Lately I've been really into One Direction and I was thoroughly disappointed with the reunion. I wanted a song or them to MAKE THE INFINITY MUSIC VIDEO or even a zoom would suffice. Not rereleasing songs that are already out in 4k. Sorry I thought I would get this one done sooner but then I went to the beach with a bunch of my friends today which took the entire day whoops. We saw so many stingrays it was gross.

Only ONE MORE CHAPTER after this one!! (Not including the authors note). Wow this is very sad. I think I will finish it before the story's seven month anniversary on July 31. Time really flies!

ALSO!! At 200 followers on my account, I will be doing ANOTHER face reveal. This one will have more pictures of me and hopefully they'll show a more clear view of who I am in real life, like my interests and hobbies and whatever.

IMPORTANT EDIT: THERE IS A WATTPAD SECURITY BREACH! CHECK YOUR EMAILS AND CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS!!

But until then, don't forget to vote and comment! Please enjoy!

I instantly recoiled at the site of Erica fully making out with Joshua. Even the guards were frozen, absolutely stunned. Joshua was surprised, but he definitely didn't protest one bit. It was French kissing too, which was really gross to watch.

Erica suddenly surged forward harshly while making out with Joshua, causing him to gag hard and stumble backwards. In the second it took the guards to decide whether to go after us or help Joshua, Erica started sprinting directly at me.

"Ben, RUN!" She shouted at me as she sped right past me. Concerned because of the urgency of her tone, I started running, following her.

Half of the guards were helping Joshua while the others figured they should chase after us. Luckily we parked really far up the driveway, so we ran past the perpendicular parked SUV. The guards tried to hop in their cars, but they were blocked by their own car. They had to move that one before advancing. We only had to run by the SUV.

Erica hopped in the driver's seat and had her foot on the gas before I even closed the door. Since we shot the gate, it was open just wide enough for us to go through. The SUV's chasing us couldn't fit through. Because we absolutely destroyed the lock pad, the guards had to push the gate open themselves and it was very heavy.

Erica was driving white knuckled and didn't slow down on the dirt paths, and didn't even slow when we got to the highway. She was driving almost twenty miles per hour above the speed limit. Good thing she was controlled and wasn't driving erratically.

She was focused and in the zone. I had no idea what had just happened but I trusted her. After a few minutes of pushing ninety five miles per hour, she slowed significantly to the actual speed limit. In the rearview mirror, I could barely make out the black SUV's trying to find. The advantage of borrowing *ahem* stealing a car was that it looked exactly like all the other cars the locals drove.

"Erica, what's going on? What did you-" I started to ask but she interrupted me by turning on the local radio station. She listened intently to it and out of curiosity, I did too.

"If you're just joining us now, I am outside the United States capitol building where the United State's state of the union address currently happening. As we speak, President Jackson Walsh is rounding out his final statements. Make sure to tune in tonight at eleven for the full scoop of the address."

The meeting was over. Nothing happened. We did it! We actually saved the entire US goverm-

Suddenly, the loudest boom I've ever heard in my entire life ripped through my eardrums. The whole ground shook and I heard screaming from people around us. The shock of it caused cars to swerve and nearly hit us multiple times. Out of instinct, I took cover, putting myself in a brace position. Once I quickly realized nothing happened to me, I got up and got a good look at what had happened.

Erica looked rattled, but otherwise fine. She did a good job of keeping the car in control during the chaos. But behind us was a different story. Cars were pulled over and some even stopped in the middle of the freeway. Luckily, it seemed like everyone was fine and not physically hurt. In the sky, a big smoking cloud was seen above a heavily forested area. It looked like a huge explosion had gone off there... what just happened?

"Erica, what-" I started to ask.

"It worked," she said with shock and disbelief on her face.

"What did?" I asked, super confused.

"While we were talking to Joshua, lots of things occured to me at once. If we had eaten off the same exact tray, why were you the only one who had a bomb? What if you had chosen the peanut butter like I did? And that thing in my teeth. Why wasn't it coming out? While talking to Joshua, I realized that it was a bomb as well. The peanut butter must have saved me as the bomb must have gotten stuck to my mouth, thus I didn't ingest it yet. I should have figured it out earlier but it just felt like a piece of meat or something stuck in my gum. But it was finally unstuck. When I realized what it was while talking to Joshua, I didn't know what to do with it. That's why Joshua was in such a rush to leave. That's why Murray drove off when he saw us. Murray thought we still had the bomb, but you told Joshua we knew about the bomb. He knows we probably destroyed both because we knew about it. Joshua didn't think about the fact that we didn't know about my bomb. Anyway, I realized that as he was talking and thought that, if we had to have the bomb go off anywhere, those wooded areas would be the place. The bomb chemical particles couldn't reach the freeways or really anyone else. So I impulsively started kissing Joshua. While we were making out, I slipped the bomb into his mouth. I used my tongue and shoved it down his throat, making him gag. It was disgusting. I shoved him down and that's when I started running towards you."

