Drum roll please, the last (and may I say) shortest chapter in the entire story : ) I think it pretty much speaks for itself. More of the TSL characters you know, love and write stories about. Enjoy!
After all the emotional upheavals of the day, I was happy to finally reach my home, the Tipton. There was the usual flurry of activity in the form of guests checking in and out and employees weaving their way through the crowd. In addition, there were a host of new figures in the lobby taking measurements of the carpets and walls. Moseby had thrown himself into the renovations of the Tipton after the damage Lance and I had caused to the hotel interior. I was surprised that many guests hadn't been put off by the latest happenings at the Tipton. In fact, many of the guests who'd been hostages had decided to stay on at the Tipton instead of moving next door to the St. Marks. Naturally, Moseby had rewarded their loyalty with an array of hampers and special discounts. Along with his managerial duties, Moseby had been fussing over me like a paternal hen, making sure that I was comfortable and well rested, much like he'd done all my life.
I would be leaving in a few days for my 'suspension' with Lance. We had already booked our accommodation at the Tipton Hotel in the Maldives. Daddy even offered to let us use his private jet to fly there. I was a little sad to leave the Boston Tipton behind for a month after everything that had transpired. But I knew that I would be leaving it in good hands. After leaving my father's office earlier, I had been informed that DEMON had placed Kevin Moran in the witness protection programme after he had cooperated with the police and agreed to testify at Laurent Savoy's trial. While Lance and I served out the remainder of our 'suspension', both DEMON and HALO would be building up their case against OPIUM in the hopes of shutting down the entire organization. With a little persuasion, they were hoping to convince Laurent Savoy to give up the names of the shareholders in exchange for a lighter sentence. Something told me that the CIA might just succeed in this venture.
Neither Moseby, Esteban nor Maddie were at their usual posts in the lobby. I was just walking past one of the Tipton ballrooms when a hand shot out and pulled me inside. Before I could make any sudden movements, I was shoved abruptly against the wall. When I finally realized who my assailant was, I glared unabashedly.
"Lance, what do you think you're doing?" I demanded gruffly while placing my hands on my hips.
"This," was all he said before placing his lips on mine.
My hands fell limply to my sides as Lance's hands caressed my neck. Before I could think or breathe any further, I was kissing him back just as ferociously. I wrapped my hands around his back and pulled him even closer to me as Lance continued peppering my mouth with gentle kisses. It seemed like years since he'd kissed me like this, maybe it had been. True, we'd been kissing like this just a few days ago. But that was when we both thought it would be the last time before we embarked on a suicide mission. This time, he kissed just like those times when he'd kissed me in the past, like we had all the time in the world. After going to the hospital after Laurent Savoy's arrest, we hadn't had a private moment since then. I had to commend him on his spontaneity.
When he finally pulled away from me, I had already forgotten why I'd glared at him in the first place.
"What was that for?" I asked curiously with a big grin on my face.
"I just wanted a moment alone with you, away from the cameras and Moseby." Lance explained with an easy smile.
"He has been keeping an unusual amount of eyes on me lately." I agreed laughingly.
"He's just worried about you after everything that's happened in the last few days." Lance speculated nonchalantly.
"He's sweet, but I'm fine." I responded lightly.
"Are you really?" Lance asked carefully with a concerned look in his eyes.
"Yeah, I actually am. I had a good talk with Eleanor and my father earlier. I finally realized just how much Brandy meant to them both. I went to the cemetery earlier, just to put some flowers by her headstone. I haven't been there in months. I actually felt okay being there for once, like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders. I was holding onto to my grief, guilt and anger for so long that I forgot to live my life, to live in the present. Now that I finally confronted Daddy, I feel like I can start having some closure." I responded seriously while Lance listened patiently.
"That's great London, I'm glad you're feeling better. But for those days when you're not, you can come find me. I'll always be here." He promised and kissed my forehead gently.
"I know. Thank you for being here all the while."
"There's no where else I'd rather be. I got you something."
Lance took a box the size of his hand out of his pocket and handed it to me.
"What is it?" I asked quizzically.
"Open it and see," he invited.
I obediently lifted the lid of the box and gasped. It was a white-gold necklace with an elegant figurine on it, encrusted in tiny emeralds.
"Lance, it's beautiful." I gushed in awe.
"It's Aphrodite. Personally, I think you're ten times hotter. Do you like it?"
"I love it. But what's with the kissing and presents anyway? Are you about to give me bad news?" I teased lightly.
"That depends: there's something I'd like to ask you. London Tipton, will you be my girlfriend, again?" Lance asked with a nervous chuckle while watching my expression.
I pretended to think about it for a few seconds just to make him sweat it out a little. But I'd already had my answer for the past few days.
"Okay, but on one condition." I began softly.
"Anything."
"I want complete and total honesty in this relationship, from both of us. Don't ever lie to me again about or so help me God Lance, I will drown you in a kiddie pool." I warned seriously.
"It's a deal."
"Good, 'cause I was just kidding about the kiddie pool, I think." I laughed before launching myself into his arms and kissing him silly.
