Disclaimer: I do not own.

AN: Yes: I should be working on my other stories. But guess what? I was thinking when the popped into my head. I've written a similar sonfic but this is a little different and pretty fluffy. It's about 6-8 years after they graduated. Something are kind of unexplained but you can probably piece it together.
This. Is. A. One Shot.

Coming Home

The night Zachary Goode returned home was a cold one. The early January air was frigid and cold, tinting his tan cheeks a slight pink. He refused to let his teeth chatter together as he reminded himself that he had been in colder, more dangerous places for the previous years of his life.

This was home. He should have felt a sense of welcoming, a comfort in seeing the ones he loved for the first time in so many days he couldn't remember.

But he had been away for so long; it was guaranteed that things were different. He knew he didn't have any right to come back home without giving them warning; it wasn't fair to them. He pulled his coat closer, already feeling goose-bumps rising on his arms and he wasn't sure if it was because of the air or because of the people living on the other side of the black front door.

Briefly, he ran his fingers over the sleek paint and he felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes. The paint was relatively new; when he'd been living here it had been a bright, glowing red. It defined the cozy brick house, and now it was painted over, and Zach mulled over how easy she had been to paint over the base of one of their most appreciated memories.

As his fingers fell lifelessly to his side, he raised his other hand, his knuckles pressing into the black paint, before rapping three times on the wooden door.

He heard light footsteps on the other side, scrambling to find a key. He heard the little hand turning the key, and undoing the chain before the glowing face of his six year old daughter open the door.

She smiled, gazing up at him.

"Daddy?" she asked. Zach felt relief run through his veins as he realized she remembered him—she knew who he was.

"Peyton," he smiled, lifting the excited girl into his arms, unwilling to let go. He held her tightly, stepping in from the cold, and closing the door behind him.

"Peyton who was at the—"
Cammie stood in the doorway of the kitchen, a toddler resting on her hip. "Zach," she breathed, the name falling from her lips. And if she had been holding anything but her almost three-year-old daughter she would have dropped her.

"Momma," Peyton said, oblivious to the rising tension between her mother and father. "Daddy's home."

"Yeah baby," Cammie said, briefly glancing at Peyton before looking back at Zach. "I see."

"Come on," Peyton said, hoping down from her father's arms and dragging him into the kitchen. "Momma made hot chocolate."

Cammie remained frozen in the doorway, before the little girl in her arms started squirming.

"Dad-da," she squealed, reaching for Zach.

Zach didn't know what to say; he had never seen this child in his life before. But the bright green eyes she shared with Peyton, made Zach realize that this child was his own as well.

Zach walked closer to Cammie, Peyton still tugging him towards the steaming hot chocolate on the kitchen counter.

Peyton released his hand, hopping up on one of the stools before pulling one of the mugs towards her. Zach remained where he was, his eyes never leaving the little girl in Cammie's arms reaching towards him. He reached his arms out, taking the little girl from Cammie, who was still staring at Zach with a look of disbelief.

"Hey baby girl," Zach said to the little girl. "What's your name sweetheart?" he asked.

"Rook," she answered, smiling with dimples up at him.

"Rook?" Zach repeated, glancing uncertainly at Cammie. She smiled, looking at Zach as a warm glow returned to her eyes.

"Brooke," she corrected. "Her name's Brooke."

"Oh," Zach said, relieved. He had thought for a moment Cammie had named his daughter Rook and he was about to have a fit.

"Brooklyn Evelyn Goode," Cammie spoke, speaking her youngest daughter's full name.

"Daddy!" Peyton squealed. "Drink hot chocolate with us!"

Zach smiled and set Brooke in a high chair he assumed Cammie had had her in. "In a second Peyt."

"Ok," she smiled, overjoyed that her father was back, oblivious that he had been gone for as long as he had been.

He felt Cammie's hand curl around his, tugging him out of the kitchen. When they were out of sight of their children, Cammie pulled his head roughly down to his, catching his lips in a searing kiss.

Zach groaned as her tongue ran over his lip and he pulled back. "Gallagher girl, we already have two kids."

Cammie couldn't do anything but grin stupidly at him, her old nickname melting her to the bone.

"God I missed you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck; holding him there tightly.

"I missed you too," he replied, hugging her back with an equal force.

"Daddy!" Peyton yelled again.

Zach smiled, kissing his wife again softly, "that's my queue."

Cammie nodded, before reaching for his hand again as the returned to the kitchen. Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast as she watched the love of her life interact with her—their daughters.

Peyton was grinning from ear to ear, unable to get over the fact that the father her mother had told her was never coming back was standing in front of her, sticking marshmallows up his nose for her younger sister's enjoyment.

The day ticked on, and it seemed to Cammie before she even blinked, it was Brooke's bedtime.

"Come on baby Brooke," she said to her youngest. "Time for bed."

She reached out for her but Zach had his hands over hers, pushing them back gently. "Let me," he said. Cammie smiled and nodded as she watched him take the little girl from her arms before shuffling upstairs.

"Momma," Peyton called from the living room. Cammie was still smiling as she reached her elder daughter. "Daddy's home!" she repeated excitedly.

"I know baby."

Peyton's face grew confused. "You said he was never coming back. You lied momma."

"No baby," she said. "I would never lie to you."

"Then why did you say daddy was never coming back?"

"I didn't think he was," Cammie replied, feeling tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "But he's back now, and that's what matters."

"He's not going to leave, right momma?"

"I hope not baby," she said.

"Good," she smiled. "Because I love daddy."

"I know, I love him too."

Peyton beamed.

"Come on," Cammie said, sweeping up her daughter. "Time for bed."

"But it's only seven o'clock."

"We got an early start tomorrow," Cammie said.

"For what?"

"We're going to have a day as a family," she said. "Me, you, daddy, and Brookie."

