Chapter Three Summary - Daniel and Sam decide that they should go to Daniel's house, as the memories would be too overwhelming for Sam at her house. They also decide to take several weeks off together to see if they are compatible enough to become a mated pair. Selmak tells Sam what Per'sus decided about her status and the talk about the arrangements for Martouf's funeral. Daniel hits Jack.

Pairing - Sam/Daniel/Lantash

"Italics" - Symbiote-Host communication


Always Be Ours

Chapter Three

Keeping the Secret


Sam stood and stared at the wall for a while until a noise in the hall snapped her attention back to what she was doing. Sighing, she looked down at her desk and realized that she had finished, evidently, while on autopilot. She had everything packed that she needed to take to Daniel's house with her.

Lantash was still sleeping, and she didn't know how to tell he was there. Either that, or he had not blended deeply enough for her to sense him when he was dormant. She suspected it was that. He had said that once he discovered her pregnancy, he had not gone ahead and done a complete, deeper blending.

It made sense if he was planning, or hoping, to change hosts before he had to become dormant. The more she thought about him being asleep for the next eight months, the more the idea upset her.

She did not want him away from her for that long. She wanted to see his expression when he felt the baby kick for the first time. She wanted him there to experience all the little things that other fathers got to experience. At this rate, she would have herself talked into it, before Lantash and Daniel even put their plan in front of her.

And, what if that wasn't what they were planning on doing? What if she had completely misunderstood what she thought Lantash was trying to say to her this morning? Perhaps she should just out and out ask Daniel? Maybe not, too. If she did that, then there would be tension between them if he hadn't thought about doing that, so no, best not. Just let things develop naturally. She could do that, right? Sure. She could do that.

She jerked around at the knock on the door. "Are you about ready, Sam? I know I'm a little early, but I finished packing up what I wanted to take and decided I'd come by here for you instead of meeting you at the General's office. So, if you're not ready that's okay, I'll wait."

Daniel leaned up against the door-facing. He was casually dressed and Sam noticed how nicely he filled out his shirt. Had he always looked like that?

She reminded herself of all the times she'd seen him in briefs. She appreciated him beefcake, and she supposed now she could at last admit it. She had always been drawn to Daniel's mind, well, and his blue eyes and perfectly formed lips. However, though she had noticed his biceps before, she'd never let it go beyond appreciation.

What she'd never noticed before was the way he looked with the cuffs of his long sleeved shirts rolled up casually like that. Hot. That was how he looked. Sam blinked. Rolled up cuffs on his shirts made him look hot? Where had that come from?

Where was all of this coming from? If Lantash wasn't dormant she'd suspect he was putting these thoughts in her head. She couldn't seem to stop herself as her eyes followed the line of his body down to where the shirt tucked into a narrow waist followed by narrow hips and on down over strong, well-muscled, casually crossed legs. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. What was the matter with her?

She was even more stressed out than she knew, obviously. She opened her eyes only to find herself staring at a well filled-out spot somewhere just south of Daniel's belt. Samantha Carter did not check out her teammate like that.

Her eyes narrowed as her cheeks flushed. Lantash? Lantash! You did that, I know you did. When there was no answer, she was sure of it. Surely, if he had been innocent he would have answered her. Well, maybe not, since he was dormant. She wasn't sure what he could and couldn't do in that state.

Watching her, Daniel frowned. "Sam? Are you all right?" He stood up straight and walked over to her, clasping her by the arms to get her attention. "Hey, are you all right?"

Sam sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Daniel, I was trying to get Lantash's attention, but evidently he is in a deep dormant state, since I can't seem to rouse him. Are you ready, now? I've just finished so, if the General isn't busy, we could go any time."

Daniel nodded, and stepped to the phone. A minute later, he ushered her out the door and toward the General's office. "Sam, how much time do you want to take off? We both have weeks, maybe even months of leave. Do you have a preference on an amount of time?"

"I thought maybe we should start with a couple of weeks, with the option to take a few more if we need them. Would that be all right with you?"

