"That's it." Colleen Brown exclaimed as she and Face dove for cover as another hail of bullets rained down on the small town's street. "We're going on vacation. I don't care what world crisis Stockwell has."
Peck grinned as he pulled them into a small abandoned store. "Sounds great to me. Though if Murdock doesn't get that plane and fly us out of here in the next ten minutes our only vacation will be in a jail cell."
Colleen ducked as a window near her shattered from a round of gunfire. "Could be cozy and romantic."
"That's one way to look at it." Templeton replied with a smile as he risked a glance out the window. "Claustrophobic is another."
"Explain to me again why Stockwell split us up on this mission?"Colleen asked as she knelt next to Face.
"He's a spook, Colleen....never try to understand them." Face replied with a grin as he took her hand and gingerly led her out the back door.
"All I know is that we got Mission B to protect the wonderful town of Sleeping Valley from a renegade cult. And Hannibal and the others got cushy guard duty of some governor's brat in Albany."
Brown grabbed Peck's arm causing him to pause in the dirt alley. When he looked at her quizzically she motioned toward the sky.
"Henry always comes through." Colleen replied with a grin just as the faint sounds of a helicopter drifted through the alley.
Peck sighed. "He was supposed to get a plane."
"You know his first love is 'copters." Colleen replied as she led them toward the mouth of the alley. They arrived just in time to see Murdock land the black helicopter smack in the middle of Main Street. Right in front of the general store.
The renegade cult members instantly dropped their weapons and scattered like pinballs.
Face picked up a discarded weapon and corralled a few of the cultists as Murdock stepped out of the helicopter.
"Took you long enough." Peck muttered darkly as Colleen came to stand next to them. "Another minute and we would've been swiss cheese."
"It wasn't that bad." Colleen admonished Face with a loving smile.
Peck glanced at her incredulously. "Not that bad? Did you forget that they nearly hung you because you were wearing blue?"
Colleen's hand instantly went to her neck where a few bruises were beginning to show. "No, I haven't."
"Hate to interrupt this Kodak moment." Murdock interjected grimly. "But I got a hold of Hannibal on the radio. He needs us to regroup in Langley."
Peck nodded as he started ushering his group of cultists to the jail. "What happened in Albany?"
Murdock grinned. "Turned out the girl wasn't kidnapped.....just staying over at a friend's house that the parents didn't want her too."
"Oh I bet Hannibal loved that." Colleen replied with an amused shake of her head.
"Love is not the emotion I detected in the Colonel's voice." Murdock commented with a smile.
"If you two can stop chatting long enough to help we'll get out of here quicker." Peck stated as he tossed Murdock a gun.
*******
Once back in Langley talk of their vacation was dropped. For no fault of either of them.....Colleen instantly got another PI case and the team was hired to investigate a missing banker.
Colleen had just stepped out of the darkroom in her office when Face stepped through the door carrying a tightly closed brown paper bag.
"What's that?" Colleen asked with a smile as she crossed the space between them.
"Dinner." Peck replied as he set the bag down on a nearby chair and drew her into a hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Colleen stated as she kissed him briefly. "I can't believe it's been nearly a week since we last saw each other."
Face nodded ruefully. "Stockwell maybe a lot of things but he runs a tight ship." He reached over and tenderly brushed a stray brown hair away from her face. "A little too tight. We had to sit on Evanston for nearly four days straight before we finally got a lead on the missing banker."
Colleen's face lit up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So you found the banker?"
"Yeah." Peck replied with a grin as he led them to the two leather chairs that were positioned in front of her desk. "Mr. Princeton's safe and sound back in his home in D.C. I think he was anxious to get away from us....especially B.A."
Colleen laughed as she stood and retrieved the bag of food. "B.A.'s a pussycat."
Face grinned as he leaned forward. "Around you, maybe. You haven't had the pleasure yet of trying to get him on a plane."
"What did you get us, anyway?" Colleen asked as she started to open the bag.
"Chinese." Face replied as he stood taking the bag from her and placing it on the desk. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and produced two thin envelopes. "And two plane tickets."
Colleen eagerly took the envelopes from Peck. "I don't believe it. How'd you get Stockwell to agree to a vacation?"
Face placed an arm around her shoulder. "Let's just say it was a heated discussion that came to an amicable agreement."
Colleen grinned as she met his gaze. "Translation....you brought it up, he shouted, and Henry intervened on our behalf."
"Pretty much." Face replied as he snatched the envelopes away from her before she could open them. "Let's eat before this gets cold."
Colleen ignored the food as she reached again for the tickets."What....I don't get to know where we're going?"
Peck grinned as he handed her a carton of fried rice. "Its a surprise.....I'll let you know once we're in the air."
Colleen frowned slightly. "How am I going to know what to pack?"
"I'll have that covered." Face replied with a smile as he reached over and gently caressed her left cheek. "This is our vacation, remember? Vacations are supposed to be relaxing."
"So when do we leave?" Colleen asked as she sat down on the corner of her desk.
"Friday morning." Templeton replied with a smile.
"That leaves me two days to wrap this case up." Colleen commented as she reached forward and gently grabbed him by the bottom of his tie and pulled him toward her.
"Less if I help." Face replied huskily their faces now just inches apart.
"Which means we could start our vacation early." Colleen surmised feeling her breath catch as she looked into his bright blue gaze.
"You got anything left to do here today?" Peck asked quietly as he stood pulling her up with him.
"No." Colleen replied without even looking back at her desk. Whatever there was it could easily wait until tomorrow.....if not she didn't really care right now.
"Your place or mine?" Face asked as he started to back toward the door grabbing her coat and purse in the process.
"Yours." Colleen whispered.
"Mine it is then." Templeton replied softly as he paused in the doorway and kissed her passionately.
