Title: Crystal Lake Continued

Rating: PG

Author: JPsmiles

Warnings: Spoilers for Incident at Crystal Lake episode

"Hi…glad to see ya," Face said smiling at Jenny Sherman from behind the desk. He stood looking at the just caught fish in his hands proudly. When he looked back up the blonde park ranger had been pushed out of the way and he was faced with a man holding a gun at him. "Not so glad to see you."

"Give me the keys to your van."

Turning to Jenny he asked, "Is this official business?"

"Give me the keys," the bad guy repeating waving a hand toward himself in a "hurry it up" fashion.

"Right…the keys…ah," Face stalled digging into his pocket. He tossed the keys into the air at the man and with the other arm swung the fish at him.

There was a shot. Face felt the impact of the bullet and went careening backwards into and through the picture window. He landed hard on his neck and shoulders with his legs over his head. Forcing himself up he ran toward the water and dove in. Holding onto the side of the dock he watched as his assailant fired repeatedly at "Bob" who was still in the boat, until the dummy fell over into the water.

Face waited until the coast was clear before pulling himself slowly up onto the platform where he collapsed.

Adrenaline combined with the extreme cold of the water had kept him moving and blocked out the pain. But now that both were gone his chest was on fire and he lay on his back unable to move. He closed his eyes and focused on getting the air to move in and out.

He cracked his eyes open as he heard the team calling his name and turned his head slightly to see them running toward him. Hannibal reached him first and automatically ripped his vest and shirt open to check the damage. "Talk to me, kid," he said taking in an angry looking red welt but no blood.

"M'okay," Face said but made no attempt at moving; he didn't trust his body to cooperate yet.

Murdock and B.A. knelt down next to the pair concern written all over their faces.

"He okay, colonel?" Murdock asked.

Hannibal nodded. "The vest took the hit. But we need to get him inside and into some dry clothes."

B.A. stood and moved to pick Face up. "I'll carry him."

"He is right here, ya know?" Face pushed himself up onto his forearms. He had already screwed up earlier by giving the "damsel in distress" a ride and almost getting caught at the gas station by Decker. The last thing he wanted to do was make a fuss over being shot through a bullet proof vest...even if it was at close range.

They always made breaking through a glass window look so easy in the movies, but the truth was that it took a lot of force. And right now he was feeling every bit of that force as well as the damage the ground did to him. But there wasn't time for that so he insisted, "I'm fine...just help me up."

B.A. shrugged and held out a hand which Face grasped. He bit back a cry as he was pulled to standing. 'Oh boy...am I gonna be feeling this later,' he thought. His legs were quivering from cold and he wondered if they would support him, but luckily Murdock put an arm around his shoulder as they quietly walked back to the cabin.

Fifteen minutes later Face sat covered in towels and wearing a bathrobe. Reality had started to sink in when he saw the broken window and realized just how close he could have come to buying the farm. He was feeling pretty shaky, but Jenny was back and he did his best to act cool like this kind of thing happened all the time. 'Sadly, it does,' he thought.

"Hey Faceman, you was lucky you was wearing that bullet proof vest man," B.A. commented.

"Yeah," was all Face could manage before a sharp pain in his back took his breath away. He played it off by drying his hair with one of the towels. He drowned out a lot of what the group was saying until he heard the words "A-Team" come out of the pretty ranger's mouth…that got his attention.

"You know who we are?" he asked in shock. That made twice in one day he had been taken by a female...the guys would never let him live it down. He stifled another groan...this one from stupidity.

"She recognized you from your picture on the wanted poster…she looks at pictures along with trees and lakes and squirrels," Hannibal gloated condescendingly using one of Face's earlier statements against him.

The remainder of the day went by in a blur of activity. His training as a soldier taught him how to focus on the mission and block out all else. And that is just what he did until the bad guys were caught. He stole a kiss from Jenny and then they were back in the van and leaving town in a hurry to avoid the military.

"B.A.," Hannibal said removing the cigar from his mouth, "Stop at the next motel. Face could use a good night's rest."

Face looked at the colonel and smiled his thanks. The ride was tough on him both physically and mentally. He had to withstand the never-ending jokes and snide comments at his expense as well as the jarring ride that was hell on his bruised body. All he wanted was some peace and quiet and to be laying on a still surface.

But then Hannibal continued and Face's smile vanished. "He could use a good night's rest because he will be up bright and early running. You're getting sloppy, Lieutenant...letting your guard down. Maybe some vigorous training will see to it that you lead with your head," he paused for effect, "and not other parts."

Realizing he had done too good a job in concealing his pain, Face opened his mouth to object but was stopped by Hannibal's palm. "Six a.m. sharp."

