Chapter Thirty

Lock collapsed onto her bed, exhausted, and crashed. Dreams tortured her mercilessly.

'Lock. . .' Rod whispered. 'Feel that?'

She was on his lap, alone with him in the house, and he was having 'fun' with her. He had stripped to his boxers, pulled her pants off of her, and sat her on his lap. Something hard pressed against her clothed bottom and Rod kept moving her around on it.

'Lock?' he moaned. 'Know what this is?'

'No,' she whimpered.

'Guess,' he moved her around and groaned.

'NO!' she yelled, squirming.

'AH! Oh god!' he arched up. 'You touch it for me all the damn time, Lock. . .'

'Your. . .your. . .' she whined.

'My dick, Lock. . .Like how it feels against you?' he held her hips with one hand, the other going between his legs.

'Stop, Rod. . .please!' she pleaded. 'I don't wanna. . .'

'I'm not- - -ah- - -fucking you, cutie,' he moved his hand on himself. 'Just on top of the clothes stuff. . .'

'STOP IT!' she cried, squirming and trying to get away.

He groaned, taking her hand and shoving it into his boxers. She cried as he made her touch him, scared, and alone. He put a hand on her now, making it feel good, and started to thrust into her hand and back.

She woke up screaming, disoriented, and shaking. Someone ran down the steps, throwing her door open, and she pulled her knees to her chest. She was pulled close to someone's warm chest, strong arms enveloping her, and she blindly clung to them.

"Shhhh, Stray. . ." Bobby soothed. "I'm here, so's Cracker Jack. . .You're safe, baby girl."

"Bobby?" she sobbed, clinging to him.

"Shhhh shhh shhh," he rubbed her back. "We're here, baby."

"Lock?" Jack touched her hair softly. "Hey, will you come here?"

She moved and curled into Jack, instantly calmed by his smell, and Bobby gently rubbed her shoulders.

"Bobby?" Jack whispered.

"Hmmmm?" he was still massaging her shoulders.

"Can she. . ." he went quiet.

"Can I stay with Jack tonight?" she asked for him. "Please?"

"Course. . .C'mon, Jackie. . .Grab her blanket. . ." Bobby said, gently scooping her up.

She jumped, Bobby gave her an amused look, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt stupid, being carried up to Jack's room by Bobby, but doubted she would have made it on her own-she was barely able to go change on her own. Jack gave her a pair of his pajamas and an old shirt, she changed, and walked back to his room.

"Night, Stray," Bobby kissed her forehead. "If you need anything just call for me, a'ight?"

"Night, Bobby," she hugged him. "Thanks. . ."

"Anytime, baby girl."

She ran a hand through her hair, still exhausted, and slipped into Jack's bed. He was downstairs, getting something to drink, and she claimed the inside of the mattress, snuggling in. She was just dozing when Jack slid in next to her.

"Hey," he murmured, carefully slipping his arm around her.

"Mmmm," she rolled and settled into his chest.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.

"Not this time. . .not yet. . ."

"All right. . .how are you doin?"

"Better. . .now. . ." she yawned. "I'm with you. . .I'm safe."

He wrapped a leg over her, pulling closer to her, and sighed. She nuzzled into his chest, gently kissing his collar tattoo, and relaxed completely. She did feel safe, knowing where she was, and who she was with.

"No monsters, no nightmares. . .Deal?" he muttered.

"Deal," she kissed him again, then closed her eyes.

Thank fucking god they were here! she thought, dozing off. I'm so damn happy to have them. . .

Sunlight splashing on her face woke her, she winced a little and slowly let her eyes adjust. She realized she was alone in the bed, but if she listened, she could hear Jackie in the shower, singing "Lips of an Angel". She smiled, stretched, rolled over, and waited for him to come back. She closed her eyes, snuggling into the warm blankets, and someone pulled them over her head. She tried to pull them down but someone stopped her.

"Nope," Jack snickered. "I'm changing, stay under the blankets until I say. . ."

"Fine. . ." she mumbled, leaving the blankets.

"Thank you, I won't take long. . ." he laughed.

She heard him mess around in his dresser, feeling a little curious, and carefully peeked out of the blanket. He had a towel secured around his slender hips, stray water droplets trailing down his tattooed back, and she was a little in awe. He undid the towel, she shut her eyes, not wanting to see quite that much of him, and counted to ten. Slowly, she peeked again, and saw him in plain black boxer shorts. He turned and she shut her eyes, pulling the blanket back to her face, but not fast enough.

"Hey!" he squeaked. "I told you to not look! How much did you see?!"

"Just the towel and now. . ." she whispered, scared and deeply embarrassed. "I'm sorry. . ."

"You didn't see. . ." he trailed off and she heard him pull on jeans.

"NO!" she said quickly, rolling to her back and putting her hands to her face. "I closed my eyes . . .Honest. . ."

Stupid curiosity! she yelled. DAMN! I'm such an idiot! What's wrong with me?!

"Well," Jack snickered, sitting on the bed. "As long as you didn't see too much skin, I guess we're all right."

"Sorry. .." she mumbled into the blanket.

