July 10th, 2012:
Okay. So. If you've read this before. You probably think your are experiencing a mad case of deja vu.
But, before you freak, I'll explain. I wanted to re-post this because someone pointed out that I had switched the names for Zach's mom.
I love the Gallagher Girls series. Seriously, I'm obsessed. And, I know very well that Zach's mom's name is Catherine - not Cassandra.
But, I guess my head went bonkers and switched the real name with the widely-used-fan-fiction-made-up-one.

And, so...out of TOTAL embarrassment,
I'm reposting this, correcting my mistake.
And, perhaps writing another one of these soon.

Thanks again, guys :)

And, if you haven't read this story yet...
Pretend I never said anything.
Read the author's note below.
And, enjoy! :)

PS: still workin' on entry 13, RecordofCovOps Fans...pinky promise.

Hey Guys! If you read my stuff then you probably are completely confused as to why I'm posting this instead of A Record of Covert Operations. Well, I'm so sorry.
But, this was on my mind.
It's sort of in honor of Father's Day.
And, not only did I kind of wanna experiment with Solomon and Matthew Morgan, but I also wanted to try my hand a third person omniscient. Cause I've never used it. And, I wanted to play around with it a little, see how it goes.

So, here's a piece I like to call Little Miss Morgan.
I hope you enjoy. Read and feel free to tell me what you think!
And...Record of Cov Ops readers...I'll get right on Entry 13.

Thanks!
And, enjoy :)

- Sweetly

No one had heard from Joe Solomon in weeks.
Five weeks to be exact.

But, if Matthew Morgan said he was surprised when Joe showed up on his doorstep,
rang the doorbell and stuck his eye up against the peep hole
after however many days of being completely off the radar…

He'd be lying.

The door opened,
and Joe grinned.

"So, where's this new baby?"

And, if Matt also said that he was surprised that - despite his recent absence -
Joe still knew about the baby, and where the new house was…

He'd be lying then too.
'Cause that was Joe.

And, Joe was always one step ahead.

"Hey," Matt smiled, pulling him in for a hug.
Because, despite his suspicions concerning Joe's actual whereabouts for the past five weeks,
he was happy to have his friend home – safe.

"Fresh off the plane I take it?" Matt guessed from the distinct aircraft smell coming off of him as well as his usual duffel bag in tow – nothing else was suitable as a carry-on for Joe Solomon.

"Landed and hour ago." Joe confirmed, "Traffic was bad. Then, of course, I had to find this joint."

"Have you called Abby yet?"
"Did Rachel tell you to ask me that?" Joe guessed.

Matt smiled and nodded. Rachel's sister had probably been the more disgruntled about Joe's sudden disappearance from their lives. But, she wouldn't ever say why.

Matt had more than one theory.

"She's worried."
"Abby's always worried."
"Actually, Abby is never worried." Matt said, knowing that's where the problem was,
"You're just avoiding the subject."

Joe knew that was true. Matt knew him too well.
But, that didn't mean he wouldn't stop trying.

"Nice place"
Joe took off his sun glasses, breathed in, and sized up the townhouse.
"Is it new?" he asked, even though Joe already knew the answer to that question.

"Yeah, you sort of missed the house warming party." Matt laughed grabbed Joe's bag from him
and led him to the living room, "Rachel's still pretty bitter."

"There was a party?" he asked, "I didn't get an invite."
"Oh." Matt flung his bag onto the couch, "You were invited."
"You were also invited to the baby shower."

"Huh," Joe thought about it, "Funny."
"You were gone both times though." Matt explained, "Budapest during the first, and then...Guam?"

"Guam." He confirmed his location for the past month.

But, despite Joe's impeccable talent with lying,
Matt could tell it wasn't the truth.

But, before he could say anything about it, Joe moved on.

"So, Rachel's actually mad?"

Matt nodded, but couldn't help but laugh a little at his wife, "Yep."

"But, Abby was gone too. She was in Budapest." Joe defended
collapsing into the Morgans'' big chair and making himself comfortable.

"Yeah," Matt raised his eyebrows, "but Abby sent a present."
"Ah," Joe charged for his bag, "but, I brought souvenirs. "

He zipped his bag open and tossed Matt a package of candy.
Matt took one look at the label, then glanced skeptically back up at his friend.

"M&M's, Joe?" Matt asked, a bit unimpressed to say the least.
Even though he did have a bit of a sweet tooth.

