A/N: THANK YOU so much for all the feedback, you're all lovely!! Thank you! I'm really very sorry it's taken me longer than usual to get this chapter up, my Grandad went into hospital so I've not been in the mood for writing much, I apologise. In any case, here is Chapter 8! I hope you like it. Feedback would be extremely lovely, cheer me up no end and be much appreciated D

Chapter 8: In which our two favourite people begin to move forward.

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General Hammond knew from the moment his two officers stepped through the door what decision they had made. He could see it in their restrained smiles of excitement, tinged with apprehension. The way they glanced with nervous grins at each other every so often. The twinkle that shone brighter than usual in their eyes. He suppressed a fond smile.

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, come in, take a seat. Major, how's the leg?"

"Thank you Sir," she smiled as she sat down gratefully. "My leg's much better, thank you Sir. Thanks to the medicine we received from the Caradonian's," she added proudly.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, can I take it you've reached a decision?"

"Yes Sir," Sam smiled, cheeks flushed. Hammond nodded for her to continue. "I.. We," she corrected, sharing a brief smile with the Colonel, "have decided, with your permission Sir, that I will accept the offer of a transfer off of SG-1 in order to keep the baby."

"Of course," General Hammond beamed openly at them. "I'm very pleased for you. Despite this meaning a severe loss for SG-1, which you, Colonel, will begin looking to fill straight away -" he looked pointedly at Jack, "- I'm sure, Major, that your new assignment will bring many benefits to the SGC and to Earth."

Over the next two hours, the three officers discussed in detail the various changes that Sam's decision would mean. Jack was duly informed of the stack of personnel files that would be waiting on his desk in no time, and for once, the prospect didn't appear to dampen his spirits at all. In fact, he didn't offer a word of protest. Hammond hoped this was just a result of the moment, and not a permanent change of heart meaning he didn't care about paperwork - that would be rather too disturbing. As for Sam, despite General Hammond's concern that the change to working on base instead of offworld would be objectionable to her, she seemed genuinely excited by the prospect. It had been decided that Sam would become the head of Research and Development at the SGC, overseeing on a more full-time basis the scientists that already worked in that department. Any new technology brought through the gate would pass through her lab for study first, giving her as much time as she needed to analyse and present useful findings on it. She would also liaise with Area 51 on a more regular basis, to catch up on the ongoing projects there. Hammond had worked hard to be able to offer her such a rewarding position, but he had no doubt she deserved it.

"So, Major, Colonel," he concluded eventually. "I hope you find these changes and positions acceptable?"

"Yes Sir."

"Of course, Sir." The two officers answered promptly.

"Good, good." Hammond clasped his hands, smiling. He glanced to his calendar, checking what day it was; they all seemed to merge into each other when he was on base for any extended period of time. Friday, good. He looked back up to the Colonel and Major, with the strange realisation that the team of SG-1 as they knew it was finished. Yes, there'd be a lot of change, but he sincerely hoped it would be for the better. He smiled reassuringly at their expectant faces. "I know this new situation may take some time to get used to. Why don't you both take the weekend off, get things sorted a little, get your heads around the changes. Major Carter, all being well, you will start in your new position on Monday, but if you did want to come in before then to organise things, feel free. Understand, though, that you are under no obligation to do so." She nodded in confirmation. "And Colonel," he continued. "Likewise, take til Monday, but I'll also have no objections if you want to start going through those personnel files any sooner." He watched with amusement as his frequently insubordinate second in command nodded with a grimace, knowing full well that Jack O'Neill had absolutely no intention of doing anything of the sort until he absolutely had to. "Good. Well then, enjoy your weekend. Dismissed."

He nodded acknowledgement as the two officers he prided most under his command saluted smartly and turned to leave. He waited until the door was open, Sam halfway through it, before calling them back.

"Oh, Colonel, Major, one more thing."

"Sir?" They turned back round, waiting for their commander to continue. Hammond smiled knowingly.

