A/N: Last chapter. I didn't want this to end! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it

CHAPTER 23: HAPPY ENDING, RIGHT?

Z woke up with her head on Sky's large muscular chest, and she felt his fingers twirling and twisting her hair, his other hand's fingertips tracing her skin.

She felt his warm breath on her hands, which were still wrapped around his neck since last night. She knew he was awake, but his eyes were still closed, a little smile on his face.

She plopped herself over his chest, on her elbows, and the movement caused Sky's eyes to open, he looked at her, and gave her a warm smile. It was incredible, all that had happened between the two of them. It was simply amazing. Neither was sure what to say. They just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, and then, without a word, they kissed.

Sky and Z kissed passionately, savoring each other. They knew they had found ultimatum.

She had found love in a hopeless place.

He had found his sunshine in her.

"so, how was I?" Sky asked.

"better than Adrian for sure" she replied.

"still hung up?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"not really, jut an unfair comparison." She replied, chuckling.

"yeah, I'm too good to be compared to anyone else." Sky said, getting cocky.

"hey, hey, hey, no getting conceited!" she said, and they chuckled.

"as you wish señorita" he said, and she kissed him on his lips, again.

X-X-X

They were in the shower, when her morpher began beeping. Z went out wrapping a towel around herself, and answered it.

"Cadet Degado?" Cruger's voice boomed form the other end.

"yes sir?" Z replied.

"I have been trying to reach you since the last night. Why did you not answer?" he asked, then as an after-note, added, "cadet Tate has not been answering his morpher as well, as well as Dr. Manx."

"I don't know about Dr. Manx sir, but I'm sorry that Sky and I didn't answer your calls. We were a little busy," she said, nervously. How was he going to react?

"Busy?" Cruger repeated, confused.

"yes sir, busy"

"and what were you busy doing?" Cruger asked.

"sir, we were just busy." She wanted to get off the topic, "that way" she added with a little hint.

"ooohhh" realization dawned on Cruger and Z wanted like anything to see his face when he realized what had been going on.

"so, in other words, you are feeling better and are ready to return to duty?" Cruger asked, pushing awkward thoughts out of his head.

"yes, sir, I was ready even before Venezuhu attacked. That was part of the reason why I was able to take him down, right?" Z genuinely sounded confused.

"But cadets Landers and Drew said…" Cruger broke off, then asked "who else knows about it?"

Z replied, "sir, everybody did" and that made Cruger realize that they were just trying to increase their vacay period. I'll deal with them when they get back, he thought, and to Z, he continued, "okay cadet, then would you and the others mind returning by tomorrow?"

"not at all sir, we'd be back to NTC by the light tomorrow" Z said and then cut the phone off.

"what happened?" Sky asked as he came out of the shower, a towel around his waist, "Cruger," Z said, looking at the phone, "does he know about us?" Sky asked,

"yeah, I told him"

"does he sound upset?" Sky asked.

"he didn't sound anything, more like, 'ok you kids do whatever you do, I don't care'" Z said, doing a Doggie Cruger impression.

"and what else did he say?"

"he said we have to go back tomorrow"

"Aaawww" he looked upset.

"hey, we have another day, right? We can make something out of it, right?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"beach?" he asked, then, "pool?"

"we'll do all of it honey, we're gonna live this one day." She smiled at him.

X-X-X

"I— I can explain sir" Sydney stuttered as commander Cruger demanded to know why she hadn't told him why she hadn't told him why Z and Sky were dating.

"the two of you are in big trouble" Cruger thundered.

"we're really sorry sir!" Jack begged from the other side, while sipping a piña colada, not really feeling the apologies.

Jack saw Syd cringe a little and then mutter another small apology and then put the phone down.

"so, what's the verdict?" Jack asked, pushing his sunglasses over his head.

"we're stuck at the sucky night shift for the next month." Syd said, sighing. "And we're actually supposed to do a concert this evening." Syd said, nodding, and sipping her margarita.

"a concert, well, finally, my guitar would leave the bag." Jack said.

"yeah, I have been doing all concerts alone all these days."

"that was kinda the deal. You're the bar singer, and I am the Jamaican guitar player who makes a guest appearance for a legendary concert." That received a punch in his chest.

"well, then better tune your strings!" Syd said, "because you gotta keep up with me, and I'm pretty great!"

"oh, don't worry, I'm greater" Jack said, receiving another punch in the gut.

X-X-X

"so, my commander says that we'd have to go back tomorrow." Kat sadly told Cyril, as she packed her bags, Sam was helping her.

"I'm coming with you."

"Cyril!" Kat said, with that 'aawww' tone.

"yes, I mean, I live in NewTech, why can't I come back with you? Your trip ends, but that doesn't mean our relationship has to" he said,

"Cyril, but you have a whole vacation left. Why're you coming back to NTC?"

"what will I do here without you?" he asked, with a cute katty look. (I know Katty isn't a real word)

"what you were doing before I came along."

"that was the moment my vacation really started." He replied.

"aaawwwwwwww" Sam said chuckling, "you really should come along. I will also have a pretend dad like I have a pretend mom!" he told Cyril, smiling at Kat.

"yeah, we'd definitely like it." Cyril said, smiling back.

A whole strange family huh?

X-X-X

Sam spent the whole night hovering about the poolside alone. He didn't know how to reciprocate Bridge's feelings. He was shocked. Simply shocked to hear what Bridge had said. He had feelings for him. What was he going to do?

