AN: Hello everyone!
First, I would like to say that while this is not my first fanfic, it is my first Gallagher Girl fanfic. So...fingers crossed y'all like it:)
Secondly, this fic is titled after the song Glad You Came by The Wanted. If you haven't heard the song before, I would highly suggest you listen to it. It's a fun dancing song and knowing the song will absolutely help you understand the vibe. If you can, I'd even listen to it while reading. Lord knows I listened to it like a thousand time while writing this.
I'd also like to mention that this fic takes place years after Zach and Cammie have graduated. They're somewhere in their early twenties. Hopefully that puts you in the right mindset as to their appearances and experiences.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gallagher Girls or its characters. Everything belongs to Ally Carter.
Glad You Came: Cammie's POV
Why is it that all young, attractive international terrorists like places like this? Seriously. I'm asking. I can't see the appeal.
My head is pounding to the bass of this blaring music. The air is thick with the stench of body odor, alcohol, and something that is definitely illegal. My feet are killing me in these ridiculously high heels. And despite the lack of material that was used to make my dress, the amount of tightly packed bodies is making me sweat. A lot. Needless to say, the "club scene" isn't my scene.
Of course, it could be worse. I could be stranded in the Namib desert, surrounded by a coalition of cheetahs with nothing but a toothpick, an extension cord, and a pencil eraser to defend myself with. Don't ask.
"Hey, sweet thang. Can I buy you a drink?"
I stop my seemingly mindless gazing around the room (key word seemingly), and turn to face the man now sitting on the bar-stool beside me. Had it been any other man in this room, I would've politely declined while keeping my cover of girl-who-doesn't-know-how-to-drop-kick-you-and-certainly-not-in-this-dress, but because it is my man, and I know that he knows that I do know how to drop-kick him in this dress, I answer with a flirty smile and a, "Well, what are you having?"
To the objective eye, we look like two normal people having a normal conversation, but I've known for a long time that I am anything but normal, and neither is Zachary Goode. So our conversation, to our ears, sounds more like this:
"Hey, sweet thang."(This part actually wasn't code. He just knew I would hate it, and apparently he doesn't have a healthy enough fear in my drop-kicking abilities. Will revisit later.)"Can I buy you a drink?" I have information.
"Well, what are you having?" What did you see?
Zach pretends to look at the board behind the bar displaying the club's most popular drinks before saying, "A Negroni sounds good. I don't think I've had one in at least three years." Moretti's right hand man, Matteo, is here, positioned at your three o'clock.
I force a laugh to cover my glance over Zach's shoulder. It takes me approximately a millisecond to spot the subject. He sticks out like a serious, no-nonsense sore thumb in this boisterous crowd of people who are high on life (and who are probably high on other things, as well).
"A Negroni does sound good, but the night is still young. It's too early to start drinking." I see him, but we can't engage yet. Moretti has to make contact with Romano.
You wouldn't think that the heir to a crime lord title and a weapons dealer were going to hold a get together in such a public place, like say, a popular club, but I can see their reasoning. Noise. Chaos. Poor lighting. Inebriated people who don't really care about two scary looking men having a clandestine meeting in a dark corner. Plus, it's totally harder to keep track of people in a crowd.
"Chameleon, Moretti is en route." Bex's voice sounds in my comms. "He has two men, not including the driver. ETA ten minutes. We're on his six. Be ready."
Two men, a driver, Matteo, and, of course, Moretti himself. Add that body count to Romano and his usual three guys and you have some pretty intimidating odds. It's a good thing I have the best team in the world.
Zach suddenly stands and grabs my hand. There's a smirk on his face and a gleam of mischief in his eyes. I respond accordingly by leaning back and giving him a wary glare. I am no stranger to Zach's smirks, but I will probably die never knowing what they mean at any given time. Hence my suspicion right now.
"Dance with me," he says.
I rack my brain, wondering what that could be code for. A quick peek at the dance floor tells me that the same forty sweaty bodies are gyrating just as much as they were five minutes ago. Moretti's man hasn't moved. And if the letters are reflected (emhtiwecnad), it doesn't spell anything in a language I know– and I know fourteen of them.
Zach sees my confusion and his smirk, if possible, deepens. Oh, Lord. With one step he closes the space between us, and leans down till his lips are brushing the shell of my ear. I shiver.
"Dance with me, Gallagher Girl."
I know I'm supposed to be a genius and all, but I honestly hadn't realized there wasn't a hidden meaning behind his words until now. Wait! He wants to dance right now? Now? And not just any dancing, but club dancing. I definitely never learned how to perform the intense pelvic thrusts that many of the club's patrons are currently executing in Madam Dabney's class. And what about the mission? He can't be serious!
