Hey hey hey! So here's the first chapter of my next multi-fic story! Just putting this disclaimer out there that I basically get all my info from Google, so if it's wrong, that is why.

Let me know what you guys think!

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine...

"Russia is cold. There's just no denying that. So why are Jack and I freezing our butts off by walking around the city of Yakutsk? Well, one of our contacts happens to live there, and she had some information we needed. The problem is that she only trusts Jack and me. We saved her from a Russian mob hit a few years back, making us the only ones from the Foundation that she'll talk to. Lucky us. Now, we have the information, but we've still got almost eight hours before the Foundation gets here to pick us up."

MacGyver and Jack walked towards the door of the bar where they had met with Anja, Mac slipping the thumb drive containing the names and dates they needed into the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He zipped up the jacket, then closed the three other layers of jackets and coats that he was wearing. He put on two layers of gloves and topped those off with mittens, then stuck a beanie on his head, along with a wool ear-covering Russian hat he had picked up on his last trip out this way. Jack did the same and they finally opened the door, braving the cold Russian weather.

"How on earth can it be this cold still?" Jack yelled over the howling wind.

"We're a little less than three-hundred miles from the Arctic Circle, Jack! What did you expect?" MacGyver yelled back jokingly. The two of them walked down the street, trying to keep themselves warm. Jack started saying something else, but movement caught Mac's eye, and his attention was suddenly zeroed in on the small figure running towards blindly towards them. "Jack!" he yelled. Jack looked at him in confusion and Mac pointed out the small shape coming their way. The two of them looked at each other with wide eyes as they realized it was a little girl.

As she got closer and closer Mac saw her face was covered in dirt, broken up by the tears coursing down her face. She had a coat, but it was torn in several places, the stuffing hanging out. He was actually surprised that her tears weren't frozen to her face. "She can't be older than eight or nine," he thought to himself. MacGyver crouched down and held out his hands to her as she got closer to them.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. The wind had finally died down enough so that he didn't have to shout to be heard. The girl screeched to a halt and shied away from his hands, still crying. Mac held up his hands in a surrendering position. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you," he promised as he leaned towards her, trying to get a better look at her face. "My name's MacGyver, and this is my friend Jack," he added, gesturing to the older man. "Can you tell me your name?" The little girl shook her head and Mac continued talking in his soothing voice. "That's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Are you okay?" As soon as he asked that question, her bottom lip started trembling and she broke down sobbing, running into MacGyver and bawling into his chest, almost knocking him off his feet in the process.

His breath was knocked out of his him with a "whoof," but he didn't pay any attention to himself as he rubbed the curly brown hair of the little girl, trying to console her, and also trying to warm her up. She was freezing! He glanced up at Jack, who gave him a helpless "I dunno what to do," look.

Mac pulled off his top hat and put it over the girl's curly hair and pulled off his mittens, slipping them onto her small, frozen hands. He then took off his top coat and put it on over her own. She was swimming in it, but Mac knew it would be warmer. He watched as Jack also removed his top coat and hat, slipping them onto the girl as well. Once that was done, MacGyver continued whispering consoling comments to the girl as he looked around, trying to find out where she had come from and where her parents were.

He happened to glance behind Jack and saw two rough-looking men a couple hundred yards away. They were looking around; it almost seemed like they were searching for something. MacGyver hoped and prayed that it wasn't the little girl they were looking for, but those hopes were quickly dashed to pieces as he saw the men catch sight of the three of them. Mac noticed their pace quicken, almost imperceptibly.

"Hey," Mac said quietly, grateful the little girl looked up at him when he addressed her. "Do you know those guys?" he asked, nodding his head towards the two men.

She glanced back at the indicated men and immediately started sobbing again, pressing herself even further into MacGyver's chest. He had the urgent feeling that they needed to get her out of there. As he stood up, the little girl continued to cling to his waist. He gently pulled her back slightly by the shoulders and looked in her eyes. "Do you need help?" he asked. Her bottom lip trembled again and she nodded shakily. He glanced back at the approaching men, shocked to find they were closer than he realized. "Come on," he said as he held out his hand. "Let's get off the streets."

The three of them turned and began walking down the street, past the bar where Mac and Jack had met with Anja, through a traffic light, and around a corner. They were walking quickly, the poor little girl almost having to jog to keep up with them. Finally they had to pause and catch their breath.

"Do you think...we lost them?" Jack asked, breathing in heavily. The cold air was making it harder than usual to get in deep, satisfying breaths.

"I dunno," Mac said, glancing around as well. "What has this little girl gotten herself into?" MacGyver thought to himself as he glanced down at the child clinging to his hand like a lifeline.

