"Want to talk about it?"
Face looked over at Hannibal and they went and sat in the dimly lit lounge. However much Face wanted to keep his feelings to himself, he knew that Hannibal would worm them out of him sooner or later, and so he decided to get it over and done with. Who knows, maybe an extra pair of ears could help. Then again, if Face didn't understand, how on earth could Hannibal? Face took a deep breath and began.
"I, er, I don't know what to say Hannibal. It was just a shock to see her again, especially as she told me in her last e-mail that she might have to stay on for another ten days or so."
"E-mail? You two have been writing?" asked the Colonel.
"Well, ah, yes, "confessed Face. "She really was thrilled to get the posting to Jakarta, she was just as scared about actually doing it. Scared about leaving the States and her family. And about leaving us. But she didn't want anyone to know that, so when we went out to dinner just before she left, we came up with a plan to keep in touch, and we've been writing ever since." He looked over at Hannibal.
" She didn't want me to tell you lot, because she thought it might get in the way of our work. And she was a little embarrassed about you seeing her so, well, vulnerable I guess."
Hannibal stored away the fact that Amy and Face had been meeting up for dinner, focussing on how well the Lieutenant seemed to know the roving reporter.
"Embarrassed?"
"Well, she was the strong spirited one, indefatigable, unbeatable, and here she was, scared? Hannibal, she didn't want you guys to see her that way."
"But she didn't mind you knowing?" Hannibal glanced up at his Second-In–Command, watching him as he turned and looked out of the window. Face turned and spoke over his shoulder.
"No, she didn't mind me. We were getting on really well then. We were really good friends and she knew that if she needed me, I'd be there in a heartbeat. She only had to ask, and she did. Actually it was Murdock's idea, although he knows nothing about this. " Face smiled at the memory, "He was obsessed about computers knowing everything about everyone, about them getting messages anywhere and everywhere. Amy and I just looked at each other and our problem was solved. Murdock had found a way for us to be together, even if we were thousands of miles apart." Face stopped, his mind full of memories.
Chapter 8By now Hannibal was almost staring at Face, wondering if he realised what he had just said, what he had just revealed. Hannibal watched as the memories flashed across his friend's features. Face had just revealed an obviously closely guarded secret between himself and Amy, but Hannibal didn't want to question him too far just yet. He could see that Face was confused and vulnerable, and decided to leave it at that. What he was sure of was that before she had left, there had been some pretty serious feelings between Face and Amy, but Hannibal was pretty sure that nothing had actually happened. The emotions had been there, but they had not acted upon them, perhaps not understood them. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Daniel came to find them.
"Here you are," he said, "I was wondering where you had got to. The arrangements are ready, B.A. has first watch and is fully stocked up with snacks and milk." He stopped and looked closely at the two men, wondering what they had been talking about. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting anything?"
Face turned and smiled at Amy's father.
"No Daniel, of course not. Just going over some stuff." He said, glancing at Hannibal. Years of friendship allowed Hannibal to read Face's mute plea, 'give me some time, please don't say anything yet'. Face had come to realise that he had said more than he had wanted to, and was begging Hannibal to keep his confidence. Hannibal turned to Daniel.
"Yep, just putting some of the finishing touches to my plan." He said, with a muttered aside to Face. "You do realise that I've got to think of a plan now, don't you Lieutenant!" Face smiled slightly at him, as they followed Daniel down the hall.
Hannibal lay wide awake in the spare room, his mind refusing to let the day's events recede. The relationship between Face and Amy claimed priority, for he was convinced now that Face was in love with Amy. The way that he had reacted when he'd seen Amy in danger, the way that he'd held her when she was half asleep, the look in his eyes when he'd been watching her. Hannibal knew that Face loved her, even if Face didn't. Anyway, how about the other part of the equation? How about Amy? What did she feel about Face? From what Face had said, Hannibal knew that she cared about the Lieutenant but was that it? Was Face about to have his heart broken? Hannibal finally fell asleep at 4-00 am.