O'Neill residence
Colorado Springs, CO
December 28, 1999

They had arrived back home about an hour ago and when they'd stopped at the grocery store, Sam had begged off and stayed in the car with Ife. It hadn't taken Jack long and when they finally got home, he carried their bags and the groceries inside while Sam put their little girl to bed for a nap.

"Laundry is in the washer," he said, after returning from the laundry room.

Sam looked up from where she was putting the groceries away. "Good. There was a message from Daniel for you on the answering machine."

Jack figured Daniel either wanted to know when their next mission was or if he could take more leave to spend on Abydos – he'd been due to return on the weekend. Either way, it could wait. "I'll call him back later."

"Mark also left a message, to thank me for the presents I sent and to wish me a merry Christmas," she said, after a beat.

"That's good, right?"

Sam nodded slowly, handing him the two boxes of Fruit Loops he'd bought to put away. "Yeah, it's just… strange. He sounded different on the machine."

He shrugged, "Well, he's probably unsure of how to deal with your, um, return."

"I know." She paused, an unfocused look in her eyes. "The whole situation is weird. I missed out on so much. He and Dad made up after years of not speaking and they grew pretty close from what Mark told me over the phone."

"Your dad knew he was dying and wanted to mend fences."

Sam made a noncommittal sound before shaking her head mirthlessly, "I bought presents for the nephew I've never met. Poor kid probably didn't even know of my existence."

Jack recalled Jacob mentioning his grandson was born a few months after Sam had escaped the Goa'uld, but that was pretty much all he knew about the kid. Or the rest of Mark's family. "You can fly out there to see them when you're ready."

"I know, it's just… so much has happened while I was gone. It's hard."

"It's got to be pretty tough learning people's lives continued and they moved on," he said, having experienced something similar after his time in Iraq. "You were gone for almost two and a half years."

"It's not that I expected or wanted everyone to put their lives on hold while I was off-world, but it's just… strange," Sam concluded, reiterating her earlier words.

He got the feeling there was more to it than her brother having a kid and her dad dying, but he recognized her desire to change the subject. "Were there any other messages?"

She gave him an indecipherable look, "Were you expecting more?"

"I figured Teal'c might have called. He should have gotten back by now, even if he did swing by the Jaffa Rebellion's headquarters as he suggested."

"I wonder how they're doing."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Bra'tac?"

"And the others."

He vaguely recalled hearing about another Jaffa or two that she'd befriended and wondered if she missed them. "I'm sure Teal'c can tell us more about them when he gets back."

"Does Teal'c live nearby?"

"Um, on base, actually."

She frowned, "Why?"

That was a discussion he'd had with Hammond a couple of times already but he probably shouldn't tell her that. "The brass don't feel comfortable letting him get a place of his own."

"Because he's from off-world?"

"No, because he's an alien that looks, thinks, acts and talks like an alien most of the time," Jack said, suspecting her fears and wanting to alleviate them. "He'd stick out like a sore thumb from his behavior alone, never mind that gold tattoo on his forehead."

That seemed to have reassured her somewhat. "But he's allowed to go off base?"

Jack shrugged, "Most of the time, but if he goes out in public he has to be accompanied by someone from the SGC. That's usually someone from SG-1 or Fraiser or Catherine."

"Does he visit here often?"

"Sometimes. We used to have team nights every now and then and he'd stay over, hence all the candles Teal'c left here."

"Right."

He had an idea of why she'd started asking all these questions about T and sighed, "You can call Teal'c any time you'd like and invite him over, Sam. You wouldn't have to go to the SGC to talk to him. Discussing classified information isn't allowed in public, but the house is secure."

She was biting her lip and fiddling with something in her hands when she looked up at him from under her lashes. "General Hammond left a voicemail. For me. He wants to meet."

"You could always ask him to come here," Jack said. Her behavior and questions suddenly made sense. She'd been so relieved to leave the mountain after her quarantine and expressed a desire to stay the hell away from it. The place had been like a second home to him despite some of the stuff that had happened to him there so he felt differently about it, but her distaste made sense in light of what had happened to her there – two years ago and her recent quarantine. Surely Hammond would understand.

