Fork In The Road

by DreamWvr73

An AU version of Mac and Gillian, would they be together if their lives had been totally different?

Gillian Pershing wiped her eyes as she stared at her rear view mirror, seeing the big red brick house she had shared with her husband growing smaller in the distance. The real estate agent had given Gillian her assurances that the house would sell quickly. That had been the one comforting thought, the house would make someone else a nice home and the money would come in handy for the new life she had to go find. The slow and painful death of her husband still fresh in her heart, she had packed everything precious to her and stuffed into the back of her Pathfinder, taken her child and simply left.

Her parents had wanted her to come back to Los Angeles, to bring the baby home to them and they would take care of it, they would take care of everything.

Gillian had told them no. She decided that leaving Minneapolis and heading to a small town would do her and the baby some good. There she could make a life for them both, a clean fresh start.

A new life. A clean fresh start.

She headed for the freeway, deciding to take the road south. With no clue at all as to where she was headed, she simply drove. Minnesota was filled with small rural towns; she would find one that had all the comforts of home without the hustle and bustle of the big city. She had had plenty of that already.

A small noise from the backseat got her attention and she reached up and adjusted the rear view mirror, the car seat that contained her child coming into view.

Corinne had fallen asleep, her little head full of light reddish curls, lying against the side of the seat. Just the sight of her sweet innocent face made Gillian's heart thump painfully in her chest and she felt the tears welling in her eyes. She cried for her daughter, so young she would hardly remember her father and that thought made a sob choke out of Gillian's throat.  Wiping her face, she redirected her attention back to the road, wondering where it would take her and if it led to a new place she could call home.

"Yo Mac! Mac! Where are you?"

A dark haired young man stepped into the warm greenhouse and pulled off his shades, dressed in black dress pants and a white dress shirt, he looked very much the consummate professional. He scanned the row after row of green plants, tall trees and flowers that surrounded him; looking like a mini version of the Amazon jungle.

"I'm back here Alex!" A voice called out to him and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Let me just make my way through the jungle here--" Alex called back, stepping carefully through the greenery, not wanting wet leaves or dirt to get his work clothes dirty. Finally he made it to the backroom, a whirring sound filling his ears as he poked his head in and watched his older brother sitting behind a pottery wheel; a hunk of red clay spinning. He wore an old pair of overalls, the denim splattered with old clay and dirt. There were bits of clay going up his forearms to the top of his bare shoulders and a few smudges across the top of the blue bandana that covered his head.

"Can't you have an office like everyone else?"

MacGyver looked up at his younger brother and shook his head. "Those that live in glass classrooms shouldn't throw stones--" He bent over the swirling clay, his big hands shaping it gently.  "So did you come to give me a critique or what?"

"Well if you'd answer the phone I wouldn't have to come out here--" Alex looked around at all the red clay pots of different sizes that lined both walls of the little room.

"I've got a machine Alex, leave a message it'd save you the trip--" The wet clay rolled through his fingers and he moved them up it carefully.

"I did leave a message, I left three messages and when you still didn't answer Mom sent me out here to talk to you."

The spinning wheel came to a stop and MacGyver stood up, pulling a rag from his overalls pocket. "So what's the big emergency that you're out here at 7 am?"

"It's not an emergency Mac, Mom just wanted to know if you were busy this weekend. She knows how you spontaneously disappear and wanted to make sure you stuck around."

"For what exactly?" Mac wiped his hands with the rag as he made his way back through the greenhouse.

Alex followed him, dodging leaves and branches. "She wants to have dinner."

Mac stopped outside the greenhouse door and whipped around. "Dinner? All this fuss for dinner? I don't think so--" He eyed his brother suspiciously. "What's her name Alex?"

The younger man pulled a little at the collar of his white shirt. "Boy it's hot in here--" He looked around the fiber glass walls, trying to act innocent of any knowledge.

"Alex--" Mac crossed his arms over his chest, cocking his head to one side. "Name?"

"Let me out of this sweat box and I'll tell you."

MacGyver moved away from the door, the bright sunshine making his long blond hair shine. He had it tied back in a pony tail and snatched the bandana off his head, wiping his face with it.

"So what's the real reason Mom wants me here this weekend?"

"Her name's Susanne, she's the daughter of one of Mom's friends from church--" Alex unbuttoned the top button his collar, fanning his face.

"Oh terrific--" Mac sighed as lifted his pony tail and dabbed the back of his neck. "I thought she quit setting me up with her friend's daughters."

"Well she did but she claims you'll like this one."

"Oh no I won't, I'm going to give her a call right now--" Mac turned around and headed for a red cedar log cabin, opening the side door. He stepped into kitchen, his boots lightly thumping on the floor as he snagged his black cordless phone.

"She's only trying to help Mac--" Alex walked inside the cabin and nodded his head in approval. "Nice Mac you finished the cabinets--" Mac had been redoing the kitchen, putting in oak and glass paneled cabinets.

MacGyver hung up the phone, setting it back down on the counter. "I don't need any help Alex; I'm not interested in anyone right now. I've got this cabin to finish and the nursery takes up a good chunk of my time."

Alex saw the hurt in his brother's eyes and sighed. "What Kate did to you wasn't right Mac and you can't give up on the fairer sex just because of it."

His brother walked around the counter and over to the steel double sink; he turned on the faucet and washed his hands then splashed some cold water on his face.

"She cheated on me and got pregnant by another man three weeks after I proposed to her--" He leaned over the sink, both arms extended on either side of it. "Now you tell me that I can just forget about that and move on?"

"I know it's been rough Mac, believe me I do. But you can't spend the rest of your life alone, you're a good man and you deserve to be happy--" Alex checked his watch and cringed. "Damn, I have to go school starts in 20 minutes."

"All right, have fun with the kids--"

"Yeah, Mom said she might come by later to see you and to pick up more plant food--" Alex stared at his big brother's back. "Mom loves you; she's got your best interests at heart."

"I know--"

"Bye Mac--" Alex took his sunglasses out of his pocket and slipped them back on as he headed out the door.

MacGyver heard the sound of his brother's car starting up; he sighed as he straightened back up and wiped the water dripping from his chin. He turned around and leaned his back against the sink, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Some things are easier said then done."

"Poquita—Poquita--" Gillian mumbled to herself as she studied the map of Minnesota she currently had spread across her dashboard.  With her finger she traced her path from Minneapolis; she took I-35 South for an hour and had just passed a sign for Poquita, but saw absolutely no mention of it on her map.

"Hmmm that's odd--" She shrugged and folded the map back up, tucking it into the glove box. According to the sign she had just passed, Poquita was 25 miles away. Maybe a place worth checking out if it's not even listed on the map.

Checking her mirrors, the silver Pathfinder got back on the road.

"Mama?" A small voice called from the backseat and Gillian adjusted her mirror to see her daughter.

"I hear you Baby--"

Corinne rubbed her eyes, staring out the window with interest. "Go bye bye?" She asked, her hazel eyes staring up at the reflection of her mother.

"Yeah Baby, we're going bye bye--" Gillian saw the curiosity in her daughter's eyes. "I know you don't understand Corinne but we're finding a new place to live."

She stared at the empty seat beside her mother and pointed at it. "Papa?"

Just the way she said it made Gillian bite her lip hard. After all this time Corinne still asked for him, it had been 7 months and she still too young to understand.

Michael had been a long battle with the illness and Gillian had almost been grateful that it had finally ended. It broke her heart everyday seeing Michael suffering, but now he had no more pain.

"Papa isn't with us Baby, Papa's --" She shook her head, not able to say anymore. It was still a difficult thing for her to accept, even though she had been there to see it first hand.  Married only four years, Michael had a successful career as a chemical engineer and had worked for a large corporation in Minneapolis. The company had been very gratuitous to her, sending her many flowers and cards from the employees expressing their heart felt condolences. The insurance policy the company had on Michael would ensure his family's future and survival.

POQUITA  15

Gillian saw the green sign and chewed a little on her thumbnail. Was she being hasty taking an interest in this small unknown town 100 miles away from Minneapolis? Was she being foolish in not accepting her parents offer of help?  What kind of life could she make for Corinne when her own seemed uncertain?

The miles ticked off slowly and within 20 minutes, Gillian stopped in front of a sign made of logs and surrounded by trees. The word POQUITA had been neatly carved into it and the population read that the town had 755 residents living in it.

"Wow, that's pretty small. No wonder it's not on the map."

She drove on ahead and stopped in front of a stop light that seemed to be the start of the small town. Looking out past the yellow traffic signal, she saw a green sign that read MESA ST.; beyond it Gillian could see a square that looked as if it had been cut out of an Old West movie and pasted on top of the asphalt. There were hitching posts, small haystacks and wooden horse troughs scattered around the square; a few half buried up right wagon wheels also added to the charm.

"Whoa--" She eased the Pathfinder through the intersection and pulled over, studying the square with childlike fascination.

Some of the little buildings were made of wood in a variety of colors with wooden awnings; the signs above them painted in white paint, reminiscent of the time period. There was one building made of tin that boasted it was the COFFEE HOUSE, the hours posted in a piece of tin outside the white double doors. A building across the street from it was made of tan adobe, with the words POQUITA MUSEUM on a wooden sign on top of the roof.

"Well it's certainly interesting--" Gillian said to herself as she looked around the square. Another road led out of it and she turned her Pathfinder down it and saw that the Old West theme seemed to go on for several more blocks.

"Mama-- dolly! Mama!" Corinne excitedly pointed to the dress shop just outside her window; the front window display had two rather ancient looking manikins decked out in calico dresses and matching hair bonnets.

"I see them Baby, but those aren't dolls their manikins."

A few doors down from the dress shop was an empty building. The same design as the dress shop, it had an upper level with a sign that said APARTMENT FOR RENT.

"Hmmm, you could put anything there--" Gillian said to herself as she leaned forward and started up her vehicle. "I don't know about you Cori, but this place seems really nice." She gazed into the rear view mirror at her small passenger. "What do you think?"

Corinne said nothing, but her giggles and squeals were a resounding agreement. She kicked her legs wildly in her car seat.

"I think so too. All we need now is a place to stay."

A bright red building with blinding white trim and an equally eye catching green and white striped awning, on the next block over, got Gillian's attention. A shingle attached to a black wrought iron bar swung lazily in the breeze right below a second story balcony. The wrought iron had a curly-q design reminded her of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

"The Red Rose Hotel. It looks nice enough; I hope it's not too expensive though--" Gillian pulled up to the red building and shut off the engine. After being in the car for so long, her legs were a little on the stiff side as she rubbed her hands over her denim covered thighs.

"Ohh too long in the car Baby. Mama's legs feel like they're made of iron--" She raised her arms and stretched a little more, her light blue denim shirt rising up just enough to show her belly button.

"Mama! Mama! Down!" Corinne vocalized her protests, thus ending the stretching session.

"All right Baby all right--" Gillian reached back into the car and grabbed her leather purse, slinging it over her shoulder. She pulled a hair tie from her pocket and tied her hair in a quick pony tail. Opening the passenger side door, Gillian unbuckled her daughter from the child seat.

"Let's go see if we can stay here--" She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek before setting her down and taking a hold of her hand.

"Come on--"

"Here we are, one of our nicest rooms--"

The door opened and an older woman with short ash blond hair, dark slacks and a white shirt stepped into the room.

Gillian came in behind her surprised by how modern it was. A queen size bed sat in the center, between a pair of oak night tables. An oak dresser stood at the foot of the bed with a black TV and black VCR on top of it. There were two doors in the room, one a closet and the other the bathroom.

"I guess you were expecting something a little more--?"

"Rustic--" Gillian finished, looking around the room. The carpeting under her feet was a dusky rose color, it matched the bed spread and curtains.

"Well rustic and quaint might be good for the tourists but its not exactly practical. If this place truly was like an Old West hotel we'd have wooden floors, no plumbing and our guests would freeze come winter. Not very good for business."

"Yes, I'd prefer to have modern conveniences and hot showers--"

The older woman laughed at that and held out her hand. "I'm Ellen MacGyver; I'm the manager of this place."

"Gillian Pershing--"

"A pleasure Gillian--"

The handshake exchanged, Ellen looked down at the little girl dressed in pink overalls and a light pink turtleneck standing at Gillian's feet and smiled.

"And just who might this be?"

"This is Corinne--" Gillian scooped her daughter up so Ellen could see her better.

"Nice to meet you Corinne--" Ellen saw her big hazel eyes, button nose and head full of curls. "She's beautiful Gillian, how old is she?"

"She's eighteen months--" Planting a kiss on her cheek, a proud smile came to the young mother's face.