The blanket was pulled from her face, she kept her eyes shut tight, and felt her face burn hotly. Jack kissed her forehead, her nose, and her mouth. She didn't want to see the look on his face or what was in his hazel eyes.

"Lock," he laughed, "I've got jeans on now. . .you can open your eyes. . ."

"No. . ." she muttered.

She felt him slip under the blanket with her, propping himself up, and she chewed her lip. She felt so stupid, so embarrassed, and there was some other feeling that she couldn't name.

"Lock. . ." he snickered. "Lo-ooock. . ."

"No," she giggled, turning away from him.

"Lock. . .look at me," he whispered in her ear. "Please. . ."

She slowly opened her eyes, carefully looking at his face. He gave her a gentle smirk, scrunching his nose at her, and he kissed her forehead. There was nothing but love in his eyes, no bad glints, and she thought she saw a hint of concern as well as his love.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she cocked her head to the side.

"Well, I've heard that seeing me in my boxers is quite the traumatic experience. . .You still have your eyesight, right?"

She laughed, feeling put at ease by him and his silliness, and rolled her eyes. He gave her a big grin, leaning down, and kissed her gently. She let him control the kiss, feeling him slowly deepen it, and her toes curled pleasantly as he explored every part of her mouth. He left her mouth, nibbling her lip lightly, then bit it carefully, and she felt electricity flow in her body.

"I love you, Lock," he whispered.

"I love you more, Jackie boy," she smirked, seeing if he'd play that dumb game.

"Mmmmm. . .That I doubt," he teased, biting her lip again gently.

"Whatever," she smiled, leaning up and nipping his lips.

"So," he pulled back out of her reach, "is our war on pause or something? Or have I just won?"

Almost forgot about that. . .Should I get him now or when he least expects it?

"You haven't won jack shit," she grinned. "I'll get you, don't worry."

"Mmmm," he nodded like he didn't believe her.

He's dead! she thought. Right fucking now!

She moved quickly, sitting on his hips to pin him, and sank her teeth into his shoulder hard.

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"Shit!" Jack yelped, squirming. "Holy hell! And you say I'm the vampire?"

"Takes one to know one," she growled, biting him again.

"FUCK!" he whined. "Just be careful, Lock. . .Gettin' me?"

"Mmmm hmmmm," she kissed the space between his neck and shoulder. "Lemme know if it gets to that point, K?"

"Right. . ." he shifted under her, biting his lip.

Good fucking god! She's certainly peppy this morning. . .I like it! his animal desire purred.

He closed his eyes, focusing on keeping the blood well above the waistline, and let out a gasp as she gave him a hickey. Lock snickered lightly, giving him another one close to the last, and he whined loudly.

There's no way I'll be able to hide all of these. . .that little brat!

He shifted again as she found the hollow at the base of his neck, squirmed as she traced it with her tongue, and almost died when she left it alone. She really was getting comfy with him, but he knew that after her attack was over, she'd go shy on him. She turned his head, exposing the other side of his neck, and slowly worked on him. He tried to keep count of the hickies, but lost track at seven. She bit more and more, leaving a fair share of bite marks on him as well, and he somehow managed to keep the blood above his belt.

How in the hell am I gonna get her back for this? he wondered. I can't be too bold, she's still not ready for that. . .I'll figure something out. . .oh shit. . .

She nipped just under his collar tattoo, giving him a little taste, and then kissed it gently.

"Whoa," he panted, sitting up, and was happy he didn't respond fully to that gesture.

"Stop?" she whispered, going shy.

"Yeah, 'bout that time," he smirked, kissing her softly. "How many do I have?"

"Lost count. . ." she bit her lip.

"Me too. . ." he gently put a finger to her lips. "Stop doing that. . .please. . ."

"Doin' what?" she muttered, chewing her lip.

"That," he whispered. "Biting your lip. ..it's ummm. . ."

"OH!" she dropped her head, looking away, and blushed.

So god damn cute! he thought. And she doesn't even know or try to be. . .

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. . ." she murmured, biting her lip and catching herself. "You?"

"Just fine," he smiled. "Nice strike, you brat! I'll never be able to hide all these. . ."

"Good," she smirked at him. "That's what I was goin' for. . ."

"Bobby's gonna flip. . ." he laughed.

Lock's smirk faded quickly, her eyes filling with fear, and she bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed. Apparently, she'd forgotten that he had brothers, and she was tripping out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said softly, making her look at him. "Chill out!"

"He's gonna fucking kill me!" she whimpered.

"No, he's not," he soothed. "He'll never even know. . ."

"You just said-."

"I'm thinking that I can probably hide them, I have to see the damage first, K?"

She nodded slowly, licking the blood from her lip, and got off of him. He opened his closet, using the mirror to check and grinned. It should be easy to hide most of them, but not all-she had done quite the number on him. He pulled on a black T-shirt, gave her a wink, and shrugged into a hoodie. He zipped it up and looked-it worked for the most part.

"Bingo," he smiled. "See? Problem solved."

"But. . ." she fingered one that was visible.

"Here," he moved the hoodie around a bit. "Now?"

"Still see it. . ."