"Maybe," she said, shrugging. "But I think he wants to discuss my options or maybe debrief me further, for neither of which the living room is professional or appropriate."

She was right, of course. Her medical leave was coming to an end and a decision had to be made, but she hadn't expressed a desire to stay in the Air Force or work at the SGC in whichever capacity.

He felt a bit apprehensive about the choice she might make.

Before, she'd mentioned getting her own place and implied not sticking around Colorado Springs. Maybe she wanted to be closer to her brother, her only sibling. That was before she'd made the confession about Ife's paternity, but they still hadn't discussed what she might do in the future.

Jack liked to think this thing between them could be explored more fully when she was ready, but he had no idea how long that would take or if she'd still be interested in it when the time was right for her. Sure, she'd initiated contact between them on Christmas and let him share her bonding moment with Ife while breastfeeding. It was a good sign but no declaration of love or even intention. For all they knew, she'd never be ready for real intimacy, a romantic relationship, in spite of how well she seemed to be coping right now.

"Then I guess you need to decide whether you're ready to return to the SGC and decide what you want to do career-wise," he said in as neutral a tone he could muster.

"Those two aren't mutually exclusive," Sam said pensively.

He shrugged but silently wondered how much thought she'd given her – their – future, "You've got options."

Frowning, she stared at the countertop. "It seems like all I have are options. How do I decide?"

"Depends on what you want to do."

"I don't know if I want to stay in the Air Force or even work at the SGC, in whatever capacity."

Jack placed his elbows on the counter, his hands just inches away from hers, and looked up at her. "So, if not the Air Force and not the SGC… then what would you do?"

She copied his position, holding his gaze. "I don't know."

"Work in the private sector?" He chuckled when she made a face and gently bumped her fingers with his. "I've seen your record, Sam. You're an astrophysicist and a good officer with the potential for a hell of a lot more than a mere captain."

"I was all that. I'm not sure I am anymore," she said softly.

He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, "You are."

A look of disbelief crossed her face but she didn't pull away. "I haven't felt like a captain in the Air Force in more than two years."

"And during all that time, you found a way to survive," he reminded her. "Hell, you even saved Earth from Apophis and me from Hathor. And to top it all off, you started a Jaffa Rebellion. Are you telling me your instincts and training as an officer played no part in that?"

"I guess that's true," she said slowly, frowning. "I hadn't thought of it like that."

Jack raised a brow, "You're a lot stronger than you're giving yourself credit for, Sam."

She shook her head and looked away, "It's not that. It's… I don't know."

"You've been gone for a long time, it's only natural to have doubts. Maybe you need more time to think this through."

"It shouldn't be this hard," she sighed. "It's the Air Force, either at the SGC or elsewhere. Or I go at it as a civilian."

"Either at the SGC or elsewhere," he added. "There are definitely more opportunities as a civilian for someone with your qualifications, even if you don't want to go into the private sector."

"But I have no idea what kind of job I'd want."

Jack gave a one-shouldered shrug as he entwined their fingers together. "Well, you wouldn't have to get a job right away. You've got Ife and you two can stay here for as long as you want, so you don't have worry about money."

She gave him a small smile and squeezed his fingers, "And I'll probably receive my back pay soon, too. But I don't think I could be a stay-at-home mother."

"You'd get bored," he said. She'd started a Jaffa Rebellion while on the run, after all.

"Ever since I was little, all I wanted was to become an astronaut."

"That why you enrolled, to make it easier to get into NASA?"

Sam nodded, a far-away look in her eyes. "That was the plan, until I got assigned to Project Giza and then the Xenophysics Department at the Pentagon."

"And then you requested reassignment to the SGC."

She chuckled mirthlessly, "Yeah and look where that got me."

Jack understood the sentiment but he also knew the chances of coming back alive from a mishap with a man-made spacecraft or space station weren't very good either. Besides, if she hadn't been working at the Xenophysics Department then they probably never would have met that day in Washington, DC and Ife never would have been born. "Why did you want to go to the SGC?"

