A/N: For those who have been following the story, this the the final portion. I've reposted the remainder of the story in fewer sections (same chapters, just too lazy to reload all of them ;). The beginning has some significant rewrites (particularly Part 1), including additional prologues and scenes, but I think this will still make sense if you don't go back and re-read the re-written and fully edited version of the story in its entirety.
Hope you find this ending satisfying. Please don't forget to review and let me know how I did! Thanks ~ Kenna
Prologue to Chapter 21
Ike recognized the lanky form of his former protégé heading back toward the Team's stronghold. Stockwell was preoccupied with his standoff with Colonel Smith, so Ike took his chance and crept out through the hole Murdock's departure left in the A-Team line, and followed the pilot. Years of practical exercise in surveillance allowed Ike to move silently in the shadows, following Murdock's much less subtle movements. But then, Ike had to admit, Murdock had no reason to be stealthy once he got behind the line. As far as he knew, there was no one he needed to evade.
Murdock didn't break stride as he loped up the steps, disappearing into the house. Ike waited for a full minute before skirting the tree line that ended about 100 yards from front door, and making his way to the back of the house, just below the mid-slope ridge the structure sat upon. He reached the stairs that led down to the lake in time to hear a high-pitched, "Mom, no!"
CHAPTER 21: Deadly Dénouement
Murdock made straight for the ammunition storage in the locked compartment in the closet, but Frankie's voice stopped him part way there. "Murdock, we got a problem."
"I don't have time, Frank –"
"Somebody followed you back here."
Murdock jogged to the room and bent to look at the frozen image on the video screen. "Damn. Get Hannibal on the com."
"Crow's nest to Hannibal, come in Hannibal."
"I got a situation, Frankie."
Murdock grabbed the mic. "We got a situation here, too Hannibal. I was followed back to the house by –"
"Ike Cheney."
Murdock's brows knit. "How'd you know that?"
"Stockwell told me. Shit. Maybe he is on the up and up."
"What's Stockwell's story?"
"Hang on."
It was a tense minute spent staring at Frankie, who looked confused and nervous. They both jumped when Hannibal's voice finally came over the com. "He says 'we're,' and I quote, under contract to the FBI, and that Cheney has been under investigation for some time, but they've never been able to nail him."
From outside Haley's soaring soprano reached them. "Mom, no!"
Murdock stiffened, his mind hitting overdrive as the scenarios that could accompany that outcry flashed through his head, each one worse than the last. "Hannibal, I gotta get down to the lake. Something's wrong with Syd, and Haley's down there."
"Face was taking the far slope, and when he left, he had his Bravo."
Murdock took several slow breaths, allowing the logic of what Hannibal was saying to allay his initial panic. "Hopefully he has things under control, but I'm guessing he could use a hand."
"Go, Captain. We're headed back your way. Frankie, you stay put."
Sydney stared at her daughter trying to contain the panic that engulfed her. She quickly lowered the muzzle of her gun so it again pointed at the ground, and concentrated on regulating her breathing. Face was still up there. If Lewis tried anything, Face would take him down. She had faith in his ability. Unfortunately, Haley, standing about half-way between Lewis and Sydney, was probably directly in Face's line of sight.
Sydney was surprised to see what appeared to be affection reflected in the smile Lewis flashed at the girl rushing to his rescue. "Hey sweetheart. I'm glad to see you're Ok."
Haley smiled at him. "I'm really sorry about the phone, Jerry. I can't believe you found us."
"I told you I'd keep an eye on you, no matter what, didn't I?" He held out a hand.
Sydney finally overcame the inertia of her initial shock. "Haley, come to me." Her voice was commanding, sharp. She began edging closer to Haley, which also brought her closer to Lewis, and past Face's mandated boundary of the edge of the lake, but it couldn't be helped.
Haley turned uncertain eyes on her mother. "Mom, Jerry's a friend."
"Jerry?" Sydney's eyes narrowed. "How do you know him?"
