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Day 1

Stepping through the gate General Jack O'Neill looked at the mountain of gear piled next to Rowan and shook his head. "Just tell me you didn't pack the kitchen sink," he said.

"I'd forgotten about your earth humor," she said, smiling broadly.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh, no, that's a good thing," she said quickly. "And what's wrong with how I packed?"

"For starters, we're hiking. No pack beasties, no riding, just us, the great outdoors, and our own two feet." He raised a booted foot for emphasis.

"Well, I suppose that does change things a bit." She turned and began rummaging through the pile. It took several minutes of dragging and readjusting the pile before she was ready. It took a few more minutes for her to make arrangements for the unnecessary gear to be stored until their return.

"And we're off." Jack stood from the bench he'd been waiting on, adjusted his baseball cap and started walking. Rowan ran to catch up.

"Does it ever get old sir?" she asked.

"What?"

"Exploring new worlds. Does it ever lose its excitement?"

"Nope," he shook his head, then paused. "Well, that's not entirely true. I really enjoy the world's where there aren't any snake-heads shooting at me. These knees aren't as young as they used to be. So there won't be any racing up the mountain, just in case you were getting any ideas." He smiled warmly. "And stop calling me sir. We're on vacation for crying out loud."

Rowan grinned broadly, she knew it was going to be a great vacation.

They hiked at a leisurely pace the first day. Their destination was a little village at the foot of the Bitten mountains. Rowan had talked with other Rogue Squadron members who'd already vacationed on Tremplawn and thanks to their valuable intel, she'd been able to make arrangements for them to stay the night. They were lavishly wined and dined by the local Bringa, with Jack enjoying what he called a "very acceptable replacement for Guinness". The dancing began as the sun set over the mountain behind them. It began slowly, and before she knew it, Rowan was tapping her toes to the rhythms. Soon, a very attractive Bringa swayed near, and Rowan was surprised when he took her hand and drew her into the circle of dancers. She'd never been much of a dancer, always feeling that she had two left feet, but tonight she danced like in a dream, all grace and agility. She even managed to keep up when the drums picked up the beat, and the dancers spun faster and faster. When she finally found her seat, she was flushed and breathing hard from the exertion.

They were finally shown to the head Bringa's house, where they'd been given rooms for the night. Rowan collapsed into her bed, not even bothering to take her boots off. She was exhausted from the hike and the dancing, and there was something in the wine. . . She passed out before she finished that last thought.

Day 2

The next morning they set off early. Jack had been up at the crack of dawn, knocking on her door, and hustling her along. She was thankful that Taigen had made Caf. Jack swore that it was coffee, whatever that was. Rowan was just glad that she had a steaming cup in her hands before she had to face the day.

Taigen, their gracious host, sat conferring with Jack while Rowan ate a quick breakfast. Jack asked questions about the area they were hiking into, and Rowan was pleased at the amount of information he was able to collect in such a short conversation.

They collected their packs after saying goodbye to their gracious host. It wasn't long before they'd left the village behind and were hiking up into the mountains.

"You could be Intel." Rowan broke the comfortable silence they'd been hiking in.

"Beg your pardon?"

She nodded back the way they'd just come. "The conversation you had with Taigen. You got a lot of intel out of him, and he didn't even know it. It was a thing of beauty." She grinned up at where he'd stopped to look back at her. He just smiled back.

The passed through meadows and crossed streams as they hiked ever higher up into the mountains. Their first night of camping found them setting up camp near a gurgling stream. Rowan was glad of the fresh water, she felt sweaty and stinky and just wanted to jump in and get cleaned off.

"I'll be back in a minute" she called as she headed for the water.

Jack shook his head, and waited for the inevitable scream. He didn't have to wait long. Moments later the silence was broken by a high pitched screech, followed by Rowan, barreling up the hill, teeth chattering. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.

"Well, I figured, you'd only do it once." He continued building the fire, muttering under his breath something about 'desk jockey's'. Rowan was more than happy to huddle next to the fledgling fire to get warm.

They pulled dinner out of their packs, and settled near the fire to eat. Taigen had sent several days worth of meals with them, knowing that they wouldn't be doing much fishing the first couple of days.

