CHAPTER SIX

Five years later

Saudi Arbia –

Sand. Sand everywhere. Ilsa sat against the crumbling walls of a ruined city. A light sunburn covered her cheeks, and she was so used to dirt on her face that it didn't itch anymore. She was living on canned goods and MREs, though her supply was getting low. Yet, far too many people were after her and the key around her neck to risk venturing into civilization for supplies.

She was waiting on the men who had been sent to kill her. Word of their mission had reached her, and she was prepared for their arrival. Preparedness never took the edge off. She was twitchy and curious about how many were coming. It wasn't going to be one guy on a camel. As far as she knew, it could be an entire army.

Soon, she saw dust in the distance. They were closing in. That's when she noticed that something was flashing behind a sandhill. She knew that signal. Ethan. Ethan Hunt. Of course he would have found her then. He could always find her.

The approaching men had found Ethan. Ilsa was ready with her rifle and an eye patch. She started taking down as many men as she could. However, a sandstorm was arriving as well. Ethan was fighting it and the men coming for Ilsa. She got to her feet to assist him in the struggle.

Everything happened in a dusty blur. She eventually found herself down and in someone's arms. Automatically, she started to fight back. That's when she heard the voice.

"Ilsa, it's me. It's Ethan."

The world stopped. She flipped around and looked at his handsome face, the one she hadn't seen in so many years. She couldn't resist her happy cry. "Ethan!"

Her head dropped to the crook of his neck while her hands clung to his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, shushing gently. "I'm here."

"Who sent you?" she had to ask.

"My government. They know you have half of the key, and they want me to take it."

Ilsa let out a sigh. "I suppose everyone knows I have it."

"Yeah, and that's why everyone is coming to kill you. And we have to kill you, all right? We'll stage it."

Ethan hurried to place a dead body beside Ilsa's sniper rifle. Once it was in place, he held out his hand. Ilsa, knowing that Ethan was the safest person to give the key to, forked over her necklace. He examined it, feeling rather relieved. Ilsa would be safe now.

"Since you're dead, the bounty on your head will be lifted. It was a big one," Ethan commented.

She chuckled. "You're one to talk. I saw the White Widow has a bounty on you."

"Not anymore. We worked something out."

"Ah. 'Worked something out.' What exactly did you work out?"

He smirked. "Let's just say we came to an understanding."

"I bet you did," she returned in a voice tinted with jealousy. After a pause, she folded into his embrace. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too. You okay?"

The moment was shattered by the backup team that was coming for Ilsa. Ethan took her hand and dragged her to his horse. He helped her onto the saddle.

"You're dead. Stay dead!" he shouted over the sandstorm.

"Ethan—"

It was too late. Ethan had pushed the horse onward. Ilsa took off for anywhere but the ruined city. She felt less burdened now that the key was with Ethan. Regardless, she couldn't let the situation drop. She knew that the key led to something horrible, and she knew she had to help Ethan stop it. However, that meant finding him again.

Rome, Italy –

The only way to find Ethan was to find his team. Ilsa, using her skills and connections, found Benji. He was on the security feeds at an airport, and she tracked him to a plane that would be landing in Rome. She met him and Luther upon their arrival, much to their surprise.

"Ilsa?" Benji said in amazement. "How'd you find us?"

"Not important right now, gentlemen. I'm sure Ethan has told you that I had half of the key. I've been trying to track him so I can help. That meant finding you two," she explained.

Luther scowled slightly. "We don't know why or how you had the key. How can we trust you? It's been a long time."

"I wouldn't take that key for any other reason than to keep it safe and out of the wrong hands. You know that. Besides, I want to tell you what I know once we rendezvous with Ethan. That's where I assume you're going."

"Come on, Luther. She can help," Benji vouched.

Though he wasn't happy about it, he nodded. "We're picking him up. Come along."

The original plan was to pick up Ethan and Grace. However, that went to hell the second Grace tried to run. Their backup plan was to procure a boat and pick Ethan up before anyone else could. Ethan had the police, American intelligence agents, and an unknown party chasing him. It was a miracle that he escaped, and it was even more of a miracle that Benji figured out where to find him.

When Ethan plunged onto the boat, he saw that Ilsa was in the front seat. Their gazes met as a smile came to her face. She couldn't be happier to see him. He was somewhat stunned at the time. They didn't speak as the boat traveled to a café they planned to use as a safe location.

"You had half the city after you," Benji commented.

Ethan raised his eyebrows. "You can say that. American intelligence is trying hard to get to us. I'm guessing the woman on our tail is somehow linked to the key's mystery buyer. Tell me you have some good news."

"Our old friend, the White Widow, is throwing a party in Venice. Word has it that she is the playing broker to the deal. Grace will probably be there to hand over her half of the key to whoever hired her, giving us the chance to find out what the key unlocks," Luther said.

That was indeed good news. Ethan nodded. "We need to get to Venice."

"We can't fly. Their watching the airports," Luther noted.

"No problem. I just finished booking us tickets on the Le Frecce high-speed train. We can be there in three or so hours," Benji stated.

