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Another One Of Life's Battle's - Part 2
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Age Friendly!

~*+*~

"Sam told me that you know about the baby." Sara mentioned to Daniel as she sat at the kitchen table, waiting for her husband to finish talking to Sam. Teal'c was using the bathroom, an act which Daniel seemed to find amusing for reasons unknown to Sara.

"Yeah." Daniel nodded, not willing to divulge too much information. After all, he wasn't sure exactly what Sara had been told.

"Do you know the father?" She asked, sipping her coffee.

Daniel followed her lead and took a drink from his own beverage while he tried to decide how best to answer her. "I met him once or twice." He admitted.

"Is he a nice guy?" Sara asked, trying to find out *something* about the father of Sam's baby.

"Sam obviously likes him." Daniel shrugged, not wanting to say much more. He was planning to diplomatically stay out of this situation.

"Obviously." Sara repeated, wondering if everything was aright between Sam and her husband. "I'm going to go and see what's taking them so long." She muttered, standing and walking towards her bedroom door, which was currently shut. She opened the door and gasped at the sight that greeted her.

Sam and Jack were locked in a passionate embrace, with their lips firmly locked together, and Sara was having a hard time trying to determine where one began and the other ended.

Sara had no idea what to say or do, and a screaming match between her husband and herself at this moment would not be a good thing. Given the fact that they had company, and she had no clue what she was going to say. Although the scissors option was looking very good at the moment.

She backed out of the room slowly and quietly closed the door, only mildly surprised that neither of the pair had heard her entrance. But they were presently very occupied, her brain supplied.

Sara took a deep breath and knocked loudly on the door frame, praying that the couple had heard her. When she opened the door again, she quickly realised that they had, Jack was pacing around the window and Sam was looking at the floor.

Sara had to force herself to be civil. "Everything alright?" she asked politely, smiling at the two.

"Sure, we were just on our way out." Jack muttered, brushing past her with a guilty expression gracing his features.

"Yeah, sure." Sara mumbled, following her husband out of the room and back to the chair that she had vacated a minute ago.

"So Jack, any plans on your return to full-time work?" Daniel was asking as Sam walked out of the room. She briefly considered going to use the bathroom before rejoining them to ensure that she looked presentable, but saw that it was occupied so she hoped that she looked decent.

"I don't know." Jack shrugged, moving to make himself a coffee.

Daniel smiled at Sam, and began to worry about her when she didn't return the gesture. He made a mental note to ask her if she was alright later. He didn't know what she and Jack had spoken about in the bedroom, and he probably never would, but whatever it was, it had certainly upset her.

"Do you guys want to go out for lunch?" Daniel asked, downing the last of his coffee.

"Okay." Sam shrugged.

"I think I'll pass. But you kids have fun." Jack told them, trying to regain a somewhat normal breathing pattern.

"Sara?" Daniel tried.

"No thanks, Daniel. Maybe next time." Sara replied, glad for the chance to spend some time with her husband. After all, there was an argument that was bound to come between them.

~*+*~

Sam and Daniel left almost immediately, sensing the tension between the couple. Even though Daniel didn't really know what was going on, he was smart enough to flee and attempt to be left out of the situation. He didn't want to be involved if he didn't have to be.

Sam had been in a pensive mood ever since they left the house and she was completely silent for the drive to the small cafe in the centre of town. Daniel was beginning to worry about her, but he chose to let her get lost in her thoughts.

It wasn't until after he had parked the car that he realised that Sam had probably barely even registered that they had been driving. "Sam?" He finally asked.

She jerked out of her thoughts and turned to face her friend. "Sorry, I was miles away." She smiled, trying to put on a reassuring face.

"You wanna go inside?" Daniel asked, gesturing towards the cafe.

Sam nodded and a few lone tears that had been held in her eyes fell onto her lap. The tiny droplets of moisture made stains on her white jeans and she quickly wiped her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, putting a hand on her arm.

"We kissed." She admitted and Daniel didn't have to ask to know who she was talking about, it was fairly obvious.

"Oh." He muttered, not sure what to say.

"I'm in love with him Daniel. And I have no idea what to do." She cried, letting him wrap his arms around her. It was awkward given their current seating position, but he managed to do it with minimal difficulties.

"It'll be alright." He whispered, stroking her hair lightly. In the time that they had known each other Sam and Daniel had formed a close bond, and had become like brother and sister.

"I want to tell him that this is his baby. We talked the other night and he sounded so desperate for another child, and I can give that to him!" She told him, her voice pleading with him to understand.

"I know Sam, but are you prepared to destroy Sara in the process?" He asked, hating to be the one to play devil's advocate. He knew that there was a very real chance that Sam couldn't deal with the thought of Sara at the moment, but he had to bring it up.

Sam pulled out of his arms and looked out the window. "No, I couldn't do that. Not to her, she's been so good to me." Sam decided after a moment's silence.

"Then you're stuck." Daniel shrugged.

"I know." Sam agreed tearfully and the two friends spent the remainder of the afternoon in the car eating take-out near the lake.

~*+*~

Sara sighed. They had been alone for an hour and all attempts to get Jack engaged in a conversation had failed. As soon as Sam and Daniel had left, Jack had gone out into the garden to do a bit of work that he hadn't gotten around to earlier in the month.

Jack walked back into the house to get a drink of water. He knew that he should talk to Sara, and he wanted to, but every time he went to say something, nothing came out.

"Jack?" Sara called, walking into the kitchen. She had to talk to him about what she'd seen this morning. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling that what she walked in on this morning wasn't their first kiss. They looked too comfortable in each other's arms.

"We need to talk." He said, mimicking the words that she'd had planned.

"You want to sit down?" She asked her husband and then followed him to the dining room table. At least they were starting out civil, she thought gratefully. How it would end was another matter.

"You wanna go first?" He asked, not looking forward to this conversation. He'd been expecting it for a while. He hadn't meant to fall in love with Sam, even though he was sure that she didn't feel the same way.

"I saw you kissing Sam this morning." Sara told him, calmly.

Jack's head shot up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen." He replied, looking at the tabletop. Jack briefly wondered why she wasn't screaming at this point, it was usually how all of their other fights had progressed, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I know. And for some reason, I'm not mad." She laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh, more like an ironic one.

"You're not?" Jack asked, surprised. He'd expected yelling, screaming, tears and maybe the mention of scissors. Not a calm woman who caught her husband kissing another woman.

"No. You can't help who you fall in love with." Sara shrugged. She didn't want to fight. They had done enough of that throughout their marriage, and Sara was sick of it.

"Wait a minute," Jack started, holding up his hands. "I never said that I was in love with Sam."

"You don't have to, Jack." Sara told him, wondering why he was so reluctant to admit what she could plainly see.

"How'd you know?" He asked, dumbstruck.

"Because you used to look at me the way you look at Sam, and I know you." She told him, wondering why this was such an easy conversation for her to have.

"So what happens now?" He asked, saddened at the thought that he'd hurt Sara.

"I'm going to move out, find a place and get on with my life." She shrugged, what more was there for her to do?

"I think I should go for a walk." Jack told her, standing.

"Good idea." Sara agreed. "Dinner is at seven, don't be late." She told him, watching as he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.

Sara stood and walked towards the bedroom, to pack some of her things. She leaned against the wall near the entrance to the room and slowly slid down until she hit the ground. All of the emotions that she had ignored for the past five months came flooding back to her and she cried into her hands.

~*+*~

Close the door,
Shut the world away
All the fight's gone from this wounded heart
Across the floor
Dreams and shadows play
Like wind blown refugees

Call the man
Who deals in love beyond repair
He can heal the world
Of hearts in need of care
Shine a light ahead
When the next step is unclear
Call the man
He's needed here

I close my eyes
I remember when
Your sweet love filled this empty room
The tears I cry won't bring it back again
Unless the lonely star should fall

-Celine Dion, Call the man

~*+*~

Jack walked along the streets of his neighbourhood, his mind going a million miles per hour. He couldn't stop his thoughts racing. There were so many questions running through his mind.

Did Sam feel the same way? Who was the father of her baby? Would she want to stay with him or move out and try and win the father of her baby over? Why did he have to fall in love with her?

He just continued to walk, not really seeing where he was going, and he didn't notice Sam and Daniel drive by.

"Stop the car!" Sam told her friend.

"What?" He asked. Daniel had been concentrating on the road, and therefore hadn't seen Jack walking passed.

"Ah . . .I think I'm going to walk home." She lied, hoping that Jack didn't get too far ahead of her.

"Okay, are you sure?" He asked, brotherly concern showing through his words.

"Yeah, it may help clear my head." She told him, kissing his cheek goodbye and grabbing her bag before jumping out of the car.

Sam walked, or limped, as fast as she could to catch up with Jack. It took her a few minutes, and she knew that her body would be sore in the morning, but she finally managed to get to him. "Hey, stranger." She muttered, surprising him from behind. Jack turned around and was shocked to see Sam standing there, smiling at him.

"Hey, what's a girl like you doing out on these streets?" He teased, smiling.

Sam returned the gesture as they started walking together "Picking up strange men." She laughed, and Jack thought that it was a good sound, one that he wished he heard more often. "What's wrong?" She asked, looking at the scenery passing them by as they walked.

"Sara and I split up." He told her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Really? I'm sorry, do you want to talk about it?" She offered, looking at him intently. Sam was unsure if she has happy about this for her own selfish reasons, or sad for Jack.

"Not really much to say. We split, and she's going to move out." He told her, shrugging his shoulders.

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked, studying his handsome eyes.

"Go back to work. Get a dog?"

"I can't see you with a dog." She laughed, and Sam noticed that they had turned onto their street and were almost home.

"Never know. Your little Jack needs a pet." He told her, smiling.

"You still want me to stay?" She asked, shocked to say the least.

"Of course. Did you think that I wanted you to move out?" He asked, worried about what sort of impression he'd given her.

"I don't know. But could you handle having little Jack running around?" She joked, making him smile.

"I think I can live with that." He murmured, pulling her into a hug.

Sara watched from the window as they embraced and picked up the phone to call a cab. She had to get out of there before her calm exterior faded and she lost it completely. At least Sam and Jack would be happy.

~*+*~

They sat together at the table, eating the Lasagne that Sara had left. Although this time there was no note to inform Jack where she was, at a friend's more than likely.

He was concerned for her, knowing that she would be upset, but he had no idea where to start looking, and if he admitted it to himself, he was enjoying the time alone with Sam. Even though she wasn't saying much, caught up in her own thoughts no doubt, her company was enough to soothe his confused heart.

"Do you want some more?" Sam asked, still feeling hungry herself.

"Sure. I'll get it." He told her, taking both of their plates into the kitchen to get some more food.

The phone rang while Jack was still in the kitchen, so Sam moved to answer it. "Hello?"

"Sam, it's Sara." A voice replied.

"How are you?" Sam asked, concerned for her friend.

"I'm okay. I will be. I just wanted to let you guys know that I've found a motel, and I'll let you know when I find a place to stay." The other woman told her.

"Okay. I'm glad you called, I was worried. If you need anything, I'm here for you." Sam replied sincerely.

"Thanks, bye." She muttered, hanging the phone up before Sam could offer to put Jack on.

