Turning Points

by DreamWvr73

MacGyver, Gillian and Pete all experience things that will forever change their lives...

MacGyver couldn't see, his wife's hands were over his eyes as she led him through the kitchen over to the backdoor. He had just stepped inside the house, not even getting a chance to take off his brown leather jacket before his wife tackled him.

"Gill, can't this wait? Maybe after dinner? I'm beat and all I want to do is take it easy."

Gillian smiled widely; she had taken off of work early. She had come home, changed into a pair of tan khaki shorts and a light pink t-shirt and had gone shopping.

"No, it can't wait; trust me it'll be worth it." She leaned forward and opened the back door, the couple stepping out carefully onto the back porch. "Just keep your eyes closed Mac, okay?"

"All right…okay…I'll keep my eyes closed."

Gillian uncovered her husband's eyes and waved her hand in front of his face. "Just hang on a second."

Mac sighed; he decided to take advantage of his wife's request, he unzipped his jacket and took it off, slinging it over his arm. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh good."

The back porch had just been finished being screened off, the couple had done it together; it was now going to be their game room. There was a small wooden table with four chairs in the far right corner, along with a small entertainment center, television and VCR. The other half of the room had two large covered objects; one was a long rectangle, the other a square that set a few feet off the ground.

Gillian smiled; she couldn't wait until her husband saw what was under the covers. "Ready?"

MacGyver nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

His wife went over and stood beside him; she reached down and grasped his hand. "All right, you can look."

Mac opened his eyes, creasing his brow as he saw the two covered items. "What's this?"

"Well there's only one way to find out." Gillian gave her husband's hand a squeeze. "Go on and have a look."

The brown leather jacket in his hands was handed to his wife. She took it with a smile, her dark eyes shining. "Okay, I'll take a look."

The blond man walked over to the long rectangle and pulled off the tan cover. His eyes widened as he saw a pool table underneath it. "My pool table!" He looked at his wife, his face reflecting astonishment. "But…I lost that air hockey game."

The table was made of dark mahogany wood, the felt on the top of it was a deep shade of blue, making the triangle rack filled with the multicolored balls all the more eye catching.

Gillian walked up to the table and ran her hand across the smooth felt. "Yeah I know you did, but only because Pete interfered."

Mac saw the other covered square and raised an eyebrow. "Is that…what I think it is?"

"I don't know, why don't you go see?"

Her husband went over to the other tan cover and pulled it off. His face broke out in a huge smile as he saw his fancy table hockey game. There was real glass all around the rink and in the center was an electronic scoreboard, it hovered above the rink. The game looked like a miniature version of real hockey rink. MacGyver looked over the game carefully, the two teams depicted were not specific; one team was black and white, the other was blue and red. He had been wanting this game for a while now and finally it was his.

"So what do you think?" Gillian set her husband's jacket down on top of the small table and stood on the other side of the hockey game. She could see the sparkle in his eyes as he looked his newest toy over.

"I think it's great." Mac's gazes shifted from the shining ice rink to his wife. "I just don't get why you got them."

The young woman shrugged, she ran her fingers along the glass as she walked around the table. "I had my reasons."

Mac turned towards her as she stood in front of him. "And what might that be?"

Gillian smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Because you wanted them."

Her husband nodded, licking his lips and pressing them together. "Yeah I did, but I lost the game that would decide if I would get them."

"Yes." The young woman's smile faded as she stared up into her husband's face. "And I almost lost you." She put both hands on both of his cheeks and ran her fingers down them. "When Min and I watched that warehouse explode, the stupidest little thought climbed into my head."

"What thought was that?" He put his arms around her waist, holding her to him.

Gillian swallowed hard. "That you were never going to get your pool table or hockey game."

Mac went to open his mouth but his wife pressed her fingers to his lips. "And I thought to myself… what if that's true? What if he really is gone? I got so scared and upset…" Her eyes grew wet and she tightened her lips briefly. "I couldn't feel you and Min and I were going insane not knowing anything." She swallowed hard. "Min had it worse because she was trying to keep me calm. I promised myself that if you came out of that in one piece you'd get your pool table and your hockey game and we'd finally convert the back porch into the game room you wanted." She sighed, feeling better having gotten all of that off her chest. "I know we didn't tell you both how scared we were."

MacGyver finally took her fingers away from his mouth. "So were we." He let go of her hands and hugged her. "You didn't have to get them for me; it could have waited until Christmas or my birthday."

Gillian closed her eyes, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder. "I know, but after going through all that hell I figured you deserved your games."

He pulled back from her embrace, taking her face in both of his hands. "Thank you." Mac leaned forward, closing his eyes as his lips brushed against his wife's.

Gillian groaned, her knees feeling as though they were made of rubber as she leaned into the kiss. When it was over she smiled, sighing deeply.

"Wow…that was good."

MacGyver nodded, a grin coming to his face. "Yeah it was."

Gillian raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at the table. "In fact it gives me a wicked idea."

"Oh? How wicked?"

The red haired woman grinned as she walked around the table. "What do you say we try this baby out?" Her grin got wider. "I challenge you to a game of Strip Hockey."

"Strip Hockey?" Mac stood on his side of the table. "And what exactly does that mean?"

Gillian leaned over the glass. "It means that whenever you score a goal, I have to take off a piece of clothing." She looked down at herself, a mischievous look crossing her face. "And gee I'm hardly wearing anything and you're so much better at hockey than I am…"

MacGyver swallowed hard, licking his lips as his eyes traced over his wife. "So if you score, I have to take off a piece of my clothes?"

"Yep… so what do you say?"

 The blond man moved his head a little from side to side in quiet contemplation that took about two seconds. "You're on!"

Gillian looked down as her hands grabbed for the controls and the game began, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she was a very happy loser.

Pete sat behind his desk, his head tilted back. He was squeezing a small plastic vial of eye drops into his eyes. The vial contained medication for his glaucoma and every clear dropped that fell into hit their intended target burned like lemon juice.

The stout man in the dark blue suit hissed through his teeth as the last of the drops fell into his eyes. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes absorb the medication before lowering his head and dabbing the runoff with a tissue. He sighed, hating this daily ritual of burning the heck out of his eyes but he knew it was a necessary one as the struggle for him hanging onto his eye sight continued. At last it was done and he put his medication back in the middle drawer of his desk and closed it.

The burning sensation was finally beginning to subside and he blinked a few times as he picked up a pen and shuffled a few papers on his desk towards him. He arranged them neatly into a pile and began to work on them once again.

"Mr. Thornton?" The electronically altered voice of his secretary came through the speaker on his phone.

Pete sighed, putting his pen down as he reached over to the right side of his desk and pressed the button. "Yes Sandra?"

"Sir, a Mr. Nicholas Pykee from the Department of External Services is here to see you."

The name DXS did not set well with the Director of Operations, a deep scowl blooming on his face. "Give me a minute Sandra."

"Yes sir."

Pete pressed the intercom button labeled 2 and waited for a response from his Assistant Director of Operations.

MacGyver was at his desk, a large pile of manila folders in front of him. It was the end of the fiscal year and every department of the Phoenix Foundation had to turn in their budget reports for the entire year. Both he and Pete had the lovely task of going over every single report with a fine tooth comb to make sure that the money they were granted was not wasted and the department stayed within the budget they were given. It was long tiring work and MacGyver closed the folder he was holding and rubbed his hand across his eyes. He was sitting sideways in his leather chair, his feet propped up on one side of his desk.

There was a knock on his door, it opened and his wife walked into the room carrying a cup of hot chocolate and there was yet another manila folder tucked under her arm. The young woman smiled widely as she walked over to her husband's desk and handed him a white ceramic mug with the emblem of the foundation on it. "Hey, thought you could use this about now."

Her husband smiled as he straightened up, his chair setting back down on all four of its legs. He took the cup offered by his wife and sniffed its contents, a large smile appearing on his face as he recognized the familiar odor of hot chocolate.

"Thanks." He sipped it slowly and sighed, raising an eyebrow to his wife. "And just how did you know I needed this?"

"Lucky guess."

"Uh huh…" Mac had another sip and looked his wife over, a small smile coming to his face.

Gillian had come to work in a long maroon skirt and a thin white short sleeved sweater. It was the second week in February and the LA temperature ranged from the late 50's to early 60s. It wasn't cold but it was cool enough for light winter wear. 

"Did I tell you how nice you look today?"

Gillian smiled as she walked around desk and sat on the edge. The folder was in her hands and she played with it. "No you didn't, but thank you." The young woman cleared her throat as she took this chance to get a gander at her husband. 

MacGyver was in a brand new pair of black jeans and a thick long sleeved shirt. It was a light grey color and had 5 wooden buttons that kept the center of it closed. The top button was opened and she leaned close to her husband and touched the exposed skin. "You look great too; I especially have this overwhelming urge to open these buttons."

Mac picked up her hand from his shirt and kissed her fingers. "Later…" He saw the folder in her lap. "So what's this?"

Gillian leaned sideways on his desk, crossing her legs. "Well it's my department's budget report."

The blond man raised both of his eyebrows, when he saw the smile on his wife's face. "And you're happy about letting me see this?"

The red haired woman creased her brow. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"I've had people in here over the past few days that have either been sweating, scared or frowning." MacGyver had another sip of his hot chocolate. "So you want me to take a look at it?"

"If you're not too busy."

"Of course I'm not; I always have time for my favorite archaeologist."

"Indiana Jones?" Gillian fluttered her eyelashes at her husband in a teasing fashion.

Her husband moved his head a little from side to side. "Okay my second favorite archaeologist."

The young woman sitting side saddled on the edge of her husband's desk gasped loudly, her jaw dropping open. Her lower lip pooched out and a look of sadness crossed her face. "I'm not your favorite? I think I'll go back to my office now."

Mac tilted his head to one side, giving his wife a sideways glance. She got down from the desk and with lightning speed he grabbed her around the waist and had plopped her down onto his lap. "And just where do you think you're going?"

Gillian couldn't help but giggle as she turned sideways, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. "I was going to go where I was appreciated."

"You're appreciated right here." Her husband gave her a kiss. "Besides, Indiana Jones may be cool but he can't hold a candle to you." MacGyver kissed his wife again. "So what did you want to show me?"

"Plenty after that statement, but for now let's stick to Foundation business." Gillian took the coffee cup out of his hand and set it down on the corner of her desk. She picked up the folder and opened it. "Here take a look."

"Oh let's see here." The blond man studied the figures carefully. "I've seen so many of these reports I feel like an accountant."

"You poor bean counter you." She picked up his cup and had a drink of his hot chocolate. "Although you're probably the cutest one I've ever seen."

Mac flipped the page over in the folder and read what was typed there. He got to the bottom and his dark eyes grew wide. "You're sure this is right?"

Gillian nodded, crossing her legs. "Yeah I'm sure; it is my department after all. I watch over every cent very carefully."

"I know you do but this is over 250 thousand dollars. How did you guys manage to save so much money?"

The head of the Archaeology Department shrugged, a small smile coming to her face. "I'm a good shopper."

"Well no wonder you didn't have a problem with me seeing this." He flipped up the last page. "So out of a 6 million dollar budget your department used 5 million 750 thousand." Mac nodded. "Well that should make Pete happy."

The phone on top of MacGyver's desk buzzed loudly, he craned his neck to see the number 1 button on the intercom flashing. "And speak of the devil, there he is now." He leaned over and pressed the button. "What's up Pete?"

