Before you all have a go at me, I haven't actually had a chance to watch the A-Team movie yet. But I am totally obsessed with Murdock and he totally owns my soul. I just wanted to add my own fanfiction. Meet the next generation of the A-Team: all girl power and all take after their fathers. But this is told primarily from the perspective of Murdock's daughter (OWNS MY SOUL). And let's get started...
Oh, final note: prologue is set about 3 years after the original film.
Prologue
The young brown-skinned girl giggled at the antics of her uncle Murdock, as he re-enacted a scene from Star Wars. With a broomstick handle as a lightsaber and a bath towel as his robe, Murdock faced off against the imaginary Darth Vader with a steely-eyed determination as if he were really in front of him.
"If you strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you could possibly imagine" Murdock warned his adversary, in a Scottish accent for some God unknown reason.
The girl turned to her father, who was seated next to her entertainer, working under the hood of his beloved van, "Daddy, come watch Uncle Murdock with me!"
"Not at the moment, sweetie" B.A said to his daughter, not removing his attention from his van.
"Awww, Dad, c'mon! It's the death scene! That's your favourite part!" the girl moaned to her father, as Murdock fought in slow-motion to delay the climax.
B.A finally stopped and faced his daughter. One look at her pleading face, her large brown eyes and wobbling lip, and he was gone. B.A sighed, "Alright, Aailyah. Move over"
Aailyah moved over on the couch to provide some room for her dad. He sat down next to her as Murdock turned into Luke Skywalker, watching Obi-Wan Kenobi lose to the Dark Lord. B.A had always liked this part, as Murdock went to great lengths detailing his death. It gave him ideas when Murdock was being annoying. Aailyah threw her long plait behind her and snuggled into her father's lap as he stroked the plait. But, to Aailyah's annoyance, their performance was suddenly interrupted by a blonde girl, not much than a couple of years older than Aailyah, entering the shed. Her green army costume, a birthday present from her dad so she could be a Ranger too, was muddy and wet. B.A guessed that she had been running the make-shift obstacle course he and Hannibal made.
"Uncle B.A! Uncle Murdock!" the girl panted as she burst into the room. Murdock froze in his position, with the lightsaber above his head and the robe threatening to slip off his head. His hair clung to his forehead, plastered by the sweat. The sight would have been almost comical had the girl not looked so serious and wide-eyed. Aailyah sat up and glared at the girl, hands on her hips.
"Annabelle! Uncle Murdock was up to the good part!" Aailyah pouted
Annabelle shook her head, her eyes as wide as saucepans, "Daddy told me to come! It's Charlie! Little Ricky is on his way!"
B.A and Aailyah raised their eyebrows in confusion, "What?"
But Murdock raised his eyebrows in surprise. That was the code name he and Charlie made up. Only he would know what that meant. Who else in this day and age knew about I Love Lucy like he did? Robe slipping off him, Murdock dumped his lightsaber and ran out of the shed and across the campsite. B.A, realisation reaching his head, ran after him. Aailyah just looked at Annabelle, still confused.
"C'mon, Aailyah!" Annabelle grabbed her hand and they ran after the pair.
Murdock reached the tents in less than 20 seconds. He may be a pilot but that didn't mean he neglected his physique. He still had to keep himself fit. Across the site was Hannibal and Face, standing outside Charlie's tent. Face looked a little uncomfortable and Murdock soon heard why. As he got closer, the sound of Charlie's screams reached his ears. He finally came to a halt outside the tent and looked at Face and Hannibal nervously. Face spoke first.
"Charissa is in there. Charlie's waiting for you" Face shifted as another scream came out of the tent, "I suggest you hurry up"
Murdock looked at his leader, who was puffing away on his cigar casually, like there wasn't a woman about to give birth in the tent right next to him. He noticed Murdock's worried face and the hard lines on his began to soften.
"Should I go in, Sir?" Murdock asked him, his Texan accent gentle as he barely whispered the question.
Hannibal looked up at B.A and the two girls as they ran across the campsite to them before looking at Murdock, "You better get in there, Captain. You're about to become a daddy"
Murdock grinned inanely at his statement and, after taking a deep breath of courage, entered the tent. Aailyah and Annabelle caught up to B.A just as he reached the tent. Annabelle let go of Aaliyah's hand and ran over to her father. Hannibal put out his cigar- he refused to smoke around children -and picked up Annabelle as she ran up to him. He was just as dirty as she was. After all, he had been running the obstacle course with her when Face came over, telling them about Charlie. Annabelle took off like a shot to tell Murdock when Face told them the message. He grinned to himself. She was just as quick-thinking and determined as he was. Too bad her mother couldn't be here to see this.
"Daddy?" Hannibal looked at his daughter, her eyes full of concern, "Will Charlie be OK?"
Hannibal's eyes softened as he looked at his daughter. That was another thing that he was sad Jane couldn't see. He was seeing his cold eyes with a concerning and considerate nature. Jane would have laughed at this little miracle.
"She'll be just fine, Annie" Hannibal reassured her.
