Gillian MacKenzie was all smiles as she walked into the master bedroom. She looked at the bed and saw the back of MacGyver. He was on his left side; he was asleep with the sheet pulled up to his waist. She got a little bit of a running started and jumped on the bed, making the king size bed bounce. She was behind MacGyver as she turned on her side and got close to his ear.

"Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday dear Mac, Happy Birthday to you…"

She started kissing his neck and shoulder and that woke him up, he grabbed the sheet and lifted it over his head. Gillian saw this and started to laugh. "Come on Birthday boy, get up."

MacGyver was not in the best of moods, the last thing he wanted to hear was the birthday song. "No, just let this old man get some sleep."

Gillian sighed and grabbed the sheet; she flung it off of him, revealing his grey pajama bottoms. "Now you don't really believe that do you? Come on Mac it's time to get up."

Mac grabbed his pillow and put it over his head. "Yes I do believe it, and I'm not getting up."

Gillian took the pillow off of his head and grabbed his shoulder; she rolled him onto his back. "Mac, what is the problem? Is it because you're turning 40 today?"

That was the problem exactly, Mac wasn't ready to be 40, 40 to him meant that his life was coming to an end. He didn't want to admit that he was now 4 decades old. He grabbed the pillow from her side of the bed and put it over his head. "I am not."

"Yes you are."

"Gillian, I don't want to do anything about today, I just want to stay here." His voice was muffled because of the pillow.

"And sulk." Gillian took the pillow off of his head and tossed it on the floor; she rolled him onto his back. "Come on Mac what is the big deal?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "It's a very big deal."

"It is not, it's only a number."

"A very big number."

He turned his back to her and Gillian sighed. "Don't make me force you to listen to me."

Mac didn't say anything so Gillian rolled him back over. "Fine, you give me no choice." She climbed on top of him and straddled his chest. She grabbed both of his hands and put them at his sides with his palms facing up, she put both of her knees right on his palms.

Gillian didn't weigh very much but she was a very strong woman as MacGyver quickly found out as he tried to move and discovered that he couldn't. "Gillian, what are you doing?"

"Trying to make you listen." She leaned forward so that they were almost nose to nose. "Now, I know full well what today is, you're 40th birthday. I know it's what has you in this rather foul mood but I want you to understand something, are you listening?"

MacGyver looked at her. She had him trapped beneath her, whether he liked it or not she had his full attention. "I don't have much of a choice do I?"

She smiled. "Good, now I know in that rather stubborn head of yours is the idea that being 40 means that you're life is over. That isn't the case at all, you're life isn't over Mac, it's just getting started."

He scoffed and shook his head. "No it isn't."

"Oh yes it is."

"What makes you say that?"

Gillian picked up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger at him. "Remember this? We aren't even married yet so how can you possibly think that your life is over?" She took her knees off of his hands; she picked them up and kissed them. She reached out and touched his face. "Mac, 40 is not a big deal, especially in your case, I mean look at you! You don't even look 40, you are in amazing shape. And you certainly don't act 40; you act more like a teenager." The young woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Especially in one particular area that I already told you about." She let go of his hands and leaned forward, she gave him a very small kiss. She could see that his face still didn't look too happy. "Do you really want to know why I am so happy about today?"

MacGyver looked at her and nodded. "You are the only one happy about today, why is that?"

Gillian's face broke out into a small smile. "Because…40 years ago today two people named James and Ellen MacGyver went into a hospital in Minnesota and came back out with a 7 pound 8 ounce baby boy that they named Angus Ian MacGyver." Her face softened as she looked at him. "And that beautiful little baby boy has meant more to me than he could possibly know. I'm grateful to them Mac, every day because if it wasn't for them you wouldn't be here." She touched his face again. "I don't want you to be sad today, it isn't a sad day. It's a day of celebration, the celebration of you, not the number you are turning. That's all it is Mac, the only thing that is 40 about you, is the number itself."

MacGyver looked at her, he could see that in her face that she was telling him the truth. She was right, he didn't act 40 and he certainly didn't feel 40. His face broke out in a smile; she made him feel a lot better. "You really know how to cheer a guy up."

Gillian smiled and gave him a kiss. "Good, now let me go get your Geritol."

MacGyver's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open slightly. He couldn't believe that she had said, there was no way he was in need of the vitamin that was usually taken by senior citizens. "Geritol? You think I need Geritol?" He sat up and grabbed her around the waist. "I'll show you who needs Geritol!" He threw her down on the bed and started kissing her.

Gillian was laughing very hard; she had really gotten him with that one. He was on top of her kissing her face and neck. He suddenly stopped and looked at her, he knew that she was only teasing him; he gave her a small smile. "Thanks Gillian."

She was a little out of breath from laughing so hard, she reached up and glided her hand down his cheek. "Happy Birthday Mac."

He bent down and gave her a deep kiss. "Thanks, can I get my present now?"

