A/N I am so very sorry that I didn't post earlier than this. You have my permission to hate me (that said I'll be forever grateful if you don't). So I was thinking about you, my faithful readers, and decided that we should do this thing where we exchange the funny little things about ourselves. For example, I'm thirteen and just bought my first pair of skinny jeans tonight. I also really like banana smoothies. If you'd like to review something odd, funny or just interesting about yourself, your likes or anything else, feel free. Or don't, it doesn't really matter to me, it is just an idea. Well enjoy that chapter and as always follow, favourite, review, tell your friends or your pet elephant but most importantly, enjoy!
I'm throwing clothes into a bag on my bed when Bex and Grant burst into my house.
"Cammie stop it." Bex yells from my bedroom door before crossing into the room and grabbing the bag from my bed.
"No," I answer grabbing my bag from her hand and zipping it up before crossing to the bedroom closet and moving Zach's clothes out of my way so that I can get to the hidden weapons safe behind it.
"What are you doing?" Grant asks, coming up beside Bex.
"Well Grant, I'm getting ready to go save my best friend, my boyfriend and Ava Grey from assassins who know, or will soon know, that they are CIA. In order to do that, I am going to need weapons," I say. Then I grab a shoulder holster from the closet and put it on, sliding a gun into it and putting a tailored suit jacket over it, ignoring the fact that my favourite holster doesn't fit correctly with my huge stomach. I sigh. Then attach a holster to my ankle and slide a small pistol into it. Then I put on a regular holster and slide my favourite hand gun into it.
"Cammie, you're nine months pregnant, you are not rushing off to save Zach, who for all we know is fine, and Macey, who for all we know is dead." Says Bex quietly.
"She not dead," I say equally as quietly.
"And we're not letting you get killed."
"Bex, you don't have a say in this."
"Yeah? Well you aren't doing a great job making decisions for yourself."
"Thanks for the opinion Bex, but I really don't care right now."
"That's great Cam, but guess what? You are so worried about Zach that you're ignoring the fact that you're nine months pregnant and due sometime next week. You cannot go all James Bond on their asses right now."
"I can and I will."
"Cammie. You are not just you right now. You are two people so grow up."
I deflate like a popped balloon, remembering suddenly that I am living for two, I am breathing for two and my actions will affect two. "Oh my god Bex," I cry, "Zach could die and Mace could be dead."
Suddenly Bex's arms are around me and I am crying into her shoulder. "Shh," she whispers into my hair. "Cammie, it'll be okay. The Director has sent a message to his contacts in France to pull Zach out."
"What if it's too late?" I whisper, scared to say it out loud. "What if they know?"
"Then we'll figure it out. After you have that baby," she adds as an afterthought.
As suddenly as it started I stop crying and straighten my back. "Do you two have somewhere to stay tonight?" I ask stepping away from Bex and taking off the weapons I just put in.
Bex looks at Grant who shrugs. "I've been crashing at a buddy's the last few nights, but the couch isn't big enough for two. We were thinking about going down to Gallagher and begging a double bed from your mother."
"After what Bex and I pulled today?" I grin. "Good luck. You two can stay here. Abby was asked by Zach to keep an eye on me until he got back and Townsend found out and invited himself. Two more won't make a difference." After some well-meant no's and we couldn't's from Bex and Grant, they shut up and let me lead them two one of our four bedrooms.
Grant runs outside to get their bags out of the car and Bex and I follow as far as the kitchen where I pull out some wine for Bex and make a banana smoothie for myself. It doesn't taste right and I make a face.
"What?" Says an amused looking Bex as she takes notice of my face.
"Zach usually makes these for me." I shrug. "It just doesn't taste right."
"He'll be back soon and then he can make as many as you want."
I nod but stay quiet because if he isn't, they'll never be right again. Nothing will ever be right again.
Bex must sense my thoughts because she jumps up, knocking over her wine glass. "You haven't showed me the baby's room!" She yells as if the thought just occurred to her, which knowing Bex, it probably did. When the life of her best friend is falling apart, it would be just like her to focus on a nursery.
I have to smile, it seems so normal, showing my best friend what will be my baby's bedroom, but it hadn't even crossed my mind. "Come on then," I say with a smile. I tug her up the stairs and down the hall into the baby blue nursery that Zach and I have spent the past nine months putting together. The only thing missing is the crib which is leaning up against the wall in a box.
"It's so cute," Bex squeals.
I look at the chair and changing table, the monkey shaped clock hanging on the wall, the area rug under the chair, the closet full of little baby clothes, the bottles and diapers, the baby wipes and formula for when I'm not home to nurse. I look at the blue baby blanket on the chair and the little baby shoes lined up on a shelf. The only thing missing is that damn crib and Zach. Still, I have to agree. "Pretty cute," I say.
