Doppelganger
Summary: S/J. Carter has a baby, in typical SG-1 fashion.
To my beta Ceekay Sheppard, once again you have my many thanks!
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Prologue
They kissed. The hunger was there. It was always there. But this was a kiss of desperation, tinged with regret. It was as if they were the only two people in the universe. If only that was true. Even now, their friends stood behind them, trying to give them as much privacy as they could in the small space. As if facing towards the wall on the other side of the cave would transport them to another place.
At length, they parted. They had responsibilities greater than themselves. With a heavy heart, she walked away and through. When she reached the mouth of the cave, she paused briefly but did not turn back. He knew why. If she turned back, she would return to him, and that was not an acceptable option. He watched as each step took her away from him until he could bear to look no longer. He turned to his companions.
"Daniel, hand me the C4."
Chapter 1
"Unscheduled off-world activation."
Klaxons blared, lights spun, and people moved in an intricate but familiar dance. General Hammond quickly took up his customary position behind Sergeant Walter Harriman even as security forces took up their customary positions within the gateroom.
"Receiving a radio transmission from SG-6, sir."
"Put it through," General Hammond replied.
"Yes sir."
The voice of Colonel Reynolds crackled through the speakers in the control room. "General Hammond? Request permission to bring someone back through the gate, sir."
"Colonel?" Hammond questioned, looking for further explanation.
"I, uh… Well, you really need to see this for yourself, sir. But I recommend keeping a contingent of SFs in the gate room, sir."
Hammond considered his decision. Clearly, there was a potential problem, given the request for the guards to stay in their positions. On the other hand, Reynolds had a good head on his shoulders and Hammond trusted him. He nodded his head once, and then said, "Open the iris. You can come through, Colonel. The guards are in position."
"Thank you sir."
Everyone waited with a professional tenseness for SG-6 to appear with their mystery guest. As it did in situations such as these, time seemed to slow and quicken at the same time. Fingers tightened instinctively on triggers, and Hammond held his breath as the shimmering event horizon of the wormhole was broken by the people walking through.
General Hammond's breath left him in shock when he saw the woman walking down the ramp behind Reynolds. He hurried from the control room and down into the gateroom. Hammond's eyes pored over the woman standing before him. "Major?" he questioned in a very surprised tone.
"Actually…" Before the question could be answered, Walter Harriman's voice once again cut through the base even as the large ring at the back of the room started to spin.
"Scheduled off-world activation. Receiving SG-1's IDC, sir." After a slight hesitation, Hammond's nod indicated that the iris should be opened once again.
Colonel Jack O'Neill practically skipped out of the Stargate. The mission had gone well. All objectives had been completed (soil samples, yippee; reconnaissance – no local hostiles, double yippee). Back on time. No casualties. Hell, even Daniel's allergies seemed to be in check, despite the flora. Jack was going to have to thank the Doc for the most recent antihistamine prescription. But when he caught sight of the woman standing at the foot of the ramp, surrounded by SFs, his gait faltered, which caused Daniel to walk into his back as the other team members drew to a halt as well.
"Jack? Wha-?" Looking over Jack's shoulder, Daniel's eyebrows drew together and his speech trailed off.
Jack opened his mouth and started to ask (loudly) if someone would explain what the hell was going on. Before he could finish his sentence, though, the woman drew in a breath between her teeth with a hiss. In the now silent room, she pressed a hand to her side and, looking down, addressed her distended belly.
"Listen kiddo, you might not be very happy right now, but Mommy's going to need those ribs!"
Jack O'Neill pulled his shocked gaze from the Sam Carter in front of him and looked into the equally shocked gaze of the Sam Carter who stood beside him.
Chapter 2
SG-1, General Hammond, the doppelganger Samantha Carter, and a couple of guards taking up positions at the entrances, retired to the briefing room. General Hammond indicated that they should wait there while he used the special red phone in his office to alert the powers that be of the most recent abnormality involving the Stargate Program and SG-1.
The four uncharacteristically quiet members of SG-1 could not keep their eyes off this inexplicable arrival through the gate. The double of Carter was standing with her eyes closed, wincing slightly, head tipped back a bit as she pressed the knuckles of one hand into the small of her back and rubbed the other hand absently over her stomach.
"Are you experiencing discomfort, Samantha Carter?" Teal'C questioned in his low voice.
Opening her eyes and looking at the large man with a fond smile, she answered, "Teal'C, I'm nine months pregnant. I've been experiencing discomfort for quite a while now. There are just different degrees of it." She moved toward the chair near the head of the table, which would place her on Hammond's left when he returned. Daniel pulled the chair out for her and held it as she slowly and awkwardly lowered herself into it with a sigh.
As Hammond rejoined the group, there was a momentary pause as people mentally debated where to sit. Sam, still reeling from these events, did not want to sit close to her double, but still wanted to be able to see her, so she moved quickly to the opposite side of the table. Daniel and Teal'C had very similar thoughts, so they too moved to the other side, Daniel sitting closest to Hammond with Teal'C sitting between Daniel and Sam. Jack, who had dithered too long, reluctantly took the seat next to the pregnant Carter. Because of the nature of this hastily called meeting, Jack didn't even have a pen to fiddle with, so he released his nervous tension by flipping the cover of his watch open and closed.
Hammond looked towards the woman sitting on his left and asked, "I trust you can explain what is going on here, Major?"
"Yes, sir. Although, as I was about to tell you in the gateroom before I was interrupted by the arrival of SG-1, I'm actually a colonel."
