He hasn't said anything.

Shut up.

He should have said something by now.

I'm not listening.

Then why are you answering back?

Sam grunted in frustration. The Bitch had been bothering her all day, waking her up along with a four-star hangover. Just leave me alone.

He kissed us again. He should have said something about it. It's nearly dark.

Maybe he's shy?

Maybe you're deluded.

I'm having a conversation with myself, of course I'm deluded!

I thought you thought you were crazy.

A little of that, too.

Apparently that wasn't the answer the Bitch was expecting, because she didn't answer. A part of Sam had been wondering for weeks if the voice in her head was somehow a part of Jolinar that was still floating around, but the more analytical section continued to shoot the theory down. Her memories of the other woman just didn't seem to add up with the caustic, downright irritating voice that popped up every now and then.

"That's it, McKenzie, here I come. The minute I get home I'm committing myself to mental health."

"Talking to yourself, Major?"

If only you knew.

For the briefest of moments, Sam wondered if hitting her head would do the Bitch any damage, but decided against it.

At least, in front of the colonel.

"So," O'Neill drawled as she settled down on the ledge next to her. "Why are you gonna see McKenzie?"

"Slight mental problems, sir." And don't you dare ask what they are!

"Ahhh… too long without chocolate, Carter?"

"Sir, is hitting your commanding officer considered grounds for court martial?"

"Ah, yeah." The colonel scratched his head. "So, any plans on where to settle down?"

"Sir?"

Jack was looking at the stone beneath his feet. "Daniel's put in dibs for Rivendell, or Lorien if they'll have us. Teal'c just wants somewhere near water. I'm personally thinking about real estate in the Shire, if the Hobbits were telling the truth. So, what do you think?"

Sam's jaw dropped. "Colonel, are you considering giving up on going home?"

"Just being practical, Major. Nothing to get worried over."

"But you're thinking about it?"

"And you haven't?"

The question stopped Sam in her mental tracks. Had she thought about it? Not really. She still had family on earth, family that she wanted to see again. It never really entered her mind that they wouldn't be going home, that she wouldn't see them again. Her thoughts drifted towards Daniel, Jack, and Teal'c. Daniel didn't have any family, other than Kasuf. She didn't know much about the colonel other than he was divorced and that he and his wife didn't speak. Teal'c had Bra'tac and a son, but when was the last time they'd spoken? As far as they were concerned, SG1 was their family.

"Ah, so you've been keeping the cause alive, I see," Jack said. "Carter, maybe we should face the facts. We don't know how we got here, and we don't even know if there's a Stargate where we're goin'. And even if there is, does it even work anymore? Think about where you wanna live, will ya?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good," Jack patted her on the back and stood. "Now come on, Gimli wants to know more about electroplating."

"Hot baths. Without worrying about someone else jumping in."

"Sonic's."

"Deodorant."

"The National Enquirer."

Jack looked at Teal'c. "A tabloid?"

The jaffa nodded gravely. "There were many interesting topics under discussion when we left, O'Neill. I would like to see how they developed."

Daniel shook his head. He could understand how Teal'c could be attracted to a national rag, but it still amazed him. Who would have thought trash would go over so well with an alien? "I thought you were giving them up, Teal'c."

" I agreed to stop reading Star and Globe as we spoke of, Daniel Jackson. I said nothing about the Enquirer."

"Got you there, Dannyboy," Jack chuckled.

The archeologist shrugged, and Jack grinned before turning to Sam. "So, who tried to sneak in with you, Major?"

Daniel watched as Sam tried to stem the blush rising in her cheeks, and fought one of his own. The Rohan were surprisingly like the Norse of Earth, including their love of bathing in groups. More than once since coming back to Edoras he'd been bathing in one of the large tubs and found that someone had slipped in behind him.

"What was that? I didn't hear you?" Jack cupped his ear and leaned forward at Sam's murmured answer.

"No one, all right!"

"Spoil sport. Daniel here's had no fewer than five-"

"Jack!"

"The last woman sent him running from the bath-house in the middle of the night."

"Teal'c!"

"Without his towel."

"Why don't you try to imagine what it's like to suddenly be groped in the middle of a bath, Jack?" Daniel asked scathingly.

