"Marcus!" I yell.
"Marcus! Wake up!" Mom says as we kneel down to him.
"Marcus! Marcus! You have to let Leo and Alex in! Come on, press the button! So close! Press it!" I shout as Marcus starts to get up, limping to the desk.
Mom then points to the the timer and I huff as my body starts to shake.
"Yes." Mom says.
"Yes, yes, yes!" I shout to Marcus as he presses the button.
"Valerie!" Leo shouts as him and Alex run over to us.
"There's a bomb!" I yell.
"Where?" Leo says.
"There! In there!" I point to the back.
"Okay." Alex pants as him and Leo run over to the door.
"C'mon, you gotta open it!" I shout as they begin to struggle.
"How do we get the door open?" Leo says to me.
"There's a special key that unlocks the door. They took it with them." Mom says.
"Just go! Go! Leave! Go!" I shout at them as they stop banging on the door.
"We're not leaving you here. There's gotta be a spare key." Alex says.
"Could it be this?" I ask, holding up the grey prism I found earlier.
"How did you-"
"I found it in your safe. Go, go!" I exclaim, cutting mom off as I hand it to Alex and he takes it from me.
"C'mon, hurry!" Leo yells as the timer is down to fourteen seconds.
"C'mon, yes!" I exclaim as Leo and Alex get the door open.
"Let's get it out of here!" Leo says as him and Alex pick it up and bring it over.
"Alright, careful, careful." Alex says.
Leo and Alex run out with it and I hug mom as I hear the big boom from inside.
||
"Guys?" I say, running out from the cave as I look around.
I then turn my head to see Leo and Alex getting up.
"Thank god." I pant as I run over to them, hugging them tightly.
"Thought you could use a souvenir." Alex says to me, holding up the grey prism.
I chuckle as I take it from him.
"Mom!" I hear Carter shout and he runs down the hill, jumping into her arms.
"Honey." My mom sobs as Carter rocks her back and forth.
"I can't believe this is happening." Carter says, pulling away from her.
"Me neither sweetie." She says and I chuckle, turning away as I bend down, feeling the urge to throw up.
"Oh my god. This isn't real." I sniffle, then standing back up.
"I think it's time we had a proper introduction. Hi, I'm Stacy Ramirez." Mom says to Leo.
"Leo." He grins, shaking her hand.
"Alex." He grins at mom, shaking her hand.
"My daughter has good taste." Mom jokes and we all chuckle as I wipe my eyes.
"I think there's someone else to see you." Leo says, looking at mom and I and mom turns her head to see dad running over to her.
They hug and I smile, leaning my head on Carter's shoulder.
We then join into a family hug as I let out a few more tears.
||
"Hey!" I say to Jackie and Hayley and they stand up.
"Hi." They smile at me.
"This is Jackie and Hayley, my best friends." I tell mom, pointing at them.
"Hi." Jackie and Hayley say to mom and dad.
"You and Max were the ones that brought back the satellite, right?" Mom asks Jackie as Carter stands next to me.
"I see you're all caught up." Jackie says and mom chuckles as Jackie and Hayley shake her hand.
"Yeah well, I've still got a lot of catching up to do." Mom says.
"Yeah." Jackie nods with a grin and mom chuckles as dad kisses her head.
"Stacy, is that really you?" Louis says, walking down the stairs with Brooke behind him.
"Louis!" Mom exclaims at him.
"I'm gonna go find Max. It was really nice to meet you guys." Jackie say to mom and dad and they nod.
"This is both the saddest and the happiest moment of my life." Louis says, walking over to them as Brooke jumps in Carter's arms.
"Uh, mom, dad, this is Brooke." Carter says to them.
"Hi, I'm his girlfriend." Brooke says, grinning at them as she shakes mom's hand.
"Wait, really?" Carter chuckles to her.
"Yeah." Brooke nods up at him and I chuckle.
