"Hannibal, BA, can you leave us alone for a second?" Face said. "And keep Murdock out of here."

They glanced at each other and Hannibal said, "Sure, Face." The two of them slipped out of the van, leaving Face and Bonnie alone. Puzzled, she watched them leave, and then turned back to Face.

"What's wrong, Templeton?"

"Bonnie, you'll be staying here with Tawnia for a while. She's agreed to put you up until you get a place of your own."

"But I thought..."

"I know. I know what you maybe thought, but, well, you can't come with me. I don't even really have a home. I kinda borrow places from people who are out of town. I don't even know if the one I was living in is still empty, I might end up crashing on Hannibal or BA's couch tonight."

"Oh. I... understand."

Did she? Probably not. She understood she couldn't come home with him tonight, and he saw the disappointment on her face. But what did she think beyond that? That he'd get all domestic, put her in a nice house, and live there with her? But he couldn't do that, even if he wanted to. His life wouldn't let him do that.

But he had to let her down easy. Okay, he was good at that; he'd done it many times before. But he worried even so, because this girl was especially fragile.

"Bonnie, you have to understand something. We won't be able to see each other here in LA."

She stared now, shock and confusion in her eyes. Face pressed on before she spoke.

"I can't live in one place too long. I'm in danger even visiting the same place too many times." Like the VA, where all this started. Case in point. "It's not just the military. We have enemies. Well, I don't have to tell you that."

"I see." Her voice had gone very small and she looked down at her hands.

"It would be dangerous for you too. The MPs could arrest you. Or someone could try to grab you to use against me. Us."

"You said you would protect me."

Face swallowed, starting to feel like the maggot that his first drill instructor back in basic had said he was.

"Hannibal said that you're under the A-Team's protection, and you are. But you have to understand what that means. It doesn't mean we'll be your guard dogs night and day. We can't be."

"Then what does it mean?" He voice had a tone of accusation in it now.

"It means that if anyone tries to hurt you, they'll answer to us. If anyone kidnapped you, we'd come get you. Because I owe you that."

"You... owe me."

'Owe' wasn't the word she wanted to hear. She looked down again. Face reached over and put a hand over hers.

"This is the best way for me to protect you, Bonnie. I'm a danger to be around. The whole team is."

"You let Tawnia be around you."

"Sometimes. Not all the time. And we... all of us, by Hannibal's orders, we keep our distance. Romantically, I mean. None of us can... date Tawnia. That would be too dangerous for her."

"Did you ever want to date her?"

"Bonnie, please, tell me that you understand. I only want the best for you. Being around me isn't the best for anyone." With his luck, no way. "Things might be different for me one day. I can maybe have some kind of normal life. But not yet."

He saw a couple of tears roll down her face and one fell to splash on his hand. But she nodded. Being brave, he thought.

"And you haven't had a normal life either. But now you can. Your own place to live. A job. Friends. Even, you know, when you're ready, a boyfriend. And you can do all the normal things people do together. You can't do that with me."

"I don't care about any of that. I don't want a... anyone else."

"I know. I'm sorry." He couldn't help himself; the soft heart he always denied was touched by her tears. He knelt by the seat and took her in his arms. She trembled against him. "I'm sorry. I only want the best for you."

"I... I love you." She mumbled the words against his shoulder.

"I know you think you do. But... well, I think you'll soon realise that's not really true."

"You don't know what I feel!" Less a mumble now, more a shout, though still muffled against his shoulder.

"I know you feel scared and lost. But you don't have to. Tawnia will take care of you. She's a good girl. You two will have a great time together."

"You like her."

"She drives me a little crazy, but I like her, yes." Wait, he thought, seeing what she was driving at. Had to head that off. Bonnie needed to trust Tawnia. Right now, Tawnia was all she had. "She's a good friend to the team. We all like her."

Bonnie had gone quieter now, snuffling against his shirt.

"Am I a friend to the team?"

"Are you kidding?" He pushed her back then, and looked into her face. Her eyes were red and the tears ran down her cheeks. "Bonnie, without you I'd have ended up dead. I'll always be grateful to you. The whole team will. You are absolutely a friend to the team."

That was a better title he thought. Lovers came and went, especially for Face. But friends stuck around. If you wanted the long term with Face, then better to be a friend than a lover.

