Whenever anyone asked where he was from, Jack Wyatt Dalton always just said Austin. The truth was a little more complicated.

The little town Jack grew up in, which Mac joked was far too small to bother with a name of its own, was a good forty-five minutes away from the city, and the Dalton family ranch had a couple hundred acres in every direction before you hit the main road, or even the nearest neighbor's fence, say nothing about an actual neighbor.

But Jack sort of suspected that if things were different, Mac wouldn't be so keen to take another trip out there with him. The few times he'd taken Mac there in the past, it had been because he sensed a need for the strange, busy quiet that life out there offered.

Jack loved seeing his family, always. But when he'd called his grandmother to find out if she and his grandad minded company for a few weeks, he'd been relieved that first of all, they were both thrilled, and second of all, the rest of the clan all had plans elsewhere until after the new year.

It would just be the old folk, a few of the ranch hands who didn't have anywhere else to go, and what his nana now wistfully called, "her boys," in the same way she'd always referred to him and his brother.

Jack had smiled at that, because he thought it would do Mac a world of good to see them again so they could show him that found family was as real as family came when yours happened to be Daltons. But also because he was sure Nana would help him keep an eye on Mac, who was still loath to admit that all wasn't well with him, physically or otherwise.

Jack had dragged Mac along with him on leave not too long after he'd re-upped to watch the kid's back. He and Mac had been good friends by then and Jack had been more than ready for the kid to know that when he called him brother, his whole family came with the term. By then, Mac had been the version of him that Jack had gotten to know once the cocky, prickly, defensive facade he'd first encountered fell away: a little on the quiet side, helpful (if somewhat prone to disassembling a body's personal belongings on the way to that help), and unfailingly polite and respectful, unless he thought you'd earned otherwise. But he'd still clearly been struggling with Alfred Peña's death and Jack wanted to show him there were places to put his grief that didn't involve flinging himself into one dangerous situation after another because the incident had convinced him that he was responsible for saving everyone all the damn time.

The whole family had taken to him on that short break from the Hell of their deployment. And Mac had seemed to take to them, too. He did spend enough time in the back bedroom, or out with the animals, that everyone, and most especially Jack, figured he was avoiding conversation a bit. Everyone else had assumed it was because he was a shy person. Jack supposed he was, or he could be at times, but mostly Jack thought that Mac just didn't know quite how to handle family, especially a family who'd decided you were a part of it the minute you'd set foot out of the truck that picked you up from the airport.

And Nana, well, Mac might as well have been Jack's long lost little brother rather than a skinny bomb nerd with a silly hamburger name he'd picked up in the desert. Because she adopted him into the Dalton family the minute her prize rooster started following Mac around the yard when they arrived. When the dogs all decided they liked him too, it was all over.

They'd come back a few other times more casually for things like the big Fourth of July party, and something about the place just seemed to get Mac to be more Mac even if everything seemed fine with him. Jack could relate. He loved working in LA, loved the excitement, the razor's edge he walked in his work. But the smell or horses and hay, or strong coffee and biscuits straight out of the oven before morning chores … Sometimes he thought maybe he'd missed something by not staying right here to learn the family business.

On their most recent visit, Jack's family knew Mac had run afoul of someone from his past in the military. To a degree, there was no hiding it. Mac had still been bruised all to hell and wearing a sling while he recovered from the surgery to fix up some of the worst of what O'Neill's men had done while they'd held him captive. Before Jack decided it was time for another trip east, Mac had tried to keep up the pretense that things were fine. But Mac's nightmares had been damn near crippling. And he knew Jack knew it, because even on the nights Jack didn't just pass out on their couch, Mac knew Bozer was informing his Overwatch behind his back.

Jack had suggested a trip to the ranch under the auspices of saving him from Bozer's relentless Mama Bear hovering, and Mac had quickly agreed.

When they'd arrived, the house was full of family that talked and laughed and provided exactly the kind of warm distraction Jack knew the kid needed. After a while, as family members disappeared to their rooms, Mac had simply succumbed to his exhaustion and passed out on the couch while the few folks not quite ready for bed were still talking, possibly aided by the whiskey and tea Jack's Nana had considered a cureall most of Jack's life and had brought the kid at least three of over the course of the evening. He'd been too polite to tell her that he barely liked the occasional beer.

