As soon as it became clear that Jack would not be home for his weekend with the kids, Sam called to cancel it. She didn't let Sara know how desperate the situation was. Even if Jack didn't end up coming back it would do no good to worry the poor women before things were official.

So she's a little surprised when the kids burst into her house without knocking, throw her a quick hug, and then run off to the bedroom.

"They wanted to come see you," Sara says, "I'll take them back if it's an inconvenience, and I told them only for a few hours."

"I'd love to have them," Sam says shocked that they would choose to be with her, "They can stay the weekend as planned if you want. Of course, I don't want to take them from you more than you want."

"You're pregnant?" Sara asks. Sam's surprised that the woman has to put a question mark at the end of it. She's almost five months along.

"Yes," Sam says offering her a tentative smile.

"I think you and Jack should think about telling his kids they'll have a sibling when he gets back," Sara shifts on her feet on Jack's deck.

"It's not his," Sam says.

Sara looks genuinely surprised at this. "It will be though," she says with confidence. "He's a good man."

Sam swallows hard, she knows that Jack would never imagine that Sara would say that. The Sam says, "I'm sorry I didn't mention it before. I guess I though he told you."

Sara smiles, "You mistook Jack for a talker?"

Sam giggles.

Then Sara hands over a bag. "I'll come back for them on Saturday morning. I packed an obsessive mother list of instructions. Call me if you have questions."

Sam nods. Then Sara steps forward, and gives Sam a hug before she leaves.

-0-

"Sam, you've gotten fat," Ava observes as they cook dinner.

"You're rude, Ava," Charlie scolds.

Sam isn't sure if she should do this without Jack, but Sara seems to think that it is necessary, besides there is no guarantee that Jack is going to be coming back. If he doesn't, well, then maybe she could still have some sort of something with these kids. After all, they seem to like her.

"There is a baby growing inside of me, so that is why my stomach is getting larger," Sam says.

"Oh," Ava says with a shrug while turning back to the food.

Charlie stares at her.

"Dad is going to have another kid?"

Sam pauses. She figures this kid might be too young for the details, "Yes."

"And the new baby will get to live with him all the time?" the little boy says sadly.

"Charlie, you know that your dad couldn't love you anymore than he does, right? This baby isn't going to change anything."

She can tell by this kid's face that this isn't the problem, and then it occurs to her.

"Charlie. The same goes for me. I am always going to love you with everything that I have."

"But this baby is really yours," he says.

"There are a lot of ways of looking at 'real'. You don't have to share blood to be real to each other. When I first found out that I was going to have a baby I was really scared. You too were the reason that I started to think I could be a good mother. That's pretty real."

"Yeah, and when I pinch you, you don't wake up," Ava says pinching Sam's arm.

"Yes, you are very real," she says kissing her on the top of the little girl's forehead.

"The baby can share my bed," Ava offers.

Sam frowns at bit at that. They hadn't really considered what would happen with bedrooms when the baby came. They'd better figure that out soon. Of course, if Jack didn't come back she supposed that she would go back to her own house at some point.

There were two rooms there: one for the baby, and one for her.

No, she says looking at these children before her. She was always going to have a place for them, no matter where she went in life.

-0-

"Hi, Carter," Jack says trying to put some distance between himself and her now that the age gap has expanded so exponentially.

She has other ideas, and runs over to him, running a hand through his gray hair.

"Don't get used to it," he says.

"A preview of what I'll get if we grow old together," she teases him.

"The hair, and the wrinkles are going back."

Her face goes grave, "I'm glad you're going to be okay. I was worried."

"I'm going to be old. For weeks."

"Oh, if you think I care about that, you've completely misunderstood our relationship," she giggles. He scoots over, and she willingly takes the spot that he has made for her. "I told your kids about the baby."

"Really?" he says sounding surprised, but not angry.

"Sara thought it was time."

"How did Sara know?" he asks. She examines his face trying to figure out why his voice is different about this than his kids. He's concerned about Sara's feelings, but that not necessarily a problem for Sam. She still doesn't quite know exactly how he feels about his ex-wife, and she really wishes he could figure it out.

"She guessed."

"Ah. So it's maybe about time to start telling people?" Jack asks.

This puzzles her a bit. She figured everyone had figured it out by now. Maybe she would have to make a point to tell a few people in their lives, "I…I lied to your kids, Jack," she mutters.

"Oh?"

"I'm not used to talking to kids that young. They…thought you were the father. I didn't know how to tell them you weren't without dipping into the topic of sex and I didn't feel qualified to do that."

He smiles, "I am very okay with the idea of them thinking that it's my kid."

"Do you wish I would tell everyone that it was your kid?"

He shrugs, "I don't want to lie or anything. I just figured it will be my kid. Eventually."

"Oh that is a good answer," she coos leaning back on the bed pulling her arm over him. He leans forward and kisses a spot on her neck.

She purrs in that way that drives him mad, and she feels something on her side which is certainly not a sidearm.

"Glad to see you are going to still be virile in your old age," she teases.

The then nurse walks in and Sam bashfully stands up from the hospital bed she's been on.