~(Disclaimer: I do not own the A-team and that makes me sad.) Here's a short little one-shot that kept tugging at my brain until I jotted it down.

Midnight Swim

Hannibal shivered. He was alone; that was hard to remember. He took a step forward, the mud sucking at his feet. After countless hours wading through murky water, fatigue was edging over him, but he couldn't give in; he refused to.

A mist of rain started before giving way to a downpour. The puddles around him grew. He turned, staring back at the lake; its dark surface dimpled with the impact of droplets. He didn't want to be the last. Sorrow and remorse engulfed him, tightening his chest and clouding his vision.

He closed his eyes and listened to the rain. The fresh, warm smell of moist earth tickled his nostrils. What he wouldn't have given for a good cigar. He sighed. They would be there any minute; he could sense it. With grenades and guns, they would come, and he doubted they wanted to take him alive.

Did he have it in him to fight back, to try to escape? He was the last. Did it matter anymore?

He opened his eyes and took another step forward, ignoring how the soft ground tried to hold him back. Lights suddenly flared to life, shining down on him. Hannibal tried to shield his face, but it was no use. They had him. Shots rang out.

"Cut! Did someone cue the spotlight on the left? Why is it so dark on his left side?"

Hannibal sighed. Another dazzling performance thwarted by lighting difficulties.

Face sprinted over and opened the flap on Hannibal's Aquamaniac costume. "Care for a cigar, Colonel?"

He grinned. "You know I do."

"Well," Face said as he put the cigar in Hannibal's mouth and held up a lighter, "that was some fine acting. What were you thinking about?"

Leaning toward the tiny flame, the Colonel's gaze flashed up at his Lieutenant. "Just imagining what it would be like to be the last one…" He took a puff off his cigar. "…The last swamp monster, that is."

Face nodded, but his attention was clearly on the actresses playing victims one, two and three. Watching the young man grin roguishly at the ladies, Smith smiled.

"Um, Hannibal, I just need to..."

"Yeah, go on, kid."

Giggles erupted from the women as Face drew near. Hannibal chuckled, but he went silent as he turned to stare out over the water again. Wisps of smoke trailed up from the cigar still clenched in his teeth. Face's laughter echoing behind him, the Colonel silently prayed that he'd never really know what it was like to be the last one left.

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