"This is the door to the mines? Looks like the back of my closet," Jack muttered as they approached the tall cliffs. The gates of Moria were hidden, unrecognizable from the surrounding rock.

Gimli scoffed. "You will not think the same when you see the interior of the mines. For thousands of years Moria has been the home of dwarves. Once it was the greatest kingdom in all of Middle Earth."

"Mithril was once mined here," Legolas added. "Long ago elves would travel to this place to trade for the metal. Precious little of it remains in the earth."

Jack turned his head as the two started 'discussing' the culpability of dwarves in the lack of mithril. The place was making him uneasy. Nothing living remained in the area, and the darkness only made the shadows deeper.

And he was still trying to decide what that smell was.

"Ithlidin," Gandalf muttered. "It mirrors only starlight, and moonlight."

Before Jack could ask what he was muttering about, the clouds parted, and a shaft of moonlight hit the doors. In seconds the outline of the doors glowed brightly, revealing their intricate designs. "Sweet."

In seconds, Daniel was standing next to the wizard, running a critical eye over the door. "This is elvish."

Gandalf was startled. "Very good, Daniel. It is an ancient form of elvish."

"What does it say?" Frodo asked, standing next to the two.

Gandalf raised his staff and followed the flowing line. "It says, 'The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter.'"

"Okay, and what does that mean?" Jack asked, looking warily at the doors.

"It means that if you're a friend you speak the pass word, and the doors will open."

Jack turned back to the lake as Gandalf began chanting something he was sure he didn't want to have translated. The wizards deep voice boomed against the cliffs, then fell silent.

"Well, that was pointless."

Sam elbowed him in the ribs. "He's been here before, he'll get it, sir."

"Yeah, in the meantime, we're stuck out here freezing our asses off at the edge of the Black Lagoon."

"Your ass is still attached to your body, O'Neill."

Jack sighed. "Thanks for the astute observation, Teal'c."

For the next hour the companions sat near the gates as Gandalf tried everything he could think of to get them to open, but they refused to budge. Jack was tempted to tell Sam to break out the claymores and make a door, but he didn't think that would go over well with the rest of the companions. Plus he wasn't looking forward to carrying sixty pounds of equipment, now that Bill was set free.

"This officially sucks."

Daniel sighed. "Stop complaining, Jack. Gandalf just has to figure it out."

"That's it."

Jack turned. "What's it, Frodo?"

The hobbit walked to the doors. "Its a riddle. What's the elvish word for friend?"

"Melon."

"Hallelujah!" Jack shouted as the door opened. It was about time. "Its dark in there people, break out the nightvision."
Sam and Daniel groaned as they dug the goggles out of their packs. The four had attempted to explain how night vision goggles worked during the first week of their travels together, but succeeded only in confusing the companions. They finally settled on just using them and assuring everyone that they were actually doing what they were supposed to.

"Dont dwarves believe in lamps?" Jack asked as he adjusted the strap.

Gimli simply humphed before turning to Legolas. "Soon master Elf you'll be enjoyn the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Malt beer, red meat off the bone."

"Ouch...shit..." Jack stumbled looking down at his feet. "Oh my God."

"This isn't a mine, its a tomb."

Boromir's soft words echoed though the chamber. Everywhere they looked they could make out the faint outline of bones and armor. Jack lifted his P-90, peering further into the darkness as he heard the answering clicks as Daniel and

Sam did the same.

"Goblins."

"What?" Jack turned to Legolas, who stood with his bow ready. "What do you mean goblins?"

Before the elf could answer a startled cry broke from the back of their group. Jack turned, only to be blinded by the moonlight streaming through the doors.

"Goddamnit!" He tore off the goggles, and wished he hadnt. What could only be described as a giant octopus had hold of Frodo, and looked like it was about to eat the poor hobbit. Jack started firing at the head, cursing when the bullets seemed to slide off the skin.

"Aim for the arms!" he head Daniel cry, and tried it, grimacing when one of the damaged arms collapsed under its own weight. With Strider and Boromir hacking their way to Frodo, they had to aim high, doing little damage. Finally, the thing dropped Frodo, and they ran the only place they could, into the mines.

"What in the name of all thats holy was that fuckin thing?" Jack gasped into the darkness after the dust had settled around them.

