LadyRaven / Comments

Yeah I’ve seen them twice now in concert.

It was Vengeance University’s 4th of July contest. He put out some new clothes and I bought them. I hadn’t planned on winning tickets to mayhem as I’d already bought tickets to see them. On Saturday July 5th I woke up to an email informing me that I had won two tickets to mayhem and would get to meet Zacky Vengeance! (and a $50 gift card) I got to take my sister with me as I had a plus one. It was cool because I was on Avenged’s guest list! And I got 15 minutes with them after the concert was over and there was one other group there. It was just a little disappointing that it was two groups, but the other group started talking about what big fans they were and what an honor it was to meet them. As soon as they started that the guys came back over to my sister and I who were too stunned to really talk. Brian was awesome! He hung out over by my sister and I pretty much the whole time. Well him, Johnny and Arin. :)

As for Matt…he wasn’t mean or anything just… reserved would be a good word for it. I had two shirts that I was getting signed for a friend and my sister (for the one that didn’t get to meet the guys) and I tried to get Matt to sign both of them and he didn’t seem too happy about it. Johnny, Brian, and Arin not an issue, and Zacky was so standoffish that he only signed one of the shirts. As of Matt being tall… I’ve seen them twice in concert and he seems larger than life on stage. He literally commands attention but then he comes over to stand next to us and it was kind of disappointing. Oh here is a detail for you…Johnny’s hands are really soft.

I had a few stupid moments with them. I blurted out to Matt that he wasn’t as tall as he thought I’d been *facepalm,* Brian asked me how I won the contest and I replied oh so elegantly, “I bought a bunch of his crap off of his website,” as I pointed at Zacky! KILL ME NOW!!! Arin said something along the lines of still waiting for a fan to say the last show they were was better than the current one they had just seen, and again I opened my fat mouth and replied that the last show was better as I was in the pit and this one I was stuck in the nosebleeds! *facepalm again* And lastly Arin drew something on my sister’s item she wanted signed and I asked him if it was a pig. He looked at me like I was crazy! Turns out it was supposed to be Mickey Mouse.

Now on to Zacky! He is beautiful!!!! I’m not even lying. I don’t think I have EVER seen anything so beautiful in my life. I swear he should have wings and a freaking halo. I don’t call guys pretty but I’m serious the man is fucking perfection at its finest.

I’ll post a pic for you so you can. :)

--

Please tell me Ava will be answering that question soon… :D

Okay I can see that term being affectionate but at that particular moment it doesn’t come off that way.

Ah well that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that out for me.

Sorry to hear about the break down. I’ve been there before. That is cool about the job and getting to have your dog with you. AND Congrats on graduating early!!!

Oh, my goodness, I’m sorry! I did see that! But I was like more than half asleep when I was responding to your comment, so for some reason that registered in my mind as “I’ve seen them in concert,” which, obviously, I’d already interrogated you about. xD

That sounds unbelievable! I’m super super jealous! What kind of contest did you win, exactly? And were there other people there? Did you go by yourself? Was it like a five minute thing before the set, or...? I NEED DETAILS.

You know, I’m not all that surprised about the Matt thing, honestly. I feel like I have too high of expectations for how sweet he might be. Not that I’d expect him to be rude or anything, of course! Just, more reserved, I guess. Did he do anything not nice, or did he just give you that feeling? Like I said, I need details. xD But I hear you about the height thing. He’s, what, 6’1”? And Jimmy was only 6’3”... I’ve never much understood the hype about how tall they are; they seem rather average height, or even short, depending on which one you’re talking about. And I actually totally believe that about Zacky! He seems super shy, which is something I find super endearing! Sorry to hear Johnny stole your Zacky moment though! D:

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...Ava will answer that question.

Oh, I still hear you on that. I’m uncomfortable with that scene too, even though I keep telling myself it’s not uncomfortable for the characters. At least Brian was clothed, so it’s not quite as awkward. He was rather quick to cover her with a sheet in the other room, after all. Matt wasn’t as close to Zacky; he was holding him back, but it’s not like their bodies were touching or anything. ...That just gave me an even more uncomfortable visual. I’m done with talking about that scene.

Ah, that’s fair! Yeah, I can see how that line of his might be read a bit angrily. He actually didn’t mean it offensively... that’s just the word he’d use... I don’t know, almost teasingly? Affectionately?

