AU1 An Abel Beginning with a Relative Twist

by KennaC

What would have happened had things been different when Nancy Clay and HM Murdock met? Just having some fun with an alternate story to Angels Shooting Fire which on reflection was kinda sappy well, I'm kinda sappy, so that's the way it goes.

2. Part II

An Able Beginning with a Relative Twist – Part II

Thanks for the reviews – keep 'em coming. I really appreciate any constructive criticism. I made a pretty big change to this section just recently, so I hope it holds together OK. If you notice any inconsistencies, let me know and I'll try to correct!

Breaking News

Hannibal had flipped on the news while they were eating. Langley was generally a fairly quiet town, but today there was a special report on and it caught Hannibal's eye, so he reached over and turned up the volume, just as Murdock was walking out of the kitchen with the last batch of pancakes.

". . . like a war zone, down here, Kelly. There's broken glass and metal debris everywhere. There were two victims caught in the blast, which originated in the front end of a car parked in the townhouse drive. I notice that the local police have been joined by both the ATF and FBI, so we've basically got alphabet soup as far as federal agencies are concerned. It appears, based on the interest in this mishap, that there's more here than meets the eye. We'll keep you posted as the details are revealed . . ."

"Sounds like there was some excitement in Langley this morning," Frankie said.

Murdock was staring at the television in shock, the front of that townhouse looking all too familiar, "What was the address?"

Hannibal shrugged, "I didn't catch it, I think they said it was on Vine," he turned and looked at Murdock curiously, "Why?"

Murdock was still staring at the smoldering wreckage being displayed on the television, "It's Nancy's place," he said hollowly.

Frankie looked at Murdock sideways, "Abel 5?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Hannibal watched Murdock worriedly. As soon as the news story changed, Murdock's gaze met Hannibal's, and his look was worth a thousand words.

"Out on the deck," Hannibal said sharply, as he stood and led the way.

He was followed closely by Murdock and Face, with Frankie and BA straggling behind somewhat, in more ways than one. Hannibal turned as BA closed the door, "Alright, Murdock, are you sure that was Nancy's place?"

Murdock nodded numbly, worry apparent on his face. Hannibal pulled out a cigar and lit it, "Likelihood that this bombing is unrelated to our mission to Columbia?"

"Certainly makes it hard to refute Nancy's assertion that Nolan was dirty," Murdock stated.

"Agreed," Hannibal said.

Frankie still looked confused, "I think I'm a little behind the clue train, here, because I'm still stuck on exactly how it is that Murdock knows where Abel 5 lives," he looked at Murdock expectantly.

"Nancy is the woman I was with last weekend," Murdock said impatiently, "Hannibal, did they say how badly they were hurt?"

Hannibal looked at him sympathetically, "No, just that they were being taken to the local hospital," he said, "I'm sure they're being well tended, Captain. You know the General would make sure of it."

Murdock leaned back, his arms crossed, and lapsed into a brooding silence.

Hannibal glanced in the sliding door window, "Hopefully, the General will be able, and willing, to shed some light on this when he arrives," he said, "Until then, we go on with the morning as planned. We convene at the air field at 0900."

Murdock looked at Hannibal incredulously, "Colonel . . ."

Hannibal stopped and considered him seriously for a moment before responding, "Alright, head to the air field now – with a detour past the hospital," he capitulated to the unspoken request, "Just try to keep a low profile. And don't be late!"

"Thanks, Hannibal!" Murdock said gratefully, then turned and jogged through the house and out the front door.

"Wow," Frankie said, "Murdock and Abel 5. That is just so . . . bizarre."

"Yea," Face said, looking at Hannibal accusingly, "Bizarre, and idiotic. What happens when she runs and tells the General what's going on?

"I guess we'll just have to trust that she won't," Hannibal said sensibly.

"I don't trust anything about her," Face said flatly.

Hannibal sighed, "Ok, Face, we all get the picture. You don't like Abel 5. However, obviously Murdock does. And we're all going to have to come to grips with that eventually . . . even the General. Because something tells me it isn't likely to change."

He turned decisively and led the way back into the house, effectively ending the conversation for the time being.

Nancy lifted her head off her arms. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there, but the ringing in her ears was finally subsiding to the point where she could stand it. The paramedics were lifting Trixie onto a board, and Nancy could see Joe hovering in the background, watching anxiously as his unconscious wife was being moved.

She glanced idly at the activity around her. A paramedic had appeared at her side, and was asking her questions, but Nancy was having trouble deciphering exactly what he was saying. Her attention was caught by someone she glimpsed between the fire truck at the curb and the ambulance behind it.

Ignoring the protestations of the paramedic, Nancy stumbled to her feet and started towards a tall, thin, dark-haired man, who had stopped next to the police line, talking to one of the officers monitoring the perimeter of the scene. He glanced up, caught sight of her, and turned abruptly, walking back to his car, getting in and pulling out through the crowd that choked the street in front of the townhouse.

"Is she giving you problems, son?" General Stockwell asked, grabbing Nancy's arm and restraining her.

Nancy looked at him in confusion for a moment, then gestured vaguely at the street, "That was Jack Larimer," she said loudly.

The General looked at her and spoke loudly and slowly, "Yes, I know. I want you to sit down and cooperate with the paramedic. I'll deal with Larimer."

"What does the DEA have to do with a domestic bombing, General?" Nancy asked angrily, her gaze never wavering from his.

"That's what I intend to find out," Stockwell said, turning and leaving Nancy in the care of the paramedic, who led her to a waiting ambulance.

Hospital Hiatus

At the hospital, Nancy was taken up to the trauma unit, and put in a room to await a doctor. Soon a nurse came in, checked her over and asked several questions. Then she handed Nancy a gown, leaving her alone to change. Nancy obeyed numbly. Once changed, she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. Her head pounded in time to her heart beat, and her thoughts tumbled together like acrobats following an uncoordinated percussion section.

Larimer was there. Nancy felt certain that he was there to see his own handiwork. She had suspected that Nolan had a state-side accomplice. Larimer had shown his hand today, purposely or not. The General had to believe her now – the DEA had no reason to suspect a car bombing of being related to a drug case unless they were tipped off.

Nolan, Larimer . . . she was beginning to get just slightly paranoid. Who else at the DEA was on Palumbo's payroll – just how far did his influence infiltrate the drug agency? Palumbo had a lot at stake, and could afford to bankroll a hell of a lot of bribery money as part of his operating expense. She sighed, dropping her arm over her eyes, her head hurt too bad to think straight right now.

Murdock pulled into the hospital lot, parking out of sight of the road. He headed in through the emergency room doors, and was lucky enough to catch up with the news crew covering the explosion, "They were going to take the victims up to the trauma unit, on the third floor. Let's see what we can find out there," he overheard the reporter saying to the cameraman.

He took the stairs, and made it to the third floor before the news crew. He stood casually nearby as the reporter walked up to the desk, "Hello, Nurse . . .," he looked at her nametag, "Lily, I wonder if you could tell me who the bombing victims are?"

The nurse smiled blandly at him, "Sorry, only family. You'll have to wait for the names to be released, just like everyone else."

The reporter turned away in frustration, then grabbed the cameraman's arm, "Isn't that Joe Martin, of homicide?" he said excitedly, "Let's go see if we can get anything out of him."

"Detective Martin," the reporter said, tapping Joe on the shoulder, "Is the bombing now a homicide investigation?"

Joe looked like he wanted to deck the guy, "No, this is not a homicide investigation," he said, and shook the guy off, "I don't have anything to say."

He was saved from further harassment as a couple suits from the governmental agencies appeared, and the reporter had bigger fish to fry.

Murdock slipped away and followed Joe, who wandered into the waiting room. A doctor had slid around the crowd as well, and walked up to Joe, "Detective," the Doctor said gently, "I just wanted to let you know that your wife is going to be OK, and the baby is fine. Mrs. Martin has a few broken ribs along with multiple contusions, but nothing life-threatening. You'll be able to go in and see her in just a little while, once we get her settled in a room. She will have to stay overnight, but I think we'll be able to release her in the morning."

Joe's relief was visible, as he looked up and caught site of Murdock. He raised a surprised eyebrow, then nodded sympathetically at the pilot, and asked, "Doc, what about Nancy? Is she going to be OK?"

The Doctor smiled tolerantly. He really wasn't supposed to share information with non-family, but there were always exceptions to the rule, "Ms. Clay is going to be just fine. Badly bruised tailbone, cuts and contusions from flying debris, and a nasty headache, but other than that, she's OK. She'll likely be released this afternoon, but like your wife, we need to run a few tests to ensure there isn't any unseen damage."

The Doctor smiled, "Someone will be out in just a little while to take you to your wife, Detective," he said, then turned and brushed by Murdock.

Murdock's relief was as apparent as Joe's, and he looked at Joe gratefully, "Thanks."

"No problem," Joe said, looking at him curiously he added, "What are you doing here, anyway? Nancy said that you ended it."

"Yea, I guess I kinda did," Murdock said, uncomfortably, "I'm just relieved that she's OK."

"Well, if the bomb had been meant to kill, I doubt if either Nancy or Trixie would have walked away," Joe said flatly.

Murdock looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"Apparently, it was just a warning," Joe said, "I talked to the Feds, there was only enough explosive to make a statement, not enough to kill."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Murdock said, shaking his head.

Joe nodded in agreement, then crossed his arms, "So, you gave Nan the brush off, but you're here . . .," he said, looking at Murdock expectantly.

Murdock sighed heavily, "I can't stop thinking about her," he said frankly, "Unfortunately, after yesterday, I doubt she wants to see me again."

"Oh, I know she wants to see you again," Joe said certainly, "The real trick is going to be getting her to admit it."

Murdock looked at Joe narrowly, "Are you sure about that?" he asked, "Yesterday, she seemed more than willing to accept it."

"Classic. You've got her scared shitless and you gave her an easy out . . ."

"I was just trying to be practical," Murdock said miserably, "Unfortunately, that never seems to work out real well for me."

"You do realize that you did this to yourself. I mean, I don't know how you did it originally, . . . ," Joe stopped and looked at Murdock shrewdly, "You do want her back, right?"

Murdock hesitated, but finally admitted, "Yea, I want her back," at Joe's amused expression, he grimaced, "You seem to be enjoying this . . ."

Joe chuckled, "You got your work cut out for you, man. Nan's got more emotional barriers than China has walls. I think a sneak attack got you through the original defenses, but now she's on high alert where you're concerned. It's gonna take a minor miracle for you to make it through again."

"Why does it have to be work . . ." Murdock said irritably.

"Nothing worth doing is easy," Joe said seriously, then added coldly, "If it's too hard for you, maybe you should just walk away."

Their eyes locked, and Murdock felt defiant, "Maybe I will . . ."

Joe considered him through narrowed eyes. Murdock's expression belied his words, and Joe started to chuckle again, "Yea, right," he said shaking his head, "You got it bad, man. Give in and get to work. You gotta believe me, she's well worth the effort."

During the past sleepless night Murdock had come to the forgone conclusion that he couldn't change how he felt about the Able agent, no matter how much he would like to, "It's just my lousy luck that the woman I'd fall for is an Able Agent," he muttered.

"An Able Agent . . .," Joe shook his head in resignation, "You need to talk to her."

He turned and walked towards one of the rooms, with Murdock following uncertainly.

"Hey, Jeff," Joe said to the man slouched next to the door.

Murdock stopped short as Jeff Kent looked up, "Hi, Joe. I heard Trix is gonna be OK," then Jeff caught sight of Murdock, and a smile crossed his face, "Well, hello Captain. Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

Murdock looked warily from Joe to Jeff, and Jeff chuckled, "Don't worry, Murdock. No way in hell the General's gonna hear about you and Able 5 from me. I got way too wide a yeller streak for that."

"How did you . . .?" Murdock started.

"For future reference," Jeff interrupted, "You and Nan should be a little more discreet about where you have your, uh, discussions."

Murdock grimaced, and Joe clapped him on the shoulder bracingly, "Don't worry about it, HM. Jeff's frame of reference with Nan is a little different then most people. He's probably the only one who noticed," Joe said.

"Well, I have to admit, I've never seen Nan quite so upset as she was when she arrived at the airfield yesterday," Jeff said thoughtfully, "Made me rather curious as to the cause. So maybe I did nose around a bit. I was at the airfield anyway."

Murdock sighed, they were probably lucky if nobody else had overheard them, "This whole situation is nuts," he said quietly.

"With Nan, there always seems to be a 'situation'," Jeff said in understanding, "Listen, if you wanna talk to her, you better get in there. I expect the General will be here soon."

Joe nodded, "Go on in and we'll watch for the General."

Murdock looked from Jeff to Joe, both of whom wore encouraging expressions. He hesitated only a moment more before disappearing into the room.

Jeff shook his head, "I knew there was somethin' goin on there. He had that look about him."

"What look is that?" Joe asked.

"That look that says, 'she's driving me nuts . . . and I think I like it'," Jeff said, "I used to have that look around her, remember?"

"Yea, then you came to your senses," Joe said, "Do you think Murdock will?"

Jeff shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe 10 years in the mental ward of a VA gave him some sort of insight into how to deal with her."

"If nothing else, he's had lots of experience living with crazy people," Joe said with a smile.

Jeff slouched against the door, "Yea, well, it had to happen, eventually," he said, "Some guy was bound to come along that would fall for her – and could deal with all the baggage. Hopefully he'll be able to paint her into a corner she can't wrangle a retreat from – that seems to be the hardest part."

Joe grimaced, "Unfortunately Nan's still got one hell of an ace up her sleeve if she decides she needs an out."

Jeff looked at him curiously, then a look of understanding dawned on his face, "Murdock doesn't know who she is. Man, she pulled that one on me."

Joe shook his head, then turned and headed towards the window at the end of the hall, "I better go keep an eye out for the General."

Murdock walked in and found Nancy lying on the bed in a hospital gown, an arm thrown up over her eyes. She was still, except for the gentle rise and fall of her chest, appearing to be deep in sleep. He looked at her critically, taking in the cuts and bruises, and feeling a sudden surge of anger at the man responsible. He took a deep calming breath, before saying tentatively, "Nan?"

