Unwanted Attention

Colonel Jack O'Neill sat just back from the edge of the oasis watching who he considered the hottest woman he had ever seen - she was splashing and playing with possibly the cutest three year old he had ever seen – he wondered how the hell he had gotten so lucky.

Okay – so he was stuck in the stinking desert in 2995 BC and he would just about give his left leg for a beer, some air conditioning and a pizza but he did get to sleep with Samantha Carter in his arms every night so it wasn't all bad. He watched as Samantha stood an cuddled the small child around her swollen stomach. Yeah some condoms probably would have come in useful eight months ago too. It wasn't that he resented the baby – if true be told he was pretty excited, being a father was something he had never considered until he met Samantha. It really was a conundrum – if they had been in their right time they would have waited to have a baby but if they had been in their right time they never would have met. God he hated conundrums almost as much as he hated clichés.

Jack though back to how simple his life had been – just him and his boat, now he had a wife, a baby on the way and a three year old to take care of and he was now living in ancient Egypt – yeah his life had sure taken some bizarre twists in the last nine months.

"You look miles away." Samantha said as she eased her cumbersome body down next to him – never once taking her eyes off the toddler still splashing at the waters edge.

"Not miles – years", Jack smiled and rested his hand on her stomach – he loved feeling the baby moving. "Just thinking how nice some air conditioning and beer would be right about now."

"It happened again." Samantha said seriously.

"Damn. When? What happened this time?"

"This morning. The children were calling her child of the devil and started throwing rocks at her. I don't know what we should do." Samantha gently moved his hand to where their child was kicking. "With that blonde hair and those blue eyes she is never going be accepted here, she's just too different."

Samantha winced in pain as their child gave a particularly vicious kick. Jack noticed her pain. "I'm worried about you too – the closer it gets the more I wish we had a hospital, or at least a doctor."

"We have Daniel"

"Not quite the type of doctor I meant." Jack smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Well I have faith in him. He managed to bring Grace into the world and the other Sam survived – well until she was captured by Ra – but childbirth she survived." Samantha became quiet, as she always did when she thought of her other self. Tears welled every time she thought of the woman who had had to leave her six month old baby to fight in a revolution, only to be caught and tortured alongside her lover and friend and eventually be executed in front of the villagers including her other team mate.

Samantha's mind drifted back nine months to when they had first arrived in this godforsaken place.

00000000000000000000000000000000

Daniel looked over at Samantha and Jack. Jack's arm was draped possessively around her shoulder. Daniel made a silent bet with himself that this Jack and Sam would get together even faster than his Sam and Jack. His gut tightened at the thought of his Sam and Jack – he still had nightmares about their final moments – both of them seeing him in the crowd and silently begging him to take care of their most precious possession.

Daniel glanced over at Samantha and Jack again and knew what he had to do. They were all seated eating their morning meal after having spent four days celebrating the defeat of Ra – the time was right.

He went to his tent and returned carrying the blonde haired, blue eyed two and a half year old. He carried her over to where Samantha and Jack were seated and sat down beside them. "Guys there's someone you need to meet."

Jack and Samantha both looked from Daniel to the small child he was holding and then back to Daniel. Before Daniel had a chance to explain the child had moved from his arms and into Samantha's lap – her arms instinctively wrapped around the little girl and held her close.

Daniel watched and knew he had made the right decision. "This is Grace – she is Jack and Sam's daughter – your daughter I guess."

"Whoa there Daniel – she is the other Jack and Sam's daughter – Samantha and I haven't even – well you know – yet!" He waved his arm wildly while Samantha blushed at his use of the word 'yet'.

Obviously feeling secure in Samantha's arms Grace had fallen into a peaceful sleep. Samantha stroked the child's hair and felt a surge of maternal love. She was shocked at the strength of her feelings but knew that she would do anything to love and protect this child who was hers, but not.

"Jack, she's ours – well I guess 'theirs' really, but they're not here and we are and we are them so that makes her our responsibility."

Jack knew Samantha was going to try and say more to convince him but this 'us' and 'them' thing was doing his head in.

"Okay – she's ours!" Jack sighed. He wasn't telling them that it was a no-brainer for him – he had fallen for the little girl the minute she had crawled into Samantha's lap and stuck one chubby little thumb in her mouth and grabbed Jacks hand under his sleeve with the other.

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Jack continued to caress his child and watch Grace playing happily in the water. Samantha glanced at him and could tell he was deep n thought – she trusted him with all their lives and knew he would eventually come to the same decision she had.

"We can't stay – we have to get her away from here." Samantha smiled. It had taken him less time than she thought.

TBC

Next chapter we'll have a look at how the other Jack and Sam's relationship is progressing.

I'm sorry if I got the whole chain of command thing wrong in the first chapter and I'll apologise in advance because I am probably going to get it wrong again in the next chapter.