...Yes. I think? Mabel was surprised to see that Ava didn’t already know, and that led her to believe their relationship had been overstated to her, yes. And if their relationship was overstated, that meant she couldn’t be sure how much of a Rinaldi Ava actually was. Yes.

Yes, Zacky corrected the misunderstanding, but he didn’t do it until he already had Ava practically in the car and was rushing out of the city. He didn’t give Mabel a chance to reverse the spell (for the purpose of this story, a spell is more than just a few quick words; there’s effort and herbs and whatnot that need to go into it). Mabel wanted to reverse the spell, but Zacky wouldn’t be talked into giving her the time to do it. You’ll recall from Chapter 13: ”She’d asked him why he hadn’t told her that the girl hadn’t ever been human, and he’d told her the truth, that he figured the only thing that’d do was turn her against Ava, since she hated werewolves so much. She’d tried to talk him into staying the night, then, to sticking around while she could try and think of a way to help them with the Drake thing, but he’d immediately declined.”.

Eh, my life? Well, I didn’t get to meet the guys, so not nearly as awesomely as yours, I suppose? Nah, it’s been fine. I’m going to graduate this year (a year early), so that’s mildly exciting, and I had a pretty sweet deal this summer working as a nanny and getting to bring my dog with me every day. I ended up having a little bit of a mental breakdown, though... which is sort of why I disappeared from Mibba so suddenly... but that’s been getting better. You know, the usual. xD

I’m GREAT! You missed part of my comment when I was talking about Ava being impatient…I said I got to meet Zacky Vengenance! :D So I can technically say, I’m on cloud nine! I won a contest on Zacky’s clothing website and got to meet all the guys at Mayhem Fest here in Dallas!!! I have to admit they are nothing like I imagined. Johnny is just like your Johnny you write (I thought you might like to know that), and Brian is an absolute sweetheart (I adore him!). He was very attentive. Matt was…not as tall as I thought he’d be, and he didn’t seem as nice as I thought he’d be either. Zacky was believe it or not shy…or at least that was how he came across as he didn’t talk much. Arin was adorable; I loved him. :D Oh but I’m mad at Johnny as he blocked me from having Zacky’s arm around me for the photo. Zack was literally coming to stand next to me when out of nowhere I had Johnny next to me. :(

Oh, I thought it was just Zacky’s bite that cause her memory to come back….or is the bite the key to breaking the spell?

You do make a point there. It was still weird though. :D

No Matt didn’t give that impression per say…its just that one minute it seemed things were getting better between Brian and Zee (only a little) and then BOOM! As for Matt… he said he was going to “stay here and try to calm this fucker down.” It just didn’t seem like he was too happy with Zee either.

NOW IT MAKES SENSE! Thank you for clarifying that one for me.

Okay so… the witch was surprised that Zacky didn’t tell Ava about his little “encounter” with the witch and that made Mabel realize that Zacky had overstated their relationship and that Ava may be more like the Rinaldis than she thought, therefore leading to her asking about why Ava was with Zacky? Correct?

Okay so Mabel said she realized who Ava really was the day Ava left so why didn’t she drop the spell then? Also… Zacky technically he did correct the misunderstanding because I went back and reread chapter 5. Zacky told Mabel that Ava hadn’t been turned and dumped so the spell could have been dropped.

OH well that make sense. I was like….WHAT TONE!?!?!?! :D

As for the ending at least I’m on the right page then. If I’m supposed to be confused then okay, if I’m not supposed to be confused then we have a problem Houston. :)

Now tell me, how has life been for you? Everything going alright with you? How is college working out for you? Hope all is well.

Hey, love! How've you been!?

I'm not surprised to hear that Chapter 17 was disappointing to you; a lot went down in that chapter that really really sucked. There was something that triggered the change, though, and that's actually something Ava's going to explain herself in the next chapter, so I'll hold off on answering that particular question.

Yeah, the nakedness is an interesting mental picture, right? I struggle with it, too. But, they're werewolves. It's not weird to them. Especially considering they shift together and go for runs, so naturally when they'd shift back they wouldn't be clothed again. I hear you though, the idea makes me uncomfortable, too.

I'm not so sure Zack suddenly became the bad guy. I could see how you got that impression from Ava and Brian, but did Matt give you that idea, too? I'm honestly curious; I hadn't meant for Matt to come off that way.

