Disclaimers: see chapter one
A/N: and by request from a Zendallite on another board, a shirtless Zach. Enjoy!

The sun was starting to set by the time they got back to the casino. Kendall had insisted that he stay at the casino since that was the safest place for the both of them – it would take a lot for someone to get to them there.

After driving back to the condos to grab some clothes and picking up some pain medication for Zach, the long day was taking a toll on them, not to mention the lack of sleep Kendall got the night before. Kendall dropped their bags next to the door and followed Zach into the bedroom of the suite. They both collapsed on the bed and curled up in each other's arms, immediately falling asleep.

The knocking on the door woke Kendall up. She turned over and looked at the clock – 10:30. Zach was dead to the world, so Kendall pushed herself off of the bed and headed toward the living room. She pulled the door closed behind her softly and padded over to answer the door.

She barely had the door open before Bianca launched herself at her sister. "Oh my God…" Bianca said into Kendall's shoulder, crying while she tried to talk. Kendall smiled, happy to have her sister here. She tried her best to calm Bianca down, but realized quickly that it was a futile attempt, so she just let her sister cry on her shoulder.

Bianca pulled back when the tears stopped running. "Sorry" she said, half laughing, wiping the tears off her face. Kendall just smiled and pulled her sister into the room and shut the door.

Bianca sat down on the couch and Kendall sat next to her. "So, how is he?"

Kendall looked at the bedroom door and smiled. "Out like a light. Joe gave him some pills before we left the hospital – I think they knocked him out."

Bianca took a deep breath and grabbed Kendall's hand. "Look, Kendall, I've already been to see Mom and…"

Kendall shot off the couch. "Uh-uh, no way. Bianca, I love you and I'm so glad you are here, but… well, I'm not real interested in what Erica has to say right now." Bianca shook her head. 'She's gone back to calling her Erica' Bianca thought to herself. It had been awhile since Kendall had referred to their mother by her first name.

Kendall pulled the room service menu out of the desk and looked at it. "Are you hungry" she asked Bianca. "I haven't eaten since this morning and I am starving."

"Yeah, I could go for a sandwich or something."

"Great. Let me go wake Zach up and see if he wants anything." Kendall headed toward the bedroom. She slipped in the door and saw that the bed was empty, but that the light was on in the bathroom. Kendall walked over and stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into the bathroom.

She was struggling to remember how to breathe as she looked at him standing there in track pants, shirtless. He was leaned over the sink, washing his face. She could feel her face flush as she watched the muscles in his back move as he ran his hands over his face.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked as he ran a towel over his face.

"You have no idea" she responded, walking up behind him and running her hands up his back and over his shoulders. He turned around and pulled her flush to his body as she ran her hands over his chest and arms, loving the feel of his muscles tensing under her touch.

"Bianca's here" she whispered to him.

"She's going to have to wait a minute" he growled, attaching his lips to hers. Kendall was a second and a half away from molesting him on the floor of the bathroom when he pulled back.

"That's it. Madden is seeing me tomorrow. We need to talk!"

He scowled at Kendall. "Kendall, please, just…"

She just shook her head and slapped him on the ass before walking out of the bathroom. "I'm ordering food. You better come tell me what you want before I order you some, as you like to call it, 'girl food'. Zach cursed under his breath and grabbed a t-shirt of his bag before heading into the living room.

Zach came out of the bedroom the next morning as Kendall was putting on her coat.

"Where are you going?"

She made a face at him. "I told you. I called Madden first thing this morning and told me he needed to see me ASAP! I have to be there in 20 minutes."

"Kendall, we need to talk. You need to know…" Kendall smirked at Zach and walked over. She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him for all she was worth. "I'll be back in a few hours and we can talk then."

There was a knock on the door. Kendall opened it to Bianca. "Back so soon, Binks. Well, you've got great timing. Stay with Zach till I get back." She pulled Bianca in for a hug and quickly blew out of the room. She looked back over her shoulder and blew Zach a kiss off of her palm. "See you two later!"

"Dammit" he muttered, collapsing into a chair.

"Zach, what the hell is going on?"

