Epilogue: No Regrets

Five years later…

Yvette reorganized the bouquet as she knelt beside the cold gray slab of marble in the center plot of Cedar’s Rest Memorial gardens. It had been his plot since the day after her mother was interred. They’d always talked about having a family mausoleum but never got around to it…and now it was too late. Scott was buried beside his first love and would always be. It had been two years since he’d taken ill and three since his passing. After the first remission of his cancer, Yvette had hoped that she would have more time with him but once it returned on Christmas day, they were both positive it would be the disease that got him.

She ran her hand over the engravings and read them over and again in her head. Always on my mind, forever in my heart. Brett’s hand rested on her shoulder and she wiped away a tear as Autumn came to sit beside her. “You think Grandpa liked roses?” Autumn asked and placed a single orchid next to the grave beside the large vase.

“He was a boy, Autumn,” Austin replied, dropping dramatically at Yvette’s side. “And boys don’t like flowers.”

“That’s not true!” Autumn asserted. “Boys can like flowers! Can’t they, Mommy?”

“Yes they can, sweetie.”

“See!” she hissed, sticking her tongue out at her brother who returned the gesture. “Grandpa always seemed like a daisy man to me.”

Yvette laughed and cleaned her face with the back of her hand as she sat her daughter in her lap. “Daisies really, Autumn? Dad wasn’t really a flower man so I guess anything would be nice. It’s the sentiment behind them that matters, I suppose.”

“And what does a rose say that a daisy can’t?”

“Well a daisy represents purity and gentleness and I believe there are roses that mean the same thing. The real gift is in the giving.” Zachary cried in Brett’s arms and Yvette stood and moved towards him. “He’s hungry,” she responded and pulled their youngest child from her husband’s grip.

“And so am I,” Brett smiled as his belly rumbled and he rubbed a hand across it.

“Then let’s get my men fed. We should be heading to Vic’s place now anyway.”

“My phone!” Mica yelled in horror as she searched through her purse and the tray on the sideboard near the door.

“Relax, I’m sure you probably just left it upstairs or something,” Dustin laughed watching the pure panic on her face as she looked around. “Just give it a call, it’ll ring and you’ll find it.”

“Yeah, yeah that’s a good idea.” She responded and lifted the receiver for the house phone. Punching in her number she waited to hear the familiar jingle and was soon rewarded by the ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ coming from the play room. She walked towards the sound and listened as it seemed to grow duller and duller. Glancing into the room where Matthew sat playing with something she cried out and watched as he ripped the battery, sim card and microchip out of the back of her phone. “Matthew, no!”

Dustin stepped into the room just in time to watch the small device become little more than a paperweight and grinned. “You know you really should keep those things out of his reach.”

“That doesn’t seem to be a possibility, Dusty! That’s the third one he’s destroyed in almost as many months! After the first one went for a spin in the toilet and the second was hammered to death with a screwdriver I thought for certain keeping this on the sideboard, well above his head, would be safe. But oh no, Daddy’s little protégé always finds a way.”

“He’s curious how things work is all, Meeks, nothing wrong with that. Besides, he’s teething. I bet that vibration felt good on his gums.”

“That’s a $200 teething ring, Dustin!”

“He has expensive taste?”

“Funny. Why are you not as concerned about this as I am?”

“Because when I was a kid my parents couldn’t keep me from ripping apart every electronic device I could find. Seeing our son doing the same thing gets me right here,” he patted his chest and smiled proudly. “It’s like watching the birth of a genius.”

“Yes, well you say that because it’s never your phone he murders. And this little genius is going to start paying for everything he destroys!”

“How, Mica? He’s only three!”

“I’ll figure that out later. For now you should call Brett and see if Yve left me any messages. I don’t want to be late for the barbecue.”

“Come on woman, move your ass,” Ryan yelled to Brandy as he grabbed the last case of beer. “I want to get there before Victor burns the burgers.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Brandy huffed, picking up her bag from beside the door. “You try lugging around an extra 20 pounds and see how fast you move.”

He smiled, watching her waddle towards him and sat the beer down to help her. “Ah, come on, how bad can it be?”

“How bad—how bad can it be?” she asked, her mouth dropping open in shock. “I tell ya what, why don’t you bend over and let me kick you in the balls a couple of times and you tell me how bad it is!”

“I’m sorry,” he grinned, reaching down to take her hand. “You’re right. You’re my beautiful wife. You’re pregnant with my beautiful baby girl. I shouldn’t make fun. I couldn’t be luckier.” He sighed and softly kissed her knuckles. “Is there anything I can do to make your pains easier? Massage? Hot bath? Anything other than a kick to the balls?”

“Just…go get the car!”

“Here we are,” Sierra nearly sang as she dropped more kebobs beside the grill. “Need anything else?”

“Just a smile,” he replied and leaned over as she kissed his cheek. “Everyone should be arriving soon. I just got the burgers on the grill. Are we good on drinks?”

“Ryan called and said he was bringing another case of beer so I guess the guys will be taken care of. I made some lemonade for the kids and I’m gonna blend some mixers when the girls arrive,” Sierra replied glancing over her shoulder towards Victor. “Try not to burn those burgers this time.”

“I don’t burn them. They are well done and beautifully charred.”

“Burnt.”

“Hey, you’re welcomed to come and do this yourself.”

“Really?”

He paused a moment as he flipped the patties over the fire and frowned. “No, not really. Touch my grill and you’ll lose a hand.”

“You should come out with me sometime, hit a few balls.”

