That Blue Gibson

Fiction, all of it.

[thatbluegibson]

Is her ex Kyle going to come back on the scene

He absolutely does!! 

I’ve moved this book and the second part here! But I can also post the second book on Tumblr if anyone is interested.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 102

Liz flopped into the plastic seat next to Dave and held up their line ticket, making him snort a laugh. "You waited for that number," he accused.

"I let four people go ahead of us," she grinned. "Further proof that no one should ever let people like us sign legal documents unsupervised."

Dave put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head against him, closing her eyes against the harsh fluorescent lighting while an Oasis song played faintly around them and the other people waiting in the county clerk's office. They sat in silence for a while when Liz abruptly rammed her elbow into Dave's ribs.

"Ow! Goddamnit, Liz!"

"I just remembered you almost killed me on the bike yesterday," she said casually.

Dave rubbed at his sore side and glared at her. "That was the only way I could get you to pull over," he protested. "And I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think you're an excellent rider, I knew you'd stay on the shiny side."

She looked at him for a beat before opening her mouth to reply, but a window opened up and their number was called.

"Sixty-nine!"

"Worth it!" Liz giggled and hopped up.

She held Dave's hand as they walked to the window and smiled kindly at the small woman behind the glass partition. She looked a little like Anne Ramsey, which made Liz homesick for Oregon and her worn Goonies DVD, and wore a name tag announcing her name was Bernadette.

"Hi, Bernadette-," Liz started, but the woman roughly interrupted her by speaking into the metal microphone attached to her desk, suspiciously eyeing her and Dave's joined hands.

"It's Bernie. Annulment or divorce?" her voice wafted through the glass as well as projected through a small speaker to their left, giving her a strange delay effect.

"Uh... Annulment, please."

"Reason?"

"Icelandic moonshine?" Liz shrugged and Dave looked down at his shoes to avoid laughing while Bernie glared over her bifocals at him.

"Lack of understanding to consent," she said firmly, sucking all the levity out of their immediate area and reaching for a stack of papers beside her.

"Whoa, wait," Liz dropped Dave's hand and put her face close to the small holes drilled into the glass so Bernie could hear her clearly. It didn't matter what the phrase 'lack of understanding to consent' meant in reality, Liz knew that it once the legal notifications hit the media the word consent would be twisted so far beyond its original meaning that Dave would ultimately end up branded as a predator. It would hit the tabloids the very second it became public record, which could be in a month, in a day or in a couple hours depending on how well oiled the Vegas annulment machine was, and their age difference would be front and center, making a complete mockery of their relationship. They didn't have time to get back to LA to prep statements, contact managers, assemble lawyers... there just wasn't time.

Bernie sighed deeply, "Look, if you're drunk, you can't consent. Legally, the place shouldn't have married you in the first place."

"What are the other options? Are there other options?" Liz felt herself getting desperate. The minor inconvenience of walking three blocks off the Vegas Strip to get an annulment was fine, dealing with the media once they announced that her and Dave had a drunken 'fake' Vegas wedding was okay, but she wasn't sure he could recover the 'Nicest Guy in Rock' status if it seemed he coerced his much younger girlfriend into marriage and she wasn't about to be the cause of that.

"Is this Thomas Jacob Black person ordained with the state of Nevada?"

Liz looked back hopefully at Dave, who just nodded at her with an apologetic smile.

"Then all you've got-," Bernie slammed her elbow on the desk and held up her fingers, ticking them off as she spoke, "Lack of understanding to consent; also known as the inability to monitor your own alcohol intake; underage, fraud, insanity, previous marriage-"

"That! We have those!" Liz glanced back at Dave again.

Bernie sat back in her government-issued ergonomic chair, "If you aren't already divorced, that would be bigamy and you'd both be arrested."

"No... no, no," Liz laughed nervously as her eyes darted to the bored looking state security guard in the corner. "Just a couple of previous divorcees looking for an annulment. Can we translate drunken stupor to insanity?"

"Is he impotent?" Bernie dropped her eyes to Dave's belt buckle and Liz awkwardly cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry, Bernie. I think I misheard you."

Bernie readjusted the metal microphone causing a loud feedback squeal to echo around them and a silence fell over the crowded room when she yelled into the microphone, "Did you two have sex after signing the marriage certificate? Did you consummate your marriage?"

Liz leaned her elbows against the small counter in front of her and covered her face in her hands while Dave spoke loudly, looking around the room to make sure everyone that was staring could hear him, "Yes! More than once! Several times!"

"Okay then," Bernie went on, her voice quiet again, "your only option for an annulment is lack of understanding to consent." She pulled the paperwork from a folder next to her and slid it and a pen through the gap under the window. "Come back to me when you've finished filling this out."

*

They sat together on a wooden bench in the hallway and stared at the wall ahead of them. The annulment paperwork lay in the space between them, still unread and unsigned after almost a half hour. Nothing had been said since they left Bernie's window and Dave was desperate to know what Liz was thinking. Their conversation on the way to the clerk's office had been brief and light, assuring one another that this didn't change anything, it was just a minor inconvenience in the big picture that was their life together and someday soon they would laugh about it. Though to him, it still stung to know that she didn't want to be married... not right away at least.

He jumped when Liz suddenly snatched up the paperwork and began to read it over, dragging the pen tip across the words. Her decision obviously made, he slumped forward afraid and angry that he might cry at any moment. He let out a shaky breath as she began to sign and watched her out of the corner of his eye. He had seen her sign autographs before and always thought they looked a little like an EKG readout; a stylized E followed by what might be interpreted as a C with some sharp lines in between, but this legal signature was like something straight off the Constitution. Maybe she had taken a calligraphy course, maybe she had just read too many old English novels, but she was signing with the steady hand of an artist. His eyes drifted to her shoe when she began to nervously bounce her leg, shaking the bench they were on and realized her pen had stopped midway through her middle name. With his heart in his throat, he jumped again when she slammed the paper and pen back down on the bench, yanked her phone from her pocket and began to pace the hallway they were in.

"Hey Soph, it's Liz... I'm okay, how are you?... Good. So, listen. I'm sorry to call on a Sunday, but I'm in Vegas and-..." she covered her eyes with her hand as she listened and squeaked out a hesitant, "Yes, I did... I'm sorry, Sophie. It just happened and honestly, it was going to happen soon anyways and I tried to avoid all of this by getting an annulment, but... Soph, I just can't and-... wait, do a what?... " Dave watched her grab the paperwork off the bench beside him and unceremoniously jam it into a tall silver trash can. "Okay well, we're headed back tomorrow morning so I'll let you know as soon as we..."

He didn't bother listening to the rest of the conversation, he just threw himself at her and sent them both into the wall, shoving the phone away from her face so he could kiss her.

*

"Last barbeque at the rental!" Taylor announced and slapped Dave on the back as he stood in front of the grill. "You gonna miss our mornings out here on the decks?"

Dave chuckled at that. "Am I gonna miss seeing your balls every morning when you do your weird naked yoga? Hell no. I'll still give you the finger when I get the mail, so it'll feel like nothing's changed."

Taylor smiled and took a sip of his beer. "It's not yoga, jackass. I'm just stretching."

"Whatever. I'm sure whoever ends up here after me would appreciate you putting on pants, though."

Taylor lightly swatted Dave's ribs with the back of his hand and leaned against the patio table. "Shane said that Violet finally came around on the whole wedding thing."

Dave shuddered a little at the memory of Violet storming off when he and Liz broke the news. The others were thrilled, especially Jack and Ophelia, but Violet's little outburst had definitely put a damper on Liz's mood. "Yeah, Liz took her out to lunch yesterday and they hashed it out. I think an afternoon off from school helped sweeten the deal, but we're cool again."

Taylor offered a quiet nod in response, then watched him fuss over the meat and veggies on the grill for a bit until he started getting antsy. "Al said Liz is all set for next week." It was his delicate way of bringing up the fact that things were starting to get real and Liz would hopefully be pregnant very soon.

"Oh, she's primed and ready to go," Dave muttered bitterly. The myriad of medications and injections she suffered through every night were one thing, but the fact that she was off limits until the transfer appointment made him crazy. They had just gotten married and all he wanted was fool around with his wife, but no. The most action he'd had in days involved sticking a needle in the side of Liz's ass to prep her body for Taylor's babies. Only five more days. "Thanks, by the way."

"Sorry, dude," he laughed. "I know you're newlyweds, but it's only for a few weeks."

Dave's spine snapped straight and he spun around to look at his best friend. "Wait, what?"

Taylor's beer bottle slipped from his lips as he frowned in confusion. "She didn't tell you she can't have sex for like three weeks after the transfer?"

Dave very carefully set down the metal tongs he was holding, followed by his beer. "Hawkins, I'm giving you a ten-second head start. I suggest you take it."

Taylor mimicked Dave's intense calm as he set his own beer down, then took off like a shot across the deck and down into the backyard with Dave close behind, yelling all the way.

"You can do other stuff!" Taylor yelped. "You said yourself that she's really good at-"

His voice was halted by Dave snatching him up by the back of the board shorts and launching him into the pool, then diving in right after to hold him under for a beat. They wrestled and fought in the water until Dave caught sight of Liz up on the deck watching them with amusement.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Dave held Taylor under again, his entire body lurching about as his friend fought against him. "We can't have sex for three weeks? When the hell were you going to tell me?"

Liz waited for Dave to release Taylor, his blonde head popping up as he took a gasping breath and tried to swim away, but Dave wasn't quite done with him yet. He grabbed Taylor by the waist and yanked him backward, holding him tightly against his chest.

"Just as soon as we left the transfer appointment," she called down to them as Taylor repeatedly bucked against Dave. "But it looks like Taylor is taking care of things in my absence. Thanks, T! Oh and Dave, your mom is here."

Virginia slowly walked out onto the deck next to Liz and surveyed her son waist deep in the pool, fully dressed while holding Taylor in a very compromising position.

"Hi, Mom!" he yelled with a wave, only to receive a slow head shake in return.

*

"Liz, please..."

She didn't answer him, just dragged her suitcase behind her down the front steps.

"Baby, let's talk about this. Please."

Again, no answer. Her hair flipped over her shoulder as she threw her suitcase into the back of her truck and she shot him a glare.

"Baby, I love you. I'm so sorry," he stepped between her and the driver's side door hoping to stop her before she sped out of his life.

"Are you?" her green eyes were like fire, sparking with tears and anger at the same time. "Are you actually sorry?"

"Dave?" He watched as Liz's focus moved from him to the leggy blonde yelling from the front door. "Dave, let her go and come back to bed!"

The rest of his surroundings jolted into sharp focus. The burn of the hot concrete on his bare feet, the sheet gripped tightly around his waist, the sun on his back and his wild hair blowing in his face. He had done it again, ruined everything for a pretty face with a warm body that was eager and willing to spend a couple hours in bed before being shipped off with taxi money and a signed NDA. This was marriage number three down the fucking tubes because he couldn't or wouldn't keep his pants on.

"Dave..."

No.

"Dave, wake up."

Don't want to. I want to lay behind your truck and let you run me over.

He heard her heavy sigh, but only cracked one eye open when he felt her lips on his forehead. She was wheeling her suitcase out of their bedroom, fully dressed in jeans and her leather jacket and his eyes drifted to the clock on her side of the bed clicking over to 5:58 am.

Shit, she's leaving me.

He bolted upright and out of bed, running after her down the stairs. She stopped on the landing where he tripped on the last step, sending them both crashing into the wall behind her.

"Jesus, Dave!" she stared up at him wide-eyed as he held her face in his hands.

"Don't leave me," he gasped, desperately kissing her as hard as he could.

"I'm not-," she stopped to pry his hands from her aching jaw. "I'm not leaving you!"

He pulled back only a little, still not willing to let her go. "What?"

"I have to work today," she said quieter, realizing he had been having one of his vivid dreams. "Remember? I told you last night, it's the first day of principal photography."

"Yeah," he muttered, his heart still pounding from his dream. "Yeah, I remember."

"Okay," she whispered and craned her neck to kiss his forehead before pushing him off of her. "I'll see you at the house tonight."

He only nodded, shifting so that he was sitting on the landing next to a pile of moving boxes with his back against the wall. "Can you call me? Like if you get a break or something?"

She looked back when she made it to the lower level and flashed him a smile. "Sure. Try to get some more sleep, okay? I love you."

*

"Thank you so much for coming early," Dave said once he'd finished shaking the realtor's hand. Their appointment wasn't until 5, but Dave had asked if they could meet at 4:30 before Liz even left the film set.

"No problem at all," he smiled warmly and slid the large manila envelope across the counter. "Gate codes and keys are in here along with the closing documents. Just have her sign the pink highlighted areas and get them back to me by Friday. In the meantime, it's all yours."

They exchanged pleasantries and the realtor left, leaving Dave alone in the mostly empty house. He wandered around looking into each space, imagining what his life there would be like.

In the kitchen, he envisioned Liz singing happy birthday and carrying a cake full of candles for one of the kids; the two of them dancing slowly in the dark late at night when neither of them could sleep; her fumbling with the coffee maker half asleep at dawn during the mad rush to get the kids off to school.

He pressed his shoulder into the wooden arch that made up the dining room entrance and smiled at the enormous table he had custom made as a gift for Liz, imagining the loud and crazy holiday dinners with both of their extended families; simple weeknights eating with the kids, talking about school and homework; and just the two of them sharing a bottle of wine at the far end, quietly talking about their day.

Spinning around to the living room, now with a permanent grin and butterflies rising in his chest, he stood in the middle and pictured her napping on the couch with a dog; her standing on her toes on the top rung of a ladder to hang an ornament on their ridiculously tall Christmas tree while he nervously spotted her from below; her repeatedly tossing popcorn at his face as he tried to focus on a movie...

Skipping the formal living room and office by the front door, he took the steps up two at a time and ran his fingers along the walls wondering what photos she would hang on the landing.

Upstairs in each of the bedrooms, he could see the kids. Planets and stars hanging from the ceiling in Jack's room, trucks and construction vehicles littering the floor in Owen's, Beatles gig posters for the walls in Harper's, a mic and guitar set up in the corner of Violet's and the chaotic disaster that Phee's room always seemed to be.

But the master bedroom was his most favorite space in the entire house. It had french doors leading out to a little balcony just big enough for two chairs and a table, a bathroom with a huge soaking tub that Liz had climbed into fully dressed the first day they looked at the house and separate walk-in closets. Their bed was already assembled and positioned across from the french doors where Dave had insisted it be. He wanted to wake up every morning with the sun at the foot of their bed, where the red in her hair would glow against the white pillowcase.

He moved out to the balcony and was leaning on the railing, staring at the shop and thinking about her wrenching on a bike in there when a chime rang out from the lower level. From his spot, he could see the front door was deserted and looked around in confusion when Liz's truck cruised down the long drive and parked just beside his. Oh, right. The gate alarm.

Taking the steps two at a time again, he chuckled when she knocked. He yanked the door open, about to remind her that this was her house, but the sight of her in a grey fitted sheath dress and black heels ripped the words right from him.

"Hey," she smiled shyly from the other side of the door. "You wanna buy a box of cookies, mister?"

"Depends," he managed only after clearing his throat and took her hand to drag her inside. "What kind?"

"Oh, I've got lotsa kinds...," she mused, tossing her bag and keys on the kitchen counter before he pulled her out onto the deck. "Chocolate, peanut butter, those mint ones that everyone claims to love but are actually horrible, shortbr- oh."

She stopped at the sight of two teak chairs with deep red cushions set together on the wide part of the deck and a small table between them holding a bottle of champagne, glasses and a single flickering candle.

"Nice, David," she teased and let him pull her along, ignoring the second chair and choosing his lap to sit on instead.

"How was work?" he asked, reaching over to hand her a glass.

"Good," she thought as she sipped her champagne. "It was fun. JB can't wait to crash our first house party."

Dave chuckled at that and sat back as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He pressed his lips into her forehead and kept them there as he spoke, "Let's get that out of the way before we move the furniture in so he doesn't ruin anything."

She just smiled and closed her eyes, listening to the last of the birds sing before they retreated to their nests for the night.

"Oh shit," he muttered and shifted in the chair so he could reach into his pocket. "I almost forgot."

Liz grumbled at the movement, just wanting to sit in the quiet with him when he held her silver ring up in front of her, the same ring he had put on and then later tore off her finger back in Vegas.

"This is yours."

She didn't move at first, just felt the words rumble in his chest and stared at the band, thinking back on their silly little Vegas wedding until he twisted it just enough that the waning light caught the inscription inside. The engraving was in her Pops' shakey handwriting, done the night before his wedding to her grandmother in the mid-'50s.

Put it back on

"Dave?" she whispered, frozen against him. "Where did you get that?"

"Your dad gave it to me," he took her hand and eased it back on to her finger, then admired it for a moment. "Said I was the only man for the job."

She used her free hand to pull his face to hers and softly kissed him before dropping her head back to his shoulder. "He's right."

Neither of them were sure how much time had passed, but they sat together in an easy silence listening to the last of the birds and the breeze in the birch trees until the only light on the deck was from the little candle on the table beside them.

"Babe?"

Liz hummed her response, almost sound asleep on his shoulder.

"Do you feel like you're home?"

She picked her head up and looked back at the dark house, just the sight of it making her feel disoriented and out of place. It wasn't home yet. But then she turned back to him and slipped her left hand into his, their rings clicking against each other as she kissed him, then breathed against his lips, "Yep. I'm definitely home."    

[thatbluegibson]

CH 101

"So what's the plan again?" Dave watched her carefully as she gathered whatever she needed for the pool.

"We just play today off like we're happy newlyweds and then slip out tomorrow morning to get the annulment. Easy stuff," Liz tossed her bag over her shoulder and tried to smile but to him, it came across as a grimace.

"Sounds great," he pressed the heels of his hands into the bar behind him and stared at the floor, trying to appear unaffected.

Their drunken escapade had made her distant and aloof, not at all like the Liz from yesterday, the one that had laughed through her tears as she slipped a ring on his finger.

*

"Rings!" Jack announced. "Let's do the rings!"

Taylor stepped forward and dropped two silver rings into Dave's open hand as Jack launched into some reading about dedication and eternal love.

"Where the hell did you get rings at three in the morning?" Liz whispered.

"I've actually had these hanging around for a while," Dave explained, pretending to be interested in what Jack was saying.

"You what?" her voice went up a few octaves, making Taylor clear his throat in concern.

"Shhh...," Dave laughed through his shush and took her left hand. "Let's just say they came with the suit"

She didn't have time to ask any further questions before Jack interrupted. "Dr. G, repeat after me..."

"Wait, do we have to do the canned vows?" Dave asked suddenly.

"Um..." Jack squinted down at the laminated paper for a moment. "No, you can say whatever you want, I guess."

"Okay give me just a sec." He turned to her and took a moment to try and gather the thoughts that were swimming around in Icelandic schnapps before looking into her eyes. "Liz, I... I've broken promises like this before, so all I can do is try to be better than who I used to be. I want to be giving and forgiving, faithful and loyal, your friend and your equal. I'll try to fight fairly and love you fiercely, be your partner in raising our kids, to be the one that makes you laugh the hardest and the one you need when you're hurt. I'll try to be worthy of the love you've given me and continue to give me, and I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel loved and wanted every moment of every day. You showed up in my life wearing that blue dress and drinking that beer and I knew the moment I saw you that you would be a light in my dark. And I know things haven't always been perfect, but I wouldn't change a single thing because it brought us here... where we don't have to be alone anymore."

Liz blinked back her tears and tightly gripped his hand, staring back at him as little chapel fell into a stunned silence save for the occasional sniffle from Allison, Brody, and Kyle. After a few moments, Jack whispered in awe, "Holy shit, Dr. G."

Dave thought his heart would thump out of his chest as he held her hand still so could slip her ring on her finger. Once it was in its rightful place, he stared at it as long as he could before his own happy tears clouded his vision and Jack declared it was her turn for vows.

"Dave," she whispered at first and then spoke just loud enough for him to hear her. "You make me happier than I ever imagined I could be. I feel more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person in every way and I am so... so lucky to be a part of your life, which, I guess as of today is our life. You've become my best friend and my greatest challenge and I promise with everything that I have and am to be worthy of you. I promise to acknowledge and accept your faults and strengths, to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family's love and happiness my priority. I'll be yours in failure and in triumph, in every up and down life throws at us and in all the moments in between."

Another reflective silence hung over the room as she pushed his ring on his finger and then held her left hand next to his. "Looks good," she whispered.

"Well," Jack sighed. "There's a bunch of stuff in here about how to love one another, but clearly you two don't need instructions so I guess we're done. By the power vested in me by the internet and the state of California and by default, Nevada, you two are hitched. Kiss your wife, Dr. G."

*

He followed her down the curved staircase, watching the ties on her bikini bounce against her skin. Her coldness was bewildering, harsh and so unlike her, making the heavy feeling of dread that pooled in his chest feel like a cinderblock. Unable to think with her so close, he veered right at the bottom of the steps towards the little kitchen and began to dig through the fridge for water as she stopped at the back door to wait for him, her lips set in a thin line. He didn't know whether to touch her or avoid her, but she held her hand out for him to take once he was close enough. The seemingly inconsequential connection of their hands felt like an electric charge straight to his hangover fogged brain.

"Ready?" she asked, leaning her shoulder into the door.

"No."

She sighed in frustration and turned to him, crying out in surprise when he yanked her to him by the back of her neck. Fully expecting her to shove him away, he kept his kiss brief but demanding, telling her that the last thing he wanted was to end this and she surprised him by dropping her bag and pulling him closer.

Though they were alone, they were fully exposed by the floor to ceiling windows beside them and he knew before long Josh or Taylor would saunter past and probably pull up a lounge chair to enjoy the show. He needed to get her somewhere else, but their room upstairs was too far away and he wasn't about to risk her losing interest during the trip up there. She didn't give him much time to ponder before backing him up to the large grey sectional couch and shoving him hard, sending him back into the cushions with a grunt.

"Liz-" he started to pull her towards him, but she wiggled out of his grasp.

"Shut up," she murmured, making short work of his board shorts by yanking them down over his hips and tracing their path with light kisses against his skin.

Oh, he thought, gasping as she wrapped her lips around him. So that's why Taylor always wears these.

It was clear she wanted this to be about him, pushing his hands away when he tried to redirect her, so he tangled his fingers in her hair and let her take over until his jaw clenched and he began to involuntarily twitch and stretch against her.

"Fuck," he groaned, so close that his vision blurred. "Baby, I'm-" But he wanted to drag it out, to keep her with him on that couch and in that mindset as long as he could to remind her that this is what they both wanted and that it was worth fighting for.

An irritated sound escaped the back of his throat and she threw an innocent look at him, "You okay up there?"

"No," his voice came back thick with the agony of wanting her and the frustration of far too little direct contact between them. "Come here."

She was quick to follow his directions but kept her knees between his when she pressed herself against him. "What's wrong?" he cut straight to the point, trying to ignore the ache he felt with her skin finally on his.

"Nothing," she gave him that innocent look again, complete with a head shake. "Everything's fine."

"Right." His sarcasm made her frown as he ripped the tie loose from her swimsuit bottoms and shifted to move her under him, but once again she fought him back into the couch and took control.

First, she made a show of slowly untying the other side of her rhinestone swim suit and tossing it onto the coffee table beside them, then she let him pull her knees up on either side of his hips and finally lowered herself onto him as slow as she could, smiling sweetly at the pained noises he was making.

"You're fucking perfect," he drawled, slowly untying her top and skimming his hands over her exposed skin.

"Shut up," she smiled, but it faded fast as she sighed then tipped her head back, more into what she was feeling rather than thinking.

So he did, for a while, until the thought that maybe this was the last time they would ever do this together eclipsed his desire to drag things out and he panicked. Dragging her back down against him, he held her still with an arm around her shoulders and one around her waist, driving into her until she was keening into his chest.

"Tell me you meant it," he demanded, speeding up and slowing down, forcing her to the edge and then pulling her back. "Everything you said last night. Tell me."

"Of course I meant it," she growled and gripped the back of the couch, pulling herself out of his grip and upright to allow him deeper while at the same time giving her the space to focus on everything but his words.

And he followed her, sitting up so they were face to face, not ready to give up his end of the battle. He wanted her at her breaking point, just close enough to the edge where she would be vulnerable enough to spill whatever was on her mind... and then she slipped. Her body began to move on its own, chasing what it needed without the static interference from her mind.

In one fluid move, he flipped her onto her back, this time moving slowly and deliberately to wring out everything she had to give. She let out a sob and broke, her hands clamping down on his shoulders with her nails digging little crescents into his skin. But her words breathed against his lips took him fully by surprise and ruined his entire carefully laid plan.

He wasn't sure what exactly had happened; he found himself flat on his back between the couch and the coffee table, watching the ceiling fade in and out of focus when Liz's face peeked over the cushions with her brow furrowed slightly, "You okay?"

"I'm good," he panted, grinning up at her as he tried to catch his breath.

"Did that feel different to you?"

"Yeah, I didn't think it was possible, but it's better now that you're my wife."

She opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it and hopped off the couch, tying her swimsuit back around her hips as she darted up the steps.

"Thanks, babe," Dave muttered bitterly to himself as he pulled his shorts back on. "You were great, too."

*

"Oh my god," Liz giggled in his ear. "I'm your wife!"

Dave lifted his face from her neck to smile at her, slowing his pace just enough to make her whine. "Goddamn right you are," he grinned.

"So what's a typical day being married to you look like?" she asked, her words peppered with little gasps and moans.

"Well...," he bent to kiss her and pulled her leg higher on his hip. "You wander around our house, barefoot and hugely pregnant, eating ice cream out of the carton while yelling at me to paint something a specific color pink."

"Oh, so we're having a girl?"

"Seem to be the only cards I draw, babe. Sorry."

"I'll get used to it. You better hurry up, though. I'm already 34."

"Yes, ma'am," Dave feigned annoyance and picked up his tempo for a moment before stopping completely. "Wait... are you serious?"

"Might be fun," she whispered, looking up at him anxiously.

His grin returned along with his pace. "I'm already having fun."

*

He followed her out of the back sliding glass door and down the steps out to the pool area, unable to take his eyes off his last name emblazoned on the back of her swimsuit and wondered if she would ever actually take his last name. The more he thought about it, the trickier it became. The boys had her legal last name, Kyle's last name, and it was possible she'd want to keep it for their sake, but the thought disappointed him all the same.

"Duck," Liz said calmly, making his head jerk upright.

He did as he was told just as a champagne cork bounced off the trunk of a palm tree behind his head and he looked up at the cabana where Josh was holding a champagne bottle with his platinum grin sparkling in the bright sunshine. Brody and Ally were lounging on chairs in the shade beside him and Taylor was waist deep in the pool, leaning on the edge with folded arms and laughing loudly at him.

"Here comes the bride!" Josh yelled, jogging up to them and handing Liz the bottle before giving her a hug. She smiled and laughed with him, then shoved him off to sit with the girls in the shade.

"And how is the lucky groom this morning?" Josh asked, throwing his arms around Dave, but not before poking at the nail marks Liz had left on his shoulder.

"Hung the fuck over," he replied, hugging his friend back. "Where's JB and Gass?"

"Some press thing," Josh shrugged. "Said they'll be back before dinner."

"Took you two long enough to get down here!" Taylor called from the pool. "You'd think she'd be sick of you by now!"

"Yeah, thanks for the shorts, asshole," Dave retorted and jumped into the pool beside him, aiming the splash right at Taylor's face.

"I'm surprised you actually wore them, dude!" Taylor splashed him back once he resurfaced, "She's already got you completely whipped!"

Dave caught Liz's deep frown out of the corner of his eye and dove towards Taylor, effectively killing the conversation by wrestling him back under the surface.

*

"Can you two come up for air for a fucking minute?" Taylor whined from the counter in the lobby of the chapel. "They need you to sign the paperwork."

Dave grumbled when Liz wiggled out of his arms, following her over to the glass display case that doubled as a desk for signing the documents that would make their marriage legal. A nervous looking woman in a magenta pantsuit hovered around Liz, handing her documents and brochures, showing her where to sign.

"We'll mail off the paperwork for you and the state will send your official certificate in about six weeks. Just write your address here and-"

"Dave? Honey, what's your address?" Liz asked loudly, not realizing he was just feet from her.

"Oh, you don't... live together?" the woman was hesitant, her eyes darting between them.

"Not quite yet," Liz mumbled and clicked her pen as she read the documents laid before her.

Dave slid up next to her, wrapping himself around her waist and kissing her cheek as she signed her name on their marriage license. "I fucking love you," he growled softly in her ear and let his hands drift almost to the hem of her white dress.

Liz clicked her pen shut and slammed it on the counter then grabbed his face and roughly kissed him. "Take me home."

She shrieked and laughed when he abruptly lifted her off the tile floor and headed for the exit, pausing when the woman behind the counter began to shout.

"Sir! Sir, you have to sign this, too!"

"Oh, shit," he laughed and clumisly set Liz down next to Allison and Brody before hurrying back to the counter.

The woman in the pantsuit was all business with him, offering him no sweet sentiments about his brand new marriage and pointing out payment packages instead.

"I don't care," he muttered, signing his full name beside hers and admiring them together. Elizabeth Nicole Colbert, David Eric Grohl. He wondered how long it would take to change her name and looked up when Taylor leaned against the case next to him. "We'll get whichever one has the most stuff."

"This package has all the photo sizes and a $400 credit towards a canvas photo of your choice, access to the online photo gallery, 120 day access to the online video broadcast, a video downlo-"

"Hold up-," Taylor held his arm out to stop her, but kept his eyes on Dave. "This was broadcast online?"

"Yes, sir," the woman nervously replied. "All of our weddings are."

A wordless conversation passed between Dave and Taylor as Josh sidled up and gave the woman a smooth grin. "You go ahead, Dr. G. Hawkins and I will finish up here."

Dave gave them each a quick but grateful hug before hurrying back to his wife and getting her the hell out of there.

*

"Hey," Dave sat next to Liz on her lounger and threw a towel over his hair, quietly counting all the empty glasses beside her. "You drunk enough to be any fun yet?"

Liz sassily pointed a finger in his face and finished a long sip out of her straw. "I'm fun whether I'm drunk or not, but yeah I'm drunk. These fucking margaritas are dangerous."

"Straight to tequila, huh? Doesn't that exponentially increase your slut quotient?"

She only answered by taking another sip from her straw, raising an eyebrow at him when he teasingly tugged at the tie on her bikini bottom. "David..." she had a warning tone to her voice, but the smile playing at her lips gave her away.

"Elizabeth...," he pressed his hand into the chair beside her head to lean in and kiss her, but the back of the chair suddenly gave way, sending Liz flat on her back with Dave on top of her.

"Can you two wait until we're at least out of earshot?" Taylor whined from the pool. "Fuck, I'm out here trying to enjoy the last but of summer and I end up eye level with Dave's balls."

Liz steadied her drink and lifted her head to find Josh at the edge of the pool with his arms crossed on the concrete side, watching them intently.

"Keep going, pretend I'm not here," he said, waving at them to continue.

"You want to tell him he's in the splash zone or should I?" Liz muttered.

Dave laughed and bent to kiss her shoulder, relieved that maybe she was finally coming around, but she tensed against him. "I'm going to go order some lunch. Are you hungry?"

He stared up at her silently for a beat, trying to tell her that she was killing him by being so distant, then simply nodded and rolled off of her.

*

"All the video, photos and rights to both," Josh said simply and dropped a bulging manila envelope on the table in front of Dave.

"And the broadcast?"

"Only two people were on the site when it aired, so let's just cross our fingers," he replied, tipping back his whiskey and watching the girls out on the dance floor with JB and Gass. "Hawkins has someone back home monitoring all the trash sites so if something pops up, we'll be the first to know."

"Fuck," Dave sighed and dragged his hand down his face. "Thanks, man."

"Anything for true love," Josh chuckled and let a long pause pass between them while he finished his drink. "For real, though... I've known you a long time, David. I know you loved Jordyn, but Liz is... she was made for you. It's fucking great to see you happy again."

Dave was about to reply when Liz bounced up to the table with a half empty beer and a bright smile, immediately crawling into his lap and snuggling into his shoulder. He rested his chin on the top of her head and smiled at his friend. "Yeah, I think I'll keep her."

*

He felt a little solace when she chose the open space next to him at the patio table, setting his plate down with a smile and scooting her chair close enough that their legs touched. He reached over to run his hand down her spine as a quiet thanks for bringing everyone's lunch out and was even more relieved when she leaned into his touch. To everyone else at the table, it was a normal sign of newlywed affection, but to Dave, it was a crack in her icy facade. She was coming around, albeit slowly and with a little help from tequila. Josh, Brody, and Allison were in a deep conversation about some mutual friend of theirs, leaving Dave, Taylor, and Liz at the other end of the table.

"How's your mulch, Taylor?" she asked, tipping her chin towards Taylor's salad.

"The best pile of compost I've had in a long time," he shot back. "So have you guys told everyone back home yet?"

Dave felt Liz flinch beside him and tried to shoot Taylor a warning glare, but was only met with a smug grin from his best friend. "Not yet," he said quietly. "Probably best to tell them in person."

