Chapter 6 – Naptime

Anyone stopping in Major Carter's lab that afternoon would have seen nothing unusual. She appeared to be hard at work analyzing some new technology that had been acquired on some planet or another. Her head was bent to her work and she seemed to be taking notes on her computer as she worked. That was not the case however. Sam found herself unable to concentrate that afternoon. Her thoughts kept returning to a small, blue-eyed boy who was currently, along with his 'DaDa' , driving Daniel crazy in his lab. Sam was not taking copious notes either. She was instead recording her thoughts and feelings about this whole situation on her computer; in a file marked personal.

Sam smiled as she recalled holding the small, soft, squirming body as she tried to give him a bath earlier. Although she had never given a bath to a child so young before, she had found that she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Spending extra time with her team, bantering back and forth and talking about the baby, was an added plus. They never seemed able to take the time to sit and relax with each other. There always seemed to be one dire emergency after another to attend to.

Sam sighed and leaned her elbows on the table in front of her, rubbing her hands through her hair. If she could get this distracted from spending a few hours with JJ, what was she going to be like in a few days? Sam straightened up, arched her back, and made a concerted effort to get back to work.

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"Jack, please! Take that away from JJ. It's not a toy!" Daniel pleaded.

Jack took the round object away from the boy's pudgy little hands and held it aloft in his left hand. "Could have fooled me Danny. It sure looks like some kind of ball. Does it bounce?" he asked hopefully.

With a panicked expression on his face, Daniel lurched forward and grabbed the object out of his hands. "No, it does not bounce! This happens to be a very delicate artifact gathered from P7X-095. I think it's Mayan in nature but there are markings…"

"AH! Daniel, enough. Remember, there are innocent ears in here," Jack nodded to the baby he cradled in his right arm. For his part, JJ had grown tired of this place where Uncle Daniel didn't let him touch anything. In fact, he was growing tired period and rubbed his eyes accordingly.

Daniel jumped at the out this little gesture gave him. "Uh, Jack, I think JJ's getting tired. Little kids need naps don't they? I think it might be time for his." He nodded at the little boy who had moved from rubbing his eyes, to now rubbing his whole face against Jack's shirt.

"I guess you're right," Jack stated at he looked down at JJ. "Those cribs probably aren't here yet. Guess I'll have to lie down and take a nap with you, little man!" Jack looked at Daniel and grinned. "Oh, the sacrifices I have to make for this job!"

Daniel rolled his eyes, then ushered them to the door. "Have a nice nap you two. See you later!" And with a huge sigh of relief, he closed the door to his lab after them, gently clicking the lock into place.

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Two hours later, Sam had not made as much progress as she would have liked. Ruefully shaking her head, she decided she might as well give up for a while and go check on the little boy who continued to occupy her thoughts.

She made her way to Daniel's lab, remembering that Jack had mentioned heading in that direction. She was surprised to find the door locked. Daniel rarely locked his door when he was working. Maybe he was with Colonel O'Neill or Teal'c, she thought. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued down the corridor, intent on checking in at Colonel O'Neill's office before searching in other likely areas.

When she arrived at her destination, the door was slightly ajar. Not hearing any noises akin to the sounds of an active baby, she poked her head in and looked around. Sam smiled tenderly at the sight that greeted her eyes. Lying on the black leather couch he had somehow procured for his office, was one Colonel O'Neill, sound asleep. On top of him lay the little boy who had already captured their hearts. JJ was chest to chest with Jack, his little face turned to the side, mouth moving ever so slightly as he sporadically sucked on the pacifier in his mouth. His head was tucked beneath Jack's chin and one little hand had a fistful of green BDU clutched tightly in a ball. His Bart Simpson doll laid next to Jack on the couch; obviously having been dropped while JJ slept. JJ's little legs barely reached the top of Jack's thighs and one blue sock hung rakishly off of his foot. Jack's large hands covered the boy from both sides, ensuring that he wouldn't roll off the couch during their nap.

Sam moved slowly over to the sleeping pair and gently tugged up the errant sock. She brushed a hand gently over the soft brown hair of the sleeping baby, wishing she could do the same to the man lying there. She smiled at the soft, synchronized snores that were coming from both of them. After watching them quietly for a few moments, Sam leaned down to brush a kiss against JJ's temple, relishing the clean, baby smell that came standard with all babies. As she drew back, she gasped in surprise and more than a little embarrassment as blue eyes met dark brown ones.

Jack had felt her presence as she moved in his study. He had remained in a light state of sleep until she had inadvertently brushed against his side when she bent down to kiss JJ. When he had opened his eyes, he had been surprised to find her mere inches from his own lips. Their gazes locked as she slowly straightened up. He smiled at the faint blush that stole across her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she whispered. "I was just wanted to see how JJ was doing. I didn't mean…"

Jack's right hand left his protective hold on the baby and grabbed her wrist before she could back away entirely. "It's OK, Sam," he whispered. "You don't need to apologize for caring about this little guy and wanting to check up on him."

Although a few weeks ago they had agreed to call each other by first names when they were off base, they hadn't done so when at work, and Sam was more than a little surprised when Jack did so now. During her little adventure as an eight year old, Jack and Sam had grown closer as they spent a lot of time together. Though they still strictly adhered to the military regulations, there were moments when their true feelings came through, however briefly. This was one of those times.

Jack continued to hold her wrist as he quietly asked, "Are you OK? This has been an awful lot to take in these last few hours."

"I'm fine Sir. Finding it a bit hard to concentrate on work," she added sheepishly. "How are you doing with all of this?" She let her gaze wander back to the little boy asleep on Jack's chest.

"Well, it's more than a little strange. But I sure could get used to having this little guy around," he smiled.

Sam returned the smile, "Likewise."

Jack let his hand slide down to hers, where he gave it a slight squeeze before releasing it.

"How long has he been asleep?" Sam asked, backing up slightly to give herself a chance to regain her composure.

Jack looked to the clock on the wall behind her. "Almost two hours now. He zonked out fairly quickly once we got back to my office." Jack returned his hand to JJ's back and patted him lightly on the bottom. "I have a feeling he'll be waking up soon. The old diaper feels a bit heavy. I do believe it's your turn on diaper duty Carter!"

"I think I hear the General calling, Sir," she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh no you don't! Have a seat Major; you're not going anywhere until JJ here wakes up!"

She smiled as she took a seat across from him. They talked quietly about the appearance of the alternate reality Samantha Carter and about what might be occurring in their world. Ten minutes into their conversation, JJ began to stir, then he released his grip on Jack's shirt to rub his hand across his nose, frowning as he did so.

Bright blue eyes slowly opened and he raised his head, a perplexed look on his face as he took in his surroundings. When he saw Sam sitting across from him, he gave her a happy grin. Sam got up and walked over to him, talking softly to him as she picked him up. "Hey little guy, did you have a nice nap? Whew, you do need a change!" she exclaimed as she got a whiff of him, holding him slightly away from her body.

"Glad it's your turn, Carter," Jack quipped as he began to sit up.

Sam looked down at him with a frown that quickly turned to a grin. "I think you need a change too, Sir. Your shirt appears to be wet in one spot there!"

Jack looked down at the front of his shirt. "Oh crap," he muttered as he took in the round, wet spot that lay just about where JJ's lower extremities had been resting on him.

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A/N: This situation actually happened numerous times to my husband when our kids were little! Stay tuned for Chapter 7 and thanks so much for the continued reviews!