Somewhere in Cairo….Yes, that Cairo
Mac and Riley, dressed all in black, are racing down flights of stairs, stopping at the secured entrance to the 5th floor. Riley goes to work disabling the access locks.
Mac leans against the wall, 'Are you sure you want to spend the whole weekend with them?'
Riley pops the door open and gives a surprised glance at Mac as she goes through, 'You mean you don't?' Mac follows her in and they quickly navigate the office floor plan to find the office they are looking for.
Mac explains his hesitancy to do a couples weekend with Bozer and Leanna as they weave through the desks. 'Don't get me wrong. I love Bozer and Leanna, but let's face it, Boze is going to be preening over his ties with MI6 to land us assignments like this one,' Mac explains, 'and we're going to have to give him his due,' he adds when Riley sends him a questioning look. 'It will just be a lot of together time,' Mac concludes with a sigh as they reach the door to the office they wanted. Riley sends him another look that tells him she is not buying what he's selling.
As she reaches for the door handle, Mac puts his hand over hers. 'And besides, we're still new, so I kind of want you all to myself for a while,' he confesses with a soft smile. Riley's expression softens and then she gives Mac a mischievous smile, 'I think we can put them off for another weekend.' Her expression takes on a more suggestive bent, 'I'm a big fan of alone time too.' Mac grins as he sees that he has finally gotten Riley to his way of thinking.
They enter the office and Riley heads directly to the computer on the desk. Mac takes his post at the window. He notices that multiple SUVs have pulled up outside, with armed men pouring out of them and entering their building.
'Ah, honey, looks like our terrorist friends are going to be having some unexpected company very shortly, of the unfriendly variety,' Mac informs Riley, 'you may want to pick up the pace.'
'There's a difference between smashing the encryptions and finessing them to get the terror cell locations, dear,' Riley retorts, 'and MI6 wants the latter.' Mac smirks at her rebuttal. 'Luckily for us, I just got what we needed,' she says as she pulls out the drive stick.
As they make their way out of the office, gunfire and loud crashes are heard on the floors above them.
'Sounds like the party has started,' Riley comments, looking up at the ceiling.
'Time to leave before any of their party favors start coming our way,' Mac decides. They make their way to an elevator. Mac pries open the doors and starts assembling the rappelling gear he has been carrying, with Riley keeping a lookout.
'Better hurry. They're bringing the party to us,' Riley remarks to Mac. No sooner are the words out of her mouth when an explosion rocks their corridor, sending shrapnel everywhere. A piece of flying debris catches Riley in the chest. Mac looks on in horror as she falls into the elevator shaft, 'Riley!'
Riley falls towards the opposite elevator landing, a floor below them. Luckily, she is able to catch the lip of the ledge of the landing to break her free fall. Her relief is short-lived though as she feels her grip on the ledge slipping. She is on the verge of letting out a scream as her grip fails when Mac's arm swoops around her, bringing her close to his body.
'I got you' Mac murmurs into her ear as Riley throws her arms around his neck and crushes herself to him, clearly astonished that she is not lying dead at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
'Hold on while I tether you to the harness' Mac instructs as he secures Riley to his gear. As he finishes a minute later, he pulls back from her to check to see if she is ok from her near-death experience. Instead of the anxious expression he was expecting, Riley is sporting a satisfied smile.
'For someone who just narrowly averted being a pancake, you seem awfully satisfied,' Mac wryly comments.
Riley stares wickedly back at Mac. 'The ride may have been a little rough but I like where I've ended up,' she says silkily as she weaves her hands through Mac's hair and wraps her legs around his waist. A look of raw hunger enters Mac's eyes. 'Can't say I'm complaining,' Mac smugly replies, pulling her in even closer as they give in to their passion.
Their stolen kiss is interrupted when both of them hear the elevator above them start to move.
Riley stares at the quickly approaching elevator car, 'Mac…'
Mac is already in motion, trying feverishly to hasten their descent with the pulley system to avoid being run over by the hundreds of pounds of steel and machinery bearing down on them. He looks up, then down, and does the math, instantly realizing that they're not going to make it with their current approach.
He takes out his Swiss Army knife and readies it next to their rope lifeline above them. Mac locks eyes with Riley, 'No choice,' he says with a grimace. He cuts them loose and they fall, screaming, to the bottom of the elevator shaft, 25 feet below.
Mac takes the brunt of the landing, grunting at the multiple injuries inflicted at the force of impact. He throws a troubled look at the advancing elevator car, and breathes a sigh of relief when it stops, a mere 4 feet above their bodies.
He glances down at Riley, safe in his arms, a look of decisiveness on his face. 'We're never, ever coming back to Cairo,' he says, rolling his eyes.
