Mac had an undeniable spring in his step as he headed toward the exit of the company infirmary. He'd busted ass in physical therapy and rehabbed his shoulder in half the projected recovery time. And that was great, but it wasn't all he'd managed.

He'd just been officially medically cleared from his shoulder injury and passed the company physical with an hour to spare to get Director Thornton the paperwork so he could be in the next class at the Clandestine Services Training Academy, all in one fell swoop. He was going to get to full agent status and go after O'Neill.

It was kind of the icing on the cake of his day.

The cake itself had been kicking Jack's ass all over the Hollywood Hills on a throwback hang-in-there run this morning before work. He normally wasn't one to rub that stuff in, but Jack was the one who'd thrown down, teasing Mac, saying he'd been slacking too much on training, galavanting all over town these days. He'd gone on to joke that Mac probably wouldn't get cleared today, seeing as how he was more interested in female company than being in secret agent shape.

Of course then he'd had to laugh and say that you also couldn't get medically cleared if you kept not showing up at the infirmary. Mac didn't point out that he'd missed those two appointments for totally legitimate reasons. However, leaving Jack in the dust had been very satisfying.

Well, that and Nikki wanted to go out again tonight.

Yeah, as far as Fridays went, this one was especially awesome.

He opened the door that led back to the small waiting area on the way to the exit and started laughing. "Don't tell me … I really did run you into a heart attack this morning, right?"

Jack chuckled in response, figuring the kid was probably surprised to see him. Mac hadn't mentioned this appointment. Jack had found out about it from Patty. He figured either Mac was planning on blowing it off again, or he was worried he wouldn't be cleared. One way or the other, Jack figured he'd better be around for it.

"That's damn near accurate, Mr. Legs Like a Gazelle, who is by the way the only person I've ever met who isn't a damned drill instructor that thinks running flat out and sprinting the hills qualifies as a good time."

Mac laughed, but he knew Jack had been out on a local reconnaissance job related to some cartel activity in the area all day. Jack had made it sound so low key, Mac hadn't given it much thought, but his presence in Medical made him reconsider his casual attitude. "Seriously though, what're you doing down here? You okay?"

"Dude, it's me. Of course I'm okay. I'm always okay, I'm the king of okay … you know what, forget I said that last part. That is not a title I want gettin' around to the ladies at the office, if you know what I'm saying."

Mac shook his head. He headed out the double doors, and Jack quickly followed. As they waited for the elevator, Mac tried again. "You're not down here trying to hook up with that nurse again, are you?"

Jack grinned, "Well now that you mention it, I did happen to run into Ms. Leary at the desk while I was waitin' for you. And Tracey said she'd love to catch a movie this weekend, if you really want to know."

Mac stepped onto the elevator, flashing a grin and giving another small headshake. "So your ass won't be parked on my couch watching Die Hard with Bozer so you can discuss it's cinematic merits all weekend again? Good! I'd like to get to use the tv once in a while, too," he laughed.

"Yeah, cause you weren't better than the dvd commentary runnin' your yap about the movie three times in a row last Saturday," Jack teased. They stepped off the elevator. "But .. makin' a date to clear the decks for you to binge that Da Vinci whateverthehell show you're obsessed with wasn't on the agenda. I came down cause I hadn't heard from you. Patty said you were finally seeing the doctor. I was afraid you got bad news, kid."

Mac showed Jack the folder he held with a grin. "No bad news."

"Yeah? You're good?"

"Good enough," he said, turning down the hall to Thornton's office and checking his watch. He caught Jack's look of vague concern at his non-answer. He flashed a real smile. "Passed the physical, and as far as my shoulder goes, it's good as new. My I's are dotted and t's crossed, and in half the time anybody thought it would take. I'm great, Jack. Honest."

He tapped on Thornton's door.

Jack grinned. "You're a serious badass, kid. Hell, you barely have a scar. Way you bounced back after all that, that was some serious superhero shit. Like … um maybe Wolverine … or, hey didja ever read Deadpool when you were a kid?"

Mac laughed. "Deadpool was forbidden by Gramps … So of course I did. I wish I was that good with one liners. They ought to make a movie about him. Not like the crappy guest appearances, but a real Wade Wilson movie."

