NORMAL POV

*6 months later*

“I know Eli, I know! Momma will be back soon I promise.” Chase said to Eli, who was screaming his little lungs out.

Kate groaned and pulled her hair.

“Chase this isn’t working. I thought you were good with kids?” Kate said from the kitchen. Chase shot her a look.

“Yeah with kids eight and up.” He said. Kate sighed and walked over to them and took Eli out of his arms.

She and Chase were babysitting while Val went to the store. As soon as Kate picked him up, Eli stopped crying and started smiling. Chase raised his eyebrow and Kate just shrugged.

“Put him back down.” Chase said. Kate nodded and set Eli back down on his blanket that was spread out on the floor.

The second his body touched the floor, he started wailing again. Kate scooped him back up and the crying stopped.

“You seem to have the magic touch.” Chase said. Kate rolled her eyes and shifted Eli to her hip.

“Yeah right. You know, I told Val I wouldn’t mind babysitting, but four hours!” Kate said as she sunk into a kitchen chair with Eli.

She smiled at him and started kissing his cheeks. Eli was getting cuter by the day. His hair was light brown and pretty thick already and he had the cutest hazel eyes and not to mention he inherited Matt’s dimples. He was definitely going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

Chase sat down beside Kate and started tickling Eli.

“You want kids?” He asked Kate. Kate smiled and shrugged.

“I don’t know. I like being able to play with him and spoil him but I also like handing him over to Val when I want to leave. Is that selfish?” She asked him. Chase smiled and shook his head.

“No, not at all. Personally, I can’t wait to have kids.” He said. Kate smiled.

“You’ll make a great dad, I’m sure of it.” Kate said. Chase looked at Eli and then to Kate.

“How about Brian? Does he want kids?” Chase asked. Kate sighed.

“I’m not sure. He got a little uptight when we talked about it. But I think it has to do with being on the road so much. He doesn’t want to put his kid through that.” Kate said.

Chase nodded and handed Eli a stuffed puppy. He made a happy noise and started pounding it off of the table.

“I can understand that, but it’s not like he’s getting any younger.” Chase said. Kate rolled her eyes and Chase just chuckled.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop.” He said. Kate nodded once and got up to get some water out of the fridge.

“Hey hey! Momma’s home!” Val shouted from the doorway. Eli held his arms out for her and she ran over.

“Hello baby! Was you a good boy for auntie Kate and Uncle Chase?” Val asked Eli. He answered with a laugh and he smacked Val with the stuffed puppy.

Kate and Chase laughed while Val rubbed her nose.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She said. Kate nodded and went to pick up her bag that was on the couch.

“Did momma have a good time?” Kate asked. Val grinned and nodded.

“Yes, thank you guys so much for watching him.” She said. Kate and Chase nodded.

“No problem. I have to get going though, see you later little man.” Chase said to Eli.

Chase waved goodbye and walked out the door. Val gave Kate a look, and she just shook her head.

“Everything go alright?” Val asked. Kate nodded.

“Yeah, he asked me a lot of questions about Brian today though. It was strange.” Kate said. Val shrugged.

“I’m sure it meant nothing.” Val said. Kate nodded and slung her bag on her shoulder.

“Well, I’m off to shoot a new client this afternoon.” Kate said. Val smiled.

“You’re working again?” Val said. Kate nodded.

“I am. And I couldn’t be happier.” She said. Val gave her a knowing look.

“Okay, well I could be. But I’m still really happy.” Kate said.

Val gave her a smile and Kate walked over to kiss Eli on the cheek.

“Bye Elijah, be good for mommy.” She said. Eli paid no attention to her and Kate giggled.

“Bye Val.” Kate said.

Val said goodbye and Kate walked out to her car. She drove off to Brian’s to pick up her equipment and change her clothes. She pulled on a white v-neck shirt and her converse and headed off to the location. She was doing a photo shoot for a new clothing company. When she pulled into the warehouse, a younger girl was waiting outside for her. She was wearing jeans and a red shirt and her brown hair was pulled up into a bun.

“Hi, are you Kate Moore?” She asked. Kate nodded and outstretched her hand.

“Yes, are you Amy?” Kate asked. Amy nodded and led Kate into the building.

“We can start whenever you’re ready.” Amy said. Kate nodded and set up her camera.

Three hours later, Kate was outside smoking with a few of the models after the shoot.

“Aren’t you Avenged Sevenfold’s photographer?” One of them asked. Kate nodded.

“Yeah I am.” She said with a smile.

One of the girls squealed and smiled.

“Is Synyster Gates that sexy in person?” She asked. Kate looked down and tried to suppress her smirk.

“Yes, he is.” Kate said. The girls glared and the guys chuckled.

And with that, Kate left to go home. Brian had converted half the basement into a dark room for her so for the rest of the night, that’s where Kate was.

“Kate! I know you’re in here somewhere because your car is in the driveway!” Val shouted through the house.

Kate snapped her head up from the table in the basement. She groaned and made her way up the stairs.

Val was standing in the living room, stomping her foot when Kate appeared in the doorway.

“Good morning?” Kate said sleepily. Val shook her head.

