Title: Shelter of Love
Author:  Nubiangeek
Summary:  MacGyver finds love with a romance writer.
Rating: PG

    "MacGyver, we've just gained possession of a very powerful rocket fuel.  What I need from you, is to test it to make sure it does everything we think it will."  MacGyver was in Pete's office with the report in his hands.  It seemed simple enough.  He was already formulating how he would conduct the tests.
    "I'll get right on it,  Pete."
    Mac spent the rest of the day working on the rocket fuel.  He was tired when he went home that evening.
     "Hi."  He said cheerily to the woman.
     Flustered,  the woman dropped the many boxes that she was trying to carry.
      "I'm moving into that houseboat there."  She was pointing at the houseboat next to Mac's.
     "Oh,  we're going to be neighbors."  she smiled.
    "My name is Eileen Wiley."  She held out her hand precariously balancing a box in the other hand.
     "MacGyver.  You can call me Mac."  He shook her hand.
    
    Mac spent the rest of the afternoon helping Eileen.
    "Thank you for help.  I wish I could offer you dinner as a thank you,  but I'm not unpacked yet."  Mac could tell that she was flirting.  He liked it.
    "Well, my kitchen is functional,  would you like to have dinner with me?"  
    Eileen smiled again.  He loved that smile.
    It was a wonderful evening.  Mac and Eileen ended up going shopping together and fixing dinner together.  It was fun.  they laughed and joked and even had a small food fight.
    "So,  what makes you want to live on a houseboat?"  Mac knew what his own reasons were, but he was curious what other people's reasons were.
     "I'm a writer.  A romance writer."  Eileen watched his reaction.  She loved watching guys' reactions when she told them that she was a romance writer.  MacGyver's little smirk told her that what she needed to know.
    "Have you ever read any romances?" Mac chuckled.
    "No,  I can't say that I have."  They were sitting in the living room.
    "I'm a teacher during the schoolyear and write full-time during the summer.  That's why I moved to the boat - to write."
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    "So,  how are you planning to get what I want?"
    "My sister is taking care of it.  She will get us what we want."  The man did not seem convinced.
     "Look,  I guarantee that she can get what we want."
    "She'd better come through or you and she are dead."
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     "Hi, Dennis."  Eileen greeted her brother warmly.  She had been busy unpacking and now the boat looked more like a home.
    "Who helped you move all this stuff in?"  A big smile came across Eileen's face.
    "His name is MacGyver.  He lives next door."  she continued to smile as if she had a secret.
    "This MacGyver must be special."  Everything was going according to plan.
    "We had dinner.  He's a nice guy."  Dennis returned the smile.  He couldn't let her know what was going on.
    "I knew that there was some kind of cop that lives next door.  I thought that you'd be safe."  Eileen rolled her eyes.  Dennis was always trying to protect her.
    "He's not a cop.  He works for something called the Phoenix Foundation."
    "Oh,  well, he should be able to give you interesting plot ideas."
    They exchanged more pleasantries before Dennis left.
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    "Hi,  I wanted to return your invitation.  Would you like to come to dinner?"  Mac had been thinking about Eileen ever since their first date.  He couldn't get the kiss out of his thought.
    They had been saying goodnight.  She looked so beautiful in the moonlight.  her eyes shining in the darkness.  He took her face in his hands and started kissing her.  She responded with as much passion as he.  Mac usually went a little slower when it came to women,  but there was something about Eileen that made him want her.
    "Eileen . . ." He could barely speak.  He took her lips again, He wanted to stop,  but he couldn't.  He was falling fast.
    "Mac,  you're moving a little too fast."  Mac knew that they were moving too fast.  He was glad that she had the good sense to stop them.
    "I know.  Look, can I see you tomorrow?"  She smiled.  She knew that Mac wasn't a wolf.  He had just gotten caught up.
    "Yes, of course."
    Now he was standing at her door.  He knew from what went on last night, that things could get out of hand very quickly.  He'd have to talk to her about it.
    "Hi."  He had bought  flowers which really impressed Eileen.
    "Come on in.  I've been working all day unpacking.  Then I went grocery shopping so that I could prepare the perfect meal.  I even watched Martha Stewart so that I could get it right."
