Lieutenant General O'Neill was running in the forest, trying to escape the enemy's fire. He hid behind a part below his path, protected by trees, rocks, and bushes. His fellows, except Teal'c, had reached the place before him. Teal'c arrived after him and hid on his right. O'Neill looked at the people hiding at the other side: Carter, Mitchell, Mal Doran, and Jackson. Everybody was dressed in military outfit except Carter and Mitchell. They had been abducted and this was how the rest of SG-1, current and former members, had been sent on a rescue mission. General Landry had called O'Neill as soon as Carter had been reported missing. O'Neill had come immediately to the SGC, to take part in the search.

A few days later, the band had found the location where the two lieutenant colonels were kept. Hank Landry hadn't felt comfortable with the idea of Jack being on the field because of his personal connection with one of the abductees. Jack had, of course, refused to stay behind. Hank had eventually given up, knowing that Jack would go on this planet with or without his approval. The SGC commander had asked Teal'c to keep an eye on Jack and stop him from doing anything stupid. Landry didn't want to be the one who would tell Sam that Jack had been wounded or killed… Landry didn't want this mission to be the cause of the cancellation of Samantha Carter's and Jack O'Neill's wedding…

Now, O'Neill and SG-1 were having a sort of break in that hiding place. Jack reloaded his P90 and fired. He noticed that Sam wasn't firing at all like her mates. When they had liberated Sam and Cameron, O'Neill and SG-1 had given them a zat. Carter wasn't using it. She was even staying hidden behind a bush, confused, as if she didn't know what to do.

"Carter! Fire!" O'Neill shouted.

The lady glanced at him. Much to O'Neill's surprise, she didn't react.

"What are you waiting for?! Fire!" O'Neill shouted again, pointing the P90 at the scene ahead.

A blast from the enemy died between the two Air Force officers. Carter jumped, but still no reaction from her. Jackson, Mal Doran, and Mitchell noticed Carter's strange attitude. They didn't make any comment, having other priorities in mind, so they kept on shooting at will. O'Neill sensed Teal'c moving beside him.

"O'Neill, I don't think we'll be able to hold this position any longer. We must leave!"

"Okay!" the general said, turning his head to Teal'c. He pressed the button on his radio and spoke into it, "Bra'tac! Where are you?"

"I'm arriving at the meeting point, O'Neill."

"Okay, we're on our way!" the general responded. He looked at the people on his left, "Let's go!" he exclaimed vividly.

Nobody waited. The people started to run while Teal'c was covering them. Carter didn't move, as if she was paralyzed.

Jack hurriedly came to Sam and grabbed her sleeve. "Carter! Let's go!" he shouted, pulling her to make her move.

Sam finally reacted and stood up. She followed O'Neill. Teal'c fired a last time with two P90 and ran with the officers.

xxxxxxxxxx

Jack and Sam were the last people to be beamed on the Tel'tak. The rest of the group was standing nearby, in the back of the ship, catching their breath.

Jack didn't pay attention to them and glared at Sam. "Carter? What was that?" he admonished.

General O'Neill was angry at Colonel Carter for her absence of reaction on the field earlier. He had never seen her behave like that. Normally, she would fire on the enemy. Right now, he needed explanation from the officer standing in front of him, not the future wife.

"Uh…" Carter sighed, catching her breath.

"When I say fire, I expect people to fire!"

Jack's sharp tone surprised the rest of the group. Vala, Daniel, Cameron, and Teal'c looked at Jack. The three humans exchanged with each other startled looks. They had never seen Jack talking to Sam like that. Besides, they had never seen Sam acting the way she did either. She had seemed lost, scared. Feeling lost or scared wasn't the point, it was rather normal. But not using your weapon to defend yourself was a strange reaction from someone who had a solid experience in risky missions like Samantha Carter. Unlike his partners, Teal'c seemed less confused by Sam's behavior.

"Carter?" Jack repeated, expectantly.

"I'm… sorry… sir…" the lady mumbled.

"Saying I'm sorry wouldn't have been helpful if someone had been shot, Carter."

Sam looked very embarrassed. She started to glance at her former SG-1 fellows, to avoid Jack's furious expression. Jack didn't stop glaring at her. Surprisingly, she looked at Teal'c. No doubt was possible. She was looking at the Jaffa. It disturbed everyone. Vala, Daniel, and Cameron exchanged confused looks. Jack's eyes shifted from Teal'c to Sam and vice versa. He was as confused as the thre eother people. Why was Sam looking at Teal'c? The warrior remained stoic. He just bowed his head, as if to encourage the lady to speak.

"Carter, I'm still waiting-"

"I'm pregnant."

"Okay-" Jack straightened. Sam was looking at him. "Excuse-me?!" he said with a high pitched voice, in complete shock.

Vala, Daniel, and Cameron stared at Sam, caught off guard. Only Teal'c remained still, not surprised at all.

"I'm pregnant," Sam repeated, more calm this time. She took a deep breath. "I couldn't fire because, now, I have someone to protect," she explained, placing her right hand on her tummy.

Vala, Daniel, and Cameron smiled, delighted, once the shock over.

Jack looked at Sam's tummy, still in shock. Nevertheless, he understood. It started to make sense all of a sudden. "Since when do you know?" he asked, eyes back on Sam's face.

