The Red Light

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 21 (Monster of the Night)

After the family gathering, which Freddie and Melanie had a lot of fun in after she finally relaxed, they were in the car and heading towards Jonah and Valerie. Melanie had her window rolled down, elbow hanging out, and the wind sweeping through her hair. She ran her tongue over her lips and watched the buildings fly past. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed softly. Sometimes she wondered if hair dye actually dried out the hair. She turned her attention to Freddie and railed her eyes along his strong arms and strong chest. He really had been working out lately, trying to stay in shape, and he'd done a damn good job of it.

She tore her eyes from his chest and sighed, it was sometimes difficult to resist that impulse to jump him. She wasn't that type of girl, but they did have a lot of sexual tension that they harbored. "You told Jonah we were coming?" Freddie came to a stop at a red light and looked over to Melanie with a brisk nod. He usually told Jonah when he was coming over, so as to not drop in on them. It was just a bit after five, not a big issue considering Valerie would just be starting dinner.

"The radio buzzed with the announcer and Melanie turned her eyes towards it, listening for the song to play next. It was Roxanne, by the Police. "You know, I heard that song in the one musical, Moulin Rouge. It was awesome." The light turned green as Melanie lifted her eyes from the radio, not responding to Freddie's statement. The song itself spoke enough to her. Freddie tapped his fingers upon the wheel as something inside them made them begin to sing along gently with the song.

She could see her, arms sliding along her sides as she enticed a stranger. It wasn't her, it just wasn't who she was. Money was strewn about her feet and her eyes brightened at the sight. Melanie's soul sang that song loudest. In each family car, that song was on the stereo, and each person felt that song tune to tune with their own hearts. There was only one person they could think of to sing that song for.

"Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light. Those days are over, you don't have to sell your body to the night. Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight, walk the streets for money, you don't care if it's wrong or if it is right."

Janet's van rang loud with the song on the radio, her eyes drifted to it in narrow slants. Her husband looked up from the book he was reading and frowned as her daughter and son in law rested in the back seat, ignoring it. They all had one person on their mind, and hoped she'd hear their souls cries for her. Maybe she'd save herself, but now nobody really knew where she was.

"I loved you since I knew you, I wouldn't talk down to you. I have to tell you just how I feel..."

Juniper flipped the radio off and looked at the car behind her, her father's car. He had a frown upon his face as he too was singing along with the song. His eyes were misty with tears. Surrounding her on the freeway were the cars of the other relatives. Their faces hardened, their eyes misted or avoiding, none of them felt right about what had been going on. They wished they could trust her, they wished they could believe Sam would ever change, but they had doubts in their minds.

"I know my mind is made up, so put away your makeup. Told you once, I won't tell you again. It's a bad way!"

Erica leaned against the passenger doorway as her husband drove their small sedan. In the backseat, Jacob had the song going on his ipod, unaware that the one station the family was really able to hear clearly, was playing the same song. His mother looked in the backseat, listening to him sing that song.

Maybe her grandfather had been right, when Rebecca died, she really had changed quite a bit. She'd become hardnosed, cold, sometimes even unfeeling. That was normal, wasn't it? Wasn't that what happened to you when your favorite sister died?

"Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light. Those days are over, you don't have to sell your body to the night."

At Valerie's home, Sam seated on one of the recliners in the living room. The fireplace was going and the sun was starting to set. She was beginning to become uncomfortable now. Since her new phone had all her important numbers, no porn numbers, and Douglas hadn't been able to contact her since Jonah spoke with him this morning, would he try to find her? He was just another one of those monsters that came out at night.

Valerie was out shopping and Sam wasn't entirely sure where Jonah was at, she knew he was somewhere in the house. Maybe he was asleep, she wasn't sure. The one thing she was sure of was her boredom. That was not a good thing. When she was bored, she did things.

Her eyes drifted over to the PC and she began to sweat. She knew she couldn't possibly get past the filter Jonah and Valerie set up, but it was so damn difficult. She couldn't lie to them, she couldn't break their trust. She couldn't very well go anywhere, Jonah didn't let anyone drive his truck, which was a black, four door 2010 Nissan Frontier King Cab. It was beautiful! Valerie had a 2009 silver Nissan Altima, which she drove frequently. Sam wasn't allowed to drive that car, either, unless Valerie or Jonah were there with her.

She shook her head and stood from the recliner. She had to do something, she had to get her idle mind busy on something. Thoughts of sex were shifting through her brain like racecars on a race track. She turned and began walking towards the kitchen, stopping only as she saw a door she never really bothered to notice. It was on the far left wall, slightly cracked open.

