^^ Shelby ^^

I announce myself with my usual subtlety as I arrive at Mel and Ash's new home. "Fear not bitches, you're fairy wine mother is here!" I exclaim as I walk into the kitchen, holding out two bottles of wine to prove my point.

I see Shelby and Mel share a puzzled look before Shelby turns to look at me. "Really? Fairy wine mother?" She asks, stifling a laugh.

I shrug. "Okay, I will admit, it sounded better in my head. But," I shake the wine again to emphasise my point. "I have wine!"

They both laugh before Mel takes the bottles from me and Shelby fetches glasses from the cupboard. "So, what's the plan?" Mel asks, pouring a generous serving of wine into each glass.

"When was the last time you had a girls night out?" I ask her, tilting my head to look at her.

"Before I got pregnant with Lena, why?" She asks, frowning at me.

I grin. "Because, your mum is having Lena tonight, the guys are all doing club stuff, so we," I point between us all. "We, are going to go out, dance for hours and get very, very drunk," She hesitates, and I raise an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Well, you two are going to look stunning, and I'm just going to look like a fat, frumpy mum!"

Shelby chokes on her wine, spraying it all over the island in the kitchen. "What?" She asks when she finally stops coughing.

"It's true! Look at you guys, you're both stunning, both have bodies anybody would die for, and both have confidence oozing out of every single pore. I'm just this..." She pauses to look down at her body and shrugs. "Well, this. I'm boring, my body is the typical post-baby body with stretch marks, cellulite and more lumps than a whole herd of camels. It's gross. I'm gross,"

For a second, Shelby and I just stare at her, completely shocked. And then I realise one of us should probably say something. I put my glass on the counter and grab her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "That's it. You've finally gone insane. I thought I was supposed to be the bat-shit crazy one, but you've well and truly surpassed me. You have an insanely stunning body, you're not bloody lumpy at all, and you have curves exactly where you should have curves. You're more toned than me, and I haven't had a kid! And your boobs!" I wave a hand at her chest area. "Shit, I'm crazy jealous of your boobs. It almost makes me consider having a baby so I can see if my boobs turn out like yours!" I look her up and down slowly. "I mean, if I wasn't totally obsessed with Smiler, I would bang you on every surface of this house. Twice!"

It's silent for a minute until Mel throws her head back and laughs loudly. I feel her shoulders shake under my hands, and when she finally looks back at me, she has tears streaming down her bright red face. At least they're happy tears this time. I look back at Shelby with a grin and laugh when I see her fanning herself. She winks at us and returns my grin. "Well, when you put it like that, I might just have to join in," She blows out a long breath and finishes her glass of wine in one mouthful. And then we're all doubled over laughing again, struggling to catch our breath.

***

Okay, so I totally forgot how much hard work it is dancing for hours. I mean, I should know better than anyone considering I used to do it for a living, but as I bounce around on the dance floor with Mel and Shelby, I know I'll barely be able to move tomorrow. My hair is stuck to my neck and forehead, and I'm pretty sure the sweat has caused my make up to run down my face like a bloody river. I watch Mel as she grinds against Shelby, both of them laughing as they shove away a guy who obviously wants to be in the middle of them. Mel glows, and I can see some of her previous confidence returning as she forgets about being self-conscious and just lets go. I turn quickly when I'm tapped on the shoulder and I grin when I see a familiar face.

"Ruby!" I yell, or slur, either way, she returns my grin and waves. "How are you?" I try to shout over the music. I see her tilt her head and grab her hand, pulling her away from the crowd slightly. "How are you?" I ask again, now that she can hear me.

"I'm good!" She laughs. "How are you? How's Banjo?"

I raise an eyebrow at her and giggle. I never giggle, the alcohol is obviously hitting me harder than I realised. "You're calling him Banjo now?"

She laughs and nods. "I saw him when he came in for a checkup the other day, and he demanded I stop calling him Benjamin,"

I laugh and nod. "He's good, we're all good. Are you here with friends?" I ask her.

"Yeah, they're at the bar. I spotted you dancing and thought I'd say hi!"

I take a proper look at her. She really is stunning. She's about an inch or two shorter than me, and slim but without looking too skinny. Her eyes are wide, and her smile lights up her whole face. It's strange seeing her out of her nurse's scrubs, and I flick the end of her pale blue dress. "Banjo needs to see you in this. He'd definitely prefer it to the scrubs,"

She laughs and I can just make out the blush on her cheeks under the flashing lights. She waves to someone over my shoulder and then looks back to me. "I think I'm wanted. I'll see you soon," I'm surprised when she pulls me into a hug, but I return it quickly, laughing when we both stumble. As she walks away, I spot something out of the corner of my eye, and I frown.

