Another review, another update :) But I only have one more chapter after this written, so updates won't be coming as quickly, lol. I hope to have this fic completed soon so I can get started on the sequel :)

R&R!

Edited out the code marks and added divider lines. Whoops, lol.

Face backed out of the room and closed the door quietly. He went back through the livingroom and into the office, Hannibal and BA looking up at him as he entered.

BA quietly turned his attention back to the receiver as Hannibal stood up and approached Face. "How is she?" the Colonel asked, frowning and chomping down on a cigar.

With a shake of his head Face replied, "looks like she's opening up to Murdock. I thought it was probably best to leave them alone - easier to talk with only one other person."

Hannibal nodded his agreement as Face sat down on a chair near the door. "You think she'll be all right?"

Looking up at Hannibal, Face nodded his head quietly. "Yeah," he replied, running a hand through his hair. There was a long silence before Face decided to speak again. "I wonder what triggered it."

"She seemed perfectly fine until that one scumbag started to speak," the Colonel observed thoughtfully as he chomped down on his cigar again.

"You think it was him?" Face asked hesitantly.

Hannibal frowned and didn't bother to reply, instead turning his attention back to the bug BA had been quietly listening to. "Turn it up, BA," he ordered distractedly.

Half an hour later Murdock and Nicole appeared in the doorway to the office, his arm around her shoulders for support. She looked nervous.

Pulling the cigar out of his mouth, Hannibal asked, "how're you holding up?"

With a reassuring glance at Murdock, she stepped forward a bit and replied, "fine. Guess I was just thrown for a loop there." Every pair of eyes in the room was on her, even BA was only half-listening to the bug, and it made her uncomfortable. "I, um…I suppose there's no point in pretending you don't know what happened." She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face in frustration. "It was him. That last voice before I…that's what triggered it. After twelve years I just wasn't expecting to hear his voice again, you know?"

Hannibal approached her slowly and reached a hand out to her shoulder, causing her to look up at him for the first time since she had entered the room. "You sure you're okay?"

She took a deep breath and held it for a second before releasing it slowly and nodding. "I'll live," she muttered. Awkwardly she stepped away from her father and walked over to BA. "Is he still there?"

The Sergeant shook his head. "No. Left about fifteen minutes ago."

"Okay," she muttered, nodding her head and staring blankly at a random spot on the floor. "We're going to need to find out where they're staying in town."

The team exchanged a quick look, then Hannibal turned to Face. "Lieutenant?"

Hesitantly Face nodded and stood up. "Right, Colonel."

"I'll go with you," Nicole volunteered.

The expression on the Colonel's face made it clear that he wasn't very pleased with the idea of Nicole going along. In fact, none of the team looked happy about it.

She gave an exasperated sigh and muttered, "I can handle myself, you know. I've been doing this for quite a while now. Besides, this is my job, we're going to do it my way."

"Look, kid," Hannibal began with a sympathetic look, but at the expression on her face he corrected himself, "Nicole, I don't think it's a good idea for you to -"

"This is my job," she interrupted with a glare.

"Honey, we're just worried about you," Murdock said, stepping out of the doorway and moving closer to her.

"I know that, but -." Before continuing, she stopped herself and took a deep breath. "Look, all we're going to do is find out where they're staying in town, right? We're not confronting them." She held Hannibal's gaze for a moment, then muttered, "I'll be careful."

Hannibal nodded reluctantly. "All right, kid," he muttered, trading a glance with Face that clearly told him to watch out for his daughter.

Nicole noticed the silent exchange, but chose not to say anything as Face nodded in response. Instead she turned around and lead the way out the door.

Face pulled his 'Vette to a stop in front of a very large, very expensive looking hotel, and climbed out, smiling broadly at Nicole as she came to a stop beside him.

"Are you sure about this?" she muttered quietly.

"You heard what Tony said," Face muttered, placing a hand at the small of her back and leading her toward the entrance of the hotel. "Tobin has the owner in his pocket. This is where he would put them up." He held the door open for her, and followed her in. "All we have to do is confirm it - you could wait in the car."

"Or you could wait in the car," she shot back quietly.

Face hid a smirk at the remark. As they neared the front desk he offered the concierge his most brilliant smile. "We're looking for Mr. Ben Campbell, Mr. Tobin told us we might find him here."

The man gave them the once over, a sour look on his face. "Wait here while I check the register," he told them.

Nicole smiled patiently at him as he turned and left. The moment he was out of earshot she turned to Face, her smile still firmly in place, and mumbled quietly, her lips barely moving, "I don't like this."

"What's to like?" he returned just as softly, mimicking her happy expression.

She gave him a quick, tight grin, then turned back to the desk as the concierge returned. "Mr. Campbell and Mr. Gladwin are staying in our penthouse suite."

Nicole cast a quick sideways glance at Face. They hadn't said anything about Gladwin, had they?

"Wonderful," Face exclaimed happily without missing a beat. If he had noticed the concierge's mention of the former agent, he wasn't showing it. "If you could just deliver a message for us..."

The man smiled smugly at them. "Actually, you can deliver it yourselves. Mr. Campbell and Mr. Gladwin would like very much to speak with you in person."

Both Nicole and Face went rigid as they felt gun barrels being pressed into their backs.

A brief moment of panic overtook Nicole, but it didn't show on her face and was quickly suppressed. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the very large man behind her, then looked back at the concierge. "I will find you," she muttered. "And don't think Tobin or Campbell will be able to help you."

He smiled at her and spoke as though talking to a small child, "I don't take kindly to idle threats, Miss."

"Neither do I," she growled before allowing herself to be led away.

