A.N.: To me, an epilogue should be like less than 1000 words (that's my definition), so this honestly is kind of too much for an epilogue. But I guess it doesn't matter *shrugs*

Thank you very much for all the continued support throughout this story I really appreciate all the reviews, follows and favorites throughout, it was a great motivation.

Anyway, let's move forward~ (will save the long AN till the end)

It wasn't until after almost six hours did Wolf and the rest return to the hospital, looking rustled but lighter. It instantly told Bear that everything was, he supposed, alright.

As soon as they closed the door, Bear asked, "Where's Coyote?"

"Upstairs," Wolf replied, "They did a check on him. Said he's alright."

Bear took a deep breath and exhaled softly. Coyote was alive. He was alive, "So…is he up for visitors?"

Uncharacteristically, Wolf raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Are you waiting for invitations?"

Bear's eyes widened as the meaning sank in. Oh god. He flipped over the cover and clambered out of his bed. Despite the chilling moment when his feet came in contact with the marble floor, Bear didn't falter. He needed to see Coyote.

"Sir, you shouldn't-" The nurse who happened to walk in at the moment exclaimed, her hand pausing on the handlebar.

"I'm heading to the restroom," Bear said, nearly snapping in irritation at being stopped.

"Oh, that's, I guess that's alright," The nurse looked a little fluster and unsure, "Are you all going with him?"

"Just to make sure that he doesn't crash into walls," Eagle offered, "He's really clumsy. Clumsy like a bear." Eagle laughed at his inside joke but the laughter turned bleak when Bear glared at him, not at all amused.

"The doctor will give you another checkup in an hour," The nurse informed him, "Be sure to return when you finish."

"Yes," Bear nodded and brushed past the nurse.

Bear heard Snake mumbling an apology behind him as Wolf caught up to walked beside him in easy strides, "The floor above. Third room to the right."

Bear nodded in thanks. He could hear his heartbeats, pounding loudly in his ears and reverberating throughout his body in uncontrollable urgency and excitement. He rushed up the flights of stairs, three at a time, barely stopping in time before crashing into a doctor. He must have looked like an escaped patient to the doctor, with his rustled clothing and bare feet, for the doctor grabbed him by the arm to halt him in his track.

"Go back to your room," The doctor said in a gentle tone as if to not startle him, "We're not here to harm you."

"He's just going to use the restroom," Eagle explained as the rest caught up with him.

"Restroom?" The doctor sounded incredulous.

"Yes, restroom," Eagle nodded.

In times like this where absolute normalcy was required in a place where normalcy was out of place, Eagle was the best man. He could sprout absurd stories and spun them out like he grew up with the story.

"In this state?" The doctor said, giving Bear a once-over scrutinizing glance.

"He's in a hurry," Eagle added, "Real hurry."

"Which floor are you from?" The doctor asked, still suspicious of them. Bear didn't have time for this.

"Second," Eagle replied, sensing Bear's irascibleness with the doctor, "Room 10A."

"I'll go talk with his doctor," The man finally said as he descended the stairs, "If you aren't who you say you are," He gave them a hard glance, "You'll regret it."

"Yes, of course," Eagle bobbled his head almost comically fast and the man finally left. Bear was surprised that the man didn't give them a second glance over his shoulder.

Bear counted the doors on the right. Third one. There. He walked toward it, his bare feet made scuffling sound across the carpet floor. There were only a few passing by nurses and patients but otherwise, the brightly lit corridor was clear.

Wolf and the others stopped behind him as he paused before the door. Bear turned toward them. Wolf had his arms crossed, waiting for his action, "Go on."

"You're not going in?" Bear grimaced at how much of a child he sounded like.

"Of course I am," Wolf said, "But I'm waiting for you to open the door."

So it was up to him. What should he say? Hi? That seemed too…less, too casual, to cover everything that had happened. I'm sorry? Too broad. There were so many things he wanted to say to Coyote, to apologize and to explain, so many that he didn't know where to start. Maybe from the point when everything went wrong. Tell Coyote that he wasn't the one at fault for Leopard and Ferret's death. Was that enough?

"Wolf's getting impatient," Eagle supplied unhelpfully.