Face shifted again and peeked into the tent, to get a quick idea of what was going down. Murdock sat next to a black-haired woman, her hair in a ponytail, her hand trying to break his, while he mumbled something to himself, to keep himself calm. Charissa Sosa sat at the end of the make-shift bed, kneeling as she got ready to deliver the baby. She had apparently help deliver her last three brothers and her cousin so this didn't faze her. But Face was concerned that the 5-month bump that was his girlfriend's stomach would get in the way of her work.
"Are you sure you'll be OK in there?" Face asked
Charissa turned to him, raising an eyebrow, "You'd be fine doing this? Go ahead"
Face quickly shook his head and retreated, "No, it's OK. I was just asking..."
Charissa rolled her eyes as her boyfriend ducked from sight. He was fine doing all the fun stuff, but once it came to getting down and dirty that wasn't in the boundaries of his definition of the phrase, he quickly throws in the towel. Oh, well, he was a man, and an immature one at that. Charissa chuckled inwardly at the thought of when their little foetus decided to come out and explore the world. Since Charlie was only going to be sticking around until then, Charissa was going to make sure that he did the nappy changing and the feeding and the burping as well. Charissa looked up at her sister and began talking to her.
"OK, Charlie. Deep breaths, alright? Inhale, exhale"
Charlie snorted, "Alright. God, Murdock, I am never touching you again"
Murdock raised an eyebrow, "Does the hand count?"
Charlie laughed but it was cut off by a grunt as the contractions came on hard. As it faded, she turned and looked at Murdock, "I blame alcohol. I am never drinking again"
Murdock flushed a little as he remembered that night nine months ago. It was Sosa's birthday and Murdock was too excited. He didn't even notice that B.A had switched his drinks as a joke. Charlie, who came down to join in the celebrations, was just as pissed. When Face found out, he was fuming with jealousy. Face was the man that could charm the panties off any girl in a hundred mile radius and Murdock was the one that got to sleep with a lesbian.
"Fate is a fickle thing" Hannibal had said to really rile him.
"And Luck is a bitch" B.A laughed, tears rolling down his face, as he hadn't stopped laughing since Murdock told them what happened.
They thought they could get over it all. But then Charlie came back to camp a month later, with the big news. Murdock remembered that day. When he was told the news, he turned into Tarzan and spent 72 hours sitting in a tree. It took the whole Team, with Sosa, Charlie and even the two little girls, to coax him down. Murdock then began to enjoy spending more time with his two nieces, getting ready for when the time came. Charlie was looking forward to motherhood too, but she was still too in love with her rank as Lieutenant to give it up. Charlie was going to spend the first few months with Murdock and their newborn, but as she watched Murdock play with Aailyah and Annabelle, she knew that Murdock would be the best parent to their child. She hoped that the baby would at least have Murdock's eyes, if not his whole crazy personality. She would rather Murdock have gentle forest green eyes instead of her dull, calculating brown ones.
Murdock watched Charlie as she crushed the life out of his hand and groaned in pain. He hated seeing people in pain, women especially. Call him a chauvinist but that was how his grandparents had raised him. The feeling of anxiety which had struck him when Annabelle had burst in through the shed door was now taking over his whole body. He recited quotes from Breakfast at Tiffany's to himself, mumbling them out-loud and, when he went through all those, moved on to Dukes of Hazzard . He don't know how he got there, but then again, he never knew how he got anything in that jumbled mass that was his mind. Charlie's latest scream broke his train of thought and Charissa gasped.
"Alright, I see the head. Get ready to push, Charlie" Charissa encouraged her.
Charlie grunted, "Oh, God, it hurts so much..."
Murdock suddenly went serious and squeezed her hand. Charlie looked at him, "You are a Lieutenant. You have dodged bullets and landmines. If you can triumph all that, you can give birth to this baby of mine, no matter how crazy it may be"
Charlie laughed, "I hope it takes a lot after you, Murdock"
Murdock flinched a little inwardly. That had been Murdock's only hope, that it would be nothing like him. But seeing how genuinely Charlie actually hoped that, Murdock didn't say anything. Charlie screamed again and Charissa looked up at her sister.
"OK, sis, c'mon, just one more push and it's all over" Charissa encouraged her, "C'mon, now..."
Suddenly, with a grunt, a groan and one last scream, Charlie put all her energy into that last push. Just as she collapsed back onto the bed, gasping with relief, a new cry filled the air: the cry of the newborn babe in Charissa's arms. Charissa cleaned up the baby as Murdock turned to Charlie and smiled at her.
"Nice work, Lieutenant" Murdock then saluted her, "Your best yet"
Charlie chuckled, too tired to say anything. Charissa finally wrapped up the baby in a white towel and turned to Murdock, smiling, "James H.M Murdock, would you like to hold your daughter?"
"A... a daughter?" Murdock was in stunned shock. But then he looked at the small, crying bundle in Charissa's arms. It looked so tiny and him, he was a madman. They were trusting a baby with a madman?
