Ethan and Ilsa sprinted down the streets, literally running for their lives as they dashed away from the men chasing them. They dashed through roads, ignoring all the traffic and making cars honk at them in surprise and annoyance, and dark alleyways as they tried to lose their tails, when Ethan grabbed Ilsa, pulling her to screeching halt beside him.

They stared at the car coming towards them, and Ilsa demanded: "Which way?"

Ethan pulled her down a side alley just as the men coming from behind started firing at them, and the pair dashed down the tunnel ahead of them.

Warehouse

Brandt looked up sharply as he heard the sound of running footsteps, Luther doing the same before they both relaxed as Benji came dashing around the corner, Kat right behind him.

"Kat!" Brandt called, momentarily dropping his drill as he moved to meet his unofficial girlfriend.

"Will!" She called, a relieved smile breaking across her face as he pulled her into his arms.

"Yeah, hug and kiss later." Luther said impatiently. "We have a job to do."

Brandt flipped him the bird behind his back, but Kat caught him and smacked his arm.

"Come on, Ethan's still out there." She ordered as she dragged him back to his drill while Benji grabbed another one and started to help. "He'll need all the help he can get."

"Aye-aye, ma'am." Brandt replied sarcastically, making her grin as she grabbed a drill as well.

London street

The two men who'd been chasing Ilsa and Ethan made their way warily down the tunnel, their guns raised before them. Just as they were about to clear the dark structure, Ethan and Ilsa pounced, jumping out from the sides of the entrance and each grabbing a man and taking them down.

The car from earlier pulled up before the other tunnel entrance, and Ethan pulled the gun from his attacker's grip as he grabbed the man in a headlock, firing over his assailant's shoulder and taking out the men climbing out of the car. He shot his attacker right after that, before kicking the man Ilsa had, held in a chokehold, knocking him out as the pair sprinted away once more.

They ran down the streets, avoiding more of their pursuers and Ethan shooting anyone who appeared before them. They reached another alleyway, running to hide between a block of flats to catch their breaths. Ethan checked the gun he'd stolen, pulling the cartridge out grimly when he noted that he was out of shots. He and Ilsa shared a look before running through the block of flats.

Ilsa ran down the stairs at the end of the buildings, leading down to the next block, just as their pursuer came around the corner and he immediately charged after the woman's retreating back. Ethan leapt from where he'd been hiding behind a wall, tackling the man and sending them both crashing through a window into one of the flats.

Ilsa glanced back, turning to go help, when Vinter appeared, firing at her. She was forced to turn and run, heading swiftly away from the area as Vinter followed her while Ethan took out the other man, the pair going crashing out through another window to land back outside.

Unable to see Ilsa, Ethan ran in the original direction he'd been headed, limping slightly from where the glass had cut his leg as he ran in the opposite direction from where Ilsa had gone.

Warehouse

"We're cutting it close." Luther muttered, and Brandt retorted shortly: "Stop wasting time telling us what we already know."

"Uh, guys?" Benji asked as he tapped the two poles he'd been drilling and it squeaked loosely. "This isn't getting tightened enough."

"Benji," Kat replied pointedly, "try using the bigger screw."

"Oh…" Benji muttered as he grabbed the right-sized screws while Luther turned to Brandt with a raised brow, wiggling it.

Brandt caught the look and he said flatly: "Luther, don't even go there."

London street

Ethan hurried as quickly as his numbing leg allowed him to, and he reached the end of a street just as another car pulled up on the far side. He glanced back to see Lane climbing out of the car, and his eyes narrowed. Finally, the big man was making his moves.

Lane's face was drawn as he stared at Ethan, who met the pale blond's gaze before turning and limping away. Lane's lips thinned as he followed swiftly, determined to make an end to this cat and mouse chase once and for all. He reached the end of the street to see Ethan heading for another, and he pulled his gun.

As Ethan paused, Lane fired and Ethan narrowly missed being hit as he ducked at the sound of the bullet whizzing towards him. He turned to see Lane, and quickly ran for cover, smashing right through the glass door of the building behind him in his hurry. Ethan spotted the open grating in the floor and glanced back to see Lane approaching and made his decision.

He scrambled across the ground as Lane started firing at him, narrowly missing the bullets as he skid across the floor and through the opening in the ground. Lane's jaw tightened impatiently as he moved slowly towards the open grate. He peered down to see Ethan lying on the ground a few paces away, breathing heavily from exertion and pain. He'd clearly tried to crawl away as he was a few paces further down from the opening, but had finally reached his limit.

Lane's eyes narrowed before he dropped himself down the grate as well, landing elegantly on his feet with a small metallic clang, as Ethan turned onto his back to watch him apprehensively. He was clutching his bleeding leg, and appeared to no longer have the energy to move, even to crawl further away. Essentially, he was helpless as Lane drew himself to his full height, staring coldly down at the wounded agent.

