A Christmas to Belong Read online

  "He was coughing and having a hard time breathing," LaShawna reported. "I think he wasn't ready to run like that yet."

  "Or fight like that," Levon added. Mac could hear the admiration in the teen's voice. "Man, I'm going to have to have him teach me his moves, once he's feeling better."

  Mac hid a smirk. He was sure Jack could teach Levon a lot about fighting, if he wanted to. "Where is he now?"

  The twins both pointed towards a curtain at the end of the hall. Mac squeezed Sam's shoulder as he walked by, signaling that he would check on DJ. He knew Sam needed to hold Ian a bit longer.

  As Mac approached, Dr. Jesse Travis stepped out. The slight blond man gave him a reassuring smile. "You here for DJ?" Mac nodded. Jesse pointed towards a nearby corner. "Let's talk."

  Once they reached the corner, Mac handed over DJ's charts. "His records."

  Jesse quickly scanned the paperwork. "Fits in with my exam." He glanced at MacGyver. "How are you connected?"

  "Jack's the nephew of my cousin," Mac continued the cover, "and needed a place to stay after being so sick."

  Jesse nodded as he continued to peruse the records. "And DJ?"

  "Nickname Cory tagged him with."

  Jesse nodded, looking up. "Well, his run didn't help him, but he's breathing easier now. Doesn't seem to like doctors or hospitals, though."

  "I hope he wasn't too difficult."

  "Nah, I've dealt with worse, though I've never had a teenager ask me how old I was before. And I can't blame the kid for being grumpy. I'm sure he's feeling pretty miserable."

  "When can I take him home?"

  "I'd like to check on him in about 15 minutes, see how he's handling the meds. But if everything checks out, he can leave then."

  Mac nodded as Jesse hurried off, still studying DJ's charts. He paused by the curtain. DJ was stretched out on the examining table, eyes closed. Willy was sitting next to him. "...MacGyver arranged for my passport out of Viet Nam along with the sick children, so I could go with my father and join his family. I'd do anything for him and Sam. I know my father and his family have been good friends with MacGyver for a long time." Looking up, Willy smiled. "Hello, MacGyver."

  "Hi, Willy." Mac shook the extended hand. "Thanks for saving DJ and Ian."

  Willy shrugged. "We always look out for your family. It was Levon who spotted Ian running by himself and this guy being attacked."

  Mac studied DJ as Willy spoke. He looked pale. "You doing okay?"

  DJ opened an eye. "I'm fine," he rasped.

  Mac rolled his eyes. "Sure you are."

  A tall, husky man stepped into the area. "MacGyver?"

  "Hi, Steve." He indicated the man with his hand. "Lieutenant Steve Sloan with the LA PD. Steve, this is Willy Colton and my cousin, Jack Nielson."

  Steve gave each a nod. "I heard Ian's name connected to a kidnapping attempt, so I decided to investigate personally. Is this the other kid Sam mentioned?"

  Mac nodded, letting DJ and Willy launch into a report of what happened, with Willy doing most of the talking. It was obvious to Mac that DJ was barely awake.

  As Willy finished up, he added, "My cousin, LaShawna, managed to get a partial plate."

  "JKY," Steve confirmed.

  "964JKY," DJ rasped.

  Everyone looked at him. "You got the plate?" Steve asked, surprised.

  "I saw it driving around the park a couple of times." DJ closed his eyes a moment. "It acted kinda suspicious, so I memorized the plate." He caught Mac's eyes. "I didn't know Ian and I were the targets."

  Mac squeezed his slim shoulder. "No way you could know."

  "You did everything right," Steve assured him. "And the license plate is terrific. I'll call it in."

  Willy followed the detective out. Mac turned to DJ. "Any ideas?"

  DJ shrugged. "They seemed more interested in me than Ian. But since I'd ordered Ian to run, it might be that I was just the closest."

  Mac sat in the chair. "None of this makes sense."

  "Could be the cat's out of the bag." The bleakness in DJ's eyes tugged at Mac's heart. Was that the fear DJ lived with, that his status as a clone may become known?

  "Or it could be someone mad at me. Or Sam. Or even Blair. I've lived with the fact that Sam and Blair are targets because of me for years. You're now under my roof, and look enough like me, to place you in the same category."

  "Ian's just a baby."

