Okay, so someone answered my question for me! And Abby's last name is Cameron! How could I not remember that? Well, I'm updating as promised. You guys gave me all the reviews I wanted. =D And also, someone told me that the ending of the last chapter was clichéd because no one died or disappeared, which I agree, but honestly, who is the most obvious person that I would have killed off? Hm? Zach. Exactly. He was the one in the building. But I couldn't kill Zach. I almost did but I just…I didn't think I could handle that. I mean, I get attached to my characters. Even if they aren't really mine. And also, I knew that you guys wouldn't want me to kill Zach. So I'm sorry if it was too clichéd for you but would you have loved me if I hadn't made it clichéd and killed Zach? I didn't think so. Anyway, I also realized that Cammie's wounds weren't looked at. I'll address those in this chapter. Kudos to the few reviewers who noticed that. =D

Oh! I want to know—do you guys want me to make a sequel to this? Or should I do something else? If I do a sequel, I think it'll just be romance. Maybe some action but it would be more fun, humorous, than intense and action-y. Just so you know.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? Ally Carter owns all that you recognize. (Which you should all know by now!)

Chapter Fifteen: The Banquet

Cammie POV

An hour into the flight, most people were asleep. The kids we rescued from the headquarters were all safe and sound. Melanie was curled up on my lap, sound asleep. I was on Zach's lap so I'm not sure how much weight he could take. He had his arms wrapped around both of us and he had gone into a light sleep. The only people that were still awake were the fourteen year old we rescued, Macey, Solomon, Director Callahan, the pilots, and I.

I caught Macey's eye. "Can't sleep either?" I said quietly, trying not to wake Zach or Mel.

She shook her head. "I'm so afraid of nightmares."

I nodded. I knew what she meant. When they had me, when I had gone with the woman in Melanie's place, it had been a terrifying, scarring experience. I knew if I fell asleep, my dreams would only revolve around that. Just like the first year when my dad died. I shuddered to think of it.

The plane gave a sharp lurch and Melanie got knocked against me. I clenched my teeth, trying not to scream in pain. In the heat of the moment, I had forgotten the extent of my injuries. With Zach, it was easy to forget about a lot of things.

Solomon looked at me. "Cammie?" he said softly, surprising me when he used my first name. "What's wrong?" He got up and came over. Bending down, he looked me in the eyes. "A bruise is forming. Cammie, did they…torture you?" He showed so much concern that it was almost hard not to give in.

"I'll be fine," I said quickly. "I'm a spy. I can handle it." I smiled weakly, trying to reassure him, but the plane gave another jolt and I gasped in pain as the rattle sent my ribs ramming together. I guessed they had broken about three, give or take.

"Cammie?" Zach said, suddenly wide awake. Melanie was waking up too. Great. A tiny gasp and the whole plane was waking up. They would know about my injury. Melanie sleepily rubbed her eyes, jumping off my lap and landing on my foot.

Before I could stop myself, I hissed again. Mel's eyes widened. "Cammie!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—Wait a second. You're hurt. And you didn't tell anyone."

"What?" I said, trying to act incredulous. "Are you kidding? No. Of course I'm not—'' Unfortunately for me, luck was not on my side and neither were the pilots. The plane lurched again and my ribs rattled against each other. I didn't try to contain my whimper of pain.

By this time, everyone was up and gathered around me. Even fourteen-year-old Maddi had wondered over to see what the ruckus was all about.

"Cammie," Zach said, carefully sitting up, bringing me with him. I clenched my teeth as his arms went around my abdomen. He brought them back up. "Sorry." He sounded a little upset. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" he said quietly.

"I…I…I was just so caught up in the moment," I answered just as quietly. "I didn't want to leave you and I knew that the CIA would take me away to assess my injuries. I couldn't just leave my friends! After not seeing them for what felt like weeks. And not seeing you….I just…couldn't." Actually, I had totally forgotten about my injuries until Melanie had climbed on my lap. Her weight had given a slight jostle to my insides and that was when I realized I had a few broken ribs.

Solomon stared at me. "Get up," he said firmly. "You are very lucky, Miss Morgan, that we caught that now and not later. It could have been worse." He sounded stern and angry. Hey, maybe he did have a heart. Just kidding, I know he does.