Ellen reached out and touched Corinne's curly hair. "My look at all those curls and its obvious where the red came from--"

"Yes well, her hair would be a darker red like mine if not for her Grandpa being blond; it lightened up the red--" Gillian cradled Corinne to her chest.

"Still a pretty color though--" She handed Gillian the key. "If there's anything you need, I'm just a phone call away."

"Thank you Mrs. MacGyver--"

"Oh, just Ellen please--" A warm, motherly smile came to Ellen's face as she waved to Corinne and closed the door behind her.

Ellen came down the stairs, hearing the high pitched ring of the hotel phone. She made it to the last step and grabbed the white phone on the countertop.

"Red Rose--"

"I was about to hang up, thought you might be out for lunch or something--" The deep voice of her eldest son came through the line and Ellen planted one fist on her hip.

"You're one to talk Mac; I had your brother call you three times this morning."

"Yeah he told me the reason why, sorry Mom but I don't want a girlfriend. I'm heading to the lake this weekend."

"Mac--" Ellen sat down on the chair in her little office and leaned back in it. "Honey you can't keep running off whenever you feel like it."

"Who's running off? I'm going fishing and do a little camping."

"Susanne is a beautiful girl; she's got long blond hair and has the sweetest personality--"

"Mom—I appreciate that you don't want me to be lonely but right now I just don't want to get involved with anyone."

Ellen sighed, shaking her head in defeat. "All right Son, I won't try to fix you up anymore."

"Thank you Mom, I know you don't understand but I just need some time to sort things out."

"No Honey I do understand—But your father and I were happy for a very long time and I've always wished that my sons would have that kind of love someday."

"Well maybe Alex would be interested in Susanne."

"Hey that's a good idea!" Ellen's face brightened a smile on her lips. "Of course you know when I tell him this was all your idea he's not going to be too happy with you."

"Ehh, he'll live. And besides, what IF this girl is the woman of his dreams? He'll thank me for getting them together."

 "That's my son, the eternal optimist about everyone but himself. What's wrong with this picture?"

"The picture is just fine Mom, just a little fuzzy right now."

"All right Mac, I'll let you go. I have a customer."

"At the counter?"

"No, a young woman checked into the hotel. I better keep the line free in case she needs anything." Ellen straightened her chair, setting it back upright.

"Just get a second phone line Mom."

"I've been trying to for years Honey, if you want to try and convince the Holloways to spend more money than absolutely necessary; I wish you plenty of luck."

"I get the point Mom, talk to you later--" Mac chuckled on the line, the sound making Ellen smile even broader.

"Love you Baby, bye."

"Bye Mom, love you too."

The phone placed gently on its cradle, Ellen shook her head; a sad look crossing her features as she wondered to herself if her eldest son would ever find someone that would love him and appreciate him.

Over the course of the next month, Gillian and Corinne settled into a life very different than what they had become accustomed to in Minneapolis. The first order of business—Where would they stay? That problem easily became solved with the Red Rose Hotel but something a little more permanent in mind was what Gillian wanted. The vacant shop with the empty apartment stuck in her mind and one day out of the blue, she purchased it; the second level becoming their new home. The second order of business, the more important of the two, what would Gillian to do for a living? The insurance money wouldn't last forever, and neither would the money from the house in Minneapolis being sold. She had to do something to provide a good life for her daughter.

She found the answer one day while flipping through the Poquita phone book. Scanning the H section, she noticed the listing for hobby stores and supplies was blank. The idea hit her like a tidal wave and within two weeks, the empty store had a sign announcing The Hobby Hideaway would soon be open for business.

As the only hobby store in Poquita, the opening was a success and Gillian and Corinne were welcomed with open arms into the community.

MacGyver stood on top of a wooden ladder, hanging a shingle. The words Mac's Nursery were burned into a flat piece of wood that he carefully attached to a frame that marked the end of his driveway.

"And here I thought you weren't into advertising--"

Wobbling on the ladder a little, Mac grabbed it and stared down with wide eyes at the stout man with the bushy mustache, loud blue print Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

"Jack! Are you trying to make me fall?"

"Not at all neighbor, just thought I'd drop by to see how you were."

"Well I'd be a lot better if you wouldn't sneak up on me--" He brushed his hands down his white t-shirt and jeans before climbing down the ladder.

"Who's sneaking? I came to see my bud and this is the thanks I get?" Jack put his hand to his chest, a wounded look on his face.

"So how's the firm?" Mac closed up the wooden ladder and hefted it with both hands, carrying it back towards the cabin.

"Fine, busy as always. I see that business has been good for you, or at least that's what Sheila tells me--" Jack followed him, his hands tucked into his pocket.

"Can't complain, the customers are pretty steady--" MacGyver leaned the ladder against the side of the cabin "Want something to drink?"

"Sure, beer if you got it--"

"Yeah--" Mac slipped into the house and came out with two dark bottles of beer, handing one to Jack.

"Sit down, take a load off--" He motioned to one of the wicker porch chairs and the stout man plopped himself into it and took a hearty sip of his beer.

"Ah good stuff--

MacGyver took the chair beside him, tilting his head back as he drank his beer. "Yeah--" He agreed as he stretched out his long legs and parked them on the porch rail.

"Haven't seen you in town for awhile--" Jack shifted in his chair towards his friend.

"I've been into town Jack, I was just there a few days ago at the hardware store getting more stuff for my dining table--" He brushed back his long hair from his shoulders, turning to look at his friend with a curious expression. "Why do you ask?"

Jack wiggled his eyebrows at him, a sheepish grin suddenly appearing on his lips. "Have you checked out that new hobby store?"

"Not yet, I planned on it though the next time I went to town."

"Well believe me buddy you should. It's run by the firm's newest client, a gorgeous red head with great legs. And let me tell you something, she is stunning!" Jack whistled and shook out his hand.

"I just may handle her books personally."

"Oh I just bet you would--" Mac shook his head as he faced forward and stared out across the yard, the majority of it was green from all the plants he raised for the nursery.

"Her name is Gillian Pershing and she's from Minneapolis--" He sighed wistfully. "Never thought I'd fall for a city slicker. I may have to take up a new hobby just to make an excuse to go by her shop."

Mac rolled his eyes, raising his bottle for another sip. "You're unbelievable you know that? Is there a woman in Poquita you haven't fallen for?"

Jack's dreamy eyed expression disappeared as he shrugged his shoulders. "Your mother."

The blond man suddenly coughed out his beer and he sat up, his boots thumping on the wooden porch as he leaned forward, hacking.

"Hey hey now don't choke on the beer!" Jack reached out and patted his friend on the back.

"She's not your type--" Mac managed to say as he sputtered a little more before catching his breath.

"Mac geez I was just kidding! You know I think of Ellen as my second mom."

Finally able to breathe, Mac wiped his mouth and took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair. "It was the flash of you becoming my father that got me--"

That idea made Jack shudder. "And have you and Alex as my stepsons, forget it!"

"So where is this hobby shop?"

"Right on Mesa, a few doors down from dress shop." Jack finished his beer and stood up. "It's called the Hobby Hideaway, Gillian lives right above it."

"Already taken an interest in her huh?" Mac looked up at his friend, seeing him shrug his shoulders.

"Well no, she's a client. Not really allowed to go dating your clients, could be considered a conflict of interest."

"Damn those rules of ethics!" MacGyver snapped his fingers, making a tisking sound.

"Oh ha ha--" Jack narrowed his eyes at his friend and checked his watch. "Well I better go, say hi to your Mom and Alex for me."

"I will Jack--" He got up from his chair and walked with his friend down the driveway.

Gillian leaned down and planted a kiss on her daughter's head.

"Sleep well Baby--" She reached out and smoothed her light red hair, smiling at the curls that sprung back into place. Straightening up, she pulled the pink comforter up around her daughter's chin and closed the window; the silver moonlight coming in through the blinds.

The small room was bare except for the twin bed against the far wall and a few small boxes that were neatly stacked by the window. Gillian looked around the blank walls trying to decide the best way to decorate her daughter's bedroom.

"Well Corinne, I think the first thing we need to get you is a small area rug." Her bare feet were cold against the parquet floor and she looked down at it; seeing her pink toe nail polish almost as shiny as the glossy wooden surface.

"Definitely need a rug, maybe something fuzzy and cheerful."

Getting a shiver Gillian rubbed her upper arms, the white sweater she wore suddenly seemed thin and she cast one last look over her shoulder at her sleeping daughter before closing the door. Heading back into the living room, she rubbed the back of her neck as she sat down on her brand new blue velvet couch and looked at the pile of receipts that sat on the light colored coffee table in front of her.

"Doesn't look like we did too bad today--" She mumbled to herself as she went through them, checking the amounts.

A knock on the door stopped her sorting, puzzled she rose to her feet wondering who it could be.

"Who is it?" She asked, wishing she had a peep hole.

"Gillian? It's Ellen MacGyver, from the Red Rose--"

"Oh! Yes of course just a second--" Gillian looked down at herself making sure she was presentable. Her white sweater and jeans were fine and she touched her hair, smoothing it down and tucking a few stray hairs from her braid behind her ears. Taking a deep breath she unlocked the door and opened it, seeing the smiling face of the older blond woman in her white shirt and dark pants; a bundle of red roses in her hands. To Gillian's surprise, she had a tall dark haired man beside her in a dark sport coat and khaki pants, holding a large wicker fruit basket.

"Good Evening Gillian, are we disturbing you?"

"Oh no, not at all please come in--" Gillian stepped back, letting the two visitors come in.

"Thank you--" Ellen walked into the room, looking around. "Sorry if I'm a mess I just left the hotel."

"Actually I was going to ask the both of you to please excuse my living room--" She motioned to it, the living room furniture and the coffee table were the only things present. "Still getting organized."

"I understand Gillian, I've moved a couple of times myself--" Ellen took her purse off her shoulder and set it down on the loveseat. She turned back and presented Gillian the flowers. "These are for you along with the fruit basket; call it a late welcome to Poquita and a house warming present."

"Thank you very much--" Gillian took both items, smiling as she sniffed the flowers and set them and the basket down on the coffee table.

Alex raised his eyebrow to this mother, clearing his throat.

"Oh! Excuse me--" Ellen put her hand on Alex's arm. "This is my youngest son Alex; he's a teacher at Poquita High."

"A pleasure to meet you Ms. Pershing--" Extending out his hand, Gillian shook it.

"Gillian please and it's a pleasure to meet you as well Alex--" She smiled at the dark haired man, handsome with his lean build and dark eyes. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you--" Ellen sat down on the couch, her son joining her.

"How are things going at the shop?"

"Good, really good. Maybe I offer you both something to drink?" Gillian's gaze bounced between the two people she stood over.

"Oh no thank you we won't be staying long." Ellen shot her son a maternal look, one that forbade argument.

"Yes, we're fine--" Alex shifted a little uncomfortably on the sofa.

"The reason we came here is because there's going to be a dance. The Founder's Day Dance, we have it every year and I wanted to tell you about it personally--" The older woman's blue eyes sparkled. "Would you be interested in going?"

Gillian's eyebrows went up. "A dance?" She opened her mouth and closed it again. "I really don't know Ellen, with Corinne--" She raised her head and glanced down the hall. "We're still getting settled in."

"Yes I know but I think this would be a good chance for you to meet the rest of your neighbors--" Ellen got up from the couch and touched Gillian on the arm. "You still haven't met my other son and there are many other wonderful people here in Poquita you should get to know."

"Ellen, I just--" Gillian started to say, but then Ellen gripped her arm.

"Please Gillian, you won't regret it and it's going to be a lot of fun."

Gillian sighed, seeing the pleading look in Ellen's eyes. "All right I'll go, when is it?"

"This weekend--" Ellen checked her watch. "Goodness the time, we better let you go--"

Alex rose to his feet. "Thank you for your hospitality Gillian. We'll see you this weekend at the dance."

"You're welcome Alex; I look forward to it--" Gillian walked them both to the door.

"You'll have a good time, I promise--" Ellen gave the young woman a wink as she and Alex left.

Closing the door behind them, Gillian leaned with her back against it. Maybe Ellen was right, what was the harm in a simple dance? It would give her a chance to meet the other residents and maybe she would have a good time after all.

"Can you believe she did that?" Alex huffed as he lifted another bag of potting soil and set it down on the top of the pile.

He stopped what he was doing and lifted the bottom of his grey t-shirt up, wiping his brow with it. Despite the setting sun, all the exertion had him sweating in spite of the shorts he wore.

