Face's keen gaze swept the kitchen, searching for any signs of movement. Seeing none he carefully pulled himself out from behind the counter, on full alert. His hand reached for the table, moving towards the pan of unbaked cookie dough….

Splat! A thick gob of cookie dough landed on the shoulder of his suit, stopping him in mid-stride. He glanced to his left, spotting Jess behind the table. They both stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. Face moved towards her, sinking to the floor. He loved this girl.

What had started out as her random idea to make cookies had been delicious. After the first batch Face began to eat the dough, finding it much tastier than the actual cookies. Five minutes later and they had begun the cookie-dough war. The sticky stuff was all over the house, but mostly in the kitchen. They were both covered in it, and for once Face didn't care.

"Truce?" Face asked when they had caught their breath again.

"Truce." Jess agreed, looking over at him. They both grinned, staring into the other's eyes. Face leaned towards her, about to kiss her…

Just than the door burst down, causing them both to jump. Face was on his feet and fumbling for is gun when Hannibal entered the kitchen, followed shortly by BA. The Colonel took in the mess, chewing thoughtfully on his cigar as he stared at Face. Face stared back, unsure what was going on.

BA glared at Face, taking an intimidating step towards him. "You're in for a world of pain, man! I'm missin' my game because you can't keep your word!" As he took another step towards him Hannibal held out his hand, stopping the furious sergeant's approach.

Jess stood up next to Face, her eyes wide with fear. She glanced at Face out of the corner of her eye, unsure. Face sighed mentally, trying to figure out what BA was talking about. This had a good chance of screwing up his relationship with Jess if he didn't get control of the situation soon; only problem was, he didn't know the cause of the situation to begin with.

Hannibal sensed Face's confusion and frowned, slightly angry with his lieutenant. "Face, what are you supposed to be doing today?" He asked, taking the cigar out of his mouth. "Because we got a call from a certain captain who happens to think you're in trouble."

Face suddenly understood and the guilt washed over him. "Oh God… Murdock…" he muttered, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe he had forgotten his best friend. "I didn't mean…. I wasn't watching the time, you see, and…." None of it sounded right even to him, and as he looked at Hannibal he saw the disappointment on his face.

"Sorry lieutenant, but it isn't me you need to convince. " His gaze moved to Jess and he frowned slightly. "Who's this?" He asked Face, realizing why Face had forgotten Murdock.

Face turned slightly red with embarrassment. This was not how he planned to introduce his girlfriend to the team. "Err, this is Jess," He started, struggling for words. He caught the slightly amused look that crossed Hannibal's face, making him blush even more.

Thankfully, Jess came to his rescue. "I'm his girlfriend," She said with a smile. "And I'm guessing you're the friends he's always talking about. It's nice to finally meet you."

Hannibal's grin was evident now as he nodded to her. "Name's Hannibal, and this is BA. What, exactly, is Face saying about is?"

Face smiled disarmingly, trying to change the subject. "Actually, Hannibal, I really don't talk about you guys that much. And I think you should leave, since I need to go talk to Murdock. Maybe we'll have dinner together sometime." As he spoke he moved forward, ushering Hannibal and BA towards the door. BA growled at him angrily causing him to step slightly closer to Hannibal, but he still swept them towards the door.

Face frowned as he saw his doorframe splintered, but decided to ignore it for now. He glanced over his shoulder at Jess, who was having a hard time not laughing. "Bye, Jess! I'll be back later, alright?" She nodded to him as he moved out the door, closing it as best he could behind him.

Once on the porch Hannibal turned around, all business now. "Alright kid, I want you to listen." Face started to open his mouth but was stopped by Hannibal putting a hand up, demanding silence. "No, not talk, not try to get your way out of this, listen. You need to get your head on straight and your priorities together. I don't want a repeat of this. I don't want you making promises you can't keep, especially to Murdock. Understand?"

The cold seriousness of his voice shocked Face, and he could only nod mutely. The Colonel was never like this unless he was seriously mad, and Face hadn't thought something so simple could make Hannibal so angry.

Hannibal's eyes softened as he saw Face's confusion. "Listen, Face," He started again. "I know you don't see anything wrong with what you did. You forgot, and I understand. But I don't like where this is going. You've always been good to your word, and I don't want that to change. All we have nowadays is our word. But if some girl is enough to make you fail to honor your prior commitments… "

Face suddenly cut him off, an anger flaring in his eyes. "She isn't just some girl, Hannibal, she's more than that." He paused, gathering his thoughts, and calming considerably. "To be honest, I…. I think I love her."

Hannibal blinked in surprise as Face's admittance. Face never admitted to connecting with anyone, and especially the women he met. He would use them for a while, never falling in love. But Hannibal could see it in his eyes, no matter how hard Face tried to hide it. "I see." Hannibal said, unable to think of anything else for a moment.

"That don't mean you hurt the fool," BA's gruff voice suddenly filled the silence. Face looked at him, slightly embarrassed again at his mistake. BA went on. "That man's crazy, but that don't mean he don't care 'bout ya. You mean the world ta him, man. He was really worried when he called today, and I don't want no more of that nonsense. You hear?" BA held up one of his fists for emphasis, but Face didn't have to be told twice. He nodded, understanding.

Face started to move past them, headed towards the 'Vette. "I get it, guys. Sorry for all the trouble, it isn't happening again." The sincerity in Face's words was enough for both BA and Hannibal as they watched him walk away.

Hannibal chewed his cigar thoughtfully for a moment before BA spoke. "Glad that's done," The big man said with such finality that Hannibal didn't dare contradict him. Still, the clever Colonel couldn't get over the feeling that this was just the beginning.