Desi's cell phone beeped. She checked the incoming message, then sped past the off-ramp that led to the offsite Phoenix training facility.
"That was our exit," Mac gestured behind him.
"Nope! Venue's been changed," she replied slickly.
Mac shot her a sideways glance. "So where're we going?"
"Just a little further," she murmured, scanning the overhead signboards. She'd lived in the city long enough to know her way around this part of LA without a GPS. "This is where we turn off." She flicked on the indicator and left the freeway, heading towards a vacant area that had been marked for development.
Mac's forehead creased. He scanned his cell. Nobody had notified him of any changes in plans. And this vicinity didn't look right.
"You sure?"
"We're in the right place, MacGyver," she asserted, gearing down and turning into a building site. The concrete shell of a high-rise office under construction loomed ahead, metal scaffolding set against the side. A tiny strip of fabric fixed to the upmost metal bar fluttered like a mesmerized butterfly. Mac's eyes lit up.
"We're not here for training!"
"You'll need to go to the sixth floor to see if you're right," Desi shrugged, a light smile playing on her lips. She parked and slipped out ahead of Mac with her gun in hand. They both headed into the building and Mac started up the raw concrete stairs.
"Coming?" he glanced over his shoulder. Desi had moved into the shadows of the interior, her back to the wall. From there she was well positioned to watch the entrance yet remain mostly unnoticed.
"No." She nodded at the stairs. "Go!"
Mac jogged to the top. Across the unfinished floor, a few yards away, a wooden plank balanced on paint drums was set with two take-out cups and a brown paper bag. Mac grinned like a kid whose solar powered science project had illuminated the lab!
"Jack?"
"Hey, buddy!" the former Delta grinned, appearing from behind a half-built wall near the stairs. Mac spun round. Jack pulled the blond into a hug, then held him at arm's length to give him a once over. Other than a bruise fading on his jaw and a few scrapes on his hand, Mac looked well. Talking to Mac over Skype ranked nowhere close to seeing him in the flesh and a flood of relief washed over Jack.
"I'm glad our little family's doing their job!"
Mac shook his head, face still fixed in a grin. Some things about Jack would never change, including helicopter parenting, it seemed. But he was fine with that. In fact, he'd sort of missed it. Not that he'd admit that to Jack. The consistency was just… comforting. He felt a warm glow of happiness.
"Jack, it's good to see you!"
Jack slung his arm over Mac's shoulders and headed towards the improvised table. How he had missed the kid! Seven months away from home had dragged like seven years. But it all melted away in this moment, and it was like he'd never left.
"Sorry for all the secrecy, bud. I wanted to see you, but wasn't sure it would be possible. Matty and Desi helped make it happen, so I thought we'd catch up over breakfast. This place isn't as fancy as your patio," he waggled his eyebrows, "But we still get a view of the sunrise over the city!"
"You've kinda made it feel like home," Mac chuckled, the take outs reminding him of leisurely breakfasts with Jack and Bozer on Saturday mornings. He settled on the plank next to the coffees and prised the lid off one of the cups, sniffing the caramel coffee aroma that only Tasha's brewed. The beverage was an easy drinking temperature, so Jack had been here for a while. Taking a sip, he turned to Jack.
"How's the mission going?"
"We got close, but Kovac had a lucky break," Jack frowned, seating himself on the other side of the plank next to the paper bag. "Turns out the bastard has a wide network of support and his scumbags are happy to protect him even as we take them down!"
"So how's it that you're back home? You're not injured, are you, Jack?"
"Naw," he shook his head, picking up the edge of concern in Mac's tone. "Kovac knows we're after him, so he's laying low. I need to do some digging to find his trail again." He sighed. Kovac had managed to operate off the grid for a decade and could do so again. His biggest worry was that the mission would evolve into a long-term assignment spanning years. He could not, would not, let that happen!
He carefully tore open the bag. "Help yourself, bud!"
Mac picked out a bagel filled with cream cheese. He tilted his head and grinned. "You remember the last time we ate in a concrete shell was in the Sandbox?"
"Yeah," Jack chuckled, taking one for himself. "That was a feast of note!"
"Except it wasn't your food!" Mac snorted.
"We earned it fair and square, bud! Sanders owed us after the way he treated us. You know, we were only meant to help collapse that observation point in Kandahar. But we slaved the entire day in the sun, pulling up razor wire, taking down trip-flares, burning garbage and doing all the other crappy jobs of grunts, while that punk and his unit sat on the hill as overwatch and watched us work! Then we found out he had appropriated our cots! Two days before we were to leave for base camp!"
