A/N: Crap. I hate it when I write mistakes.

Here's the deal. I went back over the timelines for Reap and the start of Path, and I came to the conclusion that my dates are a bit wonky. See, I have Jack die in "early autumn," (as written in chapter 25 in Reap), which, if you stretch it a bit can be counted as October. This also fits in with the Iraqi dry season mentioned in Reap. However, 3-1/2 months later, at the start of Path, I have Daniel and Teal'c riding through Iraq in the "early Iraqi Summer," which really should be no earlier than April. And 3-1/2 months after October 1 is mid-February. Quite romantic for a valentine's day wedding, but not even close to "early Iraqi summer." Whoops.

I also realized that, in keeping with the early delivery date associated with twins, the babies would have been about 4 months old, not 3 months old, at the time of Sam and Jack's wedding.

So, let's just pretend that instead of writing about the "early Iraqi summer," I was instead writing about the cool and damp "Iraqi mid-winter." And that the twins were 4 months old when mommy and daddy got married, not 3 months old. This has no bearing whatsoever on the plot, but is vastly annoying to someone as anal and obsessive as me. Don't be surprised if I actually go in and fix these things in the next few days… otherwise, I'm sure it will keep me up at night!

The good news, as I'm sure you all realize, is that all this attention to the timing of my stories undoubtedly means that I have something up my sleeve… (Mwah-ha-ha!)

This chapter is entirely, unapologetically, undeniably fluff. But I promise more meaty plot developments soon.

Chapter 15

Yawning, Sam flopped down on the king-sized bed she shared with Jack. "This has been a very long week." Nearly six weeks had passed since her revealing chat with Sha're over lunch. In that time, the two women had become virtually inseparable. Sam's concern for her new friend had pushed her to work relentlessly with the cylinder that seemed to hold the key to her condition. The work was exhausting, especially since it had thus far been unproductive.

Rolling onto his side, Jack gazed affectionately at his wife. "Nah, it only seems that way." He smirked. "Probably because you were trying to solve all the mysteries of the universe before the weekend." He shrugged. "Personally, I'd say it was a pretty typical week."

Sam wiggled closer to him, sighing contentedly as she settled against his side. "Mmmmm," she murmured softly. "Well, I'm just glad it's over."

Jack smiled as he nuzzled the soft hair atop her head. "Time flies when you're saving the world," he quipped.

Sam chuckled. "Nothing quite so dramatic this week," she replied. "I've been working with Daniel on that metallic cylinder from 812." She wrinkled her nose. "I hate to say it, but we aren't any closer to an answer than we were thirteen months ago."

Nodding, Jack squeezed her gently. "Hard to believe that the damn thing has managed to guard its secrets from the two brightest minds in the galaxy for more than a year."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Jack, but Thor's in town this month. I think that pretty much bumps one of us out of the running in the 'two brightest minds' contest."

Jack paused a moment before answering. "Well, you've got my vote for the other spot." Another pause. "Just don't tell Daniel I said so. He owes me money."

Laughing, Sam rubbed her face against Jack's warm chest. "Thanks, sweetheart."

After a few more moments of silence, Jack seemed to be struck by a thought. "Speaking of Thor, what does his big, grey brain make of the device?"

Sam immediately pulled away and propped herself up on one elbow, looking Jack squarely in the eye. "Funny you should ask," she said, sounding a bit puzzled. "He's been strangely silent on the topic." Chewing on her lower lip, she shrugged. "I get the feeling he knows more than he's telling us, though I can't imagine why he'd feel the need to be secretive."

Jack felt something odd tugging at the back of his brain. Concentrating, he tried to put his finger on what was causing the sensation, but was unsuccessful.

Still gazing intently at her husband, Sam watched the thoughts flickering across his face with interest. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I have the feeling I know something about this, but I can't quite figure out what."

Sam suppressed a shiver. Even though it had been months since Jack had started exhibiting his 'psychic' flashes, she still wasn't comfortable with them. "Maybe you should be working on this with us," she murmured.

Jack pondered her words slowly, seeming to turn them over in his mind. "Sounds like a good idea," he said finally. "I'll clear my calendar next week."

Sam nodded. "Heaven knows, Daniel and I have reached the end of our wits with the thing."

Suddenly, Jack smiled. "Yeah, but I get the feeling Danny's been a bit… distracted these days."

Sam returned his grin. "I'll say." Shaking her head in amusement, she rolled her eyes. "Those two are hopeless," she declared. "I swear, every time they're in a room together, they both try really hard to pretend they aren't looking at each other, even though we all know that they're paying attention to absolutely nothing else. It's like being in middle school again."

Jack smirked. "I said as much to Daniel last week." Turning a knowing eye on his wife, he continued dryly. "He said that we acted that way for eight years."

Sam met his gaze for a moment before she erupted in giggles. "He's right," she admitted. "Makes me appreciate what good friends he and Teal'c really are to us. They put up with that for most of a decade. I think if I have to watch he and Sha're dance around the issue for much longer, I'm going to shake them both senseless."

Jack continued to smile. "Yeah, but you have to admit, it's kind of funny."

Sam sighed. "It'd be much funnier if they weren't both so miserable."

"True," Jack acknowledged quietly.

Sam snuggled close to his side and smiled up at him slyly. "So," she asked with an air of conspiracy, "what has Daniel told you?"

Jack groaned. "Oh, no. No." He shook his head, though there was a smile lurking in his expression. "We are not playing matchmaker."

Pouting, Sam punched him lightly in the ribs. "Come on. Why not?" Chuckling, she rested her hand on the spot she'd just assaulted. "Just think, if it weren't for Shinsall and her Ka'Shakk, we might be in the same miserable situation that they're currently in."

