Hello my dear readers! Welcome to a new story! I got the idea of this as I was thinking of a plot for a new one shot on my other fanfic "Collection of One Shots" but the more I thought about this idea that literally struck me today while I was on the beach, the more complicated it got and I knew I couldn't make it a one shot, so I decided to write a multichapter. I didn't include it on the one shots like "Vacation Time" because at least there I had a rough idea of having a maximum of 5 chapters. Here though, I have absolutely no idea where this might go.

Don't worry, I'll keep updating "Collection of One Shots", I just haven't found the right plot to develop on the next one, so, prompts are welcomed for that too!

Now, as I said before, I have no idea where this might be going since I only have the main plot figured out, but not exactly how I'll develop the story. I'll let my imagination take its cue from your reviews and thoughts, so don't forget to review!

Now… on with the show!

CHAPTER 1: Running

It was almost 11:00 p.m. and Mac was still running.

He hadn't had the chance to go out running in a while, what with all the missions they'd had to do recently, and he certainly missed the exercise and the time alone.

Mac loved running. It was one of his favorite activities to let out some steam whenever the stress of everyday life or his job got to be too much, but it was also a time he enjoyed because it seemed like whenever he went running, his mind just shut off for a while. It was the only time his brain just stopped thinking and he found that he needed the quiet it offered from time to time, not even being able to do so when he was asleep. Right now, the only thing his brain was focused on was the road ahead of him and putting one foot in front of the other. Using the slight burn of his muscles as fuel to forget about everything else and just keep running.

After another half hour of running, he finally decided to slow down and start making his way back, since he had already run a pretty good distance; just as it was, he was going to be arriving home way past midnight. He still kept a light pace as he made his way back, thinking that maybe he had overdone it a little bit but not finding it in himself to actually care, because the peace and quiet of the run had been totally worth it.

He had just turned around the corner that would guide him to his house further down the road when a small weight suddenly slammed into him from the left. He stumbled but was able to regain his balance before falling to the floor, which is where he was looking now because the person that had ran into him hadn't been as lucky and had ended up sprawled on the sidewalk.

"Hey, you okay?" Mac asked, bending down to check that the person on the floor was indeed okay and taken aback because the image that greeted him under the dim glow of the street lights was one of a child, no older than 8 or 9, wiping tears from his eyes and trying to hide his sniffling. When the kid looked up at Mac, fresh tears started to pool in his eyes and the look of utter despair in the kid's face made something deep inside Mac stir. The kid's cheeks were flushed, his eyes big as sausages and swelled from crying. His lips trembled with the effort.

When he got no reply from the boy, Mac tried again, bending down and resting on his hills to get into a leveled position in front of him.

"Are you okay? Did you hurt when you fell?" he asked. Maybe the kid was crying because the fall had injured him. Mac wasn't exactly a big guy, but for a kid that small, he must have felt like running into a wall. But the kid shook his head no "Okay. Need help getting up?" the kid eyed his offered hand suspiciously and then reluctantly took it. Mac got back on his feet and pulled the kid with him into a standing position.

The kid wiped at his eyes but remained looking at the ground. Mac stared at him for a second, trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation. After all, it wasn't every day that you ran into a crying boy in the middle of the night, alone in the streets

"Where are your parents? Are you alone here?" the boy stilled and suddenly took a step back, as if he was afraid of Mac. The older man frowned "what's your name?" he kept asking, waiting to see if the kid would answer any of his questions. It struck him as odd to find a kid alone at night, no parents in sight. Had he been running from something? Was he in danger? Seeing as the kid was kind of frozen in place, with a scared look on his face, Mac crouched down again and offered information about himself first "My name is Mac. I live just down the road" he said, studying the kid's reaction carefully. At his introduction, the kid looked up at him for the first time and then answered with a wavering small voice.

"My teacher says I'm not supposed to talk with strangers" and really, how do you argue with something like that?

" And that's probably really smart" Mac smiled, happy that at least the kid had talked to him "but, you know, running alone on the streets at this hour is also dangerous" he added, trying to get to the reason why the kid was alone so late at night.

"You were running alone too" touché, Mac thought with a smile. The kid was talking with a small voice, almost as if he was really afraid to be talking to Mac, but he had some wits about him, which was good for a boy his age.

"True. But I'm not a kid. Do you live nearby? Where are your parents? If you're lost, I can take you to them" Mac offered, not ready to just walk out on a scared kid in the middle of the night.

