Chapter Fifty-Three

'Hey, come here,' Billy growled from the couch.

Lock froze midway to the kitchen, heart racing, and looked at her cast-free arm. She'd just got it removed three days ago, but that hadn't stopped Billy. There were finger shaped bruises all over both upper arms from where he would grab her, she still had sore ribs, and a busted up lip.

'Billy, I didn't do anything,' she whimpered, shaking.

'Did I fucking ask if you did anything?!' he snapped, throwing a pillow at her. 'I told you to come here, now do it!'

She'd also learned by now to obey him, the pain was so much worse if she didn't listen to him, and she skittered over to him, head down. Their dad was gone to work, Joe was out with friends, and that left her home alone with Billy. The teen was watching movies, drinking some of Mr. Darley's beer, and was acting really strange.

'That's my girl,' he smiled at her. 'Wanna watch a movie with me?'

She glanced to the TV, saw a horror flick on it, and looked back to Billy, really unsure. He never did anything nice like this, and it scared her worse than when he was in a bad mood.

'I-,' she started, but it ended in a terrified yelp as he lifted her up.

Billy set her beside him on the couch, she braced herself for a beating, but none ever came. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and looked up at Billy. He was slouched in the couch, arms up on the back of it, and he laughed as a person met their demise in the movie. Suddenly, he got up, and she jumped, whimpering quietly.

'Knock it off,' he looked at her. 'I'm just going to get something to fucking drink. . .You want a can of pop?' he asked, kneeling down in front of her.

She hesitantly nodded, wondering why he was being nice, and he smiled again, then he kissed her forehead gently. Lock's heart was roaring in her young chest, her instinct telling her to run, but she was kept in place by her extreme curiosity. He came back in the living room with a can of beer for him, a Coke for her, and a bowl of popcorn for them to share. He'd even given her a straw in her drink and sat back down beside her. She sipped at her soda, trying to keep as far from him as possible, but every time she moved away, he scooted closer, and soon, she was pinned between him and the couch arm. She wanted some popcorn, but the bowl was in his lap, she didn't want to risk it, and tried to watch the movie.

'You like these kind of movies?' he asked casually, eating some popcorn.

'Y-yes,' she stammered softly.

'Ever seen this one before?' he took a swig of beer.

'Uh-uh,' she shook her head.

'You know that you can have some popcorn, Lock?' he snickered at her. 'Go ahead. . .I see you looking at it. . .Have some. . .'

She didn't want to upset him, so she carefully took a small handful of popcorn, and ate it slowly, watching the movie. Lock jumped when she felt Billy's arm go around her shoulders, expecting him to hurt her, but he just watched the TV and downed his beer. She let herself relax, thinking that maybe he was changing from mean to nice, and she ate more of the popcorn, sipping her Coke too. A kissing scene came up, she covered her eyes like she always did, and heard Billy erupt into laughter.

'What are you doing?' he chuckled, pulling her hand from her eyes. 'You can watch them get killed by a monster, but you can't see them kiss?!'

'The monster's fake, Billy,' she blushed.

'So's the kiss,' he laughed.

'It is?' she asked, looking at him.

'Yeah,' he grinned. 'Here, let me show you how they do it. . .'

RUN! instinct screamed at her, but it was too late.

Lips pressed to hers, she pulled back immediately, and saw Billy's green eyes sparkling at her. She licked her lips impulsively, grimacing at the taste of beer, and stared at him warily. Billy had just kissed her! She had just turned seven a month ago, what was he doing?

'You didn't do it right, silly,' he smirked. 'You're 'sposed to kiss me back. . .'

'I-it's not right,' she whimpered. 'You're older than me. . .'

'It's just pretend. . .Like that monster,' he told her gently, gesturing the movie. 'Kissing isn't so scary, now is it?'

'N-no. . .I guess not,' she whispered.

'Here. . .Let's try it again,' he instructed, holding her face. 'This time, copy what I do. . .Ok?'

