"Boy, get out of my face!" Jack surged forward, bumping up against Mac, as the younger agent pushed him back.

"Stop! Stop, you're not the only one that cares about her! I do too, but he can handle herself. The only one that can't see that is you! And if you don't learn to see that right now, you might just get her killed."

Jack could hear everything that Mac was saying, but all he had in his mind was the image of Riley hurt and alone.

He pulled a deep breath in, and squared his shoulders, voice low. "Don't make me hurt you, Mac."

Those blue eyes widened a fraction, seeing the truth in his words, but the damn kid didn't back down. Jack tried to push past, and Mac pushed back.

Well, he'd been warned.

Jack loved Mac like family, and for the past five years he had put his life on the line to protect him from whatever danger may come his way. But he wouldn't let anyone keep him from helping Riley.

He swung, striking Mac solidly across his cheek with all the anger Jack had pent up. Mac went sprawling, falling to the ground with a grunt of pain.

Mac sat up, scuffing his shoes against the concrete as he backed away from his partner. He raised a careful hand to the cut across his cheek, hissing when it stung. Blood smeared across his fingertips, shocking both him and Jack.

And suddenly Jacks anger melted away.

He'd just hit the kid that he had sworn to protect. What had he done?

Mac's voice was shaky and quiet, making Jack feel worse for how young he sounded. "You hit me. You haven't hit me since we first met. I can't believe you just did that."

His eyes were huge and hurt as he looked up at his partner. Jack took a step forward, hand out to help him off the ground, but Mac smacked it away, scowling.

"Don't touch me."

He got to his feet, brushing his shirt down before gesturing behind him, voice sullen. "She's fine by the way."

Jack watched him sulk past, hand rubbing over his jaw. "How do you know?"

Mac spared a glare towards him as he answered, before going back to the car. He gestured to his ear, where he had his coms. "Because I'm listening. And If you had just listened to me, you wouldn't have almost blown the mission."

Mac didn't get angry often but Jack could tell he was pissed as he walked away, and he quickly put his coms back in time to hear Rileys confident voice come through.

"Why don't we stop playing games, and talk about this job."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart remained heavy at the ache in his fist.

Mac wasn't the only one that was mad, her voice cold as steel through his earpiece. "Jack. You're out. Come home. Now."

….

Mac rubbed at his temples, as Cage drove after the secretary of defence. She'd noticed the cut on his cheek and the swelling around his eye grow but hadn't asked about it.

She hadn't known him long but she knew that Mac wasn't one for getting mad or holding grudges. But if the clenched jaw and tense silence was anything to go by, she'd say he was pretty pissed.

Cage was a master interrogator but even she didn't need to ask any questions to know that it must have been Jack that hit him, since he was back at the office and she was in his place beside his partner.

She could also guess that it had been brought on by the fact that Riley was in the field alone for the first time.

Mac tensed up as they sped round a corner, slamming his hand on the door, as he swayed and grit his teeth. Cage spared him a glance before testing the waters.

"Mac, I know this is none of my business but whatever happened with Jack, I'm sure he didn't mean it. I haven't been on this team long but I can tell he cares about you. Maybe you should talk to him, without the fists this time."

MacGyver didn't look at her, eyes focused on the road ahead. His voice was terse and she held in a sigh.

"I know prying is kind of your thing but in this case you might be out of your depth. And for the record, I didn't throw any punches, that was all Jack. So, maybe you should talk to him."

He pointed out the windshield, back on task. "Go that way."

….

Mac may have been a pacifist but that didn't mean he didn't know how to defend himself. Usually, he could handle himself pretty well in a fight but with his head spinning and face throbbing it was hard to keep his balance.

A huge fist came towards his face for the second time that night, knocking him to the ground before a boot slammed down on his chest. Mac let out a grunt of pain as all the air was forced from his lungs.

His stomach rolled with nausea, and his hands came up to protect his face as the boot came back. But it never came, instead the man above him toppled to the side, unconscious from a sharp jab to the jaw from Cage.

Mac rolled to the side just in time, vomit splattering the concrete as his stomach clenched. His hands pressed against the concrete as he got to his knees.

"Mac, are you okay?"

Cages hand rubbed gently over his shoulder blades as he sucked huge lungfuls of air.

He nodded, wiping an arm over his mouth as Cage pulled him to his feet and over to the Sec Defs car.

She sounded apologetic even as she pushed him into his seat. "We have to get moving."

