This portion has kept me stumped for months, but I was finally urged to finish it. I feel rather out of the ff writing loop, but hopefully this is a nice little wrap up!

They were young. Well, three out of the four of them were young. They were crazy, either all-out or understated, but it was there. They were cocky and confident, acting like what they did was no big deal, but hell, it was and they had to be to in order to carry out half the stunts they pulled. They were a young team quickly gaining a reputation, but still learning to be a team.

Murdock was doing brisk laps around the quarters singing an Italian opera. Loudly. Didn't bother any of them anymore and in fact, Face had been surprised the first time BA defended Murdock's antics to a Jarhead. Hannibal was at some meeting with Morrison and had instructed them to stay out of trouble for the afternoon. Face glanced at his watch and grinned. Technically, it was evening now.

From where he was sprawled out on his bunk, Face watched BA write. Every day that he could, he would write. Page after page, letter after letter, always on decent stationary that Face magically provided for the woman they all now knew as simply Momma.

They had faced off before a time or two, Face and BA. BA didn't like Face's seemingly mystical abilities to procure anything Hannibal needed or even wanted, even though Face swore up and down it was done honestly. Mostly. Kind of, if you squint just right. Face didn't like BA's...well, his attitude and was unable to convince him that a smile, even a fake one, would get him much more than a menacing fist would. They were good together on missions and Face knew that BA had a gift for not just all things mechanical, but all things explosive. Temper included.

"Momma's birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?" Face finally spoke, breaking the quiet that was at least inside. Outside was still arias of some sort. "You getting her anything?"

BA stopped the pen and looked right at him. "Nothin more I can do than more writing and promising to make her proud."

"How about this?" Face reached under his bunk and pulled out a tape recorder and one of a few blank tapes and handed them over.

"What's this?" BA looked puzzled, but took them from Face's hands.

He shrugged casually. "Just thought your momma might like to hear your voice on her birthday."

BA was silent for a minute and Face saw him swallow hard a few times. "Thanks, Faceman. You alright, you know it?" The tone of voice changed almost instantly after that when he barked, "Go shut that Fool up out there! I'm sick of it!"

"Oh, that's right, BA," Face decided to push him just a tad, "don't let me see you're not so bad yourself under all that meanness."

BA suddenly scowled, stood, and quickly crossed the few steps between them and proceeded to lift Face off his bunk by the front of his shirt. Face quickly raised his hands in surrender with a meek grin. "Well, maybe I should grab Murdock and go find those new nurses that shipped in yesterday. Show them around base, you know..."

BA dropped him abruptly. "Yeah. You and Crazy Man go do that." He watched Face take a few steps, then stopped him. "Face, we a team. I got your back, brother. No matter what."

Neither one of them knew just how true those words would be for the rest of their lives.