Author Note: A big thanks goes out toJohnsAngel22, CrazyAndAlive, Emzy2k11, and Leasha Orton for the great reviews from the last chapter. Another big thanks goes to Maynahchick and BrittanyNAltheide for becoming followers of this story. This story wouldn't be what it is without all of you guys; so I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.

"A house of red light

Burns like your wanting eyes

The rain is away

And we say

When we say"

'Play with Fire' by: The Birthday Massacre

Chapter 6: Protective

Dean studied the man's exterior, looking for anything that would him a clue as to why he was there. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time Nick had stalked someone. Seth didn't like the tension between them and was completely confused about what was going on around him. He could still see Mia at the bar and deep down he hoped that she wouldn't turn around to see what was going on.

"Why are you even here?" Dean asked.

"So you know who I am then? Mia must have a big mouth." Nick replied.

"DON'T! Don't talk about her!"

The rage was boiling to the surface within Dean. He hated having the nutcase talk about Mia the way he was. His eyes rose to the top level, scanning for Rydia and Roman. They were still seated at the same tiny table talking, which in his mind was a good thing at the present moment. Nick took a step closer with confidence. He was outnumbered; but yet he was still full of confidence.

"You two know nothing about Rydia, so why are you protecting her?" Nick asked curiously.

"We don't need to know. If she's anything like Mia, then she's the sweetest most caring person in the world." Seth replied.

Nick burst into laughter at the comment. He took the Lakers cap off his head and ran a hand through his shaggy sandy brown hair. "Oh boy, you guys really don't know anything. She's the opposite of that. Rydia is pretty damn selfish."

"Why, because she doesn't want you anymore." Dean commented.

Mia turned from the bar to see the worst person standing only inches away from Dean and Seth. Panic encased her whole body and she dropped her cup to the floor, spilling its contents on the feet of the people around her. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. It was so bad that she couldn't hear the people's complaints around her. Instinct was the only things she had left. She looked for Rydia and let out a breath of relief when she saw that she was still in conversation with Roman.

"Walk away guys, please get away." Mia pleaded in a whisper.

There was nothing more painful in her eyes than to watch innocent people get dragged into something that didn't involve them. It was at that moment that she realized that Dean was serious about protecting Rydia and herself. That fact made her want to enter the conversation to protect them.

"Nick! It isn't them your looking for is it?" Mia asked unconsciously closing the distance between them.

Nick looked away from the two protective males and turned his attention towards the panic stricken younger sister of the woman he laid claim to. Dean wanted to pull her close to him and tuck her safely away; but was afraid of what would happen if he tried. A toothy grin appeared on Nicked lips before he lifted two fingers up to them. A loud whistle was expelled. The sound alerted Mia to something far worse.

Three other men stood up from different tables around the bar. Mia recognized them as the band members from Rydia's cover band 'Endless Dreams'. If her sister saw them in such a way, it would break her heart even more than it already was.

"What did you do? Pay them with money daddy gave you." Mia asked in a harsh voice.

Upper Level

Rydia watched as Roman returned with yet another drink. She still sipping on her first one when he had just gotten his third one. She tried to hold back a giggle when he sat back down; but it was unsuccessful. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm just a really slow drinker I guess." She answered.

"There is nothing wrong with that."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you think I did okay tonight?"

Roman looked into her bright blue eyes, searching for a reason as to why she had asked the question. There was an obvious amount of self-doubt behind them. "You did great, Rydia. There is no reason to doubt yourself. I can honestly say that I think Stephanie will continue to use you." He replied.

His answer made her heart swell with a happiness she hadn't felt in years. The song changed to one she recognized. 'Play with Fire' by The Birthday Massacre. The song brought back memories from her days singing her heart out night after night in clubs all over Texas. It was one of her personal favorites to do, because she sang it alone.

"I love this song." She said without thinking.

"Was this one you redid?"

"Yeah..."

