Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews and PMs! I am going to try updating once a week. Sorry for the short chapter this week. I promise the next two chapters will more than makeup for it!

Homecoming Week

Wednesday

It was another beautiful morning with the sun shining and a light breeze blowing as Zed, Bonzo and Eliza made their way from Zombietown to Seabrook High.

Zed was exhausted. After walking Addie home last night, he stopped by Bonzo's to talk. Although he may seem quiet to the outside observer, once Bonzo got going on a topic he loved, he could become quite verbose. Bree was apparently one of those topics.

"So, Mr. soon to be homecoming king, are we planning a Zombie Mash for this weekend or what?" Eliza asked as Zed yawned for the fifteenth time.

"Actually, about that. I think I may pass on the mash this weekend."

"What?! You live for zombie mashes. What gives?"

"Garuzaga." Bonzo laughed.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Eliza turned to glare at the two zomboys in front of her,"What do you mean 'he already has plans'?"

"Well, Addie's parents are out of town for the weekend..."

"So you're telling me you two are going to lock yourselves away and go at each other all weekend instead of celebrating with your friends? Typical. Please tell me you've at least put some thought into making this special."

"Look, we're just going to see what happens. No hard plans have been set."

"Nice choice of words there, Zed," Eliza said, giving him an exaggerated eye roll and sigh. "Look, as the only girl in this little misfit brigade, take it from me. You need to pull out all of the stops. We're talking romantic dinner. Rose petals. Romantic music. No candles though….fire bad….At least that's the way I would have wanted it." She sighed.

"Wait a second, 'Would have wanted it', as in past tense?" Zed asked, his response colored in shock.

"Yeah, let's just say a hurried mistake before your boyfriend heads off to college isn't the best memory. Especially when said boyfriend hasn't called in a month."

"Has everyone had sex except for me and Addie? Here I am agonizing over the potential zombie side effects and everyone around me is off..."

"Ouch, I mean, I'm sorry Eliza. Bucky can be a self-absorbed jerk sometimes." Zed said while rubbing his upper arm that had just received a hard punch from Eliza. "Is he still planning on coming in this weekend for homecoming? It is kind of tradition for last years king and queen to be there."

"When I spoke to him last month he was, but who knows now. I bet he's moved on with some blonde cheerleader with a reliable heartbeat. Yuck." The disgust in her voice poorly covering the obvious hurt.

When they reached the school, Eliza walked straight to the computer lab without saying a word.

"Did you know about this Bonz?" Zed quietly asked under his breath?

"Zo," he replied looking sadly to the ground. Letting out a long sigh, Bonzo held up his horn, "muzica zime," and walked off towards the music room.

Zed sighed and shook his head before walking towards the lockers upstairs. He smiled as he saw his beautiful white-haired girlfriend swapping out her books for the morning.

"M'lady, how are you on this beautiful morning? Zed asked as Addison closed her locker.

"Much better now that you're here," she leaned in to give him a proper hello kiss.

"So I've had a few very enlightening conversations lately." Zed chuckled as he wrapped Addison up in a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Few? I've only had one," a confused look crossed her face.

"Eliza and your jerk of a cousin"

"Bucky? Really?" Addison gasped in surprise, holding her hand up to her mouth embarrassed by her sudden loud reaction.

"Uh huh. He apparently hasn't called her in a month," Zed replied as he kissed the top of her soft white hair. "Have you spoken to him?"

"No, I haven't. God is he a jerk. Just wait till I see him this weekend. How could he do that to Eliza?"

"I was wondering the same thing. He better have a good excuse or my Z-band might accidentally malfunction"

"Ok, enough of that." Addison swatted his arm and shook her head. "When do you have free period today?"

"After third. You?"

"I have gym then, I can easily slip away. Meet me in our spot?"

"You got it gorgeous," Zed said as he kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too"

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"Ugh, worst English class ever." Addison groaned as she closed the heavy metal door of the zombie safe room. "Mr. McGill decided homecoming week was the perfect time to assign a 30-page paper."

