Her Last Hope (H/F)
Written for a prompt from panda77777:
Face and Hannibal have left the army and have started a new life together. This was due to Face being invalided out of the army and Hannibal retiring to look after him. Which means that they never took part in the plate incident. However BA and Murdock stayed in the army and were framed by Black Forest and Morrison. After the trial Mrs Baracus shows up on their doorstep as a last resort. She's used up her money trying to prove BA and Murdock’s innocence and now she doesn't know who else to turn to. Maybe when the team had broken in two they hadn't parted on good terms, maybe the others felt Hannibal was too controlling where Face was concerned after he was wounded. But she doesn't know who else to turn to and she can see that Face is doing well. Maybe they let her stay with them. How Hannibal and Face help is up to the writer.
She had some nerve, showing up on their doorstep like this.
Hannibal never took his eyes from his guest for a moment, barely even blinking, as he leaned back deliberately in his chair and crossed his legs slowly. He folded his hands in his lap, hoping it would hide the fact that they were shaking with barely controlled anger. Some nerve, really.
Adele Baracus sat stiffly in her own chair opposite, two steaming mugs of tea sitting untouched on the coffee table between them, as she stared back at Hannibal with her dark and piercing eyes. She didn’t seem upset by his scrutiny, nor intimidated by his posture, though the silence between them was growing almost unbearable, the room thick and heavy with tension.
“I’m sorry.” Eventually unable to bear it any longer, Hannibal practically bit out the words, trying hard to keep his voice down; Face was asleep upstairs, exhausted after a long and difficult session with his physio earlier that morning, and the walls of their little house were thin. “I know exactly why you’re here, and quite frankly I’m surprised you didn’t come sooner. But I don’t know what you expect me to do.”
“I don’t ‘expect’ you to do anything.” The woman who had always used to be known as Mama to Hannibal and his boys shifted her weight on the cushions, folding her own hands in her lap in unconscious mimicry of Hannibal’s position. “I hoped you would want to help. I hoped you would know what I should do next. You’re my last hope.”
Hannibal shook his head, gritting his teeth. “Ma’am, we - ”
“Mama,” she cut in immediately. “I’m still Mama, John, even though it’s been years since I’ve seen the pair of you.”
In a distant part of his mind Hannibal wondered if he was imagining the slightly bitter note in the older woman’s voice, but he immediately discarded the thought as irrelevant. She was probably more than entitled to some level of bitterness given everything that had happened back then, and everything she must have been through recently, but it didn’t change a single thing. It certainly didn’t soothe Hannibal’s own bitterness or anger even one fraction.
“Yes, it has been years,” he agreed as calmly as he could, fighting to keep his voice steady and giving in to the urge to clench his fists. “Seven years since we left the army. Six years, nearly, since your son has even spoken to us. Not a word nor a letter in all that time, from him or from you, so I ask you again, what do you expect me to do?”
Mama didn’t even flinch at his words, nor did she offer any justifications or apologies. Hannibal felt a spark of grudging respect; he would have thrown her out in a heartbeat had she even tried.
“It’s been six years, yes, but you know him, John. He hasn’t changed. He didn’t do this - my baby and those other poor boys were set up.”
Hannibal clenched his jaw so tightly he felt something pop. “The court martial found otherwise,” he pointed out, but Mama shook her head fiercely, leaning forwards in her chair towards where he sat.
“You know him,” she said again, louder now, her voice rising as her love for her son shone through. “You know my Scooter. He’s a good man, an honest man, and he says they were set up. By Black Forest and by your precious General Morrison.”
Her last words were practically a shout, and Hannibal growled, “Keep your voice down, Mama, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
For a moment the heavy silence blanketed the room once again, before Hannibal saw his guest glance over towards the staircase and the rooms that lay beyond. He was surprised to find himself briefly fighting against the instinctive urge to form a blockade, to keep his sleeping love safe at any and all cost, though of course he knew he could take the older woman down without even breaking a sweat if things went that far.
“I’m sorry,” Mama said softly, her voice dropping to little more than a whisper as she settled back in her chair with a tired sigh, her gaze remaining fixed on the stairs. “How’s he doing these days? I hoped… I thought I might be able to see him, perhaps, while I was here.”
Another little flash of anger rippled through Hannibal at her words, and he tensed, almost deciding to throw her out of the house after all. She had some nerve even asking about Face - it was true that they hadn’t spoken to her for years, but Mama had never once tried to get in contact with them either, choosing to side with her son without any questions asked.
Perhaps that was understandable on some level, even if it was unforgivable in Hannibal’s eyes, and while he didn’t mind so much for himself, Face had always loved spending time with Mama. He could certainly have used all the love and support possible, particularly in those difficult early days.
“He’s as good as he’ll ever be,” Hannibal told her eventually, resenting every word. “He needs to rest. I don’t want him to… He doesn’t know, yet, about the trial.”
