A/N: Surprise! Another chapter this week to make up for my long absence.
Chapter 11
Sam's anger simmered just below boiling as she rode with Jack to her house. After effectively playing his trump card, Woolsey had promptly ordered Walter to dial P2X-014. The Master Sergeant had looked like he was ready to argue, but Jack had given him a silent nod, not wanting Walt to face disciplinary actions for refusing an order.
No one had been more surprised than Sam, however, when Woolsey proceeded to invite a small delegation of Kisqua to Earth for in-person negotiations. It had taken everything within her not to lash out. Jack, on the other hand, had no issues telling Woolsey exactly what he thought of his cockamamie plan, which led to Woolsey demanding Sam and Jack leave the base, claiming their presence would inflame an already tense situation. The bastard.
Dr. Brightman had argued vehemently against sending Sam off-base, but had stopped short of overriding Woolsey's authority with her medical one when Sam had given her a small head shake. At this rate, Woolsey would insist on bringing in an IOA doctor and that was something Sam refused to entertain. Allison may have been uncouth in her suggestion to terminate the pregnancy, but Sam still trusted her. The woman was remorseful and had told Sam as much as she'd drawn her blood just before Sam and Jack left the base. Allison would keep an eye on things, along with Daniel and Teal'c, while Sam and Jack got started on Plans B, C, and maybe D. The ultimate agreement being everyone knew Woolsey and the IOA were in way over their heads. A peaceful solution to this situation would take a miracle…or a sacrifice that Sam wasn't willing to give.
"Aw, hell," Sam muttered when Jack made the turn down her street. Pete's car sat in her driveway, the silver hatchback making her heart and gut clench. She'd forgotten all about him. Her fiancé . Reaching up, she pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.
"What do you want to do?" Jack asked simply, pulling onto the concrete pad and parking next to Pete's car. The idea of the shrub having anything to do with raising Jack's kid made him sick to his stomach, but Jack realized that was another aspect of this situation he had no control over.
"I can't expect him to be okay with this," she looked down at her lap and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "I'm pregnant with another man's baby."
"You've done nothing wrong," Jack reminded her. "He loves you," he forced the words past his lips, "he'll understand." It was on the tip of his tongue to add I would, but he refrained. Despite the current situation they were in, Sam had already made her choice between them, and Jack accepted he hadn't been it.
Sam nodded, unsure how to proceed. It didn't escape her that up until this point, the man she'd agreed to spend the rest of her life with hadn't factored into any of her decisions. She never even thought to consider him or his reactions, instead choosing to focus on Jack and herself. That alone spoke volumes.
"Sam!" Pete called from the front porch, waving at them before jogging down the steps and toward Jack's truck.
"I've got your six, Carter," Jack said, opening his door.
"Thank you, sir," she nodded gratefully before climbing out of the truck cab and letting Pete pull her into his warm embrace.
"Welcome to Earth," Richard Woolsey greeted the Kisqua delegation as they walked through the event horizon and down the ramp. "I am–"
"Where is the one ripe with child?" Cholti demanded as he strode toward a small group of people at the bottom of a large metal ramp. He immediately recognized the man with glasses and the Jaffa warrior; they were the ones who'd freed the woman and the Alteran. Beside them stood a shrewd-looking man, who was extending his hand.
"Colonel Carter is not here," Woolsey said stiffly, pulling his hand back with a frown. "For obvious reasons, I'm sure you understand."
"And the Alteran?" Cholti glanced around. It was he who worried Cholti the most. With his ancestry, the Alteran could easily become a threat if given the opportunity. It was one of the reasons Cholti had been so quick to escalate the situation in an effort to resolve the matter quickly.
"I also thought it best if General O'Neill was not present for our negotiations," Woolsey answered. "Why don't you come with us to the conference room and we can begin to discuss relations between our two worlds," he gestured to a set of stairs.
"There will be no relations between our worlds as long as you keep the one ripe with child from us," Cholti threatened, not moving.
