Next one it is! I have a bit of action planned out for this one, just so you know. A lot of you have been saying that Jack was sure to notice he was being tailed before April, and this is sort of my way of using that idea, so thanks to everyone who reviewed about that! Also, there will be this chapter and two more before the main climax happens. Though, the next two will be eventful in themselves. The next one its pure Mac whump with comforting Jack and the one after that is Mac's birthday. Yay! Anyway, I should shut up and actually write the story!
Previously:
"A puppy!" Riley screamed.
0000
Jack wasn't sure which was worse: waking up at the crack of dawn to fly off to a new foreign country to fight some new threat or waking up at the crack of dawn to make an 8 AM flight with a grumpy seven-year-old dragging her feet and a half-asleep toddler in his arms.
Jack was starting to think it was the latter.
Mac wasn't that bad. He had been a little slower that morning and had taken a bit more prodding than usual to get going, but besides that, he was silent. Although that could have had something to do with the fact that he was passed out on Jack's shoulder, his blue blanket even wrapped around him and stuffed giraffe under his arm. Jack was more than happy to carry him if it meant he stayed asleep. It wasn't like he weighed all that much to begin with.
Riley was the real problem. Jack loved his little girl more than anything in the world, but she was really starting to grate on his nerves. It wasn't unusual for her to be a bit grumpy when woken up so early, but it was unusual for her to be so out right moody and whiny. She was always ecstatic to the point where she could barely sit still longer than a few minutes when they were on their way to visit Jack's family. But today, she was dragging her feet and groaning about how early it was.
Though neither had been happy to leave the newly dubbed Archie (or Archimedes according to Mac) with Casey while they were gone, Riley had been the one to put up the most fight. This had actually been surprising. They had expected Mac to have a hard time leaving the puppy behind with all of his separation and abandonment issues, but he had actually been relatively calm when he found out Casey was taking care of the little mutt. Riley had not at all been happy and had nearly thrown a temper tantrum worthy of someone Mac's age.
Riley had whined when Diane told her she needed to pull her own suitcase this year because Jack had one of his arms full of a sleeping genius. Currently, she was complaining that her legs were tired, and they were barely even through the airport doors.
Even though it was only six in the morning, the airport was already bustling with activity. People were running from terminals to restaurants to waiting areas like they were really late (which undoubtedly some were). Even though she had been coming to LAX since she was still in diapers, it was clear on her face that Riley was still in awe. All of the colors, sounds, and movements could be pretty overwhelming for an adult, let alone a child. Jack didn't know whether Mac would have been overwhelmed or amazed. He was just glad the boy was out like a light and they wouldn't have to find out.
It seemed that Riley suddenly remembered she was supposed to be grumpy because she glared at the ground and trudged on. Diane reached for her hand, but she roughly jerked it away and kept her gaze down. A hurt expression crossed the woman's face. She knew that one day would come when her daughter would no longer want to hold her hand, but she had never expected it to be today. She just decided to chalk it up to whatever mood the little girl seemed to be in.
"I'm gonna go check out the departure boards and see what terminal we're in," Jack said softly as to not disturb the little bundle in his arms. Diane nodded before pointing to a sitting area in silent message that they would wait over there. Riley begrudgingly followed her over to a plush brown couch while Jack went off in the opposite direction.
Diane took this as her opportunity to pounce. She turned to Riley and gently cupped her daughter's face in her hands. When she tried to jerk away, Diane ever-so-gently tightened her grip.
"What's wrong," Diane demanded in a tone that conveyed no nonsense yet was still soft in only a way that she could. She released Riley's chin and the girl immediately jerked her head down to look at her lap.
"Nothing," she muttered dismally.
"You know you can't lie to me. I can see right through you. You know why? Because you're my daughter and I know you better than anyone else," Diane said gently.
Riley glared at her hands and said nothing. She toed the tile under her foot and tried her best to not let her gaze flick to her mother.