She sat up suddenly and looked at him blankly for a moment, then grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to her chin, "What in the hell are you doing here?"

Murdock nearly laughed out loud at her reaction, overwhelming relief sweeping away the initial worry and anger as he responded, "You know, it's not like I haven't seen you naked," he said, reaching down and tugging on the sheet playfully.

Nancy pulled the sheet up tighter under her chin, "You have a lot of nerve, HM Murdock!" she said angrily.

He was still smiling stupidly at her, "I'm just glad that you're alright," he said.

"You've gotta get out of here," Nancy said, "The General could show up any minute."

"I know," Murdock said, dropping onto a stool, "Joe and Jeff are keeping an eye out for me."

"Great," she said sarcastically, "I'll have to thank them later."

He stared at her, considering how to continue, until she shifted uncomfortably.

"Nan, I'm really sorry about yesterday," he said earnestly, leaning forward, "I was wrong, I don't want it . . . us, to be over. I can't stop thinking about you and when I thought something had happened to you this morning . . .," his voice trailed off.

Nancy felt her heart leap involuntarily. But her defenses were on high alert, and kicked in almost immediately, "What about the Team? The pardons?" she asked cynically, "I thought you had too much to lose."

"It'll be OK," he said, putting a hand on her leg, "I talked to Hannibal. He said it's best if we keep it under wraps 'til after Columbia. But we'll work something out after that."

Nancy's eyes flashed, "I am not a problem to be 'worked out', Captain," she said, pushing his hand away, "You think just because you've decided that everything is OK, that's it?"

"Nan . . ." Murdock said beseechingly.

"No," she said firmly, "It's not that easy . . . or that simple."

Murdock sat back and looked at her through narrowed eyes, "Alright . . . it's not that easy," he said carefully, thinking about what Joe had said, "So, what do we do now?"

"Nothing," Nancy said quickly, curling up on the end of the bed, so she was as far away from him as possible, "It's better this way, HM. It's better if we just end this and get on with our separate lives."

"That's what you want?" he asked tightly.

She looked into sad brown eyes, and felt her resolution wavering, so she turned and looked out the window, "Yes, that's what I want."

"At least have the courtesy to look at me when you're dumping me," Murdock said quietly.

"You dumped me first," Nancy said petulantly.

"It was a knee-jerk reaction," Murdock said watchfully, "And I am trying to undo it, but you're not cooperating. The ball's in your court – what do you really want?"

Nancy turned and looked at him for a few seconds, then her gaze dropped, "HM, it's just . . . it's easier this way. We've only known each other a few days . . ."

"It was a special few days," he argued gently.

Nancy sighed, "I don't know what you want me to do, HM," she said in frustration.

The door opened and Jeff stuck his head in, "Hey, the General just pulled in the lot."

Murdock looked back at him, and at that moment Jeff could tell things weren't going the way Murdock wanted, "Thanks, Jeff," he said quietly. Jeff backed out of the room and closed the door.

Turning back to Nancy, Murdock reached out and squeezed her hand, "Please, Nan, don't slam the door in my face," he said earnestly, "All I want is for you to say we can talk about it later, when I get back from Columbia."

"When we get back," she said determinedly.

"You're joking, right?" Murdock asked incredulously, "You can't go to Columbia now. Palumbo is after you."

"No shit," Nancy said, "And I'm not gonna wait around here for some unknown hired gun to come take a shot. I'm going to Columbia, where I know Palumbo's men as well as he does."

"We're going to bring back a couple stray DEA agents. That's it," Murdock said, "There is no 'facing Palumbo' in the plan."

"Plans change," she countered intently, "And you better understand one thing, HM Murdock – I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. If we do have a relationship . . .," she caught herself, adding hastily, ". . . and I said 'if' . . . it's going to be an equal partnership. I don't need a keeper."

Murdock searched her face, but she steadfastly refused to meet his gaze, "Does that mean we can talk about our relationship when we get back from Columbia?" he finally asked directly.

She looked up at him, her expression uncertain, and he pressed, "C'mon, Nan," he said pleadingly, "I'm not asking for a life long commitment at this point. Just a promise that you'll at least talk to me, about us, when we get back from Columbia."

The door opened again, and Jeff said urgently, "He's on his way up, you better get outta here, Murdock!"

Without releasing her gaze, Murdock stood and leaned forward, "Promise?" he asked, his face only inches from hers.

Nancy nodded mutely, unable to think clearly with him so close.

"Thank you," Murdock said gratefully, leaning in to plant an impulsive kiss on her cheek, before straightening and walking toward the door.

As he moved away, Nancy found her voice, "I'll be by the airfield as soon as I can get out," she told him unequivocally.

He stopped at the door and looked back at her in surprise, "Nan, don't be stubborn. You're in no shape to go anywhere right now."

Nancy's anger flared again, "You better get a grip, because I am going to Columbia, and I'm not putting up with an over-protective flyboy doting after me. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Murdock said quietly.

Jeff was watching sympathetically, but this was taking far too much time, "You better move it, the General's on his way up," he said urgently, practically pulling Murdock out of the room, "Go down the back stairs."

Murdock allowed himself to be steered down the hall. At the door to the stairwell, he stopped and gave Jeff and Joe a quick 'thanks' before stepping through the door, just as the elevator opened and General Stockwell stepped out.

It took Stockwell awhile to make it down to Nancy's room, giving her some time to gather her wits about her, after Murdock's hasty departure. She stared out the window, trying to figure out exactly what had happened in the last few minutes.

"How are you feeling, Nancy?" Stockwell asked perfunctorily, startling Nancy out of her reverie.

She turned and looked at him, a resigned smile crossing her face, "I'm fine. Can you do something to get me out of here?"

"I'll talk to the Doctor and see what's needed," he said brusquely, turning and walking back out.

Nancy hugged her knees, thinking that it was sad statement on her life that a man who had known her for a scant three days seemed to care more about her than one who had known her all her life.

Resignation

Murdock walked in at the air field a little early, and found Hannibal sitting at the table with BA. Frankie and Face were conspicuously absent. Murdock dropped into one of the folding chairs that had been set up. BA and Hannibal had obviously been busy bringing some office materials from the Compound to here. The large area map was clipped up on an easel, and the work bench had been pulled over to allow room for several of the aerial photos to be tacked up.

Hannibal looked up as Murdock slid up to the table, "So, how are Able 5 and Able 12?"

"Trixie's gonna be in the hospital overnight with broken ribs and a concussion, but nothing serious," he supplied, "Nancy will likely be out this afternoon, she only suffered some cuts and bruises from being thrown back from the explosion."

"Sounds like they were lucky," Hannibal said, and Murdock nodded agreement, reminded briefly about what Joe had said.

BA was looking at Murdock with concern, "How 'bout you, crazy man? You OK?"

Murdock was always caught off guard when BA showed blatant concern about him, "No, BA, I'm not OK. I totally screwed things up with Nan," he said in frustration, dropping his head in his hands, "Add to that the fact that she's still hell-bent on going to Columbia, even though it's obvious that Palumbo's got it in for her . . ."

Hannibal sat back and looked at Murdock directly, "Honestly, Murdock, did you expect her to react any differently?" he asked.

"It's foolish for her to go down to Columbia," Murdock said flatly, "She's just putting herself right in the lion's den."

Hannibal smiled thoughtfully, "Yea, she is. But she's going down with her eyes wide open, and with the situation on her own terms, not his," Murdock looked at Hannibal sharply, hearing Nancy's words echoed in his commanding officer's, "You know, Murdock, if you were in Nancy's place, I expect you'd be making the same decision."

Hannibal stood up, "I'm going to get a cup of coffee, anybody else want one?" When Murdock and BA both shook there heads, Hannibal turned and left the hangar, leaving Murdock to consider what he had said.

Released

It took another couple hours for the testing to be completed, and the Doctors to declare Nancy fit to leave. She'd had no choice but to put on the clothing she'd been wearing during the blast, and wanted to get home, get a shower and change. But first, she had to stop in and see that Trixie was alright for herself, even though she'd been assured by everyone that there was nothing to worry about.

She knocked at the door before stepping in. Joe was sitting in a chair and stood as she entered the room. Trixie was lying in the bed, half asleep.

Nancy came in and sat on the edge of the bed, "How are you feeling, Trix?"

Trixie smiled at her wanly, "Well, I always wanted to go out with a bang," she joked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better now," Nancy said in relief. If Trixie could still joke, she wasn't doing too badly.

She took her friend's hand gently, "I was so relieved to hear the baby was OK."

Tears welled in Trixie's eyes. When she had awakened after the blast, her first thought had been of the baby. She'd never been so frightened, and at that moment had realized that there was nothing more important than the life growing inside of her.

"I told the General, Nan," Trixie choked, "I told him I quit. I can't take a chance like this again."

"It's OK, Trix," Nancy said, then smiled, patted her hand, and stood, "Of course, you might want to stop hanging around with me for awhile."

Joe looked at Nancy through narrowed eyes, "So, what's your next move?"

She turned and faced him, "Now, more than ever, I've gotta go to Columbia," she replied determinedly, "Getting Palumbo out of the picture is the only way to resolve the situation."

Joe nodded in understanding, and they were all quiet for a few minutes.

It was Trixie who broke the silence, "So, how did things go with HM this morning?" she asked tentatively.

Nancy gave Joe a brief glare, before looking back at Trixie, and shifting uncomfortably "I don't know," she said, "He wants to talk about it after we get back. But honestly, I don't really see the point. Nothing is going to change."

Joe crossed his arms in irritation, "Did you two take lessons when you signed up with Stockwell Enterprises?" he asked, "Trixie pulled this same kinda shit on me for six long years. Is it gonna take a two by four to the side of the head to make you realize that the guy cares about you? He risked a hell of lot showing up here this morning."

"Just drop it, Joe" Nancy said sharply.

"Why do you have to be so fucking bull-headed?" Joe asked angrily.

"I am being practical," Nancy countered flatly.

Joe snorted, "Like hell, what you're being is a coward."

Nancy and Joe stood toe to toe, glaring at each other, but as Nancy opened her mouth to retort, Trixie interrupted, "Alright, that's enough," she said loudly, and both of them turned towards her.

Trixie had managed to prop herself up on an elbow, "Joe, let it go," she said emphatically, then turned to Nancy, getting in her own dig, "If Nancy wants to screw up the best thing that ever happened to her, it's her own damn business," she laid back in the bed, her energy spent.

Trixie looked grey, except for the two splotches of red on her cheeks, and as she sank back onto the bed, Joe hurried to her side. Nancy was torn between overwhelming concern for her friend, and a lingering anger at both of them. She took a deep breath – Joe would take care of Trixie, he always did. Her presence was just causing problems right now. She turned and walked to the door, deciding that it was past time for her to leave, anyway.

Trixie opened her eyes, and called after her, "Nan, please be careful,"

Nancy turned and smiled weakly at Trixie, "I'm always careful," she said, adding in an apologetic tone, "You two take care of each other and I'll see you in a couple weeks."

As Nancy stepped into the hall, Jeff Kent stood up and glared at her, "Thought you could give me the slip, huh?"

"Since you're my ride home, that would have been pretty stupid," she said irritably, "Do you know if my bug was totaled in the blast?" she asked, as they started down the hall.

"The bug's fine," Jeff said, falling into step beside her, "but it's not going anywhere, since the wreckage of the sedan is still sitting in front of it."

"Well, then, can I drop you off at home?" Nancy asked.

"And have the General rip me a new one because I let you out of my sight? No way," Jeff said quietly, "My orders are to deliver you safely to the airfield and that's what I intend to do."

"Fine," she said resignedly, "I gotta go home to shower and change first."

"Fine," Jeff echoed, "Let's go."

The Plot Thins

General Stockwell sat patiently in Jack Larimer's office. He had been sitting there for the last hour, quietly seething. If Larimer was involved in the bombing, he would have his head on a platter. Not only had the General sided with the DEA over a trusted Able agent, but over his own niece. He didn't like being made a fool of.

Larimer walked in, "Hello, General Stockwell," he said graciously, "Sarah says you've been here for awhile. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

The General quietly ignored the hand that Larimer held out in greeting, "What were you doing on Vine Street this morning?"

Larimer looked at the General calculatingly as he took a seat behind his desk, "I had come to warn your agent that she was in danger," he said quietly, "I realized when I arrived that it was too late and decided to get out of the way of the proper authorities."

Stockwell didn't believe him, "If you had information about one of my agents, you should have contacted me."

Larimer's gaze was passive, but his eyes were shaded. The General watched him carefully, as he responded, "Certainly, under other circumstances, I would have," Larimer said slowly, "But unfortunately the communiqué had come in early this morning and I thought it best if I delivered the message directly, to save time."

"Obviously, you weren't fast enough," Stockwell said evenly, "In the future, you will communicate any 'warnings' regarding my agents to me directly and immediately. I have the ability to follow up rapidly by non-traditional means, and the mishap this morning might have been avoided."

Larimer licked his lips, "Of course, General, I apologize for the delay. It won't happen again."

"From whom did the communiqué come?" Stockwell asked.

"Nolan had overheard Palumbo talking on the phone," Larimer said, "Palumbo was putting a contract out on Agent Clay. She is in a great deal of danger," he continued in a calculating tone, "Perhaps the DEA could offer safe custody to her until we can get Palumbo under control."

Stockwell had to suppress his amusement at the thought of Nancy in DEA custody. It might just be worth her wrath, to see what would happen if he allowed Larimer to offer it to her personally, but he quickly thought better of it. Larimer was no match for Nancy, either mentally or physically.

"Thank you, Agent Larimer, but that will not be necessary," Stockwell said, standing, "I trust that we understand each other. In the future I will expect more prompt communication from this office. Good day."

General Stockwell turned and walked out of the office. He was now certain that Nancy was right. Nolan had jumped the fence, with Larimer on his coat tails. He wondered idly who he could trust. At the moment, he felt certain that Nancy was safest with the A-Team, even if they were headed into Palumbo's back yard.

Shaken Trust

Face and Frankie had arrived back at the airfield, with another load of records from the compound. Hannibal had set them to work organizing everything, while Murdock and BA performed a routine maintenance check on the plane. That work had kept Murdock and Face off each other's backs for about an hour. They reconvened when Carla arrived.

