"I'm sorry guys!" Cassie was torn between apologizing, because she wasn't able to stop the boys rushing in, and grinning like crazy, because she was so happy for them. "We're leaving you two alone." She said, trying to shoo the kids out.

Sam was nibbling at her lips again, still tasting Jack on them as Jack stepped forward to stop Cassie.

"No, it's…ah well,.. we should probably talk to them…" Unsure his eyes searched for Sam's. They needed to talk to the boys, they couldn't leave it like that, but on the other hand they haven't been able to talk about it themselves. Cassie sensed their dilemma.

"Why don't we go into the living room and we'll meet you there?" She was trying to give them at least a few minutes to prepare for this talk.

"Thanks, we'll be right there." Jack told her. And when the trio left he heard the boys whisper again.

"That was your Birthday wish?" Alex was curious.

"Yeah, I'm missing dad, but I know he's not coming back. So I thought we do love Jack and it would be awesome if he could be our dad, don't you think so?" Ben suddenly wasn't that confident anymore if his wish was also what Alex would want, but he was already smiling.

"Best Birthday wish ever, Ben!"

Relieved Sam let her head fall onto Jack's chest as he took the chance to hug her closely.

"I'd say that is one thing we don't need to worry about." She exhaled and looked up into his deep brown eyes.

"Yes, I'd say so. Look, we don't have much time until we need to go out there. I just want to say I'm okay with everything you want to tell them. We'll start this slow so that everyone can adjust to this new situation, I'll follow your lead Sam."

Lost in thoughts she nodded. "Alright, just the headlines for now. We can figure out the details later. You sure you know what you've got yourself into?"

"Absolutely, Carter. I love you! And I love your kids, all of them!" He stole a quick kiss from her and caressed her belly to underline his statement.

"I love you too, Jack!"

Hand in Hand they went to the living room where the boys already sat on the couch, waiting for them. Cassie got up to leave the four alone, but stopped next to them.

"Congratulations, it's about time. And don't worry, I have a feeling that these two are also happy for you!" She said so that only Sam and Jack could hear her.

Sam took a seat on the couch next to Ben and Alex, she leaned sideways, one leg tucked beneath her. Jack opted to sit on the couch table in front of them. This way they all could look at each other.

"I have no idea how to start this conversation, so I'm just going to ask if you have any questions for us." Sam tried to make this as comfortable as possible for them.

"Is Jack going to be our new daddy?" Ben wanted to know immediately, his question devoid of motive or accusation.

"First of all Jack is going to be my partner" She put her hand on his thigh as she spoke, "we haven't had the chance to talk this all out, but we do love each other and want to be together. He doesn't want to take your father's place, Ben. Pete will always be your dad. However Jack loves you two very much, that is nothing different to before, he has always loved you." She tried to be as diplomatic as possible, not knowing if the kids feared that they would need to call him dad or if Jack would be comfortable to be called this as he has lost a son and she didn't know how involved he wanted to be in all of this, how serious this already was. They needed to sort this out step by step.

"We do love you too, Jack. Very much!" Alex told him, looking straight into his eyes.

"Thank you, Alex!" Jack replied, "I love you two and I do love your mom. And I would really like to be a part of your life on a regular basis."

"But we can call you daddy if we want to?" Ben wanted to know.

"Let's stick with 'Jack' for now and we will let you know when your mother and I had the chance to talk about this, okay?"

"Okay." Ben nodded.

"Are you going to move in with us? We've got plenty of room." Alex offered him.

"Why don't we start with a few sleepovers? What if you find out it's not as much fun to have me around all the time?"

"We know that we like having you around. You've been sleeping here for a while when this happened with dad."

"That's true. Then let's do this again and we'll go from there."

Alex's eyes lit up at the thought of having Jack around more often. "Alright."

Jack and Sam haven't forgotten how to communicate without words, so Jack excused himself to the bathroom as Sam made it clear she wanted to have a moment with the boys of her own.

"So, you two are really okay with Jack being my partner now? I want you to know that you two and your sister are the most important people to me and if you're not comfortable with any of it, we'll stop this."

"Mom, this was what I wished for when I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. This is the best gift I got today."

"And I'm glad Ben made this wish! We love Jack and we love having him here. We're totally okay with it."

They crawled onto Sam as much as possible to cuddle her. Jack, who had been eavesdropping and was glad they accepted him into their family, joined them in their embrace. Secretly he was looking forward to the day they would call him daddy.