*********
Hours later Face held Colleen tightly as he watched her sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a serious relationship that had lasted this long.....they'd been dating for almost eight months. She'd stuck with him and the team through the chaos of the court martial. Most women would've cut and run a long time ago.
Peck reached over and tenderly bushed a stray brown hair away from her face. Not Colleen though....she'd stayed and more importantly fought for them and with them. Even after the incident with Terli where he'd nearly gotten her killed.
Face winced at the memory of those awful days following the yacht explosion when they thought she was dead. It had devastated him and caused quite a rift in his friendship with Murdock. They had repaired it to a point but Murdock never brought the subject up again. And Face knew the pilot wasn't thrilled with the prospect of his relationship with Colleen.
Colleen stirred in her sleep causing her body to push tighter against him. Face adjusted his embrace and smiled as she nestled her head in the crook of his arm. With Colleen almost being a sister to Murdock Face knew Murdock had a right to worry about Colleen's happiness....
Peck shook his head slightly, as he lay back against the pillow careful not to disturb Colleen. Murdock would come around once the pilot saw how happy Colleen was and had been since they started dating. Face had gotten a bitter taste of what his life would be like without Colleen and he never wanted to feel that empty again.
No matter what it took he'd make this relationship a lasting one.
*********
When Colleen awoke the next morning she reached for Face only to find that side of the bed empty. The brown haired woman opened her eyes and scooted into a sitting position. She was about to call out for Templeton when she heard him moving about the kitchen.
Leaning back against the pillow Colleen spied their plane tickets on the far nightstand. Colleen glanced once toward the closed bedroom door before reaching across the bed and snatching the thin envelopes.
Colleen knew she shouldn't peek but she was dying of curiosity. As she pulled the tickets out Colleen quickly realized that they weren't normal airline tickets. Oh they were printed up to look like them but there were subtle differences. The Airline Company was missing along with the destination and time of departure.
"Now why would he go to all this trouble?" Colleen wondered out loud as she leaned back against the pillow.
"Because I knew you'd peek." Face replied with a wide grin as he stood in the doorway carrying a wooden tray.
Colleen laughed as she set the tickets aside. "Guess you do know me too well, Mr. Peck."
Face walked toward her and placed the tray on her lap as he leaned in to kiss her. "Good Morning." Peck replied as they broke apart.
"Good Morning." Colleen commented warmly. "How long have you been up?"
"An hour or so." Face replied as he crawled into bed beside her.
Colleen carefully turned to face Peck, a wide smile on her face. "So what can I do to get a hint out of you?"
Templeton tenderly stroked her left cheek. "You can do anything to me that your heart desires, but you won't find out our travel plans."
********
"Any idea where Face and Colleen are going on their vacation?" Frankie Santana asked as he played ping pong with Murdock.
"Knowing Faceman they probably won't leave the hotel room." B.A. replied with a grin as he flipped through the tv channels.
"What they do is none of our business." Murdock stated trying his best to keep his voice neutral as he whacked the ping-pong ball sending it sailing high over Frankie's head.
Santana watched the ball ricochet around the room with dismay before turning to glare at his friend. "Murdock, didn't we have a talk about keeping the ball in the zone?"
Silently Murdock retrieved the wayward ball from behind the sofa and returned to the game table. The pilot gently hit the ball back to Frankie and the game was once again on.
Frankie sighed inwardly everyone had noticed that Murdock had been quieter than normal lately. The running theory among the team was Murdock's mood was due to Colleen and Face's deepening relationship. Frankie wasn't so sure about that. He knew something bad had went down between Murdock and Face concerning Colleen before Frankie had joined the team. Hannibal had told him that they had patched things up but now with Murdock's darkening mood Frankie wasn't too sure.
Hannibal poked his head into the rec room. "Stockwell's on the line." Smith reported quietly before leaving.
Frankie tossed down the paddle as the trio headed for the living room. "So much for peace and quiet."
"You'd be bored with peace and quiet." Murdock replied with a grin.
****
It was nearly ten o'clock before Colleen returned to her office with Face in tow. Once there she went into the dark room and retrieved the pictures she had taken the morning before.
"What do you make of this?" Brown asked as she handed the stack of ten pictures to Peck.
Face took off his leather jacket before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Looks like a pay off." Face replied after he sifted through the pile.
"That what I thought too, but I can't figure out for what." Colleen stated as she sat down behind her desk. "The guy in the brown suit is the cheating husband I was hired to find."
Peck flipped through the pictures again. "This doesn't look like your typical bribe or Mafia pay off. Could be drugs."
Colleen nodded. "I thought I saw them exchange something else but I was too far away to see what it was."
Face grimaced but kept his gaze on the pictures. He knew Colleen was more than capable of handling herself in any situation but he worried about her going on these things alone.
"I think you have the case wrapped up already." Face replied quietly as he set the photos on the desk. "You were hired to find the husband and you found him case closed."
Colleen hadn't missed the worry that had crossed his face but she was grateful that he didn't start an old argument. When she had first started to take Private Investigator courses to get her license Templeton had been as supportive as anyone could ask for. But she could also tell how her new career choice had worried him.
"I know but....."Brown began hesitantly as she looked back down at the pictures.
"But you still want to look into the pay off angle." Face finished reaching over to take her hand in his.
Colleen squeezed his hand as she replied. "Don't you have to check in with Hannibal?"
Face shook his head. "As far as they are concerned I'm on vacation. They can deal without me for a week."
*********
As the team assembled in the living room the small video screen on the center wall flared to life revealing Stockwell's grim face.
The General glanced at the group and frowned. "Aren't we two short?"
Murdock grinned. "You promised Faceman and Colleen a week's vacation."
"Yes." Stockwell replied. "Which doesn't start until Friday."
