Cammie POV

I somehow managed to sleep, the dizziness and drunkenness from the kisses seemed to be a massive factor in me having a good night sleep for once. We didn't talk about the kiss after we had parted, both of us seemingly came to a natural stop; he continued to do night watch whilst I went back into the cave to sleep.

'Morning' Bex said, lacing up her shoelaces. 'You good?'

'Yeah' I yawned, stretching until my joints clicked.

'Zach said that you pretty much fell asleep after we left' She was eyeing me carefully, waiting for me to crack. I shrugged.

'Pretty much' I replied, getting myself ready. 'How did it go yesterday?'

Bex's shoulders slumped.

'They have a lot of manpower there and a lot of weapons. It's kinda scary'

'Were there any signs that Joe or my parents were there?' I asked. Bex shook her head.

'They might have been in the building, but there were no signs. Sorry Cam'

'It's okay. I'm going to get some air' I tightened my ponytail and headed towards the mouth of the cave. The whole space looked different during the day, the vast woodlands stretching for miles and miles, the perfect place to hide.

'You up for more scouting?' Zach's voice from right behind me made me jump

'Sure' I smiled quickly up at him.

'You okay?' He asked. I nodded.

'Never felt better' A true smile graced my face. A smile tugged on Zach's lips.

'That makes two of us' He replied. Something then changed in his eyes 'Listen, Cammie-'

'Zach, I need a hand here' Grant's voice interrupted us.

'Sure. I'll be right over' Zach nodded at Grant.

'You were saying?' I asked

'It doesn't matter. We'll talk later' Zach patted my arm, yep, you read that right, patted my arm. He then walked away.

I looked around at the rock face, seeing how the cave could easily be hidden, hard to find...yet how did I find it? Last night, we were walking back to find somewhere to camp that wasn't too far from Blackthorne when I somehow stumbled across this place. Strange.

I ran my fingers across the stone, closing my eyes. I continued to move my hand and walk slowly across the wall. My fingertips dancing across the rough stone.

I'll find you. I promise. I heard myself say, a memory from another time. I'll get help. I won't give up.

I opened my eyes, my fingers had landed on an indent in the wall. Not surprising for a natural stone formation, but this was an engraving.

Human hands and human tools.

There was an engraving;

M.A.M.

Matthew A. Morgan.

'Dad?' I looked at it again, closer.

'Cammie, you okay?' Bex asked. I looked up at her and her whole face changed. 'What's up?' She came forward. Bex crouched down next to me. Her fingers tracing the wall too.

'Oh, Cammie…It'll be okay. We will-'

'I...I saw this.' I muttered. My hands shook as they traced my father's initials. The feeling of the crumbling stone was replaced with hard metal. It clicked and a shot was fired.

'Cammie!' Bex snapped, pulling me back to reality.

'Bex…' My voice cracked 'We need to move'

I set off speeding through the woods, my body taking control. We were meant to be staking out Blackthorne again, see how it looks in the daylight, but one look at my face and everyone knew something was up.

My memory wasn't back. It wasn't as simple as that. But there were flashes - images and sounds. I felt my head spinning like a compass, guiding us for hours. I didn't know if it was the altitude or the situation, but I found it harder and harder to breathe until I came to a stop.

'We've been going round in circles' Grant commented

'Give her some time' Bex snapped

'Don't pressure yourself' Zach said, his voice calming at my side.

I closed my eyes.

The woods were alive with flashes and beats, images that came in black and white like I'd seen it all before in a dream. But not a dream, I realised. A nightmare.

Bring the girl, a voice said

Show her what happens to spies who don't talk.

My eyes bolted open. My breathing laboured.

'Cam…'

'This way' I said, bolting off to the left.

'My mind didn't know where I was going, but my legs did. They took me over banks and around pine trees. My body was impervious to the cold and the people at my back yelling my name.

They were all struggling to keep pace behind me, but all I heard was the distant sound of music, the piece I heard playing in the Henley, echoing through the trees. Paired with a cold voice.

The least we can do is take her to her father.

