You know those times when you feel like you have no one.

Those times when you just sit there feeling like you've lost a piece of yourself and feeling empty.

Those times when the whole world is leaning into your face and going, 'You don't need to do this.'

But you look back and you say, 'No, I have to.'

-Z

16th December, 2010

Blackthorne Winter Break commences. Operatives Catherine and Zachary Goode leave campus, escorted by Dr. Steve. Five unknown operatives from New York, London, Singapore, Switzerland and Washington, D.C. leave their posts to the closest international airports.

Operative Devereux is in CIA custody in Langley. He requests for a glass of water, drinks it and mentions a single name.

23rd December, 2010

Operative Catherine Goode reaches safe house in Austria by foot. Followed by Operative Zachary Goode in a Volvo. Then Dr. Steve on a bicycle. Three other unidentified agents are seen entering safe house by boat, motorcycle and helicopter respectively. Another two are seen arriving by the underground train. Exactly two minutes later, reports are given, greetings are exchanged and strategies are discussed.

Operative Solomon is not seen at neither the Gallagher Academy in Roseville, Virginia, the safe house in Austria or on the designated forms of transportation that he was assigned. Operative Solomon has officially disappeared. Operative Catherine Goode has noticed. She looks worried. More angry than worried, really. Eventually, the whole cell knows and speaks of their suspicions of Operative Solomon.

Three hours later, they agree that he is a security threat. A loose end. And everyone knows what happens to loose ends.

Operative Zachary Goode says nothing. He remembers something that Joe Solomon told him in November and has purchased a train ticket to London.

31th December, 2010

Operative Goode is located at the Tower of London.

"American?" One of the guys at the rink skated up to me. He had blue eyes and closely cropped sandy brown hair. "You don't look like you're from around here."

Actually, I could produce a perfect British accent but instead, I nodded, "Yeah."

"Welcome to London. I'm Tom." He smiled good-naturedly. "Come hang with my mates."

"I don't see why not." I shrugged. I had never 'hung' with civilians before. I pushed off the side of the rink and followed Tom to a group of seven other teenage guys on the far side of the ice rink.

"Guys, meet…" Tom trailed off and glanced at me.

"Zach." I offered.

"Yeah, Zach." Tom corrected. But the six other guys hadn't seemed to notice that Tom and I had come up to them. "Oi, Linus." Tom gave a guy with messy black hair a playful shove. "Earth to Linus. Earth to Linus."

"What?" Linus suddenly spun around with a goofy grin on his face. He ruffled his already messy mop of black hair and caused snowflakes to fall onto his shoulders. I was suddenly aware that it was indeed snowing and I shoved my hands deep into my pockets.

Tom rolled his eyes, "Zach. He's American."

"Err…yeah." Linus gave me an apologetic smile. "Better time mate, there's a fit bird over there. Looks good enough to snog. Let's chat her up, yeah?" I turned and couldn't resist smirking- as if Bex Baxter would let a random guy kiss her. Let alone seven. My smile widened as I saw Cammie standing next to her, talking. If only I could ask her about Joe.

Tom snorted and said, "Meet Linus. Biggest flirt in Oundle School."

"Correction- best and most successful flirt in Oundle." Linus arched a single eyebrow suavely and laughed loudly. His laugh seemed to echo over the ice rink and Bex's gaze flickered over to us. Cammie's didn't. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, though. I quickly ducked behind Linus, hoping that she didn't spot me. Bex then did a quick spin on the spot then skating backwards in a wide arc and heading towards us.

Needless to say, the seven other guys fell silent. The scratching of Bex's skates against ice was the only thing sounding in the cold December air. Peering through the gaps between Linus and Tom's head, I could see Bex's gaze sweep over us. I stayed perfectly still and prayed that she didn't see me. The last thing I wanted was Bex Baxter stopping in mid-stride, pulling me out of her group of ogling admirers and make the twenty-three secret agents around the ice rink notice me. Fortunately, she didn't stop and returned to Cammie's side, her hair and red scarf still drifting lazily in the breeze. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and straightened up- she was too far away to be a threat.

