Warnings/Content: Contains male/male SLASH. Also some full-bodied soldier type language. Adult themes are discussed here and relationships between men. If you don't like the thought of it please do not read. I do not wish to offend.

Part Nine

"What are we gonna do?" Mo asked.

She was sitting on the couch in the beach house, slowly running her hand over the smooth expensive leather, her face screwed up with worry. She had come over because Peck had asked her and rather than be out of place, the other two members of the team found it strangely appropriate that she should be there. She was a calming presence and they needed that now. BA and Murdock had found themselves telling her everything as they answered her delicately worded and perceptive questions. She had already pieced together a lot while watching the evening news the night before. She had seen the feature on Hannibal's funeral and recognised both Face and Murdock. She did not know of Stepford but had seen the effect he had had on Peck a couple of nights before.

She had gone through the initial 'Gee, I can't believe you are really the A Team! My eldest son used to worship you when he was a kid, had a scrap book with all cuttings about you. You know, I thought there was something familiar about Richard when first I met him!' phase. Now she was as concerned as the others and eager to help.

Murdock sighed. "I think the question should be 'What is Face gonna do?'"

"He gonna end up in prison, that's what," BA growled. "And ain't nothing we can do about it."

"Face and prison would not be a good combination." Murdock mused. He shuddered as he recalled the bleak look on his friend's face when he had picked him up from the cop shop the day before. Though he knew of Peck's inner resources, he also knew that now was not a good time to test them. "I, for one would not recommend it. I think he should disappear."

"You posted bail," Mo said.

"Doesn't matter – it's only money; Face is what matters here."

"He's lucky to have such loyal friends," Mo continued.

"Ain't nothing to do with luck," BA retorted. "He earned the loyalty in the hardest places. We look out for him; important now more than ever with Hannibal gone."

"Where is he anyway?" Mo asked, glancing around.

"Up in his room," Murdock answered. "Said he had something to do. He's acting mighty strange, disappeared yesterday often I picked him up from the police station. Wouldn't tell me any more."

BA groaned. "Man is playing with fire – gonna get even more burned!"

"But that's his right, BA." Murdock sighed again. "Maybe, just maybe he knows what's going on."

"Do we have any ideas?" Mo asked.

"Nope," pouted Murdock. "I'm all out of ideas. But I'm not underestimating the Faceman. He's been up in his room all day working on that laptop we found when we cleared out Hannibal's room."

"I don't want to sound negative," Mo said. "But after all, as you told it to me, he did hack into the Bank's computer system and he has been receiving stolen money. I don't see how he is going to explain that away."

"Mere technicalities," Murdock reasoned. "He's innocent."

"I'm not disputing it but how do we prove it?"

There was a creak on the stairs and they all turned to see Face. "Guys," he said almost shyly entering the room.

"How you doing, Faceyman?" Murdock asked.

"Good."

"What you been doing?"

Face shrugged. "Sorting stuff," he said non-committedly. He moved to stand in front of Mo. "Hi Mo," he smile was broad but bland.

"R-Templeton, you looking better than last time I saw you, anyway!" Mo said as she stood up to hug him.

Peck accepted the hug. "You bearing up well, Mo. Tough day at work, today?"

"You don't know the half," she agreed.

"Withers was a goddamn bastard today, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he was… wait a minute, how could you know that?"

"I saw it."

"But how, you weren't there!"

"Next best thing." As he spoke, Peck produced a CD-Rom from his breast pocket. "After I posted bail yesterday, I called in a few favours. Then I paid me a visit to the Bank and more precisely Withers' office."

"Richard, I mean Templeton!" Mo looked shocked. "That's breaking and entering!"

"Don't see how," Peck's smile was suddenly supremely confident. "When I put something in, instead of taking out."

"What did you do, Face?" BA pushed.

Face hesitated. "Well," he began slowly, the cockiness oozing from him now. "Five well placed digital cameras, beaming lots of juicy information back to me here. I like what Penny has done to her hair, by the way."

Mo rolled her eyes. "I'll be sure to pass on the message but why do I think that's not all you got?"

Peck shook the disk in his hand meaningfully. "Full of Withers' latest rantings and ravings. The guy really does have an anger management problem and it comes across so well on camera!" He placed the disk into Mo's outstretched hand. "I suggest you give this to the powers that be – can't ignore it when it's right in front of them!"

"Oh Temp!" Mo crushed him in another hug. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem. I made copies as well, just in case that one gets mislaid. Accidents happen, you know!"

"You think of everything!"

"I try," he said with mock modesty.

Murdock yelped. "Faceyman on the jazz! Gotta be!"

"But what about you, Face," BA asked. "You find anything out about your problems."

Peck stopped; the smile froze and hardened on his features. He ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, yeah."

"What did you find Facey?"

"I need to think," he said softly and abruptly turned on his heal and walked out of the windows towards the beach.

"Well," breathed out Mo. "I think we should give him some time but then, somebody needs to talk to him."

"I will," Murdock said dreamily, his eyes still focused on the spot where he had last seen Peck.

"I know it's none of my business and you can tell me to butt out," Mo ventured nervously. "But you and Templeton, I think you should deal with that too. Strikes me you've been dancing around each other for too long. Things have changed in both your lives; now might be the right time. You are so good together – you each got what the other needs."

"I agree!" BA snorted.

Murdock sighed, moved over to the window and looked out down the beach. It was dark but he thought he could see a dark shadow close by the shore. "What happens if he says no?" he asked mournfully.

"He ain't gonna say no!" BA snapped. "You was always the one putting up the barrier. Face would have done it in the shower in Nam and any time since if you dared to ask him!"

Mo cleared her throat. "I think BA's right. Temp's hurt and feeling empty right now; he's looking for something that's solid, something he can hang on to. That's you Murdock." She smiled. "Or you could always try the feminine trick."

Murdock looked back at her, eyebrows arched skyward. "Which would be?"

"Don't ask …. just give him all you got!"

Face was standing on the beach looking out to the ocean as Murdock came up behind him.

"Wanna skim stones?" he asked.

Peck shook his head. "Too dark, Murdock," he said his voice strained and raw. They stood silently for a while then Face sighed. "Waves don't stop," he murmured. "They just keep on going, forever. Wish people did too." He ran his hand through his hair. "BA gone?"

"Yeah he took Mo home. He said to tell you that whatever you decide, whenever you need him he'll be there for you."

Face shook his head. "Can't get him involved in anything – he's got commitments now."

"He can't get involved the way he used to true but he still wants to help, we all do Face!"

Peck turned to regard the man standing to his left and felt the warm writhing twist deep in his bowels that seemed to grow more intense each time he saw the pilot. "I'll pay you back the bail," he promised.

"Does that mean you've decided?" Murdock's voice was hesitant and he gulped, looking away from his friend.

"Decided what?" Peck replied evasively.

"If you stay for your trial you won't need to pay back the bail," Murdock refused to be put off. He knew he had to take this carefully, could sense Peck's edginess and reticence to speak. Push him too hard and he would be gone. Murdock could not live with that.

"I'll end up in jail; you know I can't survive that, Murdock." Peck smiled wryly. "I'm too good looking for prison."

Ignoring the humour, Murdock pushed just a little. "So you're gonna run?"

"It worked before."

"You weren't on your own before."

They were silent for a long time, Murdock biting back all the questions that were spinning around his mind in a maelstrom. Peck seemed content to simply stand and listen to the sea but it was him that finally broke the stillness. "I know who set me up, Murdock and I know why……"

TBC