Thank you for reading, and for all the great reviews you have left for this story! I'm so glad you've found it enjoyable. My apologies, but I've lost track of which reviews I have or have not responded to. If any of you did not receive a thank you please be assured that I read every one and am grateful to all of you.

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The infirmary in Atlantis was depressingly like the one at Stargate Command. Except for the windows, of course—it was nice to see daylight, Jack admitted. And the colors, pastel blues and greens—no gray concrete in sight! But the beds were no more comfortable, and everywhere he looked there was medical "stuff" sitting around. The sounds were the same too, beeps and whirrs, and the quiet click of the clock on the wall. Even Dr. Keller's heels tapping on the tile floor sounded like Dr. Lam's.

And it was just as boring! Keller was keeping him—and making him stay off his feet—until the next day because the bruising in his hip was bad, and she wanted to allow the swelling to go down some. To help that along, she had him on a rotation of cold packs on his hip and thigh, which of course mad him even more uncomfortable! She planned do another scan of the hip the next morning just to make sure there was no fracture. By the time Jack and his rescuers had made it back to the control center, he was limping pretty badly, and the lovely young doctor was certainly not one to overlook a symptom as obvious as that!

At least Sam had been here earlier—Keller had insisted that she come in to be checked over. Her exam had taken only a short time, after which Sam had come to sit with Jack for a while. Soon, however, her duties had called her back to the control room. She had promised to return as soon as possible.

He occupied himself by thinking of the news she had told him. They were going to have a baby! He was going to have another son. It was wonderful and frightening at the same time. The worst part was Jack's age. He would be nearly fifty-eight by the time the baby was born. That meant he might not see his son graduate from high school, and almost certainly not from college...

Determinedly, he pushed that attitude away. He would do everything he possibly could to stay healthy so he could live long enough to see his son grow up. Six years ago, when the Asgaard removed the Ancient knowledge from his brain for the second time, Thor told him that as a side effect of being treated in the medical pods, Jack's body had been restored to optimum health. The only real difference he'd noticed was that his knees no longer hurt. He did not look any different, but subsequent medical checks had confirmed that he had the constitution of a man twenty years younger. Truthfully, he hadn't given any of it much thought until now, and he hadn't made any effort to maintain the advantage the Asgaard had given him.

He decided that he'd ask Dr. Lam to do a complete physical when he got back to the SGC, and give him her opinion of his state of health. And he also promised himself he would make the effort to eat right and get plenty of exercise. After all, now he had the best reasons in the world to want to stay in good shape—Sam was going to marry him, and they were going to have a baby!

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The hip was not fractured, thank goodness! Dr. Keller released Jack from the infirmary at noon the next day, giving him a cane, and strongly suggesting that he use it until the bruising healed. He squashed the urge to ignore her advice, and surprised everyone, especially Sam, by agreeing to take it easy and do as the doctor said.

In fact, his willingness to follow doctor's orders had her worried. When he consented to leave the interviews for the rest of that day entirely in Woolsey's hands, Sam could not contain her concern. She followed him to the quarters that had been assigned to him, and closed the door behind them.

He turned to her with a smile, but she spoke before he had a chance to say anything.

"Jack, what's wrong?" she demanded.

"You heard Keller. I need to go easy on the leg for a while, but everything else is fine."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I heard her. But there could be something that you ordered her not to tell me. Did you—order her not to tell me something?"

"No." He moved to the bed and sat down, wincing as his bruised hip settled onto the mattress.

"Jack!"

"What? No, there's nothing except what you heard. I'm fine! At least I'll be fine once the bruising goes away."

"I can tell it hurts you..."

"Yeah. It's gonna hurt for a while. She said I didn't bruise the bone, but it's pretty deep in the muscle."

"Maybe you should be completely off your feet? Like using a wheelchair?" she ventured carefully.

He bit down on the retort that sprang to his lips. Instead he took a breath and replied mildly, "Keller would have suggested that if she thought it was necessary. Somehow I don't think the good doctor is shy about expressing her opinion." His eyes got a little sad and he went on softly. "She kind of reminds me of Janet."

"Yeah," she agreed quietly. "She does."

He beckoned to her and patted the mattress beside him. "C'mere."

She crossed over and sat next to him, and he put his arm around her. He turned his head and kissed her, bringing his other hand up to caress her cheek. "I'm fine," he whispered against her lips. "Stop worrying. I'm gonna do what the doctor says, and my leg will be great in a couple of weeks."

She stares at him, unconvinced. "You're sure you didn't hit your head?"

"My head? No."

"You complained of a headache..."

He frowned. "I could hear the ship's message in my mind. That's what caused the headache. It went away once I was on the ship."

"That doesn't make any sense," she objected. "How could the ship have communicated with you directly like that?"

"I have not idea. Must have something to do with that gene." He squeezed her a little tighter. "You know—the same gene our son has."

She had to smile. "Yeah."

