Please don't hate me! I swear I have a good explanation for the lateness of this chapter. I have had a really busy few months—school started and I'm taking four college courses with only two electives—and one of them doesn't feel like an elective! It's very difficult and, because of that, my updates will be a lot scarcer…but at least it's a lot sooner than the last time school started, right? Also, I've sort of been going through a rough time in my life so please take that into consideration. I hope y'all are still reading!

On a brighter note, thanks so much for your reviews! There were only twenty-two this time, but each and every one of them meant a lot to me. So thanks (: Alrightee…now we shall get on with the story.

Oh! P.S. I decided to split the chapters—they'll still be long, but the days will be split. I feel that this will help with the scarceness of updates. You'll get them sooner this way. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ally Carter came up with.

….

Chapter Ten: Day Seven: Surprise Guests

Zach

I slumped on the couch, thoroughly exhausted. I couldn't even find it in myself to walk the steps of stair that would lead me to my bed. The bed that I had to leave in the middle of the night because my dearest aunt decided to run away.

In case anyone was wondering, we still didn't find her. We had looked all over town, from the diner that Kennadie worked at to the hotels we knew Damian might have checked in at. We had found him…but not Kate. He was worried sick, but Joe—who I had been with—told him not to start looking for her, because she would probably just go crazy again.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I felt a weight slump down next to me. Without really thinking about it, I pulled Cammie into my chest. She snuggled there naturally, wrapping her arms around my torso.

I buried my head in her hair, inhaling the beautiful scent that was Cameron Ann Morgan. "Any leads?" I asked her sleepily.

"Nope," she answered just as sleepily. "We found absolutely nothing. She's good. I guess it runs in the family."

Despite the fatigue I felt, I smirked, running a hand up her arm. "Of course it does. We're Goode's."

She snorted, pulling herself tighter against me. "Yeah. Sure. Of course."

I sighed, shaking my head before asking, "You didn't happen to look at the clock when you came in, did you?"

She groaned loudly and nodded her head. "It's five. I wanna sleep," she replied.

"You wanna go up to our—the bed?" I inquired. I didn't want to move but I would if she did.

"Yeah…but I am perfectly fine right here…with you," she murmured.

Neither of us made a move to get off the couch and soon enough I heard her breaths evening out, indicating that she was asleep. I pulled her a little tighter to my side before drifting off myself, into a world of dreams…

….

At first, I thought I was in a small, dimly lit room. Upon further inspection, however, I realized that I was in a narrow hallway with flickering candles lining the walls. Whatever building this was had to have been built before electricity was even thought about. The walls were stone and the ceiling was low. It seemed to have a very eerie quality to it.

I began to walk down the hall, whispers drawing me nearer to a doorway I caught side of at the end, straight ahead. As I walked, the doors on either side of the hallway caught my attention. They were all of different shapes and sizes—and colors. Lots of colors. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the golden plagues that were in the center near the top of each door.

Despite all this, I continued my progress toward the door at the end of the hall. I could hear noises in each room I passed but I kept my eyes on the one straight ahead of me. Somehow, I knew that was the one that I needed to get to. There was something important in that room.

Approaching it slowly, I kept my ears strained for any noise coming from it. There were heartbreaking screams coming from the rooms on either side of me, sending stabs of pain through my chest each time I heard one. Still, I kept going until I came to stand directly in front of the door. I knew whatever was behind this door was what would save the others. I pressed my ear to it, listening intently, blocking out the sounds of the others. I heard a voice, a shockingly familiar voice, speaking lowly to another.

"…they'll eventually get to us, ma'am," a man was saying.

"It is not your job to say such things!" a woman's voice shouted. I recognized it, but I couldn't place it.

"But—"

"Do not speak back to me," the woman hissed. "Do not tell me what you think. It is only your job to acquire the subject."

"Her mother is guarding her with the utmost care," the man answered in a more humbled voice.

"Then find some other way to take the girl. She must come."

Somehow, I knew who this girl they were talking about was. I would not stand by and listen to this. Slowly, I pushed open the offending door, peaking in a crack, intent on finding the people who wanted to harm the girl I loved. However, I was distracted by the contrasting nature of this room compared to the hall outside. This room was elegant, big, and fit for…well, a spy. There was an expensive looking chandelier hanging from the ceiling high above and a television sat on a table in front of a selection of plush sofas and armchairs.

My observations were cut short as I heard an audible gasp from the woman. For a terrifying second, I thought she had seen me…but when I looked, I saw that the man had drawn a knife. I didn't focus on him, however; my eyes were on the woman. I knew who she was. My stomach dropped and I felt like I was going to hurl. I watched as if in slow motion as the man that was clearly stronger than her raised the knife above his head. Right before he brought in the killing blow, he bellowed, "YOU DO NOT DESERVE THIS POSITION, GOODE!" And then he plunged the knife into her chest. Her blood drained from her face until I was staring at her lifeless body. Only then did it register.

