Groaning and no doubt smiling to himself as dreams that quite simply needed an x certificate on them filled his head, Brian Haner Jr slept on. He had no idea who the blonde in his mind was, but one thing was certain, she knew how to use her tongue. Mental images flowed easily, so lifelike it was a little disturbing. The way she giggled as he whispered in her ear brought a smirk to his lips.

A smirk that quickly turned into a frown as the giggling didn't cease, and appeared to be a little too realistic for his liking. Brian was almost certain he'd come home alone last night, not feeling the need to pick up yet another nameless face. Fighting to wake up, Brian's eyes snapped open, his gaze immediately focusing on the young boy and girl that stood by his bed, grinning and laughing.

"Wake up!" the boy yelled.

"What the fu....hell?" Brian sat up, pulling the covers around him as he became very aware of the morning arousal that was straining at the material of his boxers. 

"Zack! Yo, Vengeance!" he shouted, making a mental note to string his friend up by the balls later. 

"What?" came the reply from downstairs. Brian rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Get your a....butt up here now!" 

Brian could hear the harshness of his tone, but it hadn't exactly been the greatest wake up call he'd ever had. After what seemed like an eternity, Zack Baker finally appeared in the bedroom doorway, chuckling to himself at Brian's obvious discomfort. Brian glared at his friend, causing Zacky to straighten up.

"Gavin, Giana...go downstairs and watch some television til we're ready to go, Brian's not in the best of moods this morning." 

Brian ran a hand through his unkempt dark hair as the two children disappeared out of sight. 

"Not in the best of fucking moods....what the fuck were they doing up here anyway? What if I'd brought someone home last night?" Brian growled.

"I did tell you we'd be round early, and I knew you left the bar alone last night, so figured it'd be safe.Although the case of morning wood was probably not what they expected to see," Zacky added, grinning.

Brian looked down, groaning when he saw the effects of his dream wasn't showing any signs of subsiding. 

"Would you get the fuck out so I can get ready....and take care of this," he hissed. 

His grin still firmly in place, Zacky turned to leave.

"Don't take too long, you were all up for this last night, and I want to get there before it starts getting too busy, make a full day of it."

"Yeah whatever," Brian grumbled as he clambered out of his bed, reminding himself never to agree to anything when he was drunk again. 

By the time they were heading into Los Angeles, Brian was in a much better frame of mind. There was nothing that fresh coffee, several of the best cigarettes known to man, and of course a little self gratification in the shower couldn't cure. He'd felt guilty for the way he'd reacted earlier that morning. Zack's niece and nephew were two of the greatest kids he knew, and it wasn't their fault their uncle was fool enough to have sent them to wake him. Brian turned in the passenger seat as Zack concentrated on the road ahead.

"So kids, what are you looking forward to most today?" he asked with a grin.

"Dinosaurs!"

"Bugs!"

"Snakes!"

Brian threw Gavin a look.

"No, they have snakes in the zoo buddy, not the museum," he informed him.

"Oh no, they've got a snake there," Zack cut in. "Real beauty too."

"It's a live snake? Not stuffed like a lot of the other animals?" Brian asked warily. 

"Oh it's very much alive," Zack told him, trying to keep a straight face at the air of panic that was surrounding Brian right then.

"B..but it's in a huge tank though right?" 

"Sure...for a while."

Brian sat back in the seat, nervously chewing on a nail. Something told him today was going to be one of those days. 

Zack swung the car into a parking space, trying to calm Gavin and Giana down at their obvious excitement. As they headed towards the Natural History Museum, he glanced at the time.

"Ok guys, the live animal exhibition starts soon, so we may as well head straight for that, and then we can take as long as we like looking at everything else."

Brian swallowed hard at Zack's words. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be too keen on this live animal dealy. They could've taken the kids anywhere. The movies, Disneyland, the beach...but no, Baker had decided something educational was a better idea. Brian decided then that the next time Zack had a wonderful suggestion, he was going to take a raincheck. 

