Nothing substantial - mostly fluff, talking, some humor and a dollop of silliness. Only a couple more chapters to go. I'm really gonna get there ... someday. Thank you always for the reviews and lovely comments.

"Damn!" He hated this! He tried to make his way out of bed but it was hard with the broken ribs. Add to that all the bruises and cuts and he felt very sorry for himself. Once he was sitting up, his legs over the side of the bed, he realized it was going to be even more miserable trying to make his way up and over to the bathroom.

A broken ankle was a pain but it was the combination of that and the ribs that made it hard to get around. He couldn't really use crutches effectively and had to do a one legged hop using only one crutch. It was exhausting and very inefficient. Oh well, it had to be done, unless he was okay with wetting the bed. And wouldn't that be a great thing to have to tell Sam.

At least that thought cheered him up a bit. Sam! She was here – or more accurately, he was there, with her, in her house and he was going to stay until he was able to at least get around better. He'd stayed over a few times but it was usually when she had needed some comfort. This was going to be for a longer period of time and the shoe was on the other foot – so to speak! Looking down at his ankle he grinned. He expected it was going to be a long recovery.

There was a tap on the door and her voice came through. "Morning Jack. What would you like for breakfast?" She must have heard him getting up, which wasn't surprising since it had been accomplished with much cursing and groaning.

"Uh, anything is fine. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Take your time. I just got up myself."

By the time he made it out to the kitchen he was ready to go back to bed. God he hated being sick or injured. He knew he shouldn't expect to be up and around the day after getting out of the Infirmary but still, he felt more miserable than he'd expected.

"Sit on the couch with your legs up." Sam came up and gave him a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll bring a tray."

"You don't have to -"

"I know, but I want to. No point you being miserable – I'd much rather you were comfortable. I'll bring mine in as well and we can have breakfast together."

He sighed in relief as he collapsed on her couch. He didn't know if he even had the energy to lift his leg up but just then Sam appeared and leaned down and helped him. He could tell that it wasn't easy for her either. Her stomach was a lot bigger now and bending was becoming difficult for her.

"There. I'll be right back." She returned in a couple of minutes with a tray and a full breakfast of eggs, toast, juice and coffee."

"Thanks." He waited until she'd returned with her own – slightly smaller – breakfast and then began to eat. "I could get used to this", he groaned in pleasure and sat back.

"Eating on the couch?" she grinned.

"No, having a beautiful blond wait on me hand and foot", he smirked.

She lifted his tray and set it down on the coffee table – and then threw a cushion at him. "Well don't get used to it Flyboy. In fact, I'm just showing you how it's done so that soon you can wait on me like this!"

He examined her carefully, a studious frown on his face. "Hmm. Do you think a tray will fit on your lap?"

She laughed and stood up. "For that, I'm going to leave you all by yourself", she informed him cheekily.

"Really?" This time his frown was in earnest. He began to feel sorry for himself again.

"I have a couple of errands to run. I want to pick up some groceries and I thought I'd get you anything else you might like for while you're here. You can watch TV now or I have some DVD's if you'd like. I also have some novels if you want to read."

She wanted to laugh at the expression on his face. This man was one of the bravest most honorable people she knew but sometimes he could be such a little boy. She moved closer and sat on the coffee table beside him. "I can stay if you want?"

He gave a sheepish grin and shook his head. "Naw. You go ahead. I'll be fine here – all alone, by myself, solo. If I need anything I'll just – wait." His look told her he was just kidding so she gave him another quick kiss and pushed herself up.

"What would you like me to get for you?"

He thought a moment and then shrugged. "You know me", he finally said. "No chick flicks – okay, okay – you can get one that we'll watch together. As for books – let me see what you have. I don't do astrophysics or romance but anything else is okay."

"Well, I don't actually have any astrophysics novels – I don't think there are any. As for romance – I already knew that about you!"

After she'd gone he thought about her words. He knew she'd been kidding, but it made him realize that when it came to Sam he hadn't done the romance thing. He'd been dealing – hell, both of them had been dealing with the outcomes from the debacle on the planet and the last thing he'd been thinking about had been flowers or romantic dinners.

Damn! He'd have to do something about that. Instead of reading one of the books she'd left – some of which looked pretty interesting – or watching TV, he thought about his relationship with Sam and the fact that it was time to change things.

