Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“This beer is so much better than the brew we had last year,” Brandt stated, grinning happily, before taking another sip of said beer.

Luther hummed in agreement. “The swill last year was disgusting. A true disgrace to every real beer and my taste buds.”

“Thank goodness I stuck to the Halloween bowl,” Benji said. “You guys should really try it, it’s so good!” He lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip of this year’s Halloween bowl as if to further prove his point.

Brandt furrowed his brow and scrunched up his nose in disgust, eying the green liquid suspiciously. “Not sure I’m brave enough. The green is kind of a no-go.”

“It’s just food coloring, Brandt, it’s not poison.”

“That’s what they want you to think.”

Benji rolled his eyes. “I don’t think poison takes a year to kill you, seeing as I’m still alive and all.”

“Maybe they’re playing the long game, just enough poison over the years to make you feel ill sometime down the road.”

Benji huffed and gave him a long look. “You’re way too paranoid for your own good, do you know that?”

“I’m an IMF agent, Benji. Paranoia keeps me alive,” he took another gulp of his beer. “Frankly, I’m surprised you’ve made it this far.”

“Hah hah.”

“Has anybody seen Ethan yet?” Luther suddenly asked, eager to end their ‘discussion’.

“Now that you mention it, no I haven’t.” Benji looked around the room, scanning over the other people socializing at their annual office Halloween party, and the fitting decorations. The Department of Transportation made a point to seem like any other normal office, at least once a year, and for some reason, their bosses had picked Halloween to do so. Not that Benji complained - he loved wearing masks. “He said he’d come, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Luther agreed, and then jokingly added, “Maybe he couldn’t decide which suit to wear.”

“Hey, guys!” They suddenly heard from behind them and turned around to see Jane Carter and Zhen Lei walking up to them.

“Oh hey! Long time no see!” Benji greeted them. “How have you been?”

“Pretty good, keeping busy. You know how it is.”

“Don’t we ever,” Luther chuckled and Brandt raised his beer in acknowledgment.

Jane glanced around and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Where’s your fearless leader?”

“We’ve just asked ourselves that very same question,” said Benji. “No idea what’s keeping him.”

“I may have an idea,” Lei muttered, eyes fixed on the front door, through which Ethan and a plus one had just stepped into the room.

They all turned around to follow her line of sight.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Brandt whispered, eyebrows climbing into his hairline in surprise.

Several other heads around the room had turned towards the entrance too, and the team could hear people whispering, the gossip already starting to spread.

Benji, meanwhile, was grinning happily and started to wave his arm, trying to catch Ethan’s attention. It worked, and a second later, Ethan and his companion were heading in their direction.

Hand in hand.

Benji’s grin widened further. “Well, hello guys. Fancy meeting you here. Together,” he greeted as soon as they were within earshot.

Ethan rolled his eyes at his friend’s good-natured teasing. “It’s good to see you, too, Benji. And no need to look so smug about it.”

“Why not? I was right! I told you, you’d end up together!”

“Yes, you did. Well done, Benji,” Ethan agreed sarcastically.

Benji smirked and raised his glass of green Halloween bowl in a fake toast. “Thanks.”

“I did not see that coming,” Brandt admitted, still staring at their linked hands. “At all.”

“Only because you weren’t with us last time we ran into her,” Luther said, trying to sound reassuring.

“Excuse me?” Lei butted in, sounding curious. “You guys maybe wanna introduce us?”

“Of course, sorry. They didn’t give me the chance to before they started harassing us,” Ethan said and threw a playful glare in his friends’ direction.

“Zhen Lei, Jane Carter, meet Ilsa Faust, former MI6. Ilsa, meet agents Lei and Carter,” he introduced the women.

Ilsa disentangled her hand from Ethan’s gentle grip and reached out to shake the other agents’ hands. “Pleasure to meet you both.”

Jane was the first to shake her hand, a smile on her face. “The infamous Ilsa Faust. We may or may not have heard quite a bit about you.” She glanced at Benji beside her and Ilsa laughed as she saw his ears turn pink slightly.

“Yes,” Zhen added, “some people like to tell stories.”

Benji groaned.

“I had a feeling they might,” Ilsa agreed and bit her lip to keep from laughing again.  

“Oh, stop it and give me a hug!” Benji exclaimed and opened his arms in greeting.

Ilsa happily obliged. “It’s good to see you, Benji.”

“You, too,” he said and hugged her even closer for a second, before releasing her and stepping back to make room for Luther.

“Hey, kiddo,” he mumbled into her hair, his big arms enveloping her in a warm hug. Ilsa hugged him back fiercely, suddenly noticing how much she had missed him. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you, Luther,” she whispered, voice tight.

They separated, and Ilsa turned to face the last of the group. “Good to see you again, agent Brandt.” She said and expected him to shake her hand. Instead, he shook his head and exclaimed, “I’ll feel weird if I don’t continue this love fest, so I’ll hug you now, okay?” He gave her a look. “Please don’t kick my ass?”

Ilsa chuckled and smirked. “I won’t,” she promised and stepped forward to meet him in a slightly awkward hug.

“What’s with all the hugging over here?” A new voice asked and they all turned to see Secretary Hunley standing behind them, a glass of Halloween bowl in hand.

Ethan greeted their boss with a friendly smile. “Mr. Secretary, I’d like you to officially meet Ilsa Faust, sir.”