"Who was it?" He asked, walking back with two full plates in his hands.

"Sara. She's got a motel room." Sam told him, studying his face for a reaction, one that she didn't get from his impassive features.

"Is she alright?" He asked, taking a mouthful of his dinner.

"I'd imagine that she's been better." Sam replied, looking at the tabletop in the hopes that it would give her the answers that her heart, and brain, were desperately seeking.

Jack nodded his head and offered nothing more in the way of conversation until he said goodnight, when she went to bed, after they had sat quietly on the couch watching television for the remainder of the evening.

~*+*~

Sam awoke from her peaceful dreams a little after midnight. Her body was still tired, but her bladder was telling her otherwise.

Sighing, she walked out of her room and went in to use the bathroom. Once she had finished, Sam had planned to return to bed but she saw the illumination coming from the lounge room and assumed that Jack either couldn't sleep, or was yet to go to bed.

She walked down the hall, her hand instinctively holding onto her sore back. Sam was unsure if it was because of the baby, or from her injuries, which were yet to fully heal.

"Jack?" She called quietly, her hand remaining on her back. She found him sprawled on the couch watching Letterman.

"Sam? What are you doing out of bed?" He asked, sitting up from his reclined position so that she could sit down.

"I had to pee. Again." She laughed, the hand that wasn't occupied with her back absently moving to her stomach almost protectively.

"Ah, one of the joys of pregnancy." Jack smirked, watching as she started to rub her back more forcefully. "Back pain?" he queried, remembering how much pain Sara had been in throughout her pregnancy with Charlie.

"Yeah, I think it's the baby, although it could be from the accident." She shrugged, Sam didn't really care where it was coming from. She just wanted to alleviate it.

"Turn around and face the end of the lounge." Jack instructed and she complied, trusting him completely.

He moved up behind her, his legs going either side of her body while her back was almost touching his front. Soft, warm hands began to caress the tense muscles of her back and Sam couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips at his touch. He was amazing at this, she decided.

"Like that?" Jack murmured in her ear and Sam could only moan and nod blindly in response.

"A little ... a little to the left." She managed to groan out.

Jack followed her directions and moved his hands a little to the left, loving the purring sound she made, resembling a cat getting it's back stroked. "Better?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah!" She groaned happily.

The massage continued for another twenty minutes or so, and both were enjoying the contact, even if it wasn't overtly sexual, the closeness was what they both needed.

"Feel better?" He asked, stopping the caress, but he left his hands on the small of her back.

"Definitely. I wish I knew that you could give massages, I would have been hounding you months ago." She laughed, surprised at his hidden talent.

"Anytime Sammy." He shrugged, wrapping her in his arms. Sam leaned back to rest against him, closing her eyes in contentment.

The couple laid there, enjoying the time that they were spending together, when suddenly Sam gave a startled yelp.

Jack immediately released her, fearing that he'd done something wrong. "What is it?" He asked, panic stricken.

Sam grabbed his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. It was then that the two parents, despite Jack's ignorance to the paternity of the baby, felt the tiny life move in Sam. "Little Jack wanted to say hello." She whispered, mesmerised at the feeling of their baby kicking. She contemplated telling him that he was the father of the active baby growing inside her at that moment, but decided against it in case he decided to 'do the right thing.' In Sam's opinion, Jack needed time to get over his break up with Sara, and he didn't need to be told just yet, but she promised herself that she would tell him.

"Wow, this is amazing. I've never felt a baby kick for the first time before." He admitted, smiling at the woman in his arms.

"What about Charlie?" Sam asked, reluctant to bring such a painful topic up, but curious none the less.

"I was away when he kicked for the first time. I felt him kick after that but all of the parenting books I read said that the first kick was special." He explained.

"Got any of those parenting books handy?" She asked, relaxing in his arms.

"I'll have a look for you." He promised, smiling at her. "You should think about bed." He told her, smiling fondly.

"No, I'm comfortable here." She murmured sleepily.

"Night Sammy." He whispered, pulling the afghan over them and resting his hands on her stomach, much like a protective father would.

Turning the television off by remote, Jack happily followed Sam's lead and fell into a deep sleep with the woman he loved in his arms, even if he didn't think his feelings were reciprocated, he was happy with whatever Sam offered him.

~*+*~

In this life we're just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
I'm not afraid anymore.

Ooh baby do you know what that's worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on Earth
They say in heaven, love comes first
Who makes heaven a place on Earth?
Ooh heaven is a place on Earth.

-Belinda Carlisle, Heaven is a place on Earth

~*+*~

Sam woke from the best sleep she'd had in a long time, feeling safe, relaxed, happy and in desperate need of a bathroom. She tried to move, but Jack's sleep soaked brain obviously decided that she should stay here on the couch with him.

"'Morning." He murmured into her ear and Sam shivered as his warm breath tickled her cool lobe.

"I have to pee again." She laughed, and Jack let her get up and go to the bathroom.

When she finally emerged he was waiting for her with a cup of steaming hot coffee. "Thank you." She told him gratefully, accepting the mug.

"What are you up to for the day?" He asked, joining her on the couch once more.

"I have a doctor's appointment for my first ultrasound." She smiled. "I was kind of hoping you'd come with me?" She asked, hoping that he agreed.

"I'd be honoured." He nodded, returning her smile affectionately.

"Great, well it's at ten so what do you say to going out to lunch afterwards?" She offered.

Jack nodded and they both went to their respective rooms to get dressed so that they wouldn't be late for the appointment, they'd only realised the time after Sam had come out of the bathroom after having a shower. A look at the clock in the hall telling them that it was after nine and they needed to hurry.

~*+*~

Jack held Sam's hand while the doctor raised her shirt and lowered her stretch pants a little, revealing her stomach that was slowly getting larger, making all aware of her pregnancy.

"This'll be cold." Dr Janelle Peterson warned, applying the cool gel to her swelling abdomen. "Okay, now if you watch the screen, you should see your baby in just a sec . . . " The doctor's words were cut short as she stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Doc?" Jack asked, feeling Sam grip his hand harder in fear.

"I'll be back in a minute. Don't worry Sam, nothing's wrong." She reassured, but Sam wasn't convinced as she saw the doctor rush out of the room.

"Jack?" She asked, her voice shaky with tears in her eyes.

"It'll be alright Sammy, don't fret." He told her, his deep brown eyes comforting her through her fear.

Before Sam could respond, Doctor Peterson re-entered the room with another Doctor in tow. "Sam, this is Doctor Larry Wielder, he's just going to have a look at your ultrasound, okay? You have nothing to worry about." The young woman smiled, her long auburn hair falling around her face.

Sam nodded, unable to make her voice work. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but no sounds would come out. Jack squeezed her hand reassuringly.

The two doctor's started talking to each other, in what Jack could only describe as doctor-talk which confused and worried both him and Sam. Finally, Dr Peterson turned to address Sam, a smile on her face. "You're having twins." She exclaimed.

"Twins?" Jack mimicked, shocked.

The Doctor nodded. "Yep, look here is one little head, and another there. There's two different vertebrae's. Four legs and arms." She told them, pointing to various points on the monitor. "There is definitely two little babies in there. Do you want to know the sexes?" She asked.

Sam shook her head. "No, I want to be surprised. It doesn't matter anyway, as long as they're healthy." She smiled and looked at Jack, "Twins!" She cried, overwhelmed. Jack pulled her into a hug and they both were aware of the goofy grins plastered over their faces, but neither cared.

"Two little Jack's!" He exclaimed happily, as if they were his own children.

~*+*~

Daniel opened the door, letting General Hammond, Teal'c and Janet in behind him. They were all getting together at Sam and Jack's for a barbecue. Teal'c and Janet still didn't know about the baby, as Daniel had been sworn to secrecy, but the General had been told when it became apparent that Sam would be off work longer than anticipated.

"Hey guys!" Sam called, coming out of her room. "Jack, they're here!" She called out at the general direction of the kitchen.

"How are you, Sam?" Daniel asked, kissing her cheek and giving her a quick hug before Sam exchanged hugs with the others.

"Are you feeling well Doctor Carter?" Teal'c asked after they shared a brief hug.

Sam smiled at the concern in his eyes. "Yes thank you, Teal'c. How about you all sit down while Jack get's us a drink, I have something to tell you all." She nodded towards the couch and chairs and everyone grabbed a seat.

General Hammond took the chair closest to the door, Daniel and Janet, who had been dating for a little over a month now chose to cuddle up in the other chair and Teal'c chose to sit on the floor near the couch, while Sam sat and waited for Jack to return.

When he emerged from the kitchen, he said hello to all of his friends and passed out glasses of lemonade before sitting with Sam on the lounge, her feet resting on his lap.

"Well, as some of you know, and some of you don't, I'm pregnant." She told them.

"Pregnant?" Janet exclaimed, eyes wide. "This is wonderful!" She quickly left Daniel to go and hug Sam and feel the baby move within her.

"There's more." Sam continued. "I found out, yesterday actually, that I'm having twins!" She finished, a huge smile gracing her features and Jack smiled at the happy expression.

Everyone in the room congratulated her, and no one seemed to want to ask the obvious question. Was Jack the father? It was Teal'c who eventually spoke up.

"Are you and Colonel O'Neill romantically involved?" He asked, his deep voice sounding uncommonly loud in the silent room.

"No Teal'c. And you can call us Sam and Jack. We're just friends." Jack answered, with a twinge of sadness, or regret, lacing his tone. No one could help but smile at the bluntness of their friend's words.

Their talking continued well into the night and the paternity of Sam's baby was never questioned. Janet had a fair idea, given that it was her who first suggested the prospect of Sam being pregnant, but the other seemed oblivious. Of course, Daniel already knew, and General Hammond was fairly certain, but nothing he could prove. Teal'c had been back on P3X 797 trying to get a sample of the natives' blood when Sam and Jack's encounter had taken place, so he knew nothing, just snippets of conversations that he'd overheard but he chose not to judge or comment.

It was well after eleven when they finally left, promising to all get together next weekend for another lunch. Sam had fallen asleep about half an hour before everyone departed, and once the house was empty, Jack locked up and went into her room to pull back the covers of her bed.

He walked back into the lounge room and picked Sam up, carrying her into her room and laying her on the bed. He slipped off her shoes and pulled the sheet and comforter over her, to ensure that she was warm through the night. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning and preparing to leave the room.

"Jack?" Came a soft voice from the bed.

He walked back over to her side and brushed the hair from her face. "Hey Sammy, go back to sleep." He commanded softly, stroking her hair gently.

"Stay with me?" She asked, afraid that he'd say no.

"Forever." He whispered, walking around to the other side of the bed before shedding his clothes, down to his boxers, and climbed into bed with her.

Sam wriggled back against him and they melded together in the spoon position, his arms resting with hers over the place where her two little babies were growing.

The two best friends fell asleep in each other's arms. An activity that was becoming very common to both, only now there was no third party involved to protest to this action.

~*+*~

The next few weeks passed by relatively quickly for Sam and Jack. They had both gone back to work for a couple of days a week. Sam figured that if she could get some work done before the babies arrived then she'd have something accomplished by the time they were born.

