Accidents Happen

Almost six hours later, I carried a sleeping three year old out of an airplane going to gather our four bags, and most of Zacky's toys. While I waited at the carousel to gather our things, I kept trying to keep an eye out for Val. I wanted to find her, but I also wanted to turn around and head home. I was regretting my decision. I just didn't have any time to act on my flight instincts.

"Maxxie!" I heard a man shout over the crowd, "Maxx!"

I turned around and it wasn't hard to see Matt towered over the group of people loitering in front of him, waiting for their own things. I smiled at the man, despite myself, and then my eyes landed on Valery.

"Maxxus!" Val yelled excitedly as she cut through the crowd and hurried over to me. Her eyes widened at the sight of the boy in my arms and she was obviously stunned by the sight of him. She'd learned about him a month before, but seeing it was different. She'd managed to keep it to herself because I asked, but now she could barely contain herself. "Is this him?" she asked, even though it was obvious, "I can't believe he's really here right now."

"Yeah, this is him," I replied awkwardly, smiling the best I could while trying not to jolt my son.

Matt was beyond confused and he frowned at the child. "You have a son?" he asked, lips parted, "When did this happen, Maxx? Why didn't you tell anyone? This is crazy!"

"Well, he's three so that should tell you something," I answered, surprised that Val hadn't spilled the news to him before now. I took a breath and did it for her. "His name is Zack."

"What?" Matt asked loudly, looking between Valery and I. "Zack?" he repeated, "Like Zacky?" He looked at Val as my son woke up, startled by the sound of his name.

I grasped him better in my arms as he sat up, lifting his head from my shoulder and wiping at his eyes. He blinked at me without seeing the people behind him. "Mommy, are we in Calisfor-nia?" he asked, pronouncing it adorably wrong.

"Yeah, we just got here," I answered easily, slightly awkwardly, running his back as he slowly woke up and started looking around. Most of my attention was focused on Matt and trying to gauge his reaction and understanding.

Zack nodded and wriggled out of my grasp. He turned around to look at the airport and stopped at the sight of the couple staring at him. He frowned and stepped back against my legs. "Hi," he said, unsure.

When neither of the adults said anything right away, I stepped in and leaned down with my hands on Zacky's shoulders. "These are my friends," I explained, "Valery and Matt. Matt, Val, this is Zachary."

"Hi Zacky!" Val exclaimed finally, grinning as she bent down to hug him. Zacky froze in her arms, standing still with his arms at his side. He waited until she'd pulled away to say anything. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and disgust and I knew the woman who'd shown it to him.

"Hi," he muttered to Val, before turning to look suspiciously at Matt, "Are you gonna hug me too?"

I chuckled despite the obvious awkwardness and it seemed to pull Matt from his reveries. His gaze moved to mine for only a minute before he shook his head, coughing to clear his throat.

"Uhh," he stuttered, "No, not right now."

"Good," Zacky commented, eyeing Matt, "You're too big."

Matt gave the boy a look. "Thanks, I guess," he said, stepping to Valery's side.

"You are welcome," Zack answer the way he learned, obviously missing the connotation. He turned to me like the little boss he was and asked, "Can we leave the plane station now, Mommy?" He crossed his arms over his chest like he was almost expecting me to say no, and looked at me with dead-pan eyes.

I tangled my fingers in his hair and nodded. "Yeah, we can," I replied, glancing towards Val who was very subtly trying to coax Matt out of shock. "Are you guys ready to go?" I asked them.

Val smiled and nodded, taking Matt's hand in her own. "Yeah, Maxxus, do you have everything or do we need to look for another bag?"

I glanced at the bags at our feet and shook my head. I handed Zack his Ninja Turtle backpack now that he was awake and shook my head. "No, we're good to go," I answered.

"Good," Zack stated, "I'm hungry."

Valery piped in before I could, "Well, Little Vengeance, we can have lunch at our house. What do you say?" she offered, taking one of the bags that he was trying to carry.

He pushed her hand away from his hair as she went to touch it and frowned. "What did you call me?" he asked, pausing to look at her.

