"What the..."

My eyes snapped open when I heard Nate's angry voice cry out.

My body was being pulled back off Nathan's lap and he didn't look pleased.  I began laughing. Someone in the room was getting greedy and they weren't willing to wait their turn.  There was enough of me to go around.

Within seconds, a dark shadow had moved over Nate and I couldn't even see him underneath it.  The figure pulled back its fist and pounded it into him repeatedly.  The faceless shadow picked him up off the couch by his shirt and slammed him on the floor.  It climbed on top of him and continued the assault to his face. 

Thrashing my body, I fought against the firm grip of the hands holding onto me.  I had to get back to Nathan.  I had to help him. He was going to get killed by the monster.  What would I do without him? He was all that I had left now. If he was gone, it meant I was alone. 

Keith was on his feet and ran over to go help Nathan. He lunged towards the shadow and landed on its back.  The shadow shook Keith off like he was a tiny flea and continued raining its fury down on Nathan.  

Keith was back up again and going back for more. Before he could make contact with the shape, a reddish blur tackled him from behind. They hit the floor and were rolling around, trying to pin one another.

"Fuck this. I'm done." Josh screamed like a girl.  He couldn't get out of the room fast enough.

The rest of the band ran out of the room behind him. No one even stopped to help me get away. Even Becky Candace was running while flailing her arms about like one of those wacky waving arm guys.

Someone drilled the person holding onto me, which knocked us both down to the ground with a hard thud.  I pulled and struggled, trying to break free until the person flipped me on my back above them and off of the cold concrete floor. I was laying on top of a very male body with my back on his chest. 

There was a boot coming straight towards my face from one of the many people running out of the room.  The guy holding onto me turned me just in time before it stomped down on my head.  He wrapped himself around me to block me from the chaos until the room emptied around us. 

"Stop.  Let me go."  I screamed, fighting with the hands holding onto me.  I almost wiggled out when they regripped and pinned my arms back like they knew what they were doing. It was a very precise, practiced movement. If I didn't know any better...

Wait...

I finally found enough mental clarity to look back at the face of the person holding me.

"Cami?"  I whispered, confused.

"Hey, Jess."  He said between labored breaths.  

I must have been pretty messed up if I was imagining him here right now.  I looked back over to Nathan, who was still getting pulverized on the floor by the big black shape with dark hair. There was something I recognized in the quick movements. I had seen those same arms moving up and down the frets of a guitar my whole entire life.

"Dad?"

He looked over when he heard me call his name, nodded, and turned his attention back to Nate, who was barely conscious on the floor.

I turned my head, confused as I watched the oversized shape move to hit him again. There was no way I was seeing things right.  I must have been having a bad trip.  If I closed my eyes, everything would go back to normal.  I would open them and still be on top of Nate, giving myself to him. I would never get away from Nathan; he would never let that happen in real life.  This was the alternate universe I created in my head. This was all a figment of my imagination. 

I closed my eyes and counted down from three.

Three...

They weren't here right now. 

Two...

This wasn't really happening.

One...

Wake up, Jessa.

When I opened them again, I saw Keith run past me with my Uncle Aiden on his heels.  He was chasing him around the room like they were playing a game of tag on a playground. 

I was hallucinating a rescue and it was fucking awesome.

"Are you ok?"  Cameron asked in my ear as the mayhem flowed around me.

"I'm so good, you sexy little Cheese Puff, I took a lot of stuff and it made me start seeing you. I wish you were really here with me. Imaginary late-night snacks are better than nothing, I guess." I said, pressing back into him. I was so far gone. I was even imagining his smell.  Cameron always smelled so fucking delicious.

"I told you I would find you." Imaginary Cam said into my ear.

"Too bad you'll go away once the pills wear off.  I want to stay with you, Cami.  I don't want to go back to that other place again."  I teared up.

"Jess, I am really here. I'm here to take you home." 

Cam wouldn't lie to me. Even imaginary Cam was honest and had morals.  This wasn't my mind playing a cruel trick on me. They were really here rescuing me from my version of hell.

Cam, Dad, and Uncle Aiden had really busted in here like a team of superheroes breaking into their arch-nemesis' lair.  There was even a scene where the lackeys ran away scared with their tails between their legs.

This was so weird.

I looked over in time to see my Uncle Aiden flying through the air. I swore I just watched him do a flying kick into Keith's back. Keith was on the ground and Uncle Aiden followed it up with a pile driver to the solar plexus. 

All these three needed were bodysuits and a team name.

"To the Batmobile!" I croaked out in a deep Batman voice and began laughing. 

"Jess. I am going to try to stand you up."  Cam warned me.

"But Cami, I want to watch the movie a little bit longer.  We finally get to finish our date. Do you think the good guys will win this time?"  I asked, nuzzling my head against his large chest.

"I hope so, Jessa."  Cam sighed. 

"Me too."  I said, just laying there watching the destruction fly around us.

"Get ready. I'm about to move. Stay still so I don't hurt you." Cam flipped both of us over so my stomach was on the ground.  He managed to get up while keeping me pinned so I couldn't get away. He wasn't going to take any chances. Within seconds, he swung me up in his arms to carry me.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled in to breathe him in.   

"This way."  I heard a man's voice yell.  That Mark guy who had been following me around earlier was holding the door open and motioning for us to follow him out.

"You...will... never... fucking... touch... my... daughter... again..."  My Dad was screaming with every vicious blow into Nathan.  "Do you hear me! I will fucking end you if you come near her!" 

"Ezra. He's got the message."  Uncle Aiden said as he grabbed his arm, trying to pull my Dad back before he killed him.  Dad stood up and kicked Nate in the stomach when he tried to roll over to get up.  He looked down, spit on him, and kicked him again. 

"Daddy."  I called over to him.

His head jerked in my direction and he broke out of his rage-filled trance.  His shirt was soaked in blood and his knuckles were cracked open from the repeated blows into Nathan. He stood there staring at me like he wasn't sure if I was real.  

"Cops are on the way.  You all have to leave."  Mark yelled again from the door, trying to hurry them along. 

Cam bolted out the door with me in his arms.  I bounced the whole way to the side entrance like I was on a thrill ride.  I was on the verge of getting sick from being tossed around from side to side. I could hear footsteps behind us, pounding on the concrete floor. 

He threw open the door and ran towards the parking lot.  I was laying across the back seat of a small, dark SUV before I even registered what was happening.  Cam climbed in the back seat next to me and wrapped his whole body around me to keep me in.  The driver's side and passenger side opened simultaneously and in climbed my Dad and Uncle Aiden. They looked like they had just robbed a bank. 

My Dad rolled down his window and that Mark guy came up to the car. 

"Thanks for calling us. You don't know how much it means to Riley and me."  My Dad said as he fist-bumped him. 

"No problem, boss.  I knew exactly who this little precious nugget belonged to the moment I saw her. You get out of here and go get this kiddo better. Send Rileyoli my love." Mark said. 

"My Mom is not pasta!"  I screamed at him.

"She is her Mother's Daughter."  My Dad said, shaking his head.

"What the fuck does that mean?"  I screamed again as Cam fought to try to keep me seated.

"She's got quite a bit of you in her too. Hey, if you guys ever want to get the band back together for a jam session, give me a call."  Mark said, patting the car door.

He waved at us and turned around to go back inside to deal with the aftermath.

Uncle Aiden peeled out of the parking lot. The tires squealed against the pavement as he floored the accelerator.  I turned around and looked back one last time.

I smiled as the police lights neared the building. 

Goodbye Nathan.