"Memories and Relationships" By TheOneKEA

Title: Memories and Relationships

Author: TheOneKEA <theonekea_AT_yahoo_DOT_com>

Summary: Jack gets selective amnesia and forgets his entire relationship with Sam, who also happens to be pregnant. Future season.

Rating: M (16-17, /methinks)

Spoilers: Jonas is in this fanfic. Spoilers for anything where S/J ship was evident.

Status: Complete

Pairings: Sam/Jack

Archive: SJD, yes

Archive2: Heliopolis 2, jackfic.com. Anybody else - ask politely.

Notes: I found "Having Jack's Baby" at www.samandjack.net and decided that we needed another story like this. It's my first fanfic. I released it a few months ago, but decided it needed some work. Here is the new v2.0 of "Memories and Realtionships."

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Part 1

Sometimes forgetting someone is worse than forgetting something.
- Me

Jack drifted back to consciousness, wondering where he was and what had happened to him. His drifting was slow, due to the nuclear explosion taking place in his skull at the time. He forced his eyes open and saw that he was in the infirmary. The infirmary? What was he doing in the infirmary? He tried to remember, but the pain made it difficult to concentrate. Jack turned his head, nearly passing out as the pain in his head intensified. He saw Doctor Janet Fraiser, back turned, reading the screen of a computer near his bed. Jack turned his head the other way, suddenly noticing that it was wrapped in gauze and bandages. How had he gotten a head injury? "Colonel?" Janet's voice inquired, and Jack slowly turned his head back and saw Janet standing there, looking pleased. "Colonel? Are you awake?" Yeah, but I'd rather not be...... "Yes," Jack croaked, noticing that he was terribly thirsty. "Some water, please, Doc......" "Oh, sure." Janet brought a tube from a nearby water bottle down to his face and allowed him to drink some water. He took a long drink, clearing his throat. When he was finished, he asked in a stronger tone of voice, "How....did I get here, Doc? Where is everyone?" "You were injured on a mission through the 'Gate. SG-1, minus Teal'c, who is currently offworld, is currently in bed, Colonel; it's 2100 hours on a Thursday, sir," Janet replied, apprasing his response time. He seemed to be lucid and clear-headed, but..... "Colonel, does your head hurt?" "Does a snakehead have glowing eyes?" "That's what I thought," Janet said, smirking slightly at this Jackism. This probably meant that despite what had to be a whopper of a headache, he would be fine. "Uggggh," sighed Jack as he leaned back. "I'm tired, Doc. Can you give me something? Something that doesn't require needles," he quickly added, in case she had any intention of doing so. She smirked and shook her head. "We wanted to wait until you woke up, since we couldn't be sure if there would be any problem with your mind, Colonel," replied Janet. "I'll give you some painkillers to help you sleep." "Whatever," said the Colonel, drifting off again. Sleep would be sooooo nice..........Wait a minute, what the heck.... "Doc? Who put this ring on my finger?" Janet, who had her back turned to the Colonel, suddenly froze solid, not moving. She turned around slowly, and while her face was composed, her eyes betrayed the biggest look of shock, sadness and utter surprise that Jack had ever seen. He ignored it, deciding that she wasn't expecting his question. "Well? Has one of your nurses been playing a joke or summin'?" "Um, well......" Janet seemed to be having trouble speaking. "Doc? Are you OK? I thought I was the injured one," Jack said, wondering why Janet was so upset. Was she angry, or.... "I really don't know how it got there," she stammered. "Colonel, before I administer these drugs, could you give me your stats?" "Yeah, sure," and Jack did so, letter-perfect. "Can I go to sleep now?" "Not yet. What was the last thing you remember?" "I remember the Goa'uld attack on P4X-991, and the explosive devices they used. Carter and I -- " "Carter?" Janet mouthed, almost fainting. "What?" Jack asked, worried. "Was she hurt too?" "No, she's..... OK," Janet said, hesitating. "Go on." "I remember an explosion slamming me into the Stargate, and I remember Jonas yelling for help to get me through it. That's about all, Doc." "Um...... OK. Jack," and Jack was surprised to hear his first name, "you'll be staying here a while. You can sleep now," and with an air of finality, she injected the drugs into the IV. "Oh, goody. Maybe the nuchlear exsplosion in my head will go away......." Jack's voice tapered off as he lapsed into uneasy rest. Janet began to shake uncontrollably, nearly bawling her eyes out. The Colonel didn't remember? Oh GOD....... She stumbled out of the infirmary, walked to her quarters, and fell into bed, not caring that she was still dressed. How would she explain this to Sam?..........