"No, not yet,. You'll have to wait until tonight when everyone is here."

"That's not the present I was talking about."

The front of Gillian's pajamas had ties that covered her neck up. He started untying them, he opened the material and revealed her neck. He started kissing it and Gillian put her hand on the back of his head. "See I told you that you seemed more like a teenager."

"I didn't disagree with you."

His kisses were driving her crazy. "You know you are tempting me to keep you in this bed all day."

He stopped and looked at her. "What else have we got planned for the day besides the party?"

Gillian thought about it. "Nothing that I can think of."

"Oh good."  Mac went back to work on her neck and Gillian sighed; the day was going to be better than she thought.

MacGyver and Gillian were still in bed, propped up with pillows against the headboard. They were eating toast and watching a Western. Mac had set up his TV and VCR in their bedroom and the couple was just relaxing watching John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

"Now this is what I call a birthday."  He finished his toast and brushed the crumbs off of his hands onto the plate that was between them. He moved the plate aside and leaned his head against Gillian's chest. She put her arm around his shoulder and started rubbing his arm; she kissed the top of his head. "I'm glad you're having fun."

"I'm sorry I was being a pain earlier."

Gillian laughed. "You were just a little upset about turning 40."

"Yeah I was."

"How do you feel about it now?"

MacGyver raised his head and looked at her. "You're right, my life isn't ending. It's just beginning and it will officially start the day we get married." He thought of something and started to laugh, he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What?"

"We've been engaged for over a month but the word marriage still sounds strange."

"You think that sounds strange, try this, Gillian MacGyver."

Mac was surprised to hear her say that. "You mean you're going to change your name?"

She creased her brow at him. "Of course I am why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I mean your company is called MacKenzie Enterprises so I thought you were going to keep your name as MacKenzie."

Gillian shook her head. "Mac, I changed the name of the company, ME is now known as Mac Enterprises."

"What made you decide to do that?"

"It made sense, the first three letters of MacKenzie is Mac, the first three letters of MacGyver is Mac, I call you Mac and since you'll own half of it anyways I figured why not just shorten it to Mac Enterprises?"

MacGyver nodded, it did make perfect sense. "Good point." He put his head back down on her chest and sighed. "So what did you get me for my birthday?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Aw come on Gillian why not?"

"It's a surprise."

He lifted his head again. "But I'm the birthday boy and you are supposed to do whatever I want today, it's a rule."

"We are doing whatever you want today."

"Okay then tell me what my present is."

Gillian shook her head. "Sorry that is the only exception to the rule."

The couple decided to get up. MacGyver went to go take a shower and Gillian sat on top of the dark red comforter, normally she would offer to wash MacGyver's back for him but not this time. She had to go do something and she was waiting for just the right time to go do it. She heard the sound of the water turning on, and the shower curtain opening and closing but she wasn't sure if he was in it yet; there was one sound that would confirm it.

After a few seconds she heard the unmistakable sound of whistling, that was her cue. MacGyver always whistled whenever he got into the shower.

Gillian hopped off the bed and ran down the hall; she opened the side door and went inside. MacGyver's present was in there, it was covered with a white sheet, Gillian saw it and a huge smile bloomed on her face. The party was in the evening and she had to keep Mac out of the garage until then, it wasn't going to be easy but she had to do it.

Gillian ran back into the bedroom just as the shower turned off, she stood in front of her dresser and got out a change of clothes. The bathroom door opened and Mac came out, he had a towel around his waist and was drying his hair. "So who's coming tonight?"

She started changing out of her pajamas. "It's just going to be the 6 of us Mac; you told me you didn't want a big deal to be made of your party so I only invited your very close friends."

MacGyver nodded, that was exactly what he wanted. "Good." He dried off and started to get dressed. He put on a pair of blue jeans shorts and opened his drawers, he was looking for a shirt but his shirt drawer was empty. He remembered that Gillian had done laundry a day or two before and his clothes were probably still in the garage. He started to leave the bedroom; Gillian saw him and stood in front of him.

"Where are you going?"

"To the garage, I need a shirt."

Gillian turned and looked down the hall, that was the last place she wanted him to go. "Uhh…you can't, I'll go for you."

Mac shook his head. "No, its okay I'll get the laundry."

She smiled widely at him. "I'll go get it you stay here, I'll be right back."

Gillian raced out of the room and ran down the hall. She went into the garage and sure enough their white laundry basket full of clean clothes was on top of the dryer. She picked it up and ran back down the hall and into their bedroom, she handed it to Mac. "Here you go, clean clothes."

MacGyver took the basket and looked at his future wife, she was a little flushed and out of breath. "Are you okay Gillian?"

The young woman nodded. "Fine, why do you ask?"

"You seem a little…high strung."

"No, I just have some things to do before the party tonight, that's all."

"Oh okay." He put the basket on the bed and dug through it, he found a red t-shirt and put it on.

