Reunited
By
“Peter, I need to talk to you. I think you should come to San Pablo .”
“Sam, you know I'm planning to come in two weeks, I--”
“That might not be soon enough.”
“Not soon enough? Sam, I don't understand.”
“Something's been happening Peter… with my people and me.”
“What's been happening?”
“I don't think I can talk about it now…it might not be safe to do so. Can you call me back tomorrow so we can talk?”
“Of course…of course I can. I'll give you all the time you need. Whatever's happening we can figure it out…together…”
“Talk to you soon Querido…”
*** *** ***
Samantha Lora stood on the balcony of her adobe palace, her gaze fixed on the view of the sleepy little village she lived in. The sun began to set in the east and the dropping temperature made her shudder as she pulled her lace shawl a bit higher around her shoulders. She sighed; the phone call with Pete caused her thoughts to drift back to another time, a time when the world seemed less complicated and she wasn't standing on this balcony alone. Back to a time when he was there with her, his thick arms around her waist holding her possessively to him.
“So many things I want to tell you Sam, I wish we had more time--”
“You have to go back to the United States , Peter, I understand that.”
“Maybe you can come with me?”
“You know I can't, my father needs me here and there is so much work to do.”
“Will I see you again?”
“Oh Querido—of course you will.”
Those were the last words they spoke on the balcony before Pete had to leave. She raised her hand and tears fell from her eyes as his plane took off, disappearing from sight as it climbed high into the sky.
Their next reunion had been bittersweet; Sam feared for her life, and Pete's eye disease had made things less than romantic. So many years had passed, and it was as if they were strangers again. In many ways they were strangers with no time to rekindle the past, only a promise that they would see each other again.
Another promise, but would they reunite this time? Pete said he would be coming in two weeks, but would it happen? Or would it be too late by then?
Sam sighed as she wiped her wet cheeks with her finger and wished Pete was there right now, or that she could find a way for them to be together.
Behind her, a dark figure brushed aside the curtain that covered the sliding glass door. A pair of black-gloved hands raised a gun with a silencer on the barrel and took aim, Sam's shawl-covered back being lined up in its sight…
*** *** ***
Pete bent over the radio on his counter top and clicked it on. He began turning the dial on the old redwood Philco radio; the tabletop model had been a gift from MacGyver and Gillian for his birthday, and Pete considered it one of his most prized possessions. A barrage of static blasted through the round speaker and he winced as he tried to find the easy listening station. At the halfway point on the dial the static subsided and a strong voice crackled.
“Latest news now on the assassination of President Lora--”
The name didn't catch right away and Pete grumbled, still searching for some listening music. With another twist the needle moved farther along the dial, and all at once a cold wave of realization broke over him.
“What?” He said to himself as he quickly turned the knob back.
“…apparently it is not known at this time who is responsible for the assassination, but it's being investigated at the moment. For those of you just tuning in let me repeat— San Pablo 's President Samantha Lora has been gunned down in the Presidential Palace in San Pablo —we will bring you the news at it becomes available, but for now authorities have no leads--”
Pete felt dizzy and lightheaded and he swayed; his hands slammed down on the countertop for balance, his mind whirling at the terrible news.
“Sam—oh God no—not Sam--” Pete mumbled as he bowed his head, taking a few moments to try and get it together. He squeezed his eyes shut at the beginning sting of newly formed tears and his jaw clenched, his blue eyes turning fiery as his lips tightened. Pete stiffened his spine and ran his hand down his navy blue sweater, smoothing out the wrinkles. He then glanced at his phone and went over to it, practically ripping it from the wall. He dialed a number with trembling fingers, scowing as the line clicked.
“Connect me with Agent Pykee—this is Peter Thornton--”
*** *** ***
ACHOO!
The sound of a sneeze welcomed Gillian as she pushed open the door to the master bedroom. There her husband sat, pulling a dark grey sweatshirt down over his bare chest as he sat on the edge of the bed. She sighed, shaking her head, knowing what Mac was up to and she sat down beside him.
“You don't have to do this Mac; I know you don't feel good.”
“I'm fine--” He sniffed as he turned to look at his wife. “Besides, it's not fair, you don't have any help right now and it's tough enough to take care of one baby, let alone two.”
“Mac--” Gillian shook her head at her husband's exaggeration. “You haven't been a baby; I let you stay in bed because you needed the rest to get better.”
“I've been in bed long enough. I've got things to do--” He stood up, adjusting his clothes a moment before walking around the bed. “All I need is some hot tea and Echinacea, maybe some ginseng and I'll be okay.”
“Well you happen to be in luck because that's what I bought for you when I went to the store--” Gillian followed her husband out of the room and down the hall.
“Though I was tempted to just get you some Nyquil instead.”
“It's not medicine, it's just alcohol that knocks you out. You might as well buy me a bottle of whiskey, it's just as effective.”
They made their way into the kitchen and there, laid out on the counter, were all the herbal remedies Gillian had mentioned, along with a box of herbal tea, a huge carton of orange juice, and a jar of Vitamin C. Mac picked up the bottles and read the labels.
“Is all this to your liking, Father Nature?” Gillian brushed past him and plucked a mug from the drain board, then turned on the stove and set the tea pot on the burner.
“Here, for your tea--” She handed him the blue mug as she leaned against the counter in front of the sink, her arms crossed over her chest.
MacGyver set the mug down and turned to face his wife, his expression softening. Reaching out, he opened her arms and she stepped into them, holding her hands in his.
“You probably think I'm a huge pain in the neck, don't you?”
“Try a little further south,- ” Gill stated, trying not to smile, but quickly losing as Mac pulled her into a hug. She sighed as she finally caved, her fingers stroking through his hair that now went well past his shoulders.
“I just want you to feel better, even if you don't take the natural approach. Okay, so maybe Nyquil does have a lot of alcohol in it that knocks you out, but at least you'd get some sleep instead of staying awake all night, miserable.”
His arms slid around Gillian's waist and he rocked her a little from side to side.
“I know, believe me, I want to feel better too. I miss not being able to hold Corinne or feed her because I don't want to get her sick.”
“She misses you too.”
The whistling tea pot ended the hug and Mac let go of his wife to shut off the burner. Lifting the pot from the stove, he poured the steaming water into his mug and added a tea bag.
“I tell you what, if I don't feel better by tonight I'll give the Nyquil stuff a try, okay?”
Gillian smiled at that as she reached into the pocket of her pink sundress and pulled out a green bottle of the medicine in question. “I kind of figured you'd say that so I bought it just in case.”
“Yeah well we'll see about that lady--” Mac countered in an imitation of Dexter Fillmore as he stuck his tongue out at Gill and scooped up his bottle of Echinacea and Vitamin C, along with his tea, then left the kitchen.
The nasally voice of Dexter, made even worse now by her husband's cold, sent a shiver down Gillian's spine as she winced. She couldn't stand her husband's alter ego and Mac knew this all too well.
“When you're better I'm going to spank you for that!” Gill called out after him, giving a full body shudder. Just the very mention of Dexter made her cringe.
*** *** ***
MacGyver closed his eyes, his head tipping back a moment. His sinuses pulsed, the area around his eyes and across his forehead having the steady booming rhythm of a timpani drum. The slightly warm air blowing through the open garage door did little to help, and he dropped his head and rubbed the back of it.
“Aw come on, give a guy a break,” He muttered to himself as he rolled his head along his shoulders and sighed, giving his neck one last squeeze. The thought of just caving in and taking the medicine Gill had bought popped into his head briefly, but he quickly shrugged it off and opened his eyes. Lying on the workbench in front of him were the scattered parts of the garbage disposal and with a heavy sigh, he picked up his screwdriver and began working on it once again. He had just begun adding another piece when the garage grew dark.
“What the--?” Mac said to himself as he raised his head to look at the light bulb, seeing it was still on.
“MacGyver--”
The sound of his name got Mac's attention; he turned towards the direction it came from, the open garage door, and there stood the reason why the light had disappeared. Shielding his eyes from the glaring sun that had only temporarily been blocked, MacGyver recognized the figure standing just inside the door.
“Pete?”
“Yeah… it's me--”
Just his low, slightly breathy tone set off alarm bells inside Mac's head. He set everything aside and got to his feet in a hurry. As soon as his eyes adjusted and the bright orange color faded, he saw the face of his best friend and mentor. Just the blankness of his expression and the hollow deadness of Pete's eyes made Mac's stomach immediately tense.
“What happened, Pete? What's wrong?”
With his heart hammering in his chest, he stood in front of the stout man waiting for him to speak. The adrenaline now pumping through him suddenly made him forget all about feeling sick.
Pete hadn't said a word, but simply dropped his head. “I don't know how I got here Mac; I don't even remember getting in my car.”
“That doesn't matter, the point is you're here.” Mac watched him, feeling the cold fingers of fear gripping even tighter around his heart. Finally, he swallowed hard and reached out to take Pete's arm.
“Pete I need you to tell me what happened--” He spoke in a calm, clear voice as if addressing a young child. He kept a good firm hold on Pete and finally he raised his head.
“Did you hear the news, Mac?” Pete could feel the tears beginning to brim in his eyes and he fought them, not wanting to break down in front of his friend. Though he wasn't sure how he would be able to not do that, his insides felt like they were churning with crushed glass.
“The news?” Mac shook his head. “I haven't had a chance to watch it, Pete. What am I missing?”
“There was a report--” Pete started to say but then stopped, reaching up to wipe one thick hand over his face.
“Take your time.” Glancing over his shoulder, Mac saw the side door. “Come on, why don't we go in the kitchen and talk about it?”
With his shoulders slumped a little and his head bowed, Pete reluctantly nodded and let Mac lead him into the kitchen.
*** *** ***
“I should have gone to her MacGyver--” Pete sat across from Mac, a cup of black coffee in front of him on the table. He held his head in his hands as he stared into it, the black liquid mirroring the void he felt in his heart.
“I just got so busy that I couldn't find the time. Now I'd give anything for just a moment of it back.”
Mac stretched out his arm and touched his friend on the shoulder, giving it a strong squeeze. The broken-hearted tone of Pete's voice made his own throat start to tighten. He knew how much Samantha Lora had meant to Pete.
“You never forgot about her, Pete, and I refuse to believe you got too busy to go see her. As I recall, you were planning on taking a trip next month. You were going to go see her weren't you?”
Pete's thick hands finally moved away from his head and he raised it, his face hanging.
“Yeah I was, but little good it'll do me now.”
MacGyver winced at the harsh undertone, knowing his friend didn't mean the way he sounded, and he nodded. “I know you're hurting Pete; did you talk to someone at the DXS? Does anyone know what happened?”
“I talked to Pykee. He told me it was his problem and not to worry about it--” He scoffed as he picked up the mug of steaming coffee and had a sip.
“But you didn't just accept that brush off did you?”
“I had no choice--” Pete straightened up and covered his face with his hands a moment, taking a deep, deep breath. “I'm not with the DXS anymore and I just can't go butting into their business.”
“Butting into their business?” Mac's brow creased his expression one of disbelief. He sat back in his chair and moment and wiped his hand across his mouth. He sighed, trying to keep a grasp on his temper, but the non-reactive way Pete just sat there made it slip through his fingers; he leaned forward, bending over the table closer to his friend.
“After that Stams mess was over with the DXS promised—no—they guaranteed that Samantha would have protection. And now look what's happened and you're going to sit there and tell me it's none of your business?”
Pete raised his eyes to look at Mac, seeing the anger boiling in his eyes. “What do you want me to do MacGyver? It's too late, Sam is gone. I should have been there for her and I wasn't!”
“You can do something, Pete. You can find out what happened to her and see to it that the ones responsible get punished for it!” His friend's heartbroken expression calmed Mac's anger and his face softened.
“If something happened to the woman I loved, there wouldn't be anything I wouldn't do to find whoever did it.” His voice had dropped to a whisper and he reached out and put a hand on Pete's shoulder.
“You did love her, didn't you?”
A pair of wet eyes now lifted and a slow nod was given. Pete's chin began to tremble and he squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with both hands.
“She's dead Mac—oh God Sam--”
Mac felt his own throat tighten and he made a pained face as he wrapped his arms around Pete's shoulders and drew him into a hug. He rested his chin on top of Pete's head, feeling the strong shudders of absolute grief wrack him.
“I'm sorry Pete, I'm so sorry. But we're going to find out everything we can about what happened to her. I promise you--” He closed his eyes and touched his hand to the back of Pete's head, riding the wave of grief and sorrow that washed over his best friend.
*** *** ***
The screen door swung back and hit Gillian in the hip; she stepped over the threshold, the green and white baby carrier that contained Corinne in one hand. The screen door closed gently behind her as she came into the house.
“Mac?” She glanced over her shoulder again, confirming that the dark grey Volvo parked in the street did indeed belong to Pete. The bags were set down on the couch and Gillian set the carrier down; she unbuckled Corinne from it and picked her up.
