Chapter 19

Author's Note:

This chapter is dedicated to one of my most avid readers . I have watched her binge read and vote for every chapter and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's readers like you that make the long hours writing worthwhile. <3

And Happy Turkey Day to all my fellow Canadians. I hope you have friends and family to share it with and that you stuff yourself full of sides, you laugh more than you've laughed in ages, and that you take the time to be thankful for the people that are in your life. I know as writers we can lean towards being reclusive, but just remember these people are the ones that helped shape you into the crazy person you are, and at the very least they have provided the catalyst for your crazy characters. JK (ok not really) LOL

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After training the kids all met up at Lauren's. Cam 2.0 met them at the door dressed in his boxers and nothing else. When he tried to hug Megan, Cam 1.0 complained nosily and dragged him away to give him a shower and get him FULLY dressed for the day.

Everyone burst out laughing when they heard Cam's discussion with his look alike as they ascended the stairs," So let me explain why you don't hug your double's girlfriend in your skivvies."

Lauren called out, "And we need to talk about other arrangements! Last night he crawled into bed with me during the thunder and lightning storm, I had to let him stay, or I wouldn't have gotten any sleep"

When he heard this Zach's eyebrows shot straight up and nearly touched his hairline in shock. He kept looking back and forth between Lauren and the Cam doll's departing back, looking like he was going to say something, but then thinking better of it.

Megan nearly choked on her latte when Quinn said, "Can I sleep over tonight? I hear we're in for some more inclement weather," and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Then when he went to sit by Lauren, Zach nearly knocked over the lamp on the coffee table in his rush to take his place. Megan just shook her head and wondered: when were these guys ever going to get it together?

When Cam returned with a cleaner more presentable double; they all sat down to discuss what Delphi said, and when Megan was done relaying her story, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

They sat around in their usual spots, except for Donnie he had kept his human form for once so he could hear what happened too, but Megan would bet her last dollar he wished he hadn't. It wasn't good news for any of them.

It was nerve racking being the one to do all the talking -- what with everyone looking to her for answers she didn't have. The next question asked was the one she was dreading.

"So where is it, exactly?" Zach asked.

"In the magical Library at school," she answered matter-of-factly.

"Yeah you said that already, but where in the library; it could be anywhere? It's a big place." Lauren concluded.

Megan shrugged her shoulders and winced deciding to come clean, "I didn't ask."

Zach narrowed his eyes at her making her fidget in her chair.

"Why not?" Quinn asked while giving her a hard stare.

"Look guys we're already in so deep." Megan ran her sweaty palms across her jeans, "I just think it's not in our best interest to know exactly where it is."

"Babe," Cam jumped in to the discussion from his seat on the floor at her feet, "How the heck are we supposed to protect something when we don't know where it is?'

"Hun," Megan gave a sigh of exasperation, "You heard what Delphi said, right? It's a legendary artifact one with phenomenal power. We shouldn't even be going within twenty feet of that thing let alone protecting it."

Kelly spoke up then shocking everyone in attendance when she said, "normally I'd agree, but if we don't keep it out of Liam's hands we'll be conscripted for sure."

"La mia bella guerriera, is right. Mio Dio," he exclaimed, "they will need everyone to fight an army of the dead." Donnie made the sign of the cross and shuddered visibly.

"I'm with Meg on this one. I vote we let the council's guard deal with this. This is way above our pay grade." Connor interjected from behind Brenna's seat.

"Beside, Brenna added, "There's no way were walking away from a fight with Liam and his crew plus the berserkers. We barely made it out alive last time." Brenna gave Lauren a long lingering look to illustrate her point.

The whole discussion went to crap then with everyone talking at once, and when Cam 2.0 covered his ears dramatically, they realized things were getting a little more heated than necessary.

Zach bellowed QUIET inside their heads. Even as he announced emphatically, "We're all in this together, am I right?

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Great then let's put it to a vote." He suggested.

"All in favor of guarding the Ankh?" asked Zach.

Zach, Quinn, Cam, Lauren, Marley, Kyle, Trav, Kelly, Donnie and Ollie raised their hands, which made Megan wonder if Liv had been in attendance, if she would have raised her hand, which was super-de-duper weird.

Ray, Ryan, CJ, Connor, Brenna, Xan and herself hadn't moved, but they were clearly out numbered.

And she had to admit she was more than a little pissed that Cam hadn't sided with her, but could she really complain; that was one of the things she loved about him. He was always quick to lend a helping hand and he was after all his own man. So yeah, no way she'd ever consider being with a guy that followed her blindly.

Slowly she raised her hand. Her and Cam were a package deal; if he was in so was she. She looked around the room to see that everyone else had started raising their hands too.

A big grin spread over Zach's face and he crowed, "That's what I'm talking about, all for one and one for all." As he squeezed Lauren's knee and made her laugh.

"You're a dork," she teased before she announced, "guess what guys? I think I've come up with a charm that'll get our weapons past the magic detectors. But gathering of the magical ingredients might get a little messy. I need Gorgon sweat. Do I have any volunteers to collect it?

"Where are we going to get our hands on that?" CJ asked.

"Yeah I don't think they frequent my local Goodlife? Ray added.

"Well," Lauren cringed, "I was thinking one of you fine boys would consider another kind of work out."