"Because of the stargate."

"You wanted to see it in action?"

She straightened up and released his hand, moving to the last bag of groceries. "They called me the resident expert of the stargate at the Pentagon, even though I'd never even been in the same room with the gate. So, yeah, I wanted to see it in action. I wanted to travel through it."

He watched as she unpacked more things, trying to recall the details about the requests he'd read in her file. "Be on an SG team?"

"SG-1 was my dream job," she admitted, smiling. "But I would have been happy with any of the thirty-six spots, regardless of which team it was."

"Traveling to other planets, the adventures, being on the front lines, the thrill and excitement…"

She carefully placed a carton of eggs on the counter and quickly checked the contents to make sure everything was intact. "The endless possibilities, the physics behind it all and knowledge we could gather," she added.

Jack smiled at the way her eyes lit up as she spoke. He was glad she was still capable of feeling such excitement after everything she'd gone through. "So, do those reasons still apply?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'd understand if the traveling, adventures and being on the front lines of a galactic war lost their appeal after what happened on your mission and with the Goa'uld, but I don't think anyone would expect you to return to an off-world team."

She'd turned her back to him to put some of the groceries in the fridge but he noticed how her shoulders tensed. "It is a possibility," she said.

He'd thought about what would happen once she returned to Earth – before he'd known about Ife – and of course he'd discussed it with Hammond more recently, so he had a pretty good idea of the possibilities for her within the SGC. An assignment to an SG team was highly unlikely. Going off-world on occasion was a possibility though, depending on whose expertise was needed. "The screening process for off-world teams is different from the first year of the Program. More thorough and complex. Besides, there aren't even any openings right now."

"I guess I wouldn't pass the test these days," she said, looking down.

"Would you want to?"

Sam turned to face him and shrugged, "I don't know. I think I've seen enough planets for now."

He handed her a carton of milk from the counter and waited until she'd put it away before he spoke, "Nothing wrong with that. There's still all the science-y stuff at the lab though."

"Science-y stuff?"

"Yeah," he smirked at her puzzled look, "in the labs. There are a couple at the SGC's Science Department for doohickeys, gadgets, doodads, gizmos and as yet unidentified off-world crap. To study and retro-engineer, if at all possible. The bigger stuff goes to Area 51, along with the shelved tech and stuff of low priority."

She nodded pensively, "Oh."

Shrugging, Jack grabbed the empty grocery bag and put it away. "You know, in case you want to work at the Science Department."

"As a civilian?"

"Or an officer. Both work there and both are possible for you. But you could always become a civilian later on."

Her blue eyes found his dark ones and it looked like she was gauging him, "You think I should stay in the Air Force?"

Jack hadn't actually made up his mind yet, but then it wasn't really his choice to make. "I think you should do what you think is best. But perhaps you shouldn't rush your decision. I wasn't kidding about the career you could have in the Air Force."

"Even after all of this?"

"With some time," he said, leaving the healing part out for now, "yeah. If you want. And at the SGC you could use some of your knowledge to help us against the war with the Goa'uld, even from behind the scenes."

She nodded once and then moved to the other side of the kitchen, seemingly dropping the subject for now. Without a word, she started to make coffee. The intense look on her face told him her mind was still going over her options though. Once the machine beeped she grabbed two cups, poured coffee in both and brought him one. "If I stayed in the Air Force and worked at the SGC, we'd be in same chain of command."

Taken aback by her statement and what it implied, Jack took a sip of coffee before he replied. "Yeah, but we could probably find a way around that… if you want."

"You're General Hammond's second in command," she said, as if reminding him.

"But it's not like you'd be on my team or under my direct command if you were part of the geek squad."

The corners of her mouth tilted upwards in a soft smile. "What about Ife?"

He frowned, unsure of what she meant. "Um, daycare? There are other people who have kids at the SGC."

"I meant what would happen if we told General Hammond that she's yours? You know him better than I do," she added.

Jack had actually thought about the implications for Sam if that truth came to light. She had lied about certain aspects of her life off-world, after all. In her debriefing. One of the reasons she hadn't told him right away was the possibility of treason charges for her, if it became known that she had been in control of her body while hosting Herit during Apophis' attack on Earth. "Maybe it's best not to say anything just yet."

