This is my first attempt at a Fan Fiction. I have always been a MacGyver and Stargate SG 1 fan. I love the way that Richard Dean Anderson portrays the characters.

I don't own Paramount, or the rights to MacGyver and I am not profiting by writing this story. I am simply doing it for my amusement, and yours, I hope.

Chapter 1 - Striking the Match

Mac was in his office, catching up on some paperwork. In fact, he had just gotten back from his assignment in Eastern Europe last night, and was feeling the effects of jet lag. The only reason he came into the office was to finish his report and hand it in to Pete. His phone buzzed, and his hand hovered over it a few seconds, before answering it.

"Mac here."

"Hi Mac, it's Pete. Can you come down to my office for a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Sure, no problem. Be there in five."

He hung up the phone, hoping that it wasn't another foreign assignment, he just wanted to go home and sleep. He made his way down to Pete's office, Helen nodding at him as he opened the office door and entered.

Pete gestured to the chair as he finished up on the phone, then grinned as he hung up. "Mac, I know you're tired, but I think you'll be interested in this?

Mac sat down heavily in the chair across from Pete. The signs of tiredness showing on his face.

"Not another assignment, please Pete. Let me sleep for a week first!"

His boss laughed. "No ...... not another assignment, per se, more like a small project. "Remember that homeless shelter that we wanted to set up? The board finally approved the funding, and I'm scouting the two final locations this afternoon. But I could use another set of eyes - would you be interested in joining me?"

"Are you serious? You mean we're actually going to do it? Sure!"Mac smiled. He had wanted to be a part of this from the beginning , but the Board of Directors had placed it on the back burner, citing financial funding could not be guaranteed. It had only been approved recently, thanks to a generous donation of a Fortune 500 company.

"Why don't we go for lunch, and I'll fill you in on the details. We don't have to be there until 1 p.m."

"Are you buying?"

Pete rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm buying."

At a bistro around the corner from Phoenix, Pete elaborated on what type of building they were looking for - a two story building with a workable frame, since starting from scratch would eat up too much of the budget. The project - "A Hand Up, Not Out" was to help homeless people start over, offering them a 'hand up, not hand out'. Mac, Pete and one or two other personnel from Phoenix would run it and hire the homeless to work in it as administrative employees, and counselors, depending on qualifications of course. Several doctors and nurses were willing to volunteer their services to give the homeless physicals, etc. and once given the go ahead, the participants would clean, cook and work in the shelter for more than minimum wage. After three months, (or however long it took, depending on the case) they would be encouraged to leave the shelter, with proper counseling , and move on to their own dwelling while applying for jobs in the mainstream of society. It was a beneficial project for Phoenix, the community, but mostly for the disadvantaged. Mac was thrilled to finally be a part of it.

At 12:45 pm, they left the bistro and walked back to Phoenix. They ended up taking Mac's jeep to the first location. It was near the waterfront, but close to the factories, and the rougher neighborhoods. As Mac pulled into the almost empty parking lot, they saw the real estate agent, Rob Burns, standing in front of the shell of a burned out building.

"It caught fire two nights ago, but I didn't find out until I got here. I'm afraid you'd have to start from scratch."

Mac and Pete took a brief look at the lot. Right away they knew it wouldn't serve it's purpose - not to mention that they didn't care much for the location.

"What's the other building like? Can we take a look at it?" Mac asked.

The agent nodded. It was an abandoned warehouse about four blocks from where they were, but closer to downtown. They followed behind the agent's Toyota Corolla. Soon they pulled up to a huge, two-story storage facility. Although the building run down, covered with graffiti, and showed some weak spots in the roof and foundation, it was exactly what they wanted.

"The owner was found to be involved in a large drug-trafficking ring, and the LAPD narcotics squad took him down in a sting a year ago. Since then, it's been up for auction twice with no takers, so they decided to try and list it with me. As it stands, they're willing to take $100,000 for it." Rob said.

Mac and Pete just looked at each other in amazement, and couldn't believe their luck. It was everything they hoped, and more. The agent took out the keys and unlocked the huge bay door, although, it wasn't really necessary, Mac noticed. There were broken and missing windows on every side of the building. As the agent pushed the door to the side, the outside light trickled into the building, but it wasn't enough to light up the dark corners. Mac went to his jeep and retrieved two flashlights, handing one to Rob.

"The power been off for the last year....," he informed them, as he took the flashlight. Mac had smelled better places - this one stunk of animal feces and urine, along with traces of mold. The main office was to the right of them, guarded by a wrought iron door. To the left, there was about 100 storage lockers, all about 10x10 feet. Broken locks scattered the floor, where forgotten and repossessed belongings had been ransacked by thieves. There were signs that various forms of wildlife had made it their home, as well as the occasional homeless person. Mac shook his head at the mess, but felt that the structure itself was sound enough to work with.