Gillian changed out of her pajamas and had put on a bright teal tank top and black shorts; she was hastily brushing out her hair.

Mac was watching her, she was acting a little strange, she looked like a hummingbird. "You're sure everything's okay?"

Gillian put her hair in a ponytail and turned around. "Positive, like I said I just have some stuff to do. What about you, what are you going to do?"

Mac sat down on the bed and put on his socks; he put on his white tennis shoes and was tying them. "I thought I would tune my Nomad out in the garage."

Gillian's eyes grew wide, she had to think of something and fast. "You shouldn't be doing things like that today Mac you should stay here and relax."

"That is my idea of relaxing." He finished tying his sneakers and started to leave the bedroom, she quickly blocked his path. "You know I have an idea. It's so nice outside today, why don't you tune the Nomad out in the driveway? It'd be a lot cooler than that stuffy garage."

Mac thought about it and nodded, being outside would definitely be nicer than that hot garage. "That's a good idea; I'll move the Nomad outside." He took his keys out of his shorts pocket and Gillian snatched them from his hand. "No, I'll do it."

Before he could argue she was gone, MacGyver heard the sound of the garage door opening and his Nomad starting up. He ran his hand down his face, something was definitely going on.

MacGyver came down the hall just as Gillian opened the side door and walked out. She met him head on and smiled widely, she quickly closed the door behind her. "Here are your keys; I put your toolbox outside."

That was the last straw; he took his keys back and put his hands on his hips. "Gillian what is going on? Why are you keeping me out of the garage?"

She tried to act innocent. "Am I?"

Mac crossed his arms over his chest. "Want to level with me or should I go out into the garage and find out for myself?" He tried to and she once again blocked his path. "No, don't."

Gillian sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, MacGyver was not a fool. "Okay, I have been keeping you out of the garage."

"Why?"

"Your birthday present is in there and I didn't want you to come across it and ruin the surprise."

Mac took a step towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

She lowered her head and rubbed her forehead. "Because I'm an idiot."

He lifted her chin with his fingers. "No you're not. I won't go in the garage. If I need something from it I'll let you know, deal?"

"Deal."

MacGyver gave her a small kiss. "I'll be outside if you need me."

"Okay."

He walked down the hall and went out the front door. Gillian sighed and leaned back against the side door, she was very relieved.

Gillian was telling MacGyver the truth; she did have things to do before the party that night. She cleaned the whole house from top to bottom, it took her three hours to do it but she managed to get it down. It was now almost 1 o'clock, she made herself a nice cool glass of fresh ice tea, she thought about MacGyver and poured one for him too. She was carrying both glasses and she opened the front door and went outside.

It was a beautiful Saturday in March, spring had started two days earlier and the weather was gorgeous. The temperature was in the 70s and there was the light scent of freshly blooming flowers in the air mixed in with the salt water smell from the nearby Marina. Gillian sighed and sniffed the air; the day was absolutely perfect for celebrating a birthday. She saw a pair of legs sticking out from the passenger side of the Nomad; she set the two glasses of tea down on the edge of the concrete and crouched down. She bit her lip, trying very hard not to laugh; she quickly walked her fingers up Mac's leg.

MacGyver flinched, he rolled out from underneath the car and saw that it was Gillian; he breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought something had crawled up my shorts."

"Something did, me." She showed him a glass of ice tea. "Thought you might be thirsty."

"You thought right." Mac sat up and put his wrench down. There was a rag next to him and he picked it up and wiped off his hands, he took the glass from her and had a sip. "Thanks."

"How's it going?"

"Good, it's almost tuned."

There was a couple of grease marks on his face, one was on his nose and one was on his cheek, Gillian wiped them off. "Having fun?"

Mac had another sip of his tea. "Believe it or not, I am."

"Oh I believe it, it's getting close to lunchtime, what do you want to eat?"

"I don't know."

Gillian looked at him. "It's up to you, you're the birthday boy."

MacGyver gave her a little sheepish grin. "Well I kind of wanted pizza." He drank more of his tea and Gillian smiled. "Your wish is my command Oh Birthday One." She gave him a kiss and laughed, his lips were cold and it was a strange sensation. "Hey that was a cold kiss, felt like I was kissing a frozen fish stick."

Mac started to laugh. "I just had some tea that's why."

Gillian took the glass from him and set it down. "Perhaps we better try that again." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. "Oh that was much better."

"Definitely much better, you should go back in the house so I can get this done."

"Are you saying I'm a distraction?"

He nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Okay, I'll go order the pizza; don't take too long out here."

Mac laid back down on his roller. "Just give me 10 minutes, 15 tops."

Gillian stood up, he rolled back under the car and she went back inside the house.

MacGyver and Gillian were back in their bedroom; Gillian was leaning against the headboard, a pillow behind her back. MacGyver had made himself comfy and cozy, he was sitting between her legs, leaning his back against her chest. They both had their shoes off and were just eating lunch while watching a movie, beside them was the open pizza box.

