Zak stepped out into the bright, early morning sunshine, keys in hand. He was going to do what he always did when he got back from a lockdown, after leaving Nick to his wife. He was going to drive as fast as his engine would allow him. Sighing as he got behind the wheel, he debated on calling Veronique and trying to make peace. The thought was fleeting as his pregnancy hormones that were being injected into his body on a weekly basis kicked in. Tears staining his face, Zak backed out of his driveway and rolled on into the desert, his emotions alternating involuntarily between anger, sadness, and revenge. Zak knew that Aaron was home asleep, thinking Zak was doing the same thing so he wouldn't be worried about him. It was the perfect opportunity.

Leaving the city street lights behind him, he pressed down on the gas pedal. Quickly the speedometer needle climbed, sinking into the 140s. The power of the car beneath him vibrated through his legs and into his chest. The power became his. He could harness it, keep it, it. Flexing his hands on the steering wheel, his body relaxed into the contoured racing seat. This was living. Zak smiled. "In 16 years maybe I'll take you out in this car, Josh. Hell, maybe I'll even give it to you. What a fucking awesome first car it would be," he said outloud. At first it was weird talking to him, but then he realized that talking to air is really what he gets paid to do anyways, only this time there was a small person listening.

Over nearly four months pregnant and here he was out on the open road. Not too much longer and he wouldn't be able to fit behind this steering wheel, he imagined. That was not something he was looking forward to experiencing. The excitement of having the baby was wavering with Nick officially leaving him. To be fair, he left both him and his wife, but that doesn't make the sting any less powerful.

The Vegas lights slowly dimmed in his rearview mirror as the desert sun was beginning its descent in front of him. In his pocket, his cell phone vibrated. He knew who it was. Nick was checking on him. Zak was still digesting the conversation that seemed to have happened so long ago but was just a few hours. He had been waiting for years for Nick to leave him, but this was never something he expected. Pregnant. And now Veronique knows. Zak pressed the pedal down to the floor and the car lurched forward to its maximum speed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nick held his cell phone in his hand as he listened to Zak's voice mail. Holding in a breath, he dialed Aaron's number. There was nothing else he could do being so far away. On the fourth ring, Aaron answered. "Nick?"

"Aaron, Zak isn't answering his phone."

Aaron sighed audibly. "No shit? He's a little hurt right now, bro. Give him a day or something."

"No, Aaron… please… are you at his house?"

"No, I wanted to sleep in my own bed."

"Will you call him or check on him?"

"Dude…"

"Aaron, please," he knew his voice was near desperation at this point. "I just… I have a feeling. Something's wrong."

Grumbling, Aaron finally relented. "Ok, I'll give him a call, but he's probably just sleeping, Nick. You know pregnant people do that a lot."

"I know. Thanks, man. I'll just feel better knowing that you're checking on him."

Nick sighed as he hung up the phone. This was definitely the most selfish decision he had ever made. But in his mind it would have hurt both Zak and Veronique more if he had just completely cut one or the other out of his life. And it would have hurt him more too. He couldn't imagine his life without either of them, or without Annabelle and now Josh. His life revolved around his family and work and somehow over the years they had become intertwined. But now, he wondered what kind of unintentional damage his selfishness was doing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aaron grumbled bitched and moaned his way through finding Zak's number in his contacts and hitting the "call" button. Zak's phone rang and rang until his voicemail picked up. He called two more times in quick succession thinking that would wake him up and he could go back to sleep, but no luck. With a last exasperated sigh, he pushed himself out of bed and pulled some pants on, grabbing his wallet and car keys. Now he was slightly worried. He could understand Zak ignoring Nick's calls, but his own? Surely Nick had called him enough that the man would be even slightly awake to hear his phone.