I followed his orders and slowly stood up, trying my best not to show that my ankle was hurt too. It didn't work. As soon as I stood, I fell back against Zach, who had stood up with me. He caught me easily and raised his eyebrows. "So what? It's your ribs, you face, and now your ankle too? Goodness, Gallagher Girl, you really need to learn to share this stuff." He rolled his eyes as if it didn't faze him but I could see in through his façade; he was worried about me. Deep in his probing green eyes, I could see it there, something that was almost never where Zachary Goode was. There was concern. For me.

Solomon nodded tiredly, agreeing with Zach's words. "Zach," he said with a sigh, not bothering with formalities (i.e. "Mr. Goode" or "Miss Morgan"), "carry her over here, please."

He smirked slightly but it wasn't his usual I'm-better-than-you-so-back-off smirk. It was one that said, "I'm going to take care of you and there's nothing you can do about it." I sighed resignedly and then held out my arms, slinging one around him. He easily picked me up, bridal style.

Somewhere in the plane, I heard Grant mutter, "I could totally see him carrying her over the threshold," and then snicker. Huh. Glad to know I mean so much to Grant.

"Lay her down right here," Solomon directed as Zach reached the part of the helicopter I hadn't seen. Zach did as directed and laid me down on a cot. I glanced around. The twins were in here, sleeping. They must have been wounded as well.

I breathed out a sigh as I realized that this was where the ones who needed medical treatment were supposed to go. I was so stupid sometimes. (Don't tell Zach I said that! He'd totally hold it against me!)

Solomon lifted my shirt. I instantly pulled it back down. "What are you doing?" I hissed.

He raised his eyebrows and Zach laughed. "Would you rather me do it?" my oh so kind boyfriend asked suggestively.

I glared at him and then turned back to my teacher. "Sorry. That just surprised me."

Solomon nodded. "Understandable." He then proceeded to do what he was about to do before I had interrupted. Lifting my shirt carefully, he pushed it up to the bottom of where my bra was. I was so glad he wasn't making me take my shirt totally off.

He began poking around in my stomach and I groaned when he hit a tender spot. He touched it again and I suppressed another moan. "There?" he said, pressing again for good measure.

"Yes!" I hissed. Zach pulled out a chair and said beside the cot. He took my hand. I smiled gratefully at him.

Solomon went one more up. Ooh. That one hurt too. "There too!" I said loudly before he could poke it again.

He smirked at me and then went to the next one. He prodded around on that side for a good five minutes before moving to the right side. Oh joy. (Note the sarcasm.)

The first rib he touched protested against my stomach and I hissed. Again. What was it with me and gasping in pain today? Oh. Right. I had just been tortured. Duh.

"There?" Solomon asked me as he prodded the rib again.

"Yes!" I gasped out.

He went down the row on that side but it didn't seem that there were anymore broken ribs. "That's good," he muttered. "No more than three. You got lucky, Cameron. They could have done a lot worse." Oh jeez. He called me by my full name. No one ever calls me by my full name unless I'm in trouble.

He noticed the look of horror that came to my face and crossed his arms. "If you didn't want to get in trouble, Miss Morgan, I would suggest telling us about your injuries next time."

I glared at him. What? I'm getting punished for being hurt? What kind of person does that?

No, Cammie, a voice in the back of my head (a.k.a. my conscience) said. You're being punished for not telling them about your injuries.

Whatever. It was still wrong. "So what? Are you going to tell my mom?" I asked exhaustedly.

Solomon shook his head. "No, I'm not. She'll know anyway. I just want you to know what it's like to be a spy who can't do anything." He smirked slightly. "It might happen a lot."

I glared at him. "Fine. Whatever. I can deal with it."

He didn't comment. "Let's look at that ankle of yours," he said, changing the subject. Well, not really, seeing as we were talking about injuries and this is an injury. Whoa. I really need to find some synonyms for that word. (Note to self: Ask Liz to borrow her handy-dandy thesaurus to look up synonyms for injury.)

"Can you move it?" he asked me. I tried to move it but all it did was hurt me. I clamped my eyes shut and shook my head as sweat suddenly started bead up on my forehead.

