And now for another bit of something different. This one can be credited/blamed on a conversation with Kelmin. For those wondering, in my A-Team world timeline, this occurs about two years after my A-Team/Man from U.N.C.L.E. crossover, 'One Thing Leads to Another'.

Circle of Friends

Part I

It was early evening, but the sun was still out as the two paramedics began lugging their gear back to the squad from the restaurant located at the strip mall.

"Well, Junior. I've got to say that was a first."

Johnny couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll say. I guess if a guy's going to spring a surprise marriage proposal on his lady, he needs to check first to make sure she's not a fainter."

"Well, at last she said 'yes' after we revived her. Of course, then I thought we were going to have the same problem with him fainting dead away."

Johnny was still snickering as he lifted the drug box back into the squad when a loud, gruff voice called out.

"DeSoto! Turn around, Doc!"

Roy seemed frozen, but Johnny turned around to look and blinked. The man yelling at his partner was an extremely muscular black man with enough gold to fill a display case. Johnny wasn't sure if he should grab the radio and call for backup. Why was this big guy calling Roy 'Doc'?

Before Johnny could decide what to do, Roy finally turned around himself and started walking to meet the other man. They both stopped when they were about a foot apart as Johnny kept a wary eye on the situation. Then suddenly, the muscular man grabbed Roy - but in a hug that Roy returned and they both began talking and laughing. Johnny was trying to catch his breath in relief.

After a minute, Roy managed to free himself enough to wave Johnny over.

"B.A.? This is my partner, John Gage. Johnny - this is B.A. Baracus. Wow . . . how long has it been now?"

"Last time I saw you was early '69, Doc. Just before you shipped out stateside. Ain't as scrawny as you used t' be. You go back to that woman and baby boy of yours?"

"Sure did, B.A. Got a little girl now too."

"Let me guess. Born in 1970?"

Roy blushed about as red as Johnny had ever seen, then Johnny did the math and couldn't keep from chuckling himself. Yep - at the age he knew his Kimmy was? 1970 would be right. So - Roy must have met this guy back in Vietnam. Roy never really talked about those days except very briefly. Any time the subject did come up, his partner tended to change to another topic pretty quickly.

The man was a little shorter than Johnny and Roy, but looked like his muscles had muscles so Johnny felt a little uneasy as the man came over and seemed to be inspecting him.

"Hmm - this new kid is taller than me, but don't know how he's making it as your bodyguard with them itty-bitty muscles, Doc."

"Bodyguard? Doc?"

Johnny finally voiced a couple of the questions in his head as he accepted the offered hand. At least he figured there was flesh somewhere under all that gold. He was having serious problems picturing his usually quiet partner with someone as flashy as B.A.

Roy was still flushed from the earlier comment, but he tried to answer Johnny.

"B.A. kind of appointed himself as my guardian over there for the little while we were stationed together. Doc is just the nickname most guys used for a medic. Johnny's not a kid, B.A. - he's older than you."

Both Johnny and B.A. gave Roy an incredulous look at that comment. The looks didn't phase Roy one bit.

"B.A.'s around six years younger than me, Junior."

Johnny had a hard time believing that meant he was five years old that the muscular man, but couldn't see any reason Roy would joke about something like that. Johnny also knew Roy well enough that he could tell Roy was arguing with himself internally about something. Apparently, B.A. knew Roy well enough to know that look too. Turning slightly, B.A. laid a hand on Roy's shoulder.

"He made it out, Doc."

Roy slumped slightly with relief.

"I've always wondered. We exchanged letters for awhile, but then they stopped."

"Well, our unit was hopping around a lot for awhile. I know some of my Momma's letters got lost - good chance some of yours did too. But you know I ain't gonna lie to you about your best friend."

That last part got Johnny's curiosity as he watched B.A. study their squad and look over their equipment.

"Still at the medic stuff, Doc?"

"We're not over there any more, B.A. - you can call me Roy."

The man just chuckled at that.

"Y'know? Don't think I even knew your first name before this. Can't say that I even remembered you lived out this way."

"Well, I thought you were a Mid-West man yourself."

B.A. started to say something, but then a voice came over the handset Johnny was carrying.

"Squad 51, what is your availability?"

"Squad 51 available."

"10-4, 51 – stand by for call."

Roy reached out and took B.A.'s hand.

"Time to go back to work – man, good to see you again."

"You too, Doc. Fool will be glad to hear you're doin' alright."

As Johnny put away the last of the equipment, he was surprised when Roy handed him the keys.

"Mind taking over the driving for a little while, Johnny?"

"No, I don't mind, Roy. Hey, you alright?"

"I will be."

As they left, B.A. climbed back into his van, unaware that he was being observed. One of the men in an unmarked utility van lowered his field glasses as the man behind the wheel spoke.

"Do you want me to try again to tail Baracus?"

"No. I doubt you'd be any more successful than the other three times you tried to follow him. Besides, I think we've found another way to make the A-Team come to us. I don't know who that fireman was, but Baracus sure did. And I bet he'll be a whole lot easier to track down than the team."