A/N: First of all, I'm having fun with this. Hope everyone else is too!
And a note to Kris - I hope your pregnancy turned out okay! My own twin miracles were a result of IVF, after years of heartaches and difficulties, so I understand what you're saying. I actually started this story while on eight weeks of hospitalized bedrest, trying to ward off preterm labor. I'm sure I could get WAY too graphic about fertility and pregnancy woes, if I wanted. LOL!
Enjoy, everyone!
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Chapter 9
"SAMANTHA!" Jacob's roar practically shook the rafters of Sam's house.
Eyes wide with alarm, Sam exchanged startled glances with Teal'c and Daniel before dropping the spatula and running into the living room. Seeing Jack's crumpled form lying on the floor, and her livid father looming over him in the doorway, Sam gaped in total shock. "Dad? What the hell is going on here?"
Shaking with fury, Jacob speared her with the look that had made him a two-star general. "I could ask you the same thing, young lady!" He stepped over Jack, barely acknowledging the obstacle, and zeroed in on Sam. "I got word through the Tok'ra that you were having some trouble deciphering a piece of Ancient technology. I thought that perhaps Selmak and I could help out. Imagine my shock when, upon arrival, a security officer informed me that my daughter was absent from the base pending disciplinary action! When I burst into General O'Neill's office–" Jacob's voice oozed contempt as he spoke Jack's name, "–I was given even more of a shock. He wasn't in. General Hammond, however, was. He and two other officers were in the middle of a rather headed discussion of someone's misconduct and pregnancy." He flushed in anger. "When I glanced down and saw your name on the files in front of them, I thought I might fall over! I demanded an explanation. There was no way, I explained, that my daughter would find herself pregnant and not tell me. General Hammond wouldn't give me any details, but his face said it all. He suggested I come speak with you. Of course," Jacob fumed, "it all made sense when he opened the door, acting like he owned the place!"
For an instant, Sam was too shocked to move. Then, totally ignoring her father, she rushed over to Jack.
"Oh good God, is he all right?" Daniel rushed into the living room, passing Jacob without a second glance, and knelt beside Sam.
Clearly taken aback, Sam's father blinked at Daniel's appearance. When Teal'c also rushed into the room, he began to look genuinely stunned and puzzled.
Sam gingerly lifted Jack's head from the floor. There was an angry red welt on the left side of Jack's face, which was beginning to swell. She also felt a decent-sized lump on the back of his head, where he had struck the floor after being knocked out. Looking more furious than Jacob had a moment earlier, Sam skewered her father with a look of sheer disgust. "What the hell were you thinking?"
For his part, Jacob raised his hands defensively. "I thought that you–" he stopped, stammering. "I thought that he…" Clearly disgruntled, he made a face. "Well, Sam, what was I supposed to think?"
As Teal'c and Daniel gently lifted Jack and carried him to the sofa, Sam rose angrily and strode over to her father. "Dad, whatever you thought, you do not have the right to come into my home and assault my guests! Jack answered the door because I asked him to."
Jacob's eyes darkened again. "Oh, so it's Jack now, is it?"
Sam colored, but stood her ground. "It frankly doesn't matter if I'm calling him 'Smoochykins!' You had no right to punch him!"
"Smoochykins?" Jack's voice sounded drained, but lucid. "Gee, Carter, I thought we were going to keep that between us."
Turning quickly, Sam was relieved to see Jack sitting up on his own, cradling his head in his hands. Disregarding her father momentarily, she walked over to him. "Are you okay?"
He winced. "And here I thought my head couldn't hurt any worse than it did when I woke up this morning."
Immediately, Sam rounded on her father. "I should kick you out right now."
Jacob glowered right back at her. "I'm not leaving until you tell me exactly what the hell is going on here!" His eyes glinted dangerously. "Are you really pregnant?"
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Sam wanted to scream. This was not how she had pictured discussing this with her father.
"Samantha, answer me!"
Eyes flashing with embarrassment and fury, she simply nodded.
Jacob muttered a graphic curse and clenched his fists. "And why do I get the feeling that General O'Neill has something to do with this?"
"Dad, you don't understand–" Carter's voice was thick with shame and misery.
"All right, this is enough." Jack stood up and stepped between Sam and her father. Looking at Teal'c and Daniel, he spoke evenly. "Would you guys mind giving us a minute? I think Sam's eggs are burning." Apparently eager to leave the tension-filled room, both men quickly excused themselves and disappeared into the kitchen. Once they were gone, Jack turned his attention to Jacob.
