Across the Tracs

Ariel pulled onto her street after leaving work. She didn't need a job, her mom and dad payed for everything she could want or need, but she got bored. A lot of the people she worked with resented her, but she drove a shitty car cause she didn't want one given to her, and she worked to have something to do. As she went to pull in the driveway she seen his car.

"Oh God."

* * * * * * *

Otis smashed his hand with the hammer when his phone rang. He walked over to where he sat it on the bench and looked at the number. It wasn't someone he knew and he almost didn't answer it, but the thought it could be Ariel and something had happened to her while driving that junker sent a shaft of icy fear down his spine. HE hurriedly hit the talk button and almost dropped the phone in his haste.

"Hello?" Otis cleared his throat from his voice cracking, "Hello?" he asked sounding like his normal self again.

* * * * * * *

Ariel heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Otis? It's Ariel... I really need your help but it's not for the car. There's someone at my house that has done some bad things to me before and I'm scared to go to the front door cause he'll be there. I know this is strange of me to ask, but is there any way you can come and help? I'm not asking you to fight, just be intimidating or something. Please?"

* * * * * * * He asked her for her address and listened to the directions carefully.

"On my way."

All it took was hearing her say his name in that tone. The scared, please be my hero tone and he was ready to go and do whatever was needed. He didn't know what hold she had on him, but he was going to do what it took to help her. He put on his sunglasses and tied a bandanna on his head. He grabbed his wooden Louisville Slugger, aka Thumper, and walked to where he kept his bike behind the shop. He pulled the cover off the bike and strapped Thumper to the sissy bar where the brackets for the bat were at. After opening his saddlebag and taking out his vest, he kicked started the old bike and took off roaring down the street like he was hell bent and if he stopped prison bound.

* * * * * * *

Ariel sat in her car staring at the car in her driveway trying to slow her heart rate and breathing. Just the sight of the white Town Car was enough to freak her out and want to hide. She didn't know how long Otis would take, or if he'd even really come. Maybe he just said he would to get me off the phone? She thought to herself despairingly. About the same time the last part of the thought went through her head, she heard what sounded like thunder, except if it was, it was rolling in right behind her with no clouds in the sky. She turned around and looked in the mirror and seen her new version of night in shining armor. Otis rolled up nest to her car and he looked DANGEROUS. He wasn't dressed different, still the gray and red baseball shirt, the blue jeans and the black square toed boots. It was what he had added that made him seem edgier. He was wearing a midnight black leather vest with a flaming pair of black stitched angel wings on the back with a bunch of patches on it. He had also tied a blue bandana around his forehead and was wearing Terminator sunglasses. Ariel's heart started speeding up again, but it wasn't fear. It was the kind of speeding she got when she seen male model material.

* * * * * * * *

Otis stopped next to the drivers door of Ariel's car and made a rolling down motion with his fingers. Ariel complied and Otis told her to just follow him in and they would take it from there. She nodded and put her car in gear while Otis started going down her huge ass driveway. The house at the end may not be a Mansion, but it was definitely in training to be one. He stopped his back on the opposite side of the circle driveway and pointed for Ariel to park next to him. He shut down the bike and put his stand down and looked over at Ariel's car as she got out. Right when he went to ask Ariel what the big deal was, they heard a voice shout.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU WHORE?!?!?!?!?!?"

* * * * * * * * *

Ariel cringed. She could feel Otis's eyes on her as she bit down on her bottom lip and faced the young man rapidly approaching.

"Danny I told you to,"

"You don't tell me a fucking thing woman. I tell you what to do not the other way around. And look, as soon as I let you out of my sight, you come home with some biker fuckstick. What, were you ging to give him what is rightfully mine? HUH? Come on bitch, you and I need to talk."

Danny reached for Ariel and she flinched. Otis broke.

* * * * * * * * *

Otis had heard enough and as soon as he realized if all it took from this guy was a reaching hand to make her flinch, he had hit her before. And that was something Otis would not tolerate. Danny felt an unbelievable vice like pressure on his forearm right above his writs. He looked at Otis, whose hand was supplying that mammoth pressure.

"Let me go mother fucker. Don't make me slap you like I'm gonna slap this bitch here."

Otis looked at him and calmy applied more pressure. Danny let out a hiss of discomfort, and he bit down on his lips hard enough to draw blood so no sound would come out. Otis calmly pointed at Danny, then at his car, then at the end of the driveway. Danny swung his other arm at Otis's head.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

CRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sound was sickening to Ariel. She just knew Otis was falling down, Danny had knocked him out or something. Then she heard a thump and quiet, breathless sobbing in a high pitched voice. She slowly opened her eyes to see Danny laying on the ground, holding the arm Otis had had a hold of. But something was wrong. Ariel's stomach lurched as she realized Danny's hand and wrist and about a third of his forearm was laying at a ninety degree angle to the rest of his arm. She realized Otis had snapped both the bones in Danny's arm with one hand. She shook herself to attention as Otis spoke.

* * * * * * * *

"Go. No second chance. Leave now, no more pain. You ever come back, or catch her somewhere and I hear about it, you're gonna need someone to tie your shoes for you. For life. Now get."

Danny got up and made a squeal of pain as he accidentally put his weight on his right arm to get up. At the sound of the scream Otis heard a thud behind him. He knew he couldn't look yet, no telling what this jerk may do, so he waited until Danny got in his car and left, tears rolling down his cheeks from pain and humiliation.

* * * * * * * * *

Ariel felt a wet rag on her head for the second time that day, and the same voice that seemed to accompany that wet rag the first time.

" C'mon Ariel. Wake up. We really have to stop doing this every time I see you."

Ariel smiled with her eye's still closed.

"A joke huh Mr.Otis? Seems like someones breaking out of his shell a bit."

She slowly sat up, and looked around, breathing a sigh of relief that Danny was gone as far as she could see. Then she heard that sound again in her head, and she felt a little light headed. Otis gently held her, making sure if she passed out again, she wouldn't hurt herself. She felt something again. She didn't know what, but she definitely wanted to explore it some more.

"Can you please help me into the house Mr. Big Bad Wolf?"

"Sure thing lil Miss Riding Hood."

* * * * * * * * *

Otis flushed with heat and pride hearing her giggle at his little joke. He knew it was unrealistic, but he began to think he was falling for Ariel. Hard. Oh hell, a voice in his mind said, falling? Boy, you done tripped fell hit the floor made a hole and fell through that to for the girl. He knew the inner voice was right, but it was something he was going to himself as he steadied Ariel and opened the house's front door for her. She walked past him and Otis caught a subtle hint of her fragrance, a startling good, to him anyways, combination of citrus and strawberries. He took a deep breath savoring it, and then strode into the house as she called back to ask what was taking him so long.