Chapter Text
Jack had his doubts about the cult when they moved in next door. He was pretty sure they weren’t actually a cult, but it amused him to call them that, so he did. He thought maybe they’d be cooking meth or something in there, but they seemed to be lying low instead and that was fine by him, there didn’t seem to be any big manhunts on the news so he figured they must not been too dangerous. The big man had even bought some stuff and he’d been polite about it, which was more than he could say for some people.
They brought blondie back just over a week before and Jack hadn’t seen him since. He was thinking they got him out of some kind of hospital, given the ambulance, so maybe he was part of the gang too and he’d been injured on a job or something. Maybe they really were a cult and they were going to sacrifice blondie on the full moon, in which case the guy had about three days left, because the moon was looking pretty fat, bathing the junkyard in milky silver light. Jack thought it looked pretty that way.
He was sitting outside his trailer at the back of his property, enjoying the cool night air and a cold beer, feet up on the bumper of 69 Buick that had been all but hollowed out when heard something fall over and frowned. Sometimes a raccoon or a stray dog got in, and sometimes the stuff just seemed to wriggle itself loose and collapse despite how much he prided himself on his stacking ability. Sometimes, of course, people broke in.
Picking up an iron bar he kept for just such occasions and a flashlight he walked slowly in the direction of the sound.
“Hello?” He called out, squinting into the shadows ahead.
Then blondie staggered out wearing just a black vest and shorts. He looked pale, and confused, and a little wild-eyed. Jack gasped, and blondie froze. They stared at one another for a long minute.
Jack glanced up to the cult house. the windows were dark, it was pretty late, then back to blondie.
“Hey…” Jack began, and blondie frowned, seemingly slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He looked about as confused as Jack was.
“C’mon you can’t be walking around here like that,” Jack said. He backed up towards his trailer, “come and sit down.”
Blondie hesitated, then limped forwards slowly.
Jack sighed and tossed the bar back towards the trailer, then held out his hand to blondie. “Here, let me help you.”
Blondie looked embarrassed for a second, then gripped Jack’s wrist and lent on him until he sank wearily into Jack’s chair. “Sorry I…”
Jack half smiled and sat down on the front of the Buick. The guy had obviously been through some shit in the recent past judging by the rainbow of bruises down one side of his face. “Hey, who hasn’t woken up in a junkyard with no idea how they got there. I do it every morning.”
Blondie smiled slightly.
“Bet your friends don’t know you’re out here, huh?” Jack looked back towards the cult house, still dark. “Listen uh…” he studied blondie for a moment, “you don’t need to go back there if you don’t want to. You can stay here and I’ll call the cops, or there’s a shelter just-”
“No, no,” blondie said with an embarrassed grin, “thank you, but I’m not in trouble.”
“Well, gotta check, huh?” Jack smiled.
Lights were starting to come on in the cult house, each room turning on in rapid succession.
“I think they just figured out you’re AWOL.” Jack observed.
Blondie cast a guilty look back at the house and started to stand.
“Hey hey,” Jack stood quickly, urging him to keep seated, “you stay there, ok? I’ll go tell them you’re here.”
Blondie looked pathetically grateful, “thanks.”
Jack flashed him a smile that he hoped was reassuring. “Now, uh, you really sure you don’t want just a regular ambulance or…?”
“I’m ok, really,” blondie replied, “but I appreciate it.”
“Ok.” Jack took the flashlight with him even though the moonlight was more than enough to see by. He walked around to the front of the cult house and banged on the door.
There was a rush of footsteps inside and the door swung open. The big man stood in the frame and clearly Jack wasn’t who he’d wanted to see.
“Your friend is next door,” Jack said, “he was kinda confused but he’s ok now. I think he needs some help back.”
The big man’s scowl faded instantly, “I’ll come get him.” He turned back to the house, “he’s in the junkyard! I’m going to go get him!”
Jack heard someone answer from further inside that sounded a little bit like “what the fuck?”
The big man grabbed the wheelchair from behind the door followed Jack back to his trailer.
Jack wasn’t sure how he expected the collection to go, but he didn’t really expect the big man to be quite so gentle when he helped blondie back into the chair with a quiet huff.
“You scared the shit out of us,” the big man said softly, “how the hell did you get over here?”
Blondie shrugged and the big man shook his head.
Jack followed them back to the gate.
“Thanks, man,” the big man said sincerely, and Jack waved him off with a smile.
Jack locked the gate again, watching the big man take blondie back into the house, and returned to his trailer.
