Greetings my lovely readers! Summer's right around the bend, so that means that updates will come for sure! I'm so so so SO sorry I haven't updated in so long... my classes and the drama department have been taking up nearly all my time! So, now I want to say that I will be updating since none of that school junk is in the way! Yay! So here's the first in a long string of updates that is certainly sure to come! Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Ib. That belongs to the super special awesome Kouri!

"Hey, Garry. I can't come over this Saturday. I'm going to homecoming." Garry blinked, narrowing his eyes at his 14-year-old companion.

"And I'm guessing you have a date?" he asked. The girl blushed furiously and began shuffling her feet; she nodded slightly, her eyes trained on the ground. It's not that Garry didn't like the idea she was dating- he was just very protective of his little companion, and it was guaranteed that anyone who hurt her would be hurt personally by him. "Who is it?"

"You wouldn't know him... but his name is Jared. He's really smart and sweet; he asked me, and why would I refuse?" she replied. "If you want to meet him, I can tell him to pick me up here."

Garry furrowed his brow. "He's picking you up? Like, he's driving?" She nodded, giving a nervous little laugh.

"See, he's... Older than I am... He's sixteen." Garry sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples. Damn, this was just not getting any easier. He was protective over her, but that's mostly just because he had known her since she was a young girl; he was like her older brother that she never had.

"So... let me get this straight. You are going to homecoming... with a 16-year-old who will have you alone in his car for the drive to and from this dance?" he asked. Ib huffed and stomped her foot. She hated when he got like this; she knew it was in his best interest to protect her, but when he started to distrust her own choices, it got a little frustrating. "Yeah, I'd actually really like to meet him."

Ib looked up at the man in surprise. "You... really want to meet him? You're not going to do something... strange, are you?" He shook his head. Ib simply shrugged; if there was one thing you could always be sure about Garry, it's his sincerity.

A knock on the door signaled that Ib's date had arrived; she was still getting ready in his guest bedroom, which she could basically call hers. Garry let out a deep breath, preparing to open the door. Don't do anything strange. Don't intimidate. Just try to act friendly. He plastered a smile on his face and opened the door, revealing Ib's homecoming date. He was almost as tall as Garry, with short-cropped blonde hair and startling green eyes. Little freckles dotted his nose, and his smile was dazzling. "Come in," Garry muttered, gesturing inside. The boy walked in, taking in the room around him, and then turning to Garry with his hand outstretched. Garry accepted it hesitantly, limply shaking his hand.

"Hello, my name is Jared. You must be Garry, I've heard a lot about you," the boy said politely. Garry gave a curt nod.

"Ib should be ready soon, but y'know... Girls," he said, laughing awkwardly, earning a similar laugh from the teen. "So... You're older than her? And you're driving her there?" Jared gave a nod, taking his car keys out of his pocket and giving them a twirl.

"Yup! A 1973 Pinto. It's got some wicked horse power!" Garry nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. Let's just hope this kid knows what he's doing.

Garry cleared his throat and pointed to the couch. "Why don't you take a seat so we can have a short talk?" Jared nodded and sat down on the light blue couch, not sensing the tension in Garry's voice. "So... You're going to take Ib to homecoming, but let's just say there are a few... Guidelines." Jared looked confused, but Garry just continued on. The lavender-haired man's eyes narrowed and his voice took on a deadly-serious tone. "First off, you'd better be careful in that car of yours. Make sure you guys are safe. Next, you will have her back here by midnight. On. The. Dot. Lastly, your hands wander anywhere lower than necessary, or you hurt her in any way, and I will not hesitate to hunt you down myself. Got it?"

Jared simply sat there, his jaw agape, unsure what to say; so, he simply nodded, not daring to protest. "I'm ready!" Ib's voice called down the hallway a few seconds before she emerged. She walked out of the hallway, and instantly both men were captivated on the spot. She was wearing a sleeveless red dress, ruffles cascading from her waist just below her knees. Her hair was in ringlets in front, the rest stuffed up in an elegant-looking bun. She didn't wear make-up often, but tonight she was wearing some light eyeliner, cherry red lipstick, and mascara. She walked over and Jared grabbed her hand, standing up and looking down at her.

"You look wonderful," he said, flashing a crooked smile. She let out a little laugh and Jared pointed towards the door. "So... should we go?" She nodded and looked over at Garry, who warily nodded and walked over to the door, opening it. The couple walked out the door, Ib supplying Garry with a little wave, to which the man responded with a smile and a wave of his own. Her date turned to look at him and also gave him a little wave. Garry narrowed his eyes again and pointed threateningly at him. Remember my guidelines, he mouthed, earning a very nervous nod from the blonde. As Garry watched the two get into Jared's car, he couldn't help but smile. He hadn't realized just how much Ib had grown until tonight; she looked like a young woman, not a little kid any more. He sighed and stood on his porch, pulling a cigarette from his pack in his coat pocket and igniting it, his anxiety getting the better of him. He inhaled the smoke as the teens began to drive away, and didn't exhale until after they were around the corner, sighing to himself as a pang of loneliness shot through him. "Ib will be just fine," he decided, putting out the cancer stick; he said he would try not to do that anymore. The man walked inside, his worries and anxiety left out on the front porch; when Ib came back, he'd be sure to get the details, and whether he'd have to hunt down a certain blonde.

R&R Please! Sorry, I don't think the ending's very great on this one ^^; I'm pretty rusty!