I'm not really familiar at all with Moonlighting other than who's in it and what it's about, but giving MacGyver a steady love interest(even one that's a love-hate relationship) wouldn't necessarily have to be a copy of that show.

That's exactly what Moonlighting was. Two people working together who had a love-hate relationship.

That argument scene in GX-1 between Mac and Nikki was a straight copy of moonlighting. That's about all I can really remember of the Moonlighting show, just 2 people constantly at each other.

If Nikki was really written out of the show because the writers didn't want Mac to have a love interest, then that's really an example of how differently people's minds worked back in the 1980s. Why couldn't she just be another agent and a friend? Was the mentality at that time really, "If we have a female in the show, she MUST be a love interest, otherwise she serves no purpose"?
Thankfully, I think we've come a long way from that. Look how well the Jack Bauer & Chloe O'Brien relationship worked in "24." They got on each others nerves at times, but they had great respect for each other, worked fantastically together, cared about each other, and yet the show never once even hinted at her being his love interest. Mac & Nikki could have easily had something like that (in fact, that's pretty much what they DID have.)

Actually it was the writers that wanted Nikki to be a potential love interest. It was the fan base at the time that didn't want him to have a love interest. I think they liked Alyssa's character but ultimately decided to drop her after they realized that nothing would develop had she stayed.

Jack and Chloe is something different. Besides they could never have a relationship. Jack's in the field all day and Chloe is behind her desk all day. And when the day is over, Jack usually has to run. They just worked together really well and yes they bonded in a way Jack maybe never could with anyone else. I think Chloe was created to give Jack some counterweight. Someone who works together with him, don't always agree with him but understands why he has to do it.

Mac and Nikki are indeed the same. That's why I think they would she would be his best match. She can understand him and give him the counterweight he needs. She can take care of herself, she can disagree with him and I think that's also a big part out of the respect and understanding thing. Someone who dares to say 'no' or think otherwise and tell him so without breaking someone down.

Thank God for fanfiction in which we can explore their relationship as much as we want, huh?

Right on MacGod! I loved Mac's reaction to Starkos when he told him that he would grow to love her. I think they would have made an awesome couple!

But my point wasn't really whether or not they COULD be in a relationship. My point was that it was a bit narrow-minded of the writers to say, "Well, the fans don't want her to be his love interest, therefore she serves no purpose." You described both Chloe and Nikki as being counterweights to the protagonists, and I agree. So Nikki still could have served a purpose in the show, even without being a love interest, just as Chloe served a purpose in 24, without being Jack's love interest.
(and, personally, I never saw Nikki as "love interest" material for Mac anyway. There never seemed to be a hint of chemistry between them.)

If Nikki was given the chance, she would've. Maybe even stayed the rest of the show. It wouldn't have meant that she had to be in every episode either. Just like Pete. Showing up throughout the season and the occasional one or two episodes without her.

I agree that they shouldn't have dropped her just because the fans didn't want her to get with MacGyver. It would have been nice to have another regular character working at the Phoenix Foundation and occasionally going on missions with MacGyver throughout the rest of the show's run.