Blanket of Fear

Sean smirked as he looked at the person sitting in front of him. It was a person he’d never in a million years expected to see, but this helped him very, very much. This person was going to give him everything he had wanted for so long. This person was going to be his new Matthew Baker.

This person was his key to the permanent downfall of Avenged Sevenfold. Things couldn’t have gone any better if this had been a TV program that Sean had scripted himself, and he liked how things were playing out. “I can’t say that I expected to see you here,” he told the person, folding his arms over his knee as he studied his guest’s facial expressions. There was nothing but coldness there, mixed with just a hint of fear and apprehension. It was the perfect mixture of emotions for him.

“I never thought I’d be here, Castro. I don’t want to be here,” his guest snapped at him before glaring at him angrily, crossing their arms over their chest tightly. He just chuckled and moved his hand to take a sip of the blood-mixed wine sitting in front of him, keeping his eyes on the person sitting in front of him the entire time.

“Tell me something,” he said as he folded his arms across his knee. “Are you here because of your hate for what happened with Gates’ girl, or are you here because of something else? I do like to know who I’m getting involved with, after all,” he said with an amused smirk.

The scowl across his guest’s face only deepened, and he became more amused. It was quite obvious that his guest, and his newest ally, wouldn’t be a friend. Much like Matthew, he would have to keep his eye on this one. He’d have to make sure he wasn’t double-crossed a second time. It was widely known that Sean Castro had nearly limitless resources, but as luck would have it, he was coming close to the end of that ‘nearly limitless’ supply. The longer his battle waged on with Avenged Sevenfold, the more resources he used, and he was becoming tired of the cat and mouse game they had going on.

“I’m not here because of what happened with Michelle,” his guest snapped at him. “All you need to know is that I’m here to protect my interests. I don’t want my family being destroyed because of you.”

“Ah yes, that would be a matter of shame now, wouldn’t it?” Sean asked his guest, smirking. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that you and your spouse are expecting a child in the near future, isn’t that correct? Of course, it would be a very sad series of events if that child were to be caught in the crossfire of a pointless war.”

“I’m not here to talk about politics, Castro,” the person snapped, glaring at him angrily. “I’ll make sure that Avenged Sevenfold is removed from Bat Country. But, as in any business deal, I have terms you must meet, or I’m not going to go through with this. And both of us know that you need me to get Bat Country.”

“And tell me, what are these terms of yours?”

“My family does not get touched,” his guest told him slowly, making his tone of voice very clear. “You are to leave them alone. You will give me warning before you strike so that I have time enough to get them to safety.”

“That sounds reasonable. I wouldn’t want another family to die at my hands,” Sean said sarcastically before he sighed. “But I can agree with that term. Three people to spare isn’t too much. And what are your other terms?”

“You are not to kill any member from Papa Roach or Good Charlotte, or their families. They have nothing to do with your fight with Avenged Sevenfold, and as far as I’m concerned, they are to be protected from the destruction.”

“You’re testing my patience,” Sean sighed as he glared at the person sitting across from him. “You seem to be forgetting that I am fighting a war here, not some petty little fight. Papa Roach and Good Charlotte are known allies of Avenged Sevenfold. Why should I go out of my way to keep them safe when they’ll challenge my rule of Bat Country once I get it?”

“Because it’s the only way you’ll have my support in this,” his guest told him, narrowing their eyes angrily. “If I had it my way, you’d kill none of them. The only person in this war that deserves death is you, Castro. And don’t forget it.”

Sean chuckled, and then sighed. “Very well. You want your family protected, as well as two allies of Avenged Sevenfold. Are there any more terms?”

“Just two,” his guest spoke softly. “And if you don’t follow through on this, I will see to it that my face is the last you see before you die.”

“Enlighten me,” Sean smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. So far, his newest ally was only proving to amuse him. If this person honestly expected him to follow through with any of these terms, they didn’t know who Sean Castro really was. The next words spoken, however, threw him for a loop, and he could honestly say he was surprised.

“I want you to kill Leigh, since you put her in the state she’s in. You’re the only person that can kill her, and she’s a threat. I want you to promise me that you’ll put her out of her misery by ending her life.”

“And your other condition?”

“Eliza and Zack live. You don’t lay a finger on them. If you agree to those terms, I will help you take down Avenged Sevenfold.”

-x-

“I saw the way you were looking at Harlow earlier,” Zacky murmured into Eliza’s neck, breathing in the scent of her hair as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. The redhead sighed softly as she leaned into his hold, smiling as he held her.

“Have you ever thought about it? Having a family, I mean,” she murmured as she looked up at him, wondering what he’d say to her about that. he thought about it for a minute, and then sighed softly as he moved his hands down onto her hips.

“Baby, right now’s not really the time to be thinking about starting a family,” he muttered, not wanting to get into this with her right now. He’d had a feeling that that was why she was looking at Harlow the way she had been, and he couldn’t deny that he’d seen her looking at Jacoby and Kelly’s kids the same way. There was no doubt in his mind that Eliza wanted a family, and he desperately wanted to be able to give that to her someday. But now, there was too much going on. There was too much at risk to be distracted by something like a pregnancy, and she needed to know that.

“I know we can’t do it now,” she told him, grabbing onto his shoulders. “But someday. Would you consider it? Or is it completely out of the plan?”

He smiled down at her softly, shaking his head as he pushed her hair behind her ear, leaning down to brush his lips across hers softly before giving her hips a light squeeze. “No, Eliza. It’s not completely out of the plan. Someday, when all of this is past, if you still want to start a family with me, we’ll start thinking about it.”

Eliza smiled and then nodded as she leaned her head onto his shoulder. His words weren’t exactly what she’d wanted to hear, but they worked for her. She could handle the fact that he didn’t want to start a family now, just as long as he would want to someday. That was all she wanted, and she could agree that now wasn’t really the best of timing.

“Alright,” she whispered as she held onto him. “I love you, Zack.”

“I love you too, baby,” he murmured into her hair before looking up as Matt walked into the room, looking a little worried. “What’s up, Shads?”

“We need to call a meeting now. Everything’s been set up, and we need to discuss what our next course of action is,” he said softly before looking at Eliza with a small, apologetic smile. He always hated pulling Zack away from her, especially when the two of them were getting much-needed alone time. But he also knew that they needed to concentrate on getting rid of Castro once and for all, and that was what he needed to think about. Zack nodded, and then looked down at Eliza.

“I’ll see you tonight, baby. Wear something sexy,” he said with a light tone of voice before following Matt out of the room, leaving Eliza alone again. She was confused by what Matt had said, but she hoped that everything worked out alright. The last thing they needed was another discourse of action.