"NOT IT!" they all chimed in making the girls laugh.

"Ah come on guys it's the perfect solution," Lauren pleaded," and the only solution I've come up with so far. I'm stumped." She slumped her shoulders comically in defeat.

Lauren shrugged and sighed, "oh well back to the drawing board."

"I know Lauren, "Meg blurted out, "You can glamour the sunglasses Xan's always wearing to hide from his diehard fans, to make her look like a beauty Queen."

"Moving on," Zach chirped much to the appreciation of the guys.

The girls just groaned.

"Okay I'll keep looking, but if I can't think of anything we've got to revisit this option."

The meeting wrapped up early so Meg took Cam home. He actually fell asleep in the car on the way back to Sea Cliff. He was always burning the candle at both ends, but these days he was looking especially tired.

And surprisingly when they'd gone to Starbuck's earlier and she had picked up her Latte he had opted out of getting anything. In fact, when she started thinking back over the last few days, she suddenly came to the realization that the guy that was rarely without a coffee in his hands, hadn't had one in days.

Her brows furrowed with concern and her eyes darted to the side to take quick looks at his profile as she expertly drove through the urban streets she knew so well.

She noted his complexion was way off. He usual sun kissed skin looked a little ashy and there were dark bruise like circles under his eyes. Was he sleeping okay? Or was he just coming down with something? Halfblood's didn't normally get sick with human illnesses. Viruses didn't stand a chance against their magical essence.

She sucked in her breath when she noticed that even his cheekbones had dark spots in the hollow underneath like he had lost weight. Suddenly she wanted to shake him awake to take a closer look. Fear washed over her for some inexplicable reason, but what good would waking him do for him. It would reassure her, but he obviously needed the rest, so she let him sleep.

Once she pulled into the driveway she gave his shoulder a gentle shake to wake him and said, "Cam you're home."

It took her a couple of tries but eventually he said groggily," Huh," as he ran a shaky palm over his face.

That's when she noticed the tremor in his hand. It wasn't even a slight one it was really friggin pronounced.

She clutched him in her panic, asking, "Cam what's wrong are you alright?'"

He just looked taken aback. And she started to feel like maybe she was overreacting when he dove out of the car and promptly threw up in the grass beside his walkway.

He was bent over retching up his guts when his father came out and said, "Whoa you're okay son. I've got ya." And he wrapped his arm around his hunched shoulders to guide him into the house.

Meg went to follow, but Mr. Murdoch turned his head and said, "Perhaps you should go on home, Megan, I'm sure he'll be fine in the morning."

She wanted to protest. She was really concerned he was really sick, but what could she say to his father. Thanks, but no thanks I'm staying.

She ended up getting into her car and driving home feeling miserable instead. Once at home it took her hours to fall asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Cam if anything happened to him she didn't know what she'd do.

She dreamt that night that she swam beside her big beautiful Selkie, but something dark and dangerous shadowed their every happy moment. At one point when they mistakenly swam into a whirlpool she had tried to hold on to his hand, but the maelstrom ripped him from her grasp and he was sucked into the vortex.

Megan sat bolt upright with a strangled scream on her lips and a cold shiver streaking down her spine. She shuddered despite the warm room. She looked over at her bedside clock to see that it was only 1:30.

So she got up and dressed and walked over to Cam's down the street. She snuck around to the back and knocked quietly on the sliding door. He came to the door confused, but wrapped her in his arms and asked, "Meg what are you doing here: are you alright?"

She punched him playfully on the shoulder and said incredulously, "Me? I'm not the one that was puking up my guts a couple of hours ago."

She reached her hand up to check his forehead for a fever, but it was actually cold. Ice cold.

He just wrapped her in his cold embrace, "I'm fine come into my bed and I'll prove it to you."

"Oh no you don't, you're as cold as ice. Get back in bed," she ordered and led him back to bed to crawl back under the covers with him.

He wrapped her in his arms and that's when she noticed his slight shivering.

"Cam," she pleaded, "be honest with me. Are you alright?"

He just shushed her like a small child and whispered, "I will be."

They both fell asleep like that in each other arms, but for once being there with him did not dispel the nightmares and she was fighting off demons all night.

She woke when the sun began to streak through the glass sliding door and crept out just before his Dad came down to wake him.

She took the beach back to her condo and encountered Simmons on the way up in the elevator. He looked at her funny. He probably thought she was one of those self-involved spoiled rich kids like the kids on Rich Kids of Beverly Hills and had partied all night.

"Hey," she said nervously and was about to say: I was just looking after a sick friend, but then she caught herself, because even though it was the truth, it sounded so lame.

She just smiled and tapped her foot nervously as the elevator ascended. Once at the door she keyed in the code and let them both in. Megan turned to the confused chef and said awkwardly," I'm just going to grab some more shut eye. I'll see you in a couple of hours." before beating a quick retreat.

Once in her room, she flopped on her bed prepared to lie awake until her alarm went off, but surprisingly she fell right back to sleep as soon as her head met her pillow, instead.

****************** THANKS FOR READING********************

I hope you all liked this chapter -- how do you think Megan's going to react when she finds out Cam's been keeping secrets?

DO you think one of the guys is going to have to get busy with a Gorgon?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.

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