Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Mission:Impossible or its characters. Also, I own nothing related to Ephraim, Wisconsin. I have merely used the name because I liked it. This is a work of fiction and is not meant to represent any person or location, either living or dead.

Author's Note: Welcome to my first Mission:Impossible fic, fifty-first on this site. This is a very character-centered story. The team will make an appearance, but this story is about Will Brandt. My goal was to explore a bit of his character, what makes him who he is and how his family past affected him. As I said in the disclaimer, I used Ephraim, Wisconsin, as the location simply because I loved the name. But I wasn't able to do as much research into the real Ephraim, WI, as I like, so the one presented here is fictional. Special thanks to theicemenace for her beta work and for slapping me upside the head with how unrealistic my character was. The story's much better for her help with it.

I realize that MI:GP came out in December, but I've shifted the time-frame of the movie for my purposes. All the events of the movie still stand, but I have the movie ending in March 2012 rather than December 2011.

Also, while I've posted two chapters today, I plan to post only one on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from now on.

All that said, I hope you enjoy! ~lg

oOo

December 1961. . . .

The enclave was silent, wooden paneling rising to the ceiling as cigar smoke swirled around the heads of the men gathered. Very few knew of this room with its long oval table and large, ornate chairs. One man sat at the head of it: their leader and representative to the Coalition's main council. One man sat at the foot: their newest member.

Robert Blake met the leader's eyes resolutely. He was not one to be intimidated, and he'd proven that over the last six months. With the passing of his father so soon after losing the woman he loved, he'd decided to take control of his own life. Why let the whims of emotions overshadow him when he could control those emotions in others? Maryanne's panic had nothing to do with her circumstances, and he knew she regretted her decision. But he could not let that govern his life now.

Finally, the man at the head of the table spoke. "Why do you wish to bring Joseph Hayes to our circle? I thought he was your rival."

"He is." Robert's voice echoed in the cavernous space. "But he has resources we could use. Connections to the government through his company that would be beneficial to our aims."

The leader sat forward. "Go on."

Robert outlined his thoughts, including everything Maryanne had so foolishly told him about her husband's empire. Jospeh William Hayes was a jealous man, driven by his need to know everything about his wife, but he was a shrewd businessman as well. He understood negotiations and how to get what he wanted. The Coalition could use his instincts.

When he finished, he saw the men around the table nodding their approval. These faces were from a previous generation, ones that formed the Coalition. They'd supported his father's decision to pass this chair on to him, and he wanted to return the favor.

Finally, the leader nodded once. "Invite him. But, if this goes badly, the consequences will fall to you."

oOo

"I cannot believe you came here for this!" Joseph Hayes had a temper that he rarely allowed himself to lose. But this. . .this was preposterous! First, Maryanne and now Blake? Joseph shook his head and glared at the man across the desk from him. "You have a lot of nerve, Blake. To think I would look past your actions last year and go into business with you? And for what?"

Robert Blake's expression hardened as Joseph ranted. "It's the best opportunity to come your way, Joseph. The best you'll ever get."

"Just because you say so?" Joseph shook his head. "No. Get out of my office. And don't come back."

"You're making a mistake, Hayes."

Joseph's eyes narrowed at the threatening tone in the other man's voice. Robert Blake was his age but smaller. Slender with fair hair and skin, he looked like a pampered rich kid. Acts like one, too, Joseph thought. "Am I, Blake?" He stepped into Blake's personal space, not minding the height difference between them as he stared up into the other man's eyes. "You come into my office and threaten me? After you've already taken advantage of my wife?"

"I told you, nothing happened between Maryanne and me."

Joseph laughed, two quick barks of sound that echoed in the office. "Yeah, and she. . . ." He cut off what he'd been about to say. His wife swore the baby was his, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe the blond little girl belonged to him. Sure, she was adorable, but his kids were dark-haired.

Blake sighed and turned to the door before stopping and frowning. "How's Maryanne and that baby?"

Joseph blinked. "They're none of your concern, Blake. Now, get out of my office. And if I see you around my family ever again, I'll put a stop to it."

Blake nodded. "I'll see you around."

"No, you won't." Joseph's word was final. Maryanne was not to have anything to do with Robert Blake, nor would he ever allow himself to forget what this man had done. He held Maryanne responsible for a lot of things, but she never would have strayed if Robert Blake hadn't seduced her away. That one summer at the beach house had ruined their relationship. All he had left was his business, and he refused to sign that away, too.

Blake left the office, and Joseph calmly went back to work. Several years later, he heard that Blake had married, and he kept tabs on the man. Blake never came back to the beach house, never tried to contact Maryanne, and left the baby girl to grow up on her own. She truly was beautiful and, at sixteen, got herself pregnant by a kid named Michel. Her son, William, bore Joseph's middle name but was rowdy. His mother moved them out of the family home and to California against his wishes, and he rarely saw them. Maryanne made him promise not to disown her, and he didn't. When the day came that he buried the girl he'd raised as his own, he saw her rebellious son standing over the coffin. Young William's face was blank, a total lack of expression that spoke to Joseph of his inability to comprehend the real world. In those moments, after realizing that he'd kept his promise to Maryanne, Joseph walked over to the boy. A few words was all it took to sever any connection to William, and he left the graveyard free of the weight of a renegade young man who had never belonged in his family.

Joseph William Hayes felt no remorse for that until the day he died.

~TBC