She moved slowly towards the door and opened it to reveal wooden stairs leading down into a lit basement. Smiling softly, her heart lifted. Finally, there was something to keep her mind off of sex. She could explore the lower room, if there was anything interesting down there at all.

She slowly descended the stairs, taking in the pine smell of the stairway. It matched well with the brown shag carpeting at the bottom. Turning around on the floor she took in everything she saw, such as a big desk on the side wall with a large spreadsheet. There were models of airplanes meant to be studied and worked on placed neatly about the room. Along the side were two workout benches and two treadmills, Jonah was on one of the benches and lifting weights.

When he spotted her, he slowly sat up and took the towel from his shoulders, wiping his face gently. "Sam, what are you doing down here?"

"I was curious. I didn't know this was like your study and gym. I guess this is where you study for your classes and everything?"

"Yeah, though Derek, Freddie and I work out down here on occasion."

"Derek?"

"He's another one of my good friends." He stood from the bench and tossed the towel onto it. He moved casually towards the desk and stared down at the large blueprint. "I want to join the military after college, hoping to become an aviation engineer, maybe working with the structure and make of airplanes. I've actually already learned a lot about the military from Derek and his brother, so I've got time to prepare for that."

"Wow…Valerie must be thrilled."

"She's happy about it. Her mom had once been in the military, but was discharged when she had an accident overseas and lost her ability to walk. She says none of her sisters plan to join the military, but the fact that I would join it sort of helps continue the legacy of her family, in a way."

"Yeah, because she's marrying a military man."

"Yep." He leaned against the table and looked upwards towards the steps. He was ecstatic just thinking about how his days in the military would be. Valerie would make a perfect wife and they would have a perfect family, at least that was the dream. Nothing was ever perfect, but one could always try. He knew no matter what, he would try to be the best father to his children that he could be. "So…you looking forward to church tomorrow morning?"

"Honestly?" Jonah raised an eyebrow as he trailed his eyes to Sam. She sighed and closed her eyes anxiously thinking about church. She wanted to go, she was ready, but she was very afraid. What if people judged her? What if really bad things happened? Although she couldn't think of any, she was just simply thinking of reasons not to go. She knew she didn't have a choice, Jonah and Valerie were not leaving her alone at the house. "I'm terrified! Aren't I also meeting Valerie's whole family there? Her family as well as your dad and sister?"

"Technically you've already met all of them. One way or another, but they won't judge you. Just have a good time."

"Easy for you to say…you're not the one trying to quit porn…" Jonah chuckled and shook his head as Sam started to head back up the stairs. Anything was possible. Maybe she could change. She stopped at the top step and looked back down the stairs. "Are you going to stay down here for a while?"

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Sam pressed her lips tightly together and turned her head to the kitchen window, frowning as the darkness started to set in. Her senses were beginning to heighten and she clenched her eyes tightly shut. She needed to grab Choco, at least then she'd feel safer.

"No, no problem at all. When will Val be back?"

"She shouldn't be gone much longer."

Sam nodded and shut the door behind her, stepping into the kitchen. Nothing could get her here, right? No monsters allowed. Thinking fast, she made her way to her bedroom and grabbed Choco up from the mattress. She smiled pleasantly and returned to the living room. She was thinking about maybe watching some television, it would relax her. If not, then perhaps playing checkers or something online, anything at all to keep her mind at rest.

As she started to sit at the computer, a sudden and swift knocking erupted on the door. Sam gasped and looked in the direction of the sound, her hand placed softly on her chest. As she recovered from the shock, her eyes drifted towards the knob. She hesitated a moment, waiting as the person knocked again. It was far from a soft knock, it was a hard, rough clamor that sounded more of a pounding than anything. Whoever was behind that door was furious about something. Maybe Jonah knew someone who wasn't happy with him about something, but that seemed unlikely.

Something inside her said to go get Jonah from the basement, to not answer the door. She pushed the feeling aside and slowly made her way to the door, wincing as the fierce knocking erupted once more. It was well on par with the slamming of her heart. Whatever, whoever, was behind that door was probably someone she didn't want to associate with. "Go get Jonah, let him answer the door. Do not answer the door."

Her body had every impulse to run, but the fact that she was already right there made her answer it herself. She gripped the doorknob and slowly opened the door, taking in a sharp breath and holding it. Standing at the doorway was Douglas, and he looked very pissed. "Douglas?"

"Sam, what the hell are you doing?" Douglas stepped in the house and Sam quickly took a step back, peering towards the kitchen.

"You can't be here, Doug. No one wants you here." He shrugged it off and moved in closer, glaring into Sam's eyes as she turned her gaze back to him. Her heart strained and she felt herself shrinking.

