Chapter Fifteen Summary: Janet arrives and checks Sam out and they tell her about the "twins". Then Lantash makes an announcement of his own, which changes the future yet again, but in a pleasant way. Teal'c states his feeling to Daniel and Daniel begins to feel a little better…about everything.

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host communication

Always Be Ours

Chapter Fifteen

In the Moment

Malek watched Jacob as he sputtered, "Twins? Twins? But there are no twins on either side of Sam's family..." Jacob exclaimed. "They must be identical then, since Lantash didn't know at once that there were two. When did you find out?"

Malek's brow creased, as he considered Jacob's question, before saying, "If I understand what you are asking, Jacob, then, no, they are not identical. They are only," he looked thoughtful before continuing, "half siblings, is that not correct, Daniel?"

"True, Malek, but to the universe they will be twins, both with the same father. Me."

Jacob opened his mouth and then shut it as he listened to Selmak. "Lantash has done some manipulating of circumstances to help mask the paternity of the first child, Jacob."

"How in the hell did he do that, and what does Malek mean, half-siblings?"

"I believe that Daniel is about to explain if you will give him your attention."

"Sam had a second egg that was almost ready to be released, so Lantash encouraged it to finish ripening and then released it. I'm its father, Jacob. I don't know what Lantash did, but somehow he was able to mask Martouf's DNA with mine. There are no tests on earth that could discover the difference. Please note that I said, mask, not change. He didn't change anything in the first baby's DNA; it's still Martouf and Lantash's."

"Sam and I have begun to call them twins because, as she pointed out to me earlier, to the world and the universe it's imperative that they are believed to be twins. It's another layer of protection, Jacob. Sam and I are both happy to have it this way, so don't worry about that."

"I see. Well, congratulations, Daniel," Jacob said, looking bemused.

"Thank you, Jacob."

"What, ah, that is, do you know whether they are boys or girls?"

"Boys. Both are boys." Daniel cleared his throat and then added, his voice somewhat unsteady, "Lantash says that their son will not look enough like Martouf to cause comment, although he did tell me that he will have the dimple in his chin that Martouf had and his eye and hair color—and his smile. Sam…Sam was worried about that."

Jacob nodded, unable to say anything as Martouf's face wavered in front of him.

Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat, and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up. I just…wanted you to know that he's Martouf and Lantash's son. Nothing has really changed, Jacob."

"No, it is okay, Daniel. I'm glad to know that Sam will have that much of him. She'll see him in his smile and his eyes. The day will come when that will be a comfort to her and not a sorrow."

They sat quietly contemplating the situation, until Daniel firmly pushed his grief away and smiled at them. "Lantash says we will have girls next," Daniel threw in casually.

Taking up Daniel's change of subject and attempt to put things on a lighter footing, Jacob said, "That would be nice. Little girls are very sweet. There is nothing quite like…" Then, Daniel's words sank in. "Next time? You're already planning next time?" They successfully pushed their sorrow aside, at least for now.

Daniel nodded seriously. "We have to have them right away, Jacob. Lantash has to stay hidden until we have them, or at least until Sam is pregnant with them. After she gets pregnant, then I'll blend with Lantash. He's the reason we're having another child right away. So that Lantash can blend with me. We'll have deliberately waited until that occurred, so that it couldn't be said that the child was harcesis."

Jacob nodded. "Of course. You're right. You'll make a big deal of the blending when it takes place, too, I'm sure."

Daniel agreed, "A very big deal. So, it could be less than a year and Lantash will officially blend with me."

"Good thinking. How does Sam feel about it, though, Daniel?"

"She wants the next one as soon as possible, too, Jacob. She wants to blend, too, and she can't until after our children are born."

"Right. Okay, so I guess I'm going to be a grandfather several times over right away." He grinned. "I have to admit I'm looking forward to the birth of these children. It will be interesting to see what they are like. All of you are exceptionally intelligent. Not many people realized just how smart Martouf was because he was so quiet. He wasn't in your and Sam's league, but he was way above average."

Daniel nodded. "Actually, Jacob, I suspected that he was. There were a few times during the days before the summit that I realized he was quite intelligent, as well as diplomatic. I believe that he was a very special, exceptional person." Sadness clouded his eyes once more, as he murmured, "I think we lost a very good man, and I mourn him, too."

"We'll have his son, Daniel. I'm looking forward to that very much. I know it's not the same, but still, as I said a bit ago, I think it will be a comfort in time, and I'm just very glad that we'll have him."

Daniel smiled somewhat sadly. "Yeah, I am too, Jacob; I am, too."

Malek was talking to Devlin about the situation and therefore he missed their discussion, but his conversation with Dev ended, and he returned to his surroundings to hear Jacob asking, "What time is everyone due to be here, Daniel?"

