It was quiet.

To some people, the silence would be considered deafening, a nuisance, but as a spy, I learned to relish these kinds of moments while they lasted. Especially as of late after being chased by enemy agents among other people. Frankly, I was grateful for the chance to sit down and just think for the first time in a while.

Not that I hadn't had adequate time to gather my thoughts, far from it. After our ragtag team that consisted of four junior agents (though Erica could be considered a professional spy as it was; she was more than capable, had been for a long time now) and the two Hale adults still in commission had managed to bring down SPYDER down to their leader Ms. E herself—a feat no one else in the CIA could lay claim to—things had finally settled down a bit. Once we evaded the French police and Interpol weeks ago thanks to the efforts of Alexander, I had plenty of time to myself for once, though only a few thoughts regularly cycled through my mind in the midst of it all.

The first was of Orion, the secretive cryptographer who turned out to be a surprising ally, who was incredibly gracious in accommodating us since we arrived at his chateau in the French countryside. The estate was located on a hilly expanse, offering us a vantage point for miles if we so desired. And while it didn't nearly match the bulk of his palace in the Cotswolds, it was still polarizing to gaze at even from a distance. Just the idea of actually living here boggled the minds of me and my fellow spies.

Despite the fact he hadn't visited the place in over a year, Orion still had a full-time staff on duty, though naturally Erica and Catherine were worried this was a security risk. Orion did his best to assuage them of their fears, telling them the staff didn't even carry any form of communication for his own security and that they mostly kept to themselves anyhow. It did make sense; after all, Orion was someone who encrypted highly secretive files and information, some of which involved highly illegal activities, and outside of us, no one even knew what Orion's hair color was, much less what he looked like. Still, after falling for Ms. E's initial ruse of being a mere maid, the Hale women kept an eye on the staff whenever possible, not that I could blame them.

I had spent the last few weeks exploring the massive chateau with Mike and Zoe for the most part, contemplating the future of SPYDER given the amount of manpower and resources they had left (this was mostly Erica at the dinner table), and recuperating from the mission in general. I found myself replaying the events of said mission in my head more often than not, from our escape of the British Museum to throwing a mannequin of Gustave Eiffel off the top of his own tower to thwart Ms. E's last attempt at causing chaos and mayhem throughout the world. And while Murray Hill and his whereabouts did cross my mind every now and then, after Cyrus Hale, Erica's extremely capable grandfather, sent me an encrypted message stating the uncorrupted parts of the CIA were working overtime to round up moles within the organization and enemy agents, Murray a top priority among them, I allowed myself to relax, if only slightly.

More recently, my thoughts drifted elsewhere to the other matter at hand, the ongoing debacle of Erica and Zoe, or to put it more directly, where I stood with them. I knew that Erica liked me in some capacity ever since she kissed me in the face of imminent death from a nuclear bomb. Her heart-to-heart talk with ironically, Zoe herself, which I may have listened in to without her knowledge served as even more validation. Still, Erica was always adamant to this day that relationships and emotions in general weren't a good thing to have in the spy game, given how they can cloud your judgment. By now, I had lost count of the number of times I had argued about the topic with Erica, but now I could certainly see where she was coming from. Her own parents had been a volatile pair for most of the mission, and things were still a bit weird between me and Zoe nowadays.

However, I couldn't exactly just make that problem disappear on a whim, and I wouldn't do that to Zoe, who's been my best friend ever since I first got to spy school. Whatever we have between us is a little more… complicated, something beginning to evolve beyond friendship. I had missed all the telltale signs of Zoe's crush on me, some of which were quite obvious in retrospect, though still remained great friends with her the entire time. Ever since Mexico though, things had changed.

Brief moments of jealousy surged through me more often now, even for things as inconsequential as Mike and Zoe bonding over fonts. I was more aware of Zoe's own attractiveness that had eluded me before, and we did have a few moments together. Walking through the cenote and catacombs together holding hands, confessing that I did in fact like her while being chased by a deranged Joshua Hallal (my timing could still use some work), and on the rare occasion we were alone, we had exchanged meaningful looks before turning away as things grew awkward. Despite my typical cluelessness when it came to girls, even I knew I couldn't just pretend as if nothing had changed between the two of us.

