She Belongs to Me

(closed for Fr33ks33k and Noon_Shadow)

Kayla squeezed through the crowd of leather clad, drunken bikers that filled her parents living room as she made her way slowly towards the back yard and her apartment over the garage.

Things hadn't always been like this in her home. She'd had a fairly normal suburban upbringing. Her father had been a fairly successful accountant and her mother a florist. Things had definitely changed dramatically.

It had happened when Kayla left for college. Her parents hadn't suffered empty nest syndrome like any normal couple whose only child had just left home. No, they had suffered gone wild syndrome. They started hanging out in bars and bought a couple of harleys. Then in her junior year they had formed a motorcycle club complete with rules and guidelines and bylaws. It was all an alien language to Kayla and she had hated having to move back home once she'd graduated with a masters in parapsychology and paranormal science.

Now she was stuck in this endless party that was worse than anything she had seen in four years at college. Growling at a man who decided to smack her ass as she passed, Kayla finally slips out the french doors and heads in the direction of the pit fire near the Garage. She didn't understand what made men think they had the right to do that. Okay so she was kinda cute with sharp green eyes and hair that fell in a chestnut waterfall all the way down to the curve of her ample buttocks. She even understood that something about her being only 5'3" with an hourglass figure was attractive. She didn't understand how a denim skirt that came to mid thigh and a purple tank top equaled a flashing neon light that said 'molest me please.' She really needed to get out of here.

He stood off to one side of the fire, participating but clearly not being as rowdy as his fellow Club members. His leathers were old but very well-kept, and the various patches and insignias that covered it looked as vivid as they had the day they were added to the jacket. One in particular was interesting; A stylized bat with outstretched wings gripping a broken arrow in its claws.

He'd gone by many names down the years, but his current alias was Alan. Not far from his original name, but distant enough to not be conspicuous. His sandy brown hair had known many styles, but he had favored the close-cut look for the past few decades. His eyes were an odd shade of blue, pale but vivid. They caught and reflected light in a way that made them seem to flash like gems in the firelight.

Alan's conversation broke off as his gaze strayed to the young woman wandering through the throng of the party. She didn't seem like she belonged; almost uncomfortable in the din surrounding her. She was petite, with long hair and a pair of enticing green eyes. Her attire certainly made her a target for the more brusque Members, swatting at her ass and trying to cop a feel at various intervals. She glowered at them and kept moving with a purpose toward the garage at the edge of the yard.

Something about her spoke to him without a single word being exchanged. A deep-seated feeling he had told him that he'd have to make contact with her. For now though, she seemed in a mood to bite the head off of the next man to approach. He smiled, excused himself from the rest of his comrades and moved closer to the young lady. He'd at least find out her name and why she was at the party...after all, he could handle his fair share of biting.

Kayla continued to stare at the fire, purposefully not taking notice to those around her as she muttered to herself. "Why the hell do they have to continue this behavior? Are they crazy? I bet there is some couple up in my old room right now, getting their dna all over my stuff. How the hell did my life become this? I'm not the daughter of biker riff raff. I am Kayla Sands, the daughter of an accountant named Thomas and a florist name Kate. This is so completely ridiculous!"

So, Thomas and Kathryn had a daughter....interesting that they'd never mentioned that before. Though, he supposed, it was really none of his business. Kayla he said in a low voice, enjoying the way her name rolled off his tongue, the taste of it as it passed his lips. The feeling at the pit of his stomach grew stronger as his proximity increased. This made him smiled all the more.

He moved silently, exceptionally so, even if the party had been entirely silent. His steps brought him within arms reach of Kayla, where he tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Though he now knew her name and the reason for her presence, Alan decided to engage her anyway. Certainly the daughter of the Sands couple, the head of the Club, would be interesting in conversation...

Kayla jumped as someone tapped on her shoulder. She hadn't meant to get so lost in her own world that she didn't even notice the creeps coming up to her. "Sorry, I'm so not interested."

It was a shame that he had to be one of the miscreants making her life a living hell, she thought as she turned back towards the fire, he was an absolutely beautiful man. Still, she wasn't the type of woman who could tolerate drunk and disorderly for more than three minutes. And she was completely fed up with the people her parents were calling friends these days. Actually, given her current mood he was lucky he hadn't been decked for the hell of it.

