A/N - Hey, all. I know I have a couple open fics, but this one had to happen. It's an early birthday present.

Gib was wondering about possibly explaining why Jack has been gone so much lately. That got me thinking of what might have Jack leaving and not explaining himself to Mac. A sequel to I Do Believe in Spooks is the result. If you haven't read it, and you like the idea of Sam and Dean Winchester as Jack's distant cousins, and our favorite Phoenix agents taking a vacation as Hunters, you might enjoy it. You'll probably catch on to this slight AU even if you haven't though.

I'm posting this now because it's probably going to be quite a few chapters. I've been meaning to tag a bunch of different episodes for a while and I have an idea that will let me play with that here, too. Hope you guys enjoy! ~ J

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Jack had known something new was bugging Mac for a couple of weeks. First he thought it was just the stuff with Oversight. Then he told himself it was just that Murdoc kept popping back up and had more or less kidnapped the kid again when Murdoc tangled with Cassian's mother.

Jack tried to get him talking but he kept getting pulled away. Then the incident with The Ghost was enough to grey the remainder of Jack's dark hair. Especially since he had to hear about the close call after the fact. If Mac had his damned bodyguard with him, it never would have happened.

Riley called Jack afterward and filled him in on Mac 'taking time away' from Nasha, Mac's brief time as The Ghost's prisoner, and his sheer unadulterated panic over the bomb (no matter that it had only lasted a few seconds). She also said that without Matty saying anything, Mac had gone to the medic at exfil and reported that he might have a concussion.

He didn't.

But the fact that he'd even suggested it … not that Jack didn't acknowledge that his partner was a grown assed man who knew full well how to take care of himself … that was pretty damned out of character, especially for this new post Dad-Is-Back MacGyver. Mac was more loathe to admit to being less than bulletproof than ever lately.

Riley thought it was Mac's way of avoiding the rest of the team on the flight home, because once the medic had cleared him, he'd taken something for the headache he was complaining of and supposedly gone to sleep on the couch. Jack could hear Riley's smirk over the phone when she said, "Like any of us bought his fake sleeping crap."

Mac sounded okay when Jack called to check on the crew while he was waiting for exfil in Brazil; but okay was not the same as good or normal. The tone was the nonverbal equivalent of one of Mac's standard bullshit 'I'm fine' deflections that always seemed to come up after especially challenging missions.

Then when he'd shown up for the Brazil debrief, Matty shared Mac's confession about The Ghost supposedly leaving a bomb somewhere for him to find. She was worried. Not about some bomb that was probably fictitious anyway, but about Mac, about the look she'd seen in his eyes. "Just tell me what he needs," she'd said. "We can't afford to lose him again."

And Jack knew she didn't mean Phoenix either, she meant them, all of them. Their family.

Jack determined to find out what was up if it killed him.

And he tried. But Mac was Mac.

Jack's most recent couple of days away reminded him why sometimes a brother was the only one who could pull you up short and remind you of what was important, even if that thing was just being honest and taking care of yourself.

So … No more missions, no more favors; just a couple of Matty-sanctioned days off swilling beer and watching Die Hard until the kid coughed up what was bothering him.

But first, a decent meal, a hot shower, and a minute to get his own head back on straight after the shit he'd seen in Alaska. That was going to make for some fun nightmares, Jack was certain. He needed to clear his mind before he took on Mac's issues, too.

He fumbled for his keys, and the sort of in-your-bones tired that made the simplest things feel like climbing Everest made him drop them. He picked them up, grumbling a little about his sore muscles and general fatigue.

Finally, he got his door open. He nearly had a heart attack when he moved to toss his duffle on the couch and Mac was just sitting there.

"Jeez! Mac! What're you doing here sitting in my apartment like the world's creepiest stalker?"

Mac smirked. "That's usually my line."

"Been trying to restrain myself since you've picked up some actual stalkers."

There was a little reserve in Jack's voice, a tension. Mac's expression reflected it now. "Where've you been, Jack?"

Jack frowned. That was suspicion. He hadn't seen that expression or heard that tone since the day he'd pulled up to that trailhead and met the illustrious Sir Oversight. He answered carefully, "On a mission."

Mac shook his head. "No. You weren't. Because when you disappeared out of the office the other day, I went to Matty and I maybe got in her face a little about her sending you off again without talking to the team."

Jack felt his hackles go up. Last thing any of them needed right now was Mac pushing back against any directives from the higher ups. It drew attention. Not many people knew about Oversight's relationship to Mac, and Jack liked it that way. Mac had enough of a target on his back just being Mac without also being known as the son of a highly placed official in the intelligence community.

Jack's brain replayed the way Mac had looked when he'd escaped from Murdoc's torture room more than a year ago. Him acting any differently from other agents might trip somebody's Spidey senses. He shuddered and demanded, "What the hell for?"

Mac swallowed hard, his head dipping to try to cover the look he knew had passed over his face. "Because she keeps separating us, sending us off without each other. Or maybe I should say Oversight does … and she's okay with it. When we went after The Ghost we didn't take anyone from Security."