At this, Jack pulled back a little and gave 'Colonel Carter' a look, "A colonel? Huh." He immediately regretted it, sensing the glare that his 2IC was giving him from the other side of the table. That really hadn't come out the way he intended it to. He hadn't meant to sound so… disbelieving.
"I uh, I just mean, you're still a little young to have been promoted already," ('Doh! That's probably not helping.') "Er, I mean… I'm sure that's part of your explanation, right?"
Throughout his babbling, Colonel Carter, after a quick glance at her double, had fixed Jack with a polite but impassive face. When Jack finally finished putting both his feet in his mouth and stuttered into silence, she turned her attention back toward Hammond. But not before Daniel saw her try to hide the small grin over Jack's rambling.
"As I was about to explain, sir, I came here through a quantum mirror. My universe, my Earth is about to be overrun by Replicators."
Colonel Carter's matter-of-fact statement was met with a horrified silence. A shudder of revulsion travelled up Jack's spine at the thought of the voracious metal bugs getting a foothold on Earth. After all, they had had their own close call and it had very nearly turned out incredibly badly. Particularly for himself and Teal'C.
"How can we help?" Daniel quickly volunteered, looking at Hammond as if challenging him to not come through with aid.
Before waiting to hear a response to Daniel's question, Colonel Carter shifted uncomfortably in her chair and looked at General Hammond and with a gesture asked, "Sir, do you mind if I…?"
"Of course, Colonel. Whatever makes you most comfortable."
Colonel Carter rose to her feet, once again rubbing her abdomen as she paced a few steps back and forth parallel to the table.
"Thank you for the offer, Daniel, but that's not why I'm here." At his bemused expression, she explained, "We moved anything that we thought the Replicators may be able to use through the gate to another planet to be destroyed. We certainly didn't want the Replicators to be able to access alternate universes, for instance. Or the nanotechnology that infected our Colonel O'Neill on Argos."
At the mention of that experience, Jack, Sam and Daniel unconsciously winced, only Teal'C and General Hammond not showing any outward sign of discomfort. Knowing that their expressions indicated that they had had a similar experience, Colonel Carter did not elaborate, but continued with her explanation.
"I was ordered by General Hammond to travel through the quantum mirror. As Colonel O'Neill put it, 'He'd be damned if I had a bloody metal nursemaid.' I was to go through the mirror and then contact Earth and hopefully another SGC."
Sam started to ask her twin a question when she was interrupted by Jack, "How'd you know that SG-6 was going to be on that planet?"
"Actually, that was just luck. I never expected to run into an SG team escort back through the gate."
"I still don't see how you thought you'd get through to the SGC. We have an iris, you know. You wouldn't be able to get through without the code and since SG-1 wasn't on the planet you were on, that would be tricky to explain."
With a smile at this logic coming from a man that usually played dumb, Colonel Carter quipped, "There was a reason Pandora opened the box, Jack."
Taken aback either by the answer or by the use of his given name, Jack could only respond with, "Huh?"
Daniel translated, "Curiosity killed the cat."
"Oh," Jack said as understanding lit his features.
With her brow furrowed, Sam tried to sort through all the questions and comments running through her head. Before her CO could make a joke about cats, she asked… herself, "There was a quantum mirror on P5J-587? We already destroyed the quantum mirror we found here in our universe."
Colonel Carter continued to pace as she addressed her counterpart. "Really? I came from a planet we designated PM4 975 to a mirror here, so the only thing I can think of is that there can be more than one in each alternate universe. Maybe the mirror defaults to the closest mirror in the universe that has been dialled. Did you discover the second gate on Earth?" At Sam's nod, she continued, "So maybe the mirrors operate on the same principle, one is the primary and any others are secondary until the primary is non-functioning."
Sam continued where Colonel Carter left off. "I suppose that's possible. But we didn't really get a chance to experiment with the mirror that we had. It was determined to be a danger. In fact…" Sam trailed off, worried about voicing the horrifying thought that just popped into her head, "The last time someone came through the gate they experienced, um…"
"Entropic cascade failure?"
Sam nodded, actually meeting the eyes of her double for the first time since they had come through to find her standing in the gateroom. Colonel Carter looked at the serious, worried face across from her and said quietly, "I know. We had someone come through the mirror and we couldn't get them back in time. It wasn't… pleasant," she concluded with a haunted look on her face.
Once again, silence descended on the room.
This time it was Teal'C who broke the silence. "Colonel Carter, I believe that you are in labour."
All eyes turned to look at him.
"Teal'C, I'm not in labour. I can't be in labour." Colonel Carter's calm demeanour was coloured by a vague note of panic.
"Teal'C?" asked Daniel.
"I have been monitoring the frequency of Colonel Carter's episodes of discomfort with the time on your wristwatch, Daniel Jackson. The discomfort is occurring in approximately five minute intervals."
"Report to the infirmary, people," ordered General Hammond.
Even as Daniel moved around the table to take her arm, Colonel Carter protested Teal'C's diagnosis.
Chapter 3
"You're in labour," announced Dr. Janet Frasier, and smiled at the annoyed groan she received from the woman lying on the gurney before her.
"It's still the early stages, Sam, but your cervix is starting to dilate and you're having true contractions, not just Braxton-Hicks."
Colonel Carter groaned again. "I was hoping I'd have at least a day to get comfortable being here before the kiddo decided to make an appearance. Do I have to stay in the infirmary?"
