AN: Boy THIS week has been a roller coaster. I got 2 interviews, cancelled one because I was offered a better job only to have the offer redacted with no explanation. So NOW I need to call the hiring manager and find out WHY because WTF?! This is what I get for counting my chickens.

Chapter 8

Jack woke from his pleasant dream about making love to Sam to find her straddling his hips and rocking against him. "Sam?" He frowned. It wasn't like her to aggressively take advantage of him in his sleep. "Everything all right?"

She looked down at him, her eyes dark with need. "I couldn't sleep." She admitted, still sliding herself up and down him, clearly as aroused as he was.

He drew her down and kissed her while he stroked her skin, caressed her breasts. She wasn't acting like herself entirely but she didn't kiss him with wild desperation like she had with the virus a few years ago, just urgent physical need. Even after he could no longer hold back and wait for her, she continued riding him until he took one of her taut nipples in his mouth and sucked hard as he grabbed her hips and ground her against him.

Her moan as her body finally shook with release was low, almost guttural. She settled on his chest in exhausted relief and he stroked her back gently. In a few moments he realized she'd fallen asleep without having disengaged. Not that it mattered but he lay there with a concerned frown on his face. What's going on with you Carter, he wondered?

Yesterday she'd accosted him in the shower. Something he suspected she'd probably be comfortable with in the privacy of home but this place didn't really have any way to keep someone from barging in.

The next morning on the ride to their workstations, Daniel looked at Jack oddly. "What's going on?" He finally asked Jack.

Jack who had sat there silently lost in thought, pondering Sam's strange behavior, blinked a couple times. "What?"

"He asked you what is the matter, O'Neill." Teal'c provided, also concerned for his friend's pensive behavior.

Jack just shook his head though, trying to clear his thoughts. He couldn't see how. They had been very careful.

"Jack… Is Sam all right?" Daniel finally asked, knowing few things troubled his best friend more than something being wrong with Sam.

"Huh? Yah.. yah, everything is fine. No problems."

"Soooo..." Daniel wagged his hands alternately, indicating Jack needed to elaborate.

"I think she's pregnant." Jack said softly, finally voicing his concerns out loud.

"Has she said she is?" Daniel asked.

"No… They only test the girls once a month, all at the same time and it's a few weeks off yet."

"So why do you think she's pregnant? I mean other than you two go at it like love starved rabbits all the time."

Jack colored a bit at that. He'd mentally tuned out that you could hear everyone all night and that Daniel would know their voices over that of other couples making love. "Sorry about that." Jack said, with a little bit of a grin because he wasn't genuinely sorry.

"O'Neill, you are not genuinely sorry." Teal'c pointed out but Daniel waved at him dismissively. It didn't matter.

"Jack?"

Jack huffed. "If she finds out I told you this, she's going to kill me so keep your yap shut, Danny." He gives Daniel a very pointed look. "Sam is enthusiastic but not usually the aggressor. Not… not like this." Her being a little late was nothing new. Her cycle wasn't very stable when she wasn't on birth control. Either Sam had forgotten or hadn't noticed the change with one day bleeding into the next here.

Daniel waited, Jack might elaborate or he might leave it to their collective imaginations.

"This morning she woke me up from a dead sleep for sex… except I'm not sure she cared if I woke up for it or not." He said, seemingly lost in thought. "It's not the first time. During the last few weeks, she's done something like that a couple of times. The last time I remember anyone being that aggressive with me was Sara when she was pregnant."

"Still… that's not proof, Jack." Daniel tried to assure him. Perhaps Sam was just dealing with pent up frustration. Try as they might, none of them had found a way to get all of them out of here together.

"No… no it's not… but if she is…" Jack looked away with sudden pain in his expression. "I can't lose another kid, Danny." Jack's voice had gone hollow and Teal'c put a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Should Major Carter be with child we will endeavor to protect them from being taken. Should we fail… I will not rest until your child is returned to you, O'Neill." Teal'c told him.

"Thanks T… I appreciate it."

"I'm with the big guy on this one, Jack. We aren't going to let them just take your kid. Not after what you already went through… The bigger question is what happens when we get home?"

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm going to hope those favors the country owes us buy my retirement and minimal repercussions for Sam." He said.

"You guys aren't at fault anyway. You were victimized and forced. The only reason things are the way they are is because there's nothing else you can do about it anyway." Daniel told him.

Jack didn't say anything though. Yes they had been forced but their agreement had led to at least physical honesty with each other. He loved being able to make love to Sam whenever he wanted and it was going to be hard to give that up if that became a condition of her not being forced out of the Air Force when they returned home.

