Where You Belong

The months seemed to fly by.

Mason was slowly but surely approaching the ten month mark. He was fully crawling now, and he was fucking fast. I'd officially been cast into motherhood, as I had to constantly watch where he was going and what he was doing. Zack had had to put up gates around the house so he wouldn't get hurt. I was already dreading the day when he started walking.

The boys had begun writing new material again, but only every once in a while. Whenever they felt inspired, they all took off to Brian or Matt's studio. Zack was often holed up in his music room, surrounded by guitars and music sheets. Occasionally, either a couple of the guys or the whole group would make a random trip for a TV or radio interview. There were even a few shows scattered about in their schedule.

The girls and I stuck together whenever the guys were gone. We'd either meet at on of our homes, or have an outing with the Avenged family members. Something to pass the time. Lacey was finishing her school work for the year, and Michelle was still running Brian's clothing line for him. She also did her own fashion-related work on the side. Val was still modeling every now and then, though a lot of times, she and Leana got together because they were the least busy of our group. Leana had just put the finishing touches on her and Jimmy's wedding plans, and was simply counting down the days.

"Good Lord," I grumbled, grunting as I attempted to run a comb through the mass of golden curls on top of Mason's head, "Whose fucking genes gave him this hair? They sure aren't mine."

Rolling her eyes, my mother got up from the other sofa she'd been sitting on, and walked over to Mason and I. He was seated in my lap, his concentration solely on the toy car that Johnny had gotten him as I struggled to do something with his hair.

With a dramatic sigh, she plucked him up from my lap, "Come to Grandma, you poor baby. Your crazy Mommy doesn't even know how to do your hair, huh?" she cooed, covering his face with kisses. He squealed, grinning happily up at her as she sat him on her lap.

I rolled my eyes, "Who the hell in our family has curly black people hair? I don't know what to do with that!"

"Watch your language around the baby," she hissed with another roll of her eyes, leaning over and digging through her purse, "A black baby is a black baby, honey. No matter how thick, curly, or nappy their head is, you're supposed to get you some oil and a pick."

I watched as she effortlessly massaged some sort of oil into Mason's hair, softening it immediately before she began combing his hair with a pick. The wide teeth of the pick made it easy enough to rake through his hair without it getting caught, while still smoothing out his thick, dark locks. Once she was satisfied, she smoothed it down some with her fingers and set him back down on the floor so that he could play.

I huffed to myself as she smirked, "Grandmama knows best."

"Please, mother. Don't ever refer to yourself as 'grandmama' again. You're the most prim and proper person I know." I muttered with a shake of my head, watching as my mother and Mason locked eyes, grinning at each other.

"Boy, tell your Mommy to hush her mouth! Say, 'hush your mouth, Mommy!' Your Mommy must think she's grown, but she knows I'll knock her straight in her teeth, talking junk to me! Isn't that right, baby?" she cooed, ruffling Mason's hair.

I rolled my eyes, muttering incoherently as I stood from the couch and made my way out of the living room. Running a hand through my hair, I sighed lightly and ambled into the kitchen in search of something to eat. My stomach had been growling for a while, though I'd tried to ignore it. I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for; all I knew was that I wanted to eat.

I rummaged through the cabinets and pantry, as well as the fridge. Nothing was really popping out to me, though I did grab some Goldfish for the hell of it. I placed the box of Goldfish on the island before continuing my search. Within five minutes, I'd ended up with Neapolitan ice cream and was well on my way to finishing a batch of bacon in the frying pan.

I nearly moaned in delight as the last piece of bacon finished cooking, pulling it out of the pan with a spatula and setting it on the plate with other pieces. My stomach was growling so loudly that it was a wonder the whole house hadn't heard it. I grabbed a spoon and opened up the ice cream, getting a spoonful of it before slapping a piece of bacon on it. I shoved the spoon in my mouth and sighed happily.

"Damn, this is good," I mumbled, allowing my eyes to flutter shut as I prepared another spoonful of ice cream for some bacon, "Why did I never think of this combination before?"

I took a break from the ice cream and bacon and moved onto the Goldfish, scooping some into my hand and popping them one by one into my mouth. I ended up pouring myself a glass of grape juice to go with them. They were good, but it didn't take me long to abandon them and move back to the ice cream and bacon...permanently.

