I have never written a fanfiction story before…so this is my first one! I've loved reading fanfiction and recently, I thought I should give writing my own story a try. I'm really excited and nervous to be posting this…so be sure to tell me what you think! If you have any tips or pointers for me, please share. Also, constructive criticism is welcome! I've never been much of a writer, but I thought I would give it a go. I had fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading it :)

Disclaimer: None of the Characters are mine :(

The New Cairo: Chapter 1

Jack grunted with effort as he dragged his bleeding partner across the dirty floor of the dark warehouse. "This has got to be worse than Cairo," Jack said under his breath as he continued to drag his partner towards a stack of crates close to the South wall. His thought was punctuated by a hiss from Mac when the movement pulled at the fresh bullet wound in the kid's side. Jack cursed internally and winced in sympathy. He hated that he was causing his partner pain, but he was sporting an injured shoulder, so carrying Mac was out of the question. Since he couldn't carry Mac, and Mac was no longer in any shape to walk by any means (even if Jack were to take on all of his weight), Jack had resorted to dragging Mac across the floor. He did so by bending forward and gripping his young partner underneath the shoulders. "Sorry, bud. Almost there," Jack whispered trying to comfort his friend.

Mac gave no response to Jack's small reassurance. Since they had entered the warehouse, Mac hadn't spoken or given Jack any signs of life besides a few sounds of pain here and there. It was so unlike Mac that it caused a knot of worry to form in Jack's stomach. Even injured, Mac usually kept up a continuous stream of banter. Jack used to think that Mac did it to help keep himself distracted from the pain, but now after knowing Mac for years, Jack had a slight suspicion that the real reason Mac did it was to comfort Jack. Jack smirked at the thought. He took pride in the fact that his job was to watch out for Mac, but in reality it was a two way street. Mac looked out for him just as much as he looked out for Mac. A hitch in Mac's breathing drew him from his thoughts and had him looking down at his partner. The poor kid's face was twisted in a permanent grimace and his face was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Jack's eyes bounced from Mac's face to his lower left side where the kid's hands where pushed tightly against the seeping bullet wound. Even in the dark, Jack could see the blood slipping between his friend's fingers and running down, causing the dark stain on Mac's shirt to grow. Jack felt his heart beat faster as his panic increased. He needed to get them to cover fast, so he could try to get the bleeding stopped. He took a breath knowing that panicking wouldn't help their situation. Besides, he was doing the best that he could.

It was slow going dragging Mac's frame backwards to his chosen hiding place behind the crates. He was trying to do so as carefully and as smoothly as possible. Not to mention Jack wasn't at 100% himself. Sure, dragging Mac was a lot easier on his injured shoulder than carrying him would be, but the pull of Mac's weight still made his shoulder twinge with pain. To put it simply, it hurt like Hell. But Jack was more than willing to suffer the pain if it meant getting his partner to what he hoped was a safe location. Jack tried to go as slowly as he could to prevent causing Mac more pain than necessary, but was also trying to get them behind cover as soon as he could to avoid detection. He was hoping that the small space between the crates and the wall would keep them hidden from the Ukrainian insurgents long enough until backup arrived. IF backup arrived Jack hauntingly thought. They had no idea if their radio call for help had actually gone through. Earlier Mac had improvised the radio out of who knows what. Normally, Jack would have full confidence in the young agent's abilities, but at the time, the kid hadn't been fully with it. Not to mention, their call for backup had been rudely interrupted by some heavy fire. Jack pushed those thoughts aside as he rounded the corner, finally making it to their small sanctuary. He moved slightly to the side as he heaved Mac, as gently as he could, to a sitting position with his back against the wall. Mac gasped due to the harsh movement. Jack quickly moved to kneel beside him, his knees touching Mac's outstretched legs. Providing him some much needed contact with his partner. "How you doin', kiddo?" Mac had his eyes clenched shut and was still pushing his hands against his wound. Jack waited for a response but Mac didn't give one. He tried again. "Hey. You still with me?" Jack shakenly asked as he brought his hand up to give Mac a small reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. The reassuring gesture seemed to have an effect on Mac, because he slowly opened his eyes.

"What?" Mac dazedly slurred.

"I asked you how you were doin'." Jack said through a worried smile. He definitely didn't feel like smiling but he was going to try his best to keep up a positive front for his partner.

"Oh, you know," Mac winced, "I've…. been better."

Jack was relieved that Mac was talking again, even if it was strained and choppy due to his labored breathing. His response was more Mac-like which gave Jack a small sliver of hope that everything would be okay, but it also caused worry to swirl in the back of his mind. It was worrisome for Mac to admit to any kind of hurt, even it was in the form of banter.

"That's for sure, brother," Jack gave a forced chuckle for the benefit of his partner as he removed his over shirt. "You're starting to look like a zombie extra from one of Bozer's home movies." He winced and paused as he pulled the sleeve from his injured shoulder. And of course, Mac being Mac, he noticed.

"You okay?" Mac shuddered as a wave of pain washed over him, the words seeming to take too much effort.