Sam and Jack had taken to sleeping together every night, usually in Jack's bed, but together no less. Nothing had happened, and no declaration of love had been made, much to Daniel and Janet's disappointment, but the comfort was enough to give them each a good night's sleep.

Jack had been keeping Sam occupied for the past three days, she knew that he had been doing it, and they'd stayed on base all three nights, although she didn't know why. Daniel and Teal'c hadn't been on base for the duration of their stay, Sam was told that they were on a mission, but in truth they were helping Jack with the surprise that he had planned.

Sam had often gone looking for Jack throughout the days and he had been nowhere to be found, but he'd still return at night's to hold her as they slept.

"Oh, Sammy!" Jack called, coming into her lab. Today was the day that Sam finally got to see what he had been doing for the past three days, but she hadn't been made aware of that fact yet.

"What's up?" She asked brightly.

"We're going home tonight. I have a surprise for you." He told her, smiling. He just hoped that she liked what he had done.

"Really?" She asked excitedly. "What is it?"

"Something that you need." He returned cryptically.

The drive home was filled with Sam pestering Jack as to what the surprise was, complaining that she hated surprises but Jack refused to give her any hints other than what he had said in the lab.

When they arrived home, Sam was grateful to be out of the mountain. The first thing that Jack had done when they stepped, or limped, up to the door was place a blindfold on her and told her to 'trust him.'

He led her through the house and if Sam wasn't mistaken, they were approaching her room. Jack opened the door that led to what used to be her room and ushered her in, nodding at Daniel and Teal'c to let them know that they had done a good job. He removed the blind fold and Sam gasped at what lay before her.

A nursery.

There were two cots by the window, with a change table between them. The room had been repainted a soft green with teddy bears around the skirting boards, the cots were made, with soft toys in each. They had mobiles above them and all of the things that Jack thought he and Sam would need to take care of her babies. Everything from nappies and bottles, to wet wipes and powder. Including a few parenting books lying on the change table. There was a bed on the other side of the room, in case Sam wanted to stay close to her children.

"Oh Jack!" She cried. "This is so amazing! Did you do this all yourselves?" She asked hugging Daniel and Teal'c in way of thanks. They nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind them and leaving Sam and Jack alone.

"This is why we've been staying on base?" She asked and he grinned sheepishly. "And I take it my stuff is in your room?"

Jack nodded. "If you don't mind." He looked at her uncertainly.

Sam shook her head negatively and moved to kiss him. At first it was just a soft meeting of lips but when Jack didn't pull back, Sam deepened the kiss. Neither knew how long they stood there, just kissing but both broke off with laughter when the twins started kicking them. "Thank you", Sam whispered.

"I think the twins like it." Jack commented, his arms going around her waist. Sam smiled, and briefly wondered if now was a good time to tell him about the paternity of her children, but decided against it before the words could leave her mouth. Chicken, her brain taunted.

"I know that their mother loves it!" Sam commented, hugging him once more before they moved out of the room to join their friends for a celebratory dinner.

~*+*~

"So," Sam started, taking a bite of her steak, one of her many cravings that the mess hall hadn't been able to cater for. "I take it that you haven't been on a mission these past few days?" Sam asked, sipping her juice.

"That is correct Samantha." Teal'c replied, and everyone smiled. He had plainly refused to call her Sam, but the use of her full name was a compromise.

"And how did you manage to keep anyone from letting it slip?"

"General Hammond threatened everyone with cleaning duty if they told." Daniel supplied, finishing off the last of his salad.

"He was in on this too?" Sam asked, surprised. She'd always known that the General had a soft spot, he'd been a character witness at her court martial when she was still with Jonas, and he'd served with her father so they'd known each other for the majority of Sam's life.

"He was in on it." Jack answer, "Where do you think we got the chest of drawers by the bed from? His grandaughter's didn't need it any more, so he thought you might like it." He finished, also digesting the remainder of his meal.

Sam smiled. "Thank you all. I really appreciate it." She finished, touched at their thoughtfulness.

"There's a few other people you should thank as well." Jack told her, refilling her empty glass.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Well," Daniel started, taking a deep breath. "Colonel Makepeace donated one of the cots, Feretti gave the other one. They both helped us set it up, and as for the paint job . . ." Daniel paused and Jack smiled.

"Let's just say that none of us have any artistic talents what so ever, so the Doc pitched in with the teddy bears." Jack finished for him and Sam was touched at the amount of people who had pitched in to help them get the nursery finished.

"I'll call her later to say thank you." Sam nodded, moving to put everyone's plates in the sink.

A few hours later, Daniel and Teal'c decided that they'd better head off given the fact that they had a real mission the following day. Sam and Jack decided to just go to bed. She'd had a big day and was fairly tired, and Jack claimed that he had another surprise for her the following day.

~*+*~

"Hey Janet." Sam greeted as her friend opened the door. They'd spoken briefly the previous night and decided that Sam would come around to Janet's in the morning before going back home. Thus giving Jack the time he needed to prepare her surprise.

"Hey Sam." She returned, stepping aside to allow the blonde entrance to her house. "How are the twins?" She asked, smiling. No one could get over this latest news.

"Good, always hungry and they seem to have decided that my bladder makes a good punching bag." Sam laughed and Janet joined her, pleased at her friends happy mood.

"Want a coffee?" Janet offered and Sam nodded, following her into the kitchen to make the drinks. "So, how are things at home?" Janet asked, sitting down at the breakfast bench with Sam.

"Good." Sam smiled, sipping her coffee.

"And any progress with Jack?" Janet pressed, hoping that the sharing of feelings had already taken place.

"No, we're just friends." She replied, exasperated. Why did everyone insist on getting them together?

"Does he know that he's the father of the twins?" She asked, finishing the last of the coffee.

"No. God Janet, he and Sara only split up a week and a half ago. I'm not going to dump this in his lap on top of everything." She told her friend.

"But you're sleeping together?"

"No, we share a bed." Sam clarified. "Big difference."

"You two might as well be married. You spend all of your time together, you do everything together, and you're going to have two babies, even if he doesn't know it and you share a bed!" Janet exclaimed.

"We aren't like a married couple, we still like each other." Sam joked, standing. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll call you tonight." She promised, quickly giving her a hug before going back out to Jack's car.

~*+*~

"Sam, is that you?" Jack called from the bedroom. He heard the front door open and then close again.

"Yeah! Is it safe to come in?" She asked, dropping Jack's keys and her bag on the table by the door.

"Yep! Are you ready to go out again?" He asked, emerging from the room, carrying a backpack with him.

"Bathroom break first." She replied, walking towards the hall. It was then that Sam noticed his bag. "Are you taking me hiking?" She asked, a little worried.

"No! Go use the bathroom and then we can leave." He instructed, giving her a gentle shove towards the end of the hall.

Sam returned a moment later, and they walked out of the house and got in the car and Jack started the short drive to their destination.

"The park?" Sam questioned, looking at the familiar grounds of the local park.

"Yep." He nodded, helping her out of the car and grabbing the picnic basket from the boot.

They set up their blanket and laid the food out. Sam sipped the apple juice that Jack had given her and leaned back into his arms. "So, why the park?" she asked, curious.

"We've never been here together before, so I thought it might be a good idea." He shrugged

"I think it's lovely." She replied, glad that she had Jack in her life.

They laid together in the park for the remainder of the afternoon until some very ugly storm clouds came up. Jack suggested they go home where it would be warmer, concerned for Sam and the twins.

~*+*~

Over the next two weeks they settled into a comfortable routine. They'd go into the base for three days a week, and SG-1 plus Janet would come over on Saturday's for what had now become their weekly barbecue.

General Hammond had joined them twice, but he'd had a lot of paperwork to do the previous weekend so he couldn't make it. But he had arranged the 'Gate travelling schedule so that Daniel and Teal'c were always back by Saturday.

They usually spent most of their BBQ's watching Sam and Jack argue over baby names, occasionally contributing more potential names that they could argue over.

"You can't name a kid Paige, that's just cruel." Jack protested, sitting out in the back yard with his friends surrounding him. Sam was laying down with her head on his lap, and her feet on Teal'c's.

"No it's not. Hey, you are the one who brought up the name Anne, and you thing Paige is cruel?" She laughed, sitting up.

Daniel and Janet were sitting together on one of their deck chairs, laughing at the exchange between their friends.

"They're a married couple without the rings." Janet laughed quietly to Daniel. "Yeah." He agreed, also laughing.

"Something funny?" Jack asked, watching as the two lovers laughed at some kind of private joke.

"No." They both replied.

"May I make a suggestion?" Teal'c asked, looking directly at Sam.

"Sure." She nodded, eager to hear what he had to say. Teal'c rarely said much, but when he did, it was usually something that surprised them all.

"Should your child be female, perhaps you should consider the name Heidi." He offered, cocking his head a little.

"I like that name!" Sam exclaimed and Jack nodded in agreement. "Where did you get that from?" She asked.

"Daniel Jackson gave me some of your Earth books so that I may better understand your culture. One of these books was the story of a girl called Heidi." He explained.

"Thank you Teal'c. Okay, so Jack for a boy and Heidi for a girl." Sam nodded, the decision finally made.

"Did you ever consider the possibility of two boys?" Janet asked.

"Or two girls?" Daniel added, anticipating a new round of names to be thrown around.

"Why don't we leave this one to another time?" Jack suggested, moving into the house to get Sam another drink.

Morning sickness had finally kicked in for her and now the only thing that she seemed to drink was juice. Usually Orange Passion Nectar or apple juice. So, when she had first declared that fact, Jack had gone to the local supermarket and bought all the juice that he could carry. Now it seemed to be the only liquid inhabiting their fridge.

"Any missions this week?" Sam asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had encompassed them.

"We have a mission with SG-2 on Monday. Just a mineral survey." Daniel shrugged, his fingers entwining with Janet's.

"Good luck." Sam offered, accepting the glass that Jack offered.

"Are you planning to come back to the SGC full-time when your children are born, Samantha?" Teal'c asked.

Sam snuggled back up with Jack and thought about her answer. "I haven't really thought about it yet. But probably not for a while. I want my kids to grow up knowing who their mother is. Not just as the nice lady who stops by every now and then." She explained, touching her stomach.

Janet noticed that Sam winced a little, and was immediately concerned. "Sam?" She asked, sitting up from her comfortable position next to Daniel.

"They've been pretty active today." Sam explained, feeling her little babies kick. "Teal'c?" She asked, watching his perplexed look.

"Are your children ready to be born?" He asked.

Sam smiled and shook her head. "No Teal'c they've just decided to start kicking me a lot more lately." She explained, taking his hand in her's. "Here." She said, placing his hand over the spot where her children were kicking.

Teal'c felt the movement and looked up at Sam, tilting his head a little. "Is this painful?" He asked, intrigued.

"Sometimes. But I don't really feel it. All I feel are my two little babies moving inside of me and I don't notice the pain. Except when they start kicking my bladder." She laughed, and Teal'c almost smiled.

"I am pleased that you feel no pain, Samantha." He told her sincerely. The others simply watched on, smiling at the exchange.

"Just don't ask me that when I'm in labour." She laughed again, and everyone smiled.

