FicWad

"Goddamn Killjoy scum." The bartender mumbled as he made his way back inside the bar, followed by the drunken bar-goer's that had taken it upon themselves to remove them from the bar.

Brendon pushed himself up on his elbows and glared at the bartender as he disappeared back into the building, then crawled over to Ryan, where he was laying facedown.

"Ry." He whispered, rolling Ryan over carefully. Ryan's eyelids fluttered, and Brendon saw back on his heels, watching as Spencer roused Jon.

"Fucking bastards." Ryan mumbled, leaning heavily on Brendon as the pair stood up.

"You alright?" Brendon asked, realizing it was a stupid question, and really meaning to ask what, exactly, hurt.

"They fucked up my ankle when they threw me, I think." Ryan said. He put his fingers to his temple, and pulled them away, looking at the red liquid newly staining his finger tips.

"Fuck." Brendon said. He wrapped his arm around Ryan's waist, pulling Ryan's arm around his shoulders, and practically carried him to their car. He opened the back passenger door, and Ryan sat on the seat, with his feet on the ground.

"Do you hear something?" Ryan asked as Brendon knelt to examin Ryan's ankle.

"I hear a lot of stuff, dude." Brendon rolled his eyes.

"It sounds like someone's crying." Ryan said, his eyes scanning over the parking lot.

"Probably Jon or Spencer." Brendon shrugged, glancing over his shoulder to see Spencer still knelt next to Jon, and Jon sitting up, head in his hands.

"It sounds like a little girl." Ryan observed.

"Spencer, then." Brendon shrugged again, smirking at Ryan.

"I'm serious, Bren, I think there's a little girl who needs help." Ryan said.

"Okay." Brendon stood up. "Stay here, and I'll take a look around."

Ryan nodded, and watched as Brendon told Jon and Spencer what Ryan had heard.

"We hear it, too." Spencer said, looking up at Brendon. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Stay here with them." Brendon said, shaking his head. "They need someone whose not injured, in case something happens."

Brendon set off around the parking lot, listening closely.

**

"Grace!" Frank sprinted along the alley, staggering to a halt when he got to the other end. "Have you seen her?" He directed the question at Mikey, who was standing next to the mouth of the alley. Frank didn't wait for an answer before taking off again, down the street.

Ray jumped into Frank's path, and caught Frank's arms.

"Be careful, Frank." Ray instructed in a whisper.

"There's no time to be careful." Frank insisted, trying to wiggle out of Ray's grasp.

"Getting yourself caught by Dracs won't help the situation." Ray said. "Put your gun away. Act natural."

Frank glared at Ray, but obeyed, putting his gun back into the holster. The pair set off down the street, looking everywhere they could, but found no sign of the little girl.

"What do we do, Ray?" Frank whispered, his eyes filling with frustrated tears, knowing full well what would happen to Grace, their little Sunshine, if the Dracs got to her first.

"Calm down, Frank. We'll find her." Ray assured him. "Let's check that bar. She might've gone there for help." Ray pointed at the collection of Neon lights ahead of them. Frank nodded, and they set off again.

**

"Hello?" Brendon called. He was behind the bar now, and the sobbing noises were louder here.

The noises were quickly stiffled.

"Whose there?" Brendon asked, drawing his gun, but keeping it low.

"Who are you?" A small voice demanded.

Brendon pushed the dumpster away from the wall, and found a very small, very pretty little girl with very poofy red-brown hair, cowering against the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Brendon said, quickly holstering his gun. He crouched next to her. "My name is Brendon."

"I'm Grace." She sniffled.

"What happened, sweetheart?" Brendon asked in a low voice.

"I'm lost." Grace admitted. "I got seperated from my uncle and his friends, and they haven't found me."

Brendon glanced around, but seeing no one, he held out his hand to the girl, helping her to her feet.

"I need to find them." Grace's eyes were shining with tears as she blinked up at Brendon.

"I'll help you." Brendon crouched back down to her eyelevel. "I promise."

"Get the fuck away from her!"

There was a blast of light, and Brendon jumped back, automatically reaching for his gun.

Grace was in the arms of a man with matching hair, who was older than Brendon was. He had an eyepatch and a brown leather jacket. He was holding Grace as though prepared to run with her. There was another man, who looked younger than the first, but still older than Brendon. He had longish black hair, and had his gun in Brendon's face.

"You're the Fabulous Killjoys." Brendon said, awe and admiration clear in his voice and face.

"Damn fucking straight." The younger man, Fun Ghoul said, taking a step closer to Brendon. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?"

