Chapter 46

The ride to Richie's apartment was filled with icy silence, just the sound of the revving engine, and their breathing. Once inside his place, with the door to the outside world shut, silence. He wasn't sure how long she was going to give him the cold shoulder but damn it he had to get her away from there, make her see.

She glanced around the room the memories of the day before fresh in her mind. Why had he brought her here? She sat down and hugged the old box to her and watched him stand there. She wouldn't speak first damn the man, he'd kidnapped her. Let HIM do the talking.

Richie disappeared for a moment, returning with two cold beers opened. He handed her one and sat down next to her. He took a long swig and simply watched her and that damn infernal box. What was so important about that box that she’d trotted out her number one weapon. She never cried, when she did it tore him up. What was in that box that was so fucking important to her?

She took a sip of the beer then settled it on the table, her hands smoothing over the box. Why wouldn't he talk? Damn him, he'd yelled, kicked in a door and kidnapped her. Why? She was just trying to do the best for everyone.

He reached over and knocked the top off the box delving his hand into the box and pulling out... stuff, lots of stuff. Hell he vaguely remembered working so painstakingly on some of those things. He lifted a tiny little bracelet, the threads braided and knotted carefully. And the pasta necklace? Damn, he made that macaroni thing in first grade! The ticket stubs to Nightmare on Elm street had him chuckling. He’d taken her just so she’d scream and grab for him, only the tables had turned and he’d held onto her while she snickered. Blood thirsty little heathen that she was. [i]She kept that too? What the hell else did she keep? Why did she keep this shit? What the fuck?[/i] He dropped it all back in and grabbed the bulkiest thing. [i]An album full of pictures?[/i] He opened it and started thumbing quietly thru each and every page and couldn’t stop the grin as it started to widen.

She winced. Damn she should of known he'd be curious. She watched as he rifled through the items and pull out the pictures. Well crap.

Memories of long ago. Them as kids, tormenting each other, both families gathered for cookouts, holidays and everything in between. Everything in that damned box had to do with them and no one else. He looked at the necklaces, the movie ticket stubs, little bits of this and that, all things pertaining to THEM, he and Mel and felt his heart start to beat wildly.If anything proved he was right, this one suddenly beautiful box did it in spades.

He chuckled after placing everything gingerly back in the box. Taking his beer with him he headed for the bedroom tossing over his shoulder "Hell you’re Cleopatra, Queen of De Nile!"

She muttered into the box, "am not.”

"Are too!" He called it out gaily, knowing it would rile her, she always did hate his ability to hear her mutters.

"Dork."

He stood in the doorway arms crossed "That all ya got?"

She took a deep breath and settled the box carefully on the table. Standing she turned to look at him, and felt the burn grow. "You over grown music playing dork of a rock star. YOU KIDNAPPED ME!"

"I did, didn't I?" He gloated, "consider yourself a hostage until you come to your senses."

"Four days ain’t that long."

"Four days? "

Her grin came out to play as she waggled her brows. "You only had a week off, it’s been three days.”

"Yeah so?"

"You leave, I go home. Four days."

"Ohhhhhh," he grinned. "Baby... I leave, you leave." He gave her a saucy grin and broke into song, "we're leavvvvvvvving on a jet plane!!! Don't know when we'll be back again."

Fuck. She glanced up into his sparkly brown eyes and shook her head. "YOU are one scary dude when you think you've gotten your way."

He shrugged and crossed the room to stand in front of her "Look Mellie.. I don't care what it takes... I don't care how long.. I will make you see... I know you care, your little box-o- memories tells me that. It's a truth staring you and me right in the face." He took her hands in his. "You can fight me, you can yell and scream, just try to make me miserable I don’t care, somehow I will prove to you that not everyone you love leaves you," his eyes softened.

She shuddered and fought the tears she felt threatening to over flow. "They always have."

He raised his hand to her face, his knuckles softly grazing her cheek "Not anymore Mellie."

She leaned in, his scent and warmth pushing at the doors she tried so hard to get locked tight. "It hurt for so long, it was just easier to live with it all shut away, ya know?"

"I know Darlin'," he pulled her gently to him. "I know, but I'm not gonna let you miss out on anything anymore," he grazed his lips over hers.

"You kicked her door in, she looked so surprised, you kidnapped me. No one has ever, well other than you has ever kidnapped me." Kidnap, rescue it was all the same in her mind. It was a warm feeling of being important enough to matter, important enough for someone to make that extra effort. Her arms went around his waist as she laid her head on his chest and sighed. She was tired of fighting at least about that, at least for now.

He gave a mental sigh of relief as he felt part of her fight slip away. He hugged her tight to him. "I'll fix the door, or Jon will don't worry, And Shay'll be just fine... you'll see." He buried his nose in her hair and kissed her ear. "I've been waitin' so long for someone to share all this with Mel.....this fame, this money.... what good is it if you’re lonely inside?"

She snorted into his chest. "Lonely? With all the women that throw themselves at you?"

"More lonely than you could ever know."

He sighed and scooped her up, walking her into the bedroom and settling her down in his big bed, scooting in beside her. "Imagine it. Surrounded by people yet so.... empty"

She understood empty, maybe not in the way he did, but she'd felt that too. "I do understand that feeling ya know.' she shifted slowly and curled herself into his body. "I ain't gonna stop fighting with ya."

"I don't want ya to....."

"You're still a dork, even if you are a rock star." She grinned as her hands slid up under his shirt and along his back. "A really cute, extremely hot dork, but a dork."

"I'll take that." He smiled and kissed her, his hands stroking her hair. "You'll always be a pain in my ass... an exquisitely adorable pain in the ass, but still a pain in the ass."

She pressed a kiss to his chest and laughed. "It's my job. I took it on years ago.'

"I think you're about due for a raise... your pay’s been shitty the last ohh what 14 years or so?" he grinned.

She rubbed her nose and smile along his chest. "Absolutely horrid."

With a sexy laugh he said, "Well lets remedy that darlin'.” Gently and slowly he reassured her, with hands, mouth, and all that he was. He showed her just how badly he needed her in his life.

The magic of his lips left her writhing, the joy of his lips sent her soaring, and with a hiccupped moan she pushed closer, opening herself to all that he was.

As they made love this time, it was more an emotional give and take. They filled the void in each other. He filled her, she filled his every sense, every longing. Touches and looks did more than words ever could. As they sailed to new heights together they both felt hope.

She couldn't get enough of the simple complexities of the moment, whispers, laughs, touches and sighs, each and every piece adding up to a meeting of heart, soul, and mind. And as they joined their bodies she felt, in that instant a rejoining of souls long separated, something new, fresh and totally fulfilling.

A slow sensual climb to the peak simultaneously as they crashed over falling down into the abyss together completely sated. Sleep claiming them, wrapping them in contentment and dreams of the future.