Hot.

Tanzania was hot.

But it had nothing on Roanapur in July.

I spun the wrench, opening the pipes, and finally, mercifully, clean water flowed out onto the red sand.

A cheer went up from the assembled crowd, I couldn't help but smile along with them. Three long months we'd been trying to rig potable water, and with a little fancy dancing, the UN had lent us a few engineers.

Now this village would survive and thrive instead of being at the mercy of the seasons.

I wiped my hands and dug for a smoke, fielding the backslapping and hugs from the grateful villagers. Kids were already splashing in the spray, mothers, and fathers embraced, and all was right with the world as I walked back to our slapdash clinic.

The cook was making Chipsi Mayai, and I wouldn't miss eggs and french fries for all the scones in Scotland. She smiled at me, all motherly and sweet, when I walked in the door, the scent of her fantastic cooking obliterating the smell of the outside world.

"Hey, Zack, got it working, I take it?"

I wiped my face with a hand towel, "That we did, Amy, that we did. Thank God. Food smells amazing."

She smiled wide, "Thanks, hun, oh, you have a visitor."

I raised an eyebrow; nobody was supposed to show for a few days, Dave wouldn't be back from Mwanza for a week.

My hand inched to the small of my back, where a Glock 26 rested, as footsteps strolled up behind me.

Just because I'd left that life didn't mean it'd left me.

I turned, and the sight of her took my breath away.

Eda…

"Hey, cowboy."

My feet moved, and I gathered her up into my arms.

The feel of her brought back so many memories. And for a long moment, I didn't say anything, burying my face in her hair. Her hands roved over my shoulders, pulling me in tight, leveling me even though I had a solid four inches on her.

I didn't realize I was crying for a second until I felt tears running down my face, silent and steady. She pulled away, that same old concern in her eyes.

A soft hand slid up my cheek…

A hand with a ring on it…

What?!

I grabbed it and gawked at the shiny rock.

"Holy shit…when? And who?!"

She blushed, "Jake asked me about a month back; we were trying to keep it quiet, I was going to come see you so I could tell you in person, but you'd skipped town. Had a hell of a time tracking you down."

I dug for a smoke, and to my eternal shock, heartbreak tugged at me, so sharp that my hands shook as I lit up.

"Wow, Eda, congratulations!"

Her expression said it all, she wasn't buying what I was selling.

That ship had sailed.

Eda was never going to be second place, no matter how much she wanted to be.

I gave her the warmest smile I could muster, my mind raging against what I could have had as I grabbed us a couple of cold beers from the office fridge.

Amy watched us with wide eyes; doubtless, she could feel the emotion rolling off the both of us in waves. The history there might've been lost on her, but the looks we gave each other weren't.

Eda saw me struggling; I knew she did.

But I passed her a beer and shoved it down deep inside, somewhere the light never touched.

Her eyes flickered, and for a moment, she was the same Eda who'd held me while I'd cried in Roanapur, Rio, and everywhere in between.

Something passed between us like ghosts. Not enough sultry nights, too many long days, gunfights, pain, fear, lust…

Love, the deep and abiding kind that would never waver or end.

I tapped the neck of my beer against hers with a softclink that might as well have been a gunshot.

The end of an era…

"So I'm invited to the wedding, right?"

Her eyes searched my face, almost like she was reading my mind, before a beautiful smile broke across her lips.

"Yeah, cowboy, yeah, you are."

Ten beers, dinner, and a few hours later, Eda and I sat under the eaves, watching the sunset.

"Has she tried to contact you?"

I toyed with a loose thread on my jeans, "No, and I've steered as clear of anything to do with her as I can. A year and change? She's probably running her own Battalion by now."

"She's not, resigned her commission a month after she got back."

I took a long slug of my beer, trying to ignore the pangs in my heart and the sheer shock of it.

She'd left the Army?

Today just had it out for me, didn't it?

"How do you know that?"

