FEAR

"Well?"

"Well what," she asked him distractedly. He watched her as she moved around the kitchen and she could feel his eyes on her at every turn.

"Well, we've got the nursery done at an absurd pace and we know they're girls but we still haven't discussed names."

"We've been a little busy Jack," she sighed before taking a taste of sauce.

"And we have three days left of leave. It's just you and me tonight. Sounds like a good time to start thinking about it, don't you think?"

Sam closed her eyes and took a slow breath. She couldn't help it, she couldn't shake this irrational fear. She had been afraid to the nursery but the realization that there wouldn't be another time had made her push past that. She had been afraid to know the sex in case there was yet another monkey wrench thrown into this already bizarre pregnancy. Now, now she was afraid to think of names. What if they came up with names and she miscarried? What if she made it through the pregnancy only to lose them during the birth? There were too many what ifs and she had yet to move past this particular fear –

Jack placed his hands on her very wide stomach from behind her and gently set his chin on her right shoulder. She released the breath she didn't realize she was holding but kept her eyes closed. "Sam," he offered soothingly. "You're not the only one that's afraid here. There are no guarantees with any pregnancy and far more risks with yours than with any other woman's. But I'm not going to let that take away every exciting moment that we are entitled to. Janet's theory about Chaos either preventing the conception or causing the termination of the second baby before we even knew about it makes sense to both you and me. Before we knew it was twins even the crabby Ancient's said they were set on protecting the baby. Regardless of either Chaos' motives or the Ancient's I think that's the best we can hope for. I think that's the only assurance we have to go on and I think we should take it."

"I know Jack," she sighed heavily as she stared down at her sauce. "I'm trying, I really am. But I don't know how to move forward. It's literally paralyzing and I – Jack I can't," she forced out.

"I know," he offered as she wiped away her tears. "… Want me to order from Italian Delight? Your sauce is burnt."