Disclaimer: I don't own the A-Team and I make no money from this.

Chapter 47 Forever Fades to Finale on Faith

It only took a couple logs to stoke the dying embers of the fire to life. Having resigned himself to spending a couple hours on the beach with Face and Syd, Murdock found his frustration at the interruption of his planned activity for the night fading into the enjoyment of relaxation with his two best friends. Either way he got to be with Syd, and that alone was enough to make him happy.

Face had pulled a low stool to one side of the fire, and set three glasses and a fifth of whiskey on it. Next to the table, Syd spread out a beach blanket that she had retrieved from the front desk. Grabbing a couple cushions off one of the lounge chairs, Murdock propped himself up on the far corner of the blanket, stetching out his legs along the edge with a sigh.

Sydney carefully cleaned the sand off her feet before walking to the middle of the blanket and taking a seat. Reaching over her, Face handed one of the glasses to Murdock.

"I splurged on a bottle of good single malt Irish whiskey," Face said, as he handed a second glass to Sydney. He then raised his own glass and looked down at them. "To good friends and good times."

Murdock and Syd both raised their glasses and repeated, "To good friends and good times."

The drink was smooth and went down easy, but Murdock choked on the last bit when Syd poked him in the side.

"You gonna share those cushions with me and Face?"

"Naw. I'm pretty comfy." He grinned at her. "You're welcome to use me as a pillow any time, though, sugar."

The quirked eyebrow from Syd was a silent warning, but Face was all over the idea.

"Yeah, Syd! You lean on Murdock, I'll lean on you."

Murdock stifled a chuckle at the surprised look on Syd's face, but she didn't protest. She scooted closer to Murdock and laid her head on his stomach, shifting until she was comfortable. Face followed her example, getting situated so he could rest his head on Syd's midriff.

After several seconds of silence, Face said, "There's only one problem with this arrangement."

Leaning up on an elbow, Face looked up towards Syd's face and ended up nose to boob with her.

"Problem with the view?" Syd asked with a smirk.

"Um, well, actually, that's not really a problem, at least not for me." Face grinned at her, lifting his head higher and turning a bit more so he could wink at Murdock. "No, you see, my problem is that when I'm lying down like that I can't drink my whiskey."

With one arm propped behind his head, Murdock said sagely, "Now that, my friend, is a big problem."

"Exactly."

Murdock shrugged. "I am a little jealous of the view, though."

"Too bad for you," Face said as his head dropped back to Syd's middle. He sighed.

"You're both impossible," Sydney said. "I saw Lilly, Face. I'm like the foothills to her Himalayas. Give me a break."

"Lilly does have nice breasts," Face said thoughtfully.

"Eh, more than a mouthful just gets in the way," Murdock said. "My opinion, you're jes' 'bout perfect, sugar."

The sharp elbow in his side was another warning, but he just ignored it. Face was oblivious to the fact that Murdock's teasing was based in their intimacy. No harm, no foul.

With a frustrated grunt Syd shifted to an elbow so she could take a sip of her drink, disturbing Face in the process.

"You're right, Face. This arrangement is a problem."

Murdock upended his glass and reached toward the table, but it was out of reach.

"Not only that, I can't reach the booze," Murdock said.

Rolling to his feet with his own empty glass, Face said, "Well, we can't have that."

Face picked up the little table and set it down on the blanket next to Murdock, then filled all three of their glasses before moving back to his seat.

Nudging Syd, Face urged her to move so she could lean higher on Murdock's chest. Murdock shifted sideways, knowing that having Syd snuggled any closer to him was going to be far too tempting.

He propped himself on an elbow resting on the top cushion, pushing the stack of two slightly askew in the process. Syd shifted so she was lying at less than a right angle to him, with her shoulders supported by the lower cushion and her head resting on the top cushion. Face harrumphed.

"What about me?"

"Oh for goodness sake," Sydney said.

She pushed to her feet, set her glass on the table, and motioned to both of them to get up. Moving the cushions to the center of the blanket, she dropped down and settled herself so that her shoulders and head were propped on the cusions with her feet stretching out over the edge of the blanket.

"Now you can each have your own side," she muttered.

Grunting, Murdock scowled at his friend. "Way to go, Face. Now neither of us gets to enjoy the view."

"Shut up, Murdock. And hand me my drink," Sydney snipped.

Murdock splashed a couple more fingers of whiskey into her glass before handing it to her. Then he rested on the edge of the cushions to Syd's right, stretching his body out at a right angle to hers. Before settling down to Syd's left, Face moved the table one more time, placing it within Murdock's reach.

They all tipped their heads back with a collective gasp at the riot of stars overhead.

"Beautiful," Sydney breathed.

"Amen," Face said.

Glancing sideways at the enraptured look on Syd's face, Murdock murmured, "Absolutely gorgeous."

