Love at First Fright

**Joey's P.O.V**

I slowly handed Mikey back his phone as Rayna pulled away and looked at me.
"It was him wasn't it?"
I simply nodded. Looking at her was nearly impossible. Her blue eyes were red from crying as she buried her head back into my neck. Chris patted her on the back and mouthed to me, "What's the plan?"

"Rayna, can you end the party? I have to talk to the guys. Also, tell Wednesday to come into the office."

She nodded and wiped her eyes before walking off into the living room.
I slowly walked to the office letting Roadie and Mokie out before closing the door behind us. I sat behind the desk in my chair; Chris sat on the desk, while Mikey and Andrew took the couch. We all stared at the floor waiting for Wednesday. Chris looked like he was going to get sick while Mikey just looked like he wanted to hit someone.

*Knock* *Knock*

"It's me"

Andrew got up and let him in before taking his place back on the couch.
"What's going on? Rayna told everyone the party was over and went to her room. You guys all look like you've seen a ghost."

Chris turned and looked at Wednesday before replying, "It's Derick. He wants Rayna for some reason. He texted me. Joey called him and he threatened him."

"Whoa wait up. Derick? As in asshole Derick? As in Rayna's ex Derick? As in the guy Joey sucker punched in the jaw Derick?"

"Yes Wednesday! We get it. Derick yes that Derick."

"Joey clam down."

"Calm down? Wednesday do not tell me to fucking calm down!! This douche bag threatened to take away my family!!"

I stood up and walked over to the window as Mikey walked up behind me.
"Joey, we won't take Rayna or Eric away. I'll finish what I started if he even gets close to them or any of us."

"I know. I just don't understand what he wants with them. It's almost been 3 years since we even saw him."

"Who knows? Maybe he wants money or something. He probably saw or heard about you proposing and getting married and shit and now he wants a little taste of it. He probably feels like you owe him something."

"I don’t owe him shit! I just can't let him take my family away."
I could feel the warm tears begin to fall from my eyes just thinking about the endless lists of what-ifs.

What if Derick did take Rayna and Eric?
What if he hurt them?
What if what if what if?!?!?!

Chris spoke up and said, "Joey, I'll stay here if that's ok. Mikey and Andrew can stay at a nearby hotel. We won't let him near her."

"Yeah. I'm going to go to bed."

I slowly walked out of the room and up the stairs to my room but found myself going to Eric's room. I turned on his light and half expected him to perk up in his toddler bed and yell, "Daddy!!!" Then I'd go pick him up and yell, "Snare!"

I went over to the bed and looked at the mural I had painted for him. My hand went directly to Rayna's name painted in the deep purple she loved so much. These two meant the world to me. I couldn't let anyone especially a low life like Derick ruin that.
I turned off the light and left the room going towards my room. I noticed that Wednesday was still downstairs with the Taking Dawn guys.

I walked into my room and saw Rayna curled up under the blankets asleep tightly holding something in her arms. I stepped over Roadie who was at the foot of the bed and noticed it was Eric's stuffed skunk. I laughed a little to myself thinking of when Rayna had bought it for him.

Seeing her hold the skunk so tightly and the tear stains on her cheek broke my heart. She didn't care what happened to her as long as Eric was safe. I leaned down and kissed her forehead before changing and crawling into the bed with her. I put my arms around her waist as she uncurled a little allowing my arms to fully reach around her.

"He'll be safe right?"

"You both will be. Now go back to sleep."
She mumbled something else as I felt her head lay back on the pillow.

The next few days seemed to go by slowly.
One day I was in the studio messing with my guitar Rayna and Eric came in.
"Daddy! Pway a song."

I laughed a little knowing exactly which song he wanted me to play on my guitar. I slowly began playing the intro to "Dead in Hollywood" as he spun in circles singing what sounded like the lyrics.

"Hey Fwakenstein! What's on you mind! Hey Dwacula I heaw you suuuuck!"

"Eric!"
He looked up at Rayna with his expert technique at getting mom to not be mad. The puppy dog eyes.

"I sowwy mommy."
She laughed and sat down on the couch next to me as Eric sun in circles again.

"Snare, show Mommy the song you wrote."
He nodded and quickly went behind my drum kit looking for a pair of sticks.

"Daddeeeeeeeeeeeeee."
"What?"

"No sticks."

"In the bucket. Next to the guitars."

"Oh. I found it"

We heard him drop the stick bucket then begin to dig through them until announcing he found his sticks. As he struggled climbing up on the drum seat Rayna moved closer to me and put her head on my shoulder.

