The Secret Beneath The Waves

Chapter 26: Because I Love You Dumbass

**Picture of Tony at the top of the page

Next chapter will be the epilogye :)

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Chapter Twenty Six: Because I Love You Dumbass

Tony spun around quickly to stare at her, his eyes wide, not believing his ears. "You wanna try that again?" Spencer shook her head. "I'm serious Tony. I would not be able to live with myself if a single one of you were stranded here and I was safe."

"How the hell do you think we would feel about it, stupid?" Tony shouted, raking his hands through his curls in a frenzied panic. "Screw it, I'm staying back instead." He said, and nodded his head vigorously in affirmation, satisfied with his solution. "Tony," Spencer said quietly. "It is the only way. We both know this." Tony opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Turning around to look at each of the group members, he came to the same realization that she did. Neither Tony or Spencer would be able to live with themselves in someone else got hurt. "I will come back for you," he said. Spencer nodded, knowing it wasn't true. It wasn't possible. She looked at Oliver and they seemed to have a silent understanding. Get him to the car and get the hell out of here. Oliver nodded once, subtly. He understood.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and the group turned back to see Jane. Shawn's hands curled into fists, but Spencer was quicker to speak. "Jane was forced into it, it's not her fault," she explained. The group didn't seem to waver, and their opposition towards the woman radiated off of them in waves. Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, Jane looked at her, pleading. Spencer didn't need the pleading though, she would've done the same thing if she was in Jane's place. "We would have done the same thing if any one of us were in her shoes," Spencer stated. Shawn looked at her questioningly, but he seemed to understand. He grudgingly murmured his approval, followed by Oliver and Tony. Jane looked at her again, whispering a "thank you," before walking over to the rest of the group. Clasping her hands together, she looked at them. "Okay, let's do this."

Standing on the board, resulted in the door being lifted a good ten inches off the ground, enough for someone to army crawl through. Am I really that fat? Spencer thought. Shawn ducked through first with Adri, then Oliver and finally Tony, who looked at her for a second, before crawling through last. Stepping off, the door shut with a BANG.

"Bravo," came Evelyn's voice. "How heroic."

Turning around Spencer found Evelyn standing, seemingly unarmed in the center of the room. "These floors are made of marble, did you know" The woman sat, crouching and running her hand over the ground. The great thing about marble is it's fire resistant. However, the heat becomes unbearable, and the walls are wood. She cocked her head to the side, her earings swinging like pendulums." And here you are. All alone. A clownfish, in the great blue sea."

Spencer remained silent. "You're friends have succeeded," she said. They have knocked down the other door in the garage, and are running for the car. They will succeed." She smiled. "But they have left you here. Do they not care? Were you but a pawn in their plan of escape?" Spencer shook her head. "I volunteered to stay behind." The woman nodded, "I know. But none of them put up much of a fight to stop you, did they?" Spencer's quick response was gone the minute she said that. "That boy, what was his name....Tony, did you think he loved you? Did he say anything, anything at all to you?" Evelyn smiled when Spencer didn't contradict her. "The cameras do not show anything but the truth Spencer, and you have just witnessed the same." She pulled something metallic out of the pocket of her gray pantsuit, a gun. "So you will die here, alone."

And she pulled the trigger twice, hitting Spencer in the leg, and the ribcage. Blood flowed instantly, and Spencer was forced to the ground, falling to the floor with a crack. Once her head hit the ground, her vision blurred. She could barely make out Evelyn's figure leaving the room, dropping something shiny against the wall as she left. It couldn't have been a grenade. She wouldn't have time to leave the building.

Orange flames licked the wall, spreading quickly. It hadn't been a grenade, it had been a lighter. Spencer tried to force herself into a sitting position, but gave a cry of pain before collapsing back on the ground. Her ribs were definitely broken again, and tears streamed down her eyes as the pain became almost unbearable. Smoke started to cover the ceiling like mist, resulting in a coughing fit. Her lungs burned, as all she saw around her was a raging inferno. A smoke detector starting beeping loudly from the next room over, and Spencer doubled over, her hands clutching her sides as she gasped for breath. The smoke and it's repulsive smell seemed to curl around her like bars, caging her in. She was trapped and felt white hot fear coursing through her bloodstream. Her vision blurred even more as the tears started pouring faster, now from the pain of merely breathing. It felt like she was dying from the inside out, her lungs seemed to shrivel up, her windpipe seems blocked. She couldn't feel anything past her knee, and felt dizzy, from blood loss and loss of air.

A ringing sensation started in her ears, and she closed her eyes, a meager attempt to block out some of the increasing pain. She heard someone calling her name, put couldn't find the energy to turn and identify the person. "Oh my God," Tony said, trying to pick her up, resulting in an ear-piercing shriek from her. "Sorry," Tony apologized. His eyes darted around the room, trying to find an exit. There were barely any, the smoke cancelled out any of the remaining exits. "It's gonna be fine," Tony said, attempting to convince both of them. His white t-shirt was soaked with sweat from the heat and soot streaked his face. His jeans had been ripped off at the cuffs and blood coated the side of one of the pant legs. He sat down next to her, gently pulling her head into his lap. Spencer coughed. "No signs....of....affection r-remember?" Tony rolled his eyes "I don't really care,"

"Why?"

'' "Because I love you dumbass. Now you can't die on me." He said, barely heard over the crackling of the fire and the beeping from the smoke detector. He smiled sadly at her, before dissolving into a coughing fit himself. Spencer smiled slightly, before closing her eyes. She barely heard Tony begging her to open them, him going "No, no, no, no," over and over.

She heard his voice crack, as the sounds of sirens got closer and closer. Then her hearing gave out as well. She had stayed behind in the building by herself, all alone. But now she felt true isolation. Her breathing began to slow.