We danced through the night, the sun setting and the stars coming up. We danced in the chilly Paris night air, the cold not even touching us.

The blush on our cheeks and ragged breath didn't bother us at all.

We barely noticed how we were sweating from all of the dancing.

We both felt alive.

So, so alive.

Cammie's POV

Zach and I laughed and swung our hands between our bodies as we walked back to the hotel. The feel of his warm skin on mine made my head clearer, made the air less cold, made my heart hurt less. The sound of his laugh made my skin tingle, made my toes curl. He guided me along the streets of Paris, and for a couple minutes, I forgot that I was blind. I forgot that I was upset. I forgot that my spy career might be over before it's even began. I forgot that I might never see color again, that I might never see the green of Zach's eyes, or his smirk, or Liz's dimples, or clouds, or the ocean, or Macey's shiny night-black hair. I forgot it all, and through that I felt happy.

"And you know...I honestly was afraid of starfish, Cammie. It's not funny. I shrieked whenever I saw one, and frankly, I think I still would if one was stuck to my arm or something today," Zach was telling me.

I snorted and rolled my sightless eyes. "You, Mr. Goode, are a pathetic excuse for a spy."

I heard Zach scoff. "That is utterly untrue, Ms. Morgan. You're just as afraid of chimps as I am of starfish, so we each have an irrational fear of a certain animal or aquatic sea creature. Ugly, lumpy, evil aquatic sea creatures."

"I am not deathly of chimps. Just...a little nervous around them, that's all," I retorted.

"Oh? Is that why you almost started crying at the zoo when a chimp got close to you in its cage?"

I gasped, our over-dramatic, playful argument lightening my mood even more. "Who told you about that?"

"Just three little buggies."

"I'll squash them."

Zach laughed, and from the way his arm slightly jerked I could tell he had thrown his head back. He only did this when he was truly, extremely happy.

The thought of that made me grin like a madman. "You're happy, Zach. You're real happy right now, huh?"

Zach was silent for a while, moving only to guide me left.

"You know what, Cam...I am. I am really happy. I'm happy with everything that's happened."

"Everything? Even my eyesight going away? Even killing your mom?"

Zach took a while to answer. He breathed out slowly, loudly.

"She wasn't my mother, Cam. She never was and she never will get the chance to be. And I'm not glad your eyesight went away, but...I know that you can work through it. Whether you chose to have the operation or not, you're powerful and strong enough to still be a spy. You don't have to see to be an agent. You can hear better, the shallow breaths of the enemy agent sneaking up behind you, the click of a gun, the sharp sound of a knife. You can feel the vibrations on the floor as they run towards you, you can feel which way to turn just by judging how the wall ahead of it is built. Even blind, you'll still be a better agent than most in the field."

"Do you honestly believe that, Zach? That I can fight without my eyesight?"

"I really do. If anyone can do it, you can."

THE NEXT DAY, AT GALLAGHER.

"Are you ready, Cammie?" Dr. Steve asked me.

I felt Zach's hand gripping mine, and I swallowed thickly. I knew Mr. Solomon and my mom were lingering somewhere near the bed. Nobody else was allowed in the room.

I was lying on a cot in the infirmary. I tried to get my heartbeat to slow, my breathing to calm.

"Cammie? Darling, are you ready?" My mother's voice pierced my shallow breaths.

Why am I hesitating? This is what you want. You want your eyesight back. But there's a chance that this operation might kill you. It could cause brain damage, or it just won't work. False hope is never a good thing.

"Gallagher Girl...you know you don't have to do this," Zach whispered.

"I..." my voice cracked embarrassingly, and I tried to get it back under control. "I don't think I can do this." I quickly sat up, still tightly gripping Zach's hand. "I just don't think that it's worth the risks."

I moved my useless eyes around, feeling tears brim out of them. "I don't want brain damage, I don't want to die. And I'm going to hate change, I honestly will. But some things you just need to accept, right?"

I barked out a teary laugh. I felt Zach's hand tighten on mine.

"Change is inevitable. And this is just a large one that I'm going to have to face," I whispered.

The room was silent, and I heard Dr. Steve put his equipment down and take off his operation gloves.

"Are you sure about this, Cammie? This could ruin your spy career. You'll never see again, if you make" this choice."

I nodded. "I'm sure. And I will continue being a spy, I swear it. I'll train twice as hard, no matter how long it takes."

"And I'll be right by your side, Gallagher Girl," Zach said warmly. And for a moment, I longed to see his smile again. To see his emerald green eyes and that one tiny freckle near his left cheekbone. I reached out and cupped his face in my hands, and I could see it clearly.

I could imagine his face as clearly as if I were seeing it. His long lashes, his tousled brown hair, his soft, pink lips, his strong jaw line, his tan skin. His perfect, white teeth, and those little lines he got around his eyes when he smiled a genuine, happy smile.

"Well," Mr. Solomon said. Then he clapped his hands together, as he's done so many times before. "Well then. What the hell are we doing sitting around in this room? Let's get to work!"