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The Journey Continues, Continuation of "Continuum"
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Dragondog
Posted: 24 November 2019 - 09:38 PM                                    
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Episode:Halloween Knights
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 23 November 2019 - 02:25 PM)
QUOTE (Dragondog @ 22 November 2019 - 09:59 PM)
I can understand that, just not relate to it, so apologies again if my snarkiness came out too strongly tongue.gif

I don't wear any jewlery, so I've never been in that situation, but I do get upset when I lose something (but I'm more honest about it). Most of what I misplace is either found or not very valuable. Usually both XD

No, no, no!! Do NOT apologize! I wish we would have had this conversation a couple years ago when I first wrote this chapter and posted it on a fan fic website. My aunt, who was a professional author for a time, told me one thing that's really stuck with me, and that is to make sure your characters' motivations and actions make sense. You've actually inspired me to go back and tweak this part, giving it more of a back story to explain Jo's reaction to losing the ring. As I said, it's based on my own experience, but I didn't share everything...What made my experience really bad was that, from the time I was old enough to keep a ring on my finger, my grandma always made sure I had a sapphire one (my birthstone). After she died, I felt I as outgrowing the one I had been wearing for several years so I took the stones and had them reset. THIS was the ring that was stolen and my mom was super upset because because they were the stones my grandma (her mom) had bought for me so there was obviously a lot of sentimental value. That's where the strong emotions really came from...along with me being super responsible and just tossing it on the dresser the night before. Si THANK YOU for the feedback!!

Well, I'm glad i could help then smile.gif

And ouch! I can see why that was such a bad experience sad.gif I can't imagine losing something of that value blowup.gif



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 27 November 2019 - 06:04 PM                                    
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Season: ---
Episode:Faith, Hope, and Charity
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Ch. 25: Aunt Betty’s B&B

“Welcome to Cloverton! Home of Aunt Betty’s Bed and Breakfast proudly owned and operated by none other than our very own Penny Parker!” MacGyver proclaimed as he turned his Jeep onto Main Street and cruised the two lane road lined with several storefronts on either side that comprised the downtown area of the small town. It had been nearly ten years since Mac first visited here with Penny to check out the large Tudor Revival style mansion she had inherited from her aunt and it appeared nothing had changed. In fact, he highly doubted anything about this town had changed since the 1950’s.

“I still don’t feel right about leaving Cynthia alone at Challengers,” Joanna protested from the passenger seat.

“She gave us her blessing, remember?” Mac reminded her. “Besides, it’s been a crazy summer and in a couple weeks you’ll be starting your new part-time job at the high school. I thought this would be a good chance for us to spend some time together, just the two of us.”

“You did call Penny to let her know we’re coming, right?”

“Yes. I called. Now would you stop worrying! All you have to do for the next few days is relax. Do you think you can handle that?”

“I guess I can try.”

MacGyver glanced over to find Jo smiling playfully back at him and his heart squeezed in the most delightful way.

A few minutes later, he parked the Jeep in front of the large house. The masonry base, stone chimneys, and upper stories done in stucco and timber were all familiar. However, the overgrown trees and shrubs had all been trimmed and colorful flower beds scattered throughout the yard gave the old place warm appeal. He climbed from the driver’s seat and met Joanna at the back of his vehicle, ready to open the hatch.

“MacGyver!” a bubbly female voice called. “Joanna! I’m so glad you’re here!!” Penny Parker skipped down the front steps and engulfed them each in an enthusiastic hug.

“It’s good to see you too, Penny,” Mac chuckled. He opened the back of the Jeep and went to reach for a piece of luggage when Penny put a staying hand on his arm.

“You can get your stuff later,” she told him. “First, I want you to see your room. Oh! I just know you’re gonna love it!!” She flashed her famous smile before unwittingly turning her back on her new guests, assuming they would follow.

As MacGyver and Joanna climbed the grand staircase, Mac’s head swiveled to take in the changes that had been made to the house. His memory of a dreary, shadowy shell was soon quashed by the bright, welcoming warmth the home now exuded. He followed the two women down the long hallway to the corner room where Penny stopped beside a closed door.

“Oooh, this is so exciting!!” Penny cried, her body quivering with barely contained excitement. Jo tossed Mac a grin over her shoulder just as the younger woman threw the door open.

“Ta da!!” she exclaimed as her guests warily crossed the threshold.

In the center of the large room accented in red and gold stood an ornately carved king size canopy bed, its comforter littered with pink rose petals. Mac watched as Joanna moved forward and picked up one of the pieces of the velvety flower, gently rubbing it between her thumb and forefinger, a questioning look on her face. MacGyver shrugged and took a step back, bumping into a standing silver ice bucket. He pulled out a chilled bottle.

“That’s sparkling grape juice,” Penny explained with a knowing grin from her position just inside the doorway. “I know you don’t drink...well, at least you never used to...and I figured Joanna doesn’t either...or at least she wouldn’t mind--”

Mac held up a hand to silence his friend. “What is this all about?” he asked.

Penny’s gleaming smile fell just a fraction. “It’s the honeymoon suite! I wanted to make it extra special for you!”

“Penny,” Jo replied gently albeit with a slight blush, “We’re not on our honeymoon.”

“But I assumed when MacGyver called to tell me he wanted to bring you someplace special that you two had gotten married.” Penny’s frown deepened and tears began to pool in her eyes. Mac walked up to her, took her shoulders in his hands, and ducked his head so he was looking into her eyes.

“Penny, don’t you think that if Jo and I had gotten married we would have invited you to the wedding?”

“Oh, I never thought about that,” she said quietly. “But you could have eloped!” she stated hopefully. Mac shook his head.

“I’m such an airhead,” Penny moaned, tears threatening to fall once more. “I went through all this trouble because I wanted to do something really special for you guys and I blew it!”

“It really is lovely, Penny,” Joanna said. “It means a lot that you went through all this trouble just for us.”

“Really?” the younger woman asked, rallying just a bit.

“Really,” MacGyver assured her.

“I just thought of something else,” Penny wailed. “I don’t have any place else for you to sleep! I booked all the rooms because I thought you’d be sleeping...well, you know...together! I mean, it’s okay if you do...it’s not like it’s any of my beeswax...but I suppose I could figure out something if you don’t…”

“This will be just fine. We’ll make it work,” Joanna declared, once again coming to the rescue.

“Yeah. I could always sleep in the bathtub,” Mac teased, but the old joke fell flat.

Joanna continued to address Penny. “That bed is so huge Mac and I won’t even know the other is there. We can even put pillows down the middle. It’s no problem.”

What she said was true and right, yet he felt unduly disappointed that she planned to keep her soft warmth well away from him. Then again, with those kinds of thoughts running through his head, perhaps her plan was wise. If not, there was always the bathtub.

XXXXX

“What in the world did you pack?” MacGyver complained as he hefted Joanna’s suitcases out of the Jeep.

“Just the basic necessities and a few books,” she replied airily.

“It feels more like everything but the kitchen sink and an entire library.”

“I like to have options,” she shrugged, picking up a small wicker basket with a hinged, quilted cover.

“What’s that?”

“My knitting.”

“You knit?”

“Yeah. I knit hats and scarves to donate to my church’s winter clothes drive,” Jo explained then grinned cheekily. “There are still some things you don’t know about me, Mac.”

They were about to enter the house with their belongings when they heard a high-pitched squeal followed by the crash of a metal rain gutter on the porch’s concrete overhang. They automatically cringed.

“Oh, terrific!” Penny exclaimed as she stood on the lawn surveying the damage. “Now what am I going to do?!”

“Why don’t you tell me what you were doing in the first place?” Mac asked, abandoning the luggage to join his friend, Joanna close behind.

“I was trying to clean out the gutters before the next rain and now look what happened,” she pouted, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Don’t you pay someone to do that kinda stuff?” he inquired.

Penny let out a huff. “I did until last week.”

“What happened last week?”

“My handyman was cleaning out the gutters in back when he fell off the ladder and broke his leg. He won’t be able to work for six weeks!”

“So, hire someone else,” Mac suggested.

“It’s not that simple,” Penny replied softly, literally wringing her hands.

“Why not?”

“Well, before the ladder incident my cook was frying chicken for supper when the pot tipped over and the oil burned her hands. She quit on the spot! With two freak accidents in one week some of the townspeople are saying the house is--”

“Don’t tell me they think it’s haunted,” MacGyver interrupted.

Penny nodded silently, her eyes on the ground.

“We’ve been through this already. There’s no such thing as ghosts!”

“And I’m not the one saying it’s haunted!” Penny shot back. “In fact, before I opened for business, I had a séance just to make sure.”

“Aw, Penny!” Mac threw his hands up in the air in exasperation and turned away but she ignored him.

“Anyway, the house got a clean bill of health,” she proclaimed.

“Don’t worry, Penny. Mac and I will help out while we’re here,” Jo promised.

Mac spun to face the two women. “No! No way!” he protested. “We came here to relax and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do!”

Joanna grabbed his arm and pulled him several yards away from the house.

“What has gotten into you?! Penny’s your friend and needs our help! She could’ve gotten killed trying to clean those gutters by herself!” Jo exclaimed, her steely gaze boring into him.

“That’s exactly my point!” he spat back. “My friend’s always need my help and I’m getting sick and tired of being their go-to guy! Penny’s been running this place for years and has apparently been doing just fine without me. She can manage on her own.”

“I can’t believe you just said that!” Joanna responded, her tone conveying both shock and disappointment. “If you want to kick back and relax, fine! But I’m gonna help Penny! And you can sleep in the bathtub!!” She turned and strode purposefully toward the house.

“Fine!” Mac called to her retreating figure, slapping his palm against his forehead when he realized how selfish and childish he sounded. He hurried to catch up so he could apologize as well as agree to assist with the B&B. He had let his pent up frustration get the better of him. There was no way he would deny Penny his help. He entered the foyer to find Joanna standing stock still, watching a heated argument between their host and one of her guests.

“And I’m telling you that I had the entire house rewired and brought up to code. I don’t know what’s wrong!” Penny insisted.

“Well I suggest you find out my dear! And when you do, I’ll be in my room handwriting my manuscript!” an older gentleman with a grey mustache and reading glasses replied frostily.

“What was that all about?” MacGyver asked once the man had returned upstairs.

“Oh, him,” Penny replied dejectedly. “That’s Mr. Bidwell. He says he’s an author who needed a quiet place to work on his next novel but all he’s done since he arrived a couple days ago is complain. Right now he’s upset because his electric typewriter isn’t working and he insists there’s something wrong with the electrical sockets in his room.”

“Did he ever consider that there might be something wrong with the machine?” Mac asked.

“That’s it, MacGyver! You’re a genius!” Penny gushed. “Why don’t you go and see if you can fix it?!”

“Um, Penny, I don’t know…” He caught Jo’s reprimanding look out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat. “Lead the way,” he sighed.

After Penny knocked on Mr. Bidwell’s door and introduced him to MacGyver, the man grudgingly stepped aside allowing Mac to enter. He immediately went to the old typewriter that, like the rest of the town, looked like it belonged in the 1950’s.

“Nice looking machine,” Mac mused.

“Indeed, my boy!” the author boasted. “I’ve traveled around the world with it. Made me the top-selling novelist you see today. Never gave me a moment’s problem until I came here.”

“Mind if I take a look?” MacGyver asked politely.

“Go ahead, if you must, but please be careful.”

“You bet.”

Before taking off the cover, Mac checked to make sure the machine was unplugged. He was not in the mood to get electrocuted today. Once he exposed the inside workings he surveyed each section carefully. Though not an expert in the field, he couldn’t find anything obviously wrong. For good measure, he pulled out his Swiss Army knife, found the tool he wanted, and checked to make sure that all the wires were in place and secure. He carefully put the heavy cover back on and plugged it in.

“Go ahead, give it a try,” he encouraged Mr. Bidwell.

The older man sat down in the chair and touched a key. It worked perfectly. He typed a word, then a sentence, then a paragraph.

“Well, I’ll be!” he exclaimed. “What did you do to it young man?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Mac hedged. “I just tweaked a few things.”

“And I thank you for that. It works as good as new! Now please, be on your way. I have a novel to finish!”

“How did it go? Were you able to fix it?” Penny asked anxiously when MacGyver returned downstairs.

“Actually, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the typewriter or the socket. I pretended to tinker with it, but it was fine. Mr. Bidwell is happily typing away as we speak.”

“Gosh, that’s kinda strange, isn’t it?” Penny’s eyes widened.

Mac shrugged. “Not really. It’s an old machine and bound to act up at times. It probably has happened before but Bidwell would rather blame you than admit it.”

XXXXX

The piercing ring of the alarm clock startled MacGyver awake. He slapped at it hoping to find the snooze button. He then turned and looked at the red glowing digits. Two in the morning?! He looked across the wide bed at Joanna. True to her word she was huddled on the far edge, seemingly still fast asleep, with a wall of pillows between them. At least he wasn’t in the bathtub. Making sure the alarm feature on the clock was no longer set, Mac rolled over and went back to sleep.

Thirty minutes later the clock blared again. Mac shot up, grabbed it, and banged it against the nightstand. This couldn’t be happening! He once again looked at Jo who had turned onto her back and was snoring softly. Deciding that perhaps there was something wrong with the wiring in the building, MacGyver leaned over and unplugged the digital clock before flopping on his back to stare at the ceiling until slumber claimed him once more.

A distant but persistent ringing coaxed MacGyver awake, his hand automatically searching for the button to shut off the alarm. But wait. Didn’t he unplug it during the night? He sat up shaking his head. Apparently now he was dreaming about hearing the alarm! Joanna emerged from the bathroom, already showered and dressed for the day.

“Hey there, sleepyhead!” she greeted him cheerily. “I thought you were the morning person?”

“Did you hear the alarm clock ring just now?” he asked.

“No. Why? Did you have it set?”

“I don’t suppose you heard it during the night?” he continued, ignoring her question.

“Nope,” she shook her head. “I slept like a rock!”

“So I noticed,” he groaned, peeling back the covers and slowly climbing out of bed.

“Mac? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just didn’t sleep very well is all. By the way, what are you doing up so early?”

“Penny and I are gonna try to recreate Aunt Betty’s famous cinnamon rolls. You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied with a reassuring smile. “I’m gonna take a quick shower and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Penny was already in the kitchen retrieving ingredients from the pantry when Joanna appeared.

“How did you sleep?”

“Wonderfully,” Jo replied. “I hate to say it, but I guess Mac was right. I really need some time away from work.”

Penny smiled and handed Joanna an apron. Soon the two women were combining flour, sugar, and eggs and rolling out dough, all the while chatting amiably until a loud yowl from upstairs interrupted them.

“What was that?” Penny asked, fear evident in her eyes.

“I don’t know, but it sounded like it came from my room!”

Together they bolted up the stairs and down the hallway, ignoring the guests peeking out of their rooms to see what all the ruckus was about. When they got to the honeymoon suite, Joanna pushed the door open and skidded to a stop so quickly that Penny almost knocked her over from behind. They gaped at MacGyver who stood in the bathroom doorway dripping wet, hair plastered to his head, towel wrapped around his waist, and scowling like a bear who had just been woken from hibernation.

“Wha...what happened?” Jo asked, biting back a giggle.

Mac’s gazed was pinned on Penny. “I just ran out of hot water! That’s what happened!” he snapped.

“But that can’t be.” Penny’s expression was one of pure innocence and confusion. “I had an extra-large water heater installed just so something like this wouldn’t happen!”

Turning serious, Joanna pushed past MacGyver, reached into the tub, and turned on the faucet.

“The water’s just fine, Mac,” she reported as it flowed over her hand. “Maybe you accidentally knocked the--”

“I didn’t ‘accidentally’ do anything! I’m telling you, there was no hot water!”

“Well, there is now,” Jo shrugged. “Why don’t you get dressed and come downstairs. We’ll go for a walk or something.”

“Fine,” Mac ground out as Joanna and Penny retreated, both of them giggling softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“You’ve really done a great job with this place,” MacGyver commented later that morning as Penny was giving him and Joanna a tour of the grounds. After a quick jog and a hearty breakfast including a fair facsimile of Aunt Betty’s cinnamon rolls, Mac was feeling much more like himself.

“I really didn’t do that much,” Penny replied shyly. “I just hired people to do it for me.”

“But they still used your ideas, right?” Mac cajoled.

“Well, yeah. I guess,” she shrugged.

They were just about to round the front corner of the house when they heard raised voices coming from the porch swing.

“That’s Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. They’re here celebrating their sixtieth wedding anniversary.” Penny whispered to Mac and Jo.

“Doesn’t sound like they’ll make it to sixty-one,” MacGyver observed, earning slaps on either arm from his female companions.

“I’m tellin’ ya, Iris, that girl is downright incompetent! I told her I wanted somethin’ special for our anniversary and what does she do? She sticks us in a room with twin beds and a TV that’s on the fritz!”

“Don’t be so hard on the poor girl, George! After all, I heard she used to be an actress. What can you expect?! But I must say her cooking does leave something to be desired.”

Mac’s jaw clenched as he watched tears well in Penny’s eyes. Sure, she might be a bit hapless at times, and she had a tendency to find trouble but that wasn’t really her fault. Penny’s greatest problem was that she had a trusting heart and childlike innocence about her. And MacGyver didn’t consider that a bad thing. Suddenly they heard a loud clank, clatter, and then a thud followed by irate bellows and cries for help. Rounding the corner the trio saw that one of the chains securing the swing to the porch canopy had broken, causing George to crash to the ground and an overweight Iris to land on top of him. They hurried to make sure the elderly couple was okay.

“That’s the last straw I tell you!” George bellowed, struggling to his feet as MacGyver put a steadying hand under the man’s elbow. “We’re packing our bags and going home!”

“Oh, Mr. Jackson, please wait!” Penny begged. “Let me make it up to you!” She threw Mac an apologetic glance before continuing. “The honeymoon suite just became available. I’ll have your things moved right away!

“I’m sorry, young lady, but that’s too little too late,” he growled.

“Now George, be reasonable,” Iris urged as she brushed the dirt from her dress. “It’s not her fault the swing broke.” Then she turned her attention on Mac and Joanna. “Are you the young couple staying in the honeymoon suite?”

“Yes ma’am,” MacGyver replied.

“But didn’t I see you arrive just yesterday?” Iris asked. “You can’t be planning on leaving already!”

“Actually we--”

“George, we can’t take that room away from them! Look how much in love they are...just like us sixty years ago! We’re paid up to tomorrow. One more night won’t make a difference.”

“Well, I suppose not,” her husband grumbled.

“Then it’s settled! We’ll all stay right where we are!” Iris declared. “But I do think George and I will be going into town for dinner this evening.”

Penny sighed with relief as Mac put his hands on her shoulders.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she smiled reassuringly.

“Then why don’t you show me where the handyman keeps his tools so I can fix that swing?”

“Oh Mac, you don’t have to do that!”

“I want to, Penny. That’s what friends are for.”

XXXXX

MacGyver stared at Joanna, longing and frustration warring in his heart. She was curled up in a wingback chair on the other side of the living room engrossed in one of her novels. The other guests, and even Penny, had retired for the evening and it was finally just the two of them. And she was ignoring him completely. This was not what he had envisioned when he planned this little getaway.

“I’m gonna get a snack,” he announced. “Want anything?”

“No,” Jo mumbled, not even looking up from the page.

Mac pushed himself off the couch and headed for the kitchen. As he entered the room he saw Joanna’s knitting basket sitting on the small table in the corner. A skein of blue yarn and a pair of knitting needles sat next to it. Apparently she had been keeping Penny company earlier as dinner cooked and he repaired the television set in the Jackson’s room.

He had just turned toward the counter when he heard a soft clink behind him. He turned and found one of Joanna’s knitting needles on the floor. Not thinking much of it, he picked it up and put it back on the table which he assumed was slightly less than level, making sure it was still before rummaging through the cupboards for something to eat. He had just begun to spread some peanut butter on a piece of whole grain bread when he heard the clink again.

“Really?” he muttered, putting down his knife and once again picking up the knitting needle. This time he stabbed it securely into the skein of yarn.

Feeling satisfied, he returned to his snack and had just taken a bite when he heard the noise again. He turned and stared at the offending tool lying on the floor, noticing that its counterpart remained securely tucked away as he had left it. He moved to pick up the needle but stopped himself. Joanna could pick up after her own self! He was looking out the window into the starless night as he chugged a glass of milk when he sensed her presence.

“Mac, have you seen my knitting?”

“On the table,” he grunted without turning around. “And pick up the needle on the floor while you’re at it.”

“There’s nothing on the floor,” she said, the confusion in her voice causing him to turn and look for himself. Jo was right. The needle was on the table, just as he had originally found it.

“What the…?! I’m telling you, I heard the needle fall and saw it lying on the floor,” he insisted.

“Well it isn’t there now,” she replied, irritating him by pointing out the obvious.

MacGyver had had enough. He needed this day to be over.

“You going back in the living room?” he asked brusquely.

“No, I was planning on going upstairs.”

“Then I’ll turn off the lights.” He brushed past her without a glance.

“Mac, is everything okay?” Jo asked, dogging his heels.

“Everything’s just swell,” he replied drily.

He was halfway across the room when he felt her reach out to him.

“Mac…”

Her voice was so soft and sweet he couldn’t help but stop and turn toward her.

“Look,” she continued gently, “I know today’s been kinda--”

“Stop,” he commanded huskily, putting his hands on her shoulders and squeezing gently. “Let’s forget about today. Just now I acted like a dumb, selfish kid because Penny’s goofy problems and your friendship with her got in the way of us spending time alone and I’m sorry.”

He waited silently as Joanna looked around the room then back at him, a mischievous gleam in her eye.

“It looks like we’re alone now,” she whispered, smiling up at him.

“So it does,” he grinned.

He pulled her toward him, lifting his hands to her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, bringing them even closer together. Her eyes fluttered close as his lips found hers, kissing her the way he had been aching to since they first arrived.

When they were both breathless, MacGyver broke the kiss, still cradling Joanna’s face in his hands he leaned his forehead against hers.

“I think we should stop,” he said, his voice ragged.

“Why?” she whispered against his lips.

“Because we’re sharing a room,” he stated huskily.

“So?” She playfully nipped his lower lip.

“We’re sharing a bed.” He nipped her back, enjoying the intimate playfulness she had initiated.

“So?” Her breath mingled with his. “Oooh!” she finally comprehended, pulling away from his touch. “Maybe you’re right,” she conceded, her cheeks flushed.

“Of course, I could always sleep down here on the couch,” he suggested, already missing the warm softness of her body in his arms.

“It’s not like you haven’t done it before,” she reasoned.

That was all the encouragement he needed. He reached for her again, closing his eyes knowing that his lips would find hers of their own accord, when suddenly he felt hands on his chest pushing him backward. His eyes flew open and his arms flailed instinctively in an attempt to keep his balance. He took a step back to steady himself, but his foot caught on the edge of an Oriental rug and the next thing he knew he was lying on his back. His view of the ceiling was quickly eclipsed by Joanna’s concerned face.

“Mac! Are you okay!” she asked anxiously, kneeling beside him, her eyes wide with concern.

“What’d you do that for?” he moaned, rubbing the back of his head which had hit the floor with a sickening thud.

“Do what? I didn’t do anything,” she protested. “I didn’t even have a chance to touch you!”

“What happened?! I thought I heard something fall!” Penny exclaimed, emerging from her private quarters and hurrying down the hall to the living room. Her eyes widened when she found MacGyver on the floor.

“That ‘something’ was me,” he groaned, regaining his feet. “I tripped,” he explained, glancing suspiciously at Joanna whose expression was innocence personified.

“I told you I didn’t touch you!”

“Oh, yeah?! Then whose hands did I feel on my chest?!”

“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Penny moaned.

“What?” Jo and Mac asked in unison.

“Isn’t it obvious?” their host asked. “I have a new ghost!”

“I am not having this conversation again!” MacGyver exclaimed, spinning on his heels and striding toward the far end of the room.

“Then how do you explain all the strange things that have been happening?” Penny challenged.

“I don’t know! Accidents? Faulty plumbing and electricity? Coincidence?”

“I thought you didn’t believe in coincidence,” Joanna observed.

“Well I believe in it a heck of a lot more than I believe in ghosts!” he shot back.

Heavy silence shrouded the room.

“Look,” Mac sighed, his voice calmer now. “Why don’t we take a closer look at all these ‘incidences’ and try to find a logical explanation, okay?”

Penny perked up immediately. “Great! I’ll go put on a pot of coffee!”

“Penny, wait! I--”

“I know you don’t drink coffee, MacGyver. It’s just a saying!”

“No. I was going to say that I didn’t plan on having this discussion tonight. It can wait until morning.”

Mac watched Penny’s happy face crumble and he felt like a first-class heel. “Then again, why put off until tomorrow what can be done tonight.” Penny’s bright smile immediately returned and MacGyver felt as if he had just successfully navigated a minefield blindfolded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“You don’t really believe in this stuff, do you?” Mac asked Joanna as they settled themselves around the kitchen table while Penny went to grab something to write on.

“Don’t you want to put Penny’s mind at ease?” she asked.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You didn’t answer mine! But I’m not gonna say I don’t believe.” MacGyver pulled a face, but Jo continued. “People have been experiencing hauntings for centuries and there’s been tons of pretty scientific and persuasive research done on the subject. I would think you could at least respect that.”

“I do, but--”

“Here we go!” Penny came bouncing back into the room, took a seat and handed Joanna a pen and legal pad. “What’s the plan?”

“We’re gonna make a list of all the weird things that have happened, the people affected, and see if we can find a common denominator,” Joanna explained. “Now, when would you say this all started?”

Penny thought for a while before answering. “I guess the beginning of last week when the cook burned her hands,” she replied. “Boy, you should have heard some of the words that came out of her mouth!”

“Did you two get along?” Jo continued.

“I guess,” Penny shrugged. “I mean, we weren’t friends or anything. She thought she was too great a chef to be working at a B&B, but she wasn’t, really. Some of the stuff she cooked was just awful! And she wouldn’t try fun, new things. Like try to make Aunt Betty’s cinnamon rolls.” The young woman smiled warmly at Jo who smiled back, remembering their culinary experiment and subsequent success twelve hours earlier.

“Okay, what happened next?” Joanna asked, frowning as she watched MacGyver fidget in his chair.

“That would have to be the handyman falling off the ladder,” the younger woman replied definitively. “I had been asking him to clean out the gutters for weeks, but he kept grumbling about being nagged by someone young enough to be his daughter. He finally gave in and look what happened.”

Jo shot Penny a sympathetic smile as Mac headed for the refrigerator and a glass of juice. “Next?”

“Oh, you were here for that! It was when Mr. Bidwell’s typewriter wasn’t working.”

“Right. And you said he had been complaining a lot.”

Penny nodded vigorously. “You’d think if he didn’t like it here he’d just leave!”

“Okay, we’re up to number four,” Jo announced.

“That would have to be Mac’s alarm clock going off,” Penny offered. “And number five would be when he lost hot water in the shower.”

“I told you, some glitch in the wiring and a too-small hot water heater can explain those,” Mac reasoned even as Joanna sent a quelling look his way.

“Does that take us up to the swing chain breaking while Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were sitting on it?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Penny mumbled, chewing her lower lip. “I thought they liked me until I heard them talking about me.”

MacGyver reached over and covered her hand with his. “Don’t worry about it. We managed to get everything straightened out. And I’m sure they like you. They were just a little disappointed with their circumstances.”

Penny smiled her thanks at Mac who had turned his attention to Joanna.

“I guess that brings it back to me and the knitting needles rolling off the table which, by the way, simply means the table...this table...isn’t level.”

“Well that’s easy enough to check,” Penny said, getting up and rummaging through a drawer before producing an old fashioned level and putting it in the middle of the table.

Everyone stood up so they could watch the little bubble which, once stilled, proved that the table was completely even.

“That can’t be,” MacGyver muttered.

Jo shrugged and motioned to the device. “The proof’s right there.”

Mac plopped back down in his chair and let out a huff. “Then I guess the final incident is me not being pushed back by Joanna.”

“Right,” she replied absently, already studying her notes.

“Did you find anything helpful?” Penny asked, peering over Jo’s shoulder.

“I’m not sure,” she answered, her brows knitting together. She aimed her next words at MacGyver. “Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that there is a ghost here. It seems the only people it bothers are those who’ve had run-ins with Penny. It’s almost like he, or she, is protecting or avenging her.”

“Then why, ‘for the sake of argument’ does he, or she, have a beef with me?!” Mac glowered.

“I have no idea,” Joanna replied thoughtfully. “Maybe it gets a kick out of annoying you or making you think you’re going crazy or something.”

“And it obviously doesn’t want me to have a love life, either,” he mumbled.

“Aha! So you admit I didn’t push you!” Jo exclaimed triumphantly.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“You said it yourself, MacGyver,” Penny goaded.

“Can we just get on with this?” he snapped.

“Fine,” Joanna replied frostily.

“Penny, did you bring anything new into the house right before the cook’s accident?”

“I bought some groceries the day before. Why?”

“I mean, did you find or buy some kind of object...maybe a decorative antique? It’s pretty well established that ghosts can attach themselves to objects and wherever the object goes, so does the ghost.”

Penny started to shake her head then stopped. “Wait a minute...on the way to the supermarket I stopped at this little pawn shop because I’ve been meaning to get rid of some of Aunt Betty’s old costume jewelry and I ended up buying a ring!” At that, Penny shot up out of her chair and hurried to her quarters. Upon returning, she had the ring in the palm of her hand and held it out for Joanna and MacGyver to inspect.

“A silver skull?” Jo asked warily.

“Weird, right? But I don’t know...it just seemed to call to me. Like I had to have it. Not that I ever plan on wearing it!”

“A death’s head ring,” Mac said under his breath so softly Joanna wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly.

“What?” she asked, hoping for clarification.

“Nothing,” MacGyver responded a bit too quickly. “I’ve had enough for tonight and I’m going to bed. If you two want to stay up and tell ghost stories, don’t let me stop you.”

Joanna watched as Mac emptied his glass of juice in the sink, exited the kitchen, and climbed the stairs. Something wasn’t right. Rising from her own chair, she picked up the pad of paper and gave the pen back to Penny.

“I think we should call it a night, too,” she suggested.

“But what about the ring? How are we gonna find out whose ghost is attached to it?”

