A/N: Been a while huh? Welp.

Disclaimer: I do not own MacGyver or these characters, just borrowing for free fun.

Hurt Locker

Chapter Four- Ex Marks the Spot.

It had been a week since Riley's first memory, Mac was ecstatic. There was hope that she would regain all her memories. It was flattering that her first memory was of him-well them. He wished he knew which one. She had kept it to herself. Only thing she disclosed was that he was in it. It could be anything considering how much time they spent together. Anything from missions to beer and pizza on the couch. Whatever it was, he was relieved. It was a step in the right direction.

He was up early, as usual, installing a new security system. He knew there would be a time where he would have to leave the house. Matty would only allow him to play nurse to Riley for so long. He could already feel the anxiety simmering in the pit of his stomach. How would he find the strength to leave her alone. His blood ran cold anytime she wasn't in his line of sight. It seemed the fall had traumatized them both but in different ways.

He heard her soft padding feet coming down the hallway to where he was hunched over drilling the keypad panel into the wall. His grip on the drill relaxed a little. For the moment she was still here with him. Safe.

"Morning, I didn't wake you did I?" he said, looking her way. She looked like herself again, in an oversized t-shirt and and a messy bun, holding a cup of tea. For a moment it was as if nothing had happened. As if she had never fallen and he had been resolved of any guilt. It lasted only a moment as the doubt behind her eyes appeared again.

She shook her head, bringing the mug to her lips before she said, "for you to wake me up I would have had to been asleep." Her lips pressed into a grim line and Mac stopped what he was doing to give her his full attention.

"Still not sleeping?" he said to which she shook her head. Her eyes were casted down and Mac didn't need to see them to know what sullen expression she was making.

"It's worst than being awake. Getting flashes…pieces of things that don't quite make sense. How do I even know what's a real memory from what's-" she looked up sharply and cut her sentence off. Mac's forehead creased deeper, that had been a running trend. This new Riley kept a lot close to her chest. She had not let him fully in and he didn't think she would if she never recovered her memories.

Mac sighed deeply, it was all his fault. How could he let this happen to Riley? The person who deserved it the least. All the bad karma in the world would not be enough for what he did. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked though he know it was futile. Or at least he thought it was. She opened her mouth slowly, he could tell there were questions right on her lips, but she closed her mouth and shook her head. Before she spun around to head to her room she opened her mouth to speak again and this time words came out.

"By the way, I invited a friend over today. Hope that's okay."

"Ugh, which friend," Mac scratched the back of his.

She shrugged, scrolling through her phone to show him the text thread.

"Some chick named Aubrey, seems like she knows what I do for a living." Riley said, showing him the phone screen.

His mouth went dry, "Aubrey? You didn't tell him what happened did you?" Mac said, gripping her hand with the phone to scroll through the messages.

Aubrey: You can keep ignoring me…or we can talk about this. Please Riley.

Riley: Sorry about that, I was in the hospital.

Aubrey: What? Are you okay? Did this happen on the job?

Riley: Long story, not one I can talk about over imessage.

Aubrey: When and Where?

Mac was grappling with what he was seeing. Since when was Aubrey back in the picture? More importantly, why did that agitate him?

"What?" she said, "should I have asked first?"

Mac shook his head, "No Riles, Aubrey isn't your friend, he's your ex. Last I heard you guys had broken up. And it wasn't amicable."

Riley looked blindsided, "I was the dumpee?"

It took five seconds for the panic to flood her veins. "What do I do? What kind of a name is Aubrey anyway?"

"That's exactly what I said," Mac snapped his fingers at her fighting a smile. He was beginning to like this new Riley.

"Is it too late to uninvite him?" She looked down at the phone, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Do it," Mac said. Riley's fingers began moving on the phone when there was a soft knock on the door. They both froze at the sound. Both their eyes bugged wide and they began using hand gestures to convey how fucked they were.

"Maybe he'll go away if we stay quiet." Riley mouthed.

Mac pulled her along with him, creeping to the kitchen and out of earshot.

"What do I do?" she said, still speaking above a whisper.

"Tell him about the memory loss but not how it happened." Mac said.

"What am I supposed to tell him? I slipped at the grocery store?"

