AN: Assassin!verse - congruent-ish timeline. A/Z. What is chronological order?
"I knew it when I met him
I loved him when I left him
Havana, ooh na-na (ay, ay)
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na."
Havana, Camilla Cabello
Instructions arrived suddenly - a protocol she could not ignore. Code words that had been put into action at the start of her assignment. Usually, she looked forward to this call, a chance to reconnect with her team, to move onto her next challenge.
But this time…
The past six weeks had passed in a rather uncomplicated and heady blur. She hadn't completely gone off the grid, but it was the farthest she had ever stepped away from her position. From considering leaving it altogether. From making her question what life might be like after the Lunar syndicate.
Her sisters in crime had always been enough, as had their mission.
As Amy calmly packed up her materials, carefully folding the collection of swimsuits, reading materials and other necessary items for a timely departure, she paused. And there… A piece of sea glass. A stunning piece of blue, made smooth by the pounding waves of the ocean...given to her by him. His brilliant aquamarine eyes hidden by Ray Bans, fluffy blonde hair ruffling in the wind, he'd offered it to her like it was a precious gem.
Was there time to say goodbye?
Winding wires up in her delicate hands, memories came unbidden into her head. Zach had appeared, most unexpectedly, on her third day in the country. Amy had been prepared to hunker down in the neighborhood, to blend in, and stay under the radar. She was running surveillance on Dark Kingdom operatives, who were suspected of smuggling any number of illicit items. When she realized she was missing an imperative piece of equipment, Amy had been forced to seek out the only place on the island that would provide her with what she needed. Although diminutive, her small stature and better than average Spanish had allowed her entree to the less than legal establishment. For the majority of places she worked out of, anonymity was key and she was the least known member of the Lunar syndicate. She had approached the location with the intent of getting in and getting out, with none on the island the wiser.
Which was why she was surprised when the man behind the counter had not been Cubano, but instead a handsome gringo. He had literally taken her breath away, which was how she walked out of the venue with her supplies and plans for Friday night.
She'd fallen quickly. Abruptly. They hadn't spoken of a future, only lived in the now.
And now…
And now it was all ending.
Would it be worse to simply depart the island, never to see him again? Or to see him again and not be able to explain why she was leaving?
One last moment together...
Hand on her phone, she paused, clenching her hand around the device. Knowing herself, if she saw Zach again she would give him a way to get in touch with her after the island, which was impossible. Is it fair? No, but then she's been playing with fire since their first date. Amy knew she could be called away at a moment's notice, and would never be able to explain herself to him. She had managed to forget, to convince herself it wouldn't be as painful as things were when it all came to an end.
She sighed loudly, barely audible above the crashing waves outside her room.
No, better to remember her time in Cuba as the perfect uninhibited time that it had been. A different Amy. An island Amy.
AN: Who can believe this is my 99th chapter?!