"Mac, can you and Gillian come to my office?"

"Sure." He creased his brow at the serious tone in his friend's voice. "Is something wrong?"

"Nicholas Pykee is here to see me, he's the new head of the DXS."

"What is the DXS doing here?"

"I don't know that's why I want you both here."

MacGyver nodded. "All right Pete, we'll be right there." He turned off the phone and looked at his wife. "The DXS, wonder what they want."

Gillian took the manila folder from her husband and climbed off of his lap. "I don't know but Pete certainly didn't sound happy about them being here." She set the folder down on her husband's desk and looked down at herself, making sure she was presentable.

Mac sighed as he got out of his chair and held his office door open for his wife. "Come on Gill; let's go see what's up."

"Okay." Gillian walked out of the open door and followed her husband down the hall towards the Director of Operations' office.

"This is my Assistant Director of Operations MacGyver and his wife Gillian. This is Nicholas Pykee, DXS."

Pete was on his feet, a cynical scowl on his face as he introduced the couple to the young thin man in the dark grey suit that was now standing in his office.

MacGyver walked over to the man in front of Pete's desk and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Mr. Pykee."

Gillian stood beside her husband; she too shook his hand a small polite smile on her face. "A pleasure Mr. Pykee."

Nicholas Pykee was in his mid 30's.  He had just been appointed head of the Department of External Services. His radical thinking and ambitious idea had made his trip up the ladder a short one. He had dark brown hair, and green eyes that sat behind a pair of white rimmed glasses. They only made his slightly round face all the more angelic in its appearance. There was an air of sinisterness about him that was carefully hidden by a layer of carefully displayed innocence. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing that everyone could easily see.

Nicholas smiled at the couple. "It's good to meet you both as well." He turned around and looked at Pete. "May I have a seat?"

"Of course."

Pete sat down in his leather chair; still eyeing the man across from him suspiciously.  Mac picked up on his along with his friend's discomfort.  "So what brings you here Mr. Pykee?" MacGyver was not at all shy; he too wasn't thrilled at the sudden appearance of the DXS.

The young man's eyes grew wide; he was taken aback by the boldness of the Assistant Director of Operations. "Well you certainly don't beat around the bush, do you Mr. MacGyver?"

"No as a matter of fact I don't." Mac got up and stood beside his friend, on Pete's right side.  "The DXS and the Phoenix Foundation have a rather unstable relationship."

Pykee raised his eyebrows. "Oil and water?"

MacGyver looked seriously at the young man. "More like gasoline and a match."

"Oh I assure you Mr. MacGyver that I'm here under the best intentions."

"And just what are your intentions Pykee?" Pete finally decided to jump into the conversation. "You come barreling in here without even an appointment and you expect us to not be suspicious of your intentions?"

Gillian took her husband's place, sitting side saddled on the edge of Pete's desk. She knew why her husband was being rather rude and frankly she didn't blame him one bit. She watched the fancy suited man squirm like he was under a heat lamp. She glanced over her shoulder at her husband, raising an eyebrow.

MacGyver nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're waiting Mr. Pykee."

The young man put his hand ups in a token gesture of surrender. "All right, you've made your point. If I had a white flag I'd be waving it."

The only woman in the room spoke up. "A white handkerchief would do."

Both men behind her cleared their throats, Gillian heard her husband snicker behind her. "Please, go on Mr. Pykee."

Nicholas glanced at the young woman, a flash of annoyance going across his face. "Yes, thank you." He adjusted his tie, smoothing his hand down it. "The reason I'm here is pretty simple. We need your help."

Pete leaned back in his seat. "Our help? With what?"

There was a black attaché lying against the chair Pykee was sitting in, he reached over and picked it up. He unzipped it and took out a few photographs. "We have a scientist working for us; his name is Dr. Christopher Raven." He stood up and handed the photographs to Pete.

Pete picked them up and studied them one at a time. "So what happened to Dr. Raven?"

Pykee took out two more photos and handed them to Gillian. "He was captured by the army."

Gillian studied the photos; they were on a huge tan colored adobe structure with iron bars, lots of barbed wire that sat on top of a high fence. She lifted her eyes from the photos. "This looks like it's in the Middle East somewhere."  She turned around and handed the photos to her husband.

Pykee nodded. "Yes it is, Saudi Arabia to be exact."

The Director of Operations raised an eyebrow. "And you want our help to go rescue him?"

A small smile broke out on the young man's lips. "Yes, we want the best to go after him." His gaze shifted to glance at MacGyver.

Gillian saw this and she got up from the edge of the desk. "Let me get this straight Pykee. The DXS wants one man to go into Saudi Arabia to this adobe prison that will no doubt we crawling with guards and God knows what else to break out some egg head that you lost track of?"

Pykee cleared his throat. "Yes, that's exactly what we want."

Pete's eyes narrowed as he took the photos from Mac and look at them. "That's crazy."

Mac didn't looked thrilled either. "Not to mention suicidal."

"We realize that but as I said, this man is extremely important to us." Pykee crossed his legs, his hands folded in his lap.

Gillian was scowling; the idea of her husband doing this did not set well with her at all.  "And just why is that Pykee? What's so special about this guy?"

"I'm sorry Mrs. MacGyver, but that's classified information."

Pete's scowl only grew deeper. "We all have the necessary clearance Pykee."
"Dr. Raven is in our chemical weapons division Mr. Thornton; he's undercover over in Saudi Arabia."

"You mean he was undercover." Mac leaned back against the window behind Pete's desk. "Obviously they know which side he's on now."

"Which is exactly why we want you go to in and get him."

Gillian had heard enough. She went to stand over by her husband, reaching out to take a hold of his arm. "Why should we do your dirty work Pykee?"

The young man in the suit raised both of his eyebrows as he gazed at the red haired woman. "Because the Phoenix Foundation is the best and so is your husband." Pykee stood up and bent down to pick up his attaché case. "Think about it, we'd be in your debt and us owing you a favor just may come in handy one day."

"We'll keep that in mind."

Pykee looked at Pete and nodded. "I'll be in touch." He turned around walked out the door, closing it behind him.

"Yeah, you do that." The stout man was angry now. He glanced at his two friends and shook his head slowly as he sighed.

Gillian was sitting in her bedroom, her legs folded under her. She had come home from work and had changed into a white t-shirt and a pair of purple sweats. She glanced for what seemed like the hundredth time over at the red digital display on her clock. It now read that it was almost eight and there was still no sign of her husband. This didn't set well with the young woman; a last minute meeting with Pete usually meant trouble.

Gillian tried not to think about it as she turned around and grabbed her husband's pillow, wrapping her arms around it. She buried her face in the clean scent of his shampoo, soap and after shave. She closed her eyes and inhaled it deeply, the sweet odor of her husband making her feel somewhat better.

The front door closed, snapping her concentration. She put the pillow back in its place when she heard footsteps coming down the hall.  The young woman sighed heavily in relief when she saw her husband come sauntering into the bedroom.

MacGyver looked exhausted as he unzipped his leather jacket and shrugged it off of his shoulders. The expression on his face was a passive one as he got a hanger out of his closet and hung his black jacket up. His wife watched him, studying his body language carefully. She knew something was wrong, her husband's body told her so. The way he stiffened his spine when he saw her and the way his shoulders drooped told her the meeting had not been a pleasant one.

"It didn't go well… did it?"

Mac froze in his tracks; his back was to his wife. He sighed heavily, shaking his head.  "Yeah you could say that."

Gillian climbed down from the bed, walking up to her husband. She reached up and put her hands on his shoulder, giving them a light concerned squeeze. "What happened Baby?"

Her husband hung his head, wiping his face with his hand. "I really don't think you want to know."

She turned him around, hugging him around the waist. "Of course I do, you're upset Mac, a blind man can see that."

MacGyver put his arms around Gillian's neck, pulling her close to him. "If I tell you, we're going to fight. And the last thing I want to do is fight with you Gill."

His voice was low, and the tone was so weary and mellow it almost broke her heart. She tightened her arms around him and closed her eyes; letting her abilities find the answers for her.

A wave of anxiety hit Gillian like a freight train, enveloping her senses. Everything that had happened to her husband washed over her, shocking her system like a bucket of freezing cold water. She quickly pulled back from her husband's embrace looking directly into his face. The confirmation of what she picked up was reflecting in MacGyver's expressive mahogany eyes.

The young woman sighed, closing hers briefly.  "They want you to go to Saudi and get that doctor out don't they?"

Mac simply stood there, his face as blank and expressionless as a statue. He was gazing into his wife's eyes. She had asked him a question and the temptation to simply lie to her was great. But no, he knew he couldn't lie to her even if he wanted to. Deception wasn't what their marriage was about.  He hadn't lied to her all the time they had been together and he wasn't about to start now.

"Yeah, they do."

Gillian's gaze dropped to the floor, her head nodding slightly. "I see…So Pete and the board decided this and you agreed."

"I have to Gill, Dr. Raven is in danger and if I don't go get him they're going to kill him."

She stepped back from his arms and covered her face with both of her hands, exhaling through them. She was trying very hard to keep her temper under control. "And you have to go alone, right?"

His arms dropped to his sides. "It'd be easier that way; one man can easily get in and out of there."

"Easier?" Gillian uncovered her face; her efforts to control her temper were short lived. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pressed together in a scowl. "Nothing about this is going to be easy Mac!" His face dropped and she raised her arms and let them fall in a gesture of exasperation. She sat down on the bed, leaning forward and once again covering her face; her head in her hands.  "Its suicide Mac, you said it yourself."

MacGyver sat down beside his wife, reaching out to put his hand on her back. He rubbed it gently, trying to give her what comfort he could. "It's going to be all right Gill, I've done this before."

"I know you have, you've even gotten me out of a similar situation." She straightened up, uncovering her face and turning sideways to look at her husband. "I just don't want you to go." Her voice was breaking up and the blond man pushed his wife towards him. He picked her up and placed her on his lap, hugging her tightly to him.

"Three days Gill, it's only for three days." Mac buried his head in her shoulder, rocking her gently.

Gillian wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her face into his shirt. Her tears were quietly flowing against the soft material. "What's the plan?"

"Parachute in, I'll have a few hours to break in, grab him and meet the chopper at the pick up point. Then we fly out and I catch a plane."

"Sounds simple enough." Gillian raised her head, the wet marks shining in the overhead light.

Mac swallowed hard, he put both hands on her face, wiping it with his fingers. "Yeah it does, but you know as well as I do that plans often go right out the window in situations like this."

The young woman nodded, closing eyes as she hugged her husband again. "When?"

"In two days…that's how long it's going to take Pete to arrange for me to go."

"Won't they have killed him by then?"

"No…he's going to get a trial, should take at least three days."

Gillian sighed pulling back from their embrace, she had calmed down some. She looked into her husband's face, still seeing the guilt ridden expression he had come home with. She put both hands on his cheeks, caressing them gently. She knew that despite her objections, it was important that he go. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel worse. "I wish I could go with you."

Mac sighed, that simple statement made by his wife was her subtle way of saying that she was basically okay with what he had to do. He felt relieved as a small smile came to his lips. "So do I, believe me."

His wife nodded as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his in a light kiss. When it was over she ran her hands up his face into his hair, tilting his head back. Her lips once again kissed him, but this time they pressed to the soft skin of his throat. Gillian nuzzled her nose against the hollow of his neck, breathing in that same clean scent that was on his pillow.

