This is the end! *Sob* *sob*...don't worry though, 'cause there's a sequel! Or...fivequel...hm...yeah...longest series ever?

I'd just like to take a moment to thank each and every one of my wonderful reviewers. Without your support, I don't know where I'd be. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And thank you, for sticking with me for so long :)

I must say, that this has been a long time coming. You'll see why, but I'll give you a hint – I've had to keep my mouth shut about Jake's death for a story and a half! And of course, I couldn't end it without one final Alex fight...

Chapter 27

The three of them were in Australia.

Weird? Alex thought so. But Desiree had decided to officially resign from the AIS, so Alex came along to give her some additional support. And little Gregory, who was now two months old and who had definitely inherited his mother's eyes, had to come along for obvious reasons.

.

Desiree looked around the familiar campus of the AIS, breathing in the fresh air as she made her way to the ISB. She had left Alex and Gregory back at the rented home, feeling that this was something she had to do herself. Luckily, Alex understood.

She had just handed in her letter of resignation. The Director took things rather well, considering that he'd now lost the entirety of his best unit. Though there was a spark of emotion in his eyes that she didn't find particularly soothing.

There were a few things Dessi had to take care of first, before she officially left. The first was to say her final goodbyes, especially to Matthew, whom she felt she owed an explanation. The other, was to clear out her desk...the one she had never used. So she was a little bit worried as to how bad it would look.

Several passing agents gave her strange looks as she entered the ISB, obviously not expecting to see her around. She just smiled back, making her way upstairs to the offices. Her own one was in the furthest corner of the floor, probably because the Director had known that she'd never use it.

It took her several seconds to let herself into the room; the finger-print scanner was obviously not used to her presence. When she did manage to get the door opened, her jaw dropped in horror.

"Oh buggering heck," Desiree muttered, staring at the...well, unable-to-be-seen desk that was no doubt close to collapsing due to the sheer amount of paperwork piled on top. "Maybe I should've checked in a little more."

This was going to take her a while.

With a sigh, she began to clear the files, important looking sheafs of paper, and goodness knows what else, off her table. However, almost as soon as she started, one of the files slipped off the table, hitting two more on the way down, which each hit three others as they slid down the paperous mountain.

Which ended with everything that had been on the table settling on the floor instead.

"Eff my life," Dessi groaned, sinking to the ground.

It was as she began to clear the files that she spied the letter, buried amongst the mess.

She recognised the messy scrawl almost immediately, and she froze.

"Jake..."

Hey Des,

Bet this is the last thing you'd expect to find, eh? Really though, you need to start clearing out this table. I can hardly find a spot to write this.

Well, if you're reading this then I'm probably dead, since that'll be the only reason you have of ever visiting your office – and trust me when I say this, unit leaders get way too much paperwork to do, especially if they have to cover for their partners too (cough, you, cough). And I'm pretty sure they'll have made you unit leader. But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

If I've actually just resigned, could you do me a favour and knock some sense into me? Oh, and stop reading this. Thanks.

Anyway, going on the "I am dead" thing, there're a couple of things I have to tell you.

The first would be that...well...I love you. I know I told you that a few days ago, but I just...just really wanted to get it out. And, even if you don't accept it, just know that I'll always be there to protect you.

Which leads me onto my second point.

I don't know if you know this, but for the past...three years, I believe, I've been working on a little side investigating, one which the AIS doesn't know about. It all started with that mission...

.

Gregory was laughing. It was honestly the most contagious sound in the world.

"You're so cute," Alex grinned, bouncing the bubbly boy on his knee. "I can't believe you're so big! Seems like just yesterday..."

Gregory giggled, causing Alex to laugh.

The little boy had yet to give Alex and Desiree any trouble. He was perhaps the most well behaved thing in the entire world. He slept when it was dark, woke when it was bright, hardly ever cried...

They'd been in Australia for a few days now. The neighbours had been so welcoming of the young family. And they absolutely doted on little Gregory Rider.

It would be a pity when they left. But they'd both agreed that since Alex was the only one with a family, even if it they weren't blood-related, it would be best to move to England until they figured out what to do.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Alex asked, hoisting Gregory through the air. "Or a stroll outside?"

