Author's Note: This is a significant chapter as Mac has to make some difficult decisions that will set the course for the rest of the story. There are also some special guest stars! As always, reviews/feedback are greatly appreciated and motivating! Enjoy!
The Fork in the Road
MacGyver's plane landed in Los Angeles early Monday morning. He had just enough time to stop by his apartment and change clothes before his performance evaluation. These meetings had never bothered Mac since they were always conducted by Pete who always gave him a glowing report. However, today he'd be meeting with William Stern, the new director of operations at Phoenix, and he wanted to at least attempt to make a good first impression on the man who was ultimately his new boss. MacGyver still hadn't quite wrapped his head around the fact that he would no longer be working with Pete.
After renting a car at the airport, Mac headed toward his apartment, anxious to see Mama Lorraine and his other neighbors. The street was eerily vacant and several homes and buildings appeared to be deserted. His finely honed senses went on high alert. Something was definitely wrong. This was not the same place he had left just six months ago. Stepping into his apartment he froze. Large cardboard boxes haphazardly packed with his belongings stood where his furniture used to be.
"Jaaaack!" he bellowed. He had trusted his friend to take care of his place while he was on assignment. He should have known better.
"MacGyver, you're home!"
"Don't sound so surprised. I called and told you I was coming." Mac stood in the center of his living room and turned in a complete circle surveying his home. "What's going on with my stuff, Jack?" he asked menacingly.
"Well, um, it's a funny story actually."
"Oh, really?"
"Well, maybe not that funny. In fact, it's not funny. Not funny at all," Jack sputtered.
"Tell me," MacGyver demanded.
"I'm putting your stuff in storage," Jack responded lightly. "You've been evicted."
"I'm what?" Mac's voice was dangerously low and barely controlled.
"Not just you, Mac," Jack hurried to explain. "The whole block. Some big time developer bought up all the buildings. Plans to revitalize the neighborhood."
"And just when did you plan on telling me about this?"
"Soon!"
MacGyver jammed his fingers through his hair, looked at his watch and groaned.
"I'll deal with you later," he promised, pointing a finger at Jack. "Right now I'm gonna take a shower and get changed."
"That might not be such a good idea," Jack warned.
MacGyver turned on his heel. "And why not?"
"The utilities got turned off yesterday."
"Terrific!" Mac slammed his fist on the kitchen counter and then winced in pain. "And just where am I supposed to stay?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders, his expression genuinely apologetic. "You can bunk with me," he offered.
"And just where are you living these days? Obviously not here."
"I'm crashing in the hangar. I've got an extra sleeping bag you can use."
"I'll think about it, Jack. But right now I have to get over to Phoenix."
Outside in the summer sun, MacGyver looked up and down the now-lonely street and shook his head wondering how so much could have happened since he left.
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MacGyver quietly walked up to the secretary's desk located just outside Director Stern's office. She had her back to him, busily typing away at her computer. He cleared his throat and she turned around.
"Ah, MacGyver!" Helen exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know you were back in town!"
"I just got in this morning," he replied as Pete's former secretary wrapped him in a motherly hugged that always made him smile. She stepped back and held him at arm's length, her gaze sweeping him from head to toe.
"I haven't had a chance to shower," MacGyver grinned ruefully.
She waved off his comment. "I swear you get more handsome every time I see you! If only I were twenty years younger…" she sighed.
"Nonsense, Helen. You can be my date anytime!"
"Mr. MacGyver. So nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule and join us," a deep, sarcastic voice came from the doorway of Pete's old office.
Mac turned to find a tall, well-built man of a similar age wearing a tailored suit and silk tie inspecting him as if he were a prize thoroughbred. MacGyver immediately decided he did not like this man and swallowed the urge to apologize for his faded jeans and wrinkled tropical print shirt.
"Mr. Stern, I presume?" MacGyver addressed the man with a slight nod of his head.
"You're late," the director stated and turned to walk into his office, clearly expecting Mac to follow.
MacGyver looked at the clock on the wall. One minute. He was one minute late.
