Special thanks to GypsyWitchBaby, your advice and comments made my week! Also thank you GhostAuthor , kungfupandabear, GottaHaveMyPops, Aurora Glorianna and Rmeyer90for story alert/ favorite story. (: Its all very appreciated. Though there is one change, I am going to start being selfish, so I would like 5 reviews before Ch 5 comes. Sorry! If you hate me, blame GypsyWitchBaby she gave me the idea! I don't think 5 is too much to ask for, come on, my chapters are long!

Chapter 4

My shift was over, praise the Lord and I sat at the bar devouring the dinner I had packed earlier at home: a PB and J, apple and chips. I was ravenous, as I hurriedly crammed the food into my mouth. Yep, I was so going to start my period, I felt like a fat sow. As my stomach began to quite, I relaxed a little and took in the change of atmosphere at the bar. Men, grimy with the labor of the day, filed in to drink our stale cheap beer, the lights turned on as night fell, causing eerie blotches of light to pattern the dusty ground, the noise level increased as men started downing drinks and Susie, an older, plump but still voluptuous lady, with a mole smack dab between her eyes, bustled around trying to satisfy everyone's order. I knew John would have rather had me do the night shift instead of Susie, revenue was always an all-important factor, but I had done the night shift for three days in a row and I wasn't doing it again. Soon the cage fight would start and that would be my cue to leave. Victor would be getting off work and would head down wherever his " job" was, and wouldn't get home till late. At least I would have the house to myself for a few hours, unless I fell asleep. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Throwing away my trash, I noticed that Susie was having trouble with a customer, who was bent on getting his order of whiskey ahead of the others. Rolling my eyes, I cursed the affects of alcohol; it was delaying me from getting home to a good book and fire. Why did I have to be so nice? Why couldn't I just leave Susie to deal with it? I didn't come up with any answers to my quandaries. Grumbling under my breath, I stomped around the bar towards the man who had poor Susie by the arm and looked like he trying to shake whiskey out of her like Moses hit the rock in the desert to get water. Plastering a false grin on my face I tapped the man on the shoulder.

" Sir, please let go of her arm, you'll get your whiskey soon."

He turned slowly to face me, his face the color of a ripe turnip. His forehead creased into hundred of tan wrinkles as his bushy caterpillar like eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

" Naww, pretty lady, I think I'll have my whiskey now." He drawled languidly, eyeing me up and down. His breath, pungent with beer and cigarettes wafted into my face like a cloud making me gag, and a button on his shirt had popped off, exposing a patch of white hairy belly. Any other day I would have kept it together, but not today. Not knowing that Victor was out killing somewhere, so we could have bacon in the morning, not having been barfed on by tequila and being leered at by drunks all day. I lost it. Grabbing his shoulder I shoved his butt back down on the stool and glared at him.

" Listen bub, you will let go of Susie and apologize or so help me I will drag your ass out of here!" I said through my teeth. Though I was one the smaller side, I had learned a few things from Victor and I wrestling matches and the movies, you know like S.I.N.G in Ms. Congeniality, and I was pretty confident that I could hurt him if I wanted to. Apparently he didn't think so. Chuckling to himself he reached up and traced the exposed line of my collarbone, where Victors large shirt had slid off my shoulder, with one sausage like finger. He opened his mouth to say something, but my fist cut him off in midstream. His head rocked back from the force, teeth snapping together audibly. Thinking back, I should have finished him off with a knee to the groin but for some reason I didn't think that he would hit me back, or at least not very hard. Maybe I was getting to used to Victors presence, protection had made me soft. With a sickening thud, his fist connected with my jaw and the force dropped me to the dirt, so much for S.I.N.G. He was sober enough to hit me with a solid right hook but drunk enough to forget what the consequences would be for hitting me. I heard Susie screaming for John, but it didn't matter. On my hands and knees, I smiled to myself as I sucked the blood oozing from my split lip, Victor was going to rip his face off. Where was all this blood lust in me coming from? I felt slightly dismayed at myself. Looking up from the floor I saw the man bring back his foot for a kick to my stomach, cringing I braced myself for the pain, the snapping of my ribs. But it didn't come. I looked up from the floor and saw two long legs sheathed in jeans, in-between the man and I. Following the legs up; I distinguished Victor's smiling face above me, his prodigious frame blocking the light. Victor had the man's fist in his hand, like a ball in a mitt, the man's fist was completely covered by Victors mammoth paw. Cocking his head to the side, Victor squeezed lightly and the blood drained from the man's face as the delicate bones in his hand snapped slowly. Still smiling, Victor spoke,

" I don't let people hit what's mine. " He purred softly. I shuddered, the tone was similar to the tone he used when we were in bed. There was no trace of anger in his voice, it was almost cordial, but I knew better. Victor was the most dangerous when he was polite. I scooted across the floor, so I could lean against the bar. Looking up at them, I pitied the man, he had finally gotten a good look a Victor: the claws, the fangs, the size and he was starting to bather and cry, as Victor kept crushing his hand in a vise like grip. I knew that Victor was going to take this to far, though I didn't mind if the man got taught a lesson, but I really didn't want to have to get a new job, so I spoke up.

" Victor." I knew Victor heard me, but he just kept extending his claws into the man's wrist as he blubbered in pain. Victor sardonic smile make me worried.

