They ate breakfast all together. The boys were thrilled by learning that they'd move into Jack's house. Later today they'd go there and decide which room will be the boys room or if they'd get a room each.

"I like to share a room with Alex." Ben thought loudly, a bit afraid he'd have to sleep alone at night. He was used to having a room with his big brother together, though he knew when they get older they'd probably want to have separate rooms.

"I like to share a room with you too, Ben! I don't want to change that yet. Is that okay mom?"

Sam looked at them happily and gently stroked Alex' hair.

"Of course it's okay, honey! Whenever you two feel ready for your own room we can discuss this. And for now we just need to figure out which room in Jack's house you'll get."

"When you are dressed we can drive over and have a look. What do you think?" Jack asked while he poured them both a glass of milk.

They downed it in one go and headed off to their room to get dressed, eager to go.

Jack looked at Sam who had watched her boys take off, glad that they were excited about the changes.

"We didn't even get to tell them that we decided on a name for their sister." Sam laughed softly while Jack got up to clean the dishes.

"We can do it later. I bet they will be thrilled to learn about that. I thought about the room that they could get. I've got two rooms beside the master bedroom on the ground floor. They could get the one at the end, it's bigger than the one before. This room could be Charlottes. She'd be closer to us and she's only one tiny human, so she won't need as much space as two boys. Later they can all share the basement. There's enough room to get all of them their own room. For now guests can sleep down there and we can make one of the rooms an office for you."

"You've thought that through already, didn't you?" Sam stepped beside him as she put her cup in the sink.

He turned around, shrugged his shoulders and drew her closer so he could kiss her.

"Every time I thought about what it might be like if we ever got the chance to be together."

She sighed tenderly as she felt her daughter move within her. He was able to feel it too, her belly pressed softly against his stomach. But their intimate moment was interrupted by one of the kids. They should get used to it.

"He, you guys still aren't dressed." Ben complained. "We want to go, hurry up!"

Jack kissed Sam's hair that was tickling his nose and whispered: "Yep, definitely your son. He has your commanding tone, Colonel."

The only answer he got in return was Sam's giggle.

"Alright buddy, relax. We can be ready in five." Jack told him, looking at Sam he frowned. "Okay, more like ten."

"Jack O'Neill!" She swore at him. " You're cruel. I can still be quick, even if I don't look like it."

It really didn't take them longer than five minutes to get ready and soon they arrived at Jack's house - their new home. Inside the boys sprinted towards the room Jack had planned for them and waited for the adults to catch up on them.

"Jack, can we get this room, please?" Two pairs of eyes begged him.

"Of course you can. That's the room I had in my mind for you. And the room next to yours could be Charlotte's room."

"Charlotte??" The pairs of eyes changed from begging to surprise.

"Oops!" Jack sought out for Sam's help. He was relieved to see her smile.

"Yes, you were in such a hurry this morning that we didn't get to tell you we've found a name for your sister." Sam told them, and while she did it she scooted towards Jack, searching for physical contact. And he gave her just what she needed when he rested his hand on her belly. She didn't know why, but she knew she needed his touch right now.

The boys also came closer and together they all touched her belly, to link with the baby.

"It's a nice name mom."

"Yeah, I like Charlotte! It's like the female version for…" Alex stopped dead in his tracks, not sure if he was allowed to finish his thought. He was aware of the connection from his sister's name to Jack's dead son.

Jack felt his struggle and placed a reassuring hand on Alex's shoulders.

"You got it, Alex. That's part of why your mom suggested this name, and I'm grateful for that."

"Oh!" That tiny gasp came from Ben as he caught up on what everyone was thinking.

"Charlotte is her own person, but she is honored with the name of a little boy you all sadly didn't get the chance to meet."

"I'm sure we would have loved your son, Jack!" Alex told him, hugging Jack around his waist, that's how far he was able to reach.

"I bet you would." Jack kneeled down to be eye level with the boys. "And he would have been proud to have brothers like you."

He was immediately wrapped in the biggest hug from Alex and Ben when he felt Sam's hand on his shoulder. His new family was happy to keep the memory of his son alive, what more could he ask for. This moment made it clear to him that it doesn't matter if those kids aren't his biological, they loved him and he loved them like they were his own, he'd never made them feel not loved.

"So, any wishes on how to paint your room?" He tried to change the topic and a wild chatter about colors began.

They left the boys in their room to sort this out themselves and moved to the next room. The baby's room.

"That's perfect Jack. We just need to relocate the furniture, we could leave the walls white…"

"Ah ah ah, no."

"No?" She was surprised that he interrupted her.

"No, we will make this a nursery for Charlotte and she won't get a clean white room. You're all going to live here, Sam. Don't try to not bother me, thinking it would be too much of a change. She will get a girls room whether you like it or not." He saw the smile on Sam's face and knew he was right. "We don't need to paint it pink, but we'll make it a cozy place for her. We won't need a bed for her immediately as we can put the cradle in her when she moves from our room, but we need a dresser and a changing table. I've got an old rocking chair that would fit in perfectly."

"That sounds just perfect. Thank you! Pink really isn't my color, but what about yellow?"

"Yellow it is then. Whatever makes you happy, Sam! Let's see if the boys have decided what they want to have and we'll go to the hardware store. I could probably start to paint today. I want to be ready when Charlotte decides to join us."

Alex and Ben wanted blue for their room, they wanted to try and make it a space theme. Before they went shopping they all took a look around the house together to see if they needed something else. Sam found a room downstairs to make it her office. She wouldn't need anything as the furniture of her current office would fit in here. The other rooms of the basement were guest rooms and they would remain that as long as the boys wanted to share their room upstairs.