Eda sighed, "Because I've been keeping an eye on her for you. Because I've talked myself into acting against my own best interest. Something I usually reserve for sources. She's looking for you; I just now found out about it. Hence the sudden arrival, you were too good at covering your tracks; she's been trying to hunt you down since a month after you left Roanapur."

"Do we know why?"

Eda shook her head, "No, but speaking as a woman who knows? I'd imagine it has to do with the closure you two never got."

I lit another smoke, "But we talked about it, Asimov knows I was a spook, the jig is up, there's no way they would've let her keep her commission if she was involved with me, and I can't blame them. What I want to know is, why the hell would she resign? After everything I went through to give her that life back, it makes no sense after everything she suffered. We agreed this was all for the best."

Eda shrugged, "I wish I could tell you; what I can say is that if you want to ask her yourself, a certain covert action outfit has a plane at a strip not too far from here, fueled and ready to go."

I lowered my voice, "Air Branch is here?"

She smiled, "Yep, I kinda knew what your answer would be," She slapped my leg, "C'mon cowboy, let's go see why your ex-girlfriend is chasing you around the world."

I raised an eyebrow, "I haven't agreed to anything."

Eda stood, brushing off her pants, "Are you really gonna say no?"

Fuck…

She had me again, and I didn't like it one bit. But my heart fired with the thrill of seeing Sofiya again.

She was looking for me.

Maybe she still loved me like I loved her?

Time to find out.

"Fuck, have it your way."

Eda's smile turned into a grin, "Let's go."

Something like life flooded through me again as I hustled inside and threw what little I'd brought with me into a pack, penning a hasty note to Dave.

Eda straightened my tie, "Dude, have I told you how hot you look all done up?"

I chuckled, "Yeah, you have, a few times actually."

We'd followed the trail, Air Branch had gotten us to Kinshasa, and from Kinshasa, we'd hopped a commercial to Moscow, Eda met with a source that led us here.

Novosibirsk.

I checked my reflection as Eda stepped away, smoothing out the slate grey suit.

"Nervous?" She whispered.

"Unbelievably so…"

She kissed me gently on the cheek, wiping away the lipstick she left behind, "Don't be, you're a hell of a man Zack, and whatever she has to say to you, I'll have your back on the other side, like always."

I nodded, "I don't deserve you, Blackwater."

"Never convince me of that, might as well stop trying." She wiggled her eyebrows, drawing out a chuckle. "Now go, I've got the back door, cab's waiting."

I pulled her into a hug, "Thank you for everything."

She held me tight in return, "It's been the honor of my life to be your friend through all this. Russians, Cartels, a fucking war that's redacted until the sun explodes? You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

I snorted, letting her go, "Your definition of a good time might be a bit skewed."

"Doubtless, now get outta here, go see her."

I gave her one last smile before heading out the door. The small inn we'd posted up at was homey; a roaring fire crackled as I made my way down the steps, lending a warmth that I sorely needed; I threw my heavy jacket over my shoulders and pushed the door open, fighting the cold as I headed for the cab parked on the curb, the driver already had the door open, I slid into the back.

"Tolmachevo, my friend," I tapped a hundred euro on his shoulder, and he snatched it up, eyes going wide at the amount.

"Of course…sir."

We pulled away from the curb, and my heart shot into my throat; I wasn't ready for this, not by a damn sight.

I'd put it where it belonged…

Except I hadn't, not even close, I still dreamed about her, still wore her dog tags, even now.

I would never be over her.

I'd faced cancer, I'd faced being totally alone in a world that didn't care, all the way through comparatively tame gunfights and all-out war.

Nothing scared me like that eight-mile ride, waiting to hear what she had to say. Before I knew it, we were on the outskirts of Ob, the small town that held Tolmachevo airport and a population of twenty-five thousand.

An excellent place to be if you were trying to retire.

I gave the cab driver the address Eda had dug up. We turned off the main drag, rolling down side streets until we came to a dead-end, backed by trees, a large dacha sat at the end of the block, and I knew it was hers, no hedges or anything else that would block lines of sight or fire, a long driveway gave her plenty of time to see anyone on approach.

