"I don't love you. I'm sorry," was all Jack could before he watched his 2IC walk away from him.
He couldn't let her tie herself to someone like him. She deserved better than that.
The next day, SG-1, minus Sam, and General Hammond were all gathered in the briefing room.
"Let's begin," General Hammond ordered.
"Sir where is Major Carter?" Jack asked.
"Major Carter has accepted a position at Area 51 for an indefinite amount of time to assist them with several projects," Hammond stated, confused as to why Jack didn't know. "I was under the impression that she had told all of you."
Jack glanced around the table. Daniel and Teal'c didn't seem surprised about this announcement, so they had known. "No sir," Jack grumbled, "She didn't tell me."
"Major Carter was ordered to speak with you before she left," General Hammond barked.
Despite how upset he was, Jack couldn't let Hammond think anything bad about Sam. "Carter did speak to me sir," Jack admitted, "And I may have been a less than willing participant in the conversation."
"May have?" Hammond questioned.
"Very unwilling," Jack said, cringing under Hammond's stare.
Jack could feel the heat of Daniel's stare, and suddenly felt even worse than he had a few minutes ago.
Hammond nodded his head, the reason for Major Carter's sudden departure becoming clearer by the minute. Doctor Fraiser had come with Sam when she had made her plea for a transfer.
/Flashback/
"Major Carter, I don't think the members of SG-1 are going to let you just disappear. You are a member of my best team and while this transfer would be good for your career as an Air Force officer, the only reason you are not currently leading your own team through the gate is because your expertise is needed on that team in the field," Hammond explained, "Unless there is a reason that you are unable to continue in the field."
Janet stared down the General. "Sir, Major Carter has been under a lot of stress ever since she started on this project. That stress has only increased in the past few months as she has headed up the Science Department at the SGC and the Research and Development team at Area 51. She very rarely gets downtime, and even when she does, Major Carter usually ends up being called in for an emergency. I could not call myself a doctor if I permitted her to continue at her current pace."
Hammond looked between the Doctor and Sam. He sat down and sighed. "What do you recommend Doctor?"
"Six months off of field duty. Minimum," Janet ordered and shot Sam a look so that even Sam wouldn't try to object.
"Major?"
"Sir, if I can't be in the field with my team, I don't want to be here," Sam insisted, though rather hesitantly.
Hammond couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on the entire time. "Doctor you're dismissed," he ordered. George waited until the doctor was gone and the door shut before turning to Sam again.
"Okay Sam, off the record, what's going on?" Hammond asked.
"Nothing," Sam insisted. "It's just like Janet said, I need something a little less stressful. I think Area 51 will offer me that opportunity."
Hammond shook his head. "You know the first time that your father comes through that gate-"
"I know sir. All I ask is that you tell him nothing more than what I've told you. If he wants to know more, he can come find me and ask," Sam interrupted.
Hammond shook his head and signed her transfer papers.
/End Flashback/
It was obvious the reason that Sam had asked for the transfer was one Colonel Jack O'Neill, and there was nothing Hammond could do about it-right now. But the first chance he got, he was going to find a reason to order Jack to Area 51 to meet with Major Samantha Carter.
--
It was five months before Hammond found a reason to order Jack to Area 51, and even then his reasoning was shaky, but like the Air Force officer he was, Jack didn't question his orders.
There had been a lot of sleepless nights for Jack and Hammond since Sam's departure. And Jack had been a bear to deal with. Most people had taken to avoiding him as much as possible. Even Teal'c had made it to the point that keeping Jack's company was unbearable for him.
No one from the SGC had seen the Major since she left for Area 51. There had been a few conference calls, and some over the phone consultations for Sergeants Herrmann and Siler, but no one had seen her.
Jack had his own suspicions as to who had talked to her, and he really believed that Janet knew a lot more than what she was letting on about what was going on with his Major and ex-2IC.
It was late on a Friday when Jack's plane landed at Nellis. Rather than going through security to get to Sam's lab, Jack headed for her house in a jeep borrowed from the base's motor pool. There was no vehicle parked outside of the house, so Jack parked, got out, and went to wait on the front porch. Jack was surprised when the door to the house opened, and a man stepped out. Jack quickly got up and dusted his jeans off.
"Can I help you?" the man asked.
"Yeah, I'm looking for Major Samantha Carter. I was told that she lived her," Jack began.
"She does," the man answered. "And you are," the man demanded.
"Jack O'Neill. We used to work together," Jack answered, trying to make his own estimate of the man that stood before him.
The man nodded. "Sam's mentioned you," the man hesitantly admitted.
Any more conversation was cut short by the sound of muffled crying from inside the house.
"I need to get that," the man claimed. "Why don't you wait in the living room until Sam comes home?" the man suggested.
Jack couldn't remember the last time he had heard a crying baby. And a crying baby at Carter's house? Along with a guy? Last Jack knew she hadn't been seeing anyone, yet there was an obviously a baby at Sam's house, with a guy.