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When Jack woke up this time, the nuclear explosion had been replaced with the steady pulse of a slow-moving jackhammer. The pain was lessened, thanks to the drugs and the rest, but to his chagrin it was still there, a constant comapnion. He turned his head, looking for the clock on one of the computer screens and saw that it was 0803 hours. "I wonder where the Doc got off to....." The infirmary door opened and Janet walked in, all business. To Jack's surprise, Jonas followed after her, alone. "Good morning, Colonel," Jonas said, smiling with way way WAY too much energy. Jack felt like hitting him. With something large, heavy and sharp. Despite his newfound acceptance of Jonas since his recent bout with Nurrti's genetic monkeying, the Kelownan still grated on him at times. "Mornin'," he mumbled, still sleepy. "How are you today, Colonel?" Janet asked, all business, but Jack could tell that she was upset about something. He suspected it had something to do with her reaction to his question about the ring yesterday. 'She's probably pissed at the nurse who played the joke,' Jack thought, dismissing her behavior and not worrying about it. "Fine. The pain is a lot less, but it's still there. You said I'd be staying here a while. How long?" "A while," she said ambiguously, checking readings and writing stuff briskly. "It's nice to see you awake," said Jonas, still revoltingly chipper. "You were out for quite a while, y'know. It was a good thing Teal'c and I got you through the Stargate. Man, I'd never seen the Major so pissed when you went down. Swear to God, she mowed down those Jaffa like they were weeds. I thought she was going to go on a rampage or something." Jonas went on to describe how she slaughtered a good number of Jaffa, all the while cursing like a pirate. He didn't notice Janet's expression of frustration and surprise. Jack sniffed, then paused. Why would Sam get so upset? Sure, he could understand her being a little miffed that her CO was knocked down by a snakehead, but why would she do what Jonas described? "You sure we're talking about Carter here?", Jack queried, shifting in the bed so he could look at Jonas more easily. "Why would she do that?" Jonas frowned and Janet looked upset again. Jonas looked at Janet, then at Jack, then suddenly his eyes widened. "Um.... Colonel, do you remember anything from yesterday?" he asked in a tentative tone of voice, while Janet pretended not to listen. "Yeah. I remember the attack, my injury, your yelling for help, and that's all. I can remember other events before that OK, so I don't think too many of my brains were busted by the 'Gate." Jonas and Janet both smirked slightly at another Jackism. "Why do you ask, anyway? And where's Carter?" "Sam?" Jonas said. He looked at Janet, who stared back with a peculiar look on his face. Suddenly he got a look of ugly, evil comprehension. He looked back at Jack. "Carter, is, well........" "Busy!" Janet suddenly broke in. "She's busy, working in the lab. I'll call her down here. She should be happy to see you." "Right," Jack commented, laying back and closing his eyes. "I need some more sleep. Somebody kill that jackhammer guy....." Jonas and Janet moved out of earshot and conversed in low tones, while Jack drifted off to sleep again. "Jonas, he doesn't remember!" Janet said, sounding very unhappy. "I know. This isn't good. This is very very bad. What if he doesn't EVER remember?" "He will. He has to!" "What will this do to Sam? He said he remembers a lot of other things. Why would he forget her?" "I don't know!" Janet leaned back, holding her head in her hands. Jonas fought the urge to hug her, deciding that now was not the time to indulge himself. "Well, standing around won't help. We need to forewarn her." 'No matter how much this warning will seem like a death knell to their relationship,' Jonas thought. "Yeah, you're right," Janet replied, sounding very deflated and tired. Jonas felt much the same way, and hoped that Jack did remember. For Sam's sake, if not his own......

