Zed takes her to a two story zombie house, decked in flowers and old light bulbs, a mix of old zombie culture with some classic Seabrook touches here and there. It isn't Z-224A, where he lived with his dad and Zoey his whole life. This house is Z-4810. Not even a letter!
By the time they reach the house, the sun has nearly set entirely, giving the sky an orange and purple hue. It's kind of romantic, reminding her of sunset picnics on the beach that always led to moonlit strolls. She missed being young and in love. Zed doesn't seem to notice her sudden distraction from things of the past, carefully helping her up the front steps of the mysterious house.
They stop outside the front door. "Who's house is this?" Addison asks.
Zed shuffles around, producing a set of jingling keys. "Uh, mine," he says. He smiles an awkward smile for a total of two seconds, then sets to work on unlocking the door.
He has a house. Of course he has a house! And that house probably has a family inside, with a new love of his life! Who knows how long they were apart. It could be six years, or it could be sixteen years! She expects nothing less than him to move on from her, find a new person to love without her there. Hell, she even wrote him a goodbye letter in case she never returned specifying he should move on.
She wanted him to be happy without her. But the thought of Zed being happy with someone else twisted her gut in a terrible, disgusting way.
Zed opens the door, leading her into the dark home. She follows him blindly, unable to really see anything. She expects to see another person, maybe even a cute little toddler that'd make her cry (it should be her Zed has babies with!). But when Zed flicks on the living room lights, all she sees is a sparingly decorated living room that, while looking warm on the outside, has an overall lonely feel.
They stand right next to a red sofa covered in throw blankets and miss-matched pillows. Zed makes quick work to grab as many pillows as he can, tossing them to the floor, then gently eases her down onto the lumpy couch.
"Okay, uh, I don't think I have a first-aid kit here…" He turns in a circle, lost in thought, then says, "Do you think you could take your top off? I can get a rag and some water to clean up the blood, and we can make sure you're actually not hurt."
She nods slowly. "Yeah, I can do that."
Zed smiles. "I'll be right back, Addy."
She nods again, watching him run off and disappear up a flight of stairs. She pulls herself up with a groan, lifting her bruised arm. She could take off the torn top herself, but it'll be a struggle she knows she won't be able to deal with, especially by herself. And luckily, the Luma Lens on her forearm has some capacity to make her undress, which quickly zaps away the ripped up top.
She's left in a plain white sports bra, her blue pants and her silver boots that squeeze her painfully swollen ankles. She does away with those too, giving her pug-sock covered feet an experiential stretch. Zed comes tromping down the stairs, talking to what she can only assume is his partner — either dating or married, she isn't sure yet.
Once he gets closer, though, she hears him say, "Eliza, just listen!" Addison cranes her neck, ignoring the stiffness, and sees him on his phone, rather than talking to someone in the room. "I need you to tell everyone to get here asap, and grab a first aid kit from the center. Maybe two, I'm not sure yet." Zed pauses, then huffs. "Eliza, just trust me. You won't believe me if you don't see, okay? Just close up early and get down here."
Zed stops at the couch, saying, "Okay, see you soon. Yeah, bye." He hangs up and tosses the clunky antique to the side chair next to the couch. He huffs out a sigh, then turns back to Addison, smiling sheepishly.
"I hope it's okay I told everyone to come here," Zed says. "I think they'd all kill me if I didn't tell them immediately that you were back."
Addison nods, understanding. Zed kneels down beside her, a bowl of water at his feet and what she hopes is a clean rag slung over his shoulder. She watches him busy himself with his rag, dusting it out then dunking it generously in the water.
He lifts his head, rag in hand, but pauses, a smile quickly spreading on his face. "I like your socks," he comments.
She giggles quietly. "Bree gave them to me forever ago," she says, wiggling her toes.
"I remember," he says with a smile. "I didn't think they'd match the alien dress-code."
"As if anything could keep me from my pug socks!"
Zed laughs, shaking his head. "Okay, anyway, this might sting a bit." He waits for her nod, then gently presses the cool rag into her side.
She barely notices. All she sees is Zed, tending to her wounds with more care than she's ever seen. All she cares about is him taking care of her, despite wherever his life is right now. He could have a whole new family — hell, he could've spent the years they were apart growing resentful and spiteful. But he didn't, and he's here, nursing her back to health with the same soft smile that hasn't left his face since he found her.
He glances up, catching her eyes on him with too much concentration for her own good. "What are you thinking about, Addy?"
She looks at him, for real this time. "Hm?"
"You've got that 'deep concentration' look on your face," he explains. "Is everything okay?"
She loves him. Zed could always read her mind, always knew what she was thinking and feeling and what to say to make her feel better. She almost forgot what it was like to be around someone who just gets her.
