"Circles"

By Aeryn

Chapter 11

Daniel stumbled into the briefing the next morning, bleary-eyed and dropping file folders all over the place. He fell into the first chair he came to and immediately began scribbling hurriedly into a notebook.

"Dr. Jackson," Hammond said, in that 'boy, are you in big trouble, son,' voice . "Do you realize you are half an hour late?"

"Uh, sorry . . . I didn't hear my alarm clock this morning." It wasn't a lie. He couldn't have heard it because he had been sawing logs in Lin's bed and his alarm clock was over five miles away.

Sam looked at Daniel, then at Lin, who had been there on time but was, for some reason, blushing furiously, then at Siler, who was sniggering behind his hand, and finally at Jack, whose expression was totally blank until he noticed her looking at him, then he winked

She looked down. Teal'c was writing something on her notepad. 'It would appear that Daniel Jackson has, as O'Neill would phrase it, 'gotten laid,' she read. She looked at Teal'c in shock. His expression was calm but there was a wicked gleam in his eye. She snorted and clapped both hands over her mouth. She was on the verge of losing it.

"Uh," she said, in a strangled voice. "Could you excuse me just a moment, sir?" She hurried out of the briefing room.

Hammond sighed. "What in the hell is that noise?"

He was referring to all the howling coming from outside the room. "Uh, that's Sam. She's gotten weird that way, laughing all the time for no apparent reason. Hormones, you know," Jack said, the tone of his voice indicating that even he didn't buy that half-assed explanation and he didn't expect anyone else to, either.

Siler was bent over double now, he was laughing so hard. Jack kicked him under the table. Daniel and Lin remained focused on their notes, although the both of them were blushing like nobody's business.

Hammond sighed again. "I don't want to know, do I? Even though I already do?" Daniel and Lin looked at him in horror.

Jack looked at him. "No, sir, you probably don't. Even though you already do."

Hammond wondered when his best team had turned into a bunch of third-graders. "Well, this thing I don't know about had better be kept off-base, not affect anyone's work, and had better not result in anyone being late again. Am I understood?"

Jack grinned behind his hand. Daniel and Lin were apparently finding it hard to speak, so he spoke for them. "Yes, sir. We ALL understand completely."

"Good. Siler, get up off the floor and settle down," Hammond said. "Colonel!" he bellowed. "Get back in here so we can get to work!"

They scurried down the corridor, each blaming the other over the utter humiliation that had taken place during the briefing.

"I've never been more embarrassed in my LIFE!"

"Neither have I!"

"It was YOUR fault; what took you so long to get here?"

"I had to go home and change!"

"Now Hammond knows. Damn! I'm breaking up with you."

"No, I'm breaking up with YOU. See you tonight?"

"Fine, but bring a change of clothes this time, you idiot!"

They jumped when they noticed Jack looming over them.

"Been having fun, kids?" He winked.

Behind him, Teal'c smirked.

Lin flushed. "No, sir," she said meekly.

Daniel glared at her. "None of your damned business, Jack."

"Ah, but it is," Jack said. "My CO is, at present, very unhappy. Let's just keep things neat and tidy, shall we?"

They looked at him blankly. He sighed. "Just keep it . . . contained. And neither one of you will be late again, comprende?"

"Fine, fine," Daniel muttered.

"Yes, sir," Lin said, eyes on the floor.

"Good. Carry on, then." He brushed past them and headed for his office.

Teal'c paused. "And no arguing," he warned.

They both nodded furiously. "No arguing here!"

"What, us argue?"

Teal'c, eyed them both closely, just a hint of a smirk on his face, then left to follow O'Neill.

Daniel and Lin glared at one another and went their separate ways.

The fighting continued, of course, but only behind closed doors and only when they were sure Teal'c was nowhere around.

"Dr. Jackson, may I please discuss these latest findings with you?" Lin would say in her quietest, politest tone of voice.