MacGyver's House
Mac enters his house and drops his bag, taking a closer look at his mail in his other hand. As he sorts through it, he pauses when he comes to a postcard from Hungary. He turns the postcard over and then tosses the rest of the mail on the counter, hypnotized by what he sees on the back of it. His mind can barely process what he is seeing: the familiar handwriting, the maniversary reference…. could it be? Mac wastes no time and heads back out the door.
Phoenix War Room
When Riley arrives, she finds Mac, Matty and Russ in the throes of an animated discussion. She wanders over to Bozer to find out what's going on.
'Boze, what gives? Why are we back here and what's got them so upset?' she asks.
Bozer doesn't take his eyes off the trio as he answers, 'Don't know but they have been at it since I got here,' he shrugs.
Mac somehow senses that Riley is now in the room. He stops arguing with Russ and Matty to turn to her.
He begins, 'Riles….' He pauses, not sure what to say next. Instead, he simply hands her the postcard. Puzzled, she takes it.
'Who do you know that went to Budapest?' she asks casually. Then she flips the postcard over. Riley stills as she recognizes the handwriting and reads 'Maniversary 2021' scrawled on the back. Her eyes snap back to Mac's.
'Jack?' Riley whispers into the now silent room. Mac simply nods his head.
Russ can no longer stay silent, 'That is currently under debate.' Riley continues to hold Mac's stare.
Bozer breaks into the conversation, 'Hold up. Our Jack? Like live and in color, and not like in a Six Sense kind of way?'
Mac turns to Bozer, 'Yes, I believe Jack is alive.' Riley noticeably shakes at Mac's pronouncement.
'Well, while you two were bickering about the message's legitimacy and meaning, I multitasked and reached out to my contact in the DoD,' Matty snickers.
Matty holds their attention as she continues. 'Apparently there was no investigation into Jack's death. With the eyewitness reports of Jack entering the building just before the explosion, the dog tags found on the body, and no other missing persons reported, they concluded that the remains were Jack's. No dental records were ever checked to confirm.'
'And we simply took it as face value that he was dead,' Riley voices, her self-condemnation evident. Mac's heart breaks along the same lines but he knows, as she does, that now is the time for answers, not regret for past decisions.
'If he's not dead, then where has he been for the last 6 months? And why hasn't he contacted us before now?' Mac wonders aloud.
'Knowing Dalton, there has to be a very good reason for going dark, for letting the people he cares most about think that he's dead,' Matty reassures Mac and Riley. Matty reaches out and takes the postcard from Riley's trembling hands. 'And with this, Jack is reaching out to us and we're not going to let him down,' Matty promises them.
'But what if it is trap?' Russ is pacing across the room. 'The last time we went off on a mission based on only past relationships and unverified information, Angus and Riley were almost toasted alive by Murdoc,' Russ lashes out, the guilt over his role in accepting that mission still fresh.
'The difference is that this time we are going in with eyes open and with back-up,' Matty fires off at Russ. She turns to Bozer. 'Bozer, do you think Leanna is up for an op? I have a way in but the cover needs two couples,' she asks.
'For Jack…for Mac and Riley,' Bozer nods, 'hell, for all of us, she's in.' Matty smiles her gratitude.
'Whether Jack is alive or not, he's family,' Matty replies. 'And we owe it to him to find out the truth,' she avows.
Great Market Hall, Budapest, Hungary
The doors of the mid-sized tour bus open up and out bounces a man clad in a light beige blazer with a large blue heart embroidered on the left side.
'Everyone, please follow me,' he says in Slavic-accented English. Slowly the occupants of the bus trickle out, including Mac, Riley, Bozer, and Leanna. The foursome huddle together off to the side as their tour guide, Tomas, shepherds the rest of the guests off the bus.
Mac casually looks around, 'Well, we're here. Let's hope Jack doesn't wait too long to make contact.'
'How sure are we that we are at the right place and time, or the right date for that matter?' Leanna asks.
'Jack doesn't do subtle. The place is obvious from the postcard – the Farmer's Market section in the Market Hall,' Riley explains.
'And the maniversary reference means today date,' Mac continues the explanation. 'The only unknown is the exact time, which could mean we're in for a long day of walking the aisles.' He looks around at their tour group, 'Lucky for us, our itinerary has us here for the full afternoon. Hopefully we'll find Jack before we have to go AWOL,' he comments.
'The sooner we can stop being Ben and Eva,' Riley referring to herself and Mac, 'and Jeff and Judy,' looking at Bozer and Leanna, 'the better.' Riley's face takes on a pensive look, 'I wonder how much Phoenix had to pay them for us to take their places on this gem of a tour.'
