Heyyy, it's me! I know, you have all probably been thinking I died or something. But, no I didn't. I believe it's called teachers ganging up on students with eight tests in one week, three projects due, about 4 volleyball games, choir after school, church choir Wednesdays and Sundays. Oh, not to mention the best concert of my life (AFI) and my best friend's sweet 16 :) Oh haha, and my birthday (yes, i did get everything i wanted, thanks for asking =] )

Please don't hate me for not updating sooner. I promise I'll try to update again before November (But if I can't, don't hate me)

80 Days into mission

Zach's POV

I had been thinking about it constantly since the time Solomon told me. About Guardian-Equals, that is. I knew everyone would be getting worried because I would randomly stop paying any attention to them, but I didn't care. My past, a past filled with voids left by missing parents, a past of confusion, was finally becoming clear.

Flashback

"Zach, there is something you should probably know. It's about your parents… and you, and Cammie, and Cammie's dad." My heart skipped a beat. All I knew about what happened to my parents was that they went on a mission one day and didn't come home… It happens to the best spies, including my parents and Cammie's dad. They had been MIA for seven, almost eight, years. I had basically grown up without them. "Zach? Are you there?" What? Oh, Solomon was still on the line!

"Yeah, I'm here. So, what do you need to tell me?" The beating of my heart was thumping in my ears, and I could barely make out what he was trying to tell me.

"Zach, your parents… are dead." I dropped my phone at his revelation. I had suspicions that they had died, but I never wanted to believe it was true. I would always try to convince myself that they were just in hiding for protection. For their protection and my own. "Zach, I can't tell you the rest right now, but I'll tell you later. I'm so sorry to have to have been the one to tell you." The phone call ended and I heard Cammie calling my name- I had to go.

End Flashback

Of course, that phone call was only the beginning. I had only figured out a few pieces of the Guardian-Equal secret, but I still needed answers…

After two and a half months on this mission, I started to doubt the original objectives: find out and put an end to the enemy group's plan. Yes, there was a group of terrorists; no, we didn't still need to be here in Arizona on the mission. Alexis, Dominique and the rest of them had all gotten captured: Mission Objective, Complete. There was more to it, though. I felt like Cammie and I needed to figure our pasts and even futures. Ms. Morgan and Solomon most likely saw that we were running out of time. This was how we were going to figure it out.

Night of Dance (77 days into mission, aka Present Day)

Cammie's POV

"Ow, Ow, OUCH!" Macey, Liz and Bex were doing uncomfortable things to my hair, pulling and pinning, so I would look good for the dance. Yes, Macey most likely bribed Director Weston with a new coffee maker for CIA Headquarters (HQ) which was how they were all able to make it out to Arizona two days earlier than scheduled. You never know with Macey.

"Cammie, put on your dress… uhh, I believe the words built-in-bra might come in handy tonight…" She stifled a giggle, no, they ALL stifled their giggles remembering my past experiences with strapless bras. I have great friends, don't I? But I wouldn't have them any other way. "Right, so while you're changing I have to go help Anna. She is ATTEMPTING to help Mr. Solomon get ready…" She cast a nervous look out the door. "See ya!" She practically screamed as she flew down the hall. I listened to the padding of her feet in the hall, "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" And then I listened to her shriek. "NO! SHE IS IN PINK, NOT ORANGE, CHANGE IT NOW!" Obviously, she had gone mental. (Ok, we already knew that. I just wanted to make sure YOU knew)

Five minutes later, I was on my way down the hall when I heard Macey shush everyone.

Descending the staircase I saw their faces, one by one. Macey (proud or her work, clearly), Anna (blown away), Liz (teary eyed), Bex (frozen in shock), Ryan, Jonas, Grant, Zach, and Solomon. He looked happy… and then really, really annoyed when the boys started whistling (I could feel myself getting red in the face, just my luck). Then in a sing-songy way, Solomon asked, "Who wants to be grounded?" Nothing could have ever shut them up any quicker. Ever.

"PHOTO-OP!" Macey screamed as she tore up the stairs, probably getting her camera. Little did I know, though, that another condition to them being able to come out early was pictures from the dance for Director Weston… He's only a little obsessive, don't you think?

After all the pictures were finally taken, we were able to get out to the car and be on our way. Pulling out of the driveway, Solomon asked, "Are you ready, Cammie?"

"Yes." I knew I wouldn't have to think about that answer. It was true; it felt right going to the dance. I felt like my dad would have wanted it this way.

"Okay then, but I kid you not; I'm not a very good dancer." So, he obviously knew that I didn't enjoy dancing. But what he didn't know was that I knew he was a pretty good dancer. I knew he was lying because I had seen him dancing with Mom that night in Roseville. At that dance. With Josh.

I'm pathetic, to still hurt over him. Especially now when I have Zach, but I smiled anyway and said, "You cannot be worse than me."

"Is that a challenge, Cameron?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I guess you'll have to wait and find out."

"You are SO on!" With that the car sped up a little. We laughed the rest of the way to the dance. Ok, not that impressive considering the dance was down the block from where we were.