"So, why don't you tell me what's going on?" Diane prodded gently, Riley huffed, but Diane managed to catch her gaze. The little girl's attitude melted away and was replaced by a sad expression. She leaned into her mother and cast her gaze down once again.
"It's dumb," she muttered.
"It's not dumb if it's making you upset baby," Diane answered.
Riley sighed softly before looking up into her mother's eyes, her own glistening with tears. "I…it's…" she groaned in annoyance as she tried to find the right words. "I don't want Nana to forget about me," she finally settled on.
Diane looked at her sympathetically, finally realizing what this was about. She had experienced the exact same thing when her little sister had been born, not just with grandparents, but with her own parents and most of the family.
"And because Mac is the newest member of the family and this is the first time he is meeting Nana, you're worried that Nana will love him more now," Diane finished for her. It wasn't hard for her to figure out what her daughter was thinking.
Riley nodded solemnly, keeping her gaze down in shame. Diane put her arm around her and pulled her close. "Your Nana could never love any of her grandchildren more than the others, and that's saying something considering she now has 23 grandchildren including Mac. There is so much love in Nana's heart that there is room for both you and Mac."
"After 7 kids, 23 grandkids, and a great grandkid, you really think there's still room in Nana's heart?" Riley asked sheepishly.
Diane nodded thoughtfully, "I do. Nana is a very loving person and someone like that always has room for more people. Let me ask you this: Before Mac came around, did you ever feel like you were missing someone in your heart?"
"I don't think so," she answered slowly.
"And you love him?"
"Of course!" Riley demanded quickly.
"Well then there you go. You didn't feel like you needed anyone else in your life, but when Mac came around, you were able to open your heart and spread your love to another person. You're a lot like Nana in that sense. One more thing you need to keep in mind: Mac's never had a proper family. Until he came to live with us, it was just him and his daddy and his daddy was very mean to him. This is just as new for him as it is for you so you'll both have something to get used to," Diane explained.
"We can get used to it together!" Riley squealed, already back to her normal self. Diane nodded with a smile. The moment was interrupted by a loud growl from Riley's stomach. She smiled with embarrassment as Diane pulled out a five-dollar bill.
"Here, go get something from the vending machine over there. You'll get plenty of proper meals when we get to Texas, especially if Nana has anything to say about it," Diane said with a laugh. Riley took the bill and ran over to the machine, which was still well in Diane's line of sight, she made sure of that.
0000
Carl watched the Dalton girl run over to a vending machine over the top of his magazine. He had been following the family around since Halloween, and while he wanted to please his boss, he was admittedly starting to get bored with all of the surveillance. He was not a man of patience; he was a man of action. It would have been a much more pleasing task if he had been told to kidnap the boy or kill the whole family, but no, the boss had to put him on surveillance.
He was even expected to fly all the way to Texas with them and keep an eye on them there to make sure they hadn't somehow found out and were now on the run. He hated this. He didn't want to just watch them and make sure they didn't go under the radar. He wanted to do something.
His eyes flicked over to where Mrs. Dalton was sitting and keeping a close eye on her daughter. The airport was very crowded, and it would be very hard for someone to do anything to the girl. Hard, but not impossible. Dalton himself decided then was the perfect time to come back from checking the flight departure board. The little blue bundle was still securely in his arms, the little brat softly sleeping on his shoulder. If he had cared enough, he would have wondered how the child managed to stay asleep with the noise level and amount of activity. That was if he cared. Which he didn't.
The only thing keeping him from getting up and leaving right then and there was the fear of his boss. He needed to please the man, or he would hurt his little girl. She was all he had left after her mother had passed and he couldn't let anything happen to her. Most people would assume that just because he was a cartel hitman that he was incapable of loving someone. That wasn't true; his little girl was his entire world, but if he didn't do exactly what the boss told him, he would kill her without any hesitation.
