You let Kris in when you heard him knocking on your front door.

"Welcome to my humble abode, I just got to call Matt real quick and we should be off," you said as you shut the door behind him.

"Holy loft," Kris exclaimed as he walked in and spun, looking at all the space.

"Yeah I kinda dig it," you said searching your purse for your phone.

"How did you find this?" Kris asked.

"It helps when you have friends, and clients, who are famous," you said finally finding your phone and dialing Matt's number.

"Like who?" Kris asked, interest generally peaked.

"You'll see. Hey dip shit, when's this disaster of an evening starting?" you asked Matt when he picked up.

"Jimmy will be there in like two minutes to pick your sorry ass up," Matt said on his end.

"Just Jimmy? You didn't make him take along leech boy did you?" you asked, a warning tone coming through in your voice.

"No, he's with us. But he's still coming with us, he's part of the group whether you can stomach him or not, always has been," Matt said, his own warning coming through in his voice.

"He's like roaches, no matter what you do they just keep coming back. Oh, I've got a friend with me," you said, the last part coming out as an after thought.

"Male? Female? Pigmy? What we talking here?" Matt asked jokingly.

"Pigmy? Good one. You'll see when we get there," you said hanging up the phone.

"Pigmy?" Kris asked confused.

"Don't even ask, I don't even get my brother half the time, I don't want to damage you with trying to figure him out as well. Anyway my best friend Jimmy will be here in a sec to pick us up, so we can head out now," you said grabbing your purse and heading for the door.

"No car?" Kris asked.

"Oh I've got one. Just when the boys are finally home they drive me everywhere, don't ask me why, but they do. Am I complaining? No. Have you seen gas prices? It's horrendous," you said closing the door behind you.

When you turned to face Kris he was holding his arm out for you.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"I think we shall," you replied, taking his arm and walking towards the elevator. -xXx-
Once outside, waiting for Jimmy, you lit a cigarette and offered one to Kris. He took one and lit it with his lighter from his pocket.

"So not to seem weird or anything, but what's your last name? I'd rather know before I go out somewhere with you," Kris said, exhaling in the process.

"Sanders," you said, wondering if he would catch the tie from you to Avenged Sevenfold.

"That's a nice last name," Kris added, obviously not picking up on who you were.

"Not when you see what comes along with having that last name," you said as you saw Jimmy pull up.

"What does that mean?" Kris asked as he followed you as you started to walk towards the still driving Jimmy.

"Heya Jimmy," you said giving him a high five through the open front seat window as you went around to the front.

"I'm The Reverend, or The Rev," Jimmy said sternly, putting his hand out the window for Kris to shake.

"I'm, I'm Kris," Kris said, shaking his hand then climbing into the back.

You turned in your seat and looked back at Kris and saw his shocked face and laughed softly.

"Told you it came with a lot of baggage," you said to Kris.

"I didn't know you were THAT Sanders. I mean that's the Rev," Kris said pointing to the back of Jimmys head.

"And obviously I count as baggage," Jimmy said warningly, giving you a look.

You gave him the we'll-talk-later-don't-fuck-this-up look before turning back to Kris.

"You're not gonna freak are you?" you asked bluntly.

"Nah, just a shock is all. Still like you for you," Kris said, relaxing and leaning back into the seat.

"Good," you said, turning around and facing forwards while Jimmy drove to the club.

Once at the club you piled out of the car as Jimmy tossed his keys to a valet guy and the three of you sauntered up to the building containing the thumping music. At the door you just walked on in, the security guy at the head of the line giving you and Jimmy a nod of recognition, but paused at Kris.

"He's with us," you said, grabbing a hold of Kriss hand and pulling him in with you. -xXx-
Inside you didn't let go of Kris's hand, but instead slowed your pace to match his and followed Jimmy to the VIP rooms up top. Once there, you unintentionally squeezed Kris's hand, you were nervous about bringing a guy to meet, well the guys. They've never really approved of who you were with, it never really bothered you and you usually didn't put much mind to it, but that was years ago. You had been out of the game for a while now, so it was new all over again. Inside the room you saw it was already full of girls in scantily clad clothing, if you could call what they were wearing clothing. You sighed in disgust and how they were acting but continued on walking, you even saw a few other musicians who you knew, through your brother and through your job as well. Jimmy gave you the we-need-to-talk-pronto look before going to join the guys at a curved couch. You gave him a nod, but took Kris to go get drinks for the two of you first, and order a round for the guys.