Some things you never leave behind.

We rolled up the graveled drive, and my palms started to sweat, the driver hit the brakes, and we crunched to a stop. I tossed him another hundred euros.

"Wait for me; I might not belong."

I popped the door and sucked in a breath, pulling my scarf around my face against the cold, working the blood back into my legs, anything to avoid knocking on her door.

But all good things must come to an end.

I gingerly stepped up the footpath, the door loomed closer.

It opened as I raised my hand to knock.

Every bit of breath in my lungs fled as blue eyes blazed at me behind the barrel of a Stechkin.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

I couldn't speak, not in the face of her, so I had my hands out to the side, gently reaching up and pulling my scarf down.

"Hello, Sofiya."

The barrel dropped to the floor, her eyes went wide, and a perfectly manicured hand came up to cover her equally perfect lips.

"Z…Zack?"

I took her in, dressed in a pair of jeans and a maroon turtleneck sweater; it was the first time I'd really seen her in civilian clothes.

Someone could almost mistake her for ordinary.

"Hi, Sofi." The tears made my voice thick. I held my arms out, pleading with her silently…

The gun thunked onto the wood floor, and she stepped into my arms; the impact of it nearly took me off my feet.

She floored me when she sniffled, then shook, then sobbed once into my shoulder.

"I thought I'd never find you…"

I held her as tight as I could, pulling every part of her that would reach against me.

"I only stayed away because I thought I was helping like we talked about. I never wanted to…"

She nodded, sniffing, "I know, I know, dorogoi. But things changed…"

I choked back my own tears at how damn goodshe felt against me, "What changed, Sofi? Is everything alright?"

She pulled away then, wiping her eyes, "More than alright now, my love. Come in; it's far too cold to do this out here. You can send the driver away."

I wiped my eyes in turn, waving off the driver; he raised his hand slightly and kicked the cab in gear, pulling off and away as I followed Sofiya inside. The house was beautiful, all wood-paneled everything, high ceilings lent an openness that was nothing short of comforting. But my mind was elsewhere, the surreality of the situation refused to abate, twenty-four hours ago I'd been resigned to loving her for the rest of my life and never seeing her again, now here she was, casting little glances over her shoulder, almost like she was afraid I'd vanish if she took her eyes off me.

I certainly wasn't going anywhere.

As we walked, her hand slipped into mine, her fingers gently interlacing; the warmth made my heart pound, then again, she'd always done this to me, even from that first night. She pushed a door open at the end of the long entryway into a beautifully appointed kitchen, black marble everything—the gift of a grateful nation, I suppose.

She already had coffee going, I could smell the "Orimi," and it brought me right back to her office in Roanapur.

"Would you like some coffee?"

I ditched my jacket, still on autopilot, it all felt like a dream, and there was this lingering feeling that there was something I wasn't privy to yet.

"Please."

She flitted around the kitchen, grabbing mugs, cream, and sugar. Sofiya didn't "flit," and that set my alarm bells off even more.

I leaned on the counter and watched her; she seemed almost nervous. It hit me then, I was really here, and she was really cursing under her breath as she spilled a little coffee on her beautiful countertops. So I pushed off the island and moved up behind her, gently wrapping my arms around her waist, running my hands up to help her set the coffee pot down before I spun her in my embrace and kissed her.

It wasn't the hard, wild kiss we'd shared so many times in Roanapur. It was slow, soft, burning with need. Her fingers dug into the fabric of my suit, and she pulled me in tight, moaning softly as a year and change's worth of longing rushed out of us… two people who were never meant to be separated in the first place.

Her lips were as soft as they were in my dreams, in my memories, and all at once, I was home again.

We finally came up for air; panting softly, I leaned in and pressed my forehead to hers, getting lost in those deep blue pools. I could've stayed like that forever.

"Zack…"

"Yeah, Sofi?"