He motioned for Bianca to sit down. "Why?"

"Well… I guess… ok, I'm just going to say it. I'm trying to figure out why Kendall had Mom arrested the other night. I've talked to her and Jackson and…"

"I know, I know. I've been trying to figure it out since I talked to Babe at the hospital yesterday."

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean that…" Zach just nodded. "Zach! You've got to do something!"

Zach leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. "I know, Bianca, I know. I'm just trying to get some stuff figured out."

Bianca leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Spill it Slater." Zach launched into his story and Bianca was in disbelief at what she was hearing. "Oh God, Zach, this is… this is huge. We need to fix this."

"I know, but what I can't piece together is why…" Bianca waited for him to continue. "Zach?" He shot off the couch and grabbed his jacket.

"C'mon. You need to take me to see Babe Carey. We need to talk to her now!" Bianca nodded and shot off her chair, following Zach out of the suite.

Across town, Dr. Madden had just finished his exam of Kendall. "Well?" she asked.

"Everything seems fine, Kendall."

"That's what I wanted to hear. So I can go back to a…. normal life now?"

Greg just looked at her. "Kendall, I'm not sure…"

"Did you hear what happened at the casino two days ago?"

"Yes, I did. How is Zach doing?"

"Dr. Madden, he's fine. But, he wasn't for awhile and… if I had lost him and never got the chance to… I just love him so much and he's been so patient, so kind, so giving that he deserves… and Lord knows I need…" Greg held up his hand, seeing where she was going.

"Well, you seem to be out of the woods, Kendall. No episodes recently, the baby is growing the way he should be. I don't see any reason why you and Mr. Slater couldn't…" Kendall jumped off the table and hugged him. "My only recommendation is nothing… too wild. Catch my drift?"

"Absolutely, doc. Thanks again!"

Greg just smiled as he walked out of the room.

Kendall was about to get in her car when her phone rang from insider her purse. She dug it out.

"Hello?"

"Kendall, it's Livia. I'm glad I caught you. I thought you would want to know that Erica's pre-trial hearing is tomorrow. The DA was wondering if you wanted to testify as to what you were told about the stabbing."

"Absolutely. What time do I need to be there?"

"Well, the DA wants to go over a few things with you. The hearing is at 9:30, so be at the courthouse by 9. Do you want me to meet you?"

"I should be alright, but better to be safe than sorry."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow."

Kendall snapped her phone shut and dropped it back into her purse.

Babe was working her way through the Fusion reports that had seemed to multiply on her desk over the last 24 hours when she heard the elevator doors open. She turned to see Bianca and Zach getting off the elevator.

"Zach? What are you doing here? Should you even be out of bed?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to…" he collapsed into the chair in front of Kendall's desk, breathing heavily.

"I told you not to run up those steps" Bianca yelled at him, grabbing a bottle of water for him out of the refrigerator. Zach glared at her over the top of the water bottle.

Babe looked back and forth between Zach and Bianca. "Someone want to clue me in?"

He pointed at Bianca. "Tell her what you told me in the hospital yesterday. About Kendall's version of events. Or should I say Josh's version of events."

"Zach, I'm not sure what you mean about…"

"Just tell her."

Bianca sat down as Babe launched into the story that Josh had told her and Kendall in the hospital. As Babe finished, Bianca just stared at Zach. "But that's not…"

"I know." He stood up and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I need to make a call."

Babe was utterly confused. "Bianca, what is going on?"

Bianca launched into her story and watched Babe go from confused to outraged to indignant. "But, why would he… and to get Kendall all riled up like that. Why would Josh do that?"

"I don't know, but I'd imagine that…" Bianca stopped as her phone rang. She reached into her purse and pulled it out.

"Hello?"

Babe watched as Bianca hung her head, listening to the person on the other end of the phone. "Ok, thanks Uncle Jack." Zach came back in the room. "Well, I've got some people running down a couple of hunches…"

"Well, they better hurry. Mom's pre-trial hearing is tomorrow and the DA just told Uncle Jack that Kendall is testifying against Mom."

Zach cursed under his breath. "Ok, we've got to get this figured out and fast."

TBC…..