"You make it sound like someone died," Taylor chuckled through a bite of his salad. "This is what you wanted, right? You're both still just as happy as you were last night?"

Dave looked over at Liz when she stood to take her barely touched plate back to the kitchen. "Of course we are," she said sweetly. "The only reason we aren't ripping each other's clothes off is that you're here, Taylor. You with your delicate sensibilities and all."

He smiled at her back as she walked away, then slid his stare over to Dave. "Well, don't let me keep you from enjoying all the perks of a happy marriage, Disco."

"We'll meet up with you guys for dinner," Dave said flatly and gathered his plate to follow Liz inside.

She was in the kitchen, staring down at her pasta with her fork dangling from her fingers, only looking up when he set his plate on the bar.

"Are we okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah," she nodded sharply, answering far too quickly. "I think so."

"Are you sure? Cause you're acting like-"

Liz suddenly took a sharp breath and spun to face him with a forced smile. "You know what? I think I'm gonna take the bike out for a bit."

She dropped her fork with a loud clatter and raced past him, jogging up the stairs and out of sight. He listened to her footsteps in the bedroom above as she changed, remaining in his spot when she returned in her jeans, leather jacket and Vans.

"I'll be back before dinner," she said. "Maybe you and Taylor can go win some money."

"Not feeling very lucky at the moment," he muttered.

"Yeah...," she grabbed her keys off the counter and heading for the door. "Me neither."

*

Their little crew was almost through the casino and to the VIP elevators when they were finally spotted. All it took was one 'Holy shit!' from a drunk guy at a poker table and Dave, Josh, Taylor, JB and Gass were surrounded.

Liz stood on her toes and caught Dave's eye, pointing to a little room off to the side that was full of high top gambling tables and very little people. He waved at her apologetically and went through the motions, smiling for photos and videos, having brief chats about his music and upcoming projects when a particularly gorgeous blonde in a slinky black dress waited until Josh, Taylor and the rest were distracted before pouncing.

"I don't see your girlfriend..." she purred, slipping her arms around his neck as he perched on the edge of a low table.

"Yeah," Dave chuckled and gripped edge of the table so he wouldn't accidentally touch her. "I don't have one anymore."

"Oh dear," she tilted her head in mock sympathy and pouted her full lips. "That's such a shame."

"No, it's cool. Just one of those things, you know? Things change, people change."

"Mmmhmm..." she hummed and stepped closer so her platform heels were toe to toe with his Vans. "You look so sexy in a suit."

"I was at a wedding," he said evenly.

"I love weddings," she boldly leaned in to whisper in his ear. "They always turn me on."

"Yeah, me too. Especially when I'm the one getting married."

She froze against him and then slowly backed away just as Liz walked up with a knowing smile playing at her lips.

"Have a good night, Kendra," he nodded dismissively at the blonde and held his arm out to his new wife.

"It's Kylie," she shot back, flipping her hair over her shoulder and taking off to find some other man to hassle.

"Whatever," Dave chuckled and turned his full attention to Liz, dragging her in front of him.

He kissed her and she happily returned the favor, edging her way between his legs and slipping her hands under his suit jacket to drop something in his shirt pocket. He pulled away just enough to fish whatever it was back out, raising an eyebrow at her when he heard the unmistakeable sound of casino chips clicking together. "You win big, baby?"

She shivered a little when his free hand rested on the back of her thigh just below the hem of her dress and shrugged, watching his face closely as he held up the stack of grey chips.

Once the zeros printed on the plastic registered in his brain, he darted forward off the table. "Holy fucking shit, Elizabeth!"

"Shhhh!" she giggled and looked around, trying to keep their visibility to a minimum. "Turns out I'm shit at Uno but really fucking good at blackjack."

*

Liz sped along in the left lane, passing rows of semis and RV's heading east on I-15 towards the Arizona border. She knew she wouldn't make it that far, but the more distance she put between herself and Vegas the more she felt like she could breathe. The land around her was dry and flat save for a few mesas that sprang up randomly in the distance, an unforgiving and harsh space that forced her to think inward instead of on the scenery. Motörhead's Under Cöver album blasted through her earbuds and she found herself relaxing a bit, resting one tired hand at a time on the gas tank between her knees.

"Pull over, Elizabeth."

His voice through her earbuds startled her enough that her front tire wobbled and she had to scramble to correct it, tipping her fear into rage. "No."

"So help me, Liz," he growled. "Pull the fuck over, now."

She didn't even look over at him, just gunned her Triumph and darted ahead, leaning into the tank to keep from being buffeted by the wind. His Harley roared up beside her, then swerved dangerously at her front wheel, sending her onto the rumble strips and almost into a low slide into the dirt. Her heart thundering in her chest, she quickly recovered with a downshift and braked so hard that her back tire cleared the pavement. Once she was safely stopped and the kickstand was down, she tore off her helmet and stalked towards Dave as he pulled over several yards ahead of her.

"What the fuck was that shit?" she yelled the moment his engine was cut. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Dave ripped his own helmet off and stomped towards her, meeting her halfway and hunching his shoulders just enough so they were matched in height. "What the fuck is with you and running from me?"

"I'm not fucking running from you, Dave!" she could hear herself screaming and knew she was losing control, but there was no sense in stopping now. Game on. "Did it ever once occur to you that I might need a moment, just one goddamn moment to think things through on my own without you hanging on me?"

"Fine," he snarled and lunged at her, roughly grabbing her left hand and spinning so her wrist was pinned between his body and his arm.

"David! Stop!" she cried out in both surprise and anger, pushing hard on his shoulder with her free hand as he wrenched her ring off her finger. They scuffled around in the desert dirt sending dust clouds up around them until the ring was free and he dropped her arm.

"Is this what you want?" he yelled, backing away from her as he held up her ring. "You want to just run from this and pretend like it never happened? Just say the word, Elizabeth and we'll go back to LA, kill the deal on the house, get the annulment and I'll fuck off out of your life for good. Just say the fucking word."

"You know damn well I don't want that," she barked in irritation and began to walk back to her bike. If he was just going to sling hurtful comments at her, she wanted no part of it.

"So you're just pissed about being my wife, then?" he called after her. "Cool! Got it!"

"Fuck, Dave!" she spun around to face him again, his sarcasm fueling her anger. "I don't hate being your wife!"

"Then why the attitude? Why are we out here in the goddamn desert screaming at each other?"

"Because our wedding was some drunken make-out session in a strip mall in Vegas, Dave! I barely remember it!" she lied, the important parts were still fresh in her mind. "And now-"

"So you want the gown and all that shit?" he laughed in bitter surprise and shook his head. "We've done all that, Liz! Fuck, I've done it twice! We've done the aisle and the cake and the flowers and the catering and the awkward dances. We've done that shit and none of it mattered. None of it. If you want some dream wedding in some fancy ass church or hotel, I'll give you that, but you know damn well that it doesn't... fucking... matter."

Immensely proud of herself for letting him finish without interrupting him, Liz took a deep breath. "No, it doesn't. What does matter is that now I have to go home and explain to my children and yours that we got blackout drunk and made a critical life decision that directly involves them without their input."

She could just see the hurt written on all of the kid's faces when she broke the news, but the stunned awareness on Dave's face is what brought tears to her eyes. The way his eyes widened and the color drained from his cheeks made it clear that he hadn't even thought about the effect this would have on them.

"They're going to be thrilled, Liz," he tried to recover, but the damage was done.

"I really hope you're right," Liz said sadly. "But you know what other stellar move we made last night? We decided it would be so fucking cool to have a baby of our own that we fucked up Taylor and Ally's chance at their dream. A dream I promised I'd help them with!"

"... What?"

"You don't remember helping me take my IUD out?"

His eyes unfocused and she just knew he was remembering the moment they were in the massive shower together, her hissing in pain as he knelt in front of her holding up the little plastic T like a prize trout.

"Oh shit," he mumbled.

"Yeah. We have to get the annulment."

"... but why?"

"My contract with Sophie-"

"Oh, fuck your job!"

She spun away at the pain and desperation in his voice, hurrying to her bike as a sob wracked through her chest. Just as she set her helmet in the dirt and leaned against the bike to cry, his arms landed around her and pulled her back into him.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I didn't-"

"Don't," she snapped, surprising even herself when she shrugged him off and moved away. He couldn't just run her off the road, yell at her and then act like a simple apology would fix everything. "I just need one fucking moment, okay?"

"Okay...," he spoke like he was dealing with an apex predator, backing away slowly with his hands out before him, but planted himself a few feet in front of her bike just in case she tried to make a break for it.

Turning her back to him again, she timed her breathing with the steady stream of cars and trucks that were blasting down the highway beside them. Each passing car sent a sharp breeze against her face and through her tangled hair, letting her ground herself enough to concentrate on what needed to be done. Once she was calm, she took in a deep breath through her runny nose and dragged her fingers over her cheeks to clear away the tears, then let out all the air in her lungs with a loud whoosh.

"Babe? We good?" he called hesitantly from his spot several feet away and was in front of her before she even finished nodding.

"Dave...," she started and then stomped her feet a little, frustrated that her tears were returning with force. "The kids... They're going to be devastated that they weren't involved. How can we leave them out of something this important, especially when it involves them? They're just as much a part of this marriage as we are." She groaned and raked her fingers through her hair, "God, Violet is going to hate me all over again! And Jordyn! She still uses your last name so I probably fucked things up for her and your mother is going to be so hurt. And mine... Mine are going to be so disapp-"

"Stop," Dave grabbed her arms to stop her from spiraling out of control but was careful not to hold her too close. "Liz, you have to stop."

"But-"

"No, no buts. Stop thinking about everyone else and just think about yourself for one fucking second. What do you want?"

She bit her lip and stared up at him, unable to brush away her tears with her arms pinned. "I just want everyone to be-"

"Nope," he shook his head, still remarkably calm. "Try again."

"I...," at a loss for words, she looked around them as if the desert held some sort of answer. "I don't..."

He dropped her arms and backed up a few steps, giving her the space she had demanded earlier and a surprising moment of clarity and confidence fell over her.

"I meant it all, Dave. Every single word last night, I meant it. I love you and us and everything that comes with it and I absolutely want to marry you, but it can't be like this. With what we do and who we are, our lives are not our own and once this gets out we'll be torn apart. They'll eat us alive and you'll resent me or I'll resent you or something and... and I'll lose you." She was only somewhat aware of the tears falling down her cheeks, but she had said what she needed to say and no longer desired any space between them. Five steps later she was back in his arms. "Please don't let me lose you."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 100

Liz felt the rush of consciousness in her brain and groaned. She was having a dream, something about the ocean, maybe she was surfing, she couldn't remember now that her head was pounding. The next wave of sensation happened to be nausea and Liz forced her eyes open to assess her surroundings. The room was dark, but bright beams of morning light broke through the edges of the heavy curtains around the bedroom windows, giving at least a dim light to the room. She felt a weight on her stomach and wondered if it was one of those new hangover symptoms that came with drinking too much in your thirties, but the weight shifted on its own and Liz realized it was Dave's head.

"Liz," he sounded like he had swallowed a fist full of gravel. She didn't answer, just sucked in a deep breath and threw her hands over her face to ward off the nausea. "Baby, I need you to kill me."

She laughed a little and immediately regretted it, shoving his head away from her belly and rolling off the tangled bed before sprinting into the bathroom and leaning against the counter, sighing in relief when the nausea once again subsided. The cool granite beneath her hands felt like a gift from the Vegas hangover gods and she carefully lowered her upper body onto the counter, resting her forehead against the backsplash.

"You okay?" she heard him call from the bedroom.

The fear of another nausea wave kept her from answering and instead slid her arms up the granite and covered her eyes with her hand. The bed squeaked as Dave moved around and a memory flooded into her brain.

*

Liz waved to Brody over Dave's shoulder while he carried her down the hallway to their room, giggling when Josh snuck up behind his wife and threw his arms around her. Dave managed to unlock their room with Liz still in his arms but ran her head into the door frame in his hurry to get inside.

"Shit! Sorry, babe," he hissed, but Liz just laughed. She knew that should have hurt, the door jamb landed right where her skull had busted only months prior, but the bourbon and Brennevin in her system had numbed her to the point of not caring. She also knew she was about to dearly pay for her sins within the next couple hours.

He carried her up the stairs and into the bedroom, then tossed her onto the bed that squeaked loudly in protest. She giggled and watched him sway as he pulled off his tie, thinking the last two shots of jaeger were a mistake. And maybe the last four whiskeys and three beers... those he could probably have gone without, not that she was faring any better.

"Elizabeth..."

"David," she grinned as he leaned onto the bed towards her.

"Liz."

"Dave," she laughed as he crawled up her body, kissing the spots where her dress exposed her skin and paused to whisper just below her ear.

"Wife."

*

Liz's eyes sprung open and were met with the simple silver band on her left ring finger.

Shit. Oh no. Oh my god, no.

Another wave of nausea crashed into her and she braced her hands on either side of the sink to focus on her breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. No, wait... that's definitely not helping. Reverse that. In through the mouth, out through the nose. She shut her eyes and repeated her mantra, breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe-

"Liz?"

"Mmhmm?" she pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes tightly, focused completely on not puking in earshot of Dave.

"You need anything?"

She managed to shake her head even though he couldn't see her. There were about a million things she needed at that point. She needed Travis to give her an IV, maybe some oxygen, definitely some anti-nausea meds. Oh, how about an annulment? That would be splendid. But, shit, Travis was 300 miles away. Where the hell was her phone?

She hurried out of the bathroom, ripping a discarded sheet off the bedroom floor and ran out into the sitting room where she found her blue clutch next to the upstairs bar. She fumbled with the clasp for a moment, the smell of an open Jaeger bottle making her gag and finally retrieved her phone. As she waited for Travis to answer, she tied the sheet around her in a makeshift dress and peeked around the fogged glass door to look at Dave as he lay face down in the bed with a pillow over his face. A flimsy white sheet barely covered him, her eyes lingering on his bicep tattoos and his back just long enough that she started thinking maybe this whole situation wasn't exactly terrible when Travis answered.

"Liz?" he sounded even worse than Dave.

"Yeah, hey. Hi," she whispered, jumping out of sight when Dave threw the pillow off of his face.

"What's up?" he sounded alert now, recognizing the twinge of panic in her voice.

"I drank too much," she said simply. And, whoops! Silly me, I got married.

"Okay...," he sounded confused, uncomfortable, awkward. Oh shit, did he know? "I can order you one of those hangover medics if you want, I just didn't want to interrupt..."

"What-," Liz spotted her white dress tossed carelessly in a heap on the floor and cringed, "Uh... what would you be interrupting?"

Travis paused for a long moment, "You okay, Liz?"

"Mmmhmm!" she lied, her hum several octaves higher than normal.

"Elizabeth," he said sternly, making her gulp. "What. Happened."

*

Dave felt Liz shift underneath him, waking him from what he assumed was as close to death as he would get without actually meeting his maker. The headache hit him like a brick wall, so hard that he actually gasped in pain.

"Liz," his throat felt raw, somewhat like the time he blew out his voice playing seven shows back to back and felt his head raise when Liz took a deep breath. "Baby, I need you to kill me." Please Elizabeth, take me out to the pool, hold me under and end my suffering.

She laughed and then suddenly he was on his front, listening to her feet against the tile floor of the bathroom. "You okay?" he called after her but didn't move. The cool sheets felt amazing against his hot skin and he could feel his pulse in every part of his body, though it was most pronounced in his head where a surge of pain accompanied each influx of blood. The bed squeaked when he reached for a pillow to cover his eyes, reminding him of his dream from the night before.

*

Taylor was whispering to Allison on the steps behind Dave, something about the legal process or contracts or something official, he wasn't really paying attention. He stared at the French doors on the other side of the room, well aware that he was grinning like an idiot when one side of the doors opened with a loud squeak and Brody slipped through, tiptoeing up to Ally with an excited smile. JB nudged Dave with his elbow just as Josh appeared beyond the doors in the lobby where he was busy elbowing a man in a terrible Elvis wig and jumpsuit out of the way.

"Jesus fucking christ what a shit show," Taylor muttered under his breath and closed the plastic binder he was holding, earning a harsh shush from his wife.

Dave was about to deck to Taylor when he heard Liz's laugh. His heart began to pound as Josh threw open the other squeaky door and held out his arm, then she stepped into view and he felt like he couldn't breathe. She had somehow found a short, white dress, some flowers, and a veil, but was wearing her Vans and leather jacket, looking exactly like he had imagined she would. She slipped her arm through Josh's and Dave felt Taylor's hand on his shoulder as the soft background music gave way to what sounded like a cello and classical guitar playing And I Love Her.

*

His smile squished into the pillow began to fade as the realization that he wasn't dreaming gradually made its way through his hangover and into his consciousness. No, that's... that's not something he would ever do. It's definitely not something Liz would do. They were going to get married someday if she would have him, but they sure as hell weren't going to do it on a drunken whim in Vegas.

He reached up and pressed his hand into his forehead to relieve the pain, opening his eyes at the distantly familiar metallic chill against his brow. Squinting at the silver band enveloping his ring finger, he turned his hand and was met with a fresh tattoo of a tiny Union Jack. Oh... fuck.

*

"Is she done yet?" Dave asked, trying to keep his hand still while craning his neck to see Liz in the next room.

Josh shook his head from his spot against the door frame that separated the two rooms."Nope. Quit moving, motherfucker!" he yelled.

Dave felt the needles sink into the thin skin on his ring finger again and he looked down to check the progress the tattoo artist was making. He had moved on to the blue, having already finished the red and white along with the black outlines. Almost done. He had debated asking him to add the letters ENG under it but decided that it probably broke Liz's rule about no names. They were her new initials, after all, which made the Union Jack an even more perfect choice. Elizabeth Nicole Grohl had been rolling through his head for a while, ever since her dad had given him the ring and even long before that, back in England when the thought of losing her seemed unbearable.

*

Liz stared down at the coffee maker as it churned hot water into black caffeine and chewed on her lip. She couldn't bring herself to look at the ring on her finger, but she also couldn't bring herself to take it off, so she was torn. You are such a fucking idiot, she told herself. You got out of control and now you're going to lose it all. Your management company and therefore your job, not to mention Dave and all the amazing friends you've made since you've met him. Nice going, dumbass. She sighed, braced her hands on the countertop and hung her head in defeat, finally spying the fresh tattoo on her right foot, just below her toes.

*

Dave picked two shot glasses off the bar top and handed one to Liz.

"What is this?" she didn't wait for an answer before throwing it back and the burn hit the back of her throat like a blowtorch. Dave immediately handed her a glass of water which she gratefully snatched, sucking down half the glass before she felt like she wasn't going to die.

"Brennivin," he laughed. "You have to take it slow with this, babe."

"You keep saying that," she slurred, leaning her side into the bar as she turned to face him. "Maybe I don't wanna take things slow."

"Fine," Dave picked up the second round of Icelandic liquor and handed it to her. "Marry me."

Her shot only slowed a tiny bit on the way to her lips and she kept her eyes locked onto his as she drank it down. "Fine."

He just stared at her, silently watching her ask the bartender for the entire bottle of Brennivin, and waiting until the bottle was in her hand before he lunged at her, scooping her into his arms and heading for the dance floor.

*

Dave heard Liz speaking to someone just outside the bedroom and grabbed the sheet from the bed, tying it around his waist before carefully opening the door. He wasn't exactly sure what he would be faced with, but she appeared impassive, lazily dropping her free hand from her face to look up at him while his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the sitting room and quickly told Travis she'd call him back. His own phone began to ring from in the bedroom, but he ignored it, much more concerned with what was in front of him.

"Coffee," she nodded to the cup on the table in front of her and moved her gaze out the window, apparently unable to look at him.

"Thanks" he muttered, leaning forward to pick it up before collapsing onto the couch beside her. "You wanna talk about it now or after we recover?"

"I think this little toga party is an appropriate time and place, don't you?" she gestured to the sheets they were wearing.

Fuck, she's pissed. "You sound just as surprised as I am," he tried.

"That's a diplomatic way of putting things."

Okay... Really pissed. "Fuck, Liz..."

"How's your finger?" she interrupted, her eyes snapping back to his.

Dave held up his hand, his fresh tattoo and ring glistening in the sunlight.

"Christ," she cringed and looked away again.

"How's your foot?"

Pulling the sheet away from her leg and lifting her foot towards him, he gently held her ankle and smiled at the little Gibson guitar just below her toes. It was a bit red around the perfect lake blue edges but healing fine.

"I like it," he said softly.

She ignored his comment and pulled her foot back to rest on the table. "Travis says we can get an annulment as soon as tomorrow morning. The county clerk's office is just a couple blocks off the strip and they're open Sundays."

What? Dave felt his heart leap into his throat and then apparently burst into flames because the pain made him whimper. He tried to cover it with a cough as Liz shoved off the couch and went to stand by the windows, keeping her back to him as much as possible.

He could understand why she was pissed, but he wasn't expecting her to want an annulment. "Okay," he whispered and quickly stood up. If he pretended like he was looking for his phone in the bedroom, she wouldn't catch on that he was about to lose it. It might not have been the most conventional way to go about getting married, but he meant everything he had said to her, high blood alcohol level or not and he thought she did too.

*

"Hawkins! Round everyone up! We're leaving!"

Taylor shook his head, too busy grinding on his wife on the dance floor to pay any attention to Dave with Liz in his arms clutching a bottle of booze.

"Fine!" Dave shouted over the music. "We'll be at the chapel by the Bellagio if you change your mind!"

There was a pause before Taylor suddenly pulled away from Allison, sending both of them crashing to the floor. "You're what?!"

"We're leaving!" Dave repeated, kicking his drummer's leg. "Hurry up!"

Liz held on for dear life to both Dave and the bottle of Brennivin as he ran through the crowded dance floor and out into the hotel where a long line of people still waiting to get in snaked around the hallway. They were noticed almost instantly, which wasn't at all surprising with the way they burst out of the bar in their costumes, and a large group of men clearly celebrating a bachelor party yelled out to them.

"Grohl! Come take a picture with us!"

"I can't, man!" he yelled over his shoulder with an elated laugh, "I'm getting married!"

Liz looked back as the crowd of people screamed in excitement and briefly wondered if maybe she should at least call her parents to warn them. She was trying to calculate how much time it would take for the news to hit TMZ as he ran them through the lobby and out onto the busy sidewalk of the Strip. Finally setting her down on her own feet, Dave held her shoulders as she swayed a bit, trying to keep her balance with a bottle in her hands.

"I'm serious about this, Liz."

"I know," she smiled and twisted the cap off the bottle to take a drink. "Me too."

The bottle had barely left her lips before he was on her, kissing the taste of unsweetened schnapps off of her.

"Disco!"

Dave ignored Taylor's yell and kissed her harder, telling himself he should have just kept running until they were in front of an ordained Elvis, but Liz pulled away just as Taylor and Ally skidded to a stop in front of them. She laughed a little at their concerned faces and handed the bottle to Dave when Josh, Brody, JB and Gass stumbled out of the casino behind them.

"Are you two sure about this?" Ally asked anxiously.

"I'm sure," Liz insisted, trying to sound as sober as possible and looked up at Dave. "Are you sure?"

"Yup. Very sure."

"Well, I'm sold," Taylor said sarcastically and threw his hands up as he turned away in frustration.

"Liz, honey...," Allison started, trying to come up with a good reason why this was a stupid idea. "You can't... You can't get married in a Halloween costume. Let's at least find you something-"

"Al, she's fine," Dave insisted, worried that if Liz left his side for even a moment she would change her mind.

"No," Liz said thoughtfully. "She's right. You and the guys go find a place and then text us the address. We'll be right behind you."

*

Dave found his phone on the nightstand and flipped through the missed calls and texts, mostly from Taylor but a few from Josh as well. Liz walked in as he was reading through them holding a large white gift bag tied with a dark purple ribbon and tossed it on the bed.

"We have our first gift," she muttered bitterly, making him feel even worse.

"They're at the pool," Dave replied, trying to change the subject to cheer her up even just a little. "They want us down there as soon as we... stop...," he trailed off unable to read Taylor's crude text out loud to Liz.

"Gross," she finally laughed a little and began pulling items from the bag. A white bikini, a bottle of champagne, a headband with a veil and black shorts which she threw at Dave's chest. "Let's get this over with."

Back out in the upstairs living room, he went through as many bottles of water as he could while he waited for Liz to change. He was just beginning to feel a bit less like death when the bedroom door opened and she walked out in the simple white bikini while adjusting the veil in her hair.

"You look..."

She laughed a bit and turned around, shaking her hips so the sunlight sparkled off the rhinestones spelling out Mrs. Grohl on her ass. "Like every other drunk girl that got married on a Friday night in Vegas? I know, but when in Rome, right?" she raised an eyebrow at his black shorts that had 'Mr. Colbert' written in silver script down the leg, "Those are fucking terrible."

"I thought we were getting this over with," he grumbled. All he wanted to do was get in the pool, get rid of his hangover and figure out how to get her in a better mood.

Liz snapped her sunglasses down to cover her eyes and forced a smile, "After you, honey."

*

"Who gives this complete fox of a biker babe to be wed to the most kickass drummer and front man the world has ever seen? .... Sorry, Hawkins."

Taylor just shook his head and grinned at Jack. "No, man. I totally agree."

Josh cleared his throat and gently laid his hand over Liz's as they stood in front of Jack with Dave and Taylor to their right and Ally and Brody to their left. "My wife and I do, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Hawkins, and I'm assuming you and Mr. Kyle Gass over there."

Liz finally looked away from Dave and glanced over at Kyle as he sat in the front pew clutching a tissue and waving at her. She stifled a giggle and looked back to Dave to find he was doing the same.

"Great," Jack nodded and waved them up onto the stage while reaching for the binder Taylor was holding behind his back. "Let's do this!"  

Josh led Liz onto the same step as Dave and gave first her and then Dave a tight hug before retreating to Brody's side.

"Hey," Dave whispered once her hands were in his. "You're beautiful."

She beamed up at him, happy tears threatening to flood her eyes. "You found another suit!" she whispered back, trying to keep from ruining her makeup.

"Yeah, I figured if I'm stuck with an Oscar winner I might as well have a backup."

"Good call, babe," she giggled, then snapped to attention when Jack loudly closed the rings in the binder. She shot Dave a little smile then turned to face Jack, slipping her arm around her groom's waist as his arm found it's place his bride's shoulders.

"All right! Let's get this party started!" Jack announced and began flipping through the laminated sheets in his hands. "Either of you Lutheran?"

Dave and Liz both shook their heads and he continued flipping pages.

"Irish?"

"Only in their bloodstreams," Josh muttered, complete with an 'oof' when Brody elbowed him in the ribs.

"Oh! Here!" Jack carelessly tossed the discarded papers over his shoulder and held the chosen one out dramatically, "It's written for two dudes, but we'll make it work. Elizabeth, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to David in marriage?"

"Absolutely."

“David, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Elizabeth in marriage?”

"Hell yeah, I do."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 99

"What are you doing the weekend before Halloween?"

Liz pinned her phone against her shoulder and spun away from the boxes she was packing full of kitchen towels to check the calendar stuck to the side of her fridge. "Um... Jack has a party at school on Friday, but it's in the morning. What's up?"

"I told JB and Kyle I'd play their Vegas show. You wanna go? Josh and Brody are going, too."

"I'm down if you are," she frowned a little when she heard him laugh. "What?"

"Nothing, weirdo. I gotta go, are we still on for later?"

"Yep, I'll see you then."

"Hey, Liz?" he parked his van next to Nate's SUV and grinned into the phone.

"Yeah, what?"

"Fourteen days," he said sweetly, then laughed at her annoyed sigh and the sound of her hanging up on him. It had only been a week since CalJam and six days since they decided to buy a fucking house together, but Dave couldn't wait to get moved in. He had been throwing money at the banks in an attempt to get them to speed up the purchase and so far, his investment was worth it. The entire process was running smoothly and they were scheduled to pick up the keys in just two weeks.

He had made it to the studio's side door when his phone beeped and he took a second to check it. "Oh fuck," he groaned at Liz's text, unaware that Taylor had come out to meet him.

Do you like this? Should we keep it for a guest room? Liz asked, accompanied by a picture of a large antique mirror and her standing in front of it wearing only a lace bralette and silk pajama pants.

"What? Let me see!" Taylor insisted, snatching Dave's phone out of his hand. "Whoa," he chuckled. "Fuck is right!"

Dave grabbed his phone back and glared at him, only slightly annoyed as he followed him inside and tapped out a reply text.

I love it and I'm keeping it in the master bedroom with me. Not so sure about that mirror though...

"Any updates on the house?" Taylor asked, walking beside him down the long hallway to Dave's office.

"We close in two weeks... sooner if I can hack it," Dave unlocked the door and held it for his drummer, rolling his eyes when he went straight for the fridge in the corner. His phone chimed again and he grinned at the photo of Liz in the same spot in front of the mirror except now she was smiling and flipping him off. Such a fucking brat.

"So what was the clincher?" Taylor grabbed a beer for Dave and a water for himself before flopping onto the deep leather couch against the far wall. "What made her change her mind all of a sudden?"

"Fuck if I know," Dave happily took the beer and cracked it open as he woke up his computer. "I'm just stoked she did." Truthfully, he didn't know what had made her come around, but he had gone over it thousands of times in his head and narrowed it down to one of three options. One; the house was too perfect for the two of them to pass up, two; Brody had said something to change her mind, or three; she had just come around on her own. He was leaning towards option one, but something in his gut told him that Brody had put in a good word or two.

"Well, I'm fuckin' happy for you, man," Taylor said softly. "You both deserve it."

"Yeah, now I just have to figure out how to keep her around once she gets sick of me," Dave muttered and shoved on his glasses to see his calendar better. "Ready to nail this festival shit down?"

"You already know my blackout dates. The kid's and Allison's birthdays and then August when the baby shows up."

Dave slumped back into his chair and peered over the top of his glasses at Taylor. In the excitement of buying that house, he had totally spaced Liz's surrogacy.

"You forgot, didn't you," Taylor mumbled.

"I didn't forget," Dave grumbled, yanking open the top drawer of his desk to find a cigarette. There was something infinitely soothing about being able to smoke inside again, in the comfort of his own office. "I just... spaced it."

"She's gotta get that IUD out within the next couple weeks, man," Taylor said, his voice sounding a little panicky. "You can't be forgetting shit!"

"How the hell...?" Dave shot forward in his chair, alarmed that Taylor even knew about it.

"Dude, come on," Taylor chuckled. "I was at the appointment the other day."

"She had a fucking pelvic exam, T!"

"Who do you think did the exam?"

"You fucking asshole," Dave slumped back again and chuckled once he finally caught on to the joke while blacking out all of August for himself and Taylor.

*

He knew she had arrived when the cameras outside the restaurant lit up like the sun and the in-house security hustled out the front doors like the secret service. Then she breezed in with a bright smile, wearing a black slip dress, her leather jacket and heels, thanking security and scanning the busy restaurant before her eyes fell on him.

"Hey," she greeted him with a kiss and ignored the burst of flashes outside the window trying to capture it. "Were you waiting long?"

"Almost fifty fucking years, Elizabeth," he grinned at her, noticing the top of her dress was a delicate lace with very little to nothing underneath.

"Oh dear," she whispered, her eyes glittering in the dim light. "Maybe I spent too much time on my hair..."

"Yeah, that sounds like you," he grumbled, unable to keep from hassling her.

"But you wore your only suit for me!" she threw back at him, running her hands down the front of the dark blue lapels, knowing the one he had worn at the Oscars was definitely black.

"And you wore your nightgown!"

"Just shut up and feed me, David," she laughed, hooking her arm through his and hugging it tightly against her as they were led to their quiet, candlelit table.

"So, Vegas?" she asked once the waiter had settled them with wine and stepped away.

"Yeah, Taylor and Allison are in now, too. We got rooms at The Cosmo," he gave a cursory glance at the menu, already knowing exactly what he wanted.

"I don't know if I've ever been there," Liz didn't even pick up her menu. She had mentioned craving steak the night before and he had gasped in giddy excitement before leaping out of her bed to make reservations.

"It's probably the only tolerable place in Vegas anymore," he explained. "We played a gig there last year."

"Is that where you're playing on Friday?"

"Yup. Same theater, too. JB set us up with a suite and a car service so we don't have to drive all the way there."

"... oh," her eyes cast down into her wine as she ran her fingernail along the thin stem.

"What?" he asked, worried that she was about to back out.

"I was thinking maybe we could take the bikes. It's only four hours... Or is the weather bad this time of year in the desert?"

He stared at her over the candles and wine glasses, wondering how mad she would be if he dragged her under the table and ruined her dress. "Weather's fine," he whispered, then cleared his throat. "Josh and Brody will want to come with, though."

"Ooooh, that sounds fun! Are you gonna ride with Josh or is Josh gonna ride with you?"

Dave caught the waiter approaching out of the corner of his eye and waited until he within earshot before replying, "He'll probably ride with me. That's if you don't mind him dry humping my back for four hours."