MacGyver put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I take it then that you aren't interested in having dinner?"

"Oh I didn't say that." Gillian smiled as she opened her mouth, gently nibbling the delicate skin. "I'm just having an appetizer." Her husband laughed, causing the area she was playing with to vibrate. She stopped what she was doing, moving away from his neck with a disappointed sigh. "But I suppose I can always come back and claim your neck for my dessert." She brought his head back down and gave him another small kiss.

Mac returned it, pressing his mouth to his wife's deepening the kiss. He broke it pulling back with a sigh, he felt much better. He got up from the bed stretching out his hand to his wife's. "Come on, let's go find something to eat so we can come back and have dessert."

Gillian placed her hand in her husband's and let him pull her off the bed.

The couple was forehead to forehead, standing together. Neither one spoke they simply stood there, eyes closed.

MacGyver and Gillian were at the Los Angeles Air Force Base. It was located in El Segundo, about 20 miles away from LA. They couple was standing on a cement runway, in the midst of military aircraft of every model getting ready for take off.

Mac and Gillian were standing next to the open door of a B-52.

It was just after five in the morning and the first rays of the rising sun were crawling across the navy blue sky. It was time to say goodbye, a word neither one of them liked to say. They didn't believe in it, the word itself sounded way too final.

Mac was dressed in tan camouflage, a baseball cap on his head. He opened his eyes and sighed, staring into his wife's. He moved his hands away from her shoulders and bought them to her face. "Gill?"

Gillian opened them slowly; the sound of the massive plane starting up made the young woman's eyes grow shiny. Her heart sank down into her stomach as the whir of the engines began to grow louder.

The blond man closed his eyes briefly. Their time had run out.

Gillian swallowed hard. "You better go Mac, it's time." A tear rolled down her cheek and she casually wiped it away. She was trying so hard to be brave but at the same time her heart was breaking.

MacGyver nodded, sighing as he adjusted his camouflage colored cap. "Yeah I better get aboard. " The look on his wife's face tore at his heart. He moved his hands form her face to her shoulders and pulled her to him. He pressed her against his chest as he hugged her.

"Three days, that's it. You won't even have enough time to miss me."

Gillian wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. "I doubt it."

"You won't even know I'm gone." Mac pulled back from her and wiped her face.

His wife smiled a little, shaking her head. "I'll know, believe me, I'll know."

Gillian pressed her lips together, trying to stop more tears from coming. She placed a hand on Mac's cheek and stroked it. "Come back alive; or you're in big trouble."

MacGyver gave her a smile. "Yes ma'am."

The red haired woman nodded as she closed her eyes and brushed her mouth against his in a gentle kiss. When it was over, the couple touched foreheads again.

"I love you."

Mac sighed, louder this time. "I love you too. I'll be home soon, I promise."

"I know you will."

"Remember the codes?"

"Yeah I do." Gillian pulled back, clearing her throat. "Go Mac, they're waiting."

Her husband nodded, gazing into her face once more as he turned around and walked away.

Gillian watched as her husband climbed into the plane. He stood in the door and raised his hand to her before grabbing the metal door and pulling it closed.

The massive grey plane turned and headed for the runway.

Gillian had gotten home after six. She had changed out of the sweat pants and t-shirt she wore and had managed to fall into a light, restless sleep. Her alarm went off an hour later and the young woman reluctantly got up, despite how much she didn't want too there was work she had to do at the foundation.

She opened her closet and sighed, looking over the vast variety of professional clothes that hung there; trying to decide what to wear. Finally the young woman chose a maroon skirt and a white turtleneck.

Pete was down in the lunchroom getting his usual breakfast and a big cup of coffee, because of the early hour he was the only one down there. The Director of Operations didn't mind, he enjoyed the quiet peacefulness of the empty cafeteria. He had his large Styrofoam cup in his hands. He went over to the condiment area and began to doctor his coffee. He was looking down at the black, steaming liquid in his cup and squeezed his eyes shut, wiping his hand across them. The image of the cup wavered slightly, becoming blurry for a few seconds before finally clearing up.

"Pete?"

The stout man started, nearly spilling his coffee as he turned around and saw the pensive, solemn face of his best friend's wife. A smile began on his lips but then stopped when he saw the unmistakable worry and sadness in Gillian's brown eyes. He sighed heavily. "He's gone, isn't he?"

Gillian nodded, looking away from the man she stood in front of. "Yeah, the plane left at five."

"He's going to be back soon Gillian, you know that." Pete put the cream and sugar into his coffee and stirred it quickly. "Why don't we go back up to my office and talk about it?"

"What about your breakfast?" Gillian knew full well the morning tradition that Pete had and didn't want her concerns to cost him his meal.

Pete picked up his cup, putting an arm around her shoulders. "They bring it to my office, come on."

Gillian sighed; she leaned a little against her friend as they walked.

The red haired woman wasn't the only one unhappy. MacGyver shifted in his seat, he was the lone passenger of the enormous plane. He sighed, reaching beside him for the backpack that was next to him on the bench seat. He unzipped it, his hand reaching inside for a snack that his wife had packed for him. He felt something unexpected and pulled it out; it was a small white envelope.

Mac creased his brow as he tore it open. There was a note inside, he pulled it out and opened it. He recognized his wife's handwriting immediately.

Mac…

I couldn't come but I thought I'd send along just a little something to remind you that you're not alone in this…I love you, Gill.

MacGyver folded up the letter and looked in the envelope. There was a photo in there and he took it out and looked at it.

It was Gillian, sitting on a set of concrete steps. She had on a pair of jeans shorts and a pink flowered tank top, her hair loose hanging down her chest. Her elbows were resting on her knees and were hands were folded in front of her. There was a small smile on her face, one that didn't show her teeth. The kind of smile that the young woman always had for him when he got home from work; there she'd be, waiting with open arms and a kiss.

"I wish you could have come with me Gill."  MacGyver whispered to himself as his fingers traced down the picture. He hadn't been on the plane but a few hours but he missed her already. He found one of the snacks Gillian had packed for him, an apple. Mac leaned back in his seat and took a bite of it, holding his wife's picture firmly in his hand.

"He'll be there by the time the sun goes down." Gillian was sitting in the chair in front of Pete's desk, her legs crossed over one another. She had her fingers laced together, setting in her lap.

Pete was sitting behind his desk, sipping his coffee. "Right, he'll parachute in, grab Dr. Raven and the chopper will meet him a few hours later."

"It's not that simple Pete and you know it. Dr. Raven is being held by the Saudi Arabian army at one of their detention centers. Do you think he can just waltz right in and waltz back out?"

There was a knock at the door, and a worker from the lunchroom came in. A young dark haired woman carrying a plate with a glass cover over it; she handed it to him.

"Thank you Tony." She gave Pete a smile and a nod of her head before leaving the room.

The stout man took the lid off of his breakfast, a wave of steam rising from the eggs, sausage, toast and hash browns. He sniffed it and exhaled loudly, unwrapping a fork that was beside the plate. He saw the way Gillian was watching him.

"MacGyver has been doing these kinds of things for a long time now Gill. I've seen him get out of some pretty hairy situations." He stuck his fork in the eggs and had a bite.

Gillian uncrossed her legs, getting out of the chair. She went over by the window and peered out it, her arms crossing over her chest. "Yeah I know that, I've heard it all before."

"But you don't buy it?" Pete set his fork down and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin that was tucked under his plate.

"I didn't say that, we both know Mac has the brain power to get him out of pretty much anything."

Pete covered the plate with the tray and turned sideways in his chair, staring at his friend's back. "But you're still worried about him?"

"This time it's different, this time the stakes are much higher. This assignment isn't just rescuing someone; he's got to break into a mini prison filled with who knows how many guards with machine guns and lots of barbed wire. He's in one of the most hostile countries there is right now and not even our own government knows he's there."

The stout man swallowed hard, he hadn't realized just how precarious his best friend's situation really was until now. "The DXS needed him for this Gill, and the board agreed."

"So did you."

Pete nodded. "Yeah I did, if I was in trouble, I'd want Mac to come get me out."

Gillian turned back around slowly, facing her friend. "But you are in trouble Pete."

"What do you mean?"

She reached out and touched his hands. "Your eyes Pete. They're getting a lot worse aren't they?" His mouth dropped open and he started to speak. The air came out but it was more of a sigh of exasperation. "Is it that obvious?"

Gillian smiled, giving his hands a squeeze. "Only to Mac and I, probably because we spend the most time with you."

Pete shook his head slowly. "No, because you both know me best."

"Yeah we do. Want to tell me about it?" Gillian sat down on the window ledge so she was more eyelevel with her friend.

"Not much to tell really, my surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow at 1o'clock."

The red haired woman's eyebrows went up. "But Mac won't be back probably until that night." She was gazing into her friend's face, recognizing the expression that suddenly appeared there. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

The Director of Operations' lips tightened. "I didn't want to burden him with this Gill. If I had told him before he left, he'd be worried and that kind of distraction could put him in danger. He's got to keep his mind on what he has to do."

Gillian knew that Pete was right, but at the same time she knew her husband had really wanted to be there for his best friend's surgery. "He's going to be angry that you kept this from him. You do know that don't you? But, since Mac can't be there when you go in, I'll be there with you." A small smile broke out on her face as she curled her fingers around his hand. "All right?"

Pete sighed, swallowing hard. He tightened his lips a little; his heart began thumping in fear as he thought about his impending date with a scalpel. He glanced at Gillian, seeing the sincerity and genuine concern in her eyes. Whether he could ever tell her or not, she was a comfort to him and he was grateful that he wouldn't be alone for the surgery after all. "All right."

It's hot, really hot, and I'm not talking about simple heat. I've been to places that have been this hot before, funny how you quickly you remember it. It's all coming back to me now as I slowly roast in this plane that's just officially become the world's biggest oven.

This is desert heat, the kind that can make someone burst into flames and is at least ten times worse than the kind that I'm used to in LA. Right now there's a few beads of sweat that are slowly making their way south, straight towards the crack of my…anyways its hot. 

My tan camouflage is currently sticking to me as the plane I'm in flies across the desert as inconspicuously as possible. There's nothing but beige, a wide open sea of it; below me, behind me, it's everywhere no matter which direction I turn in. Like the whole world has been swallowed up, the monotony mildly broke up now and then with an occasional rock or lizard.

A sigh comes out of my mouth and I shift in my seat, my mind is a ramble of things and I'm trying to go over exactly what I have to do. Go in, grab Dr. Raven and meet the helicopter. Sounds simple enough but there's really no such thing when it comes to situations like this.

I'll do my best though; I've got all the reason in the world to keep myself alive. 

Gillian's picture is still in my hand and I look down at it. I can feel my chest tighten a little as my eyes take her in. This incredibly beautiful woman with the kindest most loving heart I've ever known is my wife. The blinding sun coming in to the small windows hits my left hand and makes the gold band there shine.  It's still so hard to believe sometimes that Gillian has come into my life and next month it'll be two years since she became my wife. God I'll never forget that day as long as I live. She's the reason I'm going to make it home.

"MacGyver, get ready to go!"

