A/N: Looks like the muse stuck with me for one last chapter, so I present to you a little more hurt/comfort combined with some team humor to wrap this up. Thanks for reading, guys!

When Mac woke up, he was sprawled across the bed but still tucked securely under the covers. He sat up slowly, holding his head as it started aching. But he noted that it hurt less than yesterday, much to his relief. As he blinked to adjust to the light shining in through the windows, the smell of breakfast cooking reached his nose, so he made his way downstairs.

"Sleeping Beauty awakens," Jack joked from where he sat at the table reading the newspaper.

"About damn time," Bozer added, glancing up from his cooking scrambled eggs and waffles. "We waited ages for you to wake up."

"Yeah, well, you can blame Jack for that," Mac said, taking a seat beside him.

Jack threw up his hands indignantly. "How is that my fault?"

Mac tapped his head. "You were supposed to be waking me up to check on me. I don't remember being woken up."

Jack cleared his throat as he flipped the page. "I, uh, fell asleep. I had a long day too, ya know."

Bozer stifled a laugh and Mac arched an eyebrow, glancing between the two. Jack was far too embarrassed and Bozer far too amused by his words. Why…

Suddenly, he remembered where Jack had been sitting. And the position Mac had been in when he woke up.

Oh. Well. Crap.

Mac cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. "So, uh, is that breakfast for all of us?"

"It better be," Matty said, walking into the room. "I received a vague text telling me not to eat breakfast before coming here, so I'm starving."

"Whoa! You actually listened to that?" Bozer exclaimed.

"We all did, apparently," Cage replied, entering behind Matty and shooting a glance at Jack. "I didn't know people still read newspapers."

"Don't you guys know how to ring a doorbell?" Mac asked, cutting off Jack's indignant spluttering.

Riley came in last. "We were on the deck, doofus," she told him, putting a light kiss on his temple before sitting beside him. "You doin' ok?"

The question suddenly made him a little too aware of the where the walls were and he had to suppress the urge to rub his wrists, but he didn't feel a massive surge of panic, so he nodded. "Yeah."

She smiled and turned to Bozer. "You done yet?"

"Depends. Does the chef get a hello kiss too?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "Get tortured by Murdoc, and then we'll talk."

"Uh, I'll get back to you on that. But," he added more joyfully, picking up a pair of plates, "breakfast is served."

Bozer set the plates down and front of Jack and Mac, and he happily dug in, realizing he'd hardly eaten the day before. He hadn't really had much of a chance.

The food came and went. Between yesterday's events, the subsequent injuries sustained by half of their group, and the fact that they had no mission that day, the group was content to sit there and talk. For a little while, Mac was happy to join in, embracing the ability to laugh and not be alone with a murderous psychopath.

But eventually, he knew he had to get outside. Just to reassure himself that he could. So he excused himself and tried not to look like he was hurrying to the deck. He also tried to ignore the way the others were not-so-subtly watching him leave.

Once outside, he took a deep breath and leaned against the railing. He closed his eyes and just focused on breathing calmly.

After a while, someone came to join him. Their footsteps were deliberately loud to announce their presence. When they reached his side, they slipped a paperclip into his hands, and he instinctively started reshaping it.

"You told Riley were you doing ok. Is that true?"

Mac finally opened his eyes, unsurprised to see Jack beside him. "Physically, yeah. Emotionally… I mean, I managed to stay inside for a couple hours, didn't I?"

Jack nodded. "You did."

Mac huffed a frustrated laugh. "God, I need praise for managing to stay inside. That's so pathetic."

"No, it's not," Jack rebuked sternly, angling to face Mac. "You were trapped and tortured and nearly killed multiple times yesterday – I'd be very concerned if you were unaffected. Right now, your only concern is relaxing until you're fit for field duty again."

"And what if I never am?"

Jack just shook his head. "Nah, man, you'll get better."

"I dunno, Jack. I just-" He glanced over his shoulder at the house towering above them. "I get the feeling this… this claustrophobia is here to stay."

"So?" Jack scoffed. "You're scared of heights, and that never stops you when it really matters. If it's possible, someone else can get into small spaces for you, and if it's necessary, I have faith you can do it."

Mac looked up at him. "You really think that?"

"Hells yeah, man," Jack said, as if anything else was incomprehensible.

Mac smiled. "Good to know."

Jack clapped him on the back. "Great. Now, before this gets any sappier and we get a repeat of last night – which we are never talking about again – I'm gonna go get some beer."

"Wait, what happened last night?"

Mac and Jack spun around to see that everyone else had come outside. The three women stood in a line looking very nosy, while Bozer just stood behind them smirking knowingly.

"Nothing," Mac and Jack said simultaneously. "Absolutely nothing."

Their response to that was to put on their game faces and step closer in a very menacing way.

Crap.