"Mom!" Alex cried, hugging the woman. She hugged him back tightly. Then he realized what he said.
"I mean, uh, Maria." He said as they released. She smirked at him and he smiled back, his cheeks red.
"Maria?!" Rose said in shock, walking over to them, Bradley and Chris on her heels.
"Oh my god, Rose! Bradley! Chris!" She said, wrapping them all in a hug which they all returned. "It's been forever."
"Yeah." Rose chuckled. "About a year?"
Maria nodded awkwardly. Chris sent Rose a look that said 'shut up'. Rose shrugged as Charlee hugged Maria again.
"Maria Carter?" Fanny said in surprise. Maria turned to see Fanny standing behind her, mouth agape.
"Numbuh 86?" Maria said.
"Numbuh 465?" Kuki asked as Maria turned again to see Wally and Kuki standing behind her. Maria's mouth dropped as she saw Wally and Kuki, nothing coming out of her mouth.
"Um, we should go back to our apartment." Will suggested. "Charlee? Alex?"
"I can say it was a family emergency." Chris said quickly.
"Thanks, Chris!" Alex said quickly. "See you guys later!" He then turned to Wally and Kuki. "Wally, Kuki." He said with a fake smile.
He, Charlee, Will, and Maria then left, leaving everyone still surprised.
Rose, Bradley, and Chris looked to each other before inching back to their table. Before they could get away, Kuki had grabbed a hold of each of their wrists.
"Why the fuck is Maria Carter here?" Kuki asked. "And why the fuck did my son call her 'mom'."
Rose, Chris, and Bradley looked to each other.
"Can we explain somewhere else?"
Rose, Chris, and Bradley were sat in the Gilligan's kitchen, surrounded by their parents, Kuki, Wally, and Patton. Fanny had said she would be there as soon as she had taken care of some business.
"You know Maria Carter?" Rachel said in disbelief. "How?"
"She's in the AND." Rose shrugged, "And a higher up member too."
"We know that." Nigel said. "It's just-"
"How?" Kuki said sternly. "And how does Alex know her?"
Kuki's question was followed by knocking on the door, a signal that Fanny had arrived. Hoagie went to answer the door. As he opened the door, everyone could hear a loud "Holy Shit!" from the kitchen.
Abby tried to get up to see why her husband yelled, but was unable to, due to her large bump. But still she tried.
"Need some help?" Kuki asked hesitantly.
"No." Abby answered flatly. "I can do this by myself. Just because I'm eight and a half months pregnant, doesn't mean I'm made of glass. I can still do stuff guys, even though-"
"Guess who it is!" Hoagie yelled as he walked into the kitchen. "Whoa, babe, do you need help?" He asked as he saw Abby struggling.
"No!" Abby shouted. "I'm pregnant, not helpless!"
"Okay." Hoagie said, backing away in fear. "Anyways, it's Bobby Cordero!"
Fanny walked in, her face red, followed by a tan man with wavy black hair. Gianna's father.
"Bobby Cordero?" Kuki said, her mouth dropping. "Fanny, your date was with Bobby!"
"Yeah." Fanny said nervously. "We, um, well, we, um, we're, um, maybe starting some stuff up again."
"Hey guys!" Bobby said.
"Is this Gia's father?" Rachel asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah." Bobby smiled. "I'm Gia's dad."
"We had a date tonight, but seeing as this came up, I tried to postpone it. But, since Bobby wants to be more involved in mine and Gia's life, and seeing as this involves Gia's half-siblings, he wanted to be here too."
"Okay then," Rose said, clearing her throat. "May we begin?"
Bradley then set up a miniature projector that was connected to his phone, and a screen went up in the air. The title of the presentation that Braldey had pulled up was "Why Will, Alex, and Charlee Are Fucked Up" with a picture of Charlee, Will, and Alex in a drunken state.
"Before you ask, we get asked about their behavior by new recruits at least five times a week, so we decided to make this and show it to new agents who have to work with them." Chris explained.