'So which one do you want?' Bex said as I read their lips, paying no attention to Linus discussing flirting strategies with Tom.

Cammie shrugged, 'No thanks. Trying to give them up.'

'Come on, Cam. How about the tall one?'

'Nope.' Cammie shook her head. I grinned.

'The short one?' Bex asked again.

'No thank you.'

'The one with…' Bex's gaze slid over to mine. Dark eyes, I finished silently for her. Bex's eyes went wide and a knowing look flashed in her pools of grey.

'What is it?' Cammie turned her head and I knew she was checking the agents that had been stationed around the rink. 'Bex.' She repeated. 'What is it?'

'It's nothing. It's just…tell me this, Cam…' Bex seemed to read my mind and the corners of her mouth lifted. 'Just tell me…are you sure you've given up all boys?' I smirked and mouthed, thank you.

Cammie arched a suspicious eyebrow. 'Bex, what are you saying?'

But Bex just pouted, raised her hand to her mouth and said, 'Oops.' And she lurched forwards and tumbled onto the ice with a sickening thud. I congratulated her on her acting skills as Tom, Linus and the other boys immediately pushed off and formed some sort of protective circle around Bex…and left Cammie free to talk.

"Happy New Year, Gallagher Girl." I called and gave her a smirk, like I always did, perfecting my façade of calmness. But trust me, I wasn't anywhere close to calm. Joe was missing and that was enough to send me into pandemonium.

She actually looked genuinely pleased to see me as she skated closer, "You look cold."

"I used to have a warmer jacket, but then I gave it to some girl." I teased. Abby must surely have received my 'moustache message' and given it to her.

"That wasn't very smart." Cammie said.

"No." I smirked again and shook my head playfully. Cammie was still sarcastic as always. "It probably wasn't."

I moved closer to her, fully aware that my hand was easing closer to hers. I smiled and said, "Besides, it looked better on you."

"Why do I get the feeling you aren't here on vacation?" Cammie changed the subject and it took all of my self-control to stop my smile from falling.

"I'm looking for Joe Solomon." I was struggling to keep my voice neutral when the situation was absolutely not in a neutralized condition, making it sound like it was no big deal (which is ISN'T, obviously). I looked around the Tower grounds, hoping to spot Joe somewhere in the crowd. I hoped that he had a cup of coffee in his right hand, signaling that everything was alright. I hoped that he was sitting on a bench, a laptop in front of him with all the surveillance camera tapes. I hoped that he was talking with the Baxters by the side of the rink, looking like he could be discussing his lesson plans for the next semester of junior CoveOps or reports on secret missile factories in North Korea. "Thought maybe he was with you?"

Cammie was a trained operative as well. She knew the threats, the dangers and worst-case scenarios. So she reacted immediately, "What's wrong?" Her voice sharp and biting like the freezing wind that blew off the Thames.

"Nothing, Gallagher Girl. It's probably noth-" I started to backtrack.

Cammie cut me off fiercely, "Tell me or I'll yell for Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, and you can find out how Bex became Bex."

I looked down and kicked at the hard packed snow at the edge of the rink, the words stuck in my throat, "We were supposed to meet up a few days ago, but he didn't show." I lifted me head to look back at Cammie. "And he didn't call." Joe had a satellite phone. I had a satellite phone. Both highly untraceable and had a coded transmitter. He would have to be in a very…bad situation to not be able to call.

"He's not on my protection detail." Cammie said, brown eyes turning serious. Well, I could cross that off the list.

"Your mom's off looking for leads on the Circle, right?" I tried again. "Could he be with her?"

"I don't know. I guess so, but… I don't know." Cammie said and the tension in my stomach relaxed for the first time in a week. It was probably the most comforting thing I've heard in a long, long time.

But I couldn't help asking again, "Has he checked in with the Baxters?" Tell me yes. Please, tell me he did.

"I don't know." I repeated the phrase 'we're doomed' over and over again in my head in Russian.