Little Gregory just yawned, closed his eyes, and rested his head against Alex's shoulder.

"Or, a sleep," Alex smiled, carrying his little boy upstairs to his temporary bedroom. "Sweet dreams."

.

...and I doubt we're the only ones. I'm sure MI5, MI6, heck, even the Mossad are in on this. Probably even the CIA, but I'm not sure about the FBI. But...just be careful, 'kay? And please, don't do anything stupid like confront them until you have the evidence.

Watch your back, Des. I can't protect you anymore.

Forever yours,

Jacob Wood.

Desiree swallowed heavily, her blood running cold.

She felt...numb.

Frozen.

It was almost incomprehensible, the things Jake had written, the secret he had just told, but the evidence was there. Nothing solid, just whispers, but it was enough for things to click into place.

"I can't believe they'd do this," she breathed, re-reading the letter again, and again. The words almost engrained themselves into her eyes.

There was a heavy weight on her shoulders, the weight of the world. She held in her hand what was perhaps the deadliest secret of the espionage world. And suddenly, she had become the hunted.

With quick fingers, she shredded the letter into a thousand pieces. Some she scattered around her room, others out the window for the wind to blow away. A few pieces were swallowed. It wouldn't do for anyone to know that she was now onto them.

Heavy footsteps made her pause.

They were closing in on her. Coming for her. Somehow, this was something she knew with great certainty.

How did they know? She thought, panicked. There was no way she could escape. The window...no, she wouldn't survive that jump.

The bad thing about having the corner office...you get cornered.

.

The Director had known.

The Director had always known.

Despite Jake sneaking around, trying not to get caught, the Director had known the entire time that the boy was onto them. At first, he'd found it amusing. Then, when the boy had actually managed to find out the truth, he'd been shocked.

The only solution? Jake had to be eliminated.

Dead people couldn't talk.

One of the most stressed rules in the espionage world was to never let the enemy know of your weaknesses. Unfortunately for the boy, he'd never known that his own Director was the enemy until it was too late.

After all, Jake's one weakness had always been his partner, the girl. Desiree Swan. It was so easy to set up, to make sure that the boy was left with no choice but to willingly walk towards death, that the Director had been watching his back, convinced that it hadn't worked. But it had; he'd seen Jake's mutilated body for himself.

Jake's last mission...had been a suicide mission.

He was supposed to die.

And the girl. She had needed to be out of the picture. It seemed almost like fate had stepped in when the Mossad had contacted him about the final spy ring. They shipped Desiree of to the US. Everything was fine. He could breathe.

But he never expected that meddling boy to write the letter. Never saw it coming. And now, he was paying for it.

They couldn't kill the girl on AIS grounds. Not now. She had a child, and someone who would notice her absence. Someone with very important connections.

But they couldn't just let her go. Not now, that she knew. And so, he'd sent men to capture her, planning to keep the girl captive until he figured out a plan.

The Director was very surprised when he learnt that fate had again stepped in and solved his problem for him once more.

.

The door burst open just as Alex was coming down the stairs. Immediately, he threw himself over the railing and crouched down behind the stairs, just as a withering hail of bullets passed over his head.

Who on earth had a grudge against him in Australia?

"Alex!" A sing-song voice echoed, "Come out Alex!"

Alex bit his lip. Gregory was upstairs, somehow managing to have slept through that first wave. That was probably the only thing keeping him safe. He wasn't sure if his son would sleep through another hail of bullets like that.

Right, it's going to have to be a fast takedown then.

The intruders made that relatively easy for him. One of them had already been stalking towards his hiding spot, gun loose at his side. Alex smirked, before diving out and catching the man unawares.

Alex grabbed the man's wrist, bringing it around and slamming it into the staircase railing. The man howled, and let the gun go. He was then promptly knocked out and pushed aside.

The next man came at him, gunless. Alex took him out with a shot to the knee, then pistol-whipped him. He collapsed, still.

Two others jumped for him. Dodging, ducking, weaving in and out. He shot one man in the foot, and while he was jumping around in pain, Alex grabbed a picture frame off the wall (inwardly muttering an apology to the people who owned the house), and smashed the frame over the man's head. He fell in a hail of shattered glass, and didn't get backup.

