Title: "Life's Purpose"
Author: Jackie W.
Email: jackiesficaol.com
Summary: Love at first site… Jack's whipped!
His truck was parked safely in the garage of his house, which looked neat and cared for. The other half of the garage was filled with… baby stuff.
"Daniel? Care to explain?" Jack offered, although his friend could tell he was more curious than angry.
"Uh, you're not going to believe this, but Sam refused to set up a nursery until after the baby was born. Said it was bad luck. We've been storing the stuff here, but we haven't had time to put it together yet," Daniel explained.
"Carter was.. superstitious?? Jack asked in dismay.
"Yeah, there's a story behind that, but it's up to her to tell you," Daniel told him. "So do you want help with anything? We've been keeping up with all of the bills, but there's some personal mail that has been piling up. We left it all for you in your den," Daniel offered. "The fridge had been stocked, and the truck got an overhaul last week so it's all tuned up."
"Thanks Daniel. I appreciate all of the hard work. But now I think I need some time to find my feet," Jack politely dismissed him.
"Then I think I'll head home. I'm sure I have a pile of mail waiting too," Daniel agreed, undisturbed.
In reality the instant Daniel was gone Jack rummaged around for his truck keys and was out the door. None of this was going to feel real until he saw Sam and the baby for himself. Fifteen minutes later found him on Sam doorstep. Cassie opened the door before he had a chance to ring the bell, and with a finger on her lips to silence him she ushered him in.
"They are both napping," she whispered after wrapping him in a huge hug.
"Can I just take a peek? I promise not to wake them," Jack begged.
Cassie led him to the bedroom and opened the door. He could see Carter curled up under a light blanket on the bed. She looked so peaceful. In the corner stood a bassinet. He crept over using his best stealth training and gazed at his daughter as she lay on her back also peacefully sleeping. Her hands were up around the sides of her head gently curled, and even in her sleep her perfect little lips were making a sucking motion. He was instantly, completely in love. After a couple of minutes he turned and made his way out of the room. Cassie was shocked to see tears on his face as he passed her. She had never seen Jack cry before.
"Tell Carter I'll be back," he whispered, and then he was gone.
When Sam padded out to the kitchen later she was disappointed to learn that Jack had been and gone. Cassie got a grilling on exactly what he had done, and said. Unfortunately there was no way to accurately interpret his actions. Had the tears been good or bad?
In reality Jack had been so overwhelmed by his emotions he'd needed to find someplace quiet to think. Not surprisingly he ended up at Charlie's grave. He stared guiltily at the headstone for several minutes. Finally he put those feelings aside and eventually he haltingly told his son all about his new baby sister, and asked him to look out for her. He stayed there trying to come to grips with everything until the sun started to fade.
He was going to wait until the next day to go over to Carter's again. But after grabbing some dinner he found himself back in his truck sitting outside her house. Inside the lights were on and through a side window he could see Sam walking Margaret back and forth. Through the open window as he approached the house he could hear the soft wail of one unhappy baby.
When she answered the door Sam was never so happy to see anyone in her entire life. Cassie had been looking forward to her friend's birthday party for weeks, so when Daniel had called and said that he and Teal'c were being sent out with SG-2 to help translate something, she had insisted that the teen go anyway. She was certainly capable of taking care of her daughter for the evening on her own. Now, two hours of uninterrupted crying later, she was beginning to wonder. Jack just took one look at the dark circles under her eyes and swept the infant out of her arms. Before she knew it she was sitting in the chair curled up watching the father of her baby walk her soothingly around the kitchen.
"Maggie Mae, what is the problem?" he crooned. Within minutes the crying had ceased and Maggie was quiet, gazing up at the stranger with half asleep eyes, one little fist tightly latched onto his shirt.
Sam looked at him in astonishment.
"Sara always did say I had the touch," he admitted with an embarrassed grin. "You look exhausted, why don't you go to sleep and I'll stay until she's ready to go down."
She was too tired to argue, and as much as she wanted to talk to him she was in no shape to do so, so she gave him a few quick directions on where to find diapers and bottles and wearily dragged herself off to bed. She didn't wake up again until 08:00 the next morning. Panicked she leaped out of bed to find her daughter just starting to stir, Jack having stayed long enough to take care of both of the middle of the night feedings.