Syd's eyes shifted to meet his gaze. She smiled and reached a hand down to grasp his where it lay on the blanket.

He twined his fingers into hers, caressing the palm of her hand with his thumb. A content smile settled on his face as he looked skyward again.

Life didn't get much better than this.

fffff

"How can anyone doubt the existence of God when you look up at those stars?" Face asked quietly.

"It does give one pause," Sydney said. "But I've seen too many things in my life that call into question the existence of some benevolent deity to take the night sky as some sort of irrefutable proof."

Murdock snorted. Face knew it was likely that his best friend felt the same way. A self-proclaimed agnostic, Murdock liked to say that while he wasn't willing to bow down and worship God, he also wasn't about to deny His existence outright.

To a devout Catholic, it was a total copout. But after getting to know Murdock, Face had decided it was pointless to argue with him. For one thing, the pilot's unwaivering logic tended to shake Face's faith.

"Don't go tryin' to reason 'bout Christianity with the Faceman, sugar," Murdock said. "You'll just end up talkin' in circles for the next coupla hours. Trust me. Been there, done that."

"There's nothing wrong with Christianity, per se," Sydney said. "I'm equally suspicious of all religions. According to the Jewish Talmud, religion is one of the three universal reasons for war. That alone is a good reason to abstain."

Face groaned. "Sorry I brought it up."

Murdock laughed. "You're the one that got her started, Face."

Turning his head so he could look at Syd, Face was surprised to meet her eyes. She flashed him a thin-lipped, rueful smile.

"Sorry, Face. I didn't mean to belittle your religious beliefs. It's just that… well, I don't think I can share them."

Reaching back over his shoulder, he gave her a forgiving pat. "It's alright, Syd. We can still be friends… even if you are a heathen."

Sydney's responding giggle made Face smile. Despite their differences, he was closer to Syd and Murdock than he had ever been to anyone. He firmly believed that God had brought them into his life for a reason, and even though neither of them was a believer, his own faith had to be strong enough for all of them.

Because if Heaven didn't have room for his two best friends, there was absolutely no sense in believing in its existence.

And Face firmly believed in Heaven.

sssss

"I don' know, Face, guess it all depends on your definition of 'heathen,'" HM said. "Some folks might think you're a heathen."

"What the hell do you think 'heathen' means?" Face asked.

"It's meaning can be as simple as 'immoral,'" HM said. "Way you sleep 'round would be immoral in a lot o' folks' eyes."

"A 'heathen' is someone who does not believe in God," Face said firmly.

"Your God or someone else's god?"

Syd's eyes drifted shut as she listened to Face and HM continue their debate. While religion offered endless fodder for philosophical discussions, her own interest in the topic at hand had already waned. With someone as devout as Face obviously was there seemed little point in debating. No one was going to change Face's mind about the existence of God. And there was nothing wrong with that. Face was entitled to his beliefs, especially if they helped him make it through this crazy world with his sanity intact.

HM's thumb still traced lazy circles in the palm of her hand, and she focused on the touch. The frustration of their pre-empted sexual encounter lingered in the tightness between her legs. His touch, no matter how casual, tended to do funny things to her. But right now, the feel of his hand in hers anchored her on the beach with her friends even as she drifted in the relaxed twilight between sleeping and waking.

fffff

A soft snore from Syd made Face chuckle. "I think Syd's asleep."

"Must be all the exercise she's been gettin' with Jak," Murdock said.

Face grimaced. "Can we not talk about that?"

"Syd and Jak's sex life?" Murdock asked. "Does that bother you, Face?"

"I just have a hard time seeing Syd with Jakowski. He's not her type."

"So what is her type?"

Face's shrug made the cushions move slightly as he said, "Well, obviously, you're her type…"

"Jakowski and I could practically be brothers, Face," Murdock said, tone reasonable. "We're both pilots, both southern hicks… hell, we even both got brown hair and brown eyes. If I'm her type, then Jak's her type."

"The things you share with Jakowski are all on the surface – only skin deep," Face said. "You and I are more like brothers than you and Jakowski are, despite our outward appearance."

Murdock chuckled. "No arguin' with ya there, Faceman."

Lapsing into silence, Face gave some serious consideration to why he was so certain Jak was all wrong for Syd. For one thing, though Jak was no dummy, he wasn't nearly as sharp as the guys on the Team. And he definitely didn't have Murdock's versatility or genius when it came to covert ops. Hell, Face found it a challenge holding his own when it came to matching wits with his best friend. There was no way Jak challenged Syd's intellect the way they could.

But most importantly, Jak was boring. He was talented in the air, but that was it. He didn't perform on-the-ground ops, and he certainly wasn't true alpha team material. Every member of the Team wore more than one hat – it was what made them such a versatile force to be reckoned with. Jak might be Murdock's choice for a second in the chopper, but he'd never be anything more than that – a second, in the air or on the ground.