The other man Alex just knocked out with a blow to the temple. Seriously, these people have got to learn to keep their guards up. Not that he was complaining or anything.

Alex heard the click, and instinctively brought the gun in his hand up to meet its brother. Neither shot. They were both waiting. Waiting for some unspoken signal.

It was only when Alex turned to face the man pointing a gun at him that he recognised him. And his blood ran cold.

The man had only one arm. The other ended at his elbow.

A gun, pressed against Desiree's side...replaced by a needle...Desiree falling, collapsing...

Gunshots. Gibbs...he'd fired, and almost ripped off a man's arm...who'd disappeared in a screech of tires with...

Alex closed his eyes, sensing movement behind him. "Menten."

Michaelis Menten chuckled. "Very good Alex. You know you're gun only has one bullet left though, right?"

Menten's one-armed associate cocked his gun threateningly.

"How did you find me?"

"Oh it was simple," Menten said. He moved up behind Alex, breathing into his ear. "You spies always think you're the best. Yet the trail that you leave...oh so obvious."

There was a sharp pain as Menten shoved a gun against Alex's ribs. He didn't wince, didn't change his expression.

"What do you want?" He asked, never letting his gun waver from the associate.

"Alas, there I many thing which I want. All the worldly possessions," Menten sighed. "But right now, you."

As if that were some trigger, Alex suddenly moved. He fired the last bullet before the associate could get a shot off, then spun, trying to dislodge Menten.

But he wasn't fast enough.

There was a sharp pain against his head; the next moment, he was on his knees, his arms having been wrenched painfully upwards.

"Nice try Alex," Menten whispered into his ear, barely glancing at the man Alex had just shot and, no doubt, killed. "Too bad that wasn't enough. Now say goodnight..."

The last thing that registered in Alex's mind was the door bursting open once more, several more men who were no doubt also in league with Menten filing in, before someone shoved a piece of black cloth against his nose and mouth.

Thank God Gregory kept quiet...

It all went black.

.

The human mind is absolutely amazing. So small, and yet, so very complex. From these minds came the ideas of geniuses. Technology. Electricity. Shaping the world as we know today.

And yet, the most fundamental operation of the brain is to ensure its body's survival.

The most basic instincts performed by all animals are to hunt, sleep and procreate. In short, to make certain that the body had the best chance of survival possible.

And so, when units three and four of the AIS burst into Desiree's office, ready to take her down by whatever means necessary, her brain weighed up the odds and quickly came to the conclusion that there was no way she could fight and live. And she had to live; she was the last keeper of the secret. So, her brain did the one thing it could to protect itself.

It fragmented.

Cracked, into a million pieces. Scattering the secret away into the corners of her mind, dispersed like the letter that had been Jake's last legacy. And with the secrets, went her memories. Faces disappeared, places, names. Gone. Hidden amongst the darkest crevices, buried in the deepest holes of her mind.

Essentially, her mind became a puzzle. And until the pieces were refitted, the final picture would be lost forever. The secret was safe, protected.

Under the sudden strain, Desiree's body could not cope. And so, it did the one thing it could to protect itself.

It shut down.

And Desiree collapsed in a dead faint.

Later that afternoon, she was admitted into the psychiatric ward at the local hospital, unable to remember anything. Not even her own name.

.

Several panicked phone calls were made to 000, telling the police about the gunshots. Half an hour later, the police arrived in a blaze of sirens. But they were half an hour too late.

The only thing they found was a baby boy, whom the neighbours identified as Gregory Rider, the son of the very nice couple in their early twenties. No, the house wasn't theirs; they were merely renting it. No, the two didn't show any signs of being at all related to the mobs that were known to pass through the area. They were just a regular couple, though perhaps a tad too young.

Frantic calls were made, and a search party began to comb the country for the missing parents.

The search would last two weeks, before some higher authorities officially called it off and declared the trail 'cold'. The case was closed and marked as 'unsolved', the detectives highly confused as to why the case had been called off, but having no power to question the 'higher-ups'.

And little Gregory Rider would be sent off to the local orphanage, alone.

.

To Be Continued...