Title: A Beautiful Lie

Author: Billy

Summary: Face gets talked into helping Amy out. Inspired by the film The Wedding Date.

Ratings: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don’t own the A Team and I’ve not made a penny from this; I just do it for the jazz!

Chapter 1

“Okay, a quick stop before we get back on the road,” Hannibal said, turning in his seat to look back at the team. BA pulled the van into a gas station, the first one they’d seen in a while. They’d been on the road a couple of hours now. This was a good opportunity to stretch their legs and get some refreshments.

An attendant approached the van, pointing to the gas pump.

“Yeah, fill it up, man,” BA said, getting out of the van, stretching his arms up above his head, letting out a groan.

Face pulled the side door open as Amy shoved her notebook into her bag. She‘d been busily writing up her notes on the Watkins brothers and her story for Barlow Creek. The story had turned out to be much more than a little town honouring their war heroes.

Amy picked up the heavy bag and followed Murdock out of the van. Face slid the side door shut.

“You were quiet back there,” said Face, smiling at her.

“I got a bigger story than I bargained for,” she replied. “I think I’ll go to the restroom first.” She pointed towards a sign she’d spotted. Face nodded and followed Murdock into the gas station’s little store to buy their snacks.

When Amy arrived back at the van, she found Face already sitting in his seat reading a newspaper he‘d bought in the store. Murdock was outside, hands in his pockets, singing or talking, or doing whatever he did. She smiled at him. She knew Hannibal and BA were still inside the store, paying for the fuel and getting their own refreshments, but she decided she’d get back to writing up her notes.

She climbed past Face into the back of the van.

“What’s this?” Murdock picked a card up off the van floor, as he followed Amy.

Amy’s eyes widened, but before she could snatch it out of his hand, he’d opened it to read it.

“A wedding invitation,” Murdock said turning to Amy with an eyebrow raised. He sat down opposite Face.

“Murdock, please give me that.” She tried reaching for it, but he raised his arm up so she couldn’t grab the card.

“To Amy Allen and guest.”

“Yeah, but I’m probably going to cancel.”

“Why? Aren’t weddings suppose to be fun? All that free food and drink. Great place to get a date.” He was playfully grinning at her.

Amy rolled her eyes. “I just have a mountain of work waiting for me back at the office. Hanging out with you guys means my paperwork builds up. It doesn't get done on it's own.” She frowned. “In fact, I have more work, because now I have a bigger story than planned to write up.” She hoped she sounded convincing. She was trying to convince herself, not only Murdock, that she was too busy to go to this wedding. She glanced at Face; he seemed engrossed in his newspaper, and wasn't paying any attention to them. Amy leaned in closer and lowered her voice as she spoke quickly to Murdock. “And I'm just not sure I can face going on my own.”

“Oh.” Murdock’s smile dropped. “You don’t have an ‘and guest’ do you?”

Amy shook her head. “No, no, I’m too busy with work!”

“Really?”

Amy let out a sigh. “It’s complicated. I am busy. But I just don’t know if I can handle the ‘why is a pretty girl like you still single,’ speeches,” she said tiredly, and snatched the wedding invitation from an unsuspecting Murdock. She lowered her voice again. “I don’t exactly get to date much, with work and tagging along with you four, but I can’t admit that, can I?”

"I'd go with you, Chica, but I doubt I'll get time out of the VA,” Murdock winked.

“Murdock, that‘s sweet, but it‘s not really a case...”

“Face will do it, won't ya?" Murdock interrupted her, nudging Face.

"What?" Face looked up from behind the paper, frowning at Murdock.

“I said, you’d go with Amy.”

“Huh? Go with Amy where?”

“Murdock,” Amy spoke over him, pulling at his arm and shaking her head.

“This wedding. Pretend to be her boyfriend. So she doesn’t get all those awkward and annoying questions, you know, like ‘why aren’t you married yet? You’re working too hard at that office.’ ” Amy laughed at Murdock’s high-pitched speech, his attempt at convincing Face. “’You need to find yourself a good man, not working night and day in that office.’ ” Murdock sounded exactly like an old lady by the end.

“But, er, Murdock, I’m not really sure...” Face stammered.

“Face, honestly, don’t listen to Murdock. You really don’t have to. I’ll just say I’m not going. That things have come up at the office. That‘s what I was going to do, anyway.” Amy nodded at him. “Murdock’s just…”

“Go on, Faceman,” Murdock cut in. “You’ll charm the socks off the wedding guests.” He grinned at Face.

“I don’t know, Murdock.” Face looked from Murdock to Amy, then back to Murdock, frowning. “When is it?”

“This weekend. I’m supposed to fly out Thursday.”

“This weekend?” Face said, sounding surprised, fiddling with his tie. Amy nodded. “Fly?”

“It's in New York. That's where I went to college.”

“Okay, that’s fine, really, I suppose.” Face frowned, scratching his head. “I had to find a new place to stay by this weekend, anyway. The apartment I was looking after…”

Murdock nudged Amy and they both rolled their eyes at Face.

“Yeah, right,” Murdock mumbled over Face, interrupting him.

“The owners are back this weekend,” Face insisted. “So I can’t go back there now. I did have this little condo all lined up.”

“So, you’ll do it?” Murdock asked.

“Er,” Face hesitated, once again glancing at Amy, then Murdock.

“All you got to do is pretend to be her boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Amy and Face said in unison, both glaring at Murdock.

“Well, if you want to avoid those awkward questions, Chica,” Murdock said, eyebrow raised, ignoring the looks he was given. “Go on, Faceman, help out a lady in distress.”

“Murdock, I’m not in distress!”

“Er, yeah, yes, okay, I’ll do it.” Face nodded.

“What? Really?” Amy said, surprised. Although, he still hadn’t sounded sure. Amy definitely thought Face looked nervous. But Murdock grinned at her.

Face shrugged his shoulders. “So, who’s getting married?”

“A second cousin of mine, but she’s also an old college friend,” Amy replied.

“Family?” Face sounded worried, his eyes widened. “Ah, maybe this isn’t a good idea. Are your parents going?”

Amy giggled and shook her head. “No, you’ll be okay, Face. None of my close family can make it.”

“Ah, okay.” Face ran his hand through his hair.

“Face, I’ll pay for everything. You won’t have to worry about a thing. You will be doing me a huge favour. I can’t thank you enough already.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Face replied, noticing Hannibal and BA walking towards the van. He slid the van door shut and buried himself behind his newspaper, mumbling, “Why do I get the feeling I might regret this?”

“Face, you’re just gonna be sweet-talking a few old ladies for a weekend; how hard can it be?” Murdock winked at Amy, and she nervously smiled as Hannibal and BA got in the van.

She pulled out her notebook. She had a lot of work to do - expenses to fill in, a story to write, flights to book and only three days to do it in.

“Everyone ready to move on?”