Chapter 85

Kate heard the door behind her and groaned. Part of her wanted it to be Elena, but she knew it was Jon. "Jon, what are you doing?"

He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, "Feeling the same damned way you do babe, betrayed by a best friend."

"I-" she swallowed against the anger and the tears. "How could she? Just like that? Without her family or anything. I mean what was she thinking?" She held herself very still, not wanting to lean on him. Not wanting anything but to get away from the entire scene.

He rested his head on top of hers and sighed, "I don't know Katie. Can't figure out where Richie's brains went either. Man they've only known each other a couple of weeks. Fuck, he doesn’t need a wife right now."

He paused a moment, "I guess they just weren't thinking on how it would affect everyone when the made their little announcement, eh?"

Her hand came up to clutch at his arm, her fingers digging into the supple muscles of his bicep. "She's going to be mad that I'm not happy for her," she whispered. "I-" She tried to drag in a breath, but it came out in a hitched hiccup. "Dammit, Jon."

He twisted her around and cupped the back of her head, pulling it into his chest, "I know baby. I don't know how to act happy for them either. But what can we do?"

She fisted her hand into the thick, worn leather of his jacket, the zipper biting her skin, but cutting back the emotions a bit with the pain. "She's caught up in the moment, just like Elena does with almost everything in her life...but marriage? I mean Jesus Jon we're barely twenty-four for fuck's sake! She hasn't even finished her thesis. She's going to throw it all away for-" Cutting herself off she pulled back to look at his face. "I'm sorry. I'm-I," she growled. "I like Richie, don't get me wrong, but your life it's..." She looked up at him, tears still shimmering in her eyes.

"It's crazy, non stop insanity." He reached up to brush a tear away, "In some weird way I can almost understand though. The road it gets so fucking tiring, so boring, no one but the guys to keep you sane. He found someone he thinks can fix that and he grabbed for it. Too fucking soon yeah, but..." he sighed softly then continued, "I told him to take her with him, have a fucking relationship, but shit I just meant let her travel with him."

Blue eyes gazed down into tear filled green. "No matter what they're our best friends right? We might not be happy for them, but when it falls apart on them they're gonna need you and me. We can get our ‘we told you so's’ in then."

She looked down, the last of her tears rolling down her cheeks. "Right. I told you so's." She laughed, but it was a hollow one. "Let me just go clean up my face and we'll go back in there. I don't want her to face the firing squad alone, no matter how mad I am."

She slid away from him, smiling back at him for a second when he caught her hand in a firm grip. "I'm fine. I just got so angry I couldn't see straight."

"Me too babe, Me too, Thanks for letting me vent before I actually went in and put my fist through his face." Jon's smile was tight, his eyes still glittering with the threatening tears.. but he shoved them down, Kate needed his calmness, and hell the band was gonna need it too. "Ready when you are Katie"

She let her fingers slip away and headed to the ladies room. She grabbed some paper towels and wetted them down. She winced as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Damn redhead skin. She was all blotchy from her almost tear fest. "Shit, Elena," she sighed into the mirror. "Okay, don't yell at her, that won't solve anything," she told herself and patted her face down one more time. She stupidly didn't bring her purse with her for corrections. She swung the door open and sure enough, Jon was waiting.

Leather and denim. She was coming to expect the uniform in its various forms, but for the most part a leather duster or leather bomber jacket was his preference whenever she did see him. His hair was growing out and his bangs were constantly in his eyes, his ever watchful and observant blue eyes that always gave her pause. She was never quite sure what was going on in that head of his. "C'mon before everyone thinks we ran off too."

He managed a soft chuckle and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Naah, let the gruesome twosome get killed, you and me we got better sense." He took a deep breath and began to escort her back into the room, his mind tripping over possible ways to react to his loony friend and his equally as insane new bride.

They opened the door to a huge volume of voices all talking at once. "Richie, you have to understand this is a shock," said Adam. He turned to Elena. "I'm sure you're a nice woman, Elena, but how else are we supposed to react?"

Elena straightened; her soft brown eyes shining with the inner strength she rarely let show. "I dunno Mr. Sambora, happy?? Happy that your son is happy? Glad that he's found someone who loves him because he's Richie and not the damned famous guitarist for Bon Jovi?" Her eyes swept the room, resting on Kate and Jon a moment before moving back to Adam "I’d have expected his family and friends to be happy for him, whether they liked me or not."