'We're just pretending?' she asked nervously.

'Yup. . .Just playing pretend, like the people in the movie,' he grinned. 'Now, close your eyes like she did. . .'

She shut her eyes, willing to play pretend if she and Billy were really just pretending like the movie, and felt him press his mouth to hers again. Lock copied the teenage boy the best she could, even touching his face like he was hers, and he pulled back after a few minutes, smiling proudly at her.

'Good job!' he kissed her cheek. 'You're really good at that, Lock. . .'

'Really?' she asked, blushing.

'Yup. . .Let's watch the movie,' he said.

She smiled a little, blushing more, and finished watching the movie, even letting Billy pull her onto his lap for most of it.

Lock opened her eyes in her room at the Mercer's and took a second. She was happy that the memory had been relatively tame compared to some of the other ones, but she still felt kind of sick. She sat up in the bed, swinging her legs over the side, and dropped her head to her hands, trying to make the sick feeling vanish.

"Babs?" Jack's velvety voice murmured from the bed behind her. "You all right?"

"Bad dream," she whispered. "I feel kinda sick. . ."

He said nothing, but the rustling of sheets and blankets and the sudden warm breath on the back of her neck let her know right where he was. A warm hand slid under her shirt, he carefully got her to lean back into his bare chest, and her boyfriend slowly rubbed her tummy.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, soothing her upset stomach with his hand.

She slowly told him about the first time Billy wanted to play 'pretend' with her, that sick feeling starting to leave as he rubbed her middle, and he nuzzled her neck gently in comfort.

"What kind of teen likes to kiss a seven-year-old little girl?" he murmured. "And tell her it's just pretend?"

"Billy was a messed up kid. . .Bones beat the hell out of him and who knows what else. . ." she mumbled. "Billy used me as someone to either direct his anger toward or to practice kissing with. . .I'm just glad that he never went farther than kissing and making me sleep in his room most nights. . ."

"How's your tummy?" he asked, changing subjects.

"Feels better," she smiled at his sweetness. "Thanks. . ."

"Mmm," he hummed, kissing behind her ear. "Think you can get some more sleep?"

"Do I have my guard kitty?" she asked sweetly.

"On duty and at your service," he chuckled, saluting her with his free hand. "C'mon. . .I'll even tuck us in. . ."

She giggled, getting settled in with Jack, and he tucked the blankets around them snuggly. The steady breathing of her boyfriend, paired with his warm hand still stroking her stomach, gently lulled Lock into a comfortable and safe sleep.

"Shit," Jack hissed, much later than morning, waking her up.

She opened her eyes, seeing Jack in just a towel, and noticed he was busy fighting with a drawer on her dresser. Lock stayed quiet, watching him finally open the drawer, and let her eyes wander over his muscled body. Water still clung to him, rolling down his shoulders and his back, and then, the towel was removed from his hips.

Oh shit! she blushed, covering her face with the blanket.

He's got a nice ass, desire hummed, flashing the image to her.

Stop it!! she mumbled, trying to erase the picture of his ass from her mind.

"Enjoy the peep show?" Jack snickered softly. "Sorry, I should have warned you or put the blanket over your head. . ."

"Or changed in the bathroom," she murmured, really embarrassed.

"I woulda. . .But I forgot to grab the clothes," he laughed, suddenly crawling on the bed. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she blushed, peeking out from the blanket. "I saw a lot more skin than the last time. . ."

"I figured that when I heard the blankets moving as fast as they did," he smirked. "I got clothes on now. . ."

She glanced to his waist impulsively, saw the black band of his boxers, and her jaw dropped a little. He was practically on top of her and only in his boxers! What was he thinking?! She looked back to his face, still stunned, and was immediately engaged in his ritual morning kiss. Her mind frazzled a little bit on her, she pushed a hand through his wet hair naturally, and he moved to settle himself on her.

Too strange! her body yelped and she listened, scrambling out from under him.

"Whoa!" he squeaked, clearly lost. "What's wrong?"