~*+*~

The rest of the day had been spent with the five friends laughing and joking about everything and nothing. Something that Sam and Jack did often.

Sam wound her arms around Jack and sighed. She was getting confused over the status of their relationship. She was pregnant with his children, even though he was unaware of that fact, and they got along wonderfully. They were happy living together, and had managed to grow accustomed to all of each other's habits. But she still wasn't sure where they stood. Every so often, they'd share a kiss and most of the places that they went together were done holding hands, or linking arms. They could quite easily be mistaken as a happily married couple, which Janet had frequently pointed out to Sam.

"Sammy?" Jack asked, rolling over to look at her. "Why aren't you asleep, it's after one." He told her, running his fingers through her long silky blonde hair that had grown a few inches since he'd met her.

"I was just thinking." She shrugged. Sam was tired, but her brain was far too active to allow her any rest.

"About?"

"Us." She replied, not sure if now was a good time to be bringing this subject up.

"What about us?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.

"What are we?" She asked, and at his confused look she continued. "Are we friends who occasionally kiss or are we something else?"

"I don't know what we are Sammy. I wish I could answer that for you, but I can't. What do you want us to be?"

"I don't know." She sighed, moving out of his embrace and out of bed. "I'm going to go and do some thinking." She told him, grabbing her robe and limping towards the door.

"Sam!" He called, but she chose to ignore him.

Sam walked down to the lounge room and flopped on the couch. She turned the radio on and listened as a new song came on, her thoughts resting on her unborn children.

~*+*~

We have eyes like twins
Where your last thought ends
My next begins always
Just one heart beat away
Everything I need to say- Oh

Catch me I'm falling like you
Wish for me, I'll come running to save you
Touch me I'm calling for you
Remember me,
I will never betray you
We have eyes like twins.

-Wilson Philips, Eyes like twins.

~*+*~

Jack awoke in the morning, hopeful that he would find Sam had come back to bed. When he looked over at her side and saw that it was empty, he sighed and got out of bed, walking down the hall to find that she had fallen asleep on the couch.

Jack leaned down and gently touched her face. "Morning." Sam groaned.

"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She muttered, sitting up and twisting her neck in circular motions, still stiff from an uncomfortable night on the couch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, moving to take his place on the couch with her.

"Not really. I still don't know what we are, but I don't want to fight about it." She shrugged, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Sammy, I'm happy with whatever you want." He told her gently, taking her hand and stroking her palm. "With whatever you're willing to give me." He finished quietly.

"And that's all well and good, and don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you'll accept anything that I want to give, but what do *you* want?" She asked.

"I just want you to be happy." He told her and Sam allowed him to wrap his arms around her.

Sam sighed. Now was a good time to bring up the subject of their children, but every time she opened her mouth it felt as though her throat had suddenly dried up.

~*+*~

Jack looked around the store. A lot had changed since he'd been shopping for baby things. Everything had become more advanced in a decade, it was amazing. The fun that Charlie could have had with some of the new inventions . . .

"Can I help you?" A woman asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. She was fairly short with brown hair and blonde streaks.

"Hi, I'm looking for teddy bears." He told her, looking at the wide selection of stuffed toys that were on sale.

"Having a baby?" She asked, gesturing for him to follow her.

"Twins." He nodded.

"Wow. Okay, do you know the sexes, makes it easier to choose." She explained.

"No, not yet. So maybe something that could be used either way." He asked, his eyes still fixated on all of the teddy bears that were available.

"Well then, here you have two bears that are identical except for the colour." She told him.

The saleswoman handed him two bears, both with big brown eyes and little black noses. One was brown, one cream.

"They're perfect. I'll take them." He nodded, thanking the woman for her assistance before moving towards the front counter to pay for the bears, hoping that Sam would like them.

~*+*~

"Sam?" Jack called, walking into the house with the two teddy bears in a shopping bag.

"I'm in the bathroom!" she called, and Jack walked up to the door.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, come on in." She called and Jack opened the door to see Sam lying in the bath completely submerged in water and bubbles, looking very peaceful and relaxed.

"Hey, you look comfortable." He told her, moving to sit on the side of the bathtub.

"I am. Been shopping?" She asked, noticing the bag in his hand.

"Yeah, I bought the twins a present." He told her, holding up each teddy bear in turn, watching the smile on her face grow until it threatened to split her features.

"They are so cute!" She squealed. "Thank you." She told him, sitting up in the bath to kiss him.

Daniel knocked on the door, Sam's hamburger in hand. She'd called him about ten minutes ago complaining of severe cravings for a hamburger, so he'd picked one up for her, Jack and himself to have for lunch. "Sam?" He called.

"In the bathroom!" She called back. "Come on up!"

Daniel walked into the bathroom to see Sam enjoying a bubble bath with Jack sitting next to her, with his hand on her stomach, which seemed to be the only part of her that wasn't in the water. "Am I interrupting something?" He joked.

"Daniel I'm almost seven months pregnant with twins, and I feel like I'm bigger than this house, what could you possibly be interrupting?" She laughed.

"Good point. Hey Jack."

"Danny", He nodded, smiling at Sam's comment.

"I'll wait outside. I've got your lunch." He told her, holding up the bag before leaving the room and gently shutting the door behind him.

Sam and Jack emerged from the bathroom, this time she was dressed in her robe and Jack looked suspiciously wet.

"Water fight?" Daniel asked amused, laying out the three hamburgers that he'd picked up.

"Something like that." Jack responded smiling, sending Sam a distinguished look.

"Food!" Sam cried, sitting down at the table and began devouring her lunch. "Thank you so much for getting these."

"No problems." Daniel shrugged as Jack went into the kitchen to get them all a drink. "Have you told him?" He asked in a whisper.

Sam shook her head. "Not yet. I will though."

"Will what?" Jack asked, walking over to the chair next to Sam with their drinks in hand.

"Will get around to reading those parenting books that you got for me." She lied, smiling, and accepting the drink.

A few minutes later, Sam had finished her lunch and was eating half of Jack's, while he watched on, amusement and tenderness plainly displayed on his face.

"Danny, next time you get us lunch, buy two lots for Sam. It's amazing that there's any food left in the house." He laughed as she sent him a glare.

"I'm not that bad!" She protested.

"Yeah, you are Sammy. You finished yours, are working on mine and if Danny hadn't eaten his then you'd probably be after that as well."

Sam looked at the last bite of the hamburger that was in her hand. "Want it back?" She offered, smiling, something that all noticed she did a lot lately.

Jack took the offered bite of what *was* his hamburger and held it back out to her. She leaned forward and ate the last bite from Jack's fingers and Daniel noticed Jack's breathing increased a little.

They look so happy together, he thought to himself.

~*+*~

"Okay, the important thing is to remember your breathing exercises." The teacher instructed.

Sam and Jack had only just started coming to parenting classes, but their teacher had welcomed them and they'd immediately made friends with another couple, Sarah and Brian, who were having their first child.

They sat together, with Sam lying in between Jack's legs while all of the pregnant women in the class practiced their breathing while their husbands, boyfriends or partners coached them through it.

"You know," Sam started while their teacher, Kylie, had her back turned. "I think you're better at this breathing thing than I am. Maybe you should have the twins." She suggested, smiling.

"I'd love to, but I think I'll pass." He laughed.

"I need to talk to you later." She mumbled, attempting to look like she was doing the exercise as opposed to just trying to suck oxygen into her air deprived lungs.

"What about?" He asked, gently rubbing her stomach as instructed.

"The twins." She replied, deciding that she would have to tell him soon. If he didn't want to be their father then she needed to find a place to live before they were born.

"Everything alright?" He asked, worried.

"No. The twins are fine but we need to talk." She told him, praying that she would get some courage between now and when she and Jack talked.

~*+*~

"Sammy? What's wrong? You've hardly said a word since the class." Jack asked, sitting on the lounge with her. She'd been lost in her thoughts all afternoon and he hadn't attempted to force her to talk.

"We need to have a conversation. One that I've avoided for a while now." She told him, turning on the lounge to face him. Where was the courage that she'd been praying for earlier?

Jack turned off the television and turned to face her also. "What's wrong?" He asked, gently taking her hand in his.

Their fingers entwined and Sam couldn't take her eyes off their joined hands. "It's about the father of the babies." She replied, gently touching her stomach with the hand that wasn't holding Jack's.

"You don't have to talk about that if you don't want to." He told her.

"Yeah, I do." She nodded.

"Do you want to go back to him?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I won't stop you." He told her.

"I know." She agreed.

"Does he love you?"

"I hope." She shrugged. They had never talked about love, so there was no honest way she could answer that.

"Do you love him?" Jack asked, his throat drying up.

"With all of my heart."

"He'd be an idiot not to want to be with you." Jack told her, forcing his breaking heart to leave his throat and go back down into his chest.

"He was married."

"But he slept with you? How great could the relationship have been if he slept with another woman?" He asked, still unaware that they were talking about him.

"We weren't ourselves." She defended.

"That's not an excuse, Sam." Jack shook his head. "Does he know about the twins?"

Sam stared at him for a minute. She couldn't lie. "Yes." She nodded, her voice quiet.

"And he hasn't declared his undying love and devotion for you yet? Can I hit this guy?" He asked, smiling.

Sam laughed in spite of herself. "I'd like to see that."

"I'll do my best." He shrugged, just happy that she was smiling.

"So, don't you want to know who it is?" She asked, looking at their joined hands.

"Admittedly, yes. But I'm not going to push." He told her.

"Why are you so good to me?" Sam wondered aloud, staring at him intently.

Jack took a deep breath. "Promise me that no matter what I tell you, it won't affect your decision about the babies father?" He asked.

"I promise." She nodded, her curiosity piqued.

"I'm in love with you." He admitted, looking down. "But that doesn't mean I'm asking you for anything and I . . . " He started, but Sam cut him off by launching herself into his arms and hugging him until Jack was sure she'd broken a few ribs.

She finally pulled back after several moments and looked into his deep brown eyes, finally seeing the love that had been there all along and she pulled him into the most passionate kiss that he had ever received.

They continued to stay locked in their embrace before Sam       re-positioned them so that she was lying on her side, trying to keep her lips locked onto his while not squashing her babies until they came out.

There was a knock at the door and Sam thought about answering it, but at the last minute decided against it. It was probably Daniel, she guessed.

Neither of them heard the door open, but Sam faintly heard it being closed behind their friend. "Go away." Sam muttered, not pulling back from Jack long enough to look at Sara, who was standing at the entrance to her old home.

"I just came to get some things." She muttered and both Sam and Jack shot up looking as guilty as two teenagers who had been caught on the back seat of a car, doing *much* more than just kissing.

"Sara!" Jack exclaimed, standing and then helping Sam to her feet.

"I found an apartment, and I just came to get some more of my stuff." She explained, moving towards the attic where she had stored the majority of her things before she left.

"It took you three months to find an apartment?" Sam asked, surprised. Sara stopped at the entrance to the hall and turned to look at her friend.

"I was staying with a friend. I only decided to start looking last month. I'll just go and get my stuff." She told them, turning back towards her destination.

"Jack, go and help her." Sam commanded quietly.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Sam nodded and moving to give her a quick kiss before he left, Jack followed the footsteps of his ex-wife.

