Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are not my property. No copyright infringement is intended.
Barefoot and dressed in a t-shirt and pair of sweats, Jack stood at the stove stirring some oatmeal. He yawned and stretched and was thinking that it was so good to be home with his wife. Thinking of Sam as his wife brought a smile to his face. They were married six months ago today, and he promised Sam that they would celebrate together, instead of him being stuck in D.C. and her here in the Springs. He had had to shuffle his schedule a little and had arrived late the night before, but it was so good to wake up with Sam snuggling against him.
As he stood there, he got the feeling he was being watched. He turned slightly and looked over his shoulder. Sam was standing in the doorway, barefoot in her bathrobe, with a strange look on her face.
"Sam?"
She took a step toward him then stopped and stared at him.
"Honey?" he said as he turned off the stove and turned to face her.
She didn't speak but quickly walked cross the floor and put her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest.
In a few minutes, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back to look at her and got the feeling that something was wrong. He didn't say anything but raised his eyebrow as if to say "what's up?"
Sam lowered her head and wouldn't look at him but stared at his chest. He put his finger under her chin to raise her head so he could see her face. She looked into his eyes for a few seconds then lowered her head once more. Jack waited. He would give her the chance to say whatever was on her mind and didn't feel the need to rush her.
"Jack" she said so softly he almost didn't hear her. He had come to read his wife's moods over the years they had worked together, but this one he had never seen. She looked like she wanted to say something but was very unsure of herself. She cocked her head and glanced up at him and smiled.
"You want something." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes." She started to bite her lower lip.
"What?" He held his breath, uncertain as to what she was about to say.
"A baby" Sam whispered.
Jack's eyes grew wide. "You . . . you want a baby?"
"Yes, a baby . . . your baby."
Jack could hardly believe it. He had dreamed of them having a child together, so many times he had lost count, and now here she was saying she wanted a baby . . . his baby. They had briefly discussed having kids before they had married, but Sam was concerned that maybe she couldn't have children because of everything her body had been put through the past nine years. Jack had tried to assure her that he would always love her, even if they never had children. They hadn't spoken of it since.
Jack took her hand and started to pull her to the bedroom.
"No, no, wait." She tugged on his hand and he stopped and turned back to her.
"I want to be sure that this is something you want too, Jack. Having a baby is a big decision and I might not be able to have children" she said as tears filled her eyes "but I want to try . . . that is, if you want a baby too" she said as she looked down at the floor and tears fell down her cheeks.
Jack wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, then leaned back so they could look at each other.
"Are you kidding!" he said with a twinkle in his eyes and he began to smile. "I would love to be the father of your child, Samantha" he said as he kissed her on the nose.
"I would love to be with you when we find out you're pregnant with my child. I will love to see the look on your face when you find out you're going to be a mother. I want to be with you when we tell our friends that we're going to be parents. I look forward to you waking me up at two o'clock in the morning because you want to send me to the store to get you pickles and ice cream and tons of chocolate. I want to hold your hand and put a cool washcloth to your forehead when you have morning sickness. I will love to watch you look at yourself in the mirror to see if you're showing yet. I will love picking out names for our baby."
Sam continued to cry as he talked.
"I will even love arguing over what color to paint the nursery. I will love to be with you when we pick out a rocking chair, cute stuffed animals and tiny booties. I will love to be there to give you back rubs when you start complaining of backaches. I would love to be there when your tummy is so big, you can't see your feet. I will even love it when your hormones kick in and you get moody and cranky and start to cry for absolutely no reason. I will love to watch you waddle when you walk and I'll rub your feet for you when you're tired. I will love it when I get to spoon in bed with you and hold your tummy in my hand and feel our baby kick. I will love you telling me to drive faster because you will absolutely not have this baby in the truck on the side of the road. I will love to be there when you're in labor and hear you yell at me that you'll never let me touch you again. And I will absolutely adore the look of love on your face when the doctor puts our baby in your arms for the very first time and you start to cry tears of joy."
"Oh, Jack" Sam whispered as she clung to him and he rested his head on top of hers.
Sam hugged him tight and in a few moments, she sniffed and looked into his eyes. "How could I have ever doubted that you would want a child."
"Don't ever doubt it, Sam" he said as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears from her cheeks. "Becoming a father again, even at my age, would make me the happiest man in the universe, especially with the woman that I've been madly in love with for so many years."
"So, we're really going to do this?" Sam said as she looked into Jack's beautiful brown eyes.
"Well, maybe not here on the floor but . . ."
"Jack!" Sam squeaked.
"I really prefer the bed, it's much more comfortable" he said as she slapped his arm.
"Ouch! What'd I do?" he said as he rubbed his arm as if she had really hurt him and he started to grin.
"You're impossible" she said with a giggle.
"Oh, but you love me" he said as he pulled her to him and she closed her eyes and just enjoyed being in his arms.
"Yes, I do. So very much" she said as she ran her hands up and down his back.
"Are you happy, Sam?" he asked as he slowly started to rock her from side to side.
"Happier than I've ever been in my life, Jack."
"Why were you so hesitant about talking to me about this?" he asked as they continued to rock.
Sam didn't answer for a few moments, then she let go to take his hand and they sat down at the table.
"Well, I wasn't really sure how you would feel about having another child after Charlie."
"For the longest time I didn't think I'd ever want to be a father again. Then I met this beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed, very intelligent woman that really threw me for a loop the first time I set eyes on her, and she has turned my world upside down ever since and I've loved every minute of it."
Sam stood up, then sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck.
"You want a boy or a girl?"
"A little girl would be nice, even though at five years of age she'll probably be way smarter than me and you'll teach her to talk technobabble and then I'll have to put up with two super intelligent females, for cryin' out loud!"
"And you'll love it because although she may be super intelligent, she'll be a daddy's girl and you'll spoil her absolutely rotten" Sam said with a laugh.
He grinned at her. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"And if it's a boy?" she asked as she tilted her head.
"A son would be okay too. I could teach him the finer things of life. Like fishing and hockey and we could watch the Simpsons together and we could get him a dog to play with.
"You could do those things with a little girl, too" Sam said as she kissed Jack on the cheek.
"Yeah. Oh, I don't care, Sam. Boy or girl is fine with me. But my first concern is for you, honey. I know you want a child but with everything you've been through, your health is most important."
"Thanks, Jack, but I really want a baby and it will be worth whatever I have to go through to have one."
"And I'll be there to go through it with you" he said as he pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Will you really rub my feet for me?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeahsureyoubetcha" Jack said as he kissed her. "This is going to be great, Sam. You're going to be a wonderful mother."
She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Oh Jack, you're so sweet."
"Now that's a word that people rarely use to describe me."
"Other people aren't married to you so they don't know that you can be sweet and thoughtful."
"I guess" Jack said shyly.
"Oh, your breakfast is getting cold" Sam said as she stood up and started to walk towards the stove.
Jack stood and grabbed her hand. "It's okay, Sam. I think we have better things to do at the moment" he said as he suddenly picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
THE END