"It has actually saved us a lot of time." Bradley said. "We thought it would be the easiest way to explain everything."
"Let me just skip to the Maria slides." Rose said, flicking through Bradley's phone. "Here."
A slide then popped up, showing Maria Carter with her arms around a younger Charlee, Alex, and Will.
"As most everyone here knows, Maria Carter, or Numbuh 465, has been an operative since she was seven, and is a Next Door legend. She is though, a bit of a controversial figure due to her personal life."
"What does this mean?" Bobby asked.
"Maria is known to dabble in some...things." Chris tried.
"Maria's done cocaine." Hoagie stated.
"Maria was once rumored to have slept with three foreign ambassadors at the same time." Rachel added.
"Maria once sold cocaine to teenagers." Wally added.
"Maria's possibly killed people." Kuki added.
"And these teenagers who did cocaine were overpriced, they think." Patton added.
"Maria once hacked into the government's database." Abby said.
"And these teenagers who did cocaine ended up failing drug tests." Wally added.
"Maria is a great operative, but she has done a lot of shady stuff that has nearly ruined her reputation." Nigel said.
"And the teenagers that did cocaine were taken advantage of." Patton finished.
"And to add one more thing, Maria sold cocaine to Patton and Wally. That's why they're acting so weird." Fanny said, looking at the men who had turned bright red.
"We know that." Rose said. "Maria told us."
"Has Maria told you anything else about us?" Rachel asked. They all turned to them, worried.
"Um, yes." Chris said. Rose, Bradley, and Chris blushed as their parents did.
"Moving on." Rose said. "We won't talk about that, considering it was widely inappropriate for her to tell us, and for us just to know in general."
"Thank God." Almost every adult breathed out.
"What?!" Bobby asked.
"I'll tell you...if we ever get married." Fanny said.
"What?" Patton asked.
"So as you know, Charlee, Alex, and Will were in foster care until they were seven." Chris said loudly.
"They were going from home to home, until one day, Maria found them."
"Maria works with the FBI." Bradley said, flipping to the next slide. There was a picture of Maria in a FBI jacket, beside a picture of the Criminal Minds cast, which had a big X over it.
"Maria found out about them, and was able to find them and take them in. They were the kids of former KND operatives, so she and some higher up members thought it would great to put them in." Rose explained.
"This is the part where we explain that while Maria does work with the FBI, she does not work in the Behavioral Analysis Unit, and thus most stories Will, Alex, or Charlee may tell about hunting down serial killers, are false." Bradley said, pointing to the cast picture.
"Most?" Rachel questioned.
"Another thing." Bradley said.
"Maria saved them from foster care, and introduced them to the KND." Chris said. "They believe that they owe her their lives."
"And if it wasn't for her, we probably wouldn't be in the KND." Bradley said. "Despite everything, she's done a lot of shit for us."
"After that, Maria became their foster parent." Rose said. "She took care of them, helped them with KND stuff, and was like a mom to them. Alex even took her last name, since he didn't like his first foster family."
"Their apartment is the one she had rented for them when they were younger. She would do some business for the FBI here, and would take them to her place in Quantico when she was at the office." Bradley said.
"But when they were a little older, they got tired of moving back and forth, so Maria set them up here and she sends them checks every month for rent and food and stuff." Chris said.
"She used to come and check on them every month, but it got to being less and less, until now." Rose said.
"She only comes if they're really in trouble." Chris said. "Or if something big is happening."
"The last time we saw her, was after Charlee had been raped." Rose said. "She came to help Charlee, but then she left to do something for the FBI."
"So why ever she's here, it's probably something big." Bradley said. "Twenty bucks say she's engaged again."
"Thirty says she's just here for business and she accidentally ran into Will." Rose said darkly.
"Rose doesn't like Maria." Chris said to the adults. "She thinks she's a bad influence."
"Well...She is!" Rose argued. "That picture of them at the start was when she was here last."
"Rose, no offense, but you're kind of being a buzz kill." Bradley said.