______
Hannibal had been deep asleep when the covers were violently torn off and BA’s voice rang out in his ears. He sat up, barely able to see straight as be blinked into the ceiling lamp that felt like it’d gone supernova, mind swirling.
“Face is gone!” BA announced, unusual panic in his voice.
Gone? Hannibal’s mind struggled, what did he mean gone? How could he be gone? Wait… his breath caught and his heart seized, gone?! No no no, his injuries hadn’t been that bad, he’d been recovering, he couldn’t be- there was no way he could be-
“I thought I heard him go to the bathroom but he took forever so I figured I’d check, only he ain’t there, he’s not in bed either, an’ he ain’t downstairs-”
Face was gone. Hannibal let out a sharp breath, his heart racing, god damn they needed a code-word! Or at least a less ambiguous standard like ‘vanished’ or ‘escaped’. Wait, Face was gone?
“What?” Hannibal stared at BA stupidly.
BA growled, “you check up here again, see if I missed anyplace!” He stormed out and down the stairs, calling for Face.
Hannibal got out of bed, the pain in his side flaring up as it always did after a long period of stillness, though not nearly as bad as it had been. He checked Face’s room first, just in case BA was just as sleep-fuzzy and confused as he was. The bed was empty. Neither was Face in the bathroom, in BA or Hannibal’s rooms, under the bed or in the wardrobe.
That goddamn kid was harder to keep hold of than a greased eel.
Where the hell could he have gone?
He'd been recovering well, he could get around on his own for the most part, use the bathroom, take a shower. He got tired quickly, and he still hurt, but he was getting up and moving around. He’d seemed almost back to his usual self, too, dispositionally, which meant fewer outbursts and more bitching, which made the heart glad to hear. Murdock had even relented, after some argument, and gone back to the VA that very evening, the surest sign that Face had to be out of danger.
Face wasn’t in the blanket cupboard, either, and Hannibal could hear BA tearing around downstairs. The house wasn’t particularly large, and Hannibal could only think that for some reason Face had to be out in the yard.
Someone knocked loudly on the front door and he relaxed, going out to the top of the stairs. Face had gone out front for some fresh air, for whatever reason over the yard, and managed to lock himself out. Laughter all around, everyone back to bed, panic over.
Except not. He heard the voice of the junkyard guy, and BA went out to collect the wayward XO from whatever it was he’d thought he was doing.
Hannibal came downstairs, waiting by the couch until BA wheeled Face back in and locked the door.
“You ok?” BA asked.
Face nodded guiltily, “thanks.”
BA grunted, reaching out to squeeze Face’s shoulder before turning away, “I’m going back to bed.”
Face watched him leave for a moment, then turned his contrite gaze on Hannibal.
“So,” Hannibal said.
Face got out of the wheelchair and limped to the couch to sit down.
Hannibal pulled the blanket off the end of the couch where Face had left it earlier and put it around Face’s shoulders before sitting beside him. Face adjusted the blanket and sat forwards a with his elbows on his knees.
Hannibal sat back, resting his hand on Face’s back. “What happened?”
“I panicked.”
“About?”
“Not sure,” Face said, “I just woke up in the dark and I wasn’t sure where I was…”
“I wish you’d just scream like a normal person.”
Face huffed a laugh and sat back, leaning slightly against Hannibal, “sorry.”
“I appreciate you trying to stop me getting bored,” Hannibal said, “but a couple of firecrackers in the can or some rolls of Saran wrap across a doorway will do just fine.”
“Oh no, I remember the last prank war, I’m still scarred.”
“You have a half-inch scar on your ass, and you deserved it.”
“It’s on my thigh, thank you very much, and it’s more like three quarters of an inch.” Face replied, “and I still can’t believe you didn’t discipline Millard for it.”
“If I’d had made it official you would’ve been answering some hard questions about an explosion in a latrine,” Hannibal said, “and I figured a half inch scar on your ass was punishment enough.”
Face snickered, “you had no proof it was me.”
“It was you and BA,” Hannibal said, “and that innocent little angel routine has never and will never work on me.”
“Hmm, you sure about that?”
Hannibal shot him a sidelong look, “very sure.”
Face nodded condescendingly and Hannibal rolled his eyes with a smile.
“So, how’d you end up next door?”
“I don’t really know,” Face admitted quietly.
“Ok,” Hannibal sighed softly, “it’s ok. we found you.” He put his arm around Face’s shoulders, “we’ll always find you.”
Face looked at him, smiling softly, “is that a threat?”