Daniel would look up. "Certainly, Major Lin," he would say, eyes blazing. "I would appreciate your input."

"Thank you very much," she would answer quietly, glaring.

Then she would shut the door gently and the fur would fly.

They needn't have worried about Teal'c. He was too busy to bother with them. To Sam and Jack's surprise, and, frankly, concern, he had volunteered to host their wedding reception/baby shower/housewarming party/Christmas get-together.

"Are you sure about this, Teal'c?" Sam asked. She was finding it difficult to picture what type of bash Teal'c might plan but she was worried it would involve a lot of lurid colors and piñatas.

There was a scream and a curse from the rockin' rumpus room. Jack was losing at Madden 2004. They ignored him.

"Certainly," he said. "You have other concerns right now." To her surprise, he patted her belly absently and went back to the notes he was making.

"Teal'c, planning a party can be a real pain in the ass," she said, still a bit leery about the whole thing but not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"That is why I will be hiring a party planner. All you need to do is tell me who to invite."

She surrendered. "Okay, fine. But no wedding or Christmas gifts, just baby stuff."

"Are you registered anywhere?"

"No, not yet."

"Then let us go. O'Neill!" he barked. "I am taking your wife to Babies R Us!"

"What?! Argh! You made me miss the tackle! Dammit!"

There was a thud as the controller for the PS2 hit the wall. Sam sighed. "I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight."

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow.

"He'll break that stupid thing before the day's over."

"He is a poor loser."

She sighed. "He sure is."

"What do you think of yellow and lime green as a theme?"

She stared. He was perfectly serious. Well, he seemed perfectly serious. Was he serious? Surely he wasn't serious. Then he grinned.

She laughed and punched him. "Don't DO that to me, you'll send me into labor."

He held out his arm. "Shall we go, Mrs. O'Neill?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Jack grumbled, struggling into his jacket. "Sam, I broke the. . ."

Sigh. "I know. I'll fix it later."

Jack watched as Sam sat on the floor of his rockin' rumpus room and labored over his badly battered PS2.

"Haven't you done this before?"

She sighed. "I've done this five times."

"Five? Really?"

"You really need to control yourself; these things aren't disposable, you know."

He watched her, her skin taking on a golden sheen in the light of the fire, and thought for the billionth time how beautiful she was.

"Hey. How come there hasn't been any 'poke, poke, grrrr' lately?" He waggled his eyebrows.

She looked at him and smiled. "You've been bitching constantly about how tired you are, Jack. I can take a hint. Besides, you can't tell me you want to make love to THIS."

She rolled on to her back and sprawled on the floor, her position emphasizing the size of her belly. "I'm as big as a house. And I have stretch marks."

He snorted. "You have ONE stretch mark."

"Well, still. Ick."

"Oh, knock it off. You're not icky." He got down on the floor and crawled over to her, lying on his side, propped up on one elbow. "You're gorgeous."

"Stop it."

"I mean it." He leaned over to kiss her. She pulled him close and kissed him more deeply, which he and various parts of his body greatly appreciated. He pulled away and smiled lazily. He ran his hand down her body, still getting used to the new shape it had taken.

"Gimme," he demanded.

"I can't give much; it's too awkward."

He kissed her again. "Fine. You just lay there and I'll do all the work."

"Now THAT sounds like the best idea you've had in a while." She smiled, and something deep inside him shifted. He felt, he thought, blessed.

"I love you," he said, suddenly serious. "Both of you."

Her smile widened. "We love you, too."

He sat up, suddenly eager. "Too many clothes!" He began tugging at her shirt and she sat up, allowing him to pull it over her head. She lifted her hips, as much as she could, anyway, and let him strip off her pants and underwear. He moved up and kissed her again.

"Bra?" he prompted, leering.

"Are you sure you're ready for this? I wouldn't want you to implode. Or explode. Not prematurely, anyway," she said.

"Yes, yes, lemme see!"

She reached around her back and undid the clasp, sliding her bra off. Her breasts spilled forth in all their newfound glory.

