Archive of Our Own ^beta

Zac isn’t surprised when Fern wraps her arms around his leg as they stand in the entryway of his parents’ house.  While she knows it’s Gram and Pop’s house, she’s still going through a shy phase.  He leans down to lift his daughter up as Cree walks into the room to their left.  He follows his son, smiling when he sees most of his siblings already here.

Getting together with the entire family is something they always did when they were home for a break from tour.  While it’s certainly gotten larger with all of the kids now involved, it’s something they look forward to.

He shifts Fern when he approaches Jessica.  “Is everyone here?” he asks as he hugs the oldest of his sisters.

“Not yet,” Jessica answers.  “Avery’s not here yet and Zoe’s still upstairs.”

“Do I even want to know why Zoe hasn’t come down yet?”

“She’s on the phone with Keagan.”

“Oh, is he not coming?”

“No, he had to work.  Mom said Avery’s bringing someone, though.”

Zac nods, hoping it’s not who he thinks it is.  He smiles when Jessica tries to get Fern to smile.  “Any idea who?”

“No.  Avie said she’s been talking to someone, but never said anything about him.  And you, Miss Fern, still not going to let go of Daddy?”

“She hasn’t since the moment he walked in the door,” Alex says as she joins them.  “Fairly certain she’s going to scream her head off when he leaves again.”

“Definitely a Daddy’s girl, then,” Jessica says.  “How about the little one?  Will he come to Auntie Jessica?”

Alex sets the carseat down to let Jessica lift Flynn out of it.  “He loves being held, so he’ll stay with anyone who wants to hold him.”

Zac greets Mac before flipping Taylor and Zac off with a smirk.  He does step over to hug Emma and Chelsea.

“You three will never grow up, will you?” Emma asks.

“Never,” Zac answers.  He glances back when he hears the front door open.  He knows it’s going to be Avery, but he’s not sure he’s ready to see who she has with her.

“You look like you want to murder someone.”

“Yeah, well, Jessica said Avery is bringing someone.”

Taylor groans.  “And you think it’s him?”

“We’re about to find out.”  He turns fully at the sound of footsteps, moving to stand beside Emma.

Avery walks into the room with Beckham behind her.  Zac is glad that he has Fern clinging to him at this point; otherwise, he might have crossed the line and punched Beckham.  Alex looks over at him, a worried expression on her face.  He’s just not sure if it’s for Avery or him.  Zac watches intently as Avery and Beckham start greeting everyone.

“Hey,” Avery says as she stops in front of Zac.  “You guys remember Beckham?”

Zac gives her a look before nodding.  “Yeah, of course.  Beckham…”  He holds his hand out for the other man to shake.  “Good to see you again.”

“You too,” Beckham says.  “Avery said that you guys are home from tour?”

Zac nods again.  “Yeah, we have a two-week break before going back out.”

“Daddy,” Fern says softly.  “Who is he?”

Zac looks at Avery after his daughter's question.  “Auntie Avery’s boyfriend.  Come on, bug, let’s get you something to drink.  I know how much you’ve been wanting Uncle Mac’s punch.”  He raises an eyebrow at his sister before walking away.

“What’s his problem?” Beckham asks.

It takes everything in Zac not to turn around and knock this kid out.  Who the fuck does he think he is?

When everyone is getting settled at the dinner table, Zac finds himself across from Avery and Beckham.  This has to be some kind of joke.  He looks beside him at his wife, giving her a small smile.

“You okay?” Alex asks softly.  

Zac shakes his head.  “She won’t listen to me.”

“Maybe he has changed, grown up.”

“You don’t even believe that.”

“Maybe not, but I trust Avery.  And you should too.”

“You know what he did.”  Zac sighs when it comes out as a growl.  “Alex…”

“Listen, I know you want to protect her, but she has to make her own decisions.  Go take a walk and cool off.”

“Alex…”

“Go.”

Zac’s nostrils flare at the look his wife gives him.  He shakes his head.  “Shouldn’t I make my own decisions?”

“When you’re acting like you’re about to launch over the table?  No.”