Once inside the impressive building, Zack lead the way to the discovery center. As Brian went to enter he took a deep breath, saying a silent prayer in hope that he was mistaken and he wasn't going to come face to face with one of his biggest fears. A small hand slipped inside his, causing Brian to look down at a beaming Giana.

"It's ok Brian," she whispered "I'll look after you."

Brian gave an embarrassed smile.

"Thanks kiddo, I appreciate it, he admitted before letting her lead him in.

Brian took in his surroundings and so far, so good. He found himself drawn to a huge aquarium of tropical fish, deciding that those he could handle. He became so caught up in them that he hadn't noticed the hush that had fallen over the room until a soft voice drifted over to him.

"Okay guys, who's excited about meeting Cecil and Jay?"

It was the lack of Southern Californian accent that caught Brian's attention first. The distinct English tone was enough to tear him away from his finned friends and find himself looking at a young woman surrounded by eager children as she spoke to them all with ease. Brian couldn't move right then, discovering that all he could do was study her, taking in everything about her appearance.

Her long red hair pulled back loosely so some of it framed her face. The black rimmed glasses she wore did nothing to hide the sparkle of her blue eyes. Brian's gaze travelled slowly down the length of her body, not missing a single curve. Whenever he'd been to the museum as a kid, not once had any of the curators been even remotely attractive. Now if they'd all looked like this one, he may have actually been more interested. 

His feet eventually managed to come back to him, and he moved to stand next to Zack at the back of the group. Zack glanced over at him.

"You ok there Gates?" he whispered.

"Mmhmm," was all Brian gave in reply as he listened intently to what the young woman was saying.

Even the small snicker that escaped Zack as it dawned on him just what was probably going through Brian's mind right then could break his concentration.

"Right, now do you all promise to give me some room when I bring Cecil out for you?" she asked, a sea of eager heads nodding in answer.

"Izzy, is Jay coming out too?" a young voice enquired. 

"In a little while," she promised as she disappeared from the group.

Izzy. Hmmm, it suited her Brian mused, his eyes still trained on where she had previously stood, waiting for her to return so that he could go back to just watching her. Izzy soon reappeared with whom Brian presumed was Cecil, an iguana who sat obediently in her slender arms.

As the group gathered around her to pet Cecil and ask Izzy questions, Brian drank in every detail of her features. Her slightly imperfect nose, the way her smile accentuated her cheekbones, it all added up to making her one of the most beautiful women Brian had ever had the pleasure of subjecting his eyes to. 

"Would you quit checking her out," Zack hissed beside him, snapping Brian out of his daze.

"What...I wasn't...I was looking at Cecil," Brian denied hurriedly.

"Dude, if a lizard causes the puddle of drool that's undoubtedly gathered at your feet, then you have some serious issues my friend," Zack informed him.

Brian felt his cheeks redden at having been caught out. He shifted uncomfortabley on the spot, and cleared his throat, the sound of which caused Izzy to look over in his direction. Her lips curved into a shy smile before she looked away again, Brian noting that the smile didn't disappear.

After a while of Cecil hogging the limelight, Izzy took him back out of the room again. Brian felt a need to be a little closer, so found Giana and Gavin and decided to keep them company. He knew it was lame using the kids just so he could be nearer, but he was fresh out of original ideas right at that moment. He bobbed down and listened as Gavin chattered excitedly about Cecil, his back slightly turned to the door so he didn't see Izzy's re-entry into the room. 

"You all ready for Jay?" 

If Brian hadn't of been so cliche in his eagerness to make his presence known, he would've been more prepared. Instead, as he turned back round, the horror on his face at the sight of the 12 foot Burmese Python Izzy had brought out brought forth a collective laugh from the group of small people witnessing a grown man practically drain of all color.

"Holy mother of f...."

"Brian!" Zacky warned through gritted teeth.

Brian wanted to move but seemed rooted to the spot through fear. Izzy gave him an amused yet concerned look, handing the snake over to another curator. She knelt down beside him, resting a hand on his tanned arm.

