A/N: So SOOO sorry that I haven't updated, life's crazy and this was a very complex chapter to write. I wanted to get all the right words and reactions, and make sure that I explained things well. So with that, I shall reunite you guys with 'Here they Come Again'
...enjoy!
Cammie had tossed and turned all night, at 4:30 in the morning she finally gave up. She wandered out to the kitchen to find Annabeth up and making two glasses of chocolate milk.
"Expecting company?"
"Yeah, you aren't a quiet person when you're tossing and turning."
"Well I had things on my mind…" cam muttered attempting to fight off an embarrassed blush.
"What and I didn't?"
"No, but you already got your big surprise out of the way!"
"And Little Matthew wasn't your big surprise?"
Cammie paused, stumped, "Touche."
Annabeth snorted and handed her a glass as she began stirring the second, "so do we want a game plan?"
"Well I mean we have to tell all of them at once."
"Yeah, but I think if we have all the people most likely to remain calm by the door…"
"Oh you're right, and we can sit on the people who will want to jump into action."
"Exactly, so; you cover my brother and Joe, and I'll cover Edward and…"
"Oh no, we're tag-teaming your brother that's the only way we'll get him to calm down.
"I thought you said they were all equally protective of you?"
"Yes…well except maybe Townsend, I don't really know him well. But there is only one who will be as protective of me as he is of you."
Annabeth groaned and dropped her head on her forearm that she had resting on the counter, "I didn't think of that… so we cover brother/fiancé and dads… that has our hands full… Allies?"
"Jonas, and Liz will remain calm they're more 'forethought' types anyway."
"Awesome so Jonas can sit on Grant…"
"Liz can't really stop anyone…"
"But if she can keep Macey calm… Macey can stop Bex."
"You're right... Now the big kahuna: Mom and Abby."
"Shit."
"Language!"
"Oh please Matt's not around, and if there is ever a time for swearing this is it."
Cammie sighed and shook her head, "I'll give you that one I guess."
"Now back to the problem, there is no possible way your mom and aunt will remain calm."
"True. Bolt the door?"
"Really? That's your big idea?"
"Hey! I don't see you coming up with any."
"Because I'm waiting for a good one."
"Play nice."
"But I don't play well with others, didn't I tell you?" Annabeth joked with a wink causing cam to stick her tongue out in response, "Ooh, classy response from a mother."
"Oh shush, we have bigger issues than my maturity at four in the morning."
"Fine I'll give you a pass today, but we're picking this up later."
"Deal," after doing a quick handshake they lamented again over not having enough people they could count on to stay calm when they broke the news, and moved on to plan how to best break their news.
Before they knew it, it was seven AM, and their family was waking up. A short while later everyone was fully awake and looking expectantly at the two girls. Cam and Annabeth sat on opposite sides of Zach, townsend on Annabeth's other side, Joe on Cam's. Abby and Rachel were seated next to Joe. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table was Jonas, with Grant standing behind him by the door, posture akin to a body guard. Bex stood next to the chair that housed Macey on Townsend's left, and Liz had opted to sit on the floor in front of Bex.
"Are you guys going to tell us why we have to sit by certain people?" Macey asked.
"Yes," Annabeth began, "Because we need a favor and we are sure that; Liz, jonas, and Macey are gonna be the ones who can do it."
"And why not the rest of us?" Bex barked.
"Because what we need is people to stay calm, and we know you guys," Cam explained with a soft chuckle, "So Jonas you have to make sure Grant does nothing Rash, Macey and Liz? You guys are on bex, Bee has Townsend, I have Joe and,:" she turned to Zach, "We're gonna have to tag-team you Zach."
"Why?"
"Because you're gonna get really mad Z," Annabeth replied in a soft tone before getting back to business, "Now Abby and Rachel, we need you guys to hold eachother accountable and not fly into action, because we're out of people we can count on to stay calm." The two women eyed the girl skeptically, but turned to each other seeming to have a silent conversation, before nodding to each other and Rachel waved for the girls to begin.
Cam took a deep breath before she began, "Okay, so we've told you all that Annabeth rescued me from my captors, and that we spent a lot of the last year getting information on them, their goals, who they are, who they're after, and why. So, by the time she rescued me Annabeth already knew who they were," cam stopped and let Annabeth pick up the story.
"I had been attacked on a couple different ops I was hired for by the CIA that year, so after the last one I prepared for the next CIA mission I'd get, because obviously these people had a mole there. I was able to plant a tracking device on one of them did some recon, and a lot of heavy research on history to find out who was after me."
"And," Cam com continued, "It looks like our old friends are back…"
The group was silent before Liz piped up, "Okay, I'm a genius… and I have no idea who you mean."
"Well, what Cam means Liz, is that the Circle of Cavan is alive and well and they-"
"WHAT?!" As everyone shouted the girls grabbed their fathers' hands to keep them still and threw their other in front of Zach to keep him seated. Once Annabeth was sure Cam could keep Zach still she took her arm back and made a loud whistle to get everyone's attention again, "Listen, them being back is the small part of the news. They are targeting three people in this room."
"How can there still be a Circle?" asked Macey, "I thought we got rid of the Inner Circle."
"You did," Annabeth quickly responded, "However, no one but the members of the Inner Circle knew that they weren't calling the shots. The Inner Circle acted more like a Board of directors, with a President of the company that no one else ever got to see: The Core of the Circle, the descendant of Ioseph Cavan."
"That can't be right, Cavan never married, or had any children."
"Right," answered Cam, "But… he had a sister, who gave birth to a son. He passed the secrets of the Circle to his nephew Leopold Barton, the Circle kept the name Cavan to preserve prestige."
