Sam walked into Daniel's office as she'd promised though she was somewhat nervous as she stepped inside. "Got a minute?" She asked, causing the archaeologist to look up from his book.

"Oh, Sam! No...no, I'm not busy." He said, instantly setting the book down. "How are you feeling?"

She chuckled softly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I mean, you and Jack looked really..." He trailed off as he realized that the retired Lieutenant General was nowhere to be found.

"Speaking of Jack...where is he?"

Sam grinned. "He went to make a phone call."

"Oh." Daniel said, looking at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "So...you're okay?"

She nodded. "Fine. We were afraid that it was bad news, but...it wasn't."

"What kind of bad news?" Daniel asked, earnestly.

She tensed. "Well...um...funny you should ask, you see..." She swallowed. "That's a loaded question."

His brow furrowed. "Really?"

"Well, I came in because I suddenly was experiencing telekinetic powers, and..."

"Whoa..." Daniel interrupted. "Telekinesis?"

She nodded.

"Uh...weird."

"And something we weren't exactly eager for those reporters to see either." Sam admitted.

"I bet."

"Anyway, so we came in about that, and then when Jack shared that I'd had trouble zipping up my skirt this morning..."

"Ah. That explains the sudden change to BDUs," he teased.

She threw him an amused, yet pointed, look. "I guess we frightened Dr. Lam."

"You scared her?" Daniel asked, surprised. "Not the other way around?"

"Well...she thought I might have a...mass...in my abdomen."

"And you don't." He clarified.

"Well...not...exactly..." She said, grimacing somewhat as she tried to be completely accurate.

"What do you mean "not exactly"?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm pregnant." She said, waiting for a reaction.

He was silent for a moment.

"Daniel?" She asked, trying to read his expression.

"Th-that's great!" He cried as he started to comprehend her words. He flung his arms around her in a brotherly hug. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," she said with a grin.

"You have to tell Vala!" He announced instantly.

"Tell me what, Daniel?" Vala asked, walking into the lab as she carried a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it. She'd already started in on it as was evidenced by the trail of crumbs that dusted her maternity BDUs.

Sam turned with a smile. "Uh..."

"Sam's pregnant!" Daniel announced before she could have a chance to say anything.

Sam laughed softly as she looked at her friend. "Really?" She asked with amused incredulity.

He shrugged. "It's just..."

"I know. It's just so damned exciting!" Jack agreed from where he entered the room.

Sam smiled as he leaned in and kissed her gently. "How'd it go?" She asked, more quietly.

"He agreed to call off the reporters," he said, soberly. "After all, it's no use trying to pressure me into a job I've already turned down."

"What was your reason?" She asked, curiously.

"You."

"Me?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah. You're gonna need my help twenty-four hours a day, and I can't give it if I'm in Senate hearings and going who knows where."

"My knight in shining armor," she teased gently as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"How far along are you?" Vala asked, looking over at her friend.

"About twelve weeks according to the ultrasound."

"Twelve weeks?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"Yeah." She said, nodding in chagrin. "And I've taken half a dozen different pregnancy tests in the last three months. You'd think at least one of them would have been positive."

"Why weren't they?" Vala asked, curiously.

"We think it was that wacky alien pheromone which is probably responsible for her being pregnant in the first place." Jack said, seriously.

"Oh, you didn't have a hand it that?" Daniel asked with a teasing smile on his face.

"Easy there, fella." Jack warned playfully.

Sam chuckled. "No, Jack's right. It seems that my hormones haven't just been wacky because of the pregnancy but also because of the alien pheromone which led to a recreation of the..." She coughed, uncomfortably. "Virus of the Touched moment in the locker room from our first year here at the Program."

Daniel winced, clearly not wanting to think about the Virus of the Touched.

"The what?" Vala asked, innocently.

"We'll tell you when you're older," Jack said, wryly.

"But I..."

"You'll never be old enough for that story, Vala," Daniel said, shaking his head.

"Suffice it to say, there was some...primal instinct on my part." Sam said, uncomfortably. "And on Jack's part. And...well, I guess I wanted kids a lot earlier than we got them."