Joe scoffed mockingly, "M&M's from Guam."
"There's a difference?"
"An immense difference," Joe smirked then dived back into his bag, "I've also got a fridge magnet for Rach, and two hand-knitted beanies for the babies…" And, that's when Joe Solomon froze, trailing off, hoping Matt hadn't been listening.

But, being a highly trained operative in his prime, there was no chance Matt had missed even the smallest of details.
Which was unfortunate for Joe.

"Wait," he laughed lightly, "You do know we only had one baby, right?"
"Yeah," Joe admitted knowing he didn't have a viable explanation that was "Matthew-Morgan-Proof".

He had to face the music.
Joe Solomon had been caught.

"So who's the other beanie for?" Matt asked.
Joe swallowed the shame, zipped his bag back up and said casually, "Catherine had a baby too."

"Catherine?" Matt was, honestly, a little caught off guard, "Like, the Catherine?"
"What other Catherine is there?" Joe asked impatiently.
"She had a baby. When?"
"A month or two ago. I went to see her before Budapest and—"
"You went to see her?"
"Yeah." Joe knew he had just stepped on some toes.

But, there was no turning back now.

And, that's when the awkward silence set in.
Between two people who, when around each other,
almost never experienced awkward silences.

But, the reason for this one was rational.

Matt had thought – or, well, hoped - Joe had kind of sort of cut that tie already.
Joe knew that.

And, he knew he had to come up with some sort of excuse.
And fast.

"Matt, I know you don't really like her—"
"No, Joe. I hate her." Matt corrected.
"You're being stubborn."
"You're being stupid."

Awkward silence number two.

But, this time, regretting his words, Matt was the one who had to fill the void.
With an excuse. A consolation. Hell would have to freeze over before he said anything nice about Catherine Goode.
So, that wasn't an option.

Anything, Matt. Think.

But, the silence went on
because for the first time in a long time,
Matt didn't know what to say to his best friend.

Joe Solomon was never unwise.

But, he did have a soft spot for people who were stuck in sticky situations.
Ugly ducklings that had the potential to be swans.

Maybe because that's what he was. Or something of the variety.

Catherine may have chosen her path,
but, that didn't mean that she couldn't start over if she was convinced it was a mistake.

And the "starting-over" part was something Joe wanted desperately to believe.
For his own sake.

Matt knew that.

But, Matt also knew that there was a gap between who Joe was and who Catherine is.
A very notable gap.

Joe hadn't chosen the Circle.
But, Catherine certainly had.

It was only a matter of time before she quit the Agency all together
in exchange for a full time gig as a terrorist.
It was the least she could do nowadays to get her power fix.

But, every time they went over this – which wasn't often as it was heavily avoided, but occasional enough to establish a habitual routine – still, Joe argued.

"Cath is not a bad person.".
"She's not a good one either."Matt would regularly remind him.

"Come on, Matt. Rachel knew her. She went to Gallagher," Or something of the sort was always Joe's rebuttal. Matt would laugh in the same way every time, "Doesn't mean Rachel liked her."

Joe would be forced to smile.
"Rachel doesn't' like much of anybody though."

Well, that was true – at least in her high school days.
Rachel used to have major trust issues.

And, a bit of snobby valedictorian pride.
But, bring that up and you'll be stuck with the silent treatment for at least a week.

"She's a friend of mine, Matt"

Joe would take a breath, and settle for at least an agreement on that.
And, right about then was always when he would realize the conversation
had fallen into the same old pattern.

Matt would realize it too, and yet, he'd still play his cards the same way.
It was the only time he would ever truly use guilt on his best friend.

"Friends don't let friends attempt to kill the Pope."

Matt would smile a little bit to lighten the mood. Because that was Matt.
But, the wall of stone that was Joe Solomon would always shift uncomfortably.

And, Matt would always second-guess his decision to say anything.
Then the two would be right back where they started.

In weary, worried silence.

So.

Considering Matt's lack of sleep due to the baby's hobby of being – well – slightly nocturnal,

He was left without any strength or motivation to be weary
or worried, or the least bit tenser than he needed to be.

Plus, he didn't feel like fighting a battle he couldn't win just yet.
So, instead, Matt decided to solve his what-to-say-next dilemma by keeping it simple.

"What's the name?"

"Who's name?" Joe, he guessed, had been thinking through the same conversation.
Because, when he spoke, he seemed completely zoned out.

"Catherine's baby."
"Zachary."

Matt smiled a little, hoping to rid Joe of some of his natural seriousness.
"Sounds like a trouble maker."

But, Joe's cold hard expression didn't melt away.
"Let's hope not."

Matt didn't want to think about that.
So, Matt moved on.