My mind felt torn, and yet I also had the urge to laugh once I considered the predicament I was in. I had defused bombs, stopped missiles, and defeated SPYDER half a dozen times, and yet girls were the one problem I had no answer to. Ordinarily, I'd go straight to Mike for advice, but this time he was part of the problem. I had no idea if he was trying to win Zoe over after I informed him of my interest in Erica, or if it was just my mind playing tricks on me, blinding me out of pure jealousy to the point where I was seeing things. Mike was always a magnet for girls, so it was difficult to gauge whether he had any true interest in Zoe, or if he was just being Mike by flirting with her.

I shook my head, willing myself to think of something else. Speculating about my friends' intentions wouldn't do me any good. I decided to head outside to take my mind off things for a bit, a common occurrence for me since we had arrived. Hopping out of one of the many extremely lavish beds Orion had purchased for his chateau, I made my way into the hall soon enough.

For the average person, it wouldn't be easy navigating through the maze of hallways of the chateau, but at this point, I had familiarized myself with the layout to the point where I was now going off instinct. I found myself at the front of the chateau in hardly any time at all. I opened the door, only to freeze at the sight before me.

It was Zoe, sitting alone on a bench a couple hundred feet away from me or so, give or take, simply watching the sky. Or at least that's what it looked like she was doing, given that I could only see her from the back. I wasn't sure what to do; we hadn't really talked since Paris, and at the chateau, we either kept to ourselves or hung out with Mike and Erica when we could.

A sense of boldness—or perhaps rash impulse—prompted me to walk up to her, my nerves on edge. I did my best to compose myself on the way; steadying my hands, wiping away the beads of sweat that had appeared on my forehead, and collecting my thoughts, which were more jumbled than a piece of linguini.

I wasn't particularly good at sleuthing; I only had a C in Intro to Covert Surveillance and my professors said I had the subtlety of a wolf hunting for its prey. The only problem was that I lacked the ferocity and dominance wolves usually asserted over other animals. Given this designation, I was surprised that Zoe hadn't been alerted to my approach instantly. Whether she was too engrossed in her own thoughts or I had actually managed to sneak up on her, I wasn't sure, but whatever the case, she didn't notice me until I was standing right next to her.

"Ben!" she cried out, startled by my sudden appearance. "Um… how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," I reassured her, realizing then that Zoe seemed a bit on edge after my spontaneous arrival. "Sorry, it's just that well, there's a lot on my mind right now. The mission, Ms. E, everything else… it's been a lot to process these past few weeks," I told her apologetically.

"Yeah…" she said, her eyes meeting mine briefly before flitting away. I got the sense there was more meaning to that word than what initially met the eye. After a few moments of silence, she extended a hand to me, gesturing for me to take a seat, a small smile on her face. "We really did a lot in a few days, didn't we?"

I couldn't help but smile back as I sat down next to her on the bench; Zoe just had that effect on me. "We did," I replied, pausing briefly before expanding further on the topic. "You know, given that you were only a stowaway who wasn't even authorized to be on the mission, you did pretty well yourself. I don't think we would've been nearly as successful as we were if you weren't with us."

Zoe tried to shrug this off, but I could tell she was flattered by what I had said. "We all did what we could. Honestly, it was you and Erica who did most of the heavy lifting, literally with the EMP and all. Well, Catherine too, but you get the point," she explained.

"Still, I'm glad you came. We couldn't have done it without you," I told her encouragingly, and in another surge of boldness, moved to gently place my hand over hers. She looked surprised by the gesture but said nothing of it as we stared out into the sky, daylight dwindling rapidly. It was the first time we had held hands in a setting that could be considered romantic. Neither of us said a word, but there a certain tension between us now, a warm feeling circulating within me.

Eventually, I broke the silence. "I've been thinking a lot lately," I began, unsure how I wanted to phrase my next words. Zoe raised an eyebrow in mock surprise, an almost knowing smile on her face as she turned to listen. Screw it. "About the future now that SPYDER's gone, and just about, well, us in general."

I could tell my bluntness had caught her off guard, even if she had been half expecting it, a light shade of pink dusting her cheeks as I continued. "I like you Zoe, a lot in fact. You're pretty, a deadly spy, and you've been the greatest, most reliable friend someone could ask for. I know I've told you before, but you deserved to hear it when our lives weren't in danger for once. So there," I exhaled, glad I had finally mustered the courage to tell her directly without dodging the topic for once, even if it came out as more of a ramble than anything else. It felt good airing out the specifics to her, to express what I had been thinking these past few weeks aloud.