Bear was unprepared when the door swung open inwardly, and the subject of his thoughts appeared. Bear froze and felt his breath caught in his throat. That was Coyote all right. The blond hair. The eyes. The face. It brought back memories.

Coyote slammed straight into him. Bear took a step back by the unexpected action. Coyote stumbled back and Bear immediately noticed the heavily wrapped leg and the crutches that Coyote had under his arms.

"Sorry, sorry," Coyote apologized, "I wasn't trying to escape. I was just, uh, heading to the restroom."

Coyote's tone, the casualness of it, put Bear off. It was as if they didn't know each other.

There was a long moment of silence as Bear simply stared at the man. His unit-member. His former unit member.

"Uh, hi," Coyote tried again, "Can I help you with something?"

It was almost as if Coyote didn't know him.

"Coyote?" Bear tried.

The man froze and turned his gaze to Bear's. Bear held it. It was strangely empty with no recognition but the next word out from the man said otherwise, "Bear?"

"Shit," Bear took a deep breath, "Shit."

"Why are you swearing at me?" Coyote asked.

It was as if nothing happened.

"No broken ribs?" Snake stepped forward and Coyote diverted his attention to K-Unit's medic.

"Rib hurts every now and then," Coyote confessed, "But not much."

"Good," Snake nodded in satisfaction, "Are you going to invite us in?"

"…Well then, come in," Coyote seemed reluctant as he pulled the door inward wider to let them in.

The room had the same basic structure as the other rooms in the hospital. It was a plain white room with a single bed by the corner wall and a nightstand beside it. The window was open and the soft white curtain was being blown inward as the wind traveled past and through the window.

Wolf closed the door behind them. Bear watched as Coyote, fumbling slightly, took a seat on the foot of the bed, his gaze turned toward them. The limp was clear in his steps and Bear swore that Coyote looked like he was going to trip numerous times during the short trip.

There was a long moment of silence. Awkward wasn't the word to describe it. It was a moment where they took in each other's presence, noting the differences and details.

"What did I miss?" Coyote finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

Bear didn't know everything too well so Wolf took the question, "What do you remember?"

"Building exploded," Coyote visibly swallowed, "Was picked up by a man. We talked a little. Then I woke up here."

Bear's gaze was fixed on Coyote's the whole time he was talking. Something seemed strangely off in the way Coyote was acting but Bear couldn't put a finger on it.

"The man was Shay Edmonson's brother," Wolf said.

"I know."

"And he contacted his brother after he retrieved you," Wolf continued, "Though he didn't know that you're a soldier."

"Oh."

"You were logged under the name Julius Hawkerson," Wolf explained, "That seemed to have hit a rather personal point with Shay Edmonson. He drugged you and took you. We got there before his airplane launched. The police did the rest and sent you to the hospital."

"I see," Coyote replied, "Did you get out before the building exploded?"

The question was directed at Bear and Bear nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Coyote glanced at him as if waiting for a response. A verbal one.

"Yeah," Bear said.

They fell back into silence. This time, an awkward one.

"Try being a crab more, Coyote," Eagle said.

All gaze swung to the man. Eagle looked uncomfortable at the moment, "What?"

"That was off-topic," Parrot said. Give it to Parrot to answer Eagle's questions, rhetorical or not.

"It wasn't," Eagle protested, "Don't tell me that you've never heard of the joke?"

"What joke?" Coyote asked.

"Why doesn't the crab give to the charity?" Eagle asked, "Because he's a shellfish. Selfish. Get it?"

Wolf groaned.

"So I was saying that you should be a little selfish every now and then," Eagle shrugged, "Like think of yourself more."

"And let them die?" Coyote's quiet but sharp voice cut through the warm atmosphere that Eagle had created.

"I don't…I didn't say that," Eagle said, grimacing slightly.

"It's-"

The door creaked open and they all turned toward the intruder. It was the doctor. The doctor that they had met on the stairs.

A long pause as the doctor glanced at each one of them in turn, "Explain."

"They're visiting," Coyote was the one who replied, "They're my acquaintance."

"I see," The doctor said and Bear could see that the man relaxed slightly, "Just acquaintance?"

"Yes," Coyote replied.

