After a dramatic goodbye to Keira at the hospital, and Zacky driving like a maniac back to his home, he runs into his house and almost screams out for Matt, while Brian trails behind with Linzee in his arms. They had all become very panicked when Brian announced they'd been served and from the living room, Zacky heard Matt yelling at someone- the same someone who'd just ruined everything.

"I know you want a divorce, and I'm OK with that, because honestly this marriage has been falling apart for a while now. But taking away Zacky's kid, when you were the one to give it up in the first place- are you insane? He's been nothing but incredible to that girl- you really think the courts are going to let you keep her?" he yells, nodding over at Zacky as soon as he walks into the living room. He waits for a moment, rolling his eyes as he listens to Val talk, but takes the phone away from his ear so he can talk to Zacky.

"Dude, I can't begin to apologize for her. I'm gonna make sure Val doesn't get Linzee, it's the least I can do after everything you've done for me" he whispered, before he put the phone back beside his ear and started to talk to his soon to be ex- wife again.
Zacky smiled at his friend and wandered into the kitchen, where Brian had perched Linzee up on the counter and was talking to her, a plate of cookies beside her.

"See, babygirl, your daddy loves you, and I think your Uncle Brian loves you more" he said, picking up one of the cookies from the plate, and breaking off a little part for Linzee, which she held in her little hand as tight as she held our fingers when she was a little younger. Zacky noticed now, that his little girls hair was growing, for the first time, and instead of being blonde- or even brunette, it was an ebony black- much like Brian's hair. Brian's wasn't even natural- but it bared such a similar resemblance that Zacky could've sworn the two were related.

"I'll tell you a secret, little Linz. I've always wanted a little girl- a lot like you. Someone who I could calm down when she cried, someone who I could love with all my heart. Someone, who like me and you right now, I could eat cookies with while the others tried to fix the world. And if you weren't making your Daddy so goddamn happy I'd steal you right now" Brian said suddenly, even though the person he was talking to was currently staring at the cookie in her hand and laughing at it.

"She's turned you soft Haner. But you've completely won her over- so I'm not complaining" Zacky announce as he walked into the kitchen, making Brian jump almost out of his skin and try and keep his cool. As he pulled three beers out of the fridge, he turned to Linzee on the counter, pretending to be a bar-tender.
"What can I get you baby? Whiskey, beer, glass of white wine?" Zacky asked, hands still on the open door of the fridge.

"Da-da baf pro baba!" she gabbled back and Zacky picked up the carton of milk he kept in the side door, smiling at his daughter.
"Milk shot it is" he concluded, pulling out one of her cups from the top of the shelf and pouring the milk inside. Brian was smiling again, having recovered from being caught in the act of confessing his feelings to an almost 1 year old girl.
"So you really want a kid, Bri?" Zacky asked, popping open the lid to his beer and taking a long swig. He needed the booze desperately- this whole thing with Val was driving him up the wall.

Brian paused, drinking from his own bottle, before he nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I do. But, I don't have a girlfriend and probably won't have one who sees things the way I do. Face it, Zee, I'm not going to get what I want for a while. So, I'll just spend my time hanging out with my favourite little girl" he said, chucking Linzee under the chin as Matt walked into the kitchen, looking exhausted from just a phone conversation.
"I'm trying, Zacky, but she won't listen. I already called your lawyer and she's on the case. She'll keep everything under wrap publicity wise- and hopefully we can settle this tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?" Zacky asked, putting down his beer and picking up Linzee from the counter, concerned that she was about to fall over backwards. Matt picked up the last beer and drank almost half of it before speaking again.
"Your lawyer arranged a neutral meeting tomorrow so we can talk about the custody. Leave the divorce to me- for now, we're just getting your kid back" Matt explained, downing the rest of his beer in one. He must have been really mad.

"Look, all this legal talk is bumming me out. How about Matt and I do an encore of our puppet performance to keep your princess happy? Plus- I need to get my revenge on him" Brian announced, pointing towards the living room. The two of them stared down Matt for at least a minute, but he didn't budge.
"Linz- do you want to see Uncle Brian hit Uncle Mattie again?" Zacky asked his daughter sweetly, and after a few moments, she began to clap her hands together.
"Ma-ti! Ma-ti!" she cried happily, and this time it was Matt's turn to be surprised. He took one look at Brian, who was smirking triumphantly and sighed.
"Fine, I'll do it. But just because your kid is the smartest eleven month old on the planet" Matt grumbled, getting out of his seat and heading towards the living room again.

"Maybe I'll play one of my Dad's songs..." Brian said to himself, to which Zacky automatically cut in. He'd heard Brian Haner Sr's 'It's All About The Kids' and he wasn't quite ready to teach Linzee about some of the things he'd written about.
"Brian I swear to God if you play 'The Alphabet Song' I will kick your ass" Zacky warned as the two of them made their way to living room, their beers forgotten in the other room.

"A is for apple, B is for bit---"
"BRIAN!"
"OK, OK- no corrupting Linzee any further!"

He saluted like a soldier and then crouched down behind the couch with Matt, where they routinely performed their show for Linzee. Zacky held her upright on his lap, laughing with Linzee when Brian accidentally banged his head against the coffee table on his way down. As the brightly coloured puppets in their strange voices began to talk and entertain, Zacky couldn't help thinking about the world his little girl was going to grow up in.

One day he'd have to tell her he wasn't her real father- maybe she'd want to go and find Val and the idiot she slept with, her real parents. He didn't want to lose her to another couple- he wanted to keep her so he and Keira could have a sort of messed up family.
He wanted her to be a part of his life, because she'd waltzed right into heart and that was where she planned to stay.
He loved her- and the way she loved her uncles was proof enough that she wasn't going to be leaving without a fight.

And if he had to dig up some dirt on his best friends almost ex-wife to keep his kid, than dammit that's what Zacky was going to do.