…

Mac slumped against the car as Cage laughed, pulling the Sec Defs hands away from his chest.

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you, Sir."

Mac felt a smile pull at his face, and he let out a breathy laugh even as it hurt his ribs to do so. "Yeah, you kind of need them to live."

Cage laughed again, as Matty breathed a sigh of relief through the coms but Mac had done enough laughing and wrapped an arm around his chest.

His ribs ached and it hurt with every breath he took. He knew from the other million times it had happened, that they were broken, and he made a mental note to ice them later.

He had more important things to worry about right then. Mac moved slowly, one hand on the car for support as he got to his feet, closing his eyes as the world spun around him. He stumbled a little, knees threatening to give out, and he leant heavily on the car as Cage watched him.

"Hey, don't go moving around. You clearly have a concussion. Sit down, we have medics coming."

Mac kept his eyes closed as he straightened and lifted a hand to wave Cage off. His voice was quiet and exhausted. "No, no I'm fine."

He pressed a finger to his coms, more worried for his other team mate than himself. "How's Riley?"

Jack's voice was wobbly after the emotional rollercoaster he'd been on and Mac could hear Rileys small hiccups of air as Jack held her.

"Yeah, she's okay. I got her."

Mac opened his eyes, watching colors and lights swirl around him as he let out a sigh. "Good."

And then he dropped, eyes rolling up into his head, body limp as he slammed to the pavement.

Cage let out a scream, hands jumping forward in fright. "Mac!"

Her scream, and Macs grunt as he hit the floor, carried through the coms worrying the rest of the team.

Jack felt his stomach drop, adrenaline rushing through him like it had been all night. "Mac?"

Cage's voice was quick and stern. "Matty we need medics here, now. Mac just passed out."

"Is he okay?! What's wrong with him?" Bozers voice came through, panicked,but Cage was quick to reassure.

"He's got a concussion. It'll be okay, Bozer. He's…"

She trailed off, not making Bozer feel better at all. She had been about to say that he was fine, until she'd checked Mac's breathing. It was shallow and strained, and Cage suddenly remembered seeing one of the Secretary of Defence's bodyguards stomping on Mac while he was on the ground.

Jacks' voice came to her ear, as she carefully slipped one hand beneath Mac's neck, the other on his hip, as she turned him onto his side.

"He's what, Cage? You didn't finish. Nevermind, we're coming to you. Come on, Riley."

Matty piped up on her end. "No, Jack. I know you're worried about him, but you still need to deal with the hackers. Medics are already on their way, Cage can take care of him. You need to take care of Riley."

He sighed, clearly unhappy with the situation. "I got her. At least tell me what's going on with him. Is this my fault? I punched him earlier and-"

Cage frowned in concentration, as she took the bottom of Mac's shirt and carefully pulled it upwards. "He's unconscious so, I've put him in the recovery position. He was showing clear signs of a concussion earlier, and his breathing's a little strained."

Mac shifted a little, at her touch, but didn't wake, as she pressed her careful fingers to the red marks over his torso. "He's got at least one broken rib. He had a little trouble with the bodyguards. They had him on the ground by the time I got to him."

Jack sighed. "It is my fault, then. Take care of him for me. I'll meet you at the hospital once I've finished rounding up these morons."

Cage pulled Mac's shirt back down, as she nodded. "I will, Jack."

…..

Jack rubbed a hand over his face, agitated, as he watched Mac being slid into the CT machine. "Are you sure he's okay? I hit him pretty hard."

The Phoenix doctor sighed, suppressing an eye roll as he answered yet again. "Agent MacGyver-"

Jack waved a hand, not taking his eyes off his partner. "Just call him Mac, you know he hates all that official nonsense."

"Mac will be fine. We're only taking a CT to make sure the head injury isn't anything more serious. He was hit in the head multiple times so, we're just being cautious. You know how this goes, Jack. We've been in this boat before."

Jack watched Mac through that window and squeezed his hands into fists. "Yeah, but this time it's my fault."

….

Mac's head huuurt. It pounded and spun, and his stomach twisted sharply.

"Ughhh."

"Mac?"

Something was beeping way too loudly and he turned his head away from it, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

"You're okay, Mac. Just take a minute."

That was Jack so, he must be safe.

Mac felt a familiar hand on his arm and sighed, blinking his eyes open. Everything was too bright, stinging his eyes and making his headache worse. He blinked through it to see Jack sitting his bedside, just like he always did when Mac woke up in a hospital.

