Untangle Me.

As soon as they'd got home Alex pushed straight past a wide eyed, confused Jake and an open-mouthed, equally confused Zack, before slamming his bedroom door and cutting off whatever Zack was going to say. Zack wasn't stupid, he knew what had happened but he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt that Alex wouldn't talk to him about it. After all, he'd been there to pick up the pieces that were left scattered around liberally last time and he'd seen firsthand the devastation that Jack Barakat could cause to Alexs' life. He figured he just needed to give Alex time and be there when he was ready to talk.

Time, it seemed, was something that Alex wanted a lot of. He spent the next few days holed up in his bedroom playing loud music all day in an attempt, Zack guessed, to cover up the choked sobs he'd heard when he's passed the older boys room in the otherwise silent apartment at night.

The only time he'd venture out of bed and into the real world was when he tucked Jake into bed and read to him from his tatty, dog-eared favourite copy of The Lion King.
It was clear that Alex was trying to put on a brave face for his unsuspecting son but the nights when Zack would lurk at the door frame and just watch the scene in front of him, he didn't miss the way Alexs' formerly over-the-top and lively voice for Simba had lost it's enthusiasm, and the way he would sometimes stop reading all together and just watch Jake with a sad smile on his face.

It was clear that the older man was hurting and was breaking down under the worry and stress that he hadn't seen coming but he didn't even give Zack a chance to talk to him about it or even to just comfort him because as soon as Jakes' breathing evened out to signify that he was asleep, Alex would lean down and kiss him on the head before walking hastily back to his bedroom without as much as a glance at his best friend stood there.

***

It was almost a week later when Zack was laying half-asleep on the coach, staring into space. It was late enough at night that the movie he'd previously been watching had ended and the awful teleshopping adverts had taken over with the fake-tanned women with equally fake smiles trying to convince you that although you'd lived without a vegetable peeler/microwave/spaceship for the whole of you life, suddenly you will die without one.

It was the sound of a door creaking in the hallway which brought him out of his thoughts. He knew it was Jakes' door because when Alex had fixed the other hinges, he'd left Jakes', claiming that he wanted to be able to hear if there was a problem.

When Zack didn't hear the familiar sounds of the little boys footsteps slapping down on the wooden floor he pulled himself up onto his feet to investigate what was going on and to check that Jake was alright.

When he got to the boys door, he found it slightly ajar with a blue-ish glow filtering out from what he knew was the Thomas The Tank Engine night light that Alex had brought Jake when he'd started having nightmares. He looked around the door to see a sight that nearly broke his heart.

Alex had crawled into the little boys bed and was laying with Jake laying half-asleep in his arms. Zack could see the wet trails down his cheeks shining in the light and heard him sniffling quietly.
"Daddy, what's happened?" Jake mumbled, groggily.
"Nothing, baby. Daddy just wanted to see you." Alex replied, voice hoarse from crying.
After a few minutes, he pulled Jake into a sitting position and looked him straight in the eye.
"Daddy needs to tell you something, Jakey." He said, voice breaking slightly and Zack could see a fresh load of tears forming in his eyes. He held his breath in an attempt not to interrupt Alex. "You know Daddy would never hurt you, don't you?"
The little boy responded with an overenthusiastic nod.
"Well, Daddy just wants you to know that whatever happens, that will never change. I will never hurt you-" His voice broke as tears started pouring down his face.

"Alex?" Zack mumbled, and the older boy looked up startled to find him stood there. His expression changed into one of desperation quickly, though and Zack walked into the room and over and sat on the bed on Jakes' other side, wrapping a protective arm around both of them.

"Alex?" He repeated, almost in a whisper.
Alex looked up and with a sigh mumbled. "I need to go and see Jack."