"No, as I said, you're still in the early stages. Teal'C indicated that you appeared more comfortable walking around, and there's not much room to do that here. I'd suggest that you stay within a couple of floors of the infirmary. I'll prepare one of the isolation rooms for you; it'll be more private than it is here. I'd also suggest that you try to nap." She smiled again at the eye-roll that this last statement elicited.
"Thanks, Ja- uh." Dr. Frasier massaged Colonel Carter's once again contracting belly as another wave started. When it was finished, Janet called to the anxious members of SG-1 who had been waiting for the examination to be completed.
"Okay folks, take care of her. Sam's going to want to walk around for a while, but see that she gets some rest as well. I'm going to set up Iso 2 for her."
Teal'C moved over to the gurney and helped Colonel Carter down onto her feet. The others looked away, respectful of the woman's privacy as she tried to deal with moving in her current uncomfortable state and fairly revealing hospital gown. When she was standing, Janet helped her into another hospital gown to cover the gape in the back of the one she had changed into on her arrival at the infirmary. Colonel Carter smiled her thanks and then turned to the other four.
"Can we get out of here? Now? Please?" Her plea drew smiles from the others, including Janet, who replied in mock indignation, "Gee, thanks. I'll try not to take that personally."
Chapter 4
The rag-tag band wandered around the halls drawing a fair bit of startled attention. Well, for the first half hour anyway. Then again, later, during a shift change. After all, 'odd' was a fairly normal occurrence in the SGC.
Colonel Carter paced the halls flanked by Daniel, with Teal'C just behind her and a surprisingly quip-free Jack O'Neill following close behind him. Sam Carter walked several paces behind her team-mates. Sam was like a reluctant moon that had been caught in the gravity of a planet: not really wanting to be there, but unable to break free.
Sam was so caught up with trying to dissect her thoughts that she didn't see the occasional, concerned glances that Jack was giving her. However, he stayed silent and did not disrupt her musings. After all, he was doing some musing of his own. Seeing Carter, well no, not Carter, but a Carter… pregnant, had his own mind running in overdrive.
Trying to distract himself from that line of thinking, Jack ransacked his brain for something to talk about. However, his mind couldn't move past the last several hours since he had walked back through the wormhole and into this bizarre situation. Suddenly, a question popped into his head.
"Hey!" he called, causing the others to stop and look at him questioningly.
He looked at the woman in front of him with an accusing look on his face. "You kept referring to your me as 'Colonel.' Didn't they give me a promotion when they gave you a promotion?"
Teal'C raised an eyebrow and Daniel shook his head in amused disbelief.
Colonel Carter responded, straight-faced, "No, sir."
Jack started spluttering in indignation for his slighted counterpart. He was so caught up in his muttered rant that he missed the start of the grin that spread across Colonel Carter's face. When he finally caught sight of her smile he fixed her with a glare, his eyes narrowed.
Volunteering the explanation before it was demanded, she said, "You asked if they gave him a promotion, not if they offered him a promotion. Jack wouldn't take it. He wanted to be able to stay in the field to fight the Replicators, not sit in a room and theorize on strategy."
This reminder of the home, the people whom she had left, disheartened Colonel Carter and the smile fell from her face. She sighed deeply and dropped her gaze to the floor, closing her eyes against the wash of pain she felt, this time not from her labour. Daniel pulled her close to him, with an arm across her shoulders. Colonel Carter looked up suddenly.
"Where's Sam?"
None of them had noticed when or where the woman had disappeared. Jack cursed himself silently for not paying more attention.
"I'll go get her. She probably went back to her lab."
As another contraction hit, Colonel Carter ground out, "Find her. It's almost time. She has to be there."
Jack hurried off to do as ordered.
Chapter 5
Sam was not in her lab. Nor was she in the commissary, the gateroom, the control room, Daniel's lab, her quarters (or Daniel's, Teal'C's or his), the gym, or that odd room down off of Corridor D where she and Siler did incomprehensible things with a panel of flashing lights, buttons and switches. Hell, she wasn't even in the armoury. Jack had exhausted his list of where Sam was likely to be. Checking his watch to see how long he had been searching for Carter, he noticed that their day was officially done. They'd been off-duty for several hours. Surely Carter hadn't gone home?
He suddenly realized where she would be. Off-duty and on-base at the same time. He made his way quickly to the storage room where Sam kept her motorcycle. Bingo. As he approached the room, he could hear the clank of metal on metal and, just because he was listening specifically for it, the sound of Carter's voice. She was keeping up a steady monologue, muttered under her breath, and her tone clearly indicated that was not happy. As he drew up to the door, Jack halted in shock. The motorcycle could no longer be described as such. But Sam could make money selling parts. The entire bike was almost completely dismantled and strewn across the floor.
Sam's back was to the door, bent over the remains of the bike, intent on removing yet another part from the skeleton of her pride and joy. Still muttering.
Jack cleared his throat to announce his arrival. Sam's back stiffened at the sound and the low drone of her voice ceased. She continued to work on the motorcycle.
Jack stepped into the room, hoping that he wouldn't be on the receiving end of a thrown wrench. He moved cautiously through the room, wary of the parts on the floor and the woman he was circling. When he was standing across from her, the bike between them, he spoke.
"She's asking for you."