“Mac?” Cradling the baby to her chest, Gillian rubbed the back of her little purple onesie as she headed towards the hall.
He came out of the garage, the now-completed garbage disposal in his hand. The expression on his face immediately made Gillian crease her brow.
“What's wrong? Where's Pete?”
“We need to talk about that--” Mac passed her and went into the kitchen setting the unit down on the counter. He placed his hands on it and bent over a little, his head dropping.
Gillian swallowed hard as she came up behind him and gently placed a hand on his back.
“What's going on, Mac?”
“Can I hold the baby?” He asked, finally lifting his head and straightening up. He turned to face his wife, holding out his arms.
“Of course, she was a really good girl at the mall--” Gillian passed Corinne to him, still waiting to hear what was wrong, but not pushing the issue.
MacGyver took a hold of his daughter and set her on his shoulder. He gave her a gentle hug, closing his eyes as he pressed his cheek to her little head.
“Samantha Lora is dead Gill; she was assassinated in San Pablo .”
“What?” Gill whispered, her eyes rounded and she gasped, touching her hand to her mouth.
“Oh my God—so that's why Pete's here?”
“Yeah.” Mac opened his eyes, seeing his wife's stunned face. “He's in the guest room, resting.” He stepped closer to Gill and put an arm around her drawing her against him.
“Poor Pete, I can't believe this. Do they know what happened?” She leaned her head against his shoulder.
“No, the DXS isn't being cooperative at all--” He held both the women in his life for a moment, sighing at the comfort they brought.
“I think Pete needs to go to San Pablo .”
Gill raised her head, looking into her husband's face. “Then you better go with him, Mac. He's going to need your help for this.”
Mac started to open his mouth to protest but his wife gently laid her fingers over his lips.
“Corinne and I will be just fine Mac. The Castillas are next door and I've got Jack and Nikki on speed dial. One phone call and they'll be over here in a flash, giving me all the baby help I'll need.”
For a moment they locked gazes, a silent message crossing between them. A small smile came to Gill's face as she touched Mac's cheek, her finger stroking down it gently.
“We'll be okay, I promise. If he didn't need you, Mac, he wouldn't have come here and you know that. You need to help him; I can't imagine how much he's hurting.”
“A lot--” He wiped his hand down his face, exhaling through his fingers.
“I've never seen him like this and I've known him a long time.” Mac leaned his head down to kiss the top of Corinne's head, pressing his cheek against her red curls before once again meeting his wife's eyes.
“Samantha was a sweet lady; she didn't deserve that.”
“No—she didn't--”
Gillian heard the voice behind her and whipped around, seeing Pete standing in the hall. She went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I'm so sorry Pete.”
He returned the embrace, his hand in the center of Gill's back; he looked past her shoulder at Mac and nodded.
“I'll make the arrangements for us to leave for San Pablo as soon as possible.”
*** *** ***
Nikki paced, one arm locked around her waist. In her other hand she held the phone, a white cordless, pressed against her ear. The conversation had to do with the Foundation, though her attire for this particular day did little to reflect work. Being a Saturday, Nikki actually had the day off and had spent it running errands and doing various things around her house. Decked out in jeans shorts and a pink t-shirt, she had put her hair up in a clip, the loose strands framing her face. Finally she stopped pacing, her expression growing serious.
“Yes MacGyver, I understand the situation, but after you, doesn't Gillian have the highest seniority?”
“No Nikki she doesn't, archeology isn't the next highest priority level, but finance is. We need you to take over as temporary Director of Operations. Gillian will be your Assistant Director but you're in charge, the foundation is yours.”
Sighing, Nikki shook her head. “I don't know Mac, this is a big responsibility and I'm still relatively new to the Foundation. Are you sure the board trusts me?”
Her front door opened and in strolled Jack Dalton, whistling as he kicked the door closed behind him. He spotted Nikki and grinned.
“Hey hey Mamacita!” He called out,, but then touched his hand to his mouth when he saw Nikki whip around and point to her head.
“Oh! Sorry! Didn't know you were reaching out to touch someone--” He went over to her blue couch and plopped down on it, watching her once again begin to walk back and forth across the living room carpet.
“Nikki you're perfect for the job, and you do have prior experience. You know how things work and you have the complete confidence of the board to run things as you see fit. Pete and I are going to be dealing with the DXS and with presidential assassins, its best that we disassociate ourselves with the Foundation until we find out what's going on.”
That statement made Nikki wipe her hand across her forehead. “That bad, huh? You know Mac I still have some old contacts in Washington , if you run into any bureaucratic brick walls, I might be able to find things out on this end.”
“Thanks Nikki, just stick close to your phone; we'll let you know if we need anything.”
“All right, I will and please reassure Pete I'll do my best until you both get back.”
“We know you will Nikki, talk to you later.”
“Bye Mac--” The line clicked and she took the phone away from her ear and turned it off. She touched the antenna to her chin a moment, thinking of what MacGyver had said.
“Me? Director of Operations?” She shook her head slowly, still not believing it, but then a Cheshire cat grin spread across her face.
The smile made Jack sit up. “You're Director of Operations? I'm not saying you can't do the job Nikki, but how did that happen exactly? I thought Mac would be next in line for Chief?”
“He is, but he and Pete are taking a trip into South America so that leaves me the next one to take over things.” She sat down beside Jack, a proud look on her face.
Jack scooted closer to her and put one beefy arm across her shoulders.
“Mac and Pete down south? Did they say why?”
“Yeah, has to do with Samantha Lora being assassinated--” Nikki's jovial expression faded, replaced by a more somber one. “Pete was in love with Samantha Lora and she got killed. Mac says he's taking it pretty hard, that's why he volunteered to go with him.”
“I know how hard that must be for Pete--” Jack's head lowered a little out of Nikki's line of vision and then he turned away.
Nikki's brow creased and she reached out and touched Jack's chin, turning his face back towards her. “What is it?”
Before he spoke, Jack plucked the slender hand from his face and held it in his own.
“I guess I just appreciate things more now then I ever did before. Friends loved ones—People mean more to me now. Once upon a time the only person I could really count on to help me or be there for me was Mac.”
“But that's changed now right?” Nikki gave his hand a squeeze, her dark eyes focusing on Jack's face.
“Yeah that has changed. I've got a lot more people in my life that care what happens to me. Not just Mac anymore, I've got Gill and Pete--” He leaned closer to Nikki, running his index finger along the slope of her cheek. “And especially you.”
That brought a smile to her face as she touched her lips to Jack's in a kiss then leaned her head against his blue t-shirt.
“You'll always have me Jack, I want you to remember that.”
Jack wrapped his arm around Nikki's shoulder in a hug. He squeezed his eyes shut as his other hand dropped to the pocket of his jeans. A square shaped lump distended the denim and his stout fingers brushed against it.
“You'll have me too, always--” He whispered before his hand came up and touched her dark head.
*** *** ***
The roar of military trucks and tanks were the welcome mat as Mac and Pete approached the capital city of San Pablo . They had landed in the Foundation jet where an all-terrain vehicle was waiting. Armed with a map, Mac had followed it out of the closest big city, Puerto Barrios, Guatemala . From there, the trek took them fifty kilometers along the Guatemalan border and then another fifty kilometers into San Pablo to get to the capitol.
MacGyver spotted the big heavy vehicles and hit the brakes. He pulled his sunglasses off and tucked them in the front of his white button-down shirt.
“What? What is it?” Pete asked as he looked around, not sure exactly why they had stopped.
“Take a look--” MacGyver veered off the side of the road into a nearby crop of camouflaging foliage and shut down the engine of the SUV.
Both men quickly got out and ducked down behind the silver Pathfinder, watching as a well-armed tank rolled by, one of at least a dozen in the convoy.
Pete craned his neck, reading the markings covering the vehicles. “My God…those are our military Mac. What is the army doing here?”
Mac stayed low, making his way along the vehicle to the front end. He lifted his head, the top of it barely rising above the hood catching a glimpse of the last truck before it disappeared out of sight.
“I don't know Pete; my guess is that they're not officially here--”
Fetching a pair of black binoculars from the front seat, MacGyver raised them to his face and peered through the eyeholes. From their vantage point at the top of a big hill, they could see the whole village; Mac aimed his glasses there, focusing the lenses on the township below. The endless rows of multicolored houses lined the dirt roads on both sides.
“Where did you say the Presidential Palace is?”
“It's in the center of town I think, the biggest structure there is--” Pete carefully made his way over to his friend, looking towards the area Mac aimed his binoculars.
“Well? Do you see anything?”
“No not much and that's pretty unusual for a capitol city, even one this size--” The field glasses were lowered as Mac turned towards his friend.
“It's like a ghost town down here; the DXS probably evacuated the city and got the army to help them do it.”
“Maybe they were expecting trouble?” Pete asked as he took the glasses from his friend and peered through them.
“Or maybe they simply did it to get the locals out of the way--” Mac kept watching the city, expecting to see people, yet none ever came into his line of sight. His instincts were alert in the back of his mind and he shook his head.
“I don't like it.”
“Me either, we have to get down there and find out what's going on--” Pete moved the binoculars away from his face and handed them to Mac. He reached into the pocket of his tan jacket and pulled out his black cell phone and a card.
“I'm going to try and give Pykee a call and see if he's feeling a bit more like talking today then he was the day before yesterday.”
“Good idea, I'll give Nikki a ring and see if any of her old Washington buddies might know anything about the military being in San Pablo--” He went back over to the driver's side and climbed back in, pulling his cell phone out of the glove box and dialing.
“Nikki, its Mac. I need you to do me a favor--”
*** *** ***
Gillian held Corinne in her arms as she sat down on the couch; she took a small bottle out of her pocket and laid her daughter in the crook of her arm.
“Time for some food huh Baby?” Holding the little girl across her lap, she gently touched the nipple to her mouth and watched as the baby accepted it and began to eat.
“That's my girl--” Gill smiled as she played with Corinne's fingers. She turned her wrist over and caught a glimpse of the time.
“It's been an hour Nikki, why don't you try Mac again?” Glancing up at the woman pacing in front of her fireplace, Nikki nodded as she leaned over and picked up the cordless phone.
“I just wish I had more to tell him.”
“Your friend didn't know a whole lot, not a total surprise considering you called Washington .”
“Nathan's always been good to me Gillian--” Nikki's tone and scowl spoke volumes as she held the phone to her ear; she got an error message and hung it up.
“Still not going through.”
“Mac and Pete must be someplace too far out of range--” Gill tried not to worry as she looked down at Corinne a moment. “I'm sorry if I implied your friend isn't reliable, but politicians by nature have deniability and being a former bureaucrat, I'm sure you're aware of that.”
“I am, but Nathan's never pulled that on me and I don't think he's about to start it now--” She hit the redial and pressed the phone to her ear. The phone began to ring and her spine straightened.
“Ringing!” She whispered and Gill sighed, closing her eyes a moment in relief.
“Nikki?”
“Hi Mac, I got a hold of my friend Nathan O'Dell and he said that the only military action he is aware of is a couple of Green Beret units out of Ft. Bragg that were sent into Panama, but that's not exactly your neck of the woods.”
“No its not and trust me, those Green Berets never made it to Panama .”
Nikki shook her head as she sat down in the love seat right beside the couch.
“MacGyver are you sure about what you saw? Are you absolutely sure about the markings on those tanks?”
“Nikki I'm sure, I know the symbol for the Airborne Division when I see it. The few soldiers Pete and I saw had Airborne patches on their uniforms and the tanks and trucks had the US on them.”
“Oh terrific--” Nikki bent forward, her hand across her forehead. “Those soldiers are a thousand miles away from where they're supposed to be.”
Gillian watched Nikki as she lightly bounced her legs, trying to lull Corinne to sleep.
“Ask him how he's feeling? Did he and Pete pack camouflage? Are they keeping out of sight?”
“Did you hear all that?” Came Nikki's question into the phone as she sat up, moving her hand away from her face.
“Yeah I heard, tell her I'm fine and yes, Pete and I ditched our civvies for desert camouflage and we've got a secure hiding place and we're laying low in till the sun goes down.”
The message got relayed to Gill, who raised a questioning eyebrow. “So he took the medicine I packed for him? I bought him enough to take down a rhino.”
She started to open her mouth to speak, but stood up instead and handed the phone to Gill.
“Here, let's trade--” Nikki gently took Corinne from her mother and sat back down in the loveseat, holding the bottle while the baby drank.
“Hey Mac, did you take the medicine?” Gillian leaned back against the couch, fingering the arm of it a moment.
“Yeah I took it and slept on the plane. I didn't want to, but I figured it was important to be able to breathe --”
That comment made his wife smile. “I know you'd rather be tied upside down and dipped head first into boiling oil then take medicine, but I think you have enough to worry about down there without adding a cold to the mix.”
“Yeah, I know. So Nikki and Jack are both at the house?”
