Chapter Five

Jack informed General Hammond mere hours later. He'd taken it rather well.

Technically, Hammond wasn't his commanding officer anymore, but Jack still felt a certain obligation to him, a certain sense of duty that prompted him to seek out the General whenever he needed advice, and now was certainly one of those times.

"It's about damn time!"

Jack had prepared himself for a lecture, or a court martial, or SOMETHING. There Hammond stood, a smug smile on his face, seemingly enjoying Jack's discomfort.

He continued. "Jack, you've got to be the only two on this base who haven't seen this coming for the last…oh…eight years. I just say it's about damn time."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. He might be shooting himself in the foot here but…

"Isn't there regulations against this sort of thing?"

Hammond shook his head. "Not for you. Dammit, Jack, you just lost me a hundred bucks! We've had a pool on when you'd finally crack for the last seven years!" He looked crestfallen.

Jack's eyes lit up. "Reeeeeeally." He appeared to think for a moment. "Excuse me, George, there's somewhere I have to be." He shot out of his chair and was out the door like a shot before Hammond could open his mouth to respond. As the door swung shut, Hammond watched out the window as Jack sprinted to his truck, nearly knocking over an elderly man slowly pushing a broom across the asphalt.

Hammond ran out the door just in time to see Jack jump into his truck.

"Try to keep it quiet!" he yelled after him.

Allec Spoljarevic had been on duty since the early hours of morning, methodically sweeping and re-sweeping the parking lot in front of the small diner, same as he had done each weekday for more years than he could remember. His shift was over in a mere 15 minutes, and he was looking forward to going home to his wife.

He was slammed into from the side by what felt like a slab of granite. Recovering his bearing, he followed the running man with his eyes for a moment, muttering a curse under his breath.

The man who had hit him jumped into his truck. As soon as the door was closed, he seemed to fly into a temper, beating his hands against the wheel, honking the horn, and yelling aloud.

"YEAAAAAH!!!! ABOUT TIME!"

Jack could hardly restrain himself. He leaned on the horn and hollered aloud.

Eight years, eight frickin' years he'd waited for this; it was about damned time!

Calming himself, Jack started the truck and drove away from the diner. He didn't have to ask himself where he was going.

TWO YEARS LATER

Colonel Samantha Carter sighed, a loud, pained sound of frustration. There was only one consistency in this line of work: Paperwork. It never ended.

"Reason for leave of absence."

For crying out loud. Even after two years, it still felt wrong to come out and say it. Sure, it hadn't been easy when Jack had relocated to Washington, but they saw each other as often as possible. Their feelings had only grown deeper as their time together increased. When the time was right, Sam was going to move to Washington, to be with him.

As she pondered her answer to the question before her, Sam thought that maybe the right time was closer than she thought.

She picked up the pen.

"Reason for leave of absence" still remained empty. She wrote her answer quickly. A small smile traced across her face as she tried to imagine the look on Jack's face when she told him.

Her answer, written in small block letters, smiled up at her.

"Maternity Leave."

"Pregnant?"

Sam wasn't sure what to make of his expression. For once he wasn't smirking; his expression fell somewhere between shock and wonder.

"You're pregnant?"

She nodded. "Yes, Jack. I am. I went to my family doctor, not Doctor Lam. I figured the less people knew the better, or at least before you did."

He was smiling, but she could see the troubled look in his eyes. She put her arm around his waist. The Jack O'Neill she'd served with would have never let her see him like this, but he'd let down his guard some in the two years they'd been together.

When he spoke, it was in such a low tone that she had to strain to hear him.

"After Charlie died, Sam, I told myself, never again. I could never go through that again, losing a child. It would be too much."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her.

"Until the very moment you told me you were pregnant, that's what I believed. Now, though, I don't know that that's the case."

He took her face in his hands.

"I will be happy, so happy to be the father of this child." He swallowed heavily. "And I swear, I'll never let anything happen to her, or him, no matter what. Oh Sam." He wrapped his arms around her.

When they drew apart, they were both smiling.

"So," Sam asked. "What will we name her?"

Jack pondered for a moment.

"If it's a boy, maybe we could name him Jacob, after your father. And if it's a girl…" he trailed off. "Nah, it's silly."

"What?" she pressed.

He thought for a moment. "I was thinking, maybe we could name her Jolinar. It's not exactly your ordinary, run of the mill name, but I thought, with what you and she went through-"

She cut him off by putting a finger over his lips. "I think it's perfect."

Pulling her close, Jack put a hand on her stomach, and they both smiled.

"Jolinar." Jack said. 'That's a beautiful name."

TBC…