Title: More Than I want to

Author: Elise Hudson.

Email: emeh100@soton.ac.uk or elisemarie9@lycos.co.uk

Status: Complete

Archive: Sam and Jack and my site - http://uk.geocities.com/emeh100/welcome.html . Anyone else - just ask.

Category: Sam and Jack romance/angst

Spoilers/Season: Sequel to "More than I'm Supposed To".

Rating: PG13

Content Warnings: Sexual discussions.

Summary: When Jack returns home, how will he adapt to living back on Earth? What will happen between him and Major Carter after they spent a night together?

Disclaimer: Stargate and SG-1 are the property of Showtime, MGM, Double Secret and Gekko and they do not belong to the author. This piece of fanfiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fanfiction must not be archived without the author's consent.

Comments: This story has been a long time in coming. Then again aren't most of my fics! Umm, I don't have much to say except thank you to all those who make music videos, which help feed my muse (that includes suzvoy, Clara M and LauraJo).

Enjoy!

Copyright © Elise December 2002

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More Than I Want To.
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Colonel Jack O'Neill took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He nervously put both hands behind his back and waited patiently for the door to open. Nine months ago, O'Neill had left Earth to set up home on an alien planet with a woman named Laira and their son. He had never really wanted to go, but events had caused him to leave in anger, so a month ago he had returned home. The past month had been a long time coming. He had to come out of retirement for the second time and then he had to get adjusted to the new team. SG-1 would never be the same again. Just over nine months ago everything had been fine, normal and perfect. Then Laira had come back, setting in motion a snowball of doom. SG-1 no longer consisted of Colonel O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson and the Jaffa Teal'c. Now SG-1 consisted of O'Neill, Daniel, Teal'c and Lieutenant Nicola Carpenter.

Throughout the month that O'Neill had been back, Major Samantha Carter had rarely been mentioned. O'Neill always told Daniel to shut up whenever her name was brought up. O'Neill and Carter had broken regulations and destroyed their friendship when Laira had shown up, by sleeping together. Destruction could easily have been avoided, but it had not. So easily, O'Neill and Carter could have continued, changing their friendship for the better. Instead, O'Neill had left Earth and any friendship with Carter was probably doomed. Everyone who knew both Carter and O'Neill had promised the latter that they would not inform Carter of O'Neill's return. He wanted to tell her himself - when he was ready.

And now, nearly a whole month after his return to Earth, O'Neill was ready to inform his ex-lover that he was back in town, back on the planet in fact. He knew that it was cowardly to not have told her or seen her earlier, but it was difficult. They had only spent one night together and then misunderstandings had come between them. O'Neill believed that Carter had seen him and Laira kissing. The next day when O'Neill had finally caught up with the woman he had loved, he found her with another man. Confused and hurt, O'Neill had left Earth. Life with Laira had not been easy and O'Neill had missed Earth.

Part of him had missed Carter. He doubted that he could fully forgive her, but he wanted her in his life somehow. He wanted her as a friend and he hoped that they could forget past events. He also hoped that when she returned from extended leave, Carter would return to SG-1. Even though he had missed Carter it had still taken him nearly a month to pluck up the courage to come and see her.

That was what he was doing now - waiting for Carter to open her front door. O'Neill had not told anyone else that he was going to see Carter. Daniel and Teal'c knew what had happened between Carter and O'Neill, well most of what had happened. Daniel was now slightly over protective of his female friend and O'Neill could understand. Thankfully, Hammond still had no idea that anything had happened. At least he had not let on that he did. O'Neill was not sure how Hammond would react to learn that regulations had been broken, resulting in the break up of SG-1.

Carter was taking a while to open the door, O'Neill realised wondering if she were okay. All Daniel had told O'Neill was that Carter was taking a holiday from SG-1, but that she might be back soon. O'Neill was worried that she would not come back to SG-1 if she knew that O'Neill was the C.O. again.

Finally the door opened to reveal Carter. O'Neill was immediately hit by her beauty. He had missed seeing her everyday. She looked like she was about to have a heart attack from shock and O'Neill could not really blame her. She also looked very tired.

"Surprise," smiled O'Neill, his eyes moving down Carter's body as she stepped away from the door and into full view.

"Surprise for you too," she said quietly.

O'Neill's eyes became transfixed by her abdomen. "You're..."

"Pregnant, yes." An uncomfortable silence fell over them before Sam spoke again, "Did you want to come in?"

"I could use a seat, yeah." O'Neill said, still unable to take his eyes from her pregnant bump.

She moved to one side, allowing him access to her home and he walked in. They both walked through into the living room and Carter sat down on the sofa, O'Neill sitting on the other end of it.

"You're ... huge."

Carter smiled. "Gee, thanks."

"Sorry." There was a pause. "How far are--?"

"What are you--?" Both of them began talking at once. They stopped, laughed and then O'Neill gestured for Carter to continue. He had many questions for the woman sitting near to him, but she must have just as many and even though he was dying for answers he would wait. Carter continued, "What are you doing back here?"

He had planned on telling her the truth, every little detail and the exact reason why he had returned, but now he faltered. "I missed everything so I'm back. To stay."

"Everything?" she asked and he nodded. She paused obviously wanting to ask him another question, but not having the courage to do it.

"What?" he asked. She looked up from the floor, meeting his eyes. They still knew each other well enough to read the other's signs.

"Including me?" she whispered, still holding his gaze.

"Yeah," he finally admitted. He had intended to tell her that he had come back mainly because of her, but now ... he could not say that. "I left here in a bit of a rush. It was a hasty decision, a wrong decision." She was about to ask him something else, but his patience had run out. "How far...? I mean..." He groaned in frustration. Why was it so hard to phrase the question?

Carter knew what he meant so she phrased the question. "When am I due? How many months pregnant, am I?" she asked and he nodded. "I'm nearly full term. I'll probably drop any day now," she smiled.

"Nine months ago..." It was not exactly hard to do the math of the situation. Nine months ago he and Carter had spent the night together - an unprotected night - and now she was due to give birth any day soon.

"Sir- Colonel-," she shook her head and started again. "Jack," she began but was interrupted by the door opening and then closing.

"Sam?" a voice called. O'Neill could see the panic on Carter's face.

"In here," she replied visibly cringing.

A man soon entered the room. "Hey, sorry I'm late."

O'Neill looked up at the man and instantly recognised him.

==**==

"Sam, I--" Jack stopped, looking in confusion at the person who had opened the door. "You're not Sam," he stated obviously.