He'd been surprised at how good things had gone. As much as he still had his share of hang-ups, he knew he wanted this to work more than anything in the world. "Well you'd better get off your ass and do something about it then Jack", he said softly to himself.

He couldn't believe how patient Sam had been although he knew she was dealing with some of her own issues. He was pretty sure however, that she was more than ready to move on past those things and - he stopped - well, he wasn't exactly sure about the 'and'.

He could feel himself break out into a bit of a sweat thinking about that but knew he had to eventually move past his fears and just go for it. Maybe eventually was now. Or at least it was soon. He didn't think he was up to too much physically right now. That would be great, he thought with a shudder. Finally start to get romantic and then pass out!

By the time Sam returned he was deep into the pages of a mystery novel. It was an historical novel, which he enjoyed, although he didn't usually let others – especially Daniel – know that. He liked the fact that there was no science – fiction or otherwise – and nothing that reminded him of his day job. He enjoyed getting lost in a total different reality, although he had to grin at that. He'd been there, done that as far as alternate realities – real ones – were concerned.

"How's it going?" She asked as she set down a bag of groceries. "You manage okay on your own?"

"Of course, although I missed you."

She looked at him in surprise. She'd expected one of his usual O'Neill 'quips'. Instead, she'd gotten a sincere and serious reply. She worried for a second that something was wrong, but when she looked at him it was to see a smile on his face.

"I'm glad", she answered shyly, not sure where, if anywhere, this was leading.

"I'm hoping to entice you into sitting and talking to me", he answered, patting the couch beside him. He'd moved.

"Oh, you're being sneaky are you? Well, it's working. Just let me put some of these things away and then I'll be back."

Over the next few days they fell into a pattern of spending many hours just sitting and talking. Mostly it was light-hearted, talking about what was happening in the world, reminiscing about old missions, or talking about movies or books. Occasionally however they got into more serious discussions.

Sam realized, after a few days, that Jack was intentionally trying to open up to her, to share something of himself. He'd already gone a long way, with her and their friends, about talking about Charlie but now he was going even beyond that. He told her about his childhood, his parents, his family. He talked eloquently about why he'd joined the Air Force and what his dreams had been as a young man.

She knew she was privileged to be let into his life like this. She suspected that this was very rare, that there were very few people in this world whom he'd shared himself with like this.

The one topic he didn't touch on was Sara, other than to mention her briefly in conjunction with Charlie or with certain events in his past. She didn't know if it made him uncomfortable, or if he thought it would bother her. She wondered if she should bring it up, but decided it had to be in his own time.

As he began to reveal more of himself, it allowed her to do the same. She was generally a more easygoing person and didn't have as hard a time talking about things, at least to certain people. She'd shared a lot with Janet and even with Daniel. There were just two areas of her life that she kept pretty much to herself. One was her mother and her mother's death. The other was Jonas Hanson.

The reason for the first – her mother – was because it was a private part of herself and one that still hurt. As far as Jonas was concerned it was pure mortification. She felt totally foolish that she'd allowed herself to become involved with someone like him – and also because she'd thought that she could do something to stop him when he'd turned into the megalomaniacal crazy man that had almost gotten them all killed.

"What's up?" His gentle voice interrupted her thoughts and she grimaced. She then turned and faced him, a determined look on her face.

"I want to tell you about Jonas", she told him. She almost laughed at his look of surprise, which he tried to quickly cover. "I feel – foolish – about him and I wanted to explain."

"You don't need to", he said quietly. "We've all done that."

"Done what?" Her crinkled brow showed her confusion.

"Oh – dated people who we look back at and wonder 'what the hell was I thinking'." His grin took any sting from the words and she had to laugh.

"True", she agreed. She then frowned again. "So, who are some of the people you've dated like that?"

"Crystal Sawatzky", he answered immediately.

"Crystal -?"

"Sawatzky. Big – uh – " he held his hand up. "Well, you get the picture."

"Probably! So, beside big – what made you date her?"

He looked at her in shock. "Sam, Sam, Sam – what other reason would a sixteen year old boy need to date a girl?" He got a glazed look on his face as his mind thought back to all those years ago. "They were – pretty magnificent!"

"But not worth it?"

He refocused his attention back on Sam. "In the long run – no. She was smart in that she used them to entice boys – but other than that she was pretty nasty. By the end of our – relationship or whatever it was – I'd almost decided that girls weren't worth it."

