A few weeks later, Sam, now just about living with Daniel's absence, sat in a park with the youngest twins in her lap, Jack, Teal'c, Sheppard, Cam, Lorne and mini-Jack playing ball with the elder twins, who squealed with laughter every time Jack picked one of them up under his arm and charged at his friends. Sam gently smoothed the babies' cheeks as they gurgled with laughter when she did a Peek-a-boo, and she said quietly, a fond but wistful smile on her face,

"Do you think you can get your Daddy to come home again?"

To her surprise, the twins looked at each other and then Claire said, shaking her head, "No."

Frowning slightly, she asked, "Why not?"

"Anq'ieta'."

She sighed, recognising the Ancient word for Ancient, Anquietas, and she remarked, bouncing them on lap, "He's always going off doing things for the greater good… Ok, this is the last time. Next time, we stop him from leaving us like that. Uncle Jack said that he'd break his legs."

Claire giggled and Jacob said, resting his head on his mother's shoulder, "'ncle Yack."

She kissed their cheeks just as James came running up to her, planting himself in her lap, right in between his siblings. When Claire started crying, Jacob joining in, James, looking sad, kissed them both and said,

"Sorry."

She remarked with a teary smile, "Just watch where you park your butt next time, little man."

James carefully moved Claire next to Jacob, and then sat on his mother's knee as she was reminded yet again how much like Daniel he was. She asked him, smoothing his fair hair,

"What's wrong, James?"

He shook his head resolutely and grinned, replying, "Nothin', Mommy. Just wanna sit wi' you."

Shortly afterwards, Cammie came running towards her, crying and calling, "Mommy."

Before Sam could act, James moved to sit on her legs and gently sat Cammie down on his previous seat, saying, "Sit there."

Cammie kissed James on the cheek and replied, tears running down her cheeks, "'hank you."

Sam smiled at this and then asked, "What's up, Cammie?"

Cammie buried her face in Sam's shoulder, whispering, "Uncle Jack's mean."

Sam looked up, bemused as Jack remarked while their friends continued playing with the ball, "Nuh-uh, she started it. She didn't want me tackling Teal'c with her and then when us guys did it, she started spoiling for a fight just like her Daddy."

Cammie looked up at Jack and spat, "Meany-pants."

Sam, trying very hard not to laugh especially on seeing the expression on Jack's face, chastised her daughter, saying, "Cameron, say sorry to Uncle Jack. It's not nice to call him that."

Cammie stuck her tongue out and then hid her face in her mother's shoulder. Jack sat down next to Sam and pulled Cammie into his lap, saying as she pouted, "Young lady, if you wanted to tackle Uncle Teal'c, you only had to tell me."

Sam said gently, "Say sorry to Uncle Jack… you shouldn't hurt his feelings like that."

Jack raised his eyebrows at her and she silently gestured for him to go along with it. He rolled his eyes and then pouted, saying to a curious Cammie, "Cammie, you hurt me by calling me a meany-pants… even your Auntie Sara doesn't call me that."

As the younger twins squealed, James grinning as he ran away to try to tackle Sheppard, Cammie put her arms around Jack's neck and whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder, "So'ee, Uncle Jack."

He smiled at her and said, "That's ok… I'm sorry too for not realising what you meant."

The little girl kissed him on the cheek and he asked, looking at Sam, "You ok, Carter? You don't have to do your shift today…"

Sam smiled sadly, replying as she gazed down at her younger children, Jennifer, Cassie, Elizabeth and Vala approaching them, the latter two with their own children, "I'm fine, Sir. As crazy as it's going to sound, I'm learning to live with it. And besides, I've got to look out for our little hoard as well as doing my job, because both are so much more than I am…"

"Carter…?"

"I'm fine, Sir; really. I'm not locking it all up."

He patted her on the shoulder and said, "I hate to think you having to go through this by yourself."

"I don't have a choice. He's my husband, best friend, team-mate and the father of my children… quite frankly, as no-one else can say that, I am on my own."

"You have a point, like you always do eventually, but you aren't alone. Sure, no-one was mad enough to go and marry the man, but…"

She ducked her head in amusement, and he continued, smiling slightly, "You're on SG-1… you'll never be alone."

She gazed down at the children in her lap and Jack's, and at the little boy squealing with laughter as he ran away with the ball from Lorne's clutches, and she smiled, replying, "Thanks Sir."

Charlotte ran up to Sam, sitting next to Jacob, and a heavily pregnant Jennifer called, smiling, "Hey Sam… you ok?"

Sam was about to reply when her pager went off and she threw the younger woman an apologetic smile as she dug it out of her jeans, reading the display and then looking at Jack gravely.