As Long as You're Around, I'll be Safe and Sound

Sam spends most of the night awake and crying because when Jack’s asleep he can’t do anything to help the thousands of thoughts from swirling in Sam’s mind. She keeps drifting in and out of sleep, a thought morphing into the form of a nightmare and waking her every time she gets anywhere near peaceful. She’s been in a position similar to this before, where everything seems to be crumbling around her; and in the depths of her mind she knows it gets better, she knows things aren't completely ruined because Josh wouldn't let that happen, but those thoughts are being drowned by everything else, everything that’s telling her it’s her own fault and that she deserves everything she gets.

At around half six in the morning Sam’s exhaustion pulls her into something resembling a quiet sleep and it’s about three hours later without interruption that Alex peers into Jack’s bunk
“You’re usually good at getting rid of girls before the morning, Jack” he teases, because joking is what he always does and he doesn't know what else to do because he doesn't know what happened with Sam the night before
“She’s not a one night thing, Alex, and she’s still asleep so piss off,” Jack practically growls back, pulling her small frame closer to his chest as he speaks, tucking her head into the crook of his neck, his arms resting at her waist. Alex just shakes his head fondly as he moves away; because Sam literally came out of nowhere, and he’s sure she’s not going to be leaving anytime soon.

Jack just looks at Sam for a few seconds and smiles a little bit when he sees her looking so peaceful and contented, a stark comparison to how destroyed she’d been just the night before. After a few moments she stirs a little, eyes fluttering open
“Good morning Sammy” Jack murmurs when she seems to focus in on him, warm breath tickling her neck as he speaks. She smiles involuntarily at the pet name she’d hate anyone else for using; Jack just makes it seem so natural
“Hey Jacky” she says back quietly, not minding one bit when Jack pulls their bodies even closer together, his chin nuzzling into her shoulder and she swears she feels him press a kiss to the skin there but it’s so gentle she knows she probably imagined it.
“Do you want to do something today?” he asks, as nervously as confident Jack ever is because maybe now it won’t just feel like a date, it will actually be a date. Unless they’re past that stage. Jack doesn't completely know how these things work.
“What did you have in mind?” Sam responds quietly and Jack moves again, wanting to be able to see her eyes that are always so expressive as she speaks. His large nose brushes against hers as he continues
“There’s a sort of barbecue thing with loads of people from all the bands on tour since we're staying here for the day, and we talk and drink and play games and it’s great. You should come with me.” Sam bites her lip, she so desperately wants to say yes but every fiber of her being, every instinct she has, screams no; something bad is bound to happen.
“Please?” Jack reaches for her hand and twines their fingers
“I’ll stay with you, and we’ll only talk to nice people. I promise you’ll have fun and maybe it’ll take your mind off things a bit” he smiles, trying to keep her spirits up.
“Okay” she breathes, taking the gamble. Jack then leans forward and presses his lips to hers which is apparently something they do now and Sam doesn't mind at all. It’s not quite light enough for Sam to see the blush colouring his cheeks when he pulls back, he’s so used to just acting on impulse that thinking about things before he does them isn't really something he does.

Only a few minutes of quiet conversation later, the bunk curtain is pulled back and Rian’s face fills the gap
“Hey, we’re going soon, if you’re coming” he smiles, not totally sure how to address Sam since they’d never properly spoken, and it’s obvious that something happened between her and Jack last night, though exactly what he doesn't know. There are crew members subtly making bets on it in the lounge of the bus.
“Go without us, we need to get Sam a change of clothes anyway” Jack tells him and Sam turns around to offer Rian a tiny smile before he leaves. Jack waits the few minutes it takes for the rest of his friends to leave before the pair get out of their bunk, he makes her a coffee before leaving her in the lounge for a few minutes as he gets changed into a clean version of pretty much exactly the same outfit.
"You can wear these shoes if you want, they might be a bit big but I'm sure they'll do the job." He smiles when he walks back in. Luckily he pulls her from her thoughts before she gets too lost in them because she’s definitely not run out of tears. She takes the pumps off him and quickly slips them on, noting that they're only one size too big and therefore can't be Jacks since his feet are probably at least three sizes bigger than hers but right now she’s more focused on not breaking down than on whose shoes she’s wearing.

