A Gallagher Girls & The Listen Series Promptober

Haunted House

Haven't read Gallagher Girls? Please do not continue if you wish to avoid spoilers.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out. Comments, feedback and any interaction are appreciated and loved!

Bex Baxter POV / Timeline: Sometime after the last book in the Gallagher Girls series, "United We Spy" and before the Listen Series.

Haunted House was requested for Bex Baxter & Zach Goode by an anon friend, author's choice of platonic or romantic. I went platonic for this one, but keep a look out for a slightly more romantic pairing of the two for Power Cut. Thanks for requesting!

Warning: Discussion of fear of spiders, houses, and spooky things like ghosts (nothing actually scary happens though, promise).

Oct. 7th | Haunted House

They finally made it to the edge of the treeline, keeping themselves hidden in the shadows and she looked up at the house that Zach had his binoculars pointed at.

House being a generous word to describe what laid in front of her. This place made the shrieking shack in Harry Potter look like a five star resort. This place was straight out of a horror film.

She started shaking her head and Zach blew out his breath, "Okay, so if my intel was right, my asset is going to be on the top floor and we gotta move quickly," he smirked but his eyes were serious, "I don't think the Russians care to let their traitors live for very long."

He started to work his way around the house and she hissed, "You must have been hit more in the head than Cam if you think I'm stepping a foot into this place Goode."

He looked at her quickly over his shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed together, "What are you talking about?"

He started climbing the gutter and when she didn't start following him his breath was quiet and the only way she heard him was in the comms, "Get your ass up here Baxter."

Her voice was equally quiet, "You didn't tell me we were going to the house where the conjuring probably took place. And don't even get me started on how many bloody spiders this place is probably crawling with."

He laughed quietly, already almost to the roof and he tried to sound light, "Probably less than the amount of ghosts and scary Russians though, right?"

She started climbing but shook her head, "Don't joke about ghosts. They don't like that."

" Oh my god , remind me to never invite you over for a horror movie night. Here I thought you'd be the one to back me up, Cam never wants to watch them."

She made it to the roof and wiped her lip from the nervous sweat that was forming, not from the adrenaline of the op, but the fucking spider she could see at the top of the gutter.

Zach started removing the grate they would drop down into and she asked, "Speaking of backup and Cam, why isn't she here?"

He pulled in his bottom lip and grunted as he pulled the grate off, "Um, she wasn't feeling good. Decided to take some time off."

He started to repel down before she could call him out on how bad that lie was and he whispered into the comms, "Keep your arms in and close your eyes."

She didn't like the sound of that. But, she did what she was told because no way was she letting her best friend head into this without backup. No matter the size of the spider in her path, Zach Goode deserved back up, and she would always be there to provide it.

When he caught her before she slammed into the ground, her eyes still squeezed shut he laughed, "You can open now, no more spiders."

She opened and he held her as she squinted at him, "What's the real reason Cam's not here Zach?"

He sighed and dropped her and he kept walking but answered, "I didn't want her on this one. Too dangerous."

She believed that was partially true. He always did have a hard time separating her from the ops, too worried about her and letting his heart outweigh his brain. But he did that for all of them, not just Cam. So there was something else.

She didn't have a chance to keep pushing when he said, "We've got company."

Loud chatter of Russian commands filled the space and she fought them off with Zach and her back to back. They didn't even have to talk and they both knew what to do as he looped his arms through hers and she flipped over his back, kicking one in the head and landing on top of another.

A cut lip for him and a sore set of ribs for her later and he was untying his asset who was dazed and drugged.

She was breathing heavily, "So what, I'm dispensable right? Too dangerous for Cam, but not too dangerous for me?"

His head shot up, his eyes wide, "You think I think you're dispensable?"

He let his asset drop back to the chair and he came over and grabbed her shoulders, "Bex, you are the furthest thing from dispensable. I just..." he groaned, "You have to promise you don't tell Cam I told you."

He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing, "You're going to have to lay it on thick, better than any acting you've done," but he pointed at her, "Not too theatrical though, she'll be able to tell. And if she doesn't believe you you're going to have to just tell her you-"

She yelled, "Zach! Tell me!"

He blew out his breath and went back to the asset, "Cammie's pregnant."

Cammie's pregnant.

Did he really say that?

Her best friend was having a baby ?

She looked at Zach who was watching her closely but pretending not to.

Plural. Her best friends. Having a baby. The girl who had an unhealthy addiction to peanut m&m's and the boy who was content to eat cereal for every meal, were having a baby.

No more late night wine nights with Cammie when she broke into their apartment. No more galavanting off to fun vacations together. Would Cammie stop working? Would she even be important to her anymore? She already has to share her, now a small child was going to occupy her every waking moment.

Zach had the asset on his back and poked her forehead, "You look worse than I did, I think."

She blinked, "I'm..."

Zach shrugged, "It's okay if you're not jumping up and down thrilled, but this doesn't change things you know?"

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, of course he could tell what she was thinking, and she scoffed, "Sure. Cause we all see each other so much now?"

He grinned, "Well, I think little Goode is going to demand to see their super cool Aunt Bex all the time."

This made the tears spill over and she laughed, "Aunt Bex. Super Aunt," she grinned, wiping her cheeks, "Has a nice ring to it."

He punched her shoulder lightly but then his eyes went wide at something over her shoulder and she spun to look and he poked her sides, "Boo!"

She shrieked and then started hitting him and he ran from her, "Come on, don't want any ghosts to get us!"

She shook her head but then quickly chased after him because without a doubt that house was haunted and she didn't want to stick around and be on the receiving end of their anger for Zach's careless teasing.