Epilogue

It was a real pleasure to watch Ward get to know northern Ontario in the spring.

Well, first he had to get over the idea that spring was in March. Ha. No. By the end of May, we could be reasonably sure no more snow was in the forecast until the fall, and that's when the world truly came back to life. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere, scenting the air with their sweetness. And the bugs came back out, but eh. There was a reason they invented bug spray.

I had all the windows in the cabin open as we waited for our call with April to connect. Well, I waited on the couch with the laptop open on the coffee table in front of me. Ward was in the other room, running late on a one-on-one consultation with a student. But I could hear him making his excuses that he had to sign off. A moment later, he emerged from his office, gait slightly uneven but no cane in sight. He usually did without in the house these days.

"Good chat?"

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond as April's A came on the screen. He sat down beside me, his shoulder touching mine. "I'll tell you later. Hello, ex-boss."

"Sullivan. Campbell."

Ward squinted at the screen. "Would it kill you to turn your camera on for once?"

"Yes," she said flatly. "Do you have any more stupid questions, or can I get to the point of this meeting?"

Ward gestured for her to proceed.

"As you're aware, the investigation into the Crimson incident wrapped up today."

Awarewas putting it mildly. Ward had only slept in fits and starts for the past week, and I'd found myself dwelling on my actions and all the remaining questions more than once.

"Thank you, again, for your thorough and objective testimony."

I nodded, but Ward gritted his teeth and stayed motionless. We'd sat in front of the committee reviewing SPAM's actions near the beginning of the proceedings to lay out what we'd witnessed from Crimson, mostly to give some context. Our choices weren't under scrutiny. Bringing Hallie with me to rescue Ward was noted and marked in my file, but it hadn't been a focus of anyone but April. Watching Ward relate what Crimson had done to him, dispassionately and detached, had been one of the hardest things I'd witnessed in my life. When we'd gotten back to the hotel we were staying at in DC, his condo long sold, I'd simply held him until the shaking stopped.

"The committee has established a timeline of events, and identified when the breakdowns in SPAM security happened. We determined that Crimson's subordinate Mimic, also known as Patrick Clark, had killed Agent Emile Paterson before Flicker and ‘Conduit' escorted you to Vole's safe house in Pembroke. Though originally we had thought Mimic could only replicate people's faces, research has shown that he could also copy their powers for a short time.

"Once he knew where you were being held, he reported it to Crimson and returned to the safe house to take Vole's identity. Agent Alim Karga was also killed."

I frowned. "But he took Ward's face without killing him. Why did he murder the agents?"

April sighed softly. "As best as we were able to determine, Mimic didn't need to kill those he copied. He chose to, so they would be out of his way and make it less likely he'd be found out."

"Bastard," Ward said through his gritted teeth. "Did you find out how Crimson knew to target Conduit in the first place?"

"Observation. We were able to access cameras near the hospital and hotel you moved to in North Bay. Agent Paterson left for a few moments to get coffee, according to Agent Xu. He returned a short time later without coffee."

"I remember that," I murmured. "When Flicker asked him about it, he said the nearest café was closed."

"We suspect the ‘Conduit' who returned to the room was actually Mimic. He stopped at the front desk to show his ID and claimed he couldn't remember the room number you'd been booked into."

"Which the helpful front desk agent was all too happy to supply, when faced with an official government badge." Ward rolled his eyes.

"Exactly. We believe Crimson was in North Bay at the same time, but we don't have any evidence to confirm that."

"But it would make sense. He knew we'd been in that accident, after all." I tapped a finger on my lips. "Why didn't he come after us when we were stranded in the snow? That's bugging me."

"It's possible he wanted to keep tabs on you while he completed work on his new machine, but he wasn't ready to abduct any of you at that point. Unfortunately, a lot of his reasoning, such as it was, is lost now."

"Good riddance," Ward growled.

"I can't argue with that," April said. "The committee has instated a new policy for the safety of our agents. From this point forward, any agent working a major case where the possibility of threat or danger to the agent is significant is not to be left alone during the course of the investigation. Everything becomes a partner affair."

"Even going to the bathroom?" I asked.

A heavy pause.

"Because that could be awkward, especially if you're new partners." I glanced at Ward, who had his lips pressed tightly together. "Right?"

He cleared his throat. "Oh, yeah, definitely. I guess agents need to use the family restrooms from now on."

"If they can find one," I mused. "They're not always available. And what if the agents are different genders?"

"I think…" April started slowly. There was a tone to her voice I couldn't place, like perhaps she hadn't considered this potential problem. "Agents can work it out themselves."

"Yeah, I suppose. Problem-solving is an important component of our training," I conceded.

