Past, Present, Future? (part 2)

MacGyver jolted awake when the flight attendant's voice came over the intercom asking passengers to fasten their seatbelts for the plane's landing. He scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes and ran his fingers through his unruly hair before glancing down at the wrinkled suit he still wore from this morning. Er, make that yesterday. After securing his seatbelt he lifted up the window shade and squinted into the sunny, cloudless sky. He glanced at his watch and did the math. Back in L.A. it was early morning, but here it was almost mid-afternoon. He stretched out his legs and back as much as he could without disturbing his fellow travelers and felt vastly relieved once the plane had taxied to a stop outside the terminal and they were given permission to abandon their seats and exit the aircraft.

Without any luggage, MacGyver quickly wound his way through the crowded airport and hailed a cab to take him to the hotel where he would collect Nikki. He wasn't looking forward to another eleven hour flight so soon, but he was already looking forward to returning home, which was odd given his love of travel. But this was a job, not a vacation, and their safe passage wasn't guaranteed until they were back on American soil. Upon arriving at his destination, he asked the cabbie to wait. Bannister should have contacted Nikki with Mac's arrival time so she should be packed and waiting for him. He figured they'd be back on their way to the airport in ten minutes at the most.

MacGyver easily navigated the well-appointed lobby, taking the elevator to the third floor where room 306 was just a few doors down. He knocked lightly.

"Who is it?"

"Room service!" he replied with a grin.

"I didn't order anything," the female voice snapped.

MacGyver shook his head. He should have known Nikki wouldn't appreciate his attempt at humor, especially while technically working. He knocked again.

"Nikki, it's Mac! Bannister sent me."

A few seconds later the door cracked open and Nikki's pale, haggard face appeared, her eyes wide with fear.

"Oh, MacGyver. You shouldn't have come," she whispered just before the door was jerked from her hands and opened further revealing a tall, dark-haired man in a suit.

"I have a gun with a silencer pointed at your friend's back," the man sneered. "Step slowly into the room and don't try to be a hero."

Mac complied and soon he and Nikki were seated side-by-side in straight backed chairs, their arms and legs bound. The bedding lay in heaps on the floor and dresser drawers and their contents were scattered about.

"What happened?" MacGyver asked in a whisper as soon as their captor disappeared into the adjoining room.

"I told Phoenix I thought someone was following me and obviously I was right!" Nikki spat, struggling to free herself. True to form, she was ready to fight instead of cower.

"Do you still have the disc?"

"Of course I do! That's the only reason I'm still alive!"

"Who's your friend?" Mac needed to gain as much information as he could in what little time they had alone.

"His name is Hans. He's a henchman for Gunter Kraus, the leader of the Communist cell I infiltrated. He broke into my room an hour ago."

"Nice that he decided to wait for me," MacGyver replied sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself. Someone obviously knew I called for backup and didn't want to leave any loose ends."

"So now what?" Mac asked, testing the strength of the rope that bound his hands.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?!

Hans picked that precise moment to reenter the room.

"Just do whatever he says," MacGyver whispered to Nikki which earned him a slit-eyed sideways glance letting him know she wasn't thrilled with the idea but would play along.

"The boss wants me to take you someplace nice and private," Hans said in well-practiced English. "I am going to untie you now. There is a car waiting for us out front. I will have a gun pointed at you. If you try and escape I will shoot you both."

MacGyver and Nikki acquiesced to the henchman's directives and before long were standing outside on the sidewalk, a black luxury car parked in the space previously occupied by Mac's taxi. They reluctantly slid into the backseat and watched as the city sites disappeared into a rural landscape. Soon the driver carefully maneuvered the car around a circular drive in front of a large mansion. Hans quickly leapt from the passenger seat, opened the door for Mac and Nikki and escorted them into the large house where they were met by a short, grey-haired man.

"Ah, Fraulein Carpenter! How nice to see you in person! And Herr MacGyver, a pleasure to finally meet the man behind the reputation!" Gunter Kraus greeted them with a heavy German accent.