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Sam hadn't gotten much sleep at night. She had spent most of it tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable by herself; she also worried about Jack, still in the infirmary, unconscious. She still couldn't believe now vehement her response had been when Jack had gone down. Teal'c had politely commented that he had never seen anyone fight as hard as she did, accounting for nearly half of the Jaffa. She had run to the 'Gate, helping Teal'c and Jonas carry Jack through the Stargate, back to the SGC, where he was wheeled away on a gurney. Sam had cried a little when she saw his injuries, but Janet's prognosis had been excellent, and Jack was expected to wake up soon. She chucked to herself, realizing that now he was 'Jack', not 'the Colonel.' Since she began her relationship with Jack, she had realized just how unhappy she had been over the past six years. While she had certainly been happy, she was missing out on a major part of her life: love. Oh, she was loved, by her father and by SG-1 in a brotherly, platonic fashion, especially by Daniel and Jonas. Jack seemed to abstain from that however, and she knew it was because he was afraid of what might happen if he didn't. Hell, she had done the same thing, ever since the Zatarc incident. Many other things had happened which had increased the pressure, like her near-death experience on Alebran's world with Nurrti, the crashed Ha'tak, the disease the Ancient woman had infected them with by accident, her possession by the Entity, and many others. Especially the Zatarc incident and their shared confession during their use of the Altoneik armbands. So many things which made it clear to both of them, and in a limited fashion, to others, that they cared for each other. A few weeks after the team's return from Abydos, she saw Jack walk into General Hammond's office with a look of intense foreboding on his face. She wondered what his problem was, and thought nothing of it. She walked into the briefing room, sat down and began to work. It was an hour later when Jack charged out, a look of intense satisfaction on his face that jolted her, especially since it was directed at her. She had asked him, "What's wrong? Why are you so happy?" He had replied, "Nothing. In fact," and he swept her into his arms, "everything is so right." Sam wondered what he was doing; then he kissed her, and she didn't really care. They kissed so hard that the universe dissolved and vanished, leaving only her and Jack, locked together. She was barely conscious of anything but the feel of his lips on hers, the feel of his tongue tangled in hers, the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her in a way she thought she would never feel from him in any normal fashion. She dimly heard the General chuckle, "Well, it didn't take him long to take advantage," as he shut his office door with a grin on his face. The General?..... "Jack," she said, breaking off and staring into his eyes, feeling tears of happiness and confusion begin to form in the corners of her eyes. "What's going on? Why did you --" Jack laid a finger on her lips and smiled so broadly she thought his face would break in half. "The President just told me," he said in a husky voice, tracing her lip with his finger, "just a few moments ago, that I could," and he changed the timbre of his voice, " 'pursue a relationship' with you as a reward for all the shit life has put us through." "Whaaaaat?" she yelled, not believing it for one instant, afraid that this was a cruel joke. Then she saw him smile even broader and saw the unmitigated truth in his eyes. Her tears began to fall as she said softly, "Jack, are you saying....," not able to go on. Jack hugged her even tighter, then looked straight into her beautiful blue eyes and said in the most serious tone of voice she had ever heard him utter, "I love you, Samantha Carter. I love you so much, I would need your vocabulary to describe it." Sam thought her heart would explode. He loved her! After all this pain and suffering and angst, he had finally been able to say it! She knew he loved her too. All the things he had said, done, tried, all pointed to that one fact. She had only one response. She kissed him, hard, then said, "Oh, god, Jack, I love you too. I can't even begin to describe it! God, I love you so goddamned MUCH!!!" Jack threw his head back and laughed triumphantly, then allowed his head to be pulled down for another bruising kiss from Sam, not even noticing the General standing in his doorway again, grinning fit to bust his face. Teal'c had stood next to him, smiling so hard you could hear the muscles in his face crack. Jonas stood at one of the entrances to the briefing room, smirking to himself, while Janet (how did Janet know about this, Sam wondered briefly) dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, trying to keep from bawling from happiness. Sam and Jack broke off their kiss, saw the audience, and said together, "Um....." "Colonel, I've cleared level 28 for the next four hours," the General said, still grinning. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, while Jonas and Janet looked slightly surprised at the General. Sam and Jack, on the other hand, were already out the door, long gone from the briefing room. Hand in hand, ignoring the looks of shock from the members of the SGC, they ran pell-mell down the stairs to level 28, into the nearest room, threw themselves into it and shut and locked the door. They didn't come out for the next four hours. Sam grinned to herself as she recalled that fun-filled interlude. The best sex she'd ever had......sex plural, she said to herself. She and Jack had connected perfectly during that period, and he had literally shown her God. Several times. When all was said and done, she laid on top of him, her head on his sweaty chest, and said in a dreamy, tired voice, "I love you, Jack. I've waited so long to say that to you. I've waited a long time to be able to do this with you." "So have I, Sammie, so have I," Jack said dreamily, hugging her naked body close to his, reveling in the contact he had wanted for so long and had finally received. He was in heaven. They spent the next half hour talking about everything and nothing, before cleaning themselves up and returning to level 26, where the General, in a deadpan voice, told them to leave the SGC and not come back for the next few days. They didn't. For the next few months, they more than made up for all the shared angst they had put themselves through. Almost every night was spent in passionate lovemaking (and some days as well), with the rest of their time spent having fun at Jack's cabin. Sam felt certain that she was going to spend the rest of her life with this man, and one night after a particularly satisfying bout of lovemaking Jack told her that he felt the same about her as well. She had nearly fainted when one day, in the Gate Room, after the mission to P7J-576, he suddenly went to one knee as if in pain. She had said with concern, "Sir, are you OK?" Then she saw him turn around, holding a ring with the biggest diamond she had ever seen on a ring in her life. She couldn't breathe. "Samantha Carter, ever since that day when the President talked to me, I have felt nothing but love for you. You drive me absolutely ballistic. I can't imagine life without you anymore, and don't want to. Will you do me the inexpressible honor of being my wife?" he called out in a clam, measured voice. He held out her hand, slipping the ring with its huge diamond onto it, and she was speechless. She tried to speak, tears falling out of her eyes at an astronomical rate, before she finally cried, "YES!!!!!!" Jack jumped up, hugged her tightly, then kissed her so hard she nearly fell over. They were oblivious to the raucous cheering and yelling in the Gate Room, to the shutdown of the Stargate, to the murmurings of congratulations from Jonas and Teal'c, and to the grinning face of the General. "I do believe the President, and Jacob, and maybe even a few others and I need to have a talk......" he said to himself as he walked out of the Gate Room. Sam smiled again, continuing to work in her lab as she reminisced. The General had given them even more time off, and she and Jack had run off to his cabin once more, before taking a trip around Colorado. When they finally came back, she felt as if she had never left this man's side. On a hunch, when she went home the day of their return to the SGC, she stopped off at a drugstore and bought a pregnancy test before going over to Jack's house. The next morning, she used it. The result was positive. Sam remembered how happy she'd been, but it was tinged with caution. What if it was wrong? What if Jack didn't want it? Suppose SHE didn't want it! She planned to talk to Janet later that day about it. Sam smiled dreamily, forgetting her work once more, as she wondered what Jack would say when he found out that he would be a father again..... Sam's daydreams disspiated like smoke when she heard a tentative knock at the lab door. Composing herself, she said, "Come in." Janet and Jonas both walked in, wearing looks of such unhappiness that Sam nearly fell over from sudden fear. "What's wrong?" she asked, hoping that nothing was. "Nothing, really," Jonas said in a dispirited tone of voice she had never heard from him before. She quickly turned to Janet and said, "What's wrong with Jack? Is he all right?" "He's fine," Janet said. "Other than a whopper of a headache, he's OK. I know that for sure. What I don't know is..." "Is?" "Is whether the head injury has affected his..... memory." "Memory?" Sam was momentarily puzzled. Then it hit her, like an express train with several Ha'taks strapped to it. "Oh god," she gasped, "are you saying......" She couldn't even finish speaking; she felt as if someone had rammed an ice-covered knife into her guts. If she hadn't been sitting, she would have slumped to the floor in utter desolation, shock, and pain. "Yes, we are," replied Jonas sadly. "Janet.....and I...seem to think that Jack has forgotten the fact that you and him ever had a relationship. We're hoping we're wrong." Sam felt as if she was dying. She couldn't speak, move, even breathe. "Sam, I'm so sorry," Janet said, moving to Sam's side, "but it looks as if Jack doesn't remember that he loves you." Sam suddenly began to cry, sobbing mightily. Janet encircled her in a hug, while Jonas gave her some tissues from a pocket-sized pack, apparently anticpating her reaction. "Sam, I know it has to be rough," Janet said soothingly, attempting to clam Sam down, "but you gotta be strong. Jack needs you to be strong." She continued to sob. Janet began to tear up as well, while Jonas had a look of extreme unhappiness on his face. "But.....but.....but, I wanted to tell him....." she sobbed out. "Tell him what?" Jonas asked. "That, I'm..........pregnant." She whispered the last word. Janet and Jonas looked at Sam with a look of complete shock and surprise on their faces. Janet said, "Are you sure?" Jonas seemed to be speechless. "Yes, I am. I used the test this morning. Plus, I just......know. I can almost feel the new life Jack and I have created," she said, still crying. "Oh god, Janet, why did this have to happen?" "Why did what have to happen?" asked the General, appearing in the doorway suddenly. He took in the terrible scene and said, "Major, what's wrong?" "Sir, Sam is pregnant," said Jonas. "Pregnant?!?" the General echoed in surprise, looking at Sam. Seeing her broken-down and crying like this unnerved him greatly. "My....God...." he said, feeling absolutely awful. Pregnant? And Jack didn't remember his relationship with her? He stared at the floor, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'Jesus H. Christ!' he thought. "Sir, why are you here?" asked Janet, rocking Sam as she continued to sob. "I was just in the Infirmary. Jack was pretty pleased to see me, and wanted to talk to 'Major Carter'". Hearing that made Sam cry even more. "Sam, will you be able to?" She sniffed once, wiped her face off, then said, "Not yet. I want to clean up and get myself composed." "I'l go talk to him, keep him distracted," said Jonas, heading out the door. The General followed Jonas out, looking back and watching as Sam burst into tears again, while Janet consoled her. 'God-DAMN-IT!!' he swore to himself. Why the hell did this shit keep happening to his best team? Why couldn't they just all be happy? WHY? Jonas felt much the same way as he walked out. He wondered whether or not there was some curse on Sam and the Colonel. He hoped not, since he had seen how happy they were together. He knew that the Colonel would be happy to know that his fiancee was pregnant, and that they deserved that happiness. He just hoped that Jack would remember. How could he not, Jonas thought, as he reached the elevator, the General behind him......