Sam's head snapped up. Jack was shocked by the emotion that showed clearly on her face and in her eyes: pain, anger, guilt, confusion, fear and countless other emotions roiling in and over her – none of them good. She usually kept her feelings locked up tight. Even though she did that, he almost always knew exactly what she felt, what she was thinking. To see her feelings so plainly etched on her face was like a blow to his chest. His breath caught and he took a step towards her stretching out his hand, "Sam-"
She flinched back from him shaking her head. "Don't."
They both froze where they were. Jack's hand outstretched, Sam partway through her step away.
A shudder ran through Sam's body and she closed her eyes, trying to school her emotions. Jack's hand fell back to his side. When she finally looked at him, Sam was in better control of her emotions, although they hadn't gone very far. Jack could tell by the tense line of her mouth, the tight muscles around her eyes.
Jack tried to fight against making a joke. But as always, when confronted with a difficult situation (that couldn't be solved with a gun), he couldn't stop himself, "So, uh, this reminds me of the time I had deja vu. How are you doing with this… twin thing?"
He grimaced when Sam glowered at him. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "You know I'm not good with this kind of stuff."
"You're not good with this kind of stuff? You're not good with this kind of stuff? You have never had to deal with meeting yourself! Twice!"
"Well, er, Carter, there were those, um, android-thingies…" He trailed off as she pinned him with a glare.
"Oh, I'm sorry sir, I forgot about that. But since that also happened to me, I'm still two up on you, okay?!" The tone was so caustic it could have been used to strip paint. The only things that kept Sam from pacing in her anger were the bits of her precious bike scattered around her feet. Even still, she shuffled fretfully from foot to foot, wanting to move. Sam resumed muttering under her breath as she had been doing when Jack had entered the room.
Jack whispered, "Sam."
Sam's voice trailed off as her gaze was drawn to his. He took another step closer to her, the bike still between them. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but knew that they were both too emotionally volatile right now. Everything was bubbling too close to the surface. Then there were the pesky security cameras. He had no doubt they were giving security enough entertainment at the moment.
Another shudder wracked her body and Sam said quietly, "It's just… it's just so… weird."
Try though he might, Jack couldn't help but smile at her choice of words. "Weird?"
Seeing him smile, Sam felt her own lips twitching into a smile despite herself. "What's wrong with saying weird."
"I just never thought I'd hear our resident genius use the word 'weird' to describe something." Jack's grin got wider. He was almost smirking.
"I can't think of another way to describe it." Sam's tone turned serious again, "Do you have any idea what it's like to see everyone interacting with another version of yourself? I can only imagine how bad things must have been for her to have left everyone she knows and loves. And it's wonderful to see how everyone is so caring and supportive, but seeing her with all of you, and how Janet uses the same tone of voice when she says her name – there's a part of me that is so jealous. And it's standing in a corner of my brain yelling, 'That's my Jack, and my Janet, and my Teal'C, and my Daniel! And this is my SGC!' I feel so guilty because I know it's stupid and childish, but I can't get it to shut up!" She unclenched one of her fisted hands to drive it through her hair, her breathing ragged.
"And it's just-"
"Weird," Jack finished for her quietly, clamping down firmly on the part of himself that had responded to the possessiveness with which she said his name.
"Yeah. Not to mention terrifying, fascinating, horrible, awe-inspiring-"
"See, I knew if I gave you enough time, you'd think of some big, fancy words Carter," mocked O'Neill.
"Thanks," Sam responded dryly.
"Besides, do you think she doesn't know? I mean, I know she's not you. But she's not completely not, not you. She has to know what you're thinking."
With this statement, as mangled as it was, a new level of guilt plagued Sam Carter. She didn't want to hurt her double. She hadn't even considered that her double would know the unpleasant thoughts that had been churning through her. Sam's face fell and she scrubbed both hands through her hair, pushing hard against her skull, as if that would stop her thoughts from leaking out into the ether.
'Great, Jack. Just great,' he berated himself. He'd meant for that to be reassuring, not for it to make Sam feel worse.
"I didn't mean it that way, Sam! I just meant, that, well, she'd know what you were thinking and why. And that she'd be okay with it. After all, she's gotta have some idea of how difficult this is for you. I think she's worried about you. She had some time to come to grips with the fact that she'd probably be meeting another version of herself, but you've been completely blindsided."
Sam sighed. "Yeah, and this time the other me is pregnant. And I thought that the last one was a shock."
"Speaking of pregnant. I don't want to rush you, but I think she wants you there."
Sam met his eyes and nodded, squaring her shoulders. She could do this.
Chapter 6
Sam and Jack hurried into Iso 2 where they were met by Daniel and Teal'C, anxiously waiting to one side of a privacy screen. Daniel quietly explained to the two that Colonel Carter had become more and more withdrawn, and when a gush of fluid made it apparent that it was time for Dr. Frasier's assistance, the Colonel had requested that they not accompany her further. Since she had disappeared behind the screen, they had heard nothing from the Colonel except the occasional groan in counterpoint to Janet's encouraging words that she was doing well. With a nod acknowledging Daniel's words, Jack took a seat beside Teal'C. Sam sat briefly in a chair against the opposite wall next to Daniel until a pointed look from Teal'C at her anxiously bouncing leg had Sam on her feet. She channelled her nervous energy into pacing the room. The fact that Jack was openly watching every move she made was certainly not helping.
How long they stayed like that was hard to tell. Minutes? Hours later? The odd quiet on the other side of the screen was pierced by a sharp voice.
"Jack!"