"When does the train leave?" Ilsa asked.

Benji checked the schedule. "Oh. Um. We have twenty minutes to get to the station."

"It'll take us fifteen minutes to get there, Benji. We have to avoid the main roads," Luther said.

"Excuse me for trying to be efficient," Benji snapped. He checked the schedule again. "But if we want to be in Venice with time to prepare for tonight, that's our only way. Everything else would be too slow."

Ethan and Ilsa glanced at each other. It was time to start running again.

In a hurry, the team left their safe space and looked for a suitable car. When they found a good option, they sped through the backstreets of Rome. Police officers were still on alert after the wild chase Ethan had barely escaped. This was going to be yet another narrow getaway.

Upon making it to the station, they had five minutes to spare. One minute was spent allowing Benji to temporarily jam the security cameras. They used a service entrance to sidestep the police and American agents who were canvasing the station, as some of them had thought of the possibility that Ethan or Grace would use the train.

By the time the conductor made his last call, the team was on the train with their tickets ready. They found secluded seats and caught their breath. Benji had to smile. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Next time, I make the travel arrangements," Luther huffed.

Ethan looked around at the train, noticing the speaker system. "Let's avoid talking shop in here. I don't know who could be listening."

"Good thinking," Benji agreed. "Personally, I could use a nap."

Luther saw the way that Ilsa and Ethan were looking at each other, so he ushered Benji to the cabin across the way. "You're not napping here with the way you snore, Benji. I'm putting you somewhere you won't bother us."

With Luther and Benji gone for a few minutes, Ilsa reached out to take Ethan's hands. He clasped her fingers with a solemn smirk. "I should've known you'd find me. I didn't want you to. Not this time."

"You know how to make someone feel so welcome," Ilsa playfully replied.

"I wanted to protect you."

"When will you learn that we protect each other?"

Luther, figuring he'd given them enough time, returned to his seat. Though their conversation ended there, their hands remained twined together. Even over the noise of the speed train, Benji's snores could be heard.

"I forgot how loud he is," Ilsa said.

"Welcome back to the IMF," Luther dryly replied.

Venice, Italy –

Upon reaching their new safehouse, it was time to go over the details of their mission. Unfortunately, it was a painful conversation. Ethan didn't seem too pleased that Ilsa hadn't told him what she knew, yet it wasn't like she had an opportunity to mention it sooner. He followed this by demanding that everyone leave him alone in Venice. He didn't want The Entity to come at his weakest points: The people he cared about.

If anybody came for Ilsa, it would be like the warehouse in Columbia all over again. Ethan also remembered how he lost the plutonium in Berlin after refusing to let Luther die. Despite that, his team refused to leave him. Ilsa hadn't seen Ethan in nearly five years, and she wasn't going to abandon him now.

Ethan was frustrated by the entire situation, especially how stubborn his friends were being. He headed to the roof of their safehouse to decompress. The sun was high in the sky, and the weather couldn't have been nicer. He looked over the buildings and their beautiful architecture, taking steady breaths. I can't lose any of them.

Ilsa headed to the roof after him. She found him leaning against the railing in deep thought. Quietly, she moved to a spot beside him and leaned on the railing as well. A smile was on her face, and she couldn't shut it down. Ethan was right there. It felt like the first time she'd ever laid eyes on him. Somehow, the love she felt had somehow only deepened with distance.

"It's my first time in Venice," she commented.

"It's mine too," Ethan said.

A grin was finally coming to him. For a second, everything else melted away. The mission didn't exist. The danger wasn't there. The entire world was gone. It was just the two of them—together. She had the power to erase everything else from his mind. He had missed that sensation. He had missed her.

Ilsa couldn't help herself. She wrapped her arms around Ethan and set her head beneath his chin. Smirking, he put his arm around her in return. His cheek balanced delicately against hers. They stood together silently, taking in the patter of their hearts.

Finally, Ilsa moved to kiss Ethan. He hesitated for only a moment before kissing her back. She put her hand on his jaw. "You've never looked better."

"Neither have you. Nice shoes, by the way."

"Thank you. And I don't mean just for your comment on my shoes. You saved me in the desert."

"I was doing my job."

"Oh, so it was simply your job that brought you back to me?"

He sighed. "I would've gone to you anyway. You know that."

"I do. It isn't my duty or that key that brought me here either."

"What did bring you here?"

"As if you don't know," Ilsa whispered.

A concerned expression came to him. "This can't be like Columbia, Ilsa."

"I know. But I've discovered something after being apart for so long. You're my weakness, but you're also my strength. We're better working together than alone. You can't say that you don't need me on this mission."

"I do need you on this mission. I need you in general."

"Then where have you been for five years?"

"Working. Where have you been?"

"Waiting for you to find me."

He carefully traced her chin. "And I did."

"You did. I feel the same, Ethan. The same as I always have."

"I feel the same too. That's why I'm so worried."

"Don't be. We're stronger than anything that comes our way."

Ethan put his arms around her once more, swallowing the knot in his throat. "I hope you're right. I have a bad feeling about tonight."