"Yay!" Peyton squealed, leaping around in her mother's arms.

Cammie smiled as she gently closed the door to Peyton's room.

As soon as she was turning around she felt warm hands on her waist and another pair of lips and she almost fell back against Peyton's door.

"I missed you so much," Zach muttered, burying his face in Cammie's neck.

Cammie nodded, pushing him away, and tugging him downstairs.

"Where are we going? I thought we could hit it up in the bedroom," Zach said cheekily, wrapping an arm around her as they walked.

"Maybe later," Cammie replied, walking into the kitchen and pulling some white wine from the fridge.

"Last I remember you didn't drink," he said, his mind briefly flashing back to right before he left and she had been refusing to drink a drop of the lightest sherry.

"Last you remember, I was pregnant."

Zach smiled again before setting his eyes on her as she handed him a glass.

"About that."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you tell me before I left?" he asked. "Assuming you knew."

"I knew," Cammie confirmed, taking a seat at the kitchen table with him. "You were gone so quickly I wasn't sure what to do, I didn't realize you'd be gone so long," she said, a bitter note coloring her voice.

"Me either," Zach said quietly.

"What happened?" Cammie asked, her voice all of a sudden sad; broken. "I thought you di—," she choked, tears suddenly flowing from her eyes. "Died. I thought you were gone, that's what they told me."

"I almost did," Zach said, shuffling closer and holding her close.

"But you didn't."

"I didn't."

"But—"

"Gallagher Girl."

She smiled despite the endless flow of tears that were running down her cheeks. "Yeah?"

"It doesn't matter okay. I will tell you some day, but I experienced some things I'd rather not have you know," he said solemnly. "There are thing's I've seen; things I've heard that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Especially you."

"Tell me," she urged.

He kissed her softly. "Not now," he said, his tone desperately asking her not to push the subject. "All that matters now is I'm home and I'm staying home."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes. I can't do that again. I can't be away from you and the girls again. I love you too much."

"I love you too."

They were beaming at each other, blissful looks mirrored on their faces. After a moment Zach asked, "Why did you paint the door?"

"What?" Cammie said, taken off guard.

"Why did you paint the door black?"

"Oh," she shifted in her seat. "The door was ours. Not mine, not the girls. I thought you were gone Zach, forever. I had to try and move on. Silly as it sounds: painting the door was the only thing I could do."

"I wish you hadn't."

"I thought you were coming back."

"I know," he took a sip of his wine. "Have you seen anyone?"

Cammie choked on her wine. "Why would you ask that?"

"You said you were trying to move on. I assume that meant finding someone else as well," he said, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes.

"I didn't want to," Cammie muttered quietly.

"So you didn't?"

"I did," Cammie said, and Zach felt the breath knocked out of him. Seeing his reaction Cammie added, "Macey and Bex made me. Nothing ever happened."

"Oh," Zach said. "I was gone almost three years," he reminded her.

"Nothing happened," Cammie insisted. "I was too in love with you to ever betray you like that, even if I thought you were gone."

"Was?" Zach asked skeptically.

"Am," she corrected. "I am so in love with you."

Zach smirked, making Cammie melt once again. "I'm so in love with you too," he said teasingly but Cammie heard the sincerity behind it.

"You can't leave," Cammie said a while later. "You can't."

"Don't worry, Gallagher Girl, you'll be stuck with me for a while yet," he said as she burrowed into his arms, her head resting comfortably on his chest.

"This isn't a dream is it?" she asked softly, her brown eyes gazing wonderingly up at him.

Zach shook his head, kissing her forehead.

"If it I don't ever want to wake up."

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain on her arm.

"Ow," she yelped, her hand flying up and spilling her wine on Zach. She glared at Zach. "You pinched me."

He continued to smirk— the smirk that melted her inside and warmed her to no end.

"I told you: you're not dreaming."

"You didn't have to pinch me," Cammie muttered stubbornly.

"You didn't have to spill wine on me," Zach countered mischievously.

"Ugh. You're impossible," she said, rising to leave his lap. He pulled her back down.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

"Baby," Zach cooed softly. He was looking at her with big green eyes, luring her in. And just as they were about kiss Zach dumped his remaining wine on her.

"There," he said, at her surprised face. "Now we're even," he said happily.

Cammie didn't have the heart to be mad, instead she snuggled back into him. Zach sighed.

"You were supposed to get mad."

Cammie smiled, she knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"I know."

"You're sexy when you're mad," Zach stated.

"So I'm not sexy now?" she questioned.

"Of course you are," he said, kissing her. "You're just sexier when you're mad."

"Zach," she mumbled against his lips.

"Yeah baby?" he asked, refusing to stop kissing her.

She pulled back, much to Zach's reluctance.

"Why do you still act like you're sixteen?"

"Because that's when I fell in love with you," he answered simply.

Cammie couldn't stop the smiled that appeared on her face. "You are going to be the death of me," she said, running her hand roughly through his hair.

He kissed her passionately.

"It's the Goode charm."

She laughed pulling away again. She realized once again that she was still soaked in white wine.

"I think I need a shower thanks to you."

Zach smirked. "That's nothing new."

She blushed and laughed, standing up and pulling him up with her.

"Don't worry baby," he said, leaning down a kissing her neck. "I'll help you get all clean."

Cammie grinned, before heading eagerly up the stairs.

"Someone's in a rush."

"Zach," she said. "It's almost been three years, and we have to kids. Let's go."

He grinned at her, allowing her to pull him up the stairs.

By the time he got to the landing he realized Cammie was still holding her wine glass.

"And Zach?"

He turned towards her, only to be met with the remainder of her own wine. She placed the glass on the small table next to the stairs.

"Now we're even."

2,340 words of pure fluff. I know.
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