Ack! Sorry it took soooo long to update :) I'm an evil author, aren't I? Well, enjoy!

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Sam awoke one Saturday morning to find an empty bed. Jack's empty bed.

She wasn't sure when the transaction had started, but she was very nearly "moved into" Jack's house. She smiled, remembering when, last night, she had commented on it, he'd said, "You're in my heart and my home; that's pretty sweet!" and kissed her. That had sent happiness rippling through her heart and soul.

She had Jack, a new position as head civilian scientist of the SGC, and she was three months pregnant and on maternity leave. She missed SG-1, the action, adventure, and even sometimes the plain ole meet-n-greet missions. At first she chastised herself for wanting more of it, but eventually she decided that it was perfectly healthy to miss her old job.

On Jack's bedside table was a note:

Sam –

Why didn't you just wake me up? I wouldn't have minded going to the grocery store at 0300 – but what on EARTH are you feeding our baby! Gravy, tomatoes, pickles, and German chocolate cake? D'oh! Junior has a wacky appetite, you know that?

Be back soon.

Love,

Jack.

Sam giggled; if only he'd known about her chocolate/fruit/peanut butter excursion…

As she got up and went into the kitchen, she heard the door swing open suddenly and she whirled around, sighing when it was only Jack.

"You scared me!" she complained, putting one hand against her beating heart and the other protectively over her stomach, which was slowly poking out.

Jack smirked. "Did I, now?" He put down the few plastic bags he was carrying and kneeled down in front of her, rubbing and dropping a kiss onto the small mound that was their baby. "Did I scare you, too?" he asked their baby teasingly, his smirk widening when he heard Sam groan. "Did I scare you, Junior?"

"Do not call her Junior," she said, shuddering as she pictured the midwives handing her a Gou'ald larva in place of a human baby.

"Why?" He pouted playfully before standing up.

"Do you want our baby to grow up thinking she's a snakehead?" Sam asked pointedly, thinking of Teal'c's larva Gou'ald.

Jack shuddered, making "blech!" noises on his way to the kitchen. She followed, giggling. "No," he admitted. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head at her curiously. "What makes you so sure our baby's a 'she'?" he asked.

Sam rummaged through the bags before delightedly finding the jar of pickles. "I don't know," she said thoughtfully, plunging a pickle into her mouth and chewing. She swallowed and said, "I guess I just always imagined myself with a daughter." Abruptly, she put the jar down and grabbed one of his hands, guiding it to the curve of her belly. "Your daughter," she corrected softly. "Our daughter."

Jack blinked, and a gentle, truly genuine smile bloomed slowly on his face. Sam thought she saw his eyes water for a moment before he tugged her into a fierce hug.

"I am," he breathed, "the luckiest man on earth."

"Just earth?" she teased, giving him a squeeze and kissing his neck.

He laughed. "Earth, Pluto, Chulak, the galaxy – the universe!" he exclaimed, squeezing her back.

"Mmm…" she sighed. They cuddled in each other's arms for a moment, then Sam had to ask, "Jack, do you want another son?"

"Son, daughter – I just want a healthy baby. But mostly, I want you." Jack pulled back and kissed her on the nose. "And as long as he or she has ten fingers and ten toes, no glowing eyes," he paused as she giggled at that, "and a perfectly normal human voice, I'll be the universe's luckiest, happiest man." And he dropped a light kiss to her lips, pulling back to hear her response.

Sam sighed and pecked him on the lips back. "Then I'll be the universe's luckiest, happiest woman," she said, her smile bright and toothy.

"Have you thought of any names?" he asked her. He was lightly playing with a strand of her hair. "Your hair's getting longer," he commented.

"A few," she said nervously. She hoped he liked them, or that at the least he didn't think them ridiculous for an O'Neill baby. A Carter baby, too, her conscience reminded her gently.

"Like?" he prompted.

Sam took a deep breath. "Well, for a girl I thought maybe…Elena?"

"Elena," he repeated, tasting it with his lips. He smiled. "I like it!" he grinned. "What about a boy name?"

"I have two I really like," she said. "Adam and Gale."

"Umm…" Jack said with a small frown, "I'm not sure about Adam, but I do like Gale."

Sam smiled contently; at least he'd liked the two. She wasn't sure what she would've said if he'd hated all three. "What are your ideas?" she asked.

"I was thinking, for a girl, Gwendolyn or Irene."

Sam smiled. "Gwen," she compromised. He nodded. "Shouldn't we be writing these down?" she asked.

"Sure." he snatched an old grocery list from her magnet refrigerator pad and turned it over, snatching the pen that went with it at the same time. "Let's see," he said as he wrote, "We have Elena, Gwen, and – Irene?" he asked, looking to her for confirmation. She nodded and he scribbled .it down. "What about Jacob?" he asked nonchalantly as she chewed on her pickles after dipping them in the gravy.

Sam shook her head.

"Really?" he said, surprised.

She tilted her head and swallowed. "You thought I'd want to name our baby Jacob?" she asked.

"Erm…yeah, kinda…"

"Jack, as pleased and honored as Dad would be, I don't want to name our baby after people we know, people we're close to."

"Too confusing?" he asked, his voice tattling that he was beginning to agree.

"And rather unoriginal. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the names Janet, Jacob, Daniel, etc, but…"

Jack nodded, and she could tell by the look in his eye that he genuinely agreed with her. She sighed and smiled gratefully.

"Does that mean 'Siler' is out?" he asked.

Sam giggled. "Jack!"

"Or what about Georgette?"

Sam's eyes popped out of her head and she didn't know if she should squeal or groan, so her exasperation took form as both. "Jack!"

"Or how about Teal'c'ana?"

Sam groaned lowly. "Jack!" she threatened, her "I'm a Major in the U.S. Air Force and I know a hundred different ways to kick your ass" look dampened by the grin she was wearing.

"How about Hathor?" he grinned, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to tease her.

"That's it!" she shouted, throwing down her pickle. She lunged at him, attacking all his tickle spots with a vengeance. Soon they laughed so hard they sank to the floor, Sam on top of Jack, still continuing her tickle fest.

Suddenly, she was flipped over and found herself on the floor, Jack tickling her with equal vengeance. And to make sure she couldn't escape, he straddled her hips and pinned her arms above her head with one hand, the other fiercely tickling her everywhere; yet he was very mindful of the extra belly their child was giving her, and steered around it every time. That belly protected a very tempting tickle spot, the one that would make her shriek louder than any other spot, but, sigh, the sacrifices he would make for his unborn son – or daughter…

Meanwhile, he continued his list of outrageous names, a smirk on his lips. "How does Teal'c'ie Junior sound? Oh, wait, I like Yu Two!"

Sam howled with laughter, her attempt to rip free from his tickling grasp stopped. "No, Jack!" she pleaded, tears coming to her eyes as her body racked with the laughter.

"Jacqueline Yu O'Neill? Danielle Anise O'Neill? NO, I know!" he shouted, leaping to his feet triumphantly, and he exclaimed:

"THORLA!"