Nana had tried to rouse a sleeping Mac to send him to bed before his awkward sleeping position hurt his injured shoulder. When all her efforts yielded was the young man shifting in his sleep, she shook her head with a soft smile. "He's clearly picked up a few habits from you, Jack."

She untangled Mac from his twisted sling, made sure he was supported by some of her many throw pillows, and carefully covered him with the afghan she always had folded on the back of the sofa.

Mac made a soft sound of distress in his sleep then, and she sat down on the arm of the sofa next to him and began to reach out, but hesitated.

"He looks so young," she observed.

"You should've seen him when I met him," Jack had replied.

Mac shifted in his sleep again, mumbling something. His good hand reached up to grasp at his still-aching shoulder. "No … don't," was more intelligible that time.

Nana's eyes tightened in a way that Jack knew meant she just plain hurt for his friend. She carded her fingers through the young man's tousled blond hair and asked softly, "Who would want to hurt this sweet boy?"

Jack had held his real response in check since it would only have gotten her to threaten to wash his mouth out with some of her homemade lye soap and he'd had enough of that decades ago. What he said was, "The kinda people I've been after for a long time. And the kind Mac just seems to have a talent for getting in the way of since the first day I met him."

She'd given him a solemn nod. "Well, just you keep hunting them. Maybe if you catch enough of them, it'll keep you both out of trouble."

Jack, his brother, and their Grandad had taken Mac out on a leisurely nearly weeklong camping trip, on horseback by day and sleeping under the stars by night. Mac hadn't shared much of his past with them, but he had let slip that camping with his own grandfather had been one of his fondest memories from his childhood. Even though he told them his Gramps had been more instructionally than recreationally oriented. He'd had to admit that since he was still in a sling, their version of camping was a lot friendlier to his state of affairs. He wasn't an especially confident rider, but all the guys were good teachers, and the amusingly named Trigger was about as gentle and patient a horse as you could want. He also very much appreciated an excuse to not be the one gutting the fish.

It wasn't that Mac's sleep had really been better after their trip over the summer, but it had seemed easier for him to bounce back after a bad night when they got back to LA.

When Jack called to make arrangements for a nice long holiday visit this time, his Nana seemed to see right through him as soon as he asked if there'd be room at the house. "Is Angus alright?"

Jack hesitated for a split second.

"Jack Wyatt Dalton you tell me what's going on with the two of you right now or you'll be sleeping in the barn this holiday."

It wasn't as though he could tell her the truth, but half the reason he wanted to spend time there was so Mac might actually get the rest that prevailing medical wisdom said he should have. And maybe let down his walls a little bit. He'd gotten better about at least letting Jack know something was bothering him, even if he wouldn't say what. He seemed to be reverting to old habits this time though.

They'd come so close to not making it out in Cairo. And the way Mac was acting like it never happened, like a lot of bad things never happened, worried Jack in a way he couldn't quite articulate. But he knew one thing. He couldn't look out for the kid if he didn't even know what was going on with him. He wondered if a good long stay at the ranch might not get him to open up about a lot of things.

Besides, no one could keep Jack's nana from taking care of him, and she had an eerie talent to convince you you'd agreed to it, no matter how determined you were to take care of whatever it was on your own. Not to mention a manner that just seemed to soften everyone's hard edges. Which was probably a really good thing since Dalton men seemed to be born with more than their fair share of them. And if Daltons thought someone had hard edges, they might actually be built from diamond. Which Jack was occasionally convinced that Mac might be.

Jack puffed out a long breath. "There was a little accident with some think tank business. Mac did what he always does and even though he probably shouldn't have been able to, he thought fast, Nana. We still got dinged up a little, though."

He heard her sigh, and he wasn't sure if it was because she knew he wasn't being honest, or if it was out of simple concern. "I ought not to have to worry so much now that you're not in uniform." Jack took a breath to apologize for making her worry, but she went on. "But I suppose making the world a better place is always likely to come with its share of dangers."

"I supposed it does."

He heard her smile when she spoke again. "Well, Santa must've known how hard you're working, because it's not even Thanksgiving for another three days and there's already far too much bounty to ship out to sunny California for Christmas. You'll be saving me an arm and a leg by getting yourselves out here."

Jack grinned. This trip was a good decision for a lot of reasons. After they chatted about a few details, he decided he needed a secret ally. He told her a little more about Mac needing to take it easy, and that he knew it from the doctor and not from Mac. Mac, as usual, had not said a word about anything anyone couldn't see with their own eyes.