Gillian had ordered MacGyver's favorite, a super veggie with extra sauce, she picked up a slice and offered it to him, he took a bite and then she took one. The young woman sighed, she felt totally contended. She wasn't the only one, MacGyver felt the same way, her long legs on either side of him made him feel like he was protecting him, he knew deep down she was. He took another bite of pizza and sighed. Gillian heard him; she bent her head a little and kissed his left temple.

"How has your birthday been so far Mac?" She offered him the slice and he took it from her.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

MacGyver finished it and licked the sauce off his fingers. "It's been one of the best I've had and the day isn't even over yet."

Gillian smiled, she was glad he felt that way. She had really tried to make it a good day for him. "Good, I'm glad, and you're right, the day isn't over yet, there are still a few more surprises."

"Like what?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

Mac lifted his head and turned around. He gave her his best imitation of a puppy dog, his dark eyes were sad yet piercing. "Come on Gill, just one little hint?"

Gillian put a hand over her eyes, she could never resist when he did that. "I'm not looking! I don't see that!"

He picked up her other hand and began to kiss it gently. "Please, one small hint?"

She sighed and uncovered her eyes. "Okay, one little hint." She moved her legs to that they were no longer around him, she turned her body towards the door. "Let's see, a small hint."

MacGyver could tell she was going to make a break for it, he was ready.

She gave him a small smile. "It's something you're going to like!" Sure enough she bolted out the bedroom door. Mac went after her; he caught her around the waist before she even made it halfway down the hall. He carried her that way back into the bedroom and tossed her on the bed; she landed on her back and bounced once.

"You call that a hint?"

"I thought it was a good one."

He climbed up onto the bed, he was on his knees and he stretched out on top of her. "It was a vague one, I want a real one."

Gillian sighed; she put her hands on his shoulders. "Okay, you can ask me three questions, but you better make them good ones."

"Three questions…three questions…" Mac thought it over and licked his lips; he pressed them together and nodded. "Okay, is it something I can use everyday?"

"Yes."

"You said it was out in the garage, are there others just like it out there?"

Again the answer was yes.

"What color is it?"

"Black."

MacGyver smiled widely. "I think I know what it is." He had the idea that Gillian had bought him that black drill he had admired the last time they were at the hardware store.

He was not even close but that was fine with Gillian, it was only going to make the surprise that much sweeter. "You think so huh?"

"Yeah I do and we'll see tonight how right I am."

Gillian only nodded; she couldn't wait for him to see what was really out there in the garage.

The sun went down and 7 o'clock came. Gillian had changed into a light spring dress, it was a very light pink and two layered, the material underneath with a sheer covering over it. She had left her hair down and was standing in front of her mirror. She was putting on a little lipstick; she pressed her lips together and closed the lipstick.

"Mac, they're going to be here any minute are you ready?"

The bathroom door opened and he came out. He stood in front of her, dressed in a black button down shirt and tan pants. "What do you think?"

She turned away from the mirror and looked him up and down, a smile blooming on her lips. "Sweetie there is no way on this planet that you are 40."

MacGyver gave her one of his famous wide grins. "Thank you."

The doorbell rang and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She winked at him as she walked straight down the hall. Gillian opened the door and saw the grinning face of Jack Dalton.

"Hey Jack!"

She opened the door and gave him a hug and he returned it. Despite how nutty he was Gillian liked him, he was a good friend to Mac. "Hey Gilly Mac, how's it going?"

"Fine, come on in."

He was wearing his bomber jacket and khaki pants; he saw MacGyver and the stout man smiled widely.  "Hey Mac!" He grabbed his friend and hugged him hard. "Happy Birthday!"

MacGyver felt like he was being gripped by a grizzly bear. "Thanks Jack."

Gillian was watching this and she couldn't help but laugh. "Jack, don't break the birthday boy."

Jack let go of his friend. Mac felt like a used tube of toothpaste, sufficiently squeezed. He looked at his friend. "You keep that up and I won't have many birthdays left."

Jack slapped him on the back. "So I heard you and Gillian are going to take the plunge, when's the big day?"

"We don't know yet Jack."

Jack nodded. "Well whenever you decide, let me know."

The two men walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, Jack looked around the room. "Wow I feel like I should have brought a camel along with me." He was looking at the Egyptian decorations that were all over the room. "You must like this place Mac; it's like living in a museum."

Mac shook his head. "It is not, it's not like there's a mummy or anything."

Gillian sat down beside MacGyver. "That's why he calls it Little Egypt."

The doorbell rang and Gillian got up. "Excuse me Gentlemen."

Gillian looked down at herself really quick and opened the door, she saw the face of the Director of Operations. "Hi Pete." She opened the door and kissed his cheek. "Come on in."

"Hi Gillian." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, Gillian was always surprised whenever Pete wore casual clothes. He was wearing black dress pants and a white dress shirt. Pete walked into the living room and saw the two men.

