Another Safe House Christmas

"Good morning, Gallagher Girl." He greets with a gentle kiss on my cheek and I can feel the smile filling up his face as his lips struggle to stay puckered together.

"What are you so happy about?" I grumble as I turn over and pull the covers closer under my chin.

"Oh, I don't know, a few days off in a remote location with my favorite spy." His smile growing wider with every word.

"Is that your covert way of telling me that we're spending Christmas at Joe's safe house in the woods?" I ask as I turn over and raise my eyebrows far up into my forehead.

"Yes, but remote location sounds far more romantic than safe house." He defends.

"Right, why don't you get back to me when you have to spend your vacation at another safe house?"

"Come on Cammie, it's just until they figure out where the threat is coming from, plus your mom and Joe will both be there."

I groan again, but this time it's more out of contrariness than actual annoyance, "You're right."

"I know." He replies with his classic smirk.

I throw a pillow at his smug face and then push back the covers, exposing my body to the cold world. I grab my sweater from the foot of our bed and wrap it around myself as I pad over to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee, picked up from our last mission in Italy.

"Who's on the detail this morning?" I ask as I take a sip.

Zach finishes tightening the covers on the bed, until it has perfect hospital corners reminding me that he attended a school for military trained assassins, "Grant and Jonas."

I nod and take another sip, "They won't be stuck with us over Christmas though, right?"

"No, once we reach the safe house security will fall to Joe's guys."

I sigh gratefully, "Good, I think Bex would kill me if Grant wasn't coming to see her."

"She would also kill Grant if you get kidnapped or killed on his watch, so be nice." Zach implores.
"I'm always nice." I defend, with a tight smile.

"Sure you are, Gallagher Girl." Zach confirms with a swift nod. "We're leaving in 20, so as much as I enjoy your pajamas, you might want to change into something more practical."

"Yeah, yeah." I wave him off as I head into the bathroom and switch on the shower, slowly pealing off my pajamas, trying not to catch my reflection in the mirror and the red scar that runs across my left shoulder. I fail at this task and find myself staring at it, remembering the hands on me, the knife sharp as it dug into my flesh, sending fire down my arm and back, then relief as the hands fell away and the loud, hollow thud of a body on concrete. Then it's Zach's face peering into mine with concern as he unties my hands and gathers me up into his arms.

I hear a knock on the door and shake my head to clear away the memory, "Everything okay in there?" Zach asks.

"Yes, fine." I reply making the words sound like a smile rather than the grimace I feel emerging from deep within my bones.

I quickly step into the shower and scrub the memories away with my soap soaked loufa, ignoring the burning that comes from my vigorous scouring of my scar.

I towel off my hair and leave my face free of makeup, grabbing my to-go makeup bag that Macey gave me so I can apply it on the ride to the airport.

I throw on my favorite, most comfortable jeans and a v-neck tee that I layer with a boyfriend sweater and a large scarf that can double as a blanket on the flight to Virginia.

As I step back into the living area I find my duffel bag sitting next to Zach's by the door and I unzip it to throw a few last necessities in.

"Ready?" Zach asks with jangle of his keys.

"Ready." I confirm as I toss a few briefing folders into my cognac leather tote and give Zach a quick appreciate kiss on the cheek hoping it makes up for my surly mood earlier today.

"No, put those back." He orders with a punctuated point at my tote.

"It's just some light reading for the plane, don't worry about it." I brush off his adamant glare.

"No, this is vacation, you are not bringing any work along." He argues.

"I just need to catch up on some field notes, I promise I won't work on it after we land. Please, Zach. It will help me take my mind off it." I gesture vaguely at the air.

"Fine." Zach concedes, his lips in a grim line, "But I'm confiscating them as soon as we get to Virginia."

"Alright, but, we both know you're bringing work along in the form of three handguns." I retort.

"Oh, that's not work Gallagher Girl, that's fun." He flashes me a bright grin as he grabs our bags in both hands and heads toward the door.

I open the door for him, "That's exactly what a trained assassin would say."

"Guilty." He yells as he walks down the hall.

I find Grant standing as inconspicuously as possible outside our door as I lock the door and turn the deadbolt, "Hey, Grant."

"Hey, Cammie. How are you?"

"Oh, fine. How about yourself?" I ask.

"Excited to see Bex." He says with a massive grin that doesn't suit his usually serious features.

I nod and smile in return as I start heading down the hallway, his shadow following me closely.

As we reach the car, I find Zach and Jonas joking by the open trunk as Zach tosses our duffels inside.

I wave at Jonas, and before I can take another breath I'm hurtling towards the ground and pinned beneath a much larger body than my own, gasping for air and wondering how I ended up here.