It's Not What You Think

Chapter 11

"What was that?" Alexander screamed, rolling out from under Catherine as ceiling debris rained down on them.

"I'm not quite sure," Catherine said.

"Then how did you know about it?"

"I could hear the missile coming," Catherine said.

"And so you just tackled me?" Alexander asked.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Catherine asked. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Tackling me very much could have hurt me," Alexander said.

"Not as much as a missile could" Catherine said.

"It didn't come that close to hitting us."

"That isn't close?" Catherine asked, pointing up at the now nonexistent ceiling. "Because I think that most people would consider that rather close."

"Well, what would have happened if the missile had come in lower?" Alexander asked.

"Then I guess we would have just died," Catherine said, trying to figure out what on earth Alexander was thinking. "Would you have rather been hit by a missile? Because I did exactly what we were both trained to do."

"Sorry," Alexander said.

"Ok," Catherine said.

"Ok?" Alexander asked. "I said 'sorry', and you said 'ok.'"

"Yes, I did," Catherine said.

"Well what kind of a reaction is that?" Alexander asked.

"A lousy one," Catherine said. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," Alexander said.

"Are you still sorry?"

"Yes."

"So we're both sorry?" Catherine said.

"That does appear to be the case," Alexander said.

"Then why are we having such a huge argument still?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know," Alexander said. "It wasn't like I started it."

"Well, I certainly didn't," Catherine said.

"You're the one who's the space alien!" Alexander exclaimed.

"I didn't ask to be a Plutonian, ok?" Catherine said. "Just like you didn't ask to be a Hale. These are things that we had no control over."

"Yes, but you lied to me about being from Pluto," Alexander said. "I never lied to you about being a Hale."

"When did I ever say to you that I am not from Pluto?" Catherine asked.

"Never, but you didn't say that you were, and I think that that is really the kind of thing that you need to disclose in order for a relationship to work."

"I've disclosed it now," Catherine said.

"Yeah, but that was a little late," Alexander said. "I really would have liked to know that when I met you."

"Why?" Catherine asked. "What would that have changed? Would you have still married me?"

"I don't know," Alexander said. "It's hard to tell. But probably."

"Probably," Catherine repeated. "That makes sense. Do you regret having married me?"

"Not exactly," Alexander said.

"Did you use to?"

"Yes," Alexander said. "Well, not like I didn't ever like you, that I didn't ever love you, but..."

"But divorce is messy and complicated, and for a few years we both really hated each other," Catherine said.

"Well, yes," Alexander said.

"Alexander, I don't want to go back to that," Catherine said.

"Things can't just go back to normal, though," Alexander said.

"I know that too," Catherine agreed. "But things weren't really ever normal in the first place. Things were always complicated. Things were always... Look, I don't think that spies even in the best of situations can have typical lives."

"We can't," Alexander said. "But our lives are supposed to be better. James Bond could get any girl he wanted."

"How many girls do you want?" Catherine asked.

"You." Alexander was surprised by the definite and instinctual nature of his own answer to this question. And even though it was what he had said, he didn't actually know how true it was. Catherine was just... He just didn't know who she was. He didn't know how he ever could know who she truly was.

"That's not exactly a number," Catherine said.

"It's my answer," Alexander said.

Catherine smiled. "Well, then."

Alexander sighed. "I guess we ought to worry more about that missile then."

"I would much rather do that than argue with you," Catherine said.

"So, what do you think the deal with the missile is?" Alexander asked.

"I-" Catherine started to say something, but she quickly cut herself off.

"What is it?" Alexander asked.

"I think there's another one coming."

"You can hear it?"

Catherine dropped to the floor, pulling Alexander down with her.

"What's happening?" Alexander asked.

"I don't know," Catherine said. "But we need to get out of here."

Staying low, Catherine headed for the door, and Alexander followed her, not really sure if he should trust her, but not really having a reason not to.

As soon as they got outside, Catherine looked out at the water just in time to see the second missile land there, creating a giant wave, like a mega-sized version of the ripples that form when a rock is thrown into a pond.

Cyrus, who had been out on his boat fishing, was pushed into shore, his boat surfing on the wave. About a hundred feet from shore, the boat flipped, and Cyrus tumbled out of it.

When Cyrus finally got to shore, he was soaking wet and quite angry.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted at Catherine.

"She just came to make amends," Alexander said.

"She's going to get us killed," Cyrus said.

"How would I do that?" Catherine asked.

"These missiles certainly aren't coming for me," Cyrus said.

"It landed in the water where you were," Catherine pointed out.

"That was the second missile," Cyrus said. "The first one landed where the two of you were."

"Does it really matter?" Alexander asked. "Can we all please just focus on not getting killed?"

"I am, by getting her as far away from us as possible," Cyrus said.

Catherine could hear another missile incoming, but it was still too far away for the men to hear.

"Fine," she said. "I'll leave." She turned and started running down the shoreline.

"Catherine, wait!" Alexander called after her, trying to keep up.

Catherine turned briefly and said, "You'll be able to find me."

And then she disappeared from Alexander's sight, right as another missile plunked into the water and shot up another huge spray of water.