A/N: I am SO sorry, I just haven't been in the mood to write lately… but I hope this long chapter makes up for it + Zammie! Thanks again for your reviews and I'm sorry for the delayed update.

Previously:

I could tell Catherine's words were completely destroying Zach. I could see him letting his guard down; I could see the gun slowly dropping from his hand.

What happened next was so quick I couldn't believe it happened. One minute Frank was beside me, the next he was in front of Zach snatching the gun away from him, holding the gun towards Zach's head.

()()()()

"Nice one Frank" Catherine complemented him with a smirk.

Zach baked away from Frank and pushed me behind him.

I snaked my arms around his neck and buried my face in his back. His hands held my arms around him firmly. The thing that scared me the most was that Zach didn't even seem scared. He didn't seem scared we were about to be shot dead.

I could actually hear the tension in the room as Frank directed the gun at Zach's head.

"Any last words Goode?" I heard him say firmly.

"Just pull the trigger already!" Catherine snarled… but I could hear the hesitation in her voice, and I knew she needed Frank to shoot Zach. She could watch her son die, but she couldn't kill him herself. She was a coward, the worst kind.

"You're a coward" I whispered into Zach's shirt. I felt Zach's muscles tense.

"What?" Catherine growled.

I stepped out confidently from behind Zach.

"I said you're a coward" I repeated. Catherine's mouth gaped. I turned towards Frank. "And you're just as bad"

"What?" Catherine stuttered. "You… What… I suggest you shut up right…"

"Cammie please shut up!" Zach begged as he tried to pull me back behind him again. I could feel his hands shaking now as they grasped my arm in an attempt to drag back. Zach was scared now. Zach was more scared about me getting killed than himself, and that meant a lot more to me than the words 'I love you' which I'd never hear him say to me again.

"I suggest you listen to your boyfriend, unless you want to be the first to die" Catherine snapped.

"Frank, is this really what you want?" I asked as his grip began to loosen on the gun. "You really want to be known as a killer?"

"I've… I've never killed anyone before" he admitted.

"For god sake Frank, you really are a coward like the girl says!" Catherine sneered at him. He dropped his head as if he were ashamed.

"I know you don't want that title Frank, I know you don't want to be a killer, I know that you want a life for yourself, a real life…"

"All traces of a real life ended when my only son died in a car accident" Frank's haughty expression returned. I cursed myself, I'd been so close to getting him to listen, but I'd said something so stupid now I was sure we were goners.

Frank's expression of anger suddenly changed to one of regret. "I wish I'd known him better… I wish I'd have spent more time with him, I wish…"

"Jesus Frank!" Catherine's impatience heightened. "I'm tired of this, get on with it! Joey is dead, get over it!"

Franks expression suddenly contained confusion and Catherine's hand flew to her mouth as she realised she'd said something she shouldn't have.

"How did you know his name?" Frank demanded. "I've never discussed him before, how did you…"

Catherine's face contorted with rage. "He was always in your way, trying to get you to spend time with him, taking you away from your duties with The Circle; I had to… remove him"

"You killed him" I'd never heard such betrayal in someone's voice before and it made my knees go weak. "You killed my son"

"Well actually Zach did" Catherine smirked.

We all turned towards Zach who was still trying to pull me behind him. The rage in Frank's eyes was unimaginable.

"Zach killed your son Frank… don't you want revenge? Don't you want to kill him and the girl he cares about?"

Frank shook his head in disbelief. "You killed my son"

"I didn't… realise… I" Zach stammered and shoved me behind him with all his might, this time I was too weak to resist the shove. Frank raised his gun at Zach again.

"Do it Frank" Catherine urged.

Frank turned at the sound of her voice like he was in a trance… and then he whispered "But it was you who pulled the trigger"

Catherine blinked at him and took a large step back.

"What Frank? It was Zach… Zach held the gun, he…"

"But you pulled the trigger" Frank whispered and he raised the gun to her head.

"Frank!" her voice raised in alarm. "Frank, don't do this, don't!"

I clutched the back of Zach's shirt weakly as I heard the gun shot, crumpling the material between my hands until my knuckles turned white, the sound of the shot echoed through my head. But then I heard the second shot.

I froze and dropped the material that I'd gathered in my hands; panic like I'd never felt filled my body.

"Zach!" I yelled. "No, no!"

"Cammie, it's okay!" Zach turned to face me and grabbed me before I collapsed on the floor. I hurriedly searched his body for any sign of blood.

"I don't understand…" I whispered. "I heard two shots, I thought… I thought…"

"Frank killed Catherine…" Zach confirmed, with no hint of remorse on his face. "And… himself"

I tried to peer around Zach's shoulder, but he tilted my head back to face him. "You don't want to see"

I buried my head in his shirt instead. "I thought it was you"

"I'm fine Cammie…" Zach trailed off.

"You never screamed… through the torture…"

Zach eyes were scanning my arms where blood was still flowing from the torture sessions. His eyes found my stomach where the blood had seeped through my top.

"I never heard you scream…"

"Because I didn't" I whispered. "I thought I was going to find my dad, I was doing this for him, I wasn't scared… until Frank held that gun to your head"

Zach's grip tightened around me.

"Are you sad Zach? I mean… It's your mom…"

"No" Zach shook his head. "I've been waiting for the day I could say I have no mom, and now I finally can"

I searched the depths of Zach's eyes to see if he was lying, but he really wasn't.

