Attention everyone!

I'm sorry, but I'm taking down this story soon. I just lost interest and motivation in this one, and frankly, I can't seem to write anything more. I had tried, and I just can't finish this one. If anyone wants to adopt this story, please, be my guest. I just ask that you'll notify me first.

I had lost interest in Gallagher Girls fandom, and I've moved on to another fandom. It's Final Fantasy VII. I'm going to try writing that fandom, and if anyone's interested, I'm currently working on a story. I'll admit, it's just plot bunnies running rampant around my head now. I'll probably write something like Escaping Reality, only with different characters and WAY different issues.

I'm really sorry, and I'd like to thank all of you who had reviewed and followed Escaping Reality and myself, and especially for my wonderful beta Posideon. It's hard to leave this story, since it's my most beloved one so far. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get the motivation to continue this, but I don't think it's possible…

Here's what I've written so far for chapter 8. It's not much, I know, but it's all I got. Thank you, and again, I'm sorry.

Chapter 8

This chapter is dedicated for ALL OF YOU, especially my beta Posideon and Shmuuyaassyyy, who had once told me (a long time ago) she checks every day for this chapter and reviewed TWICE for Chapter 7…

Cammie stirred, still in the blissful state where you're not sleeping, but you're not awake yet. She felt warm and comfortable, and she snuggled back into her pillow. She knew she should savor her sleep as long as she can. Soon, Bex would be awake, and she'll give Cammie her daily Bex-threats – which, in her personal opinion – was worse than the plain old death-threats. Liz was probably awake. The little blond pixie was always the first to wake up, but Liz knew better than to try to wake Cammie up…

Wait a minute… her pillow was moving.

Frowning, Cammie carefully opened one eye. Huh. It was still dark. That was weird. She never, ever, woke up before 8… unless Josh was sneaking into her room again…

With that thought, Cammie suddenly realized that she was being held by someone. She jolted awake, and involuntarily gave a soft cry. Damn it, her whole body was throbbing. She stared at the dark-haired boy who was asleep underneath her, and her memories came flooding back.

Ugh. She couldn't believe she ever forgot that she was in the Circle's custody. In her defense, she knew that she had never felt so comfortable since the Circle caught her, so it made a little sense that she thought she was back in Gallagher.

Wait a minute, she mused, shocked. Did I just call Zach comfortable?

She studied Zach's sleeping figure. She knew people was supposed to look… more at peace while they were sleeping, but Zach didn't look like his sleep was peaceful. In fact, he looked… like he was having a nightmare.

With that realization, Cammie shook Zach's shoulders, trying to wake him up. He jolted awake, and immediately scrambled away from her. Seeing as she was practically straddling him, she fell back with a groan. She was sore. Cammie carefully sat up and sent Zach a glare.

Zach was panting, looking at her with wide, terrified eyes. Cammie felt her gaze softened, and moved towards him slowly, making sure she didn't startle him.

Recognition rose in his emerald eyes, and he sat still as Cammie slowly crawled – mindful of her sore body – and sat next to him.

"You okay?" she whispered, looking at him. Before he had any chance to answer, she winced. "Right. Stupid question."

Zach didn't say anything. She could see him starting to relax, though.

"I really have no idea why people say that phrase when the answer is obviously a 'no'. I guess we just don't know what else to say, so we ask that stupid 'are you okay' just so the other person has to muster up a smile and lie… well, that is the case most of the time…" she trailed off. "Sorry. I'm rambling again."

It was silent a few more minutes, before Zach slowly spoke. "I…" his voice came out rough, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "I don't mind your rambling."

Cammie raised her eyebrows. "Huh. Then you should savor my rambling while you can. I'm actually pretty quiet. Besides, rambling is a bad trait for a spy."

Zach shrugged. "Can't have you ramble all your secrets to the enemy, now, can you?"

She gave a noncommittal hum. "What were you dreaming about?"

Zach flinched. She could almost see his walls coming up around him. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me anything."

Zach bowed his head.

"Though my best friend Liz could've told you that 91.3 percent of the time venting makes people feel better," she continued. "So… if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears."

She knew it was out of her character to say things like that. She was a spy, and spies don't get all cozy and spilled their hearts out to someone they've just met. Yes, she had known Zach for weeks, but that didn't mean anything. She barely knew anything about him, seeing as they kept to themselves. Still, maybe it was because he'd been so nice to her the previous night. Or maybe she'd grown confortable around him, and assumed he'd feel the same…

Idiot, Cammie berated herself. There's no point thinking it over. He's not gonna spill anyway…

It was quiet for another minute, before – again – Zach broke the silence. "Later," he said, rising his head and made eye contact with her. "I'll tell you later."

Cammie couldn't keep the small smile from her lips. "Later is it, then."

~*:*:*:*~

When the agent Bex locked eyes with the agent, she knew that there was more to him than meet the eye. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, with a cocky swagger and the air of confidence, or the look in his eyes, that playful yet alert glint. Or maybe, just maybe, it was his totally drool-worthy looks.

Bex watched from the corner of her eye as he bought his coffee, wondering all the while if it wasn't too late to get out of the café. But she was Bex Baxter, and she didn't run away. Quite the opposite, she usually ran face first towards the action, and the excitement it brought. She faced trouble head-on. Besides, she may or may not feel something fluttering around her stomach.

