Title: "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed

Summary: Jack gets some surprising news on what was suppose to be his Wedding day and embarks on the journey to bring Sam and Teal'c back.

Disclaimer in pt 1

Sequel to Everything

What was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life has turned out to be one of my worse. Here I am preparing to go into battle to rescue Sam and Teal'c. Master Bra'tac's information regarding Ba'al's new prison had proven to be very useful. It gave details that the Tok'ra information had not. We studied the prison model and pinpointed the weakest points to penetrate with our teams.

I was anxious to get going. The longer we stood here, the longer Sam was in the hands of that monster. I couldn't even bring myself to say his name for fear that everything he had done to me would come back. I pushed that to the back of my mind. My one and only objective was to get Sam and Teal'c back. I looked up to see Jacob going over the plans with Bra'tac and Arla. She had proven to be invaluable to our planning. It was she who had been working undercover with Ba'al and when Vahe' had come to the prison, she had to escaped before he recognized her. She had been injured in her escape, but her symbiote had healed her and she truly wanted to help us rescue Sam and Teal'c, asking to come along to guide us through the maze of Ba'al's prison. She did this willingly, knowing if she were to be caught, she would be put to death for her betrayal.

There were a lot of factors that had to be in place for our plan to work. We would need the help of Lord Yu again. He would have to provide the firepower from above so we could have the advantage we needed to slip into the prison and get out before Ba'al knew what was happening. Bra'tac was sending Ray'nor to give Lord Yu the coordinates of the prison. We had contacted him to request a meeting and Ray'nor left immediately when Lord Yu agreed to meet. Ray'nor promised not to fail us, and would contact us once he had coordinated with Lord Yu's first prime about when they would arrive at the planet and the time the attack would begin.

Bra'tac had also inform us that he had a squad of rebel Jaffa that had instilled themselves in Ba'al's ranks, waiting for us to arrive at the planet, and had been given a rendezvous place to meet us before we would begin our attack. We would be going in disguised as Jaffa and would make our way to where Sam and Teal'c where being held.

I asked if the prison was equipped with the same things as the one I had escaped from. I couldn't bring myself to ask if Ba'al had a sarcophagus and if the anti-gravitation wall of death as I had named it were there, but one look on Bra'tac's face was all I needed to see. I excused myself and walked away before I fell apart in front of them.

God, Sam! What must you be going through right now? I begged for death; would you do the same? I told you the torture he put me through, but what I didn't tell you was it was the thought of you that had kept me sane. It was your voice that I kept hearing in my head, begging me not to give up, and it was you that I knew I was going to let down when I asked Daniel to let me die. Please Teal'c, keep her safe for me. I know you would lay down your life for her. It gives me comfort knowing she doesn't have to face this alone.

I walked to her lab, locked the door behind me and sat on the bed, picked up her sweater and broke down. It was Saturday, the day I was suppose to marry the woman that meant more to me than life itself, the person who taught me to love again. She was supposed to be getting pampered today, not tortured. I was supposed to be nursing a hangover from the bachelor party the guys at the SGC were throwing for me. But instead, here I sit in the dark, praying that I get her back alive.

All the plans for the wedding had been cancelled. Cassie and Julia had called everyone to inform them that the wedding was postponed until further notice. The guest list consisted of SGC personnel, some of Sam's friends from her Pentagon days, and some of my old buddies from my special ops days. Since most knew we worked on classified projects, they did not ask questions, but sent their prayers.

Mark arrived in Colorado Springs on Thursday as planned, but we had forgotten to pick him and his family up at the airport. Julia had stopped by my house when the cab had arrived. She did not know what to say and called Janet immediately. Janet got in touch with me and I informed Jacob. He said he'd go and try to explain what was going on.

Jacob came back hours later looking more upset and he looked like he had been crying. He explained that Mark was angry, blaming him for encouraging Sam to join the Air Force.

"I tried to explain to him, but there is only so much I can tell him. It was difficult, but I don't blame him. I've been a lousy father and if we don't get Sam back, I'll lose Mark as well."

Jacob turned away and Selmac took over. I asked if he was alright and Selmac said that they had argued and that Mark had left before things got out of hand. Mark's wife had put the children to bed and had asked how I was coping. Jacob had said that you were doing as well as to be expected. She then asked if there was anything that she could do to help. Jacob called Julia, who had come as soon as he had called. Julia thanked Mark's wife for the help and put her to work, calling the florist and photographer.

"Julia was very supportive, not asking questions but just listening to Jacob vent. He almost slipped up and let some information out, but I caught him before it was too late. Mark returned and asked Jacob to give you a message, to call him and then he went to the bedroom."

That was Thursday. I called Mark and danced around what I could tell him, which only made him more frustrated with me. I said when I had something solid to tell him, I would call him. He would not be leaving Colorado until he had word his sister was safe.

I fished out the picture of us from my pocket. Life really knew how to deal me a blow when it wanted to. I knew what we had was to good to be true. Jack O'Neill could not be happy. It was the unwritten rule in the universe. There was a knock on the door and I hid the picture and put Sam's sweater away. I got up to answer the door. It was Jacob wanting to know if I was okay and that Daniel was asking for me. I told him I just wanted to go find them.