Daniel was stunned. Sam was willing to forgo work for over a month? With him? Wow! He didn't know what she had been thinking, or more likely what Lantash had said to her, but whatever it was; she was taking it very seriously. "That sounds sensible to me, too, Sam. We'll need time to sort things out and make decisions about all kinds of stuff." He made his comment ambiguous to see what kind of response he'd get.

He almost passed out when she frowned, and then casually answered, "Yes, I suppose so. I like my house, but yours is bigger. And you have that great library you'd hate giving up. I suppose we could sell both and buy something else. In fact, that's what we should do. We'll want other kids, I imagine."

As Daniel tripped on his own feet, Sam turned to him, "Are you all right, Daniel? What's wrong?"

"Sam, what did you just say to me?"

"When? When you tripped?"

"No. No, right before that."

Sam frowned again. "I don't really remember, Daniel. To tell you the truth, my mind is kind of just floating from one thing to the next. I hope it doesn't start to annoy you. I'm hoping it is just part of the grieving process, and I'll get my head on straight soon." She took a deep breath. "Here we are."

Daniel reached around her and opened the door. Sam wasn't surprised to see her dad there. She shook her head at him. "Dad, can't you let me do anything on my own?"

"What? I just wanted to say goodbye, and I knew you'd be seeing George before I left. Seemed to be the easiest place to catch you. Listen, kid, you know, if you need anything, you tell George. He has a way to contact me. I mean it."

His eyes glowed and Selmak came forward. "Samantha, I wish to offer my condolences to you on the death of your mate, and at the same time, I must offer my best wishes at the news of the coming of his offspring."

"I am also, with Per'sus's agreement, as a member of the High Council, a privilege I rarely use, which makes its weight felt that much more deeply when I do, granting you the status and full honors of the remaining mate of a lost Tok'Ra, as well as the status and honors of a host. Whether you stay blended to Lantash, or not, will never matter. You will, from this day forward, always be welcomed by the Tok'Ra as a member of our community."

Sam felt Lantash take over. "Thank you for that, Selmak. It puts my mind at rest to know that Samantha would have both my and Martouf's belongings if something happens to me. You will see to it that the majority of our assets are kept safely, then, and the whereabouts will be given to more than one person?"

Selmak bowed. "They will be given to Malek, Per'sus, General Hammond, Daniel, Teal'c, myself, and Samantha. I will give the General and Teal'c their listings, but Samantha and Daniel's will, of course, be in the possessions that will arrive shortly."

"Once again, I thank you. Should anything change in our situation, we will contact you. I thank you, also, for that. You will see to it that Martouf is taken to his home-world for burial, as is the custom of his people?"

"Yes. Do you wish to attend, Lantash? It could be dangerous; there are rumors of minor system lords fighting over it again."

"I will not expose Samantha to that, and Martouf would not wish you to expose yourselves, either. He always said that, if he could not go home, he wished to go into the Stargate as many of our warriors do. I believe he would be content with that. He would not want to be on a world, his or not, that was being fought over by System Lords."

"Selmak nodded. "I believe you are correct, Lantash. We can do it here if you wish us to. I will see if Anise has managed to obtain the information she needed. We must hope she did. He would have liked knowing that he is helping to save lives, with the giving of his."

"Yes."

"You need to talk to General Hammond. I will return shortly."

"We will be here." Lantash's words were jerky. Daniel put his hand on his arm, realizing that inside of Lantash, Sam was torn in two with this talk of a funeral for Martouf. At least when Sha'uri had died he had several days to prepare himself for the funeral. This was too fast. Sam wasn't ready for this.

"Selmak?"

"Yes, Dr. Jackson?"

"Do you always do these things so quickly?"

"Not usually, no. But Martouf's family is not there. They are here. So the formal ceremonies cannot be done. It seems best to bring him to his family."

Daniel realized that Sam had come forward. "You tell us when to be there, Selmak, and his family will be there for the ceremonies. No one told us there were any. It only happened yesterday. We know nothing of your customs. If we should be there, then we will be there. Daniel and I can put off our leave for however long it takes."

"No, do not do that. It could be days, weeks, or months depending on how quickly Anise manages to retrieve the information she is hoping to acquire."