"As we discussed in the stipulations of your new positions, Major Carter, you will be reporting directly to me as your superior officer." He waited for Sam's nod of understanding before he continued, his eyes glinting with amusement. "As I'm sure you're aware, that means you will no longer be under the direct command of Colonel O'Neill." He let the words sink in a little for effect. "As I'm sure hasn't passed you by, that will mean the Air Force fraternisation regulations no longer apply to you. Effective immediately." He watched with amusement as a blush began to spread across Sam's face, even Jack's tanned complexion colouring a little. "I'd like to take this opportunity to express my sincere congratulations to the both of you; it's been a long time coming. Now, go home and enjoy yourselves." He smiled openly as they stammered and stumbled in response, shaking silently with mirth as they made a hasty exit from his office.

..--00--..

Sam pulled into the driveway of her modest home and switched the car engine off. She'd left the mountain as soon as she could after the meeting with Hammond, needing some time alone to think. Get her head around the situation. The thought of Jack suddenly now being not off-limits, not out of bounds, accessible, terrified and unnerved her. She knew it was stupid; she knew she loved him, had been wanting a chance like this for a long time. She just... never thought it would actually happen. After so many years of 'Carter' and 'Sir', it would be hard to just jump into 'Sam' and 'Jack' straight away; she needed some time to acclimatise. Jack had graciously understood, without knowing her full motives. What she didn't know was that he was just as scared.

She walked into the house, kicking off her shoes and picking up the mail with a sigh. Nothing but bills, great. No messages on the answering machine. She made herself a mug of coffee, regretting it within minutes as she found herself dashing to the bathroom to be sick. This pregnancy lark wasn't going to be all that much fun, she suspected. She hoped it would be worth it, though.

Two hours later, she awoke from where she'd fallen asleep on the couch, rubbing her head. Too many thoughts, too many worries, too many questions, all running, spilling through her mind. She sighed deeply. Why was she feeling so miserable, so insecure? She decided to try and work for a while, switching on her computer, to take her mind off it. She was beginning to regret her decision to be alone; she missed the comforting presence of Jack, stood in the doorway of her lab, fiddling with her devices, cracking lame jokes. He made her smile. She berated herself, knowing that she'd be seeing a lot more of him in the future.. But she wanted him now. To hold her, to tell her it was all going to be alright, that they'd do this together. But she knew that anyway.

She searched for an online scientific journal and began to read, not taking any of it in. Suddenly, her email icon pinged, informing her of a new message. She figured it was someone from the base, wanting to know how to fix something. That tended to happen a lot. Still, it would give her something to think about. She clicked the message open.

Carter,

So... Dinner, tomorrow night?

Be ready at 1800.

Jack.

She stared at the message, grinning ridiculously, for quite some time. Now that gave her something to think about.

..--00--..

Sam woke up the next morning, stretching luxuriously and sighing contentedly. Sitting up a little too quickly, she found herself again running to the bathroom. Good job it was close. This really sucked. She lay back on her bed, several very important thoughts occurring to her.

She was pregnant. By Jack. Somehow. But still, by Jack.

She was no longer on SG-1.

She was going on a date with Jack O'Neill tonight.

She rested her hand on her abdomen tentatively, gently, almost reverently, filled with wonder, just lying relishing the sensation, cherishing the thought of the life inside her, for several minutes. She rolled over, grinning into her pillow. She had a date with Jack O'Neill, father of her baby. She repeated the thought in her mind like a mantra as she got up, smiling happily. For the first time in several days, she felt really, tremendously happy.

..--00--..

Jack rolled over with a groan, yelping as he rolled right off his bed onto the floor. He hated mornings. On duty, he was fine. He could be up and alert in mere seconds, ready to face any danger with a clear head. But when he was at home, it took his mind a considerably longer time to muddle through the fog of sleep until he was aware of what was going on. Sitting up, he frowned as he rubbed his head. He was fairly sure there was something he was supposed to be doing today... Did he have a barber's appointment? No... Oh, he needed to collect the replacement lens for his telescope.. But no, there was something else, he was sure... He stood up slowly, rubbing his eyes, racking his brain.

Crap! Carter. He had a date with Carter. A date... Whoa. With Samantha Carter, who happened to be carrying his child. He sank slowly back onto his bed, deciding he really needed some more sleep. Maybe he was delusional... Maybe he'd just dreamt the past 48 hours. There was no way Carter could actually be pregnant, and that he was actually free and able to take her out. He stumbled across to his rarely used computer, checking his sent emails. Crap. No dream. Though the whole prospect terrified him, it also made him immensely happy. He hurried to get dressed, going out to make preparations, a feeling of happiness and warmth, unfamiliar to him, spreading through his soul. He hadn't had that feeling in a very long time.

