The Pain I've Grown to Know

Jimmy and Leana burst into the tattoo shop just as Zack took his son on his arm, pulling Lea up with him as he stood. The shoulder of his sweatshirt was wet by her tears. As Sonny finally awoke from his frozen state, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and steadied her as Zack's full attention was now focused on his son's face. Sonny couldn't help but smile as his fingers slowly raised her chin in order to have her look at Zion and Zack.

"Look at them L. "

He whispered into her ear and he felt her tilt her head a little into the given direction.
Zion studied Zack's face with interest, it was obvious that he marveled about Zack's vibrant green eyes, that looked so much like his own. He pointed both his little index fingers towards his snake bites before touching them, gently pulling on them as the tip of his tongue appeared in the corner of his mouth, as if concentrating on something very demanding.

"Zion, what did mommy say about pulling on piercings? That's not nice, stop it!"

Lea mouthed, not really able to hide a small smile cross her face, as Zack bit the inside of his cheeks to suppress a smile himself. Zion turned his head to his mother, letting go of the two steel rings in Zack's lip. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Lea, raising his hand towards Zack's septum piercing. She knew the look on his face, and she knew he'd be challenging her authority...he was s much like his father when he gave her this almost teasing smirk.

"I am warning you Zion James Hernandez! If you touch that ring, you're not getting any cookies tonight...I mean it!"

Zack threw a look over to his ex fiance and then looked back down to Zion, who looked like he was contemplating whether his mother would go through with this threat or not. His hand was slowly lowered again, as Zack said:

" I don't mind if you touch it little man, it's OK. I'll even get you a big cookie!"

He heard Zion chuckle as his hand went immediately for his septum ring. Everyone broke out in laughter or giggles as they adored the two boys grew closer already. Everyone apart from Lea. She narrowed her eyes, closed in on Zacky and snatched her son out of his arms, staring down at Zion and then at the man across from her, who was confused and still had his arms up.

"You're in his life for 5 fucking minutes and are already corrupting him, and make him disobey me. Who the hell do you think you are thinking you have the right to do this! Back the fuck off and stop thinking you have anything to say when it comes to the way I have raised my kid!"

She almost screamed at him, not caring about what the people surrounding her thought. How dare he just burst into hers and Zion's life, claiming a part in it and twisting the mind of her son! She might have been over reacting, it was not a big deal that Zacky allowed him to touch his piercings, and she had to admit the two did look adorable together...but that was not the point! The point was, that she had raised him alone for the past 15 months and he was now meddling with things.

"What? What's the big deal, we're talking cookies here Lea! Come on, don't be a bitch and overreact like this, I am just trying to gain my son's trust here."

He could hear Leana and Lea draw in a sharp breath, and Sonny pressed his lips together as well. Fuck, calling her a bitch was uncalled for! It had slipped his lips and he must have sounded harsher than he had planned.

"So you haven't learned anything from that night 2 years ago, have you Baker? You are trying to blackmail my son with cookies, so that he likes you? I didn't think you'd get that low. And thanks for calling me a bitch on top of that, really shows me that you care about him."

The door opened and Matt , Johnny and Brian walked in, interrupting the argument, without knowing what it was about. Lea growled, grabbing her jacket and turning towards the door, that Johnny still held open. She rushed towards it and stopped inches away from Brian's face, staring up at him.

"I can't believe you have the guts to show your face around here. I had hoped that you and that sleazy bastard over there had died from STDs by now! Out of my way Haner, before I kick my knees into your balls, something I should have done 2 years ago after finding out that you fucking spiked my drink. You do know that I could actually report that night as a rape! You are so lucky I didn't want the band's name to suffer, otherwise you'd still be sitting in prison right now! And you-"

she pushed her son into Matt's arms without asking if he would take him

"- you are coming with me before you pound their worthless asses to pieces coz I can see in your eyes right now that that is what you are thinking off. There is not gonna be a fight in front of my son even though I would love to punch them myself right now."

Matt didn't question her and followed her out the door, not able to take his eyes of her. Even though she was walking away from and there were at least 6 feet between them by now, he could still smell her perfume, that sunny summery smell that he had missed so much, but never forgotten.

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Zack was about to storm after Lea and Matt, but Jimmy held him back as good as he could. He knew that nothing good would come of it if he'd try and force Lea to talk to him right now. Zack had hurt her, once more, and she would need some time to realize that he didn't mean it the way it had sounded. Maybe being around Matt would be good for her, she had always trusted Matt and Jimmy knew that Matt had taken it even harder than Zack, as she had left.

"Let go of me Jimmy! This is my kid, and I have a right to see him! She is not going to disappear again!"

"You know what? I gonna wait till Matt comes back later and we will beat the living shit out of you and Haner! What the hell do you think you were doing, just allowing Brian to fuck her...and you, you worthless piece of shit, you have another thing coming from all of us...drugging her so that she doesn't resist, she is right man, you fucking raped her and you got away with it! You are so low...-"

Zack's fist connected with Brian's jaw and his head snapped back, sending him tumbling against the glass door. Jimmy held on to Zack once again, and this time, the tattooist assisted him, probably not wanting them to spill any blood in his shop, the publicity wouldn't be the best.

"You fucking cocksucker! You told me you fucked her, that you didn't use a rubber...but you left out oh-so-conveniently that you fucking spiked her drink so that you could have your way with her! I agreed that I wouldn't go mad if she fucked you...but at no time did I agree you can drug her so that you succeed! What the fuck Brian...you're supposed to be my friend and not some guy that spikes drinks to rape a woman!"

Zack tried to take another swing at Brian, but was held back by Jimmy and Sonny successfully this time, he started kicking around him, trying to get Brian's knee caps or his groin. He was frantic. All the time he had blamed himself for being responsible that she had left, it was weighing heavy on him that he had agreed to the bargain Brian had proposed, and had to admit, that he was almost jealous when his friend had told him that she in deed was as tight as he always mentioned....and all this time he had been lied to about the real circumstances.

"I can't believe he did that Jimmy...drugged her and fucked her after, making me believe he had given her a good time and that she felt bad for having done it. How can I be friends with someone that deceives me so bad, and not even notice?! Fuck, I need a drink, I'll be at The Duke. Keep Haner away from me or I'll guarantee for nothing!"

He growled, suppressing tears as he left the tattoo shop and took a left turn towards the bar he had met Lea about half an hour ago. He needed booze, he needed to drown his guilty conscience, numb his anger, or he would kill Brian. Once more, Zack was disgusted at himself for having had accepted Brian's offer back then. And now, he had fucked up with Lea again, screaming at her in front of her boy, their boy, just jumping at the opportunity to make Zion like him...one look into his eyes and that familiar smile made him feel like he had known his son forever.
His heart ached again, thinking of his son. Zion had his eyes and Lea's smile, her lips. His skin was not as tanned as hers, it came more after him. He had dark hair, almost black, and it was straight, not having inherited his mother's full mane of curls.
He smiled as he entered the bar: he had been right though, when he had suggested to Lea that their first born would be a boy! He stood at the bar, waiting to be served.

"Bottle of JD and one glass! I just found out I'm a father!"