Chapter 1

Major General Jack O'Neill stood in black battle dress and looked at Sam standing beside him on the bridge of the Odyssey. She wore the same black uniform and had managed to beam everyone off the ship except her and Jack before placing the ship into a time bubble to avoid the certain destruction of the vessel and the Asgard technology it held. Jack looked out the bridge at what appeared to be an energy bolt erupting from the Ori vessel.

"What just happened?" he asked her.

"I managed to place us in an isolated bubble of time," she sighed.

"Time is standing still?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No…It's moving but at a much slower rate. That energy bolt will reach us eventually but not for twenty-five years."

"What?" he asked.

"You and I are stuck alone on this ship for twenty-five years at which point that Ori weapon blast will reach us and destroy us. I bought us time but I don't know how to fix this." she admitted.

Jack glanced around them and found no one else about, "You got everyone off?"

She nodded, "Everyone but us." She turned and looked upon him, "It's me and you on this ship. We're trapped here and I don't know if I can find a way to undo this before the twenty-five years is up."

"Huh," he looked out the bridge in thought. He wasn't a young man anymore and was nearing retirement. "I'll be eight-five when that hits us."

"I'll be seventy," she figured.

Jack looked back at her, "Just you and me? No one else!"

"No one else," she confirmed with a nod.

"You can fix this?" he wondered.

"I don't know," she confessed. She gazed up upon him wishing she could tell him everything would be alright but she simply couldn't.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, "I know we will find a way to fix this."

She fell into his embrace. She nuzzled against his chest and closed her eyes figuring their fate was sealed and they would die on the ship in twenty five-years. They would be trapped but least it would eventually end and they would be together.

Jack stood trying to be strong for Sam. He just watched the Asgard die and gift to them their technology. His heart ached for the loss of Thor and now they were trapped after an unsuccessful run-in with the Ori. He came on the trip just to see Thor and had no idea it would be last time he would ever see his Asgard friend again. Tears ran down his cheeks as he tried to not think of the situation.

Sam sniffed for she was equally hurt by the Asgard loss. She tried so hard to help the race and yet the Asgard seemed to help Earth more than anyone. She sniffed, "I really wish today went better."

"Me too," he soothed her. He glanced at the energy bolt once more and then led her away from the window. "Let's take break from all this."

"Okay," she agreed. They walked out of the bridge and into the hallway.

Moments Time Later

Jack and Sam made their way to the mess hall and sat down with some coffee. The place was eerily quiet; not sound other than the hum of the lights. As they sipped the coffee Jack reached into his pocket.

"I was saving this for tonight," he admitted. He retrieved a small jewelry box and placed it before her. He figured he had nothing to lose and wanted her to have it regardless.

She gave a surprised look and picked the small black box up. She opened it and discovered a diamond engagement ring. She took a deep breath, "Jack!"

"This wasn't how I was gonna ask ya," he admitted. "I figure since I won't get back until I'm eighty-five I might as well ask ya now."

She couldn't keep the smile from creeping across her face. She took the ring out of the box and fumbled with it in her fingers. Her hands shook from the wide range of emotions she endured in such a short time: Excitement, grief, sorry, anger, and despair to sudden joy for she wanted to marry Jack.

He gently grasped her hands, "Here…Let me…" he slid the ring on her finger.

"Yes," she told him.

Jack replied, "I'm glad because if you said 'no' this would be really awkward."

She slid closer to him and cusped his face in her hands. She admitted, "It would be…" and then kissed his lips.

His hands rested on her hips. He came up for air, "So…Who you inviting to the wedding?" He wanted to get her mind off the dreadful situation.

She admitted, "I guess at this point this is our wedding."

Jack kidded, "And a twenty-five year honeymoon."

"Since our chances of getting out of this are pretty slim I suggest we make it the best twenty-five year honeymoon." she had to agree.

"So, you changing your last name?" he asked to keep her mood up.

She pondered, "I'll think about it." She was still shaking from everything that happened.

"Sam O'Neill has a nice ring to it," Jack told her comforting.

"Sounds like the name of a boxer," she concluded.

"I'm sure you have some Irish in ya somewhere," he figured.

She shook her head grinning at him. "I don't think so."

"So," Jack figured. "Let's go raid the kitchen and see what we can make for our wedding day dinner. Wonder if there is any cake onboard."

"Make our own wedding cake?" Sam asked as she rose to her feet.

"Why not?" Jack asked. He led her into the ship's galley and found an industrial size kitchen. He looked about, "Ya ever wanna play in one of these?"

"Play?" she asked amused.

Jack pointed to the huge stock pot, "I bet that could double as a drum." He found a large wooden spoon and tapped the side of the pot. It echoed in noise, "Yup a big ole drum."

Sam asked, "When you were a little kid did you play with pots and pans?"

"I had my own drum set using old pots and pans," he confessed. He wandered around the kitchen looking at the utensils. He soon found a huge mixer. "Wonder how this works…" he hit the switched and motor came on. The paddle into the large bowl spun about.