And when the man brought the child out to feed her a bottle, there was no doubt who the little girl belonged to.
"She's the spitting image of Sam," Jack whispered as he took in the very little girl's blue eyes and blonde fuzz.
"She is," the man agreed. "This is Grace, actually Grayson Danielle but I thought Grace fit her better," the man explained as he looked lovingly at the child who was hungrily drinking from the bottle.
"Honey I'm home," Sam called as she entered the house.
"In the living room," the man called back.
Sam entered the living room and stopped as she realized that they had company. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Jack had to swallow to clear his mouth, and force his mind to concentrate on the question. "Hammond asked me to come down and deliver some things to the base," Jack answered.
Sam raised an eyebrow in a Teal'c like fashion, indicating that she didn't quite believe him. "And?"
"And talk to you like we should have before you left," Jack finished.
Sam looked at him suspiciously and then turned her attention to Grace. The man smiled and let Sam sweep the baby into her arms. Sam cooed at the baby, a look of pleasure filling her face as she did so.
Jack noticed the man slip from the room and figured that he wanted to give the two of them some privacy, but he returned a few minutes later with suitcase in hand. "I called a cab," he said. "I'll call you when I get home," he offered as he placed a kiss on Grace's forehead and on Sam's cheek.
He walked to the door before turning back to look at Sam, "And if you need anything," he began and then left the rest of the words unsaid as Sam sent him a look. "Good-bye Mark," she stated firmly.
Mark chuckled and shook his head, before shouldering his bag and walking out the door.
"So," Jack began, "You have a daughter."
"Yeah. Did Mark introduce you?" Sam asked as she smiled once more at the little girl.
"Uh-hu. Grayson Danielle, Daniel will be pleased," Jack said as he kept his gaze on Sam and her daughter.
"Actually it was my mom's middle name," Sam said softly.
"Oh."
And so the visit went.
And many of the visits after that.
Every weekend Jack was on Earth, he showed up at Sam's house to spend time with the two Carter girls. He took them out to eat and doted on Grace, even getting up for the early morning feedings. There had been no mention of why Sam had left the SGC, or who the father to Grace was, or if Sam would consider coming back.
Daniel, Janet, Teal'c, and Cassie even made the trip with him one weekend when Grace was about three months old. The group spent the entire time fawning over Grace, quickly settling into their roles as Uncles, Aunt, and Cousin to little Grace.
Until the weekend that Jack called and delivered bad news, Cassie was in trouble. Sam didn't even hesitate packing up everything she would need and heading to the SGC. The SFs on the surface gave her some strange looks as she and Grace descended into the top secret facility, but none made a move to stop her. She quickly made her way to the infirmary and got to work helping Janet calm Cassie down. At the end of the day though, she found herself in General Hammond's office.
"I've heard a rumor that you brought your daughter on base Major Carter," General Hammond stated.
"Yes sir," Sam admitted wearily, ready for the chewing out she thought was coming.
Hammond softened his facial features and tone of voice. "You know, Jacob is going to be jealous when he finds out that I got to hold his granddaughter before him Sam."
Sam just nodded; still waiting for the blow she knew was coming.
"You want to play it straight with me Major and tell me why you really left the SGC now?" Hammond requested.
Sam sighed. "I was 99 sure I was pregnant before I left. I hadn't told anyone else, not even Janet," Sam was quick to add. "As soon as I got to Area 51, I went and saw a doctor who confirmed it. Then Grace was born, early, very early. The doctor said if she had been a boy, she might not have made it, something about boy's lungs taking longer to develop. She's my miracle."
"Then why leave?"
Sam squirmed uncomfortably but remained silent.
"Or how about, who is Grace's father?"
Again, Sam sat in silence.
Hammond shook his head and asked, "I'm guessing that Jack doesn't know that Grace is his daughter?"
Sam looked at him in shock, fear evident in her eyes.
"No one ever told me, I just guessed," Hammond admitted. "I've watched the two of you dance around each other for a long time and I can't imagine you leaving the SGC even if you couldn't stay in the field for any other reason than to save Jack's career. Someone would eventually put two and two together and figure out who the father is, especially if the child looked anything like Jack. It seems to me though; that from everything I've been told and the pictures I've been shown could easily be mistaken for your own."
"Except her eyes," Sam whispered.
"What?"
Sam's eyes finally rose to meet Hammond's gaze. "Her eyes are changing color. They'll be brown before too long, and they'll look just like his."
"We'll just hope that the eyes are the only thing she inherited from Jack. I can barely handle one Jack O'Neill, let alone a Jack O'Neill with your intelligence? Do you know how much trouble a child like that could get into?" Hammond asked in disbelief.
Sam cracked a smile at that realization. "God help us," she exclaimed.
"So, what are we going to do to keep the two of you from a court martial?" Hammond asked.