"From there is went down another couple generations landing on one Jonathan Tobias Goode."
"No!" Zach yelled.
"Yep," Annabeth laughed humorlessly, "Who in turn passed it to his son: Thomas Zachary Goode."
"This is impossible!" Zach said as he tried to storm out, attempting to fight off his sister and fiancee.
"Zach," cam said softly, "Look at me, please?" when he complied she laid a gentle hand on his cheek, "I know this is crazy, and that you don't want it to be true, but there's more. And we have a lot to do before you can scream and rant and punch things about being a descendant of Cavan."
"It can't be true."
"I know, and I will let you rant about it to me later, but right now we have to tell all of you the rest of the information so we can figure out what to do okay?"
Zach slumped back, and Annabeth took the silence as an opportunity to continue her explanation, "Thomas Zachary Goode was the second child, his sister, Catherine, was a Ghallager Girl, and gave birth to the current heirs to the Circle of Cavan. Thomas never married and has no children. Now, our mother was passed over because she was a woman, which made her want to tear it down from inside. I actually suspect that's why she applied to Ghallager. Anyway, after seeing what Catherine was capable of, Thomas decided that the sexism and male oriented leadership the Circle originally operated on might need revision, so they are after three people in this room for one of two reasons, and one of them for both reasons."
Cam nodded and picked up the story, "They obviously want Zach to convince him to join and learn the ropes to take over for his uncle, as the oldest and only boy he is the prime choice."
"And they probably want Annabeth in case I refuse, but who else would they need?" Zach asked in frustration.
"They've done they're research, Z. They studied you well."
"What does that mean?"
"Zach," Cam began as she turned to face him fully, "First answer in your head: Name two people on this planet you'd do anything to keep safe."
"You and Annabeth."
Both girls looked at him expectantly. The moment he figured it out he let out a harsh curse running his hands through his hair.
"So Cam's back to being targeted by the Circle?" Macey asked incredulously.
"At least we know why this time…" Grant muttered.
"So what's the plan?" asked Liz, "Who are the higher ups? Which lackeys are after you? Where are their leaks? What-"
"Breathe Lizzie," interrupted a grave sounding Bex.
"We haven't gotten names from any of our contacts yet, but they have leaks in MI6, CIA, FBI, Secret Service, Langely, DEA, the House, the Senate, they even got people working in the White House," Cammie listed in an exhausted tone.
"We can only hope that their leaks aren't of a high enough clearance to have seen my face or know how to contact me."
"Well we aren't we in deep shit," groaned Abby.
It was then as they all we talking about how to proceed, that little Matthew decided to wake up and showcase his lung power. Giving a quick discreet tug on Zach's sleeve, Cam got up and headed toward the bedroom.
She heard Zach close the door behind her as she bent to pick up her son, "Hi baby boy. You're gonna be an early bird aren't you?"
"He always up this early?"
"The past month or so, yeah."
"He calmed down pretty quick."
"Yeah," she replied before going back to talking to Matthew, "Because you just want attention huh? You want to see your Daddy?" she moved and handed him to a slightly frightened looking Zach.
"What do I do with him?" Cam laughed at his innocent question.
"You hold him, just like you're doing, and you can rock him, talk to him, sing, or just sit with him."
Zach looked down at his little boy, "Hey there bud. You gonna help me drive your mother nuts?"
Cammie huffed with a small smile as she crossed her arms, "Seems like Matthew and I have been causing more trouble for you than the other way around."
"That's why it's my turn. Payback's a bitch, Cam."
"Watch your language around the baby!"
"He's only six months old."
"They pick up everything in their formative years. No taking chances."
Zach snorted as he handed the baby back to Cam, who put him back in the portable crib. When she came to sit next to him on the bed he gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear.
"So I guess now is my chance to vent huh?" he asked quietly. Cam nodded silently before gently whispering, "If you want."
"I knew my family was evil but…"
"Not your family. Your mom? Yeah a little bit, but I would say your whole family."
"My whole family runs the Circle of Cavan. That's not fucking evil Cam?"
"Figuratively or literally?" she asked with a smirk. Zach snorted and gave her a look.
"Okay okay," she backed off, "But I mean you can't say your whole family runs the circle or is evil; I mean, you and Annabeth seem to have come out unscathed."
"I don't know if I'd consider her 'unscathed', but I know what you mean."
"Exactly, plus if I know my friends and family like I think I do they are already planning the best course of action. So you and I can stay here for a bit, and let them worry about the issues without for a change?"
"Since do you volunteer not to be involved in this stuff?"
"I think sometime between the first kick and my water breaking," the two laughed for a moment before Zach's face fell once more.
"I wish I could have been there…"
Cam set a hand on his wrist, "I know, but now that we're engaged… maybe there can be a next time?"
"How about we see what happens with my dear ol' Uncle Tom, before we start planning the future?"
"Sounds good, so…"
"So?"
"Since we aren't planning the future," she said turning to face him fully, "Maybe we can focus on us now?"
Zach smirked and pulled her into his lap, "I thought you'd never ask…" he trailed off as he hooked a hand behind Cam's neck and pulled her down connecting his lips to hers.
For just this moment: everything was safe.
A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed! Drop a review let me know what you think. Honestly getting the notifications that people were favoriting and following this story guilted me into finishing this chapter (which I'm totally okay with!) Anyway, not sure when the next chapter will get started… Not entirely sure what part I want to write next: Zammie or planning? Por que no los dos? So we'll see and if you have an opinion lemme know!
-MoF