I open the door of my bedroom and take a peek inside, my shoulders relaxing when I see Del and Zack fast asleep on my bed. Del has her arm draped over Zack loosely as he's snuggled into her and the image makes me smile. It fades away all too fast though when I notice the dry tear marks on Del's face. She's been crying for two days straight and I feel so fucking helpless, so fucking useless, it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs. Pure and hot rage engulfs me when I think of that fucker Chris and the heartbreak he's putting my Angel through. My Angel and my son. I'll fucking kill him before he ever takes either of them away from me.

I close the door, knowing they're safe and okay as long as they're here, and lean my forehead against it. Before I can stop them, tears of my own make their way down my face and I sniff harshly against the sensation of my running nose. I feel like I'm being ripped apart in half. I hate that the fucker put my family in jeopardy. I hate that I feel like I can't protect them the way I want to. I've never felt this kind of pain before and I can't stop my knees from trembling before giving out from underneath me. I crumple to the floor like I'm made of nothing and a quiet sob rips through me, my hand quickly moving over my mouth so I don't wake up Delilah. I don't want her to see me like this. I want to be strong for her even though I'm falling apart on the inside. But right now, I need a minute to let all my misery out.

I'm not sure how long I sit there on the floor with my back against the stair railings, soundlessly crying into the crook of my arm. I think of how much I love Zack and how I would do anything for him. The little man changed my life in the best possible way and I can't even remember what I did with myself before he was born. He's all that I live for at this point. I can't sleep anymore unless he's beside me, I can't eat my meals until I know his stomach is full first, I can't even shower without giving him a bath in the sink because he loves them. To suddenly even consider life without him anymore...it fucking shatters me. It doesn't matter that he's not biologically my son. He's always felt like mine from the second he was born and the last five months of my life have been dedicated to helping Del raise him. How the fuck are we going to survive losing the best thing that ever happened to us? I can't let that happen because the answer is that we won't survive it and we both know it.

"Son." I hear a gruff voice. I look up and blink through my tears, the blurry figure becoming clearer until I realize it's my Dad crouching beside me. The remorse on his face is clear as he watches me. Mom is standing beside him and her own tears are falling down her face. I can see her heart breaking for me and now that I'm a parent too, I understand how it feels.

"I don't know what to do." I punch the ground, my shoulders shaking as another sob tears through me. "Mom. Dad. Please help me. I don't want to lose my boy. What do I do? Please."

"Oh, baby." My mom whispers and crouches down on my other side.

Both my parents hug me tightly and I take the gesture silently. I've always been lucky to have them and I can only hope to be just as great of a parent to Zack. The unconditional love and support my mom and dad have given me my entire life is something I cherish so fucking deeply and right now I need them more than ever. I'll never stop needing them if I'm being honest. Right now, I feel like a lost and scared little boy.

"You have an army behind you. Your sister is going to kick ass. We are going to win this." Dad says firmly. His hand rubs slow circles on my back. "We won't let you down, Nathan."

"He's right, honey." Mom kisses my cheek and my throat closes up all over again. "There's too many of us and just one of him. We won't let anything happen to you or Delilah or our grandson. What do we say about Hunters?"

I draw in a shuddery breath and force the words pass the lump in my throat. "Hunters protect their family."

"Damn straight." Dad claps my back. "It's going to get better, son. I swear it."

"Thanks, Dad." I whisper, using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe my tears away. I wrap my arms around him and he hugs me back tightly, patting my back hard in two reassuring claps. We separate and I hug my mom as she kisses my cheek again and whispers how proud she is of me. "Thanks, Mom."

"Come on." Dad takes my hand and helps me up. The second I'm on my feet I hear Zack crying and immediately let go of Dad's hand to go inside my bedroom.

Del is sitting up on her elbow and shushing Zack, stroking her hand over his cheek.

"Want to me get him?" I ask, my voice still raspy.

Delilah looks up with brows draw together and frown when she sees my face. "Were you crying?"

"I'm okay." I say quickly. I don't want her to worry about me when she has enough things I can worry about.