"Pete!" Mac was glad his friend had come. "Have a seat."

Jack smiled, he hadn't seen Pete in a few years and he stretched out his hand. "Hey Pete, long time no see."

"It has been a while Jack." The two men shook hands. "I heard about your school, congratulations."

"Thanks."

Pete handed Mac a brightly wrapped package, it was medium sized. "Here you go Mac, happy birthday."

MacGyver was surprised. "Thanks Pete but you didn't have to do this."

Gillian walked over to the couch and stretched out her hands. "May I have that please? I'm putting your presents on the dining room table for now."

Mac eyed her suspiciously and then looked at the two men. "What do you think guys? Should I trust her?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know Mac; you have to watch females very closely."

Pete was laughing. "Jack's right, you might never see that package again."

Gillian put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Fine don't give it to me, I'll just keep whatever is in the garage for myself."

Mac handed it over without another comment; he really wanted to know what was in the garage. "Here you go."

Gillian bowed her head. "Thank you."

Jack got up and followed her into the kitchen; Gillian saw him and thought that he was checking to make sure she was telling the truth.

"Jack I'm really putting it on the table."

He reached into his bomber jacket pocket and took out a small present; it was wrapped in blue paper and had a little blue bow on top of it. "I just wanted to give this to you; I didn't want Mac to see it."

"Oh." She took the small package and looked at it. "Thanks."

He put his hands in his pockets. "So what did you get him?"

Gillian put both presents on top of the big dark oak table. "I'm not telling you'll see it soon enough."

She walked over to the white fridge and took out a couple of trays of food. "Jack can you help me?"

"Sure." He saw her hands were full and he took one of the trays. "Is this all or do you need help with anything else?"

"There are a few more things but I think I can get those, thanks."

The bushy mustached man smiled. "You're welcome."

The sound of laughter filled the air. Zoe Ryan and her husband David were the last party guests that arrived and she was just finishing up a story. Jack, MacGyver and Gillian were sitting on the couch, Pete was in the matching chair and Zoe and her husband were sitting on the matching loveseat. The coffee table was in the center, it was covered with food and everyone had eaten their fill.

MacGyver's face was bright red; Zoe had been telling them all stories about some of the things he had done while he was in high school. Gillian put her arm around his; she was getting a big kick out of some of his antics.

Jack wiped his eyes, he had been laughing so hard, he was crying.  "I'll never forget that day."

Zoe had a sip of her punch. "Yeah and neither will Mr. Foster."

Pete shook his head. "I never knew you were such a troublemaker MacGyver."

Mac turned to his friend. "I was not a troublemaker, I just liked to experiment."

Jack looked at Gillian. "Hey Gillian, did Mac ever tell you about the ice rink?"

Zoe gasped loudly. "Did he?"

Gillian shook her head. "No, why?"

MacGyver closed his eyes.  "Zoe…please don't tell her about that."

Naturally she had to tell it, especially since he objected so strongly to it. Gillian smiled widely; she just had to hear this, especially if he didn't want her too. "Oh please do."

Zoe set her punch down on the coffee table. "Well as you know MacGyver was on the hockey team. We both were, he played and I was the equipment manager. The players used to complain that the locker room was always freezing, so MacGyver decided to do something about that."

Gillian looked at Mac, he had his hands over his eyes. She put her arm around his shoulders and tried to comfort him, she knew he was terribly embarrassed.

"He got some parts from wherever he could find them and he made a heater. It was about the size of a toaster, the ugliest thing you ever saw but he said it would keep everyone warm. We had practice everyday after school, so a little before school got out he went to the gym and turned his little heater on in the locker room." Zoe was already starting to laugh, but she managed to get it under control so she could finish the story. "At 3 o'clock I go over to the gym and who do I see coming out?"

"MacGyver?"

Zoe nodded at Gillian. "MacGyver, only he is soaked from head to toe, like he had been hosed down. I mean everything was drenched. I asked him what had happened and he said his heater had worked a little too well."

Gillian's eyes grew wide. "You mean…"

"Yup, when the coach and the players arrived instead of finding a nice big piece of ice, they found a huge puddle!" Zoe leaned against her husband and was laughing. "His little toast sized heater had melted the rink in less than half an hour!"

Gillian covered her mouth and started laughing. "Oh my God!" She turned and looked at Mac, he had finally uncovered his face but it was still red. "Did you get in trouble?"

"The Principal and the Coach called my mom and Harry down to his office. I remember my mother was mad because they hadn't even given me a towel, I was standing there totally soaked dripping on the Principal's carpet."

"And what happened?"

MacGyver smiled a little. "My mom told them that they couldn't punish me for trying to help out my teammates."

Pete sipped his punch. "What did Harry say?"

"Harry told them if they wanted ice so bad he had some trays he could bring from the house."

"Did they punish you?"

Mac shook his head. "No, the Principal had wanted to expel me but my mom said if he did she was going to go see the Superintendent."

