AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Okay, there is a big time jump in this chapter and those this chapter doesn't focus on anything movie-based, the next chapter kind of does.
This chapter introduces a couple of new characters and opens up Anna, and the Anna/Face relationship a little bit more.
WARNINGS: Language, Violence, Torture, Gore, Sex, Drugs, Death, Smoking, Alcohol, Dark Themes
ENJOY!
xxxx
"Hey, Anna, it's just Face. I, uh…I just wanted to talk to you and see how you were holding up…I miss you." Face explained in his message as Anna played back her voicemails and chewed on her lip, loving the sound of his voice floating through. "Just call me, please? I'd really like to see you."
Anna paused and then saved the message, turning around to head straight into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee. Aside from Hannibal, Anna hadn't seen any member of the A-Team face to face in almost two whole years. Her last mission with them had been the one involving Marshall, and though she had spoken to Face via phone and e-mail, she was pretty cut off. Hannibal kept her informed and kept the A-Team filled in when they asked about her life, but her new address was a secret. Any of them could find her if they really wanted, however, they were respecting her decision to be cut off for now—even Face mostly, though he felt like he'd lost his best friend.
Two weeks after the incident with Marshall, Face announced that he had a girlfriend—it ended a couple of weeks later because his job was too stressful for her to handle. Anna was there to do shots with him after the break-up, both of them watching movies and then Face slept over in the guest room. A few months after that, Anna was going to pick him up from the airport, but when she got there he was with another woman and Anna decided she was kind of finished. She was tired of being hurt every time she saw him romantically involved with someone who wasn't her.
Her rather impulsive decision led to a new state, home and friends, but she missed Face. She hadn't seen him since the airport, and he hadn't seen her since then either. Anna didn't know it, but Face had seen her hurrying off at the airport and since then had wanted to see her but she had been avoiding him. He never thought that he would have to be without her, and he was desperate to have her back in his life no matter what it took—no matter how long.
"You should call him back." Anna told herself out loud before sipping her coffee. "It wasn't fair of you to cut him out of your life completely six months ago, Anna. What would Heather tell you to do about this?"
Upon moving to her new home, Anna had met Heather Glenn and Mark Ferris—back when they were still dating each other. They'd both been adding to their degrees by taking extra courses, but then Heather got into the grad school she wanted and Mark thought she was giving up on him. Heather was still in love with Mark, but there were things she wanted to do before settling down and getting married and Mark just assumed that meant they were done…he just assumed that they had to move on and see other people and Heather was going to let him do what he felt he needed to do since they were now officially broken up.
Mark had then been trying to point out to Anna that she was cutting out the world and though to a certain extent she knew that was true, she didn't like what Mark was trying to get out of it. He was hurting because his heart still belonged to Heather and they were separated, but he wanted to move on and Anna was the closest to him with problems of her own. The thing was though, in all of the time away from Face, Anna had realized that she would always be waiting for him. None of the boyfriends that she had ever had in her life were Face and that was what ended them—even the fling that she'd had six months before that was strictly based on sex…not one of her finer moments.
"Ready to pick up where we left off?" Mark asked Anna as he walked into the house.
Anna sighed loudly and looked at him. "Way to knock, Mark."
"When Heather lived here I had a key—I still do." Mark explained with a shrug.
Anna just nodded and then offered him some coffee, pouring it for him and handing it over after he nodded. The two of them had been having a conversation for the last couple of days about whether or not they should date each other—Anna was firmly against it, but Mark wanted to move on because he was hurting. He thought that by getting back into the saddle he would be able to get over the ache in his heart that Heather left and figured that Anna would want to move on as well. Heather and Mark knew well that Face and Anna were a platonic friendship…Anna was just in love with Face and Face was never going to do anything about it.
"I guess I really have no choice in the matter." Anna replied with a small shrug, sitting down on one of the bar stools at the island counter. "I just figured that by now we were done."
Mark shook his head. "We're far from it…do you still love him?"
"Of course I still love him—I haven't stopped and I probably never will." Anna admitted, looking at her coffee cup and shrugging a little.
"Doesn't it ever bother you that he's never seen you the way you see him?" Mark asked her slowly, wishing that she'd look up at him.
"Honestly?" Anna asked, looking up and smiling softly. "I can't see my life without him."
Mark sighed and shook his head, walking past her to the cupboard. "You're avoiding the question."
Anna pushed on Face's shoulder playfully, as he chuckled, smiling at her as she stuck out her tongue at him. He had a lot of fun picking on her, and she made it so easy for him to do just that when she just pouted and complained in that cute way that Anna always seemed to manage. All Face knew right then was that he wanted to be sitting next to her, and all Anna knew was that he was next to her and he wasn't going anywhere.