Nikki shot Mac a questioning look and he replied with a shrug.

"Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable," Kraus invited, encouraging the pair to step into a plush sitting room with Hans on their heels. "Do not look so surprised that I know your true identities. A man like me must be very careful about who he does business with."

"Business?!" Nikki exclaimed. "Is that what you call trying to launch a Communist revolt against the present government?!"

Kraus smiled at MacGyver. "She is a feisty one, is she not?"

MacGyver, not wanting to be rude, nodded in response and immediately felt himself pinned by Nikki's steely gaze.

"Now, Miss Carpenter, please hand over the disc you stole from me and you and Mr. MacGyver will be free to go."

"I don't have it," Nikki declared defiantly, raising her chin.

"What?!" Mac and Kraus cried in unison.

"You don't think I would carry such a valuable piece of information with me like a mere souvenir, do you?"

"Then you will tell me where to find it!" Kraus demanded, his good humor quickly dissolving.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Nikki replied calmly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Then it is up to Mr. MacGyver to inform me of its whereabouts."

"He doesn't know where it is," Nikki quickly spoke up. "And even if he did, we do not negotiate with Communists!"

"I am not interested in negotiating!" Kraus's voice boomed. "Give me the disc or you will die!"

"C'mon Kraus, you know you're not gonna kill us until you get the disc," Mac reasoned.

"Then give it to me!"

Gunter Kraus sighed heavily when both Americans remained silent. "Lock them in the cellar, Hans!" he ordered. "Perhaps some time commiserating with the other vermin will change their minds."

Hans placed a meaty hand on MacGyver's upper arm and the other he wrapped around Nikki's wrist, pulling them both from their seats. Taking out his gun, he once again aimed it at their backs and directed them through the large house, their footsteps echoing on the marble flooring until they came to a heavy wooden door leading to a wine cellar. At his command, Mac opened the door and he and Nikki descended the stairs into solid darkness.

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Nikki stood at the bottom of the stairs, blinking her eyes in hopes of adjusting to the blackness they found themselves in while MacGyver ran the palm of his hand over the roughhewn wooden wall seeking some kind of light switch. Instead, he found an old fashioned kerosene lantern.

"Guess this will have to do," he told Nikki as he held it up in front of her face for her to see.

"Is there any oil in it?" she asked skeptically.

"We'll find out soon enough," Mac replied as he lifted the protective glass shade, handed it carefully off to Nikki, and touched a strike anywhere match to the fuse. Within seconds, the cloth ignited.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nikki replaced the shade before MacGyver raised the lantern to shed some dim light on their surroundings. Unfortunately, what they saw wasn't very encouraging. A long, narrow hallway lined with shelves of old wine bottles stretched out before them. For how far they could not tell.

"Terrific!" Nikki exclaimed. "Now what do we do?"

"How about you tell me where the disc really is?" he rounded on her.

Nikki sighed and stared at the dirt floor beneath their feet. "It's still in my hotel room."

"What?! Nikki, you know that's the first place they'll look!"

"Hans searched for it for an hour and couldn't find it," she replied triumphantly.

"You don't really believe they'll give up that easily, do you?!"

"No. That's why I hid it where no man would ever think to look."

"And where would that be?" Mac asked, rapidly losing patience.

"I taped it underneath the lid of the toilet tank," Nikki answered smugly.

"That's not exactly by-the-book evidence handling procedure," MacGyver pointed out.

"Well what would you have done?!" she retorted.

Unable to summon a logical comeback, Mac silently wondered if he was, indeed, losing his edge in the field.

"You realize this means we have to get back to the hotel and retrieve the disc," he said flatly, knowing Nikki would recognize the dangerous repercussions of her actions.

"Of course I know that!" she snapped. "But first we have to get outta here. Any bright ideas, MacGyver?"

"Not yet," he muttered. "How old would you say this place is?"

"At least a century if not more," she replied, absently taking a bottle of wine from a nearby shelf, grimacing when she blew off the first of many layers of dust.

