OKAY! So that concludes season two... wow. I seriously started writing this the minute it ended because I just need a little bit more. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, I wrote this super fast. They will be fixed soon.
A/N at the end.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON FINALE
Enjoy!
...
Jack honestly felt like puking. Truly.
Mac had done it. Mac had quit.
Course, he didn't fallow Mac right away. He was too determined to make his exit dramatic as possible. It would probably take Mac reaching the garage to realize that he didn't have a ride home either. So he let Mac have his moment, choosing to absorb the information.
They had worked together for a long time. Jack knew Mac was independent. Almost too much for his own good. To find out his whole life had basically been dictated by the dad that had left him was probably mortifying to him. Not to mention all of the probably wound-opening information his partner had managed to get out of him. And to be honest, Jack didn't trust Mac's father either. Not with his own life, much less Mac's.
That didn't have him feeling any less mortified by Mac's current move.
Jack looked at his teammates. Every one of them looked completely shocked. Even Matty.
"Did that just happen?" asked Riley, her voice wavering. Bozer just shook his head.
Jack cleared his throat, "I'm going to go talk to him." he said, wincing at how his own voice wavered. To be honest, he had loved this job. But ever since Thronton had been arrested, hell sense Nikki had shot Mac that day, things had been different.
He loved the people he worked with now. It wasn't them. But this job seemed to go from serving his country to a twisted mind game that was eating everyone apart just a little more every day. And even though it was turning into an awful game more than a job, Jack didn't know if he was ready to say goodbye to the other people on his team. Especially Riley.
He made his way through the doors and down to the garage, knowing that's where his partner would have gone without even realizing it. Only to realize his jeep was probably halfway to the dump already.
He pushed the door to the garage open, glancing around. It didn't take him long to see his partner sitting in Jacks passenger seat, his heads in his hands. He watched as Mac's shoulders shook. "Mac..."
Mac didn't look up when he climbed into his car. He didn't say anything as Jack put a hand on his back.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jack started the car, driving out of the garage and towards his own apartment, deciding Mac needed to be away from everyone for awhile. When Mac didn't protest, he knew he had made the right choice.
Mac sniffed before lifting his head up and leaning against the headrest with his eyes closed. More tears slipped past his eyelids and he swiped at them angerly, not knowing how to feel. "This wasn't how it was supposed to end," Mac whispered, his voice cracking. "I... I loved that job. I loved being your partner and I loved... I don't know." Mac took a deep breath, and Jack stayed silent knowing this was only the beginning. "I taught myself not to need him. I forced myself to move on. And deep down, I knew he left because of me," Mac choked, tears flowing freely now, "But Jack, he said. He said he left because I made him angry. Because I reminded him... I reminded him too much of mom." Mac wanted to say more, but he couldn't over the tightness in his throat.
Jack watched as a sob escaped Mac's lips. He felt his heartbreak and an almost terrifying amount of fury enter his blood. Mac was a kid at the time. A kid who needed his dad, who just wanted to be loved. Why did he have to continue to be tortured because his dad had made bad decisions? That wasn't even remotely fair. "Bud..." He stated, but he stopped. What could he possibly say to fix this? "I'm sorry. Maybe no one has said it to you before so listen to me. What happened to him? Was not your fault. I don't give a fuck as to what he says. Okay?"
Mac took another shaky breath, wiping his eyes again. "I just... I always thought that he had simply gone and started another family or something. I always thought that that was it, and I grew to accept it. But when we found out that he was doing something different... I got hopeful. I thought that maybe, maybe he didn't leave because he didn't want me. He told me he left to protect me from his enemies. But in the heat of the moment, he said he left because he couldn't... he couldn't even look at me anymore. I thought that he couldn't hurt me anymore. I made sure that I was prepared for anything he could say. But it still hurts just as much as the day he left. Jack, it hurts so much more than I ever thought it would."
They pulled in and climbed out of the car. It wasn't until they were inside Jacks apartment that Jack said anything.
"I know I can't fix it bud. But for what its worth, I love you. And I will never abandon you. Okay?"
He grabbed Mac and pulled him into a tight hug, letting Mac cry against his shoulder.
"I love you to Jack."
They were partners, and no matter what happened, no matter how much pain he felt, that wouldn't change. Mac really needed something to be the same in his life right now, and Jack would always be there for him.
No matter what.
...
So yeah. There's my little ending scene. This is more for me than anything because I just needed a little bit more to round off the cliffhanger and say goodbye to season two.
So my thoughts on the episode:
I thought it was pretty good! I know a lot of people thought the episode was going to be bad, but I was really looking forward to it. Personally, I do not like Mac's dad but I don't really think we were supposed to. I think Mac's response was completely acceptable and in character. The only sort of major problem I had was with it was the ending with Riley considering leaving phoenix too. To me, that seemed a bit out of character considering the support she had always given the team.
I understand it was supposed to be her response to Mac's leaving the Phoenix, but it just seemed kind of random to me. That's just my personal thoughts on it though. I want to write something expanding on her response a little later, so we'll see.
Overall I was satisfied with the episode. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was good with what they gave us. The cliff-hanger at the end was surprising but I understand Mac's decision completely, and I think it was a very in-character response.
Thanks for reading my short tag! Please leave a comment with your thoughts, and look out for another tag from the other's perspective, because I really want to write those too.
Have a fantastic night!
~Past the stars