"you gonna be comfortable getting married in front of friends?" Smokey ask.

"not sure. you know how everything used to be. no one in the town judges, hell all of us, except the kid he wasn't there yet, were at Sarges and Fillmore's wedding and they have the same ways shoved into them as I did." Doc mutters. Smokey shrugs.

"well, all I know is I better get an invite." Smokey says firmly. Doc laughs a little.

"yeah you're first on the list. promise." he snorts. "well, besides Cal. if I put anyone on a list before Cal, I'll never hear the end of it." he laughs. Smokey chuckles a little.

"alright kid, we need to discuss how we're going to handle the kids dad." Smokey says.

"I figure if we get him, we'll beat him around a bit. take him back to Thomasville, take him behind Cotter Pin and let the kid have a chance to go at his dad without having to worry he'll be hurt. gather a bunch of guys up and give him the same treatment that asshole got for pointing a gun at the kids head." Doc shrugs.

"we can do that. hog tie him and toss him into the back of my truck. is the kid going to be okay making that trip again?" Smokey ask.

"I'll give him a xanax and keep him out the whole trip, he'll never know." Doc shrugs.

"you know it's a little scary how you casually just drug him." Smokey says looking over. Doc frowns a little.

"it's not casual. I talk to him first if I think what we're doing is going to bother his anxiety or something. I talk to him about it and see if thats what he wants to do or if he wants to see if he can make it himself." Doc says. Smokey nods a little.

"we need a few beers to sit out here and talk like this." Smokey chuckles.

"not if I'm driving my Hornet." Doc frowns. Smokey laughs a little.

"that still the same one from '54?" Smokey ask.

"yeah. spent a long fucking time fixing him up." Doc mutters looking over at the Hornet. Smokey smiles at little.

"yeah bet you did kid." he chuckles a little.

the two continue to chat until they hear the concert let out. they get out of the truck bed and Doc lets Bolt back into the Hornet, or attempts to. the moment Bolt hears Lightnings voice, he breaks free from Doc and runs towards him.

"now see thats why we didn't let him out of the Hornet until after Lightning went inside." Doc says. Smokey nods a little.

"hey buddy." Lightning laughs as Bolt takes up his position walking beside Lightning, who bends down to grab his leash.

"how was it?" Smokey calls.

"loud as fuck!" Maddie shouts.

"try not to shout in the truck." Cal winces.

"it wasn't bad. it was pretty nice." Lightning smiles.

"good, lets get back. I'm tired." Smokey mutters. they laugh and load up.

"so you enjoyed it?" Doc ask.

"yeah, it wasn't bad, considering its my first concert." Lightning smiles. Doc smiles at him and pulls out of the parking lot. Smokey manages to get right behind him, nearly touching Docs bumper, he doesn't know this area and doesn't want to get lost.

"why don't you catch a nap? I'll wake you when we get home." Doc murmurs. Lightning nods and curls up against his side, reaching for his ring in the cup holder and putting it back on. he pillows his head on Docs thigh, smiling when Doc runs his fingers through his hair.

"I love you." he mumbles. Doc smiles at him.

"I love you too Monty." Doc murmurs, gently playing with his hair. Lightning sighs happily and yawns. he lets himself fall asleep.

they're almost half way home when Smokey sees the Hornet swerve, Doc slam on his breaks and whip over to the shoulder of the road, nearly hitting the guard rail. Smokey pulls over behind him quickly. he gets out as Lightning practically kicks the pessenger door open and scrambles out. the side of his head is busted a little and he's leaning over the guard rail puking. Docs out in a second walking over to him quickly.

"Hud, what happened?" Smokey ask.

"no idea. he was sleeping then he woke up screaming. busted his head on the window when he scared the hell out of me." Doc says, walking over to Lightning. "hey, you okay?" Doc ask. Cal and Maddie get out confused. Lightning grabs Doc and lets out a rambling string of nonesense that Doc can't really understand all of. he catches a few words and gently pushes Lightning back into the passenger seat of the Hornet. "hey. its okay. shhh." Doc soothes gently. "I need you to speak a little slower for me." Doc says softly. Lightning doesn't seem to understand him and continues to let out his ramble of words clinging to Doc, only Docs paying more attention this time and catches something about his dad and the house and fire. he frowns and reaches in the Hornet, past the younger man, grabbing his phone. "okay. hold on Monty." Doc murmurs, cupping his cheek gently to rub it with his thumb.

"what are you doing?" Smokey ask.

"he thinks his dad set the house on fire. m'gonna call Red and get him to assure that he hasn't." Doc says. its late, so he's not expecting Red to pick up right away, but he does. like he was waiting for them to get home or something. Doc doesn't stop to think about it. he needs to act fast, the kids already scared himself sick, he doesn't want to make the situation any worse than it already is.

"Doc?" Red ask, sounding worried.

"hey kid, head over to my house and check it over." Doc says, running his hand through Lightnings hair gently. Bolt has all but curled up in his lap by now trying to calm him down. Lightnings holding the dog tightly, way to tight, probably hurting him, but Bolt stays put. he knows Lightning needs him and isn't going anywhere until his beloved human has calmed down.