She glanced around the gathered men, "I am afraid that there has been an incident this morning," she began cryptically, "Able 5 and Able 12 were caught in an explosion, and while they are both fine, they will obviously not be joining you right away."

"The General asked me to stop by and let you know that he is going to explore the possibility that there is a connection between the mission, and the incident this morning," Carla continued, "He will be here this afternoon to update you on his findings and update status on the mission. Until then, you are to continue your evaluation of the surveillance data, and planning for the mission, assuming that it will commence as originally stated."

Hannibal considered Carla seriously, "And how are Nancy and Trixie?"

"Ms. Martin has broken ribs and a concussion, and will be spending the night in the hospital," Carla said.

"Ms. Clay," she added, her dislike of Nancy apparent in her tone of voice, "Suffered little beyond minor cuts and bruising. She may be joining you later this afternoon."

"That's all I have for you, gentlemen," Carla said with finality, "You will have to wait until the General arrives this afternoon for more details. Good day."

As the hangar door closed behind Carla, Hannibal raised an eyebrow, "I'd say that Carla doesn't care for Able 5."

"Nice to know I'm not alone," Face said quietly.

An irritated looked crossed Murdock's face, and Hannibal sighed, "Cool it, Face," he said sharply, "Now, obviously, Palumbo does know who Nancy is. If she's still accompanying us to Columbia, what does this fact mean to the mission?"

"If Palumbo know she an agent, why not just have her killed outright and be done wi' it?" BA asked.

"My thought exactly," Hannibal said, nodding, "Could have just been a botched job."

"Joe said that he talked to the Feds at the scene," Murdock supplied, "They said it was a warning shot – there wasn't nearly enough explosive there to kill anyone."

"Make her suffer," Face said.

"Face," Murdock said sharply.

He looked back at Murdock, "I mean, maybe Palumbo wanted to make her suffer, you know, for betraying him."

Hannibal looked at Murdock uneasily, "That would seem to imply a rather more intimate relationship then I understood existed."

"You don't think Palumbo would allow her to stay at the hacienda for a whole week without getting something in return, Colonel," Face said bitingly, "She's probably only told us half of what went on down there. Now do you see why we shouldn't trust her?"

Murdock crossed his arms, and considered Face through narrowed eyes. He wanted to trust Nancy, but he had to grudgingly admit that Face had a point. Silently, he hoped Nancy was omitting details inadvertently, and not purposely. Personally, he was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt, but obviously Face's distrust was deepening.

"What do you think, Captain?" Hannibal asked bluntly.

Murdock shook his head, "It's hard to tell, Colonel," he said uncertainly, "She suffers from PTS, and a stressful situation like that could have caused some recall problems. Or, maybe she's just omitting details, to spare my feelings. Either way, if there was more to their relationship than meets the eye, it could have a major affect on how we approach the mission."

Hannibal nodded, glad Murdock was being analytical and not emotional about the situation, "If Palumbo is nursing a broken heart over our little Able Agent, it could give us a definite angle to use for our trip to Columbia."

Murdock felt his heart drop into his feet, he knew where Hannibal was going with this, and he didn't like it at all.

Rough Ride Home

Nancy dropped into the passenger's seat of the sedan, that Andrew Macey had been sitting on ever since this morning. Jeff and Andy had been given the dubious pleasure of keeping an eye on Nancy, a chore that none of the Able agents would have taken on happily.

Andy sat down in the back seat, "I thought we were going to be done by noon," he said grumpily.

"Sorry, Andy," Nancy said, "I didn't think they were ever gonna let me outta there."

"Well, can we just drop you at the airfield and be done?"

Nancy glanced over at Jeff, who started the car and pulled out, "You were supposed to be at some luncheon for your wife today, weren't you?"

"Yea, and if we hurry I can be only a little late," Andy said.

"Tell me where to drop you, and I'll take Nan to the airfield," Jeff said, "I shouldn't have to leave the car again, so I can handle it on my own."

After they dropped Andy at a local restaurant, Jeff sighed in relief, "I think the General is punishing me, partnering me with Macey," he said, "The guy does nothing but complain. Of course, if I had his wife, I think I'd piss and moan all the time, too."

Nancy chuckled, "Andy does tend to whine a bit, but he's a decent agent."

Jeff looked at her sideways, "So, are you feeling OK?"

"Yea, I'm alright," Nancy said, unconvincingly.

Jeff considered her shrewdly, before asking tentatively, "And, how did everything go with Captain Murdock this morning?"

Nancy's expression darkened, "You know, I forgot to thank you for smuggling him in – what was it, some sort of payback?" she said sarcastically, "Trying to get me in really deep shit with the General, aren't you, Kent?"

"C'mon, Nan, you know we've got your back," Jeff said calmly with a slight smile, "Besides, I like Murdock. He's a decent guy. And God knows the General treats him like shit. There's something . . . fitting about you two together."

"We aren't together," Nancy said sharply, "And you'd better not breathe a word about this to anyone else. I really don't want the General finding out. It would just cause trouble all the way around."

"You know, that's really nothing unusual where you're involved, Nan," Jeff said with a smile.

"If you don't have anything constructive to say, then just shut up," she said irritably.

Jeff raised an eyebrow, "You want me to say something constructive," he asked sternly, "Here ya go, sweetheart. Drop the queen bitch bit, and admit that you've fallen for the guy. He's right for you, and you know it."

"Even if that's true, it's not going to matter when he finds out who I am," Nancy said flatly.

Jeff felt like he'd been sucker-punched, "Just because I couldn't face your family tree, doesn't mean he can't, Nan," he said reasonably, "Murdock is head over heels for you, and I don't really think he's going to care who your uncle is, it's just not his style. If you're so worried about it, why don't you tell him?"

"I would, but I want them to treat me like a member of the team, not like a fucking princess," Nancy said, "That's gonna be difficult enough as it is, since they seem to distrust anyone or anything connected to the General. Imagine how it would be if they knew I was his niece."

"Fair enough. In a twisted kind of way, I even understand that logic," Jeff said, "But Murdock isn't the Team, and he needs to know."

"If Murdock knows, the Team will know," she said, "He's made it quite clear to me where his loyalty lies."

"So you're gonna keep lying to him? To all of them?"

"It isn't a lie," Nancy said, "It's just . . . an omission of information."

"You sound like your Uncle when you say shit like that," Jeff said with a shake of his head.

Nancy looked at him sharply, "You know, I didn't ask for your opinion."

Jeff pulled up to the curb outside her townhouse. There was a crime scene crew working on sifting through the mess in her driveway, leaving no room to pull in.

He took a deep breath, put the car in park, and turned to face her, "You know, Nan, despite what you think, I care about you. And while I may not be the brightest bulb in the box, I can speak from experience on this particular subject," he looked at her intently, "Murdock deserves the whole truth. I know that what happened between us is making you hesitant to do that, and I'm sorry. But Murdock isn't me, and I really don't think he's going to care who your uncle is."

Nancy looked at Jeff, then opened the car door and got out, "This is really none of your business, Jeff."

Jeff got out and stood leaning against the car when she came around, "You're right, it's none of my business," he agreed, "But every once in a blue moon you should try listening to your friends. We may not be as smart as you, but we can't be wrong all the time."

"So, we're still friends?" Nancy asked tartly.

"Nan, we never stopped being friends," Jeff said quietly, "We just stopped being lovers."

"All because I was a Stockwell by blood," Nancy said bitterly.

Jeff shook his head resignedly, "Please, don't use me as the next excuse to dump on Murdock. The guy loves you, Nan. Any idiot can see it when he looks at you."

Nancy had crossed her arms, and was kicking at the ground, "For the record, I think I am an idiot," she said, "Perhaps, in the end, HM will overlook that."

Jeff smiled at her, "Oh, I think he's got it pretty bad," he said, "But you gotta tell him the truth."

"I will," Nancy said, "I'm just not sure when."

"The sooner the better," he insisted.

Nancy nodded, then motioned vaguely at the apartment, "I'm gonna go in and get a shower and change," she said, "I shouldn't be long."

"Hey, don't forget to pack a bag," Jeff said in afterthought.

"What for?" Nancy asked, "We don't leave until tomorrow."

"General says you're to stay at the Compound tonight," Jeff said, wincing in anticipation of the reaction, "He doesn't want to take any chances. He's got a couple agents on Trix, too, just in case."

Nancy opened her mouth then closed it, there was no point in arguing with Jeff, he was just the messenger, "Fine, I'll pack a bag."

Intruder

Nancy walked into her apartment, and sighed when she saw the mess in the living room, thinking wryly that it was reflective of her life at the moment. The blast had blown out the two windows on the corner of the townhouse closest to the drive, and there was broken glass all over the living room. Maybe staying at the Compound wasn't such a bad idea after all. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with this until later. Someone, she guessed Dan, had been kind enough to at least cover the broken windows with plywood and plastic, to keep the weather out.

She walked past the mess and started up the stairs, where her steps slowed. Something felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on it at first. Then it registered, there were places on the steps where it looked like there was glitter. On closer inspection, she realized that is was small flecks of broken glass, catching the light from the window on the stair landing. Someone had walked through the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs before her. Dan wouldn't have, and she couldn't think of anyone else that should have been in her house, particularly on the second floor.

She felt instinctively for her gun, and backed silently down the stairs, and back to the door. She stepped out on the front porch and motioned to Jeff, who grabbed one of the police officers and asked him to keep an eye on the car while he stepped away.

He ran up to her, "That was quick . . ."

She put a finger to her lips, "I think someone is upstairs," she whispered.

They both pulled their weapons out and moved silently into the townhouse, carefully and quietly checking the downstairs as a matter of procedure before heading to the second floor.

They had cleared the spare room, and were moving slowly down the hall towards Nancy's bedroom, which was at the rear of the townhouse, when they heard a crash.

"In my bedroom," Nancy said, running to the door and pushing it open. They found her bedroom window open with the screen torn out. The crash had been the sound of the intruder jumping out and landing on the compost bin on the rear patio.

"He's headed for the back alley, I'll go after him, you call backup," Jeff shouted, turning and running down the rear stair to pick up pursuit.

Nancy pulled her satellite phone out and made the call, before turning and following Jeff.

When Nancy got to the rear of the lot, Jeff was already walking back in through the gate, jotting in a notebook, "He had a car sitting in the alley," Jeff said, "Fuckin' license plate was covered in mud, but I got a partial."

Jeff shoved the notebook back in his pocket, "I imagine the General will want to know why the hell I'm here with you alone," he said dolefully, "So my ass is in a sling."

Nancy smiled at him, "I called Andy, first. He should be here before backup."

"Thanks, Nan," Jeff said gratefully, "C'mon, let's clear the rest of the house."

Hannibal had set them back to work on surveillance data, in particular, the hacienda layout. They all needed to know that place inside and out. He had found Nancy's report from her week in the hacienda, which provided a detailed description of the interior layout – at least as much as she had been able to explore. She had even provided a sketch of it, with most of the detail in Palumbo's private suite, in the east wing, but there was at least a general layout for the remainder of the hacienda and grounds.

While the Team was studying the layout and committing it to memory, he pulled out the report of her week at the hacienda. He read it through once very quickly, then went back to read more closely, searching between the lines for some clues to what they could expect. Her report was very factual, with little regarding her relationship with Palumbo. As Murdock had said, that could have a significant bearing on how they approached this mission.

Over the last hour, there had been spurts of conversation, with Face finding every opportunity to make disparaging comments about Nancy. Hannibal had been trying to let it slide, hoping Face would get it out of his system, but it was starting to grate even on his nerves. He looked up from the report, and noticed belatedly that Murdock wasn't even at the table.

"Where's the Captain?" he asked.

Face looked guilty, but it was BA that answered, "I think he went into the plane, Hannibal."

Hannibal stood and stretched, "Alright, obviously we all need a break. Face, Frankie, take the van and head out to pick up the personal supplies. BA, you finish up that maintenance check on the plane."

As Frankie and Face started to leave, Hannibal put a hand on Face's arm, "You better get a grip, Lieutenant," he said quietly, "Innocent until proven guilty applies to Able 5, as well as anybody else. Understand?"

Face nodded grudgingly, before turning to walk out. He only had his gut to go by, but he knew for certain that there was something significant that Able 5 wasn't telling them – and he was bound and determined to find out what it was.

Andy managed to make it to Nancy's apartment before backup, which was fortunate because the General wasn't far behind. An hour later, the police had been alerted, statements filed, and a second crime scene crew dispatched to the apartment to see if they could get anything of use in identifying the intruder. Since Nancy's entire apartment was now a crime scene, her activities were severely limited. She had been allowed to go in and grab clothes for her trip, but that was it. Dan and Nel had graciously allowed her to come in and use their shower.

General Stockwell had let Jeff and Andy take off for the rest of day, and was waiting for Nancy, with the limo, when she came out of her neighbor's apartment. She thanked Dan and Nel once more for all their help, then turned and walked out to the waiting limo. She glanced back at her apartment as she crossed the yard, wondering if it would ever feel safe again.

The General opened the rear door to the limo for her himself, and got in behind her.

As they pulled away from the curb, he looked at her in concern, "I know it's been a long day," he said gently, "and I hate to make you stay at the Compound, but I really think it's the safest place right now."

"You know, Uncle, it really catches me off guard when you're so thoughtful," Nancy said in bemusement.

He was looking at her disquietly, and Nancy finally turned to him and said, "What is it?"

"I believe I owe you an apology," he said precisely.

"Really?" Nancy said, looking at him in surprise, "I didn't think you knew how to apologize."

"Don't be a smart ass and make this more difficult than it already is," the General said irritably, "I spoke with Larimer, who was obviously lying. I'm sorry I didn't at least consider your suspicions about Nolan. They were, apparently, not without merit."

"'Not without merit' isn't exactly the same as right, but you take what you can get," Nancy said, turning and looking at him in amusement, "So, basically what you're saying is, I was right, and you were wrong," she knocked on the privacy glass, which rolled down immediately, "Hey, Frank, I just wanted a witness to this. I was right and the General was wrong – he's even admitting it. Right General?" Nancy looked at Stockwell smugly.