The pilot turns around and yells at me and I tuck her photo into my pocket and pick up the dark green backpack that's got my parachute. I slip it on, adjusting it on my shoulders and fastening it around my waist. I pick up my beige backpack full of goodies and slip it on backwards on top of my chest. I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

A set of lights flash on and I walk over to the door and slide it back. A strong blast of heat hits me so hard it nearly topples me as I wait for the signal. I clip my rip cord to the line and glance over my shoulder at the red light. My heart starts to speed up as I wait for it to go green.

"Come on, come on…"

The light beeps and flashes to green and I close my eyes and simply fall through the open door. I really really hate heights…

Parachuting through the sky is an unusual feeling. At first you're dropping straight down to the ground, going so fast you're practically floating. The air is so harsh it almost peels your skin straight off your skeleton. The weight is terrible on the body, like a thousand cinder blocks tied to every one of your limbs. With a great amount of effort I manage to get the rip cord between my fingers and gave it a yank.

The parachute snapped open, catching the air and jerking me straight up into the sky with enough force that my wind gets squeezed right out of my lungs.

I'm looking down now as I drift as slowly as a feather to the enormous sand box that's getting closer and closer.  I glance up at my parachute hoping to God it's going to hold, still a long way to go and from this height I would drop just like an egg onto a sidewalk. Not a pretty sight and terribly terribly messy.

And since I don't want to be the proverbial bug on a windshield, this parachute better hold…at least until I get closer to the ground.

Man it's still hot, even though the blowing air has dried my damp air and camouflage. The sun was barely coming up when I left and here it's barely going down. Pretty soon the sky's going to be darkening and hopefully it'll cool down enough to make my job a little easier.

The desert floor is getting closer now and from the looks of things up here, my presence seems to have gone unnoticed. Let's hope it says that way.

I'm watching the sand coming up fast and with a drop and roll, I'm on the ground.

With a quick look around, I see that there's no welcoming party in sight. Good, the first thing to go is this parachute and the sand is the most logical place to hide it.

My hands run over the sand, smoothing it out, trying as best I can to leave no trace that something was just buried here.  I'm on my feet checking my watch moving the built in compass around, trying to find the direction I need to be…north. 

The sky above me is going that deep navy blue color and in the impending darkness I can see a few stars beginning to light up the sky like tiny candles.  It's time to go and I shift my backpack from my chest to my back and click it around my waist. I've got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it. The chopper is going to be here at dawn so it's time to get moving…

Gillian was sitting on a white exam table, dangling her legs over the edge. She adjusted the pink paper gown that was around her, wishing she could have a real gown to wear. She was cold and shivered as she hugged herself, trying in a vein effort to fight the slightly cool air being pumped into the small room.

The door opened and in came a young woman with short dark hair and fair skin. She had a white lab coat on that was over a pair of pink scrubs with ballerina bears on it.

"Hi Gill, how was Egypt?"

"Good, great. In fact I brought you something but I forgot it at home." Gillian sighed shaking her head, with her husband being gone she had become rather scatter brained. "Sorry, it totally slipped my mind."
Melissa smiled. "What is it?"

"A pair of Egyptian statues, they represent healing and medicine."

The doctor's grin got wider. "They sound great, thank you. I'll put them in my office."  She took her pen out of her pocket and opened the clipboard. "You're here to get more pills, right?"

Gillian nodded. "Right, I could have sworn I packed more with me when we got to Egypt but we ran out and my box was empty when I got home."

"Okay shouldn't be a problem, when was the date of your last menstrual cycle?" Her gaze was focused on her clipboard and she was writing in it.

The red haired woman's eyes grew round. "Uhh…well."

A dark head lifted. "You don't remember?"

"Well it's just that things got put out of whack with the time difference and all and getting used to being home." Gillian dropped her head, wiping her hand across her eyes. "I guess with everything going on when we got home it slipped my mind."

Melissa closed the clipboard. "So you don't know when you had one in January or if you had one at all?"

"I honestly don't remember Melissa; we had a little bit of trouble when we got back."

"December?"

Gillian perked up. "Okay now that one I do remember. It was around the 27th, 28th of December."

"But not January?"

The red haired patient shook her head. "No, sorry."

"No need to apologize, but it is standard procedure for me to do a pregnancy test before I give you more pills." She set her clipboard down on the counter near the sink and opened the white cabinets, getting out the necessary items for a blood draw. "I'm sure it'll be negative, just because you run out of pills doesn't necessarily mean you can get pregnant. It usually takes at least a month or two for the hormone to leave your system." Melissa went over to her patient and rolled a wooden tray over to her. "Just extend your arm and lean it against this tray."

Gillian did as she asked, stretching out her elbow. "You're probably right; with all the stress of being overseas that's probably why I skipped in January."

"Stress can be factor, sure." She tied a rubber hose around the patient's arm and tapped her skin. She found a vein and carefully sunk the needle into it.

Her patient hissed through her teeth, turning away as the blood filled the syringe. "And just being in that shoe box apartment for two months was stressful enough."

The needle was carefully pulled out and a piece of folded up gauze was taped over the puncture mark.

"Let me go test this really quickly. I'll be right back."

Gillian nodded her head as she put a little bit of pressure on the gauze and waited for her doctor to get back. Her thoughts once more drifted to her husband and what he was doing.

A half hour went by and finally the door opened. Melissa came back into the room, a little surprised as she saw her patient lying down on the exam table. The doctor cleared her throat, walking around the table and gently touching her patient's arm.

"Gillian?"

The young woman was on her side, her arms tucked under her chin. She heard a voice call out her name and she opened her eyes. "Oh I'm sorry Melissa." She sat up, rubbing her hands over her face. "I guess I dozed off."

Melissa nodded. "It's okay that did take a lot longer than expected but I wanted to be sure of the results."

Gillian yawned. "So can I get my pills or what?"

Her doctor shook her head. "Uhh no, you won't be needing them for a while."

"I won't?" She looked at her doctor inquisitively. "Why won't I?"

Doctor Turner grinned. "Because you're pregnant Gillian."

The red haired woman's jaw dropped open and her dark eyes rounded. "What? What did you say?"

"You're around 4 weeks pregnant." Melissa touched her friend's hands. "What did you two use for contraception because whatever it was it didn't work."

Gillian was still in shock, she swallowed hard. "When did we conceive?"

"According to my wheel, it was January 11th."

"We were still in Egypt."

She thought back to the last night she and Mac had spent in their Luxor apartment…

The apartment door slammed hard, making Gillian jump as she craned her neck, looking out the open bedroom door.

"Mac?"

She could see into the part of the living room and saw her husband pass in front of her line of vision.

"Yeah it's me."

Gillian sighed, a large smile blooming on her face. "Did you get them?"

MacGyver came into the bedroom, a small red box in his hands. "Yeah I got them." The box was postcard size; it had Arabic writing all over it.

"Great!" She had the covers pulled up to her neck; she threw the blanket back to reveal a shiny white satin nightie. "I was getting lonely waiting for you."

Mac swallowed hard, his eyes widening in surprise. "And just where did you get that?"

Gillian crawled over to the end of the bed. "A small stand in the marketplace that specializes in silk." She curled her finger at her husband, a wide seductive smile on her lips.

MacGyver stood in front of her, looking at the box. "The guy told me these are the best brand in Egypt."

The young woman grabbed her husband by the front of his sweatshirt and pulled him to her. She pressed her lips to his. "I don't care, just open one." Gillian touched her husband's chin, turning his head to the side. She began kissing his neck.

Mac sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Wow someone is really in the mood tonight." He tore open an end of the box, his fingers fumbling as they tried to get inside it. His wife's kisses were making things difficult for him. "Gill…would you mind stopping for a moment?"

"Why?" Gillian latched on to his neck, her tongue brushing against the sensitive tissue.

This got a whimper from her husband, his face began to flush and he sighed loudly. "Because you're distracting me. And if you keep it up we won't get a chance to use these."

Gillian stopped what she was doing and sat back down; her face too was a mild shade of pink. "Sorry…I just really want to attack you."

Mac took a deep breath and swallowed hard. His wife's affections had made his blood turn to fire; it took him a moment or two to calm down. "Believe me; I really want to attack you too. This week long vow of celibacy wasn't my idea you know."

Gillian nodded. "Yeah I know, but what choice did we have? I ran out of pills, I could have sworn I brought more than one pack with me."

"I'm just glad I was able to find these, and they weren't cheap either." Mac sat down on the bed beside his wife. He was looking at the box. "You know how long it's been since I've had to buy condoms?"

"Well we've been together for three years, so it was a couple of years before that right?"

"Something like that." MacGyver reached into the box and pulled out a long chain of individually wrapped condoms. There were six of them attached to one another; each red foil package had a cartouche on it.

"Let's see here." Mac was looking at the hieroglyphics. "We've got Anubis, Hathor, Isis, Ka, Ra, and Osiris." He turned to his wife. "Well Honey, which God shall we indulge in tonight?"

Gillian saw all the symbols and started laughing. "Since I'm not the one that has to wear it, it's really up to you."

"Okay, and the winner is…" Mac closed his eyes and pointed. He opened his eyes and saw where his finger was touching. "Anubis, God of the Dead."

"Oh how incredibly romantic. The God of the Dead, I'm turned on all ready!" Gillian leaned back propped up on her elbows.

MacGyver tore off the condom from the chain and set it on the bed. He turned over on top of his wife and started kissing her. "Are you?"

Gillian shook her head as she put her arms around her husband's neck and tilted her head back. She was offering her neck to him. "No, but I know you'll take care of that."

"Yes I will." Mac kissed up his wife's neck. He lapped at it gently, hearing his wife hiss through her teeth.

"You're punishing me aren't you because I said we couldn't do anything all week."  Gillian closed her eyes, her hands grabbing at the collar of MacGyver's sweatshirt. She pulled it down over his head.

"No, I'm just enjoying you." Mac reached over his shoulder and touched his sweatshirt, he helped his wife take it off of him.

Gillian threw it over her head and ran her hands up and down his back. "Believe me, it hasn't been easy not to tackle you."

"And why is that?" MacGyver kissed down to her chest.

The young woman sighed. "Because just looking at you makes me crazy." Her hands slipped inside his sweat pants, they grabbed at his behind.

Mac made his way back up to his wife's lips. "Whoa! Someone is definitely after my body tonight!"

Gillian grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at her husband. "What was your first clue?"

MacGyver moved his head a little from side to side. "Well your hands on my ass mostly."

"Good guess, you better get that raincoat opened before I say to hell with it and just let you do all you wish."

"All right, play time is over." Mac picked up the package and climbed off of the bed. He shrugged off his sweat pants and opened the wrapper.

Gillian was watching her husband, her eyebrow raising slightly. She wanted him so badly her eyes hurt just looking at his lean body. Something caught her attention and her eyes widened a little, she slapped her hand over her mouth and started laughing.

MacGyver was standing in front of the bed; his arms cross over his chest as he watched his wife roll around on the bed laughing. "You know Gill, the last thing a naked man wants to hear is his wife laughing."

Gillian stopped for a few seconds, trying to catch her breath. She lifted her head and pointed at her husband. "Look…look!" She tried to tell him what was so funny but she just couldn't, she was laughing way too hard.

MacGyver looked down and his eyes widened a little. He closed his eyes and started laughing too. "Oh my God!" The condom had hieroglyphics printed on it. He flopped down on the bed besides his wife. He got to laughing so hard his stomach and sides were killing him. "What's….what's it say?"

The young woman wiped her eyes as she rolled onto her stomach. She read the hieroglyphics and shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

Mac took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let me guess… if you can read this you're not making love?"