"He wrote a song?"

"Not really. It's mostly him hitting the kit and cymbals."

"Why Snare?"

"Oh that. One day when it was me and him in here he was running like a maniac like usual and he ran into the snare."

"Was that when you said he tripped on Roadie and ran into the stair rail?"

"Yep. I didn't want to get in trouble."
She laughed as Eric yelled that he was ready.

"Ok. Go play."
He hit the sticks together a few times before banging on the kit making sure to hit every drum he could reach. After about 10 minutes of his "song" he jumped off the seat and bowed.

"That was pretty."

"Noooo it was wock n woll!"

Rayna looked at me and mouthed, "wock n woll?"

"Yeah it was killer. Ready to sing for mommy?"

"Yes!"
I played the intro for Heretic Anthem on my guitar as Eric sang the only lyric he knew.
"If you's 5 5 5 then I 6 6 6."

"Must you teach him those songs before he's 5?"

"I didn't! Wednesday did!"

"And me."

We looked up to see Chris standing in the doorway smiling at Eric's nonsense singing.
"What did you teach him?"

Chris laughed and took a guitar from my rack before sitting on a chair and asked Eric is he wanted to sing.
"Yes!"

Chris started playing "Time to Burn". Oh shit Rayna was not going to like this. As Chris sang the chorus Eric waited patiently until his part came.

"Hale-fucking-lujah!!"

"Eric!!! Chris!!"

"What?"

"He's 2!"
"So? Look who his dad is! Look who his uncle is! Look at who his godfather is! Look at who his mother is!"

"Your point?"

"His first word was?"
"Fuck....Rayna he's fine he doesn’t know what it means."

"Fine."

We played a few more songs mainly laughing at Eric as he tried his best to sing the lyrics to each song and even play the drums again.
We all turned towards the door when we heard Wednesday yell from the foyer, "Fuck off!!!"
Rayna got up quickly and grabbed Eric.

"Rayna stay in here."

"Joey!!"

"Chris come on. Ray call Mikey. Do not leave this room unless one of us says so."
She nodded and held Eric closer as we left the studio.
"You think it's him?"

"I don’t know."
I jumped a little when i heard something hard fall to the ground in the foyer and hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Wednesday?"

No reply.
"Wednesday!"

Still nothing.
"Fuck. WEDNESDAY!!!"

I grabbed Chris' arm as I ran down the hallway to the foyer.
My eyes widened when I saw Derick standing the middle of the foyer clenching his fist with Wednesday lying on the ground with blood coming form his nose. Chris ran over to him and tried to get the blood to stop.

"Wednesday. What the fuck Derick? You have problems with me not my friends."
Derick let out a sly smile before looking at me with hate filling his eyes.

"I have problems with anyone standing in my way. Especially that faggot. Wait a minute. Chris? Chris Babbitt?"
Chris glared at him without replying.

"Wow Chris I remember the last time we talked. I told you to never see Rayna again and here you are. You just don't learn do you?"

"Fuck off Derick. Rayna is my best friend."

"Is that so? Oh speaking of Rayna where is the little whore?"

"Don't you fucking call her that!!"
I clenched my fists trying my hardest not to simply punch him again and rip his head off.

"I will call her whatever I want to."

"Why are you even here?"

"To take back that which is rightfully mine, and a little extra baggage."

"You won't get near them."

"Says who?"
"Says me."
Derick stiffened as he recognized the deep voice as Mikey's from behind him as Mikey slammed the door shut behind him.

"Mikey Cross."

"Face me Derick."

"Fuck you."
Mikey walked around Derick and joined me by my side.

"You need to leave Derick. Now."
"I'm not afraid of some midget and his posse. I let Mikey beat me up in high school like I'm going to let that happen again."

Mikey chuckled a little, "As I remember you were on the ground crying by the time I was done. What'd the doctor say broken jaw in three places?"

Derick stared at Mikey before running towards him and throwing the first punch which Mikey easily dodged. I tried to pull Mikey back but he was stronger than me easily pushing me away before going after Derick.

Punches were thrown from both guys as I could hear death threats from both. Before i knew it Derick was on his knees holding his head ion his hands. Blood began trickling through his hands spilling onto the tiled floor.
Behind me I could hear Wednesday coming too and Chris trying to calm him down.

"The fucker hit me! He punched me right in the nose then fucking kicked me. Kick his ass Mikey!"

Mikey chuckled and wiped his own bloody lip before spitting blood next to Derick.
"We done here?"