Director Stern settled himself behind a large mahogany desk and invited MacGyver to have a seat in one of two buttery leather chairs. Stern opened a thick manila file and perused its contents before pinning Mac with his gaze.
"So you're the infamous MacGyver," Stern stated, as he leaned back in his chair. Unsure of how to answer, Mac simply nodded.
"It says here you worked at Phoenix for six years on a variety of highly sensitive projects and government assignments."
MacGyver nodded again.
"From previous reports you have quite a knack for accomplishing your missions in, shall we say, unorthodox manners?"
"Let's just say I improvise when necessary."
Stern grunted. "Then three years ago you suddenly tendered your resignation. Why?"
"I had some family matters to tend to."
"And then six months ago you asked to be reinstated but failed to pass concussion protocol."
"Yeah, that didn't go exactly as planned," MacGyver replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"Since then, you've been assigned to oversee security operations at Challengers Academy in Milwaukee, during which time you had a company car stolen, sustained yet another head injury, and impeded a federal investigation. Tell me, Mr. MacGyver, what exactly is it you hope to do at Phoenix when your current assignment ends."
"I plan on being cleared for active field operations and resuming my former role with the Foundation."
"I don't think so, Mr. MacGyver."
"What do you mean you 'don't think so'?"
Just then Stern's intercom buzzed. Holding up one finger to silence MacGyver he answered the call.
"Yes Helen?
"Your next appointment is here, sir."
"Thank you, I'll be right out." Turning back to MacGyver he said, "I'm sorry, but we've used up all our time for today. Please schedule an appointment with Helen to come back tomorrow so we can finish our discussion."
"But—"
"I'm sorry, Mr. MacGyver," the director stood. "We'll continue this tomorrow."
"Yes sir," MacGyver replied in a clipped tone as Stern escorted him from the office.
As directed, MacGyver went to Helen to schedule an appointment for the following day.
"How'd it go?" she asked in a staged whisper.
"Don't know. He talked. I listened. And apparently we get to do it all over again tomorrow." Anger seethed just below the surface of his words and Helen gave him a compassionate smile.
Suddenly he heard a female voice call his name from across the room.
"Mac? Is that really you?"
"Maria-?!" was all he could say before the pretty, young blonde was in his arms, kissing him passionately. He resisted for a moment before instinctively tightening the embrace and deepening the kiss…if that was even possible.
"Ah, MacGyver, I see you have already met Ms. Romburg," Stern observed from his office doorway, the couple quickly breaking contact at the sound of his voice.
"Yeah. We were…friends," Mac explained.
"Close friends," Maria added with a suggestive smile. "MacGyver reunited me with my grandfather whom I had not seen since I was a little girl in East Germany. Then his friends at Phoenix were nice enough to give me a job so I could stay in America."
"What a charming story," Stern sneered, "but we are late for a meeting, Ms. Romburg."
"Of course, Mr. Stern. I am sorry," Maria apologized before turning back to MacGyver. "Come to my place for dinner tonight?" she asked, slipping a piece of paper with her address into his shirt pocket.
"Sure," MacGyver replied, glancing at Helen just long enough to see her give him a sly wink.
MacGyver secured a room at a nearby motel, dropped his duffle bag just inside the door, and flopped on the bed. This trip was not going as expected. Not that he had expected anything in particular except returning to his old apartment, catching up with friends and neighbors, and being welcomed back to Phoenix and the job he loved. Instead, he had returned to an eviction notice, empty neighborhood, surly new boss, and aggressive ex-lover. He sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, reached for the phone on the nightstand and called Jack to tell him he wouldn't be needing that extra sleeping bag. He then went to the bathroom and splashed some cold water over his face before pulling out the piece of paper tucked in his pocket. He looked at the address and grinned.
That evening MacGyver knocked softly on Maria's door. She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and invited him in. Her apartment was small but elegantly furnished and well-maintained. Near a window next to the kitchen sat a small round table draped in linen and set with china, a single glowing candle its centerpiece.
"Please, feel free to look around while I get our meal ready," she encouraged him.