“That sounds great!”

“How’s the married life treating you?”

“She threatened to throttle my nuts.”

“So…good then?”

“When are you due?”

“Not soon enough!”

“One…two…three…six…”

“Look at who’s becoming fast friends!”

“They have such an amazing curiosity.”

“Tell me about it!”

After Scott’s passing, Vivica Bookhart moved back home to Charleston. And after the events in Washington D.C., Brett and Yvette Knight’s lives became much less complicated. Brett was nominated and voted in as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he’d been serving as interim chief two years prior. Yvette serves as the head for the Clandestine Department in conjunction with a CIA initiative. She works with field agents to help ensure national security is protected on all fronts. Together with their three children, Austin, Autumn and Zachary, they spend their summers traveling to different countries and exploring new cultures with their grandparents.

Dustin & Mica Kimura bought a house in the valley where they live with their 3-year-old son, Matthew. Dustin commutes to Bridgeport to continue his work at the FBI. He supervises the tech department, including his nephew. Mica owns her own practice and treats every animal like extended family. And in speaking of family, Dustin and Mica are currently working on baby #2.

Victor Murphy proposed to Sierra Davidson and after Chase and Aisha moved away for college, they bought a smaller home for the two of them and Victor’s youngest, Kiara. Today, Victor continues working for the FBI helping train new recruits and preparing them for field work.

The relationship between Ryan Sharpe and Brandy Woods continued to grow. Brandy became the manager at the bank branch where she worked for five years while Ryan is in charge of training new recruits for the FBI. A year ago, Ryan popped the question and he and Brandy were wed six months later, a week after learning he was going to be a father. They’re expecting a little girl and couldn’t be happier.

– Sacred Heart Medical Center – Bridgeport – Three Years Ago –

“Hey, old man. Welcome back.”

Scott smiled weakly and motioned for the glass beside the bed. “Thank you,” he replied, after taking a few sips and forcing himself to sit up. “Where did Yvette go?”

“Oh, Zachary kept crying so she went to take him home. She didn’t want him disturbing you or the other patients.”

“That kid has a great pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure,” he laughed, much of it rumbling in his chest. “And he looks just like his daddy.”

“Yeah he does. Yvette was actually hoping for another girl but, I guess Brett didn’t want that to happen.”

“How long…” he coughed and waved Ethan off as he offered him another drink. “How long ago did she leave?”

“She literally just stepped out of the room. Did you want me to see if I can stop her?”

“No, no, I um…I wanted to talk to you actually. Could you hand me that box over on the counter please?” Ethan grabbed the small wooden box and handed it to Scott. “Thank you. I’d been saving this for a special occasion but…it doesn’t look as though I’ll get another of those,” he replied, removing two shot glasses from their container and setting the box to the side. “Don’t tell my nurse.” He motioned to the bottom drawer and Ethan popped the top on a 40-year-old bottle of Scotch and the two shared a glass. “Take it. I won’t need it where I’m going.”

“Stop talking like that. You still have a lot of life left in you, old man.” Scott laid back down and glanced at the door.

“No, I don’t. I’ve reached the end, Ethan,” he replied, struggling to take a breath that escaped as a strangled wheeze. “And I’d like to ask you a favor.”

“Anything.”

“I’m done,” Scott whispered, looking up into Ethan’s gray gaze. “I can’t take living with this much pain for who knows how much longer. But I tried,” he choked up, tears boiling at the back of his throat. “For Yvette and for my grandkids, I tried to hang on. It gets so hard.” Ethan reached out and stroked his arm as he listened, struggling to keep himself composed. Scott had become a shell of the man he once knew and he could see him fighting to express the decision he’d made. He pulled the pillow out from under his head and set it on top of himself. “You try because you want every second.”

“Scott…”

“Take care of our little Yvette; my precious Tumblelina. You’re all she has now. Don’t disappoint her again.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise me you’ll make sure she’s always safe.”

“I promise, Scott. Thank you for everything.” Scott nodded and released a breath as Ethan stood and grabbed hold of the pillow. His last thoughts wandered to his daughter and grandchildren and a single tear escaped his eye.

Ethan Evans retired from the spy life. After everything was revealed, he was finally able to come in from the cold and live a normal life. He visits his grandchildren often and has a better relationship with his daughter and son-in-law. These days, he spends most of his time working on his golf swing. Ethan has never spoken to Yvette about that day.

Terrance and Regina Knight picked up and moved from Rockville to Bridgeport to be closer to their growing family. They take every opportunity available to spend with their three grandkids since it’s become clear Nathan, Brett’s younger brother, has no interest in becoming a family man. Regina is currently trying to convince Yvette to have a couple more.

Tao Choi works as a computer tech for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He still finds time to crush his Uncle Dustin in video games and treats his mother to the high life. He is also dating a woman 21 years his senior, Lana, a nightclub owner.

Stefanie Brooks graduated Summa Cum Laude from Columbia University law school and now works for the prestigious firm Mason, Tinley & Brooks. On the weekends, she dedicates her time doing pro bono work for children who come from broken homes or find themselves in the same situation she did.

They say a spy can never fully learn to love and trust, but they’ve never met spies like us. 

There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be.

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*Author’s note: It appears we have reached the end of our journey together. Thank you for the countless amount of support and loyalty. I’ve said it before but it is something very much worth repeating. Each and every one of my readers is a welcomed and valued paragon of motivation and inspiration. It took four years and many computer blunders and upsets but we’ve finally made it!*