We were walking in when I saw Alexis, Dominique, and their "fathers" (I didn't think there was any relation, at all. And I'm sure I'm right about that). Apparently they saw us too, because they waved us over to walk in with them. Like the old saying says, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." They must really live life according to that philosophy.

As it turned out, we were all at a table together with a few other girls and their fathers. (Wonder how that happened…) After a little talk from the principal (Odd, how it wasn't my mom speaking), I was dragged onto the dance floor by my table buddies (I still don't know why I went with them). We danced to about three songs when "Daddy" came over and told us to eat our salads. We talked at the table, and I noticed something (Solomon should be proud!). I saw that Alexis and Dominique seemed to be a little on edge, and they looked nervous. Their pupils were dilated slightly, too. I made a mental note (to be reviewed later), because I needed to have fun! While we were sitting there, Alexis and Dominique decided to play hard ball (even though I was OBVIOUSLY better than them).

"So, Cassie… Uh, I thought you hated pink?"

"Yeah, what are you doing in a pink dress? You'd think someone who hates pink would chose a different colored dress. You know, like not pink." She was over emphasizing that they knew I hated pink. Even so, at this remark Solomon's hand twisted into and out of a balled up fist, it was a miracle that I noticed. He obviously wasn't expecting that. But luckily, I was.

"Well, my friend from back in New Jersey loved this dress, and I agreed to wear it to her sweet 16 after much begging on her part. Unfortunately, Dad's… work came up and we had to move across the country. I couldn't get back out for her party, but she was able to come out to see me and she brought the dress, once again begging me to wear it. Obviously, I caved." They looked at me with shocked expressions, to which Solomon and I just smiled. After dinner but before dessert, there were the father-daughter slow dances. We walked out onto the dance floor together, and started dancing to Lullaby by Billy Joel. After the second dance started, I started to cry. I was sad, but happy too. Dancing with Solomon made me think of everything that my dad and I would never be, but I felt Solomon there next to me and instantly felt better because I knew he would always be there for me.

I hugged him as the song finished, and we went back to the table. We were just ordering dessert as Alexis, Dominique and their "fathers" decided it was time to go. They left and I hadn't thought anything of it. An hour later (at about one in the morning) when we were on our way home, Solomon asked me, "So did you have fun tonight, Cam?"

"Mr. Solomon, I had one of the best nights of my life. I hope you know that I had been hoping to eventually be able to come to a dance like this, but I really didn't have much hope at all. Thank you so much!" To that he just smiled.

…

The scene we arrived home to was only a teensy bit worrisome seeing as every light in the house was on and the front door was wide open.

Zach's POV

Cammie and Solomon just left to go to the dance and Bex had taken Grant, Anna, Macey, Liz, and Jonas to go meet her "lovely" family… Yeah, I'd already been subjected to that and REFUSED to be put through it again. I was watching the Yankee game when I heard a knock at the door. I sprinted not wanting to miss a second of the game, because A-Rod had just stepped up to bat, and opened the door to Rachel Morgan.

I opened up to let her in, but as opposed to actually coming in, she dropped her bags and gathered me quickly into a hug while crying out, "OH MY GOSH I MISSED THEM I WANTED TO SEE THEM BEFORE THEY LEFT!" She wasn't sad, just annoyed that she was late. I patted her on the back and used Madame Dabney's training to act like a polite young man – meaning that I took her bags in for her. "So Zach, how has everyone been since I've been at Gallagher?" (I could hear the crowd erupt as A-Rod scored a homer.)

Should I tell her the truth? That other than Cammie pretty much having a mental breakdown everyone has been fine? No. Because if I tell her that her daughter went crazy in her absence, Ms. Morgan would have gone to that dance to find her immediately. "Oh, everyone's been fine. How has Gallagher been? Nothing tragic I suppose, if you're here with me right now? Dr. Fibs hasn't blown anything up, has he?"

"Haha, everything is good back at Gallagher too. Actually, Dr. Fibs did have a little accident, but nothing more than a missing eyebrow… So, with everybody gone, wanna watch a movie?" She smiled like she was a teenager, which caught me off guard, but I went with it.

"Sure! I'd say some spy film we can watch and make fun of the actors with!" She laughed and shook her head. We headed to the TV room and she grabbed the first James Bond movie she saw. I darted into the kitchen to make some popcorn (what's a movie without popcorn? I'll tell you – NOTHING!) and headed back out just as the theme music started playing. I instantly started cracking jokes, "Who walks around like that? Lurking in the shadows takes WAY more thought!" We laughed together and started to watch the movie. We were approximately twenty minutes into the movie (okay, so nineteen minutes and thirty four seconds, but who's counting?) when Ms. Morgan burst out, "Zach? What's going on between you and Cammie?"

My heart skipped a beat. What? I knew I liked her, and by the looks of things she liked me. But how was I supposed to know what was going on? Our covers were obviously boyfriend and girlfriend, but did that really mean anything? Grant and Bex could have been chosen to be together for the mission. Hell, Grant had been praying for them to change their legends. But for the first time in a long time, I was confused. And I did not like it.

Sooo? How was it? R&R PLEASE. But one question before you do.

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FYI: I have the next chapter mapped out, so you'll either get bursts of it, or the whole thing. but i need feedback before anything happens. ;)

there you have it!

happily, the godsister