“Jack went to get dinner; I told them they didn't have to hang around but they insist--” Gill turned to look at Nikki, flashing her a smile.
“Good, I'm glad they're there. I didn't like the idea of you and Squeaks being alone.”
“We're fine Mac really, Corinne and I are in very good hands--” Her face grew serious and she swallowed hard. “You and Pete just be careful okay?”
“We will, I promise. As soon as we find out what happened, we're gone.”
“Okay I better let you go, give us a call as soon as you know something.”
“I will, Love you Gill.”
“Love you too Mac, bye--” Gillian sighed as she took the phone from her ear and hung up the call.
“God I hope he's careful.”
“He will be--” Nikki said reassuringly as she set Corinne on her shoulder and patted her back.
“He hasn't been on an assignment in a little over a year, not since I told him I was pregnant. That's a long time--” She thought back to that night remembering her husband's words.
I can't do it anymore. I'm tired Gillian, I'm weary and worn and I don't have anything left.
God I hope that's not true —Gillian thought to herself, blanking out for a moment.
Nikki looked at Gill, tilting her head to one side. “And you're thinking what? That Mac doesn't remember how to be covert anymore? That he's going to be rusty?” She readjusted the baby, sitting up straight and holding the little girl on her lap.
“No of course I don't think he's rusty, I'm just…worried--” Gill chewed her lip a moment. “Nikki?”
“Yes Gillian?”
“Would you and Jack mind staying the night?”
A smile came to Nikki's face and she shook her head. “We brought a few changes of clothes with us, just in case.”
“Really? That's great!” Gillian sighed in relief and glanced down at the grey shorts and white tank top she wore. “Umm can you do me a favor and watch Corinne for me? I'd like to shower and get a little more comfortable.”
“Sure, you go ahead--” Nikki watched her leave and turned the baby toward her.
“Don't worry, me and your Uncle Jack are going to take good care of you and your mommy while your Daddy is away--” She gave the little girl a kiss on the cheek and hugged her.
*** *** ***
The San Pablo sky had changed with the setting sun; the vibrant colors of pink, orange and yellow rolled across the horizon before the deep navy blue of twilight pierced through. The only noise other than the crickets was the sound of an engine that echoed through the hills
Mac drove the SUV with a pair of night vision goggles on his face which cast a sickly green glow onto everything. Using the Pathfinder's headlights would give away their position, so Mac drove without them as they made their way down to the city. Beside him in the seat, Pete too saw the world in a green hue, though he peered through binoculars, not goggles. He focused them on the road ahead, making sure they had an unobstructed path into San Pablo .
“Keep a sharp eye Pete, don't want any surprises--” Mac stated as he peered through the windshield, his grip on the steering wheel firm as they bumped along the seemingly treacherous road.
“Good thing this thing has four-wheel drive--” He muttered to himself as a deep crevice threw him forward. He had a simple plan: get into San Pablo , get to the Presidential Palace and speak to whoever was in there.
Pete grunted as another strong bump locked his seat belt, the strap digging into his chest.
“Maybe walking would be easier Mac, certainly less painful --”
“Well at least we have some protection in this vehicle--” The tires hit a hard bump and both men slammed their heads in the roof.
“Oh yeah some protection--” Pete groused as he rubbed his crown.
MacGyver heard the complaint and glanced a moment at his friend. “If this road gets any worse you just might get your wish.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Pathfinder lurched forward violently, slamming Mac against the steering wheel and Pete into the dashboard. The back end of the SUV had come off the road.
“Spoke too soon!” Mac wheezed as he managed to scoot back a tiny bit in his seat. He tried to make out what had happened, but the angle of the vehicle prevented him from seeing much.
“I don't know what happened to the road, we need to get out of here.”
“Yeah, try putting it in reverse--” Pressing against the dash, Pete had been able to push himself away from it a little.
Fingers felt along the area between the seats until they brushed up against the gearshift. Mac moved the lever up two notches and hit the gas. The SUV's front tires spun in the dirt and the back end ones simply spun, the sound of loud whirring reaching both men.
Pete managed to glance over his shoulder, looking out the back window.
“Our butt's in the air Mac, all we're doing is digging ourselves in deeper.”
“We don't even know if we're in a hole or if the road disappeared--” MacGyver pulled the goggles off his face and tossed them over his shoulder. “Guess it doesn't matter which it is, we're stuck either way.”
“Looks like we're hoofing it after all--” Pete shifted forward again and pushed his door open, feeling the bottom of it scrape along the ground. He fumbled but finally managed to unhook his seatbelt and get out.
“The seatbelt's jammed Pete; I think my side is dug in more than yours--”
“Just hang on Mac, I'm coming--”
The Pathfinder had managed to find a weak spot in the road and part of it had collapsed, taking the SUV and both men with it. Pete felt the soft sand under his boots; he gripped parts of the vehicle working his way around it to the driver's side. He didn't want to go around the hood, not being absolutely sure of how deep they were stuck or the stability of the ground.
Mac watched Pete as best he could using the mirrors, he tried not to move too much because the steering wheel dug into his chest, making breathing difficult.
“Hurry Pete--” He whispered licking his lips.
The driver side door beside him suddenly opened.
“I'm here and you're right, this side is much more unstable then my side--” Pete had a grip on the doorframe and poked his head inside the car.
He jerked on the strap behind Mac's head, hearing the click. “It's locked up, I'm going to have to cut you out of this seatbelt--” Pete reached into his pocket and pulled out a field knife. Opening the four-inch blade, he gripped the strap, sawed through the thick material, and felt it give.
“There, you should be able to move now.”
“Yeah thanks--” No longer being pinned, Mac moved away from the wheel, the pressure of his chest gone and he took a deep breath.
“Here give me your hand--” He stepped back and clasped the wrist of MacGyver's left hand. Mac used his friend's weight as leverage and got out of the SUV.
“Thanks Pete--” Mac leaned against the passenger side door, rubbing his chest.
“Looks like the road took a beating from all those heavy-duty vehicles and gave out under us.” He bent over a little, taking a few deep breaths.
“Mac? Are you all right?” Pete hunched over with him, his hand on his friend's back.
“I'm okay, though I might have a lovely imprint on my chest from the steering wheel.” MacGyver straightened back up and opened the passenger side door.
“ San Pablo can't be more than a few more miles.” He pulled out two backpacks, handing one to Pete.
“We can hike our way down to the city in no time.”
“Right, no time--” Skeptically Pete raised his eyebrow as he slipped the green pack on.
“Come on Pete, we'll make it--” MacGyver slung his backpack onto his shoulder; he grabbed two flashlights from the interior of the SUV and passed one to his partner.
“Here, let's go.”
Mac turned on his flashlight and pointed it at the ground; he started off in the direction of San Pablo with Pete following behind him; the pair of yellow beams of light being swallowed up by the darkness.
*** *** ***
“Hey Baby--”
Agent Abigail Collette pressed the phone closer to her mouth, leaned back in her chair and brought her legs up to rest on top of the large wooden desk she sat behind. This pose shifted the peach suit she wore, the skirt riding high up on her thighs. She reached down and plucked off her white high heels; they dropped to the floor with a loud clack .
“Hey Abby, how are things?”
“Things are fine—going exactly as we planned--” She sighed, reaching up to pull the bobby pins from her hair and gave it a shake, the long blond tresses rolling out of the bun to just a little past her shoulders.
“Good, I knew the army would make all the difference in the world.”
“Of course they did and you're brilliant for having thought of it Nick--” A malevolent smile came to her lips, causing a glimmer in her dark blue eyes. She knew what a compliment like that would get and it secretly delighted her how easily a few chosen words had not only gotten her an important assignment, but also the Director of Operations of the DXS, Nicholas Pykee, wrapped around her little finger. And that wasn't the only place she had a hold on him.
“I only went by an old adage Abby—the sword is mightier then the pen.”
This brought a smile to Abby's lovely face. “I think you've got that backwards Darling, isn't it the pen is mightier than the sword?”
“Not from my experience.”
Abby sighed running her hand down her blazer, popping open the buttons. She wore a white silk shirt beneath it and began plucking open the buttons one by one.
“All this talk…you know what it does to me Nick--”
“Yeah I know--”
The change in his breathing was obvious; Abby could hear it right through the phone and it made her grin. With the last button opened, she pulled her silk shirt from the waistband of her skirt and parted the ends. She touched her white lacy bra, fingers sliding over the slope of her chest.
Nicholas cleared his throat, trying to focus. “What are your plans for the city Abby? Where were the citizens relocated to?”
“Oh they're safe—under armed guard in a nice little tent city. And as for the rest of San Pablo —let's just say that things are running smoothly and that's exactly how I want them to stay.”
Abby sat up and pulled open a desk drawer, taking out a small silver case. She placed a cigarette between her teeth and lit it, tipping her head back to exhale the smoke. She sighed at the luxuriant rush of the nicotine through her system.
“Do you know where I am Nick?”
“No…where are you?”
Casting a glance over her shoulder, she caught sight of a large, fluffy king size bed. Another sinister grin came to her face as she stood up and went over to it, climbing onto it.
“I'm here in Samantha Lora's bedroom--” She leaned back against the soft pillows sighing contently.
“What are you doing in there ? What if someone should see you?”
“And what if someone does Nick? This city is mine now, I'm in charge here--” Abby sat up and looked around the room. “Boy this place could use some style . The adobe walls are bare…there's only one little window without much of a view. The only artwork its got is this one painting--” She raised her head, seeing the stern face of Guillermo Lora staring down at her, and it made her shiver.
“And it's of a creepy man. She doesn't even have carpeting in here! Just one little wooden shrine beside her bed with a bunch of religious artifacts and candles.”
“That creepy man was the former President of San Pablo, Guillermo Lora, and frankly given where she is, I wouldn't blame Samantha for needing all the religious help she can get.”
Abby swung her legs over the side of the bed and scooted close to the edge. She looked at the small table with the little wooden shrine, glancing over the metals, rosaries, holy pictures and a few small statues; three white candles were in the center surrounded by the holy items. She stuck her cigarette in the top of one of the candles.
“Yeah well look where her devotion got her--” Abby plucked a card from the shrine and tossed it over her shoulder. She flopped back on the bed and one stray hand glided down her body.
“I want you Nick; I wish you were here right now--”
“I'll be there soon enough Abby--”
Groaning softly, she ran her fingers up the inside of her thighs. “Wish this was your hand sliding between my legs--”
A groan came through the line phone line and a few hints of raspy breathing.
“Abby, we can't play games like that right now. There's something else I need to talk to you about.”
Sighing, Abby thumped her fist down onto the quilt. “Dammit Nick! I'm tired of talking business! I want to play!”
“There's a time and a place to play Abby and as long as you're there then business has to come first! And what I have to tell you just might end the playing!”
“All right! all right!” She sat up in the bed, tugging her skirt back down. “Whatever you have to say just say it already!”
Sitting up a moment, she picked up her cigarette and had another drag of it. She blew out the smoke then snuffed her cigarette out in the middle of the small shrine, grinding it into one of the statues Samantha had there.
“I wanted to tell you that there's a real chance that Peter Thornton might be showing up in San Pablo .”
“Peter Thornton?” Abby rolled her eyes. “What business does he have here?”
“Samantha Lora was his ex-lover, Abby, he's bound and determined to find out what happened to her.”
“Oh please--” She got up from the bed and paced around the room, her bare feet silent on the tile floor. “I got news for you, if Thornton shows up I'm going to have him arrested.”
“Arrested for what?”
“Espionage…he's not with the government of San Pablo so he must be a spy.”
Pykee sighed impatiently over the line. “ Thornton is no spy, but arrest him if you must. The last thing I want is his interference.”
She went back over to her desk and sat down on it crossing her legs. “Ohh you don't have to worry about that Baby. No one is going to interfere in our plans--” Abby gasped loudly, a sly grin drawing up the corners of her mouth.
“Baby…I just got a wicked idea.”
“And what's that?”
The chair creaked as she leaned back in it. “I'll fill you in when you get here.”
*** *** ***
Gillian covered her daughter with a blanket, leaning down as she stroked her finger over the little girl's face. She had just finished her bottle and had drifted off to sleep. Gill sighed, wishing she felt relaxed and calm enough to get some rest.
She gave Corinne a kiss on the cheek, then picked up a small pink bear near the bottom of the crib and placed it under the edge of her quilt. The stuffed animal had been a gift from her father when she was but a few days old.
“Here, you keep your daddy's bear with you.”
Running a hand over her light red curls, Gill pressed her cheek to her daughter's head.
“Night Baby girl--”
Sighing, Gillian straightened up and left the room quietly, closing the door behind her.
“Everything okay?”
A male voice came out of the darkness; Gill started, whipping around to see Jack standing in the hall.
“Hey Jack, yeah everything's fine. What are you doing up?”