A guy leans against the wall, swigging occasionally at the bottle of beer he holds. He looks out of place here; he's alone, not talking to anyone and obviously not enjoying the atmosphere. I move a bit closer, trying not to make it obvious as I get a better look at his face. My brain suddenly assaults me with images; images of this man handing out automatic weapons at the clubhouse as I sneak a look from behind a wall. Him smirking as I'm pulled around a corner with a gun held to my head and a bullet hole in my shoulder. My hand reaches up to rub the scar just under my collarbone before I even realise what I'm doing. I see his gaze lock onto something a few feet away, and he nods. My eyes follow his and I spot another guy leaning on a wall near the entrance to the toilets. I don't recognise this one, but they're obviously acquainted. They have the same stance and their body language is almost screaming that they would rather be anywhere else right now. I watch as they both crane their necks to look at the dance floor. The dance floor I had just left Mel and Shelby on. Shit.

I'm moving before I realise it, and try to shove my way through the crowd of gyrating bodies. Somebody grabs my arse, and usually, it would earn them a black eye, but I'm so focused on finding the girls that I barely even notice. The girls aren't where I left them and my throat threatens to close with panic. I look back and see both of the men now standing near the entrance to the toilets, one of them gesturing towards the dark hallway behind them. They both turn to look down it, before moving slightly away, with their gazes focussed on the passageway. I frown and walk towards the entrance they had just moved away from, keeping my head down while I pass them as wide as possible.

The hallway is quieter than I thought it would be, the noise from the dance floor seems miles away now. The only light is a strip light that flickers every few seconds, giving a seriously spooky feel to the hallway. I push open the door to the ladies bathroom and sigh in relief when I spot Mel and Shelby at the sinks. "Oh thank god," I breathe, making my way to them.

"What's wrong?" Mel asks, her eyes wide, as she instinctively grabs Shelby's hand.

"Probably nothing," I say, not wanting to worry them. After all, this could just be a massive coincidence. But if there's anything my obsession with NCIS has taught me - admit it, Gibbs is hella sexy - it's that there's no such thing as a coincidence. Even if those guys aren't here for us, I doubt they'd give up an opportunity to take advantage of bumping into us. "Is there another exit, without going back down that hallway?" I gesture towards the bathroom door.

"There's a fire exit, but it's alarmed," Shelby says, and I groan. I'd rather not announce to the entire club that we're making a break for it.

My eyes flick to the row of windows at the top of the wall above the sinks. "How are your climbing skills, girls?" I ask, biting my lip as they both follow my gaze with wide eyes.

"Seriously, Len. What the hell is going on?" Shelby asks, looking at the door behind me anxiously.

I sigh and realise they're not going anywhere without an explanation. "There's a guy waiting at the end of the hallway, and I know he has a serious grudge with the club-"

"How do you know that?" Mel asks, looking dubious.

I raise an eyebrow and point at my scar. "Um, because I blew up his bike,"

Her eyes widen with realisation as she remembers that day. Her hand goes to her stomach, even though there's no bump there anymore. She looks at Shelby and then back to the windows. "We can make that, but what about once we're out? It's going to take the guys at least half an hour to get to us even if we can get hold of them, and we're almost three miles from home. Oh," She says, raising a finger. "And we're all drunk off our asses without a vehicle,"

Shit, okay she has a point. I sigh and look back to the door. If those guys are determined to grab one of us, they're going to get impatient soon and come looking. "Let's worry about that once we're out, okay? For now, just get out of those windows, and stick close to the wall just in case there's anyone else out there," They both look terrified, and I wish I could say something to ease their minds. I bite my lip and sigh again. "Look, it's probably nothing and I'm just being paranoid. Most likely, we'll wake up tomorrow and piss ourselves thinking about escaping out of a toilet window when there was no need," They both nod, and I see them relax slightly. "Mel, you go first, then wait for Shelby. I'll be just behind her,"

Mel nods and takes her shoes off, pulling herself up to stand on the sink, balancing carefully. She pushes the window open and I'm relieved to see that it opens a lot wider than I thought it would. She's actually surprisingly agile and makes it out of the window quickly, poking her head back in to let us know she's okay. Shelby climbs up next and is halfway out of the window when the door slams open behind us. My head snaps around and my stomach drops. I jump onto the sink and give Shelby a shove. "Go!" I shout, trying to pull myself up without falling.

I've almost done it when a hand grabs my ankle and tugs hard. My fingers slip, and the next thing I know, I'm landing hard on the sinks, feeling at least one rib crack as my side connects with the edge of the basin. The breath explodes out of me in a rush and I hiss, grabbing at my side. I lever myself up slightly and kick a leg out at the guy who is reaching for me again. "Lenni?" I hear my name called from outside the window, and roll my eyes, before scrambling to stand again. I'm grateful for my boots today as I see the gash in the guy's cheek where I'd kicked him.

"I told you to go! Run!" I say as loud as I can, trying hard to ignore the pain in my side. I lock my gaze on the guy again, wondering where the second one is when the door opens again and suddenly they're both there. I take a deep breath and shove my foot into the chest of the closest one, sending him back into the guy who's just joined us. I waste no time in spinning around and pulling myself up towards the window. A hand grabs onto my arm and I see Mel gripping my wrist, pulling me hard as I push myself through. My vision blurs with tears as pain rips through my chest, but I ignore it as I stand and scowl at the girls. "Do you two ever listen?"

They shrug and look back at me. "Not really," Shelby says, and I shake my head, looking around again.

