Title: After Ecuador

Rating: T (possible M later on)

Authors: Lia and Jen

Summary: After returning from Ecuador, Face is upset about the way his teammates treated him and goes to confront Hannibal. Little does he know, he took more than a broken heart home with him.

Warnings: Face h/c; violence; angst; graphic descriptions of character injury/illness, mention of rape

Note: Takes place after "The Only Church In Town".

Chapter 1

A knock on the door woke Hannibal. He retrieved his gun from under the pillow before it occurred to him that somebody who was a threat would probably not knock. They had returned from Ecuador just some hours ago so it was probably not a team member that knocked at his door at 5:30 in the morning. He got up and walked to the door of the rather spacious house Face had scammed for him before they went to Ecuador. He peered through the lens and opened up.

"Hey Face, what are you doing here this early in the morning. You look as if you didn't sleep at all. Something up? Another ex-girlfriend that needs rescue?"

Face said nothing, but glared in reply. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. Looking down at the envelope, he paused and reflected upon what he was about to do. Discovering that Leslie had become a nun had been bittersweet; secretly he had hoped there would still be a chance for them together. But at least he finally had the answers to questions that had plagued him for 15 years. Painful as it was, he understood Leslie's decision…he even admired it.

What he didn't understand was the team's reaction to the entire situation. They had mocked him from the start and insisted that he pay them for their services. And when they learned that the only woman he ever loved had chosen to commit herself to God rather than him, they dismissed his feelings completely as if…as if he had none.

Was that what they really thought of him? He didn't know, but he determined to find out. He lifted a shaky arm up to Hannibal and handed him the envelope. "I always prepare an itemized list of expenses for our clients. Being that this time I was the client, I wanted you to have it." Face tried to keep his voice as casual as possible, but on the inside he was quaking. "You'll find that you all were more than fairly compensated for your time. I guess you can consider this case closed."

"Huh? You aren't making any sense. Come inside before someone spots us and remembers where he has seen us before. What would I need that list for; let alone at 5:30 in the morning? You are responsible for keeping such things. What's this all about?" Hannibal was more than a little irritated by this early visit and didn't know how to place it.

Face's first instinct was to turn around and leave. He was disappointed and he was angry, but most of all he was exhausted. The last thing he wanted to do right now was get into it with Hannibal. However, he knew they had to clear the air at some point. And being that he woke the colonel up at such an untimely hour, he might as well get it over with.

Face stepped inside and followed Hannibal to the kitchen where he immediately started making some coffee. Leaning heavily against the doorframe Face ran a hand through his hair and sighed. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought. "I gave you the list because I don't want you or the others thinking that you did me any favors. If anything, you owe me." Face immediately looked away, surprised by the acerbic tone of his own voice.

Hannibal wasn't up for any guessing games before his first coffee. "What do you want Face? Change? You are the one handling our finances, just take your change." Suddenly a light bulb went on in Hannibal's head and he was getting angry. "Ah so this is what this is all about. You are sore because I handed the finances to Amy for this case. You know you should not even have this list. Don't you trust Amy to do it well or do you think we will cheat on you?"

Face unconsciously balled his hands into fists as he struggled to control his rising anger. He felt like hitting something, but his choices were either the wall or Hannibal; neither one a good idea. Instead he walked over to the kitchen table and irritably yanked out a chair. He plopped down in frustration and gripped the edge of the table. "This isn't about the money, Hannibal," he seethed. "And of course I trust Amy…I trust all of you." He bit his lip and thought, 'I just wish you felt the same way about me.'

"If it's not about the money and also not about Amy handling the finances then what is it? Still not over the fact that one of your thousands of ex-girls is a nun now? If that's your problem you are in the wrong place because I'm not into couple's counseling nor am I a shrink. Stop dancing around and tell me why you woke me." Hannibal was getting angrier by the minute.

That Hannibal could be so cold took Face's breath away and hit him as hard as any fist ever had. Leslie wasn't one of his girls…for him she was 'the one'. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and the room suddenly felt as if it were 20 degrees warmer.

Face willed himself to keep calm; confrontation wasn't exactly his strong point. Sure he could handle conflict just fine when he was running a scam… but this was no con, it was real life. Things were much easier when he was pretending to be someone else. It was when he was Templeton Peck and he had to bare his own soul that he ran into problems.

"It was a mistake coming here," he said avoiding Hannibal's icy stare. "Maybe I should go," he suggested, but made no move to leave.

Hannibal turned back to his coffee machine. He was fuming on the inside. This kid had not been acting normal ever since the nun wrote to him. And now he was sitting in his kitchen, clearly demanding something but not coming out with what it was. Saying he would go but not moving was just the icing on the cake, like a kid with a temper tantrum. However, he also knew that whatever was eating at Face would not go away on its own and if he kept pushing he would never find out.

Hannibal turned back to Face and tried to appear as calm as possible, at least on the outside. The kid was very interested in the surface of the table trying to keep his composure but his white knuckle grip on the edges of the table betrayed him. Hannibal pulled out the chair opposite of Face, set down his coffee mug and slowly sat. He lit a cigar before he spoke.

