Might As Well Be On Mars // Motley Crue

Night Prowler

Pulling up to the driveway, Mick saw Nikki's car parked alongside the street outside his home.

"Shit," Mick mumbled to himself. He didn't anticipate having to talk to Nikki so soon. Evie looked over at him, confused as to what was wrong. Mick almost explained, but he decided it was probably best if he didn't.

"Why don't you go up to your room for a little bit?" Mick asked after he parked the car.

Evie got the hint. "Dad, don't get mad at Nikki. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"I'm not mad at him. I just wanna lay out some ground rules."

Evie didn't want to leave. She was scared that if the two men were left alone, Mick would say something to scare Nikki off. "Please," she said. "Don't make him afraid to talk to me."

"I'm not going to," Mick assured her. "It's nothing he hasn't heard before. Just gonna reiterate some things I've already told him."

Evie stared at him for a moment longer, untrusting.

"Do you remember," Mick began. "When Motley first formed, the guys started spending more time at our house? And do you remember when Nikki first moved in? I had a little talk with you. Told you to tell me if any of the guys made you uncomfortable or did anything to upset you. Nikki got a similar talk, but I told him that if he did anything to hurt you, I was gonna kick his ass. What I said still stands for you, and I'm just gonna remind Nikki that my promise still stands for him."

"Okay," Evie resigned herself to it. She nodded, got out of the car, and beat her father to the front door.

By the time Mick made it inside, Evie was already halfway up the stairs and Nikki was in the basement.

For the second time that day, Mick knocked on the basement door, but this time he didn't wait for a response before opening it.

"Hey," Nikki said, popping up from where he was laying down on the futon. "Did you find her?"

"Yeah, she was just at the library."

Nikki let out a sigh of relief and laid back down. He had lost the desire to chew out Mick for being drunk as soon as he heard that his girl was missing.

"Is she still upset?" Nikki asked.

"No. We talked through it and we're fine now."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah," Mick said. "But there's something we need to talk about."

"Uh-oh. What is it, old man?"

"Listen, I don't know what Evie sees in you and she sure as hell shouldn't be with someone like you, but you need to be careful with her."

Nikki removed his arm from over his eyes so that he could look at Mick.

"I don't know what you've promised her," Mick continued. "But if you're telling her you're gonna be together forever and live happily ever after, you better make sure you're living up to that expectation, okay? Don't let her get attached and tell her how much you love her, and then turn around and break her heart the next time you get bored and see a pretty girl at the bar. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Nikki responded. "And I haven't been doing anything like that. I wouldn't do anything like that to her. I've been completely loyal. I promise."

Mick mostly believed him, but that wasn't the only thing he was here to address. "Okay. But if I find out you've betrayed her, you're out of the band. And if you lay a hand on her, or force her to do anything or go anywhere that she doesn't want to go, I'll make sure your fingers are so broken that you never play bass again. And don't think any threats are going to keep her from telling me; she can see through your bullshit."