“Zac, Alex, everything okay?” Walker asks.

Zac clears his throat.  “Yeah, everything is fine.  Sorry.”  He looks at Alex again.  “I’m sorry.”

After dinner, Zac finds himself stepping out onto the back deck.  He sits down on the steps and lets out a heavy sigh.  What is he doing?  Alex is right.  Yes, he wants to protect Avery, but he can’t always be the one to make her see what’s going on right in front of her.  But can he be around her if she’s going to be with him again?

“There you are.”

Zac closes his eyes at the sound of his sister’s voice.  “Here I am.”  He looks beside him as Avery sits down.

“I called you earlier.”

“Yeah, I was busy with the kids and then just forgot to call you back.  What’d you call for?”

“You know what I called for, Zac.  I was going to tell you about Beckham.”

He laughs bitterly.  “So you’re really with him again?”

She nods slowly.  “He’s changed, Zac.”

“Did he?  Or are you just covering up what he did to you?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Not fair?  You know what’s not fair?  Being the one to pick up the pieces for four years.  We had to watch you fall apart because of what he did.  And you’re going back like nothing happened.”

“That’s not true.”

“No?”

“He made a mistake.”

Zac scoffs.  “Yeah, he certainly did.”  He shakes his head as he stands up.  “I can’t do this again, Avery.”

“Do what?”  She stares up at him.  “Zac…”

“If you stay with him, you and I?  We see each other at family events.  Outside of that?  I can’t watch you throw your life away for him.”

“And what if you’re wrong?”

“Well, I guess we’ll see then.”  He slips his hands into his pockets.  “That’s it?  You’re just going to let me walk away?”

“It’s what you do best, right?”

“What I do best?  Right, because I keep forgetting it was me who ended this, right?  You know what, do whatever the fuck you want.  But I won’t watch it happen.  So yeah, we’ll see each other at family events, but I’m done.  I hope he’s worth it.”  He waits for her to say something else, anything else, but she stays quiet.  “Goodbye, Avie.”

Zac looks up when there’s a knock on his office door.  “Hey,” he says when he sees Zoe standing there.  He stands up and walks around his desk.  “This is a surprise.”

Zoe steps over to give him a quick hug.  “Yeah, it wasn’t planned.  I saw your truck, though.  I hope it’s okay that I stopped by.”

“Of course it is.  Is everything okay?  You look like you have something on your mind.”  He leans against his desk as Zoe nods.  “What’s up?”

“Avery’s moving out.”

“Is she?”

“Yeah.  She’s moving in with Beckham.”

Zac grips the edge of the desk after hearing this.  It’d been six months since that family dinner.  Six months of only seeing her maybe once a month.  Six months of no calls or texts.  

“Wow,” he says softly.  “That was quick.”

“I don’t know what happened last time, but I know you don’t like him.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Why?”

Zac sighs as he looks at his youngest sister.  “It’s complicated.”

“Does it have anything to do with why you two aren’t talking right now?”

He gives a slight nod.  “I told her that if she stayed with him, then I couldn’t be around it.  We’d see each other at family things, but that’s it.”

“What happened?”

“What has she told you?”

“Nothing.”

“Listen, the only reason I’m telling you is because you should know.  He got physical with her last time.  I don’t know the extent of it.  But he did and he was always extremely jealous and judgmental.”

“You think he still is?”

He shrugs.  “I don’t know.  But I couldn’t sit back and watch it happen.”

“And you really haven’t talked to her?”

“I haven’t.”

“Do you think you should?”

He shakes his head.  “I tried.  She wouldn’t listen.  You can definitely try.  Just know that she’s liable not to listen.  I think Tay’s tried.”

“What if something happens?”

“Until she’s ready to admit it all, there’s nothing I can do.  I’ve tried, Zoe.”

“Will you ever talk to her again?”

“I talk to her at the family gatherings.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

He shrugs.  “I don’t know, Zoe.  It’s hard knowing where she is.”

“Think she’ll listen to me?”

