The rest of the week in Hawaii was fun, but everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they flew back to DC. Zach kept a careful eye on his wife. He knew Cammie was freaking out about someone breaking into their house and was scared of what the pregnancy hormones would cause her to do. Slowly but surely, everything seemed to go back to normal. Bex and Grant started to make wedding plans, arguing about practically everything and having makeup sex the night after. Grant hated making the plans but enjoyed the makeup sex. Cammie agreed to be Bex's maid of honor even though she knew she'd be huge by the wedding two months away.
Cammie, now approaching her fourth month, was just starting to show. She and Zach announced their news to everyone who didn't already know. The director of the CIA suggested that Cammie should take an early maternity leave which she stubbornly refused. She managed to work out a compromise that involved her only writing up the reports, which was as safe as the CIA could get next to working in a lab. Cammie buried herself in work and tried not to think about the Circle. Little did she know that Zach had been doing his research on the Circle.
Zach was sitting in his office, reading over an interrogation of a suicide bomber when Grant walked in holding a thick file. "Hey, Zach, I managed to find it," Grant announced casually. He felt a little nervous over taking the file, which was unusual for him. Grant was nothing if not a bad ass.
"Great. Let me see it," Zach requested forcefully. Grant handed over the file, and Zach opened it. He sorted through all the papers before finding the one he wanted: Cammie's briefing after the summer she chased the Circle. It said:
Interrogator: Where did you go after you left the note at Gallagher School for Girls?
Agent: (takes a deep breath) I stopped in Roseville and got my hair cut and dyed pitch black. Then I bought a plane ticket to Las Vegas and spent a week following a lead there. That lead me to Paris. It turned out to be a false lead; I managed to track down the person who planted it. They told me to go to Athens.
Interrogator: And that's where you encountered the Circle for the first time that summer?
Agent: Yes. I noticed someone tailing me in a café. I managed to defect them and then followed their trail back to an abandoned apartment building. It was one of their weapon warehouses. There were at least 30 Circle agents guarding the front, back, and sides of the building. I managed to get in by disguising myself as the person who fooled me in Paris and using a set of keys I had forged from her. I made my way through the building and found the room I was looking for. It was the room where they kept all their records. I searched through the database until I found the file on my dad. I opened it up and read it.
Interrogator: What did it say?
Agent: I think you know.
Interrogator: Miss Morgan, I asked you what the file said.
Agent: (after a long pause) It said that the Circle had taken my dad out after he tried to infiltrate one of their headquarters. The file mentioned that he had kept classified information in a journal that was still unfound. They killed him with a 22. caliber shotgun and dumped his body in a landfill.
Interrogator: How did you get caught?
Agent: There was an alarm system that only went off in one room, the meeting room. They heard the alarm and came into the room just as I had finished reading the file. I knew their secrets by then. They knew that too. I was taken to a dark room, where they were getting ready to kill me. I was strapped into a chair, the straps cutting off all circulation in my wrists and legs. Someone forced something in my mouth, and everything started to get hazy. Even drugged, I could feel the searing pain when someone dug a knife into my arm.
Zach stopped reading. He couldn't handle those details, not now. He'd read enough for one day. This information definitely explained a few things, like why Cammie came back with stitches and absolutely nothing to say. When Bex asked her what happened, Cammie simply answered, "I found my answers." Everyone tried to get her to say more, but she wouldn't say a word about it. Eventually, they learned to stop asking.
Grant watched his friend, knowing he was in shock. Grant hadn't read the file simply because he didn't want to feel guilty for not telling Bex what was in it. Bex could always tell when he felt guilty, which meant he was lying to her about something. The girl was relentless once she caught on. "So, are you and Cammie coming to the party tomorrow?" Grant broke the silence.
Zach smirked. "And miss the look on your face when Bex starts yelling about whatever stupid thing you're bound to due in the next 24 hours? I wouldn't miss it." Grant shrugged. He would've been offended if it hadn't been true. Zach looked at the clock and put on his coat. "See you tomorrow!" Grant waved as his friend left.
Meanwhile, Cammie was laying on the couch watching Fatso and finding it hilarious. Zach walked into the house during the part where everyone was chanting "I am fat!" and "Fat!" over and over again. He closed the door and heard what Cammie was watching. Zach walked into the living room to find his wife curled up on the catch, her hands on her growing baby bump, watching a movie with fascination. "Gallagher Girl, what are you watching?" Zach asked with a raised eyebrow.
Cammie turned to him and smiled. "Fatso. It's genius," she replied. Zach sat down on the couch next to her. Cammie snuggled into him, laying her head on his shoulder. Zach put an arm around her. "How was your day?"
Zach didn't miss a beat. He wasn't about to tell Cammie that he had read the file on her summer chasing the Circle. He wasn't going to tell Cammie he knew what happened to cause her nightmares. "Nothing much," he responded nonchalantly. Cammie didn't say anything. She had a feeling Zach was hiding something from her. Cammie knew Zach didn't want to worry her; the doctor said that stress wouldn't be good for the baby. "What about you? How were you and our future agent today?"
Cammie smiled tiredly. "I've been as sick as a dog all day. You'd think that morning sickness would just happen in the morning, but no." When she saw how worried Zach looked, she added, "But don't worry. Macey, Bex, and Liz all took turns staying with me today. There was never a minute I was alone."
"Any breaking news?" Zach asked teasingly. He could guarantee that, whenever any of those girls came over, there was always drama being discussed.
"Well, Bex finally decided on wedding invitations and the setting chart. Liz perfected her scanner contacts, and I got the first pair. Then, Macey came over and started to tell me about the prank she played on Preston's campaign manager."
Zach laughed. The two continued to watch the movie. When it was over, he looked over at Cammie. She was fast asleep, her hands resting on her stomach. Zach moved her hands to her sides and rubbed the bump. "Hey, kid. I'm your daddy. You're not going to have normal parents, but that's okay. Normal people are boring." Zach smirked. "I'm going to take care of you and your mommy. I promise." And Zach intended to do just that. He picked up his wife and carried her to their bed. He carefully tucked Cammie and got ready for bed himself. Zach slipped under the covers, his thoughts wandering to the Circle. How would he protect Cammie and their kid? Zach didn't know, but he'd figure it out. He'd do anything for Cammie.