The waiter awkwardly stopped at their table and a deep blush spread across Liz's chest and cheeks. "No, I don't mind, darling," she said sweetly and picked up her menu. "You two use those engine vibrations to your best advantage. Now, which steak was I supposed to get?"

*

"Oh, I see. We finally make a massive financial decision together and then you reveal who you truly are."

Liz grabbed a cupcake off of Jack's school desk and shoved it at Dave's face. "Put this in your face so the words stop coming out," she giggled and pulled her witch's hat down tighter on her head.

He had ducked into Jack's classroom after helping at both Violet and Harper's Halloween parties, finding the first grade classroom much more chaotic than the older kid's. Jack bounded over in his Darth Vader costume and wrapped himself around Dave in an excited hug.

"There's so many other Darth's here, Dave!" Jack beamed, "But I'm the only original Darth!"

"I'm glad you like it, buddy," he laughed and tapped the mask that his mother had saved for years in event of a grandchild wanting to wear it. "It doesn't still smell like beer, does it?"

"No," Jack giggled. "Your mommy washed it for me."

"Hey, bud," Liz came over carrying a half empty tray of cupcakes. "We're gonna jet, okay? Have fun rest of the day and remember Uncle T is picking you up after school."

Jack let go of Dave to throw his arms around Liz. "And Daddy too, right?"

Dave felt his breath catch in his throat. Kyle getting out of rehab was news to him...

Liz gave Jack a tight smile and adjusted the mask on his face. "Hopefully. Remember, he has to follow all the rules all day and if he can't, he has to stay at the doctor."

Jack only nodded, satisfied with her answer. "Can I go play now?"

"Yes," she laughed and kissed the top of his Darth Vader mask, leaving a perfect pink lip print on the black plastic. "I love you, we'll call you tonight and we'll see you Monday."

Dave shot her an expectant look as she stood and handed him the tray of cupcakes. "I'll tell you in the car," she whispered. "Travis sprung it on me this morning."

Once they were in the safety of his truck, she sighed and pulled off her pointed black hat then ran her fingers through her hair. "Kyle's therapist thinks a weekend at home would be beneficial, so he's going to stay at the house while we're in Vegas," she said it quickly, but there was an edge to her voice making him look over at her.

"Alone? With the boys?" Where the hell is he going to sleep? Cause he sure as hell won't be sleeping in our bed... a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth despite the concern he felt. ... Our bed had such a wonderful ring to it.

"Travis is going to stay, but... yes," she gave a half hearted shrug and stared out her window, unable to look him in the eye. He knew she was struggling, trying to keep her fear for the boy's safety from overflowing while convincing him this was all okay, and he had to keep his cool.  

"We don't have to go," he said gently and reached over to hold her hand. "We can stay home and keep the boys with us at my place and just take them over to visit him during the day."

"That was my first reaction, too," she sighed deeply and finally looked over at him. "But we need to go. I have to show him that I can trust him or else he's never going to figure his life out."

"I have to be honest with you, Liz. I'm not super comfortable with this."

"Me either," she said quietly and tried to discreetly wipe away her tears. "We're only staying ten minutes from the airport and it's only an hour flight, so if anything happens we can be there quicker than if we were driving from the Valley."

Dave smiled a bit and parked the truck in her driveway. "You've thought this through."

"Been researching all morning."

They got the truck unloaded of Halloween party paraphernalia and he sat on the edge of her bed as she tossed clothes out of her closet to pack.

"Are you okay with wandering around Vegas without Travis as your shadow? Wait-," he smiled when she poked her head out of the closet. "Is Travis okay with you wandering around Vegas without him as your shadow?"

"He said I'd be fine as long as I stuck with you, Taylor and Josh," she laughed. "So if I get arrested, it's on you three."

"I can't think of anyone better to share a cell with, Elizabeth."

"Ugh," she yelled back, her voice muffled by the clothes hanging around her, "Just drown me in the Bellagio fountain."

*

Liz stood up on her pegs to give her arms a little rest and heard Dave rev his engine at her. They had just crossed the Nevada state line and could see the last set of sandy hills that blocked their view of Las Vegas. She wiggled her hips at him and sat back in the saddle to shake out her arms.

"You need to stop?"

She jolted and gasped at the sound of Dave's voice in her earbuds and took a second to calm herself before hitting the two way back to him.

"No, we're almost there. I'll be fine."

There was a slight delay then his voice broke over her music again.

"Then quit shaking your ass at me or else I'm not gonna make it."

She ripped her hand off the grip to flip him off over her shoulder and giggled when he revved his engine at her again. At first she had been annoyed that he was bringing up the rear of their little caravan, keeping his Road King at a safe distance behind her Triumph and Josh's Electra, but he had taken every opportunity to ride beside her when it was safe letting her know he trusted her ability. And she had been skeptical when he installed the two way apps on their phones, telling her he just wanted to send her a playlist and listen to it with her, but now she was enjoying the fact that he was just a tap of a bluetooth button away, even if she was still getting used to another voice invading her normally quiet rides.

Brody's arms shot up in celebration when they cruised past the Vegas sign, then wrapped around Josh in an excited hug while Dave piped over Liz's music yet again.

"You ready for this?"

She looked over at him as he stopped beside her at a light and gave him a quote from one of her favorite authors, "For what? Checking into a Vegas hotel under a phony name with the intent to commit capital fraud with a head full of acid?"

"Oh, Elizabeth," he grinned at her, "Vegas with Josh is way crazier than anything Thompson and Dr. Gonzo got up to."

"Oh boy," she groaned, happy she had decided to wear her full face helmet and tinted visor so he couldn't see her face. This might be a bad idea, she thought.

*

"Holy... fuck, David!" Liz stopped short in the doorway when she saw the interior of the room, though it wasn't a hotel room in any normal sense of the word. It opened up into a large living room with floor to ceiling windows looking out over a private pool and bar where Josh was already busy loading his arms with drinks.

"Don't get mad at me!" he said, throwing his hands up defensively. "JB booked it all and I can almost guarantee these rooms were comped."

She glared at him anyway and wandered further into the room while he overtipped the guys that had carried their bags. A curved staircase gracefully led her up to the second level where a smaller sitting room held another bar and deep couches. Two fogged glass doors opened into the bedroom with a massive bed and a large balcony that overlooked the private pool area and the Bellagio fountains beyond it. The entire suite, or bungalow as the room service menus referred to it, was a pleasing mix of retro and modern Vegas, post-modern lines and shapes in dark greys, bright whites and deep purples. She took a minute to dig through her bags, setting out the dress she was planning on wearing that night and went to watch the fountains dance in the distance when Dave came up the steps with drinks.

"Homme's are to our right and the Hawkins' are to our left," he told her, handing her a whiskey sour. "JB and Gass are on the otherside of bar. Pool is all ours for the weekend."

"Rock star perks," she smiled and sipped her drink, resolving not to give him a hard time about luxury for once. She had fully expected a whiskey sour to hit her tongue, but was surprised when she tasked coffee, bourbon and a hint of orange. "Oh no," she whispered and took another long drink.

"Yeah," Dave grinned and took the now half empty glass from her hand. "Josh's specialty. You gotta take it slow with these."

"That has no right tasting as good as it does," she pouted as he set the glass on the nightstand.

"No, and he's going to hand these to you left and right, so I'm serious about taking it slow."

"Yes, sir," she called after him as he left the room. In the 45 minutes she had been inside the hotel, no less than five drinks had been handed to her and she was bracing for the effects.

Dave walked back into the bedroom holding a black garment bag out to her, making her frown. "This is yours," he said casually, before moving towards the door again.

"What the fuck is this?" Liz asked, holding the wire hanger with one finger and eyeing it suspiciously.

"It's your costume."

"My what?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, and did you forget that I'm an adult?" she tossed the bag on the bed next to the outfit she had already laid out and put her hands on her hips. "I can buy my own candy. I don't need to dress up and go door to door anymore."

"It came from a porn shop if that makes you feel any better," he said blithly.

Liz's jaw dropped and her hair fanned out as she whipped around to him. "David!"

"Look, baby," he said with a sickeningly sweet tone and crossed the room to put his arms around her waist. "I picked it out just for you."

She frowned, but leaned her back into his chest. "At a porn shop. Do they even still have those? You know the internet is a thing, right?"

"Yeah, I couldn't find what I was looking for," he grumbled and kissed her shoulder. He had several favorite parts of her body, but the spot where her shoulder met her neck was definitely in the top five. Every time he kissed her there she fell apart in his arms.

"What is it?" she sighed, just as he predicted.

"Open it and see," he said, stepping away from her so fast that she had to catch her balance. "I have to make a couple calls, okay? Come down when you're ready."

Liz didn't answer, just waited until she was alone before taking the bag into the bathroom and locking herself inside.

*

"We can do New Years, but I'm not doing anything from December 15th to the 30th. Those are blackout dates, Silva. Do you hear me?"

Dave squinted through his glasses at the calendar on his laptop. His mom's Christmas party was the 24th, he had the girls the evening of the 25th and he wanted the rest of the time to just be with Liz. She had mentioned spending time at the beach house and at the moment that sounded like heaven, cloistering themselves away from anything and everything that was a distraction from the two of them. Though that was before they found the house...

John was shouting something back through the phone when movement at the top of the steps caught his eye. He glanced up at Liz's backlit shape and then back down at this computer before she completely manifested in his brain and his eyes shot up again.

"Jo- John... I'll... I have to call you back, man."

He ended the call and flung the phone across the couch, his eyes never leaving her. She slowly descended the stairs, well aware of the look on his face.

"You're so goddamn lucky I had shoes that matched," she grumbled, stopping at the very last step. She tried to sound annoyed, but couldn't help laugh at the look on his face.

"What shoes?" he asked, coming closer to get a better look at her. "You're wearing shoes?"

The 1940's pinup style military uniform fit her like it had been custom made for her. The green shirt dress laced up the front with a bright pink satin bow and had little patches sewn on the chest and arm; they had been generic things like wings and stripes, but he had replaced a few of them with band pins he had laying around including one from Queens and Chevy Metal. She had pinned the matching side cap into her hair, tilting it to the side to show off her victory rolls in her long auburn curls. Even her makeup was 40's glam and he wondered if he could get her to rock the red lipstick look more often.

"I haven't done the slutty Halloween thing in years, David. I look like a stripper named Memphis Belle," she muttered and flicked the patch on his green jumpsuit when he was close enough. "Yours is decidedly less revealing. What is this, Top Gun merch?"

"Maybe," he leaned in to kiss her neck, but she only allowed him one before pushing him away and strutting to the bar where her bag sat. He growled a little when he saw the way the dress moved when she walked and hurried to meet her, unable to keep his hands off of her for another second. Pulling her hair off her neck and kissing her just behind the ear, she jumped a little when he reached down and snapped the strap on her barely hidden garter belt that held up her back seam stockings. "I didn't buy you these."

"No," she spun to face him and softly kissed his lips. "These were for an entirely different outfit not meant for public consumption."

She yelped when he suddenly picked her up by the backs of her thighs and dropped her on the back of the couch. "We're staying in tonight," he muttered, trying to pull at the pink ribbon holding her dress together.

"The fuck we are!" she laughed, swatting him away. "You wanted me to wear this, so I'm wearing it! We're already late, Goose. Let's go."

Dave pouted, but helped her off the couch anyway. "Why the hell do I have to be Goose?"

"Because Goose is more fun to say," she shrugged and grabbed her phone and ID off the bar. "Here. You're the one wearing cargo shorts as an entire outfit, you can hold all my stuff."

*

Ally stepped into the hallway that joined all of their bungalows together, at first looking a little apprehensive, but relaxed once she saw Liz coming towards her. "Oh thank god. I thought I was the only one who had a teenager for a husband."

Liz laughed at that and threw her arm around Ally's bare shoulders, careful to avoid her bunny ears. "Such a cliché fantasy, Hawkins" she admonished Taylor as he shut the door behind them wearing a silk robe and slippers.

"I don't care what you two call me as long as I get to go home with this particular bunny tonight," he laughed and reached forward to flick the fluffy tail pinned to the back of Ally's corseted suit.

"Why is it," Ally asked when Dave walked up, "that we have to wear push up bras and heels when you two get to wander around in your pajamas?"

Taylor and Dave looked at each other's costumes as if this were a revelation and shrugged.

"It's okay," Liz whispered to Allison, leaning into her so the guys couldn't overhear. "Just sway your hips when you walk." She steered them back down the hallway and they walked just a few steps before they heard a pained groan from both Taylor and Dave.

"It's gonna be a long night, boys," Ally laughed.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 98

Sleep had evaded him completely and though he had tried to get comfortable, his tossing and turning finally irritated Liz enough that she rolled to the other side of the bed in an exhausted huff. Trying to be as quiet as he could while still under the effects of Crown Royale, he threw on a clean shirt and shorts and slipped out of the bus.

The night kept replaying in his mind, over and over as he analyzed every second and wondered if maybe he was reading too far into things.

"David!"

His head snapped up at Liz's mother's greeting and awkwardly accepted her hug as Josh, Jack Black and Kyle Gass hightailed it to the bar to avoid interrupting their conversation. 'Thanks, guys,' he thought bitterly and offered Nancy Josh's vacated chair.

She glanced at it briefly and shook her head. "Oh no, dear. How about a drink?"

"Sure," he said quickly and led her to the bar, worried he might not have any alcohol she'd like. She wore a pink cardigan, pearls, dark jeans and ballet flats, more the picture of a woman asking for a white wine spritzer than shots of jaeger.

But, she was Liz's mother after all, and she examined the back bar with a shrewd eye before asking for the entire bottle of Crown Royal. "Cheers," she murmured with a smile, tapping her shot glass against his and downing it before immediately pouring more. "So tell me, David. Why are you dating my daughter?"

He neared Taylor and Allison's bus, then stopped short when he heard the faint rhythmic creak of the suspension and rolled his eyes.

"Worse than rabbits," he grumbled and weighed his options. Nate, Pat, and Chris were most likely asleep, Rami's bus was probably getting its alignment blown out as well, leaving him with Josh.

He stumbled along, swearing at the uneven ground and three buses over, he knocked loudly on Josh's door. There was some crashing and swearing before the door swung open and he was greeted with a platinum grin. "Dr. G..."

A bottle of tequila, an open journal, a laptop, and a guitar lay around the table where Josh resumed his place and watched his friend expectantly.

"You writing already?" Dave asked, flopping onto the couch across from him.

"Just getting some shit out of my head," he explained and reclined back in the booth. "Missing my girl, I guess."

"Yeah...," Dave sat back on the leather couch and raked his hand through his hair. The whiskey Liz's mom had fed him was still coursing through his veins but was manageable now.

Josh studied him for a moment before grabbing the bottle of tequila and offering it to him. "What's on your mind, dude? You're a fucking wreck."

Any reservations he had about spilling everything to Josh instantly dissipated and he gladly took the bottle. "Her parents are fucking amazing," he groaned. "Her dad... fuck, dude! I would have killed for a dad like that growing up. And her mom-"

"Her mom's hot!" Josh barked a laugh. "And you know all women grow up to be their mother, you lucky son of a bitch. You're gonna be 80 with a Helen Mirren in your bed."

A pang of fear crashed into Dave's chest, the same one he had felt at the bar with Nancy just hours earlier. "I don't know, man..." he felt himself crumble under the weight, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop the flood of tears that hovered below the surface. "I just... I don't think she wants that."

"Liz or her mom?"

"Liz," his voice broke at her name and he angrily scrubbed away the tears. "Every time we reach a... a..."

"Milestone?"

"Yeah. Every time I try to move us forward, she flips. She won't move in with me, she won't... The last time we fought she ran out on me... fled the fucking continent on me and... fuck, dude," he broke, unable to stop the tears this time. "I want all of her so badly but it's like she's only willing to give me so much."

Josh slid out of the booth and perched on the edge of the couch next to Dave, throwing a supportive arm around his shoulders. "Her ex was a fucking tool wasn't he?"

Dave only nodded, letting his hair fall forward to hide his tears.

"Remember when Brody and I finally hooked up? She was a certifiable head case for months because of Tim and I just rode the crazy wave until it finally broke. And she pushed me, man! Remember when she showed up at the studio drunk off her ass and tried to fight me? You had to hold her back and talk her down like a rabid badger." Josh chuckled at the memory and sat back on the couch, eyeing Dave's hunched shoulders. "I don't really have a point here, dude. I'm just telling you that I understand."

"Thanks," Dave sighed, feeling even more confused than before.

"But Brody came around," Josh added quietly. "We both came off tour, things settled down and she realized I wasn't going anywhere no matter how crazy she got. Next thing I knew, she was asking me how I felt about getting married for Christmas."

Dave just shook his head, unable to even imagine Liz doing anything like that. It was just so unlikely. "Is Brody still up for tomorrow?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Josh chuckled. "She's nervous as hell."

*

He sipped his coffee, watching Liz wake up for the second morning in a row. She slowly opened her eyes, lost in the momentary confusion of where she was before picking her head up off the pillow to find his side of the bed empty. He laughed softly at her sleepy panic, holding up the cup of coffee he had made her when she found him watching her from the doorway.

Stepping around the side of the bed, he handed her the cup and sat beside her. "Morning, babe."

"Morning," she muttered, sitting up against the headboard. "Do you always watch me sleep like that?"

"Yup," he finished his coffee and shoved off the bed to begin to rifling through his suitcase, tossing clothes onto the bed at her feet.

She frowned and whispered into her coffee, "Weirdo."

He just laughed and began to get dressed, holding up her favorite surf shop hat to let her know he was taking it.

"You feeling okay?" she asked.

"My head is fucking pounding, but all that Advil you stuffed down my throat last night helped," he returned to his spot next to her to pull on his shoes then leaned over to kiss her. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"If it were up to anyone else, you'd probably be somewhere out in the desert half naked and cuddling a cactus."

He shrugged and hopped off the bed, holding his hand out to help her up. "Wouldn't be the first time. Let's go introduce the kids."

*

Liz held Owen tightly against her and followed her father down the row of tents as Jack sat proudly on his shoulders. She kept her eyes focused on the tent Dave had reserved as private for this specific occasion and tried to calm herself down.

Even if they don't get along right away, they can always learn, she told herself. Maybe with time they'll be able to share holidays and weekends and-

Shutting down her thoughts before she went into a full-on panic attack, she stopped outside the tent where Dave was waiting for them and took a deep breath as Steve handed Jack to him.

"Good luck," Steve whispered, giving her a quick kiss on the top of the head and Dave a slap on the back before he left them to it.

Dave reached for Liz's hand and squeezed it tightly, silently telling her that she looked just as nervous as she felt. "It's gonna be okay, babe."

She only had a moment to nod before he led them inside and Phee squealed from her spot at a low table.

"Oh, he's just little!"

Liz set Owen down on the grass and crouched beside him, keeping a reassuring hand on his back when Phee skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Hi Owen, I'm Phee," she said quickly, almost all her baby teeth on display with how wide she was smiling. "Daddy says you like trucks so we got a firetruck book! And I can read it to you! The words are really easy, you just look at the pictures."

"Owen," Liz said slowly and gently, "Would you like to-"

"Firetruck!" he yelped and clapped his hands, reaching out for Phee and the book she was holding.

Feeling a little obsolete, Liz looked up at Dave as their two youngest children toddled off hand in hand to the short table covered in crayons, books, and paper.

"See?" he grinned and set Jack in a chair, helping him prop up his cast while Liz set his crutches aside.

"Yeah," she murmured and ran her fingers through Jack's hair. "Where's Jordyn?"

"Hung the fuck over," Dave laughed, then winced when he realized Jack was listening. "Sorry, dude."

"It's cool," Jack smiled, then turned his attention to Violet when she walked up. "Hey, Violet."

"Hey, Jack. I heard you had to have surgery after all."

Dave and Liz stood together in stunned silence as their eldest children had a casual conversation about the color of his cast and how green jello tasted better than orange.

"Hold up-," Dave interrupted when he couldn't stand it any longer.

"You two already know each other?" Liz finished for him, taking the words directly out of his mouth.

They both turned to look at Liz and Dave as if they had asked the stupidest question possible. "Uh, yeah," Violet rolled her eyes. "I was right there when he busted his leg."

"She told me not to move it until my teacher came and got me," Jack added.

"Cool... cool," Dave nodded, then stepped back to Liz's side to whisper at her, "Did you know that?"

Liz shook her head slowly, still trying to figure out what was going on when Harper ran up with a box full of markers.

"Can we color on Jack's cast?" she asked eagerly.

"You cool with that, Jack?" Liz called to him, then nodded at Harper when he gave a thumbs up.

Dave and Liz sat together in the corner of the quiet tent, hands joined under the table as they sipped their coffees and watched their kids color and talk amongst themselves. It was peaceful, maybe even relaxing, but a voice in the back of Liz's mind was screaming at her.

It's all too perfect.

*

Dave kept an eye on Liz while pretending to watch Krist's band play the main stage. She was just off stage left with her mother, sitting in camping chairs and apparently deep in a tense conversation by the way Liz's arms were crossed and her lips pursed in a thin line. Though her mirrored sunglasses were on, he felt her eyes on him and he subtly raised an eyebrow from his spot at stage right, receiving a short nod in response telling him she had everything handled.

Still, his boozy conversation with her mother the night before hovered in the back of his mind.

"My daughter moved herself and my grandchildren two thousand miles from home for you and I'm curious as to why," Nancy said casually. She wasn't condescending or sneering, possibly just genuinely curious as to what he had to offer.

"Well...," Dave started, quickly realizing he was too far gone on Crown when she offered him yet another shot. "She made that decision all on her own."

A raised eyebrow, so much like Liz's and then subtle head tilt, "And she didn't move in with you?"

Dave snorted a laugh. "No, but believe me the offer was, and still is, on the table."

"I fucking hate Malibu," she grumbled into her shot glass and then put it away like it was apple juice.

"Yeah," Dave tossed his own whiskey back, knowing he'd pay dearly later, "Me too."

"Dave?" He snapped out of his fog and stared at Krist who was holding out a set of drumsticks to him. "You up for Star Machine?"

Settling behind the kit, he took a cursory glance at the screaming crowd then looked to Liz where she, her mother and now her father were all smiling proudly at him before he played the opening riff. He felt a strange sense of pride, a little like what he felt when his kids and his mom were at a show, but... different.

*

The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky and Iggy Pop's baritone drifted across the backstage tents, indicating Dave only had about an hour until he had to start getting ready. He and Liz were in the middle of the family tent, never moving more than a few feet from each other in a wordless dance that told him she knew he was on edge. Both her siblings and Dave's sister along with their respective families had arrived and everyone had been properly introduced, adding another layer of insulation against the emotional weight that was bearing down on him.

Dave kept his arm around Liz as she spoke with Lisa, knowing it was awkward, but having her beside him felt necessary and he found himself gravitating to her if she moved too far away. He wasn't especially proud of how needy he felt, but he couldn't exactly deny it anymore. There were far too many emotions wrapped up in the looming reunion, the stress of running the entire festival, meeting her family and the kids that the strain was beginning to be too much. He stared into his beer cup, running through the night's setlist that was essentially a timeline of his life when her hand left his.

"I'm gonna go talk to your mom for a minute, okay?" she said softly. "I'll just be right over there."

He smiled when his mother lit up a the sight of her and watched them greet each other with a long hug and laughter when a large hand landed on his shoulder.

"David?" Steve asked with an enigmatic smile. "I know you're a busy man, but could I borrow you for a moment?"

His heart nosedived into his stomach and he nodded, catching Liz's confused stare as they left her behind in the tent.

*

Liz was walking just behind Ally and Josie up the narrow steps to the side of the stage when she heard Dave call her name. Thinking maybe he had forgotten something and needed her to retrieve it, she jogged over to where the band was waiting, instruments at the ready.

"What's up?" she asked, feeling incredibly uncomfortable that she was interrupting a strictly band moment.

Dave turned away from Taylor and dove towards her, grabbing her face in his hands as his Gibson slammed into her hips. "You know how much I love you, right?"

"I love you, too," she gripped his arms as hard as he was holding her, trying to appear happy instead of showing the sudden panic she felt. "I'll be just to your left the whole time."

She had meant it to be comforting knowing that he was on edge, but he frowned and let her go, leaving her next to an equally confused Taylor.

"What's going on?" he hissed at her.

"I was hoping you knew!" she whispered back, then plastered on a smile when Dave ran back and held her tightly once again, this time he kissing her with a distinct sense of desperation.

"Go with Gus," he said sharply once he let her go.

Taylor and Liz both spoke at the same time with equal confusion. "What?"

Dave looked between the two of them, struggling to explain when Gus lumbered up. "Two-minute warning," he barked, sending Dave and Taylor into motion.

Dave bundled Liz back into his arms, repeating his 'I love you' as she helplessly watched Taylor dart away like a scared rabbit. "I love you, too, Dave," she said. "Is everything okay?"

He gave no answer, just dropping his arms from around her and stepping back to give her one last look before following Taylor and the rest of his band. Seeing her chance, Liz hurried back to Allison and Josie as they waited on the steps and was just feet away when Gus's hand clamped over her arm.

"Liz, Dave wants you with me," he said simply.

"What?" Ally stared at Gus with wide eyes, then over at Liz with the same expression. No one sat stage right during their show. That was Gus's spot, the spot where the techs watched closely for broken strings or a stuck pedal, the spot that Dave sat to watch Taylor's drum solo in peace with other the distraction of family or kids or...

"Dave wants her stage right," Gus repeated with a shrug, clearly just as bewildered as they were.

"Um... So I guess I'll see you after?" Ally asked, skipping down the steps and giving Liz a quick hug.

"Yeah, okay," Liz nodded and swallowed hard, shakily picking up her beer once she was alone with Gus.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice a bit softer than his normal brusqueness.

"I guess... where will I be out of the way?"

Gus chuckled at that and wound the strap of his flashlight around his wrist, but didn't answer, just shined the beam of light at the steps and urged her ahead. She didn't realize it until she hit the top of the steps, but stage right was far more exposed than the left and the crowd that had managed a spot at the rail cheered in excitement when they spotted her. She was just one step closer to Dave, an indication that they were about to be in the presence of a legend.

Gus pointed to a low equipment box and she sat, trying to make herself as small as possible in the open space and just hoped that she would be ignored by the crowd once the band came out. She spied her parents across the dark stage and despite the anxiety she felt, smiled at how excited they looked. Her dad threw his arm around her mom and kissed her cheek, whispering something to her that made her laugh. Liz felt her heart soar, knowing that Dave was able to give them back a bit of their youth and that they could relive the place where they had met in 1974 and then, four years later in 1978, made things official with Steve asking Nancy to marry him during the Bob Welch set. It took her a couple seconds, but it finally hit her.

Oh, shit.

Feeling as if she had been hit with a ten-ton truck full of white gowns and catering menus, she whipped back around to where Gus was standing with a guitar tech, adjusting the set list with a ten minute gap.

*

They blasted through the first fix or six songs, closing out Rope when Taylor's kit began to rise from downstage. Dave shrugged off his guitar and handed it to his tech, hurrying out of sight to give Taylor the spotlight for a few songs. He had been looking forward to the cooler shows in the fall since those blistering hot summer festivals in Europe were unbearably hot, especially when he insisted on wearing black jeans and shirts on stage.

Liz was perched on an amp case just beside the large red digital clock and his guitar tech's workstation, looking back with her hair obscuring her face. His lighter and pack of Parliaments were just beside her, waiting as they always were for his break mid-show. He picked them up and dug for a smoke but she nudged his arm, plucking the fresh cigarette from her lips and handing it to him. It was a simple gesture, but the moment he tasted her vanilla chapstick he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was watching Taylor intensely with a forced smile on her lips, her heel bouncing against the stage and her thumbs tapping gently on her thighs along to his tempo when Dave grabbed her chin and pulled her to him, kissing her in full view of the crowd. The fans against the rails that were watching screamed louder and veered their phone's camera to the make out session just off stage while several lurid suggestions were thrown out to them, making Liz press her hand into Dave's chest. She pushed him away and he looked down at her, worried he had upset her.

"Not here," she shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "Whatever it is you're doing or going to do, please... not here."

"Liz..." he brushed her tears away with his thumbs, startled by her sudden meltdown.

"Just, Dave... I'm not-"

"Dave!" Gus called from his spot just beside them. "Thirty seconds!"

"Yeah, hang on!" he called back, keeping his eyes on her.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm not... I'm not ready."

He tried his hardest to hide it, but he knew she could read his mind when her face fell and threw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered.

"Twenty seconds," Gus warned.

Dave held her tightly as long as he could, worried that the moment he let her go she would bolt. He felt her deep, shaking breath before she pushed herself back and forced a smile on her face.

"Go," she insisted, her eyes darting to his incoming guitar tech. "Have fun."

*

He had been looking forward to the afterparty ever since the 'reunion' had been nailed down. He wanted to get through his last set with Krist, Pat, John, and Joan if only to put the rumors to rest for another five or six years. The songs were like muscle memory for him even after almost twenty-five years, but they never seemed to stop the ache from seeping through, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself it was all cathartic. He and Josh were mostly through a bottle of tequila, laughing about old times and discussing future plans as people built the nerve to interrupt them and strike up a conversation. Liz and Brody were sitting close together on some couch the party company he had hired brought in, holding their red keg cups and leaning in when the other would talk, clearly in a serious discussion about something.

"They're plotting against us," Josh said, nodding towards them. "We'll be dead in a shallow grave before sunrise and they'll be halfway to Vegas for a quickie wedding."

"You think?" Dave muttered, wondering what they were talking about so intensely. "They certainly hit it off right away."

"Similar personalities," Josh mused and held up the now empty bottle. "I bet if we bring them drinks they'll at least let us watch the wedding night before offing us."

"That alone might make it worth it," Dave chuckled and followed him to the bar, only to be sidetracked by Jack Black and Kyle Gass asking if he'd be down to play their Halloween gig in the next few weeks. He was checking the calendar on his phone and trying to listen to the details, but he could hear her laugh from across the crowd and smiled to himself.

Jack just shook his head. "You've got it bad, brother. Go get your lady!"

He didn't stick around any longer than necessary after thanking Jack and Kyle for playing his festival and made a straight line toward her, managing to find the one low spot with his bad ankle and stumbling just slightly.

"Oh, lord," Liz laughed and set down her drink to help him. "Drunk again, David?"

"Sorry," he jokingly slurred as her arms went around his waist and she smiled up at him. "It's almost three, are you partied out yet?"

Liz glanced back at Brody, who waved her on and dragged Josh into her empty spot on the couch. "Go put the old man to bed," she called, planting a loud kiss on Josh's lips.

They talked quietly about nothing in particular on the long walk back to their bus, laughing loudly when Taylor and Allison ran past them at a dead sprint, shedding their clothes even before their own bus was in view.

"I love them," Liz giggled as she pulled the keys from her pocket.

"Yeah, me too," he leaned his shoulder into the side of the bus and watched her unlock the accordian door. "You look good in my shirts."

"That's a sweet way to say I'm dumb for not packing anything warm to wear," she teased.

He followed her up and into the bus, making sure the door was locked behind them before finding her in the bedroom untying her Vans. Following her example, he moved to his side of the bed and pulled off his shirt. "You wanna take a shower with me?"

She tossed her shoes in the corner and sighed, "Bed, please."

"Yes, ma'am," he growled, quickly stripping off everything but his boxers before crawling up the bed to watch her undress. "So what were you and the Ice Queen talking about so intensely?"

"Ice Queen? Brody?" she asked in confusion, then huffed when Dave nodded. "She's not an ice queen! She's lovely!"

"Yeah, tell that to 2003 me when she put her fist through my jaw."

Liz giggled and slid out of her jean shorts. "She told me you folded up like a cheap poker table."

"I did not," he protested but gave himself away with a grin. The scar on his elbow was proof that Brody had flattened him out in the studio parking lot thinking that he was covering for a cheating Josh. "So what were you two talking about?"

"None of your business," she said sweetly and pulled off her tank top.

"Fine," he relaxed against the headboard to watch her and crossed his arms. "You ready to talk about what happened on stage?"

Her hand paused momentarily on its way to unclip her bra. "The fact that you were amazing and rocked the faces off of thirty thousand people?"

"We can come back to that..." Dave offered, losing the battle of keeping his eyes on her face when she tossed her bra aside.

"You're sure you just want to sit around and talk?" she asked and hooked her thumbs into her lace boyshorts. "We're kidless tonight..."

"Yup," he nodded intently but made a show of grabbing her pillow and shoving it in his lap to hide the obviousness of what she was doing to him. "I just want to talk."

She smiled at the obvious pain in his voice and dipped back down to the carpet to retrieve his flannel shirt she had worn that night. "Okay," she pulled on the flannel and crawled up the bed to grab her pillow. "Let's talk."

After a brief tug of war, Dave let her have the pillow and laughed when she gently hit him in the face with it. Following the pillow with a kiss, she threw her leg over his and pressed him into the headboard with her lips. He surprised her by pulling her even closer with a hand at the back of her neck and groaned when she trailed kisses to his ear.

"You were so amazing tonight," she breathed.