"They'll probably start to get here about two-thirty, three o'clock. Janet is coming early to check Sam out just to be sure that she's okay, although once she found out about her mom and the hormone spikes taking place, Janet said she thought it was morning sickness, and Sam started feeling better. I think the anxiety of not knowing what was going on was making it worse."

Returning to the original subject he added, "Jack should get here early, too, since he's doing the cooking. When are the Tok'Ra do to arrive?"

Thinking about Daniel's comments about Sam and her morning sickness, Jacob nodded, saying, "You're probably right about her morning sickness." He added the information about the Tok'Ra, explaining, "I'm going back into the base to pick up Per'sus and Anise. George and I will be sure they have the correct clothes before they arrive, as you did with Malek yesterday. I think they're due to arrive at the SGC before too long so that they'll have plenty of time to get the shopping out of the way. Maybe I can restrain Anise's choice of suitable clothing. I think I can convince her that jeans are appropriate for earth."

Malek looked over at him, agreeing, "She will be appreciative, Jacob. Anise would prefer to fit in with the other people here. Her clothing choices stem from having to fit in on Freya's home-world, as well as her role when she is undercover. Needless to say, they often distract the Goa'uld concerned."

Jacob grinned. "Yeah, I have to admit she does do that very well. Moreover, I do realize her clothing choices are dictated by her host and her missions, but I can't seem to stop myself from commenting on them. You have to admit some of them are pretty outrageous."

Malek smiled back at him, saying, "I know they are, and believe it or not, so does Anise. She has lamented the fact to me at times, so as I said, she will be very grateful to have the appropriate clothing and, therefore, not stand out in the crowd." Jacob was surprised at how relaxed he looked. He didn't think he remembered ever seeing Malek look like this.

Perhaps Per'sus was right. When Daniel contacted him, and told him about Lantash wishing that Malek knew he was alive, he'd taken the matter up with Per'sus, who had smiled widely as the plan was laid before him. He'd even laughed at one point, when told that they were telling him nothing, as Daniel felt it was Lantash's place to explain. Jacob had looked at him curiously, and Per'sus had explained.

"Jacob, I have been ordering Malek to get away from the base, get some rest, and relax for several years now. I believe from things he has let drop from time to time, that you also have been urging him to do so. I believe that this will force him to take that time away. The only way he can see Lantash is to go to the Tau'ri home-world. While there, he will take part in gatherings and activities that are far away from his life as a base commander. This will be good for him; you will see."

Jacob had agreed. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that putting Malek in the position of liaison with Daniel, Lantash, and Sam was perfect. True, it meant that Per'sus had to find someone that could help Zaris out while Malek was away, but that was a minor problem. Hell, Jacob could do it part of the time, himself.

Selmak realized, as well as Jacob did that if at all possible, Malek would pull Lantash into his command, as his second-in-command, as he'd been attempting to do for years now. It would all work out well. No doubt, Daniel and Samantha would wish to spend time on earth, but he knew that they wished the child-children-to grow up knowing both cultures, which meant that they would be on one of the bases at least part of the time. He hoped it was Malek's base, in the position Malek wanted him in, and would do his best to see to it that it was. He might even talk to Daniel about it before he and Lantash blended. Jacob agreed. It could all work out very well.

The undercurrent of unease in Malek's voice as he talked to Daniel brought Selmak and Jacob out of their mutual reverie to hear him saying, "…perhaps we should check on Samantha, Daniel. Lantash should be able to control her sickness. I do not believe that it is absolutely necessary that she suffer through this."

Daniel sighed, but smiled slightly, "The thing is, Malek, once Lantash leaves, she'll not have any way to control it. Therefore, she's going to have to figure out a way to take care of it on her own. I think he's helping her some, especially today, when we're having the cookout. Nevertheless, I'll talk to him again. Janet's bringing some medication that she said works fairly well, so that will help her quite a bit, I suspect. I'm glad she's coming early and bringing it with her, though."

Malek nodded. "For Samantha's sake, as well as Lantash's, we must hope that she will be able to help them. I am sure that Lantash is not faring very well, since he is not used to being ill at all. It may well prove more difficult for him than for Samantha."

"You're right, Malek," Sam said as she stepped into the room. She looked at the plates in front of them and shuddered, closing her eyes and swallowing. "Well, I did have it under control. Evidentially, I'm not going to be able to be around food very much." She smiled slightly and then sighed deeply. "That's better. Lantash finally decided that we couldn't stand the nausea and did something to stop it. He's watching the baby, and he says it's fine. He'll keep note of anything that appears to affect it."