"Yes, well..." Jack said with a shrug, causing his wife to grin.

"And Jack pummeled me in an effort to protect his...territory." Daniel grimaced.

"Sorry about that, by the way," Jack said, looking at his friend.

"Alien influence." Daniel shrugged nonchalantly as he looked back at Jack.

Sam shook her head with a small smile.

"How are you feeling?" Vala asked, setting the cake down on the counter as she looked at Sam.

Sam opened her mouth, but they heard Daniel's voice. "Vala!"

"What?" Vala asked, looking at him, curiously.

"Ancient text...and...cake..." Daniel cried, picking up her plate.

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly..."

Sam and Jack exchanged minorly amused looks with one another before sobering.

"As I was saying..." Vala said, turning back to Sam.

"I'm great." She said with a smile. "And...if you don't mind, I'm going to go save the base from Cam."

"Good luck," Vala snickered.

Sam smiled before turning back to her husband. "Walk you to the elevator?"

"With an offer like that? How can I refuse?" He winked.

She grinned, and he turned back to Daniel and Vala. "See ya."

"Bye, Jack." Daniel said, shaking his head.

"You and I will have to find some time to go shopping," Sam smiled as she looked over at Vala.

"You better believe it," she said with a grin.

"There goes my paycheck," Daniel groaned.

"And my pension," Jack chuckled.

"Watch it," Sam laughed as they left the office.

"Hey, at least I still get to keep my paycheck," he teased.

Sam grinned as she walked him to the elevator. "See you at home?"

"Yep."

"Any thoughts on what the reporter situation's looking like?" She asked, more soberly.

"Uh...no. I thought I'd let Grace stay at least one more night at the Carmichaels' while we let this die down."

She nodded in agreement. "I think that's wise."

"You've still got your car here, right?"

"Yep. I'm all set."

"Great. Then, I'll see you tonight."

"That you will." She said, nodding.

"Not too late." He admonished. "It's not just you anymore, you know."

She grinned as she nodded. "Home by eight. I swear."

"Unless there's an emergency?" He asked as he slipped into the elevator.

"Exactly." She smiled.

"I'll hold you to that."

"I wouldn't expect any less." She said, waving as the elevator doors closed.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" An airman asked, approaching her.

"Yes, airman," she said, turning.

"Ma'am, Colonel Mitchell said to find you and ask you to go to the briefing room. He says it's urgent."

Sam sighed before she managed a small smile. "Thank you, airman."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

She hurried as quickly as she could up to the briefing room. "Cam, what've we got?"

"This." He said, pressing a button on a remote which turned on the television set which had been wheeled into the briefing room.

"General O'Neill, the man who's being considered the favorite for the United States Secretary of Defense nomination to the Presidential candidate, was seen entering Cheyenne Mountain with his wife, Brigadier General Samantha Carter. The couple, who have dodged our attempts at interview since early yesterday afternoon, apparently found their way to a sublevel of the complex which has been heavily guarded and requires top-level security clearance..."

Cam turned off the television as Sam's jaw dropped. "And the Air Force let this go on the air?"

"The President's on line one," he said, soberly.

"Of course he is," she murmured as she hurried into the office, unofficially taking command back from the Lieutenant Colonel. "Mr. President," Sam greeted, professionally.

"How much did those reporters see?" He demanded.

"Nothing," she said, seriously. "If they'd seen anything, they'd have already broadcasted it."

"How did that broadcast get approved?"

"I don't know, sir," she said, honestly. "Usually the Pentagon stops these kinds of things in their tracks. If they need our help, they pass it along, but we didn't receive any such messages."

"I don't want this coming out. Not like this."

"I understand, sir."

He sighed. "What's Marks playing at, General?"

"To be quite honest, sir," she said with a small sigh. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Is Jack going to take the deal?"

"No, he's already refused the nomination. Not that it isn't a wonderful opportunity, but..."

"With your family as young as it is, I understand," he said, seriously. He sighed. "Tell me how to stop this, Sam."

She exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know anymore than you do."

"Yeah. I was afraid of that," he murmured.

