Chapter 3

"O'Neill." Jack barked his name into the telephone on his desk. The damn thing had been ringing non-stop all morning, and his nerves were just about shot.

Sergeant Harriman's voice was timid. Jack's mood had been sliding steadily downhill for weeks, and pretty much everyone stepped softly around him these days. "General, SG-1 has just returned from P3X-812, and they think you'll want to have a look at their findings."

"Have them meet me in the briefing room," Jack snapped. Slamming down the phone, he gritted his teeth. Great. SG-1. Just what he needed to complete an already perfect morning. Half the members of SG-6 and 10 were stuck in the infirmary with some food-borne illness picked up on P2X-653. One of his best scientists was in a civilian hospital after falling off a ladder while cleaning his gutters over the weekend. The mess hall was temporarily serving only canned and freeze-dried foods after a power failure wiped out three refrigeration units. And now he was going to have to face her.

The four weeks since his return from P6Y-441 and the Founding Colony's Harvest Celebration had been a nightmare for Jack. Trying to pretend that things were perfectly normal had begun to take its toll on him within days. It would have been bad enough to muddle through this ordeal with just Carter, but after Teal'c and Daniel had all but admitted their knowledge of the situation, life for Jack had become very uncomfortable. SG-1 was his flagship team, and their work was the most important in the SGC. He couldn't very well ignore them. And he couldn't lose his professional cool. Which left him only one option: grin and bear it.

Only he wasn't grinning much these days.

Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and stood. Eventually this had to get less uncomfortable. It had to. Of course, since that wasn't likely to happen today, he'd just have to suck it up. He only hoped this was marginally easier for everyone else. Maybe they'd discovered something really important on P3X-812. He'd give anything for a distraction from the rest of his worries right now.

Making his way to the briefing room, Jack concentrated on being in "business mode." As an Air Force general, he'd been in tougher situations. He could do this. Opening the door, he looked into the room. Seated at the conference table were Teal'c, Daniel and, of course, Sam.

Sam.

She looked like hell. But, damn, she looked good, looking like hell. The dark circles under her eyes didn't detract at all from their startling blue intensity. After one quick look at him, Jack noticed that she carefully avoided making eye contact. With a mental sigh, Jack crossed the room and sat at the head of the table.

"So, what have we got?"

Daniel, ever the diplomat, immediately began speaking. "We found this," he said, gesturing to a large, metallic object on the table, "in the ruins of what appears to be a human civilization. We found some references to what is apparently Ancient technology in diagrams carved into the walls of ruined buildings. This device was hidden in a stone vault found in one of those buildings. We have no real idea what it does."

Jack walked over to the piece of equipment and examined it. It was shaped like a long cylinder, with a crystalline structure sticking out of the top. The crystal glowed faintly with a blue light. Leaning forward, he reached out to touch it.

"Wait, Jack–" Daniel's warning came too late. As soon as Jack's fingers made contact with the crystal, a jolt of energy shot into his fingers, making him leap backward with a painful cry.

"I thought you said you had no idea what it does!" Jack glared at Daniel.

"Okay, maybe I should have said we have no idea why it does what it does." Daniel looked sheepish. "We know it hurts when you touch that crystal. Sam figured that out the hard way."

Jack's eyes darted over to her. "Oh. Well. Sorry to hear that." Rubbing his arm, he returned his attention to Daniel. "Might there be any clues to this contraption somewhere in those ruins you were exploring?"

"Hopefully so. I'd like to take another jaunt over there and take some time examining the rest of the buildings at the site. In the meantime, Sam hopes to be able to examine it in the lab." If Daniel had any perception of the tension in the room, he gave no indication. Jack felt a flash of envy at his friend's ability to stick to business.

Jerking his mind back to the task at hand, Jack focused on Daniel. "All right. Why don't you return to the planet with SG 10 and SG-5. Wait." Jack swore under his breath. "SG-10 is out of commission right now. Some damn alien germ. You'll have to wait for SG-4 to return. They're offworld, but scheduled to be back at 16:00 tomorrow. We'll give them a day to rest before you head out again. That should give Carter a chance to look at the do-hickey, anyway."

