As the other side agent disappeared from the bright gray room, Ernie tested the strength of the chains holding his wrists and ankles. He couldn't even wiggle at all. There was no way he was going to escape. He was trapped—until his family noticed he was gone and were able to come for him him.

He rested his head against the wall. A short nap would do him good. Just when he was almost asleep, another agent came marching in. "I do believe you have some information we need," the agent said firmly. There was a steel look in his eyes that told of his strength of his force of will.

"Nope, I know nothing," Ernie said. "You can count on it. How am I supposed to know? It's not like I'm the son of two of the most successful organization…..oops."

"Yeah," the agent said. "We know that you know, and you better tell us or else it's not going to be good."

Ernie gather his courage. They could hold him here, but they couldn't make him tell. "Maybe I don't want to tell."

"Well, we have our ways," the agent said. "Joe, bring her in."

Just then, he looked up to see a burly agent drag Marisa in by the arm. The look in her eyes told him that she was afraid, and his heart sunk. How would he ever be able to choose between Marisa and the life he had chosen for himself? "You tell us, and we won't lay a hand on her," the agent barked.

Ernie opened his eyes and sat up. He was in his bed at home, and it was all dream. Yet, it all seemed so real. His whole body was covered in sweat, and his heart was going a million miles a minute. Why did he have to keep dreaming about Marisa? Ever since his conversation with Mom, he had doubled his efforts to try to forget her. But he kept waking up from nightmares like these, and they had only gotten worse. He knew that he couldn't keep doing this. He had to do something, but what could he do? He had exhausted all of his options. There was no way he was talking to KC about it, and he didn't want another talk with Mom. Judy would be able to offer him no help, and Dad, well, maybe he should give his dad a try. For all the doubts that Craig had about Ernie, he had always expressed his belief in Ernie's ability to get any girl he wanted.

Ernie decided to go talk to Dad right then. There was no way he could go back to sleep after that nightmare. He put on his red plaid bathrobe, tying it carefully before going downstairs.

He was pleased to see Dad alone in the living room. Doubtless, Mom had dragged Judy out for some Saturday morning "girl time". As much as Judy hated it, there really wasn't much she could do to resist.

"Dad," he called once he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Craig looked up from his tablet and glanced at his watch. "Wow, Ernie, you're up early. Last I checked you didn't get up before 11."

"Well, I don't. I just had a nightmare this morning, and I couldn't go back to sleep afterwards," Ernie said. He found an empty spot on the couch and sat down.

"Oh, I see. You do see a bit of action. Was it other side agents threaten to kill your mother unless you saved the day?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, it wasn't quite like that," Ernie said. "You see I've been having nightmares about a girl."

Craig nodded. "I'm not surprised. A lot of those other side girl agents are pretty nasty if you know what I mean."

Ernie knew this going back and forth could take a long time, so he went right to the point. "Dad, I have this girl I like, and I can't seem to forget her. I don't want to tell because I know she'll never like me back."

"Well, son, how do you know that?"

Ernie pulled his feet on the couch and wrapped his hands around his knees. "I don't. I'm just going based on what I've seen. She's pretty picky."

"You've got to go with what I've been telling you since you were little—don't sell yourself short." Craig was serious now. "You're a catch. You're smart and strong and talented, and anyone can see that."

"Thanks, dad, I'm glad you see it that way," Ernie said seriously.

"I can't blame you, though, son. When I first met your mother, I thought the same thing. Agent Kira was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen, and she was a top notch agent too. She actually ended up outdoing me our first year (don't tell her I said that). At first I thought that there was no way that a girl like her would like me back. But then I realized that Zane Willis liked her too, and I knew that I couldn't be beaten by my rival. So I tried my best, and you know the rest of the story. The point is that you've just got to go for it."

"Dad, do you really think that will work for me? I'm….kinda dorky, and I'm afraid it will be too much for her."

"It will be with that attitude," he said."You've got to man up. I know you can do it. You've got this, son." He reached over and gave Ernie a reassuring slap on the shoulder.

The words sunk deep. Dad was right. He had to persevere. What did it hurt to try? "Well, in that case can you request organization leave for me to go down to Virginia today? I've got to see KC and Marisa."

"Oooh, my son likes Marisa. Woah, boy, good luck. You're definitely going to need it," Craig said shaking his head. "Yes, I'll get the leave for you, but you better get going. Time's a-wasting."

"Thanks, dad, See you later," Ernie said as he crossed the living room and bounded up the stairs. He couldn't believe it, but he was really going to do this.