Sorry about the delay, had some trouble how to continue. But here we go again, short chapter though. A bit angsty and sad, but I promise it will end S/J.. That's all I'm gonna say.

Chapter 4

Jack visibly blanched at Sam's confession, a hundred thoughts coming to him at once, all trying to get his attention. All he could was to stare at her, at the woman he's loved for so long, and wonder.. So, she was carrying Potato head's baby. Not really something he liked to think about, but definitely something he'd have to handle, sooner or later anyway..

Sam continued, a bit encouraged by his silence. She'd expected to be yelled at or something, but this..? This she could work with.

"I've known since this Saturday, sir. That was what I came to see you about.. I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've decided to keep it.. I pretty sure I'm about 5 weeks gone.." she said, hoping that he'd catch her point, without actually having to tell him.

Hang on..!, Jack thought trying to do the math in his head. Giving up and started counting on his fingers, and then recounted, he finally looked up at her. She looked more nervous than he'd ever seen her before. Seeing realization dawn on him, she inhaled to continue.

"Do you mean it's..?" he, asked and she nodded.

But before she could confirm his suspicions, the Stargate activation-alarm went off.

"UNAUTHORIZED OFFWORLD ACTIVATION" sounded through the base. Their eyes met, and they both cursed the bad timing. Hurriedly they stood and went to the control-room, overseeing the grey Stargate. The iris was closed, but Sgt Harriman announced as the couple walked up the small stair to the bridge that the IDC-code coming through the Stargate was no other than Jacob Carters.

"Send a confirmation code and open the iris" Jack ordered, and so the technician did. They continued down into the gateroom. His normal nervous feelings about seeing Jacob now intensified, given the fact that he'd made Jacob's daughter pregnant.. He nervously swallowed, and glanced at Carter, who stood on his right side. She looked just as nervous as he, and had paled a bit.

"I tried to contact your father yesterday, Carter.. Given all that had happened I guessed you would have liked to have him around.. I didn't have time to tell you though.." he said, trying to gauge her reaction.

She nodded slightly, indicating she'd heard him, but kept her gaze in the blue ripples of the activated Stargate.

Jacob soon materialized through the 'gate, and opened his arms to greet his daughter. Giving him a hug, she then let go.

"How are you Sammie?" being his first question. "I heard about Pete and I'm so sorry honey" he offered. The Stargate closed down behind him.

"I'm ok dad, thanks.. I'm coping you know.." she answered, fighting hard not to look at Jack, knowing he would be studying her reactions.

"Hi dad" Jack greeted the older man, as was his custom. "How you've been?" he continued nervously, trying to hide the fact that he was scared beyond words. Not for Jacob though, the man was only a man.. yeah, and the father of the woman you love but can't have.. He added to himself.

"Hi Jack.. fine, fine.." Jacob answered, without letting his Sammie out of his gaze. She looked-.. different, he thought, without being able to say in what way. Worn, but not too down. Just.. "nervous, Jacob. Your daughter is nervous about something" the voice of Selmak filled his head. He looked at Sam again, realizing Selmak was right. What on earth had she to be nervous about? He pondered.

As Sam and Jacob walked through the narrow, electrically lighted hallways of the SGC, he tried to make some conversation with her, but barely got any reply. Jack had left them, with a mumbled excuse that he had to continue with the never ending paperwork in his office, and then scattered off somewhere. Sam had watched him retreat, thinking he'd need some time to process all that had happened, and that she'd seek him out later.

They entered her office; Sam making sure the door was firmly closed behind her. Starting to get really tired of having to tell all the people she loved about this pregnancy-thing. Telling her dad was almost as bad as talking to Jack. Remembering the times during her teenage-phase, and the lectures he gave her about boys, and "birds and bees", made her squirm. Well dad, this is far worse than that. Here we go again.. I really hope Selmak will help you process this one.. And she told him the entire truth, not hiding a thing.

No-one one could have guessed Jacobs reaction to the news. She had assumed he would be furious with her for breaking military protocol and not being faithful to Pete, but all he did was to envelop her in a big hug.

"Oh honey.." he said, and she almost thought she saw tears gather up in the corners of his eyes. "I know I've been hard on you and Mark over the years, trying to drill you like I did with my officers.. But all I really wanted was for the two of you to be happy. I've seen you and Jack over the years, hoping that one of you would make the sensible thing and talk about it, but then Pete came along.. I saw what that did to Jack, and to yourself, but I didn't want to be the one telling you what to do.. You're a grown woman, you can make your own choices. And now you did, thank God" he added at the end of his speech, looking at her. "I'm gonna be a grandfather again! You'll be a wonderful mom Sammie" he said, hugging her again, and lifting her up so that her feet no longer touched the floor.