He stepped closer to her, the nightlight from the bathroom splashing against his face. Gill couldn't help but smile at the pajamas he wore, light blue with pictures of Oreo cookies all over the top and pants.
“I heard the baby crying, thought I'd help.”
“Just her midnight feeding that's all, but I appreciate your concern,” Gillian sighed, running her fingers through her hair.
“Since we're both up, can I interest you in some hot chocolate?”
Jack grinned and bowed dramatically. “Of course my lady, lead the way.”
Gillian laughed as she turned and headed for the kitchen.
“You're having a hard time sleeping, aren't you?” Jack glanced up at Gillian as she poured the steaming water from the tea pot into his mug. He could see the anxiety in her eyes as she sighed.
“Try not sleeping at all, Jack.” Gillian walked around the table and returned the tea pot to the stove. Her black mug sat on the counter behind her and she picked it up as she pulled out the chair beside Jack.
“He hasn't been away from home like this since I told him I was pregnant. He gave up going on missions, and sometimes I wonder if he misses it or if he regrets doing it--” She blew on the chocolate a moment before having a small sip.
“Mac made his choice Gill, he chose you and the baby and it was the right one--” Jack leaned back in his chair a moment.
“I've known Mac a long time and I've seen him make decisions over the years that he might not have made otherwise if not for the fact a friend needed him. That's the kind of man he is, doing things for others and not thinking about himself. But when he met you, all that changed and for once he started thinking about his own needs and desires--”
Jack reached out and touched Gillian's hand. “He loves you and Corinne; he'll never regret staying home and being with the both of you.”
Gillian turned her hand over, her fingers locking around Jack's thicker one and she gave them a squeeze. “Thank you Jack…you don't know how much better that makes me feel.”
Jack gave a nod of his head, then raised her small hand giving it a kiss.
“Think nothing of it lady.” He said with a wink.
*** *** ***
Mac sat down on the ground, leaning against an adobe wall. He took his cap off and ran his fingers through his hair. Tipping his head back, he stared up at the night sky, taking a deep breath.
“Haven't run like this in quite a while, have you?” Pete asked as he sat down beside his friend. He too was a bit winded; he pulled off his hat and rubbed his hand over his bald head, the skin flushed from the exertion.
“No, not really--” Mac peeled the pack off his back, set it down between his legs and unzipped it, pulling out a silver thermos. He unscrewed the lid and poured the contents into it.
“Coffee?” Pete leaned close and sniffed the steam.
“Hot chocolate--” MacGyver corrected as he blew on the brown liquid, then took a small sip.
“Is that what I've got too?” Pete opened his pack and began rummaging through it.
“No, you've got coffee. I know you're not fond of hot chocolate--” Drawing his long legs up, Mac rested the cup atop his knee and his gaze drifted out into the dark night of the empty village.
Finding a green camouflage thermos, Pete pulled it out and poured himself a cup. The coffee soothed him instantly and he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. He then looked around the village, shaking his head. The buildings were older, a little more deteriorated, the Spanish roof tiles were faded, some of the adobe crackling and crumbling.
“It hasn't really changed since I was here last…” He swallowed hard. “Since I left this place to go back to the US and the DXS.”
MacGyver's head rolled along the adobe wall towards Pete. “It was tough, wasn't it? To leave her?”
“Hardest thing I ever did--” Pete said softly lowering his eyes a moment. “You know, that's always one thing I admired about you Mac. The way you were able to leave Gill and still do your assignments. I always thought you were strong for being able to do that.”
“Strong?” Mac shook his head. “I wasn't strong Pete. It killed me every time I had to go and leave Gill behind.”
Pete nodded, seeing his friend's solemn face. “You mean like now?”
“No--” He sighed, licking his lips. “It's worse now because I don't just miss Gillian, I miss Corinne too.”
A wave of guilt washed over Pete from seeing his friend missing his family and knowing he had caused it. “I'm sorry Mac, I'm sorry to take you away from them.”
That brought a smile to MacGyver's face as he shook his head.
“No Pete, don't be sorry. You're my friend and you need me right now. I miss my wife and baby, but I couldn't just sit and home and worry about you coming all this way on your own.”
“You're right, I do need you--” Pete faced forward again, his blue eyes growing sad.
“And you've got me--” Mac replaced the lid on his thermos and returned it to his backpack. He rose to his feet and shrugged the pack back on.
“We shouldn't stay in one place too long.”
“You think the army was tipped off about our arrival?” Pete stared up at his friend, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Maybe…I guess it all depends on how mad you made Pykee.”
A ghost of a smile came to the stout man's face, the first time he had felt like it since he first heard the news about Samantha.
“Then we may be in trouble Mac.”
“I'll risk it.” He motioned to the thermos. “Come on, pack it up we have to keep moving.”
“Right--” Pete dumped out his lid full of coffee and capped his thermos, then slid it into his pack. Mac stuck out his hand and Pete glanced at it a moment before raising his arm, the men locking wrists. Taking a step back, MacGyver pulled his friend to his feet; Pete slung the pack over one arm as the two men disappeared into the darkness once again.
*** *** ***
“Stay close Pete--”
A blond head and a pair of dark eyes peered from around the bottom of a wall. The Presidential Palace lay a few hundred yards ahead; the massive beige adobe structure had three levels, the huge house surrounded by a high black wrought iron fence.
“See anything?” Pete asked as he stood behind Mac, glancing past his shoulder.
“No, and that's what worries me. We saw the army earlier and now it's like they've just disappeared. I don't like it--” Mac leaned back, sighing as he put his back against the wall. “It can't be that easy, just waltzing in there like nothing.”
Pete nodded, glancing around his friend again. “I didn't tell Pykee when I was coming to San Pablo ; he might not expect me so soon.”
“Yeah--” Looking around, MacGyver pulled the brim of his cap up. “Or they might be waiting to pounce on us the moment we get out in the open.”
“Yeah you could be right about that--” Pete pondered this, looking around again. “Especially if there are Green Berets involved, they could be disguised as a building and we'd never know it.”
“With that in mind…time to relocate--” MacGyver rose to his feet; he saw another small house located half the distance from their current hiding place to the wrought iron gate.
“Over there--” He motioned to the little shack and Pete glanced at it nodding.
“What about the gate?”
Mac licked his lips a moment. “One thing at a time Pete. Remember… quick and quiet.”
With that the two men started off, moving with quick strides taking advantage of the dark and their camouflage clothing.
Their senses on alert, they had just gotten to the shack, their distance to the gate less than a few yards. Suddenly a bright search light blared to life, hitting both the men. They shielded their eyes from it and turned away.
“Don't move! Stay right where you are!”
A barrage of men in tan camouflage descended up on the two dazed men.
A pair of hands grabbed Mac by his shoulders and shoved him down to the ground. The air got knocked from his lungs and a knee against his spine held him in place. He struggled to breath for a moment, and then gritted his teeth in pain as a barrel of a gun dug into the back of his neck.
“We're Americans! We're here to see--”
“Shut up!” The soldier drew his arm back and slammed the butt end of the pistol across the back of Mac's head; the blow made him cry out in pain before he slumped to the ground unconscious.
“Mac!” Pete called out as he too got thrown against the dirt, his hands placed roughly behind him.
*** *** ***
Nikki rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow as she watched the guest room door open. Jack closed it gently behind him, and then almost yelped in surprise when he saw Nikki waiting for him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and began unbuttoning his pajama top.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah…Gill's just got a cause of the jitters that's all, can't say I blame her what with Mac being gone.”
He pulled the pajama top off and dropped it on the chair by the bed, flexing his suddenly tense shoulders.
Nikki shifted to her knees and moved behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“You're a good friend to reassure her Jack--” She put her chin on top of his shoulder and kissed his neck.
“All Mac's done for me, it's the least I can do--” Jack touched the slim hands roaming up his chest and glanced over his shoulder at Nikki. He thought about the ring still in his jeans and sighed, then swung his legs up onto the mattress, turning to face Nikki.
“Nikki I really need to talk to you about something, but it's not easy--” He started, but then closed his mouth and hung his head.
“Jack—what is it?” Two of her fingers touched his chin and lifted it, staring into his face.
“You know you can tell me anything.”
“I know…” He swallowed hard as he gazed into Nikki's face.
“I love you Nikki. You're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me--”
Jack reached out and touched Nikki's cheek, his thick fingers stroking over it lovingly.
“And no matter what happens to me, for the rest of my life I'll be grateful for having known you.”
“Jack…What's brought all this on?” Nikki swallowed hard; she closed her eyes at the feel of his hand on her face and nuzzled it. A sudden thought occurred to her and her dark eyes flew open in panic.
“You're breaking up with me, aren't you?”
Their gazes locked, and Jack watched Nikki's face crumble and her eyes grow shiny. Her lower lip began to tremble and he slowly shook his head.
“No Baby, I could never leave you--” He said gently and Nikki sighed audibly in relief, leaning her face against his hand.
“Then why were you talking like that?”
“I don't know, maybe this situation with Pete and Samantha Lora…maybe seeing the pain Gill's going through without Mac, you name it--” Leaning closer to Nikki, Jack touched his mouth to hers. The gentle brushing turning into a deep kiss; Nikki giggled and squirmed against him, Jack's thick mustache always tickled her at first whenever they kissed.
Jack leaned sideways, gently guiding Nikki to the mattress. She shifted on top of him as the kiss finally ended, sighing contentedly as she rested her head on his chest.
“I know it is a tough situation with all of them, but things are going to be all right Jack, I have faith in that--”
“Me too--” Jack whispered as he touched Nikki's dark hair and stroked it. They were silent for a while, and then he felt her relax against him, her breathing becoming deep and even.
“Will you marry me Nikki?” He whispered, knowing Nikki had fallen asleep and didn't hear his question, much less be able to answer it.
“You had your chance Jack, you had the chance to ask her and you were too much of a coward to go through with it--” He stared up at the dark ceiling; his last conscious thoughts were of South America and his friends before he finally fell asleep.
*** *** ***
Abby smiled to herself as she went into the bedroom. She took off her business suit, letting each garment fall to the floor unceremoniously. Turning now, the candle glow casting a soft flickering light to her nude body, she approached the bed; her grin growing broader as she knelt with one leg onto the large bed then brought the second one upon the soft quilt.
“My my, how fortuitous this night has been after all--” Abby leaned over on all fours then crawled up the comforter, stretching out along side a supine figure. She sighed dreamily rolling onto her side, her lips dropping to nuzzle at the bare chest just under her nose, breathing in the scent of warm skin. She shifted over then, bringing one hand up to brush the long blond locks away from the unconscious man's face.
“Still just as handsome as ever aren't you? And I've got to say I love your hair this way.”
She gathered a handful of the golden tresses and brought them up to her nose and sniffed them, sighing at the familiar scent.
“God you always did smell so good, but the GI Joe look is definitely not in this year--” Abby let the hair slide through her fingers, then lowered her head, her lips brushing against MacGyver's mouth then climbed over him, her chest rubbing against his and the coarse camouflage material of his pants.
MacGyver stirred, his arms coming up and around the woman kissing him. He didn't open his eyes; he didn't need to, for it could only be one person.
Gillian… He returned the gentle caressing of the lips. Mac could hear his wife giggle, feel the warm weight of her body against his; his hands combed through her hair and he craned his neck, silently offering it.
Abby grinned at his response, her lips roaming down his chin and throat. They settled in the hollow of his neck, her teeth sinking into the flesh and holding it.
“Uh! Someone's aggressive--” Mac whispered, his hands stroking down Abby's bare back; she licked and suckled at his neck, making him whimper. She shifted over to her side keeping her head lowered; her fingers glided down Mac's bare chest to the waistband of his pants then moved further down stroking over the hard ridge of flesh she encountered.
Such a big boy you are Mac… Abby said to herself as she pulled down the fly of his pants and slipped her hand inside, grasping Mac's thickening manhood with her fingers, stroking slowly up and down the heated length of it.
“Ohhh God-- ” Mac's head rolled from side to side, panting. In his muddled haze he had no idea who was really touching him, he simply gave into the pleasure his wife gave him.
Abby shuddered, hearing the desperation in MacGyver's voice and the feel of the twitching shaft in her hand. She raised her head, seeing the flush in his cheeks and she began to scoot down, her fingernails of her one free hand raked down the writhing body.
Mac groaned then winced as he felt the bite of fingernails and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a moment, the pain at the base of his skull flaring. Mac reached back and touched it, then gazed down expecting to see red hair. His dark eyes grew as round as a hubcap when he saw blond.
“What the--?”
The deep, more alert voice got her attention and Abby raised her head. The two gazes locked on one another and MacGyver's mouth dropped open.
“Abby--”
“Good Evening Mac, just about to have myself some sausage for a midnight snack—I bet it's as tasty as the rest of you--”
“Ohh I don't think so!” He bucked his body then kicked her away, the action of his long legs shoved her off the bed; she landed on her butt on the solid floor and turned on her side, rubbing her wounded backside.
