Junior

By Lingren.

Category: Angst, AU, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance.

Pairings: Jack/Sam.

Warnings: Alternate Universe with no Pete, and Jacob is just fine. Implied sex, nothing specific.

Season: Mid 8

Spoilers: Singularity, Show & Tell, A Hundred Days, Abyss.

Summary: Selmak rescues an abandoned child and hands him over to the SGC where he becomes attached to Jack. But, is he all that he seems?

Disclaimer: I'm not making any money from this. No copyright intended. Just borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes only. All original characters belong to my imagination.

JUNIOR.

by Lingren.

"We should have done this earlier."

The statement came as no surprise, and Sam met it with a smile.

"Hmmm. I know, but it doesn't matter now, does it?" she sighed. "We got here in the end."

Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter was snuggled against her lover, his strong arms wrapped round her shapely body as they lay beneath the covers of his bed. After years of trials and tribulations regarding Earth's safety, they had finally taken that leap of faith and decided that the time was right. Togetherness took on a new meaning for them. They had spent the last eight years together as members of the same team, yet nothing could have been further from the truth. Regulations had forbidden them to be more than team-mates, and now the rules had changed. Their rules that is. He was thinking of retiring soon, so it no longer bothered them that they were breaking those regulations; jumping the gun; shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted. He just hadn't decided when exactly he would take that step. Soon she hoped.

Too many near misses had taught them to expect the unexpected, to take what you could while you could, and enjoy it before it disappeared. That's why they had given in. With everything that had happened to him so recently, Sam was afraid she would lose him without being able to show him how much she loved him, and that worked for him too. He'd nearly lost her too, with that replicator freak, Fifth; him and his warped idea of love. There were too many things to put behind them and not be able to act on their innermost feelings. Love won out in the end and their relationship bloomed, albeit in secret. Only Daniel and Teal'c were in on their happiness and until he retired, they hoped that was how it would stay.

Not that it wasn't a well known fact among the SGC betting circles, that the moment he retired, Sam would most likely add 'Mrs' to the impressive array of titles that she already laid claim to. People had wagered good money on that eventual outcome, and it was a dead cert.

"Sure we did. It was fated. Our love was written in the stars..." he murmured into her ear, following his words with a kiss on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck which tickled her senses.

Sam snorted, shivered and pushed herself back further into his embrace, eliciting a low guttural groan of rising need from him.

"Wow! That was almost poetic Jack. Who'da thought Jack O'Neill was actually a romantic at heart?"

He pressed another warm kiss to her neck with greater passion.

"I don't hear you complaining!" he whispered softly.

She squirmed round to face him, kissing the end of his nose when she'd settled into his embrace.

"That's one thing I'll never do Jack," she said, smiling that brilliant smile that lit up his day whenever he saw it.

"That's good," he replied with a wry smile. "But, ya know...I have one?" he said slyly hoping to catch her out.

It worked. She recoiled in response to look at his face, trying to see if he was joking or serious.

"What? You have a complaint about me?" she asked, worry making her forehead wrinkle in a frown.

"Oh yeah...a huge honking criticism," he ground out trying not to show his amusement that he could wind her up so easily.

Sam propped herself up on one elbow to look down on him, doubt marring her near perfect features.

Jack studied her face looking for that tell tale sign of 'you're joking, right?' but all he could see was genuine concern. He slid his hand to the back of her neck, gently dragging her down, but she resisted so he quirked a lopsided smile.

"Tell me!" she demanded, wanting to know what he had meant. There was a note of warning in her voice, which made Jack's smile widen.

"My one complaint about you Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter is that you're too damn delectable for me to stop doing this." With that he felt her relax and quickly pulled her down for a kiss. His hands holding her tightly against his body.

Sam was mad but couldn't hold back her amusement at his facetiousness, and tried to push herself free of his hold to exact revenge, but he held her fast to his chest. Instead she deepened the kiss, her hands roaming free over him, sending shivers and excitement shuddering through his naked body beneath her. She could feel his immediate response pressing against her thigh, and when he released her to draw breath she had her revenge. Scooting backwards, she turned and climbed out of the bed, leaving him desperately needing her to quench the fire in his veins that she'd started.

"Sam?" Came the bleating whine to which she just smiled evilly and headed for the bathroom. "Hey!" he called after her in shock. She wouldn't leave him like this! Could she? Would she? He pondered miserably.

She poked her head round the door with a sly grin.

"Serves you right Jack O'Neill! I have to get to work and so do you. We have a briefing in a couple of hours. Wouldn't look good if the General was to arrive late now, would it?"

