Ok a second chapter up for you. Maybe the last for a week and a half or so, since I'm off for a holiday - I need a little sun!

The Confession

Sam took a swallow of water as she walked up the stairs to his apartment. Yup - walked. Up thirty flights of stairs. If that wasn't avoidance, she didn't know what was. As she reached the final flight, she slowed to snail's pace. God, how the hell was she going to do this? How could she break up with the man she had fallen so desperately in love with? Fighting back tears again she approached his door, took a deep breath and held up her hand to knock. But she couldn't move the hand forward. Letting a lone tear slip from beneath closed eyelids, she leaned her forehead against the cold wooden panelling of the door. She was crazy. It needs to be done, reminded a voice in her head. Shaking herself, she bravely raised her hand again, and knocked sharply. The noise was loud in the still hallway

The door swung open.

"Carter?"

"Sir." His eyebrows shot up at the formality, and she cringed, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. Noting his quizzical look, she knew he had noticed.

"Jack. We need to talk."

--

In the past few months, Sam had seen a side to Jack that she had only seen glimpses of as his second in command; warm, sensual and happy. He was everything to her, she realised, and losing him would be worse than losing a limb. Hell, worse than losing her life.

At the moment, his face was a blank as he processed her words.

"What do you mean, it's over?"

"I….I think it's clear what I mean-"

"Is it?"

"Look, I just think it's been nice but…..I've had enough." She kept her voice low so as to disguise the quiver in her voice.

"Excuse me?"

--

His whole world seemed to be falling apart around him. She'd had enough. She'd finally realised that she was waaaaay out of his league and that she deserved a million times better. It was all he could do not to lash out. Better to pretend ignorance. He didn't seem to be fooling her with his act, though. She was already on her feet and inching towards the door.

--

"Really, I'd better go now," she added as she stood and started to edge her way back to the door.

"Carter-" there was a catch in his voice that made her hesitate. And that was her downfall. As he caught her eyes with his, he seemed to realise there were tears blurring her vision and he took a step after her, a hand reaching for hers. Jerking away she whispered,

"Please."

But he had heard the catch in her voice and within points of a seconds, she was crushed in his arms.

--

They stood for a few moments, or eternity, Jack wasn't sure. Burying his face in her hair, he sagged in pure relief.

She had almost-

She was going to-

He couldn't even finish the thought.

And that's when it him. How much she really meant to him. How much he felt for her. Losing her would rip apart his world in a way that only Charlie could have managed. Well, in a way that Charlie had managed. And he never wanted to feel like that again. Speaking of which….. He stepped back, but kept his hands clenched around her shoulder caps.

"What the hell was that Carter? You scared the crap out of me!" Her face was smeared with tears and she seemed unable to make a coherent reply. Tempted to shake her - roughly - he compromised and pulled her to him again.

"I….God, I didn't want to put you through it again….I don't…." She was heaving sobs into his shoulder in between the phrases and words that made no sense to him. Apparently, she still hadn't finished scaring the crap out of him, because a scared Samantha Carter did that to him.

"What, Sam, what?" He kinda felt like he was begging. Probably sounded like it, too.

"I'm pregnant." His world shifted out of focus for a second.

"Huh?"

"I'm pregnant." He realised she was shaking, but at the moment all he felt was…..anger.

"You what? You were going to BREAK UP WITH ME, because you were EXPECTING MY BABY?" He couldn't grasp the overwhelming anger that filled him. "How does that make sense?"

"Because the baby is going to die." Her voice was small, defeated, and for the second time that day, - or maybe the third or fourth, he really wasn't entirely sure of anything anymore - his world stopped.

"Doctor Lam, and some specialists I've seen all agree that I shouldn't have conceived in the first place, not after Jolinar. Chances are I'll have a miscarriage within the next two months. If not, then definitely in the two after that." She still hadn't looked at him. He felt a flare of hope and he used a hand to tug her head up. Their eyes met.

"See, if you weren't supposed to conceive then how can they be so sure that you'll….that the baby will…."

"See," she pushed back slightly, panic lingering in her features. "This is why I wanted to keep it from you. Hope. There is no hope Jack. And because of me, you're gonna lose another child."

With that she broke, and as she fell to her knees, he went with her, holding on to her sobbing figure, and willing away his own sense of despair.

--

ANd we'll leave it there...