A Helping Hand

August, 2005

Breathing heavily, Zacky dropped his head to rest on Indy’s sweaty chest as the pair tried to catch their breath. Indy had woken Zacky with her wandering hands, and it very quickly turned from her exploring his tattooed arms, back and chest to exploring beneath the waistband of his boxers. He eagerly responded to her touch, his body taking control and they spent the morning writhing and moaning as they leisurely made love.

“God that was good,” Indy breathed out, her hand running up and down Zacky’s back as they relaxed in post orgasmic bliss.

“Mmmmm,” he agreed, moaning in response to her words and to her magic fingers making his body melt. “What time is it?”

“About 10am,” she replied, looking at the alarm clock on her bedside table. She sighed heavily as he started to rise off her body.

“We better start getting ready to go,” he told her, hating having to move from his favourite position, but knowing they would be late if they didn't.

“I know, I know,” she said, nodding and pushing him to help him get up. “You hit the shower first, then I will go. I’ll feed the dogs, and start coffee.”

“Stupid tiny shower,” he grumbled in response.

Though Indy’s house was perfect for her and her dogs, having a significant other stay over nights proved that it was a little on the smaller side, Zacky had pointed out that her shower was especially small. They had tried to share a shower once before, thinking it would be romantic and erotic, but due to the construction of the older style house, it proved to be uncomfortable and painful when they kept elbowing one another by accident due to the confines of the glass walls.

The pair went about their morning routine, Zacky cleaning off before getting changed in the outfit he had worn the day previous, luckily managing to find a clean pair of boxers in Indy’s laundry pile from his last overnight stay. Indy had fed her dogs, given them some love and attention and had coffee ready and poured for Zacky when he entered the kitchen. She then went to have her own shower, making it as quick as possible so they could get back to Zacky’s to feed Icky and stop in at a liquor store before meeting everyone at Matt and Val’s for lunch.

Having been together for 4 months, the pair worked well together, finding a rhythm that suited them both on busy mornings like this mornings, and days they got to spend together. Since the completion of the album, Zacky had been busy with the band’s press tour to hype up the album before its release and when it finally hit the shelves they then promoted the upcoming tour. While he had been flat out with Avenged work on top of learning all the guitar parts to City Of Evil, Indy had been booked for session gigs almost every week. They would try to be with each other every evening for some couple time, meeting at either Zacky’s house, or Indy’s, depending on where they were that day.

Indy finished up getting ready, throwing on her bathing suit underneath a pair of black cut offs, her favourite sleeveless ‘Bad Religion’ top and a pair of flip flops on her feet. She made sure to grab a few beach towels on her way down the hall, knowing that the get together at Matt and Val’s would likely end up in the pool thanks to the heatwave currently burning California.

Soon Indy and Zacky were in his car, driving down the PCH towards Huntington. Indy was looking out the window to the blue ocean, the waves glistening under the bright sunlight. God it was beautiful. She had to admire Zacky’s town, he had made a good choice sticking in Huntington for so long and not getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of LA life as she had. Zacky turned the car away from the ocean, heading towards his house, and then suddenly stopped the car.

Indy looked at him curiously, her eyes hidden behind her aviators, but she saw him staring out the drivers window. She moved her head forwards so she could see around him, and gasped loudly.

“This is it,” Zacky said, his attention switching from outside to the woman on his right. He saw her open mouth and he grinned like a mad man. She clearly knew it was meant to be.

“This is it,” she agreed. Without another word the pair got out of the car and walked up the pathway to the real estate agent standing at the door.

“Good morning, my name is Lisa, are you here for the open house?” She asked, the question a little irrelevant as the signage and the balloons on the ‘For Sale’ sign basically advertised the open house for her.

“Yes, we are. We were just driving past and noticed it,” Zacky told her, shaking the hand she had thrust out to him before moving it to Indy.

“Excellent! The facade does scream out to you, doesn’t it?” she asked rhetorically. The facade really did scream out, but not in the way she was implying, more in a ‘PLEASE HELP ME’ kind of way. It was gorgeous nonetheless, but needed a little TLC to bring it back to its full potential.

“That it sure does” Indy agreed, putting on a giant fake smile for the woman. She was aching to step inside and explore the house.

“Before I let you in, I just need to grab some details,” she said, holding a pen poised on the paperwork filled folder in her arms. Zacky rattled off his details, sensing the urgency within Indy to get inside the house. “Perfect, thanks so much. Go on in, have a good look around, and come see me if you have any questions.”