"An ancient evil that should not be," Gandalf answered. "We must now face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard; there are older, and fouler things in the dark places of the world."
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"This really is fascinating," Daniel said as they passed through Moria. A day had already gone by, if Gandalf was to be believed, and in that time they had passed through a veritable treasure trove of artifacts. The very walls were covered with paintings and runes that spoke of the dwarves rich history. Several times he'd wanted to stop, only to be pushed on by Jack with a warning that they 'would' leave him behind.

"Once this was the light of the world," Gimli answered, looking wistfully at the ruin around them. "These mines were alive with thousands of artisans and craftsmen. And not just dwarves, mind you. But elves, humans, and just about anything else that was civilized in Middle Earth." he cast a sly look at Legolas. "When things started to go sour, the elves were the first to pack up shop."

The elf scowled. " You speak as if there was something they could do. All left the mines once Durins Bane made its presence known."

"They could have stayed and fought, not run to their forests."

"Aye, and died, just as Durin and his son did. There were elves counted among those of the fallen when the mines were finally overrun."

Daniel sighed to himself. Gimli and Legolas fought as much as he and Jack did, but while their arguments were mostly friendly, between the elf and dwarf he could sense a real hostility, the same one that he felt between the two at Elrond's council. Shaking his head as the argument continued in hushed tones, he walked ahead, to where Gandalf was leading them with his staff.

"I wouldn't worry about them," the wizard said. "The anger between the elves and dwarves is a long standing one, founded by mistrust and misunderstanding on both sides."

"Have they ever fought?"

Gandalf laughed quietly. "Fought? No, they only exchange harsh words, but those at times can be much worse than the sting of a sword. Elves and dwarves have had little to do with each other since the time of Narvi, and that was when I was young."

Daniel blinked. "How old are you, Gandalf?"

"Among the elves I would be considered well aged. I have walked the roads of this earth for long years."

"Your not gonna tell me, are you?"

That got him a full grin. "Not if I can help it."

Daniel sighed before turning his attention back to their walk. Moria disappeared into the darkness on all sides, but a faint light from above illuminated the closer ruins, revealing bridges, ladders, and other evidence that this was once a working mine.

The only problem were the bodies. After the first few hours the sight of the decomposed corpses had lost most of its power, but a chill still remained. It was almost impossible to not step on some body part or other as they picked their way after Gandalf. Thousands had fought and died here, a mute testament to the will of the dwarves.

"Why arent their any goblin bodies?" he asked.

Gandalf grumbled. "Goblins are cannibals of the worst sort. They will not only eat their dead, but the wounded as well, if they cannot defend themselves."

"Oh."
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"Frodo?"

Frodo turned when he heard Pip's soft voice behind him. "What is it, Pip?"

"Oh, nothin'. Just wanted to know if you were all right."

Frodo sighed. He had been all right since Bilbo's birthday party. "I'm fine Pip. How are you?"

The small hobbit shivered. "Wishing for a fire and some of Sandyman's coney stew." he leaned closer to Frodo. "Are you sure you're well. You haven't talked to us for hours."

Frodo sighed. "I've been thinking about everything. About where we're going, where we are. You and Merry shouldn't even be here."

"Neither should you, Frodo." Pip sighed. "How do you like our companions, they saved your life, you know."

Frodo shook his head. "I was too busy thinking about getting eaten to wonder about who was doing the saving. All I remember was loud bangs, yelling and slimy tentacles," he barely suppressed a shiver at the memory.

"I thought my ears would burst when they started firing their weapons, and the one Teal'c carries. It could probably cut through an orc, or one of those trees the Gaffer swears went walking through the fields last season."

Frodo chuckled at the memory. Sam's father had run into the old mill, swearing that an oak tree was walking through the southern fields, happy as you please. "The Gaf probably had too much brandywine for his own good that day, is all."

Pip laughed, then clamped a hand over his mouth when Jack and Gimli turned around, skewering him with their eyes. "I'd better be quiet before I bring down the whole mine with my blathering."

Frodo kept walking as Pip fell behind, his eyes fixed on the dim floor. For over two weeks they'd been traveling, scrambling through passes and over rocks, avoiding any other travelers for fear of being spotted by Saurons spies. Grimly, he touched his shoulder, where the wraith wound throbbed dully, an answering pulse coming from the ring around his neck.
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Sam was shaking.

It wasn't as if she hadnt seen battle before. In her short time at the SGC she'd fought against more jaffa than she cared to imagine, not to mention having Jolinar's memories of huge battles rattling around her mind. Before that she'd had to deal with the fear of being shot down in enemy air space. But the cries coming from the other side of the door were something she had no experience with, but from the reactions of the Middle Earthers it had to be something terrible. If they survived this, she was personally going to strangle Pip, even if it meant standing in line.