Ah, yes, I thought Matt asking Zacky if he needed to punch him in the face might be a hard reference to catch. Chapter 31 of WWLU might help:

Quote

"...We’ve all seen the marks, Zacky; you obviously weren’t gentle. And I’m willing to bet, from what you just said, that you didn’t give her any comforts or--”

“She’s not a human; she wasn’t going to fucking break,” came the bitter response.

And he only sighed, tilting his head back a little bit as he gave it a small shake of disappointment. "I should punch you in the face," he mumbled under his breath, and if the beta heard him, he didn't show any signs of it. Rubbing his palm into his forehead, the vocalist tried again: “She’s a woman.”

There was dissent in the guitarist’s green eyes as he opened his mouth to make what was surely going to be some smart-assed comment, but it seemed that even when drunk, Zacky was smart enough to know better than to say whatever he was going to say about the woman Matt considered a sister. Instead, the drunken man rolled his shoulders in a dismissive shrug and turned back toward the sky. “She’s a bitch.”

The alpha didn’t even blink. “Your bitch, now,” he acknowledged with a shrug of his own, “and all I’m saying is, shouldn’t that be enough? You’ve marked her, you’ve degraded her, you’ve embarrassed her, and you’ve hurt her. What more revenge could you possibly need?”

“You’re making it sound like I fucking raped her! She was a willing participant, for fuck’s sake!”

“And you’re making it sound as if sex is a fucking chore! As if she doesn’t deserve to enjoy it!”

Chapter 18... yeah, I'm not a fan of how Ava was able to flip a switch like that, either. Like you noticed, neither was Brian. That level of switch-flipping.... that's a very volatile Ava right there.

Okay, I'm not sure what specifically about the witch's words confused you most in that quoted section, so I'm just going to try and guess at what I should explain. Let me know if I miss your question completely!

She was advising against Ava allowing her wolf side to 'come out to play'. The phrasing is a little awkward and hard to follow there, I'll admit. Her questioning about whether Zacky had warned her about the ineffectiveness of bringing out a wolf side was her way of questioning whether Zacky had told Ava about her powers at all. If you'll recall from earlier in Slip, Mabel has one hell of an offensive power that can completely stop a werewolf from shifting (and breathing, for that matter).

What did Mabel mean when she said that Zacky had overstated his and Ava's relationship? Well, Zack had allowed Mabel to be under the impression that he and Ava were genuinely mates in some kind of Romeo-and-Juliet way. He told her that the reason Drake was after them was because he was a mutt and Ava was, well, Ava. Because it becomes clear to Mabel -- based on the fact that Ava was surprised to learn Zack could have warned her about the witch -- that Zacky and Ava aren't Romeo and Juliet, Mabel is then left to wonder exactly how similar to the rest of the Rinaldis Ava actually is.

Mabel was only using the spell on Ava to protect her because she thought she'd been recently turned and needed to be protected. Had Zacky corrected that misunderstanding, then Mabel would've realized there was no need for a spell and removed it. That's the trouble that could've been saved.

Brian couldn't identify the tone, and that's why he wasn't sure if he liked it. And, because he couldn't identify it... you guys don't get to identify it yet either. (;

The ending is supposed to be super confusing, because it confused the hell out of Brian, too. Ava's going to explain a bit more in the next chapter, but I'll go ahead and touch on that first question. Her answer? When Mabel asked how a Rinaldi came to be mated to a mutt, she was asking out of more than just simple curiosity; she was really asking about where Ava stood on the whole 'bloodlines' issue. Ava knew that was the real question, but she also knew that even a non-elitist answer wasn't going to even begin to be enough. She's a werewolf -- a creature that the witch despises -- and beyond that, she's a pureblood, and therefore even more worthy of despise. (Side note, that's why Ava jumped in front of Brian; when she knew Mabel knew who he was, she thought he might be in danger.) So, Ava chose to respond by reminding the witch that she had had no control over being born a werewolf, that her station wasn't something that she had asked for. Her 'but we can chose what we do with the lives we are given' was meant to show that she doesn't have to be what she was born as, to say that just because she was born a pureblood, that doesn't mean she chooses to subscribe to their elitist mentality. ...Basically, she was saying "Hey, I've got nothing against my mutt of a mate, and I also want you to know that we didn't choose to be born werewolves. So... please don't hold a grudge against us for what others of our kind have done?"

