Carter Residence
Colorado Springs, Colorado
February 14, 2004

Sam huddled closer in the blanket she had wrapped around herself when another shiver ran down her back and tore her gaze away from her laptop. She hadn't slept well last night – not surprising after the bombshell Janet had dropped – and now she was cold and tired. Too tired to get up and fiddle with the gas fireplace's settings. Her eyes were burning as well, from the lack of sleep and staring at computer screens and books for most of the day. God, she felt miserable.

Idly she wondered if that was the fault of the fetus growing inside of her and whether she was only experiencing these symptoms now that she was aware of its existence.

The ultrasound from yesterday hadn't given much answers, like Janet had warned beforehand, but at least now Sam knew there really was a fetus in her womb and fortunately it was only one. According to Daniel it "looked human enough" and she had to admit it had looked more like an undeveloped baby than she had expected.

Teal'c had been fascinated by the whole experience of seeing an unborn child on the monitor but she herself had been less thrilled. Of course, with his annoying habit of seeing right through her façade the Colonel had noticed it and tried to lighten the mood by saying the baby was frowning and squinting at its hand the way she looked at a doohickey.

It was nice to know her teammates were supportive and had just needed a moment to get over the shock of her unexpected pregnancy, which seemed to indicate they valued their friendship as much as she did. However, in the end she was the one to whom it was happening. The one who had a new life growing inside of her. Something she hadn't asked for and it terrified her. How had she ended up like this and why hadn't she noticed anything?

There were still too many unanswered questions. Not only had she been unaware of the pregnancy but she also had no idea how far along she was exactly, meaning pinpointing the conception was even more difficult. The fact she had her period less than a month ago contradicted the development of the fetus, even she could tell that with her untrained eye and limited knowledge of babies.

After her sleepless night Sam had slept in this morning and once she'd had breakfast she had gone over her calendar and checked everything in her schedule since roughly three months ago. Nothing had popped up though, no brilliant epiphanies about when this could have taken place. She had also checked her off-duty hours but she didn't really have much of a social life and usually only went out with Janet or her teammates. In the unlikely event she had been drugged and attacked she was also pretty sure someone would have noticed at work, especially with all the exams she underwent and blood tests that were done for every mission.

Her stomach roiled at the mere thought but she wasn't naïve enough to rule it out, although that still didn't explain the lack of birth control hormones in her system. Tomorrow, when Doctor Rosenberg would examine her she could pinpoint the date of conception, which should make it easier to determine the possible methods of impregnation. Still, her schedule for November and even December showed an almost pathetic number of times she had gone out, and those were all with friends and times that she got home safely – spending the night alone. Perhaps that meant it had happened off-world and she and her teammates would have to go over every mission report they'd filed around the time of conception to see if there were discrepancies in their experiences.

When she shivered again she finally got up and started to make coffee, before deciding to take a shower in the hopes of warming up and moved towards the bathroom. Ten minutes later Sam finished up and reached for a towel when she thought she heard the doorbell and wondered who could possibly be dropping by. Pausing, she pricked up her ears but not hearing anything she figured she had imagined it and wrapped the cloth around her body. With a wiper she cleaned the misted over mirror above the counter and then applied some facial cream.

"Carter? Oh, Caaarter?"

Sam froze as she heard the voice of her CO coming from her entry hall and wondered what the hell he was doing at her house. She grabbed the robe hanging on the bathroom door and slipped it on before venturing out in the hall. "Sir? What are you doing here?"

Colonel O'Neill actually looked surprised to see her. "Carter! I didn't think you were home."

"Then why are you here, Sir?"

"Um," he averted his gaze, looking everywhere but at her as he absentmindedly brushed some snow off his shoulders and hair. "Well, after we got back from our overnight recon mission the Doc wanted to keep Daniel in the infirmary. Apparently he's been having trouble sleeping lately and he was so exhausted he fell asleep during his watch," he grumbled. "Something about weird dreams, or something. Anyway, they gave him a mild sedative to catch up on some hours of shuteye in his base quarters."

Sam allowed herself a small smile, realizing that explained the strange and incomprehensible message Daniel had left on her voicemail earlier today. "Okay… but that still doesn't explain-"

"Oh!" The Colonel looked abashed and held up a small bag. "Daniel wanted to swing by once we got back but since he's staying on base he asked if I could drop this off. Teal'c was supposed to join me but he got called away for a meeting with the Rebel Jaffa and Doc Fraiser insisted I check up on you since it's practically on my way home anyway."

