Unsurprisingly, when they'd reached Matty she was still at the office. The rest of the team sometimes wondered if she ever left. It was one of the reasons they'd gotten into the habit of inviting her over after missions, or out with them. Riley had already gone home, but was more that okay with getting called back in for something like this. Jack asked about briefing in the newest members of the team but Matty told him that could wait until they got into work at the usual time since, while she hated to admit it to Mac or Jack, they'd already been included in the taskforce that was investigating Bethlehem and other possible Phoenix connections to The Organization prior to being assigned to their team for Chechnya. Jack had expected Mac to be upset, but he'd just shrugged and asked Jack if he wanted to drive. Bozer had no interest in coming along but Mac and Jack ganged up on him and convinced him to come to the office, not because they thought he'd want any part in the investigation, but since he'd gotten the mail with the card in, had been there when Mac opened it and they knew Matty would have questions. It was almost strange for Mac and Jack to see Bozer on the ride over treating Riley the same way he treated them. Mac had the brief thought that things must be getting really serious with Beth.

When they got to Phoenix Matty took the card from them immediately and read it with a grim, but almost sly expression on her face. She handed it off to a technician for analysis, then she took them all into the conference room and asked a fairly standard set of questions. Afterward, she dismissed them and sat at the table, talking with her assistant about making arrangements for a meeting of the taskforce. She turned to find the team milling around, hands in their pockets, and looking like a bunch of kids caught cutting class waiting outside the principal's office to find out just how many detentions they were going to owe. Matty plastered on her sternest expression. "What are you all still doing here? You brought in the evidence, answered my questions … I'm confused as to why you're standing in my doorway like you want to try and sell me something."

Jack looked ready to mount a defense, Riley smirked like she knew exactly what was on Matty's mind, but Mac's expression was the one that made her feel bad. He looked hurt … No, betrayed was a better word. Then she remembered hearing how Thornton had shut him out of nearly every aspect of the investigation after Lake Como, every mission that could have led them to Nikki. And while she was often both impressed with and worried about the incredibly thick skin MacGyver could have, this wasn't the time to make him prove it. "I'm kidding." They all shared a look of relief and Mac's shoulders looked like they dropped about six inches. "I'm assuming you are all lurking around because you want in."

Bozer was the first to respond, "No offense, Boss, but I'm still here 'cause Jack gave me a ride. I want us to figure out what's what, but I don't want to …"

Matty interrupted with a softly affectionate smile. "I can't say that I blame you Bozer. You've had a tough time the last few months yourself. I believe Ms. Randolph is downstairs finishing up that instant glove polymer experiment she was running earlier. Maybe you could catch a ride home with her."

Bozer was halfway down the hall already, hoping to catch Beth before she left. "Hey, if I'm not home when you get there … Well, you know …"

Mac raised his eyebrows, "Yeah, we know, Boze."

Before any of the rest of them could say a word, Matty spoke. "I want to see each of you in my office. There are things I want to hear from you before I say yes to your involvement in this initiative." Mac took a step toward her door, determined not to be left by the wayside like he had been in the past, but Matty tipped her chin at Riley. "You first."

Mac frowned, but not any more so than Jack, who didn't see why this wasn't a cut and dried case of 'you're involved, you're the best, so you're in'. As Riley headed into Matty's office, Jack led Mac to the small waiting area Matty maintained outside her office and took a seat, immediately taking out his phone and starting a fresh game of Dots, which always relaxed him, although he couldn't have said why. Mac did an admirable job of just sitting there for about ten minutes, trying really hard to be 'not busy' but soon he reached into the bowl on the coffee table and grabbed a small handful of paperclips. Jack gave him a sideways glance from time to time, realizing after another ten minutes or so that Mac wasn't even making anything with the paperclips, he was just unwinding them and weaving them together or braiding them. Jack raised his eyebrows and Mac gave a little sigh. Already knowing the honest answer Jack gave Mac an opening. "You alright there, bud?"

Mac started doing something with the twined-together pieces of metal on the table in front of him, more so he didn't have to look Jack in the eye than because he was particularly focused on what he was creating. "Yeah … I mean that card shook me up a little, but … I'm fine."

"Angus …" Jack's voice had the hint of an edge, but it was a very affectionate one.

"Okay!" Mac glanced up at him almost smiling. "I'm totally not fine. Not even at all. I've got a bad feeling about all of this … And that's not me … I don't get feelings about events I can't explain, I look for explanations. Feelings are your thing." Jack didn't disagree. "Anyhow, like you always say … something is stirring in the weeds … Did I get that right?"

Some of Jack's Texas colloquialisms were lost on Mac, but if he remembered this one right, it perfectly described how he felt about what was going on right now. "Well, you gotta put a little more feelin' into it, but, yeah, more or less. And you're right. Somethin's stirrin' in the weeds fer sure. Like maybe a rattlesnake."

Mac nodded. "And I don't want to be the last one to know what it is … I don't want to get sidelined on this Jack!"

