Crossover: HL/SG-1 (roughly series 6 SG-1!verse, end series 3 HL!verse)

Characters: Daniel, O'Neill, Methos, Sam, Teal'c, Jacob Carter.

For prompt: 053 Earth

Summary: Stranger things happen at home.

O'Mally's was busy for a weeknight but not claustrophobically so. Left without the option of office talk in public Methos had been surprised to find that, rather than lapsing into awkward silence, the conversation had been lively, covering everything from sports, to literature, to Star Wars (the defence system and the films). Currently Teal'c was watching Sam cream various local boys at pool while he propped up the bar with Jack, Jacob and Daniel.

Suddenly he felt the presence of another Immortal and automatically straightened from his lazy posture against the bar, meeting Daniel's eyes as he felt the same thing. Jack was asking what was wrong, but Jacob put a hand on his arm to make him pause in his questions. Methos turned to the door just as it opened and felt Daniel do the same, but let out a sigh of relief as he recognised the stunning woman approaching them with a wide "cat who ate the canary" smile on her face.

"Adam, darling," Amanda drawled kissing his cheek in greeting.

"Amanda," he found himself saying wistfully, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

"Amanda." Daniel stated rather more harshly.

Amanda pouted. "Danny…not still mad at me are you?"

"You stole a priceless historical artefact."

She smiled remorselessly. "I've stolen hundreds darling. Oh, but who are your friends?"

Methos stepped in before Daniel could get into berating her. "Amanda meet Jack O'Neill and Jacob Carter. They know," he stage whispered, making her raise her eyebrows at him. "Jack, Jacob, meet Amanda…"

"Amanda Darieux." Amanda interjected neatly, offering a limp hand. "Charmed I'm sure," she said with a wicked smile.

"Nice to meet you," Jack said, not quite sure what to do with her hand.

Jacob responded somewhat more elegantly, placing a kiss delicately on her hand in a way that Methos was sure was prompted by Selmak rather than any etiquette training he might have got from the military. "The pleasure is ours."

Amanda batted her eyes coquettishly at Methos. "You've got an interesting one here."

"What brings you to Colorado Springs Amanda? I can't imagine there's anything here valuable enough to warrant your skills." Daniel asked dryly.

She batted affectionately at him, regardless of how much he seemed to dislike her mock simpering. "Now that's where you would be wrong! It seems our Adam here is quite in demand in certain circles so I thought I would selflessly bring myself to this back-water little town where (you are quite right) there is absolutely nothing worth stealing, simply to see that he has not been abducted by the government or anything fiendish like that."

Methos rolled his eyes. "So Dawson gets worried I've been taken by the military and asks MacCleod for help and since you owe both of us for that whole 'letting Kalas out of prison' thing you thought you'd cover your ass and check I was ok?"

Amanda sneered. "I like the way I put it better." She huffed. "But it doesn't seem like you're being held in chains being horribly tortured so I guess I can't sweep in to save you and redeem myself a bit…though this is all terribly interesting. You, of all people, letting mortals in on the big secret…" Amanda glanced side-long at Jack and Jacob.

Jacob held up his hands. "Hey, I already knew."

Amanda sidled sinuously closer to Jack. "And you? What did you do to earn the old man's confidence?"

"Sir?" Sam asked coming over from the pool table.

Amanda just smiled, her eyes glittering as she turned back to Methos and Daniel. "You are involved with the military! Mac'll never believe this…"

Amanda trailed off as all three Immortals felt the presence of another.

"Friend of yours?" Daniel asked with feigned casualness, arm going to his side to reach for a sword that wasn't there.

Amanda had a genuine expression on her face for the first time since she had arrived: fear. "Hardly. This guy just won't give up; another reason I thought it might be nice to travel across the country for a bit. He must have followed me all the way here from Washington."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, putting a hand on Daniel's arm.

He turned to her. "There's another Immortal right outside."

"Problem?" Jack asked, his tone businesslike.

"No problem," Methos said quickly, before either of his companions could interrupt. "Back in a sec."

He met their eyes; first Daniel's pity-filled look, then Amanda's guilt-ridden one. They all knew what had to be done. This guy wasn't going away: Amanda would have killed him already if she thought she could and Daniel didn't have a hope even if he did have his sword. They could try and run, but that never solved anything, as Amanda was finding, and so he offered to get rid of the problem. He could probably manage it…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He knew what he was doing Jack!" Jacob yelled as they ran.

"You can't interfere in the Game!" Daniel protested.

"For crying out loud! You let him just wander off to get killed!"

Amanda simply shrugged and rolled her eyes. "The old man can take care of himself."

Jack seemed unconvinced and led their party on towards the increasingly audible clash of swords. They turned the corner to find Methos on the ground, blood sheeting his face from a quickly closing gash on his forehead, a broad shouldered man standing over him with a sword, turning at the sound of running footsteps suddenly halting at the end of what he thought was a deserted alley.

Methos took the opportunity, pushing himself off the ground, but not to his feet; instead he launched himself into a roll to get behind his opponent, slashing through the man's ham-strings at the ankle. The other Immortal screamed and fell to the floor, but held onto his sword so that he blocked as Methos rose and struck downwards at him. Methos, too tired to worry about good manners in battle, simply cut his opponent's hand off at the wrist, turning his sword in one fluid motion to take his head the stroke after.

The rest of SG-1 went to move forward as Methos swayed uncertainly on his feet, but Daniel gestured for them to stay back.

"Wait…"

Jack gaped as a white mist rose out of the body on the ground to cloak the victor. "What the hell…?"

Anything else he might have wanted to ask was drowned out by Methos's scream as lightning struck him from the cloudless sky. He lent on his sword, tip resting on the ground in front of him, and rocked violently as each bolt shot through him. Daniel could feel the power prickling up his arms and for a moment he almost missed the feeling of a raw quickening, but then it passed, leaving him feeling slightly sick that he had considered it at all. Looking at the faces of his team mates he could only guess what they might be thinking about this spectacle: whatever they thought he could not let go of how embarrassed he was that they were seeing something so private to Immortals at all.

Slowly the quickening burned itself out and Methos stumbled out of the alley towards his friends carrying his opponent's sword as well as his own. He passed the now ownerless sword to Amanda.

"Give this to the Highlander next time you see him, will you? He has a thing for cavalry sabres."

Amanda smiled sheepishly. "Will do."

As Methos slipped his own sword back inside his long coat, Jack finally spoke up. "I guess I needn't have worried about you being rusty after all…"

Methos spat blood onto the pavement and wiped some of it off his face with his sleeve before he answered. "Are you kidding? That kid was barely 500 years old. I'm going back to training first thing tomorrow."

"I would be honoured to assist you." Teal'c rumbled. Methos accepted his offer with a nod.

Sam looked concerned. "Maybe you should wait a day or two…"

Methos smiled, though with the smears of blood on his face and teeth it did not have reassuring effect he had hoped. "Give me a shower and five minutes to heal and I'll be good as new." He clapped Daniel on the back as they started to make their way back. "And you'll be joining me won't you Danny?"

Jack interrupted before he could reply. "Yes he will." Daniel just sighed.

"The old man training, joining up with the military; Mac'll never believe me." Amanda murmured to herself shaking her head.