Joan Sambora's brow arched slightly, well wasn't she the little spit fire? "But honey, you both cheated us all out of sharing the happy day, out of watching my son stand at the altar. And what about your family? You cheated them too." Her gaze swung to Richie, her voice soft in that Richard your ass is in a sling tone, "Explain yourself Richard."

Richie pulled Elena closer, his arm surrounding her, drawing her into the shelter of his arms. He knew people would be a little upset, but he hadn't expected this. Not at all. "Mom, we can have a big party with all the relatives before we go back on the road-" he started.

"And that's supposed to make it all better son?" She shook her head, "You're not even bothered by how upset everyone is? I gave you more credit. I know you’re a scatter brain at the best of times, but SON, did you even think?" Joan stood there, her eyes pinning him to the spot. "This time you won’t get to dance around what you've done."

Richie's chin lifted. "I thought my family would be happy for me." He sighed. "I realize that it's not exactly the most ideal circumstances, but I love her." He hugged her tighter. "I love her with everything in me and couldn't wait to put it to God and the skies. I'm perfectly willing to do another wedding. But that was for us, for the moment and what we were feeling right then."

Joan managed a laugh, her gaze steady, "That's kind of like shutting the barn door after the animals escaped Richard. It may calm down people, but it won't erase that you went and did it without us all."

She turned her gaze onto Elena, "I'm sure you're a very sweet girl, and I'm glad you claim to love him because of who he is, and not for his job, but missy, you should have thought and put a halt to my son's over eagerness."

Elena gasped softly, a single tear slipping down her cheeks. "You just don't understand, you were young once. Sometimes things are just right, and you don't have to wait for a crowd to give you their approval." She glanced up at Richie then slipped from his arms and walked swiftly to the bathroom. She wouldn't break down and cry in front of them all, not for all the gold records on the planet.

"Awww fuck," Kate muttered. "I gotta go after her," she said to Jon and ran to the door. "Lains!"

Richie moved to go after her, then saw Kate making a beeline towards the door. Dammit he wanted to be the one to make it better, but she’d hit the ladies room and he couldn’t go there. Hopefully Kate could help. He sighed as he turned back to his mother. This wasn't working at all like he'd expected. He knew his mom would be a little mad, but nothing like this. "Ma, seriously I just couldn't go another day without her being mine." He stepped toward his parents. "I admit it was impulsive, but I almost lost her once and all I could think about was making sure it wouldn't happen."

Joan's gaze intensified with her curiosity, "What do you mean son?"

"I screwed up. When we first met, I screwed up and nearly lost the best thing that's ever happened to me. I let this stupid business and lifestyle get to me and I almost lost her. When she gave me a second chance, I just couldn't-" he huffed out a frustrated breath. It wasn't like he could explain every bit of it to his mother. Not the longing and the loss, not the way his body needed her as much as his heart. "I had to show her in every way that I was hers and she was mine. I'm sorry if that hurt you guys. I really am."

Joan studied her son quietly, and for the first time in his 27 years she saw a maturity that wasn't present in his eyes before. There was a fierce protectiveness lurking in those brown eyes, a strange new strength she'd never seen before. "She means that much to you Richie?"

"Yes." He stepped closer to his mother, putting both hands on her shoulders. "She means everything."

Joan sighed, bewildered at the suddenness of his change. Just a bare month before he was screwing everything with two legs, and now he had committed to one. "Well son," she looked up at him, relaxing slightly for the first time that night, "Pull out your wallet, because we will do a wedding and party for the family. It MIGHT go a little way to soothing ruffled feathers, we'll see. And if that little spitfire really is the reason for the new Richie, then I guess I’m gonna have to love her, because honestly I never thought I’d see a woman mean anything to you other than a .." She didn't finish the sentence, she didnt have too.

"Ma!" Richie had the good grace to blush. "I do. I didn't think it would ever happen for me, but she did. In one day. I'm surprised I was able to stop myself for almost a month to NOT marry her."

Joan's brow winged into her hairline as she bit back a retort. "I see. So you've known her that long.. "

Richie winced. "I've known her for a month or so, but I screwed up for most of it. I only got her back a couple of weeks ago."

Joan’s voice was soft, her gentle gaze twinkling, "Richard?"

He sighed, "Yeah, Ma?"

"Shut up while your ahead son." She smiled to take the sting from her words. "You really need to learn that."

He hauled her in. "I love you," he said into her hair, drawing in the White Shoulders and powder he associated with his mother. "I know you're going to love her too."

Joan wrapped her arms around her son and smiled. "I probably will son. I probably will."

"You won't be able to help it," he said with a grin.