"Has Ray'nor contacted us yet? He should have by now. I'm just anxious to get going. We're wasting too much time. You don't know what Ba'al is capable of. I'm just afraid we might be too late, and if that's the case, I don't know what I'll do."

He said he understood and knew this day would be hard for me.

"We were supposed to be celebrating your wedding. I never told you this, but when you asked me for Sam's hand in marriage, you blew me away. I knew you loved her, but to actually ask me before her...it just showed me the depths of that love. This day was going to be the happiest of my life. I was going to walk my little girl down the aisle to the man I knew would walk through hell if she asked him to. Instead, we're launching a rescue to retrieve her from the clutches of evil. I don't know how much more I can take. I'm at the end of my rope and if I lose Sammy, I don't think I can go on. I'd give my life for her. She deserves a chance at happiness; you both do. Jack, if anything happens to me, or we get separated, you have to promise me you'll get her to safety, that if it means leaving me behind, then so be it."

"No one's getting left behind. We will get married and we'll all grow old together. Hey, we might even make you a grandfather again, even though the thought scares the hell out of me. I did such a bad job the first time with Charlie. Damn, I forgot to call Sara. She had RSVP'ed late. Jacob, can you tell Daniel I'll be right down after I call Sara to let her know we had to postpone?"

I dialed Sara and she answered on the second ring. I explained to her as best as I could, but she knew I was hiding something.

"Jack, I hope you are able to fix this soon. You have my prayers. I know you're not telling me everything, but I understand. I lived with you and I just want you to be happy."

I thanked her and promised to call when everything was back on. I went to go see Daniel when the Klaxon started to ring. I went straight to the Gateroom. Ray'nor was communicating to let us know that Lord Yu had accepted the plan and would begin his attack in 12 hours. He would contact us when he had reached the rebel base to join us for our journey. I turned and gave General Hammond a thumbs up and said I'd go tell Jacob.

Jacob was on his way to the Gateroom when I bumped into him and informed him what had happened. He was relieved that Lord Yu had agreed to our plan. He said we had to contact the Tok'ra that would be accompanying us. He also said we should get to the planet where the ships we would be using to get to Ba'al's planet were waiting. I agreed and told him I would suit up as soon as I talked to Daniel.

Daniel was up and looking better. He was not as pale and he was staying awake for longer periods of time. Cassie was by his side keeping him company. I informed him of the latest developments and told him I would be leaving soon to meet up with the rebel Jaffa and the Tok'ra that would be helping us with the rescue. Daniel wished he could come along.

"I really want to go, Jack. I feel like I should be there. Janet will hear no part of it though, saying I can't even stay awake long enough to do any good. I feel so useless. I wish I could do more."

I told him all he had to do was get better. We still had a wedding to attend to. As soon as Sam was back, we would be getting hitched.

Cassie stood up and hugged me. I kissed her forehead and asked where was Janet.

Daniel said that she had been busy and asked Cassie to go get her for me. Cassie said she'd try. She asked Daniel if they'd had a fight or something since she was not spending as much time with him. Daniel told her no, so she shrugged her shoulders and left. I asked him what that was all that about.

"I didn't want to worry Cassie, Jack, but Janet has been on pins and needles for the past two days. It's like she has the weight on the world on her shoulders. I asked her what was wrong and she keeps telling me nothing, but I know she's hiding something. Has she told you anything?"

I told Daniel that I hadn't seen Janet for the last two days. As a matter of fact, she had been avoiding me. The door open and Janet ran in and stopped in her tracks, paling when she saw me.

I didn't say anything and listened to what she had to say.

"Daniel, are you alright? Cassie said you needed me. Are you in pain? I was giving SG-3 their pre-medical treatment and I have two other teams to do, so where's the fire?"

We both looked at Cassie, who shrugged and said she had to tell her something like that or she wouldn't have come. We looked back at Janet and she focused on Daniel.

"Honey, Jack was telling me what's been going on. I was just worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately and I was just voicing my concerns to Jack."

Janet swallowed hard and tried to keep her emotions in check. "How do you think I'm feeling Daniel? I almost lost you. Your blood was on my hands and I couldn't do anything to help you. My best friend is being held by Ba'al, as is the man I would trust with my life. I feel helpless. I want to go with them and blast that son of a bitch to pieces for hurting Sam and Teal'c."

She let out a cry turned and ran out the room. We were all surprised and Cassie said she'd never heard her mom so angry. She then followed her to see if she was okay.

Daniel was trying to get out of bed. I stopped him, telling him that he was going to hurt himself.

"Jack, I have to go to her. I knew something was wrong. Did you catch that? She's hiding something and I'm going to find out what it is."

I pushed Daniel back down and told him I would find out. I had to see her to get my checkup and I would ask her what was going on.

Daniel calmed down and I went in search of Janet. Cassie said she did not return to the infirmary. I called the check out stations to see if she had left the mountain but was told that she had not. I told Cassie to go back to Daniel before he tried to escape again and said I would find her mother.