"Listen here," he said, clearly angry. "Your daughter was the victim of a very unusual and unfortunate set of circumstances. She was drugged. We both were. And the result is that you're going to be a grandfather." Eyes narrowing, Jack issued his own Air-Force-General glare. "The past two months have been hell on your daughter, and instead of humiliating her in front of her friends and colleagues, I suggest you start treating her with some compassion and respect." Jack almost blinked. He couldn't remember ever using the words 'compassion' and 'respect' together in the same sentence.
Standing behind him, Sam worked to keep herself from gaping. She hardly recognized the man who had so swiftly rushed to her defense. Maybe her father had hit him harder than she'd thought.
Evidently, Jacob was startled as well. "Drugged?" His eyes flew to his daughter. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"
Sam almost rolled her eyes. If she lived to be a hundred, she'd never understand men. One minute, her father was growling at her like a rabid dog. The next minute, he was calling her 'sweetheart,' and asking about her well-being. "Well, aside from the fact that I'm pregnant, yes, I'm fine." She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Glancing uneasily between Sam and Jack, Jacob swallowed. "And he's the father?" He looked as though he'd just swallowed something distasteful.
This time, Sam did roll her eyes. "Yes, Dad."
Jacob looked uncomfortable, but no longer furious. "And you say someone drugged you both and then impregnated you with his baby?"
Sam closed her eyes. "Something like that, but not as sinister as you've made it sound. It was a misunderstanding. We were accidentally made part of the fertility rituals on another planet."
Jack glanced sharply at her. Sam's explanation allowed Jacob to infer that the conception had occurred artificially, and not through good, old-fashioned sex. Sam returned his gaze with a dark glare. She seemed to be saying, Don't you dare develop a conscience on me now, O'Neill. Jack shrugged. If Sam wanted her father to believe she'd been the victim of an immaculate conception, he would gladly go along with it.
Jacob took a deep breath and walked over to a chair. Sitting down heavily, he looked at his daughter with concern. "Then why the disciplinary hearing? Clearly, this wasn't your fault."
Sam winced. "Well, we were all al little confused and embarrassed about what had actually happened. In an effort to keep things from getting awkward, we left some of the details out of our mission briefings. Once I discovered I was pregnant, it became apparent that those details were important. We were able to piece together what happened fairly quickly. Then it was just a matter of getting used to the ideas ourselves and coming forward with the rest of the information. We're not entirely sure if our story is going to be believed." She sighed deeply. "And regardless of what caused the pregnancy, there are lots of issues to resolve. Obviously, I can't report to Jack if I'm carrying his babies."
Jacob's eyebrows shot up. "Babies? There's more than one?"
Whoops. "Yes, Dad. I'm having twins." She really had to watch her tongue these days.
"Wow." Her father looked completely stunned by all the information he'd just received. Then, looking at Jack's rapidly swelling cheek, he cringed. "It appears I owe you an apology, O'Neill."
Feeling oddly guilty for deceiving the man, Jack just waved his hand. "Don't worry about it." He quickly glanced between Sam and Jacob. "Did you want some time with your daughter? I can go have some coffee or something."
Jacob rose and shook his head. "I'm afraid that conversation will have to wait. I only had a few hours here. Selmak and I are expected at a Tok'ra meeting very shortly. If I don't return to the base immediately, I'll be late."
Sam nodded, grateful for the respite. "And how is Selmak?" she asked politely.
At once, her father's voice changed, becoming deep and alien. "I am well, Samantha Carter. Please accept my congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your children."
No matter how many times she saw it, witnessing the transformation of her father into another being was always a little disconcerting. "Thanks. Well, good luck at your meeting," she added awkwardly.
And just like that, Jacob was back. Walking up to Sam, he wrapped his daughter in a warm embrace. "I'll be back soon. Please take care of yourself, okay?" Shaking his head in wonder, he smiled softly. "Twins… Who'd have guessed?" Underneath the shock, a note of pride had already crept into his voice. Then, directing his gaze to Jack, he continued briskly. "Don't let her work too hard."
Sam watched in mute fascination as some wordless message seemed to pass between Jack and her father. She could almost hear Jacob threatening dire consequences if his daughter was in any way hurt. And she could likewise almost make out Jack's vehement promise to keep her safe and happy. The whole exchange took less than two seconds, but Sam nevertheless knew it had occurred.
Jacob called out a brief goodbye to Daniel and Teal'c before swiftly leaving through the front door. After he had gone, Sam turned to Jack. "You let him off the hook pretty easily. He really had no right to punch you."