"Nate." She shakes her head and gestures for me to go over to her. I close the door softly behind me and join the two of them on my bed. I keep my gaze down until she cups my face and forces me to meet her stare. "It's okay to feel the way you're feeling. Don't hide it from me. If anyone can understand what you're feeling right now it's me. We have to communicate with each other."

I swallow harshly. "I know. I just don't want to make this harder for you than it already is. I can take care of myself."

"But you don't have to and that's the point." She sits up completely so she can hug me and I welcome it with a relieved sigh, her touch making me feel at peace in a way that's only possible with her. "I'm here for you the same way you're here for me. Talk to me."

"I'm scared, Angel." I admit with a whisper. I hug her back with one arm around her back and the other arm reaching out to Zack, who grabs my hands and tries to eat it. My amused laugh gives way to another soundless cry. "You two are the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know what I'll do with myself if I don't have that anymore. I love him so much, Del."

"I know you do." She strokes my hair assuringly. "He loves you, baby. He doesn't know what to do when you're not around. You have always been and will always be his father. Chris won't ever take that away, alright? We're in this together."

I sigh into her neck, gripping her as tight as I can. I need her now more than ever. "I love you, Angel. I'm so sorry this is happening to you."

"I'm sorry this is happening to you, too." She whispers back, sniffling. "We've got this. I know we do."

"Yeah." I pull back, smiling wryly as she wipes my tears away despite crying herself. She grips the sides of my neck and leans forward to kiss me. My eyes fall shut at the feel of her lips on mine, my heart thudding rapidly against my chest. I'll never get tired of the way she makes me feel. When we pull away, we're noticeably a little calmer than before. "You need sleep. Go back to your nap and I'll take little man downstairs. The girls can get some playtime with him."

"Okay." She kisses me again, bumping her nose into mine. "I love you."

I peck her lips in response then untangle myself from her so I can take Zack in my arms. He grins happily at me, so unaware of what's happening, and my heart cracks open all over again. I clutch him tightly as I stands up and Delilah smiles at me in sympathy, waving at us as we leave the room. When I shut the door I look down at Zack who's staring at me with his wide, grey eyes.

"You okay, bud?" I ask.

His response is to lay his cheek on my shoulder, babbling away in his own language. I smile and take him to Aria's bathroom so I can rinse him off quickly before changing him into another diaper and a new set of clothes. When he's washed and powdered and looks much more refreshed, I take him downstairs to the kitchen to warm his bottle and feed him.

"There he is." Lexie grins although it's with a hint of sadness. I know she's trying to be strong, though. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course." I hand him off and use the opportunity to warm up his milk in the pot on a stove. I turn around and lean my hands on the handle of the oven, watching as my sisters fawn over Zack. He eats the attention up with huge grins and sweet giggles. He's one of the friendliest babies I've ever seen.

I'm so lost in thought I don't notice Harmony standing beside me until she tugs the hem of my t-shirt. I crouch down to her level, startling when I notice the tears in her eyes.

In a voice so quiet I barely hear her, she asks, "Is Zack gonna leave us?"

Aw, damn. My eyes close briefly and I feel so overwhelmingly enraged and tired of this whole situation. It's taking a toll on everybody in my family and I'm sick of it. I engulf Harmony in a hug, rubbing her back. "No, Mona. He's not going anywhere. We're going to fight for him because that's what we do, right? We're Hunters."

"That's right." She agrees and pulls away to wipe her cheeks. She sounds almost shy when she says, "You're a really good dad, Nate."

"Ah hell, squirt." I kiss her forehead, wondering what the hell I did to deserve such an amazing family. "Thank you."

"I think you should beat Chris up. I mean, you are a boxer. You should make money off of it, too." She chirps and skips away like she didn't just say that. Meanwhile I'm left gaping after her and admittedly considering the idea. She has a point, I'll give her that.

"Man, he's such a jerk." Mia stomps her foot. "Even Chelsea doesn't like him and that's saying something."

I cough into my fist to hide my smile.

"Say the word and I'll go beat him up myself." Mia rolls up the sleeves of her shirt. "I'll hit him with the straight punch you taught me. I've already used it on three guys at school."

There's no way I can hide my laughter at that. I hold my hand up for a high-five that Mia returns with a grin. I love the hell out of the little firecracker. I can't believe how badass she's grown up to be.

