Cameron's POV:

I sat in the darkness outside the studio, waiting.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

It was all I had done for the past two years. I waited for her. Everything I had ever done in my life was for her.

Now I was in the shadows waiting again.  This time it wasn't her I was watching; it was the monster who was always lurking around her, threatening to pull her back down into his infernal hell.

He wanted her. He had always wanted to own her in his twisted way. That was why he always came back to try to tear her down.  He was obsessed with her. It was something we had in common. It was why we were friends back when we were younger in the first place.

Unfortunately, that bastard got to her first. There was a lot about that night he took her virginity that she didn't know.  I had actually hung out with Nate that day before he sunk his teeth into my girl.  I used to think back then how cool it was to hang out with him.  He was almost three years older than us and seemed to actually like having us around.

***********

"You should call Jess and see if she wants to hang out tonight," Nathan said, passing the joint. He was always asking me to get Jess to come over.  Part of me was starting to suspect he only hung out with me because he knew I could get her to tag along too.  I had noticed recently he started growing bolder with her; he would find a way to touch her every time she was close. He would pull her down on his lap and she would laugh and hit him.

"I don't know, man. She's got a lot going on right now.  She's not really in a good place." I said, taking a hit.

"That's exactly why you should call her. She needs to let loose." He tried to convince me.

"Jess isn't that type of girl." It was true, she may have been running wild with her new episodes, but she was still sweet and innocent. On her new regime of pills, she was easily corruptible. It was the perfect opportunity to make my move soon.  She was finally going to be mine.

"Have you fucked her yet?" Nathan asked, snatching the joint out of my hand.

"Not yet. She is kind of a prude." Nathan was fishing. I had to lead him away from her.  Nathan liked loose girls with low self-esteem. Jessa wasn't his type, but for some reason, he seemed way too excited about her.

"So, she's still a virgin?" Nate asked, looking too excited.

"She is." I took another hit.

"Can you imagine how tight that little pussy probably is?" Nathan laughed.

"Yeah, probably too tight to even get it in." I laughed, trying to sound cool.  I lost my virginity a few months back to one of Nathan's other girls when I was stoned. I figured it would be a good way to get unattached practice in before I had my girl for the first time.

Nate got up and grabbed his phone and started texting someone.

"What are you doing?" I asked, leaning back.  I was way too out of it to really care what slut he was calling over. I could use another practice run before tonight.

"Texting Jess to see if she wants to party tonight,"  Nate said with a ferocious smile.

"Dude, she's grounded and just started taking some new meds. We should probably just leave her alone." I tried to sound calm even though I was fuming inside. This was not going at all like I had planned.

"Nah, she'll come. We can get her drunk and take turns fucking the shit out of her. I know you want her, dude. Everyone wants her hot little body." He laughed, hitting my arm.

"No, I don't do virgins. Why would you want one anyway? You have girls on speed dial who put out all the time. She is probably like a dead fish in bed." I faked a laugh and took another hit, trying to play it cool.

"Well, you can be a chicken shit, but I am going to tear that little cunt up tonight. If you change your mind and want at her, let me know. I'll stretch her out for you." He slapped me on the back.

I made a lame excuse to leave and walked out after that.  I couldn't stand looking at him.  He was talking about her like she was nothing.

I had to call Jessa to warn her away from him.  I could convince her to come with me instead. If anyone was going to have her, it was going to be me. She didn't answer any of my calls or texts.  I called around to everyone I knew to find out where the party was tonight.  Two hours later, I walked in the front door of the house with white knuckles as I clenched my fists.

I walked around asking everyone if they had seen her.  One guy told me he saw her go upstairs with Nathan about twenty minutes before I got there.

Shit.

I went upstairs and all but one door was open. I walked to the door to open it.

I could hear him yelling at her about how bad she was at it as I placed my hand on the doorknob to turn it, but it was locked.  He told her to spread her legs so he could do it again.  I could hear her drunken crying about how much it hurt her when he pushed inside of her.