“Goddamn it Mac! What did you do that for?”
MacGyver rolled onto his side and stood up, the fast movements making his head spin hard. He sank to the floor, rubbing the back of his head. His mind raced and a wave of guilt and embarrassment washed over him, his cheeks beginning to burn.
You let that woman touch you! You got HARD for her!
I didn't know it was Abby! I thought it was Gill!
Still arguing with himself, he began to crawl; his knees were rubbery and weak, their lack of cooperation a sure sign that the blow from the soldier's gun might have given him a concussion. The door lay up ahead and he headed towards it, trying not to think about what had almost happened.
“Oh noo you don't!” Abby recovered from her harsh landing and stood up. She went after the retreating figure and kicked Mac in the side, sending him onto his back.
“Think you can get me all hot and bothered and then just leave ?” She leaned over him, her dark blue eyes cold and remorseless.
Mac curled up partially into a ball, his side burning and he struggled to breathe for a moment, his face a mask of pain. Abby's agency training had given her effective self-defense skills and her kick to his unprotected ribcage had been just right.
“Abby--” He tried to speak, only to be gifted with another kick that sent him on his stomach.
She straddled his back and crouched down then gripped his hair, jerking his head back.
“I think not Sweetie…you started something and you're damn well going to finish it!”
“I'm not finishing anything Abby!”
Abby shifted a little, placing one knee right up against MacGyver's spine and bracing against it as she yanked his head back even harder.
“Oh that's right, you never were interested in that. When we were together, I offered you the world , all you had to go was join the DXS and you've have had it all! A fat paycheck and me! But no you wouldn't have it! You wanted to do good! You wanted to help people!”
She brought her other hand up and glided it up his ribs to the silver chain that hung around his neck; her fingers plucked at the gold ring hanging from it.
“You've got someone warming your bed back home Mac?” Abby leaned closer, her lips brushing his ear.
“Who is she Mac? Some little secretary? Or maybe some college professor? Some empty headed little snatch that you can woo and impress with your colorful career?” Her arm wrapped around his waist then traveled down to the crotch of his pants; the zipper still open, her hand slipped inside.
“We're going to get to know each other Mac, nice and slow .”
His jaw clenched in anger, not only at that statement but of her roaming hand. She wasn't about to feel him up again, once had been more than enough. MacGyver drew his bent arm back and let it fly, his elbow catching Abby in the side of the head. She screamed in both pain and surprise and released his hair. Reaching back now, Mac grabbed her by the scuff of the neck; he rose up one knee, using the momentum to flip her over his shoulder. She landed in front of him, staring up at him with wide eyes that quickly turned hateful.
“I'm not playing these games with you Abby--” Kneeling, MacGyver started to rise to his feet; he touched his fly and zipped it up.
Abby laughed, seeing the horror stricken look on Mac's face.
“Aww why the face? I think we're getting along just fine--” That grin quickly faded and she shook her head.
“It's not so easy Mac, I lost you once and you're not getting away from me again--”
“You never had me--” He walked backwards as he spoke, his whiskey brown eyes locked on Abby. “I'm going to go find Pete and then I'm going to have a look around this palace. We want to find out what happened to Samantha Lora.”
Something cold and metallic suddenly jabbed into the center of Mac's back and he froze. The sensation all too familiar he raised his hands, sighing as his eyes closed briefly and dropped his head.
“You're not going anywhere MacGyver--” Nicholas Pykee came in the room behind Mac, he saw a discarded camouflage shirt and tan t-shirt on the floor just inside the door and picked them up. Shifting the gun to his other hand he held the shirts out, brushing them past Mac's raised left arm.
“You lost these?”
“More like someone lost them for me--” He took the shirts, his movements slow as to not give Pykee a reason to shoot him.
“Really? Is that a fact?” He looked past Mac's shoulder to see Abby slowly getting up. His green eyes narrowed as he saw her completely nude, a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin on her face.
“Call it, public relations Nick--” Abby sauntered over to Pykee, her hand tracing over the lapels of his navy blue blazer.
“But the fun can really begin now that you're here--” She turned him towards her a little jerking him by his tie and into her arms.
He raised his chin and gripped her wrist, prying her embrace from around his neck.
“Not now Abby, first I'd like to settle things with MacGyver here, then we'll talk about having fun--” His jaw clenched as he turned his attention back to Mac and jabbed the barrel into his back. Pykee than slapped a hand on his shoulder and turned MacGyver in the direction of the door.
“That way… move it--”
Another shove sent Mac stumbling a few steps but he quickly recovered his footing; he glanced over his shoulder at Pykee seeing the anger brewing on his face.
“Where to now?”
“Oh I've got just the perfect spot for you, downstairs--” He guided Mac through the dimly lit palace, the only lights coming from candles. MacGyver sighed as he walked; with a gun in his back he couldn't do much for the moment and with Pete's whereabouts unknown he didn't dare try anything.
Pykee reached out and snagged MacGyver by the shoulder again stopping him.
“This way--” He then waved his gun in the direction of the kitchen and stepped back, waiting for his captive to lead the way.
*** *** ***
Pete paced in his cell, the hay that covered the floor crunching under his boots. He heard a noise and stopped walking, then turned in the direction it came from. A thick wooden door with a small window suddenly opened, and Pete's mouth formed a perfect circle in surprise when he saw Mac and Pykee.
“Hey Pete--” Mac grinned, relieved to see that his friend in one piece. “I was wondering where you were.”
Pykee reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He unlocked the door to the big cell and pulled it back, the iron creaking.
“Join your friend MacGyver.”
Mac lowered his arms and stepped inside; Pykee slammed the door quickly and locked it.
Pete lunged at the bars, his arm snaking through them trying to get at Pykee, but a few steps back kept him out of the stout man's reach.
“Oh my Pete, such a display of temper.”
“You're the one responsible for all this aren't you? You're the one that had Samantha killed!” Pete tried again to get at him but Pykee cocked the gun, his look sure and determined.
“I'd watch myself if I were you Pete…San Pablo is a dangerous place and I'd hate to see the Foundation lose its Director of Operations over something as frivolous as being in the wrong place at the wrong time --” The gun raised slightly and Pykee's aim hovered around Pete's chest. A shot there would be fatal and Mac knew it; he laid a gentle hand on his best friend's shoulder, drawing him back a little.
“Come on Pete, he's not worth it--”
Pete kept his gaze focused on Pykee, his face a mask of anger and hurt. His grief for Samantha raged within him like a volcano that threatened to erupt.
“Next time we see each other; there might not be bars between us.”
His tone was low and dangerous and Pykee grinned coldly at it, chuckling. He never saw Pete Thornton as a threat and this display did little to sway that opinion.
“We'll just see about that Pete…we'll just see-- ” He uncocked the gun and tucked it back into his coat.
Both Mac and Pete watched him leave, and the wooden door closed and locked behind him.
“Are you all right?” Pete asked as Mac sat down on one of the two ratty looking cots that were in the cell.
“Yeah--” MacGyver rubbed the back of his head again, sighing. He still felt the affects of the gun blow he had received; his neck throbbed painfully beneath his fingers.
“As if Pykee isn't bad enough he's got Abby Collette working for him.”
“Who?” Pete asked as he began to pace again. He stopped in mid stride then whipped back around to look at his friend.
“Wasn't she the one that got sent with you into East Germany that one time the State Department asked you to find that missing defector?”
“That's the one--” He leaned his elbows on his knees rubbing his hands over his face.
“I woke up and she was all over me, I thought she was Gillian.”
“You mean you and she almost…?”
“Don't remind me--” Mac sighed as he pulled his t-shirt on and stood up.
“I don't know what kind of game she and Pykee are playing, but we aren't going to find out if we're stuck in here--” He went over to one wall and gripped the bars, pulling back on them a little.
Pete watched his friend and sat back down on one of the cots. “I just don't get it Mac, why would the DXS be here? For what purpose?”
MacGyver walked around the cell, studying each wall of it trying to find a way out. “That's the big question isn't it?”
“Yeah…and the ones holding all the answers threw us in here--” His thoughts drifted back to Samantha and a pensive expression came to his face. “You know, Connie was right…I am too dedicated to my work. It cost me my marriage and now it's cost me the woman I loved--” His gaze dropped to the floor.
“Pete--” Mac went over to the cot and sat down beside his friend. “We're going to get out of here, I promise you. And whatever the DXS is up to, we'll stop them--” He spoke in a gentle tone, and then wrapped his arm around the stout man's shoulders.
“It won't be enough Mac, not enough to bring her back--” Pete whispered, his eyes still focused on the straw that littered the floor.
Mac listened to him and nodded. “You're right…it won't be enough but it'll be a good start won't it?” He patted Pete on the back then stood back up. He looked at the cell door then began searching his pockets for his knife.
“Maybe I can pick the lock, or pry up the hinges--”
Discovering all of his pockets were flat, Mac whipped back around.
“My knife is gone; Abby probably searched my pockets when I was out--” He tipped his head to one side, remembering the knife that Pete had used to cut his seatbelt off when they had to ditch their SUV.
“What about you, did the army search you?”
Pete nodded. “Yeah they did, they took my knife too.”
“Terrific--” Mac closed his eyes briefly, and then shook his head. He faced the door again and crouched down to peer into the lock. “I just need a few pieces of metal.”
“In here ? I don't see any Mac.”
He glanced over his shoulder at his friend, and then a small smirk came to his face.
“Oh yeah? What do you call what you're sitting on?”
“A cot--” Pete answered then his face brightened a little. “A metal cot!” He got up fast and pulled off the pillow and thin mattress. Grasping the end of it, Pete stood it up vertically and began scoping the underside of the frame for anything useful.
“Find anything?” Mac asked as he brushed his hand along the hay at his feet. He found a twig amongst the stalks and stuck it in the lock.
“Some metal springs, but we can straighten them out, right?” Pete grasped one of the metal coils and twisted at it until it popped free of the frame. He began to pull at it in an effort to uncoil it, and frowned when it snapped back curly once again.
“Maybe, here let me see that--” MacGyver's twig broke and he sighed as he pulled out small pieces of it out of the lock and brushed off his hands.
Pete handed his friend the spring. “Maybe if this doesn't work we can try and break apart the frame or something.”
“Well, we'll see--” Mac took an end of the coiled metal and tucked it under his boot, he braced all his weight on it, then leaned forward slightly and pulled up on the spring.
“Now why didn't I think of that?” Pete murmured to himself as he watched his friend, a slight scowl on his face.
MacGyver's face turned red with effort as he jerked up on the spring as hard as he could and planted his boot even more firmly against the ground. He let up on the pressure as he glanced down and saw that the bottom part had somewhat straightened out.
“That's probably about as good as its going to get without giving myself a hernia--” He stated as he moved his foot off of the coil's end and picked it up. Mac then bent the end into a hook shape, then stuck it into the lock and began to move it around.
“You ever do this before?” Leaning over, Pete braced his hands on his knees, his gaze focused on the cell door.
“I've used bedsprings before, but not like this.” Gritting his teeth, MacGyver twisted the metal this way and that, listening to the creaks of protest from the lock.
“Once you get that door open, then what?”
“We're going to have to be careful, the army's guarding this place pretty tight and I don't think they're going to tell us what's been going on here.”
A somber expression dropped over Pete's face like a veil and he straightened up. The last phone call he had with Samantha came back to him and he took a few steps away, his pudgy hand rubbing over his face.
“Sam sounded so serious, so….scared. She said something was happening with her people and she needed to tell me. I asked her to tell me what it was but she insisted that she couldn't talk about it now, like she was being watched or something and her life was in….” Pete stopped talking then. He reached out towards the vertical cot propped up against the cell wall and gripped it. His fingers curled around the metal as he touched his forehead to the frame.
“…like she was being watched…” The words echoed in MacGyver's head a moment and all efforts to pick the lock came to an abrupt halt. His head popped up fast and his eyes grew slightly round as a realization came to him. He turned partially around and stared at Pete's back.
“Watched? You said she acted like she was being watched?”
“Yeah,” Pete mumbled in reply. “I should have made her tell me.”
Mac faced the lock once more; he tugged at the metal inserted into the keyhole and plunked down onto his butt when it gave way with a clang. Rising to his feet, he brushed off his backside and peered through the bars to see if the noise had attracted anyone's attention.
“MacGyver, what are you doing?” Pete said over his shoulder; his face confused when he saw Mac no longer picked at the cell door lock.
“We can't just waltz out of here, Pete.”
“Why not?”
Satisfied there was no guard outside the door, Mac returned the coil to the underside of the cot and set it back down on the floor. “Because, you said Sam was being watched. That means the DXS has probably been in San Pablo all this time.”
Pete watched what his friend did and spread his hands wide; his face darkening in anger. “Well so what! What does that have to do with us getting out of here?”
“Pete, just trust me on this. Even if we were to get out of here, where do we go? Abby has the military lining the streets, we wouldn't get far before we were captured again.”