"So, tell me about the Rebellion," Jack asked.

"Hmmm?" Rowan continued chewing.

"I've read the reports and correspondences from your command to our command, but it's not the same as hearing it from someone who lived through it."

Rowan sat and thought for awhile, marshaling her thoughts. The silence stretched on for so long that Jack thought that she was going to ignore him. And then she began.

Hours later the fire had burned down to glowing embers. Jack sat in silence, absorbing everything he'd just been told. It sounded like an impossible story, but he knew better. There were things he'd done, and places he'd been that would sound impossible to the average person. This Emperor and Darth Vader sounded as bad as any of the Goa'uld he'd ever run across.

Rowan sat in silence. There were so many memories that had resurfaced during the telling that she felt overwhelmed. All these years she'd managed to bury them.

"You okay?"

She looked up at Jack, across the fire, all care and concern. She'd never seen this side of him before. The carefree, goofy side, yes. The strong, commanding soldier, yes. But this? "I'm fine, really." she knew that if he said anything more she'd dissolve into a blubbering mess, so she held her breath and prayed that he'd let it go.

And he did. Rowan didn't know if she was sad, or relieved. They went about the business of bedding down for the night in silence. Jack was preoccupied with all that he'd heard, and Rowan was just trying to get to that blessed oblivion of sleep.

Day 3

Rowans' feet hurt. It was the only thought in her mind. Ouch, ouch, ouch, with each step she took. "Are we there yet?" she tried not to sound whiny, but she was sure they'd just hike on forever if Jack had his way.

Jack looked back at her and smiled that smile that always made her heart race. "Almost. It's just a little bit further." Rowan had no idea how he knew that. She was lost. Completely lost. She'd barely passed mapping at the Academy. It was just one of many reasons why she wasn't a field agent. So she followed him; having complete faith in him, and his ability to get her safely out of the mountains and back to her nice, quiet, safe life behind a desk.

Mayina had been shocked when Rowan had disclosed her vacation plans. She'd always been the one to vacation in the city, with the spas, and the restaurants, taxis and hover cars. Mayina had teased her mercilessly that the only reason she was going was because of her crush on General O'Neill. And that had been partly true. But, it the end, it came down to the fact that he was her friend, and this was his idea of a fantastic vacation. He'd asked, she'd said yes. Of course, she was still trying to track down how he'd found out about Tremplawn and Rogue's vacation schedule.

She walked and walked until she walked right into Jack's pack, nearly sending them both sprawling.

"There it is," he said, pointing ahead of them.

The sight took her breath away. The sky was a deep azure, interrupted by the occasional drifting cloud. The ragged peak of the mountain rose above the lake, reflected in its still, clear surface. She was speechless. She looked around, her eye for detail taking in her surroundings. The breeze was still cool as it came down the mountain side. The trees were green, but with the soft green of late spring, not the bold dark color of summer. They'd passed meadows of blooming flowers on their hike up the mountain. All of this, and so much more washed over her. She took a moment and closed her eyes, the sites, sounds and smells of the mountain nearly overwhelming her. It was so peaceful. Her eyes slowly opened a few moments later to find Jack looking at her with a smile on his face.

"Worth it?" he asked.

Rowan could only nod her head. There was something about the setting that filled her with a quiet reverence. They continued on, looking for a good campsite. They'd be staying there for the next week, so they wanted it to be a good.

The sun was getting low over the mountains on the western side of the lake. Thick forest covered the slopes around the lake, except where the piles of boulders lay, just waiting to be explored. There was a gentle wash of lake water and Jack could see insects hovering just above the water hoping their presence would encourage the fish to surface and feed. The only sounds he could hear were of the lake. He could see a flock of birds wheeling high overhead, just a mass of black dots heading off to roost.

Rowan sat on a log and took it all in for a few minutes more. She was fascinated by the ancient form of fishing that Jack was using. The 'fishing pole' was an archaic device that she'd only seen in museums. Apparently it was a form still used on Earth. Jack had promised to show her how to use it, but she'd deferred the offer, at least for that evening. She was enjoying the sites and sounds of the mountain and the lake. But, the task of setting up camp continued to draw at her. Just another minute or too was all she wanted, she was on vacation after all. But, the thought of setting up camp in the dark was unappealing, and in the end it was the motivation she needed.