  "Yeah, but Sam and I agreed that we won't have Ian shut away just because there might be a problem. We want him to have a normal life. Besides, this might be something totally different. Did you see anything suspicious besides the van?"

  "No, but I don't know the neighborhood." DJ coughed again.

  Mac squeezed his shoulder. "Okay, we'll have Jesse check you over again, then we'll get you home and in bed."

  "Travis? Is he really old enough to be a doctor?"

  Mac laughed. "Yes, Jesse is older than he looks and a doctor. He's been great working out Cory's little problems."

  DJ nodded, obviously catching the reference to Cory's senses. "We need a game plan."

  "And we'll work one out. But now you need to rest."

  * * *

  December 20, 1:00 a.m., Cascade, WA

  Blair Sandburg ran hard, chasing a burglar down a dark alley. The black-clad man climbed up and over the brick wall at the end. Blair scaled the wall after him, quickly regaining his momentum as he landed gracefully on the other side. Another burst of speed allowed Blair to tackle the suspect. The pair tumbled across the pavement and over a curb. The man struggled face down beneath him, nearly bucking off the gasping detective. Blair swore under his breath. Then none too gently, he yanked the man's arm behind his back.

  "What part of 'Freeze, Police', don't you understand?" he wheezed as he slapped on the handcuffs.

  "You're the one who said we can't just shoot 'em," Jim Ellison huffed as he walked up, his own suspect already cuffed and looking at him anxiously.

  "I may have to rethink that policy." Blair finished and hauled his prisoner to his feet. The man began to struggle, then froze when he spotted Jim's glare and gun.

  "Now you freeze," Blair declared with disgust. Jim mirandized their quarry as they walked the pair back to where their backup was waiting. Once the suspects were safely stowed into the patrol car, Jim turned and studied his partner. "You okay?"

  Blair was bent over his knees, hands on his thighs. "Oh, yeah."

  Jim wordlessly pointed at the bloody tear in Blair's flannel shirt.

  Blair turned his head to look. "Ah, man, I liked this shirt."

  "At least those two are out of our hair, except for the paperwork." Jim led his partner back to his truck, where he pulled out the first aid kit. Jim glanced at his watch before taking Blair's arm. "Looks like you may be able to catch the early flight after all, Chief."

  Blair smiled as he winced. "Cool. I need a break, man. We both do."

  Jim helped Blair take off the ruined shirt so he could see the wound. "Doesn't look too deep. Mostly scrapes." As he picked up the disinfectant, Jim added, "You sure this is going to be a restful break? You know how vacations with your family tend to go bad." He squirted the liquid over the broken skin.

  Blair hissed. "We'll be fine. Are you sure you won't get into any trouble?"

  A slow smile stretched across Jim's face. "A week alone with my wife? There won't be any trouble I can't handle." He squeezed antibiotic cream over his partner's arm.

  Blair smiled, too. "Yeah, well, Amanda's got my cell phone number, just in case."

  Jim neatly taped a gauze pad in place. "Kinda late to call Mac."

  Blair glanced at his own watch. "That's okay. I just left a message on the answering machine this afternoon, so I don't know if they got it. If there's no one there to pick me up, I'll just grab a cab to the firehouse." He climbed into the truck's passenger seat as Jim closed the kit and walked to the other side. Once his partner started the truck, Blair continued, "With luck, we'll have the paperwork done in t
ime for me to finish packing and get to the airport."

  Jim briefly took his eyes off the road to look at his partner. "You need a ride?"

  Blair waved him off. "Get some extra cuddle time with Amanda. I'll be fine."

  "You call me once you get there?"

  "Yes, Mother Hen."

  Blair ducked the swat Jim sent in his direction.

  * * *

  December 20, 8:30 am, MacGyver's Firehouse

  Sam rubbed his face with his hands as he walked towards the kitchen. He paused in the doorway. Ian was chattering away as MacGyver was pouring cereal into a bowl. Another wave of relief washed over him. After yesterday's events, he was so thankful Ian was safe. He was really starting to get why his father freaked out whenever he or Blair were in danger. While his head knew that he could not be with Ian all the time, his heart knew that failing to protect his small son could destroy him. Yet dwelling on that potential loss would only make him paranoid and a poor father. Sam pushed it to the back of his mind where it belonged.

  He walked into the kitchen. Ian turned to him, a big smile on his face. "Hi, Daddy!"