Gillian bit her lip trying not to laugh. It did little good; the laughter erupted out of her. "No that's not what it says!"

"Use this to cover your asp?"

The young woman shook her head. "No! It doesn't say that either!"

Mac rolled back on top of his wife and kissed her deeply. "What's it say then?"

Gillian grinned. "Well it loses something in the translation but the basic gist of it is. Enjoy a night of Egyptian love and pleasure courtesy of the Gods themselves."

"Egyptian love?" Mac chuckled. "Gee that's awful nice of them, the Gods giving us their okay to make love."

His wife smiled. "Then let's not disappoint them."

MacGyver sighed and shook his head. "I think all that laughing killed my mood."

Gillian raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She crawled up her husband's body, making sure the soft silky material of her nightgown rubbed against his bare skin.

Mac closed his eyes, his hands around her back, gliding down the smooth material. "I might have spoken too soon."

"I certainly hope so." Gillian touched her husband's face and stroked it gently.

Mac opened his eyes and saw the way his wife was looking at him. "What?"

The young woman smiled, a light suddenly turning on behind her eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you Mac, and I can't imagine what my life would be like if you weren't in it."

MacGyver put his hand against her cheek. "I already know what my life was like without you. It was empty and very lonely." He kissed her lips and touched his forehead to hers.

"What about now?"

He opened his eyes and smiled at the young woman. "Now it's happy and complete."

Mac's fingers touched the thin straps of his wife's white satin gown. Gillian was watching him, a slight grin on her face. "I take it that the time for talk is now over?"

"Yes it is."

Gillian sat up, straddling her husband's waist. She raised her arms and let her husband slink the delicate nightgown up her body. He dropped it to the floor and touched his hands to her shoulders.

Mac pulled his wife down to him and started kissing her.

Gillian blinked a few times, coming back to herself. "So it was the condoms?"

Melissa nodded. "I'm not surprised; you guys should have made sure the condoms were made of latex." She gave her friend's hands another squeeze. "All right now Gillian, we need to talk about some things that you're going to have to do to make this a healthy, easy pregnancy." She smiled. "Okay?"

The young woman gave her a nod; she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "Okay, let's talk."

Pete was in his living room, sitting in his blue recliner. He had on a grey polo shirt and jeans, his tan jacket draped across his lap. It was just before one o'clock and he had to be in the hospital in one hour to check in; his surgery was scheduled for three o'clock sharp. He was waiting for his ride, Gillian was coming to get him and take him to the hospital.

The stout man sighed heavily, rocking his chair gently.  Pete didn't want to do this but he knew he had no choice. His eyes were failing him, without this surgery he wouldn't be able to see anymore. That was something he simply wouldn't accept, he was going to fight for his sight.

A honking horn got his attention and he got up out of his chair and put his jacket on. He pulled back the white curtain on his window and squinted. He could see a black Corvette sitting in his driveway. He opened the door and picked up his small tan suitcase that was by the door.

Gillian was dressed in khaki pants and a white ribbed knit shirt. She got out of her husband's car and walked up the driveway. "Pete? Are you ready?"

The dark oak door opened. "Hi Gillian, yeah I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

She took the suitcase out of his hand and slung her arm over his shoulder. "Come on, it'll be okay."

Pete sighed as they walked out together towards the car. "So you're driving Mac's car while he's gone?"

"Yeah, it's a way of keeping him with me." Gillian smiled a little, it was on the tip of her tongue to tell Pete her big news but she couldn't. She wanted Mac to be the first to know.

Pete opened the passenger side and got into the car. "It's also a way to be able to drive a cool car."

"Well that too, I don't get to drive the Vette too often." Gillian opened the driver's side door and slid behind the wheel, putting on her seat belt.

"He does love it." Pete glanced at the driver, seeing her face sadden a little as she adjusted the mirrors.

"Mac's going to come back in one piece."

Gillian turned towards her friend. "I know he is." She slipped her sunglasses on and started up the Corvette.

The room Pete was shown was on the eighth floor and was plain; there wasn't much color to it or fancy decorations. There was single bed in it with a blue comforter, a closet at the foot of the bed, a television was suspended from the ceiling and there was a bathroom just inside the heavy wooden door.

"Well it's a room." Pete shook his head as he was lead into the room by a petite older woman salt and pepper hair. The nurse was wearing pink and blue flowered scrubs and white tennis shoes.

Gillian followed them, looking around. "Not exactly the Regency is it?"

"Okay Mr. Thornton, in the closet you'll find some hangers to hang up your clothes, a hospital gown and some booties for your feet. I want you to change and climb into bed and I'll be back in a few minutes with some papers for you to sign." The nurse left, closing the big door behind her.

Pete went to the closet, opening the door and seeing the folded gown and a plastic wrapped pair of black booties on the top shelf.  The hangers were there just as the nurse said they'd be. He sighed as he picked up the gown and footwear, tossing them on the bed. "Can I have my jacket Gill?"

Gillian handed Pete his jacket and he hung it up. "Thanks."

"Sure." She sat down on the edge of the bed watching her friend. "Nervous?"

"No." He went by the door to a small chair where the nurse had left his suitcase and picked it up, placing it in the bottom of the closet and closing the door. "I just want to get it over with."

"I know and you're probably wishing your best friend was here instead of his wife."

Pete had picked up his gown and booties and was walking to the bathroom when he heard Gillian say that. He stopped and turned around to face her, a serious look bloomed on his round face. "Now just what is that supposed to mean?"

The young woman shrugged. "That I'm not as big a comfort to you as Mac would be."

Pete shook his head, walking back over to the bed and reaching down to touch one of the redhead's hands. "Gillian, you are a big comfort to me." He sighed, turning and sitting down beside her. "This is about the scariest damn thing I've ever been through in my whole life." His voice was low and the steady frightened gaze of his eyes went straight through to Gillian's heart. She swallowed hard, her fingers curling around his hand. "I thought I could handle this on my own, but I was wrong." He gave her hand a squeeze. "You being here has made all the difference in the world."

Gillian couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad." She glanced at the door. "You better go change before that nurse gets back."

Her friend sighed, getting up from the bed. "Yeah I better before she breaks out the thumb screws and red hot pokers." Gillian started laughing as Pete went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

I've done a lot of running in my time, over every kind of surface imaginable. Dirt, grass, rocks, concrete…but nothing quite compares to running on sand.  It's a strange sensation, not quite solid, not quite soft, its kind of like running on marshmallows. The sand gives a little bit of bounce to your step but if you just happen to stop for longer than a second or two you'll sink straight into a dune, never to be seen again. 

Between the pitch black night and the endless sea of sand, it's a wonder I haven't been swallowed up. 

I've been running for awhile now and things haven't been all bad. It's quiet, the moon is high above giving me a little bit of light and it's cooled down quite a bit.

I'm in between a few dunes now and I'm taking this chance to stop and see if I can figure out where I am. 

My watch has a light and a press of a button not only tells me the time, but the fact that I'm heading in the right direction. 

There seems to be some bright light coming across the top of the dune.  It's almost directly in front of me and I get a running start and scramble up it. Sure enough, there's where I have to be… I can see the adobe prison; it looks just like the pictures I saw. Lots of guards, barbed wire and bars, it's not that far away just over the next dune.

Time for my disguise…I take my backpack off and set it down in the sand. I've got just the thing for this kind of situation. With a quick tug, I manage to pull out what looks like an overgrown bathrobe. It's big, long and baggy and an absolute perfect match color wise for the sand. I shrug it on, putting the hood over my head.  I've got another one handy for Dr. Raven, and if things go the way I hope they're going to go then this will be pretty easy.  Of course I can't count on that… but I can't help it, I'm an optimist.

With my backpack where it should be and my bathrobe around me, it's time to go meet the bad guys and break out one misplaced doctor.

I take one last deep breath, the sweet night air filling my lungs as I exhale slowly and make my way down the slippery slopes of the sand dune. It's too dark to see things clearly and that's the one only real advantage I've got so I better make it count.

Boy talk about security… This building is the only one for endless miles of desert and its got a huge high ten foot fence topped with barbed wire and to make it complete, razor wire. How nice of Pykee to leave out that one little detail. Makes me wonder what else he conveniently forgot to tell me when I signed up for this little adventure.

Razor wire is the worst thing... its deadly, and its sharp enough to turn this 175 pound man into ground round if I don't handle it just right.

There's a few ways to get through this kind of fence…over it, under it or through it. Frankly I vote for the under it part since I don't exactly want to mess with the thin, sharp metal at the top.

I crawl along the top of the dune, trying to make it around the back of the building to a less noticeable spot for my entrance. There's about a 4 foot section of fence that's tucked into a stray corner.

Perfect…  Hmmm time to dig into my backpack of tricks.

A handy pair of wire cutters is what I need for the moment. I take my back pack off and unzip the front of it. There are a few tools in the front pocket and among them is a small pair of wire cutters. A quick scan of the area shows that the coast is clear as I put my backpack back on and ski down the sand dune to the bottom of the fence.

A few careful snips and I've got a two sided square big enough to pass a trunk through. I wasn't given a picture of Doctor Raven, only a vague description so in this case it's better to have too much room then not enough.  Besides, in this kind of situation Raven might not be the only person I rescue. The Saudi Arabian army might have snatched more than one undercover agent.

I slide my backpack through and carefully crawl under the wedged square.  So far so good, a quick fix and the fence looks almost normal, almost... As long as no one looks too closely they won't see the sniped mesh.

I'm still ducking pretty low, not wanting to attract the attention of the two big guard towers located on the east and west walls. What little light there is from the full moon allows me to see at least one man in each tower, probably carrying machine guns. The last thing I want or need is to be ducking bullets as the alarm sounds. I stand up fast and slink my way along the chain link fence, heading for a dark wooden door that's about a 100 yards away. Slow and easy, that's the motto for how I'm moving right now. It's quiet and even the soft jingling of the fence under me is enough to rouse the guards. The door is within sight now and a quick dash over to it and to my luck it's unlocked. One turn of the knob and I'm in…

Gillian was sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Her long legs were bouncing as she crossed her arms over her chest and checked her watch. It was almost time for Pete to go in to have his new drains put in to hopefully lower the fluid pressure in his eyes. 

The stout man in the gown was lying back in his bed, his head turned towards the window. He had already been prepped for surgery, given his IV and drops had been put in his left eye to cause it to dilate. "What time is it?"

"Quarter 'til 3."  Gillian got up from the chair and walked around the bed. She was standing on Pete's left side and reached down to take his hand. "You're going to be okay."

His line of vision changed as his eyes focused on the young woman. "Hope so."

She smiled at him. "It will be. And when Mac gets back he'll be there for you when you get the other eye done in a couple of weeks."

Pete nodded, giving her hand a squeeze. "He's supposed to be coming home tomorrow morning."

"Right, but you know more details about that then I do."

"Well I should be getting out of here a few hours after the surgery. Then we're supposed to go meet Pykee in the DXS headquarters around midnight. We should be able to contact the helicopter pilot that's going to go pick Mac up to find out whether or not he got Raven."

Gillian shook her head. "I don't like Pykee Pete and I don't trust him."

"I know me either, Pykee is very slippery but this is the one and only time that MacGyver is going to do anything for the DXS." Pete saw the surprise bloom on the young woman's face.  "That's right Gill, we told the board that the DXS can't be trusted now that Pykee's running the show and that having them owe us one isn't worth the risk."

