Cliff Simon Factoid: Cliff reprised his role as Ba'al in 12 episodes of SG-1, as well as in Continuum. Ba'al has become one of the most beloved villains in the franchise, if not THE most beloved.

SAM

Jack came back to my house after packing a bag. He stays the night with me. It was hard to sleep in the same bed with him because I am so big. My bed is smaller than his. From what I remember. I was only in his bed one night before I went missing.

We sleep sort of like when I was with Itsak. Jack spoons me most of the night, but he runs out of room and gets up and sleeps in the guest room. I don't mind, really. Maybe I'll have to get a bigger bed at some point. Maybe we will move in together. I don't know right now.

We both wake up the next morning and get ready for my appointment.

He drives me to the SGC to meet the doctor who will care for me and our son. Listen to me. Our son. I wonder if Jack was right about it being a little boy? I wonder how much longer before he is born? I wonder what color hair and eyes the baby will grow into?

"You ready?" I hear to my side.

I turn my head and Jack is holding the elevator door open for me. I was sidetracked with my thoughts. I still have to be escorted below level six. It's OK. Most everyone knows me so no one will really be upset having to be my escort. We have all had to do escort duty at some point or another.

"Ya. Sorry. I was thinking," I say.

"Carter, I would think something was wrong with you if you ever stopped thinking," he says with a smile. I love his smile.

The elevator door shuts and we make our way to the transfer floor. We step to the second elevator and I find myself scooting closer to Jack once we are inside the elevator car.

"What if it's a girl?" I ask.

"It's not," he says a bit smugly.

"But what if it is?"

"Carter, I am going to love our baby even if it turns out to be a little girl."

I look at him and half smile, then shrug my shoulders. Am I getting nervous?

"OK, me too," I say.

I feel him grab my hand.

"Everything is going to be OK," he says softly. He squeezes my hand and lets go.

The doors open and we exit level 21 to go to medical to meet the doctor. We walk side by side, but not touching. The rumors in this place are saying that I got pregnant by someone on the Odeni planet. Or so I was told that is what the rumors are saying. I guess that is good.

I walk in first and see Janet. I wave and she motions for us to go to her office. We go back to the elevator and go down one floor and then wait in Janet's office. About ten minutes later we hear her walking in the hall towards her office.

She walks in and smiles at us both. Right behind her is a tall, young, brown-haired gentleman. He nods his head at me, and gives me a small smile. Jack gets to his feet.

"Colonel O'Neill, Doctor Samantha Carter, this is Doctor Benjamin Klein. He has been cleared for the program and I have given him Sam's history and blood work. Doctor Klein, please meet your patient, Doctor, and former Major, Samantha Carter. This is her escort in the building, Colonel Jack O'Neill," Janet says, not taking her eyes off of Jack.

The way she describes Jack is a red klaxxon telling us no one in this silo knows Jack is the father of my baby. My heart breaks a little for him. I look over at him, and see his face drop just a little. I can notice the change in him.

I want to make sure he is OK. He barely nods his head at me. But it is enough to let me know he understands. It is hard for me to keep a smile on my face.

"Hi Doctor Klein. It is nice to meet you. Thank you for coming in on a Saturday," I say.

"Oh not a problem. I've wanted to get into real Xenobiology, and I jumped at the chance when I found out aliens exist. I'm very excited to go through these last few weeks with you."

"But are you an Obstetrician?" I ask.

"Oh, yes. Sorry. I am. Janet and I go way back," he says, glancing at her in a very familiar way.

I shoot Janet a look, and now her secret is out. She knows Doctor Klein very well. I smile big at her.

"Um, Janet," Jack starts, but she knows right where he was going.

"Colonel O'Neill, can you please close my door?" Janet asks.

Jack nodded his head and got up as he was asked. As soon as he sat back down, Janet spoke.

"Doctor Klein, there is something I need to tell you. An alien is not the father of Sam's baby," Janet says.

The three of us look around the room at each other, waiting for Janet to continue. Doctor Klein seems to deflate right in front of us. Then he locks eyes with Jack long enough to understand.

