Chapter 2 – for those who like fluff ….

It had been a long day – a long week – hell, a long decade and he was tired. He really was thinking of retiring again, although it brought a swift knot of pain when he thought of his reason for retiring last year. He'd planned to stay home with their son or daughter, but that dream had ended with Sam's miscarriage. The two of them had grieved but life had gone on and things were going well. It was just every once in a while that he thought about how he would have liked to have a child with Sam.

Well, it wasn't to be so stop worrying about it Jack, he told himself. Get home to that gorgeous wife of yours and enjoy your life. You're one lucky SOB so stop feeling sorry for yourself! By the time he got home that evening he was feeling better - still tired, but happier.

"Honey", he said in a fake foreign accent, "I'm home!" Silence greeted him and he frowned. Sam must be working late. He checked his watch and realized it was after 7:00. He frowned again and hoped that everything was okay. He went upstairs to change and had walked in the bedroom while taking off his tie. It was a couple of seconds before he notice Sam sitting on the bed.

"Oh – I didn't think you were home", he told her, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the cheek and then continuing to undress. It wasn't until he'd pulled his sweatshirt on that he realized something was wrong. She was sitting frozen, staring into space. "Sam?" He sat down beside her and took her hands, a cold feeling of terror in his gut. "Sam, speak to me! What is it? What's wrong?"

It took her a second but she finally turned her head and looked at him, her eyes dazed and confused. She blinked then and only just seemed to realize he was home. "Jack?"

"Yes – what is it? What's happened?"

"You're home." Her brows crinkled. "What time is it?"

"I don't – it's after seven. "What's wrong?" he asked again, feeling almost frantic. "Sam, tell me. What's happened?"

"What?" She closed her eyes briefly. "I'm sorry – this must be – I – I don't know how to tell you. I'm sorry." Her eyes filled with tears and she looked as if someone had died.

Oh God – Hammond? Someone else? "Sam please – what is it?"

She swallowed and lifted her hand to push back the hair on her face. "I'm sorry", she repeated. "I'm – it's just –", she swallowed. "I haven't been feeling quite right lately. I didn't think it was anything bad – just that I was tired or something. But then I realized I -"

Oh God – what was she saying? He could feel the terror grow. Was she sick? "Sam?" he pleaded.

"I'm pregnant Jack", she said, getting right to the point. "I've been careful – we both have – but somehow it wasn't enough and I'm pregnant.

He closed his eyes, wondering if he could do this again. Not that he had any choice but – the doctor said it was unlikely she could maintain a pregnancy and they were looking at another miscarriage, another loss. God no – why did this have to happen.

"I'm sorry", she said again. "I – I really didn't mean for this to happen."

He knew she hadn't and he didn't blame her. It was as much his fault as hers. And it was as hard – harder – on her than on him. They'd talked about and eventually planned for him to get a vasectomy so that this wouldn't happen. Even though they knew it was unlikely, they hadn't wanted to chance her getting pregnant again and then going through another loss. He laughed softly. His appointment was next week. Talk about irony.

"I know", he told her softly, putting his arm around her. "We'll get through this together."

"I don't think I can do this again Jack", she whimpered. "To know that I'm carrying our child and that I'll probably miscarry it. I don't know if I can do it."

He moved slightly to look at her. "You want to terminate now?" he asked, feeling a sinking in his stomach. He understood how she felt and knew it was her decision, but the thought made him feel sick. This was a wanted child, even if it didn't have much chance to survive. To throw that away, without even giving it a chance – he didn't want that.

There was a pause and then he felt her move again. "No", she finally said. "I don't think I could do that either. I don't know what to do."

He felt the relief right down to his toes and as a result pulled her to him so that she was practically sitting in his lap. "We'll get through it", he repeated. "I know it will be hard, but I think the best thing to do is not to think about it too much. We won't get out hopes up, but let nature take its course."