  "Good morning, Buddy." He paused a moment for Ian's hug, then continued on his way to the coffee pot. "How you doing this morning?"

  "I good," Ian declared, kicking his feet. "Grandpa says I get to stay home today!"

  Mug full, Sam turned to smile indulgently at his son. "That's because it's Saturday, Buddy."

  Mac nodded as he poured the blender's creamy green contents into a glass. "It's a good day to get things done."

  Sam's eyes narrowed a moment. He knew that look. His father was going to double check the firehouse's security, to make sure DJ and Ian would remain safe here. Sam couldn't blame him. Until they knew who tried to abduct the kids and why, a little paranoia might be a good thing.

  "Good morning," Cory greeted as he entered the kitchen. He ruffled Ian's hair. "Everybody up but DJ?"

  "Figured he needs the extra sleep," Mac replied.

  Sam and Cory exchanged looks as Cory headed for the toaster. DJ had been too quiet. While Sam didn't know what was going on in the head of Double Jack, he could make a pretty good guess. The worst had happened to O'Neill. Sam realized a long time ago that the wounds of that loss ran deep within the older man. Thus it would effect DJ's actions, too. The kidnap attempt had to bother him, especially with Ian looking so much like Charlie. He would have to keep an eye on his older/younger cousin.

  DJ chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. Yawning, he wandered over to the coffee pot as he waved at the other members of the household. MacGyver lowered his glass of health drink and lifted an eyebrow. "You know, that crud Sam's drinking really isn't good for you."

  "And that glass of slime is?" DJ asked, sending a pointed stare at the green liquid as he poured himself of cup of coffee.

  Sam smirked as he turned to the cupboard. He was all too familiar with this argument, though he was glad someone else was fighting it for a change.

  "This has proteins and vitamins without a lot of fat or sugar."

  "Fat and sugar are my two favorite food groups."

  Sam barely held back a snicker. While he had to set a good example for Ian, that didn't mean he didn't privately agree with DJ.

  "You need good nutrition for your growing body, Jack."

  "I need energy and vitamins. Both of which are in here," DJ declared, waving the box of Cheerios in the air.

  Before Mac could continue, an alarm shot through the air. Everyone jumped. "What in Hell is that?" DJ demanded.

  "The security alarm, and no swearing in front of the munchkin," Sam shot back, grabbing a baseball bat from next to the counter.

  "It's the front door," Cory announced to the room at large, drawing his Ka-Bar from his belt.

  MacGyver pointed at DJ, then Ian. "You two stay here." DJ frowned, then glanced at the boy holding his hands over his ears. He didn't protest when the three tallest members of the household headed for the door.

  Just inside, a curly haired man was cursing to himself and frantically trying to disengage the alarm. Sam lowered the bat and tapped his shoulder. "Blair?" he yelled over the alarm.

  His brother turned to wave a hand at him. "Hey, Sam," he shouted back. "Did you change the code?"

  "Yes," Mac replied, pushing past Blair. He pressed his thumb against the pad and punched a couple of buttons. The alarm was silenced. Cory quickly pulled out his cell and hit speed dial.

  "I thought you couldn't make the flight?" Sam asked, giving his brother a hug.

  "We caught the burglars last night," Blair answered before getting a hug from his dad. Then he waved at Cory's knife. "What's with all the hardware?"

  As Cory closed his cell and put the knife away, Sam led them back to the kitchen. "There was an abduction attempt on Ian and DJ yesterday."

  "What?" Blair exclaimed as he entered the kitchen.

  "Unca Bear!" Ian shouted. He jumped off the chair to run to his favorite uncle.

  "Hey, Buddy." Blair knelt down to give Ian a tight hug. "How's it going?"

  "Good. I don't have to go to daycare today, cuz it's Satday." Ian told his uncle. "Can we play?"

  "You bet we can."

  Sam frowned as he noticed how slowly Blair stood up. His brother looked exhausted. Before Sam could say anything, Blair spotted DJ. "Hello?"

  "Blair, this is Jack Nielsen," Mac introduced.

  "Hi, Jack."

  "We're calling him DJ," Cory added helpfully.

  Blair studied the teen, then slowly turned to glare at his father. "Another one?"

  Sam snorted. Cory and DJ simply looked confused. Mac glared back. "He's not mine."

