Jack shut the door and leaned against it letting out a long breath. He dropped his bag and fought a yawn. He rubbed his eyes and went to call Mac. He pulled out his phone and growled. He'd forgotten. He looked at the perfect hole in it. A high powered bullet had pierced it when he'd tossed it for a distraction. Jack chuckled and stumbled toward the shower. Even on a solo mission he still loses his phone. Maybe it was his lot in life. After an army 10 minute scrub, Jack padded to bed. He flopped in and was out.

A loud irregular pounding woke him up. Jack glared at the room then squinted at his watch. Five hours. He yawned and rolled out of bed grabbing his Beretta as he moved. He scratched his hair as he padded down the hall to the door. As he reached the front door, he slowed and held his Beretta at the ready. The door shook with each pounding.

"Jaack! Come on man!" Jack let out a relieved breath. Mac. He frowned as he put the safety on and set the Beretta off. He opened the door and froze staring at his friend in horror. Mac's left eye was swollen, his lip and jaw was swollen and his button down torn. A knife, Jack thought. Likewise his jeans were stained and torn. Mac grinned at him and staggered through the door. He wrapped his arms around Jack. Jack's frown became a worried scowl. Mac stank of Jack Daniel's and other harder booze.

"Mac, what the-" Mac grinned and put his head on Jack's chest.

"Jaaack! I missed you!" Mac slurred. Jack patted his shoulder and led him in.

"I missed you too, buddy. You wanna tell me what's going on?" Mac blinked at Jack. For a second his eyes filled with pain and flushed with tears, then it was gone and Mac laughed.

"You're so funny when you're serious." Jack gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, brother, do you have a phone I could borror." Mac laughed and almost fell over backwards. Jack caught him. An idea occurred to him. He picked his broken phone. Mac snatched it out of his hand and held it up putting a finger through the hold.

"What the hell did you do?" Mac giggled. Jack rolled his eyes. While Mac was distracted, he snagged the kid's phone out of his pocket.

"Hey-don-" Mac tried to snag the phone. He stumbled forward and would have done a header to the ground if Jack didn't catch him. Jack turned him and walked him to the couch. Mac shoved Jack's hands away.

"Quite it!" Mac shouted. Jack paused at the tone in Mac's voice. It was laced with fear and genuine anger. Jack frowned and stepped back. Mac looked down at his feet. He put a hand on Jack's shoulder. He was shaking. Mac slowly looked up. The tears slipping down his face broke Jack's heart.

"S-sorry, Jack. I don-" Mac plopped down on the couch. He winced and held an arm across his abdomen as he leaned forward eyes closed. Jack crouched in front of him. Mac shook his head and pushed Jack's hand away.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone, alright-" Mac staggered to his feet. Jack stood with him and stood aside as Mac stomped across the floor. He reached up and pulled his hair on either side of his head as he spun, wobbled, and paced across the room.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I-don' know what I'm doing. I...I gotta go." Mac tried to push past Jack, but his feet twisted together and he fell. Jack managed to catch him in midair. Mac cried out in pain as Jack caught his chest and under his shoulder.

"Mac?" Jack crouched beside Mac and let go. The blonde sagged into a limb ball. His eyes focused on Jack. Jack noticed how reddened they were, sunken with purple smears around them. Mac was not a healthy color. The bruises and blood marred his bone-white skin like clouds on a sunny day. Mac's eyes were moist. He closed his eyes and turned away. He pulled his knees to his chest and ducked his forehead into them. Mac couldn't quite hold back his hiss of pain.

"Mac, what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing. Nothing, Jack. Everything is just fucking fine."

"Yeah, right. What the hell is going on?" Mac sighed and turned his head to look at Jack.

"Do you mind if I stay?" His voice was small and genuinely worried Jack would say not.

"You know that room's your room anytime you want it." Mac let out a deep breath and smiled closing his eyes.

"Good, good...thanks." Mac said. The kid let out a long breath then flopped to the side out cold. Jack caught him and stretched him out on the floor. Jack dug out Mac's phone and hit a button.

"Mac? Oh my God! Where are you?" Bozer's alarmed voice blared from the phone before the phone even rang. Jack's worry increased ten-fold.

"Boze, it's Jack-"

"Jack! You're back, awesome. Is Mac with you?"

"Boze, breathe. Ok, what the hell is going on?"

"Is Mac with you?"

"Yes, how else do you think I got his phone."

"Good poi-"

"Jack? Is Mac with you?" Riley's voice took over from Bozer. Before Jack could say a word he could hear Matty speak.

"Out of the way, all of you! Jack you're on speaker. I assume Mac is with you?"

"Yeah, he's in rough shape. What the hell happened?"

"Jack there was these Nazis-"

"Boze got captured-"
"We aren't-"

"ALL RIGHT!" Matty bellowed. The phone hummed a long minute, "Alright, that's better. We had a mission that went bad." Mac moaned.

"Yeah, well, I gotta take care of our resident genius."

"We'll come over." Jack frowned.

"Make it in the morning."

"Jack?"

"Trust me you aren't going to get anything out of Mac-" Mac jackknifed forward and puked across the floor. Jack wrinkled his nose, "Nothing you're gonna want anyway until morning."

"Alright, take care of our boy, Jack. This one was hard." Jack absently rubbed Mac's back as the hit puked again.

"Yeah, I'm getting that. Bye." Jack tossed Mac's phone on the recliner and bent over his partner. Mac's eyes sagged even as he gagged and another wave of foul smelling vomit spewed from him. Jack grimaced. He braced himself and lifted Mac from behind, his hands under the kid's armpits. Jack dragged him to the bathroom and leaned him against the toilet face aimed toward the bowl. Mac moaned and another wave of vomit spewed forth.