Val looked up to me in a slight panic. I just shook my head vigorously to tell her not to tell him anything else about Zack or give anything else away. It would hard enough to explain the concept of him having a father, let alone explaining that he was a famous one too.

She looked back at Zacky and brushed off her own words, "What do you to picking out what we have for lunch?" she asked, finally getting him to let Matt carry the bag that was too big for him.

Matt helped me carry our bags out to their car, while Val held onto Zacky's hand. "In we go," Val sang, putting Zacky in the car, using the same booster seat we'd brought with us on the plane. It was about a twenty minute drive back to Matt and Val's Huntington Beach home, and when we got there, Val was eager to show us around.

"This is beautiful," I said, remembering the apartment they lived in before, "When did you guys get this place?"

Val pressed her lips together and frowned as she thought. "Maybe a year and a half ago. We sort of just passed the place right when it went on the market and fell in love with it."

"I can see why," I answered, threading my fingers through Zack's hair as he stood next to me, "It's pretty incredible."

"It's huge!" Zacky reiterated, grinning at the couple across from us. "Our house isn't this big."

"Where do you live?" Valery asked, separating from Matt as he took our things upstairs. He paused on the staircase, peering back to us from the white and chestnut wooden banister. "What rooms, babe?" he asked Val.

"Oh, we can share," I answered before she could, shaking my head at his use of the plural, "There's no need to put him in his own room. He'll end up in mine anyway."

Zack pouted, stepping away from me to make sure I saw his look. He pressed his feet firmly into the ground and stood next to Val, facing me. "I want my own!" he exclaimed, arms crossing over his little chest.

"Zachary," I rebutted, "You don't need your own room."

"It's not a problem, Maxx," Val answered easily, "We're not planning on having anyone else over. And there's still another room if something did come up. He can have his own room." She turned to Matt and told him to put our things in the two rooms next to each other. He nodded and climbed the stairs two at a time.

"Can I see my room?" Zack asked, placated by her words.

"Sure," Val said, turning to face him, "But you're hungry aren't you? I thought that I would make you something to eat before you get too settled. But go ahead and take your coat in shoes off and I'll get something started when you come back downstairs."

He nodded and darted to the staircase. Val smiled as he chugged up them as fast as his little legs would take him and she called for Matt to look out of him. "Do you want to see the rest of the place?" she asked, moving us away from the foyer and the living room.

I nodded and followed her past the stairs. Behind them was the entryway into the kitchen and it was just as beautiful as everything else had been. It was large with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. Large windows and a sliding door opened up to a green backyard with a pool and a line of trees separating their property from their neighbor's.

"You guys did really well for yourselves," I said softly, standing at the breakfast bar. "I'm really happen that you made it out of that tiny little apartment you were shut up in with the guys."

Val grinned and chuckled. "Me too. I was so relieved when I finally got Matt out of that place. I thought we'd be living with three roommates forever."

"Does anyone still live there?" I asked, referring to the apartment that we all shared back in the day. It started as the band's apartment, but gradually we all managed to make a place for ourselves in it. One bathroom, three bedrooms, and slew of people. It was never empty.

Val started on lunch and I sat at the island and tried to fill her in about the life I had made for Zack and I in New York. Compared to their lives, there wasn't much glamorous about it, but creeping up the back of my spine was pride. I was proud of what I had done for myself and my son. I hadn't needed anyone to pick me back up. I'd pulled myself out of the depression that I was in when I left, and I had a beautiful, happy little boy to show for it.

Matt and Zack came barreling downstairs when the food was ready. My son was laughing as he raced the tall man into the kitchen. His laughter made me laugh and I hoisted him up onto the chair next to me, cautioning him to eat carefully.

He ate greedily, barely breathing between bites of his cheeseburger. He didn't so much as say a word as he scarfed it down, and when he finished, he turned to leave us. "Excuse me," I said, grabbing onto him before he could slide from the stool and disappear. "What do you say?"

"I'm wanna go to my new room," he answered, not looking me in the eye as he tried to wriggle out of my grasp, "I wanna see it again."

I righted him back in his seat and gave him a look. "Zack," I warned, nodding my head to the couple across from us, eating on the other side of the breakfast bar.

