14 Months 03: December

"That would hardly be fair to the other women. If I got to sing again, then they should too. I'm sorry you didn't like my song choice," she said sadly and pouted prettily, then the crowd went "Aww," as she put the microphone on the edge of the stage and made her way back to her seat leaving the pianist speechless. She was a tough cookie just like Rita Hayworth, she had sung well and had fun doing it. She wasn't going to take that guys shit or manipulation or whatever that was. Wondering how mad Darius would still be about her flirting during the song, she didn't dare to look at him as she took her seat. Placing a single finger under her chin, he made her look up at him, and she saw that he was smiling. "You're not mad at me?" Sophie whispered.

"No, not mad," he shook his head. "Not exactly happy that you gave half the men in this room a hard-on but not mad. You were great. You know that the band were only teasing you?"

"Yeah but it wouldn't have been fair, if I got a second chance then Stella and Mimi and the other girls should too," she shrugged. "Besides manipulation like that is such a shit thing to do to someone."

"There's my feisty, Angel," he kissed her softly and smiled again. "Would you like to go home?"

"Have you done everything you needed to do here tonight?" she asked, concerned that he was leaving because she had embarrassed him in some way.

"Here, yes," he said emphatically pulling her hand to his lap. "To you, not by a long way," his voice lowered in a husky way as he pressed her hand over his semi-erect cock. Then gave her a gentle closed mouth kiss that promised much more to come.

"Get a room," Zander grumbled, shaking his head.

"Trust me, that's my plan. As soon as I check in with Byron, we'll be heading home," Darius said and took a deep breath willing his body to behave.

"Not staying for the points grab?" David asked.

"Not if it doesn't happen in the time it takes me to track down Byron and check in with him," Darius said as if he didn't care about the points system. He did, but he wasn't going to show it in front of Sophie. He'd been where Zander was, stuck with a broken girl who was only in it for the money, and this year he was playing a very different game with Sophie. He was going to have fun, make sure Sophie was happy and mentally in the game and still kick their asses. They would send out the point scoreboard in emails to the competitors. "I'll be back in a few minutes, keep an eye on my girl for me," he said to David rather than Zander who she was sitting beside. Then he got up and left the table.

"Thought he'd never leave," Asher said, plonking himself into Darius's vacated chair and reaching into his jacket pocket at the same time. "I have the candy and Jayce is warming up the van outside, let's go," he grinned at Sophie.

"Aww, thank you but the moment he introduced us you weren't a stranger anymore so I can't take your candy or go for a ride in the van," she said sadly. "It's a shame because I like red liquorice," she looked at the bag on the table in front of her.

"Well, fuck! I don't suppose you'd be up for a plain old abduction instead. I mean it's a shame to make Jayce wait out there with a van for no reason," he suggested.

"Why an abduction and not a kidnapping?" she asked curiously.

"Kidnapping requires a ransom note and working out a drop off strategy for the money, and it seems like too much work to tell you the truth. Besides with abduction, I don't necessarily have to give you back," Asher explained. "So, what about it?"

"Isn't that your getaway driver over there?" she pointed to Jayce who was walking toward their table with another man and young woman.

"Fuck, this is going badly, isn't it," he said and sighed. "I don't suppose you want to abduct me, instead?" he asked hopefully.

"Darius is my getaway driver, and I somehow think taking you home with us might hurt his plans for a private after-party," she stifled a small giggle. God, this guy was gorgeous and funny, and if she wasn't careful, he could be a whole lot of trouble for her when it came to Darius.

"Alright fine, I'll work on the kidnapping thing, but just so we're clear, abduction is my preference," he said seriously. "You can keep the liquorice."

"Understood," she nodded equally serious. Opening the bag of liquorice and offering a piece to everyone still seated at the table. "I might have cried if you took it back. I haven't had any candy for a whole month. Between you and me, I think the cook is trying to kill me from the inside out. I mean, if you had bought me a big greasy plate of fries you might have become my new favourite person, but for this, you get my thanks and a tentative friendship pending the abduction slash kidnapping attempt," she said biting into a piece of liquorice.

"Too late to tell me that now!" Asher threw up his hands in disgust, drawing the attention of everyone around them.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping idiots like him away from her?" Zander questioned David.