"Then it isn't positive that it will be right away, at all. It could be quite some time yet." Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. At least that would give Sam some time to get past this first searing pain of the loss. Hopefully, it wouldn't be so far into the future that it dredged it back up again either. "Would there be a problem with me being there?"

"Normally, there might be. However, Per'sus made it quite clear yesterday that Samantha was to have her way in whatever she wished to have done. Although it is unusual for someone outside of the Tok'Ra to attend, it is not completely unheard of, by any means."

"Daniel might be becoming a host. You know that. I explained to my dad this morning."

"Yes, but I thought that might be only in your mind, Samantha. Since neither Daniel, nor Lantash, have said anything about him changing hosts, I can not go on just your word."

"It's very true, Selmak. If things work out, I will take Lantash, so that he doesn't have to sleep during the pregnancy and miss all of the excitement of waiting for his child to be born, as well as having to be parted from Sam. It will also allow them be together as they should be, as a pair of lovers, not a blended pair."

"So, if Sam wants to attend Martouf's funeral ceremony, then I will attend as Lantash's future host, if it would be a problem otherwise. I will probably take him as soon as he heals and feels that he needs to leave Sam."

"I see. Very well, but as I said, it is not unheard of and, if it comes to that, you will come with Samantha as her future mate. I do have the authority to grant her anything she desires in that way, and I have done so."

"For now, let me return to the tunnels and see what the status is on Anise's research. It is very likely that Martouf may be in stasis for quite some time, you know. The ceremony may not even be any time soon."

"We understand. Just let us know when and where, and we will be there."

Selmak bowed his head and Jacob returned. "Sam, are you sure you want to go through this? I mean, honey, funerals are hard at the best of times without a bunch of formalities. And they do have them when they don't have to do it quickly."

"Yes, Dad, I'm sure. Don't worry about me. I'm going to be fine. Really. How can I not be with these two looking out for me?"

Jacob nodded. "Maybe you're right. I'll be back shortly with Lantash and Martouf's belongings and let you know what is going on then. Hopefully, it will be before you leave, so you can take it with you. Bye, Sam."

Feeling her throat close up for no good reason, she heard Lantash telling her it was just fluctuating hormones due to the pregnancy, and then he was helping her to fight down the unwanted emotion. She cleared her throat. "Bye, Dad. See you later."

As Jacob and Selmak left, General Hammond sat down behind his desk and waved the two of them into chairs on the other side of it.

"I'm going to assume you know that I am aware of why you are here. Jacob means well, Major Carter, and in this instance, it hurt nothing at all. Whether it was him telling me to give his daughter and her friend the time off, or the daughter and her friend requesting it, I still would have granted it."

"I really wouldn't have a leg to stand on if I tried to say no. You both have so much leave accumulated, well, short of a major, save the world emergency, there just is no reason not to grant it. Under the circumstances, with the Commander in Chief giving you pretty much anything you want, you could probably ask for a sabbatical for the next nine months and get it. In fact, he came close to saying that yesterday."

Sam shook her head, saying, "Don't tempt me sir. Although, I think I might be bored long before it was up."

"It's nothing as drastic as that, General. We'd like to take two weeks with an option to extend it for a few more if we feel it's needed," Daniel said calmly.

"I'll tell you what, let's do it this way instead. We'll put in for six weeks for both of you, with an option to take more, but if you are settled and ready to come back before then we will simply cancel the remainder. That way, you won't have to come back in, or go through the paper work all over again. It's finished for the six weeks; if you need it, you have it, and if you don't, we cancel. Simple."

"That would be fine, General Hammond. We're hoping that we won't need that long, but if we do, well, we have it, as you say. I appreciate your understanding about this. I'll have to stop going through the gate at some point. Probably by the time I'm six or seven months along. I imagine my reflexes and balance will be off by then, and I don't want to endanger my teammates."

Sam looked from one shocked face to the other, while the voice in her head was speaking to her, in a coldly calm voice, explaining exactly why she would not be going on any missions once she started to show and perhaps not even then if anyone found out she was pregnant. "My Samantha, have you no idea what disaster you would be courting? Pregnant with a Tok'Ra's child? You, who were blended with Jolinar? Do you realize how many ignorant people will think that this child will be harcesis? It will not, of course, but that will not stop them from believing it."

