AN: This is set post-2.22, Bobby Pin. It picks up immediately after that ends. I originally considered including this in Every End is a Beginning, but felt that I didn't want to end it on such a tone; I wanted it to have more ~gravitas~. This is really just fluffy schmoop.
To the Guest who sent me the loveliest review saying that I should apply to write the show (!) – thank you so much! (Aside from the non-US problem, I'm also a 21-year old chemistry student, so I'd have to pull off something very Mac-like to achieve that!)
Thoughts on 2.03, Roulette Wheel + Wire, with spoilers, at the end of the chapter.
MACGYVER'S RESIDENCE
LA
Woken by some surely deeply-ingrained instinct, some cook's sixth sense (at least, that's what he told himself, since it sounded cool and all), Bozer glanced over at the clock on his bedside table, which showed that it was 11:45 am.
He suppressed a yawn and got to work extricating himself from the bed-coverings and his girlfriend, pulling a lock of Riley's sleep-wild hair out of his mouth as he did so. Riley had, as usual, slowly started taking over more and more of his half of the bed over the course of the night.
(Bozer was beginning to think that it might be time to get a bigger bed. If he went out and bought a really nice king mattress, that might help him persuade Riley to move in with him, which would be heaps safer and all. After the whole Murdoc Incident of the evening before, he really didn't like the idea of her living alone, even if Riley was seriously badass – much more badass than him - and could look after herself really well.)
(On the other hand…he was pretty sure it wouldn't fly. He was also thinking that it might not be the right time for them, not yet, and he also kinda wanted them to decide to move in together at some point in the future because they wanted to live together, not because of the crazy murderous assassin who was creepily obsessed with his BFF/roommate.)
(He'd talk to her about it later, after Thanksgiving. Maybe she and Beth could move in together; he had a feeling that Mac was going to make some noises about the doctor living alone, after last night's events.)
Bozer shook his head and cut off that train of thought; he had more important things to do.
It was imperative that he went and brined the turkey within the next half-hour, or Thanksgiving would be ruined, and he could not have that.
Not on his watch.
Riley made a rather adorable, grumbly sound of protest when he got out of bed, even as she shifted to take over the area he'd vacated.
Bozer gave a little chuckle and bent to drop a quick kiss on her forehead.
'Gotta go brine the turkey, Riley. Breakfast will be in about an hour, okay?'
The noise that Riley made in response, still half-asleep, was far less grumbly and sounded much like thank you, and Bozer grinned and padded out of his bedroom as quietly as possible.
Bozer stepped into the living room to find Beth sitting on the end of the couch furthest from him, leaning her back on the arm. Her lower half was covered with Jack's football snuggie and her hair, which had been in a tidy French braid when she'd fallen asleep on the deck, was now a little messy from sleep.
She was also shooting his roommate one of her narrow-eyed looks. Mac was perched on the other arm of the couch, his back to Bozer, with his hands up, trying to placate her.
'…A, it wasn't far, B, you're really not heavy…that's not idle flattery, it's objective fact, and C, I'll buy you a pie. Pumpkin pie. Four pumpkin pies, actually.'
Wordlessly, apparently not placated by Mac's arguments, Beth got up and pointed at his left shoulder, expression still very firm. With a sigh, Mac shrugged out of his leather jacket and undid the first couple of buttons on his shirt, so that she could examine his shoulder.
What she saw and felt seemed to satisfy her, because she removed her hands, nodded and stepped back. Mac started doing up his shirt buttons again as Beth grinned at him, voice a mixture of exasperation and fondness, and jabbed at the air in front of his chest.
'You owe me pie.'
Mac, too, grinned.
'Well, I did more-or-less promise…'
From the look that Mac was giving her, Bozer was pretty sure his BFF would buy all the pies in LA County if she asked.
With a fond shake of his head, Bozer stepped into the kitchen and started busying himself making the brine for the turkey, which seemed to finally get Mac and Beth's attention as the former shrugged on his jacket again.
'Morning, Boze.'
'Good morning, Bozer.'
With another fond little head-shake, Bozer grinned up at them.
'Morning, Mac, morning, Beth. Whaddya say to French toast and waffles for breakfast, once I've got the brining magic going?' Bozer poked his head into the fridge. 'Err…maybe after somebody does a grocery run, we kinda ate everything last night…'
Beth laughed, and Mac gestured with his head towards the door.