"We need to talk."

I nodded, "Tell me, I'm here."

Her eyes closed, and a smile bloomed across her face.

"I…"

A small voice cried from somewhere, and it took my love-addled brain a moment to place it, my gaze slowly tracking to the counter as the world dropped out from underneath me…

Tracked to the counter where a baby monitor crackled…

Sofiya stiffened, wormed her way out of my arms, and bailed.

"I'm coming, sweetheart! Mommy's coming!"

She disappeared through a swinging door, leaving me standing there, holding empty space, my heart thudding in my ears.

Fucking…what now?

I barely had time to pick up my marbles before Sofi came back, holding a baby…

With green eyes…

"Shh, Shhh, that's it, Mommy's here." She reached a hand out to me, her gaze followed, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Zack…come meet your daughter…"

My heart fucking stopped.

And I mean stopped…

Tears welled up and fell as I struggled to pull air into my lungs, shock rooting me to the spot.

"My…my what?"

She nodded, sniffling as her own tears overflowed.

"This is our little girl…Dzhennifer."

I lost it right there.

She named her after Jen…

I willed my feet to move as my heart tried its level best to pound its way clear of my ribs. Closing the gap slowly and reaching out to take her hand, tears sheeting down my face.

Her tear-filled smile was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

And it paled in comparison to the little girl in her arms…

"T…" My voice broke, "This is why you retired? Why you were trying to find me?"

Sofi ran her hand up my arm, gently cradling my face, wiping my tears with her thumb as I stared down at our daughter.

"Yes to all of it, it killed me to leave you; it never felt right. Like a piece of my heart stayed on that dock. And when I found out I was pregnant…I knew that nothing else mattered, not my career or what Moscow thought of it, I wanted you, and it had never been clearer to me what was most important."

My daughter…My daughter, fussed and reached her little hands up for Sofi's face. Green eyes regarded me with that kind of wide-eyed innocence that only babies are capable of.

"Would you like to hold her?"

Fear gripped me, gunfights, death, and destruction… but I quailed at the thought of holding my little girl for the first time.

"I…I don't…"

Sofi guided my gaze to her face, "It will be okay, here."

She shifted our baby into my arms, and I just sat there and stared, holding that little bundle in my arms, utterly leveled by the enormity of it.

"Hey…Jenny…" My voice cracked hard, "I'm your dad… and you're about to be the most spoiled little girl in the world, you know that?" My breath hitched, and the world fell away, "You were named after one hell of a fighter, the best friend I ever had, and I can't wait to tell you all about her one day…"

Sofiya wrapped her arms around us, laying her head on my shoulder; nothing but boundless love shone in her eyes as she stared down at Jenny, glancing up at me with the same besotted expression.

I knew what I wanted instantly; I spoke without taking my eyes off the world ending little being in my arms.

"Marry me, Sofiya."

"What?"

I glanced up at her, meeting her shocked gaze.

"Marry me; I want us to be a family. I'm done running; everything I could ever want or need is right here with you and our child. Fuck what Moscow or Langley has to say about it; all that matters is you and her."

She sniffed, darting in and kissing me sweetly.

"Moi horoshiy…I thought you would never ask…"

It was the deadliest wedding reception in history; there were so many spooks in the crowd it could've been Halloween. Dave was my best man; he'd agreed before I got all the way through asking, simply asking when and where and if he needed a tie, he worked the crowd now, Kathy at his side, refusing to give Jenny up for even a moment, declaring herself the proudest mom in history.

Nobody ever corrected her.

The entirety of Hotel Moscow was in attendance; they'd come from all over Russia from various posts and jobs.

A huge bouquet had arrived, simply addressed to "Fry-Face" and signed with a stylized "C."

A bottle of rum rounded it out, locally produced in Roanapur, with a simple card, a short inscription near the bottom, below the well-wishes from Rock and Benny and the congratulations from Dutch, in surprisingly neat handwriting, brought a rush of memories, a mist of tears to my eyes, and dragged a chuckle from my throat.

