Work Text:
She’s dead. Ilsa. The mysterious, beautiful, skilled, agile, funny, and bewitching woman he’s fallen in love with.
She’s gone, just as they were starting to realise that the feelings they had for each other were more than platonic. That he could love again after his ex-wife. This time, Ilsa understood the risks that came with Ethan’s lifestyle, and embraced them. She didn’t shy away, and when they were apart he didn’t have to worry about her safety, knowing full well that she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Not this time. Everyone- Ethan, Ilsa, Luther, Benji, and Grace- had gotten in too deep. Gabriel had tried to force Ethan’s hand, to save either Grace or Ilsa. Of course, Gabriel had killed Ilsa, knowing that Ethan had feelings for her.
The team finds an abandoned boat, and places Ilsa’s body on it. Part of Ethan wants to set the boat on fire, to give Ilsa a Viking-style funeral, but something tells him not to. He leaves the comms earbud in her ear, as a sign of respect.
After that, they send the boat down the canals of Venice, and someone will eventually find Ilsa and bury her, like they cannot. It’s too risky.
They return to the hideout in silence. Ethan is angry, tired, and miserable, and no one talks to him, letting him grieve.
A stupid, hopeful part of him has kept Ilsa’s comms on, he’s wearing the earbud that connects to hers. Just in case. Just in case she’s okay, somehow.
When they get back to the hideout, Ethan goes to bed. He sits down on the soft mattress, and whispers an “I love you” to Ilsa, hoping that she’ll somehow hear him.
Sleep eventually comes to him, surprisingly quickly. He is exhausted, after all, and his heart is heavy with grief.
“Ethan?” A voice wakes him, and he sits up, and he glances around the room, wondering who spoke.
He lies down again, assuming that it was a dream.
“Ethan?” The voice asks again. Ilsa.
“Ilsa? You’re alive?” Asks Etha, not yet believing his ears. It could well be the Entity, mocking him. Or Gabriel, pulling him into a trap.
The sound of emergency vehicles over the comms gives him pause. “Ilsa, what colour dress were you wearing the second time we met?”
“Yellow. I gave you a memory stick disguised as lipstick.” She replies, her voice trembling. “The paramedics are here.”
“Go with them, Ilsa. Keep your comms on and I’ll find you as soon as I can.” Ethan replies.
“Okay. See you soon.” Replies Ilsa, and he smiles at that. “Yeah, see you soon.”
After that, Ethan gets dressed, and wakes Luther and Benji.
“How can you be sure it’s Ilsa, Ethan? She was dead, she bled to death. We all saw it. This is Gabriel trying to trap you. He’s using the Entity.” Benji tells his friend in no uncertain terms.
“No. I refuse to accept that.” Ethan responds. “She knew what colour dress she was wearing at the opera, and her voice… No AI can replicate that. It was Ilsa, the Ilsa we all know. Not the Entity, I’m sure of it.”
“You know…” Says Luther, who has been quiet up until now. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Ethan, you might just be right. Ilsa’s comms say that she’s in Saint Valentine’s Hospital.”
Ethan relaxes, and Benji looks shocked. “I knew it.” Ethan smiles. “She’s too damn stubborn to die.”
He leaves the hideout, and catches a bus to the hospital.
When he arrives, he doesn’t bother asking where Ilsa is at the front desk, instead following the signal of her comms on the tracker app he has loaded onto his phone.
When Ethan is just around the corner from Ilsa, he takes a moment to fix his hair and to gather his emotions.
He rounds the corner, and there she is, curled up in a hospital bed, sound asleep. Tubes are running in and out of her body, and she’s pale, but she’s alive.
Ethan quietly makes his way over to her, and introduces himself to the nurse tending to Ilsa.
He sits down at her bedside, gazing at her. She looks peaceful, and he doesn’t want to wake her. The nurse tells him that she’s had an operation to fix the stabbings, but amazingly, she’s fine and is going to make a full recovery.
After that, the nurse leaves and Ethan sits with Ilsa for a while, watching her sleep. He’s tired, but he knows that keeping awake and making sure that Gabriel doesn’t find out that Ilsa is still alive is more important than sleep at that moment.
Nevertheless, he drifts off to sleep anyway, knowing that Benji or Luther will call him if there’s any danger.
“Ethan?” Ilsa’s voice wakes him, a few hours later.
He opens his eyes and she’s trying to sit up on the bed, trying to get closer to him.
“No, Ilsa, you’ve just had a major operation, don’t move, you could hurt yourself. I’ll come to you.” He reassures her, and sits on the bed next to her, kicking off his shoes and swinging his legs onto the bed.
She shuffles towards him, and rests her head on his chest, and gazes up at him. “You’re here.” She beams, and sighs in contentment.
“You’re alive.” He replies, overjoyed to see her looking so happy, and free. “You’re safe, I promise. From this day on, I promise to keep you safe, Ilsa. I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you, ever again.”
“Get a room!” Grace’s voice huffs over the comms. “Glad to hear that you’re okay, Ilsa.”
“Me too.” Chuckles Ilsa. “You and I need to grab a coffee sometime, what do you say?”
“That sounds excellent, you can tell me all about your very handsome other half, and the world which I’ve become a reluctant inhabitant of.”
The two women say their goodbyes, and Ethan switches the comms off for a couple of minutes. He clears his throat and turns to Ilsa, feeling nervous.
“Ilsa Faust, love of my life, my equal in every way, my partner and my fellow adventurer, will you marry me? I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He says.
Ilsa looks shocked, and then smiles. “Ethan, I love you too. Agent Ilsa Hunt has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? Yes, I will marry you.”
He cups her face in his hands and kisses her. They have Gabriel to bring down and most likely other monsters to slay, but it doesn’t matter- because they’re going to face it together.