"Stay behind us, guys," she whispered to the hobbits as Jack and Daniel rushed to help the others barricade the door.

Take a breath Sam, and calm down, she said to herself as the first blows rained against the door. She cinched her P-90 closer to her shoulder, concentrating on her breathing. Keeping your calm in a fight often meant the difference between life and death.

That didn't make doing it any easier.

"Sam, we get pinned down blow us a new exit," Jack called over his shoulder. He stood with Teal'c, flanking Aragorn and Legolas.

Sam nodded, slinging her gun and digging in her pack, finding the claymores without looking. She heard the door splintering as she placed the first charge against a far wall Gandalf pointed to with his sword.

It was about that time that all hell broke loose.

They...whatever they were...poured in from all sides. Despite Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c laying down fire they swarmed into the room, and she lost sight of the hobbits in the confusion. She could hear P-90 fire, and the distinctive sound of a staff weapon firing, and consoled herself that her team was still fighting, now all they had to do was find each other.

She moved just in time to keep her head, as a large axe crashed into the wall. She turned, concentrating her fire only on what she could see when her first instinct was to spray everything in front of her. There was a good chance she could catch one of her friends if she wasn't careful.

"Frodo! Pip!"

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Oh shit.

That was Jack's first thought as the cave troll bashed its way through what remained of the door. The thing was huge, and carried a hammer. The part of his mind that was capable of sarcastic thought was steadily comparing it to his mother in law. The size was about right, as was the smell.

Oh fucking shit.

That was his second thought as the troll struck Teal'c's staff weapon, snapping the long stem in two. When the troll singled him out for crushing he was beyond thinking of anything other than getting out of the way.

This was not good.

Fighting in tight spaces was something Jack had gotten used to. Most covert ops found you fighting in enclosed spaces, usually room to room, or at worst street to street. The bad part about this was they were so spread out. Every shot had to be clocked just right, or he ran the risk of killing his men. Now he had to concentrate all his fire on the troll and pray that someone was watching his back.

Thankfully, the thing had bad eyesight. At least, it managed to hit everything but them, which was a good thing from his point of view. The bad thing was their guns just seemed to make the thing madder.

"Daniel, fall back!"

Jack had one chance to see Daniel before the troll did, shooting at the door to keep any more orcs from entering, then he was gone.

Shit shit shit shit shit. Jack fought his way to were Daniel was laying, shaking his head. The man had more lives than a cat.
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Teal'c looked around him, trying to find his friends in the madness around him. He and Gandalf were trying to keep the hobbits safe, acting as a net to catch those enemies who made their way past the first line. He used the remains of his staff weapon as cudgels, beating back the almost endless wave of creatures that streamed through the door in the wake of the troll. It reminded him of the Unas, just larger and fouler smelling.

Gandalf''s cry alerted him, and he saw the mage being beaten back by three of the orcs. Hoping he would not be sacrificing two of his friends to save one, he moved to aid the wizard, unaware of the troll moving into the gap he created. This was nothing like the battles he'd led in Apophis's service. This was chaos, his companions separated and lost in the fighting.

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Sam released her breath when the cave troll fell, then moaned. Using a P-90 as a makeshift shield was not good for ones arms, or any other body part. Slashes covered her arms and most of her torso, nothing deep enough to be life threatening, but just enough to sting whenever she moved.

"Sound off," Jack's voice cut through the eerie calm.

"Sam."

"Daniel, I think."

"I am well, O'Neill."

"Frodo's down," Jack's voice carried back to them, and Sam wanted to cry. Frodo couldn't be dead. She limped over to where his body was laying against a back wall, and almost collapsed in relief when he sat up.

"You have more lives than Danny Boy, Frodo," Jack said, ruffling Frodo's hair.

The hobbit nodded, tearing open his shirt to reveal chain mail.

"Mithril," Sam heard the awe in Gimli's voice. So this was the stuff the dwarves prized so heavily. "You're full of surprises, young hobbit."

A weary smile was their only answer before the dull thud of drums started again.

"Fire in the hole!" Sam shouted, Daniel and Jack pushing everyone down as she detonated the claymores.

"Lets go," Jack ushered the shocked hobbits through the hole first, and Sam wondered if they could even hear what he was saying. Then she was running, and the darkness around them came alive. Goblins and orcs were pouring from everywhere, climbing down the walls like roaches.