"Shit, I forgot! Go away, Ash," David flicked his wrist as if shooing a fly. "You saw me try," he said to Zander who gave a slight shrug of acknowledgement.

"It's all good," she laughed. "I need to find the little girl's room anyway."

"Oh, thank God," Stella said uncharacteristically speaking out and getting to her feet. "Finally, I thought you girls were camels sitting there so calmly after drinking all night. Let's go!" It was the most animated Sophie had seen Stella all night, and it surprised her. She let the woman link arms with her and they went in search of the bathrooms together with a still pouting Mimi and the other girl from their table, Chloe trailing separately behind them.

"Thanks for the help earlier," Stella said in a low voice. "It was much easier once you pointed out those few songs. When I looked them up, I realised I did know them."

"Yeah I think that the word Jazz puts people off because they think of Scat Man and discordant jam sessions," Sophie agreed, liking the girl despite her earlier thoughts. They pushed their way into a surprisingly deserted bathroom and, Stella quickly disappeared into a stall. Sophie went to the next one and was about to walk in when she felt something smack her in the middle of her back and she fell forward. She tried to reach out the stop herself but found her hand slid down the smooth wall. Her momentum slowed, however, and she regained her balance but suddenly there was the same sharp jab to the back of her knee, and she fell forward again hitting her head hard on the paper dispenser. Searing pain knifed into her skull as her head bounced and she went down to the floor. Her last cohesive thought was that Darius would be mad at her for ruining his night when he seemed so happy to be with his brothers.

Sophie didn't blackout, but the pain was so incredible that it took her a minute or two to get her equilibrium again. She listened as two women around her yelled at each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying at first, but she didn't want to stay on the floor in a public toilet and knew she had to get up before working out what was going on. Grimacing against the pain in her head, she sat up. Stella noticed her then and rushed to help her.

"You can't intimidate me, Mimi. No way that was an accident, I heard it all!" Stella said through clenched teeth as she helped a wobbly Sophie to her feet.

"Heard what? The clumsy bitch slid on the wet floor and fell over. It's got nothing to do with me," she said in the same petulant voice she had used all night. The women froze then as the door burst open and a furious looking Zander, Asher and David walked in. Asher pushed through the other two women and scooped Sophie into his arms walking from the room, leaving the two remaining men to deal with the two women inside.

"What happened?" Sophie asked. Asher had no time to answer her before Darius was there looking panicked and taking her from Asher's arms.

"Fuck! I leave you alone with my brothers for two minutes, and you can't sit still?" Darius asked worry and frustration evident in his voice.

"I had to pee. I must have slipped like Mimi said but I..." she lifted her hand to her bleeding forehead again as Asher cleared the way and Darius walked with her to the door.

"Darius, take her to my clinic, it's closest, and Reed will meet you there," Andrew said, also looking angry and sounding abrupt. Darius nodded and kept walking, saying nothing to anyone.

"Give me your keys, I'll drive, and you can hang onto her in the back," Asher said, holding out his hand as they walked side by side.

"Thanks," Darius said, holding her easily in one arm while fishing out his keys. "What the fuck happened, Ash?"

"Jumped in the bathroom by someone who didn't like her performance tonight," Asher shrugged knowing the whole story needed to come from someone else once they knew Sophie would be fine. Darius had a temper, and if Zander didn't toss that girl, Darius would have her tossed from the contest. It was probably just as well this happened tonight while there were still others wanting to gain a place after not making the first thirteen. "David and Zander are taking care of it. The whole incident was witnessed by Rob's girl Chloe who ran and alerted him, but we were all there and heard what happened. The three of us moved immediately. Then you showed up."

"Fuck," Darius swore as they got to his car and he slid into the back carefully drawing Sophie in with him.

"I'm okay," Sophie whispered. "I can sit up on my own. Sit up front with Ash," she encouraged.

"No," he answered with a tone that told her arguing would be futile, so she leaned into his chest and closed her eyes. She was tired, after the nervous anxiety she had suffered for most of the night, and her head hurt badly.

"Keep your eyes open, Angel. You keep telling me what a tough cookie you are now you get to prove it," he said his voice slightly louder than it needed to be as if he thought she had gone deaf.