MacGyver chuckled as he lifted another bag and placed it on top of his brother's. "Can't say I surprised Alex--" He too had on jeans shorts but with a blue tank top. "You know Mom is bound and determined to be a grandmother."

"I'm just not in a rush to make her one Mac; I think I got a few wild oats that need sowing--" He widened his stance a little and grabbed another bag.

"Are you going to sow a few with that new Hobby shop owner?" Mac hefted another bag and walked around his brother, starting a new pile. The two men were relocating the massive pile of potting soil closer to the back of the greenhouse.

"Oh I don't know, she's pretty and all, seemed really nice--"

"But? I hear a but coming on--" MacGyver crouched down and accepted another bag from his brother, stacking it on top of the one he placed at his feet.

"Well—She just doesn't seem my type--"

Mac stood up, raising an eyebrow at his brother. "Since when do you have a type? Normally all you look for is a chest and a pulse--"

Alex's mouth tightened, a slightly wounded look appearing on his face. "Thanks for making me seem so shallow Mac! I do look for more than that you know. I like my women a little more outgoing and adventurous; I don't think Gillian is adventurous."

"Oh come on Alex, you don't even know her. How do you know she's not adventurous?" Mac moved the last bag and brushed off his hands. He reached into the back pocket of his shorts and pulled out a bandana, wiping his face with it.

"Well, most women that have children aren't too adventurous; they don't have the time to be--"

"Children?" Mac's eyebrows went up, staring at his younger brother. "Gillian's got kids?"

"No, she's got a kid. A little girl named Corinne. I didn't get to see her because she had just put her to bed. Mom says she's barely over a year--" Alex put his hand on his right shoulder and extended his arm, rotating it a little. "I should make you pay my medical bill for this Mac."

"Hey you volunteer to help me Alex, I don't make you--" Mac wound up his bandana and flicked it at his brother, hitting him in the chest with it. "How about we go in the house for a cold one?"

"Case dismissed--" Alex grinned as he followed his brother around the greenhouse. "I'm sure you'll see Gillian at the Founder's Day dance this weekend."

"All right, all right I'm coming!" Ellen turned the faucet on, rinsing her hands. She dried them on the lilac colored apron she had tied over her pink shirt and hurried around her dark green countertop; picking up the ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Ellen? This is Gillian Pershing. This isn't a bad time is it?"

"Hi Gillian--" She turned around and looked at the stove, seeing that her bacon was simmering nicely. "Oh no, not at all."

"I'm sorry to do this to you, but I was wondering if you could do me a very big favor."

Ellen's brow creased as she leaned back against the counter. "A favor? Of course, what is it?"

"Well, I got a call from the real estate agent that's selling my house for me in Minneapolis. She wants me to come meet with a potential buyer. I don't know how long its going to take and I really don't want to have to drag Corinne with me all that way. Would it be a huge inconvenience for you to watch her for me?"

She shook her head, a grin coming to her face. "Gillian I'd be delighted to. When do you need me to watch her?"

"I could drop her off in about 20 minutes."

"20 minutes?" She looked down at herself, making sure her jeans hadn't gotten grease splattered. "That'd be fine Gill."

"All right, see you soon Ellen."

"Bye--" Ellen hung up the phone, a grin coming to her face. She couldn't wait to spend time with the little girl.

"Good Morning Gillian--" Ellen had a bright smile for her and it grew even broader as she gazed at the little girl standing beside her mother.  "And good morning to you too Corinne."

Corinne looked up at the blond woman and moved closer to her mother, trying to hide behind her denim covered leg.

"Oh it's all right Baby--" Gillian gave her daughter a reassuring pat on the back before focusing her attention on the older woman. She had a pink and white checkered diaper bag in her hands and presented it to her.

"Here's everything she'll need, I put plenty of diapers in there, another outfit and a few snacks. I'm not sure how long this will take--" Gillian pulled a red backpack off her shoulders. "There are some toys in here."

"We'll be fine Gill--" Ellen set the bags aside and crouched down so she was eyelevel with the little girl. "I've got lots of Disney movies and lots of fresh chocolate chip cookies."

"That sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it Baby?" Gillian gazed down at her daughter, seeing her questioning expression. She too crouched down so she was eyelevel with Corinne. "Mama has to go run an errand but I'll be back really soon. You stay here with Miss Ellen and be a good girl, all right?"

Corinne held her arms out to her mother, hugging her around the neck.

"It'll be all right Baby--" She pressed her daughter to the maroon button down shirt as she lifted her up, rubbing her back.

Ellen couldn't help but smile at the sight of the mother and daughter. "Go on Gill, she'll be fine."

Gillian nodded, setting Corinne back down. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She glanced at Ellen, sighing.

"I'll give you a call as soon as I get a time frame."

"All right--" Ellen took Corinne by the hand. They both stood in the doorway watching Gillian climb back into her Pathfinder and drive away.

Ellen's front door opened and MacGyver strolled in, carrying a large leafy plant in his arms.

"Hey Mom, got that rubber plant you--" He stopped before he got into the living room, seeing a little girl in purple overalls and a white turtleneck sitting on the floor playing with blocks. His dark eyes widened a moment and he shifted the plant over to his other arm setting it down on top of the dining table. He approached the long white couch, leaning down over it.

"Hi there--"

Corinne's hazel eyes stared at him and she picked up a red block, stacking it on top of a blue one.

Mac walked around the couch, stepping down into the sunken living room. He looked at the little girl seeing her pretty little face, framed by red curls.

"You're a cutie, mind if I sit down?"

She said nothing, simply blinked at the tall man in jean shorts and a blue t-shirt. He sat down close to her and picked up a block. He set it down on top of the red one and waited for her reaction.

Ellen came from down the hall, stopping when she saw her eldest son on the floor. She stepped back into the hall a little watching him.

The little girl reached out and touched the block Mac had put on top of hers. She raised her face to look at him. "Bock!"

"That's right Sweetheart, it's a block--" Mac couldn't help but smile at her as he picked up a green block and handed it to her. "And here's another one."

"I see you've met Corinne--"

Mac started at the sudden appearance of his mother; his face darkening in a blush. "Oh! Is that who this is?"

"Yes, Gillian asked me to watch her. She had to go into Minneapolis on business--" Ellen sat down in her recliner, crossing her legs.

The pile of blocks Corinne had been stacking up fell over and her little eyes widened as she looked at MacGyver, pointing at the three fallen blocks.

Her innocent, surprised expression made Mac laugh. "They fell down Honey but that's okay. We can fix that--" He stacked three blocks back on top of one another. "See! All fixed."

"So what are you doing here Son?" Ellen picked up the book she was reading, opening it to the page she had last read.

"Hmmm?" Mac turned to look at his mother, seeing her inquisitive expression. "Oh! Your rubber plant came in--"

"Did it? Oh good--" Ellen set her book down and got up; rounding the couch she saw the large plant. "Goodness Mac I didn't expect it to be this big."

"I could exchange it for one of my smaller ones if you want--"

"I think that'd be best--" Ellen shook her head, setting the plant back down. "That's more like a rubber jungle than a plant--" She turned away from the table and went over to the counter. A row of blue glass jar canisters lined the wall and she pulled out the largest one, sliding it close to her.

"Mac! I'm getting the baby some cookies, want some?"

"Yes please! Cookies and milk for two!"

Ellen shook her head as she opened the jar and took a plate from the drain board.

"Let's see what else you got in here--"

Mac picked up Corinne's backpack and peeked inside, pulling out a book. "Cool! A book of fairy tales!" He set the bag aside and looked at the little girl. "Does your Mom read these to you?" He lowered the book to the floor and began turning pages.

"Which one should we read?" Flipping to the index he began reading the titles out loud.

"Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Pinocchio?"

Corinne gazed down at the book, watching the pages go flipping by. The next page Mac turned had a picture of a mouse dressed in Revolutionary style clothes with a tricorn hat, a brown corduroy coat and black shoes with silver buckles.

"Ooo!" Corinne brightened as her little finger touched the mouse.

"That's a mouse; you want me to read this story to you?" Mac asked in a gentle voice, seeing the little girl's bright greenish brown eyes looking at him.

"I'll take that as a yes--" Mac closed the book and tossed it on the couch. He rose to his knees and picked Corinne up, holding her in his arms as he stood up. "We'll move to the couch, we'll be more comfortable there--" Sitting down, MacGyver shifted Corinne to his left hip wrapping one arm around her as both hands gripped the book.

"Okay let's see here--" He found the page the mouse story was on and leaned back against the puffy white cushions.

"Once upon a time, in the city of Brotherly Love--"

Ellen rinsed the last dish and set it in the drain board; she turned off the faucets and shook out her hands sighing. Dabbing her wet fingers against her forehead, she picked up her dishtowel and dried off her hands. The sound of her son reading out loud had been keeping her company as she washed dishes, but now only silence prevailed and she creased her brow wondering why it was so quiet.

"Mac?" She set the dishtowel down and rounded the corner seeing her son's long hair flowing over the back of the couch. "Mac?"

She got no answer still and walked around the side of the couch, a smile came to her face as she saw the reason for the silence.

MacGyver had fallen asleep, the book lying face down on his chest; his head tilted back. Corinne too had dozed off; the little girl was curled up at his side with her head against his shoulder.

"Oh my goodness!" Ellen touched her hand to her mouth; the sight of her son and this child looking so sweet and peaceful made her almost choke up.  "That is so precious--"

She quickly and quietly passed the couch and went down the hall into her bedroom, returning with a camera. Taking aim she snapped a couple of pictures of her sleeping son and the little girl.

A knock stopped her from taking another picture and she set the camera down on the dining table.

Ellen unlocked the front door and peered out it, seeing Gillian's tired face.

"Hi Ellen, everything all right?"

"Oh yes! Everything is just fine." Ellen opened the door all the way and stood back. "How did things go in Minneapolis?"

"All right, I think I've sold my house--" Gillian sighed wearily as she brushed her hair away from her shoulder. "How was Corinne?"

"An angel—and I think she's made a new friend."

"A new friend?" Puzzled, Gillian followed the older woman into the living room, seeing her sleeping daughter snuggled up next to a blond man.

"Awww Baby--" Gillian snickered; she reached down and stroked the little girl's hair. "I take it that this is your other son?" The resemblance to Alex clear, Gillian studied his face noticing how handsome he was with a stronger set jaw and long eyelashes. Her heart beat a little faster and she could feel her face heat up. Hoping Ellen wouldn't see her, Gillian turned her head.

"Well no time like the present to meet him--" Ellen bent down and touched her son's left shoulder giving it a gentle shake. "Mac?"

He started a little lifting his head; seeing the two women staring down at him made Mac's face instantly redden. He could only guess that the woman with his mom was Corinne's mother, seeing her resemblance including her red hair, albeit hers was a deeper shade. He felt the small warm body of Corinne burrowing against him and looked at her briefly.

"Must have dozed off--"

"That's all right Mac, I'd like you to meet Gillian Pershing, Corinne's mom."

Gillian stepped forward, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you Mac--" A gentle smile came to her face as she leaned over, waiting for him to shake her hand.

Getting a better, closer look at her MacGyver felt his mouth go dry. He stared into her large, dark brown eyes and something struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Nice to meet you too--" Mac whispered as he shook her hand unable to look away from those eyes. Finally realizing he was staring; he cleared his throat and looked down at the baby. "I know this must look really strange."

"No, not at all. I've dozed off a few times myself reading to her--" Gillian reached out and picked up the book. "Oh! Corinne loves this story; I read it to her all the time. She likes Amos."

Mac sat up a little, careful not to disturb the baby. "She's a good girl. I had a lot of fun playing with her."

"You played with her?"

"Of course, its no fun to play by yourself--"

Gillian bent over and carefully picked her daughter up, the little girl waking up and rubbing her eyes.

"Aww there she is--" She looked into the little girl's face, kissing her cheek. "Hi Baby, did you have fun?"

Corinne had a dazed expression, her eyes a little droopy as she leaned her head on her mom's shoulder.

Ellen rubbed her back gently. "She had cookies and milk and played blocks with Mac."

"Yeah we did, I think she has a real knack for architecture. Don't you Bright Eyes?" Mac stood up; he reached out and stroked Corinne's hair.

"I really appreciate what you both did for me, taking care of Corinne--" Gillian smiled at both Ellen and Mac. "How much do I owe you for this?"

"Not one dime--" Ellen put her hands up. "It was no trouble at all--"

"But--" Gillian stammered, shifting Corinne a little in her arms. "I can't let you do that Ellen."

"Yes you can, I insist--"

"Here, let me gather up everything--" Mac crouched down and gathered up all the blocks and a few other toys that Corinne had scattered on the carpet. He returned them to the backpack and stood up. "Here you go."