"Are you alright? Did you not realise what I was bringing out?" she asked softly, her accent sending the strangest sensation throughout Brian. 

"I...er, well I knew there was a snake...just wasn't sure when," Brian admitted, wanting the ground to open up right then. 

Izzy rubbed his arm in a gentle soothing manner.

"Come on let's get you out of here," she stated, holding out her hand for Brian to take as she stood up. 

Brian gingerly took the offered hand, cursing himself for being such a damn fool. This was definitely one scenario where thinking with his dick instead of the brain he apparently did possess had gone drastically wrong. He silently followed Izzy into the bustling hallways of the museum, and guided him into a chair just outside of the discovery center.

With a quick sympathetic look, Izzy went and grabbed him a drink from a water cooler. Brian took it gratefully, taking a long drink from it to try and sort out the worst case of dry mouth he'd ever experienced. Izzy knelt beside him once more, her hand on his knee as she waited to make sure he was going to be fine. 

"I think you're going to live," she told him with a grin, her eyes glinting cheekily. 

Brian laughed then, knowing how dumb he must've looked in there.

"I shouldn't worry though, you handled quite well, that thing's enough to make a grown man cry," Izzy told him.

"Seriously?" 

"Yes, a new curator a few weeks back, obviously had a complete phobia of snakes yet still took the job. First day I introduced him to Jay, he froze, tears streaming down his face and he's never been back since. So I think your reaction wasn't that bad" she reassured him. She looked at the time. 

"I'd better get back, but I suggest you stay out here for a while longer."

"Thanks," Brian replied. Izzy looked at him a moment longer.

"Izzy Hamilton by the way," she introduced, holding her hand out to him once more. 

Brian took hold of it, and smiled.

"Brian 'apparently not as much of a man as I thought I was' Haner," he joked. 

Izzy laughed softly, making Brian experience a warm pleasant feeling rush over him. He'd never been affected like this by any woman, and it was a little unnerving. It was throwing his usual confidence with women completely off balance. 

"I need to get in there," she reitterated, pointing towards the room they'd previously been in. "Nice meeting you Brian," she added.

"Yeah, and you," Brian answered, watching as she walked back towards the door, giving him one last glance over her shoulder before she opened the door, nodding at Zack as he came out. Brian waited until the door was closed before turning to Zack.

"Gates, that has to be one of the cheesiest fucking ways I've ever seen you attempt to pick up a woman," Zack scoffed.

"Whatever Zack," Brian answered with a shake of his head. 

Zacky studied Brian as he tried to figure out why he hadn't come back with some scathing remark.

"You didn't get her number did you?" he asked, disblief in his question. "Did you just forget to ask, or did Synyster Fucking Gates just get shot down in flames?" 

I didn't ask," Brian sighed.

"But judging by the way you were practically foaming at the mouth in there, I figured you would've managed to charm her by now,....hell it works with every other woman you've been with recently."

Brian stared at the floor. Zack was right. Brian had discovered over the past few months since he'd been single that all he had to do was crook his finger, and they'd be trying to form a not so orderly queue to be the one he chose for whatever night it might be. And he'd taken advantage of that, as any redblooded male fuelled by the need to forget the past would do.

There was only one small thing everyone around him failed to notice though. It didn't make him happy. A long endless line of female company, and yet not one of them wanted him, Brian Haner. They wanted the other him, the one that he used as some kind of shield, they wanted Synyster Gates. And for the first time he suddenly realised that he was to them what they were to him, simply another notch on the bedpost. Brian knew then that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted someone who wanted him for who he really was, just plain old fun loving Brian. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing Izzy's face, recalling how she'd been with him. There'd been no gushing, no fawning over him. All there had been was concern for a man she didn't know. There hadn't even been the hint of recognition in her eyes when she'd looked at him, or the age old 'I know who you are' when he'd introduced himself. And that's what he needed. Brian knew then that he was no longer going to be the one being chased, but the one that was going to be doing the chasing.