Alan's eyes widened as she blew him off, turning back to the fire. He'd not been disrespected like that in some time. His mind seethed for a moment, lost in the recollection of some distant peasant who had done the same once, and the bloody mess that had been all to remain of the altercation. This thought quickly vanished as his composure returned. Rather than tapping her again, he simply moved into her frame of view, smiling in an almost lupine manner.

"Forgive me if I was too forward with you, my dear. I realize that you are not at all amused by the revelry here, but do not assume that we are all slovenly drunks. I merely came over to ask your name, and inquire as to why someone so clearly disenchanted with such a gathering would bring themselves to the center of it. My name is Alan, for the record.

In any case, you seem to be not in the mood for company, so I shall let you be. Kayla."

After uttering her name, he gave a slight bow and turned on his heels to return to his companions. Let her wonder how he knew her name, let her interest be piqued. It was a simple ploy, but often proved effective.

Kayla blinked at him as he invaded her vision, railed at her and then took off. It had disoriented her so badly that she sat there for a few seconds before getting up and following him.

"Hey! how do you know my name?!"

No one else had known her name. It had been the one blessing in this nightmare. she wouldn't get ensnared by anyone but her parents calling to her. But the handsome biker simply kept walking away from her. Okay he was going to piss her off. Letting her anger at the entire situation fuel her feet she ran after him. He was heading towards the garage anyways, which was where she had originally intended to go.

He heard her voice, her footsteps; they were growing closer and louder. She must have started to jog to catch up. He never stopped, though he did smiled briefly. Out by the edges of the yard, the party was more of a dull roar than the bustling festivity it was at its core.

Once he'd reached the garage, he turned and leaned against it nonchalantly, his leather jacket creaking a bit as he folded his arms across his chest. His azure gaze found Kayla's eyes easily, even in the gloom of the night. The firelight hardly cast any brilliance this far out. There was a single light above the garage door, barely emanating enough to cast shadows against the lawn.

He didn't speak as she came to a halt in front of him. His eyes just held her stare, waiting for her to reiterate her question. He knew she would, it was just a matter of how long she'd fume beforehand.

Kayla didn't fume long. Almost as soon as she had caught her breath she was launching on him, hand on hips, Eyes spitting emerald fire. "What are you? Deaf as well as rude? Or just a fucking asshole? How the hell do you know my name? No one here aside from my parents, whose house this happens to be by the way, knows my name. "

SHe wanted and answer and she wanted it now. she hadn't even thought about the consequences of letting herself be this far away from the crowd with him. She was too angry, too frustrated. too damned everything to really think about it. She just wanted to get away from this. "You know what? nevermind. I don't need this shit."

And she was suddenly walking away from him, across the driveway and around the far corner of the garage to the little staircase that led up to the mother-in-law suite.

Alan let out a throaty laugh, soft enough in volume that only he heard it. She wasn't paying him any attention anyway. With a grace not normally afforded humans, he was beside her, taking her by the shoulder to turn her to face him.

"First, Kayla, you are being the rude one with your brusque behavior. Second, I know your name because I heard you muttering angrily by the fire. Now, your parents are actually good friends of mine, though they never mentioned having a daughter. I would hate to tell them that their daughter has grown up to be such a disrespectful young woman..."

His hand on her shoulder held a firm grip, but it was not painful. If she wanted to turn and stalk up the stairs to what was most assuredly her room, she could.

"I know this sort of thing must not be your cup of tea, as it were, but your parents have embraced this lifestyle. It wouldn't hurt for you to at least attempt to accept it. And failing that, you could at least give some of us a chance. As I said before, we're not all drunkards and lechers."

Kayla sighed. the man had taken all the steam out of her with his words alone. "I am sorry that I have been rude to you. I am not normally so... bitchy. my defenses are just way up after several of your friends have tried to corner and or grope me tonight.

I appreciate that this is the lifestyle my parents have chosen for themselves, but since I have been home this house has been pretty much an endless party with no signs of stopping. I just saw my mother dancing topless on the dining room table, for god's sake. It's not you personally that I have a problem with.... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. What was it again?"

She wondered for a moment if he could possibly understand the shock of seeing your parents behave as if they were still in high school and younger than yourself. It was a difficult pill to swallow.

