Face helped carry in a couple of bags of groceries into the lake front cabin they were staying at, and then headed straight for the shower.

"What's up with Face," Hannibal asked.

"Beats me," B.A. shrugged. "We was in the store when we saw that lady he been all into. He got all weird like and took off."

"Yup, same thing happened in the parking lot," Murdock nodded. "He saw her then said he wasn't feeling too good. Maybe he's just getting sick. You know how weird Face gets when he's sick."

Hannibal looked thoughtful. "Yeah, maybe."

"What you thinkin', Hannibal?"

"Something's not right. Did you see Face when he came home the other night? He looked like he had been in a fight. He has barely said two words to any of us, and he is way too jumpy."

There was an awkward silence before Murdock asked, "what are you getting at, Colonel?"

"Maybe things got out of control on his date…" Hannibal's voice trailed off; he couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Nah, man. Faceman would never do nothin' like that."

"No way, Jose," Murdock agreed.

"Normally I wouldn't think so either. But after what you told me about what happened at the store today and how he reacted to seeing his date again, it looks like he is covering something up."

The three men stood in the kitchen, each lost in their own thoughts about the situation and trying to come up with other possibilities for what they had witnessed over the last 48 hours. One thing was for sure…whatever happened, it wasn't good.

Face stepped out of the shower and gingerly dried his battered body with a towel. He was clean, but he still felt so dirty.

He looked down at the deep scratches and bruises that covered his chest and stomach and felt sick.

He kept hearing the voices in his head: "No, please stop." "No…don't…no."

He felt her nails digging into his chest; her fists pounding into his ribs.

There was a knock on the door and then Hannibal's voice. "Face, I want to talk to you."

Face carefully put on his button-down shirt, wincing as the fabric rubbed against his raw skin. "Just a minute," he yelled at the door. He gave himself a once-over in the mirror to make sure as much was covered as possible and then opened the door to face the music.

"Sit down, Lieutenant," Hannibal ordered. He thought that by reverting to military mode it might be easier for him to say what he was about to say.

"I think I'll stand." Face paused before following suit and adding, "Colonel."

"You have been acting odd for a couple of days now. What exactly happened on your date the other night?"

"Excuse me?" Face replied incredulously; he hadn't expected that at all.

"You heard me."

"Oh, I heard you," he seethed, "but I sure as hell hope you don't expect an answer." All he wanted to do was forget, but how could he forget when he kept being reminded?

There was a sneeze from out in the hallway followed by a muffled "shut-up, fool!".

"Oh great, the gangs all here," Face said sarcastically pulling the door open to find the duo crouched down on the ground. "You might as well come in." Murdock and B.A. stood up and sheepishly entered the room and stood behind Hannibal. "What goes on in my personal life is just that…personal. As in none of your business."

"It becomes my business when it effects the way one of my team members performs on the job. I heard about what happened today at the store."

Face glared past Hannibal at Murdock and B.A. "We weren't on the job, Hannibal, we were getting groceries."

"Correction, Face. Murdock and B.A. were getting groceries, while you were hiding from a girl. A girl who you went out with and haven't been the same since."

Face turned bright red. "I don't need to explain myself to you, but if it will get you three off my back I will. It got a little rough the other night…and that's not my thing. I don't plan on going out with her again and was trying to avoid a scene."

"I'm going to cut to the chase: did you force her?"

Face felt as if he had been punched in the gut. A lump rose into his throat and his eyes were growing moist. If he didn't get out of there, he knew he was going to explode or, worse yet, cry. And Templeton Peck didn't cry. He turned and stormed from the room, leaving his three friends to make their own conclusions.

Hannibal sat down on the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "That went well."

"He didn't admit to anything," Murdock said.

"Yeah, but he didn't deny nothin' either. We in the same position we was in earlier."

"Wrong, B.A.," Hannibal sighed. "Now we have one very angry Faceman."

TBC…