She took a deep breath and then turned to him, backing up a little so that she could see his face. "Okay – I'll try although it's going to be hard. I just wish -"

"You just wish?"

"Nothing. There's no point in wishing." She smiled and leaned forward and gave him a swift kiss. "But you're right. I'm not going to worry about it. What happens, happens."

Over the next few weeks they went about their days much as they'd always done, although Sam slept more than normal. They didn't talk about the baby at all and certainly didn't say anything to anyone. Sam took all the usual precautions; she took prenatal vitamins, got plenty of rest and didn't drink alcohol. Other than that, the baby was a taboo subject.

They were both tense, although it wasn't as bad as Jack had feared. He kept busy and that helped. He knew though, that if – maybe he should be thinking when – she miscarried it would be devastating. As much as he didn't want to, he couldn't help but think that there was a child growing inside her, their child and he knew he would grieve its loss no matter what.

Jack was lying in bed reading when Sam came out of the shower one evening and walked into the bedroom to get dressed for bed. He glanced up at her and froze. He quickly did the math and figured out that she was only about nine weeks pregnant – at least according to their calculations. What startled him was the fact that she was showing. In fact, she had quite a big baby bump. His brows knit in confusion – wasn't nine weeks too early to show?

By the time eleven weeks had passed, Sam was getting really big. It was becoming hard to hide it from people and she walked around carrying files and packages and staying behind desks and tables to try and hide her stomach. Fortunately Daniel and Teal'c hadn't been around much lately – they were working with Sg-9 temporarily and had been on a number of longer missions. They decided they'd have to tell them the next time they came over. They also decided that Sam needed to go back and see her doctor.

"General O'Neill, Samantha", the doctor nodded to them as she walked into the examination room. "How are you feeling Sam?" she asked, looking at the very obviously pregnant woman in front of her. She'd seen her at the very beginning of the pregnancy but there had been no reason to go in again until now.

"I feel fine – huge, but fine."

"Well, you're looking good. Let's see", Dr. Johnson looked down at the file and her eyebrows rose. "You're twelve weeks tomorrow I see?"

"Yes, that's right", Sam nodded. "I – we didn't think I'd make it this far."

The doctor smiled. "Mother Nature can often surprise us, as can the human body. Let me take a look at you and we'll see how things are going."

"Should she be this big?" Jack asked as Sam lay back on the table and lifted her shirt.

"Well, you're both big people so it wouldn't be surprising if you had a big baby. Let me just check here and see what's happening." The doctor gently felt Sam's stomach and then measured her with a tape. The slight frown worried both of them, but it soon disappeared and her pleasant expression returned. "I'm just going to listen with the Doppler", she explained, pulling out the small machine.

Both Jack and Sam tensed, knowing this was the part where they either heard their baby's heart-beat – or not. Jack closed his eyes and said a prayer.

It took a few minutes, during which time Sam thought her heart had dropped right into her shoes. She clutched Jack's hand tightly; waiting for what she was sure would be bad news.

"Don't worry", the doctor looked up at her. "It often takes a bit of time to find the heart beat at this stage". Almost immediately after that she grinned and then they could both hear it – the steady, but fast, beat of a tiny heart.

"Sounds good", Dr. Johnson said. "Just right for twelve weeks." She moved it around and they could still hear the beat. Neither of them noticed the doctor's frown and would have been frightened had they seen it. Right now they were just rejoicing that the baby was still with them.

"Does this mean there's a chance -?" Jack's voice dropped off, unable to complete the sentence.

"Yes – a good one", the doctor replied. "The first trimester is always the most dangerous. That's not to say that something can't happen after that, but to have gotten this far is good. Just take it easy – don't overdo and don't let yourself get stressed, although I suggest leading as normal a life as possible. Just to double check everything I would like to do an ultrasound", she explained. "If you wait a moment I'll get it set up." When the couple if front of her looked worried she smiled again. "It's just routine", she told them. "I'm not worried – I just want to take a look to confirm that everything's on track. We can also confirm the due date."