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Part 2

- Somebody has to be different; I'm that somebody.
- Me

Jack woke up yet again from another strange dream. He laid there, thinking about his latest dream before it slipped away, like all the others. He pondered it, and suddenly realized that he had been dreaming a lot about Carter...... "Colonel?" said Jonas as he rounded the corner, General Hammond in tow. "Hey Jonas; hello, General," said Jack, sounding very exhausted. He knew he was getting better, he was just tired of laying around doing nothing. He hoped that Janet would let him out of here soon. "Hello again, Colonel," said the General in a guarded tone of voice. "How are you feeling?" Jack frowned. "If what Janet has told me is any indication, I hit my head on the Stargate on P4X-991. I suppose that tends to make a few things hurt a little." He rolled his eyes, making light of his injury. The General smiled, knowing that Jack was definitely going to be alright. Except...... His smile drained away, causing Jack to raise an eyebrow. "General, is there something wrong? Jonas?" Neither man said anything. Jack sat there, thinking, then said, "All right, out with it." "What?" said Hammond. "Out with it. First Janet, then Jonas, now you. What is going on? I want to know!" "Um....." "You guys are all tiptoeing around me like I've done something wrong. WHAT IS IT?" Jack said in a louder tone, giving himself a headache but showing no sign of it. He began to raise himself up on the bed, then decided against it. He sat up and said very slowly and clearly, "What. Is. Going. On?" "Wellll......" Jonas trailed off, looking at the General, who nodded as if to say 'Go ahead.' "You should get Sam to tell you." "Carter? Why her? What's she got to do with this?" Jonas looked frustrated, unsure, and upset all at once. He said, "Because the..... issue you've so artfully detected involves you....and her." "What, is this about her slaughtering the Jaffa? If she thinks I'm gonna get upset over that --" "No, son, this doesn't have anything to do with that," replied the General. "Then WHAT IS THE PROBLEM!?!?!?" Jack nearly yelled. "There isn't really one," chimed in a new voice. Everyone looked and saw Janet walk in, with Sam behind her, looking composed and calm, although looking at Jack made her want to cry again. "Oh, really?" said Jack in full sarcasm mode. "There isn't. General, Jonas, I need to speak with you," Janet said, ushering them out. "About what?" asked Jonas, not knowing what she was trying to do. "I'll explain it to you. Outside!" Janet said, motioning with her head. Jonas got the idea, and after a final look at Sam walked out, Janet behind him. Leaving Sam and Jack alone.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed, watching Jack as he laid back and tried to get comfortable. She didn't know what to say or what to do. Here he was, the father of her child and the love of her life, and he didn't know it. Taking a steadying breath, she said, "Ja-- Sir, how are you feeling?" Jack ignored the slip. "Gee, Carter, how do you think I fell? I bashed my noggin on the P4X-991 'Gate, and I'm in the infirmary. What do YOU think?" Sam smiled. The good ol' O'Neill sarcasm. She wondered if her child would have it, and sternly steeled herself against a fresh batch of tears. She sniffed and went on. "Janet has spoken to me about you and told me that you could be out of here in three days or so." Jack nodded. "Good. I hate this place." Sam went on. "She also wanted me to ask you if you had any memory loss." "Memory loss?" Jack seemed to think for a moment, then said, "Well, I don't seem to remember anything you or I did specifically since about, oh, well, a while actually. Is that bad?" Hell yeah, it was BAD, a part of Sam screamed. Jack went on. "Not only that, I seem to have forgotten the name of the person who stuck a ring on my finger for some bad joke." Sam, having already been told about this by Janet, said nothing. She knew she couldn't stay in here much longer. Janet had warned her, "Sam, no matter how much you want to tell him, DON'T. He has to either remember it for find evidence for himself. HE may not like you for it, but it's better to do it that way. Trust me." Sam, still teary from her sobbing session, agreed. "Well, sir, I just hope you feel better soon. When Janet does release you, I'll take you home --" again, following Janet's warning, she didn't mention that it was almost her home now as well -- "and get you whatever you need. General Hammond agreed to a week of downtime for SG-1." "Well, that's nice, Carter," Jack replied. "Oh, by the way --" and he sat up, his face stony. "What is going on? First Janet, then Jonas, then the General, now you. What happened? Tell me the truth, Major." His use of her rank was like a whipcrack, nearly making Sam gasp. She instead gulped and replied, "Well, ....sir, I was..... concerned about you. About your health and your.... reaction when you found out what I did on 991." Jack's face softened in understanding. "Oh. Right. OK. I already heard. I don't mind what you did. Hell, I would have done the same in a heartbeat." He frowned suddenly. Where the hell did THAT come from? Sam brightened. His memory? Was it returning? Jack shook his head. "Yeah, well, Major, I'm exhausted. I'd like to sleep now." "OK, sir. See you later." Sam got up off the bed, and walked out of the infirmary, leaving Jack by himself, trying to sleep. She leaned against the wall next to the infirmary doors, her head down, trying not to cry again. She didn;t notice an airman walk by, his face tinged with pity. She touched her stomach, imagining the new life within it, and hoped that soon Jack would remember and that they could be together again.