The fire was blazing away by the time Jack walked up from the lake. She could hear him long before she could see him. She smiled to herself as she listened to him whistling, yet another earth tune; something she'd have to ask Mayina about when they rendezvoused at the Stargate.

"How does fish sound for supper?" he brandished a line with 3 large fish on it.

"Sure, but you're cleaning them." Rowan dug through her pack and removed a pan and various cooking utensils. In no time, they had the fish wrapped in foil and cooking away in the embers of the fire. Rowan's mouth was watering from the smell. When they finally pulled the fish from the fire, they melted in their mouths. Rowan shoveled pieces of hot fish into her mouth as quickly as she could, with an occasional word of caution from Jack to watch her fingers, and not to burn her mouth. She couldn't help but smile.

They cleaned up dinner, then settled in by the fire. This evening it was Rowan's turn to ask questions. Jack filled the night with stories of harrowing escapes, daring rescues and humorous events that had Rowan alternating between sitting on the edge of her log, and laughing so hard she was in danger of falling off her log.

The following days were filled with fly-fishing lessons, exploring, rock climbing, story telling, and laughter.

Day 6

Rowan was awakened by Jack's insistent shaking. "I don't wanna get up" she mumbled, "just 5 more minutes."

"Your pack's making noise."

"What?" she bolted upright.

Jack pointed to her pack, which was indeed making sounds.

Rowan was quick to retrieve it, and dug through it till she found her comm unit.

"It's my comm, and it's a General Recall. I wonder what's going on." She quickly entered her security code and Admiral Burn appeared on the screen.

"Attention! This morning, the capital city of Tremplawn was placed under martial law by the Lucretz faction of the military. Civil war has broken out in several areas of the planet. You are hereby instructed to make your way immediately to Extelma City for transport through the Stargate. The Ginjend have given assurances that the Stargate will remain under our control for a period of three days. At the end of that time they will claim the Stargate as their own. You have three days arrive in Extelma City. Be advised that we do not have the resources nor the time to send retrieval teams. The situation on the planet is extremely volatile at the moment. Take no risks with your safety. We advise you to be travel incognito. Do not use your comm unless you are in an untenable situation.

May the Force be with you."

"Well hell," Rowan dropped the comm unit into her pack. She looked over at Jack, who was sitting on the nearest log. "So, what do we do now?"

"You heard the Admiral, we'd better pack it all in. But, I think we'll take a different route back, just in case."

"In case what?" Rowan was a fount of information, but her practical application of that information was very limited.

"In case someone comes looking for us," Jack replied.

It took a couple of seconds for that to sink in. "Oh. . . OH!"

They broke camp quickly, and started hiking down the mountain, taking a more circuitous route than they had on the way up.

Jack, hyper aware of his surroundings, was watching the cloud cover that was building, fast. It didn't take long for Rowan to notice it too. They kept hiking, there was nothing else they could do.

Rowan glanced at the sky, again, worried at how quickly it was darkening. Jack looked up again, as well, and nonchalantly commented, "Looks like we're in for a bit of a blow." Rowan had noticed earlier that he had quickened the pace.

"Any chance it'll just be a little cloudburst? Maybe we can find a cave to hide in, or a rock to hunker down behind. Or, maybe we can just outrun it," she asked hopefully.

Jack shook his head. "See how the leading edge of the clouds is a dark gray, almost purple? And look over there," he pointed to the Northeast. "See how the clouds are roiling, and it's almost a sick green? That's the sign of a big storm. We've got to find some kind of shelter, or we're going to be drenched and tossed around for awhile. Don't know about you, but I don't like walking in wet boots."

The first drops fell moments later. The blast of wind that preceded them almost knocked Rowan off her feet. She leaned forward, into the wind, and tried to keep moving forward. It was hard, and they struggled for every footstep they took. The rain came down in sheets that made navigating through the trees nearly impossible. Jack looked around for the largest tree or rock for them to hunker down behind.

"Over here!" he yelled, over the wind and rain.

