A/N: PHEEEEEEEEW! FINALLY this story is moving forward. It's been slow in going, but WE'RE ALMOST AT THE FINISH-LINE! Yay…?

Before getting to the new chapter, though… THANK YOU, a million times, for all your reviews, love and support! They mean THE WORLD to me. (HUGS)

Awkay, because I've kept you waiting too long… Let's go! I REALLY hope that this turns out worth the wait.

Part 5 of 6 – Waking Up

Will had no idea how long he was out. After the very bizarre… dream, or whatever it was, he drifted in the dark. Until his eyes fluttered open to see a familiar face. Wasn't… that supposed to be a familiar face…? It was so hard to tell…

"… you hear me?"

ETHAN! The name exploded to his head with a twinge of pain, and he grinned triumphantly. He knew that he'd figure it out eventually. He wasn't stupid. Just really good at playing stupid when it was necessary.

He blinked once, twice. Surprised when his eyes opened again. "… ah." Nothing wrong with his ears, was there? It was his legs that were busted. Silly Ethan.

Ethan's whole body slumped a little with relief. The agent nodded. "Good. Do you remember what happened?"

Will pursed his lips, fought to think although his head felt like someone had struck it with a sledgehammer a couple of times. He… remembered going to sleep. Having really, really weird dreams. And then… His eyebrows furrowed with concentration. A fierce, intensifying beeping noise made itself known, somewhere beside him. "… happened…?" He had no idea if he was ready to hear. But he needed to know…

Ethan didn't seem exactly eager to share. But also knew how stubborn he could be. So the agent breathed a couple of times before answering. "There was a blood-clot. And then your heart started acting up. But you're getting better, now."

That… didn't sound good, right? The frown deepening still, Will lifted his hand with effort. Placed it above where his heart was beating. It… felt okay, if not a little too fast. Was there something wrong with it?

"According the cardiologist who checked you out there shouldn't be any lasting damage." Was Ethan a mind reader? That sounded so cool…! "But they want to keep an eye on you for a while, just in case."

"'K." Usually Will would've detested the idea of medical professionals keeping an eye on him. But at the moment he just couldn't bring himself to care.

He did poke at his heart, though. Just once more. Just in case.

"Stop that", Ethan scolded.

Will shrugged. He attempted to offer a sheepish grin, but it broke to a massive yawn. "'st making sure", he muttered. His eyelids were already drooping closed.

Would he have weird dreams again? He didn't want to have more weird dreams. He wasn't sure he wanted to go to sleep. What if he wouldn't wake up at all this time?

Those troubled thoughts were cut short when he felt a finger poking at him. For a moment he thought about opening his eyes but it felt like too much trouble. He blamed the utterly embarrassing giggle bubbling out of him on drugs. "'op that", he scolded.

"Just making sure."

Will fell asleep before he got the chance to wonder how to respond to that.

/ "I miss you already." /

When Will woke up, with a gasp of startle, the room was darker. He groaned from irritation. Had he missed a whole day…? He didn't like sleeping too long. He attempted to rub his face with one hand but ended up slapping himself instead. How embarrassing.

"Hey." Benji's voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "You waking up?"

"Hmhph." Honestly, he wasn't sure yet. He yawned and stretched, utterly exhausted. "How long?"

"What? Oh, oh! How long since… Right?" Stepping into view, Benji stifled a yawn and glanced towards his wristwatch. "It's been… three days. Or… Maybe closer to four, now."

Will's eyes widened, all fatigue forgotten. Four days? He'd lost four days?

"Calm down! Calm down!" Now Benji was definitely panicking. The man's eyes were unbelievably huge. "You're supposed to be taking it easy! Do you have any idea what Hunt would do to me if you'd get worse on my watch?"

So much of his life Will had been all alone. With no one but himself to rely on, even when things got really bad. And now… Now he had this. The realization, the comfort it brought, made him feel giddy. Or maybe it was the drugs.

Will couldn't help himself. He began to snicker. It sounded more like hiccupping, which only made him laugh harder.

Benji's expression went from terrified to confused, and finally settled to a dry one. "That's very nice. Just laugh at the idea of me getting my arse kicked. Cheers."

Will laughed until he was too tired to keep going, then yawned like a cat. How was it possible that he already felt like he just finished a marathon? Ridiculous.

"You should get some sleep." Benji looked like he needed rest even more, though. The man broke into a yawn as well. "'s been a long few days."

