Back in the Saddle: An Immortal Spacemonkey Story

Disclaimer: As much as I might wish, I do not own Stargate: SG1, Highlander: the Series, or any recognizable characters from either show. However, any characters that are not from either show are mine and I will use and abuse them as I see fit. Everyone else will be returned eventually, for I am only borrowing for a while, but they might end up a bit scuffed.

A/N: This story fits into my Immortal Spacemonkey universe. There are some references that refer to things that happened five thousand years before which is understandable if you have read already Moebius: An Immortal Spacemonkey story. This story involves life for Daniel when he came back from Abydos and joined SG1. It falls within the first season of SG-1.

Also, the events of Highlander the Movie didn't happen. The Gathering didn't happen and neither did the shitty movies that followed the first movie.

I hope you enjoy it and as always, feel free to drop me a review, even if you don't like the story. Constructive criticism is always welcome; flames are never welcome.

~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~

Chapter 1

He had been crashing in Jack's guest bedroom for the last few weeks, but Daniel figured it was time to find his own place. He needed his space and privacy. While Jack had been a wonderful host, he chafed at living under someone else's roof.

SG1 had been going on missions nonstop it seemed since he came back to Earth, but they had been granted a few days off and Daniel wanted to take full advantage of the downtime to establish his own home. While he believed that he would eventually find Sha're, anything else was unthinkable, he knew it would take time and he had to make a home on his planet of origin until his wife was freed from the Goa'uld that had taken her captive.

Daniel also knew that since he was back on Earth, he was going to be thrust back into the Game. He wanted a sense of privacy that he would not get from having Jack as a roommate. He wanted to be able to practice, go through long ingrained exercises and katas without anyone questioning what he was doing.

He also did not trust Jack enough with his secret. Yes, killing a god and leading an insurrection did tend to bridge divides, but this was so much bigger. He was worried that Jack would feel obligated to tell the military hierarchy about the existence of Immortals. Yes, General Hammond knew about Immortals, but he had known about them from long before Daniel had stepped through the Gate. Eventually, Daniel hoped, Jack would grow to be trusted with this big of a secret, but right now, that level of trust didn't exist.

~SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1~

The next day, starting bright and early, Daniel made a couple of appointments to see some apartments in Colorado City and Colorado Springs itself. He liked the older vibe in Manitou Springs, but the places that were available to rent were extremely pricey for a formerly impoverished academic-recently returned extraterrestrial explorer. While money was not an issue for him, he knew he had a role to play as Dr. Daniel Jackson, not as Danil the Immortal.

Jack agreed to be Daniel's chauffer until he could get his own vehicle. Jack even offered to loan him some money, which was politely declined. He still had the money in the bank from his consulting fee, plus interest, from when they first opened the Stargate which would be more than enough to set up a home and purchase a sensible car.

The first place they went to was in Colorado Springs, not far from Fort Carson. It was a small two bedroom apartment on the first floor. The kitchen was tiny and the bathroom was even smaller. Two things made him immediately turn down the place was the bass thumping from the apartment above him and the inch long spiders that were on the floor, the walls, in the bathtub, and on the windows. There were spiders everywhere. Jack made a joke about how he wouldn't be surprised that there were spiders in the dishwasher. Daniel, against his better judgment, opened the door and spiders tumbled out of the appliance. The property manager screamed and ran out the door while Jack and Daniel also made a hasty retreat.

"Burn the place to the ground and don't look back," Jack told the lady firmly, once she finally quit screaming.

The fact that the place went up in flames two weeks later was a total coincidence, at least that is what Jack and Daniel told themselves.

The next place was in Old Colorado City. It was a single bedroom in a three story, converted warehouse building just off the main drag and not far from the city park. The rent was reasonable too. The place was fairly large and had high ceilings along with an in-unit washer and dryer, modern appliances, and was clean. The only odd thing about the place was that there was a piano in the main room.

"So, is the ability to play the piano a requirement to rent this place?" Jack asked the apartment manager while staring at the instrument.

The old man groaned; he had been asked many times about the piano. "No, but it does come with the place. Many years ago, tenant who lived here had the piano and when she died, not here, nobody could figure out how to get a baby grand out of the place without busting it up so it became a fixture of the place. We only ask that you limit your playing time between the hours of eight am and ten pm."

"Do you play Danny-boy?" Jack asked.

Daniel shrugged. "A bit. I had a foster parent at one point that was a music teacher and she taught me a little," he explained, remembering vague things that had happened over five thousand years in the past. He was actually pretty good, but then again he had centuries to practice. He didn't have the passion or the fire necessary to be considered excellent, but he definitely could do better than "Heart and Soul."

After going over the specifics: The rent, necessary deposits, and submitting his driver's license and basic information, Daniel agreed to take the place, including the piano.

Their next destination was a used car lot where Daniel managed to find himself a fairly decent Jeep Wrangler at a reasonable price, at least according to Jack and Kelly Blue Book.

"So what's next? You need to make a trip to Walmart for house stuff?" Jack asked after Daniel received the keys and title to the Jeep from the slimy used-car salesman. The guy looked like a rat dipped in oil.

"Eventually, but I need to make some calls to get my stuff out of storage," Daniel said, wanting to get his home set up as quickly as possible.

"You have stuff? Actual things? I thought you were pretty much homeless when Catherine found you in L.A.," Jack asked, slightly puzzled.

Daniel smiled. "I was, kind of. But my stuff was being stored in a locker in Chicago. I had some pretty valuable things that I wasn't about to have donated to the Goodwill when I got kicked out of my place," he easily explained.

"So," Daniel began, switching topics, "can I crash at your place for a couple more days until I at least get a bed and a few things together?"

"Sure, but you get to cook dinner tonight," Jack agreed.

Daniel fought to not roll his eyes. "Jack, I've been cooking every night since we got back. How about I order some Chinese instead? I have to make a few phone calls and then get the gas and electricity switched over to my name."

Jack readily agreed and drove back to his home. Daniel instead drove to a cheap Chinese restaurant that he remembered that Jack liked, or at least liked enough to have a carry-out menu stuck on his refrigerator.

While he was standing in line, waiting to order his food, he felt the familiar sensation of an Immortal's approach. It had been at least a year and a half to two years since he had felt another of his kind, but he knew immediately what it was. And damn it, here he was without a sword!

Carefully, he looked around, checking out all of the people in the small restaurant. Nothing.

Next, he checked the entrance and just outside the window, looking for someone that was also looking around.

Daniel spied someone standing outside of the building, a scruffy-looking man wearing a long tan coat that could easily conceal a sword. The man slowly turned, locking eyes with each other and the familiar pounding Daniel's head faded.

"What the hell," Daniel muttered, mentally searching for a name to attach to the face.

It suddenly came to him, the face and a name matched up perfectly in his mind.

Connor MacLeod of the clan MacLeod.

Fuck, fuck, and double fuck.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Good, bad, indifferent. Feel free to hit the shiny review button and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading my stuff. I do appreciate it.