Roman wanted to hear for himself the voice she was talking about; but didn't want to push her. He realized that she was fragile and would have to be gentle with her. His eyes looked down for a moment to see a man standing in front of Dean, Seth, and Mia. He also had three others behind him in a gang formation. Something wasn't right about the situation and he wanted to go down to see it for himself; but there was something that prevented him from doing so, a need to get Rydia far away.

"Ry, I think we should leave." He said suddenly.

"Why?" She asked.

"There is going to be a fight and it looks like it could get ugly."

"What about Mia? I can't just leave her here."

"She's with Dean. He will make sure she'd alright."

Roman helped Rydia up from her chair. They walked out of the club into the night's chilled air. The feeling of being protective was overwhelming him in those moments of seeing the others engaging in harsh words. He hoped that he did the right thing by taking her out of the building.

Rydia looked up at his stern facial expression and wondered exactly what was running through his mind. There was urgency in his voice when he asked her to leave with him. She couldn't understand what would make him do what he did unless it was about Dean and Mia.

The Club

Mia felt overwhelmed by fear. There were four men standing in front of them. She didn't want anything to happen to Dean or Seth. They were innocent in all that messed up drama. Dean reached over and pulled at Mia's arm, moving her safely behind him. "Stay behind us, okay." Seth stated.

"Wait! You can't do this. You are outnumbered. Please!" Mia pleaded fighting to get in front of them.

"Yes, you might want to listen to the whore. You guys don't have a chance in the world of winning a fight against us." Nick interrupted.

Without a second thought, Dean lunged at Nick. His fist connected with the side of his jaw, jerking his head to the side. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. Mia closed her eyes, not wanting to see anymore violence. Nick wiped the blood away with the pad of his thumb. "Okay, consider this you're last warning." He stated before punching Dean in the same place he had been punched.

Nick backed away with the other band members, leaving the small trio to figure things out on their own. Mia rushed to Dean's side. He looked at her as he wiped the blood away from the side of his mouth and spitting out the red tinted saliva from inside his mouth. She was horrified with the actions that had just transpired seconds earlier.

"I'm going to check on Roman and Rydia." Seth stated and walked away.

"Thank you. I'll take Dean back to the hotel." Mia replied.

They shared a sibling like smile with each other before returning to their duties on hand. Dean's hands were still clenched into fists. The skin in his palms were beginning to crack and bleed from the pressure. Mia reached out and took his closed hand into her warm grasp. The instant her skin touched his, he let go and released his hand flat.

"Come on, I got a first aid kit in the car."

Dean couldn't find words to say to her. There were so many things he wanted to tell her; but he didn't want to scare her away. His feelings for her were growing by the day and it scared him to no end. It didn't scare him as much as the thought of loosing her completely. Nick was relentless and he knew it by just watching his actions.

The drive back to the hotel was spent in silence. Mia didn't know what to say to him or how to thank him for standing up for her. She came to the conclusion that tonight Nick wasn't really after Rydia, he was after her. He wanted to break her down and make it easier for him to be forceful with Rydia. She was bound and determined never to let that happen.

The Hotel

Roman walked Rydia to the door of the room she shared with Mia. Her nerves were accelerating as her palms became even more sweaty. She found him to be the most gorgeous man her eyes had laid on for quite some time. "Thank you for the drink tonight." She said leaning against the door.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you accepted." He replied with a smile that could melt the ice in any woman's frozen heart.

"I'll see you tomorrow sometime then?"

"Probably..."

He trailed off not really knowing if he'd see her or not. He needed to talk to Dean and make him talk about what happened at the club and explain to him about the overwhelming need to protect Rydia. He knew there just had to be a reason why he felt that way.

Rydia turned to unlock the door when she felt his hand take a hold of hers, slipping something inside her palm. Looking down at the piece of paper in her hand, she saw the numbers in black ink. It was his phone number. The thumping of her heart was heard inside her ears as she tried to calm herself down. It had been a long time since she was in that kind of a situation.

"Text or call me whenever you want."

"Thank you."

"Goodnight, beautiful."

"Goodnight." She replied blushing at his compliment.

