Carry Me

Levia led the way down the stairs, everyone else following. She hadn’t seen Jimmy all day, and was curious as to where he went.

“Where’s Jimmy?” she asked, turning around to glance at Zacky.

“He went to take a piss. He’s probably downstairs with Leana and the rest of your family right now.”

“Who’s Leana?”

Zacky stared at her curiously, “His wife.”

Levia stopped, surprised, “He’s married?”

Zacky nodded, “Yeah. You didn’t know?”

Levia shook her head, “Nope. It’s news to me.”

The large group continued to the entryway. Levia froze dead in her tracks when she spotted her father and his family.

“Dad?”

The large, dark skinned man in the doorway turned to her, ignoring whatever it was that Addison was saying about Matt.

“Levia?”

Her eyes began to tear up and she ran into his arms, hugging him tightly. The smaller woman next to him smiled, and the young looking girl continued to hold a small boy in her arms, her eyes tearing up at the sight of Levia. A young boy standing by the girl watched on with curiosity.

Johnny and Laney went into the living room with Matt and Addison, leaving Brian and Zacky standing at the base of the stairs, watching Levia reunite with what appeared to be her family.

Jimmy chose this moment to walk out of the living room and stopped, raising a brow at Levia and the man, who had stopped hugging and were now talking. Levia turned around and smiled at everyone.

“Guys, this is my dad, Barry, and his wife Sylvie.”

The guys nodded in hello, Jimmy looking from Barry to Levia as though trying to figure out a puzzle. Levia gestured for Zacky to come over and put her arm around him, releasing her father.

“Dad, this is my boyfriend, Zacky.”

Zacky shook Barry’s hand, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Wallace.”

Barry chuckled, his voice deep, “Please, son, call me Barry.”

Zacky nodded, almost afraid to say anything else. Barry was nearly as tall as Jimmy, but with Matt’s build. He was a bit…intimidating.

Levia smiled over at the teenage girl, who smiled back while gently bouncing the toddler in her arms.

“And guys,” Levia said, “This is CJ. She’s my half sister.”

CJ smiled at the guys, who grinned back her. She looked too old to be in high school, and the guys wondered if the kid in her arms was hers or not.

“Oh I almost forgot!” Barry said, putting his hand on the young boy’s shoulder, “This is my son Freddy.”

Freddy waved at Levia, not paying much attention to the others. He looked to be about 7 or 8. Levia didn’t really know.

“Who’s that?” she asked CJ, pointing to the kid in her arms.

“This is Damien,” CJ answered, tickling the boy and making him giggle.

“He’s ours,” Sylvie spoke, a slight accent to her words, though not very prominent.

Levia sighed in relief, “For a second I thought he was yours, CJ.”

CJ laughed, “I’m a bit too young to have a kid, don’t you think?”

“It’s possible,” Barry scowled, sending CJ a look. She rolled her eyes in response.

“What happened to your face?” Freddy asked Levia, being the curious boy he was.

Levia sighed, putting her hand on her forehead, hiding part of her scar, “Earthquake. It’s a long story.”

“Are you okay now?” Sylvie asked, slightly concerned.

Levia nodded sparing a small glance at the smiling Zacky, “I’m fine now. I was fine then too. Zacky was with me.”

Barry nodded at Zacky, “You keep an eye on her, you hear? She can be pretty accident prone.”

“She gets it from you.” CJ said, smiling sweetly at her scowling father.

“And who are these two lovely men?” Sylvie asked in her slight French accent.

Brian and Jimmy took turns introducing themselves to Barry and Sylvie, trying to be welcoming. When it came to be Jimmy’s turn, he lifted up Barry’s arm and compared it to Levia’s, making Barry laugh.

“You never told me your dad was black!” Jimmy exclaimed, his gaze flickering between the two different colored arms.

Barry roared with laughter, finding Jimmy extremely amusing. Jimmy was a bit frightened at his loud laugh and backed up a step.

“You never told me you were married!” Levia laughed.

Jimmy turned to her, “Hmm. Touché.”

Brian shook his head, laughing and looked up at CJ, who was standing next to him.

“I apologize for my friend’s behavior.”

Zacky laughed and punched him in the arm as Levia and Jimmy continued to banter and Barry continued to laugh. Brian shrugged.

CJ chuckled, “It’s fine. He’s The Rev; he acts how he wants and everyone loves him for it.”

Zacky and Brian stopped laughing and look at her, surprised.

“You know who we are?” Zacky asked.

CJ nodded and gestured to her shirt, which was previously blocked by Damien, “Well, duh.”

They looked at her shirt, surprised to find a deathbat on her tank top.

“I saw you guys for the first time when I was 13. Levia took me ‘cause she just turned 18 and we were eager to get out of the house,” CJ laughed.