"We haven't had a chance to talk about him yet. About the baby."

She looked up into his eyes. "No. I guess we haven't."

"How long have you known?"

"About three weeks," she admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I wanted so much to do it in person. I guess that was selfish of me ..."

"It's okay."

"I was going to ask for leave to come home, to tell you—but then I realized that if I went back to Earth, and Dr. Lam or General Landry found out I was pregnant, I wouldn't be able to come back through the gate. I was trying to decide how to tell you on one of our flash messages. And then you showed up here."

"I did."

"Can we name him Jonathan?"

"What!" Jack pulled back and stared at her. "Absolutely not! Why do you think I call myself Jack? I won't inflict that name on another kid!" But he was grinning at her all the time. "I'm sure we can come up with a better name in the next...what?...six months or so?" He noticed the faint disappointment in her eyes. "Well, maybe we could use it as his middle name, then he can decide what he wants to be called." He leaned down and kissed her again, caressing her mouth gently with his lips and teeth and tongue, until she groaned and put her hand on the back of his head to pull him closer. He slid a hand into the front of her jumpsuit and searched for the hem of her tee shirt...

Abruptly she broke away. "No... not right now. I have to go back to work..." Her face was flushed and her eyes slightly unfocused. She pushed herself to her feet and stepped out of reach. "Later..."

Jack smirked and watched as she got control of her breathing. "Tonight," he promised. "When's your shift over?"

"Uh... seventeen hundred. But Woolsey wants a meeting at 17.30."

"Well, he's spending the afternoon with McKay. I suppose we should see what he thinks after that."

"You don't have to..."

"I can sit in a meeting, Sam. No strain on the hip. Besides, I'd love to see what's left of Dickie after five hours with Rodney."

Sam giggled. "We'll meet with him in my office at 1730, then." She kissed him quickly on the lips. "You lie down and get some rest."

"Crap. I've been resting since last night." His expression brightened as he got an idea. "Are there any fish is this ocean? Anybody here got fishing gear?"

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It turned out that Radek Zelenka was an avid fisherman, and was happy to lend General O'Neill the equipment he needed. Radek even showed Jack his favorite, out-of-the-way spot on one of the lower pylons, where he kept a camp chair, and a cooler for the drinks he brought with him. He brought Jack several bottles of soda from the cafeteria, and some ice packs to keep them cold.

Jack spent a quiet and lazy afternoon fishing in Atlantis' waters. There were indeed fish-like critters there—he threw back a few in the course of the day. Radek admitted that he's never kept any of the sea creatures he caught, and had no idea if they were edible or not. Jack said that wasn't a problem for him, as the point was the act of fishing—not the catch. The two men grinned at each other in complete understanding.

Jack dozed and drank soda and relaxed more completely than he had in a long time.

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Sam came looking for him when her shift ended—Zelenka had told her where he was. Jack was sleeping when she found him, his head leaning against the back of the chair and the fishing pole held loosely in his hands. She watched him for a few minutes, reluctant to disturb his rest, until finally he cleared his throat and opened his eyes.

"Thought that might be you," he said.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I guess I was. But you know how I get when anybody's watching me." He straightened up in the chair. "Is it time to go meet Woolsey?"

"Twenty more minutes."

"Come and sit with me, then," he invited.

She smiled and came closer, then folded her legs and sat on the deck in front of his chair, leaning back against his knees. "Is that okay?"

"That's fine," he said, running a hand lightly over her hair.

They were quiet for several minutes. And finally she asked, "Did you catch anything?"

"A few. I threw them back. Zelenka says he doesn't keep them either."

"You look like you enjoyed yourself." She twists around to look up at him. She had noticed how relaxed he seemed.

"Yes, I did. It was a good way to spend the afternoon."

There was another comfortable silence.

"Ten minutes until Woolsey will be in my office," Sam said at last.

"Okay. Guess it's time to go."

She helped him put away Zelenka's fishing gear, and the two of them headed for the lift.

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The meeting with Woolsey went better than either Sam or Jack had expected.

"I cannot recommend Dr. McKay for the job of administrator of Atlantis," Woolsey commented immediately. "What do you think, General?"

"I agree with you," Jack said. He glanced at Sam. "How do you feel about it, Carter?"

"I also agree. However, you don't want to lose Rodney if you can help it—he's much too good a scientist." She looked from Jack to Woolsey. "I have a couple of other thoughts, if you want to hear them."

"Go ahead, Colonel Carter," Woolsey said.

"Well, it occurred to me that both of the other candidates are scientists, and appointing either could cause conflict with Rodney. They would probably want to take over the scientific aspect of the mission here. McKay isn't one to give ground easily when it comes to his specialty. Atlantis might lose him over it. I worked with Mark Danson for fourteen months, and he's brilliant, but he likes to be in control. Being my 2IC was hard for him."

Jack was listening carefully to what she was saying. "You think he and Rodney wouldn't work together well?"

