When In Doubt, Spy It Out

part nineteen

chameleon pov

8:39 p.m.

unknown location

joseph solomon's lake house

living room currently occupied by cameron morgan, grant smith, and zachary goode

I followed Zach into the kitchen, determined to get the secret out of him. If Bex, Macey, Grant, and Zach knew, I had no doubt Liz and maybe even Jonas knew, or would know soon enough.

And I wasn't going to be kept out of the loop anymore. That was partly why I left Gallagher to begin with—to find answers. And now I was going to find more.

"Can I help you, Gallagher Girl?" Zach asked, searching through the cabinets and pulling out bread and meat.

I slid onto a stool located under the island he was making sandwiches on. "Yes, you can."

"Want a sandwich?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I want answers." I stared straight at him, as if glaring at him could magically make answers pop into my determined head.

"No promises. I already made one too many."

I ignored his jibe at me and continued to pester him. "What's this secret, Zach? What does everyone else know that I don't?"

"You wanna know the secret, huh?" Zach looked up. "I'm a Taurus." He smirked. "Glad to get that off my chest."

"Be serious with me, Zach."

"I'll exchange a secret of mine, for a secret of yours." He answered a few seconds later.

"Fine."

"Who are you sources?" I froze, not expecting that. "I mean, who told you about Solomon and your bloodline? And Grant? I mean, some seriously discreet and powerful people who have been watching you and your family for a very long long time must have told you. And I want to know who." He leaned across the island, staring me down with his dark eyes.

The dark eyes that saw through me, and showed so many different sides of Zachary Goode to me.

I stiffened but tried to throw him off. "The great Zach Goode doesn't know something for once? Hm, must be annoying. I would know."

"Don't try to change the subject, Cammie." He said, putting away his sandwich ingredients. "I'll tell you the secret if you tell me your sources."

"Never."

"Okay then, we're at an impasse."

I scowled at him as he took a giant bite of his sandwich and stormed out of the kitchen, throwing myself down next to Grant, Zach following.

"Hey, Grant..." I asked sweetly, leaning toward him. His eyes never left the football game he was watching on the tv.

"Cammie..." He responded. "Yo, Goode! Where's my sandwich?"

"I don't know, Grant." Zach sat on the other couch, feet up on the coffee table. "Where is it?"

Grant scowled at him, before turning his attention back to the game. "What do you want, Cam?"

"Will you please tell me the secret?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a big girl and you should figure it out on your own. I did."

I pouted at him when he turned to look at me. "You're so mean to me. You don't love me." I crossed my arms and leaned back against the couch, playing the part.

Tears rose in my eyes. "Why do you hate me so much? I know we fight but I never did anything horrible to you. And when you—" I let my voice crack a couple times.

Zach rolled his eyes, knowing I was playing Grant. "Dude," He started.

"Are you crying?" Grant asked me incredulously.

"No." I sniffled, turning away from him and burying my face in a pillow. "I'm just shedding salt water!"

I felt Grant's body jerk next to me. "Uh, oh, um, don't... cry? Cammie?" He awkwardly patted me on the back.

I pushed his hand away. "All I wanted to know was a little secret and you're such a big jerk!" I yelled into my pillow.

"I can't tell you Cam, but I can tell you something else."

"Like what?" I asked, curiously, popping up.

He opened his mouth to continue but the shrill sound of my cell phone diverted my attention.

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Grant." I answered the phone. "Hellooooo?"

There was sniffling on the other line. "Cammie?"

I stood up, in alert. "What's the matter, Liz? What's wrong?"

Grant and Zach perked up hearing the spy tone enter my voice.

Her voice was cracking as she spoke to me. "Its just—I came home and my parents told me they were getting a divorce!"

I fell back onto the couch, holding my head. "Oh, Liz. I am so sorry. What can I do? I'll do anything you want."

"As long as you don't leave this house..." Zach murmured.

I shot him a glare as Liz started talking again. "Well, Bex is in London, and Macey's stuck with her parents in Aspen, and well... I was wondering if maybe I could spend Christmas break with you? I know where the lake house is, I mean, we snuck out of Gallagher before and found Macey there. Please? I just can't stay here. It's too hard. And I miss you."

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "Let me talk to my Mom and Solomon. Hold on."

I got up and walked down the hall, knocking on Mom and Solomon's door.

"It's open." Solomon called.

I opened the door to see them hunched over some paperwork on a queen sized bed.

"Hey," I said when they looked up. "Liz wants to know if she can come here for the rest of break." They gave me confused looks. "Her parents are getting divorced and I'm her only other option. Please? Pretty please! Liz knows where this place is! She can come herself!" I begged.

Mom looked at Solomon. "It's alright with me. Joe?"