He totally was, I completely hear you.

xD I wouldn't do that, don't worry! I'd never time lapse out of such an important moment!

Oh, you don't know how right you are. (;

Haha, yeah, Kat had a pretty great response to that, too. But I don't blame you, Zacky shirtless is totally a worthy distraction.

You won't be waiting very long at all, I promise!

I know that them being back in the house was part of the reason that Zacky wasn't making any moves, I get that. It's just I've been waiting for this to finally happened and Zack was moving at a glacial pace!

OH THANK GOD because if you time lapsed on me I'd lose my shit. And if Johnny interrupts I'll really not like him.

HA! I knew it! I love it when I'm right. :D Ava's in heat! Things are about to get really interesting now!

I found it Kat's reaction to be more amusing to be honest. I was too wrapped up in the idea of Zacky being shirtless and him and Ava about to do their thing though so comment on it.

And oh how I can't wait for the next chapter! Hopefully I won't have to wait too long because I'm dying to know what happens between Zee and Ava!

v. I know, but I could try to guess. If it makes you feel any better, it killed me to know it was killing you. /: But yeah, Bri's the type who doesn't like to show his vulnerability, especially when he has another emotion (like anger) that he can use to cover it up with. So yeah, he's been vulnerable for a while now, but he only just then decided to really show it.

I didn't want to mention that possibility and ruin the moment, but yeah, you're completely right. That's most certainly a possibility. And perhaps why she managed to 'get over' him almost killing her. /shrug.

You're very welcome; thank you for commenting on the latest update. ^^

Yeah, Zacky was taking forfuckingever. To be fair, though, part of it was just because he was back in the house with the guys again. And with them always around, and with them able to smell if anything happened, there really wasn't a way to avoid confrontation... and he's been majorly trying to avoid confrontation.

Hahaha, don't worry, don't worry. The chapter needed to be cut off there for a reason, though I won't say why. All I will say is that this story IS rated NC-17 (unlike WWLU, which was rated R), and Ava taking off her shirt is certainly not NC-17 material. The next chapter will not have a major time lapse, but I can't promise you that Johnny won't interrupt or something. He seems to have no shame about interrupting. xD

That does make sense, don't worry! I know exactly what you mean! No comment on what Zacky does or doesn't do, though. (;

Hahahaha, oh, that elephant in the room! No se, lo siento. (; But let's think that through. Zacky did have that freak out that you were talking about, and he didn't really fight the whole situation like he clearly had in the past. And as you pointed out, Johnny had a very sudden change of heart. Let's quote the great Mr. Christ, shall we? “Matt, I really think this is a pretty heated topic, and you--” 'Course, Matt was a little preoccupied, so he didn't really pay attention.

Am I the only one who was really super amused about Matt shouting "Love you, Kid!" to Ava while he was clearly in the middle of having sex with Kat? xD

Also: yeah, not going to stop with the shirtless Zack. Sorry. It's just his character; he doesn't like wearing pointless shirts. I don't blame him, personally. xD But yeah I know exactly what picture you're thinking of, don't you worry!

I WILL I WILL I WILL. I just need to adjust the chapter's end a little bit, because I'm not liking the ending of it.

Yeah Johnny was very endearing the last chapter, and my I just say you are so awesome for updating again! Well I never hated on Kat but I'm glad to see them getting along.

You have no idea how much it killed me to hate him, and the last chapter killed me because Brian seemed so vulnerable. I knew that Zacky was letting them and it pissed me off but it pissed me off even more that they took advantage of his pain and punished him.

I know the possibilities are endless, I have so many theories running around in my head on what could possibily have been taking place with Ava and her brother. All the possibilities you listed I've thought of, and one more. I was/am afriad that she was working with her brother to kill Zacky because of him almost killing her.

I know the last line wasn't said for me, but it was a nice feel good moment for me because I have been worried that Zacky and Brian could never come back from where they have been. Knowing that Brian doesn't hate Zacky though was a bittersweet moment.

And thank you so very much for updating again. I will read the new update here in a moment and comment on it.

Pshhh! No need for thanks! Thank you for reading and for being so supportive! (And for commenting, as always; you know I very much appreciate it!)

Haha, I'm glad Johnny's getting some love! And of course, I had to bring Ava and Kat closer together, if for no other reason than to get people to stop hating on Kat. xD No, but really, they just were always meant to get along, and that's significantly easier now that Ava's... well, New Ava.