Face looked down at his lap and mumbled, "yes, sir."

Face couldn't sleep and would have spent the night tossing and turning in his bed, but tossing hurt too much and the one time he attempted to turn it brought tears to his eyes. His chest ached fiercely where the bullet hit and his back and right shoulder especially felt completely out of whack. So he lie there with nothing else to do but think.

But the more he thought the angrier he got at himself for letting this happen.

Anger gave way to anxiety as he thought about the moment he heard the gun go off. He was sure he was a dead man and hadn't felt such fear in a long time. The fear of being hunted down by an enemy who wanted you dead. It was different then being chased by Decker, who while intent on putting them away, wasn't out for blood.

Finally he must have drifted off because the next thing he remembered was his roommate Murdock yelling at him from across the room to get up.

'Easier said than done," Face thought bitterly watching the pilot pull a blanket over his head to keep on sleeping. He gritted his teeth and somehow managed to pull on some sweats and meet Hannibal outside his door with three minutes to spare. They walked a short distance to an empty parking lot. Each step sent waves of pain through his battered being and Face wondered how much worse it would get when he added the impact of the pavement. It didn't take long to find out.

"Okay, Lieutenant...start running...and don't stop until I tell you."

Face did as Hannibal told him without so much as a whine; that should have been his first clue. When Face was really injured he tended to keep that information to himself. It was a carryover from his days at the orphanage. With so many children and not enough nuns to care for them all, he quickly learned not to speak up and take care of himself.

Face took off running but breathing was difficult with his bruised chest. He had only gone about a quarter mile when he was forced to stop. He leaned forward, his hands resting on his thighs and gasping for air. Not wanting to disappoint the colonel he started up again and managed one more lap before admitting defeat.

"S...sorry, colonel," Face said hanging his head. He felt naked as he stood there waiting for Hannibal to say something.

Instead, Hannibal threw his cigar to the ground and simply walked away. That action spoke volumes.

By the time Face got back to his room the others were nowhere to be found and for that he was grateful. He headed to the bathroom and decided that a nice warm shower might help loosen him up. But halfway through he began to shake slightly and felt lightheaded.

He stepped out of the shower and held onto the sink for support. Looking in the mirror he saw a spectacular bruise on his chest; dark purple in the center from the impact, it radiated outward and gradually lightened. This was one time when it looked as bad as it felt.

Face wrapped a towel around his waist and held onto the wall for support as he walked back out into the main room. Sitting on his bed was Hannibal.

"Jesus, kid," Hannibal said taking in Face's wan appearance. "No wonder you couldn't run." He didn't like how pale the younger man looked and how he swayed as he moved away from the wall. "Hey, kid...you okay?"

"Yeah…fine," Face lied, but his vision was starting to blur over. "Han…bal…I…um…"

Hannibal jumped to Face's side and took hold of his arm. "Whoa...let's just sit down for a second." But exhaustion coupled with pain took over and before he had a chance to sit, Face pitched forward.

Hannibal pulled him back into his arms and guided him over to the bed. "Murdock, B.A…get in here," he yelled out the cracked door where he assumed the two had been eavesdropping. He was correct, and the pair sheepishly entered the room. "Sit down…we all need to talk."

"I'm sorry," Face said. "I know I messed up today…it won't happen again."

"Yes it will," B.A. countered.

"Probably next week," added Murdock.

Face turned his head away from his friends, embarrassed of how little they thought of him.

"Kid, they're right…chances are that you will fall for another skirt."

Face desperately tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes. Clearing his throat he mumbled, "Great…then you're all in agreement."

"Let me finish, Face. You have a weakness for women, but that's okay."

"It is?" the others asked in unison.

"Yes, it is," Hannibal grinned at how dumbfounded they appeared. "We all have weaknesses. Take B.A. for example…"

"Watch it, man," B.A. interrupted.

Ignoring him, Hannibal said, "B.A.'s weakness is his fear of flying. And Murdock…how can I put this delicately?"

"I'm insane," the pilot smiled happily.

"You can say that again," B.A. grumbled.

"Okay…I'm insane," Murdock repeated.

B.A. growled as Hannibal turned back to Face. "I owe you an apology, kid. I should have noticed you were hurting. Yeah, you made a couple of mistakes…and they were real beauties for sure," he winked at his reference to the blondes, "but none of us are perfect. Now stay put and get some rest."

"Thanks, colonel," Face said closing his eyes. A few seconds later they popped back open. "Hannibal, you never told us your weakness."

"My weakness?" Hannibal smiled mischievously. He leaned back in the chair, propped his feet up on the side of the bed and rested his hands behind his head. "My weakness is that I love it too much when a plan comes together!"

The End