Then again, he would be doing the boss a favor if he got rid of the girl. The family would be so distraught it would be easy for them to ambush the family and take them all out. Maybe he could just take her? He didn't need to kill her. They might even be able to use her as leverage somehow.
Calmly, he folded the magazine closed and made his way towards the vending machines as if he were just passing through. With a quick glance towards the sitting area, he saw that James' spawn had apparently had a nightmare or something because the woman had momentarily looked away to comfort the boy. This was his opportunity to make his move.
He quietly walked beside the little girl and grabbed her arm before she had time to react. Pulling her behind the machines and putting his hand firmly over her mouth, he leaned down towards her ear. He couldn't see her eyes, but he could feel tears wetting his hands and he was sure there would be pure fear in her childish eyes.
"Stay quiet or I'll kill you," he hissed so softly even if someone was right beside him, they wouldn't have been able to hear, "Do you understand?"
Riley nodded with sobbed muffled by the hand. She was a loud, outgoing girl and daddy always said she was brave, but she didn't feel very much like it right now. She had never been so terrified in her life. She wasn't stupid by any means either. She had heard some of the things daddy told mommy about work, some of the horrible things that happened to kids just like her. Mommy and daddy were constantly warning her about stranger: don't talk to them, if someone tries to do something, draw attention to the situation, and above all, if you see an opening, try anything you can think of to get away.
Thankfully, she remembered this. She couldn't draw attention to the situation with her mouth covered and being hidden from sight. She could, however, try something to get away. She thought back to all the times Sam had jokingly covered her mouth to stop her talking and how she would always lick her hand to get away. She had a feeling that that wouldn't work in this situation, but biting might.
Before she could have another thought, she bit down on the man's hand as hard as she could. He withdrew it with a howl of pain, and she took the opportunity to scream.
"Daddy! Help! Daddy!" she managed to scream out before the hand was once again over her mouth
"Shut up, shut up!" he growled. With his free hand he nervously pulled at his hair and twitched. He had forgotten what the thrill of his work did to him. Suddenly he remembered why the boss had put him on surveillance. The voices in his head only came out when he did things like this. The boss said the voices liked to lie to him, so he kept him away from all of the fun things. It was for his own well-being. If the government found out about the voices, they would lock him up and take his little girl away. The boss was just protecting them. Wait, no, those were the voices.
He growled in frustration and pounded on the side of his head. His eyes flew up wildly when Dalton raced behind the machines. The agent didn't hesitate to pull out his gun.
"Get the hell away from her!" Dalton snarled, a hatred so deep and scary in his eyes that it was like nothing Carl had ever seen before. It was a rage that only a parent hell-bent on protecting their child at any cost could hold.
"No, no, no, I can't, he'll hurt my little girl. He'll be angry when he finds out I've messed up," Carl demanded, a wild look in his eyes. Suddenly, he stiffened, and his eyes hardened.
"No, he'll be proud. He is protecting your daughter and you will be rewarded for this," he argued with himself, his voice even deepening and becoming gravelly.
If Jack hadn't been so blindsided by rage, he might have raised his eyebrow and thought this guys was a total looney bin, but as it was, the man had threatened his little girl and that was a fatal mistake. It had unleashed a deadly beast. The guy was still a total looney bin, though.
At this point, airport security had been attracted to all of the commotion and three officers were beside Jack, there guns also drawn. This didn't seem to faze the man. He continued to twitch and muttered to himself, his facial expressions changing as if he were multiple people.
"Let. Her. Go!" Jack snarled, his body language conveying that he would lay his whole clip into the man if he so much as moved the wrong way.
"I-I can't," Carl stuttered, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Maybe if this situation had been happening to anyone else, Jack would have laughed at the fact that security didn't even question who he was or why he had a gun. It wasn't like they knew he worked for the CIA. Maybe they were just wary of him, thinking that he could turn crazy if they said the wrong thing. Maybe he would or maybe he wouldn't, all he knew was that he had to save his little girl and protect his wife and son at all costs.
