Mark looked at the boy, and then turned away to his empty bottle. He didn't want to make a big sean, and he wanted to just have fun with her, and no one else.

"Come on, Sarabeth... You know you wanna." Pete said.
"No, Pete." Sarabeth said.
"Please." Pete asked.
"No." She said.
"Pleeease." He asked again.
"No!" She said, shortly.
"Pleeeeeeease." He begged
"Pete, go away." She commanded.
"Please." He asked once more.
"NO!" She declared. Sarabeth looked to Markus, her eyes asking him to please ask her to dance, so that Pete would back off.

Mark was getting mad at this point, and looked back at this guy. "Dude..back off.." Looking at sara "How about that dance then..nows a good time.." he said with a grin. Knowing that it surely pissed him off, he got up, and offered her his hand as well.

She took it with a smile. "I'd love to." She said. Her look was one of gratefullness. Pete looked livid. "Now wait just a second. What's he got that I ain't got?" He asked angrily. "A brain, for starters..." Sarabeth said. She looked back to Markus. "So lets hit the dance floor." She said with a bright smile.

"Sounds good..and good luck with the brain thing.." Mark said joking with the guy. He thought that she had to have had some bad times with him, if she was acting this way toward her.

That really pissed Pete off. He grabbed Mark's shoulder to stop him and then swung a punch at him.

Mark was hit square in the face. He was knock to the floor in surprise. He got back up, pissed off more now, and took his turn at hitting, swinging at him with more force. He struck, the other guy. Mark's face was now starting to bleed, but he didn't care.

The club was a mass of pandamoniium. "Mark!" She said, seeing him bleed. She ran in as Pete was about to swing again, and kicked him where it hurt. He fell to the ground in a crumpled mass. "Mark, are you okay?" She asked, panic and concern apparent in her expression.

"I am fine..just don't know this guys problem.." Mark said whipping the blood off his face. He looked at her. "thanks, and seriously..i am fine.." HE added knowing that she was going to ask again.

"Let's go back so I can fix that, okay?" She said softly.

Mark whipped his face again, there was a cut high on his cheek. There had to have been something else in his hand, because on punch with the fist couldn't do this, in one hit. "If you insist, but I am ok.." he said. He was going to do whatever she was, and he wasn't going to stuck with that guy again, so if they left was would be for the better.

She lead him out of the club and unlocked the truck. She still had her bottle of water. She grabbed a clean cloth from the glove box. "Got sit down on the tailgate so I can clean it." She said.

Mark did what he was told, and pulled down the tail gate, and sat down. He waited for her to get back, and he knew he was fine, but wasn't going to argue.

She came back and sat on the tailgate as well. "It'll sting a bit, but at least it won't get infected." She said as she poured the water from the bottle on the rag and began to clean the cut.

She was right, it stung. Mark jerked back a few times, but he knew that it had to be done. So he just fought it, and let her clean it, and she was also right on not wanting it to get infected. "Thanks.." Mark said in between time that it hurt.

"Don't thank me... If I woulda just sucked it up and danced with him, this all wouldn't have happened..." She said as she finished up.

"Was he an Ex or something?" Mark asked as he just thought, and put two and two together. "And its fine, I would rather me get hurt, than you.." he said, stating the truth.

"Yes... He's my ex, and he's an ass. We didn't last a week and he wants me to come crawling back." She answered his question. When he said he'd have rather been hurt than her, she looked surprised. "That's sweet. I appreciate the thought." She said with a gentle smile.

"I would rather have anyone be safe than just me..Its the way I just think.." Mark added to the last comment. He always had people watching out for him, and now it was his turn for watching. Mark just smiled back. "you wanting to go back in?..or what?" he asked

"No... Not really. It's probably a mess in there." She said. "We could head back or I could show you the lake... I dunno. Just let's get out of here." She said with a sigh.

"Sounds good..either one works for me..and I still say thanks.." Mark said as he got up, and shut the tailgate. He got in the cab, and bucked up again. The thanks was for getting me away from the city, and my father, and just everything...I had more fun today than I have in a week.." he said

Sarabeth chuckled. "You're welcome, but you got a strange sense of fun." She said as she climbed in. She shut the door, belted herself, and started the truck. "I'll show you the lake." She said with a nod. She turned on the radio. "Chattahoochee" by Alan Jackson was playing on the radio. "Love this song!" She said with a grin.

Mark smiled. "yea, but it works.." He chuckled back. "You only listen to country?" he asked looking at her, and pulling out the i Pob from his pocket.

"Not only. I listen to classic rock, like Tom Petty; pop rock, like Train; and stuff like Linkin Park too. I'm a bit of a music junky." She said with a nod.

"Well I have everything from AC DC to fear factory, and then some.." He said looking through his play list. Pulling out his i trip, he said "Turn it to 89.6..if you could.." Mark said starting up some Lincoln park. Bleed it out was the first song that was playing.