Part 6

Two days later they were all on their way to catch a flight to LA. The packages had been delivered to the authorities and they'd gone in and cleared out the brutes and their drugs. The families were able to live as they had been before the creeps had showed up.

"I told you suckers, I ain't going on no plane! This ain't the way to the dock!" BA growled angrily as he drove the five of them in some worn out rental car. "There ain't no rush, we can go by boat!"

"I told you BA, this is the way to the dock's as well as the airport" Face lied. Face was sitting in the back of the car with Amy and Amanda, behind BA. Amanda sat in the middle of them; not that they needed some sort of mediator, but they were finding it hard to talk to one another. Face was still showing lack of signs of forgiveness towards Amy. His thoughts were still in turmoil.

"BA! Stop the car! I think I've forgotten our boarding cards for the boat!" Amy rummaged through her bag.

BA pulled over and as he did so, Face quickly stabbed him with a needle to give the juice he needed to fall asleep.

"Damn bugs." BA rubbed at his neck, just as Face withdrew the needle. "You found them yet, Amy?"

"Er, yeah, here they are." She lied, but she hadn't needed to, BA was sleeping like a baby on the horn of the car.

"Nice work, Amy." Face smiled at her, for the first time in the whole car journey.

"Always the horn big guy, always on the horn." Murdock jumped out of the passenger side of the car and helped Face move BA over to the passenger seat.

"Will he be OK?" Amanda worried.

"Yeah, fine. He'll be fine." Amy tapped her daughter on her knee gently, as a sign of reassurance.

"You know, I hope I go before him!"

"Huh?" Murdock looked puzzled at Face's comments, as they struggled to move BA into the passenger seat.

"I don't fancy carrying his coffin up that isle! That's why!" Face moaned. "Hannibal's coffin was heavy enough and we had BA to help carry it!"

Once BA was firmly sat asleep in the passenger seat, Murdock jumped into the driver's seat and drove them towards the Airport.

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On the plane, Amy sat by the window next to Amanda, penning her story into her journal. Face sat next to Amanda and quietly they talked. Behind them BA was asleep by the window, his head resting against it, with a blanket over him. Murdock sat next to him singing with the in-flight radio and occasionally talking to the big guy, with the airhostess giving him frequently odd looks. Face had managed to get them upgraded, he was feeling rather pleased with himself, maybe he wasn't quite losing his touch.

"So exactly how had you worked out, that I might be your dad then?"

Amy shot a glance at Face, but decided she'd let Amanda say what she had to say, she had a story to write and maybe Face deserved the truth.

"Well, you know I had sort of guessed you were my dad because Mom would talk about the four of you in such a way and I had worked it out, when I was born and everything to when she'd left the team, it had to be connected." Amanda answered quietly. "I obviously knew BA wasn't my dad and not Hannibal. Hannibal was the Colonel and she kinda respected his orders and she never talked about the relationship she had with him, like what she had with you and Murdock. So it had to be either of you two. She spoke about Murdock the most, but she always talked about him as if he was her big brother or something. So it left you and when she did talk about you, well she did seem rather sad. And the more I looked at pictures of you, she has only a few though, I knew you had to be my dad."

"Right." Face just listened; he could have listened all day. "And where are all these embarrassing home videos of you then?"

Face had started to take in his daughter's appearance now it was sinking in he was a father, her father. She was wearing hipster jeans, which hung so low as the fashion these days that her belly button showed with her short tight t-shirt and it's glittery motive. He wasn't sure if he'd spied a small tattoo on her lower back. 'Gees I'm going to have to watch her with boyfriends' he thought to himself, 'not one that are anything like I was at that age are getting near her'.

"Oh, they are all stored at Grandma's," Amanda answered. "Oh God! You know, Mom has every birthday of mine recorded, every Christmas with me opening my presents. She's kept cards and lots of different keepsakes. Even my first shoes, I think. And the more I think about it, she kept them as if she knew it would be something my dad would want to see." Amanda paused. "You would want to see them wouldn't you?"

"I would love to watch your birthdays". Face smiled. He looked across Amanda and watched Amy. She was still beautiful. Why had he let her go all those years ago? Commitment that's why, Amy had been right, he couldn't commit, not back then. Amy stood up, to squeeze past them. They all got out of their seats.

"Need to visit the restroom!" She said to excuse herself. Once Amy was out of earshot Amanda opened up her bag and got a photograph out of her purse and passed it to her father.

"Here, this is Mom, 9 months pregnant with me, taken the day I was due. I was apparently four days late," Amanda chuckled. "She doesn't know I've got it. But I kinda love it so much, I keep it on me."

