Forever? Forever.

"Hey, you," I smiled while sitting down at the patio table Zacky refused to get up from, a smile on my face looking at the green-eyed guitarist. His scowl was no longer on his face, but a frown was. It was my indication he was still mad about earlier. I rolled my eyes and reached over some, flicking him in the nose, causing him to cover his face, muffling a few curse words that slipped past his lips. I smirked and chuckled. "I knew that would cause a new expression to come out of you, Zee."

"I've told you so many times before not to do that, Braska," Zacky groaned while uncovering his face, quickly wiping away the tears that began forming in his eyes. "That shit hurts."

"And I've told you so many times before that I don't care, Zachary," he rolled his eyes at me, and I smirked while leaning on the patio table. "I happen to find your pain funny."

Zacky playfully narrowed his eyes at me, a smirk dawning his face as well. "Sometimes you can be a bitch, Nebraska."

I rested my elbow on the table, resting my chin into the palm of my hand. "I'll take that as a compliment." Zacky chuckled some before stretching some, flexing his muscular arms before placing them behind his head. "So Ellie said Meaghan pushed you into the pool and you made her leave."

A scoff came from the man, an annoyed one which caused me to raise an eyebrow. "I didn't make her do anything, she left on her own free will." he answered me, his scowl returning to his face. I simply nodded my head while deciding to just leave it at that, knowing if Zacky found something irriating, it was best to leave something alone. "You and pretty boy over there seemed to be getting really close a while ago."

Well, that came out of no where. But it did sort of explain the stare down he was giving both me and Arin. "Matt wanted to introduce us, Zee," I replied while slightly rolling my eyes, really wondering why me talking to the new drummer was such a big deal. "And I wanted to get to know him. Is that a problem?"

"No," a sigh escaped past those plump lips of his while he ran a hand through his raven black hair. He looked at me with his green eyes. "I'm glad you're making him feel welcomed, God knows he needs it."

I smiled. "He seemed to have pasted Eliana's approval."

Zacky nodded his head, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah, he seemed to have passed it," he chuckled, earing a giggle from me. It grew silent between the two of us, the only sounds being heard around us were our partying friends and laughter of our daughter. The first sound that came from either of us was from Zack, which ended up being a sigh. "My phone was in my pocket."

"Huh?" I questioned with an eyebrow raised once more, leaning back in the plastic chair with my arms crossed over my head.

Zacky ran a hand down his face, looking at me slightly. "My phone was in my pocket," he repeated to me once again, leaning back in his plastic chair as well. "I had just put my phone into my pocket when I turned around, and next thing I know Meaghan shoves me into the pool. So when I got out I was pissed off because my phone basically stopped working, and I had some pictures for my clothing line I needed opinion on. We said a few things, she got mad and then left."

"I'm sure she didn't see that you were putting your phone back into your pocket, Zee," I told him softly, feeling bad for both him and Meaghan. Zack because that was about the fourth phone he has had this month and I felt bad for Meaghan because she had to be the butt of one of Zacky's temper tantrums.

"I know," Zacky sighed. He always hated when I was right and he was wrong. It was one of those strange quirks about him that I've always loved. "I'm an asshole, go ahead and say it."

"You're an asshole," my response was filled with amusement, seeing him rolling those green eyes of his. I just laughed and reached over, placing my hand on his shoulder and squeezing it lightly. "But I think you need to apologize to her, Zack."

Zacky nodded his head. "I know, I know," he smiled some before looking at me once again. "So how was work today, have to ask you that."

"Well because of the picture you gave me of Eliana, Talisman wants to kidnap our daughter even more." I smiled earning a chuckle from Zacky. I've worked with Talisman since before me and Zacky broke up, so the green-eyed man was very aware of how my best friend was. I suddenly sighed remembering an earlier convosation between the two of us. "And she also said how she wants to start a family but Richie doesn't."

"Oh, man," Zacky let out a breath. "That's rough." He turned his head to look over where Matt, Brian, Johnny, Arin and the Berry brothers were playing football in the backyard; Matt and Brian on one team, Mattie and Jason on the other, and since they obviously found it funny to put Short Shit and the new guy on the same team, Johnny and Arin were paired together. Michelle, Lacey, Val, Kim(Arin's wife) and Eliana stood at the sidelines cheering on. Our hyper-active three-year-old not knowing who to actually cheer for, cheered for all her favorite people in the world-which now apparently involved Arin. I smiled and heard Zacky chuckle some. "Don't see why Rich wouldn't want one of those."

I raised an eyebrow, staring at Zacky with a play stern look. "Did you just refer to our daughter as one of those, Zachary James Baker?"

He looked at me with the famous Vengeance smirk. "Maybe," he replied with his smug expression. "What're you going to do about it, Nebraska Lynee Parker?"

"Nothing," I shrugged my shoulders while once again leaning against the back of the plastic patio chair, crossing my arms over my chest while crossing one leg over the other, causing my shorts to ride up some. Oddly I didn't fail to catch how those green eyes of his took a quick glance down before darting them back up to look at my face, but I just played it off and smirked my own self. "I'm just going to say the monster trait and the 'one of those' traits all came from your genes, Zee."

"Hey--"

"Daddy!" Zacky was cut off by the sound of our little girl running over to us. He turned in his chair to look down at our daughter the moment she ran to him, grabbing onto his larger hand with her tiny ones. She began tugging on him, grunting while trying her best to get her father to stand from his chair. "Uncle Bear says you have to play. Uncle Johnny stopped playing. Now up!" Eliana insisted while still pulling on her father's hand.

