Gina Hudgens knew the meeting hadn't gone well when her oldest daughter's car pulled into the driveway with the younger one driving. As soon as Stella put the car in park Vanessa was out of the front seat, hand over her mouth, running toward the side door of her parents' home.
Gina didn't say a word. She watched Stella get out of the car and walk toward the house with her purse and Vanessa's bag slung over her shoulder. She looked at her mom, smiled unwillingly, then shook her head.
"The movie's not going to happen?" Gina pondered aloud as Stella reached the door.
"I don't know. There wasn't enough of a conversation today to figure that out." She gave her mother just a hint of why they were home so quickly.
"Zac was there?" Gina guessed.
Stella nodded and sighed. "Yeah. But he barely read the first couple of pages of the script. I'm not sure what set him off but he called Stacey to come get him fifteen minutes after he got there."
"How'd Vanessa do?" Gina took her oldest daughter's bag from Stella as they made their way into the kitchen. A pot of water whistled on the stove calling Gina to come finish the cup of tea she was making.
She grabbed another cup and tea bag for Stella and poured the boiling water into the cups before bringing them to the table to sit down with her youngest. Stella nodded her head as she took the cup from her mom and carefully sat it on the table.
"Really, she was remarkable. When Zac started balking she tried to calm him down right off the bat. She tried to stick to the characters and focus on the reason they were there." She took a deep breath and looked up to see her sister walking into the room.
"I was fine until I saw them all together. I swear to you I went in there…even when I saw him I was trying to keep it professional." Vanessa sat down at the table and cradled her head in her hands, letting her fingertips massage her forehead.
Stella quickly passed her cup of tea to Vanessa and got up to make another for herself. Vanessa toyed with the teabag before looking at her mother. "I was fine until I saw Stacey and the baby there with him." Vanessa covered her face remembering the shock wave that ran through her as she looked at Zac…and his family.
Gina gently pulled at Vanessa's hands in order to see the tears that were again running down her face. "What, Honey?" she asked gently, practically knowing what Vanessa was going to admit to them.
"It's supposed to be me." Vanessa whispered. She lifted the cup with shaking hands to take a sip of the hot liquid. She swallowed with a slight gulp and looked into her mom and sister's faces. "The woman who was standing there holding onto Zac's arm, kissing his shoulder, taking him home…" she closed her eyes to clear the tears from her vision. "It's supposed to be me."
Gina stood up and stepped toward her sobbing daughter, pulling Vanessa's head to her stomach just to feel the warmth and try to calm her mind. Gina and Stella shared a gaze knowing that this was the moment they had been expecting for nearly five years.
Since the day Zac and Vanessa had decided to separate Gina, Greg and Stella had all tried to convince Vanessa that she needed to give her opinion more thought. To tell the man of her dreams that she didn't want children was, in a way, selfish. They were quite sure that Vanessa would change her mind over time.
ZVZVZV
In the first year they kept up hopes that the situation would change before it was too late. The next year they held their breath when they found out that Zac had become engaged. And when Vanessa decided to go to the wedding they fully expected a dramatic 'Stop the Wedding' type of incident. Instead Stella and Greg had let themselves into Vanessa's home they day after the wedding and found her sitting in her bed alone, looking through old photo albums of her and Zac.
Vanessa had cried in her father's arms for an hour while Stella attended to the little Shadow of a pup who needed some love as well. Vanessa had then showered and emerged dressed with light makeup and a declaration that she was fine and hoped that Zac and Stacey would be happy together.
Since that time there had been a few more tearful incidents but Vanessa had been determined to leave Zac and Stacey alone. They were always friendly when they ran into each other for 'work' functions, charities, or whatever else might come along.
They had talked for half an hour at Ashley's birthday party, each carefully choosing their topic of conversation, sticking mainly to recent events and harmless stories about their friends and family.
The next time they had seen each other at something other than red carpet events was the after-party for the premiere of Vanessa's new movie. She had specifically invited Zac and Stacey and was happy to see that they accepted her invitation.
Vanessa attended on the arm of one of the movie's associate producers. They were simply there as friends, but it was a step away from her past for Vanessa. All had gone well until the end of the evening.
