Only The Beginning
Sam discovers she's pregnant. Who's the father? Jack? Daniel? A man from one of the planets they have visited? Also:
1. Father can't be Teal'c {unless it's alternate universe}.
2. Must have a flashback scene.
Submitted by Mara
Major Samantha Carter held her head in her hands as she stared blankly down at the papers on her desk, the words on the paper not even registering with her. She’d been sitting here, ostensibly doing paperwork for the last two hours, but getting nowhere. She supposed that she should pack up and go home, try to get some sleep. Somehow though, the thoughts of an empty apartment were even less appealing that staying here, trying to read a scientific report.
She looked up bleary-eyed as she heard a soft knock at the door. Before she could say anything, the door opened a sliver, and she felt herself smile as she found herself facing Daniel Jackson. "Mind if I come in Sam?" he asked.
She relaxed in her chair. "Sure Daniel. But if it’s coffee you’re looking for…."
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "No, no, nothing like that." Instead of sitting down on the chair opposite her, he came around the desk and perched himself on it. His face was serious, his blue eyes troubled. "I wanted to talk."
Sam’s brow furrowed in concern. "Is everything ok?"
His expression didn’t change. "Why don’t you tell me?" He was gratified to notice a flicker of alarm pass over Sam’s face before she shut it down. Gotcha!
"I don’t know what you mean."
But she was lying, and he knew it. And she knew he knew it. "Sam, I know you." His voice was soft, yet firm, letting her know in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t going to let her get away with anything. "I’ve seen the way you’ve been acting for the past week. You’re snapping at people, you’re edgy, you’re distracted….you’re not acting like yourself. We’ve all noticed it."
Sam tried to keep the tears back. "Even the Colonel?"
Daniel bit back a grin. "Even Teal’c."
"Great." The sound which came from Sam might have begun as a giggle, but ended up more like a sob. She put her hands over her face again in an attempt to hide her emotions from Daniel. To her surprise, she felt him take her hands in his and being them down, away from her face so that he could see her. When she looked at him again, he was kneeling down in front of her, and she could see the worry in his eyes.
"Sam, don’t do this…don’t hide from me. Tell me what’s wrong…."
She was torn between wanting to stand up and push him away, to carry on being the good little soldier, and wanting to throw herself into his arms and admit everything. While she resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms, she stared at him and told him the truth, words she’d wanted to tell someone all week. "I’m pregnant…two months…," she whispered, her face a mask of anguish.
His reaction was anything but what she’d expected. He blinked at first, staring at her in surprise. Then a broad grin spread across his face. "You’re…..you’re…." Words seemed to fail him for once, then he pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations Sam. That’s fantastic." It was only when he realised that she was sobbing in his arms that he reappraised his assessment. Holding her tighter, he stroked her hair, and tried to calm her down. "It’s ok Sam….sssssh…..there’s no need to cry….."
When he felt her sobs subside to soft whimpers, and the whimpers subside to nothing, he gently pushed her away so that he could face her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of his ever-present tissues and wiped away her tears. "I take it that’s not fantastic?" he asked.
She didn’t speak for a moment, needing to collect her thoughts. "I just….I don’t know Daniel….look at me! Look at my life! How can I manage a baby?" There were days when the life of a member of the SG-1 crew left you with barely enough energy to crawl home to bed before you got up the next morning and did it all over again. The thought of trying to juggle a newborn baby in the midst of all of that terrified Sam.
"Janet and Cassandra manage fine," Daniel observed mildly.
"But Cassie’s not a newborn….and I’m afraid….," she whispered, barely able to even voice what she saw as a weakness. "I’m afraid that I won’t be a good mother…"
Daniel squeezed her hands tightly. "Sam, you’re going to be a great mother." He spoke the words quietly, but there was a smile on his face, and conviction burned in his eyes.
"How can you be so sure?" She wanted to believe him, but she just couldn’t find it in herself.
"I just am." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I’ve always thought that."
Sam tilted her head, and regarded him quizzically, unconciously adopting his stance whenever he was curious about something. "You have?" A half smile was hovering around her face, he looked slightly abashed. "Since when?"
Daniel looked down, then decided that he might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. "Since we found Cassandra." From the expression on her face, it was obvious she still didn’t believe him. "Remember the day we were all at the park? The day Jack gave her the dog?" His eyes took on a faraway look as he thought back…..
He was sitting on the bench in the park, with Samantha perched on the back of it, and Teal’c standing behind them. He followed Sam’s gaze across the park to where Jack was talking to Cassandra, and handing her a dog.
He could guess what she was thinking. He knew how attached she’d become to Cassandra, how much she was going to miss her. Even though the child was going to live with Doctor Fraiser, it wasn’t going to be the same. He’d been with Sam every step of the way, more so than Jack and Teal’c. And even if he hadn't known how much Sam loved the little girl, he knew, more than anyone else, what it was like to fall in love with someone and have them snatched away from you.
He’d asked her how she knew that Cassandra wasn’t going to die, listened to her as she reiterated her belief that she just knew. He’d smothered a smile at Teal’c’s comment that it was a mother’s intuition that tipped her off. And even though she’d denied it, he’d caught the all-too-brief flash in Sam’s eyes, and he’d known that the Jaffa was closer to the truth than any of them were going to admit.