"Alright, alright," Zacky chuckled while finally getting to his feet, allowing our daughter to "drag" him towards her uncles, aunts and Arin. He turned to me, noddng his head the best way he could in the direction he and Eliana were head while in a haunced over some. "Coming, Braska?"

"Yeah," I said while getting up from my chair as well, stretching some before making my way behind them. "I'm coming."

Zacky smirked. "Ready to see me win, huh?"

I chuckled, and smirked once more. "Nope, just ready to see Matt tackle you to the ground."

+


After the Berry brothers, Johnny, Lacey, Arin and Kim left the Sanders house, it only just left me, Zacky, Eliana(who was now sleeping peacefully in her daddy's lap), Brian, Michelle, Matt, and Val. I sat beside Zacky on one of Matt and Val's couches, looking around to the remaining people in the room. "How is it every time we have a get together, it's always us that remains once everything simmers down?" I playfully mused to whomever felt like replying.

"Because Johnny can't stay past his bedtime," Brain mused from sitting down on the beanbag chair with Michelle, getting comfortable as they could on the blue thing.

I chuckled. "What about the Berry brothers, Arin and Kim?"

"The Berry brothers are lame, and Arin has to get home to please his lady, Nebraska."

"Brian Elwin!" Michelle gasped while slapping him on the chest, not believing what had came out of her husband's mouth. Honestly, we all love Michelle, but you'd think after being around the asshole she should know how it is.

"What? I'd be doing the same thing, babe." Why is he such a cheeky bastard at times? The world will never know.

"Can we not talk about this with a baby in the room with us?" Val questioned looking over at her brother-in-law, sitting with her husband on the other couch. Her hand resting on top of her belly while Matt had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her close to his side.

Matt chuckled. "Please, little Vengeance is Zack's kid," the bulky man commented. "The kid could sleep through an earthquake."

"Still doesn't mean we want her waking up to hear us talking about sex, Matthew," I rolled my eyes, while looking down at my phone seeing what time it was. "Oh, shit."

"What's wrong?" Zacky asked me with an eyebrow raised.

"It's almost eleven," a groan escaped past my lips. "I gotta meet Lucas tomorrow at ten. And knowing me, I'll over sleep."

Zacky chuckled while patting Eliana's back gently, calming our stirring daughter back to sleep. I've always loved how he was able to lull our daughter back to sleep, no matter if she woke up from a nightmare or she was stirring. Like I've mentioned, total and complete daddy's girl. "You do tend to oversleep, Braska." he commented, causing me to reach over and flick his cheek, having him flinch. "Will you stop flicking me, please?"

"Nope," I smiled before getting up from the couch, leaning forward to kiss the top of my sleeping daughter's head. I waved to all the others. "Bye guys."

"I'll walk you out, Nebraska," Brian grunted while trying to get up from the beanbag chair, trying every possible way to get himself up. Michelle had a hand over her mouth, muffling her laughter towards her husband. Before any of us knew it Brian finally just spy rolled onto the floor before standing to his feet, fixing the blue jean jacket he wore over his Iron Maiden t-shirt. He kissed Michelle sweetly on her forehead before making his way over to me, throwing an arm around my shoulders and leading the both of us out of the front door, allowing me to say a final goodbye to everyone. "So, I can see you and Zack are flirting with one another again." the guitarist randomly commented while we were walking to my car, causing me to stop dead in my tracks, having Brian lower his arm from my shoulders.

"What?" I asked shocked, not believing that actually came out of Brian's mouth. "Me and Zack were not flirting, Bri. We always act like that."

Brian shrugged, a smirk playing on his face. "Maybe it was just me," he replied. "But he did seem pretty jealous when you and Arin were talking earlier. Asshole couldn't keep his eyes off of you two, made me and Michelle trying to hold a conversation with him difficult."

"I can't explain why he was giving me and Arin a stare down," I sighed while folding my arms over my chest, once again walking beside my friend to my car. Once we were there, I unlocked the driver side door and looked at Brian. "And I can assure you, Bri, me and Zee are just close friends. There isn't anything remotely close to flirting going on between us. That faze is a bit over with. Don't you think?"

Brian frowned at my last choice of words. "Come, Nebraska, there might be a chance that some day--"

I raised a hand to stop him, a smile still on my face. "All me and Zack are now, Brian, are just friends. That's all we'll ever be." I sighed while lowering my hand. "I mean, we have to be something of good terms for Eliana."

"You'll never budge will you?" Brian asked me, only earning me to shake my head with a smirk on my face. He sighed before running a tattooed hand through his ebony locks before stepping forward, engulfing me in a hug only Brian Elwin Haner, Jr. could give you. "Stubborn as shit. The both of you."

"Love you, too, Bri," I giggled before breaking our hug and entering my car. "Bye, Brian. See you soon, alright?"

"Alright," he chuckled while leaning on my open car door, smiling down at me softly. His lovely chocolate brown eyes staring into my blue ones. "Becareful...and think about what I said, okay?"

I chuckled while turning my car on, hearing the familiar roar of life come from it. "Sure." was my only reply to Brian before he scoffed playfully, closing my door like the gentlemen he was underneath his asshole rockstar attire. I waved at him through the window after placing my seatbelt on, and he waved back.

Soon I was pulling out of the ever so familiar driveway I was used to into the road, heading my way back home to my apartment. Sometimes having Brian has a friend was hard, he could make you start questioning a lot of things, and make thoughts get put in your head. It was times like this did I ever need Jimmy and his wonderful advice.

Notes