We heard the beeping before the actual attack started, the tracking device on Troy's watch blinking red with tiny black dots indicating ninety of our enemies were just past the gates and climbing on the roofs. We knew what we had to do, orders were barked and feet shuffled, then running and labored breathing. I took a deep breath and relished in the fact that in just minutes I'd be saving my sisters from the worst attack Gallagher had ever seen.

Alex, the head commander for the mission, barked orders at various agents positioned in or around the schools barriers, no one answered back, just did as they were told. I watched as cords were attached to trees and shot up and over the school wall finally latching onto the brick of the school's roof, and bodies were flying toward the school and then disappearing onto the roof.

I knew I had to get to east wall and fast.

I started to move out of the woods and into the moon light, agents were running past me, only slight nods of their head or a quick wink as an acknowledgement. I spotted Zach scaling the wall in front of me, holding tight to the rope and then hoisting himself up over the edge and then duck down for a second, hold, and then sprang up again running after the enemy. I ran faster to get to the wall; I was running out of time, I only had a limited amount of time to get up over the wall before the next group was sent out from the trees.

I looked around; most of the people in my group were already halfway up the wall. I chastised myself, 'come on Cammie get it together'. I needed to hurry up, I didn't want to be the last one up the wall, I didn't want them to look at me and see a disappointment. I threw my grapple up and over as hard as I could; I had to get it right the first time, there was no time for mistakes. Thankfully I got it the first time and I hot tailed it up the rope grabbing onto the edge and pulled myself up. I looked down; the next group was passing the east wall heading for the west wall to catch the COC off-guard on the other side of the building.

I started to hear grunts and curses, coming from our side and from the enemies. I ran forward after the first guy I saw, he was almost to the entrance for this part of the roof. We couldn't let them get past that door. We didn't want to chance the enemy getting in the building, it was past midnight, everyone was asleep and no one wanted to chance the students and faculty waking up; that was just to many people who didn't know what was going and didn't know what they were dealing with and we really wanted to save the lives of everyone in the school. Not take their lives away. And because frankly Gallagher academy is ginormous and we wouldn't be able to follow them, no matter how many men we had.

I caught up to the guy at jumped on his back, luckily I had caught him off guard and in just the right position and I was able to snap his neck in a matter of seconds. I turned to the guy in front of him. He'd heard the commotion behind him and stopped. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. It probably wasn't the best time but the first thing the popped into my head was what Solomon told us; "if you need a gun it's probably too late." I had stopped dead in my tracks, scared, but the second I remembered that, for some odd reason, it propelled me forward. Maybe it was because I now knew these guys were scared and desperate, we had obviously caught them off guard, or maybe it was because I knew that after this was over and we had won this fight, and I knew we wouldn't accept anything less, and then I would see my mom and my sisters. I launched for the guy and grabbed his arm and shoved his arm to the side just as his finger pulled the trigger, saving me, but as I quickly looked over, not one of his buddies. Colton, one my team members had been grappling with one of them COC's men when my guy's gun had shot his guy in between the eyes. Lucky for us but bad for them. I would have laughed had I not been in a life or death situation. I quickly knocked my guy out while he was distracted and looked around. Only three of our enemy still stood but as I stood there two went down, dead, and the other was pushed over the roof.

I took a breath and relaxed slightly. The COC had sent only thirty to the east wall; likely they sent thirty more to the west and thirty more to the south wall. We had sent only fifteen to the east wall and hadn't lost a man. How we all managed to take out thirty men and not loose anyone was beyond me but I was happy that we had managed to do it.

"Now what?" I heard someone say, some of us laughed, me included, others stayed quiet.

I felt some one come up behind me. "I'm sorry" Zach put a hand on my waist and leaned into my back. "Are you okay?" his breath was at my neck and I could feel my body warm just from his touch.

"I'm fine…" I wanted to say more but I didn't, I couldn't not when I was so close to finishing my first mission, not when I was so close to being with my mom again.