"Everything's okay," she reassures him softly. "Just thinking about…you. And how much I missed you."
He ducks his head down in a lame attempt to hide the zombie-pink dusting his cheeks. It's so cute. He clears his throat, then says, "You're not hurt too bad. It looks like something burned you or…stabbed you? Maybe both? I honestly have no idea. It's a…it's a weird wound."
Addison shrugs. "I've been floating in outer space for years."
"You think you got this in space? I thought it was when you crashed…"
She thinks back, but her memories are a blur. She remembers leaving Utopia, and bits and pieces in space. But then there's nothing else, nothing but her waking up in the Seabrook Fields. "I…I don't know," she whispers.
She tries, she really, really tries, but all she gets are quick flashes of little moments. Rocketing through the depths of space, fighting through meteors and space debris, even getting attacked by something. But nothing lasts long enough for her to recall it properly.
Zed squeezes her hand, pulling her attention back to him. He smiles, soft and reassuring, and her brain relaxes. She has nothing to be worried about, she's with Zed now. "It's okay, Addy. You're home now, that's all that matters." His thumb caresses the back of her hand.
Her lips start to lift into a smile. Then she remembers it's been six years — at least — and there's no way someone as sweet and kind as Zed hasn't moved on to someone equally as sweet and kind and, most importantly, present. She sniffs, her eyes welling with tears she fights to conceal.
"Woah, hey, what's wrong?" Zed asks.
"I just—I know I told you to go out and move on but I just…it makes me really sad knowing you're with someone else now…"
Zed instantly frowns. He sits up straighter to meet her eye better. "What? I'm not—Addison, you're it for me, okay? I love you, and only you," he tells her, giving her hand a firm squeeze. He reaches up and cups her jaw with his free hand. She instantly leans into his comfort, feeling her worries already melting away. "To the end of the universe, Addy. It's you, and me."
She sniffs. "Are you sure? I-I would understand—"
He nods firmly. "I waited ten years for you Addy. And I'd wait ten more, as long as I get to be with you."
Ten years? Did he say ten years? "T-ten?" Her eyes search his face, but his eyes just continue to shine brightly as if that number means nothing.
"It doesn't matter," he says, smiling, "You're here now, and hopefully, forever."
He gives her a bright, loving smile, one that makes her chest swell. She lets go of his hand and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her until their lips connect.
Stardust sparks fly, sending Zed falling on his ass, his body twitching from the shock. Addison's hands fly to cover her mouth. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she cries.
But Zed reaches up and grabs her arms, pulling her onto the floor with him. She squeals for a second before his mouth is on hers again. She cups his jaw with one hand, tangling the fingers of her other hand in his thick hair, while he pulls her onto his lap, carefully holding her around the waist.
"I love you so much, Zed," she murmurs against his lips.
He hums his agreement. His lips move with hers in a passionate, unforgettable rhythm, his heart and soul pouring everything he's got in their kiss. It's familiar and different, so incredibly special and them that she feels a tear fall from her eye, rolling down her cheek slowly.
Zed pulls away, resting his forehead against hers while his hand comes up and cradles her jaw, his thumb swiping away her tear. "It's okay, we're together again. That's all that matters, baby," he whispers softly.
She nods, closing her eyes. Ten years apart, ten years, and he still loves her. Her! How did she get so lucky to be loved by a man like him?
He presses gentle kisses to her cheeks, whispering each time, "I love you, Addison."
Her eyes flutter open, meeting his warm, brown ones, looking at her with the most love and adoration. "I love you too," she whispers.
The front door bursts open, cracking against the wall behind her. Addison jumps, squeezing Zed and hiding in his shoulder. He doesn't even flinch, though he rubs her lower back comfortingly, putting her at ease.
"Oh god, you better not have made me rush over here to watch you fu—" Addison turns at the sound of Eliza's voice, just as grumpy as ever. Eliza stops halfway in the entryway, Bree and Willa beside her, as well as a few other people Addison can't make out behind them.
They stare at her, eyes wide and confused, mouths wide open. Bree's the first to speak, stepping forward as she quietly asks, "Addison?" Addison smiles, her eyes welling up at her best friend's voice. In the dim light of the living room, she sees tears already falling from Bree's eyes.
Addison hears a chorus of her name while everyone runs at her and Zed. She doesn't get a chance to try standing; her old friends rush her, tackling her and Zed to the ground.
Zed manages to shield her body with his. "Careful! Careful!" His words fall on deaf ears as she feels the brunt of a giant dog pile knocking the wind out of her. She groans, a sharp, painful ringing surging through her body. Black dots flood her eyesight, her entire body going painfully numb in an instant as her vision tunnels to oblivion.
