Chapter 10 - Respite

Jack hustled to the sign-out area at the entrance of the mountain. He had sent word to Carter that he would be about 10 minutes late. And that was 25 minutes ago, he thought with frustration. Man, could things never go according to schedule around this place? He had been relieved to hear that Teal'c had joined her topside; at least she hadn't been alone. As he reached the entrance, Jack gave a nod to the SF standing guard, then he bent to sign-out. Jack frowned as he looked at the two names above his. Carter and Teal'c were both signed out, but Carter had signed out a good 10 minutes before Teal'c. He'd have to have a word or two with her about following orders.

Jack smiled as he made his way over to his team mates. JJ's happy squeals could be heard even from this distance, and if he was not mistaken, Teal'c was actually laughing out loud! Wondering what was so funny, Jack quickened his pace.

A butterfly, not realizing that it was almost wintertime, flitted across the meadow and around the head of the baby, who was sitting on the blanket Sam had brought out. He reached pudgy hands up toward the insect, trying in vain to capture the creature with the brightly colored wings. Sam and Teal'c laughed as JJ's facial expressions rapidly changed from awe at the bug flying around his head to frustration in his inability to catch it. Though neither of them voiced their thoughts, they were both thinking that JJ looked remarkably like O'Neill when he was frustrated.

"What's going on kids?" Jack asked as he reached the clearing. Sam and Teal'c turned to face him but JJ kept up his pursuit of the butterfly.

"Hello Sir," Sam answered with a smile. "We're just watching JJ try and catch the butterfly here. He's been engrossed with it ever since it showed up!"

"Sounds a lot like you when you're working on a new doohickey, Carter."

"Indeed," intoned Teal'c with a slight smile.

Sam shook her head at the two of them, then turned and asked Jack, "How did things go with the new recruits, Sir?"

Jack waved his hand, "Things went as well as they ever can with newbies, Carter. That last bit took longer than expected. Sorry about that." He looked at her intently, "But I did want to talk with you about something, Carter." At her raised eyebrows, he continued. "I noticed on the sign-out that you were out here for about 10 minutes before Teal'c came out. Is that right?"

Sam sighed softly; now she was going to hear it from him too! "Yes Sir. JJ was getting warm so I thought I'd take him up on my own. We stayed well within sight of the entrance though," she reassured him.

"Never the less, Hammond's orders were that two of us be out here with the little guy," Jack reminded her.

Sam felt a peak of anger at what she perceived to be the continual questioning of her abilities to look after a baby on her own for those 10 minutes. That anger and irritation showed through as she answered him sharply, "I know I don't have much experience with children, Sir, but I am perfectly capable of watching JJ by myself for 10 minutes outside!"

"Take it easy, Carter. No one said you weren't. It's just a precaution." Sam looked away from him and Jack let it drop. He'd made his point and he had no intention of pressing her. After all, it was partly his fault that she had come out by herself, anyway.

JJ had begun to scamper after the butterfly, which had decided it had had enough of the little human trying to catch it. JJ moved off the blanket and began to crawl across the short grass once again, Sam close in his wake. She needed to put a little distance between herself and her two over protective team mates.

"O'Neill," Teal'c stated quietly when Sam had moved off a distance. "I have an uneasy feeling about this situation."

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean T? Carter's fine with JJ. I just wanted to remind her about Hammond's order."

"It is not that O'Neill. I sense that we are being watched. I did not reveal my thoughts to Major Carter, but believed it would be wise to mention it to you."

Jack took careful stock of their surroundings. "You see or hear anything out of the ordinary?"

"I did not. But something is amiss." Teal'c stated definitely.

Not one to dismiss Teal'c intuitions lightly, Jack quietly said, "Let's get Carter and the baby inside, then we'll do a sweep of the area." Teal'c nodded his head and remained on his guard as Jack went to collect Sam and the baby.

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The man stayed hidden until the three adults reached the entrance to the mountain, then he slowly and quietly pulled back into the darkness of the trees. He had seen the way O'Neill and Teal'c had surveyed the area. They were suspicious of something, and he wasn't going to sit around and wait to find out what it was. For all he knew, they would conduct a thorough sweep of the area once the Major and the baby were inside. It would be most prudent of him to get away while he could, which is exactly what he did.