Rose glared at Bradley, causing him to shut up.
"Wanna say that again?" She asked.
"Nope." Bradley said quickly.
"I see Rose's point." Rachel said. "Maria may be a great operative, but she definitely is not a good influence."
"She did do a lot for them though." Chris argued. "And still does. It's just complicated."
"Listen, she won't be here for long." Rose said, looking at Fanny, Patton, Wally, and Kuki. "So, my advice is to, maybe, step back from Charlee, Will, and Alex."
"What does that mean?" Kuki asked, glaring at Rose.
"We see what all of you are doing, but especially you four." Rose said. "Just, maybe let Maria spend some time with them."
"And don't be offended when they, Y'know, treat Maria like she's their mom." Chris said.
"Because in a way, she is." Bradley finished.
Kuki looked away sadly, crossing her arms. "How long does she normally stay?"
"Maybe a month." Rose said. "And after she leaves, they get pissy, and don't talk about her much."
"After she leaves, they'll probably be more likely to talk to you guys." Bradley added. "So, don't say anything now, and reap the benefits later."
"We wouldn't." Kuki said. "It just stings is all. I thought I was finally making progress with Alex, and then he goes and calls her of all people "mom". He actually calls me that sometimes!"
Rose, Bradley, and Chris looked to each other uncomfortably.
"Yeah, sure." They said quickly.
"Can I ask one more question?" Patton said.
"Shoot." Rose said.
"This is an entire thing about how Will, Charlee, and Alex are fucked up. Can it maybe explain why Will is such a huge Queen fan?" Patton asked. "I don't have a problem with it, it's just concerning since it's a band before his grandparents' time."
"Oh no, we completely understand." Rose said, clicking to the last slide. "It's the main question actually."
"We just think it's easier to get all the questions out of the way." Bradley said. "Saves time and confusion."
"Let's see." Rose said. "Alex and Will's middle names. Alex's anger issues. Charlee's false overconfidence. Ah, here!"
She stopped at a slide that had Will on it, wearing a Queen shirt.
"At the young age of six, Will locked himself in one of his foster parent's bedrooms with one of their phones, after a huge argument." Chris said. "The phone just happened to have HBO Max on it, which happened to have Bohemian Rhapsody on it."
"Will was so upset, he just pressed on a random movie, which happened to be Bohemian Rhapsody." Rose said. "He watched the entire movie, and was hooked."
"And still is." Bradley said.
"The movie and the band was basically his lifeline throughout foster care, until Maria took them in, and then she grew his obsession." Chris said.
Rose clicked to a slide with Maria and a younger Will in Queen t-shirts, posing into the camera.
"So basically it has become his lifelong obsession, and we will never be able to shut him up about it." Rose said.
"Any more questions?" Rose said. Kuki, Fanny, Wally, and Patton began to speak before Rose cut them off. "No, great! See you guys around!"
And with that, Bradley grabbed his mini projector and phone, and he, Rose, and Chris dashed out of the Gilligan household.
The next day, Rose, Bradley, Chris, Mindy, Angie, Jason, and the rest of the cast were sitting in the auditorium, growing more and more agitated at the three absentees.
"Okay!" Rose said suddenly. "As much as I love waiting on Charlee, Will, and Alex every moment of every day, they are obviously late. So is there anything we can do, rehearse lines, work on choreography, any drama geek stuff?"
"First off," A drama kid said to Rose. "That's kind of offensive. Second, we can't do anything without Kaiser Albright."
"Well, I'm co-director, so I say we start without Kaiser- I mean Charlee." Rose said. "So, let's start. What do we do first?"
"Normally, we go around in a circle and introduce ourselves, and say our part." The drama kid said. "But with Charlee, we immediately start rehearsals, because "Practice is everything!"" He ended with a bad Charlee impression.
"Well, let's start with that." Rose said, pulling up a chair and starting a circle. Everyone followed, pulling up chairs.
"Rose, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Mindy asked as she pulled up a chair beside Chris and Rose.