"Sir, we're going to need you to let the girl go. We won't shoot if you do so," the first guard insisted calmly.
Carl contemplated for a moment. He could already feel the adrenaline from the fun he just had draining out of him. The voices were starting to quiet down until they were only whispers and his vision was becoming less cloudy. He didn't want to hurt the little girl. What if it was his little girl someone was holding captive? He would do anything in his power to save her. He didn't want to cause another father that kind of pain.
Slowly he let her go and she raced for her father who brought her into a bone crushing embrace. She was crying and shaking, and he was doing his best to comfort her. Carl inexplicably felt guilty and he turned away, only to be facing two airport security guards who slapped him in handcuffs and led him to a holding room.
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Three hours later, the team had come to apprehend Carl and he was now in CIA custody. Matty had some techs find out more about him to know if he was a threat or not. His full name was Carl Richards. He had DID or Dissociate Identity Disorder. He had a six-year-old daughter named Eliza whose mother had been murdered when she was two. After that, because if her father's DID, she had been taken from him and put into the custody of a Nikki Reed. He bounced from job to job a lot, never staying at one more than a couple of months. A lot of months he stayed at group homes or such, never having enough money to meet the rent at the few apartments he managed to acquire. None of it seemed like he was a threat to the family, just your normal run-of-the-mill weirdo. It seemed to be just bad luck that he had chosen Riley to try and assault. After some time, Matty had finally given them the go ahead to head to Texas, not seeing any need for protective custody.
They had already missed their original flight and jack had ended up calling his mom and telling her they would be late due to problems at the airport. It wasn't exactly a lie; his mom just didn't need to know this kind of stuff; all she would do was worry anyway.
Riley had been pretty shook up and hadn't stopped clinging to Jack since it happened. He was okay with that because if he was being honest, he didn't want to let go of her either. It had been just as scary for him as it had been for her, maybe even as scary as the time he found Mac in the boiling attic not breathing. She had ended up getting checked out by medics who were already there. They had given her a clean bill of health besides maybe a bit of shock, but Jack was still worried about her. She had changed between crying and shaking for the first half-hour and then had just silently held on to him.
It hadn't been until Mac had cautiously went up to her and put his small arms around her that she calmed down. Mac had not had a good reaction to everything going on and he too had gone semi-mute, but being Mac, he still felt guilty even if he did nothing wrong.
"It's otay Wiley. Da bad man gone now," he had whispered softly. She had cried and slid to her knees to return his embrace.
"I'm sorry Mac," she had whispered.
Mac had given her a confused look. "Why sowwy? 'ou did nofing wong. I do somefing wong?"
She had given him a weak smile and shook her head. "Never mind."
They were now standing in the Fort Worth National Airport waiting for Jack's sister to come and pick them up. Riley had seemed okay enough since Mac had approached her. She wasn't bouncing around, but she was messing with Mac's perfect blond locks and clearly agitating the boy. Jack couldn't help but smile because he knew that she would be just fine. Kids tended to do that, especially brave, tough girls like Riley. They could bounce back from a lot of things much quicker than any adults, even something like this. Jack was by no means going to stop keeping a very close eye on her, but he wasn't particularly worried.
Finally, Jack's older sister Sally arrived. It was now time for him to turn from comforting his daughter who, with renewed enthusiasm, had run off to see her aunt and comfort his little boy who was practically trembling behind his hands.
"Hey. You're okay," he started softly, "We talked about this. You're going to meet a lot of new people but none of them will ever lay a finger on you, remember? That's my sister and your Aunt Sally. We trust her okay?"
Mac nodded and placed one shaking hand in Jack's large one. He held Euclid, who had been dug out of Mac's carry-on, tight against his chest as they approached the woman. When she saw the pair, her face broke into a grin and she knelt down to see Mac up close.
"Why, is this my new nephew?" she asked, her southern accent even thicker than Jack's. Jack gave her a smile and squatted down with her in order to give Mac's back a gentle rub.