"Give me a minute to get dressed, Sir," she said, pointing in the general direction of her bedroom.

"That's okay, Carter. I wasn't planning on staying."

For some reason she felt strangely disappointed but like the dutiful second-in-command she nodded in understanding. "Of course, Sir. I'll walk you out."

"I didn't mean to barge in on you but with all the lights out I figured you were probably on a hot date, so I used my emergency key to leave the bag in the hall," he explained.

"A hot date?" Sam snorted in amusement. Right now, dating was the last thing on her mind!

Colonel O'Neill shrugged and looked ill at ease as he made his way over to the door. "Yeah, you know, it being Valentine's and all."

She frowned for a moment, not having realized the date up until now. It had clicked that it had been Friday the 13th when Janet had given her the awful news yesterday, but she hadn't made the connection with the commercial holiday. That also explained Daniel's present, she thought to herself; the last few years he'd usually gotten her a card and a clichéd teddy bear or chocolates for Valentine's Day. She thought it was cute that he made the effort, knowing the gesture was innocent and didn't have a hidden meaning since he also gave chocolates to the female infirmary personnel, seeing as how much time he spent there. "I hadn't even realized, Sir."

"Must have bigger issues on your mind right now, eh?" He said with a grimace, glancing down at her stomach.

"You have no idea," Sam muttered dejectedly as she reached for the doorknob. To her embarrassment her stomach started growling just as the Colonel was coming up behind her.

"Carter, when's the last time you had something to eat?"

She blushed and turned to look at him. "Um, I had some… er, lunch a few hours ago."

He just looked at her sternly for a minute before checking his watch. Sighing, he seemed to come to a decision. "You like Chinese takeout, don't you?"

"Uh, I guess, Sir."

"Okay," he nodded to himself and then gently grabbed her by the shoulders and moved her aside. "I got myself some takeout on the way over here, there's enough for two."

Realizing he was going out into the snow again to share his dinner with her Sam held out a hand, not wanting to impose on his free evening. "Oh, really Sir, that's not necessary."

"You need to take good care of yourself, Carter," the Colonel countered as he grabbed the doorknob. As if rethinking his decision, he stopped and glanced at her with a sheepish look on his face. "Unless, of course, you don't want the company… that's fin-"

"No! I'd love some company, Sir," she hastened to say.

A boyish grin was shot her way before he pulled open the door. "Okay, be right back!"

Sam watched him go and left the front door open figuring he could find his way to the kitchen, and snuck back into her bedroom to change into something a bit more appropriate. Putting on some clean underwear she caught a glimpse of her body in the full-length mirror and couldn't resist taking a closer look. She focused her gaze on the reflection of her abdomen, twisting and turning from side to side to check it out from all angles. In the dim light she could see the miniscule bump as she rested her hand on it, but she knew it wouldn't be visible to the casual observer.

Not yet, anyway.

Her breathing hitched as realization came down on her in full force, making her look down her body at the offensive change with wide eyes. "What am I supposed to do now?" She hadn't asked for any of this and she certainly hadn't expected or planned for herself to become a single mother at this stage of her career.

And she really, really would have preferred it if Daniel hadn't mentioned the possibility of the baby not being human. Now she couldn't forget about it. Sure, it had looked like a human fetus but how much experience did she have on the subject anyway? Maybe this particular alien race was different from regular humans, meaning she wasn't as far along as she would be with a normal pregnancy. Of course, even if it was her ovum that had somehow been fertilized the product could still be a human/alien hybrid, or something.

God, Sam didn't even want to think about that possibility.

She should probably ask Janet about the security clearance this consultant from the Academy Hospital had, just in case it wasn't a normal fetus inside of her. Sam knew Doctor Rosenberg had some idea of what went on at the SGC because of her previous work at the base but didn't know the extent of the information the woman had been read in on…

A knock sounded on the door. "Carter? Dinner's ready."

Catching her sappy smile in the mirror Sam silently chastised herself for the reaction his simple words elicited. He was just being a good CO and a supportive friend. It was clear he didn't really want to be here but he had still dropped by when Daniel and Janet had asked him. Okay, so maybe he had relied on Teal'c to accompany him to make this less awkward but there was no reason why the two of them couldn't just have dinner together, like normal people.