He smiled before walked away. She slipped inside her room, hoping that Mia was inside. The room was dark and there was no sign of her sister had been there at all. She remembered Roman saying that Mia was with Dean at the club. The thought brought another smile to her lips. She really hoped that Mia would stop fighting her attraction to Dean; but it also brought back the thoughts of the fight in the club.

"Was it them?" She asked herself.

Mia walked next to Dean until they reached his room. She held the first aid kit tightly in her hand. He opened the door and allowed her entrance first. She sat the box down on the stand next to the bed. He sat down on the edge running his tongue along the inside of his mouth. There were two splits from his teeth being pressed into the tender skin.

"Dean, you didn't need to do that." She started to say before he held his hand up to silence her.

"Yes, I did. No one will ever talk about you that way in my presence."

She pulled out an instant ice pack from the box. Squeezing the center, it quickly became cold enough for her to apply to his swollen lip. He cringed at the singing pain from her touch. Mia felt the guilt rise up above all the other emotions she was feeling. The guilt in telling him about Nick in the first place.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I shouldn't have told you about Nick in the first place. He probably would have left you guys alone."

Dean reached up and took hold of her hand that was holding the ice pack then he used his other hand to cup her cheek. Her ice blue eyes were glassy with tears once more. "Look at me, Mia." He whispered.

She did as he asked and looked directly at him. The softness returned to his eyes; but there was something else that made her heart skip a beat; the longing that was evident in the blue orbs of his eyes. "I would have done the same thing tonight, even if I didn't know who he was. No matter what you say, I'm going to protect you and Rydia."

Without thinking, she leaned in closer towards his lips. She hesitated only one before securing them upon his. His hand left hers and reached behind her head, tangling his fingers in her dark curls. The feeling of her lips on his was overbearing his senses to think straight. Her lips were soft and perfect for him please.

Her hand dropped the ice pack to the floor before gripping his t-shirt. His lips felt too good to let go right away. She savored the feeling of his skilled kisses upon her lips. He broke away to her surprise. His eyes were lust coated; but still in control of his actions.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"It's a thank you for standing up for me tonight. I didn't think anyone but Rydia ever would."

"Well now you know that I will."

He leaned in again, kissing her lips once more. She backed away to his disappointment. There were things that she needed to sort through among the other ones about protecting Rydia from Nick. Dean was confused as to why she continued to fight him. There was obviously a connection between them and he wanted to explore it more. If only he could get her to stop fighting against him.

"I'm not going to give up on you." He stated the moment she opened the door to leave.

"I didn't expect you to. In fact, I don't want you to."

Mia walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against it placing her fingers on her lips, remembering the feeling of his kiss. He was breaking her walls down quicker than she wanted. It scared her. She didn't want to fall for someone and then get hurt in the crossfire of this dangerous situation with Nick.

"Mia!" Roman called.

She looked up to see him. His face held such a confused expression. He stopped walking just short of her position in the hall. She could tell that he wanted to ask her something. "What's wrong? Is Rydia okay?" She asked.

"She's fine; but I want to know what the hell happened tonight?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the guy in front of you. Dean was protecting you, why?"

Mia let out a sigh of regret. She knew since the night before when she told Dean about Nick that she'd eventually have to tell all of them. Roman was probably the most aware of the group and would see through the lies they told to hide it.

"That guy was Nick Grayson, Rydia's ex-boyfriend. He showed himself last night at the club as well. He wants Rydia back and will do anything to get it, even hurt people."

She moved her arm to show him the bruises Nick had left. It answered the question as to why he felt the need to protect Rydia. She was in need of protecting and above all else she was oblivious as to what was happening behind the scenes. "Please don't tell her. She's fragile enough right now. This will break her down even more." Mia pleaded.

"Fine; but who were the others behind him?"

"The other members of Rydia's cover band. They were close to her and that's another reason why you can't tell her. It will break her heart completely."

All Roman could do was nod his head. The anger he felt was beyond words; but the determination was even more a priority. He knew that Rydia was special; so special that he wanted to know her that much more and that was exactly what he planned to do.