Hunley’s eyebrows rose in apparently pleasant surprise and he switched his glass to his other hand so that he could shake Ilsa’s hand with his right. “Well, well, I have to admit I wasn’t expecting meeting you here, agent Faust, but I’m certainly glad I did. After all, I’ve heard and read so much about you, I feel like I’ve known you for years.” He gave his best agent a knowing look, who just shrugged innocently.

“So, how long has this been going on, then?”

“Just a few weeks, sir.”

“That why you requested a few days off?”

Ethan nodded. “I promised her I’d go find her.” In a moment of sentimentality, he smiled at Ilsa and hugged her to his side, to press a kiss against her temple.

Ilsa smiled back at him, once he released her, then turned to face Hunley. “He’s always been pretty good at finding me, Mr. Secretary.”

“Oh, I remember. Used to give me the biggest headache back in the day.”

“Thank God he also likes drawing pictures of you, otherwise we’d all had a much harder time tracking you both down,” Luther grumbled and everyone laughed as Ethan blushed lightly.

Ilsa turned to face her partner with a smirk. “Do you now,” she murmured, voice rasping slightly more than usual. Ethan shuffled on his feet, something nobody ever expected to see him do. His friends stared in astonishment.

“What can I say. I like to draw,” he muttered with a shrug.

Ilsa hummed. “You’ll have to show me later.”

Ethan swallowed heavily. “Sure thing.”

Brandt cleared his throat to interrupt their flirting. “What are you up to now, Ilsa? I hear you...left...your old workplace.”

“Yes, my bosses and I weren’t exactly seeing eye to eye anymore, so I felt it was about time I tried other options.”

“And which option did you settle on?” Benji asked.

“Let’s just say I’m freelancing right now.”

“So you’d hypothetically be free to help us out? Every once in a while? Should we need another hand?”

“Benji,” Ethan sighed.

“What? I’m just asking what everyone else is thinking!”

Luther and Brandt nodded, while Hunley, Lei, and Carter watched on in amusement.

A small smile tugged at Ilsa’s lips. “Yes, Benji, I supposed I would.”

Her fellow Brit grinned, delighted. “Excellent!”

“I’d be happy to talk about an official offer with you, if you’d be interested, seeing as I’d obviously be stupid not make use of such a capable asset. A gift horse and all that jazz,” Hunley butted in, looking directly at Ilsa. “What do you say, agent Faust? Who knows, maybe I’ll make an official IMF agent of you, yet.” He threw another look at Ethan. “I’m pretty sure that would make several of my employees more than happy.”

Ilsa chuckled and nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you, Mr. Secretary.”

“Fantastic, I’ll have my assistant give you a call tomorrow.”

She nodded.

“If you’ll excuse me now, I’ll continue my round,” Hunley told them. “And get more of this delicious bowl. It was good to officially meet you, agent Faust.”

“You too, sir.”

“Have a good evening, sir,” the team chorused and watched as their boss vanished into the crowd.

“Well, that’s not how I was expecting this evening to go, but who am I to complain,” Ilsa quipped and looked around, trying to spot the bar. “And now I want to try some of that bowl, too.”

Brandt and Luther groaned while Benji sniggered.

“Before you poison yourself, answer me this first, please,” Brandt said and gave both Ethan and Ilsa a once-over. “What even are you supposed to be?”

Ethan tugged on his black suit and raised an eyebrow at his friend as if the answer was very obvious. “Bruce Wayne,” he stated and motioned at Ilsa in her tight leather pants and black top. “Selina Kyle.”

Brandt snorted, while Benji laughed. “Of course you are.”

“What are you supposed to be then?” Ilsa asked, returning the scrutinizing look he’d just given them.

Brandt lifted his toy bow and arrow. “Hawkeye. Or do you not know your comic book characters after all?” He challenged.

“I could say the same about you,” Ilsa stated, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Touché. Maybe we all just suck at this costume thing.”

“Or maybe it’s just you guys because I’m obviously part of the Enterprise crew.” Benji motioned to his yellow shirt and the Enterprise insignia pinned to his chest.

“Yes, you are,” Jane interrupted, then turned to Ilsa. “But more important than your costumes is how you guys met. I’ve heard bits and pieces, but why don’t you tell me more about it while we girls get a drink?”

“Absolutely. Lead the way,” Ilsa agreed and followed behind Jane and Zhen to find refreshments.

Ethan watched them leave, a slightly apprehensive look on his face.

“Don’t worry, Ethan,” Luther laughed as he saw his friend’s face. “I’m sure Ilsa won’t spill all the beans.”

Ethan closed his eyes and sighed.

*

“That went better than expected,” Ethan said, much later, after they had made it back to his apartment. Beside him in bed, Ilsa turned her head to face him.

“They didn’t behead you for keeping this a secret from them, after all. I told you there was no need to be worried. They love you.”

“I know, I know. Next time I’ll listen to you.” He agreed and caught her hand to bring it up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

“Women are always right, Ethan. Have you learned nothing?” She teased and laughed as he released her hand in favor of tickling her ribs.

“And has nobody ever taught you to respect your elders?” He joked back, his fingers dancing over her sides, making her squirm. His words made her laugh even louder.

“I am not calling you sir in bed, you can forget about that right now,” she gasped.

“Well, that’s goodbye to one fantasy, then,” he laughed, his hands finally ceasing their attack to settle warmly on her hips, pulling her closer against his side.

“Feel free to share your other fantasies, and we’ll see which ones I’d be willing to fulfill,” Ilsa murmured and turned onto her side to prop her head beneath his chin more comfortably.