Sam turned it off, "Stop playing with everything."

"What else are we gonna do Carter?" he asked amused.

"I'm sure you can keep yourself busy while I work on how to fix this." she insisted.

He poked her with a wooden spoon, "Like that."

She snatched the spoon, "Stop it."

He slid his arms around her middle and pulled her closer. "So, how about we make that cake now?" he spoke in innuendo.

"You want to have sex now?" she asked him surprised.

"You are my wife and this is our wedding so…" he looked about. "Not like we have lots to do…"

She countered, "We're not married until after we say our vows."

Jack asked, "Vows?"

She nodded amused.

He stood before her and held her hand as he vowed, "I promise, for the rest of my life to love you, to take care of you, to be there for you, cherish you and I also promise to make you laugh when you are feeling down, to make sure you rest when you over do it, to make sure you are happy and loved."

"I promise the same for you," she replied as she melted in his arms.

Jack cheered, "Now that we are married let's find our first newlywed apartment together."

She laughed, "Newlywed apartment?"

"Come on, Carter. Let's make the best of this." he urged her.

"Wouldn't the commander's quarters be the best apartment in the ship?" she suggested.

"True," he agreed. He then took her by the hand and led her back into the hallway. He mentioned, "We should get some bicycles…."

"Bicycles?" she asked amused.

"We can ride the hallways and no one can stop us." he told her.

"You're gonna keep us from getting bored," she figured.

"I promise," he pledged. He got the commander's quarters and opened the door. The quarters were much larger and held an office as well. The walls were blue and floor was carpeted with a crimson red. The lights hung from the ceiling. The full size bed was just big enough for the two but it would be a tight fit.

Sam mentioned, "The V.I.P. beds are bigger."

"We can move a V.I.P. bed in here," he figured.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed. Her hand ran over the smooth blue bedding. Jack sat down beside her and looked around the room.

"This would be the best place for us to stay strategically," he figured.

"We can monitor the ship from here." she agreed. "We do have an issue to talk about though."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I don't have enough birth control pills to last me twenty-five years. I only brought this month's prescription," she confessed.

Jack sat and pondered, "So we got one month of sex and then…nada for twenty-five years…" he made a sour face.

"I can't see bringing a child into this situation," she cried.

"Me neither," he agreed.

"What if I get pregnant?" she asked.

"I'm not a medical doctor," he reminded her.

"Neither am I," she told him. She placed her head against him, "What are we doing? We're stranded in a ship. It's like being stranded on a deserted island."

"And the volcano blows in the end," Jack added.

"If we have a child that child will die with us," Sam told him.

"We all go together," he figured.

"That won't be fair to that child," she sighed.

"Life isn't fair," he nodded.

"Promise me something," Sam stated, "If I get pregnant and we have a child then we give that child as much of a normal life as possible."

Jack nodded in agreement, "If we have a kid that kid will go to school, go to gym, study…play in the kitchen…" he looked at her. "We will be a normal family…That is stranded on a ship in a time bubble."

"I guess that's the best we can do," she figured. "I can't see us not having sex for twenty-five years…Though I suppose it can be done…"

Jack stated, "Not when the twenty-five years ends with the volcano erupting."

"We're kind of screwed there," Sam agreed.

"Yup," Jack nodded. He lay down on the bed and patted the covers, "Come on."

Sam lay down beside him and looked over, "Come on? I'm not a dog."

"I know you're not," he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

Sam closed her eyes for a moment and laid her head on his chest just listening to his heartbeat. Thump-thump, thump-thump - the sound the rhythm relaxed her. They lay silently in each other's arms for a time. Time was in short supply, they had exactly twenty-five years and each moment it ticked down one minute at a time. She didn't want to waste the time she had with Jack. She didn't want to waste the last quarter of her life. She then sat up on the bed and let out a sigh.

Jack softly rubbed her back, "What is it?"

"I'm not gonna take that birth control pill." she determined.

"What?" he asked.

"Screw it," she figured. "I'm either not going to have sex or get pregnant. I've got twenty-five years left to live and that's it. We all die after that. Fine, we go together. We go as a family." She started to unbutton her black battle dress jacket.

"You sure?" he asked her.

"We're losing time with each passing minute," she figured. She removed the jacket and then reached around the pulled off her t-shirt. She sat before Jack in her bra, trousers and boots. She reached around and undid her bra allowing the article to slide down her arms exposing her breast. She then started to untie her boots and kicked them off at the end of the bed. She looked over at Jack who just lay on his back watching her. "You are getting undressed?"

"After you," he motioned.

Her eyes narrowed, "Why are you waiting?"

"Well, I gained a few pounds and I was gonna turn off the light first." he admitted.

As Sam unbuttoned her trousers she told him, "I'm also putting you on a diet."

Jack complained, "After cake."

"We will have cake for special occasions," she agreed. She slid off her underwear and then slid down under the covers naked. She looked over, "Well?"