Daniel nodded. "Sounds good."

Jack rose from the table. "All right then. Dismissed." Seeing that Sam and Teal'c were already heading for the door, he made a pointed study of the device on the table, giving Sam a chance to get out of the room without having to make small talk with him.

Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. One more meeting with her out of the way. It was damn irritating. Every time he ran into her in the hallway or met with her over official business, he felt like someone was going to notice his immense discomfort and demand an explanation. How could nobody else see the distance between them? Or did they see it, but just not question it? Or did everyone know exactly what had happened? That thought nearly made him ill. He was starting to get paranoid. Every time one of his staff looked at him, he half-expected them to jump up and yell, "You slept with Colonel Carter!" Talk about a guilty conscience.

Suddenly, Daniel burst into the briefing room. "Get a medical team up here now. Sam just collapsed in the hallway."

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"Really, I feel fine." Sam, looking a bit pale but otherwise unharmed, lay back on a gurney in the infirmary. "I'm sure it was just something I ate."

Jack, Teal'c and Daniel all stood in the room, waiting on Dr. Brightman's lab results. Some of Jack's discomfort had been washed away in the torrent of adrenaline which had coursed through his system at the sight of Sam lying in a heap on the floor. Whatever else had sprung up between them, she was his friend, first and foremost. His concern was genuine, and it made other matters seem a bit trivial.

"I don't care how you feel. I want to make sure that zapper-thing didn't do any serious damage to you." He paused, cocking his head. "Or to me, for that matter."

Sam smiled. "I suppose. I just feel a little stupid for fainting right in the middle of the hallway."

Daniel stepped up next to her and patted her arm. "Hey, don't feel too bad. I ascended right in the middle of the infirmary, so I think I've got you beat."

As everyone chuckled at Daniel's remark, Dr. Brightman stepped into the room. "Colonel Carter, I have some news for you."

Looking anxiously at the doctor, Sam sat up a little straighter. "Yes?"

Dr. Brightman glanced at the three men standing at Sam's bedside. "Perhaps you'd like some privacy?"

Sam waved her hand. "No, no. Anything you have to tell me can be said in front of them. I'd have to explain it again anyway, and it would just be easier for them to hear it from you."

Dr. Brightman looked uncomfortable. "I really think it might be better–"

Sam cut her off, looking concerned. "Just tell me what's wrong." Anything that the doctor wanted to discuss in private couldn't be good.

With a resigned look, Dr. Brightman tucked Sam's chart under her arm and approached the bed. Looking Sam in the eye, she took a deep breath. "Colonel, you're pregnant."

Sam looked at the doctor blankly. "I'm sorry? I thought you just said I was pregnant."

Dr. Brightman nodded. "That's what I said. You're pregnant. By the hormone levels in your blood, I'd estimate you're around 6 weeks along."

Suddenly even more pale than she had been, Sam gave one sweeping glance to the three dumbstruck men beside her bed and pointed toward the door. "Out."

Teal'c immediately turned and headed for the exit, Daniel hot on his heels. Jack, however, opened his mouth. "Carter –"

"Later. OUT." The tone of her voice left no room for discussion.

Jack probably would have tried arguing anyway, but Daniel's hand forcefully grabbed his sleeve and began tugging him to the door. With one last flabbergasted look in Sam's direction, Jack allowed himself to be pulled out of the infirmary.

Once in the hallway, Jack stopped and heavily leaned against the wall. He appeared completely staggered. Looking at Daniel and Teal'c, he spoke softly. "This is not happening. Please tell me this isn't happening."

Taking in Jack's numb expression, Teal'c glanced at Daniel. "Perhaps this discussion should occur in a more private location?"

Daniel nodded, examining O'Neill's white features. "Your office, Jack?" When he nodded mutely, the three of them quickly set off.