Bex proceeds to walk over to the closet and after squealing over every piece of clothing hanging up in it, she flops down into the chair and fingers the blanket. "That baby is going to be one lucky kid," Bex murmurs.
I lean against the doorframe. "I just hope he has a father."
"He will. Cammie, you have to believe that he will."
I know she's right; I have to believe he will. "Of course he will," I say, forcing a smile. "He'll have a dad because Zach will come home to me. He'll be here."
"Of course he will."
By dinner I just want to go to bed but instead I pull a roast out of the oven and put it on a serving plate. Then I yell down the stairs at Grant and Aunt Abby who are sparring in the basement gym to tell them dinner is ready. I get Bex and Townsend, who have been complaining about the value of the euro in the living room, to set the table and then yell down the stairs again. I put a salad and the roast on the table then leave Townsend and Bex to put wine out because Grant and Abby still haven't come upstairs yet. I barge into the gym and immediately have to duck to avoid being hit in the face with a flying fist.
"Dinner is on the table." I say when it's finally safe to stand up again. "I called you twice already so hurry up," I add irritably.
"Yes mom." Both Grant and Abby mutter at the same time.
"Hurry," I say, climbing the stairs.
When everyone is finally at the table, Grant says Grace even though that isn't a regular occurrence at my table and then we all dig in. Conversation is easy and before I know it Abby and Bex are offering to do the dishes and Grant and Townsend are begging me to show them how to do a move that a French nun with an MIA CIA father taught me well I was on the run. I sigh and consent but it proves tricky as I can't demonstrate the move and after a while I give up and watch them practice flips and other moves on each other. By ten o-clock, everyone is getting tired and Abby and Bex have been done the dishes for about three hours. After Bex flips Grant on his back on last time and cuts off his air supply for a full thirty seconds before he finally taps out with a defeated glare, everybody goes to their respective rooms after saying goodnight. I can't help but cringing as Townsend follows Abby into her room.
I lie on my back in Zach's workout shorts and an old t-shirt of his and focus on the whirring of the ceiling fan, hoping that if I only pay attention to that one sound, I will finally fall asleep. No such luck, all I can think about is Zach. I sit up and turn the lamp on, then grab the book on my nightstand, quickly scanning the cover. Hacking and Computer Terrorism. I quickly put it back because it had been a Christmas gift from Liz the last Christmas before she died, the one where we came up with the plan to save Preston. I remember how she baked everyone cookies then flew around the world to personally deliver them, burning through her travel savings. Quickly, I force myself to stop remembering and wipe a tear off my cheek before it can fall any farther. Giving up on any chance of sleep for the moment, I move to Zach's side of the bed and pull our wedding album off of his night stand. Happy memories are all that are in here, and even though those memories of Liz would have been happy if she were still alive, they aren't anymore. Now they're just reminders of the fact that she died because I told her to be there, that it was my fault. Crap. Now I'm thinking about Liz again. I hurriedly open the album and let myself be sucked into the happy memory as I flip through the pages.
Joe Solomon almost cries when he sees me waiting for him in the foyer of the church. He doesn't though because he's Joe Solomon and Joe Solomon doesn't cry. Joe is going to walk me down the aisle today in place of my father, and let's face it, in many ways; Joe has become a second father to me. Now he grins and offers me his arm. I take it with a grin of my own and then sigh as Macey turns around and looks at me.
"What?" I ask defensively. "You did my makeup and hair. If there's anything wrong with it, that's your fault."
"Yeah Mace," Bex says with a grin, "you also planned this whole wedding so if you don't like something, you can't blame us."
Macey glare at my maid of honour and then at me, "I was going to say you look perfect, not that something was wrong. Now that you mention it though, your veil is lopsided." She reaches out and fixes it then grins at me. "Perfect." Then she reaches out and pinches Bex's arm. "Go," she whisper screams, "that's your cue."
I didn't hear anything but I don't say so, only return Bex's smile then watch her push open the church doors and walk down the aisle. After counting to five, Macey looks at me and nods, then pushes open the doors herself and walks through them. I count to five just as she did then both Joe and I move forward. I push through the doors and almost burst out laughing because Mission Impossible is playing. My amusement must show on my face because both Macey and Bex break into ear to ear grins by their places at the altar. Zach sees my face too and grins as I walk toward him.
"I choose the song myself," he whispers in my ear when I reach his side.
"Yeah? Well knowing the two of us, it'll be mission impossible to make it through this wedding without some kind of threat to national security so at least we'll be prepared when it comes to music."
