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It started as a typical day, early classes with various departments, putting them through physical exercises to be warmed up for any actions for the day. Kaitlyn was in the middle of a private class, teaching Jodi from Forensic Accounting not to be afraid of punching something with force, when the rumors started filtering in. The Federal Courthouse had blown up, but no one had taken responsibility yet.
The rumors continued as time passed. Alpha Team had been called to assist the investigation. Oh, lord , Kaitlyn thought, Mac’s coming off a ten hour flight. He’s going to be exhausted .
The current of unease continued as levels of security protocols rose, seemingly by the minute. Kaitlyn changed into street clothes early on, as classes had been cancelled for the rest of the day.She wandered the halls of the facility, helping out as much as she could, where she could.
The klaxon sounded alien to her, having never heard it before. “Lockdown!” Someone shouted. “We’re in lockdown!” A push of adrenaline coursed through her. That meant a hostile was loose somewhere in the building. It was followed closely by a medical team racing past her. She hoped no one was seriously injured as she made her way to the first floor.
She had barely opened the stairwell door when the fire alarms began going off, followed by roiling, acrid smoke. What in the hell is going on? She thought. “Stay low!” She shouted to the people around her.
The group she was in made it to the ground floor and towards the War Room in time for her to see two Phoenix Strike Team members pry up one of the metal “curtains” covering the windows, then the new girl, What was her name again? Dina? Debbie? No, Desi , tell people to get out of the way, then shoot out the window, providing an escape.
Kaitlyn heard Matty give the order for everyone to go single file out the window, so she stepped out of the group to guide the others. When there were only a few left, she caught the Director’s eye, and they exchanged a grim nod. It was bad.
When it was her turn,she unconsciously put her hand on the windowsill, cutting it on the broken glass. She said nothing, and would have completely forgotten about it, but once they were outside, Matty insisted she be examined by paramedics, and would not take no for an answer.
She sat in the back of an ambulance, an EMT cleaning out her cut, and telling her she wouldn’t need stitches, then wrapping her hand in a bandage. She heard Matty talking to someone, then suddenly, Angus “Mac” MacGyver was standing in front of her, pale, shaken, his blue eyes bright with unshed tears and unfathomable grief.
She stood up and gathered him into her arms, holding him close. He clung to her as a drowning man to a life raft, and she felt him begin to shake, sobbing quietly into her shoulder. “I’m here, Angus”, she said quietly, placing her good hand on the back of his head and stroking gently. “Always here”. She continued murmuring into his ear until his sobs had quieted and the shaking had stilled.
“Charlie’s gone”, he said against her shoulder, his voice low and hoarse. “I watched him die, Kait”.
“Oh, god, Angus”, she said, hugging him tighter. “I’m so sorry”. She remembered MacGyver telling her stories about his first Overwatch in the Sandbox, and what a great friend he had become. She had been looking forward to meeting him.
They stood that way for several long moments, unaware that Matty had approached, until she said quietly, “Guys, I’m sending everybody home for now. There’s nothing more anyone but the Fire Department can do”. She looked significantly at Kaitlyn. “We need to rest and take care of each other, then start again in the morning”.
MacGyver gave Kaitlyn another squeeze, then straightened up, wiping his tears away with the heels of his hands. “I’d like it if everybody could gather at the house tonight”, he said, his voice a little stronger than before, looking at the Team members who had gathered around them.
“Sounds like a plan”, Riley said.
“I need to make a stop at home first”, Kaitlyn said, smiling, a hint of a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She then looked at Bozer and grew serious. “Make sure he gets home safely, Boz”, she finished.
“Will do, Professor”, Bozer replied with a smile.
That evening, Kaitlyn pulled up to the house MacGyver and Bozer shared, in time to see Oversight pulling his SUV out of the driveway, a grim look on his face. She waited until he drove away, then pulled into the empty spot. She got out and took out a small duffle bag and a large pet carrier, then made her way to the front door. She set down the pet carrier and reached for a key, but before she could put it in the lock, the door opened.
“There you are”, MacGyver said, smiling widely. “I thought I heard a car pulling in”.
“I got stuck in traffic, of course”, Kaitlyn replied, stretching up and giving him a quick kiss. “I brought a fuzzy therapist for you”.
“So I see”, MacGyver chuckled, then reached down and lifted the carrier. “Hello, Angus”, he continued, “good to see you again”.
Hours later, after everyone had gone home, and Bozer had told them goodnight, MacGyver and Kaitlyn were in bed, with his head resting on her shoulder, with her purebred, ginger striped and white, Norwegian Forest cat asleep curled between them, his purring sounding like a small motor.
“You brought a book to bed?”MacGyver said quietly, noting the paperback with a green cover she held in her hands.
“Yeah”, Kaitlyn replied, opening it and flipping pages until she found the first chapter. “I thought you might like it if I read aloud a bit before we slept”.
MacGyver thought a minute, then said, “yeah, I would like that”. He reached down and began petting the sleeping cat, then closed his eyes.
As he drifted off to sleep, he heard Kaitlyn’s soothing voice saying, “ In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit… ”