Zed's POV

I got back to Addy's parent's house and saw that Bucky's van was already parked in the driveway, my heart instantly accelerates with excitement as my pace quickens. Who'm I kidding, I was sprinting through the yard as fast as I could. The front door flinging open before I hit the porch steps and Addison crashes into me when I do.

"Hey! I missed you!" She exclaims. I laugh and squeeze her a little tighter.

"I think I missed you more." I argue lightly, pulling back only to lean in and plant a passionate kiss to her lips. Both of us sigh contently as we melt into each other's embrace. Oh Z, I will never get tired of the way she tastes.

"Ah hum." Bucky cleared his throat in annoyance. I pull back immediately, fearing the wrath of the former cheer captain, but Addy just giggles. The sound so sweet to my ears that I wouldn't be too upset if Bucky did kill me. "Geez! You two are like cats in heat!" Her cousin complains, marching past us towards the van.

"Thanks for everything Bucky!" Addison calls.

"See ya Bucky! Thanks for taking care of Addy for me!" I add, waving at my future cousin in-law. Bucky turns, giving us a smirk and two finger salute before hopping in and starting the engine.

"How'd he take the news of our engagement?" I ask curiously as we watch him pull out of the driveway.

"He was pissed at first, mostly 'cause he wasn't my first contact. Which reminds me, don't let me forget to call Bree in a bit. She's probably gonna be mad she found out after Bonzo." She sighs then looks up at me. "You did tell them right?" She asks.

"Of course I did!" I laugh. "They're gonna stand at my side when we say 'I do'." I point out, leaning down to steal a quick peck before she continues with a giggle.

"But, after it settled in, he's happy for us. Wants to be our wedding planner, actually." She adds.

"No." I say, surprising her from my quick rejection. "Nah uh. Nope, nope, nope. Do you even realize how extravagant and over the top 'Seabrook' he'll go with it?! It won't be us if he's the wedding planner!" I explain my doubts. She turns in my arms to tighten her hold around my middle, soft smile turned up at me.

"You're being a little dramatic." She pointed out teasingly. I gape at her.

"You don't agree?" I ask incredulously. She giggles and placed a petite hand on my cheek for reassurance.

"You don't think I've already thought of that?" She teases. I relax and press my cheek into her touch. "I already made it clear to him that this is our wedding and anything we don't like will be vetoed."

"How could you be any more perfect?" She snorts from my description but it's true. She may not be the idea of perfection by Seabrook standards, but she's more than perfect in my eyes. I lean down and capture her lips, her wrinkled nose smoothing as she melts further into my arms.

My hands slide down her spine, seeming to snap her out of our lustful haze, and pulls back to look into my hooded eyes. "My parents just left for the weekend on business. They told me to convince you to stay with me." She told me breathily.

"Like I'd need much convincing." I chuckle, pulling her flush against me once more and grabbing under her ass to lift her into my arms fully. Her legs immediately wrapped around my hips as she crashed her lips back to mine. I hurry up the steps with my queen on my arms and kick the door shut behind us. I pause to press her back into the door as I flip the lock closed, our lips devouring each other's in a heated match for dominance.

Her teeth catch my bottom lip, a low growl creeps up my throat as she gives it a slight tug. A grin spreads across my face as soon as I peek and see the mischievous smirk on hers. She lets out a breathy giggle, my chest bubbling with adoration of the beautiful sound. I love hearing her happy. And I'd do anything to make sure she never loses that laugh.

But right now, I can't ignore the need I can feel between the two of us. I pull her stomach flush to mine, the warmth of her center pressed into the rigid section of my jeans, our mouth crashing back together with a passion we've become so familiar with. Her thighs tighten around my waist as she sucks in a sharp breath through her nose. A low rumble returns to my chest, fingertips digging into the flesh of her hips.

"Mm Addy." I groan, lips still close enough to brush against hers.

"Zed." She whimpers. "I need you, but I'm, so tired." I can suddenly feel how exhausted she really is. My eyes meet hers, the dark circles much more visible now that they were out of the darkness of night.

"Oh, Addy, why didn't you tell me sooner?" I murmur, lips already brushing against her forehead comfortingly as I bundle her into my arms and heading for the stairs.

"I-I thought I'd be able to… I want you so bad." She whined pitifully. She had her head resting against my shoulder as I walked her to her room, burying her face in my neck every few seconds in an attempt to wipe the sleep from her eyes. I chuckle as I can feel it's only making it harder to stay awake for her.

"Baby, there'll be plenty of time for that this weekend." I gingerly pet the hair on the back of her head, soothing any worries she may have about my 'needs' over hers. "You've had such a long day." I don't bother flipping on the light of her room. I'd know my way there even if I were blindfolded.

"I miss having my energy." She whispers almost silently. I would have missed it if it weren't for my zombie hearing. Her statement brings a soft smile to my face as I kiss her temple.

"You're doing amazing work helping our baby grow, Ag Garziga." (My Love.) I assure her softly. She hums for a moment, the exhaustion already taking its hold on her.

With one hand, I push the comforter back before laying her down on the mattress, gently unhooking her legs from my back before tucking the blanket up around her shoulders. I kiss her forehead then turn to walk out of the room, only for her to swiftly catch my wrist, a wave of panic washing over me.

"Z-Zed? Where are you going?" She asks frantically.

"I was just gonna check the doors are all locked and shut the lights off Baby." I chuckle, leaning back in to kiss her lips this time. "I'll be back in two shakes of a werewolf tail." I tease. She relaxes at my joke with a giggle.