"Jackie!" she blushed, staring at him. "You're only wearing boxers!"

"So?" he shrugged, sitting on the bed, and giving her a look.

"So?!" she gaped at him. "Jack, you're practically naked and almost crawled on top of me!"

"Fuck," he scolded himself, falling back on the bed. "I'm sorry, hun. . .I didn't even think about it. . ."

She didn't reply right away, looking at him laying on the bed, and suddenly found herself in an internal battle. Part of her looked at him in his black boxers and found it very attractive, yet the other part of her found it something very frightening. He had a hand over his face and didn't notice her still staring at his half naked body. His bat tattoos were just visible, she smirked a little, and felt that terror that had surprised her fade away.

Without really thinking, Lock crept back on the bed, and slowly reached out to touch one of the bats on her boyfriend's pelvis. Jack jumped, his hazel eyes locked on her, he propped himself up on his elbows, and she felt the blush creep up her neck as she touched the band on his boxers.

"Lock, what're you doing?" he asked nervously.

"Trying to get used to seeing you in your boxers," she whispered, taking her hand off him. "That's all. . ."

"You don't have to do that," he said firmly. "I'm capable of wearing pants. . ."

She started giggling, falling to her side from it, and he arched an eyebrow at her. He smirked a little bit, sitting up, and she pulled it together, sitting up with him.

"I'm sorry I freaked out on you about it," she murmured.

"You had every right to do that, gorgeous," he said.

"It's. . .Not really so scary once I take a moment to think about it," she whispered, blushing yet again. "You're actually very attractive like that. . ."

"Oh?" he cocked his head cutely. "So. . .Jackie in his underwear is cute?"

"More. . .sexy," she breathed quietly.

"Sexy, huh?" he grinned, moving closer to her. "Sexy enough to kiss?"

"I never said that," she teased, making him pout.

Jack crossed his arms over his bare chest, huffing, and turned his back to her, nose in the air. She laughed, telling him she was joking, but he didn't budge. She kissed his neck, trying to make him cave in, and he just ignored her efforts.

"Jack. . .C'mon," she whispered in his ear. "I was kidding around. . ."

"Mmm," he growled, still ignoring her.

"Fine," she grumbled, sitting behind him. "Be mean like that. . ."

She wasn't really going to give up that easy on him. Lock slowly teased his sides, tickling him, and he squirmed a tiny bit, backing into her. She let her hands go over his tummy, circling his navel several times, and he let out a noise, shifting around. He twitched when she went over the bats, arms uncrossing, and he mewled softly when she did it again, grabbing her wrists lightly. He wrapped their arms around his middle, settling back into her, and looked at her.

"You're always sexy enough to kiss, Jackie boy," she grinned.

"Yeah?" he smirked cutely.

"Mmm hmm," she smiled, kissing from his shoulder up to his jaw. "See?"

"Mmm," he nodded. "So, you're really comfortable with me in my boxers?"

"I'm all cuddled up to your half-nakedness, aren't I?" she giggled.

"Lock," he whined, wanting a real answer.

"Yes, Jack, I'm all right with it now. . ."

"So, I can like lay around the house in my boxers and it won't bug you?" he asked, eyes sparkling.

"I don't think Bobby would be too keen on that," she laughed, snuggling up to him.

"True. . ." he snickered. "Ok, what about me lounging around our room in my boxers?"

"Wait. . . 'our' room?" she looked at him.

"Well, yeah," he laughed. "We both sleep upstairs. . .so, it's our room. . .and this is our room too. . .but it's more your personal space. . .Get it?"

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, feeling tingly.

"So. . .Would me laying around in either of our rooms in my boxers be acceptable?" he whispered.

"Yeah. . .But no sleeping in them with me around. . .I'm not ready for that just yet. . ." she blushed lightly.

"Of course," he murmured, turning and kneeling over her. "I can wear sleep pants in bed. . .Doesn't mater to me. . ."

