There was an incessant beeping coming from my left side and I looked over to see the faint outline of a pulse monitor and a stock of various other medical equipment sitting beside my hospital bed. My vision was blurry and dim. I blinked several times and rubbed my eyes until everything started coming into focus.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up," Matt chuckled from his chair beside the bed.

He was all cleaned up now with fresh clothes on and a small bandage on his right cheek. He had a few bruises, but nothing serious looking, and he appeared to be in good spirits.

"Matt?" I groaned and rubbed my head, a migraine working on developing. "What the hell happened?"

I looked around the room and recognized it from the last time I'd been severely injured on a mission. I'd been shot twice in the leg and spent several days in A.R.T.'s medical division. We had our own miniature hospital with all the basic capabilities of a standard public hospital so that we didn't have to send our agents to doctors and nurses who would ask too many questions. It was much easier this way.

"They sedated you in Barcelona and flew you back here," Matt explained, setting aside the weapons catalog he'd been reading. "I flew back with you right after Jordan left."

The mention of Director Jordan caused everything to come flooding back to memory and two of the monitors I was hooked up to started beeping like they were about to overheat and explode – which was exactly what I felt like doing.

"Where is Jordan?" I borderline shouted at Matt and then immediately felt bad for raising my voice at him. "Is he here? I need to talk to him right now."

One of our medical staffers rushed in to see what was the fuss with my screeching monitors and I demanded she fetch me the director before she could even get one word out.

The short brunette woman opened and closed her mouth in surprise and scurried back out of the room. I hoped she was going to find Jordan for me.

"Tali. Tali, relax. Breathe." Matt tried to calm me down. "Jordan's not here. He went to Tel Aviv with Bartley when we were leaving Spain."

What the fuck was Jordan going to Tel Aviv for?

"Why?" I frowned and began picking at the tape that was covering my I.V.

"He called me right before we taxied out to the runway. Said he was going to see about working out a deal with Bartley. Something about Dallas being arrested for going A.W.O.L. from I.D.A. But I don't know when he's supposed to be back."

While Matt was talking, I peeled the tape off and yanked the I.V. out, proceeding to whatever the next cord was that was stuck to my body. I needed a distraction from the tornado of anger whirling around in my brain or I was liable to blow the whole place up.

All I could think about was losing Dallas again. How could Bartley do this to me – to us twice? How dare he think he had any right to interfere with our relationship! It was brutal the first time. No – brutal didn't even begin to describe it. It was absolute hell. If he thought he was going to put Dallas and me through that again, he was crazy! I wasn't going to lose him again! Bartley could take his desertion excuse and shove it up his ass! Rules be damned!

"Tali, where are you going?" Matt asked when I got up from the bed, slinging all the cords aside that had been hooked up to my arm.

I felt a little wobbly, but I didn't care. "I'm going to find the assistant director! I'm going to shoot somebody! I'm going to – Hell, I don't know what I'm going to do, Matt! But I'm going to make somebody listen to me!"

Matt hurried around to the other side of the bed where I was stumbling away and grabbing at the wall for support. Clearly, I was dehydrated and my muscles were all overworked and exhausted. I knew I wasn't in the right condition to go furiously gallivanting through the halls of A.R.T. headquarters, but I didn't give a shit. Logic was the furthest thing from my mind at the time.

"Tali, you need to stop and take a deep breath," Matt said, trying to hold on to me so I couldn't go bust my ass in the hallway. "Listen to me!"

Rarely did he ever raise his voice to me. It startled me and I stopped, giving in and teetering back into his chest. He snaked his arms around me and his embrace felt good and warm and welcoming. We stood there for a moment in silence, long enough for me to get my head on straight, and I pulled away, going to sit back on the bed.

"I can't lose him again, Matt," I said in almost a whisper, staring down at the different colored tiles on the floor.

"You don't have to," came a deep voice that wasn't Matt's from the doorway.

I looked up to see Dallas standing there with that adorable lopsided smile he always gave me, and it felt like every single cell in my body all hummed back to life right in that second.

I leaped off of the bed and into his arms, bawling all over his gray shirt. I think I was happier to see him this time than I had been when we'd first been reunited. I couldn't explain how I was feeling, but it was an adjective that would put eternal euphoria to shame.

"How are you here right now?" I blurted out when I'd finally caught my breath. "What happened?"

Dallas gestured to Matt to provide the answer and I turned to face him, confused.