"Maybe you should stop picking on me and just make a decision." Anna laughed softly.
Face chuckled and looked directly at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I only pick on you because I care."
"Oh, well in that case I only make fun of you because I adore you." Anna told him rolling her eyes and nudging him with her elbow.
The two of them smiled at each other and then Face rested his forehead on hers when she looked at him, Anna doing her best to seem like she was just fine. He always had a habit of being close to her, and she didn't mind it in the slightest—besides, she'd caught him in a tender moment and she wanted to cherish it. Especially when he went to stroke her hair and then kissed her forehead and looked her in the eye, Anna knew to just keep quiet.
"I adore you too, Anna—you're honestly the only true friend I have." He explained to her.
Anna smiled and nodded. "I'll always be here for you, Face. Let's watch a musical."
"Oh my God, Anna—you're going to be the death of me." Face said with a laugh, grabbing them a blanket as she put in a movie and then snuggled up against him.
Anna looked at him and took a deep breath, making a face and then shrugging at him because he was right. She was avoiding the question because she wasn't sure exactly what to say to it—wasn't sure how to answer it. It was just that she had never thought about that…not seriously anyway. Anna just wanted Mark to understand that it wasn't about that—it was about how she felt and whether or not she was willing to live with that feeling or not.
"I'm avoiding the question because it isn't a fair question." Anna finally said as she shook her head.
Mark shook his head and pointed his finger at her. "You're avoiding the question because loving him and shutting everyone else out keeps your heart safe."
"Okay, first of all if we're talking about shutting everyone else out maybe we should talk about Heather." Anna replied, taking a step towards him and holding up her finger to make him focus.
"This isn't about Heather, Anna." Mark sighed loudly, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
Mark had a habit of talking on the phone all the time because he volunteered at the hospital and it was a busy place. He was on the phone with one of his co-workers, grinning a little bit when Heather pushed on him and he laid back on the bed, Heather straddling him in one quick motion, her blonde curls bouncing lightly. Mark smiled up at her as she ran her hand over his short, dark hair, smirking as she shifted her weight against him and grinned.
"I think that someone should be attentive to their girlfriend." Heather told him, giving him a look and motioning to the phone.
Mark chuckled and hung up with a nod. "Okay, okay, I'm off the phone…I love you, you know that?"
Heather smiled at him and her eyes lit up, Mark swallowing because he'd never seen anyone so beautiful. Mark ran his fingers through her curls and she smiled at him wider, nuzzling his nose with her own. He just wanted to kiss her and she did too, but she needed to tell him how she felt too because he needed to know—he needed to understand that she would always be there for him and she always wanted to be there for him.
"I love you too." Heather told him before she kissed him, letting his hands start to roam along her body.
Anna sighed and shook her head, looking directly at him and closing her eyes. It was a frustrating situation and she knew that this was about Heather just as much as it was about Face. The two of them had things to think about and things to talk about and since they were having this conversation, they needed to finish it. Anna had to make Mark understand that the two of them were just trying to hide from their problems…and they couldn't hide from them anymore.
"There's nothing stopping you from going back to her—just because you had to go your separate ways for a little while for grad school and fulfilling some dreams of your own, doesn't mean she doesn't still love you. Love is patient." Anna explained to him, knowing that it was cheesy and yet she felt it needed to be said.
Mark gave her a stern look through the hurt in his eyes. "Don't quote things to me, Anna. Heather made her choice, and I feel like I should be able to move on too."
"Not with me…I'm waiting. Deep down you know that you're waiting too." Anna said with a shrug, looking at him with sad eyes because she suddenly realized that she would always be waiting unless she did something about it.
Mark nodded as well, taking a deep breath as he let all of her words sink in and looked at the floor. Heather had left but it wasn't because things in their relationship were going south—it was because she was chasing her dreams at the college she wanted to go to. So what if she was right and he was waiting too? Did that change anything?
"But what if Heather isn't?" Mark asked Anna slowly, both of them looking at each other sadly.
xx
After talking with Mark and trying to figure out what to do with herself, Anna decided that she wasn't going to run anymore. She packed up her things and took a plane to go and see her father, getting herself assigned to a task she hadn't been assigned to before so she could be close to him. He was her father and besides…Anna missed the A-Team. She missed the entire A-Team.
