A/N: Sorry it took so long. didn't have internet until midweek and it's been pretty busy. here ya go, it's unbeta'd for the time being. Little bit of minor language, and you'll see why later on.

Jack stepped through the Gate, dressed in a fresh T-shirt from his pack and his vest thrown loosely over his chest. He sighed deeply and grinned at the gathered personnel, stating enthusiastically, "Honey, we're home!"

Loud cheers and applause rang through the Gateroom as the remaining SG team members and two Tok'ra walked down the ramp and faced the awaiting General.

Seamus stood next to the man, smiling at his brother, glad he was home and safe. Jack rested his hands over the butt of his P-90, rocking on the balls of his feet. "We did it, Sir. Plan B."

"Congratulations, all of you." Hammond looked to the entire group, pride in his people shining in his eyes. His emotions changed almost immediately as he glanced between the brothers.

"Jack, get checked out first. Doctor Fraiser will accompany you to the Academy Hospital."

Jack's face paled immediately, and Sea pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're back, Jack. Sam's okay, it's not her."

Jack nodded and let go of his brother, following him to the infirmary. His post mission check up was done faster than he ever remembered and he was showered, changed and in the Jeep with Sea and Janet in under half an hour. Nate was riding with Jake in Jack's truck behind them.

Jack turned in his seat, glaring at his brother and friend. "Okay, do one of you two want to tell me what the Hell is going on?"

Sea gripped the steering wheel tighter, swallowing the lump in his throat. "It's Dad."

Jack felt like he was going to be sick. His heart plummeted like a rock as his stomach jumped into his throat. This could not be happening.

"What's wrong?"

"Colonel, the tests were inconclusive at the time of our departure."

"Janet!"

The petite doctor sighed. "We don't know anything yet, Jack, but they may have gotten the test results back by now."

Jack scrubbed his hands over his face. At least Sam was okay… right?

"Sam and the boys?"

"They're doing fine," Janet replied, smiling at him through the rear view mirror.

The relief was immediate and the tension poured off Jack in waves. His father's condition scared him, but his wife was safe, and he hadn't missed his sons coming into the world.

They pulled into the parking space of the Academy Hospital and sat for a moment while Jacob and Nate parked the truck next to them. The five people climbed out of their vehicles, facing each other. It as a somber group that marched into the building, taking in the silent support from one another.

Eleanor was waiting in the family room on the fourth floor when the group arrived. When she looked up at her sons, her eyes filled with tears and Jack noticed just how worn down and exhausted she really looked. This was taking an awful toll on her and he ran over to wrap his arms tightly around his mother.

He felt himself choking up as the hot damp tears spread over his shoulder. "Oh, Mom," he sighed, gripping her tighter. "How are you holding up?" He pulled back a little and brushed a strand of white hair back behind her ear.

Eleanor stood up a little straighter, patting Jack's shoulders and cheeks, checking him over now that he was home. "I'm fine, Jonathon. Really, I'll, uh, I'll be fine."

Jack helped her into her seat and sat down next to her, his arm around her shoulder. Sea took the other side hoping to give their mother as much comfort as they could. Janet had headed in to check on Patrick immediately, hoping to give her friends some news, whether it be good or bad didn't really matter at this point.

Nate and Jacob looked almost like two lost puppy dogs, not quite sure what to do with themselves as they looked on at the mother and sons. Nate's thoughts strayed to his family and he was suddenly lonely, wishing he had some news of Neal. Jacob was the first to realize Sam wasn't in the waiting room, but Jack was the first to voice the observation.

"She went down to the cafeteria. Those boys were getting hungry and her back's been bothering her for a bit." Eleanor smiled for one of the first times she had that day. She'd purposely left out a few tag-alongs. At least somebody would have a good day that way.

"Maybe Jacob and I should go check on her," Nate suggested nervously. He didn't really want to hang around the waiting room anyway; it made him uncomfortable.

"Dad?"

Jacob whirled around at the sound of the timid wavering voice behind him. Sam had finished eating and had decided to come back up and sit with her mother-in-law, waiting for news of the older man's health.

Her jaw dropped as she realized it really was her father standing there, with Nate beside him, and she ran into his arms, tears streaming down her face.

"You're home. I can't believe you're home!" She gathered Nate up into her other arm, pulling him into a group hug, ecstatic they'd returned home safe. She pulled back slightly, and started to tremble. She hadn't noticed Jack yet, and immediately thought the worst.

"Sam?"

