Zach POV

I woke up with the worst headache of my life, I was feeling groggy, my whole body seemed to weigh a tonne. This was not the same reaction I had last time Cammie had slapped a sleeping patch on me.

I looked around to see that I was in a cell; the walls were plain, there was a two-way mirror on one side, a toilet & basin and then a small table and chair. As far as cells go, this one was far more comfortable than the one Joe, Cammie and I had been in - this one felt safe as if you were somewhat of a guest rather than a prisoner.

There was however someone leaning against the wall.

'Oh good, you're awake' Bex said.

'Where's Cammie?' I asked

'Not here'

'And where is here? Are we back at Gallagher?'

'You're lucky that you're not in a maximum-security prison'

'Where's Cammie?'

'Why do you care?'

'I need to talk to her'

'Well she doesn't want to talk to you' Bex snapped 'And can you blame her? You lied to her'

'I haven't lied to her!' It feels as though I've been saying that a lot over the last few days, and I just want someone to believe me.

'How long have you known Max?' She asked, diverting the conversation.

'I'm not answering any of your questions until I speak to Cammie' I gestured over to the two-way mirror. 'She's in there isn't she?'

Bex looked at the mirror and gave a single nod. Suddenly the light turned on in the other room to reveal Macey standing there with her arms crossed. There was no one else in the room.

'Like I said Zach,' Bex made her way to the door 'She's not here'

Bex and Macey both left, I watched from my door to see them disappear down the corridor. From here I was able to see the two cells opposite me, and my two friends. Grant was still sound asleep but Jonas was just waking up.

'Do you know what's going on?' He asked

'They think we're double agents' I said

'Seriously? But we didn't know that Joe or Max or whoever he was has been lying to us!'

'They won't believe that until we can prove it' I said, hitting the bar with the palm of my hand. All I wanted to do was to talk to Cammie but I knew that she wouldn't touch me with a barge pole at this point.

Cammie POV

I sat on the steps that once led to the main entrance of Gallagher. Dusk was beginning to set causing a cascade of blues, pinks and purples to flood the sky.

It was a pretty sight, but not even that could change my sober mood.

'Penny for your thoughts?' I look up to see Nick, still in his school uniform, standing in front of me.

'How the hell did you get here so fast?' I stood up, pulling him into a tight hug.

'Turns out being friends with thieves isn't that bad after all' He said into my shoulder.

'What did you do, steal a plane?' I teased

'As a matter of fact, I didn't. Hale is the heir to Hale Industries, so he let me borrow his private jet'

'Private jet? Remind me to introduce him to Macey. I think they'd get on well'

'Hale is kind of taken'

'That's never stopped Macey. Which reminds me, you stay away from her' I quipped. Nick chuckled and pulled me back into a hug.

'It's good to see you again Cammie. Even if it's shrouded in mystery'

I chuckled 'It's good to see you too'

'So this is the mighty Gallagher Academy?' Nick looked up at the burnt building.

'Trust me, it's way more impressive on the inside'

'Cool. Is my mom in there? She didn't sound right on her phone. She seemed sad'

Everything froze around me.

'Nick, there's something I need to tell you' I began

'Okay...fire away'

'Maybe you should sit down' I said, sitting down on the steps myself.

'You're worrying me, Cam' He sat down next to me. His eyes creased 'What happened to your shoulder?'

I looked down to see the blood beginning to seep through my jumper. Great...

'I...was tortured,' I said.

'Holy shit! Are you okay?'

'I'm-' I looked at Nick, his eyes wide with concern. This was a person who has dealt with heartache before but never wants to see anyone else in pain. I couldn't see him in pain, and that's what will happen when I tell him the truth about how my shoulder indeed got hurt, and more specifically by who.

'I'm okay' I gave a small smile 'It was just a scratch'

'And you're sure that you're okay?' He asked

'Positive'

Nick smiled.

'Good. So what did you want to tell me?'

I sighed, deciding to tell him some truth but not the big truth.

'You remember Zach, the guy from London?'

'You mean the guy in love with you?' Nick arched an eyebrow teasingly. My eyes opened in shock.

'What...what...what do you mean?' I stuttered.

'Come on Cam. You didn't see the way he was looking at you? It was they same way my dad used to look at my mom'

The tears appeared from nowhere, it was like a wound in my heart reopening.

'Hey' Nick slid over and wrapped an arm around me (careful to avoid my shoulder). 'It's okay, whatever happened, you're okay' He muttered into my hair as I cried into his chest.