"Okay", Sam said, smiling in return – although she was still nervous. Once the doctor was gone she looked at Jack. "Oh God Jack – maybe the baby will be okay."

"Yeah." he leaned forward and kissed her.

"I'm scared", she confessed. "Almost more scared now that there's a possibility this could really happen. I'd convinced myself there was no way I was going to carry this baby to term. What if – what if I can?"

"I think we'll have to do what the Doc says and just take it easy but go on as normal. We'll do everything we can to make sure this baby makes it Sam – but I think we still have to prepare ourselves in case -"

"I know", she held on tightly to his hand. "But – oh, I hope - !"

"Me too."

Just then the door opened and a technician entered pushing a portable ultrasound machine. After a few minutes setting things up she was ready. Sam lay still as the technician put warmed jelly on her and then placed the wand on her belly. She didn't know whether or not she wanted to see – or if that would make it harder. She glanced up at Jack to see him staring intently at the screen. He suddenly tilted his head as if to see better and frowned. Knowing him as well as she did she knew he was confused about something. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she turned her head to look.

It took a second to recognize what she was seeing then she too was confused. She opened her mouth to ask when the technician turned to them with a smile. "The doctor suspected this", she told them. "I'm not really supposed to say anything", she said, "but you might want to check out the fact that we have two healthy heartbeats here."

To say they were stunned was an understatement. They both just stared at the screen, not sure what to think or say. The technician continued her exam, stopping occasionally and clicking an image. Neither Sam nor Jack said a word as the woman pointed out various features. The babies were too young to tell their sexes, but she did let them know they looked totally normal and healthy.

"The doctor will be in in a moment to talk to you, but from my perspective everything looks great", she smiled at them. "Congratulations!"

She packed up her equipment and was gone before either of the two in the room knew what to say. It was finally Sam who broke the silence.

"At least we know why I'm so big", she murmured. "I wondered if I was having an elephant!"

"I just thought – I – Sam – there are two babies in there!" He sounded absolutely amazed, thrilled and terrified all at once.

She laughed, but only because if she didn't she was sure she'd scream or burst into tears. She didn't know quite what to feel. She soon sobered up when she thought of the fact that twin pregnancies were even riskier than singular ones. She briefly closed her eyes, starting to feel the panic rising.

"Well you two", the doctor walked into the room, looking at a paper in her hand. "Did Marnie show you your babies?"

"Uh – yeah", Jack answered, sweeping his hands through his hair. "Two? Doc, are we really having two?"

She smiled and set down the paper and looked directly at the couple before her. "Yes, you are definitely having twins. I suspected it when I heard the heart beat – or beats but wanted to make sure before saying anything in case it was just an echo. And the good news is that everything looks great. The babies are just the right size and look healthy."

"But aren't twin pregnancies risky?" asked Sam worriedly.

Dr. Johnson walked over and laid her hand over Sam's. "They are slightly more risky, but not enough to matter", she said calmly. "And we're going to take very good care of you and those babies. As I said earlier, you're past the extreme danger stage for miscarriages so just go home and eat well, get enough rest – and let your husband do most of the housework!" She grinned at that and winked at Jack, who immediately calmed down.

"Housework Doc?" he joked. "What's that?" He turned to Sam. "I think a housekeeper is on the horizon."

Sam laughed and started to feel better. "So – there's nothing else I should do?" she turned to the doctor. She felt like there should be something she could do to help things along but the doctor was already shaking her head.

"No – just don't stress out about things. Relax and enjoy the pregnancy – as much as you can while carrying around a basketball in your stomach", she grinned again. "If your job is stressful you might consider asking for something different, or even taking some time off. It won't hurt you to work, but you want to stay as calm and healthy as possible."

They were quiet on the way home, both thinking of the change an afternoon could make. They were both relieved – and happy – and worried. Finally Sam let out a small breath and turned to her husband.

