Author's notes: Wow, I have no idea how I got this out so fast. Well, it wasn't exactly in the plan in the first place, but then I realized that I still had some explaining to do. So think of this as a continuation of the previous chapter. Actually, I think if you put the two of them together, they equal about the length of one of my normal chapters. So those of you who wanted a sooner update than September got your wish, and I won't make any predictions for when Chapter 5 will be out. I learned my lesson. Definitely before the end of the year though :).

I think the notes from previous chapters are all that apply here, besides my apologies for sappiness. I hate reading it, but I can't figure out why I write it. At least it's close to a minimum. Don't worry, some comical stuff next chapter with Decker showing up. Heh heh heh heh… Anyway, on with the show! :~)

****

"You are all completely nutso!" exclaimed Frankie. "You're gonna go ask the guy the Army sent to chase you for help, on the word of this fruitcake?" he asked, pointing wildly at Lola. "You know that if she's lying—which she most definitely is—we can say 'adios' to our pardons! I don't know about you guys, but I don't wanna be messing with that. I'd like to be a normal citizen again soon."

"Oh come on, Frank!" sighed Lola. "Haven't you learned anything from your almost thirty years of life? Do you really believe that Stockwell has the power to grant you pardons?"

"He knows the President," the Puerto Rican retorted.

"We've heard and watched Stockwell talk to him," Face added when Lola snorted.

"You mean he says, 'Hello, Mr. President' when he answers the phone," said the brunette. "I bet you every time he answered the phone that way I was the one calling."

"What do you mean you were calling Stockwell?" BA growled.

"What I mean is that it's all part of his charade. I'd have to call in information I looked up for Stockwell or progress of other 'missions' on a regular basis. Whenever you guys were around and I called, he'd pretend he was talking to the President. Pissed me off to no end because he knew how much I wanted to talk to any one of you. Well, I didn't know Frankie was part of the team. Doubt anyone besides Stockwell knows exactly who all he's got under his thumb anyway."

Hannibal stood calmly puffing on his cigar. "What about Trigorin, Stockwell's ex-CIA buddy?" he drawled. "What do you know about that?"

"Oh," Lola said quietly. "That. Well, that would be my half-assed attempt at getting Stockwell. Stockwell wanted me to look Trigorin up for some reason—never gave me a reason why he wanted certain information—and I found out about all his work with Chinese Intelligence and his betrayal of Stockwell. I set up Stockwell's kidnapping, knowing that one, Trigorin would probably torture him for information, and two, I could get access to everything and go to the authorities. Problem was that that Carla managed to close down most of the files I wanted before I could copy them in anticipation of Stockwell's permanent absence. That's how I managed to get the disk and pack without him taking much notice. I managed to copy a few more files just before I got the hell outta there."

"But Carla said that everything would disappear in thirty six hours after they lost contact with Stockwell," Frankie said irritably.

"It probably would have if you guys hadn't decided to rescue his lousy carcass," said Lola. "He's got that as a fail safe in case the cops got hold of him, not if the 'operation' is overrun by terrorists. I stupidly thought that you guys would want to get out of there as soon as you found out that Stockwell was gone, but of course Carla thought to play the fake pardon card and cornered you into rescuing the bastard."

"Wait…" Murdock began. "If you did 'go fer' work for Stockwell, looking stuff up and all, that means you--"

"I was the one who looked up Face's background and confirmed Bancroft was his father," Lola finished. "That actually didn't take that long to figure out. The nuns and priest at the orphanage were more than willing to help out. Seems they still remember the charming blue-eyed blonde boy who had a knack for getting himself in and out of trouble in a flash. I would've had that information back to Stockwell a whole lot sooner, but I was selfishly trying to bargain with him to give Murdock the information directly."

Face set his mouth into a thin line and put his hands on his hips. Even Lola knew the lieutenant was livid. "You cost me valuable time I could've used to talk to him on a father-son basis!" he growled. "While you messed around, I lost any chance of asking Bancroft about why he left my mother and me! What were you thinking? Did you honestly think that any one of us would've talked to you long enough for you to get past 'hi, it's Lola'?"

Lola bit her lip and gazed at the floor. "At the time I didn't think about it. I was horribly naïve…took me thirty-six years, but I finally grew up. When Murdock asked Stockwell to look up Face's father, I was five months pregnant and terrified what could happen to you guys, which didn't help the baby at all. It's a miracle Billy's as healthy as he is. Even though the doctor never said it, I'm sure I almost miscarried twice."

Lola picked up Billy's stuffed dog and hugged it tight. She rocked gently in her seat, staring off into space.

"How'd you get yourself tied to Amy Allen?" asked Hannibal. "We know how you hooked up with Decker for awhile." The colonel could tell that Lola was under stress worrying about her child, but he knew that this might be the only chance he had at uncovering the truth.

The brunette closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Remember that woman reporter you rescued from the mafia boss and helped foil an assassination plot? Stockwell gave me the tape of her report on how you guys were still alive and at large and told me to destroy it. He didn't want anyone to know that you all were still alive, least of all Miss Allen. I ran across Miss Allen's name repeatedly when Stockwell originally ordered my gang and me to research the A-Team for the Alliance Tech job. I figured that if she was as close to you guys as the rumors said, she'd stop at nothing to get to the bottom of Stockwell's plot.

