"He's beautiful, Sam, really beautiful," her husband said, looking from the bundle he held in his arms to where she lay in a hospital bed.

"Yeah..." She murmured softly. "Looks like his daddy."

Jack grinned. "Good thing too."

"Why? Don't you think I'm pretty?" She asked with a wry grin. She didn't feel too pretty after everything she'd just gone through.

"Of course I do. But you can always tell if a kid gets his looks from his dad..."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You can tell because their moms still have theirs." He said with a teasing chuckle.

She laughed softly. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

She sighed contentedly in her sleep as her work cell rang loudly. She groaned as she woke herself.

"Work?" Jack murmured as he tightened his grip on her torso.

"Yep." She said, reaching for the cell as she turned on a light.

"Ack! Carter!" He cried, reacting sharply to the light that attacked his eyes.

"Sorry, Jack." She said before she opened the phone. "Carter," she greeted.

"Ma'am, we have a situation with SG-4." One of the technicians said, urgently. "They say it's urgent that they debrief immediately."

"I'll be there in ten." She sighed as she woke herself more fully. She hung up the phone before looking over at her husband. She kissed the top of his gray-haired head, affectionately. "Gotta go," she murmured in his ear.

His response was muffled by the pillow he'd thrust his face into as she turned on the table lamp.

"What?" She asked, running her finger across his bare shoulders.

He lifted his head, obviously against his better judgment. "Okay. I'll see you later. Love you." He shot out before he let his head hit the pillow again.

She smiled affectionately as she gently kissed his shoulder. "I love you too, you crazy, crazy man."

"Mr. President, I assure you that we have taken the necessary precautions," she said, sitting in her desk chair in her dress blues, as she held the red receiver in hand.

"General Carter," he continued. "I don't know if you understand the gravity of the situation. If this infection breeches containment, it could be like small pox all over again."

"Mr. President, with all due respect," she interrupted. "I understand the gravity of the situation perfectly. The alien contagion that SG-4 brought back has been handled to the IOA's specifications. The team radioed ahead to inform us of their infection, and they have been isolated accordingly. As we speak, however, as a secondary precaution, I have Dr. Lam checking all SGC personnel for evidence of the infection. If any additional evidence is found, then I will be sure to initiate the appropriate level of containment, and I will inform both your office and the IOA."

"General, it was quite a fight to get you in charge of the SGC after what happened in Atlantis," the President said, seriously.

"And what did happen in Atlantis?" She demanded, getting somewhat angry at the second reference to the IOA's dislike of her command style in the last half-hour. "What happened was that Dr. Woolsey was appraising my work only to discover that some of the procedures which are usually perfectly well-intentioned, and even carefully planned out, are not always appropriate to the situation. I am glad to abide by their regulations as long as it is understood that I need some flexibility to ensure the survival of my staff. Those are the very qualifications which the Air Force has praised me so highly for in the past."

"Look, General," the President said with a more soothing tone. "The point is that we can't afford to lose another commander of that base. To retirement or the IOA's extraction."

She bit back several choice comments and words. "Yes, sir."

"Now, I have to get to another meeting. Let me know the next time you'll be in DC, and bring your husband to dinner, okay?"

"All right." She said, swallowing as she hung up the phone. She leaned back in the chair with her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to regain her composure from the maddening conversation with the President.

A knock on the door forced her to open her eyes and looked up at it. An instant smile lit up her face. "Daniel."

"Hard day?"

"You have no idea." She sighed. "But that's behind us. How are you?"

"Considerably better than you," he chuckled. "I don't have to play the same politics."

"Too true." She said, shaking her head.

"What is it this time?"

"The President's getting worried about the infection that SG-4 brought back through the Gate. Says the IOA's watching me closely."

"Because they think you screwed up in Atlantis?"

"Oh yeah," she said, shaking her head.

"Sorry to hear it," he said, seriously. "If it makes a difference, I think you're one of the best commanders we've had at this base."

"Thank you, Daniel." She said with a small smile. She inhaled. "Okay, what did you need?"

"Actually, a consultation."

"For what?" She asked, confused.

"A device that you studied at length."

"Ah. I think I can squeeze that into my schedule." She said, standing. "Walter?"

"Yes, ma'am?" The Chief Master Sergeant asked, poking his head around the corner. "If you need me I'll be with Daniel in his lab, looking at a device he needs my help with."

"What about your meeting at 1400 hours?"

She looked at her watch. 1310. "I'll be back." She assured. "Call me if I'm not back by 1350."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sam studied the cylindrical device with a critical gaze as Daniel looked over at her. "So, you're, uh, trying to get pregnant again, huh?"

She hesitated her work, somewhat surprised at the directness of his statement. "Who told you that?"

"Jack. He wanted me to keep an eye on you."

"Oh." She said, nodding slowly.

"You wanna talk about it?'

She sighed. "Not really. I have a lot of work to do, and I can't really have that at the forefront of my mind while I do it."

Daniel nodded, slowly. "Right."

She returned to her work for a moment before she looked back at him. "Daniel, do you ever wonder if the sacrifices we made weren't...too high a cost for our work?"

"Everyday." He admitted, slowly.

For the first time in a long time, Sam remembered Daniel's sacrifice. The first of many sacrifices offered by the SG-1 team in the exploration of the galaxy.

"I'm sorry. That was a...senseless...question to ask you of all people," she whispered, somewhat shamed.

"It's okay, Sam, it's been almost fifteen years since Sha're was taken by the goa'uld in the first place." He said, softly. "It's okay to talk about her."