Jack shook his head. "Sam, he punched me because he thought I'd taken advantage of his little girl and gotten her pregnant." Starting to sound frustrated, Jack continued. "I don't think I have to remind you that he was right."
Sam's own voice started to rise. "You did not take advantage of me, Jack. What happened was mutually stupid on both our parts."
He waved dismissively. "Maybe. But I was in charge of the mission, and it was my responsibility to see to your well-being."
"Oh my God!" Sam shrieked, throwing her hands up in the air. "How egotistical can you be? You had no more control over the situation than any of us! Unless you somehow knew ahead of time that drinking Ka'Shakk was going to turn us into raging hormonal beasts, you cannot claim responsibility for this. I won't let you!"
Jack spun and faced her angrily. "I don't care what you think, Carter! Every time I step out of that gate with a team, it's my responsibility to see everyone home safely. When things go wrong, the blame ultimately falls back to me. This is especially true in our particular situation. I obviously wanted to sleep with you pretty badly, since it was my first impulse upon losing my better judgment!"
Sam clenched her jaws. "It's not like I didn't have the same thoughts, Jack. From what I recall, I was the one who started things that night."
Jack glared. "I didn't exactly stop you. And anyway, I thought you didn't remember any of that night!" He was practically shouting, now.
She glared back at him. "Yeah, well, I thought you didn't either," she spat.
"I lied," he growled.
"Fine." Sam's eyes were narrowed with fury. "So did I."
"Eh-em!" The sharp sound of a throat being cleared made both of them turn quickly toward the source of the noise. Daniel stood in the doorway to the kitchen, with Teal'c no more than two steps behind him. "Much as I'm sure you two would like to get your frustrations out in the open, would you mind waiting until Teal'c and I were no longer here to witness it?"
Flushing with embarrassment, Sam nodded. "Sorry, Daniel."
He smiled sympathetically at her. "No problem." Looking at Jack, who stood stone-faced beside her, he spoke diplomatically. "Jack, if you'd like, Teal'c and I can drop your car off here so you can finish your discussion and leave later."
A muscle in Jack's jaw twitched reflexively. "That won't be necessary, Daniel." Not looking at Sam, he turned and walked to the front door. "I'll be in the car when you're ready to leave." And, with that, he left the house.
Daniel turned to Sam, sighing apologetically. "Sam, I'm sorry. I think you two were long overdue to have that chat. But I didn't think you'd really want us listening in on it."
She smiled weakly at him. "You did the right thing, Daniel. Just get him home before he blows a gasket, okay?"
"You sure you'll be all right by yourself? I'm sure Teal'c will drive him home if you want some company." His concern for her was obvious.
With a grateful look to both Daniel and Teal'c, Sam just shook her head. "I'm fine. Really. Besides, I really should call my brother and give him the 'good news,' before Dad spills the beans."
Daniel nodded, and quickly wrapped Sam in a firm hug. "Just call if you need anything."
Sam returned the hug and then watched as he and Teal'c quickly left the house. Then, collapsing in a heap on the sofa, she immediately burst into tears.
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The car was filled with tense silence. Despite several attempts at coaxing conversation from him, Daniel had not been able to get a word out of Jack. Finally, Daniel gave up on diplomacy.
"Jack, you're being a real ass, you know that?" He was clearly exasperated by the situation.
O'Neill's eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah, that's me. Jack the ass." He paused. "Jackass," he muttered. "See? There's already a word which sums me up perfectly."
Daniel was not amused. "I'm serious. Don't you think Sam is under enough pressure without you adding to it?"
O'Neill exhaled sharply. "Yes, Daniel, I'm sure she is. It was not my intention to start arguing with her. But, you know, this whole situation isn't exactly a walk in the park for me, either."
Flipping on his turn signal with more force than was necessary, Daniel shook his head. "I just don't get it, Jack. Why aren't you with her?" That particular emphasis left no question as to what he meant. "You can hardly cite your career as an excuse anymore."
Jack seemed to shut down. "Daniel, I'm not having this conversation with you." He coldly fixed his eyes on a point directly in front of him, refusing to look at either of his friends.
"Fine," Daniel snapped. "But you'd better have it with her, and you'd better do it soon. She's not going to wait around forever, Jack. What do you think is going to happen when Pete gets over his anger and comes back to her? You know how special she is Jack. You're a fool if you think that won't happen."
Jack felt cold fingers of dread wrap themselves around his heart. Could Daniel be right? He truly hadn't stopped to consider the fact that Pete might not really be out of the picture. Unable to put his feelings into words, however, Jack just continued to stare out the windshield.
He definitely had some thinking to do.