"Need a hand?" He asked, taking the steps up to the attic.

"You don't have to." Sara told him and then glanced at all of the boxes. "Please." She smiled.

"How are you?" He asked, opening one of the many boxes to make sure that it was all of her stuff.

"Good. You look well." She told him.

"I am." He agreed.

"Have you told Sam that you love her yet?" She asked.

"Yeah, about five minutes before you came in." He laughed.

"And did she tell you that she feels the same?"

"Didn't really have a chance to say anything." He told her.

"I'm pleased for you both. I hope you, Sam and your baby are very happy." Sara told him sincerely. She had tried to hate Sam when they first met and failed, and she'd tried to hate her when she realised that Jack was in love with her, but she'd still had no luck. Sam was just a very likeable person.

"Sara. . .I didn't cheat on you when we were together . . ." Jack started, but stopped as his brain caught up with him. He thought back to what Sam had said, 'He was married, we weren't ourselves.' Her comment when he said that he should hit the guy, 'I'd like to see that.' And suddenly a light was turned on inside his head and it finally hit him, the twins could be his.

"So, do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Sara asked, leaving what he'd said alone. She had been fairly certain that he wouldn't cheat on her, but she'd always had her suspicions, even if she liked Sam.

"Actually, Sam's having twins." He told her, distracted.

"I'm happy for you. Well, these two boxes will do for now, I'll bring Sandra's truck over in a few days to get the rest of my stuff." She told him, leaving her ex-husband to sit on the floor of the attic in a daze.

~*+*~

Jack didn't know how long he sat there, but when he heard Sam call out that dinner was ready, he finally snapped out of his reverie and went downstairs to eat. He pushed the ladder to the attic back up into the roof and walked out to where Sam had set the table and had cooked some kind of casserole.

"Thanks." He muttered, taking the plate that she offered.

Sam smiled, but Jack wasn't even paying attention to her. He'd always had trouble with math, but how hard was it for his brain to try and work out if the timing of the conception of the twins coincided with the virus that they'd had?

Sam watched as Jack pushed bits of his dinner around the plate. It almost looked like he was trying to draw something, but upon closer inspection, Sam realised that he was lost in thought.

"Jack?" She asked, gently taking his fork. He didn't seem to notice that Sam had removed the object from his hand until she lightly shook his shoulder. "Jack? What is it?" Sam tried again.

"There's something that I want to know, but I need your word that you'll be honest with me."

"Okay." Sam nodded.

Jack took a deep gulp of oxygen and unconsciously crossed his fingers under the table. "Do you love me?"

Sam stared, her heart in her throat. "With all my heart."

Jack nodded. "And when we slept together . . . ?" He asked, knowing that Sam would understand the question.

"We weren't ourselves." She defended, and Jack knew exactly what she meant.

"I thought so." Jack nodded. "Why didn't you tell me that the twins were mine?" He asked.

"You and Sara seemed happy, I wasn't going to destroy your relationship because I'd fallen in love with you." She shrugged. "Look, there is no way for me to justify not telling you, but I was scared." Sam admitted.

"Scared of what?" Jack asked, confused.

"Scared that you wouldn't want me, of what your reaction would be. Scared that I couldn't be a good mother." Sam shook her head, she had no idea what to say.

"You should have told me when you found out." He told her, trying to stop from getting angry.

"You were married! What was I supposed to do? Did you want me to totally destroy Sara because I was stupid enough to fall for my CO?" She yelled, limping towards the nursery and slamming the door behind her.

Jack stared after her, aware that a lot of her anger had come from hormones, but it had to have originated from somewhere. He shouldn't have gotten angry with her over this, but he'd wanted to be a father again since long before he'd met Sam, and now she was giving him the chance to rectify his past mistakes, and she hadn't even told him.

Sam slumped on the bed in her children's room, the tears already falling down her cheeks. She shouldn't have yelled at him, this wasn't his fault, she was the one who didn't tell him the truth about the twins.

What the hell was she going to do now?

~*+*~

Jack had sat on the lounge until three in the morning, wondering what he should do. Several times throughout the night, he had contemplated going to Sam and apologising, but he couldn't bear to wake her. Finally he decided that he'd had enough. It was time that they talked about this once and for all, and if that meant waking her then so be it.

He opened the door and saw that she was sleeping curled up in the foetal position with her arms holding her stomach. Jack sat down next to the bed and noticed that her eyes were red and puffy, presumably from crying, and she looked cold.

Without a thought to their fight, or the fact that he was still mad at her, Jack lifted Sam into his arms and carried her into their room. He pulled back the blankets and gently laid her down, pulling the covers back up to cover her, and after making sure that all of the lights were out, he climbed into bed with her and pulled Sam into his arms.

"Jack?" She asked, opening her eyes.

"It's me." He told her, and Sam remembered another, happier time when his warm breath had been tickling her cool ear lobe.

"I'm sorry." She told him, the tears once again starting to fall.

Jack brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped the tears away, smiling tenderly at her. "You don't need to apologise." He replied quietly. "You know that I love you." He murmured, still stroking her cheek.

"And I love you." She confirmed, leaning into his touch.

"We'll raise our babies together, if you'll have me?" He asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

"I should be asking you that question." She replied.

"Then I'll have you if you'll have me." He offered, smiling as she wrapped her arms tighter around him and entwined their legs and fingers.

"Deal." She agreed, and their entwined hands came to rest over the spot where their babies were growing and Sam was pleased that things looked like they'd be okay.

~*+*~

Sam and Janet sat on the beach, lying on a very large blanket. They'd all come down to the beach this weekend after Sam had declared that it was far too nice a day to just stay at home.

Jack and Daniel were trying to teach Teal'c how to surf, and the girls had decided to sunbake for a while.

"I told Jack." Sam said, keeping her eyes on the boys who were busy falling off the boards and into the waves.

"How'd it go?" Janet asked, trying to see her friends eyes through her sunglasses.

"It was different." Sam replied enigmatically, smiling as Janet gave her a confused look.

"Different how?" She pressed, using her elbow's to prop her up.

"Just . . .different." Sam shrugged.

"Did you tell him that you loved him?" Janet asked, smiling slightly at she saw Teal'c fall off the board and into the water.

"Yes." She confirmed, nodding her head slightly, her face impartial.

"And did he return the sentiment?"

"Yes." Sam said, trying to look neutral, but failing miserably. She couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"What are you going to do now?" Janet smiled, pleased that her friends had finally admitted what the rest of them had known all along.

"We are going to raise our babies." Sam told her adamantly.

"Are you two ladies talking about me?" Jack asked with a boyish grin on his face. He walked over to Sam and after giving her a quick kiss he sat down on the blanket with his arms going around her.

"We are indeed Colonel." Janet replied, smiling.

"All good things, I hope?" He asked, his eyes never leaving Sam's.

"You know they are." Sam replied and for a minute Janet thought she was going to be sick from looking at the sappy faces of her friends, they hadn't taken their eyes off each other since he sat down.

"I'm going for a swim." She muttered, aware that neither had heard her, even though Sam waved goodbye to her.

"Did you tell her?" Jack asked quietly.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, but no details. She knows that you love me." She told him.

"Apparently everyone knows that." He laughed, remembering the day he'd walked in on two gossiping airmen who were laying bets as to when he and Sam would get together. She smiled and cuddled up on his chest, closing her eyes and yawning. "Do you want to go home?" He asked, stroking her hair.

She placed her head over his heart and felt it beat. "I am home." She whispered, feeling her eyelids getting heavy.

Sam and Jack laid on the beach for a while before they all decided to go home. Sam hadn't woken in the two hours that they'd been lying there, so Jack just picked her up and gently, with Teal'c's help, placed her in the car and instructed the others to follow him home.

Sam jerked out of her peaceful dreams as she felt the vibrations of the car beneath her. "Jack?" She asked, looking at the scenery passing them.

"Hey Sammy, you fell asleep." He explained.

"Oh, I'm always tired these days. I can't be much company." She smiled, her hand lightly resting on his thigh.

"Ah, you know I love you." He told her.

"And I you." She replied and he lightly squeezed her hand before moving it back to the steering wheel.

~*+*~

"So, any thoughts on dinner?" Janet asked as they all sat around Sam and Jack's living room.

"Pizza!" Sam and Jack replied in perfect unison, smiling at each other.

"Samantha, what is 'pizza'?" Teal'c asked. He'd been on Earth for a while now, but a lot of the culinary delights that the world had to offer were yet to be experienced by the Jaffa.

"You haven't had pizza yet?" Sam asked, surprised.

"I have not." He answered.

"Well then, I guess that settles it. We're having pizza." Jack told them, and Sam leaned over to kiss his cheek by way of a thank you. Daniel smiled. Jack seemed to be prepared to cater for all of Sam's cravings these days, and he was glad that she had him to lean on.

An hour later the pizza had arrived, and Jack had ordered a whole one for Sam. When he handed it to her, she stared at him. "Are you implying anything here?" She asked, her face alight with happiness.

"Not at all Sammy, but this way what you don't eat, you can have tomorrow." He told her, opening the other three varieties that they had ordered. No one would touch Sam's, she just had ham and cheese, so it was a safe bet that the others would leave that one alone.

"What I don't eat?" She repeated. "Jack, I'm eating for three, you'll be lucky if I don't eat yours!" She laughed and everyone else joined in.

Sam managed to finish all of her pizza and eat some of the others. Teal'c found that he enjoyed this new meal greatly and agreed that it was something he should have tried a long time ago. Daniel and Janet had watched on, amused, as Sam started to steal bites of Jack's pizza just before it reached his mouth.

"Are you getting tired?" Jack asked as Sam yawned and nodded.

"We should go." Daniel told his friends as he, Janet and Teal'c stood. "Thanks for a great day. Will we see you at the base on Monday?" He asked, gathering the empty pizza boxes.

"Probably. It depends how Sam is." Jack replied quietly, seeing her start to fall asleep again.

Daniel nodded and after saying goodbye to Jack, and Janet promising to call Sam in the morning, the three friends left to return home.

"Come on Angel, time for bed." Jack whispered, picking Sam up. A task that was beginning to be very difficult given Sam's growing size.

He placed her in bed and managed to pull off her sundress and get her into her pyjamas, a pair of his sweats and one of his old T-shirts, without waking her. He stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed into bed with her, pulling her into his arms before following her into a sleep filled with dreams of babies and happy families.

~*+*~

I can't believe you're with me
And now it's seems my world's complete
And I never want this moment to end
So hold me close and don't let go,
'Cause this is love, boy don't you know?
And we're gonna be together for eternity

I prayed so many night that you would come my way
An angel from above to light my darkest day
I think it's time for you to heed these lines
Cause there's something I wanna say.

I finally found what I've been looking for
And now I know, I wanna love you more,
Hold me tight 'cause it's always been you
It's always been you
To think that you were always here
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Hold me tight, 'Cause it's always been you

Some times you don't expect that friends
Can become lovers in the end
Only God knows what the future will bring
So hold me close and don't let go
Cause this is love, boy don't you know
And we're gonna be together for eternity

I finally found what I've been looking for
And now I know, I wanna love you more,
Hold me tight "cause it's always been you
It's always been you
To think that you were always here
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Hold me tight, 'Cause it's always been you

This time, This time
I'm gonna make sure it turns out alright.
I'm gonna be by you're side for the rest of my life.
This love, this love
Feels the way that love should be
Look in my eyes, there's no disguise
'Cause I'm in love with you.