"And the board agreed?"

"That's right they did. The board didn't seem too impressed with Pykee either."

The heavy door opened and the older nurse came in. She had with her two men in white. "Well it's time to go Mr. Thornton."

Pete nodded, a deep sigh coming out of his mouth. "Well, wish me luck."

Gillian let go of his hand and gave him a hug. "I'll be waiting for you in the recovery room when you're done."

He hugged the young woman back. "Okay I'll see you then. I'll be the one that looks like a pirate."

She laughed as she let go of her friend and kissed his cheek. "I'll get you an eye patch with a skull and crossbones on it."

Pete smiled. "One Eyed Pete, the deadliest pirate that ever wielded a pen."

Gillian stepped back so the nurse and her orderlies could put the safety rails up on the sides of the bed and get it ready to be moved.

The bed was pulled forward and the IV bag was detached from the pole on the side of the bed and carefully placed beside Pete. 

The stout man glanced at his friend once more and raised his hand to her.

She returned it, a small smile on her face. "See you soon."

Pete laid back in the bed and closed his eyes as he was wheeled out of the room.

It's running time again, but this time it's not to get somewhere… it's to get out of somewhere! I found Dr. Raven without too much trouble although Pykee's description of where he'd be was a tad off.  He didn't tell me that he'd be in at the opposite end of the building. A small complication but not too bad, good thing I came prepared.

We're racing across the compound, heading for the hole I cut in the fence. We've got quite a ways to go, his cell was on the far back corner of the building.

Dr. Raven is holding his own, which is pretty good considering he looks like a tall, blond punching bag. He's right behind me and I glance over my shoulder at the half dozen heavily armed men in tan that are shouting in Arabic and taking their machine guns off of their shoulders. Good thing for me that my backpack is backwards on my chest, inside are some goodies that we're going to need to get out of here.

I unzip the pack and slip my hand inside, coming out with a Ziploc bag with what looks like pink clay in it. I grab a handful and turn around to look at Raven. The poor man, his clothes are tattered and torn and a shade of pale grey. I hand him the bag.

"Here!"

The thin blond man with the haggard face that's beaten and dirty looks at me funny.

"What is this?"

"Gum!"

"I don't want any!" He starts to shove the bag back at me.

I shake my head. "No! You don't get it! Chew some of it and toss it at the guards!"

We don't have time to stop.  I sink my teeth into the gum and get a mouthful. I chew it for several seconds before taking it out of my mouth and tossed it over my shoulder as hard as I can.

The pink ball hits the ground and explodes, sending some of the guard scrambling.

I can't see Raven but I can hear the surprise in his voice. "I've never seen bubble gum do that before!"

"Special recipe! Now chew and toss!"

We're almost to the hole and a trail of little explosions follows us all the way under the fence. We made it through and not a moment to soon. A quick peek over my shoulder and I can see some other soldiers have come out to join the chase.  We've got a long way to go before the sun comes up.

I'm lying here; face down with my sand colored bathrobe over me.  Raven and I were running for quite some time but the fact the soldiers were closing in forced us to put my camouflage theory to the test.  The doctor is right beside me and we're both trying very hard to keep as still as possible.  We seem to blend in perfectly into the sand at least I hope to God we do because there are twelve soldiers walking around us. I think they're looking for any sign of us, maybe our footprints or marks in the sand. Thank goodness we have an ally, its dark. The soldiers have flashlights and are shining them all around us.

I can't really see but the sound of boots crunching is getting louder and louder.

My eyes close briefly and I feel my adrenaline start to kick in.  I freeze as a pair of feet stops right beside me. I can make out the dark brown boots through the material.

Still…be absolutely still. Not one sound, don't even breathe…

There's a brief conversation in Arabic, I still remember it from when Gillian taught me in Egypt. The men report that there are no signs of us anywhere. The leader seems to be pretty furious, he's shouting at the men to get back to the building because he has to report Dr. Raven's disappearance to his superiors.  The commander is still swearing in Arabic as he and his men leave.  I can hear the potato chip sound of them walking away getting faint in the distance. As soon as it's gone I move, unburying my hand from the sand and pulling my hood back.

I roll over and see that the coast is clear.

Raven sits up and sighs. "They're gone." A big smile comes to his face. "This cape thingy really works."

"Yeah we got lucky." I stand up and pull the doctor to his feet. "Let's see if it holds out." A quick check of the time and we're off again, we still got a little bit of distance to cover to get to the pick up point.

Gillian was standing in the window; her hand on her chest, holding her silver heart in her fingers as she gazed out into the city.  She was in the recovery room, waiting for Pete to come out from surgery. The room was as plain as Pete's room only it was much bigger, a long line of white beds lined the east and west sides of the room.

She checked her watch…almost half past four; her friend had been in surgery for over an hour.

The door opened and a young blonde woman in pale pink scrubs came out, a clipboard in her hands. "There's a coffee vending machine down the hall in the waiting room if you want to take a break."

Gillian turned around and gave her the best smile she could muster, trying not to let the worry and heartache she was feeling reflect in her face. "No thank you, I've never been really fond of coffee."

"All right then." The nurse nodded, holding her clipboard over her chest as crossed the room and slid behind a large half circle desk.

The young woman sighed, going over to the nurse's station. "Any idea when Mr. Thornton will be done?"

"Could be any time." She stood up, stretching out her hand; a warm friendly smile moved across her lips. "My name is Elizabeth Cooper."

"Gillian MacGyver."

The two women shook hands as Elizabeth sat back down. She glanced at the red head's ring finger, seeing the diamond and gold band. "That's a beautiful ring, its Irish isn't it?"

Gillian glanced down at her hand. "Yeah it is, both my husband and I have Claddagh rings." She sighed, a quick picture of Mac flashed through her mind and she looked away; the fact he was gone tugged at her heart.

"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth couldn't help but see the solemn look that suddenly bloomed on the young woman's face. She tilted her head a little to one side, taking a shot in the dark. "Your friend is going to be just fine."

A pair of dark eyes once more focused themselves on the nurse. "Oh I know… and I wish that Pete was the only reason I'm worried, but he's not."

Elizabeth nodded, watching the way Gillian twirled her rings around her finger. "Your husband?"

"Yeah." Gillian wiped her hand across her mouth. "He's out of town right now on business and I miss him."

"I can understand that, my husband's gone a lot too. But it makes it all the sweeter for both of us when he does come home." She picked up a pen as she opened her metal clipboard. "When is he coming back?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Elizabeth raised her head, smiling. "Oh good, so you don't have that much longer to wait."

Gillian was leaning against the top of the desk; she traced her fingers over the smooth wooden surface. "Seems like he's been gone forever."

The Operating Room door opened, a bed was being wheeled in and to Gillian's relief it was Pete.  He was lying back in the bed; a white plastic shield was over his eye. She stepped back, letting the swarm of nurses that came in with him do their jobs.

A blue multicolored striped privacy curtain was pulled around the first bed near the door, blocking out the young woman's view from all that was going on. The movement of the feet beneath it and what little conversation she could pick up, said that Pete was going to be put in a recovery bed and watched for a while to be sure he had no bad reactions from the anesthesia.

"Give them a few minutes Gillian." Elizabeth stood back up, walking around the desk. She slipped behind the curtain, closing it once more.

Gillian stayed where she was, not wanting to get in the way.

The curtain was finally opened and the crowd of people disappeared back through the door.

Elizabeth turned, curling her finger. "It's all right; you can come over here now."

Pete turned his head, a smile on his face as he reached his best friend's wife walking towards him; he stretched out his hand to her.  "Hey."

"Hi." Gillian took his hand, holding it firmly in hers.  She touched his cheek gently, stroking it. "How do you feel?"

"Sleepy." He yawned covering his mouth briefly. "They used a local on me but it still made me tired." Pete smiled at her. "How are you?"

Gillian shrugged, she didn't want to burden Pete; he had enough on his plate at the moment. "Okay, I just wish the day would hurry up and be over with."

The stout man sighed, leaning back against his pillow. "Yeah you and me both."

"Well I'll leave you both to visit. If you need anything let me know." Elizabeth smiled, giving Pete's shoulder a pat as she moved away from the bed and closed the curtain behind her.

There was a chair beside the bed and Gillian glanced behind her for a moment before having a seat. She still had a hold of Pete's hand. "You said that we'll be able to talk to the helicopter that Mac's in once he leaves Saudi Arabia?" She swallowed hard, the possibility that she could actually talk to Mac made her heart start to beat hard.

Pete nodded, waiting until he stopped yawning to answer her. "Sorry."

"Don't be, it's just the medication."

He looked down at the side rails and found the button for the head of the bed. Pete pressed it, the upper half of the bed raising, allowing him to sit up. "Right, we should be able to talk to Mac."

Gillian sighed, a small smile appearing on her lips. "That'll be great."  Maybe I'll have a chance to tell him… She thought to herself before once more focusing her attention on her friend.

"Yeah it will be." Pete was looking at her. "It'll be a relief to hear his voice won't it?"

"Some, but seeing him get off the plane will be even bigger." She gave Pete's hand a squeeze, her expression once more becoming pensive. "He's had to do a lot to get ready for this assignment."

The stout man looked at her curiously, his eyebrows creasing. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Gillian shrugged. "Oh you know the usual, some tools, wire, his knife… bubble gum."

That last item made Pete raise an eyebrow. "Bubble gum?"

"Yeah…" She laughed a little, shaking her head. "A very special kind."

"What kind of gum?"

"The exploding kind." Gillian saw the questions stirring in her friend's face. He was silently asking her to explain. She sighed, letting her mind wander back to a couple of weeks earlier. "We were in Toy World one weekend, looking around. Mac likes to look at their toys; he says they have some pretty neat stuff."

Pete started chuckling, shaking his head. "Sounds like Mac."

"Yeah it does." Gillian cleared her throat. "Anyway… we were over in this section of the store that had all these neat kits for kids. There was one for astronomy, microscope discoveries, chemistry, pottery, stuff like that. This one kit caught his eye, it was to make you own bubblegum." A small smile came to face. "He picked it up, looked at it and said that we had to get it. He said that it could come in handy some time."

"With MacGyver a toothpick could come in handy some time."

The two people gazed at one another for a brief moment before bursting into the kind of laughter that left them both breathing hard and tearful. 

Gillian wiped her eyes as a few more snickers came out of her. "Ain't that the truth?" She cleared her throat. "Anyway… when the board asked him to go rescue Dr. Raven he brought that kit out and made exploding bubblegum."

"I'm not even surprised." Pete reached up and touched the area around the eye patch. He widened his eye a little.

"Feeling less numb?"

"Yeah."  He chuckled again, shaking his head. "That man is completely nuts sometimes, only MacGyver would make a bomb out of gum."

Gillian sighed, looking at her friend. God I want to tell him…She thought to herself and bit her lip. You can't tell Pete, Mac is the father he has a right to know before anyone else does. But he's not here… He'll be getting back in the morning; it's only a little longer to wait.  Gillian inwardly groaned, slapping her hand over her eyes. She never thought it'd be so damn hard to keep this secret to herself until Mac got home.

"Gillian?"

She moved her hand, uncovering her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Pete was watching her, her sudden reaction had him curious.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just got a lot on my mind right now, that's all."

"Me too."