"Oh. I see," he finally says. "Then why am I here?"

"I need a good OB who can determine if Sam's baby is healthy, figure the approximate due date, and let us know if there is anything strange or odd in Sam's or the baby's blood. And then someone has to deliver this child because I don't have a clue how to do that," Janet says, smiling at her doctor friend.

"OK. So in the report you left on my desk, Sam has some sort of heavy metal in her blood?"

"Yes, it is called Naquadah. It is alien in nature. Not from Earth. From what we know, it is not harmful like our heavy metals here on Earth. We don't know if it is passed to the baby or not. When we're able to get some blood, we will need you to do some research. Who knows. Maybe they will keep you around for a while after this," Janet says, smiling at him, then dropping her eyes. Ya, she knows him, alright.

"That's good to know. I brought an ultrasound machine down yesterday. I need to get one on your baby, and take some blood from the mother. I will also need some blood from the father," he says, looking over to Jack.

"You also need to know that Sam has not been on Earth for her entire pregnancy. She went missing before we ever knew she was pregnant. We just got her back this past week. But, from what we know from her report, she had good nutrition and was treated kindly on the planet she was on," Janet added in.

"You understand that no one outside this room can know," Jack says, still looking at Doctor Klein.

"Yes, I got that. Mums the word. I won't say a thing. I can mark your blood in code instead of by name."

"Good. OK. Let's do this then," Jack says, putting a hand on my back.

"I figure we can do this in an isolation room to give us all maximum privacy. We're set up in room 2. Colonel, why don't you go ahead? We'll be in shortly," Janet tells him.

I look nervously at Jack. All this secrecy is harder than I thought it was going to be. I soften my gaze on him and squeeze his hand.

"I'll be fine. I'll be in shortly," I say.

Jack just looks strangely at Janet, then gets up and leaves the office. I think part of my heart broke.

"Janet, come on. Really?" I ask after Jack left the room.

"Sam, you and I both know when you got pregnant. If this gets out, it could get ugly. Doctor Klein won't say anything. But, I need you and the Colonel to just go along with this until we get your future figured out."

I know she is right. Jack is so happy about this baby. And him not being able to be open and shouting at the rooftops that he's going to be a dad again is crushing my heart. At least we can be at home together and not have to worry about it.

"Right. Let's go," I say, standing up and moving to the door.

I go into room 2 and the first thing I see is Jack. He didn't really smile at me, and his eyes were not as bright as they were a few minutes ago. When the door shuts, I walk up to him and squeeze his hand.

"We'll be fine," I whisper. He keeps his guard up, but I can tell he was other than OK.

"Doctor Carter, I need you to lay on the table, and raise your shirt and lower the top of your pants down. We will start with the ultrasound," Doctor Klein says.

"It sounds weird to be called that," I say, as I lie on the table and prepare myself for the ultrasound.

"Why is that?" Klein asks.

"I got my PhD while on active duty. I don't think I've ever gone by the title Doctor yet," I say, and stop.

I look at Jack, who is still looking down. I don't know what is going on inside his head right now, and he won't meet my eyes. I look over to Janet. Doctor Klein also looks over at Janet, and Janet nods her head to begin.

"Alright, let's see what we've got," Klein says.

Klein puts the ultrasound gel on me, then the wand. We hear the baby's heartbeat. Jack moves his chair closer to my head and just stares at the monitor. Klein explains what we were seeing is the baby's head, arm, foot, hand, and back.

"OK. This is estimating the baby to be about six pounds, no promises on that. Looks like nineteen inches long. Perfect for a full term baby. I am counting ten fingers and ten toes."

He moves the wand over me some more, and captures pictures for us.

"Do you want to know what you are having?" he asks.

"I already know," Jack quickly says. I look over to him and smile. He still won't look at me. He looks down at my hand that is laying at my side.

"Yes, we want to know," I said, with a little giggle.