"Does she know who the father is?"
Joe shook his head.

"So, he's a Goode?"
"I assume so."

God help him, Matt thought.
And, he could tell by the deep lines on Joe's face
that he was thinking the same thing.

Life wouldn't be easy for that boy.

But, the somber ambiance that had taken over the room didn't stay for long.
Thank goodness.

And, it was all credited to the fact that seconds later,
Rachel appeared in the doorway with a perfect little baby girl.

And, just like that,
Joe's worry lines melted away.

"There she is."
Matt grabbed her from Rachel.
And, Joe grabbed her from Matt.

And, in about a millisecond,
everything bad in the world disappeared.

It was as if terror didn't exist.
It was as if the Circle of Cavan was only an awful dream.
It was as if Joe was never a part of such a nightmare.

And, it wasn't only because Rachel walked into the room.
It wasn't only because Rachel wasn't supposed to know about Joe. About anything.
(And in order to keep things that way, pretending all of it didn't exist was a very good idea. )

It all disappeared because of Little Miss Morgan.

"Well, hello there."

Matt was amazed at how quickly his friend had changed.
From 'gloom-and-doom' to baby talk.
From dark double agent to benevolent godfather.

All in about two seconds. If not less than that.

But, this change was a good change.
So, Matt laughed – like always. And, Joe marveled at the baby girl, grinned
then looked to her father.

"She'll be breaking hearts one day." Joe said.
"And codes, and bones, and rules..." Matt teased.

"So, she is going to Gallagher?"
"Well," Matt exchanged a look with Rachel. "We don't know yet."

Which was a reasonable answer.
You'd have to be insane to automatically condemn something that
beautiful and innocent to a life of such danger and darkness.

Rachel finally spoke up, her voice softer than usual as if the subject was too sensitive,

"We want her safe. First and foremost."

Joe nodded knowing that– even though he had only just met baby Cameron – safety was all he wanted for her, safety and no less. And, she would have that. As long as he could help it.

He smiled at Cammie and said, "Hear that, Ms. Morgan. No mischief."

"Joe-"Rachel spoke, but couldn't find the words to say.
After all, he had practically fallen off the face of the earth for five weeks. They'd all been worried sick.
And, she didn't know where to start with all of the questions swimming in her head.

So, in the midst of her hesitation, Joe cut her off.

"Rachel." He looked to her standing in the door frame and smirked,
"You lost weight."

"Ha-ha." Rachel rolled her eyes then pulled him in for a hug, "We missed you."
"Yeah, well. Not all of us get lucky enough to have nine months leave from work." He winked, and despite her lack of strength, she punched him in the shoulder.

"Ouch. Watch it." He flinched, the nodded toward the sleeping baby in his arms,
"Precious cargo."

Rachel smiled a little, kissed Cammie on the head and then stroked her hair – a habit of hers lately.

"Have you talked to Abby?"

Something about the way Rachel stood made it clear she didn't want to bring up that subject.
But, she had to. She had to start somewhere. It was a question that had been waiting on the tip of her tongue ever since her sister came home from Budapest.

A look passed between Matt and Joe as he said, "No."

"She's worried about you."
"Told you." Matt chimed in.

"Why?"
"Because you were gone for over a month, and you didn't take her with you."
Joe shrugged lightly "Langley wanted to mix it up, I guess."

Rachel lifted an eye brow.

"We can't always be mission partners, Rach. That's out of my control."

Joe and Abby were always paired. Always.
They made a good team. Well, 'good' was a bit of an understatement.

But, Joe couldn't bring Abby along on his last trip.
For reasons Rachel and her sister couldn't know.

However, that wasn't Rachel's point.
Her point was that Joe had gone on an irregular mission.
And, hadn't told anything to anybody.

There was no CIA record of any kind.
No sign of regular protocol.

'Guam' was a whole new level of classified.
A kind of classified that left his closest friends concerned and Rachel Morgan a little suspicious –
not like she was willing to admit that. To anyone. Especially Matt.

It could be something huge.
But, then again, it could be absolutely nothing.
This was Joe they were talking about.
She trusted him like she did her own husband.

And, trust is a big thing in their business.

But, whatever the gravity of the source, something was off.
Something was strange about this whole ordeal.

Not to mention, something had happened in Budapest.

Something that made things different, heightened the stakes. Rachel wasn't sure what. For once in her life, Abby wouldn't talk. But, whatever it was, it left Joe Solomon – a man who never took a wrong step – looking very guilty.