When they walk, hand in hand, from his bus to hers, neither talk, and its not awkward, it never is between them, it's comforting, and Sam knows if it weren't for Jacks firm grip on her, both last night and now, she'd be an utter wreck; and though she's definitely not okay, she feels like she's falling apart, as long as Jack is beside her it feels that bit more manageable and a hell of a lot less daunting because Jack wouldn't let something like that bring him down so why should she? She changes quickly, only really taking time to do her makeup in an attempt to hide her tear stained cheeks and mask her tiredness then she runs a brush through her hair before she's back with Jack in the bus' little kitchenette. He gives her the sort of smile that's comforting, but not patronising, and still has little butterflies popping up in Sam's stomach. He stands in front of her silently and pulls her in for a hug she didn't realize she needed
"You tell me the moment it gets too much, okay?" he says after a few moments of just holding her "we can go back to the bus as soon as you want to, anything you need Sammy, just tell me and I'll do it." She nods into his chest and he presses a kiss to the top of her head as his hand rubs her back before they separate, fingers tangling once more as Jack leads the way toward the part of the previous day’s venue that has been set up to hold the large number of band members that are already quickly filling it.

They keep a bit to themselves for a little while, making small conversation and each getting a drink before Jack is approached by someone. He seems nice and though Sam doesn't recognise him, she has a feeling he might recognise her because of the sympathetic looks he occasionally throws her and how he doesn't seem to mind that in their five minute conversation, Sam hasn't uttered a word. She’s holding one of Jack’s hands in both of hers, absentmindedly playing with his fingers as she stands close to his side. Jack seems to notice how she’s been staring into space for a while now and after saying his goodbyes to his friend, he turns back to Sam.
“I see Alex, do you want to go talk to them or do you want to go back to the bus?” Jack asks and he seems to have clued on to the fact that she doesn't want to be babied and so he says it like it’s just a normal question, not like he’s trying to look after her.
“I’m alright. We should go talk to them” her voice is quiet, but it always is, and Jack simply nods, squeezing her hand a little as they head over.

It’s a large crowd consisting of the majority of Jack’s band and crew, most members of another band Sam knows, You Me at Six, and a few people she recognises from the dodge-ball game; they all smile to the pair as they head over. Jack is greeted with a round of “Good to see you mate” and “We were wondering when you’d get here” and other equivalents and it’s only about thirty seconds until the question that Jack should have been expecting is asked
“Who’s this?” it comes from the lips of Josh Franceschi as he nods towards Sam with a warm smile. Jack freezes for a fraction of a second, fully aware of how everyone is now paying attention, especially his band mates who are eager to know what happened on the bus. He very quickly composes himself with the mask of confidence he’s mastered over the years. Nobody questions you if you’re confident.
“This is my girlfriend, Sam. She is,” Jack pauses and looks down at her. She smiles slightly at him and he continues “er, was, the guitarist for Aftershock” recognition dawns on the faces of all those around them. News travels fast, and everyone knows a band broke up, they just didn't recognise the name or know the members.
“Shit, I’m so sorry” Josh says and suddenly all eyes are on her and though she knows they mean well, it only makes her feel worse because at times like these she just wants to blend into the background and all but disappear, but it’s really hard to do that if everybody’s throwing you sympathetic looks every few seconds.
“It’s okay” she murmurs back, trying to subtly move herself closer to Jack who lets go of her hand in favour of wrapping it protectively around her waist so he can hold her as close as she seems to want to be. Cluing on to her discomfort, he quickly changes the topic of conversation, and once the focus is off her, Sam starts to settle down a bit; all but forgetting the troubles in her mind. The people she’s stood with are all funny and the girl she recognises from dodge-ball, Tay, seems to be making a point of talking to her even if Sam only ever replies with one or two words and it really makes her feel welcome into the group.

After a while, Sam tugs lightly on the hem of Jack’s shirt and he turns away from his conversation to smile down at her
“What’s up?” he asks
“I’m just going to get another drink” Sam says, showing him her empty bottle “I’ll only be a minute”
“You want me to come with you?” he offers but she shakes her head
“I’ll be okay” she smiles
“Alright then” Jack understands if she wants to be alone for a little bit and presses a quick kiss to her cheek which has Sam blushing as she heads off. She does want another drink, but she also wants a few minutes to herself to see if she can clear her head a bit and so she walks slowly over to the drinks table that’s already pretty much empty, and picks out a bottle before beginning the search for a bottle opener.

