Georgetown

Washington, DC

Book Hill Park

December 22nd, 2015

1130 hours

Mike POV

"Okay, guys... given what occurred yesterday, I'm going to ask that nobody goes alone anywhere, and I'm serious about this," Alexander stated as we sat at the picnic table with our hot chocolate and French pastries.

That shop makes some seriously good stuff. It's no wonder we keep going back there. Or maybe whoever's writing this story is running out of ideas. Besides, we also keep waking up late (except for Cyrus and the military sons, of course).

Anywho, back to the adults.

"I know you want to be as secretive as possible—given the Secret Santa—but please ensure that whoever you're with has some idea of where you are," Catherine added to Alexander's decree. "Everyone understand?"

After some acknowledgements from the group, I raised my hand.

"We're not in class, Michael. Speak freely," Catherine said.

"Yeah, what exactly are we doing today?"

"Hmmm... I don't know. We could try hide-and-seek..."

"C'mon, isn't it boring to do the same thing twice?" Erica interjected.

"You're just saying that because you and Ben got caught," Jawa bluntly pointed out, a smug grin on his face.

"Shut up, doofus!" the girl replied... blushing? And why did Ben seem equally flustered at the comment, whilst Cyrus seemed irritated.

"Be nice, Erica," Alexander scolded before turning back towards me. "And in terms of what we could be doing... there is a lot of snow, and a conveniently placed sled shop," he noticed, pointing behind us.

We turned to see where he was pointing towards. Lo and behold, there was a small stand someone had set up, and he was selling plastic sleds for just $7.00 each.

"Where did that come from?" Cyrus asked, scratching his head. "It wasn't there when we arrived. What is this, some stupid book or film rife with inconsistencies and plot elements appearing from nowhere?"

"Don't worry about it, sir! It's not like there's some fourth wall that we're breaking!" Jawa appeased, getting a little bit of laughter from the rest of us. "Like we established earlier: we are not living in a storybook!"

"..."

"OKAY, SLED TIME!" Zoe shrieked excitedly, making us all jump in surprise. With accuracy on par to Michael Jordan, she yeeted her trash into the appropriate can three yards away and grabbed Erica by the wrist. "Time to prove your mettle, Ice Queen!"

"Wait, Zibbell—" Erica protested.

"DID I STUTTER?!? YOU ARE GOING TO REMOVE THAT STICK FROM YOUR REAR AND HAVE SOME FUN!"

"..."

"NOW, LET'S GOOOOOO!"

"You got this, Zo!" I cheered, making everyone (save for Ben, who betrayed no emotion, and Cyrus, who frowned) roar with laughter as the junior CIA prima donna was dragged off by the energetic cutie known as Zoe Zibbell.

Yes, she's cute, I admit it. Don't all blow your gaskets at once.

"One chocolate macaron says Ice Queen chickens out," Jawa muttered.

"You're on," Chip replied.

"You boys are ridiculous!" Catherine laughed, making Cyrus frown even further.

"That's literally your daughter, Catherine," he grumbled.

"Yes, but it's Christmastime! It's good to lighten up and relax a little! You should too, Cyrus!"

"Listen here, you—"

"Okay, on that note," Alexander interrupted, grabbing Catherine's hand. "Let's go to the library!"

It seemed like an awkward exit, but Alexander had just kept an argument from happening. Not only would it be awkward, it would cause a divide that didn't need to exist at this time.

'Someone's getting into the holiday spirit...' a little voice sarcastically as Cyrus stomped off in a different direction.

'Yep.'

'... that's it? That's all you have to say?'

'Considering what's happened in the last several days, a voice in my head is the least surprising thing.'

'... fair enough. Have you talked to Ben recently?'

I looked over at my best friend, who simply stared at the slope that Zoe and Erica were moving towards the top of (or rather, Zoe was dragging Erica up the slope). As for Chip and Jawa, the brothers-in-arms were laughing over the situation, and as much as I found their commentaries amusing, I wanted to talk to Ben one-on-one.

'I sense a plan coming on...'

'Yes, indeed, voice-in-my-head,' I mockingly replied.

'Hey, I have a name, you know!'

'Yeah, what is it?'

'Well... okay, it is Voice-in-My-Head, but you just got lucky!'

'Never mind...'

"Ben, wanna sled? Just like old times?" I asked, standing.

"Sure," he replied, looking a little excited as we disposed of our trash.

"Excellent," I said, pulling some cash out of my wallet. "Chip, Jawa, you two gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll survive without your presence," Jawa sighed with dramatic sarcasm. "It won't be fun, but... we'll survive."

"Painfully!" Chip moaned, pretending to faint.

"Oy vey," I sighed, pulling Ben along. "Don't destroy anything, yeah?"

