"You're nervous." Jack observed, watching her dress that day.
"Am I?" she asked, feeling the jitters herself. "I guess I am. It's just – It's strange, that's all. I'll be going in as a civilian consultant, into my former life, my world, my everything for so long- I mean seven years-" She picked out another top sliding it over her head and pulling it down, she looked in the mirror. "Can you tell I'm pregnant?" she asked him.
Jack chuckled. "Ten weeks, Sam. You still have your military body." he said, with a smile then stood up from the bed and wrapping his arms around her, he laid his hands on her stomach. "With the exception of your breasts, Sam." He whispered to her. "They are looking magnificent!".
"I doubt anyone else would notice." she said dryly.
"I had my competition." Jack admitted, grinning at her.
Sam snorted. No one compared to Jack O'Neill in her eyes. "No, you didn't." Jack was amazed at her response through the mirror. Sam chuckled. "Well at least there's some advantages to the pain." she muttered. "They're aesthetically pleasing?"
"Yeah," he nodded thoughtfully. "They're still hurting you?" he asked, to which she nodded. "We can go to the mall tomorrow, to that shop which sells the maternity stuff. They might have some bras which are more comfortable."
"That's if I can fix the gate in one day." Sam pointed out.
"Sam, whatever do, remember you're pregnant." he said to her softly "No all-nighters. You need your rest."
She took a deep breath. "I know." She turned around in his arms. "I know, Jack. I won't risk our baby, not for anyone or anything. Besides, you've seen how I've been falling asleep at the drop of the hat, If it's too boring, I might just fall asleep in the control room."
Jack smirked. "Now that would get the tongues wagging." He said, eyebrows quirking merrily before he kissed her first lightly, then heavier and heavier again.
"Mmmm." Sam's throat sounded as his tongue nudged her for entrance. "Mmm, no no." She said, shaking her head. Jack let her go only slightly to give her a little breathing room but he wasn't going anywhere without her saying so. "I am not showing up to the SGC smelling of sex." she said with a grin of her own.
"It would be a really subtle way of telling them you don't need the Air Force to have a good time." He said with a wink to her.
Sam laughed and kissed him playfully. "Every bit of mischief made was with you." She looked into his eyes. "We can have sex later, okay?"
"You got me working on a promise?" he asked her.
"Yah sure betcha." she said in reply. "I thought I'd pop in on Janet and let her know about Almond." She admitted. "Try and get some kind of line of care in place for the pregnancy."
"Okay." Jack said softly. "Let me know how it goes."
"Sir?" The Airman who escorted Sam down the elevator to General Hammond's office. He knocked on the door and hearing the General respond, he opened the door letting Sam in.
"Major." Hammond said brightly, getting up from his desk.
Sam gave an ironic laugh. "Not anymore, General." she admitted, feeling funny not giving him a welcoming salute.
Hammond looked pained for a moment before he said quietly, " Doctor Carter, then?"
Her eyebrow quirked but stayed silent. She very much doubted they didn't keep tabs on them and she knew George Hammond. He would know she had gotten married and to whom but he was choosing to ignore it for now. "Sam will do just fine." she answered. "Did I need the escort?" Sam asked him, feeling bitter.
"You know the protocol-" Hammond started then corrected himself "I'm sorry, Sam."
She shrugged. She asked him formally. "What can I help you with, General?"
Hammond sighed then nodded his head. "I've authorized a limited number of off world exploratory missions, as before."
Sam's heart dropped. Missions through the gate were finally back up and running. Did this put other worlds at risk? She took a deep breath and checked herself, it wasn't her problem anymore. "And?"
"We're having problems dialling into this planet-" Hammond looked up at her, he looked at her softly, he could see her inner struggle. "Sam-"
"Let's take a look." Sam suggested changing to the reason for her presence at the SGC walked her around to the dialling system in the control room. Sam sat down at the console and looked at the data. "Hold on a minute. This is all in the wrong order-" she said confused, "I remember this list. This planet wasn't meant to be dialled for another-"
"The Aschen suggested we not go to any immediately uninhabited planets-"
Sam scoffed. "Of course they did."
"Major." Hammond warned.
"Sam!" Sam reminded him.
"You and the Colonel made your feelings quite clear about the alliance with the Aschen-"
"'You and Jack, '" she corrected. "And you can't trust-" She paused her response when she felt her temper rising. She didn't know what made her hold her stomach as she rose but whatever it was, it stopped her temper and calmed her. "I just-I want to get this fixed." She sat back down and looked it over. "Have you dialled any other planets?" Sam asked.
"Alpha site works fine." Hammond nodded.
"The address is correct but it would land you—here's the problem" She paused to gather her thoughts before continuing. "The planetary shift was slightly off-" Looking at the General, she asked, "You sure you want to go to this particular planet, you could be good little soldiers and do as you're told by the Aschen?" She added sarcastically.