Face wouldn’t understand, and seeing Mama now might well undo years of hard work, though there was also the possibility that he wouldn’t even recognise her at all. Every day was different. Every day was a challenge, but Hannibal still loved Face with all his heart, and he would do anything to protect him, even now.
Especially now.
Mama nodded in response, slightly sadly, and turned her penetrating stare back towards Hannibal. “You four boys were always so close,” she started quietly. “You were like family. At least, that’s how it always seemed to me, and I don’t pretend to understand even a quarter of what went on between you all after Face… after everything that happened. I can’t and won’t apologise for my small part in it. But you have to know that they didn’t do this. You know my son, and you know Murdock.”
“I did know them. I knew the men they were back then.” Hannibal paused, wondering if he truly believed what he was saying. After everything that happened, had he ever really known them at all? “I thought I knew them. But six years is a long time. I don’t know the men they are today.”
“Please, John. I’m a proud woman. Don’t make me beg.”
“That’s the last thing I want.” Hannibal started to get to his feet, deciding it really was past time to start showing her out, but Mama’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“I’ve sold my house. Cashed in my pension, my savings. I’ve taken loans, used credit cards, and I’m out of options.” A shrug, part embarrassed and part unashamed, then Mama squared her shoulders with obvious determination. Hannibal could see where her son got his strength from as she continued, “Lawyers are expensive, you know, especially when you’re fighting the whole god-damned US Army.”
Hannibal sank back in his chair again, raising one hand to his mouth in shock, almost more surprised by the fact that this good and God-fearing woman had cursed than by the drastic steps she had taken to help her son.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she believed every single word she was saying about her son’s innocence, and in spite of whatever differences they might have had Hannibal still did believe that BA was a good man at heart. He’d never heard a single good word about Black Forest, though, and as for the general, well, that very much depended on who you spoke to.
Russell Morrison had moved heaven and earth to help Face, making sure the very best possible medical care was available at all times, and supporting both him and Hannibal every step of the way since they’d left the army. They wouldn’t be where they were today without that support, but Hannibal also knew he could be a slippery bastard when he chose, always a man with his own fierce ambitions and a carefully hidden agenda. If BA and Murdock’s new team had somehow got in the way of one of his plans…
Well. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, certainly, as much as Hannibal hated to admit it even to himself.
“Please,” Mama whispered, anguish and desperation in her voice for the first time since she’d arrived unannounced on Hannibal and Face’s front porch. “Please, John. I don’t want your money, but I do need your help. He’s my only baby, and I’ve got no one left to turn to. You really are my last hope.”
“Okay,” Hannibal found himself saying. “No promises. But I can make a few calls.”
Face and Hannibal have left the army and have started a new life together. This was due to Face being invalided out of the army and Hannibal retiring to look after him. Which means that they never took part in the plate incident. However BA and Murdock stayed in the army and were framed by Black Forest and Morrison. After the trial Mrs Baracus shows up on their doorstep as a last resort. She's used up her money trying to prove BA and Murdock’s innocence and now she doesn't know who else to turn to. Maybe when the team had broken in two they hadn't parted on good terms, maybe the others felt Hannibal was too controlling where Face was concerned after he was wounded. But she doesn't know who else to turn to and she can see that Face is doing well. Maybe they let her stay with them. How Hannibal and Face help is up to the writer.
She had some nerve, showing up on their doorstep like this.
Hannibal never took his eyes from his guest for a moment, barely even blinking, as he leaned back deliberately in his chair and crossed his legs slowly. He folded his hands in his lap, hoping it would hide the fact that they were shaking with barely controlled anger. Some nerve, really.
Adele Baracus sat stiffly in her own chair opposite, two steaming mugs of tea sitting untouched on the coffee table between them, as she stared back at Hannibal with her dark and piercing eyes. She didn’t seem upset by his scrutiny, nor intimidated by his posture, though the silence between them was growing almost unbearable, the room thick and heavy with tension.
“I’m sorry.” Eventually unable to bear it any longer, Hannibal practically bit out the words, trying hard to keep his voice down; Face was asleep upstairs, exhausted after a long and difficult session with his physio earlier that morning, and the walls of their little house were thin. “I know exactly why you’re here, and quite frankly I’m surprised you didn’t come sooner. But I don’t know what you expect me to do.”
“I don’t ‘expect’ you to do anything.” The woman who had always used to be known as Mama to Hannibal and his boys shifted her weight on the cushions, folding her own hands in her lap in unconscious mimicry of Hannibal’s position. “I hoped you would want to help. I hoped you would know what I should do next. You’re my last hope.”
Hannibal shook his head, gritting his teeth. “Ma’am, we - ”
“Mama,” she cut in immediately. “I’m still Mama, John, even though it’s been years since I’ve seen the pair of you.”
In a distant part of his mind Hannibal wondered if he was imagining the slightly bitter note in the older woman’s voice, but he immediately discarded the thought as irrelevant. She was probably more than entitled to some level of bitterness given everything that had happened back then, and everything she must have been through recently, but it didn’t change a single thing. It certainly didn’t soothe Hannibal’s own bitterness or anger even one fraction.