The doctor hmphed as he scratched something on his clipboard, "Is it alright if I read off my doctor's note in front of these people?"

"It's up to you, doctor," Coyote replied, amused.

"Good," The man nodded, "Because I don't have the energy to yell at them to get out."

Coyote smiled a little.

"We might give you something else to support your right leg," The doctor said, "That's the best we can hope for right now. Luckily it wasn't broken in too many places and we have somehow managed to piece them back. It will heal, but we are still unsure whether or not it will heal fully."

Bear blinked, "What happened?"

"His right leg was crushed," The doctor informed him, "Luckily his left leg was well so he can manage at least on one leg and crutches."

"I see," He had a sinking feeling. Would Coyote be able to return to SAS? It was getting slimmer by the moment. IT would be different without Coyote. Maybe the Sergeant could give Coyote a position in K-Unit. Something. Anything.

"And it will definitely take a while before your eyesight return."

"What?" Bear exclaimed and he felt the same shock from other occupants of the room beside Wolf, Coyote, and the doctor.

"Oh dear," The doctor sighed, "His eyesight was damaged."

No… Bear glanced at Coyote in almost despair. No… The sergeant would never take Coyote back with these impairs. Coyote…would possibly never be able to return. He glanced at Coyote. The man didn't seem too surprised but Bear felt pain just be looking at the faraway look in his eyes. He didn't know if it looked distant due to the blindness or something else. Coyote, as if sensing his gaze, turned toward him and smiled slightly.

"If you rest well," The doctor continued, "It will return eventually. Temporary blindness isn't that uncommon of a thing."

"When will he be fully healed?" Bear asked.

"Fully?" The doctor raised an eyebrow, "At most two to three years, I would say. It might be longer, that I cannot say."

"I see."

"Now, I'll leave you," The doctor said, snapping the clip on his clipboard, "By the way, you, that patient over there," Bear glanced at the doctor when the man turned his gaze to him, "You've been to the 'restroom' for quite a long time."

"I don't know why you made me go with the name 'John Smith'," The man grumbled as he sat down next to him on the train, "It wasn't even a nice name or my real name."

Yassen didn't reply. It wasn't worth replying to. Silver Harwinton, his assistant, was someone who could talk all day while achieving exactly nothing. Or less. He had met the man a long time ago during one of the Scorpia assignments. Uncharacteristically, he was assigned a partner on that mission. Silver was a great negotiator. He talked a lot. Sprouting sentences after sentences but the statements were accurate and true, pieced together with exact wordings and facts. If Silver was sent to America for a filibuster, he definitely could get through it with ease. After his resignation in Scorpia, Silver followed him. The man was resourceful in many ways. He had his connections and varies methods to get to the higher authority using fake identities. He just wasn't the expert in lying well under pressure, giving his identity away on numerous occasions. Other than that, he was tolerable.

"Your application to the police force was accepted just a few hours ago," Silver sighed, "Do you think I should resign? I don't want to see that man again."

Not worth replying to either.

"I don't want to see that man again," Silver glanced at him.

"What is his name?" Yassen asked, feeling the need to say something.

"Ian Valier or something," Silver said, "Not sure."

Yassen pitied the man. With the power Silver had in his hand, the inability to remember simple things, like a name, might just be his downfall one day.

"Don't give me that look."

Yassen had wondered, numerous times, as to why he had kept the man. Silver was resourceful, and helpful every now and then, but Yassen had always managed on his own. Though with Silver, things sometimes did went faster than it normally should. But if Silver ever showed a hint of betrayal, the man would not live for long.

"You're going to leave without saying goodbye to the Rider boy?" Silver changed the topic but Yassen was unsurprised.

"He doesn't know that I'm here."

"Well then," Silver gave up, "I—"

"Don't throw me another topic," Yassen stopped the man before he could continue."

"How do you know that I was going to talk about something else?"

"…"

"Don't give me that look!"

Alex found it extremely difficult to sit in Mrs. Jones's office with a pair of crutches and sightless eyes. At least Bear's assistance guided him through the hallways and elevators on the way to Mrs. Jones's office. The said man directed him to the chair that he recalled in the mind-map of the office.