"I'll do everything I can on our end. Let me know if you come up with anything."

"I will," he said as he hung up the phone.

She released a heavy sigh of her own as she sank back into her chair. She and her husband were in the middle of a game to which only one man seemed to know the rules. She didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.

-

"General, your husband is on line one," Walter announced, poking his head in the door.

"Thank you, Walter." She said, gratefully as she reached for the phone. "Jack."

"Did you see the news?"

"Yes, I did." She admitted. "So did the President." She sighed. "He's not happy, Jack."

"I'M not happy!" Jack cried, angrily.

"Look, I think we have to accept that Marks has some sort of agenda here, and he's not going to rest until he pushes it through."

"You mean an ultimatum? Me as Secretary of Defense or complete unveiling of the Stargate program?" He asked with a sigh.

"Truth be told, I don't know what's going on in his mind, but..." She exhaled. "I think you're the only one in a position to ask him what his terms are."

Jack groaned. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"I'm sorry," she said, sympathetically.

"Hey, you're not the one chomping at the bit to have the authority to make the Stargate program go public," he said with a sigh. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I can be sorry that the burden falls on your shoulders," she said seriously.

"Then, I appreciate it." He said, soberly.

"Order a pizza around seven-thirty and then, when I get home, we'll watch a movie and eat pizza, okay?" She suggested.

"Even that alien movie you love so much?" He teased.

"Even that alien movie I hate so much." She laughed.

"I'll order the pizza, but other than that, I think we should play it by ear..."

"Whatever you want, Jack. I can't change the fact that you have to dirty yourself in the river of politics, but I can make sure that the rest of your evening is as enjoyable as possible." She said with a small smile. "After all, we do have something to celebrate."

"Yeah, we do," he said, fondly.

"Call me if you need me home earlier than eight." She said, soberly.

"I will."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

"See you at eight."

"See you then."

She hung up the phone as anger surged within her. What gave Brandon Marks the right to throw the world into chaos by publicly announcing the existence of the Stargate program? And what did he hope to gain by it?

Her blood chilled as she remembered for the first time in years the alternate reality she'd visited where President Hank Landry had elected to enact martial law in an effort to keep the peace in the streets. Power. It all came down to power. And she felt utterly incapable of stopping one man from wielding it so cavalierly. "Come on, Jack," she murmured. "If anyone can keep the secret from coming out, you can."

-

"General Carter," Teal'c greeted as he walked into her office a few minutes before she was ready to leave.

"Teal'c," she said, warmly. "How are you?"

"I am well," he said, earnestly. "I hear that congratulations are in order for you and O'Neill."

She smiled softly. "You heard correctly."

"The child will be very blessed to have parents such as you," he said, sincerely.

"Thank you, Teal'c." She said with a grateful smile. "What can I do for you?"

"It is not what you can do for me," he said, shaking his head. "But what I can do for you, which brings me here."

"Oh?" She asked, surprised.

He nodded. "I have heard rumors that travel from your automotive vehicle to your front door is somewhat treacherous."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly put it that way," she said with a faintly amused smile. "But it's not exactly easy."

"I wish to offer my services as a protective escort in such times as you encounter such resistance."

"Thank you, Teal'c." She said with a grateful smile. "That would be nice."

"I am prepared to leave when you are ready," he said, nodding.

"I just have to get someone to cover the base tonight, change my clothes, and then I'm ready," she said, nodding.

"Then, I will await your call."

"Sounds good," she said with a small nod.

-

It was only a few minutes before she and Teal'c were headed up in the elevator toward the car. "Thank you, Teal'c." Sam said again.

"You and O'Neill are like a brother and sister to me," he said, stoically. "I am happy to do it."

They arrived at the surface, and Sam sighed at the sight of all of the reporters lined up just outside the gate to the Cheyenne Mountain complex.

"General Carter," Teal'c murmured, pulling her attention back to the car door which he'd opened for her.

"Thank you, Teal'c." She said with a lined expression on her face.

"It will be all right," he assured.

She nodded. "I hope so."