"It's late, and we're all very tired. Now, you dry your eyes and go with Tawnia. She'll take care of everything."

"All right," Bonnie said, in the small voice again. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. Face held her other hand, still crouched by her seat, until she seemed to have pulled herself together enough.

"Ready?" he asked. He picked up her little stack of paperback and held them out to her. But she just turned away, and spoke in a choking voice.

"I don't want them."

>o<

Face sat in the back of the van, gloomy, and exhausted. The others stayed quiet, sensing his mood. But the tension must have gotten to Murdock eventually and he spoke.

"It's kind of late to take me back to the VA. Maybe I could crash at your place, Face?"

Probably thinks I need someone to talk to, Face thought, looking at Murdock's sympathetic expression. Well, Face didn't want to talk.

"I don't have a place."

>o<

In Tawnia's apartment, Bonnie dropped onto the couch and curled into a ball. She looked tiny and frail like that, Tawnia thought. Legs and arms so thin. The sobs that started from her were quiet at first, but Tawnia knew they'd get louder.

Tawnia knew exactly what this situation called for. The team wouldn't have known, but in this case, she had the specialist knowledge. A couple of big, warm bathrobes, wine, and ice cream. Looking at Bonnie, lying so crushed and broken, she had to wonder if she had enough ice cream.

Of if there was enough ice cream in the entire world.

>o<

Bonnie looked very different.

Face stood as she approached his table on the terrace at the restaurant. She'd gained some weight, losing the gaunt face and bony limbs. Expensive hair cut and colour. Well applied make-up. Nice clothes, that Tawnia probably helped her pick out. The team had seen to it that she had some money for all that.

She still moved nervously though. Her appearance might be different, but she still moved carefully to avoid bumping or brushing against people, fearful of touching anyone, drawing anyone's attention.

"Hi," Face said, as she arrived. He held out his hand to her to shake. She took it only after a moment and let go quickly. A waiter seated her and left them with their menus.

"How are you, Bonnie? You look really well."

"I'm fine."

He hadn't spoken to her in two months. And that had been on the phone. He hadn't seen her in three months, since they dropped her off with Tawnia. There'd been a couple of long jobs, abroad, since the whole Watkins thing. And then the MPs had been sniffing around, just a little too close.

But he didn't have to feel guilty about that, he told himself. He'd made sure she was safe. Tawnia was taking care of her. He had no reason to feel guilty at all... Who the hell said you needed a reason?

"So, I hear Tawnia got you a job at her dad's company. Are you enjoying it?"

"It's fine."

"Right... well, um, oh, pick anything you like off the menu. Lobster's great here. They're practically jumping right out of the ocean onto your plate." He waved a hand at the sea, only a few feet from where they sat, the tide coming in now, close to the restaurant terrace.

"Can I have the Caesar Salad with low-fat dressing?"

"Of course, whatever you want." That was Tawnia's usual order. Face supposed Bonnie was learning everything she needed to know about being a single girl in LA from Tawnia. No better teacher. Though Tawnia had missed out an important lesson. Stay away from the A-Team; they will screw up your life six ways from Sunday.

Face gave the waiter their orders, including wine, which Bonnie said she didn't want, so Face ordered a half bottle. Tawnia always said wine was fattening. He should probably have a word with Tawnia. Tawnia might be Bonnie's role model right now, but that could go too far. Bonnie needed to find her feet and make her own life.

"Well, anyway," Face said, when the waiter left again, "I just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay. I know we haven't been around much. But we're back in town now. And Tawnia can get in touch if you need us."

She nodded and they made small talk for a while, until the food came, then ate in silence. Face wanted to be anywhere but here. He'd hoped she'd be happy with her new life. But he saw little evidence of it. Had he really broken her heart? He hated to think he ever did that to any woman.

Face romanced a lot of women, but he didn't expect them to love him forever. If he left them at least well intentioned towards him, that was enough for him. If it meant he could maybe drop by sometime and receive a warm welcome, even better. That's all he asked for.

But he supposed those were different sorts of women from Bonnie. What he offered was all they expected. They knew it was all part of a game. Bonnie had different expectations.

She didn't want dessert so Face just ordered them coffee. After it was served, she spoke up again.

"Templeton, did you mean any of the things you said?"

