Title: A Man's Diary
Author: charlie1902
Fandoms: Stargate SG-1 / Highlander

Genre: Angst, Humour
Rating: K+

Warning: mentions past Noncon, bit of torture and very slight hints of slash (very hidden)

Spoilers: None
Summery: "A mans diary!? Adam I was running around with you naked and got tortured because of someone's diary?", "Not just any mans diary Daniel – my diary from the 1590's."
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you recognise but do own the ones you don't. This is my way of loving them.

Chapter Two – The Middle

With Daniel settled on the sofa and asleep Methos moved his laptop into his bedroom and sat cross-legged on his bed searching the internet for information on him. He had already found and silenced a trigger that alerted someone to any search for the man. He had, for a time, tried to follow that but it proved too difficult. Five minutes in and he discovered Daniel worked for the US military. His first instinct was to kill his guest and run but thankfully it wasn't strong. He kept searching, found NORAD and references to a hidden top-secret 'project bluebook'. The security so far had been impressive but Methos was nothing if not determined. He was fearful the military might have found out about immortals, concerned Daniel was being forced somehow to work for them but more than all of that he was curious as to why his brilliant archaeologist friend was working for the military especially after what had happened in their shared past: three homophobic cadets had leapt to conclusions and taken offence to Daniel and Methos walking home one night. Daniel had been in a coma for three days and didn't remember the details, which was lucky because mild-mannered academic Pierce Keaton shot each of them with one of two guns he kept on his person. That was after they had killed him and nearly killed Daniel. They had done worse but Methos was the only one who knew about that and he was keeping the horrific details to himself.

Ignoring the memories of one of his less frequent nightmares Methos refocused and started hacking into 'project bluebooks'. He wasn't successful which was humbling and made him even more determined. He left the project computers and went for a softer target – pentagon computers and when that failed the personal computers of high up politicians. This way didn't provide a full picture but enough to thoroughly shock him. His shy naïve friend Daniel fought aliens in a battle to save the Earth?

He reconsidered his friend; Daniel came across as weak but if he was that was only physically he had more courage, determination and passionate curiosity than almost everyone Methos had ever met. The ancient immortal could well imagine Daniel walking into the unknown across an alien planet introducing himself to any and all alien friendly or hostile. He wondered how well that went down with the military. He also questioned how Daniel could put up with following orders and carrying a gun. As he put down his computer, mind filled with thoughts of alien planets, the sun was rising. Thankfully unless things had changed Daniel would sleep quite late giving Methos time to adjust to the idea of the man as an interplanetary man of action.

Methos was still thinking the idea through an hour later in the shower when one of his perimeter alarms went off. It sensed unusual movement around the building and pierced his apartment with a short sharp sound. Methos raced out the shower barely stopping to grab a towel – he had a guest. Daniel had woken but clearly wasn't sure why. He was lazily blinking, looking around and then reaching out for his glasses. A second alarm went off this was silent it merely turned on Methos' TV and linked to hidden cameras on and around his building. They showed at least three groups of about three men wearing dark clothes, holding large guns making there way through the building. When Daniel saw them he reached for his phone – intent of calling for backup. Methos grabbed his arm and pulled him to the front door. Hitting a hidden switch that wiped his computers and sealed his hidden vaults (where he kept his journals and other keepsakes) he pulled Daniel to the staircase up to the roof. Daniel was mumbling into his phone thankfully not asking why Methos had a broadsword in one hand (the other hand tightly holding his towel). They reached the roof without the men below seeing them but as they passed through the door they could hear the men braking into the flat below them. Methos let go of his towel and pulled Daniel along faster.

They stepped onto the next building and again onto a third one. Only then did Methos lead Daniel into the staircase both man listening carefully.

Methos was trying to think who could be after them – which man did they want? He biggest worries were the military had found out about immortals or that the watchers were after his diary but there was another three of four other people and groups who had the money and power to organise this and who had enough reasons to. Daniel had stopped talking to Jack on the phone but he still had it on so they could track his signal. He was also wondering who was after them and why. He was fairly sure it was the NID after him but he couldn't think why.

The building they were running down had a back exit that led straight into an alleyway and from there a door into another apartment building where Methos owned an apartment on the fourth floor – with a view straight down into his other apartment. He wasn't sure how to explain this all to Daniel but he would worry about that when he was sure he was safe.