The thing about Anna and Bosco was that they had a lot in common. Both of them were multi-faceted and so much more than what people assumed they were just by looking at them at first glance. Bosco was a big strong African man and everyone expected him to be incredibly hardcore even though he was afraid of flying and he had a soft spot for those closest to him. Anna was a young girl who was in the FBI and everyone always thought that she was too pretty to be smart and yet she was one of the best field agents.
What Anna missed most about Bosco was the ice cream runs; Bosco actually enjoyed taking Anna out for ice cream. The two of them would do that after a mission—after Murdock made him his favorite dish to make up for Bosco having to travel by aircraft—and the two would talk about things. They didn't get to hang out very often, so the times that they did, they had to make it count and it was nice they got along.
Then there was Murdock—Murdock, Anna's favorite. The two of them were the 'geniuses' and they were pretty crazy even though they had their heads out of the clouds. Anna was a big fan of flying and she felt like her life was safe in Murdock's hands, and Murdock enjoyed helping Anna come up with crazy schemes and he liked being paired up with her for missions. They really enjoyed being with each other and Murdock sometimes felt like her second father—looking out for her was almost second nature.
Murdock had always felt like he had to protect Anna, especially when they went on missions together. Hannibal couldn't always be with her and when he was paired up with Anna he knew he had to make sure that Hannibal Smith's daughter was safe and sound. It helped though that he actually enjoyed hanging out with her, missing talking to her for so long and knowing that Face and Hannibal were in a funk without her around more often as well.
"Anna?" Murdock cried out when he saw her and her duffle and her purse showing up and she grinned at him. "It's been a long while!"
Anna beamed and ran into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I missed having a crazy friend!"
"I did too." Murdock replied, pulling back and looking her over. "You cut your hair."
"I changed a lot of things." Anna admitted with a shrug. "Where are the others?"
Murdock pointed around. "They all have their own tents right now, actually. Bosco is there and Face is over there. Your father is talking to Morrison at the moment."
"Sounds rather important." Anna said as she glanced towards Face's tent. "I'll just have to reunite with Dad after he and Morrison are done talking."
Gen. Russell Morrison was pretty much the big deal around the military men no matter how big the A-Team was. They followed his orders and they were loyal to him, and for as long as Anna could remember she looked up to him like a grandfather. He was close to her father and he always gave Anna gifts on her birthday and though she didn't keep in as close contact and she wished, she did keep in contact—he knew a lot about her and she didn't mind that. Morrison was like family to her and that was just the way that it had to be.
"I hear Anna." Bosco said as he came out of his tent, beaming at her. "You know I haven't really had any ice cream since you up and disappeared?"
Anna laughed and hugged him close. "I missed you too, Bosco. Been keeping out of trouble?"
"Yeah because this team keeps out of trouble." Bosco teased and then he shrugged and pulled back, looking her over. "It would be nicer to have you around while I'm waking up after flying—did you cut your hair?"
"I hope you guys are noticing because you like it." Anna said laughing, beaming and then shrieking a little when Morrison and Hannibal walked out of the big tent together.
She ran to them as Bosco and Murdock looked on with smiles on their faces, jumping on her father and then hugging Morrison close. The two men smiled and fawned over her, Hannibal puffing his cigar and then reaching out with his free hand and running his fingers through her hair. It was shorter than it had been before—now above her shoulders instead of to her shoulder blades—but it wasn't too short and Hannibal liked the look. His little girl was growing up and she was changing things about herself, but she still so very much still his Anna.
"Stop puffing your cancer smoke in your daughter's face." Morrison said, hugging Anna again. "You need to stop growing, Anna."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever, Gramps, I missed you too. You guys discussing anything in particular?"
"Just a little mission involving a fugitive." Morrison replied shrugging. "I'm sure you know just as much about it as we do seeing as how you're our FBI agent—way to transfer yourself."
"I missed you guys is all—besides, what would Murdock do without me? He's always getting himself caught." Anna joked, laughing when Murdock protested from his spot near Bosco. "Also, I kind of miss the flying and the ice cream with Bosco and getting to prove that women are just as good at using guns if not better at it."
Morrison smiled and rested his hand on her head. "She got her mother's spunk."
"That she did." Hannibal agreed with a nod.
Hannibal took a breath as Morrison excused himself and watched as Anna's smile turned into a sad one. She thought about her mother a lot, but she also tried hard not to think too much about her because it made her sad. Her mother had been such a strong and beautiful woman who was so full of love and yet she understood Hannibal and that helped when it came to teaching Anna to understand him. Anna's mother, Claudia, hadn't been looking for love—she'd been looking to make Hannibal feel better and to prove to him that he was a good man and the tryst had brought about Anna.