His nana sighed, and this time it wasn't affected. "Poor Angus, living behind those high walls. Makes me want to tan the hide of whoever made him feel the need to build them."

"Me, too, Nana," he said with complete sincerity. "I wanted you to know … But I think it's better if he doesn't know we know … You know?"

"That sentence was an absolute atrocity, but I understand. I'd tell everyone so we could all help you look out, but I know your grandfather would just forget he's not supposed to know. He'd love to get you both out on the trail with him, so we may have to run interference a bit if we keep it quiet though."

"You're probably right."

Knowing he probably couldn't involve his grandad he hashed out a few more details with her, then they ended the call. "Love you, Nana."

"Right back at you, my boy. To the moon and back."

Jack was fairly satisfied with their plans, though Thornton had called him not long after he'd made their travel arrangements, sounding absolutely furious.

"You know Mac shouldn't have even left Medical. At least until the end of the week. O'Neill is still in the wind and still gunning for both of you. You're one handed, and now you're going to go gallivanting off to Texas. Surely you can see why I'm calling."

Mac had been taking a nap in the bedroom for the last couple of hours. He'd admitted that he was exhausted. That worried Jack a little based on what Steve told him, but at least the kid was resting some. Mac came back into the living room just as Jack was about to unload on Thornton, gave him a funny look, then sat on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table.

"How'd you know that?" Jack asked warily.

"Oversight informed me, because apparently you booked commercial plane tickets less than an hour ago. It's in DXS best interests to know where all our assets are."

"Oh," Jack said levelly, just like it wasn't creepy to learn that your boss's boss probably got a freaking alert every time you used your damn debit card. With Mac in the room, he couldn't exactly share his plans to keep Mac maintaining the level of recovery restrictions Steve had laid out (and Elliot had agreed with). So he just drawled, "Well, Hell, Patty, I'm real sorry us taking a vacation is makin' you and Oversight twitchy, but there's nothin' like the holidays back home and me and Mac are gonna go nuts cooped up here on all this enforced R and R. I figured you'd be thrilled we found a way to stay out of trouble."

"He's sitting right there, isn't he?"

How's that woman always know? It's eery as Hell. "Yes'm."

"And Dr. Rodgers briefed you?"

"You bet."

From the couch, Mac glanced over his shoulder at Jack, so Jack just mouthed 'Thornton,' then offered a 'what're you gonna do' kind of shrug.

"And I assume there is something resembling medical care in the cradle of your origins? Because if there's not, Oversight is probably going to get you put on a no fly list."

Jack frowned at that. Creepy was one thing. Interfering with their personal lives was something else. And if that idea pissed Jack off, hearing it would probably cause Mac to go absolutely nuclear and quit.

Mac was looking at him again.

"Patty, I've got every single detail handled and we'll be back after Christmas to do whatever paperwork y'all are obsessing about today. If you're gonna ban us from the office, you can't just change your mind cuz you don't like how I filled out some forms one-handed."

That seemed to satisfy Mac, who went back to watching ESPN.

"Keep an eye on him, Dalton."

"I always do."

"And try not to practically lose any limbs yourself either."

"I can promise you that, Patty. Y'all have yourself a nice holiday. We sure plan to."

She simply ended the call and Jack shook his head.

He put down his phone and joined Mac in the living room, sitting on the chair instead of the couch to make sure the kid felt like he had some space.

"Nice nap?"

Mac shrugged mildly. "I couldn't really sleep." Then he grinned. "I got all packed for the trip though. When's our flight?"

He really wished Mac hadn't handled his big suitcase himself, but he was trying not to push. That'd just drive whatever was eating the kid even further underground. "Seven thirty tomorrow morning. We ought to be at the ranch just in time for lunch."

Mac grinned again. "That sounds awesome. I bet your nana bakes something because she knows we're coming."

"I bet she bakes something because she knows you're coming." Jack gave him a big grin. "From the sounds of it, she's fixin' to spoil us both rotten cuz we're gonna be the only family at the ranch this year."

"Oh." Mac looked thoughtful for a moment. "Then I'm especially glad we're going. I know how she loves a big family around for special occasions."

"She sure does, kid." He paused, trying to think of a way to bring up Mac not lugging his suitcase packed for a month at the ranch out to the car himself.