"Aw, Hell yeah. That'd be awesome! We should celebrate you getting your golden ticket to official agent status with beer and a trip through the MCU tonight, man."

"Can't," Mac grinned hugely, just as Thornton called out for him to come in. Then he gave a double raise of his eyebrows that tried to look cocky but it was slightly ruined by how quickly he blushed. "Got a date."

"Nikki?" Jack smirked.

"Yeah, and … she asked me." He opened the door and Jack started to follow him in. "What're you doing?"

"Now that you're officially gonna be an agent, I'm officially your body gua … I mean personal security, kid. Where you go, I go."

"Clingy much?" Mac teased.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet there, almost-Agent MacGyver."

Mac just rolled his eyes, holding the door open for Jack.

"Hey there, Patty," Jack greeted, preceding him. He flopped into the nearest chair in front of her desk. "Our boy has some good news."

Thornton was already looking at him with raised eyebrows when her turned to her from closing the door. "Yes?" she asked.

Mac passed her the folder, dropping into the classic 'at ease' posture and then correcting that to just putting his hands in his pockets. Damned if he was going to fall back into military habits just because the DOD was still paying him. "Yes, ma'am. I can head to training whenever a slot is available."

She'd already seen the report from Medical. It was compiled during Mac's visit and sent to her almost as soon as he walked out the door. She hadn't had time to read the whole thing, but the signature on the Fit for Duty form was all she really needed for this conversation.

She'd been a little concerned two weeks ago when he first applied for clearance and then no-showed on the appointment, and promptly no-showed again three days later. Especially after reading his detailed psych evaluation.

Not that there was anything especially remarkable about it other than his IQ, but it noted clinically something she'd already noticed, and been told. Mac had a tendency to ignore his own well-being, his own pain, if he thought there was a job to do. And he hated admitting to any weakness or vulnerability, whether there was a job on the line or not. Thornton had a few ideas as to why that was, but they weren't especially relevant.

She'd thought perhaps he'd avoided Medical knowing he wouldn't be cleared but hoping that his lack of showing up would be forgotten, knowing how much Thornton wanted him to finish his training. If he hadn't gone today she would have had a talk with him about it, but perhaps his stated reasons of something coming up in the lab were genuine.

She smiled at him, for her it was a broad smile of approval, but to Mac who didn't know her small range of expressions all that well, it barely registered. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Unless you need me to do anything else?" It was definitely a question. "Ma'am," he finished after clearing his throat.

"This will do, MacGyver. And while I'm surprised at the speed of your recovery, I can't say I'm displeased. The ability to bounce back after an injury, physical or otherwise is a valuable attribute in this line of work."

She seemed to expect him to say something. "So, I've gathered, Director Thornton," he replied with a wry smile. Between he and Jack the last several months had been a long line of bad days and bandages.

"I suppose you have," she said, and her smile was a little more apparent now. "As soon as you've completed all the in house training modules, I'll reserve you a spot in the next field school class."

Mac frowned. "I've done all of those, too. I know those usually take longer for people, but I …"

"You haven't completed weapons training," she said bluntly.

Mac's features darkened into an expression a shade past the most pissed Jack thought he'd ever seen the kid, but his voice was perfectly level, pleasant even. "Director, we discussed this when I took the job."

She nodded. "We discussed that you won't carry firearms for the purpose of completing missions for this organization. We did not discuss restructuring the training plan to fit your preferences."

Mac tensed. He'd already been pretty wired about coming in here to ask her for the final go-ahead; anyone could tell by the way he was still standing even though there were plenty of places to sit. His mouth opened a fraction and Jack could hear exactly the sort of thing Mac was about to say that would almost assuredly get him fired with almost perfect clarity. Jack jumped in before that could happen. "Where's that pesky weapons training form, Patty? I musta forgot to sign the damned thing. Sorry 'bout that, Mac."

Mac cocked an eyebrow at Jack but didn't say anything.

Thornton leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in front of her. "MacGyver completed the weapons training? Really?"

It wasn't a question at all, it was a clear call of bullshit, but Jack just plastered on a cocky grin, one that had a little sharpness to it. "Director, I'm one of your most senior weapons instructors, and I am willing to certify that Angus MacGyver can operate, repair, or god forbid repurpose any damned gun in the armory. And he knows more about explosives than anyone here, including Caffrey who's been blowing shit up since about the Second World War. Mac's ready for this," Jack finished with a single definitive nod.