“I’ll make a list and fill you in later,” he promised, his hand lazily tracing patterns on her skin.

“I also have a model in mind you can draw whenever you feel motivated,” she whispered.

“Do you?”

Ilsa hummed. “Me, wearing this sheet and not much else.”

“I like how you think, Miss Faust. Or should I say soon to be IMF Agent Faust?”

“We’ll see about that. And I told you, women-”

“Are always right, yes, you did,” he agreed and then made sure they weren’t talking anymore, at least not with words, once his lips caught hers in a passionate kiss. Or several.

~fin

Chapter Text

Ilsa burrowed deeper into the blankets, trying her best to ward off the chill that had already began to settle over the bedroom during the evening. Beside her, Ethan turned onto his back and proceeded to tug her against his chest, offering to share his warmth with her. Ilsa tucked her head beneath his chin and hummed contentedly as his warmth seeped into her skin.

Ethan’s fingers began to sift through her hair absentmindedly, and Ilsa could tell that he was deep in thought, his mind not yet ready to rest for the night.

“What’s on your mind?” she murmured, hand caressing over his chest soothingly.

He was silent for another moment, turning over words in his head, before he answered, “It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow.” He paused and a deep sigh escaped from his throat. “I can’t remember the last time I did Thanksgiving or even had time to think about it.”

Ilsa propped herself up on her elbow in order to look at him, causing the blanket to slip off her shoulder and goosebumps to erupt on her skin, but she ignored it. Her hand reached up to caress his brow, smoothing out the line that appeared on his forehead. “Well, we’re in-between missions, so we’ve got a bit of time. I’m sure can find a small turkey somewhere still, and throw together a decent meal. I’m sure the boys would appreciate something other than take-out as well,” Ilsa said and smiled down at him. “What do you think?”

The smile that appeared on his own face was more than enough answer for her, but he nodded anyway. “I think that sounds like a perfect idea.”

“Alright,” Ilsa said and settled back down against his shoulder.

She felt his lips brush against the crown of her head before he pressed a kiss to her hair. “Goodnight, Ilsa.”

She smiled and closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Ethan.”

*

The next morning, Ethan and Ilsa joined the rest of their team for breakfast at the small kitchen table in one of their safe-houses.

“Mornin’, guys.” Brandt greeted them and poured them both a cup of coffee. “Sleep well?”

“Like the dead,” Ilsa stated and reached for her coffee before she had even taken a seat.

Brandt laughed. “So your coffee intake isn’t dependant on the number of hours you slept during the night?”

“Why would you think that?” Ilsa gave him a look. “Coffee is life, Will. There can never be enough coffee.”

“Amen to that,” Luther said and lifted his own coffee cup in understanding.

“Ilsa and I realized something last night,” Ethan said while he reached for a still-warm piece of toast and some butter.

“What, that you’re disgustingly in love and can’t live without each other?” Benji quipped. “I hate to break it to you, but that’s not news to anyone.”

“That’s funny, Benji,” Ethan stated drily. “Really, you’re hilarious.”

“I know, thanks.”

“It’s Thanksgiving.” Ilsa interrupted their banter, getting straight to the point.

The others froze in their movements, realization sweeping over them. “Oh,” Benji said.

“I totally forgot.”

“Me too, Brandt,” Luther murmured, his brows furrowing. “Well, damn. When’s the last time any of us did Thanksgiving?”

“Well, Ilsa and I don’t really do Thanksgiving. Not being Americans and all that,” Benji muttered.

“Still, I thought it would be nice to make use of the free time we have and spend time together, like normal people. You know, like a family.” Ilsa said, suddenly sounding uncharacteristically shy.

“That’s a perfect idea, Ilsa.” Luther agreed, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Yup, I’m in,” Benji stated, nodding enthusiastically.

“Well, who am I to disagree with all of you?” Brandt asked rhetorically, grinning crookedly.

“That’s settled then!” Ethan said, grinning as well. “Ilsa and I will try to scrounge up some last-minute food. How about you take a look around the kitchen? See what we have to prepare a meal? I’m not convinced that there’s more than one pot and some cutlery hiding in the cupboards.”

“Sure thing, boss,“ Brandt agreed jokingly and took a bite of the bagel on his plate. The others followed suit, in silent agreement to finish their breakfast before anything else.

“This is going to be great!” Benji exclaimed before taking a bite of his toast, already brimming with excitement.

*

“This is not what I had in mind for today,” Ilsa grumbled under her breath as she and Ethan carefully watched the robber in front of them waving his gun around, before pointing it back in the cashier’s face. Ethan nodded in agreement.

“What’s taking so long, man! Hurry it up before I shoot you and do this myself!”

The cashier’s hands shook as he emptied the register of its contents and deposited them in the black duffel bag in front of him as fast as he could.

“Please,” he said, voice quivering, “I’m going as fast as I can.”

“Shut the hell up and just do as you’re told!” The robber yelled, making the poor cashier jump in fright.

Several feet to his right, Ilsa sighed, impatient. “How about we all take a deep breath and calm down so that we all make it home for Thanksgiving today?”

The only two other customers of the small grocery store, two teenagers probably sent by their mother to acquire last minute missing ingredients, squeaked in fright when the robber swiveled around to point the gun in Ilsa’s direction instead.

“What did you say?!” The robber’s grey eyes stared at her from behind his ski mask.

