AN: We are nearing the end of this fic. There will likely only be one chapter after this. I know this is a lot shorter than most of my multichapter fics, so I hope that isn't underwhelming, especially since I said that this was a fic I was looking forward to writing for months, but I've written basically all that I set out to write with this fic, so I hope you guys are as happy with it as I am :) I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!

Mac would've been lying if he said he wasn't scared. He was downright terrified. He was losing his senses one by one, and he was being hunted by the man who took them from him. That would terrify anyone, highly trained agent or not. At least he had Jack. That was his one solace. Jack was there and he was going to protect him with everything he had. Killing those men who had almost found them was part of that, as much as Mac hated death and violence - sometimes he thought maybe he'd picked the wrong field due to that aversion, but he understood that people did what had to be done, and he was no stranger to killing either. He had no doubt that Jack was going to get them home safe. That's what Jack always did.

Mac stifled a gasp as he stumbled, hanging on tightly to Jack's arm.

"You okay?" Jack quickly asked, stopping in his tracks. "I'm sorry, kid, I got lost in thought and forgot to warn you about all the tree roots around here."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mac replied quietly, not loosening up on his grip. He started walking slowly, lifting up his feet more than he usually would in order to make sure he stepped over the roots. If he could just see none of this would be difficult at all. But dwelling on it would only freak him out again, so he needed to think about something else. "Are we there yet?" he asked Jack with a smile.

"Wow, you're hilarious," Jack deadpanned. "We should be getting to the exfil spot soon. We don't have signal quite yet, but hopefully we will once we're there."

The two carried on in silence for a while, but Mac still had to do something to distract himself from what was going on. Without the ability to see anything around him, Mac paid extra attention to what he heard. The birds were quite beautiful, their evening songs filling up the air. There was a light breeze, making the leaves ruffle against themselves. Mac thought he may have even heard an owl.

"Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah, bud?"

Even though Mac was blind, he still could practically see Jack glancing over at him, just like he always did. "What time do you think it is?" he asked.

"Well.." Jack started. "My phone isn't on the right timezone, but based on the position of the sun, and the falling temperature, I'd assume it's about six. Why do you ask?"

"We're gonna have to find some shelter out here for the night, you know. It gets really cold around here at night, and we are not prepared for that." Mac left out that he had been feeling the cold ever since he lost his sight, but he figured that was only psychosomatic. "We can't build a fire. That would draw them right to us." He wished they could. He would love a warm fire, but that just wasn't smart.

"We'll be okay," Jack gently replied, resting his hand on top of Mac's - the blond didn't flinch, since Jack's tone of voice had told him that maybe the man would do something like that. "I'm gonna keep you warm, I'm gonna get you home, and I'm gonna get your senses back or die trying."

Mac didn't reply, but leaned in closer to Jack as they walked. The man was always radiated heat, which was convenient, since Mac always felt cold.

"Alright, bud," Jack said, slowly coming to a stop. "This is where the helicopter would be if we had gotten here a long time ago," he said with a chuckle. Based on that, Mac assumed they were in a clearing. He couldn't hear the breeze through trees in front of him, which also provided evidence of a clearing. The sun must have set at that point too, since Mac couldn't feel it on his skin at all. That was bad. That meant it was only going to get colder, and Mac was already fighting to not shiver. He didn't want Jack to worry, especially since the man felt just as warm as usual. "We can try to chill out here until we get backup, but I'm gonna try to contact Matty first. I'm not leaving you, okay?" Once Mac nodded, Jack helped him to sit down with his back against a large tree.

Mac missed the contact with Jack as soon as the man stepped away. Jack could've been two feet in front of him or a hundred. It wouldn't have made a difference. Mac couldn't tell either way. Jack could have been on the other side of the clearing and Mac wouldn't even know.

"We have signal!" Jack shouted out with a triumphant laugh. Mac couldn't help but smile at his partner. "Hey, Matty, we have a bit of a problem here-". Matty must have cut him off. "I'm sorry, and I'll explain everything later, but we need exfil ASAP, and a hospital for Mac. We don't know exactly what kind of drugs they put him on and it's pretty bad. We're at the original exfil spot." Jack paused again. Hopefully, Matty was saying that she could get a team to them soon. "Alright, okay, if that's the best you can do, then it'll have to be good enough." Jack let out a heavy sigh. That didn't sound good at all.

