Thank you, AshleyM and Lauraxxx (especially you, for being so supportive!(sp? lol))

Also, thanks to you who have added this story or me in some kind of alert!

Enjoy and tell me what ya think!

"My God Eve, that was delicious!" Erika said right after cleaning her mouth with the napkin. She felt like if she'd explode.

"Ah dear, I'm glad you liked it" Evelyn answered with a big smile "Now, why don't you all go chill on the couch?"

"Hey Erin, you still a bad hockey player as you were back there?" Bobby asked while getting up. Erika rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"If not worse"

"Damn girl, you disappoint me! What they teach on school those days?"

"Things that I know shit about"

"Maybe you don't disappoint me that much"

Erika laughed as she gathered the plates and placed them on the sink.

"Dear, you don't need to do that"

"I want to" Erika replied to Evelyn with a smile. After helping washing the dishes, Erika went to the tv room, where Bobby and Jack were.

"So Erin, what happened to you after you left?"

"Why are you callin' me Erin?"

"Just 'cause it bugs you"

"It doesn't bug me!"

"Alright Erin, answer the question then" Bobby answered with a smart ass smirk.

"Ok. Resuming, after I left, I moved to Chicago. When I was fourteen my dad said we'd have to go back to Canada, my mom didn't accept it and asked for divorce. As if that wasn't all enough, my mom wanted to fight over my custody. In dad's words: he didn't want me to go through it, since it's too painful for the kid" Bobby nodded at this "So, since he'd keep traveling and couldn't give me a stable life as he should, he gave my custody to my mother. We kept livin' in Chicago, just me and her until when God knows how she met Dracon Winters and he became my step father. He was the one who brought us back here"

"Jackie here mentioned that step father of yours is an ass"

Erika gave a small laugh, Bobby was being protective over her and she missed having someone doing that "Damn, he really is"

"In which way?"

"In all ways" Erika answered briefly. She really didn't want to bother them with all this and quickly came up with another subject "What you've been up to Bobs?"

"Ah you know Erin, just takin' care of business…"

"What about you Jack?"

Bobby laughed "You really wanna know? He sucks di-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Jack cut him off "Just trying to go on with this band thing"

"Cool" She smiled and looked at the clock "Damn, it's already late. I should probably get going" She said while taking her cell phone out of her back pocket.

"Aww gonna call mommy to pick you up?" Jack joked with a smile

"No dick head, I'm call a cab"

Bobby leaned back while laughing and Jack shot her a dirty look.

"There ain't no need to call a crappy cab Thunder, come on, I'll take ya"

"You don't need to Bobs, really, it's fine"

"Yeah, you don't need to Bobs" Jack joked "I'll take her"

"What ya talkin' about fairy?! You don't even know how to drive, you're gonna crash my whole fuckin' car!"

"Bobby!" Evelyn censured as she joined them.

"Sorry Ma"

"Jackie, you take Erika" Jack smiled triumphantly and Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but Evelyn didn't give him a chance to "You stay because I need to talk to you"

"Someone's here is screwed!"

"Mind your own business Jackie!"

"Ouch!" Erika laughed. "Thank you so much Eve, for everything" She said after hugging Evelyn

"Don't you dare to disappear again, young lady"

"I promise!" She smiled "I also promise I'll buy you another vase" Evelyn laughed and didn't mind in protest, she knew the girl wouldn't give up on the idea of paying her back.

"Bye Bobs!"

Bobby held her tightly "Good to see ya Thunder. Take care of yourself"

"Yeah you too"

"Come on Erin, let's go" Jack said and Erika glared at him, what made him too laugh.

"Bye guys"

"What's up ma?" Bobby asked as Jack closed the front door and Evelyn sat on the couch.

"You know who her step father is, don't you?"

Bobby exhaled hard and jerked his head back "Yeah"

"Great Saturday night for you, huh? Delivering old neighbors around" Erika said when they were close to where she lived.

"No problem" He answered with a small smile.

"Wouldn't you better call your girlfriend and tell her you'll be late?"

Jack couldn't help but smile amused "No"

"No, because she'll understand or no, because you haven't got one?"

"I haven't got one"

"Are you really gay?"

Jack hit the brakes and the belt strongly held her body, hurting her neck a bit.

"You ask a lot of questions" Jack looked at her, half amused, half mad.

"It's the last one, I promise" She answered with a small innocent smile

"I'm not gay Erika"

She smiled "Me neither" She got out of the car "Thanks for the ride Cracker Jack"

He laughed out loud "No problem" and drove off.

"Enjoyed yourself?" Dracon's voice said as Erika passed by the living room, causing her to jump in surprise. He was sat on an armchair with nothing but the lampshade by his side illuminating him.

She soon recomposed herself and lifted her chin up a bit "Very much"

"Good. Because that was the last time you'll ever see your old friends"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Low down your voice when you're talking to me"

"You should be sleeping"

"Don't you dare to tell me what I should be doing!"

"You know, I'm sleepy. Bye"

"Stay right where you are" Erika did exactly what he told her, and hated herself for that. He got up from where he was and placed himself behind her. He grabbed her arm on the already sore spot and dragged her to her room.

"What the fuck are you doing? Let go of me!"

"You asked" He threw her on the wall with probably all the strength he possessed. Her right side hit the tick wall with such strength that it even caused Erika to step back after crashing on it.

"MOM!" She yelled and Dracon laughed

"She won't wake up"

"You KILLED her?! YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!"

