Welcome to the Family

Jimmy and the guys had been waiting by the building of the venue patiently. They had placed the backpack in full view of the front door, so there would be no way for this mysterious person to miss it. They all kept a close watch on the bus. They were determined to catch their little stow away in the act. They waited all night for this person to arrive. It was ten minutes to midnight when they saw a shadow streaking across the parking lot. The small light from the bus illuminated the body as they sped up the stairs. Matt went first followed by Jimmy and Brian. Zacky and Johnny made up the rear of the group. They all moved quietly not wanting to startle this person.

Matt, being the first on the bus had noticed the person drop to the floor and slide under the bunks again. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but looked at Jimmy and Brian to see what they should do. Jimmy mimed pulling her out from under the bunks so that's exactly what Matt did. He had to hold tight to the ankle because this girl was fighting rather hard. He managed to pull her out flip her over from her stomach to her back. Matt's eyes widened in shock when he stared into the dark brown eyes of a young girl, but Jimmy stared at her the longest. He noticed something about this girl as if he had known her from somewhere else.

"Who are you?" Brian asked a little harshly.

The girl managed to scurry away from Matt and Brian and into a corner of the bus.

"I asked you who you were?" Brian growled angrily.

"Brian, calm down, she's obviously scared," Zacky cut in.

"I don't give a shit Zacky, I want to know who she is and why she's wearing my hoodie," he glowered at her.

The girl looked at him wide eyed before looking down at the hoodie she was wearing. She immediately took it off and then threw it at him.

"There you got your hoodie back, happy now," Jimmy glared at Brian.

Brian sat down on the couch behind the group as the rest of them continued to stare at the girl on the floor. Jimmy sighed heavily as he sat down closer to the girl. The girl backed further into the corner obviously frightened.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Jimmy said staying where he was with his legs crossed.

The girl continued to stare at him, but her eyes continued to flicker towards the other guys, especially towards Brian who was still sitting on the couch. Matt knew that Jimmy had some weird ways, but he also knew that there was a point to his odd antics. Matt quietly motioned for the other three to leave with him and they all left the bus leaving Jimmy sitting in front of the girl in the corner.

******

Rebecca stared wide eyed at the guy who had pulled her out from under the bunks. She fought to get her ankle free and finally did when the grip relaxed do to the surprise from the guy. She scurried into the corner and brought her knees up to her chest. She was scared because she had been startled as well. She was confused by the look the taller one was giving her.

"Who are you?" the one with a fedora hat on his head asked sounding rather grumpy.

Rebecca pulled herself closer to the corner at the sound of his gruff voice. She didn't like him all that much.

"I asked you who you were?" the same man asked, a little louder than last time.

"Brian, calm down, she's obviously scared," a slightly shorter man with green eyes cut in.

"I don't give a shit Zacky, I want to know who she is and why she's wearing my hoodie," Brian glowered angrily at her.

Rebecca looked down at her frame and noticed that she still had the hoodie on. She didn't know that she took it from such a hot headed person. She quickly took it off and threw it at him and then wrapped her arms around her knees again.

"There you got your hoodie back happy now," the tallest of the five men glared at Brian.

Rebecca watched as Brian sulked over to the couch and sat down after pulling his hoodie over his head. She didn't want to cause any trouble for anyone. Rebecca turned her gaze back to the other four men standing above her. She felt rather intimidated and she has never felt like that before. She normally was able to feel in control of all situations that she got herself in, but this one seemed rather different.

The tallest guy sat down rather close to her and she scurried away from him. She wasn't sure what was going to happen.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his blue eyes scrunching up in concern.

Rebecca didn't know what to make of that statement, but she kept her knees pulled into her chest and her arms wrapped securely around them. She couldn't trust this guy just yet. Movement caught her out of the corner of her eye and she watched as the other four men left the bus. She felt a little more relaxed without Brian glaring at her as if she was some parasite that he couldn't stand seeing.

"What's your name?" the tall blue eyed man asked.

Rebecca turned her attention back to him and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She didn't know this guy, but he looked to be in his mid to late twenties. She wasn't sure, but she was positive that she wasn't going to speak to this guy. She doesn't talk to strangers and she wasn't about to start talking to this one.

"Do you have a name?" the blue eyed man asked.

Rebecca stayed silent.

"My name is Jimmy," he said, hoping to get her to talk.

Again Rebecca didn't speak. Jimmy sighed heavily, but didn't move from his spot.

******

Jimmy continued to watch their little stow away. He wasn't about to give up on this. He could see something within the depths of her eyes that he couldn't pinpoint just yet. He knew that he couldn't give up or let this girl escape. It wasn't that he was going to date her or anything because that would be stupid. She was so young. Jimmy knew that she needed guidance, but he wasn't sure what kind of guidance that he could give unless she spoke to him. He had to earn her trust.