"Glad we've come to an agreement on this," she smiled, hands resting on his hips.

"Me too," he smirked, putting his face close to hers.

The next thing she knew, they were kissing again. His hands were on her back, pulling her closer, and her hands were on his shoulders, holding him there. He pushed forward a little bit, she squeaked as she went back to the bed, her legs straightening out on their own so she was comfortable, and he was holding himself over her, slowly kissing deeper. A hand slipped down her middle, nimble fingers ran up under the edge of her shirt, and then he drug his hand down her tummy, making her squirm.

Lock, don't you think he's pushing it a little bit here? instinct asked.

No. . .He's pretty well trained by now. . .desire giggled.

Whoa! her brain squeaked in surprise as his middle met hers.

He settled very gently on her, she relaxed her body, and enjoyed the weight and warmth he created. Her lip was nibbled gently, she hummed in appreciation, and he shifted roughly, making her shudder and break into goosebumps. Hazel eyes looked at her lovingly, he brushed her hair back, and kissed her nose, making her giggle.

"This all right for you?" he asked, gesturing how they were laying with a glance to their touching middles. "Feels ok?"

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, tracing the nape of his neck. "Just fine, demon boy."

"Mmmm," he growled, latching on to her throat.

She wanted to squirm, but remembered what it would do to Jackie, and made herself stay still. He kissed down her neck, over her collar, skipped down to her last rib, and went all the way to the top of her pajama pants. He lapped just above the band, she sank her teeth into her lip hard, and moved up into him. She could feel his smile against her skin, he slowly traced his way up, and nibbled around her navel, driving her insane.

"Jack," she whimpered, shifting around.

"Yes, Lock?" he grinned at her, eyes glowing.

"C'mon!" she whined, hinting at what she wanted.

"What?" he asked innocently, resting his chin lightly on her stomach.

She squirmed around, trying to get her point across, he laughed, and held her sides, forcing her still. Lock growled softly, getting frustrated, and he just chuckled.

"Tell me, gorgeous," he murmured, moving and letting his lips hover just over her middle. "Tell me what you want. . ."

"Jack, please. . ." she begged.

"Please what?" he smirked, lips brushing her skin. "Tell me what you want, babs. . .I'll do it. . ."

Well, this is new, desire panted. Jesus, the shit we could have him do for us. . .

Take it easy, Lock. . .instinct warned.

"Jack. . .I. . .can't," she blushed.

"Sure you can," he assured her, briefly kissing her stomach. "Just say what you want. . ."

"Jackie," she whined, deeply embarrassed.

"All right," he smiled at her. "How's this then?" he kissed her side.

She let out a small sound, nodding, and let her eyes slip shut. He bit gently, her body tingled insanely, but only in the best of ways, and he continued working over her middle. He traced the tribal tattoo briefly, letting his stud graze every now and then, and she felt the start of that burn again. Suddenly, Jack left her stomach alone, she went to whine, but he silenced it with a strong kiss.

"Mmm. . .This has been a rather interesting morning, hasn't it?" he hummed.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, smiling.

"I love you," he purred, kissing her nose.

"I love you too, Jackie," she grinned, stealing a deep kiss.

He shifted around, she chewed her lip, and he finally settled down, nuzzling into her throat. They stayed like that until Bobby called, telling them to get dressed and be upstairs--they were going shopping today.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack couldn't wait to go shopping. He loved getting new clothes, making new outfits, and just how wearing new stuff made you feel. He was waiting outside the police station while Lock and Bobby took care of the restraining order, smoking, and really wishing they'd hurry. He blew out several smoke rings, foot tapping, and nearly had a heart attack when Lock jumped on him.

"It's done!" she laughed in exhilaration. "Those fuckers aren't allowed within fifty yards of me! They are to have absolutely no contact whatsoever!"

Bobby was smiling at how happy she was about this, but Jack could see the worry residing just beneath the surface of the blue eyes. Lock suddenly released Jack and flew to Bobby, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she told his brother, still laughing.