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After three days, during which Sam found every conceivable way to avoid Jack and yet NOT avoid him, he was released from the infirmary, with a stern warning from Janet not to overexert himself and to take Jonas or Sam with him if he wanted to drive. Jack rolled his eyes, then turned away, muttering, "Napoleonic power monger....." "I heard that!" Janet called. Jack grunted, then turned and walked briskly away, Jonas and Sam behind him. "Well, since the General has been so kind as to cut us loose for a few days, I'm going to go home and rest," Jack commented. Sam and Jonas looked at each other. Jonas cocked his head and gave her a look. "Uh, Sir...... don't forget what Janet said. You should take one of us with you." Jack turned around, just as Jonas commented, "You should go with him, Sam." Sam stared at Jonas, unsure of what to say. Jonas went on. "I don't know how to drive. You do. If the Colonel has a problem, he'd be better off with you." Sam nodded, trying desperately to act nonchalant and doing a reasonable job. "That sounds reasonable." Jack, not really sure what Jonas was getting at, said, "Uh, OK. Carter - you coming?" Sam nodded. "OK, sir." They stoped off at Sam's lab, where she got some stuff to take with her and some civvies, which she put on in the locker room. They then headed up to the parking lot in companionable silence. Jack noticed that Sam kept staring at him, with an unreadable expression of...... fear? Sorrow? Love? Jack kicked himself mentally. 'Watch it Jack, don't say the L-word. Just cuz you've admitted it doesn't mean you should think about it.' Sam followed Jack to his truck, staring at his lean figure, swinging his bag. She wondered when she'd be able to see it in all its glory again....... Jack opened the door, threw his bag in, then reached for Sam's bag. During the process, he accidentally brushed Sam's hand with his own, causing a jolt to shoot through him. 'Huh? What the HELL was that?' Sam felt it too, and took it as a good sign that Jack stared at her for a second, pondering something, before tossing her bag in too and saying in a brisk tone, "Get in, Carter." Sam went around and got in. Jack hopped in, started the engine and drove away. They drove in silence, chatting about the occassional subject. When they reached Jack's house, he said, "Um... Sam? How do you plan on getting to your place?" Shit shit shit, Sam berated herself. She couldn't stay HERE! She remembered Janet's warning and suddenly realized in shock that she had some of her things here. Hoping he wouldn't notice, she said quickly, "I'll call a taxi, Colonel." Jack rolled his eyes. "Look, Carter, call me Jack. We're on downtime, for cryin' out loud." Sam half-smiled. "Right, Co-- Jack." She suddenly felt a lump in her throat and tried not to cry. She covered it up by walking towards Jack's garage door, him following. When he reached the door and opened it, she was herself again. When Jack and Sam walked in, she walked straight into the kitchen and picked up the phone, calling a taxi. Jack went and tossed his bag into his family room. He then stood there and watched Sam. Watched the sunlight streaming in from outside play across her features. Watched the light make her hair shine and her face golden. His eyes traveled down her womanly figure -- 'SHIT! Jesus Christ, Jack, get your hormones in check!' Jack shook his head, attracting Sam's attention. "Sir?" she asked, hanging up, her call finished. "Sorry. Just a small headache. When will the taxi be here?" "In a few minutes. They had one nearby, luckily." They stood together in silence for a few moments. Jack commented, "I left the truck unlocked. You can get your stuff." "OK, thanks Jack," Sam replied, able to get his name out without choking on it. They talked for a while longer, until Sam saw the cab pull up. "That's my ride." "Okeydoke. Bye, Carter." Jack watched Sam walked out. He suddenly realized how nice she looked in those jeans...... 'Ugggh. STOP!' Jack shook his head again, then went upstairs, hearing the cab pull away. He walked into his bathroom, looking for the aspirin. He opened his medicine cabinet and found..... "Huh?" Jack said in surprise as he removed a.... tampon? A tampon? Jack looked around, his head forgotten, and found other things. Perfume. Shoes. Clothes. He walked all over his house, finding more and more female things. He discovered signs that a woman was most definitely living here in his home. Possibly evcen with.... him? HUH? "How did all this stuff get here?" Jack pondered. He continued to pace around, gathering up a few of the things, examining others, mentally cataloguing all the things he discovered until he returned to his bathroom, the medicine cabinet still hanging open, the tampon visible on the sink. He stood there and thought for a few moments, until suddenly he snapped his fingers. "Ah hah!" he said out loud. A practical joke! While he was laid up in the infirmary, somebody threw all this stuff around his house to mess with his head! 'Wonder how they got in -- must have coerced the location of the spare key out of Jonas or something,' Jack decided. Suddenly, he paused, realizing something. If he was the butt of the joke, then who was playing it on him? And WHY?