Mac frowned at her sarcasm. Aubrey did know their secret but that's what had caused the break up in the first place.

"He knows about the Phoenix but he's still a civilian. Keep it vague." Mac patted her arm then scurried off to his room.

Five minutes later, Riley slipped on some sweatpants she found under her bed and answered the door. Aubrey was not what she expected but she did recognize him, somehow. She knew she had seen his face before, kissed his lips...most likely even more but there was still a disconnect.

"Riley," he said, opening his arms for a hug. When she didn't immediate reciprocate it, he looked at her strangely.

"What's wrong?" he said.

She opened the door wider for him, "we need to talk."

A few minutes later they were sitting on the couch, as Aubrey processed the information. She had told him she fell down a flight stairs and got up with memory loss. Not the most the plausible lie but she had really sold it with real confusion.

"So you don't remember me? The year we lived together?"

Riley choked on her tongue and coughed until it subsided. They lived together? So whatever she was remembering or thought she was remembering with Mac had been what exactly? The things and she knew and the things she felt were at constant war. If she had lived with Aubrey she must have loved him, but how did Mac fit into it?

"I didn't know we lived together. I thought you were a girl up until a few minutes ago." It came out especially harsh even though she didn't mean it to be. He scrubbed his hand over his face, stifling a frustrated groan.

"Riley I don't know what to say. That's the last thing I thought you were going to say. To think... I thought we were on our way to getting back together."

She felt awful. He was clearly hurting. She could tell he cared-cares about her. But she was curious about why he broke up with her in the first place. She knew it wasn't the time to pry, it would have been straight up cruel.

"We were getting back together?" she asked.

Aubrey shrugged, "seemed like it." He twisted his body to face her on the couch. "Do you remember anything about me? Feel anything for me?"

Riley squinted, trying to force a memory but nothing came out of it. There was something she felt for him. Since the moment she met him. Guilt. Why did she feel guilty around him? The frustration made tears prick at her eyes. It was like she had the answers to a test but couldn't read the questions.

"I'm sorry. I'm upsetting you." He got to his feet. "I should leave. If you remember—I mean when you remember, will you give me a call?"

She barely nodded as she was using more than half her energy to keep from crying.

Mac ran out to catch Aubrey at the door, stepping outside to talk to him so Riley wouldn't hear. Aubrey was obviously having a tough go at it. He looked tired and heartbroken. It must have been some conversation.

"How'd it go?" Mac said.

"Riley gets a pass because she can't remember me but you must think I'm a big idiot if you think I'm buying any of that accident bullshit."

The edge in his voice would make anybody but Mac flinch.

"This happened to her because what you do is dangerous." Aubrey continued.

"Can you blame us for lying? We both know how you feel about what we do?" Mac gave right back, speaking louder than he could control.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend with me. Riley told me why you broke up with her." Mac said.

Either Aubrey was a better actor than he thought or he was really confused.

"Is that what she told you? That I broke up with her because of her job?"

Mac was quiet, his silence saying more than he could. Did he miss something? Had Riley left out some details?

"How would you feel if your girlfriend said another mans name in her sleep?"

Mac's throat closed up.

"How would you feel if she told you he didn't exist, just someone her mind made up in her sleep…only to find out that was a lie."

Mac's tongue shriveled up.

Riley forgot to mention that. She was seeing someone else? Who was this mystery guy?

"Who is this guy?" Mac said, but only after he said the words he realized that should not have been the take away from Aubrey's confession.

Aubrey scuffed, "don't worry about it. Just take care of her. She's special." He turned to leave but Mac's words halted him mid-step.

"I know she's special." Mac said, he didn't like Aubrey implying anything less.

"Do you?" Aubrey said, without turning around. Mac hated that he couldn't read his expression. What did all this mean?

Aubrey was down the driveway a minute later. Not that he was in a headspace to ask any follow up questions. He was so confused. He held her in his arms the night of the break up. They talked for hours over take out. She fell asleep on his shoulder. Her grief was real. Her sadness was real. But if it wasn't for Aubrey then who?

He let himself back into the house to find Riley standing timidly, adjacent from the door.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

It wasn't. Mac felt like he didn't know her as well as he thought.

He closed the door, "everything is fine."

A/N: And they call him a genius...