Rowan could barely see him, even though she knew he was only a few feet in front of her. She reached out to steady herself against a tree; the leaves and dirt had quickly become a slippery mess and she was having a hard time not sliding down the mountainside. She missed the rock that Jack was standing behind, as she slid from tree to tree. His outstretched hand on her arm was the only warning she received, as she slid by him. Her startled scream went unheard. Jack had been digging a tarp out of his pack, when he'd reached out and grabbed her. In short order they were sitting under it, eating snacks from their packs and watching the lightning show going on above them.

"Storms this big usually blow themselves out pretty quickly," Jack yelled above the storm. Rowan nodded, eyes wide with wonder. The trees continued to whip around them, and the rain came down in torrents. The wind grabbed their tarp a couple of times and tried to whip it away, but they were sitting on it, and had their hands wrapped tightly around the top half. Less than 20 minutes later, they were standing on the mountain, watching the clouds and rain race down the valley below them. Rowan had a new found respect for nature, and for Jack. He just smiled and said something about Minnesota and summer storms.

Their hiking was slowed by the slippery condition of the undergrowth. Rowan learned to do a quick duck and hop whenever she was near a low hanging branch, or outstretched shrubbery. She was only drenched once or twice by her inattention. Jack was still reasonably dry, obviously having encountered these kinds of conditions before.

They were finally starting to make what Rowan considered good time, when her world turned upside down. At first she felt her foot slid, as it had many times before, and she shifted to accommodate the motion. This time, however, she didn't slowdown or stop. Instead, her foot slid into a depression that caused her to lurch forward and loose her balance. The weight of her pack and the still slippery ground threw her with such force that she slid all the way down the hillside, hitting rocks and trees on the way down.

Jack made his way down the slope as quickly and carefully as he could. "You all right?" he asked.

"Just my pride is injured, I think," she answered. She was a pile of muddy leaves and twigs, but she was smiling. Until Jack helped her to her feet. At which point she turned sheet white and nearly passed out.

"What? What's wrong?" He set her gently on the ground and looked her over for obvious injuries.

"It's my knee. I don't know what I did, but it hurts like hell to stand on it."

Jack gently rolled up her pant leg and looked at her knee, which was quickly swelling and turning purple. "I'm no doctor, but I'd say that looks like a wrenched knee. Take it from someone who knows," he said. He dug into a pocket of his pack and pulled out a couple of little white pills, which he handed to Rowan, along with his canteen. "Here, take these. It's only ibuprofen, but it's all I've got."

Rowan was glad to have anything to cut the pain. She wasn't a wimp when it came to injuries, but she knew they still had a long way to go, and she was going to be in a lot worse shape by the time they got there. "I don't suppose we could find one of those airships to fly us the rest of the way," she asked hopefully.

Jack shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure they don't come into this area. Taigen did happen to mention that we could catch a boat on the way back, if we wanted. Something about being foot weary . . . or something," he trailed off.

"Well transport of any kind would be appreciated right about now." They rested for awhile longer, until Rowan was ready to try to stand up. She leaned forward, bracing herself on the nearest tree and Jacks' arm.

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied. She was up in a moment, and leaning on Jack for support. She wasn't ready to put any real weight on her leg just yet.

"Here's what we're going to do," Jack instructed, "you're going to lean on me, and we're going to slowly, walk down this mountain. Ok?"

"Ok," Rowan responded through clenched teeth. They began with Jack stepping forward, and Rowan hopping on her good leg. And that's how they progressed for the next few of hours. Jack tried to keep their mood light by telling stories about injuries he'd sustained in the field, and how he'd managed to get home safely. Most of the stories had a whole lot of sarcasm and smart ass in them, and Rowan wondered again, how much was an act, and how much was the real Jack. Whatever it was, the stories worked, and helped to keep her mind off the pain in her knee.

The sun was beginning to set behind the mountain when Jack insisted they stop and camp for the night. Rowan could only nod a weary ascent. She was so tired that she only ate a few bites before falling into a troubled sleep. Jack sat up and kept watch for awhile. Thinking about the changes that had occurred that were forcing their early and speedy departure, he wondered if they'd run into any two-legged trouble tomorrow. They'd be much closer to civilization. . . he let that thought rest. No sense inviting trouble.

