A/N: Because of course I'm just gonna wander into a new fandom and make an OC. But seriously, out of everyone at the IMF, I just feel like despite being a world-famous bodybuilder, Willy Armitage loves nothing more than coming home from an assignment and having a cuddle off Mrs Armitage and their pet dog. Because obviously they'd have a pet dog. He's quickly become a real comfort character for me, he's a sweet gentle giant and honestly I feel like he must be protected at all costs. What a gem.
Disclaimer: Mission: Impossible was developed by Bruce Geller and doesn't belong to me. All I have are seasons 1-5 and a copy of For You by Greg Morris on vinyl.
No Place Like Home
"You coming in for a drink, Willy?" Jim asked. Willy smiled and shook his head.
"Thanks, Jim, maybe next time. I got a drink waiting at home," he said. Jim smiled indulgently at him. He knew it wasn't the drink he was looking forward to at home, it was the woman who was pouring the drinks.
"Aw, c'mon Willy, just one drink!" Rollin protested. "Janie won't mind! You deserve a drink after what you did out there!" he said. His statement was met by murmurs of agreement from the rest of the team.
"Sure, buddy, if anyone deserves a drink it's you. It's not easy carrying me in and out of a building in a steel crate to and from the fourth floor when the elevator's busted!" Barney said with a rare cheeky grin, punching him playfully in the arm. Willy chuckled.
"It's a darn sight easier than re-wiring the electrics to make the light switches activate the burglar alarm and foam sprinklers!" he said. Barney let out a snort of laughter.
"Touché!"
"Why don't you call Janie from Jim's place, let her know to expect you an hour later?" Cinnamon said. Willy hesitated for a moment and Cinnamon smiled encouragingly at him.
"Better yet, why don't you get her to drive up here and join all of us?" Jim said.
"Thanks Jim, but really, I'm looking forward to getting home. Next time, why don't you all come to my place after the mission for debrief drinks?" Willy asked. The team responded to his suggestion with nods and general exclamations of approval.
"Yknow, one of these days I'm gonna ask that wife of yours to join the IMF so we don't have to have this discussion at the end of every mission," Jim said, his eyes twinkling with contained laughter.
"If you think you can get away with giving my wife orders, Jim, you're a braver man than me!" Willy answered, dryly, making the rest of the team laugh heartily. He bade his friends goodbye and hopped into his car to begin his journey home.
Willy was the only member of the Impossible Missions Force who had been allowed to tell a family member about his appointment. Rather than feel in any way resentful of the fact, the core members of the IMF team – Jim, Barney, Rollin and Cinnamon – had all warmed to Janie and practically viewed her as an honorary team member. She couldn't possibly have been less like Willy, she was a petite blonde with big green eyes, a ready smile and an even readier laugh, she was never afraid to say how she felt, she was tenacious and feisty, and was always ready with a sharp-witted retort to put everyone firmly in their place. They were polar opposites, yet together they made a perfect team, and they clearly idolised each other.
In fact, if it hadn't been for Janie, Willy would never have joined the IMF when Jim's predecessor, Dan Briggs, had approached him about the role five years earlier. Willy sat in his dressing room after a show one night, during a small bodybuilding exhibition tour of Illinois, when Dan walked in, introduced himself and offered him a part-time role within the taskforce. Willy pursed his lips and let out a murmur of consideration.
"That's a real generous offer, Mr Briggs. If it's something I can fit in with my work, then I'd be honoured to be a part of it. I'll talk to my wife about it and call you in a day or two," he said.
"You'd be working as a classified agent for the American government, Mr Armitage, we couldn't allow you to discuss the matter with your wife," Dan said, a little scandalised. Willy smiled politely and nodded once.
"In that case I'm afraid my answer is 'no'. See, my wife Janie and me've got one rule. We tell each other everything. No matter what it is, we don't have any secrets. It's the only way any marriage can survive doing a job like this," he said, gesturing in the vague direction of the stage. "Thanks for your time, Mr Briggs, I sure hope you find someone suitable for your unit," he continued, standing up and gesturing towards the door.
"Mr Armitage, you don't understand, this is the opportunity to provide a great service to your country!" Dan said. Willy smiled again and blinked once, slowly.
"I understand just fine, but I care a little more about a vow I made to my wife than one I haven't made to my country," he said, his smile not wavering but his eyes darkening, signalling to Dan that the conversation was at an end. Dan sighed heavily and hung his head for a few moments, deep in thought.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr Armitage," Dan said at last. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and delved into it to pull out a business card. "If you change your mind, you can reach me on this number," he said, placing it onto the dressing table before walking out. Willy picked the card up and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
That night he lay in bed awake, sighing every now and again, his hands folded across his stomach as he twiddled his thumbs, deep in thought.