"The System Lords would love nothing more than to capture you, and our child; the N.I.D. would, no doubt, love to get their hands on you, and our child, as well. Samantha, as much as we are happy at the thought of having a part of Martouf returned to us in this form, we also must be practical and realize that this child could be in danger, and so could you."

Sam paled as she listened to Lantash. Then turning outward to the other two men in the room, she asked, "Are you both thinking of the things that Lantash just said to me? About the System Lords and the N.I.D. wanting me and this baby? And all about the danger to both of us and how I'd have to stop going through the gate once I started to show?"

"Ah, no, but he has some really very valid points there. We were thinking more of you and the baby getting hurt, Sam. You can't go out to some planet where you might get shot or hurt if you're pregnant. Lantash said you could continue until you start to show? I can't believe he said that."

"I agree, Daniel. I'll have to be more careful, and maybe not go on missions that might be questionable. I'll have to be a little picky; I'm smart enough to know that. It's the other stuff that is bothering me. I'm almost afraid to leave the base, thinking about the N.I.D. What will we do, Daniel?"

"Well, for one thing, there is no official record of this pregnancy as far as I know," General Hammond reached out, called Dr. Frasier, and asked her to come to his office at once if she could. She said she'd be right there.

"So, if no one knows about the child and Sam's only five days pregnant, then maybe her staying with me is going to be a really good move on our part. If she's openly living with me, and we can make sure it's quite well known that the two of us have taken six weeks off to be together, then when the pregnancy is announced, it will be assumed that it's mine."

"Unless anyone has a problem with that, it might be best to allow the entire universe to believe that as well," Daniel stated quietly into the silent room.

Dr. Frasier knocked and was told to enter. She shut the door and looked questioningly at the two on the chairs. General Hammond got straight to the point. "Dr. Frasier, is there any mention in any of the records of Major Carter being pregnant?"

"Ah, no sir, I haven't entered it into her record yet. I haven't verified it myself, so I can't honestly do that. Are you asking me to formally verify it, General Hammond?"

"No. Do not run any tests on Major Carter that would show her as being pregnant. Do you know if anyone, other than you, heard her tell Jacob, or Jacob telling Dr. Jackson?"

"As far as I know, no one knows anything about that. They all think that Sam was upset because Martouf and Lantash died. It seems that no one, but the few of us, know that Lantash moved into her. I was amazed when I heard the nurses talking about it this morning. And I listened in the mess as well."

"The same story was going around there. Major Carter tried to take Lantash, but he was too weak to make the move, and when he couldn't do it, she broke down, and Martouf and Lantash had to be taken away from her."

"The other story is that ah, she is really in love with Daniel. It seems that someone heard Daniel call her, ah, my love, when he was kneeling with her and Martouf. They are speculating that the reason she was so upset was because of the symbiote that she had that time. The one that left her all those memories. She loved Martouf and Lantash, so Major Carter is feeling her loss."

"I wasn't sure if I should be correcting all the false assumptions, or not. I mean, I know that eventually they are going to realize that Sam is Tok'Ra, but I didn't know if I should tell them now or not, so, well, I didn't say anything."

"Well, Doctor, you may have just saved both Major Carter and her baby. Lantash just pointed out to us that not only will the System Lords be after this child and the Major, once they hear about it, but so will the N.I.D."

"Oh, my god, no. I hadn't even thought of that, but it's very true. The N.I.D. will stop at nothing to get their hands on the two of them." Dr. Janet Fraiser sat down in the chair Daniel had jumped out of and shoved under her as she paled and her legs gave out under her.

General Hammond smiled encouragingly at her, "However, if the child born is of Daniel and Sam, and Sam is not Tok'Ra, it won't be any more interesting than any other child born of two geniuses would be."

"To that end Major Carter and Dr. Jackson are taking six weeks off together, and you may tell as many people as you want to that having Dr. Jackson get hurt, and Martouf and Lantash die yesterday, made them both realize they needed to see to their own relationship. To that end, they are moving in together. No one should be surprised at the announcement of a pregnancy several weeks from now. And, eventually, it will come out that Dr. Jackson took Lantash. As to when, it will depend on when he is discovered."