"He's been watching us - keeping us safe - ever since we moved to McLean. He and Dr. Asher were working on a plan to help you recover your past."
Sydney turned to Lewis. "What the hell have you been telling her?"
"The plan was always to bring you home, Syd. It just took me a little longer then I anticipated."
"But you were involved in the smuggling ring," Sydney said. "You were the one . . ." her voice cracked. "You raped me and left me for dead in Laos. You killed Asher."
Haley stared from Lewis to Sydney. "No, that can't be." She turned her gaze toward Lew, her expression a mixture of repulsion and anger. "If you're the one who raped Mom, that means you . . . you knew, didn't you? You knew you might be my father. All along you knew and you never told me. How could you?"
With each angry statement, Haley had taken another step toward Lewis. Sydney jogged the last few feet to get to her daughter's side. "Haley, stop."
Lew gazed at them, sad but not apologetic. "I did what I had to do to keep you alive, Sydney. If I hadn't performed the interrogation as instructed, you would be dead. And when I left you in Laos, you were very much alive. Who do you think sent the Hmong to find you? I helped train those men. "
Sydney's brows furrowed. Was he telling the truth? She reminded herself that the best lie always contained an element of truth. "What about Asher?"
"David Asher was the only man who knew everything. He was ready to turn you over. I couldn't let him do that. Not after all the years of keeping you off the radar."
Sydney stared at him, her hands tightening on the mini. Lew's story was too fantastic to believe. "Bull shit."
Lewis moved forward a step, and Sydney shifted so that she was between him and her daughter, and brought up the gun so it pointed at his chest. He stopped, looked at her almost pleadingly. "I care about you Sydney. You have to believe me. What I did, I did to keep you alive."
"You care about me? You had one hell of a way of showing it, Lewis."
Sydeny felt a chill run down her spine at the sudden change in Lew's entire demeanor: his face tightened, his eyes flashed and the timbre of his voice held a definite sinister quality. "I told you how I felt. I tried to make you understand that we belonged together. But you had to hook up with that goddam pilot. He's the one you should be careful of, Sydney . . ." Lew moved closer, jabbing a finger at her.
"Murdock would never hurt me –"
"He's an old friend of the enemy, Syd. Ask him. Ask him about –"
The gunshot was deafening, echoing off the surrounding rock, and rolling across the lake like thunder. Sydney pulled Haley to the ground with her, covering her head. She looked up in time to watch Lewis fall to the ground next to her, leonine eyes staring unseeingly.
Her first thought was that Face had taken his shot, but the bullet had entered near Lew's left ear, so the angle was wrong. The shot had to come from the steps.
She looked down at her daughter. "Haley, I want you to run up the slope behind me, straight toward the first big evergreen. Face is up there. Stick with him – no matter what happens."
"No, I won't leave you," Haley hissed.
"You'll do as you're told, young lady. Now go!" Sydney's tone left no room for debate. Haley nodded in capitulation and scurried up the hill, as a man appeared at the bottom of the steps.
"Are you and your daughter alright, S.A. Wilson? I didn't want to take any chances, and lose the shot."
Sydney stood slowly, the phrase 'didn't want to take any chances' echoing through her memory. "Isaac Cheney." Her voice sounded like it came from far away, even to her own ears.
Cheney held his gun at his side but didn't put it away, as he moved to stand next to Lew's body. "You remember me." His gaze was wary and tense.
Behind her, Sydney could still hear Haley climbing the slope. She had to buy time. She kept her tone even. "Of course I remember, you were the one who gave me my first assignment in country."
Some of the tension left Cheney's face. He nodded and smiled as he stepped over Lew's body and toward Sydney. "The same. I really did appreciate the job you did. It set my mind at ease about Captain Murdock's extracurricular activities. He was my protégé in the CIA, you know. And, I knew his father."
Sydney swallowed, and chanced a glance back to check on Haley's progress. She was nearly out of range. She nodded and looked back at Cheney. "You were with the task force, too – looking into the smuggling ring."
