Mac's House
"Riley I can't really explain what's going on between us, but I want to figure it out." Riley looks down and away she starts chewing on her bottom lip nervously. Mac leans his head to catch her eyes while taking his thumb to pull her lip from in between her teeth. "That is only if you want to Riles." Riley Smirks "Of course I do Mac." Mac grins leaning in to kiss her when everything starts shaking Mac starts looking around realizing it must be an earthquake. He looks back to where Riley was, and she was no longer there.
"RILEY? RILES?"
Mac Turns around and sees Matty standing by the door. "Matty?"
"Time for you to get up blondie."
Mac jumps out of his sleep to find Desi still trying to shake him awake.
"Ok, Ok I'm up. Desi?"
"Hey, you were in a deep sleep. I called and texted when you didn't answer I came by to check on you."
Mac sits up trying to get his mind together. "You really need to do something about talking in your sleep." Desi says as Mac stares at her wondering if she heard him say something about Riley.
"Not that you made any sense." Mac lets out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. If anyone asked, he would never admit to it, but ever since Riley moved out a few weeks ago he hasn't been able to sleep. He also won't admit that sometimes he goes into her old room and lays on the bed because it still smells like her.
Desi keeps watching Mac as he walks around getting dressed. "So, I was thinking if you wanted, we could grab some breakfast and talk before heading in." Mac turns around as he pulls his shirt over his head. "Umm, I told Bozer I would meet him in the lab this morning can I take a rain check?"
"That's fine but do you really have to meet up with Bozer or are you just avoiding the conversation because we should have had this convo weeks ago. Its like we're walking on eggshells around each other."
"Desi, I'm not avoiding the convo I agree we need to sit down and put everything on the table to see how we want to move forward. It just can't happen this morning. I'll see you at work." Mac grabs his wallet and keys and heads for the door leaving Desi behind.
The Lab
Mac strolls into the lab, Bozer and Sparky are sitting playing chess. Mac shakes his head Bozer needs to find a different game to play with the Phoenix's live in robot.
"Sparky go easy on him. How many games have you lost Boz?"
"4" Bozer says in a huff.
"Actually 5, checkmate"
"Come On! Seriously …. How?" Bozer begins to rub his temples. Mac chuckles.
"I wasn't even playing at my best. You really need to practice more Bozer." Bozer turns to Mac. "Anyway, what brings you down here?"
"I need some advice."
"We are always here to assist." Sparky says. "Would this have anything to do with your new attraction to Ms. Davis?"
"Sparky what are you talking about?" Bozer says while looking at Mac to gauge his reaction.
"From my recent observations whenever Ms. Davis is in the vicinity MacGyver's heart rate slightly raises and his eyes dilate considerably. It seems MacGyver is how do you say Catching Feelings."
Looking at Sparky like he just betrayed him, Mac reaches over and shuts the robot down. Bozer starts laughing. "The last time Sparky made the same comment he was talking about you and Desi, and that was way before you too even started dating.
Mac takes the seat in front of Bozer trying not to make eye contact. Bozer had this way of reading him. Mac decides to just mumble it. "Maybe he's right."
"What! Did you say Sparky is right!" Bozer jumps out of his chair nearly knocking it over.
"Bozer chill, I have no clue how I'm feeling. All I know for the last few weeks since she moved out, I consistently have dreams about her."
"Woah, what kind of dreams?" Mac gives him the death stare. Bozer puts his hands up. "Kidding."
"What do you think it means Boz?"
"Honestly, I think maybe you've had these feeling for awhile and have been ignoring them now they're coming out in your dreams."
While Mac is mulling over what Bozer just said Riley walks up behind Mac trying to make her voice deeper, "Why so serious." Causing Mac to jump. Bozer and Riley start to laugh. Mac smiles as he takes in Riley. He loved the way she lights up when she is in a playful mood.
"Why so pensive?" Riley asks Mac "And it must be serious if you had to shut down Sparky.
As Bozer and Mac try to come up with something all their phones go off.
"Look at that Matty saved you two. Don't think I'm going to forget about this." Riley says as she picks up her things and head to the door. She yells "Let's Go." Over her shoulder. Mac and Bozer look at each other then head to the door. Bozer stops short "Hey, I'll meet you there forgot something." Mac nods and continues. Bozer always feels a little bad when he leaves him off for to long. He flips Sparky's switch and watches as he comes to life. "We'll that was uncalled for." Sparky finally says. Bozer just chuckles "Give Mac some slack he wanted a private conversation."
"We'll if that's how he reacted it is safe to say once again I am correct. MacGyver has acquired stronger feeling for Ms. Davis. Which makes sense they are a more compatible match."
