Glass

"C'mon, Man, you can't sit up here all night," Brian crossed his arms over his chest. If he had been forced into a suit, then Zack would have to suffer with him. The Pearl had a very strict dress code on Sunday nights. Suit and tie, no jeans.

"Says who?" Zack muttered, pouting. Brian rolled his eyes at how incredibly selfish his friend was being. He really did resemble a child, pouting in the corner of the room. The only thing that reminded him of his friend being just over thirty years old, was the fact that he too was dressed in a fitted tux.

"Says me," A deep voice cut in and Brian looked up, eyes locking with Matt's. He gave the singer a warning look, telling him to be cautious around Zack, "I'm not saying it to be a dick, Zack," Matt sighed.

"I'm sure," Zack sneered and Matt bit back a remark and took a step forward, sighing as he did so.

"Listen," He sat down at the edge of the bed, "Craig is going to be there tonight. He's not an idiot, Zack. If he sees all of us there, but not you, he's going to be suspicious of us."

"You seem to only be concerned about what happens to us," Zack spat out.

Matt glared, "I'm sick of your shit, Zack," He snapped, "I get it. You're pissed at me. Newsflash, Zack, everyone is fucking pissed at me," Matt pointed to himself. He breathed hard, staring directly at Zack as he adverted his green eyes away from the singer, "You must be really fucking dense if you think that I don't care about Violet. In case you've forgotten, she was my friend too. I looked after her like a sister, Man. So don't fucking sit around and pout because you think you're alone in this."

Zack didn't say anything. Instead, he kept his eyes on the black and white pattern that adorned the carpet of the hotel room. Taking in his silence, Matt sighed and shook his head, quickly turning on his heels before slamming the door as he exited.

Brian turned to the guitarist, taking in his sad sight, "Zack..." He started.

"We're falling apart, aren't we?" Zack asked softly, looking at the hands in his lap.

Brian pursed his lips, looking out along the Vegas skyline, "It seems that way... Yes."

"All of us," He shook his head, "How did we even last this long?"

"Like you said," Brian put a hand on his shoulder, "If there was anything she taught us... it was hope."

Zack shook his head, "I... I can't do this, Bri. I can't," He could feel the tears swelling up in his eyes, "What could I possibly say to her? What could I possibly do?"

"I don't know," Brian stated softly, "I'm sorry, but I really don't. All you can do is show up, knowing you have the rest of us to back you up."

"It's going to be bad isn't it?" Zack asked. He could just imagine the bruises she would attempt to cover up with her makeup. He could almost picture Craig's arm wrapped tightly around her, never wanting to let her go.

He sighed, "I don't know what's going to happen tonight, Zack. But you have to understand that you might not like what you see."

"I know."

Deep down, Zack knew that he wasn't prepared to see Violet again. He was ready to see her, take her home, and love her forever - but it wasn't the same thing. He wasn't sure what to expect. What if she didn't remember him? What if she wanted nothing to do with him?

"The limo is here," Brian interrupted his thoughts.

Zack stood, straightening his uncomfortable tie as he checked himself in the mirror. He turned, nodded to his friend, before following him out the door.

-

The club was loud as ever. Their management team had managed to place a Deathbat on every empty piece of wall possible. Zack couldn't deny he was kind of impressed. Loud club music was replace with modern rock. Girls half dressed in fishnet stockings were dancing on the tables.

"You gotta admit, this is kind of cool," Jimmy shrugged.

"Yeah, it is," Zack sighed.

"C'mon," Jimmy grabbed his arm before dragging him away from the rest of the band, "Let's get some alcohol in you before this shit blows up," He suggested and Zack laughed.

He knew that despite having all his focus on Violet, he still had an amazing group of friends. Even though he didn't want to be around them sometimes, they always managed to lend a hand.

"You ready for this?" Jimmy asked as he handed him a glass of jack and coke.

"Nope," Zack sighed and he nodded.

"Well, I am," Jimmy smiled, "She's been gone too long. And think of this as the first step to getting her back to us."

"Yeah," He whispered and looked down at his glass.

Zack could feel his chest starting to tighten up as his lungs began to close. He took another sip of his drink, keeping his eyes fixated anywhere but the club in front of him.

"Well, it's nice to see you again Mr. Vengeance," A voice stated from behind him. Zack inhaled deeply, ready to see the petite blonde at Craig's side. He turned around, shocked to see that Craig stood alone, dressed to impress.

"Yeah," Zack muttered and managed to hold his hand out to shake Craig's.

"I see you've helped yourself to tonight's open bar," He smiled, "Also, the VIP section upstairs has been arranged specifically for you guys. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask my staff," He assured them.

"Thanks, we appreciate it," Zack forced out.