"Face to face." Lane hissed as he saw his triumph right before his eyes. "Just as you wished, Ethan."

Ethan slowly started to sit up and Lane took a step forward, only to blink in surprise as a wall of glass slid shut right in front of his face and locked in place. He leaned on it, frowning in surprise, when he sensed a presence beside him, clearly the person who'd closed the glass in Lane's face.

Lane spun, shooting at Brandt and watching as the bullet bounced off the plexiglass that Brandt was standing behind. He heard a sound above him and glanced up to see another piece of plexiglass sliding into place above him and he turned to shoot in vain at Luther as he stood behind another plexiglass wall while he pushed the roof closed firmly. Lane turned to fire one more time in the last direction around him, snarling as he saw Benji step out of the shadows, watching impassively as Lane began to kick at the glass in fury.

Ethan got back to his feet, the pretense over as he stared at Lane, trapped in the plexiglass box while the man turned back towards Brandt and kicked and punched at the glass before him as he watched Kat step out of the shadows behind the other blond man, standing close to her boyfriend as Brandt wrapped his arm around her waist while she glared right back at Lane.

Lane finally gave up, turning back to face Ethan, his eyes narrowing even further as he watched Ilsa walk up as well, a cut on her eyebrow from where she'd faced and won against Vinter. She just stared at him impassively, and Lane's gaze moved back to Ethan as the man said quietly: "It hurts, I know."

Lane's jaw clenched and his grip on his gun tightened, but Ethan wasn't fazed as he introduced: "Gentlemen, lady," he nodded at Kat, "this is Solomon Lane."

"Mr. Lane." Ethan continued as Lane glared hatefully at him. "Meet the IMF."

Lane's face twitched, his lips almost curling back into a mad smile as a crazy glint entered his angry eyes. Ethan nodded once at Benji, who turned and pulled the lever to release the gas from its cylinder. The gas hissed as it was released through the grate under Lane's feet and Lane glanced down as he realized what was happening.

In a fit of fury, he turned to fire at Ethan's head, emptying his entire cartridge even though it did absolutely no harm while the gaze completely filled the box, enveloping Lane and clouding both his vision and their view of him.

Kat tensed as Lane appeared at the corner of the box between her and Ethan, leaning on the glass to glare hatefully at both of them, throwing his empty gun towards her head. Brandt simply pulled her closer to his side as the gun bounced off the glass and Lane turned back to Ethan, staring at him face to face as the gas slowly took over his system.

He began pounding on the glass in an echo of Ethan's futile attempts to get free the first time they had ever met, but with one crucial difference. Ethan had been angry and desperate, fueled with the need to save those he cared about. Lane had no such attachments and it was in despair that he weakly pounded on the glass once, then, twice, before he finally fell, unconscious.

As Lane fell back and disappeared, the gas filling the box completely, Ethan looked towards Benji once more. He switched on the lights to the warehouse as Brandt turned with Kat still under his arm to get the car ready. Ethan stepped forward, and with a grim yet satisfied expression he shoved the glass box over so that it landed with a loud clang on the ramp behind it.

Luther got into their 'borrowed' (with help from Hunley) police van as Benji pushed the ramp, box and all, into the back of the van, pulling on his yellow police jacket as he did. Brandt stood beside the driver's cab, adjusting the police cap on Kat's head as she tugged on her own jacket, and she smiled up at him from under the rim before glancing over his shoulder.

Brandt also glanced back, watching Ethan watch Ilsa as she stared in almost disbelief at the long road ahead of her as she stood beside their black convertible.

"You're free now." Ethan told her softly and Ilsa turned to him with an almost vulnerable expression on her face. She looked like she was hardly daring to believe his words, yet the longing was clear to read in her normally closed-off blue eyes.

"Where will you go?" Ethan asked curiously, and Ilsa answered slowly: "I don't know."

She stared at Ethan, her eyes searching his before she smiled as she said, satisfied: "I've done my part."

"Yeah." Ethan nodded, and Kat smiled too as Ilsa glanced over Ethan's shoulder towards her.

"Katelyn Taylor." Ilsa called and Kat's smile turned soft.

"Ilsa Faust." Kat answered and Ilsa smiled before looking at Brandt.

"You'd better keep a tight hold on your civilian, agent." She told him. "She's certainly a keeper."

"Don't I know it." Brandt answered as he wrapped his arm around Kat's waist once more, pulling her close as Kat chuckled lightly. Ethan grinned as well as Ilsa turned her eyes back to him, when they all looked up as they heard the police sirens wailing in the distance, coming closer.

"Ethan," Luther called pointedly from where he was standing in the driver's seat doorway, "we gotta go."

Ethan glanced back, before blinking as Ilsa hugged him. It was intimate and yet so innocent, as she conveyed her relief, her joy, and most of all her gratitude… and love. Kat's smile dimmed a little as she watched them. So many goodbyes, always so many goodbyes.

