Chapter 20: An Alternate Ending

AN: Okay so I'm starting this alternate ending in the middle of Chapter 19 so below will be an excerpt of where I'm starting the alternate ending.

"Do you remember what happened after I carved into your ribs?" She asked while jabbing me right in my injury.

Oxygen flew out of my lungs and I gasped for air while clutching my midsection with one hand and blocking her with the other. "Stop talking."

She only smiled, "You have a loose mouth while you're delirious."

I hesitated for a moment long enough for me to get knocked on the side of my head. Exhaustion creeped to my bones despite the adrenaline that still rushed inside of me.

"You see, my next stop is to Europe - Rome and then… France, was it?"

I gaped as I was hit again in my distraction.

"But I know I still need you… and whether you come with me now, or I force you to later - I won't stop until you give me what I need."

She smirked at me as I heard a familiar voice, "Cammie!" - Zach.

Cammie's POV

I felt a rush of wind coming at me and I rolled to my left side, narrowly missing a hand that was reaching around my waist. I climbed back up, further into the helicopter and as I turned around to see the man reaching for me again, I side stepped. My foot slipped off the edge of the helicopter and I tumbled backwards onto the grass.

The hefty man pulled himself into the helicopter and rushed in the direction of Catherine's pointed finger - to the pilot's seat.

I climbed back onto my two feet and saw fresh and bright red blood seeping out of my shirt and covering the dried brown stains that already covered most of the shirt. I grimaced at the gruesome sight and the needles of pain as I stood up and ran toward the helicopter that was starting to lift up off of the ground.

I dove through the door, tackling Catherine and pinning her to the wall. Her arm came up to push me off of her and when I hit the seat, she elbowed my face, knocking me back again. I surged forward and hit her with a left hook, causing her to fall back in between the two seats in the cockpit.

The pilot reached back a hand trying to shove me back, but I wrapped my hands around his throat and shoved his head back and forth, hitting it against the wall in vain attempts to knock him out. Unfortunately, his hands were jerking along with his head and the rising helicopter was now spiraling dangerously above the rough ocean, 10 feet from the island.

Catherine grabbed my shirt and pulled herself up as I struggled with the pilot. He finally shoved me away and we both fell sideways, hanging half out of the helicopter door.

I rolled so Catherine lie underneath me and punched her hard, straight in the face. Her head snapped backwards as she squirmed underneath me.

"Control the helicopter, idiot!" She shrieked to the bodyguard as the helicopter tilted and we started to slip further out.

All of sudden it jerked and leaned the other way, throwing me back and switching the position we were just in, before straightening. She grabbed my shirt, trying to shove me into the ocean. My hand tightened on the platform of the helicopter while the other one held me up on the other side of me. She shook me back and forward trying to get me out of the helicopter, but I brought up my leg and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back and off of me.

I sat up and Catherine locked my head underneath her arm and brought my head up and back before slamming it into the back of the pilot's headrest. Then the helicopter tilted again and we were both flung out of the door, both of us grabbing onto the handles that hang from the ceiling of the helicopter while our legs swung out over the water.

We both regained traction on the metal bars that run a little below the cabin and act as the landing equipment. My shoes clung to it tightly as Catherine brought her hand to my throat and tried to choke me while I fought back with my own hand, pushing her body away from mine. I punched her causing her to fly into the cabin and smack her head on the metal siding. She was out.

The bodyguard looked back and began to pull out a flare gun to shoot me, but I leaned forward and elbowed him square in the face causing him to get knocked out as well. Two down. And the helicopter was starting to wildly spin in the air, for no one was at the controls. We were descending rapidly. 1000 ft, 900 ft, I pulled the man by his shirt and flung him into the main cabin. 800 ft, 700ft, I jumped into the pilot's seat and grabbed a hold of the controls. 600 ft, 500 ft, 400 ft 300 ft, I jerked back on the stick and the helicopter fell before rising - 200 ft, 300 ft.

I sighed in relief as I maneuvered my way back to shore, where Zach was tugging on his brown hair to cope with his stress. He had a couple of grown men and Aunt Abby with him, who was looking grateful to see the helicopter landing safely on ground again.

When I landed, I hopped out of the helicopter, not bothering to maneuver around the unconscious bodies of the bodyguard and Catherine.

"I got her, she's in the cabin." I jerked my thumb behind me, and the men that were waiting nodded and scurried to the door.

Abby took me by both arms and looked straight at me. "Are you hurt?"

I looked down at my bleeding stomach, "Just a bit. It's not too bad, it's just from before. An open wound."

She tsked at my nonchalance while she stared at the blood marring my shirt. "Go get checked out, Squirt. You've been through a lot in the last few days - either let someone clean your wounds or attend to them yourself." She lingered a hand on my shoulder she walked past me to attend to other business.

Two hours later I emerged from the makeshift first aid tent that sat by the walls of the building. The huge gash in my stomach was properly cleaned (with a lot of pain) and patched up. I was given nutrient vitamins and some water to get me back to full strength, I was still slow and my dry eyes were blinking awake while my mind attempted to drift off.