"Get outta here, you crazy kids."

We purchased the sled, moving up one of the numerous snow-covered hills in the park. As we went up, we saw several kids—with the occasional ride-along parent—practically flying down the hill, screaming with delight.

We even saw some firefighters going down a nearby hill, their shouts echoing the kids' around them. I guess they had an off day.

"HEEEEEEY BOOOOOOYS!" Zoe called as she and Erica zipped down the slope. Erica sat behind her, clutching the sled and screaming in a panic.

"Hm, she's having flashbacks to Colorado," I commented, making Ben crack a smile. "C'mon, bro. Zoe'll make sure she's taken care of."

"Hang on, it looks like Chip won his bet," Ben suddenly said. "Remember, Jawa bet that Erica would chicken out!"

"Looks like Chip's gettin' another macaron."

"Those things taste good, though. I like the chocolate croissants more, though."

"I hear ya, I hear ya..."

"Hang on... bro, where are we dropping?" Ben asked as we got to the top of the tallest hill, thankfully in an area where even the nearest people were out of earshot.

"Firstly, before anything else, I wanted to ask you a few questions," I said, sitting on the ground, motioning for him to do the same.

"Okay, what's up?"

'Here goes...'

"Long story short, I woke up in the middle of the night a little while ago, overheard some things I shouldn't have heard," I said slowly, watching my friend's eyes widen in response. "Don't worry, I'm not judging you or anything. Just... you okay?"

Ben silently stared at me for a few moments before shifting his gaze back down the hill. A cool, gentle breeze blew through the air, reminding me of all the times I climbed trees when I was younger (and got Ben to do it as well).

"I dunno, man," he finally replied, not looking at me. "It's been one-and-a-half years since... well, you were there. Second Christmas without 'em. Don't get me wrong, I like hanging with you guys, but..."

"Nothing beats family," I finished, nodding. "I hear you. I mean, I've hated celebrating Hanukkah without my family, but... at least we have Skype. And Zoe celebrates it too, so I'm not alone."

"That's good."

"Bro, I know Jawa, Zoe, and I are just along for the ride—considering that we don't actually celebrate Christmas for what it is, and we enjoy the snow and break from school—but Chip and the Hales still celebrate it! I know it ain't your family, but... we can still help you make some good memories!" I rambled, having trouble figuring out what to say.

"Fair point."

"What I'm trying to say, Ben, is that we've got your back," I managed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know the past year-and-a-half has been hard. I'm not going to say that I understand how you're feeling, 'cause that would be a damn lie. But, if nobody else, I just ask that you come to me or some sort of professional. You're my brother from another mother. I'd like for you to stick around in my life, 'cause I can't see it without my best friend."

Ben remained silent, staring at the many cheerful children below. In the distance, I could hear Erica's screams start up again, along with Zoe's raucous laughter.

"Last night... it happened again," he whispered in a hoarse voice, still not facing me. "No matter what happens, no matter how hard I try... he comes back. Every night."

"Who?" I asked as gently as I could.

"Joshua."

It took every ounce of restraint in me to not clench my fist, especially when remembering the operation in Mexico. Long story short, the whole mission went sideways and Ben was kidnapped and tortured by Joshua Hallal. We managed to rescue him and kill his captors, but...

Let's just say that the memories from that mission still give me the occasional bad dream.

Still, there were three positives: firstly, the intelligence gathered from the mission allowed for the mop-up of SPYDER (not by us, though; the military took care of that); secondly, Joshua Hallal was finally killed; lastly, it inspired me to be qualified in performing emergency medical care.

I felt absolutely helpless when I saw Ben that night... I didn't want to be put in a situation where I couldn't save someone's life because I didn't know how.

"What happened?"

"You guys... shot."

"We shot...?"

"No, I mean... you were all shot... by me."

"... you?" I asked, puzzled. "Ben, I know you're not exactly the best with guns, but you know the rules of firearms safety! I mean, it comes from hanging out with Chip, after all!"

"Country boy that's the son of Marines, I know," he said, waving his arms dismissively. "You were all already dead. The bullets were caused by 9-mil rounds. I was carrying a 9-mil."

"Joshua could've done it..."

"He had a .40-cal. Everyone had two rounds on their backs. I had a Glock of some sort. 9-mil, 17 shots. Apart from the extra people on that mission, there were nine of us. I saw eight dead bodies. Two times eight is how many, Mike?"

"Bro..." I said, not liking where this was going.

"Sixteen, Mike. Sixteen! In each one's back! It wasn't just killing, it was execution! I tried shooting Joshua, but... it didn't kill him! It hit a photo in his pocket!"

"Ben..."