"Sparky, I don't think even Mac understands what he's feeling right now. I got to go stay out of trouble."
War Room
"Nice of you to join us." Matty says as Bozer walks into the war room. "Who knows Thomas Russo?" a picture of an older white man pops up on the screen. "Isn't he the King of the dark web?" Riley says as Matty nods yes and Mac smirks and nods his approval. "Riley is basically right; Russo is the guy every terrorist cell goes through to get things done without having to get too involved. He is so good that even though we know who he is and what he is doing all the agencies still can't take him down. A few days ago, Russo announced basically he's retiring It seems his wife is dying, and he is spending his time with her, and decided to close up shop."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Bozer asks
"It would be if his intel on the who, what, and where on some of the most sought-after terrorist cells didn't disappear also."
"So, what's the plan to get the info?" Mac asks
Matty clicks the screen again and an elderly couple pops up everyone starts looking at each other confused. "So, we're stealing his parents?" Bozer asks "No Bozer, this is Jonathan and Greta Russo Thomas's grandparents. Recently Jonathan has been sporting a hip new medical alert watch, it tracks his heart rate and does all these other fancy things, but most importantly it contains the files we want embedded on it." "Thomas adores his grandparents since they raised him, so twice a year he sends them on lavish vacations this year its Fiji."
Bozer starts dancing "Let me find out we're going to Fiji" Mac starts laughing "No Bozer you aren't going anywhere." "What! Come on Matty I never get to go anywhere good."
"I need you here with me." Mac looks at Bozer's crest fallen face and makes a mental note to plan a boy's vacation.
"So, we're just going to Fiji to steal it and leave?" Desi asks
"No, Thomas always keeps them guarded at all time you might only see 2 but trust me there are more. This mission is going to need a little more finesse. Greta and Jonathan are relationship counselors aka love doctors. It's a known fact that every time they go on vacation they usually take in a young couple guiding them in the right direction so we're going to use this to our advantage. Getting close enough to them that with the new software Riley has created and placed on a bracelet we can copy the info."
"So, Mac and I are going to go undercover as a couple gain their trust and try to get close enough for long enough to copy whatever is on the watch?" Desi asks Mac holds his breath waiting for Matty's response. Desi will surely use this time to try talk about their relationship and Mac didn't want to be distracted by that, but on the other hand Riley would be a whole different type of distraction.
"That's exactly the plan Desi, except you won't be going Riley will since its her software and she knows best how to work it. You and Russ will be off site as back up. Everyone on this small resort gets vetted so I can only get 2 people in, plus we don't want to spook their security. Mac takes a quick look at Desi noticing she looks slightly upset. He couldn't dwell on that because all he could think about was the fact that he and Riley were headed to Fiji. "Ok, wheels up in twenty."
Fiji
Mac is pacing around the villa that was located next to the Russo's the place was huge and lavish Russ paid a pretty penny for this, that was least of Mac's concerns they just got intel that the Russo's were spending to afternoon by the pool so that's where they are headed. Which also meant dressing the part which was fine until he threw on some trunks and grabbed a towel when it dawned on him Riley would be in a swimsuit also. Just then her bathroom door opens, and she steps out in a peach two piece while tying a similar colored floral wrap around her waist, her hair was curly and out. Mac lost all speech, brain completely shut down. How was he going to get through this op with her looking like that?
Riley walks over to him "Mac ready to go?" no response
"Mac?' He finally blinks shakes his head and clears his throat. "Yea, Sorry I was Ah..."
Riley lifts an eyebrow and asks, "Are you ok?"
"Yea I'm great just Peachy." They put their coms in telling Matty they were headed out to the pool.
Could you really call this a pool? It looked like a small water fall on the side of a mountain. From where their villa was located you could see the beach and water below. The best part of it was that is was shared between only the Russo's and Mac and Riley. As the approached the sitting area on their side of the property they smile and wave to the Russo's who are already relaxing by the pool. The Russo's smile genuinely and wave. Mac then notices the two-armed guards off to the side as he and Riley try to get comfy on the lounge chairs.
"Riley or Mac one of you should get in the pool for a swim while the other sits and observes." Matty says over the coms.
Riley stands and takes off her wrap places a kiss on Mac's cheek and walks down into the pool. Mac almost forgot he was on a mission he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Riley looked like she was modeling for a magazine. Suddenly, he hears someone clear their throat Mac turns to see Jonathan Russo standing over him. Mac needed to get his head in this op. Mr. Russo wasn't a threat, but he needs to be more aware of what was going on.