"Yes, I was." Cheney smiled at her, his gaze unblinking, chilling. "I heard you talking to Lewis. You remember his involvement. You understand why I had to do what I just did, right?"
"Of course I understand."
The sound of Haley scrambling up the slope had faded. Sydney's finger tightened on the trigger of the mini, her muscles tense. Cheney's smile was frozen on his face. He knew she knew.
"It appears that we are at an impasse, S.A. Wilson."
"Yes, it does appear so."
"I assume you are not down here alone. Who did your daughter join up there?"
"Lieutenant Peck."
"Ah, the A-Team sniper, right? Colonel Smith always was an excellent tactician."
Sydney noticed Ike was being careful to keep her in front of him. He was also edging closer.
"Don't move a muscle, Ike. I'd hate to have to shoot my own mentor." Sydney felt her knees go weak at the sound of Murdock's voice.
Ike dropped the gun. "You must be getting older, Murdock. It took your sweet time getting down here. Good thing I was here to stop Lewis."
Murdock walked into view from behind Cheney. "Hands in the air, Ike – slow."
Ike did has he was told. Murdock talked to Sydney without taking his eyes off the old spy. "Syd, pat him down. He'll have a double-shoulder holster, an ankle holster and probably a couple waist-band holsters, so don't be shy."
She could hear Face working his way down the slope as she began tossing guns aside: two from his shoulder holster, and one from his ankle holster.
The first waist-band holster positioned at the front was empty – Sydney figured it had held the gun he already discarded. She reached around to the waist-band holster positioned at the small of his back and pulled out yet another gun.
She had just tossed it aside with the others, and was going to finish one more personal search when Cheney brought his arm down and pinned her right arm in place while he grabbed her left arm, bringing a snub-nosed gun up to her temple. Sydney cursed. Where the hell had that come from?
"Fuck!" Exploded from Murdock when he realized what was happening, and he heard Face's echoing response. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Cheney's breath was labored. "Don't try it, Captain. I'll shoot her. I won't kill her, but I will shoot her."
"You aren't getting out of here, Ike. It's over."
"I taught you better than that, Murdock."
"I swear to God, Ike, anything happens to her and I'll hunt you down."
"If you let me leave, I promise you, I'll let her go. You'll be free to live your life, but she's my only safe exit now, Murdock. She has to come with me."
"That isn't going to happen." Murdock's voice was low and dangerous.
Ike's smile was tense. "Sure it is, HM.
"Drop it, asshole." Face had reached the bottom of the slope, and had Cheney in his sight. He looked almost as pissed as Murdock felt.
"You got nowhere to go, Ike." He stared at his old mentor, and the memory came back, clear as day: Cheney helping Lewis carry the body bag holding Syd out to a waiting jeep by the bunker.
Ike shook his head. "Keep your distance, gentlemen. It would be a shame if the lady was hurt."
Sydney stomped back on Cheney's instep, and used her low stature to back into him below his center of gravity, throwing him off balance. She flipped him over her shoulder, and pulled her backup weapon, aiming it unerringly at Cheney who lay, winded, at her feet. "That's for talking about me like I'm not fucking there."
Murdock nearly collapsed in relief. He looked at Sydney and grinned. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"
"Once or twice." Sydney's eyes never wavered from Cheney. "Face, please get Haley back up to the house. I think we have things under control down here."
Murdock locked eyes with Face and nodded. "We're fine."
As Face scrambled back up the hill, Murdock handed his gun to Syd and knelt next to Cheney. "Can you stand, Ike?"
"I think so." Ike's voice was broken by ragged breaths, as he tried to recover from being slammed on his back.
"Just be grateful is was a nice flat area." He held out a hand to the older man, who took the offered hand and pulled himself to his feet, grunting and wincing in discomfort.
Ike glanced up the slope, where Face and Haley could now be seen making their way back up to the house. He turned to Murdock. "It doesn't have to end like this, HM. I'm not the bad guy here."
Murdock's jaw clenched, his eyes locked on his old mentor. He was so intent on Ike that Sydney's voice startled him when she spoke.