Jack rolled off the bed and found the light switch. He turned off the lights to darken the room and fumbled about as he removed his clothing.

"You're seriously undressing in the dark?" she asked.

"I'm shy," Jack lied.

"You realize I will feel any weight gain," she told him.

She heard Jack pat his tummy and complain, "I can't really suck it in." He slid down beside her under the covers.

She reached over with her hand and found his stomach. She rubbed the area judging how much fat she could feel.

Jack asked, "Can you rub my back like that?"

"You give me a back rub first," she challenged him and rolled on her side.

His large hand gently rubbed her tense and tired back starting at the shoulders and working down to her hip. "Better?" he whispered.

"Better," she agreed. She rolled to her back and told him, "I do feel a roll on your tummy. You'll need to exercise to get rid of that."

"I too old to run," he replied.

"Low impact exercise," she rebutted thinking of aerobics.

Jack rolled to his side and played on the words, "Low impact." His hand slid down between her thighs and gently started to rub the inside of her leg.

"You know what I mean," she laughed.

"It's low impact," he teased her, "perfect for old farts like me." His hand slid up her leg with his fingertips caressing her skin and continuing to her navel. His hand flattened as he rubbed her stomach in a circular motion working his way up to her breast and gently cupping her nipple. His leaned closer and kissed her lips. The kiss grew deeper as the temperature under the covers rose much higher.

6 Months Later

Sam rose with the sound of her alarm clock as she continued to work on the issue of the trap that contained them. She flipped on the light and had to catch herself as she felt a bit light headed. She felt nauseas again and held her hand over her mouth until it passed. Her belly extended forward with the ongoing pregnancy.

Jack looked over and sat up behind her. He gently rubbed her back, "You okay?" he asked concerned.

"I'm okay," she nodded and tugged at the oversize man's shirt she sported as a night gown.

"Don't overdo it," he cautioned.

"I won't," she promised.

"I'll make breakfast," he offered.

"Just tea and dry toast," she requested. "I'm still dealing with the morning sickness."

"Okay," he agreed. He got up and slid on a pair of black trousers and then slipped his feet into a white pair of sneakers. He then changed his t-shirt and slipped on one that was tan. He clashed in style to say the least.

Sam looked over, "Sneakers?"

"I found some Velcro ones in the gym storage unit," he nodded. "Now I don't have to tie anything."

"You realize your clothes don't match," she told him.

Jack looked around, "I don't think anyone will care. Heck, I could run around in my underwear…"

"Please don't get to that point," she begged. "We have a baby coming and we agreed to make this as normal as possible."

"What kid hasn't seen their dad run around in his underwear?" he asked.

"Me," she cheered.

"Really?" he asked. "You never saw Jacob in his briefs when you were a kid?"

"Nope," she shook her head and smiled brightly. "My mother never would have allowed him to do that. If she had then my brother Mark would have been running around in his underwear too."

"So…" he grinned. "If we have a boy we can run around in our underwear."

She gave him a look, "No! What if it's a girl?"

"She can around in her underwear too," he figured.

She shook her head, "I am not letting my daughter run around in her underwear." She slid the trousers on over her belly. She noted, "The elastic you sewed in these seems to be holding."

Jack tugged at his trousers, "So are mine." He confessed, "I never thought stretch pants would be so appealing…"

"Ah-ha," she giggled standing up. She found a clean t-shirt and placed it over her head. She asked as she smoothed out her clothes, "You come up with a list of names you like yet?"

Jack nodded, "Boy names: Teal'c, Thor, George or Jacob."

Sam asked, "What about Daniel?"

"What about him?" Jack miffed.

Sam sighed, "My boy names are Daniel, Jacob, George or Mark."

Jack pondered, "We both named George and Jacob…I guess George Jacob for a boy."

"Jacob George," she countered with a smile.

"What ya got for girls?" he asked her.

Sam sighed, "That's harder for me…Debra after my mother or Janet. The thing is I don't like the sounds of either name with O'Neill. But I want to name her after them…"

Jack asked, "What was your mom's middle name?"

"Olivia," she recalled.

"Olivia Janet O'Neill." he suggested.

"Not bad," she agreed. "What you come up with for girl names?"

"I didn't," he confessed.

"Why not?" she asked.

He stated, "If it's a girl you are gonna wanna name her anyways. Mommies always name their daughters."

"Thank you for that," she blushed.

Jack pushed the button for the door to slid open, "After you."

Sam stepped out into the hallway. She found her feet hurt from the pregnancy. "Where did you find those sneakers?" she asked.

"I put a pair in your work station," he told her.

"Thank you," she sighed. "I think my feet are starting to swell."

"It happens," he agreed. "I'll get us something to eat."

"I'll be in engineering," she replied and kissed him before walking off to work.

Jack started down the hall in the other direction worried for her and the baby. He knew he would have to deliver the child and that frankly scared him more than anything for if something went wrong he could lose both mother and child.