"I will be more than happy to help out with this, General Hammond. I think it is a perfect way to take the suspicion away from Sam and Lantash. I'm just really surprised that no one noticed Sam taking Lantash," Janet answered calmly.

"I think I can answer that, Janet," Daniel said quietly, his forehead creased as he thought thorough what he wanted to say. "Martouf knocked me out of the way, but, as soon as Sam shot him, I made my way to him. I got between them and the majority of the room. Sam was between them and anyone behind her."

"Other than that, there were only the few on the ramp to the gate on one side of us, and Teal'c was blocking their view. The people up in the control room were on the other side, and they couldn't see because we were both leaning over him. No one knows what happened between the four of us because they literally couldn't see, and, although we thought we were talking very lowly, evidently we were speaking loudly enough that someone heard her ask Lantash to come to her, if he could."

"Sam was talking to them. After she told Lantash to come to her "if he could" she continued to kiss Martouf and tell him she loved him over and over. Only she wasn't just telling Martouf. What she actually kept saying was, "I love you both." She didn't act like Lantash went into her, and the phrase she was using sounded like he was still in Martouf."

"She was so focused on making sure that Martouf knew that she had loved him that she totally ignored Lantash entering her. She could deal with that later, but she had to tell Martouf that she loved him then, because there would not be a later."

"And once 'they' died, Lantash stayed dormant, working on healing himself probably, maybe even in shock a little bit, and Sam really did go into a form of shock. She couldn't let go of Martouf, and then when she started to shut down, I had Teal'c pick her up, since my arm wouldn't let me do it."

"That's when they heard me call her my love." Daniel watched the shock enter Sam's face, for just a second, as he confirmed what Janet had said and that he really had called her my love. He also saw the shock turn to belief and, for a short time, joy. She cared for him. Lantash was correct.

"Teal'c knows, by the way, but we both agreed at the time to say nothing. We took her away to the infirmary, and you put her in that private room, so no one was around her, but her dad, me, Teal'c and you, for the most part. So, of course, unless they heard Jacob talking about it, or Jack, or Teal'c said something, there was no way for anyone to find out."

"I'm just hoping Jack didn't do a bunch of ranting about it. I suppose we can pass it off that he thought that was what happened in the confusion. But it really wouldn't be good."

"Ah! The President," he exclaimed, "We really should call the President to let him know that it is definite that no one knows about Lantash, and that he will be moving to me and why. I guess we know now why everyone's gut said to stay quiet about the entire incident. Jack and Teal'c need to be in on this, so that they are aware of what is going on."

"I don't even know if they know Sam is pregnant. Do you know, General? And Per'sus and Selmak? So, we need to get to them ASAP; am I forgetting anyone? Yes. Anise. She'll know Lantash is not in Martouf, but she was told to say nothing as well. However, she needs to know why, and that it will be an indefinite period before anyone is allowed to know he survived," he finished as he ran out of air.

Sam smiled a real smile for the first time since the day before. Not a lot, but it was a smile. That was her Daniel talking almost faster than the speed of sound. Which would be a real problem. She stopped and reviewed her thought. Her Daniel. Her Daniel. It had a pleasant ring to it. She—liked it.

"If Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c don't know, should we even tell them of the pregnancy? Perhaps it would be best to leave it as is in regard to them."

"I don't think so, General. They know about Lantash, so they could mess us up there, if they haven't already," Daniel said, tenseness in his posture, as he realized that either of them could inadvertently ruin their carefully laid plans. He watched as General Hammond got on the phone and called them into his office to join them. It wouldn't take them long to get there.

"Sam is Lantash still awake, or did he return to dormancy? What is he saying to all of this? Doesn't he have an opinion?" Daniel asked her quietly, as he noticed her abstracted air.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Daniel. Lantash was telling me that he approves, and that he will stay dormant at all times, when we are on base, so that no one will know he is here. Even if, even if we decide that he would be better off with you, than with me," she whispered the last of the sentence.

Daniel knelt at Sam's feet, regardless of their audience and took both of her hands in his, staring up into her eyes, his very serious as they searched hers. "Sam, that's not it, and you know it. Now, stop that. It is much more complicated than that, and you know it is."