"Lighten up." Frankie interjected as he leaned forward. "You were young once, right?"
Stockwell ignored the comment and continued. "One of my men was killed in Stockholm roughly thirty six hours ago. Taken from the body was a diskette that contained a list of all current operatives."
Frankie groaned. "Why does this sound like a really bad spy novel?"
"Because it is." Murdock agreed as he leaned back against the cushion.
Hannibal did a double take at the small screen. "All current operatives?"
Murdock straightened at the tone in the Colonel's voice.
"Yes, Colonel that disk does have the a-team included on that list." Stockwell replied uncomfortably.
"How the hell did that happen?" Smith demanded as he stood. "This was supposed to be a need to know operation. We'd do jobs for you and you'd get us cleared."
"But I'm not part of the team so my name's not on the list, right?" Frankie asked though the sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise.
"You worked under me, Mr. Santana so your name is also on that disk." Stockwell replied grimly calling the team in on this had been his last option but he knew it was also his best option of getting the disk back in tact.
"Let me guess," B.A. began as he leaned forward. "The Russian's took the disk."
"The cold war's over, B.A." Smith countered as he moved to stand at the right of the sofa.
"Not in all circles, Colonel." Stockwell pointed out. "I want you to be ready to leave in five hours."
"Do we get to know where we're going?" Santana asked as he stood.
"Where ever we're going we better not be flyin'." BA said firmly.
"The information you need will be provided to you once you're in the air." Stockwell replied as he ended the video link.
"Oh this is going to be a whole lot of fun." Frankie stated sarcastically as he walked over to the closet and pulled out his small black duffel bag.
"I'm not gettin' on no plane." Baracus protested waving a fist at the now dark screen. "Especially if that fool's flying."
"Now when have I ever let you down, buddy?" Murdock asked with a wide grin.
Baracus raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I can name several."
Murdock placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "That stings, BA, that you don't trust me."
Smith hid a grin as he turned to face them. "B.A. relax, we don't even know where we're going. So there's no need to get worked up yet."
"Want me to go get Faceman?" BA asked resignedly as he stood.
Smith shook his head. "As far as Stockwell's concerned Face and Colleen are on vacation. We'll let them know what's going since we can't tell them where we're going just yet. In case we need backup."
"I'll tell 'em." Murdock offered as he grabbed his brown leather jacket and headed toward the front door. He had wanted to see Colleen any way before she left.
"Make it fast, Murdock." Smith ordered quietly. "Since Stockwell's sending us in blind I need you back here to help gather the gear."
The pilot nodded. "I'll be back faster than Scooby can eat a Scooby snack."
B.A. just shook his head as the door closed behind Murdock.
*******
Colleen and Face stopped by her apartment after leaving her office. They had about an hour to kill before anybody showed up at the cheating husband's auto repair business.
"So what do we know about this guy besides the fact that he ducks out on his wife?" Peck asked as he sat down on her sofa.
Colleen walked away from the small kitchen carrying two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Face and sat down next to him.
"Steven Marshal, age thirty nine, wife Andrea. Has owned Marshal auto repair for the past four years but the company hasn't been doing well."
"All classic signs of a desperate man willing to do anything to get out of debt." Face finished just as there was a knock on the door.
Colleen set down her coffee mug and rose to her feet and crossed the room to answer the door.
"Henry?" Colleen asked in surprise as her child hood friend stepped into the room.
"Hey Bonns." Murdock replied with a grin as he came to a stop in the living room.
Face stood seeing the expression on the pilot's face. "Don't tell me, Stockwell's recalled us."
Murdock smiled and shook his head as he placed an arm around Colleen's waist. "Nope. I made sure your guy's vacation was free and clear."
"But?" Brown prompted as she turned to face Henry.
Murdock sighed. "Stockwell's sending the rest of us on some weird spy thing. We're leaving in five hours. Hannibal wanted me to let you know what was going on since Stockwell didn't give us any geographical details."
"Spy thing?" Face repeated with a frown. "I don't like the sound of this, Murdock."
Murdock forced a smile not wanting his friends to worry on their vacation.
"No worries, Faceman. Simple retrieve job....in and out....same as always." Murdock replied. "Toughest part will be getting B.A. on a plane."
Colleen turned to face Murdock catching something in her friend's voice. "What's really going on, Henry? Hannibal wouldn't send you over....."
Murdock gently touched her right cheek. "You know Hannibal, Bonns, he's just covering all the angles. Nothing for you guys to worry about."
Murdock broke away from Colleen and turned to face Peck. "Faceman, you make sure she relaxes on this vacation of yours."
Peck nodded though he was still concerned about this new mission Stockwell was sending them on. Nothing was ever simple with Stockwell.
"We'll send you a postcard every day, Murdock." Face replied forcing a smile.
Murdock returned his friend's smile and turned to leave.
Colleen caught up to the pilot just as he reached the door.
"Henry....."
Murdock paused a few feet from the door and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bonns....relax, have fun......dance in the moonlight. No thoughts about missions, guns, or putting away the bad guys, comprende'?"
Colleen smiled and nodded as she opened the door for him. "I promise." She replied quietly. "I know I've said this before and you guys don't listen to me......but please don't take any unnecessary risks."
Murdock nodded touching her shoulder gently once more before stepping out into the corridor.
********
Friday came sooner than Colleen realized and she found herself standing with Face at one of the smaller terminals at Washington D.C.'s airport.
"Well at least you didn't blindfold me." Colleen commented dryly as they stood looking out a floor to ceiling window at the tarmac.
Peck placed an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. "I was tempted to but figured that might be bordering on over kill."
"So where's our plane?" Colleen asked with a grin as she stepped closer to the window.
