Authors note: Sorry I haven't updated in a while guys, things have been crazy for me. The summer is ending and I had band camp, but luckily that is over and things have calmed down. I promise to update sooner now. Thanks for reading guys, please review and let us know what you think of it.

Karkat walked into the bar, holding Jade's hand. He had Jade a little bit behind him, almost protectively, he wasn't to sure how the gang was going to react to her. "Hey, bitches." He laughed, walking up the gang and sitting down with them, he pulled Jade onto his lap.

Jade smiled a bit, leaning back into him.

Bro looked up from his drink. "Thank god you're here. Someone fucked with the Derse Demons and they're convinced it was one of us. Was it you?"

"They fucked with me first." He snapped back, meeting Bros gaze. "Bitch had it coming."

"Great. You started another fuckin' war. Good fuckin' job." He growled across the table. "Who's the skirt." He nodded at Jade, who looked down. She was pretty scared to make eye contact, especially with a Strider.

"Like I said, the bitch had it coming. She came up to me, she threatened Jade. She started the fucking war." He growled back, wrapping his around around Jade protectively. "And her name is Jade, you will not fucking insult her like that."

"What are you gonna do if I do, kiddo?" He glared. "We don't take girls unless they can fight."

Jade sunk back into him, feeling guilty for just being there.

"I can fucking take you Bro." He hissed back, "And I'm not asking you to have her fucking join. She's my girlfriend genius. Of course I wouldn't expect you to know what one looks like, considering the fact you can never get one." He laughed.

"I don't /want/ a girlfriend. I'd rather hook up with someone for a night than have a girlfriend."

"You only say that because they all run after the see your face in real light." He laughed. "People are only stupid enough to spend one night with you."

"Shut it, Vantas."

"Make me Bro." He laughed.

He stood up. "You wanna fight, you'll have to meet me outside."

Jade bit her lip. Did this always happen?

"To scared I'm gonna beat the shit out of you in front of everyone?" He laughed, getting up and putting Jade down on the chair.

Jade grabbed onto his sleeve. "Karkat..."

Bro smirked. "You think you're real fucking tough, don't you?"

He smiled at Jade. "It's fine Baby, I know how to handle him." He turned to Bro. "You say thy ever fucking time, yet you haven't done shit yet."

He lashed out, grabbing his wrist and twisting it back. "You're lucky you're still fucking here."

Jade let go of him, looking away. This was something she didn't want to see.

He twisted out of his grip. "Now we don't want to break my shooting hand right before a war." He teased Bro. "That won't end well for anyone. I'm one of your best shots. "

"Thought you said the girl shot." He grabbed him by the throat this time, slamming his head against the table.

"I did, but she's staying out of the gang. So right now I'm your best shot." He growled back, not even flinching at Bros move. He was use to it by now, and he really didn't care if Bro killed him. It would serve as ironic justice for everything the gang made him do.

Jade jumped up. "Stop it!"

Bro let go of him, staring at the girl for a while over his shades. There was something too familiar about her face that he couldn't recognize, until he put two and two together. "Harley."

Karkat scrambled to get in front of Jade. There was no way in hell he was going to let Bro near her. "Jade calm down. This is normal." He whispered to her, grabbing her hand.

Jade had silenced when he spoke her name. She was terrified of him, almost as much as she was of Dave.

Bro turned to Karkat. "Why the fuck are you with Harley?"

"Because I can be." He yelled back, "Why the fuck do you care?" Karkat held her hand tight, trying to comfort her.

"Because she shouldn't be around us! She shouldn't be around any fucking gangs, she'll get murdered!"

"She'll get killed no matter if she's in one or not, the Deres Demons have it out for her. And I want to protect her, she's safer with us."

"She's safer alone, I'm telling you." His voice dropped to a somewhat normal, less angry tone.

Jade gripped Karkat's hand, terrified still. She was more confused than ever.

"Why do you say that?" He asked calmly, trying to calm down for Jade's sake. He wrapped his arm around her, trying to comfort her a little.

"Because they have it out for us too already. If they find out she's with us, they're gonna fight her ten times harder. She's going to die."

Jade whimpered, burying her face in his chest.

He hugged her, rubbing her back gently. "I will personally make sure that never happens. We are better then them. They have no chance and you know it."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because we are stronger then them and we are united. They don't have that, and that will hurt them."

"We're not stronger than them. There's more of them, anyway."

He sighed, "We can do this." It was getting harder and harder to stay positive.

"All of this to defend someone already half broken?" He grabbed onto Jade's shirt as a gesture, not meaning anything harmful by it.