Gillian smiled. "How old were you?"

"I was a freshman."

The young woman stood up. "Well I think it's time we all went into the kitchen for cake and presents."

Everyone got up and went into the kitchen except MacGyver; Gillian stood over him and stretched out her hand. "Come on Birthday Boy." He took her hand and she pulled him up, she took his hand and walked him into the kitchen.

Everyone was standing around the dining room table, Jack had lit the candles, the cake was white and written blue were the words Happy Birthday Mac. Gillian pulled out a chair and sat him down in it. They all gathered around him and started to sing. He wanted to crawl under the table, but he simply sat there and let them sing to him. He stood up and bent down, he blew out all the candles and everyone started to clap, once again he felt his face turn red, but this time he didn't cover it up.

The dining room table was a sea of ripped paper and little cake plates. MacGyver had gotten some very nice presents. Jack had given him a brand new Swiss Army knife; it had a few newer accessories than his had. Zoe and her husband had given him a brand new pair of hockey skates and a LA Kings Jersey that the whole team had sighed; the team was one of David's accounting clients. Mac was now unwrapping Pete's present, he tore away the last of the paper to reveal a black tackle box.

"Oh wow thanks Pete! I lost my fishing gear when the Jeep got burned."

The stout man smiled. "I know Gillian told me, open it up."

MacGyver opened the box and sitting on the top tray was an envelope, Mac opened it, it was a certificate for a brand new Zebco fishing pole, another casualty of the demise of the Jeep. He looked at his friend fondly. "Thank you."

Pete patted his friend on the back. "You're welcome, maybe one of these weekends we can go try it out."

"Definitely."

Gillian clapped her hands. "Well, now it is my turn." She had a black bandana in her hand.

MacGyver creased his brow. "What's that for?"

She smiled widely. "You'll find out right now."

MacGyver was not crazy about being blind folded; he didn't like the feeling of helplessness that it gave him. Gillian was the one that was asking him to do this, so it was all right, he trusted her. She put it over his eyes and tied it behind his head. She took his hand and stood him up. "Will you all kindly follow me to the garage?"

The small group of 6 people all went through the side door into the garage. Gillian's present was there, under a white sheet, she took off Mac's blindfold. He looked a little puzzled; all he saw was a white sheet that was sitting beside his Nomad. He turned towards Gillian, the young woman smiled.

"Go ahead and pull off the sheet Mac, its underneath."

"Okay."

MacGyver wasn't sure about this; he bent down and grabbed an end of the white sheet.  He pulled it back to reveal a shiny black Corvette. Everyone gasped and MacGyver's eyes got huge and his jaw hit the ground, he turned his head slowly and looked at his fiancée. "This is why you were keeping me out of here?" He looked at it again. "This… This is mine?"

Gillian took a key out of her pocket and dangled it in front of him, she tossed it at him and he caught it. "Yes, it's yours."

He swallowed hard and shook his head. "Gillian…I-"

She took a step towards him and put a finger to his lips. "I owed you a vehicle Mac, you lent me the Jeep and it got turned into the world's biggest charcoal briquette.  I needed a car and you didn't even hesitate, you just tossed me the keys and told me to go for it." Gillian took her finger away from his mouth.

MacGyver was pretty shocked but still, the Jeep had been destroyed accidentally, she had nothing to do with it. "What happened to the Jeep wasn't your fault."

"I know it wasn't my fault exactly but I know how much you loved that Jeep and it was in my care when it got burned. I felt terrible about that and I wanted to make it up to you."

Mac sighed and looked down at his car. It was simply gorgeous; it had to have cost her a pretty penny. "I don't know about this."

She took the key from his hand and unlocked the door; she took the clear Targa top off of it. "Come take a look at it."

Everyone bent down and peeked in, the beautiful black car had tan leather interior and a Bose stereo system. Gillian climbed into it and stuck the key in the ignition, she turned it and the powerful engine burst into life. Mac crouched down by the driver's side door and listed to the engine. "350?"

Gillian smiled and nodded. "Yep, 250 horse power."

She could see in his face how much he really wanted it but at the same time he was hesitant, she stood up and climbed over the gear shift. "Hop in."

MacGyver opened the door and climbed into it; he touched the steering wheel and looked up through the top of it. Gillian was watching him; he looked like a little boy that had just been given a brand new toy and in a lot of ways that was exactly what MacGyver was. "What do you think?"

Mac turned off the ignition and faced her. "What do I think? I think I should strangle you for doing this."

His face softened and he put his hands on either side of her face. "But I love you too much to do that, so I'll do this instead." He closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers. His kiss was slow and gentle; he put his arms around her neck and hugged her. "You didn't have to do this you know." He whispered in her ear.

"I know."

They let go of each other and Gillian smiled at him. "You owe me a ride."

Everyone was back in the living room, they all were talking. Gillian came in carrying a silver bucket and a tray of 6 glasses. She set everything down on the coffee table.