"Thank you," Zack said drearily, giving me a lazy and uninterested glance before sliding from his chair.

I caught him by his sweatshirt and stopped him in his tracks. He was a good foot shorter than the counter and stood in socked feet, eager to escape and explore. "Come on, man, you know that's not gonna fly."

He slid his foot against the tiled floor before he looked up and plastered authenticity on his face. "Thanks for the food," he said, offering them a genuine smile, "It was good."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Val answered, reaching across the table to grab his plate, "Let me know if you want a snack later, alright? There's plenty of stuff to eat and drink, don't hesitate to ask."

"Okay," he said quickly. He flashed a smile to them both and then darted through the swinging door. I chuckled softly and shook my head.

"He really is adorable," Valery said, standing up and clearing the plates from the table. She backed up to the sink and started washing them, half turned back towards Matt and I.

Matt spoke up for the first time about him. "He reminds me of Zack a lot," he said softly, referring to the one who wasn't in this house anymore, "He's just got that same thing about him, I guess."

"Plus, he looks just like him," Val added, stating the obvious similarity.

"Yeah, it's kind of unnerving sometimes. The older he gets, the more he makes me think of Zack," I admitted, bouncing my foot against the bar on the stool, "He's a good boy though, honestly. Really smart. It amazes me how quickly he learns."

Val was smiling to herself and I could tell by her reaction and her way with him that she wanted one of her own. She always had, that was no secret. She was the mothering type and reveled in the idea of having a child around.

Matt looked slightly uneasily, and it wasn't hard to place why. He'd just been let in on something that had been kept from him and his best friends for years. Kept from Zack. It wasn't an easy secret to learn and it would be even harder to keep.

Something crashed upstairs at the same time the doorbell rang. I paused, almost wishing that whatever Zacky just did, didn't happen. I got up from my seat quickly and moved towards the stairs as Matt moved to the front door.

"Zachary, get down here!" I shouted up to the second floor, anxious to figure out what he did. Val was right behind me, leaning against the banister, her time split between waiting to see who Matt was opening the door too, and waiting for my son to come down and confess.

Matt opened the door, speaking, and stopped abruptly. This change in him caused me to look back over my shoulder and my heart stopped in my chest. I had known him well in my past and while he looked older and more pulled together, he was the same guy. I glanced towards the stairs, hoping by some miracle that my son hadn't heard me and would stay upstairs.

"Z, what are you doing here?" Matt asked, opening the door out of instinct so that the guitarist could come inside.

"I've been calling you," he answered, his eyes lingering on me even though I was facing the other direction again, "You were supposed to drop by today, remember? We were going to get lunch and hang out or something." He paused awkwardly after his words and I turned around, smiling.

"Hey, Zack," I greeted, knowing that he would recognize me. I changed, but not that much either.

He looked shocked to see me. "Maxxus?" he said in disbelief, "What? What are you doing here? Where have you been?" He stepped forward and was shaking his head, but he was still waiting for answers.

"I'm living out in New York now," I answered easily, "Val and I got in touch with each other recently and I just came out to catch up with everyone and see what became of you all. From what I've seen of these two, you're all doing pretty well post-band."

"Yeah, I - the band - You didn't keep tabs on us after you left?"

"I was pretty preoccupied." I shrugged, my heart beating in my ears.

Val made a noise similar to a gasp behind me and I knew that my son when there when Zack's eyes moved to the top of the stairs and his lips parted slightly. Little Zacky, as oblivious as he was, clomped down the stairs and stopped at my side, innocently sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Mommy, I didn't mean to do it. It just fell over on its own," he said, talking slowly like being calm would get him out of the trouble that he'd caused.

"Mommy?" Zack repeated, looking at me and my son in that familiar shocked way, "You have a kid? This is unbelievable." He shook his head, but was smiling slightly. I wondered how that would stay.

Matt had closed the door and now stood there awkwardly, just behind his best friend and guitarist. He knew the truth, as did Val, and it was obvious that neither of them knew what to do or say about it. Matt stepped cautiously around us and over to his wife, eyeing the situation and sharing a look with her.