Mac strolled through the living room, taking in the feminine décor.
"Nice place you got here."
"Thank you. It is not much, but it is home. Unfortunately Phoenix keeps me very busy so I do not spend as much time here as I would like."
"I know how you feel," he assured her. "So, what's for dinner?"
"Hawaiian pizza with pineapple," she announced. "It was one of our first meals together, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," Mac grinned as he sat down at the small table drinking in the sight of her as she served the food. She wore a light blue sundress that showed off her slender figure and cream-colored skin to perfection. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of sun beams and MacGyver itched to run his fingers through it.
"It is so good to see you again, MacGyver," she sighed happily from across the table.
"You, too," he smiled warmly.
"We had a lot of good times together, did we not?"
"Sure did," he agreed.
"Perhaps, if I had not gone on assignment to Brazil we could have—"
"But you did," Mac cut her off.
"I was a new agent. I had to," she frowned. "But we are here together now. We can pick up where we left off," she urged, her eyes hopeful, expectant.
MacGyver suddenly and inexplicably felt uneasy. "Ah, Maria, I don't know about that. A lot has happened. A lot has changed."
"Do not say you fell in love with one of those milk maids in Wisconsin," she pouted playfully.
"She's not…I mean, no!" Mac quickly corrected himself.
Anger flared in Maria's eyes. "So there is someone!"
"Yes. No. I mean, it's not like that, Maria. We work together, that's all." But was it really?
"I see," she replied, getting up and leading him to her overstuffed couch before pulling him down next to her. "Then you will come back to L.A. when your assignment is over and forget all about her. It will be just like before! You and I going off on grand adventures!"
"Ah, I don't think—"
"That's your problem, MacGyver," she purred seductively as she threaded her fingers through his hair. "You think too much. Why can you not just let yourself feel?"
"There's a chance I won't be cleared to go back in the field," he confessed.
Maria's face fell momentarily. "No matter," she replied lightly, her smile now firmly back in place. "You will still be here and we can be together."
Her soft, sweet lips were now inches from his, yet he hesitated. Five years ago he had been ready to commit to her, but before he could tell her, Phoenix sent her to Brazil. She had been so excited and he had no choice but to let her go. A lot of things had changed since then. He had changed. MacGyver grasped her upper arms and gently sat her away from him.
"I better go," he told her. His voice husky yet firm. "I have an early meeting with Stern tomorrow." He kissed her chastely on the forehead and showed himself to the door, leaving Maria alone on the couch, a deep frown marring her otherwise lovely face.
The next morning found MacGyver once again standing by Helen's desk, chatting with the long-time employee.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Ms. Romburg left this for you." Helen handed him a small envelope.
"Thanks," he murmured as he tore it open and pulled out a notecard.
Dear MacGyver,
Late last night I received an assignment from Phoenix which will take me out of the country for quite some time. I must leave immediately. Now you may return to your precious milk maid.
Maria
MacGyver drew in a sharp breath and balled up the paper in his fist.
"That bad?" Helen asked.
"I think I've just been dumped."
"Well, if you ask me, she was never the right girl for you anyway."
"Oh really?" Mac's curiosity was piqued.
"You need someone more grounded. Someone who won't walk away at the drop of a hat. Someone to keep you in line. You need a woman with some sass!"
"Well, I did meet this one girl," he ventured, curious to see Helen's reaction. "She got upset with me and I tried to apologize with tickets to a hockey game she tore them up and gave them back."
Helen threw back her head and laughed out loud. "She sounds perfect for you!"
Mac's eyebrows shot up in response just as Stern stepped out of his office.
"Mr. MacGyver, glad to see you made it on time this morning. Please, come in."
Mac obeyed and seated himself in the same chair as yesterday.
"After thinking about our discussion yesterday and reviewing your file yet again, I have decided to assign you to the Western Division Secure Research Facility."
MacGyver's muscles tensed. Stern was going to lock him away in a lab? Though Mac was always willing to help the Phoenix scientists with new developments and special projects, he could not see himself working day in and day out in a secured, windowless, sterile environment.
