Death, Love and Family: The Updated Version.

The next morning I was woken up once again by morning sickness, I pulled out of Matt’s grip and rushed to the toilet to empty the contents of my stomach. “This is getting ridiculous,” I looked down and put my hands over my very small baby bump, “Little one, you really gotta stop making mommy sick in the mornings.”

I brushed my teeth quickly then went back to the bunk and crawled back in to Matt’s embrace. “Peanut wake you up again?” he asked his voice still thick with sleep.

I sighed and nodded “Yeah little bugger, this morning sickness is getting ridiculous, I need sleep!”

Matt nuzzled his head in the crook my neck and kissed it gently, “I’m sorry babe, I wish I could help.”

I cuddled up to him more, “There’s nothing to be sorry for Matt, I just have to deal with it, I know it will be worth it in the end. You’ve given me the best gift in the world, I can deal with the little unpleasant things that come along with it.”

I could feel him smile against my skin before he pulled back to press his lips to mine in a loving kiss. “I love you Nik,” he moved his hand over my stomach and looked down “I love you too peanut, even though you keep making mommy sick.”

I smiled and just enjoyed the moment. Everyone eventually woke up and started getting ready for the day. As the boys were getting ready to go do their sound check I was sitting at the small dining booth on the bus with my lap top in front for me reading over Matt’s personal schedule and putting in appointments for me, that I would need for the baby. Matt came over and sat down next to me; I looked over at him and couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the schedule I was making. “Am I gonna be able to make all of those appointments with you?” He asked.

I nodded “Yup, that’s why I put them in with your schedule specifically. Now I do believe that you have a sound check to go do and then an interview, so hop to it mister!”

Matt laughed at my antics and wrapped his arms around me in a loving embrace, “Ok, but you are coming with me to that interview,” I went to protest but he gave me the look, you know the –you going weather you like it or not-- look I sighed as he continued “In the mean time, you can call Katie and get her bunk set up since I already know you are planning on bringing her with us.”

I looked at him and shook my head “We seriously know each other to well; it scares me that you know what I’m thinking.”

He laughed and said “I could say the same to you babe. Anyway I have to go, I’ll be back to get you for the interview, love you,” He gave me a quick peck on the lips the placed his hand on my baby bump “Love you too peanut.” With that he was gone.

For some reason he just started calling the baby peanut, it was his nickname for the baby and I had a feeling it was going to carry on after the little one is born too.

As the boys were doing their thing I made Katie’s bunk up and called her, I told her to meet me out by the gate in 15 minutes. I walked out with my pass that Matt had given me clipped to my belt loop. I was waiting for 5 minutes when she showed up with her bags in tow. I smiled and walked over to her giving her a hug “Hey chica, how are you?” I greeted her.

She smiled and said “I’m fantastic, how are you girl?”

I shrugged as I grabbed one of her bags to help her take them to the buses, “Not to bad, except my crazy boyfriend is forcing me to do an interview with him today, other then that I’m great.”

When we reached the gate the guard stopped us and I showed him my pass “She’s with me.” I informed him; he nodded and let us walk through. Once Katie was settled on the bus we sat in the ‘living room’ just chatting until the boys came back.

Katie and I were so wrapped up in our conversation that we didn’t hear the bus door open or the guys walk on until Zack spoke “Katie?”

Her head shot up “Hi Zee man!” She got up and hugged him followed by the rest of the guys.

“What are you doing here? We haven’t seen you in years!” Johnny asked.

Katie giggled and said “Well Niki invited me to come on tour with you guys, I ran into her yesterday at the airport and we just got to talking!”

There was a chorus of “Oh’s” then they all started talking again.

Matt walked up to me “Are you ready for that interview babe? It’s just me and Syn, he’s dragging your sister along too.”

I sighed and nodded getting up “Yeah lets go!” I turned to Katie and said “Hey I have to go do and interview with Matt, we’ll be back soon, you gonna be ok here with these guys?”

She nodded and said “Yeah, I’ll be fin hun, we’ve got a lot to catch up on, you go do your thing have fun, I’ll see you when you get back.”

I nodded and walked off the bus with Matt, he grabbed my hand as we met up with Brian and Sara and the interviewer, a girl named Hannah, just looking at her I could tell this was going to be an experience and more then likely not a good one.

“Hi, my names Hannah I work for SPIN magazine, I’m doing an article about the lives of Avenged Sevenfold, so what’s it like being a Rockstar how do you balance it with you normal day to day life?”

Brian answered “We’ll being a Rockstar is kick ass, it’s what we always dreamed about, but we do have normal lives at home. When we go out somewhere public we always end up getting approached by fans but we also keep it pretty normal we try and be as normal as we can. On tour we may be a little rowdy but at home we’re all pretty laid back guys, we hang out with families, go out with our girls just the normal Joe Shmoe kinda stuff.”

Hannah nodded as she recorded the whole interview, “Girls what is it like to be dating two of the hottest Rock star’s of this decade?”

I laughed and said “Well we’ve known the guys since we were in middle school, we’ve all been best friends for years, so we’ve been in this lifestyle for a while. Honestly to us they are just normal guys, we don’t care that they are the hottest Rock star’s of the decade, we love them for who they are not what they are.”

“Hmm…………so I just have to ask Shads and Syn what is with you two and twins?”

They pondered this for a minute before Matt said “You know, we never really thought about it Niki and Sara are two different people with different personalities, so were Val and Michelle.”

“Mmhmm, and how have you all been since the plane crash, that killed Val and Michelle?” ok now she was getting a little too personal.

Brian spoke up before I could say anything though, “Val and Michelle will always be a part of who we are and a part of the band, we were all devastated when it happened but we stuck together and helped each other through it. We had our time to grieve and we are doing much better now, and we know they are always with us in some way.”

“Weren’t you two girls best friends with them? And now you are dating their widowed husbands?” She asked in a bitchy tone.

I tensed and was about to retaliate with something very mean but Matt cut me off “Yes the girls were all best friends. Val knew that if anything happened to her I would be a mess so at our wedding she asked Niki to look after me and make sure I didn’t do anything stupid if anything were to happen to her, same with Michelle and Sara. I’ve always loved Niki and as time went on after loosing Val I fell in love with her. They are not vindictive backstabbing friends, hell Val, Niki, Michelle and Sara were all best friends before they even met us. They weren’t jealous of our relationships with Val and Shelly, they had their own relationships but things just happened. And we would appreciate it if you would not talk to them like that.”

He was pissed that she would even think such a thing, I looked up at him, he was glaring straight ahead trying not to lash out at Hannah. I put my hand on the side of his cheek and made him look at me. His expression immediately softened and he let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around me, resting his head on my shoulder. “You ok now?” I whispered in his ear.

He nodded then shook his head, letting out another frustrated sigh as Syn spoke up “Look if you are going to try and make Sara and Niki out to be backstabbing bitches then this interview is through, we love them both very much and happy with them. We finally found love and happiness again if you can’t understand that then you can fuck off.”

Sara took her turn to put her word in “Val and Michelle were our best friends, we would never do anything to hurt them, and loosing them was devastating for us too, they were like our sisters. In the process of grieving and getting over their deaths we ended up falling in love, it’s not a crime and it wasn’t something that we planned it just happened. Now if you’ll excuse us, this interview is through!” She and Brian walked away hand in hand fuming. I put my arm around Matt’s waist and we walked off as well.