on how you look at it," Janet said. "When I examined Sam, everything looked completely normal. The baby was in birth position, head down, so we don't have to worry about a breach. Just relax, Jack, women have been having babies for the last million years or so. Everything will be okay."
Jack put the cell phone down, and put his hand on Sam's belly. He could feel the tightening of her muscles for another contraction. They were slowly getting closer and closer together.
"Jack, I really need to push," Sam said, between pants. "I need to push."
"Hold on a minute, Sam," he told her. "Not just yet. Just keep panting."
She did as he asked, although the urge to push was beginning to dominate all of her thought processes. He checked her again, then got on the phone with Janet once more.
"I think she's ready, she's been wanting to push for the last five minutes," Jack told Janet.
"Then on the next contraction, tell her to push," she answered.
Jack put his hands back on her belly. He felt her body readying for another contraction. "Sam, honey, when the next contraction starts, push."
He didn't have to tell her more than once. She pushed. Then when the next contraction came she pushed again.
"That's good, Sam, real good. The baby's head is crowning," he told her. "Okay, get ready to push again." When the next contraction hit she pushed again. By this time, it felt like one long continuous pain. The baby's head and shoulders appeared. "All right, sweetheart, one more push, and he's out." And he was. Jacob Carter-O'Neill greeted the world in his father's arms and giving a lusty cry. Laying the baby on his mother's stomach, Jack used the string and scissors to clamp and cut the umbilical cord. Then, after he wrapped the baby in one of the soft towels and lay him in his exhausted mother's arms, he delivered the afterbirth. He pulled a blanket over Sam and picked up the phone. "Janet, I have a son!"
************
Janet contacted General Hammond at home and let him know that Sam and Jack's baby had been born, with Jack delivering it. The general contacted people he could trust and made arrangements for their return to Colorado. Little did they know that the bad guys had already found them.
************
Sam pulled back the blanket that Jack had finally found to replace the towel. She looked into the face of her three hour old son. He was so beautiful. He was bald with big blue eyes. Even though he'd been born a few weeks early, he seemed to be fine. Jack was lying on the bed beside them, his arms around them both.
"I think he looks like you," he told her. "Except for the hair, of course."
"I don't think that's a permanent state," she said. "I was bald when I was born."
"Think his eyes will stay blue?" Jack asked.
"Probably not. The gene for brown eyes is dominant, and the gene for blue eyes is recessive, although if you had a gene for each it would be possible-" Jack clamped a hand over her mouth.
"A simple yes or no answer would be enough," he told her. She smiled. Things were back to normal. Suddenly, an armed man burst into the room. He was followed by Colonel Harry Maybourne.
"Hello, O'Neill, Carter." Maybourne walked over to the bed. "I'll take my merchandise now." He reached for the baby.
Jack jumped up and attempted to reach Maybourne, only to be stopped by a gun in his face. "You touch my son, and there's nowhere you could ever hide where I wouldn't find you, you slimy little son-of-a-bitch," Jack said.
"I think that will be difficult to do if you're dead, O'Neill," Maybourne said with a smirk. He had the upper hand now. He reached and attempted to take the baby away from Sam. Then they heard the sound of a trigger being cocked. Maybourne turned to see his trooper with a gun to his head.
"Maybourne, you asshole, if you touch that baby you're dead." Adrian Roberts pressed the muzzle of his gun against the temple of the armed soldier. "Drop the weapon." The soldier complied. "Come on in guys." Three huge men who could rival Teal'c in size walked into the room.
"Man, am I glad to see you!" Jack had a huge grin on his face. Adrian grinned back.
"Jack O'Neill and Sam Carter, I'd like you to meet my brother, Sylvester, and my cousins, Frank and William. Sylvester was Special Forces, and Frank and William were Army Rangers." The men nodded. "We've been keeping an eye on the people keeping an eye on you." Adrian indicated the two now subdued men. "Frank, William, tie 'em up." Adrian cocked his head. "Are you expecting someone?" The sound of a helicopter could be heard.