"That's it coming in now." Face replied pointing to a private jet taxing into a nearby gate.
Colleen blinked in surprise. "That's all for us?"
Face pulled her into his arms turning her away from the window. "Only the best, luv."
*******
"This is a waste of time." Frankie exclaimed in frustration as the team sat in a rental car outside a small Amsterdam cafe. The jet lag was making him irritable and antsy not a good combination. "We've been sitting here for the past four hours watching this place and we're not even really sure what the guy looks like that we're lookin' for!"
"Patience, Frankie." Hannibal replied quietly from the front seat his eyes never leaving the restaurant. "Besides we're on Stockwell's dime.....consider this a working vacation."
"Some vacation." B.A. muttered darkly he was still mad at having been drugged not once but twice on this trip.
"B.A., you aren't still sore about the drug thing are ya?" Murdock asked from the back seat where he was shuffling a deck of tarot cards.
"Didn't have to do it twice." Baracus replied as he glared at the pilot via the rearview mirror.
"How else were we going to get from Copenhagen to Amsterdam?" Frankie asked as he leaned back against the seat.
B.A. shook his head. "It wasn't that far......could've taken a boat."
Hannibal chuckled. "Yeah and we would've lost the guy's trail and you'd have to spend more time on a plane as we track him down all over again."
Murdock began to hum as he rubbed the deck of cards with the bottom of his palm.
B.A. shot the pilot an annoyed glare. "What's the crazy fool doin' now?"
Frankie glanced over at his friend and shook his head in amusement. "What do you think?"
B.A. sighed. "Not again."
Murdock stopped humming and flipped over two tarot cards onto his lap. "The Great Murdock sees that our path is about to change."
"The only thing that's goin' change is your face when I rearrange it." B.A. growled as he turned around to face Murdock.
The pilot ignored his friend as he continued to flip over cards. "What we are seeking is about to appear."
Frankie did a double take out the front window. "I don't believe it....."
B.A. whirled around and saw their target walk into the cafe."Coincidence....has to be."
"Let's move." Smith ordered as he opened the door.
Murdock just smiled at Baracus as he put the deck of tarot cards back in his jacket pocket and got out of the car.
********
The jet had been in the air for nearly an hour and all Colleen knew of their destination was that they were heading out over the Atlantic. She turned toward Peck as they sat on the small black leather sofa.
"You still haven't told me where we're going." Colleen accused with a grin.
Face returned her smile as he pulled her into his arms. "I haven't, have I?"
"Face!" Colleen protested as she turned around to look at him her hand resting lightly on his chest. "You promised once we were in the air you'd tell me."
Templeton laughed as he tenderly reached up to touch her left cheek. "Okay....okay. I've booked us six glorious days and five fun filled nights in London."
Colleen's face lit up. "London?" She repeated a wide smile on her face.
Peck nodded. "I remembered that you had been there once years ago and loved it."
"While I was in college a few friends of mine and I went to London on a whim." Colleen replied her hazel eyes sparkling at the memory. "We had a blast and I always wanted to go back but never found the time." She reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for doing this."
Face gently brushed a stray brown hair away from her cheek. "It was the least I could do to repay you for putting up with the craziness that is my life."
*******
"Did anybody else think that was way too easy?" Frankie asked as the team returned to the rental car twenty minutes later with rouge CIA agent Russel Peters in tow.
"The plan came together, Frankie." Hannibal assured the younger man as they got into the sedan. "Just like it always does."
"And just like always there's a wild card." B.A. replied gesturing out the window to a group of armed goons approaching from the north corner of the cafe.
"Time to burn rubber, B.A." Hannibal ordered with a grin.
B.A. slammed his foot down onto the gas pedal and the sedan leapt forward.
Pedestrians dove for cover as the goons opened fire. Hannibal and Murdock returned fire as best they could without injuring any innocent bystanders.
"A warning from the 'Great Murdock' would've been nice." Frankie muttered sarcastically as he dove for the car's floor as the rear window shattered.
"The Great Murdock only sees what the cards tell him." Murdock replied defensively nearly falling on top of Santana as B.A. pulled the car into a hard left.
Hannibal risked a glance out of what was left of the rear window. "We lost them B.A., take us back to the hotel."
******
"Thanks again for your help on the Marshal case." Colleen commented as they shared a meal of chicken parmesan.
"Glad I could help." Face replied trying to shove aside the memory of losing sight of Colleen during the firefight at Marshal's garage. Face had thought she'd been hit when she hadn't returned fire for a few minutes. He had started to work his way over to the last place he had seen her when the gunfire had suddenly stopped. Face had looked up just in time to see Colleen holding a gun on Marshal and the other men.
Peck chuckled. "I'll never forget the look on Marshal's face when you came up behind them."
Colleen laughed. "That's the fun part of the job putting the bad guys away."
Face met her gaze. "You've helped a lot of people, Colleen." He replied seriously. "And I'm not just talking about your investigator skills. You've helped the team out of more than one incident where Hannibal's never fail fool proof plans backed us into a corner."
Colleen shook her head blushing slightly. "You guys are the pros I just did what I could. I'm glad I could help."
Face reached across the small table and took her hand in his. "We should be getting to London in about four hours."
Colleen grinned. "Four hours? Whatever will we do with all that time?"
Face returned her smile. "I'm sure we'll think of something."
********
"Search him." Hannibal ordered as soon as the team entered the hotel room. "Lets get that disk and get the hell out of here."
"What's the matter, Colonel?" Murdock asked as he stood by the window.
"You don't like tulips?"
"I'm tired of Stockwell not coming through on his end." Smith replied.
"Hate to say this, Hannibal." B.A. stated as he slammed the rouge CIA agent against the wall. "But he doesn't have the disk on him."
