One Month Later

Even though she was half asleep, Sam felt a light kiss being placed on her shoulder and then the strong arms that had been holding her close slowly released her. The warmth of his body pulled away from her and she let out a little moan in protest. Another blanket was gently pulled up from the foot of the bed and tucked around her shoulders.

"Shh love," she heard him whisper in her ear, "just sleep ... my beautiful Sam … my wife ..."

Wife … A deep sigh of pleasure washed over her. It had been her wedding day. She was married. She was Samantha Jackson … Colonel Samantha Jackson.

"I won't be offended if you keep your own name," Daniel had said to her when they were going over the details of the wedding and other financial matters a few weeks earlier.

"No," she had told him, "we are going to be a family … Daniel, Samantha, Jonathan and Laura Jackson. One family … one name."

It had been such a long day … a beautiful one but so long. Surrounded by friends they declared their love to each other in Jack and Sarah's backyard. Jack, with Jon in his arms, stood dutifully by Daniel's side and Cassie, who held Laura, stood next to Sam. After a wonderful afternoon of food, friendship and even a little dancing all the guests eventually left. Jack and Sarah offered to keep the little ones so Sam and Daniel could have a little honeymoon, but newlywed couple graciously declined.

Warm pleasant memories of the day flowed through her. When they came home she fed the babies and then Daniel made love to her with such ferocity that she had never seen in him. He did such wondrous things to her body and brought her to the brink over and over again until she was totally spent. Now, slowly waking up, Sam reached over to his side of the bed hoping that he would still be there, but he was gone. She groggily pulled herself and looked sadly at the open door of their tiny bedroom.

They were temporarily renting a small house near the mountain until they could find something more permanent. For about a week after the twins were born they had stayed in VIP quarters as they were unsure of what the future held. After careful consideration, Sam decided that she did not want to return to Atlantis. In fact she had seriously considered retiring, but Daniel convinced her to not to make a hasty decision. In the end she decided to take six months of maternity leave and General Landry promised her that she could take more than that if she needed to.

A small sad sigh escaped her lips as she pushed the blankets off her naked body and reached for her robe. The clock on the nightstand read 03:30. She had hoped that on their wedding night of all nights that he would not have left her side, but then why would it be any different. It was part of his obsession.

She walked out of the bedroom and crossed the hall into the tiny nursery. He was where she always found him every night, for the past month, sitting in her rocking chair between the two cribs. His arms were wrapped around his waist and he was softly singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Some nights it was a different song, but Twinkle Twinkle seemed to be the one he sang the most.

He would usually sit there until she came for the babies next feeding. No words were usually spoken between them. Laura would usually wake up first, loudly demanding her mother's attention. Sam would begin to feed her and then little Jon would wake up awhile later. Daniel would lift him out of the crib and settle him on his mother's lap so he could suckle on her other breast. About that time Laura would need burping and Daniel would take her and walk her around the room, until it was Jon's turn. When the baby's tummies were full and they were settled back down into their cribs, Daniel would stay by their side for a few more minutes before he would eventually follow Sam back to their bed.

At first Sam was worried about Daniel's strange behavior but Carson ran every test he could think of and found nothing wrong with him. Carson had agreed to come and take over temporarily as CMO of the SGC, as Carolyn was dealing with a difficult pregnancy and found that she could not adequately handle being in charge of the Infirmary. Sam was happy that Carson was there as she wasn't sure if some strange new doctor would have been as understanding as the gentle Scotsman was.

"He's physically fine Samantha. I think maybe he should talk to Dr. Williams," Carson had said to her about two weeks ago.

"Oh Carson, you know he is not exactly a fan of psychiatrists. He's had a few bad experiences with them."

"I know love, but Lisa is a wonderful doctor. She has a very quiet and comforting presence. Daniel would be in very good hands."

"I know you're right Carson, but I don't know how receptive Daniel will be."

Much to Sam's amazement, Daniel agreed to see Dr. Williams without any kind of resistance. He knew his behavior was not normal and even though it did not scare him, he was very frustrated why it was happening. Many nights he had tried to resist the urge to leave Sam's side, but no matter how hard he tried he always found himself sitting by the babies side in the middle of the night.

Sam knew he had been seeing the psychiatrist regularly now for the past few weeks, but nothing in his behavior had changed in that period of time. The only conclusion Dr. Williams could come to was that he was just an overprotective father and had a strong compulsion to keep his soon to be wife and children safe. She figured that eventually his need to visit the nursery every night would end. His health and his work were not suffering, he was not withdrawn from Sam or his colleagues and the fact that he was aware of his odd behavior was according to her very good signs.

Sam hovered in the doorway for a few minutes as Daniel continued to sing softly, now in another language, which she recognized as Abadonian. She never had really heard him sing before the twins were born. His voice was soft and soothing with just a hint of melancholy in it. She stayed by the door until the song was finished and then moved quietly to stand by his side. He felt her presence beside him and reached up for her hand which she placed in his.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered. His eyes briefly left his children and looked up at her before they returned to the cribs, "come sit with me."

"It's OK," she said settling herself onto his lap, "the little queen will soon be awake."

"She's already let out a few small squeaks," Daniel wrapped his arms around her and Sam did the same, nuzzling her head into his shoulder.

"You're cold." Sam looked up at him with concern and began to run her hands over his bare arms and chest. All he had on was a thin pair of sleep pants. A small moan of pleasure escaped from his lips as Sam began to place seductive kisses along the nape of his neck.

"Have I told you lately that I love you Mrs. Colonel Doctor Jackson," he managed to get out before her lips locked onto his. Their hands and mouths moved slowly and sensually over each other's bodies until their little queen decided it was time for her to eat.

SG1**SG1**SG1

"Do you have another update for us?"

"Yes. Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter were married today."

"Married? This is different than mating is it not?"

"In a way, yes. Marriage is an official declaration of their love for one another. A ceremony is conducted where they promise to be faithful and loyal to one another."

"I see … such strange customs these Tau'ri have. I understand you are conducting an experiment on Dr. Jackson. How are you progressing?"

"It is going well. His mind is very interesting; very complex. He has an intelligence that is rare in many humans."

"Then you agree now on our decision to use him instead of Jack O'Neill."

"Yes … but I still think we should keep observing the General. He still may prove to be useful as he has a deep affection for Daniel Jackson and his family."

"We agree with you on this point. He is still being monitored as are other people close to Dr. Jackson. If that is all we will excuse you. As always we look forward to your next report."