"No. She was just too stressed and I helped her to sleep. And you need to learn how to treat me right" Before Erika could make any move, he slapped on her face. She couldn't see it, but anyone who looked at her could see his finger's red outline on her porcelain white skin. He grabbed her throat "Behave yourself. Don't even dream about telling this to your mother or anyone at all! Get near of those Mercers again, and you'll se what I'm capable of. And that was nothing, you just hit your head on the nightstand when you fell from the bed on your sleep"

He finally let go of her and she gasped for air. Dracon got out of her room and closed the door, leaving Erika sat on the floor of her room, still trying to catch her breath. As she did, she hurriedly reached for the door and locked it before going to her bathroom. She sighed as she saw the deep cut right above her right eyebrow, she took a quick shower, cleaned it and set herself to sleep. Not once a tear left her eyes, maybe the physical abuse was better than the psychological one. She was sure that his words hurt her more than his hands, but she was also sure that all that wasn't even a descent fraction of what he'd be able to do to her. What did her mother get them into?

This was the first time Dracon ever laid a hand on her like that. It seemed like the baby wouldn't make the Dragon to stop breathing down her neck… it would make him to breath fire on her.

"Man, now you're officially off the gross scale!" Jack said to Charlie, his other band mate. Charlie was showing off his butt on the webcam for a girl when Jack got into his room. Totally disgusted by that, Jack turned the webcam off.

"What? She called me a geek"

"Oh and showing off your naked ass online is cool?"

"Well, it's already something"

"Why don't you try getting yourself a real woman?"

"Ha! It's easy for you to say! But the problem is… whenever we meet a new girl, you snap her first before I get a chance to make my moves"

"Oh, so I'm supposed to put my sex life on hold so you can just get some?!"

Charlie nodded "That's what a friend would do"

"Alright then… Whenever we meet a new girl, you get first dibs"

"You promise?"

Jack nodded and Charlie smiled before both shook hands

"Where were you Friday night after the gig?"

Charlie sighed "By some reason the fucking security guard didn't let me go up there with you guys"

"Really? Why didn't you call us?"

"I did! You guys didn't hear me. So I just stood down there"

"Got a girl there at least?"

"Kinda of"

"Kinda of? Fuck dude, what are you?"

Charlie took a deep breath "We kissed and all, but then, when I was about to take the next step, she left!"

Jack started laughing "Dude, you need some seriously help, you suck!"

"Good morning honey" Helen greeted as Erika joined her and Dracon on the table to eat breakfast, she carefully sat on the chair to not make the sore spots even more painful.

"Good morning Erikan"

"Good morning" She answered in a low voice

"Erika, what happened to your eyebrow?" Helen asked while trying to reach for the cut, but Erika flinched away, by the corner of her eye, she could see Dracon staring at her.

"I hmm… I hit on my nightstand"

"How?"

"I rolled off bed during the night"

"I really don't know how you can do this"

"Me neither"

"Maybe that's why she keeps doing things wrong, she hits her head too much" Dracon said amused, Helen and him laughed at the totally not funny joke while Erika just chewed her pancakes, looking down at her plate. Her mother was still a good cooker, considering that it was Sunday and Loren's day off, it was Helen's day to make the breakfast.

"So, how was last night with Evelyn?" Helen asked looking at Erika, who merely looked up.

"Great"

"I was amazed at how tall Jack is!"

"Yeah, he really is"

"Baby, do you really know those Mercers?" Dracon got in the middle of the conversation.

"Yes! There were our neighbors for one year, great people!"

"I don't think so…"

"What you mean?"

"You see, I'm from here. I know them and know for sure that they aren't good people to be around"

"Really?"

"Yes. That's why last night I asked Erika to not be around them anymore. Especially around the oldest, that man means trouble and he's rude. I'm afraid of what he could do to Erika"

"Oh my God! I'd never think of something like this! Erika, honey, listen to Dracon-"

"What?" Erika finally looked up "You really believe him? You can't be serious!"

"Erika, he lives here since always!"

"But he never lived with the Mercers! They ARE good people and you know that! Mom, how can you possibly say that Evelyn is a bad person?"

"Their mother is old Erika, the oldest controls everything and everyone there" Dracon said

"His name is Bobby"

"That's not a name, that's a nickname"

"Whatever!"

"Erika, listen to Dracon! Do what he says, he knows about things! He's just trying to protect you! I know you must be shocked, I am too, but you must trust on his word"

Erika simply shook her head and didn't say another word. That all was unbelievable! He was a stinking liar and her mother was a dumb ass who believed in every poisoned word he said without even questioning him! She didn't have a clue that he gave her pain killers to knock her out last night. Erika couldn't figure out why he was doing all this, why was he with her mother? Why he even got interested on her, even knowing she already had a kid? Too many questions and no answer.

"Erika, we're going to have lunch at Ivy an then are going to spend the afternoon walking around and maybe do some shopping for the baby, would you like to join us?" Helen asked after taking a final sip of her orange juice.

"No thanks. I'd rather stay because I still got plenty of homework to do"

"Alright sweetie. We're leaving now because we have some things to take care of"

"Fine. Bye" Dracon shot her a dirty look "Have fun" She said sarcastically as he passed by.

When the door finally closed, she had a chance to breath again. As if yesterday's beating wasn't enough, now Dragon was trying to split her from the Mercers, something was going on there and she'd find out what.

Erika cleaned the breakfast's mess and locked herself in her room to have all the homework done, taking a few breaks to play some video game and to eat something. As that, the Sunday went away, she missed dinner because she fell asleep on her maths book. She woke up with a terrible backache and simply managed to threw herself on bed to have a restless night of sleep. Another week was about to begin.