She feels like she's falling, her body floating through an endless darkness, void of color and sound and smell, everything. Her chest burns, a tingling burning that festers in her wound and spreads and spreads until it consumes her entirely.
Her body goes numb again, a distant murmuring filling her ears that she quickly realizes is her name. She feels a hand on her shoulder, firmly shaking her. She jerks, everything coming back to her at full force. Zed's voice gets loud, frantic and worried as he calls her name.
She looks at him, blinking the bleary lines from her eyes until she can see him clearly. He breathes heavily, a wavering, worried smile stretching his face. "You scared me for a second," he says softly.
"I'm okay," she assures him in an equally quiet voice.
He nods once. His eyes shift behind her, and she's reminded of the crowd of people surrounding them, all waiting to see her. She tries to stand, but her legs lock up immediately, tingling with so much numbness she can't even think of moving much more.
"Help her up!" Eliza calls from behind her.
Addison feels two sets of hands grab her around her upper arms. She looks and sees Wyatt and Willa helping her up. Even Wynter comes and wraps an arm around her, helping her back onto the couch.
She lays down again, legs stretched out on the couch, while Zed stands from the floor. Her friends gather around her, all watching her with worry and concern. This is so not how her reunion was supposed to go. It was supposed to be big hugs and smiles, maybe even a few tears. Not whatever was happening to her.
Luckily, Eliza cuts through the silence. "So," she starts, crossing her arms over her chest, "how long has Zed been hiding you from us? A week? A month!"
"An hour, barely," Zed says with a grin. He moves closer to Addison with a first aid kit in hand, their friends shifting to the sides to let him through. "She was hiding in the alley by the grocery store. What luck, huh?"
Addison bites back a grin, though a smile creeps on her face at the bright, shining glimmer in Zed's eyes. He kneels on the ground next to her, popping the kit open. "Really bad news, though. She and A-Spen came together and they crash landed near the woods and we have no idea where A-Spen is."
Willa's face darkens, while Wynter's hands fly up to cover her mouth in shock. "Oh shit," Wyatt grumbles.
"We'll send the pack out immediately," Willa says seriously. She looks at Addison, her expression nearly unreadable. Everyone looks so much older, more mature and hardened by life despite only being twenty-eight, but Willa seems more concerned and weathered than the rest, as if she were suddenly haunted by some unknown demon. "We'll find them, I promise."
Addison smiles softly at her. "Thank you. All I remember was coming in through the broken gate to the Forbidden Forest."
"Don't worry, we're werewolves, we can track down a missing alien," Wyatt assures her.
Willa reaches down, giving her shoulder a firm squeeze. "Feel better and stay safe. We'll update Zed when we can."
Addison nods. Willa moves around the couch, heading for the door. Wynter follows behind, giving Addison a small smile as she passes. Wyatt lingers for a moment, grinning at her. He leans down close to her ear, his breath fanning across her skink, and says, "Glad to have you back, Addison." He drops a tender kiss to her forehead that makes her chest warm, before he follows the other wolves out.
Eliza sits down on the arm of the couch near Addison's feet. "I can't believe you're really here," she says.
Zed hums in agreement from beside Addison. She glances at him, catching him laying out dozens of supplies from the first aid kit. She looks down at her own body, seeing the wound that was healing a few minutes ago now an angry red, almost throbbing in her eyes, the pain of the incident quickly coming back.
Zed doesn't notice her sudden fascination with the wound, continuing to talk to Eliza. "I thought I was going crazy at first," he admits. "I mean, I've dreamt of this day for years."
Addison looks up at him, suddenly curious. "You have?" she asks. She knows she spent everyday aboard Mothership dreaming of Zed and she always hoped he did the same, but knowing he actually did…it made her fall even more in love.
"Every, day," Eliza emphasizes.
Bonzo echos his own agreement.
"There were a lot of dark days," Eliza continues quietly.
Zed clears his throat. "Anyway!" He says loudly. Addison looks back at him, catching the briefest flash of discomfort. What wasn't he telling her? "You picked the perfect time to come back! Right, Bree?"
Bree! Addison turns, spotting Bree standing behind the couch, arm linked with Bonzo's. She looks at Zed, confused for only a second, before her face bursts with excitement, Bree physically bouncing with energy. Same old Bree, of course.
"Oh my god! You're right! Addy there is so much to catch you up on!" Bree shouts. In an instant, she's around the couch and on the ground next to Zed. "Where do I start, where do I end? I mean I have so much regular gossip and then so much to tell you about everyone—"
"Cheer-off," Zed says.
