(Chapter 9. Enjoy! I own nothing but Helene)

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"We were on a protection detail in Croatia, Meyer and me." Brandt began after pouring himself a shot of scotch in the kitchen.

"Shadowing the assets, husband and wife. They were never supposed to know we were there. The whole thing routine. It was a milk run." Brandt set aside the empty shot glass after finishing the drink.

"Three days in, we caught wind that a Serbian hit squad was after our couple. But our team had it under control. We knew they were coming. But I still couldn't shake this feeling that I should warn the couple somehow. I wanted to find a way to let them know...but orders are orders so I didn't..and neither did Helene." Brandt swallowed hard as the memory started to replay before him.

"One day the husband decides to leave the hotel and go for a run so I follow him and leave Helene and two men with the wife." Brandt turned to pour himself another glass. The bathroom door opened slowly behind him.

"When I get back, Helene and my guys are unconscious and the wife is gone. Local police found her body three days later; well what was left of her anyway." He paused and Helene took this opportunity to pick up the story as she seated herself next to Benji on the bench.

"That was our last day in the field together. Will couldn't make himself face another life or death situation after that...and neither could I." Helene dropped her gaze as her throat started to close up at the memory of that night.

Neither she or Brandt got much sleep after that mission was over and nor could they really talk about it to each other for a couple of days.

In fact things only started to get better after Helene went in for her last physical check up with the IMF med staff and handed in her resignation to the IMF authorities.

"What happened to the husband?" Jane asked, her voice soft and sympathetic for the first time since they got to the safe house.

Brandt shrugged. "We never saw him again...until two days ago in Moscow when the Secretary introduced my wife and I...to Ethan Hunt." He turned to meet Helene's gaze and Benji turned to stare at his seat mate.

Jane's jaw dropped to her chest.

"Nooo that's...that's not what happened." Benji started to stammer. "She left him, she..." He trailed off when Helene started to give him a look.

"Yeah, I heard that one too Benji." Helene muttered sadly. "But unfortunately Will and I were there when they found her. Just like we were both there night the Secretary got the phone call, saying that Ethan was in custody for killing six Serbian nationals in cold blood." She glared at the tatters in her pants as if they were responsible for the situation they were in.

"An unsanctioned hit." Jane said, remembering what she had been told about the matter when she and Benji were sent to break Ethan out.

"Yup." Brandt confirmed.

"Disavowed." Helene added. Brandt sighed and walked across the room to a table.

"It was about that time when Helene told me she was pregnant." He did not look at Helene as he continued.

"We decided to quit the IMF after that for several reasons...and nine months later we had a son. Things got better in a lot of ways...but then of course, we got called in four months after that to join the Secretary in Russia. Next thing I know we're on our way to Dubai with Ethan and I'm wondering, do I tell him?...How do I tell him?" He looked at Jane.

"That I...we were responsible." Helene shook her head. "I could have warned him...I should have warned him. But I didn't. And now she's dead." Brandt sank grief stricken into the empty chair by the table as he finished his speech.

For awhile no one spoke and no one moved save for Benji who could never keep himself from fidgeting when things got awkward.

"So...Brandt, you and Helene are..." Jane started and trailed off. Helene bit her lip. "Will and I are ex-agents of the IMF. As far as I'm concerned, I'll always be an EX. I just never forgot what I learned while being on the field with Will." She picked up her gun and twirled it carelessly between her fingers before tucking it into her belt.

Brandt sighed and slapped his hand over his forehead.

"We shouldn't even be here right now." He muttered so only Helene would hear him. "We were supposed to have gotten home to our son yesterday not trying to take out the world's most dangerous terrorist while working under the radar of the government." He suddenly slammed his hands on the table making Benji jump again.

Helene rolled her eyes. "A lot of good that does us now, Brandt." She got up and walked across the short distance to the table where he sat.

Jane discreetly got up and headed into a bedroom on the second floor of the house presumably to rest while Benji meanwhile just hunched down lower over his laptop trying to give the couple at least a little bit of privacy.

"You know I'll never be able to live with myself if something were to happen you." Brandt's voice broke with emotion as Helene came to sit next to him. "When we lost Cassie-." Helene cut him off, putting her hand over his mouth to make him stop talking.

"You won't lose me." She said quietly, but firmly her gaze all but daring Brandt to disagree with her.

Brandt grabbed her hand. "You don't know that." He argued in an equally quiet voice, unshed tears gleamed in his pale grey eyes. Helene dropped her gaze.

"You're right." She seemed defeated, but she didn't stay that way for long.

Brandt sighed when he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same look she had the night he made her stay with Cassie Hunt when Ethan decided to go for a run in the dead of night.

Even though she was living through the same nightmares he was now, there was a certain strength in her gaze that he did not feel in himself.

"So what do we do now?" He asked, sounding helpless even to himself. Helene squeezed his hand.

"We stay with the team." She said as if it was the obvious answer as she brought their hands down to rest on the table. "Wait for Ethan to give us a signal and move out when the time is right. And once this is over..." She trailed off and Brandt picked up the sentence for her.

"You go home." He stared at her unsmiling as Benji glanced briefly over his laptop at them.

Helene frowned and leaned across the table when she heard the tone in Brandt's voice. "We go home." She corrected. "Together."

Brandt sighed and squeezed her hand.

...

Benji got the call from Ethan late that night long after everyone else had gone to bed and the next morning, the team got packed before taking the jeep out to meet Ethan at the airport.

Benji raised an eyebrow when he saw Ethan walking out of a jet sporting the biggest grin he'd worn since the mission began.

"What's in the bags?" He asked, motioning to the pile of luggage Ethan had behind him. "It's our gear." Ethan answered him simply.

Jane looked skeptical. "How'd you get it?" She asked and Ethan shrugged.

"Made a friend." He turned to shoot Brandt and Helene a smirky look, but Brandt did not return it.

"Well I'm glad we could help." Benji muttered sarcastically before putting on his sunglasses. Ethan chuckled. "You can help now." He reassured everyone.

Brandt took his sunglasses off. "Look Ethan, before this goes any further..." He turned to glance at Helene and reached for her hand.

Ethan shook his head. "Whatever happened, happened. We still have a chance to clean this up, but we have to do it now. And we have to do it together."

Brandt and Helene exchanged glances with each other. "Okay, so where are we going?" Helene asked finally smiling as she held onto her husband's hand.

Ethan smiled back. "India."

Will turned to look at Jane and Benji. "India?"

"India." Helene repeated pushing her sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose as Jane and Benji repeated the word to themselves contemplatively.

"Sure." Benji grinned as he moved first to board the jet. "Come on Lovebirds!" He turned to shoot Brandt and Helene with a mischevious expression. Brandt rolled his eyes and Helene laughed lightly as Jane followed him next. "Love the jet." She smiled at Ethan.

"Wait till you see the car." Ethan told her.

Brandt and Helene went up last to board the plane and Ethan nodded when Brandt turned to give him a brief questioning look.

"We'll talk later. I promise." Ethan answered his unspoken question without missing a beat.

Brandt sighed. "I'll hold you to that." He muttered before leading Helene on board. Ethan smiled.

...