"So …"

Mac looked up from his laptop where he was composing an email about the most recent building schematics he's just spent the last four hours poring over. Matty was standing in his doorway with an eyebrow raised.

"What's up, Matty?" he asked causally, taking his time to finish the closing line and send the email while she entered his office and closed the door behind herself.

"I think you know what's up, Blondie."

Mac closed his laptop to give her his attention. He'd sort of been waiting for this to happen. He raised an eyebrow of his own. "You were so fascinated by my last post-mission analysis that you just had to come down here to get my take on the next location for your briefing tomorrow?"

"Very funny." And while her voice held much of its accustomed severity, there was a smile in her eyes that she couldn't quite keep off her lips either. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"You know I don't do that thing where I just fill silences, Matty. First rule of being interrogated; let the other guy do the talking. Although, a better first rule is don't get your dumb ass caught and questioned, but maybe you have to come by that lesson the hard way."

Matty laughed softly. "You and Dalton certainly seemed to need to hear that lecture more than once." Her eyes were a little more serious after a moment. "You're planning on leaving, am I right or am I wrong."

He sighed. It wouldn't be fair to keep his plans from her for much longer anyway. "You're not wrong." He gave her a small smile. "How did you know?"

"Well, the 'save the date' card I got in the mail this morning was a pretty big hint, if I hadn't already figured it out, Mac." Then she smiled. "But the fact that you and Dalton haven't been banging down my door to be the primaries on these last few ops was probably my biggest clue."

"I was waiting for the right time to say something, and I don't have any definite plans yet, but …"

"But Christmas Eve is the drop-dead date on your notice …" She smiled again. "I'm just guessing."

He nodded, not seeing any point in prevaricating. "Yeah. At the absolute latest. Honestly, Matty, as soon as we finish with Murdoc, I'm out."

She shook her head, almost sadly. "I thought that was probably the case when Jack first talked to me about his shoulder … Where is Dalton this afternoon anyway?"

Mac's face split into a genuine smile. "Ultrasound. Wild horses couldn't drag him away from that. But he should be back soon."

Matty nodded. "So, you really don't have plans beyond 'leave Phoenix'?"

Mac shrugged. "Marry Mel, decide where we want to live … Make it up as we go along?"

"So, your usual then?"

"More or less," he grinned.

"Would you consider staying on as a consultant? Possibly?" she asked.

"I don't know, Matty. I don't think so. I … I think I need to just be done. It would be so easy to get sucked back in."

"Fair enough. Think about it though, would you? It could be arranged with you setting the boundaries."

"Matty, I …"

"Just think about it?"

He nodded. "Okay. I will."

She turned like she would leave, but then she seemed to reconsider it. "I know Jack was looking for some recovery time after the last mission that taxed his shoulder but, do you think you guys are up to coming to the brief on the latest location we've tracked Murdoc visiting repeatedly? I have some intel I think you guys will find interesting."

Mac hesitated for a second, then he gave a thoughtful half-nod that was less agreement and more asking for additional information.

"Nguyen got called away for a family emergency; so, if Jack's up to it, I'd like you guys to take point. Briggs is ready to act as back up and Milton is chomping at the bit to get back in the field since Medical cleared him."

He nodded. "You know Jack and I want in at every level with this. He wasn't happy the other team was taking it to begin with, but he was hurting. I think he only agreed to a break because Mel and Sarah ganged up on him. And Freddie is picking up their disapproving facial expressions like a boss."

Matty was almost smirking, but it was in a good-natured way. She quipped, "I always knew Papa Jack's kids would lose me my best tac guy one of these days."

Mac chuckled. "Speak of the devil," he smiled as Jack passed by Matty and sat down on the sofa, looking a little lost. Mac took in his expression, then asked with a little concern. "Hey, Jack? Everything go okay at the doctor's?"

"Um … yeah … Better than okay. I think."

Mac and Matty exchanged bemused looks. Matty said, "That's good, Jack. Right?"

"I … um … yeah."

Determined to draw his partner out about whatever it was that had Jack all clammed up when he'd been expecting to get his ear talked off, Mac tried again. "So, boy or girl? Or doesn't its honorary big brother get to know?"

Jack looked up from his phone at both of them and started to smile, although Mac was also sure he was about ready to cry, too. "Yeah," he replied.

Mac got up and joined Jack on the small sofa under the window. "Okay, so talk, man. The suspense is killing me."