Matt smirked and shook his head. "Basically, Jordan talked to Bartley about expunging the desertion charge, but I.D.A. stood firm on it. However, Jordan was able to work a deal with them where Dallas's employment would be transferred to A.R.T. and we would carry on with whatever punishment for him going A.W.O.L. Turns out, I.D.A. was happy to give up the hassle of doing the prosecution themselves. I guess they were feeling a little lazy."

I looked up to Dallas, who was smiling down at me. "So you're not with I.D.A. anymore?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"But you still have to answer for desertion," I said, my happy tone fading to something gloomier as I looked back and forth at the two men.

Matt waved his hand the same way Director Jordan always did when he was dismissing something someone said.

"I don't know if Jordan told you, Tali, but he promoted me to Brit's old spot," he told me, and I nodded, remembering Jordan talking about that back in Barcelona. "So technically, I'm Dallas's boss now, which means I get to decide if there's going to be any desertion charges filed. Spoiler alert: I'm not filing a damn thing."

My relief was restored and I hugged Dallas tighter, like I was holding onto him for dear life.

"You're my boss now, too. Right?" I cocked a brow to Matt and he nodded. "In that case, I'd like to turn in my formal resignation tomorrow, Mr. Carver."

"That makes two of us," Dallas chimed in with a wider grin, rubbing his palm up and down my back. "It's time we go explore something new together. Something that doesn't shoot at us."

The three of us shared a genuine laugh over that and Matt didn't bother to question our sudden decision. I knew he understood exactly how we both felt.

Behind Dallas came a small knock on the door and Megan entered the room with a smile. I left Dallas's arms just long enough to hug her and then latched back onto him like he might float away otherwise.

Megan went to Matt's side and he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Exactly how much shit did I miss while I was knocked out?" I started laughing, watching them together. "Are you two-"

"Yes." Megan grinned ear-to-ear and placed her hand on Matt's chest. "We had our first date this morning!"

"Congratulations!" I pulled her into another hug, and the way she hugged me back was all the confirmation I needed to know that we were going to be friends for life, whether we were both agents or not.

Dallas and Matt shared a manly nod and shook hands, and then Matt and Megan left us to enjoy our time alone together.

Dallas sat down on the edge of the bed and I plopped down beside him. He looked so carefree, so content with life. I'd never seen him so relaxed before. It was like the weight of the world had just been lifted from his shoulders when he'd told Matt he quit.

"Do you want to get married?" I blurted out before he could say anything.

His eyebrows shot up so far, they practically disappeared into his hairline. He blinked at me a couple times like he was waiting for me to say "just kidding!" I wasn't joking, though. I'd been waiting ten years since I'd met the man of my dreams to spend the rest of my life with him, and I didn't want to put that on hold for another second.

"Did... Did you just propose to me?" Dallas stuttered, his mouth agape.

I tilted my head side to side with a giggle. "Little bit."

On the table next to the bed was a small plate of food intended for when I'd woken up. I grabbed one of the boiled egg halves from the tray and held it up to Dallas, trying hard to suppress a laugh.

"I don't have a ring or a shotgun shell or anything fancy to propose with, so here's an egg," I tried to say with a straight face, but we both burst out laughing. "If you eat it, I'll take that as a 'yes'."

It was probably the stupidest thing I'd ever said to anyone, but I was so happy, I didn't care. It meant the world to me that I was lucky enough to be with someone I could have so much fun with. He really was my best friend.

I was practically in tears from laughing so hard, but I shut up when Dallas pulled a tiny box from his jacket pocket.

"You beat me to it," he said softly, opening it to reveal a stunning diamond engagement ring. "So I guess I don't have to ask, hmm?"

I shrugged teasingly. "I mean... it couldn't hurt to ask. You never know. Maybe I decided I want this boiled egg for myself. I am kind of hungry, now that I think about it."

He snatched the food from my hand and stuffed it in his mouth, trying not to choke while laughing, and once he swallowed and got his laughter under control, a handsome, loving smile overtook his features.

"Tali, will you marry me?" Dallas asked with a literal twinkle in his eye.

I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled his mouth down on mine, muttering a chorus of muffled yesses in between each kiss.

This was the beginning of what would turn into a lifelong exploration of the world, just like we'd both always wanted. I finally got to see Europe as a tourist instead of always skipping through history-rich cities on a string of covert missions. We finally bought a house in the suburbs, adopted a couple dogs, and settled down like a real married couple. And after all the ups and downs and wild episodes we'd narrowly managed to survive together, Dallas and I finally discovered what it felt like to be wholeheartedly happy. The only thing that would make our post-crime life even better would be if he learned how to cook breakfast without burning it...