The next morning SG-1 walked up the ramp to the Stargate like they had a thousand times before, but there was something different this time. Charlie and J.J. had come down to the gate room to see them off . Each of the four travelers, much to the amusement of the special forces guards, had gotten a kiss good bye from the toddler.

"As if traveling to another world through a big stone donut isn't weird enough now my son and grandson are seeing me off with a kiss," Jack groused as they exited on the other side. The smile on his face told his teammates that it wasn't an unwelcome event. The answering smiles from his teammates told him they shared his feelings. "So what are the sites to see on beautiful, P23-G4A?" he asked as he donned his sunglasses.

"You slept through the briefing, didn't you Jack?" Daniel accused.

"I may have zoned out there for awhile," Jack admitted.

"There is no evidence of any civilization, O'Neill" Teal'c told him. "There may be something of interest for the geologists."

"Great. Soil samples," Jack muttered. "Ok, Sam. Which way do you want to head?"

"Three miles north-northeast," she replied. "The UAV showed a rock formation that should give us everything we need."

"I will take point," Teal'c announced and set off in the lead in the direction Carter had indicated. Daniel followed a few yards behind. Sam spaced herself out a few yards behind him, and Jack brought up the rear.

By the time the suns set they'd collected most of the samples they needed. They'd decided not to bother with the tents as it was a warm summer night. When Jack woke her for the third watch Sam asked, "Are you tired? Or can we have that talk about the future now?"

"I think I can manage to stay awake a little longer," he replied with a tired smile. He fed another log to their campfire before settling beside her.

"I think I should resign, Jack" she said.

"What? Sam..."

"It's not just this," she said as she gestured between them. Even on another planet with only Teal'c and Daniel as possible witnesses, they still by unspoken consent didn't speak aloud of their feelings for one another. "That's part of it, but there's also Charlie and the kids."

"What do the kids have to do with it?"

"If I resign, the general will offer me a position in the labs. Charlie would most likely take my place in SG-1 instead of going to one of the other teams, and he could leave the kids with me when he's on a mission," she explained.

"He can leave the kids with Janet," Jack retorted.

"Yeah, maybe" she conceded. "What about Cassie though? She's been through so much, Jack. How's she going to handle suddenly being a mother, but not really being a mother."

Jack rubbed a hand through his hair. "I don't know what we do about Cassie," Jack admitted. "I worry how Charlie's going to handle it when he sees her for the first time....sees her as a teenager again. We need to talk to Janet about it I guess."

"Even if Janet can take J.J. and Sammy some of the time, what about when she's on duty? And it still doesn't solve this," she said once again gesturing between them.

"And what happens if this doesn't work out? What if we try this," he said repeating her gesture, "and can't stand each other. Think about your career, Sam! How it would look if you resigned to have an affair with your former CO."

"You think that's all it would be, Jack?" she hissed angrily. "You sound so sure it wouldn't work out."

"God no!" Jack said grabbing her hand. "Daniel's right about that. Three other timelines, and we're happily together in all three. I think..." Jack muttered as he lifted a hand to her face. "I think this is meant to be, but I don't want you to be hurt for us to make it happen. If either of us should resign it's me."

"You'd be out of the SGC, Jack!" Sam hissed. "You're needed. If I resign we both get to stay, even if I can't go out in the field. Who knows, they may let me sign the same waiver Daniel and the other civilians do. With a little bit of scheduling, we could all manage to keep doing what we're doing and still take care of the kids."

"There's gotta be a way..." Jack muttered.

"To have our cake and eat it too?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Jack admitted. "Let's talk to Hammond," he suggested. "He's not going to court-martial us or anything. We haven't done anything yet."

"Alright," she conceded. "We'll talk to the General, but if he doesn't have a better idea, we go with mine."

"Okay," he agreed as he leaned back beside her against a fallen tree to watch the fire.

The rest of the mission went without a hitch which was a rare enough occurrence for SG-1 that as they dialed the gate they spoke about having a weekend barbeque at Jack's house. Hopefully, they would be able to get permission for Chuck Kawalsky, Charlie, and the kids to leave the base to attend. Sam quietly reminded her CO that they needed to speak with Hammond as well.

As luck would have it General Hammond asked Jack and his 2IC to remain behind after their mission debriefing. After the others had cleared the room he got right to the point, "Major Carter, we received a communication from the Tok'ra while you were away. Your father's going to be coming for a visit in three weeks," he told her.

"That's great, General" she said with a smile. A visit from Jacob Carter was rare enough to be a treat for his daughter. It did complicate things though. How would her dad react to finding himself suddenly not only a grandfather but a great-grandfather? Not to mention how he'd react to the subject she and Jack wished to speak to Hammond about.

"That is good news, sir," O'Neill agreed.

"I also have news for you, Colonel" Hammond said. "The JCS's have agreed to your request. You can introduce Sara and her father to Charlie. They'll have to sign the usual paperwork before they're allowed any information though," he cautioned.

"Yes, sir" O'Neill agreed before glancing at his second in command. "Ahh...sir. Sam and I need to talk to you."

"Alright," he said as he sat down behind his desk. 'Somehow,' he thought, 'I think I should be sitting for this one.'

"I think you know what it's about, sir" Sam said.

Hammond sighed and nodded. "You and Jack are tired of the holding pattern your lives are in?" he guessed.

"Yes, sir" Jack said. "Sam wants to resign so that..."

Hammond held up his hand. "Don't say it!" he ordered. "Speculation is one thing. Fact is another."

"Yes, sir."

"What about you, son?" Hammond asked.

"He offered to retire," Sam said. "But the SGC needs him here. If its me..."

"I can bring you back in as a civilian scientist," Hammond completed the thought for her.

"Yes, sir" Sam agreed. "Charlie can take my place on SG-1, and I can take care of the children while he's away on missions."

"That's quite a sacrifice, Major" Hammond commented.

"It would have its own rewards, General" Sam replied with a quick glance towards Colonel O'Neill. "It's probably the best solution we'll be able to come up with, sir. Charlie was part of a team in his reality while I oversaw the labs and went on an occasional mission as needed. I have to admit, I think Charlie's my superior when it comes to understanding the gate right now, but that will change quickly as I get caught up with the information he brought through with him."

"Okay, let me think about this for a few days. Dismissed." He waited for them to exit the room before picking up the phone and dialing a number direct. "Fitz!" he greeted cheerfully. "It's George."

"What disaster is it now?" the jovial voice on the other end asked.

"No nothing like that. We're having a quiet week. I need a favor," Hammond said.

"What kind of favor, George?" Admiral Percy Fitzwallace asked.

"You remember our new recruits," George asked. "That family situation we talked about."

"Things finally coming to a head?" Fitzwallace asked.

"Yeah," he admitted. "They're both talking about leaving the service. They're my best people Fitz! The SGC can't afford...hell the world...can't afford to have either of them out."

"I can't disagree with you there, my friend" the admiral said. "I've read the reports. They've shown a remarkable restraint. If they were anyone else I'd say let one or both of them resign so they can be happy, but...."

"Yeah," George said. "We need them both exactly where they are. Remember that idea we were talking about?"

"Let me see what I can do."

"Thank you," Hammond said. They talked for a few minutes more about other aspects of the SGC before hanging up. 'I've done what I can, Jack.' he thought.