"Do I make you happy?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and he swallowed hard when she froze against him.

"I can't believe you even have to ask that," she whispered and sat back to run her fingers through her hair. "Of course you make me happy, blissfully happy! Am I not-"

Desperate to stop her train of thought before it went off the rails, he flipped her over onto her back and shoved her knees apart with his own. Bracing himself just above her, he kissed her softly and pressed his forehead against hers. "You really want to have the 'we need to communicate better' talk right now, Elizabeth?"

"You're the one that wanted to talk, David. You can't always interrupt our difficult conversations with sex."

She was perfect. Messy hair, laughing green eyes, wearing his shirt, a smile and not much else; it didn't matter how much they talked about what had happened, she knew exactly what he was about to do up on that stage. He didn't know how, but she knew.

He rocked into her as his swear mixed with her gasp, instantly changing the air around them from light to desperate. Desperate in that he wanted all of her, he wanted her in his bed every night so he wouldn't have to wonder if she was as lonely as he was in their respective, empty houses. But the actual words were too touchy, too open and raw to say so he'd settle for showing her instead.

I need you, be with me, always.

Her nails dragged down the backs of his arms and her chin tilted up, exposing the length of her neck that he always gravitated to. The moment his lips touched her skin she gasped his name and broke, dragging him over the edge right along with her.

He was quiet for a moment, but couldn't hold back any longer once he caught his breath, "Earlier... Liz, I didn't mean to upset you on stage, I just wanted you close by in case everything got to be too much. I wasn't sure how I would feel with John up there in front of all those people... he looks..."

Her eyes widened just slightly and she knit her eyebrows together. "That's why you-," she stopped short and pushed him back until he was sitting on the bed with her astride him again. "He does," she agreed with a nod. "It's a little eerie that close up."

He only sighed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him and resting his head against her chest so he could listen to her heart beating.

"Dave?"

He hummed a response as her fingers combed through his hair.

"I've never been this happy," she whispered into the silence. "You're like Christmas morning, every morning."  

He waited a beat, knowing just that simple statement had been difficult for her to say but couldn't help teasing her with an, "... and?"

She laughed and forced his head up so she could kiss him, "And I want to take that shower now."

*

"Finally."

Liz sighed when Dave eased her truck to a stop at a light just outside his neighborhood, feeling the exhaustion of the weekend hit her all at once. The drive back to the Valley had been long and all she wanted was to curl up in his bed and sleep the rest of her Sunday away.

Dave fixed his eyes on the red light and muttered, "Taylor was hovering over the catering tables like a vulture when we left. He said he'd drop off some dinner once he and Allison got home." He glanced over to find her attention on a man staking a for sale sign in the ditch alongside them. "Looks like they're finally letting the house at the top of the hill go."

"Yeah?" she swiveled around to look at him. "Which one?"

"The one at the very top," he explained, distracted again by traffic. "You can't see it from the street, but it's fuckin' nice. Gated, big yard, pool, a heated shop with a lift. Nate said-"

"Wait," Liz's hand shot out to stop him. "A heated shop with a lift?"

"Yeah. Nate said some hedge fund investor bought it years ago and had it maintained, but never once stepped foot on the property."

"Interesting," she said casually, then jammed her black fingernail into the window button. "Excuse me!" she called as the window slowly rolled down and the man looked up. "Is the address on that sign already on the market?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the man yelled and gave a friendly wave.

"And you're the realtor?"

"Yes," he called eagerly and dropped the sign to move closer.

"Do you possibly have a moment to show my husband and myself around?" she asked sweetly, ignoring Dave's hand when it landed on her thigh.

"Liz?" Dave asked weakly, feeling like someone had kicked him in the chest. He wasn't prepared for her yelling at some stranger on the side of the road and he definitely wasn't prepared to be referred to as her husband.

"I'd be happy to!" the realtor yelled back. "Just park up at the gate and I'll be right with you!"

"Thank you so much!" Liz called, rolling her window up and swatting Dave's hand away. "Stop!" she giggled. "I just want to see the shop!"

"I thought you were tired!" he cried, but turned the truck up the hill for the gated house. He had always been curious about the shop.

"I was until you said it had a lift!" she shot back.

"Fine," he sighed and drove past his own driveway. "But this guy is gonna ask questions. What's our backstory?"

"You're a successful, rich, painfully handsome stay at home astronaut and I breed rare South American butterflies."

"And our budget?"

"Unlimited."

Dave smiled and parked the truck in front of the massive black gate. "What else?"

Liz was busy looking at the flowerbeds on either side of the gate as she replied, "We've been married for... oh, I dunno... ten years and our children are away at boarding school in the English countryside. Oh, here he is! Remember, David... astronaut."

"Right," he shook his head and unbuckled his seatbelt. "How could I forget."

*

The realtor rattled off the house specifications as he unlocked the large front door and held it open for them. "Seven bedrooms total, four upstairs and three down. There's also seven bathrooms, though only four of those are full. You could always blow out a closet and make a fifth bath if you'd like. The great thing about this house is that there's so much potential for expansion." He his bright grin faded a little when Dave and Liz didn't move from their spot on the porch, clearly trying to process all the information he was throwing at them. "I'll uh... I'll wait here while you two look around a bit. Just yell if you need me."

"Thank you," Liz whispered and let Dave pull her further into the empty house.

They wandered in and out of rooms on all three floors, admiring and examining the rich wood accents and open spaces while exchanging quiet smiles. It wasn't a typical LA sprawling mansion by any means, but a decent sized house with enough space to breathe and a big secluded backyard to feel like you weren't in a neighborhood.

"Well," Liz sighed and leaned her back against the rail of the deck that overlooked the lush green canyon. "The house makes a nice addition to the shop. I didn't see anywhere for you to park your rocket ship though."

Dave snorted a laugh and stood up from the built-in gas grill he was scrutinizing. "You think we've spent enough time in the house to hide the fact that we're only here to snoop around in the garage?"

"Yeah, I think so," she giggled and reached for his hand, walking closely with him through the house towards the front door, but not before looking over the kitchen and attached living room one last time.

"Any questions?" the realtor asked earnestly, standing up from the iron bench on the front porch and stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

"I think my husband would like to look at the shop if that's all right," Liz said smoothly, ignoring Dave's flinch at the critical wording.

"Ah," the realtor nodded and directed them towards the tall shop beside the house. "Are you a classic car guy? Motorcycles?"

"A little of both," Dave admitted, looking over at Liz as the door was unlocked for them. The building wasn't connected to the house, but was built in the same Craftsman style and artfully blended into the scenery around it. He followed the realtor in and waited for the lights to be switched on. "Holy shit..."

Liz scampered in after him, colliding with his back as he looked around the immaculate shop. "Oh...," she breathed.

"There's a loft up above," the realtor called from the open door. "It's an office right now, but it's large enough for a separate apartment."

Liz slowly walked the perimeter of the shop, taking in all the features that she had only seen in professional auto shops while Dave climbed the stairs to the loft. She made it all the way around and glanced into a small room that housed the air compressors, finding herself face to face with her Pops as a 21-year-old GI, fresh from the war and drunk off his ass on his favorite motorcycle.

"Hey, Pops," she whispered, running her fingers over the classic biker gang poster everyone, her included, had hanging in their shops. "I wish you could see this."

Dave flipped on the lights to the room above the shop and scanned the space. A large wooden desk was stationed in the corner facing the windows overlooking the canyon, a dark leather sectional towards the back was positioned in front of a large projector screen next to a pool table and a bar. A brass pole in the middle of a corner stage rounded out the other side of the room making Dave roll his eyes.

Man cave, he thought, stepping in a bit further. But the artwork on the walls wasn't the typical dogs playing poker or stacked female straddling a beer logo, it was mostly framed album covers and gig posters. Dave looked around again, wondering if maybe he knew the guy when he was faced with himself, about 22 or 23, standing just to Kurt's right and wearing that stifling Armani suit with the red necktie. The poster was framed along with some ticket stubs from a show he had played in 1993, right before things started to tumble down hill.

He heard Liz's footsteps on the stairs and hurried out, meeting her halfway on the staircase.

"Hey," she whispered, noticing he was just as pale as she felt. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded and looked her over as well. "Are you?"

She only nodded and took his hand, walking him back out to where the realtor was waiting. Dave went to speak with him while Liz examined the little fountain in the middle of the roundabout driveway.

"So what do you think?" the realtor asked.

"Well...," Dave said reluctantly and glanced over his shoulder when Liz came to join them. "My wife was really wanting an ocean view..."

"And it's a bit far from NASA," Liz added, pursing her lips as if she were deep in thought.

"Ah... I see," the realtor said, looking perfectly crestfallen. "Here's my card, I've written my personal cell number on the back. Feel free to contact me if you'd like another look or if you find something else that piques your interest."

"We absolutely will," Dave said smoothly, taking the card and looking it over. "Thanks again for showing us around."

The realtor retreated back into the house and the minute the front door closed behind him, Dave and Liz ran to the truck, diving into the front seats while trying to hold back their laughter. They sat facing the garage door of the house, the attached garage they never even bothered to look at as their laughs faded into a contemplative silence. It took an entire three minutes before Liz finally spoke.

"So... yeah?"

"Yup," Dave gave a short nod and they jumped into action, bolting up the front steps and catching their breath while Dave pounded on the front door.

The realtor cracked the door open just an inch, peering out at them with wide eyes as Dave threw his arm around Liz's shoulders and beamed down at her. She wound her arms around Dave's waist and matched his smile, speaking mostly to him rather than the realtor.

"We'll take it."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 97

Liz watched Dave and her father closely over the top of her red cup as they discussed some DC punk show they had both been at in back in the late eighties while her mother hovered around behind her with Jack and Owen, sneaking them cookies and whatever else she could find from the catering tables before settling them on a blanket in the grass at Liz's feet. She startled a little when Dave's laugh boomed across the tent but settled back in her chair more relaxed than she had been in hours.

Jack had handled the official introductions back on the bus, turning what was potentially an awkward moment into something light-hearted and funny in the way only a seven-year-old could do. And Owen, for his part, clung to Dave like a security blanket, insisting on being picked up and nestling his face into Dave's shoulder the moment he was in his arms. Both boys were enamored with Dave and that apparently erased any hesitations her parents may have had, though a nagging worry still lurked about in the back of Liz's mind. Steve bonded with Dave instantly, just as Liz had hoped, but her mother was more reserved, opting to shake his hand and scrutinize him from a distance before fully welcoming him with open arms.

"How are you, dear?" Nancy sighed and folded herself into the chair next to her daughter.

"Good," Liz replied, keeping her eyes on Dave in case he needed an escape. "How was your flight?" She looked away when her mother didn't immediately answer and was met with a bemused smirk.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what?" Liz slowly shook her head, wondering what the hell was going on. Travis usually handled all of the travel details and would have let her know if something had gone amiss...

"Oh, darling," her mother clucked her tongue with a knowing smile. "Dave went all out. Private jet for your father and I and another tomorrow for Will, Meghan and the rest. Rented us a house near Disney so we can take all the kids... he and your father were back and forth on the phone most of last week with the details. Doesn't he have an assistant that does all that for him?"

Liz's chest felt like it was collapsing. He had been so busy with last minute festival issues, when the hell did he have time to put all this together? And without her knowing? "I think his manager? But... I didn't know he was doing all that. I just thought..."

"Yes, I was a bit concerned myself," Nancy's gaze drifted towards Dave, then leaned in closer to her daughter. "Are you pregnant?" she whispered urgently. "Did he get you in some kind of trouble? Because I don't care who the hell he is, Nicole Elizabeth. I can get you out of anything, no questions asked."

"No...," Liz shook her head, trying to catch her breath. She hadn't heard her real name in so long that it felt foreign like it belonged to a completely different person. "No, none of those things, Mom."

"You're sure you're not pregnant? When was your last period?" her mother pressed on, blatantly examining Liz's belly hidden under her loose tank top.

"Mom, stop," Liz whined and looked up at Dave just as he glanced back at her. "I'm not pregnant." Even as she whispered it, she automatically went over her calendar in her mind before she remembered the IUD she had placed after Owen was born.

"I'm just saying, dear. If you're planning on having his baby, you better do it now. He's almost fifty, for Pete's sake!"

"So? Mick Jagger has a son younger than Owen!" Liz let out a frustrated sigh, unwilling to even entertain the idea of having Dave's children, especially not while he was less than fifteen feet away. "We're not having any more kids, Mom. We have plenty between us." She was about to update her on the potential surrogacy for Allison and Taylor, but her mother was already way past that.

"But you two are practicing, right? He doesn't need any help in that department?"

"Mom!" Liz gasped so loudly that both her father and Dave spun around.

She giggled and shook her head, unable to keep from teasing her daughter. "All right, fine. As long as he makes you happy, dear."

"Yeah," Liz rubbed her temple a bit, still trying to reconcile what Dave had done for her family. "He really does, Mama."

"Well thank goodness for that," she sighed and readjusted the headphones on Jack's ears to ensure he wasn't listening in. "These two wouldn't stop talking about him the entire trip from Anaheim! Seems like they really love him."

Liz just smiled, her eyes shifting back to Dave. The boys really did adore him and she just hoped they would get along with Violet, Harper, and Ophelia as well.

"They haven't once mentioned their father," Nancy added quietly.

"No kids allowed in the facility," Liz muttered. She hated thinking about it, but Kyle kept breaking the rules at rehab and losing visiting privileges, though from what Travis was telling her wasn't such a bad thing. Recovery had been rough on Kyle and he wasn't looking or acting the way the boys would remember anyway.

More laughter from Dave and her father brought her back to the present and she realized her mother was staring hard at her. "And what's the deal with his ex? Do they still speak?"

"Yeah," Liz stared her down to ensure her mother knew she was perfectly serious. "She's really cool, Mom."

"It doesn't seem just a little too... perfect?"

"Well... it does, but until something catastrophic happens," Again, she thought to herself. "I'm going to just thank my lucky stars."

Nancy chuckled again and shook her head. "You are a lucky star, Nicole."

She just shrugged, uncomfortable under her mother's stare when Dave's hand brushed her shoulder.

"I have to go say hi to Billy. You need anything?"

"No," she smiled up at him and covered his hand with her own when he bent to kiss her. "I'll hassle River if we do, though."

"Good luck with that," he rolled his eyes and tapped the walkie-talkie still clipped to her shorts. "I'm on channel six if you need me, but I'll see you at the stage in a bit. Love you."

"Love you, too," she replied quietly, the feel of her parent's eyes on them just a bit too intense. "Have fun."

*

"You're right, he is normal," Steve mused as he and Liz slowly made their way towards the main stage where Billy Idol was being introduced.

Liz smiled and squeezed her father's arm, her heart swelling with how well her two favorite men were getting along.

"It's funny," Steve went on. "I feel like I've known him forever."

"He's very good at making people feel at ease," Liz explained. "It makes him nervous when people act like he's some god."

Steve chuckled a little, then as they rounded the last backstage tent cut straight to the point. "Do you love him?" he asked bluntly, stopping both of them short in the shadow of the looming stage.

"Of course I love him," Liz said quietly, but firmly. "I wouldn't get the boys involved if this were... not..." she trailed off, thinking about how she had felt back in Oregon, how impractical and implausible her and Dave seemed back then.

"Sunshine," he sighed and rubbed his forehead with his thumb, the way he always did when he was working up to an uncomfortable subject. "Dave is great. He's really... he's a great guy, but..."

Liz felt her heart plummet. "But what?"

"Why the private plane? Why all the rock star perks? Are you two about to drop some bomb on me? Because if you are... honey, I'd prefer to hear it from you now. I promise I'll act surprised later when-"

"No," Liz threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Daddy, he just wants you to have a good time."

"So... no baby?"

Liz couldn't help it, she laughed at how disappointed he looked. "Nope. No baby."

His arms tight around her and his cheek pressed into the top of her head made her feel like crying, she had missed him so much.

"Just don't let him hurt you like the last one did," he whispered into her hair. "Okay?"

Liz only nodded, knowing there wasn't much more she could say. She was sure her dad knew all about Dave's past, he had followed enough of his career to at least stumble on one or two articles outlining his divorces, but she knew he would give him a pass if his daughter really wanted him to. "He's not Kyle, Daddy," she sighed into his shoulder, ready to change the subject.

Steve chuckled a bit and let her go, continuing down their path towards the stage. "No, darling, he most definitely is not."

*

A few hours later she was standing with Ally and Josie just off the side of stage left, watching Billy Idol sneer through his set. Her parents had retreated back to their own bus to get dinner for the boys and rest from their day of travel, promising they would join Liz and Dave first thing in the morning so all the kids could meet at breakfast.

Dave stood closer to the stage with Josh and a couple other guys Liz didn't recognize, and she found herself far more interested in him than whatever it was Billy was doing. Biting the straws in her drink, she took the opportunity of a dark backstage spot to just stare. He was just so goddamn handsome... and funny, sweet, thoughtful... and hers. She giggled to herself, lost in the wonderment of how fucking lucky she was that he put up with her when she realized he was staring back at her. A slow grin spread across his face and she gripped the surplus crowd rail at her side to steady herself. Busted. Her eyes darted to her drink in embarrassment and she frowned when she was met with just a couple drops chasing each other in the bottom of her empty cup. How she had managed to polish off an entire rum and coke in record time was a mystery, but with her eyes back on Dave she was suddenly feeling the effects.

He made some excuse to Josh, who turned to give her a toothy grin, then gave one last look at the stage before stalking towards her. He gripped his drink and hopped off the riser, still watching her intently before leaning his elbows on the rail to bring himself just inches from her. Now that he was closer, she could see that he was just as tipsy as she was.

A slight delay began in Liz's mind; what was playing out before her at that moment promptly followed by the very first time they met back in the freezing rain of Seattle.

"Hey," he grinned at her, then the delayed memory of a younger Dave, a 2003 Dave: ... Hey.

"Would you like to come watch with me?" Would you like me to sign that for you?

"Oh... yeah. Please," she cracked a smile, knowing her answers were the same as they were back in 2003 but didn't let him in on what was playing inside her mind.

He watched her a moment, trying to figure out what she was up to before straightening off the rail. "That's a shame," he muttered, looking down at their hands side by side on the bar.

"What is?"

"That you don't have a ring on your finger."

The rum sloshed in her blood and she tilted her head, knowing that there was some significance to what he was saying, but she was still too deep in the memory of Seattle. "You don't have one either..."

His eyes snapped to hers and they stared each other down, the gravity of what they were saying slowly settling around them like the desert dust. She told herself to keep a neutral expression, but her eyebrow raised in a challenge and his jaw dropped to say something, just as Taylor bounded up and landed square on Dave's back.

"Dance party!"

*

Liz stuck close to Allison at the backstage VIP bar, both of them laughing over a story about some prank Dave and Taylor had pulled on the Royal Blood guys the year before. Josie and Rami were to her left, making out like teenagers while Dave and Taylor were on her right with Chris, Nate and several other musicians, deep in some discussion about studio layouts.

She had walked back from the stage with her hand firmly woven with Dave's, but they hadn't said a word to each other since the rail. The air between them didn't feel tense and every time she would look over to him he would give her that questioning glance, You okay? to which she would smile back, wishing they could just stand a bit closer. The rum was beginning to fade and in its place, a nagging worry that maybe they had moved too fast and made things thorny with even the facetious talk of rings.

"You okay?"

His voice close to her ear surprised her, but she sunk into his side all the same. "Just a little cold," she admitted, looking up into his worried stare. "I'm not used to the desert."

There was a hand on her lower back and then he was gone, leaving her standing there with a frown and a pit in her stomach thinking that maybe things would be weird now, just when they were getting back on track.

Turning back to Ally, she focused on the story of Dave and Taylor filling someone's tour bus with pink balloons and glitter when a soft fabric landed around her shoulders followed by his arms. She wasn't sure if it was the waning effects of the alcohol, everything that had happened that day or just... him, but she had to swallow back her tears as she looked down at his red and black flannel shirt.

"Better?" he asked, squeezing her shoulders tightly.

"Yes, thank you," she kept her eyes downcast fearing a full waterworks display but reached up to touch his cheek.

"Good. Let's get you a drink."

He stood close beside her with an arm around her back as their drinks were poured, though his attention returned to Taylor as he explained the acoustics of their old basement studio in Virginia while Liz went back to laughing with Ally. She felt more at ease now that they were sharing the same square foot of patchy grass and internally rolled her eyes at herself for being so needy all of a sudden.

"Cheers," Dave said quietly, tapping his cup against hers. "We okay?"

"We're good," she tried to smile through her drink, but the bite was so strong that she grimaced. "Whoa. You trying to get me drunk, Grohl?"

His slow smile reappeared as he turned his back on Taylor and the others in favor of angling into her. "Maybe," he murmured against her lips, chuckling when she responded with a shiver.

She kissed him back, savoring the feel of his palm against her cheek and the scratch of his beard on her chin when Josh elbowed through the crowd around them, his face already tinged red with booze. "Dr. G! Iggy's here!"

"Don't care," Dave muttered, dragging his lips up her jaw to her ear.

"Come on, man!" Josh whined, shoving Dave's shoulder a bit to break him away and Liz laughed when he grunted in anger.

She forced herself to step back, but he moved with her, unwilling to let her go unless she made him. "Just bring him back in one piece," she told Josh as he threw Dave's arm around his tall shoulders.

"Come with me," Dave purred in her ear, holding her against him by the back of her neck with his free hand as a last ditch effort.

"No!" she giggled. "Ally and I are gonna stay here and drink all your booze, then we're gonna go make complete asses of ourselves on that dance floor. You," she turned her face just enough that her lips grazed his cheek, "have to work."

She kissed him and waved as Josh dragged him away, then threw back the rest of her drink once they were absorbed into the crowd.

With Dave's shirt hanging loosely around her and the alcohol in her bloodstream now refueled, Liz, Ally, and Josie danced and sang along with the other party goers on the dusty dance floor and Liz was thankful for a moment where she could let go and not care who was watching her every move. Dave had successfully created a backstage where there were no prying eyes or cameras, just friends having a hell of a good time in the middle of the desert.

She had lost track of time, dancing with Josie to her favorite ABBA song when the smirk on her friend's face let her know that Dave was sneaking up on her. His hands landed on her hips and her back flattened against his chest as he moved with her to the music.

"I didn't think you danced, David," she reached back and put her arm around his neck, pulling him down so she could speak over the music.

"Oh, I dance, Elizabeth," he said lowly, spreading his hands along her rib cage as ABBA faded into Arctic Monkeys.

He moved her hips against his to the deep bassline of the song, Have you got color in your cheeks?

Josie whooped her approval when Dave spun Liz around to face him and danced her way to Rami sitting in a drunken haze just off the dance floor. Thrilled that they were now relatively alone, Liz met Dave's kiss halfway, Have you no idea that you're in deep?

She was overwhelmed with him, his forehead pressed against hers, his hair hanging like a curtain around their faces, his hands coasting along her back from her shoulders to her hips, the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and peppermint gum, and the way he tasted... 'Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow...

"This song... it's exactly how I felt about you the night we met," he breathed, searching her eyes for any reaction.

I'm sorry to interrupt, it's just that I'm constantly On the cusp of trying to kiss you I don't know if you feel the same as I do But we could be together, if you wanted to...

She knew the song by heart, could play it on bass, guitar, and drums if she wanted, and up until that moment was fairly indifferent to the lyrics, but now...

Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for someone new...

She dragged him back to her, kissing him deeply and slowly running her tongue along his lower lip until he groaned in agony. "Fuck," he whimpered, "If I don't get you alone in the next five minutes, I will fucking die."

There was a fleeting, matched smile between them before they both took off at a hurried pace, managing to clear the wall of the tent when a loud, warbling version of his name drifted after them.

"No!" Dave yelled back and without hesitation, lunged forward to tip Liz over his shoulder, swatting her ass with his palm when she squealed. "I just want ten fucking minutes with you without being-"

"Young Master David!"

Liz craned her neck to see a man comically running in their direction, then laughed even harder when Dave sped up, pretending he didn't hear him. She was wheezing by the time the man caught up with them and Dave spun to face him, leaving Liz draped over his shoulder with her ass in the air.

"Hey, man," Dave said casually.

"Sup, dude," came the man's reply and Liz wiggled a bit in an effort to see who it was, but Dave's hand tightened around her thigh to keep her still. "I just need my girlfriend for a couple minutes."

"I told you earlier that I get her tonight and you get her tomorrow," Dave replied and Liz shifted again when she heard the smile in his voice.

Girlfriend? What the fuck? she thought, then yelped in surprise when Dave rolled her off his shoulder. She stood in a daze at the sudden movement, then looked over her shoulder to Jack Black, who was grinning wildly at her.

"... hello," she said quietly, her eyes darting from Dave to Jack in confusion. Knowing by the look on Dave's face that he would remain infuriatingly silent, she held her hand out to Jack and plastered on a smile.

"Oh, come on," Jack scoffed and dove towards her, wrapping her in a quick, but stifling hug as Dave chuckled and shook his head. "If we're gonna be lovers, we gotta love, baby!"

Liz stared blankly at him, wondering if she was in the middle of one of those elaborate pranks Allison had told her about. "... we're what now?"

Jack let her suffer a few more moments before breaking. "I signed on to the movie you're doing with Murray," he explained. "As your hapless boyfriend."

Her heart picked up speed as she went through the cast list in her mind. "No way," she whispered. Acting opposite Jack would be an absolute dream and his name added star power to their roster. "No fucking way!" she excitedly bounced on her toes and threw her arms back around him, laughing when he copied her giddiness.

"It's gonna be so fucking rad," he gushed. "Murray asked me personally, so my mind was obviously fucking blown and then he said you were on board and I thought, well fuck! That means Dr. G's gonna be on set!"

"Oh my god, I'm so glad we met tonight!" Liz said, back to bouncing on her toes. "Let's go get a drink so we can talk."

"Right on," Jack gave an exaggerated nod and offered his arm to Liz. "This way, my love," he crooned as she slipped her arm through his and he aimed her back towards the party tent.

"Wait..., what?"

Liz heard Dave whimper from behind them and waved him off. "I have to work, honey! I'll meet up with you in a bit!"

Jack threw his head back in a cackle making Liz giggle and she felt, for the very first time since she had become an actress, truly excited to start filming.

*

For the second time that night, Liz completely lost track of time talking to Jack. She had laughed so hard that her sides were aching and her throat was raw, but there seemed to be no end to the energy and exuberance in her future co-star until Josh sidled up and dragged her under his arm.

"Hey, doll. Your man's about to get cut off."

"Oh, Dr. G," Jack said solemnly and shook his head. "Welp, my love. If I don't see you tomorrow, I'll see you at work!"

Liz hugged him goodbye, a little concerned that Josh wasn't letting her go and let him lead her up to the bar. "What's going on?" she asked over the music, concerned that she couldn't see Dave anywhere.

Josh picked the orange garnish out of his drink and bit it, nodding his head to a point behind Liz with no trace of humor on his usually cheery face. She spun around and scanned the thick crowd at the bar, finally catching a glimpse of Dave's shirt next to a woman in a pink cardigan and pearls.

"Shit," she hissed and darted forward, unsuccessfully trying to pick her way through the crowd when she spotted her only opening. Dropping to the dirt, she crawled on her hands and knees under the bar, keeping as close as she could to the kickplate until Dave's Vans were in front of her.

"Hey!" she chirped cheerfully as she popped up between Dave's knees and steadied herself on his shoulders. He swayed dangerously on his bar stool, sloshing whiskey out of his shot glass and blinked at her in surprise.

"Oh great," her mother grumbled sarcastically. "The fun police is here." She handed her daughter a full shot glass then went to pour another while Liz steadied Dave.

"Oh, babe," she cooed sympathetically and gently took the shot from his hand to place it back on the bar. "You ready to head back?"

He looked around in confusion with glassy eyes. "Where'd you come from?"

Nancy leaned back in with a wide smile, the pearls Liz had given her for Mother's Day swinging around her neck, "You see, when a man and a woman get really drunk at CalJam-"

"Mom! Stop. You've done enough," Liz scolded and tossed Dave's arm around her to help him stand. "We're gonna go back. Please don't give anyone alcohol poisoning tonight, okay?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart," she grinned and tipped back both Liz and Dave's discarded shots with ease, then headed straight for a table containing Iggy Pop, Pat, and several other musicians. Liz just barely caught the surprised look of recognition on Iggy's face when he saw her mother before the crowd closed around them.

"Can you walk?" Liz asked Dave quietly and checked his pockets for the keys to their bus.

"Yeah," he nodded, but didn't move forward. "Gimme a second to remember how to do it though."

"You pick up one foot and then-"

"Yeah okay, smartass," he laughed at her and she wondered if he was remembering that night in Oregon like she was.

They wove through the crowd and ducked out of the tent, pausing a moment to breathe in the cool desert air, a welcome change from the hot, humid party tent behind them. She kept her arm tight around his waist as they headed for their home for the night, both of them giggling when they stumbled a bit over the uneven ground.

Josh's voice calling over the music made Liz look back just as they reached the first line of tour buses. "Hey! You need help, doll?"

"Um...," she giggled a little when Dave let her go and wandered off in a curved line towards the wrong bus. "Yes, please!"

Josh took off after Dave while Liz unlocked their bus and began to gather water out of the fridge and various bottles of painkillers, all the while cursing her mother. Nancy could drink any one of those rock stars under the table and it appeared she had literally done so with Dave, but Liz wasn't as concerned about that as she was her mother's motives. More than once, Kyle had been liquored up then interrogated relentlessly and Liz often wondered if her mother should have been a cop rather than a high school English teacher. Waiting in the driver's seat with a bottle of water and a fist full of ibuprofen, Liz tried to compile a list of potential questions Dave had been subjected to when Josh appeared at the bottom of the steps with him slumped over his shoulder. "Oh shit. Did he pass out?"

"No...," Dave groaned, his voice muffled by Josh's shirt.

"You're gonna want to hose him off before you let him into bed, doll," Josh warned and carried Dave up the steps past her.

"Did you hurl, David?" Liz teased and began to pull towels out of the cabinets while Josh not so gently set him down on the leather couch.

"Yeah," Josh chuckled, "I think he got it all out though."

"Charming," Liz muttered, now completely irritated with her mother. She knew Dave had a show tomorrow and she still got him wasted. "Do you think we should feed him?"

"Yes," Dave moaned pitifully and rolled his face into the back of the couch.

Liz glanced up at Josh as his hand clapped over her shoulder. "Hose him off, I'll go get food."

She smiled her thanks and gave him the key, making sure the door to the bus was shut tight behind him before returning to Dave and throwing her leg over his hips. He grunted under her weight and slid his hands up her bare thighs to the hem of her shorts, but didn't open his eyes when she started to unbutton his shirt.

"Stop it, lady," he slurred, making no effort to shove her off. "You're cute and all, but I have a girlfriend and she's hot."

Liz laughed and moved to his jeans, struggling a little with his belt buckle. "What, that actress?" she scoffed. "I hear she's mean."

"Yeah, super mean. I really like her though," he grinned, opening one eye to peek at her. "I think she's the one."

"Oh yeah?" Liz slid off of him to yank off his shoes and jeans, leaving him in just his boxers and unbuttoned flannel. "You really want to hitch your wagon to that nightmare?"

"Excuse me," Dave laughed a bit when she pulled him upright. "She would say shit show."

"You're right, she would," Liz gently pushed him towards the bathroom, then propped him against the wall of cabinets so she could start the water and grab his toothbrush. "'Kay, Dr. Drunk or whatever it is your friends call you, get in."

"My girlfriend calls me David," he muttered and did what he was told, slumping against the shower wall with his face in the cascading water to start brushing the taste of Crown Royal out of his mouth. "Get in with me."

She sighed loudly at his pleading face and grabbed another towel while shrugging out of his flannel shirt.

"I like that you call me David," he said softly, watching her from the shower.

She didn't answer, just stripped out of the rest of her clothes and closed the door behind them, ducking under the water to face him.

"Your mom got me so drunk," he groaned miserably and leaned his forehead into the cool wall of the shower.

"Yeah, she does that," Liz frowned and combed his hair back with her fingers. "Sit so I can get the whiskey out of your hair."

He dropped to his knees in front of her and held her hips for balance as she gently scrubbed her shampoo through his hair.

"I'm gonna smell so fucking pretty tomorrow," he chuckled.

"We'll find you a nice stick to beat the boys back with," she smiled and spent an extra five minutes just dragging her nails along his scalp and neck, knowing he had a hell of a long day and would probably suffer through another one tomorrow, complete with a hangover thanks to her mother.

"Feels good," he murmured, leaning into her touch.

"Head back," she instructed, switching the shower head to the handheld so she could rinse out the suds. With the water now directed off his face, he began to watch her so intensely that she shivered.

"Your mom said she lost a bet," his voice strained with his throat stretched back, but he never took his eyes off her.

"Oh yeah?" Liz turned her attention to the bottles lined on the shelf next to her, wondering if he'd let her use conditioner.

"She owes your dad a hundred bucks cause I didn't get you pregnant."

Liz's heart picked up speed and she snatched the conditioner bottle off the shelf to examine closer. "Yeah, well... it wasn't for a lack of effort on our part. Thank god for modern science, I guess."