He was up and moving towards the voice before his brain caught up with his feet. The only thing that had registered was Carter's voice. A distressed Carter. Calling him. All rational thought fled. Even now, helpless to resist that call, a portion of his brain registered that his Carter had immediately fallen into step behind him, as if to guard his advance. Another part of him berated himself for how the woman behind him would react to his drive to get to the woman in front of him. Pushing that thought aside, he circled the curtain and moved to the head of the bed.
As she circled the privacy screen, Sam drew up short at the scene in front of her. Playing out before her was one of her hidden dreams. Jack's right hand clasped hers and he kissed her knuckles as he leaned over to brush the hair off her forehead. Then reality hit her – the woman on the bed was not her. As her face paled and she became dimly aware of Teal'C's supportive hand on her arm, Sam couldn't help the gasp that escaped her. At the sound, Jack's back stiffened, but he kept his concentration on the woman in the bed. Colonel Carter raised her head off the bed to look at the shaken woman, her eyes reflecting understanding, sorrow, and guilt. So much guilt. This goaded Sam into moving and she quickly made her way to the far side of the bed. After a briefly exchanging an indecipherable glance with Jack, she took her double's hand and squeezed it reassuringly, trying to convey with the pressure her acceptance and forgiveness for the circumstance they now found themselves in.
The three of them focused on Janet, who was talking supportively from the foot of the bed.
"C'mon Sam, not much longer now. Just a couple more really good pushes. You can do that for me, can't you? Okay, now push. That's great, Sam. Keep breathing, c'mon. Okay, relax."
Collapsing back against the bed, Samantha uttered a quiet, "Ow."
When Jack began to chuckle, he was met with two identical questioning looks from the women closest to him (and if he'd been paying attention, an eye roll from the woman at the end of the bed).
"Just 'ow'?" he asked by way of explanation, and then chuckled again at the identical glares he was now receiving. He heard Carter mutter to the woman on the bed.
"You're the same rank, you could punch him with impunity."
"Hey!" groused Jack, shocked that the suggestion had come from his normally well-behaved 2IC.
"She does have a poi-", the Colonel started before another contraction hit, too tired by the end of pushing to finish or carry out the threat.
"Okay Sam, here we go, we're almost done. Push. Push! There we go, the head's out, the next one will be easier. C'mon, here we go. Push, Sam." Suddenly, Janet was holding the baby in her hands. "You have a baby boy!" She declared as she cleared the baby's airways. The little one took a breath and then promptly began to bellow, clearly not very impressed with the events of the day. A nurse clamped the umbilical cord and at Janet's questioning look, an exhausted Samantha, with tears in her eyes, indicated that Jack and Sam should cut the cord. Sam moved around to Jack's side of the bed and hesitated for a moment before stepping slightly in front of Jack as a nurse passed her the scissors. Jack placed his hand over hers and, together, they cut the cord. Then Janet finished drying the baby off and placed him on Samantha's stomach, whose tears were now freely flowing down her face. She gently ran her hand over his face and said quietly, "Hello, kiddo."
After giving her a minute, Janet said softly, "Sam, we just need to get you all finished up. It'll just be another couple of minutes. While we do, we're going to have the baby weighed and measured. Okay?"
Samantha nodded and then looked pointedly at Jack, clearly indicating that he should not let the baby out of his sight. As he hurried after the nurse, Daniel snagged Jack by the arm on his way by, thrusting the digital camera Daniel took off-world into his hands. Jack glanced at it and then beamed at Daniel before quickly catching up with the nurse.
Sam moved to the head of the bed to offer support to her twin during the final stages of labour. When Samantha Carter was finally able to relax, she seemed to sink deeper into the bed, absolutely exhausted. Sam was once again holding her hand and this time it was Sam who brushed the sweat-dampened hair off of Samantha's face.
Jack reappeared on the heels of the nurse bringing back the newborn, which she placed back into his mother's arms. Jack moved around to stand near Carter and then showed the two women the pictures he had taken of the weighing and measuring.
"The nurse said he's 7 lbs, 4 oz. And he's 21 inches long. 10 fingers, 10 toes, one – er, one," he concluded lamely. This time, instead of identical expressions, he got one 'lips pressed together' expression as Carter refused to rise to the bait and one snort of mirth from the woman with the baby in her arms. This time he did see Janet roll her eyes, but she excused herself before Jack could comment by saying she would advise General Hammond that the delivery had gone well.
After she left, Colonel Carter said, "Jack, why don't you make yourself useful and invite Teal'C and Daniel in? I'm sure that they're waiting anxiously back there."
Almost before she'd finished speaking, Daniel and Teal'C rounded the curtain. At the questioning look Jack gave them, Daniel pointed out, "It's just a piece of material, Jack. Not exactly soundproof." The two men made their way further into the room, each touching Sam reassuringly on the back as they passed before moving to the head of the bed. They knew that their friend would still be shaken by the recent events.
Samantha allowed the other four to hold the little one, as well as General Hammond and Janet, who had appeared as well. Finally, the baby was returned to his mother. As they all quietly observed the woman, who was once again stroking the baby's face gently, Daniel asked if she had a name for the baby.
"I haven't decided yet. I know what I want to call him, but…" Samantha trailed off with a sad look on her face. Jack squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, but this only seemed to make her face fall even more. Before anyone could react, the baby made himself known rather forcefully, letting out an angry wail.
Janet said, "Well, I'd say that's an indication he's hungry. I can't imagine that this is a group effort, so…"
Taking the hint, General Hammond, Teal'C and Daniel left the room. Jack and Sam hesitated momentarily, both reluctant to leave, but followed in the footsteps of their departing friends.
