In the lounge, Face was sleeping draped over the edges of a fairly comfortable couch. A soft footfall woke him instantly, and he smiled as he saw the owner. Amy was creeping into the kitchen, and had flicked the switch to make an early coffee. She jumped as Face appeared behind her.
"Morning" she whispered, a smile lighting up her brown eyes. "I'm still on Indonesian time. My sleep patterns are shot to hell at the moment." She reached up and rubbed at her neck. "and I'm still really stiff from that awful flight." She turned and made two coffees handing Face his as they sat down.
"I'm right aren't I?" she said as he took a sip. "I'd never forget, black and one sugar, just like me", she smiled into his eyes, rubbing her neck again. Face smiled back and rose, moving to stand behind her. He softly massaged her neck, the strong smooth movements causing Amy to smile and sigh in relief. She tilted her head back and smiled up at him.
"You're good Face, you know that? Your hands feel very good."
He smiled and went to sit down again. Amy grabbed his hand,
"Oh no you don't, get back up there and give me some more" she said, putting his hands back in place. Face grinned and re-commenced his neck-rub. Eventually he began to feel Amy's muscles relax and, as a smile passed between them, he sat down.
"It's good to see you Amy," he said quietly. "I, we "he corrected himself," we missed you. "
Amy looked at him, her heart leaping with joy at the slip.
"I missed you too," she confessed, standing up and going to make them some fresh coffee. Face stood and moved beside her. His mind was in turmoil. He had lain awake the night before, thinking about her, how much he'd missed her, how he felt when he'd seen her in pain and most of all, how he'd felt when he'd been able to hold her in the safety of the kitchen.
He knew he cared about her, hell he'd always known that. She was a friend. But last night he'd begun to realise that she meant more to him than just a friend. Face realised that he cared deeply about the beautiful, tired woman who stood before him. Without thinking, he reached over and took her in his arms, holding her tightly. Amy, surprised by the move, reached up and wrapped her arms around him in return, burying her head in the crook of his neck, suddenly realising just how much she'd missed being held like this.
Chapter 10Amy stood and held on to him for dear life. While she'd come to regard the Team as family, Face had always been different. Hannibal had been the eccentric uncle, erratic, mischievous and exhilarating. B.A. was like an older brother, grumpy but loyal. Murdock made her smile. He was like a whirlwind, never stopping in one place and yet always available. They'd had some very long and interesting talks over the years, talks that started on one subject and yet managed to incorporate a whole new meaning to life by the time they had finished.
That left Face. Face the charmer, Face the womaniser, Face the scammer, and yet Amy had come to see a different side to him, a side that she believed not many people ever saw. The Face that Amy had seen had been kind, strong, loyal and innately open. Amy felt that she knew him better than all of the others, and yet they had never really been as close as she had with the rest of the Team. It was as if she had a different kind of relationship with Face, that he was more than family.
Amy stopped herself. She didn't want to analyse this too much, that was getting to be a very bad habit of hers. Amy snuggled deeper into the hug, not wanting it to end. Face tightened his hold on her, breathing in her scent, knowing that they had turned a corner, but had only found a maze ahead.
A sound from the depths of the house alerted them to movement and they reluctantly moved apart. Not a word had been said in the minutes that they had held each other, and yet a thousand feelings had been revealed.
Amy smiled hesitantly at Face, who returned the smile, leaning in to kiss her softly on the forehead.
"Later, sweetheart. I get the feeling that we've got a lot to talk about" he said.
Amy watched him move back to the couch, her arms hugged tightly around her, a warm and securely happy feeling enveloping her very soul. Face lay down, his insides churning, fighting to keep the huge smile from breaking out all over his face. His resistance weakening, he took one last glimpse of her and found her peeking at him, a huge grin plastered across her face. Face understood it all now. He loved Amy. The thought rattled around in his head. I love her. I love Amy. And she loves me. At least I think she does. No, I know she does. Doesn't she? He risked another glance in her direction, only to be met by a pair of excited brown eyes. Amy read his expression and nodded, grinning at him. Risking exposing them, she crept across the lounge and kissed him softly on the lips.
"Me too!" she whispered, her grin impossibly widening as she crept back to her room.