Jack shook his head as he replied, "You know what? Only you would think to ask how I'm doing when you're the one trying to hold his guts in…. and yes I'm fine." Just worried about you. "Just a little shoulder injury, is all." Once he had taken off his over shirt, he started to unbuckle his belt and pull it from his pant loops.

Mac tilted his head and gave Jack a questioning stare. "What….are you… doing?" he gasped.

"I'm pulling a you, that's what I'm doing. Since you're obviously in no shape to pull a you, yourself," Jack said as he placed the belt nearby on the floor and balled up the shirt, getting ready to apply it with some pressure to Mac's wound. Before he did anything, he once again laid his hand on the kid's shoulder giving it a small squeeze. "Ok, kiddo," he said quietly. "I'm going to need you to move your hands so I can put some more pressure on there to get the bleeding stopped. Then I'm going to cinch the belt around ya to keep this and the pressure in place." He explained gesturing to the wadded up shirt. Mac nodded his understanding. "This ain't going to be no picnic," Jack warned with a hint of his Texan drawl, searching out Mac's blue eyes.

Mac gave a small airy chuckle that didn't quite sound right along with a tight smile. "That's the understatement of the year."

Doubt filled Jack's mind. He knew it was necessary, but he didn't want to inflict more pain on his friend. Mac had already been through so much.

Seeming to sense the reason for Jack's hesitation, Mac brought his eyes up to meet Jack's. "Jack …it already hurts….just do it," Mac wheezed weakly between breaths. As Jack met Mac's gaze he saw pain in his friend's eyes, but he also saw the complete trust that Mac placed in him. The look in those blue eyes gave Jack the green light and the "OK" that he needed in order to do what was necessary.

Jack swallowed down his out of control emotions and nodded his head. "Ok, partner. On the count of three. One..two..three." As Jack said three, Mac moved his hands to give the older agent easy access. Jack quickly pushed the wadded up shirt onto the bleeding wound with both hands. Mac sucked in a breath and bit his lip as he brought his head back to push against the wall trying to escape the pain. Jack could tell that the kid was biting his lip in an effort to stay quiet. He didn't want to give away their location just in case the un-friendlies had made it inside the warehouse. "You're doing great, Bud," Jack comforted, trying to give Mac some reassurance. After a minute of holding the bunched up shirt in place, Jack reached for the belt with one hand while keeping the other firmly in place. At this point Mac had dropped his head so far forward his chin touched his chest. He was panting harshly with tightly closed eyes. "Here comes the other bout, but I promise after we get this done you're going to start to feel better," Jack tried to convince his partner and himself. He hoped he wasn't wrong. Jack placed the belt buckle in the hand that was still keeping pressure on the wound. He used his other hand to maneuver the belt under Mac, up the other side, and around to the front. He slid the leather through the buckle, dreading what was to come next. He decided quick like a Band-Aid was the best strategy. He pushed down on the buckle while pulling up and over on the leather strap effectively tightening the belt over his shirt and Mac's wound. He cringed as the harsh treatment elicited a sharp cry from Mac. Mac instantly curled forward trying to lessen the pain. Jack intercepted him allowing him to curl forward, resting against his chest. Looking for some kind of anchor, Mac twisted his hand into the fabric of Jack's T-shirt. Jack started murmuring comforting words as he rubbed small circles on the kid's back. "Just breathe, Brother. Nice and slow." He could feel and hear Mac's fast, harsh breathing. It tore at Jack's heart to see his partner this way. It also made rage bubble up in his chest. He really felt like taking a good swing at something, preferably the person responsible for this whole mess.

When Mac's breathing had finally evened out and the grip on Jack's shirt loosened, Jack gently laid his friend back to lean against the wall. He carefully studied Mac's face. Blue eyes blinked owlishly at him as though they were trying to clear away some kind of haze. The young man's face was pale and his whole body seemed to shake with slight tremors. Jack was about to ask his friend the obvious question when Mac gave another airy chuckle and shaky smile.

"Well…that really sucked."

Jack's eyes widened; he couldn't believe his partner. Had he lost his mind!? "'That really sucked?!'" Jack repeated as he took a seat next to his partner, sitting close enough that their shoulders touched. "Now that's the understatement of the year." Jack shook his head as though he could clear away any thoughts related to this mission, including the image of his usually strong partner reduced to a pale, bleeding mess.

He looked over in time to see Mac give him an eye roll for using his previous comment. "Now what?" Mac breathed.

Jack was more than a little happy and relieved to see a little of the typical Mac peak through in the form of an eye roll. It was a small gesture, but Jack felt that the small movement signified that Mac was still with it and fighting. "Now, you just sit there and take it easy. You know, focus on breathing and all that. I'm going to do a quick scout and take a look around. I don't think our friends have figured out where we ran off to yet. Hopefully, it stays that way." Jack started to stand up to go take a look around when Mac's hand quickly shot out and encircled his wrist. Jack looked over his shoulder at his friend; surprised by the intimate move. The move was so unlike Mac. Mac usually always rebuffed people being in his personal space. As he looked at Mac's face it appeared the younger man was just as surprised by his sudden move. Jack turned completely back around facing Mac as he sat on the back of his heels, being careful not to dislodge Mac's hand as he did so. Now directly in front of Mac, Jack softly whispered, "What's up, Brother?"