"Well, Sam, the bright point in this is that, although your mom had morning sickness early in the pregnancies, she got over it in about two months. Ah, and I'm afraid Malek let the cat out of the bag. I know that I'm going to have twin grandsons, so you don't have to be so careful of your language around me." Jacob smiled at his daughter, his love for her shining from his eyes.

"That still sounds like a long time, Jacob. Sam can't be that sick for two months," Daniel said as he looked at Sam.

"Come on, now. You're the one that just explained to Lantash earlier that it won't be constant, Daniel. Now you're the one that's stressing over this. At least," she turned to her dad, "it wasn't constant was it?"

"No, Sam, it wasn't. Some days were worse than others, but she usually had periods of nausea interspersed with periods when she felt fine."

Sam nodded. "Thank heavens for small favors."

"Yeah. I don't think I could stand watching you go through that every day or all day long. I think I would insist that Janet put you to sleep or something. You can't go around throwing up like that all the time."

Sam walked up, put her arms around Daniel, and gave him a swift kiss. "You do not have to stay with me, Daniel. I can throw up all by myself." She grinned at him and he blushed.

"I couldn't leave you in there by yourself when you were so sick, Sam. I'll not desert you, I promise you," Daniel asserted softly.

She nestled her head against him. "Thank you. I'm glad. I'll appreciate it during some of the worse bouts, I'm sure."

"Your mom used to yell at me to get out, and then moan about being left alone, if I did as she asked. I finally realized that she really did want me there, but she felt like she had to protest. Let Daniel help you. Put a cold cloth on the back of her neck, Daniel, that always helped her mother."

"Thanks, Jacob, I did. But if you remember anything else that helped, let me know as soon as you can."

"Well there's the cinnamon toast, ginger ale, and crackers, but I've already told you that and brought in a supply of each."

"What?"

"Well, I bought some extra bread and froze it, and the cases of ginger ale are in the pantry. The extra crackers are in there, too."

"Thank you, Jacob. You didn't have to do that."

"Hey, this is my first grandchild, er, grandchildren from my daughter. I can pamper her once in a while."

Daniel smiled his understanding and hugged Sam to his side. Jacob glanced at his watch, saying, "I better get going. I promised George I would be back to help him with Per'sus and Anise. We'll be back as soon as we get them dressed. George will come a little later."

Sam left Daniel's side to walk her father to the door. With Per'sus, Anise, Malek, and her father all here, she realized that it was very likely that today could be the last day she would have with Lantash. The thought pierced her heart, but she pushed the pain away. She would not make it any harder on the two of them than it would already be.

"It will be fine, my beloved. Malek will be here for you, and he will care for you, as if he were Daniel and I. Trust him as you would us."

Sam nodded. "I understand what you are saying, Lantash. I know what you are afraid of, and it will not happen. I'll be waiting for you and Daniel when you awaken, I promise you. Moreover, we don't have to worry about that until tomorrow or possibly the next day. For now, let's go keep Daniel and Malek company until Janet arrives."

"Very well, Samantha. Let us do so."

Pushing away from the door she'd closed behind her father, Sam took a deep breath and walked toward the kitchen, Malek, and Daniel. Soon, there would be others arriving, and she had things to get ready. Thinking about Lantash transferring to Daniel could wait.

Janet rang the doorbell and smiled when Daniel answered the door. "Hey, Daniel, how's our girl doing?"

"Come on in, Janet. Hey, hi, Cassie. You're looking good today."

Cassie gave him a hug and then said, "I feel a lot of naquadah in the house. Is Uncle Jacob here?"

Daniel frowned as he took her by the hand and led her to the sofa in the living room. "Sit down a minute, Cass." He looked at Janet and she nodded, so he turned back to the young teenager. "Your Uncle Jacob was here, Cassie, but he had to go into the base to pick up some people that are coming today."

Cassie continued to look at him waiting for the important part of the conversation to develop. Finally, Daniel continued, "We've talked to you about the Tok'Ra, remember? You know that Uncle Jacob and Selmak are Tok'Ra, and that Aunt Sam was Tok'Ra for a short time. I mean, I know you remember when Jolinar was in Sam, and she was so scared she said and did some things that scared you, too. I know that wasn't too awfully long ago, but you've kind of become used to them, right?"

"Well, we've talked before about how the Tok'Ra are like the Goa'uld physically, but that they aren't the same in their hearts, where it really counts. You know that Uncle Jacob has Selmak, and you like him, and you liked Martouf and Lantash the few times you met them, right?"

"Are you trying to tell me that there are other Tok'Ra here, Uncle Daniel?"