It didn't come to that however they must have been spotted entering the building for they were grabbed as they stepped out the exit. Not going to go without a fight the two of them pulled free and fought back: Daniel with his fists and feet and Methos with everything he had (which given he was still wearing a towel was not as much as he usually did). Daniel was quickly grabbed again, Methos who by now had lost his towel, fought on alone. That they hadn't shot him meant they didn't know he was immortal giving him an advantage.

His opponents wore head protector gear, bullet and stab proof vests as well as thick clothes so Methos concentrated on swinging his thick sword to keep them from getting to close and giving them deep wounds to take them out the fight. He successfully took out the first four men but more soon arrived. He noticed with a wild grin that his naked battle-ready stance threw them off. Daniel was now behind him unable to be taken or used against him as a hostage. As they cautiously stepped closer Methos allowed himself to feel a little blood lust and letting out a jubilant war car he jumped forward swinging his sword and nearly decapitating the lead man. Swinging round again the men scattered falling back out the alleyway. Stopping Methos waited crouched down by the entrance listening carefully. He couldn't see the men now but assumed they were standing against the wall. They had pulled their fallen comrade out the alleyway which gave Methos the disturbed feeling they were military, criminal gangs were less likely to be so loyal.

Methos made a mistake then – the first in battle for centuries, as he heard the sound of Daniel getting up he turned to check on him. He heard the dart approaching but didn't see which way it was coming from and couldn't move out of its way in time. It landed deeply in his shoulder. Methos' last action as he was falling to the floor was to throw his sword away hoping when he was free he could find it again.

Daniel come to full consciousness as the body of his friend hit the ground a few feet in front of him. He slowly pushed himself to his hands and knees and crawled over to check on him. By the time he realised his friend was merely unconscious he was surrounded.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked

"NID and we want that ancient book."

"How did you even found out about it?"

"We have our ways now come with us quietly unless you want your friend to suffer he did a lot of damage while you were napping." The man said bitterly. Daniel let himself be pulled to his feet and led out the alley into a large black van. He hoped Jack was on his way. Two men sat either side on him and had to hold him tightly after Adam's body was thrown into the van colliding with the side and lading just in front of the other three. Daniel tried again to kneel beside his friend. The man to his right lashed out – knocking Daniel back and then kicking out at Adam catching his shoulder. A third NID soldier got in and dumping Adam's towel over the part of the man he didn't want to see handcuffed his hands behind his back. Then he sat opposite Daniel and looking him in the face defiantly crossed his ankles using Adam's back as a footstool.

"You don't have to bring him. He doesn't know anything."

"After what he did we should kill him but we plan to use him to get you to cooperate."

"You don't need to do that." The NID agent just shrugged, he had his orders. Then he frowned down at where Adam was stirring. He lifted one leg up and kicked his head knocking the immortal out again.

"Don't!" Daniel asked too late.

Ten minutes later and Adam was conscious again although this time he managed to conceal it. Something that was difficult every time the man above him uncrossed and re-crossed his ankles kicking him heavily in the process. He could feel the worried looks Daniel gave him and the hatred the other three had for him. Mostly he felt the cold though. His towel covered little more than his behind and it was damp anyway. His body shivered every now and then involuntarily. He was really worried these guys would find out about his immorality. Choosing again not to focus on what he couldn't change Methos mentally prepared himself for whatever was to come.

Twenty minutes later and the van slowed. Daniel and his two guards (who each kicked Methos) left first then the third guy picked up Adam and threw him out. Only centuries of training allowed him to control his instinctive reflexes that would have otherwise tried to stop his fall or control his rough landing. Despite Daniels protests he was then dragged into a building and his towel once again thrown over him. Listening carefully Methos tracked where Daniel and his guards were. He judged them to be just to his right it sounded like they were chaining him up. Hearing the sound of chains above his own head he leapt up: knocking his guard unconscious and then throwing one of Daniels guards into the other. A fourth man hit him from behind sending head first into Daniels stomach. Landing on his knees his head slumped into Daniel in a rather suggestive place causing the fourth man to mutter homophobic comments at them. Methos flashed back to what had happened before and was helpless as he was chained next to Daniel.