Jack reaches for my hand as Klein continues to move the wand around my belly. I see Jack trying to get comfortable in his seat. He lightly squeezes my hand and keeps his eyes on the monitor.

"Oh! There we go! See, right there?" Klein tells us, pointing to the screen.

Jack and I both nod our heads, but we really have no clue what we were looking at.

"Congratulations, mom and dad. You are having a baby boy," Klein says softly.

I hear Jack clear his throat, and I look over at him. His eyes are glossed over, and he is now fidgeting in his seat. He is looking down at the floor again, and still won't meet my eyes. Janet knows Jack's history. She motions to Doctor Klein, and the two of them leave the room.

I still have his hand in mine. As soon as the door closes, Jack gets up to grab some paper towels. He wipes the ultrasound goop off of me, then he leans over me and puts his head onto my bare belly. He grabs me with both of his hands on either side of my belly, and hugs and caresses every inch of the baby belly that he can. He is a lot calmer than I thought he'd be.

I reach down and caress his head as he lays on me. He did this for a few minutes before I had the nerve to speak.

"You OK?" I whisper.

I run my fingers through his hair some more, and he still can't turn his face to me.

"You made my dream come true," he whispers.

Next thing I know, his hands are gently around my face, and he looks deep into my eyes. I see something I can only describe as sadness mixed with happiness, if that even makes any sense. I know that he feels far deeper than anyone can see or understand. I know he has many demons in his soul about Charlie.

But in this moment, he is telling me he is OK. Right now he is accepting this new chance to be a father to a baby boy again.

He holds me and kisses me so softly. I can feel him tremble.

"I love you," I hear him say.

I don't know what is going to happen to me on Monday. I don't know what our future holds. But being held by him, and being loved by him, is the only thing that matters to me right now. We're going to have a baby boy. The baby is our priority.

"I don't know how this is going to work. I hate having you hide this here at work. We will think of something, daddy," I say softly, smiling at him.

He kisses me again, then sits back in his chair. I can tell we are both thinking of everything at once. It's a lot to take in.

"Do you want to go get the doctors?" I ask him.

"Oh, ya, them," he says, laughing as he stands.

He opens the door, and I hear the others come back into the room. Jack is back in the chair leaning back. Janet is at my side, and Doctor Klien is on my other side near Jack.

"OK, Doctor Carter, you are basically at full term. You could be giving birth at any time now. I would say in three weeks if you haven't gone into labor, we will discuss our options. I'll be checking you weekly from here on out, so we need to set up a schedule for that."

"What would be my options?" I ask, turning my head to Jack to make sure he is paying attention.

"Well, one, we induce labor. When I was outside, Doctor Fraiser told me about your resistance to pain medicines. I won't pretend to tell you that natural childbirth is painless. Some women miss the cutoff time to get the epidural. Some women are in labor so long that it wears off a bit. I've been told it's the most painful thing some women go through. Another option is a C-Section. If you or the baby are not in any sort of distress, I'd like to stay clear of that. From what I can tell, you and the baby are in perfect health."

I look from Jack to Janet. I had so many questions, but now I don't remember what they were. Then it just pops out of my mouth.

"What about sex? Is that a good idea right now?" I ask. Then I immediately turn a million shades of red, and I watch Jack reposition himself in his chair. He let out a small grunt.

Everyone but Doctor Klein averts their eyes at my question. I see Janet smile at the floor. The doctor doesn't bat an eye.

"That is a great question. I hear it all the time. You haven't indicated any symptoms of placenta previa. Sex is quite safe this late in pregnancy. The baby is well protected inside of you. You may do anything as long as you are not in pain."

I just nod my head. I couldn't believe I said that out loud in front of everyone. Oh well. It's not like I'm really in the mood for sex. Or am I? But it's good to know I won't hurt Junior if we do.

"Ordinarily I'd have a pamphlet about late term sex for you, but they are at my office," Klein says.

"It's fine. Don't need it. What's next?" Jack quickly says. I can tell he is uncomfortable about my question. He's so cute when he gets embarrassed.