I recoiled at that last vivid description of the make out session, but I had to admit that was genius. I can't believe I didn't consider Erica's bomb thing myself. She was complaining about it since Joshua's campaign event. It makes perfect sense.

"So was that Joshua that just blew up?" I asked timidly. Even though he's been tormenting my life for the last thirteen years, no one deserves to die in such a gruesome and painful way (although he was going to subject me to the same death. Hmm.)

Erica avoided eye contact and maybe looked a little pained herself. I forgot sometimes that Joshua and Erica were at one point dating. They were close and knew each other very well. Even though he betrayed her and the entire United States government, feelings and emotions for people are still valid. He was a despicable human being, but still a human being. It hurts to lose someone you know, despite what they did. And Erica has to live with knowing that she did that to him. That can't be easy. Maybe Joshua could have done something great in his life (although I honestly doubt it) in a few years. I'm not too quick to judge people based on their mistakes and flaws, even though Joshua had a lot. He was still a human being that doesn't deserve an end like that. In the end, we're all humans.

Maybe I was rationalizing and humanizing him since he's probably dead. I still knew Joshua for over half my life. But I do believe that humans make mistakes and bad ones, but still have a chance for forgiveness and love. Joshua didn't get any of that.

Of course, I didn't blame Erica at all. Joshua put himself and us in that situation. Things were bound to go wrong.

"What I'm confused about is why the metal detector didn't beep at me," Erica said, completely ignoring my previous question, "Why only you?"

I thought about that for a second, then became acutely aware of a little bulge in my pant's pocket. For some reason, I felt compelled not to say anything to Erica. Discreetly, I slipped my hand in my pocket. Yep. Mark Dazy's ring.

I wore the same pants today as I did at Joshua's campaign event. I completely forgot about the ring I slipped in my pocket. It was lightweight and not noticeable. No wonder the metal detector went off! The ring is made from a barrel of a gun in World War I. Metal detectors obviously detect guns. And Erica said not to take off my pants when I took most of my clothes off to walk through it. It was in my pocket the entire time.

I sat in silence. I also completely forgot how weird it was to see on Joshua's doormat. It was supposed to be on a dead man's hand. I found it very unlikely that Joshua would intentionally put it on his doormat (if someone else found it and the media found out it belonged to his dead mentor there would be issues) so it must be a ghost... unless...

Audrey said that the substance given to Mark that caused his death was a non-lethal allergy medication. There was a chance he didn't die in the first place. Did he plant the ring? Why would he be all the way out here in DC when he is supposed to be in Nebraska? But most importantly, where was he now?

There was one place I thought to try. The only place I could think of. It wouldn't hurt to try.

"Hey, can you drop me off at the Smithsonian?" I asked Erica.

She shot me a very confused side look, "The Smithsonian? Why?"

"There's something I want to check out," I said vaguely.

Noticing the seriousness and urgency in my tone, she changed course without any further questions.

The National Mall and Smithsonian hold a very special place in my heart. Not only did Erica and I hideout outside and near the Smithsonian in my very first year of spy school and when the secret service was hunting me, Erica and I also ran and hid from people pursuing us in the Smithsonian. That mall has been instrumental in my entire spy school journey. Only fitting that I would round out my time as a spy at that very location.

Erica pulled up in front of the National Mall and I got out.

"How are you going to get back?" She asked me through the open window.

"I'll find my way back," I said, waving her off.

She gave me another perplexed look but nodded at me and drove off. She probably thought I was crazy. I had just witnessed a bombing and had one in me today and yet I wanted to go to the Smithsonian. Like I trusted her, I guess she trusts me.

As I know from over ten years ago, admission to the Smithsonian was free. I walked by all the unsuspecting tourists and went to a specific exhibit. I knew realistically that my expectation was probably not going to happen.

I sat down on a bench in the far corner of the exhibit. In front of me, an entire display of artillery used of weapons used in World War I as part of the World War I exhibit.

I never really got a chance to look at the ring clearly, as I had just slipped it in my pocket and obviously forgotten about it. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a rusty copper color, with a smooth band. It was a very simple, yet practical design that was common with wedding rings when people couldn't afford them. This ring was special because it had a more wooden look to it as it was carved from the handle of a gun used during the war. Engraved inside the band was a date. 10•18•18. October 18, 1918. Less than a month before the Great War officially ended. It made me wonder what the history behind this ring was and the history of the person who made it.

I sat on the bench turning the ring in my hands. Someone sat next to me. My head was down studying the ring.

