Chapter 7

Disclaimer: As much as I wish, I do not own Stargate: SG1, Highlander the Series, or any recognizable characters. Any character that you do not recognize are mine to use and abuse as I see fit. Everyone else will eventually be returned, but they might be a bit scuffed.

Daniel blinked and found himself staring up at the familiar faces of Teal'c and Mitchell. The sky beyond them was blue and filled with trees from a vaguely familiar forest.

"What the hell happened?" he croaked, his throat parched and aching, like he had been screaming.

Cam and Teal'c reached down and hauled their teammate to his feet, setting him on his feet.

"Well, you got bit by a snake and it dumped its poison into your system," the Air Force officer explained.

Daniel shook his head, checking his body and neck for wounds. He could have sworn that he had been in a gym and Methos, no Death, was there. They had fought. He had lost. He was supposed to be dead.

"I, uh, I was being held. Tortured. Scientists found a way to use an Immortal's Quickening. Methos and I fought," Daniel babbled. He was so confused. He was supposed to be dead and a head shorter.

"The locals said the poison would cause you to hallucinate, experience your worst nightmares before it would finally kill you. I imagine that is what happened DanielJackson," Teal'c rumbled. "Eventually you had what appeared to be a seizure and expired on the ground."

"I got better?" Daniel asked, feeling disorientated.

"Yep, you sure did," Cam drawled. "You should be thanking your personal deities, or whatever is behind Immortals existing, that you are Immortal. All of that poison would have killed the rest of us, permanently."

"Where is the snake?" Daniel asked, feeling shaky and weak, like he had just run a marathon in full gear while carrying Teal'c, piggy back.

Cam jerked a thumb over to a charcoaled lump in the grass not too far away. "It hung on until your lightning trick fried it."

"Oh gods," Daniel groaned, then a stray thought flittered its way through his brain.

He grabbed Mitchell by his jacket and held him close. "Tell me Captain Sansone isn't with the SGC?"

"Whoa!" Cameron protested, trying to pull away from his teammate. "I have no idea who that is!" Daniel's grip was incredibly strong and the man had a wild, slightly desperate look in his eyes.

Teal'c, concerned for his friends' safety, wrestled Daniel away from the leaser of SG1. "DanielJackson, if you do not cease your efforts to strong-arm CameronMitchell, I will be forced to release a cylinder of violent beatings upon your posterior."

It was enough to cause Daniel to pause his attempt to shake the knowledge out of his team leader.

"Um, sorry," Daniel muttered, releasing Cam and backing off slightly.

"If I recall, Captain Sansone was placed in disciplinary confinement then shipped off to ride a desk in Wichita, Kansas. Afterwards, he was dishonorably discharged for stealing office furniture," Teal'c intoned, looking troubled. "Why would you ask if he was a part of Stargate Command?"

"I experienced my worst nightmares and he was there. He sold me out. It was horrible," Daniel said, trying to keep himself from trembling. While he obviously got better from the snake bite, psychologically he was still dealing with the after effects of what he had experienced, even if they were just visions that his subconscious had dredged up.

Cameron looked concerned, prompting Daniel to explain further.

"Every fear I had, came out. I experienced every fear I've had over the ages about the wrong people finding out about Immortals. The government finding out about Immortals, being experimented on, you guys betraying me, fighting other Immortals, seeing ones that I had killed long ago, being killed by Adam," Daniel admitted, his head dropping, breathing heavily. "It was so real. I could smell things, could feel things as if they were actually happening."

"You have lived a long life DanielJackson. Is it possible that everything you felt was really memories of what you had gone through in your past? Your subconscious was able to bring up those horrible feelings and sensations that you had once suppressed," Teal'c suggested, his calm demeanor reassuring his friend.

Daniel looked up and half smiled. "You're probably right, but it felt so real. I could actually feel the presence of other Immortals, the ones whom I've killed."

"Maybe because you did absorb the others' Quickenings, you could feel them since they were already a part of you," Cam postulated, looking thoughtful. "They aren't gone fully since their power is now inside you."

"Maybe," Daniel conceded. He was exhausted, physically and mentally. He then pinched himself, just to make sure this was real.

"This is real DanielJackson. Nothing you saw has actually happened," Teal'c said, trying to reassure his friend, resting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You are safe."

"Had to make sure," the Immortal said wearily. "Well, as safe as one can be with the Ori and their followers making a mess of things."

"Indeed," Teal'c rumbled, nodding.

"We still need to catch one of those snakes," Daniel said, feeling tired and spent.

"I got one while you were tripping on venom," Cameron announced, holding up a squirming burlap sack.

"Good," Daniel grumbled. "Let's go home. I need a shower and a vacation."

"Wait, you said you fought Adam. Is he also an Immortal like you?" Cam caught on to a tidbit of information that Daniel had dropped on him.

Daniel sighed and closed his eyes. "Ask me again in two weeks. I am serious about needing a break," he said. "I think even a trip fishing with Jack might be better than being at work right now."

"I will make sure I relay this to O'Neill post haste. He will be quite pleased to hear about your admittance of a statement of that caliber," Teal'c grinned slightly evil-like.

"Crap, just when I was starting to be convinced that my nightmare was over," Daniel grumbled, pinching himself once again. No, it hurt. This was real.

The three men started back to where they had left the women of the team, back at the village.

"Hey, it could have been worse," Mitchell said suddenly.

Daniel looked at his team leader with some measure of disbelief. "Nothing could be worse than experiencing vivisection and being burnt alive."

"You could have dreamed that you were married to Vala," the mortal said, loud enough for Vala to clearly hear.

The dark-haired woman smiled. "That sounds wonderful! Let's make babies Daniel!" she called out, enjoying seeing her friend turn slightly red.

"Still not sure this isn't a nightmare," Daniel muttered under his breath. "Screw you guys, I'm going home and on vacation."

The end.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Hit the shiny review button and let me know. I always appreciate constructive criticism. It helps me improve my writing and storytelling.

There are several people I want to thank: Lorilei (my evil partner in crime – glad you are doing better), WhiteElfElder, zoobyli, Stargate Fan, gatebeliever, Pawn'sVictory, and frostfalcon. I also want to thank those who read my story, even if you didn't leave a review. I appreciate the time you took to read all of this.

Stargate Fan and Pawn'sVictory: I wish I could have responded to your reviews through a PM. I try to answer all reviews, observations, and questions, but I couldn't with the both of you. I do appreciate you reading and reviewing.

This has been a fun ride. Writing this story has been a fun escapism for me – with the pandemic, being a homeschool teacher, my work offering some interesting challenges, and the shit show the American elections have been, I've been needing a break. It brought me a lot of happiness over this past year. We could all use a break from this year. I hope it at least made you smile or at least not roll your eyes too much at me.

I don't know exactly where I am going with this series next. I have a few ideas percolating in my head on what to do next with my Immortal Spacemonkey. Any ideas or suggestions are always appreciated. Thank you to everyone. Stay well, stay safe, and have a happy Thanksgiving.