A/N: Okay, last time I promised you a chapter a week… and then I went two without posting anything. So sorry!! Between sick twins and mid-quarter reports (I'm a teacher) things were just nuts. I'll do my best to keep this from happening again!!

Chapter 20

"Jeez, Carter. You sure you're just eating for three? Because you've got enough food in that cart for at least five or six." Jack raised an eyebrow at the overflowing shopping cart that Sam was slowly pushing toward him. In the past six weeks, Sam's tummy had really become noticeable. She was now 21 weeks pregnant – just past the half-way point – and was starting to acquire the stereotypical waddle of late pregnancy.

Carefully maneuvering her groceries in front of her rounded belly, Sam speared Jack with a wry glare. "First of all, you'd better watch what you say about my eating habits. I've heard that hormones have been used as a legitimate defense against homicide." She paused to add a bundle of bananas to the basket. "Secondly, I'd like to know what you're going to do when you have to stop calling me 'Carter.'" Her face remained stern, but her eyes lit up with delight.

Jack seemed to consider her words. "I really can't imagine calling you 'O'Neill.'" He made a face. "Too much like talking to myself. Guess you'll always be 'Carter' to me."

Sam smiled. "You could try 'Samantha.'"

He stared at her, pondering the suggestion. After a moment, he shook his head. "Nah. Too girly."

"Girly?" Sam almost choked. "Jack, sweetheart, in case you hadn't noticed, I am a girl." She pointed at her distended belly, just to prove her point.

He grinned rakishly. "Oh, I've noticed." His eyes glinted devilishly. "That's the problem. When I call you Samantha, I remember just how much of a girl you are, and then I get distracted. So instead, I use 'Carter' when we're in public."

Sam suppressed a chuckle. "That's Jack O'Neill logic, if I've ever heard it." She leaned over and kissed him affectionately on the cheek. As she pulled away, she suddenly raised a hand to her forehead. "Oh, heck," she muttered. "I forgot salad dressing."

Jack eyed the overflowing grocery cart and Sam's less-than-nimble gait. "Want me to go get it?"

She shook her head. "No, you'll never find the right kind. I like the fat-free raspberry vinaigrette, but only with the extra-virgin olive oil." She almost laughed. His eyes had glazed over after the first mention of 'fat-free.' Smiling, she pointed to the cart. "Just stay here. I'll be right back."

Slowly trudging back toward the salad dressing aisle, Sam rubbed her hand along her lower back. The changes of pregnancy sometimes made her feel like she was a stranger in her own body. Still, there was nothing on earth that could compare to the tiny flutters inside her womb. They had started as barely perceptible sensations that she'd mistaken for gas. Then, over time, they grew more forceful. Now, in the evenings, if she lay very still, Jack could place his hand on her belly and just barely feel the tiny movements of his unborn children.

Sam smiled warmly. She had pretty much abandoned her own home, and spent most of her off-duty time at Jack's place. They were in the process of selling both houses, in order to buy something suitable for a family of four. Time was flying by, and Sam wondered if they'd have everything ready before the twins were born.

At least they'd settled on a wedding date. Shinsall's invitation to attend the Birthmonth celebration had sparked Sam's sentimental streak. After speaking with the High Councilor, Sam and Jack decided to have the wedding in a candlelight ceremony on the first day of the Colony's festival. All of their friends and loved ones would be gated to Shinsall's planet for the celebration. Sam and Jack would then spend a week-long honeymoon in the Colonies before returning to the SGC.

It hardly seemed possible that the wedding was set to occur in just over three months. Sam shook her head in amazement. She was really going to be Mrs. Jack O'Neill. Jacob, naturally, had been overjoyed by the news. In contrast, her brother Mark had been congratulatory, but reserved. Sam knew he'd been hoping she'd reconcile with Pete. Sam wasn't worried, however. She knew Mark would be supportive as soon as he saw how happy she was.