Well, I think feeling bad for him is a great big step up from hating him, so I'm glad to hear it! Brian's a tough character, I know, but he does grow throughout the story, and I hope you can see that and can like him again. (I always feel bad making you dislike one of your favorite guys!) And yeah, I hear you on the fighting back thing. I know the other guys are totally to blame for actually beating him up, but I wanted to show that part of the problem was that Zacky was letting them, which only egged them on, at least for a while. Brian kind of kept at it way more than anyone else. But, like Matt said, he pretty much stopped as soon as Zack made it clear that it was time for that to be over.

Haha, I know! As if the story didn't already have too many Rinaldis! xD But yeah, there are a lot of possibilities there for what she and Rick were doing. Hell, she could have been plotting with Rick to help take down Drake, but then there's the question of why she wouldn't just say something about that. Or she could have been working with Rick on something completely unrelated, on a little side project of sorts. Or she could have planned the explosion with him, which might answer the question of how the hell she got out of that explosion. Or it could be something much, much worse, it could involve that fifty million, and it could involve actually working with Drake. The possibilities are endless.

I'm glad you enjoyed that last line! I thought you'd appreciate it! But, of course, Brian didn't say it for you, he said it because it honestly is how he feels. And as much as he's unwilling to completely forgive Zack right now, he wasn't going to lie and let him believe that he does hate him.

Haha, I'm glad that I can be of service! You don't have anything to worry about at least for the next few updates... I've gotten a couple already mostly written and they're promising to be pretty exciting. (;

Hey girl! I'm super sorry about disappearing on you; I know it's like the third or fourth time now and it's getting kind of ridiculous. I wish I could say I'm sure it'll just be smooth sailing from here on out, but unfortunately, we're not quite through the part of the story that I'm just super torn about. I'M SUCH AN INDECISIVE PERSON.

But yes, yes; I'm still alive and all of that. (Glad to see you are, too!)

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And your favorite part was definitely my favorite part as well; I had it written a bit better in a previous draft, but unfortunately my computer froze before I could save it. Still, I do love that part.

And of course Zack's concerned about Brian! He does care about him, you know. It's just... tough right now. I know you're not alone in that hope, but we'll just have to see how Ava handles the pair of them.

How's about I update in the next few minutes? Is that too long of a wait? xD It's a long one, too; I'm clearly trying to bribe you all into forgiving me for abandoning you temporarily.

No, no, you even used quotation marks, I should've understood that it was just the closest word you could come up with. I'm in the habit of jumping to conclusions about people's perceptions of Brian right now, just because so many people have actually been thinking that he was hostile in that moment.

I know he wasn't hostile that was the only word I could think of to describe how he may have appeared to Ava and possibly Zacky. I knew he was in pain even before you share with me your eye opening revelation. I mean who wouldn't feel the way Brian does right now if you found out your best friend/little sister was alive and she couldn't remember you? I totally get that, I just tend to use all the wrong words when I'm explaining something. :)

Well that is going to be interesting.

Ohhh, I misinterpreted what you were saying. Anyways, it still stands that her reaction had everything to do with just not liking being touched, and nothing to do with Brian's tension. His touch was gentle and everything, too, and it was really nothing more than him resting his fingers on her arm, but she still couldn't handle it.

And... I can totally see why you'd perceive his actions as being 'hostile', but it really wasn't actually anger or hostility radiating from him... it was pain. He couldn't look at her, not when she was staring at them with no recognition and really nothing but nervousness, not when she was clinging on to Zacky for protection from everyone else. And the hands balled into fists wasn't anger, either; it wasn't him wanting to hit Zack or someone else for that matter, it was him needing an outlet for the tension and emotions he was feeling, kind of like when a woman in labor is squeezing the hell out of her husband's hand, if that makes sense. But yeah, Zacky noticed that -- Ava didn't. She was a bit preoccupied trying to handle being the center of attention and wanting to hide under a rock. xD

You're right, that definitely would be interesting, and something along those lines is definitely going to happen. We'll have to wait and see. (;

To be clear I didn't think she tensed up because she remembered something, I was wondering more along the lines of if she felt the tension from Brian and it made it that much more uncomfortable for her to be around him. I mean there she was clinging to Zacky like her life depended on it and Brian was very "hostile" (he was tense, eyes closed tight, and fists balled up) and she didn't feel "safe" around him. That was more the reason why I was asking about her tensing up, but the not being touched thing works too.

