Epilogue
Morning
FBI West
A New Day
The End of the Beginning
The sun was up, and as they pulled up to the FBI building, it was good to have the world be clear of that disgusting piece of shit, Devon Slater. He was gone from the earth, and he would never ruin anyone’s life again.
Trust and believe that.
Getting out of the rental, Gene gave each of The Hunters a hug. He appreciated all they did for them, and that would never be forgotten.
Ever.
“If you ever need me,” Gene offered, “You guys just call me. I’ll show my ass up so fast, Zayn’s head will spin faster than when he smells a baked good.”
The man laughed.
“You really are a dick,” he stated.
Well, yeah, he was aware.
That was one of his finer points.
“You think?” he asked. “You’re a smart Chucklefuck, now aren’t you? Did you figure that all by yourself?”
Zayn gave him a fist bump.
“I’ll miss you, Gene. See you when we see you.”
Yeah, he would.
Maura hugged him last.
“Is she going to be okay?” she asked, knowing that what went down was a heavy, and it would take a strong person to survive that.
Oh, Elizabeth was strong, but still.
It had been a lot.
“I have faith,” he admitted. “She’ll work through it.”
Maura hoped so. It kind of sucked to know that they were going to be diving into dealing with BlackStone without her help. Then again, they had Ethan to call if it got funky down South.
“Again,” he said. “Call me if you need me. We’ll come. I’ll cover for Elizabeth if you get in a pinch.”
They believed him.
Giving him one last fist bump, The Hunters headed back out, getting in their ride, and pulling away as Gene watched.
When they were gone, on their way to the private airstrip to head back to NOLA, Gene headed inside.
As he reached the floor where Elizabeth’s office was, he could hear them talking, and knew he’d find the family there. All he could hope was they’d be okay too.
When he cleared his throat, they turned.
Immediately, they stood and looked at him. That’s when Ethan went there.
“Where’s Elizabeth?” he asked.
Gene had bad news for him.
“Yeah,” Ivan said. “Where is she? Just because this is over, that doesn’t mean she’s safe. She can’t just wander around. There’s a Russian spy running amuck,” he said, playing along.
After their talk, and her promise to be safe, he knew she was going to take a ‘break’.
Where?
He had no clue.
But he trusted her.
For Gene, this was where he had to be brutally honest with them. Elizabeth had boarded a private jet hours ago. She’d asked him, and The Hunters to give her a little head start, so that she could rest and regroup.
Because Gene loved her, and he understood about fresh starts himself, he did what she asked.
Would they hate him for it?
He had to trust his family wouldn’t.
“She’s gone,” he said.
At that, both Ethan and Callen looked surprised. That Chris didn’t, that told Gene all he needed to know. There was no doubt in his mind that the bag of money he’d given The Hunters yesterday and the brand-new, private jet were his doing.
Clearly, she had an accomplice, and that was NONE OF HIS BUSINESS.
Secrets were just that.
Secrets.
To be frank, Elizabeth had two. He was on team ‘take a break’.
At his words, Ethan was really panicked.
“What do you mean she’s gone?” he asked, his heart thumping in his chest.
Instead of answering, he did what Elizabeth had asked.
He handed Chris the note she’d spent a good hour writing before she boarded that jet. It was after they’d shared a waffle, fries, and some shakes in that greasy spoon.
Opening it, he read it out loud.
‘To my family,
I know you’re expecting me to walk through the door, so that we can celebrate the win, but to me, this was nothing but a huge loss. This cost me a lot, and right now, I need time.
So, I’m asking for a favor. It’s rare I do, but I need this. I need you to just let me go. I’m taking some time, and I’m going to try to figure out who I am. I don’t know who I am anymore, and that’s a problem.
My world is upside down, and I can’t carry the weight of this family right now. It’s too much. I’ve given all I have for this country, for the people I love, and for the dead. Right now, I need to find myself.
So, know that I’m safe.
I just need to regroup.
You’ve all been trained to do the job, and I’ve built a team that can catch the Devil himself. Little did I know that I was the devil in this scenario.
But I am.
Gene, I’m leaving you in charge of my division and personal team. If a case comes up, I know you can run it like you stole it.
I’m trusting you with one of my biggest assets, an ME who is so good at his job, it should be illegal.
After him, you get Callen, who is beyond competent at helping handle a case, and he’s going to back you up. Lean into him, because he knows how to solve shit too.
Lastly, you have the golden standard of profilers at your disposal, and Ethan can profile like no one’s business. You all are the secret to my success and the reason I wear the crown. With my other team members, I know that I’m leaving the FBI in good hands.
Be gentle with her.
Justice is a fragile thing, and not something you can drop. No one knows the ramifications more than me.
So, keep fighting this fight, and when I’m ready, I’ll hopefully come back to put that badge back on—if I can forgive myself for those sins.
Kiss my children and tell them mommy isn’t well.
Because I’m not. I’m broken in ways no one will ever understand.
Being the raven has taken its toll, and it was a job I never asked for, but willingly carried for everyone else.
Now, I have to see if I want to carry it for me.
I have to see if I’m really meant to be the raven or if this has been nothing more than a masquerade.
I don’t know who I am anymore, and the pull to find out is greater than the desire to remain oblivious.
I love you all, and I love my country, but I can’t be the person you all expect me to be now. It’s time that I be selfish and do what’s best for me. It’s time I be Elizabeth and see if she can find her place in the world.