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Jack and Teal'c returned to the base twenty minutes later, turning up nothing but some bent branches amidst the pine trees encircling the meadow. Those could be explained by any number of possible reasons, as could the footprints they had found in the same area. Many SF's patrolled throughout that area each day to ensure the security of the base. There were no other clues to suggest otherwise. Neither of them had walked out into the tall grass surrounding the meadow just to the west. If they had, they would have found a yellow dart, still filled with a strong tranquilizer, sticking into the soft dirt.

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Sam had headed down to her quarters with JJ once they came back inside. She wasn't too sure what Jack and Teal'c had gone back outside for. If truth be told, she was still a bit miffed at the two of them and what she felt was their overbearing attitude. She realized she was probably overreacting, but couldn't shake the feeling. Sam shook off the thoughts; her priority right now was the little boy who was yawning and rubbing his eyes.

Sam carried JJ to her quarters and gently set him on the bed, continuing to talk to him about their outing as she removed his hat and jacket. She changed his diaper, got a bottle ready for him, and sat down on her bed with him. JJ's crib was still in Jack's quarters, so she would have to do without it for now. Unbidden, a smile crept to her face as she recalled how Jack had napped with JJ yesterday. While she wasn't going to use the same manner to get the little boy to sleep, she wasn't about to leave him alone either. Sam planned on laying him on her bed once he fell asleep, then working on her laptop in the chair next to it. Her plans didn't actually turn out the way she thought they would.

Sam sat against the headboard, cradling JJ in her arms. He looked up at her sleepily as he sucked on his bottle, one little hand grasping the bottle, the other gently stroking her cheek. Sam softly sang to him – a song she that had quickly become one of her favorites called, I Hope You Dance. Every so often, she was rewarded with a little grin from JJ as she sang.

By the time Sam came to the end of the song, JJ was fast asleep. She pulled the bottle from his still moving lips, wiped the corner of his mouth with the edge of the blanket, and cradled him closely to her. She gazed in awe at the miracle that was this child. In some other reality, she and Jack had given their feelings for each other a fighting chance and JJ had been the result. Even in the brief time that Sam had spoken with Samantha, she could tell that the other woman was totally in love with both her husband and her child. And even though they were embroiled in a battle right now to save their world and their son, they did not have any regrets whatsoever.

Sam shifted to her side, lying JJ gently on the bed next to her. He instinctively rolled to his side, facing her, and grabbed a handful of her shirt. Sam covered him lightly with his blanket, then bent one arm under her head and used it for a pillow. She continued to gaze lovingly at the little boy in front of her. She smiled at the little noises he made while he slept and rubbed her hand gently across his back. Sam wondered if she would ever have this in her life. A child of her own and the freedom to give her love to the one man she could imagine as part of her future.

Sam felt a single tear escape her eye and swiped at it absently. It wouldn't do her any good to mull over things that couldn't be. Sighing, she closed her eyes as she made the decision to stay on the bed, at least for a little while. Work could wait and she was enjoying the sensation of having the warm little body curled up against her too much to give it up so soon. Briefly, she wondered if this was how Jack felt when he was napping with JJ yesterday. Within minutes, Sam fell into a quiet sleep next to JJ.

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Jack walked towards Sam's quarters, wanting to check in with her and let her know what he and Teal'c had been up to before he went and met with the General. He also wanted to make sure she wasn't still mad. Oh yeah, he could tell she had been more than a bit upset with him. Why, he wasn't exactly sure, but he wanted to smooth things over if possible. He had been well within his rights as commanding officer to remind her about the General's orders. But somehow, he felt it went deeper than that.

Her door wasn't closed all the way. Jack contemplated knocking first, but didn't want to wake JJ up if he was asleep. Instead, he slowly pushed the door open a bit wider and peered inside. His features softened as he took in the view that greeted him. Sam was lying on her side on the bed, JJ curled into her. He could just make out the top of the little boy's head from beneath the blanket that covered him. Both of them were breathing softly and deeply, sound asleep. JJ turned suddenly, knocking the bottle that had been on the bed behind him to the floor. They both stirred, but neither one of them woke up. Jack crossed the room to pick up the bottle, placing it on the table next to the bed. He pulled up the covers that had shifted when JJ turned.

Jack let his gaze linger for a moment on Sam. He frowned when he noticed the unmistakable track of a tear on her cheek. What had caused her to cry, he thought, his gut clenching suddenly at the thought that it was because of him. No, she wasn't the type of woman who cried at a simple reprimand. It had to be something else.

More determined now than ever to straighten things out, Jack sat down in the vacated chair and waited for her to wake up. His meeting with the General wasn't for another 45 minutes. He could wait here just as easily as in his own office.