And, oh, was she happy. She'd worried that her scaled-back career responsibilities might lead her to feeling restless or blue, since her work was such a huge part of her life. However, she needn't have been concerned. Any void that may have been caused by her inability to use the Stargate was more than filled by the love she felt for her fiancé. These past few weeks had been the happiest of her life.

Humming a cheerful tune, Sam finally made her way to the salad dressing. As she reached for her favorite brand, a voice sounded from behind her.

"Major Carter?"

Sam turned around, and almost dropped the bottle. Standing before her, looking elegant and beautiful as ever, was Sarah O'Neill. Jack's ex-wife. Sam felt panic rise in her throat. She wasn't expecting this conversation, and certainly wasn't prepared to explain her current condition. Blinking, her response was automatic. "Actually, it's Colonel Carter now."

Sarah smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I haven't talked to Jack in a while. Congratulations on the promotion." She gestured to Sam's belly with a chuckle. "And for everything else, I suppose."

Sam returned the smile, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi truck. "Thanks. Things have been pretty crazy in my life, as you might imagine."

The older woman nodded. "I'm sure. So when is your baby due?"

Sam corrected her without thinking. "Actually, it's babies – plural. And my twins are due in about four-and-a-half months."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Twins? My, you certainly will have your hands full!" She shook her head with a smile. "Goodness, you're so thin to be carrying two babies in there. I remember being big as a house when I was pregnant, and I only had one."

Carter was unable to imagine the tall, graceful woman being 'big as a house.' "Oh, I'm sure you're exaggerating."

She just laughed. "No, really, I'm not. Ask Jack sometime. He'll be happy to tell you what a moose I was."

Sam's smile froze on her face at the mention of Jack's name. She really had to get away before the conversation turned to her babies' father. If no mention of Sam's promotion to Colonel had been made to Sarah, she could pretty much assume that nothing of a more personal nature had been discussed, either. And Sam didn't want to be the one to break the news.

Sarah seemed oblivious to Sam's discomfort. "So how is Jack these days? Is he adapting to being a General?"

Carter nodded. "He's done a great job." Swallowing, she wished she could elaborate on the topic, since anything was more appealing to discuss than her pregnancy. But the classified nature of their work kept Sam from being able to say anything more detailed. As an uncomfortable silence began to settle in, she was about to make her excuses and leave, when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Sam, did you get lost? Or did our kids hijack your body and force you to the dessert aisle?" Jack called down the aisle, pushing their overflowing cart and grinning affectionately. He opened his mouth to continue teasing her, when he suddenly realized his fiancé was not alone.

The situation seemed to register for all of them at the same time. With Jack's words still hanging in the air, the three stood frozen for a moment, trying to process the scene that was unfolding.

To Sarah's credit, she recovered first. "It's nice to see you, Jack. I was just asking Major-" she stopped, correcting herself, "I mean Colonel Carter about you." She glanced apologetically at Sam. "If I'd had any idea what an awkward situation I was putting her in, I would have left her to pick up salad dressing in peace."

Jack's mouth worked soundlessly. Sensing his total loss of words, Sam stepped in. "Really, Sarah, don't worry about it. Jack and I have pretty much gotten used to awkward situations."

Recovering himself, Jack added to Sam's comments. "It's good to see you too, Sarah. And I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should have called and explained things a while ago." He shrugged. "I've been a little busy."

Sarah laughed. "I can see that." Then, she blinked as if a thought had just occurred to her. "Goodness, Samantha. Should I be calling you Colonel O'Neill instead of Colonel Carter?"

Sam shook her head. "Not yet."

Hearing the awkwardness in Sam's voice, Jack placed a hand at the small of her back and finished explaining. "The wedding is in three months."

Sam saw Sarah politely suppress a curious look. Feeling horrible for springing this on her in public, Sam elaborated. "None of this was planned, and everything happened pretty suddenly," she said, gesturing to her belly. "I'm sure Jack would have told you about everything if he hadn't been so caught up in his own chaos."