"Okay, now there is one last thing we have to do in order to make this birthday a successful one." She picked up a bottle of champagne. "Now you all know that Mac and I don't drink but you can't make a proper birthday toast with grape juice, you have to use champagne." She looked at MacGyver; he was sitting between Jack and Pete. "Don't worry Mac its apple champagne, its more fruit juice than it is alcohol."

He looked at her and smiled. "You are just trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me later."

Gillian raised an eyebrow. "I don't need champagne for that." She winked at him and he smiled and shook his head at her.

She took off the foil top and carefully popped the cork, not one dropped spilled out and Jack shook his head.

"How did she do that without spilling any?"

Gillian looked at him and smiled. "Ancient Cherokee secret."

Jack grew curious. "Which is?"

"Don't shake it up before you open it."

MacGyver burst out laughing. "She got you with that one Jack."

Gillian bent down and filled the six glasses. She picked up the tray and everyone grabbed one, she took one for herself. "I would like to make the first toast."

Everyone stood up and Gillian turned and faced her fiancé. "You came into this world today Mac and all of us here are very glad that you did, Happy Birthday."

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone said in unison and their glasses all came together and clinked. The champagne was good; it tasted like apple juice with a very tiny kick to it.

"Hey this is good stuff." Zoe said as she had another sip. "Can I go next?"

Gillian gave her a little bow of her head.  "Of course Professor."

Zoe raised her glass. "Here's to the sweetest guy that I've ever known, with one exception." She looked her husband and the accountant gave her a little smile.  "Cheers."

"Cheers."

Jack drank and looked at his friend. "Hey what about me? Aren't I sweet?"

The red headed woman put a hand on her hip. "It isn't your birthday now is it Jack?"

Pete cleared his throat. "My turn." He raised his glass.

"To MacGyver and Gillian, Happy birthday and I wish you two only the best for the future."

Now it was Gillian's turn to blush, she and Mac clinked glasses and he smiled at her.

That was the last toast and everyone sat back down. Gillian disappeared for a minute and came back into the living room. She had a strange look on her face and Mac noticed it right away, she looked nervous.

"You okay Gill?"

The young woman nodded and Jack elbowed Mac. "It's the champagne Mac."

Gillian laughed a little and shook her head. "No that's not it, its something else." She took a deep breath her hands were shaking a little, she wrung them together. "I have one more thing to give you Mac."

The little dress had pockets and she took out a stack of white envelopes and passed them out to everyone, including Mac. "Don't open that until I say too, please."

Everyone looked at each other puzzled and then at Mac. He shrugged his shoulders; he was just as much in the dark as they all were. He saw how absolutely scared his fiancée looked.

"Gillian what's going on?"

Gillian took a deep breath, she stood before all of them and 6 pairs of eyes were fixed on her. "I know you all want to know what's up and soon you'll understand. I was in the Phoenix Foundation lunchroom the other day when one of my staff members, a young girl named Tina came up to me. She looked at my ring and asked me about the wedding. I told her the truth; we hadn't really talked about it. Tina said to me that the ring Mac gave me was special and unique and she said that also described the both of us, special and unique. She said that because of this our wedding had to be the same way, she's right, it should be."

She walked over to the end of the couch where MacGyver was sitting and she knelt down, she was touching his legs. "Tina is right Mac, it has to be special." She swallowed hard and looked into his face; she wanted to see his eyes. "What I said in my toast was the truth; I am glad that you came into this world, very glad." Her eyes started to grow shiny. "You mean the world to me and I love you more than words can possibly express. You are my best friend, and my heart, and my soul, and my treasure." She was starting to cry and she casually wiped her cheeks. "But before you become my husband, there's something I have to know; something that I have to ask you."

MacGyver was watching her, she was so serious yet she was crying. "Okay."

Gillian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I want you to open the envelope."

Mac picked the envelope that was sitting on his lap and opened it; he took out a plane ticket. "A ticket? Where to?"

"Saint Thomas, the Virgin Islands."

Mac looked at the ticket closely and sure enough that's what it said. "Why did you give everyone a ticket to St. Thomas?"

Gillian touched the pocket of her dress and took out a small white box. "Mac."

He put the ticket down and looked at her; she reached out and gently took his hand. "I want to know, right now, in front of all these people…"

She stopped long enough to sigh, what she had to say was harder than she thought. "If you will go to Saint Thomas." She showed him the box and opened it; in it were a pair of gold rings. "And marry me." She took another breath. "Next month."

MacGyver and Gillian had only talked about their impending nuptials once, it was the same night that he had proposed to her. That was a little over a month ago and the subject had not come up since.

MacGyver looked at the box; he picked up the bigger of the two rings. It was the Claddagh design, the two hands and the heart with the crown were carved into it and there were designs that looked like pretzels that went all the way around the ring. He carefully put it back in the box and looked at Gillian.

The young woman was waiting for him to answer, his face was very passive.