Gillian held out her arm and set the pack on her shoulder. "I can't thank you both enough."

Ellen went to the kitchen and came back with the diaper bag. "I only had to use a couple of the diapers."

"Thank you--" Gillian looked towards her drowsy daughter. "Ready to go home Baby? Say bye bye to Miss Ellen and Mac."

Corinne lifted her head staring at both people. She extended her arm out and made a fist, flexing her little fingers in an unusual wave.

Mac recognized the gesture instantly, beaming. "Bye Corinne."

"Bye Angel, come back anytime and see us." Ellen ran her hand down the little girl's hair.

"We will, I promise--" Gillian set Corinne down and took her little hand in hers. She opened the door and both Ellen and Mac watched mother and daughter head down the driveway.

"An absolute doll--" Mac stated as he watched the silver Pathfinder pull away.

"Which one?" Ellen raised her eyebrow at her son, seeing him instantly blush.

MacGyver cleared his throat and checked his watch. "Whoa look at the time, I've got to go Mom--" He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, practically racing out the door before Ellen could ask him another question.

Gillian felt a large lump beginning to form in her throat as she pulled up to the big white house that sat in the middle of the more modern section of Poquita. The words Penny's Play House were written in multicolored lettering, the script looking like a child had written it.

"Well Baby, this is it--" She shut the engine off and tucked the keys into the pocket of her jeans as she shut the driver's side door.  Opening the passenger one, she unbuckled her daughter from her car seat and picked up her red backpack.

"You're going to school today Baby, remember how we talked about school?" Gillian took a hold of Corinne's hand walked her over to the door, stopping a moment to glance in the big windows seeing other children at play.  

"See doesn't that look like fun?"

Corinne looked in the window, seeing the daycare was divided up into sections, toys all over the place.

"Ooo toys! Mama! Toys!" She pointed, staring up at her mother.

"That's right, let's go take a closer look." Gillian pulled open the door and both of them went inside.

The chiming of the door got the attention of a woman with long dark hair dressed in a white t-shirt bearing the name of the daycare and a pair of jeans. Seeing she had a customer, Penny Parker rose to her feet, smoothing her hands over her hair.  She pushed herself away from her white desk, the sides and front of it covered with bright colorful drawings that the children had made for her.

A large, enchanting smile came to her face as she walked over to Gillian and her daughter.

"Hi, welcome to Penny's Play House! I'm Penny Parker, owner."

Gillian smiled at the young woman and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Miss Parker, I'm Gillian Pershing and this is my daughter Corinne."

Penny crouched down, eyelevel with the little girl in pink pants and a pink flowered turtleneck; her curly hair put back in a short pony tail.

"Hello Corinne, it's nice to meet you--"

Corinne stared at the cheerful owner, moving a little closer to her mother's leg.

"It's all right Sweetheart, Penny is going to be one of your teachers."

She stood back up focusing her attention back to Gillian. "Sandra, my assistant told me about meeting you and discussing the amount of care you want for Corinne--"

"Yes, I'd like to drop her off in the mornings a little before I open the shop and come get her in the early afternoon around one or two--" Gillian looked down at her daughter briefly. "That way she can get exposure to other children and I can run my shop knowing she's in good hands."

"Corinne will be in very good hands Gillian, I assure you--" Penny gave the mother her best confident smile.

"Thank you Penny that does make me feel a little better--" Gillian took a deep breath. "This is very hard for me; I've recently lost my husband and the move out here and getting the shop--"

Penny nodded sympathetically. "I understand your situation; you want this to be as easy as possible for both you and Corinne."

"Yes, I do--" Gillian cleared her throat, wiping her face.

Penny crouched down and knelt before the little girl. "You want to go see the room? There are lots of other children playing there--" She got back up and gently took the little girl's other hand. "Come on Corinne, let's go see--"

Gillian knew what Penny was trying to do and swallowed hard. "Corinne, you be a good girl now for Miss Penny, okay?" She bent over and gave her daughter a quick hug and kissed her cheek.

"I'll be back soon."

Before her tears could be seen, Gillian quickly left the daycare waiting until she got back behind the wheel of her Pathfinder to let them come. She sat there a moment or two and cried before finally starting up the SUV and heading for the shop.

Mac patted the steering wheel of his pickup truck in time with the music coming from the radio as he drove down Highway 60. The back of his yellow and brown pick up was loaded with plants and the new water fountain for City Hall.  The road veered to the right and he gave the wheel a slight turn to compensate. As he came around the bend, he saw a blue and white patrol car hidden in the shadows; a quick glance at his speedometer confirmed he was going a little under 55.

"Sorry boys, I'm not speeding--" He said to himself as he zipped by them.

"Hey! Ain't that MacGyver's truck?"

Wilt Bozer elbowed his sleeping brother Milt, the action rocking the older man a little until he chuffed awake rubbing his eyes.

"Wilt! I told you to let me sleep!"

"I know but ain't that MacGyver's pickup?" He pointed as the little truck disappeared from sight.

"Yeah that's him--" Milt and Wilt both looked at each other.

"Shall we have a little fun Bro?"

"Oh yeah!"

Wilt started up the patrol car and flipped on the sirens, the car burst into life as it took off after MacGyver.

"Was he speeding?" Milt asked as he quickly put on his seatbelt.

"Does it matter?" The rush of adrenaline began coursing through Wilt's veins as he sped up.

"Oh man--" Mac heard the siren and saw the flashing lights. "I wasn't even speeding!"

With a sigh, he pulled his truck over and shut off the engine. Glancing in the rear view mirror, he saw both sides of the patrol car open and a pair of brothers coming towards him.

"Oh great, the Bozer's--"

A rap on the back end with a baton told Mac to come out; a polite grin coming to his face as he closed the driver's side door.

"Evening Milt, Wilt--" He leaned against the side of his truck. "Something I can do for you Deputies?"

The two men in dark tan uniforms, shot glances at each other; Milt stood at the back with his baton in his hand while his younger brother stood in front of Mac, a sour expression on his face.

"You were speeding MacGyver!" Wilt widened his stance; his right hand touched his baton and slowly pulled it out of its holder.

"Uhh no I was going a little under 55."

Without so much as a warning, Wilt let his stick fly bringing the end it into MacGyver's stomach. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him and he gasped, dropping to his knees. Mac tried to catch his breath, but the pain radiated through him and he ended up on all fours.

"I'm the law around here MacGyver and I decide if you were speeding or not!" Wilt bent over to yell at Mac. He raised his head and looked at his brother, the two men laughing.

"That's right! We're the law!" Milt opened the back end and spotted the concrete fountain. He began swinging this baton at it, knocking bits of cement off of it.

"Don't--" Mac managed to gasp out as he saw the grey chunks flying in the air, his midsection hurt so bad he could barely move.

Wilt heard him and stepped back. "What was that Mac? Did you just tell my brother no?" Raising his baton again he slammed it down across MacGyver's back, knocking Mac flat on his stomach.

"That's showing him who's boss Wilt!" Milt climbed into the back of the truck and kicked the battered fountain; it landed on the shoulder of the road and shattered. The deputy laughed as he started tossing plants all over the road; the clay pots breaking. Milt chuckled, enjoying the breaking sounds; he raised his head and spotted a pair of headlights approaching.

"Wilt! Let's go! Another car is coming!" He jumped out of the back of the truck and got back into the patrol car.

Wilt heard his brother and crouched down, raising MacGyver's chin with his black baton. "Let this be a lesson to you boy, my brother and I are the law. The next time we pull you over you best show us some respect!"  He stared a moment into Mac's red face, seeing him nod weakly.

"Good--" A wicked smile came to the younger Bozer's face. "You have yourself a good night and thanks for your cooperation--" He patted Mac's chin with the stick and jerked it out; stepping over the fallen man he quickly climbed into the driver's seat and started it up. The patrol car complete with the two Bozer's head back down the highway.

Gillian saw the fleeing patrol car; her lights shone on the little truck and the broken pots and plants that littered the asphalt. 

"What in the world?" She caught a glimpse of a fallen figure beside it. "Oh my God!"  She quickly pulled up behind it and shut off the engine.

"Corinne Baby, Mom will be right back--" Gillian unbuckled her seat and got out, checking to make sure no on was coming as she ran towards the man, crouching down.

"Hey, you okay?" She recognized the long blond hair and raised her eyes to the truck seeing the words MAC'S NURSERY stenciled in black.

"Mac?" She touched his shoulders, giving them a shake.

"Yeah—I'm okay--" He wheezed as he got up on all fours and sat back on his haunches against the side of the truck. His hand rubbed his stomach area; his face cringing in pain at the soreness of both his stomach and back.

"Why did those guys do that?" Gillian glanced back up the road, making sure they weren't on their way back for more fun.

"The Bozer's aren't too fond of me. I'm not exactly sure why."

"Come on, let's get you up--" Rising to her feet, Gillian bent down and extended her hand.

Mac glanced at it for a moment and slid his big hand into her smaller one. With a pull she got him to his feet and touched his stomach.

"Is this where they got you?"

"And my back--" He looked at the mess that Milt created and his face grew sad. "But I think my load took more of a beating than I did--" Reaching down over the side of his truck, he pulled out a broom and started sweeping up the mess of broken pots and plants and the shattered fountain.

"Here, let me do that—You're in no shape to be cleaning anything up--" Gillian took the broom from him and started sweeping up the mess, in no time at all she had swept everything up into a huge pile. Crouching down she carefully picked up the plants that could be saved.  Mac leaned against the side, simply watching her.

"Here, these are all the plants that didn't get broken. All they need is new pots--" She set them down in the back of the truck and brushed off her hands.

"Thank you--" MacGyver took a deep breath, the action caused him pain and he suppressed a groan.

Gillian saw the pained face he made and walked back around the truck. "I should take you to a doctor, you could have broken ribs."

"No, just need a hot meal and some rest. I'll be fine."

"Well--" She glanced at her Pathfinder a moment. "Why don't you let me make that for you? It's the least I can do for you since you were so kind to my daughter the other day."

The question swirled in Mac's mind for all of two seconds.

"All right, we're probably closer to your place then I am to mine."

"You want to just follow me?" Gillian walked backwards towards her vehicle.

"Sure, that'd be fine--" MacGyver opened the driver's side door and climbed carefully into the truck.

"We were just heading home from the grocery store--" Gillian had Corinne by the hand; the little girl stared up at the tall blond man in the jeans and red t-shirt that stood beside her.

"Hey Baby, remember me?" Mac caressed her cheek, her big hazel eyes watching him.

"She's just shy--" She managed to get the oak door unlocked and pushed it open.

"You want me to get the groceries?" MacGyver hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "It'd be no problem."

"Well—there's just a couple of bags. If you're sure you feel up to it--" Gillian handed her keys to Mac.

"Yeah, it'll be no problem--" He flashed her a quick smile as he headed back down the stairs and went out the side door.

Gillian went inside and did a quick made dash, scooping up a few newspapers that were on the coffee table and dumping them into the trash. She hurried into the kitchen and put what few dirty dishes there were into the dishwasher. Corinne walked into the room, holding a big blond haired rag doll in a pink checkered dress.

"Mama mess?"

"Yes Baby, Mama's making sure there mess is all gone--" Gillian cleared off the small round dining table, stacking all the papers neatly.

"Hello? Got the groceries!" Mac came in the door and Gillian whipped around. "Boy that was fast!" She cleared her throat and smoothed her hair back away from her face.

"Well, I'm quicker at some things than others--" MacGyver walked into the kitchen and set the bags down on the table. "This is a nice place, simple yet cozy."

He noticed the bare hardwood floor in the living room, the beige tile in the kitchen. The kitchen had all the appliances along one wall with a pantry closet right next to it.

"Everything matches all the woods--" He went over to the pantry and ran his hand along the door.

"Yeah it's like that in the bedrooms too, even the bathroom vanity is made of the same wood--" She motioned to the living room. "So naturally I bought that same style of coffee table."

"I like it though, makes this place seem like a home."

Gillian began taking groceries out of the bags and excused herself when she needed to get into the pantry. Mac went over by the table and pulled out some bags of vegetables; he opened the white fridge and bent over, putting them in the drawers.

"So what's on the dinner menu?"

"I was thinking maybe some spaghetti with a nice salad and some garlic bread--" Gillian had one of the bags in her hands, filling the pantry with the little entrées from Gerber that Corinne loved so much and some of the toddler snacks she enjoyed. "It's Corinne's favorite."

"Pisgetti!" Corinne suddenly called out and both adults turned around to look at her.

