I'm giving you a real treat tonight by updating another chapter today. The only reason, is that, normally I update first thing in the morning – early- before the family get up for breakfast, but I'm off out early tomorrow, and I didn't want you all to forgo your daily fix of Junior until tomorrow night, or the next day, depending on how shattered I am when I get home. So here it is, the next chapter.

Thanks once again for all the lovely reviews. What can I say? I'm honoured and flattered.

As for GlowingHaven's question – well I left that up to the reader's imagination, because I felt it wasn't important as to how he knew, just that he did. I guess you could say that Ba'al had spies everywhere and figured that he could repay Jack for all the humiliations he'd suffered at his hands. Either that or the Goa'uld had a thriving grape vine!

Anyway, on to the story...more fluff/sap anyone?

Junior

By Lingren.

Previously:-

Sam giggled and threw her arms round his neck, and melted into his kiss. They were still like that when the others arrived back.

Chapter 32

Junior slipped free of Daniel's hand and ran over to his father who scooped him up and twirled him round, happy to be alive and that Jon was too. Junior responded with delighted squeals and a big hug for his Daddy.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been thrown, Jon became serious and hugged Jack so tight he almost choked his father. Jack coughed and pulled Jon's arms from his neck.

"Hey? What's all this?" Jack asked when tears started to form in the child's eyes. He held him close but not so the boy could strangle him again.

Jon sobbed into his father's neck, his small frame trembling from the emotions running through him.

Jack eased himself onto the floor, his back resting against the wall, while he held his son on his lap, trying to discover what had brought on this attack of the miseries.

Sam slid down the wall to sit beside them, her hand rubbing soothing circles over the boy's back.

"Jon?" she coaxed, "Do you want to tell me what's the matter?"

"I didn't want to hurt Daddy!" he cried. "He made me do it!"

Sam looked up at Jack who sighed in relief.

"Hey! It doesn't matter any more. It's okay now. Forget it," Jack assured him. "I'm fine now, and so are you and we're on our way home."

"Hey, yeah! Christmas is coming!" Sam told him, trying to distract Jon's attention from his ordeal.

The crying stopped, and a tear stained face looked over at her.

"What's Kriss...muss?" Jon asked, not quite sure of the word.

Sam giggled, and Jack smiled at the change in the boy. Her tactics had worked.

"Yeah Christmas is great. You're gonna love Christmas!" Jack responded enthusiastically.

"We put up a special tree which we decorate with..." Sam continued, drawing the child into the magic yet to come.

"We have arrived O'Neill!" Thor said with a blink of his huge eyes, interrupting their excitement.

"And now we're home!" Jack said with a grin.

Jon hugged him again and scrambled off Jack's lap when Daniel called to him to see Earth from the big window overlooking the planet.

"Home!" Jack sighed with longing. Yeah, he desperately wanted to go home, but there were formalities to deal with first as always. A trip to the infirmary and then a debriefing. He was more than eager just for a shower and a change of clothes, and he was just about ready to fall into bed, but the shower was most important, both for him and Jon Junior; as they were still covered in blood.

He had lots of questions to ask, but he knew they could wait until the briefing; right now he just wanted Sam to pinch him if only to make sure he was wide awake and this wasn't a dream.

"Jack?"

He turned towards Sam who had reached out to hold his hand. He smiled wistfully at her and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm fine Sam. I'm okay. A little frayed at the edges maybe, but at least I'm me." He knew exactly what she was thinking; he hadn't spent that much time in the sarcophagus. He'd only died twice thankfully, and Jon only the once which was bad enough having to witness it, so it shouldn't have affected him too much, though he would have to keep an eye out for any long-term repercussions that might arise in his son, with him being so young and all.

"I thought I'd lost you Jack," Sam sniffed.

"C'mon Sam. It's over. Ba'al's dead now. He can't hurt us any more!"

"Dad will make sure he doesn't make a reappearance at least."

"Dad?"

"He's back on the planet with Mitchell and Master Bra'tak, clearing up. He said to tell you that he wants a serious talk with you when he gets back...something about a Father to future son-in-law chat," she sniggered.

"Aw great. Just what I need. Didn't you tell him he's a bit late on that?"

"What? And spoil his fun?" Sam snorted with amusement when Jack groaned at the news.

"I am sooo dead!" Jack grunted with a sigh.

