Three men and a baby

Chapter 6

In the morning, Sam woke up from the faint noise of their hosts moving in the house. She had snuggled up to Jack, her head resting on his chest and her limbs all over him just like she had always dreamed of. She didn't dare to move, afraid to wake him up and break the spell before she had enjoyed it to her heart's content. She sighed and closed her eyes again, nuzzling his chest. His arm pressed her back lightly and she knew he was awake but like her, he was enjoying their proximity and didn't want to move. Truth being told, he hadn't slept at all. He was dead tired but didn't dare to let go, afraid that all of it was but a dream and that he would wake up in the morning with a baby Sam, or even worse, all alone in his bed at home.

"Hi you" he said. He felt her smile against his skin before she lifted her head.

"Hi yourself" she said, taking in the sight of the man she loved, abandoned under her. She cupped his unshaven jaw, stroking the short stubble with her thumb and leaning for a kiss. She had meant it to be a light good morning kiss, but it was too short to be satisfying and they just couldn't get enough of each other. He pushed her down on the pillow, and being on the top of her again he let his hands wander on her chest. She was just intoxicating, he couldn't make himself stop. There was a bang at the door.

"Jack! You awake?!" Daniel called from outside.

"Shit!" Jack swore discretely. "Yeah Daniel. Go ahead. Coming soon" They froze until they had heard the guys climbing down the stairs, then Jack sighed with resignation. "We'd better get up..."

"I suppose we should..." Sam admitted. They both knew that if they started another kiss, they would not have the strength to stop themselves. Daniel would come back to see what was taking so long, and this time he would certainly open the door. Then, they would be in big big trouble...

They got up, took a quick wash at the basin servant and dressed up. Before they went through the door, Jack caught Sam in a kiss, a last one before they went out. But even fully clothed, it was a bad idea. His hands were suddenly all over her, pressing her against him and searching a way under the fabric. Regaining her spirits, Sam caught his hands in her own and took them away from her body. He broke the kiss and looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry" he said. She just smiled at him and opened the door. He followed, trying to compose himself so the guys would not make him out.

"Sam!" Daniel cried as soon as they entered the living room. He jumped from his chair and rushed to give her a hug. Teal'c rose from the bench where he was sitting.

"It is good to see you back Major Carter" he bowed with a smile.

"Thank you Teal'c, Daniel. It is good to be back too, although I do not remember a thing of what happened. The Colonel explained the big lines to me though. I'm sorry I was so much trouble for you guys"

Sam was introduced to their hosts and they had breakfast, chatting happily. From her place at the end of the bench, Nilina was observing the grown up version of the baby the Colonel had taken so good care of. She was a beautiful woman and it was clear that the three men of her team were very happy to have her back. She had seen the Colonel taking care of her as if she was his own child and she had thought the softness on his face was an expression of his fatherly feelings toward the little girl. Now she saw the same softness and love in his eyes when he looked at her, and she knew that he would have that look for her even if she was old and gray. He loved her deeply, not because she was a beautiful woman or a cute baby, but because she was her. That was rare, even on their heavenly planet, and she felt her emotion rise up to her eyes. She quickly turned back to the kitchen to fetch more bread. To her surprise, the Colonel came after her with an empty pot of the local coffee, looking for more, and he caught the moisture in her eyes. He expressed his concern by resting a hand on her shoulder and sending her an inquiring look. "You OK?" he said. She smiled at him, then she pointed discretely toward Sam, then to his chest, and hooked her index fingers together before she rested both her hands flat on her heart. He blushed lightly and looked down before he locked eyes with her, trying to restrain the smile which wanted to bloom on his lips at the happiness he felt this morning. Somehow, she understood their love was a secret, forbidden perhaps, anyway they didn't want the others to know, so she lifted her index finger to her lips and gave him a knowing smile. The flicker of a smile she had noticed on his face grew to a large smile and he deposited a light kiss on her forehead. She patted his cheek and took the coffee pot from him, sending him back to his friends while she fetched some water.

With Sam being back to be her own self, SG-1 could finally proceed with their mission. They went to Kitu's house, where they were received by the very surprised woman. She was delighted to see Sam back to her initial form, and after Daniel had tried to explain how she had just turned up to be herself during the night, probably as a combination of her forced bath and of Kitu's treatment afterward, they thought, although they could not be sure. Perhaps she would have come back anyway, there was no way to know but SG-1 was just happy it had happened. Kitu went on to prepare the drink she used to give the villagers for good health and young age, explaining to Daniel how to use it, so he could transmit her instructions to whoever would receive and study the drink on his planet. She also provided them with a flask of the drink and a sample of each of the elements she used to prepare it with. It took a good couple of hours before Daniel was certain he had everything under control, then they returned to Nilina and Uru to fetch their backpacks and say good bye before they took their leave for the long hike back to the gate. During the walk, Daniel was monopolizing Sam, much to Jack's annoyment, but somehow he was wise enough to know it was better that way, especially when he overheard some of Daniel's words...