"Old mansions like this usually had tunnels or secret passages in case of enemy attack," Mac explained, once again raising the lantern to survey their surroundings. "I wouldn't be surprised if there's an escape route behind one of these shelving units. You take that side and I'll take this one and we'll work our way down."

Surprisingly, Nikki silently obeyed and began pushing and pulling on the rickety wooden shelves, rattling wine bottles as she went. Across the narrow aisle from her MacGyver did the same. They had progressed a few yards when Nikki let out a squeal.

"Did you find something?" Mac asked.

"No. More like something found me. It just ran across my foot!"

"Don't worry," MacGyver said, turning back to his task. "It was probably just a rat."

"Just a rat?!"

"He's probably more afraid of you than you are of him," Mac reasoned with a shrug as Nikki replied with an exasperated huff.

They continued to work in silence for several minutes until MacGyver began to notice his light grow dim. He set the lantern on a shelf to examine it.

"What's wrong?" Nikki asked, peering over his shoulder.

"We're running out of wick. And we don't have much kerosene left either."

"But you have a plan, right?"

The sound of optimism in Nikki's voice made him grin. "Yeah, I have a plan."

MacGyver reached up and undid his tie. Finally, this thing would be good for something other than impressing people. He pulled his Swiss Army knife from his jacket pocket and handed it to Nikki along with his tie.

"Here, cut it into smaller strips," he told her.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked as she set to work.

"Get us some fuel."

Mac grabbed several bottles of wine, dusting them off and looking for the oldest vintage dates. Those would contain the most alcohol. When Nikki was done shredding his tie, he grabbed his knife, opened it to the corkscrew tool, and began opening the bottles. He gingerly sniffed the fumes from the first one. Wow! If that didn't ignite, nothing would! Spreading out is homemade wick on the shelf, he thoroughly doused it with the wine. Then, while they still had some light, he filled the font of the lamp with the remaining alcohol.

"MacGyver! That's marvelous!" Nikki exclaimed.

"We're not done yet. Hold on, things are gonna get dark."

With that said, he extinguished the flame. From here on in, his hands would need to be his eyes as well. Working purely by feel, he eased off the glass chimney and removed what was left of the original wick. He then reached out for his tie, shoving it into the font before taking a frayed end and threading it through the wick assembly. He held the flame of his last strike anywhere match to the makeshift wick and let out a slow breath when the material caught fire. The flame flickered and danced but steadily grew.

"You did it!" Nikki praised as he fit the chimney back in place with a small smile of satisfaction.

"All right! Now let's find a way outta this place!"

Minutes began to feel like hours as MacGyver's arm grew heavy and tired from tugging on the solidly built shelves. Nikki admirably kept pace with him, but her intermittent sighs told him she was growing weary both physically and emotionally. He was beginning to think his idea had been off base and it was time to reevaluate when the shelving unit he was pulling on gave way just a bit to spark some hope in the pit of his stomach.

"Over here!" he called softly to Nikki. "Help me pull this open."

Slowly, the heavy section of wall heaved toward them. Adrenaline now flowing, they soon had the shelving pulled far enough away to reveal a rickety wooden stairway heading upward. MacGyver glanced at Nikki.

"Ladies first?"

"No way!"

Grumbling that this must be his penance for burning his tie, Mac gingerly put one foot on the bottom step and pressed down. When it didn't splinter under his weight, he tried the next one. So far, so good. He felt Nikki's presence behind him as they ascended the stairs, stopping when what appeared to be a trap door blocked their exit. MacGyver sighed inwardly, hoping that it wasn't locked from the other side or worse, had something heavy sitting over it to keep it hidden. He bent over, angling his body so he could put the weight of his shoulder and back into the door. After a couple shoves on the swollen wood, it freely swung upward allowing rays of light to pour onto his face. Cautiously he poked his head out of the opening. The staircase had led them to a rarely used room if the protective coverings draping the furniture were any indication. He climbed out the rest of the way, reaching back to help Nikki.

