You Put the Spike in My Heart

"Are we there yet?" Bailey asked.

"Bailey, please shut up." Quinn groaned and she smiled cheekily in response. It had to have been the hundredth time she had asked in an hour. She was feeling in a particularly good mood and annoying the guys on the bus was only making it better.

"But you guys said we'd be there by now." She reminded and quirked her head like she was playing dumb.

"Just a few more minutes, I'm sure. Now hush." Quinn said with a hint of pleading.

"No, thank you. Who wants more coffee?" She asked, bouncing out of her seat and making her way toward the kitchen. Jeph put his head in his hands.

"Someone stop her from being perky."

Bailey hummed softly as she poured herself a cup of coffee and smiled at her almost completely steady hand. Her withdrawls were almost gone and she was glad to be rid of them. The better she felt, the more hope she had that she could stay clean. She felt almost human again...almost being the key word - which is why she used that excuse to pour about an ounce of brandy in her mug before joining the boys again.

"So, where are we stopping this time?" She asked.

"Albany, New York." Jeph's answer was muffled. His head was still in his hands so she started to poke him on the arm.

"What is there to do in Albany?"

"Stop poking me!" Jeph said in slight hysteria.

"I could stop poking you anywhere, what's the fun in that?"

Jeph grabbed her finger and pulled it back.

"Okay I'm done! Ow." She relented.

"That's for waking me up this morning."

She couldn't help but grin evilly at him as she rubbed her hardly injured finger. She had only slept for a few hours after Gerard had left the night before.
When she couldn't get back to sleep, she became bored and decided to jump on all of the boys' bunks to wake them up. It had worked for everyone except for Dan who was still asleep. She had checked his pulse before leaving him alone. That boy could sleep through anything.

"You're welcome, Jephy."

Bailey grinned again but he just shook his head, defeated. She eyed the boys around the table one by one. They were all glaring at her and she knew that she was doomed the next time she fell asleep. They weren't awake enough to amuse her with retaliation so she figured she'd go for one more and then stop. She turned to look at Bert and quirked her head again.

"Are we there yet?"

"That's it!" Bert yelled.

She was wrong and should have seen it coming. Like Bert would ever not find enough energy to tackle her to the ground if she grated on his last nerve. He was, after all, her brother.
They rolled around on the floor trying to gain the upper hand and pulling each other's hair. When the bus stopped, it only made them roll faster down the aisle. Quinn and Jeph jumped over them in a hurry, glad to be free of the annoying red-head they had been subjected to all morning.

Bam was standing with Frank and Mikey next to the other bus and they watched as the two guys practically ran away from the door.

"They still sleeping?" Frank called to them.

"God, I wish!" Quinn yelled, shaking his head at him and following Jeph towards the stadium in front of them. Intrigued, Bam ran over and took the steps two at a time. He stopped dead-pan as soon as he saw what was going on. Bailey was on top of Bert with her hands around his neck. When she finally noticed him she stopped struggling for a moment.

"Morning! I'll be out in a few minutes." She gasped, out of breath.

Bam laughed as he made his way back off the bus and over to the guys.

"Is she coming?" Mikey asked.

"She's busy committing homicide." Bam said between laughter before grabbing his skateboard and jumping on. Frank immediately jogged over and stuck his head in the door.

"Bailey, quit trying to kill your brother!"

"But I'm almost done!" She called back.

Bam almost fell off his skateboard as he burst into laughter again.

"Do I have to come in there and separate you two?" Frank asked.

She descended the steps not even a minute later, out of breath and arms crossed with a dramatic pout on her red face.

"Why do you always have to ruin my fun?"

"Where's Bert?"

"He's still breathing. No worries." She said and rolled her eyes as if it were a disappointment. He looked her over for a moment before turning her head towards him with a finger and smiling.

"You look better." He commented.

She smiled back.

"I feel better."

She let out a small peep of surprise as she was scooped up into a hug from behind.

"Morning!" Mikey squealed.

"Mikey!"

She turned around when he let go to give him a proper hug. She hadn't talked to, let alone seen him since her outburst at Bam's house. She was so happy to know he wasn't going to be awkward around her. That's when something hit her.

"Ah, man. I promised to go to your last concert and I missed it!"

"Don't worry about it. You had something to do, a lot more important than a concert."

