A/N: I'm thinking this may end up being T rated instead of M, so that may change if you're looking for it and haven't followed so…. Anyway we have one more chapter that is still kinda gloomy then we get back into the full plot...WHAT!? You mean more surprises? Yes, yes I do...

Annabeth stood at the window, arms folded across her chest, lips pressed tightly together, her eyes in a glassy haze. She heard someone come in and, without looking, said, "You didn't need to come in," in a hoarse voice.

"We know…" Zach began softly.

"But we also know," Townsend started in a gentle voice, "that you, like myself, have a tendency to deny the fact that having people depend on really is important. Your brother learned that faster than I did- and I regret not learning it until I was thirty-something."

"So?" she replied shortly, but it was obvious to tell that her voice caught.

"So," Zach began explaining. "we came in."

"And what was your plan after coming in?"

"Well, Bee, I was thinking you'd talk to me."

Annabeth let her arms drop and gripped the windowsill, looking at the floor she slowly shook her head, "Not about this…"

"You need to talk to someone, young lady," Townsend interjected.

The shaking of her head sped up, "I can't…" during the conversation Zach had stayed put - as he always did when his sister was upset - Townsend, however, had been slowly walking towards her and now stood behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she tensed slightly, "You can," he whispered, "you just aren't letting yourself."

Shakily, she whispered back, "You don't know that," and while she tried to stay rooted to her spot she was already being turned around and engulfed in (what very well may have been the most affectionate thing Edward Townsend had done in his life) a fiercely tight hug, and the dam broke. Gut wrenching sobs ripped from her throat as she leaned against him and pulled her arms against her stomach. Townsend tightened on arm around her and leant down using the other hook around her knees and lifted her up. Zach stared -unsure of what to do with himself- he'd never had to deal with this type of thing before. Townsend sat on the edge of the bed, settling the girl in his lap, and tucking her head into his neck between his jaw and collarbone.

After a moment Zach felt out of place, a stab a jealousy hit him in the stomach and he turned and walked from the room. Annabeth sobbed harder into Townsend's shirt and he began murmuring comforting words to her in hushed tones.

After a half an hour of everyone sitting in silence, Townsend came back out of the room. He looked at all of the expectant faces and shrugged, "She's sleeping"

"What happened?" Zach demanded.

"You'll have to ask her yourself."

"What?"

"Wait…" Cammie said slowly, "You mean she told all about…"

Townsend nodded as she trailed off, "And believe me if he wasn't dead I'd track him down and kill him myself."

"Who?" Zach, once again, demanded an answer in a grave voice.

"Some nameless fool who was entrapped by the Circle."

Cammie gently set her hand on Zach's shoulder, "She's okay. A little more on the careful side, especially with men, but she's okay. She's better than okay. I couldn't have gotten through the past year without her. She's a strong young woman."

"She's just a girl,"growled Zach.

"No Zach, she's not she's fifteen years old, and while she's grown up… she still needs her older brother. She was so nervous to see you. Afraid you'd want nothing to do with her."

"How could she think that?"

"Because she's a teenager," Rachel said with a wry smile, "Cammie thought I'd hate her for lying about Josh that first year," She chuckled and only Cammie noticed- with an eyeroll- that Zach tensed at the mention of Josh, "Teen-girls by definition are insecure Zach, that fact that she was secure enough to do what she needed to after a tragedy shows a lot of maturity. That doesn't mean she doesn't need the one person left on this earth that truly knows her."

"Do I?" he asked bitterly. Cam snapped; she turned and backhanded his shoulder hard, "Zachary Goode! That is your little sister and she adores you. Now you either suck it up and deal with the fact that you missed eight years, or you can leave. That girl- whether she admits it or not- needs people to love her and I intend to continue doing just that; she's like the sister I never had, and I'll be damned if your bitterness and anger at your mother who is dead stand in the way of that!" She got up and stormed into the bedroom, being careful not to slam it.

Everyone was looking at Zach expectantly. Sighing, he got up and headed over to the door Cammie had disappeared through. He knocked gently and, without a reply, pushed open the door and entered. He saw Cammie sitting on the bed, her back to him, "Unless you're here to admit that you're wrong I don't want to hear it."

Slowly Zach came to sit on the bed directly behind her; he set his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry. It's just- I always blamed myself for it when it was her fault. I missed out on being there for my little sister because my mother was a sadistic, selfish, bitch! I can't help but wonder how different it could have been if she'd told me."

"You always seem to do that don't you?"

"What;s that?"

She turned to face him and gave him a depreciative smile, "When I ran you blamed yourself, and you're doing the same now. It was her choice, Zach. No amount of ill-placed regret, or wishing can change that. Be thankful she's alive, and that she was strnog enough to survive everything…. And be there for her. She's your baby sister; she needs you- more than ever." she added the last part as a dry mumble.

"What do you mean? 'Now more than ever'?"

"Annabeth and I will tell you when she's up and moving again," she slowly rested her palm on his cheek. He covered her hand in his then ran his hand down her arm to rest on her elbow, "You've got to stop scaring me, Gallagher Girl."

She chuckled, "I'll work on it," and for the first time in over a year, she leaned in and kissed him deeply. This kiss was as full of emotion as the one before, but this one had a sense of urgency and hurt underlying it. Zach pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Zach trailed his mouth down her neck, and slowly- almost reverently- laced kisses up to her ear.

"Marry me," he whispered against her earlobe and turned to connect their mouths again. Her hands clenched in his hair when his tongue found hers again; she'd barely registered the words. Once her brain receptors finally processed the question she pushed him back suddenly, "What!?"

Zach chuckled, "I want to know you're mine. That even if one of us is detained, captured, r has to go off the grid, we'll do everything to get back to the other. I want to be a father to my son, and a husband to his mother. Gallagher Girl, all I've wanted was to keep you safe, and since you won't let me do that," he gave her a wry look and she giggled, "At least let me promise to try, and promise me that you'll always come back to me. I want it on paper, legal. I don't want anyone to be able to separate us by a technicality."

Cammie stared at him breathlessly at his words, "You're serious…" she said with awe.

"Absolutely, Cam, you're it for me. So what do you say? Cammie Morgan or Cammie Goode?"

"Neither," she said laughing at his shocked expression, "Cameron Ann Morgan-Goode."

With a predatory grin he began leaning towards her, "Oh you're gonna pay for trying to tease me like that Gallagher Girl," and with that he tackled her on to the bed, kissing her senseless, and then tickling her mercilessly.

Everyone in the main room smiled at the giggles erupting from the room the couple had disappeared to. Rachel had passed little Matthew to Abigail, who was cooing over him adoringly.

"You know, I always would have pegged Cam to be the one to be the mom… just not this soon," mused Rachel.

"Yeah, but Zach kept claiming he'd never have kids. Especially after the whole 'dad' fiasco. No offense!" Jonas hurried to add the last part on as he looked worriedly at Townsend.

Edward shook his head, "I'm quite over it at this point young man."

And with that, the onlookers nodded, and the room descended into silence as they waited for any of the missing people to reemerge.

So this chapter was kinda short for me, but this seemed like a good place to end it. Got a little Zammie fluff n' stuff for you guys (I know: FINALLY WOMAN!). Anyway, I decided I wasn't going to post the conversation that Townsend and Annabeth had in the room. If you do want to know PM me, I think I have it open… if not someone please tell me [I don't do well with techy stuffs]. I can tell you that in the short time they talked they have developed a bond that will grow in this story. Let me know what you think. And I'm gonna poll you guys: Next chapter; Zammie, Annabeth background, or Who the "Them" is and what they want? Let me know which you want most! Thanks for Reading

-MoF