"What?" Jack was suddenly furious again. With Matty. Not bringing him was one thing. She never said they didn't take anyone from Security. And no wonder. He'd have probably strangled her. And then dragged the senior MacGyver out of his office by the throat too. That was insane. And it wasn't the way any of them had agreed to operate.

Mac acted like he didn't hear him. "And when you were in Brazil … you guys should have had someone who … someone like me… You went in with just security and intel guys. Dividing Phoenix like that … it's going back to the DXS days of black ops and unsanctioned missions that no one else will take. Guys like me wind up back in the lab and guys like you just wind up behind a scope … or in front of one." Mac swallowed and shook his head like he needed to clear it. "And … It's a dangerous …" With a conscious effort that would have been visible from the ISS, Mac stopped himself. "You know what? That's not the point. The point is you weren't on a mission. You took some vacation days, she said, but she looked really cagey … And …"

Jack leaned forward, still a little hurt, a little angry at the suspicion, not to mention at what was going on at Phoenix, but also starting to sense that this was coming from something deeper going on with his partner. "And what, kid?"

"Are you ..?" Mac trailed off. He was breathing too fast, his face was flushed … He knew it, and he hated it. He couldn't lose anything or anyone else important in his life right now, couldn't stand one more upheaval.

He took a slow, deep breath.

It was the type Jack recognized from their bomb disposal days - the wire cutting everything's going to be okay or we're going to be in fiery pieces and I'm not sure which breath.

"Mac? What is it?" When Mac didn't immediately answer Jack got up and sat next to him on the couch. He put and hand on Mac's shoulder. Mac's eyes finally met his again. There was real pain there. "C'mon, kid. What's this about?"

"Are you okay, Jack?"

Jack's eyes widened. "I … yeah, kid. Of course I am. What's …"

Mac interrupted. "Riley said." He stopped; didn't even trail off. He just stopped like that was the end of the sentence.

Okay, the kid was worried; losing sleep worried. That was so very Mac. First of all, the kid just had about the biggest and best heart of anyone Jack had ever known. And secondly, Mac was going through some pretty intensely emotional stuff this last year, and most especially the last few months. Focusing on others was his natural response to not wanting or maybe not being able to handle that.

"She tell you about my back going out on me when I was fixing her sink, did she?" he asked mildly, leaning back casually to communicate how not a big deal it was.

Mac sighed. "She told me you asked her to drive you to an appointment with a specialist after that, too. And that you asked her not to say anything. You asked her not to say anything to me. Specifically."

"Mac, look …"

"Why?" he asked bluntly.

This time Jack sighed. Then he shrugged. Then he smiled just a little when he thought to himself that he was picking up some legit bad habits from Mac. The only way to wipe that hurt, suspicious look off the kid's face was to be honest. About this anyway.

"Because you were there when I hurt my back that first time. And because no matter how many damn times I tell you that wasn't your fault, you get all guilty and weird every time I so much as get a twinge there."

"Is it bad?" Mac asked almost bleakly, remembering all too vividly that Jack had broken, not just hurt, not even simply injured, but broken his back. And he'd done it bailing Mac out of a bind before he was even an agent.

"Well, I'm not gettin' any younger, kid … But … It's not gonna take me out of the game. Not yet anyway. I got it looked at because I took a fall when I was trying to go after Mareks. It's been kind of miserable off and on. I wanted to be sure I hadn't done something really stupid."

"Okay …" Mac's face deepened into a real frown. He'd wondered about that quite a bit, but he'd kept himself from asking. Now he found he needed to know. "Did Oversight send you after him when I walked out, Jack?"

Jack's eyebrows went up. "Um …"

"He did didn't he? Sent you after him because of Walsh and told you you couldn't tell anyone. That wasn't about getting me to come back, or if it was it was just why you agreed to it. That was an off the books op, sanctioned by the boss. That son of a bitch," Mac finished almost under his breath.

"I did want you to come back," Jack offered.

"I'm sorry about how I left, Jack." He ran his hands through his hair. "Sorry I went to Nigeria … I'm just … sorry."

Jack figured he should let that go. Mac didn't need to unpack all of that right now.

"Anyhow …" Jack said, not answering the question, and thereby totally answering it. "I did something dumb and it was bothering me. Wanted to make sure I didn't bend or break one of the screws in there or somethin'. It's good though. I didn't want to mention it because of … how you get."

Mac's shoulders relaxed a little and his mouth relaxed into a familiar wry half smile. "If I'm a little protective of my partner maybe that partner should take it under consideration that I had to learn it from somewhere."

Jack chuckled. "I guess you probably did, bud."

"So, where were you? You know, if your back is really okay and Phoenix didn't send you?"

Jack looked away for a moment.

"Dalton," Mac said with what was meant to sound like a teasing warning, but which had a slightly serious note nonetheless.

"My cousins needed a hand," he finally answered, no longer making eye contact.

"Cousins?"

Jack puffed out a breath through inflated cheeks. "Yeah. You know, Dean and Sam."