“Yes, it has been years,” he agreed as calmly as he could, fighting to keep his voice steady and giving in to the urge to clench his fists. “Seven years since we left the army. Six years, nearly, since your son has even spoken to us. Not a word nor a letter in all that time, from him or from you, so I ask you again, what do you expect me to do?”
Mama didn’t even flinch at his words, nor did she offer any justifications or apologies. Hannibal felt a spark of grudging respect; he would have thrown her out in a heartbeat had she even tried.
“It’s been six years, yes, but you know him, John. He hasn’t changed. He didn’t do this - my baby and those other poor boys were set up.”
Hannibal clenched his jaw so tightly he felt something pop. “The court martial found otherwise,” he pointed out, but Mama shook her head fiercely, leaning forwards in her chair towards where he sat.
“You know him,” she said again, louder now, her voice rising as her love for her son shone through. “You know my Scooter. He’s a good man, an honest man, and he says they were set up. By Black Forest and by your precious General Morrison.”
Her last words were practically a shout, and Hannibal growled, “Keep your voice down, Mama, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
For a moment the heavy silence blanketed the room once again, before Hannibal saw his guest glance over towards the staircase and the rooms that lay beyond. He was surprised to find himself briefly fighting against the instinctive urge to form a blockade, to keep his sleeping love safe at any and all cost, though of course he knew he could take the older woman down without even breaking a sweat if things went that far.
“I’m sorry,” Mama said softly, her voice dropping to little more than a whisper as she settled back in her chair with a tired sigh, her gaze remaining fixed on the stairs. “How’s he doing these days? I hoped… I thought I might be able to see him, perhaps, while I was here.”
Another little flash of anger rippled through Hannibal at her words, and he tensed, almost deciding to throw her out of the house after all. She had some nerve even asking about Face - it was true that they hadn’t spoken to her for years, but Mama had never once tried to get in contact with them either, choosing to side with her son without any questions asked.
Perhaps that was understandable on some level, even if it was unforgivable in Hannibal’s eyes, and while he didn’t mind so much for himself, Face had always loved spending time with Mama. He could certainly have used all the love and support possible, particularly in those difficult early days.
“He’s as good as he’ll ever be,” Hannibal told her eventually, resenting every word. “He needs to rest. I don’t want him to… He doesn’t know, yet, about the trial.”
Face wouldn’t understand, and seeing Mama now might well undo years of hard work, though there was also the possibility that he wouldn’t even recognise her at all. Every day was different. Every day was a challenge, but Hannibal still loved Face with all his heart, and he would do anything to protect him, even now.
Especially now.
Mama nodded in response, slightly sadly, and turned her penetrating stare back towards Hannibal. “You four boys were always so close,” she started quietly. “You were like family. At least, that’s how it always seemed to me, and I don’t pretend to understand even a quarter of what went on between you all after Face… after everything that happened. I can’t and won’t apologise for my small part in it. But you have to know that they didn’t do this. You know my son, and you know Murdock.”
“I did know them. I knew the men they were back then.” Hannibal paused, wondering if he truly believed what he was saying. After everything that happened, had he ever really known them at all? “I thought I knew them. But six years is a long time. I don’t know the men they are today.”
“Please, John. I’m a proud woman. Don’t make me beg.”
“That’s the last thing I want.” Hannibal started to get to his feet, deciding it really was past time to start showing her out, but Mama’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“I’ve sold my house. Cashed in my pension, my savings. I’ve taken loans, used credit cards, and I’m out of options.” A shrug, part embarrassed and part unashamed, then Mama squared her shoulders with obvious determination. Hannibal could see where her son got his strength from as she continued, “Lawyers are expensive, you know, especially when you’re fighting the whole god-damned US Army.”
Hannibal sank back in his chair again, raising one hand to his mouth in shock, almost more surprised by the fact that this good and God-fearing woman had cursed than by the drastic steps she had taken to help her son.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew she believed every single word she was saying about her son’s innocence, and in spite of whatever differences they might have had Hannibal still did believe that BA was a good man at heart. He’d never heard a single good word about Black Forest, though, and as for the general, well, that very much depended on who you spoke to.
Russell Morrison had moved heaven and earth to help Face, making sure the very best possible medical care was available at all times, and supporting both him and Hannibal every step of the way since they’d left the army. They wouldn’t be where they were today without that support, but Hannibal also knew he could be a slippery bastard when he chose, always a man with his own fierce ambitions and a carefully hidden agenda. If BA and Murdock’s new team had somehow got in the way of one of his plans…
Well. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, certainly, as much as Hannibal hated to admit it even to himself.
“Please,” Mama whispered, anguish and desperation in her voice for the first time since she’d arrived unannounced on Hannibal and Face’s front porch. “Please, John. I don’t want your money, but I do need your help. He’s my only baby, and I’ve got no one left to turn to. You really are my last hope.”
“Okay,” Hannibal found himself saying. “No promises. But I can make a few calls.”