"Coming, Sir," she called over her shoulder. With three large steps she was near her dresser and quickly got her sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt out. A minute later she was dressed and dragging a comb through her hair.

It was just dinner, she reminded herself. After putting on some socks Sam made her way out of the bedroom and walked into the kitchen. To her surprise there were only a few empty takeout boxes sitting on the counter, along with two glasses of water. "I think I have a couple of beers in the fridge, Sir, or maybe some wine," she called out, silently wondering if he even drank wine.

"Water's fine, Carter," was his distant reply.

She stepped into the living room, recognizing the stacked books on the coffee table as the ones she'd been reading all day – in the dining room. "You didn't have to go through the trouble of cleaning up, Sir," she said, finally spotting him near the set dinner table.

"No trouble at all," he replied, looking at her over his shoulder. "I figured this would be more comfortable than on those high chairs of yours in the kitchen."

"The sofa would have been fine too," Sam protested softly. She hardly ever ate dinner in there, only using the dining room for when she was working at home and needed more space or comfort than her study could offer, just like this afternoon. Only when it had gotten darker and colder and her back had gotten stiff from the dining chairs had she moved to the sofa with her laptop.

Colonel O'Neill smiled impishly at her when she rounded the table and faced him. "Wasn't sure you were the kind of person to eat off the couch… Of course, that was based on how neat, tidy and organized your lab always is and before I saw the books strewn all over the table. I hadn't expected such a mess, Carter. Or all the pictures and knickknacks."

She knew he was only teasing but couldn't stop the flush creeping up her cheeks. He had only been here a handful of times, she realized and it was usually work-related so he probably hadn't paid much attention to the interior design or decorations. Team nights were usually spent at his place, or a bar in town, and Christmas was often at Janet's house. "If I'd known you were coming I'd have tidied up, Sir."

"It's no big deal," he grinned, gesturing for her to take a seat. "Seems like you've had your nose in those library books all day. Fraiser half expected you to be in your lab today, but I can see why you stayed home."

"I couldn't stand the uncertainty and figured I should probably look into this whole…" Sam gestured at her abdomen before sitting down. "… thing. From what I read it seems she was right about me being in my second trimester."

"We'll know more tomorrow, when that consultant checks you out with her fancy equipment," the Colonel said.

Then he turned and went into the kitchen, presumably to get the drinks she'd forgotten to take with her. Now that she was seated Sam was pleasantly surprised to see the effort he'd taken into setting the table. It wasn't anything fancy or romantic but certainly more than she would have done if she was alone. Somehow, this felt more intimate and the fact that this was the first time outside of work that the two of them had dinner together without the rest of the team contributed to that feeling, just like the dim lighting throughout the house and the snow blowing against the window in the darkness.

Had circumstances been different she might have even enjoyed it.

"Oh and Carter?" Jack leaned over the back of the sofa to look into the dining room. "This," he held up a plate with two pieces of toast that were barely nibbled on, "does not constitute as lunch." She ducked her head in embarrassment but didn't say anything, so he figured she got the message. He'd found the 'meal' underneath the books on the dinner table to his surprise. From the looks of it she hadn't been very hungry and more or less just forgot about her toast after placing a book atop the plate.

It hadn't escaped his attention that the books had all been about getting pregnant, pregnancy and the development of the fetus but nothing so far about once the baby came out. A quick peek at the laptop's screen before closing it had shown all the notes she'd made, comparing the information Fraiser had provided with what was in the books and Carter's very own timeline for the past couple of months. If there had been even the slightest doubt in his mind about whether she was telling the truth about not knowing how she'd gotten pregnant all the work she had done today was enough to convince him. The number of books and the details of her notes indicated how frantic she'd been researching the matter since leaving the infirmary yesterday.

Grabbing the glasses of water he made his way back to the table and set them down, taking his own seat across from Carter. Jack tried to ignore how natural it felt to be sitting here having dinner with her as she gave him a small smile before digging in to her meal. After a moment of silence he decided to tell her about the recon mission she'd been forced to sit out as he slowly ate his meal, knowing Carter would probably try to read up on their mission reports anyway.