Mac put the small bed back together, making it appear as if nothing had been messed with. He then went back over to the metal door and checked to make sure his lock- picking efforts had left no marks on the lock. Pete's scowl deepened into his face as he watched his friend flutter around.
“So we're just going to sit in here and do nothing?”
“Of course we're not Pete--” Mac sat back down on the cot and took in a deep breath. Everything seemed back in its place and he gazed up at his friend.
“You ever heard that old adage, ‘ good things come to those who wait' ?”
“I've heard it--” Pete replied, giving a sharp nod. “Though I don't see how it applies to our current situation, waiting should be the last thing we do.”
MacGyver leaned back against the cold bars of the cell wall and drew his legs up.
“If I know Abby…it won't be much of a wait--” He said as he wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees.
*** *** ***
“I've been waiting for you….”Abby whispered as she got up from the bed. Still nude, she walked slowly over to Pykee just as he came into the room.
“Really now and just why have you?” Pykee asked as he watched Abby's approach, her curves accentuated by the pale gold candlelight that filled the dim room; his eyes transfixed on the gleam of her skin and the gentle sway of her walk.
“You know what I want Nick--” She whispered as she ran her hands up the lapels of his coat, and then looped around his neck.
“You…me…on Samantha Lora's bed.”
“The same place you were with MacGyver--” Nick looked away, his tone hurt, yet there were undertones of anger in the statement.
“Nick--” Abby sighed as she cupped his chin and turned his face back towards her. “Don't be ridiculous… Mac isn't who I feel deeply for.”
“But you wanted him, and you still do Abby--” He reached up and tried to peel her arms from around his shirt collar. “We can't play just yet. I have some work to do and you know that. I didn't come all this way just to sleep with you.”
Abby's sudden pout made her lower lip stick out like a bulldog. “The figures can wait Nick! We have plenty of time!” She still held his chin and dug her nails slightly into his skin as she mashed her mouth to his, trying to get some cooperation out of him. She snaked her body along his suit, one bare leg wrapped around the back of his thighs.
Nick returned the kiss but then jerked his chin out of her grasp and reached behind him to disengage himself from her leg prison.
“That's enough Abby!” He stepped back a moment and collected himself, though he bore a pained expression as his hands traveled down his front of his suit coat to smooth it out.
“We'll get to that all in good time, but right now I don't have time for that. I'm going to go check on the latest figures and when I get back we'll see about play time.”
Scowling, Abby crossed her arms over her chest. “And what if I were to tell you that if you walk away, I'll go get my fun someplace else?”
Nick raised his chin a moment, his mouth tight. “Go ahead and just see how far you'll get in the DXS without my….” He grinned wickedly. “…assistance. Just remember that Abby, the DXS is a very fickle place, agents come and go all the time.”
With nothing more to say, Nick turned and headed towards the kitchen, the sound of his dress shoes on the tile fading as he got further away.
“ Bastard-- ” Abby muttered to herself as she went back to the bed and flopped down face first onto it. Nick was right of course…things weren't always fair or by the book in the DXS, which is why she had to resort to an affair with the Director of Operations in the first place. The agency had its capacity of skilled agents, yet only the most cunning ever seemed to succeed.
“He's not the only man around here….” Abby whispered to herself, and then her head came sharply up in dawning realization.
“He's not the only man here--” She repeated, a wicked grin then pulled up the edges of her mouth as she got off the bed. Glancing around the room, she began to pick up her discarded clothes and put them back on.
“You think you've got me right where you want me, don't you Nick? You think you're so smart . Well I've got news for you, I didn't come this far to be toyed with.”
*** *** ***
“Let's see here….” Pykee muttered to himself as he began to go through a stack of papers. He sat in the palace dining room; a large black wrought iron chandelier filled with burning candles provided the only light, the shining surface of the wooden table reflecting the flickering flames from above.
His tie and coat now discarded, Pykee sat with his light blue shirt opened, revealing the white t-shirt beneath it. Eying the figures on the paper, he ran a hand through his brunette hair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath.
“This can't be happening--” He muttered to himself and leaned forward, his elbows planted on the table.
“Something wrong sir?” A voice from behind Pykee asked and a tall young man in tan camouflage entered the dining room. He wore a black Beret on his head that covered his buzz cut blond hair, and a large caliber machine gun strapped across his back.
Pykee straightened up and licked his lips, a fake smile suddenly plastered on his face.
“Nothing…nothing's wrong--” He watched the soldier circle the long table slowly.
“How are our guests?”
“Subdued…for now. But my men and I are going to make sure the palace is kept under heavy guard.”
“Good--”Pykee gathered the papers around him and tapped them on the table's surface.
“You and your men will be amply rewarded for your efforts Lieutenant Whitman, I'll see to it personally.”
Whitman came to stop beside Pykee's left side; he peered down at him and straightened his spine. “We're just doing our duty sir, sworn to serve our country--”
Pykee lifted his gaze to stare at the uniformed man, a small smile coming to his face as he looked at him. He could see the training, the discipline and the unquestioning patriotism that the military had effectively drilled into his head.
If you only knew the truth…Lieutenant… Pykee said to himself. If only the men knew the REAL reason why they were here… He quickly quelled these thoughts and nodded.
“And your loyalty will be duty noted Whitman, dismissed.”
“Yes sir--” Whitman gave a nod of his head as he did an about face and left the room in fast measured strides.
“Fool--” Pykee whispered as he leaned back in his chair. He reached around the back of it to his coat and dipped into a pocket for his cigarettes. Withdrawing a gold plated case, he tucked a cigarette between his teeth then leaned forward as a small gold lighter lit the end. Exhaling with a contented sigh, he closed his eyes briefly as the nicotine coursed through his veins and inspired a sense of instant relaxation.
“Things are going all right, but they could be better--” Pykee's mind swirled at the figures had read and shook his head. Another stream of smoke escaped from between his lips and curled around his head as he envisioned the perfect motivation tool.
“Maybe what these people need is a little….inspiration.”
A coy smile tugged up the corners of his lips as he remembered the two people he had locked downstairs. The appearance of MacGyver and Pete Thornton had been annoying yet not totally unexpected.
“Maybe there's a use for them after all.”
*** *** ***
Pete sat on his cot watching as his best friend stretched out on his. MacGyver had taken another dose of his cold medicine and he couldn't be sure if Mac had fallen asleep because of it or not. He seemed at ease, one arm tucked behind his head.
“I'm not asleep Pete, if that's what you're thinking--” Mac turned his head and looked at Pete studying the expression on his face.
The stout man nodded, and then rested his head back against the bars, his face pensive.
“I was thinking that, among other things.”
“Sam?” MacGyver asked gently, and then saw as Pete nodded.
“If I just had one more chance to talk to her. You'd know what I'd say?”
Mac shook his head as he shifted onto his side, giving Pete his full and undivided attention. “What'd you tell her?”
“That I loved her…that I've always loved her--” He whispered, then glanced down at his camouflage shirt and picked at a loose thread. Pete sighed heavily and shook his head.
“I should have married her years ago.”
MacGyver thought about Connie, the things she had once told him about her marriage to Pete, and how painful the breakup had been. He knew that Samantha Lora had played a big role in Pete's recovery from such a bitter divorce. It prompted him to ask a question though he realized given the circumstances, it could be a painful one. Mac laid there debating with himself about whether or not to ask it, when Pete raised his gaze and looked at him.
“You want to know why I didn't marry her, don't you?”
Despite the now dim light in the basement, Mac felt his face suddenly heat up and nodded.
“I've been asking myself for years Mac, I really don't have the answer.”
“Maybe you do--” MacGyver sat up and leaned over the edge of the cot. He rested his elbows on his knees. “Maybe you were afraid?”
“Afraid? Afraid of what?” Pete's brow creased in puzzlement, but then his face relaxed again.
“Of making the same mistake I made with Connie, right?”
“Right,” Mac agreed and gave a small smile as he nodded. “I think that now--” A sharp pain in his neck made him gasp, his words coming to a halt as he slapped his hand over the side of his throat.
“Mac?” Pete sat up in alarm, watching shock register on his friend's face. Mac felt something metallic and plucked it out with fingers. He raised his hand to see a pen-size metal dart before his gaze fell on Pete.
“Pete…” He whispered his voice tight. His eyes grew drowsy in their appearance, half-lidded and heavy with forced relaxation. The dart dropped from between his fingers as he fell onto his side.
“Mac!” Pete got up from his cot and went to his friend's, sitting on the edge of it. He placed both hands on the reclined man's shoulder and shook them.
“Come on MacGyver talk to me!” His face cringed with concern as he leaned closer and saw the tiny hole in the side of Mac's neck and the single drop of blood that bubbled from it. Gazing into MacGyver's face he saw his open eyes, though the dark depths were glassy and distant.
Sighing angrily, Pete shifted and saw the dart on the floor. He bent over and picked it up, then brought the sharp end of it close to his nose and sniffed it trying to determine what it had been loaded with.
A muted hiss broke the silence and Pete flinched as he felt something pierce the back of his arm. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a similar dart sticking out of the tan camouflage and jerked it out. He then raised his gaze to the wooden basement door and saw what looked like a small metal tube. It stuck through the bars then waved a little and Pete narrowed his eyes at a face he saw for a brief moment before it and the makeshift blowgun disappeared.
His vision began to blur a little; he blinked hard as he slid off the edge of the cot and thumped onto the dirt floor. Pete's limbs felt heavy and useless as he keeled onto his side.
A wicked, female laugh suddenly filled the room as the basement door opened. Abby sauntered into the room, her smile bright enough to cut through the dimness.
“Worked like a charm Sergeant, you have my gratitude--” She turned partially around and snapped her fingers, a group of armed men poured in behind her.
“Take the cot that contains MacGyver out of here—Take him to my bedroom.”
“And your orders for the other one ma'am?” The brunet Green Beret asked, his hands tightly clutching a large machine gun.
Abby then raised her chin. “Leave him, he'll be out of it for at least four hours and that's all the time I need--”
“Yes ma'am--” He turned to his men and nodded the group of men converged on the cell.
Mac closed his eyes briefly, totally helpless as he watched three of the men surrounded him; they hoisted his cot and carried it out of the cell and the basement.
“Mac--” Pete whispered as he tried to move but couldn't, his arms and legs felt as if they were encased in concrete. He struggled until his round face grew red from exertion and frustrated. Lying on the floor panting, Pete watched as Abby winked at him, then turned and left the basement. She had gotten her prize and now left the wooden door echoing heavily as she closed it.
*** *** ***
“Set him down right there boys--” Abby watched from the bed with a grim smile as MacGyver got brought in. The resemblance to the great Pharaoh's of Egypt , whose servants often carried their king, made Abby almost laugh out loud as she leaned on her side, supported by one elbow.
“Thank you Gentlemen, you may return to your posts--” The sergeant nodded as he ushered his men out of the bedroom door, their shadows carried by the candlelight down the hall before the group finally turned the corner and disappeared.
“Well well…alone at last --” Abby whispered breathlessly as she got down from the bed and began unbuttoning the blazer to her suit, the movements slow as she began to circle the cot keeping both eyes glued to the incapacitated man that lay on it.
“You were a naughty boy last time, but I forgive you--” She raised the blazer up then dropped it, then stopped near the center of the cot.
“We were in a very interesting discussion last time, and I think now is the best time to continue it--” Abby, now clad in her white silk shirt, leaned down close to Mac's face.
“Don't you think?”
The dart in Mac's neck hadn't knocked him out, though it had rendered him completely paralyzed. Despite not being able to move, he was well aware of what was happening to him. At Abby's sudden appearance, his heart sank in his stomach. He tried to sit up or even roll off of the cot but couldn't, especially when three of Abby's soldiers appeared and carted him off. He knew deep down the kinds of games Abby had proven herself capable of playing long ago and now here he was…back in her bedroom, the last place he wanted to be. At her question Mac swallowed hard, his dark eyes focusing on her face and the wicked grin displayed on it. He licked his lips a moment and forced himself to swallow, hoping that his voice wasn't rendered useless like his appendages were.
“No…I don't--”
“Ah so he can talk. Good! I was hoping Sergeant Cummins little dart didn't make you into a total zombie. After all, were would that leave me?” Abby giggled as she straightened back up and ran her fingers along the buttons of her shirt, then plucked them open one at a time.
“Abby…whatever you're thinking…”
“Oh you have no idea what I'm thinking Mac. But let's take a shot in the dark here---” She opened the ends of her shirt and let its slide off her shoulders, the silk now a pile on the floor. Abby then perched one hip on the edge of the cot's frame; she leaned over him and began to unbutton MacGyver's camouflage shirt. He tried to struggle away from her, but his body simply wouldn't cooperate.
“Like for instance, the reason you and Peter Thornton came to San Pablo-- ” She discovered the tan t-shirt underneath and brushed her fingers down it, enjoying the warm material against her hand and the trembling muscles beneath it.
