A.N. Ok, I know I said I would update more often, but I have exams, so I've been working on this for the last month, and its taken me a while, because I've had a planned ending for this chapter, and I needed this chapter to link everything. I've been procrastinating for the last hour or so, and here's the result! With that said, I'd like to mention that I will try to update at least once a month, and when the summer holidays hit I should probably be able to write and so update more often. Thank you to all those people who have put this on story alert - knowing the way I write its probably the best idea if you want to finish this fic at some point, and thankyou everyone for sticking with this fic if you have been reading it from the beginning, because it has been going for over a year now I think. This is not the last chapter, but it's not far off, and I have plans for a sequel as well, if there is any demand for it. Right, with that over and said, I hope you enjoy this next instalment, and please review!
It was Daniel who broke the moment, as Sam and Jack just stared at each other, frozen in shock on Jack's part, and horror and fear on Sam's.
"Sam, are you ok? It's your go."
His voice didn't even register in the edges of Sam's mind. At the moment it was all filled with expletives.
"Sam?" Daniel questioned again, laying a hand on her arm. Not expecting this, having still not noticed anything around her but the intense look of shock in Jack's eyes, Sam jumped about a foot in the air. Looking into Daniel's face, filled with concern as to why his friend was acting so strangely, she quickly pasted on a smile.
"Sorry, Daniel, I must have spaced out for a minute there! It won't happen again, I still have to thrash you at pool!"
Daniel wasn't entirely convinced, because he had seen the look of devastation on her face, and he could still see a look of extreme surprise on Jack's, but he let it pass and decided that they would probably tell him in his own time, if he needed to know.
"Yeah, you wish!" he replied back instead, handing her the cue, and smiling.
Sam was relieved that he seemed to have bought it, and so attempted to concentrate on the rest of the game, but she was finding it hard. Not as hard as she would find telling the Colonel that she was pregnant with his baby, however.
Which she knew she would have to do, and soon.
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As soon as the game was over, Sam rushed to the bar, still avoiding Jack's eyes, and quickly settled her part of the bill. Then, hurrying back to the guys, she said that she really had to dash home, sorry for leaving so suddenly, and was practically out the front door of the restaurant before Jack had even fully stood up out of his seat.
"What was all that about?" Daniel wondered out loud, not really aiming it at anyone in particular.
"I believe Major Carter is accessing some of her forgotten memories, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c stated. "These appear to be causing her some distress, and she most likely wishes to sort these through more fully, without her friends around her looking on."
"Yes, and that's all very well Teal'c, but she looked almost frightened at what she was remembering. I don't think she should be on her own right now." Daniel replied.
Jack knew he had to talk to her, talk through what they had both remembered that evening, and saw an opportunity. No point in putting off the inevitable.
"Yeah, you're right Danny-boy, she needs a friend now, maybe they can help her through some of this turmoil she seems to be feeling. Her house is on my way home, I'll stop by and see if I can help her."
And saying his goodbyes, Jack left.
Daniel turned to Teal'c.
"Do you think he knows more than he's letting on? I mean, what was all that about her feelings in turmoil, and why would he voluntarily stop by and see someone? Not that he doesn't care for us all, but he isn't the most tactful and gentle person, is he?"
"I believe this memory, if that is indeed what it is, may affect them both, Daniel Jackson. If is concerns us, they will let us know in time. Until that time, I believe we should exclude it from our minds, and allow them to sort it through themselves. It is time we departed as well."
The two of them left, heading their separate ways, and tried to forget the looks they had seen on their friends' faces, and not wonder what might now be happening over at Sam's house.
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Jack sat in the car for a moment, gathering his thoughts and now, unfortunately, his memories.
Not that he was unhappy about that night. Although parts of it were slightly hazy, due in large to the copious amounts of alcohol he had consumed, he knew one thing for certain. He would never regret it, and would always have the wonderful memories of how right and natural and peaceful he had felt in her arms, kissing her the way he had always wanted to. He found a small part of his heart mending; it had broken back when Charlie died, but his wonderful second-in-command had managed to put part of it back together again. And with that thought, he headed to her front door, and knocked on it, firmly and decisively.
Sam, inside the house, knew who it must be.
None of the others were acting as if they had noticed that something was wrong, but she knew he had remembered that night, and she knew that the air needed to be cleared, and this thing needed to be sorted once and for all.
And, hearing the knock for a second time, she went to go and answer it, to start what would be a very hard conversation.
As she opened the door she found, as she had expected, the Colonel standing there, a half confused-half embarrassed look on his face. Just that expression on her face made her eyes start to get hot, and her heart to rise up into her throat.
Damn pregnancy hormones! she thought, but this only made her feel worse.
Jack took a step inside her house.
He decided that the best way to deal with this was not to beat around the bush, as they so often did, but to come right out with it.
"Come on Carter, I know you remember that night."
"Uh…sir…um-"
Not knowing what to say next she burst into tears, letting out all of the emotions of the past few hours. All the worries and stresses now circulating in her body.
Jack had been prepared for anger, defiance, just downright denial.
He had not been prepared for Sam to cry.
She did it so infrequently that he just assumed that she only did when something affected her so much that she couldn't think coherently. Why would this one night affect her so badly? She must know that if she was worried about their careers then neither one of them would say anything. If she was worried about their working relationship then they would bury away the memories of that night, as much as he would hate to. He would do it though, for her, just like he had for the zay'tarc thing. Left it in that damn room, however much he didn't want to. She had to know that.
Looking at his second in demand in front of him, still shaking with sobs and tears, all of his awkwardness that invariably reared its ugly head whenever he was around her seemed to disappear, so his followed his instincts and wrapped his arms around her.
"Shhh, shhh, it's ok Carter, don't worry."
Although his words were soothing, Sam cried a little harder, realising of course that he didn't know the worst part. She had fallen in love with the baby growing inside of her, and was not getting rid of it, no matter what. But how could she keep it, when it violated all the rules the Air Force had put in place. She loved her job, and they needed her for the computers, without her the place would surely fall apart. And she couldn't ask the Colonel to give up his job, he was needed out there. He was the most experienced officer the Air Force had, and he was the best.
Whatever happened, she couldn't see either of them coming out of this completely happy.
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Eventually, Jack's soothing manner and comforting arms managed to calm Sam down a bit, and so she was able to be guided back inside her house and onto the sofa. Sitting down, she blew her nose, and tried to compose herself enough to talk about this rationally, without the hormonal responses of a pregnant woman.
As it became apparent that Sam was a bit more calmed down, Jack thought he should start, and get to the bottom of what was making her so upset.
"Carter, what's wrong? I know and you know that what we did was against regs, but no one else needs to know if that's the way you want it. We can leave it behind us, and carry on as we were before. Whatever you want. It's not as bad as you think it is, I promise!"
Although Jack was being more caring and tender than he had ever been before, Sam didn't feel at all comforted by his words. He couldn't make promises like that. He shouldn't make promises like that. Not when he didn't know the full story. He didn't know the worst part – the part that couldn't be forgotten, no matter what.
"Sir-," she began, then stopped, trying to figure out how to phrase this bit of news. And how to cope with whatever his reaction was going to be.
"Jack-," she tried to start again, knowing that this was a time to be Sam and Jack, not the Colonel and Major.
"What?" Jack questioned, now starting to get worried. Sam never used his first name. What was so important that she decided to use it now?
And then she spoke those three little words, the sentence that she had been putting off for so long, the breath that would change his world forever.
"Jack, I'm pregnant."