"I can understand that, brother. But I …"

"Look, if Matty cuts me out the way Thornton did … I want you to still take an in if you can get it. The thing with Nikki … it's not just personal to me because she was my girlfriend. It's personal to both of us because she was on our team. If she's in trouble and this has all been some weird cry for help … it should be us that helps her."

"Now I don't know if that's ..."

"I'm not still in love with her." Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I'm not!" he repeated more adamantly. "But that feeling I have keeps telling me that maybe it's not that she's in trouble, more like she is the trouble … And I don't know what to make of that … what it means about me falling for her, about her role in taking down Thornton, any of that. But that's just something I'm gonna have to work out. If she is a traitor, we should be the ones to take her down too. I couldn't stand it if we both got shut out Jack."

"I'll watch my mouth with Matty, Mac. I'll make sure at least one of us is in on this."

Riley walked up to them just then. "Hey, Jack, Matty wants to talk to you next."

"Are you in?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "Full team briefing at ten thirty tomorrow morning."

"You were in there for a long time. What was that all about?" Mac was extremely curious.

"Lots of stuff." Riley deflected, then patted Mac on the shoulder. He'd gotten to his feet and she didn't think he even knew it until he realized he was eye level with her. "You want me to keep you company while you wait to talk to her?"

"Nah," Mac shook his head. "I'm fine. You need a ride?"

Riley shrugged. "I'll call a Lyft. I kinda wanna get home and crash."

Riley was already on her phone when Matty stuck her head out of her door to call, "Dalton, come on already, I don't want to be here all night."

Jack stepped past Mac and found a small paperclip sculpture shoved into his hand. It was a net, intricately woven and immediately recognizable. "This your way of saying we gotta catch Nikki, Mac?"

Mac grinned somewhat shyly and glanced away. "Actually, it's a safety net. And I'm starting to figure out that it's okay to need one, to want one even … It's also a lot nicer than calling someone a crutch."

That was almost the most reassuring thing Mac could've done to assuage Jack's concern that these events were going to trigger a mental relapse. "Two way street, bro," he called as he headed into Matty's office.

In spite of Mac's best intentions, he wound up pacing quite a bit while Matty spoke to Jack. He did manage to be back at the coffee table looking composed and relaxed when Jack returned to tell Mac the boss was ready for him. "Good?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "Real good." Mac took a deep breath and put his hands on his knees, getting to his feet like he was starting to feel the length of a day that had gone out of its way to be long. "Hey, we never ate dinner. I'm gonna run and get us some take out. Whadaya want?"

Jack half expected Mac to say 'nothing' but instead he got, "In-N-Out Burger maybe?"

"Sounds good to me, kiddo. Good luck in there."

Mac shrugged again as he walked into Matty's office, telling himself that even if she told him he was too close to this, that he was 'emotionally compromised' or whatever the hell Thornton had tried to pretend was why she didn't want him involved, Jack and Ri were in, and so were Todd and Steve. Whatever was going on, his team would be part of resolving it. However he was going to do his level best to convince Matilda Webber that the team would be better off if he was on it. Matty looked up from her IPad as he stepped in and closed the door. "Thank you for coming right to me with this Mac." Mac nodded. "Why don't you have a seat?"

When Jack got back Mac and Matty were sitting on the couch in the waiting area, chatting. Mac didn't look devastated or angry so he assumed the conversation must have gone reasonably well. Instead of saying anything, Jack just held out a bag full of food. "Got enough for you too, Matty."

She looked into the proffered bag and pulled out a Double Double and fries. "What? No shake?"

Jack held out another bag, but Mac grabbed it first. "I don't care what either of you eat, but if there's a strawberry shake in here, it's mine."

They had a very late, very companionable dinner at the coffee table outside Matty's office. Jack's eyes kept straying to Mac's face. His laugh was so genuine, his conversation so easy, and his appetite so solid (he'd offered to arm wrestle Matty for the last burger in the bag) that Jack almost wanted to be worried. But Mac's eyes said this wasn't an act. Not that he wasn't thinking, worrying. There was a lot going on behind those electric blue eyes, and Jack wasn't about to pretend that would ever change, but those wheels turning were part of Mac as a whole rather than taking up everything that he was. For now anyway.

When they got up to head home, Jack asked quietly as they walked into the elevator, "You in?"

Mac nodded. "Provisionally, yes."

Matty called out, "Nine a.m., Mac!"

"Yes, ma'am!" he called back as the doors slid closed.

"So you're in, provisionally, and you have to come in an hour and a half before the team meeting?"

Mac shrugged, as he stepped out into the parking garage and headed for Jack's car. "Yeah, Matty says I have to report to Medical for a physical at nine. As long as I agree to whatever rehab the doc recommends, and I get a signature from them, I can come back to work tomorrow and join the taskforce."

Jack smirked, "You gonna try to weasel out of it, or are you actually goin'?"

Mac leaned against the car, resting his elbows on the roof and giving Jack a very knowing look. "Any chance you aren't gonna be standing over me when my alarm goes off in the morning?"

Jack grinned. "Nope."

"Well, then, I guess I'm going."