But, watching that same man hold Cammie as if she was his own,
Rachel shrugged the weight off her shoulders, took her sister's advice,
and gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"She's one of your best friends, Joe."
Rachel lifted off of the door frame and turned to answer the ringing phone – probably Abby again.

"Fix it."

Rachel always had a knack for authority.
No way Joe was going to double-cross her.

But, Abby and Joe had gotten a little too…attached in Budapest.
And, to top it off, Budapest was when Joe was first 'assigned' to 'Guam'.

That's when things started to go downhill.
After all, no one could conjure up a guilt-trip quite like Abigail Cameron.

And, Joe did feel guilty.
He always felt guilty. Especially because of people like Abby.

People he swore he wouldn't ever get too…attached to.

So, Joe thought it best to give her space.
To avoid confrontation at all costs. Otherwise, he would have to admit the truth.

To someone he wasn't ready to live without.

Not everyone was as accepting as Matt Morgan.
It was a miracle he even stuck around once he found out about Joe and the Circle.

So, no. He didn't call Abby once he got back home.
She'd forgive him later.
Maybe.

But, that was a risk Joe Solomon was willing to take.

For Joe, avoiding Abby was incredibly easy to prolong.
(Of course, that's definitely not something you should say to her face.
Unless you're begging for a broken jaw.)

But, avoiding Matt was a whole different story.

"You weren't really in Guam, were you?" Matt asked once Rachel's door was closed and all that was left was him,
Joe, and the sleeping baby.

There was, yet again, a silence. And, in that silence,
Matt could tell Joe was hesitating to answer. He was stumbling.

And, stumbling isn't something Joe Solomon just does.

"So, you were working for them."

Matt sounded more bitter than he expected himself to be.
He knew about 'Guam' all along. But, sometimes Matt had too much pride in his friend to admit he was still taking missions from them.

"Matt, I don't want to have this discussion." Joe said softly, staring at baby Cammie. Hoping it would all go away once more with just a look at Little Miss Morgan's face.

"You could have just said no." Matt said, knowing it wasn't true.

"I have to play both sides, Matt. Or, I'll get caught," Joe snapped, obviously defensive. He wasn't the bad guy. He refused to be the bad guy, "You know that."

"My question is," Matt asked – his voice soft and stern, serious – knowing that this doubt was one that loomed in his mind ever since he learned the truth about Joe, "What side are you on really?"

Joe looked down at Little Miss Morgan, lifted her slightly as he said, "Hers."

And, from that second on, Joe Solomon knew things had to change.
For Cammie. For when she would need him someday. For something.

He didn't know for what.

But, he couldn't be someone she couldn't trust.
He had to get out.

Things had to change

And, at that moment, though he knew very well it wasn't physically true,
he felt a little bit like a father too.

And, with the addition of the weight, of the pressure,
suddenly Joe could tell why Matt seemed so tired.

"I should probably let her get her beauty sleep," Joe stood up. Knowing it was time to leave.
He kissed Cammie on the head then handed her to Matt, "Not that she needs any."

"Of course she doesn't," Matt chuckled, leading Joe to the door, "She's my daughter, after all."
"Well, if she needs to sleep off any gene. It's yours." Joe said, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

"Go unpack," Matt said as Joe opened the door and looked back, "And, call Abby."
Joe nodded mindlessly, hoping he would conjure up the guts to actually do so.
Then he looked to Little Miss Morgan.

"Take care of my girl," He said, grinning, "And, have fun being all fatherly."
"You too." Matt said.
"What?" Joe laughed a little, not quite understanding.

Matt's regular smile had faded into a ridged line as he said, "Watch out for that Goode boy."
"He's going to need a father someday," he said, "Or at least something like one."

Matt figured if Joe was going to keep his ties with Catherine, he might as well make himself useful.
And, Joe might be just what that boy needs when he grows up.

After all, he and this Zachary were a lot alike.
Thrown into a life or treachery without a choice.
Matt just hoped that both would have brains enough to find their way out of a mess like that.

Joe nodded, smiling sadly as he stepped out into the open air,
"Way ahead of you, Matt," he said, "way ahead of you."

And, if Matt said he was surprised Joe was already looking into that,
already making sure that boy wouldn't end up like him –with virtually no way out.

He'd be lying.

'Cause that was Joe.

Joe was always one step ahead.
And, 'Guam' or not, Joe was the good guy.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! Especially mine.
As well as our favorite fictional father, Matthew Morgan, and honorary father, Joe Solomon. Wow. I'm a nerd.

Thanks for reading!
Let me know what you think :)