Claudia had never been bitter about it either. Since she'd always focused on life and on furthering her career, she had never thought that she was going to be a mother…but when she found out she was pregnant, she was ecstatic. She was going to get to experience motherhood and she was stable enough mentally, emotionally and financially that she didn't need Hannibal. Claudia could give Anna all of the love, support and guidance that she needed without having to have a man in her life, and she was able to teach her daughter to love the man that hadn't ever thought he'd be a father…then she died in a terrible accident and Anna had to live with her mother's sister and her husband, as well as with her cousins.
"I have some things to take care of but we'll catch up—you staying close to here?" Hannibal asked her, referring to their little temporary base for the mission.
Anna smiled and shrugged. "I figured I'd just share your tent."
"You can do that…as long as you don't mind my cancer smoke." Hannibal joked, laughing as Anna pushed on his arm and then laughed a little more. "All right, go unpack and we'll talk soon."
"Okay, Dad." Anna said with a nod.
She smiled when her father kissed her head and then headed off, glancing at Face's tent as Bosco came up to her. He held out his hands for her things and she smiled at him, knowing that he knew what was going on in her head and glad to have the help from him. Bosco headed for Hannibal's tent to set Anna's things in there, Murdock giving Anna a reassuring head nod when she glanced at him. That was the last ounce of confidence that she needed, and she headed for Face's tent.
Bosco and Murdock exchanged glances and then smiled and went their separate ways, both of them quite aware of Anna's crush on Face. Even though they knew she was closer to him partially because she had met him first, they had understood the teenage girl's looks in the beginning. Anna always looked at him with such care and admiration…with such love—she couldn't hide that from anyone. The two were even pretty sure that Face knew she loved him on some level, but he had worked so hard to just be her friend that he had ignored it and it was possible that he'd never come around.
Anna swallowed and then took a deep breath, opening up the flap to Face's tent and walking in, Face looking up. He had been looking over some papers and heard the rustle, not expecting in the slightest to see Anna Smith walking into his tent in worn jeans, boots and a jacket over a tank top. She smiled at him, that love and care in her eyes, feeling like she might cry just because she'd been such a terrible person to him and yet he was grinning suddenly, taking in and liking the hair cut even though he missed having more to run his fingers through—not that he really ever did that.
"Anna." He breathed out, standing up.
Anna smiled and nodded, holding up her hand and waving slowly. "Hey, Face."
Face didn't really know what was coming next, but he chuckled when Anna came at him and jumped on him, wrapping her legs around him. He held her naturally, one hand going into her hair and the other wrapped around her to hold her close to him. She buried her face into his neck, her lips pressed against his skin even though they took no specific form, one of her hands in his hair as well, not caring that one of his dog tags was digging into her breast and his belt was in a slightly awkward position as she held him with her legs, kind of wishing he was shirtless instead of in his tank.
"I missed you so much." Anna whispered as she ran her fingertips along his scalp. "I'm so sorry I cut you off."
Face nodded and breathed in her scent: coffee, cucumber melon, vanilla and a hint of Hannibal's cigar smoke. "I'm sorry too, Anna. I feel like we've been so far from each other and I was worried about you."
"I just needed some space to figure out some things." Anna explained to him, pulling back a little and looking him in the eyes, their noses touching. "I'm just so happy to see you."
Before Face had time to take the words in and respond, Anna had pressed her lips to his upon instinct. The kiss didn't feel romantic to him, but at the same time the few seconds her soft lips were on his he felt calm…even if it was just a 'hello' kiss and she buried her face back into his neck. Face decided not to think anymore on it as Anna blushed feverishly, just holding him close, neither of them really wanting to move, but having to eventually anyway.
Anna shifted her legs, Face letting her get down and yet keeping her close to him because she'd been gone for far too long. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, showing her that he was still her friend even though part of him still hurt that she'd been out of touch and avoiding him for six months. Phone calls and e-mails just weren't the same…it wasn't like visiting her spontaneously. Every time he had tried she either wasn't home, or he saw her with Heather or Mark through a window or out on their porch and he didn't want to intrude. He wanted her to have as much of a normal life as she wanted to have—he and Hannibal both did.
"I take it you're here for a mission?" Face asked her.
Anna looked up into his eyes and smiled at how happy she was just to be able to look in them again. "Actually, I'm kind of here to stop one."
Note: So there was that, and awww! Aren't Anna and Face just way too cute? There will be a few more flashbacks in the next one as well as another character. Feedback is always appreciated!