Will shook his head firmly. Suddenly very alert, despite his condition and the medication in his system. He didn't want to sleep. Didn't want to dream of…

And then there was another thing. A quite possibly even bigger fear, one that made him shudder when he thought about it. "'if I don't wake up?" he mumbled. His eyes stung uncomfortably, and it took all his concentration to not imagine why.

He… didn't think he'd ever seen Benji look quite that sad. Or… Maybe when the man thought Ethan's wife was… The computer genius swallowed thickly. "Sleep. I'll make sure that you wake up in a few hours, I promise."

Will's stomach squirmed and knotted. Yes, he knew that he needed the rest. Badly. But… "Promise?" He sounded like a child, but decided quickly that under the circumstances it didn't matter.

"Promise."

The sound of Benji working on his laptop… The normalcy of it all… It had the impact of a sleeping pill. Will drifted under before he even realized what was happening.

/ Familiar, soft lips kissed his cheek. Before an even more familiar female voice whispered in his ear. "Time to wake up now, love." /

Waking up… was surprisingly easy this time. Will looked around, for a few moments too confused to remember where he was and what happened. It all slammed at him with the force of a truck and he shuddered, which hurt his chest, sides and head enough to make him whimper.

"You're okay." Benji's voice was just the anchor he needed. "A dream, is all. Go back to sleep."

Will was already dozing off when he felt the sock-covered toes pushing his leg. Benji woke him up. Just as promised. He gulped, hating the way his mouth tasted and felt. "Th…"

"Try thanking me and I'll draw you a moustache in your sleep. Not even kidding." Benji's smile was absolutely infectious. "It's what friends do. Get used to it."

Nodding off with a smile of his own, Will mused that he just might, given time.

Will didn't open his eyes this time. Didn't want to. Because the fingers combing through his hair were familiar, such he'd longed to feel so much it hurt. And he didn't want to see that this was all a dream.

Leah kissed his shoulder. "You did the right thing, you know", she reassured him, her voice the same soft, melodic one no one had ever come close to matching. "We miss you. But we don't want you to hurry." She leaned to his ear, as though trusting him with a big secret. "There are still adventures left for you. And we want to hear all about them when we see you again."

Will thought he'd burst from all the hurt and longing filling him. He wanted to cry, scream, beg and plead for her to never leave him again. Her hands were already fading away…

Instead of everything else, however, he smiled. Sad as it was. "I…"

This time Leah kissed his lips. It still felt and tasted familiar, no matter how much time had passed. "Me too, you silly man. We both do, and always will. Never forget that."

"Couldn't if I tried", he whispered hoarsely, knowing all too well that he was talking to thin air.

As though the team had agreed to take turns, Jane was with him when Will's eyes fluttered open. There was genuine sympathy on the usually stone-hard woman's face. "Sorry I didn't wake you up as early as I was supposed to. You… were smiling in your sleep." She didn't ask, judge or assume. And somehow that was what broke the damns.

It was the drugs, definitely. Will had no other explanation to such complete, utter lack of self-control. His eyes filled, and before he could do a thing to stop it some tears and the pain flowed over. "I… I dreamt of them… When I…" His voice was hoarse, barely audible. Anything else would've hurt too much. He couldn't bring himself to look at Jane while he fisted his hands so tightly that nails definitely left marks on tender skin. "They… They were waiting, and… I couldn't…" Breathing was starting to feel really, really uncomfortable. Like even the whole world wouldn't have been able to offer enough oxygen.

"Shh… It's okay." Jane's hands were firm and tender all at once while she helped him to a sitting position. "C'mon, up… Up… It'll feel better soon. Just focus on me, and breathe."

Will wasn't used to that level of care from her or… anyone. But he was in no condition to question it. Stubbornly matching his desperate breaths with her stronger, steadier ones he continued to wheeze. "I… I chose to come back, instead of going to them." He wiped his eyes, even though more moisture flowed through almost immediately. "What… What kind of a father…?"

"The kind who wants to make his little girl proud." Jane didn't touch him, but her tone was like a caress. "And she is proud of you. They both are."

The last of whatever walls Will had built around himself crumbled to dust. He buried his face into one hand while he sobbed, from the bottom of his heart and soul. And missed his family more than he ever had before. Jane was there to see it all. He was shocked to discover that he didn't mind, not really.

"If you tell Hunt about this…"

"About what?"

"Thanks."

This time when Will woke up, finally with far less drugs in his body, none of his teammates were there. Instead he discovered Alan Hunley sitting on the chair beside his bed.

Will tensed up to what should've been an impossible extend. Bracing himself for absolutely anything. He swallowed, but his voice still didn't sound right. "What… are you doing here?"

