AN: This chapter is where it becomes quite clear (for those reading on AO3) why Copious References to Food is a relevant tag.

NOVEMBER 2015

REHAB CENTRE

WASHINGTON D.C

Mac stepped out of Dr Lau's office, to find a familiar young woman with blonde curls waiting for him.

'Oh, hi, Katarina.' He hadn't seen her for about a month, not since he'd made her that Taser. 'Is…is everything alright?'

Surely Eric was in jail, even if it was only on remand. Surely he wouldn't have gotten bail…

She nodded.

'Oh, yes, everything is fine.' She smiled up at him. 'Eric is in jail and he will be for a very long time. He cannot hurt me anymore.' Her smile widened. 'Thank you, Mac. Thank you very much, for protecting me.'

He smiled back at her.

'From what I heard, you protected yourself. I just gave you a tool to do it with.'

She shook her head.

'You gave me much more than that, Mac.'

They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other.

Eventually, Katarina broke it. She indicated the visitor's badge pinned to her shirt that Mac had previously not noticed.

'Anyway, I do not work here anymore. I just came to say goodbye to my friends, and to you.' She gave him a sad, almost regretful, little smile. 'I am moving back to Germany, to make a new start.' She hugged him, and after a moment of surprise, he hugged her back. 'If you ever come to Germany, look me up.'

Mac's ears reddened as they let go of each other. He shifted his weight onto his left leg.

'Well, I'm really bad at making plans…but let's plan to make plans?'

Her smile broadened, and she stepped away from him and waved.

'Goodbye, Angus MacGyver.'

MAC'S RESIDENCE

WASHINGTON D.C

Mac walked into the apartment, surprised to find that Bozer was home. He was supposed to have a shift until the evening…

'Bozer? Don't you have work?'

His roommate, who was preparing what looked (and smelled) like Beef Wellington, nodded.

'Yeah, but I quit. My boss wanted to promote me to Assistant Manager, so I quit.'

Mac raised an eyebrow.

'I think I'm going to need you to walk me through this one.'

Bozer set down the pot that he was holding and pulled off the oven mitts.

'Well, first it's Assistant Manager, next it's Manager, and then District Manager, and then VP.'

'…Right.'

Bozer nodded.

'Well, and if I'm going to make movies, then making movies has to be my focus, you know?' He paused for a moment. 'But don't worry, brother's still good for the rent.'

Mac shook his head, smiling, and reached out and clasped his best friend's shoulder.

'Bozer, I'm not worried about the rent! I'm proud of you, chasing your dream!'

His roommate grinned back at him.

'Thanks, bro.' He turned back to his cooking. 'Anyway, I thought I'd make something fancy to celebrate…'

Hi Mac,

I had no idea that one could make a Taser out of a beard trimmer, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised you can…

… It sounds like someone's got an admirer! Too bad she's moving back to Germany…

…and of course apple strudel is delicious, but pumpkin pie is a way better fruit-based dessert. I've got a really great pumpkin pie recipe, I'll see if I can find the website I got it off if I have a moment (it might be a while, as you can see from the slowness of my reply- sorry!- we're pretty run off our feet here) and send you the link. Then you can make it for Thanksgiving or really any time! Damn societal convention, pumpkin pie is delicious and should be an acceptable foodstuff all year round…

Mac smiled as he finished reading Beth's email.

Apple strudel was delicious. So was pumpkin pie.

And then, it hit me.

Quite suddenly, a memory from when he was very, very young, perhaps four years old, hit him. He could practically smell the pie, practically smell his mother's perfume, and see her smile and feel her arms around him…

Blinking at the sudden wetness in his eyes, Mac reached for a piece of paper and a pen.

Dear Dad,

This is going to sound strange, but do you remember that apple pie that Mom used to make? Every year, about this time, during the apple harvest, if I remember correctly? This is probably a long shot, but I've quite suddenly got a craving. Have you got the recipe? I swear there was some sort of secret ingredient; Bozer's an amazing cook and makes a great apple pie, but it's just not the same as hers.

I know it's been about twenty years, and I know that I was only five when she passed, but still, I really miss her…

Later, Mac slipped a little paperclip apple into the envelope with his dad's address on the front, and sealed it. He'd post it first thing in the morning.

My grandfather had very strong opinions on what made the perfect apple pie.

Short and crumbly, but not too short and crumbly, pastry.

Always served warm with cold vanilla ice cream.

But the filling was always the most important.

It had to be both sweet and tart, just the right balance between the two.

Not too sweet, so as to overwhelm and destroy the natural flavour of apples or, as he said, give you diabetes just by taking a bite.

Not too tart, so as to make you spit it out and make a face.

Just like a good life, he said.

My grandfather was pretty much always right.

Chapter song: Edelweiss, The Sound of Music.

AN: Creative liberties taken here with how long court cases go for and the likelihood of getting bail. Also, this is a short chapter, but I needed to tie up that loose end with Katarina, and there were a couple of other things I wanted to include. The next chapter is very long (and probably my favourite in the whole fic) to make up for this! Hint: it's the Christmas chapter, and also this AU's adaptation of 1.11, Scissors.