"So Sam, what happened exactly?" their friend was asking.

"What you mean what happened?" Sam carefully replied.

"Well, you know... Being yourself again!" he precised eagerly. Sam didn't like the way the conversation was going.

"What about it?"

"Oh come on Sam! You were a tiny little baby and all of a sudden you were an adult? In the middle of the night in Jack's room, just like that? Must have been confusing!"

"Er... Yeah, sure. It was..." she answered carefully. "As far as I was concerned, I was still at the temple, sitting against the fountain trying to rest my feet."

"What happened?"

"Happened? What do you expect Daniel?" she asked, feeling annoyed and a little concerned that their friend would suddenly be so nosy. Could he have heard something during the night? "It happened, I woke up, I was confused, the Colonel explained what had happened, end of the story"

"Oh. Yeah. Sure" Daniel said realizing she was getting defensive. "I mean... You just woke up, and you were adult again? You didn't realize anything? Didn't have troubles with your memory, you know, after being a baby for 3 days and all...?" Realizing he was just curious about the process of growing back to an adult body, she relaxed a bit.

"No Daniel" Sam said friendly. "I was just back to my old self, a little confused until the Colonel had explained it all, that's it" Daniel smiled at her, then waved to some kids working in the fields of Ofu. Some of them ran to the village to tell about the return of SG-1. The council was soon trooping toward them with open hands as a sign of welcome, Aku in front with a broad smile on his face as he spotted Sam. The elders invited SG-1 to join them at the council hall. They were all eager to learn about what had happened since Aku had left them. SG-1 could not refuse without being rude, so they followed and Daniel did his best to tell them everything, although they had no good explanation for the miracle of Sam's return. Once again they were invited to share a meal with the villagers. Their salty dish was always kept stewing and ready to eat. Sam was a little reluctant to eat but Aku served her a nice portion and large glass of milk.

"Thanks Aku but I do not like milk so much. Could I get a glass of water instead?" she said.

"You drink milk" Aku insisted. "If not drink milk, Sam very thirsty again. Water no good"

To her surprise, Sam realized she had been the only one to not drink her glass of milk when they had arrived on the planet, which obviously explained why she had been the only one to be so thirsty on their way to Eniki! That glass of milk had cost them dear! And yet... Had she drunk it, some wonderful things would not have happened.. At her side, Jack was obstinately keeping his eyes on his plate but she could see he was trying not to laugh.

After the meal, SG-1 was eager to get home so they politely declined the invitation to stay for the night. The whole village accompanied them to the gate to see the powerful kawoosh in the ring, and the fascinating disappearance of their friends through the blue pool, before they would return to their peaceful way of life.

"Welcome home SG-1. It's good to see you well Major. Report to the infirmary, debriefing in two hours" General Hammond greeted them while they were handing their weapons to the SF's. Janet was overwhelmed to see Sam entering the infirmary. They had all been very concerned to hear what had happened to her, and after a welcome hug, Janet started a full scanning test to check that everything was OK with her friend. The guys were cleared long before her and although Jack wanted to stay with her, Janet chased him out until the tests were complete. He came back 15 minutes later with a tray of food, which he shared with Sam while they were waiting for the results of the tests. Soon, Janet was back with her folder, rolling her eyes as she spotted Jack, but she said nothing.

"Sam, your results are all good, you will just need a cure of calcium for 2 weeks. I suppose this "regrowing" of your body took its toll, but that's a little price to pay considering the whole episode" she said, producing a pill bottle from her gown pocket. "I would recommend a couple of days rest, just to be sure"

"What? But Janet! I'm fine! And I have so much to do!"

"You can work in your lab, but no mission in the field for you until next week" the doctor insisted with a pointed look at the Colonel.

"Alright Doc" he said. "I think we could all do with some down time anyway"

"Are you planning to go fishing Sir?" Sam teased.

"Ack no... The weather forecast for Northern Minnesota is awful for the whole next weeks. Days of uninterrupted rain... not my cup of tea. I think I'll just bury myself under a big pile of leaves and experience with hibernation for the weekend. I've had pretty short nights back on that planet..." he teased back with a knowing smile. Janet was silently observing the interaction. Then, he left to inform Hammond of the doctor's recommendations.