Day 7

Rowan thought her knee was doing better. She wasn't sure if it actually was, or if it was just wishful thinking, but she was determined to make the most of it, and make some distance today. Before falling asleep the night before, Jack had scrounged a tree branch, which he'd made into a crutch for her. Leaning on it, instead of him, she felt confident that they'd make it after all.

"And we're off," she said brightly. She flashed Jack a smile that was all high spirits and youthful determination.

"Indeed," was all he said.

Their pace was a bit faster than the day before, after her fall. She was thankful that her injury seemed to be less severe than she'd originally thought. Between the ibuprofen that Jack insisted on shoving down her throat, and the crutch he'd made, she felt she was in the best of hands, all things considered.

They were headed for the river that flowed right through the middle of Extelma City. Jack was hoping they'd be able to beg, borrow or steal a boat. He was a little vague on the details, but Rowan had come to trust his ability to improvise. They made good time, for the first half of the day. It was early afternoon when they realized that they weren't alone anymore. Jack was sure they were being followed. He was also pretty sure that whoever was following them hadn't figured out yet that they'd been discovered. So they continued on, heading as quickly and quietly as they could for the river. The forest was beginning to thin as they neared the river, and Jack was sure they'd be stopped soon. He leaned casually over to Rowan and asked in a hushed voice, "Have any weapons secreted away in your pack?" Rowan slowly shook her head.

"All I have is a Swiss-Army knife that Mayina gave me as a parting gift. She made some reference to McGyver, which she knows is completely lost on me. I guess that's what we get for trusting these guys and complying with the no-weapons rule."

Jack smiled, and nodded nonchalantly. "All I've got is my filleting knife. Looks like we're going to try it Daniel's way then."

Rowan had time to look confused, before the first native stepped out from behind a rock and leveled a musket at them.

"Would you believe we come in peace?" Jack asked.

More men stepped out from behind various rocks, trees and shrubs, and quickly formed a loose circle around Jack and Rowan. "Take us to your leader," Jack ordered. The men just looked at them and laughed. "What? It always works in the movies." Rowan just shook her head. She'd taken the time to carefully observe the wide variety of weapons that were currently pointed in their direction. There were at least half a dozen muskets, along with several nasty looking swords, and she was sure a couple of repeating pistols. All in all, a well armed group. And they had a Swiss-Army knife and a fillet knife. She was certainly out of her league here, and so she waited to see what Jack was going to do. He was, after all, Black Ops. Her favorite option at the moment was a distraction of some sort, and then to run like hell. And, it turned out, it was Jack's as well.

He made a sudden, and completely unexpected move towards the nearest bandit, and before anyone could blink, the guy was flat on his back. Rowan didn't have time to think, she just reacted. She turned, dropped her crutch, and ran. Her knee felt like it was on fire, but she kept running. She didn't slow down, except when she took the time to glance over her shoulder to make sure that Jack was right behind her. She didn't need to worry, he very quickly caught up, and was running beside her, in case she needed his help. The first shot tore through the underbrush in front of them, and they veered away, still trying to run towards the river. The next shot was closer, and Rowan could smell the sulfur in the air. Another shot ripped through the air, and now Rowan was starting to get mad. "Stop shooting at us you idiots!" she yelled. Jack looked at her in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected her to do that. "Do you know what it took for me to get this man on vacation? And you're ruining it!" She was spitting mad now. "I had to sign my life away. If you hurt him, so help me. . ."

She finally reached the point where she couldn't run and yell at the same time. They broke through the underbrush and abruptly found themselves running along the rivers edge. Just ahead of them, almost like a dream, floated a steamboat. It was too good to be true. Rowan was sure it was a hallucination brought about by her pain filled state. Until Jack whooped. And then she knew it was real. They ran even faster down the riverbank toward it, spurred on by a sudden rush of adrenaline. Another shot rang out behind them, and Jack stumbled next to her. Rowan slowed, and reached out to steady him. He was bleeding from his left shoulder, where the bullet had struck him. Looking back up the river, Rowan could see one of the bandits yelling and shaking his musket in the air in triumph. But he didn't know Jack O'Neill. Jack shook his head at Rowans offer of support, and grabbing her hand, continued their mad dash for the boat. The steamboat was close enough to the shore that Rowan thought they'd have a shot at jumping on board. The bandits chasing them had broken out of the underbrush behind them and were continuing to fire at them.

