Disclaimer: Ally Carter owns Gallagher Girls
A/N: I'M BACKKKK! So the other day I was looking through old documents on my laptop, and I came across a file that had all of my FanFic stories in it. Then I thought, OHMYLORD I should write another story. I still receive messages and reviews from my other stories, and I think it absolutely AMAZING that some of my followers have still been with me even though I haven't been on here in like over a year. I want to thank everyone who has left me so many amazing comments on those stories and given me great suggestions and constructive criticism! Anyways, I had this idea that I should write a story about what comes after 'Out of Sight, Out of Time'. I hope you guys like it!
PS: If you have any questions about my other stories, please either send me a message OR leave your questions in the review section for THAT SPECIFIC STORY. Not this one. If you want to review this story though, by all means go ahead and click the review button ;)
Chapter 1
*If you haven't read the Authors Note above, please read it!*
After a semester of interrogations, lies, memory loss, and almost dying numerous times, it was kind of nice being almost alone at my grandparent's ranch in Nebraska. Hence the word 'almost'. The Circle of Cavan doesn't need me anymore. No one is chasing me. Although this may sound like a very good thing, it's not. Don't get me wrong, I love the feeling of not being hunted. I run into The Circle a lot less. But on the rare occasion I do run into them, their mission is not to capture me. They already have what they want. Now all that's left to do is to get rid of me. Permanently.
When I said I'm almost alone, I mean Aunt Abby is staying with me at Grandma and Grandpa's. My mornings are spent with her at the local gym, my afternoons are spent with my grandparents, and my nights are spent in the barn, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time.
Just like every other morning, me and Aunt Abby went at the gym. She talked me through most of my workouts. "We need to get your strength back to its full potential. Take all your anger out on this punching bag. That's it!" My favorite workout is definitely using the punching bag. It really helps to get rid of any anger or stress. To any normal person, I was a girl practicing boxing with my personal trainer. In reality, I was a teenage spy training to take down an extremely dangerous and deadly organization.
Before I knew it my training was over for the morning. We headed out to Abby's car and drove back to the ranch. There was a peaceful silence for a while. But of course most peaceful silences have to be broken at some point.
"Are you sure that you're going to be ready to face the Circle of Cavan again when we find them? No one expects you to do this you know. After what they did... All I'm saying is that I know very few expert spies that would be willing to step into the 'lair of the beast' after they've seen what this beast is capable of. This mission is beyond dangerous, and the CIA just barley approved of it. Your mom has even been considering aborting the mission before it's even started. She couldn't handle loosing you. Neither could I or any of your friends. Especially Zach."
I thought about it for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. "I'm ready for this. I've lived through it once, I can do it again, especially with all of you guys there with me. It's time for all of this to be over. The COC needs to be destroyed once and for all. We have what we need to take them down. They won't be expecting it. No one will be losing anybody. If this mission goes according to plan, everyone and everything will finally be safe and sound. It's time to finish what my dad started." For the first time in a while, I knew with all of my heart that I believed in every word that came out of my mouth, and that was the complete and utter truth.
Abby smiled at me and patted the top of my hand gently. "You're the strongest, bravest, most determined kid I know. You know that, right?" I just smiled back at her.
A few minutes later we pulled up to the ranch. A sleek black car with tinted windows was parked in the driveway. Abby and I jumped out of the car and sprinted towards the house, fully expecting members from The Circle to be waiting inside. What I was NOT ready for was to see my mom and Mr. Solomon sitting inside the house eating blueberry waffles.
"These are delicious Mrs. Morgan, thank you so much for breakfast," Mr. Solomon said to my grandmother. I stood there in shock while Abby ran over to Solomon and hugged him.
"Well hey there kiddo," Mom said as she smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. It had been almost two weeks since I'd seen my mom. It was nice to see her again.
"Mom, Mr. Solomon, what are you guys doing here?"
