Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Gallagher girls series. If I did, I would be making sure that the series is going to be turned into a series of films: (HINT. HINT!)

Title: Knowing Matt and Joe

Rachel's POV

I grew up in a very friendly neighbourhood called Roseville. I loved it there, I had lots of friends, and we always went to the cinemas or we would just go casually shopping round the market, the usual girly stuff. I attended Gallagher Academy with my best friend, Jenny and my sister, Abbey.

I remember seeing Joe round and about Roseville, but I never talked to him because he seemed a little, mysterious. My friends didn't like him, so I guess I never thought about talking to him. He used to stare at me and my sister a lot, but I didn't really think about it.

When Matthew came into the village, I was 17. Joe and Matthew became the best of friends, and I saw the two hanging about all the time. I started talking to Matthew a lot and me, Matt and Joe became friends. I got to know Joe a lot more and I found out that they went to the same school. When I asked them what school they went to, they exchanged glances and said they went to a school a couple of miles away from here, but said no more. This made me very curious, but I didn't say anything. I suppose I couldn't talk, I went to a school for spies, for goodness sake! When they asked me what school I went to, I pointed behind me. I said it was a private girls school. They, again, exchanged glances, which worried me.

During the next two weeks, I found that Joe began smiling whenever he was around me, and matthew seemed to get more quiet and worried whenever he was around me. When this had gone on too long I turned on him, "Matt, have I done anything wrong? Why don't you talk to me anymore?" Then I turned on Joe, who put his hands in "surrender", "And, why do you keep laughing." This just made Joe laugh even more. I remember storming off and crying for days. Then came the scariest and probably the most amazing moment of my life:

I was in my room doing some summer homework that Professor Buckingham had set my class. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "I'LL GET IT!" Came the familiar voice of my sister, Abbey. I heard the door open, and a voice came floating up the stairs from the door. Matt was here! I panicked when I heard my sister shout me, "RACHEL! MAT AND JOE WANT TO SEE YOU!" I went down the stairs and put on my stern face (which I am very good at).

"What do you want?" I asked, not showing any emotion but I-don't-care-ness (Let's just pretend that that is an emotion. Matt was right in front of me, staring into my eyes. Joe was a couple of metres away by my front gate, grinning.

"Look," Matt started, "I'm sorry that I have been, like really quiet a lately. And I am sorry that I have upset you, it's just… it's just that I…that I..."

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, my voice softer this time.

"I love you," Matt hesitated, "I love you Rachel."

I froze. In the two seconds that followed, I realised that not only did Matt love me, I loved him. Oh my goodness, I thought, how long have I loved him? I leaned in and kissed him full on the lips, it was magical. When we broke apart, Joe's grin was wider than the front gate.

"Oh and by the way," Matt grinned as well, "We know that you're a spy."

"WHAT?!" My mind went blank, I forgot all my years worth of training of what to do in situations like this, so much for all that homework. "How did you…when did you…you..."

Matt grinned even more, "Don't worry, Rachel. Me and Joe are spies too." Out of all the things he could have said, like, "Do you wanna go and catch a movie?" Or, "Wanna go to the park?" He chose to say, "Me and Joe are spies too." I didn't know what to say.

"Are..are you joking with me?" I asked. But something told me they weren't joking.

"You go to Gallagher Academy, Rachel." Joe came closer to us, "Me and Matt go to Blackthorne."

"There is a school for boy spies?" I asked, my face lightening up.

"Yep. If you don't tell anyone about our school, we wont tell anyone about yours."

It was going to be difficult to refrain from telling someone about something this big, but I thought about the safety of Gallagher Academy. I extended my hand, which Matt shook.

"Deal."

Even though us three didn't see each other in the school term, we remained good friends as we saw each other every summer and Christmas. As we grew older, we all join the CIA. Joe started dating my best friend Jenny, which was fine by me. Joe and Matt started keeping secrets between themselves, we made me feel left out, but I didn't say anything.

