Chapter 2 :

"Thanks." A woman in white smiled at him as he walked out the door, flustered. He walked briskly to his car, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

A few hours later, his best friend received a call from a very excited Colonel.

"Daniel Jackson." He answered, knowing exactly who was calling.

"Daniel! It's me."

"Sam, how are you?"

"It happened!"

"What happened?" Daniel started to get a lump in his throat.

"Someone donated their sperm! I'm going to be a mom!"

"Congrats, Sam. That's great." Daniel tried to sound enthusiastic.

"Why don't you sound excited?" He heard her frown.

"I am, Sam! I am. I'm just.. tired. Who's the donor?"

"Well that's the thing.. the doctor recommended that I should let him remain anonymous. It might make things complicated if I try to discover who it is."

"And you're okay with that?"

"I'm not sure yet, to be honest."

"Hmm." Daniel huffed. He knew his Sam couldn't live forever without knowing.

"Daniel?" He heard her say after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah?"

"How am I going to tell him?"

"Tell who?" He tried to play dumb.

"Jack..." The words rang through both of their ears.

"Just call him." Daniel tried to suggest, knowing it wasn't the right answer.

"I can't just call him, Daniel."

"I know." He sighed. Why didn't they just tell each other already?

"I'll go over there."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Daniel tried to say.

"I think I have to.." She was silent for a few moments.

"Then do it." He responded softly. She hung up the phone before he could get another word in.

xoXoxoXox

Jack was sitting on the porch behind his house, staring up at the sky. Was Charlie up there somewhere? Jack's mind filled with memories of his son and tears started to swell.

He heard the distinct sound of his doorbell and chose to ignore it. He wasn't in the mood for company. He was going to have more children, but they would never really be his. No one would know that they belonged to him, and he wasn't sure how to handle that. All he knew is that what he did would make her happy. Her happiness, above all, was his highest priority.

He heard footsteps to his left and wiped his tears before looking. She stared at him with those big blue eyes and forced a smile.

"Hi." She noticed the tears on his face, but chose not to acknowledge them. She knew how he was with his feelings.

"Hi." He smiled, and motioned for her to sit next to him. "Sorry," He wiped his face. "that must have been you at the door. I was pretending not to be home."

She smirked. "The truck sort of gives it away."

"Yeah, I was just thinking. I needed some time alone." He said, before realizing that he made it sound like he didn't want her there.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave..." She started to get up, but he grabbed her arm.

"No, stay." Their eyes locked in a moment again. "Would you like to come inside?" He smiled at her.

"Yes."

They both walked in and sat on his couch.

"Beer?" He grinned in her direction.

"I shouldn't." She moved her hand over her stomach.

"Oh." He raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations." He smiled at her. "Apple juice then?"

"That would be perfect."

He brought two cups back into the living room, and found her looking at his pictures. She was stuck on one of Charlie in a Halloween costume, smiling with a half-toothed smile. He felt his throat start to swell up again. She turned around, hearing him.

"I'm sorry." She frowned.

"Don't be, that's one of my favorites." He smirked at her, handing her a cup.

"You know, it's not official yet." She looked at the amber-colored liquid in her cup.

"What?"

"I won't know for a while whether or not I'm actually pregnant."

"I know, but I don't have any doubts." He tilted his head back and took a drink.

"You don't? Why? It doesn't always work..and with the naquadah in my blood..who knows what it could do to a baby.."

"Because, if there is someone up there that controls all of this, there's no way he wouldn't let you be a mom."

She smiled and continued to drink her apple juice.

"I'm going to miss you." She let slip, frowning at herself for being so stupid.

"I'm not going anywhere." He smiled in her direction.

He put on a hockey game and fell asleep soon after. She grabbed him a blanket and tucked him in before leaving with a smile on her face.

xoXoxoXox

The next ten weeks were a blur for them both. He tried to see her once in a while, but she was busy visiting family, and he was busy with work. He decided to take Sam's place on a mission, just to get his mind off of things. He soon realized it was a mistake, however, as his friends continued to remind him of the secret he held.

"How can you not tell her, Jack?"

"Daniel..."

"I mean, Jack, who are we kidding here? She's the woman you care about more than anyone else. You've loved her for so long.. if you aren't going to tell her it's yours, could you at least tell her that? I mean.. how long has it been? Eight years now?"

Jack stopped in his tracks and turned around to look Daniel and Teal'c in the eyes.