When she was alone with Janet, Samantha asked if she could feed the baby from the chair by the wall, "I've been on this bed for so long. I just want a change of scenery. Not that there's much difference, but a different angle would be kind of nice."
"Sure, I don't see why not." Janet helped her carefully off the bed and then helped her over to the chair, moving the Colonel's clothes that had been placed there onto a metal pushcart just beside it. She then placed a couple of pillows on Samantha's lap to make it easier for her to support the baby during the feeding.
Janet talked the Colonel through the first part of breastfeeding, explaining that sometimes newborns have a problem latching on and how to tell if the baby is feeding well. When it was apparent that the two were getting along well, Janet excused herself as well saying that she had some paperwork she needed to do. Samantha stopped her with a hand on her arm before Janet stepped away.
"Um, could you… not fill out the birth certificate just yet? It might cause some problems."
The small doctor nodded her head. "I already discussed that with General Hammond. There's no rush to get that done at the moment. You don't have to worry. I'll be back in about 15 minutes to check on you, okay?"
When Janet had left and with her son still feeding hungrily, Samantha reached over with her left hand to her clothes and pulled her jacket closer to her. Opening the front pocket, she pulled out a disk and a picture, careful to make sure that the picture concealed the disk. She looked at the picture quickly before removing the baby from her breast and placing him up against her shoulder. The boy fussed angrily at being removed from his food source. However, when he burped, Samantha moved him to the other side of her body and in short order, the baby was content once again. His mother, on the other hand, stared at the photograph and fingered the disk beneath it as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Feeling the baby's sucking taper off, she moved her son back up to her shoulder again. This time, the baby was full and satisfied, and lolled on her shoulder. Colonel Carter moved the pillows off of her lap and put them on the metal cart atop her clothes and then, supporting her son's neck, forced herself painfully out of the chair and made her way back towards the bed. When she drew level with the medical computer, she slipped the disk into the drive and began hitting keys, keeping as much of her movements hidden from the security camera as possible, making it look like she'd merely stopped for a rest on her way back to bed.
By the time she returned to the bed, Samantha was well and truly exhausted. She laid the baby on the bed and tried to work out the logistics of how to get herself into the bed as well. Fortunately, at that moment, Janet entered the room again and helped Samantha back into the bed, scolding her all the while for crossing the room by herself. Sam lay down on her side, knees pulled up slightly in a loose fetal position with the baby positioned between the curve of her body and the railing of the bed, and she was asleep in seconds, even as Janet continued to lecture her. Janet trailed off, with an indulgent smile and a rueful shake of her head. Apparently this Sam Carter was as stubborn and independent as her usual hard-headed patient. She tucked a pillow against the railings of the bed (just in case the baby moved around in his sleep) and then dimmed the lights as she left the room.
Sam stopped in after awhile to check in on the baby, and on her other self, she quickly chastised herself, and found the two of them asleep the same way Janet had left them. Not wanting to disturb them, she stood quietly near the privacy screen in almost the same spot she had frozen earlier. Watching the gentle rise and fall of baby's chest, it took her a couple of minutes before she realized that the other Samantha's eyes were open and watching her. Sam opened her mouth to apologize for waking her, but before she could the other Samantha was doing the apologizing. Sam heard the Colonel say, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," before she fell back asleep.
Chapter 7
The Colonel was pulled from her sleep by a tearing sensation, a painful feeling of being in two places at the same time. Concentrating all of her will on not crying out in agony, Samantha had no way to tell how much time passed. Her son, likely sensing the odd occurrence happening next to him, started to wail. As she heard footsteps near the door, Samantha slumped back against the bed in relief as her first experience of entropic cascade failure ended before she was caught by Janet. Samantha weakly gathered up the crying baby, trying to comfort him, hoping that if Janet picked up on any of the tension, she would chalk it up to a new, inexperienced mother with a crying baby.
Janet gave Samantha and the baby a quick once over, commenting on Samantha's slightly elevated blood pressure, before announcing that she was transferring Samantha.
"We're setting you up in one of the VIP rooms, Sam. You'll get more privacy there than you would here or in the infirmary. I'll keep checking on you from time to time, but if you have a headache or are otherwise not feeling well let me know. I'm a bit concerned about your blood pressure."
Samantha smiled at her, as Janet directed a couple of orderlies to wheel the bed to the VIP quarters. "I get to ride in style," she grinned, waving goodbye to Janet.
Once Samantha was settled in her new quarters, she was frequently visited over the next day or so by the members of SG-1. Daniel and Teal'C were the most frequent visitors. They watched in amusement as Jack and Sam appeared sporadically, reluctantly, drawn to the room as if against their will.
None of the team ever stayed very long, Samantha pleading off by claiming to be too tired for guests. The episodes of entropic cascade failure were happening more frequently and with greater intensity. The last thing Samantha needed was for one of the others to see what was happening.
Samantha checked her watch again. It would not be much longer now. She glanced down at the baby sleeping contentedly in her arms and then decided to get some more sleep. She'd need her energy. Before drifting off, her eyes lingered on the picture she had placed onto the night table beside the bed. She smiled at the picture of her team. She and Jack were holding hands in the centre, flanked on either side by Daniel and Teal'C.
Not much longer.
Chapter 8
The klaxons sounded and the familiar dance started again before someone missed a step.
"Unauthorized outgoing wormhole," echoed Walter's voice over the base.
Hammond descended the stairs, as Sam raced into the control room.
