"It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives." – unknown

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

His body automatically registered the drop in altitude and he began to wake up. Once a pilot always a pilot, though he flew Air Force jets, not these big floating tin cans. He opened the window shade and looked out, curious for a glimpse of the land he loved. Minnesota was his true home, though he was born and raised in Chicago. Those summers and winter breaks that he had spent with the MacGyver family had felt more like home to him than the time he spent with his foster parents the O'Neills'. Mac's family had emotionally adopted him and he had done the same to them as well. Their grandfather had lefty them the cabin and they both used it as a refuge and sanctuary from their dangerous and consuming careers.

He was glad to see his brother again. Despite what he might have said to the contrary, he had really missed him. After being forced of necessity to erase each other from their lives, they had finally decided that nothing was worth it. They had a lot of catching up to do.

"Ladies and gentleman, we will be landing shortly so please store your tray tables and return your seat backs to the upright and locked position. The local time is 5:30 p.m. and the forecast says that we're in for a light snow about midnight tonight. We've made good time, so those of you with connecting flights needn't worry about rushing to get to your gate. If this is your final destination, we'd like to be the first to welcome you to the lovely state of a thousand lakes."

He stretched in his seat, his muscles cramping because of the long state of inactivity in such a confined space. He needed the sleep and felt that he could now handle the long drive ahead of him and hold off until he arrived at the cabin.

The captain landed the plane and it wasn't long until he informed the passengers that they were now docked at the gate and they could begin exiting the aircraft. Jack sighed and sat in his place until he was the only one still on the plane. He liked being the last one off because that meant that he could remain sitting a little longer rather than wait standing amidst a crowd for his luggage. He knew that it usually took a little while for baggage claim, so he took his time as he sauntered though the airport. By the time he arrived at the carousel, his bag was already laying solitary, going around and around… perfect.

Funny, he got the same weird looks here too. Oh, well.

He grabbed his stuff and proceeded to the rental car counter where he arranged for a Land Rover, it was the best car they had to handle the snowy and icy conditions. The clerk seemed to take a lot of time checking his ID, but it was fine, he was in no hurry; he could make up the lost time when he was actually on the road.

Finally, he left the airport behind him and after a long, several hour drive, he pulled into the driveway for his and Mac's cabin.

The scene was like a postcard, but so was the drive. There had been a snowfall the night prior that had blanketed the whole region with a layer of white. He loved the smell of the pine and fir along with the freshness of the outdoors. Pulling on a black beanie to keep his ears warm, he turned off the car, it was dusk and already well on its way to complete darkness.

The truck parked in the driveway with two motorcycles in the bed told him that Mac was there, for he recognized one of the bikes, but the other one he didn't. He grabbed his stuff from the passenger seat and climbed out and went to look at the strange bike. It wasn't something his brother would ride that's for sure, it was too new, and looked too…young.

Leaving the truck behind, he decided to check out the dock before he went inside and got warmed up. The dock was his favorite place up here, and he wanted to see if the lake had frozen over enough yet so that it would be safe for skating, not that he was prepared for that just now. He still ached from his last mission where aliens had decided that it was his turn to be the sacrifice to the gods. He and his team had escaped with bad bruises, a sprained ankle, and in his case, three broken ribs. He had been forced to spend two weeks in the infirmary and was now relishing his freedom.

He stood looking out over the water, letting the good memories flow back to him, when he heard something behind him. He turned and could barely see the young man dressed in a black leather jacket and black jeans sneaking along the back of the house because of the darkness. Not recognizing the man, Jack quietly slipped the gun out of his bag, which he still had with him and creeped up behind him. As far as he was concerned, someone dressed in all black, sneaking around somewhere where MacGyver was, wasn't a good thing. He pulled out his gun and leveled it at the trespasser.

SAM had just gone out of the cabin to get some firewood that was piled along the back wall when he felt rather than heard someone behind him. All his years as a photojournalist in countries with civil unrest and war torn areas had honed his survival instincts. He tried not to give it away that he knew that the person was there, instead he reached into his pocket to see what he had if he had to make an escape. He had inherited his mind and way of thinking from his father, and he was just as efficient in improvisations to get himself out of trouble. Well, it seemed like trouble had found him again, even when he was on vacation with his dad.