I looked over to Zoe as I sensed her hand move in mine, her blush slightly more defined now. "Ben, I… did you just say what I think you said?" I nodded as she attempted to digest that bombshell, shaking her head in almost pure wonder. "Wow… I mean, are—are you sure? What about the whole relationship issue when it comes to spying? What about Erica? I mean, I know she doesn't really show emotion, but she does like you in her own way. If we were… together, how would that affect the two of you on missions?"

I paused, having not considered these questions in my spontaneous confession. The opportunity—a rare one—had presented itself and I took it without thinking twice.

"Honestly," I began, aiming to choose my words carefully, "I feel like Erica's overblown the relationship thing. It did cause us some trouble on this past mission, but it's not something we can just ignore or make disappear. Who knows, if we were together, maybe it'd actually clear things up and help us work better as a team, maybe it wouldn't. I'm willing to take that chance though," I told her. "That is, if you want."

Zoe contemplated my words, her eyes deep in thought. Eventually, she settled for tilting her head at me, her smile wide and radiant as she replied. "I do."

Two simple words, but with so much meaning behind them. It was enough to prompt me to close the gap and kiss her gently, just as the sun set to usher in the night. I could tell that she hadn't been expecting the kiss this time around, unlike in Mexico. Her green eyes went wide with shock, though that quickly subsided for a look of contentment as she kissed me back, almost feverishly.

I couldn't help but notice her scent as we kissed, one I was growing more and more familiar with every day. Lemons and a distinct hint of roses. We pulled back after a good ten seconds, flabbergasted and nearly breathless. Zoe's face emulated the very definition of shock. I, on the other hand, became much more conscious of my heightened heartbeat as we stared at each other, a certain charge in the air around us now.

"That was nice," Zoe said simply, and I laughed, a short laugh to break the now even greater tension between us.

"It was," I agreed, letting the kiss sink in. "So, uh, what now?" Zoe gave me a questioning look, prompting me to elaborate, "I mean, are we a couple now, boyfriend and girlfriend, or—"

"Ben," Zoe cut me off pointedly, rolling her eyes but unable to conceal her amused smile. "Don't worry so much. This is all new for me too. No matter what happens, we'll figure it out together," she said, clasping my hand in both of hers reassuringly. "We have time."

"I know," I replied, glad that at least one of us was being rational for the moment. Though I couldn't help but wonder: What would it be like, transitioning from friends to something more? Zoe and I already had plenty of awkward moments these past few weeks, and that was before I asked her out impulsively just now. In an effort to compose myself, I repeated Zoe's last words like a mantra, something to cling to. We have time. We'll figure this out.

"We'll be okay," I said, trying to mimic her steady, calming tone.

"That's more like it," she replied teasingly.

"There's just one more thing we have to do," I added, and she gave me a quizzical look, urging me to continue. "We have to tell the others now, about us."

When she merely looked at me inquisitively in return, I explained my rationale. "I mean, we're all spies, it's our job to know these types of things. I'd prefer it if we tell them ourselves; they'll figure it out sooner or later anyway."

"I know, I know," she replied, her face scrunched up in what appeared to be faux thought, given the playful grin she gave me before answering. "Alright, but only if we can get dinner on the way back. I've been sitting out here for the past few hours until you showed up."

Now that she brought light to that fact, I was suddenly aware of how empty my own stomach felt. I hadn't eaten since lunch, which made my decision a lot easier for me, not that I had ever considered an alternative.

"Deal," I told her, returning her grin with one of my own.

So that's how Zoe and I ended up walking back to the chateau hand in hand, my heart aflutter with hope. Hope for the future and whatever lied ahead. My mind was racing as though a live wire ran through my body, sparks of tingly optimism coursing through me while I considered the prospect of today being the start of a longstanding relationship built on trust. And as we exchanged one of those knowing looks of reassurance, a thousand emotions going through my head, at that moment, I felt like we could do anything together. That no matter what, we'd at least have each other in the end.

And even though my life felt complicated beyond belief with enemy agents shooting at me regularly, constantly fearing for my life, and all the relationship drama that sprung up recently to top things off; truthfully, all things considered, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm not expecting many views here, but figured I'd make a contribution to the seldom read Spy School series to take my mind off other projects and ideas for the time being. Apologies if Ben or Zoe seem a bit OOC here, it's hard to get a sense for how they would approach this topic when Stuart Gibbs hasn't really given them that "heart-to-heart" type of talk yet. Hope you all enjoyed! (Including those on the Discord who have been complaining about the lack of fanfic for this community)

P.S: Can we get a mod to update the list of characters? I mean, wow this is limited.