"Long day?" The person asked.

I gave a little laugh, "You don't even know."

The older man chuckled, "Maybe I do."

I finally sat up and looked over at him. He was an older man, about mid seventies, but still seemed fairly healthy and mobile.

But most importantly, he resembled Hailey Dazy.

"Mark Dazy," I said simply, in sort of a daze. I didn't think that my prediction would be right. I went out here on a whim, as this was such a long shot.

He gave me a smile and stuck his hand out, "Pleasure to meet you Ben Ripley."

"How do you know who I am?" I asked with shock.

I don't think I fully processed his presence yet. He's here, alive and seemingly fairly healthy. What had happened? Why is he here in DC? And if he's here... that means Hailey didn't kill him.

Mark chuckled, "Son, I worked in the United States government for decades. You don't think I know about the academy of espionage? And you were quite the talk of the town back when I went there."

"But why are you alive? What's going on? How did you know I'm Ben?"

"This is too public," he said, standing up, "Come join me for coffee."

Mindlessly, I stood up and followed him to a nearby coffee shop. It was nearly empty and we could talk in private.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Mark started after we both got our coffee, "And you can ask me any questions and I'll try to answer them the best I can."

I was still in shock and only nodded. I had so many questions, I didn't know where to start. So I started at what was at the top of my mind at the moment.

"Did you know about Joshua?" I asked.

"I knew all about Joshua and his nefarious organization when it was all going down, oh, I'd say ten years ago. I worked in the United States government for Pete's sake and they were a national security threat. It was under tight wraps, but as a member of the congress, we knew all about him. After some time, his organization and Joshua disappeared for a while. So when Joshua appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be Joshua Duncan, I was more suspicious. Joshua had no idea I knew he was as I'm 'just a low ranked representative from Nebraska'. I was obviously very curious. You know the phrase 'keep your friends close but enemies closer', I decided if I wanted to figure out what the heck was going on, I had to play along. I welcomed Joshua in, but I never even thought he'd go as far to attempt to kill me, even though I did suspect it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued.

"Did Hailey ever tell you about this ring?" He asked, pointing to the old band in my hand.

"I little bit," I told him.

"It is a family heirloom from World War I, but you already knew that from where you met me. It was carved by hand from the handle of a gun used in the war. It was going to be a gift to my grandmother after the war, but a mere two weeks before the war ended, he was struck by a bullet and killed. A fellow soldier and friend of my grandfather's saved it and gave it to my grandma after the war. Hence the date carved in it. It's been passed through the Dazy family for generations afterwards," Mark explained, "I was never sure which child I'd give the ring to. Oldest was the most obvious, but I wasn't sure I wanted to give it to Diana. Once Hailey, a young woman only eighteen years old, told me after high school she was leaving the farm to pursue her career in New York, I knew she deserved it. She didn't ask me, she told me. I am so proud of her for that. She is strong, independent and brave. Hailey thought for herself and didn't cave to the pressure of staying and working the farm, like all of her older siblings. It reminded me of my younger self, when I left home to study politics. It was unheard of and really caused a riff in my relationship with my parents. But in the end, I'm so glad I did it as I love my job. Loved." He corrected himself.

I paused as he continued, "But I was getting increasingly suspicious of Joshua. He was doing some very shady and secretive things, even for his standard. I was planning to leave Hailey the ring in my will, but realizing what was going on in the house, I took her to coffee, much like we're doing now. I met her halfway from DC to where she worked in New York. I told her that I loved her and that she inherited the ring, no matter what. Just in case. That was the last time we were together, just daughter and father, until my 'death'."

"Do you blame Hailey?" That was the first question to come to mind and I was really, genuinely curious.

Mark shook his head rapidly, "Not in the slightest. I knew it was Joshua the moment I started to feel extremely groggy. When I learned later Hailey did it too, I was obviously unexpected, but not surprised. I don't blame her one bit. Hailey was quite smitten with Joshua. Growing up in a small town on a farm didn't have many opportunities to meet great guys. They were mostly country boys, which weren't her type. When a smart, sophisticated city boy came to town, she was very interested in him. Joshua and Hailey were together for quite some time. Joshua convinced her I was overworked and needed a break. The whole plan was executed by Hailey so Joshua could remain innocent. She was manipulated by him. And she would do anything for me or Joshua at that point. And I guess they were right. I was overworked and super stressed. I should have retired years ago. Hailey has good intentions, but her follow through wasn't great. I'm just glad you all came down and solved the case. I don't blame Hailey for anything and I hope she didn't blame herself too much."

"So what happened? How are you here and why are you alive?" I asked.