As they prepared to leave Zac and Stacey found Vanessa to tell her goodbye. In the middle of Stacey hugging Vanessa, V noticed Zac rubbing the back of his neck, his sign of nervousness. Both women looked back at him. Vanessa asked a simple but jovial "What?" while Stacey let her smile diminish knowing what was on her husband's mind.
He took both women by their hands and pulled them to an empty table away from the crowd that was preparing to leave. Vanessa's stomach turned flips wondering what Zac had to say. Stacey's felt queasy which didn't mix with the light feeling in her head.
"Zac?" her voice sounded a little weak as Zac turned his attention away from Vanessa and over to his wife.
He noticed her pale complexion and quickly helped Stacey sit down while Vanessa watched them. Zac knelt down beside the chair as Stacey leaned forward a little and took some deep breaths.
"Are you ok?" Zac asked Stacey as he rubbed her back and then her cheek. "You didn't drink anything did you?"
Vanessa handed Stacey a glass of water. Stacey sipped the cool drink and looked at Zac. "No, nothing alcoholic. I had some ginger ale."
"Did you eat anything?" he raised his eyes as he questioned the auburn-haired woman.
"Not enough I guess. Either that or I've just been on my feet too long." Stacey answered after taking another few drinks of water.
"Stace, are you ok?" Vanessa looked between Zac and Stacey, now worried herself.
Stacey looked into her brown eyes and pushed a smile to her lips. She looked down and then glanced at Zac. "You…" she hesitated and then smiled at him. "Go ahead."
Zac's hand immediately went again to the back of his neck. Between the look on Stacey's face, Zac's nervousness and their avoidance of the subject, Vanessa had pretty much already figured out what was going on. She kept herself quiet waiting for one of them to tell her.
"Stace is pregnant Ness." Zac struggled to smile as he shared the news that had made him absolutely ecstatic.
Vanessa had pulled her deepest acting abilities from her soul as Zac confirmed what she suspected. She smiled, she hugged them, she congratulated them, and she urged them to get home and find something for Stacey to eat. "No starving the baby." Vanessa had insisted.
Minutes after they were out the door she asked her date to take her to her sister's apartment. She told the man that she was fine, she just needed to tell her sister something and would spend the night at Stella's place.
Stella was a bit upset when her sister knocked on her door at nearly midnight. But once she saw Vanessa's troubled and hurt expression she immediately asked her boyfriend to leave and invited her sister to change clothes and climb into bed with her.
Vanessa apologized for ruining Stella's date, then she did as instructed. Stella sat cross-legged on the bed brushing Vanessa's hair as V told her Zac and Stacey's wonderful news.
Stella knew her sister was upset. But when she asked Vanessa if she was regretting her decision…their decision… to break up, Vanessa adamantly answered 'no' yet again.
"I…I'm not ready for that. A baby would be too much right now Stellz, I couldn't handle that, not even…" her thoughts traveled to the words she wanted to use to finish the statement.
"Not even if it's Zac's?" Stella stopped brushing and moved around to look into Vanessa's eyes. She squinted her eyes together and cocked her head as she watched her sister's face. "Ness, who else's baby would you have?"
Vanessa raised her eyes to meet Stella's gaze. "Nobody's."
The two sat silently with only the lull of the tv breaking the quiet while Stella stroked the brush through the dark curls and listened to her sister's crying breaths.
ZVZVZV
As Vanessa's crying calmed Gina went back to her chair and sat down just trying to figure out what to say to her daughter. This certainly wasn't an 'I told you so' kind of moment.
"I know what you're thinking Mom. And you're right." Vanessa took a long shaky breath as she moved her shoulders around trying to relieve the tension. "He is married and has a baby. I can love him the rest of my life, but I missed my chance. I still don't think I'm ready to have a baby, but I'm beginning to realize what I'm really missing out on."
Gina and Stella both just looked down at the steaming liquid in their cups, neither wanting to agree with Vanessa, but knowing she was right.
"Can I mention something?" Stella asked as they sat quietly.
Vanessa nodded her head.
"You invited Zac to come to Malibu this weekend. It's obvious you've gotta talk but is it gonna be too overwhelming for you? Should you cancel going to the beach house and just try to set up something closer? Especially…you know…what if he brings Stacey and Alex with him?" Stella held onto her cup with two hands as she watched Vanessa contemplating the scenario.