The woman was my mother.

….

I woke with a gasp, arching my back. I couldn't sit up because of the weight that was on top of me. Sweat beaded my forehead and torso and I was breathing hard. What had that meant? It had to mean something. My mother…had I just had a dream about what my mother was really like?

I couldn't handle the thought. I didn't have to, I realized, as I looked down at Cammie's sleeping form…except it was no longer a sleeping form. Her hand came into contact with my cheek as she studied me with an expression of concern on her face. "Zach?" she said softly. "What's wrong? You were…you sounded like you were in pain."

The slight panic in her voice calmed me somewhat. I put my hand on top of hers on my cheek and let my eyes flutter shut…then immediately opened them again when the horrifying images from my dream came rushing back. "I just had…a bad dream," I murmured to her. "I'm fine now, sweetheart," I reassured her.

She sat up, pushing on my chest slightly. I leaned back, curious what she was doing. She stared down at me, then suddenly her arms were wrapped around my waist and pressed her face into my chest. "It was about your mom." She didn't phrase is as a question and I wondered how she knew.

I studied her for a long minute and then sighed. "How'd you know?"

She kissed the base of my neck before answering gently, "You were murmuring her name…almost in agony."

I swallowed audibly. "I was?" I asked.

She nodded her head, now tracing random patterns on my arm. "Yeah," she said softly. "What…what happened?"

I buried my face in her hair, inhaling deeply. I was silent for a few long minutes, but she didn't push it. She simply continued her tracing of my arm. I stared down at the girl I held in my arms, once again getting lost in the perfection of her. Finally, I began to tell her about my dream. I told her of the abnormal hallway I walked down, of each doorway, of the plagues that labeled what they were for though I didn't look. I told her of my certainty that I needed to get to the last door. Then…I told her about the conversation between the man and the woman…and then how I opened the door to peak in…and recognized the woman…as my mother…taking her last breaths. At this part, she gasped. Her soothing fingers stilled against the bare flesh on my arms, gripping me tightly. "It's okay," I assured her. "I woke up after that."

"Oh, Zach," she said. Her voice sounded choked up. I brought her face up to meet my eyes and was shocked to see the unshed tears brimming in her own. A few escaped and I reached down to wipe them away. She shouldn't be crying over my bad dream.

"Hey, don't cry," I murmured softly. "It's okay. It's over now."

She shook her head violently. "You shouldn't have to deal with those dreams now. It's been…a long time."

I gripped her chin in my hand, suddenly unable to fight the urge to kiss her. Bending my head down, I pressed my lips to hers, intending for it to be a chaste kiss. However…my arms went around her waist and she pushed hers around my neck. Straddling my waist, she sat up slightly, making it easier to kiss her. Her hands were in my hair, her fingers running soothingly through it. I pushed my tongue between her lips, needing to taste her. I pulled her more tightly against my body, reveling in the feeling of having this beautiful, amazing, loving girl in my arms. Then there was the added fact that…I was in love with this girl.

When finally we pulled away from each other, her breathing was heavy and her face flushed. I imagined I looked very similar. "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly. She was grinning slightly, now lightly tracing my jaw with her light fingers.

I pressed my forehead to hers, closing my eyes as I let out a breath. "Just because," I answered. "I love you." The simple statement was getting so much easier to say—and so much more frequently.

I could hear the smile in her voice as she answered, "I love you too."

I drew her toward me, hugging her to my body in an embrace that comforted me more than anything else could. I don't know how long we stayed like that, just sitting in comfortable silence in each other's arms. It didn't matter. I just knew this is how things were supposed to be. That was enough for me.

….

Some time later—or possibly minutes—Connie came in, calling out that we needed to wake up. Until she saw we were already awake. "Oh good," she said with a smile. "I'm glad I don't have to drag you from your beauty sleep." I smiled brightly back at her as I sat up with Cammie on my lap. "Breakfast is ready," Connie informed us. "And it'll be a late one too. It's already almost noon."

Cammie yawned and then nodded at her grandma. "Okay, Grandma," she said, "we'll be there in a minute. Just give us a couple minutes."

She smiled and nodded her head, turning around to go back into the kitchen.

Cammie turned to me with a look on her face that told me exactly what she wanted. "Are you okay now?" she asked me just like I thought she would.

I nodded my head, caressing her cheek with the back of my hand. "Yes, I am. Thank you."

She nodded. "Okay…but you know you can tell me absolutely anything, right?"

I smiled and kissed her lightly. "Of course I do," I answered.

She smiled back and ran a hand through my hair. "Good. I just…wanted to make sure."