"Really?" she laughed. "But you changed your mind?"

"Oh yeah – Sandy Woodward", he said, as if that explained it all – and it probably did.

"So – you had one 'regret' in your dating life? But you were sixteen Sir. You can be forgiven for that."

He didn't comment on the 'Sir' but simply shook his head. "She was just the first Carter. I dated my share in college, some who were great but there were others who were – not. No, we've all been there, done that. You were young when you dated Jonas and you got out of it without wasting too much time."

"Well yes, but I dated him for almost a year. We were even engaged."

"But you didn't go through with it. As for the planet – you tried to stop him. It wasn't your fault he was crazy."

"No, I guess not. I just -"

"- shouldn't worry about it. As I said, we've all been there – except maybe Teal'c. I can't imagine him dating the wrong woman, although now that I think about it, he might have been able to handle Crystal."

"What about Daniel?" she grinned, enjoying the Colonel's way of dealing with her angst about Jonas.

"Daniel? Oh, I expect he didn't do much dating at all. In fact, I figure -" He stopped suddenly as if reconsidering his words. His mischievous expression made her curious.

"What do you figure?"

"Uh –well -"

"Jack!"

"I kind of expect that he lost his virginity with Sha're", he said in a rush.

"Really? Wow!" she intoned. "Do you think so? But what about Sarah Gardner. Didn't he date her for awhile?" She then thought back to the Daniel she'd first met on Abydos and nodded. "You're probably right, although that's – wow."

"Yeah. Poor Danny, although I think he's made up for it. Half the women in the universe have a thing for him."

"And the other half have a thing for you!" She wanted to burst out laughing at the flush that seeped up his neck. He was actually embarrassed, which she found utterly charming. "And that's not counting all the women – and some men – at the SGC."

"Men! Carter – don't even go there."

This time she did laugh, enjoying his panicked expression. "Well, quite a few people have you and Daniel hooked up and some have even wondered about you and Teal'c." The look he gave her made her laugh even harder. "But most know you're a woman kind of guy", she appeased.

"Thank God!" he told her. "I mean – I don't have trouble with that but – just not for me."

"I know Jack", she said calmly. "I've definitely known all along that you're a woman's guy."

He nodded sharply, wondering how this conversation had taken such a turn. His look softened. "Really Sam – I don't think any of us have ever given your relationship with Jonas a thought. We totally understood. Now Narim…!"

"What about him?" she asked defensively.

"He was – creepy", Jack said calmly.

"He was not! He was nice."

"Nope." Jack shook his head. "Creepy. You can even ask Teal'c and Daniel – they agree with me."

"I don't believe you", she narrowed her eyes. "But what about you and -" she bit her lip.

"Me and – who?" he asked suspiciously.

"No one."

"Sam?"

"Well, you had your share of aliens after you too and some of them were pretty creepy too."

"Hey – Thor's nice. He's not creepy!"

She laughed like she was supposed to and decided to drop it, although she would like to have asked about -"

"Laira?" he interrupted as if reading her mind. He was again looking serious.

She knew that he was opening up to her once more and she appreciated what he was trying to do. She hadn't actually thought of the Edoran woman for a long time but now that he'd brought it up she realized she did want to hear his explanation. He'd never said anything to her about his time there, or about his relationship with Laira.

"I – didn't think I was coming home", he said softly. "I waited for as long as I could and then decided I was going to have to make a life there. It was – hard", he smiled slightly, a quick upturn of his lips. "Laira offered me a chance to have a life there. I wasn't in love with her but decided I could probably love her if I tried. It was only at the very end that we – that I – that's why I asked her to come to Earth with me." He hoped it was enough of an explanation because he didn't really know what else to say. He watched her carefully, hopeful that she didn't still hold some resentment over his time on Edora.

"Did you ever wish you could go back, or that she'd come to Earth?"

"No", he answered plainly, quickly. It was something he'd considered himself and knew the answer. "I felt guilty over leaving her because I think -"

" – she was in love with you?" she said carefully.

He gave a lopsided smile and nodded. "Yeah. It made me feel badly for her but for myself – no. I'm an Earth kind of guy and I don't think she would have liked it here. We were both better off this way. And anyway -"

This time his smile was full wattage as he looked directly at her.