"You were the one in Morrison's hootch with Kyeh . . . and you were the one that told Lewis to . . ." Sydney swallowed convulsively, and Murdock recognized her struggle for control. "Find out what I knew and then kill me. I'm only here because Lew didn't follow your orders. I recognize your voice."
Murdock looked back at Ike. He could see the old spy weighing his options and carefully choosing his next words. "But you never saw who gave those orders, S.A. Wilson. Fifteen years is a long time, can you be certain?"
Syd's blue eyes tightened, narrowed. "It was you, you son of a bitch."
"The accusation of a long-term amnesiac." Ike's gaze was bland. "You'll never see me behind bars. There is nothing to tie me to the smuggling ring."
"Ah, but there you are wrong, Ike." Murdock said. "I saw you that day. See, when I left Syd and Lew and went back to the heliport, the chopper wasn't ready. I started having second thoughts about leaving Syd in Lew's care, dead or alive. So I headed back to the bunker. Of course, when I saw my old mentor, and I thought, friend, helping Lewis carry a body bag out of the bunker I decided Syd was in pretty good hands and left. If I had know then what I know now – you would have been dead."
*
Ike shook his head. "Ten years in a mental ward doesn't make for a terribly credible witness either, HM." He put on a sympathetic smile. "Let's not do this. You and I both know that I'm unlikely to be convicted of anything. Play your cards right, and you and Sydney and your daughter could live out your life in comfort. I would do that for you."
"That's very generous of you, Ike." Murdock's face was thoughtful, and Ike smiled internally. He had him.
"All the two of you have to do is back up my contention that Lewis was the one who was responsible for all of it. Do that, and I will make sure you have enough money that you never have to worry."
"How much money are we talking?" Sydney asked. Ike's smile broadened. He had her, too.
"100 mil in Swiss bank accounts. I'll give you half. It's enough to start a new life."
Murdock shook his head. "Why didn't you just take the money and run?"
"I have a family. Running isn't an option. Besides, Lewis was so cooperative, going after Sydney. In the end, you two finding each other made Lew's setup a bit easier – he couldn't hide that he was after you, specifically. The tricky part was making sure I arrived in time to shut him up."
"So that's what this was all about?" Sydney lowered her gun, her gaze thoughtful. "You wanted Lewis to come after me because it made him look guilty. But you knew you had to kill him before he could talk. He was in too deep, knew too much; but he was the perfect patsy."
Ike grimaced. "You make me sound so calculating, Sydney. The truth is that I really hoped I could arrange the whole thing such that Lewis took the fall without significantly involving you. It's why I wormed my way into the project as soon as I heard you were in Virginia. I thought I could frame Lewis in the background. Unfortunately, when the two of you ran into each other at the grocery store, it shortened my timeframe too much. I'm just glad that now, we can at least make your ending a happy one. You both deserve it." He smiled at them, a co-conspirator.
"Let me get this straight." Murdock stroked his chin, and looked at Ike in awe. "You were trying to end all this without involving us?" He turned to Sydney, arms wide, mock comprehension on his face. "You hear that, sweetheart. I told you he was my friend." When Murdock turned back to Ike, his face reflected anything but friendship. Ike's smile dimmed.
Syd snorted. "Yeah, great friend."
Cheney's head swiveled to look at her, then back at Murdock, worry etched in the deep lines around his eyes. His voice took on a mocking lilt, with a desperate edge. "I'm offering you more money that you've ever seen before. Enough money that Haley could have a world-class education and you could live out the rest of your life cruising the south seas and eating caviar. Don't be fools."
"You can take your money and shove it, Cheney." Murdock turned. "Did you get enough, Hannibal?"
"Oh, I'd say we got plenty, Captain. " Hannibal appeared at the base of the steps, bit off the end of a cigar and lit it. He blew a smoke ring into the air and grinned, his ice-blue eyes shining with triumph. "I love it when a plan comes together."