She heard the shaky voice over her father's shoulder and broke away from his grasp, rushing as best as her bulk would allow into her husband's waiting arms. Jack was standing, holding her, finally, after a month, and she was okay. He so wanted to swing her around, but that definitely would be a bad idea about now.

"Jack, I thought you were dead," she sobbed, gripping him as hard she possibly could. He didn't notice, though, because he was holding her just as close. She buried her head in his neck, tears pouring out of her eyes. She was so happy he was back, home with them.

"You were dead. I felt it. You were shot in the chest, right here." She pulled back and patted his sternum, right where he'd been shot. Sam knew she was right when she felt him stiffen under her touch. It took a moment for her to register that something was different about her husband, but when it did, she tried to pull back and out of his arms, her eyes wide.

He didn't let her back off, grasping her elbows and staring straight into her eyes. "Sam, honey, it's me. Yes, I was shot, and yes, I died. Jacob used Yu's sarcophagus, but something wasn't right and Levi had to help out. That's what you're feeling."

Sam looked back at her father, who nodded in agreement, and melted into Jack's arms. Her dream had been real, but it hadn't been complete. Relief flooded over them all; at least all their family that had left on the mission had returned.

Thankfully, nobody had really been able to hear the couple's conversation – Jacob had only been able to guess at what they'd been talking about and adjust his reaction accordingly – so they didn't really have to explain Jack's odd explanation.

"What happened to Dad?"

Sam figured she would be the best to answer. "We were eating breakfast this morning, and he just stopped. It was like he was in a trance. His mouth was open and he hadn't swallowed. Eleanor tried to shake his shoulder, break him out of it, but he just tipped over. When he started convulsing, we called the ambulance and had them bring him here. We don't know anymore yet."

Jack nodded, scared for his father, but so grateful he was home.

Mark had been standing behind his sister, watching the reunion happily, one hand clasping Tommy's shoulder. He'd been watching the boy for Sea while he went to meet Jack wherever it was they were meeting him and the rest of the team. He was happy Jacob had made it back, though he'd been surprised an old General like him was out in the field.

Jacob approached his son and stood awkwardly before him. They'd gotten a lot closer over the few years since Selmak had convinced him to try for a reconciliation, but they both became edgy when there wasn't really anything of importance to talk about.

Mark spoke up first. "I'm glad you're back, Dad."

"Thanks for coming back and looking over your sister."

Mark nodded and Jacob leaned against the wall, trying to relax from their long journey.

Nate was feeling just a little left out. He desperately wanted to hold Cassie in his arms, let her comforting embrace wash over her. He sank into one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, scrubbing his hands over his face.

He'd had girlfriends before, but they had never lasted very long. His longest relationship had been two weeks and now he had Cassie, and those familiar creeped out feelings he always had with other girls hadn't reared its ugly head. His other relationships had never been serious, he'd never wanted them to be, but being away from Cassie for so long had made him realize just how much he longed for her.

A tiny giggle rang through his ears, strangely out of place for their surroundings. It didn't register at first, and when he opened his eyes and saw Cassie standing before him, he felt his heart skip a beat. She sure was a sight for sore eyes, but it was the baby she held in her arms that really made his eyes tear.

"It's really him Nate," she spoke softly, handing his baby brother over to him.

Levi decided it would be a good time to butt out and went to sleep, allowing Nate the privacy of his own thoughts. Tears ran down his face as he took Neal from Cassie's arms. This was the last remaining member of his family. The O'Neills (even though Jack had been with him the entire month) had kept their promise and found Neal. They were going to raise the baby so he could complete his time at West Point.

Neal reached up, grabbing at Nate's dog tags, jangling them along their chain. The sound made him giggle, and Nate pulled him close to his chest overjoyed he'd been found.

Cassie sat down next to him, pulling the brothers into her arms, and kissed Nate's temple softly. She was falling in love with the boy and seeing this soft, gentle side of him, she just fell deeper. He was so good with Neal, it was like watching Jack; hard ass soldier on the outside, big softy when it came to kids.

"Sara tracked down his foster parents about two weeks ago. He'd been bounced around a lot since the incident, so it took a little longer, but everything's pretty much official. Jack just needs to sign the papers and he'll become Neal O'Neill." Cassie rubbed Nate's back giving him the comfort he desired. Neal played happily in the young man's lap.

Jack looked over from where he'd been sitting with Sam and squeezed her shoulder, drawing her attention to the area of the waiting room where he'd fixed his gaze.

