A/N: Thought I should issue a techno-babble alert for this chapter. Also most of the technical stuff was actually taken from season nine's 'Ripple Effect,' though I modified it somewhat. I figured considering 'Ripple Effect' hasn't happened for this story it wouldn't matter too much.

Chapter Eight.

Jack watched her as she stood by the display screen in the briefing room, making her report. He was listening, he really was, he wanted to know where his real wife was and how they were going to get her and the rest of her team back. Still half his mind, and a good portion of his body, was otherwise occupied. She stood before him, her lilting voice reaching into his very soul as she babbled on in her usual multi-syllabic fashion. She was wearing her blue fatigue pants and just a black t-shirt that stretched tight over her. Her swollen belly stood out as she turned slightly, pressing the remote she held in her hand, changing the graphics and Jack couldn't suppress the slight smile that touched his lips as he gazed at his wife so heavily pregnant. God! She was so damn beautiful; she always was to his eyes. Just as beautiful in muddied and bloodied fatigues as she was resplendent in her wedding gown. But she was just stunning standing there, carrying his child within her. He still couldn't believe it, any of it; that Sam wanted him, loved him, married him, and agreed to have his child. That she was his. Ok so this wasn't his Sam, he had to keep reminding himself so that he wouldn't touch her, but according to this Sam this was his wife's body, so technically he should be able to look with impunity. His mind drifted to his Sam, hoping she was alright.

The movement within Sam's belly was unmistakeable under the tight t-shirt. The baby's kick could be seen from the briefing table. Sam raised her right hand and rested it on that exact spot, her hand absently running slow circles over her stomach, soothing their unborn child as she continued on and Jack felt the familiar clenching within his chest. He'd loved her so much for so many years. It was almost a physical pain that made it difficult to breathe sometimes. He'd never felt this way for anyone before, that he knew for certain, and until Sam he wasn't even aware it was possible. He had loved his first wife he knew that, but now, well the love he'd felt for Sarah was a pale reflection of what he felt for Sam. Sarah had been his wife, but Sam, Sam was his wife, his colleague, his confidant, his lover and his best friend.

Sam took a slow, deep breath, well as deep as she could manage considering the pressure against her lungs. The baby was very restless lately and her back was aching a little.

"I've gone through all the data available sir, and I'm certain that we have travelled through the Stargate and into a universe parallel to our own. Though we've never known the Stargate to have this ability, but considering that the Stargate accesses subspace in order to create the wormhole it is theoretically possible." She pressed the remote bringing up a computer image of the Stargate with a wormhole connected. "However it would have taken a great deal of energy, precisely at the right moment for the wormhole to be redirected to an alternate universe." The baby kicked. Whoa! That was a big one. Her hand reached for the area on her belly without her even noticing.

Daniel and Teal'c, who were seated at the briefing table, both smiled at their friend as they watched her caress her giant stomach.

"I was forced to re-engage a wormhole to P3X 292 several times in order to gain enough data, but I believe I've found the reason for the anomaly, as well as why we seem to have swapped bodies with our alternates sir."

"Do tell Sam." Jack said playfully.

"There is a black whole between P3X 292 and Earth." She stated, as if this explained everything.

"Yes, and, so, therefore…" Jack waved at her to continue, but then interrupted, turning to address the rest of the team. "Is anyone else a little disturbed about how many of those things we've run into?"

Sam ducked her head to hide the smile at Jack's comment. She should be annoyed that he'd interrupted her, but he was so damn adorable.

Jack caught the smile and the way she ducked her head to hide it like she used to before, now she smiled at him openly. He felt inordinately proud of himself whenever he made her smile. Actually it had become his life's daily mission ever since the first time he'd seen one - make Carter smile at any and all costs.

"The black hole intersects the journey between the Earth's 'gate and that of P3X 292. I believe that when we and your SG-1 activated our Stargates simultaneously the wormhole bisecting the black hole singularity of both universes at the same time created enough of a gamma-ray burst to cause a temporary subspace rupture creating a rift in the subspace continuum," She pressed another button and the graphics on the screen changed again to illustrate what she was saying. "making the wormholes of both realities exist for a millisecond in both realities simultaneously." Sam paused then, allowing her friends time to try to understand what she'd said. Well allowing the General time actually, she'd already gone through this with Daniel and Teal'c in her lab.

"What?" Came Jack's typically confused reply.

Sam smirked at him; it was a game they'd played for years. She would explain things in scientific terms, he would get confused and say 'what?' and then she would attempt to simplify it.