"Awesome." Carter says and we all laugh.
||
"So, how long are you Carter gone for?" Leo asks me as I zipper my backpack up.
"Louis gave us the week off." I say, getting a shirt from my locker and Leo nods.
I pause for a second and let out a grin.
"This is so unreal." I breathe, putting my head in my locker as I let a few tears slip out.
"It's real, Valerie." Leo says, coming closer to me.
I then look up at him with happy tears running down my face and I crack a smile as I look into his green eyes. He gives me one back and I lean up from my locker.
"So, if you get bored or whatever, you know, you can call me anytime." He tells me.
"Sure." I nod at him with a grin.
"You know, you are such a pretty cryer, it makes me mad." Leo blurts out.
"Shut up." I chuckle, pushing his chest and he smirks at me.
||
"Take care of this place?" I tell Jackie and Hayley and Hayley nods at me.
"I'll do my best. What's the worst that could happen?" She says and I chuckle as I hug her and Hayley tightly.
"I'll see you guys soon." I cheese, pulling away from them and they nod.
"Okay. Bye." They say, and I turn on my heels, trying to get to the staircase.
"Valerie!" Leo exclaims and I turn to him.
"Hi." I say.
"Hey, uh, do you need any help?" He offers, walking toward me.
"I think I can manage to the car." I grimace at him and he nods.
"I'm really happy for you. Having your mom back and everything." He says to me.
"A lot of it is because of you, Leo." I grin, nodding at him.
"You know, um...I'd be happier if we were together." He says to me.
"Leo-"
"I don't wanna pressure you or anything and I know it always seems like the wrong time, but...I love you. I've loved you since I first saw you." He says, looking me in the eye.
I study him a little longer until I kiss his check, then hugging him.
"Just so you know, your dad is here too. He's right here." I whisper, pointing to his heart and he smirks at me, nodding his head.
"You're one of a kind, Val." He says and I chuckle.
"I should probably go." I sigh, pulling away from him.
"Yeah." Leo nods at me and I grin as I turn on my heels, walking down the stairs.
"Hey, guys. Sorry, I had to say my goodbyes." I tell mom and dad.
"You ready to go home, guys?" Dad asks us.
"Yeah." I grin.
"Let's go." Mom says as I follow my parents and brother to the door.
"Valerie." A voice says and I turn my head to see Alex.
"Uh, could you guys take my bags to the car? Uh, run the air conditioner. I'll be there in a second." I ask, taking them off and handing them to dad.
"Okay." Dad says and I nod at Carter as he walks out after mom and dad.
"Hey." I grin, walking closer to him.
"Hey." He breathes back.
"How are you?" I ask him.
"I'm fine. Daniel's mom turned herself in. She's going to prison." Alex tells me.
"She'll be fine. Daniel's mom is a strong woman." I tell him.
"Yeah. Well, I didn't mean to bring you down. Go, your family's waiting for you." He tells me.
"Here." I say, holding the grey prism key in front of Alex.
"Don't you want it?" He asks me.
"Keep it. It will remind you of our Eureka times together." I say, giving it to him and he chuckles.
"Eureka times, I like it." He says and I grin.
"Alex, I will never forget what you did toady. And for what Daniel did too. Thank you for saving us." I say, referring to my mom and I.
"You have to admit, I never let my obvious feelings for you disrupt our mission." He says and I grin, nodding at him.
"I should go." I say as I hear the car honk, then turning on my heels.
Alex then grabs my wrist and puts his lips on mine. I pull away and send him a smile as I head outside.
"What took you so long?" Carter asks me as I head toward the car.
I then shrug at him, squinting my eyes due to the sun.
"You alright? You look like a piano just landed on your head." He asks me and I scoff.
"Try two pianos." I say.
"What?" Carter asks me.
"C'mon, let's go home." I tell him, putting an arm around his neck as we walk to the car.
I can't believe it. For the first time, home feels like home.