"It's not that he would not be happy with you and you know that, too. It's that he wants to be able to be with you. And he wants to see his child grow inside you, not simply wake up one day and be a father. He also wants you and his baby safe. He could harm you." Daniel sighed. "There are so many reasons, Sam, but he won't see you unhappy. He won't ask you to do anything that is going to make you unhappy."

"We can't discuss it right now, but I think we should later. This is all happening too fast to dot all the I's, and cross all the T's, but we will, I promise you. There will be no unanswered questions, or niggling doubts. Understand?" When she nodded and smiled slightly at him, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"It's all going to work out okay, Sam, I promise you. Between Lantash and me, there's no way we'll let anything or anyone hurt you."

Standing again, he asked, "And, I am taking from what you said, that he thinks it is a good idea to try to pass the child off as mine?"

"Lantash says we won't be passing it off as yours, that it will be yours in every way that is important. You will give it the love and support that is needed from a parent. You will be an excellent father."

"And, as soon as this one is old enough, he says we will have another one. He is very free with my body as a baby making machine." She smiled as she said it, though, so Daniel didn't think she was too upset.

There was a knock on the door, and Jack O'Neill entered followed by Teal'c. "You wanted to see us, General?"

"Yes, Jack, Teal'c, come in and close the door. Have either of you told anyone about Major Carter becoming host to Lantash?"

Jack straightened, saying stiffly, "No, I haven't told anyone."

"No, General Hammond, I have not mentioned it. However, I have noticed that the general belief is that Lantash died with Martouf yesterday."

"Yes, it is, Teal'c, and that is exactly what we want them to believe. At least, for now, the truth is not to leave this room under any circumstances, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"As you wish, General. You have my word."

"Major Carter and Dr. Jackson are taking six weeks leave together. That information can be told to anyone that wants to know. It is very likely that shortly after they return to work, they will announce Major Carter's pregnancy."

"At some point, hopefully long after that, if things go according to plan, it will be realized that Dr. Jackson has become Tok'Ra, and then it will come out that Lantash did not die, and that, in fact, once he recovered, Dr. Jackson took him, knowing that Sam and he loved one another."

"As I said, the farther into the future that is found out the better. What we have to do now is throw suspicion away from the fact that this child is Martouf and Lantash's, not Dr. Jackson's."

"Martouf and Lantash's," Jack's voice was flat as he repeated their names.

"I must assume that congratulations are in order for you and Lantash, Major Carter. You have my best wishes, and should you find yourself in need of anything, I will be glad to be of assistance, even if it is of just an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry."

Sam's breath caught. How very sweet of Teal'c. He so seldom said things like that. It really touched her. "Thank you, Teal'c. I really appreciate that, and I will keep it in mind, if I find myself needing either one, I promise you." An inclination of his head was his only answer, but that was enough.

Jack swung his gaze from the General to Sam to Daniel and back to Sam. "You're pregnant. You're pregnant with Martouf's child." He paused for just a moment, but then he continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm and anger, "You're pregnant with his child, but you don't want anyone to know it's his. If you're so ashamed of it, why don't you just get rid of…"

Jack blanched, as he realized what he had just been about to say, but even as his words began to trail off, Daniel punched him in the jaw. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Jack. I think you need to put your brain in gear, and do a little thinking instead of letting your dislike get in the way."

Jack blinked at Daniel, and Sam gazed at him with her mouth open; Lantash was crowing inside her head. "He has needed someone to do that to him for a long time. I am glad it was Daniel defending you. You see, I told you Daniel was a good, strong man."

"He hit the Colonel, Lantash. Just for being himself. The Colonel always puts his mouth in gear before he engages his brain. It's just the way he is. We always just ignore it. And he didn't mean what he said. He would be the first one to come unglued, if he believed that I was even thinking about doing something like that."

Lantash sighed, as he gave her words some thought. She was correct. Jack O'Neill was many things, but he would never condone what he had just said, and Lantash was fairly sure that when he thought about it he would be appalled and ashamed of his words. "You are correct, Samantha. I, too, am aware that it was no more than his confusion, anger, and hurt speaking. I believe that he will now begin to give some thought to his reactions and realize that his anger is going to estrange him from his teammates and his best friend. O'Neill is very angry over this. He does not understand your love for us, or how you could bring yourself to mate with a Goa'uld. He now knows, too, that Daniel will no longer ignore it, when it insults his mate."