"whats going on?" Red ask. Doc looks at Smokey, who nods at him, then walks away a little.

"kid fell asleep in the Hornet and had a pretty bad nightmare that his dad set the house on fire. like he's puking thats how scared he is right now. I need you to go check the house and just tell him its not on fire." Doc murmurs.

"yeah sure hold on. Mack, hey get up." Red says. Doc can hear Mack mumble something. "we gotta go check on Docs house. Lightnings freaking out. he thinks his dad set the house on fire. get up." Red says. more mumbling on Macks side but Doc assumes he gets up to go with Red. "we're heading over now." Red assures.

"thanks. I don't expect anything to come from this, but he's terrified." Doc says, looking back over at the Hornet. Smokey's crouched in front of Lightning, a bottle of water in his hand, while Cal is going through the trunk of the Hornet, probably looking for a first aid kit.

"yeah no problem, I was waiting up for you guys to get back anyway." Red assures. Doc nods a little.

"holy shit! Red get in here!" Mack shouts.

"holy Mack! get out of the way!" Red shouts.

"Red? hey! Red whats going on?" Doc ask. he can hear all kind of rustling and assumes Reds put his cell phone in his pocket.

"get the water hose!" Red shouts. there's some kind of dragging sound and a loud thump. Doc sits quietly, listening to this, watching the car carefully. Smokey seems to realize something is wrong and gets up from his crouched position in front of Lightning, where he'd been looking his head over. "Doc you still there?" Red ask.

"yeah I'm here. what happened?" Doc ask, putting a hand up to keep Smokey quiet. Smokey looks confused watching him.

"the couch was on fire. there's come kind of... I think its gas or something... its like... your couch is gone Doc. like we can't save this thing. its crispy." Red says.

"the rest of the house still standing?" Doc ask.

"yeah some burn marks on the floor, but its okay." Red assures.

"get that cleaned up for me please." Doc says.

"of course." Red says, hanging up.

"Hud?" Smokey ask.

"bastard set the couch on fire." Doc muttered.

"how did he know?" Smokey asks confused.

"no idea. he got lucky I guess." Doc mutters. he walks back over to the car and crouches in front of Lightning. "hey." Doc murmurs. Lightning looks at him, he's pale and Cals patched up the bleeding spot on his head by now. he looks over Doc and dread sets in.

"I was right." Lightning mumbles, turning a light shade of green.

"yeah you were. Red and Mack got everything taken care of. it'll be alright. couch isn't but, the house is. guess you get your wish for a new couch." Doc teases a little. Lightning gives a half smile. "yeah see? its alright." Doc assures. he ruffles his hair gently. he gets up and looks at Lightning.

"m'gonna puke." Lightning mutters, shoving Doc out of the way. he leans over the guard rail and proceeds to puke his guts up. Doc winces a little, he's puking pretty violently and he doesn't have anything to stop or even help with the puking. he stumbles backwards after a moment, straight into Doc. the older man wipes his mouth gently before pushing Lightning into the Hornet and closing the door. he looks at the other three.

"what happened Doc?" Cal ask.

"kids dad set the couch on fire. Red and Mack got it put out. lets get the hell home." Doc mutters, walking around the car and getting back in. Lightning is hugging his knees and sniffling. "hey, you okay? is your head alright?" Doc murmurs softly.

"yeah. sorry I bled on your Hornet." Lightning mumbles.

"no baby, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you didn't puke in here." Doc smiles. Lightning hugs Bolt tightly. "kid why did you think something was on fire?" Doc murmurs.

"because when those guys attacked me in the hospital they said something about me having a hot birthday if I survived." Lightning mutters. "and Cal said something about it being hot cause they had some fire on the stage. then I had a nightmare." he mutters quietly.

"do you want to talk about it?" Doc ask, reaching over for his hand gently. Lightning leans against him, taking his hand.

"no." Lightning mutters. Doc nods a little, squeezing his hand gently.

"okay." Doc murmurs.

"we should fire proof the house. I don't want you losing everything to him." Lightning mumbles.

"we could get a storage until for our important stuff." Doc assures.

"I don't have anything important, except maybe a picture of my mom and Tommy." Lightning mutters.

"Tommy?" Doc ask curiously.

"an old bear my mom gave me. he's in a box at Reds house so my dad can't find him." Lightning mumbles softly. Doc nods a little and squeezes his hand gently.

"you really don't keep much do you?" Doc ask.

"when I left, I took a back pack of items. a couple pictures, a set of clothes, the money I could steal from my dad, and Tommy. thats it. the only things I have left are the pictures and Tommy." Lightning mumbles. "s'all I got. its really the only important things I have." Lightning shrugs. he looks down at the hand Docs holding. "well that and my ring." Lightning adds, smiling a little. Doc smiles at him.

"that better be important to you." Doc snorts.

"I don't really keep many things. the more I keep, the more it gives people to take from me. to hold over my head for this or that reason." Lightning mutters.

"I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm going to get that bastard baby. I promise you I will get him." Doc assures gently.

"don't let him hurt you." Lightning murmurs, nuzzling closer to him.

"I won't. its okay." Doc assures. Lightning sniffles a little.

