Jack's move to DC was completed quickly after he introduced his old friend General Henry Landry as new base commander. He just packed his clothes and a few items he cared about like pictures of his son and of his friends and that was it.

He intended to visit his friends as much as possible, but it didn't work out for a few months. It turned out that as Head of Homeworld Security you had to deal with one crisis after another. He only left his office to eat or sleep.

As he worked late on a Tuesday evening, a smile crept across his face when his phone rang and he saw the name on the screen. Haven't talked to her in a while, he was curious as to why Samantha Carter was calling him.

"Hey Carter!"

"Hey, Sir! How are you doing?"

He let out a weary sigh, running his hand over his face. The late hour and the long hours he had been putting in lately had worn him down, leaving him feeling utterly exhausted.

"Tired." He told her honestly.

"Still working?"

"Yeah, it feels like I have aged ten years in the last few months. Don't know how you did it all the time, working like 24/7. But as you're calling from your cell phone I assume at least you are home?"

"Yes, but I'm in my office right now. General Landry has an eye on my hours and sends me home if I work too much. Am I disturbing you? "

"That's good. No, you never bother me. So, what's on your mind? Just calling to say hello, or can I do something for you?"

"Actually I was asked to come to DC for the meeting on Friday and I wondered if I should book a hotel room or if my friend's guest room would be available. Assuming there's no hot date on Friday night." As she heard his genuine laughter echoing from the other end of the phone, a wave of relief washed over her.

"No Sam, no hot date. I'm not sure when I've last seen a woman that wasn't actually wearing a uniform. My guest room is all yours. But is it safe for you to fly in your condition? I mean, you're what, six months along now?"

"Nearly seven, yes. I'm pregnant Jack, not sick. It's totally safe, but I've cleared it with Carolyn if that makes you feel better."

"Yes, actually it does. How are you doing? Everything alright?"

"Everything is looking good, the nausea has stopped around the fourth month." She chuckled, "It was around the time I had to change to maternity uniforms. BDUs are not that bad, but boy I'm not looking forward to wearing my dress blues on friday."

"I'm sorry I haven't reached out earlier, it's not that I'm not interested. I just seem to have no time outside of work, I have no idea how Hammond managed it."

"It's okay. I can understand if this is an uncomfortable topic for you. On more than one level." She said, indicating their complex friendship as well as the profound loss of his son.

"That's not it at all. I told you I'm happy for you and I mean it. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon."

As soon as he spoke, a chime from his laptop signaled the arrival of a new email. He let out a frustrated sigh at the prospect of yet more work. But Sam's voice was soft and mysterious.

"Open it, it's not work related."

Just a few clicks later, he found himself gazing at a black-and-white image that filled him with a mix of emotions. It was an ultrasound picture. As he studied the image closely, he couldn't help but notice a striking resemblance - the delicate curve of its nose unmistakably mirrored Sam's. He swallowed, trying hard not to let the tears welling up in his eyes fall.

"Wow!"

"Yeah!" She knew he needed time to process it.

"That's pretty cool."

"May I introduce you to Alexander?"

"A boy?" Jack asked, still in awe with the picture and now with the fact that it is a boy.

"We found out a little while ago, I had no idea how to tell you. I wanted to wait till we saw each other in person, but now that we're talking I just couldn't wait any longer."

"Thank you, I needed some cheering up tonight. And this is awesome!"

"I was wondering if you'd like me to stay the weekend. I could get a military flight back on Monday morning, that'd be more comfortable than flying commercial."

"You're welcome as long as you want. I'll take the weekend off and you can tell me everything about Alexander."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Jack heard Pete calling for Sam and knew his little distraction was about to end.

"I have to go, sorry. Dinner is ready and as tempting as talking to you is, but at the moment nothing and nobody can compete with food."

He clearly remembered that from when Sara was pregnant with Charlie.

"Alright, just let me know if I need to buy anything out of the ordinary for the weekend. Any cravings I need to know of?"

"I could kill for bananas right now, but it's not said I won't make you go out at night and buy some weird stuff."

"Looking forward to it. Good night, Sam!"

"Good night, Jack! Don't work too much. Go home and get some sleep."

They didn't manage to talk again before Friday, he just received a mail from her stating that she'll come directly from the airport to the Pentagon for their meeting as the flight was changed, making her nearly late.

Jack was about to enter the conference room right behind General Vidrine when he heard the familiar clicking of high heels on the concrete floor. He'd recognize it everywhere, although it had changed a bit, the footsteps sounded heavier with a shift in balance.