When Matt proposed to me I felt ecstatic. We had just got back off a very dangerous, life threatening mission, alive. We were at his house for a family dinner. My family, Joe, Matt's family, everyone was there. After a lovely tea, (that I probaly couldn't cook to save my life), Joe put some romantic music on. I was very confused, until Matt got down on one knee and said, "Rachel, ever since I laid eyes on you, my heart has been devoted to you, so would you make me the luckiest man alive and marry me?" I, of course, said yes (after my mini heart attack).

When we had my little Cammie, I felt like the happiest woman on earth. I had a beautiful daughter, a handsome, caring husband, and a wonderful family. Joe was made a god father to Cammie. One year later, I got a letter saying that the role of headmistress at the Gallagher Academy was being offered to me. Me and Matt had a serious conversation about what this would mean for the family: Less family time, more pay, how would Cammie feel when she grew up to be a beautiful teenager? etc. In the end, I took the job.

My whole life changed when Matt and Joe went on that mission. Their final mission together. On the run up to the mission, things started getting more serious. I don't know how, but I could feel loads of tension in the air.

Before Matt left, Cammie, who was so young, came up to her dad, "Where are you going, daddy?" She asked in her sweet, little voice. Matt went on to his knees, so he was Cammie's height.

"I'm going to do some work, darling. I wont be here for a couple of days so I need you to take care of mummy for me, you will look after her won't you?"

"Why can't I come? I want to go with you and Uncle Joe!" Tears filled Matt's eyes.

"Perhaps one day when your older, and me, you, mummy and Joe can all go exploring the world! How does that sound?"

"Yay! I want to go exploring the world!" Little Cammie beamed. She hugged her dad, "I love you daddy."

Matt hugged her back, "I love you too, sweetheart. And I love your mother. So are you two going to take care of each other while I'm gone?"

"Yep," Cammie stood up straight, "I will take care of mummy for you daddy!"

"Brilliant!" Matt kissed Cammie on her forehead. He stood up and kissed me too, "I'll miss you, Rachel. I love you."

"I love you too, Matt." I replied, "Be careful, wont you?"

Matt grinned, "I'll be back before you know it, you'll see." And with that, he went out of the door, leaving Cammie and me and our own.

I waited days, weeks, months. Cammie came into my office every Sunday for tea (even if it was just microwaveable food). She would ask about her father. I would say that he would be coming back soon, but the more I said it, the more I doubted myself. I waited for what felt like decades, but he never came.

It was a Sunday night in my office at the Gallagher Academy. It was half an hour before Cammie would come for Sunday tea. So I was finishing off some paper work .I had some pizza and chips baking in the oven. Matt hadn't come back from his mission with Joe yet. I was worried more than ever for both of them.

Suddenly, the phone rang. I picked it up quickly, hoping to hear matt's voice on the other end, telling me that he had come back, that he and Joe was safe. I was wrong to get my hopes up.

"Hello, Rachel? Is that you?" It was Jenny, my best friend and head of checking if the missions were going okay at the CIA. She sounded sad, as if she had been crying.

"Hi Jenny, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice full of concern. Had something happened to Matt or Joe?

"Well, the mission is over," Jenny started.

"That's great! So, when is Matt coming home?"

"Well, that's the thing. During the mission, Matt went missing. Solomon…I mean, Joe tried to find him and we sent out some people from the CIA to try and find him but, for now, he isn't coming home, Rachel. I'm sorry."

I put down the phone and stared at the wall. "For now, he isn't coming home" That's what Jenny had said. He promised. Matt promised he'd be back before I knew it. Well, I do know it, and he still isn't back. He wouldn't break his promise, would he? I feared the worst. No!, I told myself, he isn't dead. He can't be. It all became too overwhelming. I burst out into tears and chucked the phone across the room. That second, there was a knock on the door and my daughter came into the room, happy and smiling. How could I take that away from her? As soon as she saw me in this state, her face changed to a concerned and confused look.

"What's wrong, mum?" She asked, her voice filled with worry and concern. "What's happened?"

I looked into Cammie's eyes. I couldn't lie to her about this. I sat Cammie down on the sofa and told her about what had happened. I told Cammie the truth.

So that's the first chapter! There is only going to be one more, explaining what happens between Rachel and Joe ;). Comments and constrictive criticism welcome, but no too harsh comments because this is my first fan fiction! Thanks!