    He knew that she wasn't bragging,  she was just trying to let him know how much she cared.
    "It smells great.  Spaghetti?"
    "Linguini with clam sauce."  MacGyver's mouth was watering already.
    "Uh - Eileen,  there's something that I need to talk to you about."  Eileen wiped her hands on the dish towel and went to join Mac in the living room.
    "sure,  what is it?"  She sat next to him on the couch.
    "I got a little carried away last night.  I'm sorry."  Eileen hadn't expected that.  She knew that he was a gentleman,  but she never thought that he would do this.
    "Its okay.  I mean,  I know that you had gotten carried away. I knew that  it was probably not your style."  Mac took her hand in his and patted it.
    "I told you that just so, you know,  in case I get carried away again."  His eyes locked with hers.  They both knew that he would
get carried away again.  He kissed her hand never taking his eyes off of her.
    Just then, the buzzer went off.
    "Food's done."  She was still looking at him.  She kissed his hand and got up to take care of dinner.
    He couldn't remember ever feeling this way about any other girl.  He could hardly believe that it was him.  I mean,  he had just met this girl.
    "I hope you're hungry.  I didn't know if you were a big eater or not."
    Mac got up and went over to the dining room.
    "It really smells good."  That pleased her.  She wasn't the best cook, so she was a little nervous about the meal.
    She watched him eat.  he liked it.  She was pleased.
     "So,  tell me about the book you're working on right now."  She was glad that he at least acted like he was interested.
    "Well,  I have the romance stuff all thought out.  I'm having trouble with the plot.  Do you think I could pick your brain a little."  Mac looked surprised.
    "I guess.  What do you want to know?"  
    Eileen went on to explain how she was looking for some sort of crime to go in her story.  MacGyver ended up telling her about his latest case.
    "Well,  we recently obtained a formula for rocket fuel. . . ."
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    Mac had given Eileen a good plot to go with her story.  The next day as she was doing her scheduled writing, Dennis stopped.  Boy,  he was becoming awfully chummy lately.
    "Hey Sis, how's it going.  Oh,  are you working?"  It wasn't that she wasn't glad to see her brother,  it's just that it was hard enough making herself work on such  a beautiful day and she had to get three chapters to her agent by Friday.
    "That's okay,  come on in."  They made some small talk,  Dennis didn't want to appear too anxious,  and then he started asking her questions.
    "So,  did you ask that MacGyver guy to help you with plot ideas?"  Eileen looked surprised.  She had forgotten that it had originally been Dennis' idea to have her ask MacGyver for plot ideas.
    "Oh yeah,  he gave me a really good idea about this rocket fuel that they have."
    "Oh,  really.  Tell me about your story."  Eileen told him everything including everything that Mac had told her.
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    Mac and Pete were in the lab testing the rocket fuel.  It was working out better than either of them had hoped.  They were glad that their guys were able to obtain it from the 'bad guys'.  They could have sold it to the highest bidder or used it themselves for evil.  If used correctly,  this formula might lead to an environmentally safe fuel for automobiles.  The possibilities were endless.
    "So Mac,  did you want to watch the game tonight?"  Mac felt bad about  it,  but he already had plans.
    "Your date likes baseball?"
    "Sure does."  Pete thought, wow, how lucky can you get?
    Mac was bringing the pizza and Eileen was providing the soda.  The Twins were playing the Yankees and Eileen found herself torn.  Mac was,  of course,  rooting for the Twins and Eileen was a life-long Yankees fan.
    Mac felt extremely comfortable.  He was sitting with a woman who was not only beautiful,  but also loved baseball. Mac shared Pete's sentiment,  he sure was lucky.
    "He was out!"  Mac laughed as Eileen got into the game.
    It was a very comfortable evening.
   Mac kept thinking about what it would be like to have Eileen totally in his life - a real part of it.  They were sitting now - entwined with their arms around each other.
    He didn't know what made him do it;  maybe it was the line of thought he was having.  He took her face in his hands and started kissing her.
    She gave into the kiss,  relaxing and letting him explore her mouth with his tongue.  It was too much.
   "Eileen . . . I want you."  She didn't know what to do.  She wanted him, too, but she was afraid.  She wasn't afraid of him,  she was afraid of loosing control.
