Labrador

Rated: PG-13

Category: Angst, MacGyver/Jack Dalton Friendship

Season: Three

Spoilers: The Negotiator, The Widowmaker

Summary: Jack Comes Through For MacGyver

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CHAPTER ONE

Peter Thornton sat at his desk, his head in his hands.

He sat that way a long time, still as a statue. Finally, his shoulders moved upward and then downward heavily, and a loud sigh escaped his lips. He picked up his head and glanced at his phone. His fingers itched to pick it up, to dial the familiar number yet another time, but he knew it would be useless.

MacGyver wouldn't answer. Mac had disappeared, and Pete knew that he stood zero chance of finding a MacGyver that didn't want to be found. Pete sighed again.

Suddenly, the door to his office burst open, and Pete jumped to his feet in response. His words were out before he was fully standing.

"Any word?"

Nikki Carpenter shook her head sadly and shut the door behind her. Pete nodded in resignation and beckoned the younger woman to a chair in front of his desk as he sat again himself.

As Nikki flopped into the chair, Pete snorted softly to himself. He could see the lines of worry around Nikki's eyes, and he knew he wasn't the only one concerned about MacGyver.

The irony of this situation was not lost on Pete. Some days, when he watched Nikki and Mac, he could nearly see the waves of tension radiating off of the two, and he suspected that their constant snippiness and antagonism of each other was just a way to cover up the fact that their begrudging respect for one another had turned into a genuine affection.

Other days, though, Pete had to admit that Nikki Carpenter and MacGyver gave him more headaches than any other five agents he had combined, and on those days, he didn't give a damn about the reasons for their bickering. He only wanted it to stop.

Tonight, however, as Pete contemplated the woman in front of him, he longed to hear Mac's sarcastic voice giving her a hard time. He longed just to know MacGyver was safe, so he could stop worrying, and Nikki could be released from the guilt she was feeling over letting another woman tear MacGyver to shreds. When he finally spoke, Pete's voice was soft.

"You check the houseboat?"

Nikki nodded. "Yeah."

"I've been trying to reach him by phone-both at the house and in the Jeep. I keep coming up empty."

Nikki merely nodded again. "Yeah."

"Look, Nikki, this isn't your fault."

"We should've seen it sooner, Pete. Why did we miss it?"

"I don't know, Nikki, I don't know…" Pete trailed off into another sigh.

It was silent a long moment, but finally Pete spoke again.

"Look, all I know is that you're exhausted. We can't keep this up all night. Go home. Get some rest. Besides, if I know MacGyver, he can handle himself. He'll be ok, Nikki. Go on, get some rest."

Nikki looked up at Pete with doubt in her eyes, and she considered calling him out on his false bravado, but since there was nothing else to be done, she finally gave a reluctant nod and stood.

"Ok, Pete. Tell you what. I'll go home if you will."

Pete laughed a bitter laugh. "I'll be right behind you, Nikki. There's nothing I can do here."

At Nikki's disbelieving look, Pete held up his hands in a placating gesture and spoke gently.

"Honest. Right behind you."

Nikki obviously still didn't believe Pete, but she turned and left anyway. When she was gone, Pete sighed heavily yet again and turned to the phone for the hundredth time in the last hour.

He willed it to ring.

He prayed it would ring.

He hoped against hope that somehow MacGyver would call.

Mac had disappeared right after the hearing with the state EPA, which had concluded nearly thirty-six hours ago, and no one had heard from him since. Pete knew that despite Mac's tough, hardened exterior, this one had cut him deep. MacGyver didn't let anyone get close to him easily, and when he did, it seemed to always go badly for him.

No wonder he preferred to stay only close friends with the women in his life, like Nikki. And Mike. 'God,' thought Pete. 'Mac's just lost Mike, and now this.'

Deborah.

Pete nearly spat on his desk at the thought of that wretched woman who had so coldly and professionally dissected MacGyver. She had manipulated him from the start, and because of his trusting nature, Mac had been completely taken in. He'd actually fallen for her. MacGyver would probably deny it, but Pete had seen the glimmer of joy in Mac's eyes that had been missing for far too long when he was with Deborah, and Pete had been happy to see his friend living a little. MacGyver was a damn good agent, but as his friend, sometimes Pete wanted more for him.

Deborah had looked like that chance for more, and MacGyver had been happy with her.

Happier than he'd been in a long time.

Mac had been in a bad place after Mike's death, but letting Deborah in had seemed to help him heal in a way that time alone couldn't do. MacGyver had been starting to share his life with her.

And he'd had his guts ripped out as his reward.

It had all been a ploy, a ruse, a plot. A way to shut Mac up. Nothing more.

Pete knew his friend was hurting. He also knew there was no way MacGyver would let him help him cope with the hurt. It was much easier for Mac to run, to shut everyone out so he wouldn't be hurt again.

And so, the phone never rang.

Pete didn't know where MacGyver had gone. He'd never known Mac to just completely disappear like this. Even after Mike's death, Pete knew where his friend was, even if that hadn't helped him get through to him at all.

The only thing Pete could think of to do was enlist more help. His brain came up with a thousand ways that Mac could be hurt or dead somewhere, but he knew the police would contact him if that was the case. He'd already called all the local hospitals. No one matching MacGyver's description had been brought in to any of them.

And so, with a feeling of foreboding, Peter Thornton reached for the phone. He mumbled to himself as he did so and shook his head in despair.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…"

Pete hit a single button on the phone. A pleasant female voice answered on the other end of the line in seconds.

"Phoenix Foundation Information Department."

"I need a phone number for a Jack Dalton, please."

"Right away, sir."