Disclaimer - I don't own the characters or the SGC. They could come and live at my house anytime though… especially since I pay my rent with stories…

-Reality-

-Part 4 - Final Chapter -

He had held her hand all the way up in the elevator. He had held her hand crossing the car park and had only released it when he handed her up into the cab of his truck. When he got in the other side, he had twined a piece of the fabric of her shirt between his fingers before he'd put his hand on the truck's gear shift.

He had been silent the whole time and Sam felt like she would break some kind of spell if she spoke. She had opened her mouth a couple of times, but didn't really know where to begin. As he drove he didn't look at her. She sat silent as well, looking out the window, watching the world go by, the tiny tug of her shirt when she shifted an anchor that made her smile.

They pulled up and it was his place. It was tidier than she remembered from the last time they had gathered to bbq and have beer. She smiled, remembering. It was shortly after Daniel had returned and everything had been good for while. It was before Janet had…

She shoved the thought away. She heard the door on his side open and she pushed hers open too, but he was there to take her hand again and she could feel herself grinning and couldn't stop. "Colonel - " She began. She felt silly calling him by his rank when he was leading her into his house by the hand, but she didn't know what else to do. He looked back at her and there was a silent command on his face. No speaking. His pupils were large and dark despite the bright day, making his eyes look almost black and she felt gooseflesh break out on her skin.

She thought he was leading her into the lounge room but they walked straight through it and headed into his bedroom. It was a comfortable looking room, sparsely furnished but with a large bed. The whole room was done in creams and browns. So male, Sam thought.

Jack finally stopped and turned to face her. "Sir - " She began again but Jack sighed, cupped her face between his two hands and kissed her firmly and thoroughly for a long time.

Sam completely forgot what she was going to say.

xxxxx

Sam awoke with a start and for a second she thought she was back in the SGC infirmary and all she could see was black. She felt a moment of panic, but then realised that she was actually pressed up against Jack's back, her forehead against his shoulder. She was now dressed in one of his old flannel shirts and thought it was more comfortable than her pyjamas could have possibly been. She could feel Jack's gentle breathing and hear his heartbeat through his back. She thought the gentle thump-thump was the most reassuring sound she had ever heard.

Sam rolled onto her back and brought her arms up, looking at the flannel shirtsleeves. One cuff was frayed and one had a large hole in it. She poked her thumb through the hole and wiggled it. She knew she was probably grinning like a fool again.

"Where did that nice back blankie go?" Jack grumbled, rolling over to face her. He dropped one arm across her stomach and pulled her closer, snuggling his chin into her neck. Sam squirmed. "Quit that! You have, like, 18 o'clock shadow." She protested weakly, trying to push him away. Jack laughed and rubbed harder. Sam finally managed to extricate herself and rolled away again so she could face him.

"Uh oh, you've got your serious face on." Jack sighed, reaching out and tugging Sam's cheek with a rough hand. She slapped his hand away, but smiled. "You didn't really tell me what your hallucination was about." She said. Jack had glossed over most of the details. He'd mentioned something about being in hospital but none of the specifics. "Um… no I didn't." He said and rolled away from Sam so she was facing his back again.

"Oh no you don't." She grabbed his shoulder and forced him back over. She slid across him and sat up so he was pinned. "I'm in your shirt… in your bed. I think you can tell me." She said. Jack grinned, a hand sliding under the bottom of the flannel shirt she was wearing. "Less talk… more rumpy-pumpy." He said. Sam smacked him on the forehead. "Hey, eyes here." She said, pointing at her own.

Jack sighed heavily. "Okay, okay. I was in hospital, but it was a mental hospital. Daniel was a doctor, the head-shrinker kind, and he kept trying to tell me that the SGC and everything in it was made up and that I'd had a breakdown or something. I was pretty sure that wasn't true… but there was this little part of my mind that wanted it to be true… you know?" Jack said, his eyes ticking away from Sam's. She followed his gaze and there was a picture in a frame she'd never noticed before on Jack's desk by his door.

It was a picture of SG1 returning from a mission and Janet was in it as well. Daniel still had the shaggy hair and a bandana was on his head to tame it. He'd obviously only just grabbed Janet and she was laughing as he was hugging her into frame. Teal'c was standing, solid and serious as always, but as Sam looked at the picture she noticed that one of Teal'c's arms was behind Jack and she could see two dark fingers being held up behind Jack's head in the classic 'bunny ears'. Jack had one hand on Teal'c's shoulder and his other arm was slung around her neck and she was smiling up at him.

"Why?" Sam said absently, still looking at the picture. "Why would you want to stay in a place where people think you're crazy?"

"God, a million reasons. Because I don't think the Goul'd were a threat. Because Janet was probably still alive and working in some hospital. Because Daniel mustn't have been through so much other than boredom and because…" He trailed off.

"Because?"

"Because you were my wife and you looked so goddam hurt every time I called you Carter." He said in a rush. Sam blinked. Jack captured both her hands in one of his. "Your turn. Tell me all Major." He said, his face brightening. Sam opened her mouth and then closed it. She tried again. "Well, Janet was still… and she and Daniel were very cute together. We were together and we were happy." Sam had meant to say it but it just hadn't come out.

I was pregnant.

She didn't know why her brain clamped down on those three little words. "So, no crazy house for you eh?" Jack asked, waggling his eyebrows. Sam smiled but something in Jack's face told her he had read that she was keeping something back. She took a deep breath. "I'd just found out I was pregnant." She said, laughing hollowly. She saw the smile fade from Jack's face and Sam was worried that she'd just wounded him deeply. She didn't want him to shut down.

Then Jack's face cleared and it was like the sun coming out and warming her.

"Well, we'd better get started on making those hallucinations true so we can claim we were foretelling the future instead of just dreaming." Jack grinned, pulling Sam down so she was lying against him. Sam rested her head on his chest and he folded his arms over her. "You want to end up in a mental hospital?"

"Bound to. Any kids I have that take after you are going to drive me crazy." He said with a laugh. Sam smiled, but then a terrible thought occurred to her and she sat up quickly.

"What if - ?"

"No."

"But it's a possibility..."

"No! We're both awake. This is real." Jack said sternly. "That's an order, Carter."

"Yes… what do I call you?" Sam smiled.

"Call me Sir." Jack grinned, flicking open the first button on Sam's shirt.

"Jerk." Sam snapped.

"That works too."