Two months later, the trial was over. Stacey had testified, and the members of WAPLA had been convicted of a multitude of charges, including murder, trafficking of illegal weapons, manufacturing of illegal drugs with intent to distribute, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder (in Stacey’s case), assault, and about half a dozen other crimes. They were all going to be put away for quite a long time, ranging from twenty to sixty years in prison. Stacey was safe. The militia’s support network had collapsed when the conspiracy was exposed, and the beast, so to speak, was dead.
The couple that had “adopted” Stacey was convicted of the same charges as all the others, plus kidnapping, child abuse, and adoption fraud. The social worker who had helped to arrange the fraudulent adoption was also convicted and was stripped of her professional license.
In a separate hearing, it hadn’t taken long for the judge to declare Stacey’s adoption illegal, and therefore null and void. Given the circumstances, he gave MacGyver legal custody of her for the time being, adding that he would be willing to strongly consider her wishes when deciding what would ultimately happen to her.

The night after the hearing, Mac sat with Stacey out on the deck of the houseboat. It was now April, and the weather was starting to warm up. They had just eaten dinner, fish grilled outside. The dishes were done, and the two sat quietly together, enjoying the warm weather.
Stacey’s elbow was finally healed, though she had needed surgery to remove a few bone chips. After a few months of physical therapy, her elbow was almost completely back to normal, though it did get achy when the weather was cold and damp.
Sam had arrived back in town that afternoon, after learning that the coast was finally clear. He had been there for dinner that night, and had heard the whole wild story of WAPLA’s deadly antics. Before he left, Mac had pulled him aside, and told him that he was going to adopt Stacey, that is, if she agreed.
“I love her very much, and since I missed raising you, it would be great to have a young person around. My job isn’t much of an issue, since I’m no longer bouncing all over the world. What do you two think?”
Sam had smiled. “Dad, I think it’s a great idea. Wow, first I find my dad, then I gain a sister. Go for it.”
So as Mac sat beside Stacey, he thought of all this. Pete had liked the idea, too, and had promised whatever help he could give. He had also added that the Hate Groups Intelligence Unit had expressed interest in hiring Stacey, but he had persuaded them to hold off asking her at least until they knew whether Mac would adopt her or not.
Stacey let out a contented sigh. “What a perfect night. I can see why you decided to stay here, MacGyver. Minnesota has a lot going for it, but after awhile, winter gets awfully old.” But then her expression turned sad. “Now I guess I have to go back to it. I haven’t decided for sure, but I think I’ll have myself declared an emancipated minor. It’ll be lonely, though.”
MacGyver took a deep breath. Here goes. “Stacey, I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time, and I have something to ask you. Would you like me to adopt you?”
Stacey was caught off guard for a moment and couldn’t speak. As Mac’s words settled in, she studied his gentle face and dark eyes. “Really? You’d do that?”
“I sure would. Stacey, it’s pretty simple. You need a home and a family. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve seemed to hit it off with Sam really well. I could use someone around here to help out and to keep me company. Besides which, you’re a neat girl, and I have to admit, you’ve pretty much stolen my heart.
“It wouldn’t be perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. I’m single, with no inclination to change that, so you wouldn’t have a mom. But I do have quite a number of women friends, so that might partially make up for it. Plus, I’m still gone from home pretty often, though you might be able to tag along now and then, if the assignment isn’t too dangerous. Also, I know Pete has something he wants to ask you, too. I’m not going to spoil it for him, but let’s just say you’d have a heck of a future if you took him up on it.” He was quiet for a moment, and smiled. “What do you think?”
Stacey’s head was spinning. Everything was falling into place, much faster than she had ever dared hope. Her future had looked pretty bleak up until this moment, but now it was suddenly looking very bright. Tears came to her eyes as she knew Mac’s offer was exactly what she wanted.
Unable to speak, she threw her arms around him, tears running down her face. She looked up at him, and after what seemed like a very long time, finally managed to say, “I’d love it, Mac. I never expected anything like this to come out of this nightmare. But I guess life can really surprise you.” She smiled. “I love you… Dad.”
Now Mac couldn’t speak, either. He cradled his soon-to-be daughter in his arms, and didn’t want to let go anytime soon.

Four months later, it was official. Stacey was now MacGyver’s daughter. It had taken quite a bit of paperwork, but it had been worth it. Stacey had chosen to change her name, so she was now Anastasia Katherine MacGyver. Sam was overjoyed at how everything had worked out for her, and the two of them had become very close, very quickly. Stacey had also been working for the Hate Groups Intelligence Unit for a few months, and the people there loved having her around. They considered her a hero for what she had done, and had listened to her story with great interest. Stacey had also begun to meet some of Mac’s longtime friends and colleagues, and liked them all.
The logistics of Stacey’s move to Los Angeles had been a bit complicated, but had worked out nicely. Now she had her own room on the houseboat, and Mac had moved his computer equipment and library downstairs to a part of the living room.
As for MacGyver, he was happier than he’d ever thought possible. After Sam had come into his life, he couldn’t imagine it could get any better than that. But it had. Now he had a child to raise for a few years yet, and he was finding that it came naturally to him. Also, Nikki Carpenter had taken a real liking to Stacey, and had become something of a surrogate mother to her. In spite of the fact that he and Nikki often rubbed each other the wrong way, Mac was glad to have such a strong woman around for Stacey. Despite her past tendency for prickliness, Nikki had a good heart, and was a survivor herself, having lost her husband to a car bomb years before, and then finding herself in an assassin’s crosshairs. Nikki had changed a lot since Mac had first met her, and she was beginning to let her guard down a bit and let her generosity show more.

On a pleasant late afternoon at the end of August, just a week after the adoption was official, Mac and Stacey had come in from a bike ride. After they had both showered and changed, Mac was just pulling on his sneakers to go check the mail when the phone rang.
It was Pete. “Hey, Mac, what are you two doing?”
“Really nothing, Pete. I’m about to go grab the mail, and then we were thinking about renting a movie.”
“Well, come over to the Foundation instead, to the eighth floor.”
“Why?”
“Don’t ask questions, Mac, just come.” Pete hung up.
Baffled, Mac went out and brought in the mail. When he came back, Stacey was out on the deck, reading. “Pete wants us to come in,” he told her.
“What in the world…?”
“I don’t know, but let’s go over there and see what he has up his sleeve.”

Mac and Stacey stepped off the elevator on the eighth floor and headed down the hall. When they came out to the big open lounge, the lights suddenly flipped on and a shout of “SURPRISE!” rang out.
The two looked around, stunned. Pete and Sam stood in front, surrounded by all of MacGyver’s friends: Penny Parker, Jack Dalton, Jesse Colton, Nikki Carpenter, and more.
Pete stepped forward, a mischievous grin on his face. “When I heard that your adoption was finally official, Stacey, I couldn’t resist. Among other things, I realized you hadn’t had a chance yet to get to know many folks informally outside of the office. I got the word out to everyone, and after a few fast and furious emails, the stage was all set.”
Stacey was overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to say.” A lump came into her throat. “Thank you, all of you. The last eight months have been amazing, and I’ve finally found a family…” Her voice trailed off.
Mac was gazing around, too, every bit as touched as Stacey was. “Thank you,” he finally managed, his voice growing husky. “This proves yet again, as if I needed proof, that my friends are the best I could ever ask for.” He tried to say more, but fell silent.
What followed was the most fun few hours either of them had had in a long time. Stacey made the rounds, getting to talk to everyone, starting to get to know her new coworkers and those who had been important figures in MacGyver’s life for years. For the first time in nearly three years, she felt as though she had truly come home.