"So – twins. Do they run in your family?"

"Not that I know of", he answered. "Yours?"

"Nope. I guess it's just –"

"Just?"

"Oh you know – Sg-1 luck? Nothing can ever be simple and straight forward with us can it? For some reason life or fate or whatever seems to want to make life interesting for us."

"Interesting? Yeah, you could say that." His lips quirked and then he broke out in a huge grin. "At least this way we won't have to pick one godfather. Both Daniel and Teal'c can be godfathers!"

They invited the two men over the next night to tell them their news. Neither man was surprised.

"Uh – it was pretty obvious Sam", Daniel informed her. "I mean – you look pregnant."

"Indeed. I am afraid that the things you carried did not obscure your abdomen sufficiently", Teal'c told her. "I knew also that you were carrying a child. Are you well?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine – and so far the – so far everything looks good." She told him.

"We're really happy for you guys", Daniel said. "And you know if there's anything we can do …"

"Just keep your eyes on her guys", Jack instructed. "She's supposed to take it easy."

"Right – so you're telling us you want us to watch Sam – and keep her from working too hard?" Daniel asked incredulously. "We've never managed that in the past – what makes you think it'll work now?"

Jack smirked – knowing he was the only one who'd ever really had success in that department. "You tell her you're going to tell me. That'll keep her in line."

Sam snorted, although when Jack raised his eyebrows at her she shrugged. In actual fact he could keep her from working too hard and she knew it. "Look guys – you're not going to have to worry about me", she finally acknowledged. "I want this more than anything so I'm not going to do anything stupid!"

"Uh – there's one more thing", Jack said, looking at the two men. "We're having twins."

The due date grew closer and Sam grew ever bigger. She was uncomfortable and miserable – and happier than she'd ever been. The babies were doing well – they were growing normally and all signs looked good. She still lived with a tiny fear that something would go wrong at the last minute, but she refused to let the thought do much more than occasionally cross her mind.

She wasn't working now – she found it almost impossible to sit for any length of time – or stand, walk or even lie down. She was restless and spent most of her time waddling her way to and from the bathroom - at least that's what it felt like. She was so ready to have these babies!

"What are you doing home so early?" she asked, sounding irritated. Jack was supposed to be at work.

"Well hello to you too", he said, leaning over and giving her a kiss. "Can't I come home and see my wife when I want to?"

"Of course – although you usually don't come in the middle of the day." For some reason she was feeling out of sorts today and everything pissed her off. She was actually glad to see him, but didn't seem to be able to let him know that.

"Well, today I did", he told her matter of factly.

"And why is that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Why? Oh, maybe because my wife is having twins!"

"I can look after myself Jack", she frowned at him. "You don't need to worry so much about me and you certainly don't need to take time off work to babysit me."

"Hey – maybe I need the time. Have you ever considered that it's hard for me to sit in an office all day when you're at home, miserable and uncomfortable and about ready to give birth to our children?"

She looked at him blankly for all of two seconds and then proceeded to burst into tears.

He sighed and walked over to pull her into his arms. "You really are miserable, aren't you", he sympathized.

She nodded, without speaking, and continued to cry into his shoulder. Finally, at about the time his uniform was soaked, she lifted her head and sniffed.

"Better?"

"Yeah", she smiled. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to bite your head off and I am glad you're home. I'm just totally out of sorts today and everything is bugging me."

"Uh oh", he leaned down and kissed her. "I'd better be on my best behavior then!"

He fixed her dinner, although she wasn't very hungry. He then told her to lie down on her side and he gave her a backrub. It helped a little, although she still felt achy.

"I wish these two would decide to be born already", she sighed, as he continued to press on her low back.

"Hey – you're almost there. In fact, the Doc said you could go at any time."

"Well, I wish the time was now!"