"Now what?" she asked.

"I don't suppose you noticed if there were any outdoor guards besides the ones at the front door?"

Nikki shook her head. "But I did see what could be dog kennels on the side of the garage."

"I saw that, too. C'mon." Mac reached for her hand and together they quietly snuck out of the room, stopping only long enough to get their bearings before MacGyver guided them toward the back of the house and the kitchen. He efficiently began searching through the myriad cupboards and walk-in pantry from which he emerged holding a box of Milk Bones triumphantly.

"Our alarm silencer," he said in response to Nikki's questioning gaze.

They crept through the back door and outside only to find a huge expanse of well-manicured grass and an unobstructed view.

"Any suggestions?" Nikki asked.

"We'll have to make a run for it."

"We'll never make it! This place is huge and we have no idea where we even are!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Mac bit back.

"Well...no," Nikki admitted after some hesitation.

"Let's head toward the garage," MacGyver suggested. "We might find something useful in there."

Nikki looked toward the large, ornate outbuilding that was more opulent than any house she had ever seen.

"Follow me and stay low," Mac ordered. Together, they crouched and ran as fast as they could toward the building. The antique side door was locked, but MacGyver easily jimmied it with his knife.

Once inside, MacGyver found a light switch and flicked it on. Nikki gasped. Before them, parked side-by-side were five of the most cherished foreign classic cars that existed.

"Looks like ole Gunter may have himself a side job," Mac observed facetiously before his gaze landed on a large number of wooden crates stacked from floor to ceiling against the opposite wall. Without a thought he headed in that direction.

"Hey, what are you doing? I thought we were gonna get outta here?" Nikki called.

Ignoring his former fellow agent, MacGyver reached the crates and, finding a rusted crow bar, pried the nearest one open. There, packed in straw, were brand new American military rifles of various sizes and capabilities.

"Looks like we just found out how Kraus plans to take out the new government," he mumbled.

"I don't believe it," Nikki whispered. "We've got to get back to the hotel and get that disc! It has all the information we need to shut Kraus down permanently!"

Suddenly, in the distance, they heard the clamor of barking guard dogs and they were growing louder.

"We must have triggered an alarm when we broke in," Mac stated, running his hand through his hair.

"What do we do now?" Nikki asked.

MacGyver slowly studied the contents of the garage.

"Surely you're not planning on hot-wiring one of those cars!"

"No. I'm planning on hot-wiring that." Mac pointed to a small motor scooter parked in a corner. In moments, he had the motor purring. He handed the box of Milk Bones to Nikki before she climbed on the seat behind him. Finding the remote control for the large, overhead garage door opener he gave it a punch and waited impatiently until they had enough clearance to escape the building. The scooter puttered down the long gravel path that led to the main driveway, but two angry Dobermans were faster.

"Nikki!" he called, "Distract our guests!"

He glanced over his shoulder to see his passenger tossing dog treats, leaving a trail behind them. The canines continued to pursue until first one and then the other allowed instinct to take over their training and soon both were laying on the ground, happily munching away on the treats. Unfortunately, their human counterparts were now getting in the game. High speed sniper bullets whizzed over their heads and angry shouts of the shooters could be heard. Deciding his original route was too dangerous, MacGyver steered the scooter off the path and headed across a wide expanse of grass with only a few trees and scraggly bushes for cover, but it was better than the alternative of the long, open driveway which would most likely lead them back into the hands of their captors...or get them killed.

"Hold on!" he told Nikki as the tiny vehicle bucked and bobbed over the rough terrain, significantly slowing their progress, but they had managed to put a safe distance between them and their pursuers. Nevertheless, both breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon reaching the smooth, paved road that headed back into the city.

Arriving back at the hotel, their mode of transportation garnered a number of stares, but MacGyver was too focused on retrieving the computer disc to notice. Grabbing Nikki by her wrist, he hurried her through the lobby, onto the elevator, and into her room which remained eerily empty. It appeared no one had returned...yet. Mac immediately headed for the bathroom and quickly removed the lid from the toilet tank, turning it over and resting it on the marble vanity. It was only then that he saw the disc in a waterproof plastic baggie held in place by rows of silver gray tape.