Murdock looked at Charlie, a little apprehensive. Charlie quickly read his face and nodded, "Murdock, that is your daughter. You are allowed to hold her"
Murdock then looked back at Charissa and wordlessly nodded. Charissa shuffled over, the bump making it a little difficult to shift properly in this small tent, and gently laid the white bundle in Murdock's arms. Then, as if by magic, the crying instantly stopped. Murdock watched in absolute shock at the face of his newborn daughter. She had light brown hair coming off in a small tuft on the top of her head and the tiniest hands Murdock had ever seen. On her right hand, in the middle of her palm, was a small red birthmark. Murdock grinned as he noticed it looked a little like a helicopter. She was Airbourne, alright. But then he became hypnotised as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. He stared right into his own forest green eyes and wondered if this was how he looked when he entered the world: bewildered and curious. He turned to Charlie, who watched him hopefully.
"Look at her" that was the only thing Murdock could say. He was holding such a treasure in his arms and he had this woman to thank for this, "Look at her"
Charlie sat up properly, gaining back some energy and looked down at the babe. She gasped when she saw her daughter's eyes, "Just as I hoped... she has your eyes"
Murdock grinned. Charissa smiled at them and gestured to the tent door, "Do you want to show off the bub to her new family?"
"How about we give her name first?" Charlie said, "Murdock, I know I'm not going to play a giant part in the baby's life, but can I at least give her first name?"
Murdock nodded. After what she had done, she could name her after that brown elephant off Sesame Street. Oh, God, he was so entranced he was forgetting stuff. And he didn't care. Murdock looked at Charlie as she thought.
"I like Dylan" Charlie said, thinking about her favourite Charlie's Angel, "I don't want her restricted to just female stuff"
Murdock looked shocked, "No daughter of mine is going to have restrictions"
Murdock smiled and looked back at the wide-eyed babe, "I like it. Dylan. Dylan Audrey Daisy Murdock"
Charlie laughed, "Dylan A.D Murdock. She's only been out of the womb less than ten minutes and already she is taking after her father"
Charissa laughed too, "It's time to let you rest, sis. I think Murdock wants to show off"
Murdock raised an eyebrow at Sosa, "When do I ever not?"
Charissa laughed again and struggled to push herself to her feet. She went outside first, quickly followed by Murdock and his new bundle of joy. Hannibal, B.A and Face watched Charissa intently as she left the tent. Murdock heard Face as he greeted Charissa.
"Well, how did it go?" Face asked
"Why don't you ask Murdock?" Charissa grinned and looked back at the tent as Murdock appeared.
Murdock looked at them, "It's a girl"
"Knew it!" Annabelle crowed with delight, "Yes, pay up, Uncle Face!"
Face grumbled as he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out two bags of chocolate, grudgingly handing them over to Annabelle. Annabelle smugly pocketed her winnings, causing Hannibal to chuckled, before they turned their attention to their new bub. B.A took one look at her eyes and backed off.
"Oh, man, we gonna have another crazy fool running around!" B.A groaned dramatically
Murdock grinned proudly, "Yeah, and she gonna fly just as good as her daddy"
B.A went pale at the thought, "Oh, God help us all"
Face looked over at his new niece, "Hey, check out her birthmark. It's shaped like a helicopter"
"It's a sign" Charissa grinned, as Face wrapped his arms around her, "I wonder if ours will have a birthmark"
"Yeah, it'll be a bottle of bubble bath" Murdock sniggered at him, "Or a pair of panties"
"Not if my genes have anything to say about it" Charissa said determinedly, Face glaring at Murdock murderously. He probably would have jumped him if it wasn't for the newborn and his pregnant girlfriend.
Hannibal put Annabelle down next to Aailyah, "Do you girls want to see your new cousin?"
"Not cousin" Annabelle shook her head.
"Sister" Aailyah nodded furiously, "She's our sister"
B.A raised an eyebrow, "I ain't having any daughter related to anything coming out of that nutjob"
Aailyah glared at B.A, "She is my sister, Daddy. And so is Annie! Deal with it!"
Charissa and Face laughed at the shocked expression on B.A's face while Hannibal smirked. Hannibal turned to Murdock, "Can they see their new 'sister'?"
Murdock nodded and knelt down to Annabelle and Aailyah's level. The two girls looked into the bundle and right at Dylan's little face. Aailyah waved her while Annabelle smiled.
"What's her name, Uncle Murdock?" Aailyah asked
Murdock smiled and looked at his daughter, "Dylan Audrey Daisy Murdock. Dylan A.D Murdock"
Murdock didn't hear anything else around him. All of his attention was on his little girl, as it will be for now on. She still looked at him with those wide eyes like she had when he first got his hands on her. Now he was never going to let her go. She was his princess, his perfection, his new reason for living. Looking at her, all the out-of-control wires of his brain seemed to connect and focus. He felt even a little bit sane just watching her. Suddenly, he felt her little hand grasp his index finger and hold on as tight as she could. She didn't want to let go either. Murdock could only just control his tears of joy, his eyes watering. Finally a voice broke through his little isolated wonderland.
"Uncle Murdock! You still have an hour of Star Wars to finish for me!" Aailyah said matter-of-factly.
Now you know Dylan, Annabelle and Aailyah. OK, four months after this, Face and Charissa have Scarlett, Dylan's actual cousin. I may write a scene for each time these little girls first meet their fathers but that'll be a different story all together.
Review and all.