Dave ran his thumbs along the ridge of her hip bones, softly kissing the skin between her Freya tattoo and her navel. "Might be fun...," he whispered so quietly that Liz thought maybe she wasn't supposed to hear it.

With her heart pounding loudly in her ears and her hands shaking, she violently shook the bottle and piled conditioner her in hand before roughly dragging it through his hair again.

"Ow...," he said softly, peering up at her.

"Sorry," she backed off, gently massaging his hair while staring directly at the wall behind him.

He must have sensed her trepidation because they were silent until the water began to run cold and the entire time it took to dry off. She left him at the table to eat the food Josh had dropped off while she got ready for bed, brushing her wet hair out and pulling on one of his shirts to sleep in.

"I bet you're fucking adorable when you're pregnant."

Her head snapped up to find that he had been watching her, leaning against the door frame as he chewed away on his sandwich.

"And, just like my mother, you would lose that bet," she muttered, tossing back the covers on her side of the bed.

"Okay," he grinned at her and discarded the last of his food, crawling up the bed to lay beside her. "Then tell me what you're like when you're knocked up."

Liz snorted a laugh and clicked off the lights. "Have you ever startled an angry raccoon living in a garbage can?" She pulled the covers up over her shoulders as Dave barked a laugh. "I'm fat, I hiss a lot, I only come out at night and all I eat is garbage."

"I bet you're beautiful," he replied, still chuckling from what she had said.

"Dave...," she sighed, knowing he wouldn't drop it until she shut him down. She hated to do it, but it was best to cull that idea before it had a chance to turn into a dream. If she knew anything about Dave, it was that he was excellent at turning dreams into reality.

He shifted around in the dark, a little at first and then just enough so that he was in her arms, taking a shaky breath before speaking in the most heartbreaking tone, "Just tell me it's not a no."

Liz smiled, wondering why her shampoo smelled better on him than it ever did on her and once again scattered the pieces of her life for him.

"Nothing is ever a no with you, David."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 96

Dave woke up slowly, comfortably drifting out of a dream he had already forgotten the gist of and blinked a few times to orient himself. He had woken up on countless tour buses, though he couldn't remember if those times were ever peaceful. There was the constant hum of the tires against pavement, the flashing streetlights as they passed interchanges, the occasional horn beep and the infamous Taylor Hawkins Wake Up Special that involved a snare drum being beaten as close to one's head as possible. But the desert was quiet that early in the morning and the only sound he could make out was Liz's steady breathing.

She was tucked against him with one arm lazily draped across his middle and the other curled under her head which was nestled just under his chin. His hand that had been resting at the nip of her waist involuntarily traveled towards her lower back and began to lightly draw patterns on the skin there, causing her to stir a little. In response, her hand that was laying against his back twitched, then pressed flat against his ribs as it traveled to his chest.

He assumed she was awake and rolled back a bit, but she pouted, clearly in the midst of a dream and he moved back to her. He wasn't fully awake yet himself, he just wanted to lay with her for a bit which seemed like a luxury in their world. They were always being pulled in two different directions and now that they were together it finally felt worth the fight. He sighed and pulled her a little closer by the small of her back, then closed his eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep, but she made a faint whining noise that sounded maybe a bit like his name and he tilted his head just enough to see her face.

"Dave..."

His heart picked up speed at that, wondering if he could be so lucky that she would be dreaming of him and he would actually get to witness it. Her back arched and she gasped, digging her nails into his chest as she purred incoherently. He winced against the pain, but his mouth dropped open in surprise when a soft sigh escaped her lips and her entire body shuddered against him.

Oh. One of those dreams.

He gently leaned back again, watching her with an almost giddy sense of excitement when she breathed his name again, this time with a smile pulling at her lips. She jolted once and then again before rolling onto her back, leaving his skin cold where she had been pressed against him. He watched her eyes flutter open and focus, then slide over to him as a sated smile spread across her face.

"Morning," he said softly, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Hey," she drawled and he couldn't help but smile at how relaxed she looked. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great. I've been up for a little bit, though."

She nodded, unaffected by his seemingly inconsequential statement, but then it hit her. "Oh yeah?" she asked as a deep pink blush spread across her cheeks and chest.

"Yeah," his voice strained as he rolled to cover her body with his and propped himself on his elbows so he could see her face. "How was I?"

"Fine," she teased, reaching up to pull his hair away from his face. "You were fine."

"Oh, I'll give you fine," he growled against her cheek and ground his hips against her, damning to hell the fabric that was still between them.

Her laugh turned to a sharp gasp when his pressure fell on just the right spot and then a cabinet slammed somewhere in the bus followed by Harper's yell.

"You guys have any cereal in here?"

Dave dropped his face into the bend of Liz's neck and groaned while she let out a whoosh of air in frustration. "It's going to be a long fucking day," he muttered.

"Yup," she nodded and lightly shoved at his shoulders. "Let's go."

*

Dave let Harper and Liz go ahead of him to find breakfast, wanting just a few minutes to himself to go over the schedule and ready himself for running the day. He caught Harper immediately reach for Liz's hand knew the two would be attached at the hip before the weekend was over. The night before, Dave had retreated to bed to sort last minute details on his laptop while Liz and Harper hung out on the couch watching videos on YouTube. He grinned at the memory while gathering everything he needed for the day.

He glanced up over the top of his glasses as Liz slipped into their little room at the back of the tour bus and slid the pocket door closed behind her before thinking better of it and leaving it open a couple inches.

"She's asleep," she whispered as she crawled up the bed next to him. "She's so much like you."

"I know," he closed his laptop and set it aside before curling up next to her and pulling the blankets around them. It felt strange to have Harper with them, maybe not so strange as it felt different. Like he could finally relax knowing his girls, Liz included, were near and the part of him that ached when he was away from any of them was finally content.

"Did you feel like this when you met Jack and Owen?" Liz asked, tracing his jawline through his beard.

"Like all I wanted was to be with to you?" he watched Liz blush a little and stare at his lips, but pressed on. "I knew I loved you, but then I met the boys and saw how you are as a mom and it just... it felt like someone hit me with a fucking bat, Liz."

"God, you're so romantic," she giggled.

"Hey, I try," he grinned back and stretched a bit to kiss her forehead. "It's just that everything intensified once I met them and it scared the hell out of me. It still does."

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way now," she breathed, letting her eyes meet his again.

"Good," he grunted and yanked her across the last few inches to his chest. "I like it when we suffer together."

Dave checked his phone, noting the texts from his talent coordinators updating him on arrival times and any potential setbacks, but luckily there wasn't anything too urgent as of yet. He finished the cup of coffee Liz had made for him before giving one last look at the bed he and Liz had slept in. It was going to be a hell of a day and it had just barely started. Her parents were due in a few hours, reminding him that he needed to check in with the VIP guides he had assigned to them, and find something to distract himself from how nervous he was.

He was thinking about what he was going to say to her parents once they arrived when he ducked into the catering tent and was immediately met with a lull in the conversations around him. More eyes than normal looked up from their plates to observe his reaction at the table in the back where his three daughters were quietly eating accompanied by Liz and Jordyn chatting over their coffee cups. Feeling a bit annoyed that this was a becoming spectacle, he wondered how difficult it would be to have catering set up a tent for just band family and deliberately greeted Jordyn with a hand on her shoulder before choosing the open chair between Liz and Violet.

"Everything okay?" Jordyn asked, no doubt recognizing the vein in his forehead that was most prominent when he was stressed.

"Yeah, set up is always all little bit of a shit show," he grumbled, going over the agenda on his clipboard one more time.

"Violet, would you help me get your dad breakfast, please?" Jordyn asked gently. "Looks like I'm gonna need four hands for this one."

Liz coughed a laugh into her coffee cup and Dave absentmindedly slapped his hand between her shoulders as if that ever worked in clearing someone's airway. He stared down at the papers and tried to ignore River darting about the tables around them in a nervous whirlwind.

"He's like a chihuahua on cocaine," Liz whispered. "Where the hell did you find him?"

"His dad works at the studio," Dave muttered, scribbling out a two-hour block of his time right when her parents were due then adding a 'Fuck Off' next to it in case anyone had any ideas about interrupting him. "I felt obligated."

Liz hummed her sympathies and laid her hand on his knee. "Need any help?" She leaned into his shoulder, but he just shook his head and kept his eyes on the clipboard all while River was breathing down his neck about some other potential drama. Frustrated, he slapped the clipboard against the table and raked his hand through his hair.

"What's up, River?"

Liz's hand began to trace soothing circles on his thigh and she silently continued sipping her coffee as River valiantly fought off a panic attack in front of them.

"There's an issue with the liquor license, sir... it's just that-"

He tensed up completely at that, the fucking license was one of the first things he got back in September but there was always some bureaucratic bullshit that popped up at the last-

"Oooh, government red tape," Liz said excitedly, interrupting his rage spiral with her sarcasm. "I got this one, babe. You eat."

She was up and waving River out of the tent before he could stop her, just as Violet arrived with a massive plate of food and set it down in front of him.

*

"River, honey, this is just a date typo and it's still a business day. Call the office and set them straight. You might be on hold for a bit, but it's easy stuff. Actually," Liz shoved the clipboard back into his hands and pulled out her phone to flip through the contacts. "I know a guy on the liquor board in Sacramento. Call him, drop my name and he'll get it squared away. Okay? Tell him there's a keg of Oregon beer in it for him."

River just nodded frantically and shoved his glasses farther up his nose, seemingly grateful that disaster was fixed.

"Any other fires that need putting out?" she asked, trying to calm the poor kid down now that his anxiety was becoming contagious.

"Well, actually," he fumbled through his papers, sending most of them to the dirt. "It's the buses for your family. They aren't due until two, but they're already at the gate and they need a place to go and there's equipment trailers in the way and-"

Liz's gaze drifted off River's sweat-soaked face to Violet as she snuck out of the back of the catering tent. "I'll handle it," she told River and snatched the remaining paperwork and walkie-talkie out of his hands. She started towards Violet, but paused a moment and called over her shoulder to River. "Hey, River?" His head snapped up to look at her as he scooped his papers out of the dust. "You have my permission to stop calling Dave 'sir', okay? It pisses him off."

He nodded slowly and Liz moved on, focusing back on Violet. She held out the clipboard to her as she passed, speaking quickly to force a fast response. "You wanna help me with a logistical problem so your dad doesn't have to?"

Violet looked surprised for a moment, then took the clipboard and clutched it to her chest. "Sure?"

"Great," Liz grinned and waved for her to follow. "Let's go find a ride."

They made their way over to the bank of golf carts at the end of the VIP area and located one with keys in it.

"You wanna drive?" Liz asked, not really giving Violet an option as she slid herself into the passenger seat.

Violet looked unsure, but climbed into the driver's side and eyed the key in the ignition. "Is this allowed?"

"Yeah, sure," Liz waved her off, but still looked around them to take inventory of who was watching. "I was wrecking dirt bikes at your age, this is nothing."

"Okay, so...," she hesitantly turned the key and jumped a bit when it sputtered to life, then gave Liz another anxious look.

"Gas on the right, brake on the left," Liz reminded her and fished an aux cord danging off the dash. "You want music?"

It took Violet a little bit to get used to the steering and Liz was beginning to feel a little car sick by the time they rolled up to the check-in tent by the back gates. Still, she nudged Violet with her elbow before hopping out of the cart. "You did great. You're sure you haven't driven one before?"

She shook her head and avoided eye contact while disconnecting her phone and the Post Malone blaring from it. "That was the first thing I've driven since my old Power Wheel when I was little."

"Oh...," Liz laughed a little. "In that case, maybe don't tell your dad I had you do that. Wait here a minute."

Liz dipped into the check-in tent and managed to get two Staff laminates and yet another walkie-talkie from the pretty blonde woman behind the table before returning to Violet, finding her staring at the tall, gruff looking man guarding the drive up gates. He was bellowing into his walkie-talkie with such intensity that she could see spit flying from his lips and Violet replaced her usual glare for a look of uncertainty as the man's string of profanities drifted their way.

"Okay, that guy over there is the problem," Liz whispered. "Those buses have to get through, but he thinks there isn't room. You just have to convince him otherwise. The new layout is on the clipboard."

"Me?!" Violet cried, looking around for an escape from this obviously crazy woman her father was dating. "We're not... I'm only twelve!"

"Doesn't matter," Liz tossed a laminate over Violet's hair and handed her the walkie-talkie. "What matters is that you look confident. If you look like you belong there and that you know what you're doing and no one will question you. Honestly, Violet, that's how I won an Oscar. You got this, now go."

Violet took a moment to let Liz's words sink in and took a deep breath. "... so my dad doesn't have to, right?"

"Right," Liz smiled at her and stepped back against the cyclone fence, feeling her stomach do flips as Violet marched up to the gate ogre. He was huge and more than a little annoyed that he was about to be ordered around by a twelve-year-old, and Liz began to think that maybe she shouldn't have thrown Violet to the wolves so soon. That wolf was looking particularly big and bad now that they were closer, but Violet loudly cleared her throat and stared him down as she calmly and confidently stated her instructions.

"Those buses are gonna hold up all those trailers all the way back to the highway, little girl," he growled at her. "Which is gonna hold up all the cars trying to get into the festival, which-"

"That access road is over a half mile long," Violet shot back, making Liz raise her eyebrows. "There aren't enough trailers here or on their way that would do that. Buses come first, then trailers. And my name is Violet." She ripped the layout paper off her clipboard and thrust it at him, then spun on her heel and flipped her staff laminate over her shoulder in the sassiest power move Liz had ever seen before stomping back to her.

"Holy shit," Liz whispered once Violet was at her side again and the man began to angrily direct traffic through his walkie-talkie.

"What?" she chewed nervously on her lip and stared up at her.

"Pardon my language, but that was fucking amazing." Liz put her arm around Violet's shoulders to lead her away and flipped her laminate in a sign of solidarity when the man watched them leave.

"You mess with my dad's festival, you mess with me," Violet shrugged, but couldn't hide her proud smile.

"Remind me to never mess with your dad," she said with a laugh, then felt Violet's shoulders tense under her arm. Oh. So that's it.

They walked a little further in silence before Liz finally worked up the courage to broach the subject of the tension between them. "Are things weird between us because of what you said yesterday? Am I the one making him sad?"

Violet stopped in the middle of the dirt parking lot they were in and stared down at her shoes, but Liz could see the fire blazing behind her eyes.

"We don't have to talk about it just yet," Liz said quietly and looked around to make sure they were alone. "But if you want to yell at me without any repercussions, this might be your only opportunity."

Violet looked up in confusion as Liz sat down in the dirt in front of her, purposefully putting herself at a lower height to give the girl more confidence. "Go ahead," she coaxed. "Get everything out that you want to say and I promise none of it will get back to your parents."

"But I'm not mad at my parents," she said flatly. "I'm mad at you."

Oh shit, this was a bad idea. Abort mission, run away. You're about to get your ass handed to you by a twelve-year-old just like the gate ogre.

"Okay," Liz swallowed hard and tried to take her own advice on acting confidently. "Then I promise whatever you say here won't be held against you in a court of law."

Violet cracked a smile and Liz felt like she was making headway no matter how scary it was.

"And I promise that whatever you say won't be held against you by me, either," she added. "But you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"That no matter how hard this gets, you don't leave this parking stall until we're both ready," Liz nodded to the white paint surrounding them.

"Okay...," she said hesitantly and then took a deep breath. "I don't like you."

Silence hung between them as Liz waited for her to elaborate, but Violet offered nothing more than that. I don't like you.

"That's it? You just don't like me?"

Violet looked back down at her wringing hands and shrugged. "Well, no. I don't like you because you make my dad sad."

Liz stretched her arms out behind her to rest on and wished she had something to drink. They were out in the middle of the desert in a dirt parking lot with zero shade and it felt like this was going to be an endurance test as much as a battle of wills. "That is a problem," she conceded. "Is he sad all the time?"

"No, but when he's sad it's horrible. He tries to hide it, which just makes it worse! One time he thought I was asleep and I caught him crying out by the pool."

Liz felt as if someone had torn her heart from her chest and dropkicked it across the parking lot. "What?" she asked weakly.

"He had been talking to you on the phone and I heard him laughing so I got out of bed to see what was going on and by the time I got there he was crying. He said it was because he missed you, but still! If you're not going to be there for him, don't be there at all!"

Even a slight breeze, though welcome in the desert heat, would have knocked Liz over at that moment. Dave had missed her that much? She tried to catch up, but Violet raged on, letting everything out in a storm of tears and shouts.

"You keep hurting him, Elizabeth!" she yelled, frustrated and angry that she couldn't keep her tears hidden. "And he just keeps going back to you! You don't understand how bad he was hurt when my mom and him broke up. You weren't there." She sniffled and tried to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand while collapsing to her knees in a puff of dust. "You don't understand us."

Liz was stunned. She had been expecting a conversation more along the lines of 'you're trying to replace my mom', but Violet had lobbed something much heavier at her and she was struggling under the weight of it. The sight of Dave's little girl sobbing hysterically in the dirt made her crawl over to her and gently rest her hand on her shoulder.

"Violet, please understand that I never wanted to hurt him. That was never, ever my intention," she said it softly and was surprised when Violet slumped into her chest, still wracked with sobs. Motherly instinct setting in, Liz wrapped her arms around her shoulders and rested her cheek in Violet's hair. "Your dad and I are just really... really terrible at the whole 'new relationship' thing. We've been out of practice for so long that I think we just expect to know each other as well as we would if we had been together for twenty years. But, Violet, honey, we're trying. We're trying to figure out what this all means and there's still a lot of uncertainty, but we absolutely agree that you kids are our first priority and the last thing we want to do is hurt you guys."

"Why do you care? You don't even know me or my sisters."

"Well," Liz picked her head up and tilted it enough to see her face. "I know what your dad tells me about you, and he tells me a lot. In fact, you girls are his favorite thing to talk about."

"Really?"

"Does that surprise you?" Liz asked, still holding her tightly.

Violet finally gave up a smile and although Liz could only feel it against her shoulder, it felt like the greatest accomplishment in the world.

"No," she admitted.

"Okay then," Liz smiled and rocked her a little to keep the smile on her face. "Are you ready to leave this parking lot? Cause I'm about to die of heat stroke and I really don't want you to have to drag my body back."

*

Dave bounded up the steps into the bus and Liz paused from making the girls' lunch greet him. "Hey! Hungry?"

"Yeah. Hey, doodles," he mussed Phee's hair as he passed her at the table and the annoyed look on her sweet face made Liz almost spit out her coffee.

"Hey," he greeted Liz with a quick kiss as she handed him the plate she had made for herself. "Everything okay?" he glanced over his shoulder to Violet as she worked through her lunch next to Phee and across from Harper.

Liz just nodded when his eyes were on her's again and gave him a hopeful smile. He kissed her again before moving to the table and shoving Phee over with his hip as she giggled. There was plenty of room next to Harper, but what was the point of having kids if you didn't annoy them as much as possible?

"Did the license and the bus thing get taken care of?" Dave called back to Liz.

"Yeah," Liz said casually and went about cleaning up the kitchen. "The liquor license wasn't even a problem and Violet actually took care of the buses." She kept her back to them, but in the reflection of the glossy cabinets, she could see Dave slowly turn to look at Violet.

"It was easy," Violet shrugged, keeping her eyes on her plate.

"Great," he chuckled, clearly relieved that someone had a handle on things around that place. "You're hired."

"Way ahead of you, Dad," Violet smiled and looked up at Liz. "Already got the laminate."

Liz leaned onto the countertop and took a sip of her coffee, sharing a silent look at Violet over their inside joke as Dave pretended he didn't notice. His phone buzzed and he took another bite of his sandwich before checking it.

"Mom's here," he said to the girls as he read the text on his phone. "Liz and I have some stuff to do, but we'll meet you at the stage later, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Love you," Phee grabbed his face and planted a loud kiss on his cheek, just as Jordyn called into the open bus door.

"Knock knock!"

The girls all began to move at once, sliding out of the booth and gathering their assortment of things strewn about the bus as Dave disappeared into the back bedroom and Jordyn hesitantly climbed the steps. Liz began to fidget with the dishtowel in her hands, knowing Jordyn was uncomfortable about standing in a place that had once been hers to pick up the daughters she shared with Dave so he could meet his new girlfriend's parents.

"Here," Liz said quickly, realizing she was just standing there like an idiot. "Take some water with you." She grabbed some bottles out of the fridge and handed them to the girls and Jordyn, who took hers with a grateful smile.

Liz was about to strike up a conversation with her, anything to break the awkward silence, but Dave emerged from the bedroom in a clean shirt and shorts to say goodbye. It was quick, but Liz caught the reassuring hand Jordyn swiped down Dave's arm and wondered if had to do with the fact that he was running an entire festival or that he was staring down the barrel of meeting her parents.

"So...," Dave started once Jordyn and the girls were gone. "How'd it go?"

"Fine," Liz noncommittally and slid past him to the bedroom.

He frowned at her back as she tossed a pair of sandals on the bed. "Violet seemed a bit less..."

"Frosty?" Liz finished for him with a chuckle. "We had a little chat and- oh my god, hi!"

She practically levitated off the bed and past Dave to launch herself at her father, who stood at the top of the steps waiting for her with open arms.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 95

Liz, Allison, and Josie stood shoulder to shoulder, holding coffee cups while staring disdainfully down at the bright pink golf cart in front of them. Their names were written in Dave's handwriting on official CalJam stationary and taped to the glittery pink vinyl seats with Liz assigned behind the steering wheel and Ally beside her.

"Do they think we're the fucking Spice Girls?" Ally finally asked, making Liz and Josie laugh.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in this pink monstrosity," Josie chuckled and finished her coffee, then reached into the cooler behind them and fished out a beer even though it wasn't quite noon yet.

The three had met early that morning and after a quick stop at a decent coffee shop, they headed east to San Bernadino in Liz's truck armed with only Ally's vague memory of where to go and a text from Dave telling Liz to find someone named River. It had taken the better part of an hour, but they had found him and not five minutes later Liz was already eager to be rid of him.

"I'm so sorry," River said nervously as he flipped through the clipboard in his sweaty hands. "It's definitely the cart they assigned you ladies and-"

"No, it's okay," Liz said gently. "Thanks, River, we'll take it from here."

"Okay well, here's your keys, your walkie-talkie and your agenda, if you need me just call and I'll come find you," he stammered and handed over their things, clearly terrified to fuck up his boss's strict instructions to make sure the women in front of him were well cared for.

Liz just nodded gratefully and watched him scurry away then spun back to Josie and Ally once he was out of sight. "Sit in the pink cart until I wave you over," she whispered conspiratorily and handed everything over to Ally before ducking beside a black golf cart emblazoned with Dave and Taylor's names.

Ten minutes later, she punched the gas on the black hotwired cart and they headed off down the line of tents being set up in preparation for the backstage parties in a flurry of giggles and dust.

They spent most of the afternoon just driving around, getting their bearings on the layout of the festival and being generally ignored by the crews at work when they happened to cruise by the catering tent.

"I'm starving, let's go," Josie yelled from her seat on the back and practically dove off the cart before Liz could hit the brakes.

"We're gonna need seatbelts by the end of the day," Ally slurred a little and tossed her empty beer can into the trash just before they ducked into the tent.

Liz stood off to the side, blinking to help her eyes adjust to the dark and crowded tent when she felt arms around her waist.

"Did you boost my golf cart?" Dave purred against her neck.

She smiled and leaned back, soaking up the feeling of him against her since she hadn't seen him in almost three days. "You didn't really think I'd drive that pink nightmare around, did you?"

He chuckled against her ear and held her a little tighter, slipping his hand under her shirt just enough to drag his thumb against the skin at the top of her jean shorts. "I fucking missed you."

Liz felt her skin burn at his touch and was about to turn and kiss him when Taylor breezed past them with a plate piled high with food.

"Not now, Disco," he shouted through a bite. "The Kiszka brothers just rolled up. You can bang her later once the buses get here." He took another bite of his sandwich and grinned at them. "Hey, Liz."

"Hi, Taylor," she tried not to laugh, but she could feel Dave's glare radiating at Taylor from over her shoulder and she covered her mouth to suppress a giggle before turning in his arms to face him. "Go," she smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "You're too busy for me today."

"Fuck that," he grumbled. "Don't go too far, okay?" he squeezed her against his chest before finally moving to follow Taylor. "I'll come find you in a bit!"

She watched him go and tried to shake off the disappointment she felt once he was gone. She knew he was going to be busy all weekend running an entire music festival, but she selfishly still wanted to just be with to him. She was still staring at the tent wall when Josie appeared in front of her with two large bottles of champagne.

"Look what Rami found!" she sang and held them above her head, making Liz laugh.

"Oh lord," she groaned and took the bottles before they were dropped into the dirt. "Tell me you've at least eaten something besides that bagel from this morning."

"Yes, mother," Josie huffed and walked with her to a tall table next to the open wall of the tent. "I had some of that pork Dave made. He's a great cook, Liz. You should really wife that one up."

"Yeah," Liz said sarcastically and began to peel off the foil around the cork, "He'd look great in white."

"I'm just saying," Josie leaned across the table thinking she was speaking quietly, but the large group of crew guys next to them were clearly listening in. "He loves you, you love... oh shit... Liz, ten o' clock!"

Liz looked at her in confusion, trying to figure out what had changed her demeanor and why she was hissing the incorrect time at her when she heard Jordyn's voice.

"Elizabeth?"

She whipped around to greet her and felt a pang of regret at how uncomfortable she looked. They both knew they had so much to talk about, to get out in the open and work through, but they also knew that a crowded catering tent was the absolute wrong place to do so. There was a distinct drop in volume around them as the crowd watched their interaction with great interest.

"Hi!" Liz said excitedly, setting down the bottle to greet her with a quick hug and classic LA air kiss. There was no way in hell she would give these onlookers the satisfaction of an awkward moment for them to sell off to a celebrity news site and she didn't trust anyone regardless of how deep in the 'Foo Fam' they were. "Need a drink?" she offered, holding up the bottle of champagne.

"God, yes," Jordyn laughed and nodded a greeting to Josie, who tried to politely smile back. "Dave said you're quite the shot with a cork."

Liz laughed and unscrewed the cork cap, "Yeah. It's a party trick that comes in handy sometimes."

"Do you think you could teach me?"

A slow smile spread across Liz's face, realizing Jordyn was on the exact same page she was. "Absolutely."

*

Dave poured five shots of Jaeger into tiny red cups atop an amp in the practice tent. The band members surrounding him were barely 21, maybe not quite, and just starting out on the wild ride of the rock star life that Dave been living for thirty years. They hung on his every word, laughing loudly at his bad jokes and stories, eager to learn anything they could from the icon in front of them.

"Okay on three!" one of them yelled and held up his shot.

The five counted down and threw back the liquor just as Dave's sunglasses flew off the top of his head, propelled by a champagne cork.

"What the fuck?"

The kids laughed as Dave whipped around to find Jordyn pouring champagne into Liz's cup next to a hysterically laughing Josie. He met eyes with Liz and she shot him a grin telling him everything he needed to know.

*

Once the champagne was poured into the red cups and the women were once again in the safety of the catering tent, Josie sloppily announced that she had left her sunglasses in the golf cart and took off in search of them.

"She's good," Jordyn laughed as they watched her walk in the opposite direction of the parked carts.

"She'd be even better if she had remembered her sunglasses were on her face," Liz giggled.

They both laughed for a moment while Jordyn finished her champagne and began to pour another round. "Would you walk with me for a bit? Take a turn about the room, if you will?"

Liz stared at her in surprise, absorbing her Pride and Prejudice quote while desperately trying to interpret it. Caroline Bingley had said it in an attempt to use Elizabeth Bennett get Mr. Darcy's attention, so was Jordyn supposed to be Caroline and... she stopped herself before she could overthink it and stepped around the tall table to her side. Jordyn linked her arm in Liz's and they walked, red cups in hand, out into the harsh sun.

"I want to apologize for Paris," Jordyn said bluntly once they were far enough away from eavesdroppers.

"Oh," Liz tried to laugh it off, feeling incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden. "It was-"

"Awful, I know," she interrupted. "Dave was a wreck after you left."

Liz stopped short and turned to face her, frantically gathering the courage to speak. "I just... I wanted to give you two some time to figure things out without me there. If there was anything worth saving, it would be worth it to find for your girls."

"He told me you'd say that," she admitted and pushed her sunglasses up into her hair. She smiled kindly at Liz, but there was an obvious sadness behind her eyes. "And we tried, but there's nothing there anymore. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated the sentiment. You put my girls and their feelings above all else and that's all I'll ever ask of you." She paused as Dave's lyrics hung over them and then quickly pulled Liz into a hug. "And thank you for giving me the closure I needed from him. That was... unexpected."

Liz, at a complete loss for words, just squeezed her shoulders before pulling back.

"And really, Elizabeth... you were unexpected. Out of all the...," she laughed a little and rolled her eyes before continuing. "Let's just say I wasn't expecting Dave to fall for someone like you. I was fully prepared for some twenty year old in a mini skirt to show up and try to parent my girls and my claws were ready."

They both laughed at that, each of them knowing what it was to be overly protective of their babies.

"But then he sat me down and confessed that he loved you and I swear, he should have been a fucking lawyer because he pretty much sold me then and there."

Liz slowly nodded, still unable to form words with how much was swirling through her brain and with how profoundly grateful she was that this woman was so understanding.

"So are you okay?" Liz asked before Jordyn let her go and she lost the nerve.

Jordyn tilted her head from one side to the other as if she were tasting her words before spitting them out. "Yes," she finally decided. "Jonathan apparently realized his mistake halfway through my stay in Greece and crawled, literally, to my hotel room in tears."

"Yikes," Liz offered, not wanting to take sides when she didn't know the outcome.

"So I locked him out of his hotel room because karma's a bitch and so am I," she smiled brightly as Liz laughed and once again linked their arms, walking her towards the tent just across from them and pulled back the white wall.

It took a moment for Liz's eyes to adjust to the shade, but when they did her heart lodged itself firmly in her throat.

"Hey, Mom."

Harper was curled up in a camping chair with headphones on and a tablet in her lap, casually smiling at her mother while Ophelia sat at her feet in the grass with a bright green ukelele on her knees.

"Can you pause that a moment, honey? I want you to meet my friend," Jordyn looked around while Liz remained frozen in place, desperately wishing Dave were with her. "Where's your sister?"

"I'm right here, Mama!" Ophelia said sweetly, making her mother laugh.

"No, honey. Where's Violet?"

"Oh, I dunno," Harper shrugged and hopped out of her chair. "She took off with Shane awhile ago."

"I swear to god these kids," Jordyn whispered under her breath in frustration but pulled Liz forward. "Harper, Phee, this is Elizabeth."

Liz tried to swallow the organs that were threatening to choke her and crouched to the girl's eye level. She attempted a smile but was sure she looked as if she were baring her teeth at the poor things when Harper and Phee shared a worried glance.

"Hi," Liz managed, surprised that her voice was even and calm. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Harper stepped forward first and politely offered her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Elizabeth."

Liz shook her hand, feeling her heart break a little when Phee hid behind her sister and peeked out with wide, scared eyes. "You can call me Liz if you'd like."

Harper smiled brightly and nodded. "That's what Daddy calls you."

"Phee?" Jordyn asked softly, joining Liz on the grass and holding her arms out when Phee ran to her.

"Mama, that's Annie," she whispered into her mother's ear.

"She's too little to understand," Harper explained in her big sisterly way while Jordyn quietly reassured Phee. "Daddy told me you play the drums."

"I do," Liz nodded, marveling at how much Harper looked like a little blonde Dave. "He told me the same about you."

Harper blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear the exact same way her father did. "He's teaching me."

"You're so lucky to have him as a teacher!"

"Yeah, people say he's the best drummer in the world, but he's just my dad," she said casually and Liz couldn't help but laugh.

Harper's eyes went wide and she kneeled on the grass in front of Liz. "Daddy said you have a really pretty laugh," she whispered.

"Well, that was very nice of him to say," Liz started, but was surprised when Phee suddenly crawled into her lap with a shy giggle.

"I know you're not really the pirate Annie," she said and put her hands on Liz's cheeks to stare into her eyes, "but can we play pretend some time?"

"Oh, I would love that," Liz smiled, "Every pirate needs a good crew."

"Daddy said you have boys," Phee crinkled her little nose in disgust, making both Liz and Jordyn laugh.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but they're pretty fun anyways."

Harper craned her neck a bit to see Liz's face around Phee's mass of blonde curls. "Do they play the drums, too?"

"No, the music bug hasn't hit them quite yet, unfortunately. Maybe you could teach them!"

Harper audibly gasped in excitement and her eyes lit up like Christmas. "When can we meet them?"

"Won't they be here tomorrow?" Jordyn asked. "I bet you all could play then."

Liz just nodded, worried she might start to cry at any moment. These people, who she barely knew, had thrown open their arms and welcomed her and her boys as if it were the easiest thing in the world to do. The four of them sat together for an hour with Phee performing her own renditions of Disney songs on her ukelele and Harper showing Liz drumming videos on her tablet until both girls were yawning.

