Previously in chapter 2:

"baby?" Jack repeated. He stood rooted to the spot, staring at his friends, letting their words sink-in. The baby, they said. Carter cried out and now the baby's gone. 'The baby within her,' Carter's baby. CARTER'S BABY!! Holy…

"What!!!" He roared.

Chapter six.

"Jack." Daniel tried.

But the General was enraged, "What the hell do you mean 'the baby'?" He spun toward the doctor, "My 2IC is pregnant, why the hell wasn't I told?"

"What?" Daniel asked in confusion. But no one heard as the doctor hastily replied.

"Sir, I had no idea." She said, "I did a full physical on the Colonel just last week, pregnancy is a standard test sir, I assure you it came back negative."

Jack calmed, slightly, he turned back to his former team mates, "ok, what the hell! Did Carter tell you guys she was pregnant?"

"O'Neill, I do not understand. Are you not concerned for the loss of your unborn child?" Teal'c's brows were furrowed and he couldn't decide whether he should be concerned at Jack's behaviour or furious.

At these words Jack's eyes nearly popped clean out of their sockets. He choked on nothing and through the coughing noticed the military doctor's mouth fall open.

"Whoa! What the…Teal'c…I never…We never…Oh for-crying-out-loud!" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "This is ridiculous. Doctor, are you certain that there is no way Colonel Carter is pregnant?"

"Well sir, a lot can happen in a week. But if that were the case there is no way possible that the Colonel herself could know about it yet sir."

"Alright, then I want to know what you two are talking about!" He said turning back to Daniel and Teal'c. "And what the hell is wrong with Carter?"

Teal'c settled on concern.

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged glances, silently conveying their thoughts.

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but Jack stopped him with a raised hand.

"Uh ah! Briefing room Daniel, Teal'c right now." Jack turned to leave, but was stopped by Teal'c's deep voice.

"No."

"No?" Jack queried with a tilt of his head and raising his eyebrows.

"O'Neill, ColonelCarter is in serious distress. I will not leave her to awaken alone. She is in need of us at this time."

"Distressed about what?" Jack was becoming exasperated by the whole thing. After all he just found out Carter was pregnant, and then she wasn't, and then she was, with him and now she could be, though certainly not by him, he wished Carter was awake to explain it to him because he had no idea what was going on, but the infirmary wasn't the place to talk about it.

Teal'c stood resolutely in place, his legs spread and hands behind his back. Chin tilting up stubbornly. Jack ran a hand over his face. "Doc, how long's Carter gonna be out?"

"I administered a large dose of a very strong sedative sir, even with the Colonel's unique physiology, she should be unconscious for several hours." The doctor informed him.

"Alright, she'll be out for a while kids, lets get this sorted and we'll be back before she comes-to." Jack said, looking at Teal'c specifically.

There was a slight delay, but eventually Teal'c inclined his head in acquiescence and began to move. He halted in front of the doctor and looked into her eyes intensely, "You will summon us immediately if ColonelCarter begins to awaken." He commanded. Then without waiting for a reply, continued on. Daniel followed him silently.

Jack noted the exchange; Teal'c was being fiercely protective of Carter. Not that he wasn't usually, but he didn't usually threaten the medical staff…what the hell happened on that planet. Jack waved at a couple of SF's standing guard to follow them.

"Jack, what…?" Daniel asked, waving his hand toward the SF's walking silently behind.

"Look no offence Daniel, but you two have been acting, well, whacko since you got back." Was all Jack said in response. They walked the rest of the way in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts.

Jack winced internally as they rode in the elevator. It was supposed to be a simple mission. SG-1 was to meet up with SG-7 who were in the middle of some science crap with some doohickie SG-2 found on P3-whatever a couple weeks back. They'd radioed through yesterday begging for Carter's help. SG-1 was supposed to be gone for days. Carter, trying unsuccessfully to hide the fact that she was actually really happy about being able to see the doohickie for herself, had specifically requested four days. Instead they'd been gone less then five minutes, with Carter hysterical hysterical! And in shock and Teal'c and Daniel not making any sense. Although he didn't acknowledge it at the time, it didn't escape his notice that Teal'c had claimed to have been gone several hours. He was going to get a serious head-ache by the time this briefing was over he just knew it.

When they'd made it to the briefing room, Jack told the SF's to wait outside. He strode to his chair at the end of the table and took his seat. Daniel and Teal'c taking their seats either side of him.

"Ok, here's the deal. I'm gonna start and you guys are gonna finish." The other men nodded. Jack continued. "SG-1 was scheduled to go on a mission to P3X 292," He could remember the designations when he wanted to. "where you were supposed to meet up with SG-7 so Carter could help the geeks with their new toys. You left for said mission this morning. You weren't due back for four days, yet you came back five minutes after you left." His gaze passed over the two of them, noticing the look of confusion on their faces as they exchanged yet another look - that was beginning to get annoying. "Your turns." He said addressing both men.