We were still sitting together in the ballroom and kissing about 20 minutes later when we heard someone clearing their throat loudly behind us. We both turned to find Maddie and the twins standing the doorway, watching us intently.
"Hey guys, where have you been? I was looking for you earlier." I greeted happily.
"We were hanging out upstairs. When did you get back?" Maddie enquired curiously.
"About 30 minutes ago. Lance and I were…catching up." I explained sheepishly which made Lance laugh too.
"Yeah, we caught that. We really need to talk to you." Cody announced in a serious tone which startled me.
"I'd better get going." Lance suggested quickly.
"You don't have to leave Lance," Zack stated hurriedly.
"No, it's okay. I have to go clean the pool anyway. I'll see you later London."
He kissed me quickly on the lips and then departed, closing the ballroom door behind him. I turned my attention back my favourite trio, wondering what they wanted to talk about.
"So you and Fish-Boy are dating again then?" Zack asked casually.
"Pretty much." I answered cheerily.
"And you've worked out all of your issues?" Maddie pressed in a concerned voice.
"We have. And I couldn't be happier." I replied seriously.
"Well then we're happy for you London." Cody stated genuinely.
"Thanks guys, I really appreciate your support. Now what did you want to talk to me about?" I questioned impatiently.
"We have a lot of questions. Mainly about the hostage situation and how you and Lance managed to execute your rescue mission." Maddie began plainly.
I sighed. I had sensed there would be more questions from my peers once I was finished talking to my father. Up till this moment, I still had no idea what I was going to tell them. I hoped it would come to me in the moment.
"What do you want to know?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to lead the interrogation.
"We know something's going on, that you have a secret." Cody continued cautiously.
"And do you happen to know what this 'secret' is?" I enquired casually.
The three of them gave each other meaningful looks before Zack spoke.
"We have a few theories, based on our observations. The secret meetings, your long absences from Boston, those unusual accidents and injuries." Zack answered glibly.
"And then you and Lance show up here a few days ago and take down an entire criminal syndicate like it's no big deal. Like you've been trained to do it." Maddie went on seriously.
This was getting uncomfortably close to the truth now. Was there no going back?
"We didn't take them down by ourselves, we had help remember?" I pointed out carefully by glancing at each of them.
"We weren't the only ones who helped. Those operatives on the outside – they weren't part of the police force were they?" Cody asked frankly.
"No." I said softly.
"London, we've risked our lives for you. Don't you think you owe us an explanation for why we did so?" Zack demanded impatiently.
"London, you've gotta tell us something. We're your friends, you can trust us." Maddie persisted earnestly.
I sighed again. This was harder than I thought. Could I really tell them everything like Brandy had told me a year ago? Suddenly the phrase 'no more lies' seemed practical in theory only. The three of them were staring intently at me, waiting for me to speak. Finally I relented.
"Okay, I acknowledge that I have a secret that I've been keeping from the three of you and everyone else. What if I told you that I had an important job to do? One that put me at a lot of risk, but one that also saves countless innocent lives as well? What if I told you that I had to keep this secret in order to protect myself and the identities of the people I care for? Perhaps I dumbed myself down in the process to make the lies more plausible. I thought it would be easier that way." I explained calmly.
For a while, none of them said anything and I thought for certain that I'd already lost them. Then Zack spoke up again and bowled me over with his next words:
"Well in that case, we want in." he announced with a giant smirk on his face.
I paused for a moment to make sure I'd heard right. Did Zack just say they wanted in. Had any of them comprehended what I'd just said?
"What are you talking about? Did you understand a word I just said?"
"We understood." Cody informed me pleasantly with a similar smirk to Zack's.
"Then you'll know that I haven't just been describing Disneyland to you. My life isn't paradise. Okay rephrase, half of my life is paradise because I'm London Tipton. But the other half I just described to you is no 5-star hotel. It's difficult, gritty, dangerous and often hopeless at times. You can't tell the truth about anything; you have to fight like your life depends on it. And sometimes, you have to do some questionable things which go against everything you believe in. Are you honestly telling me you could do that willingly?" I asked them seriously.
"If you can do it, then why not us? Maybe the three of us want to do something that saves lives too. Besides, you and Lance need our help. Think about the possibilities." Maddie urged tantalizingly.
And she was right, there were possibilities. But there was also the possibility that Maddie's parents and Carey might flay me alive for getting their children involved in something like this. On the other hand, their willingness to get involved in this meant that they understood and they had my back no matter what. No one ever said doing the right thing would be easy. But maybe it was a lot simpler than I previously thought, especially when you had people you loved and trusted, fighting on the same side with you.
"What do you say London?" Cody asked carefully, watching my expression.
I hope I didn't live to regret this.
"I'll think about it." I replied slowly.
Wow, it's finally over. It all seems so surreal and anti-climatic. PerennialKillJoy suggested I do a sequel to this story and I already have a few ideas for it. But I need a break from espionage for a while. I'm returning to comedy and romance, my two favourite genres. Keep a look-out for my next story I'm working on. It's a High School Musical cross-over story called "Three's A Musical". Thank you again, you've been wonderful. Viva Smart London and Lance! Snapplelinz out.