Syd deserved better than Jak had to offer. She deserved Murdock.

Or someone like him.

mmmmm

Sydney's soft, sleepy sounds made Murdock smile. Shifting slightly so he was closer, his shoulder brushed hers, and if he turned his head, the scent of her shampoo filled his nose. He closed his eyes as he slipped his fingers out of hers and engulfed her hand protectively. If Face hadn't been there, he'd have wrapped himself around her like a cocoon.

"You want another drink, Murdock?"

The cushions shifted as Face stood. Murdock sat up quickly, releasing Syd's hand in disappointment. Their movement jarred Syd awake – kind of.

"HM?" she murmured, turning bleary eyes in his direction.

Glancing at Face, Murdock was relieved to see that his friend was concentrating on pouring the whiskey. He leaned down and shook Syd's shoulder.

"Wakey, wakey, Sydney," he said gently. "Face is pouring another round."

Sydney blinked and sat up, stretching. Her bared midriff, coupled with thick, tousled hair spilling over big, dreamy blue eyes made Murdock's breath catch. She is so beautiful.

A rough nudge to his arm made him realize Face was standing next to him holding out his drink. His friend looked mildly annoyed.

"So, you gettin' along with Katie's parents ok?"

Why was Face bringing up Kate now? Murdock knitted his brows.

"Uh, not bad, but not great. Kathryn is a sweetheart, but Kurt is a tough nut."

"Yeah, I noticed," Face said with a snicker. "He looked less than thrilled with you tonight when we left your room."

Murdock shrugged. Kurt wasn't very happy with him, but not for the reasons Face thought. Luckily the faulty interpretation worked for their purposes. It didn't make Murdock feel any better about lying to his friend, though.

"Hey, Syd, ready for another drink?" Face asked.

Having pushed herself to a halfway sitting position, Syd nodded. But a wide yawn kept her from actually verbalizing. Face chuckled and carefully placed a glass in her outstretched hand, waiting until the yawn had passed and Syd had a firm hold on it before he let go.

"Thanks, Face," Syd said.

Face filled his glass again before dropping back to the blanket. He leaned on an elbow propped near Syd's knees and looked up at her. His teasing smile was affectionate.

"You're such a lightweight."

With a soft snort, Syd responded, "Two months in the boonies sans alcohol will do that to you."

Chest tightening with the mixture of rage and fear that threatened his cool every time he thought about Syd's experiences in North Vietnam, Murdock grunted.

"Not to mention the fact that you lost at least twenty pounds, were… attacked, and then forced to walk miles to a rendezvous point to hell and gone from where you were…"

"Don't, HM," Syd warned.

He took a deep breath. Counted to ten. Sighed. "Sorry."

She looked up and gave him a soft smile. "I'm alright."

"No thanks to Lewis," Face muttered.

"Amen," Murdock said. His best friend's face reflected the same fury that he felt. Locking eyes, they both nodded.

"Predictable," Sydney said.

Murdock jerked his head down to look at her, gaze quizzical. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You… both of you are so overprotective it isn't funny," Syd said. "It wasn't Lew's fault – we were both doing our jobs. The important thing is that I'm fine. And I'm here. And I really don't want to talk about it any more."

Her voice had become more and more stressed, the last sentence strangled with tension. Face put a hand on her knee and squeezed.

"We're sorry, Syd. Consider the subject dropped."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Murdock lowered himself beside her, kneading the tense muscles under his fingers. The flesh over her bones was still frightfully thin, but he put the thought aside and murmured near her ear.

"S'ok, sugar. We just worry 'bout ya, tha's all."

sssss

The shiver that slid up her spine had everything to do with HM's warm breath washing across her neck. But Face didn't know that. He moved quickly to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You're safe now, Syd," he said softly, tucking her under his arm.

Meanwhile, HM shifted to her other side and slid an arm around her waist. The three of them sat there in silence for several minutes – enough time for the warmth from the two men to seep into her both physically and emotionally. No matter what happened when they got back to Vietnam, they'd always have each other.

Syd had faith in that.

s

It was some time later – after the whiskey was gone – that they finally called it a night. Being gentlemen, Murdock and Face escorted her to her room first.

"Thanks for a great night, guys."

Syd turned to face them at her door, and reached up to give each a kiss on the cheek – first Murdock and then Face.

"Sleep tight," she said, then yawned widely. "I know I will. I'm exhausted."

"'Night, Syd," they said in unison.

Ducking into the room with a hasty goodnight, she glanced around. Quickly noting that the room was empty, Syd hurried to the connecting door and knocked softly.