Congrats, Boy Scout, don't fuck this up.

-R

I won't Rev'

I set the card down as a hand landed on my shoulder; I glanced back to see Boris, half in the bag and smiling like a dope.

"My friend, my brother, I am so happy for you."

I turned, and he pulled me into a bear hug, "Me too, Boris, thank you."

He slapped me on the back, "I know you will keep her and your little girl safe now. It is a full-time job."

I nodded, breaking the hug and smiling, "We've been through worse."

"Amen, brother, now come, Kolya has a deck of cards, and we're all hoping to take the groom for every penny he has."

I saw her then, walking through the crowd, looking like a million bucks in a strapless blue dress, her blonde hair done beautifully, makeup perfectly applied; I felt my heart swell a little at the sight of my best friend.

"I'll be right behind you; gotta say hello to an old friend."

"Da, take your time, gather your courage; you will need it."

He finished with a laugh and headed for the back of the church as I picked my way through the spies, soldiers, and gangsters that I called friends.

Eda was scanning the room when I touched her bare shoulder, making her jump a little.

"Losing your edge, Blackwater?"

She whipped me in the arm with her little clutch, "Fucker," She pulled me in for a hug just as fast.

"I'm so happy for you."

"I still can't believe I'm someone's husband or a fucking dad, for that matter."

She hugged me tighter, "I know you'll be great at both."

I smiled, "Thanks, Eda, for so much, for every last bit of it. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"Aw, knock it off, gonna make me ruin my makeup." She sniffed and broke the hug.

"Trying to run off with my husband, are we?"

I turned and smiled so wide my cheeks hurt at the sight of Sofiya in her dress; she always looked beautiful, but today? She was a vision in a custom gown that hugged her curves just enough. Her eyes twinkled playfully.

Eda smiled, staring right back, "Wouldn't dream of it, Captain, just stopped by to congratulate you both, take care of him, will you? It's a full-time job."

Sofi nodded as they shared a look that I wasn't wholly comfortable with, and I knew right then that some spooky shit had gone on.

I was probably better off not knowing.

"I have every intention of doing exactly that, Sister."

Eda winked, "Just making sure. Well, I'd love to stay and enjoy the party, but duty calls."

"A clergy-based emergency, I'm sure?" Sofiya answered with a smirk.

Eda held her gaze, "Nailed it in one. Congratulations again to you both; I truly am very happy for you."

Sofiya reached out and pulled Eda into a hug, "And that means the world to me. I trust we'll be seeing you and your fiancé? Jenny should get to know her aunt." Eda's eyes went wide, "And call me Sofiya, I'm not a Captain anymore, and especially not among friends."

My jaw hit the floor, but the smile on Eda's face turned misty and million-watt.

"I'd love that… Sofiya."

Sofi broke the hug, "Now that we have that out of the way, please, have a drink with me."

Eda's grin could end wars, "I suppose I could stay for a little bit."

The love of my life and my best friend, a woman I had once had whiskey-soaked sex with, we're gonna go drink together.

This is my nightmare.

But I smiled, all the same, my heart as full as it could get.

Boris's voice boomed over the crowd. "Come, you coward! I will make you rue the day you made a nickel!"

Sofi laughed, "Zhivotnyye, vse vy! Go, darling, and make them regret it."

I grinned evilly as that old light flashed in her eyes.

"Online on time, Captain. Alright, you goons! Who's ready to lose their life savings!"

The party would go long into the night.

The hangover lasted a day and change.

The love, camaraderie, sacrifice, and adventure?

It would last forever.

A/N: I'm not gonna lie, I teared up writing this chapter; I love this story, I love the characters and the little slice of a show we all love that I was privileged enough to bring to life. Thanks for sticking with me.

Also, there's one more chapter coming because I'm a waffling piece of shit that had about three endings to this bad boy written and ready to go; I think you guys will enjoy it.

Until next time, for the last time!