"I'm not sure." Jack and Sam exchanged looks. It couldn't be more of Maybourne's cronies, could it? At that moment, Janet Fraiser's voice could be heard calling. Knowing her, she probably jumped out of the helicopter before it even landed.
"Sam, Jack, are you all right?" she walked through the house, stopping when she saw three huge men come out of Sam and Jack's bedroom, followed by Adrian Roberts. "Adrian, what's happened?" Daniel and Teal'c burst into the cabin at that moment.
Jack came out of the bedroom carrying Sam who had a baby in her arms. He took her over to the sofa and gently set her down. Janet hustled over and started examining mother and child.
Jack explained everything that had happened to Daniel and Teal'c, and introduced them to Adrian and his brother and cousins.
"Maybourne and his flunky are tied up in the bedroom," Jack told them. "He was trying to get the baby."
"Why did Maybourne want your baby?" Adrian asked, then he held up his hand. "You know, I really don't want to know." He gestured to the other men. "It's time for us to go. If you need any more help, Jack, just call. I still owe you big time." With that Adrian and the other three men left. Jack walked over to the sofa where Janet was finishing her examination of Sam and baby Jake.
"Well, Colonel, you did a good job," Janet complimented him. "Both mother and baby are doing fine."
Sam reached out and grasped Jack's hand. "I couldn't have done it without him," she said. Jack knelt down beside her and gently kissed her on the lips.
"I think it's time to go home, if that's all right, Doc," Jack said.
"Perfectly. We brought a medical evac helicopter, so Sam and the baby will be comfortable," she said. "We'll take them to the hospital for a few days, just to make sure everything is okay."
"What about 'Hapless Harry' in there?" Daniel pointed toward the bedroom. Teal'c walked into the bedroom and hauled the two men to their feet, dragging them out of the bedroom.
"What do you wish me to do to them, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. "Such as this should not be allowed to live."
Maybourne started to protest. "You can't do that, it would be murder."
"And just what did you have planned for O'Neill and Major Carter once you had stolen their child?" Teal'c gave Maybourne a shake.
"Hold on, Teal'c," Jack said. "I think ole Harry's seen the error of his ways, haven't you Harry?"
"Oh, yes, O'Neill," Maybourne said. "It'll never happen again." Jack nodded to Teal'c, and he dropped Maybourne unceremoniously to the floor.
"You'd better see that it doesn't. Because if it does, I WON'T stop Teal'c from killing you the next time." With that Jack followed the two corpsmen who were carrying Sam to the helicopter, Daniel and Teal'c right behind him.
"What about us? You can't just leave us here!" Maybourne cried.
"Uh, well, uh, yes we can," Daniel said. "I'm sure your people will come after you in a few days." Daniel shut the door, laughing at Maybourne's cries as they came through the door. He walked back to the helicopter to join his friends.
"Ah, my friends," Jack said, "life is good."
A few minutes later, they were airborne.
************
Jack walked into Sam's hospital room carrying a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. She was lying in the bed with her eyes closed. He approached the bed quietly, trying not to wake her up. He laid the flowers down on the small table at the foot of the bed and paused beside the isolette that held his small son. Jake's big blue eyes stared at him.
"Hi, Jake," he said softly. "It's me, your old man." He reached down and picked up the baby, cradling him in his arms. "I just want you to know that I'm gonna be there for you and your mom for as long as you need me. I love you, Jake." He bent forward and kissed the baby on his forehead.
"Jake's lucky to have you for a father," Sam said.
"Sam, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Jack said.
"I wasn't asleep. Did you mean what you said?" she asked.
The door opened and General Hammond came in.
"Colonel, Major, good to see you again." He walked over and looked at the baby in Jack's arms. "So this is the little guy all the fuss was over." He touched the baby's hand and the little fingers tried to wrap around the general's finger. Big blue eyes blinked up at the general, and the man was lost. "May I Colonel?" he asked, reaching for the baby.