  "Sure?"

  Mac crossed his arms. "Jack's sort of responsible for this one."

  "No, I'm not," Jack retorted, finally figuring out the conversation.

  Before things could get out of hand, Sam interrupted, "Blair, are you okay?"

  Blair shrugged a shoulder, then winced. "Just tired and sore. I think I stiffened up on the airplane."

  "What happened?" Mac asked.

  "No biggie, Dad." Blair replied as he helped Ian back into his chair. He smiled, trying to ease the worry in Mac's eyes. "Just a little banged up chasing bad guys."

  "You chased a bad guy?" Ian bounced in his chair. "Did you get 'im?"

  "I sure did." Seeing the frown was still on Mac's face, Blair assured him, "Honest, I'm okay. And I've learned that tackling bad guys on pavement's a bad idea."

  Hiding his own concern, Sam draped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Why don't we get you set up in my room, and then you can tell us about it." Then Sam leaned towards Blair's ear. "And I can update you on what's going on here."

  Blair nodded as he looked down into Ian's eager eyes. "Sounds like a plan."

  * * *

  Five hours later

  Blair sighed as the hot water hit his sore shoulders. While he felt more alive after a four hour nap in Sam's bed, his body was still stiff and aching from the tackle.

  Grabbing his shampoo, Blair allowed his mind to wander as he thought about what Sam had told him. Once he got over the sheer jump in technology it would take to produce a clone and fill it with someone's memories, he could see the exciting possibilities. The scientist in him would love to ask DJ tons of questions. On the other hand, considering the clone was Jack O'Neill, he probably would be even less enthused to answer than Jim. The pseudo kid had enough to deal with and Blair had matured enough not to want to stress him further by asking questions. Besides, there was a good chance that Mini-Jack could punch as hard as the original.

  Blair tried a moment to think of himself in a teenage body. The thought of starting over had some appeal. There were certainly a lot of mistakes he'd like to undo and things he would like to try that he missed as a teen. Yet starting over meant losing what he had worked so hard to gain. He had a job that he believed in and the respect of a group who gave it grudgingly. More important, he had the trust and respect of a partner who was as
close as a brother to him. He had come a long way from the diss disaster, though it had nearly cost him everything.

  From DJ's perspective, he had lost even more than Blair had. DJ didn't even get the respect accorded to the regular adult male, let alone an Air Force Colonel. Blair couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must be. Yet from what Sam had said, he was doing the best he could to start a new life. Blair was willing to help him in any way he could. After all, in a weird way he was family.

  If Blair had learned anything from Jim, it was to pick out the most important thing to concentrate on and worry about the rest later. Admittedly, they didn't always agree on what that was, but Blair suspected they would in this instance. The most important thing was the abduction attempt and prevention of another one.

  The potential list of suspects and motives ranged from scary to terrifying. Every parent's nightmare was a kidnapping by a stranger with perverted motives. Yet if the target was Ian, it would have been easier to grab him while he was running around the park, not as he was walking with DJ. There was also the slight possibility that a teenager could be a target of a pervert. However, the fact that there were at least three people involved shouted to Blair that it was probably more complicated than just a simple stranger abduction.

  Was it someone who had a grudge against the family and wanted to use Ian to get at them? Between Mac, Sam and himself, the enemy list was huge, but they could whittle it down. He knew Mac already had the Phoenix resources checking former foes, but perhaps Blair could help. Then again, Jim and Cory had also made enemies, and Ian would be a good pawn to hurt them as well. He would have to call Jim.

  On the other hand, what if the target was DJ? While Blair knew the whole Stargate program was over and beyond classified, it still was government. He had grown up listening to government conspiracy theories at Naomi's knee. It wasn't a stretch to believe in conflicts between agencies and the need to obtain power through new technologies. He felt it was a tribute to Jack O'Neill and General Hammond that the SGC hadn't already been taken over by the more unsavory elements. So, could someone know that DJ was a clone and want to take him to study? It was possible. Could someone simply connect DJ to the Stargate program and want to check him out on principle? That was possible, too. If they did capture DJ, would they find anything other than a teenage male with a potentially shaky immune system? Blair didn't know. The only thing Blair could see that might give it away would be the identical DNA between the two Jacks, and that required the original Jack's for the comparison. Everything else could be explained by family lineage.