Mac's mouth curled up. "And you decided it was payback time!"
"Well, yeah, bud! We couldn't just let somethin' like that go!" He indignantly dusted sesame seeds off his jeans. "We figured our EOD bomb nerd could provide the perfect legitimate distraction – "
"Which is why you ordered me to present a safety demo to Sanders' unit!" Mac finished with mock indignation. "With them out of the way, you could raid their junk food stash!"
"Not ordered, bud; persuaded!" Jack grinned, fondly thinking of the cocky, fresh-faced kid who selectively followed his instructions. "In any case, while you kept them busy, we struck gold! Crisps, cookies, chocolate, candy, cans of Pepsi! Imagine your best year of trick or treating, and it was better than that! In minutes we had cleared out their booty and stashed it in an artillery vehicle. We snuck some out and chowed it that night, but there was still plenty left over for the next day."
Mac remembered that part well. The plan was for Jack's unit to meet up to finish the loot after they cleared explosive ordnance from the main artery that led into the once highly populated, dusty Afghan town. There'd been little activity since the last unit had patrolled that area and, much to Jack's surprise, Mac had cleared their section in record time.
As they were the first to be done, Jack chose a shelled out building a few streets off the main road where the neighborhood was quiet. Roadside bombs and mortar shells had damaged the walls, but the openness offered a good vantage point from which to keep an eye on the locals. Mac tied a small piece of fabric to a metal rod protruding from the wall, which extended over the street, to indicate to the others where they were.
Then the men arrived, patting him on the back and dishing out high-fives like he was a member of their unit. He'd told them he hadn't actually done much, but Jack said every effort counted towards the team's success. He smiled. It felt good to be included in Jack's team!
He swallowed the last of his bagel and shook the crumbs off his shirt. The sun was up and the cups were empty. The builders would soon be arriving for work. Jack stretched out his legs then stood up, his muscles tensing in preparation for the day ahead, perhaps a journey into unknown territory, and a future that wasn't entirely certain. Mac felt a stab of pain at the anticipation of another goodbye.
"Let me come with you, Jack! I can help you find Kovac!"
It was not his intention to sound desperate or pleading, but somehow it tumbled out that way. Right now he didn't care; he was willing to do anything, however trivial it seemed, not to lose Jack!
Jack's face softened. Mac could see the turmoil in Jack's eyes and the slight tremor that ran through his body as he drew on his reserves of strength.
To shake his head.
He crouched in front of Mac, catching his eyes. As much as he wanted the kid to come with him – they were partners, for crying out loud, and Mac was more than capable in pretty much any damn situation – an assassin's world was strictly off limits.
"Mac, you know I can't do that," he said gently. "More than anything I want to keep you safe. When this is over, and I want it to be over soon, I'll come back. And then I'll never leave again."
Mac breathed sharply. How could he have imagined Jack would change his mind? The words had escaped his lips and now that they were out there, he – and Jack – had to deal with them. He looked away, nodding numbly, not wanting to burden Jack with his pain when Jack needed to focus his full attention on the task at hand to stay alive.
Jack straightened out. He knew Mac was hurting because of him. Mac had trusted that Jack would stay. And now, Jack feared if he was to stay there much longer, his resolve would crumble. He held out his hand and, when Mac took it, he pulled the blond to his feet.
Mac glanced at Jack, the sincerity in his eyes almost overwhelming. "At least promise you'll let me know if I can help you, even if it's to provide a distraction."
"You have my word, hoss! Now, it's not good to keep ladies waiting…"
"Thanks, Jack!" Mac smiled. "You coming down?"
"Nah, I'll thank Desi later." He placed his hand on Mac's shoulder. "Take care, bud! And tell Bozer to have his pancake mix ready, because next breakfast will be on your patio!"
"I look forward to that," Mac chuckled. "Look after yourself, Jack."
As Mac's footsteps faded down the stairwell, Jack retrieved his bag from behind the half-wall. He took out his bulletproof vest and put it on, a habit that had saved his life in recent weeks after a close encounter with one of Kovac's henchmen. He pulled his jacket back on and zipped it closed, then waved to Desi and returned Mac's salute as they reached her Jeep. Desi reversed, then turned towards the freeway, and soon the Jeep was swallowed up in traffic.
Jack sat on the floor and let out a deep breath. Family meant the world to him. He would finish the job and come back home.
This time, for good.
I'm kind of tempted to add another chapter or 2, so my attempt at 'fluff' might get some 'whump'.