Thoughts were rushing through his head so fast that it took him a few moments to form words.

"Don't you think I would if I could? I'm still technically her commanding officer. I could never live with myself if I put her reputation in jeopardy because of my feelings."

"General O'Neill, I do not believe that these feelings are solely yours."

"I don't exactly have a reason to think otherwise."

The rest of the trip was silent. Jack wasn't even excited to go home, except that there would be beer on the other side. Beer was the only thing that could drown his thoughts at this point. As they descended the ramp, he barely mumbled, "Briefing in thirty".

Daniel and Teal'c headed toward the locker room, while he headed up to his office to be alone. However, when he arrived, he saw a familiar blonde head of hair sitting at his desk.

"Carter?" He walked in and raised an eyebrow. "To what do I do the pleasure?"

"Sorry." She stood up and clasped her hands. "I handed in my resignation." A small smile spread across her face.

"Congratulations." He forced a smile in return. He was surprised by the tight embraced that followed. It took him a second, but he let his arms relax around her. He breathed in her scent and was instantly filled with a content that had been absent for a long time. She pulled back and he was able to get a look at her. It was the happiest he had ever seen her, and that made him genuinely smile.

"I have my first ultrasound Thursday." She looked him in the eyes.

"That's exciting. Make sure to bring a picture next time." He looked away. She saw that his eyes looked hurt.

"I was wondering if you would come with me." His head perked up.

"Me? Why?" His heart started beating a little faster.

"Well if you don't want to.." She looked down, but he grabbed her shoulder.

"I do." He smiled, but his eyes said much more than the shape of his mouth. He felt warm. "I'll pick you up?"

"That would be great." Her teeth appeared beneath her lips. "I'm going to say hi to Daniel and Teal'c, but I'll see you Thursday?"

"Thursday." He smiled and embraced her again before watching her walk away.

xoXoxoXox

He pulled into the driveway and goosebumps stood up on his arms. He got out of the car and ran his fingers through his hair while making his way to her door. He rang the doorbell and heard rustling from the other side. "Just a second." He heard her muffled voice call out.

She appeared at the door in some skinny jeans and a tight teal sweater. She had a can of ginger ale in her hand. "Come in." She moved aside. He raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Everything okay?"

"Morning sickness." She gave him a sideways frown.

"Ahh." He smiled, reminiscing somewhat. "Tea and honey. It does wonders."

She giggled. "I forget that you have experience."

"Yeah.." He rubbed the back of his neck. She could see in his eyes that we was sad. However, it was for a much different reason than she thought.

"I'm sorry..I shouldn't have.."

"Don't worry about it. Ready to go?" He forced a smile at her.

"Yeah. Just let me grab my jacket."

xoXoxoXox

Jack awkwardly tapped his foot and buried his head into a magazine as Sam changed into a gown. He looked up to see her laying on the table.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, just a little nervous, you know?" She shot him a smile, and he smiled back.

Soon, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello, Sam. How are you today?" Dr. Skinner shut the door behind her, her brown braid brushing against her back.

"I'm okay, how are you?" Sam smiled.

She looked at Jack, a questioning gaze in her eyes. "Good, and you must be Sam's..."

"Commanding officer." Sam interrupted. "Former commanding officer.. General Jack O'Neill."

"Ahh, nice to meet you, General." She let her eyes wander between the two before sitting down. Skinner asked Sam some general questions about how she was feeling, before getting ready for an ultrasound.

"Would you like to sit a little closer, General?" Skinner smiled at him, while pulling up a stool next to Sam.

He silently rose from his seat and sat on the stool next to her.

"It's going to be a little cold, Sam." She rubbed the jelly on her stomach and moved it around. A fuzzy black picture appeared on the screen. Soon, there was a small blob that appeared. Sam slipped her hand inside Jack's. "See that dark region? That's your uterus." Sam and Jack both nodded. "See that small white oval that's ticking?" A tear silently slipped from Jack's eye. "That's a heartbeat, and that's your baby." She smiled at Sam, who was now visibly crying. She made eye contact with Jack, who was strongly gripping her hand, and hiding his face.

"Let me get you some pictures." She smiled and left the room.

Sam looked over to Jack, who was still hiding his face. "Sir?" She squeezed his hand. He looked up at her, showing everything he always tried to hide. She reached up and wiped the tear from his face. "Hey.."

He sniffled. "Thank you, Sam."