Zach came out of the first-aid tent and studied me, his eyes going up and down my body, before he nodded and picked me up, laying me down on a cot in the middle of camp. He gave me one more once-over and then walked away without another word.

It was dusk - about 4:30 AM. The sky was a pretty purple color and the ground around me was littered with the bodies of sleeping agents. I scanned all of them, not sure what I was looking for until I saw a silhouette standing not 5 feet from the edge of the cliff.

"Zach." I said, stepping beside the figure, shivering slightly in the cool night.

He turned to me and smiled softly, but sadly. "Hey Chameleon."

"What are you doing?" I asked while looking at his dark figure, so close to the edge and looking at the vastness of the ocean and spraying water.

"I keep thinking. About Catherine, I mean." He sheepishly looked over me, "I can't help the guilty feeling that I'm getting. I helped put my own mother in prison."

"She wasn't even that much of a mother anyway, but she was my own flesh and blood, my only family." He heavily sighed, "I know I shouldn't feel this way. I saw what she did to your stomach while they were patching it up. She's sick! She killed your brother and someone's father and sister and mother. She almost killed you."

I put a hand on his shoulder, "It's completely okay to feel bad for her, or some remorse. She was your mother despite all the evil things that she did."

He seemed a little bit surprised at my display of sympathy, but quickly relaxed his tense shoulder while turning to face me. "Thanks."

We now stood nose to nose. My blue eyes pierced his green ones. He rested his forehead against mine as we breathed in the chilly air. We stayed silent, but the world around us was alive - the water hitting rocks, shouts from the first aid tent, the spin of rotors from a helicopter touching down.

He tilted her head and leaned forward and cautiously pressed his lips to mine. He was kissing me. And I was kissing him.

When he pulled back, I genuinely smiled and squeezed his hand, "No more, circle. We're safe."

Zach's POV

I was back at Gallagher now, finishing up the rest of the year with my roommates as well as Liz, Bex, and Macey. We had only three months to go until we left the prestigious Gallagher Academy. Catherine had been served a life punishment and had a long interrogation that led to the discovery of Cammie's brother, Ryker's gravesite. I went with her and her parents as well as Headmistress Cameron and Mr. Solomon. It was an event full of bittersweet closure, and I think Cammie was better off afterwards. She was more open to emotion and maybe a little bit happier. Like a weight had been lifted.

I did have the legendary spy as Cammie for a little while. For she was taking baby steps into becoming "normal' whatever that was, but for her, it meant emotions and learning how to connect with her human and moral side. Just for awhile, I got to have her to myself, the true girl that lies underneath all that bravado.

Unfortunately, the CIA called her back into action the moment she got back. She's in demand. Within 8 hours of our landing back at Gallagher, she was rolling out on her jet black motorcycle and then zooming away. It was time for her to be the Chameleon again.

I didn't know if I'd ever see her again, but I had faith that I would run into her again someday, which was my main motivation for getting through spy/high school. I would be able to work with her someday. Someday.

I had my hopes high. I had no way of contacting her, so I waited and waited for her to contact me. Everyday in and out until on Friday after classes, a classmate bumped into me on my way upstairs.

When I reached my room, I tucked my hands into the pockets of my slacks in the boys quarters and instead of finding my keys alone, I found a note.

'Meet me.' It said, with a rough sketch of the broken fountain that was outside in a hidden corner of the school, away from the P&E barn, tucked away and forgotten.

My heart started to pound as I speed-walked there, taking secret passages that I had seen Cammie once take. Before long, I was at the fountain, and there was a blonde girl sitting on one of the cold marble benches.

I paused in disbelief and excitement, "Cammie?"

She turned around and smiled at me.

"How are you here? I thought the agency needed you back at your position?" I amended my words, "Not that I'm not ecstatic to see you, because I am."

She smiled again. "I talked to the director."

As she started, I walked up to her and took a seat beside her, with one leg on either side of the bench as I laid my hand on top of hers. A small smile was pasted on my face.

"Anyway, I worked it out with him, and I'm free to continue and finish the semester here at Gallagher."

My heart skyrocketed as I picked her up under her arms and spun her in circles as she let out a small and happy laugh. She was smiling too. She had changed a lot since Catherine was first put away. I had too.

"I'm also taking less time after this, so I'll be able to visit Blackthorne," She looked at my puzzled face, "Don't worry, they'll let me in because I'm me… I can even offer to guest lecture."

I laughed out loud. She was so amazing. And the future was bright.

THE END (ALTERNATE)

AN: Okay I'm so very sorry because I said this would be out like 3 weeks ago. School is hard and busy and when I'm not doing homework, I choose to sleep rather than write this. So therefore I chose not to sleep but to write this and finish it, once and for all. I kind of rushed near the ending here, but I hope you're satisfied. Thanks so much for reading. I'll still be on fanfiction checking messages for about a month after I post this and then I'm signing out for good.

Review, tell me what you thought about the entire thing.

S, as in Sydney