"No," the man replied. His voice was husky from sleep, his hair mussed and he wore only his underwear.

"Dare I ask where she is?"

"Still in bed. It was a late night."

Jack nodded. "I bet it was." He knew that this man standing before him probably had no idea about Sam's other relationships, but that did not bother Jack. All Jack knew was that two night's ago Sam had slept with him and last night she had slept with this man. That made Jack angry and just slightly irrational. The anger and irrationality took over him and Jack punched the unaware half-asleep man.

"What the...?" The man said, holding his now bleeding nose.

Jack shook with rage and then realised that he was angry with the wrong person. He should not be upset with an outsider who had been used by Sam. No, Jack should be angry with Sam. "Sorry," Jack mumbled an apology. "You're welcome to her," he spat.

==**==

O'Neill turned to Carter. "Oh," was all that he could say.

"Jack, this is Brad. Brad, Colonel Jack O'Neill is an old friend from work." Carter introduced the two men.

"We've met," Brad said, "this is the guy who punched me."

O'Neill smiled nervously. "Sorry about that." O'Neill paused. "I better get going." He did not wait for anyone else to say anything, he simply walked out.

=========

O'Neill went straight to the base. He could not believe that no one had told him about Carter being pregnant. He could not believe that for a split second he had thought that the unborn child might be his. Someone would have told him if the child had been his.

Even so, O'Neill wanted answers. That was why, once on the base, O'Neill headed straight for SG-1's office. Daniel was sitting at his desk and Carpenter was at hers. Carpenter had been transferred from another SG unit when O'Neill had returned. In truth, there had been no SG-1 missions since O'Neill had left. That had puzzled him before, but now it made sense. Without O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c had been reassigned because they were the only two members of SG-1 left. Carpenter was a scientist, like Carter, but she also held a degree in archaeology. She was a combination of O'Neill, Carter and Daniel.

"Jack," Daniel looked up from his computer, "where have you been?"

Carpenter could tell that O'Neill wanted to talk to Daniel alone. "I just remembered that I have a meeting with the general." She stood and walked past O'Neill.

"Thanks."

She smiled, "No problem." Even though the brunette had only been a member of SG-1 for almost a month now, Carpenter was not fully accepted. She got on with the other three members of the unit, but it took time to form the kind of friendships that the original SG-1 had.

O'Neill turned back to Daniel. "What's up?" Daniel asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" O'Neill asked.

"Tell you what?" Daniel loved these conversations with his friend - never knowing what he was actually on about.

"About Carter."

"You went to see her?" Daniel asked and O'Neill nodded. "I didn't want to ... sway your decision. I wanted you to go and see her because you wanted to not because she was pregnant."

"At first," O'Neill whispered, "I thought that it ... that it might be mine."

Daniel nodded. "I thought that, too, so I asked her."

"What did she say?" O'Neill asked.

==**==

Daniel was waiting outside of the toilets for Sam to exit. Two days ago she had informed Janet, Teal'c and himself that she was pregnant. Since then Daniel's mind had posed hundreds of questions and he had finally decided to question her. As soon as he had entered their office to talk, though, Sam had run off to the toilets.

She finally came out of the toilets. She smiled at Daniel, "Morning sickness."

He nodded. "Look, Sam, we need to talk. I need to ... ask you some stuff."

Sam nodded her head. "Not here, though. I haven't told General Hammond yet. I have no idea how to. He's been a friend of my Dad's for years and in some respects he's like a second father. Plus, he's my commanding officer now that--" Daniel saw pain flash over her face.

"Our office?" he asked and Sam nodded. A few minutes later, Sam and Daniel were in SG-1's office. Sam sat down and Daniel wasted no time in asking his questions. "Who's the father, Sam?" He knew that she and Jack had slept together about a month ago, but that something else had happened, causing Jack to leave.

"Not Colonel O'Neill." She said as if that would be answer enough.

Daniel looked confused. "Then who? You said that you were about a month pregnant and you slept with Jack a month ago."

"Can you keep your voice down? No one else knows about me and Colonel O'Neill and I'd like it to stay that way."

"Sorry," Daniel apologised and then waited for an answer.

Sam knew that she had to answer, but she felt a bit embarrassed now. "I feel quite ashamed about what happened and I don't want you to think ... different of me. I was having a hard time and I do regret what happened."

"What happened, Sam? What did you do?"

"After I saw Laira and the Colonel, I was upset. I went out, got drunk and I slept with someone else."

"Who?"

Sam began to cry. "Damn hormones," she complained. She wiped her eyes with a tissue and then blew her nose. "A barman at the club I'd gone to."

Daniel stared at her in shock. "You had a one-night stand?" Sam nodded. Daniel could not believe what he was hearing. Sensible, responsible Samantha Carter had a one-night stand. "Are you sure?"

Sam nodded. "I took precautions after Colonel O'Neill."

"And you didn't take precautions during with a stranger?"

Sam shook her head, her eyes closed so that she could not see his reaction. "I wasn't thinking. I know that it's unlike me, but I got so drunk. I just wanted to forget Jack and the fact that I'd opened myself up to him just to have him betray me. I never for one second considered the consequences."

"Have you told him?" Daniel asked and Sam shook her head. "You have to, you know."

"I know, but I can't."

"I'll come with you, okay?" She opened her eyes and smiled at Daniel. Whatever he thought of her actions he was still her friend and he always would be. That comforted her.

==**==

O'Neill nodded as Daniel recounted what had happened. "Definitely not mine then?"

"Nope."

"Is she ... with this Brad guy?"

"No," Daniel shook his head. "Brad's around because of the child and as far as I know that's it. Why?"

Because he still cared for Carter. A lot more than he wanted to right now, O'Neill thought to himself. "Just wondering."

"Why did you come back, Jack?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

"I told you, I missed ... Earth and life with Laira wasn't what I expected."

"You never have explained that."

O'Neill rolled his eyes. "I went with Laira because I knew about Brad. Laira knew that I wasn't there because I felt anything for her. She knew that I'd left Earth and didn't want to go back. That gave her power over me." O'Neill paused, remembering some of the things that she had done. "Basically, she became a bitch. She never let me see my son. She had me ... I was like a slave and one day I cracked and left."

"It had nothing to do with Sam then?" Daniel asked.

O'Neill considered his friend briefly. "No and she doesn't know anything about me and Laira not getting on. I'd appreciate it if you didn't..."

Daniel nodded. Jack was a complex person, he decided. Just then his phone rang. He picked it up. "Doctor Jackson here."

"Daniel, it's me Sam."