Now that you meantion it he was using terms of endearment but you are right this chapter was full of them, and it threw me off a little. I wonder what Brian's reaction would be if Zee called Ava baby in front of him. That would be interesting.

Oh, good! I'm glad you found it beneficial, and I didn't just spam your wall for no reason. xD He's honestly a terribly hard character to understand, so I get why people are never perfectly clear on him, especially because it seemed for a while as if he viewed her more like a woman he loved than a sister... even though that wasn't the case at all, that was just Zacky's perspective on it.

I'm glad you understand that he's raw and that the whole burial thing was obviously real to him and can't be as easily dismissed as some people seem to want him to be able to. You're right, though, he doesn't look as happy to know she's alive, and he didn't react as happily as everyone else did when Matt broke the news. He obviously is happy that she's alive, but, yeah... her not being her makes that pretty bittersweet, especially when he can't even hold her in his arms and really feel as if she's back. It's hard to know that someone you care so much about doesn't even remember you, and isn't comfortable around you. /:

I know it was hard to see Brian's feelings toward Zacky in the beginning. They were being competitive little shits to each other at the very beginning of WWLU. Not to say they weren't still absolute best friends, obviously, but they were both channeling some of their individual unresolved issues with Jimmy's death into their competition for beta, and that came off angrier than it really was. It was a friendly competition, I swear; they just got super into it. And then, like I said in that super long quote, other things got in the way that had him siding more with Ava than would have been usual. I'm sorry that knowing that makes you so sad, though! I was hoping it might cheer you up, but I totally get it.

You're right! He does act like Zack knew about the explosion, and that's not really fair of him. Clearly Zacky didn't know, but as you said yourself, it was obvious to everyone -- including Zacky -- that leaving Ava there was going to put her life in danger. Not so immediately as it ended up being, of course, but that actually makes it worse in a way... Would you rather be killed instantaneously in an explosion or slowly tortured to death by your brother? Both are shitty options. But, anyways, part of the reason Brian is so hard on Zacky about the explosion (even though he didn't know about it), is because Brian knew something was wrong. He didn't know there was going to be a freaking explosion, but he could tell something was off, and that eats at him and makes him feel guilty, too. In his mind, it's only right that Zacky feel just as responsible as he does.

I know what you mean, too. Zacky's musings back in like chapter four: He could only hope to whatever creator existed that she would at least believe that he didn’t know about the explosion. In truth, even if he had known, he wasn’t sure that it would have changed his actions, but the fact was that he hadn’t known, and he planned to cling to that small truth. I believe he's in the same boat as you; he wants to believe with ever fiber of his being that if he had known about the explosion, he would have gotten her out of there... but he just doesn't know. He doesn't know what he would have done differently, if anything at all.

I'm glad you were able to see how heartbroken he was at the end of that chapter, even without the extra insight. I know a bunch of people just want him to 'get over it' and 'stop being so tense' and whatnot, and I felt even worse for him when I saw that. It was admittedly hard to see that scene clearly because it was through Zack's eyes and all, but that was like the one scene that his primary emotion wasn't anger, you know?

Ah... I could be a horrible person and let you wonder about that forever, but I'll be nice today. xD No, she didn't remember anything or have any other reasoning for the tensing. She just doesn't like to be touched -- it overwhelms her -- and that's been shown with both Brian and Drake, now. It's actually another of the weird things Zacky's noticed about her, because werewolves are inherently physically affectionate creatures and like having some kind of contact with friends and packmates... So yeah, just nerves and her newfound need of additional personal space, especially in overwhelming situations. Zacky seems to be the exception to the personal space rule, for obvious reasons.

Ha, yeah, the last chapter seemed kind of jolting with that because he said it so many times, so I get where you're coming from. He's been using different terms of endearment for a few weeks now, after he started settling in with her. He also tends to use them more often when he's trying to convince her of something, as if that helps him play on the bond they have. Technically 'Baby' was new, however 'Babe' was introduced in chapter nine, when he asked her to fetch the beer. And he's been using 'Sweetheart' since chapter eight, the night he got the phone call from Matt... which, actually, is the first night after he found her. So yeah, they've been there for a while, he's just been progressing in how often he uses them. He's also used 'love' since chapter eleven, and I mean, he's always used 'Princess', though now if he uses it... well, it's still usually mocking and not endearing, but it's not meant to be a cruel stab at her pedigree anymore.