They were looking around when Mac heard a rather distinctive shuffling noise, coming from one of the lockers on the far end. Pete heard it as well, and picked up a broken pipe off the floor for protection. They crept slowly towards the noise, then Mac slowly opened the door. He saw a young woman, about 5'1, small, with two forearm crutches. She looked like she was about 35 years old. She was wearing an over-sized jacket, and her clothes were baggy, like she had lost a lot of weight. Her hair was straggly, and her face and hands were dirty. Her face and eyes showed fear as she looked at the three newcomers. She didn't look like she had been on the street for long. Mac noticed an opened backpack in the corner, full of clothes, and a purse. Pete quietly put the pipe down, while Mac gave him the flashlight to hold as he slowly approached her.

"It's okay...I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Mac...what's yours?"

She shook her head no, as she slowly shuffled backwards into the corner.

"Don't be afraid. I want to help," and held out his hand.

She started to edge herself along the wall, moving closer to the door. Pete moved into the entrance way, effectively blocking her path. She started to hyperventilate.

"We're not going to hurt you. We just want to help," Pete urged.

She shook her head no. As Mac edged closer, she started to panic. She dropped her crutch, and took out a piece of glass from her front pocket, holding it threateningly. She could feel the glass cutting into her hand. She hadn't eaten for days, and she knew she would lose this fight. But she was afraid to trust this stranger.

"Look - there's no need for that! I'm not going to hurt you!"

He inched his way closer, trying to reassure her/distract her. In two steps, he was able to grasp her wrist and threw the piece of glass to the other side of the room. He secured his hold her wrist, and grasped her right hand on her crutch, so she couldn't hit him with it.

"Pete. Can you come in here and move this chair under her so she can sit down?"

Pete nodded, and quietly moved the chair.

"Here, sit down. Try to take slow, deep breaths...okay?"

She saw the concern in his eyes, and tried to concentrate on her breathing as she sat heavily on the chair, Mac crouched down in front of her.

"That's it - take it nice and slow." He turned to Pete. "Can I borrow your tie?"

"Sure Mac," and pulled off his tie, handing it to him. Mac wrapped it around her hand and tied a knot. Pete's expression said exactly what he was thinking. "Sorry Pete. I'll buy you a new one." Pete just smirked.

After a few minutes, her breathing returned to normal.

"So.....feel like telling me your name?"

"Lynne..." she whispered so softly, Mac barely heard her.

"Nice to meet you Lynne, I'm Mac and this is Pete."

"Hi. How long have you been here?" Pete asked.

The girl just shrank back into the chair. Pete handed Mac the flashlight, then excused himself, knowing Mac had made a connection with the girl. Pete and the agent retreated outside to make the final arrangements on the purchase of the building. Mac didn't even realize that they had left.

"How long have you been on the streets?"

"I don't know. About a month I guess...I'm not really sure."

"So you've been living here?"

She nodded.

"Who are you hiding from?

Her eyes showed shock, and she refused to answer.

"Too fast huh?" he hesitated. "Are you hungry?"

A tear ran down her cheek as she nodded yes. Mac put his hand up to brush away the tear and she cringed.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" he took out his handkerchief and handed it to her. She dabbed away the tears running down her cheeks.

"How about you come with me? We'll get you something to eat and maybe a shower and some clean clothes. Are you up for that?"

She looked at him quizzically.

"Why..?" she said quietly.

"Because you didn't turn me into Swiss cheese with the broken shard of glass. Because you shouldn't be in here, it's dangerous. Because...I care," he admitted.

"Oh..." she whispered, and hung her head. She nodded so fast, Mac would have missed it if he hadn't been watching her.

She used her crutch to pull the backpack towards her, and threw some little stuff in and closed it. Mac got her other crutch and brought it over to her. She stood up and swayed, and Mac reached out to steady her.

"A little dizzy?"

"I'm okay."

She wasn't really, her head was spinning. But she didn't want to admit her weakness, she was just tired of looking in garbage cans for her meals. She forced herself to pick up her bag, and Mac reached over to take it.

"I'll carry that for you." He could tell that she wasn't well, that she needed to see a doctor. But thought that he could talk her into going after a shower and a meal.

He swung it onto his back, then kept his left hand on her back while she shuffled towards the door. She took a look back into the room, then continued walking. Mac led her outside the building, towards his jeep. He put the bag in the back, then watched as she got in the front, and closed the door. He walked over to Pete and the agent, who were discussing their schedules.

"I'm signing the papers tomorrow morning - then we'll let the lawyers take care of it. Obviously, we picked the neighborhood," he gestured towards the jeep.

Mac nodded. "I'm going to take Lynne home and get her a good meal. Maybe she'll tell me what's going on. She's only been there for three weeks - but I have the feeling she's running from something."

Pete nodded.

"Just be careful Mac! Rob's offered me a ride back to the Foundation. Keep me in the loop okay? And be careful!"

"Sure Pete."

Mac slid into the driver's side of the jeep. He looked over and saw that she had fallen asleep. He started the jeep and headed towards the marina.