"No problem, baby girl," Bobby chuckled, picking her up in his hug.

"Hey, does shopping ring any bells?" Jack smirked, tossing his cigarette.

"Oh, yeah!" his girlfriend giggled. "C'mon! Let's go!"

"Get in the car then," Bobby laughed.

Lock climbed into the back, sitting behind Jack, and was the happiest he'd ever seen her. She rolled down the window, letting her hand go out into the wind, and sang with every song she heard on the radio. When they got to the mall, she grabbed Jack's hand, and skipped the whole way inside.

She's free. . .he thought, watching her. Some of that worry just got pulled off her shoulders. . .

"Where are we going first?" Bobby asked.

"Mmm. . .Pants?" Jack suggested. "Babs, what kind of pants do you usually buy?"

"Boys," she smirked. "Girl pants are too slutty anymore. . ."

"Well, that makes shit somewhat easier," his brother snickered. "A'ight. . .Pants it is. . ."

They went to the Target store, Lock went off--on her own--to find and try on pants, and it gave Jack and Bobby a chance to talk.

"Man, she's fucking happy," his brother smirked.

"Well, can you blame her?" Jack laughed, looking through some black jeans. "She's free to go off alone and feel safe about it. . ."

"Yeah, I know," Bobby sighed. "But I'm still nervous. . .I'm afraid that a simple restraining order won't really stop those two. . ."

"Me too. . ." he murmured, picking out some jeans to try on. "But I'm trying to stay positive. . .For everyone's sake. . ."

"The order don't cover you, Apple Jacks," Bobby whispered. "They can't send anything to the house, for any of us, but. . .unless you're with her in public, you're fair game. . ."

"Well then, I either keep her with me or have a friend with me whenever I go somewhere," he said, searching through some stone washed blue jeans. "It's just that simple, Bobby."

"What's that simple?" Lock asked, dropping a few pairs of pants into the cart.

"Finding the right style," he lied, not wanting to ruin her mood. "You think this is enough, babe?"

"Yeah. . .For now," she smiled. "I got four pairs. . ."

"All right. . .I gotta go try these on," he smirked, holding up his arm draped with jeans.

He went to the dressing rooms, locked his stall door, and shimmied out of his jeans. First, he tugged on a pair of black jeans, and checked out how they fit.

Definitely, he grinned at how they clung in the right places.

He tried on some baggy blue jeans, liked them, and kept going. By the time he was done, he had six pairs of pants, and Lock gave him a look when he dropped them in the cart.

"Baby girl, please tell me you wear girl shirts," Bobby mumbled quietly.

"Yes," she laughed. "And I can always steal some of Jackie's clothes. . ."

"Oh, really?" Jack growled, poking her in the sides until she squeaked cutely.

"Jack, cut it out," his brother scolded. "Go pick some shirts out while we're in the guy section. . ."

Boxers too. . .he reminded himself as he walked off.

He found some T-shirts he liked, got his size, and set them in the cart. They were all black, some had Celtic designs on them, most had skulls, and two had tribal stuff all over them. He vanished to grab a thing of his style of boxers (plain, black), and tossed them into the cart, catching a shy smile from his girlfriend. Bobby had taken the liberty of getting socks for Jack, trying to save time, and they were off to get Lock some shirts and socks.

Lock picked out a few shirts, getting all sorts of them, and Jack was a little in awe. She got some normal shirts for her (black ones with skulls or rocker stuff on them), but she had even picked out a purple shirt with an adorable pixie on the front and she even managed to find a black tank top with "Baby girl" written on it in silver studs (which made Bobby smile proudly). Jack's breath hitched when she dropped in some bikini style underwear and some bras, he turned his back to compose himself, and Bobby shot him a severe warning look.

"Stray, why don't you go pay for that shit right now and meet us over in shoes," Bobby instructed.

"Oh, ok," she said, grabbing her 'personals' and darting off.