“Let’s worry about that in the morning, okay?” Right now, Jo was more worried about Mac.

Joanna opened the door to the honeymoon suite to find MacGyver lying on top of the bedcovers, staring at the ceiling.

“Wanna tell me about it?” she asked, climbing onto her side of the bed.

“There’s nothin’ to tell. I just got tired of all that dumb ghost talk.”

“That’s not true and you know it. I watched you turn three shades whiter than a ghost when Penny showed us that ring. You recognized it, didn’t you?”

Mac suddenly sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands. “It just isn’t possible.”

“What isn’t possible?”

“Murdoc always wore a ring exactly like that. It was like his signature,” MacGyver ground out.

Joanna crawled across the bed until she was sitting next to Mac, a comforting hand placed gently on his back. She could feel his warm, taught muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt.

“There have to be hundreds of rings like that roaming around,” Jo reasoned. “You can’t really believe it could be Murdoc’s?”

“Just like I don’t really believe in ghosts?” he countered.

“Mac, think about this logically.”

“I am!” he exclaimed. “That’s the problem!”

Joanna must have looked as bewildered as she felt because he continued without missing a beat. “Remember when I told you how Murdoc posed as that rock opera director, Jacques La Rue? It was then that he fell in love with Penny. And Penny thought she loved him when he was Jacques. It makes perfect sense that he would want to protect her and harm people he believed hurt her. And me? Well, I’m just a great big juicy bonus!”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Jo asked incredulously.

MacGyver must have considered it a rhetorical question because he didn’t respond.

“Look, first thing tomorrow morning the three of us will go to that pawn shop and find out where that ring came from. Chances are some kid found it in an alley and decided to cash in.”

“You’re right,” he acknowledged, sounding more like himself. “I’m just letting this stupid house get to me...again.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, MacGyver, Joanna, and Penny were standing outside the Cloverton Pawn Shop when the owner opened for business.

“What can I do for you folks?” the tall, lanky man asked.

Penny placed the ring on the counter.

“We were wondering if you remembered who sold you this ring,” MacGyver said.

“Sure do!” the store owner replied. “One don’t quite forget a piece like that. At least not around these parts. Guy who hocked it wanted to get rid of it real bad, too. Didn’t even haggle over the price.”

The trio looked at the man encouragingly and that was all it took for him to continue his story.

“Seems this guy was into buyin’ stuff at estate sales and such. Said he’d been in L.A. when he’d seen this ring. Story goes it belonged to some big time secret assassin. The dude’s been dead for over a year, but some of his possessions were found in an abandoned warehouse and sold off. But like I say, it’s just a story. Probably to get people to pay more than the stuff is worth.”

“Why was the man who sold it to you so anxious to get rid of it?” Penny asked.

“Can’t rightly say. Some mumbo-jumbo about them poltergeists or somethin’. With what he was willin’ to take, I wasn’t gonna ask. Now, if you’re thinkin’ about returnin’ that I’m ‘fraid all sales are final.”

“We understand,” MacGyver assured him in a clipped tone. “Thanks for takin’ the time to talk to us.”

Penny retrieved the ring and the small group headed to the Jeep. The ride back to the B&B was completed in silence. MacGyver kept his jaw clenched and his spine stiff as his logical mind tried to make order of all he had heard and experienced. He glanced in the rearview mirror periodically, always to find Penny staring at the silver piece of jewelry in the palm of her hand.

When they arrived at the house it was to find guests milling about the gardens, enjoying the late summer day. Penny silently hurried from the car and into the kitchen to prepare the midday meal. Mac expected Joanna to follow her, but instead she followed him up the stairs and into their room. He sat down on the end of the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands.

“This has to just be a big, freakish coincidence, right?” Jo asked, sitting down next to him but keeping space between them.

“Right,” he muttered.

“I mean, everything that’s happened can’t be because of the ring. And the odds of Murdoc’s ring showing up here after all this time have to be astronomical. Right?”

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“So what now?”

“I gotta convince Penny to get rid of that ring.”

Joanna’s jaw dropped and in any other situation Mac probably would’ve laughed. “You seriously believe Murdoc’s attached to that ring?” she asked.

“No. But Penny does and that’s what matters.”

Minutes later, Joanna had taken over cooking duties while MacGyver spoke with Penny in the living room.

“You want me to what?!” she cried, causing him to flinch.

“You gotta get rid of it. Throw it into the deepest lake you can find, bury it in the middle of nowhere. I don’t care, just get it out of this house.”

“But I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts,” she challenged, fingering the silver skull that now hung from a chain around her neck.

“Let’s just say I prefer to play things safe these days,” he grinned.

“Fine,” she frowned.

“Hey, I know how you felt about him when you thought he was Jacques, but that wasn’t him. It never was. It was all an elaborate act. It meant nothing.”

“Yeah, sure,” she agreed softly before heading back to the kitchen, her downcast eyes never leaving the floor.

XXXXX

“You all packed?” MacGyver asked from his side of the bed later that night.

“Yeah, I just wish we didn’t have to leave so soon,” Joanna bemoaned as she climbed under the covers on the other side.

“So then you wouldn’t be opposed to coming back sometime?” He purposely flashed her the smile he knew she couldn’t resist.

“I’d love to. But make it clear that we need separate rooms. I don’t want Penny making any assumptions again.”

Mac made a show of looking around until he found and caught her eyes.

“I don’t know. I kinda like this one,” he replied, his voice a bit raspy as he lost himself in the liquid chocolate depths. “Only next time we won’t need the pillows as chaperones.”

“What are you saying?” Jo asked suspiciously.

“Just thinkin’ out loud,” he replied smoothly, checking one final time to make sure the alarm clock was unplugged before sliding under the covers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the room directly below the honeymoon suite, Penny lay on her bed facing the nightstand, staring at the silver death’s head ring that seemed to be staring back. She thought back to that night so long ago when Murdoc had captured her, revealing his true identity, as Pete and MacGyver fought for their lives in an elaborate trap he had devised. She remembered trying to convince him that he was musical, charming, and romantic and how he told her she brought those qualities out in him. How he didn’t know what it was like to smile until he met her. How he had fallen in love with her. And what was her response? She had called him insane right to his face, snuffing out any hint of hope or joy that may have been there. Now, in hindsight, perhaps he had possessed some good qualities. Perhaps he really had loved her. MacGyver wanted her to get rid of the ring. But what if Murdoc’s spirit was, indeed, attached to it, and he was even now watching over her, protecting her, loving her. She gently took the ring, placing it safely in the drawer of her nightstand. What MacGyver didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.










Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 30 November 2019 - 11:16 AM                                    
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QUOTE

MacGyver glanced over to find Jo smiling playfully back at him and his heart squeezed in the most delightful way.
Wouldn't it just be so romantic to propose inside a nice, comfortable room inside a B&B, and then to run off for a quick wedding, (because you both don't really like being fussed over), and then return to Challenger's and surprise everyone with the sudden news? Well, I suppose Sam would be ticked off, being left out, but-

QUOTE

“MacGyver!” a bubbly female voice called. “Joanna! I’m so glad you’re here!!” Penny Parker skipped down the front steps and engulfed them each in an enthusiastic hug.
*GLOMP* XD

QUOTE

“Penny,” Jo replied gently albeit with a slight blush, “We’re not on our honeymoon.”
*clears throat* It's not too late to change that ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

QUOTE

“I’m such an airhead,” Penny moaned, tears threatening to fall once more. “I went through all this trouble because I wanted to do something really special for you guys and I blew it!”
I mean, she is an airhead sometimes, but I always get heartbroken when she feels like it sad.gif (Besides, sometimes she reminds me of me XD )

QUOTE

“I just thought of something else,” Penny wailed. “I don’t have any place else for you to sleep!
Of course you don't... (I swear, sleeping together is practically a pasttime with them now XD)

QUOTE

“This will be just fine. We’ll make it work,” Joanna declared, once again coming to the rescue.

“Yeah. I could always sleep in the bathtub,” Mac teased, but the old joke fell flat.
This made me laugh laugh.gif

QUOTE

Joanna continued to address Penny. “That bed is so huge Mac and I won’t even know the other is there. We can even put pillows down the middle. It’s no problem.”
I love beds like that. I just like space XD

QUOTE

“It feels more like everything but the kitchen sink and an entire library.”
Not working for Phoenix has made you out of shape, huh Macky? XD

QUOTE


“Yeah. I knit hats and scarves to donate to my church’s winter clothes drive,” Jo explained then grinned cheekily. “There are still some things you don’t know about me, Mac.”
So is this based in reality?

QUOTE

“I was trying to clean out the gutters before the next rain and now look what happened,” she pouted, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Super Mac to the rescue again? XD

QUOTE

“And I’m not the one saying it’s haunted!” Penny shot back. “In fact, before I opened for business, I had a séance just to make sure.”
What the heck Penny...

QUOTE

Mac spun to face the two women. “No! No way!” he protested. “We came here to relax and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do!”
Since when are you so big on relaxing? Normally you're the one leaping up to help XD

QUOTE

“What has gotten into you?! Penny’s your friend and needs our help! She could’ve gotten killed trying to clean those gutters by herself!” Jo exclaimed, her steely gaze boring into him.
Joanna gets it XD

QUOTE

“That’s exactly my point!” he spat back. “My friend’s always need my help and I’m getting sick and tired of being their go-to guy! Penny’s been running this place for years and has apparently been doing just fine without me. She can manage on her own.”
Ok boomer...

QUOTE


“I can’t believe you just said that!” Joanna responded, her tone conveying both shock and disappointment. “If you want to kick back and relax, fine! But I’m gonna help Penny! And you can sleep in the bathtub!!” She turned and strode purposefully toward the house.
Wow, not even married and she's already kicking him out of the bed XD

QUOTE

“Fine!” Mac called to her retreating figure, slapping his palm against his forehead when he realized how selfish and childish he sounded. He hurried to catch up so he could apologize as well as agree to assist with the B&B.
Good boy XD

QUOTE

“Actually, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the typewriter or the socket. I pretended to tinker with it, but it was fine. Mr. Bidwell is happily typing away as we speak.”

“Gosh, that’s kinda strange, isn’t it?” Penny’s eyes widened.

Mac shrugged. “Not really. It’s an old machine and bound to act up at times. It probably has happened before but Bidwell would rather blame you than admit it.”
DUN DUN DUUUNNNNNNNNNN

QUOTE

“I’m tellin’ ya, Iris, that girl is downright incompetent! I told her I wanted somethin’ special for our anniversary and what does she do? She sticks us in a room with twin beds and a TV that’s on the fritz!”

“Don’t be so hard on the poor girl, George! After all, I heard she used to be an actress. What can you expect?! But I must say her cooking does leave something to be desired.”
Oh poor Penny...

QUOTE

“George, we can’t take that room away from them! Look how much in love they are...just like us sixty years ago!
roller.gif roller.gif roller.gif EVEN RANDOM STRANGERS "FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT"!

QUOTE

“What happened?! I thought I heard something fall!” Penny exclaimed,

Mac: Yeah, my shirt fell.
Penny: That sounded way heavier than a shirt...
Mac: I was in it when it fell.

QUOTE

Joanna must have looked as bewildered as she felt because he continued without missing a beat. “Remember when I told you how Murdoc posed as that rock opera director, Jacques La Rue? It was then that he fell in love with Penny. And Penny thought she loved him when he was Jacques. It makes perfect sense that he would want to protect her and harm people he believed hurt her. And me? Well, I’m just a great big juicy bonus!”
Okay, but if that ends up being what happened, it's actually kinda cute in a way XD

While we're on that subject, I have to laugh at the image of Murdoc's ghost watching Mac and Jo making out and being like, "Okay, I've seen enough for one night..." *pushes Mac* That's better, lol."

So the ending... Cliffhanger? XD

Also, ironic how this was posted around the same time as the VS which ALSO has a ghost storyline XD



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 30 November 2019 - 12:02 PM                                    
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OMG...I never connected it with the VS episode!!! I promise it was totally random! And yes, I do knit hats and scarves to donate to my church...actually just took in 7 sets last week. And I do take my knitting on vacation! I loved the dialogue you added with Murdoc watching Mac and Jo make out...yes, he would do exactly that!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 1 December 2019 - 09:04 PM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 30 November 2019 - 02:02 PM)
OMG...I never connected it with the VS episode!!! I promise it was totally random! And yes, I do knit hats and scarves to donate to my church...actually just took in 7 sets last week. And I do take my knitting on vacation! I loved the dialogue you added with Murdoc watching Mac and Jo make out...yes, he would do exactly that!!

It's even funnier when you realize how long Mac and Jo went before Murdoc pushed him. Like:

Murdoc: Ergh, I took some time out of hell... just to watch this?!

Ugh, go back to your room...

Mac: We should stop.

Murdoc: Yes, you should.

Joanna: Why?

Murdoc: Listen to the man, woman!

Mac: Because we share a room.

Joanna: So?

Murdoc: *groans*

Mac: And we share a bed.

Jo: So? Oooh, yeah, you have a point.

Murdoc: 'Bout time...

Mac: Or I could take the couch...

Murdoc: Seriously?

Joanna: I mean, it's not like you haven't done it before...

Murdoc: Okay, first, the couch is MINE, second, I'm not dealing with this any more *muttering under his breath* How dare he have better luck with women than I ever did? *pushes Mac* That felt deliciously satisfying...

BONUS

Penny: *shows them the Honeymoon suite*

MacGyver: Penny, we're not married.

Murdoc: What? I've been dead for like.... MacGyver why are you so SLOW?!



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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Posted: 2 December 2019 - 06:17 AM                                    
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QUOTE (Dragondog @ 1 December 2019 - 09:04 PM)
QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 30 November 2019 - 02:02 PM)
OMG...I never connected it with the VS episode!!!  I promise it was totally random!  And yes, I do knit hats and scarves to donate to my church...actually just took in 7 sets last week.  And I do take my knitting on vacation!  I loved the dialogue you added with Murdoc watching Mac and Jo make out...yes, he would do exactly that!!

It's even funnier when you realize how long Mac and Jo went before Murdoc pushed him. Like:

Murdoc: Ergh, I took some time out of hell... just to watch this?!

Ugh, go back to your room...

Mac: We should stop.

Murdoc: Yes, you should.

Joanna: Why?

Murdoc: Listen to the man, woman!

Mac: Because we share a room.

Joanna: So?

Murdoc: *groans*

Mac: And we share a bed.

Jo: So? Oooh, yeah, you have a point.

Murdoc: 'Bout time...

Mac: Or I could take the couch...

Murdoc: Seriously?

Joanna: I mean, it's not like you haven't done it before...

Murdoc: Okay, first, the couch is MINE, second, I'm not dealing with this any more *muttering under his breath* How dare he have better luck with women than I ever did? *pushes Mac* That felt deliciously satisfying...

BONUS

Penny: *shows them the Honeymoon suite*

MacGyver: Penny, we're not married.

Murdoc: What? I've been dead for like.... MacGyver why are you so SLOW?!

LOL!!! That is awesome!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 2 December 2019 - 09:42 PM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 2 December 2019 - 08:17 AM)
QUOTE (Dragondog @ 1 December 2019 - 09:04 PM)
QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 30 November 2019 - 02:02 PM)
OMG...I never connected it with the VS episode!!!  I promise it was totally random!  And yes, I do knit hats and scarves to donate to my church...actually just took in 7 sets last week.  And I do take my knitting on vacation!  I loved the dialogue you added with Murdoc watching Mac and Jo make out...yes, he would do exactly that!!

It's even funnier when you realize how long Mac and Jo went before Murdoc pushed him. Like:

Murdoc: Ergh, I took some time out of hell... just to watch this?!

Ugh, go back to your room...

Mac: We should stop.

Murdoc: Yes, you should.

Joanna: Why?

Murdoc: Listen to the man, woman!

Mac: Because we share a room.

Joanna: So?

Murdoc: *groans*

Mac: And we share a bed.

Jo: So? Oooh, yeah, you have a point.

Murdoc: 'Bout time...

Mac: Or I could take the couch...

Murdoc: Seriously?

Joanna: I mean, it's not like you haven't done it before...

Murdoc: Okay, first, the couch is MINE, second, I'm not dealing with this any more *muttering under his breath* How dare he have better luck with women than I ever did? *pushes Mac* That felt deliciously satisfying...

BONUS

Penny: *shows them the Honeymoon suite*

MacGyver: Penny, we're not married.

Murdoc: What? I've been dead for like.... MacGyver why are you so SLOW?!

LOL!!! That is awesome!!

Thank you laugh.gif



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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Posted: 4 December 2019 - 08:52 AM                                    
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Chapter 26: Rolling Thunder

Sam weaved his way around the cubicles that made up most of the third floor of the Chicago Tribune with one destination in mind: The desk of Rebecca Williams. True to his word, a few days after the fundraising gala in Milwaukee, he had asked Becca out to dinner. They had kept the evening light and casual as conversation and laughter flowed easily. They had gone out a few times since, and Sam now recognized his feelings for Becca were definitely testing the boundaries of friendship and threatening to spill over into something more. He wondered if she felt the same.

Rebecca was furiously typing away on her keyboard when Sam arrived at her ‘office’.

“Big story?” he asked.

Becca looked up, her green eyes quickly finding his dark brown ones. There was a twinkle there he hadn’t noticed before. Perhaps it hadn’t been there before.

“No, just trying to meet a tight deadline,” she explained. “I can’t believe I finally get an actual assignment and I’m gonna mess it up if I don’t get it to the editor by the end of the day. By the way, how’s your toe?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

“Still attached,” he quipped, but when her frown stayed in place he sobered. “It’s starting to feel better already and the doc says the new nail should grow back just fine.”

Their most recent date had included an excursion to a local bowling alley. Despite Rebecca’s protests that she was a first-class klutz and lousy bowler, Sam had insisted she couldn’t be as bad as she thought and now he was paying the price. He had been standing behind her, giving her encouraging advice as she approached the alley, swinging the ball behind her when it slipped from her fingers only to land squarely on his big toe. Emergency room x-rays showed nothing was broken, and Sam put on a brave face in spite of the pain to keep Becca from feeling too badly. Now, five days later, he was finally able to walk without a limp, at least when other people were present.

“I wanted to let you know that Joanna and my dad invited us up to Milwaukee for the Labor Day Weekend. The Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealerships are throwing big block parties for the 94th anniversary of the company and they thought we’d like to go.”

Rebecca looked at him as if he had grown a second nose and third eye.
“Do you have any idea how much crime occurs in Chicago over a holiday weekend?! I could get three front page stories just by standing on a street corner for an hour! I can’t leave the city!”

“Whoa,” Sam held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t get all riled up. It’s not that big a deal, okay?”

“Okay,” she responded, a bit calmer.

“Then I guess I’ll see you when I get back on Tuesday.” Sam shot her his most devastatingly charming smile before turning his back and walking away...slowly.

“Sam, wait!”

The photojournalist turned to find Becca’s head popping out of her cubicle and he swallowed a grin of satisfaction.

“Change your mind?” he asked, feigning nonchalance.

“Yeah, I guess,” she admitted, blushing furiously as she made her way toward him. “I mean, I hear that Harley’s a big deal up there. Maybe I could still get a good story and have some fun at the same time.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sam praised her. “I figure we’ll drive up on Saturday. I’ll bunk with my dad and you can stay with Jo since her folks are out of town visiting relatives. We’ll have a great time!”

In the distance, they heard Rebecca’s computer ding, indicating she had a new e-mail message. Together, they returned to her cubicle where she clicked the mouse a couple times before the new message popped up on the screen.

“What is it?” Sam asked, peering over her shoulder.

“It’s an FBI press release. They’re asking for our help.”

Sam’s eyebrows raised. “Do they do that often?”

“It depends,” Becca shrugged.

“What’s this one about?”

“They want us to be on the lookout for a guy named Louis Lambista, one of the kingpins of an international smuggling operation.”

Becca clicked the mouse again and Lambista’s image appeared on her screen. His face was square and meaty, topped with a mass of curly black hair and made all the more menacing by a pair of dark, close set eyes.

“Nice lookin’ dude,” Sam commented facetiously, earning a scowl from his friend. “What’s his story?”

Rebecca continued to read from the email. “It says here that Louis and his goons have been ripping off custom car parts and shipping them out of the Port of Chicago for overseas distribution.”

“Car parts?” Sam wrinkled his nose. “Aren’t these guys usually into drugs or weapons?”

Becca shrugged. “Apparently not. It goes on to say that they’ve even been known to smuggle blue jeans. I guess a lot of European and Asian countries want regular American stuff and are willing to pay to get it.”

Just then, the police scanner Rebecca kept on the corner of her desk crackled to life, drawing her attention away from the missive on the computer. Though Sam could hardly make out a word, Becca urgently scribbled information in the small notebook she always carried.

“I gotta run! There’s been a jewelry store robbery a few blocks from here and if I’m quick enough I could get the scoop!” With that, she shot out of her chair and down the aisle, Sam on her heels in case she needed a photographer.

XXXXX

Sam settled himself at MacGyver’s kitchen table late Saturday morning, a glass of orange juice in front of him and Becca at his side.

“So Joanna and I thought today we’d check out the block party at a dealership a couple miles from here and then tomorrow we can rent bikes to ride in the parade to the lakefront where there will be a big food and musical festival before the celebration ends with a fireworks display over Lake Michigan.”

“Gosh, Dad, I didn’t think you’d have us on such a tight itinerary.”

Mac frowned. “Did you guys have something else in mind?”

“No,” Sam replied. “But when did you become such a planner?”

“I’m afraid that was my idea,” Joanna responded from across the table. “The city started this annual celebration for Harley’s 90th and every year it gets bigger so it’s best to have a good idea of what you want to do before heading out.”

“Makes sense to me,” he agreed. “But I didn’t realize you were a big motorcycle fan.”

Jo smiled and glanced at his dad before replying. “I know you and Mac like to ride, but I’m more of an admirer. It’s hard not to have a little Harley in your blood when you’re born and raised in Milwaukee. Besides, my grandpa worked with the original owners so there’s kinda a family connection.”

“Wow, he must have had a lot of great stories to tell!” Becca exclaimed, no doubt smelling a feature story.

“Actually, he died when my mom was young. She’s told me what she remembers from that time, though.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the younger woman’s face fell.

“It’s okay,” Jo smiled. “That’s what events like these are for. It gives you a chance to be part of history and feel connected to past generations.”

“Speaking of history, I’m afraid I don’t know much about the company,” Rebecca lamented even as she pulled her notebook from her purse. “What can you tell me?”

“Well, the company was founded in 1903 right here in Milwaukee by William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson. They built their first bikes in a backyard shed and by 1923 they were the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.” MacGyver cleared his throat and Joanna stopped.

“Do you think you could cover the next seventy years in the car? We’ll miss the whole party at this rate.”

Joanna pulled a face before chuckling. “Actually, that’s about all I know.”

“But what makes a Harley so special?” Becca asked, truly perplexed.

All three of her companions grinned broadly.

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” Sam assured her.

XXXXX

The street housing the nearest Harley-Davidson dealership was cordoned off for several blocks allowing vendors to set up tents to sell food, apparel, and souvenirs. Local bands serenaded the revelers and cycle owners proudly displayed their ‘hogs’. Of course, the showroom was open and eager salesmen were on hand for anyone wishing to purchase the ultimate memento. Sam’s pulse began to pound in time to the low, rhythmic rumble of hundreds of finely tuned riding machines and he swore he could feel reverberations through the concrete beneath his shoes.

“Hear that?” he asked Rebecca as the foursome walked towards the festivities. “It’s called ‘rolling thunder’. No other sound like it in the world! That’s one thing that makes these bikes special.”

“Okay, so they’re old and loud. I still don’t get what’s so unique about them.”

Joanna threw her head back and laughed even as she held MacGyver’s hand to keep from getting separated in the throng of people just ahead of them.

“That’s just the point!” she exclaimed. “Each bike is unique!”

She reached out with her free hand, grabbed Rebecca’s forearm, and steered all three of them to a row of parked motorcycles.

“Take a look,” she directed and stepped aside as Becca inspected a few of the vehicles. “Think all that leather and chrome comes standard? Harley owners pride themselves on making their bikes their own whether it’s a one-of-a-kind paint job or customized parts. People spend thousands of dollars on special accessories.”

Becca turned toward Jo, her eyes wide behind her glasses. “Did you say custom parts?”

“Hey, I’m starving!” Sam unceremoniously interrupted them, reaching for Rebecca’s hand in the process. “Let’s grab some food!”

Becca glared at him and he glared back.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he hissed, “And you can just forget about it. There’s no story here. At least not that one.”

“But Sam…” she protested as he pulled her along.

“No. Lambista is a big-time bad guy. Just let it go.”

Sam wasn’t sure where his protective instincts came from or why they were so strong, but there was no way he was going to let Rebecca even try to track down the smuggler.

“C’mon, let’s just enjoy the day, okay?” he cajoled as they stood in line at a concession stand waiting to place their order.

“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly. “I guess I get a little over-eager when it comes to getting a big story. I’m sorry.”

“Not a problem,” Sam assured her as he let go of her hand so he could pay for their food.

The two couples spent the rest of the afternoon admiring bikes, talking to their owners, listening to music, and browsing vendors selling everything from collectible trinkets to expensive leather outerwear. Rebecca and Joanna each bought a commemorative t-shirt emblazoned with the famous Harley-Davidson emblem while Sam caught his dad eyeing a Harley Sportster.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” MacGyver asked his son.

“Sure is,” Sam replied.

“I still can’t believe I trashed my cycle on our road trip.”

“Look on the bright side, you still have your Jeep and the Nomad.”

“I know. It’s just not the same,” Mac lamented.

As Sam turned to look for Becca and Joanna, he bumped into a boulder of a man. Dressed in jeans, boots, and a black leather vest he was obviously a rider. Sam looked up to mutter ‘excuse me’, but the words caught in his throat as he found himself staring into the beady eyes of a square-jawed, black curly-haired...smuggler?

“Ex...Excuse me,” he stammered before slipping around the man and back into the street.

“What was that all about?” MacGyver asked as he caught up with his son.

“Nothing!”

Mac put a hand on Sam’s shoulder, forcing his son to stand still. “It kinda looked like something to me.”

Sam sighed and pulled his dad into the relatively privacy of a vendor’s tent.

“Before we left Chicago, Becca got this memo at work about a smuggling kingpin who looks very much like the guy I bumped into back there.”

“Do you think it’s him?”

“I don’t know,” Sam shrugged. “The guy goes after custom auto parts, so custom motorcycle parts wouldn’t be that much of a stretch. And this is a good place to blend in and poke around.”

“We should alert security just in case,” Mac suggested.

“Yeah, but can we keep this just between us for right now, if you know what I mean?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder to where Rebecca and Joanna stood talking.

“You bet,” his dad promised.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

MacGyver eased the Nomad to the curb in front of Joanna’s house on Sunday morning. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, but with her parents gone, she was probably using the garage.

“Now remember, don’t say anything about the guy I told you about yesterday,” Sam coached. “I don’t want Becca getting involved.”

“Don’t you think that should be her decision?” Mac asked turning to his son. “After all, breaking this type of story would really help her career.”

“I just don’t want her putting herself in danger.”

“Like your mom did?”

Sam shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Okay, I promise not to say anything. Now let’s get a move on.”

Rebecca greeted the two men at the door before either had a chance to ring the bell. She was wearing jeans and the Harley t-shirt she had bought the day before and wore her slightly untamed hair in a tight ponytail.

“Great timing!” she exclaimed cheerfully, closing the door behind her.

“Where’s Joanna?” Mac asked. Something wasn’t right.

“Cynthia’s short-handed at Challengers today so she went to help out. She said we should just have a good time without her.”

Becca tried to head for the car, but MacGyver stopped her.

“Wait a minute! Why didn’t she call me? I’d have gladly gone in her place so she could enjoy today.”

“That’s what she said you would say and that’s why she didn’t call you.”

Mac pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Whatever was he going to do with that woman?

XXXXX

Unlike the previous day, the street in front of the Harley dealership they had visited was now stripped of tents, vendors, and musicians. Instead, motorcycles ruled the road waiting to ride off and join up with groups from other block parties around the city and eventually end up at the lakefront for one big party. MacGyver noticed that the police presence had exponentially increased as well, but he figured that was par for the course. The trio slowly made their way through the mob of bikes and riders to the tent where they would rent two bikes for the day as well as a helmet for Becca since Mac and Sam had both brought their own. MacGyver watched as Rebecca settled into the seat behind his son and wrapped her arms firmly around his waist. He sighed inwardly. For days he’d been looking forward to riding tandem with Jo, imagining the feel of her arms around him, her laughter floating on the air as they sailed down the open road. But that wouldn’t be happening...at least not today. He brushed the thought aside and prepared to mount his own temporary cycle when he heard a small group of riders talking animatedly about what seemed to be a recent theft.

“Excuse me!” he called over the din of voices and engines. “Did I hear you say something about a theft?”

A young woman wearing a leather halter top and jeans nodded vigorously.

“The cops were here first thing this morning. Seems three bikes got ripped off last night.”

“From the party?” Mac asked the woman who had yet to provide a name.

“Nope. From the garage. Their owners were having them customized for the parade today. Man, you should’ve been here when they found out!”

“I’m glad I wasn’t,” MacGyver murmured before thanking the woman for the information.

He looked around at what had to be a hundred or more bikers ready to get rolling and then he looked over at Sam who was smiling at something Becca must have said. Was this the work of the smuggler Sam thought he saw? Did he have two other cronies with him? Would they have the audacity to ride the stolen bikes through town? An announcement over the loudspeaker asking riders to mount up broke into his thoughts. He once again noticed the number of police in place. This was their job. Not his. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t help out if the opportunity presented itself.

Thirty minutes later MacGyver was relishing the feel of the powerful engine beneath him as he glided down the interstate. Man, he missed this feeling. It was almost like skating, but on concrete. Knowing that hundreds more riders followed him only increased his sense of exhilaration and he silently thanked Joanna for seeing to it that he didn’t miss out on this experience. They had been on the road for about fifteen minutes when a trio of motorcycles suddenly peeled away from the group and veered off the highway at the next exit. Recalling that three Harleys had been stolen this morning, Mac decided to follow just in case. To his dismay, the image of Sam’s bike soon appeared in his side view mirror.

“What are you doing?” his son called above the noise of the traffic.

