Chapter 116

Usually she wasn't much for PDA, but hell...it had been way too long. She stood on her tip toes and kissed him, her loneliness pouring into what was supposed to be a quick meeting of lips. That little bit of a connection that all couples shared, what she hadn't realized she'd been missing until she'd seen him across the arena. But one little taste hadn't been enough. Her fingers slid into his hair and she was rewarded with a hard grip at the back of her jeans.

"Ahem," Richie said.

Kate ignored him. He tasted much too good to care that everyone was probably watching. She only broke off when Richie made a wolf whistle with the talk box...loudly.

Elena tilted her head as she glanced up at Richie. "Nope they didn't miss each other one bit."

Jon pulled Kate closer to him, his arm wrapping tightly around her waist. Fuck if he wasn't gonna have a problem letting her go to be on stage. "King, I seriously will mail her home."

Kate giggled. Normally she would have been mortified at the sound coming out of her mouth, but she couldn't care. Not right then. "Aww, Sugar you know you love her around, especially this weekend when you'll be making just as much noise on the other side of the wall."

Jon's grin could have lit the dark stadium, had it been dark. Fuck matching them, we're gonna make more."

Richie laughed through the talk-box. "I wanna fuuuuck you." he said with the robotic voice. "Oh god, Jonny, yesssssss Jonny!"

Elena reached over and pinched his ass lightly. "Switching teams lover? Maybe I should go find Joker..."

"Uh-oohhhh," he answered and snagged her around the waist. "Hell no. Just figuring that's what I'm going to hear tonight. Getting myself used to it."

She rolled her eyes and stepped away from the danger that was his body. Moving over to Jon and Kate she wrapped her arm around Kate's waist and pulled. "He'll have you all night. You're mine for now, besides he's gotta go get pretty."

Kate leaned back and kissed him quick. "Make it tight and ripped, Sugar. I've seen pictures, so I know you can do it. If I've got to watch you shake it all over the stage tonight before I touch it, better make it worth my while."

Jon smirked, "Oh I have the perfect outfit Kate baby. Don't ya worry bout that one."

Elena winked at Richie, "You're outfit is all laid out babe; the black with stars, black tank, purple fringe coat, and your change, that deadly sparkly black is in your quick change area lover."

Kate arched a brow. "She dresses you now, Richie? How...wifely."

"Shaddup," Richie groused. "She just likes to see how much bling she can get me to wear at once."

Elena's cheeks stained a pretty pink. "The shinier the sexier.. that, sweat and..." her voice trailed off as she forced the thoughts back. She couldn't go into the gutter right now, she had things to discuss with her best friend.

Pulling Kate down the hall she opened the dressing room door and moved to the couch, the various guys in differing states of dress and undress not even fazing her. "I have soooo much to tell you Katy!"

Kate's eyes widened at the half naked Tico shooting through the room, followed by the slow swagger of...hell, what was his name? Alex? Alec...yeah, Alec. She'd only met him once and it was more than enough. Kate couldn't figure out what he had to swagger about, he was even skinnier than Jon.

When he flashed open his towel as if to retuck it she gave him a bland stare. It wasn't like naked really phased her, she was a doctor, but the fact that they walked around Elena like that was what had her surprised. "So, the naked guys aren't part of the story?"

Elena stiffened slightly as she looked everywhere but Alec. "Most of the guys are like gold Katydid, they’re really respectful, but him? If there's no one around he uses that opportunity to pick on me." She looked up at Kate, her dark gaze shadowy. "I try to avoid him at all costs."

Kate frowned. "Is he hasseling you?" She put a hand on her arm. "What kind of picking?"

Elena shrugged, "Just sly raunchy comments, or..." she shuddered, "he likes to flash me.." She looked up at Kate, “I told you in my letters he creeps me out ya know. First concert, the night I called you? I had one of those dreams." She nodded at Kate’s wide eyed disbelief, "Yes with Richie in bed I had one, right after meeting Alec, who makes me feel like a bug under glass. He's always watching me, like he knows something I don’t. Kate, he reminds me of .." She paused and took a deep breath, just saying it could bring it back sometimes. "that night."

"I told Richie, and he does everything to keep us separate, but, there are just those times, like now.. " Elena managed a smile, "I'm getting pretty good at ignoring it."

"Oh honey," she leaned in and gathered her in for a hug. "I'm glad that Richie's being proactive about keeping that pig away from you. Some men just have no respect for women. That's the sort of slime he is."

Elena wrapped her arms around her friend, almost basking in that girl to girl friendship she'd been missing. "Hell he reminds me of that guy, built like him sounds like him, smells.. ... Oh fuck why are we discussing the bug? Let’s discuss the concert. You have two choices, side stage or front row Katy?"

Kate pulled back and looked at her friend. The ghosts were still there in her dark eyes, but at least she was moving past them a bit. At least she hoped she was. Willing to let the subject drop for now, she grinned. "Front row baby."

Elena snorted. "That's gonna take an act of congress. The guys won’t let me out there, claims its dangerous, but I think we can handle it if we both pull a pretty beg."

She started to laugh as Richie walked in, "he's afraid I'll talk to more groupies." She leaned in closer to Kate. "Ask him for a zucchini or a cucumber, I dare ya."

"She's a menace," Richie muttered, leaning down to drop a quick kiss on her mouth. "David was right."

"And you love it and you know it." Elena returned the brief kiss. "Baby we wanna stand in front row tonight. Kate wants the full on experience." She fully intended on bringing up vegetables if need be, she wanted to see it from front row herself.

Richie frowned and sat on the arm of the couch. "Do you realize how crazy they get down there? I mean seriously there's shoving involved."