'Jack's on it, Boze.' He glanced at his phone. 'He should be back in about twenty minutes.'
Bozer shot Mac a thumbs-up, since he was a bit occupied measuring out the brine ingredients. Meanwhile, having sat down on the couch again, Beth's brow furrowed.
'Wait a moment…four pies? Why four?'
Bozer shook his head fondly again (living with Mac, one got used to non-sequiturs; his roomie's brain spat out random things at random times, and he'd noticed that Beth's often did the same too), as Mac ran a hand through his hair, trying to work out how to explain his logic.
'Well, uh…one was for carrying you inside. And then one was for my attempt at contortionism…'
Very early in the afternoon, Jack, Mac, Bozer, Riley and Beth lounged around the kitchen, enjoying their leisurely brunch of French toast and waffles, with an assortment of stewed berries, maple syrup and bacon (not all at once, except for Jack, who was currently chewing on a mouthful of French toast-with-waffle-and-bacon-and-maple-syrup-and-berries, which everyone else thought was disgusting, but judging by the blissful look on the older man's face, he thought was delicious).
Bozer's phone beeped, and he immediately rushed over to the fridge to check on his turkey (it needed turning over precisely every hour, on the hour, to ensure that the brine worked its magic evenly).
Jack swallowed and mouthed crazy at the others, which drew fond head-shakes from Mac, Riley and Beth. Riley took the opportunity to steal the half-piece of French toast left on her boyfriend's plate.
Bozer returned from his very important mission and noticed the missing piece of French toast. He turned, rather dramatically (he was definitely doing that on purpose) to Riley, whose cheeks were bulging slightly. The hacker simply smirked unapologetically (at least, as best as one could with a mouth full of French toast, anyway) at him, and Bozer shook his head with a smile and reached out and stole a piece of her bacon in retaliation.
Chuckling, Mac absent-mindedly reached out and grabbed the coffee pot, pouring some of the hot beverage into Jack's mug, then Beth's, and then his own. He put down the coffee pot and passed Beth the carton of milk as he took the sugar bowl and put a teaspoon of it into Jack's coffee, then two in his own, and one-and-a-half in Beth's, still without really paying attention.
Jack picked up his own coffee mug, mostly to hide the smirk on his face.
To: Riley
From: Beth
You know how we were talking (not terribly-seriously, I think) about moving in together in the bathroom?
Well, I'm seriously suggesting that we do that. I don't think I can live alone again. At the very least, not in my apartment. I have to move, no matter what.
To: Beth
From: Riley
I love having my own space, but I'm starting to see the appeal of a roommate, TBH. Anyway, I've been on my own a couple of years now, kinda done that whole proving-I-can-be-independent thing.
And I don't think Boze and I are ready to live together full-time yet, and I know he's going to at least raise the whole me-not-living-alone thing (and I bet Jack and Mac are going to raise it to both of us, just you wait), so…
Besides, you're a much better cook than I am. :P
And seriously – Nate does really good work.
Late that evening, after Bozer and Riley had eaten (having heard from Patricia – who was still stuck at the Phoenix – and Beth, Jack and Mac – the latter two had taken the former back to her place to pack a bag; she'd be staying with Jack for a while, since he actually had a spare room – that none of them would be back for dinner), the front door opened, and in stepped Mac, carrying a multitude of bags.
Bozer immediately bustled over to help his roommate (who was still supposed to be resting, but Mac was Mac, and Beth could only perform so many miracles…), taking a series of bags from Mac's left hand.
They, fortunately, weren't heavy, being full of boxes of very nice chocolates.
Mac held out a bag that smelt vaguely like cheese to Riley.
'Can you help me hide these? I need to keep Jack from getting at them; they're for Matty.'
With a smirk-smile and a chuckle, Riley took the bag and started perusing Mac and Bozer's home for suitable hiding places, as Mac put down a couple more bags containing larger square boxes onto the kitchen counter.
Bozer knew instantly what they contained, and smiled as he wordlessly put them in the fridge for Mac.
The blonde smiled and carefully put down the last two bags (which contained a new leather wristband, a tube of Beth's favourite hand lotion, and some assorted bits and bobs he'd need for his modified Thermomix and the new controllers for Riley's new gaming rig) out of Bozer's sight.