"Duct tape?" He looked up at Nikki with an amused smile.

"What can I say? You were starting to rub off on me before you left."

"If I had known that I might have stuck around," he smirked.

Ignoring him, Nikki reached over and snatched the disc from its hiding spot.

"Okay, we got it. Now let's head to the airport," she instructed.

Back outside the hotel, MacGyver hailed a taxi and they were soon on their way. The autumn sun was already sinking toward the horizon, casting shadows on the street. The promise of darkness would keep them from being seen by their enemies, but it would also blind them to anyone who might be following them. They both breathed an immense sigh of relief once they reached the airport, bought their tickets, and were safely seated on a plane headed to Los Angeles with a layover in Chicago. Just before takeoff, MacGyver covertly studied their fellow passengers to assure that they were, indeed, in the clear. Finding no one suspicious, he slightly reclined his seat and allowed himself to relax...a little.

Hours later MacGyver once again found himself winding his way through the ever-busy O'Hare terminal, only now with Nikki safe at his side. As the crowd parted before them he saw Craig Bannister waving at them from where he stood on the concourse.

"I called him from the airport in Germany," Nikki explained, answering MacGyver's unasked question before she slipped away from Mac and into Craig's arms.

"Let me guess," MacGyver said, grinning widely at Bannister. "She's the reason you joined the Foundation."

"What can I say, Mac? You caught me red-handed!"

"Isn't it wonderful?" Nikki asked, reaching out to touch MacGyver's forearm. "We've both managed to find love!"

"Did I just miss something?" Craig asked, his brows knitted together in confusion.

"Didn't Mac tell you? He's engaged!"

"You old dog!" Bannister exclaimed as he let go of Nikki long enough to give MacGyver a manly hug. "Who is she? When did this happen?"

Mac laughed at his former colleague's enthusiasm. "She's a teacher I met on my final assignment. We made it official a couple days ago. But what about you two?"

"We're taking things slow," Bannister conceded, smiling warmly down at Nikki. "And enjoying every minute of it!"

Nikki smiled back. "Mac told me all about Joanna during our flight. I can hardly wait to meet her!"

"You'll just have to get your boss to give you some time off to come back," Mac said, his words directed toward Nikki but his mischievous grin aimed at Craig Bannister.

"I doubt that will be a problem," Nikki winked.

Their reunion was interrupted by an announcement that the plane from Chicago to Los Angeles was boarding A flurry of good-byes were exchanged before Nikki and Craig headed to the terminal and Mac made his way to the parking structure where he had left his Jeep. Glancing at his watch, he was happy to see that he should be home by midnight. Two transatlantic flights in one day could really mess up a guy!

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Joanna sat at the Challengers Club reception desk and glanced at her watch with a sigh. It had been an achingly dull evening and she had sent Cynthia home a few hours ago. She knew she should leave as well, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to rest until she knew MacGyver was safe. She glared at the irritatingly quiet telephone. He had told her he'd be home by tonight. She assumed he would at least call and tell her when he was on his way. Unless something had gone wrong and he couldn't call. What if the simple assignment had become dangerous? What if he had gotten captured, or injured, or worse?! A shiver slid down Joanna's spine and she noticed her hands had begun to shake. Where was Mac and why hadn't he called?

Growing weary of the pitiful looks the volunteers shot her way when they thought she wasn't looking, Jo got up and made her way to the corner where Frog slept fitfully, his stubby little legs twitching as if he were chasing something. Was he anxious about Mac as well?

"C'mon, Frog. Let's go home." Joanna roused the snoozing dog, clipping his leash to his collar. She wasn't quite sure when she had begun thinking of MacGyver's place as "home", but right now all she knew was that it was the only place she wanted to be.