Gina's ears perked up at the mention of Zac going to Malibu. "Sweetheart, I don't think that's a good idea. I think Stella is right. Why don't you just meet at a restaurant somewhere, or back at the agency."
Both of the other women caught the hint of fire that sparked in Vanessa's eyes. "We need to work through some things to try and make this movie happen. I'm not going to seduce him and try to get myself pregnant to take him away from his wife. My life is enough of a soap opera without adding some shit like that into the mix."
Vanessa stood up and walked away from the table taking her cup with her and heading to the upstairs sanctuary that was still her old bedroom.
Gina watched her walk away and then looked at Stella. The serious look on her face was just a sign of the thoughts rumbling through Mrs. Hudgens' mind. "Seduce him? I highly doubt it would take something that devious to bring those two back together. They may be masking it pretty well right now but you mark my words, if this movie happens the off-screen ending will be far more interesting than what happens before the credits roll."
ZVZVZV
Zac looked at the key ring that he hadn't touched in over three years. He still knew exactly where to find it in the ornate box that Vanessa had bought for him on one of their visits to the Orient.
He held up the whistle that was attached to the key ring. That was a different story but another gift from his former girlfriend. She had picked it up in a jewelry store in Hawaii after a night of playing various games with her boyfriend. One of the games had ended with her telling Zac to 'whistle' for her when he was ready.
Zac swore that he'd whistled, several times, but Vanessa never heard him. That led to him traipsing naked into the living room while she was on the phone with Ashley. Zac threw her over his shoulder and retreated to the bedroom while Ashley kept shouting at both of them over the phone.
Vanessa swore after that night that she would buy him a whistle so she could hear him the next time. So, she did.
Zac placed his lips around the whistle and closed his eyes. He blew through it gently making a soft yet sharp noise. He removed the whistle and looked at the keys on the key ring. One of them was to the Malibu beach house. Yes, he had taken his name off the deed. No, he hadn't given Vanessa back his key. He also hadn't returned the second key on that key chain, the one that opened the front and back door to her Studio City home, just ten minutes away from the very house he lived in now.
On the flip side, Vanessa knew he still had both of those keys. And Zac knew that Vanessa felt safer in both homes knowing that if she ever 'whistled', Zac could get to her without a locked door standing in the way.
"Heading back down memory lane?" Stacey stepped behind her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist. She placed a kiss on his back and laid her cheek against the strong muscles beside his spine when Zac covered her hand with his and laced their fingers together.
He let out a small huff of air and turned his head to the side glancing to see if she was going to move before he answered. "I was thinking about Malibu."
"Hmm," she nodded with her head still resting on his back. "About going? Or about other times when you were there…with Vanessa?"
"Both." Zac admitted a bit solemnly. "Is my little man down already?"
"Yeah," Stacey smiled and lifted her head but when she tried to move her hand Zac held a firm grasp on it.
He turned around, holding her hand in one of his and used his other behind her head to pull her toward him. He let his lips land on hers with practiced ease making Stacey's eyes shut, her Pavlovian response. She felt Zac breathe deeply as he moved his hands to her cheeks, letting her hands fall to his hips.
When he kissed her so eagerly Stacey knew he was remembering, wanting another set of lips against his. Still she usually answered his eagerness in her best attempt to satisfy his needs.
However this time, Stacey Efron wanted answers. She didn't want his life-changing profession or the answer that would curb her hint of jealousy that had just formed that afternoon at the restaurant. She just wanted him to make a decision about the upcoming weekend.
She moved her hands to the front of his shirt and raised them to his chest. Zac's hands moved down her back. But before he could reach the bottom of her loose sweater Stacey pushed on his chest. He ignored her resistance for a moment and tucked his fingers under the hem of her top. He got the message when Stacey pushed him away once more and pulled back from the kiss.
"Zac, stop." She ordered gently.
"What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly.
"I, I just can't right now." Stacey started and walked around Zac toward their bed. She sat down for a minute and stared out the window at the pool in the backyard. "You need to go to Malibu this weekend."
Zac turned and looked at her but didn't move toward the bed. "I said I'd think about it. It's Tuesday." He shrugged his shoulders without smiling. "If I decide to go I've got a key. I'll go."
"There are more loose ends to tie up than you think. You realize that, right?" Stacey questioned and stared down at her hands.