"Well, I refuse to believe he's going to get away with this." Eleanor looks at me with wide eyes, clutching a book tightly to her chest. "You deserve a happily ever after, Nate."

"Yeah?" I ask and she nods. I smile at the optimism that her books give her. I hope she'll always be able to look on the bright side of things. "That means a lot, Elle."

Just then Lexie squeals and startles all of us. Coffee shoots out of my dad's mouth and he goes into a coughing fit, glaring at Lexie while Mom smacks his back. "Seriously, Alexandra?"

"Sorry!" She quickly hands a flustered Zack to me, running to the front door. "Aria's here!"

The rest of my sisters scream in excitement and follow Lexie to the front door, all four of them running out to the driveway.

"Oh, my baby!" Mom claps, pointing at the kitchen window where we can see Aria coming out of the cab and laughing at the huddle of girls making their way to her. In the blink of an eye she's lost in a sea of arms and heads and I can't tell my sisters apart anymore.

"We better wait here, babe." Dad says, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "There's no way I'll be able to break through that without losing an eye."

Mom rolls her eyes. "Are you saying your own daughters terrify you?"

"Yes." He deadpans. He shudders a little and looks at me seriously. "I love you, son."

I snicker, turning the stove off after dipping my pinky into Zack's milk and making sure the temperature is okay. "Love you too, old man."

Keeping Zack perched on my hip, I pour the milk from the pan to his bottle and screw it shut. I give it a little shake and spill a few drops on the back of my hand to double-check the temperature, deciding it's okay. When I put the bottle in Zack's mouth, he starts guzzling it down like a champ. I swear he keeps growing by the hour.

Large and bustling noises come from the living room and I can hear my sisters chattering excitedly. Aria comes into view a moment later and drops her suitcase when she sees my parents. She runs over to them, wrapping her arms and legs around our dad first who catches her with a noise that sounds like a laugh and a groan.

"Daddy!" She squeals and I can visibly see how tight she's hugging him. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, sweetheart." He replies gruffly, his arms going around her as he spins her around. Aria laughs and wipes a few lone tears with the back of her hand. When he finally sets her down, she runs to my mom and immediately bursts into the tears she was obviously trying to hold back.

"I missed you, Mom." She hiccups.

"Oh, honey." Mom's voice quivers. "Not as much as I missed you."

Aria laughs and pulls away with obvious reluctance. "Look at you two! How do you still look so young?"

"Lots of sex." Dad winks.

"Oh, come on! I just got here." Aria crinkles her nose, pretending to throw up.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, kid." My dad wraps his arm around her neck, pulling her into him. He kisses her forehead and looks around the room with a smile. "All of my babies under the same roof. I'm going to sleep peacefully tonight."

"Amen." Mom grins, rubbing Ria's arm. "I can't get over how amazing you look. You just get more and more beautiful, baby."

"I look like a hot mess." She snorts. "But thank you."

"What? No love for us?" I pout and make Zack do a little wave.

"Oh my God!" She jogs over to us. "It's you! I feel like I'm meeting a celebrity."

Zack blinks at her in confusion and I laugh. "Good to see you, sis."

"Hey, favourite bro." She says tenderly, hugging me tight. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Me too." I smile sadly. "Want to hold him?"

"Yes, please." She takes him from my arms, careful to keep the bottle in his mouth and Zack doesn't protest once at being held by a stranger. He just gazed up at her in curiosity as tears prick her eyes. "You're so handsome, buddy. Pictures don't even begin to cover it. I'm your Aunty Ria. I'm here now and I'm going to make sure everything will be okay. I promise."

I pull in a deep breath and look up at the ceiling, fighting tears. It's been one hell of a day. I've never felt so drained in my life.

"You ready for this?" I ask her, pleading.

Her stare is so confident and unwavering that I have no choice but to feel the same way. "I'm going to fuck him up, Nate. He has no idea what's about to hit him."

"That's my girl." Dad says proudly. "As soon as Nate puts Zack down for bedtime, we'll have a family meeting in the living room. Be sure to wake up Del so she can ask any questions she has for Aria, okay son?"

"Got it." I nod.