“Aww is poor Mac afraid?” Abby asked in a sing song voice as she snickered, his fear and the hopelessness of the situation secretly delighting her.
“No Abby I'm not scared, I'm disgusted !” MacGyver made an effort this time to move, his body shifted from side to side slightly. The action wasn't enough to even jostle her from the edge of the cot and he dropped his head back against his pillow, panting.
Her mouth dropped open and a flush spread across her cheeks.
“Disgusted? With me ? Surely you jest!” The anger flashed in her eyes as he reached down and grabbed a handful of Mac's hair and jerked his head back up, the two of them now nose to nose.
“You best watch your mouth Mac. I can do anything I want, including kill you!” She hissed, and gave the blond hair in her grasp a twist to keep his gaze focused on her.
Mac winced a little at the fingernails that prickled into his scalp. “If you wanted to do that, you had a better chance then this Abby. You could have killed me the first time I was in your bed.”
Abby sighed angrily and shoved him back on the mattress. “I haven't forgotten how you knocked me onto the floor.”
She hiked her skirt up, revealing her bare thighs as she straddled his waist then leaned on top of his chest.
“I know why you came here Mac. You and Pete are on a fishing trip for information about Samantha Lora.”
He wanted to buck her off of him, but his disabled muscles didn't budge an inch. MacGyver gritted his teeth and tried again, his effort only amusing Abby further.
“Good thing you're a spy Mac, you wouldn't stand a chance with a career as one of those bucking rodeo horses-” She watched him try to struggle and shifted over fully, settling all her weight into MacGyver's body, purposely pressing him into the mattress.
“You know I really like you like this…all weak and vulnerable--” Abby then peered into his face again. So close, her breath stirred the hair around his face as she lowered hers and nuzzled his cheek.
“I've had so many fantasies about this very scenario Mac--” She closed her eyes, still smelling the hints of Mac's aftershave and soap that lingered on his skin.
Mac froze in place. The feel of her nose rubbing along his face only made him inwardly cringe more. He wanted to be as far away from her as he possibly could and fought the urge to get her off of him knowing he couldn't, not till the effects of the dart had worn off. Closing his eyes, he made believe that his wife lay on top of him in an effort to strive off the rising surge of panic that started in the deep recesses of his chest.
“You're right Abby, we came to find out about Samantha--” He admitted softly, then swallowed hard when he felt Abby's knee nudge his thighs apart and began to slide up between them.
“You want to know what happened to her don't you?” Abby smiled into Mac's skin as she pressed her face to the side of his neck. She opened her mouth and latched onto his throat and felt his gasp, the vibrations of his vocal chords reverberated through the flesh she held. The sudden jump in his pulse only made her grin as she suckled at his skin.
“Abby…what…what about Samantha?” Mac asked shakily, trying not to react to the teasing of warm lips to one of the most sensitive areas on his body. He could feel the goose bumps break out all over him as her breath hit his damp skin. The tingles from her busy mouth sent a tremor through his frame and he squeezed his eyes shut against it.
“Now now, I never mix business with pleasure Mac you should know that--” Feeling the slight tremble roll through his body, Abby raised her wandering knee. Placing it right at the juncture between MacGyver's now opened thighs, she began to move her leg in a circle, rubbing against the bulge in his trousers. Hearing a sharp gasp at her teasing, Abby's grin widened.
“Tell me about your current lady friend Mac. Is she good in bed?” She asked before she sank her teeth into the side of Mac's neck.
The feel of those sharp incisors digging their way into Mac's throat made him jerk in pain. Again he willed for his body to break free from its drug-induced stupor, his hands at least, so he could push her away and again, he remained motionless. His neck began to sting from Abby's bite and that wasn't the only part of him in pain. His heart also ached from the mere mention of Gillian and the lone appendage of Mac's that began to betray him courtesy of Abby's massaging knee. Mac knew what lay ahead; try as he might to fight what was happening to him, he simply couldn't and a pain of guilt began to tie his stomach in knots.
“I don't want to talk about her--” He whispered, the hints of a plea in his voice.
It wasn't meant to be an encouragement, more like an emotional request for her to stop but Abby took it as the former rather than the latter. Her hand stroked down the length of Mac's torso and began to raise up his t-shirt. His chest now exposed, she sighed appreciatively at the sight of it and nuzzled her face against the dark patch of hair between his pecs.
“Whoever she is…my, she's a lucky woman. I bet she worships you slowly every night.”
Abby moved partially off of Mac, now kneeling on the floor beside the cot.
Her mouth covered each one of Mac's nipples, suckling at them with abandon as her hand glided down his trembling stomach to the waistband of his pants. Removing her mouth from his chest, she raised her head and saw the helpless gaze in his dark eyes.
“I know how good this feels. I know you're worked up now Mac. I could feel the heat of your hard-on right through your pants. So I figure I've got one of two choices. Either I can let you go back to your cell, or…” A cruel smile lit up Abby's features.
“Or I can have some fun, during which I might tell you some things about Samantha Lora--” She traced her finger down Mac's chest, and then began to unbuckle his pants.
“Or I might not. See either way, I'm going to get what I want from you MacGyver and the most rewarding part is, you can't stop me.”
His pants now open and parted, Abby began to hike them down taking his boxers with it. A blast off cool air now greeted his exposed skin and Mac's throat tightened as he watched her.
“Please Abby…” He began, then licked his lips. “Please don't do this.”
“Oh you had your chance to make it mutual Mac, but you didn't want to play it that way--” Shaking her head Abby slid Mac's pants down to his knees, then took in an audible breath as she stared down at the lean stomach and the dark trail of hair that started at MacGyver's belly button and went down. Her gaze was an almost joyous one as her eyes zeroed in on the gift of swelling flesh that lay between a pair of strong of muscled thighs.
“All this just for me and its not even my birthday--” She sighed breathlessly then leaned over, her face growing closer to Mac's pelvis. Abby turned her head a moment to gaze at Mac, his helpless expression only making her more excited about the task at hand.
“Time to compare notes Lover; let's see who can give head better…me or your latest girlfriend.”
With that, Abby's head dropped down and captured MacGyver's erection, sighing as she her mouth slid down the heated length.
“ Uhh! God! ” Mac whimpered helplessly as he clenched his jaw. A tremor of pleasure spiraled down his spine and he fought it, telling himself over and over that he hated every moment of this. His body didn't respond to what ran through his mind, simply enjoying the pleasure that Abby inspired with her wet mouth and slick throat. He struggled a little, though he could do nothing more than rock a little from side to side, the movement only causing his lower body to throb.
Abby stopped a moment, her breathing a little ragged and she smoothed a few stray hairs back from her face.
“Makes me wonder if Samantha ever did this to Pete. Maybe she didn't ever do this, or…maybe she'll get her chance to yet .”
Mac heard what she said and his eyes snapped open. But before he could respond her upper half lowered again over the cot and when he opened his mouth a helpless moan escaped instead of words. He curled his hands into fists, the urge to reach down and touch Abby's hair a strong one. He tried not to think or feel, but finally his will collapsed as Abby took her sweet time getting to know every inch of his manhood. Her stroking tongue made him groan softly, and he could feel his stomach tighten, the tell-tale tingle of an orgasm at the base of his spine.
Please Abby stop! Please stop now! Don't make me come! Mac thought to himself before he gasped loudly; his mouth dropped open and his head rolled a little from side to side as the burning pleasure raced through him. His useless muscles trembled as his erupting seed spurted inside her mouth and the cot jerked as he stilled, his chest heaving with every breath.
“Well, that was good for me--” Abby sighed happily as she wiped her mouth then sat back on her haunches, her grin a satisfied one.
His breathing back under control now, MacGyver turned to look at Abby. He held his feeling in check as he watched her though he could feel fire of his temper began to stir. The fact she had done this to him, dared to put her hands on him… Mac took a deep breath and clenched his jaw, trying to maintain his composure. The last thing he wanted to do was show her that she had gotten to him. His head clearer now, he remembered what she had said.
“Is it true? Is Samantha Lora still alive?”
“Did I say that? Hmm. Well one never knows what will come out of one's mouth in the heat of passion. Or rather…what goes in one's mouth for that matter--”
Rising to her feet, Abby began to strip off her remaining clothes.
“Maybe she's alive, or maybe she isn't . If I were you, I'd be more worried about what was going to happen to me rather than wondering about her.”
Abby went over to the shuttered window and threw them back. The night air drifted into the room and she raised her arms over her head in a stretch, her nude body illuminated by moonlight.
“Come morning, you and I will have more things to discuss. I suggest you get some sleep.” Turning away from the window, Abby plopped down on the bed and shifted the blankets to cover her.
“I know I'll sleep good tonight Mac, thanks to you. You better get all the rest you can, while you can.”
Having nothing more to say, Abby turned on her side. She sat up a moment to blow out a few candles on her nightstand, the small room now bathed in darkness.
*** *** ***
Please Abby stop…Please stop now… Don't make me come…
The whispered words came through loud and clear along with wave of strong emotions. Gillian moaned softly as the feelings made a fire begin to burn in her abdomen. She had finally managed to fall asleep but now her peaceful repose grew restless. Tossing and turning in her bed, Gillian rolled from one side of the mattress to the other. Still asleep on her stomach, her long red hair covered her side-turned face as she finally stilled.
The bedroom door creaked open; the sound of Corrine's soft crying now filling the room. Nikki and Jack both looked at one another as they stepped inside. Most of the blankets, sheets and the pillows were scattered all over the floor, and obviously something was going on with their friend.
“Shhh its all right Sweetheart, its all right--” Nikki said to the complaining baby as she held Corinne close to her blue silk robe and patted the little girl's back.
“Must be having one doozy of a nightmare--” Jack stepped over a pillow then walked around the other side of the bed and bent over. He placed his hand on Gillian's shoulder and gave it a shake.
“Baby needs her Mama Gill, come on rise and shine.”
Not getting a reaction, Jack's eyebrows went up as he raised his gaze to look at Nikki.
“Deep sleeper.”
Corinne grew more and more angry, her crying becoming louder.
“Oh Honey, it's all right--” Nikki cringed at the sound and sighed heavily bouncing Corrine lightly in an effort to comfort her.
“She's getting upset, I'm going to go to the kitchen and see if I can make her a bottle. You keep trying to wake Gillian up.”
Jack nodded watching as Nikki left, the baby's wails tapering off as they headed down the hall. Once more focusing his attention on Gillian, Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and touched the sleeping woman's hair; his fingers played with her tendrils gently as he spoke.
“All right Gill, I don't know what's going on in your head but you need to wake up.”
Gillian stirred a little, her eyes opening as she raised her head.
“Mac? Where's Mac?” She asked sleepily, and then wiped a hand over her face.
Groggy still, she sat up slowly trying to clear the sleep from her mind.
“Mac isn't here Gill; he's in San Pedro remember?” Jack shifted closer to her, his hand on her shoulder.
“I could hear him Jack, I could feel him--” She placed a hand on her stomach, the fire burning within it made her cringe, her face tightening in pain.
“Something's wrong.”
“Wrong? With Mac?”
“Yeah. When I feel him this strong, there has to be a reason--” Getting up slowly, she took a few shaky steps towards the door then stopped when she saw the mess that covered the floor and glanced over her shoulder at Jack.
“For me to be this destructive…something is definitely going on--” Turning back she raised her head. “Corinne is awake, isn't she?”
“Yeah, started crying a few minutes ago--” Jack got up and grabbed the scattered bed coverings and plopped them back onto the mattress.
“It's too soon for her to want food,” Gillian winced again, her hand touching her night shirt.
Concerned for his friend, Jack went to Gillian and took a hold of her arm.
“Maybe Corinne is picking on up on whatever's happening with her Papa.”
“Maybe…”
“Well come on, let's go to the kitchen and see if we can settle you both down--”
Jack led Gill out of the room and down the hall. As they both came to the kitchen doorway they saw Nikki trying to give the baby a bottle.
“She takes it for a moment or two then seems to lose interest--” Nikki saw Gillian's pained expression, her face pale.
“Are you okay?”
“Not really, here let me have her.”
Nikki carefully handed Corinne to her mother, the baby turned on her stomach as Gillian put her over her shoulder.
“It's okay Sweetie, its okay--” Gillian soothed then brought her down and held her in her arms. She gazed into the little girl's face; Corinne's features scrunched together in pain.
“You feel it too, don't you?” She laid her fingers on her daughter's forehead as if checking for a fever.
“I thought you'd be too young to start showing signs that you might be like your mother, but I guess I was wrong.”
Closing her eyes, Gillian brushed her hand along Corinne's forehead, trying to use some of her abilities to calm her daughter. After a few moments the baby quieted down, her small face relaxing as she once again drifted off to sleep.
“Wow, that worked--” Jack remarked as he stared, his hazel eyes wide with amazement.