I skidded to a stop at the edge of the trees, exhaling foggy, ragged breaths, staring into a small clearing. But it wasn't a clearing - I knew it. The outline of the trees was too precise, the corners too square to be random.

I knew this patch of earth. It'd felt it calling to me, pulling me back to this mountain.

'No. No, it can't be'

A tear rolled down my cheek.

Everyone eventually caught up to me. Panting and struggling for breath.

'What is this?' Grant asked 'It's just a patch of dirt'

Bex tried to put her arms around me, not knowing that my shaking had nothing to do with the cold.

'Cammie?' Bex said 'There's nothing here'

Zach stood apart from the others, seeing the small clearing at a distance. His expression was dark, unreadable.

'It's a grave' He said. His words carrying so much weight that the air seemed to thicken around me, drowning my heart.

'No. No.' I fell to my knees and began to scrape blindly at the dirt

'Cammie!' Bex's hands were on mine, trying to stop me

'He's here. He's here' I muttered pushing Bex off of me

'Don't just stand there! Help me!' I screamed at them. My bare hands began to bleed as they clawed against the hard ground. The sobs and tears were flowing. Everyone stood still, not sure what to do.

'Gallagher Girl…' Zach's soft voice pulled me out of it for a moment. His warm hands covering mine, keeping me still.

'My dad. He's here. I need to help him. I need to get him out of here. I need to save him. I need to stop her' I cried.

Zach folded me into his arms, cocooning me in his embrace. He smoothed my hair, pressed his cheek against mine.

'He's gone' He whispered

'No. No. No' I cried, banging against his chest 'Let me go, Zach! Let me go!'

Zach didn't move. He held me tight.

'He's gone' He whispered again.

I cried, howling into the trees, a gut-wrenching pain I have never experienced before. It echoed with the wind, my screams coming back to me in floods, torturing me.

Zach POV

We decided to head back to the house. None of us wanted to deal with mission work. The little fire had gone out hours ago but none of us made a rush to start it back up again. We were all just silent, sitting in the living room. Numb.

Liz and Jonas entered their heads down.

'Well?' Macey asked. Liz and Jonas turned to each other.

'DNA is a match to Matthew Morgan' Jonas said

'How sure are you?' Macey asked

'It's a 98% match' Liz added, her voice cracking

'So there's a 2% chance that it's not!' Macey said hopefully. Liz and Jonas shook their heads in unison.

'It's him, Mace' Liz said 'There's no denying it'

'Cam said that he needed to save him and stop her...Do you think…' Macey's sentence trailed off

'That she saw her father die?' Jonas pondered 'It's a possibility'

A pit in my stomach grew. I stood up, heading upstairs where the bedrooms were.

I reached the landing just as Bex was creeping out of Cam's room.

'How is she?' I asked. Bex's shoulders slumped

'Not good. She's not talking or anything. She's just laying there, shutting down'

'Grieving' I summarised. Bex nodded. 'DNA confirms it's her dad' I said. Bex sighed.

'I'll let the others know'

'They already know. Liz and Jonas told us all downstairs'

'I meant Abby. Her family.' Bex shook her head 'Abby was in a coma, Matthew is dead, Cammie went missing and lost her memory...whoever this Circle are really has it out for that family'

'Then let's hope we find Joe and her mother before anything else happens'

'Let's hope' Bex sighed, her eyes looked dark, tired.

'You go get some rest. I'll look after Cam for a bit'

Bex nodded and headed downstairs.

Cam was laying on her side, staring out of the window on top of the covers. I moved around the room to sit on a chair next to her bed.

Her eyes were glazed over, not really looking.

'Joe talked about your dad a few times' I said after a few agonising minutes of silence 'He talked about when they were in Budapest and were tailing a guy. They ended up losing him because your dad stopped for chocolate ice cream' I chuckled lightly, trying to imagine that scenario. Similar to when Cammie and I were chasing Nick through London. 'Joe said that your dad was the greatest spy he had ever met...that was until you came along'

I looked at Cam, waiting for a change in her expression, but nothing.

