This fan fiction was requested by me.
Zach waited by the phone. It was 5 o'clock, why wasn't she calling? They had arranged to talk at 5, 5 was the time every week. But this is just how their relationship went. Zach would be in one country and she would be in another. Whoever was on a mission would call from a phone booth at 5. This want healthy. Being away from somebody for so long builds expectations, builds tension, makes arguments and then the minute that one of them got home they would pretend like nothing was wrong and sit there, in silence. Zach was set out of his thought train by the ringing of the land yard.
"Zachary? Hello, it's your mother." the voice on the other end of the phone said.
"You stopped being my mother the day you found out you were pregnant." he spat.
"Zachary," she said in a singsong voice, "I wouldn't talk to me like that if I was you."
"What do you, Catherine."
"You will call me Mom, Mother or Mommy."
"What do you want... Mother." Zach sighed.
"I have your wife," Catherine said in a serious tone, "If you want her back you must complete a series of 12 tasks. One you have completed them, then and only then will you get your wife back.
"Catherine... Mother. I'm really not in the mood. Why don't you just give me my wife back before I call the police." Zach said in a cool tone, feeling for the gun in his pocket.
"I don't think that you are going to do that."
"And why is that?"
"Because I have your phone, email and all communications devices tracked. Every minute that you call anyone and tell them about this is another day that your wife get tortured. If I anyone tries to rescue her, all they'll see is what you saw when you tried to rescue Matthew."
"What is the first task?"
"You've heard of the twelve labours of Hercules?"
It took 6 years for Zachary to finish the tasks, half the time it took Hercules. It was a long road and a weird list of tasks.
1. Steal the Blueprints for the Nemean Lion Weapon
2. Find the Eight Pieces of the Hydra statue
3. Steal the Blueprints for the Hind of Ceryneia Bullet Proof Armour
4. Steal the Blueprints for the Erymanthean Boar Weapon
5. Blow up the Weapon Factory, Augean Stables
6. Steal the Blueprints for the Stymphalian Birds Weapon
7. Steal the Blueprints for the Cretan Bull Weapon
8. Steal 2 of the Mutated Human-Eating Horses of CIZ Head Quarters
9. Steal the Diamond Incrusted Utility Belt from MI6 Headquarters
10. Steal 3 of Geryon's Cattle.
11. Steal the iPhone 8S Prototype from Apple Headquarters
12. Steal the Mutated Three-Headed Dog from the CIA Head Quarters
Zach had focused on work and saving her. He spoke to his close friends but barely went out with them. He didn't date and he didn't mingle with anybody new. He just waited and did Catherine's tasks. He didn't know if Catherine had killed her but he had to 'trust' his mother. That was something we never thought he'd say.
He walked through the city. His hands were in his pockets and his head was down. He walked to the meeting point. He saw Catherine with three two other people. He felt for the gun in his pocket.
"Hello Zachary." Catherine said, "Do you have what I want?"
"Yes. All the objects from your tasks are in an apartment on 174th street." Catherine nodded.
"Goodbye, son."
"Goodbye Catherine. Have a nice life."
Catherine walked off in the distance. Zach followed her with his eyes, just to make sure that their was no funny business. He slowly looked at the women holding hand with the five, maybe six year old boy.
For the first time in 6 years, Zach felt sheepish.
"Hey Gallagher Girl."
"Hey Blackthorn Boy," she said quietly, "Meet Matt."
"Hi Matt." Zach held out his hand for the boy to shake. They boy just ran towards him and gave him the biggest hug ever. He began to cry on Zach's solider.
"Hey champ," Zach whispered, "It's okay. I'm here now." He held Matt's and her hands and led them to his penthouse apartment. He hoped that Matt liked his room, Catherine had told him that Gallagher Girl would bring home a little boy. He had gotten Macey, Nick, Bex, Grant, Liz and Jonas, who all have little boys, to decorate the room. He had been nervous all week, not because there was a chance of Catherine conning him, not because of the chance of Gallagher Girl being dead but he was nervous because he was about to meet a boy who might be his son.
Zach and Gallagher were sitting on the coach, watching the news.
Zach felt the tension in the air as he flashed back to their last conversation, the conversation before Catherine happened.
Flashback
It was 6 o'clock and Zach was about to leave the phone before it rang.