Daniel grinned, abashed that the young girl had cut straight to the heart of the matter. Jeez, she was growing up so darn fast. She was a young teenager already. "Yes, Cass. Yes, I'm trying to tell you that there will be several Tok'Ra here today. The extra naquadah you feel now is from a friend of ours that's in the kitchen talking to your Aunt Sam. Would you like to go meet him?"

Cassie looked from Daniel to her mom and back to Daniel, "Of course. If they're your friends and Aunt Sam's, then they are probably as nice as Selmak. I understand about them being different from the Goa'uld and us, Uncle Daniel. How they don't show lots of emotion, and they aren't mean and cruel like the others. It's okay, you know. I'm not a little girl anymore."

Daniel leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, and taking her hand, said, "No. No, you aren't Cass. You're becoming a young woman right in front of us. Sometimes, I forget that, you know, then something like this comes up and you show us all over again what a truly remarkable young woman you are. If I haven't told you recently, I should have. You make us all very proud of you."

He watched as Cassie blushed at the unexpected praise and smiled softly, adding, "And since you have proven that, yet again, I guess we should go introduce you to Malek and Devlin. They are the only Tok'Ra that are here right now. The others will be coming later with your Uncle Jacob and Selmak."

He paused for a moment and then told her, "I guess we should tell you a little about them first, though. This Tok'Ra's name is Malek, and his host's name is Devlin. Devlin, well, he isn't in control a lot, yet. He seems to be really shy around people he doesn't know well, and he really hasn't been around us much before now. He did come out and talk to Sam a little last night, and she said he's very nice, well, actually, she said he was very charming, but that even when he's in control he is a little quiet, especially at first. Ah, but she did add that he has a sense of humor that is a lot like your Uncle Jacob's, and she figures that's why they get along so well."

"Malek is the symbiote, and he's the one who is usually in control, unless he can convince Devlin to come forward. However, he's quite nice, too, and I think you'll like him as much as Sam and I do. The other two that are coming and your Uncle Jacob should be here before long, but we'll go ahead and introduce you to Malek and his host now. Okay?"

"Okay." Cassie stood and headed toward the area where she felt the naquadah the strongest. Sam was in there, too. She had nothing to fear. Daniel and Janet followed her smiling at each other. Cassie never failed to amaze them.

As Cass strode ahead of them toward the kitchen, Janet quietly asked, "How's Sam doing now, Daniel? Still having the nausea and vomiting?"

Daniel shook his head slightly before answering, "I'm not sure to tell you the truth, Janet. Sam said that Lantash was helping to control it, but that it was also lessening a little as well. Did you bring anything that you can give her for it? I know she wants to make it through the day without causing a fuss by suddenly upchucking in the middle of the cook-out."

Janet nodded, "Yes, I brought some medication. She'll be fine." The pair entered the kitchen behind Cassie, and Janet dropped the subject for the time being. She watched as Sam put her arm around the girl and drew her forward introducing her to Malek and to Devlin.

It didn't take long to realize that she and Malek had hit it off. It seemed to surprise Malek, but he listened and answered her with great patience. Watching her interact with him, Sam sighed. Cass was growing up so fast. It seemed like they had just brought her here to Earth and here she was a young teenager, standing on the edge of blossoming into a young woman. They grew up so fast.

That was something that Sam wanted to remember about her own children. They, too, would grow up fast; perhaps, due to their heritage and the things they would learn, while still very young, they would grow up even faster than they would here on earth. Nevertheless, that, in and of itself, was part of their heritage.

Sam looked at Daniel and then nodded toward Janet before she turned back to Malek. "Cass," Sam interrupted, "Would you stay here and keep Malek and Devlin company, while Daniel and I go upstairs with your mom? I want to show her some things. Would you mind playing hostess for me?"

Cass grinned at her. "I can do that," she answered Sam swiftly, before turning back to Malek, and calmly asking, "Could I get you something to drink or eat, Malek? Perhaps we could take it out on the deck until everyone returns. It's a beautiful day, today."

Malek smiled at her as he answered solemnly, "Yes, actually, I would like another cup of coffee with Irish Cream creamer; I would enjoy sitting on the deck to drink it, and I believe that I would also find your company quite pleasant, as well, thank you." As she turned to take his cup and refresh it, Malek nodded to the three of them, indicating that he and Cassie would be fine until they returned.

As they turned and left to go up to the bedroom, they heard Cass, say, "Have you been to Earth before, well, outside the mountain, that is? I know you are Tok'Ra, and I, myself, am not from Earth, so it's okay to talk to me about some stuff. I imagine I can talk to you and Devlin about it, just as I can talk to Uncle Jacob and Selmak. At least, they didn't say I shouldn't, and as long as no one else is here, we can chat. Once others get here, we can't, of course."

