A/N I'm writing this as I go along as I always have, if you'd asked me where this was going at Chapter 1 there would have been no way I could've thought that we'd end up here (but don't worry it's not over yet). I know I promised a prequel last week but surprisingly I have actually been busy (ball dress shopping and skating practice does that to a girl) and it will be up soon now that my final exam is on Wednesday. I hope you enjoy this chapter I appreciate that it's on the shorter side but the next few chapters (we're so close to the end but I'd predicting probably 2 chapters, if not just one plus an epilogue) might be a bit longer. I hope you have fun reading, I enjoyed writing this on a really boring train journey across England yesterday so I hope you like reading it.
Disclaimer: Gallagher Girls belongs to Ally Carter not me.
Joe's POV
My head seared with pain, blood was plastered all over my body and my back hurt so much I could barely feel it. Torture is something I'd felt before, ye and I've learnt to block those experiences out; but now, the pain is so real I just want to close my eyes-
The door banged open loudly and it took all my willpower just to open my eyes to see who had entered. My heart sunk knowing the pain was only going to get worse. I was surprised to see who it was, Catherine Goode never used to like getting her hands dirty.
"Catherine." I drawled.
"Well, well Joseph Solomon," She responded with an almost cackle. "Still glad you left us?"
"Always." I retorted.
"Well that's too bad." She smirked at me and I thought I was going to be sick. "Zach's going to miss you when you're dead." She spat.
When I didn't respond she sighed, as if half the fun would have been me struggling with survival against her and continued.
"I head you and Rachel are his new parents. What a bad influence you've been...taking my son from me, leaving me alone." The anger was evident in Catherine's voice.
She didn't love Zach, Catherine never had, not enough to put his best interests first. The only reason she was anger now was because she'd lost something to the enemy.
"How is Rachel anyway?"
This time she didn't wait for my response, choosing to continue into a monologue instead.
"I hear you two are together now, oh dear. I wonder what Mathew would have thought about that, his best friend screwing his wife."
I ignored her words, it was a good thing that I was so weak otherwise I would have physically attacked her already.
"I heard you're not very good at talking, Solomon. It's such a pity...we'll just have to kill you instead. What a waste of good looks you are."
Throughout the pain that wracked my body I managed to pull myself together for one final retort against Catherine Goode.
"I love Zach because you were never there for him. Never there to hold him and do right by him, you never loved him Catherine, the only person you ever loved was yourself. I chose to leave the circle because I realised what it did; it made people like you, evil, twisted men and women who ignore their own children, ruin thousands of innocent lives and that are prepared to kill their own mothers in cold blood. I will never help you Catherine." I said slowly, surprised that she even let me finish.
"Well that's too bad." She smirked at me.
And that's when I knew it. I was going to die. Without telling Rachel Morgan that I loved her, always had, always would. Always.
Cammie's POV
Zach had woken up just as I had entered the room, having left my roommates outside. He looked exhausted and although his eyes were no longer red, it didn't take a genius given the circumstances that he had been crying.
"Hello Cameron."
I looked up to see a slight smile form on Mrs Goode's lips.
Even though I felt like crawling into bed and under the covers and just be hugged by my Mom for the rest of eternity (with m&ms of course...that's a given); I put on my biggest non-fake smile (because I truly was happy that Mrs Goode was awake) and continued with the formalities Madame Dabney had always taught up.
"Hello Mrs Goode, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling truth be told like crap actually. I'm too old to be getting shot."
I stared at my teacher in shock, my facade slipping, how she could joke about this.
"Oh Cameron, when you get to my age you realise the worlds too dark not to have any humour." She said as if understanding how I felt.
I looked up at her and half smiled about to say something but Mrs Goode interrupted.
"Zachary you wouldn't mind standing outside for a few minutes whilst I talk to Cammie would you?"
Zach looked at her with a look that conveyed, 'yes he did mind very much', but nonetheless he got up and flounced from the room. When the door swung shut, leaving my roommates and Zach in the hallway and Mrs Goode and I in the room. The room was plain and looked like any other sterile hospital room, it just so happened that this particular room was in the middle of a historic mansion full of spies in training.
I was still at a loss as to know why Mrs Goode (snr) wanted to see me when I finished analyzing the room and sat in the chair Zach had previously vacated.
"Cammie, I'm so glad you're safe."
I looked up at her in surprise; her tone was soft and kind, almost motherly, very much unlike her usual brash voice.