The pair stepped over the threshold as fast as they could, exploring each and every inch of the 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home. Like the front, the inside was in desperate need of some love and care, but the layout, the high ceilings and the charm of the home encompassed sucked them in.

It was one story home that opened straight into a large open plan living area. There would be plenty of space for a few couches, a TV and a dining table towards the back of the room. To the right of the dining area was the kitchen which could do with a refresh, but was spacious enough that Indy was already looking at the possibility of installing a butler's pantry to hold the second fridge they would need to buy as their friends would definitely be coming by often. One of the walls of the living area lead to a small corridor that ran the length of the room and had three doors leading into it. One door was for a bathroom, and on either side of the bathroom were two large bedrooms. These would be perfect as a music room and spare room, Indy thought, the larger room definitely big enough to hold the gear of both Zacky and Indy. The master bedroom was to the immediate right of the living area on the opposite side to the spare rooms, and it had a walk in wardrobe and ensuite that would be roomy enough for a large shower capable of holding their two bodies at once.

Indy called Zacky’s name loudly as she wandered outside through the glass sliding doors off the kitchen. The yard was huge, already fully fenced with 8 foot tall fences, and contained a pool. Albeit a pool also in need of repair, but it was there! Just off the house was a fully covered patio that would be big enough to contain all their friends if they were to host a BBQ or any other festivity, and Indy was already picturing the hammock she would string up between the supports of the roof. The most exciting feature of the house was its views of the water, the slightly elevated land giving the backyard full ocean views.

“The fences are tall enough for Winston,” Zacky exclaimed as he joined his girlfriend outside. Indy wrapped her arms around him and watched as he took in the rest of the yard. The way his mind immediately started thinking of her dog’s wellbeing as soon as he got outside made her fall more in love with him.

“Is this crazy?” She asked him, needing his opinion before she let her mind run away further with decorating ideas. “I mean, we've been dating for like, 3 months. Is it crazy to move in together? To buy a house together?”

“This is our house, Indy. It called out to us. It’s a wreck, but it is meant for us. We can make it our home, fixing the paint on the walls, and the front of the house, and the pool. If we want to, we can knock down walls, put up new ones and make this space our own. We can renovate the bedrooms, we can make one a music room for all of our gear, one into a spare room, maybe one day turn one into a nursery,” he replied, his eyes full of wonder at the potential their future held. “I love you, I want to live with you, and I want this to be our home.”

“So do I,” Indy agreed, tucking her head into Zackys chest and standing in his embrace. The last four months had been a whirlwind for them as a couple, and now they were taking the biggest plunge yet. And there was no fear in Indy this time, only excitement.

They had managed to expedite the sale of the house with an offer the owners were more than happy with, and moved in the week before Zacky left for tour. As the house was empty, it was easy enough to fast track the paperwork and have the space ready for the couple almost 6 weeks later. With the move in came their first gathering after they persuaded all their friends to help each of them move their belongings into their new home with the promise of free beer and pizza. The tactic was successful, and between the Avenged boys, the Berrys, their close friend Dan (whose nickname of ‘The Body’ was not overstated, and very helpful when it came to move the heavier items) , Val, Indy and Mudrock, they had everything moved in to the new place that was not going to be sold or thrown.

6 days after they received the keys their first home, the tour bus pulled up out front and took Zacky away for the first leg of the City of Evil tour. The tours first gig was in San Diego, so Indy made the trip with Val that afternoon and watched their first performance. Though she had seen their practices in the lead up to the tour, they were nothing like the event the boys put on when they performed for their fans.

Indy stood side stage next to Val, the pair watching their men and their friends living their dream. Indy had to consciously make an effort to drag her eyes off her boyfriend and take in the rest of the show. It wasn’t easy, especially when he zoned right out and was feeling the music so intently that she felt as though she was interrupting him just by watching. The passion on his face was so intense it was almost intimate, and Indy couldn’t help but turn to mush. She once again reflected on how lucky she was that her life had led her to this point.

She, Indigo-Rose Katherine Murdock, had a successful career she had built on her own, was co-owner of a to-be-beautiful house, had two gorgeous, well behaved pups and was now step-mom to a crazy ball of fluff, and was head over heels in love with the man of her dreams. She had a great relationship with her father, especially now they were finished working together, and had been adopted into the Avenged family without a second thought. Her life had done a complete 180 within under a year, and she couldn’t help but wonder…

So, what now?