Chapter Text
Sam tucked the soft grey blanket dotted with silver stars around her daughter a little more snugly; it was icy cold outside, and the tiny girl was only three weeks old and sleeping peacefully in her Moses basket. She still couldn’t quite believe her little miracle child had arrived, but here she was; healthy and perfect, with soft blonde hair, just like her mother.
Kiya Grace Carter had been delivered by Dr Janet Frasier herself, a whole six weeks earlier than planned and weighing 6lbs 1oz. Luckily, a healthy weight for an early delivery; she had been strong and had announced her arrival as loudly as possible to the world. Daniel had suggested her unusual but beautiful first name; as soon as he had suggested the Ancient Egyptian word for ‘beloved’ Sam had thought it was absolutely perfect.
Since she’d been born, the rest of SG-1 had been a constant presence in their lives. Whether it was for cuddles or support, team night at Sam’s (for ease) or overnight stays so that Sam could get some rest whilst they took turns waking with the baby, they had been invaluable to her; especially since she was currently a single parent.
A rap on her door tore her attention away from her newborn, but she eagerly walked down her hallway to answer it, already knowing who would be at the other side. Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c beamed at her, with various laden cup holders and takeaway bags. “Breakfast! We got croissants, muffins, coffee; you name it!” Jack announced, brandishing a brown paper bag, and Sam moved aside with a grin to let them all in. The guys took off their snow laden boots and hung their coats, and moved toward the kitchen and deposited their bags onto Sam’s kitchen counter. Teal’c was the first to move swiftly over to the Moses basket and peer at the infant inside. Kiya was beginning to stir so Teal’c gently lifted her wrapped in her baby blanket, and rocked her in his huge arms.
“We thought you would need some fuel this morning Carter” Jack smiled, knowingly. The bags under her eyes were a testament to a newborn’s demanding overnight schedule.
“Yessir, absolutely” she beamed gratefully as she dived for the nearest cup of steaming coffee. They all made their way into Sam’s living room and after making sure she’d chosen her favourite food items, they shared out the rest and settled onto her couches for breakfast. Teal’c smiled down at Kiya’s little face contentedly. “I have not seen an infant so small since the days of Rya’c’s infancy, and perhaps even then” he intoned. Daniel nodded, his mouth full of breakfast muffin; “yeah, well she was early remember Teal’c, she has a little catching up to do!”
It was then that Jack caught it…Sam flushed, just a fraction, before turning her face away. “It really was nice of you guys to come visit us on a Saturday morning, I hope you didn’t change any plans for us” she smiled. Jack ignored the awkward moment and shook his head; “psh, what plans Carter?! Nothing beats catching up with the Mini Carter…talking of which…” he opened his palms and wiggled his fingers toward Teal’c in a ‘pass me the baby’ gesture. Teal’c looked less than impressed, but obliged. Jack leant back happily, shifting Kiya in his arms so she was comfortable. Sam noticed the ease and comfort in which Teal’c and Jack were able to be around her daughter, clearly showing their familiarity and experience with fatherhood. This was in direct contrast to Daniel who was more unsure, but eager and willing to learn and support in anyway he could. She couldn’t express to them how much she had valued that support, from all three of them.
Sam had announced her pregnancy at around the 11 week mark, having found out just a few days prior. The guys had asked on only one occasion about the father, but fell quiet once Sam had told them it was a one night situation, after a drunken bar crawl. She’d been blowing off steam after a couple of difficult missions, but she still saw the hurt in Jack’s eyes after the reveal. He wouldn’t say anything of course; it’s not like they could act on their feelings, and she certainly didn’t owe him anything. But still, the thought of her with someone else didn’t sting any less. The best he could do was support her all the way, alongside their colleagues.
Daniel peered over at Kiya, who was now waking up and blinking bleary eyes up at them. “Hm, her eyes are still blue Sam, like yours. They seem darker though…perhaps they’ll get lighter as she gets older. Babies eyes change colour right?” He squinted through his glasses, trying to assess her properly.
Jack nodded; “Yeah babies can change eye colour; Charlie’s were kinda gray when he was born, and went brown before he got to 6 months. They don’t usually get lighter though”. He put the tip of his finger into her tiny little palm, and smiled to himself when she instinctively curled her tiny fingers around it. “She’s gonna be smart though, just like her mom; I can tell.” Sam blushed at the compliment, and felt her gut twist watching the scene in front of her. This wasn’t right, she had to tell the truth before it was too late.
The truth, was that approximately 9 months ago, Jonah and Thera had become closer than friends only once, a few days before they discovered their real identities. But that’s all it had taken. Upon her return to her life as Major Carter, she’d pushed all thoughts of the mine to one side for the sake of their careers, and tried to move on. Until the morning sickness started….the only time she’d been caught throwing up on base and questioned, she quickly claimed her nausea and vomiting were the result of a night out in a few bars, which was dutifully accepted. But she had already known the truth, and the test had confirmed it. It was easy after that to continue the lie with the ‘unexpected outcome’ of a pregnancy.
She had prepared and delivered her version of events so believably, Jack had asked only once in a private moment between the two of them whether Jonah had anything to do with this unexpected pregnancy. She had denied it vehemently. He had looked at her with some suspicion, but it seemed to ebb away as he trusted she’d tell him the truth. She wasn’t sure what hurt her more; his quick acceptance of her story, or having to lie to him in the first place.
Kiya hadn’t been six weeks early; she’d been three weeks early, but it had covered her tracks nicely and no one had questioned it since she was also a small baby naturally. Her test results were all normal; Sam had avoided using the SGC infirmary as she’d been too concerned that they would be able to test Kiya’s DNA, or worse, the records would be on file for the NID to pick up on and realise her daughter was the offspring of both ancient DNA and of an ex Goa’uld host. Who knows what they’d want to do with that information, or even with the baby. She had shuddered thinking of the possibilities.
But now what? Sam watched the scene in front of her unfold, realising that although her aim was to protect Kiya, she was also keeping her daughter from her father- and that was not fair to either of them. She could only imagine the hurt she would cause Jack if he found out any later down the line, and how damaged his trust would be in her. And he would find out; Kiya already had darker eyes than Sam did, likely the result of having a brown-eyed father, and when she frowned in her sleep she already looked like an O’Neill. She knew what she had to do…
Tell Colonel O’Neill that she’d lied and that he had fathered her child. But how?