A/N - There was some weird formatting this this one. Hopefully I've gotten it fixed. One more chapter after this one to wrap things up. Who else is looking forward to the premier on February 7th? ~J

Several beers in, Mac found he was doing better. Not great, but okay. Sitting around the fire pit with Boze, and Ri, and especially Jack, was the little piece of normal he desperately needed. He was almost starting to relax.

He knew he was going to have to deal with the aftermath of the Mason incident. He also knew he was going to have to go to Charlie's funeral in a few days. Neither were especially welcome consequences. But Mac knew he'd done everything he could in the Mason case. And Charlie has made the soldier's choice, the hero's choice, and Mac could only honor that.

He also had Melody and Dan's engagement party to look forward to, he and Jack were already planning on doing some fishing with the time off their exposure to the BZ resulted in, and Dezi had called to check in. She hadn't called Jack. She'd called him. And she'd agreed to go to dinner with him when she got back in town.

Jack had shaken his head and laughed. "You really are a glutton for punishment, kid."

Mac had laughed and said it wasn't a date, just a getting to know each other better dinner. But Riley had smirked knowingly at the way he'd blushed. He'd rolled his eyes elaborately.

Mac got to his feet when he heard the door, hoping it was his father, maybe keeping a promise for a change. Instead it was Matty.

She assured him everything that could be done to find Mason was being done. He thanked her and then he hesitated. There was something going on that she wasn't saying. He decided if she wasn't offering it up, it was something he didn't need to know. Or was something she was protecting him from. And right now, he was maybe a little more willing than usual to be protected.

He got her a beer and was about to join everyone back around the fire pit when he heard the door again. Much as he'd been anticipating his father coming over to make good on his agreement with Jack, he felt himself tense when he saw his father's face. Maybe he wasn't in a place to hear a big true confession from Oversight.

He didn't even get to speak before his father opened with, "I'm glad you're safe."

It sounded so genuine, so vulnerable, Mac felt his face slip into a confused frown. "I … yeah. Um, you, too. I mean I'm glad you are, too."

"How are you feeling, son?"

"Fine," Mac said almost flatly. Then he swallowed. He didn't want to be the one returning to the way things had been between them. If that's how this went, going backwards, he didn't want the guilt of it on his shoulders on top of everything else. "I mean, about like you'd expect. But all things being equal, I'm honestly okay." Then, because he actually wasn't sure he wanted to have the conversation Jack had gotten the man to agree to, Mac offered, "Why don't you come on in and have a beer? Decompress from this a little."

"Sure, that sounds …" His father trailed off, frowning.

Not really wanting to start this conversation right now, but realizing if he didn't, his father wasn't going to be able to follow through, he prompted, "Everything okay?"

James MacGyver squared his shoulders almost imperceptibly. Mac recognized the posture. It was said he was going to lay out something he was proud of or that he expected his son to appreciate, but he wasn't sure of the reaction he was going to get, so he was defensive in advance.

"In Mexico, I promised to always keep you in the loop. Never lie to you again."

Mac nodded. "Yeah. I remember." He remembered that had come after he'd gotten in his dad's face a little. But he also remembered how much better things had gotten after that. He offered a half smile. "And the change has been great." He swallowed. The sinking in his stomach, in his chest, told him this conversation wasn't going to change things for the better. But, they'd begun. So, it was best to see it through, come what may. He cleared his throat. "It's kind of the way I'd always hoped things could be between us."

James MacGyver's frown deepened. Mac thought he recognized the expression. It was the one that told Mac he was about to say something to avoid saying something else. But Mac let him go on. "Yeah. Me, too. That's why it's only fair I think you should know there's more to Mason's story." Mac opened his mouth, almost ready to stop his father. He stopped himself though. Jack had taken a big risk going and pushing his father. He wasn't going to let that go to waste. "You deserve the whole truth."

Mac hesitated, then leaned against the counter. "The whole truth?" There was a hardness in his voice he couldn't keep out. He was starting to be suspicious that his father was going to use Mason as a way to avoid talking about Kovac. And now that he'd had the courage to let this talk start, he didn't want to let any of it slide. "Alright then," he added, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Why don't we start with Jack."