I finally found what I've been looking for
And now I know, I wanna love you more,
Hold me tight 'cause it's always been you
It's always been you
To think that you were always here
To be my friend and wipe away my tears
Hold me tight, 'Cause it's always been you

-Honeyz, Finally found

~*+*~

Sam had been pottering around the house all day. Jack had left early and she was in what he called her 'nesting' phase. Sam didn't understand her sudden fetish for everything in the house to be absolutely spotless, but wasn't going to argue.

She was just getting out the vacuum cleaner when she heard the front door open. "Sam?" Jack called out, closing the door behind him.

"I'm in the hall!" She called back and Jack followed the sound of her voice until he saw her standing in the entrance to the babies room with the vacuum next to her.

"You had better not be considering using that thing." He told her, gesturing to the machine at her feet.

"I was, actually." She replied, kissing him soundly on the lips to stop any further argument he was considering.

"I bought you a present." He told her, watching her eyes light up.

"Really?" She asked, smiling.

Jack nodded and handed her a small gift bag, which she opened to find a black velvet box inside. Sam pulled out the large box and opened it to see a gold chain that had three small links and then one big one with a gold pendant, an inverted V with a circle above it. It was the symbol for Earth's point of origin.

"Oh, Jack! It's beautiful!" She exclaimed happily, hugging him before turning and lifting her hair out of the way so that he could put it on.

"I'm glad you like it. I tried to get it a month ago, but they had to make it." He explained.

"What's the occasion?" She asked.

"Well, you only have a few weeks until these little babies are ready to come out, and I thought you'd like it." He told her, a hand absently rubbing her stomach while the other rubbed her tired back.

Sam moaned at his touch and leaned into him, enjoying the caress his warm hand offered. Jack's massages had become a regular occurrence now, and Sam was glad that he'd learnt how to do them.

"How are you feeling?" He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Tired. Sore, and exhausted. Can we sit down before I fall down?" She asked, gesturing towards the living room.

Jack nodded and followed her to their couch. Sam laid down with her head in his lap and Jack's hands started to rub her pulsating temples.

Sam rarely mentioned the pain that her back and hip caused her, but Jack knew that she felt it and that it would be worse because of the babies. She still had her limp and her physiotherapist was reluctant to do too much work on her until she'd had the twins.

"Feel good?" Jack asked as she moaned again.

"Yep. I think the kids are way too active today, they've been giving me hell." She commented, rubbing her swollen stomach tenderly.

"False labour?" Jack wondered aloud, his thoughts returning to the birth classes that they'd been to.

"Doubt it." Sam answered. "From what I've been told, the pain I'm in now is nothing compared to what I'll feel throughout the labour." She finished, sighing heavily.

"Having second thoughts about rejecting the caesarean option?" He asked, remembering their long and in depth discussion that they'd had about whether or not Sam wanted a natural birth.

"No, I just wish that I didn't have to deal with the ramifications of the accident as well as being pregnant." She admitted.

"I know it can't be easy for you Sammy, but trust me, when you hold our little babies in your arms, the pain won't even register." He told her, memories of Sara's wonder filled expression when she'd first held their son. Sam noticed the barely audible catch in his voice, it was usually present whenever he spoke of his experiences as a father.

"I know, but I have to admit, I am a little scared." She confessed, opening her eyes to look into his loving brown ones.

"I'll be there every step of the way, you know that." He reassured her, smiling.

"I love you." She whispered.

"And I you." He told her, mimicking her words. It had become a standard reply to the reaffirming of love between the two, and Sam was glad that Jack would be there for her.

~*+*~

Sam tossed and turned. She'd been in more pain in the last week then when she'd first come out of hospital and it was getting to the point where she had a hard time getting out of bed.

Jack hadn't gone into the base at all throughout the week, opting instead to stay at home with Sam just in case she needed anything, and she was grateful that he was around.

They'd taken to showering together lately, so that Jack could help Sam stand upright. The dizzy spells that she'd only ever had on rare occasions were becoming more frequent and they seemed to occur most when she was in the shower, making Jack's presence very welcome.

Hearing a noise, he rolled over and saw that it was almost three in the morning. "Sammy?" Jack asked as she crawled out of bed.

"I have to use the bathroom." She explained, switching on her bedside lamp, illuminating the room.

"Need a hand?"

Sam shook her head and suddenly felt a wave of pain overcome her and she nodded her head vehemently and Jack jumped out of bed and rushed to her side.

He put his arms around her and supported her as they started to walk towards the ensuite. Sam abruptly stopped and felt a stronger wave of pain overcome her body. "Jack!" She moaned as she crumpled against him, his arms the only thing holding her upright.

"How long have you had these pains?" Jack asked, moving her towards the bed.

"Since yesterday." She admitted.

"Yesterday! Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, gently rubbing her stomach.

"Jack, if I told you about every little pain I felt, then I'd never shut up." She laughed.

"This isn't little." He told her. "I think it's baby time."

"Jack I'm not in . . . oh god!" She cried. "I think my water just broke!" Sam exclaimed and he helped her up and carried her out to the car, before getting her overnight bag that had been pre-packed, just in case, and starting off towards the local hospital.

~*+*~

Janet and Daniel laid together in bed, just talking. Even though it was a Monday, they had both managed to get the day off and were planning to make the most of it.

"What do you want to do toda . . ." She started, but stopped as the shrilling noise of the phone began to ring. She glanced at Daniel.

"If that's the base, then ignore it." He told her and she rolled over and picked up the receiver.

"Fraiser." She answered, smiling at her lover.

"Janet, it's Jack." A voice told her.

"Oh, hey Jack. What's wrong?" She asked, immediately worried.

"Nothing, Sam had the twins!" He exclaimed proudly, his voice indicating that he was smiling.

Janet let out a small squeal and Daniel looked at her, worriedly. "Are they up for visitors?" She asked.

"Yeah, Sammy said to come down and you can meet the newest addition to our family and do the girl talk thing. She said something about you wanting to know the weight and all of that." He told her.

Janet smiled. "Okay, we'll be there in twenty minutes." She told him hanging up the phone before turning to Daniel, "Sam had the twins!" She exclaimed, happy for her friends.

Daniel smiled and kissed his lover before they both bounded out of bed in a hurry to go and see Sam and the twins.

~*+*~

Teal'c and General Hammond had also been called and were on their way in from the base, both excited at seeing the newest additions to the family that SG-1 had formed.

Daniel and Janet had arrived there first and after they made a quick stop at the gift shop to buy a big balloon that said "It's twins!" they finally found Sam's room.

Walking in, they saw Sam and Jack both sitting up on the bed, arms around each other, staring at two tiny little cribs that the babies had been given for the duration of their stay in the hospital.

They walked in and gave Sam and Jack a hug and congratulations, and her balloon, was passed around before Janet demanded to know everything. Sam smiled at Jack, and he wheeled the two cribs closer to the bed.

Sam carefully lifted one bundle into her arms. The baby was sound asleep and wrapped in a yellow blanket, not revealing the gender. "Uncle Daniel, Aunty Janet, I'd like you to meet Jack O'Neill junior, who was born at 3:24 this morning after almost twenty four hours of labour. He was eight pounds, nine and a half ounces," Sam told them, smiling as she saw Hammond and Teal'c standing at the entrance to her room with a big bunch of flowers in each of their hands.

They each said their hello's and Jack Jr was passed to Janet for the first hold while Jack lifted the other bundle, who was wrapped in a green blanket, into his arms and began the introduction. "And this is Heidi Leigh-anne O'Neill who was born at 4:52 this morning and weighed in at eight pounds, three ounces." He announced proudly, handing his daughter to Daniel, while Janet passed little Jack to the General.

"May your children grow strong and make you proud." Teal'c bowed, accepting Heidi into his arms, rocking the little child. He looked like a very large teddy bear at this moment and Sam smiled at Jack.

"Thanks T." Jack told him, smiling from ear to ear.

The four stayed for a while and kept the happy and proud new parents company, until the nurse came in, telling them that visiting hours were over and they could come back later.

They all departed, promising to visit the next day and help them get settled into their new home. Sam and Jack waved goodbye to their friends and cuddled up on the small hospital bed together, content to watch their children.

"How do you feel now?" Jack asked, smiling.

"Sore. Very sore, your massaging techniques will come in handy later. But I am unbelievably happy." She told him, pulling his arms tighter around her.

"Thank you." Jack murmured.

"For what?" Sam asked.

"For giving me two new children, for loving me, for wanting to be with me." He replied, nuzzling her neck.

"Then I should thank you as well." She told him, sighing happily as she watched her children sleep.

Sam was almost asleep herself when she heard a knock on the door and turned to see Dr Windsor standing there.

"Hey Doc." Jack greeted, not bothering to move from Sam's side.

"Hi." He returned. "I heard that you had just had twins so I though I'd come and offer my congratulations." He smiled, shaking Jack's hand before turning to look at the two new children.

Dr Windsor couldn't stay long as he was paged over the hospital intercom, but he wished both of them the best of luck with raising their children before leaving to let Sam and Jack both get some well deserved rest.

~*+*~

Jack stood at the doorway to the nursery, watching as Sam sang a soft tune to try and put their children to sleep.

He was amazed at how well behaved they were. Especially considering the fact that they had only been at their new home for two days. As promised, Janet, Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond had come over the day after their birth to help get them settled, and Sam had taken the opportunity to get some sleep.

Come stop you're crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you, from all around you
I will be here don't you cry.

Jack watched as she gently rocked Heidi in her arms. It had become quickly apparent that little Jack was just like his father, he could sleep anywhere, but Heidi seemed to like being sung to sleep. Both of the children seemed to love the teddy bears that Jack had brought them, and he was pleased that he hadn't lost his touch.

For one so small
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm
This bond between us can't be broken

Sam hummed the tune to her daughter as she smiled. She couldn't believe that she was a mother. It was all very surreal to her, but she knew that it would soon sink in when she was getting up in the early hours of the morning to feed them.

'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always.

A nurse had come in to see them while they were still in hospital, she'd given them a brief crash course on bathing the twins, just to make sure that they were comfortable and confident in their actions.

Jack knew that as soon as she had held their children, Sam's maternal instinct had taken over and she'd immediately moved into 'mother mode' as he fondly called it.

Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust,
What they can't explain
I know we're different but
Deep inside us
We're not that different at all

And you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always.

Sam finished her song and gently put her daughter back into her crib, quietly pulling up a blanket to cover her tiny body.

"Hey." Jack murmured quietly, mindful of their slumbering children.

Sam smiled as she turned around to see him standing at the doorway. She quickly turned on the baby monitor before leaving the room with him. "Hi." She whispered, switching on the receiver so that she could hear any noises that the twins made.

"We should get some sleep." He told her. "They'll be up in a few hours looking for a feed, so you should get some rest while you can."