"The Colonel took care of you while you were a baby?" Janet asked, surprised. "I would have thought Daniel would have done that"

"Looks like I didn't let him..." Sam chuckled. "And the Colonel has experience as a father, which none of the others have" Sam explained.

"Teal'c?"

"Er... as I understood, Jaffas are very old-fashioned, males do not interfere with females' duties and vice versa. So basically, he has no clue either!"

"Then you were lucky the Colonel took the job. I would think he is a very good father" Janet admitted.

"Yes he is. Daniel told me everything. It's a shame he had to loose Charlie. He should have many children" Sam said bitterly.

"He still has his chances" her friend stated cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Sam jolted. Janet sent her a knowing smile, nearly rolling eyes at her.

"Come on Sam. It's not too late. Yet"

"Of course not. He is not old... But he does not have... er... At least I don't think he is seeing anyone so..." she stammered.

Janet shook her head and turned to leave. As she reached her office door, she changed her mind and turned to face Sam.

"You know what? Why don't you go help him with his pile of leaves? I'm sure he could use a hand"

"What?! Janet?!" Sam blushed furiously. Her friend walked back to her, resting a hand on her arm.

"Come on Sam. I don't even need the heart monitors to know that your heart, and his, beat faster when you are in the same room. Although the monitors confirm it"

"What?" said Sam shocked.

"Oh yeah. Don't you worry, I don't think anyone has noticed. At least not the monitors part. But don't lie to me. You have both spent enough time in this room and I'm not blind. Now go. Sort this out" she said, chasing her friend out of the infirmary.

Sam did not follow the doc's orders. She went to her lab to check her mail, then she went to the biochemistry labs where the water sample had been taken for analysis.

"I recommend that the water samples'd be tested against tritonine. I believe we would find similarities between the two, since they have similar proprieties" she said.

"I haven't thought about that Major Carter. We will test it at once!" Dr Lee answered. At the same time, Daniel came in.

"Hi. These are the printed version of the instructions from Kitu, the temple's guardian" he said, handing the pages to the scientist. "Hey Sam! What are you doing here? I thought you were at the infirmary?"

"Janet released me about half an hour ago. I came down here to suggest we compare the water with our synthesized tritonine. I believe would could find some interesting things"

"Good idea! But we have a debriefing in five minutes. Let's go!"

As they arrived in the briefing room, they nearly bumped into Teal'c, who was standing at the door, effectively blocking the way. Noticing them, he slowly moved aside to let them in, and both Daniel and Sam followed his glance down the table. At his usual place sat Jack, arms folded on the table, his head resting on them. The rest of his team walked carefully up to him.

"Jack?" Daniel called softly. But the Colonel didn't even flinch.

"He is asleep!" Sam deduced, astonished. In seven years, she had never seen her CO sleeping at the briefing table. "He must have arrived early and fallen asleep while waiting for us. He mentioned being tired when he left the infirmary"

General Hammond came in from the control room at that moment and took the scene in. Colonel O'Neill collapsed on the briefing table, his team standing awkwardly around him.

"What happened here?" he wanted to know. Daniel volunteered to fill him in:

"Er... I think Jack fell asleep, General ..."

"Asleep?" Hammond was concerned. His 2IC could be rude and irreverent, but never would he have slept on the briefing table! The General walked up to him and shook his shoulder softly. "Jack? Are you OK?"

The Colonel jumped and looked around, clearly confused. "What?"

"Jack, I believe you fell asleep! Should we report the debriefing?" the General asked, concerned.

"Er... no.. no, I'm fine. Sorry General" Jack said, regaining his senses. He was actually embarrassed, he had never meant to be disrespectful. It was just that he was so tired... As Daniel started the debriefing, Jack stood up to help himself with a cup of coffee. It help to walk around, so he also served his team. He sat down again and, burning himself, he drank half of his cup before even trying to concentrate on what Daniel was saying. Damn... He was still at the part when they had this meal in the first village! That debriefing would take hours! He could feel his head waver already, and fought to keep it up. He sat straighter, and rested his head against the chair. That way it would not fall on the table again. Absentmindedly, he rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, and supported his head with his hand. Daniel was speaking about the walk to Eniki. Long walk. Tired.

"Colonel O'Neill!" Jack jumped at the General's stern voice and nearly fell from his chair. He had fallen asleep again! "Colonel, I believe you need rest more than we need to finish this debriefing. If there isn't anything urgent we have to discuss, I recommend that you all take the next couple of days free. We will debrief on Thursday at 0900 hours"

"Yes Sir. Sorry Sir" Jack answered sheepishly. He hated that his body had betrayed him like that! He felt old.

"I don't think you should drive Jack. I'll take you home" Daniel offered.

