A/N: I'm really sorry it's been so long since I uploaded a new chapter. I've been having computer problems, but hopefully it should all be fixed now.

Chapter 7

Face slid the van door open and poked his head outside, 'BA's right, they're not following us.'

'They've probably gone off to plan their revenge.' Hannibal smirked, a hint of excitement in his voice, the other three men groaned in unison.

Face shut the door and sat back down, looking towards Murdock, 'Where did you get them?' He asked, pointing to the packet of potato chips that his friend had in his hands.

'Found em back there when I was lookin for the dynamite.' Murdock replied as he opened the packet.

BA's head swung around, 'Fool I bought those months ago; I'm surprised they ain't mouldy!'

'Mouldy?' Face mouthed.

'Mmmm, mouldy potato chips, they're the best kind.' Murdock gave a crazy smile, licking his lips, about to dig in.

Hannibal looked over at his Captain, 'Murdock, don't eat those.'

'Yeah sucka, they'll make you sick!'

Murdocks eyes seemed to glaze over as his friends chatted.

'Muuurdooock!' Face called, in a sing-song kind of way, 'Have you been listening to a word anybody's been saying?

'Sick, that's it!' Murdock suddenly blurted out.

'Oh, I guess you have.'

Murdock looked at Face, 'No, I mean that's why I was arguing with the Doc, it's cus I felt real sick and he wouldn't believe me. I remembered!'

It took the others a moment to come up to speed with Murdock's train of thought; Hannibal was the first to break the silence.

'I said it'd come to you.' Hannibal twisted round in his chair, 'So tell us what happened Captain.'

'Ok, well…'


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Murdock looked across at Dr Webster, he could feel the back of his legs touching against the examination couch, 'I'm telling you Doc, I'm sick, look, feel my head.' Murdock felt his own head, feeling the heat on his palm, 'See, I'm burning up!'

'Murdock, must we go through these silly little charades of yours every time?' Webster folded his arms, 'You are not sick, and I'm not feeling your brow, now I know you'd prefer to be with Dr Richter, but he isn't here so…'

'Damn it Doc, why won't you listen to me, you're supposed to listen!' Murdock shouted out in frustration, he knew he must have said it louder than he'd thought because he heard a nurse voice shout, 'Is everything ok in there?' through the closed door.

'No!' Murdock called back.

'Dr Webster?'

'Everything's fine Johanna, my patients just a little anxious.' Webster shouted back, Murdock sighed as he heard the nurse walking away, all he wanted to do was go back to his room and go to bed, he felt awful and the bad mood he now found himself in wasn't helping much…


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

…'Sounds like a swell guy.' Face rolled his eyes.

'Tell me about it,' Murdock groaned, 'he just never listened, every time I went to one of his sessions he'd have a go at me. He's supposed to help me, not reprimand me for acting crazy, I mean, I'm a mental patient, what does he expect?'

'Didn't you tell any of the nurses?' Asked Hannibal.

'Yeah, but they just thought I was anxious, having a new doctor and all.' Murdock explained, 'The guy was worse than BA for getting angry over my insanity, I mean BA's just a mean ol' mudsucker, he can't help the way he is, but what excuse as the Doc got?'

'You want me to land my fist through your jaw, sucka?' BA snarled.

'See.' BA just growled at Murdock's response.

'Well by the sounds of it I can't say I blame you for not liking him very much Captain.' Hannibal frowned.

Murdock nodded, 'but when you don't like somebody, you argue with em, call em, pull faces at em behind their backs, you don't kill em!' Murdock leant back in his seat, 'I mean, if just not likin somebody meant you had to murder em, then either me or BA over there woulda been a goner ages ago!' He joked, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

BA turned around with his fists clenched in Murdocks direction, 'Yeah, and I know which of us woulda been doin the killin sucka!'

Murdock gulped dramatically before continuing to tell them what he had remembered...


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

....'I wanna go back to my room!' Murdock stepped forward slightly, 'Why the hell do you hate me so damn much!'

'Murdock don't be ridiculous, that's absurd!'

'Well, wh-urgh.' Murdock suddenly felt really weak, he could see the ground coming closer and closer towards his face and then he felt hands gripping his arms.