"Daaaad" she said, secretly very pleased about his reaction, as he sat her down on the floor again. " still have some problems though.." she said. "Have any ideas how I'll make it through this without ending up in prison?" she added worriedly.

"Have you talked to Jack?" he asked.. Nodding, she explained about his rather poor timing.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to him!" he urged, not wanting to be the one standing in her way. She gave him a hug, and went off in search of Jack, once again.

She found him in his office, the door was closed bus she could see him rough the window, far away in thoughts. Then she saw him smile to himself, leaning back in his office-chair and pointing his eyes towards the ceiling, mouthing a "thank you". Not knowing what to think, she knocked on the door and waited for his permission to enter.

As she entered his office, he had managed to school his facial expression, but she could still see his eyes smile. That made her a bit more relieved, but still apprehensive. How were they going to get out of this one in one piece?

"Hi" she smiled, getting one in return from him. Sitting down in one of the visitors chairs, she tried to read him.

"I know we never talked about what happened a few weeks ago", he started.. "I want you to know that it meant a lot to me, to be able to be near you.. I've been trying to convince myself that it could only be for one night, thinking that we both needed that one time to be able to move on.." he trailed of, Sam to stunned to say anything. Jack was talking. About emotions. Huh, go figure.

"Well.. it didn't help, did it?" he asked her, not quite sure about the answer. Inside, he was still not able to convince himself that this young, brilliant and beautiful woman actually wanted him.

She shook her head, too overwhelmed to speak.

He continued, needing to know. "Are you sure the baby is mine..?" he asked.

She cleared her throat hoping she would be able to speak. "Yes, I'm sure sir.. Very sure actually, couldn't be more sure.. and I told about all of this because I thought you had the right to know.. I didn't come here to force you take on paternity, but I needed you to. I know this could cause a lot of trouble for both of us.. But so far I don't have any solution to this problem.. do you? She asked him.

"At the moment? No.. I don't. But I know I don't want this baby to grow up thinking its father is dead, and that I'm just a friend of the family.. We'll figure something out Carter, I promise you we will. But perhaps we'll just stay a little low for the time being? See how thing evolve and just get ured to the idea before we tell anyone?" he said.

She nodded, and was about to answer when there was a knock on the General's door, startling both of them. Jack asked whoever the visitor was to come in, entering Special Agent Kerry Johnson. Sam lowered her eyes, suddenly reminded of the fact that Jack wasn't available any more. The air in the room changed, not seeming to be able to sustain the three of them at the same time.

The women greeted each other eerily, and Sam asked to be dismissed, at that moment not being able to be in the same room as Kerry, and fled the room the second permission to leave was granted.

The two few weeks went slow. Sam stopped going through the gate, but kept herself busy in her lab. She felt that she'd missed her research a lot, having had a busy schedule visiting new worlds. Now when she could actually focus on her research, she felt the energy had started to come back to her. She hadn't heard a lot from Jack the last few weeks, both of them busy doing their own thing, and – she suspected – he being busy with agent Johnson. She felt an overwhelming sadness and loneliness coming over her each time she thought about those two being "a couple". She also missed Jack coming by her office every now and then, just to check on her, something he had stopped doing after their night together.

Sam still had to throw up every morning, and felt tired and a bit "off", but other than that she felt just fine, physically. She'd called the OB, but unfortunately they hadn't had time for her up 'til now, tomorrow actually. She'd been ok with that, feeling that the baby was still in her, considering that she still had all the symptoms. Now she sat in her office thinking whether she should invite Jack to the ultrasound.

Again she felt the pain in her stomach.. She'd awoken this morning feeling a bit ill and had some pain on the lower right side of her belly, but it had lessened after some paracetamol. Thinking it was caused by the growing fetus, and the fact that she'd carried some heavy boxes last night, she had thought it to be muscle pain not thought that much more about it. Now the pain was back, worse this time. It had spread over her abdomen, and she had to bend to make the pain more bearable. She tried to reach for her phone, and punched the connection to get to the medical bay.. Praying that someone was available to answer, she waited what felt like an eternity and felt dizziness and the pain starting to take over.

"Medical bay, nurse Anderson speaking" a male voice finally answered. Relief washed through Sam.

"This is Colonel Carter! I'm.. Aah..-" she had to stop to try to breath, but the pain started getting too much.. "I'm in my lab.. and I need help..-" she said, then the phone slipped from her hand, and she slowly slid down from her desk chair and landed on the floor.

As she heard nurse Anderson call for her on the other side of the telephone line, and that he called for someone in the background to take a gurney to Col. Carters lab right away, she slipped into unconsciousness. Thinking please, let me keep my little miracle child.. Please..