"Aw kid." Jack moaned. Jack wiped up the living room then returned to the bathroom. Mac was out again his head resting on his arm. Jack turned on the shower. He dragged Mac in and sat him in the middle of the water. Jack huffed in air as the cold shocked him. Mac didn't react for a long minute. Jack's worry was redlining. Then Mac jolted awake and pushed away from the water.

Jack bent behind him and grabbed his flailing arms pushing them down as he stripped Mac's stained shirt off him. Mac crossed his arms across his chest.

"Wh-wh-"

"You waking up yet, kiddo?" Mac shook his head trying to get out of the cold water stream.

"Jack? What the hell-" Mac's voice slurred and he bent forward heaving. There wasn't anything left. Mac moaned and held his head in his hand.

"That's what I was going to ask you?" Jack leaned over and added heat to the water.

"C'mon, but out of those jeans."

"Ja-, No, leave me alone. Why are you here?"

"I live here, genius." Mac blinked up at him confused.

"We aren't at my house?"

"Nope."

"We're at your place?"

"Yep." Mac tried to stand up but fell back with a groan. He grabbed his chest and leaned forward. Jack huffed and shook his head. He lifted Mac to his feet and supported the kid as he slid out of his blood and puke stained clothes. Mac leaned forward to wash his face and slicked his wet hair back. He wobbled and would have fallen if Jack didn't take his weight.

"Alright, bud, sit here." He dragged Mac over to the toilet and sat the blonde down. Jack turned off the shower and threw towels on the floor. He handed a handful to Mac and went to his own room. Jack got dressed in his usual Jeans and T shirt and snagged the oversized first aid kit Sally had given him a long time ago. He went in the guest room to pull back the covers and grab Mac a pair of shorts. He returned to the bathroom to find Mac slumped half asleep against the wall, the towels piled in his lap.

"MAC!" Jack yelled. Mac moaned but didn't move. Jack sighed. He straightened Mac and tapped his face until tired blue eyes blinked up at him, "C'mon, bro." Mac nodded and reached up for a towel. Jack handed one to him and Mac dropped it and stared at it confused.

"Alright, kiddo, here we go." Jack dried Mac off and pulled up his shorts as he dragged Mac to his feet. Jack ducked under Mac's shoulder. Mac cried out. Jack winced, "Sorry, sorry." Jack mumbled as he half carried, half dragged Mac to the back bedroom. Mac walked stiff legged as if the floor were wobbling under his feet. He mumbled something as he stared at the floor. Jack spun him around and pushed him onto the bed. Mac flopped back paling another shade.

"You gonna tell me what all this is?" Jack asked as he tugged the first aid closer and opened it. Mac's eyes opened and he squinted up at Jack confused.

"This?" Mac slurred. Jack pulled out cleaning cloths and steristrips. He turned Mac's head and started cleaning and binding all he could see.

"Yeah, little thing like why you show up at my apartment at 4 in the morning, drunk as a skunk and beaten to hell and back?" Mac closed his eyes and turned away a smirk crossing his face. Jack grabbed his chin and twisted Mac's face back to him.

"No, you don't get to be a smart ass right now, hear me?" Mac blinked and stared at Jack. For a second his eyes cleared, Jack frowned at the anger that flared. Mac shoved Jack off him with surprising force and wobbled to his feet.

"I don't need this shit." He growled staggering to the door. He fell forward and caught himself on the edge of the door. Jack straightened.

"Where in the hell do you think-" Mac pushed off and whirled down the hall, "Shit." Jack stalked after him. By the time he reached the living room, Mac had reached the front door and had two of the locks off. Jack ran a hand through his hair fighting a yawn.

"Mac, what the hell are you doing?" Mac finally got the door open. He stepped into the hall and whirled in an unsteady circle dizzy and confused as to where the door out was. Finally oriented, Mac fell into the wall as he wobbled down the hall. Jack scowled arguing with himself for a long minute.

"Son of a bitch." Jack growled. He stalked down the hall after Mac and stepped in front of the kid. Mac drew up puffing with anger. Jack didn't pause, he bent and lifted Mac over his shoulder.

"Ja-" Mac tried to yell, but broke off dizzy. Jack relocked the door and carried Mac to the back bedroom. He tossed Mac on the bed. Mac closed his eyes and grimaced, his body tightening in pain.

"I'm getting some sleep, you should too." Jack growled. He kicked the first aid kit out of the way and shut the door behind him. He leaned his back on the door and took long even breaths. He closed his eyes smoothing out his irritation and fatigue. He knew he wasn't at his best and Mac sure as hell wasn't at his best. Jack slid to the ground and leaned his head on his knees closing his eyes.

Jack jerked awake with a snort. He rubbed his face and glanced at his watch. He yawned and stood up. His joints popped as he stretched.

"Mac?" He whispered as he crept into the room. Mac had curled up into a fetal ball his arms across his bare chest. He shivered. Jack frowned. Why hadn't Mac used the covers? Jack sat on the edge of the bed. Mac moaned and moved to pull away. Jack brushed Mac's hair back from his face and winced as he felt grit in the kids hair. Jack dug it out. Glass? A bottle? Mac was in a bar brawl?

"What the hell is going on with you, brother?" Jack whispered. He pulled the kit over and finished fixing Mac up. He pulled the covers over and ran his hand in circles on Mac's back. Mac moaned softly and uncurled leaning closer to Jack. Jack smiled. He saw a small glint of blue. Mac mumbled something. Jack didn't understand it, he didn't have to.

"It's ok, brother. Just sleep for now, ok?" Mac hummed and relaxed. Jack turned off the light and went to his own room leaving Mac's door open. He'd be able to get a couple hours of sleep before the others came over. Jack shook his head and padded to his own bed.