"What did she say?" Mac asked hesitantly once it was clear that Jack had hung up.

"She can have a new exfil here in about two hours," Jack said, clearly annoyed. "That's an hour and forty-five minutes too long for me."

"Jack-"

"We have no idea what that maniac dosed you with, and we have no idea how it's going to progress, what will have happened to you in two hours, if you'll even still be freaking alive then. That's not something I want to take a chance on. I want you in the hospital as soon as possible, because I am not letting you become one of those other subjects in that room, lying dead. I won't let it happen."

"Jack," Mac repeated, finally gaining the man's attention. "I understand, trust me, I do." Mac took a shaky breath. "Don't think that I'm not terrified, because I am, but there's nothing we can do right now but wait, okay? So please, sit down and wait." Mac left out that he wanted Jack to sit down right next to him immediately. He had already told Jack he was scared, and that was enough emotion for a while. Hopefully, Jack would just naturally sit down close enough for Mac to lean against him. Mac hated how unable he was to sense where his partner was without physical contact with the man.

"Okay," Jack replied in a gentle voice. "Alright, I'll sit down. You're right, it's not Matty's fault, and there's nothing we can do." He heard Jack sigh and some leaves rustle, then felt the reassuring presence of his partner sitting right next to him. Mac leaned into the familiar touch almost unconsciously, but he didn't move away. Besides, Jack was warm, and Mac was freezing. "Damn, kid," Jack said, wrapping his arm around Mac's shoulders and pulling him closer. "You need some more meat on your bones. It's not even that cold out." He must have been able to feel Mac shivering. When had he even started? He didn't remember doing that.

"Maybe it has something to do with the drug," he muttered, burrowing even further into Jack's side. He didn't have the energy to say much else. And to top it all off, he could feel the beginnings of pain in his ears. The thought of losing his hearing drove him to reach around with his hand and grip Jack's arm.

"Bud, are you okay?" Jack asked, concern clear in his voice. If Mac could see, he was sure he would find Jack looking down at him with his eyes wide, searching for something that might be hurting him.

"My ears," he muttered into Jack's side. "They're starting to hurt." Mac tried to keep his breathing even and forced the tears away. He was going to control it and not lose it as long as he could. But he was just so scared. Once he lost his hearing, how was he going to be able to tell Jack from the people searching for them? How was he going to be able to tell anything?

"Oh, kid, I'm so sorry," he said, emotion heavy in his voice. "It's gonna be okay, I promise, I'm gonna fix this, somehow, I don't know how yet, but I'm gonna fix this for you, you're gonna be okay," he rambled, his voice getting faster until he stopped.

"It's not your fault," Mac replied, his head resting against Jack's shoulder. "Besides, there's nothing you can do."

"I can at least keep you warm. Hold on, bud," Jack said, his voice wavering slightly. Then the man was moving, and for a split second, Mac panicked, thinking that Jack was leaving him, but he quickly calmed. Jack would never leave him, especially not when he was this vulnerable. Jack was moving, but he was only moving between Mac and the tree, so that Mac was directly in front of him, sitting between his legs. Jack then pulled Mac close to him, and wrapped his arms around Mac's thin chest. Despite himself, Mac relaxed, leaning back into his partner, and let himself be warmed by the man. They were alone in the woods. No one else would ever know, and this was Jack, so it was okay. It was okay to be a little bit more vulnerable with Jack. The man had practically raised him since he was nineteen - not that he needed to be raised, since he was a grown man and could take care of himself - so it was okay if he saw the vulnerable side of himself that he never let anyone else see. It really was okay. At least, Mac had to try to convince himself of that, or else he would just get even more stressed, and he was already stressed out enough.