"We're sure." Hammond told her.
"Independent thought. how quaint." Sam muttered.
"I see the rumors are true. You've been spending time with Colonel O'Neill." Hammond continued. Sam scoffed and shook her head; she should have known her private life was up for discussion now it was in his favour. "Should we even be referring to you as a Carter?"he asked her, the hurt obvious in his voice. He had known Samantha her whole life, for her to run away and marry behind his back had hurt, even if it was under current circumstances.
"I didn't refer to myself as 'Carter'. I signed in upstairs as 'O'Neill', Your pretty little badge refers to me as 'Carter'." She said pointedly. She stared at the code so she didn't have to look at Hammond.
"Married life suits you, Sam, despite your tone, you look happy." Hammond told her in his soft Texan tones.
"I am happy, married to the man I am in love with, and, no, I'm not ashamed nor should I be. We never did anything wrong, not by each other, not by the military, and not by this world. I'm proud to carry his surname because I am an O'Neill." she said unapologetically.
"And what about your career, Sam, you threw it out to be with him." Hammond thought he had called her out, he figured there must be something of the old Sam left, the one who would listen to reason.
"I threw it out on my own principles! Not for some man! Even if he is the love of my life, you know me, you know I wouldn't!" Sam objected.
"You can't be happy at that university, Sam." George argued, taking another tack
"Well, that's where I am." she defended.
"You'll be bored to death in a month." George shot back at her.
"Then that's what I'll be." Sam argued.
"Come back to the Air Force?" George asked her.
"Uncle George!" she begged. "Please stop."
"We'll forget this ever happened, Sam."
Sam could feel the tears in her eyes as she stood up again. "Are you still working with the Aschen?"
"You know we are." Hammond told her.
"Are those vaccines still mandatory?" Sam asked.
"You know they are." Hammond continued
"Then you know I can't, Uncle George." They stood eye to eye for a minute before he nodded.
"I wish you'd change your mind."
"I don't think out of the two of us, I will be the one regretting my decisions." She said quietly and, anyone who knew Sam, deadly.
She turned back to the computer code. "Let me take care of the gate and then I'll be gone. I don't want anything to do with the Military as long as they are selling our bodies as trophies to the Aschen."
Hammond stood and watched her for a few moments before he handed her a key card. "That has all your old accesses." He said to her kindly. "You don't need to escort, Sam, anywhere." He told the people around her as he walked away.
Sam had a strange sort of feeling as she stood at the door of her old lab, her head on the doorframe, her eyes welling sadly, with the ghosts of her former life.
"Carter!" Jack gruffed coming in.
"Sir?" she questioned looking at him fondly as he settled on the other side of her lab table.
"You making progress?" he asked.
"I think it's some kind of game." Sam told him.
"Game, you say?" Jack perked up.
"I wouldn't get too excited. It seems to be some kind of strategy game, like chess." she explained.
"I like chess," he said, perking up some more.
"Well it's not chess but, it is some kind of logic and strategy game. Maybe some kind of training for the Jaffa, Teal'c might recognise it. Maybe if you have the time sir, you might like to try it out."
"I might." He said, with a smile as he picked up something random from her desk. "What's this?" he asked her.
"We think it might be some kind of biological weapon." she said, wrinkling her face seriously.
"O-Kay, putting that down." he said, sliding out of his hand. He waited a couple of seconds before he told her. "I'm bored," he told her "Come eat some cake with me?"
Sam smiled fondly at him "I was going to finish this and then go and get some lunch." Sam admitted.
"Carter, lunch was hours ago!" Jack complained.
Sam looked at her watch and tapped the face as if it would right the time it said. "I guess I got carried away."
"Let's go!" he said standing and his hands clapping then rubbing together as she walked passed him to the door. A gentle love tap was placed to her ass as they got to the blind point between two security cameras. Sam shook her head, grinning at him, and he winked at her. Around other men, it seemed like sexual harassment, but around Jack, it was the only brief window he was allowed to show her affection, and she took it. "You might be lucky, there might be some blue Jell-O left."
Sam sighed and turned off the light to her lab, it seemed like a different life ago and yet, that same man was now her husband, her hand rubbed her stomach lightly, and she was carrying his child. She had been happy here, as a Major. The life she might have now was simply a ghost of her past, not a happier time but a different one.
"Sam!" Janet said jumping from her stool coming and giving Sam a hug "Oh it's good to see you!" Janet smiled.
"Thanks." Sam smiled. "I wondered if I might have a word?" she said.
"Sure." Janet nodded. They walked into her office where Janet shut the door and looked at Sam inquisitively.
"I'm pregnant." Sam told her. Janet's eyes looked wide in surprise. "At least ten weeks, but I haven't been to see anyone, just with the naquadah-" Sam took a sigh "I know I'm going to need specialised care."