"My name is John and that's my wife Greta. I figured since we're going to be sort of neighbors, I should introduce myself." Mac takes his out reached hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you John, I'm Sam and that's my girlfriend Amber." As he glances in Riley's direction, she breaks the surface of the water pushing water out of her face. Mac nearly drools on himself.
"Young love is so refreshing. I can see you are very much in love."
"In Love?" Mac questions slightly taken aback John just chuckles. Greta steps forward giving Mac her hand "Hello, I'm Greta." Mac shakes her hand "Sam and that's Amber."
"What are you two talking about." Greta asks her husband.
"Oh, nothing just how Sam hasn't figured out he's in love."
Greta laugh "John give him a break; you men are always the last to know that you're in love."
John and Mac Laugh. "John let him enjoy his vacation with his beautiful girlfriend. Sam we would love if you and Amber joined us for dinner tonight. sitting and talking to him only gets to be a bore."
Mac smiles "Sure."
John and Greta walk back to their side of the pool. Mac decides to join Riley in the pool to play up on the relationship since they were being watched. Mac dives into the pool swimming up to Riley.
"We have a date with our neighbors for dinner."
"I heard. Good work"
"Good job Mac this dinner gives Riley an opportunity to get close to John, they are still watching you play up the relationship some more. Then you two can go in and get ready for tonight." Matty says over the com.
Mac gives Riley a devious smile she picks up on immediately and tries to get away, but Mac was too fast for her. They begin to play fight Mac pulls Riley towards him looking into her eyes as everything else melted away. He leaned in and she met him halfway wrapping her arms around his neck. When their lips finally meet Riley sighs and melts into him. Mac pulls her closer deepening the kiss, so this is what he's been dreaming about. Kissing Riley felt so right, perfect. He couldn't get enough of her. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, he knew he wasn't alone in his feelings because he could feel Riley's heart beat also. Mac ran his hands down her waist to her legs lifting her so she can wrap her legs around his waist.
"Great Job, The Russo's believe you're a happy couple." Matty says over the com. Mac and Riley separate and look over to the Russo's Villa and see them heading inside.
"I guess we should head back inside and get ready for later." Riley says as she backs away from Mac unable to keep eye contact.
"I'm going to do a few laps I'll be there in a few." Mac watched as Riley got out of the pool and headed inside his emotions all over the place.
Riley enters the kitchen grabbing a water from the fridge. She leans against the counter thinking back to the kiss she just had with Mac knowing they were no longer acting when they kissed. If this op wasn't already complicated that kiss just made it nerve racking. She should be happy it's what she's wanted for a while now, and it seems that they are finally on the same page… but are they really Desi just confided in her earlier that Mac was avoiding talking to her about where they stand in their relationship. Maybe he was just using her to get over whatever is going on with Desi. She finally decides to act like it never happened it was just for the op. She takes out her com, deciding she needed a shower and a nap to calm her nerves.
It was almost time for dinner when Mac came in from the pool earlier Riley was in the shower so he took a shower in his bathroom with all intentions of talking about the kiss, but by the time he got out the shower she was already taking a nap. He fell asleep on the couch the next thing he knew she was waking him to get ready for dinner.
Dressed in an all-black suit Mac walks into the living room to find Riley in a black and gold dress with black heels on. Mac knows for a fact she's trying to kill him.
"Hey, Riles can we talk?" She turns to look at him and smiles
"Sure, but if this is about the kiss lets forget about it. It was for the op it didn't mean anything so why dwell on it."
All Mac heard was it didn't mean anything to her, before he could reply she handed over his com. "Okay good talk we're going to be late." She puts her com in and grabs the bracelet she needs to copy the info off the watch. Mac watches her for a moment realizing maybe he was the only one who thought the kiss was real. A little disappointed he puts his com in and heads for the door.
Dinner was going well John and Greta were entertaining Mac and Riley with stories from the almost 50 years together. "Sam my boy come with me to the bar." Mac stand and leaves with John as Greta moves closer to Riley. "He's a good man Amber your lucky to have each other." Riley looks over her shoulder at Mac and smiles. "Don't let insecurities and past relationships ruin a chance at something truly special." Riley looks at Greta in shock. "Don't look at me like that, I can see the brick wall around your heart from a mile away. Whoever he was, you let him in trusting him and he hurt you so now its safer to keep up the brick wall around your heart than having to fix a broken heart." Riley continues to look at her then says.
"It's because I know he will be the one I won't be able to recover from."
Mac and John are standing at the bar waiting for their drinks.
"You should really show her how you feel about her. "John says
"You mean tell her?"