She couldn't get comfortable when she finally went to bed. It irritated her even more that Jack fell asleep almost instantly. He'd always had that knack, which was useful when he was sleeping in uncomfortable, inhospitable locations off world – but here, now – when she couldn't sleep – it drove her crazy!

She was tempted to 'accidently' kick him, or stick an elbow into his ribs, but then she thought of all he'd done for her during this pregnancy and how he'd been her rock. She giggled at that – she'd have to tell Daniel that one. No, she couldn't wake him up – at least not intentionally –

"Oooh", she tried to stretch when she felt a cramp in her abdomen. It didn't help and she tried closing her eyes again. A few minutes later she felt another cramp and started to curse. She really wasn't going to – damn! That one kind of hurt.

It was only then that it dawned on her that – hey, maybe this was it! She stayed perfectly still for the next few minutes and during that time felt two more 'cramps'. Yup – she had to be in labor. They were definitely not Braxton Hicks.

For the next couple of hours she tried to relax as the contractions grew stronger and more regular. She knew she still had time – that it could take a while. She wanted Jack to get as much sleep as possible now because soon she was going to need him. She also didn't want him to start worrying before he had to. She knew he was worried and that this was hard on him. She smiled – thinking how much she loved him – and how cute he was when he was sleeping.

The next contraction had her wincing in some pain. She figured it was just about time to tell Jack, but before she had the chance she felt something wet between her legs. For a moment she lay there terrified, remembering the miscarriage. She knew she had to look though – and was relieved to see no blood – only dampness on her pajamas and on the sheets. Her water had broken.

The next contraction had her groaning – the pain was unexpected. At that moment she remembered the prenatal instructor telling them that contractions tended to be stronger once your water broke. It was time.

"Jack", she whispered.

He grunted and rolled over – away from her.

"Jack", she shook him gently.

"Go 'way Daniel", he muttered. "Don't wanna see ruins right now."

"Jack", she giggled, "It's me – your wife. Your very pregnant wife, who's in labor and who would like to go to the hospital."

"Mmmm", he answered. A couple of seconds passed and then –

"Crap!" He sat straight up in bed and looked at her. "What?" he asked, his hair standing straight up and sheet marks on his face.

Since she was in the middle of a contraction she didn't answer – which was all he needed to know. He leapt out of bed and had his clothes on in ten seconds flat. He hadn't been in the military for that many years without being able to be up and dressed in a hurry.

"You okay?" he sat on the side of the bed next to her.

"I'm fine", she smiled. "I think it's time to go though. The contractions are coming every four minutes."

"I can assume from that that you've been in labor for a while?" he said with a shake of his head. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because there was nothing you could do and I figured you needed your sleep. You're not going to get any for a while."

He nodded and helped her sit up. She had another contraction – which he helped her through – and then he went and got her clothes and helped her dress.

They were at the hospital less than twenty minutes later and got her wheeled in and admitted. While the doctor was checking her out he stepped out of the room and pulled out his cell phone.

"Daniel – Sam's in labor", he told the sleepy archaeologist. "Can you call Teal'c and Cass?"

He hung up and returned quickly to his wife's side and so began many hours of supporting her through the steadily increasing pain of labor.

Teal'c and Daniel both came in and spent some time with her, and let Jack have a bit of a break. She was happiest when he was with her so other than getting a drink or taking a bathroom break he stayed by her side.

"We're getting close Samantha", her doctor told her as she examined her again. "I'd say another half hour to an hour at most and you'll be ready to push."

"An hour?" she groaned. "Jack – this was your idea, wasn't it?"

He grinned at the doctor and nurse and agreed. Sam was one of the bravest women he'd ever known– but she'd never dealt with labor before and he found it interesting to see how different she reacted compared to when she'd been in pain due to injury or abuse from an enemy.

It wasn't even half an hour later when Sam insisted that she needed to push. The nurse set up the bed so that she could sit up and hold onto the bars. Jack stood where he could support her and took a deep breath. This was it!