"I think we need to go outside again at some point, there are a few people waiting to continue your birthday celebration, Ben." Jack reminded them.

"Right, they are going to wonder where we are." Sam guessed when Jack laughed.

"Cassie is out there with them. I'm pretty sure they already know what's going on here."

"Oh boy!" She rolled her eyes in frustration, but didn't mind it too much.

And Jack was right. All of them had a huge grin on their face when they joined them again. Jack shared a look with Cassie, who just shrugged to feign innocence.

"Traitor!"

"Don't be too hard on her, Jack." Daniel said. "We're all happy for you." Teal'c nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Dannyboy. We appreciate that."

The day went on without drawing much attention to the new situation. Only Sam and Jack sat a little closer and didn't hesitate with physical contact. Their friends were happy for them and the boys were too. And when the day ended and everyone was about to leave, Sam took the opportunity to tell Cassie that they liked John very much.

Finally only Sam, Jack, Alex and Ben remained, the youngest already yawning.

"Time for bed, huh?" Sam started to help them undress.

"Is Jack going to sleep here today?" Alex wanted to know and Sam passed the question on to him.

"Yeah, are you going to sleep here today?" Her question was loaded with hope and excitement.

"I would love to." He answered with a grin on his face.

"Then that's settled, Jack's going to sleep here." Sam told them. "I guess you've got your duffle bag in your car?"

A habit they've all developed, every member of their team had a packed bag ready in their car.

"I'm going to get it quickly. Go, brush your teeth, I'm back in time to tuck you in."

Sam moved into the bathroom with them while Jack stepped outside, making his way to his car. He took a moment to process what happened today. He couldn't believe they were finally doing this, could it be that easy? Finally getting the life he always longed for? Jack swore he wouldn't question it and just chose to be happy.

Back inside he found the others already in the boy's room, the kids too tired to listen to a bedtime story today.

Sam tucked them in and kissed them goodnight. Jack also made his way from one boy to the other, saying goodnight and getting a hug in return from them. As they closed the door the two were nearly asleep.

A little unsure they stood beside each other in the dark hallway.

"So…"

"Yeah,..."

"Let's try not to make this more awkward than it should be. Go on and get changed, I know you long for something more comfortable. I'll clean up everything quickly and then we can sit down and talk."

"You don't need to clean up."

"I know, I'll do it anyway. Go on!"

"Thanks." She had to admit she was really looking forward to putting on her yoga pants and a cozy sweater. "Just…"

"Hm?"

And just because she could she leaned into him and kissed him.

It didn't take her long to change and when she got back Jack was just about to close the dishwasher.

"You want to get changed, too?" She asked him, giving him the opportunity to get cozy too.

"Yes, I'd like that."

"Bedroom is all yours." She announced. "You didn't think you were going to sleep in the guest room, did you?"

A smug smile crept onto his face, only Jack O'Neill was able to smirk like this.

"I was hoping not to."

He was back in no time and as much as she wanted to look him in the eyes while having this conversation she needed to relax more, so Jack reclined comfortably, leaning back against the plush armrest of the couch, while Sam nestled between his legs, her back gently resting against his chest. The warmth of their connection enveloped them, Jack's arms instinctively wrapped around her, providing a sense of security as they enjoyed each other's presence in this moment. It was Sam who broke the silence.

"I can't believe we're finally doing this."

"You better believe it. You won't be able to get rid of me that quickly." He kissed her sweet spot beneath her ear, the only spot he could reach without moving. "So Samantha Carter, you wanna go on a date with me?"

She laughed happily.

"I would love to go out with you. Not sure I'm up to much in my condition, but I want to."

"Not much, maybe just dinner and a movie."

"Dinner and a movie, huh? When I was young this was a code for making out in the dark of the cinema hall."

"Oh I'd take every opportunity to make out with you."

"Yeah?"

"You betcha!"

She turned around just far enough for him to be able to kiss her. The kiss started slow and tender, but developed really quickly into something urgent and passionate. One of his hands intertwined in her hair, the other one on her hip, trying to turn her even more, as much as her belly allowed her she was now lying on top of him, their legs entwined together.

She softly moaned when his tongue made its way into her mouth, duelling with hers.

"If that's where we end up every time we want to talk I can live with that. But it's not going to help us sort this out."

"Right, sorry." His tongue peaked out, wetting his lip on the go.