"Lets get some drinks first," you told Kris.

"Sounds good to me love," he said, sounding comfortable.

To which you sighed in relief, you didn't want some closet freak fan on your hands, or someone who couldn't deal with the life you led and the people you knew. At the private bar you ordered a Captain and Coke, along with a round of beers and shots for everyone.

"What do you want?" you asked Kris.

"I'll take a Heineken and a shot of Jack," he told the bartender.

"You'll fit right in," you smiled at him.

As soon as the drinks were ready you had the waitress follow you over to the table in the back of the room, weaving your way through the crowded people.

"Boys, round on me," you said as you approached the table.

"Kales," the table shouted, well all except for Zacky.

"Who's that?" Syn asked, pointing at Kris who was standing beside you.

"Guys this is a friend of mine I met today at work. Figured I bring him out tonight as he's new here, like new to the country," you finished taking a seat.

"Where ya from?" Johnny asked carefully.

"Scotland. My names Kris," Kris said reaching his hand out to Johnny.

"Johnny Christ," he said in response shaking his hand briefly.

"Synyster Gates," Syn said excepting his hand.

"M. Shadows, also known as the big scary older brother," Matt said, squeezing Kris's hand a little tighter than you were liking.

"And you? Kris asked, though you knew he knew who they all were and was just being polite.

"Zacky," Zacky shouted out icily, not bothering to extend a hand and shake Kris's.

"Nice to meet you all," Kris said before sitting down next to you.

"So do I get a toast or what bitches?" you asked taking a shot of tequila and a beer and placing it next to your Captain and coke.

"Toast indeed," Jimmy said grabbing his new shot and beer.

The rest of the guys followed suit and all had their drinks, even Zacky, since you weren't in the mood to start shit right then.

"To having you home," you said raising your shot, "It's been too long."

"To losing unwanted and unneeded baggage," Jimmy said raising his shot.

"To starting over," Johnny said following suit.

"To friends," Syn said.

"To living fast and dying young," Zacky said, shocking everyone again for the hundredth time that day by joining in with you present.

You just sneered at him, catching the drift of his toast, but caring less.

"To meeting new people," Kris said raising his own shot.

"To family," Matt toasted, stressing the family part, causing all the guys to give knowing smiles, and causing you to stomp on his foot.

Everyone clinked glasses and downed their shots, a few grabbing their beers afterwards, some just leaning back in their seats.

"You don't need to stomp on my feet Kales," Matt said once he had swallowed his shot and reclined in his spot.

"Hey Kris could you get us some more shots, I need to have a one on five for a second," you asked Kris, staring your brother down.

"No problem, I have a feeling I don't want to get caught in the cross fire of this," Kris said standing up.

"You're the one blindfolded," Zacky said as Kris stood.

Kris just shot him a look and Zacky sneered back at him.

"What the hell is your fucking problem?" you asked, well more like screamed at, your brother.

"Don't like him," Matt said straight forward.

"You just met him a few seconds ago," you defended.

"I don't either," Jimmy said, siding with Matt as usual.

"You guys have never liked the guys I've ever dated, or seen, or knew for that matter. Even the ones you never met and I just told you about over the phone. This isn't high school anymore," you said defensively.

"Doesn't matter what it is anymore, we still don't like him. We didn't like Eric and look at how that turned out," Matt said bluntly.

"That I'll agree with you on. I already got the divorce papers, he must have had them written up forever ago. But that's beside the point. What are you my parentals? I'm a little old for that," you said bitterly, seeing as how your parents had never really been there for you, only your grandfather. And the boys of course.

"We just care for you is all, we look out for our own," Jimmy said in their defense.

"Well lay off him for the night kay? Give me shit tomorrow after I probably kick him out of the loft and send him home," you said taking a sip of your Captain and coke.

"I don't like him either," Zacky added out of the blue.

"Go fucking figure, didn't think you would. You don't like anything," you shot angrily, getting up and walking to the glassed in balcony that over looked the dance floor downstairs.

Notes

Tension in the ranks!