Mac frowned again "I … oh." Jack knew that for a minute Mac hadn't had any idea what he was talking about. Mac's brain had done a great job, not just compartmentalizing what had happened in that little border town in Texas, but blocking it out altogether. "Why didn't you call me? I would have gone and helped you guys with …" Mac paled a little and cleared his throat. "With whatever."

Jack shook his head. "Not that I don't appreciate it, brother, but I think you've been through enough lately without me draggin' you into any of their special brand of crazy. Outside that cave in Los Reyes was about the most scared for you I've ever been and I'm counting the thing with O'Neill, Cairo, Lake Cómo, and all the stuff with Murdoc on the list."

Mac gave a tired little chuckle. "Since I don't really remember much about it other than getting hurt and the flight home, I guess I'll have to take your word that me and the Winchesters are oil and water as far as you're concerned." He sighed, and Jack frowned. "I … just maybe give me the option next time? Staying home on my own is … It's not good right now."

Jack sat forward again. "What is goin' on in your head, Mac? Other than you convincing yourself I was dying or, worse keeping work secrets, or whatever other nonsense that ginormous brain comes up with the second it can't explain something."

"I don't know." Mac got up and paced around absently for a couple of minutes, rearranging knick knacks, then grinning when he found Jack's bowl of paper clips. He grabbed a couple and sat back down, this time across from Jack like maybe he needed some distance from his partner to admit what was on his mind. He started unwinding the paperclips and fidgeting with them.

"Seriously, bud, what has you so wound up in knots now that you know I'm all good. You've always liked your space, your downtime. What's changed?"

Mac sighed. "It's stupid." Jack's eyebrows went up, just inviting Mac to keep talking with his silence. After a minute he did. "I feel like someone is watching me. All the time." Mac held up his hand before Jack could say anything. "I know how that sounds. And I know after everything with Murdoc, the stuff that happened with the Ghost … I know it even makes sense to maybe feel a little paranoid."

"Not to mention the stuff with Walsh and finding out who your old man is and that he directed half your life and … I'm gonna just shut up now," Jack said, taking in the expression his contribution put on his friend's face.

Another tired sigh.

"Anyways … I'd rather be busy. And I'd rather know what's up with you. Everyone who's had their eye on me has had their eye on you, too. For years now. Let's … let's just keep each other in the loop, okay?"

What he didn't say was that so much had happened not just around him but to him, so many people he should have been able to trust had kept things from him, he couldn't stand it coming from Jack. Even Bozer's secret girlfriend had cut Mac in a way he couldn't explain. He understood when Boze didn't talk about assignments he wasn't read in on. That was work. That was part of the job. But dating Leanna? That was just sort of a normal secret. But he hadn't shared it. And he still seemed to expect Mac to share everything, still sometimes spoke with resentment about Mac not telling him about his job before their first run in with Murdoc.

"If you say no," Mac managed in a familiar joking tone, "I'm going to make you Skype with Cage every time you go out of town so she can interrogate you."

He'd tried to lighten up his tone so Jack decided to just nod. He knew Mac was torturing himself over what the Ghost had said, say nothing about Murdoc using people Mac cared about against him. He didn't need to rub salt in those wounds now by holding Mac at a distance, even if he thought it was better for the kid. Mac had had enough of people deciding they knew what he needed without consulting him.

"You got it, kid. Even if I have to go out of town for family business again, I'll at least tell you, even if I don't think you should tag along."

Mac seemed to relax more fully, finally letting go of the ball of tension at his core. "Alright. But you're really all good?"

"Yeah, Mac, I really am."

Mac tossed the bent paperclips onto the table. "Good. I should go. Boze is gonna be home for a change and he wants to do a little cookout. You wanna come? Or you too tired for whatever you got up to with your cousins?"

He was too tired, but he wasn't going to say so. Not now. "Burgers?" he asked with a grin.

"And bratwurst I think," Mac answered with a reasonably sincere grin.

"Oh hell yeah. I'm in." Jack tilted his head toward his bedroom. "Gimme ten to clean up and change and I'll follow you over."

Mac readily agreed and texted Bozer they'd be over soon. He puttered around the apartment while Jack took the world's quickest shower. Jack came out a few minutes later and sat down on the couch to lace his boots. The shine of light off the paperclips caught his eye. It was an ornate angel wing. He still made these every now and then. For a while after Los Reyes they were all he seemed to make. Jack didn't think he even realized it. He slipped it into his pocket without mentioning it, thinking maybe he'd give Dean a call later and see what he thought about it.

By the time they'd gotten down the back stairs and into their cars, Mac seemed much more relaxed. He did glance around the parking lot like he was expecting a threat to materialize out of the dark. Jack looked around too, just in case.

There was nothing there, and Jack couldn't miss Mac's sigh as he climbed into his Jeep. Jack shook his head regretfully. Mac didn't deserve to feel like this. Honestly he deserved the bright smiles and relaxed shoulders that went with his temporary home in Nigeria, he deserved the acceptance and protection that community seemed to offer him.

Jack pulled out of his parking spot sighing nearly as deeply as Mac. There's no threat, not right now, he assured himself.

The eyes watching from the shadows knew he was wrong.

They melted back and disappeared to make their report to the one who'd sent them.