Mac's grip tightened. His breathing starting to pick up as he stammered, "I…..I just …well I…I think…it would be best… you know… You should…."

Jack covered Mac's hand, which was still holding onto his wrist for dear life, with his own and gave it a slight squeeze. He looked up and gave a small smile. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey take it easy, Bud. Take a deep breath and try again." Jack could tell the deep breath cost Mac as it moved through his battered body. Mac's show of confusion and panic had him starting to worry that Mac wasn't as with it as he had originally thought.

Mac's breathing was still fast, but he managed to get a word out. "Stay?" he pleaded.

Alarm bells went off in Jack's head, but he didn't miss a beat. He moved back to his seated spot next to Mac, still keeping the contact. "Sure thing, Brother. The scouting can wait." Jack noticed that Mac's breathing slowed and some of the tension left his body. He knew that Mac had some underlying abandonment issues due to his past, but he usually kept anything that could make him feel vulnerable locked away deep. If Jack had to guess, he would guess that the pain must be breaking down his usual barriers. He hoped that was the case. He hoped that it was the pain and the long day causing Mac to act this way and not the onset of shock. As it was, Mac needed some serious medical attention and soon. Jack didn't have any extensive medical knowledge, but he did know that the onset of shock would drastically move up their time table. Meaning once shock set in, Mac would probably only last an hour, if they were lucky. And why would their luck start now Jack pessimistically thought.

This mission had gone wrong right from the start. His anger started to grow as he thought of the events that had transpired earlier that day. The mission had been a crap shoot right from the get-go. Either they had been given bad intel or there was a mole inside the Phoenix foundation. Jack would bet his last dollar that they had a mole amongst them. It was his gut feeling that led him to this conclusion and he had learned a long time ago to always trust his gut. When he had fought in the war, he had quickly learned the hard way that one of a soldier's best tools was his natural instinct. Whoever the mole was, Jack was going to find him and make him pay for the pain he had caused his partner. Jack was pulled from his thoughts as he heard a slight whimper escape from Mac's strong defenses. Earlier when Jack had reclaimed his seat next to Mac against the wall, the young blonde had kept his hand around Jack's wrist and had rested his other arm gently across his stomach as if covering the wound could protect him from the pain. Following the whimper, Mac's body tensed. Jack sensed the change and gave Mac's clammy hand another squeeze as he scooted closer, allowing Mac to lean against his side which would hopefully provide the kid with a little bit of heat as well as comfort. Jack didn't like how cold the young agent's hands felt. Definitely a sign that induced some worry. Knowing that Mac needed a distraction and that he should be kept awake, Jack blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "This mission is worse than Cairo."

Mac tilted his head to look over at Jack and quirked an eyebrow through a wince. "We…don't speak…of Cairo," he teased.

"Well, I'm just saying this mission tops Cairo in the department of worst missions. This mission should become the new Cairo; the horrible mission that we compare all future missions against."

"It hasn't been that bad," Mac quietly retorted with a slight smirk.

"Not that bad?! Maybe I should give you a small recap of our day. First, we were given the wrong intel on how many Big Bads were in the compound, you got shot, we didn't get the stupid thumb drive that we were sent here to get, and now we're hiding in a warehouse waiting for backup that may not come while you bleed out!" Jack hastily ranted.

He looked over to Mac to see the young agent smirking at him. "What's so funny!? Am I missing something here? Sure as hell doesn't seem funny to me."

"Well, you were wrong about one thing." Mac said as he shifted and reached his hand into his pocket. Jack gave him a puzzled look. A sharp intake of breath and a small grimace later, Mac pulled his hand from his pocket presenting Jack with a slightly blood covered thumb drive. "You have always been a little overdramatic," Mac joked.

Jack gave his partner an incredulous stare. "What…when did you…how did you…?" Jack trailed off. "Dude, you never cease to amaze me," he said while shaking his head. "Although, at this point I could care less about that stupid jump drive or even completing this mission….right now I only care about getting us out of here. You are my priority."

"Well, look on the bright side Jack….it could be worse," Mac said, his voice still a little shaky.

"How on Earth could this situation be any worse!?"

"They could have found us."

Just as Mac finished his sentence the two agents heard a squeal of metal sound throughout the space as the large door to the warehouse was undoubtedly being slid open. The haunting squeal was then followed by the sound of many footsteps shuffling inside.

"You just had to go and jinx us," Jack whispered at Mac with no real heat. Jack leaned forward so that he could pull out his gun. He checked the clip and let out a defeated sigh. He only had two bullets left.

"This is definitely worse than Cairo," Jack snapped.

To Be Continued….

I hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a review to tell me what you thought of my story. I plan on making this story into a multi-chapter fic, so I hope you stay tuned for more!