"That bad, huh?" Zed responded while twirling her around in a smooth dance move. "Well, at least you didn't just leave history. Not fun. Let's just say someone should probably update the textbooks, particularly in regards to their coverage of zombies. After sitting through that class I'm ready to grab a torch and a pitchfork and storm Zombietown myself. No wonder there was such an adjustment period when we started school." he sighed while rolling his eyes.

Addison closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I don't understand how that class hasn't been updated yet," she said as she snuggled into his chest. "The only comfort I can offer is that at least it will be fixed by the time Zoey has to take it."

"That does make me feel marginally better," Zed said with a shrug.

"So, have you thought about what you are going to tell your dad about why you won't be home for the next few days?" Addison asked, looking up into his eyes.

"I've been trying to think of a clever cover story to tell him, but the more I think about it the more I think I'm just going to go with the truth." He sighed, "We're both 18 now, we've been together since Freshman year, and if he's like everyone else, he probably thinks we've already gone down that road. I'm sure he'll suggest that you stay at our place until your parents come back, but I'll just remind him that Zoey is only 10 and it would be in her best interest for us not to be there." he rushed out.

"Wow Zed, you really have put a lot of thought into this."

"Addie, I love you," Zed said caressing her cheek. "You're worth it."

"How did a freaky white-haired cheerleader like me get so lucky?"

"I'm the lucky one," he whispered closing the small gap between them and kissing her softly.

"Zed, are you in there?" the team's cornerback, Murphy, called while knocking on the door, "Coach just called a meeting?"

Stifling a laugh, they both looked at each other with a knowing grin.

"Someday, Addie. Someday." Zed sighed as he wrapped his arm around her and walked out.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Later that night, after Zoey had gone to bed, Zed paced the hallway in front of his father's bedroom door.

"You can do this Zed, you got this," he quietly said to himself trying to give himself a pep-talk. "Here goes nothing," he mumbled as he knocked and opened the door. "Pops, can we talk?"

"Sure son, come on in," Zevon said to his son, as he patted the bed with an unspoken invitation for Zed to sit.

Zed plopped down on the bed and anxiously raked his fingers through his thick green hair. Sighing heavily, he knew that it was now or never. "Look, Dad, I don't really know how to start this off or spin this smoothly, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Addison's parents are going to be out of town this weekend, and she's invited me to stay over."

Placing a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, Zevon looked at him and smiled."Well son, normally I would offer for Addison to stay here, and please correct me if I get this wrong, but you two are both 18, have been together for 4 years, and we should really consider Zoey. She's only 10. What kind of example would that set for her? Did I miss anything?" he asked with a glint of humor in his eyes.

"How did you?"

"I heard you rehearsing before you walked in. I appreciate your honesty in this situation Zed. It shows real maturity."

"Thanks?" Zed half asked, not quite sure what was going on.

"Do her parent's know?"

"I honestly have no idea. I mean, I would assume they would at least have an inkling that we would take advantage of the situation."

"I would assume as well. Zed, I know we haven't really talked much about sex in the past, but are the two of you at least being safe?"

"We haven't done anything yet. So, yeah. I guess you could say we've been safe."

"So you and Addison haven't been intimate yet?"

"No. We haven't. Not for lack of wanting to. Wow, that was an awkward thing to just say out loud." Zed momentarily paused and shook his head in embarrassment."I've been more than a bit apprehensive about it. I'm constantly worried my Z-band is going to go offline and I'm going to go full Zom and hurt her. Luckily up until now every time we've been together we've been interrupted." he laughed humorlessly.

"Look, son, I met your mother before Z-bands were even a thing. And even though I didn't have to worry about hurting her, I knew I loved her and would never do it. Us zombies don't love lightly. It's a full-on overwhelming change we go through when we find our other half. You love Addison. Anyone can see that. Even if you did somehow go 'full Zom' as you put it, you couldn't hurt her. She's your other half. So, as much as this pains me as a parent to say, stop worrying so much and just enjoy the experience. But use protection. Please."

"Wow Dad, so not weird at all. But thank you."