Upon reaching the waiting elevator, the man behind her shoved her inside first, then Face. The two men cuffed their prisoners before turning around and pushing the button for the top floor. Standing behind the goons, who obviously didn't consider them a threat, Face cast a worried glance at Nicole as the elevator began its ascent to the penthouse suite. She returned the look and offered him a quick grin to show that she was all right.

When the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open the two large goons shoved the pair out, where another pair of angry men were waiting one on each side of the doors. Neither of them acknowledged the man and woman being forcefully led through the suite, which was elaborately decorated in rich reds and golds, to a large set of double doors.

The doors were opened and the two of them were shoved inside, then the doors were closed with a resounding bang, the goons standing to each side as the pair at the elevators had. Both Nicole and Face straightened and took in their surroundings. They were in a large office decorated in the same lavish manner as the rest of the suite. On the opposite side of the room was an oversized desk where Campbell sat, Gladwin standing beside him to his left.

Nicole straightened as she took a few steps closer to the desk, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten. She stared straight at Campbell, her eyes hard and angry.

Campbell smirked at her, ignoring Face for the time being. "Figured out my name, did you?"

"Somehow I didn't think your name was nemo," she shot back. "I suppose you thought you were being clever?"

Standing up, he walked around to the front of the desk and leaned back on it, still smiling at her. "I must say, you hiring the A-team was a surprise," he admitted, gesturing a hand toward Face. "From what Jack told me, I had you figured as the 'works alone' type."

Nicole shifted her gaze slowly to the former agent. "You'll find Jack isn't as clever as he claims," she muttered, glaring at the man.

Campbell nodded and pushed up off the desk, walking slowly toward her. "I admit he's made a few mistakes." He stopped walking when he was just out of Nicole's reach and cast a glance behind him before returning to her. "For instance, you were supposed to be in the house when the bomb went off." His gaze travelled up and down her body. "Though I can see an upside to the situation."

"Don't you touch her," Face growled, starting forward angrily. But before he could reach Campbell, one of the goons at the door had darted toward him and held him in place.

Throughout the very brief altercation, neither Nicole nor Campbell had moved; they both remained stock-still staring each other down.

As he started forward, ignoring Face's shouted threats, Nicole had to fight not to shake. She recognized the look in his eyes all too well. Though the expression on her face remained angry, tears were starting to well up in her eyes. But she couldn't break down. There was someone else there this time and she had to get both him and herself out.

When Campbell was only inches away, she reached out and disarmed him with one swift movement, then pulled him toward her. She wrapped an arm around his throat and pressed the gun to his temple, then looked at the goon that had Face pinned down. "Let him go," she growled, cocking the gun.

The man looked to Campbell, who, upon having the gun pressed harder into the side of his head, nodded slowly. When he let him go, Face turned around and took his gun, aiming it at the other guard. "You know what to do," he muttered.

"You too, Jack," Nicole ordered without looking at him.

As soon as all the weapons had been tossed aside, Face smiled. "Now, everyone on the other side of the room." He opened the doors for Nicole and allowed her to step out first with Campbell, then followed her out, locking the doors behind them.

With a little prompting from Nicole, Campbell ordered his men to drop their weapons and move away from the elevator. Face stepped in first, one hand on the button, the other covering Nicole as she pulled Campbell back into the elevator. When they were all inside he slapped the button and smiled as the elevator doors closed.

"Do you really think you'll escape?" Campbell sneered.

"Yes," Nicole replied with a tight fake smile as Face just glared at the man.

Nothing more was said as they went down to the ground floor.

When the doors opened Face went out first, then Nicole shoved Campbell out. Several patrons gasped as they noticed the guns.

"Lovely workout room on the top floor," Face muttered politely as they made their way to the door.

Nicole smirked at the concierge, tossing a wink at him as she shoved Campbell forward, then sprinted out the door with Face. "Where's your car?" she gasped as they came to a stop where the car should have been.

"Couldn't be too far," Face muttered, starting to run again. "We weren't in there that long."

"Which doesn't matter if it was driving when it left," she remarked as she heard shouting behind them, followed by the sound of gunfire.

They rounded a corner and breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Face's car sitting in the parking lot. Hopping in, they both buckled their seatbelts, then Nicole grabbed the gun Face had taken, and began shooting at Campbell's men as they came around the corner.

Face started the car, and peeled out of the lot. Beside him Nicole kept her eyes on the mirrors, watching for any sign of the cars she knew would be following them.

It didn't take long. Nicole leaned out with one of the guns and shot once in the direction of one of the two cars, hoping to hit something vital. "You don't have more clips, do you?" she shouted over the noise.

"Check behind your seat," he yelled back, pulling the car into a sharp left turn.

Looking behind her once the car had made the turn, Nicole saw an M-16. "It's not a clip, but it'll work," she muttered with a smile. Once again she leaned out the side of the car and opened fire. A moment later the lead car slammed into a telephone pole.

"Nice shot," Face complimented, checking his rearview mirror. Ahead of the 'Vette, he saw a large transport truck and decided go for it. "Hold on!" He made sure Nicole was sitting back inside the car, then stepped on the gas, and swerved around the truck, smiling to himself as he saw the remaining car try to avoid the truck, only to run into another car and flip over.

Nicole laughed a little, and relaxed in her seat as the 'Vette sped away. When they were a few blocks away, she felt the adrenaline wearing off and the reality of the situation sinking in. Her thoughts focussed on what Campbell had tried to do, and she closed her eyes, trying to calm down.

She started as she felt a hand on hers, and opened her eyes to see Face glancing worriedly at her as he tried to drive. "I'm okay," she muttered. "Just the adrenaline wearing off and...I'll be fine."

He nodded, and started driving in the direction of the beach house. Hannibal wasn't going to be happy.