"That's right, spaghetti Baby--" Folding up her bag, Gillian tucked it in the bottom shelf of the pantry before closing the door. She picked her daughter up and kissed her cheek.

"You love it don't you?"

"I do to Corinne--" Mac straightened back up and winced a little in pain, reaching behind he touched his back.

"Why don't you let me look at that?" Gillian set her daughter down; the little girl stared at the blond man and pointed.

"Owie?"

"Yeah I've got an owie all right Corinne, courtesy of Wilt Bozer--" MacGyver dropped his head a little. "And man does it hurt."

"Here, take off your shirt--" Gillian lifted the back of Mac's t-shirt, only to have him whip around. "No, I'm fine it's okay really."

"You're in pain and I'm not going to just stand here and watch it. You can be embarrassed all you want later--" Gillian touched the end of Mac's t-shirt and pulled it over his head. She saw a purple welt line that went across his stomach and hissed through her teeth.

"Oh man—that looks so painful, turn around--"

His face glowing like a neon sign, MacGyver reluctantly turned around, an ugly purple bruise was starting to form in the middle of his back and Gillian reached out to lightly touch it; her face growing stern.

"This is outrageous! Those two are supposed to be law officers! They've got no right to be treating you like this!" She opened the freezer and got out two cold packs. The next thing she got out was a pair of dishtowels from the drawer and folded each one up, slipping a cold back between the materials.

"Here--" She gentle pressed one to his back and handed him the other one.

"Thanks--" Mac held the folded up dishtowel to his stomach. "Maybe it'd be best if I sit down so you don't have to hold it."

"All right--" Gillian pulled out a chair and Mac sat down; he leaned forward and let her tuck the ice pack between his back and the chair; the mesh holding it in place.

"See? That's much easier--"

"I still don't think its right--" She went back to the pantry and pulled out a package of noodles and a jar of sauce. Opening her fridge she got out a package of hamburger and a tube of sausage.

"I agree with you, but not much that can be done I'm afraid. In the end it'll be their word against mine--" He held the ice pack against his stomach, not wanting to admit the coolness made him feel better.

"That may be true Mac, but this time there was a witness seeing them fleeing the scene of the crime--" Gillian bent over and got out a Dutch oven and skillet out of the oven, setting them both on top of the white stove.

Mac watched her, shaking his head. "I can't let you do that Gillian; I don't want you to be the next one on their target list."

Corinne came back and stood in front of Mac. She had her doll in her hands and held it up to him.

"For me?" MacGyver laughed as he took the blond doll and looked at it. "Well she and I have the same hair color and mine's just as long as hers--" He set it down on his lap. "So what's her name?"

"What's your baby's name Corinne?" Setting the hamburger in the center of the skillet, Gillian began stirring it around.

"Bebe!" Corinne said with a smile as she touched her doll. "Bebe."

"Bebe?" Mac asked raising his head to confer with mom.

"Phoebe--" Gillian corrected over her shoulder. "She just can't make the ph sound all that great yet."

"Oh! Phoebe--"

The doll had big blue eyes and a small sweet smile.

"She's a very pretty doll Corinne, but not as pretty as you are," he gave the little girl a smile as he handed her back Phoebe.

Corinne took the doll back and kept her place between Mac's legs simply staring at him as if he was from outer space.

"I'm sorry if she seems fascinated by you, it's just that she hasn't had a lot of contact with men since—well since her father--" Leaning over, Gillian lowered the fire on the hamburger and rinsed her hands. "Now that dinner is started, want the tour?"

"Sure--" Mac set the ice pack on the table and reached behind him for the other one. He slipped his t-shirt back on and stood up.

"Well, you've seen the living room--" Walking down the hall past it, Gillian opened the first door on the right, showing a small bathroom, just as she had said the vanity matched the other wood in the house but everything else done in white.

"Right beside it is a guest room, but that's empty for now because I haven't bought a bed for it. Across the hall we have Corinne's room--" Opening the door, Mac poked his head in and saw the small bed and the toys scatted all over the floor. The curtains and the bed clothes were in a soft pink color.

"I need to get a big area rug so its not so cold for Corinne to play on."

"Yeah, you'll need it for insulation too--"

The threesome walked to the end of the hall to a loft area that had about a dozen boxes piled up on it. "This is sort of like a game room, I'm not sure yet what to do with it." Off to the side of the room was a white wrought iron staircase and Gillian got a good hold of her daughter's hand as they started down it.

"And at last but not least we have the master bedroom with walk in closet and the second bathroom."

The floor had white tile on it and a king size bed with four posts, made of cherry wood, sat against the center of the one wall. A matching nightstand and dresser were on either side of it.

"Wow, nice bedroom set--" MacGyver ran his hand along the posts, admiring the craftsmanship. The bathroom door was cracked open and he saw the bathroom looked like the other one, also done in white; beside it was the walk in closet.

"Yeah thanks, it's a very old set that had been in my husband's family for a long time--" She sat on the beige comforter, the bed so high up off the ground Gillian's legs dangled.

"Mama--" Corinne held her arms out and Gillian bent down and picked her up, setting her on the fluffy bed beside her.

"A nice room, it really is--" Mac walked around, his thumbs hooked in his belt loops. He saw a photo of a man sitting on top of the nightstand and cleared his throat.

"Is that--?" He stopped before he could finish the sentence, not wanting to see nosy.

Gillian glanced over her shoulder, seeing the photo. "Yeah, that's Michael."

Mac picked it up, holding the dark wooden frame in his hands. He looked down at the black haired man with green eyes and a friendly smile.

"He seemed like a nice guy."

"He was--"

"Papa!" Corinne saw the photo in MacGyver's hands and pointed to it, looking back at her mother. "Papa!"

"Yeah Baby, that's Papa--" Gillian put her arm around Corinne and kissed her cheek.

"I don't mean to pry but my mother said you were widowed--"

"You're not prying Mac," She licked her lips and ran her hand across her mouth. "Michael died 8 months ago. He was complaining of bad headaches and went to the doctor one day and found out he had a brain tumor. Too deep to operate, too big for chemo to do much good; he battled it for six months before it finally got him. Corinne was only four months old when they found it; if it hadn't been for her he probably would have died a lot sooner but he held out for her sake--" Gillian sighed, casually wiping her face.

"I told myself that the first chance Corinne and I got we were going to leave Minneapolis and make a home for ourselves someplace else."

Mac nodded, glancing down at the photo again before replacing it. "You're brave Gill. A lot of people wouldn't have had the courage to leave," he gazed at her, finding new admiration for her.

"Thanks. It would have been easy for me to go running home to LA where my parents live but I just couldn't do it. I had to find my place in this life on my own, not expect my parents to do it for me--" She jumped down from the bed and held her arms out, helping Corinne down.

"Well we better go check on dinner," Gillian picked up her daughter and headed back up the stairs.

"You know what you need in this place?" Mac twirled his fork in his spaghetti; he leaned over and had a bite of it, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Some style? A professional decorator?" Gillian picked up the wicker basket from the middle of table and pulled off a hunk of French bread. "Gasoline and a match?"

That last one made Mac choke on his spaghetti, he coughed hard as he grabbed his napkin and put it to his mouth.

"I was going to say shelves--" He hacked one more time and picked up his glass of ice tea, having a sip of it. "It'd be easy to make shelves."

"Shelves? Where?" Gillian glanced over her shoulder into the living room. "For in there?"

"Sure, and your room, maybe a few for Corinne's toys or maybe I can just make her a wooden toy box."

Corinne sat across the table from Mac, her face covered in tomato sauce as was the raggedy blue shirt her mother had changed her into.

"Boy are you a mess!" Mac chuckled as he shook his head. "Good thing you changed her out of that pretty little blue sweater."

"It was gift from Grandma; she'd never forgive me if I let it get ruined by tomato sauce--" Gillian saw her gunk covered daughter and sighed. "I just might have to take you outside and get the hose."

"Pisghetti Mama!" Corinne stuck her hand in the yellow bowl and got another handful, sticking it in her mouth.

"And she's really enjoying it."

"Always does--" Having another bite of the spaghetti, Gillian wiped her mouth with her napkin. "What about you Mac? I told you about Michael, is there anyone in your life now?"

She saw a flash of pain in the eyes that met hers and cleared her throat. "I mean—I'm sorry to be nosy, you don't have to answer that."

"No, its all right. It's only fair after all I asked you about Michael--" Mac wiped his mouth as he leaned back in his chair.

"I was engaged once, to one of the teachers that worked with my brother. Her name was Kate, Kate Bellows," he paused for a moment and drank a bit of his tea.

"So what happened?" Gillian watched him, the pain so clear on his face.

"She and I were together for awhile and one day I finally caved in and asked her to marry me. Little did I know she had been having an affair with a doctor from the next town over. She told me she had to keep going into Lancaster for school supplies and teacher conventions--" He scoffed, shaking his head.

"I trusted her and three weeks after I proposed to her she told me she was pregnant and that the baby wasn't mine."

"Oh God--" Gillian's eyes shut briefly and she reached out, touching his hand. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah—so was I--" He gripped her hand gently. "So, she gave me back the ring and moved to Lancaster and her and Dr. Moses Campion, MD are the parents of a bouncing baby boy named Robert that should now be almost four months old."

"Must have been very painful," She pushed her plate away, their hands still curled around each other.

"It has been yeah, I haven't had an interest in another woman since Kate left. I have the nursery and my family, and my cabin that still needs a lot of work. It was going to be where Kate and I raised a family."

"Maybe one day you will have a family there."

"I know that'd make my mom happy--" Mac chuckled as he too pushed his plate away from him. "She's been hounding me and Alex to make her a grandma for years."

"I think that's built into all mothers, must be part of their genes."

They both chuckled for a moment, the laughter returning the room to its former lighthearted mood.

"Dinner was excellent Gillian, I really enjoyed being here tonight with you and the Dinky Doll here--" Mac looked at Corinne; the little girl had another handful of spaghetti and was offering it to him.

"No I got my own Sweetheart, you go ahead--"

She opened her hand and dropped the spaghetti onto her booster seat tray, swirling her little hands in the sauce.

"I think she's done," Getting up from the table, Gillian left and returned with a green container of baby wipes. "It's going to take the whole box to get her clean."

"Here let me help--" Mac plucked a couple from the box and taking one of her little hands in his, he began wiping off the sauce.

Gillian finished her one hand and began cleaning her face, much to her daughter's displeasure. "I'm sorry Baby but you're a mess," she groaned when she saw piece of the noodles and meat amongst the light red curls. "Oh she's even got it in her hair."

"She's a woman that's really into good food," MacGyver cleaned off her hand and was wiping bits of sauce and noodles from her shirt. "I think it might be easier to just hose her down in the backyard."

"Or just stick her in the tub," Pulling Corinne's shirt over her head, Gillian held it by two fingers as if it were diseased. "I'm not sure if I should wash it or burn it. I'll be right back; I'm going to run her a bath."

Leaving the kitchen, Gillian headed down the hall and into the bathroom. Moments later, the sound of running water could be heard.

"Mac? Can you do me a favor and bring Corinne?"

"Yeah!" Mac bent over and gripped the yellow tray by both sides and slid it off. He put it on top of the counter near the sink so Gillian could clean it off.  Corinne had been changed from her sweater and jeans into the old blue shirt and equally holey blue sweats.

"Okay let's unbuckle you here--" He crouched down and unbuckled her, straightening up he looked down at the little girl. "Do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you?"

Her big hazel eyes stared up at the blond man as Corinne pondered his question. After a few seconds she raised her little arms out to him, indicating she wanted him to carry her.

The sweetness of this wasn't lost on Mac and he felt his heart melt. Reaching down he lifted the little girl into his arms.

"You sure about this?" He asked, his big hand covering her back.

She said nothing, simply looked at him and there seemed to be trust in her little face.

"Okay, let's go get you cleaned up--" MacGyver carried her down the hall and into the bathroom.

"Hey! Hey! I'm made of sugar you know!" Mac turned his face away as Corinne hit him with yet another splash turning his red t-shirt a dark color in places. He sat on the toilet, watching the soaking wet little girl sitting in a blue bath seat giggle and splash both her mom and him.

Gillian snickered as she picked up a towel and dabbed her face. Water spots covered the front of her dark blue button down shirt. "Sometimes I think I get more of the bath than she does--"

"Yeah I can see why," MacGyver wiped a bit of water from his face and wiped it on his jeans.

Corinne yawned, rubbing her eyes with both hands. She looked at the two people with bleary eyes, her jaw beginning to tremble.