"It wouldn't look good if the General arrived barely able to walk either!" he retorted with a scowl.

Sam snickered, and with a slow sexy drawl, she shrugged and laughed at his situation. She shut the door behind her to the frustrated growl from her lover.

Moments later when he'd groaned even louder at his treatment, she relented and opened the bathroom door.

"You could always join me in the shower?" she soothed seductively with a coy smile.

Enough said, he was out of the bed with a whoop of delight and closing the bathroom door behind him in no time.

OoOoOoOoO

"Okay kids, we'll call it a day on this and..."

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill was interrupted before he could get any further by the klaxons blaring throughout the base. He looked up at the others and they shrugged. It was an unscheduled activation and this was confirmed in the next minute by Walter's voice ringing in their ears.

"Unknown Off-world Activation!" he yelled through the PA system.

Jack leapt to his feet and hurried down the metal steps leading to the control room. He came to a stop just behind Walter's chair.

"Whatcha got?"

"It's the Tok'ra IDC Sir."

"Open the door Walter. Mustn't keep Earth's favourite allies a waitin' now, must we?" Jack ordered, his voice dripping heavily with sarcasm before turning to Lt. Colonel Sam Carter behind him. "Could be Dad?" he speculated with a smile for the love of his life.

Sam readily responded with a smile of her own before they all hurried down the steps to the gate-room to meet their unexpected guest, hoping that it was indeed her father.

The wormhole fluctuated and rippled when a tall figure stepped through. It was Jacob Carter, alias the Tok'ra, Selmak. He was smiling widely at them and in his arms he carried what looked like a small child, as he made his way down the ramp towards the waiting group.

Jack and Sam glanced at each other in puzzlement but smiled easily towards their guest when Jacob approached.

Jacob placed the child back on his feet and pulled the hood from the little boy's head. He squatted down beside him reaching out to place a hand on the boy's cheek, he smiled reassuringly and asked if he was okay. The boy nodded his head and sniffed back the tears that had been falling since before they had entered the wormhole.

Jacob straightened up and the child stood as close to Jacob as he could possibly get, clinging to his leg seeking comfort from the older man. He never attempted to move from his side, but his sad dark eyes for some reason were glued onto Jack of all people.

Jack smiled back quickly but turned his attention back to Jacob.

"Dad!" Sam greeted her father and stepped forward to welcome him with a hug and a deep smile. It had simply been an age since they had last seen each other.

"Sam! How ya doin? I've missed you," Jacob said, hugging her back.

"So Jacob," Jack's voice pulled them from their happy reunion and Jacob grinned.

"Hello to you too Jack. I hear congratulations are in order, for both of you if my sources are correct?"

Jack smirked at Sam and shrugged, shuffling his feet a little, uncomfortable at Jacob's approval of his achievement. He still didn't understand the President's insistence in promoting him.

"It happens," he replied wryly.

"I'm so proud of you Sam!" Jacob told her, giving her another squeeze. He turned and greeted Daniel and Teal'c then Jack got straight to the point.

"Ah...You got something to share with us Jacob?" Jack asked, indicating the child still clinging to Jacob's leg.

Jacob laid a hand on the boy's head and smiled again.

"As much as I know you would be amused by it Jack, I have to say he's not mine."

Sam giggled, and Jack shrugged.

"Okay, so what's with the boy then? It is a 'he' isn't it?" Jack asked, taking in the longish hair.

"Yes he's a boy. Could we take this up to the briefing room Jack?" Jacob pleaded. "It's a little too public down here in the gate-room." His cool grey eyes flickered towards the security guards dotted around the room.

Jack turned round to look about the room and saw the SF's watching them curiously.

"Dismissed!" he ordered, waving them away with a scowl, then ignored them as they reluctantly vacated the area.

"Sure Jake. Right this way folks," Jack said, but he was looking at the boy with a deep curiosity. The young lad's face looked oddly familiar. It was pale, and now that he looked closer he could see it was thin, and maybe a little haggard too, framed with light brown hair that was dirty and unkempt. The boy seemed frail and weak, and Jacob had to carry him up the stairs. The child had refused Teal'c offer to carry him, clinging to Jacob tighter as if afraid of them.

Once there, they were all shocked by his appearance when Jacob removed the too big a cloak that had been wrapped around him to keep him warm on his journey through the chilly wormhole. His whole body was thin, dangerously thin for a child of about 4 years old; his simple but ragged and dirty homespun clothes hung on his tiny frame. The boy refused to leave Jacob and sat curled up on his lap clutching an equally grubby toy while they talked, though once again his eyes were locked onto Jack sitting at the head of the table as if no-one else existed in that room.

TBC