Pulling up into Zak's driveway, Aaron pulled out his spare key, entering through the front door. He he called out but with no answer. The pillows were still a mess on the couch where they had been sitting not too long ago. Slowly, Aaron ascended the stairs to the master suite. Carefully, he cracked the door open, hoping to just see Zak sacked out in his bed, so asleep that he didn't hear his phone. Instead, he was met with an empty, made bed. "Shit," he breathed.

Aaron's feet thudded hard on the metal stairs as he stormed down them and into the garage. The lambourgini was gone. Zak was driving the lambo in the desert. Fuck, why hadn't he predicted this? He always did that whenever he left Nick at the airport.

Quickly, Aaron ran to his car, not even bothering to lock the front door again. He knew where Zak went. He also knew how fast he drove.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Veronique sobbed into her pillow as Annabelle lay sleeping next to her, soundlessly and deeply. Her family was being traded for a new one. Two weeks on and two weeks off. Wasn't that what divorced kids went through? Isn't that the way that worked?

He said they could try it. See if it worked. So what if it didn't work? Then would he choose or just completely leave? A soft wail escaped her mouth. Her hand quickly flew over her lips, for fear of waking her daughter. Their daughter. Was it because Zak and Nick were going to have a boy? Was that was this was about? That whole masculine thing. It wasn't her fault that she had a girl. She had loved him since high school. Through rich and poor, health and sickness. Doesn't that account for something? She thought it did.

Picking up the phone, Veronique decided that they were going to have to choose for him. She had to scroll through the contact names on her phone for a number she so rarely used she wasn't even sure she still had it. Sure enough, last name on the list, Zak Bagans. Hitting "Call" she steeled herself, getting up from the bed and walking out of the bedroom.

To her surprise, he answered. "Veronique."

"Zak."

"What do you want?"

She held back a sob, reminding herself to be strong. She was in the right. "I want my husband."

"He's not here. He's in Chicago. He didn't want to stay with me and he didn't want to go home to you. What does that say about us both?"

Veronique scoffed. "It says that you put him in a situation and he didn't want to abandon you! It shows what kind of man he is!"

Zak laughed a she heard wheels squealing. "What kind of man he is… right. You know we've been fucking since we started going out hunting ghosts right? Behind your back this entire time. He's begged me for it. Do you want to hear what we do, V? Do you want to hear about how he lays me on the bed and slowly takes of my clothes-"

"Enough!" she shouted into the receiver, immediately cringing and hoping she didn't wake Annabelle. "I can tell you about all the times he's come home to me and begged me for the same thing. Gotten in the shower with me and bent me over, telling me how coming home sex is the best sex ever."

Zak laughed again, a little more strangled this time. "You know I always hated you because you had him. But really, neither of us had him."

Veronique's mind stuttered. He was right. She didn't want him to be right, but he was right. If he could so easily transition into seeing both of them, then neither of them ever had him. Shame and anger slowly grew in her heart, radiating from her like a heatwave. That bastard.

"Look," Zak continued. "Neither of us want to give him up, and we both need him. Let's just work this out. I don't want to fight with you any more than we already have. It's not going to get us anywhere at this point."

She sighed. "You're right. You know, I called to bitch you out but I'm glad we had this conversation. You're right. Neither of us ever had Nick if he can't choose between us."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zak threw his phone onto the floorboard after hanging up with Veronique. He had played that perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. Get her to fight more with him and Nick will come running back into his arms for good. Flawless. Now if only Nick and Aaron would stop fucking calling him. This was his time. His only time to think. Away from everyone and everything.

Zak whipped the car around the curves of the rock formations, a side road that so few people knew about and no cops ever patrolled. It was perfect for him to open up his engine. Now, he felt like he had the world at his fingertips: a hot, fast engine, a healthy baby growing inside, and a boyfriend who was soon to see the light of his crazy wife.

In the light of his headlights, rocks encompassed the road ahead of him. Mild panic took over his central nervous system, his eyes blown wide with fear. A quick serve couldn't save him. Zak felt his body go sideways, the car door and roof slamming against something hard before the blackness overtook him.