Disclaimer: I do not own either of the Mission: Impossible series or any of the characters therein. I receive no compensation or any other tangible benefit from this story. I am just a fan who enjoys taking the team out for an adventure every now and then. 🙂
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Nemesis Chapter 50
The team decided not to have a customary debriefing when they arrived back home. Instead, after everyone had had a few days' rest, they gathered for a dinner party at Nicholas' apartment. Nicholas planned to treat them all to some of his native Eastern cuisine.
Shannon insisted on arriving early to help him cook. They puttered around in the kitchen for a while. Then, when they reached a point where all they could do for a while was wait, Nicholas fixed a kettle of Irish tea and they sat on the sofa to talk.
"Thanks for your help today, Shannon," Nicholas smiled as he took a sip of tea. "You didn't have to."
"I know," she smiled back, "but I wanted to." Then her face grew serious. "Besides," she added, softly, "there's another reason I wanted to come early, before everyone else got here."
Shannon put her teacup down and took Nicholas' hand in hers.
"I never did get to thank you properly for saving my life, Nicholas," she told him, her eyes moist.
Nicholas squeezed her hand. "Sure, you did, Shannon," he replied quietly. At the hospital. Don't you remember?"
"It doesn't seem like enough," she answered. Then she lowered her eyes. "Of course, I could say it a million times and it wouldn't seem like enough."
Nicholas scooted closer to his friend. "Shannon," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper, "you know you don't have to thank me. You're my teammate." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "And my friend."
"I wasn't much of a teammate this time around," she observed sadly. "I spent almost the whole time lying in that hospital bed while you all nailed Christie and his men."
"Oh, Shannon, is that what's bothering you?" Nicholas asked with sudden realization.
Shannon looked up at her brown-eyed friend, and Nicholas saw a tear trickle down her face. He reached up to caress her cheek, gently wiping the tear away with his thumb, and Shannon felt the warmth of his fingers as he spoke.
"Listen to me, Shannon," he said gently. "You will always be a vital part of this team. Yes, we finished the mission while you were getting better, but our team was incomplete and we all felt it."
His other hand squeezed hers again. "Don't you ever underestimate how important you are," he told her. "To this team." He paused, and looked deeply into Shannon's eyes. "And to me."
The two of them sat still for a moment, their eyes locked. Suddenly, the oven timer went off, startling them both slightly. Nicholas chuckled softly.
"Thanks, Nicholas," Shannon smiled, reaching out to give him a soft hug. Then, as the timer went off a second time, they moved swiftly back to the kitchen.
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Later that afternoon, the others arrived and sat down to dinner. Before the meal began, the four younger teammates all looked at their leader, as if expecting him to say something profound. From the look on Jim's face, he indeed had something to share.
Jim smiled fondly at his teammates. "I just wanted to congratulate all of you," he stated. "You're outstanding in every mission, but this time you had to do your best work while facing an incredible amount of danger. I'm very proud of the way you took care of each other, and of me."
Jim's face sobered for a moment. "I don't have to tell you how special you each are to me, and how scared I was when I thought I'd lost all of you," he continued. He cast his eyes around the table, settling his gaze on Shannon. "Each of you is an important part of what makes this team complete. And I'm proud to be a part of it, too."
"To our team," Nicholas toasted, raising his glass.
"Our team," Shannon echoed.
The others quickly followed suit, and as they clinked their glasses together and took a drink, no one noticed the inconspicuous wink that passed between Jim and Nicholas.
The End
(c) 2016
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