"Now that is a scary sight," he muttered jokingly in Sam's ear, though the shudder that ran through his body betrayed his uncomfortable feelings. The couple looked just a little too comfortable with the baby.

"Is that him?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Sara was able to track him down. He's a wonderful little boy. He can already say a few simple words, 'ma' 'da' 'hi'. We've been working on Nate, showing him a picture, but it hasn't stuck yet."

They sat, watching Nate play with his little brother, when Neal pulled his arm back and hit Nate square in the chest. "Nay!"

Everyone's eyes widened and those who hadn't been watching the brothers whipped their heads up to stare their direction.

"Did he just?"

Cassie started laughing and hugged her boyfriend. "Yeah, he did."

"Nay." Neal started bouncing on Nate's lap. "Nay, Nay, Nay."

The only person not partaking in the joyous laughter was Tommy. He just sat in one corner, his mind still on his Grandfather. "He's just a stupid baby," he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

Janet walked into the waiting room to the sound of laughter. She hated to have to break this up, but she hadn't gotten good news when she entered Patrick O'Neill's room.

Sea saw her before anyone else and tightened his grip around his mother's shoulders. He'd seen that look before, maybe not on Janet, but all doctors had their "break it to the family" look.

"Doc?"

Eleanor stood to face the doctor, both about the same height, and Sea stood with her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. He's conscious, but there's no motor function and the only reactions I can get out of him are blinks." Janet sighed. With a sympathetic glance at Jack, she continued. "His medical history shows a series of minor strokes over the past few years. The tests show this was a very serious stroke. He could have possibly recovered, but the seizures that followed were detrimental to his brain function. We're not sure how long he has."

Jack tensed next to his wife and ran his hands up and down her arms, comforting himself more than her. His heart clenched and he looked into Janet's eyes, silently asking the question on everybody's mind.

"I'll let you in to see him two at a time. I don't want him overwhelmed right now." A team of doctors had been working on the elderly man, but Janet had volunteered to fill in his family, having known Jack for as long as she did.

"Sea, take Mom in. We'll wait out here."

Sea nodded at his brother and directed Eleanor towards their father's room, his arm safely wrapped around her.

Sam watched her in-laws walk away and held her husband just a bit tighter. Jack had just gotten back in a somewhat good relationship with his father and now this happened. She'd had a whole month to get to know him and had found she really like the man. They'd talked about Jack, his childhood and the regrets he had about how he'd treated his son over the years.

She winced in pain and rubbed her lower back. It had been bothering her since yesterday afternoon, but over the course of the day they'd been steadily getting worse, and she'd been ignoring every twinge and spasm.

Jack had noticed the winces she'd been trying to hide since he'd arrived at the hospital and knew she was in pain far greater than she was letting on. He moved his hand down and started massaging her back as best he could in the position they were in.

"You okay?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, you?"

"I don't know," Jack sighed. He felt another spasm run through her back and moved to ease it. His other hand moved to her front and he could feel the boys wriggling under his palm. A smile flittered over his face.

The group sat in silence while they waited for Eleanor and Sea to come back, the only sound Neal's squeals of laughter as he played with his big brother. Jack was overjoyed they'd found the little boy, and couldn't wait to meet him, but for now he was grateful Nate had a part of his family back.

Sea and Eleanor returned a few minutes later, collapsing into the chairs lining the walls. Jack rushed over to his mother and enveloped her in his arms. She hugged him back, briefly, and sat back in her chair.

"I'll be okay, Jonathon. Go see him, I'm sure he'd like to see for himself you're okay."

Jack nodded and kissed his mom on the forehead, allowing Sea to wrap his arms around her. As Jack moved to help Sam up, Tommy jumped into the seat he'd had just vacated and leaned into his Grandmother.

Sam struggled to stand, the babies weighing heavily in her front and offsetting her balance, and led Jack to his father's room. They walked in silence, both dreading what they might find when they got there.

Jack opened the door and took a tentative step inside. Patrick lay on the bed, his head propped up and barely conscious. The white glare of the florescent lighting shone off the nasal oxygen tube, matching the pallor of his pale skin. He reached out when he saw his son, his hand shaking from the effort.

Jack rushed over, grasping the hand in his own. "I'm home, Dad," he whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sam came in and pulled up a chair on the other side, cradling the man's other hand. She stayed silent, giving both men her support. Her back was still hurting and it was slowly moving around front, but she wasn't going to let that keep her from being by Jack's side.