Jack let go of her hand, and Rowan could see that he was pacing the boat, gauging the distance. Gathering himself, he leaped from the shore to the steamboat, which was gathering speed. His foot slipped, for a moment. Reaching out he grabbed the nearest object, hoping it was tied down. The rope slipped, and then held fast. He pulled himself up, and looked back to Rowan, who was racing down the shoreline, trying to keep up with the boat.

"You have to jump!"

"I can't!" she yelled, "I'll never make it. You're too far away!"

"You can do it! I'll catch you! Trust me! " He looked at her for a moment with such intensity that she believed him." Dropping her pack as she ran, she gathered what strength she had left, and jumped. There was nothing pretty or elegant about the jump. Jack's outstretched hand grabbed hers, and her foot landed on the deck of the boat, slipping. She scrambled for a foothold, for balance, and her feet dangled into the water. But Jack held on. He could feel the muscles in his arms screaming from the strain. The shoulder wound he'd sustained was tearing open and he bit back a cry of pain. Planting his feet against the lip of the boat he pulled her over the edge, and onto the safety of the deck. They looked behind them, and watched as the pursuing men poured out of the forest, and ran along the shoreline. Several of the more daring tried to jump for the boat, but landed in the water. The sight of their pursuers drenched and shaking angry fists at them was enough to put Rowan over the edge. She started giggling. It was just a little sound at first, and she tried to contain it, but in moments it broke free, and she was laughing and crying at the same time. Jack leaned his back against the nearest solid object, sighed mightily, and started laughing as well.

"Well, at least this'll be a vacation you'll never forget," he said. "Did you really have to sign a bunch of papers to get me here, or were you just yelling nonsense at those guys back there?"

Rowan wiped her eyes. Her laughing and crying slowed to the point that she just had the hiccups. She felt that it was all very undignified of her, but she didn't care. She'd just trudged through a downpour, been chased down the mountainside, wrenched her knee, seen Jack shot with an antique weapon, jumped onto a moving boat, and they only had one day to get to the Stargate. She smiled, it was the only thing she could do.

"It's true, every word. You wouldn't believe the lecture I received from General Landry. And don't get me started on Admiral Fel. I was just a little intimidated. I felt like I was taking a National Treasure on vacation with me."

Jack snorted in an undignified way. "Right. . . National Treasure." He leaned back against the nearest crate and tried, unsuccessfully, to hide the amount of pain he was in. His shoulder was bleeding all over the place, and they didn't have a real med kit with them.

"So, what do we do now?" Rowan asked. She desperately didn't want to walk anymore. The pain from her knee was beginning to wear on her. The strongest medicine either of them had was a little ibuprofen for Jack's knees. It'd taken the edge off of the pain, but continuing to run on it had injured it further, she was certain.

Jack looked around the steamboat and wasn't surprised to see several men making their way towards them brandishing nasty looking muskets. He held up his hands, indicating their lack of weapons, and gritted his teeth against the pain in his shoulder.

"Come with us," the closest sailor said.

Rowan tried to stand, turned white as a ghost, and crumpled into a pile on deck. Jack, made an attempt to pick her up, but was knocked out of the way by one of the musket brandishing sailors who threw her over his shoulder and proceeded down the deck toward the other end of the boat. Jack had no alternative but to follow. They were unceremoniously ushered into what Jack guessed was the captain's office. There was a desk, covered in papers, with a chair behind it. And sitting in the chair was a gentleman who Jack guessed was the captain. "What have we got here?"

"Stowaways, captain," volunteered the closest sailor.

"I can explain, if you'd just give me a chance," said Jack, wearily.

The captain motioned for Jack to sit down, which he happily did. Rowan had been placed on a couch on the near side of the room, and Jack could see that while still unconscious, she was no longer white, and her breathing was normal.

"It is obvious that you are off-worlders," began the captain. "What are you doing in this part of the country, and why were you being chased by those ruffians?"