"He said he had a lot of errands to run," Cassie explained. "He was great with Maggie."
"I thought we decided on Meg," Sam argued knowing it was losing battle. Jack had dubbed their daughter Maggie and it would be like trying to turn the tide of the ocean to get the name to change.
Cassie just grinned. "Maggie Mae fits her, don't you think? I told him she was named for his mother and yours. He was very touched. Oh and he took the album and tape from your pregnancy that you made for him."
One thing she knew about Jack O'Neill was that he would beat himself up for every minute he had missed already. So she had kept a video journal, and a picture album. In them she had documented mood swings, ultrasounds, first kicks and cravings. Her labor and delivery were filmed in all their glory by an alternately thrilled and embarrassed Daniel as Teal'c encouraged her to 'Push' and 'Breath'. Her fears about miscarrying were also in there. She hadn't explained why she feared it so, that hurdle was still ahead of her.
When she hadn't heard from him by late afternoon her cautious optimism was taking a beating. Finally there was a phone call, with an apologetic Jack explaining he had been paged to the SGC for a meeting. He hoped to make it over the next day. Sam wondered if he had any clue what the day was.
Sunday dawned clear and mild. Maggie had woken her up at the normal three to four hour intervals, but since Sam had managed a whole night of sleep the night before she was feeling pretty good. When the infant started fussing at 07:30, Sam was surprised to smell breakfast cooking. She threw on some clothes and changed her daughter's diaper, then headed out to the kitchen to prepare a bottle expecting to see Cassie. Instead she found Jack, and a breakfast fit for a queen.
"Happy Mother's Day," he smiled, taking Maggie and waving her to a seat. He picked up a bottle that was all ready and the baby latched onto it greedily. "She eats like a horse," he commented with a shake of his head. "You decided not to nurse?"
"The naquada leached into my breast milk and she had problems digesting it. We had to give up after three days," Sam explained attacking the stack of pancakes in front of her. "Thank you so much for this. I can't believe you thought of it."
"I have to confess, Cassie reminded me it was today when I was here Friday night," Jack admitted.
"Still, it's a nice gesture," Sam told him. She put her fork down and looked at him with a sigh. "We need to talk," she said quietly. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat you know."
Jack sighed. "I know. I was upset. I was downright pissed that you had done this, right up until the moment that you turned the camera onto Maggie and introduced us. Then I was just confused. Once I got my first real glimpse of her on Friday I was overwhelmed by feelings. Mostly good ones though. You were right. She is a miracle. And I don't want to miss a minute of her growing up. I lost out on too many moments with Charlie. The meeting yesterday was because the President wants me to take over running the SGC. It would mean a promotion to General and I wouldn't have to be off-world much. I accepted," Jack announced, pausing to see her reaction.
She was still looking at him with large wary eyes, but he thought he saw a bit of excitement lurking there.
"That's great, Jack, I mean Sir," she teased with a salute.
"Please don't go back to 'Siring' me to death again, Doctor Carter," Jack groaned.
"You'll be my boss," she frowned.
"No, I actually suggested that you, as the lead scientist at the SGC, report directly to General Vadrine at the Pentagon. He will be responsible for coordinating your department's efforts with those ongoing at Area 51," Jack explained.
Sam nodded her agreement. That made sense, and it would allow them to work together without preventing them from having a relationship. Assuming that is what he wanted. He had only mentioned wanting to be there for Maggie so far.
"So, now that that's all settled, what do you say to us taking a walk to the park. I spotted a stroller in the stockpile in my garage and got it out and ready to go," Jack suggested.
Sam blinked. She wasn't sure what all they had settled, but she could certainly use the fresh air and exercise, so she agreed. She would just have to play it by ear until he gave her some indication of what he wanted their relationship to be. After all he'd been gone a year and then thrown into a pretty confusing situation. He might not even be sure what he wanted himself.
Jack on the other hand knew exactly what he wanted. And he thought she understood that he wanted them to be a family. Of course it never occurred to him that she had spent the last ten months preparing herself for the worst and that she wouldn't know that he still loved her unless he told her.