'They should be sending us a thank you card,' Bozer smirks with a 'you-know-it's-true' look to Mac. 'After that sorry excuse of a boat cruise – we're definitely saving them from not getting their money's worth!' Bozer quips.
As if he sensed Bozer's disparaging remarks about the tour, Tomas approaches their group, inserting himself between Riley and Leanna. 'Ladies, I'm sure that you are going to find the shopping here a dream come true! Let me show you some of my favorite places,' he smoothly intones as he leads them away. Riley throws Mac a sidelong glance before pretending to be interested in what Tomas plans to show her. Mac chuckles, as Bozer steps up next to him. Both men what as their significant others are fawned over by their lecherous tour guide at a leather goods stall. Mac's tolerant disposition disappears however, when Tomas's hand lands, and stays, on Riley's hip.
'I think it's time I go play the doting husband,' Mac says with narrowed eyes. Bozer, seeing how tense Mac has suddenly become, waylays him. 'Are you sure you don't mean the jealous husband?' Bozer deadpans. 'Creating a scene right now might bring us the wrong kind of attention,' he continues, 'and besides, Riley can handle him.' As if on cue, Riley swings a purse over her shoulder and into Tomas, effectively knocking the ill-placed hand off of her hip.
Mac and Bozer both smile at Riley's maneuver. 'See, what did I tell you,' Bozer smirks at Mac. Mac is still watching the action at the leather shop.
'Glad you feel that way, since it's now your pretend wife who has Tomas's hand on her ass,' Mac smirks at Bozer, nodding over to where Tomas is making a move on Leanna.
'Why that Lothario! He needs to get his hands off my woman!' Bozer exclaims. Both men decide to join their fake spouses. Once they extracted Riley and Leanna from Tomas's amorous attentions, they head towards the Farmer's Market section of the Hall. Mac and Riley walk hand-in-hand, bodies close to each other, not having to fake the natural intimacy that exists between them.
They spend close to a half an hour walking the rows before they hear a familiar voice, 'Hey Hoss, can I interest you in some homemade goulash?'
Mac and Riley slowly turn around to see Jack, alive and well, and apparently selling goulash.
After Jack leads them along with Bozer and Leanna to a closed off stall nearby for some privacy, Riley rushes into Jack's arms. 'I thought I'd lost you forever,' Riley cries into his shoulder. 'Never, hon. I'll always be with you, Ri, in both this life and the next,' Jack tells her with watery eyes. He looks over to Mac, 'Mac…' At the prompt, Riley releases Jack and Mac moves to replace her in Jack's embrace. 'Bring it in, Hoss,' Jack smiles.
Mac too is overwhelmed with emotion, 'Jack…knew that you were too stubborn to let a terrorist take you down,' he chokes out, trying to downplay the happiness he has at seeing Jack again.
'It's good to see you too, Mac,' Jack replies, choked up as well.
After more hugs from Bozer and Leanna, the group settles down enough to get back to the task at hand.
Mac asks the big question, 'Jack, what happened?'
Jack half-sits on one of the stall's stools. 'As you know Anya did the whole "Keyser Söze" thing, right? Running a nice wet work for hire scheme under the front of a rampaging terrorist?' Jack looks around as each one of them nods. 'Well, that was only the tip of the iceberg, you know what I'm saying. Turns out, her clientele was a little more connected.'
All of them waited expectantly for Jack to continue. 'After I figured out that there was a mole somewhere, I started to develop off-the-books contacts, keeping them all siloed and only giving them pieces of the bigger picture,' he explains.
'You compartmentalized your intel to flush out the traitor,' Mac surmises. 'Bingo,' Jack nods. 'It worked too.'
'Not only was there a mole in the task force, it became obvious someone else higher on the food chain was in on it too,' Jack shakes his head remembering, 'too many bad intel snafus, too many support missing at the crucial moments for it to be coincidence. It nearly got me and my team killed several times over. I knew there was definitely an organized crime connection so that's the thread I pulled on. That's when I came across Anton.'
'Who's Anton?' Riley probes.
'Anton Koslovich, only son of Hans Koslovich,' Jack announces.
'As in Hans Koslovich, the oligarch?' Mac clarifies. Jack nods, 'One in the same. Anton however didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps. He was forced to. An accountant by trade, he controls the books of the operation. And believe me, it is quite the operation – Big Daddy Hans has his hands in some major pots around the world, including the U.S.'
The group all look at each other, not liking where this conversation is headed.