Sydney smoothed Haley's hair, and sighed. The exhausted girl had finally fallen asleep, curled up on the end of the lounge, with her head on Syd's lap. The early morning adventure had taken a toll on both of them, but at least now it was over. Syd had chosen a spot on the deck at the end of the house; away from all of the officials with their endless questions that had set up shop on the main deck. She had told them all she was going to for today. Maybe later, when she had time to get her head wrapped around it, she would be able to help more. For now, they had what they needed to get the ball rolling and hopefully take down the entire smuggling ring.
This deck was sheltered from a full view of the lake, but Syd had turned the lounge so it faced the rock wall anyway. It might be awhile before she could go down there without feeling nauseous. With a wry smile, she recalled thinking that this was a slice of heaven on earth when she arrived a scant two days ago. It was funny how quickly heaven could turn to hell.
She was still thinking along these lines, her thoughts turning darker, when Face touched her shoulder, and gently prodded her out of her own head. "Hey, Syd. Got the kid to sleep, huh?"
Sydney nodded and looked down at Haley. "She needs it." She glanced over at Face, as he swung a chair around to take a seat next to her. He looked as weary as she felt. "Are they done questioning everyone?"
Face snorted. "They're done with me. They just started with Murdock. I get the impression that's going to take awhile. Several of the agents that showed up seem to know him."
"I noticed." Sydney leaned back and closed her eyes. "Makes you wonder just how long he was in country before he transferred to the Army."
"I thought you saw his file?"
"I saw what they wanted me to see of his file, Face. And you know, yourself, how tight-lipped Murdock is about that part of his life."
Face shrugged. "I always got the impression he shared with you."
"No. I just understood because I was in the same boat. Discretion is like a cult religion when you're in covert ops. You either practice it, or you're dead."
Face gave her a long, hard stare. "So, did you ever tell Murdock you weren't CIA back then?"
"No."
"So even after you told us the truth, you were still lying." Face shook his head.
"Don't get all self-righteous on me, Face. You lie all the time."
"Not to my friends, I don't."
"Bull shit."
"I don't lie to my friends."
Sydney opened her eyes and turned to peer at Face, who shifted. "I don't."
"Then what do you call the crap you fed Amy last night?" Syd's voice was flat. She wasn't really angry with Face. More irritated, and maybe a little worried. "I'm 'the only other woman you've ever kissed and meant it'? C'mon Face, we agreed that . . . incident was stress-induced."
Face avoided her gaze, his jaw tight. "Actually, you told me it was the stress of the situation." He snorted humorlessly. "In fact, as I recall, you were, how did you put it? 'Sorry it ever happened.' That was right before you told me it could never happen again."
He turned, his face studiously emotionless. Sydney ground her teeth. Now she was getting angry. "You never showed the least bit of interest in me, Face. Admit it. Admit that you were using that as just another wall; another thing to push Amy away."
His lips curved up in a guilty smile. "I won't deny that. Amy was annoyingly persistent last night and I was getting a little desperate. That doesn't change the validity of the statement." He shrugged, his expression reflecting regret. "Not that it matters now. You made your choice 15 years ago. Amy made her choice last night. I'd have to say, I think you're the smarter of the two."
There it was. That was what had Syd worried. She didn't envy Amy the task of breaking down those barriers Face had up against emotionally-intimate relationships. "You are such a fucking idiot, sometimes, Face."
"Oh, that's nice. I confess my love, and you tell me I'm a fucking idiot." He was grinning now.
Sydney shook her head; she wouldn't be pulled into the teasing banter. She turned to face him, her voice low and intense. "Why can't you just accept that Amy loves you? She's willing to put up with an awful of the shrapnel to be close to you. That has to count for something."
The grin disappeared. "Just stay out of it, Sydney. It's none of your fucking business."
Sydney gritted her teeth and slipped out from under Haley. She stood facing the conman, hands on hips. "You made it my business, Face. You want me to stay out of it, then you damn well better not wedge me into the middle of it."