Gillian leaned back in her chair. "I just hope the DXS doesn't forget this little favor."

Pete scoffed, shaking his head. "Oh you better believe I'm not going to let them forget it."

It's been one of the most active nights I've ever had in my life. Between running through the desert in the pitch blackness, trying to avoid being swallowed up by the sand and keeping one step ahead of the guards that are probably still after us, I'm so ready to get out of here. And not a moment too soon, I don't think Dr. Raven could have gone any further; I was practically dragging him the last few miles.

The sun is barely starting to come up and right on time, the green army chopper is looming over head. "This is our ride home?" Raven is standing beside me, watching as the chopper begins to drop down.

"Only out of the country." The wind is blowing the sand, making a cloud around us that's making things tough to see. "A plane is going to take us the rest of the way."

A rope ladder suddenly appears above us, nearly hitting us both on the head as it swings through the air. I'm able to catch it on the next swing.

"Go! Start climbing up!"

Raven doesn't argue, he grabs a hold of the ladder and begins his ascent. I'm watching him climb higher and higher out of sight; it looks like he's about halfway up it.

I jump up, grabbing the ladder as I stick my feet on the rungs and start to climb.

The helicopter starts rising in the air and a brief surge of panic rushes through me. I'm gripping the rope so hard my knuckles are white; the last thing I'm going to do is look down. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get a grip on the situation and my racing heart. I can't stop now; I'm almost to the top.

Raven's head pops over the side of the helicopter. He stretches out his hand to me.

"Here! Let me help you!"

A few more rungs and I grab a hold of his hand. Raven keeps a strong grip on it as he pulls me inside. I take off my backpack and set it aside as I reach out and slide the big metal door closed.

The communication room of the Department of External Services looked like an airport control tower. The walls of the dark room were lined with every kind of radar and computer equipment imaginable. There were a few men in dress shirts and ties sitting in front of the screens, their professionally trained eyes watching the monochrome monitors  

"So where is the helicopter?" Gillian leaned over a screen, studying the blips she could see.

Pete had been released from the hospital at seven. Gillian had taken him home and had stayed with him; she made him a nice dinner and made sure that he rested.

The stout man had slept for awhile, taken a shower, and put on a blue suit. He was more than ready to deal with Pykee and the DXS.  

Pykee dressed in a white shirt and black pants, his blue tie was loosened. He heard what Gillian said and smiled as he pushed up his glasses.

Pete raised an eyebrow, a scowl tightening his lips; Pykee's smile dodged the question. "You heard her, where is it?"

The Cheshire cat grin slid from the dark haired man's face as he glared at Pete. "We should be seeing it on the screen any moment now."

Gillian crossed her arms over her chest, her stomach doing back flips as she focused on the screen. "Come on Mac…" The electronic wand did another loop around the screen and a red blip suddenly appeared. "That's it! That's got to be the helicopter!" The young woman's heart was racing; she never thought she'd be so happy to see a red dot.

The man in front of the screen nodded. "Yes ma'am, I believe it is." He reached up to pick up the mike when Gillian touched his hand and turned to look at Pykee. "Please Mr. Pykee, can I do it?"

Pykee shook his head. "I'm sorry Gillian but we have special codes that we use to avoid enemy detection."

Gillian couldn't help but grin. "So do Mac and I."

Pete still scowled. "That's her husband out there Pykee and he just did a very big favor for you. The least you can do is show his wife a little courtesy." His frosty tone made the other men in the room all turn and glance at their boss.

The Director of Operations for the DXS cleared his throat, pulling a little on his already loosened collar. "Of course Mrs. MacGyver, be my guest."

Gillian lifted her head a little and gave Pete a smile as she took the offered microphone. Her hand was shaking a bit as she pressed the button. "Aluminum, hydrogen, lithium." She let go of the mike and waited. "Come on Mac… answer me." She saw a group of faces staring at her. "I said Mac."

Pete put his hand on her shoulder. "He'll answer, just give him a second."

"Nitrogen, fluorine, magnesium...."

Her husband's voice came through the speakers; Gillian smiled widely and started laughing.  "He said my name." She pressed the mike button. "Hydrogen, argon, boron, scandium, phosphorous, sodium?" The button was released. "I asked if he's okay."

"Manganese."

"He said yes." Gillian nodded her head, looking at Pykee. "Argon, hydrogen, titanium, boron, silicon? I asked about Dr. Raven."

"Oxygen, boron, potassium, oxygen, boron, argon, boron."

"He said that Dr. Raven is there with him."

Pykee and Pete looked relieved and then at each other. The stout man shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me, it's their code."

"Nitrogen, phosphorous, phosphorous, sodium?" Gillian was playing with the mike, waiting for her husband to answer. "I asked if everything went okay."

"Aluminum, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese."

"He said mostly." Gillian was well aware of the stares she was getting, but they didn't matter to her right now, only her husband did.  "Oxygen, phosphorous, aluminum, boron, potassium, phosphorous, phosphorous, silicon? I asked if he was coming home soon." The young woman swallowed hard, hoping the answer to the question she asked her husband was yes.

"Manganese…"

"He said yes." A large smile bloomed on Gillian's mouth. "Aluminum, fluorine, potassium, potassium, scandium, magnesium, phosphorous, titanium, boron, scandium." The two men were waiting for the translation; she looked both of them directly in the eye. "I said I loved him and that I missed him."

"Aluminum, boron, calcium, phosphorous phosphorous."

"He said he did too." Gillian was about to reply when a loud boom came over the speakers and with it came a barrage of static. "Aluminum?" She let go of the button and turned to look at Pete and Pykee. She swallowed hard, her heart racing in her chest. "Aluminum?" Her tone was a tad more frantic as she brought the mike closer to her mouth.

A faint voice came over the speakers, drowning in a sea of static. "Calcium, argon, scandium, helium, magnes--" The last word was cut off and Gillian closed her eyes.

"Gillian? What is it? What did he say?" Pete took ahold of her arm and turned her towards him.

The young woman opened her eyes, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Trouble."

Pykee put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't even worry about it; I'll have a fleet of planes out to his last transmitted location quicker than you can blink!" True to his word, the dark haired man went over to one of the stations and picked up the phone.

It had been almost 18 hours since Gillian had last spoken to her husband and every hour had been the longest of the young woman's life. When the sun came up, Pete had finally managed to talk her into going home and getting some rest.  A nearly impossible task, she simply laid there and stared up at the ceiling watching the hours tick by.  At four o'clock in the afternoon she got out of bed, took a shower and put on a blue t-shirt and jeans.

Gillian was once more standing on the grey, oil stained runway of the LA Air Force base waiting for the big B-52 that was supposed to be bringing her husband home.

She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her upper arms as she watched the sky begin to take on a mellow orange hue; the sun was beginning to go down and there was still no sign of the plane.

"Come on Mac…where are you?"

The answer to her question came strolling up behind her.

Gillian heard the soft thudding of boots on the concrete. She closed her eyes briefly, a smile coming to her face as her heart sped up in her chest.

"Right here…"

Gillian turned around slowly; she saw her husband and her eyes began to grow shiny.

MacGyver was still in his desert camouflage, his face a bit haggard and he had four days worth of heavy stubble along his jaw line. He was weary and worn but managed to give his wife a smile. "Hi."

There were wet marks going down the young woman's face as she placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it. "You look so tired."

Mac nodded his head. "So do you."

"It's been a rough few days."  Gillian stroked her husband's cheek; her lower lip began to tremble as she gazed into her husband's face. "Mac…" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, determined to make him part of the clothes she wore.

MacGyver wrapped his arms around Gillian's waist, lifting her up. He buried his head in her shoulder as his fingers pressed into the back of her head. "God I missed you." His voice was thick with emotion as he held his wife even tighter to him, closing his eyes.

Gillian wrapped her legs around her husband's waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I missed you too. There are some things that I have to tell you."

"Me too. But not here." Mac reluctantly put his wife back down but he didn't let her go. He looked into her face for a brief moment before pressing his mouth to hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet; their mouths moving against one another, the slow exchange of breaths left them both dizzy and lightheaded as the kiss ended.

MacGyver touched his forehead to his wife's. "I think we do have a lot to talk about Gill." He moved back, his dark eyes serious.

Gillian looked into her husband's face and nodded slowly. "You're right, we do." She reached down and took his hand in hers. "Let's go home."

MacGyver turned off the water and pulled back the shower curtain. The shower had felt fantastic, washing away the sea from the ocean and ten tons of sand from the desert.  He wiped the water from his face and shook the water droplets from his hands as he stepped over the rim of the bathtub and pulled two maroon towels from the nearby rack. One of them went around his waist, the other he pressed to his face.

Mac dried his hair and started to hang the towel back up when he caught a glimpse of his reflection. The mirror was hanging on the back of the bathroom door; it was a little foggy from his shower. The shining surface was coated with steam and he wiped it off with his hand.

He simply stood there, gazing at his reflection in the long rectangular glass. Mac brought his hands up to his waist and parted the two ends of the terry cloth, dropping the towel to the floor.

Naked as the day he was born MacGyver swallowed hard, his eyes taking in the sight before him. The scars that were on his body. There was a thin line across his right upper arm, his fingers traced over it. It was a knife slash, a little present from Murdoc. Close to it on the top of his shoulder was a white square, a cauterization scar from a bullet wound in Afghanistan. A red hot poker had done it and the memory flash of the bright red glowing end of it moving towards him made him shudder.

A thin line just below his collarbone was the next one that got his attention. He shook his head, that one was unforgettable…a high powered rifle had given him that one while rescuing Evan Gage from his kidnappers.

He swallowed hard again as his eyes roamed over his body. His shoulders were broad and strong; he had been shot in his left one in Romania, the bullet had passed through.  His hands traced across his pecs, brushing over the tuft of hair between them. Mac looked down at his flat stomach; he touched the vertical line above his belly button. He turned a little to the side, seeing the two round bullet wounds that were almost right beside each other.

Mac sighed, licking his lips. "God…" He touched the two round raised scars.

His glanced down at his legs seeing the top of his left one and the jagged line from where a bullet had passed through the muscle.

MacGyver raised his head, the disbelief in his dark eyes reflecting back at him. He had never realized before that he had so many scars.

Every single one that covered him told a story, some had a happy ending while others didn't.  He turned away from the mirror; leaning against the cold wall. He bent his head and covered his eyes with his hand.

"What have I done to myself?"

A sudden knock on the door startled him and he uncovered his face. The door cracked open and his wife's head popped around the door.

"Mac? Are you okay?" Gillian saw his face and her brow creased as she stepped through the door and closed it. "What's wrong?"

MacGyver shook his head, wiping his hand down his mouth. He spotted his towel on the floor and scooped it up, wrapping it back around his waist. "I'm just tired, that's all Gill."

Gillian watched him. "Oh, okay." She saw the wipe mark that was across the mirror. "So what were you looking at?"

"Nothing." Mac picked up the other towel and put it around his shoulders as he left the bathroom.

His wife followed him back into the bedroom. "No, you were looking at something."

MacGyver took the towel off of his shoulders and opened his dresser drawer. He took out a red t-shirt and shrugged it on. "It's not important." The third dresser drawer contained his blue jeans and he opened it and took out a pair. "Aren't we going to dinner?"

Gillian stepped between her husband and the dresser, taking the jeans out of his hands. "Dinner can wait; I want to know what you were looking at."