What he really wanted when they got home was to talk her into marrying him. He was ready to retire anyway and had told her so. His knee couldn't take much more field work and she had the chance to earn her stars if she stayed in. And wouldn't that be something. General Samantha Carter.

Cutting into Jack's thoughts, Daniel spoke. "Jack… if you can only get you and Sam out… Teal'c and I can take care of ourselves until you can launch a rescue mission." Daniel told him.

Jack looked at them and Teal'c nodded. "Samantha's well-being is our current top priority if she is indeed with child, O'Neill."

Jack frowned but nodded a bit. "You're sure?"

"We are certain." Teal'c said. Jack could see the look of determination on both their faces. They all knew Sam was the irreplaceable member of their team.

Jack stuffed down the guilt he was consumed with. He didn't even know if he was right anyway. Sam showed no other symptoms. She wasn't tired, wasn't nauseous, hadn't had any spotting issues. Nothing. Just an overactive sex drive. But something nagged at him about it as he worked that he couldn't put his finger on. Something that made him very certain she was defiantly pregnant with his child.

Two weeks later when he got back from his shift, he was greeted by a miserable looking Sam.

"Carter?" Jack asked her, his voice edged with worry.

She shook her head though and didn't say much of anything while they ate. Jack considered giving her a much needed hug but she had that look about her that told him if he did she'd burst into tears in front of everyone and Sam hated crying in public.

He ate his dinner discreetly keeping an eye on her. When they were done, he exchanged a look with Teal'c and Daniel who decided to hang out with some of the other prisoners and play cards when Sam said she'd decided to turn in early.

Jack waited for her to get to the housing area before following her.

"It was checkup day." Daniel said to him quietly.

"Yah… I know."

"Samantha's unhappiness could equally be that she too believed herself pregnant with your child and is not." Teal'c reminded Jack.

"Yah… I figured that one out too. To be honest I don't know how I feel either way." He admitted. He hoped she wasn't… and yet… he hoped she was. Which was idiotic as it endangered her greatly. Jack scowled and headed for their room after Daniel gave his shoulder a squeeze and Teal'c had given him a reassuring nod.

When he reached the room she was curled up on her side facing the wall.

"Carter?" He said softly, slowly approaching her.

"Sir." She answered miserably but did not move.

Jack sat on the bench that was their bed and put a hand on her shoulder. He didn't even have to coax her to face him. She rolled over, sat up, and flung herself into his arms and shook with wrenching sobs. Jack held her and murmured reassuring things into her hair as he rubbed her back soothingly.

Finally she scrubbed at her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm being stupid."

"No you aren't. What's wrong?" He still didn't know if she was pregnant or not or how he'd feel either way about it.

She looked down at her hand that was absently playing with a button on his prison uniform. "Anise was wrong." She said quietly.

"Ah." He said and hated himself for the happy flutter in his heart. The timing was just terrible. He shouldn't want this right now but… ah hell, he's a selfish bastard and he knows it. The woman he loves is carrying his child in spite of all attempts to prevent said conception and he still wanted this baby with all his heart.

"What are we going to do?" She asked him miserably. They hadn't found a way out yet.

"We'll figure something out Carter. I promise." He had no idea how he intended to implement that promise.

"Jack I'm sorry… I tried… I…"

"Hey… shhh…" He tucked her against him and kissed her hair. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. There's a reason Catholics end up with big families." He reminded her. The rhythm method was the only contraception afforded Catholics traditionally and it frequently failed because sperm could live up to a week and eggs sometimes very stubbornly stayed viable in spite of the supposed 24 hour window. They had both been raised Catholic for the first ten years of their lives anyway. He'd been an only child by circumstance and Sam's dad hadn't been Catholic nor home enough to leave her mom perpetually pregnant but he'd bet she had as many childhood friends with five siblings as he did.

He held her until she fell asleep in his arms, still sniffling miserably. His earlier elation had faded. Sam didn't want this baby. He slid her down gently and stretched out, still holding her and lay there a long time… unhappy with himself for having the stupid desire to be a dad again. If they didn't get out of here they were going to take his child anyway. If he could get her out in time, she could get an abortion and forget any of this crap ever happened he hoped. He'd go back to being her friend. She'd need him for that. She didn't need a lover now. Then they wouldn't force her to do anything anymore or separate them for it. If he couldn't get her out in time but got her out at all… they might need to have a talk about custody. He was more than happy to take on the position as primary caregiver to their child assuming he wasn't in jail. Jack didn't let himself think about what would happen if they didn't get out in time. When he tried to, bile rose in his throat.

The morning chime rang and Jack was fairly certain he hadn't slept.