"Sergeant?" she questioned as she fell into the chair next to him, her fingers flying over the computer keyboard.
Sergeant Walter Harriman gave a small shrug of his shoulders and shook his head.
"Everything was fine. All of a sudden a bunch of computer code appeared on the screen and the gate dialling program activated. It seems to be encrypted. Chevron 3 encoded."
Sam continued to type desperately. Sensing Hammond hovering behind her, waiting for an explanation, Sam said,
"I can't explain it, sir. It's some kind of internal program, but I've never seen it before. And it's encrypted." Sam pushed herself out of the chair and moved rapidly over to another computer console. Walter counted out another locked chevron.
At that moment, Colonel Carter walked swiftly, purposefully into the control room. She thrust the baby into the arms of the startled Major. As she turned quickly to move down the stairs, Samantha said, "I've named him Jonathan. Don't let him argue about it."
Perfectly timed, taking advantage of the extremely brief moment of surprised inactivity, the gateroom doors slid shut behind her. Hammond recovered quickly, barking orders.
"Someone get those doors open!"
Jack dashed into a control room of chaos. Hammond bellowing to security, klaxons wailing, a screaming baby. He skidded to a stop in front of the long window as Walter called out the locked sixth chevron. The iris unfolded itself, continuing to ignore the commands being frantically entered into the computers. Jack stared at the woman standing calmly in the gateroom. She looked back and met his eyes and then those of Sam, who had moved to his side, before turning back to face the Stargate. Jack's instincts were screaming at him. Something wasn't right.
As Walter declared the last chevron locked, Sam's cry of "No!" echoed through the control room. As the wormhole billowed forward, Jack was struck with the sickening realization that the Colonel was standing on the ramp. She was too close. The plume moved out with frightening speed and washed over the woman, enveloping her. She was gone.
Sam sank weeping to the floor, crying baby in her arms. Everyone else in the control room was frozen in horror, still staring into the gateroom at the now sedately shimmering glow that had brought about such a horrible end.
Without thought to where they were, Jack lowered himself down next to Sam and pulled the sobbing woman into his arms, rocking her and the squalling boy back and forth.
Chapter 9
Sam battled with the sedation swimming through her system. The promise of blissful numbness was tempting, but she forced herself to concentrate on the voice talking quietly beside her, fading in and out as the speaker paced back and forth. Not yet ready to open her eyes, Sam reasoned that it was Daniel pacing. It could have been Jack, but she could feel a body close against her leg at the bottom on her bed, the sink in the mattress suggesting that someone had hopped up onto the end beside her. That would be Jack. Teal'C would neither pace nor sit on her bed, so he was more likely standing quietly somewhere close by.
Reassured that she was protected, Sam very nearly gave in to the drugs coursing through her when she heard Daniel's bewildered question.
"Why?"
Feeling Jack shift uncomfortably at the end of the bed, and hearing his indrawn breath, Sam could only guess at how many times Daniel had already asked that question. Before Jack could snap at him, Sam opened her eyes and cleared her throat. Daniel hurried to the head of the bed and Jack slid off the end and moved up to stand beside him. Teal'C, as anticipated, had already been standing there.
Fighting her revulsion, Sam whispered quietly, "She knew. She knew what would happen. That's why she apologized. She had it all planned."
"Why didn't she just go back through?" Jack asked, pain lacing his voice.
Sam answered, "I knew something didn't make sense. She said they'd destroyed anything that the Replicators could use. That they couldn't take the chance that they'd infect other universes. She knew it was a one-way trip. Her Jack blew up the mirror after she went through. He – oh God, Daniel!"
At the panicked tone, Daniel looked around frantically and grabbed a nearby kidney-shaped bowl, getting it in front of Sam just before she lost control, retching into the bowl. After her stomach was empty, her body still fought against dry heaves. Daniel stood with one arm wrapped around Sam's still shaking shoulders. His other arm was held away from his body, with the partially filled bowl as far away from himself as possible and disturbingly close to Jack. Jack shot a look of disgust at Daniel, before he carefully took the bowl from him and dumped the contents. Both hands now free, Daniel wrapped both arms around Sam.
Jack rinsed out the bowl and placed it silently next to Sam, just in case. As much as he wanted to comfort Sam, Jack had things he needed to do. He stopped at the makeshift bassinette that Janet had placed the baby in while Sam had been sedated. Jack ran his hand lightly over the head of the now sleeping child. Exchanging a look of understanding with Teal'C, ever the protector, Jack left the infirmary.
Chapter 10
Jack knocked on the door to Hammond's office. Janet had already arrived and was prepared to give her medical report to Hammond and Jack.
"Sam should be okay, sir, but she is experiencing extreme emotional distress. It is possible that I will need to keep her sedated for a day or more. Counselling should be begun immediately." Janet hesitated before continuing, "Also, although I haven't discussed with her, it is likely that Sam will insist on keeping the baby. The birth certificate could be filled out in her name without any questions. But as for paternity-"
Jack interrupted, "Well that's easy. I'm the father."
General Hammond frowned. "Colonel? I don't believe that's a wise choice."
"It's the only choice. I'll retire if I have to."
Hammond considered Jack gravely before he dismissed his chief medical officer. After Janet had closed the door behind her, Hammond regarding the leader of his primary team. "That's not going to happen, Jack."
Jack settled back comfortably in his chair. "I could insist on a paternity test. I'm pretty sure we know how that would turn out. It would likely cause quite a bit of scandal, disciplinary proceedings. The whole thing would be pretty messy by the end, even if the panel could hear about the unusual circumstances of the birth."