He was just coming up on the woodpile when the person behind him spoke,

"Freeze! Put your hands in the air!"

'Huh?' he thought, that was Dad's voice. He had begun to raise his hands but now he lowered them and began chuckling, though still a bit apprehensious.

"Wow, you got me, Dad. Gee, I was about to bust your brains out with a log. Gosh, ya had me goin there for a sec."

'Dad? What the…' "Turn around junior, and keep those hands where I can see 'em."

Playing along, SAM turned and was startled to see a gun. Momentarily shocked and vision partially obscured by lack of light, he didn't distinguish between the look-a-like and his real father, despite the many little differences.

"Dad, what are you doing, I thought you didn't like guns," he said carefully. Though he hadn't been with him long, he had never seen Mac act like this; something was really off.

"Quiet! What are you doing here?" Jack asked, though he was suspicious, there was something about the kid that was familiar. He didn't want to hurt him, but the fact that he caught him sneaking around didn't help ease his reservations.

"Umm… getting firewood," SAM said as he pointed behind him to the pile, "We're running a bit low inside."

"SAM? Where are you, what's taking so long for that firewood?" Mac asked as he stepped outside. He had sent his son out for the wood nearly ten minutes ago and he hadn't returned so he had gotten worried. He was very protective of his small family and couldn't help but think of all the things that might have gone wrong. Upon stepping around to the back, he couldn't help but pause a moment; of all the scenarios he had running through his mind, this was definitely not one of them. He burst out laughing, surprising both Jack and SAM.

"Dad?"

"Mac?"

"Mac? Dad?" SAM asked, confused. There were two of him, how could that be? 'It was Dad… and…Dad? No way! Wait a minute…' The MacGyver genes weren't just for show. He was quick on his feet and in his mind,

"Twins?! You have a twin and didn't tell me? Dad!" SAM whined, "How cool!" Now that he understood, he interestingly started to analyze the differences between his Dad and what must be his uncle.

"Cool?" Jack scowled before he turned towards Mac, "who's this?" he asked while putting away his gun and turning on the safety.

Mac's laughter died away as he noticed the gun. He glared at his brother for a moment before letting his happiness take over again.

"Jack, this is SAM, my son, your nephew. SAM this is Jack, my twin brother as you already have guessed…don't stare."

Jack glanced once more over at his nephew. He couldn't believe it! Mac had a grown son! 'I'll bet there's a story in there,' he thought as he resolved to find it. But first, he was just glad to see Mac. He went over and gave him a big hug, which was eagerly returned. SAM just kept his distance and watched amusedly; happy to see his father interacting with some he obviously loved.

"It's good to see you bro, I missed ya," he said.

"Same here, bro." After a moment, Jack pulled away keeping Mac within arm's distance by gripping his shoulders.

"I got a phone call, you alright? You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah," Mac waved a hand towards his son and flashed a grin that lit up his eyes like nothing he had seen in a long while, "Now, let's go inside. It's cold out here." He slapped Jack on the back and proceeded back to the cabin. Jack knew that this talk wasn't over, there was something hidden underneath the skin. Though the joy MacGyver had displayed had been real and very enthusiastic, who wouldn't be after reuniting with a son, but the words that he had heard from the two messages left on his machine haunted him. Jack knew that though it may have been temporarily banished because of this new light in his life, whatever it was was still lurking deep in the shadows, and he vowed to exorcise those demons before they could drag his brother down and drown him. The insecurities, the self-doubt, could kill a man, had almost killed him; but he had help, and he was going to make sure that Mac had the same.

He turned back to SAM, a grin on his face after learning the "trespasser's" identity. He could barely see him it was so dark now.

"Mac's boy huh?"

"Dad's twin, huh?" He countered mimicking his uncle's tone perfectly. Jack smiled even more; he liked this kid.

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Author's notes: Yehooo! Lovin' the reviews ya'll! Thanks a lot.

Oh, and "Diane" I'd like to thank you for all the reviews of this and my previous story. You always leave your reviews as anonymous, so I can't thank you personally, so….thank you. And I appreciate the effort it takes to write such wonderful feedback ;)