"I heard your tour was very successful. Almost every show sold out," He smiled. Zack couldn't believe it. The man was actually making small-talk with him. It was as if Violet didn't even exist.

"Yeah. We've been very fortunate. It's nice to do stuff like this and give back to the fans," Zack stated, beginning to feel himself calm down. Maybe Craig had a change of heart and wouldn't bring Violet after all. Maybe she was back at Caesar's palace, waiting for him to go and save her.

Before Craig could say another word, a well-dressed man in a suit appeared at his side. It was clear to Zack that he was on Craig's personal security team. He recognized the small earpiece hooked in his ear, a walkie-talkie on his hip. He remembered seeing them the last time he had been in one of Craig's clubs.

"Mr. Stevenson, the limo just pulled up. Miss Kennedy should be arriving on the East wing in about five minutes," He informed the blue-eyed man and Zack could feel his heart sink.

She was here. She was so close to him. She was within a hundred yards from him, and all he could do was stand still and remain silent. Anxiety washed through Zack. What could he possibly do? Craig was watching him like a hawk, and Violet would never leave his side. He was beginning to think that rescuing Violet was impossible.

"Please get all security to that side. I'm sure the paparazzi will want a word with her. I want her safely brought to the VIP section without any trouble. Understood?" Craig questioned.

"Yes, Sir," The other man stated before quickly walking off.

Craig smiled, turning back to Zack. Jimmy had now placed his hand firmly on his upper arm, ready to pull him back in case he lost it.

"Sorry to cut this short. I'll be needing to be with my fiancee. Please enjoy. We'll be up in a while to say hello to the rest of you," Craig smiled pleasantly before walking off, disappearing into the crowd of dancers.

Zack stopped, furrowing his eyebrows, "Jimmy?" He questioned.

"Yeah?" Jimmy took a drink from the bar, handing it to his friend.

"Did...Did he just say fiancee?" Zack asked, his voice weak. Still, his friend could hear him over the music and his eyes widened.

"Um..."

Before Jimmy could answer, Zack stormed off. He turned quickly to head up to the opposite VIP section, ready to tell Brian what was going on. He needed his advice. He needed Brian to tell him it was going to be okay, or give him some excuse as to why Violet would agree to such a thing in the first place. He needed comfort.

Jimmy chased after him, losing him in the crowd along the way as the guitarist climbed the steps to the second floor. He cursed, knowing the night had just suddenly turned for the worse. How was he going to explain this one?

Zack stormed past security and the various dancers, approaching the table where the rest of the band sat, all with drinks in the hands. He hated how calm they looked. How could they be so calm at a time like this?

"She's engaged?!" Zack yelled, "She's fucking engaged to Craig!" Zack exclaimed as Jimmy ran up behind him. The three members of the band turned their eyes towards the drummer, glaring intently.

"You told him!?" Brian accused and Jimmy put his hands up in defense, shaking his head profusely.

"No! Craig was down there and he said it! I didn't do anything I swear!" Jimmy defended.

"Wait... what?" Zack snapped and the four friends turned, eyes wide as they found Zack. He was shaking with fury, and they were sure his usual pale skin was now tinted with red with anger, "What do you mean told me?" He questioned.

"Oh fuck," Brian cursed and Zack glared.

"How could he have told me without knowing first?" Zack accused.

"Zack..." Brian started.

"You fucking knew!" Zack pointed at Jimmy, who hung his head. He didn't want to see the anger in Zack's eyes. He had already seen his friend in enough pain, "You knew she was fucking engaged to him! You all knew!?" He looked around, seeing his friends all carrying the same guilty look in their eyes.

"We were worried about you," Matt stepped forward, "We were worried that if you knew, you'd fly off the deep end again."

Zack felt his eyes begin to water. He couldn't even attempt to hold back the hot tears forming in the corners of his eyes, "You thought this would help me!? You thought that if I didn't know, everything would piece itself together again!? No wonder you don't want me finding her! You obviously don't want me breaking up the wedding!"

"That's not it, Zack," Brian defended, "We were worried about you. You drink yourself into oblivion every night and it's all because of her. How would you have taken it if you found out, huh? You'd be six feet under."

"And just what else did you lie to me about, huh!? Did you lie about anything else about her?"

"Zack..." Brian trailed off.

"Tell me!" Zack yelled at the top of his lungs and his friend sighed. He adverted his brown eyes to the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Zack... There's something you need to know about Violet," He started, "Well, she..."

Just then two figures emerged from the top of the stairs, the VIP area suddenly cleared for just the band and the other VIP guests.

"Are we interrupting something?" Craig asked and Zack looked up.

For the first time in a year, he saw life again. He saw the woman who stole his heart.
He saw her in the arms of another man.

What hurt the most was the dazzling smile on her face. Like she was right where she belonged.