“More like good afternoon. It’s 1:00 pm.” She said. Kate smacked herself in the face and went into the kitchen to start the coffee pot.

Val shrieked and ran after her and caught her arm.

“No no! There’s no time for coffee!” Val shouted. Kate turned slowly and stared at Val like she was a monster.

“Val, there is always time for coffee. What’s going on anyway?” Kate asked.

Val groaned and looked up at the ceiling. Kate raised her eyebrow and Val took her by the shoulders and looked at her seriously.

“Don’t tell me you forgot what tonight it.” Val said. Kate shrugged and shook her head slightly.

“The guys are coming home tonight!” Val shouted as she shook Kate for emphasis.

Kate squealed and broke free from Val’s grasp.

“Oh my God! I totally forgot! Damn those chemicals!” Kate shouted as she ran into her bedroom to change.

She threw on a fresh t-shirt and jeans and pulled her hair up into a high pony tail and she and Val ran out to the car. The girls planned a huge welcome home party for the guys at Matt’s. They ordered a giant cake with the ‘Nightmare’ CD cover on it and they invited all their friends and families. Val pulled into the Wine and Spirits store and Kate got out.

“I’ll get the booze.” Kate said. Val nodded and pulled out her phone to make a call.

Kate walked in and the clerk gave her a questioning look. She smiled at him and went looking for the Jack Daniels. She picked up a few bottles of that, and some vodka and other hard liquors and a few cases of beer.

“You having some kind of party?” The man asked her when she finally came up to pay. She nodded.

“Yes I am. Can you help carry this to my car?” She asked him. The clerk nodded, after he checked her I.D.

The man took the cases and she took the bottles and loaded them in the back of Val’s new mommy car. Kate thanked him and they were off to get the cake and some other food. When they finally were finished, it was 4:00 pm. Val dropped Kate off at home so she could get ready.

Kate rushed into the shower and turned the radio on as she washed up. She sang along to every song at the top of her lungs and danced her way out of the shower. She tucked her hair up in her towel and pulled on a matching set of lace panties and a bra. Her dilemma of the night was what to wear. She settled on a pair of light blue skinny jeans but she couldn’t decide on a top. Then, it struck her. It was black and hugged her curves nicely and had silver foil writing on it and the back was cut up so she put a white cami on underneath.

After a final spin in front of the mirror, she nodded and went to do her makeup. Oh yeah, she looked hot. Kate let her hair down and put some product in it so it was nice and curled and she pinned it up and back so it was half up. She opened up her makeup bag and put on some foundation for evenness then a layer of black glittery eye shadow and thick eyeliner and mascara. To top it off, she added some lip gloss, which she stuck in her pocket for later. A few sprits of Brian’s favorite perfume and she was finished.

She glanced at the clock and started to panic. It was 5:45. The guys were due back at 7. Kate ran through the house, looking for her favorite heels but she couldn’t find them. She swore slightly and went into the guest bedroom. As she suspected, they were under the bed. Kate sighed and put them on and left for Val’s. Since the house wasn’t far, she decided to walk.

Just as she was walking up the stairs, she heard a voice behind her.

“Kate!” It was Suzy, Brian’s step mother. Kate grinned and turned around.

“Hey Suzy!” Kate said as she hugged her. Suzy held her tight, then pulled away so she could look at her.

“Oh honey, you look beautiful.” Suzy said. Kate smiled and blushed.

“Thank you, so do you.” Kate told her. Suzy smiled and struck a pose. Brian’s dad came up behind her and wrapped his arms around him.

“Hey Kate, good to see you.” He said. Kate smiled and nodded.

“Good to see you too.” She said back. He gave Suzy a kiss then pulled away.

“Brian’s gonna have a hard time keeping his hands off you tonight.” He said with a laugh. Kate laughed and blushed again.

“Yeah, well that’s the idea.” She said with a wink.

The Haner’s laughed and the three of them went into the house. Val was showing Eli to Matt’s parents and talking away about something and Kate just slipped outside. All of the guys’ families and friends were out on the patio, drinking and eating and having a good time. Kate smiled and pulled out her digital camera that was in her pocket and snapped some photos.

“I was gonna ask you to bring that.” Val said. Kate smiled and took a picture of her.

She was wearing a pair of black knee length leggings and a long button up shirt that hugged her curves and made her mommy breasts look amazing. Her blonde hair was straight and teased at the roots and she had on just a touch of makeup. She looked beautiful.

“Here, let me take one of you.” Val said. Kate handed her the camera and posed for the picture. Val took it and handed it back over.

“I think you should’ve been a model.” Val said. Kate laughed and looked at the photo. It did look pretty good.

Eli started fussing so Val went to get him and Kate went to get a beer. Time seemed to drag on for hours until it was finally 6:58. Val and Kate went out front to watch the bus pull up. They could hear it coming down the street, so Kate ran back up shush everyone up and Val waved it down. Val had told Matt to tell the guys to just come over to their house when they got home, but she didn’t tell them why. This wasn’t unusual so they agreed.