As Riley made a noise of triumph and shoved the box of cheese Danishes into their hiding place, Mac picked up his two hidden bags and the boxes of chocolates again and walked towards his room, his smile widening.
'Thanks, guys.' He gestured with his head towards the door of his bedroom. 'I've got some thank-you notes to write, so…goodnight?'
'Night, Mac.'
Bozer pointed at his best friend.
'Remember to actually get some sleep, bro, or I'll set Beth on you!'
Mac shook his head, probably with more fondness than he realized, and muttered half to himself.
'Oh, she's going to call me in a couple of hours to remind me, don't you worry…'
JACK'S RESIDENCE
LA
'You look real pretty, kiddo.' Jack smirked at the young woman wearing a modest, but very flattering, dark-purple dress, a couple of cream-coloured flower-shaped hairclips in her otherwise-loose hair, standing in his living room. 'Mac's not gonna be able to keep his eyes off you.'
Beth's cheeks pinked, but she smiled all the same.
'I sort-of have a point to prove to Riley, and, well, if there are any auxiliary benefits to proving that point…'
She just gave a little shrug, which made Jack's smirk widen even more as they walked out his door to head to Mac and Bozer's for Thanksgiving.
There'd never be any little Jacks.
That did sadden him.
That was a regret he'd have to live with.
But having Riley and Mac and Eli and Bozer and Beth in his life really did help ease that ache.
He kind of still got to be a dad, after all. Sometimes.
And he hadn't even had to change any diapers.
(They weren't little Jacks.)
(But he didn't want them to be.)
(He loved them so much just as they were.)
MACGYVER'S RESIDENCE
LA
Mac, carrying a box that had been carefully hidden from Jack for the last 24 hours, slipped into the seat next to Matty, who was sipping on a drink, as they waited for the rest of the guests to arrive.
'Hi, Matty.' He offered her the box. 'This is for you.' He paused for a moment as his former boss took the box, an eyebrow arched. 'Thank you.'
Those simple two words seemed very inadequate, but they were all he had, really. (Well, that and the cheese Danishes.) Matty opened the box, and he didn't miss her grin, even though she quickly schooled her features into something far more snarky.
Matty held up the folded piece of paper that had been duct-taped (he hadn't been able to find any ordinary sticky tape, but he always had plenty of duct tape lying around) to the front of the box.
'A thank you note, Mac? Have you been reading etiquette books, Baby Einstein?' She snorted. ''Cause etiquette is overrated.' Mac gave a snort of laughter, as Matty's expression softened. 'It was part of the job.' She smiled. 'And I'm always glad to help family, Mac.'
He, too, smiled softly in response, as Matty closed the box and muttered half to herself.
'Now I just have to keep Jack from getting his grubby paws on these…'
Patricia showed up very late, having told them, under no uncertain terms, to get dinner started without her.
The welcome she got when she walked through the door made her so, so, so grateful that she'd never spent a Christmas or a Thanksgiving in prison.
The welcome she got jolted and warmed that part of her heart that she'd believed, not so long ago, would never be warm and alive again.
So she hugged Riley warmly, and Mac, too, and even kissed Jack's cheek lightly when he hugged her in greeting, just like that Christmas before.
'Happy Thanksgiving, Patty.'
Her smile widened a little.
'Happy Thanksgiving, Jack.'
They let go of each other, Patricia pointedly ignoring the look that Bozer and Riley exchanged, and instead accepted a quick hug and a drink from Beth, and then took the plate of food that Bozer had kept warm for her in the oven with a smile and another quick half-hug.
She walked into the living room, stopping to greet Penny, James MacGyver and Diane Davis and her boyfriend along the way, and took a seat on a stool next to Matty, who raised her wineglass to gesture at the crowd of chattering, happy people before them.
'They're ridiculous. They belong in one of those aggressively-happy family movies.' That was said with much snarky affection, then Matty's expression softened. 'They are family, after all.'
Patricia simply smiled and clinked her glass to Matty's in agreement.
'Is she his girlfriend?'
James MacGyver leaned over and spoke quietly to Jack, gesturing towards where Bozer, Riley, Mac and Beth had clustered, enthusiastically eating pumpkin pie.