I'd nearly finished the entire tub by the time I heard footsteps wandering in the direction of the kitchen. They were heavy, much heavier from my mother's footsteps, and so I looked to the doorway to see who was walking in. Smiling, I waved at Matt, who strolled into the kitchen.

"Hey, shortie," he grinned, pulling me into a quick hug before hopping up onto the counter, "How's it going?"

I smiled softly, turning back to my ice cream, "Everything is everything, Mattie. You?"

"Swell," his raspy voice chuckled, "Very swell."

I giggled at his choice of vocabulary, "What brings you to Casa Vengeance?"

He shrugged lightly, "We were at the beach when I got a couple of ideas I wanted to put down. You guys live closest to where we were, so we came here."

I nodded in understanding, "Sounds cool. I can't wait to see what you've come up with."

I finished up the ice cream shortly, and proceeded to finish off the last of the bacon. As I munched away, Zack's signature cologne flooded my senses and captured my attention. A smile spread across my face as he nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck, arms wrapping around my waist and lips pressing to my skin.

"Hey, baby," he mumbled quietly, lip rings gliding across my skin as he spoke. I gave him a similar greeting, turning my body so that I could pull him closer to me as I fused our lips together. Matt gagged and grumbled from a few feet away, though we ignored him, "What are you up to?"

"Eating," I shrugged simply, holding up a piece of bacon.

Zack was quick to take a bite of the bacon, swallowing with a satisfied smile. I narrowed my eyes playfully before handing the last of it to him. I moved on to another piece once he'd taken that one out of my hand, listening as he and Matt began discussing the song they wanted to start working on. It was all musician talk, so I didn't understand much of what they were saying.

"What else did you make?" Zack asked once Matt had gotten a phone call, turning so that he could talk to whoever was on the other end.

I furrowed my brow, "What do you mean?"

"Like, what else did you cook? Surely you made something else to go with the bacon; you always do," he chuckled, swaying us from side to side as he placed a few more ginger kisses to the nape of my neck.

I shook my head, "I didn't make anything. I mean, I ate some ice cream just now and had some Goldfish, but that's basically it."

Zack blinked at me, "Ice cream?"

I nodded honestly, "Uh huh."

"And Goldfish?"

"Yeah."

"...With bacon."

"Mmhmm," I answered slowly, wondering why in the hell he was looking at me like I'd lost my mind, "It was so good!"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Woman, I think you've gone off the deep end."

I rolled my eyes at that, "No, I haven't. I was just hungry, and those were the first things I could think of to eat."

I suddenly didn't feel in the best mood. I gave Zack a kiss before excusing myself from the room, leaving him and Matt alone in the kitchen. I heard them hissing whispers at each other as I walked down the hallway, but had no idea as to what they were bickering about.

Wandering past the living room, I saw that my mother had Mason watching some children's show where they had a lot of music and dancing. Mason seemed extremely into it as he was gripping onto the edge of the coffee table, bouncing in place as the music played.

I continued up the staircase. I trudged slowly, taking my time with each step before I finally made it to the top. I went straight to the master bedroom and stripped out of my outfit, hoping to find something more comfortable to wear. I quickly changed into a simple white cami and some old running shorts before crawling onto the bed, laying on my side as I flipped on the TV.

Nothing that was on was of interest to me, though I left the TV on whatever channel it was on. With a sigh, I rolled over and stared at the dots of the ceiling. I was tempted to count all of them, but at the same time, I was just too lazy to do so.

Just as I was getting comfortable enough to take a nap, I heard Zack enter the room, "You feeling okay?"

I shrugged, "I'unno. Kind of, I guess."

He chuckled at that, "Baby, what am I supposed to make of that?"

I giggled, too, "I don't know. I don't feel bad, but I don't feel like myself. It's weird, and kind of hard to explain."

"I see," he replied thoughtfully, crawling onto the bed with me and pulling me back into his chest, "No bra today?"

I knew what he was thinking and shook my head, "It didn't feel all that comfortable so I took it off."

I could almost see him raising his eyebrows, "Babe, you always wear a bra. You sleep in those fuckers." he stated pointedly.

"Well, I just don't feel like wearing one today, okay?" I snapped, curling up into a ball. Zack was quiet from behind me, and I immediately felt bad, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap, I just don't feel like myself, is all."