The reaction Mac had been hoping for was not the reaction he got, for the kid's eyes got bigger than they already were and his breathing started to increase in rate. The kid took a few steps back and was getting ready to run away from him, so Mac extended his arm, intent on stopping him, but before he knew what hit him, the boy turned around fast like a lightning bolt and sent a kick towards him, right between his legs.

Mac yelped and lost his balance, falling to the floor and clutching his groin in pain. Thankfully the fall wasn't hard, since he had been crouching and close to the floor already, but the kid had a strong kick. Mac was left gasping on the ground as the kid turned and bolted from his sights.

"Hey!" he watched him run and slip past the two houses nearest to the corner, and Mac painfully got up and started running after him. He reached the space between the houses and slipped through, finding the opening and then standing on the street running parallel to his own. The kid was nowhere in sight.

Mac walked slowly down the streets, trying to find the running kid or at least some evidence of where he might have gone. He found none.

There wasn't much more he could do and Mac knew that, but he still walked back to his own house somewhat reluctantly. What if the kid had been running from something dangerous? What if by not following him, he let something bad happen to him? The kid certainly looked like he could take care of himself, as much as eight-year old's could. He knew not to talk with strangers and he really had a mean kick, if the lingering pain on his private parts was anything to go by; but he was still a little boy and the look on his face when he looked into Mac's eyes for the first time had been so... Devastating.

It... It had almost reminded him of when he used to run away from his house after his mother had died to go hide from the world. He used to cry a lot then. Maybe that's what had stirred within him at seeing the crying boy. Maybe he had just reminded him of himself. Could it be that the kid had been running away from home? Maybe he had just lost one of his parents too, Mac thought sadly.

Eventually he found his way home and into the living room of his house, making sure to keep his steps light because he didn't want to wake Bozer up. Blessed Bozer that had left a plate of dinner on the table ready for him for whenever he decided to come back from his run. It wasn't the first time Mac got carried away and come back way past both their regular bedtime hour, so Bozer knew better than to wait for him awake.

He took the plate, two bottles of water from the fridge and went to his room, downing one of the water bottles on his way in, only then realizing how thirsty he had been. He showered and changed quickly before taking his dinner to bed and enjoying Bozer's signature chicken sandwich. It was never lost on Mac how every dish Bozer made ended up being a signature one, he was just that good of a cook.

While he ate, his thoughts went back to the running boy.

Who was that kid? Mac had never seen him around the neighborhood before. Or maybe he had but just couldn't place him. There were actually a lot of kids in his street and the surrounding ones. This was a very familiar neighborhood because its big houses and even bigger back or front yards made for the perfect place to raise a family, so maybe Mac had seen the kid around before and he just couldn't pinpoint him from all the rest.

But the question that had burned itself in his mind and didn't really let him get a lot of sleep that night was: what could have possibly happen to the boy that had him crying and running away like that? And... What would happen to him now?

Mac felt bad at not having done anything to help him, but what could he have done? Even if the kid hadn't slipped away from him by kicking him so harshly, what was he supposed to do? Hold on to him and make him tell him what was going on? The kid had seemed afraid enough to be talking with a stranger as it was. Take him to the police? Surely that would've been the smartest choice, but now there was nothing he could do. He could only hope the kid had found his way home and that whatever had been tormenting him wasn't so bad that it would send him running alone on the streets again.

Mac sighed and turned on his side, sleep finally claiming him. At least he would get a few hours of sleep before sunrise. He had to work and go to the office tomorrow and he didn't want two giant bags under his eyes to get everyone around him concerned about him not getting enough sleep or having nightmares or something.

He'd been having a pretty good time lately and no nightmares had plagued his dreams in weeks now. That didn't mean his friends, specially Jack, wouldn't be onto him the minute it seemed like he hadn't gotten a full night's sleep. Jack was overprotective like that, and a total mother hen too. Mac always made sure to complain and make retorts about it, although secretly he appreciated it deeply. It was just the way they rolled, denying and making jokes in public about the deep connection between them, but also reassuring their friendship, which was more like a brotherhood, with every action they made.

Finally, with another sigh and a yawn, Mac finally fell asleep.

A few houses down the road behind his house, a little 9-year-old boy cried himself to sleep, dreading the start of another day and hating himself for getting too scared and not being able to finally run away.

…

And that was the first chapter. Did you enjoy it? Please let me know what you thought of it, reviews make me the happiest person in the world and they make me want to keep writing!

See you on the next chapter!