The closer they got to the Ranch the quieter Sam became. Jack glanced at her a few times, but as soon as she caught his eye she smiled. Still, he knew something was bothering her. He finally reached over and took her reins and stopped her horse.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine – just a little tired is all."

"You're sure? You look – worried about something."

She smiled and touched his hand. "I'm fine. Really. It's just been an exhausting day. A good one", she quickly continued as soon as she saw his look. "A very good one. I guess I'm just -"

"Just?"

"Worried about going home."

"I thought you were looking forward to it?" he asked with a small frown. Why was she worried now?

"I was – I am. It's just – we've been gone a long time. Lots of things could have changed. They probably think we're dead and – oh, I don't know, I'm just being silly!"

"I don't think you know how to be silly", he told her. "Look, I'm sure everything will be fine." There was silence as they both clicked their heels and began to ride. A few moments later Jack spoke again. "Sam – what about your family?" It was something he hadn't even thought to ask and he felt rather guilty about it.

"There's my Dad", she told him, "Jacob Carter – you know him. He used to be a General but now he's a Tokra."

"Tokra?" he asked. The word sounded vaguely familiar although he couldn't put his finger on it. For some reason it irritated him.

"Yes", she sighed. "It doesn't matter – I'll explain some other time. There's also my brother and his family. He lives in San Diego. I hate that they probably think I'm dead." She sighed again. It was something she'd tried not to think of since she'd been here. She really did hate what this must have meant for them. Mark especially – since he wouldn't even know the truth behind her disappearance.

Jack was silent now too, thinking about his own family. He'd remembered Charlie – although he tried not to think about him too much right now, knowing that the pain would return. He'd wait until he was alone and allow himself to grieve. He didn't know about anyone else though and suddenly it bothered him. What about Charlie's mother? Had they been married? He rather thought he had been married before but what had happened to her? Was she dead too? Suddenly a name popped into his mind – Sara – that's her – Sara. He tried to concentrate, to remember and eventually he could see a vague picture of a tall blond woman. Geesh – he obviously liked the type! Beyond that there was nothing.

"Sara?" he said out loud, looking over at Sam. She appeared startled, and a bit worried, although he was pretty sure it was for him, not for herself.

"She was your wife", she said softly. "You're divorced."

He nodded. He wasn't surprised. "It was after – Charlie?" he asked, somehow feeling that was true.

"Yes – although I don't really know more than that. It wasn't something you talked about, at least not to me."

"I see." He was quiet again. "I was just – I wondered about – my family", he confessed. "I can't remember anyone else."

"I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you but other than Charlie and Sara, I don't know. It wasn't something you ever said anything about. I guess I always assumed you didn't have any other family."

He grimaced. "I came out of a pea pod?"

She laughed in response. "No, that's not what I meant. I just – I assumed they were – gone or that you weren't close. Daniel doesn't have any family either – at least, except for us. In a way we're each other's closest family", she explained. "All of us are orphans in one way or another."

He didn't ask her to explain, not really wanting to explore that idea right now. He kind of figured he'd had enough emotions for one day. He did feel slightly sad that he didn't seem to have anyone; although he was glad he had his team. He just wished he had clearer memories of each of them.

Sam continued to ponder on their conversation and was glad that Jack had accepted what she'd said. In reality, what was worrying her was what would happen after they returned home. She was pregnant, which could be a really serious issue, although she hoped the Air Force didn't make too big a deal about it. She could claim – truthfully – that they hadn't thought they were ever coming home so had decided to make a life here, in Mariscola. Still, it meant things would be difficult. Jack would one day remember – she hoped – and might want to return to full service. She knew that she would also like to return to work, although in what capacity she didn't know. What really worried her was that Jack might resent her for the decision to be with her, when he didn't really remember anything about his former life. She suddenly hated the thought of him remembering – and then felt guilty for thinking such a thing. Could life never just be simple?

"So here the two of you are", Janet's voice interrupted her thoughts. She quickly looked up, surprised that they'd reached the ranch without her even being aware of it. "I was just about to send Bart out to find you. I suppose you've overdone things Jack!" she scolded.

"Aaah Mom", he whined. "I'm not tired!"