"I'm so sorry that I'm late. The time just flew by and me and Alex were in the bar. The funniest thing happened, he..."
"Wait a minute. You never told me Alex was a boy."
"Yeah what does it matter?"
"What does it matter?" Zach scoffed, "you have been stripped naked in front of this guy! You had to pretend to be his mistress! You have performed CPR on this guy and vis versa!"
"So! It didn't seem to bother you when you thought Alex was a girl! You know what! That's because you are a pig! You probably thought it was sexy when Alex was a girl but now that my consultant is a guy you are suddenly against him! I wasn't against you and Diana, or you and Lauren! And I certainly didn't find it sexy when you had to take your shirt off in front of Neal! (Sorry, but White Collar is my favourite show and I couldn't just miss out this opportunity)"
"This is stupid! First you are late to phone me for the third time this month! Then I learn it's because you were out drinking with another guy! And now this!" Zach was angry, he was feeling reckless. He slammed the phone down, ending the call. Not knowing that was the last time he would see his wife in six years.
Flashforward
"In other news, a terrorist named Catherine Goode was caught with a variety of stolen objects." the smiling anchorman said. Zach smiled at the thought. He had lead Catherine into a trap, he couldn't believe it had worked. He looked over at Gallagher, smirking, her eyes were glistened with tears.
"No, no, no, don't cry. Tell me why you're upset." he whispered, not wanting to wake up Matt.
"I'm not upset," she look over at Zach, smiling, "I'm happy. You don't understand what they did to me. I was beaten, yelled at, it was implanted in my brain that I was worthless and you weren't trying to save me... I was raped. Thank you for getting her."
"Is... is Matt mine?" Zach slowly said the thing that had been on his mind.
"Zachary Goode," she whispered, "Of course he is yours. During my time with the Circle, I wished for you joy and happiness. I love you. I will always love you."
She had moved closer to Zach and she now had her head on his shoulder.
"When I was with the circle, did you...?"
"No, Gallagher Girl. I put off going anywhere until I had completed Catherine's tasks. It was worth it. I love you too."
And they lay their 'till morn. Gallagher Girl and Blackthorne Boy.
10 years later - Goode Academy
Zach was surrounded with paperwork, being the Co-Head of a School was hard. Being the Co-Head of the top Spy School in the World was Harder. He looked down at the list of teachers; Rebecca Baxter was the Co-Vops Teacher. Grant Baxter was the PE Teacher. Elizabeth Anderson was the Coding Teacher. Jonas Anderson was the Science Teacher. Macey McHenry was the Culture and Assimilation and Drivers Ed. Teacher. Nick McHenry was the Languages Teacher. There was a whole list of other people who were teacher but that six were all that mattered to him. That six and three other people. And those three walked in.
Gallagher Girl, Goode Gal, Goode Girl and Goode Guy. His family. He smiled as he thought back to his last mission. They posed as a family and stopped the Congress Documents being stolen.
"What's the matter now?" he rolled his eyes.
"These two want to have the blueprints for all the secret tunnels in the school." His beautiful wife said.
"Haha! For the last time no."
"Awwww." said the 16, 15 and 14 year old.
"Please?" said Matthew and Rachel.
"No. And don't even think about it, Abby." Zach playfully swatted his youngest daughter away from his drawer.
"Fine. Bye Dad."
"Bye. Kids."
"Man they are a handle full aren't they, Gallagher?"
"Yeah," said Zach's gorgeous wife, "But they are worth all past and future trouble."
"Yeah." Zach sighed, "I said don't think about it Abby!" Zach playfully swatted his daughter away again.
"I'm sorry but maybe if you guys stopped staring into each other souls and talking about how we are worth it then you would see me sneaking in."
"I saw you sneaking in Abigail. I just didn't care because I was looking at a much better view." he winked at his wife.
"Eww!" Abby ran out of the room.
"Do I still have it?" Zach raised both arms.
"You still have it." And Cameron Morgan Goode kissed her husband, before swatting Abby away again, "Man, she dopes not give up, does she?"
"She's just like you."
The song for this one shot is I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston.
I'm sorry for having to do this again but I am out of requests so if you want a couple I am open to anything. Also, to let you guys know I can do platonic and friendships if you want.
