Riley and Bozer exchanged a glance as they looked through the account records.

'No…'

'It can't be…'

Then, Bozer's brow furrowed as he looked at the account information in front of them. The money trail lead all the way back to the Phoenix. Thornton was Chrysalis. That's what the information in front of them said. Or, that's what it seemed to say…he was an accounting file clerk for years. He'd had to pick up a lot of accounting. He'd picked up enough to know that that just didn't look quite right.

He pointed out the discrepancy to Riley.

'You seeing what I'm seeing?

The hacker's eyes widened. She knew how to follow a money trail. And that money trail didn't end at the Phoenix and at Thornton. That's just what Nikki's mysterious organization wanted them to think.

'We need to keep following the money.'

They frantically started searching again, hope in their chests that they weren't about to be rocked by betrayal.

Riley forced it down.

She had to stay objective.

She had to find proof that it wasn't Thornton, that that was just what the bad guys wanted them to think.

A glance at Bozer showed that he was thinking the same thoughts.

They kept searching.


As they drove back to the Phoenix Foundation's headquarters, Mac stared out the window, thoughts running through his head at a mile a minute. Bozer, Riley and oversight had called, having found definitive proof, not long after Thornton had showed up. Nikki and the organization had tried to set up Thornton; tried to make her out to be the non-existent mole. Tried to get one of their staunchest enemies locked up, damage the morale of their team, get Nikki back on side with the Phoenix and get him back into her claws.

'We intercepted 5 encrypted transmissions…'

'Chrysalis isn't real…'

'I'm sorry, Mac…'

'I wanted to tell you…'

'I still love you…'

He glanced over at Nikki, cuffed and in the back of the van with Thornton. He was sitting shotgun as Jack drove.

He looked away again, forcing back the tears in his eyes.

He would not give her the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

Mentally, he cursed and kicked himself.

Twice now she'd fooled him, deceived him.

He was a genius.

He was supposed to be smart.

But it seemed that Jack was right.

She turned his brain to mush.

She blindsided him and rendered him stupid.

A fool.

If Bozer and Riley hadn't found that proof, hadn't noticed that the money trail didn't stop where it seemed to stop, hadn't noticed that Thornton was being set up…he'd have bought it.

Bought that she was deep cover CIA.

Bought that his boss, his friend, was a traitor.

Bought that she still loved him.

He'd have taken her back.

And she knew that.

He resisted the urge to slam his fist against the door of the car.

He would not give her the satisfaction of knowing that she'd gotten under his skin.

Again.

He would not.


Later, that night, Jack cornered Mac as he left the bathroom after a long, long shower (he'd scrubbed himself red and raw, trying to get her off him).

Internally, Mac sighed.

Of course his friends would never buy his excuse of being exhausted and wanting to get an early night. Of course they'd have been concerned when he left their little gathering around the fire pit.

Glancing over at the kitchen, he could see Bozer, Riley and Thornton sitting by the kitchen, drinking what seemed, from the smell, to be Bozer's famous hot chocolate. All three of them were trying to look like they weren't paying attention to him and Jack, to varying degrees of success.

'I'm sorry, Jack. I should have listened you.' Mac gave a bitter snort of laughter. 'You were right. She's my kryptonite.'

Jack reached out and hugged the younger man tightly, then after a long moment, let go and clasped his shoulder instead.

'I think we're all allowed a weakness, brother.'

Jack was staring at the front door, where Sarah had stood just a couple of short days ago.

Mac followed his gaze and nodded sadly.

'And it's always got to be to do with a woman, doesn't it?'

Jack snorted.

'And you're only just working that out now? You missed a few lessons on becoming a man, brother.'

That earned him a smile, even though it was a tiny one. Jack counted that as a win.

The older man gently steered the younger towards the kitchen, where Bozer enveloped him in a hug. Riley handed him a mug of steaming hot chocolate, and Thornton patted him on the shoulder.

Mac took a sip of his hot chocolate, a wan smile on his face.

I have my friends.

My family.

It's going to be okay.


AN: I'm going to be straight and blunt here- I HATED Screwdriver and feel that it cheapens all the characters and their relationships to boot. I have so many issues with it (i have written a nearly-2000 word analysis/rant), and this is my way of coping with it.

My feelings about this episode and the direction that the show seems to be taking are honestly enough to put me off it entirely. (I know that might be an unpopular opinion, I know that might be unfair, but that is how I feel.)

All of my MacGyver fics currently posted are completely finished, so they will be posted, but obviously will only refer to canon up until 1.11, Scissors. I am actually part-way through another fic right now, but I don't know if that is going to be finished. Since it's a one-shot series, I might just post what I have finished anyway, but I'll see.