"Let's go" Zach said finally, snapping back to reality. "You'll need medical attention"

I rolled my eyes as Zach's fingers traced the blood flowing down my arms. "I'm fine Zach…"

It was Zach's turn to roll his eyes. "How can you be fine? You've just been…tortured… you've seen two people die…"

"But I'm with you" I smiled slightly. "I'm fine Zach, really"

He lead me out the room, and I couldn't help stop myself having one last glance back in the room. My eyes skimmed quickly over the bleeding bodies of Catherine and Frank and met the place where my dad had carved his name into the stone. I hovered in the doorway. How could I go back to Gallagher and tell my mom my dad was dead… that I'd failed… I'd been too late.

"Come on Cammie!" Zach called from the hallway. I exited the room regretfully.

"Do you know how we can get out?" Zach asked.

I nodded and retrieved the glass from my pocket.

I shuddered as we entered the room I'd been sleeping in. I eyed the letter from my dad on the floor for a second.

"Take it" Zach whispered. "Your mom would want to see it"

I hesitated. I had this crazy idea in my head that I could go back to Gallagher and tell her I hadn't found him… that he was probably still alive.

"You know she'll want to see it" Zach urged.

I nodded and sighed, picking up the letter with trembling hands and stuffing into my pocket.

I climbed up onto the bed and began to unscrew the nails that held the vent cover to the wall.

"Why don't you let me do that?" Zach asked worriedly as my fingers began to bleed from holding the glass so tight.

"No" I shook my head and my brow furrowed. "I've almost got it"

I sighed in relief as the last nail came loose and freed the vent cover. Zach quickly climbed onto the bed too and helped me drag it down and lay it on the floor.

"There may still be traces of sleeping gas inside so try and hold your breath as much as possible" Zach told me.

I nodded and took a deep breath before I clambered inside the vent. I swore as the metal scraped against my already broken ribs.

"You okay?" Zach asked urgently.

"Yes" I lied, gritting my teeth through the pain.

I began to crawl along hearing the comforting sound of Zach close behind me. I yawned. Geez, Zach had been right, I would do anything to be able to sleep right now.

"Maybe we should stop for a break…" I asked groggily.

"No" Zach said fiercely. "Carry on"

I did as he said and crawled sluggishly. The vent seemed endless and the relief that hit me as I felt cold air on my skin was unimaginable.

I carefully climbed out of the vent, not wanting to cause any more pain. Zach dropped down deftly behind me. We were on the street than ran around the back of the house. It was disgusting. Litter flooded the street and heavy metal music drummed in my head thanks to the house next door.

Zach grimaced and immediately snapped into spy mode. "Okay, let's call your mom then she can pick us up and…"

"No" I interrupted immediately. "I don't want to go back yet"

Zach sighed. "Your mom will understand, she won't be angry…"

"I know" I whispered. And I did. I knew she wouldn't be angry, but that was the worst thing. I wanted her to yell and scream at me, but I knew she wouldn't, because the news that my dad was dead would kill her. "I just want to stay somewhere else tonight, and go back tomorrow, please"

Zach nodded. "I have a little cash, not enough for anywhere fancy though"

"That's fine" I sighed in relief as Zach took my hand and lead me down small roads. People stared at my bare feet and the blood running down my body and stared accusingly at Zach, but Zach rushed me passed, and no one said anything, they all seemed much to self-contained to care.

We passed tons of run-down buildings until we finally found a small hotel, the sign 'No Rooms Left' flashed at us angrily.

"Let's try it anyway" Zach sighed. "This is the first place we've found for ages"

I nodded and we trudged glumly into the reception area. The woman popped her gum in our faces.

"Can I help you?" She asked haughtily.

"We were just… wondering… if there were any rooms" Zach asked hesitantly.

She eyed him angrily and popped her gum again. "Did you not read the sign?" She asked.

"Yes… but… we really need a place to stay tonight" Zach begged.

"How much you got?" She smirked.

Zach pulled out a fifty dollar note. "This is all I have"

The receptionist eyed the note thoughtfully. "We had a last minute cancellation, so there's one room free"

"Great" Zach smiled at me.

"But It's a double room" She grinned at the look of awkwardness that passed between me and Zach.

Zach looked at my expression and turned back to her "Oh… It's fine; we'll find somewhere else then"

"No, it's fine" I said quickly, turning to the receptionist. "We'll take it"

()()()()

"Urm… I don't mind sleeping on the floor" Zach offered as I got into the double bed.

I looked down at the cold concrete floor. "No" I muttered. "It's fine"

Zach got into the bed beside me. I stayed as close to the edge as possible.

"Night Cammie" Zach muttered sleepily.

"Night" I whispered back.

()()()()()

"I'm so sorry mom!" I screamed. "So sorry"

"It's all your fault he's dead!" She shouted. "He left to protect to you"

"I know" I whispered.

"I wish it was you! I wish you were dead!"

Tears streamed down my face.

()()()()()

"Cammie wake up!"

Zach shook my shoulder gently as I opened my eyes. I was shaking, tears still streaming down my face and I let out another sob.

"She's going to hate me Zach"

I turned to face him and blinked at how close his face was to mine. I gasped when he gently kissed me on the lips.

"She won't hate you"

I wiped the tears away from my eyes.

"She could never hate you, she'll be so happy you tried to find him"

I didn't believe him, but just the sound of his voice made me feel better.

"What… are we Zach?"

Zach smirked for the first time in ages. "I don't like labels"

"Me either" I whispered.

"Then let's just say… I'm in love with you, and leave it at that" Zach whispered against my skin.

I blinked at him in surprise, and just as I was about to reply he interrupted.

"Go back to sleep, I'm going to be right here when you wake up" Zach urged.

"Do you promise?" I whispered.

Zach's arms tightened around me. "I'll hold you all night, I promise"

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