AN: This is what happened after the beautiful episode: curtian call S2.23. It is not about the action. But it's a about THE TEAM.

"Hold on, Murdock, you're going to be fine."

BA sat at his left side. Hannibal constantly checked his pols.

They were barely escaped from Decker's enclosed trap. The Van drove at full speed on the road as quickly as possible to disappear into the wide world. Boy, they were really lucky this time. As if God had helped them a little, this time. Maybe they deserved it.

Face was the one sitting behind the wheel, with Tawnia next to him. There was a great tension between them all. A tension that the wounded teammate on the floor usually took care of. So Face decided to take on the task.

"Whoa ... that was really ... I mean really close! Did you see the face of Decker when we drove away like that! Precious!"

With his big masked smile he looked through the rearview mirror to his colonel. His smile disappeared almost immediately when he saw that the colonel had his eyes fixed on the banded face on the very silent Murdock. He saw the seriousness and concern on both faces. BA and Hannibal looked sad. Those eyes were darkened by fear. And Face started to wonder. Would Murdock gonna be alright? Wasn't he too weak to be moved? Was he ever gonna see him smile again? Face blinked and turned his glassy gaze back onto the road again.

Tawnia sighed and looked at Face with a soft smile. See saw the watery eyes and felt bad for him.

"Face, if you want I can take over the wheel. Then you can go to him." She wanted to say more but didn't because she knew she only made Face more uncomfortable.

"Oh well, Tawnia, we will not do that. BA is very picky on who may or may not get behind the wheel. Just stay put, Sweatheart. Although it's very kind of you."

Tawnia shrugged and peered ones again into the backseat.

The black Van began to drive a little faster.

"... Hn ... Hann ... i ..." a muffled whisper sounded.

"Where am I supposed to go, away? Just as far away as possible or directly to Murdock's room? I mean ... Decker and his men will undoubtedly go check on him after this stunt."

"Hann…" Finally the colonel noticed the soft voice and smiled in relieve.

"Shh Face ... I think I hear him say something," Hannibal interrupted in a sudden voice filled with tenderness. Immediately everyone was silent, while Hannibal leaned over to get as close as possible to the face of Murdock as he could. Eager to hear his voice again.

"What did you say, kid?"

It took a while for Hannibal to get a response. Murdock moved his head slightly, in the flaccid pillow where he was lying on. But finally he spoke again.

"B. .. Blind ..." he said.

His broken small voice was muffled by the bandage on his face that covered everything except his nose. They fooled Decker that it was in fact Face who was wounded during a job. Only to keep their most valuable secret weapon unrevealed.

BA and Hannibal couldn't resist to smile. They looked at each other quickly.

That poor man had lost consciousness when Hannibal had started to stitch up the shoulderwound and banded his face for that matter. He obviously had no idea what had happened in the meantime at all.

BA gave the man a pat on his good shoulder and bowed himself to the ear of Murdock.

"Of course you aren't blind, silly. You can't see anything because we had covered your face with bandages for Decker."

He began to fidget carefully on the bandage to free him. Hannibal was on the other side and hold up his captains head while looking back at Tawnia.

"He's fine," he said with a convincing smile. Tawnia sighed relieved. From the rearview mirror Face and Hannibal's shared a relieved look.

"There… Better, fool?" BA asked softer than the team was used to. He watched the pilot stirr in confusion. He still had some fever to break. But he looked a little better. Well… Better was a big word for it.

The white face of Murdock was clammy with sweat and the black edges around his eyes revealed his weakness. His bloodshot eyes were betraying his still too high fever. But he was able to give his friend a reassuring nod. So BA felt a little better and smiled at him and fondly squeezed his shoulder.

"Good."

It seemed that the wounded man fell back asleep. But his eyes opened again and peered through the shocking, buzzing environment. The familiar smell of the Van let his shoulders relax.

"A-are ... w-we... gone?"

BA frowned.

"What? We already get started with all these crazy talk?" He looked at the Murdocktranslator-Face who seemed to developed some kind of brotherly bound for the captain. He always knows what the man was talking about. And that came always to handy.

Face looked simultaneously through the rearview mirror at the big man with the mohawk.

"Yes, Murdock. We're off. We are gone in the wind. Away from the big scary Decker and his green buddies. Hang in there, okay." Face called over his shoulder.

Again the weak pilot fluttered his eyes shut. The road was getting bumpy from under the thick Van tires. And he shuddered in pain that drove though his battered shoulder. A new sheen of sweat was coating his pale face. But he didn't moan. He stayed strong for his friends.

Face approached an intersection. There were three ways. And all three looked deserted.

'Hannibal? What do you think? '

Hannibal had a cigar from his jacket removed but not to put him on in the presence of the injured pilot. Instead he nervously chewed on it. They were always still on a high risk for a second catch of Decker. So he thought for a moment.

Meanwhile, the Van had stopped. And Face is was now fully turned to his colonel.

"Well ... Drive back is not an option. I certainly know that for sure. That's a start, right?"

Hannibal smiled at Face's serious face. He looked never that serious. Probably there was no mask left for moments like this with the horrific events like today. An injured team member in their midst. And almost caught by Decker. The adrenalin had never stopped running through his veins.

"I say left," the colonel decided.

Face blinked.

"Are you sure? Or is it just a guess?"

"Well ... It is more like a gut feeling ." Hannibal laughed and played with his cigar.

At those words BA growled disapprovingly.

"Hannibal ... Stop listening to your gut feelings and use your brains for ones."

"Okay ... then we have to go right," Hannibal smiled at BA and enjoyed his timidity.

Face bit his lip and shook his head as he looked at Tawnia. And all of the sudden she had a map of the entire area in here hands, and studied it carefully. Face frowned in surprise.

"Straight ahead, and you will come to a village. Left and right ends at a grain field. "

Now all faces focused on Hannibal. Hannibal turned his cigar between his teeth and shrugged.

"Straight ahead, then." he said indifferently. But Face could see that his indifference was largely played. It was all about teasing BA. As always.

BA sigh and shook his head while letting on that he was sick and tired of the ways the colonel made these choices. He didn't trust him one bit. But inwardly he did. With his life, actually.

As the Van began to drive again Hannibal was sitting in one of the chairs and peered over Tawnia's shoulders.

BA had installed himself close to Murdock again and heard Hannibal and Face ask Tawnia where the card came from. She said with a smile that they were not the only ones who were good at the job. And she was telling them gladly why she was a good journalist. And that you must have some sort of skills to be able to get things done in here job, too.

The injured pilot slept superficial and occasionally opened his eyes. When he noticed that BA was bending over him, he tried to grin.

"Y-you worry ... worry about. Me? I-I ... didn't ... know… " stammered Murdock weak and stopped halfway through his sentence when he noticed that BA uncomfortably looked around to see if nobody had heard that. Then BA's eyes wandered back to the weak man. He again smiled back.

"Sure, buddy. Who else am I gonna punch if there is something I don't like." He did everything to uphold his reputation. But Murdock was not that crazy. He nodded satisfied at the sight of a friendly face. He just sighed and fell asleep again. With a smile on his white clammy face.

End

AN: What do you think? Let me know :)