"That's enough," Stockwell said sharply, rolling the privacy glass back up between them and his visibly amused chauffer, "This has serious implications for the mission to Columbia."

"In what way?"

"I don't know who to trust at the DEA. I'm going to have to hedge what I tell them about what you're doing down there and when," his look was introverted as he considered the possibilities, "It may be best to delay the mission."

"Delay could be seriously detrimental to Freddie," Nancy said, "Besides, the element of surprise is with a quick attack, we lose ground the longer we wait."

"How can you be sure Littleford hasn't joined Nolan in Palumbo's back pocket?" Stockwell asked.

"No way," Nancy said certainly, "Fred's a damn good agent and definitely the loyal-until-the-end type. He's a career man with a love for the hunt. The money doesn't mean a whole lot to him – and that's all Palumbo has to offer."

Stockwell considered that carefully. The last time he hadn't respected Nancy's ability to read people, the results had been far too close to disastrous, "OK, well in order to end this," he said musingly, "I don't think we have any choice but to take Palumbo, along with Nolan, and hopefully get Littleford out alive. Maybe then we can at least clean house at the DEA, and make a small dent in the Columbian drug supply."

"Not much of a dent," Nancy said disdainfully, "So Palumbo disappears – there'll be another leech waiting in the wings to take his place."

"Perhaps," Stockwell said, "But at least the one who is threatening you will no longer be a threat."

"So we're gunning for Palumbo now?"

"I want him and Nolan for questioning," the General said, "It's going to be tricky getting both of them, and still getting Littleford out alive.

The limo had pulled into the airfield lot and stopped. The General turned and looked at Nancy seriously, "I have come to the conclusion that your presence with the Team on this mission is for the best," he said, "But I want one thing understood – Colonel Smith calls the shots."

Nancy opened the door and grabbed her duffel, stepping out of the car, "Don't worry, Uncle. I have a great deal of respect for Colonel Smith," she said, then turned and leaned in to look at him, "Just for the record – you're the only person who has trouble with me 'behaving'. Chalk it up to being family and drop it. And please stop telling everyone what a discipline problem I am."

Nancy slammed the door and walked off towards the hangar at a good pace, leaving General Stockwell watching after her with a perplexed look on his face.

New Plan

Hannibal was standing and gazing at the quadrangle map of Columbia unseeingly, running through various scenarios in his mind yet again. He turned as the hangar door opened and Nancy came walking in.

He nodded at her, "Good to see you in one piece."

"Good to be in one piece," she said, smiling, "Even if that one piece is a little worse for the wear."

She walked to the table and sat carefully in a chair. Her discussion with the General had set her mind into overdrive.

Hannibal considered her quietly for a minute. As she'd gotten closer, he'd noticed the signs of her ordeal this morning. There were cuts and scratches on her face and arms, and when she had sat down, she moved gingerly.

"So," he finally said, "Is the General on his way here?"

Nancy glanced up at him, as if surprised he was still there, "He's here," she said absently, "Should be in shortly."

Her eyes focused on him, "The General says he wants Palumbo now, Colonel," she said without preamble.

Hannibal turned back to the map. He wasn't surprised by the statement and had actually been considering how best to address that eventuality. He pointed a black-gloved finger at the hacienda, and traced the path of the one 'road' out to the nearest village. Pulling Palumbo from his hacienda was going to present a huge challenge.

Nancy had slipped back into her own silence, but her thoughts were interrupted as the good-natured bantering that had been coming from the direction of the cargo plane, turned to angry voices. She looked at Hannibal curiously, recognizing Murdock's voice and, she thought, that of the large taciturn Sergeant, "Are they alright in there?" she asked in concern.

Hannibal shrugged noncommittally, "Nothing unusual," he said, "Murdock tends to goad BA unmercifully when he's upset about something," Hannibal's eyes surreptitiously slid to her face as he said this, and he noted the distraught look that crossed her features before being quickly hidden.

Hannibal smiled inwardly. Though he still felt a need to explore exactly what had happened between Nancy and Palumbo at the hacienda, he had no doubt that her feelings for Murdock were genuine, which gave him a certain peace of mind going into the mission.

At her curious look, he continued to explain, "It's just a more mild form of the destructive tendencies Murdock developed in 'Nam," he turned and looked her directly, "He used to goad less-than-friendly marines when he was upset over there, which was most of the time. More than once BA came to his rescue during those little events and took him to the infirmary to get patched back up."

Soon Murdock's voice took on a definite strangled quality, and Hannibal turned, shaking his head, "BA, put Murdock down," he said striding towards the plane and ducking through the back end to referee the conflict. Soon all three came walking out. BA's expression was black, and Murdock was following him, rubbing his neck. Hannibal brought up the rear, a tolerant expression in place.

"Geez, BA," Murdock said, "All I did was ask whether you wanted your sedative sunny-side-up or over-easy," a slightly manic grin lit his face as he repeated the retaliation-precipitating comment.

BA growled and rounded on Murdock and Hannibal quickly stepped between them, "C'mon, BA, lighten up," Hannibal said, "We need Murdock to fly the plane."

BA's eyes landed on Nancy, and a rare grin crossed his features, "Nan could fly us," he said, looking at Murdock he added mischievously, "Mebe then I wouldn' need the sedative."

Murdock shrugged, and gave Nancy a smile, "Fine by me," he said, and his smile broadened, "I can catch some shuteye with the big guy on the flight that way!"

The hangar door opened and General Stockwell came striding in, with Face and Frankie close behind.

The General looked at Hannibal with raised eyebrows, "Did you lose a couple men, Colonel?"

Hannibal smiled thinly, but didn't respond. He was beginning to worry that with the feisty little Able catalyst in their midst, his team might just self-destruct.

The assembly ranged in a loose group around the quadrangle map, and the General stepped forward, "Gentlemen, I believe you are all aware of the bombing this morning," he said, "There was also an intruder at Able 5's apartment early this afternoon. I've spoken with the supervisor at the DEA, whose responses to questioning have left me with misgivings about their involvement in this mission. While I am certain that the DEA has been compromised by Palumbo, I have no way of knowing how deep his influence runs."

"As a result, I have decided that this mission will be delayed for a week, while we regroup and I attempt to determine what the best course of action is. When you do head to Columbia, you will be going down with the goal not only of bringing back the two DEA agents, but also Mr. Palumbo himself."

"Why delay?" Nancy asked.

"We can't go in blind."

Nancy glanced at Hannibal who was puffing on his cigar, his arms crossed and his eyes shaded. It was almost impossible to gage his reaction to the General's announcement, but she decided to forge ahead, hoping her read of the situation aligned with the Colonel's, "I don't believe Colonel Smith was going down there at all blind, even before today's events," she said quietly, "And delaying a week is going to do nothing but ruin the element of surprise."

The General's jaw had tightened as Nancy spoke, and he turned to Hannibal, "Smith, do you have anything to add?"

Hannibal took his cigar out of his mouth, "I agree with Able 5 – delaying a week is not going to do anything but hurt us," he said without hesitation, "I would like to delay a day to integrate the new objective into the plan, but certainly not a week."

The General considered Hannibal through narrowed eyes, then looked at Nancy, "You will be going down there with no knowledge of whom within the DEA you can trust," he said quietly.

"I think it would be best if the DEA were kept in the dark about what we are doing," Nancy said.

Hannibal's eyes narrowed. He'd been watching her for the last 15 minutes, and knew that she had been formulating her own ideas about how best to approach this mission given the new objective, "What do you have in mind?"

Nancy looked at Hannibal uncertainly at first, but then her gaze became determined. She turned to the General, "Does Larimer suspect that you're on to him?"

"I certainly wasn't going to show my hand this early in the game," Stockwell said shortly.

"Then he still believes that you are discounting my suspicions," she said thoughtfully, "That, along with his direct line to Palumbo, we can definitely use to our advantage."

Hannibal could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she spoke, "So, you tell Larimer that I've gone rogue – headed down to Columbia without clearance."

"You ARE NOT going down there alone," the General practically exploded.

Nancy's gaze was calm, "Of course I'm not. I may be reckless at times, but I'm not suicidal," she said matter-of-factly, "The Team and I will go to Columbia, basically as planned, with a days delay," she glanced at Hannibal in acknowledgement, "But when we get there, rather than hitting Palumbo at the hacienda, we lure him to the village."

Hannibal was nodding in understanding, "If we can get Palumbo away from the hacienda, it's going to be much easier to take him," he looked at Nancy curiously, "But, if he's suspecting an attack, he's unlikely to head into the village, away from his strong hold."

"If the General feeds Larimer the story that the Team's mission has been delayed until Nolan can provide some information on what has happened with Stockwell Enterprise's rogue agent, Palumbo won't be expecting an all out attack. He'll be awaiting the arrival of a lone agent – an agent that he's got a personal vendetta against," Nancy said, "When we arrive, I'll make my presence in the village obvious. Trust me, that egocentric asshole won't be able to stay away."

Hannibal nodded thoughtfully, there were some holes in the logic, like how was she going to travel with 5 men and not have Palumbo become suspicious, and how did the DEA agents fit into the whole thing. However, it was a good place to start the contingency and scenario planning.

The General didn't look overly enamored of the idea, "It sounds very risky."

"No riskier than any other scenario," Hannibal argued, "Besides, it's really just a starting place for contingency planning. There are still a lot of details and angles to work out."

"What about the original objective of bringing back the DEA agents?" Stockwell argued.

"I have some ideas there," Hannibal said thoughtfully, "Like I said, there are a lot of angles to work out before we come up with a final plan."

Apparently, Stockwell was having trouble coming up with any other arguments against moving ahead immediately, "Very well," he conceded, "You'll be leaving Thursday morning for Columbia. Meanwhile, I will see what I can discover on this end."

"Once we get our angle figured out, we'll let you know what story to feed to the DEA," Hannibal said.

Stockwell acknowledged that with a nod, "Able 5 will be joining you at the Compound until your departure," he looked at Hannibal significantly, before dismissing them, "Colonel, if I could have a brief word outside," and with that he turned and walked out of the hangar. Hannibal shrugged and followed.

As Hannibal stepped outside the hangar, the General turned and looked at Hannibal, "I trust you to treat Able 5 as one of your team, Colonel," Stockwell said without preamble, then added seriously, "And I expect your men to treat her with respect – particularly Lieutenant Peck. She's off limits. Understood?"

"You don't want Face hitting on her," Hannibal said around his cigar, his expression neutral, "That I understand."

Stockwell looked at Hannibal through narrowed eyes, then nodded in acknowledgement, "Alright, I'll be by tomorrow to check on planning progress," then turned and walked away.

Hannibal walked back into the hangar and up to the front of the assembly, "Well, we've got a little more time, but a lot more problems to figure out," he said, his eyes roving over all of them, "Now, I want everyone's uncensored opinions about the proposed idea."

"I don't like it," Murdock stated flatly.

Nancy turned flashing eyes on him, "Don't start that again, Captain," she said, her voice low and uncompromising.

Murdock gazed at her unwaveringly, "Hannibal said uncensored opinions, and my uncensored opinion is that Palumbo wants something, and at this point I'm not sure what that is," he looked at her directly, "That makes using you as bait a very risky proposition, for everyone involved. Unless you know something we don't."

Face looked at Murdock approvingly, but Murdock caught the look and snapped at him, "I'm not agreeing with you, Face. I just want to get the question out in the open."

Nancy shifted uncomfortably, and wondered what had been going on amongst the Team this afternoon, "I'm not sure I understand what you're driving at."

"We have it on reliable authority that the bomb this afternoon was never meant to kill you," Hannibal said, "Can you enlighten us as to the reason he wants you scared, but not dead?"

Murdock was watching her shrewdly, and saw the surprise in her face, though she quickly hid it. She looked at Hannibal directly, "I have no idea," her gaze shifted to Murdock, "Really, I don't know."

After a few minutes of silent, uncomfortable shifting, Hannibal sighed, "Alright, I guess we'll just have to ponder that mystery. Meanwhile, we still need to plan for this mission. Given what we do know, any thoughts on how this scenario will play out?"

Face addressed his comment directly to Nancy, "If there's nothing going on between you and Palumbo, then why the hell would he come to the village?" he asked.

Nancy's face turned red as it dawned on her what the discussions in her absence must have been about, "I assure you, there is no ongoing relationship between Palumbo and myself. I would think that the car bomb would attest to that fact. Beyond that, I fail to see what bearing my relationship with Palumbo, during my time at the hacienda, has on this mission."

"A non-lethal car bomb could be taken a couple different ways, Able 5," Face said scathingly, "After all, you spent an intimate week with Palumbo, in his private quarters. You can't just expect us to trust you're on our side when we go back down there."

"You know, trust goes both ways, Lieutenant," she replied coolly.

"You know a hell of a lot more about me . . . about us, then we know about you," Face said defensively.

"Let's face it," Nancy said, and laughed humorlessly at her own pun, "I could shake hands with Jesus himself and you wouldn't trust me."

"Jesus would shake hands with the devil, to keep him close," Face replied.

"Alright, cool it," Hannibal said sharply, this had to stop. Right now, more than anything else, he saw the animosity between Nancy and Face as the biggest risk to the mission.

Nancy and Face both lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, as Hannibal paced agitatedly.

He finally stopped and looked at them, "Frankie, you and Face got the rest of the supplies, right?"

"Yea Johnny, everything's in the van," Frankie said.

"Alright, you four," Hannibal indicated his four men, "Pull the van around and finish loading the plane."

He looked at Murdock, "I'm taking your truck, Captain," he said, and Murdock handed the keys over without protest, "And you're in charge – I want everything double checked and secured this afternoon," he turned, "Nancy, you're with me."

Hannibal led Nancy to the hangar door, where he turned and scanned his men, his gaze landing on his smug-looking Lieutenant, "I don't want any bickering, the Captain's in charge. Get the work done and be back at the Compound by 1800, got it?"

He satisfied himself that they were all nodding the right direction then turned and strode out, with Nancy close behind.

"I'll go get the van," BA said, holding out a hand to Face for the keys.

Face pulled the keys out of his pocket, glancing at the door, "I'd say the Colonel's gonna put Able 5 in her place," he said in satisfaction.