Sam looked at him in disbelief. The General was offering to help them out, cover for them.
"Don't look at me like that," Hammond ordered. "Jack O'Neill has never been an easy man to work with, but after a weekend with you, he suddenly becomes a saint for about 48 hours, and then he's back to the same grouchy Colonel we all know. So do you want to give me some details so I can see about helping the two of you out?"
"It happened while we were Jonah and Thera," Sam said. "We never did anything before or after that."
"I have no doubt," Hammond reassured her. "Come on; let's go see that daughter of yours."
And they did.
--
It didn't take Hammond long to secure a promise from the President that no action would be taken against Sam or Jack for the actions that had produced Grace. But they could not pursue a relationship if they were in the same chain of command, which was currently not a problem since Sam was considered to be based out of Area 51.
Something that Hammond pointed out to Jack one day behind the closed doors of his office.
"You know Jack, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Major Carter, but I do know this-there is no way that you'll be able to continue, start, or have a relationship once she returns to this base because she will be back in your chain of command. I suggest that you get your act together and take the chance on this opportunity you've been given," Hammond directed before shoving a folder that 'needed' to be delivered to Area 51.
Jack looked at him in shock before turning on his heels and rushing out of the room. He had a plane to catch.
--
Jack arrived at Nellis, delivering the required paperwork and went to the grocery store before driving to Sam's house, where he proceeded to cook dinner.
Sam arrived home, carrying Grace. Jack went out to greet her and to take Grace out of her arms.
Sam suspected that he was often more excited to see Grace then he was to see her, but she was okay with that since Jack always planted a kiss on her cheek in greeting.
Except this time, because Sam turned her head at just the right moment, and his kiss landed right on her lips. And she kissed him back until she couldn't breathe anymore.
A smile formed on Jack's face as he saw the smile light up Sam's face. Suddenly he didn't doubt his idea as much as he had back at the base. Still he didn't say anything as he led the way into the house and directed Sam to change clothes, put the finishing touches on supper, and fed Grace.
After he had laid Grace down for the night, he joined Sam in the living room.
"We need to talk," they both said at the same time.
They smiled nervously at each other. "You first," Sam insisted, wanting to put off her news as long as possible.
Jack took a deep breath and started to speak. "I know that we really haven't talked about this thing between us since before you left the SGC. It's only a matter of time before Hammond brings you back, and I don't want that to happen before we have a chance to talk."
"I lied to you. I love you. And I've never stopped loving you. I never want to stop loving you. Even Grace has stolen my heart because she's part of you. It doesn't matter that she's not my daughter, she's your daughter and that's all that matters," Jack insisted.
"I know this is moving really, really fast, but I don't want to take the chance of losing you to someone else. And I'll understand if you don't feel the same anymore, and I won't blame you but I just want you to know where I stand."
Jack got up and dropped to one knee in front of Sam, pulling a ring box out of his pocket. "I love you and Grace. Come back to Colorado Springs, move in with me, marry me. It doesn't have to be in that order," he reassured her at her shocked expression. "So I guess what I'm asking Sam is will you marry me?"
By this time, Sam had tears running down her face. She opened her mouth to respond, only to hear Grace making noise from her room.
"Don't move," Jack ordered, "I'll get her."
A few minutes later, Jack returned to an empty living room. Sam came in a few minutes later, clutching a bottle and a sheet of paper. She set the paper next to her and took Grace from Jack to feed her the bottle.
Sam smiled softly at Grace's expression as she drank greedily from the bottle. Jack hadn't noticed the slow change in eye color that was occurring in their daughter. Already, Grace's eyes were mostly brown, and within a couple of weeks would easily match Jack's eyes.
Jack broke Sam's thoughts through when he spoke again. "I know that you want to do the best thing for Grace. I promise you, Grace might not be my daughter biologically, but I could not love her any more if she was my daughter. I'd love to adopt her and raise as my own daughter if her father doesn't object-"
"I know," Sam reassured him, looking up from Grace. "But I don't think there will be any adoption necessary." Sam handed him the folded sheet of paper.
Jack opened it and noticed the seal. "This is Grace's birth certificate," he said, slightly puzzled.
"Keep reading," Sam directed as she continued to hold Grace.
Jack read through the different fields, noting the empty field for last name until he got to the box that said 'father'.
Sam could tell when he reached that box because his eyes got real big, and the sheet of paper fell to the floor.
He seemed to look at Grace with new eyes, and ever so carefully, Sam put Grace in his arms. "She has my eyes and Charlie's nose. God, I can't believe I never saw it before," he claimed.
"I know," Sam agreed.
"Grayson Danielle Carter-O'Neill," Jack whispered in awe.
"Grayson Danielle O'Neill," Sam corrected. "Wouldn't want her to have a different last name than her parents would we?"
"No," Jack agreed, a smile lighting up his face as he watched his fiancé watch their daughter.
Life didn't get much better if your last name was O'Neill.