"Sam, hi." Daniel looked up at O'Neill and the other man nodded before leaving the room.

"Is someone else there?" she asked.

"No," he replied truthfully. "What can I do for you?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Déjà vu? Daniel thought. "Tell you what?"

"How long has he been back?" she asked.

Daniel considered which route he should take. Should he try explaining things first, or just give her the answers, allowing her to ask for any extra details she might want. "About a month."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked again. Daniel could hear the anger and irritation in her voice.

"He asked me not to. Sam, I couldn't betray his--"

"I know," she cut him off. "What did you tell him about Brad?"

Daniel was puzzled about her question. "That he was there because of the child. Does it matter?"

There was a long pause, which puzzled Daniel even more. "I guess not."

"Sam, are you okay?" Daniel asked. Throughout the past nine months, Sam had maintained to Daniel that she did not care about Jack, that any feelings there had been were long gone. Daniel had never fully believed her and now he believed her even less.

"I'm fine, Daniel. Look, I've got to go. Bye." She hung up without waiting for Daniel to say goodbye.

"Goodbye," Daniel whispered to a dead line. He replaced the receiver and stared at the telephone. It was evident to him that both of his two best friends cared deeply for the other, but neither would admit it.

==============

Jack O'Neill was unsure of what to do. He had planned to return to Earth, make contact with Carter and then tell her how he felt. That had changed slightly upon his arrival as he had reminded himself of her betrayal. It had taken him the month to convince himself that she had not truly betrayed him. He would never be able to forget her sleeping with another man - Brad - the very next night after sleeping with him, but he could forgive. Now, if Carter and himself had been in a full-on proper relationship it would be a different story.

When he had gone around to her house that morning, Jack had been prepared to tell her that he loved her. He had not been so optimistic that he had believed that they would begin a relationship right there and then, but he had believed that today would be the beginning of their future.

He had believed wrong. It turned out that there was nothing for him with Laira and nothing here on Earth either.

How could he admit he loved her now? Now that she was pregnant with someone else's child. Admittedly, she was not romantically involved with the father of her unborn child, but Jack could not tell her now. That was why he had lied about his reasons for coming home. He could not tell her that he loved her.

He could not.

Jack was so deep in thought that he only missed bumping into Lieutenant Carpenter because she was paying attention.

"Whoa, Colonel!"

"Hmm?" Jack mumbled, his train of thought now broken. "Sorry, Lieutenant, didn't see you there."

"No problem, Colonel." She was about to walk away from him when she paused. "Colonel?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked, still a bit distracted.

"I know that you don't know me very well, Colonel, and that you might not fully accept me as a member of your team, but you're obviously troubled. If you would like to talk at any point?"

Jack considered the lieutenant briefly. "Thank you, Lieutenant, but I'm fine."

Carpenter nodded. "Of course, sir." She then walked off.

Jack remained standing in the corridor for a moment longer before continuing on to the commissary. Once there, Jack took a seat at one of the tables. What was he supposed to do now? He could not foresee returning to work with Carter. It had been one thing working side-by-side with her while wanting her and loving her from a distance. But working with her while knowing that you did love her, he could not do that. Maybe he would be better off returning to Laira.

===============

O'Neill cursed loudly as he ran down the corridor of the SGC. He felt like he had been running for days. He probably had. Three days ago, SG-1 had gated to P5T-597 and had immediately found themselves under attack. It had then taken three days before they had managed to get back to Earth safely. His team had incurred injuries however. O'Neill's were not serious, he had a few scratches and bruises but that was all. Daniel's injuries were slightly more serious and it was believed that he had a broken rib, along with bruises and minor cuts. Lieutenant Carpenter had a minor wound to her stomach and she was on the gurney following behind O'Neill. Teal'c was the worst off. He had incurred at least three wounds from enemy weapons and he had fallen unconscious just before they had managed to get to the gate. Teal'c was on the gurney that O'Neill was running along side of.

"Will you get out the way!" O'Neill shouted at some other airman who could not see the large group of medics running down the corridor with two injured officers. O'Neill had to bite his tongue from shouting another obscenity at the airmen. What were they, blind?

When they got to the infirmary, the chief medical officer came running over.

"Oh my God," Doctor Janet Fraiser said as soon as she saw Teal'c lying on the gurney. "Into OR-one," she commanded before turning to the gurney with Carpenter on.

"I'm okay," Carpenter said before wincing in pain.

Fraiser nodded, assessing the lieutenant's injuries and then sending her somewhere else. She then turned to O'Neill. "Colonel, remain here. A nurse will see to you." She then turned to Daniel Jackson.

O'Neill nodded to himself and sat himself down on the nearest bed. After only a few minutes, the room quietened down and he was alone. He sat there beginning to get bored when someone entered the room.

"Colonel?"

O'Neill turned to the doorway. "Carter," he replied and she entered the room a bit more. "What are you doing here?"

"Came for a check-up. Janet's still my Doctor. I am the first human to travel through the gate regularly and be pregnant. Plus, there's the whole Jolinar thing. Janet's testing me all the time seeing if there are significant differences."

"Any?" O'Neill asked. He had not seen Carter since that day at her house. He felt uncomfortable around her. While in her presence, O'Neill had to maintain the lie of still being with Laira. He was also finding it hard to deal with the fact that the woman he loved was pregnant with another man's child.

"Not yet. Apparently neither gate travel nor being blended have effects on fertility or any stage of pregnancy. As of yet," Carter added as she sat down on the bed opposite O'Neill.

"The birth."

Carter nodded. "Personally, I'm hoping that they ease the process of labour."

O'Neill smiled and looked up. Carter was smiling, too. As soon as they both realised, their smiles faded and an uncomfortable silence took over. "So, what's going on anyway?" Carter asked after a long time had passed.

"SG-1 came under attack, as usual. Me and Danny are fine, well he broke a rib." O'Neill noticed that Carter could not help but smile at his normally flippant tone. "Carpenter got a wound, maybe two. Teal'c ... he got a few more."

"Oh my God. Are they going to be okay?" Carter asked, concern etching her face.

"Probably, you know Teal'c. He recovers from everything."

Carter nodded. "So, how have you been?" she asked. She hated to admit it to herself, but she had missed him. She had spent nine months lying to Daniel that she felt nothing for O'Neill and now she had to continue lying. She could not admit to loving someone who was in love with someone else.

