Without Warning

"Look Miss Davis, I'm drinking tonight. You're going to have to get over it." John said as he felt the girl's eyes on him as he twisted off the bottle cap and placed it on the table. He hadn't really drank that much in days simply because he felt like she didn't want him to, although that wasn't a good excuse.

"I'm not stopping you."

"But you don't want me to."

She shrugged, "I like sober John, so what?"

"And why not like drunk John? People usually do." He stated leaning onto the table.

"I don't have a problem with drunk John. It's just that drunk John tends to do a lot of things that gets sober John in trouble and then he ends up having a lot of regret." She stated, leaning onto the table as well.

John's eyes never left hers as he tried to argue with her, but had nothing to say since she was right.

"You're here Evie. Don't let me."

"I'm not your baby sitter." She stated with a glare and he rolled his eyes, "No, you aren't by any means, I'm just saying we are friends and I would keep an eye on you if it was the other way around."

"Fine." She grumbled knowing he was in fact right. She remembered a few years ago at one of Garrett's parties, she wasn't feeling well and he walked her all the way home knowing that neither were ok to drive. So maybe he was right. She could at least keep an eye on him throughout the night.

He grinned brushing his hair back, "Thank you. I need to go help set up, you coming to the show?"

"Yeah, I'll be there."

He leaned down, kissing her cheek before leaving the bus in a hurry. Everly sighed and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. This was going just how they had wanted and yet she already felt guilty and it wasn't even that deep yet.

"Ev?" She heard and her head shot up immediately as Kennedy walked onto the bus.

"Hey, shouldn't you be setting up?"

"Well, yeah, but you didn't come back with John so I felt the need to check on you. Call it sibling intuition."

Everly couldn't help but laugh, "I'm fine."

Kennedy raised an eyebrow at her as he sat across the table.

"I just, are you sure about this whole thing?"

"What? Yeah, are you having doubts?"

"No, I mean, well, I don't know. He just trust me so much already that it scares me..."

"Hasn't he always though?"

"Well, I guess so, but still..."

"Look, he isn't the John you are use to. He may have his moments were he is, but he isn't. Trust me. I'm with him more than is natural."

Everly breathed in s she stared at her determined brother.

"If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. I just didn't think it would bother you this much."

"What? It doesn't. I just wanted to make sure." She said straightening up in her seat. She didn't want to seem weak or that she couldn't pull through this plan because she could.

"Ok." Kennedy responded with a grin, "Wanna walk back with me?"

She nodded and the pair headed out to the venue. The show went smoothly, John of course drinking through the whole thing. The only thing that worried Everly was the fact that they were staying at a hotel for the night instead of the usual bus.

So in typical fashion, after the show everyone decided to head to the closest bar just for a good time. As they walked down the unfamiliar road John was chatting up Kennedy, clearly already a bit buzzed and Everly couldn't help but laugh at the pair.

"Drinking with us?" Garrett asked, knocking her out of her thoughts.

"I may."

The boy chuckled, "Oh you mean, you don't want to but when Pat pressures you, you'll say yes."

"Exactly."

The two laughed and Garrett placed his arm over her shoulders, "It's ok, we all somehow manage to look after each other so you now fall into that category."

"Thanks Gar bear." She joked wrapping her arms around him from the side. He groaned from the nick name as they walked into the local bar.

"Shots!" Pat yelled and Everly groaned into Garrett's shoulder making him laugh, "Dude, we just got here. I don't think so."

"Thanks." She whispered and Garrett chuckled, "No problem, but maybe you should go save John, a group of girls just surrounded him and yet he keeps looking over here."

Everly was surprised at the blush that hit her cheeks and she bit her lip as Garrett dropped his hold on her.

"Something tells me you want to anyways..." The boy spoke with a smirk before leaving her to head to the bar.

Everly ignored his remark and breathed in before stepping over to the forming group around John.

Once John's eyes met hers an immediate smile of relief hit him. He may have been a bit intoxicated but he was't stupid.

"Everly." He spoke smoothly and all the girl's now seemed to be looking at her. Not that she minded. She wasn't one to be intimidated.

"Excuse me, ladies." He added, before grabbing Everly by the waist and stepping away from the girls.

"Such the ladies man."

"Mhm." He mumbled, "Thanks for saving me."

"Yeah, and risking my life. Now they are glaring at me."

John grinned and pulled her in, "I won't let them hurt you."

Her eyes met his and he boldly brought his hand to her hair, brushing it back gently.

"Come get a drink with me."

"You're not getting me drunk, O'Callaghan."

"I'm not, Davis. Why would I?"

"I don't know, to try and sleep with me?"

John rolled his eyes, "I hate to crush your apparent positive thoughts of me, but I respect you too much."

Everly stared at him and he grinned before grabbing up her hand and pulling her to the bar.

He ordered to drinks and she managed to get the odd feeling under control and quickly went back to her normal self, "What if I didn't want that?"

"It's what you always drink so..."

She chuckled and he grinned as he handed her the glass.

John slid into the bar stool and Everly tried not to over think everything as she sat beside him.

"I feel like you're just waiting for me to do something stupid..."

Everly grinned, "No. Should I?"

John shrugged as he gulped down the whiskey in the cup before him.

"Settle down, O'Callaghan."

He laughed as he stood from his seat, "I'm fine. Really. I am."

She eyed him and he grinned before placing his lips to her cheek, "You're a really sweet girl, Evie. No matter what front you put up."

She watched him walk away and she was left completely confused. What just happened?

"Seems to me you've got this in the bag." She heard and looked over to see Jared.

Everly forced herself to grin, "Maybe."

"Knew you had it in you, Davis." The red head spoke as he held up his glass for a toast. She of course hit her cup to his before taking a sip.

Maybe she did have it in her, but she just didn't know who was winning, her or John.

She couldn't stop herself from looking over where John sat around a few of the boys along with some girls she didn't know. John tended to the be life of the party. It's one thing she enjoyed about him. His light hearted manner and his ability to turn anything into something funny. She breathed in before forcing herself to go over. Afterall, she still had a job to do.

"Everly!" Pat shouted as if she was across the room. She chuckled sitting beside him at the table and Garrett patted her head with a grin.

She ignored the glares from the girls, or as she liked to refer to as groupies and sipped on the drink she still had from John.

"Evie." John spoke from across the table, placing his hands on the table, a smirk on his lips.

"Yes, John?"

"What happened to the girl who could almost drink as much as me?"

Everly laughed, "Trust me. I still can. I just refuse to do so."

"And why is that?"

"Because, I have nothing I want to hide from anymore." She spoke, her eyes meeting his green ones.

"Everyone has something they want to hide from, Everly."

Everly shook her head disagreeing with his statement as he seemed to be studying her.

"I like the challenge of facing my fears." She spoke before taking a sip of her almost empty cup.

John's eyes couldn't leave her as the girl tuned into a conversation beside her. He wanted to be more like her. Brave, able to face his own demons, but it was a lot easier said than done. Maybe she would rub off on him. Maybe he could fix the damage the world had done to him over the past few years. Then again, who said he was broken? Who said who he was really that bad?