Janet grinned and swatted his leg. "Get off that horse and go in and sit down. Supper will be ready soon." She turned next to Sam. "You're looking tired too. I've set up a bathtub in my bedroom because if you're like me, you like to have a nice warm bath after a dusty ride."

"Thank you!" Sam said gratefully. Right now the thought of a warm soak sounded heavenly. It was a lot of work to prepare a bath without running hot water so wasn't something she indulged in frequently.

She got down off her horse and stumbled slightly. Jack reached over and steadied her and then leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Can I join you?"

She could feel herself blush although she grinned slightly. This was all so new and she wasn't quite sure how to react. Although there'd been – feelings – between them for a long time, they'd both been very careful not to say or do anything that could lead them to step over that invisible line. Jack had obviously decided not to worry about that anymore. She frowned – maybe it was because he just didn't remember that there had even been a line before.

"Hey- don't worry! I won't if you don't want me to", he said, more seriously this time.

He'd clearly thought that her frown was because she was somehow offended, so she relaxed and gave him another smile. "No – I'd like that although you're probably too big to fit. I was just thinking about something else."

"Something besides a naked Jack in the bath with you?"

She knew he was trying to lighten things up but instead his words conjured up all sorts of – naughty – ideas. She frowned at him again. "Behave!" She glanced over at Janet who had her eyebrow raised and was watching their interplay carefully, although she was too far away to hear what was being said. "And I wasn't thinking about you being naked at all – at least not until you reminded me. Now that's all I'm going to be thinking about."

He grinned and began to lead his horse away, whistling as he walked. He was very pleased with the world at the moment.

"He's really in love with you", Janet said seriously, as she watched him leave. "You're lucky."

"Yes, yes I am" replied Sam. "And I love him, very much too."

"So I guess I might as well stop hoping it won't work out. It obviously has." There was a slight pause as both women thought about the man who had just left. "You've known him for a long time?"

"Yes – for many years. We've just – never been in a position to acknowledge our feelings for one another. Now we – can."

Janet nodded, looking slightly sad. "He needs someone to love him. I think he's a man who has been hurt a lot in this life." She raised her head suddenly. "Look after him!"

"I will", Sam replied softly, appreciating the generosity of this woman. "Don't worry. I won't do anything to hurt him. He's my life."

Janet gave a sharp nod. "Bart will see to your horse. You'd better get into the bath before the water gets cold. Dinner will be in an hour."

Bart and Charlie both joined them for dinner that evening. Jack had a funny feeling each time someone would mention Charlie's name. He wondered over the fact that hearing it before today hadn't triggered any memories. The fact actually made him feel kind of sad.

He sat there only half listening to the conversation around him. He was slightly puzzled by the fact that Janet and Charlie were both names from his past, from earth. Bart also sounded vaguely familiar and he'd have to ask Sam if he knew a Bart on earth. Maybe it was someone he worked with.

Thinking about earth and all the changes that were coming gave him a strange feeling. He was happy about his relationship with Sam, but was still worried about what would happen when they returned home. He hated the fact that there was still so much he couldn't remember. What if he felt out of place? What if it no longer felt like home?

"Jack", Sam's reached out and tentatively touched him on the knee. They'd agreed that they'd tell everyone tonight that they were leaving. It was going to be hard, but there was no point in keeping it from them any longer.

"Yeah", Jack sighed and pushed his chair back slightly. "Maybe we should go into the parlor?" he asked Janet.

"What is it?" Janet looked at the two of them and knew that something was definitely up. "What's wrong?"

Jack refused to say more until they were all settled in the other room, coffee cups in hand. He then motioned for Sam to speak, since she was much better at this kind of thing that he was.

"We've found a way to return home", she said, without preamble.

"A way home?" Janet asked, puzzled. "What do you mean? You said it was too far, that there was no way."

"We didn't think there was", Sam went on to say. "I'd pretty much given up but Jack found it – yesterday."

"That's why I was so late", he told them. "I – we can't really explain", he went on to say, "but it takes a special form of transportation to take us to our home."

"That sounds like a load of crap!" Bart said angrily. "What is it you want? Why are you doing this?"

"We don't want anything", Jack replied, equally angry. "We wanted to tell you, because we're planning on leaving and it wouldn't be fair to go without saying something."

"So go! We did just fine before you came." Bart was finally allowing his dislike free rein. He was sick of O'Neill and sick of the fact that Janet turned to him rather than to the man who had faithfully worked for her for years.