"At ease, soldiers," He heard Mrs. Jones said, "The reason why I call you here today is regarding the mission."

Alex grimaced.

"Shay Edmonson has been put into custody after yesterday's capture," Mrs. Jones informed them, "The families of the five victims who were killed, indirectly, by Shay Edmonson has been informed. In fact, the whole world has knowledge of the event and the truth behind it. He will be behind bars for a long time if the verdict isn't immediate execution. "

Greedy man. There were too many of them in this world.

"You have done well in this mission," Mrs. Jones said and Alex could almost feel that it was directed to him and about a broader mission, "The disk you retrieved contained information that we can work with and had barely any or no knowledge of beforehand. You have our gratitude."

A pause as she let them digest the information. And that fact that she had just said thank you.

"I've spoken with the Sergeant and he informed me that Bear has been transferred to K-Unit."

"What about Coyote?"

"Due to his disabilities," Coyote felt a pang, "He will not return to Brecon Beacons nor join K-Unit."

"But that's-"

"Do you have any objections, soldier?"

"No, ma'am."

Alex felt the critiquing glances passing through each one of them, "Instead, Coyote will return to MI6."

She just had to put it out, blatant and out in the open.

"'Return', ma'am?" Bear sounded confused.

"Coyote was an agent of MI6 before he went to Brecon Beacons," Mrs. Jones informed them.

Without looking, Alex felt the gazes upon him, almost beseeching him for answers to their flood of questions as well as confirmation of the statement. It was unnecessary because they knew that Mrs. Jones wasn't a woman who told jokes.

"Then was being in the camp an undercover job?" Wolf asked, almost hesitant to hear the answer.

"He was sent to the camp for a short period of…rehabilitation," Mrs. Jones said, pausing slightly to choose the most accurate word for the description, "That's all you need to know."

"Yes, ma'am."

"The sergeant wants to inform you that until further notice, your unit will be in stand-by mode, ready for any possible requests," Mrs. Jones continued, "Questions?"

"No, ma'am."

"Dismissed," Mrs. Jones said and Alex heard the sound of a wrapper being ripped open and a moment later, the smell of peppermint wafted through the air, "Coyote, a word."

The rest filed out of the room respectfully and the door closed behind them with a click. Alex felt tensed all of the sudden.

"Alex," Mrs. Jones begun, sighing softly, "I really hate to give you another one this soon after a mission."

Alex felt like smashing something. Another mission?

"But this mission requires absolute and immediate attention."

"Just like the last one. And the one before. Oh, and every single one of them in the past three years," Alex said bitterly.

Mrs. Jones corrected him shamelessly, "Two years."

Alex paused.

"I'll brief you on the mission a little later," Mrs. Jones said suddenly, "But something else has come into my mind."

"Pray tell."

Mrs. Jones ignored his attitude, "The Sergeant had informed me, after a surveillance camera set on you in the camp, about your…disorientation in the mind regarding the timeline of events."

"English please."

"The doctor has agreed upon the conclusion," Mrs. Jones ignored him once again, "You've mentioned three years, but that's where you're wrong. I was very tempted to believe that it really had been three years since…Jack's death but it wasn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Just like dreams," Mrs. Jones said, "You can mistake them for a memory. The line between dreams and truth can be blurry every now and then."

"Your point?"

"How many years did you stay with the Pleasures?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"One and a half."

"Incorrect," Mrs. Jones said, tapping the desk without a rhythmic pattern, "You've stayed with them for only half a year."

Alex narrowed his eyes, "That's impossible."

"Jack's death was in early March," Mrs. Jones said rather bluntly, "Half a year. Do you remember Christmas with them? Thanksgiving?"

Christmas… Giftwraps. He tried to find the feeling of the coldness of winter breeze with the Pleasures. Turkeys in Thanksgiving. He bit his lips. Where was the memory? Somewhere. It had got to be somewhere.

"No, you can't recall the memory," Mrs. Jones supplied, "I'll leave you to ponder upon that. It wouldn't really matter, but the correctness of timeline is, occasionally, important." She cleared her throat, spreading the minty flavor further in the room, "Now that that is solved," Mrs. Jones said, walking over the topic in the most sharp-turn transition ever, "Here is the mission briefing."