Sam simply nodded, still somewhat bemused over Daniel's actions.

"Get up, Jack, and do as Dr. Jackson said. Dr. Jackson, you sit down as well."

"Sorry, General, but I couldn't let that pass. He's always saying things before he thinks, but this time, he said something about Sam, Lantash, and Martouf. I can't let that go. Even more so, since Martouf cannot be here to defend himself or his child."

"I agree he deserved it this time, and you had the right to do it in Martouf's name, even if there had been no other, but try not to make a habit of it. Especially, after you blend with Lantash."

"Yes, sir. Sorry."

"Okay, well, I obviously missed something that everyone else figured out, so why doesn't someone spell it out for me?" Jack asked as he regained his feet and moved his jaw, trying to determine if it needed anything done to it. Janet looked at it and shook her head at him.

"Okay, Jack. How about System Lords? Stupid System Lords who might think that this child would be harcesis? Stupid System Lords that would love to get their hands on it and probably Sam as well?"

"And if that isn't enough reason to keep its true parentage secret, let's add some letters. How about N.I.D.? What wouldn't they give to get their hands on both mother and child? A mother with a symbiote and a child born of a father that had a symbiote at the time she conceived, not to mention a mother that had a symbiote previously? Wow! They just hit pay dirt."

He watched as Jack paled, but continued on relentlessly nonetheless, "So, I think those two things right there are enough for us to want to keep not only the fact that Sam is hosting Lantash under raps, but the fact that Sam is pregnant with Martouf and Lantash's baby off the radar screen, too."

"So, I am going to officially become both Lantash's host and the father of Sam's baby. And, to that end, as soon as Selmak gets here with Martouf's stuff, we are leaving for six weeks of togetherness, while you guys go spread rumors. As many and as far as you can."

"That reminds me again, General, we need to alert Jacob and Selmak to the changed circumstances and why."

"Yes and I would expect that's him now. Jack, go meet him and make sure he doesn't speak to anyone about this, not that I think he would, but better to build the levee before it rains, and the river runs wild."

Daniel laid his hand on Sam's. "Are you doing okay? Do you need anything?"

Sam looked at him, amusement in her eyes, "Are you going to be this way all through this?"

Daniel looked embarrassed for a minute, but then he looked her in the eyes. "Yeah, I guess I am, so you might as well get used to it. I plan on enjoying this pregnancy with you, Sam. I've never been a father before, and I'll admit that I'm looking forward to it."

Taking his hand in both of hers, she squeezed them gently, "I'm looking forward to being pampered by you, too. I never thought I would, but I find that I am. Thank you, Daniel."

"You're welcome, Sam."

She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

They looked up as Jacob and Jack entered. "What's up, George?"

"Well after you left, Jacob, we began to talk, and Lantash brought up the fact that…"

After explaining the entire situation to Jacob and Selmak they waited as they obviously held an internal conversation. "Well, we didn't really talk to anyone, but Anise. She is still working on finding out what she can about the Zatarc programming, and Per'sus had already ordered her to say absolutely nothing about not finding Lantash to anyone other than him or me. As far as everyone else is concerned, he died with Martouf."

"Her work isn't going to be quick, so don't expect the funeral and ceremonies to be anytime soon. I haven't mentioned the baby to anyone, so we can just let that come out later as if it's Daniel's. Perhaps someday we'll be able to admit it, but not now."

"As I said, Anise knows we don't want the fact that Sam has Lantash spread around yet, so I'll notify her and Per'sus about the pregnancy as well as the resulting complications, and see that he follows that up with an order of complete silence on that score. When we hear about Daniel and Samantha's relationship and her pregnancy, no one in the Tok'Ra will question its parentage."

"For now, we both believe that what you are suggesting is the best plan. Even down to having Daniel become host to Lantash in the "future" after he has regained his strength. I'll contact Per'sus at once. In fact, I'll go there from here and have a private consult with him. We may be able to come up with a story of having Lantash kept safely somewhere other than a Tok'Ra base."