She reached up to ruffle his hair. "I've seen, we're big girls baby, we can handle it can't we Kate?" She held back the big guns, she didn't wanna or else if she didn't have to. Gazing up at him, she let her eyes go soft and doe like. "Please?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's not fair when you do that, you know that right?"

"I'll make it worth your while, I promise." she waggled her brows slightly. "Can we?"

"Yeah, Jonny already set aside a pair. He wanted Kate to have the full experience this weekend." He waggled his eyebrows. "Not sure letting the two of you free into the public is a good thing."

She leaned back against the couch, "So says the expert. Scoot, go get ready, or I'll tell Kate all your secrets, loudly." She winked, not meaning a word of it. "Make sure ya grind a bit just for me though, really hot solo ok?"

Leaning down he growled and nibbled his way into her neck. "Grind," he laughed and came up for air, catching Kate's eye. "Only MY wife would request me to grind on stage."

She stood up and grabbed Kate’s hand, then patted his cheek with her free one, "Like you won’t do it any hows, you can’t help it."

Rolling his eyes he smacked her ass. "Behave Mrs. Sambora or I won't let you play with the big girls and boys again."

She pulled Kate towards the door laughing, "That means you don't get to play either Stud. You'll be outta the game too." She laughed as she went through the door and headed towards the entrance to the audience. "We're gonna get our spot before the crowd gets here."

Kate's heels clunked behind Elena. Jon was talking to a tech person, his frown evident. Feedback bounced around the house as he called it. Oh man, she thought, I hope that doesn't keep up. He'll be rippin'. "Where's the fire, Lains? We've got hours before the show yet."

Elena stopped and looked at Kate. "The crowds start arriving early, it’s just good to get a place. That’s why I usually watch from side stage, besides, they start talking set lists and all kinds of dumb shit, and Alec's there so I make myself scarce .. We can go back if ya like." She winked, "Just thought you might wanna see the souvenir table."

"Oh, yeah? Think I should wear a tour shirt instead of my little sweater?"

"God no, the groupies wear them, your special, but they have other stuff, and well you COULD use a new sleep shirt." Elena kept walking through the stadium grounds until she reached the table. "See? They have all kind of things."

Kate's eyes bugged. Pins, t-shirts, patches and tour books littered the tables. Beer cozies, magnets and even a mirror were stacked along the back of the tables. "Holy crap!"

She nodded at the girl behind the table. "Pick out whatever you want, its already covered Kate. Jon said to make sure you had plenty of souvenirs."

She flicked the VIP pass. "So I just get all sorts of perks, huh?" she grinned. Pushing through the piles of merchandise she picked out an assortment of patches labeled with each album and pointed to the denim jacket with the Bon Jovi logo on the back. "And that please," she said to the girl running the merchandise cart.

The girl handed over the jacket. "Good call ma'am, you'll look killer in that."

"Think he'd sign it for me?" Kate gushed in a mock groupie voice. "Maybe sweat on it for me?"

Elena giggled, "If ya ask him nicely enough he will."

Laughing, she took the bag from the girl. "Don't mind me, I'm Jon's girlfriend. He likes my brand of crazy...well, most of the time."

Elena’s brow arched. [i]She called herself the girlfriend? How interesting. [/i] She grinned wildly, "Fuck that Katydid, I don't think he can live without it for long spells, he gets downright bear like after a week or two."

Kate slid her arm through hers. "Yeah, he had a min-tantrum on the phone with me the other night, hence my visit." She snorted, "You know how many times he's threatened to send you home in a box?"

Elena rolled her eyes, "At last count it was around 300, the last 150 in this last week alone."

"Don't you worry, a little TLC from me and he'll be back to normal...well at least until I can see him again." Her teasing voice went serious. "I hate how much I miss him. It was just supposed to be a fun thing but now..." she sighed. Hell, how was she supposed to complain that Jon was throwing around the L-word/

Elena's arm slipped back around her waist. "Hell Katydid its about freaking time. You deserve to have a great guy, and outside of Richie, Jon's the best there is."

"Well he's certainly persistent," she said and put her head on Elena's shoulder. "I'm just afraid he's going to break my heart. I couldn't take it again, Lains. Not after..." she cleared her throat. "Not again."

"He’s a good guy Katy, for all his controlling ways. I don't think he has it in him to hurt ya, he’s not like James was..."

Kate controlled the growl that threatened. "If he was like James he'd have been a eunuch and a dead man a long time ago, Lains."

Elena laughed, "True that, mighta helped him hit a few of those high notes."

Concerned she stopped walking. "Is he having trouble with his voice again?"

Elena sighed, "When the concerts are back to back yeah. It's worrying his throat, he’s getting no rest, but he just keeps pushing himself. There were a couple of times Richie had to sing the higher parts for him."

"I swear to God, I could kill that Doc. He's always pushing for more shows...more interviews. And Jon, being Jon is lured by the whole 'get the word out' motto that they live by." She sighed. "When he calls, I chatter on so he'll just have to listen. You know what a friggin' chatter box I am." She rolled her eyes. "Not!"

"Well Kate, We do the same thing. God the inane stuff I talk about. I think that’s half the reason he keeps wanting to mail me home. " Elena started to laugh, “I tease him.. about his hair.. about his clothes, hell I even talk business.. Me talking business, you ain’t seen funny until you’ve seen that, but it keeps him quiet

"Well, I'm glad you guys are helping out. Someone needs to watch over him, no matter what he says." She started walking again. "Okay...let's get to our seats. My first Bon Jovi concert...real and in person!!"