"Family meeting!" Harmony cheers.

"Not for you four." Mom shakes her head. "The three of you have school tomorrow and Lexie, your exams are coming up. You can't lose focus on college despite what's happening."

Their sounds of protests are cut off by Aria.

"I'm here for a whole week, babies. Once we've gotten a handle on this situation we're going to have a blast, okay?"

"You owe me one-on-one time because I have to head back to campus in three days." Lexie points a finger accusingly.

"You got it." Aria blows a kiss.

"Can we spend a little time with you before to sleep? You just got here." Mona whines.

"That's fair." Dad nods. "Catch up with each other for an hour and then it's lights out."

The girls immediately start filing toward the basement. Aria reaches out to give Zack back to me but I shake my head.

"Spend some time with him. He doesn't know you yet and he should."

"Really?" She bounces on her toes. I nod and she leans forward to kiss my cheek. "Thank you. I was hoping I could hog him for a bit."

She follows the rest of my sisters downstairs and the sudden quiet in the living room is deafening. I can feel myself sag with exhaustion.

"Get some sleep, son." Dad squeezes my shoulder. "We'll take care of Zack and you could use the rest as much as Delilah. Get some shut eye for a bit. We'll all still be here when you're awake."

"Are you sure?" I ask, flicking my gaze between my parents. They nod and I smile in relief. I feel like I might fall over any second now. "Thanks, guys."

I head back upstairs to my bedroom and kick off my shoes before climbing onto the bed, getting under the covers with Del. Her body turns to the other side like she can sense I'm here now and I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me. Sleep takes me immediately and for the first time since the week started, my brain catches a break.

***

When I wake up again I'm alone in bed. I blink my eyes open groggily, my vision adjusting to the darkness of my room and I grab my phone from my bedside table to check the time. I've been asleep for three hours now.

"Fuck." I groan.

I reluctantly throw the covers off and stand up unsteady legs, my headache making the room go dizzy. I didn't realize how tired I was and judging by the insistent ache in my temples, I still need more sleep.

I make quick work of brushing my teeth and taking a short shower to feel somewhat human again. I don't bother with a t-shirt and throw on a simple pair of black track pants, snatching my phone and pocketing it before leaving the room. As soon as I start walking down the stairs I can hear voices coming from the living room. When I get there, Mom and Dad and Aria are sitting down and speaking in hushed tones. They stop talking when they see me, their smiles a mixture of their own exhaustion and sympathy.

"Where's Zack?" I immediately ask.

"With Delilah in the kitchen." Mom answers. "She's on the phone with Greta."

"Thanks." I say, already making my way there.

I stop when I see her sitting on one of the barstools, holding Zack in a sitting position on the counter in front of her. He's murmuring something to her and looks so concentrated on trying to say what he wants to say that I can't help but chuckle. Delilah turns around at the sound of my voice, eyes dropping to my body briefly before smiling at me.

"Hey. How'd you sleep?"

"Okay." I shrug and join the two of them. I sit on the barstool next to her and face her and Zack. "You?"

"Okay." She mimics wryly. "Want something to eat? We had dinner an hour ago. I'll heat some up for you."

"That's alright. I got it." I lean forward to capture her lips and she sighs into my mouth, one hand going to the centre of my chest. I hum at how nice it feels to have her touch my bare skin.

I pull away and lean my forehead against hers, my hand going to the back of her neck. "Have you had a chance to talk to Ria about anything?"

"No. I wanted to do it with you. You're Zack's parent too so we're doing this together."

I smile at her thoughtfulness. "Thanks, Angel."

I hold my hands out to Zack who immediately leans his body forward, trying to get to them. I lift him up from the counter as I stand and hold him with one arm, the other going through the motions of grabbing food from the refrigerator to heat it up. When I turn around and lean my back against the counter I catch Del watching me.

"What's up?" I tilt my head.

"Nothing. It's dumb, especially at a time like this." She blushes and I have to hold back a smile. I missed seeing that.

"Tell me anyways."

"It's just...you with Zack...shirtless." She bulges her eyes out to make her point and I laugh.

"Like what you see?" I grin and stretch my arm out to grip the counter, putting more of me on display.