"Of course he doesn't." Frankie commented sarcastically from his perch on the dresser. "I knew this was too easy."
Peck grinned as he pulled them into a small abandoned store. "Sounds great to me. Though if Murdock doesn't get that plane and fly us out of here in the next ten minutes our only vacation will be in a jail cell."
Colleen ducked as a window near her shattered from a round of gunfire. "Could be cozy and romantic."
"That's one way to look at it." Templeton replied with a smile as he risked a glance out the window. "Claustrophobic is another."
"Explain to me again why Stockwell split us up on this mission?"Colleen asked as she knelt next to Face.
"He's a spook, Colleen....never try to understand them." Face replied with a grin as he took her hand and gingerly led her out the back door.
"All I know is that we got Mission B to protect the wonderful town of Sleeping Valley from a renegade cult. And Hannibal and the others got cushy guard duty of some governor's brat in Albany."
Brown grabbed Peck's arm causing him to pause in the dirt alley. When he looked at her quizzically she motioned toward the sky.
"Henry always comes through." Colleen replied with a grin just as the faint sounds of a helicopter drifted through the alley.
Peck sighed. "He was supposed to get a plane."
"You know his first love is 'copters." Colleen replied as she led them toward the mouth of the alley. They arrived just in time to see Murdock land the black helicopter smack in the middle of Main Street. Right in front of the general store.
The renegade cult members instantly dropped their weapons and scattered like pinballs.
Face picked up a discarded weapon and corralled a few of the cultists as Murdock stepped out of the helicopter.
"Took you long enough." Peck muttered darkly as Colleen came to stand next to them. "Another minute and we would've been swiss cheese."
"It wasn't that bad." Colleen admonished Face with a loving smile.
Peck glanced at her incredulously. "Not that bad? Did you forget that they nearly hung you because you were wearing blue?"
Colleen's hand instantly went to her neck where a few bruises were beginning to show. "No, I haven't."
"Hate to interrupt this Kodak moment." Murdock interjected grimly. "But I got a hold of Hannibal on the radio. He needs us to regroup in Langley."
Peck nodded as he started ushering his group of cultists to the jail. "What happened in Albany?"
Murdock grinned. "Turned out the girl wasn't kidnapped.....just staying over at a friend's house that the parents didn't want her too."
"Oh I bet Hannibal loved that." Colleen replied with an amused shake of her head.
"Love is not the emotion I detected in the Colonel's voice." Murdock commented with a smile.
"If you two can stop chatting long enough to help we'll get out of here quicker." Peck stated as he tossed Murdock a gun.
*******
Once back in Langley talk of their vacation was dropped. For no fault of either of them.....Colleen instantly got another PI case and the team was hired to investigate a missing banker.
Colleen had just stepped out of the darkroom in her office when Face stepped through the door carrying a tightly closed brown paper bag.
"What's that?" Colleen asked with a smile as she crossed the space between them.
"Dinner." Peck replied as he set the bag down on a nearby chair and drew her into a hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Colleen stated as she kissed him briefly. "I can't believe it's been nearly a week since we last saw each other."
Face nodded ruefully. "Stockwell maybe a lot of things but he runs a tight ship." He reached over and tenderly brushed a stray brown hair away from her face. "A little too tight. We had to sit on Evanston for nearly four days straight before we finally got a lead on the missing banker."
Colleen's face lit up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So you found the banker?"
"Yeah." Peck replied with a grin as he led them to the two leather chairs that were positioned in front of her desk. "Mr. Princeton's safe and sound back in his home in D.C. I think he was anxious to get away from us....especially B.A."
Colleen laughed as she stood and retrieved the bag of food. "B.A.'s a pussycat."
Face grinned as he leaned forward. "Around you, maybe. You haven't had the pleasure yet of trying to get him on a plane."
"What did you get us, anyway?" Colleen asked as she started to open the bag.
"Chinese." Face replied as he stood taking the bag from her and placing it on the desk. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and produced two thin envelopes. "And two plane tickets."
Colleen eagerly took the envelopes from Peck. "I don't believe it. How'd you get Stockwell to agree to a vacation?"
Face placed an arm around her shoulder. "Let's just say it was a heated discussion that came to an amicable agreement."
Colleen grinned as she met his gaze. "Translation....you brought it up, he shouted, and Henry intervened on our behalf."
"Pretty much." Face replied as he snatched the envelopes away from her before she could open them. "Let's eat before this gets cold."
Colleen ignored the food as she reached again for the tickets."What....I don't get to know where we're going?"
Peck grinned as he handed her a carton of fried rice. "Its a surprise.....I'll let you know once we're in the air."
Colleen frowned slightly. "How am I going to know what to pack?"
"I'll have that covered." Face replied with a smile as he reached over and gently caressed her left cheek. "This is our vacation, remember? Vacations are supposed to be relaxing."
"So when do we leave?" Colleen asked as she sat down on the corner of her desk.
"Friday morning." Templeton replied with a smile.
"That leaves me two days to wrap this case up." Colleen commented as she reached forward and gently grabbed him by the bottom of his tie and pulled him toward her.
"Less if I help." Face replied huskily their faces now just inches apart.
"Which means we could start our vacation early." Colleen surmised feeling her breath catch as she looked into his bright blue gaze.
"You got anything left to do here today?" Peck asked quietly as he stood pulling her up with him.
"No." Colleen replied without even looking back at her desk. Whatever there was it could easily wait until tomorrow.....if not she didn't really care right now.
"Your place or mine?" Face asked as he started to back toward the door grabbing her coat and purse in the process.
"Yours." Colleen whispered.
"Mine it is then." Templeton replied softly as he paused in the doorway and kissed her passionately.