Haha, don't worry about it!

Reading that bit you shared about Brian was really eye opening. I think I understand him a little better, and get why he is the way he is right now. I mean I understood that he had just buried Ava and he was raw, I get that, and I understand that it is still a very real feeling for him, that he is still grieving. What I thought though was he would be happy to hear that Ava is alive, not that he isn't, but what you said about her not being really Ava without her memories to Brian makes sense.

I honestly never thought that Brian really cared about Zacky on such a level as you stated though, the whole if he had to choose who to save he wouldn't be able to. Honestly though I wish I didn't know because it makes me sad to see them so torn now.

Back to the explosion thing though, Brian acts like Zack knew about the explosion and just left Ava there. I'm not excusing Zack anymore because I realize that Drake threatened Ava and he left her in that house to be subjected to her sadistic brother's whims, so yeah I can see why Brian is pissed off with Zack there. Ava is his mate and he left her behind unprotected against their enemy, Brian is justified. BUT again he acts like Zack knew about the explosion and wanted Ava to die. I want so badly to say that deep down Zack never wanted any harm/death to come to Ava but.....he did hurt/try to kill her so....I don't feel I have a valid argument her.

But yeah my heart broke for Brian at the very end of the last chapter. Here was his best friend come back to life and she can bearly look at him much less hug him, and as soon as she can she escapes his touch to be rescued by Zack. That had to have been a dagger to the heart for him, and I have a feeling he will be holding that against Zacky too.

One thing I notice was that she tensed up when he touched her, why? Was it just because he was new to her and she was nervous, or is it because it was something more? I just don't want to read too much into something that isn't there.

ALSO! When did Zack start calling her Baby and Sweetheart!?!?! That was a bit of a jolt.

Sorry my comment was short, I had a long day at work yesterday and came home read your update, barely typed up that little bit then went to bed.

v. Glad to hear you got a job, though I totally feel you on the not-great-but-could-be-worse bit. Isn't that how it always goes?

As always, thank you for the comments! And don't worry about taking your time!

That's a good thought! But we'll have to wait and see how everything plays out with Brian and Ava. (;

And I know, I know, you've never been a fan of my Brian, haha. I get why, believe me I do, but would you let me play Devil's advocate for a moment? I'm going to quote a conversation I had with someone else, only because it's long and I'm being particularly lazy and not wanting to re-type all of it. xD

Quote

I get why you hate Bri right now, I really do. Hell, I think everyone hates Bri a bit right now. And I get what you mean about how he shouldn't be able to pick Ava so easily over Zacky, since he's supposed to be both of their best friends. I get that. And let me promise you, time this to back in What We Left Unsaid right before the two of them decided to mate with each other, and put Brian standing in between the two of them with one car about to crash into Ava and one about to crash into Zacky, and Brian wouldn't know who to save. He wouldn't dive for Ava first without thinking about it, I promise you. He honestly wouldn't be able to make the decision.

He loves both Zacky and Ava. He considers both of them his best friends. However, he's been in the role of protecting Ava for longer, because while Zack's just been a best friend, Ava's also been like a little sister, one that he feels responsible for. That weighs him a little differently, and while he doesn't love one more than the other, he feels more inclined to protect her because he feels that she needs it more than Zee does.

Yes, Ava and Zacky have both done shitty things, and it's always seemed like Brian is on Ava's side. With the mating thing, he assumed Zacky had forced Ava into it, and when he believed that Zacky had raped Ava, he couldn't help but side with Ava. He tried to check that at the door once he realized how much of a dick he was being, though, and if you remember from that very brief point of time in WWLU, he did get better about it. And then there was Zacky almost killing Ava by almost strangling her, which threw that into chaos again. Yeah, he was pissed and way hateful and completely on Ava's side then, but he was still looking for a way to redeem Zacky. He couldn't believe that his friend could do such a thing (he'd told Ava before that Zacky would never actually hurt her, remember?), and he was still desperate to find a way to forgive him, beneath all of the anger. He told Matt he was. He told Zacky they could work past the almost-strangling thing, because he knew that they could.