"I had a sister y'know." Lightning mutters.

"yeah? I've never heard anything about her." Doc says.

"Emily. she was my step sister..." Lightning mumbles.

"whatever happened to her?" Doc ask softly. Lightning gets quiet, tensing up a little. he stares out the window for a few minutes.

"m'sorry I screamed and scared you." Lightning sighs softly, changing the subject. Doc lets him. he understands that means his father probably did something and Lightning didn't want to talk about it yet. he'd tell him eventually.

"no baby, its alright, you were scared. its okay." Doc assures.

"yeah but I could've caused you to wreck. it was stupid. I shouldn't have reacted like that" Lightning mutters.

"nah, its alright, baby you saved the house." Doc assures gently. "I wouldn't have wrecked. I promise." Doc smiles a little. Lightning sniffles a little, gagging some.

"I got puke in my nose." he mumbles. Doc gets quiet a second, looking a little disgusted.

"uh, gross." Doc mutters. Lightning laughs slightly. "I'll see if we can find a gas station and get you something to wash your mouth out with. call Cal or Smokey or something." Doc says. Lightning grabs his cell phone and calls Smokey.

"Hud?" Doc ask.

"hey we're pulling over if we can find a gas station. kid needs something to wash his mouth out." Doc assures.

"sounds good." Smokey says, hanging up. Lightning pets Bolts head, holding him.

"we'll find some where to stop for you." Doc assures. his phone goes off with Reds name on the screen. Doc grabs it and answers, putting it to his ear, pulling his hand from Lightnings hair so he can hold the steering wheel. Lightning sits up slowly, holding his stomach.

"I think I'm gonna puke again." Lightning mumbles.

"try and keep it down kid, I can see a gas station. we'll pull in there." Doc assures gently. "whats up Red?" Doc ask.

"we found some more little fires set around the house, we've put everything out. its alright. no real bad damage. its all good." Red assures.

"awesome." Doc says. "just keep an eye on the house. we've gotta make a stop then we've got an hour left in the trip." Doc says.

"alright." Red says hanging up.

they stop at a gas station, Lightning is silent the whole time there and the rest of the ride back. Doc rolls up to the house confused, there's no lights on but the couch is in front of the house, burnt. Doc hums a little as they pull up.

"what?" Lightning ask.

"no lights on. I thought I told Red to stay here." Doc mutters. Lightning swallows a little, grabbing the taser from his back pocket.

"Doc, somethings not right." Lightning mutters. Doc nods in agreement. grabbing Lightnings glock from his glove box. "you carry my gun?" Lightning ask.

"everywhere." Doc says with a smile. they get out of the Hornet, leaving Bolt in there just for a quick check.

"hey you two okay?" Smokey asks.

"something ain't right." Doc mutters, pushing Lightning behind him. Smokey grabs his shot gun from the truck and follows the two into the house.

"what do you think you're going to do with that?" Smokey ask, looking at the taser in Lightnings hand. Lightning took the safety off and gave a small zap.

"have you ever had one of these used on you?" Lightning ask.

"no." Smokey frowns. Lightning smiles a little at him. Doc pushes Lightning gently as he opens the door.

"Red?" Doc calls. someone moans lowly and Doc reaches for the light switch but it doesn't flick on. "powers out." Doc mutters.

"probably cut." Smokey said. Lightning pulls his phone out and turns on the flashlight, Doc takes it and look around.

"stay back baby." Doc murmurs.

"Mack." Lightning says softly, running over to him and kneeling beside him. he feels the older mans neck gently. "he's unconscious but- Doc?" Lightning ask turning around at a thump. Docs laying on the floor, holding his bad arm and bleeding from both his arm and his head. he's trying to blink awake and moans lowly. Smokey is struggling with Elliot, he's managed to get Smokeys shot gun around his neck in the brief moment it had taken Lightning to get to Mack. Smokey chokes trying to fight him off. Lightning gets up and gets behind them quietly. Smokey head butts Elliot hard and breaks free rubbing his throat.

"holy fuck." Smokey growls, turning around. he grabs hold of Elliots collar and punches him hard in the face. he gets a hard punch back, knocking him over, Smokey groans lowly.

"stay away from my friends!" Lightning shouts, jumping on Elliots back and slamming the taser against his neck on full power. Elliot falls face fist into the floor with Lightning on his back. Smokey drops his head back, wheezing, before rolling over to feel Docs neck.

"Hud?" Smokey ask. Doc moans lowly, eyes fluttering, but he doesn't open his eyes. Smokey looks up when Lightning slowly gets up.

"guys?" Red ask, slowly walking into the room. Lightning ignores him and scrambles over to Doc.

"Doc, hey, Doc!" Lightning shouts, patting his cheek. Doc mutters quietly.

"he's okay. he got hit in the back of the head with something. landed on his right shoulder." Smokey frowns.

"thats not good thats his bad shoulder. he still has stitches in it, his shoulders fractured." Lightning mutters,

"you guys need an ambulance?" Red mutters, dripping blood from his head.

"you, Mack, and Doc do." Lightning said. "all that happened so fast I don't understand what happened." Lightning adds.