Face looked at the photograph, in it was Amy standing side on, showing off her voluptuous figure, what must have been in her kitchen of wherever she was staying. She was the young twenty seven year old woman he remembered last seeing. She still had her figure, as Face remembered her, although it was hugely distorted by her fuller breasts and a beautifully round bump where her flat stomach would have been. He stared at Amy's pretty Face. What had he done? He should never have seduced her in New Mexico. They had been great friends, the one woman in his life he'd truly been able to talk to and be himself with, or he should have made her stay. She of all woman, understood his situation, the relationship could have worked. And well if it hadn't at least they both could have said they'd tried, rather than to have lost her completely from his life. He had been the fool.

"She still loves you, you know." Amanda whispered breaking Face from his trance.

Face looked at Amanda a little surprised and in disbelief, considering the heated argument they'd had, only a few days ago.

"I just know. She's never been interested in anyone else. Yeah, sure boyfriends have come and gone. But they've never been you, well any of you really, so it's not lasted. I mean it's not as if she could forget about you, I've been starring her in the face the last nineteen years! Well, nearly nineteen years!" Amanda grinned.

Face looked at the beautiful young woman beside him and thought to himself, 'did she have my smile too? Damn, he'd have to watch that too with the boyfriends to come'.

Face thought to himself long and hard on Amanda's comments. Long ago he'd lost the one woman he'd only ever loved and it had left him broken hearted and very shortsighted. He'd flung himself into the army and with his dashing good looks and women falling all over him, he'd decided that he wouldn't let it happen again. Besides he was enjoying himself. And then came along Amy, they'd became good friends and then as a fool he'd thrown away a good chance of happiness with one woman, because he was afraid of commitment, afraid of having it thrown back in his face again. But it had backfired, she'd left anyway because he couldn't commit. When deep down if he was truly honest with himself, all he'd ever wanted was a family. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.

Face handed the photograph back to his daughter.

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The plane touched down at LA Airport safely. BA was given a wheel chair for his "condition" as Face had charmed the airhostess and Murdock pushed him through the airport. BA was still asleep and probably wouldn't wake up yet for another good hour. As they waited for their luggage to arrive, Face gently grabbed Amy's arm and gestured for her to walk with him, just out of earshot from the others.

"Look, the other day was a bit heated. I probably said things I shouldn't have said. I was angry," Face was trying hard to spit his words out, what felt like for the first time he was feeling a little tongue-tied.

"Well, Face, it was understandable really. And I am truly sorry." Amy squeezed his arm affectionately with her right hand. "I'm sorry for the things I said too."

"Hey, lets not discuss it further, there's nothing we can do about it, it's in the past." Face tried to gently stroke Amy's hair away from her face, but she moved away from him slightly. "And, err, well, I've been talking to Amanda and I've been doing a lot of thinking." He faced her square on and looked into her dark brown eyes, "Amy, I lost one woman long ago that I loved, which I couldn't do anything about."

"You mean Leslie?" Amy interrupted him.

"Yes. And then I lost you." Face gently pulled Amy towards him, still gazing into her eyes. "Which was totally my fault. You were right. I should have told you how I felt about you back then. I should never have allowed you to leave." He took a deep breath and moved his head towards hers, smiling gently as he was about to kiss her.

"No, Face, no" Amy pulled herself away from him, breaking her gaze into his blue eyes, a little taken back by his words, but she wasn't going to fall for his charm, not again, not unless it counted for something. "You think that after all these years, I'll just fall into your arms, huh?" She gave a little sarcastic laugh.

"Well, I thought we might be able to make up for old times." He flashed his smile.

"I need to hear those three little words, Face."

"What?" His smile dropped.

"You know, those three little words, you're most afraid of. I need to hear them." She was trying not to sound cross and keep her voice low. "And until I do, I am not falling for you. I put you out of my mind, a long time ago, Face, and you're not coming back in, to break my heart again." She gently kissed him on his lips, only a soft peck and then drew away and spoke a little more seductively, "Not unless you can prove to me, this is what you want. Remember Face, three little words."

Amy walked over and grabbed her bag that had to her relief, conveniently swung by on luggage conveyer belt and walked out of the luggage collection area, to head through passport control. She walked away confidently, not turning around.

Murdock tapped him on the back playfully, to confirm they all had their luggage and that he understood what had just gone on.

"Oh, I like it. She's playing with ya, Faceman!" Murdock grinned at Face, "She wants you to give chase." Face gave Murdock a worried look.

"Amy! Get back here! I haven't finished with you yet!" Face said quite crossly.

As Amy walked away from Face, her head held high, she had a cunning smile on her face, 'oh this is going to be fun,' she thought.

END

Authors Notes: I have two other stories linked to this one. The night Amy left, which I've called Sudden Departure, and Face and Amy's "fling" based around the White Ballot episode, which once I've tweaked and de-mushed I might eventually post but it will more than likely be December (2006) time before I do.