Mac glanced over at Jack, "Hey, you Okay?"

"I … uh … yeah," Jack said unconvincingly.

Mac offered a grin. "Liar."

Jack stared out the window for a minute or two. Then he sighed heavily.

Mac didn't want to push. It just wasn't in his nature. And he kind of hated it when anyone, no matter how well loved or well meaning, did it to him. Once they were back in the city limits and only had about fifteen minutes until they were at work, Mac figured he'd have to try harder to get Jack to open up. He needed Jack in the here and now, not back at Lake Como.

"You gonna tell me what's eating you, or should our first stop at DXS be Interrogation?"

Jack absolutely hated it when Mac would stare out the window and only half answer him. He suddenly understood why it was Mac's default. But, by God, Jack wasn't gonna give him an excuse to do it by setting a bad example himself. Although that didn't necessarily mean he felt like talking.

Jack made himself look over at Mac. "What do you mean? I'm fine." Jack knew it sounded like bullshit. Even worse than when Mac did it. Mostly because Mac was usually able to muster one of his self-deprecating grins to go along with it. Jack knew his own expression was tense.

Mac responded with a smirk and raised eyebrow. It was a teasing expression, but it also said he wasn't going to let this go. "Okay. I'll buy fine. If the next time I say it, you let it go without any arguing."

Jack's face creased into a disapproving frown. And he opened and closed his mouth several times like he was going to speak and thought better of it. After a minute he started to laugh. "You're a real little shit, you know it?"

"I'll add it to my business cards." Mac grinned. "You gonna talk to me now?"

Jack looked back out the window. Looking at Mac and saying this was more than he had in him. But he was clearly going to have to do at least the saying part. "I'm just not sure I'm the best man for this job, Mac."

Mac threw him a look, but Jack was still looking out the window and didn't catch it. "Of course you are," he asserted.

Jack sighed, still not looking at Mac. "Mac … Italy ... you could've died."

Mac frowned. "That isn't your fault, Jack. I shouldn't have engaged with the guy. It was just … Nikki." He cleared his throat. "I left myself wide open. Like a damned rookie."

"I left my six wide open. And you both wound up paying for it."

Mac sighed. "It wasn't your fault, Jack. I was blaming myself, too. But Elliot helped."

"How?" Jack asked, a little desperately, Finally looking at Mac.

This time, Mac was the one who avoided eye contact.

"Just … we weren't the ones who decided to go in with a minimalist team. We didn't even get to see the full intel. We didn't set exfil for a whole other country. We … DXS sent us in without having the full picture and without backup. We were just making the best of a bad situation."

Jack frowned. "So if you're blaming Thornton … what the Hell are we doin' headin' back to work for her?"

Mac turned his head to meet Jack's eye for a second as he made the final turn to Headquarters. "She was just doing the best she could with her own orders, Jack."

"So her bosses are our bosses …"

"And they were making calls based on intel none of us get to see. Risk benefit that we can't analyze ourselves. We knew … all of us … what the risks were. Missions can always go bad."

They were quiet for a few minutes, Mac because even though he felt he was doing the right thing it was difficult, and Jack because he was processing his sense of relief that Elliot had been right, Mac didn't blame him.

They pulled into the parking structure with a wave from the security guard. Patty had briefed the perimeter they were welcome already. Mac put the car in park. Jack reached for the door handle but Mac didn't move. Jack stopped and turned back to Mac. "Can you do this, kid?"

Mac nodded, not turning his way. "Yeah. I have to. Lives are depending on this, Jack. Maybe millions of them."

"I know, man, but you're only human. Thornton has other agents if this is too much."

Mac smiled a bit sadly and shook his head, meeting Jack's eye. "Nikki gave her life trying to protect that canister. I owe it to what we had together to stop the guy who took it. Letting someone else do it? That's the coward's way out. I'm … I'm not gonna let myself be that." His voice caught, but he made himself go on. "Not when she was so brave."

Jack reached out and squeezed Mac's shoulder. "You're the bravest man I know, Mac."

Mac flashed him a small smile. "Second bravest. My personal security is always out in front." He saw the pain flash in Jack's eyes that he hadn't been in front at Lake Como. "Unless I do something dumb. Then he still almost freezes to death to bail my ass out."

Jack smiled a little at that. "I'm not sure about all that. But I'm happy as Hell to be back to watchin' your six, MacGyver."

"Thanks for coming back."

"You ready to go in there and get briefed so we can get this bastard."

Mac's jaw clenched for just a second, then he reached for the door handle. "Yeah. I really am."

A short time later they were headed back out of the building, this time to one of the DXS helicopter's to go to interview an asset that Jack enticed Thornton with. Jack had a cryptic sort of smirk on his face that Mac wondered, but didn't ask about. He just strapped in to the harness and pulled on his headgear so they could continue the mission brief.

Thornton kept looking at Mac with something like concern, but he kept his game face firmly in place. Finally, more as a distraction than anything else, he said, "You're gonna have to tell me how Jack Dalton who had to have me program his new remote knows someone who might be good enough to break into Nikki Carpenter's tech."

Jack chuckled into his mic. "That's a long story, kid."

Thornton interjected, "This better be worth our time, Dalton! We don't have it to waste."

"Don't you worry there, Patty. It'll be worth your while. I wouldn't steer Mac wrong here. Ge might not think I owe him anything, but he's got a scar that tells me otherwise."

Mac just gave Jack one of his self-deprecating smiles and looked away.

Thornton offered Jack a half nod that he read as almost approval, followed by a half of one of her Cheshire Cat smiles. "That's Director Thornton."

Jack smirked. "Yes, ma'am."