He sighed quietly, "Are you sick?"

I shrugged, "I don't think so. I don't feel sick."

He didn't say anything else as his grip tightened around me, his right arm falling just under my bust. The room was fairly silent for a few minutes, though we could hear my mother and the TV from downstairs. I assumed that Matt was still on the phone or something, as Zack didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to entertain his guest.

Instead, he stayed right where he was, raking his fingers back and forth across my ribs. I shivered. His touch was light and gentle, yet firm enough that I knew he was there. It was comforting, and I inched closer into his warm body as I felt myself being lulled to sleep.

I was vaguely aware of the small, insignificant patterns that he traced against my clothed skin, my stomach squirming when he would move on to a newer area to trace. First went my ribs, then just above my navel, and to my side before starting back at my ribs. I smiled, feeling the warmth of his skin heat my own. Sensually, he trailed soft, feathery kisses along the nape of my neck, and suddenly, I wasn't so sleepy anymore.

It was like my body had an internal switch. One second I was nearly asleep, and the next, I was wide awake, breathing heavily and hot to the touch. Zack looked alarmed at my sudden movement and went to speak, but I was quick to silence him. Taking his bottom lip in between my own lips, I sucked rather roughly on it as I crawled onto his lap, pushing his back down against the mattress.

He broke the kiss, eyeing me with a confused expression, "Baby, are you feeling o--"

"Shut up," I moaned lightly, covering his body with my own.

I wasted no time in tearing off my t-shirt and attacking his lips with my own, a sound of approval leaving his throat soon after. I wasn't quite sure why I was suddenly so...frisky, for lack of a better word, but I knew that I had a few needs that needed to be met. I was certainly glad that the door was closed, and hopefully locked, as well.

For several minutes, Zack and I shared a rather heated kiss as my hands wildly roamed his clothed chest. His hands stayed tangled in my hair, and I was just fine with that. I continued my assault, breaking our kiss once more and moving to nibble the skin just under his ear. He grunted, one hand moving down to my hip and firmly holding it in place. In an instant, I felt his erection rise from under me, and involuntarily let out a rather obnoxious moan.

That got his attention. I continued with what I was doing, trailing my lips down his neck and to his collar bone before growing frustrated, "More skin!"

With that, I grabbed Zack's shirt by the collar and yanked my hands down, ripping the button down shirt he wore right open. He turned his gaze to me, a shocked expression crossing his features. I grinned, my hands immediately gravitating towards his soft, creamy skin. Moving myself down his body, I covered every inch of his chest with bites and kisses, giggling as he kept a hard grip on my upper arm.

"Baby," he groaned with a hiss of pleasure, "Your mom's just downstairs. Matt's only a few doors down."

Usually I would care, but not today, it seemed. I ignored his statement and traveled back up his body, straddling his legs once more. He moved to protest again but I stopped him, taking hold of his hands and placing them on my breasts, allowing him to feel my hardened nipples, "I'm horny. And I don't care who's in this house, as long as you fuck me 'til I can't breathe."

It only took two seconds for Zack to have me on my back, completely undressed with my legs spread wide. Whereas I usually would've squirmed under his touch, this time I simply egged him on, whispering encouragingly as he buried his face in between my legs.

As soon as Zack's mouth met my warm flesh, he was forced to clamp a hand over my mouth as I cried out. Pleasure swarmed my body as his tongue plunged into my core, leaving me breathless. Again and again I chanted his name as he brought me closer to the release I sought. It didn't take long for it to become too much for me to handle, as Zack had to hold my hips down, but of course, he didn't stop there.

Before I could think any further, he removed his mouth from me and climbed in between my legs and roughly pushed three fingers into me. I couldn't help but to scream as my body was racked with pleasure. With a chuckle, he leaned forward and captured my lips in a kiss, silencing my cries. As time went on, I continuously clawed at his back, letting him know that I wanted more.

"What part of 'fuck me' don't you get?" I growled, ripping my mouth from his. I impatiently reached forward and yanked his belt aloose, then off. His pants dropped to the ground and I smiled widely at that.

Cocking an eyebrow, he slipped his boxers off before reaching for my ankle, grabbing hold of it and using his grip on me to completely flip my body over. I landed softly on my stomach, shuddering as he rubbed a hand up and down my spine in a possessive manner. Looking back at him over my shoulder, I took note of the smirk he wore on his face, and giggled.
Zack's grin matched my own, "We'll see who understands the meaning of being fucked."