"Well, considering what little Miss Vampire did to me, I figured some might show. . .it'll be fine, I swear."

She nodded, hanging her head, and he kissed her.

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Bobby was drinking coffee and reading the paper when they came down. Lock vanished into her room, he heard the door lock, and Jack grabbed a glass of orange juice. He watched as his brother tipped his head back and downed the drink, seeing the marks on his neck, and stood up.

He grabbed Jack by the shoulders, pissed off, and pinned him to the fridge. Hazel eyes went wide, he squirmed as Bobby unzipped the hoodie. His baby brother's neck was covered in hickies, he gripped his shoulders and stared hard into the eyes.

"Bobby!" he whimpered.

"Jack!" he snapped. "What the fuck are those?"

"It's not what you think!" he whined. "Honest!"

"Explain! NOW!" he growled.

"Bobby," he squirmed, "you're hurting me. Let go!"

"You better explain yourself, Jack," he grumbled, releasing his brother. "Right fucking now."

"We didn't do what you're thinking, Bobby," he murmured, blushing. "I swear to god we didn't."

"Lose the shirt, Jack. Let me see. . ."

"Bobby," he whined. "Please. . ."

"Now, Jack!" he growled, shoving the hoodie off his shoulders.

Jack slowly peeled the black T-shirt off, dropping his gaze to the floor, and let the shirt fall. Bobby looked at Jack's chest, his jaw dropping. Not only did he have hickies all over his neck, he was covered in what looked like bite marks as well, and they went from his neck to his collar.

"Jack, what in the hell?" he muttered.

"Our war. . .this was her strike. . . Honestly. . . Nothing else, I promise," he whimpered.

Shit. . .I shoulda fucking guessed. . .way to do, fucking moron!

"That's one hell of a strike, Cracker Jack," he offered a small grin of truce.

"Huh?"

"I guess I overreacted a little bit, huh?" he smirked, handing Jack his shirt. "Sorry, big brother instinct. . ."

"Don't let Lock know that you saw these. . .she was terrified you'd react like you just did," he pleaded.

"I won't, Jackie. . .But man. . ." he shook his head.

"You pissed?" he whispered.

"No. . .scared the hell outta me, Cracker Jack!" he ruffled his hair. "I thought for sure. . ."

"I noticed. . ." Jack said, zipping the hoodie back up.

"Jackie. . ." he slung an arm over his shoulders. "Guess I should really trust you more, huh? I mean, you're nineteen-fucking-years old! It's time for me to let go, quit being so overprotective, and let you live life. . ."

"Don't get all mushy on me, man," Jack snickered.

"Smart ass," he flicked his ear. "Seriously, I just. . ."

"Don't want me making a mistake?"

"Right. . .I want you to be happy. . .I really want this to work out for you. . ."

"It is, Bobby," Jack looked at him. "Really, it is."

"So," he needed a subject change. "Figured out how to get her back yet?"

"No, not yet . . .It's tricky, ya know?" he gave him a sly grin.

They talked and laughed, rough housing a little bit, and things went to normal. He didn't see Stray the rest of the day, but he just assumed that she was too embarrassed. By dinner, he sent Jackie to go get her.

"BOBBY!" he yelled, running up the steps.

"What?" he asked, feeling anxiety swell up.

"She's gone!" he panted. "She's fucking gone!"

Bobby's heart stopped in his chest, his breath caught, and he leaned on the counter for support. Panic grabbed him and held tight, but he tried to keep it at bay.

Stray's gone!? What?! Why would she?!

"You're sure?" was all he could say.

"She's gone. . .so's her cell, shoes, and hoodie. . ." Jack said, trembling. "No note, nothing!"

"Call her cell, Jackie," he tried to keep his voice calm.

Jack grabbed the phone and dialed. He took a deep breath as he waited, his foot tapping a crazy pattern on the floor.

Why the fuck would she just up and leave? She's been doing so god damned good! Something's not adding up here. . .

"Lock, it's Jackie boy! Where the fuck are you? Call the house, my cell. . .Shit call both! Please, babe. . ." Jack slammed the phone in its cradle.

"Jack, where would she go?" he asked carefully.

Can't look for her right now. . .Maybe she'll show up. . .FUCK! Plan, I need a damn plan. . .Ma's at work. . .shit, shit, shit!

"I-I-I don't know!" Jack cried.

"Shhh, Apple Jacks," he pulled him into a bear hug. "Shhhh. . .We'll wait til Ma gets home. . .Then we'll talk to her and see what the fuck to do, all right?"

His baby brother nodded, crying on him, and he fought tears. The girl wouldn't just up and leave, not now, not when things were going so well. He knew in his gut that something was wrong, but he didn't know what.

TO BE CONTINUED. . . .

Please don't kill me! I had an idea for the story, but figured maybe making a second part would be nifty. . .I am halfway through the first chapter and I can't decide between titles at the moment. . .I will have the new story up shortly. It will be a whole new story. . .(Ducks from the flying objects that I'm sure you'll throw) TITLE OPTIONS: Shattered Stray or Silenced Sanity or Damaged. . .opinions?