    She returned his kiss fervently.  He had his answer.  He picked her up and headed for the bedroom.
    He took the band from her hair and let her hair fall onto her shoulders.  She was beautiful.  he plowed his fingers through her hair.
    She was shuddering at his touch.  It was now her turn to touch him.  She slowly started unbuttoning his shirt.  it took a lot,  but Mac remained still as she finished unbuttoning his shirt.
    Now it was his turn to shudder.  As she began running her fingers over his chest.  He couldn't control himself any longer.  he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
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    "So,  who won the game last night?"  Pete asked.  Mac looked a little embarrassed.
    "Uh - I don't know."  Pete started to ask,  but thought better of it.  So,  instead he asked, "So, this girl that you're seeing,  what's like?"  Mac smiled.  Pete was no dummy.
    "She's great."  Mac could tell that Pete wanted more than just this.   
    " Okay,  I'm falling in love with her.  Is that what you want to hear?"  Pete smiled.
    "Only if it's the truth."  Mac thought about it.  He had been thinking about it for a long time.
    "It's true.  I think I'm falling in love with her." It was as if he were finally admitting it to himself.
     Eileen was working on her story.  Mac had given her some information about what they were doing with the rocket fuel.  The last thing that he had told her was that there were going to be moving the rocket fuel to another facility.
    "So,  you'll be finished working with it?"  Mac had nodded.
    "Yeah,  after tomorrow I'll be looking for a new project."
    Dennis came over that evening just like clock work.
    "Hey,  how's the book coming, Sis?"  Eileen was really happy because she ha finished her first three chapters and the synopsis for the rest of the book.  So,  she was happy to share what she had written with her brother.
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    "What?" Mac couldn't believe it.
    "The truck carrying the rocket fuel was hijacked a few minutes ago."  Pete told him.
    "That's crazy.  No one knew anything about it, right Mac?"  Mac was getting ready to answer when he thought about something.
    "Oh, no. . . "  Pete watched as Mac's face fell.
    "Mac,  you didn't tell anyone did you?"  Mac looked horrible.
    "There's something I have to do, Pete."
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    Eileen was still working on her book when Mac knocked on the door.  He hoped to God that he was wrong.
    "Hi Mac,  what are you doing here?  Why aren't you at work?" Something terrible had happened; she could tell.
    "What's happened?"  He was trying to figure out if Eileen had been behind this terrible thing.  He had thought about it all the way there.  he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
    "Please, tell me you had nothing to do with it."  It was more a prayer request than a plea to her.
    "Mac,  I don't know what you're talking about.  What has happened?"  he wanted to believe her,  but the evidence was stacked against her.
    "What did you do with the information that I gave you - about the rocket fuel."  She was surprised.  She had thought that it was something really terrible.
    "Here,  I put it in my story just like I said I would."  Mac looked at the pages.
    "Did you tell anyone about the rocket fuel?"  Eileen shook her head.
    "No,  I didn't tell anyone.  What's happened?"
     "The truck carrying the rocket fuel was hijacked today."  
     "I'm sorry about that but, I promise I didn't tell anyone."  Eileen realized how serious things were and her eyes started to tear up.  He took her into his arms and stroked her hair.
    "It's alright.  I guess we'll have to look somewhere else for the leak."
    He kissed the top of her head and then kissed her mouth.  He should be feeling better about things,  but there was something still nagging him.
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    "So, was she the leak?"  Pete knew exactly what was going on.
     "No, I don't think so."
    "You don't know for sure?"  He didn't.
    "Pete,  I don't know what I'm going to do if Eileen is mixed up with this.  I really like this girl."  Mac was almost in tears.  Pete could tell that he really cared about this girl.
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    "Well Wiley,  our operation was a success except for one little loose end.  Kill her."  Dennis looked at him in disbelief.
    "What,  you want me to kill my own sister?"  The man smiled.  
    "If you don't kill her,  I'm going to kill you."
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    Eileen was working furiously on her book. She had been given a new deadline for her book.  As she was working,  she kept thinking about what Mac had told her.  She hadn't told anybody about the rocket fuel, but she had let Dennis read her manuscript.
    "Oh, my God!"  Just then,  there was a knock on the door.
    "Come in."