'Long story short – Anton wanted out but he knew that the only way to do that is to take down his father and his organization. He was working to get me all the bank transit codes for Koslovich's full network when he was killed,' Jack takes a deep breath. 'It was him in that building that died, not me,' he breathes out.
'But how come they thought it was you?' Bozer asks.
Jack closes his eyes for a moment, reliving the day. 'The Task Force knew that the building was targeted but I was the only one who knew the reason why it was targeted. It had the files and the encryption key that we needed. Plan was that Anton would grab the files, give them to me, and then I would get him and his family to safety. I was already on-site when the alert came in about the bomb. I worked to get everyone out of the building, including Anton's wife and son, Nina and Andrei, and I had just cleared the building with them when all hell broke loose with Anton still inside.' His breath hitches, 'I went back in right after to see if I could save him but it was too late.'
'Once I realized that, yet again, someone was two steps ahead of me, I decided to go to ground. The explosion was meant for me so I gave them what they wanted,' Jack shrugs. 'I put my dog tags on what was left of Anton, took the drive with the files and high tailed it out of there with Nina and Andrei,' he finishes.
'And you have been on the run ever since?' Mac nods.
Jack nods, 'From Zagreb, we slipped into Slovenia. Made our way across the countryside and into Hungary. Under the guise of a migrant family, we've managed to keep under Koslovich's radar.'
'But why is Koslovich hunting Anton's family?' Riley asks.
'Koslovich doesn't know that Anton is dead. He thinks that he has simply gone into hiding. And that's a problem, since as the chief bean counter, he's the only one who had the encryption key for the account access, which you now have.' Jack pulls out a thumb drive and gives it to Riley. 'Even if Koslovich has his network change accounts, they would still be leaving billions in the old accounts without that encryption key. Only the holder of the encryption key can access those funds.' Jack explains.
'And Hans is a regular old Palpatine. He's hell bent on having his grandson by his side, even if it means killing his father and mother to get him,' he further elaborates for effect.
'That still doesn't explain why you didn't reach out to us, Jack,' Mac solemnly notes.
A pained expression settles on Jack's face. 'It tore me up that I couldn't reach out. Until I knew that the Phoenix wasn't compromised, I just couldn't risk it. It wasn't until I heard that you cut ties with the government that I thought it would be safe enough to make contact. And none too soon either.'
'What do you mean?' Bozer asks suspiciously.
'The encryption key is set to expire. We have less than two days before the goods we have on Koslovich go up in smoke,' Jack outlines.
'So either take down the network now…' Riley begins.
'…or we lose the chance to bring Koslovich and his organization down for good,' Mac finishes.
Jack gets up from his stool. 'Good news is that Koslovich is starting to think he is in the clear and he is moving forward with his annual shin dig with his full network in attendance. It's part annual meeting, part pay-the-piper type of thing. It's the perfect set-up to bust them all in one fell swoop.'
Riley already has her phone out, 'Where's this soiree taking place?'
'Vienna, tomorrow night,' Jack responds, 'Koslovich is using the music festival as a cover for his gathering.'
'Right…' Riley is pulling up information on her phone, 'the event is ticketed and sold out, so we will need some help getting behind the velvet ropes. I'll call Matty and bring her up to speed.' Riley walks off to a far corner to talk to Matty.
'In the meantime, Leanna and I are going to check to see if we have anyone paying attention to us,' Bozer says. Leanna nods, 'We should also maintain our cover, just in case. We'll be back.' Leanna and Bozer discreetly exit the stall, leaving Mac and Jack alone.
Jack gives Mac a curious smile. 'So what's up with you and Riley?' Jack asks pointedly. Mac freezes as he realizes that he is about to have a conversation with Jack that he has been avoiding for over 5 years.
Jack sees that Mac is tongue-tied. 'Because from watching you two earlier, it seems like there is something going on, and I don't mean the for-the-sake-of-the-mission kind of something going on. '
Mac finally finds his voice. 'Well, yeah, Riley and I are together now…' he says hesitantly.
'You mean, together, together?' Jack looks disbelievingly at Mac. 'Wait…Aren't you with Desi?' Jack continues to keep his voice low so that Riley cannot hear their conversation, in contrast to his body language that is screaming at Mac to explain.
'We broke up. Around a month ago,' Mac responds cautiously.
'A month?! And now you're with my Riley?' Jack takes a deep breath before laying into Mac. 'I love you dearly Hoss but if you are playing with my baby's heart…treating her like a rebound….then you and I are going to have a serious problem.'
Mac gulps, 'Jack, it's not like that, she's not a rebound…..I've loved her for a long time now. Our getting together is only a recent thing.'
'So what is she to you then?' Jack asks with raised eyebrows.