Her big brown eyes were still rimmed with red, but the tears had stopped falling, at least for the most part. Now she was simply shivering and shaking like a leaf. Mac knew they had to get out of the cold weather. He looked around and was relieved to see a diner less than a block away. He squeezed the girl's hand. "Think you can make it just a little further to that diner over there?" he asked gently. The little girl glanced to where he was pointing and nodded. "Great. You're doing great, sweetie," he assured her as they started walking.

Five minutes later they were being seated at a booth near the back of the little cafe. MacGyver and Jack sat on one side while the little girl sat across the table from them, staring at her gloved hands, sniffing.

"Hey," MacGyver said gently as he leaned forward. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked again. The girl looked up and after a few moments, she finally answered his question.

"Angelica," she replied. "My name is Angelica Chambers." MacGyver noticed she had an American accent.

"What are you doing wandering the streets of Russia all by yourself?" he thought to himself, mentally shaking his head. "And where are you parents? Who are those men chasing you?" The questions kept coming to his mind, but he knew that asking her too many things at once would overwhelm her. Instead, he decided to focus on what she had just told him.

"Angelica," he repeated with a kind smile. "That's a pretty name," he complimented.

"It sure is," Jack said. "But it's kinda long. Mind if I call you Gel?" he asked. "Or what about Jelly? Oh no. I got it: Jellybean." he declared with a wink. At that, Angelica let out a little giggle, and Jack's grin widened. "Jellybean it is then," he announced. She giggled a little more, but abruptly she fell silent again. MacGyver figured now was as good a time as any.

"Angelica," he probed gently. "Who were those men? Why are they chasing you?"

"I-I-I don't k-know," she stammered, hiccuping slightly. "Mommy and Daddy…" As soon as she said those words her eyes filled with tears again and she covered her face with her hands.

"Angelica, where are your parents?" Mac asked. It took several minutes of quiet consoling, and several of the other customers glared at them before Angelica finally managed to hiccup,

"Tho-se men st-still h-h-have my mom an-nd dad," she stuttered. MacGyver and Jack shared a somber look.

"Sweetie," MacGyver said gently. "What do your parents do?"

"Daddy w-works for the...government," she said, calming down slightly. Jack and MacGyver shared another look. "Ma-ay I go to the bathro-om?" she asked, wiping at her face to get rid of the runaway tears.

"'Course, Jellybean," Jack replied with a warm smile. "You go do what you need to do, and we'll have some hot chocolate waiting for you when you get out. How does that sound?" Her eyes brightened a bit at the prospect of the warm drink and she slid out of the booth, heading for the little girl's room just behind their booth.

"You thinking a diplomat?" Mac asked Jack as soon as they heard the door shut.

"I'm not sure," Jack murmured, staring thoughtfully into the distance. "We need to find out more about her, but I don't wanna press too hard," he stated. Mac nodded in agreement.

"We could ask Thornton," MacGyver suggested.

"Good thinking," Jack agreed, pulling out their sat phone. He held the phone to his ear for a few moments before he began talking. "Hey Patty, it's Jack. Listen, Mac and I just had a question about a family from the states. We were wondering if you could tell us if they were diplomats or not. Give us a call back when you can," he requested before hanging up the call.

A few minutes passed in silence, the two men thinking of how they could help this little girl, when the restroom door opened and Angelica came out. She sat down, delighted with the fact that the two men did indeed have a cup of hot chocolate waiting for her, as well as a grilled cheese sandwich which was promptly devoured.

"Heya Jellybean," Jack said, leaning forward as the little girl polished off the last little bit of her sandwich. She looked up at him, eyes curious. "You're from the U.S., right?" he asked in clarification. Angelica nodded. "Great, so are we!" Jack continued with enthusiasm, pointing between him and Mac. "Do you know what your daddy does for the government?"

Angelica shrugged. "I think he and mommy said that he...um...he makes deals with other people?" she replied, scrunching up her eyes in an attempt to remember. MacGyver made eye contact with his partner. That certainly sounded like a diplomat.

MacGyver was about to respond, but he happened to look up towards the front of the cafe. The hostess was talking on the phone in hushed tones, and she kept glancing back at the three of them. "We gotta go," he muttered. Jack gave him a questioning look, to which Mac simply jerked his head towards the hostess. Understanding dawned in Jack's eyes.

"Is there a back way out?" Jack asked quietly, glancing around them.

"Let's try in the kitchen," MacGyver said back. "They usually have a back door that leads out to the dumpsters. We need to hurry," he added.

"What's going on?" Angelica asked, sounding slightly panicked again.

"Nothing sweetheart, it's fine," Jack soothed as she held Mac's hand and the three of them walked towards the kitchen. Jack leaned over to the younger man. "Mac, we need a plan," he whispered, quiet enough that Angelica didn't hear.

"I know," MacGyver muttered back as he pushed open the door to the kitchen. "I have an idea." He hurried around the kitchen, gathering up ingredients, trying to squash the uncomfortable feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. There was no one else besides them in the kitchen, and it concerned Mac. "Jack, cover us," Mac whispered.