"He was trying to help me." Grace said. Fun Ghoul looked around at Grace, then back at Brendon.

"I wouldn't dare hurt her." Brendon stammered, looking into the good eye of Jet Star.

Jet Star looked menacingly at Brendon.

"Really, Uncle Ray. I was hiding, and he heard me. He came to make sure I was okay." Grace told her uncle.

Brendon nodded.

Ray held his hand out, Brendon shook it.

"I'm Brendon."

"Ray." Jet Star introduced himself.

Fun Ghoul pulled Sunshine's bandana up over her mouth and nose and lit a cigarette, "Frank."

"Where are the others?" Brendon asked.

"In the city." Frank told him.

"I have three more, safety in numbers?" Brendon suggested.

"Nine people... I don't know that we can handle that." Ray said, glancing at Frank. "We won't all fit in one car."

"Let's see what Gee says." Frank decided, blowing smoke out at the sky.

Ray nodded, then motioned for Brendon to lead the way back around the bar. Ryan was laying on the ground next to the car, with his foot up on the seat. Jon sat next to him, leaning against the back tire. Spencer sat on the trunk, kicking his feet, looking around nervously.

"Go get Gerard and Mikey." Ray instructed Frank. Frank ran off, and Ray followed

Brendon over to the car, where introductions were made.

**

"Gee!" Frank collided with Gerard, who caught his elbows to steady him.

"What's wrong?" Gerard demanded instantly, Mikey watching closely from over Gerard's shoulder.

"We found her." Frank wheezed, gasping for breath.

"Where is she?" Mikey asked.

"With Ray. We found her, with this guy,"

Identical looks of terror flashed across Gerard's and Mikey's faces.

"but he was trying to help her!" Frank said quickly, and the brothers relaxed

slightly. "He suggested that we travel together. 'We' being us, and his group of four."

Gerard cracked his knuckles and strolled around to the back of the bar. Mikey was close behind him. A man was propped up in a sitting position in a vintage camaro, half leaning into the front seat.

"Ryan?" Mikey rushed to the man in the car.

"Mikey!" The man, Ryan, coughed, wiping blood from his mouth. Gerard stroked the gun on his thigh.

Mikey took his bandana and wiped Ryan's bloody mouth as well as the trickle down the side of his face.

"Where's Pete?" Mikey asked.

"Haven't heard from him since the wars." Ryan's eyes fluttered.

"Who are you with?"

"Brendon, Jon, and Spencer."

Mikey grabbed his canteen and put it to Ryan's lips, his adam's apple bobbed as he drank from it.

Gerard coughed. "We should be getting back to our car, Mikes."

Mikey patted Ryan's dusty hair, and stalked off with the older Way brother.

"Who is he?" Gerard asked accusingly.

"He and I were friends before all this." Mikey sighed.

"You let him drink your water." Gerard pointed at the canteen.

"Yeah, so?"

"He could be contaminated. I might not always... I just might not always be able to look out for you."

"I'm a big person, Gee. We aren't kids anymore." Mikey chewed anxiously at his nails.

"I know, that just doesn't make me any less of your big brother."

"Okay," Mikey smiled.

"So how do you know him?"

"Um, Pete introduced us." Mikey fidgeted, twisting the corner of his bandana, which was still in his hands.

"And?" Gerard pressed.

"Um, nothing. We just hung out a lot." Mikey said, averting his eyes.

"Seriously, Mikes." Gerard said, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I said nothing, Gee." Mikey's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Nothing enough that you want to travel with him? Share a car with him? Share a room with him? Put your safety in his hands?"

"Nothing." Mikey enunciated. "You should meet Brendon, Jon, and Spencer before we decide if we're traveling with them or not."

**

"Spence! It was him, he came back." Ryan was grinning like a maniac, despite the blood still trickling down the side of his face and his disgustingly swollen ankle.

"Who?" Spencer's brow furrowed.

"Mikey! Mikey's back!" Ryan said gleefully, clutching at the collar of Spencer's jacket to hold himself in a standing position.

"THE Mikey?" Spencer asked, looking surprised.

"THE Mikey!" Ryan repeated.

"Whose Mikey?" Jon asked, looking between Ryan and Spencer.

"My Mikey." Ryan smiled, whimsy in his voice.

Jon looked curiously at him, "That Mikey?"

"Yeah, my Mikey." Ryan smiled.

"How?" Spencer asked.

Ryan shook his head, "I don't know."

A/N: So here you have it! The first chapter! Please rate and review, and let us know what you think.

xxAnna and Rue