'Zach...He wasn't the good guy that I thought he was…' I whimpered after crying. Nick tilted my head up and wiped a tear from my cheek.

'Want me to beat him up?' He asked. I chuckled. The thought of Nick hitting another human being on purpose made for a funny picture.

Nick and I descended into comfortable silence as we watched the sun finally disappear in the sky. The ending of a truthfully eventful day.

..

Nick and I made our way down into the Gallagher, he was quite impressed with our whole secret spy school thing.

'So this is how the other half live' He joked, as the elevator doors slid open. I rolled my eyes.

'This way' I led him down a few more corridors towards Buckingham's office, but on our way we bumped into two familiar faces.

'Nicky!' Bex exclaimed pulling him into a hug

'Bex! Jez, it's been too long' Nick squeezed her quickly before pulling back. 'You're not hurt too, are you?' He checked her over. Bex shook her head.

'Nick, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Macey McHenry' Bex gestured to Macey. Nick looked at her, and I could have sworn he drooled.

'H...Hi…' He said

'Hi' Macey replied before swishing her black hair to face me. 'He's awake'

'And?' I asked

'He won't talk unless it's to you' Bex said as she picked up Nick's open jaw.

'Are you sure you don't want me to beat him up?' Nick said to me. I smiled at him

'I think us girls can handle him'

'Ouch, Cam. What a way to hurt my ego' He teased.

'Professor Buckingham also wants to see you in her office. I can take Nick to get settled if you'd like' Bex offered.

'Thanks' I smiled at them 'I'll catch up with you all later. And you,' I turned to Nick Do not touch anything and most definitely no messing with the girls. Behave yourself'

'Don't I always' He winked. I rolled my eyes and waved goodbye before heading towards Buckingham's office.

...

Since we arrived back in Gallagher, I had stayed in town for a while, wandering through the streets avoiding as many people (particularly Josh and DeeDee) as much as I possibly could. Then I took the long walk back up to Gallagher. I didn't want to go in, knowing that I'd have to debrief everyone, let them know what happened, the information I gave up and how we escaped. I also knew that I'd have to see Zach, or at least have people mentioning his name.

On the flight, I tried not to look at him and focus on anything else, but every time I tried to stop myself, I couldn't. I looked at him, peaceful and calm - despite all the pain that he had caused me when he looked into my eyes and said that he had never lied to me and that I'd changed him...I don't know...something inside me told me to believe him and at that moment I did.

And now he was a few floors below me in a cell with probably a million questions.

I paused outside Buckingham's office, my fist raised, ready to knock.

'You know that you're meant to actually touch the door with your hand, right?' I jumped at a voice behind me.

'Abby! You're up!' The bruises around her face had begun to fade, morphing into the yellow-green colour. She had a little bit more vibrancy in her eyes and her face seemed a little fuller. She had rested and had been fed well.

'I am' She pulled me into a hug 'It's good to see you again' She pulled back 'Though I should be angry at you just leaving without saying goodbye'

'I left a note!'

'Starting your note with; Don't get mad at me but this is something I have to do, isn't the greatest thing to wake up to Squirt' She caressed my cheek 'You could have told me'

'You would have stopped me'

'I would have tried to, but we both know you wouldn't have listened to me' She smiled. 'We'll get them back'

'Them?'

'Your mom and dad. Isn't that what this meeting is about?'

'Oh Christ…' I muttered, once again I was the bearer of bad news. I had to tell those closest to me the worst truth possible.

The door behind me opened. Buckingham, with her hair perfectly in place, stood in the doorway.

'We're ready' She said. I nodded, swiftly making my way into the room.

It appeared that this was a gathering of all the adults in my life in one room.

Buckingham, Dr. Fibbs, Ms. Hancock, Professor Smith, Madame Dabney, Townsend, Amelia, Abby and Joe.

Amelia had puffy eyes that she had clearly been trying to hide. When I told her that Max was still alive, she didn't react in the way that I expected. When I had found my father and when I told Joe too, both of us were angry. But Amelia was shocked beyond belief. Judging by her eyes, she grieved alone.

'Cameron' Buckingham began 'The room is secure, you can trust all of us in here. What we need is for you to tell us what happened from the beginning. Don't miss anything out. We need every detail'

I nodded. I felt as though I couldn't look at any of the adults. I began to pace the room, looking down at the floor as I told them everything. From finding out everyone was missing to the countless deadends, missing a call from Preston, finding him dead, running into Zach and everything that has led to this very moment.