“I said we all want to go home and your little stunt here is not helping.”

The guy stepped closer to her, trying to intimidate her. “I’m the one with the gun, bitch, you’d be wise to show me some respect!”

Ilsa shrugged nonchalantly. “Just because you’re dumb enough to wave a gun in my face, doesn’t mean you deserve any respect.”

He stepped closer still, right into Ilsa’s trap. “If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna fucking sho-“

He never got to finish his threat, because Ilsa’s hands shot out and she had taken the gun from him in a practiced move before he could even blink.

The teenagers behind her gasped, and the robber stared at her blankly, not yet realizing what had just happened. “You were saying?” She asked while disarming the gun with quick, familiar movements.

Beside her, Ethan turned to the cashier, a proud little grin on his face. “Sir, would you mind calling the police?”

The cashier nodded hastily and fumbled for the phone.

Ethan then proceeded to tie the thief up with some zip ties off two shelves over, making sure the flabbergasted man wouldn’t go anywhere before the police arrived.

Ilsa and Ethan then proceeded to bring their groceries to the register, eager to get on with their day.

The cashier looked at them, thankful. “You guys perhaps just saved my life. Now I’m even more sorry that I didn’t have any turkey left for you.”

“That’s okay,” Ethan chuckled, “chicken will do nicely as well. We’re not picky.”

“You’re definitely unlike most of my customers, that’s for sure,” the cashier joked, still slightly shaken, but beginning to get over his shock.

“We’ll take that as a compliment,” Ilsa said, winking.

“Please, do. And the groceries are on the house. That’s the least I can do.”

“That’s really not necessary,” Ethan tried to decline but was interrupted at once.

“It really is! I’m so thankful that you and your wife were here to help.”

“She did most of the work,” Ethan said, pointing at his ‘wife’, not bothering to correct the man’s assumption. “I just did the cleanup.”

“That was so badass,” one of the teenagers, a young girl of maybe fifteen chimed in. “I gotta learn that move! It was like in the movies!”

Ilsa turned and smiled at the girl, and what she assumed was her younger brother. “Self-defense is a useful thing for any girl to know,” she agreed, then added, “Are you two alright?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the boy, maybe thirteen, said and Ilsa chuckled quietly at his choice of address.

In the distance, they could hear sirens, steadily coming closer. Ilsa and Ethan shared a look, silently deciding it was high time for them to leave. Dealing with police was a hassle the two secret agents did not need.

“Well, we got what we came here for, and we still have a lot to do at home,” Ethan declared, making his way towards the door. Ilsa followed behind him, smiling at the others. “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone,” she wished, giving them a little wave, just as the door fell shut behind them, the bell above the entrance chiming with a soft ding.

The two of them where in the car and back on the road just as the police pulled up to the store. Ilsa and Ethan breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the scene getting smaller in the rearview mirror.

Beside her at the steering wheel, Ethan suddenly began to chuckle heartily. Ilsa turned her head to raise a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Just remembering the look on the guy’s face when you took the gun from him,” he answered her silent question. “What a sight to behold.”

Ilsa rolled her eyes. “He held the gun sideways, Ethan. SSideways.Only gangsters in action movies do that when they think they’re cool. They have no idea that that can end very badly for them, especially for their eyesight. Fools, all of them,” she ranted.

Ethan grinned widely at her outburst and reached over to intertwine their fingers loosely. “I love when you get passionate about things like that.”

Ilsa snorted. “Guns, or fools with guns?”

Ethan laughed. “Both.”

She shook her head at him and his playful mood, settling more comfortably against her seat, closing her eyes. “Just get us back to the safe-house, Romeo.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he teased.

She blindly swatted at his shoulder, making him laugh again, before settling once again in for the ride, trusting him to get them safely where they needed to go.

*

Hours later, as night had already settled over their current part of the world, the team sat around the kitchen table, empty plates in front of them. Flickering candles illuminated their sated and content faces, while they sipped on their drinks of choice.

“This was so good, guys. Even if it wasn’t turkey,” Benji said, patting his full belly.

“Glad you enjoyed it, Benji,” Ilsa answered after she had swallowed the sip of her white wine. “We acquired it under threat of life, after all.”

“I wish I’d been there to see the guy’s face. Ethan’s description is just not good enough to form an adequate picture in my mind.”

“I can draw you an actual picture if you absolutely insist, you know?” Ethan said.

Benji nodded. “I might actually take you up on that.”

“I, for one, am just thankful that the two of you were there, in the right place, at the right time, making sure the innocent bystanders were able to go home to their families today,” Luther suddenly said, and Benji and Brandt nodded in agreement.

“I’m sure those families are thankful for you guys as well,” Brandt added.

“Again, thank Ilsa for doing all the dirty work. I was there to lend moral support.”

“Oh, we all know Ilsa likes doing the dirty work. Mainly if it involves kicking bad guy’s arses,” Benji laughed and held out his fist for Ilsa to bump hers against. She playfully complied.

“I didn’t even kick his arse. I just took his toy away.”

“I think that’s an even worse fate for him. And the fact that he’s in jail now, so…”

Ilsa shrugged. “True.” She took another sip of her wine. “But it’s his own fault, robbing a store and not even being nice about it. You really shouldn’t call women bitches, you know.”

“We know that. And I bet he knows that too, now.”

“Speaking of manners and good sense,” Ethan smirked, “how about you guys clean up this mess since Ilsa and I did all the cooking?”