"Okay, that's it," Jordyn announced and pulled herself up off the grass. "Naptime!"

"Mom," Harper whined with embarrassment. "I'm too old for naps!"

"Don't care," her mother said matter of factly. "I'm not dealing with two cranky girls tonight when this place starts getting fun. Just give me an hour."

"Fine," she grumbled, then gave Liz a tight hug. "See you later, Liz!"

Liz said her goodbyes and watched them go, sitting stunned in the grass for a moment before slipping out the back. She wandered through the maze of white tents, listening to the voices drifting out from the thin walls and trying to wrap her brain around what had just happened. She had met two of his three daughters and already adored them, but she was most surprised by how much more connected she felt with Dave. Maybe that was how he felt about her when he met her boys, which would explain his almost stifling clinginess in London. Things were beginning to make a little more sense, like the last few pieces of a long and intense jigsaw puzzle were falling into place and the big picture was becoming more clear. When she was satisfied that everything was worked out in her head, she finally looked around and noticed she had strayed a bit further from the backstage area than she had intended. Worried that maybe Dave was looking for her, she was about to head back when she heard a band begin their sound check on stage and felt her heart flutter at the distinct sound of Dave's drumming.

Making her way along the crowd control fences that were still being set up, she tried to stay out of everyone's way while being as invisible as possible, but she was still stopped a few times by people asking for a photo or an autograph. It felt strange to be noticed again, news of her next movie was gaining traction in the press and she knew the madness was about to crash around her once again. Not to mention the fact that she was Dave's girlfriend and he was running the entire festival she was currently traipsing through. That was probably the more likely scenario.

She found a spot on the lawn, just next to the soundboard placed far back from the stage and directly in the middle of where thousands of people would be standing in just 24 hours and settled in. The sky was turning a gorgeous pink color, framing the stage with the sunset when the sound tech smiled and nodded at her then pointed at a cooler beside his chair.

"Hey, there's water and beer in here if you want anything," he yelled over the music and Liz nodded a thank you. She wondered if Dave had instructed everyone to treat her like fucking royalty or if they had all taken it upon themselves to do so. As she mulled it over, a blur of yellow caught her attention when Violet sat next to her in the grass and silently began watching the sound check. After a few moments, Liz dug through the previously ignored cooler and offered her a bottle of water which Violet examined before taking. "Thanks," she muttered. "Nice tattoo."

"Thank you. I like your shirt," Liz nodded to the yellow Scream shirt she had on and wondered if it was the yellow Scream shirt of Nirvana video infamy.

"It was my dad's."

Liz just smiled and turned back to the band when they started another song, hoping they could just sit together and listen to the music, but Violet apparently had a different idea in mind.

"So you're the princess?"

"Only at work," Liz replied, still watching Dave thrash the drum kit. "Off duty, I'm really rather boring."

"Your face was everywhere last time my dad took us to Disneyland," Violet said flatly, still not looking at Liz. "It made him sad."

Fuck. Probably all those Pirate promo posters with Johnny. "I missed him a lot when I was in London," she sighed, not sure how else to respond.

Violet pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "He thinks I can't tell when he's sad. I can, though."

Liz considered this a moment, trying to approach her on a mutual level. "Sometimes dads think they're good at hiding what they're feeling, but us daughters always know."

Violet finally looked over and began to study Liz. "What's your dad like?"

Liz felt herself smile at the thought of her dad and knew she would get to see him in less than 24 hours. "He's pretty great. He's funny and smart, he loves music and books... He's one of my best friends."

"Really?" she dropped her knees and turned a little to face Liz, just slightly thawing her demeanor towards her.

"Absolutely," Liz nodded and glanced over at her. "We text or talk at least once a day, even if it's just to say I love you or send a funny picture. My parents are actually coming out tomorrow and I'm so excited to see them."

"Are your parents still married?"

Shit, there goes the mutual ground. "Yes," she admitted.

Violet blinked and turned back to the stage, effectively closing herself off again. They watched the rest of the set in silence, occasionally nodding their heads to the music, but the wall Violet had thrown up between them was thick and Liz was beginning to worry she might not break through. Once the band left the stage, Violet moved to stand and Liz looked up at her expectantly, hoping she would just say something.

"Will you tell my mom that I talked to you?"

"Sure," she replied and before she could get herself up and off the grass, Violet was gone.

*

Liz slipped past the giant men guarding the VIP gates and waved to the occasional person that she knew before ducking into the catering tent, relieved and a little surprised to find it empty. She dug a beer out of a cooler and sat in a camping chair to begin overthinking her life.

She was halfway through her beer and lost in her own mind when Dave threw back the tent wall just next to her. "Hey, baby!" he called and reached for her hand, bending down so he could kiss her before moving to the tables of food. "Having fun?"

"Of course!" she smiled and took a long drink while watching him peruse the tables full of food.

He decided on a handful of chips and shoved them in his mouth, then apparently thought better of it and grabbed then entire bowl, chewing loudly as he marched over and sat directly on her knees, almost sending them both to the dirt.

"David!" she cried, trying to keep her drink and herself upright as he adjusted himself on her lap.

"Shit, sorry," he laughed and steadied their chair before leaning back in, fully aware that he was squishing her. "So what have you been up to?"

Liz wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek on his back, not quite ready to talk about the girls. "Just wandering around. How about you? ... god, Dave. You're all sweaty."

"Yeah, I was kicking my own ass up there," he groaned and rubbed at his biceps.

"I saw that," she giggled and held him tighter, not really caring how damp his shirt was.

"Was that you out by the soundboard?" he asked, swiveling just enough to see her face. "I told Taylor to find my glasses but he just laughed at me."

"Yeah, that was me."

"And Violet, right? I'd know that godawful yellow shirt even if I went completely blind."

Shit. Here we go. "Yep."

"So..."

"I got to meet your girls!" she said it as cheerfully as she could, but she couldn't kick the tinge of worry in her voice.

He was silent long enough that Liz felt her throat tighten with anxiety, then he suddenly stood and discarded the chip bowl on a table before rushing back to her. She watched in confusion when he grabbed another chair and positioned it close enough that their knees were touching.

"How'd it go?" he asked, matching her worry with the look in his eyes.

"Harper is your clone," she said simply, smiling at the memory of her tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Dave relaxed a little and smiled proudly. "What about Phee?"

"Darling," she breathed. "That one might give me diabetes with how sweet she is."

Dave chuckled and reached for her hand, "And Violet?"

"Work in progress," Liz confessed, bracing herself for his reaction. The very last thing she wanted to do was to drive a wedge between the two.

Dave knit his eyebrows together in concern. "What's that mean?"

"We talked a little and I think she's trying to figure me out."

"Was she rude?"

"No," Liz shook her head. "God, no. It's just gonna take some time to get used to each other, that's all."

"Should I talk to her?"

Liz considered this a moment, wondering what Violet would want her to say. "No... I mean, you obviously know her best, but I don't want her to feel like she's being forced into liking me."

"But she kinda is, babe," he pointed out. "I love you whether she likes it or not."

"Don't-," Liz sharply shook her head and set her beer down. "Fuck, don't say that!"

Dave chuckled, apparently amused by her panic. "What? Am I supposed to leave you just because she's annoyed?"

"We've broken up over less, dude," she reminded him and matched his smile. "And I think I've made it pretty clear that those girls come before me."

"She'll come around, babe," he assured her and reached back for more chips. "So you talked to Jordyn?"

"Yeah, we caught up," she said, grabbing a chip when he offered her the bowl. "She's got great aim!"

Dave rolled his eyes but laughed all the same. "Yeah, thanks for teaching her that. Now she's going to launch fucking corks at me every chance she gets."

"Yeah, but from what I hear, you deserve it," she teasingly raised an eyebrow at him, remembering what Allison had told her about Dave straying from his marriage and watched as he cautiously studied her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, making Liz regret joking about such a thing.

"Just fine, why?"

"Well, I thought maybe you'd be hostile because I kissed her back in Paris."

He said it as casually as if he were stating the weather, but Liz felt as if someone had thrown her through thin ice on a frozen lake. "She actually didn't even mention that little piece of information," she said coolly, locking her eyes on his.

It took him a moment, but Dave's chip halted midway to his mouth and he slowly leaned back in his chair. "Oh, shit."

Liz snatched her beer to avoid saying something she might regret and quickly stood up. "I'm gonna go find Ally. Where are you going to be in fifteen minutes?"

"Where do you need me to be?" he sat forward in his chair as if she would go off the rails and explode at any moment.

"I need you in front of me, please." She congratulated herself on sounding calm, though her insides were roiling.

"I can do that."

"Cool. See you in fifteen."

And with that, she steadily walked out of the tent in search of Allison.

*

Ten minutes later, she was sitting on a couch in the incredibly luxurious tour bus assigned to her and Dave, while trying to work through her thoughts with Ally and Josie.

"Okay so it's just me, right? Like, I can't even be mad that they kissed. I can't shove them together and then be pissed off when they do exactly what I wanted them to."

"Nope," Ally smiled kindly and went to sit beside her on the plush tan leather. "And because they did exactly what you wanted them to, now there's no 'what if' hovering over them. It's a completely clean slate for everyone!"

"But," Josie added, holding her finger up from the kitchen area, "You're totally allowed to not like it."

"Oh, absolutely," Ally added, then put her arms around Liz's shoulders and held her tightly. "Honey, you know he loves you. No more huge blow-ups, okay? Taylor can't take much more of Dave's sobbing."

Liz laughed and leaned her head into Ally's shoulder, thankful for the friends she had made in the last several months.

"He's here," Josie said, peering out the window.

"Was that fifteen minutes?" Liz asked, looking around for a clock.

"Fifteen minutes, exactly." Ally grinned and went to open the door, then gasped when a soaking wet Dave hurried past her. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Someone gave your goddamn husband a squirt gun," he grumbled and moved towards the bedroom at the back of the bus, hesitating a little when he saw Liz. "Am I early? ... Or late?"

"You're right on time," Ally said quickly and grabbed Josie's arm to drag her outside. "You're good!"

"So good," Josie muttered, watching him as he peeled off his wet shirt and tossed it into the sink.

"Get... oh my god, Josie! Get out!" Liz laughed and pushed her towards the door. "You have your own rock star to maul."

"Yeah but yours has tattoos!" she whined and leaned back from her spot on the steps to get one last look at Dave.

"So does yours!" Dave yelled back but started on his belt anyways making Josie plant her feet on the top step.

"Fine," Liz threw up her hands and moved back to Dave. "You can watch, I don't care."

"Whoa, really?" he flashed a grin at Josie while grabbing Liz around the waist as she passed him.

"Sure, whatever," she laughed and leaned into him, once again not caring that he was soaking her shirt with his wet skin. "You put on a good show. Seems a shame to keep it all to myself."

She held his gaze long enough to know that he was wondering if she were serious or not when Josie finally spoke.

"Ugh. You guys made it weird. I'm out," she laughed and bounded down the stairs out of view.

The moment she was gone, Dave pulled Liz in front of him and threw his arms around her. "Are we okay?"

"We're fine," she tried to nod, but he was holding her too tightly. "Ally got me through it."

"You're sure?" He seemed uneasy about how relaxed she was, making her stretch up to kiss him.

She had meant it to be quick, thinking he had somewhere else to be, but when she tried to pull away he held her to his lips and backed her against the counter, pawing at her clothes and slipping his hand underneath her loose tank top just to feel more of her skin. She melted into his touch and wove her fingers into his hair, trying to get him as close to her as possible.

"Fuck," he grunted, pulling back just enough that he could yank the zipper down on her shorts, but not enough that their lips parted.

Her gasp mixed with his groan when he slipped his hands into the front of her shorts and her hips bucked against him as he curled his fingers into her. He whispered her name against her throat and she felt her insides pool into hot liquid, but a small sound just outside the bus made her head snap up at attention.

"Dad?"

He didn't even have time to register what was happening before Liz shoved him away and bolted into the back bedroom just as Harper came up the steps holding her favorite stuffed dragon and a backpack.

"Hey, Doodle!" he yelled and leaned against the counter to catch his breath while forcing a smile at her.

Harper, blissfully unaware, grinned brightly at him. "Can I sleep here with you and Liz tonight? I don't want to share with Violet."

"Of course you can," Liz announced, breezing out of the back room now in sweats and a hoodie. "We can pull out the couch for you."

Harper squeezed her dragon in excitement and tossed her things on the couch while Liz shot Dave a sympathetic look.

Tomorrow, she mouthed and squeezed his shoulder before going to find extra blankets.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 94

Liz shifted her weight onto one leg and rolled her shoulders, anything to distract herself from the feel of Dave's eyes on her as she waited to pick up Jack from school. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she gave it at least thirty seconds before looking at it.

You look really pretty today.

She turned just enough to see him standing several feet back in his cargo shorts and band shirt with one of her trucker hats sitting backward over his pulled back hair. He had struck up a conversation with Paul Stanley and they both flashed her the smuggest grins she had ever seen before she turned back to her phone.

And you look like you're about to hop on your skateboard and ask if I'll buy you a case of beer.

She heard his laugh and smiled herself, but kept her eyes straight ahead at the brick school building. They had spent the day together knowing they would have to maneuver picking up the kids from the same school separately since she still hadn't formally met his daughters. That particular event was scheduled for the upcoming weekend at CalJam when Jordyn was to bring the girls Thursday afternoon before things got too festive, but all the waiting gave Liz too much time to think. What if they hated her? What if they didn't get along with Jack and Owen? What if-?

The school bell jarred Liz from her thoughts and she hurried over to the front doors just as Jack limped out on his crutches.

*

Dave watched Liz struggle a little to get Jack into the back of her pickup and had to turn away to keep himself from running over to help. The last thing he wanted was an accidental run in between Violet, Harper, and Liz, especially in the school parking lot where they couldn't have any sort of meaningful interaction without distraction. He and Liz had discussed her meeting the girls that morning as they waited for the coffee to brew and she had insisted that Jordyn be there in case the girls needed her. She wanted the girls to have a safe place to figure things out and get used to the idea that their father had found someone new, and though it shouldn't have surprised him that Liz was already so directly concerned with his daughter's feelings, it had made him lean across the kitchen island to kiss her. He smiled down at the sidewalk as he thought about her reaction.

"What the hell was that for?" she breathed when he finally let her and slipped around the counter to be even closer to her.

"I love you," was all he could think to say, his thoughts consumed with how she was once again putting his daughters above her own needs.

Her head turned to glance at the clock giving him a face full of her hair, smelling like yesterday's perfume and the bed they had slept in together the night before. "When does Owen wake up?"

"Twenty minutes," she grinned then squealed when he scooped her up and carried her to the living room couch.

He stared at the concrete below him with a dreamy smile on his face, only coming to when he heard Harper.

"Dad?"

"Yeah!" he snapped up to find her watching him with a bemused look on her face. "How was your day?"

"Fine," she shrugged and walked into his arms, finally cracking a smile when he shook her shoulders.

"Just fine?" he teased loudly. "I'm paying these people more than just fine, Harper. Should we just say screw it and put the money into a private island instead?"

Her grin grew brighter, revealing the new spacers the dentist had put in in preparation for her braces and Dave knew he was on the verge of getting a belly laugh out of her.

"Yes, please!" she finally broke into giggles and hugged him back as he looked around for Violet.

"Where's your sister? She's usually out before you."

"By the car."

Dave twisted to see her leaning against the bed of his truck, her arms crossed over her chest and a sullen glare on her face. He had been so lost in his own head that he totally missed her when she walked past. Shit.

*

The drive home was painfully silent. Dave usually spent that time talking to the girls about their day, but Violet was clearly not in the mood for idle chatter. She put on her headphones and cranked something on her iPhone then buckled her seatbelt and fixed her eyes out the window. Harper sensed the tension and gingerly did the same, eyeing her dad and sister as she fumbled with her own headphones and located the White Album in her phone. Dave occasionally checked on them in the rearview mirror, giving Harper a quiet smile when she met his eyes, but let them do their own thing no matter how much it bothered him.

When they finally pulled into the driveway, Violet took off like a shot, grabbing her bag and stomping into the house before Dave could even get the garage door closed behind them. He was met with his mother and Ophelia in the kitchen looking as bewildered as he felt.

"What was that all about?" Virginia asked, craning her neck to look up the stairs when Violet's bedroom door slammed shut.

"Hell if I know," he muttered, then felt Harper at his side. "Did something happen at school today?"

"Not that I know of," she shrugged and greeted her grandmother with a hug. "Maybe her boyfriend dumped her."

"Oh lord," Virginia rolled her eyes at Dave and aimed the girls towards the patio outside. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks, Mom," he replied distractedly and busied himself with making the girls something to eat while trying to work out what was up with Violet. He had always valued how close they were and he knew deep down that this had nothing to do with a boyfriend. She was clearly angry with him and he had no idea what he had done or how he could fix it. As he separated grapes on to three plates, he smirked at the thought of Violet inheriting his mood swings and tried to think of how Liz dealt with his. Approach cautiously, keep the communication lines open, and for the love of god, don't run away. He spun around to put the plates on the kitchen island and jumped back in surprise when he found Violet glowering at him from the other side of the counter.

"Shit, V. You scared me."

"I've been here for five minutes," she grumbled.

"Sorry...," he said it almost as a question, completely baffled by her attitude. "Hungry?"

"No."

"Okay...," he slid the plates away and leaned over the counter towards her. "Wanna talk?"

She nodded tersely and violently ripped the stool from under the counter before slamming herself upon it and crossing her arms again. "I saw her today."

Dave felt as if a bucket of ice had been dumped over his shoulders though he hoped it didn't show on his face. "Saw who?"

"Your girlfriend," she rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her hand in annoyance.

There was a distinct urge to correct her attitude, but he fought it, knowing that getting back in her good graces was most important. "... And?"

"... and she's really pretty," Violet muttered bitterly and looked away, staring down at the marble countertop.

"Out with it, Violet Mae," he said sternly, though he didn't mean it that way, he was just dreading this conversation.

"I don't think I like her," she whispered, her surly attitude giving way to genuine sadness.

"Honey," he sighed and moved around the counter to sit next to her. "You haven't even met her." He moved to hug her but jumped back when she snapped.

"I don't care, Dad!" she barked. "It's like you're really happy one week and then not the next. I hate how sad you are and I hate her for making you that way!" she slammed her elbows on the table and covered her face in her hands as she burst into tears.

He sat in stunned silence for a moment, then folded her into his arms and let her sob as he wondered if any of this was a good idea. He could be single for the rest of his life if it made Violet happy and Liz would probably understand. Just as he was beginning to get his bearings, Harper wandered into the kitchen in search of her snack, stopping short when she saw her sister. "Whoa, what happened?"

"Okay," Dave said quickly and stood up with his arms still around Violet. "Everybody around the table. We're going to figure this out right now." He got Violet a kitchen towel for her tears and left her and Harper at the table to call Phee and his mother inside. There was a silent, pleading look to his mom as she passed him in the kitchen, asking her to stay just in case there was a mutiny and received a supportive hand on his arm for his troubles before she stationed herself in the kitchen to get them just enough space.

Once they were all seated around the dining room table with Violet still weeping, Harper and Phee looking bewildered and his mother watching from a distance, he took a deep breath and wondered if he could pull this off.

"Okay, look. I didn't want things to be weird around here and I thought I was doing a better job at not showing it, but I guess I didn't. You three are the most important things in my life, hands down, no question. Above music and bikes and-"

"Barbeque?" Phee asked with innocent wide eyes, making Harper burst out laughing and earning a crack of a smile from Violet.

"Well, maybe not barbeque," he teased, then went perfectly serious again while grabbing Violet's hand. "You three are my world and I want nothing more than you to be happy. Does anyone have any questions about that?" All three shook their heads and he felt himself relax just a bit when Violet squeezed his hand back. "Great. I know the whole thing with me and mom was tough, but we're okay, right?"

Phee slid out of her chair and the mention of her mother and ran over to climb into Dave's lap. "We don't like it when you're sad, Daddy," she said softly.

"It's Elizabeth's fault," Violet muttered under her breath.

"No...," Dave sighed in frustration and raked his hand through his hair. "Violet... It's not just her. She and I are new at this, you know? I was with your mom and she was with her kid's dad for almost twenty years, so we're relearning how to let someone new into our lives. And it turns out that's tougher than we both expected, but I love her and I think you girls will, too."

"But how do you even know that you love her?" Harper asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Well," he took a moment to think about what to say while absentmindedly pushing Phee's hair off her face. "Liz is... she's like... she makes me laugh all the time, we like all the same stuff, she's fun to be around... I don't know how to describe it, guys. It's just there."

"Mommy says we get to meet her soon," Phee whispered.

"She's helping out on Thursday with the CalJam set up. Do you want to come out early and meet her then?"

Harper jumped up from her chair in excitement and dashed over to kiss his cheek while Phee bounced and clapped her hands. "Yes, please!"

"All right," Virginia called from the kitchen in perfect timing. "Harper and Ophelia, come eat!"

Dave waited until they were gone then turned back to Violet. "Are you okay with that, V?"

"I guess," she said glumly.

"Would it make you feel any better if I told you that all of those times I was sad, it was probably my fault?"

She picked her head up and stared at him, reading his penitent face. "Do I have to tell her that?"

That broke him and he chuckled as he hugged her. "No, let's keep that between us."

*

Later, his mother helped him clean up after dinner while the girls were scattered around the house busy with homework or Disney movies.

"How'd I do?" he finally asked, feeling the weight of the entire day on his shoulders and wishing Liz were there with him.

"I think you did quite well," she nodded and tossed her towel onto the counter. "Thursday will be the real test, dear."

He sighed and leaned against the fridge, scrubbing his hand down his face. "Yeah, I know."

"And it's completely out of your hands, David."

His spine went straight at that. "What?"

"Don't meddle in this one," she warned with a pointed finger. "This is between Elizabeth and the girls. Your job is to be supportive of both sides, not to force them into liking each other right away."

"Christ," he moaned, already feeling the oncoming panic from not being able to control the situation. "This is going to be a nightmare, isn't it?"

"No, I never said that," she laughed softly. "What I will say is that I'm not worried at all about Elizabeth here. The only way I can see this going to hell is if you pick a side."

He watched her wipe down the already spotless counters and put the pieces together in his brain, realizing he had so much more to lose than he originally thought.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 93

"Can we talk?"

She sounded hopeful... or maybe he was just imagining it.

"You can talk all you want," he muttered, the pictures he had been sent of her and Johnny at The Rainbow were still fresh in his mind as he leaned against the foyer wall and crossed his arms.

Liz calmly finished climbing the front steps and took a deep breath to start explaining, but a call from the dark driveway made her jaw snap shut.

"You good, baby girl?"

Dave slowly craned his neck to see Jesse nervously watching them from the seat of his bike and felt as if he might snap. She had been on a fucking date with Depp, knocking back shots like they were best buddies and then showed up on the back of Jesse's bike when she had specifically promised him she wouldn't anything of the sort and now she was here to beg for forgiveness? "She's good, man," he replied for her, eager to hear how she was going to explain her way out of this one.

Liz closed her eyes and sighed deeply, pivoting on her heel to wave goodbye to Jesse when he fired up his bike. Once the bike was revved enough to wake the entire neighborhood, he gunned it out of the driveway and down the hill.

Dave waited until it was quiet again then raised an eyebrow at her. "Baby girl?"

"Do you want me to start with that or with the thing that I agonized over the entire trip here?" she asked, her voice low and even.

"Ladies' choice."

"Great," she sighed and reached into her leather jacket to produce a white card with his handwriting on the front in black marker.

He recognized it instantly as the one he decided upon after having written several drafts in the front seat of Jordyn's rental car as she broke several Parisian traffic laws to get him to the airport before Liz left. The first notes were long, poetic and romantic, but they didn't feel right. They weren't the words he really wanted to tell her and in the end, he had settled on a memory from the night they met, knowing it would get through to her better than some bullshit Hallmark prose. Can we start over?

"I...," she started to speak and he looked from the note to her face just as the tears spilled over her lashes, "I had a whole speech but I was never any good at monologues. Maybe I found this far too late, but I'd like to start over too... If you're still willing."

He could very easily toss her a polite, 'No, thank you' and turn her out into the night. She knew where Taylor and Allison lived, certainly they'd give her a ride home and then he'd be free from the drama that seemed to plague his life as of late. He could simply walk away and go back to running the vast musical empire he had so painstakingly created, maybe he could even check out of that as well and just be a dad for a while, but if he were honest with himself he knew he'd always miss her. He'd always wonder what she was up to and if someone was making her laugh as much as he did.

"You ready for that date?" he asked casually, taking her by surprise.

She tilted her head slightly in confusion, but dashed the tears off her cheeks and forced a smile, "I mean, that's why I'm in this dress."

"Great," he quickly repeated her words and snatched his keys off the little table next to the door, knowing that if he stayed in that house with her another moment they wouldn't be going anywhere.

Liz's heels clicked on the tile as she followed him out into the garage, then stopped short when she saw the entirety of his motorcycle collection lined up next to the Tesla. He had finally managed to get all of them out of the garage at his old place, much to Jordyn's delight, but didn't even realize that Liz had only seen two of them until that moment. She walked between them, running her fingers over the custom paint on the tank of his newest Harley and glanced up when she heard him swear. He was standing on the other side of the Tesla, staring down at the floor with an annoyed look on his face.

"Your rocket ship out of juice?" she teased from her spot behind the Street Glide.

"I can never remember to plug the fucking thing in," he grumbled and roughly shoved the charger into the outlet in the wall.

"It was charged after the Oscar's though!"

"Yeah, I made Taylor come over and plug it in because I was trying to impress you."

"No, your little 'Hi, I'm Dave' line was charming enough for me," she said quietly. "We can take a bike if you-"

"Hell no," he interrupted and fished his truck keys out of his pocket, "Now that I know how cranky you get when you're cold, the bike's off limits when you're not wearing jeans. And I never said 'Hi, I'm Dave', I said 'Elizabeth, it's nice to finally meet you.'"

"That's a very detailed account of our first encounter, David," she replied, trying to keep up again as he strode towards the pickup.

"That's because I think about it all the time," he grinned while opening her door for her.

A little taken aback by his sweet statement, she blushed and climbed into the passenger seat, wondering what exactly he had planned for their night.

*

"What... are we doing?" she asked, looking around the empty loading dock at the Staples Center as Dave locked up the truck.

"I'm taking you on a date, Elizabeth," he replied, pretending to be deeply offended by her questioning.

"Okay...," she smiled and took his offered hand, following him up a ramp and into the depths of the building.

None of it looked familiar to her, it was just one endless white painted hallway after another and though Dave seemed to know exactly where he was going, they didn't see another soul along the way. She wondered if anyone knew they were there or if maybe Dave just knew they kept the back door unlocked, which seemed unlikely. They didn't speak as he led her along, walking with a purpose until he stopped in front of a nondescript grey double door and pulling it open.

The green room seemed so much bigger now that it wasn't full of celebrities and catering tables, and the only way Liz recognized it was from the blue velvet curtain that hung on one end. The same one Dave had stood in front of when she first met him.

"Wait here."

He said it quietly, but it echoed all the same across the empty room. She shoved her hands in her leather jacket so she wouldn't fidget and looked around, recognizing the door off to the side that she and Travis had gone through to get to the stage. It all seemed like a lifetime ago, back when she was just trying to keep her head above water and failing miserably. Back before he casually strolled into her life like the missing piece she didn't know she was even looking for.

"Move a little to your right," Dave called out his instructions from his spot in front of the curtain and she took a half step to the side, then looked up at him expectantly.

"Little bit more," he urged, waving his hands until she was just where he wanted her. "There."

She stood as still as she could, feeling awkward and exposed as he stared at her with a half grin in silence. "Okay, now what?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "That's the exact spot I first laid eyes on you."

Surprised, Liz looked at the doors behind her and then back at Dave. "You saw me when I first walked in?"

He nodded and began to walk back to her, keeping his eyes on her face. "I did and I thought, 'Great, another vapid actress-slash-model that thinks she can sing and I'll have to put her on a fucking record because Paul asked me nicely.'"

Liz's smile faltered a little and she cleared her throat just as he stopped in front of her. "Oh."

A faint smile pulled at his lips as he reached out to brush her hair off her shoulder and she let out a ragged breath, expecting him to elaborate on his statement, but he only lightly touched her cheek before stepping past her. "Okay, next stop."

*

Liz felt the familiar apprehension when she saw John Silva's driveway lined with expensive cars and sat motionless even when Dave opened her door.

"Coming?" he asked, watching her closely.

"Yeah," she whispered and stiffly pivoted out of the seat.

Following him up the stamped concrete in silence, she took a moment to look back at the spot where he almost kissed her that first night and felt a warm giddiness spread through her. Dave's knuckles on the massive wooden doors got her attention and she hurried to his side, lacing her fingers with his just as the doors opened like the gates of Oz to reveal a man about Liz's height with ripped jeans, skate shoes and a sharp stare.

"Hey, man!" his deep, gravelly voice boomed across the front lawn as the man threw his arms around Dave's shoulders and Liz instantly remembered it from the hallway argument her old manager had the morning of the Grammy's.

"John, this is Liz," Dave said proudly and threw his arms around her shoulders.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," she said politely and had to steady herself when he roughly shook her hand.

John stepped back to invite them in, his voice still far too loud for how close they were standing and announced, "We would have met sooner if that jackass you had as your manager had allowed it."

Liz forced a laugh and leaned into Dave's hand on her back. "Yeah, he was an idiot. Sorry about that."

"It was obvious he thought I was going to snatch you up," John replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Which, if he had done any fucking research, he would know that I don't go near actors. You're all fucking disasters."

"That's an accurate statement and a wise business decision," she laughed again, this time genuinely.

John smiled at her for a moment, then abruptly stepped back and waved them towards the living room. "It's all yours," he said, again far too loudly. "Yell if you need anything."

"Thanks, John," Dave replied and grabbed Liz's hand once again, pulling her towards the steps that led to the basement, down the hallway and into the dark room still illuminated by the swimming pool just outside that gave a rippling effect to all the guitars hanging on the walls. Liz gazed at them as Dave softly closed the door behind them.

She melted into him when he wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered just behind her ear, "This is where you proved me wrong."

"What?" she giggled nervously, worried about where he was going with this.

"You played that twelve string like it was an extension of your own arm and you didn't fucking sing, Liz."

"The tone was too beautiful to sing over," she whispered, almost to herself as she turned to look at the guitar hanging in its spot on the wall.

"That!," he said sharply and let her go, moving to stand in front of her. "That's what proved me wrong. You're not a vapid actress-slash-model that just wants to be some rock stars girlfriend."

Liz looked from the guitars to him and then back again. "I gotta tell you, man. This is a really weird date."

"Yeah, the narrative sounded better in my head," he admitted and once again stepped close enough to kiss her, but didn't. "Hungry?"

The memory of them standing in front of the table upstairs flooded her mind and she slowly smiled at him.

"... starving."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, John was at the top waiting with a wide grin on his face. "Got a minute to talk business, Grohl?"

Dave hummed a little sounding unsure, so Liz answered for him. "He does!" she shouted back and left him to the group of people waiting excitedly in the living room for him. She slipped into the foyer to avoid being a distraction herself, thankful for a moment alone.

Sitting on the snow white settee, she thought again about the night of the party. The huge security men, the wasted topless woman sitting in that very spot, the moment when James Hetfield's bellowing had scared the woman so much she spilled her red wine. Liz began to look around for any sign of a stain and was wondering if maybe it had been reupholstered when she felt a hand on her back.

"Hello again, gorgeous."

Liz spun around and jumped up. "Nancy! Hi! How are you?"

"Oh, fine," she said sweetly and hugged Liz tightly. "I see you took my advice and found one of the few nice ones," she nodded towards the living room just as Dave's laugh echoed across the foyer.

"It was pure luck, I assure you," Liz laughed and noticed Dave's eyes on her as the group around him tried to keep his attention.

"Men like that convince me that God is a woman," Nancy mused, blatantly looking Dave up and down. "It's like he was custom made as an apology for the rest of them."

Liz drew in a sharp breath, but Nancy interrupted with an upheld hand. "No! I know you're going to tell me he's not perfect and I don't want to hear it. Let me live in my bubble, Elizabeth," she laughed and Liz giggled with her, remembering she was in the very same bubble the last time she was there. "So what are you kids up to this late at night?"

"We're on a date," Liz explained. "So far he's taken me to all the places we were at the night we met."

Nancy raised an eyebrow and snatched up Liz's left hand, running her thumb over the bare ring finger. "Oh, romance," she sighed and pulled Liz in for another hug. "I'll expect an invitation to the wedding," she whispered and let her go with a wink just as Dave joined them in the foyer.

Liz watched her go in a daze, only snapping out of it when Dave cautiously took her hand. "Ready?"

Back out on the front walk, Liz was almost to the truck when Dave tugged on her arm. She didn't even have time to look over before she was pulled to his chest and sighing against his lips. He kissed her in the way he always did when he had something to tell her but either wasn't totally ready or was too embarrassed to put it into words. She held on to him tightly, first gripping his forearms, then his shoulders and finally his face, unwilling to let him go until she was damn good and ready.