"Some of them."

"Like what?"

He tried desperately to remember the things he'd actually said. "I said you were brave. I said you were a good person. That was true. It still is true. And hey, I said I'd be proud to take you out to a fancy restaurant and here we are."

"Having lunch."

"Er, yeah. Lunch." She knows the difference between lunch and dinner. It's not just the name.

"But the part where you talked about us finding each other. That was just bullshit to get me to help you, right?"

Face looked away for a second, embarrassed, then back at her. "Um, I guess. Yes. It was part of the plan."

"And the rest? Being the gentleman, not taking advantage, so that I thought you actually respected me. Part of the plan?"

"No!" Face protested. "I do respect you, Bonnie, believe me. I didn't take advantage, because I didn't want to be like everyone else in your life."

She laughed, an edge of bitterness to it. "But that's exactly what you were in the end, isn't it? You just have a different way of going about it. You didn't force me; you made me volunteer to be taken advantage of." She sighed and shook her head. "I thought you were different. I thought you were like nobody I'd ever met before. But turned out you were just the same."

"That's not fair. I was just trying to survive." He lowered his voice and leaned across the table. "Do you think for a second your family didn't intend to murder my friends and me? I kept my promises, Bonnie. I got you out and gave you a new life. I'm sorry that there isn't anything else I can give you."

That bitter laugh again. "I suppose you think I'm still pining away for you. I'm sorry, Templeton, I'm not. Not once I realised what you are."

"Then... I'm glad about that. I want you to have a chance to be happy. Forget me. You're probably right about what I am. Not worth your time." It seemed to be what she wanted to hear. And he should be glad, for her sake, so she could move on. So he didn't have to feel guilty about her any longer. "I never wanted to break your heart."

"Is there the remotest chance you could get over yourself?" Face had heard that tone from some of the... harder women he'd dated. The type he usually cut loose pretty quick. "You really are like one of the men in those stupid books I used to read."

Probably all Jackie Collins, Judith Krantz and Shirley Conran in her stack of paperbacks now, Face thought. He looked at his watch, looking for a reason to end this.

"Well, I have to go meet the guys," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I have to go back to work anyway." She stood up.

"Let me call you a cab," Face said, standing too.

"I can manage. Goodbye, Templeton. Thanks for the lunch. You can just call next time. You don't have to go to the effort of seeing me."

He watched her walk away. When she vanished from sight, he flopped back into his chair. That could have been a more pleasant lunch. BA tossing waiters into the ocean would have been a more enjoyable lunch date.

Well, what did he expect? Of course she would change. Did he want her to be the moonstruck girl gazing at his picture and eating her heart out every night? Of course not. But the idea that he'd contributed to her bitterness ate at him. How many other women had he made cynical?

He left the table and strolled over to the edge of the terrace. The waves lapped up against the wall below now. Spray even touched his hands when he rested them on the rail.

Maybe he should get over himself. Did he really think he had that much of an effect on so many women? Serial heartbreaker. Should he take pride in that? He'd had no choice this time. Or not many choices anyway, just needing to get out of there, whatever it took. But the rest of the time, he had a choice.

But what was he supposed to do? He couldn't stay with any one woman. Not Bonnie, not anyone else.

He remembered talking to her in the van. About how because he was a fugitive she couldn't be part of his life. What if one day he had to say that to a woman he actually loved? A woman he wanted to be with and couldn't? Two hearts broken for the price of one.

And it would happen one day, he felt sure of it. Because this - the whole being on the run crap - this would never end. Unless a wizard with a magic wand dropped out of the sky and fixed everything, they'd be tottering to their graves with Decker coming up slowly behind them on his walker.

Assuming they got to the age of tottering. This time he'd been lucky there was someone there to help him and he'd escaped. Without her, he may indeed have ended up dead. Did he want someone back home worrying about that happening?

Bonnie wouldn't be fretting about it, that much was clear. He'd have to have a word with Tawnia, make sure Bonnie really was okay. That she got over the way she was right now. The way he'd made her.

Face went back to the table and paid the check with a credit card that bore another man's name. On the way out, he tossed it into the trash. Maybe one day, he'd have one with his own name on it.

I got her out. He had to keep remembering that. She has a chance now. Freedom.

That was more than he had.