Thornton passed a yellow form across the desk to him. "You know lying on one of these documents is a felony, don't you, Jack?"

Jack turned to his partner. "You know how to use everything downstairs that's on this form?"

Mac leaned forward, took a quick look, and grinned. "Probably for things the manufacturers never dreamed of."

"See? We're golden." Jack signed the form with a flourish and handed it back to Thornton, giving the pen a second look before slipping it into his pocket with a wink at the boss. "So, when we leavin'? I got some recruit evaluations I'll have to table."

Thornton nearly laughed. "What do you mean 'we' Agent Dalton?"

"I mean me and Mac. When we leavin' for DC?"

She glared at him. The location of the field school was not supposed to be disclosed to agents in advance. Since Mac didn't seem surprised by this information she had to assume Jack had mentioned it before. Although it was possible that Carpenter let that cat out of the bag. She seemed very intent on Mac having a positive impression of her.

"As you should well know, Dalton, there's no 'we' in the field training program. Going in on your own is part of the training."

When Mac saw Jack's expression change he had a second to think uh oh before Jack's volume climbed about five decibels. "I'm his bodyguard! Mac's agreed to it, asked for us to work together even. And … You said yourself if he's not going to carry guns he has to have a bodyguard and I'm it!"

"Jack, that's not how field school works," Thornton said calmly.

"Maybe it should be!" Jack asserted.

This was familiar territory for Mac. As his Overwatch in Afghanistan Jack had followed him everywhere, even when they weren't actively on duty. He took his protection detail to crazy lengths. Mac assumed Jack was always like that, so he wasn't surprised Jack felt that way now. However, if no one else was showing up with their partner, Mac didn't want to either. He wanted to pass the school on his own merits, like everyone else.

"Jack, it'll be fine. I'll let you know how it's going every day," Mac said, in an effort to placate his bodyguard … Damnit, now he's got me doing to, too, Mac thought.

"There. You have it directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak." Thornton raised her eyebrows like she was daring Jack to keep arguing. Then she turned her gaze to Mac. "Although, you're not allowed to communicate with anyone here while you're at school. You're not even allowed to tell anyone that you've gotten the call to report for training."

"I'm sorry?" Mac said, not sure what she meant.

"You won't be told in advance that you're leaving. You'll just be working under the assumption that you could get the call at any time. At home, at work, at the beach … You'll need to be ready to go. And once you leave, you won't be in touch with DXS for the entire four weeks of training."

Jack was giving him a familiar 'We'll talk later' but he hadn't opened his mouth again so Mac just nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am. I understand."

"Dalton, are you clear on the parameters?" She asked archly.

"Oh, yes, you bet, Director Thornton. Absolutely."

"Butt out of your partners training!" she said, and Mac could have sworn she was concealing a smile. "I don't need two members of the same ops team getting kicked out after a week and a half."

Jack was indignant. "I did not get kicked out! I graduated early!"

This time the smile was unmistakable. "Only because if they'd actually washed you out, they'd have had to let you come back and try again under our agreement with them."

Mac snickered. "Who'd have figured you to be bad at school?"

"Very funny, Carl's Junior. Not all of us can be straight A genius brain people."

"I told you before, I didn't always get A's. I got a C in Bio, remember?"

Neither Jack nor Thornton missed the slight satisfaction in his voice whenever he reported that fact about himself. Thornton decided it was a lighter note to end this meeting on. She still needed to read the full medical report and meet with Oversight to confirm authorization for Mac to head into the final leg of his training. "I'll expect straight A's from you this time, MacGyver. I don't care what subjects they throw at you. Although I suppose if you don't manage to blow up the entire septic system like some other agents I know, I'd even consider straight C's a win."

Her tone suggested they were dismissed, so Mac thanked her for her time and for her consideration. Jack informed her that they'd talk more on Monday about this no bodyguard situation, and she wished them a pleasant weekend. She smiled slightly when she heard Mac as they headed down the quiet hallway. "You blew up the septic system? With what? I've got to hear this story."

"Well now," came the reply. "I seriously thought it was just a training grenade …"

It was a good thing they couldn't go together, she thought. There'd be nothing left of the place by the time the two of them got through with it.