"It was all five of us!" he all but shouted, making me very glad we were in a location far from earshot. "Mom, Dad, Jill, Charles, me! That shot hit my head! I was out of the picture, then he burned it! I removed myself from that situation, Mike! I left my family to die, damn it!"

"Not true, man! Not true! Joshua sent those assassins, not you!"

"Then what's the truth, man?!? What's the truth?!? Joshua said it right: when you rescued me, when he didn't call off the assassins, they got my family! He was right..."

"THAT SON OF A BITCH WAS A LIAR!" I finally shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders to face me. I was really glad we were in an area out of earshot. "Listen to me, Ben! He's dead! Dead! Alexander made sure of that! You can't let Hallal win! That bastard was trying to get in your head, make you think you're at fault when he did the crime!"

"But—"

"Do you love your family?"

"... what?" he asked confusedly.

"Do... you... love... your... family?!?"

"Yes!"

"Would you do anything to keep them safe?"

"Yes!"

"Does that include taking a damn bullet for them!"

"What kind of question is that, you jackass?!? Of course I would!" he angrily replied, tears of frustration beginning to leak from his eyes.

"Then how could you be the one to blame?!?"

"..."

"How?!? How?!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" he finally shouted, breathing heavily as tears streamed down his face.

"I don't know..." he began to sob as his body slackened. "I don't know what's going on anymore, man... What's wrong with me?"

"Easy, bro. Easy. Just relax," I said as quietly as I could, keeping one arm around his shoulders as he softly cried. It was like this for a couple of minutes as I tried to help him keep his breathing under control. Thankfully, my attempts were fruitful, and Ben managed to calm down.

"Hey, Ben? For the record, I'm sorry about... you know, getting you all worked up," I said after a moment.

"It... it's fine, Mike," he sniffled, wiping his face. "You've always been there to watch my back."

"I know, brother. I know."

"What do I do, man?"

"I wish I knew," I sighed, feeling completely lost. "I just want you to keep your spirits up, bro. I don't think this is a problem I can solve, nor is it one we can solve in one winter break. Just come talk to me. Or Zoe, or Chip, or Catherine, or Alexander, or whoever. Remember, we're a team. We were in Mexico and we still are."

"A team... consisting of a chatty New Yorker, a Californian with common sense, a comedian jock, a math nerd, a redneck with an affinity for Marines and Jesus, a redeemed pilot with dad jokes, a cheerful Brit, and a grumpy old man," he bluntly replied.

"Don't forget the high-speed overpowered chick!" I added with a smile. "Y'know, the girl who seems to simultaneously possess smarts and looks at the same time... confidence that on occasion seems more like overconfidence or sticks up their rears... y'know, they're only in every YA novel, TV show, or movie ever! There's Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson, Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, Eliza Hanaway in Intelligence Institution, and for us... Erica Hale!"

"Yes, indeed. Don't remind me."

"C'mon, man! You've got a shot! It's like Zoe said: she just has to remove that stick from her rear and stop worrying! I'm just saying, if there's a time it's gonna happen, it'll be now! Christmas spirit!" I encouraged, waving my hands animatedly to emphasize my point.

"... I thought you didn't celebrate Christmas."

"No, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna be an idiot and spoil it for those that do! So just go with it and enjoy the holiday!"

"... Mike, let me tell you something... you might just be the best and worst motivational speaker I've ever met."

"Well, I ain't gonna be a therapist, that's for sure," I joked, eliciting a laugh from my friend.

"Still, I appreciate the talk."

"Like I said, Ben. I've got your back. We all do. We're not gonna fight your fight for you, but I'll be damned if we don't help you in every way we possibly can."

"Thanks, brother."

"Now, what say you to some sledding, ol' buddy?"

"Aw, heck... let's do it."

Zoe POV

"What the hell are you doing?!?" Erica shrieked as we, once again, made it down the slope.

"You're acting like I crashed a helicopter. Relax!" I urged.

"Excuse me—"

"GIRL, DID I FLIPPIN' STUTTER?!? CALM THE FRICK DOWN AND LEARN TO BE A NORMAL FUDGIN' HUMAN BEING!"

"Chill, Zoe! We don't need you meltin' all the snow with that rage!" Jawa shouted from the picnic table further away, causing Chip to laugh so hard, the hot chocolate he was sipping came up his nose.

"Ha-ha, boys! That was original... for once!" I sassed back as I stood, bringing the sled and Erica with me. "As for you, Ice Queen, you need to learn to lighten up."

"Why are you insistent on making me 'normal?' What's wrong with the way I am?" she protested.

"What's wrong is that you're out of your damn mind, Erica! Look around you!" I said, gesturing at all the people around us—from the children sledding down the slopes to the adults drinking coffee at the benches.