"Ok, you want the long story or the short one?" asked Jack. "I'll give you the ending, and if you want the beginning, I'll fill you in if we've got time." The captain nodded his head in agreement. And so Jack began the retelling of their encounter with the bandits in the hills, and their luck at having stumbled upon the steamboat. After a short time, the captain dismissed the sailors who'd continued to stand guard. And shortly after that, Rowan moaned, and slowly opened her eyes. Jack and the captain turned and looked at her, waiting to see if she'd be joining the conversation. But Rowan was content to lay as still as she could and let Jack continue with the telling of their little adventure.

"Tell me again why I should help you." rumbled the captain.

"Because it's the right thing to do." Jack suggested helpfully.

"He's wondering about monetary compensation." Rowan offered from her place on the couch.

"She does speak," the captain nodded in Rowans direction. "And yes, she's right. Why should I stick my neck out and help you. What's in it for me and my crew?"

"We're running a little low on trinkets and do-dads to trade," was Jacks snide remark.

"That's not entirely true," Rowan remarked.

"What?" both men asked together.

"Do you remember all that gear I had when we first arrived?" she asked Jack.

His face lit up. "Sure do."

The captain was beginning to look interested.

"We could give them the address and the key to the storage facility where it's being stored, in exchange for them dropping us off at the park where the Stargate is located."

"What type of gear are you speaking of?" the captain asked.

Rowan closed her eyes and went through a mental checklist of all the gear that she'd left behind. "Tell you what, give me paper and a pen and I'll make you a list." The captain handed them over, and Rowan began writing. Soon she had a lengthy list that had the captain drooling. He didn't know what most of the items on the list were, or what they did, but he was assured they were advanced beyond any technology currently available on the planet. And so the deal was struck. Rowans gear for their safe passage.

They were led down the hall by the first-mate, and given a room. Rowan was leaning heavily on Jack, still not really trusting their new allies. As soon as they were in their room, she sat Jack on the bed, got out their First-Aid kit, and had her first real look at his wound.

"Jack O'Neill, you should have insisted they look at this immediately," she chided.

Jack just shrugged, then winced, and finally settled for sitting still.

Rowan was no doctor, but she did the best she could. She figured they'd both need a dip in the bacta tanks when they finally made it back to Farpoint. With Jack bandaged up, and her leg elevated, they both leaned back, closed their eyes and fell asleep.

The pounding on their door awakened both of them from a deep sleep. It took Rowan several minutes to get her bearings, and remember where they were. Jack was quickly up, and answering the door.

"Cap'n wants to see you two," the first-mate growled.

Jack nodded, and turned to help Rowan up. She leaned on him, walking gingerly down the hall to the captain's office.

"There you are," he boomed. "We're just entering the city limits right now. So, how's about you give me the address and key to that little stash of yours."

Rowan shook her head. "Not till we see the Stargate. I'm not giving you that information, just to have you dump us in the river at your convenience."

The captain tried to look insulted that she would even think he was capable of such treachery, but in the end he laughed, knowing that he'd been found out. "All right, we'll do it your way. We should be nearing the park very soon."

Rowan nodded, and sat down on the couch that had held her crumpled form earlier in the day. "Paper?" she asked. The captain was quick to supply it. Jack walked over to the closest window and looked out, waiting for a glimpse of the park that held their ride home. He didn't have long to wait. Turning to Rowan he motioned to the paper she was holding. "Time's up, give 'em what they want so we can go home." She was happy to oblige.

The steamboat slowed as it neared the shore. A plank was thrown out, and Jack and Rowan shuffled down it with a sense of relief. The sun was beginning to set behind them bathing the river and park in a spectacular glow. Rowan had time to "oh", before Jack pushed her up the river bank and toward the secluded garden that held the Stargate.

Jack and Rowan were overjoyed when they finally rounded the last corner of the garden, and their eyes fell on the Stargate. They took little notice of the Ginjend guarding the gate. It was obvious that they were off-worlders, and they were determined to get the hell of the planet.
"Ready?" Jack asked while dialing the DHD. Rowan nodded. She knew she'd miss Jack's wit and sarcasm in the weeks to come. She knew that a part of her would begrudge this little planet because she didn't get all of her vacation with him. But, she was ready for this adventure to come to an end.

The Stargate shimmered in the early evening light as Jack and Rowan limped their way up the stairs and through the event horizon.