Title: Trust

Summary: Just a short one-shot of a scene I think should have been in Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover between Zach/Cammie. If you'd like to know exactly where, it's on page 167 (hardcover edition). I changed the scene up a bit, but the rest of the story still applies.

Rating: T, to be safe

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All belongs to Ally Carter. However, Zach would be slightly cool to own. I mean, I'd never be bored again!

A/N: This is my first Gallagher Girls fic. Actually, I just read the whole series in the past few days, so I'm very new to the series at all. This is my first story, so be sure to let me know what you think.

Also, for those waiting on my other stories (GLEE, Airhead, Gilmore Girls, and possibly a SWAC story as well), I'm finally on break from college and I plan on updating/finishing at least 3 of the stories during break. So be sure to keep an eye out for them!

Cammie's POV

Recap:

He (Zach) flinched. "You know, you're going to hurt me one of these days, and then you're going to feel really bad about it."

"Yeah, I started, "well, maybe if you would be honest with me for one---"

I went to finish my sentence, but Zach interrupted me.

"Look, Cammie. I don't have much time. Let me just ask you one thing. Do you trust me?" he asked, his voice turning serious.

I felt my breath catch. Did I trust him? I wasn't sure. I wanted to trust him, but it's not that easy. Trusting a guy is hard enough as a girl, but trusting someone as a spy is nearly impossible. The life of a spy is full of lies, deceit, foolery, tricks, and covers. It was crazy to think that you could trust someone in that lifestyle.

Besides….recently, Zach hasn't been giving me any reason to trust him anyway. He hasn't been open and honest with me. He won't even tell me what he was talking to Mr. Solomon about. Plus, throughout our relationship---or whatever it is that we have---he's always hidden stuff from me. Even recently. Like how he won't tell me what he was doing in Boston when Macy and I were attacked. All these things that he hides from me make it impossible for me to trust him.

But then, there are these moments when I look into those deep eyes and feel as if I can see into his soul. I finally see the real Zach—the one that I like. A LOT. And times like that, when I feel as if we were connected, I really believe that I can trust him with my life…and my heart.

But, still, I wasn't sure.

Zach noticed my hesitation, and he gently placed his fingers under my jaw bone and tilted my chin up until my eyes locked onto his own.

"Let me rephrase that," he said, as his eyes burned into mine. I could feel the intensity of his gaze reach into the depths of me and all the way through to my toes. It was definitely something that I had never experienced before.

"Cammie…..you can trust me," he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

His breathing remained steady and unchanging. His pupils didn't dilate, and his pulse stayed even.

I remembered the ring on my right finger that had remained there since I had received it last year. I looked down at it, realizing that it hadn't vibrated. And yet, I knew deep down that it wasn't going to vibrate, because it had no reason to.

Zach's mannerisms showed no indication that he was lying, but his affect was not how I knew he was being honest. I knew it, because, as I looked back up, I realized that I had never seen Zach look so open and so vulnerable in the entire time that I had known him.

Standing in front of me was no longer the cocky, arrogant boy who had beat me to the ruby slipper exhibit. Yeah, sure, he was still there, but it wasn't who he really was. In front of me was a boy who not only understood the difficulties of my life as a spy, but also what it was like to lose a parent. He was a boy who cared for a girl and was begging that girl to open her heart and trust him.

When I stared into his gaze, it dawned on me that I hadn't felt this safe since before my father had died. Even though there was chaos all around me, all I could do was think of how Zach made me feel protected from the world. It was then that I knew that he was telling the truth—I could trust him.

And, in a world like mine, where everything in your life was full of lies and deception, I realized that Zach had given me something that I had always wanted so badly but thought that I would never—and could never—have: trust. And THAT was the best gift I would ever receive.

I felt my heart speed up as these thoughts floated through my head. Zach continued to gaze into my eyes, his pupils and expression never changing, as I realized that he was waiting patiently for a response.

I didn't know what to say to express what I was feeling. I wasn't even sure if I could speak at the moment. So instead, I smiled as I nodded my head, trying to tell him that I understood, that I could trust him.

Apparently, he got the message, because his mouth spread into a broad grin and I realized that I had never seen Zach look so happy before, and I couldn't believe that this happiness was because of me.

I felt my heart skip a beat, and I knew what I had to do. I couldn't be the Chameleon at this moment. I couldn't blend in, because Zach was looking at me. And he wasn't just looking. He was seeing. And that made my heart feel lighter than ever before.

I grabbed Zach's shirt by the collar as I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. I felt all of the thoughts of our previous kiss—in front of the entire Gallagher Academy--- rush back to my mind, and I began to feel dizzy. I felt his pulse speed up, and I smiled against his lips. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I felt butterflies in my stomach that had never surfaced before, and I could feel my body temperature rising (By 0.3 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact). My head felt dizzy and I breathed in the scent that could only be described as Zach. His hands ran through my hair, and I thought that I might have fainted if not for the fact that his strong arms were supporting me.

"Ahem," I heard from beside me, as Zach and I broke apart to see Macey looking at us amused. "Yeah, I'm still here. And, if you stay lip locked too much longer, you'll end up with an even bigger crowd, because Abby will probably be back any second," she said, trying to hurry us along.

I struggled to compose myself and catch my breath completely when I heard my name.

"Cammie," Zach said quietly, as I looked up into his eyes. I could tell that his demeanor was softer than before. He was talking to me carefully as if I were porcelain that might break and be lost forever at any second.

"Be careful," he whispered, softly, as he brushed his fingers against my cheek softly. I felt myself sigh as I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes, savoring the light, feathery, tingling feeling that his fingers were leaving in their path.

He slowly pulled away, as he gave me his trademark smirk. "Well, this is my stop," he said, looking at Macey as he turned to go.

"McHenry, you mind?" he said, gesturing to the door. Macey checked the aisle and distracted the officer, as Zach dashed into the hall and to the door at the end of the car. He winked at me quickly, before he opened the door and spread his arms, as he jumped into the night. I watched his parachute fade, as the questions floated through my mind.

I had so many things that I wanted to ask him and wanted to know, but that would have to wait for another time. Besides, whatever he was up to, I had a feeling that he was doing it to protect me. After all, I could trust him.

I looked back to Macey, who was now back by my side, just in time to hear her say, "I think he likes you," before she smirked and we both started laughing.

It was then that I realized that even though my bruise was still slightly visible, reminding me that whatever was happening definitely wasn't over, even though people wanted to kill my best friend, and even though I had broken out of my very elite and prestigious school when I definitely shouldn't have, my life wasn't too bad.

Because, I knew that, as a spy, I would always be in danger. But that was okay, because I had the best friends, and boyfriend---if that's even what he was---watching my back. After all, it's not always about the number of enemies you have against you, but rather, the type of backup you have standing next to you.

And in that moment, I was pretty confident that my backup couldn't be better.

A/N: Okay, well, that was my first Gallagher Girls fic.

What did you think? Like it? Hate it? Was it true to the characters? Were there some parts that were unbelievable?

Please review and let me know what you think. I take the criticism and suggestions seriously.

Also, PLEASE review if you've read this. Because, I like to know if I should write more stories. But I want to make sure I know if people are reading them, before I go out and write some more.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! -Nicole