*********
Hours later Face held Colleen tightly as he watched her sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a serious relationship that had lasted this long.....they'd been dating for almost eight months. She'd stuck with him and the team through the chaos of the court martial. Most women would've cut and run a long time ago.
Peck reached over and tenderly bushed a stray brown hair away from her face. Not Colleen though....she'd stayed and more importantly fought for them and with them. Even after the incident with Terli where he'd nearly gotten her killed.
Face winced at the memory of those awful days following the yacht explosion when they thought she was dead. It had devastated him and caused quite a rift in his friendship with Murdock. They had repaired it to a point but Murdock never brought the subject up again. And Face knew the pilot wasn't thrilled with the prospect of his relationship with Colleen.
Colleen stirred in her sleep causing her body to push tighter against him. Face adjusted his embrace and smiled as she nestled her head in the crook of his arm. With Colleen almost being a sister to Murdock Face knew Murdock had a right to worry about Colleen's happiness....
Peck shook his head slightly, as he lay back against the pillow careful not to disturb Colleen. Murdock would come around once the pilot saw how happy Colleen was and had been since they started dating. Face had gotten a bitter taste of what his life would be like without Colleen and he never wanted to feel that empty again.
No matter what it took he'd make this relationship a lasting one.
*********
When Colleen awoke the next morning she reached for Face only to find that side of the bed empty. The brown haired woman opened her eyes and scooted into a sitting position. She was about to call out for Templeton when she heard him moving about the kitchen.
Leaning back against the pillow Colleen spied their plane tickets on the far nightstand. Colleen glanced once toward the closed bedroom door before reaching across the bed and snatching the thin envelopes.
Colleen knew she shouldn't peek but she was dying of curiosity. As she pulled the tickets out Colleen quickly realized that they weren't normal airline tickets. Oh they were printed up to look like them but there were subtle differences. The Airline Company was missing along with the destination and time of departure.
"Now why would he go to all this trouble?" Colleen wondered out loud as she leaned back against the pillow.
"Because I knew you'd peek." Face replied with a wide grin as he stood in the doorway carrying a wooden tray.
Colleen laughed as she set the tickets aside. "Guess you do know me too well, Mr. Peck."
Face walked toward her and placed the tray on her lap as he leaned in to kiss her. "Good Morning." Peck replied as they broke apart.
"Good Morning." Colleen commented warmly. "How long have you been up?"
"An hour or so." Face replied as he crawled into bed beside her.
Colleen carefully turned to face Peck, a wide smile on her face. "So what can I do to get a hint out of you?"
Templeton tenderly stroked her left cheek. "You can do anything to me that your heart desires, but you won't find out our travel plans."
********
"Any idea where Face and Colleen are going on their vacation?" Frankie Santana asked as he played ping pong with Murdock.
"Knowing Faceman they probably won't leave the hotel room." B.A. replied with a grin as he flipped through the tv channels.
"What they do is none of our business." Murdock stated trying his best to keep his voice neutral as he whacked the ping-pong ball sending it sailing high over Frankie's head.
Santana watched the ball ricochet around the room with dismay before turning to glare at his friend. "Murdock, didn't we have a talk about keeping the ball in the zone?"
Silently Murdock retrieved the wayward ball from behind the sofa and returned to the game table. The pilot gently hit the ball back to Frankie and the game was once again on.
Frankie sighed inwardly everyone had noticed that Murdock had been quieter than normal lately. The running theory among the team was Murdock's mood was due to Colleen and Face's deepening relationship. Frankie wasn't so sure about that. He knew something bad had went down between Murdock and Face concerning Colleen before Frankie had joined the team. Hannibal had told him that they had patched things up but now with Murdock's darkening mood Frankie wasn't too sure.
Hannibal poked his head into the rec room. "Stockwell's on the line." Smith reported quietly before leaving.
Frankie tossed down the paddle as the trio headed for the living room. "So much for peace and quiet."
"You'd be bored with peace and quiet." Murdock replied with a grin.
****
It was nearly ten o'clock before Colleen returned to her office with Face in tow. Once there she went into the dark room and retrieved the pictures she had taken the morning before.
"What do you make of this?" Brown asked as she handed the stack of ten pictures to Peck.
Face took off his leather jacket before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Looks like a pay off." Face replied after he sifted through the pile.
"That what I thought too, but I can't figure out for what." Colleen stated as she sat down behind her desk. "The guy in the brown suit is the cheating husband I was hired to find."
Peck flipped through the pictures again. "This doesn't look like your typical bribe or Mafia pay off. Could be drugs."
Colleen nodded. "I thought I saw them exchange something else but I was too far away to see what it was."
Face grimaced but kept his gaze on the pictures. He knew Colleen was more than capable of handling herself in any situation but he worried about her going on these things alone.
"I think you have the case wrapped up already." Face replied quietly as he set the photos on the desk. "You were hired to find the husband and you found him case closed."
Colleen hadn't missed the worry that had crossed his face but she was grateful that he didn't start an old argument. When she had first started to take Private Investigator courses to get her license Templeton had been as supportive as anyone could ask for. But she could also tell how her new career choice had worried him.
"I know but....."Brown began hesitantly as she looked back down at the pictures.
"But you still want to look into the pay off angle." Face finished reaching over to take her hand in his.
Colleen squeezed his hand as she replied. "Don't you have to check in with Hannibal?"
Face shook his head. "As far as they are concerned I'm on vacation. They can deal without me for a week."
*********
As the team assembled in the living room the small video screen on the center wall flared to life revealing Stockwell's grim face.
The General glanced at the group and frowned. "Aren't we two short?"
Murdock grinned. "You promised Faceman and Colleen a week's vacation."
"Yes." Stockwell replied. "Which doesn't start until Friday."
"Lighten up." Frankie interjected as he leaned forward. "You were young once, right?"