Mac had no way of keeping track of time, and he knew it would be annoying if he just kept asking Jack again and again, so he didn't. For once, he wasn't in the mood to mess with Jack. He was in the mood to watch the birds he could hear flying above, and he was in the mood to smell the pines of which he could feel the fallen needles. Instead, he tried to focus on what he could hear. The insects were getting louder, so he forced himself to think of the Latin names of each one. When he was done with that, he gave them all regular names. Based on what he could hear, there were at least five different cicadas around. He named them Dave, Fred, Greg, George, and Bartholomew. He didn't tell Jack any of this, of course. The man would make fun of him relentlessly. He was bored, damn it, and at least naming the insects gave him something to distract himself from the annoying pain in his ears and and the chill running through his body. Jack helped with that too. The man was a giant heater, and Mac was very comfortable laying against him.

But then the pain spiked, and Mac tried to curl up into himself with a groan.

"Mac?" Jack said, his voice full of worry.

"It's getting worse, Jack," he replied, gripping the front of Jack's shirt. He was losing the battle to control his emotions and fear. "I'm gonna go deaf," he said. Mac wasn't able to stop the first tear from falling. The pain was growing rapidly, and it took everything he had to keep his mouth shut. They couldn't draw any unwanted attention to themselves.

"This really has terrible timing," Jack grumbled. He sounded annoyed, but he was still holding onto Mac with one hand and gently running his fingers through his blond hair with the other. "We gotta stay really still, bud, and quiet. I think the creepy scientist bad guys are on the other side of the clearing," he whispered.

Mac didn't reply. He was too busy trying to keep his mouth shut. It just hurt so bad and he felt like he should be screaming but he couldn't. He brought a hand up to his mouth and bit his knuckles so hard they bled, just to try to focus on something else, even though it was a little counterproductive.

"Oh, kid, no," Jack said, gently pulling Mac's bleeding hand away.

"It hurts so bad, Jack," he cried, turning and pressing his head into Jack's chest as if he could hide there and the pain would stop. Jack's arms came back around him and held him even closer. "I'm gonna be blind and deaf, no, no, no, please," he cried out. Mac held on to Jack with everything he had and sobbed into his chest. He had never been more terrified in his life. What was he supposed to do? He was so lost, and helpless, and there was nothing he could do about anything. He could feel Jack holding him tighter and hushing him, but he couldn't stop. Mac knew the deafness was coming, and he was completely powerless to stop it.

The pain spiked again and Mac could hear himself screaming and then- and then he couldn't. The pain was gone and Mac knew he was still sobbing, but he couldn't hear it. He couldn't hear anything. That only made him cry harder. He was blind and deaf and absolutely terrified.

Then he was being forcefully pushed away from Jack. He felt himself calling out Jack's name, but he couldn't hear it. What was happening? Why was Jack pushing him away? Now that he was so utterly pathetic and helpless, did Jack want nothing to do with him? Was he going to leave him alone in the woods for that crazy doctor to find and experiment on again?

Mac could feel himself crying more as he fell to his hands and knees. Where was the tree? If he could find the tree then at least he could have one side protected. Mac turned the direction he thought the tree was, then felt hands on his shoulders. He gasped in surprise and tried to get away, but he was too weak. But the hands only gripped him enough to pull him somewhere- to the tree! He could feel the tree now, and the hands left. Was it Jack? He called out his partner's name, then felt fingers quickly running through his hair. That had to be Jack. He would know that exact feeling of Jack's fingers running through his hair to calm him anywhere. All he could do now was wait. Mac clutched the tree, and pressed himself against it. He just wanted this to be over.

If it hadn't been for the fact that they were trying to avoid detection, Jack would've screamed in frustration. Mac was clutching him with all he had, crying in pain and fear and trying not to scream himself, and there was nothing Jack could do to fix any of it. As much as he tried to stop it, Jack couldn't help but let a few tears fall when Mac screamed, and that scream turned into a wailing sob. Jack didn't even try to quiet the boy. They'd already been spotted, and he would soon have to stand and defend themselves. But with Mac in front of him, he knew they wouldn't shoot.

As much as it hurt to do so, he had to protect the kid, which meant that he had to move him. Another tear fell as he had to push his kid away and he cried out for him, completely terrified. But he couldn't try to help him right now. No, right now, he had to save their lives.