Riley's return saves Mac from having to respond to Jack's question. She senses that she may have interrupted something but she dismisses it for now, 'Hey. So Matty has checked into this gala, and we're in luck, four of us already have our way in.'
Mac guesses, 'Our tour group. We're in Vienna tomorrow and that's our evening event.' Riley nods, 'We use our existing covers.' She turns to Jack, 'Matty is working on something for you too and she wants you to hold tight.'
Riley pulls her back-up phone from her bag, 'In the meantime, use this to keep in contact with us.' She hands the phone to Jack and looks at him tenderly, 'We wouldn't want to lose touch again.' Jack pulls Riley in for another hug. 'Not gonna happen,' he tells her as he kisses her hair.
Riley wipes the unshed tears from her eyes as they break apart, 'Matty is also arranging for a safe house for Nina and Andrei. Call her for the details.'
Mac moves to Riley's side and puts his arm around her, 'We should re-join the tour.' Both Mac and Riley look back at Jack, reassuring themselves that he is indeed in their lives again.
Jack sees what they are thinking. 'Don't worry. All of this will be over soon and we'll be kicking back and having some cold ones,' he says encouragingly.
Hotel Room, Downtown Hungary
Mac can tell Riley is barely holding it together. Hell, he is barely holding it together. Believing Jack to be alive and then actually seeing it, all in the space of 24 hours, is taking a toll on them. Once they make it back to their tour-provided hotel room, Mac pulls Riley into his arms and the defenses come down. Mac holds her tight until the tears stop.
Riley pulls slightly away from him to look into his concerned eyes. 'Thanks for that,' she says with a small smile.
'I'm here for you, Riles, and believe me, I'm just as impacted as you at seeing Jack,' Mac replies tenderly. His soft smile takes on a more wry feel. 'Though I didn't expect that he would catch on so soon that we're together.'
Riley is taken aback. 'What? You mean, Jack already knows about us?' she asks, surprised.
Mac nods and gives her a guilty grin, 'Apparently he saw us walking around and put two and two together.' He shrugs, 'I merely confirmed it.'
Her surprise gone, Riley narrows her gaze at Mac, 'And how did he respond?'
Mac chuckles, 'Like you would imagine. I think the jury's still out but I'm hopeful that we'll get the verdict we want.' Mac pushes a curl of Riley's hair behind her ear. 'I think we need to give him some time to process,' he reassures her.
'One thing I do know is that no matter what Jack thinks or does, I'm not giving you up. I've waited too long for us to be scared off by Jack Dalton,' Mac says with conviction.
Riley gazes up at Mac with love in her eyes, 'I'm not giving you up either. You're like a drug that I'm happily addicted to' She wraps her arms around Mac's neck. 'In fact, I could use a fix,' she murmurs as she starts to nuzzle his neck. Mac groans and responds by giving her a taste of her own medicine. Before the two of them can become oblivious to everything except each other, Riley's phone goes off with Matty's name on the screen.
As Riley extracts herself from Mac's embrace, Mac releases an exasperated sigh. 'How does she always know when to call to interfere with our sex life?' he says ironically.
'Go ahead, Matty. You've got Mac and I.' Riley gives him a wink and sassy smile as she answers her phone.
'Riley, Mac, we've got a much larger problem than we thought,' Matty declares. Mac and Riley look worriedly at each other, instantly in all business mode.
'How so, Matty? Didn't the drive have all the information needed to get the arrest warrants in order?' Mac queries.
'Oh, it did, but when we were analyzing the accounts, we had multiple traces back to U. S. governmental funds. Based on Jack's intel, we assumed we would find some but what we weren't expecting is the multiple of layers of anonymity. We have no way of knowing who these accounts belong to until they actually try to access them,' Matty relays.
'So essentially we have the door covered but we need to see who's knocking on it,' Riley bottom lines it.
'Exactly. If we take away their access, they'll simply set up shop somewhere else,' Matty tells them. 'Team, this hidden faction could be the elusive group we have been looking for, the people behind the nano-trackers, the ones that hired Murdoc to take you out – we need to be able to identify all the players, not just the low level ones,' she continues.
Mac nods at Riley. 'What do you need us to do, Matty?' Mac asks.
'Instead of using the Vienna event to round up Koslovich's organization, we're going to use it as a way plant a virus into their financial systems. Riley, I've had Brooklyn and Sarah whip up some code that needs to get on each of Koslovich's generals' phones. Once loaded up, it should propagate to their home networks, allowing us to see who's really pulling the strings. What the four of you have to do is to get close enough for the virus to upload. We've identified all the targets. I've sent you their photos and dossiers to you.'
'And Jack?' Mac asks expectantly.