Murdock's look was fuming, but he prudently held his tongue, while Frankie and BA looked anxiously between the two friends than at each other.

Frankie took a deep breath, he wasn't sure he could handle the situation if the tension between Face and Murdock came to a head, "BA, maybe I should come help you," he said uncertainly.

BA pressed the keys into Frankie's hand, "You bring the van 'round, little brother," he said, "I'll stay here and referee. I kin keep these two in line," he crossed his arms and glowered at Face and Murdock.

Heart to Heart

Nancy followed Hannibal resolutely through to the parking lot, getting into the passenger's side of Murdock's truck. Hannibal started the truck and pulled out of the lot without a word.

Nancy waited uncomfortably for Hannibal to say something. But as the silence stretched, she finally decided to head off the tirade she was anticipating, "Colonel, I promise to try to be less confrontational with Lieutenant Peck, but I'm going to need the same courtesy," she said bluntly, "Every time he opens his mouth, he pisses me off."

"Yea, I've noticed," Hannibal said, his amused expression surprising Nancy, "You know, your problem is that you're way too much alike," he looked at her sideways.

"We are nothing alike," she stated flatly, her eyes flashing.

"You know, kid, against my better judgment, I really like you," Hannibal said, his smile broad, "I don't trust you to be totally honest, but then that's the nature of the beast when you're dealing with spy-types. You tend to be way too practiced at deception for your own good. Unfortunately, part of the talent is being really good at self-deception, and you and Face both got that down pat."

"Now I'm going to give you some friendly advice," he said, looking at her discerningly, "Face hates everything you represent, including Stockwell Enterprises and the General, but more importantly, the wedge that he perceives you're placing between him and his best friend."

Nancy opened her mouth to protest, but Hannibal held up a gloved hand, "Just listen," he said, "You keep your tongue tamed when you're around him, no matter what he says. It'll pass. Face just needs some time to come to grips with it."

"So I'm just supposed to sit by and let him verbally lash me every chance he gets," Nancy said sullenly.

"Yea," Hannibal said, grinning, "Trust me, it'll drive him nuts when you don't respond. Not only that, the rest of the Team will step in. They're pretty good at disciplining each other."

Hannibal looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was accepting his advice without much argument. That, at least, took care of phase one of his plan to get them acting as a Team.

"How are you feeling?" Hannibal asked quietly.

"I'm fine," she responded shortly.

"Do you think you're up for some sparring?"

Nancy looked at Hannibal curiously, "My ass is sore, but sitting on it just makes it worse," she smiled self-consciously, "A little sparring might help . . . don't think it'll hurt."

"Good. I think it might help all the way around if we got a feel, first-hand, for your capabilities," he said, "The General said you're a black belt. I figure that's as good a place to start as any. How about fire arms?"

"I'm a decent shot, but Trix is better," she said, "Most comfortable with my Glock."

"Automatic weaponry experience?"

"Limited," Nancy was feeling like she was being interviewed, "I've been through training, and I know how to handle it, but I don't do it routinely, so a refresher's probably in order."

"Survival?"

Nancy smiled, "I spent the last 14 months in the back country of Columbia," she said, "I can handle myself. But for the record, the big spiders down there really kinda freak me out."

"I'm not a big fan of bugs, myself," Hannibal was smiling too, "How about your stamina?"

Nancy shrugged, "I've been on vacation for the last 6 weeks, so I'm probably not at the top of my game right now," she said honestly.

"Couple rounds through the obstacle course would probably do all of us some good, then," Hannibal said, he smiled, "Maybe we'll even get one in tonight, before supper."

Nancy grimaced and Hannibal chuckled, "Yea, the guys'll love it, too!"

Next, he decided it was time to hear the story from the horses mouth, "Now, what I'd really like to hear straight from you is exactly what happened in Columbia between you and Palumbo. There's gotta be more to it then what was in that report."

Nancy shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and Hannibal couldn't tell if it was because of her injury this morning, or his question.

"The General probably told you that we were instructed only to observe, not engage. Our job was surveillance and communications – the DEA agents took the role of infiltrating Palumbo's organization."

Nancy paused and Hannibal waited patiently. As he understood, it was disobeying those orders that had gotten Nancy in hot water with the General to begin with.

As if reading his thoughts, she continued, "I did not intentionally disobey that directive," she said earnestly, "We'd been down there over a year and Trix and I had visited the town only a few times, for supplies. Our cover story was that we were missionaries, bringing the gospel to the heathen tribes of the rainforest."

"During a routine sweep of the hacienda perimeter one night, Trixie managed to piss off one of those big-ass spiders and got bit. I did what I could with our first aid supplies and then we headed for town, which was no short jaunt from where we were. Trixie got weaker and sicker as the hours went by, and the wound wasn't closing."

"Poison?" Hannibal asked.

Nancy nodded, "I knew I had to get her to a doctor, but by noon the next day, she couldn't even walk. Luckily, the spider's venom wasn't deadly and there's a Doc that makes a one-week circuit to the little towns in that region of Columbia. The General had managed to make quiet arrangements through the Doctor to remain in the nearest village, and had a couple of local trackers head into the forest to find us and help us out. Even with that help, it took nearly 4 days for us to make it to the village, and by then Trix was in pretty bad shape, and spent the next week in the infirmary," she stopped, unsure how to explain what happened next.

"I, um . . .," she sighed, "When I'm stressed, I need my music. The day after we got to the village, after the Doc said Trixie was out of the woods, I went into town, to the local bar. Guess I had a little too much to drink, and . . .well, I ended up sitting in with a couple local musicians."

Hannibal shrugged, "Sounds harmless enough."

"Yea, probably woulda been except that there were quite a few people there – not normally my scene, but I was pretty wasted," Nancy looked at Hannibal ruefully, "Word spread rather quickly and by the time I had recovered from my hangover, Palumbo had one of his men in town asking about la misionera cantante borracha."

"Misionera cantante borracha . . .," Hannibal said musingly, his Spanish was a little rusty, "The singing missionary . . ."

"The drunken singing missionary," Nancy supplied.

Hannibal chuckled as she continued, "He had an invitation for me to come to the hacienda. Mr. Palumbo wanted a personal audience."

"Couldn't resist, eh?" Hannibal asked.

"Oh, I said 'no'," Nancy said, "Told him to tell Mr. Palumbo that I was very flattered, but not interested in condoning the local drug lord by visiting his hacienda. Seemed like a good, missionary-type thing to say."

"If you said no, then how did you end up . . .,"

Nancy interrupted, "Do you know what it's like to do a long-term surveillance, Colonel?" When Hannibal shook his head, she continued, "For me, it's like living in purgatory. Close enough to get a glimpse into the life, draw some conclusions, form a pretty picture . . . but I had this overwhelming desire to find out how accurate my profile of Palumbo was. Turning down the opportunity once was doable. Avoiding temptation again was impossible."

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I had made myself very interesting to Palumbo. I had had the nerve to tell him 'no'."

"The next time his men showed up, they were offering a generous contribution to my missionary work, but I had to come to the hacienda and accept the money in person."

"And this time, you couldn't resist," Hannibal said, nodding in understanding.

"Well, technically speaking, I was sticking to my cover," Nancy said carefully, "after all, what self-respecting missionary would turn down a donation – even if it is from a sleezeball."

"You didn't try that line on the General?"

She shrugged, "It was worth a try."

Hannibal pulled up at the gate to the Compound and Nancy sat forward, recognizing the SUV pulled up next to the gate house, "Joe's here," she said, just as he stepped out of the guardhouse and waved them down.

Hannibal pulled to a stop next to the guardhouse, and Nancy stepped out of the truck, "Joe, is everything alright?"

"Yea, Nan, everything's fine. But mother hen is on high alert," he reached into the back of the SUV and pulled out a guitar case, "She told me to bring this to you."

Nancy took the guitar, looking embarrassed, "Thanks Joe."

Joe was looking past Nancy, and she turned as Hannibal stood out of the truck, "Joe, Colonel Hannibal Smith. Hannibal, this is Trixie's husband, Joe Martin."

"Colonel Smith, it's a pleasure meeting you, sir," Joe said, shaking Hannibal's hand.

"Likewise," Hannibal said, "How's Trixie doing?"

"She's doing pretty good, considering," Joe said, then getting the distinct feeling he was interrupting something between Nancy and Hannibal, he took a step back towards his SUV, "Listen, I should get going. Have a good trip, Colonel. Be careful, Nan."

Amy or Nancy . . .

At the airfield the plane loading was going slowly. While BA, Face and Frankie ferried supplies in, Murdock stowed and secured them in the cargo hold. BA's surly presence had kept both Murdock and Face in line for the most part and Frankie worked furtively, trying to stay under everyone's radar.

Face walked in with a box of Frankie's equipment, and set it behind Murdock, who promptly turned and tripped over it, "What the . . ." he looked at Face, "Are you trying to kill me?"

Face turned around and looked at Murdock, "No, I'm trying to save you."

Murdock looked at him in exasperation, "I never asked you to save me from anything. I'm a big boy, now, Facey, and I can take care of myself."

"You can, huh?" Face asked, "Then why are you insisting on continuing this mess with her? She as much as admitted there was something between her and Palumbo. You really want to continue a relationship with a woman like that?

"You know, the only Nancy you've seen is Able 5," Murdock said reasonably, "I've seen Nancy Clay, and I gotta tell you, she's an incredible lady. I gotta believe that there's nothing between her and Palumbo, just like she said."

"OK, so maybe there's nothing between them," Face said, "What about you? How do you know you're not just another in a long line of men she's slept with?

Murdock was shaking his head, though his eyes reflected doubt, "No way, we connected. It was . . . incredible. I'm sure she felt the same."

"Jesus, Murdock," Face said in frustration, "Would you listen to yourself? You've known her for less than a week. You don't fall for somebody that fast. Just because the sex was good, doesn't mean you have to make a life-long commitment to her."

"Yea, well, just because a woman doesn't drop into bed with you doesn't mean you should write her off either, Face," Murdock said angrily, "I know sex and love aren't the same thing, but when they go together it's incredible. Maybe you can't understand that, since you've never had sex with a woman you really cared about."

"Oh, that's right, let's start in on how shallow I am, rather than dealing with your issues," Face said angrily, "You spend the weekend with a woman and you're ready to marry her. And as charming as that impulsiveness can be, it's gonna get you into big trouble with this one."

"I'm always in some kinda trouble, and I don't remember mentioning matrimony," Murdock said impatiently, then sighed heavily, "You've been acting as judge and jury, in a hangman's court, Face. All I'm asking is that you give her a chance – talk to her, get to know her, before you decide she's the devil incarnate."

"Alright, I'll make an effort to get to know her," Face capitulated, "But in return I want you to make an effort to detach yourself, and look at the situation impartially."

The two friends looked at each other for a minute, then Murdock held out his hand, "Deal," Face took his hand and sealed the agreement.

"I still say Amy . . . uh, Able 5 is trouble, Murdock," Face said, shaking his head.

Murdock raised an eyebrow, and smiled knowingly at the Freudian slip, "Yea, she is . . . and she is. But we've always liked trouble, haven't we?"

The Rest of the Story

Hannibal and Nancy rode up to the house in silence. Hannibal led the way into the kitchen, where he asked Nancy what she wanted to drink. Once they each had their beverage, he led the way out onto the deck and dropped into one of the chairs, motioning her to an adjacent one, "Alright, so you accepted the second invitation to Palumbo's hacienda. Then what happened?"

"So, I went," Nancy said nonchalantly, though the look on her face belied the casual tone of her voice, "They dropped me by helicopter, then took off. At that point I was feeling just a little nervous – in the lion's den without a key to the padlock, if you know what I mean."

"Palumbo was quite charming," she continued quietly, "A gracious host to a delicious meal. It was just the two of us at this big long table. It was like something out of Beauty and the Beast. Not that I'm any beauty, but no matter how he behaved, he's definitely a beast."

"And what was the beast expecting in return for his donation?" Hannibal prompted.

"He wanted to help la misionera cantante borracha along the way to a complete fall from grace," Nancy said quietly, looking up at Hannibal she answered the unspoken question, "Oh, he isn't the kind of man who resorts to violence. He wanted me to capitulate willingly – that was the entire point. He wined and dined me all evening, finally putting on some romantic music and turning the lights down. I was behaving like a tipsy school girl, hanging on him and giggling at every lame remark. But when he tried to make his move, I slapped him and told him that I wasn't that kind of girl."

She smiled at Hannibal's snort of amusement, "Cliché, I know, but I had decided early in the evening to go with the prissy virgin front, so it was in keeping with character," she said, "he was very apologetic, and remained the gentleman, gushing some shit about misreading my alcohol-induced languor for romantic interest."

"He left the room about then to take a phone call, which was ostensibly from the chopper pilot, stating that he was having engine trouble and wouldn't be able to make the flight in until morning. So Palumbo generously offered me a room for the night."

"So you were stuck there," Hannibal said, "For how long?"

"One day stretched into a week, with Palumbo getting friendlier all the time," she said, standing and pacing in agitation, "He really turned up the charm after striking out. When I woke up after the first night there was a crystal vase with two dozen roses, one red and one white, with a note apologizing for his behavior after dinner."

"Then he brought me breakfast in bed, personally. Then a long walk in the garden, with an intimate lunch in a secluded grove. The rest of the week was like that, with him saying he'd never met anyone like me and professing his love," Nancy smiled and shook her head, "It was a far cry from how I'd been living for the last year. I guess in a way, I actually kinda enjoyed it."

Her look sobered again as she continued, "But I knew it wasn't real, and I knew that the longer I stayed the less likely it was that I'd walk out of there. Nolan had also been hanging out, more and more at the hacienda, and that was making me very nervous. So I started looking for a way out."

"I could have walked out, but I couldn't just disappear without raising suspicion and ending up with a search party on my tail," she looked at Hannibal, "That's when I got a lucky break. Lorenzo Perez, a rival drug lord, decided to make a move on Palumbo's hacienda. All hell broke loose a week to the day after I had first arrived, and I took the chance, during the chaos, to take off. Freddie told me he'd plant the seed that Perez had kidnapped me. That meant I could make a clean break. But it also meant I'd have to leave the country."