"We need to get out of here. Even if they're alone, they'll be out here looking any second. Do either you have your phone?" I ask.

Mel points back through the window. "Our bags are in there,"

I sigh and nod. Obviously, it wouldn't be as simple as calling a taxi, nothing ever is. "Okay, let's go," I walk along the wall and poke my head around the corner, pulling it back quickly as I see the two guys talking to a third one and pointing our way. "Not that way," I look around to get my bearings and frown. We're in an alley at the back of the club, with one way going to the street at the front, and the other leading into pitch darkness. I roll my eyes, realising we have no other choice and lead the girls away from the street. I realise I'm the only one who still has shoes on and pray there's nothing nasty down here for them to stand on. The alley seems to go on forever and has no lighting whatsoever, but I finally start to see a faint glow ahead of us and sigh with relief. Then my eyebrows crease as I hear shouting and what sounds like chanting.

I look back at the girls, now able to make out their faces in the faint light. "Stay close," I whisper, before moving forward again. My eyebrows shoot up and my eyes go wide as we finally reach the source of all the noise. A crowd has gathered around what seems to be some kind of platform. I turn back to Shelby and Mel. "Huh, who knew this backwater town has an underground fighting circuit," They both look puzzled, so I point to the crowd ahead of us.

"Wait, isn't that..." Shelby's voice trails off and I follow her gaze to one of the fighters. He bounces on the balls of his feet, and I can see the sheen of sweat that covers his torso as his chest heaves with heavy breaths. He wears basketball shorts that hang low on his hips, and I can see faint bruises littering his chest and abdomen. I watch as he moves quickly towards his opponent, dropping his shoulder before bringing his fist up under the other guy's chin. My jaw drops as I watch his opponent's head snap back, and he falls down hard. Shit, this kid can really punch!

"Liam," I whisper, grabbing the girls' hands and dragging them behind me towards the crowd. I pull them to stand against a wall and signal for them to stay there as I move towards the platform. Another guy has climbed up there and is holding Liam's hand up as cheers ring out through the crowd. As Liam walks towards the steps, his eyes catch mine and grow wide. I see him swing his head around looking for an escape route and I dash forward to grab his hand. "Oh no you don't, you little shit," I say as he tries to pull his hand away from mine.

He gulps and looks at me, before offering me a cheeky grin. "Lenni," he nods. "Fancy seeing you here,"

I scowl at him and tug him to where the girls are waiting. He waves slightly as he sees them. "Okay, that was a cracking punch!" I say, shoving his shoulder and grinning at him, before clearing my throat. "I feel like I should say something responsible and kind of adult sounding, but I'm too caught up in how good that punch was. So, consider yourself told off," I wave a hand dismissively and he chuckles, before looking us up and down. "Oh yeah, do you have a phone? I need you to call Jay,"

He nods and fishes it out of the bag he grabbed from the side of the platform. He automatically calls Jay, and I see the moment that he realises he has no idea what to say. "Uh, Jay. Hi, it's uh- it's Liam," He stutters and I roll my eyes. "Yeah man, I'm good. Um, I just bumped into Lenni and well..." His voice trails off and I groan, grabbing the phone from him.

"Hey," I say, overly cheery. I can practically hear the frown in Jay's voice as he returns my greeting. "So, we're kind of stranded and need a ride,"

"Stranded? Where are you? What's going on?"

I swallow hard and glance at the girls quickly, before explaining the evening's events to Jay. I hear him telling the guys to get the bikes before he speaks to me again. "We're on our way. Stay put. Wait, why are you with Liam?" He asks.

"Well, um, Liam was out too and we just bumped into each other," I say, but it sounds more like a question than an explanation.

"Lenni," He growls down the phone.

"Hey," I say, grinning widely at Liam. "Did you know this town has underground fights?" My grin grows as Liam's eyes get even wider and he shakes his head. "Liam's good! Like, really good. I reckon he could take you," I laugh.

The girls end up in fits of giggles too as Liam grabs the phone off me again, shoving me away. "Um, so, we'll see you soon," He says quickly, before hanging up the phone and glaring at me.

My adrenaline has mixed with the alcohol and I find myself with the sudden urge to pinch his cheeks. He frowns and steps back when I do just that, which has me and the girls dissolving into fits of giggles again. He groans and spends the next twenty minutes sighing at us and checking his phone constantly. 

By the time we hear bikes rumbling close by, he is sitting against the wall with his knees propped up, and his head in his hands. As the bikes engines cut off, he stands and reaches out a hand to pull me up too. I grab it and haul myself up, before grabbing my side and muttering several swear words as my rib reminds me it's injured. With the alcohol, adrenaline and distraction of Liam's fight, I'd completely forgotten about my impact with the sink. Liam's eyes narrow and he opens his mouth to speak, but I put a hand up stopping him.

"I'm good. Just a bruise," I say, and he nods but I can tell he doesn't believe me. Especially as the first thing he does when the guys reach us is point to me and say "She's hurt," before any of the rest of us can even speak. He backs off slightly when I glare at him but just shrugs his shoulders and winks as I'm suddenly surrounded by the guys.