"Has he-"

"No on ever tell me anything, remember?" Cammie answered scathingly before I could finish. "Being out of the loop isn't fun, is it?"

I was about to protest when I hear a new voice call out, "Rebecca!" And I saw a woman with Bex's eyes and hair scanning the crowd.

I sighed and dismissed all my theories. Cammie was definitely telling the truth about not knowing where Joe is. It would be pointless to ask her more questions. I nodded at Mrs. Baxter, "You've got to go."

"If Mr. Solomon is missing call-ins, then we have to look for him. We've got to tell Bex's parents… We've got to call my mom so she can-" Cammie suddenly blurted like she was surprised that I was giving up on asking questions.

"No!" The word came out much harsher than I expected. Then I tried to smile at Cammie. "It's probably nothing, Gallagher Girl." Highly unlikely. "Go on. Have fun." But the look on Cammie's face told me that I just ruined the last days of her winter break.

"Cameron." I heard a man's voice calling and I guessed it was Bex's father. "Say good-bye to the young man now."

But Cammie didn't seem to hear him. "We've got to tell them, Zach. If Mr. Solomon is missing…"

"They'd know." When I said the words, I knew it was true. "Whatever is going on, I promise you they know a lot more than we do." But I can't exactly ask them, can I? I stood up properly and started to skate backwards from Cammie, looking for a gap to slip in between the other skaters while Mr. Baxter called again, "Let's go, Cammie."

When Cammie turned her head to reply, "I'll be right there!" I had already skated behind a man with a Glasgow accent in a black parka and Cammie went out of sight.

There was something in my shoe. I had already unlaced my skates and started to pull on my shoes when I heard a crinkle of vinyl paper in them. I frowned a pulled the piece of paper out. The piece of paper in question was actually a brochure; advertising New Years Eve cruises along the Thames to watched the fireworks. Stapled to it was a ticket for the cruise leaving in half an hour.

I looked down at my dark button-up shirt and black trainers. I hoped I could pass for a guest at a New Years Eve cruise.

"Now, you can see the Tower of London up ahead. And there's the Tower Bridge. Excellent view from there, folks…" The guide's voice faded out. So did the quiet chatter of tourists and clacking of heels as I zoomed into the two figures standing up on the bridge. The smaller figure had the curves of a teenage girl and strikingly familiar blonde hair. The other was obviously a man. He was trembling so badly that even I could see him shaking from the boat on the Thames. And, of course, I noticed the crowd of agents gathering on opposite sides of the bridge.

"Joe..." I whispered and the chilling December wind didn't feel cold at all, compared to the dread growing in my stomach. I think I could guess why Joe had asked me to join the cruise.

Joe was yelling something but I was still too far away to read his lips. Then he turned to Cammie, placing his hands on her shoulders, leaned close and said something urgently to her. Cammie stood rigid on the bridge, only her head was nodding like she understood something. I was wondering what could Joe be talking about when I spotted a crack in the middle of the bridge.

"Blimey! The Tower Bridge's pulling up! My word, there's still two people on it!" The guide exclaimed and the whole deck of the boat gaped at the two black figures outlined clearly by the lights of the Tower Bridge. I gripped the sliver railing along the side of the boat, my heartbeat hammering in my ribcage. I shut my eyes- I could already imagine what was going to happen. They were going to fall. They were going to fall into the Thames and they're going to get something horrible like hypothermia…or maybe they wouldn't even make it.

I opened my eyes again just in time to see Joe leaping off the bridge and plunging into the black water like an Olympic diving competitor. With barely an audible splash, he disappeared. The crowd rushed to the railings and leaned close to the water's edge, hoping to get a glimpse of the mysterious man who leaped off the bridge and into the Thames. Crazy theories were passed around:

"They're shooting a new show for BBC! That's brilliant!"

"Oooh, Alex! The British Navy's doing a drill! Take a photo!"

"Bloody hell, that man committed suicide! Call the authorities!"