I looked up at the adults to see them all with grim expressions.

'My dear' Madame Dabney dabbed her eyes with a silk handkerchief. 'I never knew...I can't imagine what you went through' She shook her head.

'Are you sure it was your father's grave?' Dr Fibbs asked

'Positive' I replied, my gaze flicking to Abby for a moment, but she wasn't looking at me or anyone. She was staring at the ground, tears flowing like a river 'Liz and Jonas...they took a DNA sample'

'Do they still have it? I want to confirm myself'

'Um...I'm sure she does' I said, wanting to end that conversation

'You said you saw someone before you fell?' Townsend spoke. I nodded. 'You recognised them?'

'Sort of. Their face seems familiar but I couldn't place where I'd seen them before'

'What colour were her eyes?' He said with slight urgency. I paused wondering what he wasn't telling me.

'I didn't say I saw a female' I muttered. Townsend stiffened, unaware of his slip up and that I had caught him.

'Was it a female?' He asked. I paused again.

'...No...' I eventually answered. Townsend lowered his eyes. Was he disappointed? Relieved? Scared?

Silence descended over everyone again.

I looked around the room, all the adults in their own thoughts trying to comprehend and process all the information I had told them. That was everyone apart from Professor Smith and Joe. They were looking at each other silently communicating.

'What?' I asked, everyone turned, following my gaze to look at Professor Smith and Joe.

'Do you think it's possible?' Joe asked Professor Smith.

'It seems very likely. Which means-'

'We are not discussing that here!' Joe hissed. Professor Smith drew in a breath but didn't respond.

'What aren't you two telling me?' I asked. The two men continued to look at each other before Joe withdrew his gaze and looked at me.

'Professor Smith and I share the same concerns about you hearing music' He began 'It's a technique that is barbaric but a speciality of a certain person…'

Townsend turned to Joe. 'That's not possible. He's dead'

Joe shook his head.

'Last known sighting was in Rio, 2007' Joe informed Townsend 'He's been off the radar since'

'Who?' I asked. Joe turned back to me.

'He goes by the name of Dr. Steve. He's wanted by all the top agencies across the globe. He's a lunatic, a man with no morals and-'

'-and if you were in contact with him, then we need to take precautions' Professor Smith interrupted.

'Precautions?' I said confused.

'We are not doing it that way' Joe hissed.

'You know better than I at what Dr Steve is capable of. We need to act soon' Professor Smith added

'NOT LIKE THAT!' Joe's voice boomed across the room. The two men stared at each other, shooting daggers across the room. I could see Townsend and Ms Hancock prepared to tackle both men if a fight was to break out.

'Gentlemen!' Buckingham's voice sliced through the room 'Some decorum, please!'

Both men relaxed their shoulders. Buckingham stood next to me, placing her hand delicately on my shoulder.

'You've had quite an eventful few days. I've notified Chef Louis and he is expecting you. I suggest you have an early night'

'But-' I began. Buckingham arched an eyebrow and suddenly I felt 12 years old again being told off for having my skirt too short (It wasn't my fault that I had a growth spurt!) I nodded, slinking out of the room, closing the door delicately behind me. But as I closed it, I heard words that would play over and over again in my head.

'Cameron must never know the truth'

…

I left Buckingham's office wondering what I wasn't allowed to know. I get that I've been keeping secrets from people, but I just told them all everything and they're still hiding something…

'Cammie?' I looked up to see Amy bouncing towards me. 'You're back!'

'I told you I would be' I said as she threw her arms around me.

'Are you alright?' She asked, studying me

'I'm fine, Amy. Just a little tired. That's all'

'Did you rescue your family?' She asked. I arched an eyebrow. Amy blushed. 'I overheard your aunt talking to Professor Buckingham. They didn't see me! I was being super stealthy'

'That's very impressive Amy, but you need to be careful. There are some things that you shouldn't be listening to.'

'I know' His gaze dropped 'I just wanted to make sure you were okay'

I couldn't help but smile.

'I promise that I'm okay' I noticed she wasn't wearing her school uniform 'Field trip?'

'We're practising our dead drops in town over the next few days. I'm excited'

'I remember doing that' I smiled to myself 'Just be careful of the pharmacist's son'

'Why? Is he an enemy spy?' Her eyes widened

'No' I shook my head and smiled 'He's a normal guy, and they're the most dangerous of all. Be careful out there Amy, check your six and always make sure your comms are working'

'Will do! Bye Cammie!'