"You got it, kid." Jack kept his hand raised, ready to draw his weapon if needed. "Vinegar...veggie oil…" MacGyver thought to himself as he grabbed the two liquid items. He grabbed a squirt bottle full of cleaning chemicals and dumped the contents down the drain.

"What's he doing?" Mac heard Angelica as he tried to find the last key ingredient.

"He's...he's just doing his thing," Jack tried explaining. "He takes what he has around him and turns it into really useful stuff," he finally said.

"Got it!" Mac cried triumphantly to himself as he opened a cabinet and found the ground cayenne pepper. He quickly began pouring the vinegar and oil into the squirt bottle, then set the excess liquid aside as soon as he had filled it up to the amount he needed. Once he had done that, he carefully opened the cayenne pepper container. He gently poured a liberal amount of the ground pepper into the vinegar and oil mix. Once he had poured a good amount in, he stuck the squirter part of the bottle back in and shut it as tight as he could get it.

"Come on," Mac said as he headed for the back door with his new version of pepper spray. He was shaking it vigorously, and Jack couldn't help but ask.

"Mac, can you explain what you're doing?"

"Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which basically burns whatever living organism it touches. The vinegar helps bring out the capsaicin, and the oil helps it stick to whatever it comes in contact with. Do I need to explain what the bottle is for?" he asked sassily, turning around and throwing a wink back towards Angelica, who giggled.

"Ha ha Mac, you're hilarious. Let's just get outta here," Jack replied back with just as much snark. The three of them hurried out the back door, glancing up and down the alley they were let out in. There was only one way out; the other way was a dead end. MacGyver walked forward first, holding his homemade pepper spray out in front of him.

"Now, I know what you're thinking: 'Mac, why don't you just have Jack go first? He's obviously got a gun! What is pepper spray going to do against bullets?' Well, first of all, if I see them first, I can get the drop on them and they won't be able to see well enough to aim their guns accurately. Second, I don't like guns; Jack might use one, but if I can avoid the discharge of a bullet, you bet your bottom dollar I will go that route. Jack knows this. He doesn't necessarily like it, but I've saved his life enough times that he's willing to trust me when it comes to stuff like this."

"Mac, where are we going?" Jack asked as he realized they were running back the way they came.

"We need somewhere to lay low," he replied over his shoulder. Jack had ended up picking up Angelica; she was starting to wear out and slow down, which they couldn't afford.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Jack hissed as Mac pressed himself against a wall, throwing out his arm to stop Jack as well. Jack peered around his friend and saw the two men from before exiting the cafe they had just been in, accompanied with two other men they hadn't seen before. Jack was glad they had gotten out of the diner when they did, and that they were far enough away the men pursuing them couldn't hear them talking.

"Anja," Mac whispered. He waited for a few more seconds before the men turned the opposite direction of them before he took off again, Jack following a few paces behind.

"Anja?" he repeated. "How can Anja help us?!"

"Jack, people don't actually live at bars and cafes, you know that right?" Mac shot back.

"And you think Anja's going to just go ahead and take us to her house?"

"Maybe not her house, but I'm hoping she might have somewhere for us to bunker down while we try to figure out what to do next," Mac replied. "At least until we hear back from Thornton. We'll try calling her again when we get somewhere safe."

Jack couldn't argue with the kid. He was right, as usual. Jack just wasn't sure if he wanted to involve anyone that didn't need to be involved. Usually Mac was the same way, but Jack understood why this case was an exception as he looked down at the little girl in his arms. Her arms were around his neck, and her head was laid on his shoulder. He could tell the child was simply worn out, and he knew the cold wasn't helping. They needed to get somewhere warmer fast.

It took them about ten minutes of jogging through the cold streets of Yakutsk before they got back to the bar where they had left Anja. Mac prayed she was still inside. He opened the door and let Jack in so they could get Angelica out of the cold before he walked in himself. It took a minute to adjust his eyes to the dim lighting of the bar again, but he was relieved to see Anja was still where they had left her a little over an hour ago.

Mac sat on the barstool next to Anja, who jumped a little when she saw who it was.

"MacGyver, what are you still doing here?" she hissed at him with her thick Russian accent.

"Anja, I have a huge favor to ask," Mac replied. Anja looked at him in confusion, than looked over at Jack and the girl he held in his arms. Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline, but she didn't ask any questions. She simply stood up and motioned with her finger.

"I don't know what you've gotten yourself into, but whatever you need, you know I'll try to help."

"We just need somewhere to lay low for a little bit," Mac replied. "Do you have anywhere that would work?"

Anja nodded. "I have just the place. It's not very big, but it's well-stocked. It's not far from here; follow me." The Russian got up and walked out the door, Mac and Jack following closely behind.

So there's chapter one, what did you guys think?