“And what are you going to do while we clean up your mess?” Brandt asked, eyebrow raised, skeptical at the proposition.

“We’re moving over to the couch, where we’re going to set up the game of Monopoly I spotted lying around here earlier.”

“Monopoly? Really?” Brandt groaned nose scrunched up in apparent disgust at the thought.

Ethan shrugged and got up from his seat. “Not much else to do around here. So unless you’ve got a better idea…”

“Fine.” Brandt reluctantly agreed. “But only if I get to be the car.”

“The car, really?” Benji chimed in. “I’d have pegged you as the battleship kinda guy.”

Ilsa and Ethan grabbed their glasses and the bottle of wine and sneakily made their way out of the kitchen, leaving the rest of their little self-made family behind to finish their discussion - and the dishes - on their own.

Sinking against the couch cushions with a sigh, the couple made use of their moment of privacy and relative quiet to enjoy each other’s nearness. Ilsa cuddled against Ethan’s side, letting her head rest in its favorite space beneath his chin, while his arm settled around her shoulders.

“What a day,” Ethan murmured, pressing his cheek against the top of her head, breathing her in.

Ilsa sighed deeply and cuddled even closer against him. “What a day,” she agreed softly.

“I’m thankful you’re okay,” he whispered. “I’m thankful you’re here with me, I’m thankful I get to hold you in my arms like this. I’m thankful you entered my life and that you decided to stay in it.”

Ilsa blinked against the sudden onslaught of tears his words had provoked. She blindly reached up to cup his cheek in her palm. “Me too, love, me too.”

He pressed a kiss to her hair, before simply continuing to hold her in his arms.

They had almost dozed off when the others entered the living room, startling them from their sleepy state.

“Are we interrupting anything?” Benji asked cheekily.

“Just what would have been a good night’s sleep,” Ethan grumbled, releasing Ilsa from his arms reluctantly so that they both could sit up.

“You didn’t even set up the game!” Brandt exclaimed.

“We didn’t want to risk anyone stealing your car from you,” Ilsa shot back and got up to get the game from the cupboard. She returned to the couch a moment later, handing the game off to Brandt, who grabbed it, surprisingly eager for someone who had been complaining about it a few minutes earlier.

They all watched as he lifted the lid off the game and proceeded to search the box for his beloved token. A few seconds later, he looked up at them, devastated. “The car is missing! I have never been so disappointed in my whole life!”

The team choked on their laughter, before trying to console their teammate.

Ilsa watched on, shaking her head, a small smile resting on her lips.

She wouldn’t want to exchange those beloved idiots for anything in the world, she decided, thankful that fate seemed to have seen fit to throw her into their path.

She really wouldn’t have it any other way.

~fin

Chapter Text

“According to the GPS, the cabin’s two klicks north-west from our position,” Ethan shouted to be heard against the howling wind, yet Ilsa, who was walking about two meters behind him could barely make out his words. She gave a hand signal to the rest of the team behind her, translating Ethan’s message while muttering a heartfelt ‘ Thank goodness ’ into her scarf.

While the mission itself had gone without a hitch, the conclusion of said mission was another matter entirely. Just as they had set out for their pickup location, word from headquarters had come in that their transportation had to be postponed, due to a heavy snowstorm closing in on their location. They’d get further updates as soon as it was viable.

Standing basically in the middle of nowhere, with snow reaching way past their knees, they’d all shared resigned looks and then set out to find shelter for the foreseeable future. Luckily, the weather conditions hadn’t messed with their GPS signal yet, so they had been able to make out a marker, which they had assumed - hoped - to be a cabin. A cabin in the middle of the bloody woods , Ilsa thought, her mind involuntarily going to the various horror flicks she’d seen as a teenager, which had been set in just such a location. She sighed, shook her head to clear those thoughts, and traipsed on through the snow.

Minutes later, the storm had picked up even more and it had started to snow, the white flurries reducing visibility to a minimum, and Ilsa had to blink constantly and squint hard to see where she was going. How far where two kilometers anyway , she cursed inwardly and shivered.

A moment later, she thought she heard Ethan shout again, but couldn’t be sure, because the howling wind had managed to deafen her to anything else. “ What? ” She shouted back and saw him pointing further up ahead in answer. Squinting even harder than before, she thought she could make out a wooden structure nestled between some trees and almost squealed in joy.

Four long minutes later, they all came to a trembling halt in front of a small, but sturdy wooden cabin, resting dark and still and, seemingly, hopefully, empty - and exactly where the GPS had promised it to be.

Just out of caution and courtesy, Ethan knocked on the door, once, twice, and then waited for a few seemingly endless moments for movement inside. When all remained silent, they all sighed in relief, and then made room for Luther to try his luck with opening the door. Not a minute later, the old wooden door swung open with a loud creak and they all filtered into the cabin, carefully looking around for any unwanted surprises. When nothing jumped out at them, no rats or traps, Ilsa hurriedly pushed the door closed, casting them in blessed silence, the howling of the wind only faintly raging on outside.

“This was the worst hike I’ve ever been on, and I’ve survived a hike through the Columbian jungle with no water or food, while being chased by monkeys,” Brandt stated, while in the process of getting out of his drenched boots and socks, with no mind at how cold it was inside the cabin itself. They all paused and threw him a glance at the monkeys comment, but collectively chose not to ask further questions.

