Face stared out the kitchen window. He was the first one up and had snooped around in the cabinets to find the coffee that was brewing in the machine. The sun was just cresting over the mountains when a door opened quietly. He turned to see Hannibal easing it shut again.
"How's Bosco?"
"Alright. Adam said that he'd be back before eight today to take the other bullet out. We also stopped by an all night drugstore and picked up a couple of prescription for him. I changed the bandages already and they looked good." The coffee maker beeped, "I ran by where we were staying and packed up our things, they're still in the van." Face nodded, glad to have something to change into, he felt grimy after sleeping in his clothes. Fixing his own cup, he followed Hannibal out onto the porch. He sat next to the boss on the top step, hands wrapped around the mug to keep them warm in the early spring morning.
It was so different up here then what he was use to. The cool air felt strange as he took a deep breath. And while there wasn't any noise that he was use to, it wasn't quiet. Leaves rustling together, hopefully distant animals could be heard forgoing, no pressure to get up, get going. He never believed it when people said it, but it was peaceful.
But not peaceful enough to stop the thoughts running around in his head. Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he wasn't sure he believed the whole 'immortal' thing. People who lived forever and apparently ran around chopping each others heads off, who would believe that! Even more than Murdock, who always had a grain of truth is his fantasy, saying it was true, was the Boss' acceptance of it. He wished BA was alright just to have someone to talk sense to.
"Boss?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you really believe this 'immortal' thing?"
"You still don't?"
"I don't know. I know what we saw last night, but it's...it's just too far fetched."
"It's defiantly out of the ordinary."
"Why do you believe it?"
"You've been a soldier how long, Kid? Seen a lot of weird shit, right?" Face nodded. "Well, I've been a soldier for a lot longer, seen ever weirder shit. And this, well it explains a few things that I've never had a good explanation for."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, back when I was a fresh faced and just entered Basic..."
"And the dinosaurs were roaming the earth." Face interjected.
"Hey, watch it." Hannibal cuffed the back of Face's head, an indulgent smile on his lips. "Anyway, I had this CO, Major Wells. All through Basic he was watching me, I thought that for some reason he didn't like me and was looking for a reason to kick me out. But a few days before Basic was over, he calls me into his office, sits me down and starts telling me about the Rangers. About how hard and grueling it is but also about how it's all worth it. Recruited me into his unit."
"This sounds familiar." This time Hannibal's hand ruffles Face's hair before sliding down and squeezing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, I leaned a lot from Major Wells. Not just guns, drills, and plans, things that a soldier does, but what it means to be one, things I've tried to pass on to you boys."
"You have, Boss. There's more pride for us in saying that we're on Hannibal Smith's team then even saying that we're Rangers." He leaned over bumping his shoulder into Hannibal's. When he looked over, the boss' eyes looked shiny.
"Yes, well," Hannibal cleared his throat. "On our first mission, Major Wells was hit. I knew it was serious because he stumbled back into me, but he got up and continued the mission. Afterwards, when I asked him, he said it was just a scratch, but I had seen the amount of blood on his uniform. It happened time and again until someone emptied a mag into his chest. We didn't have a funeral, though, because the body disappeared from the morgue. Do you remember that join op we did with the British, when Russ asked me if I was okay because I kept staring at their Major, William Nelson?" Face nodded. "He was the spitting image, right down to the scar along his left eye, of Major Wells."
"You think he was an immortal?"
"As I said, it would explain a lot." They were quiet, coffee now cool enough to drink. "So, why don't we move pass this and onto what is really bothering you."
"Huh? What do you mean, Boss?"
"The immortal thing is a lot to take in, yeah, but that's not what has you up this early. It's Kyleen. You're upset that Murdock's never mentioned her." Faces looked down into his cup, watching the unmixed creamer make a swirling pattern.
"I don't understand it, Boss? It's obvious that she's important to him. We're important to him as well, right? Don't most people want those important to them to meet and get along?"
"First off, we have never been normal, Murdock least of all. I've known you since you were nineteen, Kid, but how much have you told me about your childhood? I know that you keep in touch with at least one person from the orphanage, but you've never tried to introduce us."
"That's different."
"Why, because you had a crappy childhood? Bosco and I had relatively normal ones, how much have we shared? We've never met BA's mom, and there's no doubting how much he loves her." Face sighed, not being able to deny that. He stared up at the mountain. Hannibal took a few sips of coffee, letting Face think for a while. When he thought that Face was ready, he continued. "Are you really upset that he never mentioned her or are you more upset by that."
He pointed. Face followed his finger to the trail coming out of the forest. Apparently Face was wrong in his assumption that he was the first one awake as Kyleen was running down the trail. She had a wide grin on her face and Murdock's hat on her head. Murdock appeared behind her, running full speed. A squeal rang out as he got to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up, and swinging her around. He plucked the hat off her head and returned it to his. That damn mysterious language drifting to them as the pilot set his captive down. The smile on Murdock's face was bright and it usually made Face smile in return, filling his chest with warmth, but this time it made his chest clench as it was directed at the woman in he pilot's arms.
"I'm going for a run." Face stood and descended the stairs to get his bag out of the van. As such he didn't see Murdock's smile fall as he walked away.