“Beats a sleeping pill any day.”
Beside him, Nikki smiled a little then crossed her arms over her chest. “What is it that you both are feeling?”
Gillian cradled her daughter close to her chest, giving a small kiss to her forehead. She raised her gaze to meet both sets of eyes of her two houseguests.
“Mac's in trouble.”
She turned and headed back down the hall, but Jack and Nikki gave chase wanting more information.
“Trouble? Then we have to do something!” Jack said excitedly as he fluttered around both women in a burst of sudden nervous energy.
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” Nikki reached out and caught the back of Gill's nightshirt before she went into the nursery.
“I'm not exactly sure Nikki; all I know is what I could feel. Mac had a lot of anxiety and guilt about something--” Gill then turned to see Jack's wide eyes.
“And I don't know if we can do anything Jack, I don't even know what's going on.”
“Well we have to find out!” Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Jack reached out and took Gill by her one free hand.
“Maybe we can fly down there in my plane, see about a rescue!”
“Now Jack let's not jump to conclusions here!” Nikki stepped around Gill to stand in front of Jack. She took a hold of both his shoulders with a firm grip.
“First we have to find out what's happening, for all we know we could be heading into a war zone, right?”
Jack nodded his head rapidly and took in a deep breath as he tried to calm down. After a few sessions of inhaling and exhaling, he felt more at ease.
“Right…I'm sorry, just the idea Mac and Pete could be up to their necks in quicksand. He's pulled my bacon out of the fire so many times, I owe him.”
Gillian nodded. “I know how you feel Jack, believe me. The last thing I want is to be right, especially when he's about ten thousand miles away.”
“So the first thing we have to do is find out what we can--” Nikki's gaze bounced between both Jack and Gillian.
“I'm going to go call Washington again, see if Nathan has heard anything new lately.”
“That's a good idea; maybe your friend has a few other friends in high places that owe him favors.” Gillian went into the nursery then and gently laid Corinne back in her crib. She wound the mobile that dangled above the little girl's head and the assortment of moons, stars and planets began to rotate slowly as a song began to play.
Backing out of the room slowly, Gillian put her finger to her lips as she carefully closed the nursery door.
“I'm going to concentrate, see if I can figure out what's going on with Mac. Maybe he's really not in jeopardy, maybe there's another reason I picked up those emotions from him.”
“What? Like dialing a wrong number?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
“While you two are snooping, I'm going to go to the airport and get a plane ready just in case we have to make a fast trip--” Giving a smile to Nikki, Jack went down the hall into the bedroom he and Nikki shared.
Gillian watched him leave; as the guest room door shut she turned her attention back to Nikki.
“I really appreciate this Nikki; I just hope I'm wrong.”
Nikki put an arm around her friend's shoulders and drew her closer, her brunette hair touching Gill's red. She closed her eyes and gave a troubled sigh.
“Me too.”
*** *** ***
Pete gritted his teeth as he wiggled. Still on the cell floor he moved back and forth, his movements resembled a freshly caught fish that had been dumped on a canoe floor. It had been three hours since Mac had been taken away and Pete had been trying to get up ever since. His experience in the DXS had taught him some things about poisons and the method used to give them. Though the drug incapacitated his muscles, the amount given had proved ineffective for his height and weight. For the first two hours he simply laid there, but now with each passing minute he found his muscles unlocked a little more.
“I'm not going to let that woman hurt him!” He said to himself as he began to roll from side to side.
He knew exactly what would happen to his best friend if he didn't do something. All the years of being an agent with the DXS, he had come to recognize that look on Abby's face. Pete recognized the gaze of a predator when he saw one.
“I've been down that road before; I know what that can do to a man!” He heaved with all this strength and rolled onto his stomach. Then with slow motion he managed to brace his palms against the ground. Tipping his head down, Pete exhaled against the hay.
“Come on Thornton ! Mac's saved your butt more times then you can count!”
Closing his eyes, Pete pushed against his hands with all his might. His upper body eased off the floor, as if he did a push up. Grunting with the effort, Pete slowly shifted first one leg to tuck beneath his body, then the other. Easing back on his haunches he panted, his round face now flushed and sweaty. He now faced his cot and decided to use it to his advantage.
“Halfway up Lardo, now time to get off the floor.”
Reaching out, Pete wrapped his hands around the cot's frame. His legs still felt weak and shaky and he wondered if they would even support him if he stood up.
“Have to take that chance--” He said to himself as he curled his fingers around the metal and pushed on it. When his upper half felt supported enough he forced himself to stand, heaving with the effort as he pressed his boots into the ground.
“Come on, you're almost there!”
Now with his backside high, Pete looked ready to receive corporal punishment. Leaning over he waited, his legs trembled and he wanted his muscles to reacquaint themselves with standing once again before taking the change of his weight being supported. Lifting first one boot up and then the other, he marched briefly in place. The tingles in his thighs, knees and calves began to subside with every patter of his boots until finally full feeling returned.
Standing still now and with his stance slightly widened, Pete first took one hand off the cot frame, then the other. With a big breath taken in, he simply straightened his spine and stood up.
He stood there a moment as if he doubted himself, waiting for his legs to either give out or something else to happen. Glancing first to his right and then his left, he saw that he remained the only person in the room. His return to being vertical didn't bring the Calvary a running and he sighed in relief.
“Well that's one small step for man--” He said as he rubbed his hands over his thighs. “Now let's see if we can make that giant leap for mankind.”
Shaking out his legs again, he went over to the cell door and ran his hands over the bars, then bent over and looked into the lock. He glanced over his shoulder at the cot and went back to it.
“Mac was going to use a spring to pick the lock.”
Pete pulled the frame away from the barred wall and kicked the small bed over. The blanket and pillow were quickly shoved out of the way as Pete picked the frame up and propped it up.
“Which one was it?” He looked over each metal coil and wiggled each one. Finally, one of them came free from the wire mesh. Mac had straightened out part of the bottom of the spring and Pete recognized it.
“Ah here we go.”
With the spring in hand, Pete stuck the end into the lock and began to twist it back and forth. The slim piece of metal worked within the mechanisms that kept the door secured, and Pete got down on one knee to be eyelevel with the keyhole.
“Come on, I have to get out of here!”
The lock popped and creaked, but still didn't budge.
“Damn it! How does Mac do this?”
Frustrated at his lack of progress, Pete's round face grew red as his temper flared. He placed his palm against the coil and angrily thumped his other hand against it as he hammered the spring end even deeper into the lock. The gears within gave a protest creak then clanked loudly as the forced metal wedged its way within it. From the other side of the lock, a chunk of metal came out and the door disengaged from the door frame. It swung open with a long ominous groan and Pete's eyebrows went up.
“I guess being impatient pays off sometimes--” Rising to his feet, Pete left the cell and went over to the wooden door. He pressed himself to the wall and peered through the small window. Seeing no one, he cautiously reached down and grasped the black wrought iron ring that served as the door knob and turned it. With a tug, he opened the door enough to peer one blue eye out. Pete saw nothing but the ancient-looking stairs that led to the kitchen.
“No one's down here, but upstairs is a different story.”
Widening the door, he stepped out from behind it quietly and began to ascend the steps one at a time.
*** *** ***
Reaching the top of the steps, another heavy wooden door with a small barred window greeted Pete. Turning away from it, he pressed his back to the frame and waited, trying to determine if the kitchen was empty or not. With nothing being heard except the sound of his own breathing, Pete cautiously moved away from the wall and peered through a corner of the window gazing between the bars. He saw the light orange glow emanating from the candle chandelier, their light unobstructed as it filled the room. With no shadows to otherwise interrupt the incandescence, Pete carefully reached down and grasped the wrought iron ring knob and gave it a turn. He braced one hand to the door and tugged it back. When the space grew to accommodate his head, Pete stuck it in and got a better view of the kitchen. Sighing in relief that indeed the coast appeared clear, he opened the door all the way and stepped inside.
“Well so far so good.”
Pete headed towards the hall just off of the room. He had only taken a few steps when the sound of approaching voices froze him in his tracks. He glanced around quickly trying to find a place to duck into it but the bare kitchen offered little, not even a pantry or closet. With no choice, Pete went back through the door that led to the basement and moved away from the window. His chest heaving with adrenaline fueled breathing and his heart pounding hard, he listened as both the footsteps and the voices entered the kitchen.
“Keep your men on guard Sergeant, I want this place on full alert.”
“Yes sir, we won't fail you Lieutenant.”
“Your men have been valuable but its not over yet. What is the prisoner status?”
“Agent Collette has one of them in her room; the other is downstairs in the basement sir.”
“Both men drugged?”
“Yes sir, they shouldn't be a problem for the rest of the night.”
“Good. Agent Pykee is at the site, he'll probably be there til morning and then return.”
“My men and I will keep this place secure until he returns sir.”
“Excellent Sergeant. I'll be at the front gate, dismissed.”
“Yes sir.”
Pete heard one set of boots walk off and waited, one man had left but the other remained.
Come on…come on… move! He said to himself, his patience growing thin as he thought about all the things that were happening to his best friend. The mention of Abby having Mac in her room sent a pang of fear into the pit of Pete's stomach.
He closed his eyes against an image of Mac helpless in his cot and Abby….Pete shook his head, out not wanting to go there, and slumped back against the wall.
Please…please just go!
Lieutenant Whitman looked around the kitchen a moment, everything seemed to be in place and undisturbed. Sighing, he pulled the beret off the top of his head and ran his fingers through his short-cropped blond hair. Going over to the sink that contained a pump, he set the gun over his shoulder further back around him and moved the metal lever up and down. When the water began to flow he cupped it in his hands and splashed his face. Night patrols were often tough and with coffee on short supply he used this as another means to keep himself awake and alert. Wiping the water from his cheeks, he shook out his hands then straightened back up. Setting his hat back on his head, Whitman once more took a hold of his big gun and left the kitchen, the thudding of his boots fading down the hall.
Pete opened his eyes and turned back towards the door. He paused a moment and listened to the footsteps as they grew quieter and sighed in relief.
“Thank God.” He whispered as he gripped the ring and once again tugged back the door.
*** *** ***
“Nathan, surely there must be something you can tell me!” Nikki said as she walked back and forth in front of Gillian's bed. Suddenly realizing she had shouted, she put her hand to her mouth a moment then glanced behind her into the open hall hoping she hadn't awoken the baby.
Gillian followed Nikki's gaze and shook her head. “Don't worry; she's a pretty solid sleeper--” She whispered then got up; she went to check on her daughter just to be sure. Cracking open her door, Gill put her ear close and listened. She heard the sound of breathing and the quiet murmurs of the sleeping baby.
“Still asleep--” Gill whispered then sighed in relief as she once again pulled the door closed.
She turned around and gasped as she came to face with Jack Dalton, her eyes widening a moment.
“Jack…” She put her hand to her chest then closed her eyes briefly.
“Didn't mean to scare you Mamacita--” He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his hazel eyes and he sighed as it faded.
Seeing his expression, Gillian shook her head then took a step towards the obviously troubled man.
“It's going to be all right Jack, you know that don't you?”
“You sound like Mac--” Jack stated as he put his hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket. His gaze shifted down to his denim covered legs and the sneakers on his feet.
“I wish he was here right now.”
“Me too Jack--” She curled her fingers around Jack's chin and raised it, forcing him to lock eyes with her.
“I know what you're thinking. You're wishing right now that you had gone with him.”
He couldn't deny it and nodded. “To cover his back, to cover both their backs--”
“But Mac wanted you to stay, didn't he? He wanted you to stay to help me and Corinne, right?”
Closing his eyes, Jack lowered his head. “He said he needed me to take care of you both while he was away. He said he was counting on me to look after his girls.”
“Sounds like Mac--”
Jack raised his gaze again, his frustration making his mouth twitch a little.
“But it isn't fair Gill, we've always been a team. We've done stuff like this together; like that time we went to rescue Pete and that nun from those rebels. Mac came to me to help him and we got them out of there. Now he's in some God forsaken place all on his own and he and Pete are in trouble.”
The words made Gill close her eyes briefly and look away. Jack's spin on the situation made it seem more dire than she let herself believe, and it sent a pang of fear into her chest. What if Mac truly had gotten himself into a situation he couldn't get out of?
Gillian turned away from Jack; she crossed her arms over herself and rubbed her hands down her arms.
“ Dalton …you got a big mouth--” Jack said to himself as he watched MacGyver's wife. He moved closer and took a hold of her arm, turning her back around to face him.
“Gill come on now, you know Mac--” His big hands went to her shoulders and squeezed them as he stared into her face.
“That man has got more lives than a cat.”
“But even a cat runs out of them eventually--” Gillian whispered, and then sighed heavily.
“I'm afraid Jack…I don't know what to do. Do I stay there and just wait for everything to be all right or do I go to him?”
Jack gazed into Gillian's dark eyes, his own face painted wi