A Father's Instinct
TITLE: A Father's Instinct
AUTHOR: Tiffany Flowers (tiffanyflowers2@hotmail.com)
RATING: PG (at the most)
ARCHIVE: SJRA, Heliopolis and T and A's SG-1 Archive. All others ask, please.
DISCLAIMER:

Don't own 'em. Yada, yada, yada. Gekko, Double Secret, MGM and Showtime do. Lucky punks! LOL :)
CATEGORY: S/J Established possible relationship, Jacob's POV.
SUMMARY: When Jacob sees the love O'Neill has for Sam.
SEASON/SEQUEL: 4 and Post Series
SPOILERS:

Tangent, First Commandment, ITLOD, D&C, Upgrades and post Enemies (the name of the planet for the new Tok'ra base not said, so I made it up).
AUTHOR'S NOTES:

After watching "Tangent" for the umpteenth time, I finally deduced the fact that Jack was saying, "Hi. Hey." to Sam, NOT Jacob. Here's what I think Jacob would be thinking and would probably do to make his only daughter happy.
~ represents flashback
WARNINGS: None.
FEEDBACK: Nice, but not necessary.
Copyright 2002 TIFFANY FLOWERS
"Hi. Hey." Jack O'Neill says, looking at my daughter, Sam. I notice that she doesn't move to take her place beside him, so I go to check on him.
"Jacob," Jack pants, still trying to fill his oxygen deprived lungs. “Thanks for stopping by.”
"What the hell?  I was in the neighborhood," I reply jokingly. “You need a lift home?”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you.” Jack answers as I help him to his feet.

EN ROUTE TO EARTH

POSITION: JUPITER'S ORBIT
As I sit on the bridge of the cargo ship, Teal'c in the seat next to me and Daniel sitting behind me, I wonder what O'Neill and Sam are up to in the cargo hold.
I get out of my seat, giving control to Teal'c, Daniel taking my seat, and head to the ring room where I hear my daughter's voice breaking with emotion, making me stop before I enter the room.
"I didn't think the plan would work," Sam was saying. "Good thing it did, huh?"
"Sam," I hear O'Neill whisper. "It was a good plan. Even if it was the last option you had to come to." I smile at his attempt to make her feel proud of herself.

"I could have lost you, Jack." Sam replies, making me wonder what Sam means by that statement. Since when did Sam call him Jack?
"Well, I'm here, Sam." Jack says, trying to quell the feeling of loss Sam obviously is holding onto.
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too, Jack," Sam says, sniffling. "First Jonas, then Jolinar. Now Martouf."
"Hey," Jack snaps at her softly, no harsh tone in his voice. "Their deaths are not your fault. Stop blaming yourself."
"Yes, Sir." Sam replies, using the first military title I've heard since I started eavesdropping on them.
I think back to the look Jack gave Sam when we ringed him and Teal'c aboard. Not just friendship, but respect. Love. Jack and Sam? Dating despite the regulations? No, Sam wouldn't do that.
I chance a look, hoping they don't see me, and notice that Jack is holding Sam as she sobs into his shoulder. Some of those tears are for him; the others for all the people she's lost. Martouf especially.
I head back to the bridge and stand behind Daniel, watching the stars whiz by at half of the speed of light speed. I will have to have a little talk with George when we get back to Earth.

EARTH-SGC

TWO DAYS LATER
I walk into George's office and sit down. I decided to visit Sam for a couple of days before going back to the new Tok'ra base. I think back to the last two days of observation between my daughter and her CO.  I didn't notice anything totally out of the ordinary. However, once Jack and Sam got back to the SGC, I noticed a strained, cold tension between them.

"What's the matter, Jake?" George asks me, a strange look on his face.
"Have you noticed anything different between Sam and our beloved colonel lately?" I ask, voicing my suspicions.
"Thought I was the only one," George says. "I noticed it immediately after the Zatarc incident and Martouf's death."
"I wonder what happened." I say, again voicing my suspicious doubts.
"Have you asked her?" George asks me. I only nod, knowing that Sam wouldn't tell me outright. I think I'll ask Jack. I tell George good-bye and begin my hunt for one Colonel Jack O'Neill.
I knock on Daniel's door and walk into his office/lab. He is working on some translations from what I can see and has his nose shoved--literally--into one of his books. I sit in the chair next to his desk, watching the young man sleep. I don't really think he'd know where Jack is, so I carefully move Daniel's head to lay his cheek against the pages of the book and then leave to find Sam.
Once I get to her lab, I see Sam bent over a Naquadah reactor, beating the daylights out of the defenseless machine. I just stand there watching, nothing more than that.
"God, why does it have to be so damn hard!?" Sam screams, slamming the hammer down on the worktable's surface.
"Jack or the reactor?" I ask, making Sam jump out of her skin. I don't  really know why I asked about Jack, but I have a feeling.
"It's nothing, Dad." Sam lies, turning back to the now broken reactor.
"Sam," I say, placing my hands on her shoulder. "You can try and lie to your old man, but I won't accept that it's nothing, when it's obviously something."
"Permission to speak freely?" Sam asks, as if I'm just a general and not her father.
"Sam, you can always tell me anything." I reply, hoping I won't regret my words.
"Never mind. It's nothing." Sam says, refusing to admit what's obviously behind her mother's same blue eyes. I decide not to push it and leave her to beat the reactor without any mercy and find O'Neill.