His voice was rough with sleep. "Hey."

Jack smiled, looking relieved as he squeezed Mac's arm as the kid looked around, taking in everything around him.

He lifted his arm, grumbling about the IV in his hand.

Jack laughed a little, pressing the limb back to the blanket. "I know, I know, but they've got antiemetics in there for you which I think you'll appreciate after your performance with Cage."

Mac squinted at him, confused. "What? What are you talking about? What happened?"

Jack tilted his head, watching Mac's face closely. His voice was careful as he gently squeezed the hand on his arm. "Do you remember the mission?"

Mac blinked, frowning as he thought. Jack watched him, worried about how he may react. He almost, selfishly hoped, that Mac wouldn't remember.

Mac's eyes widened a fraction and he pulled his arm from Jack's grip, rolling onto his side, away from his partner.

Jack sighed, heart sinking down into his twisting stomach. He felt lame even as he warned him. "Careful, bud. You have two broken ribs."

Mac didn't say anything, and although he was sulking like a child, it worked and Jack felt terrible.

"Mac…" He didn't know what to say. What could he say to explain?

He took a deep breath, watching Mac's tense shoulders as he spoke, trying to get the words right. "I am so, so sorry for hitting you. And I know there is no excuse for what I did, but at least let me explain."

Macs voice was low and petulant. "Riley's like a daughter to you, I get it. I was in your way."

Jack frowned as he suddenly realised that it wasn't just the punch that pissed Mac off so bad, but the reason for the punch. "Yes, she is but Mac, you know that I don't love her anymore than I love you, right? She's not replacing you."

The younger agent didn't say anything and Jack continued, needing him to understand.

"You, Riley and Bozer are like my kids, man. I love all of you so much but what we do is so dangerous and it's my job to protect you all. I have to watch you get yourself into trouble everyday and just run after to make sure you don't get killed. Do you know how stressful that is? Neither one of you is any less important than each other, but this time it was Riley in danger and I would have gone through anybody to get to her. It just happened to be you standing there."

Mac's shoulders relaxed a fraction as Jack explained.

"I am so sorry that I hit you and you know I'd never want to hurt you. It's just that when one of you guys is in danger, I lose my head a bit. I can't think straight."

Mac rolled towards Jack, just enough to peek over his shoulder at him, frowning. "You trust me to go out on missions on my own."

Jack leaned forward in his chair, nodding. "Just because I trust you, doesn't mean I don't worry. Everytime you go out on your own, I worry that you could get hurt. I hate not being able to go with you and watch your back. See, the difference between you and Riley, is that you've been doing this a really long time. I met you in the desert, where you were already putting your life on the line. So, as long as I've known you, I've known you could do this. But with Riley she's still learning. I know she is a very capable girl, but it was her first solo mission, after her first kill and I just couldn't leave her in there alone. I already abandoned her once, Mac. I couldn't bear the thought of doing it again."

Mac rolled back, till he was facing Jack, wincing a little as he moved. Jack reached for him to help him shift over, and felt his stomach finally relax, when Mac didn't pull away.

"I just...I never thought you would hit me. You always said you'd never let anything happen to me."

Jack stood, adjusting the kids blankets, pulling them up to his chest and laying the various wires out so they wouldn't get tangled.

"I promise I will never hit you again, Mac. And hey, if you want I'll let you take a swing at me, so we're even. But you know, after you heal."

Mac blinked up at him, frowning. "You know I don't want to hit you, Jack."

Jack smiled. Ever the pacifist. He ruffled that blonde hair, making Mac whine and smack his hand away. "Yeah, I know. And you know that if you're ever in trouble I'll punch whoever I need to, to get you back."

Mac narrowed his eyes with a cheeky smile. "Even if its Matty?"

Jack shook his head, feigning fear. "Oh definitely not. I love you, Mac but she would put me down before I even got near her. I will yell at her and throw a fit like I have a million times when she sends you off on a mission without me, but I will not raise a hand ot her until I want my manly bits shot off."

Mac laughed, wrapping a careful arm around his chest at his ribs ached. "Gross, Jack."

He sombered a little, looking a little embarrassed. "I didn't know you yelled at Matty for sending me on solo missions."

Jack shrugged, unabashed. "Yeah well, I told you I lose my head when you three are in danger. I can't help it, I love you too much, man."

Mac laughed, finally feeling better. "I love you too, Jack."