Forever all my love,
And that’s why I have to leave.
Elizabeth LaRue.’
As soon as Chris read the words, Ethan didn’t know what to say. The fact that she called herself by her maiden name scared him to the depths of his soul.
He didn’t have the words. His wife didn’t only go rogue, she’d was just…gone.
Chris folded the letter up and said nothing.
Why?
He was on her side in this.
For the last twenty-five years, she’d given all she had to do a job that took and took until it stripped you bare and made you hollow.
If his wife needed a break, the LEAST they could do, as the people she protected and cared for, was stand in her place and carry the weight for a change.
“What do we do?” Callen asked, caught completely off guard by the words in that letter. “That doesn’t sound like she’s coming back to the FBI, let alone us. Is she coming back to us?”
Ethan didn’t know.
He couldn’t think, and he couldn’t help but believe this was his fault—because she was right.
Elizabeth gave, and they all took.
Because they needed to do one thing, and only one thing, he would lead the way.
What she was asking for was faith.
Faith in her.
Faith in themselves.
And faith in what the future held.
So, Chris tucked the letter into his back pocket of his scrubs and answered his question.
What would they do?
That was easy.
“We let her go.”
* * * The Blackhawks * * *
Somewhere
Hours Later
Post Escape
When the jet landed, she tipped the pilot and flight crew generously and hugged them.
Chris had arranged for a gift in the form of another jet, but he made sure that she flew with the normal people.
To be safe.
“Thank you, Jim. Head home, and don’t tell anyone where you dropped me.”
He patted her arm.
“Don’t worry, Ma’am, Doctor Leonard already told us to take a vacation after our flight back. We’re not going home. We’re going to Fiji to pick up the kids and help transport them back in a few days.”
She appreciated that.
“Thank you,” she said, hugging him.
Because she was a doll, and he genuinely loved working for her, he squeezed her hands.
“Call when you need a ride back.”
She laughed.
It sounded so simple, like he’d just show up.
“I will, Jim. I will.”
Getting off the jet, she walked down the steps and took in the early evening air.
It was cool, crisp, and smelled like fall. It had been so long since she’d been able to actually enjoy the seasons. Here she was, approaching Halloween, her most favorite time of the year.
“Ma’am?” a man called, getting her attention. “This bike is for you.”
Well, that solved that problem.
It appeared she was going to enjoy a little evening ride.
“Thank you,” she offered.
When he walked away, she pulled on the helmet and got on the sleek black bike. It was like the one she had at home, and she appreciated the amount of work Chris did to help her get through this.
Did she miss them?
Yeah.
She’d cried herself to sleep on the flight, but that didn’t mean she could go back. What she’d said in the letter had been true, and she was on a new case.
The case of the missing Elizabeth.
For the foreseeable future, her job was to help Kate run the FBI remotely, after taking a week or two off for good behavior.
Kickstarting the bike, it purred to life, vibrating between her legs as she pulled on the gloves that had been laying over the gas tank.
Then, she was off.
As she tore out of there, she hit the hills and enjoyed as the darkness was falling on the mountains ahead of her.
Elizabeth loved speed so much, and as she rode like the Devil himself was chasing her, she felt…home.
Calm.
At peace.
Already, she was adjusting to being alone and finding herself.
Up the incline, and through the rocky cliffs she headed, her watch giving her directions. MATE wasn’t on this watch. She was back in Damascus in Gene’s pocket.
No one knew where she was, and that was for the best.
When she rounded the curve, that’s when she saw it up ahead. Looming there, Elizabeth knew she’d found the place.
Yeah, the irony wasn’t lost on her.
Not.
At.
All.
When she said she needed to find the raven, that had been her clue as to where she’d be.
Now, she was surrounded by them.
The gate was open, inviting her in, and she didn’t hesitate to do just that. As she sped up the driveway, lined with trees losing their leaves, and going dead, she knew the feeling.
That emptiness had her by the throat. Why she chose to come here…
She wasn’t sure, but it called to her.
Maybe it was her love of a mystery, or maybe it was because if she was going to be chased by ghosts, they should be ones that haunted her house.
As she came to a stop, Elizabeth parked and sat there staring at the monstrosity.
Holy shit.
This place was a spectacle.
Ravensmire was the most ridiculous place she’d ever seen, and Gabby had been right.
It was beautiful. Honestly, she couldn’t wait to get a tour, and see what made this place tick.
Or go BOO in the night. That should be her first clue that she was out of her damn mind.
When the door opened, that was when she saw him.
“Hey,” Michael offered. “We got your message. Welcome home,” he said, standing in front of the grand old castle in all of her majestic glory.
Hearing his words…
That’s when she broke down.
The tears came all over again, and hearing ‘home’…it rocked her to her core.
She didn’t know where that was anymore. Never in her life had she felt more lost than she did at that moment.
To be here…
That should say it all.
She wasn’t fooling anyone—not even herself.
Michael headed her way, and when she went into his arms, he held her.
“It’s okay, Honey. We got you. You’ll figure it out,” he promised.
Would she?
She didn’t know.
The bottom line was that Elizabeth Blackhawk didn’t know who she was anymore, or why she was cursed to walk through the hell she’d been given.
But she’d find out why, and if she got lucky, The Defiant Curse might be broken.
Until it was, the ghosts here weren’t the only ones damned to walk alone.