Murdock's advice

Rating K

So I have hit a bit of a writers block, I went out tonight with some friends and spent 80 percent of my night giving advice.. So on my way home it got me to thinking, What if team members called Murdock for advice on an individual basis. Because he is such an open honest person. Maybe they would come to him with their personal problems. So I am gonna see where it leads. Hang in with me ….

Face's call.

It had been a few weeks since the last job, Murdock was bored. He called his best friend's number.

"Hello Peck Ad Agency.." Templeton Peck answered.

"Hey Face, how's it going pal."Murdock said with a grin

"Hey Murdock , pretty busy, how's things with you" Face asked, He was happy to hear his friends cheery voice.

"Awe you know me ..driving all the docs and nurses crazy just like me." Murdock laughed

"Hey buddy are you gonna be up later? Probably around 11, I have a date but I need some advice."

"For you Facey I will be up at 4 am, What ever you need. You OK?"He asked with concern

"Yea I think I am, just need some advice..." Face's voice trailed off. It was a rare thing that the handsome conman asked for any advice and for him to give his friend a heads up that he would be calling meant it was super serious.

"Well I will be here when you need to talk Muchacho." Murdock said goodbye and hung up. He couldn't stop his mind from thinking about what had his friend so spun up. Murdock played a video game till his phone rang. He jumped on his bed and grabbed the receiver.

"Face?" Murdock said his voice confident it was his friend on the other end. It was 11 pm sharp.

"Hi Murdock." his voice seemed unsure. Murdock and Face had been best friends since NAM, they were inseparable since they met. Even with Face's fugitive status, Murdock and Face were together 60 percent of the time. Just scamming and teasing each other just like Nam.

"What's on your mind buddy?" Murdock asked gently. Face could picture his friend laying on his bed all attention given to the phone.

"Well it's about the girl I have been dating..I really like her and I haven't felt this way since Leslie ." Face told his friend. Leslie was his collage sweetheart, His first and last love until he met Dominique. He liked her so much that he had stopped trying to con her. She knew him as Templeton, she also knew about his time in the orphanage. He was pretty much honest with her but she didn't know about his legal status. He was so relaxed around her. He only felt that way when he was with the team. They accepted him for who he was.

"Sounds like your in love my friend. If your happy than we will be happy. Ya know how BA and Hannibal feel about you. Now do you trust her?" Murdock asked

" I do, Murdock I don't know why, but there is just something about her that tells me she wouldn't turn me in."Face told his friend with all honesty.

"Face, All I can tell you here in this moment is enjoy this time. We all need a support system, You have never really had that. I know the Father and the Nuns were there when you were young, and then you had us, but its not the same as the religious figures from the orphanage, or even us .."Murdock paused

"Our bond was forged in war.. Which is different than a normal bond, if ya know what I mean. We love each other as brothers absolutely, but its not the same as love between two people outside of what we live, YA get me?"Murdock exhaled

"Yea I'm following you, So are telling me I should tell her who I really am?"

"NO , But don't con her, be yourself, cause who you are is pretty cool, you don't have to tell everything until you feel completely like you can trust her. Cause it would affect BA and Hannibal too. But if you feel like you can be yourself with her..than try. Cause who you really are is my best friend."

"Would you call Kelly and have a double date with us?" Face asked

"Sure buddy, Any chance I get to see Kelly is good with me." Murdock smiled fully when he thought of his girlfriend. Kelly and Murdock met when Murdock had been abducted by bounty hunters. They had been a couple since then. Kelly knew about the team and of Murdock's living arrangement and it didn't seem to phase her.

"You let me know when you when, and I will make it happen Face. Let me get a read on her, if she can handle me ..Anything you tell her will be easy peasy lemon squeeszy." Murdock laughed at his own joke.

"OK Murdock, don't say anything to the others, you know who they can be." Face said his tone turning dark. He loved his other team mates but they had a habit of writing off his feelings as fleeting.

"This goes no farther than us." Murdock told him. They talked for a few more minutes and hung up.

A few weeks later , B.A.'s call

Murdock had just come back from his appointment with Dr. Richter. He dodged the questions with ease about the A-team. It was getting repetitive. Every week same questions... Murdock almost wanted to tell him the truth so he'd stop asking. He had been in his room long enough to start his new Frankie goes to Hollywood album. When his phone rang. He lifted the record needle and jumped on his bed to answer his phone.

"Murdock's crematorium..You kill em we grill em" He said

"Hey Fool why you answer like that? BA asked

"BA? You never call me,Is everything alright?" Murdock couldn't help but be concerned. The burly Sargent didn't want to talk to him when they were together on a job. He never called Murdock's phone.

"Yea Everything's OK..um I need advice, Fool don't start your Jibber Jabber or I will hang up." BA felt weird enough just calling the pilot ,then to add in he was calling for advice, it was more than he could take.

"What can I help you with Big guy?" Murdock fought his grin , Him and BA had a tumultuous relationship at best. He wasn't gonna do anything to upset his friend and make him hang up.

"You and Mama have been talking right?" BA asked

"Yea , we are in contact." Murdock said, He had met BA's mom on a job, her apartment building was being overrun by thugs trying to get the tenants out. BA's mom had taken the rest of the team under her wing and treated them all like her sons including Hannibal who was actually older than her. She stayed in touch with Murdock because he was not on the run and could fill her in on how her son was doing.