"Getting things started." Rose shrugged.
"Charlee may literally kill you." Mindy whispered.
"She's the one who's late." Rose said. "Mindy, what can it hurt."
"Your funeral." Mindy whispered.
"Okay, let's start. I'm Rose Peters, and I'm the co-director along with Charlee." Rose said. Rose then looked to Mindy.
"I'm Mindy Sanban, and I'm playing Martha Dunstock." Mindy said quickly.
"I'm Chris Peters, and I'm being forced by Charlee and the school to play Kurt Kelley." Chris said.
"So, you don't care at all, yet you have one of the lead roles." A drama kid responded.
"I mean..." Chris said.
"And you intend to not care during the rehearsals, thus dragging us down with you?" Another asked.
"Well..."
"Why would Charlee do this, everyone knows how picky she is?" Another said.
"Honestly, half the cast is who Charlee is friends with or who Charlee's sleeping with." Another began to complain.
"Smooth." Mindy leaned over to Chris. Chris glared at her.
"Okay!" Rose yelled, standing up on her chair. "I get that everyone here is pissed at Charlee for some reason, but can we please continue?"
"Why should we listen to you?" A drama kid asked. "You're being forced to do this, too. You don't care."
"Because I am the co-director." Rose said. "And I have as much authority as Charlee."
As she said that, the drama kids began to laugh, frustrating her more.
"Rose, you may want to sit down." Bradley leaned over to whisper to her.
"Why?" She whispered back, looking down at him.
"Because here comes Kaiser Albright." Mindy said.
Sure enough, Charlee was storming to the stage, looking pissed at what she saw. Will and Alex followed her, along with Maria.
"What's Maria Carter doing here?" Angie whispered.
"She's Will, Alex, and Charlee's foster mom." Mindy whispered. "I thought Will had told you."
"He never mentioned Maria." Angie said, confused. "Did you know?" She asked Jason.
"Um, yeah." Jason said. "But I've known Charlee since we were in training."
"I'll explain later Angie." Rose said. "I forgot to show you the PowerPoint."
"What-?" Angie was cut off by Charlee storming the stage.
"What's going on?" Charlee asked, hands on her hips.
"We decided to start without you." Rose explained. She then leaned in and whispered to Charlee, "Why the hell is Maria here?"
"She wanted to come." Charlee whispered back. "And how dare you start without me!"
"Charlee, you were 20 minutes late!" Rose argued.
"I'm the director. You don't start without the director!"
"I'm a director, too!" Rose stated.
"You're my assistant director!" Charlee said.
"Excuse me!" Rose said. "I'm a co-director! And you're a co-director!"
"Um, Rose, let's be honest, you would never give a shit about this if Sanchez wasn't making you do this." Charlee scoffed. She then turned to the others.
"Alright people, let's get this show on the road! We're going to run through "Beautiful" first, so that means practically everyone. Heathers, to the side. Chris, Ryan on the bench. Mindy, by me. Extras, up! Rose and Alex, start going over designs, and Bradley, start recording." She yelled.
She then turned to Jason. "Hey, babe, why don't you go sit with Rose and Alex and look over some of Alex's designs?"
"Sure." He smiled at her. She gave him a quick kiss, before running off to the stage. Alex glared at him as he sat by Rose and Maria, and Jason came over to join them.
"Hey, you must be Charlee's boyfriend." Maria smiled at him. "I'm her foster mom, Maria."
"Um, Numbuh 465!" Jason said awkwardly. "It's an honor to meet you! And yeah, I'm dating Charlee."
"She says really great things about you." Maria smiled. Beside her, Alex was turning red.
"Really?" Jason blushed. "I didn't think-"
"Does it matter right now?" Alex snapped. "Shouldn't we be going over design for Char?"
"Right." Jason said. "Sorry."
Maria gave Alex a sad look before allowing him to open his design book.
"Okay, on three!" Charlee yelled from her place on the stage. "Bradley, start the music up."