Conversation was soon flowing naturally and he even managed to draw out a few genuine smiles from Carter, which pleased him immensely after how quiet and more or less withdrawn she had been since yesterday. She was looking tired too, dark circles present under her eyes and he figured she probably hadn't slept well, so Jack took it upon himself to do most of the talking even though he normally wasn't that talkative. To his surprise Carter actually cleared her plate before he did, so he offered her the rest of his food but she claimed she wasn't hungry anymore. He knew she'd eaten quite a bit so he accepted her answer and quickly finished up his own meal.

She got up and started collecting their plates and glasses, intent on clearing the table apparently. "I made some coffee before I took a shower but it's probably already cold. I could make us-"

"I'll do it. You go curl up on the sofa," he said, taking the dishes from her and making his way into the kitchen before she could protest. Five minutes later he joined her in the living room, dishwasher filled up and two steaming mugs in his hands. "There ya go."

"Hot chocolate?" Carter questioned, her nose scrunched up in confusion.

Jack winced, knowing she wasn't going to like it. "Um, the Doc said you probably shouldn't drink too much caffeine. Coffee contains at least ten times more."

"Oh great."

A long silence followed during which he sipped his hot chocolate and he was pleased to see Carter slowly relax again as she pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and placed it over her lap, tucking her feet under her. He knew he was no good at talking feelings but his gut instinct was hardly ever wrong and even before he came here it had been telling him that his 2IC was – understandably – less than pleased with the situation she found herself in and he was even more convinced of that fact now. So he figured this wasn't the right time to bring up Fraiser's question about whether Carter had picked up the prenatal vitamins she had prescribed.

After placing his now empty mug on the coffee table he leaned back in his seat and studied Carter's profile in the dim lighting as she breathed in the scent of hot cocoa, eyes closed and lips resting on the mug's rim. Dinner and the hot beverage had brought some color to her face but she still looked tired, almost troubled even. Jack couldn't begin to understand what she was going through; he'd had a mild panic attack when Sara told him she was pregnant and they'd been married and planning a family at the time!

Carter, however, was a career officer – a pretty damn good one, too – and a single woman, who'd had no intention of having a kid and raising it on her own. Yet here she was, clearly still reeling from the news that she was expecting a child whose conception, and parentage even, was a complete mystery. Jack could still remember how Sara had often been complaining about practically raising Charlie alone, since he himself was away on missions so often but he had still been there when it mattered, and Charlie had been loved and wanted…

Samantha Carter hadn't asked for any of this and Jack couldn't help but recall the expression on her face during the sonogram. The Doc had indicated everything as best she could and just like the guys he'd been transfixed by the image of that tiny baby, but one look at Carter had sobered him right up. She had bravely tried to paste a smile on her face but he saw the misery and fear in her eyes, how her trembling lips had formed a wan smile when everyone looked at her all excitedly. Even Teal'c had looked excited compared to her and Daniel had been positively giddy in that somewhat naïve way of his, clearly not thinking about the impact this would have on her.

Jack hated that someone had done this to her without her consent and knowledge, causing her eyes to lose that sparkle and dimming that bright smile of hers. He silently vowed to do everything in his power to find out the truth and support her in whatever way possible. She deserved a whole lot better than this!

"So, how are you really dealing with all this, Carter?" He asked quietly, waiting for her to look up and meet his gaze.

"Honestly, Sir? I have no idea…"

Jack's heart clenched at her soft tone, laced with defeat. It scared him to hear her use those words because she always had an idea, even when the fate of the planet was at stake. "You know I'm no good at this crap… but I want you to know that we're here for you if you need us, okay?"

She smiled a little and nodded. "And I appreciate that." But it was almost painfully obvious that she felt she was in this alone – and in a way she was, he realized.

"Whatever you decide," he tried gently. When she turned her attention back to her beverage without so much as an acknowledgment of his statement, Jack tried to see this through her eyes. There she was, once again, forced to share her body with something that could quite possibly be alien and one way or another would change her irrevocably. Okay, it wasn't a snake wrapped around her spine or an alien entity downloaded into her brain hell-bent on taking her over her life and body, but she had still been violated, used and left to deal with the consequences alone.

"Thank you, Sir," Carter said, after a moment of silence.

Jack nodded and moved to get up. "Maybe I should get going. It's getting late and no offense, but you look like you could use some sleep."

"Dinner was great, thanks."