O'Neill was slightly taken aback by her question. He had not expected her to still care, but obviously she did. Then he reminded himself, even after everything they could still manage to be friends. O'Neill longed to say that he had missed her, but he could not. Just because she cared for him did not mean that she still loved him. He had a lie to maintain and he could not break it. He could not admit to loving the woman sitting opposite to him. "I'm fine. I've re-adjusted to Earth, but I miss my son. And Laira," he added quickly. "I miss the comforts of home, even though this is home too." He was a crap liar, or at least he never believed his own lies.

Carter shifted in her seat. He missed Laira and his son. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Carter wished that the child she carried was O'Neill's that he could leave Laira for her. It was only ever a wish though. A wish that Carter still had now. "Well, Janet will probably be a while, so I may as well go home." Carter stood up rather clumsily and then added. "Give my best to the others, won't you?"

"Sure," O'Neill nodded. He hung his head in shame. He hated this situation. He wanted to take back the past nine months. He wanted to relive everything and never sleep with Carter, never ruin their friendship. If he could have her as just a friend, he would do anything. He had once admitted to caring for Carter a lot more than he was supposed to given their positions within the air force. He had then cared more than he had wanted to given her betrayal. Now he still cared more then he wanted to and was supposed to because he could not do anything about it. She was pregnant with another man's child. He had to forget about her.

==========

Carter had only just reached the elevator when the red alert signals had begun sounding. The lights around her dimmed and the red lights started flashing. Within an instant airmen began running past her in every direction.

"Oh, crap," she mumbled to herself, one hand stroking her stomach. Her first instinct was to get to the weapon's locker, get a weapon and protect the base. Then a stronger instinct kicked in - that of a mother. She had to protect herself and her child. She would not be able to leave the base now, so she had to get to somewhere else safe.

"Carter!" she heard someone call her name. Carter looked up through the darkness and saw O'Neill running towards her.

"Colonel?" she questioned. He was second in command of the base and as such, his place now was with command, or leading an attack against whatever was wrong.

"I figured that you'd still be here," he explained as he approached her. "We should get you some place safe."

Carter smiled slightly and nodded. "Where do you suggest?"

O'Neill shrugged and scanned the corridor, thinking of somewhere. He gently took hold of Carter's arm so that he would be able to drag to wherever he found.

"What's going on?" Carter asked over the noise of klaxons and weapon's fire.

"We're under attack from the guys from P5T-597." He realised that the weapon's fire was coming from their left and it was getting closer. Still with no plan of where to go, he just started walking fast in the opposite direction to the enemy. He had to get Carter out of harm's way. He would never forgive himself if anything were to happen to her. Normally he would be more concerned with protecting the base, but for some reason Carter was more important to him. Maybe his time with Laira had changed him, either that or his feelings for Carter were getting too out of control.

"Where?" Carter asked, walking as fast as was possible in her heavily pregnant state.

"Where SG-1 just were. I was in the infirmary when the klaxons sounded. It soon started to fill up with injuries. That's why we have to find somewhere else," he explained. "I still had my off-world gear, so I ran."

"To me?" Carter asked.

O'Neill stopped walking and Carter wondered if it was because of her comment. "In here," O'Neill ordered opening the door to a small closet. Carter did as she was told and O'Neill followed her in, closing the door behind him. His voice lowered to a whisper he spoke, "Yes, I came straight to you. I had to make sure that you were okay."

"Oh."

The small room was dark and there was no apparent light source. O'Neill thought that it was a store cupboard of some sort. Hopefully he could find somewhere Carter could sit down. Once he knew that she was safe, he could continue on with his job. "Let's find you somewhere to sit."

"Thanks, my feet are hating me being pregnant." She soon felt his hand touch her arm gently, guiding her to something she could sit on. "Thank you," she repeated.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, still whispering.

Their eyes had not adjusted to the darkness yet, but Carter could sense that he had crouched down to speak to her on her level. "Why? Where are you going?" She could not even try and hide the fear in her voice.

"Back out there."

"Oh." She could not deny to herself that she did not want him to leave. She did not want to be on her own and she did not want to get found by the enemy. O'Neill was the only one she trusted to protect her.

"Here," O'Neill whispered, placing something in her hand. "I'll leave the radio with you just in case, okay?"

Carter could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She hated these hormones. "No," she replied, "it is not okay."

==========

Daniel winced as he rounded a corner. He should not be doing anything this active while having a broken rib. Medically, it was not advised. This situation was different though. The base was under attack. Somehow the hostiles from P5T had managed to get through the iris and out of the gate room. If Janet had not been so occupied with casualties, she would have stopped Daniel from leaving the infirmary. The hostiles had a weapon similar to the Jaffa staff weapon, but it went deeper than the staff. That was what Teal'c, Carpenter and some of the base personnel had been hit with. Daniel was unsure if anyone had died from it yet.

There was also another weapon that emitted an electrical discharge like the Zat gun, but one shot was fatal. To make it even more horrendous, the discharge lasted for at least a minute, torturing the sufferer until they died. Daniel had not seen that weapon in action on P5T, but he had in the SGC twice. Those poor men, Daniel thought.

Daniel and five airmen paused at another corner. Two airmen peered around the corner first, both firing their guns at hostiles in front of them. By the time that Daniel moved around the corner there was only one hostile still alive. Daniel fired his gun three times, taking the hostile out. He had not learned much about the hostiles from P5T. They had come under attack pretty much as soon as they had set up camp. SG-1 had been unaware that there were any natives. From what Daniel had seen from afar, though, the inhabitants of P5T were human.

Out of nowhere, a group of hostiles appeared. Taken by surprise, three of the five airmen were taken out by the hostiles, while a few of the hostiles were shot. Daniel fired his gun continuously, felling another two hostiles and then found his gun out of ammunition. The two airmen beside him soon hit this stumbling block, too. Daniel then found himself staring down the barrel of the enemy's discharge weapon with no way of defending himself.

==========

"Excuse me?" O'Neill asked, managing to keep his voice to a whisper even though Carter was getting louder.

"I don't want you to leave me. I don't want to be on my own," she admitted, whispering again.

"Carter, the base is under attack. Other people need me."

"I need you. I don't want to get killed. I don't want my child to get killed and I don't trust anyone else to protect me." She was beginning to raise her voice again.

"Carter, you keep shouting like that and they will find us," O'Neill snapped immediately regretting it. "I'm sorry."

"No, I am," Carter wailed. "It's these hormones. I just want this baby out of me so I can get back to normal so instead of hiding in a damn cupboard I can actually do my job."

"Carter," O'Neill began as Carter started to cry. "Sam," he amended, placing a hand on her cheek, "it's okay. I'll stay with you. I promise that I won't leave, okay?"