"What do you mean?" Zac crossed his arms across his chest letting his biceps flex as his wife looked over at him quickly and then back down at her hands.
"Seeing Vanessa was harder today than you expected. There's a lot more still there between you than what you believe." Stacey let her thoughts slip from her lips.
Zac approached the bed and stood in front of her. "Does that surprise you? Stace, you and I know each other better than I ever dreamed we would, and I love you. But you know that I didn't stop loving Vanessa, even when you and I got married. I haven't seen her, or really talked to her since we got married. She was my best friend for a third of my life practically and all of a sudden she was gone from it. Of all people, you should know. You watched us go through it." He turned his back on her and looked out the window.
"Lover." Stacey said, raising her chin as she felt the meaning of that word.
"What?" Zac asked a bit sarcastically.
"She wasn't just your best friend Zac. She was your lover. She was the one you went to bed with every night that you possibly could and made love to her every chance you had. That went away for almost two years as well didn't it?"
Stacey felt the force of her love for her husband finally beating in her heart. She loved Zac. There was no question about it. But for the first time she didn't want to think about Zac making love to Vanessa. She wanted her husband - body, mind and soul to herself.
The emotions that had begun at her mother's home returned at that very moment. She knew Zac would hold her, talk to her and make them go away again. She wasn't ready for that. Knowing the potential that Malibu held, she wanted her husband now more than she ever had.
"What are you getting at?" Zac continued to look out the window unaware of the tears that had started seeping from Stacey's eyes.
"What am I getting at?" Stacey's voice started out small. She stood from the bed and put her hands around Zac's right arm pulling on him until he was forced to turn around and face her.
"You are thinking about doing another movie with the woman who is the love of your life! A movie that brought the two of you together in the first place. You have the chance to take those roles back again and take those characters to a new level. And do you know what that's going to do for you and Vanessa? It's gonna push you right back together again!" Stacey had grasped onto Zac's shirt to hold herself up and to make sure she had his attention.
"Now let's put the icing on the cake Zac. You're talking about going to Malibu this weekend to a house that the two of you owned together. Why don't you just go ahead and tell me that you're going down there to sleep with Vanessa just to make sure that there's nothing between you two? Cause that's exactly what's going to end up happening."
Zac held his wife's arms realizing that everything she had just said had gone through his mind. "And?"
"And?" she looked up at his face and let the tears stream down her face. "And it scares the hell out of me." She sat back down on the bed and pulled her knees up to bury her face against them. "It scares the hell out of me Zac because for the first time in my life, the first time in our marriage, I don't want that to happen."
Zac attempted to pull her arms away from her knees but instead Stacey smacked her hand toward him to ward off his touches.
"I promised you and Vanessa and myself that this marriage was…" she stopped, realizing she had already admitted too much of her true feelings.
"This marriage is what Stacey?" Zac asked seriously. He stepped back to her and pulled her arms away again making her look up at him and slide her legs to the floor.
"I love you Zac. I went into our marriage promising myself that I would never be jealous of Vanessa and you because you know I love you together more than anything. I still pray for the two of you – God I don't know how I expect that to happen, but I do. It's crazy Zac.
But today, seeing you look at her again, remembering that feeling of the two of you together, witnessing it again…for the first time, it hurt right here." Stacey put her hand over her heart and grasped at her sweater. "It just hurt."
Zac pressed his knees against her legs that were hanging over the edge of the bed. When she loosened them slightly he pushed himself between her knees and pulled her body towards him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. He placed kisses in her hair.
"Make sure I don't make love to her Stace." He finally said, releasing his hold on her hair and letting her face pull slightly away from his shirt.
Stacey looked up at him with questions in her eyes.
"You and Alex come with me to Malibu. Having you there will help me talk to Vanessa about the movie and help me remember what you and I have together." He still didn't smile at her.
"I…" Stacey wanted to protest but Zac stopped her with a finger to her lips.
"It's not a request this time Stace. You and Alex will come with me to Malibu. I'll call Ness and let her know we'll be there on Thursday afternoon." Zac finally smiled as he looked at Stacey's face and bent to kiss her. "We'll take Alex to the beach and let him get some sand in his diaper."
Stacey just nodded and leaned her head against Zac's stomach again. "Malibu here we come." She whispered.
4ZVZVZV4