But I didn't hang around to hear the gossip passed around. I was looking at a very purple, very wet and very familiar fingers slowly curling along the deck of the boat, one by one, shivering and whispering, "Zach."

It was Joe. His lower part of his body was immersed in the Thames, legs treading water while he clung to the side of the boat with both hands. His lips were purple, dark hair plastered against his skull and his skin was a deathly white. He looked like a zombie who was about to die of asthma but his eyes were still moving, still thinking, still seeing.

I looked around quickly, making sure all the other tourists were on the other side of the deck, still gaping at the Tower Bridge where the Secret Service still swarmed about. I bent down and offered Joe my hand, "Come on up."

Joe shook his head and gulped in a huge gasp of air, "Can't be seen, not even in Austria. Devereux started talking. Need…Matthew's…journal." His words were broken and in short sentences. I bent down closer towards him and listened like it was the most important mission of my life (and it probably was).

"You want me to tell Cammie this?" I said.

"Not now. You can't reach her now." Joe gasped shakily and a thin stream of cloudy vapor came out of his mouth. "Take this, go to Roseville, and set it free. She'll find it, she'll know, she'll come."

"Take what?" I asked.

"That. It'll come back to you when she answers. I trained it." Joe pointed behind me to a short cupboard on the deck, with the words 'LIFEJACKETS' stenciled on with red paint. I quickly opened it and nestled between the yellow jackets was a sleeping pigeon. I could see a small square of paper attached to its leg. I took the sleeping pigeon out and unfolded the note. Typed neatly, without any sort of signature, it read: If you're reading this, you've found it. And if you've found it, you know. Must see you. Meet me at the place where we did the brush passes. Send me back the time. Please come. And please be careful. I blinked- it was like I had really written the note myself. But then, Joe had known me since I was 12.

I turned, still studying the note and said, "So I give this to…" I trailed off because Joe had disappeared. I walked back up to where he had clung to the deck but he had simply vanished into thin air. I looked up and down the Thames but there was absolutely no sign of a man called Joe Solomon. There wasn't even a droplet of water on the deck that gave him away.

"Erm…okay." I muttered to myself. I tucked the still sleeping pigeon (by now, I think she was drugged into unconscious), tied the note back to its leg and took out my phone.

1st January, 2011

Operative Zachary Goode has purchased an airplane ticket back to Washington D.C. and asked permission from the agent who came from D.C. if he could use the Circle's Lamborghini Gallardo again.

A/N: There are only five things to say at the end of this first chapter for 'Wolf Moon'.

1. Thank you to everyone who is reading this. :) Especially if you've been here since the first sentence of 'Zach In Shining Armor' (welcome back, my fellow Gallagher Girls and Blackthorne boys, if there are Blackthorne Boys here). But if you're new around here, hello!

2. Thank you for being so patient, waiting for this chapter to come out. I had a day trip to watch the House of Dancing Water in Macau and I had an eye appointment for contacts so that took up some time. I also had to re-read the book and outline this whole story (this one's actually A LOT more complicated than I thought, no joke). The preparation took another few days... Apologies in advance if I take another long while to upload the next chapter because there will be some Catherine in it. I need to do another thorough character study/analyze her for a bit.

3. I just realized that Zach is a very, very lonely person. Jonas and Grant aren't his 'real' friends since they are completely oblivious to his Circle membership (or legacy-thingy...whatever you call it) so he has to keep everything to himself (and Joe, sometimes) but Cammie has Bex, Macey, Liz, her mom and Abbey. She can share all her worries and they can help her in fighting the Circle, facing evil together. I mean, the contrast is so heartbreaking. A girl who is so happy and has everything she needs with a guy who has barely felt true bromance and knows literally nothing but sadness. Merlin...Ally Carter needs to stop killing me.

4. I know this series has a bit of romance in it but for the majority of writing this (and the other titles), I was listening to Payphone and break-up songs...so that's kind of weird.

5. I love Lambos. Especially the 2009 Gallardo so I think you'll see a lot of it in the next few chapters or so. I can spend 'quality time' with it. ;)

Cheers,

AwesomePP