"Bart", Janet said softly, reaching out and touching his arm. "Please." She turned back to Jack. "We don't want you to leave but I understand. When do you plan to go?"

"As soon as possible", answered Sam. "There's really – no reason to stay any longer."

"What about your property? The ranch, the cattle? You can't just leave all that." Charlie spoke for the first time. He was upset as well, but like Janet, understood.

"That's one of the things we wanted to talk to you about." Sam reached out and took Jack's hand. "We've agreed that you should have it Charlie. You're running the place anyway and you worked for Henry for many years. He probably would have given it all to you if I hadn't come along anyway."

"No", he shook his head. "That's too much. And he was going to give it to the town, not to me."

"Look", Jack interrupted. "Once we're gone, you can do whatever you want with it. You can give some of the land to the town, or sell it or keep it and make a go of it. You're a good rancher Charlie and I think Henry – hell I know Henry would be proud to know you were looking after it for him. He told me that he thought of you as a son, so don't feel bad about accepting it."

"He told you?" Sam looked at him in shock. Charlie also looked somewhat surprised although less so than she did. He'd suspected Jack was more with it then he'd let on.

"Yes. He used to come in and talk to me – he'd often spend hours with me. At first I didn't have a clue what he was saying, but after a while I started to pick up on things. Before he – I think he knew he was going and he told me things about Charlie and his daughter – things I don't think he'd told anyone. I figure he probably thought it was like talking to a wall – that he didn't know I could understand."

"He knew", Charlie said softly. "He told me – he thought you understood a lot of what was going on. He also told me you were a good man. I – thank you for this. Henry was like a father to me, although we never said anything to each other. I'm glad to know he felt that way."

Jack nodded at him, liking and respecting Charlie more and more. He also knew that the man was in love with Sam, but that he would never say or do anything about it. He suddenly had a brilliant thought. Looking between Charlie and Janet he decided then and there that they would be a perfect match. He'd have to ask Sam and ask what they could do.

"If you're sure, I'll take it. I may – I don't know what I'll do with it, but I'll make sure that I honor Henry's wishes."

"We can go into town tomorrow and do all the paperwork", Sam nodded. "It shouldn't take long. After that – I guess we go home."

"You're going to leave that quickly?" Janet asked, distressed. "Surely you'll stay and say goodbye to everyone?"

"No – I think it's best to leave. The only person I really want to see is Rebecca, and I can do that tomorrow. And there really isn't anything I need from the ranch, although we may stop off briefly just to make sure. I – thank you for everything" she said, looking between Janet and Charlie. Both of us owe you a lot – and I'm afraid we'll never be able to repay it all."

"Shush!" Janet waived her hand. "You don't owe us a thing. What kind of person would I have been if I didn't help someone when they were in trouble?"

"Sam, you and Jack brought a lot of pleasure to Henry's last days. He'd grieved for years over losing his daughter. I know that you aren't really his granddaughter, but he didn't know that and I'm glad. He died a happy man, and that's not something I thought I'd see. So you don't owe me a thing. I just want to know that you'll both be okay wherever it is you are going." Charlie leaned forward and looked at the two people he now considered friends.

Jack and Sam looked at each other, not knowing quite what the future would hold. After a second Jack nodded his head. Yes, they'd be okay – he'd make sure of it. Sam could feel herself relax and she turned back to Charlie.

"We'll be fine", she said. "We have good friends and family at home. They'll look after us as well as you both have."

"This is insane!" Bart stood up and stomped to the doorway. "I can't believe the two of you have bought this", he told Janet and Charlie. "These guys are clearly frauds and you're making a big mistake!"

"Bart!" Janet stood up and tried to stop her hired hand. "Don't do this. They haven't hurt us in any way and they're leaving soon. Why are you so angry?"

"You're doing it again Miss Janet", he cried, "allowing some good looking guy to sell you his story. Look what happened last time! You're doing it again", he repeated.

"I am not!" she told him angrily. "It's not the same at all. Jack hasn't hurt me and he's asking for nothing but our good wishes. Shame on you for acting this way."

"If that's what you think of me after all these years then I've obviously been working for the wrong person. I'll clear my things out tomorrow and be gone."

