Chapter Text
Ethan ducked behind a pillar just in time to watch chips of concrete explode over his head as a bullet narrowly missed him. He was almost out of ammunition, only three bullets remaining. He was pinned down, surrounded by his adversaries, and he had no idea where the rest of his team was.
Just perfect.
‘ Ethan, do you copy? ’ Benji’s voice suddenly filtered through his earpiece, barely distinguishable from the static that accompanied it. Ethan wondered if there ever came a day were he’d have tech that wouldn’t end up breaking down on them, but somehow, he doubted it.
“Yeah,” he whispered, “I copy.”
‘ What’s your status? ’
“My status is that I am pinned down and almost out of ammo. I could use some backup.”
‘ Yeah, we’re working on that. Just hang in there for a few more minutes. ’
“That’s supposed to be my line, you know,” he muttered and crouched further down behind the pillar and a crate, trying to see if he could find a better hiding spot, but came up empty. “And I highly doubt I have a few more minutes.”
Static was the only thing that answered him and he huffed, annoyed. “Great.”
He could hear his adversaries closing in on him, like a pack circling its prey, moving in for the kill. God, how he wished he was home right now. With her.
It had been two months and six days since he had to say goodbye to her, one mission turning into three, and he had been unable to return to her. His whole body yearned for that little house up on the hill, overlooking the ocean, and the woman who owned it. The woman who owned his heart.
He wished he would get to see her again before he died, but he knew one rarely got what you wished for, least of all people like him.
The footsteps drew steadily closer, and Ethan fell into a defensive position, his gun trained and ready to go.
Three bullets, Ethan. Make them count.
The first black-clad figure came into view, but Ethan was ready, pulling the trigger and putting a bullet neatly through his head before he had a chance to react.
Two .
Ethan rolled left just as two more figures appeared to his right, a hail of bullets hitting the spot he had only just vacated. Ethan landed back on his feet, took aim, and pulled the trigger, all in the same breath. The two men fell where they stood, their positions having perfectly aligned for his bullet.
“Thanks, guys,” he growled and moved on, silently sliding behind another flimsy crate that would not hold out as cover for long.
One .
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a shadow bearing down on him from behind, and his adrenaline spiked even further. He turned around as quickly as he could but knew he wouldn’t be fast enough. As if in slow motion, he could see the guy taking aim and his finger begin to pull the trigger.
Goodbye, my love.
Just then, a high-velocity sniper bullet whizzed past him and buried itself in his would-be assassin’s head, a few splatters of blood landing on Ethan’s boots. He stared for a second, quite unable to believe he was still alive and wondering what had just happened, but then shook himself out of his stupor and got his head back in the game. Turning, he glanced up towards the high ceilings and warehouse windows, trying to spot the sniper who had just saved his life. He couldn’t make them out in the dim light, so he instead returned his attention to the ground and the goons that had quickly taken cover as their comrade had gone down.
‘ Backup has arrived. ’ Benji’s voice suddenly chirped in his ear and Ethan almost jumped.
“I noticed, thanks! Where did they come from?”
‘ Spain .’
Ethan froze and his heart began hammering wildly in his chest. No. No no no. She was supposed to be safe. This wasn’t safe.
Another one of her bullets met its mark, followed by another one a second later. Ethan could hear two bodies hit the ground almost simultaneously and had to admit that he should probably be more worried about his own safety right now.
It was dead silent for a long moment, until someone shuffled to his right, mere feet away. Another bullet found its mark in the blink of an eye later, and it was quiet again.
Ethan might not even need his last bullet after all if she continued to clean house this efficiently.
He found himself grinning. What a novelty that was.
Barely five more minutes, and it was over.
‘ You good? ’ Benji asked, sounding a bit out of breath.
“I am,” Ethan confirmed. “Where do I meet you guys?”
‘ Luther will be pulling the van around out back in two minutes. Best make your way there now. ’
Ethan did as he was told, stepping over a couple of bodies on his way, and exactly two minutes later, he hopped into the back of the van, greeted by the faces of his team, and one face he had said his goodbyes to in his head not even ten minutes ago.
“Hi,” Ilsa smiled at him, her sniper rifle still assembled in one piece by her side. As if she could read his mind, she gave a little shrug and added, “turns out I’m not the type of woman to sit and wait around at home, after all.”
“And thank God you’re not, even if I almost had a heart attack just now.”
“Sorry, darling,” she said, not an ounce of apology in her voice.
Ethan grinned and then couldn’t stop himself from pulling her closer and crashing his lips to hers, in a kiss he had been waiting two months and six days for.
Beside him, Benji and Brandt groaned, while Jane laughed in delight, yet Ethan couldn’t care less.
“How are you even here?” He thought to ask eventually after they had pulled apart and caught their breaths.
“Benji called me and told me you could do with some backup. About a day ago.”
Ethan threw a glance at his friend, who just shrugged, unapologetic. “We were in over our heads and you kept gushing about how good of an agent Ilsa is, so I gave her a call.” He smirked and then waggled his eyebrows. “You can thank me later.”
He did, later, as they all sat huddled around a table in a nondescript Irish pub, and Ethan once again had his arm securely wrapped around Ilsa’s shoulders.
Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have her in the field with him after all. This way, he got to keep her close. And kiss her more often.
Which sounded like a win to him.
And judging by the way Ilsa’s hand rested on his thigh, and her shoulder was nestled into his side as she easily chatted with his team, making even Brandt laugh, she didn’t seem to mind either.