Zach, who had been quiet for the majority of our little…adventure, looked up at me. "Gallagher Girl?" he whispered. "You okay?" He put a hand to my forehead. "Joe!" he shouted. "She's burning up."

I was trying to figure out whom "Joe" was when Solomon suddenly appeared at my side. Oh. Right. Joe. Solomon. Same people. He, too, stuck a hand to my forehead.

"I'm tired," I said. I was slowly drifting away, wanting desperately to sleep. "I think I'm going to sleep now," I decided.

"Cammie, no," Joe's voice came through my haze. "Absolutely not! Don't fall asleep."

"Joe?" I heard Zach's voice. That really was the trigger to getting me out of my haze. "Why can't she sleep?" His voice held worry, concern, and…was that anguish?

Solomon sighed in relief, ignoring Zach's question for the moment, when my eyes shot open. "Good." He turned to Zach. "She can't sleep because she might fall into a coma if she does."

Huh? Fevers can do that to you? Who knew?

Apparently, Zach had the same questions. "Why would she fall into a coma?" he asked. "Fevers can't take you into comas."

Joe sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No, I know that. It was just…the signs." There was something he wasn't telling us but I knew better than to ask. Instead, he looked at me and said, "Were you ever unconscious when they were…when the had you?"

I thought back to that even though I didn't want to remember all the horrible things they did to me. "Yes, I was," I answered, remembering. "It was…well, I don't know what time of day it was. Only that it had been about five hours since they'd taken me. There had been various…people in the room. This one was a man. When I wouldn't give him what he wanted, he whacked me upside the head with a…a bat, I think." I blinked once, realizing that I was telling them something I never wanted to remember. And just like that, the memory of that one time vanished. (Note to self: Think about talking about it. It seems to help get rid of the memories.) "That's pretty much it."

Solomon ran another hand through is hair. Zach's hand squeezed mine gently. "They did something to me while I was unconscious," I said quietly, comprehension dawning. "They put something in me, or on me, to make sure that I died or at least suffered. What was it?"

Joe sighed. "I sometimes wish you kids weren't so smart." He laughed dryly. "It was a chip of some sort. Since it's starting to kick in, we should probably get it out of you soon. It will take about three days, give or take, for the chemical that was in that chip to completely take over. It won't kill you right away but if you did go into a coma then there would be a very, very small chance of you making it out alive."

I nodded slowly. "So, you're saying I have to have surgery after the banquet? Or before?"

He smiled slightly. "You'll have it after. The Director wants to recognize you all as soon as he can." His eyes darkened momentarily but he quickly sat upright on the end of the cot, causing me to twitch slightly. He had bumped my ankle. "Oh! Right. I need to bind that." He quickly put some cast material on it. "It's only a sprain but it is a very bad one. You'll be needing these." He walked over to a curtain and disappeared behind it, reappearing a second later, carrying a pair of crutches.

I groaned. "Can't I just walk on it and endure the pain?"

He smirked. "Nope. This is what I was talking about when I said you would be limited."

I glared at him but accepted them and slowly sat up with a little help from Zach. He hadn't said a word since the chip revelation. Great. Now he was closing off. Just like Mel told Macey. (I know because I wasn't totally asleep.)

I took the crutches and stood up, testing them. They would work just fine. I picked them up to walk. Zach stood behind me, making sure I didn't fall. Which I didn't, for the record.

I walked out slowly to find that everyone was sitting apprehensively, waiting for me. Oh. Well, I'm glad that I'm worried about.

I smiled at them as I entered the…room? "Hey, guys. Everything's fine. Just a few broken ribs and a badly sprained ankle. I'd say I got off pretty good."

Everyone laughed but it was uneasy. Someone had been listening in. I sighed and made my way over to the seats Zach and I had vacated. (There had been another beside him but I wanted to sit on him.) I sat down in the one next to Bex and Zach took my crutches, leaning them against the wall of the helicopter. "Guys," I started.

I was cut off as Macey said, "Yeah, yeah, we know. You're going to be fine. You're going to be okay. The chip isn't going to kill me." She sighed. "But we don't know that."