His father frowned. "What about Jack?"

Mac's own shoulders squared a bit. It wasn't a defensive posture on him at all. On Mac it was determination, stubbornness if you wanted to see it as a flaw rather than a virtue. "Dad, come on. I know you sent him after Kovacs. And I know you two talked. He said you wanted to talk to me about it yourself. So let's start there."

Jim sighed and leaned against the counter. "I don't suppose you'll accept that the reasons are need to know."

Mac crossed his arms. "I don't suppose I will."

Someone came in through the doorway, saw the two of them not quite staring each other down, and walked back out just as quickly. Mac wondered who'd wandered in, and if they needed him for something, but didn't dare take his eyes off his father. History taught him that if James MacGyver had an out from an unpleasant situation, he'd take it.

Another sigh. Jim's hands came out of his pockets. And he met Mac's gaze. "Well, for starters, Dalton was the man for the job. Kovacs was a loose end for him. And I figured he'd want to tie it up."

Mac nodded. "Nobody would question that Jack isn't a fan of unfinished business." His expression hardened. "So why all the weird anonymous messages? Because I've got to tell you, the only other guy I know who sends cryptic anonymous texts is currently living at a government black site in close quarters with his mentor-turned-nemesis and has a mental murder wall covered with both our faces."

Jim swallowed. It was a fair question, but the honest answer didn't paint him in a particularly favorable light. He'd wanted Dalton intrigued, and he'd also wanted him worried. Dalton was hot headed and more prone to rash decisions when he was under threat, and especially if he thought anyone else was. "I needed to see if he'd pursue it. I knew if I just gave him the assignment he'd take it out of obligation. But a man like Kovacs needs to be pursued singlemindedly. Dalton's response let me know he was the man for the job."

Mac frowned and found himself almost gripping his elbows. He forced himself to relax. "Okay. So...couple things. Why did you order him not to say the assignment wasn't from you? And why the hell couldn't I be a part of the task force?"

Jim cleared his throat. "The origins of the assignment were and are need to know," he said stiffly. "And it wasn't that you couldn't be involved…Dalton..."

"Don't. Don't pretend telling me it was a one man show didn't come from you," Mac said quietly.

"Did Dalton tell you that, Angus?"

Mac didn't answer him directly. "Doesn't matter. I'm asking you why I couldn't be involved. If it's because Jack didn't want me there, that's fine. But I don't think that's the reason."

Jim folded his arms, matching Mac's stubborn posture. "I needed you here. Phoenix needed you here."

Mac's eyes flashed. "You promised in Mexico there wouldn't be anymore secrets and lies. But you also promised you were done manipulating my life. You put me and Jack together in Afghanistan. Why split us up now?"

"Angus … surely you've noticed … Dalton hasn't exactly been holding up his side as your personal security."

"That's ridiculous. We're the most successful team in the organization. And he…"

"Let's start with Lake Como. Bullet to the chest for you and a dangerous virus in the wind."

"Bulletproof isn't in the job description. And we got the canister back."

"Then there was the initial fun with Murdoc when he helped you disobey a direct order and leave Phoenix."

"And if we hadn't the whole team would have been killed."

"Fast forward to him pouting over whatever argument the two of you had and letting Murdoc kidnap you."

"I told him to leave!"

"There are also any number of incidents where he allowed his personal feelings about Ms. Davis to nearly compromise missions."

"No missions were compromised."

"Thanks mostly to your skill as an agent," he snapped.

"Let's not forget about Murdoc taking you hostage a second time, the run in with he and Helman that let to another bullet wound and…"

"Wait," Mac's whole face was creased into a disbelieving frown. "You're trying to tell me you reassigned Jack to … what? Protect me?"

Jim looked relieved. "Angus, I'm glad you're seeing it from my perspective."

"You're too smart for that. I'm never not in danger in this job."

"But Agent Nguyen was much more focused on protecting you than Dalton has been in quite some time."

