"Gahd, Murderface. You must really like Judy!," grinned Pickles, all of them backstage during the aftermath. The bassist grumbled, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Thanks for saving her, Murderface," rumbled Nathan reluctantly. He hated thanking him for anything.

"Well, you know, she had the hell beat out of her and could still brutalize a microphone. So yeah, that's kinda metal," he admitted. "I don't have her or Nathan's arm, but I can still throw!"

"Thanks for savin' my life," Judy tells him, wrapping her arms around his thick middle. His hazel eyes widened in surprise, his face reddening in embarrassment. His arms settled around her in a quick squeeze. She turned to see a pair of glad blue eyes looking into hers.

"I'm glads you okays!," Toki says, hugging her happily. She started to pull back to tell him she was happy to see him, too, when the Norwegian's lips brushed her cheek accidentally. It sent an unexpected shudder through them both. He then tried to play it off by giving her a peck on the lips before releasing her, but they were both blushing now.

"It seems little schoolgirls is pretty metal now," Skwisgaar half-teases her. "When you grows up, if you needs a metal god betweens your thigh, you let me know."

"Shut up, Skwisgaar," hisses Nathan menacingly. "And you keep your lips off her," he jabs a finger at Toki, who took a step back.

"Well I'm huggin her anyways, Nat'an. Hell I'm older'n you so she'll be my daughter, too!," Pickles winks and hugs her in his Midwestern exuberance, leaving her smiling and breathless. She had never felt so loved and accepted in all her life. Or so sore or tired, she thought ruefully.

"Holy fuckballs, looks at Ofdensen," interjects Skwisgaar, and they all turned to the manager. His nose was crooked, blood streaming from it, his right arm was still bleeding from the bullet grazing him, and no amount of dry-cleaning was going to help his ruined outfit.

"He's a freakin' ninja or somethin," chuckles Pickles.

"Hey, Off," hails Nathan, approaching hm with his brow furrowed. "I've been thinking, not real hard, but yeah...I don't think my lifestyle is conducive to the proper upbringing and care of a child right now."

Ofdensen stares at the frontman in disbelief. "Why, Nathan--that's the most intelligent and unselfish thing I believe you've ever said."

"Yeah..huh?," Nathan grunted.

"What are you talking about?," asks Judy in alarm.

"Judy, ah, it looks like staying with your father is too dangerous for you right now," the manager tries to explain. "Extended stays are too risky, it seems. You'd be safer with your mother."

"But I don't wanna go!," she wails. The other guys echoed the sentiment.

"You can come visit," Nathan tells her.

"In secret, of course," puts in Ofdensen.

"Well...there's my 16th birthday in a couple months," she states hopefully. "I'll be Sweet 16!"

"Oh God...," groans Nathan.