I shook my head. "Mace, you know that I'm a fighter and I'm not going to let a small chip kill me." I addressed the rest of them. "Besides, I'm going to get it out. I promise."

After that, everyone was a little apprehensive but we all made small talk for the next two and a half hours. Eventually, I fell asleep. Joe came in and let me know that I could sleep as long as I didn't feel hazy or hung over. Like I knew what a hangover felt like.

Just like I was afraid of, I had nightmares. Eventually Zach woke me up and shushed me, rocking me in his arms. I smiled. All seemed right. For the moment.

We arrived at Gallagher really late. The helicopter landed in the middle of the field. I could see a woman running out and for the first time, I realized that Kate and Abby weren't with us. So where were they?

The helicopter doors opened and Zach immediately stood up, grabbing my crutches. I stood with Bex's help and took them from his hands. "Miss Morgan, you come out first," the Director directed. (No pun intended.) I slowly went down the stairs with Zach (of course) following closely behind. Really, it wasn't that hard to go down stairs with crutches. Did he think I was that ungraceful? Jeez.

It turns out the woman was my mom. She came barreling into me as soon as I got off the helicopter. Luckily for me, Zach was behind me so he caught us both. I didn't know how he could handle both our weight.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" my mom said. Tears of joy were coursing, unashamedly, down her face. I smiled at her, hugging her back. "I love you," she stated.

"I love you too, Mom," I answered back. Soon enough my mom let me go, reaching out for Zach. I heard her whisper a thank you to him but pretended not to hear.

She went around the circle and gave each of my friends a hug. When she reached the Director, she smiled at him. "Thanks for saving my girl, Jake."

Callahan smiled. "Anytime, Rachel. Anything you need, just call. That goes for you kids too," he added to us. He turned back to my mom. "I would love to have the helicopter stay but they need to take these kids"—he gestured toward Nicole, Sara, Chelsea, and Maddi—"back to their parents. I'm staying. Are Abby and Kate here?" he asked.

"Right here, Jake," Abby called, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, with Kate following behind. "You didn't think we'd totally ditched the party, did you?"

Callahan smiled. Again. "Of course not." He turned back to my mom. "Rachel, is there any way we can have this banquet tonight." He leaned a little closer and I listened hard but all I got was, "…Urgent…headquarters…need…back…." I assumed there were pressing matters at the CIA headquarters. And also that he needed to have someone sent here to take out that chip. Ugh. Stupid Circle of Cavan.

My mom smiled. "Of course. The girls haven't eaten yet and the hall is already set up. I send a message to the chefs. What do you want them to make?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Your chef is one of the best in the world. Tell him to make his best meal."

She nodded. "Of course." Turning to the rest of us, she said, "You guys need to get presentable. Go take showers and get dressed up. I don't think you'll be entering until Jake makes his speech."

"Of course not," Callahan threw in quickly.

Rachel Morgan smiled. It was one I hadn't seen since Dad died. She was happy. Happy I was alive. Happy my friends were alive. I smiled too. "Go. Get ready. Be ready in about…How long, Jake?"

"Oh, a couple hours," he answered.

My mom nodded. "Okay. Go get changed."

We obediently followed her orders. Frankly, I was too exhausted to protest but I knew that I still had a lot to do. Bring on the praise. (Note the sarcasm.)

"…Eight people who almost died this week because they were being chased," I heard Director Callahan's voice. We were waiting for our cue, outside the Grand Hall. It was getting late but I knew that we had no choice. "Those eight people also saved a million lives. One of them was tortured." He paused for effect. "Those eight people are your fellow peers and classmates. Please join me in granting Zachary Goode, Cameron Morgan, Rebecca Baxter, Grant Newman, Elizabeth Sutton, Jonas Williams, Nicolaus Walker, and Macey McHenry this award for showing outstanding bravery and talent. Kids," he said. I tried not to scoff as our cue was said. Kids. It sounded to immature. We were juniors for crying out loud!

I put on a big smile, shyly stepping forward into the Grand Hall as cheers and applause reached my ears before I saw it. I walked down the aisle, hand in hand with Zach, trying not to trip in the heals Macey had made me wear. I glanced back at my friends who were following close behind. Macey looked happier than ever with Nick's arm around her, guiding her. I smirked. Finally, finally, they were together. Well, not quite. But almost.