The others came back into the room and Jack took Junior's hand, Sam took the other. That's how it was going to be from now on...at least until the baby made its entrance to the world.

"Where would you prefer me to send you O'Neill?" Thor asked, ready to send them back to Earth.

Jack would like to say home, but knew he wouldn't get away with that, so with a shrug he said it had better be the briefing room at the SGC.

A bright light later and they suddenly appeared in the briefing room, much to the surprise of General Landry and Walter.

"You're back!" Landry said with a grin, though one look at the state of Jack and Jon Junior had him concerned for their health. "It's good to have you back Jack."

"Yeah, we're fine Hank! A long hot shower and a change of clothes would be nice though, and we're kinda hungry too."

"Sure. You know the way there, and to the infirmary afterwards! That's an order Jack!"

Jack nodded with a frown but gave a nod. He took Jon with him to get cleaned up and then they'd report to Doc Brightman when he'd washed off the stench of blood and death from his body.

Sam sat down heavily onto one of the briefing room chairs with a sigh.

"Can I assume that everything went according to plan Colonel?" Landry asked, taking his seat again.

"Yes sir. Ba'al is dead and his Jaffa were losing the fight, according to Colonel Mitchell sir. He and Master Bra'tak were just mopping up the last of those loyal to the Goa'uld," Sam informed him.

"Has Jack said anything about what happened to him and the boy?"

"No sir, nothing, and I doubt you'll get much from him either."

"That's true. I was hoping that he might have told you something."

"Jack's not the best person to ask for details General," Daniel stated wryly, to which Sam smiled and nodded her agreement. "And if you push for details, he's likely to clam up completely," Daniel added after a pause.

"When we arrived, Ba'al had just killed Jonathon Junior and O'Neill took advantage of our distraction. He penetrated Ba'al's personal shield and fired several shots, killing him," Teal'c said, having witnessed the action. He'd thought Jack's physical weakness at that point was because of witnessing his son's death, and not because he had been wounded.

"Junior's alive and well though..."

"Jack put him in the sarcophagus to revive him," Sam continued. "Then he ordered Teal'c to destroy it, so they couldn't revive Ba'al."

"What we didn't know at the time, was that Jack had been shot too. We could have used it to heal him as well," Daniel sighed.

"But he said he was okay?" Landry was confused.

"He is. Now!" Sam assured him. "He collapsed just after we arrived on board Thor's ship, so Thor put him onto a stasis pod and healed the wound. He won't admit to anyone about being tired, though I know for a fact that he is. I don't think he's really slept much all the time he's been away."

"So, you're saying I should postpone the de-briefing 'til tomorrow?" the General asked, though he knew he would anyway. Jack looked pale and drawn, not to mention he appeared older and more haggard.

"Yes sir. I think he needs to recuperate for a few days at least," she replied with a nod.

"Very well. We'll postpone the mission de-briefing until 10:00 hrs on Monday. SG-1, consider yourselves on down-time. Colonel Carter, you'll be on leave afterwards until after your honeymoon. Dismissed everyone."

"Yes sir!" Sam replied sharply with a big grin.

Landry left the room, and Sam hurried off to the infirmary to tell Jack that they could all go home.

OoOoOoOoO

Dr. Brightman was just pulling the curtain back from round Jack's bed when Sam arrived in the infirmary.

Jon Junior had fallen asleep on the next bad and after getting the all clear from the doctor, Jack jumped off the bed and pulled Sam into his arms, giving her a quick kiss.

"Hi!" he said with a grin.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Right Doc?"

"Everything is fine General. I recommend you follow your son's example and get some sleep," she chuckled, "you're practically asleep on your feet."

"Yeah, about that Jack. General Landry says we can all go home. He's postponed the de-briefing until Monday morning, so we have all weekend."

"Great!" He took his keys out of his pocket and handed them over to Sam. "You up to driving?"

"Sure!" she responded, happy to be trusted with driving his pride and joy, plus, it was testament to just how tired Jack was if he was allowing her to drive him home.

Jack picked his son up, gently lifting him from the bed. Junior stirred and slipped his arms round Jack's neck, but didn't really wake. He carried him as far as the parking lot where he managed to fasten him into his seat in the truck, still without him waking the boy.

Sam drove carefully, the roads icy, and slippery with fresh snow, but they were together and they were going home.

TBC