"A bunch of people in winter clothing. So what?"

"No offense, Erica, but your family is crazy. As in, crazier than anything I've ever seen in New York, and trust me, I've seen crazy families. Sure, normality is relative, but I can't think of too many people who worry about getting killed on a daily basis. Cops? Yeah! Troops in war zones? Definitely! Civilians caught in the middle of wars? Yep! And where are you? In the USA! In one of the most heavily guarded American cities, at that! I'm more worried about drunk, high, stoned, and distracted drivers than some assassin coming out of nowhere to gut me!"

"There are real threats!"

"Of course there are! And you have the right to prepare for those threats and defend yourself, whether it be with pepper-spray and a pistol on your person or a rifle in your home! But this doesn't mean you can't have friends!" I argued. "What I'm trying to say is that there's nothing wrong with vigilance, but there's nothing wrong with living a normal life, so to speak. There's nothing wrong with happiness!"

"..."

"Ugh... it'll also help you blend in better," I sighed, trying to figure out some way through to get the Ice Queen.

"Oh, that's a good point!" she acknowledged.

"Finally, you agree. Besides, all you have to do is be honest with yourself! For example, remember our girl talk in Colorado?"

"What about it?"

"You were jealous of Jessica Shang!"

"I was not!" she grumbled. "So what if they hugged?"

"Relax, you goof! It's not like they kissed! I mean, I'm sure you would like it if you got to kiss him—"

"So what if I liked it—OH CRAP!" she gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute..." I said, suspicious. "Roll that back, Erica. You liked it. 'Liked' is the past tense of 'like...'"

"Zibbell," she warned, getting increasingly flustered.

"You liked it... OH!" I exclaimed, beginning to laugh. "NO WAY! NO WAY!" I shouted, making some people look towards us.

"People are staring!" she hissed, failing to miss the fact that people ended up looking away.

"YOU ACTUALLY—HOLY CRAP! THIS IS HUGE! WHEN?"

"If I tell you, will you shut up?!?"

"YES!"

"Colorado!"

"C... what?!?" I asked as we went up a hill towards a somewhat secluded area. "What do you mean—when could you have possibly—"

"On the mountain, when we were taking care of that situation near the molybdenum mine!" she hurriedly answered. "I thought we were gonna die 'cause the timer kept counting, and I didn't want his last moments to be unpleasant and—"

"Bullcrap!" I interrupted, not buying her BS for a minute. "You've only done things when they've been for the sake of your pride or the mission! And even for the latter, there's pride involved!"

"That's not true!" she protested, offended by what I said.

"Cut the crap, Hale! If you're being nice, there are only two options: it's a family member or you're in love with the person. Considering that the only way you and Ben are related is the fact that you're both humans, I'd say that you're in love with him!" I ranted.

"Do you even hear yourself?!? We can't have relationships in this line of work!"

"Sure, sure! Which is why you're not even the real thing and you're already acting like an emotionally constipated idiot!" I all but shouted, releasing much of the pent-up frustration I'd had with the Ice Queen over the past few years. "You need to stop this BS of yours! Joshua is dead, damn it! What you two had is gone, and you can't let it come back to haunt you, or it'll drag you down for the rest of your life!"

"Who said anything about Joshua?!?" she growled, getting angrier as I spoke.

"Rumors, rumors, and more rumors. I don't believe everything I hear, but it becomes a bit difficult to ignore when you've got all those SPY-etcetera people saying the exact same thing, and considering that they've often been a step ahead of us, I'm inclined to believe them!"

"Yeah, yeah! Big talk coming from someone who didn't go through the same thing!" she replied angrily, yet... sadly, turning away from me. I swear to God she was crying, but she didn't let me see no tears.

"You have a point," I admitted. "I can't say that I understand what you're going through, and I don't wanna lie. But I can say that I know what it's like to be betrayed. I had a boyfriend before you knew me, first year. Thought he was the coolest, but he turned out to be a big jerk. It was a nasty situation, but I've put it behind me. Erica, stuff like this is a part of life. You're acting as if one slip-up is life-threatening, but that's only true in combat or something along those lines, not in civilian life.

"I know what you're thinking: 'But why is stuff like this so important? What could possibly be the benefit of two people falling in love? It's just leverage that an enemy can use!'

"First of all, we're not in a war zone. Second of all, there are some fights that only you can fight, but not everything can be done alone. Y'know, my uncle always told me that there were two things that kept him sane, despite his job as a SWAT officer: his team that he considers brothers in all but blood; and his wife and kids. The former understands him while the latter provides normalcy.