She’s barely paying attention and is caught completely off guard when something knocks her shoulder and she’s almost sent to the ground, only just managing to catch onto the edge of the table to keep herself upright
“It’s your fault!” A voice bellows and she recognises it all too well, turning only to come face to face with Owen. It’s obvious that whatever he did after leaving the bus the previous night wasn't healthy; his bloodshot eyes glazed over and managing to be both distant and intently staring at Sam at the same time. She backs away, wanting to call for help or just do something because the look in his eyes isn't a nice one, but she can’t, she can’t make the sounds roll off her tongue and she can’t tear her eyes away from him.
“Hey!” another voice she recognises, Josh. She wills herself to turn to look for him but she can’t as she stumbles backwards, almost falling to the ground again
“Back off” Josh growls, getting closer but Owen’s eyes don’t move from Sams until Josh pushes at his shoulders, sending the drummer stumbling backwards. It wasn't a hard push but, in Owen’s current state, he’s struggling to keep walking as it is.
“Owen, calm down.” Josh spits at him and Sam cowers back as Owen’s attention is drawn to the other male, but then back to her
“She fucking ruined everything” he growls
“It was my fault, Owen, I quit the band” by now there’s a small crowd forming, people not quite ready to get involved because an argument is just an argument and nobody wants to get caught up in the affairs of a band they don’t know.

Owen and Josh just stand shouting at each other for a minute or so, both only growing angrier as Sam just stands a little way away, feeling too involved to get away completely, as much as she would like to, yet too scared to do anything. Then another figure is approaching the pair, and Sam recognises the shape of Jack instantly. He lays a hand on Owens shoulder, trying to push him back and she tries to move forward to get Jack away from him but Alex stops her, putting an arm in front of her and giving her a look that’s both sympathetic and one of warning so she stops where she is. Things seem to have calmed down a little, Jack talking calmly and Sam, and everybody else, seems to think confrontation has been avoided. It only lasts a few short moments, though.

Sam can’t help the cry escape her lips when she sees Owen’s fist swinging, and she lurches forward when the blonde’s knuckles connect with the side of Jack’s face and sends the taller male stumbling sideways, but there are a strong pair of arms pulling her back. It all happens so quickly from there, she’s not focusing on the arms she’s struggling to wriggle out of because she can just see Owen swing again, but this time at Josh, knocking him to the ground and then Jack’s arm swinging in retaliation. Then there’s too many people trying to pull them apart and she loses sight of him. There’s a lot of shouting when she finally gets free of the constraint that Alex had become, and then she stumbles toward Jack, weaving past the people holding him back and practically throws herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle because he’s such a fucking idiot. She feels his arms wrap back around her softly and then she pulls back so she can see his face.

“You’re so stupid.” she says just loud enough that he can hear but his mind is in a different place altogether as he comes to terms with the fact that he actually just punched a guy. His nose is bleeding a bit but most of the damage is visible in the area around his eye and the top of his cheek which is definitely going to bruise. Jack just starts laughing
“I just punched a guy” he beams, and Sam just shakes her head as she pulls him in close and buries her face in his neck. The rest of the people around them are now more occupied with getting Owen the hell out of the way and getting an ice pack and cloth for Josh and Jack which somebody hands to Sam after a few minutes. She sets about wiping up Jacks face, the trails of blood coming from his nose. He senses that she’s tense and he doesn't know what to do.
“I’m sorry” he says
“Why would you punch him back?” she asks “why would you even get involved in the first place?” he can’t tell if she’s upset with him
“Because he was talking shit about you? I wasn't just gonna let him do that.” Jack says simply, because to him it is simple
“And you got punched in the face.”
“But he was going to attack you or something.”
“He wouldn't have done it, Jack.” she doesn't believe that one bit “someone would have stopped him. You didn't have to get involved.”
“I’m sorry, Sam, I guess I was just acting on instinct. I only wanted to protect you.” He seems sad, like he’s messed up and Sam doesn't know why she’s angry because it’s not like he did anything wrong.
“Please don’t be mad” he says, misinterpreting her quiet thinking as quiet anger and she melts a little inside
“I’m not mad” she murmurs, letting him take her hand in his and playing softly with his fingers. “I guess I just don’t see why you bothered”
“Because he was going to hit you” he says like it’s totally obvious, and really, it should be
“But I’m not worth getting hit for, he’s really hurt your nose” she worries, tentatively placing her fingers on the bruised skin
“I’m fine, and your worth far more than one hit, Sam” he smiles and anything that was left of her heart has dissolved into butterflies, come back together and then dissolved into more little butterflies to the point she can swear she can physically feel the process in her chest as a smile erupts on her face.