Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. This is the last and final chapter.

"Alex?"

"In here!"

It had been a little over eight months since Alex had moved in with Ben and while things could be a little tense or awkward at times, Alex found that he and Ben worked almost as well as he had with Jack. Though no one could ever replace Jack. Ben had taken to office work well, while Alex had a little more trouble re-adjusting to school. His instincts didn't take well to sitting in classrooms all day. As the months wore on Alex found himself becoming more and more content with life. His anxiety still flared on various occasions, but his therapist had been working with him once a week and slowly Alex was becoming adjusted.

Ben came around to stand in the doorway of the living room. Alex lay sprawled across the couch, the TV playing a sitcom. School books and worksheets lay across the coffee table.

"Did you finish your homework?" Ben dropped his bag in the doorway, moving into the kitchen for a cup of tea. The first time a conversation like this had occurred Alex had laughed aloud at how ridiculously normal it all was. Now it was routine.

"Mostly. I need some help with my maths, but other than that everything is done." Alex turned the TV off, following Ben into the kitchen and grabbed a banana out of the fruit bowl.

"That's fine. We can do that when we get back. Are you still up to going tonight?"

"I guess."

"We don't have too. We could always order in and watch crap telly if you want."

"No, it's fine. I really do want to go, it's just…" Alex trailed off, unsure how to voice his nervousness. His psychologist had told him he needed to start voicing his feelings more, especially if he was uncomfortable. Something about spying having messed with his ability to say what he was actually feeling rather than what he thinking he should be feeling. "I guess it's the first big group thing I've been to."

Ben made a noise, acknowledging that he was listening, but continued to make his tea before taking a seat at the table. Alex automatically sat across from him.

"Like, the first big group thing ever, or the first big group thing since…." They still didn't know what to call what had happened to all of them. They each had a different name for it. Ben usually didn't name it at all, just letting his sentence trail off. Alex wondered what his therapist would say about that.

"Ever, really. Ian never took me to any big group things. I've gone to some of my old friend's birthday parties, but this is different than some middle school birthday party. I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous to see everyone all in one house on one day." Alex fiddled with the banana peel, ripping it into thinner strips before peeling them away from the fruit entirely.

"Would it help if we get there earlier? That way you can adjust slowly as everyone shows up?"

Alex shrugged as he tore a piece of banana off before eating it.

"How about this. We'll go early and see how things are. If it becomes too much at any time you let me know and we can go home, okay?" Ben stared pointedly at Alex. There had been one too many occasions where Alex hadn't alerted Ben to being overwhelmed. It had not ended very pretty. PTSD was not a nice thing to deal with.

"Alright."

~Line Break~

Eagles house was much larger than was needed for a single man and his adopted daughter, but it made for a great time when everyone wanted to get together. Alex and Ben arrived an hour before anyone was supposed to arrive. Maria and Alex took the new dog, who Eagle (also known as Ethan) had so ironically named Wolf, outside to play. Ben and Ethan sat on the porch probably comparing notes about their newfound parenthood.

"So how are you really doing?" Maria was sat on Wolf's other side, scratching behind his ear after running around playing something vaguely like tag for almost half an hour. The dog was really nothing like his namesake.

Alex shrugged. "Ben had a mild heart attack the other night when I woke screaming from a nightmare, but you know."

"Okay. But how are you adjusting? When you had first moved in you told me you felt like running. What about now?"

Another shrug. "The feeling is still there. It's not as strong, but it's definitely still there."

Maria sighed. "Same. A couple weeks ago I almost left. I had packed a bag and everything. But at the last minute, I couldn't do it. It's just…. Ethan is so nice sometimes that I have no idea how to deal with it."

"Ben is great! I mean he's almost as good as Jack was, but sometimes he tip-toes around me like I'm gonna break into a million pieces with one wrong step."

"I think he just doesn't want another flashback. You should have heard Ethan trying to calm Ben down that night. The man was almost hysterical until Ethan threatened to call David."

Alex was still getting used to K-Units real names, so it took a few seconds before he remembered Snakes real name was in fact, David. Then he gave a soft laugh. "A call to David can be pretty threatening, especially when it comes to health."