"I assume this is a temporary placement until I am cleared for active field operations?" Mac asked hopefully.
"On the contrary," Stern puffed out his chest in a show of authority. "This is your new, permanent assignment."
Mac's anger once again began to simmer. "With all due respect, sir. I believe my skills and experience would be better utilized elsewhere. I'm going to need some time to consider your offer."
"You don't understand, Mr. MacGyver. This is not an offer. It is an order. I will give you until the end of August to complete your current assignment. At that time, the lease on your apartment will be dissolved and you will report to your new position. If you believe my decision does not suit you, perhaps you should consider whether or not Phoenix is the best place for you and your 'skills'."
"I just might do that, sir," MacGyver responded firmly before walking out of the office without a backward glance.
Back in his motel room, Mac sat on the edge of the bed scrubbing his face with his hands. After Sam had left for the Middle East, MacGyver was sure that going back to the Phoenix Foundation had been the right thing for him to do. The only thing for him to do. Now he wasn't so sure. He needed to talk to someone. Someone who knew him better than he knew himself. He picked up the phone and dialed.
"Hi Pete, it's MacGyver," he greeted his friend.
"MacGyver!" Pete responded eagerly. "How are things going? Have you had your review yet?"
"That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm actually in L.A. right now."
"Oh? Are you having problems?"
"Pete, how did you know it was time for you to retire?" MacGyver asked bluntly.
"Well, I guess you could say I just sort of knew." With only silence on the other end Pete continued. "I wasn't happy anymore, Mac. I realized how much I had given to my job and how much I lost because of it. When I started losing my eyesight and Connie came back into my life, the things that made me happy had changed. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, I guess so," MacGyver replied.
"Hey, you're not thinking of leaving Phoenix again, are you?"
"I don't know, Pete." Mac sighed and hung up the phone.
Feeling even more conflicted after talking with Pete, MacGyver knew who he needed to call. He dialed the phone again, his heart beating hard against his chest. This next conversation could be the deciding factor.
"Challengers Academy, this is Joanna, how may I help you?"
"Joanna, it's Mac." His voice sounded strained, even to him.
"Mac? Are you still in L.A.? Is everything OK?"
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" He was in no mood for small talk.
"Of course not. What is it?" Her voice held genuine concern.
"What made you decide to quit the learning center?"
"Wow, Mac that was a long time ago. I thought I told you about it?"
"Tell me again."
"It really wasn't any one thing. After twelve years I was tired of working eleven hour days, not eating meals with my family, not having time for my friends. My job duties changed to where I was doing things I didn't want to do. When the man who had owned the center from the beginning sold it, I just knew it was time to leave. Too much had changed. I just wasn't happy there anymore."
"Was it hard for you to leave after all the time you had spent there?"
"Actually, it was surprisingly easy. That's how I knew I was doing the right thing. Does that help answer your question?"
"Yeah, it does. Thanks."
"How's the review going?"
"I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Some things came up that I need to take care of so I may stay a few extra days. Hey, by the way, have you hired a new science teacher yet?"
"No, but I have a couple interviews scheduled. Why?"
"No reason. Just wondering. See you soon."
MacGyver kicked off his shoes and reclined on the bed, replaying the conversations with Stern, Pete, and Jo in his head until he drifted off to sleep.
"Hey, Bud!"
MacGyver blinked his eyes open and raised his head. His grandfather stood at the foot of his bed.
"Harry?!" Mac's face clouded with disbelief. "You can't be here. You're dead!"
"Just 'cause I'm dead doesn't mean I can't check up on you once in a while," came the lovingly gruff reply. "From what I see, it seems you have some decisions to make."
MacGyver was now wide awake and sitting up on the bed. "I just don't know what to do," he replied.
"Why don't you do what'll make you happy?"
"Because I'm not sure I know what that is anymore."
"Then I suggest you figure it out, Bud. And once you do, don't look back."
Mac suddenly awoke and bolted upright. "Harry?" He looked around the room. It was empty. It had only been a dream. But it had left him with one very real question.