Had anyone else been in the room, including doctors, or even Sea, Jack wouldn't have started the train of thought he was going down.

"Dad…" Jack sighed. Patrick squeezed his hand weekly in response. "I… um." Jack wasn't sure how he was supposed to form the sentence he was trying to get out. He wasn't exactly the most eloquent of speakers and this was purely out of his league.

Patrick seemed to know exactly what his son was thinking and attempted to give a small smile with the half of his face where the nerves still reacted.

"Hang on, Dad. Just a little longer, hang on."

Patrick shook his head, a tear escaping his eye as he squeezed it shut.

"Uh, Jack…" Sam trailed off, grasping her stomach with her free hand. "I don't think I can hold on." She broke off with a grimace and a startled cry of pain.

Jack looked up at his wife, eyes wide, and a grin broke out over his face. Patrick weekly attempted to push his son over to his wife, encouraging them to leave the room.

"We'll be back. Hang on long enough to meet these guys, please." Jack jumped off the bed and ran to his wife, gently pulling her to her to her feet. "C'mon, let's get you to Delivery."

Sam stood clutching her stomach again. "Oh!" She leaned heavily into Jack. "I don't feel so good." She ground her teeth together, attempting to ride out another contraction.

Jack looked down, noticing the wet trail along her overalls. "Sam, honey, I think your water just broke."

"Then, FIX IT!" she shouted through clenched teeth.

Jack grinned at her logic. His bright, beautiful wife had momentarily lost her head.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing! You try shitting a watermelon out your ass and see how you feel!" They'd nearly made it to the door and another contraction was ripping through her stomach. Her knees gave out from under her and collapsed into Jack's arms. "No! You know what, it'd probably be easy on you, cuz you're such an ASSHOLE!"

Jack let the grin fall from his face, only to be replaced by concern. A nurse in the hall had heard Sam yelling and opened the door to the room. Jack looked up.

"Get us a wheelchair, please! She's going into labor." The nurse rushed out of the room and ran back in only a moment later, pushing the chair in front of her. The two helped Sam up and in, and pushed her in the direction of the Maternity Ward. "Page Dr. Fraiser to Maternity!" he yelled to another passing nurse.

Janet met them a floor below, ready with scrubs for Jack to change into. He brushed a kiss over his wife's sweaty forehead. "I'll be right back, baby." The look he gave Janet spoke volumes of exactly how scared he was.

Janet pulled him aside on his way out while the nurses helped settle Sam. "Jack, I won't lie to you, I'm a little concerned at the speed this has progressed, but we're keeping an eye on her and the boys so hopefully this will go fine."

Jack nodded and headed off to get changed. This was going too fast. Something was wrong, he just knew it. He flew back into the room as fast as he could, hoping nothing had happened while he'd been out of the room.

He sat on the stool somebody had thought to place near the head of Sam's bed just as Janet peaked up from her spot at the foot. "Okay, Sam, you're at eight centimeters. You're almost there."

Jack grasped his wife's hand and wiped the sweat off her forehead with a washcloth.

"AAAHHHHH!" Sam ground out, her teeth still just a clenched as they'd been before. "Janet, get the beasts outta me."

Janet stood to check the monitor and retook her place. The gasp brought Jack's head up to stare down at his wife's feet. "Sam you're there. On the next contraction I want you to push."

Sam nodded vigorously.

"You can do it, baby."

"Jaaack…"

Jack nodded, holding her hand gently. "Right. Shutting up." He helped Sam sit up as the contraction racked through her body and she leaned up, pushing with all her might.

"Sam, I can see the head," Janet announced. Under her breath she muttered, "Already."

Two pushes later Janet peeked up again. "Sam, the cord's wrapped around his neck. We're gonna try to get him out a little farther to pull it off."

Jack rubbed Sam's back, his thoughts immediately straying to the twin Mark had had before their birth. The medical advances they'd made in the past forty years had helped alleviate his fears, but he could tell Sam hadn't thought about that part of their predicament.

"It'll be okay, Honey." He massaged her shoulders while she gave one more push.

"Okay, Sam…" Janet paused. "You've got a little bungee jumper here."

Jack stood, still clutching Sam's hand. "What?"

"He's retreated back to enemy territory," Janet rephrased.

"Okay, just… help him."

Sam pushed again.

"Colonel, I'm doing the best I can here." She kept her attention on the baby, trying to help free him from his confines. "We're making progress. Cord's off, Sam."

Jack smiled at his wife, brushing the damp hair off her forehead.