"Sure enough, your Miss Allen almost lost her job with the Courier when she started digging into the circumstances of your apparent executions and Murdock's disappearance from the VA. That's when that other reporter's tape fell into my lap. I immediately sent it to Miss Allen with a note saying, 'Your guys are all right for now. Be careful that Hunt Stockwell doesn't come after you.' She must've taken it seriously because she's still working at the Courier and chases leads on you guys in her spare time. I was going to mail the disk I made to her, but Stockwell suspected I was up to something and started screening all my mail. So that's another reason why I came out here."

"How do you know what Amy's up to?" asked Murdock. "You've never had any direct contact with her if we can believe you."

"I have my own sources," replied Lola. "Besides, I can use Stockwell's own channels to find out what I want."

"But if Stockwell's sources are just as tainted as you say he is, then how do you know that you're getting facts rather than him feeding you junk?" asked Hannibal.

"I don't. But he has to forget to cover his tracks somewhere so something has to be true. It's called risk. You guys know all about that stuff. Besides, when we visit your friend Miss Allen, she can verify at least part of my story."

"Now that's a fairly large 'if' right now, Lola," said Hannibal. "Why don't you start over from the beginning and see if you can tell the same story twice so I can consider your proposition?"

****

After Lola recounted all she claimed to know about Stockwell and his link to the A-Team, the government, Billy, and Lola herself, Hannibal continued to question her about every imaginable aspect of her story. The brunette kept repeating the same story each time with increasing agitation. After the fourth time Hannibal asked her about Stockwell's business with Curtis's gun running Lola growled, "I told you already! I don't know exactly how they met, but--"

Face rolled his eyes. He didn't care what Lola said anymore. He silently applauded Hannibal for putting up with her as long as he had—Face had no doubts that Lola was either lying about some key point in her story or she was conveniently leaving one out. From the way that BA was cracking his knuckles and Frankie was glaring at Lola, Face knew that he wasn't the only one who didn't believe the woman.

When Hannibal launched into the fifth go around, Face sighed and looked around the room for Murdock. The pilot stood with his forehead pressed against the sliding glass doors, gazing out into the barely visible white line of foam of the breakers in the darkness, lost in deep thought. Face quietly walked up beside his friend and gazed out at the pitch-black ocean.

"How're you doing?" Face whispered so no one else would notice them.

Murdock squeezed his eyes shut as if wincing from a migraine. "Tryin' to figure out what's up and what's down," he muttered. "Hate it when the world decides to do a back flip without tellin' me."

"Murdock…" began Face, but he didn't have a clue where to start. Finally, he decided to go on instinct. "I won't pretend that I know what you're going through, because, like you said earlier, I don't know anything about what you've gone through—or what you're going through right now."

"Don't get all mushy on me, Face," Murdock drawled as he turned his head to look at his friend. "Right now you probably know about as much as me about what's going on."

Face took a deep breath. "Which brings me to this: Was anything Lola said true? Or was she just lying to trick us again?"

Murdock gave a hollow chuckle. "Y'know, I don't know anymore. When she was talkin' about the CIA and stuff, I saw what she was talkin' about…like I was remembering…but now I can't sort out what's real and what's not in my head again. It's like—I dunno how to put it—someone took the shoebox of all my memories and decided to throw it inside a giant mixing bowl with every dream, hallucination, and imaginary thing I've ever had."

Face joined in pressing his head against the doors. He felt completely helpless in trying to sort out the mess that was now their lives. The only thing that seemed to be going in their favor was that Murdock was still talking rationally. But how long would that last?

"Murdock, I don't know how you feel about Lola," said Face, "but I don't think she's being completely honest. Sure, the stuff in her wallet checks out so far, but some things don't seem to add up. For instance, she just happens to pick today—well, yesterday—to stop by here. How could she possibly know we moved in? And then there's the story of her being Stockwell's daughter… If that's true, she could be here to set us up for another one of his jobs. And that kid—sure it looks kinda like you, but sometimes total strangers can look like each other and they aren't even remotely related. Lola could've had the kid with another guy she met before or after you and decided to trap you. Hell, she could even have picked up the kid from someone else! I haven't seen a copy of the baby's birth certificate, have you?"

Murdock continued to stare out at the surf in silence.

"I'm not saying that maybe she's telling the truth," continued Face, "but her stories are full of holes… and you know her track record as well as me. I—just—don't want you to have to go back to the VA again."

Murdock gave his friend a wan smile. "Don't worry. If I can stay out of there for more than a year, I can stay out of there a heck of a lot longer. Doubt if anybody besides the Doc missed me…I was never around, and if I was, I was running off with you guys."

The pilot heaved a tired sigh. "Could you see if Hannibal's done with Lola for awhile? I want to talk to her alone. Trust me on this, Ok?" he said when Face gave him a worried look.

Face sighed, shrugged, and picked himself off the glass doors to talk to Hannibal. It took some needling, but the colonel finally agreed to let Murdock and Lola talk by themselves on the porch. Hannibal would get plenty of time before dawn to question Lola more.