In her defense, she was not just a spy. She was a girl. Any straight girl couldn't deny that the agent was totally hot. And there was the fact that he was also a spy, and that info always made a guy look hotter.

She wasn't surprised when a smooth, honey-like voice spoke to her. "Excuse me, may I sit here?"

Bex gave a very convincing start, and turned her head to face the Asset. She found him standing closer to her than she expected, and scooted backwards. The blush that colored her cheeks wasn't faked, though.

Bloody hell, she thought. Those eyes…

"Uh…" she looked down, faking embarrassment. "Sure. I guess."

He nodded, and smiled at her. "Thank you. The other tables are full."

Bex didn't need to look around the café to know that he was telling the truth, but she did anyway. "Yeah."

"I'm Alex, by the way," he sat his tray down and held out his hand.

"Carlotta. Pleased to meet you."

As Bex took his hand, she could swear she felt tiny jolts of electricity running through their intertwined hands.

Bloody hell.

"So," Alex started, sipping his caramel latte. "Where do you come from?"

"America," she lied without a beat.

He raised one eyebrow. "Really? Me, too."

"What a coincidence." Bex masked her sarcasm with a convincing amusement.

"Which state?" he leaned forward, eager.

Suddenly, one of Mr. Solomon's lessons rang in her ear. She could practically see him leaning against the teacher's chair – which he never sat in, and told her that one of the easiest and best cover is to make your cover based someone else's identity – someone you knew well. And the best kind of disguise is to be completely someone else.

And that was why Bex found herself mimicking the mannerisms of someone who was completely her opposite… Liz.

"Alabama," she whispered, making sure she sounded timid and nervous – as Liz would be – around hot boys. "You?"

"Pennsylvania," was his easy reply. And there was that smile again.

"Oh," Bex nodded, and sipped her almost-empty cup of espresso.

"How old are you?"

His eyes were playful, clear, and not at all like the look operatives had when they were looking for information. But then again, Alex was a Circle double-agent. If he was still alive, he must have been extremely good.

Because Liz would've done so, Bex pushed her red hair from her eyes, tucked it shyly behind her ear, and said "Nineteen."

Actually, she was eighteen, but her birthday was in a few months, so she was rounding up.

He laughed. "Me, too. What is a pretty lady like you doing in Italy? Summer holiday?"

"No. Summer paper research," she offered the most Liz-like reason with a small smile. Pretty? Was he just flirting with her?

"What are you researching on?"

Bex gave him wide eyes, making sure it was filled with nerdy excitement, and gushed in her best American accent. "Famous arenas. The Colosseum is the arena, and it was, like, 2000 years old, and it has a long, dark history. It only took 8 years to build it, and that's saying something, considering that people back then didn't have the technology like we have now – they only have slaves and rocks and horses… but sadly it's only a third of the original structure that survived until now…"

Deeming her ramble of one of the seventh grader's lesson in Countries of the World class was enough, she – successfully – pretended to notice the way he was looking at her, and blushed. "Sorry. I got carried away."

There was a gleam in his eyes. Was he laughing at me? Liz, this is why, in normal society,

"It's okay. I really don't mind. It's kinda interesting, really," he smiled, his eyes still held that twinkle. "You got anymore trivia?"

Actually, on that particular lesson on the Colosseum, Professor Smith was teaching them about the underground tunnel system in Rome, where, if a spy knows where to look, provide really cool shortcuts to almost anywhere in Rome. Not that Alex needed to know that. Besides, Bex was pretty sure he knew about those tunnels.

Thinking of secret tunnels lead her thoughts to Cammie, who had dated an operative posed as a civilian. Bex quickly controlled her emotions before those painful thoughts could be reflected on her expression.

She gave a small, timid smile and ducked her head, running her fingers on her mug handle. She didn't answer him, and after a few moment he broke the silence.

"So you're in college, then?"

She nodded, sipping her espresso again, and he did the same. "What about you? What brings you here?"

"I'm backpacking throughout Europe," he announced with a certain amount of pride.

She raised an eyebrow, and quipped. "Really? Alone?"

He nodded. "Are you all alone?"

Bex tilted her head, trying to look flustered and interested, when her mind was whirling like a tornado, analyzing, watching his every move. She was a little unnerved by that question, but she answered anyway. "No, I'm with my study group."

He laughed. "Of course. There's no way a girl like you would travel alone so far away from home."

All previous admiration evaporated, leaving only extreme annoyance behind. Bex had to really restrain herself from executing the Wandelsky Maneuver she'd mastered last semester on him. Sexist pig, she seethed.

But Liz wouldn't slammed Alex's head against the café table. She would handle the insult with her brains, not brawn.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, if that's what you're asking. You know, even though women aren't as physically strong as men," most women anyway, I'm perfectly capable of knocking you out until Saturday, you sexist, arrogant, jerk, "It's been proved that the cause of men's undoing 92.5% of the time is women. We have other ways to handle men who looked down upon us," Bex retorted coldly.

Alex nodded and smiled again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. That came out wrong. I'm sure you can handle yourself."

Damn it, Bex thought exasperatedly. It was sooo hard not to lost her train of thought when he was smiling like that at her. She blamed her raging teenage hormones for that.

Huffing, she nodded.

"Can I have your number?" he blurted.

Oh. Bloody. Hell.

~*:*:*:*~