"Sweetie, if you don't tell me what's going on so I can get some sleep, I'm gonna have to suffocate you with your own pillow," Janie said in a muffled voice, her face buried into her pillow and her back to him. Willy chuckled.
"Sorry honey," he said, shaking his head. "I was just thinking."
"I know, you're the loudest thinker I've ever met," she said, rolling over and looking up at him. "What's the matter?"
"Some guy came to see me after the show."
"Oh no, not another movie producer wanting you to be in one of those godawful gladiator pictures?" she asked with a groan of frustration, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"No!" Willy giggled, shaking his head. "He… umm… he works for a government agency. He said he thought maybe his team could use me for some work." Janie pushed herself up and ran her hands through her hair before looking at him.
"You mean they want you to be a spy?"
"I dunno if it's that complicated, but… yeah I guess so. Something like that."
"What did you say?" she asked. He let out a breath of laughter and shook his head.
"I said I'd speak to you and get back to him. Then he said I couldn't tell you, so I, well… I showed him the door," he said. Janie's eyes widened. "I'm not having some stranger tell me what I can and can't say to my own wife!"
"Do you want to take his offer?" she asked. He looked at her for a moment before looking down at the bedclothes and nodding ruefully. "Then, sweetie, for heaven's sake, take it. Lord knows you can't do this job until you're eighty! If it's gonna make you happy, call the man and tell him you've changed your mind."
"I dunno, Janie, if I can't talk to you about it then I'm not comfortable with it."
"William Armitage," she said, closing her eyes and exhaling before continuing. "We've been married for two years now, and in all that time I've never once asked or expected you to tell me anything about what you do to train every day. You know why?"
"Well… you don't really care that much for bodybuilding," he said, remembering the first time they met and how resolutely unimpressed she was when he told her what he did for a living. She let out a shout of laughter.
"Oh honey, let me tell you this for free, I don't care for it at all," she said vehemently, making Willy laugh out loud. "But… I do care about you, and I know that it makes you happy, so I'll support you no matter what. You know why?"
"Because I'm kinda cute?" he said, his brown eyes twinkling and an impish smile playing on his lips. Janie chuckled and nodded.
"Because you're kinda cute," she agreed. "But mostly because I'm stuck with you," she teased, kissing the tip of his nose gently and making him screw his face up comically. "So long as I know you're safe and happy, I just want you to do what you want to do, okay?" she asked. Willy looked at her and nodded. "Go on, call the guy back. Tell him you've changed your mind."
"It's two in the morning!"
"If he came all the way out to Nowhere Illinois just to ask you to think about his offer, I have a feeling he won't mind if you wake him up," she said. "Go on, then maybe we'll all get to sleep before sunup," she insisted, nudging him with her shoulder and wiggling her eyebrows at him. He grinned excitedly and practically cartwheeled out of bed to get Dan's business card from his jacket pocket.
At first, Dan had been a little hesitant to accept Willy onto the team, knowing that he had told Janie about the top secret role he had been offered in a government department that didn't even officially exist. However, at Janie's suggestion, he met them the following night and they spoke until the small hours of the morning about how the role would affect Willy's day to day life, what he could and couldn't tell Janie about each assignment, and Janie's obligations to keep any information about the IMF a closely guarded secret. From then on, Willy had become an integral part of the team, mostly working closely with Barney on the technical aspects of each assignment and, quite literally, dealing with the heavy lifting of each mission. The Armitages frequently hosted meals and parties for the team at their home, to celebrate successful missions – or sometimes just because it was a Friday, and the rest of the team genuinely couldn't imagine her not being part of their lives.
Willy turned the key in the lock of his front door and grinned when he heard a dog barking excitedly.
"Who's home, Rocky? Who is it?" Janie asked in the voice she only ever used when speaking to dogs or cats.
"It's me!" he called, closing the door behind him and bracing himself for their eighty-pound black Labrador, Rocky, to hurl himself into Willy's arms at approximately a hundred miles an hour. Rocky didn't disappoint, and the force of the impact sent Willy crashing into the wall, while Rocky licked every patch of skin he could find, his tail wagging so furiously that it almost became invisible. "Okay, okay! I missed you too! I did! Yes! I missed you! Have you been a good boy for your Mama? Have you been a good boy?" he asked, in the exact same voice that Janie used. Eventually, Rocky finished explaining how much he had missed his Dad, and Willy walked into the hallway where Janie was stood, arms folded.
"Are you two quite finished?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I dunno how you're gonna beat that welcome!" he joked. She pulled him towards her by the front of his shirt and kissed him gently.
"I'll think of something," she said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his chest as he held her tightly to him. He closed his eyes and let out a loud sigh of contentment.
"It's real good to be home, Janie."
THE END