Bradley started the music, giving a confused glance over to Rose. She shrugged and rolled her eyes as Charlee began.
Chris was standing with his arms crossed when a girl approached him. She had dark tan skin, long black hair, and wide brown eyes and was wearing a pink top and white jeans. Chris's eyes grew as she stood next to him.
"H-hey, Zoey." He stuttered.
"Hey Chris." She said sweetly to him. "Listen, I really want to apologize for the ambush back there. They didn't have the right to say all those things to you, they're just pissed that Charlee is the director."
"I mean, it's true." Chris laughed. "I mean, I'm being forced to do it, but that doesn't mean I don't care! I do, I do, I'm just sometimes a little-"
"Sarcastic?" Zoey smiled.
"Yeah." Chris said, turning red. "A little."
"I think you're funny." Zoey laughed. "And a little cute."
"I think you're really cute!" Chris blurted out. "Wait, I mean- I mean-"
"I better get back to my spot." Zoey laughed. "See you later, Chris."
"Bye, Zoey!" Chris said.
Zoey walked away, missing the glare Mindy sent her from across the stage.
Will then walked over to Chris and slung his warmonger his shoulders.
"Smooth, Chris. Real smooth." Will laughed, pinching Chris's cheek.
"Fuck off and let me drowned in my own self-loathing." Chris said as he placed his face in his hands.
"Dude, do you want to know why you're the last virgin in the group?" Will asked.
"I'm not the last virgin!" Chris said defensively.
"Yeah, you are." Will said. "Think about it, your sister and Bradley are fucking, Alex lost it to McKinley Howard, Charlee and Jason are all over each other, and well, I'm me."
"Oh fuck." Chris groaned. "I am the last virgin."
"Well, Mindy is apart of our group, but not really the inner circle." Will shrugged. "Though, let's be honest, if that's how you talk to women, you're not losing it for awhile."
"Is that why I'm still a virgin?" Chris scoffed.
"Well, that and you're overly sarcastic." Will said. "And you're kind of self-deprecating. And also-"
"I get it Will." Chris said. "I'm not exactly a thrill to be around."
"I didn't mean that." Will said. "I'm just suggesting that you maybe tone down the sarcastic jokes and maybe try to be a tiny bit more confident. Because Chris, and I mean this in the most platonic way I can, you're kind of hot."
Chris offered Will a smirk. "Thanks, dude."
"Seriously." Will said. "Zoey was totally checking you out. Now she's a little too drama-kid for my taste, but she's not exactly hard on the eyes. So maybe, the next time you talk to here, allude to the fact that your parents work a lot and your sister is never really home, if you know what I mean?"
"You're a pervert, Will." Chris said, rolling his eyes. He then looked over to where Zoey was standing with Angie and another Heather. She smiled and waved at him. He waved back, although a little bit more enthusiastically.
"And also, maybe tone it down a little bit." Will suggested as Zoey giggled at Chris's enthusiasm.
"WILL! CHRIS! GET BACK TO WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE!" Charlee yelled from across the stage. Will then left Chris, laughing at the way Chris stared at Zoey.
"Okay, everyone, from the top!" Charlee yelled. "And let's all try to stay in the spot we're supposed to be in, yeah?"
Rehearsals went on, Charlee critiquing every little thing anyone messed up on, Rose and Alex trying to suppress their eye rolls, Bradley trying not to break the camera every time Charlee made him start over, Chris staring at Zoey, Mindy glaring at Zoey, and Will laughing at how ridiculous everyone was acting.
"Alright, I believe we're at somewhat pf a stopping point." Charlee said as they finished the "Beautiful" scene (for the sixth time). "One more round, and we should be good to go."
"Charlee, c'mon." Rose said. "Everyone is tired, and wants to go home."
"I said this was the last time." Charlee said. "Now, Bradley, from the top!"
"For fuck's sake." Bradley said as he started the music again, and started recording.
"September first, 1989..." Charlee started.