He had a girlfriend in the future. A GIRL-friend. Her name was Ruth, she was the Nova ranger, and he was just planning to ask her something really important before he left, and he couldn't think about it now.

He couldn't believe it. The guy whom he had thought to be his best friend, turned out to have a crush on him! He was straight. If he told this to Bridge, it'd shatter him. And if he didn't, and pretended to be gay, well, then when he'd leave, that'd shatter him, and even if he did lie to Bridge about his sexuality, he's still won't be able to express it in his physical form. He'd still be that floating

What now?

He decided he couldn't deceive Bridge just like that. I mean what if he found out about his girlfriend some other way? That'd make him feel deceived. No, Bridge deserved to know the truth. Maybe then he'd move on from him. He wanted to try to still be friends, maybe that'd soften the blow.

Maybe he could set him up with someone else, who might actually give to him what he deserved. He felt really bad feeling this and decided he couldn't just break Bridge's heart on phone. And so, the first thing in the morning, Sam caught the first plane to NewTech City, and left Hawaii with just a note to the rest of his friends, explaining that he was making his way back to SPD, and they shouldn't worry about him. He didn't explain that he was going to break Bridge's heart in person.

X-X-X

They had spent the whole day doing practically everything.

Z had forced Sky to get a massage and even a pedicure and Sky seemed to be enjoying it hilariously. Then they had made their way to the games' centre on Sky's insistence and played a number of games, arcade, pool, and otherwise, Sky beat Z in pool, Z beat him in arcade, the scores tied in others and all in all, the two had a lot of fun.

For the evening, they had VIP passes to Danielle Antoine and Lloyd Davis' live concert at the Waikiki beach, so thy steered clear of any sort of activities after six, deciding instead to just kill time by the pool. This was I guess the first time that Sky was wearing swimming trunks in the whole trip, i.e. a full fledged display of his absolutely ripped body for Z.

When they finally reached Waikiki beach they were mesmerized by the sight that greeted them. The tiki torches were already all fired up, and giving a dim glow out to the beach, and gelling well with the serenity of the setting sun; the sand seemed to be glittering almost as was the water; there were rhythmic waves crashing on the shore, adding to the sound of the Hawaiian music that was filling everyone's ears. There was a sweet scent of flowers wafting though the air, and there were some fireflies hovering about in the air, lighting up everything, leaving teardrops everywhere. Sky and Z just stood there, staring.

Whoever had done the decoration had given it their best.

The Hawaiian music, from the amateur Hawaiian performers carried on for a few minutes, after which, Jack Landers and Sydney Drew took the floor.

"everybody ready to party?" Jack asked, on the mike, and the crowd cheered, "YES" apparently Lloyd Davis and Danielle Antoine were quite famous. How? Sky made a note to check with Syd or Jack.

They began playing, starting with soft, serenading songs, moving on to inspirational, and finally romantic.

Z hadn't realized Jack could play that well. His fingers plucked the strings perfectly in rhythm with Syd's melodious voice. They had really underestimated the two. Syd and Jack were really amazing performers.

"This is a song dedicated to our best friends in the world!" Jack almost screamed out right before the last song, Syd added as an after note, "two of which aren't present here. But the rest, I hope you have your cameras!" Kat did hve a camera, and was more than willing to record it. She and Sam had joined a little late, but they had made it, Cyril was finally introduced to Sky and Z,

"I'm Cyril."

"sorry? who are you exactly?"

"I'm Kat's boyfriend," he explained, and Sky stared wide eyed at Kat, shocked, (for him she was like his older sister, and he hadn't really thought of the revered Kat alien having a love interest) while Z chuckled.

The friendship song was Sydney Drew's 'For You, With You' and Z remembered Syd telling her that when she had written that song, she had written it with the imagination that one day, she'd have a true friend for whom she'd actually be able to sing it for. Now she had seven, one of whom was singing it with her on stage.

This trip had dome wonders for this strange group of individuals: some had fallen in love, some had set upon the quest to find it. Some had learned secrets about themselves, some had merely come to terms with theirs, some had learned to open up, while some had learned to conceal. But all in all, they had learned, that they would be nothing they are, without each other.

This was what really mattered and this was what the song really said.

'I'll come to you'

'don't hesitate to call' Cyril placed an arm around Kat,

'I'll find you'

'wherever you hide from me' Sam thought about his older self, and Bridge.

'I'll mend your broken heart' Sky kissed Z,

'come to me to fall apart' Jack smiled at Syd, playing his best,

'we don't need to be lovers' Z looked at Sam, unaware that she was,

'platonic love also lasts'

'what we have, it's Forever'

'I'm here, for you…' Syd stretched the note to such a high pitch, 'With you' she calmed, and ended the song.

There were tears in the eyes of her friends, who were all just waiting for Syd and Jack to come down from the stage; and when they did, they gave the two a HUGE hug.

Yes, what they had… was Perfect.

THE END

X-X-X

A/N: so that was it, the end of Undercover, my personal favorite fic, I purposefully didn't bring Bridge and Sam's story to a solid conclusion. I'm leaving that as homework to the readers. I know there are some other plotholes left, but I don't want to ruin the ending by adding anything else to it. if you have any questions, leave them in the reviews and I'd be happy to answer them!