Sarah raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I somehow doubt that."

Sam met the older woman's eyes, and a wordless communication passed between them. Sarah, of course, was absolutely right. Jack O'Neill was never going to call someone up and initiate an uncomfortable, emotionally-charged conversation. In a moment, Sam returned Sarah's laugh with one of her own. "Good point."

Jack watched the exchange with a bewildered expression. He was not entirely sure of what was going on, but he was extremely sure he didn't want these two women in the same place very for long. And he didn't think he liked Sam's explanation of their upcoming wedding. Sure, the pregnancy had been unplanned, but the marriage was not a matter of convenience or the result of an impulse. He wasn't sure why it was so important to explain that, but he felt the desire to do so, nonetheless. "Sam and I aren't in the same chain of command any longer. With that out of the way, we're able to start a family together."

As the word 'family' left Jack's lips, Sarah met his gaze, and the pain of Charlie's death swept over them both for an instant. It was impossible to discuss children without remembering the unfathomable loss they'd shared.

Sam watched them with a feeling of dread in her belly. She knew that, were it not for the tragedy, Jack would be part of Sarah's family, and not hers. It was heartbreaking to realize that her own happiness was built on such a dark and painful foundation.

Shaking off the moment of grief, Jack looked at Sam and caught her look of pain and guilt. Without hesitation, he reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

As Sarah emerged from her own sad reverie, she caught the distress on Sam's face, as well as Jack's instant response to it. Smiling a little wistfully, she felt a bittersweet mixture of pleasure and loss. "Well, whatever circumstances led you here, I can see you're both very happy. You have my sincerest congratulations. Please call me when the twins are born. I'd love to see them."

Jack pulled his gaze away from Sam and nodded to his ex-wife. "You take care of yourself, Sarah."

She smiled. "Likewise." Then, almost as an afterthought, she gestured to Sam. "And take care of her, too."

Sam watched as the elegant woman strode down the aisle toward the deli counter. Turning to Jack, she let out an exhausted sigh. "That was really uncomfortable," she said, eyeing her fiancé carefully. She knew how much Jack respected and cared for Sarah. She tried to stomp out a nagging sensation of insecurity, but wasn't entirely successful.

Jack, for his part, appeared totally oblivious to her anxiety. "Heck, Sam. I'm sorry for that. I should have called her when everything started. You shouldn't have had to explain any of this to her."

Sam shrugged. "I'm not upset. I just feel bad that you guys had to hash this out in public."

He looked puzzled. "Hash what out? It wasn't really that big a deal."

She shook her head. "You know, having to tell her about the babies and our plans. It had to be hard for you to do that in the middle of the supermarket."

Jack just stared at her. Suddenly, he seemed to pick up on her underlying emotions. "Sam, you're not worried that there are feelings between Sarah and I, are you? Because there aren't. Not like that. Not anymore." He met her eyes, not letting her look away. "Sure, it was a little startling to run into her like this. But neither of us was struggling with a deep emotional conflict. I just felt stupid for forgetting to tell her."

Sam didn't look convinced. "But things ended so badly for you two," she said. "And everything would be so different if –"

Jack held up a hand, cutting her off. "We don't play the 'what if' game, remember?" He took both of her hands in his and spoke directly to her. "Sam, life has brought us to this supermarket through some pretty bizarre quirks of fate. I can't change the past, and I'm very happy with the present. Stop thinking so much, and enjoy yourself."

She felt his gaze penetrate deep down into her soul. A warm smile of joy spread over her features as she allowed herself to accept his remarkably wise words. On impulse, she leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the lips. "You know, Jack," she said softly, "you're not half as clueless as you pretend to be."

He put a finger to her lips. "Shhh. Don't tell anyone that, or they'll expect me to start acting responsibly."

Sam chuckled. Thanking her lucky stars for delivering this unbelievable man to her life, she placed the bottle of salad dressing in the cart. "My lips are sealed, Jack."