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Part 3

- Life sucks. If you can't deal, change something so you can.
- Me

Jack was thoroughly confused. What was all this stuff doing here, and what sort of joke would it be? He didn't see the joke. Was that the idea? He turned, found some aspirin and took them dry, then walked through the house again, looking at the stuff once more. He didn't think much of it until he walked into his family room and found something he recognized at last -- one of Sam's shirts. 'HUH?' Jack thought as he picked it up and looked. Yup, he was right -- it was definitely Sam's shirt. He'd seen her wearing it just last week, before the mission to '991, when he had everyone over for pizza and movies, and after Jonas and Teal'c had left, Sam had -- Had -- Had -- 'Um......' Jack thought, mentally running in circles. What DID Sam do? Jack couldn't remember a thing about that night, after Jonas and Teal'c had driven away, Teal'c doing the driving. He couldn't remember if she had left, or stayed, or -- Or -- Or -- WHAT?!? "OK, this is really odd," Jack said to himself. He put Sam's shirt down, then nearly gasped in shock when he looked at the endtable of his couch. It was a picture of him and Sam standing together out front of his house. He had his arm around Sam and both of them were smiling. Jack picked up the picture and sat down, staring at the picture. He saw that in the photo, Sam looked...... happy. Very happy to be with him. He also looked happy in the photo. Weird. He didn't recognize the photo, which troubled him, since he doubted he would have forgotten the situation which fostered it. 'I don't get it. Who took this? And why are we grinning like fools?' Jack wondered as he set the picture back down. He leaned back and stared off into space, thinking. 'OK. Everyone was acting a bit odd at the base today. Sam told me it was cuz of what I might say about her behavior. I can agree with that. 'Then I come home and find her stuff strewn all over the place, like she was --' He suddenly realized that he was having difficulty remembering things having to do with Sam. He cast about, thinking, and found that he really couldn't remember anything he did with her for about the past four months. Four months? Four MONTHS?!? 'I guess that dustup with the gate really did scramble my brains,' he thought, still on his couch. He reached over and picked up the photo again, noting again how happy they looked. Then it hit him. The ring! "I was wearing a ring when I woke up!" Jack said out loud. He leaned back again, the picture forgotten, and concentrated on this new development. A ring? A ring. Sam's stuff all over the house. Everyone's odd behavior. The photo. "Holy SHIT! Are we in a relationship!?!?" Jack cried out and got up pacing back and forth. No, that was IMPOSSIBLE! No matter how much he cared about Sam, and her back, would he ever risk their careers just to have a relationship. Unless -- Jack stopped in mid-stride, remembering something. He remembered a meeting with the General four months ago. A meeting where he talked to the..... President? He tried to remember the meeting, but all he could remember was "Pursue a relationship." Pursue a relationship. Pursue a relationship....with Carter? 'Holy Gods!' Jack dashed into his kitchen, yanked the phone off the hook and quickly dialed the base, hoping General Hammond was still there. Really really hoping.

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General Hammond was just about to pack up and leave for the day when his phone rang. He picked it up and said, "Hammond." "Sir?" It was Jack. Hammond frowned; why was Jack calling him now? "Hello Colonel. What can I do for you?" "Well, sir," and Jack seemed to hesitate for a moment, "after Carter had accompanied me home and gone off in a taxi, I found some...... things." Things? Hammond wrinked his eyebrows in confusion. "What things, Colonel?" "Clothes, shoes, perfume...... photos." Hammond suddenly jumped in surprise, realizing that Jack's memory may be returning. He asked, carefully, "Photos, Colonel? Photos of what?" "Sam and I." Oh boy, this could be a BIG problem. "I..... see." "General, I seem to be experiencing a slight memory loss. I can't remember anything associated with Sam for the past four months." Four months. The amount of time they'd been together. "Not only that, I think Sam and I may be in a....." Jack's voice trailed off, then said quickly, "A relationship, sir. A relationship against regs." Hammond swallowed. Oh man, this was going to take a HUGE amount of very careful treading. "Well, Colonel, to be completely honest, "and here he swallowed again, "this..... relationship..... isn't against regs." Silence. Hammond wondered what Jack was thinking. "Colonel?" "Not against regs?" His voice held confusion, surprise, and...... joy? Was he HAPPY? "No. Four months ago, I called you into a meeting in my office. The President and I were having a discussion about you and Major Carter. The President told me in plain terms that he was fed up with the status quo and was willing to bend the rules for the entire SGC, starting with you and the Major." Silence. Hammond went on. "He asked to speak to you directly, and he told you that you had his blessing to pursue a relationship with Major Carter." Silence. Hammond decided that the only way to really make Jack listen was to tell him about the rest. "Jack, not only have you and Major Carter been together for the past four months, you're..... engaged to her as well. Amongst..... other things." Hammond wisely chose not to tell Jack that Sam was pregnant. She needed to tell him that. Silence. Hammond said, a bit frustrated, "Colonel, are you all right?" Another stretch of silence, then, "I am now, General." Hammond was shocked at the raw emotion in Jack's voice. It sounded like he was either very upset or very happy. Or maybe both. "What do you intend to do now, Jack?" Silence. Then, with a surprising reversion to normalcy, Jack said, his voice soaked with sarcasm, "What d'you reeally think, General?" Hammond grinned. "That's what I thought. Good luck." He replaced the handset, and decided that everything was right in the world once more.