"Oh, Sam congratulations!" she exclaimed as they wrapped in a hug again. "So, you were pregnant at the wedding?"
Sam smiled "Ya, I didn't want a baby bump on the pictures and he proposed when we found out. It just made sense."
"Rushing things, are we?" Janet smiled.
"No, not really." Sam said quietly. She looked nervous before she spoke again. "I don't want the military to know. They already know we're married."
"Hammond had a flag on your names." Janet admitted.
Sam shrugged "I guessed as much."
Janet nodded. "I can sneak out the portable ultrasound scanner without arousing too much suspicion."
"Thanks." Sam smiled.
"Are you here for long?" Janet asked her.
"No, I fixed the gate, some problem in locking onto some planet. I override some safety protocol." Sam admitted.
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you about the new missions going through. It's-"
"Classified, ya I know." Sam nodded. "I'm not upset by it actually; it'll be good for us to get back out there."
"The number of teams have been reduced." Janet told her quietly "Back to the original nine." Janet told her. "SG-1 are the lead on the Aschen, Daniel and Teal'c are in the-"
Sam shook her head and waved her arms "I um, I don't think I can handle hearing it." She said emotionally, tears in her eyes again. "Damn hormones!" she exclaimed.
"Sam-" Janet said, giving her a hug. "Oh Sam-"
"It's so hard being here and not being part of it. It's so hard being here and having all these memories but not being part of it." She said. "It's better with Jack around, you know, but there are moments-And General Hammond, just offered me my job back, as if nothing had happened!" She shook her head. "Three months ago, I was going through that gate and now it's all so different!" She exclaimed.
"I know, Sam." Janet said to her kindly. "I know, we can fix this, we have to."
"It's amazing what equipment a Doctor can walk away with out of a top-secret facility without any questions being asked." Janet said with a smile as Jack opened the door.
"Janet, thank you, really. Sam's relieved." He said standing aside for her. "We're so glad you're going to be the kid's doctor."
"Is Sam okay?" she asked.
Jack nodded "She's just having a nap; I think being in the SGC today really took it out of her."
"It was emotional for her." Janet admitted.
"Ya, I know-He came home today and cried. George offered her old job back,as if nothing happened, it tares her apart she can't be there. What's worse is I know I can't make it better."
"You make it better by being with her," Janet said with a soothing smile to Jack. "Is she feeling the pregnancy?"
She's feeling-ummm-bustier."
"Are they hurting her?" Janet asked.
"A bit. I did promise to take her shopping for some maternity clothes. I thought I'd treat her out to something while we're at it." he said to Janet. "I'll go and wake her."
They walked back in a few minutes later, Sam looking sleepy, but it was late at night. "Hey Janet, thanks for coming so late." Sam said gently.
"It's alright. I don't mind. Let's have a look at this baby of yours." Janet said.
Sam laid down on the sofa and she pulled up her top a little
"Did you drink the water like I asked?" she asked Sam.
"Yup, and I really need to pee!" Sam exclaimed which made Jack chuckle and Janet smile. "Alright then, let's see this baby of yours." She looked at Sam "This will be a little cold." She warned her, holding the gel then squeezing it onto her stomach.
"Alright, let's see-" Janet said, pressing the wand in. The image flickered where they saw a tiny image appear.
Jack's eyes widened as the picture became clearer. He could see the heart beating and the defining features of it being a human baby: the body, legs, and arms "Oh wow!" he said leaning closer to the screen. "We never saw Charlie this clearly."
"Well, we have advanced quite a lot since the late 80s especially with ultrasounds: clearer images, as well as this, 3D technology." she smiled.
"Wow!" Sam said in amazement, "that's our baby?" She asked, feeling Jack's hand slip into hers.
Janet smiled "Yup. let me get its measurements."
"Almond." Sam corrected her, already feeling maternal over someone calling her child an 'it'.
"Measurements for Almond." Janet smiled.
Both Sam and Jack looked at amazement at the screen while Janet worked. Jack came up and kissed into her hair at one point unable to stop himself "It's happening!" He whispered to her as if it were about to be snatched from him again. She squeezed his hand and smiled that she could share this with him "Our baby!" he said completely in awe. Just then, a sound filled the room. Janet had a victorious smile on her face.
"What is that?" Jack asked he believed his heart was beating twice as fast as normal.
"Almond's heartbeat." Janet smiled wider. "I thought I could pick it up, you hear the sound which is like galloping horses?" Janet said to which they both nodded a few seconds later. "That's Almond's heartbeat."
Jack felt as though his heart was beating like galloping horses "Oh my God!" he said, squeezing Sam's hand more sharing a smile before he kissed into her hair again. "You're doing great, momma."
"How many pictures do you want?" Janet asked, throwing them the biggest grin ever.