"What is this bullshit I hear about you quitting the porn industry? You can't quit! I own you!" Sam's eyes widened and he grabbed her wrist, letting a small growl escape his throat.

"Please! I just want to have my life. I want my family, I want my friends, I-I'm nothing without them!"

"You're nothing without me, you got that? I made you and I can also destroy you. You'd never do business in the internet porn industry again."

"Good! Maybe that's what I need!" Douglas growled and twisted her around, wrapping his arm around her stomach. He slammed her against the wall and moved close to her trembling body. She let out a squished whimper and tried to call out for Jonah, but her voice merely squeaked.

"Listen here. You are my only moneymaker right now. I just fucking lost Carly to fucking Yakima."

"You're the one that dumped her, asshole!" Douglas roared with anger and pressed his hand to her head, pressing her hard against the wall. She yelped as pain surged through her body. "Why are you doing this?"

"You need to learn where your place is. You're my star. I can't make money, if I lose money, I default on my house and everything. I'm not a porn star, I'm a fucking cameraman, a producer. You think you can just walk out and never look back?"

"Please…leave me alone." She tried to move her arms, but he had his hand so tightly gripped around her wrists. If they were free, she could surely break free and possibly kick him to the ground. "I don't want to be a porn star anymore…I don't!"

"You fucking bitch, you can't quit! It's not that easy, it doesn't work that way!" He had a very hushed tone, simply because he had a feeling someone else might still be in the house. He was actually afraid of Jonah, he knew Jonah meant business when he said something. "Now shut up and tell me who's in the house right now."

"J-Jonah…" His eyes flickered and he quickly glanced to the side, this action revealed fear to Sam and she felt a little better on the inside. If he was really afraid of Jonah, then maybe she really would be safe in this house, but she just had to alert him somehow.

"Fine, but don't try anything. You're going to come with me, and you're going to make money."

"What happened to that six hundred?"

"I got fucking mugged and spent the rest on liquor…" Sam narrowed her eyes as Douglas leaned in close. His hot breath hit her neck and sent shivers of fear rolling down her spine. "But let me repeat myself here. You can't quit porn, why? I fucking own you. You're mine, and unless I say you can't shoot any more, then you're not leaving."

"No!" She struggled, causing him to push her onto the ground. Her eyes shot up at him as he hovered over her, glaring at her as she turned onto her chest and started crawling away from him.

"Not so fast!" He grabbed her leg as she started clawing the carpet, trying to muster up the strength to scream for Jonah. In the next few seconds, she felt a release. Douglas had let go? She looked back and her eyes widened, Melanie was standing where Douglas had been, she'd pushed him to the ground.

"You don't own shit!" Melanie's shout jarred Sam to reality, she'd never before heard her sister use such language. Not in such a serious manner. Her eyes dashed over to Choco, who was laying on the ground just a few feet from her. She shot towards the rabbit and grabbed her up. She turned her eyes back in time to see Freddie charge in and leap onto Douglas, pounding his fist hard into the man's face. He let out a scream as blood smeared his face from the blow. Thinking fast, Sam started smacking the ground, hard.

"Jonah! Help! Come upstairs!" Douglas's eyes widened as Melanie quickly knelt beside Sam and looked over to Freddie. Within seconds, Jonah was upstairs and in the living room.

"The hell? I thought I told you to stay the hell out of my house, asshole!" Jonah quickly swooped down and pulled Douglas to his feet, then slammed him against the wall and held his wrists firmly at his lower back. Douglas groaned and winced painfully, blood slowly trickled down to his chin. He attempted to struggle free from Jonah's grasp, but the man had a firm, military like hold on him. "Freddie, there's a pair of cuffs in the desk drawer right over there. Grab them for me, would you?" Freddie nodded and did as instructed. Jonah carried handcuffs due to a suggestion by his friend that if he subdued a criminal in his home, handcuffs were good to have on hand while waiting for the police.

"Here."

"Thanks bro." Douglas sighed and lifted his eyes skyward as he felt the cold hard steel slapped onto his wrists. This was simply the life of porn, that was it. He looked over to Sam, who was wrapped in the arms of her sister and sobbing lightly upon her shoulder. The sound of shopping bags landing on the floor echoed through the house and everyone saw Valerie standing at the doorway with her eyes wide. In an instant she was at Sam's side while Freddie called the police. Douglas would not be bothering Sam again for a while.

Douglas, always the asshole. Well, he's out of the picture for a couple days. Good thing Melanie and Freddie arrived when they did, Douglas might have kidnapped her unless she screamed loud enough for Jonah.