"Mmm." Sam agreed, feeling her eyes begin to close.

Jack led them into their room, leaving the door open. Sam placed the receiver on her bedside table before Jack pulled her to him and they both fell into a light sleep, keeping an ear out for any signs of life from their children.

~*+*~

"Are you going to ask her?" Daniel prodded, sitting in the small bar with Jack.

The twins were almost six months old now, and Sam and Jack had been happily living together with the children, both sharing in the responsibility that came with being parents.

"I don't know Danny, I want to but . . . " Jack paused as he took a sip of his drink and sighed.

"She loves you." Daniel told him reassuringly. Jack knew that Sam loved him, but he just didn't know where she stood on this particular topic.

"I know that, but she's never mentioned marriage before. I don't even know if she wants to get married." He exclaimed, wondering why he was so confused.

"So why don't you ask her and if she's unsure, then you can go for a long engagement?" He suggested.

"That might be a good idea Danny boy. But I have to head home." He finished, throwing some money on the table to pay for their drinks before saying goodbye and leaving the bar to return to his family.

~*+*~

Jack drove home the long way, hoping that the sight of the city would help clear his mind. It was only when the fuel light on his car came on that he realised he'd been driving for over an hour. Pulling into the driveway, he stepped out into the cool night air.

Sam opened the door before Jack had the chance to fish around for his keys. Smiling, she stepped back and took his coat.

"Hi." He greeted, kissing her soundly on the lips.

"Mmm, Hi indeed." She replied, smiling mischievously.

"How are the kids?" He asked, hugging her tightly.

Sam shrugged. "They were fine, a little restless without their daddy, but they slept long enough for me to get the housework done." She smiled.

"I'm sorry that I was gone longer than expected, but I caught up with Daniel and we chatted for a while. Forgive me?" He asked, kissing her neck.

Sam moaned and then growled. "Smooth." She told him, lightly hitting his shoulder. "But yes, you're forgiven." She mumbled as he gently nipped on her pulse point.

The high pitched sound of wailing began to emerge from the twins' bedroom and Sam and Jack both simultaneously groaned at being interrupted.

"Come on daddy." Sam laughed and they both walked towards their crying children.

Jack smiled and followed her into the twins' room. He carefully picked his son up while Sam attended to their daughter. "Hey little Jack." He started, rocking the bundle gently. "I'm Jack, your dad, yeah, you were named after me. Sorry about that, but your mum's pretty stubborn." He laughed as Sam sent him an affectionate glare.

"I'm not stubborn, just . . .determined." She protested smiling.

"Sammy, you are stubborn. It's one of the things I love about you." He told her, his eyes dancing with amusement. Sam lightly kissed him before moving back towards the change table to attend to Heidi.

Jack watched as Sam's maternal instincts took over as she changed their daughter. "I'm gonna marry that woman." He whispered to his son, an expression of tenderness on his face.

~*+*~

Sam looked at the mess that she'd just cleaned up from breakfast, dreading the time when her children would undoubtedly be making as much mess as Jack. She smiled to herself, no one was a bigger slob than Jack.

The kitchen looked presentable again and Sam decided to sit down and enjoy a peaceful cup of tea before she went to feed the kids.

Sam was happy being a house bound person for now. She still continued to read the science and astrophysics journals that were delivered every week, it was some stimulation for her brain. Not that she was bored, but even when she had been pregnant with the twins', she and Jack had gone into the base at least twice a week. Being a mother was incredibly fulfilling for Sam, but her brain needed to be more active.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Sam moved from the kitchen towards the door. She opened it to see an older looking woman standing there. "Can I help you?" Sam asked, wondering what someone was trying to sell her now.

"I'm looking for Jack O'Neill." The woman explained curtly.

"And you are . . .?" She asked.

"His mother."

Sam stared at the woman. "His mother?" She repeated, curious. Jack had never really mentioned much about his family before, but then again, neither had she. It was just something that never really came up between them.

"Yes. My name is Rose O'Neill, who are you?" She asked. "Where's Sara?" She continued, looking past Sam into the house.

"She doesn't live here any more." Sam explained, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"Oh, who are you, the maid?" She asked, and Sam swallowed roughly, her eyes wide.

"No, I'm not the maid. Could you wait here for a minute please?" She asked, closing the door before getting an answer. She walked straight over to the phone and dialled Jack's office. One of the joys of working at the SGC, was that she didn't have to talk to several people just to track down someone.

"O'Neill." Jack answered, and Sam imagined him with his feet on the desk playing the Gameboy she'd given him.

"Hey Jack." She smiled.

"Sammy! How are things?" He asked, pleased at the welcome distraction. The adventures of Mario weren't going so well for him.

"Things are fine and currently sleeping happily while their mother is cleaning. But there is a visitor here for you, she claims to be your mother." Sam replied, hearing his surprised intake of breath.

Jack groaned quietly. "I'll be home in twenty." He told her. "I love you." He murmured, fishing around for his keys. Why did these damn BDU's have so many pockets?

"And I you." She replied, hanging up the phone. Sam was about to go back to the door, and the woman who was no doubt severely irritated, but the sound of Heidi crying brought her attention towards the hall.

She moved as quickly as she could, picking up her daughter so she didn't wake little Jack, and returning to the door with Heidi in her arms. "Sorry about that, Jack's on his way back and his daughter decided to start crying. Please, come in." Sam rambled, breathless.

Rose followed her and took a seat on the lounge. "So . . ." she started, twisting her wedding ring around her finger. "Are you the nanny then?" she asked.

Sam sighed, forcing her tone to sound polite. "No, I'm not the nanny. Would you like some tea?" She asked, shifting Heidi to a more comfortable position.

"Please." She nodded, dropping her handbag on the floor next to her feet.

Walking into the kitchen with her daughter in her arms, Sam made two cups of tea, carrying one in for Mrs O'Neill and then returning to the kitchen to retrieve her's.

The two women sat at opposite ends of the lounge, in an uncomfortable silence until the door swung open and Jack walked in, still in his BDU's.

"Mum." He greeted.

"Don't I get a hug?" She asked. Jack nervously bit his lip and bent down to give his mother a brief hug before walking over to Sam.

"Hey." He smiled, dropping a kiss on her hair. "How's my two favourite girls?" He asked, sitting in between his mother and the loves of his life.

"Fine. She's only just woken up." Sam replied, handing Heidi to Jack.

"So . . .why are you here?" Jack asked his mother, rocking his daughter gently.

"Is it a crime to want to visit my son and my daughter in law?"

"You mean Sara?" Jack asked, glancing at Sam, who just smiled reassuringly.

"Yes. This woman tells me that she doesn't live here any more." Rose explained, looking at her son disapprovingly.

"Mum, her name is Sam. And no, Sara doesn't live here any more. She moved out almost a year ago." He explained, giving his mother a clear look that told her he demanded respect for Sam.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk." Sam told them, standing and walking down to her son's room. She didn't think it would be appropriate for her to be there, her presence obviously made Jack's mother uncomfortable.

"Why did Sara move out?" Rose asked the minute Sam was out of earshot.

"Because we don't love each other any more." Jack told her.

"What? You two were made for each other!" She exclaimed, standing and pacing around the room. "You were going to make things work, try to grieve for Charlie together."

"We did grieve mum, we still do, but we couldn't live together for much longer. Things weren't the same . . .not after everything that happened." He explained, standing to face his mother with Heidi still in his arms.

"Everything?" She repeated. "You mean that 'Sam?' Is she why you didn't try to work it out with Sara?" She asked.

"That 'Sam' happens to be the love of my life and the mother of my children!" Jack told her, slightly glad that his father wasn't here as well. His mother was hard enough to deal with on her own.

"The mother of your child was Sara!" Rose declared, sitting back down on the couch.

"Was being the operative word, mum. I will never forget Charlie, but I have a new family now. Sam, Jack and Heidi." He explained.

"Don't talk about yourself in the third person, dear." Rose reminded him. Jack sighed, always correcting him, that was his mother.

"I'm not. My son's name is Jack." He declared, smiling proudly. "And this is Heidi." He added, nodding his head towards the bundle in his arms.

"You have two children?" She asked disbelievingly. Rose's mind raced, surely she would have been called if she was a grandmother again? Although, she and Jack had hardly been on speaking terms for a while so . . .who knew what had happened in his life.

"Yes, mum. Twins." He replied.

"And Sara left the two children with you? I didn't think she'd do something like that, I mean she always loved . . ."

Jack interrupted her, "Sara isn't the twins' mother, Sam is."

Rose stared at her son. Sara was the only woman in her eyes that was fit to be the mother of her grandchildren. Not some woman who didn't even look old enough to drink. "Why?" She whispered, confused.

"Because I love her, mum. Sara knows that. She's the one who pointed it out to me for crying out loud!" He exclaimed. Jack looked at his daughter with tenderness, his voice softening. "Do you want to meet your grandchildren?" He asked quietly.

Rose looked at the child in her son's arms. "No, I should go." She told him, standing and walking out of the house before Jack had the chance to say anything.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, walking out with little Jack in her arms. She'd heard what had been said between mother and son, even with the door to the nursery closed.

"Yeah, she'll be back." Jack sighed. "She always comes back." He murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Why don't you help me put the kids back to bed and then come with me?" She asked, smiling.

"Where to?" He asked, following her in the general direction of the nursery, his curiosity piqued.

"Bed, for a 'nap'." She replied, smiling mischievously.

~*+*~

Jack woke a few hours later, surprised that he'd been able to sleep during the day. Hammond probably wouldn't appreciate him leaving work, but since the birth of their children, the big teddy bear of a General had been very lenient when it came to his disappearances throughout the day.

Sam moaned and snuggled closer to him, if that was possible. Jack listened as there was a knock at the door. Sighing, he extracted himself from Sam's embrace, much to his disappointment, and pulled on a pair of sweat pants.

Closing the door behind him, he walked down the hall and opened the door to see Sara standing there, his mother behind her. Jack smiled and stepped back, allowing the two women entrance. Rose sat in one of the armchairs, gesturing for Jack and Sara to sit as well.

"How are you?" Jack asked his ex-wife, briefly ignoring his mother.

"Good. You?" She returned.

"I'm great. Haven't seen you in a while." He remarked.

"I met someone." Sara admitted, looking downwards and smiling.

"Good for you." Jack told her, surprised. He was pleased for her, pleased that she had moved on. If he could, then she deserved a chance at the happiness that he had found with Sam.

"Thanks, I saw the twins, they're beautiful."

Jack smiled proudly. "They get their look's from their mother. Sam mentioned that you stopped by, sorry I missed you." He shrugged, Sara understood that he worked, she should be used to that by now.

"It's okay. Is she here?" Sara asked, looking around the living room.

"Yeah, I'll go and see if she's awake." He replied, standing and walking towards their bedroom.

"What's this about, Rose?" Sara asked as Jack walked out of the room. "Why did you insist that I come over here?"

"You and my son belong together, you must see that. Whoever he's with now can't be good enough for him." Rose told the younger woman.

"You don't even know Sam. Just try talking to her . . .I know you'll like her. I do, she's a great person and, most importantly, she's good for him. And he loves her." Sara explained quietly.

