[Disclaimer: The A-Team is still the red-hot property of Stephen J Cannell (RIP)]

[Timeline: 1990 – 2 years after the A-Team received their pardons, Face is a daddy with a baby daughter.]

Abandonment

Templeton Peck sat in the nursery gazing lovingly down on the face of his 2-day old daughter, Gemma. His eyes shone with unfathomable pride and joy as he cradled the precious bundle in his arms. As he rocked gently to and fro in the rocking chair, he spoke softly to her, unaware that his good friend, Hannibal Smith, was standing in the doorway, listening intently.

"Some very special people are coming to see you today, little one," he said ardently. "I can't wait for you to meet them."

"First off, there's Uncle BA. He pretends to be a big angry Mud Sucker, but really he's just a cuddly teddy bear! He just loves children, so I know you two are going to get on just fine. He's loyal and hardworking and honest as the day is long. No-one will ever pick on you whilst the Big Guy is around!"

"And then there's Uncle Murdock. He walks around most of the time with his head in the clouds and has a diamond where most people have a heart. He has the biggest sunshine smile that makes you feel all warm and happy inside. He kinda reminds me of a rainbow with all the colours mixed up. Mostly he's bright and colourful with a vivid imagination and a seriously wicked sense of humour. There was a time when he could be dark and dangerous, but that was a long time ago now. I hope you're lucky enough one day to find a best friend like Uncle Murdock, my angel."

Gemma gurgled contently in his arms. Face shifted position carefully in his chair before continuing.

"And of course we can't forget Grand-pa Hannibal! He's the man with the plan! He'll teach you all about the jazz, front door manoeuvres and half pincer movement inside guarded perimeter tactics. He's intelligent and witty and he's the backbone of our little family – the glue that keeps us all together. He never leaves a man behind no matter how tough the going gets."

Face paused briefly for a moment before continuing.

"They're the best family I could have ever wished for," he sighed, probably more to himself than to Gemma.

He suddenly realised that his cheeks were wet with tears. He hugged Gemma protectively to his chest one more time before rising up from his chair and laying her down in her cot.

Hannibal knocked softly on the door. Face swung around, slightly startled by the unexpected interruption.

"Hi kid!" said Hannibal. "Rina said it was okay to come up."

"Oh … yeah … sure," stuttered Face, trying to compose himself as he quickly wiped away the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

Hannibal padded over to the cot and looked affectionately down at the baby.

"She's beautiful, isn't she," whispered Face, his voice full of adulation.

"Stunning!" agreed Hannibal. "Just like her mother and father."

Face smiled back bashfully, but there was a sadness in his eyes.

"What's wrong, Face?" asked Hannibal, although he already knew why his lieutenant was so upset. He had seen that look of bitter resentment many times over the last 20 years that he had known him.

"I just don't understand how she could have done it, Hannibal!" he blurted out. "How she could just abandon me like that. Her own child!" He looked down at Gemma, gently holding her tiny hand in his. "I could never do that to my child – not ever!" he retorted fiercely.

Hannibal cursed quietly to himself. He could usually find some words of comfort to alleviate the trauma that seemed to follow Face around in those early years. But this was the one occasion where he couldn't quite understand it himself.

The memory of his mother abandoning him when he was 5 years old had haunted Face for 35 years. He used to beat himself up about it, thinking he must have done something really bad because his mama hadn't wanted him. He pretended it didn't matter, that he didn't need anyone, anyhow, but Hannibal could see through the smokescreen. He had always hankered for the finer things in life but Hannibal knew they were just substitutes for what he really longer for.

"You know kid, we could try and find her," ventured Hannibal carefully. Face's birth father had been found a couple of years ago and he had given Murdock sketchy details of his mother before he died. Her name was Samantha and they had been childhood sweethearts who had married very young. The responsibility had been too much for his father, who had run out on his family when Face was still a baby. He had eventually drifted into a life of crime and, in a similar pattern to his son, had been on the run since the 1960's.

Face shook his head resolutely. He didn't want to open that door now. There had been a time, when he was little, when he truly believed she would come back for him. He had spent every birthday and every Christmas for the next 6 years, sitting on the steps of the orphanage, waiting patiently for her to return. But she never did.

He had prayed to God every night like a good catholic boy, but He never answered his prayers. He had cried alone at night into his pillow, wishing she could protect him from the bullies – but no help ever came. He was done with all the hope and expectation that she would ever come back.

Hannibal, Murdock and BA had eventually filled that particular void in his life. When they were apart they were just a bunch of social misfits, but when they were together, well, that was always something very special. And now he had his own little family. He didn't need anything else.

"I've got all I need right here," Face finally concluded. "I'm not going to spend any more time looking for ghosts from the past."

Hannibal slapped him on the back.

"Whatever you say, kid," he said.

"Oh, Hannibal," whined Face. "When are you gonna stop calling me kid? I don't know if you've noticed, but I stopped being a kid 20 years ago!"

"Okay," replied Hannibal. "How about if I just call you son?"

And that was the moment when Hannibal saw the real Face as his enigmatic smile lit up his handsome features, the room and possibly the whole universe! That one little word that was usually taken for granted between parents and their sons, meant everything to Face. Even more than his expensive suits and flashy car.

"That will be just fine, Grand-pa!" he responded. It meant a lot to him that Hannibal could think of him as his own. This was the man who had given him a chance to make something of himself. He had treated him with respect and never given up on him, even when Face had given up on himself. As he heard Murdock and BA bounding up the stairs, bickering in their usual dysfunctional manner, he thought to himself that life didn't get much better than this.

Fini

[Thank-you for reading. Reviews most welcome. If you liked this story you might want to read "The Ultimate Sacrifice" which touches on Face's mother in more detail.]