AN: Trapped in an empty mountain. Is there any hope for our intrepid explorers?

Toto… This ain't Kansas

Jack sighed. "All right, let's have lunch while we try to figure out a game plan." He said. Realistically, they were going to have to go back down to the main cave and try to find another fissure heading upward. They had been lucky really. The Gate sat several feet off the cave floor being supported by an impressive system of springs and dampers designed to mitigate any movement of either the mountain or the gate itself. All of them could have been severely injured on landing unexpectedly in the dark as they had, considering the length of the drop they all took.

Sam's injury had been relatively mild; she'd landed on a sharp rock and cut her arm. At first, he'd thought she'd hit her head which accounted for his open concern when he'd first found her. There had been a fair amount of blood. When she'd first come to, he'd already patched her up but the dull thud of panic in his chest at blood pooling under her head hadn't subsided yet.

Now they sat in companionable silence passing around the MREs they had warmed up. Daniel finally swallowed and spoke first. "The rope might reach if we had some climbing equipment."

"Not standard kit for the type of mission we left for Daniel, and we don't have anything I'd trust to jam into a fissure to tie off on. Not that I'd hang any of you from twenty feet in the air anyway." Jack admitted.

"What is the likelihood that we would be chanced upon by locals?" Teal'c asked.

A small shower of stones rained down on Jack who brushed at them in annoyance.

"Ho down there!" A grizzly face popped over the side of the opening.

"Pretty likely." Sam said with a philosophical shrug.

If Jack hadn't been so relieved, he'd have kicked her gently in the hip for being a smart ass.

"Uh, hey! Could you give us a hand? We seem to be stuck." Daniel shouted up at the man above them.

"Take me some time to splice together enough rope. Jeh think yeh can climb out if we drop one down for yeh?" His accent was comically thick and Sam gave Jack an amused look out of the side of her eye.

"Take your time!" Jack yelled up. "We aren't going anywhere."

Daniel gave him a perturbed look.

"What? We aren't." Jack said petulantly.

"O'Neill, perhaps it is not the best time to make jest until we are truly rescued."

"Everyone's a critic." He muttered. Jack had gotten a good look at the man's clothing. He'd seen enough old movies as a kid to know it was a good thing their team dynamics ran more on friendship than rank because well… he was sure Daniel was going to describe the local history at length and Sam was going to barf math at him until his eyes glazed over and the outcome was the same either way. Welcome to the gold rush era, kids. Hope you like John Wayne films and sarsaparillas because this is the end of the line for SG-1.

It wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd thought one day he wanted to ride into the sunset. Arguably he did have his best friends by his side so he had that going for him. He'd just kind of hoped it would have involved his cabin instead of the Wild West.

Periodically one of the men who stumbled across them apparently by overhearing their conversation and trying to figure out where it was coming from would check on them while they tied together rope long enough to reach SG-1. Jack counted five for certain. There might have been more. It sounded at one point like the men had sent a younger companion back to town to get more rope.

Eventually though the length of heavy hemp cording was long enough to reach the bottom of the chimney and Jack debated on whom to send up first. Finally, he decided Teal'c was the best choice as his weight would test the maximum capacity of the rope and it was unlikely anyone else would be left behind with him giving their grubby saviors the stink eye. He'd better address a situation that was likely to come up almost right away though he realized.

"T, if we landed when I think we did, the people we encounter are going to assume you are African not Jaffa. Right now, almost every black person in the country is probably a slave and free black people are treated with suspicion or worse."

"O'Neill, I am called sholva each time I encounter my brothers. I have been a slave most of my life. This is not a behavior I am unused to."

"I know T, I just wanted to give you a heads up. We should probably come up with a story that's close enough to the truth to be believable but doesn't tell them anything about any of us."

"That's pretty easy, Jack." Daniel told him. "It looks like we might be some time in the 1800s by their clothing?"

Jack nodded.

"You bought Teal'c's freedom from his former master."

Jack looked at Teal'c.

"This is acceptable." The other man agreed.

Jack clapped his hands together. "All right, next order of business. You two." Jack said, pointing at Daniel and Sam.

"Us?" Sam asked, surprised.

Jack pulled on his lip. "Danny, you're an archaeologist studying… who was around here back... Ah, you're studying the Sioux people and were told there were drawings in the caves. We got turned around and lost instead. Sam is your sister… I'm just the hired help. We'll tell them someone must have taken our horses. The mountain is too far from town to have walked here intentionally."

Sam had crossed her arms over her chest.

What now? Jack thought.

"His sister?" She asked him archly.

"Option two is my wife, Carter. Either way, women didn't travel with men casually back then."

Sam blushed furiously at his statement. "Fine. Sister it is." She glared at him though. There were other options, he was baiting her and she knew it.