Ilsa noticed that Ethan had made a beeline for the fireplace and was now kneeling in front of it, busy stocking it with wood from the pile beside it. A few moments later, he had a small, but steadily growing fire going and Ilsa sighed, happy about the impending warmth. She had almost forgotten what being warm felt like, in the hours they had been traipsing around outside.

“Let’s see if we can find something to keep warm during the night. And at least a bit comfortable, because I doubt we’ll all fit on this old pull-out sofa,” Ilsa stated, looking around the small interior. There was a small kitchen area with two chairs and a small table at the back of the cabin, a tiny pantry to its right, crammed into the corner. A small corridor led to, what Ilsa hoped to be, the bathroom. The main room, in which they were all standing, consisted of the fireplace, a small shelf stocked with books and a few board- and card games, and last but not least, the couch facing the fireplace.

“At least then we’d be warm,” Benji mumbled and shuffled towards the bathroom, the only place not openly visible from the main room, to check for blankets.

Ilsa discarded her coat and boots by the slowly growing fire and then set to work pulling out the couch. With any luck, there’d be some extra blankets stuffed in there.   

Just as she had pulled open the couch to reveal the small storing space inside it, Benji returned from the bathroom with linens and towels in his arms.

“Not sure if this counts as success, but I found four towels and two linens,” he announced.

“And I’ve got four blankets,” Ilsa added, pulling out said blankets from inside the sofa. “And two pillows.”

“Jackpot,” Luther chimed in from his spot in front of the fire, busy warming his hands and feet.

“We’re still a blanket short. Not to mention pillows. But I guess we can use the towels and our coats as pillows,” Benji said and Ethan nodded.

“Don’t worry about the blanket, Ilsa and I will share one anyway.”

“‘Course you will,” Brandt muttered and gave them a long-suffering look. “No funny business though!” He warned.

Ethan lifted his hands in fake surrender and grinned cheekily at his friend. “Would we ever?”

“Yes.”

“Totally.”

“Yes, you would.”

It seemed that Luther, Benji, and Brandt were all in agreement. Even Ilsa had to muffle a laugh, knowing they were right.

“Geez, fine, okay,” Ethan said, chuckling at their insistence. “No funny business, promise.”

Once the others had all grumbled their okay's and you better's, Ilsa and Ethan shared a look that spoke of longing and sexual tension and which made her shiver, although this time not with cold.

They had been on back to back missions for the past few weeks, which also meant literally no time alone. To say they were frustrated would be an understatement. Ethan had promised her an evening spent in a hot tub, with sparkling wine and strawberries and lots of kisses. Both of them weren’t big fans of the holidays, so they had been looking forward to spending a relaxing evening together.

But instead of in a hot tub, it looked like they’d be stuck in a snowed-in little cabin. With their teammates. And no privacy.

Ilsa sighed, frustrated, and even more so when she felt Ethan step beside her and trail a gentle hand over her back.

“You okay?” He asked, so low that his words didn’t carry far.

She nodded and gave him a crooked smile. “Just not exactly how I imagined we’d be spending this evening.”

“Our plans certainly looked a lot different,” he agreed, sighing as well.

“Something to look forward to, once we get out of here?” Ilsa suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

His eyes twinkled. “Oh, definitely.”

“What are you two whispering about? Or, wait, do we even want to know?” Brandt asked, looking up from his task of dividing up blankets, or what passed for blankets, between all of them.

Ethan shrugged. “Ilsa and I had plans for tonight that didn’t involve being stuck in a tiny cabin with all of you guys, is all.”

“Obviously.” Luther agreed and gave him a teasing look. “It’s not like we’re too crazy about being stuck here with you two lovebirds, either.”

“Amen,” Benji huffed and they saw him eying the couch longingly. “But let’s talk about more important things right now. For example, who gets the couch.”

All at once, a heated discussion between their team broke out, while Ethan and Ilsa watched on in amusement. As the guys argued who should get the couch, the couple shared a look and quietly got a blanket and their coats and headed towards the corner beside the fireplace.

Once they had spread out their stuff and it looked comfortable enough, they turned back towards the rest of their team.

“Why don’t you settle it with some good old rock, paper, scissors?” Ilsa suggested, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at them in question as if the option was so obvious they should have come up with it three minutes ago themselves.

The three men shared a look that said, yes , they should have indeed. As one, they formed a circle and got in position, one hand held out flat before them, with the other hand curled in a fist, cradled in the other palm.

It was a tense and suspenseful few rounds, but in the end, Luther could claim the couch for himself. Which he did, with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Resigned to their fates, Benji and Brandt each claimed a spot on the floor, as close to the fireplace as possible, which proved to be quite a challenge in the confined space.

Just as Benji was settling down onto his self-made bed, his stomach growled, making everyone chuckle. “Dinner, then?”

They all agreed and collectively filtered into the kitchen area, raiding the small pantry. They managed to scrounge up some canned soup and decided that had to be good enough for tonight. At least their stomachs had something warm to work on.

Quickly heating it up on the old stove, they each got their portion and got comfortable on their ‘beds’, eating in comfortable silence.

After they were done, they cleared their dishes and Benji asked, “Do you wanna make use of one of the games on the shelf or go straight to sleep?”

Ethan glanced at his watch. “It’s past ten, we should probably make use of all the sleep we can get since we don’t know when the helicopter will get here. If the storm passes quickly, they might be here early in the morning.”

“Besides,” Luther added, “we’ve had quite the day, and that hike wasn’t a walk in the park. I could honestly do with some extra hours of rest.”

