Before anyone could glance at a clock, it was time for dinner. Bex and Grant got there first, both of them looking unnervingly happy. Bex's hair was slightly ruffled and her bra strap visible. Grant's shirt buttons weren't done right, and lipstick was on his mouth. Their waiter saw the newly engaged couple and shook his head. Macey and Preston arrived a few minutes later, arguing. Bex could tell just by looking at her friend that she was pissed and that whatever Preston was saying wasn't helping.
"Macey, I think you took what he said the wrong way," he reasoned to his angry wife. Macey didn't seem to buy it. Preston usually knew better than to try to convince her of anything, but he was tired of Macey and his campaign manager clashing.
Grant saw the look on Macey's face and plugged his ears. Bex noticed this but did nothing. After living with Macey for three years, she could easily handle the girls screaming. It was like her random fighting and Liz's clumsiness; you just grew use to it. "How could I have taken that the wrong way? The guy basically came out and called me a slut! He's lucky I didn't knock his fake teeth!" Macey screeched.
Preston winced at her tone. "He didn't say that exactly. He just suggested that you dress and act a little more conservatively." He braced himself for more yelling.
Surprisingly, there was no more yelling. Macey just responded, "I'm done." Preston raised an eyebrow. "I'm done trying to fix myself for your campaign. If I can't be myself, I'm not going with you." Before he could argue, she continued. "I'm starting to have bad teenage flashbacks. Only, in this version, the campaign manager is my mother." Preston started to speak but gave up. He knew his wife were right.
"Fine," Preston gave in, kissing Macey gently. "I'll tell him to lay off or leave." She smiled smugly. The no longer arguing couple turned to the other couple at the table. Macey turned to Bex, an amused smile on her face.
"So, Grant, did you get lucky?" she asked the guy luckily. Bex glared at her friend, who only smirked.
"You bet," Grant answered seriously. Bex smiled at this rarely romantic gesture. Cammie, Zach, Liz, and Jonas all came in, talking their seats. Zach and Cammie looked so blissfully happy it was almost revolting. Grant would've teased his friend about it if he hadn't been feeling the same way. Jonas and Liz were both working out some sort of equation on a napkin.
"Yes!" Liz shouted after a few minutes. Jonas slumped his shoulders down in defeat. His wife kissed him reassuringly. "You know you can't beat me, babe," she reminded her husband. Jonas reluctantly shrugged in agreement.
"Beat you in what?" Cammie asked, her mind barely remembering the conversation. She was too hungry to listen to her friends' conversation.
"Figuring out what spy genes your kid will inherit," Liz replied smugly. Zach laughed before realizing the girl was completely serious.
"Well?" Cammie asked curiously. Everyone seemed to asking that same question. Zach and Cammie having a kid only screamed havoc to most people.
"According to my calculations, your kid should receive both your respective spy skills spilt equally." Liz answered proudly. Seeing that Jonas looked confused, she added, "You forgot to carry the four, honey." He went back over his work only to see that Liz was right.
"Yep, she's right," Jonas confirmed. Now that that was out of the way, Bex and Grant stood up holding hands. He cleared his throat.
"Hey, guys, we have an announcement to make," Bex shouted loudly. The table went silent.
Grant started to talk. "Well, I asked Bex to marry me, and for some crazy reason, she said yes." All the girls in the room started to squeal. They all ran up to Bex and hugged her, all four of them jumping up and down. Grant's friends turned to him.
"Congrats, man," Zach told him sincerely. "And don't get cold feet, because by then Cammie will probably so hormonal that she'll track you down and kill you," he added jokingly, but with a serious edge. Zach knew his wife wouldn't be against doing that.
Grant gulped. "Thanks for the advice," he answered nervously. "Oh, and will you be my best man?" Grant had been Zach's best man, so it only felt right to return the favor.
"Sure," Zach answered causally. That way, he'd be able to make sure Grant got to the wedding in one piece. Because then, if Grant did bail, he'd have a hundred M16 agents running after him. That wouldn't be good for anyone. Those agents had better missions to be on, and Zach was almost positive Bex would miss Grant if he did die that way.
"Hey, what about me?" Jonas asked, faking hurt. Truthfully, he was glad he wasn't the best man. Jonas hated giving speeches. Plus, Zach's drunken best man speech was really funny at his and Liz's wedding, so he was hoping for a repeat.
"You can make sure we don't end up in jail the night of the bachelor party like last time," Grant responded with a laugh. All the guys looked over at Zach.
"How was I supposed to know those type of squirrels were endangered and that it was against federal laws to throw paint balloons at them?" Zach asked in frustration. He personally didn't give a damn about stupid squirrels and thought that if he wanted to belt some with paint balloons while punch drunk, he should be able to. The government didn't agree with him.
"Who likes to belt squirrels with paint balloons anyways?" Preston pointed out logically. He barely remembered doing it. They had been way too drunk. He was surprised they hadn't wrecked the car that night.
"Anyone will do anything drunk," Zach defended. The girls, done with their jumping and squealing, nodded in agreement.
"One time, I saw Professor Buckingham drunk at a school function, and she made out with Dr. Steve," Liz revealed to everyone's shock.
"Stop! You're making the baby uncomfortable!" Cammie shouted playfully after feeling slight discomfort in her stomach. It wasn't the baby related kind either. It was the kind she got right before something bad happened. As if on cue, her cell phone rang. Cammie immediately answered it. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Goode, this is Detective Rabahy of the DC Police. Your house has been broken into." Zach noticed his wife's breathing change to very deep breathes, a sign she was worried. "There has been nothing stolen, and we haven't found any evidence except for a large C spelled out in bullet marks on your wall." Cammie froze and dropped her phone. Everyone could still here the detective talking.
"Cammie, what is it?" Zach asked gently. She shook her head. He wrapped his arm around her. "Tell me."
"They know. They're coming after me." Cammie vaguely responded, staring at her feet. She had thought it was all over the last time, but they had found out. Now no one associated with Cammie was safe. She knew they'd go after Zach, her mother, her friends, and even her unborn child. Cammie already felt a fierce protection over her child and was determined to keep it safe.
"Who?" Bex asked noisily. If it was who she suspected it to be, things were going to get bad.
"The Circle. They broke into our house. None of you are safe." Cammie replied before she started to cry. Zach rubbed her back reassuringly and promised everything was going to be alright. Bex immediately called the agency who were already looking into this. They promised to up the security for all of them. No matter how dangerous it got, the friends were still going to fight the Circle. In that sense, nothing had changed since they were teenagers. They would always fight together until the end. No one got sacrificed; it was all or nothing. Cammie appreciated this, but she was also scared. She wished she could just give herself up and let everyone else live their lives. Deep down, Cammie knew that would be more painful for her friends and family. Not to mention how it would completely destroy Zach. Cammie made a resolution to fight the Circle as hard as she could and to accept the help of those who loved her. Maybe they had a chance after all.