Sighing, "I really don't want to talk about it." At Hannibal's glare he reluctantly continued,
"Decker and I literally ran into each other on the street. He chased me into an alley practically
launching himself at me, which knocked us into a wall. I must of hit my head and passed out
because the next thing I know is that I'm face down on the ground, handcuffed. He was on his
walkie-talkie requesting a car and backup. He wasn't looking at me. I don't think he expected
me to wake up soon. So I rolled over pulling my legs up to maneuver my cuffed hands from
behind my back to in front of me again. I saw my .357 stuffed in the back of his pants. It was
unbelievable. I walked up right behind him grabbing my gun and cocking it right behind his ear."

"Oh man Hannibal, you should have seen his face." Laughing, "He was livid, at himself, at me,
hell he was cursing you and your influence on me, like I wouldn't have pulled the gun on him on
my own. It was hysterical. A few minutes later I had uncuffed myself, taken his gun and made
him put on his own cuffs, conveniently attached to the nearby dumpster. I knew I didn't have
much time to get away before reinforcements arrived but I couldn't help taunting him. I mean he
was begging for it." Shrugging again like it was no big deal, "I took off and met up with you
guys. My only regret is not having a picture of his face."

Laughing at the picture he presented. "I can just imagine, but kid if it was no big thing, then why
are you out here brooding?"

Raising an eyebrow, "Brooding?"

Glaring at the obfuscation, "Yes brooding. Expensive scotch isn't your first drink of choice and
you don't normally smoke. Not to mention that you had no clue I was here when I called your
name. You're apparently focused on something, what is it?"

"Hannibal..." He spoke the name like a plea.

"No way kid. I'm not going to let this go. Talk to me." Smith was firm in his command drinking
down his scotch and refilling the glass.

Sighing Face ran a hand through his hair as though it would somehow bring the words to the
surface. "Today was the first day I really realized how serious Decker is about putting us in jail
for the next twenty years. I mean, yeah sure I always knew he wanted to catch us and what
would happen if he did, but this...when he was looking at me and cursing, hell everything, it was
personal. He's determined to see me rot in prison for the rest of my life if he has his way. Today
just intensified that. I don't think about it a lot, ya know? It's just...the army's chasing us, so
what. But today when I felt those cuffs on me and later when Decker swore, come hell or high
water, he'd see me in jail. It was real, in a way it hasn't been since Fort Bragg. So I've been
thinking about how close I ended up back in jail tonight."

Face involuntarily shuddered at the thought. "I can't do twenty years, Hannibal. You remember
how I was. The only reason I didn't lose it completely was because I knew you had a plan to
escape so I played it cool and we were out of there in less than a month." Taking the last drag of
his second cigarette since Hannibal's arrival he shrugged, "It just became to real a possibility
today."

"You know that I would never let you rot in prison for twenty years, right?" Hannibal tried to
reassure the shaken lieutenant.

"I know, but I'd also never forgive myself is something were to happen to you, BA, or Murdock
trying to get me out." Quietly under his breath as he took another swallow of scotch. "Besides I
don't know if I'd last that long."

Hannibal rocked back in his chair surprised. "Whoa, where did that come from?"

Face looked at him funny, "What do you mean?"

Incredulous, "You don't know if you'd last that long? The hell does that mean?"

Peck's head jerked up in shock, not realizing that he uttered those words aloud. It took a second
to school his features before he replied. Waving his hand to blow the gaffe off, "Nothing
Hannibal, I didn't mean anything."

Angry at being deliberately lied to. "Bullshit. Don't feed me that crap kid. Obviously the
thought of prison bothers you. That's understandable. I'm not to fond of the idea of spending
twenty years behind bars either, but for you it seems different. You're right, I do remember how
edgy you were at Fort Bragg. In fact there were a couple of times I didn't think there was
anything I could say to reign you in or those two days where you were so far inside your head I
wasn't sure you'd ever come out again. What is it about prison that spooks you so bad? You're
not cloustrophobic and this is nothing like Chao's camp. Why wouldn't you last that long?"

Face mentally berated himself for letting his fear of prison slip. He really didn't want to explain
the reasons for it. "Colonel, let's just leave it at I don't like prison and move on." The stubborn
set to his jaw was noticably visible.

Rubbing his own hand across his face, Hannibal attempted to hide his now peaked curiosity. He
took a deep drag in order to give him a moment to choose the best words for his argument.
"Face, I'd love to leave this alone. It just seems to me that you're the one who can't. The
smoking, drinking, and the fact that you're out here brooding are all signs that it's you that can't
let go. There's something here that's bothering you and I can't take the chance that if sometime
in the future we end up in jail, even if only temporarily that this won't effect you. I can't
concentrate on getting us out if I'm worried about you. Did something happen at Fort Bragg that
I don't know about?"

Shaking his head, still hoping to sidestep Hannibal's question. "No, nothing happened at Fort
Bragg. We shared a cell together, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without you knowing." He
gave a rueful grin at waking the colonel that one night he had gotten the runs from dinner.

Smith wasn't to be deterred though he mentally chuckled at the memory. Still the concern and
frustration with his lieutenant wasn't abated. "I remember, but can we stop with the twenty
questions and you just tell me whatever it is?"

"Let it go Hannibal." Face reached for the bottle to refill his glass but was stopped by a forceful
grasp on his arm by the older man.

His blue eyes were like the hottest fire, burning with ferocity into the conman. "No. You're not
going to get drunk and pass out on me. I'm not going to let you blow this off, as I know you will
in the light of day tomorrow, blaming the drinking for your maudlin mood. There's a hell of a lot
more to it and we both know it. We're a team kid. That means we help each other out, no matter
what. I thought you knew that you could trust me with anything. Don't lie like there's nothing
going on and don't insult me by pretending everything's okay. It's not. You are not. So let's
stop with the evasions."

Face couldn't look at him. He'd never dealt with the colonel's anger or disappointment well.
This time was no different, especially since he didn't want to speak about it at all. Praying that
he'd be let off the hook. "Some things are better left in the past." Bowing his head as though
pushed down by a great weight. "Please Hannibal..."