When Crickets Cry...

"Baby please... give it to me..." Zac needed his ring...

Gabriel shook his head.
He would not give his mother this ring.

"Gabriel I'm your momma. Listen and gimme my ring.."

Gabriel's gaze was immediately icy. He smirked and ran to his room, locking it and hiding the ring.

Zac stormed back to his own room, throwing a childish tantrum as he threw himself on the bed, sobbing harder.

Gabriel put the ring up in a safe place. A sigh being uttered into the lonely room as he sat down.

Zac refused to come out of his room for a month. He didn't eat, he didn't sleep. He was slowly dying. He'd just started to get some meat on him, getting bigger and now he was smaller than before, his bones clearly poking out. Finally, one day, he stepped out of his room, eyes puffy and bloodshot and walked down to the kitchen table where Rick and Kevin were, they'd been taking care of their grandbabies for Zac.

Riley pulled him into a hug as soon as he saw him.
"MOMMA!!"

Zac smiled and hugged his son close, pretending as if nothnig was wrong. It had taken him a month but he was going back to his old self..
Show no emotion. Let no one in. Then you don't get hurt.
That had always been his motto. Quincy had made him break his own personal rule... but in the end, he only proved why Zac had it in the first place...
But he wouldn't be bitter like he used to be. He had to be momma. A good, loving momma for his babies.

But he also had a mother. Kevin pulled Zac close and kissed his temple.
"Baby..."

"Hey momma." He smiled softly, kissing his mother's cheekk.

Kevin pulled Zac into his lap. holding him there with a sigh.
"Baby, you know you can't block us all out. You got babies....and me..."

"I dont know what you're talking about momma. I'm fine." He smiled. To anyone but KEvin or Quincy, it would've been convincing.

Kevin shook his head.
"Child, don't you pull that shit with me."

"Momma, I just spent a fucking month bawling my eyes out. I'm DONE." He said firmly.

"Hey, be done with him but not with me and your babies Zac....Your not just hurting yourself but your hurting us too baby." Kevin caressed his pale cheek.

"Momma, if I stop blocking everything out I will be a bawling mess nonstop. Do you want me to be like memaw was when grampa left?" He sighed softly.

"Memaw had no one there to help him....Me and Jessie were babies...He was alone. Your not Zac. Dont act like you are."

"But I WANT to be alone. Not completely but I don't want to whine and bawl to everyone about my problems. I want to pretend it never happened okay?"

"No its not, thats not healthy and you might be grown but I am your mother and you are not too old for me to bend you over my knee."

"You want me to fucking cry?" Zac snapped. "It ain't gonna happen. You can smack my ass all you want but I WONT cry." He refused.

"You have been doing it for the past month and dont you fucking snap at me Zac McGuire!" Kevin popped him lightly in the mouth.

"Exactly. I've been doing nothing but cry for the past month and now I am DONE. Forever."

Kevin rolled his eyes.
"You are to much of a fucking child to have kids. Your worse then they are! And they are still just babies really!"

"Well fuck you too Kevin!" He snapped, glaring.