***

[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]

Matt shook his head as I sauntered inside of the room, heading straight to my red Schecter and picking it up. Setting the guitar in my lap once I sat down, I then leaned forward and grabbed my pack of cigarettes off the coffee table. I was in need of some serious oxygen.

"Shut the fuck up, man," I muttered, taking a deep drag of the cancer stick before setting it down in the ashtray, "I don't even know where that came from. One minute she was grumpy and wanting to be left alone, and the next, I was pinned to the bed and she's ripped both our shirts off. Total fucking one-eighty!"

He chuckled with another shake of his head as I absentmindedly played a few chords I'd had stuck in my mind. I couldn't exactly figure out what was with my girlfriend's behavior, but at the same time, given the result, I didn't mind it a bit. If mood swings like that got me sex like that, then wow. Scream away.

"She on her period or something?" Matt asked, scratching the back of his head, "Girls are usually pissy and then sweet like that during 'that time of the month'." he rolled his eyes, using quotation fingers as he spoke.

"Obviously she isn't if we just finished fucking," I answered slowly, cringing at the idea.

He shrugged, "You two are like fucking rabbits; it's not like I keep up with your habits enough to know."

I smirked, "Right. Well, she's not. I don't know what that was about, but I could use a little more of it."

He snorted then, "She's knocked out, I'm guessing?"

"Surprisingly, no," I laughed with a shake of my head, "She was nowhere near finished, but Kimmy came and knocked on the door, yelling for us to 'shove it so the baby can sleep'."

"No shit!" he howled with laughter, clutching his stomach as he set down his beer, "It's a wonder Kimmy didn't go in there and kick both you guys' asses."

I didn't bother to stop the grin that crept up onto my face, "She loves me too much. Anyway, she's up there packing for Vegas."

"Ahh, Vegas," Matt sighed, leaning back into the leather couch, folding his hands behind his head, "Vegas, Vegas, Vegas."

I barked out a laugh, "Oh, the things we can get into while in Vegas."

He shook his head, "The last place Rev needs to get married."

I had to agree, "But could you honestly fucking picture them anywhere else?"

"Not at all," he chuckled, handing me some lyrics he'd jotted down on a piece of paper, "But damn, is this weekend gonna be fucking insane."

"Understatement," I nodded, putting out my cigarette and leaning forward to look over the lyrics, "Let's get to it."

For a couple of hours we worked, figuring out what sounded best musically, as well as switching the lyrics around to sound more appealing. We worked out the message we hoped to portray through the song, though the song still had a long way to go. We'd hammer it out later and pass it by the rest of the guys.

Once we finished up, Matt and I talked. Word had it that Leana wanted to start trying for kids, and had Jimmy a little spooked. I knew they'd make great parents in the end; it would just take them both a little while to get there. Matt seemed a little hesitant of the kids idea, though Val hadn't necessarily hinted at wanting children. Then again, she didn't have to. Her ability to nurture people was a natural to her as breathing; it didn't take a genius to realize how great of a mother she would be.

On the other hand, Johnny and Lacey were still the same. Johnny hadn't mentioned anything along the lines of marriage or kids, though that was to be expected. He was the youngest of the group; he was twenty five, just as Britt was. He wasn't exactly there yet, and I was sure Lacey felt the same. Besides, their relationship was still fairly new.

"How bout you, man?" Matt asked attentively, eyeing me as he finished off his beer.

I was confused, "What about me?"

"You and Britt," he shrugged his gaze staying settled on me, "You guys act as if you've been together for years."

I chuckled, "We basically have. We don't need to have an awkward stage and go through all the bullshit, man. You get that; you've been with Val for like fucking century."

"Yeah, yeah," he smirked, "But she's been my girlfriend since the beginning. The two of you just got together. If I didn't know you guys, I wouldn't know any better."

It was my turn to shrug, "Everything's just natural with her, I guess."

He nodded in approval, "That's how it should be. So, given that thought, what's going through your mind?"

"Dude, you're really getting on my fucking nerves with this cryptic shit," I threw him a rather annoyed look, and he cracked a smile.

"Thinking of getting hitched anytime soon?"