Only The Goode Spy Forever

Chapter 52: Love

  Chase Goode sat in the P&E barn late at night. He checked his watch. It was 12:05. He sighed and got up to leave. Just as he grabbed the handle the barn door slid open.
  "Bree!" Chase exclaimed. "I thought that you wouldn't come." She shrugged. She was still mad from their fight. Chase grinned at her and scooped her into his arms.
  "Chase!" She protested. "I'm still mad at you!" She was laughing. She smiled as they met eyes. He sat on the ground and she sat in between his legs and leaned her head back onto his shoulder.
  "I knew that you couldn't stay mad at me," he said as he played with the tips of her hair. She leaned her head back and looked into his eyes.
  "But I need you be honest with me, Chase. Just once," Bree pleaded. Chase nodded. He cared about her too much to lose her.
  "What do you want to know?" He asked. Bree smiled. She was quiet for a moment, deep in thought.
  "Do you want kids?"
  "That's what you want to know? I promise to be honest and you ask that?"
   "Chase."
   "Yes." Bree smiled at Chase's answer. "But I don't think I would be a good dad. My dad sure wasn't when I was little."
   "What do you mean?" Bree asked. Chase sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
  "My dad is a good person. He's a good dad, really. It's just, when Anna was born a threat was kind of made towards my family. My dad became obsessed with trying to find the people who made this threat. He did awful things. He was never home, he basically left my mom. It got so bad that Anna started calling my papa Ed dad," Chase explained.
  "What made him come back to you guys?" Bree wondered aloud.
  "A mission. My dad got close to catching the people that made the threats. He got stuck though. For months my family was told that he was dead. My mom was pregnant with Riley. When my dad finally made it back to us he knew he couldn't leave again," Chase said. "I can't do that to you." Bree turned to him. She touched his face.
  "You won't," she said. Chase shook his head. Bree sighed. "We're going to be together."
  "You're a dreamer," Chase said with a sad chuckle.
  "Maybe," she said softly. "What's holding us back?" Chase looked at her intently.
"You know. The path I'm set to be on isn't what you want. I don't want this life for you. All I want is for you to be safe," he said.
"And all I want is you," she said strongly.
"How do you expect me to forget all the words in my head? I'm not being trained to be a spy, Bree. I can choose that path. That's not who I'm supposed to be," he snapped.
"What are you supposed to be?"
"I can't tell you."
"Say it!"
"Gallagher Girl," Chase said softly.
"Say it! Why are you so scared, Chase? You pretend that you're fearless but you're not. Now tell me, what are you so afraid of!" Bree shouted.
"I'm afraid of losing you!" Chase cried. "Okay? I'm afraid of losing you. I'm not a good person to be around. I could hurt you. I've been trained to hurt you. Everyone I love always gets hurt!"
"You love me," Bree stated. She was smiling. He didn't smile back or say anything. Her smile faded. "You love me?"
"Bree," he said softly. She relaxed. She knew that he wouldn't answer her question. He didn't want to think about everything that could happen to them. He just wanted to be there together.
"We're going to be together," Bree chirped with a smile.
"You're a dreamer," Chase laughed. She smiled. This was good. They were poking fun.
"That's true," she said with a smile. Then she looked him in the eye. "But I'm not the only one." Chase was caught. She knew. She knew that he wanted that very badly.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. He went to Mr. Roth's stereo. He hit the play button. The song "Winds Of Change" by the Scorpions began playing. Bree began laughing.
"Only Mr. Roth would work out to this music," she said. Chase grabbed her and and wrapped his arm around her waist and they began dancing. He started singing the song dramatically.
"Taaaake me to the magic of the moment, on a glory night. Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams, with you and me," Chase sang loudly. Bree laughed and Chase swung her around. He dipped her as the song ended. She stared deeply into his eyes. The air changed and a cool breeze blew through the room. Chase forgot everything he had ever been told and kissed Bree on the lips as if there was no tomorrow. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Together they weren't 2 broken spies in training. Together they were invincible. And in that moment Chase could swear that they felt infinite.
* * *
"Love," Mr. Solomon began. Chase knew that this coveops lesson was going to be an interesting one. "What about it?" Chase looked around the classroom. Abrielle, Zach, and Cammie were all sitting in and listening to this lesson. He watched Zach look at Cammie as Abrielle looked at Zach.
"It makes you weak," Abrielle spat. Chase risked a glance at Bree. She caught him looking.
"Does it?" Solomon pressed. "Why would it do that?"
"Because when you love someone it makes you have something to lose. They become a target to anyone that would want to hurt you. Your enemies will get to you using what you love," Daniel said.
"Is that all that love does?" Solomon tried.
"It gives you motivation. It gives you something to fight for," Chase said. Solomon nodded.
"It can change a person," Bree said. Her and Chase made eye contact.
"So," Mr. Solomon began. "Is love weakness?"
"It can be." It was Cammie who answered this time.
"But it can also be strength. It can be power," Zach finished. Zach received a glare from Abrielle.
"What do you love?" Joe asked. Chase held his breath. He felt utterly transparent. It was like everyone could read his mind. He prayed that no one could.
"Why is it so hard to tell someone you love them when it's so easy to say that you love something?" Tanner asked. Solomon raised his eyebrows.
"Very good, Mr. Gray," Mr. Solomon said. "Why is that?"
  "When you say that you love something you don't have the fear of being rejected. And when you tell someone that you love them you have the fear of losing them," a voice whispered. Chase was shocked as he realized that it was his own. He turned to his parents. Cammie had an eyebrow cocked and Zach was grinning.
  "That's true, but in this business tomorrow is never guaranteed. We only have so much time to tell the people we love how we feel. Your assignment: say what you feel. You only have so much time to do so," Solomon said.
  Chase gulped as he walked out of his classroom. He watched the beautiful girl with the wavy, long blonde hair. It swayed as she walked. She turned her head and caught his eye. The light freckles on her face seemed brighter in the light. She gave him a beautiful smile. Chase gulped as he thought the 1 thing that he promised never to think. He was Chase Goode. And he was in love.