'I don't know my father' I said eventually 'I never have. My mo-, my mother would tell me all the different stories growing up. Said he was in the army or navy, worked in an embassy and worked for the CIA or FBI or Interpol. Heck, she probably told me he worked for MI6. My mother would always fabricate something to protect me, but as I've got older, I've realised that she was just protecting herself. Lying to get what she wanted. For me to do as she says and not ask questions' I paused 'You asked me if she was a spy...and she was...then she died. The point is...I don't know...I can't begin to imagine what you're going through but I know what it's like to lose a parent, and to lose a part of yourself in the process'

Cammie didn't respond. She didn't move. It was like talking to a wall.

I knelt down, holding one of her cold hands in mine.

Cammie's eyes moved, looking at me. Seeing me properly. Then she looked away, staring off into the distance again, her eyes glazed over. The fleeting moment, over.

I sighed, knowing nothing was going to make Cammie feel better or talk at the moment. I leant forward and kissed her forehead before getting up and leaving the room. Shutting the door softly behind me.

Cammie POV

Zach left. The door shutting behind him. I listened for his footsteps on the stairs, waiting for the silence before I allowed the tears to fall. I covered my mouth to stop the cries from escaping. Too many people have heard me scream. I don't want there to be more. The dirt from my father's grave clung under my nails, mixing with my dried blood caused a metallic taste in my mouth, but I didn't care. I just kept silently screaming. Screaming for my father. He's dead. My father is dead. Fresh tears filled my eyes. Not only because he's dead, but because I remembered something.

'I don't think I can do this, Dad' I said

'You're the only one that can, Camster' My dad gripped my shoulders and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

'Cameron, I-'

'Don't' I shook my head 'Don't say it'

'I love you so much'

'Don't. You're saying goodbye. This is not goodbye'

'Tell your mother that I love her'

'No, you can tell her. You can tell her when we get back' I pleaded

'We're not getting back. You are'

'No. No. No. I won't allow it. I'll find you. I promise. I'll get help. I won't give up'

My dad gave me a sad smile before kissing the top of my head again.

'I love you, Cameron. So much'

He held me tight in his arms. Not letting go.

I lay in the bed, the conversation with my father going over and over in my head. This was the last conversation I had with him. This was the last time he held me in his arms. This was the last time he told me he loved me. This was the last time I'd smell his familiar scent; warm and safe. This was the last shred of hope I had held onto - that I would find all my family safe. This was it. And all hope was gone.

Author's note: Hello everyone! Seasons Greetings! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And all that jazz. Hope you like this chapter. Poor Cammie dealing with her first massive heartbreak. Matthew Morgan is dead. But will Cammie find Joe and Rachel before all hope is lost. I'll try to have another chapter before the new year, but if I don't, I wish you all a happy new year! See you in 2021! xxx

GallagherGirlzRule: Thank you so much! Cliff hangers are my favourite thing in a story, they just keep me hooked. Hope you like this chapter xxx

Tessa Jane: The cave scene is one of my favourite's too. Just Cammie saying 'kiss me' as a distraction. Bless her. Things have only JUST begun to get worse...there's more heartbreak to come. xxx

Guest: This is a GG fanfic but I agree that there's multiple possibilities for cross overs, Ally even confirmed it herself that there are cross overs. Anything could happen xxx

Alecks454: The plan may be used soon...and the outcome will be explosive xxx

moodreaderkc: No worries! One sitting for 27 chapters is very impressive - thank you very much! It always makes me so happy when people love reading my stories. I think a Cammie x Preston thing could have happened - but if anything did, I think Cammie was using it as cover or to get information, kinda a honey pot situation. Hmmm...now you've got me thinking! xxx

gymnast1150: ehheehe. The secrets of Blackthorne will be revealed in the next few chapters. I was just teasing! Of course Zach will wait for Cammie...but for how long in this story?! (A while I can tell you that). Big things will happen in the next few chapters; heartache, drama, fighting, and a certain iconic character(s) making a return. I'm so glad that you love this story more than your future firstborn! If it's a girl, call her Cammie :D. Liz and Jonas are adorable! xxx

covertoperative456: Hmmmm...Cammie may just be the reason there are people at Blackthorne, but you'll just have to wait and see! Zammie for life (more Zammie coming soon!) xxx