Mac's breathing was picking up, his heart beating too fast. That ten year old kid who'd sat crying on his front steps when he should have been enjoying his first double digit birthday cake really wanted to believe his father was motivated by caring for him. The adult with decades of perspective thought maybe he had acted because he felt Jack was in the way of the relationship he'd decided he wanted with his son.

For the moment though, Mac decided to accept it at face value. "I'd appreciate being consulted about changes to my team," he said somewhat stiffly. "It might be your organization, but it's my life on the line out there."

Jim nodded like he thought that was reasonable. "I'm sorry. I tend to be circumspect when it comes to organizational decisions. I can't promise I'll always consult you. But I can promise to do so when circumstances allow." Mac's frown deepened. "In any event, you can see that when Dalton wanted back in, I green lit it."

Mac's expression softened. "I appreciate that." He found he was too exhausted to push the topic any further. At least he'd gotten a concession about being consulted when it was an option. "So, you were saying before … about Mason?"

"He's a madman," Jim sighed.

"No arguments here. But … crazy or not, he has a beef with you. And it's personal."

Another sigh. "As I said, sometimes there's only choices between bad and worse."

Mac felt cold suddenly. He was no longer sure he wanted to know. But independent of his wishes, he heard himself say, "Don't tell me his son died for nothing."

Jim offered a half smile then. "Just the opposite.

He died for the most important thing I can think of."

Mac felt dizzy, sick. He almost wanted to tell himself it was part of the chemical hangover from the BZ. But he knew it wasn't. He'd already drawn what he was sure was the correct conclusion. His lips and tongue were numb with dread, but he made himself ask, hoping he was wrong, "What are you trying to tell me?"

Jim's jaw firmed slightly. "The intelligence asset on that op, the person he died for, was you."

The devastation in Mac's eyes made him want to backpedal. This is exactly what he'd been afraid of. He felt obligated to soften the impact. He took a deep breath and went on. "Understand, it was my decision." Mac already felt guilty enough about Charlie. He didn't want him taking on the death of Elliot Mason's son as well. "It was the only one I could make." He didn't add that he'd made the decision based largely on the fact that Mac had recovered a hard drive with critical information on it, stashed it before he got captured, and was the only person who knew where it was at the time. His freedom was a matter of national security at the time, not just of personal interest to James MacGyver. Mac was the best of the best, and Phoenix needed him to keep being that. He knew Mac didn't need to hear that right now. What he needed was his guilt assuaged so he could keep moving forward. Jim took a step toward Mac. "And you understand that Charlie gave his life to save innocent people."

Mac's expression changed from raw emotion to focused anger. First his father interfered with his team by sending Jack off, after promising all they behind the scenes maneuvering was over. Now he was claiming fatherly motivations for other past field decisions. It felt a confusing combination of probably true, and wildly false given how often he'd been in harm's way. It also didn't matter. Because it violated Mac's sensibilities, his autonomy. And he was done with shadowy motivations and questioning this relationship. His eyes grew hard. Charlie has given his life willingly to protect others. Charlie has made a choice. The sort of choice James MacGyver kept denying his son.

"Which is exactly what I would have done." He shook his head. "What you did violates everything that I believe in." His father opened his mouth to respond, but Mac cut him off. "I think you should leave."

Jim opened his mouth again, "Angus, please, let me explain, son."

"You've been very clear. I'm not interested in anything you're going to want to add."

"Are you quitting again?" His question was sharp.

"Depends on what part of this you're asking about." His eyes narrowed. "But I'm not resigning, if that's what you're asking."

He walked over to the door and opened it.

Jim went to the door and started to step out. "Angus, I …"

"Like I said, you've already been clear. I believe I have been, too."

His father looked like he'd say more, but instead he walked out the door and to his car. Mac closed the door and went back into the kitchen. He was still standing there leaning against the counter trying to get on top of everything he was feeling when Jack and Riley walked into the kitchen together. "You okay, kid?" Jack asked almost tentatively.

Riley took one look at his face and just took the few steps to close the distance between them and pulled him into a fierce hug just like he had the day she'd split with Billy.