"I think she's had enough--" Gillian stood up and got a towel out of the closet. "Here, can you hold this and cover her when I get her out?"

"Sure--" Standing up, Mac opened her towel and held it up with both hands.

"Come on Baby, you look tired--" Lifting her out of the seat, Gillian made sure to keep a good grip on the slippery wet child as she handed her to Mac; he wrapped the towel around her, lifting her in his arms.

"Bath time always wears her out."

"Especially when she gets to splash company."

They crossed the hall into her room and Gillian got a clean diaper and her pink blanket sleepers. Mac laid the little girl down on the bed, seeing her droopy eyes.

"Wow she really did wear herself out."

Drying her off and slipping her into both her diaper and her pajamas, Gillian zipped them up and sat her daughter up. "Can you get her brush? It's on top of the dresser in her closet."

Mac pulled back the closet doors and got a pink brush off the wooden dresser. "Here you go."

"Thank you, won't do much good but if I don't comb her curls they'll be hopelessly tangled in the morning," she ran the brush through Corinne's hair, the wet curls straightening out a moment before snapping back into place.  The little girl's head kept bowing but she'd blink her eyes and snap her head back up.

"Poor thing, she's exhausted--"

"Yeah I know," Gillian handed the brush back to Mac and lifted her daughter up; Corinne dropped her head on her mom's shoulder. "Ummm--" She turned around casting a look over her shoulder at Mac. "I can't bend down her to peel back her bed, could you?"

"Sure--" MacGyver gripped the comforter and sheet, pulling it back. He gave her pillow a quick fluffing and stepped back.

"Thank you--" Gillian whispered, pointing to her daughter. Corinne's eyes were closed, her breathing deep and even. She carefully bent over and laid her daughter down on the bed, pulling the covers up to her chest. Mac spotted Phoebe on the floor and picked her up, laying the doll beside the little girl.

"There ya go, here's Phoebe--" He whispered, giving her hair a stroke.

"Night Baby," Bending down, Gillian planted a kiss on her forehead.

The two adults quietly left the room, before exiting it totally Gillian crouched down and turned on a purple unicorn nightlight before quietly closing the door.

"Thank you for the help, sometimes its really nice to have another person around to lend a hand--" Gillian looked at the mess on her table and began gathering up the dishes.

"It was no problem at all, I had a lot of fun with Corinne--" Mac decided to help, picking up the two glasses and the basket of bread. "Must be tough doing everything on your own."

"It is, but the rewards make it worth it. The last thing I thought when I had Corinne was that I'd be raising her alone. I try and make Michael a big part of her life but I can only do so much to keep the candle of his memory burning."

Gillian stacked the plates in the sink. "I'll do them later, that's what the dish washer is for."

"Yeah I just put one in myself--" Mac sat down at the table.

"Would you care for some dessert? I've got chocolate cake."

"Chocolate?" A pair of dark eyes perked up. "I never refuse chocolate!"

"Me either," The fridge door was pulled back and Gillian pulled out a half eaten chocolate cake covered in plastic wrap.

Mac studied it and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, your comfort food?"

She turned around and looked at him, her dark eyes wide. "Yeah, how did you know?"

Her guest gave her a small knowing smile. "It's mine too."

Two more slices were cut from the cake and Gill passed a small plate to Mac. "Here you go, after the evening you've had I say you need it."

"Thank you," picking up the fork he dove into it.

"But I still say you need to tell Sheriff Thornton about what the Bozer's did."

"I was supposed to install that fountain at City Hall tomorrow; the Mayor's going to have a fit when I tell him it'll take two more weeks to order a replacement."

"All the more reason to tell what happened Mac--" Gillian reached out and took his hand in hers again. "You could have been hurt badly and what if I hadn't come along when I did?"

Taking a moment to reflect, MacGyver studied the small hand entwining with his. In his mind he knew Gillian was right, the Bozer's were nothing more than glorified bullies and had to be stopped.

"All right, I'll tell Pete what they did and that you witnessed it."

"Good, you made the right choice," she gave his hand another squeeze before releasing it.

"You know, the dance is this weekend," Mac steeled himself, feeling like a heavy man skating on thin ice. "I thought that maybe if you were going, we could go together."

Gillian's eyebrows raised in astonishment. "You—you want to take me to the dance?"

"Sure, I mean—we're friends, nothing wrong with two friends going, right?" He was waiting for the sound of cracking ice to start, signaling his impending doom.

"No, there's nothing wrong with two friends going--" She gave him a small smile. "Sure, I'd love to."

"You would?" He brightened instantly, grinning. "Great! I can pick you and Corinne up at say—seven?"

"Seven sounds good--"

Mac caught a glimpse of his watch, not realizing the time. "Whoa! I had no idea it was so late."

He finished his cake and rose to his feet. "I really have to go."

"No I understand, let me walk you out," Gillian got up from her chair and walked him through the living room to the door.

"Thanks again for a good time Gill, this is the most fun I've had in awhile."

"Yeah, me too."

They both stood by the door, the moment suddenly feeling awkward and tense.

Gillian grasped the door knob and opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow night at seven."

Mac started to leave, taking one step out into the hall.

"Mac?"

He turned back, looking at Gillian. "Yeah?"

She moved towards him and put both hands on his shoulders, bringing his head down for a kiss on the cheek. "Talking about Michael hasn't been easy, but you made it so for me tonight. It's my way of saying thanks."

MacGyver nodded. "You're welcome; I'll be here at seven. Good night."

"Night," She closed the door behind him and leaned against it; a smile coming to her face as she wondered what she was going to wear to the dance.

The bright light of morning shining in through the bedroom window hit Mac right in the face; groaning he pulled his dark blue comforter high over his head as he turned over. He landed on the bruise across his stomach and the pain made him open his eyes. Sitting up slowly he peeled the blanket back and got up, stumbling his way to his dresser with mirror.

And there it was, a deep purple bar in the middle of his stomach, turning and glancing over his shoulder he saw the even uglier bruise on his back and sighed.

Turning away from the mirror, he took his white cordless phone from the charger and sat back down on the bed, his legs dangling over the side. Dialing Pete's home number, he held the phone to his ear and waited for an answer.

"Hey Pete, Mac, listen I need to talk to you, how does pancakes and sausage sound?" He yawned, rubbing his hand down his face.

"All right, see you in about 20 minutes? Okay, bye." Turning the phone off, Mac got up from his bed and went into his bathroom to get cleaned up.

The wafting smell of pancakes and sausage greeted Pete when he stood at the side door of the cabin peering into the screen. Dressed in his tan uniform, complete with matching jacket and hat and a black gun belt; he took off his hat and smiled at the white t-shirt covered back of his friend standing at the stove.

"Morning Mac."

"Hey Pete, come on in--" Mac turned away from the stove and rinsed his hands. He picked up a dishtowel and dried them.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" Pete set his hat down on the counter top and pulled out a stool.

Mac cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll give you two guesses," setting the dishtowel aside, he lifted the end of his shirt up, displaying one bruise and then did an about face to show the Sheriff the other.

Pete saw them and sighed, his eyes sliding closed. "My Deputies of Disaster right?"

"Right, and this time there's a witness. The new hobby shop owner saw them driving off at high speed after they destroyed the new fountain for the front of City Hall and broke a dozen of my clay pots. Luckily the plants were able to be saved but the pots and the fountain got scattered all over Highway 60."

"Mac, I'm sorry. Whatever damage they did, I'll pay for it--" Pete looked apologetically at his friend.

"You shouldn't have to pay for it Pete. They're bullies with badges and it's not right," he turned back towards the stove and flipped everything over.

"I know that but they're my cousins, and every time they do something it seems to evaporate before I can do anything about it."

"Well not this time, I have to call Murdoc and let him know what happened to his fountain and I'm going to tell him the truth."

The Sheriff got up from his stool and walked around the counter. "I understand, out of everyone that lives in Poquita, they always seem to give you the hardest time and for the life of me I can't figure out why."

Pete got two clean plates out of the drain board and set them down beside the stove.

"This new hobby shop owner? That's that redhead right? Pershing I think her name is?"

"Right," Mac scooped four pancakes out of the skillet and set two on each plate along with a few sausage links.  He picked up his silver bowl on the stove and dribbled four more pancakes into the hot skillet, the batter sizzling.

"Since there's a witness, and Mayor Murdoc is going to burn up the phone line to my office when he finds out what happened to his fountain. I should be able to transfer them, maybe to Minneapolis--" Pete sat back down on the stool. "Send the bill for the fountain and the pots, I'll take it out of there pay."

"Oh that ought to make me even more popular with those two--" Adding the other two pancakes to the plates, Mac shut off the fire and turned around, setting a plate down on the counter in front of Pete.

He got a couple forks out of the silverware drawer and passed one to him.

"Thanks Mac."

"You going to the dance tonight or are you on duty?" The chef leaned against the count and cut into his pancakes, taking a bite.

"Yeah, me and Samantha are going. This is the Historical Society's biggest dance ever and naturally the President of the society has to be there."

"Naturally," Mac set his plate down and got out a couple of glasses. "Milk?"

"Please--" Pete pulled a napkin from the little wooden napkin holder beside him and wiped his mouth. "What about you?" He watched his friend get a gallon of milk out and pour two glasses.

"Yeah I'm going."

"Alone?"

"Actually, no. I'm going with a friend," he returned the milk to the fridge and handed Pete one of the glasses.

"Really? Your mom set you up with a friend?"

Mac wrinkles his nose. "Uhh—no. I'm perfectly capable of finding my own date to the dance."

"Date? You have a date?" Pete sputtered on his milk, coughing a little as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, staring at his friend with wide blue eyes.

"So what's the big deal? MacGyver's going to the dance, film at 11."

"No, you said you had a date, big difference."

Rolling his eyes, Mac shook his head and sighed; sorry he had even answered the question to start with. "Gill and I are just going as friends."

"Gill? As in the owner of the new hobby shop?" Pete smiled, digging into his breakfast once again. "I bet how that came about is an interesting story."

"Don't you have bad guys you could be busting somewhere?" Mac raised his glass of milk and had a sip, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

The comment only made Pete chuckle. "I'll be sure and introduce myself to Poquita's newest business woman tonight."

Mac pulled his Nomad up to the back of the building and went in through the side door. He climbed up the steps and knocked on door, folding his hands in front of him.

"Just a minute!"

Finally the door opened and there stood Gillian.

"Hi Mac."

The sight of her made his greeting to her get stuck in his throat. Gillian wore a medium length shining dress, the color a deep red; around her shoulder was a satin wrap in the same dark color. Her hair had been put up except for a few stray hairs that had been curled around her face.

"Hi Gillian, you look really pretty."

"Thank you--" She felt her face warm and she got a good look at what he had on. Black dress pants, a new silk shirt of a deep blue color and his leather jacket. His long hair hung to his shoulders and he left it loose, the light from the living room made it shine like spun gold.

"I must say that you look great too."

"Thanks, I can look nice if I try."

Gillian turned towards the hallway, adjusting her wrap. "Corinne! Baby its time to go to the dance!"

"Mama!" The little girl came out of the room and ran towards her mother. She had on a lilac flowered dress with a matching half sweater. Her curly hair had been put in a little bun on top of her hair and she wore black patent leather shoes on her feet that clacked on the wooden floor. She grabbed onto her mother's legs, looking up into her face.

"Ready go to Baby? Look who's here!"

Corinne turned her head to look at Mac and pointed at him. "Ooo!"

Her mother couldn't help but laugh as she bent down and picked her up. "Yeah that's what I said too Baby."

Mac seemed to brighten when he saw the little girl and touched her hand. "You look adorable Corinne, and I'm going to be the envy of every man in Poquita coming to the dance."

"You will? Why?" Gillian looked at him curiously, seeing his smile.

"I'm going with two very beautiful women."

"Oh--" She felt her face blush yet again.

"Shall we?" He turned to the side and offered his arm.

"Of course," Gillian picked up her matching purse by the door and took her keys out from it.

The fanciest hotel in Poquita was a century old building called The Poquita Regency Inn.  The only high rise in town, it stood in the middle of it; its green glass look giving it the appearance of a giant mirror.

"Wow! Fancy!" Gillian peered out of the windshield at it.

"Well, for Poquita it is, it's only got six stories, so it's just a smidge taller than most of the businesses around here so therefore its consider a high rise," Mac parked into the parking lot across the street from it, the lot half-full already and the festivities had just barely begun.

"So how exactly does the fundraiser part of this work?"