I finally find Jack sitting in his office, staring at something in his hands and a sad expression on his tired face. For the age he really is, his eyes seem to be holding an older age caused by past pains.
I walk in without knocking and sit in front of his desk. I don't think he's even paying attention to what's around him. I watch as several different emotions play across his nicely aging face. I can see the pain and torture in his brown eyes.
"Was there ever something you wanted so bad, but knew you couldn't have?" Jack asks me. So, he does know I'm here.
"Sure," I answer honestly, thinking of my wife, Marika. "Lots of things."
"I think of only one--maybe two--things I really ever want." Jack says, not giving much up to me. Yeah, right.
"Jack," I begin, leaning forward. "What happened between you and Sam? It's different now. The friendship, that is."
"I know." Jack replies simply.

"Tell me about it," I say, trying to keep an open mind about what he'd tell me. "What happened after the Zatarc incident?"
"During, you mean," Jack says, finally putting down a framed picture of SG-1 on Abydos, the pyramid behind them. "Or maybe what happened before?"
"What happened, Jack?" I ask, watching Jack take a breath and begin telling me what I need to know.
"It started with Apophis' new mothership." Jack says, looking me in the eye finally.
~ "Sir, there's no time!" Sam yells. She watches as Jack beats on a control panel with frustration and anger.
"Sir, just go!!" Sam screams, tears falling down her face.
"NO!" Jack screams back, his own tears falling. ~
"It was then that I realized I cared about her more than I was supposed to, Jacob." Jack finishes, the truth finally out in the open.
"But when the change of attitude towards Sam?" I ask.
"When we were re-tested," Jack replies simply. "It was when I told Carter that I'd rather die than lose her."
"You love her?" I ask, hoping my instincts are right and not just my imagination.
"With my life." Jack admits. I don't think he meant to tell me this, but it's out in the open now and it needs to be taken care of.
"Have you told her that?" I ask.

"Not in those words," Jack says, looking up at me again, his chocolate brown eyes filled with such an emotion that I've never seen from him. "I told her, in these exact words, 'I care about her. A lot more than I'm supposed to.' "
I close my eyes, not to let Selmak talk, but to say a simple prayer just as my mind formulates a plan quickly. I open my eyes and tell Jack that I'll see him later.
I half walk, half jog toward George's office, but I stop along the way to talk to Sam before I complete my plan.
"Sam," I say, entering her sanctuary. "I need to talk to you. Ask you something. I want you to be honest with me."
"Okay." Sam answers slowly, eyeing me as if I've lost what's left of my brain. She sets her tool aside and sits down on a stool and I take the stool next to her, wondering how to phrase my question.
"How do you feel about him?" I ask.
"Him? Daniel?" Sam questions in return.
"No," I say. "Jack."
"Oh, the colonel," Sam says, looking at her booted feet. "Why?"
"Just answer the question, Sam." I say, starting to lose my normally contained patience.

"He's my friend, Dad." Sam lies again.
"Damn it, Samantha Lynn!" I shout, using her middle name. She knows I'm angry when I use her rarely used middle name.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Dad." Sam replies.
"How about the truth, Sam?" I say, watching the emotions on her face flicker.
"I'm in love with him, Dad." Sam finally admits to me. Her father, not a general.
"Good." I say, getting up to leave my suddenly confused daughter in her lab.

TOK'RA BASE/EARTH

THREE MONTHS LATER
Being on the Tok'ra Base is like visiting the Black Rock Desert with only the "walking" rock to keep me company. I've spent my off-time talking to Selmak and wondering if my plan had succeeded or if I ruined two good officers' careers.
I am broken out of my thoughts when I feel the presence of Anise. I turn to face her and she is standing straight, her hands clasped in front of her. She is once again wearing what Jack likes to call the "Tok'ra Spice" outfit. The grey/silver one with the weird tan belt thing under her pants. Is that the Tok'ra's version of a thong??? I'll have to ask Selmak later about that.
"We received word from Earth," she says. "You're wanted there immediately."
As I step through the Stargate and onto the Earth's ramp, I notice George is the only one in the Gate Room, aside from the SF's standing guard in the room.
"Welcome back, old friend." George greets.
"Where's Sam? Jack? Daniel?" I ask, seeing their obvious failure to greet me.
"On a mission," he tells me. "They should be back soon."
"Oh. Good." I breath a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding.
"Why don't you come to my office," he asks, patting me on the back. "I have something I want to show you, Jake."