"Yes, sir, of course." Jack handed over the baby and looked on bemused as his commanding officer cooed over the baby. He and Sam exchanged an amused look.
"Have you decided what you're going to call him?" the general asked.
"Jacob Carter-O'Neill," Jack answered.
The general smiled. "Your father will be pleased, Major."
"Yes, sir, I think he will." Sam reached her hand toward Jack and he took it. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
"Colonel, Major, is there something I should know?" General Hammond questioned.
"I don't know sir. Is there, Sam?" Jack asked.
Sam looked at him and smiled. She knew what he was asking. "Yes, there is."
"Sir, Major Carter has just consented to marry me." Jack had a huge grin on his face.
"Colonel, Major, you know that's against regulations." General Hammond looked serious. Then he looked down at the adorable baby he held in his arms. "But, maybe we can work something out."
At that moment, Daniel and Teal'c came in. They went straight to Sam, with Daniel hugging and kissing her.
"Hey, buddy," Jack said, "find your own girl!"
Daniel turned and looked at Jack in surprise, then he looked over at Hammond who was still cooing at little Jake.
"He knows," Jack informed Daniel. "He also knows that Sam and I are getting married."
Daniel was so surprised, that he was struck dumb, a new development for him. Teal'c, however, gave the most surprising response. He leaned over and gently kissed Sam on the forehead, saying, "Best wishes, Samantha Carter." Then he turned to Jack and shook his hand. "Congratulations, O'Neill." Then he walked over to General Hammond and reached for baby Jake, whom the general handed over. Teal'c took the baby over to Sam and placed him gently in her arms. "May your family be blessed with happiness and love."
"Thank you, Teal'c," Sam said, so moved that tears filled her eyes. "It's the hormones," she said, wiping away the tears.
"Thanks, Teal'c," Jack said. Teal'c nodded, and stepped over beside General Hammond.
Daniel finally found his voice. "I knew this would happen, I just knew it! Teal'c, didn't I say this would happen?"
"Yes, Daniel Jackson, I do believe that you did," Teal'c answered.
Daniel stepped up and hugged Sam, and then he hugged Jack. "Congratulations. I know you're going to be happy. Don't waste a day of what you can have together."
"We won't, Daniel," Sam said.
"No, we won't," Jack said, grasping Daniel's shoulder.
The nurse bustled into the room. "Okay, everyone but daddy, out! It's time for baby to eat."
General Hammond, Daniel and Teal'c said their goodbyes and left. The nurse helped Sam unfasten her hospital gown, and she put the baby to her breast. Jack sat next to Sam with his arms around her, watching his son nurse. He remembered doing this with Sara when Charlie was a baby. Sam was very different from Sara, however. Oh, superficially, they had the same coloring, some might even say that physically they were similar, but that's where the similarities ended. Sam was stronger than Sara. She had to be to come through all of this with her sanity intact. She was a warrior, and he was proud of her. Leaning down he kissed cheek. "I love you, Sam," he said quietly.
"I love you, too, Jack," she answered, kissing him softly.
Jack wrapped his arms around Sam and the baby, and sighed contentedly. Finally, all was right with his world.
*************
The End
Stay tuned for the sequel, "Bringing Up Baby" coming soon.
Story Notes: Title: The Child
Author: Karen
Email: kesc@email.com
Spoilers/sequels: Seasons 1-3
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jack and Sam are asked to do something by NID.
Archive: Sam and Jack, yes; Heliopolis, yes; anyone else, please ask.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 is owned by Showtime Networks, MGM/UA, Double Secret, Gekko, et.al.
Author: Karen
Email: kesc@email.com
Spoilers/sequels: Seasons 1-3
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jack and Sam are asked to do something by NID.
Archive: Sam and Jack, yes; Heliopolis, yes; anyone else, please ask.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 is owned by Showtime Networks, MGM/UA, Double Secret, Gekko, et.al.
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 ]