"Colonel Carter," Woolsey bristled slightly. "The one you are referring to has a name. I would appreciate it if you use it." Beside him, Daniel grunted in approval.
"I demand to see the one ripe with—Colonel Carter," Cholti allowed, noticing the steely glint in his adversary's eyes. He would not make headway by pretending to be obtuse.
"Thank you," Woolsey nodded once. "Now, as I was saying. I am Richard Woolsey, lead IOA representative and the one you spoke with earlier. I believe you have already met Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c," he indicated the two people to his left. "Allow me to introduce Shen Xiaoyi and Jean LaPierre, our Chinese and French IOA representatives."
Cholti frowned but held his tongue. Bluster and threats were not going to get him far, he realized. The man before him was obviously a diplomat and expected certain civilities. It was a game Cholti knew well, so he dialed the hostility down a notch and gave the one called Woolsey a sharp nod.
"Let us begin negotiations and see if we can come up with a compromise to benefit both our worlds," Woolsey said with a tight smile.
The man was willing to negotiate, Cholti realized. It was a good sign. Perhaps he would be able to use this to his advantage and avoid a war. It wasn't in his people's best interest to engage in combat with a world that had access to Alteran genetics. He had a suspicion these people were unaware of the true significance of their so-called ATA gene, but he wasn't willing to push that assumption. Yet.
"Very well," Cholti said, keeping his voice forceful but somewhat respectful. He nodded to one Kisqua soldier, silently telling him to remain behind while motioning for the other to follow as they made their way up the stairs. All of them knew their orders, now Cholti just needed to buy some time for them to be carried out.
Sam followed Pete into her house. Looking over her shoulder she saw Jack slip inside then shut the door before crossing into the kitchen. Pete turned to her, leaning in for a kiss that Sam returned quickly, keeping it chaste and quick. She hated the look of disappointment that crossed his face, but cut her eyes over to Jack, hoping he understood. Pete frowned, but then his dopey smile returned as he pulled her into a hug once again.
"I missed you," Pete said into her neck, "you had me worried when you didn't come home last night."
Sam returned his embrace for a second before carefully extracting herself, giving his hand a gentle squeeze in an attempt to lessen her quiet rejection of his affection.
"Babe?" Pete cocked his head, finally reading her uncomfortable body language. He cut his eyes to Jack, who had helped himself to a glass of water. Jack crossed back into the living room and handed another glass to Sam. "What's going on?" Pete frowned.
"Something happened," Sam stated hesitantly, "on our last mission."
"But you're okay, right?" He looked her up and down, not seeing any telltale signs that usually accompanied her explanation that something had happened.
"I'm pregnant," she responded in an almost whisper, watching as the words settled over her fiance and feeling Jack stiffen next to her.
"Oh my gosh!" Pete exclaimed, taking a step forward as elation suddenly filled him. "We're having a baby?!"
"It's not yours," Sam said, unconsciously taking a step back and to the side and positioning herself closer to Jack.
Pete jerked to a halt, his eyes narrowing. "What?" His voice was a combination of confusion and anger.
"It's just that I—well we–" she gestured between Jack and her, looking at her commanding officer with wide, panicked eyes.
"We were attacked," Jack cut in, watching Pete's face go through a multitude of emotions. The man immediately recoiled, a look of utter disgust crossing his face at the implication of what Sam being attacked and subsequently pregnant meant. Jack had expected this man that professed to love Sam to immediately seek to comfort her, but Pete didn't. Instead he took a quick step backwards.
"I tried to stop them," Sam said too softly.
Jack could tell Pete's reaction was making Sam close in on herself, forcing her to shoulder the blame for something that wasn't her fault. Before Jack could stop himself, he lifted a hand to the small of her back. "It wasn't your fault, Carter," he said, moving forward until she could lean her side into his chest, giving her whatever comfort she was willing to take.