Janet, walking along beside them after picking her medical bag up off the floor, shared an almost sad smile with the other two. They were all realizing how fast Cassie was growing up.

After entering the bedroom, Janet asked, "So, how are you feeling now, Sam? Daniel said he thought you were feeling better."

"I am. Lantash has been controlling the hormone spikes so they aren't as bad. He said they're not going as high as they did first thing this morning, so I'm sure that's also helping." Sam looked over her head at Daniel as Janet began her quick check by taking Sam's blood pressure and then her pulse.

"I've brought you some medication that should help, too, Sam. You're still taking your prenatal vitamins, and getting plenty of rest, aren't you?"

"Yes, Janet she is. She's been very good about not forgetting to take them. I'm hoping they don't make her nausea worse, though."

Janet nodded absently, as she put her blood pressure cuff away and pulled out the medication for her nausea. "If they begin to bother you, eat a piece of toast or something and take them at night. They shouldn't bother you as much that way, but if they keep you from sleeping, you'll have to switch back to mornings, all right? Bedtime would be best if you can, though, since it appears you might have your first bout of nausea when you wake up."

Having finished her examination of Sam, she continued, "I see nothing wrong here, Sam. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Sam nodded her agreement. "Yeah, once I found out that my mom and my grandmother did this, it made me realize it was just what was supposed to happen. Once I knew that, it seemed like the nausea lessened a little. I think that my being upset was probably making it worse."

Daniel sat down on the bed by Sam and took her hand. "We have something else that you need to know, though, Janet. I'm afraid any clinical details you'll have to ask Lantash about, as neither of us have a really good handle on what all he did."

"What do you mean, Daniel? Lantash did something to help with the nausea, I know that already, and it obviously hasn't caused any problems."

"No, this is something else, Janet," Sam answered quietly. "We thought you should know now, and we just told my dad this morning." Clearing her throat, Sam suddenly blurted out, "Janet, I'm having two babies, not one. They are both boys, and one of them is Daniel's."

Janet sat and stared at Sam. Then she turned her look to Daniel, who smiled and nodded at her. Then she looked back as Sam again.

"What exactly are you saying, Sam? I'm not sure I understand completely. Neither of them can be Daniel's. I am assuming that the embryo split and…"

"No, Janet, it didn't." Sam took a deep breath, and Daniel held her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Lantash encouraged one of my other eggs to ripen and released it the first night that Daniel and I were, er, intimate. The second fetus is six days younger than the first one, but Lantash was able to encourage its development enough that it has now caught up with the first one. To all intents and purposes, I'll have two children whose paternity will show Daniel, not Martouf. Lantash did something and masked the first one's DNA, so that they now both show Daniel as the father, but he didn't change any of the DNA. It's still Lantash and Martouf's child; it's just that our tests won't be able to tell that."

Janet sat in stunned silence for a minute or two taking the information in. "Wow. I would like to know how he did that."

"He's said he'll explain it to you at some point in time, but not just now, if you don't mind. He would rather wait until he's within Daniel before he talks about it in any depth. It's hard for us to discuss it. I hope you understand."

Janet nodded. "I understand entirely." Suddenly she smiled. "Congratulations. That really is wonderful news, Sam. Are you going to announce it today?" I believe there are some other people from the SGC that will be here aren't there? I am fairly sure that SG-2 will be here, for one, and I invited quite a few of the medical staff. As far as I know, they're all planning on attending."

"Yeah, Janet, this is kind of a getting our feet wet as a couple in front of the SGC personnel, before we return to the base kind of thing. I think there are some other people from the base coming as well. I asked the people in my department, Sam asked those in the science department, and we had Jack ask some of the others he and Teal'c wanted to have here. Jacob is bringing some Tok'Ra, so I think there will be quite a few people here. It will be a great way to get the news and rumors spread."

"And, it will also be good for the SGC personnel seeing Tok'Ra here socializing, too. We have to bring our peoples together, and this is a start. We're saying it's because of the Alliance. They'll see Jack interacting with the Tok'Ra, which is a good thing. He's agreed that he'll do whatever he can to bring about a better understanding, if only by treating them with respect in front of the other SGC members from now on."

"Furthermore, we're being quite blunt in saying that we don't want Martouf and Lantash to have died in vain, so we're bringing the two of them into it in that way. And reiterating that they are," he paused, before finishing softly, "gone, but the Alliance will begin to form more strongly because of it."

"I think it's a great idea and I think it will work," she replied. Then she looked at Sam, stating, "SG-2 has a new second in command. A Major Tamara Peterson. Do you know her, Sam?"

Sam grinned. "Yup, I do. And I'm hoping that she and Malek hit it off."