"Y'know say what you want about Charlee and how Hitler-ish she is, but she is one hell of an actress." Maria said to Alex.
"Oh, yeah, Char's amazing." Alex said. "You should have seen her in some of her other plays, she's always been amazing. Honestly I don't know why she stopped before this. She's absolutely brilliant."
"Y'know, I really don't get why you don't ask her out, if you think she's so amazing." Maria smirked at Alex. Alex blushed and went back to his design book.
"She's dating someone else." Alex said, pointing his pencil at Jason. "I thought about asking her out a thousand times, but I can never really get the words out. Then something happens. Some bad guy, or some problem with the TND, and I get distracted. And by the time I'm ready to ask her out again, there's another guy who's beat me to it. It's never the right time."
"Alex, honey." Maria said sadly. "There's never a right time. If you want to go out with her, do something about it. Although, I recommend waiting until she's out of a relationship. Jason seems like a nice kid."
"You don't think they'll last?" Alex asked.
"Oh she's going to marry the first decent guy she goes out with?" Maria smirked. "Charlee and Jason don't really have a spark. I can tell from the first time I saw them interact. She just doesn't look at him the way she looks at someone else."
"Who?" Alex asked.
"You, kiddo." Maria smirked. "Her eyes light up every time she sees you. Even I can see it, and I'm a cynical old bitch who's never around anymore."
"You're busy." Alex said. "With the FBI and the AND."
"Al, you've been around your birth parents more in the last month than you've been around me in a year." Maria said. "And a little birdie told me that you and the others have been trying your very best to ignore them."
"Maria, you know how complicated everything is." Alex said. "Please don't try to guilt me into talking to them, too."
"I know, but it's not a terrible idea." Maria said. "I mean I knew your mom and dad. I even remember seeing your mom when she was pregnant with you. They're honestly good people. Even though your dad is a bit of a dumbass."
"More like a hell of a dumbass." Alex said.
"Maybe just try to talk to them." Maria suggested. "Honestly, if you were in there shoes, what would you have done?"
"At least found a home for my kid." Alex stated, getting up.
"Alex-" Maria said, standing up and following him out the door.
Rose looked up from her seat next to Jason and watched as Alex stormed out of the auditorium, Maria on his heels. She sighed, knowing Maria must have hit a nerve with the extremely short-tempered Alex.
"Where's Alex going?" Bradley asked from behind her. She jumped at her boyfriend's sudden presence, Jason jumping as well.
"Jesus." She said.
"Nope, just me." Bradley smirked. Rose rolled her eyes as Jason gave him a small smile.
"Maria probably said something stupid and pissed him off." Rose said. "As her normal."
"Y'know I don't get your hatred for her." Bradley said. "She's done nothing to you."
"I don't hate her, I just don't agree with her life decisions, and the influence she has over Will, Alex, and Charlee." Rose stated.
"Hey," Angie said, jogging over to where Rose, Bradley, and Jason sat. "Can some one explain to me the whole Maria Carter situation?"
"Shouldn't you get back up there?" Jason asked.
"Charlee's ripping into Ryan Butler." Angie said, pointing to where Charlee was yelling at the guy playing Ram Sweeny. Chris stood beside them, holding back laughter.
"Maria basically rescued them from foster care." Bradley explained. "She took them, and later set them up with the KND. They think they owe Maria their lives."
"Will told me that the KND rescued him; he never mentioned Maria." Angie said.
"When did Will tell you this?" Rose asked.
"Last October when your past parents were here." Angie said. "The night me and Will..."
"Fucked?" Bradley asked.
"Yeah." Angie said as she blushed.
"Maria had just left again." Rose said. "She tends to come around once a year, cause Charlee, Alex, Will, and others to go into a frenzy, leave, and make Charlee, Will, and Alex pissy for a few months."
"What she means is that they get a little resentful once Maria leaves, and Will was probably just too pissed to mention her to you." Bradley explained. "Rose doesn't like Maria."
"I never said that." Rose said defensively.