We walk up to his office and we sit down. George hands me a piece of paper. A fax from the President, so I read it.
'General Carter, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter: After giving General Carter's request some very serious thought, I have decided that the personnel of the SGC--not just Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter--are no longer subjected to the fraternization regulation of the military. I do not, however, want personnel to be bringing their relationships to the job at hand. The personnel will abide by this rule, and to any that General Hammond sets forthwith. Sincerely yours, Your Commander in Chief.'
"Wow," I say. "Have you told anyone yet, George?"
"I was awaiting SG-1's return. They're the only team off-world at the moment." George explains quickly.
"Going to hold a briefing in the Gate Room?" I ask, knowing he could fit most of the SGC personnel in that room.
"And the rest in the Control Room." George tells me.
"Off-world activation!" A voice announces over the PA system.
George and I race downstairs to the Control Room. We see the iris sliding open and a few seconds later, SG-1 walk through, wearing full winter gear. The iris slams shut. I see Jack smile at Sam and she returns the gesture. Just as she's about to leave the Gate Room, Jack tags her in the back with the snowball that he managed to hide and bring through the Stargate with him.
I see Jack laugh and bolt out the other door, Sam hot on his heels, while Daniel and Teal'c are left wondering what happened. I chuckle at Jack's playful nature with Sam. George and I share a smile, knowing things are going to be different around here.

TWO YEARS LATER

I just received a message from Sam. The Tok'ra now live on the planet Shimatra. The new base is up and running and still being built. I head to the Stargate and 'gate home to see what's going on.
I'm able to travel home more often since the Goa'uld are less and less lately. Definitely a good thing, I think. There are still a few factions of Goa'ulds out there, but not as many as there used to be.
As I step through to Earth, I'm warmly greeted by Sam and Jack. I notice the glow on Sam's face and in her eyes. Jack is standing behind her, a smile on his face. I recognize the glow. It's the same glow that Marika had when she carried Mark and Sam.
"Welcome back, Dad." Sam says, hugging me tightly. I can feel the slight bulge of her growing stomach under her fatigues. Guess I've been away too damn long. How did I miss this???
"Jacob," Jack greets, shaking my hand. "We should talk."
"Ya think?" I ask, using Jack's phrase with equal, if not more, sarcasm than he uses. Jack grins at that and we head out of the Gate Room.
We walk to Jack's office and we sit down to relax. I get the sudden feeling of overwhelming happiness and joy. I notice Jack's sudden nervousness and hesitance.

"Dad," Sam starts. "As you can tell, I'm pregnant. I'm about five months along. But that's not why we called you here."
"Then why?" I ask. Jack clears his throat.
"Jacob, I...." Jack stops abruptly. "That is, General, I request permission to marry Sam."
"Permission...." I pause for dramatic effect and I watch as Jack begins to sweat. "Granted."
Jack releases a breath and then smiles his infamous "O'Neill" smile. He goes to his desk, pulls out a box and kneels in front of Sam. He slides the emerald gem on her finger, making unshed tears well up in her blue eyes, and she says yes. I hug my daughter and then my future son-in-law, then we go tell George.
EPILOGUE

Four months later, I stand outside of the Gate Room, Sam next to me in her maternity dress blues. Today my little girl is marrying the man of her dreams.
As I hear the small Air Force band playing the "Wedding March", I take Sam's arm in mine, wishing Marika could be here to see her little girl starting a family of her own and marrying a man Marika would love.
I help Sam 'waddle' up the ramp to stand her in front of the Stargate and Jack. I answer the chaplain's question about who gives her away. I walk down the ramp to stand next to George. I listen as Sam and Jack recite their vows and pledge their lives to the other.
After rings are put on and the cheers die down, the chaplain tells Jack he can kiss his new bride. Just as he's about to lean in, I see Sam's expression of extreme happiness change to confusion. She doubles over and takes in a sharp breath. Jack and Janet, who is Sam's maid of honor, are at her side, holding her up so she doesn't end up doing a nose dive onto the ramp.
"Uh, General, Dad," Sam says softly. "Jack, I think my water just broke."
We rush Sam to the infirmary and while Jack is inside coaching his wife, the rest of us wait outside. I pace the floor as if it's my child being born in the other room. We can hear Sam's cries with each contraction of pain. I can't bear to hear her in pain, but I know it's a good pain in the long run.

Four and a half hours later, Jack bursts through the door to announce that I have a granddaughter AND a grandson. What more could they want for their new lives together? At least those kids will now live on a safe, Goa'uld-free planet. Man, you've got to love a father's instincts. It is always on the nose.
THE END