"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about my daughter-"
She searched my eyes for the understanding that I knew who her daughter now was, I confirmed it and she seemed satisfied, but I scrunched up my nose, not understanding what she was saying or where this was going.
Diane Goode sighed and looked me in the eyes. "My daughter has done unbelievable things in the name of an evil cause. Very few people in the world are truly evil but my selfish daughter is one of them. I'm so sorry what she's done to you and your family Cammie."
"Mrs Goode it's not your fault, you don't need to apologise." I tried.
"Oh but I do. It's my fault...It's all my fault."
Mrs Goode (snr) was close to tears and I could tell this had been a burden that my teacher had held close to her for all these years.
"You see Cameron, I could have done something...I should have done something." She said bitterly.
"No-"I started, just a bit weirded out that I was the one comforting my teacher.
"Yes." She interrupted. "Your mother will agree with me when I say that the ultimate loss in a mother's life is her own child choosing what is wrong over what is right. Because what it means is that you've failed, you spend years with your child, making sure they know right from wrong, shaping them to be good people, but my own daughter threw that all away."
I was above to say something bu then held my tongue, realising that this was the time to listen and not to comfort or to reassure. A tear fell down Mrs Goode's check and she hastily wiped it away before continuing once more.
"I found out nearly 18 years ago, who she really was. It was a shock to everyone, because you have to know Cameron, that my daughter was a good girl, out of the two of them your mother was definitely the more rebellious one."
I chocked. "My mother knew Zach's mom?"
"Yes Cameron. They went to Gallagher together, they were very much best friends."
I thought I was going to sick, I could feel acid rising in my throat, I felt the same raw emotions that I had when Mr Solomon had told me that she was Zach's mom. I was unbelieavly shocked, this couldn't be true, my mom and the woman that wanted to kill me could never have been friends.
"Cammie this doesn't mean that your mom's a bad person, because you know she's isn't nor had ever been. She's the best the CIA have ever had and I don't exaggerate."
I nodded, relief flooded through me and I let go of the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. Wait...that meant tha Zach's mom had been a Gallagher Girl...she was a sister. Oh helo no.
"No. She was at Gallagher..." I trailed off.
Mrs Goode closed her eyes. "Yes Cammie." She confirmed my fears. "I was with the CIA as was my husband, and then he died, I didn't want to risk the field and orphan my only child."
I almost smiled slightly at the irony between the similarities of my mom's situation and Mrs Goode's.
"I went to Gallagher to teach and so my daughter came here. She befriended your Mom on their very first day having bonded over a love of chocolate sweets."
I almost laughed, knowing very much, like I did, how much my mother did like chocolate, but I didn't because I knew now who else did too.
"She seemed so good, i was so proud of ehr when she graduated from here, but that's when everything began t change. She stopped talking to me, became a lot more secretive and cut off all of her fiends; it was bad but I never unnagined what she was actually doing. I was told eventually, when a CIA op uncovered my daufgter was working witht he Circle. I retired from Galaher in shame. I felt everybody thought my daughter had been influenced by me and then I found out about Zachary and I suddenly stopped feeling sorry for myself and worked to make sure Zach wasn't influenced by her. So what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and please don't blame Zachary for his mothers wrong doings, blame me."
I was stunned with how open my teacher was being with me, far more open that my Mom and Mr Solomon would ever have been, will ever be. "I- I-." I stuttered before swallowing and continuing properly. "I know that. Maybe not to begin with, but I know now that Zach is a good guy not a bad guy."
Diane smiled at me. "Good Cameron. I'm glad you realise that."
"I do have one question though." I asked.
"Go on."
"Why did you tell me all this?"
Mrs Goode stared at me with kind eyes. "Because you of all people deserve to know and who else is going to tell you? Your Mom in all her ability can't because she loves you too much she wants to protect you as does Mr Solomon." I winced at his name but she ignored me and continued. "They won't tell you because they want to make sure you don't have too, but my daughter had pushed down that barrier, you have to know Cammie because you are very much in danger and god forbid if your Mom and Joe aren't there to protect you, you need to be prepared, you nee to be ready."
If I'd thought I could have been any more shocked before I was wrong. Diane Goode had practically said Mr Solomon loved me and she'd voiced my fears that nobody else was willing to accept that I was in grave danger, that it was me the Circle wanted and that they were dangerous. The strange thing was I was happy, I was glad to finally have the truth be told to me, I could stop being angry with my Mom, my Aunt and Mr Solomon for not telling me because now I already knew. I knew that I was wanted dead by my own sister, by moms ex-best friend, my teachers daughter and my boyfriends mom.