"There's no need to yell at me," she said, lifting her hand to his cheek. "I slipped; that's all. I'm sorry I ruined your night, really, I am. Just don't yell at me anymore, please, Darius." She desperately wanted to close her eyes and block out the lights that infrequently flashed through the windows.

"I wasn't yelling at you, Angel," he said in a moderate tone. "Keep your eyes open for me. Tell me about the song you sang. Where did you learn it?"

"An old lady in my town, who I lived with before they found a foster family for me, loved the old movies and let me stay up to watch them with her. She liked it when I tried to work out how to play them on the piano and we would sing-a-long together." Her voice grew softer as she continued to speak. "Talk to Ash. Did you know that he's making plans to kidnap or maybe abduct me? He says he's too lazy to write a ransom note and organise a drop site for the ransom," she finally let her eyes close.

"Open your eyes, Sophie. You need to stay awake. Tell me more about Asher's plan. Talk to me, Angel!" he breathed the words pulling her even closer. "Fuck!" he swore.

"I'm sorry, Darius. Don't be mad at me. I just need to close my eyes for a minute. The lights are bright. I'm not asleep," but her soft voice told him it wouldn't be long if he let her keep her eyes closed. "Do you think Susan would give me some Panadol? My head hurts like last time," she grimaced.

"Yeah, but we are going to see Reed first, he's a different doctor. I'll call Susan as soon as we get there if you would rather see her," Darius said. "She will probably kick me in the junk for letting this happen to you," he said

"She worries too much, but she thinks you're a good guy or she wouldn't be on your team. She'll know it wasn't your fault," Sophie mumbled.

"I'm not so sure about that. If you stay awake, I'll call her," Darius bargained. "Open your eyes, Angel. Just a little while longer." He pulled out his phone and called Susan.

"What happened to Sophie," was the greeting Susan gave when she answered her phone. "Byron called me I'm already on my way. I swear if you have broken that girl already, you will regret it, Darius!"

"See I told you she would want to punch me in the junk," Darius said smoothing Sophie's hair back from her head and recoiling at the amount of blood he could see. "I'm struggling to keep her awake, and there's a lot of blood."

"Cuts to the head often bleed more than usual because there are so many vessels there. Don't panic, yet. Where were you when this happened?" she asked in an accusatory tone.

"Not in the ladies' bathroom, obviously. Was I supposed to make her hold it all night?" he asked defensively and heard Susan huff.

"I'm fine, Susan," Sophie said. "He's overreacting that's all. It's late, and I'm tired. I just wanted to shut my eyes for a minute. He's freaking out about nothing, and I still have to pee, so there is no way I am sleeping anytime soon," she groaned. "I just need some Panadol and a bathroom break, honestly. There is no need for everyone to be so cranky with me."

"Reed is at the clinic waiting for you. I will get there as soon as I can. I am still ten to fifteen minutes away," Susan said and ended the call.

"I'm not overreacting," Darius grumbled.

"For what it's worth I don't think you're overreacting," Asher said seriously, as they pulled into the clinic parking next to the entrance. A man not much older than them came out holding the door open to let them in.

"Sophie, I'm Doctor Reed. Can you tell me what happened?" he asked as Darius placed her on the edge of the examination table in a sitting position and stepped away.

"I slipped on wet tiles and bumped my head. It's not a big deal honestly," she said, drawing in a hissing breath as he touched her head. Then he used his torch to check her eyes.

"Try again," Asher said from his position near the door. "Or I can tell them what happened if you don't remember."

"Asher, I don't want to get anyone into trouble, and I am big enough to look after myself so can we just leave it at the fact that I slipped on wet tiles and fell," Sophie said quietly.

"No, we can't," Asher said and turned to the other two men. "Sophie needed to pee and excused herself from the table. Relieved someone else was going, Stella went with her. A minute later, Mimi excused herself and not wanting to be the only girl at the table Chloe followed after them. Stella raced into the toilets pulling Sophie with her. Mimi hurried after them, and when Chloe walked in, she saw Mimi push Sophie in the back, making her stumble into the stall, but she regained her balance. Then Chloe says Mimi kicked her in the back of the knee which made her fall hitting her head on the metal paper dispenser and collapsing to the floor. Chloe ran back to the table to let Rob know. We overheard and went to diffuse the situation. When we got there Mimi and Stella were yelling and Stella was helping Sophie from the floor," Asher informed everyone. "Would you like to add anything?" he cocked an eyebrow at Sophie.