But him leaving her there in the explosion? Brian can't get over that. I know, I know, your point is going to be that she didn't die, she only almost died... but that's not what Brian lived through. She died to him. Not almost, did. He buried her. He mourned her, and never got over it. And he put all of his pain and hatred into Zacky, partially because it was the easiest way to deal with the pain, and partially because he honestly hated Zacky. They're not best friends right now. To Brian, Zack doesn't deserve to be treated as one, and it's no longer choosing between two best friends. Zack killed Ava... he did the one thing that Brian never thought he was capable of doing, something so utterly horrible and devastating that the only way it makes sense to Brian is if he was wrong all along about Zee. If they weren't ever actually best friends. Johnny pointed out that he does still care about him in the most basic of levels, but Bri's a wreck. Emotionally, he hates Zacky. Logically, he hates Zacky. But a part of him does care about his wellbeing... he just manages to lock that part away because he can't deal with all of them together.

Yes, he says hateful things when he's angry. Things that even make Matt (pissed as he was) uncomfortable. It's not just Zacky he says them to, remember, as he was pretty up in Matt's face in the last chapter. But he's worst with Zacky, yes. Don't forget that he's a pureblood. He was raised in a world where anger and hatred went hand in hand with saying vicious, awful things. And for all of that indoctrination, Brian has managed to come out of it not having prejudices against mutts and whatnot. But when he's so emotional, so devastated, it's easy to revert back to those kinds of familiar things, it's easy to take comfort in lashing out like that, even if it's not what he truly believes.

I couldn't be Zack either. And don't get me wrong, I don't hate Zack; I don't believe any of the things Bri does about him, because I know what Zee went through, too. I know how devastated and wrecked he was. But knowing that doesn't change Brian's own devastation, you know?

Yeah, Ava's alive. That'll make things better for Brian, but it doesn't just magically make her death seem any less real to him, you know? Like I said, he buried her; it's still real to him. And more importantly, the Ava that's coming back isn't Ava. She doesn't have her memories, and as long as that is true, to Brian, it's going to seem like everything she does is nonconsensual. If she isn't in her right mind, after all, she can't consent. Can't consent to being with Zacky, to forgiving him, to anything. He's... not wrong. I mean, I don't really agree, but I don't think he's wrong to feel that way, either. To him, once again, not only has Zacky killed Ava, but he's using her, he's forcing her to be with him against her will... and worse, he's getting away with it. Matt defended Zacky, and that only made Brian all the more motivated against Zacky, because he feels like everyone should see it the same way he does, and if they don't, then he needs to compensate.

...Sorry for the quote-spam. There's a few things to consider about our Brian, though, just so his perspective can be seen a little clearer.

I am glad to hear you felt bad for him after the last update, though! As much as I've always said that it's cool for readers to hate whichever characters they'd like, I don't want to make you hate one of your favorite band members. xD

Ah well then that means Drake isn't slow on the uptake. That is good to know becuase as bad guys go, I like him and was afraid he was losing his touch there.

Life is good so far, can't complain. I got a job, its not great but it could be a lot worse.

Hahaha, it's definitely a nice picture, don't get me wrong. I just definitely liked the Zee shirtless one more. I mean... duh. xD And, oh of course, Mattie shirtless will make me drool just as much! You know how I love Matty. That's an old one, though, isn't it? He looks smaller than he does now. /shrug. Still.

Oh, Drake definitely did smell Zacky all over Ava, don't you worry. He smelled the both of them all over the city, as a matter of fact. (;

Life's treating me well; I can't complain. You?

Well that pic was distracting for me and a very happy surprise when I opened my email, BUT not nearly as distracting the pic of Zee shirtless. I actually drooled! We are talking saliva all over my keyboard! I've got another that made me drool that way! :D



If that doesn't make you stare then something is wrong with you! XD

As for Drake, no I didn't think he was worried about himself (his safety) at all but like I said he should have been able to smell Zacky all over her and known who she was with. Now as to his business, the second he showed up I "knew" (this is just what I'm assuming of course) that he was there to kill Zack (again this is just me assuming). So if that were the case then finding Ava there would have been a surprise, since he thought she was dead, but he still should have been able to smell Zacky so... I don't know, he just seemed to be...different. It could have all just have been an act, get Ava to let her guard down and to come with him. I don't know.

No didn't think Zacky would have a showdown in the middle of a crowded lobby, it was just a thought. I just want Zacky to tear Drake from limb to limb! XD

So how is life treating you?