"What is troubling you, Aragorn?"

The ranger looked in the concerned blue eyes of Legolas. "Why is it you feel I'm troubled?"

Legolas looked ahead, where their companions marched in a straight line over one of the steeper paths through the Misty Mountains. "You have been watching our four additions since we left Rivendell. I do not feel you trust them."

"Oh, I trust them, my friend," Aragorn sighed, slowing down. "What happens when the Ring begins to tempt them? I do not know if I could resist, let alone those who have no idea what it could do."

The elf nodded. "It would be unfortunate, given the strength of their weapons."

"And that doesnt trouble you?"

Legolas laughed slightly. "If course it troubles me. I am not a fool. But what good does it to worry about something you cannot control?"

"To be prepared for the likelyhood of an attack from an unusual angle."

"Please, my friend, take my advice. Do not waste your time worrying about something that may happen in the future. Concern yourself with what happens now, for that you can control."

The ranger nodded, almost to himself, then started forward. "O'Neill, would you like to scout ahead?"

The tall man waved his assent, the paused, waving his companions ahead of him.

"You and your friends have exceptional discipline, Colonel."

Jack smiled. Complements were always nice. "We've been doing it a long time, but wait until some ruins or something shows up. Daniel will run ahead of everyone and I'll have to grab him."

Aragorn laughed. "And what will Samantha and Teal'c do?"

"Laugh uncontrollably."

"I know little about what you do in your own world, O'Neill. Elrond told me only that I need not worry over your safety."

Jack smiled. "We're a first contact team. On Earth, we use the stargate to travel to other worlds that we cant reach through any other means. We usually go through, see if there're people around, and try not to let Daniel get killed."

Aragorn frowned. "Then he is not as capable as the rest of you?"

"Oh, he's capable all right. We practice regularly with weapons and formation. He's just a little...flaky," he sighed at Aragorns blank expression. "It means he can do what he supposed to, he just gets sidetracked when something catches his interest. Like ruins, strange writing, damsels in distress, that kind a thing.

"I'm afraid I have been overly concerned with the wellfare of yourself and your people. I am aware of everyones strengths and weaknesses, except for yours."

Jack looked back, where Gandalf was leading the remainder of their procession after them. The wizard had to be the toughest old man outside of Bra'tac that he'd ever known. Had barely even broken a sweat once in the week since they started traveling. Legolas right behind him, followed by Daniel, the hobbits, Gimli, Boromir, and Teal'c. The most defenseless in the center.

"You worry about them as well."

Jack laughed to himself. "Yeah. They're my kids in all the ways that matter. They're some of the only family I have."

Aragorn looked back, recalling several times that O'Neill had resembled more of an exasperated parent than a commander to his people. "You have no children, then?"

Aragorn wasnt prepared for O'Neills reaction to the question. The other man visibly froze. "Not anymore. My son died five years ago." Jack's tone made it clear that this was the end of the conversation.

"We near the travelers road through the mountains, the swiftest road through to the east. We make camp once we reach the peak of this rise."

"Thank God!" Jack fought the urge to dance. "Lets pick it up, then!"
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"They dont get out much, do they?"

Daniel turned to look at Gandalf, who sat smoking his pipe. Below them the narrow valley spread out, and he could make out the grey ribbon of the eastern road.

"Hobbits rarely leave the shire except in the most dire of emergencies," the wizard answered between puffs.

Daniel laughed. "And what about Bilbo?"

"Bilbo? I didnt do anything drastic, just a little push out his front door."

"And a little push into a dragons lair," Frodo added from behind them both. "Face it, Gandalf, your definition of little is different from that of the rest of the world."

Gandalf laughed. "On the matter of hobbits, only a select few will ever travel outside the shire unless they are dragged kicking and screaming."

"None so happily as Merry and Pip."

The trio turned to were Boromir was teaching the two the basics of sword play.

"If someone would ask my opinion, which I note they are not, I would say we're taking the long way 'round," Gimli puffed angrily on his pipe. "Gandalf, we could go through the mines of Moria. My uncle Balin would give us a royal welcome. And who knows, perhaps young Daniel will find something of interest. The mines are thousands of years old."

Gandalf shook his head. "No Gimli. I would not go through the mines unless I had no other choice."

Legolas's sudden movement broke the moment. "Something is coming."

Gimli snorted. "Its nothing. Just a whisp of cloud."

Boromir looked up. "Its moving fast, against the wind."

"Spies from Saruman. Hide!"

Daniel was surprised at the speed everyone moved. One moment he was sitting in the middle of the camp, the next he was shoved under a rock by Gandalf, the only sign of them being there the watered remains of a cook fire.

"The eastern passes are being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras."

Daniel followed the mages gaze to the snow covered mountain. This was not going to be easy.

"All right, break out the snow gear."

Daniel sighed at Jack's order. The thick socks made his toes go numb, not to mention the heat they created was almost too much to bear. the last thing they needed was to be overheated in the middle of a mission.
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Sam hated snow.

Correction. She liked snow. There was nothing more fun than having a snow ball fight in the middle of winter, then going inside for cups of hot chocolate and oven-warm cookies.

She hated trudging through drifts of snow, climbing passes where you sank at least a foot into white coldness before being fished out again. She hated carrying a fifty-pound pack on top of that. She hated the fact that the only reason her pack was fifty pounds was because everyone insisted that she put at least ten pounds on Bill.

"Do you fare well?"

Sam looked up, grateful for the goggles that protected her eyes from the flying snow. Legolas was standing on a drift, looking down at her with concern. "I'm fine. How's Gandalf?"

The elf smiled. "Gandalf the Grey has been wandering these paths since before I was born. He will be the last to tire of our company."

Sam nodded before fixing her eyes on Teal'c's back, Or rather, Gimli's. The jaffa had picked up the dwarf without hesitation once the snow became too deep, despite Gimli's many threats. Aragorn and Boromir carried the hobbits, and Jack was taking up the rear with Daniel leading Bill. She looked up again, where Legolas was balancing on the drift, running back to Jack, then forward to speak to Gandalf.

There were times when she really hated that elf.

"It's Saruman!"

That was the only warning she got before the rumbling started, and she barely got out of the way before a blanket of white came down, burying her along with the rest of their party.

Sam fought down her panic. Being buried alive under what could be tons of snow wasnt nearly as bad as being stuck with Apophis...or Nirti. As quickly as she could she dug up, wincing as a fingernail broke, then tore off completely, but she was rewarded when a hand broke through the darkness and grabbed her wrist, bringing her back into the sunlight.

"That road takes us too close to Isengard!"

She looked around, grateful when everyone was accounted for. She shook her head, trying to get snow out of her ears, and only heard Gandalf proclaim that the ringbearer would decide.

"We go through the mines."

Frodo's quite voice broke through the howling wind, and the company slowly shifted itself, traveling back down the steep pass.

"Why dont we just slide down, it'd save time," Sam laughed, coming up beside Daniel.

"We'd have to leave someone behind to bring Bill down."

Sam grumbled to herself, halfway up the mountain, and they had to loose the rest of the way to go back down.

"So what do you think Jacob would say about all this?" Daniel asked.

Sam smirked, hefting her gun to relieve the pressure on her shoulder. "Probably the same thing Anise would say: humans get into more trouble than they're worth."

Five hours later they were traveling back on solid ground, much to everyones relief. She could have sworn Teal'c gave a sigh of relief when he set Gimli down.

"Was he heavy?" she whispered.

Teal'c only turned his head. "Indeed."
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