"Well we thought we'd stop by for a visit. Mr. Solomon has always wanted to see the ranch. And someone was about to go crazy if he had to wait any longer to see you." And as if it was his cue, Zach walked into the kitchen from the living room. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw his chipmunk-like cheeks stuffed with waffles. Zach may be a spy, but he's a growing boy, and well, growing boys need their food. He leaned against the wall and smirked at me.
"Are you always this sweaty in the morning? Must be those naughty dreams about me," Zach joked. I gave him a death stare and he held his hands up. "I'm just messing with you." I rolled my eyes as he walked towards me and pulled me into a hug. I inhaled the familiar scent of him.
After about an hour of introductions and explaining to Grandpa Morgan that Zach was my boyfriend and he didn't do drugs, steal, or gangbang, I decided to go take a shower.
I've realized over these past couple of years that besides working out, showering is the most relaxing and mind-clearing thing that a person can do. I thought about how my grandparents had no idea that there were 3 highly trained spies and 2 soon-to-be highly trained spies in their house. They had no idea how or when or where my dad died. I thought about the mission that would be starting when the new semester begins. I wondered why I wasn't nervous, why I had so much confidence that this mission would be a success. Of course Zach, Bex, Macey, and Liz wouldn't let me do this mission without them. They all now have special clearance for this mission.
I thought about my dad. He was so close to destroying the COC. I wonder if he knew how dangerous it would be. Maybe all those years ago the COC didn't seem like that much of a threat. I will always love and admire him for giving his life trying to save ours. There are days though that I miss him so much, it hurts. There are days where I feel like he's still out there, that the COC lied to me when they had me, just so I would give them the information they needed. I highly doubt that, though.
The last thing I thought about was Zach. I spent years trying to find out who he really was and what secrets he was hiding. All this time Zach has basically been my knight in shining armor. I think sometimes that maybe I don't give him enough credit for that. He's such an amazing spy, and even though he's a pain in my butt sometimes, I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend than him. His mother wants me dead. He doesn't know who or where his father is. His best friends are being trained to be assassins. Joe Solomon and I are all he has left. I can't help but love that kid more and more every day.
By the looks of my water-wrinkled hands I could tell it was time to get out of the shower. I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a light blue long sleeve shirt. It was winter break after all, which means it's pretty darn cold outside.
"Ready to head out Cammie?" Mom asked.
"Ready for what?" I asked. Zach smiled and grabbed my hand.
"You get to be our tour guide around town."
And for a moment, my life seemed completely normal. Just a normal student on winter break, spending time at her ranch in Nebraska, surrounded by her normal aunt, mom, teacher, grandparents, and boyfriend. But of course, the life of a spy is anything but normal.
My mom told us the plan for the day. "Abby will drive Mr. Solomon and I. Grandma and Grandpa said they'll stay back and get started on dinner tonight. Cammie, you and Zach can take Zach's car. We can meet up at the little diner in town at about 1, ok?" I think the only thing that I heard out of all of that was 'Zach's car.' Not many teenagers drive a black Fisker Karma. Zach jingled the keys in his pockets.
He smiled at me and said, "Ready?" Was I ready to be driven around in a Fisker Karma? Heck yes. We jumped in his car and sped off into town. "Just so you know, this car is completely bullet proof, sound proof, and bug proof. So, no covers. Just us." He turned his head and flashed me another smile.
"Ok, I have a few questions."
"Go ahed."
"First of all, how do you have a car like this?" I asked. He just laughed and pointed at himself.
"Spy."
"Of course, should have know. Alright, next, why are you in such a good mood? Not that I'm complaining or anything, I love seeing you happy, it's just that I barley ever see you this happy and relaxed. I like it."
He reached over and grabbed my hand. "Well, for one, I'm with my Gallagher Girl, and believe it or not, just being with you and knowing you're safe makes me the happiest person ever. As for the relaxed part, this is a pretty relaxing place to be. And it's secluded, which lowers the chance of running into any...unwelcomed visitors." There was a comforting silence between us for a few minutes. "Any more questions Gallagher Girl?"