Not really the words Jack thought he would say as a first reaction, but the question happened to be the first thing that came to his mind. Let's blame his state of shock… The question didn't perturb Sam, though.

"Well, three weeks…" she revealed, and looked at the floor, embarrassed.

Jack frowned. "Three weeks? Why haven't you told me?"

The man was disconcerted. Even a little offended. Why had Sam been keeping this important news for herself for so long?

Sam looked up at Jack. She didn't know how to bring that up. And she wasn't feeling like having this discussion with people around, even if these people were like a family to her.

Hopefully, Teal'c saved the situation, noticing Sam's quick glances. "Maybe we should give Colonel Carter and General O'Neill some privacy," he suggested to his three companions.

Mitchell cleared his throat. "Uh, yes," he agreed. He walked to the front of the ship, followed by Teal'c and Daniel, who pulled Vala to make her come with them.

Once alone and once the door separating the front and the back of the ship closed, Sam told the truth, "Well… I wasn't sure that you'd like to have a child…"

Jack shook his head, utterly confused by Sam's strange thought. "What made you think I wouldn't want to have a child?" he queried.

Sam looked sideways and said, "You remember that walk in the garden, when you played with the little boy?"

Jack searched his memories.

"The boy who threw his soccer ball in our direction and said he wanted to be a soccer player," Sam reminded.

"Oh, yeah, this one. I remember." Jack nodded.

"After he left, you said that you were too old for that."

O'Neill remained silent for a moment. He remembered saying that line. It was true that he was no longer the young man he had used to be, but he was still the guy with a strong sense of humor… even in inappropriate situations. "Sam… You know that you don't always have to believe what I say, do you?" he teased, but felt ashamed that he had delivered the wrong message to Sam.

"Well… I thought you wouldn't joke about serious topics…" Sam confided, hesitant. "We've never talked about that, as a matter of fact. With the Ori, Atlantis, the wedding… - she shrugged - Probably also because I thought I would never have kids…"

Silence filled the room. Jack and Sam looked at each other, embarrassed by this misunderstanding.

Jack finally broke the silence, because a detail hit him, "The new pants?"

Sam chuckled, amused that her fiancé got the real reason of the pants she had bought recently.

Jack put his hands before his mouth, moved, as his brain was processing the news. "We're gonna have a child… We're gonna have a child!"

Sam saw a grin appear across Jack's face. The man was glowing.

"So… You're happy?"

"Nothing could make me happier, Sam!" Jack affirmed, tears of joy filling his eyes.

Sam smiled, tears of joy in the eyes as well.

Jack took off his baseball cap and cuddled the woman. "I'm sorry that I made you have doubts about me, Sam. I love you."

"Love you too, Jack," Sam replied, eyes closed. "I'm sorry for not telling you."

The two kept cuddling, embracing the overwhelming news and forgetting everything else for a moment.

Sam suddenly opened her eyes. "A baby… Oh my God, Jack, what are we gonna do?" she jokingly asked, realizing the adventure that was ahead of them.

"We're gonna be very busy but very happy parents!" Jack teased, still hugging Sam, who chuckled.

xxxxxxxxxx

Mitchell, Teal'c, Jackson, and Mal Doran arrived in the front of the Tel'tak. Mitchell asked the pilot, Bra'tac, to close the door separating the two parts of the ship.

"Is there a problem?" Bra'tac asked, once the door closed.

Mitchell responded, "General O'Neill and Colonel Carter need a moment in private."

Bra'tac didn't insist. He knew that he would be informed sooner or later if he had to be informed. Cameron, Daniel, and Vala looked at Teal'c, curious. The Jaffa stayed stoic.

Vala broke the silence, "You knew?"

"Indeed, Vala Mal Doran."

Daniel was even more surprised. "Since when?"

"Colonel Carter told me last time we saw each other."

Vala opened her mouth, bemused, but nothing came out. Daniel frowned. He didn't ask any more question, knowing that Teal'c wouldn't give any other detail. He would keep what Sam had confided to the grave. Silence filled the room. It ended when O'Neill called to have the door opened, so, Bra'tac opened it and stood beside his companions. O'Neill and Carter appeared, holding each other's hand. They looked more relaxed. They looked happy, in fact. The couple stood in front of the group.

Bra'tac noticed Jack's and Sam's red eyes due to the tears they had shed. "Are you feeling well?" he queried, worried.

"I'm feeling a bit dizzy, but that's okay," Sam said with a soft smile.

The woman's answer and smile didn't convince Bra'tac at all. He turned his head to O'Neill. The man was grinning. Bra'tac was completely lost.

"Carter and I are gonna have a baby!" Jack announced, happy and proud.

Bra'tac was caught off guard. He looked at the couple. Their smiles confirmed that he had heard correctly. "Congratulations, O'Neill, Carter!" he grinned. Then, he said a few words in Jaffa language while shaking his head and smiling.

The future parents, Mitchell, and Mal Doran frowned, intrigued. They looked at Jackson.

"I would say it would mean a combination of… this child's gonna be a very special person and the universe's not ready…" the civilian proposed.

Teal'c nodded. "That would be a fair translation, Daniel Jackson." He turned to Sam and Jack and congratulated the couple.

O'Neill and Carter thanked Teal'c. They noticed something on his face.

The general pointed his right index finger at the big guy. "Teal'c… is that…?"

"Indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c confirmed, not embarrassed to show it.

The warrior had tears in the eyes.