Levia looked over at the mention of her name, interrupting her conversation with Sylvie and Jimmy about French prostitutes, “What about me?”

“How you took me to see Avenged Sevenfold years ago. And how you didn’t tell me Addison was getting married to M. Shadows.”

Levia shrugged sheepishly, “You didn’t ask?”

“She didn’t even know who we were at first. She didn’t recognize us until a day after,” Brian said. Levia frowned at him.

Jimmy put his hand to his chest in mock hurt, “I was so offended.”

CJ shook her head, “I’m so disappointed in you, Lev.”

Levia sighed and Barry gave her a pat on the back.

“Even I recognized them, Lev.”

Levia groaned and put her head in her hands, “I’m sorry!”

Zacky put his arms around her and gave her a hug from behind, “It’s okay. We still love you.”

Levia smiled at him while Barry, along with Brian and Jimmy, fake gagged.

The three guys grinned at each other. Brian and Jimmy liked her dad already.

CJ giggled, “You’re dating Zacky Vengeance! I know how much you used to dream about-”

“Enough!” Levia shouted, interrupting her half-sister’s sentence.

“-him and Ja-”

“Stop it!”

“We know all of this already,” Jimmy waved CJ off.

CJ handed Damien to Sylvie, who wandered into the living room, following Barry and Freddy.

“Mom’s in there,” Levia warned.

Barry rolled his eyes, “I can handle it.”

CJ turned her attention back to Jimmy, “How do you know?”

Brian smirked, “You see, we had a party with Papa Roach on Levia’s first night. Let’s just say Lev gets a little chatty when she’s drunk.”

CJ laughed, “Oh really? Did she confess her love for Jacoby?”

Brian nodded, “Yep.”

“And tried to eat a lot of buns, complaining about how she needed them,” Jimmy added.

Zacky rested his chin on Levia’s shoulder, “You know, you never finished telling us about your dream you had with us and strip poker, either.”

Levia’s face flushed with embarrassment and she stared at the ground.

“Did she mention the one where you were naked on the beach?” CJ asked Zacky.

“Cameron Jane!” Levia shrieked. CJ glared.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Then don’t tell them that!”

“He’s your boyfriend! You’ve probably already seen him naked anyway!”

“Actually-”

“Jimmy don’t you finish that sentence,” Levia threatened.

“Or what?”

“Or…uh…”

“You’re terrible at threats, Lev-Lev,” Brian stated nonchalantly.

“Lev-Lev?” CJ and Zacky asked. They looked strangely at each other before waiting for Brian’s answer.

Brian pulled Levia away from Zacky, causing her to whimper and swat at Brian. He put his arm around her and held her tightly at his side. Jimmy pushed against her other side, smashing Levia between the two.

“Yep. She’s our Lev-Lev,” Jimmy answered.

Zacky crossed his arms, “Yours?”

CJ looked at him, amused, before turning back to Brian and Jimmy.

Brian rested his cheek on her head, “Well, all three of ours. We share.”

Zacky shook his head, “I don’t think so. Jimmy has Leana anyway.”

Jimmy shrugged, “She doesn’t mind.”

“She used to do porn. Of course she wouldn’t mind!”

“Hey!”

“It’s true, Jimbo,” Brian said.

Jimmy sighed, “Well, yeah. But still. Maybe Lev used to do porn and doesn’t mind either!”

Levia stood, mortified, while Zacky watched her curiously.

CJ laughed, “Well I don’t know about the porn, but I know she wouldn’t mind.”

The three guys laughed when she added a wink at the end of her sentence, but Levia didn’t find it nearly as amusing.

“You’re a terrible sister.”

CJ grinned.

“Love you too.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Levia sat on the couch, cuddled against Zacky with his arm snugly around her. She rested her head on his shoulder as she watched her family. Her grandparents and extended family wouldn’t be here for a few more days, just her mom’s and dad’s. They actually appeared to be getting along, or at least the kids were. Freddy was playing with Emma and Rose, who were Eric and Olivia’s 6 year old twin daughters. They also had a son, Pete, who was 13. He was busy chatting away with Zacky about guitars, much to the disgust of Olivia. Zacky didn’t seem to mind, though.

“So how old is the little guy?” Brian asked, gesturing to Damien, whom CJ was holding again.

Brian was sitting on the arm of the chair Jimmy was in. Leana, whom Levia had yet to formally meet, was perched comfortably on her husband’s lap. Levia made small talk in conversation with Leana, but she really wanted to talk to her more. It would have to wait until her family left later.

CJ sat Damien on her knee and bounced him up and down, much to the toddler’s pleasure, “He’s just over a year.”

“Can he walk yet?” Leana asked, slightly infatuated with the boy. She, like Levia, found him absolutely adorable.

CJ nodded, “Yep. But I think he’s a bit too entertained to do that right now.”

