"I assume, knowing you two, that you have this all worked out."

Sam winced. "Not really." Luckily, General Hammond looked much less imposing sitting on her couch doing the itsy bitsy spider motions with her baby's hands, making the girl squeal with joy.

Her reticence clearly caught his attention. "Major, have you really thought about this?"

"Yes, sir."

His eyes moved slowly from her to the colonel who sat on the other end of the couch and back. "Have you really thought about this?" he repeated.

"Ouch, General," Jack proclaimed. "I think I'm hurt."

"I don't want you to do something you'll regret," he pressed, ignoring the other man completely.

"Oh, now I know I'm hurt."

"General, I can tell you what I know," Sam told him. "I got six weeks' maternity leave, and doctor's orders to do nothing strenuous for those same six weeks. I'm not field ready, and I probably won't be back to that shape for months, sir. So command structure isn't even really a problem if I can't be on SG-1."

"And once you recover?"

She sucked in a breath. "Well, we all know how my last trip through the gate turned out."

"No one would blame you if you don't want to go back out there, Carter," Jack put in.

"I know, sir." At his look, she corrected, "Jack." But that drew Hammond's attention, and she muttered uncomfortably, "Colonel."

"Well, a lab position is certainly open to you, at least in the short term," the general assured her. "And after that, I suppose we'll have to see."

"Did you have a different plan, General?" she asked with a wince.

"Not one that included you marrying Colonel O'Neill," he grumbled.

Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Really?"

"At least not in the short term. I would like you to reconsider field work eventually, and if Colonel O'Neill really plans to retire, eventually I'd like you back on SG-1. But I won't force that issue, Major."

"I'll keep it in mind," she promised.

"In the meantime, Major, I pushed through a few long-standing requests, and I can tell you that a lot of the mothers on base are going to be very happy with you."

"Sir?"

"Given the nature of your... situation, I managed to convince some of the higher-ups that not having a childcare facility would just be an added hardship on you. They approved the funding."

"She can stay on base?" Jack asked, clearly as excited as Sam.

"Twenty-four hour childcare will be available on one of the upper levels. They're working out the details."

"That's... great," Sam said.

"And as for you," he said, tugging at the infant's arms playfully, "you'll get to spend all kinds of time with Grandpa George." He wouldn't mention that that was part of his reasoning for pushing it through in the first place. Reluctantly, he handed the child off and pushed to his feet. "Well, I should get back to it."

"Sir, it's Saturday. Stay for dinner," Sam invited.

"Sorry, Major, I can't. But please promise me something."

"Of course, sir."

One last time, the older man's eyes shifted to the colonel and back. "Think about this. Please."

Jack jumped to his feet, ignoring the way Sam started to laugh. "Okay," he protested, "that's just mean!"