"Don't you get it, Erica? Romantic relationships themselves are not everything! You've got friends and family who have your back in thick and thin! You can't face the world alone! Humans are ultimately social creatures, and we can't function that way!" I argued. "It doesn't matter whether it's spending time with your dad or dating Ben. What matters is that you need to let people in! Not just anyone, but the ones you love and trust.

"Now, do you understand what I'm saying, Ice Queen?" I panted, ending my (very) long lecture. She was silent for a few moments, still not facing me. I stood awkwardly, facing the back of her head before she finally spoke.

"That was... aggressive. But I think I see your point, Zibbell," she said quietly.

"That's all I needed to hear," I replied with a smile. "And call me Zoe. If I want to hear my last name, I ask Cyrus or the military sons."

"Touche," she chuckled, turning around. "I'll think about what you said."

"Excellent! Now, I think I saw the boys coming up with a sled of their own. Wanna challenge them?"

"... oh, why the hell not?"

Chip POV

"So, we've been sitting here just heckling the girls... oh, and the boys, too. Cyrus stomped off in a huff, Alexander and Catherine went to the library (I think), and we've just been sitting here... for a while," Jawa noted.

"Thank you for that concise summary, Jawa," I bluntly replied. "So... have we just been sittin' here for the past couple of hours?"

"That does seem to be the case, apart from the occasional stretch."

"Hang on, it looks like... oh! They appear to be banterin' at the top of the hill!"

"Can you hear a word they're sayin', Chip?"

"Not a clue, brother. Not a clue."

"It appears that they're about to engage in a little race!"

"Oh, and they're off! Who do you think's gonna win?" I asked, taking on a sports commentator's voice.

"Oh, I don't know, Chip! Physics suggests that Ripley and Brezinski have the best chance possible of beating Hale and Zibbell! This is, of course, given that they are, in fact, not free-falling, but sliding down a snow-covered hill. However, given that the Virginia boys are going against a northerner—who likely has much greater experience with snow—may just hurt their chances!" he replied back in an equally-sports commentator-ish voice.

"OH! AND THE BOYS JUST BARELY MISS A YOUNG FELLER BY A FEW HAIRS! WATCH OUT, BOYS, 'CAUSE YOU MIGHT JUST GET A TICKET FOR RECKLESS DRIVING!"

"OH, BUT THE GIRLS AIN'T ANY BETTER, CHIP! THEY JUST GRAZED A TREE! ARE WE SURE ZIBBELL IS IN COMMAND OF THAT SNOWCRAFT, 'CAUSE WE MIGHT JUST BE LOOKING AT YARD SALE HALE, RIGHT ABOUT NOW!" he shouted, making the two of us explode into gales of laughter.

"OH, THAT'S RICH!"

"SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" the four sledders bellowed from further up the slope, almost in unison.

"Wow, they really seem to hate us, huh Chip?" Jawa asked, resuming his commentator impression.

"Seems that way, Jawa! Seems that way! We oughta greet 'em with some snowballs when they arrive, eh?"

"Winners or losers?"

"Yes."

"... I LOVE IT!"

Alexander POV

"What was that this morning, Alex?" Catherine asked as we walked through the Georgetown Shops.

"Cath, you know that it's Christmas! Why can't you and Dad give it a rest? You did it last Christmas!"

"That was different, Alex! Now, it's a wholly new situation! Cyrus knows exactly why it is the way it is, but he just will not remove that stick from his blasted arse—"

"Cath, calm down!" I pleaded, making the two of us stop. "Look, I know there's no such thing as a perfect—or even conflict-less—family, but can we at least have some semblance of peace? We've been fighting for years, and I want it to stop!"

"Alex, I hate to bring it up, but you were the cause of quite a bit of fighting over the years! It's why we divorced, remember?"

"You had to bring that up, didn't you?" I seethed, frustrated. "Seriously? We're back together, and you bring that up?"

"You didn't let me speak to Cyrus this morning! And you know I'm right that he needs to learn to relax!"

"Cath, Dad's got his own problems," I said, recalling exactly why he was the way he was. He and I were the only ones who knew the truth, and I swore to myself that I'd never tell anyone, not even Cath or Erica.

"Oh, please! It's all in the past! Why can't he just let it go?"

"I don't know, dammit!" I snapped, just short of shouting. Catherine simply stared at me in silence, looking shocked.

"I'm sorry, Cath," I sighed, regretting that I raised my voice. "I really have no idea what to do. What happened to him is something I can't help with myself. Hell, even I got affected by what happened, and some of it's still with me."

I slumped onto the bench we were standing next to, watching all the shoppers cheerfully walk by with their families, without a care in the world. After a moment, I felt Cath sit next to me.

"I'm sorry too, Alex. You're right, I don't have the solution to every problem," she sighed, scooting close and making me instinctively wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I know we're not 'normal' or anything, but... I suppose I'm hell-bent on our family just having some semblance of normalcy."