Levia smiled at Damien, who was giggling uncontrollably.

“And how old are you?” Brian asked casually, resting his arms on his knees.

Levia shot him a look, to which he grinned back. CJ paid no attention.

“Eighteen,” she said, finding sudden interest in the floor. Like her sister, he had a problem with eye contact, though she wasn’t as obvious about it.

“You look older than that,” Jimmy stated, pulling Leana closer to him.

Leana nodded, “You do.”

“You don’t look like my 14 year old sister anymore. You’re all grown up,” Levia laughed, a hint of sadness to her voice.

Zacky looked over, noting Levia’s sudden change in mood. He gave her a peck on the cheek.

“You okay?” he whispered, still trying to listen to Pete but show his concern to Levia.

“Fine,” she whispered back.

He smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze before turning back to Pete and sharing his advice on amplifiers.

Matt and Addison talked away with Eric, Olivia, Barry, and Sylvie, hoping that they would all get along. Addison knew her dad would probably start a fight somehow, but only if Eric were to provoke him, like he was now.

“Tell your boy to stop playing with my girls. I don’t want zem to act like that!”

Barry narrowed his eyes, “Freddy’s not doing anything. Fuck off.”

“Dad,” Addison warned.

Barry sighed and said nothing more, though Olivia wasn’t about to let it slide.

“Don’t talk to my husband that way!” she shouted.

Everyone stopped their conversations to watch the now arguing group. Freddy continued to talk to Rose about cars and Spongebob, with Emma trying to but in about shoes and princesses every so often. Johnny and Laney were also talking with the three young kids, but stopped at the sound of yelling.

Barry stood up, “I talk however the fuck I please!”

Eric got up also, “I think you should shut up now.”

Addison glanced worriedly up at Matt, who jumped up with Brian when the two older men starting shoving each other.

Levia released herself from Zacky and stormed over to Addison, “What’s going on?”

“Eric provoked Dad. Again,” Addison said sadly.

Levia’s eyes flashed with anger as she forcefully pushed Matt out of the way and poked Eric harshly in the chest.

“Leave them the fuck alone you fucking Russian asshole!”

Zacky pushed through Matt, going to grab Levia himself and pulling her away.

“Let it go, Lev.”

She relaxed a bit into his grip, still glaring daggers at Eric as he did the same to her. Olivia ‘tsk’ed and shook her head in disappointment. Addison and Sylvie were trying to calm her father down.

“I think it’d be best,” Levia said through gritted teeth, “if Dad stayed here and Mom stayed someplace else.”

“We were planning on a nice hotel, anyway,” Olivia said, sticking her nose in the air.

She walked over to Eric and grabbed his arm, dragging him from the living room. She snapped her fingers together.

“Kids, let’s go. Say goodbye.”

Pete rolled his eyes, saying his goodbyes to everyone before getting his two sisters. The twins waved at Freddy, Johnny, and Laney, with Rose blowing a kiss to Johnny as she skipped away with her sister. Laney snickered.

“Looks like I’ve got competition.”

Johnny smiled and shook his head, “You’ll never have any competition.”

After Olivia and her family left, Addison held onto Matt tightly for comfort while Levia tried to settle herself down. She hated getting upset, but it was hard not to sometimes.

Addison sighed, “We only have a couple open rooms here. One for Dad and Sylvie, and if you want we could put Freddy and Damien in a room. I don’t know where we would put CJ though.”

“Of course,” CJ mumbled, earning a not-so-pleasant look from Addison.

“She can stay with me in my room,” Levia spoke up, her head resting on Zacky’s shoulder on the couch like it had been minutes ago before the moment was ruined.

Barry nodded, “Sounds good to me. We can sort out the whole mess tomorrow, if need be. Until then, I think I’ll go take a nap.”

Sylvie chucked as she took Damien from CJ, following Barry and Addison, who was leading the way, up the stairs.

“I think Dame needs a nap too. More than Barry does, anyway.”

The guys laughed, finding it funny. Barry didn’t find it amusing at all, though.

Matt sat on one side of CJ, Brian on the other. Levia narrowed her eyes at the three on the loveseat, daring one of them to do something. Matt chuckled and shook his head, while Brian smirked and put his arm around CJ. Levia rolled her eyes.

CJ looked at him, surprised, “Can I help you?”

Brian wiggled his eyebrows, “Yes. Yes you can.”

“Orgy!” Jimmy blurted randomly.

Leana laughed, “I’m down with that!”

Jimmy pointed his finger at Zacky, “Hah! Told you so, fucker!”

Levia put her face in her hands and laughed harder than she had in a long time.

Her friends were some of the greatest people ever.

Zacky’s other arm pulled Levia onto his lap, making her squeak and wrap her arms around his neck. He looked at her, smirking and playing with one of his snakebites.

But her boyfriend was even better.