Bree gasps. "The cheer-off is this week! Me and Zed made it a two day event ages ago because so many people come now we have to split it up but it's going to be so awesome! It's the ten year anniversary, I already got a bunch of our senior year squad together and we're working on a routine for the big celebration. Do you wanna join us? Please, please say you'll join us! I mean, so many of us would've never had the courage to even cheer if it weren't for you, you have to join us!"
Addison blinks. She nearly forgot how fast Bree could talk. Sure, by their senior year Bree had calmed down a lot, but she wouldn't be Bree if she weren't a ball of living energy waiting to explode.
"I mean, I haven't cheered in years," Addison says. Although she would love to cheer again. It'd be the perfect start to her new life, in her old town with her old boyfriend and old friends. She's been waiting years to get back to her life, and things may be different, but she's still the same old Addison.
Zed presses a gauze pad into her side that pulls her attention to the pain. Could she even cheer like this?
Bree gives her a pout and continues. "Cheer is in your blood, Addy. Please? Pretty please? It doesn't even have to be long! I just know everyone would love to have you out there with us!"
She has missed cheering. Plus, she spent the past six years cooped up in a scout ship, her body could use the exercise. Not to mention she can't say no to Bree. That's her best friend, who's asking her to cheer with her again one last time!
"Only if everyone's okay with it," Addison says.
Bree cheers loudly. "O-M-G, this is so exciting! And then, on Sunday I'm getting freaking married!"
"What!" Addison shoots up, immediately wincing at the sudden movement. She doesn't dwell on it though because her best friend in the entire galaxy is getting married!
"I know! It feels so crazy! I was so sad that you'd never get to see me get married but you're here now and you get to be there—Eliza!"
Eliza turns, looking at them both with wide eyes. "Yes, please. Whatever you're going to ask, yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Then I get to wear my backup suit and stand with Bonzo!"
"What's going on?" Addison asks.
Bree whips her attention back to Addison. "Please, please, be my maid of honor. We can go to the tailor to get you a nice dress or you can even wear one of your pretty alien dresses. I don't even care, I just want my bestest bestie at my side on my big day. Please Addy?"
"Um, of course!" Addison exclaims. She ignores the sadness starting to creep up at missing all the wedding planning, the dress shopping, all the times she could comfort her bestie when something didn't go right or share in her excitement. She especially pushes down the jealousy creeping in at Bree getting married before her, reminding herself that she chose to leave her family and Zed. She made this choice, and she'd have to live with it, forever.
She is excited. She is excited for Bree.
Or at least she looks excited.
Bree continues to talk about her wedding. Addison listens, though she quickly gets distracted by Zed carefully cleaning her wound again. The pain subsided a while ago, though she fears it'll come back. No, she's sure it will. She may not be able to remember what exactly happened, but she knows it couldn't have been good.
Zed disinfects her wound, then wraps it up with care, his cold fingers bringing a familiar comfort back to her body.
He bandages her side and she lets out a breath, feeling her body finally relax after years of tension. She's home, after all. Surrounded by her best friends and her favorite person in the universe, still welcomed in their lives. Still loved.
"Alright Bree, she's definitely not listening anymore," Eliza says. "Come on, let's give these two some space. I think it's long overdue that they get some 'Zed and Addison time.' We can finish catching up in the morning."
"You're right. Zed, you better bring her to the center first thing in the morning," Bree threatens.
The center? The center of what?
Zed chuckles. He stands, handing Eliza the first aid kit. "You have my word. Though I can't stay all day, and I'll probably take Addy with me when I head out."
"You can't hog her forever!"
"Just for the day. You don't mind, right Addy?" Zed looks at her, and although she's having trouble following, she shakes her head. She loves her friends, but she has a decade of lost time to make up for with Zed.
She slowly stands on shaky legs, leaning on Zed for support. She hugs her friends, promising to see them again in the morning. They finally see themselves out, leaving Zed and Addison alone again.
"You tired, Addy? It's not super late, but I'm sure you've had a long day."
She gives him a half shrug. "I haven't slept in a real bed in so long…I think I'd fall asleep the instant I lay down."
Zed cracks a smile. "Well, I'm no longer sleeping on a tiny twin bed. I've got a nice queen upstairs that's all yours. I'll take the couch down here."
Her chest deflates at that, though she completely understands. He's being a gentleman, like the Zed she remembers. Kind, sweet, and generous.
But, she's missed ten years of cuddles with her zombie.
"Well if it's a queen, I'm sure there's enough room for the both of us…?" she suggests quietly. "If you want to, at least."
Zed looks down at her and smiles. "Sure! Sure! That's totally — yeah that's totally cool, Addy."
"Cool."
"Cool," he echos.
She looks at him and they share a grin, holding back their giggles.