"I forgive you. Do you forgive me?"

"I do," she replied with a smile, making me pull her closer.

"Whatever the case, I think it's safe to say we screwed up. Me especially."

"Alex..."

"No, I'm serious! There are a bunch of things that could've been prevented had I been a better student—"

"Alex, stop," she ordered, gently yet firmly. "To bemoan about the mistakes of the past without learning from them and applying the lessons forward is pure silliness! It's like Winston Churchill once said: 'Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it!'"

"Wasn't he paraphrasing someone in that... Sayonara?"

"George Santayana, I believe."

"Still, your point is received, Cath."

"Yours as well, dear."

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?" I asked as I pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead.

"Alex, we are in public!" she hissed, a cute blush adorning her cheeks.

"Decorum, decorum..."

"AAAAAAAAAA!" several firefighters screamed as they ran past us, boxes of doughnuts in hand. Several police officers were in hot pursuit, bellowing in a similar manner.

"... do you mean to tell me that the fire/police departmental rivalry is so serious, those policemen have been chasing those firemen for more than 24 hours?" Catherine asked, astounded.

"Maybe they had a truce in between..."

A FEW HOURS LATER...

Zoe POV

"I have an idea!" I exclaimed after we had finished our dinner. To briefly summarize everything that occurred prior, Chip and Jawa had gotten into a snowball fight with the rest of us, which ultimately resulted in a larger, park-wide snowball fight. Even the off-duty firefighters got involved, hamming it up when they got hit by snowballs.

Of course, all good things had to come to an end, and everyone had to go home before it got dark. We ended up doing some grocery shopping, but on our way back, we ended up helping someone whose car was stuck in the snow.

As such, we were too cold and tired to cook anything, so we just broke out the frozen pizzas (Mike's idea, which turned out to be absolutely brilliant) and chowed down on those.

Now, we were back in the living room, and a good few people were already looking concerned about my idea.

"If it's truth-or-dare, I'm out," Chip said almost immediately.

"Spoilsport," I muttered. "Besides, it's two truths and a lie."

"Is this one of those juvenile conversation-centric games again?" Cyrus asked gruffly from the armchair.

"C'mon, sir!" Mike interjected. "It's not that bad! Didn't you do anything like this back in the day?"

"No."

"... oh."

"I'll start, then!" Alexander from the couch. "Get mine over with. Well... I shoot better with a rifle than I do a pistol, I've worked with the US Army's Delta Force, and I'm a qualified helicopter pilot."

"Hmm... all three sound correct..." Jawa reasoned. "This'll be tough..."

"You haven't worked with Delta," Chip bluntly interjected.

"Impressive! That's correct!" Alexander congratulated.

"How did you even—" Erica began.

"C'mon, we know he can fly a bird, so that's out. Plus, unless it's something along the lines of a .50-cal, rifles are always easier to shoot than pistols," the southerner explained. "'Sides, just 'cause you're Agency doesn't mean you work with Delta."

"Excellent deduction... I suppose it's my turn, then!" Catherine said. "Well, I prefer biscuits—the ones made in the South, not the things you Americans would call 'cookies'—over crumpets, I dislike the Harry Potter series, and I've... written fanfiction for the Intelligence Institution series."

"How did that manage to be TMI and not TMI at the same time?" Mike asked after a few moments of silence.

"You've written fanfiction? That has to be a lie!" Ben declared, with most of the rest of the group agreeing.

"Any other answers?"

"Uhh, you don't prefer biscuits to crumpets?" I asked.

"Actually... I actually like the Harry Potter series!" Catherine answered. "I can't believe none of you guessed that..."

"Wait, so you actually prefer biscuits to those tea cakes?" Chip blurted out, evidently shocked.

"You southerners make excellent food, Chip."

"Where's the fanfiction?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"I'll tell you later, Zoe. Now, I believe it's your turn!"

"Alright, this is gonna be great!" I exclaimed excitedly as I thought of things to say. "OKAY! I am a Mario Kart champion, I have familial ties to the NYPD, and I am fully fluent in Hebrew!"

"Easy!" Mike declared. "You are, in fact, not a Mario Kart champion!"

"Curse you, Michael!" I dramatically shouted before faux-fainting onto the sofa.

"Wait, so the other two?" Jawa asked from his chair.

"Yep, my uncle is in the NYPD and I can speak and write Hebrew!"

"These are some fun facts, not gonna lie."

"Brainiac, you wanna continue?"

"Eh, sure! Lemme think," he replied, considering his options for a few moments before turning back towards us. "Okay, the max weight I've ever benched is 200 lbs, I got tutoring in weapons handling from Chip, and I have never fired an M14."