Mac found a close parking place and got out. "Well, we have to buy tickets to get in and there's a silent auction in one of the other rooms, things that were donated to the Historical Society or from some of the local business owners. There's also a dinner that you can buy tickets to," MacGyver walked around the front of the car and opened Gillian's door. He stretched out his hand and she graciously took it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome--" He opened the passenger side door and unbuckled Corinne from her transplanted car seat, taking the little girl's hand in his as he set her down.

"Here let me have your hand Corinne," Gillian reached down and the little girl took a hold of her mom's fingers. "We're going to have to cross the street so you hold on good and tight okay?"

The threesome crossed the busy street when all was clear; they approached the glass doors and were greeted by a doorman in red, he tipped his cap and both Gillian and her daughter.

"Evening, welcome to the Regency Inn--" He opened the doors and gave a nod to Mac. "Evening MacGyver."

"Hey Tim, how's the wife?"

"She's good, thanks--" He closed the door behind them. "The fun starts in the Banquet Room."

"Thanks Tim--" MacGyver led the way through the lobby, with its dark wood paneling and track lighting. The walls on both side of the hallway off to the side had paintings down by local artists.

"Gillian, look at this--" Mac led her over to a painting of a snowy landscape and lone cabin with smoke from the chimney.

"Beautiful, who did it?"

He urged her to lean closer to one corner of it and to the initials EM on the bottom.

"EM? As in your mom?"

"The very same, she did it a long time ago--" He smiled at her, a look of pride on his face.

"Amazing—there's even icicles hanging from the roof!" Gillian bent down and picked up Corinne. "See Baby?" She pointed them out. "She's very talented."

"Yeah she is,"

They continued their trip down the hall to a pair of French doors, a sign that proclaimed BANQUET ROOM hung above it. Through the glass they saw the crowd gathered and the rows of brightly lit tables.

"Well here we are--" MacGyver let go of Corinne's hand and opened the doors, the soft sound of music wafting out.

Alex crossed the room, three glasses of punch in his hand; the history teacher wore a sharp, black tuxedo with a black cummerbund and bow tie. He stopped at a table on the far side of the room and handed a glass of punch to his date; a blond haired woman named Molly, the young woman in a black dress, and the other to his mother; the older woman in deep purple.

"Thank you Sweetheart," she scanned the crowd, looking around for her eldest son.

"I'm sure he'll be here Mom, you know Mac," Alex grabbed his white chair and was about to pull it out when he just happened to glance over by the door.

"Whoa!"

"What?" Ellen saw his face and turned around; glancing over her shoulder in the direction Alex was looking. She saw her son holding the hand of Corinne, while her mother hung on his other arm.

"Well would you look at that?" A smile came to her face; seeing how nicely her eldest son had dressed.

"I bet that's an interesting story," Alex finally sat back down, still staring at his brother.

"I'm going to invite them to join us--" Rising to her feet, Ellen waved to her son and went over to them; seeing Mac's sudden red face at her approach.

"Hi Mom," he gave her a sheepish grin. "You look beautiful," he said as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you so do you," Ellen bent over and looked at Corinne. "Hi Angel, don't you look pretty! And so does your mom." She raised her eyes to look at Gillian, who smiled at the compliments.

"Thank you Ellen, I think your dress is lovely."

"Well, sewing has always been one of the few talents I do have--" She turned sideways to look at the table.

"Would you care to join us?"

"Gillian?" Mac gazed at her, waiting for her answer.

"Sure, I'd like that."

"Then follow me--" Ellen led the threesome to the far table where Alex rose to his feet and held out his hand. "Gillian, a pleasure to see you again."

"Same here Alex," she shook his hand and put her hand on Corinne's shoulder. "This is Corinne, when you and Ellen came over that one night she was already in bed."

Alex looked down at the little girl and smiled. "Hello Doll, nice to meet you too."

Corinne peered up at him and then looked at Mac, as if realizing the two of them were brothers.

"I'd like for you both to meet Molly Givens, she's a teacher at Poquita High. Molly this is my brother Mac and Gillian Pershing and her daughter Corinne, the two newest residents and proprietor of the new hobby shop."

Molly rose to her feet and held out her hand to both people. "I'm happy to meet all of you."

Now that introductions were complete, everyone sat down.

Gillian lifted Corinne on her lap, crossing her legs. "What grade do you teach Molly?"

She smoothed her shoulder length straight hair away from her face. "English Literature for grades 9-12."

"I always loved that in school, Shakespeare especially."

"Oh me too, Hamlet is one of my favorites--" Molly gave a bright grin that Gillian returned.

"I'm going to get some punch," Mac rose to his feet. "Would you care for some Gillian?"

"Yes please Mac--"

"I'll see if I can find a high chair for Corinne while I'm up--" He looked at everyone around the table. "If you'll excuse me."

"I'll lend you a hand Mac," Alex stood up and the two men walked away.

"All right Mac, I'd like to know how you ended up escorting Gillian to this dance."

"A long story Alex."

The dark haired man scowled. "Would it happen to involve the Bozer's by any chance?"

MacGyver stopped in mid stride as he peered at his younger brother. "How do you know about that?"

Alex glanced around, making sure they were out of earshot of anyone. "It's all over town Mac, the Bozer's got transferred to Minneapolis today."

"Oh terrific--" Mac ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Mom doesn't know does she?"

"I didn't tell her, hopefully no one else has--" He gazed at his brother, his concern clear. "Is it true Mac? Did they beat you with their batons?"

He didn't answer right away, which only made Alex's face darken in anger. "They did didn't they?"

"Wilt did, he hit me in the back and stomach. Nice enough to give me matching bruises, I guess." MacGyver swallowed hard. "Don't tell Mom all right? I don't want to upset her."

"They trashed the Mayor's new fountain and broke a lot of your pots too right?"

"Yeah Milt did that, but Pete paid for it and even extra for overnight shipping on the fountain to satisfy Murdoc."

Shaking his head, Alex sighed heavily. "I won't tell Mom, but that doesn't mean she won't find out from another source."

"Hopefully she won't believe it--" He looked over his shoulder at the table at Gillian. "Gillian is who stopped me from getting it worse from the Bozer's. She just happened to be driving down Highway 60 and her sudden appearance spooked them into leaving. She cleaned up the mess they made and took care of me, even cooked me dinner."

"She's nice--" Alex watched his brother's reaction, seeing something shine in his dark eyes. A sudden realization came to him and his own eyes widened. "Whoa! You like her don't you?"

"What? Well no! I mean yeah! She's--" Mac's face burned in a blush and he looked away from his brother.

"Mac—Bro I think it's great that you've taken an interest in her!" He beamed the smile more than joyous it seemed almost in relief.

"Interest—yeah I guess but I'm not sure if she has taken one in me. She's a widow Lex and a mom, I don't want to pressure her into anything, you know?"

"I understand and it's considerate of you to think that of not only her but Corinne too--" Alex put his hand on Mac's shoulder. "Just go with the flow and see what happens, that's the best thing to do."

The table had just finished their dinner when a stout man dressed in a tuxedo and a dark haired woman dressed in dark green at his side approached them.

"Excuse us?"

Mac saw his friend and rose to his feet. "Pete, you look weird out of uniform," he smiled at Samantha and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations Sam, I'd say tonight was a big success."

"Thank you Mac, I'm glad you could make it," she greeted Ellen, Alex and Molly before she looked at Gillian and held out her hand.

"I'm Samantha Thornton, President of the Historical Society."

Gillian quickly stood and grasped her hand. "Gillian Pershing, an honor to meet you Mrs. Thornton."

"Thank you, call me Sam please. Have you met my husband, the sheriff?"

"No," She held out her hand. "Sheriff?"

Pete took her small hand in his. "Nice to meet you at last Ms. Pershing, welcome to Poquita--" He looked at the little girl and smiled. "And who is this young lady?"

"This is Corinne, my daughter--" Gillian took a hold of the little girl's hand; she sat in a high chair beside Ellen.

"She's beautiful, reminds me of our granddaughter Christina with all those curls."

Mac picked up his punch glass and had a sip. "How is Michael and Sharon?"

"Oh they're good, enjoying the sunshine out in California," Sam saw someone and patted Pete's arm. "If you'll excuse us, it was wonderful seeing all of you, enjoy the rest of the dance."

The couple walked away and Alex stood up. "Molly, would you care to dance?"

"Yes Alex I'd love to--" She raised her hand and he took it, the two of them leaving the table.

MacGyver felt a pair of eyes on him; the look came from his mother who raised an eyebrow; telling him in that silent way what the polite thing to do was.  He tilted his head to one side and made a face; he didn't need to be told he knew what to do but was taking his sweet time.  Mac took off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of his chair.

"Gill, would you like to dance?"

"Sure— Ellen would you mind watching Corinne?" Gillian took off her shawl, revealing her bare shoulders, and stood up.

"No of course not, you two go ahead," she gave her son an approving smile as he gently took Gillian's hand and the two of them headed for the dance floor.

The soft music started and Mac put his hand on Gillian's waist while the other took her left hand in his.

"I haven't done this in a really long time--" Gillian felt butterflies in her stomach as she gently touched MacGyver's shoulder.

"Me either--" He swallowed hard, staring into her face. The mirrored ball above with his light speckles, seemed to give her skin a sheen to it that made his heart pound within his chest.

They started to sway to the music gently, the both of them remembering the dance moves to their mutual surprise.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah, I am," she smiled, "a real good time. I think the company has something to do with it."

That brought a grin to Mac as he gave her hand a squeeze. "I'd have to agree with that."

Gillian peered into his face; the way his dark eyes shone and the feel of his hands touching her sent a wave of feeling through her. Without even thinking about it, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his in a gentle kiss.

Mac stiffened, momentarily taken by surprise. He closed his eyes and returned it; a tidal wave of euphoria pouring through him so fast he grew lightheaded. The kiss ended and he opened his eyes, seeing his date's astonished face.

"I'm sorry--"

"For what?" The kiss had been sweet, sweet as honey; he could still taste it on his lips. Sensing Gillian's sudden discomfort, he tried to blow it off. "It was just a friendly peck between friends, right?"

"Yeah—right," She lied to herself; it had been more than that and this realization both overwhelmed and frightened her at the same time.

"Excuse me?" The mood suddenly broken, they both turned to see a dark haired man in a tuxedo with a grinning Penny Parker, in electric blue sequins, holding onto his arm.

"Good Evening Mayor--" MacGyver let go of Gillian's hand, the two couples facing one another.

"Good Evening MacGyver, and who is this beautiful young woman?" Murdoc's dark eyes looked over her, a wicked smile coming to his lips.

"Gillian Pershing, this is the mayor of Poquita, Alexander Murdoc--"

Gillian held out her hand, only to have Murdoc grasp it gently and give it a kiss. "Enchanting to meet you Ms. Pershing."

"It's an honor Mayor," she looked at Penny and smiled. "Penny, you're dress is lovely."

"Thank you, I made it myself--" She giggled before glancing at Mac. "And how has business been MacGyver?"

"Good, thanks Penny, the daycare?" Mac tucked one hand into his pocket as he smiled at the bubbling young woman.

"Well, full as usual, one of my parents is right here--" Penny reached out and touched Gillian's arm. "Corinne is such a sweet little girl."

Murdoc gave an interesting nod. "Speaking of the nursery MacGyver, my replacement fountain?" His eyebrows rose inquisitively.

"It'll be here sometime tomorrow; I can install it first thing Monday morning,"

"Good," He gave another wide grin. "Well it was a pleasure to finally meet you Ms. Pershing. If there's anything I can do to help you please let me know," he turned to Penny and took her arm. "Come Penny Darling, we must make the rounds."

"I'll do that Mayor, bye Penny."

"Bye!" Penny waved over her shoulder as she and Murdoc walked away.

Corinne seemed content enough sitting with Ellen, Alex and Molly; giving Mac and Gillian the chance to spend some time alone. They wandered into the next room, the one that contained the silent auction. A wide variety of prizes adorned each round table, beneath it a pad for bids to be placed.  Among the prizes present, a large old fashioned cedar chest, and a few other piece of furniture.

"Whoa! Nice!" Mac dropped immediately down and ran his hands over the long rectangle shaped chest.

"This would make a perfect toy chest for Corinne."

Gillian looked over it and wrinkled her nose. The chest had a lot of damage; the top of it had deep cracks and it had been stained a nasty dark reddish color.

"Uhh I don't know Mac that thing looks pretty beat up."

"Nah, it'd be easy to clean up--" He straightened up and picked up the small pad, seeing the bid on it was 10 dollars. "That's nothing for a great piece like this!" He picked up the pen and scribbled a bid, setting the pen and paper back on top of it.

"You don't have to do this for Corinne you know I could buy her a plastic toy chest."