She bit her lip and put her coffee cup down. "Before I make matters even worse?"

"You never know," he said. "There are people who'd love nothing more than to bring down the SGC and they could use it against you."

"Would it be worse than everyone thinking she's harsesis, though?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've thought about that… we have Skaara's DNA on file, so we could just run a DNA test to prove she isn't his."

"And they'd assume the same thing you did, initially."

"Yeah."

Frowning, Sam hesitantly reached for his hand. "But what about you?"

He patted her hand and plastered a smile on his face, "No one suspects she's mine and it's not like they could just access my DNA sample from the military DNA database to check paternity. That's only for identifying remains."

"But I thought you wanted to be involved in her life?"

"I do," Jack said with conviction, squeezing her hand. "But not at the cost of you being brought up on charges or worse."

She pulled her hand away as tears welled up in her eyes. "But what kind of role could you play in her life if you're not listed as her father?"

"I want to be part of both your lives," he told her earnestly. "After you told me the truth I gave this a lot of thought and I came up with a solution. I could adopt Ife… as long as you want us to be… involved. Then I wouldn't have to come forward as her biological father and no one would be the wiser."

Stargate Command
Colorado Springs, CO
December 30, 1999

It was surprising how easy it was to fall into her role of Air Force officer the moment Sam set foot on base. The tailored dress blues helped, both to remind her and as a shield of sorts. There had been looks and glances cast her way as she walked along the corridors of the SGC but those were nothing new. Even at the Pentagon, before everything, she'd been aware of the way others looked at her. The reason might be different now, although there was no telling if any of them even knew who she was and what had happened to her.

Somehow, the not knowing helped her to keep going.

She smoothed her hands down her skirt and looked at the base commander at the opposite side of the desk. After talking her options through with Jack it hadn't taken her long to make a decision, but she was a little nervous about the General's response.

"I'm pleased to see you're looking well, Captain," Hammond said. "Colonel O'Neill told me you and your daughter are adjusting just fine to being back on Earth and the CMO informed me of your progress after your last check-up."

"Yes, Sir," Sam said, nodding.

The General smiled warmly at her as he leaned back in his chair. "I must admit I was surprised to hear from you so soon. We don't expect you to make a choice right now."

"I believe it's time to start moving forward, Sir."

"There is no rush, Captain."

She knew he probably meant it, but she also remembered how a prolonged medical leave would be interpreted as a weakness in the Air Force, especially when it concerned a female officer. "I understand, Sir. But I would like to return to active duty."

There was a brief look of surprise on his face before he schooled his features and reached for a folder on his desk. Her file. "Do you believe you're ready, Captain?"

"Yes, Sir."

"You do realize you would have to pass your physicals and be cleared medically before you could return to active duty?"

She nodded her understanding and sat up even straighter. "With all due respect, Sir, I've spent a long time traveling off-world and am probably in better physical condition than I've ever been."

His eyebrows rose at her reply and he studied her file before he spoke again, "That's not what Doctor Fraiser's report says, Captain."

"I'm aware of her conclusions, Sir. I won't deny that it wouldn't hurt to gain some weight, but I've always been on the lower end of the scale. My physical condition hasn't suffered from it. As a matter of fact, my muscle tone is great and I'm stronger now than two years ago."

"I won't question your… endurance, Captain Carter. However, I do question your overall fitness." Hammond gestured at her and sighed, "It doesn't take a medical expert to see you're still underweight, although your dress blues hide it well. I was present when you returned to Earth almost seven weeks ago and you were frightfully malnourished. Doctor Fraiser is of the opinion that it will take more time for your fitness to be restored and I happen to agree with her."

Sam gritted her teeth silently, even though she'd known it was a possibility. She couldn't even disagree with him or the CMO, because her body still looked like it belonged to someone else. "Sir, I'm not requesting to return to an SG team. I believe I can make a contribution to the war with the Goa'uld and our exploration of the galaxy from a position at the Science Department of the SGC. I've been informed the physical requirements for such a position are less rigorous and I'm confident I can pass the physical assessment."