"No Sam, SHOW her. Remember actions speak volumes, If I was a betting man, I'm sure in past relationships you've said you loved them, but never really showed them that you did. Words are just words Sam especially to a woman who has been hurt in the past. A woman like Amber won't let you in until you show her how in love you are, she can't be the only one falling the fear of being hurt is to great."
Mac slowly nods as their drinks are placed in front of them John takes their drinks and heads back to the table with Mac close behind in his thoughts. As John reaches the table the music changes and people at other tables stand to dance. John puts his hand out to Riley "Amber would you care to dance." Riley smiles taking his hand "Of Course".
"Well that means you're all mine Sam." Greta says to Mac
"It would be my Pleasure."
With the song almost over Riley and Mac hear Matty in their com "Download complete guys, good job say your goodbyes and get to the jet." While Riley was dancing with John, she made sure her bracelet was right next to watch so she could copy all the intel. Right as the next song was about to start Mac showed up next to Riley and John
"May I cut in." Mac says with a small smile but his eyes conveying much more. John smiles and nods while stepping away. Mac brings Riley close gesturing to discreetly turn off the coms.
"What's up?" Riley asks instead of answering he cups her face and kisses her slowly. Mac decided to show her that he wanted their kisses to be real, and that's what he was doing he put all his passion, want, fear, confusion, and downright desire into it. Then stepped back so he could look into her eyes when Riley opened her hazel eyes he was taken aback by his desire for her mirrored in her eyes.
"I needed you to understand that this kiss and the one before were real for me. So now that that's done let's get out of here." Riley doesn't reply she just nods her head and follows him to say goodbye to John and Greta.
Mac's House
Mac and Riley walk into Mac's house she gave him a ride home since he had one of the IT techs drop his car back at his house before leaving for Fiji. Mac was getting concerned Riley hasn't spoken to him outside of answering direct questions with a yes or no since they reached back to LA. He was surprised she drove him home.
"Riles what's up with you?"
"Mac... I'm fine just trying to process everything."
"Okay, Talk to me... What's the problem?"
"Desi"
"Desi?"
"Yes, you know your ex-girlfriend the one you told you loved a few months back, that has been trying to talk to you about your relationship but you have been consistently dodging."
"Riles its not even like that I'm not dodging her I just haven't figured out how to let her down easily."
"Mac, are you even sure you want to do that?"
"Seriously? Riley are you forgetting she had a gun on us, or thought we were traitors, Oh and how can we forget she almost let them drop a bomb on our heads? That doesn't really scream RELATIONSHIP, or I LOVE YOU does it."
"Mac…"
"NO Riles, I refuse to watch you throw away something we both want because of Desi, yes I care about her and yes I might have expressed love for her but I know for a fact I was never in love with Desi and I also know she was never IN LOVE with me. Yea its going to suck but she will move on."
"We all have to work together Mac; you can't break up with her and just start something new with me. How will that look?"
"I could careless how it looks, Riles you don't get it I haven't had a proper night's sleep since you left. When I do sleep I dream of you and when I can't sleep I lay in your old bed because It still smells like you, and if I'm being completely honest I've felt this way about you for a couple years now"
At that statement Riley stands there in shock she wasn't expecting that at all. She embraces Mac. Mac hugs her back surprised and not surprised he shared all that, Riley had always been who he felt most comfortable confiding in. Riley steps back looking him in his eyes.
"You need to talk to Desi."
"I will."
"And you need to give me some time."
"Riley."
"No, Mac this won't work if we're all put in an awkward situation."
Riley kisses Mac's cheek and heads to the front door. Mac stands there and watching her leave knowing she was in the process of pushing him away in her mind, and he wasn't going to let her if he had anything to do with it.
Riley's Apartment
Thoughts of Mac and Desi and this whole mess continues to run through her mind as she enters her apartment. Once she gets the door open, she notices the whole place in darkness which is wrong because she never turns all her kitchen light off, she always leaves at least one on. Riley goes on high alert and reaches for the bat she usually keeps by the front door, But it's not there. Strong arms grad her and a hand covers her mouth dragging her into the dark apartment once the door is closed the lights come on. Two armed men in all black and a man older man are sitting in her kitchen. He looks familiar but she couldn't place him.
"Ms. Davis welcome home." The older man says, "Your talents are needed, and I was positive you wouldn't come willing so here we are."
One of the men at the table opens a small bag and takes out a syringe. Riley starts to fight back. The older man shakes his head walking closer to her and nods so the captor would move his hand. "Yes, Ms. Davis"
"Who are you?" Riley asks
"Well MacGyver and his late Aunt Gwen called me Leland."
With Realization dawning on her Riley is about to speak again when she feels the needle pricking her neck and everything goes black.