Silently Jack hoped that Hammond wouldn't call his bluff. Jack would never go through with anything that could hurt Sam.
Hammond narrowed his eyes and glared at the stubborn man across from him, willing Jack to break first. Finally, Hammond backed down with a sigh.
"This isn't going to be easy, Jack. But, first and foremost, Major Carter must agree to your suggestion as well, assuming that she will be keeping the child."
"I understand, sir. I'll talk to her."
"It also means that Major Carter could no longer be assigned to SG-1."
Jack paused briefly before he replied, "I know. If I can't work it out with her, I will retire, George."
Nodding his head, George Hammond indicated that Jack was now also dismissed. He watched as Jack left his office quickly, no doubt on his way back to the infirmary.
Hammond sighed again. 'This is a fine kettle of fish,' he thought. Once again, the general picked up the receiver of the red phone to discuss the most recent twist in the crisis with the President.
Chapter 11
Jack walked up to Sam's door. He could hear loud music blaring from within. Jack didn't bother knocking, and it wasn't likely that a knock would be heard anyway. The sound of The Ramones' "I Wanna be Sedated" was louder inside. Jack made his way to the living room and stopped at the entrance, his gaze travelling around the room. The stereo was apparently on repeat with the bass cranked and the speakers had been moved to face the back of the couch.
Sam was curled up on the couch in her usual fetal position with the baby between her body and the couch, both fast asleep. After looking at them for a moment, Jack moved over, then bent down to lift up the tiny boy. At the movement Sam snapped awake, raising her head. Seeing that it was him, Sam relaxed, resting her head against the pillow and snuggling back down, taking advantage of the extra room where the baby had been. Choosing to ignore the music for that moment, Jack made his way to the guest room which was now being used as a nursery. He placed the baby gently into the crib and then spent some time just looking down at his son.
When he moved back into the living room, Jack expected to find Sam asleep on the couch. Instead she was moving sleepily around the kitchen, tidying up dirty bottles and dishes. Sam looked up as he entered the adjoining room and at his wince and point toward the stereo, nodded her head.
When the music was off Jack asked, "Carter, do I want to ask why you were playing that particular song at that particular volume?"
"Jonathan likes the vibration of the bass through the back of the couch. The song seemed appropriate because he'd been up half the night and I wanted to get some sleep," Sam responded with a grin.
"We aren't calling him that. And if you need sleep, what are you doing up now?"
"She said that you wouldn't like it. What's wrong with Jonathan?" Sam questioned with her brow furrowed.
"It's just, just – no."
"Sir, that's not a good enough reason. But just because his full name is Jonathan doesn't mean we can't call him by a short form. Would you call him 'Jon'?"
Jack shuddered, "No! That's worse than Jonathan."
"Well, Jonathan it is then. Unless…"
"What?"
"Nate?"
"Nate."
Biting her lip, Sam expounded. "Well, part of 'Jonathan' is 'Nathan', which can be shortened to 'Nate.' What do you think?" she questioned anxiously.
"I like it. Nate." As a slow smile crossed Jack's face, he nodded his head.
A shy smile blossomed on Sam's face, which turned to a worried, puzzled look at the piercing look Jack turned on her. "What?"
"Don't think I'm forgetting my question."
"Question?"
"If you need sleep, what are you doing up now? Why aren't you still sleeping on the couch?"
Sam waved her hand over the counter, "Do you see this mess? If I don't do it now while Nate - " she flashed a grin, " - is sleeping, I'll never get a handle on it."
"Parenting rule number one is like basic training Sam, if you get a chance to sleep – take it. I'll deal with this."
"Sir, you don't need to…"
"Ah! Bed. Now. Order. I still outrank you, Major."
Sam sighed but decided there was no point in arguing, "Yes sir," and made her way down the hall.
Jack watched her go before setting about tidying the kitchen. When he was done, and had a container of pasta sauce simmering on the stove and water on to boil, Jack made his way down to Sam's room. He hesitated briefly at the door before pushing it open with a soft knock. If Jack had been worried about infringing on her privacy, he needn't have been concerned. Sam's bed was empty and showed no sign of having been slept in. Jack immediately turned and opened the door to the guest room. There was Sam, stretched out on the guest bed. Jack looked at his baby boy, and his… his Carter, and Jack was content.
He knew that things still needed to be ironed out. Despite her immediate acceptance (which was slightly surprising, even to Jack) of Jack's suggestion that he be named as the father on the birth certificate and share in the care and upbringing of the baby, Sam was still on edge having him around, not quite sure what the boundaries of the situation were. On top of that, she still wasn't back at work, a combination of maternity leave and medical leave while she saw a counsellor to deal with the experience of watching herself commit suicide and suddenly being a mother. When she did return to the SGC, Sam would take a position on SG-6. Right now, Jack and the others were technically working, although there were no immediate plans to send SG-1 off-world. The three remaining members wanted to be available in case Sam needed anything.
Jack knew that Sam was feeling overwhelmed, although she had yet to voice it aloud (and likely never would, particularly not to him), so he resolved to make things as uncomplicated as possible. Even if that did mean restraining himself from revealing how at ease he was. Instead he satisfied himself with the little moments, like now, when he could just watch Sam sleep.
There would be time for the two of them later, Jack thought, as he brushed Sam's hair back off her forehead. Later couldn't come soon enough.