It was about eight o'clock in the evening, and Jack found himself sitting alone in his truck outside her house for ten minutes. Three weeks had passed since they'd found out that Sam was pregnant. And it had been a lot longer since they had spoken more than two words to one another.

Their meeting with General Hammond had gone well enough, but they were the only "couple" that had gotten pregnant from the encounter, which had certainly complicated things. However, General Hammond was batting for them with all that he had, and they both had a great deal of faith in his negotiating capabilities. At this point, there was little question about that there would be no court-martial for anyone involved, but jobs and team assignments were another matter altogether.

Sam hadn't said anything about being reassigned to another team, but Jack knew instinctually that it would break her heart. She had worked hard to get where she was and Jack didn't want to see her hard work get discredited because of an alien influence anymore than she did.

Then, of course, to add insult to injury, his past had come to haunt him about the time that she got pregnant.

He rubbed his eyes. He wasn't ready for this.

But he didn't really have a choice. Jack O'Neill did the honorable thing; Jack O'Neill took responsibility for his screw-ups. He winced. Bad choice of words, O'Neill, he thought to himself.

He walked cautiously up to the door and knocked.

Sam opened the door. "Sir? This is…This is a surprise."

"Carter."

They stood there for a few moments, awkwardly. "Mind if I come in?"

"Uh, sure…"

He stepped into the living room. Boxes still lined one wall, but the rest of her room looked finished.

"Sorry." She apologized as she noticed his sweep of the room. "I'm still moving in."

"No problem."

She motioned him further into the living room. "Can I get you something?"

"No thanks."

She gave a tight smile. She seemed to be dressed in loose-fitting clothing. Jack wondered if this was because she had begun gaining weight, but decided that it would be a bad thing to ask aloud. However, aside from her choice of outfit, her hair wasn't as styled as it normally was, and there were dark circles underneath her eyes. She looked exhausted.

"What can I do to help you, sir?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said, vaguely. Then, he looked over at her. "Except, you could stop calling me 'sir' when we're not at work."

She nodded, meekly.

"Sorry, Carter." He said, noticing that she must not have been feeling particularly well.

"I'm fine." She said, quickly.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

There was silence for a little while before she spoke again. "I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday at 1330."

He looked up, surprised.

"I mean, you don't have to come if you don't want…"

"I'll be there." He said, a little more briskly than he had intended. "Thank you." He said, more courteously.

She gave him another tight smile.

"Carter…"

"Yes?"

"We, uh, I think we need to talk."

She was timid as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess we do…"

"Sam…" He began.

She looked up, surprised. "You've…you've never called me that before, sir." She said, after a moment lapsed silently.

He coughed and she smiled at the tiny reprimand. "Sorry, Jack."

"That's better."

Another moment lapsed awkwardly by. "Jack…" She began. "You…you don't have to feel…obligated…to do anything. I mean, I'm perfectly capable of…handling this myself. After all, I'm the one who…jumped you…in the locker room and…"

"And I didn't stop you when my mind was even remotely capable of rational thought." He said, slightly put off by the fact that she didn't expect him to take responsibility for their actions.

She nodded, sheepishly.

"Look, if you don't want me around…I understand."

He didn't have to tell her why he thought she might be reluctant to have him around their child. The implication was clear in his tone of voice, and suddenly, it was as if Charlie's ghost was standing between them.

"No, I…I mean, you're fine. This is your baby too." She said, somewhat apologetic.

A timer rang in the kitchen, and Sam's eyes widened.

"Something wrong?"

"No." She said, shaking her head. "Dinner's ready."

"Ah…"

He followed her into the kitchen where she took the lids off of a couple of pans and turned off the stove. She turned, embarrassed. "I wasn't exactly expecting company…"

"No, you're fine. I'll, uh, I'll go."

"No!" She said, more emphatically than she had intended to be. "That's…not what I meant by what I said. I…just give me a few minutes to set a place for you?" She asked, almost pleadingly.

"Are you inviting me to dinner?"

She instantly straightened. "You don't have to…"

"I'd love to."

She reached for a plate, glass and utensils. Then, she set them across from her plate.

"So…what's for dinner."

"Chicken, rice and broccoli."

"Oh." He said, somewhat disappointed.

"Sorry…I know you're more of a steak and potatoes kind of guy…"

"No, that's fine."

She smiled as she placed the food into serving dishes.

"What?"

"I don't know…you're kinda…cute when you're disappointed."

"Cute?" The Air Force Colonel asked, surprised.

She laughed. "I'm sorry, but it's the only word that came to mind."

He shrugged and reached for the serving dishes. She looked at him, puzzled, and he shrugged. "Do you mind me helping? I mean, you weren't exactly expecting me to drop in…"

"Okay." She said, somewhat touched. However, she would not cry, she told herself. Almost instantly, she had to grab one of the dishtowels which she discreetly used to dab at her eyes.

He set the dishes on the table and she got into the fridge and got the juice. She walked over to the table, and looked at him. "I'd offer you a beer, but…I got rid of all of it…"

"It's okay. What kind of juice?"

"White grape raspberry."