“Nevermind! Just go back to the others!” Mac ordered, but Sam only steered his cycle closer.

“You think they had something to do with the thefts?”

Great. So Sam and Becca knew about that too.

“That’s what I wanna find out!” Mac shouted back.

“Then we’re coming with you!” Sam insisted.

MacGyver wanted to protest, but they were now bobbing and weaving through city streets and he had to keep his eyes on the road as well as the three suspicious riders. It soon became apparent that they were all headed for the Port of Milwaukee. Traffic diminished significantly and Mac slowed, indicating for Sam to do the same. His intent was to observe and call the cops if needed. Unfortunately, a large semi-truck took the opportunity to slowly pull out in front of them, causing them to lose sight of their prey. Was it a coincidence or a planned diversion?

Once the truck had moved enough for them to pass the three motorcycles were out of sight. Mac stopped his bike and Sam pulled alongside. MacGyver scanned their present surroundings. Large warehouses sat eerily vacant, many of their windows broken or missing. A few dilapidated factories dotted what must have been a once thriving industrial section of the city.

“What do we do now?” Sam asked, the engine of his bike still purring.

Mac was about to suggest they turn back and report what they saw to the authorities, but before his mouth could form the words, his gaze fell on tire tracks in the gravel...fresh tire tracks. He turned the key to silence his cycle and dismounted.

“We go on foot from here,” he said quietly.

On high alert and walking as quietly as possible, the trio followed the tracks which ended at, of all things, an abandoned motorcycle plant. They flattened their backs against the rough brick exterior, listening for voices but hearing none. After several minutes, MacGyver peeked through a busted out window. In the center of the large factory sat three brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but their riders appeared to be absent.

“I’m gonna check it out,” he whispered. “Stay here.” He crouched low and began to make his way to a steel door when he felt his son’s presence behind him.

“I thought I told you to stay put!” he scolded, still in a whisper. Not only had Sam followed him, but Rebecca had followed Sam!

“But this could be the break I’ve been waiting for!” the normally quiet Rebecca insisted. “I’m going in there!”

Mac sighed and turned away. They were wasting precious time arguing, not to mention making more noise than he would have preferred. With a slight wave of his hand, he motioned them to follow him. They finally made it to the door, only to discover it was locked.

“Sam, keep an eye out for any visitors,” he directed, digging in his pant pocket and pulling out his Swiss Army knife.

In less than a minute he had picked the locked and slowly opened the door which creaked with age. Upon entering the large space, they stood still and listened once again. Certain they were still alone, they approached the bikes. Two were still in mint condition, but the third was already in the process of being dismantled.

“Hey, what’s that over there?” Becca asked.

MacGyver looked to where she pointed.

“Looks like a shipping container,” he replied. “Let’s check it out.”

Large boxes were stacked next to the container, no doubt waiting to be put inside.

“Look at this!” Rebecca gasped.

Mac and Sam hurried to where she had opened a box and now held up shiny new motorcycle parts. Knowing what they’d find, but still needing to confirm it, the two men opened other boxes containing more of the same.

“This has to be Lambista!” she exclaimed.

“And so it is!” a deep, menacing voice echoed eerily through the empty building.

They were standing out in the open, unprotected, when the first bullet whizzed by Mac’s ear. Needing no further motivation, they scattered and ran for cover as more bullets flew, pinging off metal machinery. When the barrage stopped, MacGyver urgently looked for Sam and found his son and Becca hiding behind a large sheet metal press. Mac made some quick hand motions and trusted that Sam would be able to decipher them. MacGyver then made his way to yet another large machine and punched the ‘on’ button, but nothing happened. He grimaced. They needed something to distract Lambista long enough to make an escape. Using his knife once more, he unscrewed the panel next to the power button and tugged at the wiring, stripping the thin insulation off two of the wires and then touching them together. They sparked and the decrepit contraption roared to life, causing a wide conveyor belt to chug into action.

“Now!” Mac yelled as he ran for the door. He could feel Sam on his heels. But when he turned to slam the door shut it was just the two of them. Rebecca hadn’t made it out.

“Dad! We have to go back for her!”

The gunshots had started up again and Mac knew that in order for all of them to survive, he and Sam had to run.

“Not now! Just go!” Mac pushed Sam ahead of him as the two stumbled away from the factory.

Several minutes later, hidden in an empty warehouse, father and son breathed heavily from their sprint to relative safety.

“We have to get Becca out of there!” Sam pleaded between breaths. “What if they already killed her?!”

“They won’t kill her, Sam. Not as long as we’re still out here. They know we all saw the same thing.”

“And they’ll use her for bait to lure us back and kill us all,” the younger man concluded.

“Afraid so.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“Right now we sit tight and wait. They’ll be watching for us. We have to give them time to let their guard down a bit,” MacGyver explained, wishing he felt as rational as he sounded. He could only imagine what Sam must be going through. He would be going out of his mind if that was Joanna in there and even though his son didn’t have that type of relationship with Becca, he knew Sam cared for her and he promised himself they would all make it out of this ordeal alive.

MacGyver looked at his watch.

“What time is it?” Sam asked.

“Five minutes later than the last time you asked.”

Sam sighed. “When are we going to do something?”

Mac watched as the door to the factory swung open and three men walked out, headed toward the dock.

“I’d say right about now,” Mac replied.

Together, he and Sam cautiously approached the old plant. MacGyver looked in one of the busted out windows. Becca was alive, but she was gagged and bound to the sheet metal press.

“Take a look,” he urged his son. “When we get in, go straight to Rebecca. I’ll watch your back.”

Sam nodded once to show he understood before they both eased through the doorway. While MacGyver kept a lookout for any unwanted guests, his son made a beeline for his friend, pulled out his own Swiss Army knife, and cut her loose. A gunshot sounded just as she pulled the gag from her mouth. Sam tugged her down behind the big machine and his dad soon joined them.

“Now what?” Sam asked as Rebecca clung to him.

MacGyver looked around, mentally cataloguing the items that still haunted the old factory.

“Stay here. And this time I mean it!” Mac instructed before he sprinted toward a large, flat piece of metal lying several yards away. He bent to pick it up and was thankful it wasn’t as heavy as it looked, but hopefully it was still strong enough to stop a speeding bullet...or at least significantly slow it down.

“Decide to come back for the girl, did you?” Lambista called, still out of view and hopefully bullet range.

MacGyver didn’t reply but pulled the metal sheet over to the press machine.

“Here. We can use this as a shield until we get to the door,” he told Sam and Becca who immediately grabbed onto the large piece of metal and crouched behind it, taking small steps.

They were halfway to their destination when gunfire erupted once more. This time, bullets came from every direction, a couple hitting their makeshift barrier but ricocheting off. Mac didn’t know how many hits the metal could take and he wasn’t planning on finding out, but soon they were backed up against a wall.

“There are too many of them,” Rebecca cried. “We’ll never make it to the door!”

“Maybe we don’t have to,” Mac told her, looking up at the broken window above their heads.

“How are we going to climb out without getting shot?” Sam challenged. “We can’t exactly carry that big piece of metal with us.”

His son was right, but they hadn’t lost the battle yet. Once more, in desperation, MacGyver looked around for anything that could serve as a weapon or diversion. Nothing. At least nothing within arm’s reach. He absently took a step sideways and felt something connect with his booted foot. He looked down and saw a gas can. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell whether or not it still actually held any fluid.

“I’ve got an idea,” he told Sam, slanting his eyes toward the metal container. “When things get hot, you two climb out that window and don’t look back.”

“But Dad…”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

The bad guys were fast approaching and bullets continued to fly. Mac slid his foot sideways, knocking over the gas can. Thankfully, fuel began to spill from it immediately. Grabbing a strike anywhere match from his pocket, he flicked it against the wall and threw it on the stream of gasoline which quickly ignited to create a wall of fire between them and the smugglers. MacGyver watched as Sam shrugged out of his leather jacket and wrapped it around Rebecca to protect her from any stray shards of glass before boosting her up until she could reach the opening above. The flames grew as she shimmied through the small space. Then it was Sam’s turn. He jumped up, just grabbing the window’s edge before looking down at his dad.

“Go!”

At MacGyver’s command, Sam pulled himself up and disappeared through the window. Lambista and his men were yelling curses as Mac scrambled up the wall and out the opening, dropping to the ground several feet below. Sam and Becca were already running towards their motorcycles. MacGyver took a deep breath and kicked it into high gear. Angry shouts came from the burning building, but there were no more gunshots. Quickly making it to their bikes, they hopped on, revved the engines, and headed for the nearest police station.

XXXXX

After being grilled by police detectives and local FBI agents, it was almost suppertime when the trio emerged into the lobby of the precinct, finally free to return home. Mac’s eyes immediately slammed into Joanna’s. She had never looked more beautiful...or more upset.

“Thank God you’re alright!” she cried.

He opened his arms to embrace her, but was met only by air as she breezed past him and Sam to embrace Becca.

“I never should have let you go off alone with these two,” she said, both scolding herself and apologizing to their friend.

Rebecca shook her head. “It’s okay. I…”

“I should have listened to you and called MacGyver as soon as I heard from Cynthia,” Joanna continued unabated. “Now let’s go home so you can get cleaned up.” She put a protective arm around the other woman’s shoulders and led her out the glass front doors.

“Hey, what about us?!” Mac called.

“You’re creative. You’ll figure something out,” Jo retorted without breaking stride.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Sam asked, his voice colored with concern.

“Jo’ll be fine. She was just worried about us,” Mac replied optimistically, hoping he was right.

“I meant Becca,” his son clarified, somewhat self-consciously.

“Oh! Um...yeah...she has a lot of spunk. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Sam shook his head. “She wasn’t very happy about getting scooped by that reporter and becoming part of the news instead of covering it.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” MacGyver declared. “Maybe she could write a piece from the first-person point of view.”

“Yeah,” Sam replied, brightening a bit.

Upon arriving back at the duplex, Mac showered first so he could make supper while his son cleaned up. Sam had just trotted down the winding staircase and looked at the food already on the table.

“Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup?” he asked, wrinkling his nose.

“What?! After the day we had you expect haute cuisine?”

“Did you hear from Joanna or Becca yet?” Sam asked, changing the subject as he bit into his sandwich.

“No. I figure they need some space.”

“You mean Joanna has to cool down.”

“That too,” Mac smiled. “We’ll go over first thing tomorrow so you and Rebecca can get on the road.”

Sam put down his sandwich and stared at his father.

“What?” Mac asked, knowing his son had something on his mind.

“When did you know?”

Kids. They sure had a way of confusing a person. “Know what?”

“That you loved Joanna.”

MacGyver choked slightly as he swallowed a spoonful of soup.

“I don’t know,” Mac answered in something embarrassingly akin to a whine as he shoved a hand through his still-damp hair. “There wasn’t just one moment...why do you ask?” Yeah! Way to go! Turn the tables on the kid!

“I was just wondering,” Sam replied softly, gently stirring his soup with his spoon but not making an attempt to eat any.

Mac recognized the symptoms.

“You have feelings for Rebecca,” he concluded.

Sam shrugged. “I like her, if that’s what you mean.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

“We’ve gone on a few dates and now, after what happened today, I can’t imagine not having her around. Ya know? I mean, I know I haven’t had as much experience with women as you, but there’s just something special about Becca.”

“Then stop thinking so much about it and just enjoy her,” Mac advised. “If you’re meant to be together it’ll happen.”

“Then why didn’t it happen with you and my mom.”

Mac grimaced.

“Sorry. That was hitting below the belt,” Sam apologized.

“No. Nothin’ to be sorry about. I loved your mother, but we wanted different things and were too young to figure out how to make it work. But every couple’s different. If you feel something for Rebecca, give it a chance and don’t give up when things get tough.”

“Is that what you did with Joanna?”

Mac nodded. “And it’s something we’re both still doing.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“I hope mac and cheese from a box is okay,” Joanna announced as Rebecca shuffled into the kitchen. Fresh from the shower, she wore a baggy sweatsuit and had her long, damp hair piled in a messy knot on the top of her head. “I thought we’d be eating at the Harley picnic so I didn’t bother to get much food in the house.”

“Are you still mad at them?” Becca asked cautiously as Jo spooned the gooey noodles into the bowl in front of her.

“I don’t know,” Joanna sighed. “Maybe I’m more angry with myself. All I know is that they shouldn’t have gotten you involved. This sort of thing is second nature to Mac, and even Sam, but--”

“It’s not your fault,” Becca interrupted, surprising Jo at the force behind her words. “And it’s not Mac’s fault either. I’m the one who started the whole thing.”

“What do you mean?” Joanna asked slowly as she sat down in her chair.

“Back in Chicago I got this email at the Tribune alerting everyone to be on the lookout for a smuggler name Louis Lambista. He specializes in custom car parts. Then, this morning, Sam and I overheard that three custom bikes had been stolen. When MacGyver started following the cycles, I urged Sam to do the same. And then when we got to the old factory, Mac told us to hide but Sam insisted on following and, of course, I wasn’t about to be left behind. Then I tripped and got caught while trying to escape. If you’re going to blame someone, blame me.”

Joanna’s heart softened at Rebecca’s dismay. “I guess there’s plenty of blame to go around,” she observed.

“Just don’t be too angry with Sam and his dad,” Becca pleaded.

“You really have a thing for him, don’t you?”

Becca’s eyes grew wide. “How can you tell?”

Joanna shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it takes one to know one. Everyone seemed to know Mac and I were crazy about each other even before we did.”

“But Sam just thinks of me as a friend and fellow journalist.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Rebecca looked down, regarding herself. “Trust me. Guys never think of me as more than just a friend. Especially great guys like Sam.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Jo replied. “Especially after seeing Sam’s face when he saw you all dressed up for the fundraising gala. And the fact that he risked his life today in order to save yours.”

“Yeah, but--”

“No ‘buts’! I felt the same way about Mac, thinking he could never be interested in someone like me. We both wasted a lot of time worrying about what the other thought. I don’t want you and Sam to make that mistake. Just enjoy each other and see where it leads.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Labor Day morning Sam pulled his VW Bug into Joanna’s driveway, his dad in the passenger seat. Together they walked to the front door where Rebecca greeted them.

“Hi. Dad and I thought we’d take you and Jo out to breakfast before heading home,” Sam declared.

“That sounds great, but Joanna’s not here.”

Mac groaned. For the second time in twenty-four hours she had bailed on him.

“Here,” Rebecca said, holding out a small piece of paper. “She said to have me and Sam drop you off at this address on our way out of town.”

MacGyver studied the numbers Jo had written down. It was the address to the Harley-Davidson dealership they had visited over the weekend.

“What is it, Dad?”

“I don’t know,” Mac answered, his brows knit in confusion.

Sam plucked the piece of paper from his dad’s fingers. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Ten minutes later, after loading Becca’s luggage into the car, Sam pulled into the deserted dealership parking lot where vacant tents now stood. Joanna’s car was parked out front, but she had seemingly disappeared. Mac crawled out of the car with trepidation. He hadn’t spoken to her since seeing her at the police precinct and Rebecca had refused to give him any insight into what this little escapade was all about.

“Do you want us to wait for you?” Sam asked.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Have a safe trip.”

“Sure thing,” Sam confirmed as he pulled out onto the street and headed for the interstate.

MacGyver watched his son leave before going in search of Joanna. He pulled the handles on the glass doors to the showroom, but they were locked as he had expected. Cupping his hands around his eyes to block out the sunlight, he peered through the windows, but the place was deserted. No doubt employees were recuperating from the weekend party. Not knowing what else to do, he began to walk the perimeter of the building, calling Jo’s name as he went with no response. As he turned into the back alley, his breath caught. There in front of him, Joanna straddled the exact same Harley Sportster he had been admiring only two days earlier. The saucy grin on her face the only thing able to outshine the cycle.

“Let me guess. You’re still mad about yesterday and plan on running me over with that thing,” he said, only half teasingly.

“Wrong on both counts,” she replied, swinging herself off the motorcycle. “Becca explained everything last night and I realized I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for the way I acted yesterday. When I heard about what happened, I was so scared for you.”

“How did you hear about it,” MacGyver asked, having wondered how she had ended up at the police station in the first place.

“Are you kidding?!” she laughed. “It was all over the TV news. Even Becca’s interview.”

“Oh, she’s gonna love hearing that!” Mac quipped before turning serious. “I’m really sorry I frightened you. It won’t happen again.”

“Oh yes, it will,” Jo contradicted. “But next time I’ll try to be a little more understanding.”

MacGyver fought the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless, but there was still one item that needed to be taken care of.

“So, what’s with the bike?” he asked.

Joanna turned toward the chrome and steel machine.

“I saw you looking at it yesterday. A friend of mine from college works at Harley so I contacted him and worked out a deal.”

Mac’s jaw dropped. “Jo, you shouldn’t have,” he admonished huskily.

“Well, technically, I didn’t...buy it, if that’s what you mean,” she smirked. “Consider it a donation to Challengers. There’s only one caveat.”

“Oh yeah, and what would that be?” he asked, looping his arms around her waist.

“You’re the only person allowed to ride it.”

“That might be a problem,” he frowned, looking at the bike.

“Why?”

“It’s a two-seater and I may not want to ride alone,” he explained.

“Hmmm, in that case we need a caveat to the caveat.”

“Oh yeah?” he grinned.

“Yeah,” she replied, reaching up to pull his face closer to hers. “Make that you and I are the only ones allowed to ride it.”

“I’ll sign off on that,” Mac promised as his lips found hers, his heart beating in time to the distant sound of rolling thunder as hundreds of Harley riders left town, if only for another year.




















Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Dragondog
Posted: 6 December 2019 - 11:56 AM                                    
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Phoenix Special Agent
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Posts: 3,386
Joined: 11 Dec 2017
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Country: U.S.A.
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Season: ---
Episode:Halloween Knights
Vehicle: Motorcycle
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



*sees first paragraph* Yay, they're back again! biggrin.gif

QUOTE

Becca looked up, her green eyes quickly finding his dark brown ones. There was a twinkle there he hadn’t noticed before. Perhaps it hadn’t been there before.
Aww, they're just like Mac and Jo, only younger biggrin.gif

QUOTE
By the way, how’s your toe?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

“Still attached,” he quipped, but when her frown stayed in place he sobered.
I can totally picture this as a JoGyver conversation XD

QUOTE

Their most recent date had included an excursion to a local bowling alley. Despite Rebecca’s protests that she was a first-class klutz and lousy bowler, Sam had insisted she couldn’t be as bad as she thought and now he was paying the price. He had been standing behind her, giving her encouraging advice as she approached the alley, swinging the ball behind her when it slipped from her fingers only to land squarely on his big toe. Emergency room x-rays showed nothing was broken, and Sam put on a brave face in spite of the pain to keep Becca from feeling too badly. Now, five days later, he was finally able to walk without a limp, at least when other people were present.
This whole thing is a mood XD

QUOTE
Sam shot her his most devastatingly charming smile before turning his back and walking away...slowly.
wink.gif

QUOTE

“They want us to be on the lookout for a guy named Louis Lambista, one of the kingpins of an international smuggling operation.”
He'll be in Milwauke XD

QUOTE

“But what makes a Harley so special?” Becca asked, truly perplexed.

All three of her companions grinned broadly.
Me when someone asks me about my fandoms XD

QUOTE

“Hear that?” he asked Rebecca as the foursome walked towards the festivities. “It’s called ‘rolling thunder’. No other sound like it in the world! That’s one thing that makes these bikes special.”

“Okay, so they’re old and loud. I still don’t get what’s so unique about them.”
I am Rebecca in this scenario XD XD XD

QUOTE

Joanna threw her head back and laughed even as she held MacGyver’s hand to keep from getting separated in the throng of people just ahead of them.
I mean, it's not that you need an excuse to hold his hand, but there it is, just in case, right? XD

QUOTE

Becca turned toward Jo, her eyes wide behind her glasses. “Did you say custom parts?”

“Hey, I’m starving!” Sam unceremoniously interrupted them, reaching for Rebecca’s hand in the process. “Let’s grab some food!”
My two brain cells competing for my attention XD

QUOTE


“I know what you’re thinking,” he hissed, “And you can just forget about it. There’s no story here. At least not that one.”
Apparently Sam has forgotten all the excitement he's undergone in his life. If a story pops up, it will end up being wherever he is. Sorry, Sam, I don't write the laws of fiction XD

QUOTE

Sam wasn’t sure where his protective instincts came from or why they were so strong, but there was no way he was going to let Rebecca even try to track down the smuggler.
Oh, I can guess whyyyyyy biggrin.gif

QUOTE

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” MacGyver asked his son.
I wondered for a moment whether he was talking about the Harley, or if he was trying to have one of THOSE talks with Sam XD XD XD

QUOTE
Her car wasn’t in the driveway, but with her parents gone, she was probably using the garage.
Or Becca borrowed it to go after the smuggler because she somehow found out despite their attempts to keep quiet about it...

QUOTE

“I just don’t want her putting herself in danger.”

“Like your mom did?”

Sam shrugged. “Maybe.”
Dangit Sam, you always manage to bring out my maternal side, and technically (by timeline of this story) you are older than me XD

QUOTE


Rebecca greeted the two men at the door before either had a chance to ring the bell. She was wearing jeans and the Harley t-shirt she had bought the day before and wore her slightly untamed hair in a tight ponytail.
Nevermind, she's still here XD

QUOTE

“Where’s Joanna?” Mac asked. Something wasn’t right.

“Cynthia’s short-handed at Challengers today so she went to help out. She said we should just have a good time without her.”

Becca tried to head for the car, but MacGyver stopped her.

“Wait a minute! Why didn’t she call me? I’d have gladly gone in her place so she could enjoy today.”
WhY aRe YoU lYiNg BeCcA?!

QUOTE

“That’s what I wanna find out!” Mac shouted back.

“Then we’re coming with you!” Sam insisted.

Sam: I don't want Becca getting involved, so don't tell her anything!
Also Sam: *proceeds to follow Mac's unusual course, with Becca on the back of his bike, while knowing that he thinks smugglers are there*
MaKe Up YoUr MiNd SaM XD

QUOTE
Unfortunately, a large semi-truck took the opportunity to slowly pull out in front of them, causing them to lose sight of their prey. Was it a coincidence or a planned diversion?
Those darn semi-trucks, they always show at the worst of times XD

QUOTE

“And so it is!” a deep, menacing voice echoed eerily through the empty building.
And this is why you were supposed to stand guard, Sam XD

Ngl, I sort of feel if I were them, I'd be way too used to it by now. Bad guy tries to surprise me and intimidate me by showing up unexpectedly, and I just wouldn't even care, especially Murdoc. Like Murdoc: *walks in* Thought you seen the last of me? Me: Oh hey, Murdoc, no actually, I was wondering what's taking so long, ready to try to kill me again?

QUOTE
She had never looked more beautiful...or more upset.
Of all the times Mac has almost died, Joanna is most upset ever NOW? XD

QUOTE

“I should have listened to you and called MacGyver as soon as I heard from Cynthia,” Joanna continued unabated.
At least Becca was actually telling the truth. I wasn't sure at first.

QUOTE

He opened his arms to embrace her, but was met only by air as she breezed past him and Sam to embrace Becca.
Wow... roller.gif Okay, that's probably why she's so upset now.

QUOTE

“When did you know?”

Kids. They sure had a way of confusing a person. “Know what?”

“That you loved Joanna.”

MacGyver choked slightly as he swallowed a spoonful of soup.

“I don’t know,” Mac answered in something embarrassingly akin to a whine as he shoved a hand through his still-damp hair. “There wasn’t just one moment...why do you ask?” Yeah! Way to go! Turn the tables on the kid!
Mac and Sam discussing their various love lives while being super embarrassed and nervous about it is exactly what I'm here for XD

Also, funny how Sam is clearly an adult, (very young adult, but still an adult) and Mac still thinks of him as a kid. But understandable, since it's HIS kid XD

QUOTE

“Then stop thinking so much about it and just enjoy her,” Mac advised. “If you’re meant to be together it’ll happen.”

“Then why didn’t it happen with you and my mom.”

Mac grimaced.
Sam really has a way of hitting me right in the feels (I guess the credit for that goes more towards you, though XD)

QUOTE

“You really have a thing for him, don’t you?”
Ah, yes, time for the female version XD

QUOTE
Just enjoy each other and see where it leads.”
Wow. Exact same advice. It's... poetic. (Mac and Jo are meant to be together confirmed XD).

QUOTE

Ten minutes later, after loading Becca’s luggage into the car,
I get that Sam's luggage is presumably already loaded, but out of context, it sounds like Becca's the only one who brings anything, or at least can't travel light XD

I knew she got the bike for him XD



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 11 December 2019 - 11:23 AM                                    
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DXS Agent
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Posts: 612
Joined: 2 Apr 2017
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
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Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:Faith, Hope, and Charity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



Chapter 27: Everyone But Him

MacGyver scrambled down the spiral staircase, grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter and his keys from the hook on the wall. He had overslept and was late for work. He couldn’t believe it. He never overslept. He opened the front door and almost barreled over his mail carrier.

“Hey Gertie, what’s up?” he greeted her quickly.

“I’m glad I caught you. I have a package here you need to sign for.”

Mac’s eyebrows knitted together in a questioning frown as he scribbled his name and took the rather small box. It was heavier than it looked. He planned to leave it on the counter and open it when he got home, but then he glanced at the return address. It was from Neil Ryder, his boyhood friend in Mission City. What on earth would Neil send him, especially without calling to give him a heads up? No longer concerned about arriving late to Challengers, MacGyver grabbed his Swiss Army knife from his pocket and sliced through the packing tape. Opening the flaps of the cardboard box, he spotted a white envelope with his name on it. Taking it to the couch he sat down to read it.

Mac:

A construction crew is renovating the nursing home that used to be your old house. One of the workers found this behind a wall and I figured you’d want it. Wish I could have delivered it in person.

Neil

MacGyver now looked down at the wooden box on his lap, his mother’s name ornately carved into the top. A sudden wave of memories knocked Mac’s breath from his lungs. His mother used to call this her ‘treasure chest’. He remembered her tucking away handmade birthday cards he had given her and the silver ‘necklace’ he had created out of paperclips and duct tape. She had said it was too special to keep in her regular jewelry box. He took a deep breath and gingerly opened the hinged top. Sure enough, there was her ‘necklace’ along with greeting cards made from colorful construction paper and decorated with crayon pictures and the lettering of a young boy. Of him. Digging a bit deeper, he came upon a stack of his grade school report cards secured with a rubber band. He chuckled to himself and tossed the packet onto the coffee table. He would look at those later. At the bottom of the box lay another envelope. This one was yellowed with age and had his name...his whole name...written on the outside. His hands stilled and his eyes became misty as he immediately recognized his mother’s flowing script. He opened the envelope and as he removed the single piece of paper, two thin gold bands, one with a small diamond in the center and both in desperate need of polishing, fell out and into the box. Mac quickly unfolded the letter and began to read:

My Dearest Angus,

If you are reading this letter, I am no longer of this earth. But please do not grieve for me as I am finally reunited with your dear father which is something I have longed for these many years past.

By now a pair of rings have probably fallen out of the envelope. They were your Grandma Cecilia’s engagement and wedding rings. After her funeral, Harry gifted them to me and I thought it only right to pass them down to you, my beloved only child. It is my greatest hope that you will find a woman in your life to wear these, but perhaps that is just the wishful thinking of an old lady. As I write this, you are far away, still full of wanderlust. Besides, girls of your generation are sure to want something flashy and expensive. Therefore, do what you will with this token of your grandfather’s love toward your grandmother.

The good Lord alone knows when and where this message will find you my adventurous son, but know that wherever you go and whatever you do, you take my love with you.

Until we meet again,
Mom

P.S. Always remember: “Ice Cream!”

MacGyver closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to keep threatening tears at bay as he took deep breaths to calm the inner swell of emotion. He knew exactly who would wear these rings and she would cherish them just as his mother wished. The bigger question was when would he finally put old fears aside and do what he had been wanting to do for so long now? Was the arrival of this gift at this time just an ironic coincidence, or was there a greater message behind it? Mac tenderly fingered the gold bands before returning them to the envelope along with his mother’s parting words to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“I’m gonna kill him,” Joanna grunted as she pushed an overstuffed chair against the wall so she could scrub the floor beneath it. “He asked me to come in extra early on a Saturday morning to help get the place in shape for the six month grant review next week and he’s a no-show!”

“Something probably came up,” Cynthia shrugged nonchalantly.

“Yeah, I guess,” Jo reluctantly agreed. “But it’s not like him not to call and let us know.” She knew all too well that MacGyver took his job and commitments seriously. Sometimes a little too seriously. “I hope he’s okay.”

Cynthia chuckled. “A minute ago you were ready to kill him. Now you’re concerned about his welfare?”

“When I find out he’s all right, then I’m gonna kill him,” Jo replied, a smile tugging at her lips. Just then the telephone rang.

“That’s probably him now,” Cynthia said with obvious relief. Joanna let her colleague take the call as she picked up her mop again.

“That was the bookstore,” Cynthia announced a few minutes later. “The novels you ordered are in and ready to be picked up.”

“Finally! I want to get them all out on display for when Pete and the board members from Phoenix get here. Mind if I go get them?”

“Why don’t you call MacGyver and have him pick them up on his way in?”

“But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to take a break from cleaning,” Joanna smirked as she propped the mop up against the wall and grabbed her purse, her car keys already jingling. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time. I’ll hold off the dust bunnies!”

Jo pushed through the main doors and out into the mid-September sunshine. She took a deep breath of the unseasonably warm air before getting into her car. Given the nice weather and light weekend traffic, she decided to take the scenic route. She had started her part time teaching job at Lincoln High School a couple weeks ago and, though she enjoyed it immensely, between that and her duties at Challengers she had precious little time to enjoy the waning days of summer. She was accelerating away from a stop sign when a rabbit darted out into the narrow road, freezing a few yards in front of her. Knowing she could never stop in time to avoid hitting the frightened animal, she jerked the steering wheel to the right before stomping down on the brake pedal. Unfortunately, her tires caught in the gravel on the side of the road, sending the car skidding head first into a large tree. Joanna felt the sting of her seatbelt against her neck before it suddenly released. The last thing she remembered was her forehead hitting the steering wheel before everything went black.