Author: Jackie W.
Email: jackiesficaol.com
Summary: Love at first site… Jack's whipped!
His truck was parked safely in the garage of his house, which looked neat and cared for. The other half of the garage was filled with… baby stuff.
"Daniel? Care to explain?" Jack offered, although his friend could tell he was more curious than angry.
"Uh, you're not going to believe this, but Sam refused to set up a nursery until after the baby was born. Said it was bad luck. We've been storing the stuff here, but we haven't had time to put it together yet," Daniel explained.
"Carter was.. superstitious?? Jack asked in dismay.
"Yeah, there's a story behind that, but it's up to her to tell you," Daniel told him. "So do you want help with anything? We've been keeping up with all of the bills, but there's some personal mail that has been piling up. We left it all for you in your den," Daniel offered. "The fridge had been stocked, and the truck got an overhaul last week so it's all tuned up."
"Thanks Daniel. I appreciate all of the hard work. But now I think I need some time to find my feet," Jack politely dismissed him.
"Then I think I'll head home. I'm sure I have a pile of mail waiting too," Daniel agreed, undisturbed.
In reality the instant Daniel was gone Jack rummaged around for his truck keys and was out the door. None of this was going to feel real until he saw Sam and the baby for himself. Fifteen minutes later found him on Sam doorstep. Cassie opened the door before he had a chance to ring the bell, and with a finger on her lips to silence him she ushered him in.
"They are both napping," she whispered after wrapping him in a huge hug.
"Can I just take a peek? I promise not to wake them," Jack begged.
Cassie led him to the bedroom and opened the door. He could see Carter curled up under a light blanket on the bed. She looked so peaceful. In the corner stood a bassinet. He crept over using his best stealth training and gazed at his daughter as she lay on her back also peacefully sleeping. Her hands were up around the sides of her head gently curled, and even in her sleep her perfect little lips were making a sucking motion. He was instantly, completely in love. After a couple of minutes he turned and made his way out of the room. Cassie was shocked to see tears on his face as he passed her. She had never seen Jack cry before.
"Tell Carter I'll be back," he whispered, and then he was gone.
When Sam padded out to the kitchen later she was disappointed to learn that Jack had been and gone. Cassie got a grilling on exactly what he had done, and said. Unfortunately there was no way to accurately interpret his actions. Had the tears been good or bad?
In reality Jack had been so overwhelmed by his emotions he'd needed to find someplace quiet to think. Not surprisingly he ended up at Charlie's grave. He stared guiltily at the headstone for several minutes. Finally he put those feelings aside and eventually he haltingly told his son all about his new baby sister, and asked him to look out for her. He stayed there trying to come to grips with everything until the sun started to fade.
He was going to wait until the next day to go over to Carter's again. But after grabbing some dinner he found himself back in his truck sitting outside her house. Inside the lights were on and through a side window he could see Sam walking Margaret back and forth. Through the open window as he approached the house he could hear the soft wail of one unhappy baby.
When she answered the door Sam was never so happy to see anyone in her entire life. Cassie had been looking forward to her friend's birthday party for weeks, so when Daniel had called and said that he and Teal'c were being sent out with SG-2 to help translate something, she had insisted that the teen go anyway. She was certainly capable of taking care of her daughter for the evening on her own. Now, two hours of uninterrupted crying later, she was beginning to wonder. Jack just took one look at the dark circles under her eyes and swept the infant out of her arms. Before she knew it she was sitting in the chair curled up watching the father of her baby walk her soothingly around the kitchen.
"Maggie Mae, what is the problem?" he crooned. Within minutes the crying had ceased and Maggie was quiet, gazing up at the stranger with half asleep eyes, one little fist tightly latched onto his shirt.
Sam looked at him in astonishment.
"Sara always did say I had the touch," he admitted with an embarrassed grin. "You look exhausted, why don't you go to sleep and I'll stay until she's ready to go down."
She was too tired to argue, and as much as she wanted to talk to him she was in no shape to do so, so she gave him a few quick directions on where to find diapers and bottles and wearily dragged herself off to bed. She didn't wake up again until 08:00 the next morning. Panicked she leaped out of bed to find her daughter just starting to stir, Jack having stayed long enough to take care of both of the middle of the night feedings.