I laughed and stood with her still in my arms. Once I was up, I set her on her feet, securing my arm around her waist. "Let's eat," I said, dragging her toward the kitchen. "I'm starving!"

Her only answer was to laugh.

I jabbed her in her side playfully as we entered the kitchen together. Everyone was there…except Kate and Damian. It was odd, looking at the two empty chairs, to think that it had only been a few hours since all this happened. I really hoped Kate was okay and that she could find it in herself to forgive Damian; after all, Cammie found it in herself to forgive me. Kate was a good person. If she truly loved Damian, she would look past his faults.

I pulled out Cammie's chair for her as she moved to sit down and then sat down myself. I waited for her to dish up some food for herself before I started to take some for myself.

It was eerily quiet at the table that morning, and I knew why. Everyone ate in silence, even Melanie who usually kept the conversation up. I took a moment to study my little sister. She had dark circles under her eyes, probably because she couldn't sleep last night. I knew that, after she had come rushing to find Cam and I after Kate left, she had gone into Connie's and George's room while everyone else went to look for Kate. Her shoulders were slumped. She toyed with her food. My heart ached for her. She was my baby sister and I hated seeing her this way.

However, when she looked up to meet my eyes, I saw one thing hadn't changed: The fire that had always been there was still blazing bright and true in her eyes. I gave her a small smile, having a slight sense of déjà vu. She gave me a small smile back and then turned back to her food, putting a small piece of waffle into her mouth.

Suddenly, it hit me. I had never realized but…Mel had my mother's eyes. Somehow, that made things so much better to me. The woman that was in my dream couldn't have really been my mother. Melanie was the spitting image of her…and Melanie was good. Pure. She had to have gotten it from my mother. She just had to.

With that thought in mind, I ate my breakfast with a lighter spirit, despite my aunt being gone from us.

….

After breakfast, all the adults went to the parlor (yeah, they have a parlor) to discuss what they would do next now that they knew a few more things about Kennadie and what she was up to. They still needed to find Kate but Rachel comforted them with the knowledge that Kate was a trained spy and would probably be able to hold her own in any danger she might be put in.

Cammie, Mel, and I were left with the dishes. No one spoke as we cleared the table. I did notice Cam giving the parlor door concerned looks every five minutes. Melanie, I could see, was a little bit put down by everything that was happening. The eight year old had been through so much and she didn't deserve to go through anymore.

As soon as we were done with the dishes, Melanie told us she was going to take a nap since she couldn't sleep last night. Cammie and I watched her go, identical expressions of worry on our faces. I towed Cammie toward the living room as Melanie ascended the steps to the room that was Kate's. "You think she'll be okay?" Cam asked, leaning onto my arm.

I sighed, glancing back at the door Mel had disappeared behind. "I think she'll be fine. I know Kate won't leave Mel—her brother's daughter—alone in the world. That would be cruel."

She glanced up at me, concern lighting her eyes. "What about you?" she whispered. "Kate's the only family you have left too—it's not just Mel that would be affected by this."

I sat on the couch, pulling her down beside me. I trailed my fingers down her cheek, brushing back a strand of hair. "Silly girl," I murmured. "Don't you know that you are my family now?" She froze and then, ever so slowly, her head rose to meet my eyes. They were wide and vulnerable. I bent down, pressing a kiss to her neck. "You are the only thing I need," I whispered. "I gained everything I needed when I met you."

She gulped slightly and brought my face up to meet her own. "Guess it's safe to say we feel the same way then," she said. And then she kissed me. And just because I was worried about her and everything that had happened was putting me on edge, I kissed her right back. She tangled her fingers in my hair and I groaned slightly from the back of my throat, holding the back of her neck in one of my hands and tilting my own for better access. She grinned against me before pulling away, breathing heavily. She pressed her forehead against mine. "I love you," she whispered.

I smiled, my eyes sliding closed as I enjoyed her breath as it blew across my face. "I love you too," I responded, leaning forward once more. And then there was no space between us at all.

….

I glanced at the clock for the hundredth time and then back to the movie Cam and I were watching. I wasn't really watching it; I was waiting for my three best friends and her three best friends to walk through the door…which would be any minute. I told Connie that I was doing this for her, but I was sort of doing it for myself too. It would make me feel better to have Grant, Nick, and even Jonas to help me keep Kennadie away from Cam. And, of course, Bex and Macey are a force to be reckoned with if the situation called for it, especially if the situation put their best friend in danger.

I glanced again at the clock, watching the seconds slowly tick by.

Next to me, Cammie sighed, looking up at me. "Why do you keep looking at the clock?"

I kissed the top of her head, chuckling slightly. "I'm just wondering if Kate is ever going to show up," I lied smoothly. Which, technically, wasn't a lie. I really did want to know if my aunt was going to ditch us…just like every other person I cared about.