Hunley shrugged. "I'm kind of expected to check up on my agents when they're injured. I heard that you've had it rough."

That… was such an outrageous understatement that it almost made Will laugh. Almost. "I'll never be a field agent again", he blurted out, hoping that ripping off the metaphorical band aid quickly would make it hurt less. It didn't quite work out that way. He looked away, glared at his useless legs, at the tube through which urine left his body. "So…" He licked his dry lips. "You can just…"

"True, I can never send you to field again", Hunley cut in. And sounded sorry about it. "But I'd be an idiot if I let someone with your skills and experience go to waste."

Will frowned and peered towards the older man.

"Someone needs to train those green-nosed rookies of ours. I also need someone with common sense and good tactical instincts to coordinate missions, to ensure that those going to field are as safe as possible. Also, I'm planning on recruiting a brand-new team for gathering data. And they need a babysitter."

Will was struck speechless for a few moments. Then, very slowly, he dared to nod. "I, ah… wasn't expecting that." Not from an organization with 'you mess up, you're on your own' policy.

"The world's changing. I think it's time for the IMF to go through some changes as well. Adapt or perish, isn't that how the saying goes? We can't afford leaving good agents behind anymore."

Will had no idea what to say, so he uttered nothing. Only breathed. He was surprised to discover that for the first time since the accident it felt easy.

A few weeks later it was time for Will to leave the hospital behind and move on to a rehabilitation center. The whole team was there to help out. Because they were bored, not because they would've been… worried, or something.

They ate sinful junk food to celebrate his transfer from a prison to house arrest. They even played cards for a while, until Benji started blaming everyone on cheating. (Only Ethan did.) When Benji and Ethan left, still arguing about the stupid game, Jane sat to the edge of Will's new bed. She appeared unusually pale and… nervous.

Will's eyebrows furrowed. "Jane? You okay?" There wasn't anything wrong with the baby, was there?

She tried to smile, but it didn't come out right. "Yeah, yeah." She rubbed at her stomach tenderly, probably without even noticing the action. A couple of more weeks and she wouldn't be able to disguise her secret from the world anymore. Why was she avoiding his eyes? She took a deep, steadying breath. "Look… I've been waiting for the right time to talk about something, but… It never seems to be the right time. So…" Finally she looked at him, and seemed to search for something. "Do you… remember that night, after the mission in Edinburgh?"

Will nodded tensely. He remembered that mission all too well, mostly because they lost the woman they'd been supposed to save on the last minute. She died in his arms. "We… drank afterwards. A lot." Which was why most of that night after was a mystery to him. He woke up in his hotel room, feeling like someone had been drilling into his skull. Too hungover to wonder why parts of him felt like he'd been playing some… adult games the night before.

Jane licked her lips, drumming restlessly with her fingers. "I don't remember most of it. I just… woke up, at four in the morning, and… panicked. So I left. I…"

It was coming back to him, now. "You tried to talk to me about it the next day." He remembered her inquiring awkwardly if everything was okay between them. And himself wondering why things wouldn't be okay.

"When you didn't want to talk I just assumed that you're cool with it. So… We left it behind and continued being friends." Jane sighed heavily. "I had no idea you didn't remember any of it."

Will looked away, embarrassed. He felt heat on his cheeks. "Sorry. Not my finest hour."

"Not mine, either. So don't worry about it. We were both consensual adults, so no harm done." Jane's drumming picked up pace. "Actually, it… led to something… surprising. Because… We were too drunk to remember protection."

Will's frown deepened. Until realization began to dawn, like fire in the pit of his belly. His eyes widened as he stared at his friend. The world was starting to spin uncomfortably in front of his eyes.

"I have no demands or expectations, let's make that very clear. Only that you won't stop being my friend. I just… I thought you have the right to know." Jane took a deep breath, then spelled it out. "You're the father of my baby."

TBC

A/N: OH, BOY…! Eh… Surprise, Will? Looks like he's in for some MASSIVE life-changes…! JUST TO BE CLEAR, while I've known that this was coming from the start I'm uncertain as to whether those two will be a couple or co-parents. In any case, THERE'LL BE A NEW LITTLE-ONE! (BEAMS)

SOOOO… Was that worth the LONG wait, at all? PLEASE, do let me know! It always makes my day.

I can't believe it, but the next one's gonna be the last chapter. I REALLY hope that you'll all join in for that one!

Take care!

Denise: And here comes another chapter! (smiles) I truly hope that it's worth the long wait.

Colossal thank yous for the review!