"It's heavily implied." Angie said. "I've worked with Maria Carter though, and she's never mentioned Will, Alex, or Charlee."
"When?" Rose asked.
"I was ten when I joined the KND. I had to do some remedial training before I was assigned a sector, and Maria's the one who trained me. I spent six days a week for nearly a month in Siberia with her. She didn't mention Will, Charlee, or Alex once." Angie explained.
"Maybe you just don't remember." Jason offered.
"I think I would remember Maria mentioning if she had kids, or foster kids even. She's not exactly the motherly type." Angie said. "Kiss up much?"
"Fuck off, Angie." Jason muttered, blushing bright red. Angie just gave him a look.
"Look, I don't have anyone to impress for Charlee, other than Will and Numbuhs 60 and 86." Jason explained. "And Will is Will, and Numbuhs 60 and 86 don't like me."
"What do you mean they don't like you?" Rose asked.
"Some one told them we were dating, and Patton threatened me with army-grade weapons, while Fanny threatened to beat my balls into the ground if I hurt her." Jason said. "I'm guessing they don't like me, even though I've done nothing but date Charlee!"
"ANGIE FRANKLIN!" Charlee yelled from the stage. "GET THE FUCK BACK UP HERE!"
"That's my queue." Angie said. "Wish me luck."
As she stood up, Rose's phone buzzed.
"Can you possibly meet me at the AND in about an hour?" Her text read. She rolled her eyes when she saw the sender, but responded to him anyways.
"We have rehearsals for Heathers." Rose texted back.
"Just you." The sender replied. Rose raised an eyebrow.
"It's important." A second reply said.
"Fine." She texted back.
"Who's that?" Bradley asked.
"Just Linds." Rose lied. "She want to meet up for coffee in an hour."
"Okay," Bradley said. "We still good to meet up at my place tonight?"
"Yeah," Rose smiled. "Trust me, nothing could get in the way of that."
Rose walked into the AND base an hour later, her arms folded across her chest as she made her way to one of the main offices. She passed many adult operatives who gave her either nods or small hellos as she walked by. She quickly made her way to the office for her meeting, knocking on the door. When she opened the door, she was face to face with the last person she expected.
"Numbuh 465?" She asked.
"Hello Numbuh 71." Maria smiled.
"Maria and I were going to wrap up in a minute, Rose." Mateo said from behind his desk. "If you could?"
"Actually, Numbuh 111, I need to go." Maria said. "I need to apologize to Alex, and I was going to take him, Charlee, Will, and Charlee's boyfriend out to dinner."
"Okay," Mateo said. "Well once again, it's really nice to see you Maria, and please do not hesitate to call if you need anything." He said, standing up to let Maria out of the room. "I'll be right back, Rose."
He then left with Maria, leaving Rose alone in his office. She looked around at the various pictures decorating his desk, a few of him and his old sector, a few of him and Lindsay, and one picture Rose knew all too well. It was a picture of her, Chris, Mateo, and Lindsay from when Mateo and Lindsay were in the TND, and she and Chris had just joined the KND. Mateo had lifted Rose onto his shoulders, while Lindsay had Chris on her back. They were all at the KND moonbase, posing in front of the main hallway. Rose picked it up to examine it closer, as Mateo walked back in.
"Y'know, that's your sister's favorite picture of you guys." Mateo said.
Rose promptly placed it back on his desk, and turned to face him. "What did you want?"
Mateo walked to his desk and sat down, looking Rose straight in the eye. "I have a proposition for you."
"I already said no to the tour." Rose said. "Like every day since October."
"Not the tour." Mateo said. "It's something so much better."
"What?" Rose asked.
"There's an opening with the Galactic Next Door. And I think you should go for it." Mateo said with a smile.
Rose's eyes had widened. "What?" Rose said in a hushed tone.
"Chad Dickinson is leaving permanently." Mateo said. "And there looking for a temporary replacement for him, but that temporary replacement can turn into a permanent one."