“Never know unless you try.”  Zac pushes away from the desk and wraps Zoe in a tight hug, knowing it’s what she needs right now.  “Me not talking to her doesn’t mean I don’t still love her.  Because I do.”

“I know.”

Zac kisses the top of her head.  “You okay?”

Zoe nods as she pulls back.  “I think I just needed to talk to someone.”

“Well, I’m always here.  You know that.”

Zac sits back down after Zoe leaves a short time later.  He looks at his phone to see that he has a new text message.  He frowns when he sees it’s from Avery.

Avery 3:27 pm
Just wanted you to hear it from me. I’m moving in with Beckham. I’d really like you to come see the place.

Zac runs a hand through his hair as he rereads the message.  Is she serious?  He lets his phone fall to the desk as he leans back in his chair.  Should he even respond to it?  What would he even say?  He drops his head back with a groan.

“I need a drink.”

“Little early for that,” a voice says from his doorway.

Zac looks over to see Taylor standing there.  “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

Taylor laughs softly.  “So what happened?”

Zac runs a hand over his face.  So their sister only texted him.  Which makes sense.  As close as Avery is with Taylor, it’s completely different from her relationship with him.

“Avery’s moving in with Beckham,” Zac finally says.

Taylor nods.  “Well, that was quick.”

“Too quick.”

“Maybe you should…”

“I’m done trying to talk to her, Tay.  She won’t listen to me and brushes it all off.”

Taylor sighs.  “Maybe it’s time to send Ike in, then.”

“If she won’t listen to me, what makes you think she’d listen to Ike?”

“He’s the oldest.  We have to do something.”

“You’re right.”  Zac lets out his own sigh.  “He still here?”

“He is.”

Zac and Taylor walk into Isaac’s office.  The oldest of the Hanson siblings looks up and raises an eyebrow.

“What?” Isaac asks.

“What do you know about Beckham?” Taylor asks.

“Beckham?  Avery’s boyfriend?”  He waits for confirmation before continuing.  “I can’t say I’m fond of him.  He just always gave me a bad feeling.  And I always noticed how jealous he was.  Why?  What do you two know?”

Zac and Taylor sit down before Taylor tells him what they both know.  Zac isn’t surprised by the look on Isaac’s face.  He hates that he’s just now finding out, but he never thought they’d have to deal with it again.

“And now she’s moving in with him?” Isaac asks.

“Yeah,” Zac answers.  “And I’m done.  She won’t listen to me.”

“Or me,” Taylor says.  “So we thought maybe she would listen to you.”

“Well, I can give it a try.  Is this why you and her haven’t really talked since he’s been back in the picture?”

Zac nods.  “Yeah, that’s why.”

“Makes sense.”  He leans back.  “Okay.  I’ll stop by Mom and Dad’s when I leave.  Guessing she’ll still be there.”

Zac walks out of the kids’ bedroom after getting Fern settled again.  She’d woken up after having a bad dream and only wanted Zac.  Not that they’re surprised by this.  It’s definitely going to be rough when he leaves again in a few months if it’s still like this.

He finds Alex sitting against the pillows in their bed when he walks into the room.  He smirks when he sees her wearing one of his shirts.

“You trying to kill me tonight?” he asks.

“Trust me, if I was trying to kill you, it would have been a long time ago.”

Zac laughs softly as he reaches back to pull his shirt off.  “You’ve had plenty of chances.”  He crawls onto the bed over Alex.  “Hi.”

Alex smiles.  “Hi back.”  She pulls him closer and kisses him.  “Think they’ll all stay asleep for a while?”

“Fuck, they better.”  Zac kisses her again, this time harder than before.  “But just in case, we better get a move on.”

Alex giggles when Zac pulls her legs so she’s lying down under him.  They share several kisses as he works his hands under her shirt.  Before he can get too far, however, his phone beeps with a new text message.  Normally, he would never check a text during a time like this, but he’s been waiting to hear from Isaac.

“Is it Ike?” Alex asks.

Zac sits back on his heels as he looks down at his phone.  “It’s Avery.”

Avery 8:58 pm
I hate you.