She could see it in his eyes that he knew and she was grateful she didn't have to explain.

"Well, I'll definitely be there tonight."

"You better."

Bam smacked her lightly in the head as he glided by on his board.

"Good morning to you too, asshole." Bailey said under her breath.

When he came back around, she stuck her foot underneath his wheel, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Why are you so sadistic today?" Frank asked, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. She smiled at Frank and shrugged innocently.

"You're going to pay for that!" Bam screamed.

Bailey screeched and ran in the opposite direction. They circled the buses a few times, dodging people and tables. He almost caught her a once or twice because she was laughing too hard to run properly. Her last lap ended with colliding into Gerard right as he stepped out of the bus. She almost sent them both to the ground but he managed to throw their weight into the side of the bus to keep them standing. Frank and Mikey's laughter could hardly be heard over her own as she threw her arms around his torso.

"Save me!"

Bam stopped in front of them and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Cheater!"

She looked up into Gerard's confused face and gave him the most ridiculously loving look she could pull off.

"You're my hero."

Gerard scratched his head and looked to Bam, Bailey still attached to him.

"Did I miss something?"

"Yeah, her intended killing spree this morning." Bam answered.

Gerard looked down at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"They gave me coffee."

He laughed and finally hugged her back.

"Well that explains it."

Bailey pulled away with a condescending look at Bam when he winked at her suggestively. He seemed to be under the impression that she was attracted to Gerard ever since the day she had arrived at his house. She honestly thought he would know her better than that, being affectionate with anyone and everyone she cared about. Why he was singling out Gerard was beyond her comprehension.
As soon as Frank was close enough, she latched onto him and he patted her back warily.

"What's with the love?"

"I missed you guys. Do you know what it's like being cooped up with those rotten, smelly boys?"

"Yes." They all answered in unison.

"If you have anymore coffee then we'll be strapping you to the roof of the bus and you won't have to worry about it." Bert said, limping up to them with a heavy glare set in her direction.

"I'd like to see you try." She answered.

They both stuck their tongues out at each other simultaneously, everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Come on, midget. You're hanging out with me today." Bailey tightened her grip on Frank when Bam beckoned to her.

"I don't want to hang out with you, you're mean."

"These guys have interviews and a concert to get ready for."

She pouted up at Frank but he only nodded in agreement.

"Come on, I'll even let you wake up Dunn."

Bert moaned when Bailey's eyes lit up.

"Why must you encourage her?" He asked.

Bailey kissed Frank on the cheek followed by Gerard and Mikey.

"I'll be back in time for the show." She promised.

"I'm holding you to it."

She smiled at Mikey, jabbed her brother in the stomach and then threw herself onto Bam's back.

"Have a good day, boys!"

She screeched in amusement as Bam tried to skate away with her still on his back. Bert shook his head with an almost shocked expression.

"I think I liked her better on drugs."

Gerard and Mikey gave him an incredulous look but Frank laughed.

"She's like a female version of you."

"Which you know more than anyone knows is not like her."

Frank's smile faded but he crossed his arms in defiance.

"That's not true, you haven't really had much opportunity to see her happy."

"Whatever. She's only acting like that because she spiked every single cup of coffee this morning with brandy. Crazy bitch woke up everyone this morning and would not shut up."

Bob and Ray came off the bus behind them and Bob wrapped an arm around Frank's neck.

"Ready to go, fuckers?"

After a few minutes of struggle, Frank finally released himself from Bob's hold and ran to catch up with Gerard.

"I'm determined to get that girl to stop drinking."

"Ease up, Frank."

"How can you say that? You know how harmful it is to drink that much, and she drinks every fucking day. And on top of that -"

"All I'm saying is to ease off a bit. You harp on her about it a lot. And if you hadn't noticed, she's more than a little put off every time you do."

Frank thought about it for a minute before nodding his head.

"I guess you're right. I just don't want her to start drinking more to compensate for the drugs she isn't taking, you know?"

"So tell her that. Just don't order her to take it easy. Leave it as a suggestion."

"Sometimes I think you know her better than I do. It's a little disconcerting. I just don't know how to help her. She's like my little sister..."

When he didn't finish, Gerard gave him a comforting pat on the back as they disappeared through the stadium's double doors.