Everything was a blare after that. He felt himself being moved and knew he was being spoken to, he just couldn't understand what was being said. Next thing he knew he was laying down on the examination couch, staring up into Websters eyes.

'See, you got yourself all worked up Murdock.' Webster said gently, he looked at Murdocks face, 'You do look very tired though, how have you been sleeping lately?'

'I don't feel real good.' Murdock said weakly, his words slurring slightly, 'Burnin up.'

'Murdock..' He began but then sighed and gave in, feeling Murdock's forehead, 'Hey, you really are burning up.' He said in surprise.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

...Murdock squeezed his eyes shut then sighed, 'That's all I got, not much huh?'

'I wouldn't be too sure Murdock, I think you may have just proven that you couldn't have done it.' Hannibal replied.

Murdock stared at Hannibal, 'Huh?'

'Well, if you felt so weak and sick how did you manage to kill the Doctor?'

'Yeah man, Hannibals right.' BA piped up.

'It's all circumstantial though.'

'True Face, but it's a start.' Hannibal took a cigar out of his breast pocket, 'We'll drop by the Carpenters house, stay a while and then head back to our hideout, I think a early night'll do us all good, besides, I doubt Reagan and his merry misfits will do anything else today, they'll be too busy licking their wounds.' He smirked.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sally, the nurse Murdock had remembered in his first flashback was busily looking over some papers. She didn't notice the elevator doors ding open, or the disgruntled doctor dashing through them, a brown coat under one arm and a bag under the other, until he was right under her nose.

'Dr Richter, you're back, how was your vacation?' She asked cheerfully, her smile quickly faltered as she saw the look on his face.

'I just heard the news about Murdock, what the hells been happening around here?'

'Oh, it was terrible…' Sally began.

'There's just no way, none at all, that Murdock would have done that, he wouldn't have killed Dr Webster. I know Murdock, well, I like to think I know him as much as anyone possibly could know Murdock, and the idea that he would kill an innocent civilian is just preposterous!' Dr Richter ranted, more to himself than to the nurse who stood next to him, 'And I will challenge anyone who says otherwise!'

'I'm glad I'm not the only one who believes that.' She smiled slightly, then sighed, 'It seems like everyone else around here have given up on H.M.'

Richter looked at her, a small smile appearing on his troubled face, 'At least the two of us know the truth.'

She nodded, 'I just hope that he's safe, wherever he might be.' She looked at her watch, 'I have to go, it's good to have you back Doctor.'

Richter barely noticed her leave as he looked towards the corridor that Murdocks room was on, 'I just hope your friends can help you Murdock, you're going to need them now more than ever…'


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

BA and Murdock argued angrily, throwing insult at each other.

'Man, I'm sick of this!' BA growled, getting ready to walk away.

'Yeah, well I'm sick of you!' Murdock roared, picking up the closest object on hand and whacking BA repeatedly with it in a fit of uncontrollable rage. Murdock panted and looked at the bloodied mess on the floor, 'What have I done?' He whispered, leaving go of the blood soaked teddy bear; it landed next to the body of his friend,

'What have I done!' Murdock screamed, holding his head and collapsing to his knees.

He had never felt such hatred like the hatred he now felt for himself, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry BA, I'm sorry.' He repeated those words over and over again.

'Murdock.' The Captains head shot towards BA's mouth, had he just called out his name? No, he couldn't have, that would be impossible...


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

...'Murdock!' BA shook his friend, 'Fool wake up, it's just a nightmare man, wake up!'

Murdock's eyes flicked open, his body shooting upright, he looked at BA and flung his arms around the muscular man, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

'Fool, get off me.' BA pushed Murdock away, 'Man why was you apologising to me?'

Murdock gave his friend a guilty look and lowered his head, 'I-I dreamt that I killed you.'

BA waited until Murdock raised his head and then looked him straight in the eye, 'What with?'

'A teddy bear.' He answered.

'A teddy bear?' BA shrieked then quickly remembered what time it was, he lowered his voice, 'Man that's insultin!'

A small smile spread across Murdocks face, which quickly turned into a chuckle, he wiped his hands across his face, 'So much for our early night huh?'