Maria laughed with him.

"Nothing will beat that time that David threatened to send James back to the ER and when James gave his infamous 'Wolf Glare' David told him that his, and I quote: 'big scary puppy eyes will not work on me.' The face that James made had me in stitches."

Alex joined Maria in her giggled until they were both laughing hysterically on the lawn. It took a few minutes before they were able to calm down. The sky was blue, soft clouds drifting across and blocking the sun every now and again.

Maria broke the silence.

"I know it's hard to believe, but after everything, you really do deserve to be happy Alex. I appreciate everything you've done to save our country, but it's time for you to be happy."

It was Alex's turn to sigh. "The worst part is I agree with you. It just after so many years I learned that good things can't last. I guess I'm just scared that the moment I get comfortable everything will be pulled away from me."

"No one is going to let that happen. And if anyone tries they'll have to fight me."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the image of little Maria trying to take on some of the scariest men Alex had faced.

~Line Break~

Wolf, or James, was the next to arrive. A duffel swung over his shoulder and a 12 pack of beer in hand.

David arrived only a few minutes after James. Two small children jumped out of the back of his SUV, running straight to the backyard to a waiting Wolf who tail was wagging at a dangerous speed.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought my niece and nephew. My sister got called in. Apparently, there was a pile up on the highway and they needed the extra hands." David's whole family seemed to be involved in the medical field. His sister was a nurse at a nearby hospital. His mother and father had both been surgeons at another.

Ethan laughed. "The more the merrier!"

Alex felt his stomach turn. Something must have shown on his face because Ben's hand landed softly on his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.

Alex took a deep calming breath, before going over and introducing himself to two small children.

The day progressed nicely. The house was big and Ben had told Alex that if he needed to Ethan would let him use his room to calm down. Maria had also offered up her own room as a quiet sanctuary, but Alex felt fine overall. There had been a small bump in the road when Snakes niece had fallen and scraped her knee. The scream she admitted had made Alex jump and Ben had to pull him into the hallway and instruct him to breathe, but other than that, everything was fine. Maria and Alex stayed in the backyard with the dogs for most of the evening. Around six Ben called them in.

"Alex! Someone is here to see you."

Alex already knew who it was. It was common knowledge not to surprise the ex-spy, but he did his best to act surprised when John came through the doorway.

There was a screech that vaguely resembled Alex's name before a small body threw itself on Alex. It was quiet for a second as Alex tensed and Ben stood straighter ready to intervene if something went wrong. Alex took a breath, forced himself to relax, and picked up John, who didn't seem to notice the slight tension.

"I've missed you!" John tucked his head under Alex's chin, his arms wrapping loosely around Alex's neck.

Alex laughed quietly. "You saw me last week."

John popped his head out, face serious. "But so much has happened since then. Like, Jo, you remember Jo right?" Alex nodded. "Well, Jo got a new cat and she brought it to school with her. Miss. Marie wasn't very happy. And then, Kevin started sneezing and…" John continued talking, stories of classmates and things his parents had done over the past week. Not a single detail was left out.

Alex enjoyed this time. Hearing about John's problems helped Alex forget about his own. Of course, his psychologist would chastise him trying to forget his own problems rather than trying to face them head on, but sometimes Alex couldn't help it. It was easier said than done.

As John continued to talk on. He didn't seem to notice that Alex wasn't paying as much attention as before. The house was warm and full. Ben was talking with Karen and Chris, and John's parents seemed to be filling Ben in on how John was doing with his therapy. Ethan was wrestling James for the last beer while David and Maria were taking bets on who would win.

Everyone was safe and everyone was happy, and in the end that all that Alex really wanted.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed me either for a second time or for the first time on this journey. If you're reading for the second time, thank you for giving me the chance to prove that I have grown as a writer and for enjoying this story for the second time. If you're reading this for the first time then thank you for supporting me. Having finished this re-write I'm ready to move on to bigger more original works and honestly it is all due to this story right here and all those who have supported it. Thank you so much and hopefully, I'll see you on the other side.