The phone rang in Pete's office that same afternoon as he was perusing a stack of files and he picked it up without thinking. "Hello?"

"Mr. Thornton? MacGyver's on the line," Helen said.

"Put him through."

A brief, static-filled pause. "Hey, Pete?"

"Mac, I wasn't expecting your call. How did the funeral go? How's Becky?"

"The service was fine. You know." Pete could imagine his friend's uncomfortable shrug. "Becky's fine, too. She's feeling better, anyway. Listen, she and I talked about her future and I wanted to let you know I decided to become her legal guardian. She'll be living with me permanently, or at least until she turns eighteen."

"That's great, Mac. You two care about each other so much. It's probably the best thing for her right now."

"I sure hope so. She doesn't want me to change anything about what I do for the Foundation-"

"But we may need to change the nature of your assignments anyway, right? Just so you're around more to look after her without being stuck behind a desk."

"You read my mind. Even so, I know it probably won't be the most stable home life and I've got a lot of enemies out there, but we'll try to make it work somehow."

"We'll talk about it later, after you get Becky settled in. Is there anything I can do for you here at my end in the meantime?"

"Allison and Michael had a lawyer friend up here, Brian Malinowski. He's already put the paperwork in motion to make the guardianship legal. Man, there were a ton of forms to fill out; my hand's still cramping from all that writing."

Pete chuckled out loud at that, knowing Mac's intense dislike of bureaucracy.

"...Thanks for that, Pete. Really."

"Sorry, Mac. Look, I'll speak with one of our legal representatives so everything's smooth with the court system and Child Services down here. She'll need to be enrolled in high school as well. And I'll work on setting up health coverage for her, as a dependent of a Phoenix employee. It'll mean more paperwork for you unfortunately, but at least I can get the ball rolling so she's taken care of."

"I appreciate that. You know, I haven't even considered stuff like that yet. Becky and I will be down with a rental trailer once everything's sorted out. I don't know how we'll make things fit in the loft with what we've kept, but I guess we'll just have to be creative."

"Don't worry about a thing. Just do what needs to be done up there and I'll take care of the rest before you get here. Give my love to Becky."

"Will do. I'll give you a call when we're leaving, and then when we're about halfway. The trip might take a bit longer since I want to do something special for her. And hey, Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks for everything. This is a big step for me, you know, making a commitment like this; it'll take some getting used to. For Becky, too. It's great having a friend like you in our corner."

"My pleasure, MacGyver. Whatever you need. Have a good trip. See you both when you get into town."

"Bye, Pete. See you then."

The line went dead, and he hung up the phone and thought a while. Like he told Mac he didn't mind setting things in motion to provide for Becky's future, but there had to be something else he could do.

Then he recalled Mac mentioning the loft. Not enough room for both of them to live comfortably for the next few years, he reckoned. Kids need their space, as Connie once reminded him the last time they bought a house together (and then divorced a year later, but he doesn't like to dwell on that fact).

He picked up the receiver. "Helen? Could you find me the real estate section from today's L.A. Times? I need to do some apartment-hunting."

"What are we doing here, Unc? I thought we were going back to the loft," Becky asked as the jeep, with an attached rental trailer full of her things and other chosen furniture and mementos, pulled up in front of an unfamiliar apartment complex.

"So did I. But Pete said to meet him at this address when I phoned last night from the hotel in Monterey."

The legal issues surrounding her family's death- which included a court date to grant MacGyver an emergency guardianship and formal permission for her to leave the state, as well as selling the house and dealing with its contents- had taken more than two weeks to complete. Once the formalities were over and done with, they were free to return to Los Angeles.

Which took longer than the trip up, mostly because Mac had decided to surprise her by going down Highway 101 on the coast instead of Interstate 5; slower than the freeway but much more scenic and special, in her opinion. It had also given them the opportunity to talk about the future, laying a framework of sorts for their new relationship.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"I was just thinking, Unc, how in spite of everything I'm actually looking forward to starting a new life here with you."