He held the door slightly ajar and turned around to see Sam coming closer.

His gaze was on her feet and slowly moved higher, seeing the blue skirt wider around her knees than he remembered and then he saw her rounded belly, tightly framed by the regular light blue dress shirt. He couldn't help but gasp at the sight of her. Finally his eyes came to meet hers, they mirrored the smile that was playing on her lips, knowing all too well that he was checking her out.

She stopped just in front of him and quickly saluted, well aware of where they were.

"General O'Neill!"

"Colonel Carter!" He nodded, but shut the door a little more before he closed the gap between them to place his right hand delicately at the small of her back, drawing her towards him so he could rest his cheek next to hers.

"It's good to see you. You look absolutely stunning."

Sam blushed at his compliment, not sure what to answer. She didn't need to because he kept talking.

"Let's get this over with so we can leave as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to the first free weekend I have since I've been here."

He opened the door for her and led her in, taking the two remaining seats that happened to be next to each other.

During the meeting he couldn't stop watching her. Being pregnant had made her even more beautiful, she was practically glowing, with that spark that only pregnant women have.

If she was exhausted she didn't let it show, her lecture about the drive of the new daedalus-class was as passionate as he was used to from all of her presentation.

Finally they were ready to call it a day. He hung back while she was approached by General Vidrine who seemed to have one question after another, but at one point he turned, seeing that Jack was still there.

"Oh, excuse me, I hadn't thought that you might have plans for the evening. You must not have seen each other for quite some time."

"No problem, Maurice. She's staying at my place, I was just waiting for her to finish it up. Ask away if you have more questions, I'm in no hurry." Jack gestured with his arm that the other General, who became a friend of Jack in the short time he was in Washington, was allowed to go on.

"I've got just one more question, Jack. I promise!"

"Do you mind if we talk while walking, General?" Sam asked apologetically, "I need to move a little, sitting all day wasn't any good for my feet and my back." She expressed her statement by gently massaging her lower back with her right hand.

"Of course not, I can walk you to the car." He motioned for her to go first.

"Thanks, we need to take a little detour towards the General's office."

And when she saw Jack's questioning face she told them: "I asked your secretary if I could leave my suitcase in your office. I could hardly take my luggage to the meeting."

"Oh right, don't bother. I'll go and get it. We can meet at my car, Maurice knows which one."

"Thank you, Sir."

Jack went to his office, taking the chance to close it off for the next few days and managed to be at his car even before Sam and the General. Leaning against the black limousine he watched them come closer, taking the chance to watch Sam again. She was animatedly talking, using her hands to express her words. But from time to time she unconsciously let her hand wander over her rounded belly as if to keep contact with the little human inside.

He heard Maurice finish the conversation.

"It was a pleasure seeing you again, Colonel. I'm afraid it will take a little longer until we see each other again." Nodding towards her abdomen.

"I don't plan to be away that long, General. Now that I'm mostly working in the lab or in my office there's a lot I can also do from home. I have a secured office and working on the next spaceship will keep me grounded."

"That's good to know." He answered, pleased. Extending his hand towards Jack. "Have a nice weekend. See you on Monday, Jack."

"Good night and tell Hannah I'm calling her next week."

"I'll do that. General! Colonel!"

Jack turned and opened the door for her.

"Ready to go?"

"Oh god, yes!" She took a moment to steady herself, her hand resting gently on her rounded belly, before gracefully bending her knees to lower herself inside.

The drive was quiet, but not uncomfortable. They enjoyed the silence after all the talk during their day. Jack loosened his tie and opened the top button of his shirt, breathing in relief. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he leaned his head back against the headrest, shutting his eyes. His striking face was slightly tanned, as always.

A bead of sweat, glistening like a tiny jewel, began its slow descent from his hairline. It traced a delicate path down the sculpted contours of his jawline, glimmering in the soft light as it moved with a sort of reluctant grace. The droplet continued its journey, winding past the strong line of his chin, and danced briefly above his throbbing pulse before slipping beneath the collar of his shirt. As it disappeared into the fabric, it seemed to carry with it all the heat and tension that lingered in the air around him.

Sam bit her lip at the sight of him and had to squeeze her legs together to ease the need, fingers pressing firm into the black leather of the backseats. Her panties were soaked and she felt her breasts tighten, her nipples became hard buds, causing a flush to rise on her skin. Not only blaming her pregnancy for her state of arousal, although it had increased her sexual desire, but it was the fact that she had wanted that man next to her from the start.