Carter liked feeling his hand on her cheek. It was a source of comfort and it reminded her of their one and only night together. She really wished that things had not gone as they had. She did not mean that. If things had been different then she would not be pregnant and she would never regret having the child that she carried. Carter closed her eyes as she moved against O'Neill's hand, rubbing her cheek against his hand. Even though it had only been one night she still missed the feel of his soft caress, the way his lips felt against hers. "Jack?" she whispered.

She rarely ever called him by his first name so when she did, it made him take notice. He did not fully trust his own voice, but he spoke anyway. "Yeah?" he asked in a husky whisper. She did not reply at first, but he could feel her moving closer to him. Due to the darkness, O'Neill guided her face to meet his. He had no idea if this was what she wanted or had planned, but he had the desire to kiss her and she could stop him if she wanted.

Carter knew what was about to happen. She was about to kiss him again. She found it easy to push everything to the back of her mind and think only about the moment she was in. "Kiss me," she breathed and their lips met. It was a slow, explorative kiss. Her hands came up to his face as she pulled him closer. He removed his lips from hers and she instantly felt bereft and confused. Everything made sense when she felt his lips kiss their way along her jaw line and onto her neck. She moaned in pleasure as he kissed her throat and then in pain as he nibbled where he had just kissed.

O'Neill pulled away from Carter as she gasped in pain. He had only nibbled gently and was now confused. "Sam?" he asked, his voice throaty.

"Uh, oh," she whispered.

"What?"

"Not now."

"What?" he repeated, beginning to get impatient. Was she having second thoughts? Was she going to hate him for kissing her? Had he made another fatal error where their relationship was concerned?

"Umm, I think I'm in labour," Carter answered, her voice pained.

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

============

The inquisitive, explorer within Daniel wanted to start talking to the man who held his life in the balance. The more rational side of him knew that it would be pointless. The cold feeling of what was about to come ran through him, just as it had many times before. Most times it had been another member of SG-1 that had come to his rescue, but that looked unlikely this time. Teal'c and Carpenter were injured and Daniel had no idea where Sam and Jack were.

He hoped that Sam was okay. He would probably never know now. He would never know how Sam's labour would turn out. Or if it ever would. For all Daniel knew, this could be the end of the entire SGC maybe even the Earth. No, he could not be that pessimistic. There was no point in being optimistic concerning his life, however. Daniel knew that in a few short minutes his life would be over after a great deal of pain.

His thoughts moved back to Sam and Jack. He would never know if they were to ever sort everything out, if they ever ended up together. Daniel did not want to die.

Daniel watched as the man in front of him slowly began to squeeze the trigger tighter. The man had a malicious grin on his face. The hostiles were not here to protect their planet they just wanted a new one.

Daniel tightly closed his eyes as he prepared himself for what was to come.

He never felt the discharge hit him. Had the man missed? Daniel opened his eyes slowly and there was no one standing in front of him. He looked down at the floor and saw the man lying on the floor, blood pouring from his chest. All of the other hostiles were on the floor, too. Daniel turned to look behind him and saw his saviour standing there smiling.

"Cavalry's here," Carpenter smiled, lowering the gun she held in her right hand. Her left hand was gently placed on her stomach, probably covering her wound. She moved towards Daniel and handed him some ammunition from a trouser pocket.

Daniel took the weaponry from the lieutenant and immediately re-loaded his gun. "A second later..."

Carpenter nodded. "Fraiser discharged any of us that can walk and hold a gun," she explained leading the others back to the infirmary. "From what we can gather, most of the base has been taken. The hostiles don't have the infirmary yet, so that's where we're taking an offensive from. Most of the weapons lockers are unobtainable. No one else has radios, except for SG-1. Fraiser's got Teal'c's."

"Any news on the control room?" Daniel asked.

"Negative. We have to find Colonel O'Neill or General Hammond. Any ideas?" Carpenter asked as they entered the infirmary.

Daniel paused in giving his answer as he took in all of the people around him. "Oh my God," he whispered. He had never seen so many casualties before in his life.

Carpenter placed a comforting hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I know," she whispered, her voice thick with pain. "We need to find a commanding officer, to make a plan of what to do."

Without hesitation, or looking at the lieutanant, Daniel answered. "Jack still has his radio. If he's alive, he'll hear you." If he's alive, the words echoed through his mind.

Carpenter nodded, noticing that Daniel was still immersed in his surroundings. She grabbed her radio and spoke into it. "Colonel O'Neill, Lieutenant Carpenter here. Colonel, please answer. Over." She held her breath waiting for a reply.

==========

Colonel Jack O'Neill could not believe that he was in this situation. Never in his wildest dreams could he have foreseen this. To be hiding in a store-room with his previous second in command was one thing, but it was another to have that ex-2IC in labour while hiding from enemy hostiles.

"What are we going to do?" Jack whispered, more to himself than anyone else. He was not expecting an answer.

"I don't know," Sam groaned, her voice rising again.

"Carter, I know you're about to go through an indescribable event, but you have to keep your voice down. Okay?"

Sam managed to nod in the darkness, Jack's hand still on her cheek so he felt the movement of her head. He could also feel her face scrunch up in pain.

"Carter, it's gonna be okay," he promised. He had no idea how he was going to keep that promise, but he would. Somehow.

Sam nodded again without questioning him. They both jumped in shock as Jack's radio started crackling. "Colonel O'Neill, Lieutenant Carpenter here. Colonel, please answer. Over."

Jack grabbed his radio and whispered into it. "O'Neill here. What is the situation? Over."

"The base is full of hostiles, sir. We've set up base in the infirmary. Over."

"Control room? Over."

"Unknown, sir. We need your advice, sir. Over."

"Carter and I are in a store-room, near to the infirmary. We need back up. Over."

"Sir, on our way, sir. Over."

Sam grabbed the radio off of Jack and spoke into it. "Hurry up," she growled. "Over."

"Sam?" Daniel's voice came over the radio.

"She's in labour, Daniel. Over." Jack replied, getting his radio back.

================

"Oh, boy," Daniel whispered as he released his own radio. He turned to look at Carpenter and she nodded before leaving the room. With her gone, Daniel's attention was brought back to the casualties. He could not believe that this much damage had occurred simply because SG-1 gated to a planet. Daniel had seen battles before, but never any in his home. Daniel turned to Janet as she rushed past him, seeing to her patients. "Anything I can do to help?"