She was just about to knock again when the door opened. She stepped back, expecting to see Jakowski. She was therefore pleasantly surprised when HM walked through before closing the door softly behind him.

When he turned toward her, his grin was infectious. "Told Faceman I was whooped and slipped into the room and closed the door before he could say anything else. Jak and Kate are sound asleep."

They moved together, wrapping around one another. Syd sighed as her cheek came to rest on HM's chest, the coarse, curly hair there tickling the side of her face. One of his arms pulled her tight against him, while the other gently gathered her hair away from her face. He leaned his head down to kiss her temple.

"Ya know," he breathed, pressing his cheek where his lips had been, "as frustrated as I was when Face showed up, I really did enjoy spending time down on the beach together. We gotta do that more often."

"I enjoyed it too. You and Face are the best friends I've ever had," she murmured.

"You do think o' me as a little more than jus' a friend… don't ya, sugar?" Murdock asked softly, lips whispering across her brow.

She lifted her head to look up into his face. Struck again by the depth and dimension of his warm, brown eyes, Syd lost herself. Her response came out as a spontaneous reaction to the strength of the emotions that HM awakened within her.

"Yes, you are definitely more than a friend. You're… everything."

His responding smile was pleased. "I think that might be even better than admittin' ya love me."

She chuckled and pulled away from him in an effort to regain some of her self-possession. HM could compromise her independence in a way that was more than a little unsettling.

"Call it whatever you like," she said as she walked toward the French doors leading to the veranda. Glancing over her shoulder, she added, "You can still piss me off sometimes."

"That goes both ways, sugar," he said, following her out onto the veranda.

Leaning on the railing, she looked out toward the dim coals of the burned out bonfire. Her worries about HM's anger at her earlier seemed silly now. His arms circled her from behind and he rested his chin on her head.

"This is a little risky, isn't it?" he asked, teasing. "What if someone sees us?"

"Face's room is right downstairs so he's probably already in it and asleep. And I'm certain everyone else is still asleep. I think we're safe."

HM sighed heavily.

"What is it, HM?"

"I don' like lyin' to Face."

"Neither do I."

HM turned her so she was facing him, his look earnest. "Then let's stop this, Syd. It's the guys. We don' need to keep secrets from them… 'specially Face."

"I wish it was that easy, HM, but Hannibal agrees. Keeping Face in the dark is part of the strategy. Only Hannibal and Ray realize what's going on at this point… well, Trish knows, too." Sydney paused, took a deep breath, and plunged on. "But the point is that if Face and BA and Gravy all react genuinely to you being with Kate and me being with Jak it's going to lend a lot of credibility to the lie once we're back in Nha Trang."

"But I'm sure they'd all play along, Syd." HM's hands slid from her shoulders, down her arms, to grip her hands.

She pressed her lips together, nodding her head. "I know they would, but not nearly as convincingly as if they weren't playing."

HM screwed his mouth off to one side, his eyes rolling down and away before fixing on her again. "Hannibal agrees, huh?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then. Guess that's the way it needs to be. Don' mean I gotta like it."

Squeezing his hands comfortingly, Syd said, "I'm not thrilled either, HM. But if it's the best way for us to be together while we're at Nha Trang, I'll take it."

He smiled at her. "You don' know how happy it makes me to hear you say that, sugar."

She reached up and pressed her lips to his, the brief pressure enough to start her heart racing. Stepping back, she looked up at him. Was there any point in denying it anymore?

Smiling, she admitted, "I think I love you, HM Murdock."

HM pulled her into his arms and Sydney melted willingly against him. The gentle wind coming off the ocean carried the ever-present scent of tropical flowers, its cooling effect welcome given the heat of their coupled bodies. Laying her head on HM's chest, she could hear his heart racing in time to hers. She laced her fingers together at the small of his back and closed her eyes.

The feel of his lips against her ear raised gooseflesh across her body, his whisper as soft as the breeze, but infinitely more provocative.

"I already knew that, sugar."

She pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat and then gave him a little nip on the neck. He sucked in a breath in surprise.

Looking up at him, she murmured, "Smart ass."

His teasing smile had become very familiar to her by now, and her lips turned up in automatic response.

Eyebrow quirking up, he said, "But I'm your smart ass, sugar – forever and always."

Despite the tongue-in-cheek delivery, the promise of that statement settled as a comforting truth deep inside of Sydney. And the reciprocity of the basic sentiment was undeniable.

"Yours, forever and always."

THE END

A/N: Well, I hope that ending is satisfying. I've started work on the next story though if this one was any indication, it will take me a while to finish it. I've also begun a wholesale rewrite of Fatal Recall which was what started the journey of Sydney and Murdock. For those who have followed me through the entire process so far – including wotumba1 and SandraSmit19 – thanks so much for the steadfast support.

Hopefully when all is said and done, the plan comes together ;)