Cammie gave me a really sad look before pausing the movie. She pulled away from me, eliciting a little growl from me, which, in turn, made her giggle. I smirked triumphantly; I rarely ever got to hear that sound. My smirk faded, however, when I realized she was coming back…straddling my lap. I swallowed inaudibly and looked at her. "What are you doing?" I asked, proud when my voice came out steady.

She smiled down at me, sympathy and love shining in her eyes. "I know you what you're thinking about Kate," she informed me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" I asked, a little cockily. "And what would that be?"

She rolled her eyes, leaning forward slightly to rest her forehead against the crook of my neck. I held in a slight groan at the pleasure that rippled through my body at the action. "You," she started, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to my neck, "are thinking," she continued, pressing a kiss further up, moving toward my ear, "that," she paused, pressing a little kiss behind my ear, "Kate," she breathed, her lips inches from my ear, "is going to…leave you," she finished at last, pressing her final kiss to my ear, flicking her tongue out once. "You feel like she'll leave you…just like it feels like everyone else has." She said it softly, softening the blow.

I let out a breath of air, closing my eyes for a second before opening them right back up to stare into hers. "You know me so well," I whispered. "But, Cam, I already told you: The only person I need…is you. The rest of them are all just unwanted participants in the game I call life."

She snorted. "Liar," she accused lightly. "We both know you love Nick, Grant, and Jonas, no matter what you may claim." She leaned forward slightly. "And I'm willing to bet Bex, Mace, and Liz have grown on you."

I rolled my eyes, poking at her playfully. "Says you!" She laughed, throwing her head back. It was then that I remembered how ticklish my Gallagher Girl really was. My fingers danced across her stomach and she shrieked, louder this time.

"Zach!" she laughed, pushing at my hands. I overpowered her, gripping her wrists in one of my hands. I stood up, picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder. "Zach!" she shrieked again. "Put me down!" I could tell she was trying to sound serious, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.

"Nope," I said with grin. And then, with a burst of enthusiasm, I fell to my knees and flipped her onto her back, trapping her underneath me. My hands were on either side of her head. She was breathing hard, and I fought to keep my eyes above her head. When did my mind start jumping to that? I thought.

When you began imagining Cammie having your babies, a little voice in the back of my head said.

I ignored it, continuing my assault to Cam's stomach. "Zach!" she yelled, laughingly. I ignored that and leaned down, blowing on her neck. She laughed again as I slid my tongue over the spot without stopping the attack on her sides and stomach. "Zach!" It seemed my name was the only thing she could get out…which is exactly the way it was supposed to be.

I leaned down, pausing in my attack momentarily to whisper in her ear, "I like the sound of that." Her cheeks flamed bright red and she opened her mouth to reply—

"Zachy?" Mel's tired voice came from the top of the stairs. "Cammie?"

I smiled up at Melanie without relinquishing my hold on Cammie. "What's up, Melanie, honey?"

"What are you doing?" she asked, slightly confused.

I smiled wickedly. "Cammie and I are just playing a game," I answered with a wink. "Do you want to come play with us?"

Melanie eyed us suspiciously, her eyes flicking from Cammie's flushed face to my own beaming one. She shrugged. "I guess so." She sounded slightly unsure as she descended the stairs once at a time.

As soon as she was within reaching distance, I reached out and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her down to rest neck to Cammie. I kept my arm around Cam's waist, preventing her own escape. Melanie shrieked as I tickled her, wriggling under me the way Cammie had been. "Zachy!" she laughed. "Stop it!"

I shook my head. "Nope," I announced. "I like the sound of your laughter." I glanced at Cammie, dragging my fingers across her stomach lightly, making her squirm. "Both of you."

And then I continued my game. They were both laughing hard and I didn't even notice the door open until—

"Wow, Cammie, it's about time Zach found out how ticklish you are," came Bex's cocky voice behind me.

My fingers stilled and I watched Cammie's face for her reaction. Her smile shined brightly through the room. I waited for her to jump up, but she didn't. Instead her eyes found mine. She reached up with her hand and caressed my face. "Thank you," she whispered.

The moment was ruined, however, when Grant's voice rang through the house:

"Why are Cammie, Zach, and Mel on the floor?"

Guess we were going to have to explain it to him.

….

Okay, I know it's a little shorter than previous chapters, but the next one will be longer since the crew just got there. I just wanted to get this chapter out—finally. I was originally going to have it out at Thanksgiving but some things happened and I couldn't get it out. I am SO SORRY! You guys have been awesome though. I have 252 reviews! I'm hoping we'll have closer to four hundred by the time the story is finished.

So please…review? Tell me what you think! I can't tell you how much your reviews have spurred me on and lifted me up these last few months. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to tell me how much you love this story! Please keep them coming :)

~XJamesBondX