    It was Mac.  Eileen turned around and he could see the tears in her eyes.  His worst fears were coming true.
    "Eileen. . ."  She could see tears in Mac's eyes.  She knew what he must be thinking.
    "Mac, I need to talk to you."  He came over and sat down.  
    "i wasn't lying to you when I said that I hadn't told anyone.  When I was working on my book today,  I realized that my brother read my manuscript."  He could see the pain in her eyes realizing that her brother was caught up in this.  He came over and took her in his arms.
    "He's the one that bought this houseboat for me probably so that I could get to know you.  I played right into his hands."
    He held her.  He was so happy that she wasn't involved.
    "Eileen,  there's something I've been meaning to tell you."  He took her face into his hands and looked straight into her eyes.
    "I love you."  It was such a shock to her that  she jumped.  
    "I just didn't expect. . .I love you, too."
    Mac couldn't remember ever being this happy.  Oh, he had girlfriends in the past, but they all paled in comparison to this.  He was brought back to reality by Eileen saying, "Oh Mac, I'm so happy. It's like I'm living one of my romances."  He saw the tears in her eyes.  he knew that she wasn't just trying to live out a fantasy with him.
    He kissed her softly at first and then harder.  He made up his mind of what he would do.
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    The next day at work, Mac told Pete what he planned to do.
    "You're serious,  aren't you?"  Mac nodded.
    "More serious than I've ever been.  Mac was holding the ring that he planned on giving to Eileen that night.  Pete had always wondered what kind of woman it would take to make MacGyver give a woman a ring.
    "So,  when do I get to meet the future Mrs. MacGyver?"  Mac smiled and looked a little nervous.
    ""She's gotta say 'yes' first."
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    "Hi, Dennis."  She was nervous, but she didn't want Dennis to know that she knew about him.
    "Eileen,  I want you to come with me."  She started to panic.
    "I've got a lot of work to do here and Mac will be. . ."  She was going to say 'Mac was coming for dinner', but she didn't want Dennis to know that.
    "This Mac,  did you tell him about me?"  Eileen didn't say anything,  but the fear in her eyes said it all.
    "Dennis, please don't hurt Mac.  He doesn't know anything.  I didn't tell him anything."
   She was backing away and knocked over a stack of books.  Dennis grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the door.  As Dennis was trying to push Eileen into the car,  MacGyver pulled up.  As Dennis pulled off,  Mac followed them.
    "You'd better get rid of him or he's dead."  Eileen tried to signal Mac to back off.  She knew that he wouldn't.
    In desperation, Dennis started firing out of the window at Mac.  Eileen shoved into Dennis catching him off-guard and causing him to drop the gun.  Dennis hit her hard which caused him to lose control of the car.
    The car slammed into a pole and stopped.
     "Eileen!"  Mac yelled as he ran to the car.  As he pulled her out of the car,  Mac prayed that she was alive.
    "Mac. . ." she held onto him.  He looked her over carefully to make sure that she was okay.  She had a bruise where Dennis had hit her and a cut on her forehead where she had hit the dashboard.
    "You're okay."  It was more of affirmation for him instead of for her.
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    Eileen was in the hospital.  Dennis was dead.
    "Are you MacGyver?" The doctor asked when he came into the waiting area.
    "Yes..."  MacGyver looked terrible as he thought of what might be wrong with Eileen.
    "She's been asking for you."
    Mac slowly pushed the door open.
    "Mac. . ."  She was smiling.  Everything was okay now.
    "There's something I need to ask you."  Mac went over to the bed and sat down.  He then took out the ring container.  he had thought long and hard about what he was about to do.
    "Will you marry me?" Eileen was surprised and shocked.  She saw the ring and still had trouble believing.
    "Y-Yes,  I want to marry you."  He smiled.  he hadn't been sure of her reaction and her answer.
    "Hey, if I'm going to Mrs. MacGyver,  don't you think I ought to know what your first name is?"
    Mac just smiled.

    Author's notes: I was going to add a song reference in the story, but I forgot. So, I decided to put it here. Because of all the music references in this piece, I thought that it would be appropriate to add a song that reminds me of it. The song is by Rachel Lampa who is is a Christian singer and it is called "Hide Me"