'I've got Jack on-site as one of the drivers. Once the virus is uploaded, I want all of you out of there. Meet up with Jack and he'll take you all to exfil,' Matty outlines. 'Good luck,' she says, ending the call.
'I'll let Boze and Leanna know that we have a new game plan and that we'll update them over dinner,' Riley murmurs as she texts them.
'You know, we've got over an hour to kill before our Buda Castle dinner starts…' Mac offers suggestively. Riley looks up from her phone and smiles, liking the direction of Mac's thoughts.
Vienna, Austria
The tour bus may have been a little out of place for a black tie event but the passengers it carried more than looked the part. The Phoenix foursome were no exceptions. As they made their way into the venue, each carried on their phones the target list and the app to deliver the virus remotely.
'Remember, you have to be within two feet of their phone for the virus to upload. When the upload is complete, your phone will vibrate and the target list will be updated,' Riley reminded them, as Mac grabbed two glasses of Champagne for them from a roving waiter.
'Happy hunting,' Mac wisecracks as the group disbands. Mac and Riley head to the right while Bozer and Leanna take the left side of the room. As Riley makes her way to the first set of targets, Mac decides to check in on Jack. 'Jack, you behaving out there?'
'All copacetic out here, Hoss,' Jack responds over comms, 'could use a little Tatooine Cantina excitement though.' Mac shakes his head at Jack's Star Wars reference.
'Some things never change,' Mac smirks. 'Why mess with a classic?' Jack replies.
'We'd all love to hear all your favorite Star Wars colloquialisms, Jack, but how 'bout we first finish this mission?' Riley pipes in. 'I've got 3 done,' she mentions.
'Total is up to 7,' Bozer chimes in. 'Make that 8,' he corrects as he sees Leanna beeline from another of their targets.
'Great, that leaves only 28 to go,' Mac adds. 'I've got a grouping of 4 coming up,' he intones as he saunters over to the bar where four of their targets are gathered. Once he feels the telltale vibrations from his phone, he mumbles, 'If they could all be that considerate to group together for us. We're up to 12.'
Mac looks around for Riley and sees her chatting up a waiter next to two of their targets. He continues to scan the room for his next targets. Luckily he spots another cluster of three targets, and he makes his way over to them. In his ear, he can hear the running tally of targets infected with the virus. Over the course of the next hour, 31 of the targets have the virus on their phones.
Mac and Riley meet up with Bozer and Leanna. 'You two see the last four?' Bozer asks.
'No, and one of them is the big man himself, Hans Koslovich,' Mac replies. 'There seems to be a crowd around the north end of the dance floor. Riley and I are going to check it out,' he says as leads Riley away. Riley is the first one to spot Koslovich.
'There he is,' she says to Mac, pointing to a dark-haired, heavy set man on the dance floor, 'dancing with the girl young enough to be his granddaughter.' Mac sees him and then pulls Riley into his arms, taking them onto the crowded dance floor to get close to Koslovich. Mac finally maneuvers them next to him and within minutes the familiar vibration is felt. Mac and Riley share a look and a smile before Mac starts to steer them away from Koslovich.
They are just departing the dance floor when number 33 on their hit parade appears from the sidelines. Unlike their other marks however, this target stops in his tracks when he sees Mac and Riley. After a moment of indecision that flickered on his face, number 33 turns and runs away from them.
Mac and Riley look at each other bewildered. 'I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure that guy recognized us,' Mac says as he and Riley follow him out. Riley is looking up who he is on her phone, 'That's William Abbot, CIA.' Riley looks up at Mac, alarmed.
'You can bet he recognized you then,' Jack interjects, 'we'd better take him out before he blabs to his friends.'
Mac and Riley move into high gear, running through the crowd after Abbot.
Mac reaches out to Bozer about the other 2 remaining targets, 'Boze…'
'No worries, Mac, Leanna and I got this – you go take care of Abbot,' Bozer declares.
Mac and Riley make it to the venue entrance just in time to see Abbot jump into a nearby car and speed off. No sooner has Abbot left then Jack skids to a stop in front of them. 'Get in!' he yells.
They waste no time doing just that, and Jack peels out of the parking lot right after Abbot.
'Hurry Jack,' Riley encourages from the back seat.
'Have you forgotten who taught you how to drive, young lady?' Jack replies to Riley via the rear view mirror.
'I may have forgotten a lot of things. Just like you forgot that you had people counting on you to come back from your terrorist witch hunt,' Riley retorts.
Mac senses that this conversation is about to go off the rails fast. 'Guys, maybe this isn't the time for this conversation…' he starts.
