Eight Weeks Ago…

"Are you sure?" Jess was reluctant to follow Metal over to his brothers. "I don't want to bug anyone, or be-"

"You won't. This is important and they'll think so too." Metal stated firmly as he waited for her to follow. Something about how he said it must have come across as genuine because Jess rose and stepped a little closer to him as they headed to his team's table.

"Well, lookie there! Full Metal finally made a new friend!" Sonny called across the room as they approached. "I guess Hell's frozen over there big guy. Take a seat, little lady and join some more civilized company than that old caveman."

Jess glanced up at Metal for a nod before she took the seat Sonny had pulled out for her. She was tense but settled into quiet nervous energy when Metal took the seat next to her and muttered a gruff, "All good people here."

"This is Jess." Metal told the team with a glare in response to the questioning looks. "Jess, this is Sonny Quinn. He's an idiot and might say some inappropriate things, but you just tell him if it makes you uncomfortable and he'll be as contrite as a kitten and make sure he never makes you uncomfortable again."

Sonny raised his beer, his usual roguish charm softening to a genuine seriousness as he nodded, "Damn straight. More importantly, if anyone else makes you uncomfortable, I'll happily send them head first out that there door."

A smile almost twitched as Jess nodded and mumbled a painfully shy, "Hello."

"Next to Sonny is Clay, then Brock, Trent, Jason and Ray. Trent's got four sisters, Jason has a daughter just a bit younger than you and Ray's got a little girl and a baby boy."

If any of the team thought that the specific details he was sharing with the girl were strange, they never showed it. Instead they each greeted Jess with warmth and Scott knew they were smart enough to be putting the pieces together for themselves.

"I've told Jess there are good people looking out for her here, but I reckon she'd believe it more coming from all of you."

And that was how Bravo Team found themselves becoming sudo protectors of a twenty-one year old.

Ever after, Jess felt bad that Scott was someone she'd been afraid of. He was big, intense, gruff and had a haunted look in his eyes, but she quickly came to trust that he really was looking out for her. She couldn't see him as anything but a protector and he would check in on her at least once a night anytime she was out with her friends and he was there too.

Present Day...

It was a particularly loud night when Jess finally approached the team on her own.

Most nights that they saw Jess she would give them a shy smile with a little wave as she moved to join her party. One time they'd arrived to see her sitting alone in a corner studying and visibly agitated, so they crowded around her table like a bunch of ridiculous brothers in hopes of making her laugh. It worked, sort of, until she nearly burst into tears when Sonny asked why she brought her books with her all the time to a bar instead of staying home. Turned out the poor kid was relying on scholarships and good grades to pay for part of her school, and with three exams coming in the next two days she was stressed. Her friends had pressured her into driving them, and Jess told them with flushed cheeks that she spent too much time alone in her room anyway. They took turns quizzing her for her upcoming exam for about an hour and when she left they were pleased to see her smiles finally reaching her eyes.

Tonight she was completely rattled over something and made the team's hackles rise.

"Hi…" Jess approached the table without much confidence and as though she were ready to high tail it out of the bar if they showed any sign of not wanting her there. Metal wasn't with them that night and he seemed to have become a kind of touchstone for her. "I'm so sorry, b-"

"Jess!" Jason greeted her with that watchful gaze and a warm, disarming smile. It drew the attention of the others, setting the tone of welcome as they dragged an empty chair over for her. "Have a seat! Great to see you!"

Relief flooded her body as she sank into the chair and dropped her bag at her feet. "Thank you. I'm so sorry-"

"Hey, none of that. No apologies from you, no questions asked from us, and no explanation needed. You need to sit with us, you just go right ahead." Ray told her.

"Yeah, no questions unless you need us to go bust in the head of some little creep for you," Jason added, eyeing her closely despite the light joking tone. They all knew that look. It was the same one he had when talking about Emma or Mikey.

A smile ghosted over Jess's face and she chewed her lip while she flicked her eyes back over to the group she had just come from around the pool tables. Subtly was not her strong suit, so Bravo saw it instantly and glared at the two guys stealing looks at them and whispering.

"You sure you don't need us to rough anyone up?" Sonny asked almost hopefully.

"No…I don't think so. It was probably pretty harmless and I'm just being…well, me."

"Define harmless." Trent voiced what they all were thinking.