Pete's eyes flashed at Jack's actions as he ran a hand roughly over his face. "He's right," he ground out in a harsh tone, "it's not your fault." He reached a hand out, then hesitated as if the thought of touching her was repulsive before finally patting her shoulder awkwardly. "Besides," he huffed out a breath, "I'm sure the military will make all the arrangements to take care of the problem."
Sam straightened away from Jack, her face one of confusion. "Take care of the problem?" She frowned at him.
"Yah," Pete shifted from one foot to the other. "I mean, it's not like you'd want the reminder–" he paused at the look on her face.
"Pete, I'm keeping the baby," Sam told him emphatically, a protective hand over her abdomen.
"What?" He asked, incredulously, his eyebrows raising toward the ceiling. "You can't be serious?"
"I am," she nodded. "I may not like how this baby came into existence, but I'm allowed to want it," she echoed Teal'c's earlier words.
"Sam," Pete practically whined, "I don't know if I can raise another man's child."
Sam pinned him with a hard stare. His reactions to her news hadn't been unexpected. She assumed he'd be shocked and dismayed, but his hesitation to offer even the slightest bit of comfort had not escaped her notice. If it hadn't been for Jack, she's fairly certain Pete would have blamed her for the entire situation.
"I'm sorry Pete," Sam finally said, shaking her head, a decision made, "I know this is a shock, but I won't ask you to raise this baby knowing how you feel about it." Her voice was gentle, falling back on how she used to handle Jonas' outbursts.
"Feel about it?" Pete sputtered. "Now wait a minute, I didn't say I wouldn't do it!" Pete backpedaled quickly. "You came at me with this out of left field, babe. Give me a minute to process before you start issuing ultimatums."
"It's not an ultimatum," Sam maintained her gentle voice. "Pete, your first thought wasn't to ask me if I wanted the baby, it was to assume I didn't. You aren't prepared for this and I won't put you through it. You deserve better," she slipped her dog tags over her head and unhooked the chain. She slid the engagement ring he'd insisted she keep close off, putting it on the table next to her when he refused to take it.
Something hard flashed in Pete's eyes before he hid it behind false sincerity. "Sam, it's just a shock that's all. We'll work this out," he pleaded.
But Sam couldn't ignore that flash of rage she'd seen. Experience had taught her to never trust that expression on a man's face, no matter their words. She'd never forgive herself if that rage and resentment spilled over onto Jack's child. More importantly, Jack would never be able to forgive her and that was the deciding factor. "I'm sorry Pete, I've made my decision," she said with finality.
"So that's it!?" Pete practically sneered. "You bulldoze me with this news, then just end things?" He turned to glare at Jack. "So, she brought you along for what? Moral support?" He spat and turned away to grab his coat.
Jack said nothing, following Sam's lead and allowing her to handle Pete as she saw fit. While he hadn't liked the man before, their interaction today told him everything he needed to know. There was no doubt in Jack's mind what would have happened to his child had Pete stayed in the picture and the very idea of it made him sick.
"I'm whatever she needs me to be," Jack replied with a shrug, his eyes conveying everything that he fought against saying out loud. His gaze met Pete's for an extended moment before the man finally seemed to accept what was happening.
"Bye, Sam," Pete cast a long, dark look at her before shaking his head and jerking open the door. He slammed it with enough force to dislodge a photograph from the wall, sending it to the floor with a clatter as the glass in the frame cracked.
Sam let out a long breath she didn't realize she was holding and reached to squeeze Jack's hand in a silent thank you. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."
"Don't be," Jack gave her fingers a return squeeze before letting her hand slip from his. "I meant what I told him. I'm whatever you need me to be and, in that moment, you seemed to need a friend to lean on."
Sam nodded and let out another long sigh before quickly dismissing her ex-fiancé. She and Jack had plans to make and she couldn't afford to wallow in the aftermath of a breakup. Time was running short. "Let me go grab my bug out bag," she told him, "then let's get the hell out of Dodge."