He hadn't realized that his wife knew so many swear words in so many languages! Daniel would be quite impressed. She even knew some expressions in Goa'uld – fortunately the medical staff would have no way of knowing that she was speaking an alien language. "She travelled in Africa", he told them.

He also hadn't realized how strong her hands were. He was pretty sure at least one finger was sprained, if not broken and the rest were certainly bruised. He grinned slightly, thinking it was good she hadn't grabbed his crotch – he'd be singin' soprano!

"You're doing fine Samantha", Doc Johnson assured her. "Jack – do you want to see the baby's head?"

He looked at her in terror – it was suddenly all too real. He nodded slightly and made his way to the bottom of the bed. He had this horrible nightmare that a Goa'uld would suddenly pop out – where that came from he had no idea. He blinked and then forced himself to look.

"Oh my God! I can see its head Sam. It has hair!" He watched, mesmerized, as the head moved down the birth canal with every push. As soon as Sam rested it would move back up, although even he could see it was descending more each time.

"Okay one really good push Sam – come on, you can do this!"

She panted – and then let out a small scream – but then grew quiet and simply pushed with everything she had in her. He watched as his baby moved down – and down.

"Here Jack – why don't you catch it?" The doctor motioned for him to come closer. He was pretty sure he was about to faint – or wet himself. But he was a General – he could do this! He glanced at the doctor, who gave him a swift nod and showed him how to hold his hands. "Okay Sam – push!"

Another scream, a grunt and silence as she pushed. She gave another little scream and suddenly, in a gush of fluid, a tiny infant was propelled right into his hands.

The baby mewed – he swore it sounded just like a cat. He held on to it, not quite sure what to do, but knowing this was one of the most glorious moments of his life.

"Put it on Sam's stomach", the doctor smiled at him.

He gently reached up with the baby – still covered in white and red – and laid it gently on its mother's stomach. He watched as Sam put her hand down and gently touched the tiny infant. He could see the tears in her eyes and the joy. A second later the nurse covered it with a warmed blanket and a small cap.

Sam suddenly frowned – "Jack – is it a boy or girl?"

He laughed as he watched his daughter blink blearily at the new world around her. "We have a little girl Sam", he said, leaning down and kissing his wife. "And she's beautiful!"

"A little girl?" Sam looked up at him and smiled through her tears.

"Here Jack." He looked again at the doctor who was holding out the scissors. He'd known about this part so he stepped over and cut the cord. He then watched as Sam picked up the baby and brought it to her breast. The baby rooted for a moment, but soon found what she was looking for and latched on, sucking contentedly.

The doctor looked over at the mother and baby and smiled. "She looks wonderful Sam, Jack", she said of the baby.

Jack couldn't keep his eyes off of his daughter and wife. He was officially the happiest, luckiest man in the whole world. As he saw his wife grimace he suddenly remembered that they weren't done. There was another one coming.

"Jack", Sam looked at him. "Take her. I think I have to push."

Jack reached down and gently lifted the little girl – who looked quite upset to be removed from her warm and cozy spot. Jack laughed as he looked at her and wrapped her up in the little blanket.

"Here – I'll take her and get her cleaned up and weighed and measured", their nurse told him. He reluctantly gave her the baby, but knew he needed to help Sam right now anyway.

The next baby seemed to take even longer to come than had his daughter. He began to worry when it didn't seem to want to be born. He looked at the doctor with a question on his face, not wanting to worry Sam by saying anything.

"The baby's a bit stuck", she told him calmly. "I'm going to see if I can help it out here." She reached down and did something – he really didn't want to even know what it was. He just wanted this to be over. He looked at Sam who looked exhausted and ready to collapse.

"Not too long now", he told her reassuringly. "Just hang in there."

"I don't know if I can do this Jack", she wailed softly. "I'm so tired!"

"I know." He leaned down and put his lips gently on her forehead. "It's almost over. Just a few more pushes and then we'll have baby two with us."