Janet glanced up from her most current patient. She smiled briefly before returning her attention to the officer lying on the gurney in front of her. "Not really, Daniel. Unless you have a PhD in medicine."

"No."

"Then, I really suggest that you get out of the way. The room through there is for stable patients. If you're really desperate to help, go ask a nurse in there."

Daniel nodded to himself and then left the room. The second room was less hectic than the others. There were no fresh casualties being brought in and the room seemed calmer than the other. There were still too many people in the room, too many injured people. These people were his friends and the nearest thing that he had to a family and too many of them were injured.

He quickly spotted Teal'c lying on a gurney so Daniel headed over. "Teal'c?" Daniel whispered, not wishing to disturb any of the other patients.

Teal'c's eyes opened slowly. "Doctor Jackson," the Jaffa greeted.

"How are you?" Daniel asked.

"I was in a state of kehl-no-reem so that my symbiote could heal me."

"Sorry for interrupting," Daniel apologised. "The base is under attack."

Teal'c blinked slowly. "By whom?"

"The natives of P5T. They got through the iris somehow and have taken most of the base."

"If I were well I would aid in the battle."

"I know, Teal'c, I know. You just concentrate on getting better."

"I shall, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel watched as Teal'c closed his eyes, returning to his deep state of healing kehl-no-reem.

"Daniel!" Daniel heard Janet shout and he went running into the other room. Being brought into the room was Sam, aided by Jack and Carpenter. The other airmen that had accompanied Carpenter remained in the doorway, on the alert for any hostiles. Jack helped Sam up onto a gurney while Janet raced over. Sam's face was all red and she seemed in a lot of pain.

"Sam, are you okay?" Daniel asked, rushing to be by his friend's side.

"What do you think?" Sam asked sarcastically as she glared at him. The contraction seemed to pass as her face softened. "Sorry," she apologised. "How's Teal'c?" she asked.

"He's, uh, he should be fine. He's just through there." Daniel answered her but he was looking at her right hand, which was holding Jack's tightly. His eyebrows rose slightly at seeing this.

As if Jack noticed Daniel's reaction, he released Sam's hand and moved a step away from her. Sam met his eyes as he moved away. "I should see to the base."

Sam nodded, a sadness covering her eyes as he left the room, Carpenter and Daniel close behind him. Soon, all that was left in the infirmary were Janet, a few patients, a few nurses and Sam. Even through the pain of each contraction, Sam kept an eye on the surrounding situation. There was a slower influx of patients now, which either meant that every SGC member was already here or dead. Or, now that Jack was out there the tide was starting to turn.

==========

O'Neill and Daniel both fired their guns at the line of aliens running toward them. One by one each of the aliens fell to the floor. Without waiting a second, Carpenter and two airmen, ran past O'Neill and Daniel and past the fallen aliens. O'Neill and Daniel were not far behind. As he entered the control room, O'Neill watched as Carpenter shot the last alien standing in their way of getting to the control panels.

The control room had been reclaimed.

O'Neill sent two airmen up to the briefing room while he remained with Carpenter and Daniel in the control room. Carpenter got to work on the base computers, trying to get them back online and the other two kept guard.

As the two men silently watched out for any hostiles, Daniel found himself studying O'Neill rather than the approaching corridor. Daniel had never fully understood the relationship that existed between his two friends, but it was obvious that it was complicated and deep. Daniel had always been worried that O'Neill would hurt Carter in some way, shape or form. Daniel was now even more scared about this prospect. Carter had not had it easy in the past nine months. She had been adamant that she had no feelings for O'Neill. As one of her closest friends, Daniel knew that to be a lie. In the past nine months, Daniel had often wondered how O'Neill was dealing with events. Was O'Neill on Edora, lying about his feelings for Carter? Was he denying that there had ever been more than friendship? That there had only ever been lust between the two officers? Or was he there, mourning a broken heart and missing Carter?

Daniel had the feeling that O'Neill had spent the past nine months lying and that he still was. But then why was O'Neill keeping up the charade that he was still with Laira?

"Daniel?" O'Neill whispered and Daniel acknowledged him. "You keeping an eye out for any hostiles?"

"Yeah," Daniel nodded, turning his attention to the corridor. "Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay with you and Sam?" Although Daniel kept his attention on the corridor, from the corner of his eye he could see O'Neill turn to look at him.

O'Neill's gun lowered slightly as the colonel considered the question. It depended on your viewpoint as to whether everything was okay between the two of them. They had shared a kiss just moments ago. He had kissed a pregnant woman. A woman that he loved. She would probably never speak to him again. He had taken advantage of a heavily pregnant, hormonal woman. She would never forgive him and he probably would not either. "I kissed her," he admitted. Before Daniel could make one of his usual comments, O'Neill explained. "She asked me to, wanted me to."

"Oh." Was all Daniel could say.

O'Neill knew that there was more to it than 'oh'. Daniel always had something more to say, always had something spinning around in his brain. "What do you mean by that? Oh - you took advantage of her. Or oh - I saw it coming."

"I meant - oh." There was a brief silence. "So what do you think about it?" Daniel knew that it was not subtle, but it was the only way he would ever get to the truth.

"What? It was a kiss, Daniel. It didn't mean anything."

"So you kissed a pregnant woman for no reason."

O'Neill glared at the other man, but his attention was on the corridor. "Whatever." O'Neill, himself, was unsure as to what was going on so he was not about to try and explain it to someone else.

"What does she think about it?"

"I don't know," O'Neill shrugged. "She went into labour so we didn't really get to discuss it."

"How do you think she thinks?"

"Daniel, we've got a job to do here. Can we please do it?"

Daniel was not deterred. "Why are you lying about being with Laira?"

"Daniel." O'Neill warned.

"I think you should stop. Tell Sam the truth. Trust me on this. Tell her. She deserves to know."

There was a long pause as O'Neill decided not to answer and Daniel thought it wise to give up. Their attention was brought to Carpenter who had just successfully managed to get the computers back online and the storm-doors up.

"Sir, we're back in control."

The men walked over to Carpenter and looked down into the 'gate room. The Stargate was active and a large group of the alien hostiles were on their way through it. Once the last one was through the Stargate automatically shut down.

"Do you think that's all of them?" Carpenter asked.

"We'll have to check the base. Carpenter, go check the airmen upstairs while I contact the surface and see what they're up to. I want to know if any hostiles managed to get out."

"Yes, sir." Carpenter then walked off, leaving the two men alone.

As O'Neill walked over to the phone, he whispered just loud enough for Daniel to hear. "She's moved on with her life and is having someone else's child. Nothing would come of me telling her the truth."