Stockwell ignored the comment and continued. "One of my men was killed in Stockholm roughly thirty six hours ago. Taken from the body was a diskette that contained a list of all current operatives."
Frankie groaned. "Why does this sound like a really bad spy novel?"
"Because it is." Murdock agreed as he leaned back against the cushion.
Hannibal did a double take at the small screen. "All current operatives?"
Murdock straightened at the tone in the Colonel's voice.
"Yes, Colonel that disk does have the a-team included on that list." Stockwell replied uncomfortably.
"How the hell did that happen?" Smith demanded as he stood. "This was supposed to be a need to know operation. We'd do jobs for you and you'd get us cleared."
"But I'm not part of the team so my name's not on the list, right?" Frankie asked though the sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise.
"You worked under me, Mr. Santana so your name is also on that disk." Stockwell replied grimly calling the team in on this had been his last option but he knew it was also his best option of getting the disk back in tact.
"Let me guess," B.A. began as he leaned forward. "The Russian's took the disk."
"The cold war's over, B.A." Smith countered as he moved to stand at the right of the sofa.
"Not in all circles, Colonel." Stockwell pointed out. "I want you to be ready to leave in five hours."
"Do we get to know where we're going?" Santana asked as he stood.
"Where ever we're going we better not be flyin'." BA said firmly.
"The information you need will be provided to you once you're in the air." Stockwell replied as he ended the video link.
"Oh this is going to be a whole lot of fun." Frankie stated sarcastically as he walked over to the closet and pulled out his small black duffel bag.
"I'm not gettin' on no plane." Baracus protested waving a fist at the now dark screen. "Especially if that fool's flying."
"Now when have I ever let you down, buddy?" Murdock asked with a wide grin.
Baracus raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I can name several."
Murdock placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "That stings, BA, that you don't trust me."
Smith hid a grin as he turned to face them. "B.A. relax, we don't even know where we're going. So there's no need to get worked up yet."
"Want me to go get Faceman?" BA asked resignedly as he stood.
Smith shook his head. "As far as Stockwell's concerned Face and Colleen are on vacation. We'll let them know what's going since we can't tell them where we're going just yet. In case we need backup."
"I'll tell 'em." Murdock offered as he grabbed his brown leather jacket and headed toward the front door. He had wanted to see Colleen any way before she left.
"Make it fast, Murdock." Smith ordered quietly. "Since Stockwell's sending us in blind I need you back here to help gather the gear."
The pilot nodded. "I'll be back faster than Scooby can eat a Scooby snack."
B.A. just shook his head as the door closed behind Murdock.
*******
Colleen and Face stopped by her apartment after leaving her office. They had about an hour to kill before anybody showed up at the cheating husband's auto repair business.
"So what do we know about this guy besides the fact that he ducks out on his wife?" Peck asked as he sat down on her sofa.
Colleen walked away from the small kitchen carrying two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Face and sat down next to him.
"Steven Marshal, age thirty nine, wife Andrea. Has owned Marshal auto repair for the past four years but the company hasn't been doing well."
"All classic signs of a desperate man willing to do anything to get out of debt." Face finished just as there was a knock on the door.
Colleen set down her coffee mug and rose to her feet and crossed the room to answer the door.
"Henry?" Colleen asked in surprise as her child hood friend stepped into the room.
"Hey Bonns." Murdock replied with a grin as he came to a stop in the living room.
Face stood seeing the expression on the pilot's face. "Don't tell me, Stockwell's recalled us."
Murdock smiled and shook his head as he placed an arm around Colleen's waist. "Nope. I made sure your guy's vacation was free and clear."
"But?" Brown prompted as she turned to face Henry.
Murdock sighed. "Stockwell's sending the rest of us on some weird spy thing. We're leaving in five hours. Hannibal wanted me to let you know what was going on since Stockwell didn't give us any geographical details."
"Spy thing?" Face repeated with a frown. "I don't like the sound of this, Murdock."
Murdock forced a smile not wanting his friends to worry on their vacation.
"No worries, Faceman. Simple retrieve job....in and out....same as always." Murdock replied. "Toughest part will be getting B.A. on a plane."
Colleen turned to face Murdock catching something in her friend's voice. "What's really going on, Henry? Hannibal wouldn't send you over....."
Murdock gently touched her right cheek. "You know Hannibal, Bonns, he's just covering all the angles. Nothing for you guys to worry about."
Murdock broke away from Colleen and turned to face Peck. "Faceman, you make sure she relaxes on this vacation of yours."
Peck nodded though he was still concerned about this new mission Stockwell was sending them on. Nothing was ever simple with Stockwell.
"We'll send you a postcard every day, Murdock." Face replied forcing a smile.
Murdock returned his friend's smile and turned to leave.
Colleen caught up to the pilot just as he reached the door.
"Henry....."
Murdock paused a few feet from the door and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Bonns....relax, have fun......dance in the moonlight. No thoughts about missions, guns, or putting away the bad guys, comprende'?"
Colleen smiled and nodded as she opened the door for him. "I promise." She replied quietly. "I know I've said this before and you guys don't listen to me......but please don't take any unnecessary risks."
Murdock nodded touching her shoulder gently once more before stepping out into the corridor.
********
Friday came sooner than Colleen realized and she found herself standing with Face at one of the smaller terminals at Washington D.C.'s airport.
"Well at least you didn't blindfold me." Colleen commented dryly as they stood looking out a floor to ceiling window at the tarmac.
Peck placed an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. "I was tempted to but figured that might be bordering on over kill."
"So where's our plane?" Colleen asked with a grin as she stepped closer to the window.
"That's it coming in now." Face replied pointing to a private jet taxing into a nearby gate.