Janet and Daniel blinked at her in surprise. She grinned even bigger, saying, "What better excuse could Malek have for spending so much time on the Tau'ri world than because he's having an affaire of the heart with a Tau'ri that's stationed in the mountain? I really think he'll need to spend time with Lantash and, although saying he's coming to help you, Janet, with an antidote, and Daniel with translations will work for a short time, I don't see that we can drag it out for the required length of time. However, if he's seeing someone here," she shrugged, continuing, "then all the time can be accounted for."

"And, to tell you the truth, I knew as soon as I started to get to know him that he and Tam would hit it off really well. Therefore, although I'm not going to suggest it to either of them, if they do meet and hit it off, well, I certainly won't discourage it, if you know what I mean. I might even go out of my way to make it easy for them to see each other."

Daniel was frowning, obviously deep in thought, but when he looked up his eyes were alight with laughter. "This is what you meant last night when you said there might be an even better reason for him to visit us."

Sam smiled. "Yes, it was. She is very pretty, lovely really, she is smart, and she finds the idea of a symbiote intriguing. She doesn't find the thought of being a Tok'Ra appalling at all and, in fact, in one or two of our conversations, my impression was that she would eventually volunteer to be a host. I didn't think it would hurt to try, that's all."

"I don't think it will either, Sam. In fact, I think you're right, and they will hit it off."

Janet shook her head and laughed lightly. "I'm glad I don't have you two arranging my love life. You would have me married by now." They both looked at her, eyes innocent, as Daniel said, "Janet you hardly need us to find you someone. You are a beautiful, warm, wonderful person. There have been several guys that I know of that would have fallen at your feet, if you would've just given them the least encouragement. So, no, I really do not think you need us at all."

"Good, because I think my love life is doing just fine without your, er, guidance. Thank you very much. And, we should go find Cassie and Malek before she drives him crazy." She stopped. "I shouldn't say that. I really think that they are probably getting along fine. I think that's my attempt to keep her a little girl, but I have to come to the realization that she's not. Not anymore."

Janet smiled wryly at herself, before saying, "Get Sam some water, Daniel. She should take the medication, even though she isn't nauseated right now. Once the medication starts to work, Lantash shouldn't have to keep helping. I know it's probably worrying him that it might trigger his need to go dormant. This way, he'll not have to worry so much."

"Not only that but it won't be all that long before Jack gets here to get ready to cook. Therefore, food smells will soon abound and we might as well close the barn door before the horse gets out."

Sam grimaced but dutifully swallowed the table held out to her. "Until Lantash changes hosts, he can block the smell of the food, too. That helped a lot this morning."

Janet nodded. "That's good, but I'm going to give you another one, anyway, Sam. If you start to feel really nauseous, you can take it right away; do not wait. I'm going to leave some others with you, and I'll bring some more from the base after work Monday."

Sam leaned forward and hugged her friend. "Thanks, Janet. You're a lifesaver. I really didn't want to miss this party, and since we are announcing that we're getting married and having a baby, well, it would be nice if we were both there and able to stand up. We'll announce the fact that it's twins, too, in case someone finds their way into the nursery and realizes there's two of everything. It'll just make them think I'm farther along than I actually am."

"I understand. It makes sense to do it that way. In the normal course of events, we wouldn't know yet, so, this will definitely throw any speculation off. You'll probably start to show earlier, since it's twins, so that will lead people astray on the timing, as well. I think everything will work out fine." She smiled at Sam. "Daniel will see to that, and so will Lantash, I'm very sure of that."

Sam smiled up at Daniel as he firmly stated, "We certainly will. You can count on it."

After asking Sam for control, Lantash came forward and spoke to all three of them, since Sam was not aware of what he was about to say to them either. "I believe that I should tell you this now, for when you begin to do tests on Samantha, this, ah, aberration will become quite apparent, Janet. By encouraging the younger of the two fetuses to mature at a faster rate, it also encouraged the older one to do so, though at a much slower pace, since I was able to target the younger one fairly accurately."

He paused before continuing, "Therefore, at this point in time, the babies are about two weeks farther advanced than they should be. I realized as I encouraged the younger one, that if they could both gain even two weeks, it would become impossible for us to have fathered either of them. Therefore, once I was sure that they were both in the same stage of development; I encouraged both of them to mature at a somewhat faster rate. I am afraid that is why a few of your jeans are not comfortable anymore, my love," he added for Sam's benefit.

"You should also know that, even if I leave Samantha today, the children will continue to mature at an accelerated pace for at least another two weeks. They should be a full month older than what they would be if I had not encouraged their growth. In other words, when they are born, they will come earlier than what our present calculations would have them arriving by one month. It also means that the time for me to become dormant has accelerated, as well, however, so it will very soon be time for me to transfer to Daniel. In fact, both Samantha and I suspect it will be accomplished this weekend while Per'sus, Malek, and Anise are here to oversee the blending and help Samantha."