The two men's expressions changed to ones of remembered delight, and Daniel blanched. " And you talked about me leaving a girl at every planet."

Jack shrugged. "When in Rome, Daniel."

The archeologist leaned back against the stone outcrop and stared out over Edoras. It was barely morning, the sun just making its way over the horizon. Most of the city was still asleep, and the group, unable to sleep, decided to move their conversation outside.

"I'd still give anything for a blueberry icee."

"I wouldn't let Frenes hear that if I were you, Daniel. She might take you up on it."

Daniel did blush at that. Frenes was a red head, with the temper to match, that had decided after hearing about their many adventures that what he needed was a woman to settle him down. Three out of the five times he was ambushed in the baths it had been her. "Yeah… well…"

"Well, what?"

"I believe that his blush is increasing, O'Neill."

"Careful Danny, you keep this up you might catch fire."

"ANYWAY," Jackson interrupted. "I've been thinking about Gandalf and Pippin. They should have sent some kind of signal by now."

Everyone nodded in agreement. For the past day and a half Aragorn had grown increasingly fidgety, constantly looking towards the east and the beacon. A beacon which remained stubbornly unlit.

"How long do you think it would take?"
"Until this morning."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Teal'c, who was looking over their heads.

"Come on! It was three inches away from his boots!"

"You still owe me ten bucks, Jack."

Jack rolled his eyes at the ceiling. When Aragorn had gone running into the Golden Hall a few hours ago, he'd been sure that the man was going to slip on a pile of horse dung sitting innocently on the path. At the last second, the ranger lengthened his stride and sailed right over it. "He should have slipped."

Daniel shrugged. "Ten bucks. Which brings the grand total to eight hundred-"

"Eh, who said anything about keeping track?"

"- thirty one dollars, and two full weeks worth of dinners at O'Malley's."

Jack mentally tallied the total of their bets and sighed. Daniel was right on the money. There went his first month's pay. "You still take installments?"

"Fifty a month. And dinner once a week."

"Deal."

"I tried to warn you that your bet was not wise, O'Neill."

"What, is everyone turning on me now?" Jack asked, swinging around to stare and Teal'c and Sam. The major kept her eyes on her boots, while Teal'c just raised his eyebrow and returned the colonel's stare full measure.

"I didn't say anything," Sam said.

"I was attempting to see to your best interests."

"Right. So, everyone ready for today's adventure?"

Three heads nodded in agreement and Jack started walking towards front of the stables.

"Eh! I'm not ridding on that overgrown excuse for a dog!"

Looks like Gimli's up and about, Jack thought to himself. Sure enough, the dwarf was eyeing his horse, a rather large pony, with misgivings. Still, anything had to be better than the horse he'd rode in on. Jack wasn't sure, but he swore Gimli had fallen off it at least half a dozen times.

"You can always ride with me, Gimli. I'm a light enough mount for two of us to ride."

"As if I need help from an elf to ride this beast. I'll be fine, thank you."

"Does he know he's being manipulated?"

"Probably not," Jack answered Daniel's question. And if the dwarf ever found out… well, Jack was putting his money on an irate Gimli.

"Are you ready to ride, Jack?" Aragorn said as he walked past, carrying his last saddlebag.

"Yeah, we just had a few last minute things to discuss, you know…"

Aragorn gave him a ghost of a smile. "Of course."

Jack watched the ranger walk back to his horse and secure the bag. "He knows I bet on him, doesn't he?"

"Yep." The word came from Sam and Daniel at the same time, both of whom were already on their horses.

"Daniel?"

The archeologist gave him a flat stare. "Jack?"
"You told him, didn't you?"

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Do you two plan on doing that for the whole journey?"

Theoden's question interrupted their conversation. To Jack, the man looked like a father who just caught his two sons arguing about something silly, and didn't approve. "Um, no." Jack said, falling into line next to Daniel.

Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful reviews! I'm sorry i dont have time to post everyone's names, but I'll be sure to make up for it on my next chapter!! Sorry about the long wait, i'm really trying to finish this, aside from finding myself lingering in the realm of writers block :(