Jack looks hurriedly between him, Riley and the road. 'Oh no, I think this is the perfect time to clear the air,' he sounds off as he takes a hard left and then accelerates to back breakneck speed. 'Let's hear what's on Riley's mind,' Jack says more to Mac than to Riley as he spins the car around the next corner.
'Ok, Jack. Here it is. Why didn't you let us know that you were alive? You know Mac and I would've kept your secret,' Riley asks with equal parts hurt and anger, 'why did you let us go through the pain of thinking you were dead?'
Jack is speechless. He looks at Riley and then at Mac, mouth agape. Mac shrugs, 'It's a fair question. After all we've been through together, you should have trusted us.'
Jack continues his pursuit of Abbot as he struggles to answer them.
'I don't think I thought it all the way through. I just knew that I needed some way to get one step ahead,' Jack shakes his head. 'To be honest, I really didn't think that they would buy my death so easily. I thought I was may be gaining a week or two before everything came to light, and in those early days, my priority was keeping Nina and Andrei safe,' he explains.
Jack swerves around oncoming traffic before continuing. 'When it became apparent that everyone did buy that I was dead, around a month or so later, I thought about reaching out to you, started making some discreet inquiries through back channels, and that's when I heard that you two were infected with some type of nano gizmos.'
Mac and Riley look at each other, sudden understanding dawning.
Jack takes his eyes off the road to look at both of them in the eye. 'I'll admit it, that's when I thought you might be compromised, and if you weren't, then me dumping my secret onto your lives would only complicate things even more,' he confesses regretfully.
Riley reaches out to grasp Jack's shoulder, 'Jack….we get it. It just hurt.'
'In hindsight, you probably made the right call. We were compromised. We just didn't know how much until recently,' Mac consoles him.
Jack holds backs his emotions, focusing on their quarry in the speeding car ahead of them. 'The only thing that got me through the pain I knew I was putting you through was that I knew that you two would have each other. Turns out, I was more right on that front than I knew,' Jack throws them a knowing smile.
Mac and Riley share a tender look, which Jack catches.
'Though I should tell you that I wasn't totally surprised,' Jack teases them, 'I could see from day one the sparks flying between you two. The way you two finished each other's sentences….' He looks briefly at Mac, 'how you always kept track of who Riley was dating.' He takes hard right and looks back at Riley, 'And how you'd follow any weird instruction Mac gave blindly, even though it took me years to earn your trust.'
'I'm not a genius…' Jack remarks.
'You got that right,' Riley snarks.
'…but I can see when two people are headed towards each other like you two were,' he finishes.
He grins from ear-to-ear, 'I'm just glad it finally happened.' Mac and Riley both smile, knowing that they just got the approval they were hoping for.
They are soon jolted from the moment when Jack slams on the brakes and skids to a stop in front of an old hotel that Abbot has rushed into. Mac, Riley and Jack scramble from the car and head into the lobby which is flooded with people in all directions.
'Is it just me, or is anyone else getting a little déjà vu?' Riley comments.
Mac looks at Jack, 'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?'
'Like I said before, why mess with a classic?' Jack says smugly.
Mac takes off to find the nearest cleaning supplies closet while Jack and Riley watch the exits for Abbot. Soon the distinct sound of a fire alarm is heard, and a new level of pandemonium sets in at the lobby. Not long after, Riley spies Abbot making his way to the back exit, right into Jack's waiting fist.
Riley reaches Jack and the now restrained Abbot the same time as Mac.
Jack hauls him up and points him towards the door. He gives Mac and Riley a long meaningful look, 'Let's go home.'
MacGyver's House
Everyone is gathered on Mac's deck, celebrating Jack's homecoming. Most surprisingly, Jack and Russ seem to be hitting it off, much to Matty's chagrin.
'If you two are done with your bromance, I want to talk to Jack,' Matty interrupts their good-natured bantering. Jack side-whispers to Russ, 'I better go. Never keep Matty-the-Hun waiting.' Russ spits out his beer, laughing at Jack's nickname for Matty.
'What's up, Boss Lady?' Jack kneels down by the fire pit where Matty is sitting. Matty gives Jack a warm smile before donning a more serious expression. 'I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not looking into your supposed death,' she says somberly.
Jack puts down his beer and reaches out to hold Matty's hands. 'Matty, you are not to blame for any of this. In fact, I should be thanking you for looking out for my family here when I couldn't. I'm just glad I have a family to come home to and that is in a large part due to you,' Jack reassures her, 'so let's stop with the could've-would've-should've game, ok?'
Matty's smile perks up, 'Ok. You'll also be glad to know that you did it – you brought down Koslovich's organization. The virus did its job and we rounded up over 300 of his associates. And you also gave us Abbot. Now we may be able to finally get some real answers as to who the bad seeds are in the alphabet soup.'