XXXXX

Joanna sat up in her hospital bed, her mother in a chair next to her, their hands joined. Her father stood staring out the window. Given his aversion to hospitals, his presence in the small emergency room bay was a testament to the scare she had given her parents. They were currently waiting for the results of her CT scan. She had been unconscious during her rescue and ambulance ride to the ER, but the doctor on-call had told her that a passerby had witnessed her accident and called 911. She drifted in and out of consciousness while various medical personnel tended to the cut on her forehead and bruises on her neck and collarbone before she was whisked away to radiology. It was only after her return from the scan, when she was finally fully awake and had satisfactorily answered questions to test her memory, that her parents were allowed to join her.

“I couldn’t find Mac’s phone number, but I called Cynthia at Challengers,” Judy Fairfax said, breaking the silence. “She promised to tell him about your accident as soon as he gets in.”

“Thanks,” Jo responded before a handsome man in a white lab coat asked permission to enter.

“Hello Ms. Fairfax. I’m Dr. Chandler, the on-call neurologist.”

Joanna smiled at him as her heart pounded faster. The rate increase having nothing to do with the pain in her head but with the handsome physician in front of her. His dark brown hair was cut short and neatly styled while his blue eyes seemed to twinkle of their own accord. She could tell he was fit, even with the lab coat draping his tall frame. Her eyes automatically strayed to his hands which held a metal clipboard. No wedding ring. Yes! When she looked up again it was to find him watching her with a knowing smile that made her blush. Finding her voice, she introduced him to her parents.

“I have the results of your CT scan and I must say you are a very lucky lady.” He moved closer to the end of her bed. “Aside from the cut on your forehead and the contusions from the seatbelt, you only have a very mild concussion. Now that we know you have no further injuries I’m prescribing something for your headache.”

She heard her mother breathe a sigh of relief. “When can we take her home?”

“Normally I’d say as soon as she feels up to it, but given the length of time she was unconscious I’d like to keep her here the rest of the day for observation. If everything checks out she’ll be home before bedtime.” Then he turned his attention to Joanna. “Of course, she’ll have to promise to follow all my instructions and take it easy for the next few days,” he said with a wink that caused her stomach to flutter.

“What about work? Mac needs me?”

“Who’s Mac?”

“My boss.” Joanna thought she glimpsed a look of surprise on her mother’s face but she was too focused on her own concerns to question it.

“Well, he’ll just have to be patient. I don’t want you trying to resume all your normal activities at once.”

As if their conversation had conjured him, she looked to find MacGyver standing in the doorway. His shaggy, dark-blonde hair, brown, beady eyes and oddly shaped lips a stark, and unwelcome, contrast to the attractive doctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

MacGyver stood in the doorway to the emergency room bay that housed Joanna and her family. She was sitting up in bed, listening to something the doctor was saying, a white gauze dressing peeking out from beneath her bangs the only obvious indication she had been in a car wreck. Since Cynthia had given him the news he felt as if a steel band was wrapped around his chest, his worry so intense his heart physically hurt. Having imagined the worst, he went weak with relief at the scene before him. Her clear, sharp gaze finding him was his undoing.

“Oh baby, I’m so glad you’re alright,” he said huskily as he strode to her bedside and embraced her gently, pulling away when her muscles stiffened.

“Do you hug and call all your employees ‘baby’?” she asked, almost accusingly.

He figured she must be teasing, which released even more of his tension.

“Only the special ones,” he replied softly before reaching for her again. This time her body became even more rigid if that was possible. Confused, he straightened and took a step back sending a questioning glance toward Judy, but the older woman only shrugged.

“Care to introduce us, Ms. Fairfax?” Dr. Chandler asked cheerily, apparently trying to cover the awkward silence that had descended upon the room.

“I’m sorry. Dr. Chandler, this is my boss, Mr. MacGyver. But everyone just calls him ‘Mac’. None of us know his first name.”

At her declaration MacGyver’s blood ran cold. She didn’t remember his first name. Worse, she didn’t seem to remember not remembering!

“Could I speak with you in the hall, doctor?” he asked, ignoring the look on Joanna’s face which was a mixture of concern, surprise...and fear.

“What’s wrong with her?” Mac asked, frustrated and more than a little anxious.

The doctor hesitated.

“Look, you can get permission from her mother to tell me how she is if you need to.”

The doctor sighed. “There’s actually nothing to tell. Except for a bump on the head she’s fine. Given a couple day’s rest she’ll be good as new.”

“But she’s not fine!” Mac exclaimed, loud enough to garner quelling looks from the nursing staff. He continued in a lower tone, “She doesn’t remember me!”

“She seems to know exactly who you are, Mr. MacGyver.”

“It’s not like that. Joanna’s not my employee, she’s my business partner. We’re close friends. Very close. And she most definitely knows my first name. Yet she’s acting as if we’re practically strangers!”

The doctor hugged the clipboard he was holding to his chest and lowered his head, mulling over this new information.

“I don’t know what to tell you. She passed all our memory tests, both short and long term, with flying colors. And she does remember you to some extent.” Here Dr. Chandler paused for what felt like an eternity. “I suppose, if she doesn’t object, I could ask her more questions. Dig a little deeper, so to speak.”

“Thank you,” Mac let out the breath he’d been holding. “Can we do it now?”

The doctor smiled. “No time like the present!”

Together MacGyver and the doctor reentered Joanna’s room.

“Ms. Fairfax, would you mind if I asked you some more questions about people who have come into your life within the past few years?”

“No, not at all,” Jo answered the doctor, a little too warmly for Mac’s peace of mind.

Over the next thirty minutes MacGyver’s heart broke piece by piece as he listened to Joanna describe her relationships with Pete, Connie, Cynthia, Sam, the kids at Challengers, her co-workers at the high school, and even Penny and Jack with love and affection. Only when she spoke of him were her answers vague, emotionless, and annoyingly polite. Even Frog garnered more regard than he did.

“Well doctor, did I pass?” she asked once the inquiries ended, smiling coyly. Mac’s stomach dipped. Was she flirting with her doctor?

“You did just fine,” Dr. Chandler assured her. “Now it’s time for us to leave so you can get some rest if you want to go home later.”

As MacGyver followed the neurologist and Jo’s parents out the door, he heard her gently call his name. His breath caught. Had this past half hour jogged her memory? He quickly returned to her bedside.

“I just wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier,” she said softly, her gaze lowered. “I know how much you care about everyone and I appreciate your concern.”

Mac swallowed around the lump in his throat but remained silent. Her words had been so formal. So professional.

“Could you do me a favor?” she asked shyly.

“Anything.”

“Could you go to the bookstore and pick up the novels I ordered for the club? I want to get them up on display before Pete and the Phoenix review board arrive.”

“You got it,” he promised. “Now try and get some rest.”

His heart heavy, he stepped out into the hallway and joined Mr. and Mrs. Fairfax who were already deep in conversation with Jo’s doctor.

“What did I miss?” MacGyver asked.

Doctor Chandler turned to him. “I was just explaining that Ms. Fairfax appears to be experiencing a case of dissociative amnesia, though I’ve never seen it this specific before. She remembers you and experiences with you, but she cannot recall her true feelings for you. It mostly happens when the victim has experienced emotional trauma. They use their amnesia as a defense mechanism when something is too painful to deal with. However, according to her mother, you two have had a very positive, loving relationship. To be honest, I really can’t explain it.”

“So what do we do about it?” Mac asked, his mind spinning with this new information.

“I don’t believe there’s much we can do,” the doctor sighed. “The mind is a funny thing and there’s still much we don’t know about it.”

“Yeah. I’ve heard that before,” MacGyver muttered.

“There’s a very strong chance all her memories will return on their own after she’s recovered from the shock of the accident. The best thing is not to pressure her to remember. Let it come naturally. I want to see her in a week for another CT scan, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. If her memory of you still hasn’t returned, we’ll discuss further options.”

XXXXX

MacGyver sank down on his couch Tuesday evening, head in his hands. He wasn’t sure which was worse: Not seeing Joanna at all, or seeing her at Challengers every day, interacting normally with everyone but him. As the doctor had predicted, Jo had returned home late Saturday evening. According to her mother, she spent Sunday resting and returned to her teaching job Monday morning but chose to skip her shift at Challengers. He couldn’t blame her. Recovering from a head injury, no matter how minor, was always more physically challenging than one would expect. And he ought to know.

Today, she had arrived at Challengers just after lunch to make sure everything was in order for Phoenix’s visit tomorrow. He had teased her when he caught her rearranging the novels he had put out on display, but instead of a usual sassy retort, she sheepishly apologized and he quickly backpedaled to assure her that she had done a much better job than him. Later, he watched as she chatted with Cynthia as if they had known each other forever, patiently helped Suzy and Davey with their homework as always, and played a round of eight-ball with Raul and laughed heartily when he beat her. She even made a point of giving Frog some extra attention and slipped him treats when she thought Mac wasn’t watching. It was only when MacGyver was near that she reined in her enthusiasm, allowing a mask of professionalism and indifference to fall. He knew the doctor had said not to pressure her to remember, but surely a little nudging couldn’t hurt. After the grant review tomorrow, Mac would begin ‘Operation Joanna’. At best, her feelings for him would return. At worst, he would simply have to get her to fall in love with him all over again.

Pete and a small entourage of Phoenix board members arrived at Challengers on Wednesday afternoon. Once introductions and greetings had been exchanged, a couple of the men sequestered themselves with Cynthia in her office to take a thorough look at the ledgers while others fanned out to inspect the recreation room and dormitory. The remaining men struck up casual conversations with some of the club members and volunteers, including Joanna. Her wide smile and hand gestures told MacGyver she was enthusiastically regaling the men with positive stories of Challengers and the community it served.

Once the evaluation was underway, Mac guided Pete to his office, helping his friend into a chair before taking a seat himself.

“So how’s Joanna doing?” Pete asked, concerned etched on his face.

“The same,” Mac sighed.

Pete was silent for a moment before responding. “Well, it hasn’t even been a week since the accident. These things take time.”

“I know, but it’s just so...so…”

“Scary?”

“Yeah.”

The older man began to smile. “I’ll never forget that time you lost your memory and the bad guys convinced you that I was the bad guy. You even held a gun on me. Yet somewhere, deep down, you knew the truth.”

“And you helped me find that truth. Even as I was about to shoot you.”

“I guess it’s your turn to do the same for Joanna.”

“I’m already on it, Pete.”

“I figured,” he snorted.

XXXXX

“Well, that seemed to have gone well,” Cynthia stated as she, Joanna, and MacGyver gathered in her office that evening.

“When will we know if our grant gets renewed?” Jo asked, more to Cynthia than Mac.

“Pete said it’ll take a couple of weeks,” MacGyver replied. “He told me we have nothing to worry about.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Cynthia sniffed sarcastically.

“Pete wouldn’t lie to us,” Joanna declared. “We need to think positive.”

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

“Excuse me,” Rosie Garcia poked her head in. “All the kids have gone home for the night. Do you mind if I leave a bit early?”

“Not at all,” Cynthia replied. “In fact, that sounds like a really good idea. It’s been a stressful day for all of us.” She gathered her purse and headed out, MacGyver and Joanna behind her. It was now or never for Mac.

“Hey Jo, hold up a sec!”

Joanna stopped and turned, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m still kinda wound up from today. How about a game or two of air hockey before going home?”

A smile tugged at her lips and a fraction of Mac’s anxiety dissipated.

“We haven’t played that in a while, have we?”

“Nope.”

“I’m still pretty bad at it.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he replied. “How about we have a pizza delivered?”

“Sure,” she agreed. “Just make my half of it normal,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

Mac’s heart skipped a beat. At last, a glimpse of ‘his’ Joanna! “You got it,” he smiled.

And so it began. Air hockey games, pizza, and even a trip to the ice rink. Just like the old days. Joanna began to visibly relax around him and laugh and talk with him. His plan was working.

They didn’t see each other on Saturday due to Joanna’s follow-up CT scan. When he didn’t see her at Challengers on Sunday he began to worry. Surely if the scan had shown something her mother would have called. Perhaps Jo just needed to rest. She had been pushing herself at the end of the week what with teaching, Challengers, and spending time with him. Had he pushed her too hard? After a late supper of yogurt and a banana he sat on the couch, staring at the box Neil had sent him sitting on the coffee table. He slowly opened it and took out his grandmother’s rings, stroking the smooth gold and twisting them around the tip of his finger. Would these bands ever find the destination he had planned? Though more at ease in his presence, Joanna was nowhere near giving him her heart...or remembering that he already had it. And it was all his fault. If only he hadn’t overslept that day, or not taken the time to open the mysterious package. If only he had gotten to Challengers before she left for the bookstore. He could’ve run that simple errand and life would have went on as usual. He read his mother’s letter again, focusing on the last two words. Ice cream. How did she know he needed those words now, and would everything really be okay?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joanna pulled her parent’s car up in front of MacGyver’s townhouse late Sunday evening. After the accident, her beloved Chevy had been taken to the body shop, damaged but not beyond repair. She glanced at her watch and sighed as giant butterflies flitted in her stomach. Actually, it felt more like dinosaurs stomping around her midsection. What in the world made her think that coming to Mac’s house and asking to speak alone with him was a good idea. She thought back to the days since her crash. Everyone and everything was just as it always was, except when he was around. She felt a tension between them that she wasn’t sure had existed before, and every time she looked in his eyes she saw a flicker of pain. Then, today, she had found a crumpled up hockey jersey buried in her dresser drawer. Something wasn’t right and she knew MacGyver was the only one who could provide the answers she sought.

She knocked on his front door and waited impatiently for him to answer. Perhaps he had gone to bed early. She was just about to leave, or more accurately, run away, when she saw him approach through the glass door.

“Hey!” he greeted her, his surprise obvious.

“Hey,” she echoed back, forcing a smile. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“You are never a bother. Please, come in.”

Joanna slipped through the doorway as he stepped aside and led her to the couch where he sat down next to her. Close, but not too close, and she couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.

“I was hoping to see you at Challengers today. How did your CT scan go?”

“It went fine. At least that’s what they told me,” she replied, hesitant to make eye contact.

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“I guess,” she shrugged, nibbling her lower lip and debating how to continue. “The thing is, I don’t always feel ‘fine’, especially when I’m around you.”

She heard his quick intake of breath and took a breath of her own. She had no choice now but to plow ahead, no matter how awkward this conversation became. She just hoped she wouldn’t lose her job at Challengers over it.

“I feel like I’m missing something. That I’ve forgotten something. Something important. I remember working with you and spending time with you and your friends, but I don’t remember how I felt when we were together and I know it probably sounds really weird and I’m probably making a fool out of myself but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re more than just casual friends. Then today I found this.”

She pulled the rumpled up jersey from her oversized purse and held it out so the name placard faced him. She didn’t need to see it again. The words had been seared into her mind...and her heart. ‘Mac’s Girl’.

MacGyver took the jersey from her, holding it almost reverently in his hands and blew out a sigh.

“You’re not making a fool out of yourself and you’re right, we are more than just friends,” he assured her. “In fact, last Christmas I tried to propose to you but it didn’t work out exactly as planned.”

“That’s when Jack had his accident and you went out to L.A. to be with him.”

“You remember Jack’s plane crash but you don’t remember me proposing?”

She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?!” She motioned to the jersey he still held. “Or about you?! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Mac gingerly reached out and she allowed him to caress her cheek with the back of his firm, solid fingers.

“I wanted to, baby. I wanted to tell you so many times, but the doctor said it would be better if you discovered your feelings on your own.”

“Do you love me?” she asked, feeling her face turn red at such a direct and intimate question.

“Yeah. I do,” he responded softly, his eyes meeting hers with a shared sadness.

“And do I love you?”

“Yeah,” he answered in a husky whisper.

“Then help me remember, Mac. Please help me,” she pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks and he moved close to envelope her in a comforting embrace that she could never in a million years imagine she could forget.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That week, MacGyver made a point of spending as much time with Joanna as possible, and she did the same. They were practically inseparable from the time she arrived at Challengers until they left, often grabbing take-out on the way to his place where they would spend the evenings watching old Westerns, video-taped hockey games, or simply talking until the moon was high in the sky. It became harder and harder for Mac to watch her leave, and she must have felt the same as her steps became slower, their goodbyes longer. Her humor and friendship soon shone through and MacGyver could tell she was learning to trust him once again. But she wasn’t progressing as quickly as he would have liked. She still found silence between them uncomfortable and shied away whenever he leaned in to kiss her, even if he only meant to give her a peck on the cheek or forehead. However, he was grateful for each step, no matter how small, and would do whatever it took and wait however long he needed to in order for her to rediscover her love for him.

Friday was a busy day at Challengers right from the start as the schools were closed for a teacher in-service day and all the kids had off, many with nowhere else to go. Thankfully the volunteers stepped up to make sure the club was fully staffed, but that left MacGyver with little to do. Joanna had told him she would probably spend most of the day at school so he didn’t even have her presence to look forward to. He must have looked as pitiful as he felt because at noon Cynthia came to him with a white paper bag from the corner deli.

“A turkey club for her and a bunch of veggies on bread for you,” she said, holding out her offering.

“But she said she probably wouldn’t be in today.”

Cynthia rolled her eyes. “Just because she doesn’t come here doesn’t mean you can’t go there. Even teachers have to eat, you know!”

It suddenly occurred to Mac that he had yet to set foot in Joanna’s classroom though school had been in session for about a month. If what she told him the night before was correct, the mandatory morning meetings would be finished by now and she’d be catching up on work. Not wanting to go the entire day without seeing her and risk losing any of the progress they had made, he quickly headed over toward the high school.

With the principal’s assistance, he soon found Jo’s room and leaned lazily against the door jamb. She was standing on the top step of a short ladder, her back to him, busily removing ‘Welcome Back to School’ decorations from her bulletin board and replacing them with colorful, laminated posters citing proper grammar and punctuation rules. His thoughts tumbled back to the first time he saw her, in very much the same position. Only today she wore sneakers instead of heels.

“Lookin’ good,” he observed cheerfully. But he must have startled her because she turned around quickly and began to sway. Taking two long steps he was at her side, his hands planted firmly on her hips until she regained her balance.

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” she smiled down at him.

“You remember?” he asked cautiously.

“Of course I do!” she replied as, with his assistance, she stepped down onto the floor.

Instead of moving away from him as he expected, she stayed right where she was, so close she had to tip her head back to meet his eyes.

“It’s not every day a damsel in distress gets rescued by a tall, handsome hero. Lucky for me it’s happened twice...so far.”

Her smile shifted into a sly grin as she reached up to slowly rake her fingers through his hair before gently urging his head down so his lips met hers in an achingly tender caress. MacGyver’s heart stilled and his thoughts fled as he instinctively pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, mindful to keep it soft and undemanding, until she broke the connection.

‘Mmmm, I’ve missed that,” she mused, her arms still around his neck, her fingers teasing the hair at his nape.

“Jo?” he asked, his heart now beating triple-time.

“It’s me, Mac. I remember everything. I remember us.”

“But...how?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s all the time we’ve been spending together. I just woke up this morning and suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit, ya know? I was trying to finish up here and get to Challengers so I could tell you.”

“I think I like this way better,” he smiled. “But I still don’t get why you forgot your feelings for me after the accident? The doctor said it usually happens to people who want to repress certain memories.”

Joanna shrugged. “Maybe my subconscious is still afraid of my feelings for you. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before and maybe a part of me is still afraid it may not last.”

“Hey! I thought I was the one with commitment issues,” Mac teased, earning him a watery smile before becoming sober.

“Aw baby, what can I do to make sure you know I’ll always love you?”

“Promise to hang on to me and never let me go no matter what?”

“Count on it,” he vowed. “And if I ever get knocked loopy, you do the same, okay?”

“You gotta mean ‘when’, not ‘if’,” Jo snickered, the warmth of her laugh lighting a fire deep within him.

Unable to recall a time when he had ever felt happier, he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground before kissing her again, this time more completely. When they finally separated, each of them breathless, she looked up at him with a light in her eyes that hadn’t been there since her accident. Filled with sweet love and desire, he couldn’t tear his gaze from her. She was back. His Joanna had come back to him...to stay.


















Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Dragondog
Posted: 12 December 2019 - 12:06 PM                                    
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QUOTE
Chapter 27: Everyone But Him
Hmm, wonder what this means... hmm.bmp

QUOTE
It was from Neil Ryder, his boyhood friend in Mission City.
It is late and I'm tired, apparently, because I misread that as "boyfriend" and was like, "Whoah whoah whoah, back it up, what?!" XD XD XD

QUOTE

MacGyver now looked down at the wooden box on his lap, his mother’s name ornately carved into the top.
I feel like this is going to make me shed theoretical tears...

QUOTE

P.S. Always remember: “Ice Cream!”
Yep, there it is, those dang feeeeeeeeeelllllsssss...

QUOTE

MacGyver closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to keep threatening tears at bay as he took deep breaths to calm the inner swell of emotion.
Can I hug him? I want to hug him... *considers hugging my laptop* *decides against it*

QUOTE
The bigger question was when would he finally put old fears aside and do what he had been wanting to do for so long now?
I've been asking that for a long time XD

QUOTE
Knowing she could never stop in time to avoid hitting the frightened animal, she jerked the steering wheel to the right before stomping down on the brake pedal. Unfortunately, her tires caught in the gravel on the side of the road, sending the car skidding head first into a large tree. Joanna felt the sting of her seatbelt against her neck before it suddenly released. The last thing she remembered was her forehead hitting the steering wheel before everything went black.
*sigh* Can't you guys do ANYTHING without someone getting hurt? X'D

QUOTE

Joanna smiled at him as her heart pounded faster. The rate increase having nothing to do with the pain in her head but with the handsome physician in front of her. His dark brown hair was cut short and neatly styled while his blue eyes seemed to twinkle of their own accord. She could tell he was fit, even with the lab coat draping his tall frame. Her eyes automatically strayed to his hands which held a metal clipboard. No wedding ring. Yes! When she looked up again it was to find him watching her with a knowing smile that made her blush. Finding her voice, she introduced him to her parents.
Oh, Jo... XD XD XD

QUOTE

“Normally I’d say as soon as she feels up to it, but given the length of time she was unconscious I’d like to keep her here the rest of the day for observation. If everything checks out she’ll be home before bedtime.” Then he turned his attention to Joanna. “Of course, she’ll have to promise to follow all my instructions and take it easy for the next few days,” he said with a wink that caused her stomach to flutter.
I mean, at least you got a break from cleaning XD

QUOTE

As if their conversation had conjured him, she looked to find MacGyver standing in the doorway. His shaggy, dark-blonde hair, brown, beady eyes and oddly shaped lips a stark, and unwelcome, contrast to the attractive doctor.
Excuse me, how hard did she hit her head?!

QUOTE
The doctor sighed. “There’s actually nothing to tell. Except for a bump on the head she’s fine. Given a couple day’s rest she’ll be good as new.”
Ah, I understand the title now XD

QUOTE
Even Frog garnered more regard than he did.
Been a while since Frog was mentioned XD

QUOTE
He read his mother’s letter again, focusing on the last two words. Ice cream. How did she know he needed those words now, and would everything really be okay?
My emotions... (idk, this part just grabbed me laugh.gif )

QUOTE

“Then help me remember, Mac. Please help me,” she pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks and he moved close to envelope her in a comforting embrace that she could never in a million years imagine she could forget.
I'm not sure exactly what it is, but this whole chapter, the drama, the emotions, they're all grabbing me just right *insert a smiley clutchin it's chest that doesn't exist on these forums*

QUOTE
She was standing on the top step of a short ladder, her back to him, busily removing ‘Welcome Back to School’ decorations from her bulletin board and replacing them with colorful, laminated posters citing proper grammar and punctuation rules.
This feels familiar biggrin.gif

QUOTE

“Hey! I thought I was the one with commitment issues,” Mac teased, earning him a watery smile before becoming sober.
Considering you still aren't married, I'd say you both have issues XD

QUOTE
She was back. His Joanna had come back to him...to stay.
Got me again XD (Also, go propose, because you almost lost her, don't let it happen again without doing whatever you could to hold on to her).

On a related note, I saw a sad video comic dub, and someone in the comments said "The feels on the bus go round and round" and while I snorted very hard, it's also very true XD DX




"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 12 December 2019 - 01:25 PM                                    
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QUOTE (Dragondog @ 12 December 2019 - 12:06 PM)
QUOTE

“Then help me remember, Mac. Please help me,” she pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks and he moved close to envelope her in a comforting embrace that she could never in a million years imagine she could forget.
I'm not sure exactly what it is, but this whole chapter, the drama, the emotions, they're all grabbing me just right *insert a smiley clutchin it's chest that doesn't exist on these forums*


Thank you!! That's exactly what I was going for with this chapter!!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 18 December 2019 - 08:43 AM                                    
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Chapter 28: Past, Present, Future? (Part 1)

“This was a dumb idea,” MacGyver muttered to himself Friday evening as he struggled for the third time to tie a perfect Windsor knot. Who knew that a simple piece of silk could be so troublesome. He actually wished Sam was there to assist him for once. He undid his most recent attempt, took a deep breath and looked at the clock. Joanna would be arriving shortly and he couldn’t mess this up. His hands shook as he attempted the task once more. Hands that had the innate ability to stay amazingly steady as he diffused hundreds of bombs over the years. Although, the thought of getting blown up was nothing compared to the question he was planning to ask tonight. Four little words that would change the course of his life one way or another. Slipping on his suit jacket he took one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs. The delicious aroma of the dinner he had in the oven wafted through the air and he smiled, even though his stomach churned. He straightened the floral centerpiece on the small kitchen table before lighting two taper candles on either side. He then dimmed the living room lights and turned on some soft, slow music to set the mood. A knock on the front door caused his heart to leap into his throat. He swallowed hard. This was it.

Joanna was standing in the doorway looking more beautiful than ever in the yellow and ivory lace dress she had worn several weeks earlier to a fundraising event.

“I’m sorry I’m a little late. I hope we don’t miss our reservation,” she said before MacGyver had a chance to compliment her or even invite her inside.

“It’s not a problem,” he assured her, stepping aside. “Welcome to Chez Mac, madam. Your table awaits.”

He watched with satisfaction as her wide brown eyes landed on the table set to rival that of the most upscale restaurant in town. As she slowly stepped across the threshold, he sensed the moment she heard the soft music and felt the ambiance of the room wash over her.

“Oh Mac!” she quietly exclaimed as she turned towards him. “When you invited me to a fancy dinner I never expected this! And you even put on a tie!”

She reached up to straighten the knot in a way Sam never could and he automatically relaxed at her touch.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, gazing lovingly down at her. “I wanted it to just be you and me tonight.”

“I like the way you think,” she replied, smiling up at him.

Once Joanna was seated and dinner was served, the pair fell into easy conversation. MacGyver couldn’t help but notice Jo rubbing the bare spot on her finger where she normally wore her sapphire ring. He reached out and took her hand in his, caressing the empty space with his thumb.

“You still miss it, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” she nodded sheepishly. “It’s like when you get a tooth pulled and your tongue keeps going to where it used to be. Thankfully the jeweler said they should have the stone replaced by the end of next week.”

Mac remembered earlier that week when Joanna had arrived at Challengers looking sullen. She had just discovered that one of the small diamonds flanking the larger dark blue stone was missing and she had to send off her precious ring for repair. MacGyver didn’t much believe in coincidence, but he knew opportunity when he saw it and he planned to take advantage of it tonight.

After dessert, the couple moved to the living room couch. Ellen MacGyver’s treasure chest was proudly displayed on the coffee table. Mac took it in his hands before placing it on Joanna’s lap.

“This was my mom’s” he explained when she looked at him questioningly. “She kept mementos from when I was a kid in there. Take a look.”

Jo hesitated. “But Mac, it’s so personal.”

“That’s kinda the point. Now go ahead and open it.”

Joanna slowly lifted the lid and immediately smiled when she saw the homemade necklace and pondered the many cards he had created. His hands began to sweat as if he were a child all over again when she spent a bit too much time perusing his grade school report cards.

“I don’t believe it!” she cried.

“What?” Mac asked defensively.

“You flunked science!”

“No way! Let me see that!” he insisted, reaching for the aged piece of paper. “Oh yeah, now I remember. That was the semester I got my first chemistry set. I spent all my time playing with that instead of doing my homework,” he explained with a crooked grin.

“The fact that your mom kept all this stuff tells me she loved you very much. She must have been a very special lady. I wish I could’ve met her.”

“Yeah, me too,” he responded, his voice husky with sudden emotion. “There was something else in that box, but before you see it I need to say a few things.”

The concern that marred her brow wrenched at his heart so he quickly decided to ditch the fancy speech he had prepared and improvise instead.

“I love you, Jo. You know that, right?”

She nodded, giving him the courage to continue.

“I tried to hide behind my fear of commitment, but I was only fooling myself. From the first time I saw you I knew there would never be anyone else. Not for me. It’s always been you.” Here he stopped and took a breath. “All my life I’ve been so afraid of losing people I love, and I still am. But you’ve made me see how much I’ve truly lost by running away. I’m done running, Jo. I’m here. I’m yours if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”

MacGyver held his breath as Joanna silently studied him, an unidentifiable look in her eyes. He knew she loved him back, but she was also insecure in that love. Did he, in an attempt to ease her fears, only make things worse? He had thought this was what she ultimately wanted and, after the last few weeks, it seemed that the time was right. She had asked him to hang on to her and never let her go. Had he misinterpreted her meaning? He ran his finger around the inside collar of his dress shirt which had suddenly become way too tight. Why wasn’t she answering him? Yeah, this had definitely been a dumb idea. Now he remembered why he never proposed to anyone. Leaving was a lot easier than getting rejected.

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” Jo replied simply. Eyes sparkling with unshed tears, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her in a tight embrace. He released the breath he had been holding and lost himself in her sweet warmth as their hearts beat in rhythm as one.

When they finally pulled apart, he reached into his pocket and, taking her hand in his, slipped the now-familiar ring on her finger.

“Do you like it?” he asked in little more than a whisper as she stared at the small, twinkling diamond on the simple band of gold.

“It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect,” she assured him, squeezing his hand.

“It was my grandmother’s.” He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the ring before cupping her face in his hands and finding her soft, willing lips.

Lost in the magic of the kiss that promised forever, MacGyver vaguely heard the strains of an old-fashioned love song he recognized as one of his mother’s favorites. Reluctantly, he broke contact and pushed himself off the couch before turning back, his arm extended towards Joanna.