Amy disappeared down the corridor just as the bell sounded and the corridors were flooded with students. I managed to slip my way through the crowd and headed towards our room.

Bex and Nick were in the middle of a very intense arm wrestle (though Bex didn't seem like she was trying at all), Macey was laying on her bed reading through a magazine and Liz was typing on her laptop.

'What did they say?' Bex asked, pushing Nick's arm down.

'It was more what they didn't say' I mumbled going to sit on my bed.

'What do you mean?' Macey closed her magazine.

'They're hiding something'

'Really? What makes you think that?'

'Joe and Professor Smith have a hunch at what, or who, could be behind my memory loss'

'That's a good thing, right?'

'I don't think it is. They seemed...scared. Professor Smith says that we have to take precautions.'

'They probably don't want us to worry' Bex chimed in.

'I could always run a background check? See if we could get some intel' Liz swung around and put her laptop in front of me.

'He goes by the name Dr. Steve. It could be an alias or a cover but apparently he's wanted by everyone' I said

'I'll see what I can find' Liz began to type away accessing pretty much every agency's database in one go.

'Is this something that you girls do a lot?' Nick asked 'Hacking into places'

'Sometimes. The rest of the time we actually break into the buildings' Bex teased.

'Wait really?' He looked at all of us in amazement 'So you're basically information thieves' Nick turned to me 'Perhaps we're more alike that you think'

I rolled my eyes playfully.

'Huh' Liz muttered, her brows furrowed

'What have you got?' I asked, leaning over

'I did a data scan for any mention of the Dr Steve alias and all the files that have come up are either redacted to the point of oblivion, deleted with no way to recover or sealed beyond comprehension' She looked up at us 'Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make sure no one comes looking for this guy'

I turned to Bex.

'Well?' I asked

'Okay...maybe they are hiding something' She admitted

'So what do we do now?' Nick asked. I turned to him.

'We do nothing. You need to talk to your mom and we need to get some sleep. It's been a long few days'

Nick furrowed his brow. He opened his mouth to say something when Bex fake yawned.

'You're right, we need sleep. We'll see you in the morning, Nick'

'Um...sure...I'll see you all later. Night'

'Night!' We all replied. Once the door was shut, all the girls turned back to me.

'So what do we actually do now?' Bex asked with a smirk

'Liz, can you find out who secured the files? Or try and access them?' I asked

'I'll try. It won't be easy though'

'And what about us?' Macey asked

'You two are going to talk to the guys, see if you can get any information about Max or Dr Steve out of them' I said

'Zach won't talk to us. He will only speak to you'

'There's three of them. Find a way to get them to talk'

'And what will you do?' Bex asked me

'I'm going to tell you the truth. All of it.'

Author's note: Hello everyone! So things have got interesting. Nick has said that Zach loves Cammie, do you think it's true? How will Nick react to the truth about his father? Now it's the adults who are keeping secrets: What can't Cammie know? And who do you think the figure she saw was - and why was Townsend so concerned? Find out next week xxx

MC5809: Hope you enjoy it xxx

Blue: I think Cammie wanted to kiss him too. Wait and see! Dr Steve has now been mentioned...but what will he do? Tissues and chocolate will be needed soon! xxx

GallagherGirlzRule: That's okay! Don't worry! Cam should forgive Zach, but she will NEVER forget. Max will be back at some point, but for now, they need to find Rachel & Cammie needs to work out what the adults are hiding. Zammie moments will be in the next 3-5 chapters I can promise you that! PUPPY DOG EYES ARE MY WEAKNESS! STOOOOP! Thank you once again xxx

Oreocookies4: It will be a long road for forgiveness. But will something or someone force them together? xxx

Gynmast1150: Thank you very much! I have had so much fun rereading the books for this story and rediscovering the characters. Whenever Zammie argue, my heart just breaks a little each time. Nick noticed that Zach loves Cam, do you think the others can see it too? Zach in denial was heartbreaking for me too. You comment of 'then you twist the knife even deeper' made me laugh, cause you know, he stabbed her. Hahaha. BE PREPARED. It may happen sooner than you think! Thank you so much! Them kissing and then Zach being slapped with a patch seems to be a common theme with them two. I sincerely apologise to you and your heart...but be warned...if you think what's happened so far is a rollercoaster...buckle up. xxx

Guest: It's here, it's here, I'm sorry! I'm trying to upload at a time that's convenient for Europe & US times as that's where the majority of my readers are from. (Yes this was uploaded after midnight in the UK so is technically Sunday and I apologise for that) Hope you enjoy this xxx