Lola and Murdock stood leaning on the railing to the porch for several minutes before either one spoke. "I would comment on the beauty of the night, but I know that's not what you want to talk about," said Lola.

"No," replied Murdock, his words just barely loud enough to be heard over the breeze and surf. "Face and I were talking…"

Lola shuddered slightly. "Nothing good, I take it."

"There are many holes that can't be ignored about Billy and his parentage."

"What do you want me to say?" Lola said exasperatedly. "I've told you--"

"You've told me what you knew would keep me from kicking you out of this house and back into jail where you belong!" Murdock growled, his voice rising with each word. "I can't trust you, I can't trust anything you say."

"What? Are you saying that you believe Stockwell over me? Who's held you all hostage for the past year? Who's been using you for that same time? Tell me!"

"For all I know, you and him could be on the same side, helping him."

Lola stood at her full height, her eyes flashing and her hair blowing around her like dark flames licking at her face. "I hate that man with every fiber of my being!" she hissed. "I swore on my mother's grave I'd murder the bastard, but I never had the guts. How dare you insinuate I'd rat you out to him! You're the only man I've ever loved besides my son!"

"So you keep saying," Murdock said coolly.

Murdock's calmness angered Lola even more. "What the hell do I have to do?!" she yelled. Her face had turned scarlet and tears welled up in her eyes. "What the hell do I have to do to get you to believe me, even just listen to me? I'm not the same Lola Sanchez you knew last June! I've changed! Can't you see I've changed? Jesus Christ, you don't know what I've been through--"

"And you don't know or care what I've been through during that year!" Murdock yelled back at her. He stood close to a foot taller than Lola, but it felt like they were glaring at each other at eye level. "All you've talked about since you got here was how hard you're life's been, how you've struggled with a baby, how you tried to escape Stockwell—you're just a selfish bitch I should've chucked out when I met you!"

Lola stood stunned with her hand against her cheek as if Murdock's curse slapped her. She opened and closed her mouth silently several times, looked down at her feet, and then murmured, "I'm sorry, Murdock. You're right. You're absolutely right. I have no right to complain about my situation over yours. Hell, I have a large part in putting you in this situation, not that I ever wanted to do that."

Lola laughed sardonically. "I don't even know why I'm saying stuff like that anymore. You don't believe me—I know the others won't believe me until Hell freezes over… I don't know what to do anymore."

She relaxed a bit and locked eyes with Murdock. When she spoke, it was in an even, earnest tone. "Look, I know that you're making sure that I'm not stringing you guys along again, but nothing I've told you so far has convinced you of anything. I don't know how I can prove myself to you! Tell me, give me some hint as to what I can do to show you I'm telling you the truth before I lose my baby just like I lost you to Stockwell!"

She hugged herself tightly even though the night was warm and looked out to sea again. "You don't really know what it feels like to have empty arms," she murmured. "All I want right now is to have Billy back in mine, safe and sound. I don't care if you believe me anymore. I'm going to get my Chiquito back myself if I have to!"

Lola turned to dash off the porch and to the driveway, but Murdock caught her arm. He held tight as she tried to throw him off to no avail. When she gave up, she looked up into his eyes; he could see that she was choking back a fresh bout of tears.

"Please," Lola mouthed. "Please help me."

Murdock closed his eyes and sighed. He wished he could figure out what to do, but his head kept spinning faster and faster. Finally he opened his eyes and said, "Talk to Hannibal. He's the man with the plan, not me. I know he's been grilling you for more than an hour now, but you have to prove yourself with him before you even get a chance with the rest of us. In other words, we're thinking about it. Now c'mon in the house before you try to rescue Billy without a plan or backup."

Lola sniffed loudly and managed a weak smile. "Yeah, it would be pretty stupid of me, but I'm running out of options, time, and patience. I'm getting desperate."

"I know you are. Let's ask Hannibal what his plan is and go from there, ok?"

Lola sighed and nodded. Murdock steered her back into the bungalow where the rest of the group was waiting, concern and anxiety etched on their faces. Hannibal opened his mouth to say something, but the pilot stopped him by saying, "It's ok, Hannibal. We were just…having a heart-to-heart talk. Lola just wants to know what the plan is, and if she doesn't find out soon, she's going to try to go and get Billy back herself."

"Though that may seem to be a good plan to you, Lola, I've got a better one," said Hannibal, faintly smiling around his cigar. "We're going to go see Amy and Decker at sunup. Now everyone just lay low until then, all right?"

Everyone else murmured agreement and found something to do. Face and Murdock both grabbed mugs of coffee and sat at one end of the kitchen table in deep conversation. Hannibal joined the two men, while Frankie flopped into the recliner and stared off into space as if trying to figure out what to do until dawn. Lola headed for the sofa, but BA held her back.

"If you're tellin' lies again," BA growled as he ground one fist into the other, "I'll show you a new meaning of pain!"

Lola rolled her eyes and pushed past the sergeant. "Oh please! Don't you even talk to me about pain. Try being in labor for sixteen hours and then we'll discuss real pain."

****

To be continued (dun, dun, dun!)…