"You better hurry now." Ilsa whispered in his ear as she held him close and Ethan smiled.

"Good luck." He whispered in her ear and she smiled too before she closed her eyes, savouring the moment for one more second before she let go. She turned and without another look back she climbed into the waiting convertible.

Ethan watched, a little forlornly as she started the engines, before a small grin appeared on his face as Ilsa bid in farewell: "You know how to find me."

With that, she drove off, heading out the warehouse parking lot and towards her freedom while Ethan watched. Kat watched her go as well, before glancing at Brandt as she felt his gaze on her. His blue eyes were clear and full of love as he stared down into her green ones, before he leant in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She returned it, both of them grateful to be alive and to have each other.

Washington D.C.

Hunley sat staring into space, his face thoughtful as he thought through everything that had happened over the past few days. With the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Ethan Hunt, William Brandt and Benji Dunn, and the civilian who kept seeming to get mixed up in their affairs, as though her fate was a string weaved intricately into theirs, all coming together to create the insane tapestry that was the IMF.

"Director Hunley." A man called, but Hunley didn't pay it any heed as he remembered the Prime Minister honouring him for 'saving' him from Atlee, who had since been taken in by the British government. Hunt was free to do as he pleased, and Hunley was no longer going to stop him. Him, or Brandt, or-

"Director Hunley." The Chairman called sharply, and Hunley started.

"Ah... Mr. Chairman." He apologized, and the Chairman raised a brow before he let it slide.

"Six months ago," the Chairman pointed out, "you stood before this panel and demanded that the IMF be dissolved."

"That is correct, sir." Hunley nodded, and the Chairman asked pointedly: "And how do you explain your testimony today?"

"It's quite simple really." Hunley answered firmly. "We had reason to believe that the Syndicate had infiltrated our government at the highest level. In order for our man to infiltrate that organization, his cover had to be… absolute."

He finished simply: "The whole operation was known only to myself and a handful of IMF agents."

"So, the shuttering of the IMF was all part of an elaborate scheme," the Chairman summarized skeptically, "to expose the so call Syndicate?"

"That is correct, sir." Hunley replied, and the Chairman continued incredulously: "Which is why you're here today, asking for the IMF to be reinstated."

"That is correct, sir." Hunley repeated firmly, and the Chairman sat back.

"What of the civilian you mentioned before?" Another member of the panel asked. "It is my understanding that she was involved once more."

"Miss Taylor is no threat to us." Hunley replied swiftly. "She was in on the plan from the beginning, and gladly made the necessary sacrifices, including losing her job. We have since arranged for her re-employment under my seal of approval, and she will not be able to betray us without severe consequences"

The panel member leaned back while the Chairman shared a look with the rest of his committee before he leaned forward once more to say flatly: "I'm not sure the Committee approves of your methods, Director Hunley."

"Desperate times," Hunley replied, quoting Hunt's words, "desperate measures, Mr. Chairman."

The Chairman pursed his lips before turning to look at the other man sitting before him as he demanded: "And you, Mr. Brandt? How can you justify this deception, and would you agree with Director Hunley's assessment of this Miss Taylor?"

Brandt glanced at Hunley, the two men sharing a look before Brandt turned back to the panel to answer blandly: "I can neither confirm nor deny details of any operation without the Secretary's approval."

Hunley looked down, as though sighing while he was in fact hiding a smile, while Brandt kept a straight face, hiding just how badly he was fighting to keep a smirk off his face. The Chairman's jaw tightened in annoyance as he leant back, and he made his decision.

Brandt and Hunley walked out of the courtroom after the Chairman adjoined the meeting, neither looking at the other as they walked in a strict and collected manner. It was ruined, however, when Brandt said shortly: "Welcome to the IMF."

Hunley glanced at Brandt, his lips tugging at a smile as Brandt finished: "Mr. Secretary."

Hunley almost chuckled; and although he refrained from the inappropriate action, he still had a wide smile on his face as they walked down the hallway. Brandt had a similar expression on his face, his smile widening just slightly when he caught sight of the woman waiting by the car.

Hunley was now fighting his laugh as Brandt quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression, hiding a smile as she stepped up to meet him before they could all climb into the car.

"Agent Brandt." She said formally as she handed him a file, although her green eyes were sparkling with suppressed amusement. "The information you requested on the recent killings in Turkey, and the details on the suspects."

"Thank you." Brandt answered as he took the file, his fingers just brushing hers. "Agent Taylor."

*A/N So sad to finish this book, but hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! I might do another sequel when the next movie comes out, but until then I just wanted to thank all my readers and to everyone who commented and showed support. It's meant a lot to me as a writer and I'm so grateful for you sticking this through until the end. So, once again, thank you!