"Sure is. Sally, this is Angus MacGyver, but he much prefers Mac," he added quickly upon seeing Mac's disgusted look, "Mac this is your Aunt Sally.
"I-It's nite to meet 'ou," Mac said quietly, his nervous hands having nothing to do but twist at the hem of his red and black plaid shirt.
"It's so nice to meet you too, sugar. We've all heard so much about you. Come give your Auntie a hug," she said cheerfully.
"Sally, I don't know if that's…" Jack trailed off as Mac hesitantly stepped forward only to be swung up in the air by Sally. For one horrible moment Jack thought Mac would scream from the height or being surprised, but to his amazement, the blond boy only giggled.
"That's right, I'm your cool aunt, no matter what Rose says," Sally said winking at Jack and carrying off a laughing Mac. Diane looked at Jack with a surprised look, but he only shrugged. Mac was just full of surprises.
0000
Not too long after, Mac had met most of Jack's family. While initially terrified at all of the people, the toddler had eventually settled into the motions when on e relative after another popped up. Mac seemed so apprehensive to the whole situation, not quite believing he had all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Still, there was one last person Mac hadn't met. To everyone's surprise, Jack's mama had allowed everyone else to meet Mac before making her presence known.
"Alright now everyone, skedaddle, I want to meet my new grandbaby," Bethany Dalton said from the back of the crowd. They suddenly all parted as if she were royalty (though she kind of was in their family.)
Bethany Dalton did not appear the motherly type. Barely hitting five feet four inches, she was smaller than most of the adults. Her pepper gray hair was tightly thrown up in a wild mess and held up by a large hair clip. Her skin was brown from the sun and her eyes were stubborn with a no-nonsense look. Her flowery dress may deceive a lot of people, but everyone in the family knew that she could comfort a scared child as well as she could wield a shotgun. That was just Bethany Dalton.
"Well hello there, bubba," she said in a soft tone that she reserved only for the youngest of her brood. Mac clung to Jack's pantleg as if that were his lifeline. This woman reminded him of an older, southern version of Miss Matty. While he trusted Miss Matty, he didn't know if this woman counted. Even so, she was his Nana, right? You were supposed to trust your Nanas.
"It's alright honey cakes, I ain't gonna hurt ya," she continued, walking slowly towards the little boy. Jack had told her enough about the little boy for her to know that he was damaged and in need of some serious TLC from his Nana. Someone had hurt a member of her family and that just didn't fly in Mama Dalton's book.
"N-nana?" Mac whimpered curiously.
Bethany nodded encouragingly. Mac cautiously tip-toed towards her before realizing everyone was watching him and sprinting forward. He didn't even hesitate to bury his face in her skirt and hide from the world. Bethany, while mildly surprised, also didn't hesitate to pick him up and set him on her hip. She could now feel how thin he was. It wasn't an unhealthy thin like Jack had first described to her, but it wasn't right for his age either. Well, she would just have to do something about that.
"We've got to get some meet on your bones," she said jokingly. Mac just stared at her in a confused way.
"Mama, we've been tryin' but he can't eat all that much," Jack explained.
"Hush Jack," she shushed before turning back to the toddler still in her arms. "Have ya ever had peach cobbler bubba?" she asked before carrying him off towards the kitchen. Jack smiled; his momma would make sure Mac ate good.
Well, that was something. I don't know where exactly I went with it, it definitely wasn't how I originally planned, but I think it worked out all the same. I just hope you all like it too! Also, sorry if there is an excessive number of mistakes towards the end. It's nearly eleven and I'm working off of a cup of cappuccino. Ahh, the joys of writing deep in the night. Well, see ya!
P.S. Did you notice the little things I slipped in? Mac once mentioned in the show he had a mutt named Archimedes. Also, who took care of Carl's daughter? Nikki Reed that's right! Is she behind all of this?