As soon as they had entered his office, Jack crossed the room and literally collapsed into his chair. Teal'c and Daniel took seats opposite him, both darting anxious glances at O'Neill and each other.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel decided to broach the topic first. "Jack, I've gotta ask. Is Sam's baby yours?"

O'Neill ran a hand through his hair. "Hell, Daniel. I don't know." Then he paused. "Wait, the doctor said she was 6 weeks pregnant. We only returned from P6Y-441 four weeks ago, so by that estimate –"

Daniel interrupted. "Because ovulation can't be predicted with any real certainty, gestational calendars are generally calculated by the date of the mother's last menstrual cycle. Which means conception actually occurs two weeks into the calendar."

Jack stared at him blankly. "English, Daniel. And small words. I'm a bit overloaded right now."

"Sam's baby was conceived 4 weeks ago, Jack. During the first two weeks of a woman's pregnancy, she's not actually pregnant."

Jack threw up his hands. "Well that's just stupid. Who thinks of these things?" Then he paused and looked oddly at Daniel. "And how do you know all this?" Daniel opened his mouth to explain, but Jack cut him off. "Never mind. Not important." As the words sank in, however, O'Neill started to look undeniably panicked. "Oh, God. How can this be happening? She said she was... you know, protected."

Daniel cleared his throat, looking to Teal'c for support. "Well, considering what we know of the Founding Colonist's reproductive habits, I'd say that something in the Ka'Shakk literally hijacked Sam's body and made her fertile." He paused, considering. "Any healthy couple only has about a twenty-five percent chance of achieving pregnancy in any given month. The fact that nearly all colonists conceive during the same week suggests that some artificial method is used to induce fertility. I'd say the Ka'Shakk is the most likely candidate."

Jack laughed humorlessly. "Shouldn't they put that on the label or something?" Growing serious, he looked at Teal'c and Daniel. "This is bad, guys. Really, really bad."

Teal'c examined Jack closely. "I do not mean to lessen the gravity of the situation, O'Neill. But where I come from, the birth of a baby is a much-celebrated event, regardless of the circumstances surrounding its conception."

Something seemed to click on in Jack's brain. A baby. Not just a pregnancy, but a child. His child. His and Sam's. A mix of joy and sheer, unadulterated terror filled him. "Oh, God, I think I'm going to be sick."

Just then, his phone rang. "O'Neill," he croaked. He paused as the person on the other end spoke. "Thanks. I'll be right there."

Looking at his friends across the desk, Jack blinked. "Sam says she'll see me now."

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The first thing Jack noticed was how small Sam looked against the white sheets of the gurney. The second thing he noticed was the absolute terror in her eyes. Immediately, his protective instincts kicked into gear. Stepping to the side of the bed, he took her hand in his and smiled. "Hi." He was impressed by how calm he sounded.

Sam didn't waste any time. "I didn't tell Dr. Brightman anything about the baby's father. She doesn't suspect a thing, sir."

Jack looked into her eyes and sighed. "Sam, I think this is another one of those occasions that warrants the use of first names.'" Seeing her relax slightly, he pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down. Once seated, he took her hand again. "I'm not worried about Doc Brightman. I am, however, worried about you. Are you okay?"

Sam closed her eyes. "Physically? Yes. The doctor said that nausea and lightheadedness are very common during the first trimester. She advised me to stand up slowly and avoid stress." She winced. "As if that was possible at this point."

Jack squeezed her hand. "It's going to be okay, Sam. I don't know how, but we'll figure something out. We just need a plan." Looking into her blue eyes, he tried showing a confidence he didn't feel. "What do you think we should do?"

Carter stiffened. "Well, sir, I'm not sure what you're planning to do, but I'm keeping my baby. That's not negotiable."

Seeing the defensiveness in her eyes, Jack squeezed her hand again. "Of course you are, Sam. That was never in question." She looked at him uncertainly. "Carter, I think I know you well enough to predict your feelings about this baby." He mustered a half-smile. "I was just wondering what we were going to do when junior gets here."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "We, sir?"