"You benched 200 lbs?!?" Mike asked, shocked. It was especially jarring considering that Mike was taller by several inches (though lankier, I suppose). I guess it's like the saying goes: you can't judge people by their size.

"We've all gotten tutoring in weapons handling, even Erica," Ben reasoned.

"Under duress," she protested, still evidently embarrassed about the Incident. Long story short, crap hit the fan and Erica—much to her mortification and everyone's amusement—ended up getting several weeks of firearms safety/operation training from Chip.

"Hang on a damn minute," Cyrus suddenly said. "There's no way you haven't fired an M14! I saw you do it once!"

"That's correct, sir! I have, in fact, fired an M14! The Enhanced Battle Rifle variant, but an M14 all the same," Jawa revealed.

"Not gonna lie, if you said M4 or MP5 instead, I woulda pegged it for a lie, 'cause I've definitely seen you shoot those," I commented, recalling memories at the range and the operation in Mexico.

"Okay, now... Cyrus!" Catherine said with a gleam in her eye. She looked surprisingly excited for Cyrus's turn.

"This is silly," he bluntly replied.

"C'mon, sir! If we're doin' it, you gotta do it!" Chip urged.

"Ugh... I think that .45 ACP is superior to 9-mil, I was once a UDT operator, and I met General Schwarzkopf."

"The first one's obviously true..." Alexander sighed, almost as if he'd had such a conversation with Cyrus before.

"What's a 'UDT?'" Erica asked, looking confused.

"Seriously?" Jawa asked, looking appalled. "They were only the OG Navy SEALs! The Underwater Demolition Teams were the predecessors to the SEAL Teams, which were born in the '60s!"

"Imma go out on a limb and say you weren't one of those UDT dudes," Mike guessed.

"No, I was not," Cyrus confirmed.

"Hang on, so you met General Schwarzkopf... the General Schwarzkopf?!?" Chip asked, astounded.

"I thought you were a Marine fanboy!" I said questioningly.

"True, true, but he was still a legend in his own right, may God rest his soul. He commanded all the coalition forces in the Gulf War—over three-quarters of a million troops, I think! His planning and leadership of Desert Storm made the operation so successful! A quick, decisive victory!"

"... you really love military history, don't you, Schacter?" Cyrus asked.

"Yessiree!"

"Very well, then... Chip, would you like to go?" Catherine asked.

"Okay, here we go! I've never gone outside of my home state until the Academy, I was shootin' .223 Remington by the age of ten, I've hunted and eaten squirrels, and I fired my first shotgun at six years old!"

"First of all, what's '.223 Remington?'" Catherine asked.

"It's 5.56 mm NATO, but slightly different," Alexander explained. "The rounds are very similar, just... .223 doesn't have the metric system."

"Oh, so Americans do use the metric system, just only for measuring the diameters of bullets."

"Eh, sure. I've seen American snipers shoot targets using both systems of measurement, while British snipers have only used metric..."

"This aside," Erica interrupted, halting the US-UK rivalry once more. "You've eaten... squirrels?"

"Yeah! You find 'em and kill 'em with .22 rounds—varmint rounds—you bring 'em back, skin 'em—"

"EWWWW!" I screamed at the vision in my head, feeling the urge to vomit. "SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"

"Knowing you, this is something you'd do," Jawa sighed. "But I give up. All three sound plausible."

"I shot my first shotgun when I was five."

"..."

"... what?"

"BRUH!" Mike, Ben, Jawa, and I shouted, with the former two throwing pillows at him.

"I have several questions," Erica said, sounding puzzled.

"Yeah! Your family seems more dangerous than the Hales!" I exclaimed.

"No disrespect, Alexander and Catherine, but I've met Chip's parents. In a 'my parents can beat up your parents' scenario... you'd lose," Jawa explained. "Sorry, again. But, to be fair, not only are they Marines and skilled shooters, they're tough—especially Mr. Schacter, who's six-foot-five and jacked."

"Damn," Alexander said, sounding impressed. "Guess that explains a lot about you, Chip."

"Mikey! You're up!" Chip declared.

"Aight... Imma bout to end y'alls' careers... I was a running back on my middle school football team, I shot a gun for the first time at the Academy, and my least favorite sport is hockey!" he rattled off.

"You weren't a running back! Whenever we've played, you've been the quarterback!" Chip recalled.

"True, but I was a running back!"

"I thought you despised martial arts!" Erica added, making Mike scoff.

"Okay, that's a bit of an embellishment, but I admittedly like it less than others. Hockey is my least favorite, though."

"When did you shoot a gun before the Academy?" Jawa asked, sounding curious.