She swung away from him and strode into the house.
Haley sat up, very much awake. "You're in trouble."
Face ran a hand back through his hair. "No shit."
It was late afternoon and the last of the choppers had finally left. They had all gathered around the fire pit, too tired to think about food, to keyed up to think about sleep.
Stockwell had made all of the necessary arrangements to have Cheney put in Federal custody. He had finally left, but only after extracting a promise that they would return to Virginia within the week. "There is much to do, gentlemen . . . and lady."
"It turned out, Stockwell had been in contact with the FBI, who pulled Peter Quinn out of retirement as soon as they heard that their internal affairs investigator, Special Agent Sydney Wilson, was alive and well." Hannibal shook his head. "Who would have thought that Stockwell would wind up on the right side, yet again. I figured from the get go he was in this Charlie Foxtrot up to his eyeballs. I may have to accept the fact, once and for all, that Stockwell is a good guy – even if he is an ass."
Murdock, Sydney and Haley shared a single lounge, stacked together like bread sliding out of the bag. Murdock's arms were tight around Sydney, and Sydney's arms were tight around Haley. Everyone was worried about the young girl, who looked totally washed out, her cheeks pale, eyes red-rimmed and sunken. Sydney squeezed Haley and kissed her forehead.
Haley's eyes blinked, and she shot Sydney an exasperated look. "I'm fine, Mother. I'm just strung out. We haven't slept in like, forever."
"So close your eyes and sleep," Sydney suggested.
"I don't want to miss anything," Haley insisted.
"I still can't believe it was Cheney, all along," Murdock shook his head.
Sydney shuddered. "Cheney was the one who told Lewis to find out what I had told you. He ordered the interrogation, and Lewis was afraid if he didn't comply, Cheney would take over. He had to make it look good, but he stopped short of killing me. Lewis must have told Cheney I was dead, just like he did Murdock. Then he stuffed me in the body bag."
"And when I went back to the bunker I saw Lew and Cheney carrying you out in the body bag. It reinforced the idea that you were dead. Besides, when I saw Cheney –"
"Someone you knew and trusted," Sydney interjected.
"I figured there was nothing more I could do. So I headed back to extract the Team."
"Meanwhile, Lewis took me into an old camp just over the Laos border." Sydney looked thoughtful. "A camp where he had helped train a group of Hmong tribesmen. He left me there, and sent the Hmong to come get me and take me to the hospital."
"Then, he sent Asher to retrieve you and take you back to the states –," Hannibal said.
"And to make sure I didn't remember too much," Sydney said. "Which wasn't a problem since I didn't really remember anything. Asher's work was already half done for him."
Murdock concluded, "Once they realized you had global amnesia, they probably cooked up their plan to keep you off Cheney's radar. As long as Cheney thought you were dead, you were safe."
Face stood leaning against the railing. "But I still don't understand why Lewis killed his cohort, Asher."
Hannibal raised a hand. "I have a theory on that. Asher figured out who the head honcho was. Lewis was planning on pulling out – retiring, if you will – from the smuggling business and Asher saw his golden goose flying the coop. He was going to turn Syd in to Cheney as his gift to the chief scumbag. Lewis couldn't allow that."
Murdock grunted. "In a screwed up, sick kind of way, Lew was trying to keep you safe, Syd. Guess I owe him for that."
"I think we both do," Sydney agreed.
A sad smile curved Haley's pale lips. "We all do."
THE END
EPILOGUE
Sydney had a warm smile on her face when she opened the door. "Hey, Maggie! I didn't realize you were back on the east coast."
"I flew in on the red-eye." Maggie gave the young woman a weary smile and held out a large manila envelope. "I didn't think this should wait, and I just couldn't deliver the news over the phone."
Sydney swallowed, her smile faltering as she took the envelope from Maggie's hand. "So?"
Maggie pursed her lips. "Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to look."
Syd looked at the envelope like she thought it might sprout fangs and bite her. Then she stepped back and opened the door wide. "Where are my manners? Come on in. Can I get you some coffee?"