"Who are you?" Little Zack asked rudely, giving the guitarist a harsh look while crossing his arms over his chest, "And how do you know my mom?"

"Uhm, I'm Zack," the man answered, blowing this awkward state to shreds, "Your mom and I are old friends, like her and Matt and Val. Who are you?"

Little Zacky was frowning and had stepped down one step lower than me. He eyed the older man suspiciously, looking the way only a young child could. "My name's Zack," he said, as though there couldn't be more than one in the world.

Zack, the older one, went pale. "Your name is Zack?" he asked again, like maybe he hadn't heard him right in the moment. He waited for an answer, probably hoping it would be different.

"Yes," my son said indignantly, "Zachary Lukas."

"I'm Zack Baker," the man answered, not knowing how else to. His eyes had moved from my son to me, and back again a couple times. I could see his questions and I didn't know how to answer them without saying anything, the way he asked them.

"Zack, baby, can you go upstairs and show Val and Matt what you broke?" I asked, ushering him up them and giving the couple an excuse to get away.

He nodded a little begrudgingly, but let Val lead him up there. I watched them until the three of them where gone into the bedroom and then I turned back to the guitarist, who wasn't waiting for an invitation.

"His name is Zachary?" he asked, "Your son's name is Zack?"

"Zachary James," I answered, then added quickly, "After Jimmy, not you."

Zack sucked in a breath and covered his mouth with his hands. He took a moment to compose himself before he spoke. "Is there a reason he would be named after me?" he asked, fishing the information out of me, "I mean, I can't understand why his name would be the same as my name unless your husband or boyfriend or whatever just really, really liked the name. Was that it, Maxx? Did his dad choose it?"

"Zack," I stated, trying to call him down, "Please, don't freak out. You have to let me tell you before you start spazzing out. We'll get no where if you don't calm down."

"I don't need to calm down, Maxx. I need to know why your son's named after me and why he has my eyes and my hair and how this happened. Oh my god," he said, still not breathing. He covered his face with his hands and turned away from me. "This is not what I had in mind when I headed over here."

"I know, Zack," I said, moving to hide side to coax him down, "And I'm sorry. But please, just relax and let me explain. I'm here because I wanted to tell you about him. You deserve to know and I didn't want to keep him from you any longer. Please, if you'll just calm down, I'll tell you everything."

"I think you already told me the biggest part of this story, Maxx," he answered, turning towards me and stepping back into the living room, "I mean, I sort of just got thrown into that one, don't you think?"

"Yes, I do, and I didn't mean for it to happen that way, but I didn't really have much of a choice-"

Zacky turned and stepped around me. He climbed the stairs two at a time and I was trailing after him. "Matt!" he shouted when he got to the top of the stairs. He turned and peered into their bedroom, only to move on to the next one when they weren't there.

"Zack, wait!" I demanded, darting after him. I grabbed onto his arm and stopped him the best I could. "Zacky, please, he doesn't know about you. Please don't go in there like this."

Zack took a couple of deep breaths. "He doesn't know about me?" he asked, reopening his eyes to look at me. Much calmer than he was before. "Why doesn't he know about me, Maxx? Why didn't I know about him? I don't even believe that this is happening right now. There's no way that he's my son. Are you sure that you didn't get it wrong?"

"Well, actually there is and yeah, he's yours. Trust me, Zack, he's just like you," I answered darkly, giving the man a look.

"I'm sorry," the guitarist said, "I don't mean to be an asshole, but I'm just a little bit in shock. I had no idea." He let out of big breath and stepped back so that he could lean against the wall.

"I know," I said, stepping to him to make sure he was alright and wasn't about to topple over, "And I'm really sorry to do this to you. Do you want to meet him?" When I saw the look he gave me, I added, "Just as friends, Zack. No pressure. I don't want anything from you. I just want you to have the chance to get to know him. He's an amazing kid."

Zacky stood up straighter and peered at the closed door opposite us and down a little ways. His son was on the other side and he was thrust into this so quickly. I would understand if he turned and ran the other way. But he looked at the door, and then at me, and nodded. "Yeah," he said, "Yeah, I would like that."