Sometimes she couldn't and he would then cut her off and just ask for the basics he had to know rather than the details. He trusted her enough that he didn't have to know everything and she was sure he'd never know how much that trust meant to her coming from him.

She put down the remote and tried to use her hands to explain.

"The two wormholes passed through the event horizon of the black hole at precisely the same moment. The energy emitted because of this caused the wormholes to occupy the same space within subspace, so to speak." She paused, he nodded so she continued after changing the graphic simulation again. "Because of the close proximity of the matter-streams, when the rift occurred the matter-streams actually converged. Rather than the subspace funnel redirecting to another universe, the funnel joined for a split second into one, whilst we were travelling within. By the time the rupture repaired itself our consciousnesses were swapped, so that while our own bodies remained in their respective realities our minds didn't." Sam finished explaining how this all happened with a sharp inhale, she was feeling a little short of breath and she rubbed absently at her aching back.

There was another pause.

"So you did do a mind swap."

"Yes sir."

"The question remains here Sam, how are we gonna swap you back? No offence or anythin', but I kinda want my wife back." Jack asked.

"None taken sir. Actually its relatively simple providing…"

"Providing?" jack prompted.

"Providing your SG-1, who are currently in our bodies, in our universe, have worked this out too."

"What do you mean?"

"Well sir theoretically all we have to do is replicate the circumstances exactly. We have to activate a wormhole from P3X 292 to earth, but the other team must activate a wormhole from earth to P3X 292 at precisely the same moment. Therein lies the problem sir, we have no way of communicating between our realities."

"And so no way of knowing for sure when they'll try it." Jack finished for her.

"I'm sure the Sam of this world will figure it all out too Sam." Daniel spoke for the first time since Sam began the briefing.

"I'm confident." Jack stated.

"Me too."

"As am I."

Sam smiled affectionately at her friends, their absolute, unfailing confidence in her warming her blood.

"We have to decide on an exact time to try it, one that we think the others might also be likely to decide on." She said as she sat herself carefully in the chair next to Teal'c.

"Indeed, I believe this would be the time we were due to return to earth from P3X 292." Teal'c suggested.

"I agree," Daniel said, "if the other SG-1 are as much like us as we think then, once Sam figures it all out, they'll probably reach the same conclusion."

"It's our best bet sir." Sam said turning to the General.

"Sounds good. When were you due back then?"

"Monday sir, at 2300 hours our time." Sam replied. What would be late at night in Colorado would be morning on P3X 292.

"So we need to dial in from the planet at exactly 2300 and hope that the other you's dial out at exactly the same time." Jack confirmed.

"Yes sir and the timing must be precise or it won't work." Sam said.

They were all silent for a moment, gazing at each other.

Monday night. The baby was due on Tuesday. Jack hoped to God that his Sam would be back by then.

Sam herself was not unaware of the fact they were cutting it close, but she figured babies rarely turn up when they're due anyway – at least that's what she kept telling herself.

Jack took a deep breath and stood, Sam automatically tried to stand too, but it took her a little while to struggle out of her chair.

"Ok kids that's the plan then." Jack said trying to seem optimistic. He waved a hand at the others as he spoke, "ah well I guess you guys can do, well whatever until Monday night. Dinner in the commissary around 1830?"

"Sure." Daniel replied for all of them, they usually ate their meals together.

"Uh sir, just one more thing." Sam said, Jack turned from where he was heading back to his office. "I recommend 'gate travel protocol to and from P3X 292 be modified sir."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Well theoretically, although highly unlikely, it is possible that this could happen again due to the position of the black hole in that region of the galaxy. I recommend that any and all travel to and from P3X 292 be done via the new Alpha Site."

"Good idea Sam, let Walter know will ya?" Jack said as he entered the office and closed the door behind him.

"Ah, yes sir." Sam said to his retreating back.

Jack sat at his desk, not really looking at the mountain of files there. He leant back in his chair and scrubbed at his face. It was a long shot, they all knew it. The timing was crucial, a fraction of a second out and that was it, he may never get his wife back. He closed his eyes trying to push these negative thoughts back.

Sam stood facing the general's door for a few moments before turning back to her team-mates. None of them spoke, they didn't need to. Quietly they left the briefing room together.

A/N: There we go all should be explained, I think. I hope it made sense, if not let me know how I could have made it better, but remember I'm not actually a physicist myself : )

There is a part of the dialogue in this chapter that comes from one of my favourite eps of season 5 'Fail Safe.' I couldn't resist putting it in here 'cause I loved it in the episode. I wonder if anyone can pick it?