"That wasn't expected," Jack murmured, blushing.

"You all right, Apple Jacks?" his brother snickered, messing up his hair.

"Yeah," he sighed, pushing the cart to the shoe section. "I didn't think she'd buy that shit with us here. . ."

"Well, if she needs them I'd rather she get them now, ya know?" Bobby laughed. "Do you think she'd be up for celebrating this whole restraining order thing? And the whole going to college thing?"

"Sure," he smiled. "You mean, like the drinking and loud ass music kind of celebrating?"

"A little drinking," he said firmly. "I was thinkin' just chillin' out at the Noose for a few hours. . .Do some shots. . .Celebrate. . ."

"Yeah, she'd like that," he grinned. Not bothering to mention how much he'd like it too.

"I'm back," Lock giggled, holding a bag. "Sorry. . ."

"S'alright, sweetheart," Bobby chuckled. "Let's get the shoes and get the fuck outta here. . ."

"Ok," she smiled, wandering off.

"I'm gonna slip off when we get home," his brother whispered. "Get some stuff set up for tonight. . ."

"All right," Jack smirked, looking for new Converse. "Don't forget we have to get our books today. . ."

"Yeah, I know. . .You two can do that together. . ."

Jack nodded, finding some black Converse with a skull on the ankle part, put them in the cart, and Lock appeared with plain, black skate shoes. They paid for everything, got the car loaded up, and went to get their books. Lock had to get some art supplies as well as her books, so it took a bit longer, and it was almost five in the afternoon when they got home. Bobby slipped off for a while, making up some story, and told Jack to get her ready--without giving anything away.

"Hey, babs?" he asked sweetly, pulling her over to him.

"Hmm?" she smirked.

"Will you go put on an outfit you bought today?"

"Why?" she gave him a look.

"I never got to see what you got," he whined. "I'll put on one of my new outfits. . ."

"All right," she giggled, going to her room.

Jack darted up the steps, stripping as soon as he hit the hall, and yanked on his new black jeans, one of his Celtic design shirts, and his new shoes. He rubbed some gel in his hair, giving it that 'I just rolled out of bed' look, and put on some cologne. He grabbed one of his bandanas like Bobby asked, so he could blindfold Lock, and stuffed it in his back pocket. Going back downstairs, he saw Lock in a pair of blue jeans that fit just right and that pixie shirt, and he grinned. She had silver glitter on her eyelids, eyeliner, and her hair was down--she looked almost like she knew they were going somewhere.

"Well," he breathed. "Don't you look stunning. . ."

"Bobby called me. . .Said we were going somewhere," she blushed. "Figured I'd sorta dress it up a little bit. . ."

"Oh, he called you too?" he lied again, to keep the guise going.

"Yeah. . .That why you're all dressed up and," she sniffed the air, "why you're wearing cologne?"

"Busted," he smirked. "He told me that I had to blindfold you too, but I don't wanna screw up the glitter. . ."

"I promise I won't peek," she grinned. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Not a clue," he murmured, jumping when his cell vibrated in his pocket.

He grabbed it, saw he had a new text, and read it: 'Jackness! Me an' Bodie will be there soon to get you two! Be ready! I'll honk! Blaine'. He just closed his phone when a horn honked outside, making Lock jump, and he laughed.

"Our ride is here. . .Grab the coats while I lock up the house," he laughed.

"Ok," she smiled, doing as he said.

He locked all the doors, made sure he had his key, and they were off. Jack sat in the back of the Blazer with Lock, making sure she didn't peek, and wondered just what Bobby had put together.

I know this took some time…..but I've been having mini-writers blocks and stuff….I'm thinking there will be one more chapter before I end this installment…..so be ready lol…I'll try and have at least the first chapter of the next installment typed up before I post the very last chapter for this installment….
I really hope that I don't lose faithful reviewers with this one like I did with my Eragon stories, it'll break my black little heart if I do…..Speaking of faithful reviewers…
REVIEW! Pwease??