Here is, finally, the next chapter- and some slight changes have been made to Chapter 4. Mostly, Cammie thinks of Alex as Alex (not Adam) the whole time.
Cammie returned to her room after Alex disappeared from sight. It had been amusing to leave the conference to be faced with the angry Agent Burns. When Mr. Byrne informed her that her charge jumped out of the third story window she had raced from the room, throwing a litany of curses over her shoulder.
She couldn't help but sigh as she opened the door to her room. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from the amazing Alex Rider. It could have been a mini James Bond, or maybe someone more like Maxwell Smart, but what she hadn't been expecting was exactly what he was- a kid. A cold, angry, extremely talented kid, but he was still a kid. Still fought against authority, still hated being told what to do, and still did stupid things just to show he had his own independence. And still, apparently, perfectly willing to sneak into a teenage girl's room with no invitation.
Cammie was quite proud of herself for not dropping her armful of notes, but it was a close call. "Wh- what are you doing here?"
Alex looked up from where he had been laying on the girl's bed. Considering she had gotten to use the stairs she had taken quite awhile to make it to her room. Though, she had probably got caught up in explanations to Agent Burns as to why he wasn't still in the conference room. He couldn't help but grin at the idea of the ever calm agent loosing her cool.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" It struck him that this girl seemed to ask that question a lot.
The same thing seemed to occur to her because she scowled. "You're in my bed."
"Would you care to join me?" He couldn't resist letting himself waggle his eyebrows suggestively, this girl was just so uptight. He was surprised, however, when she simply raised an eyebrow.
"I already have a boyfriend."
And that would be the mysterious Z, Alex thought, remembering the small note he'd found tucked into her jacket pocket. It probably wasn't good form to search his partner's room minutes after they had met, but after having worked with Ash, he was wary of anyone calling themselves his partner.
"Oh, really? How's that work for you?" He knew how hard it was to keep friends in the spy life. It was hard to keep relationships if you were continuously lying, and when anyone who knew the truth would be in constant danger. "He okay with all the lies you have to tell him?"
He thought he saw a flash of discomfort in her eyes, but it was quickly chased away by the hint of amusement. "I can't keep a secret from him."
Alex raised an eyebrow at that, not bothering to hide his surprise. "So, you go ahead and tell him all your secrets- why? Because you're dating?" Disapproval tinged his voice; he let it. This mission would be impossible if he was teamed with a girl who spilled all her secrets to the first handsome face.
Before he'd even finished speaking however she was already shaking her head. "I don't tell him anything. Trust me, I don't try to let him know all my secrets. He just does, he finds them out on his own."
"So he's a spy too." It wasn't a question. It was simply the only explanation to the evidence she'd given him. She made no move to argue.
Alex frowned, processing this information. The spy world must be much more tightly knit in America than in Great Britain. He'd noticed before, how he was much more likely to get a partner when working with the Americans. But to actually have them dating each other. Surly that couldn't be safe, being intimately involved with someone who was just as much a liability as you were? Shaking his head he reminded himself that it wasn't any of his business. If she wanted to date another spy then that was certainly her prerogative, as long as it didn't interfere with their mission. "What's your name?"
Cammie froze at the unexpected question. How did he make the jump from Zach, her superspy boyfriend, to her real name? Not that that really mattered at the moment. The true question was, should she tell him? When she had brought up the question with her mother she'd been told it was up to her judgment, that she'd have to decide whether Alex could be trusted or not. She'd asked her friends shortly before she left and their advice had been varied to say the least. Liz had been all for a definitive show of trust, and what could be better than sharing names. Bex saw it as fair trade, as long as he was trustworthy- and preferably cute- after all, she knew his name. Macey argued for caution.
Now, standing in front of one of the world's foremost spies Cammie had to decide for herself. Did she trust Alex Rider enough to share her name or would she stick with her legend? "Emma," she finally said, looking him straight in the eye. "Emma Walker." She dared him to challenge her decision, to try to force her to tell him her name. Instead he smiled and nodded, though she thought she could see anger in his eyes. Or maybe it was disappointment. Whatever it was he dropped the subject for the moment, moving on, instead, to the topic of their mission.
Sorry for the wait and the mostly filler chapter. The next one should be out soon, considerably longer, and hopefully in Japan- though it might take a little longer to introduce Tsuna. Thanks for all the reviews so far, though I have to admit I probably won't answer many- but they do make me smile :) Have a great day!