"Nobody would dare interrupt the wedding of Cammie Morgan," he whispers back. "Even if they did, I know for a fact that you have two knives and three guns concealed under that dress right now."
I grin. "Careful when you go for that garter, they're all loaded."
He groans. "If my face gets blown off, just remember that we share health insurance so you'll suffer too."
"I'll make sure the safety's on." I smile. "At least anybody who would dare interrupt our wedding will have their ass thoroughly kicked."
"You bet. No national security threats, terrorist, assassins or even just thieves at this wedding, I'm off." Zach voice is sparkling with humor.
"Ahem." The Director coughs. "If you two would like me to marry you any time soon, you should probably stop whispering about weapons and national security threats." Our entirely non-civilian group of guest burst out laughing and my mother, who is sitting in the front row of the church next to Joe shakes her head.
"Sorry sir," Zach says. "We'll shut up now."
"Yeah," I echo, "sorry sir."
The Director grins. "Let's get this show on the road before you have to use those guns Cammie, you are right about the fact that you two don't have much luck when it comes to not having somebody try to kill you."
"I know sir," I say with frustration. "We went to see a movie and ended up having a gun pointed in our face by some mugger. He wasn't even organized."
Zach groans. "The movie wasn't even a good one." Everybody laughs again.
"Alright then," the Director laughs. "Zachary Goode and Cameron Anne Morgan, today you come before us to be joined as husband and wife. As spies, marriage, which is never simple, becomes difficult on levels you cannot imagine today. It is one of life's richest surprises when the accidental meeting of two life paths lead them to proceed together along the common path as husband and wife as yours have. It is this accidental meeting that brings us here today.
"Zachary Goode, do you take Cameron Anne Morgan to be your loftily wedded wife?"
"I do," he says with a grin.
"Cameron Anne Morgan, do you take Zachary Goode to be your loftily wedded husband?"
"I do," I say with a grin identical to Zach's.
"Then let us hear your vows, but first the rings." Zach and I both beam at each other and the Director calls for the rings. None are forthcoming. "Mr. Newman," the Director calls. "Mr. Newman!" Grants head jerks up. "Mr. Newman, if you would be so kind as to stop staring at Miss. Baxter and get your head out of the gutter, the rings would be appreciated."
"Cammie," Zach says turning towards me, "from the day I met you, you've brought out the best in me. You are my other half and I can't express how much I love you. I can tell you though that whatever lies ahead, good or bad, we will face it together. However far away from each other, or if we are undercover in opposing positions, I will always remember my vows to you. That I will be faithful, I will love you and I will always be there for you." Zach slides my ring onto my finger. "Take this love as a sign of my love for you."
"Zach," I say with a smile, "the first day I met you, I thought that you were the most insensitive, arrogant and attractive, idiot I had ever met. You came into my life a year after I had gotten into a lot of trouble with the CIA over my first boyfriend and I hated you for ruining my resolve not to think about another guy for the entire year. Instead I bugged the east wing of Gallagher with my friends. Before you left Gallagher that year, you kissed me in the middle of the front hall at my school and it pissed me off beyond belief. Soon after, you went undercover in Boston without telling me and then we met on a train that you jumped out of after almost blowing my cover and left me to deal with the wrath of Aunt Abby and my mother. You showed up and saved my life later the year though so it was all good. When I was hiding in England you showed up while I was skating and wished me happy New Year's. You have been there for me always and you never gave up on me. When I ran, you looked, when I came back broken, you sewed my broken pieces back together. I can only hope that I will be able to do the same for you in the years to come. Zach, I vow that I will always love you and that no matter what happens, I will make sure it happens at your side because I know only too well how hard it is to be alone." I slide Zach's ring onto his finger. "Take this ring as a sign of my love for you."
We both look expectantly at the Director. "Zach," he says with a smile. "You may kiss your bride."
Zach leans down and his lips close over mine and-
I pull out of the memory with tears rolling down my face. I want Zach here, now. Today. I want to kiss him now. I might never get to again though. Well there goes my last chance of sleeping. I pad down the hall into the nursery and look at the crib against the wall. Well if I'm not going to sleep I might as well be useful. I grab Zach's toolbox from where it sits near the door and the awkwardly sit down on the floor. The baby kicks in protest.
"Calm down," I mummer. "This is for you."
I pull the box with the crib in it onto its side the pull it open. I look at the instructions and smile because it's pretty straightforward. After an hour, the crib is put together and I am sitting in the chair in the corner of the room staring at a picture of Zach and I. That's where they find me in the morning.