"Bart!" she called, as he left. She looked back at the others in the room, clearly distressed. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I don't know what's gotten in to him."

"Don't worry Miss Henderson", Charlie told her. "I think he just feels threatened. Once they're gone he'll be back."

"I don't know if I want him back, not after that!"

The four of them, minus Bart, headed into town early the next morning. Jack and Sam rode in Sam's wagon with Sweat Pea tied to the back. Janet and Charlie rode the other wagon.

They stopped off at the lawyer's office first thing and spent the morning transferring title over to Charlie. He had convinced them to put in a contingency clause in case, for some reason, they couldn't make it home.

"We'll get home Sam", Jack told her confidently. "I may not be able to remember much, but I do remember how good you were at saving our butts!"

"Jack!" she scolded. "You were much better at that than I ever was."

"Well, I don't know about saving yours – I'm pretty sure I must have enjoyed looking at it though!"

There he went again, she thought. He had never said these kind of things before and it was freaking her out a bit, although part of her liked it. She wondered briefly if she should warn him before going back to earth. She could just imagine General Hammond's face if he heard Jack talk like this in front of him.

Immediately after lunch she headed over to Rebecca's to say goodbye. In some ways this was the hardest of all. There weren't many young, single women in Mariscola and she knew that Rebecca valued her friendship. She'd have to talk to Janet and see if the two of them could get to know each other. She somehow suspected that they'd get along.

"All done?" Jack asked, when she made her way to the hotel to meet up with the others.

"Yeah", she sniffed slightly, then laughed. "I hate teary goodbyes!"

He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "I know. She'll be okay though. Didn't you tell me she's getting married?"

She nodded and spent the next few minutes telling him all about Rebecca and her fiancé. They finally met up with Janet to say goodbye to her. Charlie had offered to come back to Mariscola, after accompanying Jack and Sam to Henry's place, and escort her home the next day.

Jack couldn't help but grin. Somehow he sensed a romance in the making although it would probably take a while. Still, he was pretty sure they were made for each other. He found Sam looking at him quizzically and shrugged. He'd tell her later.

Jack found it harder than he'd thought to say goodbye to Janet. She'd been a real friend in the few months he'd been at her house. She'd saved his life, but even more than that she'd given him the strength to get better.

He gave her a big hug and whispered softly in her ear – "look after yourself."

"Hey, I'm fine. You're the one who keeps getting into trouble!"

"It's my middle name", he agreed. "Look, I can't ever thank -"

"Stop!" she said, pulling back. "You don't have to thank me for anything. You're a friend" she looked at Sam and smiled. "You're both friends and like I said, that's what you do when friends are in trouble. You two look after each other and be safe."

Sam gave her a hug too and also whispered to her. "I think Charlie likes you", she said. Jack had given her a heads up

The two of them decided to spend the night at the ranch and head out very early for the Gate. Although it lay in the direction of the Stone Circle Ranch, they wouldn't be heading there, instead they were taking a more direct root which bypassed the ranch. It would take a few hours, but they should still make it by noon.

Both of them were quiet when they headed out in the morning, thinking about what was in store for them this day – and whether or not they'd see their home and their friends.

"It – fell through", he said carefully, looking at the man in front of him. James rarely felt real fear – he was too used to being in control and having men watching his back. There was something about the creature in front of him that made him feel – not just fear – but real terror.

"It what?" the man asked softly, his pale eyes flashing in his cruelty hardened face.

"It – she broke it off, but don't worry, I have a plan. I'm going to -"

"I may have to kill you", the man's oily voice said. "Why should I believe you will deliver what you have promised? I have been waiting for many months."

"Look, it just takes time", James answered frantically. "It'll work, I promise. I'll be back soon and the land will be mine. It will be too difficult for you if you don't have local help."

"That is what you have told me before. I am beginning to wonder if you are too difficult. I will give you 24 of your hours and then we shall get what we want without you."

"Fine, fine. I'll be back soon. Don't worry – I'll make sure she agrees. She's all alone now and will have no choice."

The other man just nodded and watched ominously as the human he had bargained with rode off. He thought with pleasure about killing this man after he got what he wanted.

"Shall we set up camp Pasha?" his loyal officer asked.

"Yes Trada", he turned and looked at the gate. "We will remain a short while. Tomorrow we get what we came for."