"I'll let you know what we come up with. Hopefully, all of our stories can be coordinated and melded together. There's less likely to be slips that way."

"I'm glad you thought of all of this. If you hadn't, Sam wouldn't even have been safe leaving the base, you realize that, don't you? She'd have been trapped here. I'm glad Lantash brought it up. It's allowed us to take steps to protect this child into the future as well as now. It would never have been safe. It would have been hunted its entire life, and Sam might have been as well."

"So, now that we have all of that settled, I'll head back. These two trunks are Martouf's personal affects and stuff that Lantash would want to have with him. There are other things that I kept in the tunnels. Clothes and things that you won't need or want. They will be given away, or used for other missions. These are the important things."

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate you bringing this stuff. You'll let us know about the ceremony and funeral, won't you? We want to be there for them. Don't let them do them without us, all right?"

"I won't. I'll see you next week, Sam. I'm going to be checking by fairly often for a while, just to keep you updated and to check to see how things are going on this end. I have a feeling Per'sus is going to want an eye kept on this entire thing as well."

"All right, Dad. Tell Per'sus thank you for being so helpful and understanding in this. We appreciate it. Bye." The hug was once again almost too hard to let go. Sam found herself wishing she was six again and her father could make everything all better. Then she kissed his cheek, chastised herself for being childish, and let go of him.

"Needing the comfort of a parent is not childish, my Samantha. Do not think that. But now, turn to our soon to be new mate for comfort and shielding. It will be easier than you think, for his arms will bring you comfort."

"I will. Thank you, Lantash. I love you."

"Ah, my Samantha, and I love you."

Sam turned back to Daniel after her father left. "Well, I guess that's it. Are we ready now?"

Daniel looked at her sharply, hearing the shaking in her voice. "Yes, I think so, Sam. Why don't we see if we can get some help with this stuff? Or, I can make a couple of trips, if you want. You and I both have quite a bit packed up to go."

"I can carry stuff too, Daniel. In fact, I'm probably stronger than normal, aren't I?"

"I don't know, Sam. Lantash said he didn't blend all the way, so I don't know if you have the enhanced strength or not. Besides, you don't need to be lifting."

"Daniel. Normally, we wouldn't even know I was pregnant, yet. I think I'll be fine lifting a few things. Lantash won't let anything happen to me, or the baby."

"That's true. I forgot. Okay, come on, I guess we should go."

An uncomfortable looking Jack O'Neill stepped in front of them, "Hey, Daniel. Carter. Look, about what I said earlier. I just let my mouth run before I put my brain in gear, y'know."

"I understand all this stuff, why, and what we have to do, and I'm in. I'll help with all this. After all, I am Black Ops; if I can't do it, no one can. You want rumors, I can do rumors. Packing? I can pack. Moving? I can do that, too. So, let's get going."

Jack O'Neill turned and started down the hall, a trunk on his shoulder." This was Jack's way of apologizing. It was also his capitulation, and it said that he now realized that his Major had meant what she said. She loved both Martouf and Lantash. So be it. She was still Sam Carter, a Sam Carter that needed all of them right now. Well, he might not be able to say it, but he could show it.

Teal'c picked up the other trunk, and as he turned to walk down the hall, he swung it up onto his shoulder, saying, "I, also, will help you to move things, Daniel Jackson. I will bring Major Carter's car to her, if you wish me to, as well."

"Thanks, Teal'c, we'd appreciate it. You wouldn't mind bringing Sam's car home then? Listen, once we get Sam moved and settled into my house, we'll get together, all of us, for a pizza, beer, and movie night, want to? I'll give you and Jack a call when we're packed and ready to move the boxes and stuff. His truck will be a big help."

"Of course, there's always a chance that getting started this early, we'll get it all finished today and have our movie night, tonight."

"Sam and I probably won't feel like cooking tonight anyway after packing and moving all day." Daniel and Teal'c didn't notice the dropped jaws of the group of people they passed in the hall. Daniel had just started the rumor mill all by himself (with a little help from Teal'c) without even trying.

TBC