"How old are you?" he tried asking, after sitting in silence for some time.

Still the girl did not answer. Jimmy watched her facial expressions. He was slightly amused by them. He smiled warmly at her to see if she would do anything. She glared at him. He grinned widely and made a funny face. The girl's glare only intensified. Jimmy snickered. He was having fun. No one could stand to be so serious when they were around him for long.

"Jimmy what the hell are you doing?" a voice asked from behind him.

Jimmy turned around and saw Johnny standing there looking rather perplexed.

"I'm trying to get her to either talk or show a different facial expression," he admitted with a grin.

"Is it working?" Johnny asked.

"Not at the moment, but you know me, I can get anyone to laugh or at least smile at some point," Jimmy answered gleefully.

Johnny laughed at one of his best friends. He never understood Jimmy's happy-go-lucky attitude, but he did know that it was a lot of fun when he was drunk off his ass.

"See, I told you so," Jimmy grinned at his friend.

"Yeah I guess you did," Johnny laughed.

The girl continued to watch the two guys apprehensively. She didn't know what to make of their attitudes, but she didn't want to be confused either. Jimmy looked back to the girl to see her slowly unwrap her arms from around her knees. He was excited to see that she was slowly warming up to him or at least didn't look as frightened as she did earlier.

******

Rebecca continued to watch the guys play around. She had unwrapped her arms from around her knees, but still kept her knees pulled tightly to her chest. She was a little amused with Jimmy as he grabbed the much shorter man and started to flip him around his back. The shorter guy grunted as if he was in pain, but still managed to laugh at his friend. Rebecca was confused. She never saw people act like that before. She wasn't used to seeing a lot of people act like that.

Sometimes she couldn't even remember what her parents looked like or if she even had parents. She was so young when she realized that she was alone. Rebecca felt something warm and wet on her cheek and she took a finger to wipe it away. She was crying. She never cried in her life before, well except when she was younger and didn't understand a lot.

"Hey are you alright?" the shorter man of the two asked her suddenly.

She jumped slightly from being startled and then closed her eyes. She hated being startled.

"Hey, Jimmy, can I talk to you for a second," the gruff voice from earlier asked, stepping into view.

Rebecca didn't like the sound of his voice.

"Uh, yeah sure, um, Johnny can you watch her please," Jimmy asked.

"Sure thing Rev," he grinned.

Rebecca scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion. She thought his name was Jimmy and now this short person, or Johnny, was calling him Rev. She watched as Jimmy walked off of the bus with the rudest man she ever saw in her life.

"So, my name's Johnny, what's yours?" Johnny asked excitedly.

Rebecca stared at him as if he was stupid. She just spent the last hour or so not talking to Jimmy, but for some reason this short man thought he could make her talk. She found it rather funny, but kept herself from losing her control.

*******

"What's up Brian?" Jimmy asked, after they had left the bus.

"Well, after we left the bus earlier, Matt and I took a walk through the parking lot. We came across an unconscious body. He looked rather disgusting and shady," Brian said.

"Where are you going with this?" Jimmy asked.

"I think before we freaked her out even more, she was already freaked out by that guy. I think maybe she was just trying to find a safe haven," Brian said.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Jimmy wondered with narrowed eyes.

"I overreacted, like I normally do. I thought maybe she was some crazy fan trying to get some dirt on us for the press," Brian admitted.

"Don't apologize to me. You need to apologize to her," Jimmy said.

"I know that, but I don't think she wants to be in my company at all," he said, lowering his head.

"Give her time. She's frightened. There's something she's hiding though," Jimmy said.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked.

"I can see something in her eyes. She's lost, confused, but doesn't know how to reach out for help," Jimmy said.

"She reminds you of yourself at that age doesn't she," Brian said.

"A little bit, yeah," Jimmy said.

"Do you think you can help her?" Brian wondered.

"If she opens up to me, yeah I think I can," Jimmy said.

Brian nodded his head in understanding. They walked back towards the bus and then climbed on. They were shocked to see Johnny sitting rather close to the girl.

"What did you do?" Jimmy hissed.

"I didn't do anything. I got up to get something to drink and when I turned around she was passed out," Johnny hissed back.

Jimmy looked at the sleeping girl and sighed. He knew that he had to be patient, but he wasn't sure if that patience would get him anywhere. He didn't want to push her, but he felt the need to help her. He couldn't explain it to himself just yet, but the look in her frightened eyes earlier was enough to make that decision. He wanted to be able to help her, but he knew that he had to gain her trust.

Jimmy walked forward and then carefully picked the girl up and then carried her back to the bunks. He placed her in his bunk and then covered her up. He didn't want her to catch a cold after all. He placed a kiss on her forehead and then went back out to the living area of the bus.