She managed a grateful smile.

"Can I tell you something?" Daniel asked, looking over at her.

"Always, Daniel." She said, seriously. "I may not want to hear it, but you wouldn't say anything you didn't think needed to be said..."

"Try to tell that to Jack." Daniel muttered.

Sam chuckled. "He's a "get to the point" kind of guy."

He nodded, appreciatively, before he looked over at Sam. "You and Jack are the kind of couple that I would have killed to meet when I was in foster care. A couple that likes kids, and is as open to love them as you both are. I mean, you've both been there for Cassie since she got here fifteen years ago. Even when Janet was still alive."

Sam smiled softly at the thought of her surrogate daughter. "She's getting married, you know?"

"Cassie?" He said, surprised. "I hadn't heard that."

She nodded.

"That's great." He said, happily.

"It's that guy she's been dating back in Baltimore. Cameron Livingston. He's just finishing up law school."

"He's a great guy." Daniel said, nodding quietly.

Sam could see on his face that he remembered all too well the circumstances under which he'd met the young man. One of the weekends after the miscarriage where Daniel was still staying with the O'Neills and Cassie came down to try and cheer her up.

"Jack and I approve as well." Sam said with a small nod as she returned to her work, hoping that Daniel's awkward conversation was finished.

"I guess all that I'm saying," he began after a brief pause. "Is that you and Jack would make great parents, and Grace...and whatever other children you get through adoption or conception...well, they're lucky."

"Thank you." She said with an uncomfortable smile as she looked at her watch. 1345. "You know, Daniel...I have a meeting."

"Right. Who's it with?"

"IOA." She sighed as she left. "I just hope they don't decide to fire me again."

The meeting was long and boring. As she'd expected. But now it was over, and she was getting ready to go home.

"Samantha!" Vala cried as she walked into Sam's office.

Sam turned with a small smile. "Vala!"

"How are you?"

"More than ready to go home..." Sam admitted. "How about you?"

"I'm all right." She said with a secretive smile.

"What is it?" Sam asked, noticing the sparkle in Vala's eyes.

"Daniel and I are going on a date!"

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"His friend is getting married, and he asked me to accompany him."

Sam looked over at her, uncomfortably. "He might be asking..."

"He said that it was a date," Vala said, seriously. "In those words."

Sam smiled softly. "Well...that's good."

"But...that leaves me with a problem."

"You need to go shopping for a new outfit," Sam chuckled softly.

"Yes, and you must come with me!" Vala begged.

"When?"

"Anytime before Saturday."

"I'll see if I can get away," Sam promised. "But we might have to bring Grace along."

"Of course! I love little Gracie."

Sam cringed inwardly at her friend's attempt to be cute, but if anyone knew Grace well, they'd know she was far from a "little Gracie" and more like a Grace Kelly in the making. "Look, why don't I check my schedule, talk to Jack and get back to you, okay?"

"All right."

Sam pulled her coat over her blues as Reynolds entered her office. "Well...I'm officially off-duty. Keep 'em safe, Reynolds."

"Yes, ma'am." He said, soberly.

She walked into her home twenty minutes later. It had taken her too long to get away from the Mountain with questions and "good nights" from half the base. Still, it had made her heart a little lighter to have the reminder of such happy faces instead of the memory of her meeting with the IOA.

"Hey!" Jack said, surprised. "You're home in time for dinner!"

"I know...probably not going to happen for another millennium," she sighed.

"Bad day at work?"

"Average day at work," she shrugged before kissing his lips. "Where's Grace?"

"Reading. She wants to get the most reading points in her class..."

"Reading points?"

"Yeah, it's a friendly competition, and she has it in her mind that she's going to win."

Sam chuckled softly. "At the rate she goes through books, she probably will."

He smiled. "It's nice to be awake when you get home."

"It's nice to see you awake," she said, managing a small smile as she looked over at him.

"You look tired."

"I'm always tired." She shrugged.

"Anything wrong?"

"Besides the fact that I have the world on my shoulders everyday?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. "No."

"You can do this, Sam."

"I know." She sighed softly. "But it's so much easier not to have to deal with the IOA or the politics of the program, and just shoot the bad guys."

He laughed softly. "Who said you can't shoot them?"

"The IOA or the bad guys?" She asked, confused.

"Either. Both. Whomever you feel like at the time."

She giggled, releasing some of her tension.

"There you go. Now, go put your feet up and watch some television. I'll bring dinner to you, okay?"

"You don't have to do that, Jack..."

"I want to." He said, seriously.

He turned back to his task before Sam leaned against the doorway. "Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Why'd you tell Daniel we were trying to have another baby?" She asked, softly.

He looked over as he inhaled softly. "Uh...thought it might be nice for him to keep an eye on you. Like I would have..."

"Jack..."

"Look, Sam, if you did get pregnant, and something happened, I know you'd hate yourself."

She swallowed, not wanting to admit it.

"I just thought...if there's anyway to protect you from that hurt again...I'd do what I could."

She managed a grateful smile. "Well...despite the awkward conversation...thank you."

"Awkward conversation?"

She managed an uncomfortable smile. "Uh...Daniel just...doesn't have much tact when it comes to...babies..."

"Ah." He said, nodding. "Who knew?"

She smiled softly before she moved to walk into the living room.

"Hey, Sam?"

She turned, too tired to verbally respond.

"I love you. And if you want, I'll keep quiet about the trying..."

Tears moistened her eyes as she looked back at him. "Thanks."

He nodded, soberly.

"I love you too, Jack." She murmured before turning back to go into the living room.