'Early night? I only just finished keeping a look out; I ain't even lay down on my bed yet.'

'I'm beginning to wish I hadn't.'

'It's probably cus of what we said in the van before, about people hatin and killin each other.' BA said as he stood up grabbing something and throwing it to his friend.

Murdock picked up the bandana, 'What's this for?'

'You to wear fool!' BA replied, 'You ain't gunna get back sleep now, and if you can't I won't be able to, so we might as well go for a walk, get some fresh air.'

Murdock got dressed and placed the bandana across his face, he looked towards an empty spot on the floor.

'Man hurry up!'

'Hey, can Billy come too? If we take a ball the three of us can play fetch.' Murdock's eyes widened pleadingly.

'Not unless you want your nightmare to become reality fool.' BA warned, 'Only this time our roles'll be reversed.'

'You know, on second thoughts Billy looks real snug sleepin there.' Murdock smiled innocently.

BA rolled his eyes and signalled towards the door with his thumb, 'Now get!'

'Okie dokie Big Guy.' Murdock said as he opened the door and walked past Face,

'Hey Faceman.'

Face looked at Murdock, then at BA, 'Where…'

'The fool can't sleep again; I thought the fresh air might help.' BA answered his question before Face even had finished asking it.

'I wouldn't count on it Big Guy.' Murdock said casually as he opened the front door.

'And if that fails?' Face asked.

BA punched his fist into the palm of his hand, 'Then I've always got these!'

Face raised his eyebrows, 'Right.' He watched as BA followed Murdock outside, wondering who he should feel sorrier for. He decided it should be himself, he didn't see the point in staying up why they were both gallivanting outside anyway, and when he'd run after them both to ask if he could go back to bed they'd both chorused a definite, 'No!' Much to Face's displeasure, so now he kept a discontented vigil at the window, muttering sulkily to himself.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

BA and Murdock sat in complete silence on a log not far from their hideout. The silence wasn't awkward however; it was the kind of comfortable silence that happened between friends when engaging in a conversation just wasn't necessary.

At least that's what it seemed like on the surface, on the inside though, BA was begging Murdock to fall asleep, he'd even carry him back to the hideout if he had to.

He also couldn't help secretly feeling concern for his friend, he hadn't done anything crazy or annoying since they'd left the house, and that just wasn't like Murdock.

Murdock stared up at the stars; the night sky just didn't make him feel as content as usual. The nightmare had bothered him more than he'd let on. This was the second dream he'd had about killing somebody, although the latest was undoubtedly more horrifying than the first. He knew Hannibal had said that his flashback had more or less proven his innocence, but he couldn't help thinking 'What if the Colonel's wrong?'

Murdock had always believed that all dreams had some sort of meaning, maybe even a little bit of truth behind them, questions floated around in his mind, 'What if these dreams are trying to tell me something, what if they aren't dreams at all, just my own warped take on reality.'

He didn't know who or what was correct, of course he hoped that Hannibal was right, but the doubt just wouldn't go away. The only thing Murdock knew for sure was that he held the answers; he just needed to figure out a way unlock the memories from his mind.

Though he was surrounded by people who cared for him, Murdock had never felt so alone. He closed his eyes briefly then opened them again. He could feel BA's stare on him and sighed inwardly. He looked over at BA and smiled cheerfully, 'Hey Big Guy do you see that up there.' He pointed to some stars in the sky, 'If you look at the stars carefully, you know kinda connect the dots it looks like a bird flyin gracefully through the air, that's called Cygnus. You know the myth goes that…'

'Fool shut up, I don't wanna hear bout no stars, are you ready to sleep yet or not?'

'Not yet, in fact, I don't think I'm sleepy at all.'

BA rolled his eyes, 'Well count sheep or somethin.'

'Ok.' Murdock exclaimed, he kept looking to the left of him and then moving his head to the right as though he was watching something jumping past, 'There goes Amber, and Christian, and Juliet, and Bob, and William and Samantha, and Fluffy and…'

BA groaned as Murdock proceeded in naming every nonexistent sheep that jumped by, wondering what ever had possessed him to come up with such a stupid idea.


TBC

A/N: Thanks to all who have read or reviewed this story so far.