Of the two shocked faces looking at him, Daniel recovered first. "I'm glad, Lantash. It's one more layer to fit snuggly around our sons and keep the truth hidden. Thank you."

Janet nodded slowly, then said, "I would like for you and Sam to come in for some tests two weeks from Monday, Lantash. Since you now know that you are pregnant, I can safely run tests that will show us how far along you are. Unless I've miscalculated something, at that time, you should be around nine weeks pregnant, is that correct, Lantash?"

"Yes, it is. A full month before Martouf and I were here for our weekend with Samantha. During the month prior to the summit, we did not leave the Tok'Ra base. Therefore, as you can see, these children cannot possibly be ours."

"Lantash, I love you. Why didn't you tell me, though?" Sam asked him softly.

"I was not sure it was going to work as well as I thought it would, and I have only been sure that we would actually reach that advanced a time frame within the last few days, when I have done little but watch them. I hope you are not angry with me, Samantha. I simply wanted to make sure it would work before I mentioned it. There was no point in either worrying you needlessly, or getting your hopes up and having them dashed, as there would be time enough to worry if it had not been successful," he replied just as gently and softly as she spoke to him.

"No, I'm not upset at all, I'm just happy that you remembered to do it. To be completely honest, I had forgotten we even talked about it, so I'm relieved that not only did you remember, but that it's working as it should."

"It also explains why, if your mother was five weeks pregnant when she developed her morning sickness that you are now beginning to also have it. Essentially, you are five weeks pregnant. With no outside stimulation, you would be seven weeks along when you go to see Janet in two weeks time. With the added encouragement from me, you will be nine weeks at that time. It also means that your nausea will be almost over by then, if it only lasted for two months at most for your mother, and you are indeed following in her footsteps, so to speak."

Sam smiled at him. "That's true. Thank you, Lantash. That is even more wonderful news." She hugged him close.

"Yes, I was very relieved when I realized that part of what was occurring. I am glad to know that you will not have to worry about the morning sickness for very long. That, I admit, did not really register with me until a few moments ago."

"I'm thrilled to hear that part as well as the other, Lantash, and as I said, I'm not upset, only glad that you remembered to do it. This will definitely be a good thing, I'm very sure of it," she assured him firmly, as she gave him a very loving caress.

Downstairs the doorbell chimed. Daniel stood and said quietly, "Thank you, Lantash. I'm very glad you went ahead and did that. I know we discussed attempting it, and I'm very relieved that you didn't forget. I'll go answer the door and see you all down there shortly." He smiled them once more, before he left the room.

Janet's eyes were alight with interest. "I'm looking forward to talking to you about all of these things, Lantash. It really will be a great layer of protection, and it will mean that Sam's morning sickness will pass faster. That's a very good thing. Now, how are you going to explain that you know it's twins at this point? I've given that a little thought, and in order for you to know already, you would actually have to be a lot farther along than what you are going to be able to pass off. Six weeks is the absolute earliest that can be determined, so, how did you happen to figure this out?"

Lantash nodded. "Actually, we need to warn Jacob that he is the one that discovered the fact that it is twins. We will say that Samantha began feeling ill and, when she talked to you, we decided that she should check for pregnancy. Her home test came back positive. Even though the test showed pregnancy, Jacob decided to use the healing device to be sure that there was nothing wrong that could be causing her nausea and dizziness. When he did so, he found the 'twins'. Will that not work, Janet? He was here a little over a week ago. We could have found out then, hence the doubles of all the baby furniture."

"Yes, I think that will work out fine. That way you'll be farther along, but it'll be where you actually are. That will work better than giving a false timeframe that would be stretching it when the actual birth came around. Are you going to tell him then?"

"Yes, we should probably go down now, see who arrived, and if it was my dad, as I suspect from the increase in the feelings of the naquadah in the house, I'll try to get him to one side. Then I can explain it all to him and make sure he has the entire cover story down pat," Sam came forward to say, as they left the bedroom.

Daniel descended the stairs to answer the door. He suspected that it was Jack and Teal'c or Jacob, Per'sus, and Anise. It was all five of them. He swung the door open wide and invited them all in. Anise was dressed very appropriately in a pair of jeans and a casual shirt over a camisole top. It was amazingly stylish on her, but in an understated way, and it was a far cry from her usual mode of dress.

