Author's note: Okay, the doctor's name is Maria. I just can't type, and that's not a typo the spellchecker picks up for me! Sorry about the confusion.

OOOOOOOOO

"Wish me luck," Daniel told Jaffer, as he stopped in front of Sally's house twenty minutes later. He pulled a small box out of the glove compartment, and then got out of the car, came around and let Jaffer out, still attached to the leash so he wouldn't run off and get himself into trouble.

Jaffer rumbled happily, and was a perfect gentleman as the two of them walked up to the door – much to Daniel's surprise.

When Sally Longford opened the door, she couldn't hide the surprise on her face. She'd been expecting Daniel, and wasn't disappointed in that respect, but she wasn't expecting to see the hulking black dog that was standing beside him.

"What are you doing with him?" She asked curiously as she moved aside so they could both come in.

"Jack and Sam had a doctor's appointment, and he asked me to watch Jaffer," Daniel said, brushing a kiss against her cheek as he walked in. "That's why I was late. Jaffer wasn't happy being left behind when they left."

"I'll bet he wasn't," Sally said crouching down and greeting the lab with a hug that made Daniel wonder what it was about women that made them want to cuddle good looking dogs. Everywhere he'd ever gone with Jack some woman – or little kid, for that matter – always wanted to coddle and pet Jaffer. And of course, the lab loved it. "Poor baby… I'll bet you hated being left, huh?"

Jaffer swiped her cheek with his tongue, reacting not only to the cuddling but also to the loving affection in her voice. Besides, he liked Sally. She smelled like Binky!

She dodged the tongue, but not fast enough, and released her grip on him to wipe her face, and with his affection passed out, Jaffer headed into the living room, strutting like he owned the place – which of course, he did.

A black form – just as pitch black as Jaffer with just a splash of white on her chest and nowhere near as large – was watching him come into the living room from her position on the back of the sofa. Jaffer spotted her immediately, and walked over, while Binky looked down at him, just making sure it was really the dog she liked and not some intruder that had no business being in her house. She stretched her nose down to him as Jaffer strained to reach her with his nose, and a moment later Binky hopped down to the floor to twine herself between his front legs, purring loudly.

Sally watched them for a moment – just to make sure that Jaffer wasn't going to smoosh her baby, although he had always been careful with the cat – and then turned her attention to Daniel.

"How was your morning?"

"Fairly slow. Right up until I realized I was running behind and was in a hurry. Then it became hectic."

"Which is how it always happens." She agreed.

The two of them moved into the kitchen where Sally was boiling a pot of pasta that was going to become a pasta, chicken, vegetable dish when she was finished.

"I'm sorry about the change of plans," Daniel told her, sliding his arms around her from behind and hugging her lightly while he watched her stir the pasta.

"Well, it's not Chez Fiesta," Sally said, smiling and turning her head and stealing a kiss, "But I'm used to things not always going as planned when it comes to you, and you know I don't mind cooking."

"Which is one of the reasons I love you most," he told her.

"Because I cook?"

"Because you're forgiving."

"That's part of loving someone, Daniel," she told him, seriously, and then pushed him away. "Go amuse yourself while I finish this, and then we'll eat."

He did as he was told, knowing that she didn't like to be distracted while she was in the kitchen – that was how accidents happened, after all – and went into the living room, where Jaffer had Binky pinned down and was washing her ears.

"She can do that herself, you know?" He asked the lab as he went over and sat down on the couch. He was restless, though, and stood up almost immediately, going back to the kitchen.

"Can I help you with anything?"

She shrugged, looking up from slicing the cooked chicken. "You can set the table."

He did that, pulling plates and silverware from the cabinet and bringing them to the table that was in her breakfast nook – a bright sunny area that was just as nice as a dining room and far cozier. He set the plates out, and the napkins, and then the silverware, and then looked over to see if she was watching. She had her attention focused only on the meal in front of her, however, and Daniel pulled the little box out and set it down in the center of her plate. And looked at it for about ten seconds.

Then picked it up and put it back in his pocket.

And then pulled it out again, and looked back over at her. And set it down in the center of her plate, again.

And picked it up and started to put it back in his pocket. And then yelped in surprise and flinched when something cold and slimy touched his hand. The box went flying from his hand and landed on the kitchen floor just as Daniel realized the cold slimy thing was Jaffer's nose. The lab had come over to see what Daniel was doing, and had startled the already tense archeologist.

Sally looked down at the box, which had clattered to a rest almost at her feet.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Colonel O'Neill?"

Jack looked up as the receptionist called his name, and then practically jumped to his feet when she beckoned for him to come with her. He'd been in the waiting room almost ten minutes, staring at a magazine he wasn't reading and trying to ignore the nervous excitement in his stomach. The ultrasound would be their first true indication of whether everything was going well with the baby. He was careful not to let Sam know just how worried he was about the child she was carrying, but the truth was, he was terrified of something going wrong. They'd already lost one baby, after all, and he didn't know how she would handle it if something happened to this one, too. As much as he wanted their baby, he wanted Sam happy more. And they'd find out today if everything was going good. The right amount of toes and fingers, and ears…

"Your wife is in examination room two," the receptionist told him, leading him back through the door. "They have everything set up for the ultrasound – but they didn't want to start without you."

He nodded, and followed her as she led him to a door with a large 2 on it. Obviously this was examination room two, huh? It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. The receptionist opened the door, but didn't go in. She merely gestured for Jack to. He walked in, and found Sam lying on a padded table; the hospital gown she was wearing pushed up to reveal her belly and a warm blanket covering her lower body. Beside the bed she was on was a stand with a blank monitor, and sitting on a stool beside the bed was Maria.

Both women smiled when he walked in, and Jack went over to stand by Sam, taking her hand in his.

"Are we ready?" Maria asked, turning on the monitor.

They both nodded.