“Dance with me?”

Her flushed face, already filled with love and awe, looked up at him.

“I thought you didn’t care to dance?”

He smiled gently. “I do now.”

Joanna eagerly accepted his invitation and together they swayed to the gentle cadence of the music, his lips once again finding hers. Oblivious to the outside world, they startled apart at the shrill ring of the telephone.

“Let the machine get it,” Jo instructed, pulling him close so their foreheads touched.

“MacGyver, it’s me. If you’re there pick up!”

Mac groaned. “Go away, Pete.”

“It could be something important,” Joanna mumbled, taking a step back.

“You’re timing stinks!” Mac growled into the receiver.

“Now you know how I feel when you call in the middle of the night,” Pete chuckled wryly.

Mac glanced at Joanna who now sat on the couch, hugging a throw pillow. “I highly doubt that, Pete. What’s up?”

“It’s about the grant for Challengers. You’ll be getting a call tomorrow morning, but I wanted to give you a heads up.”

“What about the grant?” he asked. His words caught Jo’s attention and she now came to stand beside him, an anxious look in her eyes.

“The Western Division of Phoenix siphoned some of our funds to go toward Challengers in Los Angeles. You’re still getting the grant, it’s just not as much as you were promised.”

“What?! They can’t do that!”

“They can and they did,” Pete sighed. “I’ll keep on it and see if we can work something out. In the meantime, when you get that phone call, don’t shoot the messenger. Got it?”

“Got it,” MacGyver confirmed glumly before hanging up.

“Mac, what’s wrong?” Jo asked, not even trying to disguise her worry.

He sank down on a kitchen stool, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down onto his lap before relaying the short conversation.

“So what do we do now?” she asked, her hands resting on his.

“I don’t know.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joanna stifled a yawn early the following morning as she, Cynthia, and MacGyver gathered in his office to await the inevitable phone call Pete had warned them about. After leaving Mac the night before, she had gone home to an overjoyed mother and happily content father who, she had learned, had given MacGyver their permission to propose to her when he had asked for their blessing days earlier. Her heart warmed at Mac’s thoughtfulness. She hurried off to bed with as little fanfare as possible only to spend some of the night reveling in the memory of MacGyver’s kisses, some of it fretting about the fate of Challengers, and some of it terrified at the turn her life had suddenly taken. Though she had always assumed she would get married, she thought she had made peace with the fact that it wasn’t to be several years ago. Now she wore MacGyver’s engagement ring and tussled with the implications it came with. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him and he loved her, but her pragmatic side struggled to accept the changes this shift in their relationship would bring. Not to mention the fact that she had answered him so quickly. For goodness sake, it took her longer to decide which shoes to wear in the morning than it did for her to make this life-altering decision! She didn’t even ask for time to think about it. She just blurted out ‘yes’! Yet somehow, she knew it was right. When the morning sunlight finally greeted her, she crawled out of bed and headed into work unlike most women who would gleefully be announcing the events of the previous evening to their family and friends. Upon arriving at the club, Cynthia had smiled at her warmly, admired her modest engagement ring, and gently embraced her before all thoughts turned to the business at hand.

The call came in shortly thereafter and MacGyver put it on speakerphone. A male voice in a clipped tone informed them that the grant they would be receiving would be several thousand dollars less than what they had planned and budgeted for. He offered a generic apology before disconnecting. Joanna and Cynthia watched as Mac clicked off the call, pushed away from his desk and silently strode out of his office, through the recreation area and out into the parking lot.

When Jo couldn’t stand his absence any longer, she ventured outside to find MacGyver sitting on his new Harley, lovingly polishing the already shiny chrome with a soft rag. Her stomach dipped. She had caught him doing the same thing to his Nomad six months earlier when he intended to sell it in order to pay the initial lease on Challengers before the Phoenix Foundation stepped in. Wordlessly, she mounted the bike behind him, slipped her arms around his waist, and rested her chin on his sun-warmed shoulder.

“You don’t have to do it, you know,” she said softly into her ear.

He turned his head so her lips were practically touching his cheek.

“No man needs three vehicles. Besides, it technically belongs to Challengers anyway.”

“I’ve seen the books. Cynthia’s done a good job. We’re financially solvent for a couple more months. We can use that time to find another solution.”

“Like what?” he protested listlessly.

“Maybe Pete will be able to work something out, or we could contact some of the donors we met at the fundraising gala. We’ll find a way.”

MacGyver lithely swung one long leg over the handlebars before sliding off the leather seat. He then took Joanna’s soft hand in his and helped her dismount as well, placing his hands on her hips to keep her near.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said with a self-deprecating smile. “You should be picking out china patterns and Jack should be planning my bachelor party. We shouldn’t be worrying about losing Challengers...again.”

“I don’t care for china much anyway,” Joanna shrugged, her arms now looped casually around his neck. “And I highly doubt you would let Jack plan a party, particularly one you would enjoy. Challengers needs to be our priority right now and we will figure something out. Together.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunday evening MacGyver zipped up his garment bag and laid it carefully across his bed so the suit inside wouldn’t get wrinkled as Joanna watched from a corner of the upstairs room.

“I know the timing stinks, but Pete thinks we can make some progress by going straight to the Phoenix board in Los Angeles.” Mac planned to pick up his friend on the way to O’Hare and catch the red-eye to the coast so they could meet with the board first thing in the morning.

“I hope he’s right,” Jo replied in an understanding tone. “And while you two are doing that, I’ll make some calls to potential local donors.” Here she paused and shifted the conversation. “Have you told him about us?”

Mac looked up and caught her tentative gaze. “Yeah,” he smiled affectionately. “Pete and Connie send their congratulations and love and Sam is thrilled that he’s finally going to have an official step-mother.”

The tension drained from Joanna’s face and she laughed softly. “Sometimes I swear that son of yours is twenty-something going on ten!”

“Can’t argue with you there,” MacGyver agreed lightheartedly.

“You’ll keep me posted on how things go in L.A.?” Jo’s serious tone returned.

“Count on it!”

XXXXX

“‘We’ll take your request under consideration’?” Mac huffed as he guided Pete through the myriad corridors of the Los Angeles Phoenix Foundation offices. “We travel two thousand miles and plead for an hour and that’s the best they can do?!”

“Calm down, MacGyver,” Pete urged. “These things take time. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know that,” he said, blowing out a sigh as he reached up to loosen his tie. “I’m just frustrated.”

“Hey! Why don’t we grab some lunch at that Indian restaurant you used to like so much before we catch our return flight,” Pete suggested.

“Have your taste buds recovered from the last time?” Mac grinned.

“MacGyver! Pete!” a male voice called from behind, interrupting their conversation.

Mac turned around and instantly recognized the man.

“Craig Bannister! What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing! Last I heard you had moved to some farm town in the Midwest to teach delinquent youth!”

“That’s not exactly accurate,” MacGyver protested but decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. “But what about you? Did Phoenix finally manage to snag you away from the DXS?”

“Something like that. I’ve been here about a year now,” Craig admitted with a sly grin. “You’re looking at the Director of Foreign Field Operations.”

“Impressive title,” Mac acknowledged. “Pete and I were just going to get some lunch. Why don’t you join us and we can catch up?”

Before Bannister could answer, his pager went off. “I have to take this,” he declared, after checking the number. “You remember what it’s like Pete, right?”

Pete smiled in the direction of Craig’s voice. “Sure do. And I can’t say I miss it!”

MacGyver and Pete stood off to the side as Bannister dialed the nearest telephone and was soon engaged in an animated conversation. Minutes later, he hung up the phone and approached his two friends, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Problem?” Mac asked.

“Yeah. You could say that,” he sighed.

“What’s up?”

“You know I can’t tell you that MacGyver. It’s classified.”

“Ah.” Mac nodded once to show he understood.

“Unless...Mac, would you be interested in doing a freelance assignment for Phoenix?”

“Depends. What do I need to do?”

“One of my operatives is in Berlin, Germany. She infiltrated a small communist cell that refuses to believe the wall is down. She confiscated a computer disc chronicling their activity and is scheduled to return to the United States.”

“Go on,” Mac prompted.

“She called for a secure pick-up because she thought she was being followed. I had an agent scheduled to leave later this afternoon but he just got called away on a family emergency and I don’t have time to arrange for anyone else. What do ya say? Everything is set. You won’t be in Germany long enough to shave and I’ll see that you get a nice, healthy bonus in return.”

“Pete?” MacGyver turned to his long-time friend and confidant looking for guidance.

“It’s up to you.”

Mac turned back to Bannister. “Who’s your operative?”

“Nicole Carpenter.”

MacGyver’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Nikki?!”

XXXXX

“I just don’t get it,” Mac declared thirty minutes later as he, Pete and Craig munched on Chinese take-out in Bannister’s office. “Nikki is one of the most self-sufficient, independent, pig-headed agents Phoenix has! It’s not like her to panic at shadows and call for backup.”

“She’s also one of the most professional, by-the-book agents Phoenix has and she’s doing what she’s been trained to do,” Pete reminded him.

Mac struggled to refrain from rolling his eyes at the not-so-subtle reminder of the differences between the way he and Nikki operated. In spite of that, Nikki was a good agent and had been an even better friend. He couldn’t refuse to help.

“Okay, fine. I’ll do it. What’s the plan?”

“Your flight is scheduled to leave at 4:00 pm from LAX. You should arrive in Berlin about 5:00 am California time. Nikki will be waiting for you in room 306 of the Intercontinental Hotel.”

“Why not the U.S. Embassy?”

“We’re not certain her cover has been blown so she doesn’t want to tip anyone off. From there, you’re both scheduled on the next flight to the United States and should arrive here tomorrow evening. Piece of cake, right?”

“Sounds good,” MacGyver acknowledged.

“In the meantime, feel free to hang out here while I arrange for a charter flight to take Pete back to Chicago.”

Bannister stood up from his seat behind the desk and stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him.

“Are you sure about this, MacGyver?” Pete asked when the two men were alone.

“Pete, it’s Nikki,” he replied, as if that was enough explanation.

“What about Joanna?”

“What about her?”

Pete huffed and rolled his sightless eyes. “You two are a committed couple now. You need to let her know what’s going on!”

“I was planning on calling and telling her something’s come up and I’ll be away longer than expected.”

Pete slowly and silently shook his head in dismay.

“What?! You know this assignment is classified!”

“MacGyver, listen to me. I ruined my first marriage to Connie because I never opened up to her. I can’t let you do the same to Joanna. There are things you can tell her without compromising the mission.”

“You’re right,” Mac sighed, pushing to his feet and reaching for the telephone on Craig’s desk. He looked at his watch and considered the time zones, she should be at Challengers by now.

“Good afternoon, this is Challengers Club, how may I help you?”

“Hi Cynthia, it’s Mac.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to have news so soon!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“I don’t. Sorry to disappoint you. Is Joanna available?”

A few seconds later Jo’s sweet voice came over the line.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” MacGyver began after they exchanged greetings. “An old friend of mine here at Phoenix asked me to go on a mission. There was a last minute emergency.”

Silence greeted him. He cleared his throat before continuing, hoping Jo would understand.

“I can’t give you any details, but I need to do a secure pick-up. I should be home by tomorrow night.”

“Is it safe?” she asked.

“It should be.”

“Is someone in trouble?”

“Not if I do my job right.”

“Then go.”

“You’re okay with this?”

“Not really,” Jo responded truthfully, “But I love you and everything about you and I know part of that means running to the rescue when you need to. Just promise to be careful.”

“Aren’t I always?”

A very unladylike snort came through the receiver and Mac chuckled. “So, how are things going on your end?”

“I called a couple possible donors this morning during my break but had to leave messages. I’m gonna call more now. And Cynthia and I started brainstorming ideas for fundraisers like a bake sale or car wash. They wouldn’t bring in a whole lot of money but it’s better than nothing.”

“Well, if I’m successful with this assignment Phoenix will give me a bonus and I’ll make sure it’s something Challengers can benefit from.”

To be continued…




Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 19 December 2019 - 12:47 PM                                    
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Just out of curiousity, how long have you been working on this story? Like, how long since you first started on chapter 1 on Continuum?

QUOTE
Past, Present, Future? (Part 1)
Idk what's stronger, my anticipation because the word "future" gives me hope, or my anxiety, because of the big "part 1", implying a cliffhanger XD

QUOTE
Although, the thought of getting blown up was nothing compared to the question he was planning to ask tonight.
'Bout friggin' time XD

That's - that's it. Like, after all this time, that's all I can say XD


QUOTE
“Welcome to Chez Mac, madam. Your table awaits.”
Why is he so adorable? XD

QUOTE

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, gazing lovingly down at her. “I wanted it to just be you and me tonight.”

“I like the way you think,” she replied, smiling up at him.
And all of a sudden, Jack comes bursting through the door. Mac straight up kills him in response. XD

QUOTE
The concern that marred her brow wrenched at his heart so he quickly decided to ditch the fancy speech he had prepared and improvise instead.
Good boy XD

QUOTE
“All my life I’ve been so afraid of losing people I love, and I still am. But you’ve made me see how much I’ve truly lost by running away. I’m done running, Jo. I’m here. I’m yours if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”
If you don't mind me saying, this reminds me of a quote from HTTYD3 (may not be 100% accurate): "With love comes loss, son. It's part of the deal, But it's worth it. There is no greater gift than love."

Also, I felt a surge of relief when he got that out. Now, no matter what happens, at least the words are out there, so if a meteor crushes his house, or the phone rings, or Murdoc's ghost posseses some creature to attack them, his proposal is out in the open XD XD XD

QUOTE


MacGyver held his breath as Joanna silently studied him, an unidentifiable look in her eyes. He knew she loved him back, but she was also insecure in that love. Did he, in an attempt to ease her fears, only make things worse? He had thought this was what she ultimately wanted and, after the last few weeks, it seemed that the time was right. She had asked him to hang on to her and never let her go. Had he misinterpreted her meaning? He ran his finger around the inside collar of his dress shirt which had suddenly become way too tight. Why wasn’t she answering him? Yeah, this had definitely been a dumb idea. Now he remembered why he never proposed to anyone. Leaving was a lot easier than getting rejected.
This is me with my social anxiety. But constant.

QUOTE
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” Jo replied simply. Eyes sparkling with unshed tears, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her in a tight embrace. He released the breath he had been holding and lost himself in her sweet warmth as their hearts beat in rhythm as one.
Good. Now if you die, you have that promise hanging over your graves forever instead of unspoken words XD (not that they're gonna die, in all seriousness, I just don't want a direct repeat of Continuum XD)

QUOTE
Oblivious to the outside world, they startled apart at the shrill ring of the telephone.

“Let the machine get it,” Jo instructed, pulling him close so their foreheads touched.
But it was not to be.... (at least it's just the wedding being postponed, right? The proposal still happened, which is better progress than last time).

QUOTE

“MacGyver, it’s me. If you’re there pick up!”

Mac groaned. “Go away, Pete.”

“It could be something important,” Joanna mumbled, taking a step back.

“You’re timing stinks!” Mac growled into the receiver.

“Now you know how I feel when you call in the middle of the night,” Pete chuckled wryly.
I'm chuckling at this exchange. Pete's chuckling makes me think maybe it's not so bad.

I kinda almost thought he was calling to say, "Oh, Sam got engaged, lol".

QUOTE
After leaving Mac the night before, she had gone home to an overjoyed mother and happily content father who, she had learned, had given MacGyver their permission to propose to her when he had asked for their blessing days earlier. Her heart warmed at Mac’s thoughtfulness.
I am a little disappointed that we didn't get to see this conversation happen, but I understand why XD (I will, however, be disappointed if we don't get to see Sam, Pete, and Connie's reactions. At least Sam's, he's hilarious about it all the time XD).

QUOTE

Mac looked up and caught her tentative gaze. “Yeah,” he smiled affectionately. “Pete and Connie send their congratulations and love and Sam is thrilled that he’s finally going to have an official step-mother.”

The tension drained from Joanna’s face and she laughed softly. “Sometimes I swear that son of yours is twenty-something going on ten!”
Know what, I'll take it XD That line of Jo's is too accurate, as we've already seen anyway XD

QUOTE


Mac turned back to Bannister. “Who’s your operative?”

“Nicole Carpenter.”

MacGyver’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Nikki?!”
Well, the gang's all here XD (I just hope something about this doesn't cause another rift between Jo and MacGyver...

S U S P E N S E...



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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Posted: 19 December 2019 - 03:44 PM                                    
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QUOTE (Dragondog @ 19 December 2019 - 12:47 PM)
Just out of curiousity, how long have you been working on this story? Like, how long since you first started on chapter 1 on Continuum?


I started writing Continuum in mid-April 2017 (I cranked out the chapters so fast..I'm amazed by that because now it takes me two or more weeks to get one done:( I wrote purely for the sake of writing and only shared my chapters with my mom until Sept. 2017 when I decided to start posting them on a fan fic website. Gosh, I can't believe that this April I will have been writing this story for 3 years...that just seriously freaked me out!!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 19 December 2019 - 09:11 PM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 19 December 2019 - 05:44 PM)
QUOTE (Dragondog @ 19 December 2019 - 12:47 PM)
Just out of curiousity, how long have you been working on this story? Like, how long since you first started on chapter 1 on Continuum?


I started writing Continuum in mid-April 2017 (I cranked out the chapters so fast..I'm amazed by that because now it takes me two or more weeks to get one done:( I wrote purely for the sake of writing and only shared my chapters with my mom until Sept. 2017 when I decided to start posting them on a fan fic website. Gosh, I can't believe that this April I will have been writing this story for 3 years...that just seriously freaked me out!!!

..And in response, I started thinking about where I was at that time, for perspective, and wow, time really flies blink.gif



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 26 December 2019 - 11:37 AM                                    
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Chapter 29: Past, Present, Future? (Part 2)

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

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

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

“Who is it?”

“Room service!” he replied with a grin.

“I didn’t order anything,” the female voice snapped.

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

“Nikki, it’s Mac! Bannister sent me.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do you still have the disc?”

“Of course I do! That’s the only reason I’m still alive!”

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

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

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

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

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

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?!

Hans picked that precise moment to reenter the room.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t have it,” Nikki declared defiantly, raising her chin.

“What?!” Mac and Kraus cried in unison.

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

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

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Nikki replied calmly, crossing her arms across her chest.

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

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

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

“C’mon Kraus, we all know you’re not gonna kill us until you get the disc,” Mac reasoned.

“Then give it to me!!”

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

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

XXXXX

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

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

“Is there any oil in it?” she asked skeptically.

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

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

“Terrific!” Nikki exclaimed. “Now what do we do?”

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

Nikki sighed and stared at the dirt floor beneath their feet. “It’s still in my hotel room.”

“What?! Nikki, you know that’s the first place they’ll look!”

“Hans searched for it for an hour and couldn’t find it,” she replied triumphantly.

“You don’t really believe they’ll give up that easily, do you?!”

“No. That’s why I hid it where no man would ever think to look.”

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

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

“That’s not exactly by-the-book evidence handling procedure,” MacGyver pointed out.

“Well what would you have done?!” she retorted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Did you find something?” Mac asked.

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

“Don’t worry,” MacGyver said, turning back to his task. “It was probably just a rat.”

“Just a rat?!”

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

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

“What’s wrong?” Nikki asked, peering over his shoulder.

“We’re running out of wick. And we don’t have much kerosene left either.”

“But you have a plan, right?”

The sound of optimism in Nikki’s voice made him grin. “Yeah, I have a plan.”

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

“Here, cut it into smaller strips,” he told her.

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

“Get us some fuel.”

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

“MacGyver! That’s marvelous!” Nikki exclaimed.

“We’re not done yet. Hold on, things are gonna get dark.”

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

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

“All right! Now let’s find a way outta this place!”

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

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

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

“Ladies first?”

“No way!”

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

“Now what?” she asked.

“I don’t suppose you noticed if there were any outdoor guards besides the ones at the front door?”

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

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

“Our alarm silencer,” he said in response to Nikki’s questioning gaze.

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

“Any suggestions?” Nikki asked.

“We’ll have to make a run for it.”

“We’ll never make it! This place is huge and we have no idea where we even are!”

“Do you have a better idea?” Mac bit back.

“Well...no,” Nikki admitted after some hesitation.

“Let’s head toward the garage,” MacGyver suggested. “We might find something useful in there.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What do we do now?” Nikki asked.

MacGyver slowly studied the contents of the garage.

“Surely you’re not planning on hot-wiring one of those cars!”

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

“Nikki!” he called, “Distract our guests!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay, we got it. Now let’s head to the airport,” she instructed.

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

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

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

“Let me guess,” MacGyver said, grinning widely at Bannister. “She’s the reason you joined the Foundation.”

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

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

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

“Didn’t Mac tell you? He’s engaged!”

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

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

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

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

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

“I doubt that will be a problem,” Nikki winked.

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

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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

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

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

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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

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

“Baby! What’s wrong? Are your folks okay? Did something happen at Challengers?”

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

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

“I’m sorry,” he murmured soothingly into her ear, hugging her tighter. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No.”

“What?”

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

“Fine. We’ll talk!” MacGyver snapped.

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

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

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

“Well…?” he prompted.

“I’m not gonna apologize for worrying about you,” she replied tartly.

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

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

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

“I guess we both could’ve handled this better,” he admitted, Jo nodding her agreement.

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

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

“Things have changed, haven’t they?” Mac mused.

“But in a good way.”

“Yeah. In a very good way.”

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



























Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Dragondog
Posted: 27 December 2019 - 04:01 AM                                    
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QUOTE
He wasn’t looking forward to another eleven hour flight so soon, but he was already looking forward to returning home, which was odd given his love of travel. But this was a job, not a vacation, and their safe passage wasn’t guaranteed until they were back on American soil. Upon arriving at his destination, he asked the cabbie to wait. Bannister should have contacted Nikki with Mac’s arrival time so she should be packed and waiting for him. He figured they’d be back on their way to the airport in ten minutes at the most.
Yeah, I think we all know that never goes as planned XD

QUOTE
“I am not interested in negotiating!” Kraus’s voice boomed. “Give me the disc or you will die!”

“C’mon Kraus, we all know you’re not gonna kill us until you get the disc,” Mac reasoned.

“Then give it to me!!”
Kraus, that is pathetic X'D

QUOTE
They had progressed a few yards when Nikki let out a squeal.

“Did you find something?” Mac asked.

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

“Don’t worry,” MacGyver said, turning back to his task. “It was probably just a rat.”

“Just a rat?!”

“He’s probably more afraid of you than you are of him,” Mac reasoned with a shrug as Nikki replied with an exasperated huff.
C'mon, Nikki, get your head in the game XD

QUOTE
Before them, parked side-by-side were five of the most cherished foreign classic cars that existed.
Slash the tires of four of them and use #5 to get out XD

QUOTE


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

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

“Didn’t Mac tell you? He’s engaged!”
When did Nikki find out? huh.gif

QUOTE

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

QUOTE

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

“I’m sorry,” he murmured soothingly into her ear, hugging her tighter. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

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

“You also promised you were done with Phoenix!” she shot back accusingly.
Oh here we go...

QUOTE
If I let you go I’ll be worried sick and if I tell you not to you’ll resent me!”
Welcome to reality, hun. (I should add that I do understand her frustrations, but I also kinda feel like she should be used to it at this point. It's like she said earlier, stuff like this is going to happen as long as Mac's a part of her life).

QUOTE

“You heard me. I said ‘no’. If we have a fight like this after we’re married we won’t be able to go our separate ways so why should we do it now?”
At least she's not rushing to call off the engagement (too many dramas make me automatically worry that that's where disagreements end up going).

QUOTE

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

QUOTE


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

QUOTE

“Yeah,” she replied, a sincere smile on her face. “I guess I underestimated how I would feel now that I know I’m gonna be your wife instead of being stuck in girlfriend limbo.”
That makes a little more sense as to why she freaked out like that smile.gif

QUOTE

As if drawn by a magnet, they leaned toward each other, their lips meeting in a caress that said what words could not.
For some reason my brain automatically pictured Frog letting out the biggest snore yet in response, and I started laughing XD



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 27 December 2019 - 09:27 AM                                    
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QUOTE (Dragondog @ 27 December 2019 - 04:01 AM)

QUOTE

As if drawn by a magnet, they leaned toward each other, their lips meeting in a caress that said what words could not.
For some reason my brain automatically pictured Frog letting out the biggest snore yet in response, and I started laughing XD

LOL...That WOULD have been great!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 1 January 2020 - 06:09 PM                                    
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Happy New Year!!

Chapter 30: A Place of His Own

Sam rolled over and covered his ears with his pillow. The Thorntons were bickering again. Over the past few weeks their arguments had become more frequent and much louder. And it was all his fault.

“I’m telling you, Connie, it’s time he got a place of his own. He’s been living here for almost six months, eats our food, uses our utilities, but hasn’t paid so much as a dime in rent!”

“But that’s the whole point, Peter. He’s living here so he can save money for rent.”

“Well surely he has enough saved that he could contribute something to the household expenses! If not, I’m going to demand MacGyver pay us child support!”

Sam heard Connie snicker. “Do you hear how foolish you sound?” she asked her husband.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Pete agreed reluctantly. “I just get so frustrated sometimes!”

“I know, dear.” Both Sam and Connie knew that Pete’s sour mood came primarily from still adjusting to his blindness and retirement. Sam’s presence just exacerbated it.

Sensing that the latest storm had passed, Sam crawled out of bed and hurriedly showered and dressed. He strode through the kitchen where Pete sat at the table and Connie stood by the stove, grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard, and headed for the door.

“Don’t you want some breakfast, dear?” Connie asked Sam cheerily as if she hadn’t been arguing with her husband moments before.

“No thanks,” he replied. “I wanna get to work early.” With that, he slipped out the door and into his car.

Upon arriving at the Tribune, Sam made his way to the cubicle next to Becca’s that he had recently commandeered as his own, grabbing a copy of the latest edition of the newspaper as he went. As soon as he was seated at his desk, he quickly found the classified section and looked for the heading “Apartments for Rent”. Pete was right. It was time for him to move on.

“You’re here early.”

Sam looked up, surprised to find Rebecca Williams standing in his doorway. He had been so engrossed in looking for a new home that he hadn’t heard her approach.

“I, uh, I have some research to do,” he stammered, not wanting anyone to know he was apartment-searching just yet. He knew that once word got out everyone would be giving him leads and advice, but this was something he wanted to do on his own. At least for now.

Pineapple Slurpee in hand, Becca came to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder at the newspaper. He closed it quickly, but not fast enough.

“You’re planning on moving?” she asked.

“I’ve been thinkin’ about it,” he replied nonchalantly. Actually, up until hearing Pete and Connie’s argument this morning he hadn’t been thinking about it at all.

“Maybe I can help!” Becca responded brightly.

Sam winced. He didn’t want to hurt her by refusing her offer. Thankfully they were interrupted by his editor before he could answer.

“Malloy!” Hank barked. “I’ve got a missing child story breaking and need you to cover it. There’s a reporter on scene but all my photographers are on other assignments. Here’s the address.” He slipped Sam a small piece of paper.

“Thanks!” Sam said to his editor before turning to face Becca. “I’m sorry. We’ll talk when I get back, okay?”

Becca nodded but Sam had already left the office.

“What you standin’ there for, Williams? Don’t you have a police scanner to listen to or something?” Hank growled before he, too, left the cubicle.

XXXXX

“How did it go?” Becca was waiting for Sam in his office when he returned. Since they’d started dating, they’d also found themselves sharing each other’s space.

“It was pretty intense,” Sam replied, running his fingers through his dark brown hair. “The mother was hysterical. Her six-year-old daughter got on the school bus this morning but never made it to class. Who knows how long it would have taken to find out if the principal hadn’t noticed and called home to verify the absence.”

“That is rough,” Rebecca agreed, chewing on her lower lip. “Didn’t a little boy disappear from a playground last week?”

“Yeah, but his father found him playing in a wooded area nearby. The kid was too young to say what happened and there was no evidence of a crime so everyone just assumed he had wandered off.”

“Do you think the two stories are related?” Becca asked, her reporter’s interest piqued.

“I don’t know. Could be,” Sam shrugged.

“While you were gone I got to thinking about your living situation,” Rebecca stated, causing Sam’s head to spin at the one-eighty degree turn the conversation had just taken. “There’s an available apartment in my building. Nothing fancy, just a one-bedroom with basic furnishings but very affordable. I could call my landlord and set up a time for you to look at it.”

Sam thought for a moment. The apartments he had seen advertised had either been too expensive or too far from the Tribune. A place in Becca’s nearby building would be perfect.

“I guess I could take a look,” he replied with a calm that belied his excitement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

MacGyver tapped lightly on the doorframe of Joanna’s office to get her attention. Her head was down as she poured over the Challengers volunteer schedule she had been working.

“We haven’t decided yet,” she muttered, still consumed with her work.

“Decided what?” he asked.

At the sound of his voice, Jo’s gaze shot up and locked with his.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, breathing out a relieved sigh. “I’ve been calling a few people to tell them about our engagement. Mainly Geena from the law firm and the Vangs, but everyone I talk to wants to know if we set a date or where we’re gonna live or something else related to the wedding. I keep telling them we haven’t discussed it and are taking it slow.”

“Do you want to discuss it?” he asked, not really sure what answer he wanted to hear.

She shrugged. “Not necessarily. It’s kinda nice just being together and not worrying about all that other stuff. It can wait.” Her sweet smile reassured him.

“In that case, how’d you like to go to Chicago this weekend?”

“What?” she asked in confusion.

Mac suppressed a smile. Spontaneity was not Joanna’s middle name.

“Sam called last night after you left. Seems he moved into his own apartment,” MacGyver explained.

Jo’s eyebrows shot up. “When did this happen?”

“A couple weeks ago, actually. He said he wanted to wait until he was settled to let me know in case his plans fell through. Anyway, he’s invited us down to see his new place. I already called Pete and we can stay with him and Connie. I figure we’ll take the Nomad in case Sam has anything he still needs to transport.”

Joanna made a show of looking at her watch. “So, anything else happen in the last ten hours you want to tell me about?” she asked facetiously.

“Well, let’s see,” MacGyver squinted his eyes as if deep in thought. “I ate a blueberry yogurt, took a shower, and went to bed and dreamed about you,” he smiled roguishly.