"Indeed." She let out a little cough. "On that note, there's another element the committee put forth as a recommendation."

"Some sort of face-stealing detection device?"

Another cough. "Uh, no. They've recommended that you be reassigned, Agent Campbell, to a more active location."

I squinted at the screen. "Which means what?"

"Let me read the formal statement." There was the rustling of papers, and April said, "Committee recommendation two of three: Based on Agent Devlin Campbell's commitment to his partner, his refusal to leave anyone behind, and continuing to act even in the face of significant injury, the committee feels that his skills could be better put to use in a more active SPAM jurisdiction. The committee recommends Toronto, Edmonton, or Sydney."

"Sydney, Australia?" Ward's surprised shout made me jump.

"No, Cape Breton," she clarified.

"Where's that?"

"It's an island in Nova Scotia. East coast," I supplied when he still looked at me blankly.

"What's the population?"

"There's about thirty thousand people in Sydney," April said. "Add another hundred thousand for the whole island."

Doubt was written all across Ward's face. "And that's a more active region than northern Ontario?"

"There are a lot of supes there." I could almost hear the shrug in April's voice. "Regardless, it's an opportunity you should definitely consider, Agent Campbell. A chance to advance your career in SPAM and get involved in some truly remarkable cases."

I nibbled on a thumbnail but couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"Dev?" Ward murmured.

April continued, "I also owe you a long overdue apology. When you first joined SPAM, there was concern that you would abuse your abilities to move up the ladder in an unnaturally quick manner. However, despite being relegated to a locale that sees little activity, you have shown no inclination to manipulate anyone, be they a member of SPAM or a civilian. It speaks to the strength of your character and integrity, and I'm sorry it took so long for us to recognize the fact that you are a hero, Dev."

"Thanks," I said softly. "Can I have some time to think about your offer?"

"Certainly. It would be a big change, so it's good for you to take the time to consider all the ramifications."

"And…" I swallowed. "If I say no? Can I still work here in Nipigon?"

April sighed. "It would be a disappointment, but yes. However, another opportunity may not come your way again."

"Understood."

Ward nudged my arm with his hand and mouthed, We'll talk. "Anything else to share, April? That was recommendation two of three. What's the third?"

She paused. "A face-stealing detection device," she said softly. "SPAM scientists are working on it."

"Ha, see?" I crowed. "I knew someone would think that was a good idea."

"Yes, well…" April cleared her throat. "Retirement looks good on you, Ward."

She wasn't wrong. The pale exhaustion I'd gotten used to seeing when Ward first moved in with me was a thing of the past, and the muscles in his face had continued to improve and reclaim their elasticity over time. His smiles were still lopsided, but I found them adorable, especially now that he smiled way more often than ever before. There was a sparkle in his eyes that hadn't been there when we'd first met, either. That had shown up after the first time he'd been asked to give a presentation to a community group about how parents can deal with teens who show newly developed powers.

"Thanks," he said, his lips curving in one of his trademarked crooked smiles.

"How are your classes going?"

The presentation to the community group had opened up doors for him. One of the attendees had been someone of authority at a service that provides access to online college courses to people in northern Ontario, and she'd been interested in having Ward run a social science course on superheroes in rural locations. He'd been nervous to accept at first, but it turned out that, despite living in DC for most of his life, Ward had worked in plenty of small, rural communities over the years, and had lots of experiences and anecdotes to share that were relevant to his students.

"They've asked me to add another course in the fall, this one about supers in Indigenous communities."

That was news to me. "Amazing!" I grabbed him in a hug. "I think you've found your thing."

That had been a source of a lot of conversations after he'd moved in. He wanted to move on from being a hero, to separate himself from SPAM, and through teaching at the college, he had. He was still using his lifetime of hero experience to its fullest, but he was out from under the shadow of what might have been. I think that was a big part of why the sparkle was in his eyes, and the laugh lines around them had grown deeper.

"Congratulations." The smile was evident in her voice. "I'm glad to see you doing so well."

Ward patted my back and gently disentangled from me. "Thanks, April. That—it means a lot."

"Agent Campbell, if you could get back to me about your decision in a week?"

Oh, right. My mood dropped. "Sure."

"Excellent." She signed off, as usual, without so much as a goodbye.

Ward closed the lid of the laptop. "You don't sound thrilled about going to a new jurisdiction."

"No," I admitted.

"Why? Like April said, it's a great opportunity. Even more than that, it's recognition of your value."

"I know."

He adjusted his position on the couch so he was turned slightly to face me. "So?"

"This is home."

"Toronto probably wouldn't be a good fit. I'm not sure how big Edmonton is."

"Bigger than Nipigon. Bigger than Sydney. It's the capital of Alberta."