"Wow," he murmured.

She looked down at herself. "I know. They're HUGE." She sighed "I'm going to miss them when they're gone."

"Where are they going? Costa Rica?"

She snorted. "Shut up. You know what I mean."

"Can I touch? Please tell me I can touch," he begged, struggling out of his own clothes.

She laughed. "Yes, but carefully, please."

He grinned.

"Now this rockin' rumpus room REALLY rocks," he panted. She rolled her eyes. He turned over on his side to look at her. "If I'd known from the beginning what a wildcat you can be, those regs would have been broken long ago."

"I never knew I could be a wildcat until we broke them."

He grinned.

They lay quietly for a while, staring into the fire.

"Sam," he said finally. "I've been thinking."

"I can tell; you've got steam coming out of your ears," she said, then squeaked as she received another hickey as punishment for being a smartass.

"Seriously," he said. "I'm thinking about retiring."

She propped herself up on her elbows and stared at him. "Really? Why? I thought this was what you wanted, being back on the team."

He sighed. "Yeah, but you know what it's like. I could be gone for days at a time, not to mention the risk of getting myself killed."

He looked at her and put on hand on her belly. "I don't want to miss a minute of this," he said.

"Are you sure?" she whispered.

"Yes."

Her eyes searched his face. He was completely serious.

"I don't want you to do this for my sake," she said.

"I'm not; at least not completely," he said. "I'm doing it for all our sakes."

She lay back and reached up to touch his face with her hand.

"What do you think?" he asked.

She sighed and smiled slightly. "I think we're complete jackasses."

He scowled. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we've been, or at least I'VE been, scared to leave the SGC. Besides loving the work, I've gotten it into my head that I'm the only one who can DO the work."

She rolled over on her side, head propped in one hand. "But after working with Lin, I've got to admit, as much as I hate to, that there are people out there who are just as smart and capable as we are."

He sighed. "Not as good looking, though."

She smiled. "No, certainly not as good looking. I just wonder if it isn't time we both should step aside and let the new generation have their turn at saving the world every day."

His eyebrows rose. "You want to leave, too?"

"No . . . but I'm not going to run the risk of leaving this baby without a mother. I know all too well what that's like." Her eyes were suddenly bright with tears.

He pulled her into his arms. "You miss her," he whispered.

"I miss her every day. And especially now. I really wish she was here."

He held her tightly as she cried. Eventually she pulled away, wiping away tears.

"Do you think we'll contact Dad soon?" she asked.

"I'm positive," he said reassuringly, even though he wasn't.

She sighed. "You're SURE you want to do this?"

"Yes. Are YOU sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I guess we'll visit Hammond on Monday."

Hammond, to their surprise, didn't try to talk them out of it. He did, however ask Jack to stay on until he found a suitable replacement, and Sam insisted on working up until she was due.

He watched them as they left his office. Things certainly wouldn't be the same without them around. It might make his life easier, he thought, but things definitely wouldn't be as interesting. He'd miss them.

He shook his head as his eyes started to water. He was turning into a softy in his old age.

He sighed and started digging through personnel files, trying to figure out his options.

"So what's up with this big party?" Jack asked over the roar of the jets in the Jacuzzi tub. He could actually lie all the way down, none more having to fold himself almost in half to take a bath. This is SWEET, he thought absently.

"I have NO idea," Sam said, brushing her hair. "I did meet the party planner guy, though. He seemed fun. He reminds me of Carson from 'Queer Eye.'"

They both watched "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" religiously.

"I think he has a thing for Teal'c," she added.

Jack's eyebrows rose but he decided not to comment.

"And when is it?"

"This Saturday."

"What am I supposed to wear?"

"Don't worry, I'll have it all laid out for you."

Ah, Jack thought, sinking deeper into the tub. Domesticated bliss.

Klaxons sounded.

"Unscheduled off-world activation!"