"Werewolves aren't real." She tells me with a tired eye roll, laying her head back into the pillow. I chuckle again.

"Crazier things have happened." I continue to tease as sleepiness settles over her thoughts once more. "I'll be right back." I promise with one last kiss.

XxX

Addison's POV

I gasp, jolting upright out of a dead sleep. A feeling of dread and terror so strong in my chest that tears are staining my cheeks and have my heart racing from something I'm not even sure of. Why am I feeling this way? Sobbing, I stretch my hand across the bed to wake Zed, desperate for his comforting words that tell me everything will be ok.

Panic nearly overpowers these other emotions when I feel nothing but chilled sheets beneath my palm. "Zed?" I call into the dark of my room.

No response.

What if something bad happened?! I don't remember him coming back to bed! I shouldn't have fallen asleep before he was lying beside me! How could I be so neglectful!

I have to physically shake away my self-scorning thoughts. Now is not the time for that. I have to make sure Zed is ok!

I take a deep breath and focus my mind on him, his emotions, anything to give me a hint at where he could be. He was scared. Terrified. 'No no no no no!' repeating over and over in my ears. My heart constricting painfully that he was alone with these feelings. I have to find him.

"Zed! Where are you!" I cry, pushing the covers off my legs and rushing out of bed. "Answer me Baby!" I yell so he can hopefully hear me. The house is quiet and I wished I had Zed's impeccable hearing to ease my search, but have to work with what I have. My connection with him.

"Zed." I whisper, pleading for him to hear me. I walk out down the hallway, flicking on the light before reaching the stairs. Still no sign of him. "Zed, please." I concentrate my desperation to find him, using our connection to tell him how much I care and just want to help.

'Addy…' His emotions are so strong that I can literally hear him in my head.

"Zed." I sigh in relief. "Where are you?" He's silent, but I know he can still hear me because of the overwhelming desire to protect that floods my gut. My brows knit together. "Zed, whatever's going on, we're safer together. You know that." I assure him gently.

He's quiet for another few seconds, before, 'I'm in the garage.' He admits. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding before running down the stairs, through the kitchen, to the door leading out into the garage, and bursting through.

"Zed?" I call slightly winded, looking around frantically in search of my beloved zombie. It's hard to see in the dark of the garage, storage shelving lining the walls, Dad's work station with the lawn mower and his small collection of tools occupying the far back corner. But I couldn't spot Zed. Until movement between one of the shelves nearby catches my eye.

"Zed!" I exclaim in relief, nearly tripping down the double steps from the house. He caught me before I could fall of course. I instantly wrap around him in a bear strength hug as he does the same, and I don't miss the soft whimper as he buries his nose in the crook of my neck.

The sound leaving an ache deep in her heart. I pull back, reaching up to cradle his jaw. His eyes refuse to meet mine but the trails of dried tears all the evidence I need to stretch up and plant a firm kiss to his lips. A sigh escaped his nostrils as he relaxed against me, even pulling me a little closer as he kissed me back.

It was slow and soft, a comfort of knowing we're together and safe easing whatever worry was itching at his mind. I wrap my arms around his neck to draw myself closer. But as I begin to deepen our kiss, he pulls away, a deep frown wrinkles my brow. When I look up, his face reflects the feelings of shame and guilt tugging at my heartstrings.

"Zed?" I pry gently. I want to know the source of all his sudden remorse. What's got him so upset?

"I-I thought I was unstable. I thought I was, I was gonna attack you." He shuddered from whatever memory he was remembering. "I couldn't bear if I accidentally hurt you." His grip around my waist tightens instinctively. I soften and return one hand to his jaw to force him to look me in the eye.

"Even if you went offline, you'd never hurt me. You wouldn't hurt me when your Z-band was even taken off!" I remind him with a smile. He gives me a half smile, worry still creasing his brow. "What brought all this on?" I ask, shifting on my bare feet against the chilly concrete garage floor.

He noticed my discomfort and hooks an arm under my knees to lift me up bridal style, carrying me back into the house without a word. Still silent, he sets me down gently then turns away to lock the garage door behind us.

"Zed you gotta talk to me." I tell him in desperation. "I can't help you if I don't understand the source of these emotions." He still has his back to me, head hung low.

"A nightmare." He admits in a whisper. "It-it felt so real, Addy." He finally turns and, between the look on his face and the ache in my chest, tears prick my eyes. "You, the baby, I-I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried." He clenched his teeth and fists as a small bout of rage flares somewhere deep down that's just out of reach.

"Your zombie doesn't appreciate that very much." I tease solemnly. He breathes a dry chuckle. I close the gap between us, he doesn't pull away this time but rather welcomes my comfort again as I pull him down into an embrace. "It was a dream. Your mind playing tricks on you. It wasn't real, Ag Garziga." He tightens his arms around me again, burying his nose in my neck to take in a shaky breath of my scent before nodding more lax.

"Thank you Addy." His words muffled by my skin. "Gar garziga." I soften, turning my head to kissing his neck.

"Gar garziga, ag zaffi zomika." (I love you, my silly zombie.) I tease. He chuckled again, this time his heart much lighter which I'm grateful for. "Let's get some rest. It's like 2 am." I offer while I stifle a yawn.

He smiles softly and picks me up to carry me back to bed, shutting off lights as we go. He lays me down before crawling in with me, pulling me into his chest and curling around my smaller frame for comfort. I giggle and cuddle back into him.

"Goodnight Adds." He mutters tiredly.

"Goodnight Z."