AN: Does anyone know what Alfred Pena's wife and daughter's names are? I can't remember if they even have canon names, let alone what they are…

(I'm partway through my third MacGyver story- I know, I'm surprised too- and I kind of need to know. I'm trying to go for something with more of an overall story arc, instead of a series of interconnected one-shots like my first two, but for some reason, it seems I'm incapable of writing straight canon, so this story is also AU and also features OCs…anyway, I'm not sure if it's going to get finished or see the light of day, it's very much a work in progress, but my current working title is Just Another Patriotic Guy.)

IGLOO

OCTOBER 2017

NORTH COAST OF ALASKA

Sometimes, due to the messy and complicated world of geopolitics, the fact that we're a highly clandestine organization means that we're stuck in the middle of highly secretive favour-trading.

Or, put more simply, sometimes we have to run glorified errands.

This was one of those times.

So a Russian submarine was stranded off the northern Alaskan coast.

Since it wasn't supposed to be there, and the USA is not supposed to be helping said Russia submarine in exchange for a really big favour in the future, guess who was sent to deliver the necessary parts and assist with the repairs?

It was all very routine, went down exactly as planned…until we set off for the ex-fil site.

Turns out some of the sub's crew weren't all that happy about being rescued by Americans…

'Uh, Mac…are they supposed to be leaking?'

Shouting over the din of their snowmobiles, Mac replied.

'No!'

He looked behind them. They were leaving fuel behind.

'Someone cut the fuel lines!'

He, Jack and Riley stopped their snowmobiles. The other two gathered around Mac, who was crouched down examining his.

'If they cut the fuel lines, how did we get so far, brother?'

'They cut them, then patched them, badly. As we drove, it increased the strain on the patch job, and then it failed.'

Riley crouched down beside him.

'Can you fix it?'

Mac sighed.

'Properly? No. But I can get us another hundred miles or so.'

The three looked at one another.

'That'll have to do.' Jack pulled out the sat-phone. 'I'll call Patty.'

Thornton, upon hearing about the situation, picked up her phone and texted Beth.

Briefing room now, Doc. We've got a problem.

'Jack, I'm sending Doc to meet you guys at the ex-fil site. Keep me updated, understand?'

'Understood.'

Thornton sighed.

Oversight was going to hate this.

But it was better than dragging in a local civilian doctor.

And hey, at least it was on American soil.

And they were already going to hate her for pushing for a Russian investigation, with just, proper punishments, into just who sabotaged her team's snowmobiles.

She pulled up the number for an Air Force general she'd worked with a few times. He owed her a favour.

'Hello, it's Patricia. Remember that favour? I'm cashing in now.'

Beth gripped the edges of her seat as her stomach did cartwheels.

'God, I hate flying!'

'We've lost the snowmobiles, boss. We're about an hour from the ex-fil site. We could hike-'

Beth, patched in to the conference call via another sat-phone, suddenly found that despite her airborne status, her stomach stopped cartwheeling. Dread and worry settled instead. She pushed it aside and pulled her mind into her emergency-doctor headspace. Staying objective was vital. She heard Thornton's voice over the phone.

'Absolutely not, MacGyver. Stay put, we've got your coordinates, wait for the ex-fil team to retrieve you.'

'I've jury-rigged the navigation systems-'

Beth took a deep breath and interrupted.

'-Your main concern at this stage is hypothermia. It causes confusion and fatigue. Even with the navigation systems, you'll get lost.'

'Listen to Doc, Mac. Stay put. Try and stay warm.'

'Stay warm…in ice and snow.'

The team looked around.

Ice, snow, broken snowmobiles.

'Don't think even you can make a heater from this, Mac.'

The blonde agent glanced around again.

'No, we've got everything we need to stay warm right here.'

He started digging in the snow.

Jack and Riley glanced at one another, then back to Mac. How quickly did hypothermia set in? He seemed pretty confused.

Mac looked over at them.

'Come on, help me out. Start digging!'

Meanwhile, Beth gave instructions to the ex-fil team from mid-air.

'There are casualty blankets, additional warm clothing, thermoses, herbal tea bags and instant soup packed in the jet. There should be a thermometer in the first aid kit. Take the blankets and some of the clothes, plus some thermoses of hot tea or soup with you when you retrieve the team. Get them out of any wet clothing, keep them warm, and get them to sip at the drinks. Take their temperatures, and inform me.'

Thornton continued.

'Doc will be at the jet by the time you get back with the team to take over medical care. Go get our people.'

Closely huddled together in their makeshift shelter, Jack, Riley and Mac bickered despite their situation, as usual.

'I really miss sunny LA right now.'

'I don't want to die in an igloo!'