Bozer had apparently just said something funny, because Riley was laughing and shaking her head, resting an arm on Bozer's shoulder. As they watched, a still-grinning Mac reached over and wiped off the bit of whipped cream that a still-giggling Beth had gotten on her chin while laughing at Bozer's comment with his thumb.
Jack turned his head to face the other man, noting that curious mixture of happiness and pride and those hints of wistfulness and self-loathing and maybe the tiniest bit of jealousy on his face and in his eyes. Wistfulness and longing to get back those years he'd missed, to be close to Mac in the way that they'd been, once upon a time. Self-loathing for what he'd done, abandoning his son. Jealousy, because he wanted to be the one that Mac always came to for advice on women, the one who nudged him and advised him and maybe teased him a little, like a father did for his adult son. Because, maybe, just maybe, he wished he had with Mac what Jack did.
Jack got the whole let-bygones-be-bygones thing. He understood forgiveness. Heck, he'd done more or less the same thing that James MacGyver had done, once upon a time.
He was the one who'd encouraged Mac to reach out in the first place.
But occasionally, he still felt a little mad at James MacGyver for what he'd done to Mac, despite all that Mac's father had done to try and atone for it. Despite the forgiveness that Mac had extended his father, that eagerness he had to build a new relationship between the two of them.
Today, however, was not one of those occasions.
Instead, Jack just gave a little smile-smirk.
'Not yet.' The smile-smirk widened. 'But soon.'
That made James MacGyver give a smile-smirk too.
'Harry and I always said that one day, he'd realize that girls are more interesting than explosions.'
Jack gave a little snort and shrugged.
'Reckon the jury's still out on that, man.'
I've got to say, the lead-up to this year's Thanksgiving was terrible.
I never, ever want that to happen again.
I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't.
But, for the record, it was an excellent Thanksgiving.
'What do you mean you turned a turkey purple when you were fifteen? How? Why?'
AN: I hope it's pretty clear just who said that last line (Beth, to Mac, of course!)…and yeah, that was pretty much all fluff. See why I didn't want to end Every End is a Beginning with this? (I think it'd have lost a lot of its ~meaningfulness~ if I'd gone with this.)
The turkey being turned purple is a reference to the chapter A Time for Family in Two Paperclips and a Stick of Gum, in which Mac (Jack's half-brother) and Riley (Patricia's niece) try to cause their older brother and aunt, who have started dating, which Mac and Riley aren't happy about, to break up...by ruining Thanksgiving.
Requests/prompts for this series are greatly, greatly encouraged! (seriously – please do give me requests/inspiration!)
Next chapter (which will be up Thursday night, my time – early Thursday morning for Americans): Whispers in the Night, set between 2.03, Lipstick, and 2.04, Jack. On the way home from a mission, in the middle of the night, Mac has an important question that he desperately needs answered and Jack's heart breaks a little bit more for his partner.
Thoughts on 2.03, Roulette Wheel + Wire: I enjoyed the episode overall. Badass team fun and silliness? Sign me up! I liked the role that Cage played in the mission, it made sense for her to be there. However, I am really now getting the feeling that there's going to be Mac/Cage in the future (the significant looks, the conversation on the deck – 'so you're saying I'm the girl next door?' – pretty much settles it, I think) and I do not like that. I've always thought that Mac needs someone to 'nerd out' with (hence Beth). Almost all of his family – as much as they appreciate his crazy brain, as much as they indulge it – don't get it, with the exception of Riley, probably. In contrast, the two women on the show that Mac's been depicted as having been in love with probably were people he could 'nerd out' with (Frankie obviously was, and Nikki, I think we can infer from her obvious genius, probably was too). I don't see Sam as fitting that bill. I also think that it cheapens her as a character – she said in the first episode that she doesn't date people she meets at work; Mac is special, but she needs a better impetus than that, and she can't be chucking it out so soon! (I contrast that with Beth, who in the two stories I've written in which she works for the Phoenix, the whole ethics of dating your patient thing is a major thing for her to overcome – and she doesn't wind up throwing it out the window because she's in love with Mac, but rather because she learns and understands that the Phoenix is different, that working in a covert agency is different – which Sam already has experience with and yet still has her rule - and grows to love the whole team, and it also takes pretty much the entire story.)