He led them through the house and out onto the back deck where Malek and Cassie sat chatting like old friends. Jack and Jacob went immediately to the grill discussing the finer points of grill cooking, and Teal'c returned to Jack's truck to bring in more supplies. Making sure that Cassie was all right with the three Tok'Ra, he then began to give Teal'c a hand. This cookout was a gift of Jack's and he had insisted on buying and preparing everything. With Sam sick, it was just as well that he had, although at first they had felt uncomfortable allowing him to do everything. At this moment, Daniel was just very thankful that he had done so.

He could not wait to see Jack's face when they announced the wedding, the pregnancy, and the twins. Once he was over the shock, Jack would be over the moon at the thought of having two kids to spoil rotten. It really was a shame that Jack didn't remarry and have children of his own. He had been a good father to Charlie, Daniel was sure of that, and he would be a good father to other children if he had any. Well, there were going to be several single women here that weren't in Jack's direct chain of command. Maybe one of them would tickle his fancy.

He was shocked, when after his second foray to the truck to bring in more of the cookout makings, he saw Jack and Jacob talking—and laughing—with Anise. She seemed quite relaxed and so did Jack. Maybe seeing her in something other than her normal wardrobe would allow Jack to see her as more than just a snake. Daniel knew from experience that she could be an intelligent and interesting conversationalist. He hoped Jack would see that about her, too. He knew that Freya liked Jack a lot and he thought that Jack, if he gave himself the chance, would like Freya, and Anise, for that matter. He turned and left without interrupting them.

Not seeing Sam or Janet anywhere, he frowned. He hoped she was not sick again. Maybe he should check on her. He ran swiftly up the stairs but stopped just before he reached the open bedroom door, as the two women walked out of it. They were both smiling, so he assumed everything was all right. It took only a minute for them to put him in possession of Jacob's role in finding that it was not just that Sam was pregnant; she was pregnant with twins.

He walked behind them down the stairs after they explained about Jacob. They hadn't had a girl's night since before Martouf died. He would suggest that they do that soon. Daniel firmly believed that many women were made differently when it came to companionship needs. While there were some women that didn't, most needed other women in their lives as confidants and friends. He would be sure that Sam didn't lose that just because they were married.

They were almost to the bottom of the stairs, when he realized he had stopped and simply watched them. He heard Janet laugh lightly, and although he could not hear exactly what they were saying, he could tell that there was a smile in Sam's voice. He smiled. It would work out. They would get there. He was determined that Sam would someday be completely happy again. Between Lantash and himself, they would do everything they could to see it happen. They were already to the kitchen door as he reached the bottom step, the slight smile still on his lips.

"You appear in good spirits, Daniel Jackson. Is Major Carter doing better?"

Daniel nodded, but also said, "Yeah, Teal'c. I think she is, but you know, it's really hard on her. She misses him so much. However, she's doing her best to move forward. All three of us are. I think we're gonna be okay."

Teal'c agreed. "I am glad to hear you say so. I believe that Major Carter looks much more rested than she did even a few days ago. I believe that once Lantash has transferred to you, and she mourns the loss of him, then she will truly begin to recover. It will be the final severance, and that is what must happen now in order for the three of you to go forward as a mated pair."

"I have long known that Major Carter did not look upon you as a sibling, although I did not and do not believe that she knew it in her own heart. I also knew that she loved Martouf and Lantash deeply, and that was why she kept the truth about her love of you from even herself. It would have remained hidden for the remainder of her life had this not occurred. Now that it has, you will have a lasting joining and long years of happiness. I am feeling much joy for you both."

It was a long speech for Teal'c, and Daniel was very touched that he would have said so much to him about such an intimate subject. "Thank you, Teal'c. That means a lot to me."

Teal'c bowed his head and handed Daniel the sacks of chips he was holding before turning and heading back out the door to retrieve yet more "fixings" as Jack called them. Teal'c had said what he wanted to say, and it was back to business as usual.

Daniel grinned, turned, and headed for the kitchen. He'd better get busy. They didn't have much more time before people started arriving. Looking out the sliding glass door, he saw Sam chatting with Jacob, Anise, and Jack. She would be about to tell him that he was the one who discovered that she was having twins. Daniel's smile grew. There was no doubt, whatsoever, that Sam was truly excited about having twins. She honestly wanted these babies, both of them.

Things appeared to be moving slowly toward becoming better, at least for the moment. They would have some very bad days very soon when Lantash changed hosts; they all knew that was coming and more or less what to expect. They were taking things as they came and addressing each situation as it arose. It seemed to be making things a little easier to cope with, so that was where and how they would continue to live for as long as they could.

Today, at least, should be a very pleasant series of moments. He was glad that they had discussed it, and decided that they would try to live each moment as it came, instead of constantly worrying about what the future might hold for them. Therefore, since that was what they had decided, that was what they would do; they would go forward and live life as it came. In the moment.

TBC