"Would you have let me kiss you that night?" he asked softly when she finally gave up to breathe.

"Well, you didn't let me win at Uno," she said bitterly and giggled when he rolled his eyes at her. "And I let the whole party think we were already sleeping together so... Part of me wishes you would have but the other part is really enamored with the kiss in the hotel hallway."

"Yeah, that was pretty good," he grinned at the memory and kissed her again, pulling away far too quickly for Liz's liking. "Let's go."

*

They sat next to each other on the table outside the In-N-Out just as they had done that first night, though this time felt much more relaxed.

"So what did you do after I left the party?" she asked and snatched a fry, careful not to mess up all the work Dave had done to organize them just a moment earlier.

He chuckled nervously and scratched at his beard a bit, "Taylor and I hassled some people into playing CalJam with us and then I left when the strippers showed up."

Liz's drink halted on it's way to her mouth and her eyes danced with laughter though her lips didn't betray a smile, "The what now?"

Dave shrugged and watched her carefully. "Someone invited a bunch of strippers over for the crowd that was still there."

"Got it," she nodded and slid across the few inches that separated them when he put his arm around her.

"Then I went home and laid in bed for an hour staring at the ceiling and thinking of any possible way to creep into your life," he said honestly.

She threw her head back in a laugh and set her drink down beside her. "Creep? David, you blew into my life like a goddamn hurricane."

"Knocked a bunch of shit over and left just as quickly as I came?"

"Exactly," she nodded and huddled into him when a soft breeze chilled her exposed skin.

He was quiet a moment, remembering all the insane ideas he had come up with just to try and see her again. "At first I thought I could ask you to play on a record and then make you hang out at the studio long enough that you'd fall in love with me by default."

"Mmm...," Liz smiled into his shoulder. "Stockholm Syndrome! I love it."

"But I knew you wouldn't agree to the record. Not when it took three grown men to get you on a drum kit."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Option two was to weasel my way on to one of your movie sets, but since the entirety of my acting career involves the Muppets and dressing up as Satan, I didn't think they'd let me anywhere near you."

Liz giggled softly at the thought of him showing up on one of her sets looking lost and out of place.

"Option three was to just show up on your doorstep and wing it from there."

"Oooh, I like that one," she said excitedly. "Did it work?"

"It did, actually," his wide smile returned when she played along and he kissed the spot above her ear that he loved so much, even when it was broken. "You agreed to drag the bikes almost 50 miles one way just so I could stare at you in my mirrors."

"Yeah, I caught you doing that a couple times," she whispered, then sat up a little to look him in the eye, now with a stern glare. "Don't do that anymore, it's dangerous."

"I couldn't help it. I was too busy trying to figure you out."

"And did you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer and shook herself out of his arms so she could slide off the table. It was getting cold and she wanted back in the truck.

"No, but I think I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying."

She stood in front of him as he leaned forward onto his knees, watching her as if he were expecting her to say something witty and charming, but she had nothing of the sort to offer. "So what's next?"

He climbed off the table and once again put his arm around her, something he knew he did too much of but he just couldn't be around her and not touch her. "Nate's waiting in his driveway with that pink apron on so I guess we should go there next."

"Oh my god," Liz laughed and shook her head, just hoping he was kidding.

*

Dave slowed the truck just before the evergreen shrubs that surrounded Nate's driveway, fighting back a laugh when she gasped a little and then continued on past his bassist's dark house and figured he and Kate were long since asleep.

"Ass," she accused under her breath and he looked over to find her sitting back with her arms crossed as if she were angry, but she couldn't hide the smile playing at her lips. He loved when they were like this, in their little playful competition to see who could make the other laugh first and the high he got from winning was something he thought he would always chase.

Once again back in his own garage, he killed the engine on the truck and closed the garage door behind them, then quieted the stereo to a dull hum while she unbuckled her seatbelt. It was one of his favorite things about his new truck, that he could turn off the engine and the music would still play until he opened his door like a killswitch. Liz went still, seemingly mesmerized by the soft glow of the dash lights and the Royal Blood song that was playing until he reached into his back pocket and held out the note that had passed between them twice now. He heard her breathing become shallow when her eyes landed on his bold handwriting loudly proclaiming, I love you, as he hovered the card over the console and cup holders that separated them.

"When I wrote this back in Paris, I wanted to start your night over," he said in a voice just loud enough for her to hear and flipped open the card with his thumb to read the handwriting inside, "I felt, and still feel, so bad about what I did that night and the plan was to sit you down and play you Lumberjack on whatever guitar I could scrounge up and try my fucking hardest to be worthy of any apology I could possibly give you. We keep fucking up, Liz. Why is that?"

He paused when she let out a long breath that was clearly masking a sob and covered her lips with the back of her hand. She rested her elbow on the sill of the door beside her and just stared straight ahead, the dash lights reflecting off the tears in her eyes as she gave her silent answer.

"We managed to fit like a decade's worth of fights into eight months and we're both still here. We keep coming back for more, so either we're both complete idiots or there's something here that neither of us wants to throw away."

Again, he was met with silence though her glassy eyes were now on his and he forced himself not to do or say anything that might distract her from whatever she was working up the courage to say. She worked her jaw, opening and closing her mouth as if she were deciding how her words tasted before she spit them out.

"That was a really good speech," she finally said in a whoosh of air, effectively lifting the heaviness around them.

"Right?" he agreed, leaning forward a little to see her face better, "I'll probably never be able to do that again, so I'm glad you were here for it."

That earned him a laugh and when her hand reached for his, he pulled her across the console to his lips. It was meant to be fleeting, something reassuring before they went inside and felt out more of the unknown, but only seconds passed before she was suddenly in his lap with her tongue against his. He hadn't thought his words were that good, but he welcomed her all the same with his hands sliding up the outsides of her thighs until his fingers grazed the hem of her green velvet dress. Her hand left his cheek to pull the seat lever and he found himself almost flat on his back watching her peel off her leather jacket and toss it into her abandoned seat. And, oh fuck, she couldn't have chosen a better dress to wear for a night of apologizing. The emerald green played up her eyes and exposed her skin in all the right places while modestly covering the rest, altogether classy and sexy and maybe a little dangerous when she added the leather and heels. She looked like she had stepped off the set of Mad Men, the kind of girl that had her shit together in a world where everyone else was faking it.

She sat up on his hips with her back almost touching the steering wheel and swatted his hands away when he tried to pull her down to him. Their grins matched when she moved on her own, lowering herself against him and flipping her hair to the side just before her lips grazed his.

"I thought we were gonna talk."

His voice was already thick in his throat, heavy with the weight of her thighs on his, her hands pressed against his chest and how badly he wanted her. The last thing he wanted to do was talk, but he still had questions about what had happened at The Rainbow and though it made him feel like a manipulative jerk, he wanted her vulnerable enough to spit the truth.

"You're talking right now," she reminded him with her lips dancing along the line of his ear. "Start making those words count."

The planets somehow aligned and the garage was plunged into blackness when the light mounted on the garage door opener timed out, making her draw in a sharp breath and push herself up again to look around. He groaned and rolled his head to the side as her hips bounced against his, the incredible dislocation between what his mind wanted and what the rest of him wanted becoming overtly painful; cruel, really and in an attempt at self-preservation, his hands went to the narrowest part of her waist to lift her just enough to break their contact and gently guide her over the console and into the backseat.

He clumsily crawled after her, eager to start talking or finish what they had started in the front seat, though this time it was her that was flat on her back. It was cramped and dark in the narrow backseat, illuminated only by the blue and green dash lights filtered from just feet away and forced them to focus on just one another with no distractions.

"Tell me about your date," he kept his voice low and hovered above her, raking his eyes down her body as she watched, keenly aware they weren't actually touching. When his eyes returned to her's, she tilted her head as if she were thinking and exposed the length of her neck that he could never resist kissing. The game was in play and neither of them were saving their heaviest hits for last.

"I'm actually kind of in the middle of it and so far it's going really well so ask me tomorrow," she sighed when his lips touched her skin.

"No, your other date," he growled against her jaw.

She caved like a house of cards in a tornado, tangling her fingers in his hair in case he had any ideas about breaking contact with her skin. "He picked me up...," she gasped when he hummed against her throat, her entire body shivering against his. "And I threw a little tantrum when I realized it was him," she tried to laugh, but it caught in her chest when he pulled away.

"You didn't know it was him?"

She shook her head almost imperceptibly and gently tucked his hair behind his ear. "The only info Sophie had was that his name was John. Travis had security cleared ahead of time so..."

They both stared at each other for a beat while Dave tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Maybe he had this whole thing wrong...

"I refused to go unless we went on my terms," she added. "and I chose The Rainbow because I didn't want anyone to think..."

She didn't need to finish her sentence, he knew where she was going with it. She didn't go to The Rainbow to humiliate him, she went there because she knew every move she made would be reported back to him in great detail and the receipts of that were already in his phone.

"I only agreed to one drink," she tried to go on but he ducked back into her shoulder and found the zipper on her dress, slowly dragging it down her skin. A soft whine curled from her lips when his hand slipped beneath the open zipper and down her ribcage.

"... And?" he pulled back with a teasing grin and she huffed in frustration at him, hooking her leg over his hips to try and regain some contact, but he held fast. His hand went back to her knee and drifted upwards, his smile widening when he almost made a comment about how her tights kept her from complaining about the cold when he felt the lace tops of her stockings. There was a sharp intake of breath, probably from him though he wasn't able to confirm it, and tried, really tried to keep it together as he talked himself down.

Don't look, don't look, Jesus fucking Christ, don't look... but the disconnect between the side of him that wanted answers and the side that just wanted to be fully wrapped up in her was so great that he dropped his head anyways, groaning at the black french lace wrapped around her upper thighs with just a peek of more black lace around her hips, still mostly covered by green velvet.  And Liz, for her part, took his hand and encouraged it to continue it's path over the lace bands and the bare skin above it then giggled when he finally broke.

"Oh fuck," he whined and lurched back to undo his belt and jeans, only able to get them down just enough before Liz was pulling him in and gently holding his face to hers as he guided himself inside of her. She purred against his lips and pushed back against him, just as desperate for him as he was for her.

Once that need was well met and they were both somewhat coherent again, he tried to steer them back to the original conversation while coaxing her body towards the edge. "Did he kiss you?"

"He tried," she breathed and tightened her hold on him, knowing he was doing all he can to keep the anger at bay. "Jesse bailed me out."

He shifted his weight to one elbow and raised an eyebrow at her, hoping she grasped the irony of Jesse bailing her out of a jam at The Rainbow and with his mind circling thoughts of putting his fist through Depp's face began to move faster, chasing her up the leather seat as her back arched in the early stages of her downfall. Then with a simple cry of his name, it all fell away. The fear that she would find someone else, that she would betray him in such a devastating way, it was just gone and replaced with an almost overwhelming sense of need for her. And maybe she felt the same because at that moment she broke, scrambling to bring him flush against her as she repeated his name over and over again, shuddering and stretching against herself as she dragged him over the edge along with her.

Once they were still again, trying to catch their breath and wrap their minds around what had just happened, she raised her shaking hands to his face. "I missed you," she whispered, staring up into his eyes as tears streamed out of hers. "Baby, I missed you so much. I need you and that scares me and-"

"I know," he shushed her. "I'm scared, too."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 92

"Nope!" Liz yelped and spun around on her heel to head back inside when a hand clamped around her arm. She tried to shake him off, but Johnny held on.

"All I want to do is talk, Lizzy," he said softly. "Just talk to me."

"We have absolutely nothing to talk about," she countered, looking over her shoulder at Sophie who was frantically tapping away on her phone. She thought she was meeting with the flirty guy from the investor meeting, not Pepe Le Peu in human form.

"Just give me an hour," he begged. "Just an hour and I'll write you a check."

"I'll fund my own film, thank you," she said curtly and pried his fingers off her leather jacket. "Might be nice to have a producer credit next to my name."

"Your boyfriend doesn't need to know," he said arrogantly. "What's one drink going to hurt?"

Liz whipped back around in a fury. How dare he bring up Dave. He knew they would be photographed and that the news of them on a 'date' would hit the press long before she could ever get to Dave and explain, which with how fragile they were at the moment, would completely kill any future they might have together. Realizing that was exactly his game, she took a deep breath to tell him off, but an idea swirled around in her brain and she dropped her glare for one that she hoped looked a little less menacing. "I will get in that car on one condition."

"Anything," he breathed, clearly stunned that she was agreeing to this.

"You drive me directly to him. We can discuss business in the car. No dinner, no drinks, just Dave."

He contemplated this for a moment, then countered. "One drink. Then... him."

She hesitated, wondering if there was any possible way out of this one. "One drink," she finally agreed, holding up her finger. "But on my terms. We go where I want to go."

"Fine," he conceded and let go of her arm. "Where to?"

Liz clicked past him in her stiletto heels and gracefully climbed into the back of the limo, feeling much more confident now that she was calling the shots. "The Rainbow, please."

Before he was able to climb in next to her, she took a quick look around the limo to orient herself, finding it was stocked to the hilt with liquor. Great.

"So, Lizzy. How's your-"

"It's fine now, thank you," she said curtly, arranging her hair over the barely visible scar in her hairline. It still pissed her off that she had been dumped at the hospital in London with no one to advocate for her, though she knew it wasn't really his fault. Him being seen at the hospital would have been an admission of guilt on behalf of the studio and it was all just a tangled web of Hollywood politics. Much like the web she was sitting in at the moment.

"... good," he murmured, still staring hard at her. "And how is David?"

"He's wonderful," Liz gushed, hoping that her Oscar was so well earned that even another actor couldn't find cracks in her delivery.

"I keep waiting to hear wedding bells," he said smoothly. "Maybe hear of an impending little one on the way, but it sounds like you're both taking things slowly."

"We're perfectly happy the way we are," she tried to sound as casual as possible, but her brain was reeling. Marriage and babies? she thought, Slow your roll, weirdo.

"Living two hours away from each other makes you happy?"

Liz began to stare hard at the bar across from her knees and mentally mixed herself a drink while wondering if everyone in LA knew where she lived. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder, you know."

"Yes," he mused and tipped back his drink. "Usually for someone else."

Liz snapped her jaw shut with an audible click and ground her teeth, telling herself it wasn't worth it to pick a fight with him just yet. Get the check, get your drink and get out.

She could see the black and red front of the Roxy just ahead and beyond that, the Rainbow's tall sign glowing in the fall night. She scanned the sidewalk for any photographers that might be lurking about, seeing a crowd of them further down and across the street at 1Oak. Knowing there was precious little time to get from the limo and into the bar without them seeing her with Johnny, she quickly gathered her bag and readied herself to jump. Just as the limo eased to a stop at the curb, she leaned across Johnny and foregoing the usual limo etiquette of waiting for the driver to open the door, shoved it open and crawled over him to get out. The sight of a limo on the Sunset Strip was like blood in the water to photographers and they began to sprint the block and half from 1Oak to The Rainbow, tripping each other up and leaving the fallen behind. Johnny tried his best to hold her back, but she slipped through his arms and made it through the front door just as the cameras began to flash.

Her frantic arrival only caught the attention of a few people close to the door and she awkwardly smoothed her dark green party dress before weaving her way towards the bar. Even that early in the evening, the place was packed with people getting pre-show drinks and Liz wished she would have read the sign on The Roxy's marquee to see who was in town. She was waiting patiently next to Lemmy's favorite barstool and video game when she heard her name.

"Holy shit! Elizabeth?"

She spotted the pink aviators and fair hair in the crowd and smiled brightly knowing she now had at least one ally around. "Jesse! Oh my god! How are you?" she was genuinely glad to see him and hugged him tightly just as Johnny sauntered up.

"Did you hear?" Jesse asked, barely noticing Johnny stopping close to her. "I got in!"

"Oh?" she was confused momentarily, but he turned to show her the patch on his denim vest declaring that he was now a part of her grandfather's club. "Oh! Wow! Welcome to the family!"

"Yeah, we've got a booth in the back!" he stood on the toes of his boots and looked around for the rest of the club members he was with. "Come hang for a bit!"

Liz felt Johnny's hand slide under her leather jacket and light on her lower back just above the waistband of her velvet dress. She tried not to cringe at how cold his skin was and forced a smile at Jesse, hoping he would pick up on how uncomfortable she was. "I have a quick business meeting at the bar and then I'll come right back," she explained and stood silently as Jesse sized up Johnny.

"'Kay... well... you know where I'm at," he said slowly and gave her a quick smile before retreating to the booths.

The lull in their conversation allowed an eager fan to step up and ask Johnny for a photo while Liz turned to the bar and ordered both of their drinks. The bartender smiled as she poured Johnny's whiskey and, apparently remembering Liz from the last time she was there, asked if Dave was with her.

"No, not tonight," Liz admitted, then added with a laugh, "But I'm seeing him later. Does he have an open tab he needs to pay off?"

"Oh no, honey. Your man's a good tipper," she said, handing over their drinks. "He was just really bummed out last time I saw him."

Liz was about to ask for details, but Johnny took his drink from her hand. "Would you mind if we went upstairs, Lizzy? I'm afraid we won't get any business done down here in the masses."

"Uh...," she stole a glance at the surprised bartender, who tossed a rag over her shoulder and raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. "Yeah, that's fine." Shit. You idiot, she thought. Upstairs at the Rainbow only meant one of two things. Either you were up there discussing your band or you were up there with a girl and since Liz didn't exactly have a band...

He led her to the steps in the back where the walls were lined with black and white photos of past parties that had been held there. She scanned the frames as she passed them, stopping short when she found one featuring Dave and Taylor.

"Do you love him?"

Johnny's question startled her and she continued up the steps beside him. "That has nothing to do with the film, now does it?"

"I'm not interested in the film, Lizzy. I'm interested in whether or not there is even a tiny fraction of a chance that things might not pan out with him and you could be with me."

Completely taken aback by his forwardness, she remembered how he had found her at the edge of the dock in the Caribbean, blackout wasted on moonshine and sadness. He had said all the right things, soothed all her fears and protectively took her back to her hotel suite where who knows what would have happened if Travis wasn't there to send him on his way.

"Johnny, I... He's... he's it for me," she stammered, using Dave's own words. "I didn't know it could even be like this."

He stared at her for a long moment, long enough that she began to fidget with the straw in her drink before he opened the door to the club upstairs.

The beauty of The Rainbow, and the very reason Liz chose it, was that the walls had eyes. From the bartender downstairs who had worked there since probably before Liz was even born, to the small collection of rock stars casually hanging out upstairs, every move she made would make it back to Dave eventually. Had she chosen a spot like The Peppermint Club, a place that prided itself on being discreet when it came to celebrity liaisons, there would be no explaining this away.

She could feel eyes on her as she slid into a booth and deliberately smiled and nodded to the ones Dave had introduced her to at some point, silently saying 'Hi, yes this is super weird, no I'm not trying to hide anyrhing.'

"You play the game remarkably well for someone that's only been living in LA for a few weeks," Johnny said, sitting as close to her as possible in the large booth.

"It's a pretty easy game to figure out if you're not blinded by the bullshit," she shrugged and finished her drink, indicating she was ready to talk business. "So what do you want to know about the film."

"Nothing at all," he said casually and began to search his pockets.

She eyed him warily as he pulled out a checkbook. No one she knew in the industry had their own checkbook, much less knew how to write a check, that's what accounting firms were for. "You're seriously going to drop $500,000 for me to tell you that I'm in love with someone else?"

"Looks like it," he muttered, scribbling out the date at the top of the check.

Liz sat back and waited until his name was signed before asking, "Was it worth it?"

"Sure. What's half a million if I get to say my piece? According to the papers, I spend that much on wine in a month anyway," he smiled kindly at the waitress when she appeared at their table and ordered them shots of rum. "You're always gonna be the Annie to my Captain Jack though, Lizzy."

She frowned and tapped the straw against her empty drink glass, trying to work through her conflicted emotions. She was relieved that maybe he was giving up on pursuing her, but she was pissed at how he was going about it. "Aye," she said softly in Annie's Scottish accent. "Let's get to the rum, then."

Three shots later, she knew she had to get out of there. She hadn't eaten in hours, anticipating that her meeting would involve food and was now worried about making it down the sketchy steps to the bar below.

"I should go say hi to Jesse," she said quickly, pushing her empty glasses away and sliding to the edge of the booth.

"I'll walk you down, love."

She was surprised at how quickly he had managed to get out of the booth and in front of her, only taking his hand to get herself upright in four-inch heels. Congratulating herself on making it to the steps, she ignored his offered hand and gripped the rail for dear life, giggling a little when she remembered Dave telling her about the night Taylor managed to piss off Matt Sorum and almost got himself thrown down those very steps.

Once she was safely on the ground floor, she sighed in relief and went to let Johnny know she wouldn't be taking his limo back, but suddenly found herself shoved up against the wall in the back hallway with him pressed against her.

"I knew I'd get more than one drink out of you," he purred against her cheek and forced his knee between her thighs.

Every fiber of her being wanted to rip off all his charm bracelets and shove them down his throat, but all she could manage was to stiff-arm him off of her. "Why is it," she spat at him, "that every time I start to think you might be a nice guy, you fuck it all up by doing something like that?"

"Because he doesn't fucking deserve you, Lizzy!"

"Oh for fuck's sake," she grumbled, pulling the check from her jacket pocket and throwing it at him. "Sorry I wasted your time."

She fully expected him to leave it at that and back off, find some willing girl in the crowd to make him think he wasn't rejected, but he lunged at her again.

This time, she didn't even try to fight him off. She let him back her into the wall and drag his hands up her rib cage, watching Jesse and the rest of the club members closely as they headed down the hallway towards the back parking lot.

Jesse saw them first and a brief look of shock was replaced with anger when the situation dawned on him. The next couple minutes were a blur, but Liz swore off wearing heels when Jesse unnessisarily tossed her over his shoulder in frustration when she couldn't keep up.

"Too much?" he asked, setting her on the pavement next to his bike.

She managed to laugh a little at his eagerness, "Yeah, but it's okay."

"Anyone tell you that you look like Poison Ivy in that dress?" he asked, handing her the extra helmet from his bike.

"No, but let's hope I gave him an annoying rash for his troubles," she muttered, looking back at the bar.

Jesse gave her a side smile and pulled on his helmet. "Where to, lil' lady?"

*

Dave sat on the back deck overlooking the Valley, overthinking his life and over drinking a bottle of beer. His phone pinged, telling him he had yet another Google alert on Liz's name, but he had already seen the pictures and read the headlines. He knew she was with Depp and every few seconds his phone would remind him.

Ping, she's with him. Ping, she's with him wearing an incredibly sexy dress. Ping, she never mentioned him, therefore... Ping, she's trying to hide him from you.

The whiskey on the mantle in his living room was calling his name but he was still smarting from Paris. Cheap whiskey had been his undoing; it made him mean and it made him reckless. And because of that, he was back to where he started, though this time he couldn't deflect the blame on anyone but himself.

His phone made a different sound, a chime instead of a ping indicating a text instead of an email and he distractedly swiped it, reading Taylor's text a couple times before he fully understood it.

Open your front door.

Taylor always sent that text when he needed a place to store another new drum kit before he broke the news to Ally and Dave would keep the door wide open for him to stack the parts in his empty dining room. He groaned and stood up, dragging himself across the house to unlock the door and yank it open, fully expecting to find Taylor loaded down with a bass drum, but he was met with that incredibly sexy dress and black leather jacket.

"Dave..."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 91

Even before she opened her eyes, she knew Dave was there. His soft voice mixed with Jack's quiet giggle made her heart flutter and she lifted her head to see him sitting next to the hospital bed she was sharing with Jack, showing him something on his phone.

"Lemme see it again," Jack whispered and Dave gave an exaggerated sigh before restarting the video on the screen.

"I couldn't see this cord or box here, and I just- see? Tripped right over it!"

Jack's hand flew to his mouth to cover his gasp, "Did it hurt?"

"Not at first...," he started to explain but trailed off when Liz sat up and weakly smiled at him.

She looked around to get her bearings and noticed the table next to her had a large coffee and a container of fruit along with a bag she recognized from home.

"There's breakfast and a change of clothes," Dave said warily. "I thought you might..."

"You went by the house?" she asked and glanced at the clock, reading it was only 5:30 in the morning. There was no way he could have driven all over and slept any decent amount, but he nodded and that was all it took for her to finally realize she had totally fucked everything up. She took a breath to say, 'I'm sorry, I love you, come back to me' but it came out as, "How was Owen?"

"Sound asleep," he smiled and handed Jack a bowl of oatmeal from a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf bag while Liz climbed out of the bed and tried to straighten her wrinkled clothes. "Go change," he waved her off and began to help Jack figure out the TV remote. "I got this."

Leaving the door cracked a little in case Jack needed her, she purposely avoided looking in the tiny mirror above the sink in the cramped bathroom, completely unwilling to analyze how terrible she probably looked. The night before, Dave had stayed at the hospital until Jack was safely out of surgery and settled comfortably in his room, then quietly left once Liz had finally fallen asleep curled up next to Jack. She noticed he was in a much better mood than yesterday, not as quiet or sad, even running off of such little sleep he seemed more upbeat. He's probably amped up on a quad shot espresso, she thought and smiled a little while rubbing her shoulder.

She hurt all over, mostly from her fitful sleep in the world's most uncomfortable hospital bed and the intensely vivid dreams she had. Though it was just a fuzzy memory now, she had been jolted awake by a dream where she had been on her surfboard, paddling as hard as she could to get past the break line and out to the calm waters, but the waves kept pushing her back. They were intense and in uneven intervals so she couldn't even time her dives right, she was completely at the mercy of the ocean. Frustrated, she sat up on her board and screamed at the vast expanse of water beyond. Quit pushing me away! and with that, it finally connected in her brain. Take your own damn advice. One thing at a time. Fix yourself and then you can try again... if he'll let you.

Satisfied that there was at least one plan in place, she looked in the bag Dave had packed her and began to pull out her clothes. Jeans, a white t-shirt, her favorite black hoodie. He knows me so well, she thought with a smile and reached back in the bag, feeling her heart stop when she pulled out the white lace bra and panties she had bought in Paris. Goddamnit, she thought, holding them up to look at them, of course he went through my fucking underwear drawers. Travis wouldn't even touch the box her underwear was in when she was moving, so she knew Dave had packed all this himself.

"Hey," his voice startled her so much that she gasped and jumped away from the bag as if it were full of snakes. He leaned against the door frame with a mouth full of donut and nodded at the lace in her hands. "Yeah," he teasingly grinned at her, "those are fun. When'd you get those?"

She looked over his shoulder to Jack, who was fully occupied with his breakfast and whatever show he had found on the TV and dragged Dave into the bathroom with her. The room was so small that they could barely fit, forcing Dave up against the sink with Liz so close that she could see his eyes dilate. She fought the urge to kiss him, just grab his face and drag him to her, but that would ruin her plan. Stick to the plan. Don't move too fast and fuck it all up again.

"You didn't have to do all this," she whispered so Jack wouldn't overhear. "I'm so, so grateful that you did, but... god Dave, did you even sleep?"

He was quiet for a moment, looking everywhere but at her before replying. "I was worried. About you and Jack and... I haven't been... sleeping well."

"Me either," she admitted. "Look, Jack gets to go home today and once I get him settled, can we... talk?"

His eyes finally met hers and his shoulders relaxed, making her smile. He was just about to reply when Jack yelled from his bed.

"Mommy! Your phone is ringing!"

"Be right there, honey!" she called back, but with her concentration broken she grabbed Dave's hand. Not part of the plan, Liz... "I'm so sorry about the other night. I wasn't-"

A sharp knock on the door made them both jump. "Miss Colbert? I have the discharge paperwork ready for you to sign!"

Liz growled in frustration and went to reach for the handle, but Dave beat her to it. He cracked the door just enough to see out and pulled Liz to his chest. "Give her ten minutes," he announced, slammed the door shut and held her face close to his.

She instinctively closed her eyes and waited for the familiar feeling of his lips on hers, but when that never came, she shyly opened them again.

"Tell me we're okay," he whispered, staring intently at her.

Liz felt her resolve spiraling out of control. Plan? What plan? Who needs a plan?

"We will be."

*

Dave got Jack settled in the back seat of his pickup while Liz returned the missed call from Sophie. Poor Jack was so loaded on painkillers that he fell asleep before they even left the parking garage and Dave congratulated himself on thinking to toss a couple pillows from Liz's bed in before he left that morning. He thought back on the morning which seemed like days ago instead of just hours.

Travis met him at the front door even though it was four in the morning, giving him free reign to pack whatever it was that Liz and Jack might need. Jack's room was easy; a tablet, a well-loved stuffed elephant that was waiting patiently on his planet themed bedding and a couple little cars for when the tablet's charm wore off.

Liz's room had been a bit more difficult for him. He hesitated in the doorway for a good minute, giving himself a pep talk for whatever he might find. It was just as he had imagined it would be, all white linens and overstuffed pillows, oil paintings of ocean waves and dunes lined the wall across from the bed. Next to the wall of windows that faced the sea, she had set an armchair in the corner with a floor lamp and a little table stacked with books. He could just see her sitting in the chair with her coffee, quietly reading while he worked on his laptop in the bed... and he immediately shook his head as if it would erase the thought like an etch-a-sketch. He didn't want to allow himself to hope too much in case she stuck to her guns later when he planned on apologizing for his colossal Parisian fuck up, but the way she had leaned on him, both figuratively and literally the day before at the hospital, there was a tiny glimmer of optimism that he couldn't ignore.

Her closet was impeccably organized and he smiled to himself, knowing she hadn't spent much time in there yet. He grabbed a bag off the upper shelf and quickly found her favorite jeans, the skinny ones with the holes in the knees, a white t-shirt, his favorite since it was loose everywhere but across her breasts and her black hoodie with the white zipper from the surf shop next door to her bar in Oregon. 'Maybe we could go back there,' he thought as he carefully folded and packed her things, 'We could hole up for a couple weeks and figure shit out.' Looking around for anything he might be missing, he spotted some drawers in the corner and checked over his shoulder to make sure Travis hadn't silently wandered into the room. He eased open the top drawer and frowned when he found it full of socks.

"Lame," he breathed and rolled his eyes then tossed a pair in the bag before opening the next one, finding her bras and underwear neatly laid out in stacks.

"Better...," he mused and tried the very last drawer.

"What the fuck," he half whispered, half groaned, lifting out a black damask satin corset with one hand and its matching panties with the other. The drawer was stacked with piles of lingerie, the kind that she would have no practical use for except maybe luring a man to his death... Had she been hiding all this from him? Because she certainly wasn't wearing it for him. He had zero issues with her usual bras and boyshorts, it was always what was underneath that held his interest, but why even have all this if she wasn't going to wear it? Was she wearing it for someone else? He once again checked to make sure Travis hadn't snuck up on him and snapped a picture of the drawer, sending it immediately to Taylor. Even at 4:30 in the morning, the reply was almost immediate.

'I'm not wearing that for you, Disco.'

'She has an entire drawer of fucking HOT things I've never seen her wear, T. Who the fuck is she wearing this for?'

It was a good three minutes before Dave's phone chimed again in which he spent narrowing down who she was probably sleeping with behind his back and growing more and more indignant. He squinted at the picture Taylor sent him of a very similar looking drawer filled with lingerie, but in lighter colors. Whites, pinks, and beige where Liz's were black, red and navy.

'Remind me to thank her for talking my wife into buying all this. Maybe if you weren't so eager to pick a fight, you'd come home to Liz cooking you dinner in that get up like Allison did for me.'

Dave frowned and looked down at the corset in his hands, flipping it over to reveal the tiny gold tag attached with a French description and the prices in Euros. He quickly confirmed that the rest of the drawer was also unworn the, feeling like a complete asshole, picked out a white lace bra and its matching panties, tossed them in the bag and headed out, grabbing Liz's Vans on his way. He only text Taylor back once he was back in the truck.

'So how was the dinner?'

'Don't know, man. Never got around to it.'

"Hey," Liz's voice brought him back to the present and she smiled when he reached for her hand. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, babe," he said softly, bringing the back of her hand up so he could kiss it. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed and sat back into her seat, resting their hands on the console between them. "I couldn't have made it through yesterday and this morning without you, though. Thank you so much."

He shook her loose long enough to flip on her heated seat, hoping it would help relax her shoulders a little bit. She was still so tense... "There was no way I was going to let you deal with that alone, Liz."

"You could have, though..." she said softly and turned away to stare out the window as the heaviness of the night she turned him away settled over them.

"We have some shit to figure out, but we'll get there," he finally decided.

She didn't answer, just squeezed his hand so tightly that his knuckles popped.

*

Together, they got Jack upstairs in his room and Dave made a stack of pillows for him to elevate his green cast on while Liz tucked the rest of him into bed.

"Dave?" he asked, still not fully awake.

"Yeah, buddy," Dave whispered and crouched next to the bed while Liz watched from the doorway.