"OK last time I talked to her she sounded sad... I asked her what was wrong and she wouldn't tell me." BA said

"BA I don't want to break her confidence," Murdock said seriously

"Murdock you better tell me or I will Break you.!" BA said then immediately lowered his voice and said. " sorry Murdock, Do you know what's upsetting my mamma? If you can help me out .."BA said

"BA I know she is upset about your situation, she misses you but doesn't want to say anything cause she knows how hard it is on you not being able to be there for her, she feels the same way about not being able to be there for you." Murdock said his tone soft but heartfelt. He had many conversations with Mamma Baracus about her son. He didn't ever tell her too much about what the team did. It scared him sometimes with their close calls, so he never wanted her to know how dangerous their lives actually were. But he always told her the funny stuff that happened, between him and BA mostly, or when they pushed BA to far and he retaliated against the team. It made her laugh and also made her feel like she was more included in her only child's life. If she got a bad feeling or just felt lonely she would call Murdock's number first, sometimes when she couldn't reach him then she would call the van. If she couldn't get an answer there then she would call Amy. If she couldn't get Amy then she would wait a few days then start the phone chain again. Usually she would get Murdock before anyone else. Murdock had actually thought about giving Mama, Richter's number since he could tell her if he had left the VA, and how long he had been gone.

"So that's why my mama sounded sad? I try hard Murdock to always sound upbeat when I talk to her, I really do. But when I feel down I avoid talking to her." BA said his voice sounded lost.

"BA your a good son, and you love your Mama, nothing wrong with that, she loves you too. So maybe you can let her in , tell her about your life. She is the only mom you will ever have, I wish sometimes that I still had one." Murdock's voice choked. BA knew how hard it was for the lanky Texan, Murdock's mom had passed away when he was 6, he was raised by his grandparents, and they both passed when he was in Nam. The only other teammate he knew anything about their history was Face, he was raised in an orphanage. Hannibal had never let them know anything about his past. So the team was all that Murdock and Face had and they treated the team as such.

"Your right man, I should tell her more, not the bad stuff but the good stuff." BA said.

"Like us BA ..we are good stuff, and you can tell her about Billy.." Murdock felt that his burly friend was beginning to feel to sad..so he tried to get him to laugh. Murdock hated when his friends were sad, so he tried hard to cheer them up.

BA giggled, the man never laughed he always giggled, He was such a big man and spent so much of his time being ferocious. Than anytime a laugh escaped it came out as a giggle. Murdock laughed along with his friend. As quick as the giggle came it was gone.

"I will talk to Mama more." BA said

"YA know we are friends right.." Murdock said, he knew they were but just was trying to figure out what BA was feeling.

" Your just a crazy man hearing crazy stuff." He growled into the phone. Murdock grinned

"Night Mud sucker.."

"Nite Murdock, thanks man..."BA hung up

Murdock looked at the receiver and smiled as he put it back in the cradle.

Hannibal's call

This is after Curtain Call, I know that Lease with an Option (where we were introduced to BA 's mom happened in season 4 , but I fell this call should have happened.)But BA loves his mom, Face loves women, and Hannibal loves his boys.

Murdock was carefully walking around his room, His shoulder still hurt, he had been wearing a straight jacket outside of his room, he didn't want to alert Decker of his injury. Decker knew a member of the team was injured with a shoulder wound. Hannibal had made him believe it was Face, but should he show his pain ..it would be a big neon sign to the Military man that it wasn't Face...So when he wasn't in his room he wore the jacket and fought back the pain. He had just returned from group and had the day nurse unbuckle him. He smiled at her as she left.

He sat cross legged on his bed and turned on an old I love Lucy rerun. He was immersed in the story line when he was jolted out of it by his phone.

He answered his phone with his best Ricky Ricardo intimation.

"Ello. LUCY DAT YOU" HE said

"Captain..." Hannibal said

"Hey Colonel..How ya doing Muchacho?" Murdock asked dropping the Ricky imitation and sounding all the Texan that he was.

"Calling to check you actually, you know I never did get the chance to thank you.."Hannibal's usually strong voice trailed off softly

"Thank me for what?" Murdock asked confusion clear in his tone.

"For ..You know..back there before." Hannibal couldn't bring himself to say the words

"Awe Hannibal, you don't have to thank me, you would have done the same thing" Murdock felt uncomfortable with his commanders thanks. Its what friends do, and he never thought anything about it.

"I actually should be thanking you, you saved my life."Murdock said his voice pained

"No Murdock, you saved mine, you were aware of your surroundings like always. I turned my back and distracted Face and BA, if it wasn't for you …."Hannibal's voice was choked up.

"Colonel you have saved us all, I just did what you trained me to do."

"That's not right Murdock, You put yourself in harms way to save me, and I can never make it up to you."

"Let's not dwell on it OK, you thanked me and I accept your thanks but you are making me very uncomfortable. This isn't what we do...we protect each other and move on.. OK Hannibal" Murdock felt the tears start to well in his eyes. He didn't like where this conversation was headed. To him his commander was invincible, he wasn't capable of being upset.

"So you don't blame me?" Hannibal asked his voice almost unintelligible

"No, Why would I , you didn't throw me in front of it." Murdock's voice was more serious than Hannibal had ever heard.

"Can we just let this go now Sir?" Murdock was the good soldier and hated hearing his leader this upset especially about something any other one of the team would have done for one another.

"So your feeling Alright? No problems?" Hannibal asked

"Yep all systems A OK." Murdock put a bit of glee in his voice hoping Hannibal would hear it.

"Alright Captain, then we will see you soon, gonna give you a few weeks to recoup we need our secret weapon running at peak performance." Hannibal's relief was obvious to Murdock.

"Alrighty , Murdock over and out Colonel, And Hey..." Murdock paused until he got a response.

"Yes Captain?"

"Don't ever think that we do anything you wouldn't do yourself." Murdock said and hung up.

Hannibal looked at the receiver of the phone and smiled, He knew that his friend was OK, and he knew his team would be OK as long as they stuck together.

FINI