"Yeah, you could do that. But since you are here you might as well tell me what's going on with you."

Face could tell that Hannibal was pissed off by the methodical way he was smoking his cigar. His tone was condescending; his blue eyes narrowed as he leisurely released the smoke from his lips.

"Okay, colonel," Face said. "You want to know what is going on with me? Fine, I'll tell you." He leaned forward slightly and looked the older man straight in the eye for possibly the first time since the whole mess began. "I came to you guys for help with something…something very personal and important to me. And instead of acting like the friends I thought that you were, you ridiculed me."

Face loosened his grip on the table, but maintained his eye-lock with Hannibal. "And then, adding insult to injury, I hired you. The only way to get the team's help…a team which I thought I was an important member of, might I add…was to pay for it. Just thinking about it makes me sick." It wasn't just lip service; Face suddenly wasn't feeling very good at all. He leaned back against his chair, drained, and rubbed at his now throbbing temples.

"Now come on Face, don't be so overdramatic. You are an important member of this team and you know it. And yeah we did tease you but you have to admit that with most of your ex-girls we would have been right. But I really don't understand why you are so sore about paying us. Yes, we did cases for each other and our families and you don't have a family so it might be a bit unfair on you. I mean if your priest, or one of them anyway, ever gets in trouble you can be sure to get our help. But, really, adding all your ex girls to the list of free cases will leave very few paying clients. And it's not like we take away your hard earned money. What you don't earn through the team is scammed anyway."

Face slammed his fist on top of the table. "Damnit, Hannibal! I told you it wasn't about the money! I have never asked for your help before regarding any girl I was dating, or anything else for that matter…and it looks like I never will again. You make me sound like some kind of male slut who does nothing but steal from people. It's nice to know what you really think of me."

Face wiped at the beads of sweat he felt forming on his forehead; he was so hot. "And thanks for that reminder that I have no family." He chuckled bitterly and added in soft voice. "Yeah, it's a bit unfair."

"Ahhh Face, where did you leave your humor? We've been teasing you about your girls ever since we knew you and all in a sudden you are offended. You know we will help you when you need us. And no, you are not a slut who does nothing but steal; you are a conman who cannot resist any skirt if that makes you feel better. Or let's say, acquiring things for the team is your job and you do a lot of private practice. Your employer is proud about your enthusiasm for the job. And just for the record, you did complain about having to pay us so don't tell me it's nothing to do with money. Look kid, why don't you just tell me what you want and we can both get some rest. You look like you could use some."

Okay, maybe saying this was unfair. Face didn't date as much in Nam as he does now and scamming things was his job. It wasn't as if he could acquire things legally and the team didn't despise his lifestyle…maybe BA did a little. He regretted having made that statement about family knowing that it was Face's weak spot, but the kid really grated on his nerves this morning. Hannibal took a close look at Face who had his eyes closed and rubbing his palms over his temples. His skin was pale and he looked exhausted. Despite the chilly morning temperatures and his rather thin clothes he was obviously sweating. He was slumped in his chair looking as if he was ready to fall off.

"Face." No reaction. "Face, are you alright?"

Face opened his eyes, and blinked a few times trying to get them to focus. The room was spinning and his stomach was churning. Was he alright? Definitely not, but he wasn't about to admit this to Hannibal.

"I'm fine, boss" he asserted with as much sarcasm as he could muster. "After all, I wouldn't want to disappoint my employer." He forced himself to a standing position, but leaned heavily on the table for support. "I'll leave so you can get that rest…I don't have anything else to say." But it wasn't that he had nothing more to say, it was that he didn't have the energy left to say it with.

As he started walking away, Face could feel Hannibal's eyes on him. And for a few seconds it was the only thing keeping him standing. 'C'mon, Peck,' he pleaded with himself, as his vision started to blur over. 'Just a few more feet and you're out the door.'

'Well done Smith. You are such a great leader. Kick him when he is down already.' He could not let Face leave the house. He was contemplating what to do as he watched Face's retreating back.

"Face, you are far from fine. Come back here and sit down before you fall down."

Of course Face did not react to that. Whether it was from stubbornness or because he was too far out to hear him, Hannibal could not say. The way he was swaying there was no way he would make it to the door…or would he? By all means he would not make it to his car and even if he did, Hannibal could not allow him to drive. But to put up a fight outside would draw attention to them which is why he could not allow Face to leave the house.

He knew Face would collapse any moment and was willing him to collapse before he reached the door so he would not have a fight at his hands. Hannibal got up from his chair and followed Face with a little distance. The fact that the kid did not acknowledge his presence spoke volumes.

Face was breathing hard as he stumbled down the hall toward the entrance. The dizziness was bad; so bad that he could barely make out the door directly in front of him. After a few more steps he sank to his knees unable to go any further. Shoulders sagging, he hung his head as hot tears burned his eyes and threatened to escape. He could hear Hannibal's footsteps behind him and he desperately wanted to get away. He could feel himself slipping away…and there was nothing he could do about it.