=================

While O'Neill remained in the control room, issuing commands over the speaker system, Daniel headed up to the briefing room in search of Carpenter and the others. Daniel was puzzled when he came up the stairs to see Carpenter sitting at the briefing table. She was alone, her gun placed on the table and her head was hanging forward. There was no sign of the other officers.

"Nicola?" Daniel asked and she looked up. Her eyes were sad. "What's wrong?"

"The other two officers didn't find much up here. There's a lot of damage so it took them a while to look around," Carpenter explained. "Entry to General Hammond's office was blocked and it took them a while to get in. I came up just as they managed to. His office is ... destroyed, really."

"And the General?" Daniel asked, fearing the answer.

Carpenter finally looked up to meet Daniel's eyes. "He's okay, but..." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"What? What is it, Nicola?" Daniel asked, taking a step closer.

"There's a Major in there. She's dead."

"Did you know her?"

Carpenter nodded. "She was one of my best-friends at the academy. We always managed to keep in touch, no matter how far apart we were posted. I can't believe it." She whispered.

Daniel bent down on his knees and brought her into a hug. "I forgot to thank you for saving my life."

Carpenter pulled away from Daniel slightly and smiled a small smile. "Couldn't save everyone."

==========

Sam opened her eyes slightly. She was so tired from the labour. She had been having weird thoughts for the past few hours, or however long she had been knocked out by the pain and stress of labour. She had relived memories through her dreams. Like when she had first told Janet she was pregnant.

==*==

Sam hesitated before walking into the infirmary. She had to tell Janet, she had to tell someone. She did not want to though. She felt embarrassed and slightly ashamed that someone of her age and intelligence had managed to get themselves pregnant through a one-night stand. She did not want anyone to know, she wanted to hide her indiscretion from everyone, but that would only work for a few months -- then she would start showing. No matter how stupid Sam believed herself to be, there was no way that she could not keep the child that was already growing inside of her.

"Sam," Janet said as she looked up to see her best friend standing in the doorway, "what can I do for you?" she asked.

Sam wanted to pause, to think about what she was about to do, but she knew that if she paused now she would never resume what she had to say. "I'm pregnant." Straight out. Blunt. To the point. No hesitation, no wasting time making conversation. Her secret was out now.

"Excuse me?" Janet asked, she could not believe what she was hearing. About a month ago, Sam had asked Janet to get the morning after pill for her. It was not exactly part of Janet's job description and was not exactly easy to come by. The base had a quantity of the pill for emergencies occurring with female prisoners off world, but that would have to be documented and Sam wanted it kept secret. Janet had managed to get the pill and as far as she knew Sam had taken it. Still to this day Sam had not admitted who she had slept with.

"I'm pregnant. Please don't ask any questions."

"You can't ask me that," Janet objected. "Who on Earth is the father?"

Sam really did not want to tell Janet the truth. The little girl within Sam came out, she did not want to disappoint someone who held a respect for her. She had to though. Janet would not give up until she knew and Sam needed her friends right now. "Some guy in a bar. The barman, actually. It was a one-night stand. No feelings, no love, but a child."

Half of Janet saw Sam as she would Cassie -- a child who she wanted to chastise for being silly and not thinking about the consequences of her actions. The other part wanted to comfort Sam as a mother would comfort a child. Janet stood up and hugged Sam, feeling all of Sam's shame and confusion melt into her. "Honey, it's gonna be okay."

==*==

And it was okay, Sam realised. She had given birth, however long ago, to a child. A healthy little girl. Instead of elation, Sam felt sad. Her child had the wrong father. Some one-night stand man should not be the father of Sam's child. The man Sam loved should be the father. But he was not, in fact he did not even love her.

Then why had he kissed her?

Sam was not sure why Colonel O'Neill had kissed her, but he had and she had responded. The colonel was in love with another, not her. Sam just had to try and forget about him.

There was a gentle knock on the door to the room. It was Daniel. "Hey, Sam."

"Daniel," Sam greeted with a weak smile.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine. How's the base?"

"It's okay. A lot of damage, but we got rid of all the hostiles. There were a few fatalities, quite a few injuries. We're all okay." Sam nodded, obviously pleased. Daniel knew that he would regret what he was about to do, but he had to do it. Sam had only just awoken and she would not have thought about the earlier incident with Jack, Daniel surmised. He had to get her to realise the truth before she thought about it too much and would up back at the beginning. "Sam, we need to talk."

"Right now? I just had a baby, Daniel, I'm sort of tired."

"I know and I'm sorry, but this is really important."

"Go on then."

"Jack told me about what happened earlier."

"Daniel, I'm really tired."

"Just listen to me, please." When there was no objection, Daniel continued. "For nine months now you've been denying feeling anything for Jack, saying that you don't miss him and that you don't care about him. For nine months I know you've been lying. You once admitted for caring about him a lot more than you were allowed to given your working position, then suddenly after sleeping with him you don't care anymore. I never bought it, Sam. Now that you kissed him you've proved it and you have to tell him."

"Tell him what?" Sam asked. She had been angry at first, not wanting Daniel to talk. Now she was tearful and upset. Why did he have to remind her of everything?

"Tell him that you love him."

Those words made the tears start to fall. She could not help it. She did love him, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Colonel O'Neill was in love with someone else, he shared a life with someone else. He even had a child with someone else. So often, Sam had hoped that the child she carried could be his so that he would return to her. "Yes, I do love him." It took all of her emotional strength to admit that she loved him. "But right now I care for him a lot more than I want to because I don't want to be in love with a man who loves someone else."

Daniel wanted to tell her the truth, he wanted to tell her that Jack was in love with her. He could not betray his best-friend's confidence. "Talk to him, Sam. Tell him." Sam looked up at him about to ask something. "I can't say anything more, just tell him."

With that Daniel left the room, leaving Sam on her own to her thoughts. She did not need this right now, she thought bitterly to herself. She did not want to deal with her feelings for Colonel O'Neill when she had just given birth, when she needed to be there for her child.

Daniel knew that this was exactly what Sam did need because he knew that Jack still loved her and that his relationship with Laira was all a facade. He just hoped that they were both clever enough to finally sort through things.

==========

Colonel Jack O'Neill entered the infirmary. It had been a few hours now since they had managed to reclaim the base. The base was clear, no hostiles had been found. O'Neill was on his way to check how Doc Fraiser was coping with the injuries.

"Doc," he called as he spotted the petite brunette.