Derick chuckled behind his hands.
"Not even close. I promised myself that if I wasn't able to take Rayna home I would kick Joey's ass."

"I'm not afraid of you Derick."
Mikey put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Joey you don’t have to do this. Call the police. I won't get in trouble he threw the first punch and knocked Wednesday out."

"No. I need to protect my family."

Derick struggled to get up as he removed his hands revealing a cut lip, still bleeding nose and black eyes beginning to take effect.
Derick calmly walked over to me before laying his hand on my shoulder and turning towards Mikey.

"I've wanted to do this for awhile now. Ever since seeing that damn video of you proposing. Then that press conference where Rayna goes into labor. You don’t deserve them freak. You just fucking don’t!"
I stumbled back feeling his fist connect with my jaw.
Standing in the living room as he walked back towards me I knew he wasn't going to walk out of here.

I sent him to the ground with one hit. As he lay on the ground I sat on his legs sending punch after punch to his face. I didn't even realize how much damage I was causing or receiving until I felt Mikey's pull me off him.
I licked my lip tasting my own blood as i looked down and saw blood tricking onto my hands and shirt.

I tried to blink but it sent a searing pain through my face. I slowly touched under my eye and could feel a large gash. Fuck it stung. I smiled seeing Derick still on the ground as blood gushed from his nose and mouth. Fucker deserved it. Fucker deserved so much more.
He rolled over onto his stomach sending curses my way as I watched the red blood stain the white carpet. I knew revenge had been served.

"Leave."
"I can't get up fucker."

"I don’t fucking care if you have to crawl out of here. Leave!!"
Mikey walked over to me and said he'd call the police and I should check on Wednesday. I left the room after spitting at Derick making the carpet stain with my blood as well.
I walked into the foyer seeing Wednesday propped against the wall holding his side with Chris making sure he didn’t fall over.

"I think the fucker broke a rib when he kicked me. Damn, did he win?"

"I don't think so. He can't get up."
Wednesday laughed a little before groaning in pain and sending death threats to Derick.

"Go...make sure...Rayna is ok."

"Fuck that. She has Eric I don't want him seeing his dad like this."

"Joey. He won’t care. I'm sure they could hear everything that went on. Now go before the police get here."

I nodded and slowly walked out feeling my jaw begin to swell from Derick's first punch. I still couldn't believe that after a beating from Mikey Derick still wanted more.
I walked into the studio seeing Rayna holding a crying Eric sitting on the couch. I lightly tapped on the door as Rayna looked up and gasped.

"It was him! Oh my God Joey are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Trust me. He's in much worse condition. Wednesday may have to go to the hospital though."

"You’re going also. You’re going to need stitches for that cut."

"I'm fine."

"What happened to Wednesday?"

"Derick may have broken his rib."

"Derick still here?"

I nodded before looking over at Eric who was staring at me.
"I'm ok Snare. Daddy's ok."

"Daddy? Ouchie?"

"Yes, a bad man is in the house."
"Bad man?"

"Yes. But Daddy and Mikey took care of him."
"Daddy's a super hewo!"

Eric ran over to my leg and grabbed it in a hug. I couldn’t help but let out a painful tear. Despite the bloody nose, lip, shirt and eye my son still thought I was a hero.
Rayna carefully hugged me as Mikey came in saying the police were here and they needed everyone.

"Mikey? You to?"

"He came after me!"

"He did."

"Poor guys."

We laughed and walked out seeing the police holding Derick up in cuffs as Wednesday was being helped up and placed on a stretcher.
"Wednesday...."

"I'm ok. I hear they have morphine at the hospital."

We all laughed before the officer called us over to Derick and asked for the entire story.
After we gave the story and the officer said it added up because all of us had the same one. They almost dragged Derick out of the house saying he'd be locked up for awhile and none of us would be charged because it was self-defense.
After the police and paramedics were gone I sat on the first step on the staircase as Rayna cleaned up Mikey and my wounds and Eric played with Chris in the other room.

"You know Eric had a point."

"What point?"

"He called me a super hero."

"You are. All of you. Wednesday took the first hits because he didn’t want Derick in the house. Chris watched over Wednesday trying to wake him up Mikey you took him on after then babe...you finished him off. I mean you guys did all that for me and Eric. You’re our heroes."

"He threatened my family. I had too."

"Rayna you’re my best friend and Eric is my little buddy. It was nothing."

"I love you guys."

She kissed Mikey’s forehead and then my lips softly. Despite the cut in my lip I couldn't feel any pain in it when she kissed me.

What a life.