She jumped almost three feet in the air, screaming. "Don't hurt me!" was the first thing that left her mouth.

Bro stepped back, shaking his head. "Harley, I'm the one that fixed you. Why would I hurt you?"

Jade didn't look at him, trembling now with fear and something like confusion.

"I didn't mean to start a war. That bitch started this, she got what she deserved." He hissed back, hugging Jade tighter and pulling her back a little. "And I don't care if shes broken or not, I will defend her, with my life."

"Looks like you're dead, then. We all are. But fine, keep 'er here. Just don't come crying to me when something else happens."

"We can handle this Bro. We just need some more people, once we have that, we've got this."

"Yeah, last time you tried that you picked up a girl."

"Shut up.' He snapped at Bro. "She was the only one even hitting the target. The rest weren't even close."

He rolled his eyes, sitting back down.

Jade hugged Karkat tightly, still scared. At this point, she wasn't sure of what, but she was terrified.

"Maybe if you actually did something maybe we would have more people." He snapped back, sitting down, pulling Jade onto his lap again. He held her tightly, "Are you okay?" He asked her softly.

She shook her head a bit. "I-I need some air," she murmured, getting up and walking quickly to the door.

Bro watched her walk out of the bar. "What's with her?"

"You just scared the fuck out of her, that's what's wrong." He yelled back, "You know what happened, you don't think it would make sense she wouldn't want people just grabbing her? Especially the older brother of the one who did it."

"I saved her life, Karkat!" he snapped, glaring at him.

"But that's not how she sees it. She sees it as everyone is out to kill her, and it doesn't help you're the older brother of the one who started all of this. She's terrified of you, and you need to know that and not touch her."

"She has to learn to understand. Do you want her to be safe with us or not?"

He sighed, "I'll calm her down and talk to her. Okay? She'll understand, she was just already scared from you stand there yelling about how she'll never be safe, about how she's going to fucking die. She was trembling before you even touched her."

"Alright." Bro sighed as well. "And, uh, when you go out there, tell her I'm sorry for scaring her."

He nodded, a little shocked Bro even knew what the word meant. "I will." He sighed, heading outside to look for Jade.

Jade wasn't right outside. She had run halfway down the street, ducked into an alley, and then caught her breath. She slumped down against the brick wall of a building, her face in her hands.

When he didn't see her outside he assumed she went to hide. He ran down the street to the nearest ally, calling out her name the whole time.

She didn't answer, holding her breath to stop herself from sobbing out loud.

He walked over to her, sitting next to her and pulling her onto a hug. "Tell me what you're thinking Jade." He whispered.

"I-I'm going to die," she choked out.

He shook his head, "No you are not, Jade. I will make sure of it. You will be fine."

"N-No, he's... He's completely right..."

"He's not right Jade. He just says shit like that to get under your skin. He was lying, and he says he's sorry for what he did."

"... Striders don't apologize."

He laughed, "Trust me, I know. But he really did say that. I was shocked he even knew what the word meant. He's trying really hard Jade, he wants you to be okay too. You're not alone here, we have your back. You will be safe and you will live."

"... Promise?"

"I swear on my life. You will not die under my watch."

She breathed out, hugging him tightly.

"Do you want to go back to the bar?" He asked softly, "You just have to be a little calmer around they guys, they won't hurt you I promise."

"I-I don't wanna go back."

"Why?"

"I don't like it there."

"What if I get the gang to chill at my house?" He suggested.

"I... I don't know, Karkat."

"You'll be safest with all of us there. And I promise they'll be nice and won't touch you."

"... How...?"

"We are a family, we stick together and help each other. If I'm protecting you so are they, and it'll be easier to keep watch with more eyes."

"I... Okay, if you're sure..."

He smiled, "I'm sure." He stood up and offered her his hand.

She took it, biting her lip.

He smiled reassuringly. "It'll be okay Jade. Everything will be fine." He led her back to the bar.

She just followed him silently.

He walked into the bar, "Bro, we shouldn't stay here. If there really is a war coming then being out on the open like this is the stupidest thing ever. Lets go to my house and figure out what the fuck we are going to do."

"They won't cross our territory."

"Yeah and that's what they thought about us, but I beat Meenah in their territory." He pointed out. "It's going to be different this time, I can feel it."

"... Alright, fine."

He nodded and started walking home with them, trailing Jade behind him. "Thank you, at least at my house we are armed."

"Yeah, yeah."

He sighed, "I fucked up big this time, didn't I? I should have just let the bitch be."

"Yeah. You fucked up."

"Damn it, I should have run before anyone saw me. They wouldn't have known it was us then."

He rolled his eyes. "Hmm."