General Hammond nodded and steepled his hands on the desk, looking her in the eye. "I'm aware of the position you requested and you are correct about the physical requirements. However, I'm afraid I don't share your opinion, Captain. Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe you can make a tremendous contribution to the SGC from the labs. Your knowledge and expertise already made you a good asset when you first transferred here and with your recent, er, experience, I'd say it makes you invaluable. But I am not convinced you are ready to return to active duty. Yet."

"I'm not sure why you contacted me if that is the case, Sir."

"I would like for you to undergo an assessment to see where you currently are in your recovery, Captain. From there, we can start planning your rehabilitation and eventual return to active duty."

Nails dug into her palms where her hands rested in her lap, but Sam managed to muster a polite smile. There had always been that possibility and she was well aware her chances of returning to active duty were slim if she refused.

Since her talk with Jack, she'd realized she wanted to continue to fight the Goa'uld and support the cause of the Free Jaffa. There was no going back, not after everything she'd gone through. It was time to take up the fight, with the SGC having her six this time. "Of course, Sir."

"To be honest with you, I must admit I was disappointed when I learned you didn't want to continue your sessions with Doctor MacKenzie."

Oh, crap.

"However," the General continued, "every single member of my command must undergo a psychological evaluation after experiencing a traumatic event. Your experience most likely exceeds what most of my people have gone through, which makes it all the more important for you to undergo counseling."

"Sir-"

He held up his hand to forestall any protest, "One of the conditions for you remain in the United States Air Force is a psych eval, Captain. If you wish to be part of my command that includes regular sessions with Doctor MacKenzie or one of our other psychiatrists."

She swallowed hard. "For how long if I may ask, Sir?"

"For as long as I feel necessary, Captain."

"Yes, Sir."

He closed her file and looked up to hold her gaze, his pale blue eyes sympathetic. "You agree to undergo an assessment and mandatory counseling sessions in order to return to active duty, Captain?"

Forcing a smile, she nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good," he said. "If that was all, I will discuss your case with Doctors Fraiser and MacKenzie, who in turn will contact you to make an appointment."

"Actually, Sir, there's one more thing," Sam said, steeling herself.

He looked genuinely surprised and leaned back in his chair, motioning for her to continue. "Captain?"

"It's about my daughter, Sir."

"Yes?"

Sam took a deep breath, suddenly unsure of how to phrase it. Jack's offer to adopt Ife to prevent any complications was more than she could have hoped for, especially after she'd lied to him about Ife's paternity, but she was no longer going to deny their blood connection. Jack deserved more from her. This was one of the few things she could give him. "I've been made aware of speculation surrounding her conception and-"

Hammond interrupted her before she could finish, "I do not expect you to go into detail about such a personal matter, Captain."

"I appreciate that, Sir. But I'm afraid I have to, to avoid certain misconceptions. Colonel O'Neill informed me about the child Apophis had with Doctor Jackson's wife. A harsesis. I have not been entirely truthful about Ife's paternity. Although no one asked me outright, I'm aware everyone assumed my daughter is the result of a sexual relationship between Klorel and Herit, the Goa'uld who possessed me."

"You are saying that is not true?"

She smoothed her hands over her skirt again and nodded, before looking him in the eye. "Yes, Sir. My daughter is not harsesis."

The General narrowed his eyes, suspicion written all over his face. "I don't know how much Colonel O'Neill told you about the harsesis, but I gather it was enough to alarm you. You're a bright woman, Captain. Surely you can understand my skepticism, especially considering your timing."

"Yes, Sir," she said, flushing. "However, I can prove that Ife was not fathered by Klorel. Colonel O'Neill told me-"

"It seems Colonel O'Neill shared quite a bit of classified information with you," Hammond said slowly.

Her instinct was to defend Jack but she knew that would only make it look worse. So, she chose to ignore the accusation. "There is apparently a DNA sample of Skaara, the Abydonian who was taken as host by Klorel."