He turned me around and pulled me close, his hand went behind my head and gripped my pony tail pulling my head back, making me look at him, 'I'm sorry" he said again, but this time it was different, he said it with force and his eyes were stern as he looked at me.

"Why are you-"

There was static over the comms and both Zach and I flinched, "Get down!"

And that's when we heard the sound of the helicopter blades in the distance getting closer. Zach grabbed onto the back of my shirt and threw our bodies to the ground, me on my back, him on top of me, even though technically it would have been safer and smarter for him to be on the ground next to me.

"You did that on purpose." I accused

"Did what?" he smirked

The helicopter got louder and started to lower on to the ground next to the building. I tried to move closer to the edge but all I succeed in doing was shifting my legs open and Zach falling in between them. He buried his head in my neck and groaned, grabbing onto my waist and squeezing. "Stop" he groaned, his voice was deep and broke.

I gasped as he shifted a little "this is your fault" I whispered.

We heard the helicopter door slide open and a faint "Oh my god" before I heard my father say "Rachel go inside"

I felt like I was on display.

I felt like squirming.

I felt like I was sweating.

I felt caged and claustrophobic.

I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach.

There were too many people in this room. It was probably against fire code and no one seemed to notice or care. I stood in the corner of the room, I had moved here because I had thought that would maybe decrease my chances of being noticed but that plan and had failed almost as soon as I had put it into action.

We were in sublevel one, crowded around the desks and bookcases. Melissa and I had slipped in with the last group to come in; I had lost Zach in all the commotion getting inside the building. Madame Dabney was the first to notice me. All the other teachers and staff were up at the front demanding answers and asking my dad questions. I had expected my mom to take charge, but she didn't, she stood by, staring at my dad wiping tears from her eyes. Madame Dabney barreled her way toward me, enveloping me in her arms and squeezing, I felt her tears on my black shirt and when she pulled away she said "we were so worried" and pulled me back into her arms. I saw my mom walking toward us from her side of the room, hands over her heart, tears streaming down her face.

I choked and pulled myself from Madame Dabney and ran to her throwing myself in her arms. I sobbed and she held me close and I didn't care about everyone else in the room and what they may think. I saw my dad over my mom's shoulder smiling and holding back tears and I was happy.

I was just putting my old clothes into my suitcase when I Bex, Macey and Liz walked into the room

"So you're really leaving?" Liz asked, her bottom lip trembling. I turned toward them, taking them in in their Gallagher academy uniforms, both happy and sad I would never have to wear one of those ever again.

I nodded, not trusting my voice at that moment. "But you just got back!" Liz wailed.

I had been back for four days. As expected there were many tears and a whole lot of questions. Director Harmon allowed me to stay at the academy until the end of the week to catch up and also to say my goodbyes.

"So where are you going now?" Macey asked sitting down on her bed. I shrugged, "Probably home." I turned back to my suitcase to try to zip it up.

"That's weird." Bex said as she came around to my bed and sat down on my suitcase, I finally zipped it up and looked up at her and smiled. "What's weird?"

"You saying 'home' but not meaning Gallagher."

I thought about it, someone where along the line, in this crazy journey I've been on these past few months, I stopped thinking of Gallagher academy as home. But I guess it wasn't anymore, not really, I didn't live here, sure my mom and here and my best friends, my sisters. But it wasn't home anymore. Arlington, Virginia was my home. With my dad and Zach and Melissa.

"I guess it is kind weird." I conceded.

"What's going to happen with your parents?" Bex asked. I shrugged, "I don't know, they've talked but I think it's still uncomfortable for both of them to be around each other at this point." I hope they would work it out, I hope, maybe, we could be a family again, but there were so many things that still needed to be said and frankly, probably, some visits to the therapist.

"So you're not coming back to school?" Liz asked. I shook my head, "technically I'm not even alive therefore I can't be enrolled in a school. Technically I'm a field agent now, I just haven't been sworn in yet."

"But don't you have to graduate to be sworn in?"

I shrugged again, "I don't really know, it's kind of touch and base right now."