"I made it to the village four days later, where a fully recovered, and fuming Trixie was waiting for me," Nancy shrugged, "Nolan had gotten word out about what was going on. The General had issued the order that we were to return home. By the time we arrived back in Langley, he'd worked up one hell of a temper, which obviously didn't improve after I blew it in front of the DEA brass by voicing my suspicions about Nolan."

Nancy stopped pacing and turned to look directly at Hannibal, "Not a stellar performance on my part, I admit," she said ruefully, "But all in all, it could have been a lot worse."

Hannibal was looking at her shrewdly, and Nancy shifted uneasily under his gaze, "OK, so you basically reiterated what was in your report. What I want to know is, did la misionera cantante borracha fall from grace?"

Nancy's jaw tensed, but she looked at Hannibal directly, "If you're asking whether I slept with Palumbo, the answer is 'yes'. And to be quite honest, it wasn't an unpleasant experience."

Hannibal's eyebrows went up, and Nancy shook her head as she turned away, "Don't even say it, Colonel," she said frostily, "How could I do that? Well, as your lieutenant pointed out, why would Palumbo allow me to stay at the hacienda without getting something in return?"

"I would say that was your biggest error in judgment," Hannibal said flatly, "It certainly calls your motives into question. If Palumbo was your lover . . ."

Nancy swung around, and interrupted Hannibal, "Stop right there," she said emphatically, "Palumbo was not my lover. I had sex with him, yes, but that's it. There was no emotional entanglement, Colonel. Sex is a biological function, nothing more, nothing less. And that's all it was."

Hannibal's look told her that he wasn't buying it, and Nancy started pacing in front of him, "Tell me something, Colonel Smith," she started in a professorial tone, "How many women has Lieutenant Peck had sex with, let's say, since you returned to the states? Ten, 20, 50, 100, maybe even more? Was he emotionally involved with each and every one of those women?"

Nancy crossed her arms and faced Hannibal, "I'd wager that he didn't give a rats ass about a single one of them. Now let me ask you something, why are the rules different for me? Because I'm a woman? You see, when a man is promiscuous, he's considered a player. But for a woman, it's not nearly as fashionable – she's a slut, or a whore."

Nancy dropped into her chair again, slouching disconsolately, "I'm not proud of myself, Colonel, but it's too late to undo it. At the time, it seemed inevitable, and given the situation, I'd probably do it again."

They sat quietly for a moment, then Hannibal abruptly changed the subject, "What made you suspect Nolan as a turncoat?"

Nancy was caught off guard, and began haltingly, "I never said he was a turncoat, per se . . . I said he wasn't trustworthy," she paused uncertainly, "I have a bad habit of profiling just about everyone I work with, Colonel. And the profile I came up with for Nolan made me incredibly nervous, especially in the situation we were in. Given the right circumstances, he would not hesitate to give one of us up, if he thought he could turn it to his advantage. Obviously, when I ended up at the hacienda, I'd put myself in the danger zone. If I'd stayed much longer, I would have been fresh meat – in fact, I'd say I made it out just in time. Freddie wasn't so lucky."

Coming to Terms

Murdock checked the last item off the inventory, for the second time, "That's it," he said triumphantly, and looked at his watch, "And we'll even make it back to the Compound with some time to spare."

Face dropped into one of the chairs, "If we head back early, you know he's gonna find something else for us to do."

"C'mon, Faceman," BA said, "We don' got a lotta time, and loadin' the plane's the least of our worries, man."

"BA's right," Frankie said, "I wonder why Hannibal has us doing this when we really need to figure out how we're gonna get this mission done."

"To get it out of the way," Murdock said certainly.

"An' 'cause he want to talk to Nancy, alone," BA said, glancing at Face, who put on a sour expression at the mention of her name, "Face ain' makin' this easy – an' we gotta be workin' as a team by the time we head to Columbia."

"I'm not making this easy?" Face exploded, "What about her?"

"You're the one that keeps starting it, Face," Murdock said bluntly.

"Murdock's right, Face," Frankie agreed, cautiously, "You did start it."

Face crossed his arms, "I can't believe you guys are siding with the Able agent, over me," he said disbelievingly, "Stockwell's got her on a leash and you really think we should trust her?"

"I trust her," Murdock said flatly, "And if you don't trust her, then you obviously don't trust my judgment."

Murdock turned and walked out of the hangar. As the door slammed behind him, BA turned to Face, "You hurtin' 'im, man. Can't you see that? If the crazy man trusts her, that good 'nough for me."

BA turned and followed Murdock out. Frankie took a deep breath as the door slammed behind BA, "C'mon, Face," he said cajolingly, "You need to lighten up. Nan's not so bad. I mean, BA's right – if Murdock cares about her so much, there's gotta be somethin' there. Don't ya think?"

Hannibal looked at his watch, "We better get dinner started – I got a nice roast thawed. All we need to do is add the vegetables and get it in the oven," he sighed, "I just hate talking in there where the General hangs on every word."

Nancy stood and started into the house, "Don't worry, Colonel, I'll turn the surveillance off," she said, "I don't care to have big brother listening either."

Nancy joined Hannibal in the kitchen a few minutes later and they started peeling potatoes and cutting up carrots and onions to add to the roast.

"So, do you love Murdock?" Hannibal asked suddenly.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"I believe in getting to the heart of the matter," Hannibal said, smiling, "Life's to short not to take the most direct route."

Nancy concentrated on chopping the onion, her eyes smarting. She wasn't sure she was really ready to think about how she felt about Murdock, let alone talk about it with Colonel Smith.

"Even in silence, our deepest thoughts and desires can be revealed," Hannibal said.

Nancy looked up at Hannibal, and he smiled at her, "You're afraid to admit just how much you care about Murdock, because if you admit it to me, you also have to admit it to yourself. Quite the quandary."

She shifted uncomfortably, "It's just that I think there's a lot we don't know about each other," she said, "I mean, is it really possible to fall in love with someone that you barely know?"

Hannibal looked at her and realized that she wasn't asking a rhetorical question, she was apparently waiting for an answer. That, in and of itself, said an awful lot about her.

"Love at first site," Hannibal said, and smiled, "I don't believe in it. But, I think it's possible to fall in love with someone after only a few days. What do you think?"

"I don't know," Nancy said, "I tend to be a very deliberate person. I don't do things on a whim, and I'm not usually impulsive, especially in my personal life."

Hannibal chuckled, "You and Murdock should be good for each other then. I am a firm believer in the old adage 'opposites attract' – like nature like life. The corollary also explains why you and Face don't get along."

Nancy grimaced, and started peeling potatoes in earnest. She hated to admit it, but she could see where Hannibal was coming from. She understood what motivated Face almost instinctively, which she knew was likely because she shared many of his basic personality characteristics. It made her feel better knowing that Face was Murdock's best friend. He couldn't be all bad, if somebody like Murdock trusted him so completely. Maybe there was some hope for her, too.

She looked at Hannibal sideways, "How about you? Have you ever been in love?"

"Sure, kid," he said easily, "The love of my life is Maggie Sullivan, and I'm really hoping to settle down with her when this is all over. If she waits for me."

BA drove a very sullen and silent group back to the Compound. When they walked in, they found Hannibal and Nancy working on dinner in the kitchen.

Hannibal glanced at the clock as his men trooped in, "You're early, everything set for the trip?" he looked at Murdock expectantly.

"Everything is loaded and double-checked, Colonel," Murdock replied.

"Good," Hannibal said, wiping his hands on a towel, he checked the oven and then clapped his hands together, "We've got about an hour before supper's ready, so I want all of you to head back and get changed for a workout. We're gonna hit the course once through before supper."

The collective groan caused Hannibal to smile broadly, "I knew you'd love it," he said happily, "Let's go. I expect you out on the course in 10 minutes."

Murdock hung back as the rest of them headed back to their rooms to change. Hannibal turned and looked at him questioningly, "Do you need something, Captain?"

"I was just wondering," Murdock started hesitantly, "You know, how things went with Nancy . . ."

"Just fine," Hannibal said, "I feel confident that she's on our side."

When Murdock didn't move, Hannibal hooked a thumb over his shoulder, "We'll talk later, Murdock. Right now, you better get moving or you aren't going to make it to the course on time."

Murdock sighed and jogged back to the bedroom, nearly colliding with Face just inside the door. Face chuckled, almost nervously, while Murdock side-stepped him impatiently.

"C'mon, Murdock," Face said looking at his friend beseechingly, "You aren't going to let some woman come between us, are you?"

"I'm not letting her come between us," Murdock said, dropping his jacket on his bed and pulling a sweatshirt out of his duffle, "The fact is that she's coming with us to Columbia, and like it or not, you're going to have to find a way to get along with her. You promised you'd give her a chance."

"Yea, OK, fine," Face said irritably, folding his shirt and laying it on the end of the bed, "But that doesn't mean I have to like her."

Murdock pulled the sweatshirt over his head, "No, but you are going to have to accept that I like her."

"Great," Face said flatly. They finished changing in silence, then headed out to the start of the obstacle course.

As they approached, they could see Nancy was already there in shorts and a t-shirt, stretching with her back to them.

As she bent to touch her toes, Face raised an eyebrow, and nudged Murdock, "Well, now, she looks a lot different out of the Able uniform," he said approvingly, "If I could ignore the rest of the package, I might start to understand what attracted you to her."

Murdock looked at his friend and shook his head with a small smile, "Face, you know, Nan's intelligent, she has a great sense of humor, and we have a lot in common . . .," he said, then he glanced back as Nancy stretch her arms up, baring her midriff, and sighed audibly.

"Yea, I know, you love her for her brains not her body," Face said, then smiled teasingly, "But don't tell me you don't notice the body."

Murdock and Face were both laughing as they walked up beside Nancy. She glanced at Face uneasily, but Murdock gave her an encouraging smile, and she felt herself relax.

"Been awhile since you ran this course," Face said to Murdock, as he stretched, "Gonna be doin' dishes tonight, buddy."

"You wish," Murdock said, "I may not have been running the course, but them turkey's are great trainers."

Face glanced at Nancy, "How 'bout you, Nancy?" he asked with forced friendliness, "You ever run this course?"

"Yea, but it's been a few years," she said quietly, "You run to see who does dishes?"

"That's the most likely chore for the losers tonight," Murdock said.

Hannibal approached with BA and Frankie, pleased to see the friendly, if strained banter, rather than the arguing for a change, and took it as a good sign.

"Alright, last two in do the dishes tonight . . .," Hannibal started.

"Told ya," Murdock said.

"Hope you brought your Dawn, Murdock," Face said in challenge.

"I'll probably be the one with dishpan hands," Nancy said with a sigh.

"Ready," Hannibal said, "Go!"

Nancy knew she'd have trouble with the first part of the course, which required a lot of upper body strength, but she managed to get through, with some encouragement from Murdock and BA. She made up some ground on the flat run, and held her own through the rest of the course, but still ended last, if only a few seconds behind Murdock, who she suspected had held back on her account.

"Nancy, Murdock, you got dishes tonight," Hannibal said matter-of-factly, "Good run, all of you. We'll do it again in the morning. Hit the showers."

Dinner was uneventful, no arguments, and only sparse conversation, but overall fairly friendly. Everyone cleared their dishes, and Nancy and Murdock set to work on cleaning up, while Hannibal herded the rest of them into the living room to relax for awhile.

Nancy filled the sink with soapy water, and started scrubbing dishes, while Murdock put the food away in the refrigerator. When he'd finished he turned and watched as Nancy rinsed a pile of plates and stacked them in the drainer.

She turned and raised an eyebrow at him, "This isn't a spectator sport . . ." she said good-naturedly, throwing a dish towel at him.

He smiled and walked forward, catching the towel, then catching her hand, "I think you are a terrific spectator sport," he said suggestively.

"Down, Captain," Nancy said, pulling her hand away, she pointed to the dishes in the drainer, "Get to work."

Murdock picked up a plate and started drying, "So, when we get back from Columbia . . .," he said leadingly.

"We can talk," Nancy said quietly, "For all the good it'll do. There's a lot you don't know . . . we don't know about each other."

"Man, Joe wasn't kidding," Murdock muttered, "You do have more wall than China."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I better start chipping away every chance I get or I'll be an old man before I make it through," he said glibly.

Nancy turned and looked him, "You know, you were the one who said it was over, not me," she said flatly.

"And I admitted that that was a mistake," he countered reasonably.

"So I'm just supposed to jump back into your arms, just like that?"

"That would be nice."

"Fat chance, flyboy. Your best friend hates my guts, your commanding officer says he doesn't trust me, and I work for a man you hate. Did I leave anything out?"

"With you, it's kinda hard to tell," Murdock said flippantly, "Did you?"

Nancy stopped short, "Well . . ."

He turned and looked at her disbelievingly, it had been a rhetorical question, "What now?"

Nancy took a deep breath, now was her chance to take Jeff's advice.

"I'm . . ." she hesitated, "I mean the General . . . well . . ."

"What about the General?" Murdock prodded.

Nancy's eyes searched his for a moment, then she looked back down into the sink, picking up another dish, "He has a strict policy against coworker relationships," she said lamely.

Murdock shrugged, "Yeah, I'm sure he does. But technically speaking, I don't work for him," he grinned at her, "You're gonna have to come up with somethin' better than that if you're gonna throw me off, Short Cake."

Nancy opened her mouth, but closed it a second later without uttering a word. She just wasn't ready to open that can of worms, yet.

Midnight Tryst

Nancy had been lying in bed trying to get her mind to shut down so she could fall asleep. She looked at the clock, and sighed. It was now midnight, and she'd been lying there wide awake for over an hour. What if she had told Murdock that the General was her uncle? She had been going through alternate scenes in her head, with Murdock's reaction ranging from amused resignation, to shocked outrage. She honestly couldn't figure out how he would react, which she told herself was why she hadn't told him, yet.

She finally swung her legs out of bed and stood up. She quickly pulled on some clothes, grabbed her guitar, and walked out the sliding door. She headed straight across the deck and out towards the obstacle course. At the high platform, she slung the guitar over her shoulder and pulled herself up the rope. She sat with her legs dangling over the side, looking out over the compound grounds, and strumming aimless tunes on her guitar, trying to make some order out of her chaotic thoughts.