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Jo retorted. “But to answer your initial question, of course I’ll go to Chicago with you. I’d never pass up a chance to see Sam,” she winked playfully.

XXXXX

It was mid-morning Saturday when MacGyver pulled the Nomad into the Thornton’s driveway and parked besides Sam’s VW. He and Joanna had just pulled their overnight bags out of the backseat when Connie called to them from where she stood in the doorway.

“Come in! Come in! I just took a batch of cookies out of the oven. Get them while they’re still warm!”

The couple walked into the house and greeted Connie with friendly hugs before she ushered them to the kitchen table where Sam and Pete were already indulging in the sweet treat.

“I see you’re still stickin’ to your diet, hey Pete?” MacGyver smirked.

“Since when is it illegal to have a cookie now and then. And wipe that stupid grin off your face!” Pete protested.

Mac’s smile only widened, glad to know that his friend still knew him so well.

“So, give me all the details,” Connie demanded with a devilish smile as she pulled Joanna down in the chair next to hers.

“Details?” Jo asked.

“About the wedding!” Connie exclaimed, her enthusiasm out in full force. “Have you set a date? Do you have a hall in mind? Did you pick out a dress? Oooh, what are your colors going to be...I wouldn’t want my dress to clash! Speaking of which, when will the invitations arrive? You know, these days you have to plan well in advance. Oh, and you’re mom and I will throw you the best wedding shower!”

“And I’m gonna give you the most awesome bachelor party you’ve ever seen!” Sam promised MacGyver when Connie stopped for a breath.

“Have you decided who’s gonna be your best man?” Pete asked, not wanting to be left out of the swirling conversation.

“Whoa!” Mac said, holding his hands up in front of him in a defensive gesture as his heart twisted at the stunned look on Joanna’s face. “We just got engaged. Give us some time!”

“Time?!” Pete exclaimed. “At the rate you two are going you’ll have to have the ceremony on my grave if you expect me to attend!”

Sam laughed, almost choking on the milk he was about to swallow, and Mac shot his friend a dirty look.

“I saw that, MacGyver,” Pete warned.

“Lucky guess,” Mac muttered under his breath.

“And I heard that!” Pete retorted causing everyone at the table to chuckle.

“Now, let’s get you two settled so Sam can take you over to his new place,” Connie said when the laughter died down. “Joanna, you can take Sam’s old room, and Mac, you can take the couch like always.”

Pete loudly cleared his throat and Connie blushed. “That is, unless you two are sleeping…”

“On the couch will be just fine,” Mac assured the older woman, saving her from any embarrassment before turning his attention to Sam. “I brought the Nomad in case you still have some things to move.”

“Nope! I’m good,” his son replied airily, handing him a piece of paper. “You guys can follow me, but if we get separated, here’s the address. It’s just a couple blocks from the Tribune.”

MacGyver found the place easily enough, even after losing Sam in the heavy downtown traffic. He allowed the car to roll to a stop in front of a large, four-story apartment building with a brick facade that had seen better days. He and Jo got out and met Sam who was already waiting for them on the narrow walkway that separated the front lawn and led to the main entrance.

“Hey Sam! Wanna play catch?!” An African-American boy about eight years old stood on the grass, tossing a tattered baseball into the air and catching it with an equally battered mitt.

“Sorry Ricky, but I’ve got company. Maybe tomorrow, okay?”

The boy frowned slightly until he noticed Mac and Joanna. “Who are they?”

“That’s my dad and his...um...his friend.” Sam wasn’t sure if the young boy would know what a fiance was so he decided to keep it simple.

Mac reached out to shake the boy’s hand. “You can call me Mac and that’s Joanna.”

“You wanna play catch?” Ricky asked, his hopeful eyes darting between the couple. “I got an extra glove if ya need one!”

“Sounds fun, but maybe later, alright?” Mac smiled.

“Alright!” Ricky proclaimed. Buoyed by the vague promise, he once again began tossing the ball in the air.

“Cute kid. Does he live here?” Mac asked.

“Yeah. It’s just him and his grandmother. No one knows who his dad is and his mom overdosed on drugs last year.”

With a sad shake of his head, MacGyver followed his son into the lobby of the old building and was surprised when bright lights and freshly painted walls greeted him.

“The outside might not look like much, but the inside was entirely renovated a few years ago,” Sam explained, obviously noticing his father’s reaction. “I’m on the second floor. The stairs are over here.”

As Sam led them to the stairwell Mac asked, “Isn’t there an elevator?”

“I prefer the stairs,” came the simple reply. Mac interpreted that as either there was no elevator or the elevator was broken. Or perhaps the elevator was working...for now.

Sam opened the door to his apartment and proudly stood aside to allow Joanna and his dad to enter.

“Well, what do you think?”

“It reminds me of the first apartment I had in Milwaukee,” MacGyver replied as he studied the layout. To his left was an open area with a couch, recliner, television and computer desk. To his right was a small eating area and galley kitchen. Down the short hallway were two doors across from each other. Obviously the bedroom and bathroom.

“Then you like it?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t say that,” Mac replied with a crooked grin before looping his arms around his son’s neck in a playful choke-hold. “Actually, I think it’s great!”

“Sam, is that you?” a feminine voice called.

MacGyver let go of Sam and looked down the hall to see Becca emerge from either the bedroom or bathroom. He wasn’t sure which.

“Yeah, and I brought my dad and Joanna along,” he clarified as he met her halfway across the room and casually took her hand.

Mac and Jo exchanged glances. Her’s amused, his not so much, before they greeted Rebecca.

“You didn’t tell me you had a roommate,” MacGyver observed, making a concerted effort to keep his voice from rising an octave. Sam and Becca were both adults and if they wanted to move in together it was none of his business. He sighed. When had he become such a fuddy-duddy?

“Huh?” Sam asked, before realizing what the scene must look like to his dad. “Oh! No! Rebecca lives in an apartment upstairs. She’s just here helping me clean things up. In fact, she’s the one who told me about this place.”

The ringing of the telephone saved Mac from having to pull his foot out of his mouth. Sam took the call in the kitchen and spoke for only a few moments before reappearing.

“That was Hank, my editor. He needs me to cover a story. Think you’ll be okay on your own for awhile?”

“I suppose we can manage,” MacGyver replied wryly

“Great! I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Sam grabbed his satchel and camera case and hurried out the door.

“Why don’t we go up to my place,” Rebecca suggested. “You must be starving. I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

Becca had just stepped into her apartment when a brown and white yapping blur of fur flew across the room to greet her. She bent down and gave the dog an affectionate pat.

“Who’s your friend?” Mac asked as the canine looked up at him, big eyes and long ears creating a comical expression.

“His name is pronounced ‘Kip’, but I spell it with a ‘C’. It’s kinda a long story.”

“What kind of dog is he?” Joanna asked as Cip warily sniffed her shoe.

“He’s an Airedale mix. No one is quite sure what he’s actually mixed with. It’s probably either a Shih Tzu or a coon dog. His former owner actually trained him as a hunting dog.”

“Who would give up such a great dog?” Mac asked, crouching down to run a hand over Cip’s back.

“Well, he was kinda orphaned.”

MacGyver looked up at Becca, questions dancing in his eyes.

“His owner was murdered.” Becca supplied.

Mac’s eyes went wide. “Murdered? So how’d you end up with him?”

“It’s kinda a long story,” Rebecca shrugged.

“Of course,” Mac muttered as he stood up to survey the apartment and Joanna took her turn petting Cip.

Becca’s rooms were laid out exactly like Sam’s only her decorating taste leaned toward eclectic. An old manual typewriter sat next to her computer monitor, and a set of expensive-looking encyclopedias lined part of the wall. MacGyver, however, was drawn to a bobblehead of Mr. Spock from Star Trek sitting on a bookshelf.

“You a fan?” he asked, reaching out to tap the oversized head and activate the spring action.

“Yeah,” she smiled self-consciously. “I guess that makes me kinda nerdy.”

“No way!” Mac assured her. “The show’s a classic.” Even though he didn’t see the attraction of science fiction, he could definitely respect television history. “Watch any of the spin-offs?”

“Ugh!” Becca rolled her eyes in disgust. “I don’t know why they even bother. Nothing can beat the original series!”

MacGyver laughed in agreement before Rebecca excused herself to make lunch. Minutes later, the trio sat at a small dining table biting into ham and cheese sandwiches with potato chips.

“So, Becca, are you from Chicago?” Mac asked in between bites. Despite the fact that Sam had brought Rebecca into their lives a few months ago, MacGyver realized he and Jo knew very little about the eager reporter.

“No,” she responded, shaking her head as she swallowed a sip of lemonade. “I’ve only been here about a year. I’m actually from Kentucky but I moved to Santa Barbara to go to college. I majored in English like Joanna but studied to become a librarian.”

Mac’s curious mind couldn’t help probing. “So how do you go from wanting to be a librarian to being a freelance crime reporter?”

“I needed money and ended up getting a job as a secretary for the Santa Barbara Police Department. I made friends with a couple of the detectives and even got to help out on a couple cases. I started writing about it in my journal but then decided I could make some extra cash if I sold the stories instead. Someone at the Tribune saw one of my articles and I guess the rest is history.”

Rebecca had just finished speaking when loud voices from the front yard drew all three of them to the window. An elderly, African-American woman was in tears and gesturing frantically as Sam appeared to be trying to calm her down. The scene had gathered a small crowd of onlookers.

“Who’s that with Sam?” Mac asked Becca, his adrenaline beginning to pump when he saw the concern on her face.

“That’s Mrs. Jefferson, Ricky’s grandma. I wonder what happened?”

“Let’s go find out,” MacGyver said as he strode out of the apartment, Rebecca and Joanna trailing behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Mrs. Jefferson, just take a deep breath and tell me everything that happened,” Sam coached the nearly hysterical woman. He had just returned from his assignment only to find Ricky’s grandmother outside in her housecoat crying and calling her grandson’s name. He looked up and saw MacGyver, Joanna, and Becca headed straight towards them, ready to help in any way they could.

“I called out the window to tell Ricky to come in for lunch,” she choked out between sobs. “When he didn’t come in, I came down here to get him but he was gone! I looked all around the building, calling his name, but he never answered!” These last words sent her into a renewed frenzy.

“When was the last time you saw him?” Sam asked, his voice calm but firm. He glanced up at his dad who nodded slightly, indicating that Sam was on the right track.

“Before I took my shower. About forty-five minutes ago.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Sam encouraged her. “Now, what was he wearing?” Sam silently chided himself for being too distracted earlier to notice.

“Jeans. He always wears jeans. And those worn out tennis shoes. Other than that, I can’t remember,” she wailed, slumping helplessly into Sam’s arms.

MacGyver stepped forward and addressed the small crowd that had gathered, glad for his keen observation skills and memory of meeting the child earlier that day. “Okay everyone! We’re looking for an eight-year-old African-American boy who lives in this apartment building. He’s wearing jeans, old sneakers, a red t-shirt and a Chicago Cubs cap. He may also be carrying a baseball and glove. His name is Ricky. We’d appreciate it if you could all spread out and help us look for him.”

As the people dispersed, whether to look for the boy or carry on with their own lives, MacGyver joined Becca and Jo who were now huddled around Sam and Mrs. Jefferson.

“We need to go inside and call the police,” he told them.

Mrs. Jefferson gathered herself and pushed away from Sam. “You think he was kidnapped like those other children?” she asked, her eyes wide with worry.

“What other children?” Mac asked, his pulse ratcheting up.

“Um, maybe we should talk about this inside?” Becca ventured.

“Would you mind telling me what’s going on, Sam?” Mac demanded when their small group was safely ensconced inside Mrs. Jefferson’s small, two-bedroom apartment just down the hall from Becca’s.

“A few weeks ago a toddler disappeared from the playground he was at with his father. His dad found him playing alone on the edge of a nearby wooded area and the whole thing was pretty much forgotten. Then a week later a six-year-old girl got on the school bus in the morning but never made it to class. She was found several hours later alone at Navy Pier.”

“How did that happen?” Joanna asked.

“The girl said that when she got off the bus she saw a man sitting on a swing on the playground. She knew she shouldn’t talk to strangers, but she felt bad for him because he looked sad and lonely. He asked if they could play together and she agreed.”

“So he took her down to Navy Pier, played games and then abandoned her?” Mac found this hard to believe.

“The girl said the man told her he had to get home because he would get in trouble if he missed supper. They had taken the bus to the pier and she didn’t know how to get back,” Sam supplied.

“Did she give a description of the man?” Jo pressed

“According to the police her description was vague and kept changing,” Sam sighed. “And since both kids were found alone and safe they’re hesitant to classify the incidences as kidnappings.”

“Well, the common denominator is that all the kids, including Ricky, wanted to play,” MacGyver declared.

“Aw man,” Sam moaned. “If I had stopped and played catch with him when we first came maybe none of this would have happened.”

Mac put a strong, comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. “Now don’t go thinkin’ like that. We’re not here to find fault. We’re here to find Ricky.”

“I bet Cip could help!” Becca volunteered. “He was trained as a hunting dog when he was a pup.”

Sam’s face brightened. “It sure couldn’t hurt to try! Mrs. Jefferson, could I have a piece of Ricky’s clothes from the dirty laundry so Becca’s dog can get his scent?”

The older woman silently hurried away and quickly returned with a wrinkled cotton shirt which she handed to Sam.

“Jo, could you please call the cops and stay with Mrs. Jefferson while we go look for Ricky?” Mac asked, regret in his eyes for leaving her behind, but someone had to stay with the older woman and keep her calm.

“I’ll take care of everything here,” she promised with a reassuring smile. “Just let us know if you find anything.”

Becca hurried back to her apartment to retrieve Cip. After clipping an extra long lead onto his collar she met up with Sam and MacGyver who were waiting in the front yard. Sam offered her the shirt Mrs. Jefferson had given him and she held it under Cip’s nose, making sure he got a good, strong scent. The dog lifted his head, looked around, and then took off down the sidewalk with the trio of humans in tow.

After several minutes and a number of direction changes, Sam began to wonder if this had been such a good idea.

“Do you think Cip knows where he’s going?” he asked his dad in a low voice that Rebecca wasn’t supposed to hear, but she did anyway.

“Of course he knows where he’s going!” she snapped. “He just needs some time!”

The dog led them in a circle, twice, before tugging on his leash and scampering to the edge of a vacant lot where he abruptly sat down. It didn’t take long to find Ricky playing catch with a strange man. Cip let out a bark to get the boy’s attention.

“Hey Sam! Wanna play catch with us?!” Ricky invited cheerfully.

Sam glanced at Mac before breaking away from the small group and walking toward the boy, keeping the strange man in his peripheral vision.

“Hey buddy!” Sam greeted him. “Who’s your friend?”

“That’s Darrell,” Ricky supplied casually. “He saw me playing and asked if he could play too. He said he knew of a place where we could throw the ball really far so we came here. Do you wanna meet him?”

“Yeah, that’d be great!”

Ricky motioned for Darrell to join them and the man reluctantly approached. Tall and stocky, he appeared to be in his early thirties with blond hair that was cut very short and pale gray eyes filled with something akin to fear.

“These are my friends Sam and Rebecca, and that’s Sam’s dad,” Ricky told him, pointing to MacGyver.

“Hi Darrell, it’s nice to meet you,” Sam said, reaching out to shake the other man’s hand. But Darrell stared at the ground, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another while he held onto his baseball glove as if for dear life.

“Wha...what time is it?” the blond man asked without looking up.

Caught off-guard, Sam looked at his watch. “It’s almost four o’clock.”

“I...I have to ge...get home for sup...supper,” Darrell stuttered, still slightly rocking back and forth.

“Okay,” Sam replied, not sure what to make of this interaction. “Where do you live? We’ll walk with you.”

“I live in the big gray house.”

“And where is the big gray house?” Sam asked.

Darrell looked around and apparently decided he was lost. “I...I don’t know.”

Suddenly Sam felt a tug on his shirt sleeve and turned to find Becca standing next to him and MacGyver several steps away talking on his cell phone.

“I think I know where he lives,” Becca informed Sam in a whisper. “There’s a group home for adults with cognitive delays a few blocks from our apartment.”

“Hey Darrell,” Sam said, “I know where your house is. Why don’t we walk you home?”

No answer.

“It’s okay, Darrell,” Ricky assured him. “We’ll get you back in time for supper and then maybe we can play ball again tomorrow!”

Darrell smiled innocently at the boy. “I’d like that.”

The small group set out, following Rebecca’s lead. Darrell chatted and laughed easily with Ricky, but remained hesitant with the adults. When they arrived at the group home it was to find Mrs. Jefferson, Joanna, a couple police officers and a middle-aged woman who appeared to be in charge and was introduced to them as Mrs. Connolly waiting for them. Spying her grandson, Mrs. Jefferson hurried down the porch stairs and wrapped him in a hug that Sam feared would suffocate the boy.

“Where have you been, Darrell?!” Mrs. Connolly scolded. “You know better than to go off without telling anyone!”

“I...I’m sorry. But I...I came back in...in time for supper.”

Mrs. Connolly’s face softened as she addressed everyone. “Never misses a meal, this one!” Then she turned to Darrell, her voice gentler this time. “Have you been sneaking out to find someone to play with again?”

He nodded guiltily.

“Do you think you could tell these nice policemen about the kids you’ve met?”

Again Darrell nodded.

“Then let’s all go in the house and have a nice chat before I put dinner on the table,” she smiled so as not to alarm Darrell and herded her charge and the police officers through the front door.

“Thank you for everything you all have done,” she said, turning back to Sam and his friends before disappearing into the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“So no one’s gonna press any charges?!” Pete asked incredulously the next day as everyone gathered in the Thornton’s kitchen for brunch.

“That’s right,” MacGyver replied as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. “The parents of the victims were all very understanding and even sympathetic when they discovered that, in spite of his appearance, Darrell only has the psychological age of a ten-year-old.”

Joanna picked up the explanation from there. “The father of the toddler at the playground pretty much blames himself for letting his son wander off in the first place. Darrell just admitted to picking the little guy up to help him get to where he seemed to want to go. As for the girl from the school bus, her mother was very upset that she even dared approach a stranger and Darrell didn’t understand that the girl needed to be at school instead of out having fun.”

“And of course Ricky went off more than willingly and thanks to Becca and Cip everything worked out for both him and Darrell,” Pete concluded.

“But it goes to show that the city needs more appropriate resources for people like Darrell,” Becca spoke up. “Mrs. Connolly said she is going to try and make more of an effort to help Darrell get the socialization skills and opportunities he requires, but that will take time and money.”

“I know it’s not your usual genre, but maybe you could write an article to help expose this problem. If the right people see it, someone may step up and help,” Sam suggested, smiling at his friend.

“There’s no ‘maybe’ about it! I am definitely gonna write an article about this and make sure Hank publishes it. And not bury it on the back page of the classified section either!”

“Sounds like you might have another passion other than the crime beat,” MacGyver observed.

Becca considered this before answering. “I wouldn’t say that. Darrell’s situation is a crime, just one that people like to sweep under the rug and not deal with because it’s not as straightforward as robberies or murder.”

“The girl has a point,” Pete beamed approvingly.

“Ya know Pete, I’ve been thinking,” Mac began.

“Oh no!” the older man groaned and rubbed his forehead as the others laughed.

“C’mon, hear me out,” MacGyver urged. “Maybe you could talk to some of your friends at Phoenix and see if they can look into some types of programs for cognitively delayed adults who lack needed resources.”

Pete stared at his friend despite his blindness. “You know the budget is tight, MacGyver. For heaven’s sake, the Foundation cut the funding for Challengers!”

Mac waved Pete’s protest aside. “Challengers will be fine. We’ll find a way to get what we need. There are other causes out there that need more help than we do.”

“I’ll make some phone calls tomorrow and see what I can do,” Pete promised. “You’re a good man, Mac. I hope Joanna knows how lucky she is to have you.”

“Oh no!” Connie, who had been silent up until now, wailed. “With all the excitement yesterday, we never got a chance to talk about the wedding!”

Joanna winced, then appeared contrite. “Maybe we could--”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Mac broke in, not really sorry at all, “But we need to hit the road.”

Jo shrugged then smiled at Connie. “Maybe Mac and I will come down more often now that Sam has a place of his own. After all, we wouldn’t want him to get lonesome.”

“I doubt that will be a problem,” MacGyver said wryly, his gaze focused on his son and Becca, their heads bowed together, sharing a whispered conversation in a world of their own.







































Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 2 January 2020 - 09:40 AM                                    
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QUOTE

Chapter 30: A Place of His Own
Hmm...

QUOTE


Sam rolled over and covered his ears with his pillow.
Oh, I see what the chapter is going to be about XD

QUOTE
The Thorntons were bickering again. Over the past few weeks their arguments had become more frequent and much louder. And it was all his fault.
Hmm? Oh, I bet it's because Pete's tired of housing him, and Connie is defending him.

QUOTE

“I’m telling you, Connie, it’s time he got a place of his own. He’s been living here for almost six months, eats our food, uses our utilities, but hasn’t paid so much as a dime in rent!”
I feel bad for Sam having to listen to this. (Actually, I just learned that it is indeed possible to experience second-hand guilt. Because that's what I'm feeling now).

QUOTE

“Well surely he has enough saved that he could contribute something to the household expenses! If not, I’m going to demand MacGyver pay us child support!”
I gotta admit, that is kinda funny XD

QUOTE
Upon arriving at the Tribune, Sam made his way to the cubicle next to Becca’s that he had recently commandeered as his own,
I'm sure he did that deliberately XD

QUOTE

“You’re planning on moving?” she asked.

“I’ve been thinkin’ about it,” he replied nonchalantly. Actually, up until hearing Pete and Connie’s argument this morning he hadn’t been thinking about it at all.
Pete wouldn't be happy to know that XD (Though I suspect Connie would feel guilty hearing this).

QUOTE

“Maybe I can help!” Becca responded brightly.
Crap, they're going to argue soon, aren't they?

QUOTE

Joanna made a show of looking at her watch. “So, anything else happen in the last ten hours you want to tell me about?” she asked facetiously.

“Well, let’s see,” MacGyver squinted his eyes as if deep in thought. “I ate a blueberry yogurt, took a shower, and went to bed and dreamed about you,” he smiled roguishly.
Idk why, but this made me laugh laugh.gif

QUOTE


“Since when is it illegal to have a cookie now and then. And wipe that stupid grin off your face!” Pete protested.
I love how Pete knows Mac well enough to know he's smirking despite being blind XD

QUOTE

“And I’m gonna give you the most awesome bachelor party you’ve ever seen!” Sam promised MacGyver when Connie stopped for a breath.
I was wondering whether it'd be Sam or Jack XD Wait, what if they teamed up?...

QUOTE


“Have you decided who’s gonna be your best man?” Pete asked, not wanting to be left out of the swirling conversation.
I was wondering, too, if it'd be Pete, or Jack, or Sam XD

QUOTE

“Time?!” Pete exclaimed. “At the rate you two are going you’ll have to have the ceremony on my grave if you expect me to attend!”
He's not wrong, I'll admit XD

QUOTE

Sam laughed, almost choking on the milk he was about to swallow, and Mac shot his friend a dirty look.
Pfft XD

QUOTE

“I saw that, MacGyver,” Pete warned.

“Lucky guess,” Mac muttered under his breath.

“And I heard that!” Pete retorted causing everyone at the table to chuckle.
This chapter just keeps making me lose it XD (I love it)

QUOTE

Pete loudly cleared his throat and Connie blushed. “That is, unless you two are sleeping…”
Okay, I actually did make audible noise with that one XD

QUOTE

“Hey Sam! Wanna play catch?!” An African-American boy about eight years old stood on the grass, tossing a tattered baseball into the air and catching it with an equally battered mitt.
Awwww wub.gif

(Wait, he's gonna go missing, isn't he?)

QUOTE

“That’s my dad and his...um...his friend.” Sam wasn’t sure if the young boy would know what a fiance was so he decided to keep it simple.
Girlfriend would probably do. (I couldn't help but think, "Yeah, they're friends, with benefits XD")

QUOTE
As Sam led them to the stairwell Mac asked, “Isn’t there an elevator?”

“I prefer the stairs,” came the simple reply. Mac interpreted that as either there was no elevator or the elevator was broken. Or perhaps the elevator was working...for now.
Lol XD

QUOTE

“I didn’t say that,” Mac replied with a crooked grin before looping his arms around his son’s neck in a playful choke-hold. “Actually, I think it’s great!”
Aww wub.gif (part 2)

QUOTE
When had he become such a fuddy-duddy?
When you met Sam XD

QUOTE

“His name is pronounced ‘Kip’, but I spell it with a ‘C’. It’s kinda a long story.”

“What kind of dog is he?” Joanna asked as Cip warily sniffed her shoe.
It's been one sentence, and I'm already calling him "Sip" dry.gif

QUOTE

“Aw man,” Sam moaned. “If I had stopped and played catch with him when we first came maybe none of this would have happened.”
Aww...

QUOTE
“Wha...what time is it?” the blond man asked without looking up.

Caught off-guard, Sam looked at his watch. “It’s almost four o’clock.”

“I...I have to ge...get home for sup...supper,” Darrell stuttered, still slightly rocking back and forth.

“Okay,” Sam replied, not sure what to make of this interaction. “Where do you live? We’ll walk with you.”

“I live in the big gray house.”

“And where is the big gray house?” Sam asked.

Darrell looked around and apparently decided he was lost. “I...I don’t know.”
Honestly, he doesn't sound so much like a creep, but something's wrong.

QUOTE

“I think I know where he lives,” Becca informed Sam in a whisper. “There’s a group home for adults with cognitive delays a few blocks from our apartment.”
That explains it.

QUOTE

“I doubt that will be a problem,” MacGyver said wryly, his gaze focused on his son and Becca, their heads bowed together, sharing a whispered conversation in a world of their own.
Aww wub.gif (seriously, did I laugh or "aww" more this chapter?)

Just wondering, any chance we'll find out about Cip's past at some point in the future?



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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Posted: 2 January 2020 - 10:17 AM                                    
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QUOTE (Dragondog @ 2 January 2020 - 09:40 AM)

Just wondering, any chance we'll find out about Cip's past at some point in the future?

Yes, you will. And you'll find out a lot more about Becca, too. Neither are my characters. My best friend and fellow fan fic writer lets me borrow them from time to time!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 3 January 2020 - 02:34 PM                                    
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QUOTE (uniquelyjas @ 2 January 2020 - 12:17 PM)
QUOTE (Dragondog @ 2 January 2020 - 09:40 AM)

Just wondering, any chance we'll find out about Cip's past at some point in the future?

Yes, you will. And you'll find out a lot more about Becca, too. Neither are my characters. My best friend and fellow fan fic writer lets me borrow them from time to time!

Yay biggrin.gif It's always nice to collaborate laugh.gif



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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Posted: 8 January 2020 - 02:33 PM                                    
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Chapter 31: New Hope


The drive home from Chicago was completed in relative silence. Every now and again MacGyver glanced over at Joanna only to find her staring out the passenger side window. Once he caught her swatting away an errant teardrop and his heart hiccupped. He asked if she was okay and of course she said she was. He knew better than to ask twice. Something was obviously bothering her, but he knew she would talk about it when she was ready and not a minute before. When they arrived at his townhouse, he unlocked the front door and she quietly slipped past him, taking a seat on the couch and hoisting Frog onto her lap for a cuddle session while he poured a glass of juice and berated himself for feeling jealous of a dog. He slowly made his way to the living room and took his place on the couch, waiting for her to break the stony silence.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she murmured as she rhythmically stroked Frog’s back.

MacGyver remained silent, hoping she would continue.

“I wish I hadn’t told anyone about our engagement,” she moaned, turning her chocolate brown eyes on him. “I’m already getting so tired of all the questions about the wedding. Just getting engaged was a big step for us. I’d kinda like to just enjoy that for awhile.”

Resting his arm on the top of the couch, he gently caressed her cheek.

“Is this about Connie, Pete and Sam?”

“No,” Jo shook her head. “They were just the proverbial last straw. Have you told anyone else?”

“I called Jack and Penny. They’re really excited for us, but they had a bunch of questions, too. Especially Penny.”

“I can only imagine,” Joanna laughed softly. “What did you tell them?”

“I told them we weren’t thinking that far ahead and that we have all the time in the world.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Of course,” Mac replied, perplexed why she would question him. “I thought we already decided that. Why do you ask?”

Joanna shrugged and broke eye contact as she turned her face away from him and his touch. After a moment she addressed him softly.

“When our friendship began to turn into something more, we set some boundaries for certain aspects of our relationship. I had some time to think in Chicago and started wondering if maybe you had proposed because you were getting impatient and wanted to speed things up.”

MacGyver was stunned and a bit angry that she thought so little of him, if only for a moment. But then he turned his focus back to her and his heart squeezed.

“Aw baby,” Mac muttered as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “You have to know I would never try to manipulate you like that. I was part of that decision, too, and I promise you that every moment we’re together I’m happier and more fulfilled than I’ve ever been with anyone else. I proposed to you to prove, once and for all, that I’m always gonna be here for you. I had absolutely no ulterior motive.”

“So you’re okay if we end up having a long engagement?”

“Absolutely. We’ve come this far on our own terms. Why change now?”

Joanna’s face lit up and the worry that had been there before was washed away.

“I think you just made me love you even more,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck for a toe curling kiss as Frog, forgotten and squished between his two humans, began to whine.

XXXXX

After Joanna left, seemingly soothed by his words and kisses, the enormity of their situation hit him head on. As her husband, it would be his responsibility to see that she was safe and protected, physically as well as emotionally. Not that Jo couldn’t take care of herself. She was strong, independent, and stubborn. But he knew her heart was soft and vulnerable and while he was honored that she had chosen to give it to him, he was also scared witless that he would mess up somehow and betray the unconditional trust she had placed in him. Figuring sleep would be a long time coming, he grabbed one of his favorite Westerns from the bookshelf and shoved it into the VCR before flopping down on the couch. His eyes fluttered closed as the familiar theme music began to play.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Boston, MA
January, 1863

“I’m telling you, Kate, this is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for!”

“Angus, you know I prefer to be called ‘Katherine’ now! Besides, what about your job at my father’s newspaper? He told me in confidence that you’re next in line for a promotion. Besides, we agreed to stay settled until Samuel was grown.”