"Are you going to be in that MIA thing again?" Macey questioned

"I don't know… we're all kind of in the open right now, so I would guess not. The whole point of the MA task force was to give people who were in danger a place to go and be safe but also still be useful to the CIA. You're only in it if there is a significant risk to your life."

"So basically if you're in danger of being killed then the CIA fakes your death and puts you to work on super top secret stuff." Macey said leaning back on her elbows.

I nodded "Basically"

"What's going on with you and Zach?" Bex asked suddenly

I was taken aback at first but then, for some reason I started blushing. Liz gasped and he hands flew to her mouth and she squealed.

I rolled my eyes and took my suitcase off the bed and out it on the floor popping out the handle and tipping it so I could roll it to the door.

"I have to go guys, there's a car waiting for me outside" I stopped at the door and hugged them close. "I'll call and write, I promise. I'm sure I'll be back to see my mom a lot."

I saw Bex's eyes start to water and I almost lost it right then. Bex doesn't cry. "This isn't forever guys!" I wailed and hugged them harder.

I was still reeling from the goodbyes when I got home. I unlocked the front door and put in the pass code as quick as I could. I rolled my suitcase into the dining room and flipped on the light. Dad was at Langley filing his report so I was on my own tonight. I was to be at Director Harmon's office tomorrow at eight AM sharp for my briefing.

I unzipped my coat and turned around to put it in the hall closet when a hand reached out to take it from me and I almost jumped about ten feet in the air.

Zach smirked and threw my coat over the back of the couch.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled, putting a hand over my heart and swatting him in the chest.

"I was waiting for you." He said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me close.

"Well, don't sneak up on me like that again; you almost gave me heart attack!"

He pulled me into his chest and wrapped one arm around my waist, "Maybe you should have stay at Gallagher. You probably need more training if I can sneak up on you in your own home."

I laughed a dry laugh and pushed at his chest but that only caused him to pull me closer, not that I was complaining. I hadn't seen him for four days. "How did you even get in in the first place, there's a code."

Zach smirked and pointed to himself, "spy"

I swatted him in the chest again.

He laughed and bent his head and caught my lips, pulling and biting my bottom one, asking for permission. A moan escaped me before I could stop it and I pulled him closer to me. He left my lips, trailing hot kisses over my jaw and up to my ear and down my neck.

"I love you" I stiffened. Those three words had come out of my mouth before I could stop them and now I was in trouble.

I expected Zach to pull away, but he surprised by pulling me closer to him and brining his hand up and into my hair, and pulling gently making me look up to him. He bent his head and kissed me softly. I held still afraid if I moved he would walk away. "I love you too Cammie" he whispered against my lips

I gasped and grabbed onto his shirt balling my fists and pulling him into me harder. "I though you said you wouldn't say it because it felt like a goodbye."

He smiled down at me, "It does still fell like a goodbye, but I love you and I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier. I saw you on the roof, when you lunged at the man with the gun. It scared the shit out of me Cammie, if you hadn't of shoved his arm and reacted as quick as you did you could have been killed and that scared me."

I smiled and touched his cheek, "But I'm fine"

"I know." He turned his head and kissed my palm, "I wanted you to know I love you Gallagher girl."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down and pressed my lips to his and I felt happy.

I know. i'm horrible. go on. let me have it. i can take it.

i could go on and on about this and that and give you guys a million reasons why i have uploaded in to years but honestly i'm too tired to.

it;s 3:17 am as i write this but i wanted to get this out tonight before i didn't do it at all.

this was the last chapter as i'm sure you noticed. i hope i explained a little more into what the MIA task force was, some of you were asking about it and i hope i answered your questioned.

i just want to say thank you to everyone who read this, whether or not commented or favorited and followed i just want to thank you all so much! i really couldn't have finished this without you all's faith in me and encouraging words!

just thank you again and i hope you liked the ending and were happy with it and i hope it gave you all closure and didnt leave you hanging!

thank you thank you thank you thank you!