"One more. Why are you really here? And don't lie and say it's just because you missed me, because I know that's not it."
"Well, I did miss you. But you're right, that's not the only reason. There was a breach in the security system at the mansion. It wasn't safe for me to be there. It's too obvious. Solomon thought it would be best if all of us were together in a place like this. We're harder to find out here, and we're safer when were together." Right, I'm not the COC's only target. Zach is too.
"Well, I'm glad you're here, safe," I said with a smile. "Take a left up here by the way."
"So are you going to tell me where you're taking me?"
"There's someone that I think wants to meet you," I quietly responded. He didn't ask any more questions, he already figured it out. After a few more minutes of driving, we parked in front of the graveyard. I knelt down in front of my father's grave. Zach stood behind me with his hands on my shoulder.
"Mr. Morgan, you brought into this world the most gorgeous, smart, determined, strong, brave, and perfect girl. Not one day goes by that she doesn't think of you and miss you. She would have wanted us to get along, I think. I'm Zach. Your daughter and I are ready to complete what you started. We won't let you down. Rest in peace, sir, and please, keep watching over this angel." Out of everything Zach has done, this was by far the sweetest and most sincere. It brought tears to my eyes. Zach pulled me up and hugged me for what seemed like forever. He whispered in my ear, "I think he approves." I pulled back and looked him straight in the eyes.
"No Zach, I KNOW he approves," I said. He kissed me gently on the lips, and we started walking back to the car.
I looked around and took in everything I saw. An old man reading yesterday's newspaper on a bench. Two girls going for a jog around town. A young boy struggling to keep up with the five dogs he was obviously being paid to walk. A man in a business suit speed-walking down the sidewalk, probably running late for a meeting. Sometimes I think it would just be easier to turn spy-mode off every once in a while.
"You okay?" Zach asked when we got back in the car.
"I am now," I assured him with a smile. "Let's park closer to the town, and we can walk around a little bit before we have to meet up with Mom, Abby, and Solomon."
"Sounds like a plan Gallagher Girl." Just as we were about to get out of the car, my phone rang and Bex's face appeared on my screen. I answered and put it on speakerphone.
"Hello?"
"Cammie! I need your help! This is extremely important!"
I laughed. "What's the issue?"
"Ok, so, I'm going on a date in a few hours-"
"A date? With who?"
"That's classified information! So anyways, I don't know what to wear! I already have my top picked out, but I don't know what to do for the bottoms! I can go with my white skirt and some leggings, or my white skinny jeans, or my regular colored skinny jeans. Help!"
Zach mumbled, "I will NEVER understand the minds of women." I couldn't help but laugh.
"Ok Bex, first of all you sound like a crazy person. Second of all, I am your BEST FRIEND, why can't you tell me who you're going out with?"
"I told you, it's classified information! Just help me pick out something to wear!"
"Ok fine, but at least tell me if he's a spy or not."
"Yes, he's a spy! Now help, woman! I'm scared to wear white, what if I get my period?"
I looked over at Zach and realized Bex didn't know I was with him and that she was on speaker phone. Zach looked utterly disgusted. "You're not going to get it, trust me. We run the same cycle, remember? We're not due for another week. And thank you, by the way, for making me say that out loud in front of my boyfriend."
"You're with Zach! Why didn't you tell me!"
I was about to respond, but Zach decided to jump in. "If he's a spy, go with the white skinny jeans. Trust me." I looked at him in awe. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"Thanks Zach! Bye Cammie, have fun with Zach! I'll tell you how my date goes!" And then she hung up.
"Oh yeah, that totally wasn't the strangest phone call I've ever had," I said.
"Well at least now I know what time of the month I should be getting you chocolate and avoiding teasing you," he said with his famous smirk. I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the car. We had exactly an hour and 25 minutes until we had to be at the diner.