Mac looked at the clock. "Do you think your neighbor's kid who did all the running around when we were both laid up last spring ... Tommy, right?"

Jack nodded, head tilted to one side in a question.

"Do you think he'd be interested in making a couple bucks hauling our suitcases down to the car tonight so we're good to go to leave for the airport in the morning?"

Jack was a little surprised by the question and more than a little pleased that he didn't have to make the suggestion himself and then argue with Mac about not carrying his own suitcase, because he hadn't been sure how he was going to do it without letting Mac know that Steve had ratted him out.

"I bet he would be, kid, but-"

Mac interrupted, "You packed your whole life into your suitcase and you're one handed and I …" He trailed off for a second, then quickly covered for nearly saying out loud that he wasn't supposed to be lifting anything. "I don't want to pop any stitches. They're finally getting past the point of itching so bad that I want to unzip my skin and walk out of it. I don't want to need new ones."

Jack didn't love that Mac wasn't being fully honest with him. But he definitely appreciated that the kid was at least trying to do what the doc had told him to.

"I'll give his mom a call right now, kid. You go grab some cash outta my stash and we'll give him a hell of a good tip."

0-0-0

True to their predictions, Jack's nana had lunch waiting for them when they got in from the airport with Luis, the hand they'd sent to collect them since Jack's grandfather was off looking at a new mare to add to the family's breeding stock. They dabbled in a lot of aspects of traditional agriculture, but that man loved his horses nearly as much as he loved his wife, Jack thought.

When they'd first come to visit a few years ago, Mac had tried to 'Mr. and Mrs. Dalton' Jack's grandparents, but, of course they wouldn't have any of that. So when Jack's grandmother ran down the steps to greet them (like a woman half her age, at least), Mac just allowed himself to be swept into the hug she pulled both of them into and said, "Hi, Nana. I'm happy to see you, too."

"I imagine you'll be happy to see dessert, too," she said, giving him a wink. "I just accidentally made too much pie crust and since you know how I feel about wasting things, there's cherry and peach this afternoon."

Mac still wasn't feeling especially hungry, but he knew that would never fly with Nana. Not without explanations anyway. So, he gave her his best thousand watt smile.
"Do I have to choose?"

"If you don't have some of both, I may break down and cry," she said lightly. "You, too, Jack. I expect some help in keeping my culinary excesses under control."

"Yes, ma'am," Jack agreed with a smile Mac rarely saw Jack wear anywhere but here.

Both of them hesitated by the truck, neither of the men wanting to tell the other that they shouldn't carry the bags, but both knowing they shouldn't do it either.

Nana saved the day by putting one arm around each of them and leading them up the steps. "Luis, honey, would you bring their things in and put them up in the boys' old room, please? I don't want these boys lifting a finger while they're here."

"Of course, Missus," he said in his pleasantly accented voice.

"Thanks, Luis," Mac said with a wave, more than happy to let her call the shots in this situation.

"Yeah, gracias, man," Jack said, trying not to grin at how expertly his grandmother was managing Mac already.

She didn't let him down all afternoon. Especially because under her watchful eye, Jack noticed that Mac actually ate a decent amount of lunch and dinner and that he also just let her put off his grandad about going for an after dinner ride.

When everybody started to disappear to their respective bedrooms that evening, Jack expected Mac to either suggest some TV or want to go out to the porch and look at the stars under a clear sky for a while, because by their internal clocks it was a couple of hours until their earliest considerations for sleep would normally come up.

Instead, Mac just looked at Jack, who had a dog on either side of him on the couch, each sleeping with their head in his lap. He yawned and Jack couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. "I think I'm gonna hit the rack, too."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You? This early?"

"It's after nine," he said a little defensively.

"It's just after seven for us." Jack gave him a long look, wishing the kid would just fess up to exactly how kicked around he'd gotten in Cairo. He probably shouldn't say anything, but, just shutting up was not in Jack Dalton's nature. "You feelin' okay, hoss?"

Mac rolled his eyes. "You know your grandad is gonna be banging on our door at sunrise to go help out outside. It won't matter when our brains think the sun ought to come up. I'm just trying to get ahead of the curve," he said mildly.

"You know what? That's a real good point, kid."

Jack followed Mac to their usual room that once upon a time he'd shared with brother. He wasn't really even close to tired, despite his own injuries, but unless he couldn't come up with a good excuse to do it, he wanted to hang close to keep an eye on his overly self-contained partner.