"All that allergy medicine Joshua gave me wasn't lethal. It makes seniors, like myself, very drowsy. It made me so drowsy that I actually fell into a death-like coma for twenty five minutes. My heart was beating so faintly that these small-town doctors couldn't detect it. Hence, they pronounced me dead. But I woke up later, about an hour and a half later on a gurney in a cabinet in a morgue. I escaped that place in the middle of the night and eventually made my way to Washington DC."

What Mark just said is totally possible. When we checked the footage at the morgue, we were looking for people breaking in, not sneaking out. It would make sense why the body went in the cabinet, but was gone when we found it later.

"Why did you put the ring on the rug?" I asked him.

"I learned from the news Joshua was having an event. I knew you and Erica and your friends from spy school were on the case, so I suspected you were coming. When I saw you guys and Hailey enter, I knew I had to do something to tip you guys off that I was alive. The ring with the only way I thought to do it. To be honest, I thought Hailey would find it but I'm glad you did. I had to be super secretive though, because Joshua didn't even know that I was alive. I don't think he even does now."

"And he probably won't know for the rest of eternity," I said, "He's most likely dead."

Mark's eyes widened, "What happened?"

So I filled him in from the very, very beginning. I told him about how I was watching the news and saw his story. How I contacted all my friends and made it to the farm. How we wound up in DC and everything, including the tragic end of Joshua Hallal.

Mark whistled through his teeth, "You all were very busy. Thank you for finding justice. Thank you for working hard. I guess it is finally time for me to retire. I'm finally realizing how old I actually am," he said with a chuckle, "And thank you for making my daughter happy."

I almost forgot about that whole thing.

"I don't know anymore," I admitted, "We both lied to each other and hurt each other. Can we ever recover?"

"'Maybe not now, at this moment. But talk to her. She's interested in you and you seem interested in her. And no relationship with only happiness and fluff ever works out. Fights strengthen solid relationships. If you can learn to forgive each other and grow, that is the recipe for a strong relationship." Mark told me.

I took his words very seriously. I respected him not only as a congressman, but as a wise man. And his words were true. My parents used to fight a lot and they had couples therapy and are better and stronger than ever right now. They learn to trust, forgive, love, and grow as people in their marriage And I did not want to give up on Hailey and us. I love her. It's the start of something great but maybe now is not the best time for either of us. I had a long day and didn't want to jump to conclusions. I don't know what the future held but I definitely want to keep in touch, at the very least, with Hailey. I know we all do.

"I do know that we can grow and are both willing to grow and adapt. I'm just not sure we're right for each other at the moment. We hurt each other. It's been a very long time since I had a serious relationship. I care very deeply for her, but I don't know if I deserve her. I was quite harsh with her during our argument." I said quietly. I really felt bad about how cold I acted toward her. She didn't deserve that after she didn't freak out I was spying on her.

"I would reconsider," Mark said with a kind smile, "From what I know, Hailey seems very in love with you. I would cut her some slack; I think the guilt of what she thought she did was weighing down on her. And if you are going to make it work somewhere down the line, you guys have to work on trust. You lied to her about being a spy and she lied to you about me. Both of you are at fault."

Mark was very right. I had no right to blame it all on her, as I was as at fault as she was. Being a spy is a huge secret to hold. I can only imagine how insulted she was and how she felt after her privacy was violated. And technically, she wasn't a murderer (even if was technically manslaughter) and that was a plus.

"I'm not sure," I told him honestly, "I love Hailey, I do. I'm just not sure it's going to work out right now."

Mark smiled with a knowing smile and patted my leg, "Well I'm sure you'll figure it out one day."

I nodded slowly, "I hope."

"I'm sure you have to get back to your friends," Mark said, finishing off his coffee, "I'll leave you. And I hope you can keep this between us until everything is sorted out."

"Of course," I said sincerely.

Mark gave a warm smile. He reminded me of a kind, older and wise grandfather. Both my grandfathers died and I only have grandmothers left. It was a nice feeling to talk with Mark.

As he was about to leave the shop, I realized I still had his ring.

"Wait!" I called out, "Your ring!"

He waved me off with a grin, "Keep it for now. One day, I think you'll know what to do with it. It'll show my approval. No one knows what the future will hold. If it doesn't work, keep it anyway. To remember." Mark left before I could ask him what he meant.

I turned back around in my seat and pondered that cryptic message. While I was thinking, I rolled the ring in my hands slowly. What did the future hold for me, now that this is over?

And that is the end of this part. Some of you predicted parts of it, so good job! THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY!!!! It is the end of this PART BUT THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE!!! IT IS NOT THE END!! We will learn in the next chapter what the future holds for all of our characters. The next chapter will be the end though :((. I'm so sad it's coming to an end in the next chapter!! Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to vote and comment!!