"Thank you, Gallagher and Blackthorne students!" Callahan yelled over the roar as we took our seats. "Now, let us enjoy this feast." It was the perfect cue for us. I was about to get something when I felt a sudden sensation building up in my stomach. Then in my head. My eyes grew heavy and I instantly recognized the signs. My mind was going hazy and my breath was slowing. It had only been hours! How could it have kicked in now?

"Zach," I breathed frantically.

He turned to me, worry etched in his features. "Cammie?"

"It's…it's happening. I'm going blank." I struggled to stay awake. Not even Zach's constant calling of my name aroused me. I was falling out of my chair.

"Joe!" I heard Zach roar. "She's losing it! She's going!" I heard a chair squeak and there was Solomon kneeling next to me.

"Cammie?" he said. "Cammie, can you hear me?"

"Yes," I gasped. "But I can't hold on much longer…" My voice trailed off and I tried half heartedly to keep my eyes open. I focused on Zach's face, hoping that would help.

"Somebody get a stretcher in here!" a random person yelled. There was no need. Solomon picked me up.

"Moscowitz! Fibs!" he yelled. Why did he need Mr. Moscowitz and Dr. Fibs? "I need you to help me with this….We were going to wait but we can't." Oh. Getting the chip out.

I felt Zach's hand slip into mine as he kept up with Solomon. I could feel myself slowly slipping away. "It's going to be okay," Zach kept saying. "I promise."

"Mm." I smiled. "Okay." I was losing it and I knew it but I couldn't stop it.

"Don't leave me, Cammie," he said. "Don't leave me."

My eyes felt heavy and I barely registered his voice through my haze. "I love you," I murmured.

The last thing I heard was, "I love you too." Then I saw Zach's face before I was totally gone.

Macey POV

I watched in worry as Solomon carried Cammie's body out of the Grand Hall. He hadn't let anyone follow him but I knew I couldn't eat another bite until I knew she was okay.

I glanced at Bex. She nodded once and then pulled on her boyfriend's hand. He nodded too and we got up. Liz and Jonas followed our cue and Nick stood with me. Huddled together, we left. I could feel everyone's eyes on us. The stars of the banquet were leaving the room.

We were out in the hall when Callahan's voice stopped us. "Wait!" he called. We stopped, thinking we were dead. Instead he said, "I'm coming with you. I know where they went." Oh right. We didn't. "Follow me."

We hurriedly followed him down a few halls until finally we were at the entrance to the lab. Duh. Where else would they take Cammie to give her emergency surgery?

We entered the lab and found that tubes were already attached to her. What was this, a hospital? Jeez. Talk about being prepared.

At the noise that our entrance made, Solomon, Moscowitz, and Fibs turned toward us. Solomon glared. "I told you not to follow," he said and then he noticed Callahan. "Oh. Jake. You're with them. Then that's okay."

Callahan smiled. "Joe, I would think you of all people would understand these young people's dire need to know if their friend was alright. Look at Mr. Goode here."

Whoa. I didn't even see Zach until Callahan pointed him out. He didn't even look up at the sound of his name. His eyes were fixated on Cammie. I could just see the pain etched on his features. Call me a freak but I thought it was cute how worried he was. I was worried too though so I guess that was kind of weird.

Solomon sighed. "Of course. Sit down and don't interrupt. When we start the surgery, you are leaving. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir" was heard all around as we immediately saw that Joe Solomon was worried too. After all, this was his best friend's daughter. Who wouldn't be worried?

We waited for about thirty minutes while they prepped. And then a few people came in, looking frantic. "We're here. We need to get this done. Quickly."

Joe, seemingly tense, breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens you're here," he said. I'd never heard him use an expression such as that. "We need to hurry. She's getting in deeper." He looked back at Cammie. Zach was pressing a rag to her head. In this whole half hour, he hadn't taken his eyes off her for even a millisecond. Talk about loyalty.

"You six need to get out. Now." Solomon's orders brought my gaze back to him.

"Why?" Bex said. "Zach's here."