"What if there's something wrong?" she asked. Before he had time to answer, to reassure her, she began to push again.

"That's it Sam! The baby's coming now." Doc Johnson waved him over and he gave a sigh of relieve as he watched this child make its way into the world.

Unlike with his daughter, who had given a genteel little noise when born, this one came into the world with a powerful wail. Jack winced at how loud the baby was, although he felt a huge sense of relief – and could see that same relief written on Sam's face.

"Don't tell me", she said, laughing. "It's a boy?"

He grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah – and I think he's pure O'Neill!" He laid his son on her stomach and watched as she rubbed his little back until he calmed down. He too took to the breast instantly and suckled furiously.

Jack watched – and knew that this one was going to be trouble!

"Hey guys", he walked out into the waiting room to see Daniel flopped down on the couch, his feet up on the arm and a Reader's Digest in his hands. Teal'c was sitting in front of a child's play table, looking at the small wooden train set with tiny engines.

"Jack!" Daniel sat up quickly and almost fell off the couch. "How is she?"

"She's fine", he grinned. "So are the babies!"

"They're here? Congratulations!" Daniel reached over and gave his friend a big hug, followed closely by Teal'c.

"Congratulations O'Neill. Tell us, what did you have?"

"Babies Teal'c", he answered with a smirk. He swore that Teal'c rolled his eyes so he quickly continued. "We have one of each – a scientist and a soldier", he went on to explain. This time Daniel rolled his eyes. "A boy and a girl", he finally told them. "And they're beautiful and healthy. Come on – Sam wants to see you both and show you the twins."

Just then they heard a squeal and all looked up to see Cassie hurtling down the aisle. "How is she? Are they born yet? Is everything okay?" She threw herself at Jack who laughed and kissed the top of her head. "She's fine, yes and yes", he answered her questions.

"Uncle Jack!"

"He is being particularly irritating right now Cass", Daniel explained with a smile. "But I guess he has a right."

"So?" Cassie leaned back and looked at him. "Tell me!"

"Why don't you come and see for yourself", he told her. "I was just getting Teal'c and Daniel to come in. We had the babies – they're healthy and Sam is fine. She's waiting to show them off."

They walked to the room but Daniel held back to walk by Jack. "And don't tell me you don't want to show them off too!"

"Of course I do", his friend agreed. "They're – amazing!"

Daniel grinned as he watched his friend move forward to open the door. He and Teal'c exchanged glances, agreeing silently that if anyone deserved this happiness, it was Jack – and Sam of course.

"So – let's see those babies!" Cassie announced. She ran up to Sam and gave her a big hug, being careful not to squash the babies held in her arms. "So – what are they? Jack didn't say."

Sam showed her the two bundles – one with a pink hat, the other with a blue one. "A boy and a girl", she told her almost-daughter. "She weighed 6.2 lbs, he weighed 6.9 lbs. They're both healthy."

"They're beautiful Sam!" Cassie looked at the two little faces – still slightly red and squashed looking, but entirely gorgeous. "They look like Jack!"

"And he sounds like his father", his loving wife told them. "He's the noisy one."

"They are indeed beautiful Samantha", Teal'c said. "May I hold one of them?"

"Of course Teal'c". She let him take the little boy and Daniel took her daughter. Cassie complained – but knew her turn was coming.

"So – what are you going to name them?" Cassie asked.

Jack and Sam looked at each other and smiled. They'd gotten their miracle after all – or to be exact, their miracles. At first it was hard for them to believe it was real – that the babies were actually here. Finally, however, as they looked around them they could accept it and rejoice. They had the perfect family – two beautiful babies and their uncles Teal'c and Daniel and their big sister Cassie. Yes – a perfect family – ready now for a whole new adventure.

"Welcome to our family", Jack said, looking down at the babies who now rested in his arms. "Benjamin Charles and Katharine Janet."