O'Neill glared at her in exasperation. "Sam, if you don't stop calling me 'sir,' I'm gonna kick your pregnant ass."

She couldn't suppress a smile at that. Examining him closely, she took a breath and asked her question again. "You keep saying 'we,' Jack. But as far as I can tell, this is really my problem to deal with. Nobody here has any idea what happened on P6Y-441–"

"Daniel and Teal'c know." Jack winced at the shock in her eyes. "Teal'c was waiting for me when I left your room in the morning. He told me that he and Daniel had discovered some 'unexpected side effects' of the Ka-whatever-the-heck-you-call-it. They looked for me, but I wasn't in my room. Their collective powers of reasoning filled in the rest of the blanks."

Sam gaped at him. "You knew this? All this time you knew they knew? And you didn't tell me?"

Jack sighed. "I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable around them. God knows you were going to be feeling uncomfortable enough around me. I just wanted to make this easier on you, Sam."

The anger in her eyes gradually seeped away. "Well, in any event, I think we can count on Daniel and Teal'c not to say anything." She looked pointedly at him. "I am not going to let a simple mistake ruin your career, General."

Now it was Jack's turn to be angry. "Carter, do you really think I'd let you do this alone? I mean, even if it had been High Councilor Shinsall I woke up next to that morning, and she was carrying my baby, I still wouldn't walk away." His eyes flashed with restrained fury. "Sam, I was an absolute failure at being a father the last time around. I let my son down, and as a result I lost him. Forever." He swallowed, looking visibly pained. "I never would have willingly chosen to be a father again, because, frankly, it scares the hell out of me. But now that the choice has been made, I'm not walking away. I will be there for that baby. And I will be there for you."

Seeing the grief and terror on Jack's face, Sam felt her throat tighten with emotion. "Oh, God, Jack. I hadn't even thought about –"

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not important. You just need to know that I'm with you on this one-hundred percent. And when the time comes to announce it to the world, I'll be right beside you."

Sam paled. "But what about your career? Jack, you can't just throw it out the window."

He took a deep breath. "I know that. And you can't throw yours out, either." He looked intently at her. "Sam, if there was an easy answer to this, I think we would have found it a long time ago. We both decided to sacrifice our feelings for each other out of consideration for our careers and the good of the SGC. If anything less crucial had been on the line, I think we might have gone a different road, don't you?"

Sam swallowed back a lump of emotion. She nodded mutely at Jack, touched by his admission of her importance to him.

Jack reached up and ran a finger down her cheek. "This baby changes all of that. I could sacrifice a relationship with you for the SGC, and you could sacrifice one with me for the same reasons. We're both adults, and that decision was a good one. But Sam, neither of us is willing to sacrifice a relationship with our child for anything. Not even the SGC. It's as simple as that. We just need to decide exactly how we're going to proceed."

Sam sighed. "You're right." Reaching up, she gently grasped the hand that was touching her cheek. "But we don't have to decide today. It will be months before I have to explain anything, and I think we'd better take this slowly."

He squeezed her hand. "I can live with that."

Pulling her eyes away from him, Sam blinked. "I just don't understand. I was taking birth control pills."

Jack smiled grimly. "Yeah, Daniel thinks the Ka-whatever hijacked your ovaries or something."

She raised an eyebrow. "He said that?"

Jack waved his hand. "I'm paraphrasing. And did you know that you weren't actually pregnant during the first two weeks of your pregnancy?"

Sam nodded. "Sure, because nobody knows when ovulation occurs, doctors chart a pregnancy based on the first day of –"

"Of course you knew," Jack interrupted. "Carter, I really hope this baby gets your gene for brains and not mine."

Smiling, Sam felt something warm and tender bloom in her chest. This was not how she would have chosen to have a family, but maybe – just maybe – it would be all right after all.

To be continued...