"He said he had a lot of errands to run," Cassie explained. "He was great with Maggie."
"I thought we decided on Meg," Sam argued knowing it was losing battle. Jack had dubbed their daughter Maggie and it would be like trying to turn the tide of the ocean to get the name to change.
Cassie just grinned. "Maggie Mae fits her, don't you think? I told him she was named for his mother and yours. He was very touched. Oh and he took the album and tape from your pregnancy that you made for him."
One thing she knew about Jack O'Neill was that he would beat himself up for every minute he had missed already. So she had kept a video journal, and a picture album. In them she had documented mood swings, ultrasounds, first kicks and cravings. Her labor and delivery were filmed in all their glory by an alternately thrilled and embarrassed Daniel as Teal'c encouraged her to 'Push' and 'Breath'. Her fears about miscarrying were also in there. She hadn't explained why she feared it so, that hurdle was still ahead of her.
When she hadn't heard from him by late afternoon her cautious optimism was taking a beating. Finally there was a phone call, with an apologetic Jack explaining he had been paged to the SGC for a meeting. He hoped to make it over the next day. Sam wondered if he had any clue what the day was.
Sunday dawned clear and mild. Maggie had woken her up at the normal three to four hour intervals, but since Sam had managed a whole night of sleep the night before she was feeling pretty good. When the infant started fussing at 07:30, Sam was surprised to smell breakfast cooking. She threw on some clothes and changed her daughter's diaper, then headed out to the kitchen to prepare a bottle expecting to see Cassie. Instead she found Jack, and a breakfast fit for a queen.
"Happy Mother's Day," he smiled, taking Maggie and waving her to a seat. He picked up a bottle that was all ready and the baby latched onto it greedily. "She eats like a horse," he commented with a shake of his head. "You decided not to nurse?"
"The naquada leached into my breast milk and she had problems digesting it. We had to give up after three days," Sam explained attacking the stack of pancakes in front of her. "Thank you so much for this. I can't believe you thought of it."
"I have to confess, Cassie reminded me it was today when I was here Friday night," Jack admitted.
"Still, it's a nice gesture," Sam told him. She put her fork down and looked at him with a sigh. "We need to talk," she said quietly. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat you know."
Jack sighed. "I know. I was upset. I was downright pissed that you had done this, right up until the moment that you turned the camera onto Maggie and introduced us. Then I was just confused. Once I got my first real glimpse of her on Friday I was overwhelmed by feelings. Mostly good ones though. You were right. She is a miracle. And I don't want to miss a minute of her growing up. I lost out on too many moments with Charlie. The meeting yesterday was because the President wants me to take over running the SGC. It would mean a promotion to General and I wouldn't have to be off-world much. I accepted," Jack announced, pausing to see her reaction.
She was still looking at him with large wary eyes, but he thought he saw a bit of excitement lurking there.
"That's great, Jack, I mean Sir," she teased with a salute.
"Please don't go back to 'Siring' me to death again, Doctor Carter," Jack groaned.
"You'll be my boss," she frowned.
"No, I actually suggested that you, as the lead scientist at the SGC, report directly to General Vadrine at the Pentagon. He will be responsible for coordinating your department's efforts with those ongoing at Area 51," Jack explained.
Sam nodded her agreement. That made sense, and it would allow them to work together without preventing them from having a relationship. Assuming that is what he wanted. He had only mentioned wanting to be there for Maggie so far.
"So, now that that's all settled, what do you say to us taking a walk to the park. I spotted a stroller in the stockpile in my garage and got it out and ready to go," Jack suggested.
Sam blinked. She wasn't sure what all they had settled, but she could certainly use the fresh air and exercise, so she agreed. She would just have to play it by ear until he gave her some indication of what he wanted their relationship to be. After all he'd been gone a year and then thrown into a pretty confusing situation. He might not even be sure what he wanted himself.
Jack on the other hand knew exactly what he wanted. And he thought she understood that he wanted them to be a family. Of course it never occurred to him that she had spent the last ten months preparing herself for the worst and that she wouldn't know that he still loved her unless he told her.