Mac's face grew serious. "But I want too--" He tightened his lips. "I want to do this for her and for you."

Creasing her brow Gillian shook her head, confused. "But why Mac, you hardly know us."

He closed the distance between them and reached up to touch Gillian's face.

"I know that," he closed his eyes and gently pressed his mouth to hers in a small kiss.

Gillian gasped; her hand coming up to grip his wrist. The kiss lingered a moment before finally breaking. She stared at Mac with wide eyes, the two of them gazing into each other's face.

"We—we better get back to the room--" Mac whispered and Gillian nodded in reply.

"Yeah--"

"Attention everyone--" Murdoc tapped the microphone that had been placed on the stage; the room fell silent and he gave a Cheshire cat grin.

"Yes thank you. We're all here tonight to celebrate the town of Poquita. I'm sure you all heard the tale of Francisco Vega; the man who had a cross-eyed mule. He and his family were on their way to California but the mule being cross-eyed, he headed north instead of west bringing the family here to Minnesota. That man was the founder of our town, for more information on the Vega family I turn your kind attention to the President of the Poquita Historical Society, Samantha Thornton!"

Sam sat at a table just below the stage; she rose out of her chair waving as the applause sounded.  Pete joined in, a large prideful smile on his face.

Murdoc bent down and took her hand, giving it a kiss before returning to the mike.

"That was in gratitude to her for all the wonderful information she provided to me for tonight. But tonight isn't just about Poquita's past, it's about its present and more importantly it's future as well." Murdoc shielded his eyes a moment, scanning the crowd. He spotted the table Gillian sat at and grinned once again.

"That's why I'd like to introduce to you all tonight the newest residents of Poquita and the newest business owner. Gillian Pershing and her daughter Corinne!" He stretched his arm out, the spotlight shifting to the table.

Gillian's eyes were round as slowly stood up; her throat felt dry as she gave a slight wave, feeling her face heat up. She hadn't been expecting the attention and tried to make the best of it.

"Mrs. Pershing is the new owner of the Hobby Hideaway on Mesa Street. She has a wonderful selection of hobby goods and supplies; I highly recommend you all check it out seeing how she is the only hobby store between her and Minneapolis. Thank you Gillian."

The spot light shifted back to the Mayor and Gillian slumped down in her chair. She leaned forward and covered her face with her hands.

Mac saw her and reached out, touching her shoulder. "You okay Gill?"

"I wasn't expecting that, why couldn't he warn me he was going to do that!" Uncovering her face she looked at Mac; her cheeks still red.

"Who knows with Murdoc, sometimes not even he knows what he's going to do--" He gave her shoulder a comforting rub. "But if it helps at all you did really well and look on the bright side; now the whole town knows about your shop and business is bound to pick up.  So a few seconds of embarrassment will pay off in the long run."

Ellen heard what her son said and nodded in agreement. "He's right Gill, coming to this dance will turn out to be a blessing in disguise--" She reached out and gave Gillian's hand a pat. "You'll see--"

Gillian quietly closed the door to her daughter's room and walked back down the hall to the living room.

"She's fast asleep--" Slipping out of her heels, she sat down on the couch beside her guest.

"I really want to thank you for tonight Mac, it was wonderful and probably the most fun I've had in a while--" She reached down and touched his hand.

"Yeah, me too--" His big hand curled around hers, he looked down at it before raising his eyes to see Gillian's face. Their eyes met and Mac bent over, his mouth taking hers. The euphoria was back; the feeling stronger than before as it rushed through his system and went right to the pit of his stomach. A spark of passion started there and began to grow as the kiss grew bolder, deeper. Mac let his tongue push past Gillian's lips and into her silky mouth.

She gasped, her other hand came up and cupped the back of his neck as the kiss lingered; she moved closer to him threading her fingers through his long hair as her tongue brushed against his.

Suddenly they were off; Mac pressed his weight against her, the two of them moving back against the couch; the heat rising off of their bodies as they explored one another's mouth.

MacGyver's dress pants suddenly grew too tight as he broke off the kiss, his lips nibbling down Gillian's cheek and neck. He wanted to taste every creamy morsel of skin she had and devour her completely.

"Mac--" She whispered as she felt him slide the straps of her dress down her arms. Every kiss he planted down her neck gave her instant goose bumps.  Wanting more, so much more she reached out and decided to return the favor; her hands coming to his shoulders.

Gillian peeled Mac's black leather jacket down his arms, dropping it to the floor. With a gentle nudge she pushed him back taking the upper hand.  Her fingers began working open the buttons on his silk shirt, parting the material. She dropped her head and brushed her lips against the exposed skin.

"Uhh--" Mac panted as he gripped her hair. Gillian sucked on his chest, grazing it with her teeth and the feeling of that warm mouth made his heart pound hard.

She suddenly gasped, raising her chin; the flood of long denied passion burned through her and with it came a cold reality that snuffed it out.  She saw Mac's confused, flushed face and suddenly felt shame and embarrassment flood hers.

"Gill?" MacGyver saw her sudden deer in the headlight look. "Are you all right?"

"I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me--" Gillian sat up, smoothing her hair and fixing her dress.

"I think I know and it's all right--" He shifted towards her, smiling. "It's been awhile since both of us found someone attractive—guess we got caught up in that."

"It was more than that and I'm quite sure you know it," Gillian stood up, her knees like water. She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing away the sudden chill.

"Do you know how long its been since--?"

"Since you made love? No--" MacGyver scooted to the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked down and saw his open shirt and quickly buttoned it back up.

"A year—since Corinne was six months old--" She went over by the window, the moonlight painting her face silver.

"Me too, not since Kate left--" The pain of her leaving and rejection came back to him and Mac sighed, wiping his hands over his face briefly.

"You reminded me tonight that I'm still alive and that I still have--"

"Needs?" He raised his head, his hands leaving his face. He too had needs and he was quite sure Gillian could fulfill them, she had already started to.

Gillian nodded, dropping her head. "I thought that part of my life was over when Michael died. I thought I'd spend the rest of my life being Corinne's mother because there'd never be anyone else."

Mac got up and went over to her, gently laying his hands on her shoulders. "You are Corinne's mother and you always will be no matter who's in your life."

The touch of his hands made her eyes slide closed. "I know what could happen tonight. I could turn around and take you to my bedroom and put Michael's picture in a drawer and make love to you 'til the sun came up. I could satisfy that need and send you home—Maybe call you in a day or two or not at all."

Nodding, his hands still caressed her shoulders, trying to give her comfort. The statement she made gave him a deep shudder and he felt his passion spark back up at the thought of spending the night in Gillian's bed. He cleared his throat and quickly pushed it aside.

"You're right, and I could do the same to you. We could use each other for pleasure and nothing more."

"I don't want to do that, it wouldn't be right or fair to do that to you Mac--" She touched his hand, their fingers sliding together. "If it was just me, then we could let the chips fall where they may, but it's not just me. There's a little girl asleep in her bed right now just down the hall—and I've got an obligation to give that little girl the best life I can--" She glanced over her shoulder at him, the wet marks down her face shining.

"I know that--" He reached out and touched her cheek, wiping it. "Corinne is a factor here Gillian but she's not the only one; so are you."

Gillian finally turned around, facing him. "The bottom line is that my daughter and I come as a set. I like you Mac, a lot. I want to get to know you and I want Corinne to get to know you too--" She swallowed hard. "If you can't deal with that or don't want to deal with that then the door's right there."

She took one step back, waiting to see what he was going to do.

For one long moment MacGyver simply stood there, literally poised on the edge of the cliff. He could turn around and leave, close that door and wonder for the rest of his life what might have been. Gillian had laid all her cards on the table now it was up to him if he wanted to join the game or not.

Kate drifted into his mind and that thought alone made him turn around, take a few steps towards the door and grab the knob. He heard Gillian's sharp intake of breath behind him. But then another thought came to him; Kate had hurt him yes, but Gillian wasn't Kate she had already proven that.

The knob turned in his hand and the door started to open—

"Aww hell--" He slammed the door closed and turned back; he saw a smile break on Gillian's face as he went to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"We can take things slow Gill, all right? Nice and slow, at a turtle's pace if we have too--"

"Absolutely--" Gillian hugged him, squeezing her eyes shut.

Mac pulled back from the hug and touched her face, stroking his fingers down her cheek. "I know you're afraid, so am I but I think we can work on that together."

She pressed his hand a little firmer against her cheek. "Yeah I think we can. We'll take things slow like you said, but--" Her cheeks suddenly grew red and she grinned.

"But what?" He looked at her curiously.

"But before you go--if I don't kiss you again, I just might die."

He laughed at that, took a hold of her hand and pulled her against him. "Now we can't have that now can we?"

MacGyver dropped his mouth on hers; the both of them groaning at the gentle pressing of lips.

Gillian's arms came up around his neck, her fingers brushing his long hair. Once again their tongues slid against one another teasingly before their mouths parted.

"I better go home--" Mac sighed wistfully, not really wanting to. He wanted to stay there with her but they weren't ready for that and he knew it.

"Yeah—it's late--" Gillian felt it too, that tingling in her stomach that Mac had created from his caresses and kisses. Both her heart and body were screaming for more but at the same time knowing the time for that wasn't now. "Will I see you again soon?"

"Absolutely—I've got Corinne's toy chest to work on and your shelves--" Stroking his fingers over her cheek, he smiled. "Tomorrow night, seven o'clock, dinner at my cabin."

"Okay, we'll be there--" She took his hand from her face and squeezed it.

MacGyver walked around her and went back over by the couch and picked his jacket up, putting it on. He adjusted his collar and headed for the door, opening it.

"Seven, you know where my cabin is right?"

"Right, its on Aquarius Road?"

"Yes, you'll see the sign. Good night Gillian--"

"Night Mac--"

Their gazes locked for a moment before Mac stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

Gillian locked up the house and checked on her daughter before climbing down the stairs to her bedroom. Slipping out of her dress she could still smell the lingering scent of Mac on her clothes and skin; a clean strong scent, like the forest after a spring rain. She closed her eyes feeling those arms around her and his lips on her. God it had been so long since she had been held like that; she had forgotten how wonderful it could be.

Sighing; she opened eyes and dropped her dress, pulling a big oversized t-shirt from her dresser; using it for a nightgown.

With a click of her lamp, the room darkened and Gillian climbed into bed pulling the thick tan comforter up to her chest.

The last thoughts before she drifted off to sleep were of Mac's smiling face and strong warm embrace.

Lying in the moonlight MacGyver peeled back his covers; grumbling to himself as he kicked them all the way off the bed and onto the floor. He had come home, taken off his clothes and gone right to bed but sleep didn't come. Of course he knew why; his body was keyed up, worked up and a certain part of him demanded attention.  

He sighed, his hand sliding down his chest and stomach, slipping into the red shorts he wore to bed.

Gillian came to his mind instantly as his hand curled around his thick shaft. Seeing her face; the taste of her kisses and the sweet warm press of her body.

Mac groaned softly, imaging what it would be like if she were here right now. The things he would do to her, push her back on the bed, run his hands down her body to those long legs as each article of clothing she wore dropped to the floor.

"Mac--"

"Gillian--" His back arched off the bed thrusting himself deeper into his hand; his fingers sliding along the hot length tightening around it.

He could hear her ragged breathing as he slipped again and again into the welcoming warmth of her body; those long legs sliding around his hips, her heels pressing him even deeper inside her.

"Oh yes Mac! Yes!"  She would gasp as she came; her body meeting his thrusts as she found her pleasure.

"God!" MacGyver moaned loudly his hips thrust so hard he arched off the bed. He panted hard as his whole body shuttered; the warm surge of his semen erupted over his hand and seeped into his shorts.

When his breathing calmed down he opened his eyes; half expecting Gillian to be curled up beside him. Sprawled out across the bed his body limp Mac sighed heavily; he had done that many times since Kate's departure but none of them had left him so dazed and lazy. It had seemed so real, the flush through his body; the sweat that now rolled down his chest and the sweet mellow exhaustion that made him sleepy.

With effort he sat up slowly, wincing at the wetness that spread through his shorts. Mac swung his legs around and got up, stumbling his way to the bathroom. He flicked on the light and slid his shorts down; stepping out of them and kicking them side. Turning on the water, he wet a washcloth and wiped himself clean. Bending over he cupped his hands under the gush and splashed it on his face. Raising his head, he stared at himself in the mirror seeing the water droplets and the flush in his cheeks still there.   

Was that how it really will be when he and Gillian make love?

He didn't know the answer to that question, he would just have to wait and see.

END.