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The next day, Sam was surprised to hear a car pull up in front of her house. She had just been about to go out to do some window shopping before the lunchtime crowds. She looked out her window to see who it was. To her surprise, it was Jack. He jumped out of his truck, ran up to her door and pounded the doorbell, making it clang like a crazed version of itself. She rushed to her front door, thinking, 'What is he doing here? Why is he here? Why does he look so..... odd?' She had noticed a peculiar look on his face; it looked to her like he was..... happy? She reached her front door and opened it. Jack stood here, panting slightly. He looked straight at her and said, "I remember." I remember. Two little words that nonetheless made her weak in the knees and her heart flutter. She looked at him and saw a combination of sorrow, frustration, compassion, and...... love. "You really remember? You remember...... us?" she said in a quiet, hopeful voice, clinging to the door like it was a lifeline. Jack looked straight at her. God, she was beautiful! He was such an ass; he should have remembered, no matter how screwed up that goddamned injury had made him. Seeing her like this brought some memories of her time spent together back. He nodded. "Yes, Sammie, I do remember." When he called her by her pet name, she lost it. Totally lost it. Tears streamed down her face as she threw herself into Jack's arms, sobbing happily. They embraced each other frantically, Sam crying her eyes out and Jack murmuring to her, telling her that he remembered them now. Together they walked into her house and sprawled on Sam's sofa. Sam continued to sob for the next few minutes, clinging to Jack like he would vanish in a puff of smoke, then calmed enough to lean up and kiss Jack mightily. "I love you, Jack," she whispered, inexpressibly happy that he remembered. "I love you too," Jack said as he hugged her to him. Memories continued to return in an avalanche. He remembered their first time together, and the incredible ecstasy that went with it. He remembered his proposal to her in the Gate Room. He remembered the time they spent together, the happiness they shared, the times where the universe seemed to revolve around them. Hell, he even remembered the moment when Janet had snapped that photo he had back at his house. Sam leaned up again from her embrace and looked into Jack's eyes, tears still streaming down her face. "You really remember everything?" "Every last beautiful detail. God, Sam, I'm sorry I acted that way in the infirmary. Why didn't you say something?" Sam sat up, wrapping her arm around Jack's neck. "Janet told me that you needed to find out on your own." "Oh, really?" Jack said, shifting to keep Sam in as close contact as he could. "Yeah. I wanted to tell you so badly when we saw each other alone, I nearly fell apart." Jack looked at her. "Y'know, even though I couldn't remember anything, I had a feeling that you were upset about something having to do with my injury. I could just tell. Must be all the time I spend with you." Sam smiled brightly. "Probably is, Jack. Oh, by the way," she continued, snuggling up to him, "when did you finally remember?" Jack laughed. "When I saw that photo of us at Janet's party." Sam lifted an eyebrow. "Really?" Jack nodded. "Yep. That, combined with all the stuff I found strewn around my house --" he jabbed Sam in the side -- "everyone's weird behavior, and the ring on my finger --" He stopped, then commented, "I'm sorry I took it off. When I get back, I'm gonna put it back on and never take it off again." Sam shifted and got something out of her pocket. "I brought it home with me. It helped me deal with the situation." She held out his ring. Jack put it on, then pulled Sam in for another long kiss which turned in a very pleasurable direction for both of them. For a while, nothing else mattered but the two of them, in their own small world. Sam saw God again that day. Several times. They laid together for a while in the aftermath, talking about everything they'd done for the past few months, jogging Jack's newfound memory, when Sam pulled herself up on her elbow and looked solemnly at Jack. "Jack, I have some news." Jack looked at her, trying not to stare at the gorgeous vision of loveliness in front of him. "What?" Sam swallowed, and said calmly, "I'm pregnant." Jack stared at her, his expression a study in shock, before it melted into a look of profound happiness. "You sure?" he whispered. Sam felt herself beginning to cry again. God, she loved this man! "Yes. As far as I can tell, I'm about two months along." Jack grinned hapiily and kissed her again, starting off another round of pleasurable activites. When they were done once more, Jack looked at the clock on the bedside table. "Wow. We've been doing this for five hours now!" "Really?" Sam craned her head and looked. Sure enough, it was around 3:00. "Wow, Jack, you're right. I can't believe it." "Believe it, honey!" Jack said in a officious tone of voice. Sam giggled and swatted him on the head. "Come on, let's get cleaned up. I want to go out for dinner tonight." "OK." Jack got out of bed, Sam following him. When they reached the shower, Jack suddenly turned and said in a mischevious tone of voice, "I don't suppose I left any of MY clothes strewn about here?" He cocked an eyebrow. Sam dissolved in laughter, holding her sides as she whooped, gasping for breath. Jack grinned, then laughed as well. 'Looks as if everything will be all right after all.' He gathered her up in his arms and dragged her into the shower. "Come on, let's go, Laughy-Face!" Sam whooped again, nearly dying from the onslaught of laughter. Jack lifted her into the shower, started the flow of water and said, "Get cleaned up. I need some food!" Sam had other ideas, dragging Jack into the shower with her. Another round of fun started, only this time it consisted mostly of cursing, slipping and laughter, mostly on Sam's part. When they finally managed to clean themselves up, Jack said, "I'm starved! Constant lovemaking makes me ravenous! Let's go out and stuff our faces until we can't move!" Sam said, "You're on! Let's see who has more of an appetite!" As they walked out her front door, Sam grinned to herself. 'Looks like everything will be all right after all,' she thought.