"That is not accurate O'Neill." Teal'c declared. "Indeed we did travel to P3X 292 in order that ColonelCarter could aid SG-7 in their study of the new technology. However we embarked on this mission 4 hours ago. Arriving back at the SGC precisely on schedule. We were not permitted to stay longer due to ColonelCarter's advanced stage of pregnancy."

"Advanced stage of pregnancy?" Jack said slowly, pausing slightly after every word.

"Indeed O'Neill. ColonelCarter is in her 39th week of the 40 week gestational period. She was due to give birth in 7 days." Teal'c's eyes grew sad and his jaw clenched tightly again. "We have travelled through the stargate many times; we were assured it was safe O'Neill, however…" He trailed off, unable to continue.

Jack noticed the big guy's distress. He thought Carter was thirty-nine weeks pregnant? He looked over at Daniel for confirmation.

"It's true Jack." Daniel backed Teal'c up.

Jack knew what a woman thirty-nine weeks pregnant looked like; there was no way Carter was hiding that under her fatigues. Yep, here comes that head-ache.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but there is no way Carter was…" He couldn't say it, not aloud. "She was normal when you left not even half an hour ago." The General said, looking at his watch.

"I'm not sure what's happening either Jack, but I think maybe something went wrong with the 'gate when we tried to come through the first time." Daniel said, a crease forming between his eyes as he thought furiously. "We were escorted back to the P3X 292 Stargate by Lieutenant Andrews. I dialled the 'gate and we stepped through. Only we didn't come out in the 'gate room. We were back on P3X 292." His brow furrowed further. "Now that I think about, Teal'c did you see Lieutenant Andrews anywhere?"

"I did not." Teal'c replied, "I intended to speak of this when ColonelCarter became distressed. ColonelCarter was also wearing her full uniform and was fully armed." Teal'c turned to the General. "She did not embark on the mission this way."

"That's right!" Daniel said excitedly as if they'd made some progress. Jack was still as confused as ever. "You're right Teal'c, God I didn't even think about that, I was so busy worrying about Sam." He actually smiled then for the first time since Sam collapsed. Teal'c returned it with his own slight smirk, the dull sadness suddenly gone from his eyes.

"Ok you guys seem to have figured something out. Care to share?" Jack said sarcastically.

"Don't you see Jack, she was wearing different clothes, she had her P90 and her vest, she wasn't wearing them when we first stepped through the 'gate but she was when we stepped back through."

Jack glared at Daniel.

"Maybe she didn't loose the baby…maybe. Oh wait a minute. Jack," Daniel was becoming very excited now, like he did when he was making a breakthrough in translating an alien text. "As far as you know Sam's not pregnant, is that right?"

Jack nodded slowly and started sipping on his water.

"Ok," Daniel continued, "So when did you and Sam get married?"

The spray of water hit Daniel square in the right cheek and spread all over their end of the briefing room table. Luckily Teal'c escaped unscathed, he reached a hand up to pat O'Neill's back who was now coughing and spluttering.

"What the…What are you on Daniel?" O'Neill said angrily, "Carter is my Second! We're not married for-crying-out-loud!" He slammed his palm down. Daniel hit a raw nerve with that one. It was an unspoken rule among the four of them; they never, ever even so much as implied that there was anything more between him and Sam…Carter. In fact Teal'c is the only one who ever dared to come close to it when she was stuck alone on the Prometheus that time, and even that was when they were alone in SG-1's ready room. "I think we should take a walk back to the infirmary and get Brightman to give you a once over. Should' a done that before."

"Jack, I'm sorry," Daniel placated, knowing that he'd hurt and angered his friend. "I just had to know something and I think you just answered it." Daniel looked over to Teal'c again.

"Would you two stop that! Just tell me what the hell is going on or I swear I'm gettin' McKenzie in here." Jack yelled, threatening them with the base shrink.

"Jack I don't know how or why, that's more Sam's area, but I don't think…I think maybe this is another alternate reality." Daniel explained.

"What!"

"Indeed O'Neill, this does not appear to be our Earth." Teal'c confirmed.

"Ah Crap!" Jack said dropping his head onto the table and shaking it side to side.

"However, DanielJackson in our previous experiences with other realities, the individual appeared exactly as they were. This does not explain ColonelCarter's condition." Some of the fear crept back into Teal'c's heart.

"Yeah I know Teal'c, we just have to hope Sam's well enough to figure it out when she wakes up." Daniel replied sadly.

Jack raised his head. "Ok fine, but you're still taking that walk to the infirmary." Jack gave them a sceptical look, like it was more likely they were insane.

A/N: I know a lot of you have been waiting for this chapter, returning to the team in the regular reality, I hope I managed it okay. Anyway let me know what you think, good and bad, if I've done something horrendously wrong I may be persuaded to change some things, maybe. : )