I found her in Sam's lab crying. I walked in and sat next to her on the bed. I put my arm around her and she leaned in to me and cried.

When she started to calm down, I handed her a tissue and she wipeed her tears away. I asked her if she was okay and she nodded yes. I then asked her what was going on. She stood up and started to walk to Sam's desk.

"Jack, I've been in knots for days now. I have been avoiding you and everyone else. I've had to keep this to myself and it's tearing me apart. I don't know what to do. It falls in the category of patient doctor confidentiality, but I'm torn on if I should say something. I'm not making sense and..."

I stood up and felt my stomach tighten. Janet didn't have to say it. She was talking about Sam. I had asked her to check her out since she had not been feeling well. How much more could I deal with? Was I going to rescue her from Ba'al only to be told she had some disease that would take her away from me for good? I turned Janet around and asked her if it was Sam she was talking about.

She looked away. "It's complicated. I should tell her first, but I'm torn since it affects you. I don't know what to do. Jack, this might affect the mission and it might distract you from your objective. I've said too much."

She walked past me and I grabbed her arm. "Major Fraiser, I am ordering you as General O'Neill to tell me what you know. This information might affect our mission and we need to have all the facts before we go in. Now tell me what you found out."

Janet sagged and gripped the table. She had tears in her eyes and smiled, saying she knew I'd think of something. I led her to the bed and sat her down. I knelt in front of her. "Janet, did you find something in Sam's labwork?"

She nodded yes. I took a deep breath and asked if this would affect us getting her out. She nodded yes again. I tried to calm myself. Then I asked if it was life threatening. She thought for a while and then nodded no.

"Janet, I need you to tell me what is wrong. She's been feeling run down. Is Sam dying?"

Janet looked shock and nodded her head no. She took my hands. "No Jack, she's not dying. She's pregnant."

My heart stopped. I wasn't breathing. I blinked and gripped her hands. I started to feel dizzy. I could her Janet calling me and I was still trying to register what she had just said. She shook me out of my stupor and told me to breathe. I took a deep breath and looked at her again and opened my mouth to speak and she nodded yes again.

I fell back on my butt. She came down on the floor with me and asked if I was okay.

Sam was pregnant. I wanted to ask how it was possible. I stammered out to Janet that I thought with what had happen with Jolinar it would be hard for her to conceive.

"Jack, I did the test three times. They all came out positive. Now you know why I've been walking around on pins and needles. I was torn to tell you. If I did, I would violate Sam's rights, but if I didn't, I could hurt her and the baby's life by not telling you."

I looked at her and smiled, giving her a fierce hug. I started to cry. All my fears came to a head. My love for Sam and now that of our baby overtook me. I understood why Janet was torn in telling me. She was afraid for me. She was scared that I would not be able to deal with the knowledge that Sam was being held by the same monster that had me begging for death, and knowing that he also held my unborn child. But I had a purpose now. I would bring my family home and we would raise our child together.

I let her go and thanked her. I then asked if I could have a couple of minutes alone. I checked my watch and had only a little bit of time before we would depart. I told her I'd see her in the infirmary. I asked her not to say anything to Daniel and Cassie since I wanted Sam to know before anyone else. She agreed and then gave me another hug.

She left me alone and I sat on the bed again and pulled out our picture. We were going to have a baby. I closed my eyes and held the picture close to my heart. My thoughts went to our silly song contest. I then thought of an appropriate song. Looking at the photo, I started to sing.

Well I just heard the news today It seems my life is going to change

I closed my eyes, begin to pray Then tears of joy stream down my face

With arms wide open Under the sunlight

Welcome to this place I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

Well I don't know if I'm ready To be the man I have to be

I'll take a breath, take her by my side We stand in awe, we've created life

With arms wide open

Under the sunlight Welcome to this place I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

Now everything has changed

I'll show you love I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

If I had just one wish Only one demand

I hope he's not like me I hope he understands

That he can take this life And hold it by the hand

And he can greet the world With arms wide open...

I looked at the photo. "I will get you both back. This is our life. We will be together soon. Hold on Sam, I'm coming, and we will raise our child together."

I went to her desk and wrote out a letter, sealed it and took it with me. I went to get my pre-medical and was cleared to go. I met up with Jacob and handed him the letter. I told him if anything happened to me to make sure Sam got this. Jacob nodded and put it away. I asked how much time we had and the Gate started to spin. General Hammond came up to me and shook my hand. I was about to open my mouth when I saw Janet and she nodded to me. She had given him the news. I came close and whispered that I wanted this to be kept between us. He nodded but said if things got bad, to let someone know. I said I'd let them know when we got into position. I turned around to see that SG-2, SG-3, and SG-8 were coming along. But everyone else that was turned away was there to see us off. The Gate came to life and everyone started to walk through. Ferretti and Colonel Reynolds stood by me. General Hammond then spoke up. "You have a go. Good luck gentlemen and Godspeed."

I saluted the General and told Ferretti and Reynolds "Come on guys. Let's go kick this snakehead's ass."