Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: A 'Random Idea' that crossed my mind, something of a Heroes crossover. Comments and feedback are always appreciated.
Hide and Seek - Chapter Six
Downtown Los Angeles, CA
"Well, Miss Strathmore," Hannibal began turning in his seat to face his charge. The hotel and shelter dropped out of sight as they merged onto the I-10. "You have been quite difficult to catch up with."
"Thank you," Rachael said from the back seat, though it sounded more like a question as she looked uncertainly around. The van swayed gently as B.A. navigated downtown Los Angeles traffic with a heavy foot on the accelerator. Hannibal chuckled drily and she snapped her attention onto him with curious eyes.
"It wasn't a compliment, you were just lucky. And if I'm right it seems your luck had run out back there," Hannibal said. He reached into a pocket and came away with a cigar.
"We found you in time," Hannibal added referring pointedly to the men who had arrived at the shelter on their heels. "I doubt your disguise would have fooled them for long. Besides you're not really suited for blonde."
Rachael blushed under Hannibal's grin. She reached up, slipping her fingers into the blonde hair and pushed it away from her temple. The wig slipped off and from beneath it, the chestnut locks he'd been expecting tumbled out. Self-consciously Rachael shook out her hair. She glanced at the wig in her lap and shrugged saying, "It was my neighbors idea, she thought I'd stand a better chance of not being recognized."
"This would be the same neighbor who thought I was your abusive husband?" Hannibal asked gesturing with the unlit cigar. Face and Murdock looked sharply at Rachael who turned a deeper shade of red.
"Not my idea," Rachael said quickly with her attention firmly on the floor of the van, "Besides, just who are all of you, and how did you find me anyways?"
"I'm sorry, let me introduce my team – you've met Templeton Peck, also known as Face," Hannibal said to which Face flashed Rachael a smile. She glanced guiltily in his direction, her gaze flickering to the foot she'd injured. Lighting his cigar Hannibal continued. "At the wheel is B.A. Baracus."
"You know I ain't crazy 'about you smoking in here Hannibal," B.A. said with a meaningful look in the direction of the offending cigar.
"And next to you is Howling Mad Murdock," Hannibal finished, putting the passenger window down. Rachael looked to the man sitting beside her. He leaned in quickly frightening her with the unexpected action. She shied away from the man.
"Don't worry, I'm only mad part of the time," Murdock assured her with a crooked grin.
"Too late," Rachael whispered as she shrunk further away from Murdock.
"It was the cop who helped you out after the shooting at Mann Theater," Hannibal said around the cigar in his mouth. Rachael turned to him though she carefully kept her distance from the grinning Murdock.
"Wait. What? Matt told you?" she asked.
"Officer Parkman gave us the address of that shelter," Hannibal confirmed.
"Why didn't you say that back there?" Rachael asked with exasperation. It wasn't a reaction Hannibal had expected. She must have seen that in his face because she went on to quickly explain, "If Matt – trusted you enough to tell you where to find me, then you should have said so."
"The two guys who dropped in on the shelter might have gotten that address from Parkman," Murdock pointed out. Rachael shook her head strongly, glancing at him.
"Not a chance. Not if they're intentions weren't honest," Rachael said. Hannibal saw the determined lift of her chin and decided not to press the issue. She obviously trusted Parkman and there was no reason to force her to admit the possibility that he had trusted the wrong people. "But, why all of you? Why did Agent Martinez call you?"
"This is sort of our specialty," Face said in a vague, dismissive tone.
"So, you're body guards then?" Rachael pushed.
"We're ex-military Miss Strathmore. And your situation is not unfamiliar to us, Agent Martinez hired us because we will see to it that you remain safe until he catches his mole," Hannibal replied.
"Please, Rachael will be fine," she said softly. "So, do you have a plan then?"
._._.
Venice Beach, CA
Traffic on the westbound 10 had been surprisingly light, which gave Face little time for complaining about Hannibal's plan. His beachside condo was going be Rachael's safe house. That alone would put a crimp in Face's efforts to secure the affection of the new interior designer hired by the developers. A candle-lit dinner had been planned for Friday night just for that purpose. Face thought about the champagne chilling in the fridge with regret. But Hannibal's plan also consisted of the team taking it in shifts to babysit the witness. Which meant another person would be underfoot until it was safe to hand Rachael back to the FBI. Face resigned himself to losing the designer.
"Rachael, your room is through that door," Hannibal said, with a gesture in the direction of what had been Face's weight room. Face didn't want to look, but stepped across the hall and opened the door.
"How pleasant," Face chirped looking at his boss with a forced, plastic smile. Hannibal grinned back at him. The room was furnished with a simply and the overall effect was like a mediocre hotel. It was agreeable enough, even if his Bowflex was nowhere in sight. Rachael was peering into the room, standing on tiptoe to see over the men. He turned to her, "Let me finish the tour."
Rachael followed him, nodding absently as he pointed out the obvious - kitchen here, guest bath there, and at the living room they rejoined B.A. and Murdock. The men were lounging on the sofa, and they watched as Rachael headed straight for the balcony. She sighed softly taking in the ocean stretching away to the horizon.
"I didn't think the military paid so well," Rachael said, tearing her gaze from the sapphire waters of the Pacific to look at Face. He was pulling beer from the fridge and pretended not to hear the nurse.
"Tomorrow morning I'm going to call Agent Martinez and let him know that we have his witness," Hannibal said from the sofa. "Rachael, do you have anything you want to pass on to him?"
"No," Rachael said after a long moment of silence. She went to the sofa and sat at the edge, her hands twisting nervously in her lap.
"What is it Rachael? You can trust us," Murdock said in a gently encouraging tone.
"I'm not certain I want to testify anymore," Rachael said in a voice that was hardly above a whisper. "Three men have died to protect me, and these people won't stop. I don't want to see anyone else hurt, or worse, because of me."
"It won't make a difference to John Ortega if you testify or not, he'll keep sending his people after you. The only way to stop him is to testify," Face pointed out leaving the kitchen with a handful of bottles. He passed beers to his friends and then offered one to Rachael who shook her head. He left hers on the coffee table before taking a seat beside Hannibal.
"Those men died so you could put a bad man away," B.A. added to which Rachael bit her lip sharply.
"At the safe house, the men who – tried, to kill me, they were friends with those agents. One asked about their families then shot them like, like it was nothing! They didn't even have time to reach for their weapons."
"You've seen some horrible things Rachael, and I understand you're scared. But your testimony can put end to it," Hannibal said. She gave something that resembled a nod, never lifting her gaze from the floor. Hannibal glanced sidelong to Face. There passed between the men an entire conversation in that look. Hannibal put his beer down and rose slowly to his feet. "Rachael, perhaps a nights rest will help you clear your mind. You've been short on sleep lately, I'm sure."
Rachael sighed gratefully and nodded, getting wearily to her feet.
"Goodnight Rachael," Hannibal said as she left, disappearing into the hall. The men waited in silence until they heard her door click shut.
"What do we do if she doesn't want to testify?" Murdock asked. Hannibal sat down again taking a moment to consider the question.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about that Captain," he said. "Right now, she's just scared and exhausted."
"Still Hannibal, if she makes the choice …" Face trailed off. He fingered the mouth of his beer bottle as they each considered Rachael's long-term prospects if she failed to testify.
"Then it's our job to make sure she wants to testify," Hannibal sighed.