Alex felt something being pressed into his hands. He clenched it. Then tighter. Oh god. He couldn't remember Thanksgiving nor Christmas with the Pleasures. He just couldn't. Memory loss? But oddly, it was as if he knew it even beforehand. There were only acceptance. Half a year, huh… It sounded right, but he knew that it would always be a year and a half. He knew.

"When will it be?"

"The mission will be in two weeks," Mrs. Jones said, "I will assign a partner with you on the mission due to your slight disabilities."

Adding the word 'slight' didn't soften the fact.

"Dismissed."

Alex stood up and headed out the door, trying his best to not crash into the wall or hit his crutches against the potted plants that Mrs. Jones had brought in after Blunt's 'resignation'. Mrs. Jones opened the door for him and he left. The door clicked shut softly behind him.

"How did it go?" Wolf's voice made him jerked in surprise.

"Not bad," Alex said.

There was a tense silence in the air. They walked in silence. Alex sensed the rest of K-Unit beside and behind them.

"You didn't tell us that you are an agent," Wolf finally said as he stopped. Alex heard the sound of the elevator bell.

"I couldn't exactly," Alex replied, somewhat guilty by the fact.

"Why not?"

"I don't know," Alex admitted.

Why didn't he? He really didn't know.

"There're a lot of things that you didn't tell us," Wolf said.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. A lot. Like the fact that he was Cub, though that seemed like a trifling matter at the moment. His bullet wound over the chest. His age. Maybe they were best hidden. It wasn't his fault that he wished to leave the best impression he could in their mind.

Wolf cleared his throat almost awkwardly as he changed the topic, "You saved my life."

Alex didn't reply. Wolf hadn't finished, "You didn't betray me."

There was a strange silence as he paused, collecting his thoughts to form the words to express himself, "I give you my trust."

So that's what he meant, Alex had a strange feeling of amusement. The memories of the first week in Brecon Beacons flashed before his eyes.

"Listen, in military, teamwork, and trust is the most important things that bind us together. Without trust, there is nothing. And if I don't trust you, our unit won't work."

Alex shrugged slightly, "Trust is a strong word. How do you know that that person won't betray you in the end?"

Wolf turned around and snarled, "I will never trust someone who will betray me in the end. Just like I will never trust you!"

Wolf must be talking about that event.

"I will give you half of my trust," Alex replied after a moment, "In gratitude for your gallant attempt to save me back in the compound."

"What do you mean 'attempt'?" Wolf growled.

"There it is, there it is!" Eagle exclaimed excitedly, "Wolf's infamous growl."

"Shut up, Eagle." That was Snake.

"You're breaking a cheesy moment," Parrot added, his tone serious.

Alex didn't know that Parrot had a sense of humor. Things really had changed.

"She said you were an agent even before all this," Bear spoke up, "How was it like?"

"Oh fun, really fun," Alex couldn't help the sarcasm. It was very much needed.

Bear was silent for a moment, "Does it often requires backup?"

Alex smiled, "Not that disastrous." And even if it did, Blunt had never been the man of his words.

"I see," Bear hesitated, "Uh, while we're on standby, you can swing by anytime, you know."

Alex raised an eyebrow and Bear added, "It wouldn't be too hard to find my address if you work for MI6, would it?"

Alex thought of Smithers, "No, it wouldn't." He agreed.

"Hey, Wolf," Eagle butted in, "Can we stay at your house while on standby?"

"No."

FIN

A.N.: Originally, the part regarding the 'missing' year with Alex was supposed to have a larger effect, but I altered the plot slightly in the middle, therefore it didn't have that much of an impact.

I have a rough idea down for the sequel, but it definitely will take me a while to start things up. Will definitely work on TPB more often. I am still trying to improve my writing like varying the sentence lengths, structures, as well as trying my best to fix the grammar mistakes.

I'm sorry that I'm not doing a reply to review section, even though I planned to...

Anyway, I hope you've really enjoyed this story so far ^ ^, and peace out~

-Me

P.S. I don't know what the sequel will be called, but it will involve Yassen and Silver. (This epilogue can kind of be seen as the first part of the prologue in the sequel) So stay tune. ^ ^