Sam mumbled something and snuggled harder into his chest.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment in pain. Being together had always been a fiction. It was time to get back to reality. "Time to get up Carter." He told her, patting her arm gently.

Sam blinked, grumbled, and tightened her arm around him.

Jack sighed. At least the prison was lenient with its pregnant residents. As long as they got exercise they were pretty much allowed to show up or not show up for work as they liked so Jack eased himself from under her, tucked her in, and threw on his shirt. He watched her sleep a moment more then left. She was safe here… he supposed.

He went down to breakfast and sat with Daniel and Teal'c with a noncommittal grunt.

"Where's Sam?"

"Still asleep." Jack grumbled around his porridge.

"Will she not be late for her duties?"

Jack sighed. "She won't need to worry about it for a while."

"Then Samantha is indeed with child?"

"Yup." Jack said but his voice was disconsolate.

"This is unfortunate."

Jack nodded. It certainly was. "Nothing much we can do about it now." He grumbles.

They sit together in silence through the rest of breakfast. Jack broods about his misreading Sam. Daniel worries how this will affect them both emotionally and as a team. Teal'c goes over every last bit of data they had collected about the guards, layout of buildings and anything else he can think of that might help get Samantha and O'Neill to safety.

Their bus ride to their duties is quiet. Sam never did surface before they left for the day and Jack was worried about her. They were all worried about her but he had been the one she'd cried on for hours last night. He'd been the one who hadn't slept at all, sick in his heart that the woman he loves doesn't want to be the mother of his child.

He did his job today… such as it was, he spent more time looking around hoping something would come to him. Some way to get out. Some way to save Sam. Even if she doesn't want this baby… she's not going to be okay with it being sold either. He hoped. He wasn't going to be okay with that.

When they got back for the evening meal, Sam was still sulking in their room. Before yesterday, she and the other women would meet the bus at the end of the day to greet their partners. Today, she was absent. Daniel and Jack exchange a look and Jack jogs to the living quarters.

"Carter?" He calls as he runs to find her, but she doesn't respond. Knowing she has to be in their room, he heads there. Where else would she be?

Sam never answers him though. When he gets there, he finds her curled up on the bed on her side facing the wall. Jack sighs and scrubs his hand through his now dirty hair as he leans on the door frame.

"Carter!" He barks.

She shifts a little but still doesn't answer him.

Jack shakes his head. "Would you stop it, Carter? We don't have time for this right now. Did you even eat today?" He demands.

She rolled over and glared at him. "What difference does it make?!"

Jack sighed. 'Yah yah… I get it… you don't want this kid Carter.' He sits down beside her. "Look Carter… I get why you're mad but you still need to eat."

Sam's frown deepened. He'd ask her... then when that didn't work he'd wheedle… then eventually order her to eat. And not eating wouldn't mean she miscarried anyway. Starving women in Ethiopia didn't miscarry.

"Sam… I need you to keep your strength up." He told her. "Please."

Sam huffed out a heavy sigh and her shoulders fell.

"Come on, Carter. I hear they made a delicious pot roast tonight." He grinned at her a little, hoping being charming would work now that she'd stopped being entirely mad at him.

Sam's stomach rumbled. He was right that she'd not eaten today, now she had their child to consider… even if that child was putting them in even more danger. Since Jolinar, she'd resigned herself to probably never having kids of her own so most of her day had been spent wrapping her brain around the concept that she was going to be a mother soon. And that the father of her baby was her commanding officer who she'd been in love with for several years anyway.

Sam shook her head but sat up. "I…." Her head was down but Jack could still see the miserable expression on her face.

"It's all right, Carter. I just… I need you to eat something. So you don't make yourself sick on top of everything else."

She bobbed her head silently. He was right. Of course he was right. Tactically, pregnant or not, she had to maintain her strength so when they did find an escape she would be ready. Especially now when she had a child to consider. Her hand drifted to her stomach. The Tok'ra had been wrong. Janet had hedged her bets but also told Sam conception for her would be at best difficult. She was almost a different species now. Even so… they had been wrong. She'd had no problem getting pregnant with Jack even when she was trying to avoid getting pregnant at all.

"I'm sorry." She told him softy. This situation was cruel to him she knew. He'd lost his son, now he had a baby on the way that he most likely did not want at all.

"Come on, Carter. Food." He coaxed her and put a hand under her elbow.

She let him help her up and they headed back to the dining area for dinner. Daniel and Teal'c had saved them spots and made sure their food was ready as well.

Both gave Jack questioning looks and he shrugged then sighed a little before digging into his food. What was he supposed to say? That Sam's bright idea of the day was starve their child out?