Okay, so it seemed like you guys liked my OC's in 'Carrying the Weight of the World on Your Shoulders' (phew, that's a long title) And at least one of you requested that I'd put them in more of my fics.

Guess this is the first real attempt of a team-up between the Phoenix Foundation and LAB

Alex cussed as his knee buckled. This was seriously bad timing. And he hadn't even done anything that would explain why it buckled just now. He hadn't jumped, he hadn't run, he hadn't landed poorly. He even had his weight centered over the damn leg. No reason for it to buckle…

"You good there, buddy?" Jack asked a little worried, he got a little more worried when he saw the 6'4'' tall brunet steadying his right leg.

"Yeah, just need to have a checkup on my knee…" Alex sighed, rubbing out the ache which was presenting itself. He was desperately hoping that this wasn't some sick foreshadowing of how the mission would go from this point on.

"Checkup?"

"Yeah, think I've torn my cruciate ligaments again…" Alex admitted as he straightened up and tested if his knee still worked correctly.

"Like, now?" Jack asked alarmed.

"No, a few weeks ago…" Alex said as he gradually put more weight on the leg, then took a few limping steps judging his ability to continue with the mission. "Okay, we're all good…"

"You sure?" Jack asked, scanning Alex's face for any real clues about the state of the younger man's injury.

"Yeah, Kim would probably just request that I'd 'grow a pair'… Trust me, not really anything to worry about…" Okay, his brother wouldn't do that. He would probably go all protective mode and demand to check his knee out right there on the spot. But Alex didn't want Jack to know that, and he certainly didn't want Jack to worry too much about him. He was good, he'd been on missions in worse conditions than this.

Jack wasn't convinced, but he nodded and continued walking. "How's Kim doing by the way?"

"As well as any dude who has recently taken a bullet through the shoulder can hope for, I guess…" Alex shrugged, "Sure would have been easier for him without the family curse…"

"Family curse?"

"ADHD, resting up is mild torture..."

"Amen to that…" Jack agreed, grinning.

"Wait, you have it too?"

"I'm a 35 year old dude who punches people for a living. Is it so hard to believe?"

"Not as hard as trying to believe that you're 35…" Alex chuckled, "You should really up that to 40, much more believable."

"39, does that work?"

"Sure…" Alex rolled his eyes, "When you're done with your midlife crisis, do you think we can get going and actually stop this dictator?"

"Oh, sorry… I was only stopping because your wear and tear were bothering ya… Sure you're not a 60 year old in a young-suit?" Jack shot back with a smile.

"Nice one, gramps… Nice one…" the 24 year old nodded. "Real clever…"

MACGYVERxLAB

MEANWHILE BACK AT HOME

"How are my two favorite guys doing?" Riley asked as she entered her living room, almost smirking at the sight of Mac and Kim. Both of them were looking a little helpless in their current state.

"Oh, good…" Kim answered, shrugging his right shoulder. "Just a little bit jealous of those two who actually got to go out in the field… But, I get to stay here with you two."

Mac smiled, and looked down at the boot holding the severely sprained ankle stable.

"It is a little weird knowing that your partner is out there on a mission without you…" Mac nodded along, "But they needed the best of the best available, so… Agency team-up…"

Kim nodded, "Would have been fun to be on this mission… Sounded like it was a set up for one of those real old time missions dad and his mates talks about from time to time…"

"Okay?"

"Yeah, you know… Real cowboy-up kinda missions, Alex would probably refer to John McClane or some stuff..."

"Oh crap, we've got two times Jack Dalton on a mission alone…" Riley realized.

That was enough for Mac to start laughing and for Kim to smirk.

"Honestly, I'd be more afraid of having two Alexander Coles together on a mission. Because that spells trouble…" Kim said tapping the knuckles of his right hand on his knee.

"I've never seen him in action, but the last camping trip I joined in on was wild…" Mac remembered.

"Trust me, that camping trip is nothing compared to how he gets on missions." Kim warned.

"Okay, so you're saying the fate of the free world is left to…?"

"To two hyperactive guys, one with the attention span of a five-year-old and the other with severe ability to get into trouble… Yup…" Kim nodded.

"And we're not quite sure which is which…" Mac groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Jack knows how to concentrate…" Riley frowned

"Yeah, Alex does too…" Kim shrugged his good shoulder again.

"But they both know how to get sidetracked too…" Mac offered.

"Exactly…" Kim agreed.

MACGYVERxLAB

"So… What's the plan now?" Alex asked as they stood outside the door where they expected the dictator and his security guys to be.

"Hey, don't look at me man…"

"You're the oldest, I figured you were the leader of this mission. Well, that and because that scary little boss-lady of yours put your name on the top of the mission plan."

"Well, I relied on you being the planner. After all, you and your brother share that task on your missions right?"

"Nah, Kim does the real planning. I do the 'hope-this-works-and-we-don't-die' planning…"

"Oh, but hey… I haven't really been on the planning side of missions since Kabul, and that's ten years ago, easy!" Jack whispered back, urgency in his tone.

"Well, if I'm the brains of this operation, we're in some deep shit…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm not a fan of this, but what do you say the plan is to just wing it?"

"Best plan so far…" Alex shrugged, "Might as well hope Lady Luck keeps us safe."

"Man I hate this…" Jack admitted, tightening his grip around his AK.

"I have to admit, I do find comfort in the illusion of having a plan…"

"Illusion?" Jack looked up with a puzzled frown.

"Even the best laid plans can go sideways…"

"And that's the story behind Cairo…"

"Cairo?"

"Tell you later, gonna need some alcohol before that wound gets ripped open…"

Alex nodded, "Mission gone bad?"

"Worst mission gone bad up until now…" Jack chuckled grimly. "So, are we just gonna kick down the door?"

"Guess so…" Alex grimaced, "Look, no offence, you're a great guy… But I really, really, PASSIONATELY HATE being on missions with anyone else than Kim…"

"Kid, I feel the exact same way…" Jack said, baring his teeth. "There's no routine when you're out with new fellas…"

Alex nodded, "You feel like we're both the same pole of a battery? That we're the negative one, and right now we should have Kim or Mac so that we would function?"

"Not in quite so many words, but yeah…" Jack looked at the door again, "Think it's best if we just go for it though… Either that, or this mission is going to fail by default…"

"May I get the honors of kicking down the door?"

"Thought your knee was hurt?"

"I usually kick with my left…"

"Okay, go for it!" Jack nodded, standing back to offer Alex some space.

Okay, so… Had to cut it short now. Hope you enjoyed!

(Oh, and about the back and forth between A and J at the end here… Chalk it up to it being their first mission together, and without their 'better halves' [Not that Mac and Kim are better than Jack and Alex, but M and K are more brainy… J and A are the muscles…] And they really should have remembered that before they were smack in the middle of their mission.)