Jack looked unmoved. "Carter, if we start plotting ways to set them up, then we'll be acting like middle school kids."

Sam responded by glaring back at him. "You are not changing the subject by calling me 'Carter.' I won't bite this time." Slowly changing tactics, Sam began lightly tickling the warm skin just below his ribcage, enjoying his valiant attempts to hold still as her fingers danced over a particularly sensitive spot. "Now, tell me what Daniel has said about his wife."

Jack chuckled in spite of himself. Much as the tickling was making him squirm, he was more moved by his wife's determination than her methods of torture. "All right, I give up," he said, sounding contrite. Then, before she knew what was happening, Sam found herself rolled back onto the mattress, pinned firmly by the pleasantly warm, solid mass of her husband's body.

Stifling a shriek of surprise, Sam tried to muster some indignation at his treatment of her. "No fair," she complained. "You're cheating."

"You started it," he said with an impish grin. "We were having a perfectly nice conversation until you started tickling me."

Sam sniffed disdainfully. "That was my best chance at gaining a tactical advantage over you."

Jack rolled his eyes. "When I pin you to the mattress, I'm cheating. But when you tickle me, you're just 'gaining a tactical advantage.' Go figure."

Unable to suppress a smile, she shrugged, thoroughly enjoying the closeness of his warm body. "Don't worry, I have other ways of bending you to my will," she purred seductively.

Laughing, Jack leaned down and gave her a quick, firm kiss. "Don't I know it," he murmured. Then, slowly, a serious look came over his rugged features. "We really almost missed out on all this, didn't we?"

Touched by the tender note in his voice, Sam felt a lump form in her throat. "I don't know about that," she said softly. "I like to think we'd have made it to this point eventually, even if we hadn't tangled with the Colonists."

Jack gazed at her intently. "Really?" He searched her blue eyes for a moment. "I've always figured that if we hadn't been railroaded into a relationship, someone else would have come along and grabbed you. God only knows how long it would have taken me to get it together on my own." Though Pete's name hadn't been spoken, it hung undeniably in the air.

Sam felt her heart lurch. "Oh Jack," she whispered. "I searched my heart a thousand times in those first few weeks after I found out I was pregnant." Reaching up, she caressed his face gently. "Each and every time, I came to the same conclusion. Pete wasn't right for me." Hating the way her husband winced at Pete's name, she pushed ahead resolutely. "I was lonely and sad when I met him. And part of me wanted nothing more than to make you jealous as hell." Looking him squarely in the eye, Sam spoke with firm conviction. "But in spite of all the hurt it's caused all of us, I can't bring myself to regret the relationship. Because, more than any other experience in my life, being with someone who wasn't you made me realize how much I was missing. Nobody else could ever have made me this happy." She smiled brilliantly at him. "One way or another, we would have made it here."

Looking into her crystal-blue gaze, Jack let out a slow breath. "For my part," he mumbled gruffly, "I'm glad it was this way."

Blinking back tears, Sam pulled his face down to hers for a soft, tender kiss. "Me too," she whispered. Then, after another few moments of the sweet embrace, Sam pulled away slightly. "But don't think this has changed the subject." Grinning wickedly, she watched with amusement as a wry shadow crossed her husband's features. "C'mon, sweetheart," she prodded, "Spill it."

Jack speared her with a dry look. "I should warn you, I've been trained to resist interrogation."

Sam raised an eyebrow and stared at him silently.

Knowing that glare all too well, Jack finally admitted defeat. "All right, all right," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts. "Daniel definitely has it bad for his wife. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Sam chuckled. "I knew you'd cave eventually." Ignoring the dark glower he was directing at her, she reached up and kissed him soundly. Then, with a scheming grin, she started fishing for details. "How bad?"

Seeing her girlish glee, Jack finally gave in to his urge to smile. "Bad," he replied with amusement. "A few weeks ago, I found him shuffling confidential documents in with a stack of Victoria's Secret catalogs."

At that pronouncement, Sam shrieked with laughter for a brief second before remembering the sleeping babies in the next room. Reining in her amusement, she shook her head. "What I wouldn't give to have seen that!"

Jack smiled in remembrance. "Yeah, it was pretty funny." Then, settling onto his side, he once again tucked her comfortably up against him. "So, what about Sha're?"

Sam chuckled, blushing slightly. "I'll spare you the details, but let's just say there are a few memories of Sha're's life in this timeline which didn't end up in her official journal."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Face completely red, Sam nodded with a giggle. "After hearing some of her more… vivid memories, there were a few days when I couldn't even look Daniel in the eye," she admitted sheepishly.

Jack grinned knowingly. "Wow. And he always struck me as the stuffy, bookish sort."

Sam wrinkled her nose and fidgeted. "Can we not talk about this? Thinking about Daniel in bed is like thinking about my brother in bed." She shuddered, shaking off the notion.

With one last chuckle, Jack went along with her change in subject. "So, Cupid, what's your plan for our would-be couple?"

At his words, Sam grew sober. "For now, nothing." With a deep sigh, she explained her reasoning. "We have no idea if Sha're will be with us for the long-term. A lot is going to depend on our study of the cylinder."

Jack nodded, understanding. "I'm sure they're aware of that, too."

With another quiet sigh, Sam buried her face in Jack's neck. Tenderly kissing the warm skin of his throat, she ran one hand gently along the line of his chin. "I'm sure you're right," she agreed. Then, after a moment, she pulled away and looked her husband in the eye. "Jack?" she asked softly.

"Yes?" he replied, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile.

"How long do you think we have before one of the twins wakes up?" The tone of her question left little doubt as to what she was really asking.

His smile turning devilish, Jack quickly repeated his earlier maneuver and pressed Sam back into their comfortable bed, uttering a reply which set her heart racing.

"Long enough."