Colleen blinked in surprise. "That's all for us?"
Face pulled her into his arms turning her away from the window. "Only the best, luv."
*******
"This is a waste of time." Frankie exclaimed in frustration as the team sat in a rental car outside a small Amsterdam cafe. The jet lag was making him irritable and antsy not a good combination. "We've been sitting here for the past four hours watching this place and we're not even really sure what the guy looks like that we're lookin' for!"
"Patience, Frankie." Hannibal replied quietly from the front seat his eyes never leaving the restaurant. "Besides we're on Stockwell's dime.....consider this a working vacation."
"Some vacation." B.A. muttered darkly he was still mad at having been drugged not once but twice on this trip.
"B.A., you aren't still sore about the drug thing are ya?" Murdock asked from the back seat where he was shuffling a deck of tarot cards.
"Didn't have to do it twice." Baracus replied as he glared at the pilot via the rearview mirror.
"How else were we going to get from Copenhagen to Amsterdam?" Frankie asked as he leaned back against the seat.
B.A. shook his head. "It wasn't that far......could've taken a boat."
Hannibal chuckled. "Yeah and we would've lost the guy's trail and you'd have to spend more time on a plane as we track him down all over again."
Murdock began to hum as he rubbed the deck of cards with the bottom of his palm.
B.A. shot the pilot an annoyed glare. "What's the crazy fool doin' now?"
Frankie glanced over at his friend and shook his head in amusement. "What do you think?"
B.A. sighed. "Not again."
Murdock stopped humming and flipped over two tarot cards onto his lap. "The Great Murdock sees that our path is about to change."
"The only thing that's goin' change is your face when I rearrange it." B.A. growled as he turned around to face Murdock.
The pilot ignored his friend as he continued to flip over cards. "What we are seeking is about to appear."
Frankie did a double take out the front window. "I don't believe it....."
B.A. whirled around and saw their target walk into the cafe."Coincidence....has to be."
"Let's move." Smith ordered as he opened the door.
Murdock just smiled at Baracus as he put the deck of tarot cards back in his jacket pocket and got out of the car.
********
The jet had been in the air for nearly an hour and all Colleen knew of their destination was that they were heading out over the Atlantic. She turned toward Peck as they sat on the small black leather sofa.
"You still haven't told me where we're going." Colleen accused with a grin.
Face returned her smile as he pulled her into his arms. "I haven't, have I?"
"Face!" Colleen protested as she turned around to look at him her hand resting lightly on his chest. "You promised once we were in the air you'd tell me."
Templeton laughed as he tenderly reached up to touch her left cheek. "Okay....okay. I've booked us six glorious days and five fun filled nights in London."
Colleen's face lit up. "London?" She repeated a wide smile on her face.
Peck nodded. "I remembered that you had been there once years ago and loved it."
"While I was in college a few friends of mine and I went to London on a whim." Colleen replied her hazel eyes sparkling at the memory. "We had a blast and I always wanted to go back but never found the time." She reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for doing this."
Face gently brushed a stray brown hair away from her cheek. "It was the least I could do to repay you for putting up with the craziness that is my life."
*******
"Did anybody else think that was way too easy?" Frankie asked as the team returned to the rental car twenty minutes later with rouge CIA agent Russel Peters in tow.
"The plan came together, Frankie." Hannibal assured the younger man as they got into the sedan. "Just like it always does."
"And just like always there's a wild card." B.A. replied gesturing out the window to a group of armed goons approaching from the north corner of the cafe.
"Time to burn rubber, B.A." Hannibal ordered with a grin.
B.A. slammed his foot down onto the gas pedal and the sedan leapt forward.
Pedestrians dove for cover as the goons opened fire. Hannibal and Murdock returned fire as best they could without injuring any innocent bystanders.
"A warning from the 'Great Murdock' would've been nice." Frankie muttered sarcastically as he dove for the car's floor as the rear window shattered.
"The Great Murdock only sees what the cards tell him." Murdock replied defensively nearly falling on top of Santana as B.A. pulled the car into a hard left.
Hannibal risked a glance out of what was left of the rear window. "We lost them B.A., take us back to the hotel."
******
"Thanks again for your help on the Marshal case." Colleen commented as they shared a meal of chicken parmesan.
"Glad I could help." Face replied trying to shove aside the memory of losing sight of Colleen during the firefight at Marshal's garage. Face had thought she'd been hit when she hadn't returned fire for a few minutes. He had started to work his way over to the last place he had seen her when the gunfire had suddenly stopped. Face had looked up just in time to see Colleen holding a gun on Marshal and the other men.
Peck chuckled. "I'll never forget the look on Marshal's face when you came up behind them."
Colleen laughed. "That's the fun part of the job putting the bad guys away."
Face met her gaze. "You've helped a lot of people, Colleen." He replied seriously. "And I'm not just talking about your investigator skills. You've helped the team out of more than one incident where Hannibal's never fail fool proof plans backed us into a corner."
Colleen shook her head blushing slightly. "You guys are the pros I just did what I could. I'm glad I could help."
Face reached across the small table and took her hand in his. "We should be getting to London in about four hours."
Colleen grinned. "Four hours? Whatever will we do with all that time?"
Face returned her smile. "I'm sure we'll think of something."
********
"Search him." Hannibal ordered as soon as the team entered the hotel room. "Lets get that disk and get the hell out of here."
"What's the matter, Colonel?" Murdock asked as he stood by the window.
"You don't like tulips?"
"I'm tired of Stockwell not coming through on his end." Smith replied.
"Hate to say this, Hannibal." B.A. stated as he slammed the rouge CIA agent against the wall. "But he doesn't have the disk on him."
"Of course he doesn't." Frankie commented sarcastically from his perch on the dresser. "I knew this was too easy."