She shrugged. "I can see there might be a struggle before they could work it out. The fact that I outranked Danson was a helpful factor for us. But he'll see Rodney as just a civilian."

"You seem to handle McKay pretty well," Woolsey commented.

"I have John, after all."

"Do you think Sheppard will leave if he doesn't get the appointment?" Jack asked.

Woolsey gave him a surprised glance.

"John is a Lt. Colonel, just like Danson," Sam said. "If he stays, there could be a conflict there, too."

"Danson would probably be promoted to full bird if he gets the job."

"Yes. That makes sense," she conceded. "The permanent administrator needs to be the highest ranking officer, if he's military."

Jack was thoughtful. "So, if Danson is appointed, there's at least a chance that the Atlantis Expedition could lose both Sheppard and McKay."

"Possibly."

"That could be very bad," Woolsey said. "Losing both of them could be a serious setback for Atlantis." He looked thoughtful. "What about Dr. Michaels?"

"Again, a brilliant scientist," Sam said. "I only worked under her for a few months at Area 51, but she is fantastic at her job. Being head of R&D there gives her the advantage of having administrative experience as well. She might do better with Rodney than Danson would. She is a civilian, after all. But she's equally headstrong, and has the Atlantic Outpost experience under her belt."

"Did you have any conflicts with her?"

"No. But I wasn't challenging her authority, or her science either."

"So what would you do if this were your decision?" Jack asked after a minute's thought.

"Oh, no," Sam objected. "Don't put me in that position. It's not my decision. This one's all yours."

"Actually, it's not mine. It's the IOA's." Jack glanced at Woolsey.

"They'll listen to your recommendation, though," she said.

Jack drew a long breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, then give us your recommendation."

"Yes, Colonel," Woolsey put in. "I'm very interested in what you have to say, also."

She glanced between the two men. "All right. But it's just my opinion. Maybe the IOA should consider dividing the responsibilities, in some way. Giving John authority over all the military operations, and expanding Rodney's authority on the scientific side, but having them share she administrative duties. These two men have the most experience here, and they work well together. John is one of the few people that Rodney respects completely—or maybe he's just afraid of him," she added with a smirk. "That would be my recommendation."

Woolsey looked thoughtful. "Sheppard does have all the right experience. And except for yourself, Colonel Carter, Dr. McKay is the most qualified scientist." He shot a hopeful look at Sam.

"I'm not going to reconsider," she told him. "I already have my request in for Earth-side assignment, as soon as this is decided."

"I didn't really think so," he nodded. "I will definitely pass on your thoughts to the Advisory Board."

"Are you done with McKay's interview, then?" Jack asked.

"Yes. I think this afternoon covered everything I need to know. Unless you have questions, General."

"No. I'm willing to go with what you recommend."

Woolsey seemed faintly surprised. "Thank you, General O'Neill." He turned to Sam. "When can I return to Stargate Command, Colonel?"

"I believe we have you in the schedule for tomorrow at 1300. That'll be 1700 back at the SGC. That's when we dial in to give our weekly report."

For a moment she thought he was going to object to the delay, but then he seemed to reconsider. "That'll be fine, Colonel. I haven't had a morning off in a long time." He smiled. "I think I'll sleep in tomorrow. Good night, Colonel. General." He picked up his briefcase and left the office.

Sam turned toward Jack, her mouth open. "Did you see that? He actually smiled!"

"Must've been gas," he quipped, drawing a laugh from Sam.

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They decided to eat dinner in the cafeteria, and headed straight that way from Sam's office. Sam eased back her usual brisk pace to match his slower one. As a result, their progress was quite leisurely.

"Did Keller give you any pain meds?" Sam asked as they sat down at a table, having noticed the wince he tried to control with each step.

"Yep. But I left 'em in my quarters. I knew I'd be sitting all afternoon."

"I'll get them for you." She started to rise.

He reached over and caught her wrist. "No. I'm fine. I'll take one later, if it still hurts."

She stared down at his hand grasping her arm, and then looked around warily. He caught the look and released her, grinning. "Do you seriously think they haven't figured us out?" he asked softly.

"Oh, I'm sure some of them have. Like Dr. Keller. I guess it's just habit to be careful."

"Yeah," he admitted and then the grin turned into a warm, sweet smile so full of promise and love that it just about took her breath away. "But once you get home..."

~FINI, FOR NOW~

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Please forgive me for taking a break here. As you've probably guessed, this is not the end of this J/S series (I mean, how could it be, with a wedding coming up and the baby...), and so my saga of Jack and Sam will continue with another story a little later on. First, however, I need to finish a couple of others that are still around. Namely; There'll be Time Enough for Sadness When You Leave Me, Lost and Maverick Jack: the Assassin. After that, hopefully I'll have the good sense to limit myself to having only one or two WIPs going at a time!

And yes, I know that the crystal the captain gave Jack wasn't mentioned. Don't worry. It will come up in a later story.