Authors notes: Everyone, I'm so sorry for taking so long! I never forgot, just couldn't get to it. I didn't want to update now, I wanted to make it longer, but I felt that I should let you guys know that I'm still alive. wink wink And I want to take this chance to say that I will NEVER abandon this fic. So, if it takes me a light year for the next update... in a light year, it'll be updated. Promise. I know I'm moving slow, and I'm sorry!

I wonder how fresh the water in the middle of the briefing table is. Kinda getting thirsty. I wish I could ask for a break, I need time to think. I need to try to anticipate what they're going to ask and how I could reply without revealing who the father of my baby is. Would they request a DNA test? Can they? Even if they had it, I doubt they'll compare it to O'Neill's anyway, unless he told someone.

"So, Major," Hammond begun, pen in hand, "can you tell us of your experience on Edora when Ba'al arrived?"

You mean how I spent almost a year in another planet, abandoned, giving birth holding the hand of the man that killed my cat? No, I can't. "Uh, it was ordinary." Okay, I must, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

"Care to elaborate Carter?" Jack was getting antsy. He either wanted to know what went on during my stay with Ba'al, or he really wanted to leave. Either way, he wasn't making things easy. I glanced at him briefly, he looked pretty annoyed.

"General, if there were any intel to share, I would. My time on Edora was... simple. I did chores and grew crops. When Ba'al arrived, he asked me to live with him. I didn't exactly have a choice. I just kept him company, he didn't reveal any sources to me. I know nothing of what he's planing on doing, or where he went." There, now if we could all just move on with this subject...

General Hammond sighed, resigning to the fact that there really wasn't much that I knew or was willing to share. "Did you allow Ba'al to escape?"

"No." Well, I didn't.

"Carter, you knew he was going to beam himself up. And you let him go." O'Neill was now accusing that I allowed him to escape... that man will believe anything other than the facts.

"Sir, how was I supposed to stop him? You were the one with the weapons, why didn't you shoot him before he left? Did you expect me to engage in hand to hand combat with a goa'uld?" I didn't know you had such a high belief in my abilities. I would have lost, if anything, he would have just taken me with him. Then who'd take care of Grace?

"A little warning would have done just fine Major."

"Yes Sir." Sure, I'll keep that in mind for future reference, next time when I'm standing beside a goa'uld with no weapons, I'll shout: 'He's about to escape!' and duck or something. "Are we finished here?"

Hammond looked to Jack, and nodded. We all stood up. Jack was the first to leave, looking unpleasant. Clearly he had more to say. "Major Carter, in my office please."

"Sir?"

"Shut the door." Oh boy, here it comes. He's going to ask who the father is. And I'm going to lie. I'm going to lie to my commanding officer. My dad is going to be so proud of me.

"Sam, I don't want to force you. But I need to know who the father is." He looked uncomfortable, but managed to look straight into my eyes. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you.

"Uh, I don't know, Sir."

"Off the record."

Oh god, I can't do it. I can't tell him. I physically can't say the words.

"From the timeline, it can't be Ba'al's. He hasn't been on Edora long enough. It'll be off the records, just tell me. Let me help you."

"Um... I, uh..."

"Is it Jack's?" He watched me for a few seconds, then leaned back on his chair. "Sam, I won't tell him. But eventually, you're going to need to. The sooner the better."

"Sir, I can't." This is wrong, he can't know this. I trust him not to say anything. But if this were to get out, he'll be incriminating himself.

"The child will need a father. And you can't take that away from her. Or Jack, this is his second chance, how can you withhold this from him?"

He makes me sound so awful, but he doesn't understand. Jack won't want this baby. Simply because she is mine. "He believes she's someone else's. It's for the best. It's better that he doesn't know." He looked sad, as if he was expecting me to do the 'right' thing.

"I don't believe that, but it's your choice." Sitting up straight again, he looked through some files. "Will you be staying in the SGC?"

I'm not sure, working with Jack again wasn't something I'd want. It'd be weird and uncomfortable for both parties.

"Why don't you just sleep on it. You're going to have to stay on-base until we straighten up this mess, you have then till you decide."

"Thank you sir, I really appreciate it."

I left the office with the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. If Hammond could take a guess at who the father was, then so can anyone else. If Jack thought straight for a second, instead of being so busy with hating me, he too can see that Grace is probably his. However, that bridge is not to be crossed today. I'm going to take a hot shower, play catch up with Janet over chocolate ice cream, and see where it goes from here.

Walking around the SGC has been quite a journey. The staff would look at me like I was the freaking 'Jack-in-the-box' and I'd pop up suddenly and freak out on them. Obviously they're full of themselves... if I was going to lose it, then I'd lose it to the one that deserved it. Jack O'Neill. No good wasting a perfectly good outburst of craziness on someone you barely know. Nope, I know exactly who to go to.

Anyway, that is the last thing on my mind, I don't want to dwell on the past. I want to focus on Grace, my beautiful baby girl. I should try to find some liquid soap around here and introduce my daughter to bubbles.