MacGyver needed to think. Normally he would head for the Southern California hills, but he didn't have the gear nor the time. Therefore, he pointed his rental car in the direction of the ocean. Standing in a secluded spot on a deserted rocky beach, Mac stared out at the waves churning in the Pacific. Watching the water reminded him of the hours he had spent with Joanna on the shores of Lake Delton, talking, consoling, contemplating and rejuvenating. It also reminded him of the moonlight shining on Lake Michigan the night they had shared their one and only kiss. A gentle, innocent kiss that had touched him more deeply than any of Maria's passion-filled offerings. He shook his head as if to clear away the memories and headed to the one place that always put life in perspective. The ice rink.
Pausing momentarily at the skate rental booth, he decided to forego the borrowed equipment and instead took a place in the stands, close to the ice. He recalled the time Pete was on the verge of burn-out and had gamely played the role of goalie as MacGyver pummeled him with pucks insisting that the exercise was relaxing. Mac smiled to himself, wondering if Pete could still be a goalie in spite of his blindness. He doubted his friend could be much worse. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than other memories crowded in. Memories spent on the ice with the troubled teens from Challengers back in Milwaukee. The drills, the practices, the fights and the lectures. The pride and satisfaction at watching a kid who could hardly stand up on skates his first time out circle the rink with speed and confidence to score a goal, albeit into an empty net.
MacGyver buried his face in his hands and sighed. Harry had asked what made him happy. Three years ago the answer had been easy: His work at Phoenix. The travel, freedom, adrenaline he always experienced on a mission. But then there were also the weeks-long assignments that kept him away from his home and friends. The calls in the middle of the night sending him to far-away places at a moment's notice. Had he been unhappy? Quite the contrary, but would those same things bring him happiness once again? And if his time as a field operative had truly come to an end, what then? The people he cared most about and an assignment he had come to love were two thousand miles away. With a sudden clarity that had eluded him for the longest time, he now knew exactly what he had to do.
Entering the nearest library, Mac commandeered an empty computer console and sat down to write two letters that would forever change the course of his life. The first message was brief and to the point. He stuck it in an envelope and scribbled Director Stern's name on the front. The other document took more time and precise wording. Glancing at his watch, MacGyver had just enough time to get the second letter to the post office for overnight delivery.
The following morning, Mac strode purposefully into the lobby of William Stern's office. Helen was already busy at her post.
"Hi Helen, is Stern in yet?"
"MacGyver! So good to see you again!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but he's out for the day. He has some meetings in the field."
Disappointment coursed through him. He had been looking forward to seeing the look on the pompous man's face when he presented his letter of resignation.
"Could you please see that Stern gets this when he comes in?" MacGyver asked, holding out the white envelope.
"Of course." A shadow crossed Helen's face. "Is this what I think it is?"
Mac nodded and sighed. "I'm leaving Phoenix. Sorry, Helen."
"There's nothing to be sorry about!" the spunky secretary exclaimed. "You know I care for you like a son, so trust me when I say you don't belong here anymore. There are better things, and people, waiting for you elsewhere. Just promise me one thing."
"Anything, Helen."
"Let yourself be happy."
"That's the plan, Helen. That is definitely the plan!"
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"Joanna, could you check for the mail?" Evelyn hollered from her office. With just the two of them in the building, communication had become much more casual.
"Sure. No problem," Jo called back, glad to take a break from staring unseeingly at the papers in front of her. Three days. He had only been gone three days and she was already daydreaming of his return. What was she going to do when he left for good? Pushing that depressing thought to the back of her mind she went and emptied the mailbox. A business-sized envelope with her name on it captured her attention. Hopefully it was another resume. Her quest for a science teacher had stalled with only a few weeks left before school started for the fall. Back in her office she anxiously tore open the envelope and pulled out the resume. At the top, in bold black letters was the name: A. MacGyver.
"That man has lost his ever-lovin' mind!" Joanna's exclamation echoed through the corridors.
Evelyn closed her eyes and sighed, wondering what 'that man', Joanna's vernacular for 'MacGyver', had done this time.