With concentrating on her breathing she managed to cool down enough to pretend everything was alright as he opened his eyes again to check on her.

At home Jack showed her the guest room and put her bag on the armchair by the window.

"I'm going to change into something comfortable, I'm sure you're looking forward to doing the same. The bathroom is right over there. Feel free to join me when you're ready. I thought about pasta for dinner?" He waited for her approval.

"You cook?" She asked him, surprised.

"I can cook, Carter! I just chose not to."

A smile crept onto her face, she suspected he could cook, but hadn't seen much evidence of it.

"You're as tired as I am and it's late, you don't need to cook for me. Let's just order in, I owe you something for my stay here anyway. We can cook together tomorrow." She suggested.

"Alright, is Chinese good for you? Or is there anything you can't eat at the moment?"

Deeply touched by his caring nature she okayed Chinese and told him about her craving for spicy food.

He placed the order and while they were waiting for the food both took a cool shower to wash away the sweat of the day.

Jack was in the living room, sipping a cup of coffee, his feet on the couch table when she arrived and sat down at the other end of the couch. He reached beside him for another cup and handed it to her. She was about to politely decline this as he spoke.

"Take it, it's decaf!"

Touched by his attentiveness she took the warm cup into both of her hands.

"Thanks!" Her eyes told him everything she wanted to say.

"So, who's Hannah?" She wanted to know, referring to his promise to call said woman. Knowing what she must assume Jack put her out of her misery.

"Hannah is Maurice's daughter. She's eight and we have a regular date to go and play ice hockey. "

When he moved here there were not many people he knew and liked, but he was over at Vidrine's home a few times and like any other kid Hannah was quickly drawn to him.

It didn't take long for the food to be delivered. They remained in the living room, eating take out and watching some old black and white movie.

After a while he watched her squirm uncomfortably.

"Lean your back against the armrest and put your feet up on the couch. This might be more comfortable."

"No, it's okay."

"Carter, give me your feet, that's an order. I was told that I give great foot massages and I can imagine that's just what you need now. Being on your feet all day, squeezed in those uncomfortable shoes."

She was still thinking about what to do when he reached for her feet, placing them on his thighs. When he began to apply gentle pressure she couldn't help but moan.

"Good, huh?"

"Oh yes!"

His hands worked their way carefully from her sole over her toes and her bridge around her ankle. She watched as his hands gently worked over her calf, kneading away the tension, unable to stifle the soft moans that escaped her lips with each gentle touch on a tender spot. His pants became uncomfortable tight each time she moaned. He fought hard to not let it get to him while regretting that this wasn't his life. After a while she shifted again.

"He's moving a lot?"

"Yeah!"

"He must have gotten this from Pete."

Surprised, she looked up to him.

"I mean, you can sit hours in the same spot pondering over a problem."

That made her think about all those times he had thrown her out of her lab in the middle of the night.

"True, it must be… Argh!" She hissed and immediately grabbed her belly. Jack stopped his caresses and watched her closely.

"What's wrong?"

She laughed softly. "Nothing wrong. That was just a pretty hard kick."

He twitched, but held back the urge to reach for her. Instead she reached out to him and took his hand. She wanted to share this with him. But was unsure if he wanted it too.

"Do you want to feel him?"

He sighed. "More than anything else!"

"Then come here!"

She put her feet back on the ground and scooted closer to him. Sitting next to each other now he threw an arm around her, letting her back partly rest on his chest. The other hand was carefully placed on her belly, waiting for another kick. It happened without warning. A strong kick right underneath his palm.

"Wow!" He gently traced his thumb over the spot. Their skin only separated through the thin fabric of her shirt.

"You know this is your godchild, kicking, right?"

"What?"

"That's a bad attempt at asking you if you want to be Alexander's godfather."

"What does Pete say about it?"

"We talked about it and he agreed that my best friend should be one of the godfathers. You don't have to…"

"But I want to." He turned so that he was facing her, his hand never left her belly. "Sam, I'm honored."

"Thank you."

Her smile turned slowly into a yawn, which made him laugh and he became aware how late it had become.

"As much as I'm enjoying having you here, it's late and we still have two days ahead of us. You need to sleep and so does Alex."

As he rose to his feet, he drew her along with him, guiding her gently to the guest room. He enveloped her in a comforting embrace, burying his face in the curve of her neck.

"Good night, Sam! It's good to have you here."

"Good night, Jack! Thanks for everything!"

She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, then gracefully entered the room and closed the door behind her. As soon as she sank onto the bed, sleep enveloped her.