"Oh, I remember this!" Ben exclaimed. "Remember when your brother—"

"Oh, yeah! Family Day at summer camp! We went to the rifle range, shot some cans and pieces of paper! Yeah... good times," Mike sighed nostalgically.

"Sounds like Boy Scouts," Chip noted. Upon Ben and Mike's nodding, he pumped his fist in celebration. "Knew it!"

"Ben, Ben, the ten outta ten!" Mike announced dramatically. "Show us what ya got!"

"Well... I prefer physics to chemistry, I've completed the equivalent of AP Calculus AB and BC, and..."

"And...?" Jawa asked, prompting further words.

"ANDIKISSEDAGIRLONTHELIPS!" he blurted, making everyone's eyes widen in shock (even Cyrus, oddly enough).

"OH! OH-HO-HO! MY MAN!" Mike cheered, reaching towards his best friend and high-fiving him enthusiastically. "YO! THIS IS HUGE!"

"That has to be the lie," Cyrus bluntly interjected.

"Cyrus!" Catherine gasped, making the old man roll his eyes.

"Sorry, Ben, but the first two seem to make more sense than the third," Jawa said apologetically.

"I'll play it safe and go with Jawa," Chip said with an equally apologetic shrug.

"Er... the second one?" I said hesitantly, trying not to give away the fact that I already knew the third was a truth.

"Um... t-to answer your, well, a-answers... I've only finished C-Calc AB," Ben stammered out quickly.

The room went so silent, you could hear a pin drop as everyone gawked at Ben. Finally, after a few moments, Mike began his cheering again, with Jawa and Chip bringing in their own applause.

"YO! THIS IS AMAZING!" Mike laughed as he did a little victory dance. "MY MAN! YOU DA MAN! WHOOOOOO!"

"Nice work, bro!" Jawa congratulated with a thumbs-up.

"Who's the girl?" Chip asked slyly.

"Er... unknown," Ben replied hesitantly.

"BEN AND UNKNOWN SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! FIRST COMES LOVE AND THEN COMES MARRIAGE! THEN COMES A NERDY BABY IN A CARRIAGE!" Mike sang, making the room fall into raucous laughter.

Throughout all of this, I don't think anyone noticed Erica's flustered appearance apart from me.

A few minutes later, when the hype finally died down, we finally moved on to Erica.

"Now, Erica, finish us off!" Mike said cheerfully, still excited from earlier.

"Well... I shot my first gun when I was six, I used to sleep with a teddy bear, and I prefer cats to dogs."

"Okay, time to consider the Hale factor," Jawa said, as if making a calculation.

"The first isn't out of the question due to Hales, the second isn't out of the question due to children, and the third isn't out of question due to Erica's overall personality," I reasoned. "Thoughts, anyone?"

"One," Jawa and I decided.

"Two!" Ben and Chip said.

"Three!" Mike blurted.

"Mike is... correct," Erica slowly replied.

"LET'S GOOO!" Mike cheered as he raised his hands up in a victory pose. "AW YEAH! I'M ON FIYAAAAH!"

"Okay, heat demon, just don't catch us all on fire, okay?" Chip asked, eliciting sniggers from Jawa and Ben.

"Excellent... now what?" Cyrus asked.

"Tru—"

"Zibbell, just no."

"I mean, there are always movies!" Alexander interjected, which only spawned an argument over which movie to watch. Thankfully, in our prior quest for fun facts and current debate, it seems that everyone had forgotten about the whole kiss slip-up from Ben.

Catherine POV

I definitely didn't forget the whole kiss slip-up from Ben, and I definitely noticed my daughter blushing.

I must have a chat with her... 

The purpose of this chapter was to thoroughly investigate the characters, especially Ben, Erica, and Alexander.  When combining my story with elements of canon, I realized that there are several major issues with these characters.  These are character flaws or simply battles that they must overcome.  They must rectify the problems on their own, but this doesn't mean they can't have support in the process.

Also, Mike and Zoe present a different kind of sympathy: an aggressive one, encouraging not necessarily for their friends to "get over it," but to charge the problem and fight it.

Yes, it's somewhat ironic, especially given the existence of Chip and Jawa's characters (literal sons of a Marine Raider and Navy SWCC, respectively, who take after their fathers), but... keep in mind, while they are friends with Ben (and Erica), Mike and Zoe are even better friends (having a bit of a closer connection).  Thus, it makes some sense (in my head, at least) that Mike and Zoe give Ben and Erica a more direct, aggressive talk.

Catherine and Cyrus... the stereotypical in-laws situation, with Alexander trying to keep the peace.

The two-truths-and-a-lie... another of Zoe's suggestions of doom!

Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a comment!

Take care of yourselves and each other.  Until next time,

- ADF-2