"You can't be serious," I say, pushing him back far enough so I can see his face. "You heard Bex. We need to be ready."
Taking one of my hands in both of his, he tugs me into a standing position, bringing us even closer (something he totally does on purpose). "I did hear Bex. I heard her say that the ETA is ten minutes, which means we have enough time for one song."
By now it's more like eight minutes and thirty-four seconds, but I'm guessing he already knows that so I don't correct him. I do, however, use my free hand to peel away his fingers, and then take a step back. Unfortunately, my back hits the bar, and I have no where to go when Zach advances again. He places his hands on the counter-top, caging me between his arms.
"Zach," I plead. "You know I'm a horrible dancer."
"No, I don't actually. We've danced once, and that was when we were in high school. C'mon Gallagher Girl," - he leans closer - "live a little."
"In case you haven't noticed, we have other things to worry about."
He cocks an eyebrow. "Scared?"
"No, but-"
"Then let's go." He slips an arm around my waist and begins pulling me to the dance floor. I want to protest, but a struggling, non-comliant girl would certainly incur the attention of the bouncers, so I allow him to lead me to the edge of the dance floor. I will definitely be reiterating the lethalness of my drop kick after this mission is over.
Zach lets go of me and slides effortlessly into the mass of dancing people. Over here the music is too loud to talk over so I shake my head at him, and try to mime that I'm not dancing. He makes a pleading gesture with his hands.
The sun goes down, the stars come out
And all that counts, is here and now
The music takes on a slower quality as Glad You Came by The Wanted begins to play. Crap. I love this song… and Zach knows it. His eyes brighten at the recognition of the song. He gives me a knowing look and beckons (yes, actually beckons) me to come to him.
My universe will never be the same.
Resigned to my fate, I push my way through the sweaty bodies, and it's like I broke through a physical membrane. I'm in a totally different world. I finally reach Zach just as the song plays I'm glad you came.
Immediately, the music picks up and takes on the fast, energetic beat all club music seems to possess. People around me woop and yell their approval. I sort of stand there, not knowing what to do with my appendages.
Noticing my lack of movement, Zach rolls his eyes and grabs my hands, pulling me to him. I hold myself steady on his shoulders (cuz, hello… heels). He places his hands on my hips, moving them to the music, and then he does something I don't expect. He starts lip syncing.
You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
He pulls me tighter.
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me
Turn the light out now, now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink, drink it if you can
By now I'm laughing and swaying on my own, keeping my hips in sync with his.
Can you spend a little time, time is slipping away
Away from us so stay, stay with me I can make
Make you glad you came
As the chorus begins, I am taken off guard when Zach circles my wrist with his fingers and twirls me around and around.
The sun goes down, the stars come out
And all that counts, is here and now
When the world stops spinning (literally), I stumble and crash into Zach's chest, causing him to chuckle. Oh. So he thinks this is funny. He thinks it's cute that I need to use him for support in these skyscrapers attached to my feet.
My universe, will never be the same
I'm glad you came, I'm glad you came
Well, I'll show him cute.
As the upbeat instrumental pulses through the speakers, filling the atmosphere around us with what feels like physical sound, I bit my lip and give Zach my best sultry look. I am returned with a look similar to the one I wore when he asked me to dance: confusion, thrill, and a little bit of fear.
I remove the offending space between our bodies, bringing him to me with a single jerk on his shirt. Who's stumbling now? With a smirk,I shove my fingers into his hair, gently scrapping my nails along the path they make through his dark locks. Then my lips find his jaw and I work them down his neck to his exposed collar bone.
"Cam," he breathes, tightening his hold on my waist.
I take my hands from his hair and place them on his shoulders. They slide down his chest, and I can feel the rapid pace of his heart. Smiling against him, I then remove my lips from his skin, enjoying the groan of protest that escapes him.
My hands continue down to his torso and I follow, sliding my body along his until I'm crouched as close to the ground as these heels allow.
You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
The verse starts up again, and I work in reverse, bringing myself to eye level once more.
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So lets go somewhere no one else can see you can me
Turn the lights out now…
"There," I say. "We danced. Can we please get back to the mission now?"
Zach smiles. "Oh, I wouldn't call that dancing."
I cock my hip, offended. "Then what would you call it?"
"Sexy," he answers. "Now, this is dancing."
...stay with me I can make, make you glad you came
Before I have time to react, he takes my hands, spins me around, and pulls me to him so my back is flush against his chest. Grabbing my hips, he aligns them with his, and starts rocking into me with a circular motion.