I made the biggest mistake of my life that night.  One that I could never undo. I should have opened that door and stopped him. I should have saved her from him. Instead, I sat on the other side of the door and listened to it happen, knowing she would end up in my arms after. I thought if I let him hurt enough, she would choose me instead. I was wrong. He kept hurting her and she kept going back for more.

After years of watching her self-destruct, I was never going to make that mistake again. It was time for me to take control, so I set him up and put him away so he couldn't go near her.

But it wasn't enough.

I was too wrapped up in stalking Jessa when she got back to realize Nathan was out of jail again.  I thought I had a few more years before he would come back for revenge.

The only reason I found out he was out was because I was tailing her around town and saw her go into that motel room.  I waited in the parking lot for what felt like hours for her to come back out.  When she didn't, I became irate.  I couldn't sit here any longer and wait for her.

I stormed in and a part of me died.  She was high out of her mind, on the bed with Nathan, begging for him in her mouth.

I ran out of the room and she chased me, trying to convince me he made her do it.  I didn't know what to believe anymore.  All I knew was she was mine and they both were going to pay for what they were doing. I almost pulled her by her hair to drag her back to my house that night. I wanted to chain her to my bed and fucking torture her body until she remembered who she belonged to.  She had pushed me past my breaking point.

My thoughts were too dark and I was prepared to hurt her as much as she hurt me.

In a sick way, I succeeded.  I walked away and left her at his mercy. I let him have her knowing she would run back to me again. I did exactly what I said I was never going to do. But I knew she would come back; she always came back to me.

Play the role of good guy long enough and reap the rewards. But, I had to admit I was getting really tired of pretending.

***********

Nate walked out of the apartment building and headed to his car.  He looked around, sensing he was being stared at.  I ducked behind a tree and out of his line of sight.  My plan tonight would only work if I didn't get caught.

He shook off the feeling, which was his first mistake.  He should have trusted his gut.  There was a predator out here coming for him.  It was me; I would do what I had to do to save her this time. I was done playing games.

He pulled out of the parking spot and I climbed on my bike to follow him.

Nathan drove like his personality, like a jackass. He weaved in and out of the traffic, narrowly avoiding hitting the other cars.  He was already extremely high. I had enough training to recognize a driver under the influence.  That gave me the advantage. It would be easier this way.  Maybe less fun, but a hell of a lot easier. I hoped I could get this done before he hurt someone else.

He hit the highway and I tailed him. Weaving in and out, following his every move.

He pulled off on a rural road and I found my chance. This was it; tonight was the night this was going to go down.  He would never touch her again.

I started flashing my lights at him, sped up, and slowed down to get his attention.   I could see his driving growing more erratic as his paranoia grew.  He finally pulled off to the side of the road.  Nathan had quite the ego; he was probably thinking about smashing my face in. 

"Well, look who it is." Nathan drawled out slowly.  "Cameron Nash.  Are you here to arrest me again because you're scared your girl won't be able to stay away from my dick? Putting me in jail isn't going to stop her from coming back for more."

"You're never coming near her again, Nathan,"  I growled at him.

"You know I'll always be around.  She wants me, she has always wanted me and it kills you inside, doesn't it?  She loves being a filthy girl for me and she barely lets you hold her hand." He laughed.

"Oh Nathan, you are so wrong.  See, I touch her whenever I want. She is mine and belongs to me. She is staying with me this time for good. In fact, my baby is growing in her belly right now." I smirked.

The surprise sprung over his face.  He hadn't expected that one.

"You're full of shit. Jessa is fucking crazy, but she is careful.  She wouldn't get pregnant. She's always on birth control." He said in disbelief.

"Well, Nathan, see, I have learned a lot about things over the years about her from watching her.  I know she forgets things unless she is reminded. I know when she is stressed, she ignores details.  I know exactly where to find the fake birth control pills that look like the ones she was taking.  I used your favorite move, Nate. I got her drunk so I could fuck her. I switched out the pills when she was passed out and I have continued to fuck her every day since."