I took Zach into my favorite ice cream shop first. "Okay, try to guess my favorite ice cream flavor," I challenged with a grin.
"Hmmm... well I know you don't like vanilla. Most girls like chocolate, but it's too plain to be your favorite. You're allergic to strawberries, so it's not strawberry ice cream. I'm thinking it's something more... exotic. Lemon?" My jaw dropped open.
I was completely shocked. "How did you know that?" He pointed at himself and raised an eyebrow. He didn't need to say it. I already knew. Spy.
There was a girl about our age working in the shop today. She was practically drooling over Zach. He didn't even seem to notice.
The lady at the counter flipped her hair and batted her eyelashes in a way they do NOT teach us in C&A class. "Can I help you?" She asked.
"Yeah, my girlfriend here would like a medium cup of lemon and I'll have a medium cup of mocha chip," Zach said nonchalantly. The girl's face crinkled up when Zach said 'girlfriend.'
"Your total is $6.73," Zach handed her the money. She wrote something on the back of the receipt thinking I wouldn't notice. Zach glanced at it and passed it back to her.
"I don't need my receipt, thank you though," Zach politely said. We sat down at a table and ate our ice cream.
"That was a little rude, don't you think?" I said. I mean, he can't help the fact that he's completely drool-worthy and girls practically throw themselves at him.
"No. What was rude was the fact she knew you're my girlfriend and she was still trying to hit on me and give me her number." I didn't argue with him, technically he had a point. We finished up our ice cream and walked out of the store hand-in-hand.
I guided him around town, taking him into little shops, showing him why I liked this town so much, introducing him to the people that know me.
"So, what do you think of the town?" I asked one we stopped to sit on a bench.
"It's nice. I can see why you like it here so much. It's so secluded from everything else. There's not much spying to do." He took the words right out of my mouth.
Maybe that's why I love Zach so much. He's so much like me. We're two people who were never meant to fall for each other, but of course, we did.
We're spies. All day, every single day. Zach knows what it feels like to just want to shut it off. He knows what it feels like to be missing someone. Except he has it worse than me. He doesn't have either of his parents. He's such an amazing spy. I admire everything about him. I would never be able to hide so many emotions as well as he does. Zach knows everything about me. I have nothing to hide from him anymore. Who knew this would come out of a simple offering of M&Ms in an elevator ride in Washington DC during my sophomore year.
"You know what really frustrates me?" Zach blurted out of nowhere.
"What?"
"The fact that I have NO idea what you're thinking. I mean, a lot of the times I can tell what you're thinking just by the expression on your face. But sometimes when you get deep into thought, there's an expression on your face that I can never read. Sometimes I wonder if I should be worried." I was shocked. Zach never admits defeat that easily. I smiled at him in reassurance.
"You don't have to be worried, trust me. I was just thinking about a certain bag of M&Ms oh so long ago," I said with a wink. He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh Gallagher Girl, you never cease to amaze me with your random thoughts."
I shrugged my shoulders."It's just what I do best." I stood up to stretch a little bit, and I noticed a shop that I hadn't seen before. "Zach, what's that?"
He stood up and put his arm around my waist. We started walking towards it."Let's go find out."
A wind chime clinked together as we opened the door to the little shop. Three other people were in the store looking around. It was dark in there, lit by candle light. The walls were purple with gold designs on them. There were scarves and little trinkets everywhere. I was dizzy from the amount on incense burning. A person emerged from a back room, pushing a green velvet curtain beside. "I've never been in here before," I whispered to Zach. "I think that's a fortune teller's room back there."
He had a mischievous look in his eyes. "Well then let's go get our fortune told to us." I reluctantly followed him to the back room.
A/N: First chapter! Hope you guys liked it! I know it was kind of boring for an opener, but I PROMISE it gets better. I'm trying to keep the characters as much like themselves as possible. I have the beginning and the end of this written so far, now I just need to write the middle part of the story. Suggestions are greatly appreciated! R&R please! Next chapter will be up tomorrow!