Benji nodded, happy that Luther had finally come around to actually admitting when a day had taken a lot out of him. He wasn’t the youngest anymore, and unlike Ethan, who seemed to have an infinite storage of energy, tired more easily.

Decision made, they all quickly absolved their evening routine in the tiny bathroom before settling in for the night. The fire’s warmth and the crackling of the burning wood all made them suddenly very sleepy, as soon as they had settled under their blankets.

“Well, good night, guys,” Benji said and they all mumbled their good night’s, before only the crackling of the fire and the occasional shifting of a blanket could be heard.

Ethan had gathered Ilsa into his arms, in one of their usual sleeping positions, either with her resting her head on his chest, or him spooning her. Tonight, she had cuddled up to him, her hand resting over his heart, her head on his shoulder. She was breathing deeply and steadily, but he could tell she was not yet asleep. His heart sped up slightly in acknowledgment of her waiting for the others to fall asleep, too. Patiently waiting several more minutes, they deemed it safe to shift quietly so that they could more easily press their lips together. They had been waiting all day for the possibility of sharing a simple kiss, and both uttered an almost-soundless sigh of relief when their lips finally met and brushed against each other.

Ethan couldn’t help himself and deepened the kiss slightly, his tongue darting out to seek entrance to her mouth, which she granted more than willingly. His hand came up to cup her neck, holding her close, and she shivered at his touch, moaning quietly.

Somewhere in the half-light of the fireplace, somebody cleared their throat, making them break apart. “I thought we agreed on no funny business,” Brandt grumbled.

“This is no funny business,” Ethan insisted. “I’m merely giving my girlfriend a kiss good night.”

“Didn’t sound like it was merely a kiss goodnight,” Brandt said. “Did it sound like it was merely a kiss goodnight to you guys?” He asked the others.

“Nope.”

“Not really, no.”

Ethan groaned and pulled Ilsa, who was mumbling very creative curses into his neck, closer against him, before reclining onto his back, bringing her with him.

“No groaning. Please.” Benji begged. “And dear God, please, no moaning !”

Ilsa snorted. “Relax, Benji. We’ll behave.” Mostly , she thought to herself.

“Yeah, yeah. Not sure I believe you,” Benji grumbled and turned over in his bed, effectively turning his back to them.

Ilsa smothered a grin against Ethan’s neck and pressed a feather-light kiss against his skin. “Good night,” she whispered.

His head tilted in her direction so that he could press his face against the crown of her head. “Good night, love,” he whispered back.

Ilsa sighed and got more comfortable against him, tangling their feet together for warmth.

What seemed like minutes, but was, in fact, several hours later, she woke again, disoriented for a moment before she remembered where she was. The fire had burned out and only some glowing embers gave evidence of the fire’s former warmth. Shivering from the cold that had settled over the room during the night, Ilsa carefully disentangled herself from Ethan’s arms and quietly set to work on getting the fire burning again. Several minutes later, with a comfortable warmth beginning to fill the cabin again, she crawled back into her partner’s arms and rubbed her feet together in order to get some feeling back into them. Behind her, she felt Ethan shuffle closer to her until his feet were pressed to hers, offering to share his body heat silently. “Thanks,” she whispered and he pressed a kiss against the nape of her neck in answer. Ilsa closed her eyes and, enveloped in warmth, drifted back to sleep.

The next time she woke, she was still warm and comfortable and safely ensconced in Ethan’s arms. Her back was pressed to his front, and his heat seemed to radiate into her very bones. His arm was slung over her waist and his hand was pressed against her sternum, between the valley of her breasts. She felt his breath puff against her neck softly every time he exhaled and she could tell he was still asleep. Ilsa sighed contently, before letting her senses radiate further outward to the rest of the room, leaving her little bubble behind.

The soft gurgling of the coffee maker was the first thing she noticed, right before her nose filtered out the scent of freshly brewed coffee. She heard Luther, Benji, and Brandt whispering quietly amongst themselves in the kitchen and decided that she could stay right where she was for a while longer, at least until the coffee had finished brewing. Resting her hand on Ethan’s against her chest, she tangled their fingers together and just relished this rare quiet and undisturbed moment between the two of them. They rarely got the chance to sleep in or spend a lazy morning in bed together, so this would have to do.

A minute later, she felt him begin to stir behind her and smiled when his hand gently squeezed hers - a silent good morning. His nose nuzzled against her neck before he pressed another light kiss against her skin. Ilsa hummed softly and lazily shifted to turn around in his arms. His hand caressed up her back to settle between her shoulder blades, while hers mirrored his. Their noses brushed against each other and, while they both still had their eyes closed, she knew they were both smiling.

“Good morning,” she breathed, and nuzzled closer to him, basking in his presence.

“Mhh, good morning,” he murmured back, his voice still husky with sleep, making her shiver. He chuckled quietly, knowing exactly what his voice did to her. Tilting her chin forward slightly, she easily pressed her lips against his, making him sigh and open his mouth to her at once. They kissed lazily for a few long moments, warm and comfortable in each other’s arms, until a cough interrupted them, yet again. They parted reluctantly, their eyes finally fluttering open.

“Oy, lovebirds, coffee’s ready,” Benji announced, rather loudly, in the small space.

“Thanks, Benji,” Ilsa answered, not taking her eyes off Ethan’s face. “We’ll be right there.”