"I don't- I don't- the GND want me after everything?" Rose asked in a hushed tone.
"Rose, you're one of the best operatives out there. You took down Lizzie, Boss, and Father. Your planning and leadership admired by everyone in the organization. You're an influence to the KND, and the AND is eagerly waiting for you to join them on your twentieth birthday." Mateo said. "You're an obvious candidate."
"I left them before though." Rose said.
"Because Chris was shot, Rose." Mateo said. "They understand you had to be there for him, and take over his position. And they're ready to welcome you back."
Rose sat there in awe, until realization dawned in her. "I can't."
"What?" Mateo asked in shock.
"I have college, and the TND, and my friends, and-and-" Rose gulped. "Bradley."
"Rose there are programs to help you get your degree in almost whatever you want, which is still criminal justice with a minor in organized leadership?"
"How did you-" Rose started.
"Lindsay told me." Mateo said quickly. "And last I checked, Jasmine Gilligan turns thirteen in a few weeks. Once she's fifteen, she's eligible-and expected-to be the next TND Supreme Leader."
"But that's not for another two years." Rose stated.
"Something tells me your brother and Charlee Albright could hold down the fort for a few years." Mateo said. "Speaking of them, you would get to visit on certain holidays, and have communications with them as long as they stay in the Next Door organization, which is extremely likely, despite there persistence to not do the tour I suggested for them."
"But-"
"But, Bradley?" Mateo asked. "What about Bradley, Rose?"
"I've been seeing him since last summer, and I don't exactly want to leave him." Rose said.
"Rose, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Which you've been given twice." Mateo said. "There's not many people like you Rose Peters. You could do amazing things for children of all kinds of planets. You could become an even bigger legend than you already are, and you're only eighteen. Please, don't pass this up because of a guy."
Rose sat in her seat, staring at Mateo. "I need some time to think about things."
"No one expects you to make this decision over night Rose." Mateo said. "Take some time to mull it over. Maybe even talk to your birth father."
Rose rolled her eyes at the mention of him, causing Mateo to chuckle.
"He was a GKND representative for what, five years?"
"Four." Rose said. "Barely four."
"Despite your obvious disdain for him, he's not a bad person to talk to about this, considering he was with the GKND right when they were being founded." Mateo said. "He knows all the ends and outs."
"Could I possibly talk to someone else about this?" Rose asked. "Maybe Chad or someone?"
"If you don't feel comfortable talking with Numbuh 1, I could probably set something up with Chad." Mateo said. "Would this possibly persuade you to join the GKND?"
"I'm not for sure." Rose stated. "I still need to process everything, and then make an educated decision about this."
"Once again, everyone else and I completely understand. Please take some time, but we do need to find a replacement in the next three to four months. And if you choose not to go, you would be put on the advisory council to pick the next recruit." Mateo explained.
"So I have three months to choose?" Rose asked.
"About." Mateo said. "Rose, I beg that you think about how amazing this opportunity is."
"I know." Rose said. "But for now, I really need to go."
"Of course." Mateo said, standing up to get the door for her. "May I ask why?"
"I have a thing." Rose said briefly before brushing past Mateo, and storming out of the moonbase, her head spinning.
Rose knocked on Bradley's door, waiting for her boyfriend to answer. He came to the door a few moments later, not even getting to say hello before Rose crashed her lips on his. When they disconnected for air, Bradley immediately asked her,
"What was that about? Not that I'm complaining, but-"
"I just need to forget." Rose said shaking her head.
"About...?" Bradley questioned.
"Everything." Rose said. "Absolutely everything."
She then pulled him in for another kiss, and slammed the door behind them.
A/N: Well...it's been awhile.
I don't really have a good excuse for my absence, other than work and writer's block being a bitch.
Also, a very belated thank you to dancingdeaky for your review on the last chapter! Thank you so much for your continuous support on basically everything I do! You have no idea how much I truly appreciate it!
Constructive Criticism is Welcomed!
Please Review!
Bye- Nat