Big Jack, Little Mac

The house was practically flooded with TAC teams. Jack sat on the ground, on one knee. Trying to take cover from the heavy gunfire going on around him. He pulled out a new clip and popped it into his gun. Just as he was about to return fire, a loud crash sounded from down the hall where Mac had disappeared to. The lack of a pained cry only spiked Jack's worry that much more. Sure, his partner was a grown man and yes, he could take care of himself. But this was different. Mac wasn't just some guy he was paired up with to go kick ass. He was family.

Jack motioned for one of his guys to cover him while he hastily made a b-line for the said room. He couldn't help but let out a little surprised noise when a bullet whizzed right past his leg. Dammit. This kid was gonna give him a heart attack one of these days. He said it from day one when they met and, looking at what they've created together thus far, he fully believed in that bit of info.

Gun drawn, Jack approached the room cautiously. For some reason, this part of the mansion didn't seem as infested as the rest. Not a good sign, but it'd make it easier to rescue the kid if he did manage to get himself caught. Ah, stupid geniuses, he thought with a fond grin, despite the situation. When he reached the room, the door was slightly ajar. There were no boot marks on the white door and the lock wasn't busted either from someone trying to kick it in. Jack frowned. He couldn't hear anything, but that didn't ease his red alert state.

He silently did a mental count down before slamming the door open. He did a quick scan of the room before his eyes fell on those of a small, blonde headed unconscious child. Jack immediately slid his gun back into his holster and got down to inspect the kid. Besides a long, oozing gash on his tiny left arm and a small bruise forming on his brow, he seemed to be in good shape. There was still no sign of Mac.

"Mac? Mac!" Jack called out. He didn't get a response, but the kid started to shift. The child moaned as he awoke. He blinked blankly up at Jack a few times. His eyes were the same baby blue as Mac's.

"J'ck?" The blonde kid slurred. Jack's eyes widened when the kid not only knew his name, but had Mac's voice as well, though it was a lot more childish sounding. The Delta paled when realization hit him. Oh. Hell. No.

"M-Mac?" He asked, not caring that his voice came out as a short squeak. This shit didn't happen in real life. It happened in movies and stayed in movies. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. This wasn't hap-pen-ing...

"Jack? What's wrong? Why are you..." Mac trailed off when his partner pointed at him. Mouth agape in...well he didn't know what. He's never seen his partner so dumbfounded in his life. Mac followed Jack's finger down to himself. He felt his heart skip several beats when he took in his much smaller size and skinny figure. He raised his hand up to his face, turning it back and forth. Watching how the small appendage reacted to his brain's commands. Somewhere along the way, he felt panic begin to boil up. His eyes stinging that came with the typical childish fear of the unknown. Mac helplessly turned his gaze to Jack, who seemed to regain some of his color back, but still looked shocked.

"What's wrong with me? What happened to me?" Mac asked tearfully. Jack felt a pang of protectiveness at the fear in those little tear filled baby blues. He instantly laid a hand down on the kid's head, gently brushing his thumb over the little forehead. Mac leaned into his warm, fatherly touch.

"Don'tcha worry, kiddo. We'll get ya outta here and fix this, ok? Just stay calm." He said soothingly, though he could feel his own panic rising. What did happen to his partner? A sudden shout from outside brought the seriousness of the situation back tenfold. Jack radioed his second in command, giving him a brief description of what was going on. He needed to get the kid out of here and fast!

"Are you hurt anywhere else? And don't even think about hiding it from me." Jack warned with a pointed look at the toddler. Mac rolled his eyes shook his head, wincing at the pounding it produced.

"No. My head just hurts and my arm stings." The toddler said, bringing a hand over his arm. Jack gently grabbed a hold, stopping the action. The sound of a flash bang going off made Mac jump. His heart beating faster than what he would've liked. "Jack, I'm scared."

The Delta knew it was just the five year old mindset that was talking, but it didn't stop him from carefully scooping the kid up into his arms. Mac clung on to his vest, burying his face into Jack's neck. Eyes pinched closed as he tried to block out the chaos around him. Mac was dimly aware of Jack ordering one of his men to cover him while another escorted him out to a waiting car. The bite of the suddenly cold air made him gasp and shiver. It wasn't long before he felt the warm air of the cabin against his skin again. He opened his eyes in time to see another TAC member pass Jack a blanket before closing the door to get in his respective SUV.

"Hey, it's alright now, kiddo. You're safe. No more bad guys with guns." Jack murmured softly to him, wrapping Mac up in the silky blanket. The toddler didn't respond. He adjusted himself so he was a bit more comfortable and fell asleep to the sound of Jack's heart beat.