"That was a hell of a show, we could have sold tickets." John crowed. The team were eating lunch after the match. Methos, claiming to be tired, had retreated to his quarters to rest in lieu of joining them.

"He's a smart fighter." Ronon agreed.

"When he first trained me, we never used practice blades." Max said and finished off her third water bottle.

John arched an eyebrow and Ronon whistled. Teyla frowned in concern. Rodney just looked confused. "Why? He asked.

"Fear can be a good teacher; he couldn't kill me unless he genuinely wanted to, and I knew he didn't. So, there wasn't any point in using dull blades or wood ones. I needed to learn to fight with the real weight and a real edge and fast. If I screwed up badly enough, he'd make me bleed for it."

Rodney looked a bit green.

"Did you not practice…decapitation?" Teylas asked carefully.

"Naturally, believe it or not it's quite a challenge to do it cleanly. But again, you have to remember, at that point Macleod was also my teacher and we both knew he wouldn't kill me because it meant Macleod would come after him. That didn't mean he wouldn't hurt me or scar me to teach me."

"Holy shit." John said and set his sandwich down.

Max laughed, "It sounds barbaric, sadistic even but let me ask you this. How many of you have read up on immortals?"

Everyone raised a hand.

"Okay, so of those files how many women did you read about?"

"Uhm. Just you." Rodney said."

"My whole point." She said primly and rose with her tray. They stared at her. "Female immortals are usually easy targets they tend to lack the training and strength to hold their own and rely on a male protector or sequester themselves on holy ground. I didn't and don't have to." She smiled and winked and walked away with her tray.

"I suppose it is difficult to argue with results." Teyla said uncertainly.

"That's fucked up." Ronon said and returned to his meal.

"How do you feel?" Max asked as Methos met her at the door to his quarters.

"Tired but I am surprised at how well the fighting went."

"So, you're…uhm, fully integrated? Or whatever?"

"I guess I must be. I don't remember Jarod being so fast though."

"Right, about that. Do you remember him absolutely kicking the shit out of me on Carthis?"

He frowned and sat on his bed. She sat next to him.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, he did, literally put me in the infirmary on painkillers as a result. He might have managed it normally but when he was going berserk, he was fast, unnaturally so, I think maybe you retain some of that."

"That's…alarming."

"Is anything else different?"

"Reach, he, I am much taller, at least 3 inches."

"Do you feel comfortable training on Bantos with Teyla? You will need to pull your blows she can't heal like us."

He considered it, falling into a deep silence for several long minutes. "Yes, I believe I am, although I would like to start slowly and ensure I do not harm her, it would be upsetting to hurt her or keep her from a mission."

"Agreed, I'll talk to her tomorrow. In the meantime, I've asked Major Lorne to requisition a few of the Asp blades and the short swords I used at the SGC."

"Good, that's…smart. We should stay in practice."

"The Asp blades may not stand up as well as the real thing or a Bantos rod in a long-term fight but there's something about whipping that thing out in the middle of a dust up that just really works for me, y'know?" She asked teasingly. He smiled tiredly at her.

"Well you're wiped out; did you get any dinner?"

"I have some rations here."

"Good, get some rest." She said and rose to leave.

"Max, thank you." He said and offered her his hand, she looked at it then grinned at him and hugged him instead.

It was a strange hug, warm, and earnest but awkward too. She had not really hugged Jarod; they had been friendly, and she had called him her brother but they weren't actually friends. She supposed, as they broke the embrace, that it might have been worse if they had been.