"I meant, yeah, it's a boy and a girl …" Jack's grin suddenly split his whole face. "Twins, and they and their mama are all doing just great so far."

Matty stepped closer and half-playfully punched Jack on the arm. "So … I find out that I'm not just losing my best Tac guy, which I've known for a while, but now my best field agent, and probably my AD all in one day? You don't play fair, Jack Dalton."

Jack glanced at Mac, a little more serious for a moment. "Finally told her, huh?"

"No," Mac shook his head ruefully. "She just knew. The way she always knows when we've done something expensive or serious injury-inducing even if we kill the comms."

Jack chuckled and tipped Matty a wink. "Sorry about that whole agent thing, Matilda. Does it make you feel any better if I tell you that Sarah hasn't made up her mind about quitting yet? I mean, I'm good to be home with the kids … Three is a lot though." He suddenly grew thoughtful. "A lot, a lot."

She gave them the look, the one that pretended to be irritated but was really affectionate. "It makes me feel slightly better. And I have the consolation prize of picturing you buried in diapers for the next couple of years."

Jack looked horrified for a moment, then Mac said, "I already figured out a much better solution than Freddie's Diaper Genie. I just need to pick up a few things on the way home later."

"Knew I could count on you, kiddo. Unless you're just beta testing for when your own come along."

"Please tell me you are not already taking our best nurse off staff to, Angus MacGyver!" Matty's glare was more real this time.

Mac actually flushed. "No! I mean … God, no … We aren't even talking about kids seriously." He widened his eyes at his boss. "I swear." Then he smirked. "Scout's honor."

She laughed. "I think I'll head up to the office and congratulate the member of this Phoenix power couple who's doing the heavy lifting."

Jack looked at Matty a little awkwardly, wanting to say something, but not quite daring. She stepped up to him and motioned for him to lean toward her. Then she gave him a brief hug and whispered, "You deserve this, Jack. Congratulations. You've been killing it as a dad for years now."

A Matty hug was rare, like a butterfly in a snowstorm. Jack was caught between wanting to grin like a kid and tearing up. "Thanks, Matty."

She stepped away. "You wanna read him in on the plan for tomorrow, Blondie?"

Mac nodded, and she started to leave. Then Matty couldn't help herself. These guys were on the cusp of something really great, but they both had the shadows of their own personal Swords of Damocles in their eyes. They deserved to know their new lives were within reach.

"I guess I don't need to keep a lid on this until tomorrow with you two." Both men sat forward a little, giving her their full attention. "Based on multiple analyses, we've narrowed down Murdoc's organization to six international locations and we think we know where he's using as a home base. We're in the home stretch, guys."

Mac rolled his eyes the second he caught the look on Jack's face. "Jack, don't."

"So, what you're sayin' is …"

"Jack, for the love of your wife and children, please," Mac begged, only half kidding.

Jack's grin went from huge to shit-eating in a flash. "It's the Final Countdown!"

"Jack, stop," Mac groaned, but he had started laughing. "I was about to tell you that Matty wants us to take point on this, but now you've gone a ruined it with weird punny music humor!"

"I enhanced is what you mean."

"No. Your puns make everything worse."

"Worse? Or better?" Jack teased.

"Ugh," Mac groaned, getting up off the couch. "Let's just go check gear and stuff and get out of here until the briefing."

"Please do," Matty begged, more joking than not. "I can't take any more of Jack's puns, or dad jokes, or obscure quotes."

Jack got to his feet too. "Hey whadaya say we go out after work to celebrate a little. End of this Murdoc thing, the babies, Mac and Mel finally un-chickening out and setting a date … We got all sortsa good stuff to sing about."

Mac and Matty exchanged a look. "Sure, why not?" Mac replied.

"Good, 'cuz I know just what I'm gonna sing."

Matty rolled her eyes. "We know, we know. You're going to grace us with Europe's best-known song in your questionably dulcet tones."

"No, ma'am, I am not. We're about to get our secret agent game on again."

"Jack, please don't."

Jack slapped Mac on the back. "It's gotta be …"

"Jack … Please no more Archer references …"

"Danger Zone!"

They all cracked up as they headed off to begin to prepare for the last leg of this operation.

Mac grew thoughtful on his way to the Tac room.

Six strikes and our lives are our own. If we're good. And if we're very very lucky anyway.

Hey, it could happen.

Madagascar couldn't have been a fluke.

Right?

Right?

To be continued ...

Catch these guys and this AU soon in The Final Countdown