"We will make Doctor Carter's next appointment for Friday. And then we go from there. If at any point you feel like you are going into labor, call me. Here are the print outs of your ultrasound. That is your baby boy," Klein said, handing Jack the pictures.

Jack stares at the pictures while I finish up talking with Janet and Doctor Klein. Janet takes our blood samples. We chat some more about what I can expect.

I am healthy. The baby is healthy. The baby is a boy. He should be born within the next three weeks or so. I still have nothing set up at my house. The baby shower is this coming Wednesday.

I look at Jack and he smiles that little smile that he gives me when he wants to say something, but he has to push it down and hide it. I can see it in his eyes, and that slight move in the corner of his mouth. He is happy to be a father again. I know he wishes he could tell everyone. We know he can't. Neither of us can admit that he is the father. Yet.

He hands me the ultrasound pictures.

"Maybe better if you held on to them," he quietly says. He quickly looks away from me again. He is holding so much inside of him.

At least there are not as many people around work on the weekends as there are during the week. We leave work and walk outside up top. Jack walks down to get the truck. When he drives up to get me, I climb in the passenger seat, and he starts to drive down the mountain.

He pulls back into an open spot in the parking lot. He parks and we just sit there for a few moments. I think he needs to digest what just happened. My heart hurts for him.

"I need to call Daniel," he says, and quickly gets out of his truck with his phone.

I can't hear their conversation, but I imagine Jack is telling him what happened with the doctor. A few short minutes later he is back inside his truck.

"Are you OK? I know that was hard to take," I ask him.

"I'm fine. I just wish...hey. Lunch?" he asks in the middle of his thought. He quickly glances over to me as he puts his seatbelt back on and puts the truck in reverse.

"Of course. I'd like that," I say almost in a whisper.

After he starts driving, I reach out for his hand. He lets me hold it for a moment. I wish there was something I could do for him. I know he is happy, but he can't be himself. How I long to see this man happy and open about his child.

We drive in silence. I can tell now is not the time to talk about what is going on. He has a lot to process. I do too. Monday will be here, and neither one of us knows what will happen with my career, or what will happen when people find out Jack is the father of this child.

We went to one of our favorite sandwich shops. He doesn't even ask where I want to go. He just drives there. He is a million miles away right now. He eats very slowly. We just chat small talk about the doctor's appointment. He gives me small smiles every now and then, but his eyes are still distant.

I ask him how much I owe for paying my bills while I was gone. He says the tally is at his house. I have a feeling he didn't keep track and he doesn't want my money. We'll see.

He asks how I am feeling, and if I still have morning sickness. I tell him that my morning sickness went away after a few weeks, maybe it lasted just the first month or so.

I ask when my dad and Matta are coming back. He does not know. No one really knows. For all we know, Matta will come back a Tok'ra. I hope dad comes back soon to meet his grandson.

We take about an hour to order and eat. The food here is very good. We are finally done and get back in his truck to return to my house.

Jack is nervous and fidgety on the ride home. He says he is OK, but something is going on. Something happened after his talk with Daniel.

We pull up to my house and he jumps out and runs around to my side of the truck. He opens the door for me, and extends his hand to help me down out of the truck. He holds my hand as we walk to my door. I put my key in the slot, and put my hand out to open the door. He stops me.

"Carter. I have to show you something. Do you trust me?" he asks nervously.

"Of course I trust you. What is going on?" He gives me the slightest of smiles. I can tell he is so very nervous.

"OK, close your eyes and promise me you won't open them until I say."

I smile in wonder at what is going on. His voice rumbles through me. I love the sound and feel of his voice.

"OK, but help me."

"Take my arm. Keep your eyes closed. I will guide you," he says.

He walks me through my own house. I know where I am. We round the corner that leads to my bedroom, but we stop short. He turns me to my right.

"OK, stay. Don't move. Don't open them yet," he instructs.

I can hear a door opening. Must be my guest room. I feel him back at my side. He puts an arm around my lower back.

"OK, mommy. Open your eyes," he whispers to me.