When Jack and Cassandra had come back with the dog, he’d followed Jack and Teal’c, mostly to see Jack try to teach Teal’c about the wonders of owning a dog. If nothing else, he knew that it was going to be good for a laugh. Later on that night. In the privacy of his own apartment. Of course. The fact that he also thought that Sam and Cassie needed time alone was a minor point.
Still, one could only look at a Jaffa trying to teach a dog to fetch a stick for so long. Jack’s attempts to explain the reasoning behind it only held so much interest as well. Which is why he ended up retracing his steps back to the bench where he’d left Sam and Cassie. When he got there, he found the bench empty.
He heard them before he saw them – heard a child’s laughter, and slightly after that, another laugh, belonging to an older woman. Turning in that direction, he felt a broad grin float across his face. Over at the swings, Sam was pushing Cassandra, laughing as the girl urged her to push higher and higher. Sam had a wonderful laugh he realised. A beautiful smile. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed that before. Of course, in their line of work, they didn’t get much cause for this – this expression of pure innocent joy and fun, and enjoyment of life. It was even more obvious, he supposed, in the light of recent events. Things had been so stressful since they’d found Cassandra, for Sam in particular, making the relief and happiness now all the greater.
Smiling still, he made his way over to them. "Can’t you do any better than that Sam?" he teased.
She stopped pushing, letting Cassandra’s momentum carry her. "Daniel, I thought you were with Jack and Teal’c?"
He shrugged. "Teal’c’s learning how to play fetch. Jack’s getting ready to kill him. I didn’t want to be a witness." He looked over at the girl. "Enjoying this Cassandra?"
The little girl nodded. "But I want to push Sam. And she won’t let me."
"I’m too big to be pushed."
Daniel tilted his head, and raised his eyebrow. "Well now, I think that if you and I pushed her together that we could manage something. What do you think?"
Cassandra was up out of the swing before he could finish his sentence. Sam protested for all she was worth, but she was no match for Cassandra and Daniel when they had their mind set on something. Daniel stood Cassandra in front of him and making sure she was ready, the two of them pushed Sam off. Before long she was flying high, and literally squealing with delight. After a couple of minutes, Daniel convinced Cassandra to sit on the swing beside Sam, and he pushed them simultaneously. Soon all three of them were laughing and shouting, enjoying a summer’s day in the park.
Even now, the memory of that day brought a smile to his face. He realised later that it had been the first time in a long time that the memory of Sha’re had left his thoughts, and allowed him to just enjoy life. The memory of the smiles on Sam and Cassie’s faces had kept him going through many a long night, and had soothed him back to sleep after many a nightmare.
And if he was honest with himself, it was the first time he’d realised that his feelings for Sam weren’t just those of a workmate, colleague or friend. There was a real attraction there, which would only grow stronger over time. Looking at her with Cassandra, knowing that she was willing to die for her – it had made him view her in a whole new light.
"I knew right then that you’d make a wonderful mother Sam. I can’t explain why. Just like you couldn’t explain how you knew she wasn’t going to die. But I could see you….someday, playing like that with your own kids." He had almost said our own kids, but mercifully had caught himself before that little gem slipped out. Although it was certainly something he’d pictured, when he allowed himself the luxury of a daydream.
Sam looked at him, touched not only by what he’d said, but the way in which he said it. He was totally serious, and she could see the conviction in his eyes. She closed her own eyes briefly as she slipped her arms around his neck and held him tightly, revelling in the feel of his arms going around her too. "I needed to hear that," she admitted frankly.
"No matter what happens Sam," he told her, still in that same tone of voice. "I’m here."
She sat back in her chair again, looking hard at him. "You haven’t asked me who the father is yet."
"It doesn’t matter." He shrugged.
"It doesn’t?" Her eyebrows raised.
"I know who the mother is," he said simply. "That’s enough."
She fought the urge to hug him again at that statement. He was saying all the right things.
"Why?" He asked her, trying to read the look on her face. "Should it matter?"
Sam shook her head. "No. He’s not around any more. Mutual decision."
"Well then." Daniel looked at his watch. "Shouldn’t you have gone home, like, two hours ago?"
Sam gestured to the paperwork. "I had stuff to catch up on."
"Oh no you don’t." Daniel pulled her up out of her chair. "You need to get your rest Missy, not be sitting around here all night, reading scientific jargon."
The idea of Daniel of all people calling these reports scientific jargon and her "Missy" made Sam laugh. "Daniel, you wrote these!"
Daniel stopped, then nodded affirmatively, as if she’d told him something he’d already known. "Then they can definitely wait until morning." He grabbed her arm and began propelling her out the door. "You need sleep. And milk. Warm milk….with sugar. Or honey…."
"Daniel wait!" They got to the doorway before her voice stopped him. When he turned, he caught his breath at the look in her eyes. They were full of gratitude, and friendship, and something that looked an awful lot deeper. He managed to concentrate on what she was saying long enough to register her question. "Is this what I have to look forward to for the next seven months?"
His answer surprised her. "No." He had her halfway down the hall before he finished his reply.
"This is only the beginning."