While Jack and Sam bickered over her position in the team however, Teal'c had set about testing the strength of the rope they had let down for them to climb.

"The rope seems secure and of sufficient strength, O'Neill." The Jaffa told him.

"Good, let's see if it holds up. After Teal'c is up top, Daniel is next then you Carter. I'll go last." Jack told them while Teal'c swiftly made his way up the side of the chimney with the help of the rope.

"It was the Ute's, Jack."

"The who?"

"The local tribe around here are the Ute."

"And so? Therefore?"

"Never mind."

A few moments later, Teal'c scrambled over the sides and there was a muttered discussion the rest of SG-1 was not privy to.

"Gol dang, are the rest of yeh Negros too?" one of the men asked Teal'c.

"They are not." Teal'c told him with a frown.

"Why they send their slave up first do yah suppose?" One of their men asked.

"I am not a slave. I am free." Teal'c told them. It was good O'Neill had warned him, he reflected. This was tiring.

A moment later, Daniel's head came up over the side. "Everything all right Teal'c?"

"No." Teal'c told him.

"Oh, er, well, guys, hi, I'm Daniel Jackson. Archaeologist. We got a little turned around down there. Someone told me there were cave paintings but all we found was a big empty cavern." He said in a friendly manner. "Until we got lost that is..."

The prospectors looked around at each other in perturbed confusion.

"This yuh boy, Daniel Jackson?"

"My… er no. He is not. Teal'c is free. No one owns him." Daniel said as he took off his glasses to clean them on the hem of his shirt.

"You folks are dressed funny."

Daniel nodded. "Yes, yes we are. Has anyone seen our horses?" He looked around at the men hopefully knowing full well none of them would have.

"Reckon rustlers done grabbed them, son. 'Taint no sign of horses when we got here."

"That figures. Our regular clothes were in our trail packs. Some scientist fellow talked us into this gear, something about it keeping us warm and more pockets." He trailed off. "Anyway, I don't suppose you could loan us some clothing until we can get back into town, could you?" He said hopefully. He was glad they had opted for the solid green BDUs worn for non-combat missions as it was easier to explain the style then it was the pattern.

"Shor sounds like yeh run into that Professor Bartok. He's full of strange ideas. Might have a thing or two you can make do with." One of the older fellows told him. "'Taint likely you' be seeing him ehgain, woud yah? I need ta have a word with Mr. Legend 'bout some thievin' trappers."

"Appreciated, and er… I'm not sure actually. I'll let him know if I see him." Daniel said and wondered what was taking Sam so long.

Meanwhile still in the chimney Sam and Jack were having their own discussion.

"Carter, I'm not trying to be a pig. Single women in this era are still fairly rare around here and beautiful ones rarer still. Unless you want a dozen marriage proposals to fend off per day just humor me all right?" Jack growled at her in frustration.

"Well it might be a nice change." She huffed, testing the rope, and making sure the rope was still secure after Daniel was all the way up.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sam looked at him wide eyed; suddenly realizing she'd said that out loud.

"Carter."

"Nothing, sir, I spoke out of turn."

"Cut the crap, Carter. We're trapped. Daniel and Teal'c might not have put it together yet but I know you have. If you're miffed that I didn't go with telling everyone you're my wife to avoid this kind of thing, it's because the likelihood of us ever getting home is next to zero. If we go in with the assertion that I'm your husband, you're stuck with me, Carter. For life."

"And, of course, that's the worst thing ever." She said acidly.

Jack who had been standing a few feet away stalked forward until he was so close their breath mingled. "I have just as much right to court you as the next guy, Carter." His eyes blazed with the desire he kept deeply banked when he looked at her. He pointedly held the rope for her, ending the argument for now as she wrapped her gloved hands around it and worked her way up. "And cut the 'sir' bit." He told her receding backside.

Sam arrived at the top flushed from her reaction to Jack's comment but otherwise fine.

"Everything all right?" Daniel asked her concerned when he saw her flushed anger and embarrassment.

"Oh yah, great." She said and looked away, unwilling to talk to him about the situation, especially with an audience.

Teal'c however simply stood by Sam and put a hand on her shoulder. It had not escaped his notice that O'Neill's reaction to her minor injuries were more than just that of a concerned CO. Sam reached up and patted his hand absently in reassurance that she really was alright. She and Jack had been flirting more than usual lately and that flirting occasionally led to bickering.

Jack lifted himself over the lip of the cave with a grunt as Daniel gave him a hand up. "Thanks, Danny. Everyone all right?" He asked his team in general.

"We are well, O'Neill." Teal'c told him.

"Carter?"

"Peachy."