“Come on, Kate!” The well-coiffed blonde woman raised an eyebrow at her husband which he deftly ignored. “Sammy’s already five years old. This would be a great experience for him. For all of us. We’ve talked about moving West ever since we got married. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Perhaps I lost it when you took a job as a scout for the Union Army and left me here to care for a three-year-old by myself!”

“If I recall, we made that decision together. The job was temporary and the pay was good”

“I just don’t see what you have against staying and working for Daddy!”

“I’m a grown man with a family now. Maybe I don’t want to live in the house your father owns or work as cog in the great Malloy Newspaper Empire. I want us to strike out on our own, build a home that’s ours, get away from the noise and pollution of city life like we talked about when we were courting. The least you could do is hear me out.”

“Fine,” Katherine said with a pout. “I’ll listen, but I’m not making any promises.” She seated herself on the edge of a dainty chair while her husband paced back and forth in front of her filled with an energy he hadn’t displayed since he had applied for that job with the Army.

“Last year the government passed what they call the Homestead Act. Just by filling out an application anyone can get 160 acres of free land out West!”

“Free land?” Katherine frowned. “It sounds too good to be true.”

“Well, there are a few requirements,” her husband hedged.

“Like what?”

“We’d have to build a home on the land and farm it for at least five years.”

“Five years?!”

“Think about it, Kate. I could plant corn or soybeans on part of it and buy some cattle to raise on the other. We could build the ranch we used to dream about. Buy up surrounding land once profits start coming in.”

“I guess it’s something worth considering,” she sighed. “Promise me we’ll think on it before we make any decisions.”

Her husband stopped his pacing and knelt beside her. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?” she asked suspiciously.

“There’s a lot of frontier land out there now, but it’ll get taken up real fast with the government just giving it away. Lots of folks are looking for a fresh start.”

“What are you trying to say, Angus?”

He bowed his head. “I already filled out an application and found out today that we’ve been granted a parcel of land.”

“You made the decision to uproot your family and move to the middle of nowhere without even consulting me?!” Katherine’s voice rose in anger.

“I thought you’d be excited! Here, look,” he encouraged, a twinkle in his eye as he pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of his vest. “Our place is right there,” he said, pointing to a hand-drawn map. “Just outside the little town of New Hope in the Nebraska Territory. And it’s still early enough for me to get a crop in the ground this spring yet.”

“I refuse to travel in winter,” she sniffed. “Especially with Samuel. What if he fell ill? Besides, he needs to complete his lessons. We’re contracted with the tutor until spring.”

“I know. That’s why I decided it would be best if I packed a few necessities and headed out next week. If the weather cooperates, I could get our house built and send for you and Sammy in a couple months. Come on, Kate,” he implored. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let’s start making our dreams come true!”


New Hope, Nebraska Territory
Mid-Summer 1863

“Good morning, Mr. Thornton. Did my shipment of textbooks arrive yet?” Miss Anna Fairfax asked the balding man working behind the counter of the General Store.

“I’m sorry, Miss Fairfax. Perhaps on the next stage,” he replied with an apologetic smile.

“Please, only my students address me as ‘Miss Fairfax’. Call me Anna.”

“Sure thing, Miss Anna. How are you settlin’ in to New Hope?”

“The previous school teacher left everything very well organized and the little house the town provides is just perfect! I already feel right at home.”

“Well, people are mighty glad to have you here. ‘Spect it’s a lot different than Chicago, though.”

“Indeed. But in a good way. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. Several families have even invited me to dinner.”

Just then the little bell above the door began to tinkle. Anna turned to see a ruggedly handsome man step into the small store. She figured he stood a bit over six feet tall, his dark, piercing eyes immediately grabbing her attention. Given his full, light brown mustache, scruff of a beard, and hair that grazed his collar she figured he must be a rancher or hired hand.

“Will that be all, Miss Anna?” the shopkeeper asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“I believe so, but if you don’t mind I’ll just take a look around to be sure.”

“Go right ahead and let me know if you need any assistance,” he told her before turning his attention to the man. “Mornin’ MacGyver. I have your order all set to go. I just have to get it from the storeroom.”

“Excuse me,” Anna said, approaching the stranger. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhearing Mr. Thornton call you MacGyver. I’m Anna Fairfax, the new school teacher, and I believe I saw your son Samuel’s name on the roster for the fall term.”

“He goes by ‘Sammy’,” the man all but growled.

“Of course,” Anna replied, taken aback at MacGyver’s tone of voice. “I’ve been trying to meet all my students before class officially starts. I don’t suppose you brought him into town with you today?”

“Nope.”

“Here you go, MacGyver,” Thornton said from behind a pile of parcels. “You be needin’ anything else?”

“Nope,” MacGyver replied, picking up his goods and heading out the door without even saying goodbye.

“He’s certainly a talkative fella,” Anna observed sarcastically.

“He didn’t used to be that way,” the shopkeeper said sadly.

“What happened?”

“Now, I ain’t one to go talkin’ about a fella behind his back, but since you’ll be schoolin’ his son I suppose you have a right to know.” Thornton sighed and settled himself on a stool before continuing. “He came to town this past winter under the Homestead Act. Left his wife and son behind in Boston until he could get a house built. Nicest guy you could ever meet. Friendly, helpful, always seein’ the good in people. When he wasn’t working on his own place he’d be helping out a neighbor or one of the townsfolk. Has a real knack for fixin’ stuff and workin’ with his hands. When he finished his place he sent for his family. Since the railroad doesn’t run through New Hope they had to take a stagecoach for the last leg of the trip. Stage ended up being robbed by bandits. His son and another man were the only survivors. Story goes that Sammy hid under the seat and saw them shoot his ma dead. No boy should ever be seein’ that. When word got to MacGyver, he went to pick up his son and he came back a changed man. The man you saw today.”

“That’s horrible!” Anna cried. “There must be something I can do to help!”

“Problem is, MacGyver won’t accept any help. He cut him and that boy off from everyone and everything. Comes into town a couple times a month for feed and supplies, otherwise they just stay holed up on that farm. Quite frankly, I’m surprised he’s lettin’ Sammy attend that school of yours.”

XXXXX

The first week of school had drawn to a close and MacGyver was at his wits end, not to mention physically exhausted. He worked the land from sun-up to supper time and spent the evenings giving his son as much attention as possible. He found that filling every waking minute with chores or distractions kept the guilt and pain of his wife’s death at bay. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Sammy who woke up in tears calling for his mother every night since his classes began. This had been a common occurrence for weeks after the robbery, but his son had seemed to have gotten over it until now. When the child’s plaintive cries rang out in the wee hours of Saturday morning, MacGyver knew he had to get to the root of the cause. He quietly stepped into his son’s room and sat on the edge of the bed, cradling Sammy in his arms and rocking him gently until the boy’s sobs subsided.

“Hey Sammy, what’s goin’ on? Why all the cryin’ lately?”

The child shrugged and rubbed his eyes as MacGyver waited for him to speak. Finally the truth came out.

“It’s my teacher, Miss Fairfax.”

MacGyver bit back a curse. He should have known the pretty little schoolmarm was to blame. A fire began to burn in the pit of his stomach. He had a bad feeling about her from the moment he met her in Thornton’s store that fine summer morning. But he had assumed she would be a danger to his well-being, not his son’s. He had been unpleasantly surprised at how his pulse skittered when he looked into her chocolate brown eyes, or how his fingers tingled to set her long brunette hair free from the neat bun at the nape of her neck. His wife had only been gone a few months. How could he possibly have feelings like this for another woman so soon? He had spent the next weeks avoiding her, not that it was very hard since he hardly ever set foot in town. But he kept his guard up anyway.

“What did Miss Fairfax do?” he asked his son.

“She calls me ‘Samuel’, just like Ma used to and then I remember how much I miss her,” he sniffled.

MacGyver fumed. He had told the teacher that his son’s name was ‘Sammy’. Apparently she didn’t take direction well. He intended to fix that first thing in the morning.

After completing his chores, MacGyver saddled up his favorite horse and rode to the little house next to the school where Miss Fairfax lived. He found her working in a small garden.

“We need to talk,” he told her sternly as he dismounted. “The first day we met I told you my son was to be called ‘Sammy’, not ‘Samuel’!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. MacGyver, but I make it a point to address all my students by their Christian name.”

“And I make it a point to protect my son! From now on you will call him ‘Sammy’!”

“Why?” she asked softly, catching him off guard.

He took a moment to gather himself before answering. “His mother didn’t like nicknames. She always called him ‘Samuel’.”

Anna gasped before he could continue. “And by calling him ‘Samuel’ I’m awakening memories of his mother.”

“Afraid so.”

“I’m so sorry. I never meant any harm.”

The sheen of sudden, unshed tears in her eyes made his heart ache in a new and different way.

“I’m sorry, too. I should have explained my reasoning instead of just giving you an order.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry. From now on I’ll call him ‘Sammy’ and I have a strong hunch I’ll be revising my own policy in the near future.”

“I’m much obliged,” he replied, touching the brim of his hat and turning back towards his horse.

XXXXX

“But Pa! All the kids in school have already had her over for supper at least once! Why can’t we?”

“Because Miss Fairfax is a very fine school teacher and we don’t want to take the risk of my cooking running her out of town.”

“You make a great stew!”

MacGyver smiled at his son’s enthusiasm. Over the past several weeks, Sammy had grown very fond of Miss Fairfax and, to be honest, so had he. Knowing it was time for farmers to harvest their fields and prepare for the upcoming winter, Anna had begun to keep Sammy after school, assigning him special duties to keep him busy and safe while MacGyver got the small ranch in order. He supposed he owed her a thank you for that, at least. And he did make a pretty good stew if he did say so himself.

“All right,” MacGyver capitulated. “You can ask her if she’d like to come to supper tonight. But use your manners and don’t get upset if she says no.”

That evening, Anna Fairfax joined the two men for supper and for the first time since he had moved in, MacGyver’s house finally felt like a home with her filling a place at his table and in his heart that had been empty too long. After lingering over dessert and convincing Sammy to get ready for bed because it was still a school night, MacGyver escorted Anna onto the front porch, regretting that he never did get around to hanging the wooden swing he had made. The October air was unusually warm and humid and laden with the scent of rain.

He wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but somewhere in the midst of discussing the possibility of an imminent thunderstorm and having to put the horses up for the night, his lips found Anna’s and they met in a sweet caress that warmed him from the inside out.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” he muttered, pulling away.

Anna lowered her head. “You’re still in love with your wife.”

“She’ll always hold a special place in my heart, and Sammy’s as well.” He had intended to stop there, but the words he had held inside since the stagecoach robbery finally broke free. “It’s my fault she died.”

Anna looked up at him with a mixture of compassion and confusion. “How do you figure? I thought stagecoach robbers shot her.”

MacGyver ran a hand through his hair and moved to lean against the porch railing.

“Kate refused to come with me when I left Boston. She wanted to wait until spring when she thought travel would be easier. I should have either forced her and Sammy to come when I did or just put my plans on hold until the weather broke. Either way I would have been there for her. I could have protected her like a good husband should.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Anna shake her head and slowly approach him, her small hand hesitantly touching his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing. Besides, if you had been on that stage you might have been killed instead, leaving your wife and son alone in a strange new world. Or worse, you both could have died leaving Sammy an orphan.”

“It doesn’t matter,” MacGyver replied, his voice hoarse with emotion. “She died because I failed her and I won’t allow myself to do that to anyone ever again.”

“So you think by staying tucked away on this ranch with your son nothing bad will ever happen?” she challenged.

“Of course not. Bad things will always happen. The best one can do is try and even the odds.”

They stood gazing out at the vast prairie that spread before them in a silence that was interrupted only by the lowing of cattle in the meadow and the occasional scuffle of horses’ hooves on the hay-covered stable floor. In the distant sky, reflections of faraway lightning danced amongst the clouds.

“Looks like there’s a storm comin’,” MacGyver stated flatly. “We best get you home. I’ll go saddle my horse.”

“No,” Anna commanded. “I don’t live that far. I’ll be fine. You stay here with Sammy.”

“But…”

“‘But’ what?” she asked in her best teacher voice. “What if something happens to me on my way home? Then I guess I made a poor decision refusing your company. But it will have been my decision, not yours. Whatever does or doesn’t happen won’t be your fault, MacGyver. It will be mine.”

XXXXX

MacGyver was jolted awake from a fitful slumber by the crash of a nearby lightning strike. Moments later, Sammy was crawling into bed with him.

“It’s okay, son, it’s just a little thunderstorm,” MacGyver assured him. “But I’d best check on the livestock anyway.”

MacGyver crawled out of bed and pulled on his work pants and shirt from the day before. He opened the front door and immediately felt a difference in the air. A feel of foreboding enveloped him. The cattle had huddled into a small group in the pasture and the horses were snorting their displeasure at the turn in the weather. In the distance, he heard the familiar sound of a train chugging across the land. He stopped short. New Hope was nowhere near a railroad line. His mind flashed back to his childhood in Minnesota. He only knew of one other thing that sounded like that. A twister was bearing down on them!

“Sammy! Head for the root cellar!” he yelled above the strengthening wind as he ran back towards the house in time to see his son pull open the front door and scurry to the side of the house where MacGyver was already tugging on the large wooden doors that opened to the underground stairway that would lead them to shelter. He sat on the dirt floor, holding Sammy tight as the storm raged above them hoping with all his might that the house and outbuildings he had sacrificed so much to build would escape damage and destruction. He felt his ears pop and Sammy whimpered. Moments later, all was deathly quiet. With his son in his arms, he pushed open the cellar doors and climbed out. He breathed a sigh of relief and thankfulness upon discovering that his little ranch had been spared from the storm’s wrath. But his comfort was short-lived. In the distance, the peal of the town’s church bells heralded news of a catastrophe. He quickly tucked Sammy back into bed despite the boy’s protests and then saddled a mount and galloped toward town to assist in any way he could, intending to check on Anna on his way.

It didn’t take long until the sturdy silhouette of the schoolhouse came into view, but MacGyver’s pulse skidded to a halt when he saw the teacher’s cottage leveled to a pile of wooden slats. His chest clenched, lungs burned, and bile rose in the back of his throat at the horrific sight. He leapt off his horse before the animal fully stopped, calling Anna’s name. But the rain now pounded loud on the debris and drowned out his tortured words. Desperate with grief and not knowing what else to do, MacGyver continued to call her name as he threw boards off the pile that had once been Anna’s home. Tears sprung to his eyes at the thought of finding her crushed, lifeless body beneath the rubble. Yet he continued to frantically rip away at the debris. Between the noise of the storm and the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears, MacGyver almost didn’t hear the weak cry coming from the school.

“MacGyver! I’m over here! I’m alright!”

He turned to find Anna standing just inside the open doorway to the school, one hand waving to him while the other held her nightgown wrapper tightly around her as her long, loose hair billowed in the wind. An overwhelming relief such that he had never known before washed over him and he tossed aside the lumber he held, ran to where she stood, and wrapped his arms around her. Without a second thought, he kissed her more soundly than he had ever kissed anyone...even Kate.

“Oh, baby, I thought I’d lost you,” he muttered breathlessly once their lips parted. “I should’ve insisted you stay at the ranch where I could protect you until the storm passed. I would never have forgiven myself if something happened to you.”

“But I am okay,” Anna assured him, smoothing her hand over his rain-slicked hair. “And I have you to thank for it,” she smiled.

“What?” MacGyver asked, happiness giving way to confusion. “How?”

Anna bowed her head shyly. “I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking of this past evening with you so I decided to come over to the school and grade some papers. When I heard the tornado coming I crawled under the desk. If it hadn’t been for the wonderful time I had with you keeping me awake, I would have been asleep in my bed when the storm hit. So you see, MacGyver, you did protect me!”

“And I want to go on protecting you for the rest of my life,” he told her huskily before once again finding her sweet lips. And though he wasn’t the kind of man given to romantic flights of fancy, he swore he could hear bells ringing as he deepened their kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


The ringing continued and MacGyver groaned, lazily opening eye.

“Go away!” he called to the telephone. The ringing stopped. Then started up again a couple minutes later.

“Aw man,” he complained as he got up, shaking his head to release the remnants of the crazy dream he just had. “Hello?” he answered a bit grouchily.

“Why didn’t you answer when I first called? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine Jo,” he replied more gently. “I was watching a movie and must have dozed off. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to thank you for tonight. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me. It’s just that I don’t do well with change, and you gotta admit this is a real big change for both of us.”

“That’s why we’re gonna take our time,” Mac told her. “You’re not starting to have any regrets, are you?” His stomach clenched in anticipation.

“No. What about you?”

MacGyver remembered his dream and smiled into the phone, “Absolutely not.”


































Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Posted: 9 January 2020 - 04:17 AM                                    
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QUOTE
Chapter 31: New Hope
Hmm...

QUOTE
When they arrived at his townhouse, he unlocked the front door and she quietly slipped past him, taking a seat on the couch and hoisting Frog onto her lap for a cuddle session while he poured a glass of juice and berated himself for feeling jealous of a dog.
Those last nine words made me laugh XD

QUOTE

“When our friendship began to turn into something more, we set some boundaries for certain aspects of our relationship. I had some time to think in Chicago and started wondering if maybe you had proposed because you were getting impatient and wanted to speed things up.”
I'm glad to see this particular serious subject being brought up.

QUOTE

“I think you just made me love you even more,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck for a toe curling kiss as Frog, forgotten and squished between his two humans, began to whine.
Awww- oh poor Frog roller.gif

QUOTE
Figuring sleep would be a long time coming, he grabbed one of his favorite Westerns from the bookshelf and shoved it into the VCR before flopping down on the couch. His eyes fluttered closed as the familiar theme music began to play.
Uh oh....

QUOTE

Boston, MA
January, 1863
Oh, here we go laugh.gif

QUOTE

“I know. That’s why I decided it would be best if I packed a few necessities and headed out next week. If the weather cooperates, I could get our house built and send for you and Sammy in a couple months. Come on, Kate,” he implored. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let’s start making our dreams come true!”
Well, she's gonna die soon XD

QUOTE
When he finished his place he sent for his family. Since the railroad doesn’t run through New Hope they had to take a stagecoach for the last leg of the trip. Stage ended up being robbed by bandits. His son and another man were the only survivors. Story goes that Sammy hid under the seat and saw them shoot his ma dead. No boy should ever be seein’ that. When word got to MacGyver, he went to pick up his son and he came back a changed man. The man you saw today.”
And there we go XD (Sam was even younger here, poor thing sad.gif )

QUOTE
He found that filling every waking minute with chores or distractions kept the guilt and pain of his wife’s death at bay.
Knew he'd feel guilt, what with movin' out bein' his idea and all (five minutes of westerns, and I'm TYPING with an accent, for cryin' out loud roller.gif

QUOTE
He had a bad feeling about her from the moment he met her in Thornton’s store that fine summer morning. But he had assumed she would be a danger to his well-being, not his son’s.
Idk why I find this funny laugh.gif

QUOTE

The sheen of sudden, unshed tears in her eyes made his heart ache in a new and different way.
That was fast XD

QUOTE

“Because Miss Fairfax is a very fine school teacher and we don’t want to take the risk of my cooking running her out of town.”
Or her fine-ness running you out XD

QUOTE

MacGyver was jolted awake from a fitful slumber by the crash of a nearby lightning strike. Moments later, Sammy was crawling into bed with him.
Awww tongue.gif

QUOTE
Yet he continued to frantically rip away at the debris. Between the noise of the storm and the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears, MacGyver almost didn’t hear the weak cry coming from the school.

“MacGyver! I’m over here! I’m alright!”
I thought that might be where she was XD

QUOTE

“I just wanted to thank you for tonight. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me. It’s just that I don’t do well with change, and you gotta admit this is a real big change for both of us.”
Amen sister. I feel that. I really do.




"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 14 January 2020 - 04:18 PM                                    
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Season: ---
Episode:Faith, Hope, and Charity
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House:  House boat



Chapter 32: A Challenger’s Halloween

The following day MacGyver pulled into the Challengers parking lot. After his strange dream and brief telephone conversation with Joanna the night before, he had slept more peacefully than he had in a while if he was to be honest with himself. It seemed incomprehensible how putting one particular ring on one particular finger could turn one’s world upside down, at least momentarily.

As he climbed from the Nomad, a brisk October breeze tousled his hair. The temperatures were already colder than normal, most likely promising a long winter ahead. He entered the building to find Cynthia and some other volunteers snuggled into sweatshirts, coats, and even blankets.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“The furnace went out overnight,” Cynthia told him.

“Have you called a repair man?”

“No. I was hoping you could take a look at it first and see if you could fix it.”

“Yeah, sure,” he responded before heading to the utility closet to grab some tools and descending the stairs to the basement where the silent monstrosity awaited. It wasn’t terribly old, but it was also far from being new.

MacGyver quickly unscrewed and removed the metal panel covering one side of the furnace to expose the inner workings of the machine. With the aid of a flashlight he assessed the damage.

“Well, can you fix it?” Cynthia asked. She had followed him downstairs and now peered over his shoulder.

Mac sighed. “See that?” he asked, aiming the beam of light on a black box. “The blower motor is shot and the capacitor probably is as well. Then over here,” he moved the light again, “the tubing on the thermocouple is split. That automatically shut off the gas. I could manage a quick fix but it would only be temporary. There could also be other issues we can’t see. I’d rather play it safe and call in a professional.”

He turned to face Cynthia who looked crestfallen.

“Oh, MacGyver! When I was doing the books I never budgeted for any major emergencies. With the cut to our funding we barely have enough to cover the absolute necessities.”

“My bonus from Phoenix should be coming through soon. Why don’t we use that?”

“I’ve already earmarked that for next month’s rent. It’d be like robbing Peter to pay Paul. There just isn’t enough money to go around.”

Mac put his hands firmly on the older woman’s shoulders both to comfort and encourage.

“Look, we have time to come up with the rent. We need to get this furnace repaired now. We need to prioritize and use the money where it’s most needed.”

“Your right, MacGyver. I’m sorry I panicked.”

“No need to apologize. We’re in a tough situation right now. But in the meantime, could you go upstairs and grab me a roll of duct tape, a paper clip and some gum so I can fix this thing?”

Cynthia’s jaw fell and it was all he could do to keep from laughing. A few seconds later she regained her composure...and caught him in the act.

“Oh, Mac!” she chuckled with a wave of her hand, “You’re such a tease!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That afternoon Joanna pulled into Challengers to find a large panel van advertising heating and cooling repair parked in front of the building. She entered through the main doors, stopping at Rosie’s reception desk.

“Hey, what’s with the van out there?” Jo asked.

“The furnace broke last night,” Rosie replied. “MacGyver patched it up until a repairman could get here.” The woman’s eyes strayed from Joanna’s to Mac’s office where he, Cynthia, and a man in stained overalls huddled around his desk. Joanna knocked lightly on the door before quickly joining them.

“Sorry to give you the bad news, ma’am,” the repairman, whose name was Ted if the patch on his breast pocket was any indication, replied.

“Are you sure you just can’t fix it?” Cynthia asked, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip.

“Well, I could. But you’d be calling me back in a month, if not sooner, to fix it again. You run a good place here and I don’t want you to go throwing good money after bad. Like I already told ya, it’s best to just get a brand new unit.”

Mac and Cynthia breathed a collective sigh and Joanna understood why when she peeked over Ted’s shoulder at the invoice. A new furnace would not come cheap.

“Thanks for comin’ out on such short notice,” MacGyver thanked the repairman, shaking his hand. “We’ll be in touch soon with our decision.”

Ted turned and smiled at Joanna before walking out the door.

“Sounds like we got a problem,” Jo said, stating the obvious but wanting to fill the uncomfortable silence.

MacGyver looked up, surprise in his eyes as if he was first now aware of her presence.

“Did you hear everything?” he asked.

“I heard enough,” she answered flatly.

“So what are we going to do?” Cynthia inquired.

Mac scrubbed his face with his hands before responding. “I suppose we get a new furnace.”

“But that’s so expensive!” the older woman protested.

“Initially,” MacGyver replied matter-of-factly. “But in the long run it’ll save us money if Ted’s right about the existing one needing repeated repairs.”

Cynthia sent Joanna a pleading look.

“I’m afraid I have to side with Mac on this one,” Jo said. “It just makes sense.”

“But where are we going to get that kind of money so quickly?” Cynthia bemoaned.

“What did you do back in L.A. when you needed extra money?” Joanna asked.

“Our biggest fundraiser of the year was always the Christmas pageant,” Mac told her. “But that furnace may not last until tomorrow, much less December.”

“Not to mention that it took a lot of time and preparation to put the pageant together,” Cynthia added.

“Well, Halloween’s coming up,” Jo said thoughtfully. “Maybe we can do something less labor-intensive centered around that? It would also be a good way to keep the kids out of trouble on what can be a pretty crazy night.”

“Like a costume party or something?” Mac ventured.

Joanna’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea! And I’m sure my friend will offer his DJ services like when we had the prom for Challengers Academy!”

“And we could get restaurants to donate food and soda,” MacGyver added, warming to the idea.

“That’s all well and good,” Cynthia interrupted, “But how is this little party going to bring in the money we need? We can’t exactly make the kids pay to attend.”

“She’s got a point,” Mac observed, glancing between the two women.

Everyone fell silent as they struggled with this obstacle.

“What if we had all the members who want to come pre-register and we could just check their names off a list when they arrive. Everyone else from the community will have to pay a modest cover charge, and we can put out a fish bowl or something to collect additional donations. I’m sure parents would love a place for their kids to be able to celebrate in safety,” Jo suggested.

“You know, something like that just might work,” Cynthia agreed, pondering the idea.

XXXXX

Several days later Joanna entered MacGyver’s apartment to find him decked out in hockey gear from head to toe.

“Well, what’d ya think?” he asked her.

“I thought we were going to have dinner together, but if you’d rather play hockey it’s fine by me.”

“Huh? No! This is my Halloween costume!”

Jo raked her glance over him. “For normal people that’s a costume. For you it’s your Sunday best.”

Mac looked down at his uniform and frowned. “I guess I could always go as a cowboy,” he muttered. Suddenly brightening, he grabbed a piece of cloth from the breakfast counter and tossed it at Joanna.

“What’s this?” she asked, carefully examining the green piece of felt. It had four ‘arms’ and two bulging white eyes made from ping pong balls.

“It’s a frog costume for Frog! Get it?!”

Joanna’s brow wrinkled with concern and she reached out to touch MacGyver’s forehead with the back of her hand.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he replied, pulling back from her touch. “Can’t a guy get into the Halloween spirit?”

“Yeah, sure, I’ve just never seen you like this before.”

Mac quickly closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around Jo’s waist. “Maybe I’ve never felt like this before,” he countered softly as his lips gently met hers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Over the ensuing days, Challengers Club members and adult volunteers alike eagerly took over preparations for the Halloween costume party. Before MacGyver knew it, the event was upon them. He was in his bathroom, putting the finishing touches on his costume, when he heard Joanna enter.

“Mac, you ready to go?” she called.

“I’ll be right down,” he replied. He heard her groan and smiled, knowing she had seen Frog in his own little costume. He descended the stairs to find Jo crouched in front of the chubby little canine murmuring something about ‘poor baby’ and ‘insufferable man’. He loudly cleared his throat to get her attention. Hearing him behind her, she quickly stood up and turned around to face him.

“Evenin’, Miss Joanna. You’re lookin’ mighty fine tonight,” he drawled as he watched her scrutinize him from head to toe.

“Not exactly the Lone Ranger, are ya?” she observed, wrinkling her nose.

“Real cowboys in the Old West did not dress like the Lone Ranger,” he replied, refusing to accept her criticism.

Once again he watched her regard his scuffed boots, loose, worn pants, woolen barn coat and misshapen hat.

“I guess you have a point,” she capitulated. “Do I look okay?”

Unbeknownst to her, Mac had been admiring her costume since he first walked in the room. The soft pink sweater, poodle skirt and saddle shoes made her look young and vulnerable and incredibly attractive. He reached out to pull her closer for a long kiss, but a strong hand on his chest halted his progress.

“You are not kissing me until you get rid of that cockroach that crawled up and died on your lip!”

“You mean you don’t like my mustache?” he asked, patting the fuzzy accessory to make sure it was still in place.

“I’ll like it just fine as soon as you take it off and put it back from wherever it came from,” she replied curtly before grabbing Frog’s leash and leading him out the front door.

“Then I guess a beard is out of the question?” Mac queried playfully as he followed.

XXXXX

By the time MacGyver and Joanna pulled into Challengers, the party was already in full swing. Frog the frog scampered to his corner where he held court, eating up attention as if it was candy...or fried chicken livers. Mac made his way through the recreation room greeting excited friends and neighbors. He was pleased that Jo chose to remain at his side instead of going off on her own. It felt good to be part of a couple...a permanent couple. The older teens ignored them as they either danced to the DJ or huddled in conversation near a table laden with food while the younger kids were busy playing games or visiting trick-or-treat stations set up throughout the club. MacGyver couldn’t help but smile when he saw everyone enjoying themselves. He was just about to pull Joanna into his arms for a slow tempo dance when a loud but familiar voice rang out above the crowd.

“MacGyver! Joanna!” The pair turned to see Geena, the receptionist from the law firm, standing on tiptoe waving to them.

Jo immediately rushed toward the older woman and was soon enveloped in a warm embrace. By the time Mac approached, Geena was holding Joanna’s left hand up to her face, squinting at her engagement ring.

“That’s the best that man of yours could do?” she asked with a frown of disapproval.

“I happen to love it,” Joanna said with a laugh. “Besides, it belonged to his grandmother and has a lot of sentimental value.”

“Ahh, a family heirloom. You must treasure this ring for the rest of your life!” Geena eagerly instructed, now smiling approvingly.

“I plan to,” Joanna promised.

After MacGyver greeted Geena, he noticed Lee and Wendi Vang standing off to the side, grinning widely. With Lee in a suit and Wendi still in her nursing scrubs, it appeared the two had come directly from work.

“So what brings you all to this side of town?” Mac asked after the appropriate pleasantries were exchanged.

“We’ve been meaning to come check out the club for ages,” Lee said, speaking for the two women as well. “We heard about the costume party and decided it was a great opportunity to not only catch up with you two and congratulate you on your engagement in person but also do some good as well.”

“Thanks! We appreciate that,” Mac replied.

“We also have some news of our own we wanted to share,” Lee added.