Rose was prohibited from replying as Sam and Jack walked into the lounge room, hand in hand. "Sara!" Sam cried and the two women hugged under the scornful eye of Jack's mother.

"Where are the twins'? I want to see them." Sara exclaimed.

Jack smiled and led his former wife towards his sleeping children, giving Sam and his mother a chance to talk.

"I don't think I've actually introduced myself . . ." Sam started but the older woman sent her an icy glare, silencing any further words she was going to say.

Rose sighed, Sara was right. She should give this woman a chance. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Doctor Samantha Carter." She replied, sitting on the couch.

"A doctor?" Rose asked, surprised. Her initial 'dumb blonde' thoughts about Sam flying out the window.

"Of Astrophysics. I'm a scientist." She explained.

"Enjoy it?" The older woman pressed, deciding to try and get to know her, if only to keep Jack on side.

"Very much. I love my work." Sam replied, smiling fondly at the memories of stepping through the Stargate and coming out onto another planet, not that she could ever tell anyone that.

"Do you plan to go back to work?" Rose asked.

"Not for a while. I've been a scientist for almost fifteen years, but now I want to be a mother. My children are very important to me." She answered honestly.

"Then I think we should go so that I can meet my grandchildren." Rose returned, smiling. She was satisfied that Sam was good enough for her son, and she was content that Sara was happy as well.

Sam smiled and led her, hopefully, future mother in law, towards the nursery where Jack and Sara were arguing over a Colorado Hockey jersey that Jack had bought for his son.

Sam hugged Jack and knew that things would be alright.

~*+*~

Teal'c walked through the long halls of the SGC. An airman had come and informed him that Sam, Jack and their children were at the base, and he was looking forward to seeing them again. Turning a corner he spotted the four, and ran up to Jack to help with some of the bags.

"Greetings O'Neill, Samantha. Are your children well?" He asked, bowing his head.

"Hey T, the kids are great. How are you doing? We missed you and Danny last Saturday, everything alright?" Jack answered as Sam lifted Heidi and handed her to Teal'c.

"We were on a mission to help my son." Teal'c replied, gently rocking the child in his arms.

"You have a son?" Jack asked, surprised. Teal'c had never mentioned anything about a family before. But he wasn't exactly forthcoming with any information.

"His name is Ry'ac. It was time for his first primta to be implanted and I endeavoured to stop the ceremony." He explained.

"Did you stop it?" Sam asked, cursing the Goa'uld for all of their countless atrocities.

"I did. My wife, Drey'ac and our son are here at the SGC." He replied.

"Really? Are they staying?" Jack asked, pleased that Teal'c had gotten there in time to stop his son from becoming dependant on a snake.

"General Hammond has not yet decided. I would be honoured if you would like to meet them." Teal'c bowed.

Sam and Jack both nodded and they all headed off to the infirmary with Teal'c still gently rocking Heidi. They entered the infirmary to see a young boy sleeping in one of the beds with, they assumed, Teal'c's wife sitting in the chair next to him.

"Teal'c." Drey'ac acknowledged, staring at the small bundle that her husband held in his arms.

"I wish for you to meet my friends. This is O'Neill, a warrior of great strength and cunning and this is Samantha, O'Neill's mate. She is intelligent and wise with a strength that I have not before seen." Sam blushed as Teal'c continued to list qualities that he seemed to think she had. "And their children, Heidi Leigh-anne and Jack." He finished.

"I am honoured to meet you." Drey'ac bowed and smiled.

"It's good to meet you too. Is your son alright?" Sam asked, looking at the small boy who appeared to have a rash covering the majority of his face.

"Ry'ac is strong. Janet tells me that he has what is known to you as 'scarlet fever,' but she will help to heal him without a primta." Drey'ac explained

"I hope he gets better soon." Sam wished, trying to smile reassuringly.

"He will." Janet answered, walking into the room, carrying a chart in her hands. "He just needs to rest for a while, the antibiotics will help, we just have to be patient." She smiled.

"I thank you for your help." Drey'ac told her, glad that her son had a chance to live without the larval Goa'uld.

"Your welcome." Janet returned. "General Hammond called to say that he'd like to see you in his office. I think he's reached a decision." She told them.

Teal'c nodded and all of them walked out of the infirmary, towards Hammond's office. Sam and Jack decided to accompany them, for moral support if nothing else.

Jack gently knocked on the door and waited for the General's call for them to come in before opening it.

"Jack!" Hammond stood, surprised at seeing his 2IC on base.

"Hey Sir, thought you might like a visit from the twins." Jack smiled, pushing the double pram over to the General's desk. He grinned as he watched his CO dote over Jack and Heidi.

"Thank you for bringing them for a visit, would you all like to have a seat?" He asked, letting Heidi latch onto his little finger and play with it.

"Have you reached a decision General Hammond?" Teal'c asked, standing behind his wife's chair as Jack did the same.

"Yes. You are both welcome to stay here, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be much of a life. You'd be a virtual prisoner in this mountain and that's no way for a child to live. However, Tuplo has offered you a place among his people." Hammond explained, trying to extract his finger from Heidi's mouth.

"Tuplo?" Both Sam and Jack asked, staring at each other, then Hammond, in confusion.

"He is an inhabitant of the Land of Light." Teal'c explained. "His world was the one we rid of the 'touched' virus." He finished.

"Oh." Sam muttered, blushing at the memory.

~*+*~
Is everything alright?" Jack answered as Sam lifted Heidi and handed her to Teal'c.

Jack grinned. "Is it safe for them to go there? With the virus and all?" He asked.

Hammond nodded. "Yes, SG-2 went back after the SGC had taken care of all the infected members. Major Ferretti tells me that they were able to administer the antidote to all of the infected people on that planet, and they left some behind just in case. It's perfectly safe." He replied.

Drey'ac looked at her husband. "You would not leave this world to come with us?" She asked, fairly certain of the answer.

"It is my duty as a warrior to stay among the Tau'ri until the threat that is the Goa'uld has been eliminated. I will, however, be honoured to visit you on your new world." Teal'c answered.

"Very well." Drey'ac nodded. "I wish to take our son to this world." She smiled.

Hammond smiled in return. "I'll make the arrangements."

~*+*~

"Is Teal'c happy?" Sam asked, laying back against Jack. After they had seen Drey'ac and Ry'ac off, the couple had returned home and put their children to bed, content to have some alone time.

"I think so. His son doesn't have a snake and his wife will be safe." Jack sighed, wrapping his arm's around Sam.

"Wanna talk about it?" Sam asked, and Jack shook his head. "What's wrong?" She pressed, concerned about him.

"I was just thinking that they must have had a pretty strong marriage if they can stand to live on separate planets. Marriage creates such a strong bond between two people." He shrugged.

Sam held her breath. Was he reminiscing about Sara? Did he want to go back to her? "I guess." She said, tentatively.

Jack kissed the top of her head and Sam cursed herself for her insecurity. They were happy together, they had two beautiful children together.

"Will you marry me?" He asked, hopefully.

Sam whipped her head around to stare at him, trying to determine if he was serious or not. She saw the love plainly displayed in his eyes, and knew that it was also in her's.

Without thinking, Sam breathed her answer. "Yes."

~*+*~

Sam looked at all of the expensive garments that lined the walls of the small bridal shop. She and Janet had decided to go shopping for a wedding dress, and make it a girl's day out. So far they'd been walking throughout the large shopping mall and had yet to see anything that either of them liked.

Jack had proposed two months earlier, but they had decided to wait for a little while before getting married. They agreed on the middle of June, and ever since they had started planning the wedding, time had literally flown by. In fact they hadn't realised how little time they had left until Jack had booked the civil celebrant the previous night.

If Sam and Janet didn't find a dress today, then Sam was beginning to fear that she would be walking down the aisle, or garden path as it happened to be, in jeans.

"What about this one?" Janet asked, holding up a long white gown. It had spaghetti straps, and was designed to cling to every curve of the body.

"Janet, I had twins, I'd be lucky if I could put that outfit on without breaking something!" Sam laughed, shaking her head.

"Okay." Janet mumbled, looking through another rack of gowns. "Are you sure that you want to wear white?" She asked, turning her nose up at the sight of a bright pink dress.

"I wasn't going to, but I figure that I could get away with it." She shrugged, pulling out another gown. Sam studied the dress. It wasn't quite white, it had a small tinge of blue through it. With spaghetti straps, the front was low cut enough to reveal a nice expanse of cleavage, but still look dignified. There were tiny embroidered blue roses lining the skirt. The torso of the dress was tight, but the skirt flowed and Sam couldn't help but admire the beauty of it.

"It's divine!" Janet admired. "You have to try it on." She declared, pushing Sam towards the back of the store, where the changing rooms were.

Janet sat on a chair just outside the room that Sam was in, her feet begging to be let out of the tight and uncomfortable shoes that she wore. God only knew how painful Sam's back was, they'd been walking for the better part of the day.

Sam walked out of the change room, smiling. The dress fit like a glove, accentuating her breasts and making her look a little taller. Janet's jaw dropped as she looked at her friend. "You like?" Sam asked, grinning.

"Oh, yeah!" She replied with enthusiasm. "Definitely. What do you think?" Janet asked, convinced that they may have found the perfect dress for Sam.

"I love it!" She squealed excitedly, her face alight with happiness.

"Sam?" Sara called, walking into the store. She'd seen her friend exit the change room in a lovely pale blue wedding dress, and decided to be polite and say hello.

"Sara. How are you?" Sam asked, briefly hugging her friend.

"Great. Hey Janet." Sara nodded, having previously met the Doctor on numerous occasions, Janet smiled in return. "Are you and Jack finally getting married now?" She asked.

Sam nodded, a little uncomfortable. "Yeah." She grinned.

"Sam, he and I signed the divorce papers over three months ago. I'm really happy for you." She told her friend, sincerely.

"Thanks." Sam smiled. "I'm just going to take this dress off." She said, stepping back into the small stall.

"I'd better go too. You look lovely Sam." She told her friend, exiting the shop.

Sam slipped out of the ethereal garment and put her own jeans and sweater back on. Hanging her new wedding dress back on the hanger, she walked out of the change room and over to the cash register, Jack's credit card in hand and Janet in tow.

"I'll take it." She smiled.

~*+*~

Jack groaned and rolled over, glancing at the clock. He and Sam were planning to go to the SGC today, and talk to Hammond about them returning to work an a semi-permanent basis. They both loved the joys that came with being parents, but Sam had wanted some extra stimulation for months now, and Jack agreed that they could use a change of routine.

"Come on baby, up and at 'em." He grinned, kissing the tip of her nose. Jack laughed as she tried to swat his face away from her.

"Jack, we don't have to be up for another half an hour." She groaned, turning to bury her face in the pillow.

"Sammy, that was before we had to bathe, change and pack a bag for twins." He smiled. After mumbling something incoherent into her pillow she flipped onto her back and looked up at him.

"Happy?" She asked, unable to stop smiling.

"Yep." He grinned, helping her out of bed.

An hour later the twins were fed, bathed, they had a change of clothes and there were enough bags packed for them to last a week. They'd packed Heidi and little Jack into the car, and were heading towards the mountain, just idly talking.