Jack narrowed his eyes at her which earned him a glare and her fists on her hips. Well, he had told her not to call him sir and he was still in uniform. It was probably irking her almost as much as his comment about courting her had. But dammit... if he was going to win her heart he was going to do it fairly not by default because it was expedient.

The prospectors watched the interaction with interest. Clearly the professor's sister and his assistant had some unresolved discussions to have.

"Jack, the horses are gone. I asked if we could borrow some clothes to wear into town as the stuff that Hammond fellow gave us to explore the mountain in isn't suitable for public." Daniel told him.

"Ah yes… that Hammond fellow." Jack pretended to look thoughtful while Sam snorted with mirth into her hand. "Stop giggling, Carter." He told her absently which just made her bite her lip but a couple random twitters still escaped.

"You folks are welcome to join us for a meal tonight. There's plenty to go around." the grizzly looking leader told them. The prospectors had decided these strange folks didn't have any interest in panning for gold and therefore were just little lost lambs to return back to town as swiftly as possible.

A few hours later, SG-1 were changed into borrowed clothing of simple cotton shirts, vests not much different than their tac vests other than construction and bandanas, Teal'c's being tied on his head like a do rag. One of the men had found a handful of worn hats left over from members of their party they had lost in the last few months due to a flu outbreak. Jack suspected most of their clothing had come from the same source. Each had been given a pair of jeans as well though Sam had to belt hers tightly in spite of being the slimmest pair they could find.

A dodgy looking fellow was the camp cook. Dinner was a meaty stew with a handful of root vegetables. Dessert was apparently some kind of hardtack with compote spread on it. All in all, a satisfying meal that while not well seasoned was still tastier than an MRE.

"That's your third serving, T." Jack said to the large Jaffa. "Must be tasty."

"I fail to see why the quantity of food I consume concerns you, O'Neill." Teal'c answered, but knowing Jack was only hassling him for something to do, he conceded. "The food is delicious."

"Cool. Make sure you thank our hosts all right?" Jack reminded him not because he thought Teal'c would forget but because he knew how important their impression that the man was grateful would be. Some of the less educated people in his parent's old neighborhood had the same attitudes. They weren't right but Jack didn't want to start the rest of his life in a prison for murdering a bunch of down on their luck panners

"Indeed." Was all Teal'c replied.

"So Dr. Jackson, why's yer man call yer sister 'Carter?" The man who had cooked their dinner asked him.

"Eh? Oh, she's my half sister, different fathers." Daniel shrugged. He was glad it occurred to him that this might come up because while Sam could stop herself from calling Jack 'sir', especially if he wasn't in uniform, Jack, on the other hand, wasn't able to not call her Carter unless he was upset when 'Sam' would just slip out against his own volition.

Logistically, Jack wasn't fooling anyone calling Sam 'Carter'. Everyone but Jack and Sam knew it was an endearment. He may as well call her honey but it sounded professional so he couldn't get in trouble for it per-say.

"That still don't make no sense, sonny."

"Lots of things about Jack don't make sense. I stopped worrying about it years ago."

"'Tain't worried 'bout the way he looks at yer sister?"

Daniel shrugged. "She's an adult. If he's what she wants, who am I to judge. She could do worse." After a bit of a pause, Daniel spoke again. "He's a good man." Daniel smiled a little. He meant it.

"Purdy girl like that, I'd be lookin fer in-laws with some money if yah catch mah drift, professor."

"Sam doesn't do anything she doesn't want to. I'd rather just stay on her good side." Daniel told the man, starting to lose his patience.

"Suit yerself." The man said and leaned back, tipping his hat down by way of ending the conversation.

"Yup, I think I will. Night." He told the man and got up to go to his tent. He passed Jack and Teal'c still sitting together. Sam had turned in early having the witching hour watch. "Night Jack." He said quietly on his way by.

Having overheard Daniel's entire conversation, Jack gave him a lopsided smile. "Sweet dreams, Daniel."

Daniel shook his head knowing Jack was making fun somehow and crawled into his tent.

"I shall Kelno'reem now, O'Neill." Teal'c told Jack.

"Go right ahead, buddy. Have a good night."

"You as well, O'Neill."

After everyone went to bed, Jack sat under the familiar stars of his home and tried to figure out what they could do as a group to earn a little money. He supposed Daniel could get a job doing something academic. He could probably find work with the local lawman. Teal'c was good with animals and there should be stables around. Sam was his only real problem child. She wouldn't do in a traditional woman's job. She was too educated to teach in this era, he grinned. Maybe she could get a job in Buffalo Bill's side show with Annie Oakley. Might show the other woman up though.

Jack worried his finger over his thumbnail lost in thought as he watched the perimeter of camp. A pole cat screamed somewhere off in the trees. Probably calling her kittens or looking for her mate he figured. The familiar sounds of a Colorado wood filled his ears and he smiled again. Home.