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"We'll see, dude," he said softly, feeling his heart melt a little. He was already so attached to him and Owen. "I have to pick up my girls from school in a little bit."

Jack tried to keep his eyes open, but the pain meds were quickly overpowering him. "Do I get to meet them soon?"

"Yeah, they want to meet you too," he replied, reaching out to brush his blonde hair back off his forehead before Jack completely nodded off.

"Travis has Owen at playgroup until 3," Liz explained as they walked down the stairs together. "Can you hang out for a bit?"

"I have to be at the school in an hour," he said, checking the clock on her wall, "but tomorrow... can I take you out? Just the two of us?"

Her face lit up and he wished so badly that there was a photographer lurking somewhere in her kitchen to capture it before her face fell again. "Oh... shit," she stomped her foot a little and grabbed her phone off the countertop. "I have a thing tomorrow, but I'm gonna change it."

"We can do it another time, Liz. What about the next night?"

"No," she put her phone to her ear and reached out to take his hand. "This is way more important than some stupid investor date- Hey, Soph!"

The word date simmered in Dave's head as Liz tried to reschedule, watching her grow more and more frustrated when Sophie held firm. "All right, fine," she finally relented. "But tell him my curfew is ten, sharp."

"We can do it another time," he reminded her when she hung up.

"It's just that we're having trouble getting funding and this guy wants to pitch in the last big check if I can convince him it's worth it." She frowned a little, realizing what she said sounded... wrong. "You free after ten?"

"Yeah," he said quickly, "We'll figure it out. I gotta go before I'm late," he shoved away from the counter and followed her to the front door as he dug his keys out of his pocket. "Text me later, okay?"

She nodded and leaned against the open door. "I'll let you know how the fibula assassin is doing when he wakes up."

He made it all the way to his truck and got the driver's side door open before he couldn't take it anymore. Tossing his keys on the leather seat, he ran back to her as she waited on the porch, shoving his hands in her hair as he kissed her. He had only meant for it to be quick, just a little reminder that he loved her, but her nails dug into the tattoos on his arms telling him she was just as unwilling to let him go as he was with her.

"What fucking happened to us?" he whispered into her hair when he finally let her breathe. "Everything was perfect and then..."

"I don't know," she sighed. "I got scared and I ran and I'm sorry."

"I was awful to you, Liz. I love you so much... I didn't mean what I said-"

Liz shook her head and dropped her hold on him. "I love you too and we're gonna be okay, but you have to go or else you're gonna be in the back of the pickup line at school."

He managed to fit in another 30-second kiss before she dragged him to his truck and sent him on his way. She laughed and flipped him off when he waited at the top of the driveway just to watch her until she went inside.

"Such a brat," he whispered to himself and cranked Greta's Flower Power as he sped away.

*

The next night, Liz sat in Sophie's office flipping through her phone and nursing a vodka cranberry her manager had made her.

"I'm sorry, Liz," Sophie said softly as she stared out the window to watch for the car. "He was just so insistent."

"It's all right," Liz muttered. It wasn't all right, but it wasn't Sophie's fault either. It was the fault of this asshole investor that was using his checkbook to buy his way into a night with a movie star and she knew exactly how the night would go. He would pick her up, they would go to some restaurant in a high visibility area, possibly Nobu or Spago in Beverly Hills or Dan Tana's in West Hollywood. He would then suggest a drink at a bar on the strip, again highly visible to the photographers, and she would sit through an awkward conversation in a bar that touted itself as being 'sexually sophisticated' while drinking a basic pilsner next to a go-go dancer. It was only then that she could feign exhaustion and announce that she was heading home courtesy of her own driver and make a hasty exit before he had the chance to feel her up. Not at all worth $500,000, but whatever. It wasn't her money. She just wanted to get it over with and get to her date with Dave.

"He's here," Sophie announced and Liz tipped back the rest of her drink before they headed to the elevator. On the trip down, she tried to remember what the guy's name was, but the investor meeting was a bit of a blur now.

"What was his name again?" she asked as Sophie shoved the door open.

"John," she reminded her and Liz briefly wondered if maybe he was the same guy that had ditched Jordyn in Paris. She was sort of hoping maybe it was him so she could tell him off, but that wouldn't really lead to a payout at the end of the night. Maybe she could ask for cash and bitch him out once she had it in hand...

She had the distinct feeling of being watched as she walked out of the building towards the dark limo, though once she was standing in front of it the ominous feeling was so intense that she couldn't even give the driver a courtesy smile as he opened her door. The interior of the limo was just as dark as the outside but the glimmer of rings and chains made her stomach drop.

"Hi, Lizzy."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 90

"Elizabeth!"

She smiled brightly when the elevator door opened and revealed Bill Murray. It felt foreign to grin and she worried it might look like she was bearing her teeth at him, but he didn't give any indication she looked as disastrous as she felt.

"You look lovely!"

"Oh," she laughed softly and adjusted her white silk blouse atop a dark grey pencil skirt and black heels. "Thank you. Have to impress those investors!"

"That we do," he nodded and lead her down a hallway towards a conference room filled with the people that were hopefully going to agree to fund their little movie. "Ready? Big smiles and... here we go!"

*

Liz shifted in her uncomfortable office chair, staring down at the script in her hands while she and Bill worked through their lines. She tried to pay attention to Bill's monologue but was struggling to focus. It had been almost four days since she had asked Dave to leave and was profoundly grateful for any distraction that took her mind off of him. Jack had started school the day before, Owen was at a playgroup with Travis and she only had three more hours until she could change into her sweats, open a beer and cook dinner for her kids. She told Travis that she was handling the break up better than she had anticipated but was only doing an okay job believing that lie herself. It was helpful that she was living somewhere new where memories of him didn't linger when she crossed a room or rested her head on a pillow, but she missed him so much that she actually texted Ally for an update during her lunch break.

He's fine, a terse reply compared to her usual emoji-filled paragraphs.

That's it? Just fine?

There was a five-minute, anxiety-filled wait before her reply came and Liz actually whimpered when she saw the picture of Dave huddled under a blanket on Ally and Taylor's couch with a beer in his hands. He looked awful.

He's been here for three days, Liz. Help me. My upholstery can't take much more.

I'll call him tonight, Al. Liz frowned as she tapped out the text, she didn't even know what she was going to say to him. "Goddamnit, Dave," she whispered and flipped her phone to silent before heading back into the conference room.

*

When the meeting ended, Liz and Bill mingled among the investors in an attempt to charm their way into financial solvency while answering as many questions as they could about filming locations, supporting actors and potential release dates. Liz was trying to fend off a particularly flirty investor's request for a date when her manager Sophie delicately interrupted.

"So sorry," she said softly, her accent making Liz miss England terribly. "Could I borrow you for a moment, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, of course," Liz followed her out into the hallway and slumped against the wall. "Thanks, Soph. That guy was the worst."

"Liz, Jack's school called. Seems he took a tumble on the playground and-"

*

She didn't wait for the car to stop behind the fire truck before kicking the door open with her heel and running out. The principal met her at the front door with a look of pure terror on his face. "It's his leg, Ms. Colbert... The medics are looking at him right no-"

"Where is he?" she demanded. He was probably terrified, sitting in some sterile school nurse's office surrounded by panicked adults he didn't know and in horrible pain. Her poor baby.

"Through here..."

She elbowed her way through the crowd of firefighters, EMTs, and concerned school employees and found Jack on a bench, his right leg stretched across the blue vinyl with an ice pack over his ankle. There was no sign of tears, panic or fear on his face, just his sweet giggle as Dave sat on the floor in front of him, showing him a video on his phone.

Liz had to take a moment to register that he was there and gently laid her hand on his shoulder when she dropped to her knees next to him, unsure of how else to go about it. He tried to stand, but she tightened her grip in a silent plea for him to stay and he settled back on the linoleum.

"Oh sweetie, what happened?" she asked Jack, reaching out to hold his face with her free hand.

"I thought I could jump from one side of the monkey bars to the other, but I can't. I think I need to practice."

Both Liz and Dave shared the universal parenting look of 'yeah right, dude'. "No, buddy. No more jumping off of anything taller than you, okay?" Dave said softly.

"Miss?" an annoyed looking EMT shoved a clipboard in Liz's face and tapped it with a pen. "You need to sign here if we aren't going to take him."

She stood and took the clipboard, trying to read over the legal type while Dave kept Jack entertained with the story of his own broken leg. "Dave?" she asked, suddenly feeling completely overwhelmed and lost. "Do you think he needs to take the ambulance?"

He looked up at her for a moment and she could tell he was thinking hard about something when he shook his head. "No, I can drive you guys if it's cool with you."

The decision made, she scribbled her name and shoved the clipboard back at the EMT while Dave carefully lifted Jack into his arms. "All right, buddy. Let's go get you fixed up."

She followed them out to a black pickup, alarmingly similar to her own and situated Jack in the backseat while Dave made a phone call, apparently to Jordyn asking her to pick up the girls from school. Liz wasn't proud of it, but she was absolutely eavesdropping.

"She's okay... Yeah... He'll be fine... It went great. No cavities. She's ready for the braces whenever we are... Yeah, I'll just write them a check. Thanks, Jordyn... I will."

He climbed into the driver's seat of the truck and tossed his phone into the console before looking back at Jack. "Ready to roll, dude?"

Jack gave him a thumbs up and grinned as if the bones in his leg weren't shattered. "Can we listen to that band?"

Dave smiled at him through the rear view mirror and hit a couple buttons on the steering wheel before Greta Van Fleet floated through the speakers. "Cedars?" he asked and it took Liz a moment to realize he was asking about a hospital and not a tree.

"Uh... yeah. Sure," she shrugged, not knowing anything about the hospitals around LA and once again just trusted his judgment. It didn't even occur to her to ask why he was at Jack's school until they were several blocks away. "Wait... how did you... why were you there?" Had she put him down as an emergency contact back when she had enrolled him?

"The girls go to school there, too," he said simply and leaned forward so he could look past her out the window. "I was dropping Harper off after a dentist appointment and happened to be standing there when they carried him in."

"Mommy, the fireman told me I was their first visit there this year!" Jack called from the back seat.

"Lord," she sighed heavily and slumped back in her seat. "Let's hope you're the last, too."

*

A nurse wheeled an excited Jack out of their little room in the emergency department headed for x-ray while Liz nervously yanked her phone free from her purse to text Travis. The doctor needed some images to be sure, but he was convinced Jack would need an immediate surgery that involved pins and screws and things that Liz just couldn't even wrap her brain around at the moment.

"So is being accident prone a genetic thing with you or...?" Dave finally asked and Liz couldn't help but giggle at the grin on his face.

"I guess," she shrugged. "You caught us in one hell of a year, man," she laughed and blew an errant curl out of her eyes.

She watched him carefully as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "You look nice," he said quietly.

"I was at an investor meeting with Murray," she explained. "I thought I better give my Vans a break if I'm gonna beg people for money."

He nodded a little, never taking his eyes off her face.

"Was Jack totally freaked out when they carried him in?" she asked suddenly, feeling awkward under his stare.

"Not really. There were some tears out on the playground, but he was fine once he saw me. I think he was more pissed off that they cut his recess short."

"God, I'm so glad you were there, Dave" she sighed and absentmindedly laid her hand on his back. It had taken her almost a half an hour to get to the school and who knows how long it took for them to even call her, so Jack could have been alone for up to an hour if it wasn't for Dave. And she would be alone now if he hadn't offered to drive them... "I'm glad you're here now, too," she added.  

He gave her a sad smile but remained silent when the doctor returned with Jack and pulled Liz aside to give her the news.

*

"You're gonna get a little mask like this," Dave explained and held up an oxygen mask to show a nervous Jack. "Then you take a couple deep breaths and oingo boingo, you're taking a nap!"

Jack burst out laughing and Dave glanced over at Liz when she started giggling too.

"Oingo boingo!" Jack repeated and fell back against his pillow in hysterical laughter.

"All set!" a nurse broke their moment and kicked the brakes off of Jack's bed while Liz frantically kissed her son as much as she could.

"I love you, sweetheart. I'll be right there when you wake up and...." she couldn't finish with how fast the nurse was wheeling Jack away and Dave had to tell himself to stand back, that she could handle this in her own way. She wasn't his to comfort anymore anyway.

It wasn't until her legs buckled and she went to reach for the wall or a table or anything that could keep her upright that he ran to her. He tried not to overthink how she felt in his arms again, but she was holding him so tightly...

"It's okay, Liz," he assured her. "He's okay."

"That's my baby though," she cried into his shoulder. "He's never had surgery before. What if he wakes up and I'm not there or-"

"Trust me, Liz. He's okay. He's going to need you to have your shit together when he gets out, though so-," he was interrupted by Liz's phone ringing and was surprised to hear his version of "Band on the Run" had replaced "Over the Hills and Far Away" as her ringtone.

"Christ," she whispered in irritation and swiped the phone. "Hey, Ky-"

She immediately pulled the phone from her ear when Kyle's screaming startled her and Dave had the almost overwhelming urge to take her phone and yell right back at him. She was already at her breaking point, the last thing she needed was her ex-husband berating her for something that was completely out of her control, but she steadied herself in his arms, squared her shoulders and dropped her voice to a dangerous whisper.

"Kyle, our son is in surgery. He needs three screws and two pins to correct the break and I cannot deal with your bullshit on top of all of this right now. I'll call you back when-...," Dave clenched his teeth when he distinctly heard Kyle say his name, but Liz protectively leaned into his chest and snapped into the phone, "Well dear, maybe if you weren't in a goddamn lockdown facility for six months because you can't follow the fucking rules, you would be here too. And honestly, Kyle? I need him here with me. I'll text you once Jack is out of surgery. Goodbye."

Dave waited until she had ended the call, flipped her phone to silent and shoved it back in her purse before stepping back a little. He tried not to read too far into her 'needing him' comment, but he kept one arm tight around her shoulders. "Come on, Mama Bear. Let's feed you before you start attacking innocent bystanders."

[thatbluegibson]

CH 89

"H... how did you...?"

Liz stared up at her new home wondering who in the hell had given him her address, but he only shrugged and unclipped his helmet, apparently not willing to divulge his stalking secrets.

"Jesus, Dave. I barely know where this place is and you come in all stealth mode?" she cried, her teeth chattering loudly as she clumsily climbed off the back of the bike in her heels.

"It's almost midnight," he finally said, kicking the stand down. "I figured the boys were asleep."

Liz wrapped her arms around herself and looked up when the lights in the apartment above the garage went on. She waved to Travis when he appeared at the window and decided to interrogate him in the morning. For now, she just wanted to get this over with.

Her shivering had become so intense that her vision blurred slightly and she took a deep breath to try and stop it. "Look, Dave. I'm sorry about... um... I was so cold and-"

His eyes snapped to hers with a look she couldn't place, either he was hurt or disgusted and the thought of either made her throat tighten. "Can we go in?" he asked, hanging his helmet on the handlebar of his bike.

She didn't answer, just led the way up to the front door and pulled her keys from her jacket. Once he quietly latched the door behind them, Liz felt a welcome surge of confidence. He was in her territory now and she could call the shots, though the manners her mother had drilled into her came first.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked, setting her helmet on a bench in the foyer. She thought about kicking off her heels but decided that they gave her at least a little advantage and headed down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"No, I just want to-"

"Okay well, I'm making tea because I'm freezing my ass off," she muttered and turned into the kitchen, lit only with the dim lights under the cabinets. Fuck manners, she was cold and suddenly very tired. Let's get this shitshow going, she thought.

All of her senses were locked on Dave as she located a tea bag and mug, then plugged in the bright red kettle she had purchased in London. He remained in the arched entry, looking out at the dark Pacific through the floor to ceiling windows in the living room.

"Nice place," he finally said.

Liz flippantly shrugged as her shivering returned. And to think you wanted me to shack up with you in the Valley, she thought bitterly and bit her tongue hard to prevent herself from saying it out loud. Bringing up that up now would only add insult to injury.

"I'm sorry about the bike... I wanted to take the Tesla, but the battery was dead," he offered, still hovering half in the hallway, half in the kitchen.

Again, she just shrugged and bent over the counter to wrap her hands around the warm kettle, letting its heat travel up her arms and into her chest. Her entire body tensed as he determinedly walked around the kitchen island towards her and she spun around just as he closed in on her. She braced herself on the counter's edge when he lunged at her, forcing her fingers to curl around the white soapstone instead of in his hair. "No," she said quietly but firmly, making him freeze just inches from her face.

Liz stood perfectly still, searching his eyes and trying to catch up with what had just happened. Seconds ago she was fully prepared for Dave to devastate her, but now... was he trying to kiss her? Then, horrifyingly, she realized she was crying, sobbing really, and against her better judgment she walked the half step into his arms.

"Oh god, Liz. Baby, no. Please don't cry... I'm so, so fucking sorry," he pleaded, holding her so tightly that she couldn't shiver even if she wanted to. "I fucked absolutely everything up."

She shook her head, too far gone into her tears to make a coherent reply and just let the frustration, disappointment, and sadness of the past five days soak his black sweatshirt while he waited patiently, occasionally kissing the top of her head and whispering apologies. Just as she was finally managing to calm herself, the kettle behind her gave a sharp whistle, scared her so badly that she roughly turned out of his arms to yank the cord from the socket. Sensing her anger, Dave backed away.

"This is absolutely none of my business, but what happened between you two that night?" she finally whispered, keeping her back to him while gripping the counter with white knuckles.

"We-," he hesitated and she felt her tears intensify, but she managed to hold them back. "Um..."

She turned her head just enough to see him in her peripheral vision. "Okay, so is this over? Are we done? Because if you want to go back to her, I won't get in the wa-"

"I'm not going back to her," he snapped so loudly that they both turned to look at the hallway that led to the bedrooms, listening for any sign that he had woken the boys.

"Is she okay?" Liz asked, unable to look at him as he answered.

He shrugged, obviously not wanting to talk about her. "She copes with things way better than I do."

"Dave..."

"She'll be fine."

"And you?"

"I'm fucking miserable."

Liz couldn't stop herself this time, her sarcasm always won in the end. "Yeah, whiskey hangovers will do that," she muttered and turned back to the kettle, busying herself with pouring the steaming water into the cup.

He took a few steps towards her and then abruptly stopped. "I just spent five days in fucking agony and you're going to throw that back at me?"

"You were in agony?" she cried, slamming the kettle back on the counter and whipping around to face him. "You dumped that dress off like 'Hey, you forgot this, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out', what was I supposed to think?"

"That isn't-," he pushed his hair back in frustration. "Didn't you read my note?"

She paused a moment, replaying her swift exit from Paris over in her mind. "What note?"

"The note on the dress... I pinned it to the... you know what? It doesn't matter. The point is, is that you're it for me, Elizabeth. I spent the past five days either staring at my phone waiting for your name to pop up or standing at a microphone, trying my fucking hardest not to cry in front of 35,000 people."

"Dave... you..." she struggled to find words, any words that were a match for 'you're it for me', but she was at a loss.

"And you should know that I absolutely cried in front of 35,000 people," he interrupted. "Then I came home and I tried, Liz. I fucking tried so hard to give you space, but then I see you wandering around Malibu looking completely unaffected like I meant nothing and it's killing me."

"The phone works both ways," she retorted, angry that he was putting all of it back onto her. She wasn't the one that got blackout drunk then holed up with an ex.

"Yeah, you really welcomed conversation by clearing out of Paris like a goddamn fugitive," his sarcasm bit into her, spiking her frustration.

"You were with her for almost twenty years, Dave! What was I supposed to do? Offer you two water through the bedroom door?"

"No one asked you to leave, Elizabeth."

She watched the anger flare in his eyes with each word she said, but she couldn't stop. She needed to get it all out in order to move on. "No, but she doesn't strike me as the kind of girl to show up at a bar in tears unless there's a goddamn good reason. She needed you and now she's single and-"

"Yeah, but I'm not."

She took a step backward in stunned silence as if the obviousness of his statement had slapped her.

"I have no idea what was going through your head that night Liz, but don't ever expect me to just hand you over if Kyle comes around solely based on the fact that you were with him for almost twenty years."

"Well that's not going to happen," she scoffed. "Even if he were interested-"

"Because that tattoo he got of your tits just screams 'I've moved on'," he snapped.

Liz rolled her eyes and moved towards the edge of the living room, putting enough distance between them to allow her to think straight. "Why is this all of a sudden about me? We could have been civil if you had just listened and-"

He sharply shook his head and stalked towards her, her words dying the moment he grabbed her hands. "Liz, I fucked up, bad, and I can't even put into words how sorry I am, but-"

At some point, Liz stopped listening. She had heard all these words before and though they had come from a different man, they were all the same. I'm sorry, I messed up, I love you, I'll never, ever do it again... the very same dog and pony show she fell for countless times in the past. And where had that gotten her? To the point of being a 34-year-old divorcee with two kids and a new house in an unfamiliar city that she hated, thousands of miles from her family and friends. But now was her chance to prove to herself that she had learned her lesson...

"I think... Dave, I think maybe you should go."

Her words surprised even herself, but she kept her eyes down, locked onto their hands for the few moments it took for him to let her go. She knew that if she saw his face she would give in and give up like she had done countless times with Kyle and she wasn't going to take that path again. She just couldn't.

Dave was silent for a long moment, then simply turned on his heel and walked away. Liz only looked up when the front door opened and had to brace herself on the back on the couch when he paused to glance over his shoulder at her before closing the door behind him.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 88

Liz finished the last of her wine and set the glass on the table, tilting her head when the waiter immediately arrived to refill it. She wondered if she looked that bad... if something about her screamed "don't even ask, just keep pouring" because that's exactly how she felt. Paul sat directly across the table, watching her intently with a sage smile.

"I didn't think you liked wine..."

"Beer will always have my heart, Paul," she admitted. "But it turns out I was just drinking really crappy wine."

He laughed and nodded to the waiter when the bill was dropped off. "Paris really did a number on you, love."

She forced her smile to remain on her face as she shrugged. "They say it always changes people, though they don't specify if it's for the best or not."

Paul chuckled and reached across the table to pat her hand. "Have you chosen a place to mix your song yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

Liz had almost forgotten about her composition piece. She had been back in LA for five days and hadn't received as much as a text from Dave. The morning after his gig in Italy, she was leaving a coffee shop and was confronted by a photographer who excitedly informed her he had struggled through the encore so much that he had to restart Everlong twice. He probably has a cold, she had said, then hurried to her car to cancel her lunch date with her manager, opting to cry alone on her back deck instead. As far as the world knew they were still together, but she knew better and didn't want any updates on him, she just wanted to move on and pretend it didn't hurt as much as it did. The dress and Dave's silence were confirmation that he had decided to make things work with Jordyn and Liz was fine with that. She was happy for them, happy for their girls and she knew in time she could be happy for herself as well.

She and Paul discussed the mixing process, something she wasn't very familiar with and made a date to meet at a studio in the next week to get it finished and sent to her professors. Once they had emptied the bottle of wine between them, most of it poured into Liz's glass, they politely smiled and pushed their way through the crowd of fans gathered around the front door of the restaurant.  

In the safety of the valet tent, Liz shivered a bit, wishing she had worn tights under her dress against the fall air. It had been warm when she left the house, but once the sun went down and the desert cold set in she realized she wasn't yet acclimated to her new home's weather quirks. Paul bumped her shoulder with his when his car pulled up and gave her a slow smile.

"Ready, love?"

"Yep!" she chirped. Pretending to be happy was so physically and emotionally exhausting that she just wanted to go home and get into bed.

Completely immersed in thoughts of the ocean just outside of her new bedroom window, she opened the passenger side door and found that her seat was already occupied by her matte black moto helmet. Frowning in confusion, she looked up across the car roof at Paul and his apologetic smile.

"Sorry, love. He wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed."

She let out a long breath when she saw him across the street, frantically telling herself to get into Paul's car and go, but the way he was staring at her, sitting sideways on his bike and leaning one arm on the handlebars, she knew she was going to end up on the back of that goddamn bike eventually.

"No, it's okay. He and I needed to talk anyway," she grabbed her helmet and met Paul in the headlight beams at the front of the car.

"He loves you very much, Elizabeth," he whispered when she hugged him.

"I love him, too. Thanks for dinner. Tell Nancy hello for me," she smiled and kissed his cheek, waving goodbye when she jogged across the street to Dave.

Her stiletto sandals clicked loudly on the pavement and Dave shoved off his bike when she was still several feet away, coming at her so quickly that she stopped cold in the middle of the sidewalk. She let her hopes rise when he crashed into her and held her tightly, but he made no move to kiss her or even look her in the eye. Her arms were pinned between them, preventing her from holding him, so she leaned her head into his shoulder instead. His silence sent her anxiety into overdrive and when he took a shuddering breath, she told herself to prepare for the worst. If he wouldn't kiss her in public, it could only mean one thing. She stumbled a little when he suddenly let her go, grabbing her hand and pulling her along until they were next to his bike.

It was one she hadn't seen before, a low black Harley with sweeping lines and an exposed engine, similar to her beloved cafe racers except this one had an actual seat on the rear fender, one with a backrest.

"Come with me," he managed, his voice hoarse.

"Um...," she gripped her helmet and looked over at Paul's car that was still waiting on the other side of the street. In her hesitation, she was trying to find a graceful way for her to get on the back of the bike without flashing her underwear at the mob across the street, but Dave clearly read into it differently.

"Please, Liz," he breathed. It was so desperate and sad that she looked up into his eyes for the first time in almost a week and saw the tears that were threatening to spill. She could ignore the mob of intruders across the street with their cameras, but she couldn't handle how broken he looked. Before she could answer, he grabbed her arm so she was facing him. "I'm fucking begging you, Elizabeth. Please talk to me. The past five days have been-"

"Dave, stop," she interrupted, her eyes darting from his to the crowd across the street that now included several professional paparazzi.

"No," he said firmly. "Fuck them. I need to talk to you whether we have an audience or not."

Liz pursed her lips in annoyance, there was no way in hell she was going to allow her emotional devastation to become front page news. Raking her hair off of her face, she yanked her helmet on then strapped the band under her chin. "Well?" she snapped when he just stared at her. "Are we going?"

Slowly, like he was in some sort of daze, he put his own helmet on before swinging his leg over the seat and kicking the stand up. She could feel her Pops frowning from where ever he was in the universe as she climbed onto the back of a rock star's bike in a short, black cocktail dress and four-inch heels. As graceful as she tried to be, the crowd still whistled and catcalled when her skirts refused to lay flat and she knew her face was probably beet red.

Her mind was in a thousand places at once as he fired up the bike. Was she supposed to lean against the backrest or hold on to him? Should she take off her heels since they won't stay on the pegs? Where were they even going? Her questions ground to a halt the moment his fingers grazed her ankle to check if she was ready, not her thigh as he had done before. It was a small gesture, but confirmation that he had chosen Jordyn over her and he was about to take her somewhere private to break the news.

The wind in the city was chilly but tolerable if Liz zipped her leather jacket up to her neck. She spent the first half of the ride with one hand holding her skirt down and the other wrapped around the grab rail, trying to look over Dave's shoulder to see where they were headed, but once he hit the Pacific Coast Highway headed north towards Malibu, the temperature significantly dropped and she began to shiver uncontrollably. Toughing it out as long as she could, she wondered if Dave could feel her shaking over the bike's engine and slid herself forward until her chest touched his back. He jolted a little in surprise, but when his hand came back to grip her thigh, she wound her arms around his waist, held on tightly and told herself not to get her hopes back up. She just focused on holding onto him, the heat from his back warming her and began to practice her apology once they got to where ever they were going.

"Sorry, I was literally freezing to death back there and I know it was inappropriate but-"

She looked up in surprise when he killed the engine at speed, coasting down an angled driveway in silence before squeezing the brakes next to Liz's black pick up.

[thatbluegibson]

CH 87

Liz's stomach dropped when Andy walked out of yet another hotel with an annoyed look on his face.

"Nothing?" she asked when he climbed into the backseat with her.

"Nothing. What the fuck is going on in this city that every hotel room is booked?"

"Paris in the fall," their cab driver muttered. "You Americans love it."

Liz sighed heavily and grabbed her bag off the floorboard to find her phone while Andy gave the driver yet another hotel name. She dug around in the dark bag, trying to feel for the hard metal phone when her hand hit the bottle of pills her doctor had given her for the trip home, giving a loud, distinct rattle.

"Hey, Andy? Do you know how to book a private plane?"

*

"Dave, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Jordyn hesitated in the doorway when he opened the door to his suite.

"It's fine, Jordyn," he mumbled, not really believing himself.

To him, Liz would be everywhere. Her coffee cup on the counter, the script she had been reading that afternoon on the table, the necklace she decided against wearing that night on the nightstand, her sunglasses on the foot of the bed... little moments of them together in the room before it all collapsed over yet another misunderstanding.

But when the door clicked closed behind him, he saw that her script was missing from the table, her cup had been replaced on the coffee bar and the couch that they had left askew from the night before had been returned to its proper position. He rushed past Jordyn and into the bedroom, bracing himself on the door frame as he scanned the empty room along with the lit fireplace and candles. Trying to shove away the thought that Liz was making the room romantic for him and another woman, he moved on to the closet where he knew he would get his final answer whether he wanted it or not.

His shirts were hanging alone next to his luggage and the jeans he had left in a heap earlier were folded neatly on the shelf. Against the wall, behind his shirts and hanging on a silver hanger was her dress, the black beaded gown that had been an obstacle for him just the night before and was now a stark reminder that this was all his fault.

The breath completely knocked out of him, he knelt on the carpet and leaned his forehead into the wall. You've completely fucked it now, man, he thought. He and Liz should have been celebrating the last of her birthday and packing for Italy but instead, he got blackout drunk on cheap whiskey and picked a fight over some bullshit that happened long before she even met him. Give me a sign, Lemmy, he prayed to the patron saint of situations like the one he was in. Help me.

"David, oh my god," he heard Jordyn's gasp and felt her hands on his back.

"I'm fine," he muttered, moving to stand and letting her lead him back out to the living room.

She sat on the edge of the couch, her blonde curls contrasted against the dark wood filigree on the backrest and a pensive look on her face. Dave stood frozen, unable to take his eyes off the woodwork. Even though Liz had tried to erase herself from the room, she was still there, especially on that couch.

Jordyn waited until he finally sat next to her and leaned his elbows onto his knees. "She left, didn't she."

He only nodded, worried he would break down if he verbally confirmed it.

"Did I-?"

"No," he stopped her before she could continue and collapsed back into the couch. "You didn't do anything. It was me."

She sat quietly for a moment, then laid back against the couch next to him. "Still get jealous, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," he sighed and reached for her hand again, just to remember what it felt like. There were so many nights that they collapsed on their couch together at home after an exhausting day of chasing three little girls around the house. She would fall asleep on his shoulder or his lap while he watched a movie or read the news on his tablet and things were about as perfect as they could be... until he went on tour and the boredom hit. "Jordyn?"

"Hmmm?" she hummed, lost her own thoughts.

"I'm sorry I fucked everything up between us."

"I know," she said gently and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry, too."

He shifted so he could see her, studying her features against the crisp white couch. Their daughters looked so much like her, all angelic blue eyes and pure blonde curly hair, but were all him in the personality department. They were the perfect mix of the two of them and he missed them so goddamn much...

He took a sharp breath as he pushed off the back of the couch and leaned into Jordyn, kissing her hesitantly at first, then harder when she wove her fingers in his hair.

An alarm bell was ringing somewhere in his brain, reminding him that Liz tasted like vanilla, whiskey and black coffee, where Jordyn was cherry, vodka, and mochas. They were the same, but just different enough that it felt wrong. Jordyn was safe, consistent and placid where Liz was a little dangerous, a little wild and a little enigmatic, but they both loved hard and with everything they had and at that moment he didn't feel like he deserved either of them.

His phone began to buzz on the coffee table in front of them and he twitched, wanting to both answer it and continue kissing her, but she gently shoved him off and whispered, "Answer it."

He searched her eyes for a moment, reading the determination and resolve in her stare then snatched up his phone and headed for the bedroom.

"Hey, T."

"Dude, she just talked to Ally. She's on her way to the airport."

Dave sank slowly onto the bed and closed his eyes. "Fuck."

*

Liz lugged her heavy bag up the steps behind Andy and into the plane. She greeted the pilot and attendant, thanking them for coming on such short notice and dropped her bag in the first row of chairs. Andy flopped into the seats on the other side of the aisle and dug out his earbuds, readying himself for the long flight back to the states. Liz grazed her fingers over his shoulder in a silent thanks for getting her through the night and headed towards the back of the plane where she just hoped there was a quiet corner she could curl up and die in.

She passed a little table holding a basket full of food, ignoring that it was full of caviar and dry champagne as Dave had warned her months ago, to the last row where she found a black garment bag carefully laid on the back of a tan leather chair. Pulling the hood of her sweatshirt off her hair, she gingerly sat next to it and eased the zipper down with a shaking hand. The black beaded bodice of her dress twinkled in the cabin lights and Liz choked back a sob, yanking the zipper back up to hide everything that dress meant.

Her mind went blank as the plane's engines roared to life and a single thought drifted forward, he's starting over with her.