"Colonel," she greeted. "How's the base?"

O'Neill nodded. "Cleaning up the mess as we speak. The General sent me down to get an update on our men."

"Of course, sir," Fraiser began before starting to list a load of numbers to O'Neill. He was only half listening to the doctor. He was taking in the information so that he could relay it to Hammond, but his mind was also drifting slightly. In a nearby room was Major Carter. He wondered if he should take Daniel's advice and tell her how he felt. Dare he risk it?

"And Teal'c is nearly fully recovered. I estimate another two hours of kehl-no-reem and he should be fighting fit."

"That's excellent news. If you'll excuse me," O'Neill excused himself.

"Sam's fine and awake as well."

O'Neill glanced at Fraiser unsure of why she was telling him that. He nodded and left the infirmary. He paused at the door to Carter's private room. Should he go and see her? He wondered.

Yes, he had to go and tell her. It was not that hard. Three simple little words. It was easy. He could tell her the truth. He could tell her what he had wanted to say for as long as he could remember. He loved her and she deserved to know. Whether she wanted him or not, she deserved to know the truth about how he felt and the truth about Laira.

He took a deep breath and reached for the door handle.

=========

Sam stroked the side or her daughter's face and smiled. She was lying in the infirmary bed with Daniella in her arms. She hated to admit it, but she kept looking at her daughter and wishing it could be different. She wished that her daughter had a different father. It would never affect how she felt for her daughter but she still wished that it could be different.

She wanted the man whom she loved to be the father of her child.

The man she loved.

Colonel Jack O'Neill.

As she thought of him, the door opened revealing him. Sam had to catch her breath in shock.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, with his adorable smile.

"No," she almost whispered.

"How are you?" he asked.

Sam smiled. "I'm okay. You?"

He bobbed his head a bit. "Tired. You probably are too." He stepped closer to get a better look at her daughter. "She's beautiful. Just like her mom."

Sam took her eyes from her daughter and looked at O'Neill. Their eyes met briefly before he looked away nervously.

"Carter, I ... I need to tell you something." His hands would not stay still now, which told Sam that he was nervous.

"Okay," she sounded wary. "Is everything okay, sir?"

"Please," he objected, "don't call me 'sir'."

Her eyebrows raised in curious wonder. "Okay," she agreed.

"I--" he began before he was cut off by someone else entering the room.

"Sam! I got here as soon as I could. I swear it takes longer to get down here every time," Brad said, barely pausing for breath. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

Sam smiled at him. As she began to answer his many questions she glanced up briefly. Colonel O'Neill was gone.

==========

Samantha Carter walked along the corridor and entered the control room. She moved to stand next to General Hammond and smiled at him when he glanced at her.

Hammond smiled back. "Glad to have you back on base, Major."

"Glad to be back, sir," Sam replied. Daniella was four months old now and Sam had decided to go back to on-base work. Well, Carpenter and herself would be sharing the duties of fourth member of SG-1 - taking it in turns to go off-world. The mission that SG-1 were about to leave on was Carpenter's mission, mainly because it was a six-month off-world mission and there was no way that Sam was spending that long away from her newborn baby. At the moment Daniella was in the infirmary with Janet. Sam, Daniella and Brad were still undergoing a lot of tests to make sure that everything was okay and today was the day for yet another mother-daughter check-up. Sam had left Daniella with Janet so she could see SG-1 off. She still wanted to feel like part of the team and involved somehow.

As Sam watched Teal'c enter the embarkation room, Daniel entered the control room.

"Sam," he greeted.

"Daniel. Heading off to P9R-78F?" The instant the sentence was said, Sam regretted it. It was one of those uncomfortable, pointless questions.

Daniel smiled. "Yep. Approximately our level of technology except their medical technology is years ahead of ours."

"Six months to form a treaty with them, huh?"

"Well, the technology would be a great help and six months isn't that long."

"It's gonna be odd," Sam remarked. "You three gone and not here."

"You've got a new person in your life, Sam. You won't have time to miss us. We'll miss you tons though."

Sam smiled at her friend but was interrupted from saying anything by Colonel O'Neill. "Oh, Danny-boy!" he shouted up from the embarkation room. "You coming to P9R?" Sam looked down at the colonel and smiled at the mock-annoyed look on his face. O'Neill then turned to Carpenter, who was standing behind him, and grinned.

"You better get going," Sam said and Daniel nodded.

"See you in six months, Sam."

Sam watched Daniel join the others. She could not describe the feeling that she had. It was beyond weird to see SG-1 gathering to leave the planet without her. Especially for a six-month mission. Sam watched as the Stargate activated and her team walked through the wormhole.

She did not like this feeling at all.

==========

"Hey, Janet," Sam greeted as she entered the infirmary. "Where is everyone?" she asked, referring to the fact that there was no one else present in the infirmary. It was odd to not see any patients or other staff in here. The only person other than Janet was Daniella, sleeping peacefully in her pram.

Janet approached Sam carefully. "I gave everyone a break."

Sam looked at her curiously, but accepted it. "Okay. Well, I'm here for more testing. Have you done everything on Daniella?"

"Sam, do you remember your high school biology?" Janet asked, holding a file in her hands.

"Uh, yeah. What's going on, Janet?"

"Here's a question for you. If one parent has the blood group B and the other O what are the possibilities for their offspring?"

"B and O, depending on their exact genotype."

"So the offspring can't be A or AB?" Janet asked.

"Correct. Janet, what are you talking about?"

"You're type B and Brad is type O. Daniella is type A."

Oh my God, Sam thought. This was impossible. This could not be happening.

"Sam, do you know what I'm saying?"

Sam just stood there in complete shock. How could this be happening? She had spent the past nine months believing a lie. She did not see how this was possible. Sure, she had slept with two different men in as many days, but she had taken the morning after pill with the first and used a condom with the second. Not doubting the pill, Sam had come to the conclusion that something must have happened to the condom to cause her pregnancy. Had she been wrong all the time?

"Sam?"

"He's not the father," she whispered not wanting to believe what she was saying. Recently she had begun to think that she would prefer Brad not to be the father and now... And now he was not. She looked down at Daniella who was lying in her pram, oblivious to the new revelation concerning her parentage.

"Who is the father, Sam? I need to run tests."

"I think I should tell him before I tell you."

"Don't leave it too long," Janet warned.

That would be hard, Sam thought to herself, because the father has just left on a six-month mission to the other side of the galaxy.

========

The End! Hope you enjoyed it :). Don't forget to send feedback to emeh100@soton.ac.uk