AN: Well campers... last chapter for this story. Despair not however if you loved it. We'll be hearing from Abby and Ernie again. More than once.

At Loose Ends

Jack squeezed Sam's arm as they left the briefing room but he didn't say anything to her on his way out. He quietly changed and left the mountain and went home.

When he got home, he hung up his leather coat and swore loudly when he tripped over the large wood trunk in the doorway to his kitchen. "What the hell?!" But there was something familiar about the trunk and it had a piece of paper taped to the top.

Jack pulled it off and unfolded it as he grabbed his reading glasses off the prep counter behind his dinette table.

Jack,

Ernest asked me for a favor and I had all the time in the world to make it happen. I'm doing this between missions so Sara doesn't ride my ass about doing favors so don't screw up by telling anyone about this trunk or what's in it.

Mick

Jack chuckled. He'd liked the gruff man even before he'd laughed at Sam's thinly veiled sexual joke on the ship. He looked at the trunk for a while then unbuckled the leather straps. Inside was a book by his grandfather with Ernie's signature scrawled across the front. An envelope poked out the top of it. Under the book was the quilt that he and Sam had slept under for months together that he'd taken Ernest aside and asked him to geep safe for them along with destroying anything left around that wasn't 19th century issue.

Jack sat down on a kitchen chair and sighed as he ran his hand along the soft familiar cotton. He picked up the book and slid the envelope out which was addressed simply to 'Jack'.

Well, kid, looks like it's time I explained some things. I had Mick collect things at various times. I always said I'd write a book about your adventures with me which I did. But I made sure you never got a hold of a copy until now. So here it is in all its glory. I hope I did you all justice and if not… I hear Mr. Rory is writing a romance novel based on your lives. Abby tells me you should have your quilt back like you asked so here it is. It's been a number of years since I've seen you and I miss you all. Most especially Samantha, who is the heroine of The Legend of Cheyenne. Yonish and Ramos miss you. Your grandmother is a lovely young lady and makes me proud to be her father every day. James has grown up and gone away to college. Mother Pratt insisted. He's doing well. Delilah married a very nice local boy and has three children. Abby and I wanted more but her labor was hard and left her very weak so the doctors said she shouldn't risk it again. Apparently I'm meant to be the last Pratt of my line but that's all right. O'Neill is a fine name as well. Mother told me the only reason she allowed Captain Lance anywhere near the lot of you was her assurances that you would some day have your chance at happiness. So… hang in there, Jack. Samantha is a fine woman and I couldn't find a couple more suited to each other unless you count Abby and myself. She's fussing at me now that Mick wants to leave.

All our love.

Ernest Pratt.

Jack smiled a little. It wasn't every day you got a letter from your great Grandpap in your forties. Jack put the letter back in its envelope and put it and the book on the dinette table next to him so he could pull the quilt out. It had been washed but still smelled vaguely of Sam. Had it been left to age it would have been too fragile for use but apparently Ernest had packed it up for him shortly after they left so it was still in very new condition. When he picked it up another envelope slipped out onto the floor. Jack frowned and picked it up. It was also addressed to Jack but in a flowing feminine script. Inside were two separate letters.

Jack dear,

How your heart must hurt in this moment thinking you cannot be with Sam. Sara told me why you would be reluctant to leave. Know this my dear, dear great-great-grandson. You are deeply loved by all of us and Sara spilled the beans. Everything will turn out all right in the end. You simply must have faith in the universe to look out for you.

Love always, Grandma Pratt

P.S. Zorelda says hello.

Jack chuckled and unfolded the other letter.

My dear Jack,

Thank you so very much for all the love and support you gave me when you were here. We miss you dearly but I do understand why you had to return to your own time. You will always be in my heart and I'm very sorry I don't live long enough to meet you as a babe. I imagine you must have been as adorable as my own daughter was. Never forget us. We love you very much.

Your great grandmamma, Abby

Jack sighed. It was bittersweet, hearing from them this one last time. With a huffed sigh, he pushed the trunk under the table for now and picked up the quilt and threw it over his shoulder. "Well, Grandpap… let's see what you thought of my team." He says with an ironic smile to himself. He wished he could write them back but he doubted he'd be hearing from the crew of the Waverider again... or if he did it would be Sam they wanted.

Jack spent his weekend reading the last of the novels by his great grandfather and laughed through reading much of it. He'd nailed Teal'c's personality completely. Sam came off as the tough badass she was. Daniel was comically hapless and Ernie had written Jack himself as a little damaged by the war but a good man doing the right thing. The whole team had even rode off into the sunset just like a good western should always end.

Monday morning Sam knocked on Jack's office door tentatively. "Sir?" She said quietly as she poked her head in. He'd asked her to come see him.

"Carter." Jack said jovially. "Have a nice weekend?"

"Um… sure." She shrugged. Other than the crying herself to sleep every night because he never called or dropped by to check on her but she didn't call him either.

"Good." He said absently as he signed his copy of the mission report Hammond wanted first thing this morning. "Got your report done?" He asked as he got up and came around the front of his desk.

"Yes sir, turned it in on my way to your office…"

Jack bobbed his head in agreement. "Oh hey." He said casually as though it was something of an afterthought. "I don't know if you ever got to read this one but apparently I wasn't allowed to read it until we got home." Jack told her and held out the copy of his grandfather's book.

"I've um… I read that one, sir… It was my favorite when I was a little girl. I wanted to be like her… Abby too." Sam admitted.

"Funny how that worked out, huh?" He said with a small grin.

"Yah… I miss the hair a little, sir." She admitted of his freshly shorn locks.

Jack set the book down on the edge of his desk. Remembering what Ernest and Abigail told him he took Sam's hand in his own. "I'm still in, Sam." He told her, his eyes telling her what his words couldn't

"Jack." She said softly, her eyes answering him with a definite yes. Jack leaned in and kissed her gently for a moment before easing away.

"If you don't want to read it again… loan it to Daniel or Teal'c." Jack suggested as he grabbed his copy of the report and walking down the hallway whistling 'I'm a poor lonesome Cowboy'.

Sam stared at him smiling just a little then left his office.

Janet stood indecisively in front of a rack of cheesy romance novels.

"I'd read this one. The hero is so dreamy." A slender blond told her as she handed Janet a copy of 'Legend of Cheyenne'. The cover depicts a tall well muscled man whose shirt is open and with hair turning grey at the edges holding a ray gun of some kind and a beautiful blond dressed in western clothing looking at him adoringly. There's a pair of men behind him, one obviously an alien.

Janet read the back.

'A time traveling solder and his brave team are flung into the old west. Will he win the heart of the woman he loves?'

Janet frowns and shrugs. "Why not?"

Notes: So ends our adventure with Jack's ancestors. I hope everyone had fun. - Goat -

Notes: The main inspiration for this story can be found here:

hito76. free. fr / WesternDef. wmv

Additionally The theme for the Legend TV series can be found here though if you liked Wild Wild West I recommend buying a copy of the episodes.

you tu . be / czwBjEgEud0

Just take the spaces out