April 11 --- Clean Sweep

Holiday: Clean Up Your Pantry Day


Memories are the only things that don't change... - Ritu Ghatourey




"What do you think?"

Face held his breath as they sat in the car, looking at the house. It was only the seventh place they'd checked in as many weeks, and each time Murdock decided it hadn't been quite right. Face had kept track of the things Murdock liked and didn't like, and put their agent through hell finding this one.

This whole relationship thing had been hard enough to deal with. Admitting to themselves that, while the women were enjoyable and friendships often developed, that 'something' was missing. For Face, after all these years of 'commitment phobia', the illumination was more like a sunrise than the fireball Murdock had experienced. All the same, there it was, and he'd finally decided there was no sense denying it.

He still wasn't sure if Hannibal and BA were actually as accepting as they said, but the team's relationships remained essentially the same, so he could live with that. The only thing he really hadn't come to terms with was whether to tell Father Magill, and it had been the one big fight he'd had with Murdock since becoming partners. And while he trusted Murdock, he'd never let him know when he visited the Father. Why ask for trouble?

But now his concern was the house. Two years since the pardons, almost as long since the 'revelation', and Murdock wanted a real home. Not an apartment, not even a condo. A house, with a yard, with neighbors - he wanted 'normal'. Face wasn't sure how normal their lives would ever be, but if Murdock wanted suburbia, then so did he.

Murdock got out of the car, and Face started to breathe a little easier, noting that small smile. Maybe, just maybe, this was actually The House.

*****

The move had proved... irritating. Murdock's hovering reached heights Face hadn't seen since he'd been shot.

A lot of things had changed since then.

For one thing, the team had learned that Face couldn't jump cars anymore. He'd had to deal with some overall team anxiety for a few weeks after that little maneuver, and accept, after many heated arguments, that his position on the team had to change. He still worked with Hannibal on the clients and the plans, but his scams dealt with getting supplies or initial set-ups of the bad guys. Confrontations with said bad guys meant he was the one watching the others' backs instead of active participation. He hated it, but he hated the angry "I told you so's" after ending up in the hospital again even more.

Having your guts torn up changes a lot of things.

So, moving from their apartment to the new house meant Murdock worried about him lifting anything deemed too heavy, or that the couch wasn't really that easy to get up from, or the mattress too soft to be healthy. Face was constantly reminding the pilot that he wasn't an invalid. But then Murdock would get that kicked puppy look in his eyes, and Face would relent.

In the end, he would 'run errands' and either go watch Hannibal's latest movie gig or help BA at the daycare he worked at. Then he would go home, reassure Murdock that he hadn't been doing anything he shouldn't, and spend the rest of the evening praising the dinner Murdock had lovingly prepared and the new arrangement of furniture.

Well, things would settle down eventually. Then he and Murdock could get back to being themselves. He looked forward to many years of that.

*****

"I was thinking we could put the pool here. What do you think?"

Murdock studied the backyard before slowly shaking his head. "No, we won't have room."

"What? Why not? There's nothing else back here."

"There will be. See, I'm gonna put the herb garden over here..." He stepped quickly to the back of their yard. "And over there will be the rose garden, and the veggies have to go here so they get enough sun."

Face said nothing, and Murdock smiled.

"You know you have to watch your diet, and the healthiest cooking comes with fresh veggies and herbs. And the roses will be perfect with the candles and soft music..."

Face sighed. Romantic dinners were nice - if not done routinely. A pool was nice every day. He looked at Murdock's happy smile.

"Okay, sure, Murdock."

*****

"You promised what?"

"I promised Mrs Atwell we'd babysit for a few days."

"A few days."

"Yeah. Her husband just got back from deployment, and she was saying she'd like to surprise him with a few days just by themselves. So I said we'd watch the kids."

"How old are these kids? Potty-trained, I hope."

"They're three and four, so yes, they're potty-trained. And she's not taking them out of their preschool, so we just have to deal with them for a few hours at night, and then get them ready in the morning."

Face sighed. "I thought we were going to the mountains. Just the two of us?"

"We can do that anytime, Face. This is a special occasion for them - and you said we needed to be good neighbors."

"I was talking to Hannibal, and I meant no coming to visit and shooting up the neighborhood."

"We can go to the mountains when the Atwell's get back. Promise."

*****

The note was short but enthusiastic, and included a scrawled heart at the end. Face sighed and headed for the kitchen. He pulled the salad from the fridge - "Your favorite, Face!" - and wandered out to the backyard. He sat carefully in the wicker chair with the thick cushions, putting his feet on the matching wicker ottoman. He was tired and sore, and he didn't like either.

With Hannibal on location in Mexico, and BA up in Chicago, they hadn't been able to take any new clients. And unlike the usual slow times, the others being out of town also meant no training sessions. He smiled ruefully. He usually hated those sessions, mainly because he kept fit on his own time. But again, there were things he couldn't do anymore - like jogging. No jarring the insides. So he needed those sessions to augment what he could do. No sessions left him with only one other choice. Ignoring Murdock's scowls, he'd started going to the gym and developed a friendship with one of the trainers there. Between the two of them they'd figured out an exercise regime that wouldn't cause any problems.

He picked at the salad. He really wanted something more. He really wished Murdock was here instead of at that neighborhood meeting. Despite his opinion of the gym visits, Murdock was always willing to massage aching muscles. Damn it, Face was so tired of the continuing problems, all the things he used to do and couldn't. All the things they used to do and didn't. Like just spending time together.

Everything had changed.

Everything...

Dumping the salad in the garbage, he went in to take a shower.

*****

"I'm so glad to see Templeton's back home again. Such a nice man. What exactly happened?"

"It was a problem with some scarring - inside, y'know, from when he got shot."

"Really? I thought that happened some time ago."

"Yeah, but the scars kept building up. It happens sometimes. They had to go back in and, uh, fix it."

"Oh, dear, that's so sad. But at least he's got you looking out for him. I'm not sure if I could handle it, never knowing when something might go wrong."

"Yeah, well, that's what I'm here for."

The subject switched to the rose garden, and the voices slowly moved away from the window. Face lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Apparently more had changed than he'd realized.

**********

It's okay to walk out of someone's life if you don't feel like you belong in it anymore. - Anon