"Nothing to be sorry for." And here it was, Sam's giggle that was always his undoing.

"As I said, I'll follow your lead, you make the rules."

"No, Jack, we're making them together. The boys seem pretty happy about it. There will be days that are going to be hard and they will miss Pete, but they are young and they are ready to accept you in their lives as more than just their favorite uncle. I wouldn't be surprised if they are going to call you 'dad' from time to time, especially when you're over a lot more now. And I need to know if you're okay with that. I can tell them not to if this makes you uncomfortable."

"No, I'm okay with that. They don't need to, but if they do I won't stop them. I hope it's where this with us will lead to, someday. Being a family. But there's no rush. After Charlie, I thought I was done with it. I couldn't imagine doing this again, being a father. But along came Cassie, and she's calling me dad with such an ease, she has found her way to my heart really quick, as have your boys. And I'm going to give my best to live up to their expectations."

"I know you will. You do realize that soon it won't just be about passionate dates, but also about changing diapers, sleepless nights, and a lot of challenges, right?" She was still trying to wrap her head around why he was willing to get involved in all of this.

"Yes, that belly of yours is a pretty good hint for that." He joked. "I will take over when you're too exhausted from feeding, I'll get up at night and walk her through the house to get her back to sleep, I'll change her diapers and I'll get the boys ready for school and daycare if you've just fallen asleep again. I know you're a package deal and I know I'll get a whole family if I get involved with you. That's what I want and I'm not going to change my mind about that. I don't need to move in immediately, we can figure it out as we go, but I need you to understand that this is everything for me, Sam. I'm all in and if you have even the slightest doubt about all of this, you should say it now."

There were no doubts that she wanted this and realizing he wanted it as much as she did brought tears to her eyes. Here he was, willing to give up his freedom for a life that was messy and loud and unpredictable.

"No doubts, I'm just overwhelmed you want to share your life with us."

"Always, Sam, always!"

She stole another kiss before she voiced another thought.

"You're aware that to get up at night and walk her back to sleep, you have to be here, right?"

"I am aware of that! I might need to bring over a few of my clothes if you're willing to make room in one of your drawers."

"You can have a whole dresser, Jack O'Neill. As long as that means you're staying."

"I'm staying for sure."

They sealed the deal with another kiss. Her hand gently lay upon his chest, fingers dancing softly over the fabric of his shirt. She traced a delicate line downward, her fingertips exploring the curves and contours until they reached the hem. With a subtle, almost teasing motion, she slipped her hand beneath the material, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her touch. As her fingers slid upward, a shiver ran through him, igniting sensations that made his heart race. The intimacy of her caress stirred something deep within, and every gentle movement sent ripples of warmth across his body.

Meanwhile one of his hands rested on the small of her back, holding her in place, enjoying the weight of her body on top of his. When her hand found his skin, he instinctively slipped his own underneath her fabric too. He began to massage his way up her back, happy to find that she wasn't wearing a bra.

The other hand was softly tracing patterns on her belly. Feeling the evidence that she was growing a baby amazed him. She was always beautiful to him, but a pregnant Sam did things to him he wasn't able to put into words.

"Let's go to bed, Sam. It's way more comfortable than your couch."

"I don't know, I'm really comfortable right now." She teased him and felt his reaction immediately.

Finally, they managed to make their way to the bed, where they continued the passionate encounter that had started on the couch. Each movement felt deliberate as they took their time, savoring the moment and gently undressing each other.

Lying entwined, their bodies formed a perfect harmony, each curve and contour fitting snugly against the other. Their hands roamed freely, eager to explore every inch of each other's skin.

"You're beautiful." He whispered in awe.

"I'm huge." She countered, a little insecure.

That's not how she pictured her first time with Jack. When she thought about it it definitely wasn't while she was 9 months pregnant. But she was desperately in need of this and he didn't seem to mind.

"You're pregnant and you're beautiful, believe me."

Jack kissed his way from her neck, over her breasts, towards her belly. Covering the sensitive skin with kisses before he buried his head between her legs and made her fall apart for the first time that night.

And just as she seemed to float on the edges of bliss, he held her gaze, their eyes locking in a shared moment of vulnerability and intimacy. It was then that they both knew they were about to take the next step together.

They made love for the first time and it was everything they ever imagined.

Sleep found them eventually and lying there, intertwined with each other they were finally home.