"What?" she turned her head and looked at him suspiciously out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, there was this Captain I knew, back on Earth …. She had – kind of gotten under my skin", he informed her. "I would definitely have missed her a lot."

She inched closer and cuddled up against him. "And she would have missed you too Sir."

After a week he was able to get around much easier, although he still felt stiff and sore. Some days he felt impatient and irritated at everything – his usual reaction to extended recuperation. At those times he stayed in his room and Sam knew enough to give him his space, for which he was grateful. There was a definite benefit to having known and worked with someone for years.

Tonight was their first 'birthing class' and also the first time Jack had ventured out since his accident. He had to laugh at how much he was looking forward to getting out of the house, although he wasn't quite as excited about the class. He knew a lot of it had to do with their unusual situation. There was a part of him that was also struggling with the memories of the last time he'd done this. At that time he'd been with Sara.

He hadn't really talked to Sam very much about her and wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject. He was no longer in love with his ex-wife, but he still loved her. It was that that he was having trouble talking to her about. Somehow he felt like he was being unfaithful to both of them in a weird kind of way.

They went to the class that evening and it wasn't as bad as Jack had feared. The first evening was just getting to know the others in the class and talking about the subjects that were going to be discussed over the next six weeks. The instructor also asked if anyone had any questions or issues they'd like to bring forward.

"My Dad had it a lot easier", Jack said as they drove back to Sam's. "He didn't have to know any of this stuff and just waited for everything to be over and voila – there I was."

"Is that what you want?" she looked at him with a combination of surprise and worry.

"Hell no", he grinned. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. When Sara was -" he stopped talking and bit his tongue. Crap – way to go Jack.

"When Sara what?" she asked gently, keeping her voice neutral. "You can talk about her Jack, I really don't mind. She was – is – an important part of your life and I'm not jealous."

He breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned in his seat to look at her. "I'm glad", he confessed. "I wasn't quite sure -"

"Well, as long as you don't tell me all the things she does better than me", she grinned, "I'm okay with talking about her. Do you still see her?"

"Occasionally", he answered. "Usually just for Charlie – you know anniversaries, that kind of stuff. We don't socialize or anything. And you do things just fine – although she did bake me her world famous chocolate chip cookies!"

"Don't get your hopes up, although I might be induced to make you my galaxy famous cinnamon buns."

"Galaxy famous?" he asked with lifted brows.

"Mmm hmm. Narim loved them!"

As he lay in bed that night he thought about the time he'd spent here with Sam, in her house. He knew it was different than normal, day to day living, with him being injured, but in a way it was exactly what he'd needed to make his final decision. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman and in order to do so, he had to figure out how to overcome his fear and start a life with her.

Tomorrow morning he was going to call Jeff. He hadn't talked to the good doctor since he'd been back from the last mission from hell and he wanted his advice. But whatever he said, Jack was sure that he had to do something. The status quo had to change.

He could feel his heart start to beat faster just thinking about what he had to do to make those changes. Could he deal with what had happened and move on? He hadn't had a nightmare in – well, since before the fall – so that must mean he was getting better, didn't it?

He laid there worrying about whether or not he could deal with a physical relationshipo, when there was a small knock on the door. He looked over at it in surprise and then at the clock by the bed. It was almost 2:30 in the morning. What could be wrong? "Come in?"

Sam slowly opened the door and peeked in the room. "I'm sorry – did I wake you?" she asked softly.

"Nope. I was just lying here thinking. Is something wrong?" He pulled himself up and was relieved to note that it was becoming easier all the time, although he was still sore. "Come here", he told her when he saw her hesitate. "What is it Sam?" he asked when she drew near.

"Nothing. The baby is just really active tonight and I couldn't sleep so I thought -"

He smiled and pulled the covers aside and shimmied over. "Come on. I couldn't sleep either. Get in."

As she snuggled up next to him his heart slowed down and he could feel himself begin to drift off to sleep. He could do this. In fact, for the first time since Amazonia, he was beginning to want to take their relationship to that next, very important level. He leaned into Sam and breathed in her scent. As his heart sped back up –this time from excitement, not fear, he smiled and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. Oh yeah! Things were starting to return to normal and his body was beginning to wake up to the idea of a physical relationship – a real physical relationship. Suddenly, he could hardly wait.