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"No-Natalie!"

She instantly felt guilty for yelling as the little baby began wailing. Trying to ignore the broken Naquadah generator (after making sure the compartment with the valuable liquid was still sealed), she bounced the baby until her sobs died down. She smoothed the golden hair and wiped the tears off her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Natalie."

"Yelling at an infant... criminal offense, Carter."

Sam started. "I didn't yell at her."

"I know... just joshin' ya."

The Major sighed and looked down. "I'm not cut out to be a mother."

"I think you are."

"I raised my voice to an almost four month year old baby!"

"She'll live," He said, unconcerned.

"I-"

"Fine, you're a monster... happy?"

She glared at him for a moment before finally laughing. "Thank you... sir."

Jack looked puzzled. "For what?"

"Everything," She said simply.

He smiled and held out his arms. "I'll take her for a bit… you, play with your… stuff…"

She laughed again. "Yes, sir."

Å

Daniel and Teal'c later remarked to each other the 'hominess' of the scene. The Major and the Colonel sat in the lab, side-by-side, Sam working, Jack amusing the baby, then it would be Jack finishing his oft neglected paperwork and Carter entertaining the baby.

Janet dropped by several times, as did Walter, Siler, many of the scientists, SG-3, SG-7, SG-12, and SG-17 with the newly placed Lieutenant Elliott. The two soon got weary of their constant company and Carter finally locked her lab door- after General Hammond had made his daily inquiry after the little girl.

They departed a little past six in the afternoon to the commissary for some dinner. Jack ate quickly while Carter fed Natalie then he took her and amused her while his second-in-command ate- something that drew raised eyebrows from their fellow teammates.

All of the team (excluding Daniel) went to Carter's house and watched videos until almost midnight when the two men departed. Jack offered before he left to stay the night- in case there was a problem. She regretfully refused the offer and spent the rest of the night calling herself an idiot.

The next morning…

"Oh, Major Carter, she's beautiful!"

Sam smiled at the SF. "Thank you… Jessica… she is."

The woman, in her late twenties, smiled again at the baby then gave a happy sigh. "I've been gone a while… six months- family stuff, ya know. I didn't even know that you were together with him."

For a fleeting moment, she thought that the woman meant Orlin or Narim. "Er… what?"

"You and him! He is hot… but he's so old! Of course, every girl has her own taste."

Carter placed the baby seat at her feet. "Are you referring to Colonel O'Neill?"

"Well, duh! No offense, Major," She added quickly. "I'm just gonna blast my husband for not telling me the news! And she looks so much like you… her daddy's hair, perhaps?"

"I wouldn't know… as I never met him."

Jessica was obviously taken aback. "A… you don't know… I…?"

"This is not my baby. We found her on the planet designated-"

"You… and Colonel O'Neill aren't married? Or dating?"

Carter was about to, angrily and emphatically, correct the young woman when the elevator stopped and let on the very person they were talking about.

"Morning, Carter… Sergeant." He barely heard their greetings back as he knelt and looked at Natalie's smiling face. "Hey, little girl," He said in a gentle voice. "Miss me?" He looked up. "Mind if I take her out, Carter?"

"Go ahead, sir."

Jessica watched with fascination as the baby gurgled at the man holding her as he chatted with the 'pretty blond' and discussed their day's plans. When the elevator reached level 19, and the threesome left, the Sergeant was left to herself, full of news to tell the SGC's gossip mill.

Å

"Oh, come on… just a little more?"

The baby refused the bottle and the Major dropped it on her counter. "Okay, suit yourself."

"You're a natural at this," a voice said from the doorway. She didn't even bother looking up.

"Hi, Daniel. Don't start."

He frowned. "Start what?"

"This whole 'You're a great mother and Jack seems to enjoy being a 'daddy' again' thing'."

"Not subtle enough?" He half asked, not even bothering to deny it.

"Not nearly. Janet's better… though, she has had more practice."

He sauntered into the lab and dropped onto the stool next to her. "Where's Jack? Normally he's here by now…"

"O'Neill has been called away by General Hammond. I have come to take his place."

"Teal'c," The two adults greeted. He bowed and took Natalie.

"She looks well, Major Carter."

"Healthy as a horse, Janet says-"

She was cut off by the klaxons as they began wailing and Walter's voice announcing, "Off world activation…"

Briefing Room.

SG-8, who returned to Natalie's planet to try to figure out the reason of all their deaths (and the survival of Natalie), had returned home with what they thought might be the answer.

"From what we can see, sir," the leader began, "it appears some sort of plague was sent to the planet. We found a stone pillar..."He stopped and handed Daniel several photos. "There was some writing in Goa'uld. Jefferson wasn't able to translate much, so we took pictures."

Daniel read it eagerly. ""Uh... a loose translation..." He stopped. "Oh, no, not again..."

"What?" Jack and Carter demanded simultaneously.

"He's alive."

"Who?" They asked.

"Apophis-"

"Shoot." Jack mumbled. "He's gotta learn how to die."

"It says here that the people refused to worship him... so he destroyed them."

"Then how did Natalie survive? And Cho?"

Major Jefferson looked up. "We think the plague was probably put in their water. When... Cho... realized what was happening, she probably tried to flee but was already exposed."

Janet nodded. "It makes sense. Initially, we thought it was Nirrti- after all; she did wipe out all the inhabitants of Hanka except Cassandra. However, this doesn't appear to be the work of that particular Goa'uld."

"No, it doesn't." Jack said suddenly. "Why not just kill them off? Bombard them from above?"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Jack." Daniel said. Jack frowned at him.

"Perhaps he does not with to draw attention to himself," Teal'c answered. "That world is now part of Ba'al's territory. He is probably still weak- busy gathering his armies again."

"So, that's it?" Sam asked. "They wouldn't worship him, so he kills them."

Teal'c gave a look of compassion to his female teammate. "We have seen it before."

"Teal'c's right," General Hammond said firmly. "All right, thank you everybody, dismissed."

As they filed out, George detained Carter. "Major, I have here the paperwork for adoption of young Natalie… think it over before you sign," He said, and before she could insist she would most definitely sign it, he opened the door. "Dismissed."

Once in the hall, she found herself flanked by the two non-alien members of her team.

"What did General Hammond want?" Daniel asked, trying to sound casual but failed miserably.

"He gave me the paperwork for Natalie's adoption."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She opened the folder. "Do you realize she doesn't have a middle name?"

"Jacqueline," Daniel suggested instantly. The two frowned at him. "It was just a suggestion."

"I thought... Carissa." Sam said quietly. "It... it was my mother's name."

Daniel mentally ran the name through his mind. "Beloved."

"That's what it means?" Jack asked.

"Yeah."

"Let's do it then."

In the drab gray corridor, Natalie became Natalie Carissa Carter. Jack vaguely thought that 'Natalie O'Neill' suited the little form better, but pushed the thought away.


How's that for a pathetic ending? (Of the chapter, I mean.)

I'm sorry it took so long to update... and that it is so short. I'm having major writing block with this. But, hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up soon. Fluffy coming up!

This ISN'T beta'd… I didn't want to take the time and wait for WarmTea to beta since it took me so long to write.

Hope you liked it and...

PLEASE REVIEW!