Jack stood, and pulled out his gun. He focused on his rage, and fired, taking down the first man. He trusted his own aim, but clearly those men did not, since they appeared to be scared of shooting at him while he was so close to Mac. But Jack was okay with that. As long as he kept Mac safe, he was okay with anything.

A sudden pain in his calf took his attention. He had been grazed by a bullet from behind. They were surrounded. He needed to move Mac. Jack turned to the kid and saw him on his knees, his hands reaching out blindly in front of him. He needed to move the kid to the tree, and hopefully he would stay there. Jack quickly holstered his weapon and grabbed Mac by the shoulders as gently as he could. Of course, the kid fought at first, but quickly relaxed, and called out again for Jack.

"Yeah, bud, it's me," he replied, even though he knew the kid couldn't hear him. He gently ran his fingers through his blond hair, then turned back to the men slowly approaching them. Now would be a great time for exfil to show up.

Jack turned and shot again, hitting one of the men in the chest. He stood right in front of Mac. If the kid reached out, he would've been able to grab onto Jack's legs. He wasn't going anywhere. If this was the end, then he would die protecting his kid. He would not be moved.

Another bullet grazed his arm and Jack groaned in pain. These wounds were mostly superficial, but he still didn't like to be shot. Jack didn't like admitting defeat either, but he was heavily outnumbered, and as much as he loved to brag about his skills, he couldn't take on a small army by himself. He needed Mac for that, and the kid wasn't exactly operating at full capacity. Exfil really needed to hurry up.

Jack heard a shout and a struggle, and turned to see a man holding Mac. He had an arm around the kid's chest and the barrel of a gun shoved at his jugular. Mac was fighting tooth and nail, but the poor kid was weak and didn't stand a chance against the man who had a full head of height on him. But Jack could use that to his advantage.

"Surrender!" the man holding his kid called out. "I have the boy. It's over. If you surrender, we won't kill you," he said.

Jack didn't even answer. His gun was already drawn, and he trusted his aim as much as he trusted Mac. He fired, and a bullet between the eyes of the man so roughly clutching his kid. The man fell to the ground, and Mac stumbled. Jack quickly rushed up to him, and pushed him back to the tree, and forced him into a crouch. He was being much rougher with the terrified kid than he ever wanted to be, and he was only scaring Mac more, but he could live with that if it meant keeping the kid alive. But as soon as Mac was crouching against the tree and Jack was no longer touching him, he relaxed. Maybe he figured out it was Jack who had put him there.

Jack shot at a few more of the men, then crouched down next to Mac. He needed to conserve ammo. There was only slight cover, but slight cover was better than no cover.

A whirring sound grew closer and closer, and Jack could've cried in relief. It was the exfil chopper. It stole the attention of everyone Jack could see, so he shot at a few more of them before the exfil team skillfully descended to aid him. Once he backup arrived, the fight was over in a minute. The rest of the men were dead, and Mac was still holding on to the tree, silently crying.

Jack slowly rested a hand on the kid's shoulder, and wasn't surprised when he heavily flinched away. "It's just me, kid," he said, knowing full well it was pointless. He tried again, and was as gentle as possible. Mac didn't flinch quite as much, and lifted up his hand to Jack's. The kid was rigid, but he slowly ran his hand up Jack's arm and to his shoulder, slowly relaxing with every inch he traveled. Jack just let him do whatever he needed. He would do anything for that kid. Mac slowly brought his hand up from Jack's shoulder, and found his face. As soon as the kid touched his scruff, he relaxed.

"Jack?" He dropped his hand from Jack's face, and moved it around to the man's back. Jack knew exactly what he was searching for, and he would be damned if he didn't give it to him. Jack gently reached forward and pulled Mac into a hug. The kid melted into it, letting his full weight rest against Jack. He could feel the boy softly crying against him, and Jack's heart broke. What if he couldn't fix this? What would he do then? What would Mac do?

"Agent Dalton!" one of the exfil men called out. Jack didn't even turn to look. "The chopper's ready."

"Be right there!" Jack called back. As carefully as he could, Jack started to rise, and made sure that Mac rose with him. He pulled one of the kid's arms around his shoulders, and wrapped his own arm around the kid's waist. That would be the easiest way to guide him. "Alright, bud," he whispered. "Let's go home."