They took a detour to a baby store and got a dresser, a closet and a changing table for Charlotte, before they headed to buy the paint.

Alex and Ben found their favorite color very quickly and some items to make it the space theme they wanted.

However the yellow for the baby's room wasn't easy, too bright, too orange, too everything. And when he saw Sam looking at the dusky pink wall next to all those yellowish he knew their daughter would get a pink room. Sam tried to talk him out of it but the smile on her face when he lifted the bucket in the shopping cart said everything.

Back home Jack started to clean the rooms, so they would be able to paint tomorrow. Sam would begin packing up all their belongings and whenever someone made the trip over to Jack's, they would take along a few items. This way, the move would be done piece by piece.

It was late when they got home and Ben and Alex were already tired, they were barely able to brush their teeth. Sam helped them to get undressed and tucked them in. As soon as their heads hit the pillow they were asleep.

Jack went straight to the shower to get rid of the sweat of the day.

Sam decided to change into her pajamas too, it's more comfortable than anything she could wear at this stage of pregnancy. She relaxed on her couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. Not that long and this won't be her home anymore, she thought about all those happy moments shared in this house. She thought back to Pete, they had a happy marriage and she didn't regret marrying him. But now she was looking towards a future with Jack O'Neill, her best friend, the man she had loved for as long as she could remember. There was no other man she would trust with her children like him and she was determined to make him not regret this move, she wanted him to be a father to her children and obviously they wanted it to.

The ring of her phone brought her back from her thoughts.

"Carter!"

"Hey Sam, it's me, Mark!"

She hadn't heard from her brother in a while, but was glad he called. She had a lot to tell him, hoping he would be happy for her.

"Hey Mark, nice to hear from you. How's Penny and the kids?"

"They're good. How are you? You must be due any time now." Mark asked.

"Only a few weeks left. But I have a feeling she will come sooner. It feels more ready than with the boys at that stage, but I hope she'll stay put just a bit longer. We're not ready yet." And by the way she was giggling Mark knew she hadn't told him everything yet.

"We?"

"Yeah, well… A lot has changed since we last spoke. Jack and I…" She had thought about how to tell him, but still she was lost for words now.

"Jack and you…?" Mark tried to keep her speaking.

"Look, I've known Jack a long time now, and there were always these feelings, we had to ignore them while we were in the same chain of command, then I fell in love with Pete and Jack stayed my best friend. He's always been there for me. He was a big help since Pete died and I'm finally ready to move on. Did you know that when Pete was dying he asked Jack to care for his boys, to be a father figure for them?"

"No," Mark said, "I didn't know that. But I knew about your feelings for Jack. It showed on your wedding day and on many other occasions. I never thought you acted upon those feelings, but I know you two had a special bond, so did Pete. I'm glad he would have approved your move to a relationship with Jack. Are the boys okay with it?"

"They are! They love Jack and are happy. So as the little one is coming soon we decided to move in with Jack, it will be easier for everyone if we'll live together. We made that decision together, in fact Alex and Ben sort of asked to move in with Jack."

It was quiet for a while before Mark spoke again.

"Are you happy, Sam?"

It hit her without warning. The same words her dad used, trying to find out if she was truly happy before he died. A tear ran down her face and when she thought about it now she was indeed truly happy now.

"Yes! Yes Mark, I'm happy!"

"That's all I wanted to hear, sis. So, do you need help with the move? Should I come?"

"That's sweet Mark, but I think we've got it covered. Jack's going to paint the rooms this week, we've already bought the paint today then we'll go back and forth a few times to get our things over. We've got a few friends who'll help us. And I won't take much of my furniture, just the kids room, my office and a few other things. Jack's house is furnished and I do love it like it is."

"That's great."

"And the first few weeks Charlotte will stay in our room as I try to breastfeed her. Oh I haven't told you, Jack and the boys built a cradle for her."

"Charlotte?" Mark asked, curious.

"Ah, yes, I haven't told you that either. We decided on a name for the baby. We'll name her Charlotte." Sam explained.

"Charlotte… I like that. We should talk more often, Sam. It feels like I missed a lot in the last few months."

"I've been busy, sorry Mark. I'll try to call more often."

"Not only you, Sam. I'm to blame as well. Tell me when you've moved in. I'll need your new number, and your new address."

"I'll do that." She grinned." Say 'hi' to Penny and the kids. We're looking forward to seeing you soon. You'll come to visit when the baby is born, right?"

"You couldn't keep us away if you tried. Especially Penny, she's talking about it nearly every day. Think she can hardly wait to finally meet her new niece."

"I'll let you know the moment she's here. Good night, Mark."

"Good night, Sam. Love you."

"Love you too!"

She heard that Jack had shut off the shower and decided to join him in bed. When she entered the bedroom he was about to get dressed for the night.

"Did I hear you talking to someone?" He asked her, casually.

"Mark called, wanted to know how I'm doing. I've had a lot to tell him. He didn't know about us and the move and that our girl finally has a name."

"How did he take it? I mean that thing with us?" Jack was curious and a bit afraid. It was important to him to have the approval of Sam's brother.

"Mark is happy for us, Jack. You don't need to worry. He told me that he knew all along that we have this special bond. He's glad the boys have someone to look up to, someone who will love them like his own."

"I will, Sam, I promise. I love them so much, and I love you!" He moved her closer so that she was nearly lying on top of him. One of his hands supported her back, the other one caressed her belly softly while he leaned in for a passionate kiss.

"You better show me how much you love me!" She demanded while her hand sank into his salt and pepper hair, still wet from his shower.