"No," she said unhappily. "She was probably just embarrassed that I helped her with the song list. I know what that's like with my reading issues. I doubt she meant to hurt me, so can we just let it go, please?"

"No," both Darius and Asher said simultaneously.

"She seems fine, but would you like me to do a scan just in case?" Reed asked.

"Yes," both Darius and Asher said simultaneously.

"You do realise she's my girl, don't you?" Darius growled at Asher.

"Yes, but as you're my brother, this girl is now like a hot little sister to me. Besides I now have this abduction slash kidnapping I promised her which won't be much fun if she's broken before I can get around to it," he said reasonably. "besides you know you're going to want my help for the challenges," he grinned.

"I'll get the machine set up, send Susan through when she arrives," Reed said indicating Darius should step closer to the bed to ensure Sophie didn't fall.

"I'm fine, Darius, trust me. What you did to me that first night felt much worse than this," she sighed. "Can't we just go home?"

"What did you do to her?" Ash said, sounding more than a little angry that Darius had hurt this girl badly during his collection of her.

"She reacted badly to the sedative we used. There was nothing in her medical file to tell us she was allergic to anything. She woke up a day later with an extreme hangover," Darius admitted defensively.

"You don't lie, do you?" Sophie tilted her head at him surprised that he had admitted he had made a mistake in injecting her with the sedative.

"Saves time making up more lies when the truth comes out, which it always does," he warned.

Rapid steps sounded on the tiles, and Susan appeared looking grim and asked all the same questions that Reed had and did the same examination of Sophie.

"You're lucky this time Darius, but if she ever comes to real harm because of you, I will do more than punch you in the junk," Susan warned and stormed off towards the MRI machine Reed was setting up.

"I'm sorry," Sophie said again.

"You know none of this was your fault," he reassured her. "There is no reason to apologise to me."

"Your wrong. Mimi didn't want to sing, and I made it even harder for her to say no to Zander by pointing out the songs she would know. I took away her excuse, and she wasn't good up there and probably pretty embarrassed. I get why she was angry with me. Can we leave it alone and carry on like it never happened, please?" Sophie tried to explain why she was so reluctant to admit the woman had pushed her.

"No," Darius said. "It happened at an Alliance event. Even if I was content to let it go, which I am not, I doubt the council will. Or Zander for that matter."

"Fuck, I ruined, everyone's night. I'm so sorry," Sophie sighed loudly.

"I'll go move the car, and give Jayce a call to find out what's happening at the club. You heard Susan. She's fine man, give the girl a break. None of this was her fault." Asher tossed the keys in his hand.

"I just told her that," Darius snapped back.

"Then why the fuck is she still apologising to you?" Asher shook his head and walked away.

Sophie blinked as Asher walked away. He'd been introduced to the confident and witty persona she had pulled on to bolster herself tonight. Being confronted the quieter less sure girl who wanted to be in the contest, wanted the money and the better future it promised her and would jump through Darius's hoops to get it was probably not what he expected when he drove them here. She sighed again. It was too late now to backtrack and pull on that persona again. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling Darius's arms wrap around her.

"You did nothing wrong tonight. In fact, you couldn't have been any more right in my eyes. You were sweet to the other girls despite Mimi's bitchiness. You wowed the men with your performance, and you didn't take shit from any of my brothers, including Asher who can be hard to take at the best of times. You were amazing, and this little hiccup is nothing, you have nothing to apologise for, do you understand?" He brought out as his gruff voice as he asked the question.

"Okay," Sophie said, sounding less than sure as she stayed in the warm circle of his embrace with her head on his chest until Susan came to collect her for the scan.

The scan seemed to take forever, and when she was heading back to the examination room, Sophie caught the distinct smell of hot greasy junk food.

"Can you smell that?" Sophie asked. "I think Margaret has had me on such a clean diet for so long; my junk food cravings are turning into hallucinations."

"I don't think you're hallucinating," Darius chuckled as he carried her to the examination room and deposited her on the bed.

"Did she hurt her legs as well?" Jayce asked, making Sophie giggle.