Just as the bus pulled into the driveway, Kate’s heart started to pound. She was nervous and excited to see Brian again. Kate could hear Val talking to Matt and the others. As their voices got louder, Kate turned off the outside light and everyone stopped talking.

“Let’s go outside!” Val shouted from the kitchen and that was Kate’s cue to turn the light back on, exposing everyone.

“WELCOME HOME!” They all shouted.

The guys stared at everyone dumbstruck. Kate and Val high-fived each other and grinned. Matt, who was holding Eli, smiled and walked over to Val and kissed her.

“You two did all of this for us?” He asked the girls. They nodded.

“Well, we missed you and we were pretty sure they all did too.” Val said.

The guys all broke apart and found their families and Brian found Kate. His arms went around her, just below her butt and he picked her up and spun her around. She laughed and held on tightly. As he slid her down, his lips found hers and he kissed her softly.

“Welcome home.” She said on his lips. He smiled and let her go.

“Turn around, let me look at you.” He said with a grin. Kate rolled her eyes and spun around for him.

He shook his head slowly and bit the corner of his lip.

“Damn.” He said to himself. Kate blushed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Brian put his finger under her chin and pulled her in for another kiss.

“I see how it is, now that you have a smoking hot girlfriend you choose to ignore your family.” Brian’s dad said from behind him. Brian pulled away from Kate and hugged his dad.

“Hey Pop, but could you blame me?” He said. Brian Sr. laughed and shook his head.

“Not at all.” He said. Brian laughed and gave Suzy a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh I’ve missed you Bri!” She said happily. Brian smiled.

“I’ve missed you too Suz.” He said.

Once everyone was reacquainted with their families, Val and Kate brought out the cake. The guys were on awe of how great it looked. And it tasted just as good. The party went on for hours. Everyone was drinking and eating and just having a good time. Brian finally snagged Kate and took her down to the beach so they could be alone. He sat down in the sand and pulled her down with him.

“It’s so good to be home.” He said. Kate smiled and looked up at him.

“I see you got my present.” He said as he looked at the necklace. Kate absentmindedly touched it and nodded.

“I did. When did you have time to get it though?” She asked him. Brian smiled.

“I’ve had it for a while now actually, I just didn’t know when to give it to you.” He said. Kate smiled and shook her head.

“Yeah, Jimmy actually picked it out. He was like ‘this way she’ll have the two things she loves most close to her heart.’” Brian said. Kate looked up and saw a look of sadness in his eyes.

“Really? I didn’t think he was that romantic.” Kate said with a smile. Brian nodded.

“Oh yeah, he could be totally serious, when he wanted to be..which wasn’t very often. But when it came to love he never joked around.” Brian said. His voice was tight and Kate could tell it was hard for him not to break down.

Kate kissed the side of his neck and then his cheek. Brian turned and caught her lips with his and kissed them hard.

“I love you.” She whispered softly. Brian pulled her close to him and held her tight.

“I love you too, which is why I need you to not get upset with me right now.” He said into her shoulder.

Kate’s heart sunk and she slowly pulled herself away.

“What?” Kate asked him. Brian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Look, I didn’t want to or anything it’s just..” He trailed off. Kate closed her eyes and clenched her fists.

“Brian, what are you talking about?” She said through her teeth. Brian looked away from her and closed his eyes.

“I told Aubrey she could stay with us.” He said in a quiet voice. So quiet in fact, Kate couldn’t hear him.

“What?” She said louder. Brian looked up at the sky.

“I told Aubrey she could stay with us.” He said louder. Kate inhaled sharply and stared at him.

She felt like she was kicked in the stomach with a steel toed boot. She shook her head and stood up fast.

“Tell me you’re joking right?” She asked him. Brian shook his head and looked down.

“Brian, what the fuck! She tried to fuck you remember?!” Kate shouted. She was so angry. Her whole body was shaking with anger.

“I know, and I’m sorry but she didn’t have anywhere else to stay and we have the room. And she said her ex was in town and he used to beat her!” Brian said as he stood up.

Kate, who was walking back to Val’s, stopped dead. She didn’t have anywhere else to go? Her ex used to beat her? Where had Kate heard this before? Oh right, that’s exactly why Brian let her stay with him. A tear rolled down her face as she turned to Brian.

“Is that like you’re game or something? You pick up girls from tour that ‘need somewhere to stay?’ or ‘have abusive ex’s’ so you can fuck them?” She asked him. Her voice was even, but her body was trembling.

Brian shook his head and walked towards her. Kate held up her hands and backed away.

“Kate, no I swear. It’s just for a few days, until she can get a hotel.” He pleaded with her. Kate shook her head.

“Yeah, so she can fuck you in the meantime? I’m not stupid Brian.” She said as she walked down the beach to Brian’s.

Brian just stood in the sand and watched her walk into the darkness. Zacky, who witnessed the whole fight jogged over to him.

“Dude, what the hell?” Zacky asked him. Brian didn’t say a word. He just fell to his knees and put his face in his hands.

***ahh i'm having such a hard time keeping this interesting! let me know if you like it please, it's probably only going to be a few more chapters long..i hope you're enjoying itt!**