The fight against Codex was still on going, since that they had found out that Gwen wasn't the head of the organization. She was just a victim like the others who had fought for a better world, even though in the wrong way. But Mac would have tried to remedy, by appealing to the scientific community, informing it about the discoveries carried out by his mother and his aunt. After all, he had a debt with them. They had sacrificed themselves for him and also, his father. Luckily, he wasn't alone in this undertaking. His "family", the Fenix, was with him, always ready to support him and to fight for him.

As regards the love front, the situation was a little more complicated. He and Desi had finally understood that they weren't made for each other and so they had decided to break up by mutual agreement and to remain friends.

Mac had finally decided to admit to himself of being in love with Riley, but he really didn't know how to confess her. Who knows him, knows how much he can be introverted and closed about relationships, but with Riley, it was different. She had seen him at his worse but she hadn't left him alone, she kept trusting him, even with all the proves against him. She went to take him back and thanks to her, he had finally got back his true self. Maybe, it was for this reason that he thought that she could be the right woman for him, with whom he could build a family, that he had never had. Well, it was pointless thinking about it, now he had to act.

He couldn't wait to come back home. Since when she had moved in, the house was again full of life, returning to being a second base of operations for the band. Before coming back home, he stopped to buy some snacks for his "Riles", a real glutton. Mac preferred a healthier diet, but sometimes he could step out the line!

Once parked, he became suspicious of not seeing just one light on, except that of the television.

"Where could she have gone?" He thought a little worried. Once opened the door, he couldn't avoid to smile. The girl, evidently exhausted from the last events, was literally passed out on the sofa, inevitably in front of her beloved videogames.

In the last period, she had really given all herself to find the other members of Codex, that damn organization that had taken from him his mother, his father and his aunt, who was just starting to know. Beyond for the obvious danger that it represented for the entire global population, Riley knew that it was something more personal to Mac and she was trying to understand it. By the way, she had been doing it since their first met, but he was too afraid to admit himself his own feelings; at first, cause to his recent break up with Nikki, who he thought of having been betrayed by, then there was the period in Nigeria with Nasha and, at last, the relation with Desi. In short, he had finally realised that Riley was the right woman for him and he had really lost too much time before understanding that she wasn't just his best friend. It's impossible being jealous of your best friend! He would have really broken Billy's face, for having reserved her the worse treatment, betraying her repeatedly. Or Aubrey, who wasn't evidently able to accept her true self.

Between him and Riley there had never been this problem, understanding each other with just a gaze, a thing that many couple who had been staying together for many years still hadn't. First of all, he had to tell her that he and Desi had broken up and he had to understand if he was returned, because if not, he would have risked of ruining their long – standing and solid friendship.

He put down the food on the counter in the kitchen and went to "get her back". He knocked down in front of her and he moved away a strand of her hair. His gaze felt on her gorgeous lips that he would wanted to fill in of kisses, but he had to stop himself immediately, otherwise he would have lost control.

As for first thing, he should have had to slip out the joystick of her hands and take her to bed, where she would have been more comfortable.

With many moves, worthy of an acrobat, he managed to slip it out of her hands, without waking her up. Then, with very much delicacy, he started to lift her, resting her head on his shoulder and putting one arm under her knees and the other, circling her back. And after having lifted her without any effort and, mainly without waking her, he headed to her room.

In the meantime, speaking in her sleep, Riley said: "I love you, Mac...". To those words, Mac's heart started to beat so much that he thought it was going to explode, holding her even more tightly.

Now, he was sure, the next day he would have confessed her. It was time to be finally happy with the woman he loved by his side.

Once in the room, even reluctantly, he leaned her on the bed, tucking her in and caressing her. He had started heading to the door, when he changed his mind. He would have really liked to see her expression in the morning. Taken off jacket and shoes, he leaned near her, resting her head on his lap.

<<Goodnight, my love.>> And said that, he started looking at the stars out of the window, the only witnesses of that love, at least for now.