The sun the goes down, the stars come out
While I am surprised, I don't resist him.I allow him to take control, grinding my hips to match his movements.
And all that counts is here and now
His arm snakes around my stomach, securing me to him, while his other hand plays with the edge of my dress on my thigh.
My universe will never be the same
I raise my arms above my head, and busy my hands with cupping Zach's cheek and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
I'm glad you came, I'm glad you came
The energizing instrumental is picking up again for the second (and final) time when Zach turns me to face him. This time I'm not surprised when he spins me, and I actually laugh out loud at the euphoria it gives me.
I'm glad you came
I feel so alive. So high on life, and music, and light, and energy. I'm even beginning to understand the dancers around me. Why they never quit. Why they come to places like this every weekend. It's because they don't want it to end. I don't want it to end.
So glad you came
I feel so immortal and free with Zach in this moment. There's so much adrenaline pumping through me it almost feels like the time I was in a high speed car chase in Kuwait, except… there are less guns. And explosions. And angry people trying to kill me.
I'm glad you came
He continues to spin me in and out from his body, adding flourishes to every one of his movements. A grind here, a thrust there. I've never seen this side of him, and lanta, it's sexy. I could definitely live in this moment forever.
I'm glad you came
Zach whirls me into him once again, but instead of twirling me out, his arms circle me and I am forced upside-down into a dip just as the music slows.
The sun goes down, the stars come out
The music is no longer pounding or pulsing. Only Max George's voice and the soft press of a piano continue.
Without breaking eye contact, Zach pulls me up from the dip and places his hand on my waist. Almost instinctively my arms wrap around his neck.
And all that counts in here and now
Both of us are breathing heavily when he rests his forehead on mine, partially from dancing and partially from proximity.
My universe will never be the same
"And you said you were a horrible dancer," he whispers.
"Shut up," I tell him before pressing my lips to his.
I'm glad you came, I'm glad you came
The song ends and I reluctantly pull myself away from my boyfriend. The moment of mindless thrill and excitement is over. Time to rejoin real life. My life. Where thrill and excitement had better be mindful, or you're dead.
Another upbeat song thumps and vibrates through the speakers, and Zach and I pull away from the still dancing crowd. Keeping up the zero-percent-a-spy-club-goer-act, we laugh and stumble as we make our way over to the bar to reclaim our seats.
I glance over Zach's shoulder. Matteo hasn't moved an inch. My internal clock tells me we have one minute and forty-six seconds until Moretti arrives, and a quick check of my watch confirms it. I mentally run through the op once more in my head. The number of enemies. The weapons they'll likely be carrying. The layout of the room we'll be ambushing them in. The extraction. The -
"You're cover's been blown."
"What?!" I hiss, keeping my face calm but not even trying to do the same for my voice.
"Your 'I can't dance' cover has been blown, Gallagher Girl" Zach says with a huge smile on his face. "Your secret is out, and I am definitely going to be using this new information my advantage."
He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, and I roll my eyes at him. "Good luck getting me onto the dance floor willingly. Next time my cover will be the girl-who-is-getting-hounded-to-dance-by-a-drunk-boy-but-who-has-also-taken-self-defence-classes-and-isn't-afraid-to-drop-kick-him."
He eyes me suspiciously. "I want to believe you're kidding, but I know you too well."
I smirk.
"Moretti is entering the building," Bex says in our ears. "Chameleon, confirm visual."
A young man wearing a navy suit walks through the club's front doors, closely followed by three men. He has dark hair, even darker eyes, sharp jaw-line, average cheek bones, straight nose, thin lips with very little dip in the cupid's bow, and he's sporting a five o'clock shadow. All of his feature's line up perfectly with Moretti's description on file.
"This is Chameleon," I say into my comms. "I have eyes on the target."
Moretti calmly walks through the crowded club to Matteo. I watch as the two exchange words and then head in the direction of the club's back rooms.
I turn to Zach to find him smiling with a wild look in his eyes. He loves being an agent. Being a spy is in his blood. It's in my blood too. His back may be to Moretti right now, but he can see in my eyes that it's show time, and he's ready.
I smile at him. "I think I'll have that drink now." Let's do this thing.
AN: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and if so (or if not) please let me know what you liked or what I could do better:)
I got the idea for this fic while I was making a Zammie playlist (FYI if you'd like to listen to the songs I've connected with Zammie, let me know. I'll give you the list.) The song just kind of popped up without any specific search for it, and while listening I could just imagine Zach and Cammie on a mission in a club when this song comes on, and Zach pulling a reluctant Cammie to the dance floor. I hope my words gave your imagination a good enough visual.
Have a terrific day!