Notes:

I've been trying to get this story together for months! But I've been doing it in section and chapter one was sucking so hard -_-

this was not supposed to be a continuation of 2x15 so to speak instead this was supposed to take place in a cannon where cassain was very much NOT in his father's custody yet , but then 2x15 cannon through me a curve ball , but if anything this episode also harden my resolve to write this fic , I really wanted to write one were murdoc kidnaps mac after getting cassian because cassian had liked mac and murdoc basically tries to get mac to play house with him , so yeah not the cannon I was expecting, but! I'm also glad it happened , I have a better feel for cassians character now witch I think will actually make this fic more enjoyable , but on that note some things that are different that need to be noted

.2x15 happened up to murdoc visiting cassian , after that cannon shifts
. fleacher is alive in this
. murdoc did not kill all the assassins he gathered , instead he bestowed a ..Different kind of punishment on the traitors witch will come to light latter

This isn't the first time he's been down this hall , or to this room ,nor is it the first time he's done it without mattys knowledge and against her wishes

No

In actuality he's gone to see cassian many times, and a plea to the guard who he admits he knows only vaguely, has kept her none the wiser, the only person who know about his comings here is jack, and the man only mildly approved, mostly because mac couldn't explain his reasoning clear enough, it was too deeply rooted in emotion , and jack feared that might be to compromising

The man may not be completely wrong, cassain and himself had a conversation not long ago, the subject of witch, is what drew him down here, in this moment, in the first place, and as he turns the corner to walk down the hall he's walked more times than many who should know,and catches two way glass out of the corner of his eye, his shoulder throbs

Gorge the guard in charge of watching cassain and..murdoc together , greets him as he has times before

"Mac, good to see you, tho I wasn't expecting you now, given.." and the man's eye's flit to the glass , and mac can't help but follow to the sight of murdoc bending down ,as they look at cassians drawings together

It's a sight he never would have thought he'd see, it sends confliction crawling down his spine like the spiders murdoc tore apart, and it reminds him to vividly of how murdoc had slipped into his head on the train and the moment between them that had followed, and his confliction grows, for it had indeed been just that a moment , shattered only with the words murdoc seemed unable to help but say , it does nothing to stop the feeling dancing in his gut

Noticing his discomfort, gorge tries to engage him to remove as much tension as he can from macs obviously already exhausted frame, and he can't help but smile, mac doesn't know the man as well as he knows others, but one thing he can say with certainty is that gorge is a good man, so he accepts the subtle offer , lets himself slip into easy conversation

Maybe that's why he doesn't see it coming

It happens to quickly, like some cliché scene from a movie , murdoc stands slowly and all too fast at the same time , or maybe macs mind is still slow from the mild pain meds he's on -he'd refused stronger strength, he sleeps odd on them - murdoc doesn't turn around , but says pleasantly "I'm ready " and that should of been macs first clue , but gorge moves before he can think too much on it , and opens the door

And the world goes to hell

The moment the door has opened enough murdoc spins on his heel, practiced and graceful with a flash of silver, to bury the blade from a pencil sharpener as deep as he can into gorges throat, the man makes a horrible wreathing gasp, before murdoc moves his hand swiftly to the right, silencing any further noise

And in that moment mac becomes all feeling, he must be , because before he can think he's in the door way , as if trying to reach gorge who his logical mind knows is already dead , and the hand not confined to a sling braces itself on the door frame , as mac takes in the carnage before him

And murdoc turns to him then, a strange look on his face and bloody blade still in hand, and says, almost, almost sadly

"Oh angus , you really shouldn't be here "

And mac braces for a fight , thinks himself ready for anything that may come , but his already drained body is unprepared , when murdoc lunges with full force , and jams the blade into his shoulder , the same shoulder he shot not hours ago , and the force is so great it pushes him from the door frame back into the hall , and mac can feel it , moving inside the reopened hole and he has to fight not to vomit as his heart pounds and his legs shake

And he tries desperately , at the very least to remain on his feet , but the weight of everything both physical and emotional that's happened seems all at once to come crashing down , his body forsakes him and he crumples to the floor in a heap with his back against the wall

He expects murdoc to loom over him, instead the man spares him a drawn out look mac can't read before wasting no more time to move swiftly back into the room where cassian still stands, oblivious to what's just happened , not a moment latter the boy emerges ,eyes still tightly shut, Headphones still in ears , but his hand is clasped in murdocs own, as the man holds him close to him and leads him , as if the work of murdocs own hands is a sight forbidden to his son

And mac finds himself wondering if the truths murdoc hinted at on the train held more truth then he'd thought, mac struggles to rise as murdoc moves to pass him but his body wont obey his commands, at the very last moment cassian runs into macs foot, the move nearly making the poor boy trip , it also causes cassians eyes to snap open , they land on mac , and the boy stills and says

"Mac?"

And murdoc freezes and looks down in surprise "cassian , bud , I thought daddy told you to keep your eyes closed?" but now that cassians seen him it's as if the boy won't be dissuaded "but dad , that's macgyver , he's my friend " and murdocs eyes swipe back to him , look at him with a new light swirling in there black voids

"Oh?"

"Yeah , he's one of the only ones that talked to me , and he'd come see me when I was lonely , he's really cool dad , he does all this stuff !" by the time he's done cassian is practically cooing, and his eyes are soft , and murdoc smirks dark but truly amused "my my macgyver , apparently enchantment with you and that lovely mind of yours runs in the family " , mac squirms under the praise , the compliment completely bastardized coming from murdocs lips, but cassian has lost his smile

"Oh daddy he's hurt!" and the man in questions eyes draw back to macs shoulder as if just remembering he quite brutality shoved an object in it " oh don't worry bubby,mac will be fine his own papa bear will no doubt be along shortly " mac flinches , murdoc nearly snarled the reference to jack , and mac waste no time glaring at him in turn, but cassians next words still them both

"Can-can we take him with us ?"

and murdocs truly shocked, mac can tell, despite how well the man hides it, hell macs not far behind , he knew cassian had grown to like him , the hugs the drawings and the pure unadulterated joy that was his greeting anytime he had walked into that room after their first 2 meetings had become proof of that , but the request still throws him for a loop

"W-what "

"Cassian "

And from murdocs lips the name sounds more like a warning after all it would take extra time , and murdoc looks like without doubt he will refuse , but then he looks back down at mac heaving and bloody ,his eyes piercing, and a smile splits his face "you know what , I think that's a delightful idea "

Oh , oh no

And macs trying desperately to squirm again to move in any way that might make this not happen, but murdocs hand , un gloved , comes down to grasp the back of his head almost tenderly , before curling tightly in his hair , and he leans down close to whisper in macs ear "I need you to go to sleep for a little while angus " and macs heart lurches as panic swirls in his gut , but before it can cultivate into anything more usable

Murdoc slams his head hard into the wall behind him, and darkness creeps in to consume everything.