At her sigh and explanation, his hand left her shoulder. "My name is Alan."

He glanced at the rest of the party, still going strong. The large glass windows gave a clear view of the revelry just as present inside the house as out, and a figure that was vaguely female did seem to be gyrating on a table.

Alan shook his head, smiling a bit. "Your mother gets...very uninhibited....when she has too much to drink. I'm sure your father will take care of her if she gets too far out of hand. So, tell me more about yourself, Kayla."

His pale blue eyes were still bright even outside the reach of the light sources. As he asked the question, his mind was waiting for an opportunity to venture into her thoughts, to seek the things she wouldn't tell him openly.

Kayla shook her head as she followed his gaze. "That's just not the person I know, you know? Anyways, It's nice to meet you, Alan. Not much to tell you about me. I'm a 22 year old college graduate with a degree in paranormal science and one in parapsychology. I have no boyfriend, most of my friends have gone on to careers in other places and my parents have lost their fool minds."

She shrugged her shoulder and turned to head up the stairs gesturing for him to follow. "I can't stand the sight of this idiocy any longer. You're welcome to come up if you like, I suppose."

"Double majoring, that's quite an endeavor. And to have completed it so quickly, you must be very bright." Alan smiled then, following her up to her room. He cast a final look at the party, knowing that it would lose steam eventually, and that no one would find his absence upsetting. Though Kayla said there was not much to know, he felt compelled to dig deeper. Her mind was very well guarded, and he would have to work for a while to uncover anything more than surface thoughts.

"I dunno about being bright, " Kayla smiled over her shoulder at the compliment as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, "It's more that I have a passion for the unexplained. Ghosts, Demons, Vampires. It's all so interesting to me."

The little studio apartment was Immaculately kept and obviously feminine. From the lavendar sheers over the windows to the Princess style four poster white bed, It all screamed that a woman lived in the space.

Kayla dropped the key on a small table near the door and strode across the room into the tiny kitchenette, "I'm a rebel against the bland and boring. Maybe that's where Mom and Daddy got the idea. I think they may have gone over board though."

"Hmm, that might be a possibility. They do have their outrageous moments. But that's to be expected in a Club like the one they've started."

Alan stepped into the apartment, glancing around at the furnishings. He smiled; she was definitely a 'girly-girl', as some of his associates had put it. All the better that she maintained that quality. It was admirable in a world where women sought to prove themselves more powerful than men. He walked over to join her in the tiny kitchen, leaning against the counter.

Her comment about the supposedly unproven made his brow quirk slightly. "Oh really? And what is it that you find so interesting?"

Kayla stopped in the middle of opening the refrigerator door and turned to look at him. This time instead of teh fire of anger there was a true and genuine passion in her green eyes, "I guess you could say I like that they are mysteries, things that few people really know or understand. I want to be one of those few some day. beer?"

Before he even answered she turned back to the fridge and grabbed two bottles, popping the tops on the edge of the counter simultaneously. It was a trick she had learned from a guy in college. Turning she handed one to Alan and leaned against the counter herself. "So tell me, Alan. How did you come to be associated with my errant parents??"

"Ah, mysteries are often based in truth, you know..."

He smiled, accepting the bottle of beer, though he did not take a drink. His leather jacket creaked again as he adjusted his position against the counter. If she only knew how dangerous the discovery of such mysterious creatures could be...Perhaps she would find out, soon enough.

"Well, let's see. I was once part of a smaller group. About nine months ago, they caught the coat-tails of your parents' expansion and were brought into the fold, so to speak. I was just along for the ride. I've had the pleasure of meeting with them here on a few occasions to discuss Club business."

Alan turned the bottle in his hand, using the fingers of his opposite hand to wipe at the condensation forming on the neck.

"So, what brings you back home? Most children try to venture off on their own, build their own dreams and such."

Kayla laughed then took a swig off her beer, "Yes, they often are... I used to pretend thatr i had vampires, demons and werewolves for friends as a child. Can you imagine what my mother thought of that?"

As he told her how he came to be in her home, Kayla took the time to study him. He was really stunning to look at, a little pale but it suited him. If she were a virgin she would probably be blushing and giggling right now, but that had ceased being a problem her freshman year. Now she had too many male friends to be intimidated by a good looking one. They rarely stayed interested after they had a night or two in her bed anyways.