Jack gives her a half-smile. 'Let's hope so,' he says humbly.
Off in a corner, Mac and Riley stand side-by-side watching as their de facto family welcomes back a missing piece. Riley turns around to face Mac. 'I never dreamt that I would be able to have the two most important men in my life be by my side again,' she smiles gratefully. Mac places his hands on her hips and pulls her to him. 'While I would like to be the only most important man in your life, I'm ok to share the honor with Jack,' he teases before giving her a quick kiss.
'Hey you lovebirds. Before you get so wrapped up in each other that you forget about the rest of us, help me out with this pastrami,' Bozer calls out as he and Leanna start serving his signature dish.
Mac rolls his eyes and Riley chuckles. 'I'll deal with the pastrami,' he tells her, 'I get the feeling that Jack wants to talk to you.' He nods to Jack lurking a few feet away, and then takes off to help Bozer.
Riley gives Jack a megawatt smile as he approaches, 'Hey, old man, how's life back in LA treating you?'
Jack gives her a sheepish look, 'It would be much better if I could get a pizza date on the books with you.'
'How's tomorrow sound?' Riley asks with a raised eyebrow. Jack grins, 'Perfect!'
Riley gazes at Jack affectionately, 'You know Jack. I think one reason why I was so upset at you, beside you faking your death and not telling us, is that I never took the opportunity to tell you fully what you mean to me.' Jack sobers up immediately. 'You made me into who I am today – my sense of loyalty, family, – it all came from you and I am eternally grateful. I love you Jack,' Rile' gives him a wobbly smile.
Jack wraps her up in his arms, 'I love you too, Ri.' After clinging to each other for a few moments more, Riley wipes her tears away, 'I'm going to get another beer. You want one?' Jack smiles, 'No, I'm good.' Jack smiles to himself as he watches Riley walk away. He is making the rounds again when Desi appears. A chorus of 'Desi!' rings out. Jack is the first one over to give her a hug, followed by everyone else but Mac, who stands off to the side watching the happy reunions.
When Desi resurfaces from the mountain of arms surrounding her, she answers everyone's questions about Evan.
'Evan is doing great,' she says with a glow, 'we were given the all clear to leave Germany yesterday so we're back in LA now and he'll be doing his post-op work here.'
After more well wishes, Desi finds Mac's eyes on her and she approaches him shyly.
'I'm glad you came,' he says with a small smile.
Desi gives him a smile back, 'I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Jack was important to me too.' She pauses for a moment and glances over to Riley. 'I also wanted to tell you how happy I am for both you and Riley – I'm glad you finally got your soulmate.'
Mac gives her a hug, 'Thanks Desi. That means a lot with all that we've been through. And know that I feel the same for you and Evan.'
Desi gives him another quick smile before joining Matty and Riley at the fire pit.
Mac is looking up into the night sky, smiling at how the stars are aligning for him when Jack appears by his side.
'Hey Mac,' Jack begins slowly, 'I think I might owe you an apology.'
'For what?' Mac asks, surprised.
'For how I reacted when I found out about you and Riley,' he replies.
Mac shakes his head, 'Jack, no apology is needed. Riley is basically your daughter and I expected no less of a reaction from you. You love her and want what's best for her. I can't fault that since that's what I want for her too.'
'Yeah, but what I should have said is that I'm glad that she found a person just as awesome as she is,' Jack confesses.
Mac has a confession of his own, 'Well, when you asked me what she is to me, what I should have told you, is that she is my world, and I want nothing more than to someday have the great honor to call her my wife.'
Jack grins from ear-to-ear at Mac's words. 'I get it. Riley is your Sarah,' Jack nods. 'I'm just glad to see that you were smarter than me to not let the love of your life get away.
'Me too,' Mac smiles happily.
'But just to go on the record, if you hurt my baby girl, there'll be a reckoning,' Jack warns Mac semi-seriously.
Mac nods, 'Officially noted and understood.'
Riley picks that moment to join them. Mac puts his arm around her as she huddles in next to him. 'You two are looking much too serious. What are you talking about?' Riley asks. She notices a look pass between them.
'I was telling Mac here about your first driving lesson, how you couldn't even execute a three-point turn without step-by-step instructions and constant encouragement from yours truly,' Jack declares, smiling at the rise he is getting out of Riley at his claim.
'And here I was, thinking of giving you back the GTO,' Riley quips.
Jack backtracks, 'Now, let's not get too hasty…'
Mac laughs, loving the repartee between his two most important people in the world. He looks out to the stars again and thanks them.