Sydney dropped the envelope in the center of the small oval table in the kitchen and busied herself with making coffee. Maggie moved to the table and took a seat. She was exhausted. She never slept well when traveling, but she was looking forward to seeing John. She had missed him during the last few weeks.
She looked up at the preoccupied young woman. "Where are Haley and HM?"
Sydney chuckled. "At the airfield, where else? I swear Haley is bound and determined to get her pilot's license before she gets her driver's license. Of course, the whole process has HM on cloud nine."
Sydney slid the coffee filter into place and pushed the button to start it perking, then turned to Maggie, shifting nervously. "Can I get you some breakfast? Or maybe some juice?" She put a hand on the refrigerator and looked at Maggie expectantly.
"Sydney, please, sit down and open the envelope. It's killing me."
Sydney stepped toward the table, twisting the diamond ring on her left ring finger nervously. "Maybe we should wait until they get home."
Maggie just gaped at her, and Sydney dropped into the chair. "I can't wait until they get home."
She pulled the envelope toward herself and slid a finger under the flap and slit the paper along the fold. She pulled out the lab report inside and stared at the cover page.
"Well, what does it say?"
"What I expected it to say. Not that it really matters, but . . . HM is Haley's father." Sydney's smile lit her entire face. "I knew it all along."
Maggie snorted and they both dissolved into laughter.
Sydney stood as the coffee maker gurgled its final gulps of dark brown liquid into the pot. "I'm just glad it's over and we can get on with our life. Honestly, I think Haley's forgotten all about it. She and Murdock have really hit is off with this flying thing. They're growing really close."
Maggie smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Maybe now you can all settle down into your new life."
Sydney set a cup in front of Maggie and slid into her seat, holding a glass of water. She smiled at Maggie. "I don't think things will settle down too soon."
Maggie took a sip of the coffee and sighed. "Oh?"
"I'm pregnant, Maggie. Due sometime in June next year."
Maggie chuckled. "Not wasting any time, are you?"
Sydney's smile was rueful, but happy. "We already wasted 15 years. I told Murdock when this all started, I'm not wasting another minute of my time with him."
Maggie smiled. "Amen."
AUTHOR'S FOOTNOTES:
For those A-Team fanatics that may notice a couple of inconsistencies with accepted dogma. Please no flames regarding these, I did the best I could.
re: Syd's early obsession with the Flying Tigers: Murdock's jacket is not a Flying Tiger's jacket. However, Syd's mind has erroneously linked the Tiger (on his jacket) and Flying (Murdock, obviously), coming up with the Flying Tigers was the result, hence getting nowhere since Murdock is not a Flying Tiger. I know his jacket says "Da Nang 1970" . . . I don't know why, didn't explore why . . . am curious
re: Murdock acting saner than usual: Yes, I generally write Murdock saner than he was on the show. In this instance, though, I took my cues from the final episode of the series, in which he is almost disturbingly normal-acting. It's my fantasy; if you don't like the way I write Murdock, don't read my stuff
re: Wheel of Fortune timeline: There are two references in the Wheel of Fortune episode to Murdock's time with the CIA. According to the scumbag kidnapper, he worked for the CIA 12/1967 (a little early for my timeline, but doable – I don't delve into the beginnings of his CIA career) and again in 4/72 (which would never work in my timeline). Assuming he was in southeast Asia for both stints, this would put him over 4 years in the area. I made the assumption that the 4/1972 reference was a mistake (this would have been after the Bank of Hanoi job) and put that, instead occurring around 4/1970 – which would be when he worked not strictly for the CIA, but for the task force that was investigating drug and gun smuggling. Call it writer's prerogative. It might be interesting to explore why Murdock would have been working for the CIA after the Team was on the hook for the Bank of Hanoi job . . .
Look at that, three little notes, and already two more plot bunnies for future stories. Honestly, is there any wonder I keep coming back to write A-Team fanfiction? These guys offer a treasure-trove of plot possibilities!