"Adam? Adam? Can you hear me?" shivering with more than the cold Methos slowly turned his attention to his friend. Whatever he saw in Adam's eyes convinced him once again to try and get the men to free his friend,

"Please just let him go he doesn't have anything to do with this?" while Daniel continued to argue with their guards Methos brought himself back under control. He feared he would used to make Daniel do or reveal something. Being tortured was something he been through before so it wasn't the pain that had him scared it was how they would hurt him – nearly everything would reveal his fast healing.

He had learnt only in the last hundred years or so that he could direct his quickening. This had been very helpful while fighting because normally when an immortal healed it healed all injuries equally but Methos was able to heal the most valuable parts of his body first. In the last few years he had been using this to avoid healing in certain situations like when he joined the watches. Joe had never brought it up but the watcher society would be fairly stupid to allow people in without checking for immortality (they sliced a hand and waited to see if it would heal). He was not sure how long he could keep from healing. Already he was struggling to keep his head wound open and the bruises on his back from healing.

After nearly a minute of listening to Daniel argue one of the guards backhanded him the he and another one left.

"What do you want?" Methos asked

"We want Daniel to translate that book you bought?" well that wasn't anywhere on his list of expectations,

"What! Why?"

"That's all you need to know."

"I don't understand, Daniel?" did they know the book was once of his journals?

"We are interested in the language the book was written in!" now that was a surprise. Adam had written his journals in many different languages usually a so-called dead one to keep them safe. When he lost them this sometimes meant they were destroyed in other cases (more recently) it meant they were preserved. Remember the journal he had found he wondered why anyone would want to translate it. All they contained were his thoughts and experiences ok so the watchers would kill for them but no one else would even know they existed; except for historians and archaeologists and one or two immortals.

A secret group within the watchers had taught the language he had used in that journal while he was in England just before the fall of Rome while England had been left to fend for itself. During that time of chaos and attacks by the Saxons Methos had joined the watchers to be protected: mortals or immortals no one was safe. After he had been there for a few years one of the men he worked closely with had told him he knew who Methos was but instead of taking his head like the immortal had expected the man had brought him into a secret part of the watchers. This group translated all watcher reports into a strange (Latin-like) language. Methos was asked to join them. He had no idea who they were but he stayed with them for nearly a hundred years. Until one of the very top people (also an immortal Methos had thought) was forced to disappear for a reason never explained to Methos. He did reveal himself to Methos as Merlin and introduced the immortal to the then King – named Arthur. It was a time that he looked back on fondly although to this day he wasn't sure what they had been doing. He had worked almost in seclusion with only three mortals. He had seen and heard some mysterious things but nothing to explain why an archaeologist protecting the Earth from aliens and some sort of rogue US government group was so interested in it. He had of course realised by now that Daniel had not just popped into to town for a visit.

"What's so special about that language?" it was a Latin-based language – not like it could be alien … could it? The thought suddenly occurred to him and he started in surprise.

"Don't worry Adam."

"Oh I'd be worried if I was you." Before the man could threaten him further a guard stormed back into the room and walking straight up to Methos punched him, swore at him then kicked him.

"Walker didn't make it," the guard said

"Son of bitch,"

"Dammit,"

The other two guards lashed out at him.

"Adam? Adam you alright?"

"He soon won't be – where have you put that book?"

"What … book?"

Suddenly the man lashed out at Daniel. Methos realised if Daniel's team didn't get here soon he would be forced to watch a good friend die – there was no way he could let these men have his book – if they translated it they would find out about immortals and he could not let that happen. Of course he could say nothing until Daniel was dead and they could still find out about him. Calculating ruthlessly he quickly in his head if they found and translated his journal it would give away immortals as a collective if they found out about him he could convince them he was the only one.

Watching as one man started to repeated punch Daniel he wondered if he could hold out when the man was near death. The last time Daniel and he had been in a similar situation Methos had (once Daniel was unconscious) bargained himself to spare their lives (well Daniels). Afterwards, when they thought he down and out, he had killed them – quickly to deny himself the shamed pleasure of hearing them scream. As Daniel finally grunted his pain out loud Methos knew he could watch these men kill Daniel but he knew he would kill them when they had finished.