Mac picked up her hand and held it, he looked her dead in the eye. "No."

Gillian's breath stopped in her chest, it took a few seconds for it to come back and she started breathing hard. He was serious, he was dead serious and she could feel her heart start to break. She looked down, she couldn't believe that he had said no.

Everyone there was also stunned, they wanted to say something but they all knew it was none of their business.

MacGyver put two fingers under her chin and lifted it so he could see her eyes. "I think next week would be better."

Gillian thought for a minute she hadn't heard him right, his face bloomed into a sunny smile and she realized that he hadn't said no, he just wanted it done sooner. She felt such relief and she shook her head. "Angus Ian MacGyver…" She grabbed his shoulders and started to shake him. "I'm going to kill you! You scared me to death!" MacGyver started laughing so hard he couldn't sit up; he grabbed her hands and held them.

"Okay okay I'm sorry!" He had a hold of her arms and put them around his waist.

Gillian had her head against his chest he really had scared her.  "Did you really think I was going to say no to you Gilly Bean?"

Gillian lifted her head and shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't know, I mean we hadn't really talked much about when we were going to get married."

She turned and looked at everyone. "Those tickets can be for any time we want, is next week a problem for anyone?"

Zoe and David shook their heads. "I can always reschedule seeing my clients."

Jack shook his head. "No I'm free, my partner can teach for me."

The couple looked at Pete; he was the one with the demanding schedule, the Director of Operations smiled. "I'm not free, but I'll get free, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Jack nodded. "Me either." He put his arm across MacGyver's shoulders. "Say Mac, who's going to be your best man?"

MacGyver saw the way he was wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "Forget it Jack, I already asked Pete."

The man with the bushy moustache looked wounded. "You didn't ask me? Me? The same guy that has known you since you were a little Mac?"

Gillian snickered at the mental image that painted. She covered her mouth with her hand, all she could see was a pint sized MacGyver.

"And the guy that has gotten me into trouble more times than I can count. I don't need that kind of trouble on my wedding day." He stopped and his eyes grew wide for a second. "Oh man that sounded weird."

Gillian got up from her knees and climbed into his lap and stretched out. "Ahh, this is comfortable."

MacGyver raised an eyebrow. "What do I look like? A chair?"

She looked at him and tilted her head from side to side. "Well now that you mention it…"

The 4 other people in the room started to laugh and MacGyver looked at her sideways, he gave her a wicked look that meant that she was going to pay for that later.

The couple was in their bedroom, Gillian was once again up against the headboard and Mac was leaning with his back against her chest. The couple was in their pajamas and Gillian had her legs wrapped around Mac's waist, it looked like he was giving her a piggy back ride except that they were both lying down. Gillian was holding a small plate in right hand and a fork in her left; she was feeding him birthday cake. She gave him another bite. "You know it's a good thing I'm left handed, other wise this cake might be in your nose." She put her index finger against the cake and dabbed a little bit of frosting on his nose. "See like that."

Mac laughed and wiped the frosting off his nose. "Hey don't put frosting on me, I'm not a cake."

She picked the plate back up. "Want some more?"

"Sure."

Gillian gave him another forkful and also took a bite. "That's really good cake."

"Yeah it is." He sighed as he put his hands down on the legs that were around him, he tickled them a little, Gillian was very ticklish and she started squirming.

"Hey that is a good way to end up with cake in your nose, want some more?"

"No, I've had enough cake."

"Okay." She put the plate and the fork on the nightstand; she put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 5 minutes after 12, Mac's birthday had ended. "Did you have a Happy Birthday?"

"You know I did." MacGyver still had his hands on her legs, he was caressing them. "Can I see those rings again?"

"Sure, they're in the nightstand."

Mac leaned sideways a little and opened the drawer and saw the little white box. He picked it up and closed the drawer.  He took the lid off and leaned back against Gillian; he picked up the smaller of the two and studied it.

"What do you think of them?"

The gold ring was shining in the light and he could tell that the ring was handmade. "They're beautiful, where did you get them?"

"Scotland."

Both of his eyebrows went up. "Scotland? When did you go to Scotland?"

"I didn't go, I sent Tina to go instead. She was there to check on our artifacts at the Edinburgh museum she just made a quick stop for me and picked up the rings."

"Oh." He picked up the bigger and tried it on. It was a perfect fit, seeing it on his ring finger kind of spooked him and he took it off fast. Gillian saw him do that; he looked a little freaked out.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head slightly. "It just hit me, like a truck, we're going to St. Thomas to get married in 7 days."

Gillian took it out of his fingers and picked up his left hand. She gently slid it down his finger; there was something magical about her doing that they both could feel. He still had her ring in his hand and he picked up her left hand and put it on her ring finger; the gold band rested gently against her engagement ring.

Both of their left hands touched and the couple looked up at each other. Reality suddenly came to both of them, this was what their hands were going to look like very, very soon.