He gave her a reassuring smile before he slipped into the driver's seat and started the car.

The drive was fairly short since both she and Jack had insisted on getting a house close to the base when they'd relocated back to the Springs a few years earlier, and Sam was grateful for the chance to pull her thoughts back together as she and Teal'c drove quietly to the house. Still, she had to sigh when she looked out her window to see her house, now swarming with double the number of reporters from the day before.

She exhaled slowly as Teal'c pulled slowly into the driveway and stepped out of the car. Like the day before, he opened her door, and shielded her from the reporters' microphones which were being thrust into her face as they walked toward the door.

"General Carter, is it true that your husband has refused the accept the nomination for secretary of defense?"

"...what were you and your husband doing under Cheyenne Mountain earlier today?"

Once again, as she approached the porch, the door opened, and Jack helped his wife inside. "Oh, for cryin' out loud, leave my wife alone!" He yelled as he stood in the doorway. He looked at his friend and former teammate. "T, you comin'?"

Teal'c shook his head. "I must refrain, O'Neill."

Jack nodded. "Don't blame you."

Teal'c turned and made his way back through the crowd as Jack shook his head and closed the door. He sighed as he turned to face his wife. "Didn't call for a pizza because that mess out there," he murmured as he walked to the kitchen. "So I made spaghetti."

"No, that's okay," she said, shaking her head. "I understand. Spaghetti sounds fine."

He nodded as he served two plates of the spaghetti. He turned, and offered one to his wife who managed a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"I'm not really interested in eating at the table." He said after a moment. "You okay with eating in the den?"

She nodded. "Sure."

He opened the door to the basement, allowing her access to the stairwell before he closed the door behind them.

"Are you okay?" She asked as they walked down the stairs together.

"Fine," he murmured, obviously not in the mood to talk much.

"Okay..." She said as they walked to the couch.

Jack sat down in the corner, and she sat beside him as he picked up the remote. "I think there's a game on..."

She studied him out of the corner of her eye as she began to eat her dinner. "Who's playing?" She asked after a moment.

"Dunno."

"Ah." She said, nodding as she realized that he was just turning the television on so that he wouldn't have to talk. He wasn't much of a television watcher. He had the Simpsons and a few games throughout the year - usually hockey - which he enjoyed watching to unwind during the day, but usually, he didn't just flip through the channels to find a sports game. Like he was doing now.

She continued to eat her dinner as he sat back, having finally found the game which he wanted to watch.

They were silent for a few moments as Sam let the game do all of the talking until she finished her food.

With a contented sigh, she sat back, resting the back of her head on Jack's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She reached up with her left hand and caught his fingers in hers while she extended both of her legs so that they rested on the couch cushions. Jack leaned over and kissed the top of her head as the commercial came on, and Sam smiled. "You know, he looked like he was sucking his thumb," she said after a moment as she thought tenderly on the ultrasound that had revealed her pregnancy.

"He?" Jack asked, turning his attention to her.

She blushed. "The baby. I mean, I know we don't know for sure whether or not it's a boy or a girl, but...Grace did have her dream..."

"Where she had a brother named Jacob. Right."

It wasn't too hard to figure out that something besides their upcoming parenthood was on his mind at the soberness of his answer.

"Jack?" She asked after another moment.

"Hm?"

She swallowed. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "It's blackmail. Just like I suspected."

She tensed. "And?"

"And it seems that the only chance we have of keeping the chaos you saw in that alternate reality from starting here on Earth is to accept the nomination for the President's cabinet."

Sam swallowed as she looked up at him. "I was hoping we were wrong," she managed.

"Yeah." He sighed as he played with the plate of spaghetti which sat on his lap. "Me too."

"How's he going to keep from exposing the Program?" She asked after a moment.

"Apparently he's got a pretty controversial candidate for his cabinet which he hasn't even mentioned yet because he wanted to make sure that he'd have some leverage on me."

She closed her eyes as she exhaled slowly. "What are you going to do?" She asked after a moment.

"I guess I'm...going to say yes..." He said, taking a swig of a beer which he'd apparently had on the table long before she'd come down.