He looked back at the boy who was oblivious to everything that was going on around him. His eyes looked almost empathetic as he turned back to us. "Zach will be okay. He's not going to leave."

Bex sighed but relented, following Grant out the door. The rest of us followed them. As soon as the door closed, she slid down the wall, resting her head in her hands. "She's not going to die, she's not going to die, she's not going to die," she chanted over and over. Grant sat next to her and put a comforting arm around her.

Liz and Jonas sat quietly in a corner. I rubbed my eyes. Cammie was my best friend. Well, one of them. I couldn't watch her—or wait for her—to die. I had to do something to distract myself.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to come up with anything. Nick stepped in front of me at that exact moment and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Hey," he said quietly. "She'll be okay."

I nodded but a single tear slid down my cheek. "It should be me in there," I said quietly. "I should have gone in Melanie's place. I should have gone in Cammie's place."

Nick shook his head as a contorted expression came across his face. "No." He took my shoulders. "Macey, if that had been you in there…." He trailed off and then suddenly, he seemed to realize something. "I need to talk to you. Come with me." Without waiting for an answer, he pulled me around a corner and into an empty classroom. He closed the door tightly behind him. He paced for a minute before stopping in front of me. "Macey…" he started. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Macey, when you were…gone, it was pure torture for me. I kept thinking that I would never see your beautiful face again, that I would never get to hold you, touch you, hug you, again." He brushed another stray tear away and cupped my face. "The worst thing, though, was the fact that I would never get to tell you how I feel." My heart was pounding as he leaned his forehead against mine. He'd been doing things like that since we were reunited but I just thought it was because he missed me. Yeah right. "Macey, I realized that I…I feel the same way about you as Zach feels about Cammie. If that were you back there," he continued, pointing in the general direction of where Cammie was, "I don't know if I could handle it." He took a deep shuddering breath. "What I'm trying to say is that I…I love you, Macey. And some part of me hopes, even after all I've done, that you love me too."

Okay, cue the music here. If this had been a movie there would have been some sort of romantic music playing in the background. I totally wish that life had its soundtrack. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

I realized that Nick was waiting for me to say something. I blinked back tears as I said quietly, "I love you too." And then he kissed me. It wasn't my first kiss but it certainly blew all of the others right out of the water. It was one of those Thanks-for-ruining-my-chances-of-ever-having-a-better-kiss kisses. I slipped my arms around his neck, burying my hands in his hair. One of his was cupping my cheek and the other was around my waist, pulling me closer. We kissed for what seemed like hours. It would have gone on longer had Grant not interrupted.

"Hey, guys—whoa! What the heck is going on here?" he said.

We broke away from each other, blushing. Or at least I was blushing. Nick was just smirking. Stupid boys and their stupid hormones. (I refused to admit that my hormones were raging too. Despite the fact that I just admitted it.)

"Sorry, Newman. We were just having a…"

"Moment?" Grant finished. "Yeah, seems like that's all anyone wants to do now days." He slyly winked at me. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want, Grant?" I asked, smiling as Nick's arms wound around my waist.

"I wanted to know if you two wanted some coffee. To stay awake. Obviously, you don't need it."

I laughed. "I actually do want some. I'm really tired. And I need to be awake when…" I trailed off and my mood quickly changed. How could I be having a romantic moment when Cammie was on her deathbed? I mentally cursed myself.

"Here." Grant handed me a cup of coffee. I took it and sipped it gratefully.

We followed Grant back to the wall and I slid down, Nick following. He pulled me against his warm chest. "Everything will be okay. They have professionals in there." I looked at him, confused. "My dad's in there," he explained. Oh. Right. His dad had medical training. I hadn't noticed him though.

I nestled my head against his chest, preparing for a long night. "How long do you think it'll take?" I asked him.

He mulled it over. "Mm, probably until…" He looked at his watch. "Two a.m."

"What time is it now?" I asked.

"Ten."

I groaned. "Four hours?" I burst out before I remembered that this was my best friend. I would wait a lifetime if it meant that she'd be okay. "For Cammie," I sighed.

"For Cammie," he agreed.

We were in for a long night….