He nodded. "It's fine. But someone should go and get Liz—just as a precaution."

"I'll go." Mom volunteered, "And I'll bring Abby with me."

Solomon nodded. "It's alright, then."

"Tell Liz we'll be there tomorrow at one."

I nodded. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I called as I shut the door, and walked back into the living room.

"LIZ! YOU CAN COME! Mom and Abby will pick you up at one tomorrow."

She squealed on the other side of the phone. "Yay! Thank you so much! I can't wait to see you!"

"Me either!" I laughed. "I'll talk to you later, Liz."

"Bye, Cam!" She called as I hung up.

/\/\/\ PAGE BREAK /\/\/\

I pulled away from Aunt Abby's hug as she and Mom prepared to leave. "Be careful." I said.

"I'm coming too." Zach said, pushing past me. "It's safer with three people."

"WHAT?" I asked, incredulously.

"It's safer to go with three people." He repeated, looking at me. "Plus, I want to make sure Liz gets here safe."

I grabbed Zach's arm and pulled him away from the hallway, earning looks from my family.

"You promised you wouldn't disappear again." I whispered, looking at him.

"I'm not disappearing, Gallagher Girl. I'm just going to protect one of your sisters." He sighed. "And I should really be going now."

He turned to leave, and I instinctively grabbed onto him and pulled him back. "Don't leave me." I whispered. "You're always running off, every chance you get. And—" I took a deep breath. "Whenever you're gone I always wonder if you'll ever come back."

He brushed my hair away from my face. "I always come back, don't I?" He smiled. "Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

I hit him. "This isn't funny. I don't want you to leave me. Please stay here. For me." I was holding onto him for dear life now.

He closed his eyes in exasperation. "Cammie..."

"Please?" I asked, hugging him, and burying my head into his chest.

After a moment he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tightly to him. "What are you doing to me?"

Zach told Aunt Abby to go without him, and they left promising to bring my sister back safe by tomorrow.

Grant challenged Solomon to spar with him in the attic, leaving Zach and I alone.

I traced patterns on the couch as I worked up the courage to talk to him. "Thanks." He looked up at me. "For staying." I swallowed. "I just..." I struggled to find words. "Don't want you to leave me. Ever." I said truthfully, looking up from where I was sitting on the couch, into his eyes, where he was sitting next to me.

And then we were both leaning towards each other, and I breathed in deeply through my nose when Zach finally kissed me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and losing against gravity, pulled him down on top of me on the couch.

The kiss was like the one in the pigeon room at Gallagher. Intense. Heated. Never wanting to stop. Just wanting. Each other.

He started kissing down my neck, and it felt so amazing I couldn't stop myself from somehow sighing (and moaning at the same time), "Zach..."

"If you do that I may not be able to stop myself, Gallagher Girl." He murmured against my skin.

"Then don't." I said breathlessly, arching my neck to give him better access (and managing to arch my body into his at the same time).

He grunted in such a way that I got the sense he was trying to not groan.

I pulled his face back to mine with one hand, and fingered the edge of his shirt with my other.

Using the same move Zach had used against me in P & E, I rolled us so he was on his back. "I told you I like being on top," I smirked as I flicked my hair behind my back.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "I don't mind."

I fingered his shirt. "Let's see those abs." I said, straddling him.

He grabbed onto my waist and pulled me down to kiss me hard. I pulled my head back a bit, and he stared into my eyes, pushing my hair back.

We just stayed like that for a while before he spoke again.

"I told you before that I like you like this," I gave him a confused look and he laughed before clarifying. "Innocent."

I sat up. "You mean virginal." I said, stunned.

He sat up. "Well, yeah. I'm not having sex with you, Cammie." He said laughing.

"Why not? Any other guy would take advantage of me." I asked, angrily, crossing my arms.

He looked at me. "I'm not just any other guy, Cammie. And I'm not about to mess up my relationship with you for fifteen minutes of fun. Seriously Cammie, think about it." He leaned it. "What if you got pregnant? That's more trouble. Plus the fact that someone would find out, and McHenry, Baxter, and not to mention your brother and father would castrate me or worse." His face got softer. "And the fact that I like you too much to complicate this," he gestured between us, "for sex." He got up to leave, but turned around quickly before leaving. "Don't get me wrong, Gallagher Girl," he smirked, "Trust me when I say I want to have sex with you." He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Just not now."

He left, leaving me stunned on the couch.

I know its short, but its Zammie-filled, and I have the next few chapters planned out. What do you think?

And remember to VOTE IN THE SECOND OFFICIAL GALLAGHER GIRL AWARDSWINTER 2010 (link on my profile)

Thanks guys! I promise to try to update soon!