Another whoppingly long pause, I'm sorry. But at least this time I actually have a good excuse (well, at least halway good). Got a new job, and much as I like it, it's quite demanding. I'm pretty much tired all the time.

The flight back was quiet. Hannibal and Face were sitting in the back, leaving Murdock to himself.

Hannibal had tried to get some information out of his lieutenant, but Face was blocking once again. Monosyllabic answers was all he got. When have you come to the hotel? One. What have you done? Bar. How much did you drink? Not even a word, just a shrug. Like that it went on until Hannibal gave up. So now they just sat on opposite sides of the plane, avoiding to look at each other. Hannibal tried to convince himself that Face was only having a hangover, but he feared that that was not all. He had come a long way since they got him back, but he still had ways to go, before he would be alright, if that was ever going to happen. Judging by the state he was in when Hannibal had found him in that was very much a possibility. He had had weeks of recuperation behind him when Hannibal had shown up, and he still had looked like crap.

He had no idea what had happened to Face, at the same time he had a few ideas too many. It was testimony to his deep-seated cowardice, that he covered up with flamboyancy and cockyness, that so far he had not tried to find out for sure.

Face threw a short glance over to Hannibal every now and then and hoped that he put his general reluctance to talk down to a short night and too much alcohol. Both were taking their toll on him, true, but the real reason was one certain pilot. This morning Murdock was behaving so strangely different from last night. It was almost as if nothing had happened. Had Murdock forgotten? Was that possible? They all knew Murdock wasn't quite right up top anymore, but was it that serious? Or was he – more likely – just ashamed of what he had confessed last night? Which, when you follow the line, would indicate that it was true. Murdock loved him.

Just what the hell did that actually mean?

Face got up and walked up to the front to sit in the copilot's seat, that was empty as usual. Officially, Murdock did have a designated co-pilot, but most time, he left the guy behind, which suited every party involved just fine.

"Faceman, what's up?"

"Murdock, can I talk to you?"

"You already do, Muchacho, doncha?"

"Yeah, yeah." Face was not going to start splitting hairs with Murdock, because that would only play into his hands and move them away from the conversation, Face was intent on having. "I mean: Can we talk about last night?" Being angry over Murdock's lame deflection-attempt helped with being direct.

"What's there to talk about?" Murdock asked lightly, but there was a nervous undertone in his voice that betrayed him. He had not forgotten.

"You know. Don't play dumb on me."

Murdock cleared his throat, and after that took the situation a bit more seriously. "You said, you wouldn't dare today."

Face immediately blushed. Yes, he had said that, and normally that would be true. But Murdock's weird behaviour piqued his curiosity, and that was stronger than his shame. Also, being sure that Murdock really did have feelings for him, helped. He was not going out on a limb here, Murdock had done that last night. Face was merely following him out onto the ledge. "I admit,I wouldn't be here if..." He shook his head. "I don't really want to be here and have this conversation, but I want you acting as if nothing happened even less." He took a breath. "So what was it, were you making fun of me? Were you just talking nonsense, lying to shut me up and make me sleep? Because I can tell you right now: I don't care much for being treated that way."

There was no response from Murdock, except you counted an extremely uncomfortable facial expression as a response.

Face sighed and leaned back in his seat, looking out the side of the cockpit onto the landscape flitting by underneath them.

"I was not making fun of you", Murdock finally said. His voice was calm and unaffected. "And for what it's worth, I didn't lie."

And yet, Face thought, he sounded as if here were lying. Was his deduction wrong after all? Murdock was clearly embarrassed about last night, but was he embarrassed because he had let the truth out, or because he had used a stupid lie instead of a clever one?

"We done then?" There was more emotion in this question than in the reassurance before, and it was hope, hope that this was over.

It could be, but Face was not going to let Murdock off the hook quite so easily. "Where is the guy I was with yesterday?" he asked. "I don't know what's going on with you, but right now you feel like two people to me, and I don't know how to deal with the one you are now. So, come and see me when the other you shows up again."

TBC