"Sounds…interesting."

"Sorry."

"No." Jack said, refusing to allow her to feel apologetic about her tastes. "I'm the one who dropped in on you. I should be apologizing for ruining your dinner plans and not calling and all that."

"Well, in that case, you're forgiven." She said, somewhat amused. "After all, you only interrupted what was going to be a quiet night at home. I was just going to read a book and maybe unpack another box."

"No…wormholes?"

She smiled. "Not exactly. Einstein's Theory of Relativity."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Do you do ANYTHING except think?"

"Yes."

"What?" He challenged.

"Well, for one, I'm restoring a vintage motorcycle."

"Really?" He asked, suitably impressed and surprised. So…the little astrophysicist DID know how to have fun…on a Harley in leather…

Hello! He thought. That wasn't a bad picture…

"I'm also a closet astronomer."

Jack's eyes widened. "Me too!" He blurted.

"You, sir?" She asked, skeptically.

He gave her a mockingly wounded look. "Yes, Carter, me…and it's Jack."

"Right. Sorry. I just…I thought you had a problem with scientists."

"I should have clarified…" He said, wincing. He knew that statement would eventually bite him in the butt. Better sooner than later, right? At least now he could clarify the statement early in their relationship.

Relationship? He asked himself. Yeah, we're having a kid together, but…relationship?

"I meant that I have a problem with geeks."

"Geeks." She repeated.

"Yeah, you know…no life, no down-time, always in their lab, think anyone who doesn't understand multi-syllabic words is stupid…you know, geeks."

She bit her tongues as she raised an eyebrow. How long would it take him to realize that he had practically described her and perfectly described Daniel?

Almost the instant the words left his mouth, he winced inwardly. He had just described her and Daniel…smooth, he thought to himself. "Not that you're a geek. I mean…Daniel is a geek…there's no question about that, but…"

Sam watched him squirm as he tried to find a way that she was not a geek, but Daniel could still be classified as a geek…

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! You've got a motorcycle! You've got to be cool!"

She smiled, amused. "Thanks, Jack. I'm glad I meet your approval."

"And…you can cook." Jack said, deciding that this was one the times that it would be best to be seen and not heard. After all, he'd already messed up a few times tonight.

She chuckled. "My mom always said that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, but I thought that was just an old cliché. I guess it's not as outdated as I first thought."

"Wise woman."

"Yeah, she was." Sam said, getting a far-away look in her eye.

"What happened?"

She looked up.

"What happened?"

"Car accident. I was fifteen."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

It was quiet again for a few moments. "I'm sorry. I, uh…I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Jack said, nervously.

"You didn't." She assured, quickly. She placed her hand on his. "I'm really glad you're here. Thanks for coming."

He looked at her hand that was resting on top of his and then he looked back at her, somewhat surprised. "No problem."

She took her hand from his, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "So, how do you like the Program?"

"I like it. It's…different than the other stuff I've done, but it's a nice change. What about you?"

"It's a nice challenge."

"But?" He prompted.

"I don't know. There's a certain amount of security in knowing that you're only dealing with science and technology that's relatively close to what you know and that you've encountered before. But at the same time, there's something exhilarating about knowing that we have no idea what out there…"

He was studying her intently. She had hit the nail on the head. She looked at him as she noticed that strength of his gaze. "What?"

He stopped. "Nothing."

"No, really, what?"

"You're cute when you're explaining things." He said, simply.

"Cute?" She asked, feeling anything but cute.

He shrugged. "It's the only word that came to mind."

She smiled as she stood and picked up her plate. His hands were instantly on her plate before she could even take a step.

"Allow me."

She was surprised by his sudden act of chivalry. "Okay."

As he walked over to the sink, she yawned.

"Tired?" He asked, returning to her.

"A little. I'm just going to do the dishes and then go to bed."

Jack shook his head and gently guided her down into the hallway. "Nope. The dishes will wait. You should rest. You're sleeping for two now."

She looked up, and smiled. "Thanks for the reminder."

"You have the little fella in there and you needed a reminder?"

"Not really, but…I don't know, there's something comforting about the way you say it."

He just smiled and nodded…it must be a pregnant woman thing, he thought.

"Jack, will you stay until I fall asleep?" She asked, looking at him with her clear blue eyes.

Suddenly, he realized that he would never be able to say no to her if she looked at him like that.

"Okay."

She took him by the hand, somewhat sheepishly to her bedroom. He stood awkwardly in the room as she went into her closet and got into her pajamas. She brushed her teeth and then walked over.

"You can sit on the bed if you want. You don't have to stand watch like Teal'c would."

Jack smiled and sat on the opposite side of the bed from where she lay. They stayed like that for a few moments before she scooted over and put his arm around her. "Hold me?" She asked, giving him the same look she'd given him earlier.

Damn that look, he thought. Then again, she was the mother of his child. Somehow, his heart swelled in a way that he thought would never again be possible since Charlie. His child.

"Sure." He said, settling a little more into the pillows behind him as she cuddled up to him.

Within a few moments, they were both asleep, arms around each other in protective embraces.