"You want us to perform a paternity test to prove he is not the father of your child," he concluded. "Even if there was such a DNA sample, then who is to say such a test would be accurate? We don't know much about Goa'uld reproduction and even less about harsesises, but it's my understanding that it takes the Goa'uld's DNA to produce such a child. So, would it not be Klorel's DNA we would need to test? The Goa'uld who conveniently died off-world a few months ago."

"Colonel O'Neill is Ife's father."

The General's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

Sam silently berated herself for just blurting it out and took a moment to gather her thoughts before elaborating. "The day before my mission Colonel O'Neill and I met in Washington, DC. I was still working at the Pentagon and he was there on business. Neither of us knew who the other was back then."

"I take it there was more to it than a simple meeting?"

"We slept together."

"I see."

There was no judgment in his tone and while that was reassuring, Sam felt no shame as she told him what happened. After everything she'd gone through, telling a two-star general about her sex life wasn't all that embarrassing. "I left in the morning and found out about my new assignment. It wasn't until I got here that I made the connection, but then I went on my mission before the Colonel returned from DC."

An uncomfortable silence followed, during which Hammond watched her intently. A few seconds later he broke the silence with a sigh and frowned. "And that, er, meeting resulted in a pregnancy?"

"I didn't know until after the implantation ceremony," she said, fisting her hands at the memory. "I have no idea how my body managed to sustain the pregnancy during my captivity. By the time I was put into the sarcophagus in preparation of the implantation, I was miscarrying without realizing it. Then, after I was made a host, Herit told me about the pregnancy."

"The Goa'uld knew?"

She shrugged, "Only after she'd taken me as a host."

The General rubbed a hand over his face and looked at her pensively. "Is there any chance someone other than Colonel O'Neill is the father?"

"No, Sir. At that time, I hadn't been sexually assaulted. Besides, Herit knew the baby was his right away. I don't know how, perhaps she could sense it or read my memories."

"And Colonel O'Neill is aware of your daughter's paternity?"

Sam nodded slowly, "I told him two weeks ago. He had no idea."

Hammond blew out a deep breath and, for a moment, looked a little lost. "Well, this changes things, Captain."

"I know, Sir."

"I won't go into the fact that while you might not have lied, exactly, about your daughter's paternity, you clearly misled us in your debriefings. I will take some time to consider everything you've told me and decide on a course of action. However, your involvement with Colonel O'Neill-"

Sam didn't want to get Jack into trouble and spoke up, "To be clear, Sir, we are not romantically involved."

"That may very well be the case, but you're staying at his house and, assuming the DNA test proves it, he is the father of your child," he countered.

She nodded an affirmative when he threw her a questioning glance. Hell, if everything went the way she hoped they'd go, then she and Jack would get together eventually. It would just take some time. Rushing things wasn't a good idea under normal circumstances and their situation made things even more complicated. If she managed to screw it up like she had most of her past relationships, then she'd risk ruining Ife's relationship with her dad too.

"Sharing a child, even simply co-parenting, remains a conflict of interest. Colonel O'Neill is my second in command and therefore in the same chain of command as you, Captain. However, considering you will join the Science Department after being reinstated to active duty if all goes well, you'll report to me directly. And in my absence, you'll report to Colonel Dixon."

"Yes, Sir."

General Hammond gave her a long, hard look before he spoke again. "Captain Carter, I want to make sure you understand this does not absolve you. There is a possibility that an investigation will be opened into your actions based on this new information."

"I understand, Sir."

"Colonel O'Neill is aware of all this?"

Sam bit her lip, wondering how he'd react when she got home. "No, Sir. I told him about the paternity when he was on leave and we briefly discussed my career options, but he doesn't know yet about my decision or that I was going to tell you about Ife's paternity."

To her surprise, a small smile appeared on the base commander's face. "Well, it sounds like you two have a lot to discuss. In the meantime, I'll consider what course of action must be taken in light of your confession and I shall request a new birth certificate with Colonel O'Neill's name on it for your daughter. Dismissed, Captain."

"Yes, Sir," she said, getting to her feet. "And thank you, Sir."