" Victor, let the man go." My voice was a whisper. Loosening his claws from their perch in the man's wrist, slowly one claw at a time, Victor looked down on me, a quizzical expression on his face. Wrist free but broken and bleeding, the man quickly stumbled out of the bar, yelling profanities only once he was safe outside. The bar lay hushed, as Victor grabbed me from underneath the arms and put me on to a stool. Both John and Susie were having a mild panic attack; they fluttered around me like birds, squawking apologies and acts of revenge until Victor shooed them away. Before turning back to work, John spoke,

" Victor, are we still on for tonight?" His voice a little nervous.

" Don't worry John, you'll get your moneys worth, the show's just getting started." Said Victor, flashing a fanged smile. Confused I swiveled on my stool to question Victor on what he meant when Susie handed me a cold beer, patting my hand lightly.

" Here deary, are you okay? I'm so sorry about what happened, I should have gotten John sooner." Her southern accent more pronounced since she was flustered.

" Susie, you know I don't drink." I said as I slide the beer back towards her.

" Honey, its for your lip." Her voice slightly patronizing. As understanding dawned I pressed the cold glass to my split lip, relishing the cool relief. Seeing that I was going to be all right, she returned to tending the bar. Head reverberating and beer still pressed to my lip, I rotated to face Victor and had planned to question him about his cryptic comment to John, when Victor extracted the bottle from my hand and set it down on the bar. Leaning in towards my face, he lightly traced my busted lower lip with one claw then bringing it back to his mouth, he tasted the blood on his claw. I sat motionless, not quite sure where he was going with this.

" I'm going to have to fix that when I get home tonight." He purred suggestively, his tone the same one he had used to threaten the drunken man. " Unless you want me to fix it for you now." He ran his tongue over his lips. Knowing my cheeks were scarlet, my eyes darted around the room, noting how many people were watching this little scene. Embarrassed I pulled away from his touch; wishing that Victor cared even the smallest bit about what other people thought, or said about us in town. Grinning from my reaction, he snagged the beer and used his teeth to pop the cap off, guzzling half the contents in one swig. Still nervous that he was going to start kissing me in public or worse, I headed the conversation in a different path, the one I originally wanted it to go down. I didn't even bother asking how he knew that I was in trouble I was past caring.

" What did John mean when he asked if you guys were still on tonight?" Grinning he finished the beer and motioned to Susie for another one.

" I'm working here tonight."

" What like a busboy?" My voice cutting with sarcasm. Looking behind my shoulder, he motioned with his head towards the back of the bar where the cage stood.

" You have got to be kidding! You can't fight in the cage!" I squeaked.

" Why ever not?" He drawled. I stuttered to a stop. Thinking for the reason.

" Cause.. cause… cause! You'll kill one of them." There that should stump him.

" You didn't try to stop me when I told you about the job this morning, anyways I'll let them get a hit in or two- before I break their arms." He replied maliciously.

Straightening up with remembrance I squealed at him," That's another thing, this morning you let me believe that you were going off to kill someone, when you could have told me that you were just working here tonight!"

" And miss this expression on your face, not likely. Though I would have come earlier if I would have known that you were going to start decking customer's." A chuckle reverberated deep in his throat.

Spinning around with flourish, I faced the bar, irritated.

" Har Har, aren't you funny. " I said, while I fingered by lower lip, wondering if it was going to swell. Hearing shuffling behind me I turned to face John, he had a bad habit of dragging his feet. He said a few quite words to Victor, gave me a quick grimace and then shuffled back from where he came. Victor stood and shrugged out of his lengthy black wool trench coat, handing it to me.

" Wear this on your way home, its cold and it should keep the men off you." Grinning I took it and wrapped it around my shoulders, the hemline of the coat trailed behind me like train. It smelled like sawdust, sweat and of our home.

" More likely they'll think its you, cross dressing in a long brown wig." I barked a laugh at my own joke. Lifting up my arm I flexed my bicep. " Do you think I have the muscles to pull it off?" Reaching down Victor gave my arm a quick squeeze, a contemplative look on his scruffy face.

" Not likely." He replied. As if to exemplify his answer, he stripped off his button up shirt, leaving only his wife beater on. Smirking down at me, he flexed his arms slightly causing the muscles to bulge and strain, the tendons writhing like snakes under his russet freckled skin. They were pretty impressive; his arms were as practically as big around as the stool next to him, I showed mild interest on my face though, feigning disappointment.

" Its time for you to go home and for me to work." He looked pointedly at the cage and the crowd that was starting to merge around it.

" Hope it's not anyone to0 big, I wouldn't want you to get hurt." I ladend my sarcastic tone with sugary sweet worry. Snatching me from my seat on the stool, he lifted me bodily into the air, raising my face to his, so his dark eyes could stare into mine. My face was an inch from his, but for some reason I didn't think that now was the time to tell Victor that his breath stunk.

" Don't forget, I'm waking you up when I get home." With that he dropped me to the floor, leaving his shirt on the ground, and stalked off towards the group of men, parting them like the Red Sea. I rocked back onto my heels from the landing and gave of hump of resentment. Plucking Victors shirt off the floor, I dusted it off, said goodbye to Susie and headed for the truck and home. I didn't plan on going to sleep anyway.

Remember 5 comments before Ch 5 is coming! I love you guys (;