Her husband sighed, wiping his hand across his forehead. "Gill…I said its nothing, can't we just drop it and go to dinner?"

Mac reached around her, taking a pair of green boxer shorts out of his top drawer. He turned away from her and slipped them on, taking off his towel.

His wife watched him, the realization of what he was doing coming to her. She grasped him by the elbow and turned him around. "Why are you hiding from me?"

"Who said I'm hiding?" MacGyver took the jeans from his wife's hand and went to slip them on.

Gillian took ahold of his wrist. "Mac, you're hiding under towels and clothes. We've been married for almost two years I've probably seen you with your clothes off more than on."

He couldn't keep it from her; he realized that and shook his head. Mac sat down on the edge of the bed, his head hanging. "I was drying off when I saw myself in the mirror. It just hit me that I've been through a lot Gillian and my body is proof of that." He lifted his head to look at her. "I've got all of these ugly scars, all over me." He sighed, wiping his hand over his mouth. "I've been doing Operative work for a lot of years. I realized for the first time tonight just how long it's really been."

"It has been a long time, but it's also been a lot of good work."  Gillian knelt down in front of him, her hands touching his bare legs.  "You do know that don't you?"

"Yeah I know." Mac's dark eyes were full of emotion, making them shine as he gazed down at his wife. He swallowed hard, his throat felt dry. "When the chopper was shot down in the water, Raven and I were floating in this yellow emergency raft. Felt like we were out there forever before help finally arrived and picked us up.  While I was out there, not exactly sure whether anyone was coming or not, I did a lot of thinking."

Gillian nodded, holding his hands. "What did you think about?"

"Us…you…our future." MacGyver licked his lips and pressed them together. "Gillian…I'm going to tell Pete on Monday that I want out of the Operative Program."

The young woman's eyes grew round. "Out of the program? But Mac--"

He touched his fingers to her lips, stopping her words. "I can't do it anymore Gillian. I knew it the minute I climbed into the plane. I was already wishing I was home and I hadn't even left." Mac shook his head; his eyes began to grow bright. "I'm tired Gillian, I'm weary and worn and I don't have anything left."

Gillian saw the emotions threatening to come out of her husband. She sat down on the bed and pulled him into her arms. She hugged him tightly, stroking his hair.

Mac sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "I've had my fill of it. All I want to do now is be here with you." He pulled back, looking into her face. "Please tell me you understand."

Gillian wiped his face. "Honey I do understand." She touched his cheek. "It hasn't been easy for me either, seeing you go every time and wonder if maybe you weren't going to come back." She sighed heavily. "You've done more than your fair share now and I think it's time for someone else to take over."

Relieved that she understood, MacGyver hugged Gillian again. "You'll get sick of me being home all the time."

His wife pulled back from the hug and wrinkled her nose. "Oh God you'll be home?"

The blond man looked at his wife; he moved his head a little from side to side. "Well yeah that's usually how it works."

"On second thought…" Gillian watched Mac's eyes widen and she couldn't help but grin. "Gotcha."

They both started laughing and briefly touched foreheads.

Gillian's smile faded as she looked at him. He had shaved and cleaned up but there was still weariness in his face. "My poor tired Sweetie."

MacGyver shrugged. "I'll live."

"Oh I know you will." She put her hand to the back of his neck and pressed him towards her, capturing his lips with hers. Gillian used her body weight to force her husband back on the bed, stretching out on top of him.

The kisses were aching slow, their lips moving against one another. Gillian's hands slipped under her husband's t-shirt, pulling it over his head. She kissed him again, her lips moving down his chin to his neck.

Mac sighed, closing his eyes. His wife's lips were brushing down his throat and their warm contact was making him dizzy.

Gillian nibbled on his Adam's apple, giving it a soft lick as she dragged her tongue across his collarbone. She saw the scar below it and began kissing it gently.

This action opened her husband's eyes. "Gillian."

"Yes?" Raising her head she glanced at her husband.

MacGyver swallowed hard. "How can you…? I mean…"

Her fingers touched his lips. "It doesn't matter that you've got scars. To me you're still gorgeous Mac." She saw the two near his shoulder and she leaned over and kissed them as well. "I love you, all of you, and that includes your scars." 

"I love you too." A small smile came to Mac's face as he wrapped his arms around her neck. He lifted his head and kissed her.

Gillian broke it. "And I'm going to show you right now how hard you make me breathe sometimes."

Continuing down his chest she kissed, nibbled and licked her way to his stomach.

Mac groaned, wiggling a little as her lips brushed his belly button. He reached down and stroked his wife's head. "You keep doing that and I'm the one that's going to be breathing hard."

His wife grinned as she made her way back up his chest. "That's the idea." She sat up, grabbing the ends of her t-shirt and pulling it over her head. Climbing off the bed, Gillian unzipped her jeans.

MacGyver watched her, swallowing hard. A flash of desire made him shudder as he held out his hand. "Come here."

Gillian climbed back on the bed, wearing only a blue sports bra and matching panties. She stretched back over her husband, rubbing her bare skin against his.

They started kissing again, rolling sideways. Gillian's fingers curled in the waistband of his boxers and started pulling them down.

Breathing hard and flushed with desire, Mac ran his hand up his wife's stomach to her sports bra. "You won't be needing this." He pulled it over her head and tossed it over his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, sliding his hands down her back to her panties. He tugged them down her legs.

Gillian rolled her husband back over; looking down at MacGyver's flushed face. She started kissing him again as her legs moved to either side of him.

Mac watched her, his eyes shining with desire. The emotion in his face spoke volumes.

The young woman smiled as she lowered herself down the length of him.

He groaned, closing his eyes as his hands touched his wife's legs. Mac sat up, hugging her around the waist as they moved together.

Gillian kissed her husband, shifting her legs to wrap around his back. Both hands came to MacGyver's face, caressing it. "I missed you… so much."

Mac's breathing was ragged; his fingers were digging into his wife's skin. "I missed you too." He closed his eyes, tilting his head back. There was nothing but pure pleasure racing up and down his spine.

His wife shuddered, her legs encasing him. She breathed hard as she crushed her mouth to his.

MacGyver felt her whimper against his mouth and it sent him over the edge. He squeezed his eyes shut, hugging his wife tightly to him. He trembled against her; together they collapsed back on the bed.

"Welcome home…" Gillian smiled, nuzzling the slightly damp chest just under her lips. Sprawled on MacGyver's chest, she sighed heavily.

"Thanks." Mac chuckled as he rubbed his hands over her back. "I'm starving, if we're going to go to dinner we should go."

"Yeah I think we better. There are a couple of things I need to talk to you about." She rolled off his chest and climbed off the bed. She bent over and picked up her sports bra and panties.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Mac moved slowly, his body had now begun to feel the affects of the assignment; his legs especially were stiff. "I think I need another shower." He picked up his t-shirt and shrugged it back on as he stood between the bed and the dresser.

Gillian laughed as she pulled clean clothes out of her dresser and laid them on the bed. She picked up a pair of black cotton pants and slipped them on. The shirt she chose was a deep red that almost matched her hair. "Sorry, no hints."  The final touch was to brush her hair; Gillian reached out and gave her husband's behind a squeeze as she headed for the bathroom.

MacGyver jumped back and gave his wife a playful glare. "Hey watch it there handsy!"

"Oops so sorry." She grinned over her shoulder as she stepped into the bathroom.

The place was tiny and quaint, a dark wooden shack that sat beside a brand new shopping center in a newly renovated street on the Westside of the city.  The décor of the restaurant was pretty much non existent; the floors, walls, tables and chairs were made of mahogany wood.

MacGyver and Gillian were the only ones there in the completely wooden restaurant, choosing a table in the farthest corner. A small white candle on the table flickered between them.

The couple had decided on something light, both of them ordering salads.  Mac sat against the wall, watching his wife. He had tried to be patient, but Gillian's silence only made him all the more curious. "So what do you have to tell me?"

Gillian set her fork down and wiped her mouth with the white cloth napkin. Her stomach suddenly tightened a little as she cleared her throat. "You're probably not going to be happy about this but…Pete had his eye surgery."

MacGyver's dark eyes widened. "He what?"

"Now don't be angry Mac, he had his reasons." She set her napkin down and touched her husband's hand.

Her husband sighed, shaking his head. "What reasons?"

"He was afraid that telling you about it would have interfered with rescuing Dr. Raven."

The blond man's face was serious, anger was flashing in his dark eyes. "And how would it have done that?"

Gillian squeezed his hand. "You would have been worried about him and wishing you were there and that could have hindered your judgment and concentration."

A sad look crossed MacGyver's face, he lowered his head. "I said I'd be there for him."

"He wasn't alone, I was there and when he gets his other eye done in a couple of weeks you'll be right there." She reached across the table and lifted his chin. "This isn't over for Pete, it's just begun. Okay?"

"Yeah but he's still going to hear about it from me." Mac picked up his fork and once more dug into his Chef salad. "What was the other thing?"

Gillian swallowed hard. "Other thing?"

"Well yeah…you said back at the house you had a couple of things to tell me. A couple means two."

"So it does." Gillian cleared her throat, flicking her loose hair over her shoulder. She didn't know exactly where to begin.  "Uh…do you remember our last night in Egypt?"

MacGyver grinned widely. "Yeah, how could I forget? Anubis, God of the Dead."

"Right." Gillian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But apparently that's not all he's the god of."

He creased his brow as he gazed at his wife. "What else was he the god of?"

A smile came to the red haired woman's lips. "Fertility…at least in our case."

Mac's expressed puzzled. "Fertility?" He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment as he watched her face. "As in the ability to produce…" His lips kept moving but no sound came out of them.

MacGyver's cocoa eyes slowly grew round; he gazed down at his wife's stomach before meeting her face once more.  

Gillian's smile widened and she started to laugh. "I found out yesterday." Her husband had yet to say anything he simply gazed at her, a stunned expression on his face.  She swallowed hard, her smile fading. "Mac, aren't you going to say anything?"

He came back to himself and stood up, grabbed his wife by her shoulders and pulled her to him. "Oh God Gillian…oh my God!" MacGyver leaned back from the embrace; his hands were on her upper arms. "I mean." He shook his head, licking his lips. "Are you sure? How? When?"

"Yeah I'm sure. We conceived the night we used those condoms because they weren't made of latex." Gillian sighed, relieved to have gotten that off her chest. "I wanted so bad to tell Pete but I promised myself you'd be the first to know."

MacGyver heard her words but they still didn't sink in, he kept looking down at her stomach. "I just can't believe it."

His wife took his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. "I know it's a shock, believe me it was for me too." Gillian's eyes began to grow shiny. "But its true Mac, I'm pregnant."

Those two words were the ones that finally hit home, MacGyver glanced up at his wife and a watery smile came to his lips accompanied by laughter. He hugged his wife gentler this time, his hands stroking her hair.

Gillian embraced her husband and closed her eyes. The reality of this was beginning to sink and she swallowed hard. "Mac, I'm scared."

"Me too." MacGyver let go of his wife, his hands moved to either side of her face. "But it's going to be all right." A smile came to his lips as he caressed her face. "We're going to have a baby."

"I know." Gillian smiled, her eyes filling with tears again as she laughed. "Unreal, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is." Mac traced his hand over his wife's stomach gently, his eyes shining brightly.

Gillian looked down and watched her husband's hand caress her stomach; she placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it.