'This isn't an igloo, Jack; it's not made of blocks of compacted snow. It's a snow cave.' Mac glanced around at their shelter. 'And it's not a very good one. It really should be at least 4 feet deep.'

'Great, we're getting hypothermia and Mr Wizard here is lecturing us about snow.'

'Technically, I'm lecturing you about snow cave construction…'

After spending waytoo much time way too close to one another, the ex-fil team rescued us.

We spent the trip back wrapped in blankets and spare coats, wearing two hats each, I might add, sipping herbal tea and soup.

I would have preferred coffee, but caffeine speeds up heat loss, so is bad when you have moderate hypothermia.

JET

SOMEWHERE OVER CANADA'S WEST COAST

Mac, wrapped in at least two blankets, a hat on his head and dressed in clean, warm clothes, sipped at his peppermint tea. Next to him, Jack was similarly attired and sipping instant chicken soup, while Riley, also covered in blankets, drank chamomile tea.

Suddenly, it hit me.

'Where did all of this stuff come from? We don't normally take these supplies on missions…Did you bring them with you, Beth? I don't think they'd all fit in that plane you flew up in…'

Jack reached over and pulled Mac's hat further down on his head.

'Definitely hypothermia, right, Beth? Slows the brain!' He grinned. 'Unless you're losing your touch, kid.'

Mac snorted.

From her seat beside Riley, Beth shook her head.

'Always be prepared. Or, in this case, if you're going on a mission to Alaska in October, take extra warm clothes, warm drinks and blankets with you!'

She got up to make them more hot drinks.

Jack jogged his partner lightly with his elbow.

'I can see why you fell for her. She's like a female you.'

Jack watched as Mac glanced over at Beth, expression soft. Then, the younger man turned back to him, and elbowed him back.

'You know I was a terrible boy scout.'

PHOENIX FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

SOMEWHERE IN LA

I'm still plotting my revenge on Bozer for what he did when we got back to headquarters. Safe to say, my vengeance will be diabolical.

After greeting Riley appropriately, then Jack and Mac, Bozer flung an arm around Beth's shoulders.

'So, Doctor Beth, what'd you think of my main man Mac's birthday suit?'

Mac groaned internally. Beth shrugged, looking unruffled.

'I'm a doctor, Bozer. He hasn't got anything I haven't seen before.' She let Bozer digest that for a moment, then continued. 'Also, you know you only remove wet clothing from a hypothermia patient, right? And since no-one decided to cross polar bear plunge off their bucket list because they thought they might die, that wasn't a problem.'

Bozer, seemingly inspired, turned to Riley, Jack and his best friend.

'Any deep, dark secrets come to light in the snow, my friends?'

The three field agents shared a glance.

'What happens in the igloo-'

'-Snow cave-'

'-stays in the snow cave.'

After a debrief that lasted all morning and well into the afternoon, far too long, considering they'd flown overnight, Mac stepped into the infirmary. Beth was replacing the supplies she'd taken to Alaska and noting down what needed to be replenished. He plucked a paperclip from the bowl she kept in there, and started unwinding it.

'Thanks for coming. I know you're terrified of flying.'

She got up and faced him, shrugging.

'Technically, I didn't have a choice. My boss did order me to go. All in the line of duty.'

Mac shrugged.

I'm terrified of heights, and I've hung on to a plane's landing gear as it took off for duty.

But it being necessary didn't make it easy.

'Thanks anyway.'

He handed her the wire igloo.

She took it and laughed.

'I thought it was a snow cave.'

He grinned.

'Yeah, that's not so easy to depict using a paperclip as a medium.'

Her smile broadened.

'Fair enough.'

They stood there in a comfortable silence for a while, both looking at the igloo in her hands.

Mac broke it.

'You want to come over? Jack, Riley and I were going to fire up the fire pit; try and get the last of the frost off our bones.'

She considered carefully for a moment, then smiled up at him.

'Well, I did fly to Alaska and back in less than a day. I think I've earned a late night and a few drinks with friends.'

Despite what Bozer thinks, no deep, dark secrets came to light in the snow cave.

We didn't really think we were going to die, after all.

It's easy to forget, when we're in the field, that there's others who aren't there with us who've also got our backs.

Thornton, the Foundation members who make up our ex-fil teams, Beth, even Bozer.

This mission was a good reminder.

They had our backs, and that's what kept us alive.

We knew they had our backs, and that's why we knew we'd survive.

Might look like a small team, when you see us out there, but it's not.

The supporting cast and crew's just as important as the stars in front of the camera.

AN: Yes, I made up this mission because I wanted them to get hypothermia so that Bozer can be silly at the end. Also, Mac being pedantic about igloos/snow caves is amusing.