"Here's the shoulders… and he's out. Baby A born at 13:53." She quickly wrapped him in a warm towel, rubbing him dry, and clamped the cord. "Dad, you want to come down here and cut the cord, so we can work on getting his brother out?"

Jack gave a whoop of joy when he heard the sound of his son crying and bent down to kiss his wife. "We have a son, Sam."

"And his brother's just as eager to escape." She could already feel the contractions starting up again as Jack moved to the end of the bed and cut the umbilical cord.

He just couldn't believe it. His son. He didn't get a good enough look, though, because a nurse whisked him away as soon as he was free to check him over and weigh and measure him.

He moved back up to the head of the bed to help Sam. He knew she was having a hard time; more so than Sara had had with Charlie. He remembered that clearly. She'd still been working on delivering him in the time it was taking Sam to give birth to both their sons.

"Baby B born at 14:17."

Sam reached up and hugged her husband tightly around the neck, sooo happy the second baby had gone easier. She'd barely even felt him. She flopped back onto the bed, exhausted.

Jack settled her on the bed and moved down to cut the second baby's cord.

"You're not quite done yet, Sam."

Jack knew that Sam would want him checking on their babies, instead of worrying about her, so while Janet finished up with Sam and got her cleaned up, he crossed the room to where the nurses had finished with their first son.

The nurse turned to him, holding out the baby to his father with a smile. Jack took him lovingly into his arms, and brushed off the nurse's patronizing attitude as she tried to show him how to hold the baby.

"I know what I'm doing," he snapped, though the smile never left his face.

He brought the baby back to his wife, sitting on the edge of the bed, and gently placed him in Sam's arms. He brushed the blanket back away from his face so they could see him clearly, and smiled at the joy that lit Sam's eyes.

"He's beautiful, Sam." He was a little concerned at the dark circles under the baby's eyes that were starting to appear, but he'd ask Janet about those later; it wasn't exactly something he remembered from Charlie.

"Yeah. He looks like you." She brushed her fingers through the thick, light brown hair on the top of his tiny head. He opened his eyes and Jack had to do a double take.

"Janet?" The whites of the baby's eyes weren't white, they were a deep red and it scared the parents, and for once it was a fear they were ready to admit.

Janet came over from where she'd been looking at the second baby, carrying him in her arms, and looked over at his brother. She immediately saw what the parents had noticed and smiled.

"It's nothing to worry about." She handed Baby B to his father, and walked over to the other side of the bed. "Sam, he was born in just over half an hour. That's extremely fast, and he opened his eyes almost immediately. His eyes didn't have time to adjust and the platelets didn't close. He'll be fine and it won't affect his vision."

The couple smiled at each other and sighed in relief. It was a stressful enough day as it was.

"Sam, I want you to give them their first feed, and then rest. I'll take Jack and get them their baths, the printing, and their birth certificates filled out. We'll come back with them when we're done." She showed Sam how to properly nurse them, then left them alone for the time being.

Jack held the free baby while Sam nursed the other one, looking at his son closely. From what he could tell, they were identical, but really, what did he know. They did look a little like Charlie, but it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. They were their own people, and he would try his damndest to do a better job the second – and third – time around.

Sam balanced Baby A in the crook of her arm while Jack moved to switch the two. She couldn't believe they'd made it through this. Their babies were beautiful, and big. She couldn't believe they'd both been in there and hadn't decided to come out sooner.

"They were waiting for you," she whispered to her husband as he rocked Baby A in his arms.

"I'm glad they did." He rubbed at his son's head and ran his finger down the tiny cheek. "Have you thought of any names you'd like?"

"A few, but I'm not sure yet. We can wait a little while to decide. You can fill out their Birth Certificates with all the info they need except their name's until we're discharged. At that point, we can decide."

Jack nodded and sat back against the bed with his wife and sons.

A/N: so there you have it! the twins have arrived. i know there were a few of you who wanted them both to be girls or at least one of them, but this is how i had it planned out, sorry. and before any of you go suggesting anything, though i love the thoughtfulness you'd put behind it, i already have their names picked out, but you won't find out until next chapter.

my poor brother Eric was the bungee jumper in our family and he looked like he'd gone a few rounds w/ Muhamed Ali. he was born in just under a half an hour.

i've moved now, but i have to desperately find a job now b/c i just found out our owner is selling all his subways and the new one doesn't want to keep any of the current employee's so i don't know when the next chapter will be up, hopefully soon, it's already started. tell me what you think! i love hearing it!