"Wherever that is." Ward waved a hand to dismiss the thought. "But Sydney sounds closer to your speed."

"Maybe." I started chewing on my thumbnail again.

"You don't sound convinced."

"I like my life here."

"I do too."

"And you're settling in so well."

"Ha, no. Don't bring me into this decision."

"How can I not? You're the biggest, most important part of my life, and I want to do what's best for you too. You're only now starting to find your feet again, and what if a move throws that all out of whack?"

Ward cupped my cheek, his fingers digging through my beard to gently scratch the skin beneath. "That's the beauty of what I'm doing now. It's all online. I can do it from anywhere."

"But—"

"You're scared."

I let out a shuddering breath. "Hell yes, I'm scared. I'm scared I'll move out there and screw up. Or that April will get pissed at me again, or someone else in the jurisdiction will. Or that the move will be too much for you, for us, and we'll break up."

"And?" Ward prompted softly.

I looked away. "I'm scared I won't be able to handle being a real SPAM agent."

"Well, that's bullshit. You can. You will." He put his hand on my face again and tugged until I looked at him. "And worrying about you and me? If we can't handle the stress of a move, we shouldn't be together."

I tilted my head in reluctant acknowledgment.

"As for your potential colleagues, fuck 'em."

My eyes widened.

"Not literally," Ward said, chuckling. "I mean, either they can appreciate you and your abilities, or they can fuck all the way off. I'll tell them what they can do with their shittiness too."

I smiled and shook my head. "I'm sure you will. Is that what you do with your students?"

He grunted. "Never underestimate the impact of blunt honesty."

"I might not have to worry about you doing your job from anywhere else, if that's your policy. You'll get fired long before."

Ward laughed and shoved my arm. "Ass."

"Takes one to know one."

He paused, still smiling, staring at me. "I love you."

My breath hitched. "Yeah?"

"Don't sound so damned surprised," he grumbled, his smile falling away.

God, his grumpiness would never not amuse me. "So you love me?"

"Isn't that what I said?"

"But then you followed it up with grumbles, so I wasn't sure."

A second later and I was flat on my back with an armful of silver fox on top of me. "I." He kissed me, hard and firm. "Love." Another kiss, as forceful as the first. "You." A third kiss, this one slower and more involved than the other two. His lips softened, coaxing my mouth to open and accept his tongue in a dance I'd gotten to know oh-so-well over the past few months. It never got old, though. I didn't think it ever would.

When he pulled back to breathe, I whispered, "I love you too."

"I know."

"Did you just Han Solo me?"

"No," he chuckled. "I saw all the ‘D hearts W' carved in the dead tree down by the water."

Oh, god. I closed my eyes, laughing quietly, my cheeks flushing so fast my face felt like it was on fire. "I didn't think you'd walk down there! The path is so uneven."

"It was good practice for my balance." He nudged his nose against mine. "There were an awful lot of hearts on that tree."

"Yeah." I opened my eyes a slit, to judge whether he was laughing at me. He wasn't, but he certainly was amused.

"How long, Dev?"

I blew out a breath. "Since the second week after you moved in?"

Ward gasped. "That late?"

"What do you mean, that—you're just saying you love me now!"

"It doesn't mean I haven't been feeling it since that morning in the hotel room on the road," Ward whispered. "I'm a chickenshit when it comes to saying stuff like that out loud. You know that."

"Not a chickenshit. Traumatized."

"But not by you. You'd think that would be easy to remember."

I reached up to cup both of his cheeks in my large, callused hands and guided his mouth to mine. The situation in my pants was getting a little stiff, but I ignored it for now in favor of kissing my man thoroughly and lovingly. "So, you wouldn't mind moving down east?"

"As long as it's with you."

"Maybe we could do a trial run. A year's posting. I could keep this place, have someone in town come out occasionally to keep an eye on it."

"A safety net."

"Yeah, exactly." I sucked in a breath. "Am I really going to do this?"

He kissed me again, then levered up to look into my eyes. His were soft and compassionate, and I knew more than anything, he would be my safety net, not this cabin.

"I don't know," he tossed back at me. "Are you?"

I stared at him, my stomach in my throat. "I think I am."

Ward's smile stretched across his lips, even lifting the side that was stubborn about moving. "Then there's only one more thing we need to do."

"What's that?"

"Register a codename for you. Mr. Nice Guy."

My grin equalled his in brilliance.

I could totally live with that name. Especially since Ward had given it to me.

The next day, I texted April my decision.

Sydney, for a year's posting at first. Codename: Mr. Nice Guy.

Her response was immediate.

Acknowledged. Welcome to active duty, Mr. Nice Guy.

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