..--00--..

Sam scrutinised her reflection carefully. She wasn't used to this whole dating thing. And after all, this was the Colonel... Should she be trying to impress him? Did she need to? Would he be expecting her to? Where were they going? What attire would be appropriate? These, and similar thoughts, had plagued her throughout the day. After thinking carefully, she decided that the Colonel really wasn't the type for a seriously posh dinner... Unless he'd be trying to impress her, which goodness knows he didn't need to, but then maybe he didn't know that... After a panicked phone call to Janet, who'd been informed of the situation by Hammond, she'd decided on a simple blue halter-neck dress. Not overly smart, smart enough should they go somewhere more upper-class, but also practical. She'd applied a little more makeup than usual, not wanting to go overboard, and had found a delicate set of matching necklace and earrings to complement the outfit. She pursed her lips and pressed them together, debating whether she needed more lipstick. Or any at all. Or would gloss be better?

She sighed, running her hand through her neat hair, styled back away from her face. She didn't really think she'd ever been so scared or excited about anything before. She looked at the clock; only 1700. She sighed deeper, wondering how on earth she'd manage for another hour before he arrived. She decided on pacing through the house nervously. As she walked for the tenth time through her kitchen, she noticed the bin needed emptying. The simple task turned into the full on job of thoroughly cleaning her kitchen.

She started in surprise as she heard three light taps on her front door. Hastily pulling off her rubber gloves, she dashed into the hall and opened the door, staring open mouthed at one Jack O'Neill, who stared back, equally stunned.

He looked incredible. Incredibly gorgeous, handsome, delectable, sexy... Her trained mind began to run out of adjectives. Dressed in slightly baggy cream trousers and a smart shirt, open slightly at the collar exposing the faintest, tantalising glimpse of chest hair, with his leather jacket slung over his arm, he leaned casually against her porch. Her eyes travelled up and down his lean figure, as his did the same to her. Slowly, the corners of his mouth quirked upwards.

"Hey, Carter. You look good." He stated simply. Boy, did she look good. He was glad she'd clearly been caught by surprise, because otherwise he'd have looked really dumb, the amount he was staring. He was pleased she hadn't noticed. She literally took his breath away with her beauty. The neckline of her dress came to a gentle v-shape, with the subtlest hint of cleavage, enhanced by a delicate blue necklace... He swallowed hard. The halterneck showed off her strong shoulders beautifully, and he was treated to the rare, amazing sight of Sam Carter's long, elegant legs. He took some time, relishing her appearance, allowing himself briefly to grasp the thought that there were no more barriers between them, barely daring to believe it. She was allowed to be his, and he was allowed to be hers. He swallowed nervously, past the large lump in his throat, put somewhat on edge by her surprise and silence. "You, ah.. Were expecting me.. Weren't you?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up as she realised with embarrassment that she'd just been openly staring at her CO.. No, former CO... for several minutes. She remembered to breathe, smiling nervously.

"Y-yes Sir, I ah.. Sorry.. Just let me grab my -"

"Sure, sure," Jack nodded as she gestured over her shoulder. She turned round, picking up her bag from the table and slipping on some sandals, locking the door behind her. "Well, Samantha," Jack drawled, her full name rolling softly, deliciously from his lips. "Shall we?" He winked, extending his elbow towards her.

"Yeah," she smiled sweetly back at him, slipping her hand tentatively around his arm. He opened the passenger door of his truck, taking her hand as she climbed in, and lingered for a few moments, holding her eyes and smile with his own. Radiating assurance, confidence, and happiness. Which was a considerable achievement, considering the turmoil his nerves were in. Their hands slipped reluctantly apart, the heat and electricity of the contact remaining on their skin. Jack walked back around to the driver's side and climbed in.

They'd been travelling in companionable but nervous silence for several minutes, when Jack frowned slightly, wrinkling his nose.

"Carter..."

"Sir?"

"Is that detergent...?"

"Dammit..."

TBC

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A/N: Well, I did intend to include "the date" in this chapter but it was getting long, so I'll save it for next time D I'll try and update quicker than last time, too. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think!