Great, just when you need a big can of Raid.
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Jack felt the thud before he heard it. Four P-90's firing into a throng of goblins was not helpful to ones hearing, but it kept them alive. It took him another second to see the reactions of the goblins when they heard it. No matter what they were, you could always tell when something was afraid.

That they were running away from the light moving towards them wasn't a good sign.

"Uh, people, I think we should run now," he whispered into the silence that had fallen, backing away slowly. It was too quiet, reminding him of the calm before a tornado.

"What new devilry is this?" Boromir asked, looking to Gandalf, who was clutching his staff with white knuckles.

"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world." Gandalf opened his eyes. "This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!"

Jack didn't need to be told twice, and started off in the direction Gandalf had already began running in, letting everyone else cut in front of him. A small part of him admired the old man. He was probably older than anyone else, but he was in the lead. Jack looked back once at the tomb, where their gear was sitting against a wall. Hopefully one of the goblins would find the grenades after they were gone and blow himself and his friends to pieces.

The thought made him feel a little better.

"Great, now what?" he yelled. Their entire trip through the mines had been one of cold darkness. Now, they were surrounded by fire, and the accompanying heat. Boromir and Legolas were picking themselves up off the steps, so he guessed that that option was closed.

Jack took a quick head count. Thirteen still. He wasn't a superstitious man by nature, but he was seriously thinking of changing that particular outlook on life. Some things were just not lucky. His opinion of their luck dropped further when they only way seemed to be down, further into the heat.

"Where exactly are we headed?" he called.

"The bridge," Aragorn pointed to a slender slab of stone, spanning what he guessed was a hundred foot gap.
Nothing like a little fire and brimstone to get the blood going.
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Daniel never considered himself a religious person. Living in different countries, constantly surrounded by conflicting beliefs pretty much ensured that you didn't take any one more seriously than another. The closest he'd ever come to committing to one religion was when he was still a child, living in Egypt with his parents. Islam had been the dominate religion, and his nannies and friends had all believed in Allah, so he'd wanted to join in. Since that time he'd studied more religions than most people knew existed. He'd been in paoti induced trances with North American shamans, drunk potions that made LSD look like Tylenol in the Andes, and smoked plants he was sure were illegal in just about any country you set foot in. He'd traveled the galaxy, seen creatures that were considered more myth than legend, and even challenged gods.

But this was the first time he'd ever seen a demon.

This must be what the Christians imagined when they wrote accounts of hell, he thought. The huge creature had burst from the ground, made up of fire and darkness, complete with wings and horns. If Legolas hadnt pushed him, he probably would have just stood there, frozen, and been trampled as the things chased after them.

Our father, who art in heaven...

Then there was the bridge. For a moment he wished they were back on Cimmeria, facing Thor's test. At least that had been an illusion. This- a slender stone bridge suspended over darkness- was anything but.

Great mother, giver of life...

"You cannot pass!"

Daniel turned around, and froze. Gandalf was standing in the middle of the bridge, staff raised, challenging the balrog. "What the hell is he doing?" he started running back, to be held up by Aragorn.

"Dont, you will kill us all."

"I am the wielder of the secret fire, keeper of the flame of Anor."

Daniel blinked as a sphere of light surrounded the wizard, piercing the shadows that surrounded the demon.

There was a blinding flash as the sword the creature carried impacted with the sphere, sending sparks in every direction. The creature humphed, but Gandalf was still standing.

"Go,"Aragorn whispered, pushing him into Teal'c's arms.

"Come Daniel, there is nothing we can do," He didn't struggle as Teal'c pulled up away from the bridge, passing him up to Jack.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf's voice rang out again, and Daniel turned at the flash of light. The bridge broke beneath the demon, sending it into the shadows. Gandalf stood there for a moment, watching as it fell, then turned.

He didn't even see it coming.

Daniel screamed as the wizard fell, struggling in an attempt to reach the wizard as Boromir wrestled with Frodo. The wizard had caught himself on the edge, but couldn't pull himself up.

"Fly you fools," he said.

Then he was gone.
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Thank you so much for reading my stuff!!!!!!! Special thanks goes to otsi, H. Puck hoellenwauwau, Shanna anon Frances Holland, Elwen half-elven, Jalenn, Brummie Babe, and Harriet for the wonderful reviews!!!! Remember, please leave a donation in the feedback box on your way out!!!!! All donations are welcome so leave as many as you like. Sorry about the delay between postings.