"Funny you should say that, Beck. So am I."

Their smiles carried a faint trace of sadness, for even though they would always feel the shared loss of their family, their closeness as both relatives and friends made it easier to face the future together.

A familiar car parked in front of them and Pete stepped out. "How are you both? How was the drive?"

"It was great," Becky replied. "But what's all this? Why are we here?"

"It's your new home. I even made sure everything from the loft was moved in beforehand, Mac. The expenses are being taken care of by the Foundation, by the way- the usual arrangement. Come take a look. I think you'll really like it."

The complex was actually a grouping of ten two-story condo units- theirs had three bedrooms, two bathrooms- built only a couple years ago, tucked into a peaceful neighborhood of West L.A. Not far from shopping, the beach, the mountains, or even the Phoenix offices in Santa Monica. It was also a few blocks from a large city park and a major branch of the public library. Even a good high school for Becky was only a mile away.

"At least it's close to everything important," Becky commented after a brief tour of the main features of the apartment and the facilities around the complex.

"A bit further from my favorite hockey rink than I'd like, though," Mac noted, very droll.

Pete chuckled. "Come on, Mac. One can't have everything, now can they?"

"I dunno, Unc. Seems pretty perfect to me otherwise. I mean, as much as I enjoyed staying in the loft over the summer, this is really better suited for us. Let's face it, things would be pretty crowded by the time we got everything settled in."

"Mmm. Good point."

"Not to mention I need more storage space. And a new bed and mattress, too, 'cause to be honest the one in the guest room was kinda lumpy."

"Now you tell me. But really, more shopping, even with all the stuff in the trailer?"

Pete grinned as his friend visibly blanched. "I'm not surprised, Mac. Connie and I had to move a lot when I was in the Army so we kept it kinda small. But then Michael was born, and things really started to accumulate. Comes with the territory when you have family. Becky's your responsibility, after all; you have to make sure she has a place to sleep." He winked at her.

"And it's far too late to back out now," Becky teased. "Since I'm definitely not using one of your sleeping bags for the next four years."

"Aw c'mon, guys. Honestly Pete, I don't really know what to say. You didn't have to do any of this for us."

"Well, I figured it was the least I could do. When you told me that Becky would be staying with you permanently, I knew the loft would soon get too crowded for the both of you and decided to help out somehow. You know I'd do more if I could."

MacGyver smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah. But we're grateful anyway."

"We really are, Pete," Becky added with an impulsive kiss on his cheek. "Thanks."

"You're both welcome. Let's go see the manager."

Once the forms had been signed the three went furniture shopping for Becky, then after a late lunch at a nearby restaurant got to work moving everything from the trailer inside. They had just stepped over the threshold of the front door with the first few boxes of her things when there was a loud noise coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms.

All they found when they arrived was an open window, its curtains fluttering lightly in a stray breeze, and a note lying neatly in the center of the empty room.

Pete was the first to pick up the piece of paper. "Good lord," he quietly exclaimed.

Mac took it from him and his face went utterly pale. "Aw, man..."

Becky approached them, taking the note from her uncle's limp hand and reading for herself:

Miss Grahme,

Welcome to Los Angeles and your new life. My sincerest condolences on the loss of your family.

I look forward to making your acquaintance, so rest assured I will personally be visiting you one day for a proper greeting.

In the meantime, please pass on this reminder to your Uncle MacGyver:

Just keep looking over your shoulder!

Yours,

Murdoc

There was a long silence. "Who's Murdoc?" Becky finally asked.

"Someone you'll never have the chance to meet," Pete replied. "At least not if we can help it. Right, Mac?"

"I sure hope so, Pete. I really do." As maniacal laughter sounded in the distance he pulled her close to him, and Becky wondered, a little, what worried them so.

No matter, she finally thought, leaning in to hear MacGyver's reassuring heartbeat. So long as they were together she had faith her uncle would protect her and take care of her. And she'd do the same for him.

They're family, after all.

-To be continued in Part II-