“You bet your ass it is,” Hannibal replied, pulling him into a brief side-hug, “time for you to go back to bed.”
Face sighed, “I’m so sick of this. I wish I could just…”
Hannibal studied him for a long moment. Still too pale, too bruised, too off-balance, but upright and breathing. “It’ll come.” He stood, patting Face on the back as he did so, and held out his hand to help Face up. Face accepted it and stood with a grunt of discomfort.
“We probably shouldn’t tell Murdock.” Face said, knowing full well Murdock would be back like a shot and glued to Face again. He loved Murdock, but it was a relief not to have him constantly within two feet of him. Not only that but being perpetually on alert wasn’t doing Murdock any good, either.
“I wasn’t planning to.” Hannibal replied. He nodded to the stairs, “go on, you first. Then at least if you fall you’ll take us both out and I wont have to listen to BA bitching about not looking out for you.”
“Wouldn’t catch me, huh?”
“I dunno, you’re pretty heavy.”
“Hah,” Face shot him a look, “I happen to have lost five pounds.”
“Have you?” Hannibal frowned, “I didn’t think you had five pounds to lose.”
Face shrugged.
“You’re on extra rations,” Hannibal decided, ushering him towards the stairs, “and you’re going back to bed.”
______
“I bought food,” Amy said, holding up two bags as she came through the door a week after Face’s breakout attempt, “and Murdock.”
“You shouldn’t have,” BA grumbled as Murdock came in with more bags.
“I bought extra dumplings for the waif,” Amy added, throwing a grin at Face who’d been watching TV on the couch.
He stood, meeting her in the kitchen as she dropped the bags on the table, and she threw her arms around him in an engulfing hug.
“Nothing’s secret huh?” Face mumbled.
“Can’t keep secrets from me,” Amy said, “I’m so glad to see you.” She let him go and looked him over, “well, you don’t look as bad as I expected.”
“You should’ve seen me a couple weeks ago.” Face said with a smile.
She grimaced, “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Face said, “I’m glad to see you too.”
Murdock brought the other bags to the kitchen counter, where Hannibal was getting out plates.
“Anything exciting happen while I was gone?” Murdock asked.
“Nope,” Hannibal smiled and shrugged, “sorry.”
Murdock studied him suspiciously for a moment, then broke into a grin, “good.”
The sound of raised voices carried through the open kitchen window, and Murdock and Hannibal stopped, sharing a glance.
BA peered into the take-out bag on the counter, smiling in anticipation at what he saw. “You’re too good to us,” he told Amy.
“Well I have to eat too,” She replied, smiling.
Hannibal suddenly hushed them.
“You owe us, Jacky-boy,” a male voice drifted over the fence, “and we ain’t patient.”
“I’m not paying you shit,” the junkyard guy’s voice replied.
“Mr Henry wouldn’t like that. In fact, I think he’d be very upset,” the first man replied.
“You got a lot of old shit around here,” a second male voice said, “lot of dangerous stuff. Lot of nasty accidents could happen around here if you’re not careful.”
“Sounds like someone’s having trouble with the HOA,” Murdock whispered.
“Upstairs,” Hannibal said, “see if you can see what’s going on.”
Murdock saluted, dashing up and then coming back down not long later, “looks like it’s just two of them and junkyard guy.”
“It’s almost unfair,” Hannibal grinned between him and BA, “let’s go and see who thinks they can put the screws on our friendly neighbourhood.”
“Doc Ryman said you shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous,” BA said.
“That’s what you’re coming along for,” Hannibal replied, gesturing for him to go first.
As BA and Murdock moved towards the door, Hannibal turned and pinned Face in place with a look, “you can get dinner ready.”
Face pouted at him.
“Well Amy can’t do it, she’s a guest,” Hannibal said, and followed the other two out.
Face huffed, shaking his head as the door closed, turning back to Amy. “Can you believe that?”
“Yes,” Amy smiled, putting the plates on the table. “In fact I don’t think he would’ve taken both the others if I wasn’t here to keep an eye on you,” she added wryly.
Face harrumphed, setting the takeout boxes neatly in the middle of the table. “I’m fine, you know?”
“No you’re not,” Amy replied, “but you will be if you take care of yourself.”
Face rolled his eyes.
There was an unfamiliar yelp and the fence between their yard and the junkyard shuddered.
“Aww,” Amy cast a fond smile towards the fence, “it’s nice to see you guys getting back to normal.”
“We’ve never been normal.” Face said, following her gaze with a smile of his own, “but it’s nice to be back.”