Murdock walked out on the back deck and dropped into one of the lounge chairs. Long after Face's breathing had indicated he was asleep, he'd lain there thinking . . . well, perhaps obsessing would be a better word, about Nancy and their relationship. Unfortunately, calling it a relationship, at this point was a real leap of faith.

As he was sitting there, he thought he heard a radio playing, in the distance, but it was coming from the obstacle course. Looking in that direction, he caught movement up on the high platform, and smiled to himself. It wasn't a radio he was hearing. Obviously someone else was having as much trouble sleeping as he was. Maybe that was a good sign.

Murdock pulled himself up on the platform silently. Nancy's back was to him, she had been strumming randomly, but slowly settled into a tune and began singing a Shawn Colvin tune:

You'll wander around
And it won't be the same
All the signs will be down
And it's starting to rain out
It's a lonely place
That you've brought it to now
Oh, you wanted to love
You didn't know how but
There will always be something to believe in . . .

The song wasn't flowing and her voice sounded strained. She abruptly stopped, slipping again into random strumming, before settling into another Shawn Colvin song that seemed to suit her mood better:

I've been sleeping fair
Lately I could swear I'm thinking
clearer and clearer
And I've been working hard
Looking at my punch card and
my mirror, my mirror
But I daydream in my room
I'm baying at the moon
Ricochet in time to the the music
You just pick a day and I'm in
a new destination

I take too many planes
I know too many names and I
forget them
I wanted to know if dreams
would lie
You said they would try and I
said let them
You just let them
But I kill dreams in the chase
I slap love in the face
Ricochet in time to the music
You just pick a day and I'm in
a new destination

I crawled up from the sewer
For something that was truer
than I intended
I ended up on my knees
In this big city I was befriended
I transcended
But I bruise my friends for more
I rail at heaven's door
Ricochet in time to the music
You just pick a day and I'm in
a new destination

Murdock was struck again by the talent that Nancy was so loathe to share. But, he was beginning to feel guilty standing here, and decided it was past time to alert her to his present. He started clapping, and Nancy practically jumped off the platform in surprise.

"Sorry," he said as he walked across the platform, "Having trouble sleeping?"

Nancy spared him a sideways glance, "No, I wander around in the middle of the night for fun," she said sarcastically, "Exactly how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," Murdock said vaguely.

She ran an agitated hand back through her hand, "Well, I came up here for some privacy, so you can go away anytime."

"Can't seem to do that," Murdock responded, dropping down next to her.

"And why is that, if you don't mind my asking?"

Murdock looked at her intently, "I love you, Nan," he said quietly.

Nancy shook her head in disbelief, "How can you know that? You've known me for less than a week."

"It's not the quantity of time, it's the quality," he assured her with a smile.

"How very cliché of you."

"I've got more . . . how about, 'we were meant to be together'," he glanced at her, noting the raised eyebrow, he tried another, "Don't like that one, either? Here's another one: 'we go together like shalawala wala bindinkity binky bop.'"

Nancy smiled spontaneously, shaking her head. Slowly, her smile faded, and staring fixedly out over the compound, she asked, "So, you don't care what happened with Palumbo?"

Murdock looked at her, but she refused to meet his gaze, "I guess it would be more accurate to say that I'm not upset about what happened with Palumbo," he said cautiously, "I do, however, have a question . . ."

Nancy waited expectantly, but Murdock was having trouble framing his question. He blew out his cheeks, took a deep breath, and plunged ahead, "Was I just a notch on you bedpost?"

She registered surprise, but steadfastly refused to look at him, this time gazing ruminatively up at the sky full of stars. She smiled bemusedly, "If I just said 'yes', would it be over?"

Murdock looked at her curiously, "Are you asking me?"

"It's not like you were my first . . ."

"I didn't think I was," he said, "But I did think we had something . . . something real special. Was I delusional?"

Nancy's eye snapped to his face, and Murdock managed to catch her eyes, holding her gaze intently, "Was I?" he pressed.

"No," she finally admitted grudgingly, then her shoulders slumped in defeat, "In the end, I guess that's the real problem."

"Doesn't sound like a problem to me," Murdock said, his spirits lifting considerably.

"That is because there is still a lot you don't know," Nancy said with conviction.

"I'm willing to chance it," Murdock said, "I've managed to weather everything you've thrown at me so far."

"Tropical weather," Nancy said forebodingly, "The hurricane is yet to come."

"C'mon, it can't be all that bad," he said disbelievingly, "I think things are definitely looking up as far as you and I are concerned. Face is showing signs of defrosting, Hannibal says he's confident you're on our side, and you've admitted that," Murdock's gaze was introverted, and quizzical, "Well, in a roundabout way you admitted that you care about me. I'll take what I can get."

"Face is defrosting?" Nancy asked incredulously, "How do you figure? From where I'm sitting, however you cut it, Face doesn't like me, and I doubt that's going to change."

"Face is just seeing a little too much of his own problematic relationship in ours," Murdock said, "I think Face's animosity towards you has more to do with his frustration with Amy than anything else."

"Who's Amy?"

"Amy Amanda Allen," Nancy recognized the byline that used to accompany the A-Team news routinely, "She's the one woman that Face found attractive, but who steadfastly refused to hop into bed with him."

"You are a hopeless romantic," Nancy said with a shake of her head, "Face dislikes me, whether you want to admit it or not."

"I'll bet you . . .," Murdock thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers and grinned at her, "I'll bet you a personal Nancy Clay concert, that you and Face are best of friends by the time we come back from Columbia."

"That's a safe bet, HM," she said certainly.

"Yea, in my favor," he agreed, still grinning.

Nancy shook her head, reflecting his smile, "You're on."

They sat quietly for a few minutes. The night air was cooling, and the humidity from the day was beginning to condense, making everything feel damp. Nancy finally reached back and picked up her guitar, "We should really head into bed," she said standing up.

Murdock's face lit up, "I like the sound of that."

Nancy looked down at him admonishingly, "Our own, separate beds – to sleep."

"Oh," his face fell, "You're no fun at all!"

A few minutes later they were walking up onto the back deck, side by side. The end of Hannibal's cigar flared brightly for a moment, revealing his presence before his voice floated out to them, "And what have you two been up to?"

"Just talking," Nancy blurted, and Murdock suppressed a smile. Hannibal obviously made her nervous.

"Talking, eh?" Hannibal said disbelievingly. He let them stew for a minute, then took his cigar out of his mouth and pointed it at Nancy, "Head to bed, Able 5, and stay there. No more nocturnal rendezvous' – understood?" Nancy nodded, as Hannibal turned to Murdock, "Captain, you can have a seat, we have some things to discuss."

As Nancy disappeared into the house, Murdock took a seat on the deck chair next to Hannibal, "Colonel, really, nothing happened. We were just talking."

"And how did that go?" Hannibal asked, relaxing back into his chair and taking a long drag on his cigar.

Murdock sighed heavily, "I honestly don't know," he said, "Sometimes I'd swear I'm getting through, and the next minute she's erecting another barrier."

"Seems to me she's awful high maintenance, Murdock," Hannibal said uncertainly.

"Yea, but I think she's worth it," he said, smiling slightly, "Besides, I gotta believe that once we get through this, and she realizes that there's nothing that's gonna turn me off, she'll stop pushing so hard and just accept it."

Hannibal shook his head, "You've always gotta have a challenge, huh kid? Well, you got your work cut out for you," he clapped Murdock on the shoulder, "But if it's really what you want, I'm pullin' for ya."

Hannibal stood, and looked down at Murdock, teeth locked on his stump of a cigar, "However, you will wait until after Columbia. You have a very odd effect on that young woman, and I need her at the top of her game. So hands off until the mission is complete, understood?"

Murdock averted his eyes, "Yes, sir."

Hannibal nodded in acceptance, "OK, now head back in and get some shuteye. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Nancy had slipped back into bed, but sleep was still elusive as she considered her conversation with Murdock. She knew he was right, she couldn't walk away now, any more than he could. But she also knew that there was no way she was going to be the cause of any more strife between the General and the Team. That meant finding a way to short-circuit the deal the General had made with them for their pardons. That was the only way that she and Murdock could be together without worrying about the affect it had on the people that he cared about.

Looking Ahead

The next morning dawned hazy and muggy, and Hannibal had them assemble on the obstacle course first thing, "There's sausage gravy and biscuits waiting at the end of the course. Ready, set, go!"

It was a repeat of the night before, though Face wasn't quite as far out in front this morning. At the end of the course, Hannibal clapped his hands, "Good job. This morning, Face and Frankie have the dishes . . ."

Face and Frankie started protesting, but Hannibal cut them off, "After breakfast, we head into the records room to work on strategy. Then we'll do some sparring and target practice. For now, hit the showers."

Forty-five minutes later they were assembled around the dining room table digging into sausage gravy and biscuits, with fruit and jam on the side.

"Little heavy on the carbs before a workout, isn't it, Colonel?" Face asked.

Hannibal shrugged, "I thought it sounded good, and you don't have to eat the biscuits if you don't want. There's plenty of fruit."

Nancy finished a light breakfast, feeling a little too keyed up to eat much, and stood. Picking up her dishes she excused herself, "I want to give Trix a call and check up on her."

Hannibal nodded, "OK, but be back in the records room in 15 minutes."

Nancy let herself into the General's office and closed the door. She pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket, then picked up the phone and dialed Trixie's hospital room.

Trixie answered on the first ring, "Hello?"

"Hey, Trix," Nancy said, "How're you feeling?"

"Well, I'm sore, but I am dressed and more than ready to go home. Overall, I'd say we were both pretty lucky," Trixie said, "Listen, Nan, about yesterday, I'm sorry. Of all people, I should know better than to push you like that. How are things going with the Team?"

"It's OK, Trix. To be honest, you and Joe are both . . . well you both have a point," Nancy said, "Things with the team are going OK. Face still dislikes me, but at least he's tolerating my presence now."

"And how are you and HM getting along?"

"I think we've come to a mutually agreeable stand-off for the moment," Nancy said, thoughtfully, "He says he feels pretty good about us. I told him there's a lot he doesn't know, but it just doesn't seem to phase him. It doesn't matter right now, anyway, 'cause everything is on hold until after the mission."

Trixie laughed, "HM really doesn't know what he's getting himself into, does he?"

"Not a clue," Nancy said, "Listen, Trix, that's kinda why I called."

"Uh oh, here it comes."

"I know you're no longer my partner, but do you think you have it in your heart to do some leg work for me while I'm gone?"

"I'm probably going to regret this, but what the hell," Trixie said, "What do you need?"

"I want you to track down contact info for a few people for me. I also need you to touch base with Casey, see if he has any insight into the pardon realm for the Team. I know the CIA has used their services in the past, so I'm hoping Casey has an inside name on who, on the government end, is holding the reigns, and what the prospects are."

"And the goal of all this would be what?" Trixie asked.

"I want to have those pardons in hand as soon after we get back from Columbia as possible. Anything you can do to that end would be helpful," Nancy said.

"OoohhKaaayyy . . .," Trixie said, "But why?"

"Because . . .," Nancy pursed her lips, knowing that Trixie would see through a lie in a minute, "Because I don't want the General finding out about me and Murdock until the pardons are secured and I have a feeling that it's going to be difficult to keep under wraps once we're back."

"You are hooked, my friend," Trixie said happily, "Give me whatcha got, and I'll get started."

"All I really have are names," Nancy said, adding teasingly, "I wouldn't want to make it too easy for you."

"Smartass!"

The Plan

Hannibal was pacing at the front of the room, chewing thoughtfully on an unlit cigar when Nancy walked into the records room. She sat on the edge of a low file cabinet in the corner, watching surreptitiously as the rest of the team gathered.

BA came in first and sat at the table watching the Colonel walk back and forth. After a few minutes, he tired of Hannibal's pacing and barked at him, "Hannibal, sit, you makin' me crazy."

Murdock entered in time to hear him, "Nice to hear you're finally joinin' me, brother," he said cheerfully, to which BA just growled.

Hannibal stopped his pacing suddenly and grinned at no one in particular, "I've got it," he said, his eyes glinting.

"Man, he's on the jazz," BA groaned, just as Frankie walked into the room.

"What's the plan, Johnny?" Frankie asked, almost gleefully.

"Where's Face?" Hannibal asked.

As if on cue, Face came jogging in, "Right here," he said, dropping into an empty chair, "Did I miss anything?"

"Hannibal's on the jazz," BA muttered.

"C'mon, BA," Murdock chided, "I'd think you'd be used to it by now."

The anticipation seemed to be contagious, as Face sat forward, "You figured out an angle, Hannibal?"

Hannibal crossed his arms and faced the assembly with a wide grin, "Not just a rogue agent . . . a rogue team," he said triumphantly, "The General feeds Larimer the story that the A-Team got tired of waiting for their pardons . . ."

"Hardly a story," Face snorted.

Hannibal gave Face an impatient glare and continued, ". . . and have accompanied Nancy Clay to Columbia, planning to work the drug trade to finance their retirement to Aruba."

"Ah, Hannibal, Aruba?" Murdock said in mock disappointment, "I was hoping to retire to someplace less glitzy, like Greece."

"Too far," Face disagreed, "Besides I like glitz, and I hear Buenos Aires is the hot spot for US fugitives these days."

"Better check the extradition laws before planning your retirement, gentlemen," Nancy said quietly, "Columbia may actually be a good choice, particularly if you align with a popular 'philanthropist' like Palumbo."

Hannibal looked at Nancy, "How do you think Palumbo will react?"

"I think there's a fair chance Palumbo will buy it. But I would be very interested to know what your exit plan is."

"That may be a good angle, that way we could stay in the background," Hannibal's look was introspective for a moment, then he glanced over at Murdock, who had become very still, "As for exit strategy, I thought Murdock and Frankie could rally the troops."

"Perez," Murdock stated.

Hannibal nodded.

"Let me get this straight," Frankie said incredulously, "While you, BA, Face and Nancy go to Palumbo, Murdock and I are supposed to go to Perez and convince him to raid Palumbo's hacienda . . . again."

