Spy School Oneshot Collection

The Rose Garden

Catherine and Alexander attempt to work things out in the meeting Alexander wanted to have in the exclusive edition of SSBI.

"You came," Alexander said. He stood in the rose garden of Orion's chateau, dressed in a suit, as was usual for him, but he also held a rose he had picked, seeing as they were in a rose garden.

"Like I would miss this," Catherine said. "But you have given me big expectations from your letter."

"Right," Alexander nodded, handing Catherine the flower. "I just wanted you to know that I am so, so, terribly sorry for everything that I have screwed up in our relationship."

"It was mostly my fault, really," Catherine admitted. "You told the truth. It would have only been right for me to do the same."

"You couldn't have, though."

"Yes, I could. I put my job above everything else, and that screwed everything else up. That wasn't fair to you or anyone else. I made Erica keep everything a secret from you, her own father. What kind of mother does that?"

Alexander, who had spent his whole life being the one who screwed everything up, wasn't sure what to make of Catherine taking responsibility, so he said nothing, letting her question hang in the cool evening air.

"I'm sorry," Catherine said finally, quietly. Surely.

"I'm sorry, too," Alexander said. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you for just doing your job."

"No," Catherine said. "You had every right to do so, and you still do. My job shouldn't have come before my family."

"Well, I was gone all the time," Alexander said. "You were at least there most of the time. I was always off being useless on missions. And when you were gone, at least you were useful. You were saving the world. I was just screwing it up."

"You weren't screwing it up," Catherine said softly. "You made plenty of mistakes, I'm sure, but the world never ended."

"Lots of people got hurt, though," Alexander said. "The kids, sometimes. You. I should have just admitted that I wasn't made for a career like this. It would have made all our lives a whole lot simpler."

"You were a great help on our mission this time," Catherine said. "We wouldn't have been able to escape Orion's palace or make it to the Eiffel tower in time without you. We wouldn't have made it here without you."

"This time," Alexander said. "But there's been about thirty years worth of other times. One time doesn't make up for all that. I'm still a failure as a spy, and I always will be."

"You just needed a different specialty," Catherine said. "You're a great pilot."

"I've crashed before."

"Alexander, how many times did you crash the car?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know that I can count that high," Alexander said.

"So you're already doing much better than that," Catherine said. "Don't worry about it. We haven't all died yet."

"That's a rather low bar."

"But you've cleared it," she said.

Alexander looked out to where the sun had just dipped below the horizon only a few minutes before. "You deserved so much better," he said.

"I didn't want better," Catherine said. "I didn't want perfect. I wanted you. I love you."

"Even now?"

"Yes, even now. Would I have told you what I was really doing in Mexico if I didn't still love you?" Catherine asked.

"I suppose not," Alexander said. He still felt hurt that he had been lied to for so long, but he wanted to be able to trust Catherine again. He really did. "I just can't believe you were able to hide that you were a spy for so long."