MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - STRONGER SOULS
PLOT: Directly after closing out their business with Solomon Lane, Ethan and Ilsa see where their relationship could take them. When a mission with the IMF goes south, they choose to part ways. Yet, Ethan finds Ilsa after she steals the cruciform key five years later. An opportunity to give their love a second chance becomes tangled with the mission at hand. Can they beat The Entity and come back to each other, or will they lose one another for good?
TIMELINE: Starts after Fallout and travels all the way through my version of Dead Reckoning Part Two.
CHARACTERS: Ethan/Ilsa pairing, Benji, Luther, Brandt, Grace, etc
GENRE: A romance at its core, but with the action/adventure of a MI flick
NOTES:I had so many questions about Ethan and Ilsa after seeing Dead Reckoning Part One, so I wrote this to answer those questions, fill in the plot, and imagine where I wish Dead Reckoning Part Two would take us. (Not that it will) Pardon any inaccuracies, especially with the technological aspects.
SPOILERS: MAJOR spoilers for Dead Reckoning Part One! Honestly, you need to have seen Dead Reckoning Part One to follow this fanfic.
CHAPTER ONE
London, England –
I can't believe it's really over, Ilsa thought to herself. Solomon Lane was in a trunk heading to MI6, and her obligation to them had ended. She turned to Ethan Hunt with a grin that could light the entire city. He returned a smile as a sense of relief struck him. Ilsa was finally free from British Intelligence.
The pair walked down the London sidewalk, side by side. They did not speak at first. What was there to say? One chapter of Ilsa's life had ended, but the next chapter was still unwritten. It wasn't something they wanted to discuss. They'd much rather enjoy the beauty of the moment and stars above.
Eventually, they found themselves sitting in a familiar place. It was the same outdoor patio where Benji had once sat on a bomb, and a gun had sat in Ilsa's lap. Though those memories were not pleasant, there was a strange symmetry about it. That was where Ethan first beat Lane. Now, they'd beaten him again.
"We've never done this," Ethan suddenly realized.
"Done what?" Ilsa asked.
"Sat together like normal people."
Ilsa softly snorted at the notion. "We're not normal people. But…"
"But what?"
"It would be nice to pretend that we are."
Gently, Ilsa took Ethan's hand. He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed. It wasn't long ago that they were in Kashmir, both bruised and bloody, where Ilsa stubbornly refused to leave Ethan's bedside. Once they were well enough to leave the medical camp, they remained close to each other. They wanted to be near, as they'd steal caresses and glances whenever possible.
"Ilsa, I have a question. I haven't asked it yet because it never seemed like the right time," Ethan began.
Before he could go further, Ilsa interrupted him. "You want to know what I said to Julia in that medical camp."
"Yes. I guess I do."
"While her husband was treating your injuries, we had a chat. She asked me to look after you. You saw me telling her I'd do just that."
Ethan smirked. "That's something she'd ask."
"She's quite a woman. And she's the one you'll always love, isn't she?"
"I will always love her and our past…but that's what it is. A past. I've spent a lot of time holding onto it, but now I know I was holding onto the guilt. Part of me believed I'd ruined her life. She told me otherwise. She's where she's supposed to be. And that's what I needed to hear to let go. I've let go of almost everything."
"Almost everything?"
He let out a long sigh. "I still have the fear. I'm not afraid of many things, but I am afraid of what can happen to the people I let get close to me. Or what does happen."
"What if there's someone who wants to get close to you, Ethan?"
"That person would have to be crazy, don't you think?"
Ilsa gave a shrug. "I've never claimed to be completely sane. Especially where you're concerned."
"I've noticed. That street goes both ways."
Tenderly, Ilsa reached out to brush Ethan's cheek. Nothing more was said about their intentions. Instead, they discussed things they had never brought up before. They talked about who they were before they got into the game. They shared the places they had been and the people they had lost along the way. Laughter flowed between them as easily as a summer breeze. Neither had felt so connected to another person in ages—if ever.
As the night wore on, they left the patio and went for a stroll. Ilsa pointed out her favorite spots and long-lost memories. She held onto his arm as they went, and he held onto her hand in return. They came to a stop beside the water, an area that was not far from the place they met.
Words were never necessary when their eyes found each other. Ilsa's hand moved to Ethan's jaw. She leaned in and Ethan closed the distance. Their first kiss was soft and brisk. When it ended, they pulled back to smile at one another. It felt like it had been a long time coming.
Once the second kiss started, it was evident that there would be another and another. This led them back to their hotel in somewhat of a hurry. They went to her room where they could be undisturbed. In the London moonlight, they made love for the first time, pretending to be like any other couple at least for the night.
Ethan woke when the sun streamed through the hotel windows. Ilsa was curled against his side with her head on his chest. A sense of peace and joy filled him. He hadn't realized how deeply his feelings for her went. She was in his veins, and he didn't want to let her go.
He gingerly brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead. She stirred, and then her vibrant blue eyes looked up at him. A hazy grin followed.
"I know who you are," she murmured. "You're Ethan Hunt."
"Good morning, Ilsa Faust."
There was a kiss. Then, he held onto her with all his might. Both knew the moment couldn't last. The question of where to go from there was looming. It wasn't one either wanted to ask, but someone needed to. Ilsa plucked up the courage despite the pit in her gut.
"How long before the IMF has another mission for you?" she whispered.
"It could be a few weeks, or I could hear from them after breakfast," he replied. Although he thought that he knew the answer, he had to ask. "They'd take you, you know. The IMF. I know you've done your part, but would you be interested?"
She hummed. "There's no guarantee that I'd be on your team. They'd send me wherever I'd be needed."
"I could pull a few strings to ensure we'd work together."
"Just work?"
"If our enemies found out we're together—"
Ilsa balanced on her elbow with a huff. "Ethan, you know firsthand that I'm an extremely capable agent. God help anybody who tries to come for me, or you, or us."
"I'm not questioning your abilities or your strength, Ilsa. I'm questioning my weaknesses. You're one of them."
"We can't even try? Last night was…"
"It was," he agreed. He tenderly cupped her chin, gazing powerfully into her eyes. "If we do this, we have to promise that we'd never let our relationship interfere with our safety or the safety of the world."
With the briefest hesitation, she nodded. "Agreed."
"Okay."
"Okay."
There was a pause. Then, they started to grin. Ilsa moved in for a kiss, which Ethan gladly met. Despite their apprehensions, they couldn't feel any happier at that time. However, the threats they were about to face would be unrelenting.