"Thanks Daniel, I'll be fine"

"You sure?" Daniel insisted. "I mean it you know. You shouldn't drive! What if you fall asleep on the way?"

"Well, you have a point I s'pose" admitted Jack before he surrendered. He followed his friend to the locker room to change before they left the mountain.

Jack was enjoying the comfort of his bed, listening to the rain pouring on the roof while he was warm and dry under his quilt, knowing his fridge was full and that he didn't need to go out for the next few days. On the way home, Daniel had stopped to get some groceries for himself and Jack had taken the opportunity to buy all the groceries he needed, together with a bag of take away Mexican food for dinner. Then, he had just collapsed in bed early for a good night of uninterrupted sleep. Now he was thinking of his night with Sam and his body reacted immediately. God he had never desired anyone like that! He missed her. But he also missed the little maiden she had been. He missed her baby laughter, the smell of her baby skin, especially the one on the top of her head, which smelled like freshly baked bread... He missed her little hands griping his fingers to try and stand on her feet, their little ritual when he changed her. The joy showing with her whole body when they played. He really missed her. He had loved to be a father again for a few days... Sighing, he bottled the emotion away and stood up, heading for the shower.

It was late already. He could barely believe it. He always woke up early, even when he had only had a few hours of sleep. He had definitely been tired... Or he was getting old. Anyway, he decided to make himself a brunch. While the coffee was brewing, he found a pan and set it to warm up on the stove with the bacon while he whipped eggs for an omelet. A big, fat omelet with four eggs and bacon! He was hungry after all... He added a sliced tomato on his plate and a glass of milk on the table before he sat down to enjoy his meal while contemplating the rain on the window. He reflected that he was glad they seldom had that kind of weather when they were off-world. Rain was the worst he could think of, nothing could stop it from reaching down to your skin if you had to stay long enough under it.

After his brunch, he dragged on with some chores and baked a cake before he settled in the sofa for a relaxing afternoon in front of the TV. He loved the feeling of having accomplished all he had to do, and to have earned a lazy evening to do whatever he pleased. Cuddling under a plaid with a satisfied sigh after eating a slice of cake, he started a DVD with a western he had already seen, which would allow him to take a nap if he felt for it.

The film had been over for an hour and the empty TV screen was the only light in the living room. The autumn night had fallen early and Jack was deep asleep on the sofa. At the sound of the door bell, he jerked awake, confused in the dark of the house. Someone knocked at the door. He extracted himself from the sofa and the plaid, switched on some lights and stumbled his way to the front door. Dazzled, his head still filled with sleep, he opened and stood a moment there before he registered what he was seeing.

"Hi Sir. Am I waking you up?" she said.

"Mmm... Sort of.." he admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"I... er... Is this a good time?" she hesitated.

"What? Er... oh yeah, yeah, come in..." he invited. She entered and stood there, a little awkward, not really sure if she was welcome. He looked like he was barely awake, not having recovered his senses yet.

"Coffee?" he offered, obviously needing one himself.

"Sure" she said, following him to the kitchen.

He grabbed the carafe from the coffee machine and held it under the tap while water was flowing. He was feeling so tired still, he rested his head against the cupboard over the sink and closed his eyes. Somehow, he registered Sam's presence behind him and let her take the carafe from him while she turned off the tap.

"Look, maybe coffee is not such a good idea. You should go to bed instead" she offered.

"Why, no... I'm really glad you came, it's just... My head won't clear up" he protested.

Her hand cupped his jaw. He kissed her forehead and cuddled up with her, burying his nose in her neck, and with a sigh he closed his eyes in relief. Oh yeah, here was the best place in the world! She smiled in his hair and returned the hug. She loved the teddy bear in him at this very moment!

"You were serious when you mentioned a pile of leaves I see" she teased.

"Oh yeah... Want to share?" he mumbled from her neck.

"Actually.. it was kind of the idea..." she admitted. She could feel him smile against her skin and his arms drew her a little closer.

"Clever girl... You know where the good stuff is, don't you?"

"Yeah... Is this chocolate cake on your table?"

"Cake?! You want cake?" he pulled away, playing insulted.

"Hey, you don't think I would stay if you don't feed me, do you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. Then, he softened, leaned to her and said against her lips

"Yeah sure... you'll need the energy..."

"I see we understand each other" she posed, taking his mouth hungrily. As a moan escaped from his throat, he felt his legs turn to jello and reached for the kitchen bench to stabilize himself. God! This woman had such an effect on him! Obviously, hibernation could be even more appealing than he first had thought.

The end.

I hope you liked it! Thanks for the nice reviews and support.