Title: Beyond the Surface

Summary: A WHN for the episode Beneath the Surface

Face remained in bed for the rest of the day and through the night. By the morning he forced himself up and made his way into the kitchen and started the coffee maker.

"Hey, man...good seein' you up again," B.A. said walking through the door and taking a seat at the table. "How you feelin'?"

"Better...much better," Face lied with a false grin.

Hannibal joined them a few minutes later and after eyeing Face up and deciding that he did indeed look improved, he started talking about their upcoming job later in the week.

Face's mind began to wander and he wasn't paying any attention to the conversation.

"Earth to Face...anybody in there?" Hannibal was waving his hand in front of Face's eyes.

"What? Oh...sorry," Face apologized, his cheeks turning pink.

"You sure you're okay, kid? Maybe you should go lay back down."

Face shook his head. He had many hours to think his situation through and decided his best course of action would be to pretend the whole thing never happened.

He had done it countless times before...pushed his feeling so far down beneath the surface until even he couldn't find them or feel them anymore. "No...I'm fine...really."

Hannibal didn't buy that for a moment and decided to probe further. "Is there something bothering you...something you want to talk about?"

Again Face shook his head. "No...my brain is still a little foggy is all."

"Speakin' of foggy brains...the fool called and asked if you could spring him later." B.A. couldn't hide his amusement as he added, "seems he has a date."

"Sure...no problem."

Hannibal still looked wary. "You sure you're up to it?"

This time Face nodded. "I wouldn't want to be the one to mess up Murdock's love life," he joked plastering on a smile.

"Thanks for breaking me out, Facey," Murdock smiled from the passenger seat of the Corvette.

"I owe you as much after what you did for me last week," Face smiled back hoping to leave it at that.

"Speaking of that...I appreciate you getting the limo fixed so quickly. Dr. Richter never even noticed anything was wrong."

"It was the least I could do." Face tried to quickly change the subject. "So tell me about this date."

"I wanted to surprise you...It's Elaine!" Murdock beamed.

"Elaine?" he questioned, voice cracking slightly.

"Yes, Elaine...sister of Barry...one of your oldest friends. The guy you..."

Cutting him off Face said abruptly, "I know who Elaine is." But seeing the excitement in his friend's face he softened his tone and added, "You just caught me surprise is all. I thought you didn't like her?"

"It was love at first parking ticket," Murdock joked, referring to the circumstances under which he first saw the pretty blonde meter maid. "If you hadn't forced me to drive you to that reunion in the limo, I would have never met her. I should be thanking you."

"Glad it worked out for one of us, buddy."

Murdock furrowed his brow and eyed Face warily hearing the wistful tone in his friend's voice. "You okay, Face?"

'I wish people would stop asking me that...nobody seemed that concerned about my well-being when they were laughing at Barry's stories.'

Face started up the engine and pulled out into the traffic trying to ignore the voices in his head playing the same tunes they had for days:

Hannibal quipping, "How many times did you con this guy, Face…I bet he was your number one stooge."

B.A. grumbling, "I'm glad I didn't know you when I was a kid."

A disgruntled Elaine saying, "I can't believe it…he always told me you were his friend."

And finally the conversation between himself, Barry and Hannibal.

"Temp do you remember the day you conned me out of my Allman Brothers tickets."

"Now…wait Barry, I never realized how hard I was on you back then…it's just that you were so easy…you were like a proving ground…"

"NO, no…see that was the day Elaine and her family came to the orphanage. I had to be you for a couple of hours while you were gone, remember. They really like me and that was the day they decided to adopt me. I told them the truth later."

"You told them you were me and they adopted you?"

"That was the deal we…that was the switch we made for the tickets."

"Oh."

"How was the concert?" Face could still hear Hannibal laughing at him

"Face?"

"What…oh…sorry. I'm fine, Murdock...where am I taking you?"

"To Elaine's apartment." Seeing the way Face's body stiffened at the mention of her name, he added, "You are okay with me seeing her, right?"

'No...kind of puts a damper on my plan to move on and forget the past.' But Face knew it wasn't Murdock's cross to bear. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well...I don't know...maybe you're upset that I got Elaine while Rebecca Piper played you?"

That stung a bit. The truth was that Face had been upset, but not that Rebecca wasn't interested in him...she had after all avoided him through 4 years of high school. But he didn't think that she would actually stoop to going to the military. And though he was embarrassed, Rebecca Piper was the least of his problems at the moment.

"Nah...I had the last laugh, remember." He also had a hot and heavy session with her in the back of the limo made all the more sweet when she realized he was playing her and that there would be no reward for catching a member of the A-Team.

"Or maybe you had your eye on Elaine for yourself?"

Face chuckled; while Elaine was a very attractive woman, she was also one woman he wanted to avoid as she was a link to a part of the past he wanted to forget.

But Murdock misread the laugh and became defensive. "What, she isn't good enough for the likes of you?"

Face instantly sobered. "No...no...it's nothing like that."

"Well, then what is it?"

"It's nothing, Murdock." Face kept his eyes on the road and muttered, "It's nothing you would understand."

"You're right...I don't understand. But then again, I'm the crazy guy...why would I understand anything?"

Face turned to look at Murdock. "You know I don't feel that way."

"Do I?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"Elaine said..."

"Oh Elaine said..."

"See, you do have a problem with her!"

"Murdock...I...um..."

"She said you were only out for yourself...and I defended you!"

It was rare for Murdock to get so upset that Face was at a loss for what to do. "Can we just drop it?"

"Sure...whatever." Murdock slumped down in his seat and began studying his finger nails.

They kept driving in silence until they pulled up at the complex. Murdock wordlessly opened the door and began to step out.

"Hey...Murdock...I'm sorry. I really do wish you the best."

Murdock nodded. "I know you do...I just wish you weren't so selfish sometimes. Thanks for the ride." With that he slammed the door and walked away.