Zach POV

I looked at my watch, never taking my eyes off Cammie. Don't ask how I did it. It was one-thirty a.m. They had been working on her for three hours but I trusted Nick's dad. For the thousandth time in those three hours, I silently thanked Joe for calling in Mr. Walker. He was an excellent doctor—even if that's not really what he did.

"We got it," he breathed out several minutes later. He held up a small object that I saw from my peripheral vision.

"Destroy it," I said, speaking for the first time.

Nick's dad looked at me. "What?"

"Destroy the da—darn thing that almost killed my girlfriend." I looked at her face. "That's killing my girlfriend."

He looked about to protest but then he nodded once. I was glad he understood. "What now?" I asked.

Joe answered this time. "Now, we have to let the tubes suck out the chemical."

"How long will that take?"

"Oh, just about twenty minutes," Blake Walker answered. "Not long."

"And she's going to be okay?" I asked, repeating the same question so many people had asked in the last three and a half hours.

"Yes," he answered patiently. "She'll be perfectly fine."

I sat there, staring at her beautiful face. Willing her to open her eyes. I had been a brick wall of emotions in the last few hours and I wasn't about to give in to the pain I felt. Not now. I would wait.

It was almost too much to bear. I loved this girl before me and yet, she was nearly dead. How could I not have protected her? How could I have let this happen? I had promised her so long ago on the roof that I would catch her if she fell. Well, she'd fallen but had I caught her? No. I had let her fall. I had let her almost die. I hadn't saved her. Blake did. She saved my sister. Everything seemed wrong in the world. Isn't it the guy's job to protect the girl? She'd kill me if she knew I was having these thoughts—we're talking about a total feminist here. Well, sort of. Seriously though. What kind of boyfriend am I—and a spy one at that—if I can't protect my own girlfriend?

A pretty bad one.

Beeeeeeeep. The sound brought me out of my thoughts and my eyes immediately jumped to the heart rate monitor. Her heart had stopped. Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh….

Blake was at her side in a flash. He had the electric machine thing that brought people miraculously back to life in movies.

But this wasn't a movie. I prayed it would work anyway.

He pulled off the electric pads. "On three," he said to Dr. Fibs. "One…two…three!" he shocked her. Nothing. "Again!" he said. He shocker her again. Nothing. "Turn it up," he shouted. "One…two…three!" He shocked her. Nothing. "One more time…now!" He shocked her chest one last time. They waited as second before he looked at me. He was about to say the dreaded words but then a faint beeping came. A consistent one. My eyes danced back to the heart rate monitor. Her heart was beating again!

I crouched on the side of the bed, taking her hand. "Cammie? Cammie, can you hear me?" I waited for a response.

"Zach," she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Cammie, listen to me. Come back to me."

"Mm," she muttered. "I love you."

"I love you too!" I said desperately. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me!" I felt a tight squeeze. Getting excited, I said, "Open your eyes now, Cam. Come on, Gallagher Girl, you can do it!"

I watched her face for what felt like a million years. It was only a minute. She slowly opened her eyes. She caught mine and smiled. "Zach?" she murmured weakly.

I nodded, tears of joy threatening to escape. "Yes, sweetheart, it's me. You're okay."

"Mm," she said. "I'm tired. And my side hurts."

I looked pointedly at Solomon. He started wrapping her ribs back up. "Go to sleep, honey," I cooed. "Just sleep. You'll be alright."

"Mm," she said again. "I love you," was the last thing she said before she drifted off.

Cammie POV

I woke up in my own bed, with seven faces bending over me. There were sighs of relief as I opened my eyes.

"She's really okay."

"She's not going to die."

"See? I told you everything was alright."

I laughed at all of their comments. "Did you really think that the world could get rid of Cameron Ann Morgan that easily? A little chip wasn't going to kill me. Didn't I tell you that?"

Zach smiled. He was closest and he took my hand, kneeling beside the bed. "Yes, you did. And I was there with the whole time."