"Don't get up, I can walk myself out." He held up a hand to forestall any movement from her and when she relaxed into the cushions again, he grinned and leaned over to properly tuck the blanket around her. "Oh and don't forget Daniel's present, or you've put up with me all evening for nothing."

Carter held out her hands when he retrieved the bag and placed it on her lap, a blush gracing her features. "It's just a silly Valentine's Day gift, it doesn't mea-"

"I know." And he did, he knew Daniel always got her something for Valentine's and all the other holidays that were considered inappropriate to give your 2IC a little gift, so he never did. Not because he didn't want to but because he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to her and his inappropriate feelings. Apparently civilians like Daniel could get away with small things like those, especially with him giving half the female personnel on base chocolates for the commercial holiday even though technically the frat regs applied to relationships between civilian contractors and military personnel as well.

"Wait, Sir," she called out when he moved to leave. "Sometimes there are chocolates in here and you might like one for the road."

Jack replied to her shy smile with a lopsided grin of his. Shoving his hands in his pockets he impatiently rocked on the balls of his feet. Hey, he'd take what he could get and if that meant Carter was inadvertently giving him chocolates for Valentine's Day then he'd be a happy man. "Sweet!"

Carter looked up at him from underneath her lashes as she dug around in the bag and her smile widened. "A card," she muttered, lifting the item. It had one of those standard Valentine's greetings on it and he was pleased to see her only glance over it briefly to check the message on the inside before putting it aside again. "Daniel wrote another apology on it."

"Ah," he nodded. "He ordered it online yesterday before we left for the mission and wrapped it up today." Jack had been there, feeling slightly envious that Daniel could just order a card and gift online for her when he himself couldn't even afford to show any affection to Carter and had brusquely stalked off to gear up. Then he'd been confronted with it again this afternoon when the archeologist asked him to drop by his personal quarters on his way out. Daniel had shown him the neatly wrapped package before stuffing it in the bag and making him promise to deliver it to Carter personally. "I think there were even two gifts."

"Ooh," she said, locking eyes with him, "chocolate and a teddy bear maybe?"

He chuckled, even though he realized her enthusiasm was mostly show. But at least she was trying. "Who knows. Maybe it's all the guilt over eavesdropping."

Carter quickly unwrapped the first gift, showing a corny stuffed bear holding a red heart in its paws. "It's cute," she said, briefly holding it up for him to see before taking the last item out of the bag. ""I'm really sorry"," she read aloud from the small attached card.

"Hmm, maybe he's really sorry," Jack said dryly. But she didn't respond and taking a closer look he realized all humor and color had been wiped from her face as she stared at the opened gift.

Baby booties.

Five pairs of tiny knitted booties with cute little furry animal heads on 'em. Christ! "I'm gonna kill him," he muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. God, why did Daniel always have to put his foot in? For someone so smart he sure could be stupid!

"No," Carter cleared her throat awkwardly and blinked a few times. "It's okay, Sir. He's just…"

"… being Daniel?" Jack asked acerbically.

"He's just being nice and supportive," she said, absentmindedly collecting the discarded wrapping paper.

"Gimme that," he muttered, tossing the paper aside and placing the offending booties on the coffee table out of her reach. Seeing her draw her legs up even further to wrap her arms around them Jack plopped back down onto the sofa next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "C'mere." Carter didn't really cooperate, her muscles tensing against the move but she didn't fight him as he awkwardly pulled her into a hug.

They sat like that for a while and at some point she finally relaxed against him, letting her head rest in the crook of his neck and he simply held her. After an hour he realized she had fallen asleep and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, but she didn't stir.

"Carter?" Not getting any response other than her soft snore Jack pulled away slightly and maneuvered her limp body so that he could easily lift her, leaving the blanket behind. The sofa was no place to spend the night, certainly not in her condition so he quietly carried her to her bedroom, where he placed her on the covers and took her fluffy socks off. From the other side he pulled the covers down and laid her on the mattress and was surprised she remained fast asleep.

It probably wouldn't be very comfortable to spend the night in her clothes but he so wasn't going to remove anything else. He leaned over to the nightstand to disable the alarm, hoping she would take the opportunity to sleep in and after casting a last glance at her still flat stomach, he pulled the covers up to her chin.

"G'night, Carter," Jack whispered, leaning down to give into the urge to press a kiss to her forehead before leaving.