MacGyver’s eyebrows raised in surprise and he noticed Joanna’s did the same. “Let’s go in my office where we can hear ourselves think,” he invited.

“So what’s the news?” Jo asked as soon as they were settled behind closed doors. She couldn’t help but glance at Wendi’s abdomen and speculate.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Joanna,” the trauma nurse said with a knowing grin, causing her friend to blush. “It really doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

“Of course it does!” Lee admonished. “This was a decision we made together!”

“Excuse me, kids,” MacGyver interrupted, “But would you mind sharing with the rest of the class?”

“I’m sorry, Mac,” Lee apologized. “The big news is that I’ve decided to start my own law practice. I have a couple other attorneys on board and we plan to open the first of the year.”

“And I’m retiring from the firm to work part time as their secretary,” Geena added. “That will also give me time to volunteer here at Challengers.”

“That’s great, Lee,” MacGyver said, even as he smiled at Geena. “It’s a big step. What made you decide to do it?”

“It was actually a number of things,” Lee shrugged. “I finally realized there’s little room for advancement at the firm. With my lack of seniority, I wouldn’t make partner until I was ninety! I also liked the idea of being my own boss. But most importantly, I want to give back and help out the people who need my services the most. I’m tired of defending the rich and stomping on the poor. Working with you and Challengers helped me see that.”

“Glad to be of service!” Mac teased. “What kind of law will you specialize in?”

“That’s one of the best parts!” the attorney responded excitedly. “I’m making a concerted effort to bring a variety of lawyers on board so we can deal with criminal, family, even real estate law. And I leased a building not far from here so we’ll be easily accessible to the community. And don’t worry, we’ll still be available for pro bono cases. Especially yours!”

Everyone laughed until there was a loud knock and Cynthia poked her head in the doorway.

“Sorry to interrupt, but a television news crew is outside and wants to interview MacGyver!”

“What?!” Mac felt his face fall. He neither sought nor craved publicity or attention. He much preferred to work behind the scenes, fly under the radar.

“They’re doing stories on places that are providing safe Halloween alternatives to trick-or-treating,” Cynthia clarified.

“It’d be great exposure for Challengers, Mac,” Joanna said softly behind him.

He turned, grabbed her wrist, and gave her a gentle tug. “If I’m gonna talk to the press, you’re comin’ with me.”

The interview was brief, and much less painful than MacGyver had anticipated. The reporter seemingly more interested in showcasing the various activities and speaking with the participants.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Jo soothed, patting his shoulder and trying unsuccessfully to smother a smirk.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I just have one question...should I have taken off my mustache?”

The following morning MacGyver and Cynthia huddled around his desk, counting the proceeds from the night before.

“We made just enough to cover the cost of a new heating unit,” Cynthia declared.

Mac sighed, leaned back in his chair, and scrubbed his face with his hands.
“I don’t know how you and Booker managed to keep Challengers afloat all those years,” he said wearily.

“We found a way, MacGyver. We always found a way. And you will too. Just have some faith!” She reached over and patted his hand in a motherly fashion, pulling away when the phone rang.

“Challengers Club,” Mac answered.

Hearing the mayor’s voice on the other end caused him to straighten his posture and school his voice to sound calm and professional. In control. He noticed Cynthia slip from the room but immediately turned his attention back to the caller. A few minutes later he hung up and went in search of Cynthia, fully aware of the silly grin on his face.

“MacGyver, what is it? Who was on the phone?” she asked as he wandered into her office.

“You’re not gonna believe this,” he replied, shaking his head as if trying to believe it himself. “That was the mayor. He and some members of the city council saw the blurb about us on the news last night and when they heard we were having financial trouble they called an emergency meeting and voted unanimously to help fund the club. There’s still a lot of red tape to cut through, and it will take some time, but with the amount he quoted, it will more than cover what we lost from Phoenix.”

Mac was smiling widely now. “That means we can actually start to move forward. Buy new things. Implement new programs.”

“Oh MacGyver, that’s wonderful!” Cynthia exclaimed as she got up to wrap him in a congratulatory hug. “See, I told you everything would work out!”















Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Dragondog
Posted: 17 January 2020 - 11:15 AM                                    
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Episode:Halloween Knights
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QUOTE
Chapter 32: A Challenger’s Halloween
*checks calendar* Uh, okay XD

QUOTE

“No. I was hoping you could take a look at it first and see if you could fix it.”
I mean, yeah, what else would you do? XD

QUOTE
But in the meantime, could you go upstairs and grab me a roll of duct tape, a paper clip and some gum so I can fix this thing?”
When MacGyver becomes self-aware tongue.gif

QUOTE


“But where are we going to get that kind of money so quickly?” Cynthia bemoaned.
*Mac proceeds to try to sell something of his again*

QUOTE
Several days later Joanna entered MacGyver’s apartment to find him decked out in hockey gear from head to toe.

“Well, what’d ya think?” he asked her.

“I thought we were going to have dinner together, but if you’d rather play hockey it’s fine by me.”

“Huh? No! This is my Halloween costume!”

Jo raked her glance over him. “For normal people that’s a costume. For you it’s your Sunday best.”

Mac looked down at his uniform and frowned. “I guess I could always go as a cowboy,” he muttered. Suddenly brightening, he grabbed a piece of cloth from the breakfast counter and tossed it at Joanna.

“What’s this?” she asked, carefully examining the green piece of felt. It had four ‘arms’ and two bulging white eyes made from ping pong balls.

“It’s a frog costume for Frog! Get it?!”

Joanna’s brow wrinkled with concern and she reached out to touch MacGyver’s forehead with the back of her hand.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked.
This whole exchange is hilarious XD XD XD

QUOTE
Mac quickly closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around Jo’s waist. “Maybe I’ve never felt like this before,” he countered softly as his lips gently met hers.
*eyeroll* XD

QUOTE

Unbeknownst to her, Mac had been admiring her costume since he first walked in the room. The soft pink sweater, poodle skirt and saddle shoes made her look young and vulnerable and incredibly attractive. He reached out to pull her closer for a long kiss, but a strong hand on his chest halted his progress.
What's she dressed as?

QUOTE


“You are not kissing me until you get rid of that cockroach that crawled up and died on your lip!”
Never heard "cockroach" be used to describe that before XD

QUOTE
With Lee in a suit and Wendi still in her nursing scrubs, it appeared the two had come directly from work.
Saves money on costumes XD

QUOTE

“So what’s the news?” Jo asked as soon as they were settled behind closed doors. She couldn’t help but glance at Wendi’s abdomen and speculate.
Literally my immediate reaction in these cases XD

QUOTE


“Excuse me, kids,” MacGyver interrupted, “But would you mind sharing with the rest of the class?”
laugh.gif

QUOTE
“You’re not gonna believe this,” he replied, shaking his head as if trying to believe it himself. “That was the mayor. He and some members of the city council saw the blurb about us on the news last night and when they heard we were having financial trouble they called an emergency meeting and voted unanimously to help fund the club. There’s still a lot of red tape to cut through, and it will take some time, but with the amount he quoted, it will more than cover what we lost from Phoenix.”

Mac was smiling widely now. “That means we can actually start to move forward. Buy new things. Implement new programs.”

“Oh MacGyver, that’s wonderful!” Cynthia exclaimed as she got up to wrap him in a congratulatory hug. “See, I told you everything would work out!”
Well waddya know? XD

Seemed to be a bit of a short chapter, but I don't mind smile.gif



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

"You have the heart of a chief, and the soul of a dragon"- How to Train Your Dragon 2

"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 22 January 2020 - 06:23 AM                                    
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Chapter 33: MacGyverland (Part 1)

Frog pawed at the glass patio door, causing the vertical blinds to clank. Joanna, comfortably ensconced in a cozy armchair, looked up from her knitting, her gaze moving from the softly whining bull dog to the fiancé sprawled on the couch, video game controller in hand and attention riveted on the television screen where animated hockey players toddled back and forth, shooting the puck at his command.

“Your dog needs to go out,” she announced flatly.

“He’s soon-to-be our dog, and I’m one goal away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals,” MacGyver muttered, fingers adeptly maneuvering two mini joysticks.

“Fine,” Jo huffed, tossing her knitting on the floor and pushing herself up from the chair to tend to their beloved canine.

“You know you’re addicted to that game,” she observed after snapping on Frog’s leash and sliding the door open just enough for him to scooch through.

“I am not!” Mac protested. “I can stop anytime I want.”

“That’s what they all say!” she shot back with a snort she knew he found both endearing when directed at others, but annoying when directed at him.

“Hey! Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it,” he challenged as she watched Frog sniff the perimeter of the yard before settling on a spot to do his business.

“Alright!” she challenged, after letting their dog back in the house. Before MacGyver could stop her, she walked over to the gaming console and hit the reset button.

“What’d ya do that for?!” Mac cried as the screen went blank. “I was in the middle of a game!”

“You had two seconds left and the other team was on a power play. You weren’t gonna win. Besides, you said I should play.”

Having caught Mac by surprise, she swiftly grabbed the controller from his hands, but he recovered quickly and caught her around the waist, pulling her down on the couch with him only to tease the side of her neck with feather-light kisses.

“Are you trying to distract me?” she accused with a soft laugh.

“You bet.”

“Well, it’s not gonna work,” she replied with more resolve than she felt. His frustrated sigh sent a tingle trickling down her spine and she secretly relished the power she held over this amazing man.

“Now come on,” she urged, sitting up straighter. “Show me how this works.”

Joanna lost track of time as MacGyver showed her how to use the controller to move the animated figures. Her fingers were clumsy and she frowned in frustration when she missed a perfectly set up shot on goal.

“I hate this game,” she mumbled.

“Hang in there,” Mac encouraged. “It’s all about timing and eye-hand coordination. Kinda like your knitting. You just need some practice.”

She pulled a face at him but immediately reset the game to try again. She had just found a new obstacle to conquer, and conquer she would. Then she could challenge Mac to a game. Deep in concentration as she struggled to make the little animated men follow her commands, she almost didn’t hear the telephone ring. She felt Mac’s weight shift as he pushed himself off the couch. Her eyes never left the screen, but her ears couldn’t help overhearing his end of the conversation.

“Hello? Hey Craig! What’s up?”

There was only one ‘Craig’ that she was aware of in MacGyver’s life and that was Craig Bannister from the Phoenix Foundation. Had he called to try to convince Mac to go on another mission? Not that it should matter to her. She and Mac had already talked about this and agreed that he would still help out his friends when he could and surely they wouldn’t send a freelancer, which Mac now was, out on anything dangerous. Nevertheless, she forgot about the video game and focused her attention on the phone call.

MacGyver was silent for several minutes before countering. “But tests like that can’t replicate what an agent will encounter in the field!”

More silence. Then, “Yeah, I know. Do you need me to come out there? Yeah, sure, I can do that. Okay, bye.”

“What did he want?” Joanna asked as soon as Mac hung up the phone. She was ashamed at the displeasure in her voice.

MacGyver sighed and scrubbed his face as he sat down next to her, leaning forward with his arms resting on his thighs.

“Phoenix wants to shut down MacGyverland.”

“They want to shut down what?!” Jo was completely stupefied.

“It’s a nickname my former colleagues made up for an obstacle course I created that’s part of the field agent recertification process. Some members of the board think it’s dangerous, obsolete, and a waste of the agents’ time.”

“Is it?”

“It does take agents up for re-cert out of circulation for three days. Plus, Craig said the course hasn’t been properly maintained due to lack of funds and several people have gotten hurt which causes them to be out of work even longer. As for it being obsolete, Craig said the board members argued that with technological advances in surveillance, intel, and remote operations, agents don’t require the skills the course tests, at least not like they used to.”

“And what do you think?”

“I created the course not only to test physical strength, but also manual dexterity, mental focus, reflexes, strategic planning, and basic wilderness survival skills. That can’t be measured by putting someone on a treadmill or practicing in a shooting gallery. The board is going to meet in a week to officially vote on the status. They’ll be hearing arguments beforehand and Craig wants me to share my thoughts.”

“You’ll be going to L.A. then?” Jo didn’t like the way her mouth became dry upon asking that question. She loved this man. She didn’t own him.

MacGyver shook his head. “I’ll go to the Chicago office and participate in a video conference call, but according to Bannister it’s pretty much a waste of time unless I can come up with some alternative between now and then.”

Joanna watched as Mac’s gaze tore from hers to the video game. She could practically see the gears in his brain turning.

“Mac? What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I have a lot of research to do.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following day MacGyver shuttered himself in his office at Challengers. With funding woes behind them, he could focus on the task at hand which, for the present, was finding alternative recertification activities for Phoenix field agents. He knew Joanna wasn’t thrilled that he had agreed to it, but they had a deal and, to her credit, she hid her dissatisfaction well. Besides, when he had proposed to her, he never in a million years could have predicted he would ever work for Phoenix again. And this really wasn’t work. He was just a concerned former employee trying to help out. Mac booted up his computer and typed his question into the subject line of the search engine. Before long, he was sifting through numerous reports and studies to make sure his plan was viable and to serve as evidence for the Phoenix Board of Directors.

A few days later MacGyver entered his apartment to find Joanna sitting on his couch, completely engrossed in the video hockey game she was playing just like every other night since he introduced her to the pastime. He moved closer and marveled at how her delicate fingers now expertly maneuvered the joysticks and hit the buttons with near-perfect dexterity. Either she hadn’t heard him walk in or she was ignoring him because her concentration hadn’t flinched.

“She shoots, she scores, and the crowd goes wild!!!” Jo crowed exuberantly, raising her hands in the air to further celebrate her victory.

Mac couldn’t help chuckling. “Now who’s addicted?” he asked with mock sarcasm.

Joanna rose from the couch, pulled herself up to her full height, and approached him, not stopping until her face was mere inches from his.

“I’ll have you know I can quit anytime I want, mister. Besides, I just won the Stanley Cup.”

Grabbing her upper arms, he pulled her to him, giving her a hard, quick kiss.

“Congratulations.”

She pulled away with a frown.

“What?” he asked.

“Mac, I just won the Stanley Cup!”

“Well excuse me!” he replied with a sly grin. This time when he reached for her, his touch was gentle. He drew her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers, their long, deep kiss making his heart pound in a way no hockey game ever could.

“Better?” he asked in a husky voice as he reluctantly stepped back.

“Much,” she confirmed softly, her eyes still a bit unfocused. “I’ve missed you.”

“Me too,” he replied. “But I think I’ve finally got a solution. Come over here and let me show you.”

MacGyver took Joanna’s hand and led her over to his computer. He quickly popped in a disc and the monitor came to life with colorful game pieces on an electronic board.

“Mac, this is a video game,” Jo observed skeptically.

“You could call it that,” he shrugged.

“Are you out of your mind?! You can’t possibly plan on telling Phoenix that agent recertification will be based on how well they play a video game!”

“Now just hold on and let me show you how it works.” MacGyver pulled up an extra chair, reached for the mouse, and began clicking its buttons.

“This game is all about strategy. You have to match same-colored pieces to clear the board in a certain amount of time. In order to do that, you have to recognize one of three different patterns.”

“I guess I can see the theory in that,” Joanna said uncertainly.

Mac allowed himself a small smile, typed in a command, and soon the screen turned into a picture of a meadow. A woolly animated sheep darted across the green space from the left side of the monitor. MacGyver immediately clicked a mouse button and the animal was ‘shot’ with a tranquilizer dart.

“This one is designed to test your reflexes,” he explained.

“That looks like fun! Let me try.” Joanna unceremoniously shoved him out of the way as she scooted her own chair closer to the computer. Several sheep made their way across the screen before she successfully shot one in the nick of time. The computer displayed her score and she frowned. “I don’t think I like this game either,” she frowned, backing away.

MacGyver smothered a smile, secretly enjoying the competitiveness she tried to keep locked away. “It takes practice,” he reassured her.

“Okay, what else you got?” Apparently she was warming to the idea the way he hoped the board members would.

“The final exercise is designed to test manual dexterity. I figured we could use--”

“The hockey game!” Jo cut him off excitedly.

“Yeah,” he laughed.

“And all these games, um, programs, require a good deal of mental focus,” she observed. “But what about the survival aspect of it?”

Mac shrugged. “The initial training program covers that and if agents keep their other skills sharp it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Well, I’m sold. But how are you going to get Phoenix to agree to use this as an alternative strategy?”

“That’s where these come in,” MacGyver said, pulling large packets of papers from his satchel.

“What are those?”

“These are reports of studies that examined the success rate of using creative training methods.”

“I think I read about one of those,” Joanna responded, her brow furrowed in thought. “It had to do with basketball players, if I remember correctly. One practiced free throws like usual while the other simply used that same amount of time to visualize himself successfully making the free throws. I forgot what the exact outcome was, but the guy who did the visualization performed just as well if not better than the guy who physically practiced.”

“Exactly!” Mac exclaimed, glad that Jo understood his point. “These reports prove that skills can transfer from one environment to another.”

“Think that’ll be enough proof for the foundation?”

“I sure hope so.”

XXXXX

MacGyver inhaled a long, deep breath through his nose and slowly exhaled through his mouth, willing his heart rate to slow as he followed a cheerful receptionist through the corridors of the Phoenix Foundation office building in Chicago. With each footstep he silently chided himself. How many times throughout his career had he stood in front of influential boards or committees, presenting research, data, and various courses of action? Of course, he had always had the full support of Phoenix and, sometimes, even the United States Government. Today it was all on him. He would sink or swim alone. And that thought was kinda overwhelming. The receptionist stopped at the door to a small conference room and stepped aside with a smile, allowing Mac to enter. He quickly surveyed the empty room then grinned when his gaze fell upon a familiar figure seated in a corner.

“Pete! What are you doin’ here?!” The older man rose at the sound of his friend’s voice and soon the two men were embracing.

“Joanna called and filled me in on your situation. Thought you could use some moral support. She also seems to think I may still have some pull with the board members.”

“Do you?”

“Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.”

Before Mac could reply, he heard the two way speaker on the table click on and looked up to the television mounted on the wall to see it flicker to life as a number of middle-aged men in suits somberly gathered around a conference table in Los Angeles. MacGyver followed their lead and situated himself in a chair facing the screen so he could see and be seen. Once brief introductions and generic greetings were exchanged, the spokesman of the group addressed him.

“Contrary to our original plan and in light of the new proposal you sent us earlier in the week, the board has already voted unanimously to immediately terminate any and all use of the recertification obstacle course known as MacGyverland.”

Mac kept his face expressionless, nodding slightly to show he understood. He would not let them see his disappointment. Would not let them see any chinks in his armor.

“Now then,” the spokesman continued, “after studying your alternate method for recertification, several of our members found it quite interesting, including myself, and we’d like to take advantage of your presence to provide further information.”

For the next thirty minutes, MacGyver answered questions, expounded explanations, and referred to successful research studies as often as possible. When the board seemed satisfied, the spokesman once again addressed Mac.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. MacGyver. The board would like a few moments in private to discuss what we’ve learned here today.” With that, the speaker clicked off and the television screen went blank.

Mac let out a long sigh, slumped back in his chair, and turned to Pete.

“How do you think it went?” he asked the older man.

“It all sounded good to me, but then I’m not the one you have to convince.”

Moments later the Los Angeles office reconnected, the spokesman’s figure filling the monitor.

“After a brief discussion and vote, the board members have agreed to use your prototype recertification method on a trial basis.”

“Thank you, sir,” Mac responded evenly, keeping his emotions in check.

“What’s the first step in your process, Mr. MacGyver?”

“I need to come out to L.A. and install the computer program on the foundation’s mainframe and provide some overview for the field supervisors. It should only take a day or so.”

“Excellent. Can you be here tomorrow?”

“Absolutely.”

The connection was once again severed and MacGyver stood alone in the room with Pete, his mind reeling. He couldn’t believe Phoenix had accepted his proposal.

That evening MacGyver called Joanna as soon as he arrived home to let her know how the meeting had gone.

“They actually liked my ideas and want to give the program a test run.”

“Mac, that’s great!” she exclaimed, pride obvious in her voice.

“Yeah. There’s just one thing.”

“What’s that?” Pride turned quickly to suspicion.

“They want me out in L.A. tomorrow to install it.”

“Wow, they don’t waste any time,” she observed.

“You got that right. I plan on catching the first flight out in the morning and should be back sometime tomorrow night.”

“The last time you said that they sent you on a mission that nearly got you killed.”

“I promise that won’t happen again,” Mac assured her.

“Oh really?”

Mac sighed. “I promise I will not accept any other job except working on the recertification project. I’ll be in Los Angeles the whole time. Heck, I’ll probably be in the same building the whole time. You can call me every hour if you like.”

Joanna chuckled. “As much as I love the sound of your voice, I doubt that will be necessary.”

“You like the sound of my voice?” Mac teased.

“Among other things,” came the vague reply in a saucy tone that made him smile.

XXXXX

The following morning MacGyver entered the multi-story building that housed the main branch of the Phoenix Foundation in Southern California. He quickly obtained a visitor’s badge from a security officer who proceeded to escort him to one of several computer labs. Mac spent the next few hours working with technicians to load his program into the foundation’s main computer, work out any glitches, and set up agent-specific passwords. This way, any field agent could access and practice the skills for recertification from any personal computer in the facility.

After a short lunch break, MacGyver spent the afternoon meeting with field supervisors to explain the new re-cert process as well as demonstrate the programs and set acceptable parameters for success or failure of the actual test. After a brief question and answer session to end the day, the supervisors filed out of the room with Craig Bannister bringing up the rear.

“Well done, my friend,” he said, shaking Mac’s hand.

“Thanks, but this is just a trial run. The board could still decide to go in a different direction.”

“Why don’t we think positive for the time being? In fact, I want to introduce you to your first guinea pig.”

Craig Bannister led MacGyver through the winding corridors before stopping to knock on a door. A man of average size and looks answered.

“Mac, this is Agent Tom Duncan. He’s up for recertification as soon as he gets back from an assignment in a couple weeks. Tom, this is MacGyver, the man behind the new re-cert program. You need to make him look good!”

“I’ll do my best, sir,” Duncan replied, shaking hands with Mac and exchanging small talk before returning to work.

“Wanna grab some supper with an old pal?”

“What about Nikki?” Mac asked.

“She’s out of the country on assignment.”

“And you don’t like to eat alone, is that it?”

Craig held out his hands in a helpless gesture. “What can I say, you found me out! How about we go to that little Indian restaurant you used to like so much?”

MacGyver was about to agree when he glanced down at his watch and realized it was later than he thought.

“What’s the matter? Gotta clear it with the little woman?”

“No,” Mac replied scornfully before looking around the room. “Where’s the phone?”

Three hours later MacGyver glanced at his watch again and frowned.

“What’s the matter, buddy?” Craig asked.

“I really lost track of the time. I’m sorry, but I gotta get to the airport.” He hoped there was at least one more flight back to Milwaukee that night.

“Joanna sure has got you on a short leash,” Bannister smirked.

“It’s not like that,” Mac protested. “Maybe I just want to sleep in my own bed. I’m no longer at Phoenix’s beck and call like someone else at this table.”

“Alright, you got me there,” Craig conceded as Mac grabbed his jacket and left the restaurant.

When MacGyver pulled into his driveway, he felt a stab of disappointment when he saw the darkened windows but he quickly chided himself. He couldn’t expect Jo to wait up for him every time he stayed out later than expected. Heck, he couldn’t even expect her to hang out at his place when he was away. She did have a home of her own. Nevertheless, he made a point of unlocking the front door as quietly as possible, his heart taking one last nose-dive as he noticed the only occupant on his couch was Frog. Tossing his jacket on the kitchen counter he trudged up the stairs. A soft snore coming from a lump in his bed caused his pulse to skip. Even as the practical part of his brain urged him to allow her some privacy, the ache in his heart needed to hold her near. It wasn’t like anything was going to happen between them, he reasoned. She was asleep and he was too tired to do anything about it anyway. Fully clothed, he slipped underneath the covers, her back to him, and gently placed his arm around her waist so as not to wake her but still feel her presence. His heart warmed when she let go a sleep-filled sigh and automatically nestled into his chest.

Mac was in the kitchen making breakfast the following morning when he heard Joanna pad down the stairs.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” he said, not turning around.

“You didn’t,” she replied succinctly. “When did you get home?”

“Late.”

“You must have slept on the couch, huh?”

“Must have.”

He felt her arms snake around his midsection and give a possessive squeeze.

“You are such a lousy liar,” she informed him with a giggle. “But I guess that’s a good quality to have in a husband. You won’t get away with a thing!”

“Oh yeah?” he asked, turning so he could embrace her. “And just what were you doin’ in my bed, Goldilocks?”

“Things got a little rowdy at Challengers last night and Frog seemed anxious. I thought he’d be better off here.”

Mac’s stomach sank. “What do you mean by ‘rowdy’?”

“Nothing Cynthia, Geena and I couldn’t handle, but you know how Frog hates to sleep here alone.”

“So you thought you’d keep him company.” Before Jo could respond, he lowered his mouth to hers and relished the precious moments when it seemed she melted into him.

All too soon her back stiffened, muscles tensed, and she stepped away, albeit with a smile.

“So how did things go in L.A.?”

“Fine. It all came together pretty smoothly. I even got to meet the guy who’s gonna be the first agent to use the program.”

“What happens next?”

Mac shrugged. “I suppose Phoenix decides if they’re gonna stay with what I designed or go back to the drawing board.”

“Will you have to go out there again?”

“I’m not planning on it. Everything I need is right here.” He reached out for her, but she deftly out-maneuvered him.

“Don’t forget, Mom’s expecting you for Thanksgiving next week,” she reminded him seriously.

“I wouldn’t miss it. Does she want me to bring anything?”

“Nope. For one day out of the year you’re gonna eat like a normal person!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

MacGyver, Joanna, and her parents gathered around the Fairfax’s small kitchen table, a giant roast turkey taking center stage. They all joined hands and bowed their heads as Joanna’s mom said the blessing. Jo couldn’t help taking a quick peek at Mac, seated across from her, only to find him doing the same, an endearingly crooked smile on his face. Her stomach twinged, but not from hunger. She was extra grateful this Thanksgiving to have this wonderful man in her life and to know that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

Halfway through the scrumptious meal the telephone rang. It was rare to receive a call on a holiday. Joanna quickly got up and answered before the machine picked.

“Hello?”

“Joanna? It’s Pete. Is Mac with you?”

Jo wanted to scold the older man for not bothering to wish her a happy Thanksgiving, but his tone was tense and clipped indicating this was not a social call.

“Yeah. Hold on a minute.”

“Mac, Pete’s on the phone for you,” she replied soberly, returning to her seat at the table.

She could hear the rumble of MacGyver’s muted voice coming from the other room but couldn’t make out any specific words. When he returned to the kitchen, his face was somber, his eyes empty.

“Everything okay?” she asked, knowing his answer already.

“Yeah, fine,” he replied.

The meal was completed in uneasy conversation, Mac’s troubled mood permeating the air. When he turned down a slice of pumpkin pie, Jo knew something was definitely wrong. A few minutes later, Judy Fairfax shooed the younger couple from her kitchen so she could clean up and put away the leftovers. A stern look kept her husband by her side.

“Wanna tell me about it?” she asked, hurrying to keep pace with MacGyver who was striding purposefully toward the living room.

“Not really,” came the flat reply.

She reached out and grabbed his forearm. “Tell me anyway.”

Mac finally turned toward her, a storm like she’d never seen before brewing in his troubled eyes.

“A Phoenix agent is dead and it could be all my fault.” Without another word, he shrugged on his jacket and headed out the front door.
































Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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Dragondog
Posted: 24 January 2020 - 08:24 AM                                    
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QUOTE
Chapter 33: MacGyverland (Part 1)
hmm.bmp

QUOTE
Joanna, comfortably ensconced in a cozy armchair, looked up from her knitting, her gaze moving from the softly whining bull dog to the fiancé sprawled on the couch, video game controller in hand and attention riveted on the television screen where animated hockey players toddled back and forth, shooting the puck at his command.
Somehow, the idea of Mac playing video games is... new XD

QUOTE
Before MacGyver could stop her, she walked over to the gaming console and hit the reset button.
Ouch...

QUOTE
He knew Joanna wasn’t thrilled that he had agreed to it, but they had a deal and, to her credit, she hid her dissatisfaction well.
Well, given the circumstances, I don't really see why she's unhappy. He's not flying to L.A. or anything. Certainly not field work. Unless she's jsut sad he's in his office instead of spending time with her laugh.gif

QUOTE

“That looks like fun! Let me try.” Joanna unceremoniously shoved him out of the way as she scooted her own chair closer to the computer.
Me tongue.gif

QUOTE
“I don’t think I like this game either,” she frowned, backing away.
Also me laugh.gif

I want to play those games. Just to see if I could make it laugh.gif

QUOTE

“I need to come out to L.A. and install the computer program on the foundation’s mainframe and provide some overview for the field supervisors. It should only take a day or so.”
Okay, he IS going to L.A. XD

QUOTE

“You like the sound of my voice?” Mac teased.

“Among other things,” came the vague reply in a saucy tone that made him smile.
Jo's got game laugh.gif

QUOTE

Three hours later MacGyver glanced at his watch again and frowned.
Sheesh, how long did dinner take?

QUOTE

“Nope. For one day out of the year you’re gonna eat like a normal person!”
Lol XD

QUOTE

“A Phoenix agent is dead and it could be all my fault.” Without another word, he shrugged on his jacket and headed out the front door.
Well, you sure picked the strongest cliffhanger. I NEED ANSWERS XD



"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" - Hank The Cowdog

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"[T]he more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each one of us will be" - Zootopia

"Love makes you do strange things." - Charlie Brown

"When something looks too perfect, it probably sucks" - Dreamworks Dragons Race to the Edge

 
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uniquelyjas
Posted: 24 January 2020 - 08:40 AM                                    
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Ha! I love being able to write a good cliffhanger! Now you have to wait until next week, Dragondog! In response to a couple of your comments, at the end of the episode The Wall, Mac is playing a video game one a computer...I believe hockey so I stole this idea. Joanna's not thrilled he agreed because she really doesn't want him involved with Phoenix in any way...and she knows how these things go!! LOL!! As for the computer games he created, my inspiration was Candy Crush and Pet Rescue Saga!!



Jody~

"I've found from past experiences that the tighter your plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable" ~ MacGyver (The Heist)

 
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