A Conversation With A Criminal
*Disclaimer: I do not own Cammie, Catherine, or Zach. They belong to Ally Carter.
Think it through, you can't undo
Whenever I see black and blue, I feel the past, I share the bruise
With everyone who's come and gone
My head is clear, my voice is strong, now I'm right here to right the wrong
-Shinedown
(Bully)
The plexiglas didn't look like it could withstand much. But Catherine assumed it could, after all, it had to be durable enough to hold hostile criminals back. Criminals like herself, that was. She wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, or how she had possible let it, but it had and now she was staring at an empty seat, waiting for her visitor to come in. Catherine tapped on the glass, listening to the thick sound that veberated. And then, suddenly, on the other side of the glass was Cameron Morgan, smoothing her perfectly glossy hair down as she sat down on the make shift chair.
Catherine wanted to snarl and slash a knife all over the girl's porcelain face until she was ugly. That way her son might not be so in love anymore. Nobody wants damaged goods. She noticed that there was a scar on the side of the girl's neck that caught the light and gave Catherine a sinister smile. Slowly, she pulled the phone off of its receiver and pressed it to her ear.
Cammie copied the action, the hesitation in her movements the only hint that told Catherine she was nervous. Cameron's face was clear, a mask, something she had picked up from Zach no doubt.
"Cameron," Catherine greeted first, deliberately making her voice sound like a bed of nails. But Cameron's expression didn't change.
"Catherine," she greeted in the same tone, her blue eyes locking onto Catherine's. "How are you?"
"Brilliant," Catherine replied. "Thanks to you."
Cameron's hand twitched downward and Catherine suspected she had a weapon of some sort. Which didn't make much sense as visitors were supposed to have those confiscated. But Cameron probably flashed her fancy CIA badge at the security guards and gotten through without even a slight hindrance.
"That's lovely to hear," Cameron said, but her voice was ice, and it told Catherine she wanted to get to the point.
"What bring you to this fine establishment?" Catherine asked, gesturing to the grey metal walls that surrounded them.
Cameron narrowed her eyes. "You should know. You invited me to come."
Catherine drummed her nails on the metal. "To be honest," she said. "I didn't really think you would read the letter, let alone follow its directions."
Cameron smiled cruelly. "I thought it was the least I could do after everything I've done to you."
Catherine snorted. "You evil little bitch, I have no idea what my son sees in you."
"You don't have to," Cameron snapped. "That is none of your business."
"No," Catherine replied. "I supposed it isn't."
"What do you want?" Cameron demanded. "Why did you want me to come here?"
"To talk about Zach actually, but it seems you don't really want to do that."
Cameron glared at her. "What about him?" she asked in a clipped voice.
Catherine sighed. "Whether you wish to believe it or not: I still want what is best for him."
"You have never want what was best for him. Stop spitting lies."
"You're wrong," Catherine answered before Cameron even finished her sentence.
Cameron eyed her warily. "What do you want?" She asked for a second time.
"I want you to leave my son alone."
Cameron rolled her eyes. "And what makes your completely diluted mind think that I would do that?"
"Because I know you want what is best for him as well. Which— I hate to tell you sweetheart—is not you."
"You are full of such shit Catherine, I don't know why I came here." Cameron gripped the plastic phone in her hands tightly. "I'm done here."
"You wouldn't have come if you didn't think something was off Cammie."
Cameron hated the way her shortened name sounded on Catherine's lips. It was curled with hate and venom and it made her want to cringe.
"Its Cameron," she snapped at the older woman.
"You are weak, Cammie. You're not strong enough for yourself, let alone for the two of you."
"Stop it!"
"Am I getting in your head, Cameron dear?"
Cameron didn't answer.
"He deserves better than you."
Cameron's hands curled into fists at her side as she tried to fight her anger. She wasn't going to let Catherine break her.
"No," Cameron said and shook her head. "He deserves better than you."
Catherine looked a bit thrown by her response.
"All Zach ever needed was someone that cared about him. And you never did. The only person you can blame for him turning against you is yourself. Stop trying to make me feel your guilt."
Catherine didn't answer immediately. "Zach isn't the kind to need affection, Cameron, he doesn't need you."
"Like I said earlier," Cameron said. "It's not really any of your business."
"You are holding him back from greatness," Catherine hissed.
"You are sick," Cameron said as she took a step away from the glass, but still held onto the phone. "And you can't do anything about our relationship. You can't dictate his life from prison."
Catherine snarled at her and looked as though she wished she could jump through the glass and wrap her hands around Cammie's pretty little throat.
"I am going to kill you," Catherine hissed at her. "I swear to God I will."
Cameron glared at her. "You won't get the chance."
"Oh yes I will. I swear —"
Cameron looked to the ground. "I really wish that this conversation hadn't gotten ugly, Catherine."
Zach's mother looked vaguely surprised. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You won't get the chance to kill me Catherine because you're going to be dead before you can."
"Wishful thinking will get you nowhere."
"They want to put you down Catherine," Cameron said, not looking angry or upset, just indifferent. "And I get the final say."
"What?" Catherine asked now seeming to be beyond shock. "No," she whispered to herself. "No, no, NO!"
"I came to see if you'd changed Catherine, but obviously you haven't."
"You can't do this to me!"
"Oh yes I can. And I will."
"I'm his mother! He will hate you forever!"
"He won't," Cameron said. "Want to know why? Because I'm the one person in the world that cares about him the same way he cares about me. And you've caused enough suffering in both of our lives and I won't let it go on."
"You can't do this to me!" She yelled again.
Cameron's hand was on the door to leave. "You have hurt too many people Catherine. I can't take the chance for you to hurt more. You're finally getting just what you deserve."
Catherine didn't answer; having figured out no words would make Cameron change her mind.
"The decision has been made Catherine," and with one last, cruel smile she said, "so long, farewell."
She hung up the phone.
...I'm not entirely sure where this came from. It's kind of just a plot less scene with lots of holes that I didn't feel like making part of a whole story. I think I was getting overloaded with Zammie so I had to right a non-Zammie fic. I thought it was interesting so I published it and I hope some of you like it :)
Thanks guys,
Becca.