"I don't know. I don't want to cause trouble or make anyone feel bad-"

"Uh huh. Nope." Jason interrupted, shaking his head as he put his beer down and leaned closer across the table. "Don't you EVER worry about making some shithead feel bad. Did it make you uncomfortable?"

"Well, I don't think they meant-"

"Nope. That wasn't the question. Did it make you feel uncomfortable?"

Jess signed and nodded, "Yes, but it was probably nothing."

"Darlin, if it gave you the heebie jeebies then it wasn't nothing." Sonny drawled as he squinted over his shoulder toward the pool tables.

"I just don't know if I'm overreacting or not." The girl rubbed at her browline as she rested her head in hand and stared at the table, face flushed.

"Why don't you tell us how things went down." Suggested Clay. "Sometimes an outside perspective can help."

"It's so dumb. They seemed nice enough and interested and stuff, but they kept asking for my number and where I'm studying for college, how old I was, where I live, and then seemed to think I was being rude for not sharing any of it. Kept saying they were just making conversation when I asked why they wanted to know. They got really offended when I said I wasn't comfortable telling them. The one accused me of assuming they were bad guys when they were just being nice to me, then said I wasn't worth the time if-"

"Ok. I'm going to stop you right there." Jason and Ray were already shifting like they wanted to rise from the table. "Those two shits in the grey and red?"

Color faded from Jess's face as she cast a painiced look over her shoulder, "No, nonono, don't- I don't want to cause a scene or get anyone into trouble or-"

"Jess," Trent stopped her with a light touch to her shoulder. "What you just described IS harassment, no matter how harmless it was meant to be. They made it seem like you're the problem, not them, and that happens way too much. It needs to change. Too many girls are taught they have to be nice and sweet, they have to talk to guys who talk to them, they have to make sure no one feels bad because of them, and believe that if they voice when they're uncomfortable they're being rude or overreacting. That's not right. Took my oldest sister years to learn that. They were making you uncomfortable, they didn't take the hint, they got offended when you told them no. You did nothing wrong."

"Yeah, exactly what Trent said," Ray growled, "And a good man will never get offended if you tell them you're not comfortable. He'll apologize instantly and do anything he can to make sure you don't feel that way again."

"This bar has a strict no harassment policy," Sonny announced as he shoved his chair back and got up. "So I think we'll just go have a little talk with-"

"Hey, sit down, Sonny," said Clay, "We literally just told her good guys should respect when someone says no, and she said she doesn't want us causing a scene."

"While I agree with Clay, Jess, it still doesn't change the fact that this bar does in fact have zero tolerance for harassment."

"But, what if it just makes it worse and they retaliate?" Jess all but whispered.

Sonny smiled, "We are some of the most dangerous men in this country, sweetheart. Ain't no one going to come after you."

"Ok, but I can't always have you guys around, you know?" Jess shifted and her jaw clenched at little. "I'm sick of this happening…what do I do, for myself when this happens? How do I make it stop?"

The guys exchanged a look.

"Reclaim your space verbally." Said Ray. "Don't let them make you feel like you don't have the right to speak."

"Get louder, make sure they know others can hear you telling them what's going on isn't ok." Clay added.

"Look them right in the eye. Don't apologize." Said Brock.

"If you don't feel safe, move away from them and go to another group, like you did tonight." Jason told her. "I don't know if you noticed, but those two started sweating the second you sat down with us."

"Tell the bartender."

"Tell your friends."

"And if they so much as lay a finger on you, kick 'em in the nuts and let us toss their asses out the door." Sonny finished with a grin.

"And most of all," Trent bent his head so he could see Jess's face better. "Remember that you deserve to be treated with respect. So lift up that head, own who you are, and don't let those assholes drag you down. This isn't on you."

"You good?" Jason asked, nudging her shoulder when she still didn't speak and her gaze hadn't moved from the table.

Jess nodded. "Yeah. I am. Just taking it in, I guess. Thank you."

"Any time."

"Uh oh. Don't look now, but one of those little punks has a death wish." Sonny murmured as the guy in the red walked up to their table.

"Can we help you?" Ray asked coolly.

"Hi, um, sirs. I just need to speak to…her." The kid gave a half bow/half nod to the seals staring him down and twisted his coat anxiously. "Look, uh, Jess was it? I just want to say I'm real sorry for what we said back there. We…we totally didn't mean anything by it, and have had too much to drink and were being totally off side. It won't happen again. That's all I had to say. Hope you enjoy the rest of the night. Bye."

Then he practically sprinted out, not even waiting for Jess to answer.