"That's the basic idea," Hannibal said, "Though we still need to work out the specifics . . ."

"And once the party's started, we do what?" Face asked.

"We make our exit," Hannibal said calmly, "Perez doesn't care about Nancy, and he'll be happy to have us take his arch rival out of the picture, and certainly isn't going to want a couple DEA agents hanging around – it's perfect."

"And why, pray tell, would Perez not just kill all of us?" Face asked.

"'Cause," Hannibal said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and smiling, "We're nice guys."

"Exactly how are Frankie and I supposed to convince Perez to attack the hacienda for the second time in less than two months?" Murdock asked.

"Tell him the truth," Hannibal said.

"He's gonna think we're nuts," Frankie said.

"And he'd be right," BA said flatly.

They spent the next two hours working out the particulars of the plan, though they couldn't come to consensus on Nancy's role. At noon, they ate a lunch of cold cut sandwiches and fruit, with still no resolution of this one major issue.

As they left the dining room, headed to take a well-deserved break, as Hannibal had ordered, Hannibal tapped Murdock on the shoulder and motioned him out onto the rear deck.

"What is it, Colonel?" he asked curiously as Hannibal leaned against the railing.

Hannibal was chewing agitatedly on his cigar, "I just want to make sure that you're going to be alright with this plan. You of all people have to have a clear head when this thing starts to roll. You and Frankie are our exit plan – without you, we're sunk."

"I'm ready, Colonel," Murdock said positively, "Frankie and I won't let you down . . ."

"But you're worried about Nancy," Hannibal looked at Murdock perceptively as he shrugged noncommittally, "OK, then, what's bothering you?"

"I am worried about Nancy, but . . . I think we need to look at this whole thing from Palumbo's perspective," Murdock said thoughtfully, "Particularly where she's concerned. I think he was expecting, maybe even banking, on her coming back to Columbia."

Nancy watched the two men move out onto the deck, then headed down to the General's office, where she went in and closed the door. She walked directly to the sliding door behind the desk, and opened it quietly. She had to know what they were talking about. Hannibal was being stubborn about having her role well-defined, but she had a nagging suspicion that she was missing something in her profile of Palumbo. The whole thing wasn't playing out like she expected, and that made her very nervous about the mission.

She slipped silently through the door, leaving it ajar, as she moved to the corner of the house, where she could hear the on-going conversation on the deck.

"Palumbo wants us to come down to Columbia?" Hannibal asked.

"Not us, Hannibal, this has everything to do with Nancy," Murdock said, his thoughts finally coalescing, "It just seems strange that the car bomb was just a warning, never meant to kill anyone, just send a message."

"So, Palumbo wanted Nancy to know he was coming," Hannibal surmised, while around the corner, Nancy nodded in tacit agreement.

"No, I don't think that's it at all," Murdock said, "The other thing that has stuck in my head was your observation, that I should understand Nancy's motivation to go to Columbia and meet Palumbo on his own turf."

"You're losing me Murdock," Hannibal said, and again Nancy had to agree.

"Think about it, Colonel," he responded earnestly, "Palumbo didn't get where he is without being able to read people. It's gotta bug the hell out of him that Nancy so thoroughly fooled him. Add to that the fact that Nolan has jumped the fence, and most certainly given Palumbo a much clearer, if biased, picture of who Nancy Ruby Clay really is . . ."

Nancy did a mental head slap as Hannibal shifted impatiently, "What are you getting at?"

"Palumbo, with Nolan's help, knew that the surest way to get Nancy to Columbia was to throw an unknown threat at her. Ultimately, that's what he wants, is Nancy to come to Columbia."

Hannibal shook his head, "Why? So he can kill her on his own turf? Make an example of her?"

Murdock shrugged, "I don't know, seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to . . ."

Nancy walked around the corner of the house, making her presence known, "That's what I've been missing . . ." she said thoughtfully.

Hannibal and Murdock both looked at her, "You make a habit of listening in on other peoples' conversations?" Hannibal asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Nancy said quietly, "Especially when I think that the topic of the conversation might be me."

Hannibal chuckled, as Murdock shoved his hands in his pockets and ducked his head in amusement.

Hannibal crossed his arms, "So, what, exactly, have you been missing?"

"Nolan. HM is absolutely right, Nolan is the one who's been coloring Palumbo's picture of me," Nancy began pacing, her thoughts whirling as she incorporated this information into the mix, "I was always very closed around Nolan, so how would he view me? What would he tell Palumbo about me?"

She turned and headed back towards the General's office, "I've gotta call Trix," she said as she disappeared around the corner of the house again.

Murdock laughed and looked at a dumbfounded Hannibal, "Glad I could help. Are we done, Colonel?"

Hannibal nodded, as Murdock disappeared into the house. Hannibal walked over to a deck chair and dropped into it. There was no point in pursuing Nancy's line of thought right now. He knew she needed time to fully integrate the new information into her profile of Palumbo. Murdock seemed content to have shaken her out of her complacency about the mission, though he had a feeling that it was far from complacency. Nancy had given every indication during their discussions that she was indifferent to the tact her role would take, but Hannibal had the distinct impression that her indifference was really a cover for uncertainty. Murdock's insight had helped to end, or at least minimize, that uncertainty. But that still left Hannibal wondering, why would Palumbo want Nancy to come back to Columbia?

Nancy caught up with Trixie at home, where Joe was playing mother hen for a change, and Trixie was already getting tired of it, "Nan, you gotta come rescue me from my over-protective husband," she pleaded.

"Sorry, partner," Nancy said, then corrected herself, "I mean, ex-partner, you're on your own."

"So, checking up on me already?" Trixie asked teasingly, "I only got your assignment a couple hours ago."

"Actually, I'm calling about something else," Nancy said, "The time we spent with Nolan, before he and Freddie went under. What do you think Nolan's impressions would have been of me?"

"That's an interesting question," Trixie said ruminatively, "Mind if I ask, why are you asking?"

Nancy gave Trixie a brief rundown on the conversation she'd just left, "So, what do you think?"

"Well, we didn't really spend a lot of time with him and Freddie ahead of time," Trixie said thoughtfully, "And you were pretty quiet, especially when Nolan was around."

Nancy nodded, "That's because he gave me the creeps," she said honestly, "Remember that first night, he was asking us what kinda take-home pay we had and kept asking how we ended up with Stockwell Enterprises . . ."

"Oh, yeah," Trixie said in recollection, "He was really ticked off because he'd just figured out that he couldn't take the early buy out, and he wasn't looking forward to desk jockey work. Wasn't that the gist of it?"

"Yea, but he was really obsessing about the money," Nancy said, "After you and Freddie went to sleep, he told me that it wasn't right, he and Fred had to take all the risks, and you and I got to coast in the background and rake in the big bucks."

"He definitely had a chip on his shoulder," Trixie agreed, "How did you respond?"

Nancy was quiet for a minute, "I guess, in a way, I kinda agreed with him, though I wasn't buying the whole story. I mean, c'mon, those DEA field guys make decent money. But I played along, I told him that he could always leave the DEA and go into private practice . . ."

"How very diplomatic of you," Trixie said.

I told him that there should be a lot of options out there for someone with his kind of experience," she concluded.

"And . . .?"

"You know, he told me that he was keeping an eye out for the right opportunity," Nancy said with a mirthless laugh, "Talk about foreshadowing."

"So, Nolan probably thinks you're at least sympathetic to his situation," Trixie said ruminatively, "But would his impression have been of someone loyal to her outfit?"

"During that same conversation, I think I may have let loose with some of the angst between me and the General," Nancy said, "If you'll recall, it wasn't long after he'd laid into me about my tardiness to mission briefings."

"As I recall, that particular balling out was for getting too friendly with that DEA head at the wine tasting the night before," Trixie corrected.

"Oh, yea," Nancy said quietly, she had forgotten about that, but then wine always had gone straight to her head. She sighed, "Well, anyway, Nolan probably had the definite impression that I didn't get along with my boss."

"And he would be right," Trixie said.

Going Too Spar

When Nancy walked into the recreation room, which had been converted into a mini-gym, the Team had already assembled. They were lounging around, talking quietly.

When Hannibal caught sight of Nancy, he clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, "Alright, let's do some sparring," he said, "Frankie and Nancy, you're up first."

Nancy took a deep breath and faced Frankie uncertainly. She was dwarfed by everyone on the Team, but Frankie was the most comparable to her in size. She realized that Frankie was equally nervous, and smiled consolingly, "You drew the short straw, huh?"

Frankie grinned, "I'm really more of a lover than a fighter, myself . . ."

Hannibal appeared at Frankie's shoulder, "Yea kid, but you've been improving over the last year," glancing at Nancy, he smiled, "Straight hand to hand. Anything goes, just try not to hurt each other . . . too much."

"Frankie, you're on the offensive," Hannibal ordered, stepping back, "Go!"

Frank looked at Nancy apologetically, as she immediately took up a defensive posture. They circled one another for a few seconds, before Frankie made a direct frontal attack, that Nancy easily side stepped, using his own momentum to push him through and to the floor.

Frankie pushed himself up, and began circling her again. His next attack came in low, and he managed to catch her around the waist, lifting her up over his shoulder. He came up triumphantly, but his victory was short lived. He had loosened his grip as he came up, and Nancy slid over his shoulder, pulling him down backwards as she tucked and rolled. Frankie landed flat on his back with a thud.

"Awe, Frankie, c'mon," Face said, "Pay attention."

"Alright, Face," Hannibal said, "Why don't you show Frankie how it's done."

Nancy stood up and turned to Face, again taking up a defensive stance. Face threw Hannibal an irritated glance before beginning to circle her. His movements were much more practiced and fluid than Frankie's and Nancy watched him warily. When Face made his move, he grabbed her arm, and twisted it around behind her, placing his other arm around her neck.

He smiled at Hannibal smugly, but was taken by surprise when Nancy stomped back roughly on his instep, which caused him to loose his grip on the arm he had pinned behind her back. She took advantage of that and her short stature, grabbing the arm around her neck, and leaning down forcefully, rolling Face over her shoulder. He landed with a resounding 'umph' looking up at her in surprise.

"C'mon, Face," Nancy said goadingly, "pay attention. After all, I'm just a girl."

Hannibal grinned, and Face jumped to his feet and began circling her again. Only this time, Nancy didn't wait for him to attack. She rushed him, but Face was ready and caught her across the chest, slamming her down on the floor, landing with an arm across her, holding her down, "Weak," Face said derisively.

Nancy took a deep breath, then shoulder-rolled, coming to a crouch beside a still-prone Face, "Perhaps . . ." she capitulated, as Face pushed himself up on an elbow. They considered each other silently for a moment, then Nancy laced both hands behind his neck, which definitely caught Face off-guard. She smiled at the shocked look on his face, before pulling him up, putting a foot in his chest and rolling him over her, slamming him on his back. She then arched herself up to her feet and turned to look at Face, ". . . but that wasn't."

She stood over him, and he reached back, grabbing her feet and pulling them out from under her. Nancy landed roughly on her tail bone, and laid back and groaned, "That hurt," she admitted through gritted teeth.

Murdock and Hannibal hurried over and joined a now apologetic Face, holding a hand out to Nancy. Nancy looked at Face calculatingly for a minute before taking the offered hand, and allowing him to pull her up.

Hannibal took her other arm and led her to a chair, with Murdock hovering in the background. Nancy thanked him, but refused, "Honestly, the last thing I really want to do is sit down," she said, waving them all away.

"I'm sorry," Face said sincerely.

"It's OK," she said, smiling at Face, "Sparring probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done today."

"My fault," Hannibal said, "We'll call the sparring for today. How about we head out to the firing range and spend some time reorienting Nancy with automatic weaponry. Think you'll be ready in half an hour?" He looked at Nancy questioningly.

"Half an hour should be fine, Colonel," Nancy said, gratefully heading to her room. Right now she just wanted to lay down and nurse her aching tail bone for a few minutes.

Murdock followed Face into the room they were sharing, and looked at him discerningly, "So, were you taking it easy on her?"

Face turned and looked at Murdock in surprise, "Hell no, I wanted to take her down a notch," he grinned at his friend, "You know, she could probably give you some pointers on hand to hand, HM. But then maybe she already has, huh buddy?" Face looked at Murdock suggestively.

Murdock shook his head and smiled. Face was coming around.

After the firing range practice, they spent another couple hours discussing strategy. Nancy filled them in on the conclusions she and Trixie had reached. It didn't help a whole lot, as Palumbo's motivation for wanting Nancy in Columbia still seemed to elude them. In the end they decided to leave Nancy's role loose, and play it by ear.

Hannibal called for an early bedtime. Hannibal, Face, BA and Nancy would leave early in the morning, with the cargo plane. Murdock and Frankie would follow 6 hours later in a smaller craft.

To Columbia

The next morning, they woke early as planned. After breakfast, Murdock and Frankie accompanied them to the airfield, and helped get the personal supplies and baggage loaded. Murdock went up to the cock pit to help Nancy go through the pre-flight.

Hannibal poked his head in as they were finishing up, "Are we ready to roll?"

"All set, Colonel," Nancy said, "Is everything secure?"

"We're set back here," Hannibal said, then turned to Murdock, "That's your cue, Captain."

"Just need to say goodbye, Hannibal," Murdock said, standing.

Hannibal smiled, "In 5 minutes we need to be in the air, so make it quick," he said, before ducking out to give them some privacy.

Nancy licked her lips uncertainly, slid the headphones off her head, and stood up to face him, "Please be careful, HM," she said earnestly, "Perez is younger then Palumbo, and not as bound by tradition. He's known to be unstable, with a violent temper . . .," Nancy had offered the same information at least twice before.

"Frankie and I will be fine," he interrupted, "We'll see you in a couple days."

Nancy looked up at him, and after a moment of hesitation, Murdock cupped her face in his hands and kissed her soundly, then looked in her eyes, "I love you, Nancy Ruby Clay – don't you forget it."

Nancy smiled, allowing her guard to fall completely, "I love you, too, HM Murdock."

He smiled happily, gave her one last kiss goodbye and ducked out of the cock pit.