I cocked my head, remembering. "You were there when I woke up," I recalled. "And I almost died." The last part was a whisper but everyone heard it. Silence overcame the room. "I did. I remember because I was slowly slipping away. But someone called me back. I couldn't leave." I smiled then. "How could I leave you all?" I looked around at all their faces. I noticed Nick's arms were wrapped around Macey's waist and his chin rested on her shoulder. She was smiling slightly, in a way that suggested that she was happy. I smirked. "So, you two finally put the pieces together?" I asked them.

Macey smiled. "Yeah. All thanks to you, Cammie."

I laughed. "Me?"

"Yeah," Nick answered. "If you hadn't been in that coma, I wouldn't have been struck with such an epiphany."

"Hey!" Zach protested. "I'm the one who convinced you that you were in love with the girl."

"No, you're not," Nick admonished. "You helped me admit my feelings."

"Oh. Right."

I laughed at the people surrounding me, the people I loved. I caught Bex's eye. She was lying contentedly on her bed with Grant next to her. She gave me the look that said, "This is what it's all about."

I smiled. Then I realized that Melanie wasn't there. I looked at Zach. "Where's your sister?"

Before he could even open his mouth, she came barging in. "I'm right here!" she yelped as she scrambled toward my bed. I sat up just as she dove onto me, flinging her small arms around my neck. "I'm glad you're okay." Her voice and expression were solemn. "If you hadn't come back, Zachy wouldn't be himself."

I met his eyes. He knew what I was saying: Don't ever let go if I die.

I knew what he was saying: I'll do what I want.

I rolled my eyes. "Why would I let go, huh? Then there would be nobody around here to keep your brother on his toes." Everyone laughed at this.

Melanie suddenly looked at me with wide eyes. She motioned for Zach to sit and for me to scoot. I did so as best I could with her in my arms. She stayed on my lap but said, in her sweet, innocent, eight year old voice, "We can't ever leave each other."

Zach and I exchanged glances before looking back at the little girl. "Mel, what about summers? And winters?" he asked her.

"Usually, it's just you, me, and Kate. Imagine if we could have Abby, Rachel, Cammie, and the rest of her family! We could spend it together."

I laughed. "Melanie, honey, we'll have to think about that." I smiled at her. "I promise we will. But for right now, let's just enjoy everyone's presence. I missed everyone. Let's have a movie night."

She nodded vehemently. "Except it's going to be a movie day. You guys are excused from classes today. Actually, I think you're excused for the month."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Liz. She was the class expert. "Yes, we are," she informed me. "Well, for today. I'm not entirely sure about the month." She looked at Melanie.

Mel pouted. "Fine. You aren't excused from them for the month. Just for the week. So you can all recover."

Liz smiled. "That's more realistic."

"Let's pick some movies!" I exclaimed. That took some time. Picking the movies, I mean. We had a heated (well, sort of) debate about whether we should have a Jason Bourne, James Bond, or Gossip Girl marathon. Obviously, the Gossip Girl was out. So it was James or Jason. Seeing as Bex really doesn't like James Bond, we ended up with Jason.

I didn't really pay attention. I was sitting there thinking, This is the life of a teenager who doesn't have to worry about her and her friends' lives. But that wasn't the case with me. I wasn't normal and there was always going to be someone after any spies.

I decided to just enjoy the moment. Everything was perfect. I was with Zach and my friends, Macey was getting her happy ending, and Melanie was with us once again. Well, with Zach once again, anyway.

Things seemed…right. They seemed good. I was happy.

And for now, that seemed like the best thing in the world.

Yeah, I know, I know. Clichéd ending, someone should have died, blah, blah, blah. I know. But it's the end. I still have the epilogue, which will probably not be very long. I'm getting better at writing longer chapters. It wasn't even hard for this one. Even it took me three hours to do. : P Oh well. I was going to write more, have a better ending but it's late and I'm tired. I hope you enjoy this and I'll try really hard to get the last chapter up tomorrow. I don't know if it'll be up this week if I don't get it up tomorrow. Thank you all for your support and reviews through this. It's really the only thing that has kept me going. I can't believe it's almost over. I love you all. Please review this chapter! Think you can make it to at least 195? I now you can, considering you got like thirteen reviews in last chapter—and it's been a day! I know you can get in nine. I love you all!

~XJamesBondX

P.S. Yes, I dissed myself in this chapter. Do you have a problem with that?