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Part 4

- People find happiness in their own ways.
- Me

When Jack and Sam returned to the SGC a few days later, everyone in sight saw how happy and radiant they looked together. Just about every person in the hall said hi to them, congratulating them on their good fortune. Both Jack and Sam were too caught up in each other to really care. When they reached level 26, they separated, Sam to go tell Janet, Jack to go tell the General.

Sam walked into the infirmary, still smiling happily. Janet saw her and came over quickly. "What happened to you, Sam? Why are you so happy?" Janet's eyes suddenly widened. "Are you saying....?" Sam grinned. "Yup. He remembered. We spent all of our downtime nearly joined at the hip." Janet's jaw crashed to the floor. After picking it up, she csaid, "That's wonderful, Sam! Details! I want details!" "Of what?" Sam asked maliciously, leering at Janet. "Of EVERYTHING! Absolutely everything! Come on, tell me! Please!" Janet wheedled Sam for the next ten minutes, never giving up her verbal onslaught, until finally Sam gave in and told her everything that had transpired since Jack pounded the doorbell that day. When she finished, Janet embraced Sam happily. "God, Sam, this is great! Absolutely wonderful!" Janet seemed genuinely happy for her. Sam knew that now was a good time to tell Janet the other news. "Janet, I have something else to say." Immediately Janet backpedaled and eyed Sam warily. Sam took a deep breath, then stated, "I think I'm two months pregnant." Janet's jaw crashed to the floor again. She began to shake from excitement. "Are you sure? Are you certain?" Sam laughed. "I'm pretty sure. I told Jack a while ago. He was ecstatic, to say the least," and Sam waggled her eyebrows. Janet grinned evilly, knowing exactly how Jack would havce reacted to Sam's revelation. Sam continued, "In fact, could you give me a blood test to make certain? Even though I'm pretty certain, I don't want to run the risk that I was wrong." Janet nodded vigorously, grinning like a maudlin fool. "Sure, sure. Come on, follow me." Janet drew blood and ran the tests. A half hour later, she walked up to Sam and said in a dry, deadpan tone of voice, "Samantha Carter, you were right." Sam didn't even hear the remainder of what Janet said, due to her quick departure from the infirmary. Janet chuckled to herself and thought, 'Boy, she doesn't wait to tell good news, does she?'

Jack knocked on General Hammond's doorframe. "Got a minute, General?" "Sure, come on in." Jack seated himself in a chair across from the General's desk. Hammond eyed Jack, then said, "Well?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "Well, what?" Hammond rolled his eyes. "Come on, Colonel. You know what I mean." Jack nodded and proceeded to tell Hammond all about what he and Sam had been up to during their downtime. Hammond laughed when Jack recited the findings of various personal items of Sam's, and grinned crazily when Jack informed him that Sam was pregnant. "Didn't THAT just make your day, huh Colonel?" Hammond commented, feeling inexpressibly proud for Jack. He knew that Sam and Jack had a truly special relationship and truly deserved the best things in life. Like a family. Jack grinned. "Yes, it did." Further conversation was interrupted when Sam breathlessly arrived at Hammond's office. "Jack? I just came from the infirmary. I was right!" Jack launched himself out of his chair and hugged Sam so hard that Sam coughed and said, "Jack, I'm running out of air!" Hammond chuckled. "It seems you two have a little celebrating to do, huh?" The couple grinned and kissed each other. Suddenly the klaxons came on and they heard the Stargate power up. Chevron Guy announced, "Incoming traveler!" The three of them hastened to the control room, where the Stargate was readying itself to receive an incoming wormhole. General Hammond lapsed into full CO mode. "Who's expected back at this time?" Chevron Guy consulted the schedule manifest on one of his consoles, then said, "Teal'c, sir." Right on cue, the Stargate blasted open with a KAWOOSH! and settled back to form a stable event horizon. Hammond ordered, "Be ready to close the iris." Chevron Guy nodded, then said, "Receiving GDO code, sir. It's Teal'c." Hammond announced to the SFs standing guard in the Gate Room, "Stand down; Teal'c is coming through." Sam and Jack were already in the Gate Room when Teal'c, dressed in a tunic and cloak, walked through the Gate. He greeted Sam and Jack warmly. "O'Neill, MajorCarter. How have you been?" "Great, Teal'c. I lost my memory and drove Sam up a creek, not to mention Hammond, Janet AND Jonas. I got my memory back, had great sex with Sam a few days ago and just found out she was pregnant!" He grabbed her by the waist and hugged her to him. Teal'c smiled happily, knowing that DoctorFraiser would most likely supply full details later. "That is good news O'Neill." He turned to Sam. "MajorCarter, I wish you and your unborn child well." Sam smiled. "Thanks, Teal'c." They walked out together as the Stargate shut down, meeting Janet and Jonas, who had been informed by Janet that Jack had regained his memory. They all walked down the halls, talking about things, until they reached the comissary, where they all sat down for further conversation. During the little meeting, Sam and Jack both slipped out for no good reason, evil grins on their faces. Jonas turned to Janet and commented, "It's nice to see them happy again. They really do make a great couple." "Indeed they do, JonasQuinn," Teal'c said, observing the happy couple run away, hand in hand, drawing envious looks from others in the commissary. He smiled to himself, knowing that they were truly made for each other and deserved all the happiness in the world. Or other worlds. "Indeed they do."

THE END

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