"What brings me back home? ah... that would be the lack of people hiring for the paranormal fields. I had to come home or live on the streets, I prefer my bed to a park bench. Besides, Maybe I will form my own ghost hunting society and make some real paranormal friends."

"That would make for interesting company, and party conversation as well."

He chuckled softly, his tongue tracing over his fangs behind his lips. His eyes followed hers as she perused his figure.

"I'm sure your parents wouldn't let that happen to you, even if you chose not to return home. As for ghost hunting, sometimes it becomes a bit too much even for those enthused by their existence. Most ghosts don't wish to be contacted...or so I've been led to believe."

He fell silent as he pondered what move to make next. He could approach her parents directly, expressing his interest; he could make it apparent here, and play it out that way; lastly, he could simply force his way into her mind and bend her to his will. The last option held no appeal to him, but he was torn between the first two. He knew his duties as a member of the Club, but he also knew his feelings. His fingers drummed idly on his bottle, still full.

"That it would, and sometimes a person cannot escape the ghosts." She said with a wicked little grin as she crossed to her bed and kicked off her shoes.

For some reason Alan didn't frighten her as the other members of her parents club had. She felt at ease with him in her space, even though she'd just met him. He had been polite enough, even in the face of her frustrated anger, and hadn't so much as laid a finger on her in a sexual manner. Even in the range on non-biker men, that was rare.

He set his beer down as she crossed over to her bed. She seemed to be comfortable enough with him, sitting down and kicking off her shoes. He turned to face her, eyes drawn inexplicably to her own. They were a fetching shade, especially for a mere mortal.

"So, you don't like the whole biker club thing. Is it just because most of us act like that?"

He gestured toward where the party would be if there were a window, leaning against the counter. Alan found himself looking her over, admiring her body as well as pondering her mindset. She had such potential, and an interest in what he could offer. He would definitely have to have a word with Thom and Kate about this. Best not to upset them. He would be able to persuade them easily enough, anyway.

"I dunno, It's not so much the biker thing. I'm female enough to appreciate a bad boy in many ways. I suppose It's the behavior of my parents and these bikers. I don't think its very becoming of anyone to get that drunk that often or to have random sex just for the hell of it. I didn't even do that at University and given the setting I was probably expected to. More, I don't like seeing my parents behave in that way."

Now she saw it. That hint of appreciation in his glittering blue eyes. She smirked in response and instinctually leaned towards him. She could maybe enjoy him for a night. Her parents would never have to know. She liked that he had been respectful of her and she was lonely. Moreso now that she felt like a stranger in her childhood home.

"Female enough indeed..." he thought to himself, smiling despite his attempt to keep it private. Something changed in her thoughts though; he saw the almost imperceptible dilation of her pupils as she leaned forward on her bed. He would have to excuse himself before she got any further ideas.

He checked his watch, frowning slightly at the time. It was a faulty excuse, but one that would work well enough.

"Well, Kayla, it's been a fun chat. Sadly, I have to depart. Even bikers have day jobs. Perhaps I'll see you around?"

He chuckled at his dry humor, striding toward the door. He turned and smiled at her, blue eyes bold and bright, before he slid the door closed. He returned to the festivities, he made his rounds quickly, clasping hands and sharing a few laughs. He made his way into the house, sought out Thom and whispered a few words in his ear. Thom's face grew serious for a moment, but he simply smiled and whispered a few words in return. Alan nodded and left through the front entrance, sitting astride his own motorcycle. Turning the key in the ignition, he revved once before riding off.

Kayla sat on her bed, dumbfounded, as Alan left her. He had left, just as she was getting interested. She knew damn well he had been interested too. Angry once again, she bounded off her bed and went to the bathroom to shower. Just see if she paid him any attention next time he came around. That would be a cold day in hell.

Her angry thoughts continued through her shower and for quite a while after she had climbed into her bed. She had never been blatantly reject by a man she knew was attracted to her. Especially not before she even got the chance to tell him it was mutual. Stupid men. No wait, stupid bikers. that was more like it.

Kayla enjoyed a fitful sleep and woke up the next day, sometime after noon, to her father knocking on her door. "Wake up, Princess." Oh lord. It was going to be another day of pretending they were the family she had grown up with.