Chapter 7

Amy put her book down, fiddling with the hem on her skirt. She'd been sitting on a park bench for over half an hour now, but had to be patient. She'd tried reading the book, but she gave up after reading the same paragraph over and over.

Her head was in turmoil; she still hadn't gotten hold of Face. Difficult, too, when she thought Decker could be watching her every move, tapping her phone. The number of times she'd left the office that day.... None of it was relieving the ache in her chest, which felt like a gaping hole. Black, void and empty. It hadn't mattered what she'd done all day, that ache had been there. Could Face be feeling the same way? She hated herself for not dealing with him more tactfully last night.

All she'd wanted to know was how serious he was. Surely he could see this from her point of view. Every time she saw Face he had another woman on his arm. Maybe he didn't realise she noticed.

She looked up and smiled at the elderly man walking towards her. She recognised him, even though he was disguised – portly, with thinning white hair, and walking with the aid of a cane. Amy quickly buried her thoughts; she'd deal with those later. Now she needed to deal with this.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet me at such short notice, Hannibal."

"So, what's this all about, kid?" Hannibal asked. He sat on the bench and placed the walking stick beside him. "You said it was urgent."

"Well, it is, in some ways." Amy sighed. Maybe it could have waited a day or two, Eldridge said she had till the end of the week, but then that would have meant dwelling on it all that time. She wanted to get her head straight, starting with the team. "I just want to know where I stand with the team. How you feel about me tagging along?" Hannibal frowned. "I've just noticed recently, like in New Mexico, I haven't been close to the action. I've felt pushed aside, unnecessarily protected." The kid gloves she'd feared. "How am I supposed to write a story, if I'm not in the middle of it?"

"That's not been my doing." Hannibal reached in his cardigan pocket and pulled out a pipe, in keeping with his character.

"But you're -"

"It's been Face. In Parkland he wanted you out of the way, and I know it was because of San Diego. He didn't want the same thing happening to you again." He puffed at his pipe as he lit it. "But even before then he was starting -"

"Face?" It was Amy's turn to frown.

"Yeah. Want to tell me why that is?"

"Uh... I don't know," Amy replied, although now, piecing it all together, she did have a clear idea. But did Hannibal? When she thought about all the excuses Face had made and the errands he'd sent her on, keeping her away from the fights that usually occurred when the team had to flex their muscles. "Maybe you should be asking Face."

"No point. He'd only deny it."

Amy stared across the park, watching a lone jogger. Maybe it was time to come clean; it might make her feel better.

"Okay... yes, damn it. Yes, I have feelings for Face – but I've been trying really hard not to act on them." She'd failed, and so had he. But Hannibal didn't need to know everything. "And maybe Face realised that. I don't know..." Amy looked Hannibal in the eye. "Hannibal, you put us together in Parkland deliberately, didn't you? Why?" Maybe she should thank him. It had finally brought them together, however briefly.

"Well, Joe Morgan did need a wife," Hannibal said. "I had an idea in San Diego, seeing Face's reaction, but I needed to be sure. I thought, this way, one of you might wake up and smell the coffee."

"Was that a good thing?"

"It couldn't go on, Amy."

They sat in silence for a moment; Hannibal puffed at his pipe. Maybe he was right; Face had said the same thing, only last night. They had needed last night, if only to get each out of their system. Yet, Face was far from out of her system....

So what did Hannibal mean by 'Face would deny it'? That Face wouldn't confess to the team his true feelings for her? That Hannibal was imagining things....

But Face hadn't denied her last night. Had he come to his senses today, realising he'd opened himself up and now needed to close himself down? Had Amy managed to give him an escape route and that's why he wasn't picking up his phone? Amy swallowed, her chest tightened, and the ache intensified. No, she'd hurt him.

"Well," Amy sighed heavily, "the reason I wanted to see you is because Decker has already been on my case. He confronted my editor first thing this morning. My boss has done all he can, but he's told me I need to be more careful. Decker's just waiting for me to make a mistake." Amy fidgeted, glancing around. All she needed was Decker to turn up right now. "So... uh... there's a job coming up... in Jakarta. Grant thinks I should take it."

Hannibal nodded, and remained silent for a while before speaking. "Kid, I can't tell you what to do, but you know there's no future with Face, right?" He looked her straight in the eye. "Until this mess of ours gets resolved, do you really want to spend your life on the run?"

No, she did not. She loved her life, the thrill of the chase – the jazz – running with the guys. But she was grateful that she could go home to normality and the routine of work, her daily life. Sometimes she needed those days where she could relax, not look over her shoulder every five minutes.

She loved Face. But would she ever be able to say those words to him? Would saying those words make him run from her? And if there was a future with Face, it was on the run. Which was no future – for her. Hannibal was right.

"You know, kid, if things were different, I'd be the last person standing in your way. But sooner or later, Face is going to have to make a choice," Hannibal said as he stood, struggling with his cane. He looked down at her. "And you know what that choice will be."

Amy nodded. Yes, she did. And it wasn't fair to force Face to make that choice – even though he'd choose the team. He always would. They were his family. And he wouldn't put Amy in that kind of danger, wouldn't expect her to give up her life as it was – so he wouldn't choose her, even if he did want her.

"And Amy," Hannibal continued, "if you did decide to stick around - for Face - I couldn't have you on the team. You know what happened in San Diego."

Amy nodded. Now she was glad she'd met Hannibal today. She'd already figured out what she should do but he made it clearer. She now knew it would be the right thing to do. For Face. He was all that mattered, even if it hurt her and him in the process.

"He won't have to choose, Hannibal," Amy said, getting up from the seat. She'd make life easier for Face, so that he didn't have to make that choice - take that decision away. Her throat tightened, like she was swallowing glass shards, and her heart ached with the decision. The hole in her chest just grew wider. She regretted how last night had ended. She never should have questioned Face's commitment, but cherished every minute she'd been in his arms. She didn't like the choice she was about to make, but it was best for everyone. "I'll accept that job. I'll leave."

Hannibal nodded. "We'll be sorry to see you go, but you know it's the right decision. Hell, you're young, bright - there's a whole future out there waiting for you. I'd hate to see you get dragged down with us, kid."

Amy stared down at her feet, unable to make eye contact, fear that tears would well and fall. This was goodbye.

This really was goodbye.

"Hannibal," she said urgently, looking up, trying to hold herself together, realising that last night with Face was still raw. Hannibal didn't need to see tears. But not only did she need to apologise to Face, now she needed to tell him that she was the one running away. It had to come from her. "I'll tell Face, okay? I want him to hear it from me. Please don't say anything until I've done that."

~ The End ~

A/N - I will continue... there are still a few more stories to be told, so watch this space!