Chapter Five - All the Rage

In the years that Face has known H.M. Murdock, he felt confident enough to say that he knew his best friend as well as he knew himself. He's been there through all the highs and lows; From the time his buddy's brown eyes glowed with pride when the Silver Star was pinned to his chest, to the long months of being tortured in a POW camp.

And with those experiences, Templeton had catalogued every expression that had ever crossed the pilot's face. Happiness was easy, as it was rare to not see some measure of glee in his countenance… though he had to admit it came more often after his friend's breakdown. Sadness was simple too, but thankfully that emotion never stayed long, though crippling depression has been known to pop up a time or two. And, though B.A. would deny it vehemently, Murdock often carried a thoughtful expression; The pilot was brilliant, and it often showed on his face when trying to work through one puzzle or another. He could probably give Hannibal a run for his money on plan making, but Murdock seemed perfectly content with the current pecking order.

Anger, though?

Face, before today, would have sworn that he's seen H.M. angry. As close as brothers, the two have had their fair share of fights over the years. Murdock has often stormed away from him, red-faced and pouty. And Templeton could never forget the cold stare aimed at the owner of that seedy little bar in the deep south called "The Floor 'Em" when a group of thugs had threatened to harm the conman. He still gets chills when thinking about it.

But never has Face witnessed Murdock completely lose control in the face of rage… until now.

It all started with a job. They were hired by a group of farmers in a small Texan town who were sick and tired of some big shot land developer from Dallas trying to run them out of business in order to take their land. Same old story… different day. Face knew what they'd find when they pulled into town.

They'd probably catch a few goons in the act of terrorizing the locals… the A-Team would proceed to humiliate them in front of everyone. Then, after having their asses handed to them, the thugs would either offer them a "friendly" warning, or go into the obligatory "you'll never get away with this" spiel. And it happened just as Face predicted.

What hadn't counted on was Murdock's estranged father being one of the farmers in need.

The first clue that something was amiss was when Murdock stiffened during Hannibal's "don't worry about a thing, the scum won't know what hit them" speech to the farmers. H.M. was so tense that he was practically vibrating. Face was the only one who noticed, however, and subtly moved closer to the pilot.

Then came the introductions.

When Hannibal reached Murdock's name one of the farmers had a similar reaction, especially when the others turned to stare at the older man in surprise. Face's first thought when he saw the man in question was, "Wow, he has the same eyes as Murdock!" It honestly hadn't occurred to him, despite the proverbial elephant stomping into the room, that they had just met one of the pilot's relatives. With the death of his grandparents during the war, it was less heartbreaking to believe H.M. was an orphan than it was to know he had family who simply didn't care about him.

And knowing what he does now, it would have been better for the fantasy to continue.

After the meet and greet, where Hannibal tactfully chose not to air the Murdock dirty laundry in front of a crowd, Murdock disappeared. Face found him in the van, halfheartedly reading one of his comics and studiously ignoring his best friend. Templeton knew H.M. needed time to get his turbulent emotions in check, so he picked up a book of his own and settled in for a long wait.

It seemed like the elder Murdock was just as determined to ignore his own flesh and blood, and pretty much kept to himself for the duration of their stay. In fact, Templeton was beginning to think they were going to be able to wrap up everything without a single word spoken between the two Murdocks.

He should have known his luck wouldn't allow for it.

It was the last day of their visit. The bad guys had been vanquished and were cooling their heels in the local slammer. Their clients wanted to show their appreciation by throwing a party for the soldiers of fortune, and Hannibal wasn't one to say no to a good shindig. Knowing Murdock wasn't in the mood, Templeton stayed close throughout the night. For once he ignored the slightly tipsy girls vying for his attention and instead focused on his best friend. It showed how distracted H.M. had been that he didn't notice the selfless act.

As the sounds of upbeat music and merriment poured out of the barn behind him, H.M. stared up at the starry sky as if looking for the secrets of the universe. Templeton was out of sight, leaned up against the corner of the ancient wooden structure, and therefore wasn't noticed by his buddy's father, (Howell Matthew Murdock, he had learned was his name), when he came out to harass the pilot. The old man seemed to have a few beers under his belt and must have been feeling confident.

"Hey boy… got nothing to say to your old man?"

H.M. never once pulled his gaze from the stars. Templeton was more than prepared to intervene, but he knew that this wasn't his fight.

Irritated at being ignored, Howell stumbled closer to his son and lightly kicked the younger man's foot. This earned him the cold stare, the very same one directed at poor Chuck in The Floor 'Em. "I got nothing to say to you. You'd best get back inside where it's safe."

Instead of making the farmer terrified, as it should, the threat amused him greatly. "Whatchu gonna do, boy? Fly circles around me in your helicopters and make me dizzy? You're still as scrawny as you were when you were a kid." The farmer leaned down and poked his son in the chest… a move he would regret for the remainder of his days.

H.M., in a blur of movement, soon had his father pinned against the chipped red paint of the barn, hand around his throat. "You listen to me, old man. I ain't the same know nothing kid that left Texas, so you'd be wise to not test my patience."

Face appeared at his best friend's side when the farmer's face began to redden from lack of air. He placed a calming hand on H.M.'s shoulder, but was ignored as the pilot got everything he needed to say off of his chest.

"I told you when I got on that bus that you and I were through. That I wasn't gonna put up with you tryin' to control me with your hate-filled words or fists."

Temp got worried when his friend increased the pressure on the elder Murdock's neck. "Um… buddy?"

"It's bad enough you caused mama to take her own life, but I'd be damned if I'd let it happen to me!"

Face unsuccessfully tried to break the connection when the old man's head began to turn purple. "Murdock, you can't do this! Look at him… you're killing him, buddy. He may deserve it, but you'd regret it. Murdock?"

Templeton tried to make eye contact with his friend. He ignored the silent tears cascading down the pilot's face and forcefully turned the face toward him. "Let him go, Murdock. He's not worth it."

He held the gaze, though it was difficult when faced with the depth of despair the pilot couldn't keep hidden. He smiled when Murdock released his father's neck and latched on to him in a desperate hug. They both ignored the old man on the ground gasping and sputtering as he tried to catch his breath.

Templeton was leading his friend away when the old farmer, who seemed to have a death wish, offered one last retort. "Yeah, run away… just like you did back then. You're never gonna amount to anything, boy. You hear me? Nothin'!"

Face paused, signaling Murdock to hold on before making his way back to where Howell shakily stood. One punch found the old farmer knocked on his ass once again. "He's worth more to just me than you've ever been to everyone you've met altogether. Mess with him again and I won't try so hard to keep him from killing you."

Wrapping a brotherly arm around H.M., Face didn't spare another look at the broken old man on the ground behind him.

Wow... I've had to rewrite this chapter like eight times! I almost gave up on a Murdock family reunion, but the idea wouldn't leave my head. Hope you like ;)