"Oh shit, Nash. You wanted her pregnant so she wouldn't leave you. You are a twisted son of a bitch."  Nathan sneered.

"See, when you really love someone, you know what they need. I know what's best for her and that is staying here with me."

"How do you know it's not mine?" He asked smugly.

"I don't."

His face fell, but I could tell he didn't believe me.  I don't know why I felt the need to tell him the story; maybe it was because I wanted to get it off my chest, or maybe I just wanted to gloat some more to this asshole.

"She never said she was." He tensed up.  Did Nathan finally discover his conscience? Was going after a pregnant girl the thing that made him actually find his humanity?

Too bad it was too little, too late.

"She didn't know yet.   She still hasn't figured it out yet. I was pretty sure it worked, so I took a sample of her blood when she was sleeping. Did you know some home pregnancy tests will give you results from a blood sample? I love the internet." I laughed.

"You're crazier than she is. I can't wait to tell her. She won't ever let you near her again. Thanks for getting her ready for me. I promise I'll be a good Daddy to that little spawn." He was cackling.

"You won't get the chance, Nathan. You will never see her again. I'm going to make sure of that."  I curled my lip up and reached into my saddlebag on my bike.  I pulled out the crowbar and gun that I placed in there before I left.  I wasn't going to use the gun, but I needed it to get him to do what I needed him to do.  Using a gun on him would be too good for Nathan Webster.  He needed to suffer slowly for the torment he has put her through.

"What do you think you're going to do with that?" Nathan puffed up defensively when I raised my gun to his head. His eyes were wide and he began shaking. Seeing him cower with fear gave me a rush.

"I am going to use it to fucking kill you."

***********

Easton made a little chirping noise which broke me out of my head too soon.  I loved remembering how hard Nathan cried when I held the gun to his head as he shot himself up for the camera and admitted what he did to her. Even better was the memory of the blood running down Nathan's face as I bashed his skull in with the crowbar.  He pleaded with me for his life and I wasn't in the mood to spare him.

Fuck him and fuck the things he did to her.

He deserved to die.

Nathan fought hard and got a few good licks in before I was done.  I hadn't planned on that part.  When I came home that night covered in bruises, the only thing I could do was lie to her again. I manipulated her into believing me but almost lost her the moment we were called down to the police station. She was more worried about what they found about her to even come close to thinking I could be involved somehow.

I am the good guy, after all.

"East," I said, kissing his warm little soft spot on his head.  He smelled so much like her that it made my heart flutter.  "I need you to promise me something, little buddy."

I got up and walked to the bedroom to look in on Jessa.  She was curled up into a tiny ball, looking so innocent and vulnerable. After all this time, the back and forth, and all the times I lost her and then found a way to pull her back to me, I had her. She was never going to leave me again.  I won; in the end, I always knew I would. It just took a lot longer than I expected.

"You see that perfect woman over there. Your Momma needs us, Easton.  No matter what happens, she will always need us to protect her from herself, her family, and everyone else who wants her as much as we do. We can't ever let them have her; she is ours. When you grow big and strong like me, you will know what you have to do to keep her safe.  Just like I did."

I always knew what was best for my girl.

"Cameron? What's going on?" Jessa whispered in her sleep as she turned over and started searching for me in the empty bed.

"I'm here, darling.  East was a little fussy." I smiled as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her hair was sticking up all over the place.

"Is he ok? Do you need my help?" She asked, trying to pull her exhausted body up.

"He's doing much better now that his Momma is awake." I walked over and sat next to her in bed and her arms went straight for the wide-eyed little night owl in my arms.

She cradled him to her and he closed his eyes, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against him.

"What were you two doing?" She asked with drowsy eyes and a lazy sleep-laced voice. She leaned back against the headboard with him slowly. She only had him for a few seconds and he was already falling asleep on her chest.

"Oh, I was just telling him a story." I grinned and nuzzled into her neck. I was a little jealous; I wanted to touch her too.

"I hope it was a good one." She turned her head to kiss my lips.

"The best, darling," I whispered into her mouth.