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The autumn moon was high in the sky when MacGyver finally pulled into his driveway. His insides melted a bit when he saw Joanna's car pulled off to the side, allowing room for his Jeep, and dim light seeping through the living room window indicating she was inside. He had always returned from a mission to an empty house except for the times he let Jack stay over. He wasn't sure which scenario was worse, but coming home to Jo was definitely the best. Not wanting to startle her, he tried to warn her of his approach by loudly stomping his feet on his outdoor welcome mat and noisily jiggling the door knob. Upon crossing the threshold, he found Frog sprawled on one side of the couch and Joanna snuggled into the corner of the other, her knees pulled up to her chin, her back to him.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" he called cheerily despite his exhaustion knowing that soon this would become an everyday greeting. When Joanna didn't respond, his blood turned to ice. Something was very wrong. He hurried over to the couch, squeezing himself into the small space between his dog and his fiancé so he could look her in the eye. His heart clenched in alarm when he saw her smeared mascara and the now-dry tracks of tears she had shed.

"Baby! What's wrong? Are your folks okay? Did something happen at Challengers?"

In response, Joanna uncurled her legs and leaned forward, enveloping him in a tight embrace, her head upon his shoulder as she began to sob.

"I was so worried when you didn't come home and didn't call," she choked out, trying to swallow her tears.

"I'm sorry," he murmured soothingly into her ear, hugging her tighter. "I promise it won't happen again."

Without warning, her fear and worry morphed into anger and she pulled herself out of his arms.

"You also promised you were done with Phoenix!" she shot back accusingly.

"And I am! But this was a special case," Mac said in a plea to make her understand.

"And what are you going to do the next time they come to you with a special case?!"

"I don't know!" MacGyver replied, his voice growing louder with frustration. "What do you want me to do?!"

"Oh no you don't!" she responded, pushing herself off the couch to put distance between them. "You do not get to put this on me! What am I supposed to say?! If I let you go I'll be worried sick and if I tell you not to you'll resent me!"

Mac leaned back on the couch with a sigh and scrubbed his face with his hands. He had to admit she had a point.

"Look, we're both tired and upset. Go home and get some rest and we'll talk about this tomorrow," he suggested calmly.

"No."

"What?"

"You heard me. I said 'no'. If we have a fight like this after we're married we won't be able to go our separate ways so why should we do it now?"

"Fine. We'll talk!" MacGyver snapped.

Joanna sat down in the cushioned chair next the couch, arms folded defensively across her chest, as a heavy silence shrouded the room only to be punctuated by Frog's intermittent snores. Each second that ticked by grated more deeply on Mac's nerves.

"I'm sorry I didn't call," he ground out if for no other reason than to break the unnerving stillness.

A sideways glance was the only proof that Jo had heard him.

"Well…?" he prompted.

"I'm not gonna apologize for worrying about you," she replied tartly.

"I'm not asking you to," he said softly, finally finding the words he knew he needed to say. "But I am asking you to trust me. Trust that I am committed to you and Challengers and not going to run off if Phoenix calls. But I'm also going to help my friends when they need me. That doesn't mean I don't love you or that I'm taking unnecessary risks. It's just a part of who I am. A part of me you said you loved." Here he chanced a small smile in her direction.

After several minutes, Joanna's lips fought to tug upwards in a smile of her own. "And I meant that. I apologize for overreacting," she said quietly. "You're not some child who needs protecting. You're a strong, capable man who has proven you can handle anything that comes your way. I'm sorry for not having more confidence in you."

MacGyver slid off the couch and crouched down in front of Joanna, taking her hands in his.

"I guess we both could've handled this better," he admitted, Jo nodding her agreement.

"So, are we still okay?" he asked, his fingers finding and caressing her diamond ring.

"Yeah," she replied, a sincere smile on her face. "I guess I underestimated how I would feel now that I know I'm gonna be your wife instead of being stuck in girlfriend limbo."

"Things have changed, haven't they?" Mac mused.

"But in a good way."

"Yeah. In a very good way."

As if drawn by a magnet, they leaned toward each other, their lips meeting in a caress that said what words could not.