Sam hurried as quickly as she could to the control room. Walter was talking to Hammond. "It's SG-1. They're taking fire, two injured. I've informed Dr. Warner."

She fell into a chair, almost faint with fright.

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.

She watched with dread as the iris opened with agonizing slowness.

Jack and Teal'c appeared; Jack carrying Lin and Teal'c carrying Daniel. The medics were waiting and whisked Lin and Daniel away, Jack and Teal'c following closely. Hammond had already left the control room and Sam followed, although at a much slower pace.

She stopped at the doorway.

"We tried not to attract attention, but history has proven that we don't seem to be very good at that," Jack was explaining to Hammond. "They saw us and started firing. They didn't give us a lot of time for chit-chat. Daniel got conked on the head with a rock and Lin, well . . ."

It was obvious what was wrong with Lin. An arrow was sticking out of her upper thigh.

"Rocks and arrows?" Hammond said.

"We knew they were a primitive culture," Teal'c said. "That is why we decided against contacting them."

"Is there any reason we would need to return?" Hammond asked.

"Well, Daniel was saying he'd gotten all he needed just before he got beaned," Jack said.

Hammond turned to Warner. "Doctor?"

"Dr. Jackson has a concussion. He'll be fine, but he'll need to rest. Lin's injury is a little trickier; we'll have to remove the arrow before we can tell how bad it is."

Lin groaned.

Jack turned to her. "You know, Lin, you're not the first of us to get shot in the ass. But you may have been the first to get shot in ass with an arrow."

She gritted her teeth. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Speak away."

"Shut the fuck up, sir."

Jack snorted in amusement. "I'll leave you with Warner."

"Debriefing later when everyone's up and around."

"Yes, sir," Jack said, leaving the infirmary and running straight into Sam, who wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He pulled her tight and rested his head on her shoulder.

"It's all right," he whispered. "I'm okay."

"I know, I know. I was just so scared."

"It won't be for much longer."

She nodded and he held her for a long time, both of them haunted by what might have been.

The circle doesn't turn smoothly; it runs in fits and starts. You find yourself in one place doing one thing for a very long time, then suddenly the gears shift and you're flung into a totally new present, one you'd never expected.

Lin, now arrow-free and bandaged, watched Daniel as he lay asleep in the bed next to hers. Warner had said he should wake up any time now, and that he should be fine, but that did absolutely nothing to ease the knots in her stomach.

He stirred, finally, blinking at the bright lights of the infirmary.

"Daniel?" she whispered.

"My? Are you okay?"

She slid off the bed and limped toward him, touching his face softly. He grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. "Tiny," he said, smiling.

She leaned down and carefully wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against his. She relaxed into him as he pulled her closer.

"You okay?" he asked again.

"I love you," she murmured into his ear, not looking at him.

His head spun, and not because he'd just gotten conked on the head with a rock. And he felt weird, there was an odd warmth in his chest that he couldn't quite identify. He pushed her away slightly so he could look at her.

She was crying.

He framed her face with his hands and brought her lips to his, kissing her briefly and then letting her go.

She straightened and looked at him sadly.

"Come here," he said, scooting over in the bed and pulling her down beside him. She lay on her side and he pulled her into his arms and nudged one knee between her legs. They shared the pillow, faces a breath apart.

"I love you, too," he said quietly, and she smiled, a smile that came from deep within her soul, and something inside him broke wide open.

He kissed her fervently before pulling back. "I remember this," he whispered against her lips. "It's been a long time, but I remember."

"Remember what?"

He smiled and stroked her face.

"Being happy," he said, and kissed her again.

Sam and Jack, who had come to see how they were doing, hovered just outside the doorway, arms around each other, watching. Sam wiped her eyes and looked up at Jack, who was grinning broadly. He looked at her. "Why don't we leave these two alone for a while," he whispered. She smiled and nodded and they left in silence, leaving Daniel and Lin alone in their own little world.

That's how the circle works, sometimes.