Benji mumbled something in reply, but Ilsa didn’t really pay attention to what he was saying, her focus on Ethan, and how his eyes were traveling over her face, taking in every laugh line, every freckle, and every speck of color in her eyes. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, and Ilsa felt a blush dusting her cheeks at once, much to her dismay.

Her hand left his back and reached up to touch his face, her fingertips tracing his hairline, and along his cheekbones. “So are you,” she said, smiling softly. He huffed a laugh and pressed another quick kiss against her lips. Parting from her again a second later, he sighed with regret and propped himself up onto his elbow. “We should get up before the others dump us with cold water or something.”

Ilsa laughed and nodded. “You’re probably right. And that coffee smells really enticing.”

“Yes, it does.”

So they both got up and joined the others in the kitchen, gathered around the small table, talking and laughing over cups of coffee.

It wasn’t the Christmas day they had planned to have, but they found it wasn’t so bad after all, how it had all turned out in the end.

Two hours and thirty-seven minutes later, they got word that a helicopter was on the way to pick them up.

They tidied up after themselves, and on the way out the door, Ethan left more than enough money on the kitchen table, to make up for any expenses they may have caused.

From the door, Ilsa watched him with a smitten smile and felt herself fall even more in love with him.

Behind her, she heard the rotors of a helicopter in the distance and Benji shout with joy, while the others laughed, happy to get home.

No, Ilsa thought, this Christmas could have been a lot worse. At least she got to spend it with her family.

Chapter Text

Ilsa sighed in bliss as her tired body sank into the hot water and leaned back against the tub. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the vanilla aroma of the soap and smiled. Vanilla was her favorite, but of course, Ethan would know that.

As if summoned by her thoughts, he appeared in the bathroom doorway, carrying a tray with glasses, a bottle of champagne and a small bowl of strawberries. Ilsa turned her head and opened one eye to check what he was doing.

“Need any help?” She asked as the tray wobbled dangerously in his hand, while he closed the door behind himself with the other, in order to keep the warm air inside the room.

“I’ll manage, thanks.”

Ilsa hummed in answer and closed her eyes again, listening to his progress across the bathroom.

The old wooden floor creaked every so often under his feet, but Ilsa thought it gave the old Parisian loft even more character and flair. After their Christmas debacle, the whole team had been allowed a few days off, and Ilsa and Ethan had decided to spend them in Paris. Ethan said it was to make up for the memories of them shooting at each other and running each other over with cars. Ilsa had thought it was a brilliant idea, even if she had long ago moved on from getting flipped over the hood of his car. It had been more or less a usual workday, after all. And even if she hadn’t moved on by now, the view from this loft, and specifically from this very bathtub, more than made up for any disagreements they may have had in the past. If she turned her head slightly to the right, Ilsa had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, and the Parisian skyline lit beautifully against the dark sky.

It was perfectly cliché and romantic and Ilsa loved it.

She heard Ethan set the tray down beside the tub and divest himself of his clothes. Eyes still closed, Ilsa leaned forward to allow him to climb in behind her. The tub was spacious enough to fit them both comfortably and Ilsa hummed contentedly as she settled back against his chest and felt his arms encircle her waist.

“This was a brilliant idea,” she murmured, and let her head drop to his shoulder.

“Glad we agree,” he said and brushed a kiss against her temple. “How does a glass of champagne sound?”

“Perfect.”

She felt him reach over the edge of the tub to fill two glasses with the sparkling liquid, before handing her one. Their glasses clinked together before they both took a sip. Ethan’s free hand reached for a strawberry next and gently fed it to her, making her chuckle as some juice dropped onto her chin. His thumb swiftly swiped against her chin to catch the drop. In return, she quickly reached up to bring his thumb to her lips, sucking it into her mouth and licking it clean. She felt his breath hitch at her back, but his hand just dipped back into the water to settle against her side. It began to draw lazy circles on her hip and Ilsa thought that this was the one and only way to spend New Year's Eve. “Ten more minutes,” he murmured, and she nodded, accepting the information that the year was nearing its end. Setting her glass down on the edge of the tub, Ilsa shifted around in his arms so that she could look at him. “I think we should practice for the New Year’s kiss, don’t you?”

Her left hand reached up to trace along his jaw and cheekbone. “We wouldn’t want to mess up such an important kiss, after all.”

Ethan nodded, making her hand slide along his skin and into his hair, to settle at the nape of his neck. “You’re absolutely right. Messing this up would be a travesty,” he agreed and blindly set his own glass aside as well, before reaching for her to pull her closer. They were both smiling widely as their lips met, and Ilsa fully turned around in his arms to settle in his lap, locking her hands behind his head to better hang on to him. Their tongues tasted and teased each other, their teeth nipped and bit gently until they were left breathless.

“I think we got it,” Ethan gasped against her lips as they parted, their foreheads touching. “But maybe just one more to be sure?”

“Good idea,” Ilsa breathed and closed the minute distance between them once again.

Outside in the streets, they could hear the people begin to count down, saying goodbye to the old year, in order to welcome the next.

“Trois…”

“Deux…”

“Un…”

“ZÉRO!”

On the dot, fireworks started going off in the distance, illuminating the sky outside with brilliant colors.

“Happy New Year, baby,” Ilsa murmured against his lips with a smile, their gazes locked, mouths sharing the same breath.

“Happy New Year, love,” Ethan replied, before capturing her lips once more.

Yes, Ilsa thought, there was indeed no better way than to end and begin a year - with a kiss truly was the way to go.

~fin